Miss Music has a Dream

Last night I had a dream that it was the beginning of next school year. I am in opening school meetings, but the weird thing is that the meetings are in our building which is not our building. It is not a building that I have been in before, but it is extremely reminiscent of the building in which I went to middle and high school.

Anyway... I am done with some meetings and I am on my way to my classroom for the first time in the new year. I reach my classroom, and it doesn't have my name on it. Nope my name is on the door of a classroom that is a few doors down from my classroom. All of my stuff is missing. I have normal desks in my room instead of carpet and chairs. There are student computers upside down on the floor. My desk is about a foot and a half shorter than my old desk was, and there is an Indian style cushion for me to sit cross legged on. Oh yes, and my desk is in the middle of the room, rather than in the corner where I prefer it. There is a green black board on a stand that is teetering crookedly on its last good leg, and at the front of the room there is either an antique overhead projector, or a reel to reel projector running something black and white and fuzzy on the cracked screen at the front of the classroom.

I check my name on the door, and underneath it says First Grade. I bolt down the hallway and catch Tina coming out of our meeting. I ask her, "What am I teaching this year?" "First grade." she says calmly in her authoritative tone. "First Grade? Am I certified to teach first grade?" "No, but we thought that you would do a good job, and one of our other teachers backed out at the last minute." She responds matter-of-fact-ly. "Who is teaching music?" I ask keeping my cool (because if she asks me to do both at the same time, I am going to walk out of that building forever) "Oh, we got a long term sub to do that." She replies adding, "The kids will be here in an hour, so go look at your lesson plans. You will be fine."

I walked down to my room and the student computers, which were upside on the floor are now upside down on a low desk with itty bitty chairs in front of them. I start to go about straightening my room, but then I can't decide whether to do that or work on lesson plans... After a short debate I go about finding my curriculum. My first few students are coming into the room. I know some of them from the previous year. They immediately sit down on the floor and begin tracing the alphabet in the thick layer of dust that covers my entire classroom.

This is a health hazard. I walk back down the hall and ask Tina, "Did the maintenance men get to my room over the summer?" "Well of course they did." She replies looking at me as if I am loosing my mind." "They couldn't have, because there is so much grime and dust in my room that my students are writing the alphabet on the floor, the student computers are upside down, someone has sawed the desk legs off of my desk, my white board is missing and the replacement green chalk board is almost ready to fall over, and I can't find my science curriculum." She looks at me steadily and says, "I will have Jeremy come down and look at it."

"Ok," I say and turn and go back to my room, where there are students and parents waiting to meet me. The children rush to hug me, and their parents shake my hand. No one seems to notice the fact that my classroom is falling apart. There is even a student typing something on one of the upside down computers.

I can't remember much after that part of the dream. I guess that I must have waken up for a little while after it, because I remember it all so well. I do know that I did wake up this morning teaching a first grade class the song, "Going Over The See."

Maybe I need to see a therapist, or at least never eat a peanutbuster parfait before bed ever again.

Lunch Lounge Lurker

Fact or Fiction?

Fact: There is a lunch lounge lurker at my school.
Fact: This lounge lurker has been lurking around the lounge, and stealing healthy items out of the lunches of other staff.
Fact: It is not the kindergarten teacher, because (quoted just today) "If I was going to do something bad like steal, I would do something really bad and steal food that was not healthy like cheese dip."


Fact: The word Igloo can be read "Ig-100." (pronounced ig-one-hundred.) by a third grade student.

Fact: In an elementary school this conversation can be heard.

fourth grader to a teacher - "When did you get bangs?"
teacher - "A few days ago."
fourth grader - "You bought them?"
teacher - "Bought them?"
fourth grader - "Yah, you bought your bangs?"

Post to come

There will be a thanksgiving post, but not quite yet because I am trying to create a Kindergarten program out of.... I don't even know what.

Pray, Just Pray!

I am Find, FINED, FIND

I can't breathe through my nose. I am currently introducing myself as Jed.

I was trying to explain what my friend's maiden name was today at lunch. I said, "Her name was Burds. Burds. WINTER BURDS!, Ahem... B-U-R-N-S (Spelling out each letter) Burds!"

The other thing that went on in the lounge today...

