Lunch Box Blues

Isn’t Wednesday, being midweek, suppose to be one of the days you’re most alert and have energy? …I was in lala land today. I took a salad for lunch, so when I got to school I put it in the fridge in the teachers room (in the cafeteria basically).

Come lunch time I couldn’t find my lunch. I searched through the pod closet where we all keep our belongings. I trampled through the classroom overturning my book bag….Nadda…Darnit...I was really looking forward to that salad too!

… I thought :
1. I forgot my lunch, but remembered bringing it.
2. Could I have left it in my car?
3. That I misplaced it….doubtful. It’s in the same place everyday.
4. Someone accidentally took it.

I took the babies to the cafeteria while Mrs. Cade was heating up her lunch in the room. Very quickly I might add. She was worried I wouldn’t have time to find my lunch and eat. All the while, I was still completely unaware of where the heck my lunch was. As I was standing there watching the class file through the lunch line it finally hit me….DUH MORGAN, you put it in the fridge! I don’t know what was going on…I am so off this week. It’s going to take me some time to get back on track and used to my new schedule.

At lunch I sat by the same group of girls I had yesterday. I just listen to them giggle and ask each other silly questions. The topic today: Middle School. Where each would end up? (It is so hard looking at these little girls imagining them in middle school. It blows my mind….I’m sure I looked the same though! Scrawny!) One of the girls, Rachel, began telling the other three girls she was going to be attending a private middle school. She didn’t want to go, but her mother was making her. Amanda, very petite, country, full of freckles, and known for her giant wide-mouthed smile, said “That’s expensive! It’s like sixty dollars a month!”…..I laughed on the inside…LISA WISHES!

I’m going to have to start getting strict with the students. Not something I am looking forward to, but I am having trouble getting them to see me as their teacher and not a friend. They don’t listen to me at all when we are in the hallway. As soon as Mrs. Cade enters they are quiet as can be….Me, not so much! It's difficult going from a methods student whose job is to act as a helper/friend for the students, to the role of a teacher who not only teaches, but enforces rules. Completely different.

We had our second student teacher meeting after school with our supervisor at Houston Elementary. The woman, while very sweet and probably means well, about drove me nuts. Confused the heck out of all of us! It’s done with though and I have, to an extent, a clear picture of how the semester will play out. 12 total weeks. Weeks 6-7 and 10-11 I will take on full responsibility. Between weeks 10 and 11 falls spring break. Until then I will teach one to two subjects per week. Mrs. Cade and I planned out next week….I will focus on science and social studies. This weekend will keep me busy planning those!

Kids Say the Darnest Things!

Monday, January 5, 2009

 

Back at Bowen. Back at Bowen. As nervous as I might have been, I couldn’t wait to see all my kiddos.  Instead of asking the students what they enjoyed about the Christmas break, Mrs. Cade asked them why they were happy to be back at school. Clever! My sweet little Allison, the one who gave me the card before I left, said “That we get to see Ms. Rhodes again.” J

 

During our conference period, which … in all reality isn’t much of free period, we received a new female student.  As much as we are enjoying her, the sudden arrival put a complete twist on the day and our prepared plans.

 

Mrs. Cade read aloud a story during reading block.  Each week the students are given a story.  At the end of the week the students are tested on vocabulary and story comprehension.  While the story was a complete bore (a blind woman and her guard dog), I did get a bit of laughter out of it.  Before she began to read, Mrs. Cade directed the students to the photos.  She asked the students to glance at the photographs and try to determine the frame of time it might have taken place in.  Shannon, a sweetheart nearly as tall as me, pointed to a picture.  She said that the story must have taken place a while back because she had no idea what the object was…….it was a TYPEWRITER.  Could I feel any older?

 

In the afternoon Mrs. Cade was suddenly ambushed with a load of paperwork due at the end of the day (of course….like she doesn’t have teaching to do).  I noticed her frantic scurry and offered to teach the science lesson.  The kiddos got to devise a plan to figure out the temperature outside.  I really enjoyed the lesson. Science is always a fun subject to teach because the students get to interact with one another.  Their faces usually light up when it’s a science day! Most of them placed a thermometer outside and then went to check it later…..so smart!

 

After school all the student teachers had to rush over to Houston Elementary School.  We had a meeting with our supervisor.  The meeting did nothing but confuse the heck out of me! BUT it ended before it was suppose to…..that I did like! The good thing- everyone else seems to be in the dark too! By the time I got home I was EXHAUSTED!!! I was a zombie…...

