4 Day Weeks

Who doesn't love a 4 day week!! I love thinking that on this Wednesday night my alarm will only go off at 5:40 for one more day this week. Plus, with this fabulous weather we have been enjoying, my kids have checked out. They have no interest in letters/sounds, math pages, coloring pages, or writing in their journals. The only thing that keeps them going is 45 minutes of recess (yes, thats longer I should but it is just so nice), centers, and me trying to teach them a new sign to add to our sign language everyday.

I have talked a little bit about a sweet little boy in my room who just simply can not behave. I love him to death, and he is one of my more common sense intelligent children. He knows more random facts about things than I do. Just the other night Titanic was on TV, so of course we were watching it. The next morning he ran in and said "Mrs. Dickerson, last night on TV, this boat hit an iceberg and it sank, and this girl and boy that loved each other, their hair froze, their hair, can you believe that!" It was just so cute :) However, today, not so cute. He continued to stand on top of his table and jump off. While I was teaching. He constantly threw crayons across the room. And the final straw, he punched another boy in "his area". I want him to do the right thing and make good choices, but he does not. I know that God put him in my room for a reason, and maybe it is to strengthen my patience because that surely is happening.

Those of you who have a four day week and tomorrow is your Friday, Enjoy!

Sign Language

Does anyone know how to sign? I am in search for a good website with some easy signs. I have known the alphabet since I was about 10. I decided that my kids needed something new today so while we sang our letters and sounds song I introduced the sign language alphabet. They loved it! They wanted to keep doing it and doing it. I figured I could learn some more and just keep teaching them. At this point in the year, we are reviewing a lot of skills I have already taught so I think this will be a fun little add on for them. Any ideas?

TCAP

I must say, I am SO THANKFUL we do not give TCAP in Kindergarten. Last year when I was doing my student teaching it was right around TCAP. I could barely even do what I had to do to pass my student teaching. Everything was all about TCAP, and that is all we did. What happened to just being able to teach your students. Several months are spent worrying about TCAP. The students know that the teachers are stressed, and it makes them that way. Should third graders really be stressed? I am so glad that we do not give it in Kindergarten. It is one less thing I have to worry about. However, we do give a lot of assessments. I feel bad for my poor babies having to test over different things so much! I wish that Kindergarten was still Kindergarten and less First Grade. I know that the Lord is looking out for me, and will look out for my sweet babies as they get older and have to endure all of those tests!

Tired Friday.

Normally by Friday night I am ready for bed by about 8:00. I get up at 5:40 which may not seem too bad to some, but I really function much better with more sleep. So 5:40 is early to me. However, I do enjoy starting school a little earlier because it gives me more time in the afternoons. I am not looking forward to Monday. It will be my first day to get up with this crazy daylight savings time. This morning I got up at 6:00 to get some water and I thought it was 3:00 in the morning. It was pitch black dark outside. That will not be fun come Monday. I will not enjoy driving to work in the dark. But I guess I am happy with the longer days if I can just adjust to the mornings.

Now, I shouldn't be too tired this Friday because I have not worked this week. But I am. It was rainy and cold here earlier this week, so I ran some errands, cleaned the house, and did some homework. Yesterday and today were beautiful days! I have been outside running, doing yard work, walking my dog, shopping, and all kinds of things! Along with all of that...its March Madness! Vols had the late game last night so I was up watching that. All of that being said, I feel like a normal Friday, but so happy that God blessed us with such a great few days of weather for SB.

Monday I will head back to school. My kiddos have so much to learn before they head on to first grade! I am anxious about how they will do since they are my first bunch. I constantly pray that I can teach them all they need to know. God has blessed me with a good job, great teachers to work with, and some pretty good kids :)

Chattanooga.