A teacher just got back from Las Vegas. She was talking about the large man who sat next to her on the plane. Now this teacher has a sharp tongue and she has OCD. This is a frightening combination to anyone who knows her. I like her... as long as she keeps liking me... But the poor portly "gentleman" (Who happens to be the owner of the Strip Bar in this town) is not liked by this OCD - sharped tongue teacher, and now he knows it.

I would have loved to hear her scream at him while being squished to her side of their two chairs.... "I NEED MY ZITHROMAX, NOW!!!" While his posse of "ladies" and pimps watched in horror.

Lost my Links

Wahhhhh!!!

I am sad, I lost my links and I am too blogger illetrate to figure out what happened to them. If you read this and you used to be linked on my blog, or if you read this and you want me to link you even though you weren't linked before, just leave me a coomment that has your URL on it and I will try to replace your links.

Stupid new format that I had to go and try to improve.

Thankful

I am thankful that every day I wake up, get out of bed, eat breakfast, and am able to transport myself to work.
I am thankful that I have a network of loving family and friends.
I am thankful for all of my letters to and from Amy.
I am thankful that I have a choir to sing in after a year of choral fasting.
I am thankful what when I am sick, I can go out and get vitamins, herbs, and medicines to make me better.
I am thankful that I was brought up in a home that taught me the importance of working for what you believe in rather than what the world thinks is valuable.
I am thankful that I have the mental capabilities to accomplish all that I have and even more to come.
I am thankful for supportive teachers.
I am thankful for the kids I teach, even the yahoos and the brats.

I am thankful for the God who loves me, the Lord who saved me, and the Spirit who guides me.

I am thankful

don't much like it

I like teaching. I love celebration days.

Today was supposed to be a third grade celebration day. It did not work. It was frustrating. I had three games planned, and because of behavior. I got through half of one. Their teacher is a lovely woman who is a good teacher. I just had so many problems with behavior with about five boys. I am not saying that I would, but now I know why kids used to get spanked in school.

Sometimes there seems like their is no other alternative. I can sit them out, Sit them down, Send them to the principal, Take away rewards, Give them stern speeches, and I get few results. It is better than it was at the beginning of the year, but I need more from these kids. It makes me wonder what they get at home. I know that home life of some of these kids is hard, but I also know that others, who have good home lives, are behaving badly as well.

I Vow, that if I ever have children, that I will try my hardest to provide the loving structure that children need to succeed in school and eventually in the rest of their lives.

Because frankly, if my kids give their teachers as much crud as these kids give me...

'Nough said

Sweet Success

My first program was a success. Yes, there were little mess ups here and there, but honestly I was working with 65 kids at a time, or course there are going to be little flubs.

I had them watch their program and evaluate their work today. Here are some of their evaluations

Things We did well:
Sing
All that I can be (song)
Sang clearly
Stayed together
I was good at Gratitude Attitude
Dancing
Mya and Halie's part
Solos

Things that We could improve
Getting to know the words better
Late entrances
Talking loud ("Talking Lawd")
"Most of the people in the class are wiggling"
Not to point out mistakes (A girl actually pointed at another boy when he was early with his line, causing the program to come to an abrupt halt, and the boy to say, "WHAT!?")
Stop waving around

Things that we could more of, or things that we didn't think of:
MORE ACTIONS
Dancing
Coming in row by row on the songs.

The kids are pretty good evaluators. I corrected the spelling on the answers. I had to leave the "Lawd" because it makes me think of a large woman in a Gospel church crying out for the "LAWD."

Or it could have referred to me crying out for the "Lawd" before the program started because I was SO NERVOUS!

Sorry computer can't upload video

Well, I had a great video to upload to my Blog. It would have been my first venture into such vast technology, and it also would have allowed me to show you what my fifth grade yahoos look like. (In Technicolor and Full Sound) But, alas, my computer will not acquiesce to my request.

So instead I will ask you to use your imagination....

(wavy screen sequence inserted here, and out of the waves you can see four fifth graders emerge)

In front of them is one xylophone. One or two of them are holding two mallets. They play a pattern, sometimes this pattern is indistinguishable, and some times it is easy to hear. As they play, another student reads a Haiku about fall and Halloween and two other students emphasize their words with rhythm instruments. At the end of the haiku they stare blankly into the camera and the video (with awesome effects) fades to the next four students.... and so on.... and so forth...