 

 

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

 

My morning began with a phone call from mom.  6:45 a.m. and I still wasn’t awake.  GRRR. Apparently I was just too tired last night to set my alarm clock.  I hate waking up late.  Your in rush mode and you carry that mindset for the rest of the day…..I need a good hour to myself to wake up, make a pot of coffee, prepare my lunch, watch a little television, and get ready.  DEFINITELY didn’t get that this morning!

 

The morning went by fairly quickly.  We all did the macarana together (It’s productive for students to perform movements where they cross one limb over their body…stimulates the brain.).  The boys of course joined me at the front of the classroom and were silly as can be.  They make my heart smile.  …Caleb, embodied by big blue eyes and freckles that cover his face, came up to me before a lesson and gave me a chuckle.  He said, “Ms. Rhodes can I go to the bathroom?”  We were about to start a lesson so I asked if it was an emergency. He said, “Yes, (while tugging on his britches…big smile on face) I just ….I gotta fix my pants!” …. Hahahaha I loved it.

 

Before the day was over we had a quick social studies lesson.  Mrs. Cade asked the class to join her at the back of the room by the couch.  (She often sits on the couch and reads to them.) Next week the class will begin to discuss the Battle of the Alamo and Mrs. Cade was providing the students with some background information.  The topic: Stephen F. Austin.  Mrs. Cade explained after reading that our state capitol was named after him.  Ross, a very intelligent young man who always appears to be full of energy, told Mrs. Cade he knew why we called the capitol Austin.  “We call it Austin not only because of Stephen F. Austin, but because it’s in Austin.”   I about DIED!!!! Hahaha   No…Ross, it’s called Austin purely because of this dead fella…..Not because the area was called Austin, Texas. Oh, kids!

 

I stayed after school for a while to prepare my schedule for next week. Yuck….I’ m definitely not going to like having to sit down for hours to prepare a calendar that is always, and most likely, subject to change.  This could be a LONNNNG semester…..the planning part at least. 

2009 Begins ..... The Year of Growth

Wow, 2008 has flown by so quickly. I feel like it was just Christmas of 2007. Dad's right, time goes by faster and faster each passing day. I guess it teaches you not to take much for granted. Spending three weeks at home over the break was not only relaxing (much needed relaxation), but enjoyable. Christmas was a blessing as always! Most important of all, Miss Molly has a brand new collar to sport. A baby blue necklace....it compliments her eyes. She rolled it around in the dirt for a good two weeks to work it in.

I can at least say that 2009 has begun with a BANG! I celebrated New Years at Hollys. Spent time at the bay. Chit-chatted with my girlies. Shopped with mom. Have a new boyfriend :) ..... I'm enjoying the year so far.

Tomorrow I will begin my student teaching term. 60 days...that's it. After 60 days I am on my own. No more school...No more tests....No more studying (I hope!). I can't wait to listen to my kiddo's Christmas stories....there's never a dull moment in teaching!

Navasota Road Trip

This morning I visited my class at Bowen. When I opened the door all their little faces lit up and screamed "Ms. Rhodes!" While they didn't get the pencil bags I wanted to give them, I think they liked the aggie pencils. I'm glad I had one extra pencil...one boy bent the pencil thinking it was a bendable pencil. When did those come into make? Anyways...I gave the extra one to him. Another boy, my favorite, took the card I wrote "Merry Christmas -Love Ms. Rhodes" and crosssed out Ms. Rhodes, wrote his name and then handed the card back to me. It then read "Merry Christmas - Love C****" He's too cute!

~

Holly and I finally got our road trip.... to Navasota, Texas. Just a short twenty-minute drive and we arrived to a long narrow street familiar to Cuero Texas.


Holly was looking for a new computer chair. We searched through the antique shops on Washington Ave. It's amazing what people throw in those places.


There weren't any chairs that met Holly's price range, but we defintely had a lot of fun. My favorite part of antique shops are the old hats. Holly and I had a few modeling sessions with fun hats....we looked like Eskimos, or Russians, or like Aladdin.



Of course I mangaed to find some food.....fudge! I tried divinity and pecan fudge, but ultimately went with the chocolate peanut butter. It was delightful!

The evening ended at Olive Garden ... soup and salad, my favorite!

I can't wait to be home for fires, Christmas tree and lights, family, baking with mom

..... can't wait!

A Bittersweet End

Our last day on campus (Sabrina, Brenna, and I)

Yes Mom .... I know I look gorgeous- blah!

This is from a week ago... Elephant Walk

Harrington - Where I spent most of my time

~

Lauren reminded me today how far behind I am in the blog world. That girl keeps me on my toes. Im going to miss you Lauren! ~

Today was a redefined today for our methods section, which meant we were forced to go to class and play pointless games and act as though we cared to learn. What it really did was give us the opportunity to gossip about our Thanksgiving break and spend one last day together on campus.


