How was your morning?

Now, I know you are totally over hearing about kindergarten, teaching, school, children, or being overwhelmed in general, and wondering, can't she talk about anything else?!

And the answer is no.

It's all I think about.

Actually, the thought, "What was I doing/thinking about before I went back to teaching in the classroom?" pops up pretty regularly, because what ever that was, I'm not doing it anymore.

Regardless of my adjustments and crazed preparation, my classroom continues to be a different version of yesterday's three-ring circus. Never a dull moment. Never. Take last Wednesday morning for example:

7:35- Peel crying twins off of their parents, yet again, while greeting the other 21 students and making sure they are putting their backpacks away and finding their correct seats.

8:00- Console a crying student for getting busted (by me) for running and playing tag in the classroom during centers. I assure him I'm sure it won't happen again... wait, why do the roles seemed reversed?

9:15- Bandaging up a skinned knee at recess just as another bawling student wanders up with a busted, bloody lip. She somehow smacked her face on the slide. And of course she doesn't know how to get to the nurse. (Wait, where did I put the nurse cards?!) Who knows how to get to the nurse?! Can you escort her there and then come RIGHT BACK TO THE CLASSROOM?! (Jeez, is this proper protocol? Should I send a bloody, crying 5 year-old with another overly-confident 5 year-old? If there is anything I've learned in my few weeks with kindergartners it's that they don't always know what they think they do...) Whew, he's back. That was quick. He probably ran all the way back. Hopefully no one saw him running in the hall, or at least not back into my room.

9:45- In the middle of read aloud. All the kids are sitting, listening, focused.

BANG! The bathroom door is kicked open to reveal one of my boys strolling on out, singing to himself, his underoos and jeans around his ankles. OMG! Is this really happening?!

Luckily the kids' backs are to him and only catch a glimpse of his full moon as he turns around after I say (calmly, believe it or not), "Turn around, shut the door, and pull up your pants. We do not come out of the bathroom before pulling up our pants."

This is all before 10 o'clock. Oh, and I'm supposed to be teaching them how to read somewhere in there.

Ha. Ha.

Tell me, if you had days like this, would you blog about anything else?!

A spoonful of sugar

I used to love Mary Poppins. Actually I still do.

She's fabulous. Efficient. Organized. Kind, yet strict. And her ability to accessorize is totally unbelievable. Let's talk about the bottomless carpet bag, as well as the umbrella, that not only has a flying function, but a pet talking parrot built into the handle.

She would make a great kindergarten teacher. I've been thinking about her as I've been setting up my room and starting school. Having a song for every situation makes the rowdy bunch much more manageable. Five-year-olds love to sing. They will drop everything to sing about getting into line. It's pretty amazing.

I'm considering making my new slogan WWMPD? (you know, what would Mary Poppins do?). I think I could definitely pull off channeling her. After all, I am well accessorized and eccentric in my own right.

Kindergarten is totally a trip. It is an absolute whirlwind. And really fun.

I've added a gadget to the right side of the page: Overheard in Mrs. Cox's kindergarten classroom. Keep your eye on that one. I already have material for days!

Silent e vs. the -er sisters

You probably don't think about it much since you learned to read, but decoding English is tricky. Of course there are rules that my students and I live by, but as we all know, sometimes those rules can lead you astray.

Today, one of my second graders was decoding along, when he got stuck on the word "tired." Like the good little reader I trained him to be, he quickly began breaking the word apart. Unfortunately, rather than finding the "tire" inside the word and applying the silent e rule, he broke it into "t-ir-ed," and applied the -er, -ir, -ur rule instead.

"...turd?" he says looking up at me.

About a split second later, realizing what he had said, he dissolved into giggles. Poor thing could not regain his composure for several minutes, especially because I was laughing too.

Who says following rules isn't fun?

Cabo here I come!

Two days to go. And just in time. Today I had a kid ask me if I was wearing a bathrobe. It was a wrap cardigan, in case you were wondering. Another told me I shouldn't dye my hair because my eyebrows don't match. A little part of me almost explained that the low lights tie the whole look together, and besides my constantly changing hair is a form of artistic expression. But I didn't. Finally there was, "Oh, I hate this book. I'm going back to my classroom."

The best part about children is their honesty. I need a week in Mexico to appreciate that again.

Hores

Being a teacher is extremely rewarding.

And at times hysterical. Here is one such time.

As the terrible speller that I am, I can relate to this kid, but oh, what a word to misspell. It all started with the innocent little sticker in the corner...
Classic.

Around my water cooler

I'm sure that in your workplace today, there was talk of the election.

There was at mine too. Only, I hang out with 7-year-olds all day. Still, you'd be surprised at how similar your conversation and my conversation probably were:

[Names were changed to protect the innocent, yet hilarious.]

Mrs. Cox: We're going to read Arthur Meets the President because today is a special day. Who knows why today is important?

Alex: We have an assembly?

Mrs. Cox: No, it's election day. Today all the adults in America get to vote for who will be the next President.

Alex: Oh yea! I hope Bronco Bama wins! [we are in Orange and Blue Country, don't forget] Because that other lady is loco! [twisting his finger beside his head]

Andre: Can girls be President, or only boys?

Mrs. Cox: No, women can be the President or Vice President too. If John McCain wins tonight, Sarah Palin will be our Vice President.

Alex: Yea, she's loco! [resumes finger twisting]

Andre: Oh yea, I remember her. My Grandpa thinks she's hot!


See, even the kids know the most important thing about Sarah Palin is that she's hot.