(Wavy image back to normal screen.)

I hope you enjoyed that short clip of my life for the past THREE WEEKS!!!

Yeah it took them three weeks to write a haiku, print it out so that they could read it, match it with an ostinato, add percussion, and film it.
Yeah, I am kind of complaining about the length of time this project took, but look on the bright side. Lesson plans were easy for a while!

Ta ta for now!

forever and a day

Wow,
It has been a long time since I have posted. Not as long as some interludes but long enough. I guess that since so much has been going on, it has been hard to just pick one thing to write about, and I have ADHD so I can't write about more than one thing without the syntax and paragraph structure going out the window.

I guess I will write about one of the two things that have been occupying my mind the most over the past week. Perhaps after that I may write about the other. (if I actually get that far before the first thing renders me completely unable to do anything but sit in a corner, rock back and forth, and call out for cinnamon apple sauce.)

I am working on my first programs as a real teacher. Last year I was in charge of the 6th grade Christmas Concert back in the Burro. I learned a lot, and I am so glad that Lynn made me do it, because I learn by trial and error.

You can say that I have learned by trial and error in this first program. Most of these errors have been because of the monster I like to call Misconception.

List of Misconceptions:

1. My students care about not looking foolish.
You may find it surprising, but some of my students actually do not care if they look foolish or not. They, in fact, would rather look foolish than please me. (disclaimer: this is a rare breed of student, and most of them were born with chips on their shoulders.)

2. My students do not want to have a program.
I didn't think that students would be excited for programs, simply because during the first few weeks of learning songs, my students feigned interest and scraped by in class with minimalist effort. I have been surprised to find that students actually get excited about their programs, but I have to sell them on the idea first. Instead of telling them, "Guys I am super excited about your new program!" I said, "This year's program is going to be about social skills so that you can learn more about how to be better citizens."

NEWS FLASH!!!

KIDS DO NOT CARE ABOUT BEING BETTER CITIZENS, THEY WANT TO MESS AROUND AND HAVE FUN!!! AND DO COOL DANCES!!! AND HAVE FUNNY LINES!!! AND STUFF.....

now i know that.

3. Students who do not speak English do not know what I am talking about.
I have a student, I will call him Rob, who speaks Mandarin and very little English. The thing is, He thinks that this is a good excuse to exude little effort and in general, dink around. He should be able to do the actions. You can wave your arms in any language, but he has chosen to follow the suite of the yahoos in his class who don't think that music is important.

NEWS FLASH FOR THEM!!!

MUSIC IS IMPORTANT TO ME!!!... IF YOU DINK AROUND IN MY CLASS YOU WILL NEVER GET TO DO ANYTHING FUN... EVER... IN A MILLION YEARS... AND YOU WILL NEVER TOUCH AN INSTRUMENT... AND YOU WILL NEVER SIT BY YOUR FRIENDS... AND YOU WILL NEVER EARN A BEHAVIOR NOTE... WHICH MEANS YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A CLASS PARTY...!

And they know it, oh how they know it.

As for other misconceptions, there are too many to be named. I do not want to sound completely negative. I have had a great time working with these kids on the songs and actions. My fourth graders are dancing around all day in the hallway. Yesterday I walked up on a fourth grade boy who was doing an east coast swing step in the hallway and shaking it, YES IT, for all IT was worth.

It was....er....precious....

For the most part, I feel good about my first program experience, now if only I can convince parents and students of that.

odd signs of exhaustion

this morning i specifically remember thinking to myself, "i have staff meeting this morning. i have to be at school early so i won't do my make up. i will just do hair and mascara." i proceeded to get ready and come to school.

i just got back from the rest room, and as i was washing my hands i realized that i am not wearing mascara, but i am wearing foundation, blush, eye shadow, eye liner, and lip gloss. my hair is also done.

i didn't know that i did that. i have no recollection of applying any of the above, except the lip gloss which i applied after i got to school.

i need to go home and sleep.

Trick Or Treat

Last night Chris and I prepared for a good number of little trick or treaters. I have three words for you...

One Storm Trouper

We waited and waited all night long for ONE very cute storm trouper.
He was at the beginning of the evening too, or I would have given him half our bucket of candy.