During Social Studies, my favorite class by far, Mrs. Eidson shared with us a story of her first year teaching. She was blessed, and I say blessed lightly, with a student who was born to a crack addicted mother and was highly emotionally disturbed. He brought her to tears daily and gave my poor teacher a definte run for her money. Mrs. Eidson spent afternoon and afternoon in the counselors office crying, pleading for sanity, and wondering how this possibly could have happened to her. Then year ended...the young boy moved on....Mrs. Eidson started a family and moved away from the inner city. Eight years later she received a phone call from the counselor she had spent so much time with during her first year of teaching. The counselor was no longer working for the school district, but for the prison system performing psychiatric analysis work. During this time, the young boy, the same boy that nearly tortured Mrs. Eidson for a year, entered the prison system for a variety of reasons and the counselor was given the job of analyzing this man. One of the things she asked him to do was write down a list of people who loved him.....this was the reason the counselor had called my teacher. On this list, a list that many of us would not have enough paper for, the man wrote one name: my teachers. The story nearly brought us all to tears. My teacher had a hard time getting through the story in fact. At the end of her story she handed each of us a sheet of paper and an envelope. On the paper each of us wrote a letter to ourselves. A letter stating why we decided to become a teacher. She is going to mail it to us half way through our first year of teaching.....sweet isn't? I'm looking forward to getting it!


Overall, today's experience was surreal. My last day on a college campus....EVER! Mom asked if I was sad and I of course acted nonchalant about it. Yet, the longer I sit and ponder the thought the more depressed I actually become. The campus has been my home for three years, three very long years. It's felt my footsteps, swept up my tears, shined down upon my smiles, craddled my heart, warmed my soul, and strengthened my beliefs. It will be bizarre not spending my days walking to and from Harrington building.

I love this song ~

When the road gets dark and you can no longer see...just let me love throw a spark and have a little faith in me. When the tears you've cried are all you can believe. Just give these loving arms a try baby and have a little faith in me.


Time....Time is our friend, because for us there is no end...

The End Before A Beginning

Well, today was my last day at Bowen Elementary. I was sad, yet happy at the same time knowing I will return in the spring. Yep, thats right! God blessed me and gave me the opportunity to student teach just where I wanted!

Of course I couldn't just leave and not come back till January....I already told Mrs. Cade I would be back Monday morning to read the class a story. I think I will go into withdrawls from all my babies.

This is a card one of my girls, Allison, made for me. It's adorable!

It reads :

I'll miss you

Dear, Mrs. Rohds

I was so excited when I saw you in Mrs. Cade classroom. You are my first ATM student in my teachers room.

I hope you like teacher your new class. I will miss you so much. When Mrs. Cade said tomorrow was your lasst day I was so sad.

Just remember if you're upset of sad Just do your stratiges and remember Mrs. Cade class.

Does that get any more adorable? Ugh I loved it. Im not quite sure why she thinks I'm not returning-I told them I was...but the card made my day anyways.

She put an adorable photo of herself on the inside at the top...I cant show it yet until I get parental permission. Something I need to do! Shes precious.

Precious Precious Precious

Cross your fingers!!

Family Tailgate - Right after we won the beef BBQ cookoff!

Emily and I Saturday night

Amber and I at the tailgate...My stickers say "Beef" ... "Its whats for dinner" (family tailgate theme)

Geez I'm behind on my blog!

It has been nothing but crazy the last couple weeks with the end of the semester oming near. This past weekend is like a blur and I feel as though it should only be Tuesday...which of course its not. Why is it when your young you wish life would pick up the pace and keep on rolling as fast as possible and when your older you wish it could simply take a chill pill and relax? Funny how things work....I'm wishing mine would overdose for a couple days and just stop....so I could sleep and get caught up without losing time.

I had a good time this weekend with all of my friends but accomplished nothing. This procrastination left me stressed and overworked this week, BUT I finally got all my work done this evening. Well, it least what I had to get done. To add to my stressful week...I'm getting sick at the worst time possible. I already know I will spend the entire weekend preparing my online website, studying for two tests, and finishing up a final project...EEEKK

Today as school I graded papers on similies. Where you compare two things using the words like and as. The funniest one of all: The dog was as ugly as a baboons butt (written by a girl by the way)

Friday morning at 10 all methods students have a student teacher meeting. I will find out what and where my placement is in the spring. Cross your fingers and say a little extra prayer. If I dont get Mrs. Cade...I will cry. She gives me snickers throughout the day....it's amazing how a small piece of chocolate can make your morning go from blah to awwww!!!

Thanksgiving needs to get here ASAP~I miss home