Next year will be better...I hope.

Halloween might start with Hall, but it does not end in eluiah!

This morning I garbed myself in my best spy-wear. I had everything right down to the dark trench coat, ear piece, and dark hat. The kids were so pumped about their costumes. They were also pumped that I was a spy. They said, "wow... I knew that you would be a spy." (Because I have told them many times, if I was not a teacher, I would be a spy.)

We had the traditional Halloween Parade. The fifth grade classes led us out around the track, and the rest of the classes followed in line. After that the fifth grades looped around again to see every one's costume and then we all went inside. The entire thing took from 8:40 to 9:15. The pour little children had red cheeks and noses by the time they reached the end of their long parade. But, It was fun.

First grade was fun as well.

Fifth grade, my first class did awesome. Congratulations 5W you are my best fifth grade class as of late! 5V made up for the awesomeness of 5W right down to bodily harm and racial slurs. (sometimes children are truly evil. there is no other word to describe it.)

Third grade had the potential of being fun. They made it half way, and then slid back down the mountain of the anticipation of this evening's festivities.

It is only 12:30. I still have half of the day to go. I have a head ache to beat the band, and I have two 27 member 2nd grade classes coming up.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name...

Hallowhat?

This is a fitting picture for the festive season by which I am being harassed.





This is an actual conversation held in the office at my school building. The names have been changed to protect the individuals involved.

Secretary - “This is going to drive me crazy.”
Teacher’s aid - “What is going to drive you crazy?”
Secretary - “This E-mail notification.”
Teacher’s Aid - “What E-mail notification?”
Secretary - “Dina’s E-mail notification.”
Teacher’s Aid - “Dina’s E-mail notification?”
Secretary – “Yes Dina has an E-mail notification.”
Teacher’s Aid – “Dina has an E-mail notification?”
Secretary - “O My G#@, I am going to have a seizure just having this conversation with you!”
Yah… That is pretty typical for the office.

Halloween is effecting my life

Just because it is Halloween does not mean that my students have to act like Monsters. I am going to have to bring in the reigns this afternoon, or my Munster-family-like children will send me to an early grave, and I am not talking about the kind of grave that is used for decoration this time of year.

I am not going down to third grade to read with them. Instead I am sitting in the comfort of my classroom which is silent right now, and listening to the hum of the fans that keep my room cool.

Please Lord, let this day go fast!


This weekend in review:
Friday night: Japanese food in W with the ladies
Friday Bunk: My parents guest room
Saturday Morning: Hanging with the fam
Saturday Lunch: With the fam getting ready to look at an apartment for sister and husband
Saturday Afternoon: Renting apartment
Saturday Evening: Hanging with Chris
Sunday morning/afternoon: Church, Chris, Baking pie, Cleaning out my car
Sunday night: Sophomore sit down, and pie with friends.

Homecomming Part 2

Well,
Saturday dawned bright and early. I got up and got ready for the choir concert. Chris called me half an hour early to see if I was ready. The answer was, "Um, no. And don't come over either cause none of us are ready and half of us are still asleep." I got ready in plenty of time and was dazzled by the skills of the choir as well as the hand bell group and the brass ensemble. [ensemble is probably my favorite word because you can say it En-sem-bloo (oo- as in book)]

After choir I went to see the alumni soccer game, and not many people were there... correction, there was almost no one there, but I got to see Kylie and her new baby which made the entire journey well worth it.

We dedicated the Town houses at 11:15, and by this time I was starting to get hungry... grumpy hungry... honk the horn and yell I'm hungry hungry (See Previous Post). We went to the young alumni tale gate party, and we found out that it didn't start for another hour. So we wandered around, and I bought a large cookie from the snack bar, and then we went back to tale gate. Our food blew away in the gusty winds that whipped through the tent. We had chip races down the table. (Much to the dismay of the people sitting down wind from us)

The Ball game was fun. The weather was wonderful even though we lost. It was good to see people and hang out with parents on both sides of the datehood. I got asked/told about Eldon,

Guy - "I didn't know that this is your father in law."
Me - "He's not."
Guy - "He's not yet at least."
Me - "You never know."

My last statement may have concerned my supposed future father-in-law. Besides, people shouldn't assume things. Do you know why? Because it makes an ass out of u and me.

After the game we went to "Old Town" for German food. Man it was good. I maintain that their verenica are the best around.

We went to watch Honk, on very full stomachs. Stomachs that were so full they could have been cut open to end world hunger. (Now isn't that appetizing)

The show was wonderful. Elise and Kelli knocked my socks off. The entire cast was incredibly talented and the voices were wonderful. There were also some pretty funny appearances by some underclassmen men.

After the show we went over to some friends house and watched the beginning of Space Balls. I have never seen the movie, and I enjoyed the beginning more than I thought that i would. I don't know about the end, because I fell asleep, as did everyone else in the house. We woke up at 1:00ish and left to go to bed.

That is the end of Saturday. Sunday is too boring to mention so I will skip it when I write my next entry. If I would mention it it would go....

Chris had a headache... I drove home... He slept all day... I slept all night... The End!

Homecomming Part 1 (mostly for my own memory)

So,

Last weekend was homecoming weekend. I am so exhausted. I went to bed at 9:30 last night and slept hard till 6:00 this morning. The weekend was a wonderful whir of well wishes and Winnebago's. (alliteration is so in vogue)

On Friday, Chris and I wanted to get out of town as fast as we could. As soon as we were done with work, we took off into the wild blue yonder. About 10 minutes from home, I realized that I was famishingly hungry. I began to complain and moan my hunger, which turned into me yelling, "I'm Hungry!" and honking the horn about every five miles.... All the way to Walton.... For an hour.... Poor Chris....

We arrived at Gertie's house and her blessed mother fed me the nourishment that I had been longing for. My mood improved greatly! We hung out with friends and talked and laughed for a long time. It was good to hang out with her and hear all of her life's excitement and woes. She works for United Way, and when I say she works, I mean that the WORKS!

We all started yawning and yawning and falling asleep so we decided to head for the burro. I drove... I almost took three wrong turns between Gertie's house and the burro. (Not an easy thing to do, since there are only three turns on the way).

Once safely in the burro, I went to Myra house and hung out with girlie friends there and went to bed.

Stay tuned for the excitement of Saturday...

Please Pray

The school that I teach at lost a student last night. She was diagnosed with a brain stem cancer less than a year ago. She passed away yesterday. Pray for her family, a mother and a brother who is in fourth grade. Pray for our school counselor that she can be supportive and strong for those who need her help. Pray for her teacher last year as well as her teacher this year that they will get through this time of sadness and be able to take care of the kids in their classrooms.

A time to weep and a time to mourn.

It's official

Well,
It's official, My parents finally made the trek to Indiana, land of milk and honey, or at least "land of blueberries and sweet corn." Yes, I know, it took many months to get there, but they have finally left their lovely native state to journey far back to their childhood homes.

The only bad part of it is that I wanted to go to. It is a rough thing not being able to go somewhere when you want to. Man... If I made a list of all of the places that I want to go, but can't get to I would be old before the list was done and then I wouldn't have time to visit any of them.

Maybe I will stop wishing and start scraping and saving some money to get to some of those far off lands that are calling my name. It is time... it is definitely time for more stamps in my passport.

Flounder is not just a fish in the ocean

You know the saying, "D Nile is not just a river in Egypt." well, "Flounder is not just a fish in D ocean."

I feel like floundering is a common theme for me this year. At least I learn from my mistakes. For Instance:

My first class today was a mistake, the entire thing, completely.
I fixed the second class.

My third class was fine.
My fourth class was a technical error. The kids couldn't handle technical so they created errors.

My fifth class did an exceptional job. They were GREAT!
My sixth class was an interrupted mess. In the middle of class, we got an all call to go out to the playground and make a giant paw print and then take a picture. My class was one of the last to go, but we had to hear the all call for ALL of the other classes to be dismissed. Every time the voice came over the all call I prayed, "Dear Lord, Please Oh Please deliver me from these third graders and let me take them out to the paw print on the lawn." Now I am just praying, "Lord I will rejoice in suffering, but I rejoice better in ease..."

Not that school is all bad, but seriously, I have a feeling that this afternoon is not going to be the cakiest of walks.

who knows...maybe I will be wrong... but there are five xylophones sitting at the front of my classroom that say I am right.