We decided to travel to Chattanooga for a short little getaway for Spring Break. I lived here for one year of college, and did not enjoy the city. I do not enjoy this time either. However, it has been nice to just do something different. If I were at home, I would be doing responsible things and I don't want to do that. I am normally a very in control person. I don't really like a day if it is not planned out. I think the fact that my life is so much that way with teaching Kindergarten, I didn't want to do any planning. I just wanted to travel to Chattanooga and enjoy myself. WHAT WAS I THINKING?? We left Sunday right after church. I thought I knew where the hotel was. I figured if I didn't I would just look up directions on my phone. Wrong. There are approximately 30 Holiday Inn's in the Chattanooga area. When you don't know which one that you are staying at- you can't look up directions. So anyway, with me thinking I know where we are going, we drive all the way to Cleveland still looking for the exit I just knew we were staying at. As we got off the interstate in Cleveland, we were on fumes. We got gas. Pulled over in a McDonald's parking lot and used their Wi-Fi to attempt to find our hotel. I called my mom, but she gave me directions to the wrong Holiday Inn. Go figure. If you know my husband, imagine how mad he was at this point. We figure out where the hotel is, and go back to East Ridge. Now, East Ridge may be a nice place to live. Our hotel, compared to one on Trinity Lane. I was scared. We had already paid for the hotel but the sweet hubby knew I couldn't sleep peacefully there so we left. Hopefully we will get our money back. We then headed to Hixon to meet some friends. From Hixon, to Red Bank, to Soddy-Daisy, back to Chattanooga where we eventually found a nice hotel to stay the night. Today was better- we made a plan last night. Tomorrow we hope to enjoy the aquarium and then return home. Next time, I will print directions to everything- like I normally would.

The last day before Spring Break.

You remember the last day before Spring Break. Crazy. But what you don't remember is how terrible it was for your teacher. I generally do not schedule a lot of hard concepts and skills on Friday. They just can not do it. I especially feel that way about the Friday before SB. So today we read a book, sang several songs, did a money page, practiced writing our names correctly, read a chapter of Charlotte's Web, and enjoyed fun centers. You may be wondering why I am reading Charlotte's Web to Kindergarteners? We are seeing the play at Children's Theater, and they actually like the book. I sit on the floor and let them lay on the floor all around me, and they love it! But one thing just sent my class over the edge. One of their favorite classmates moved to Jackson at Christmas and they were just so upset. He happened to be back in town today so he came to visit today and brought cookies for my class. I didnt tell them until about an hour before he got there because I knew they would be crazy. They were uncontrollable while he was there and after he left. At one point there was someone crawling around on the floor while another child poked them in the rear with an oversized crayon, two people sitting under an open umbrella, people flicking pencils off tables, and I that point I realized I had lost total control of the classroom. The headache I developed through all of that was unbelievable.

So anyway, to say the least, SB was very much welcomed. It worked out nicely that my husband will also be enjoying SB with me! We will sleep late, watch TV, and take some naps. I need to try and fit in some graduate work so I dont fail out of the program, need to work on some lesson plans, need to work out so I can not be fat by summer, need to paint some rooms in the house, and need to clean the house- we shall see if any of those things get done :)

If your on SB- ENJOY!

Jackets.

I continue to be amazed by the jacket situation in my room. With the weather kind of cold in the mornings, and who knows in the afternoon the responsible parent puts a jacket on their child. Now, keep in mind, I tend to be cold. However, I keep the temperature in my room around 70. Also, when we go outside, I enjoy a nice bench while the children play. With all of that said, one would think that my room is set at 98 and its equally as hot outside. The moment that we get in line to go outside I have children asking if they can take their coat off. We are not even outside yet. The second they can see the door, they are begging to take it off. Boys want to strip all the way down to their undershirts. Do coats somehow inhibit children from playing? I do have vague memories of hating when my mother asked me to put on a coat, but come on people its March! When I have kids, I am going to dress them in multiple layers so maybe except on the coldest of days a jacket will not even be in our vocabulary.

Funny Moments.

Well the past few days my children have just been making me laugh constantly. I am not sure if I have been in better spirits than normal, or they are extra funny. Today I was a little puny. If you don't know me too well, here is an interesting fact for you. If I take any type of cold medicine, nighttime or not, I am basically unconscious. I hardly remember anything past 8:30 when I took the medicine last night. So..today I was still in recovery. But it helped that it was PJ day, and if you know me, well you know I too full advantage! So anyway, I was very happy for the humor they provided me today.

So here is some humor for you to enjoy as well.
- I don't know if this is a sign that I am old or what, but one of my kids was singing a pop song all day today (a white girl) and I had to come home and Google the song to make sure it was ok for her to sing it in my class...sign of old age?

- One of my sweet children was losing control of their lives at their seat today. I mean tears streaming, heaving, the whole nine yards. I walk over and ask what the issue might be. She answered but it was so out of control I could not understand. The girl next to her said- "she is just really upset about Hannah Montana" I said "Excuse me, she is upset about what?" She finally gathered herself and said "I am just really upset that Hannah Montana is not going to be on TV anymore" I just turned around and walked away- I just could not believe that

- My little child that was the alligator under the table always has exciting things for me..today he walked up to this little girl who never does anything or says anything..and he said "barf, barf, barf, barf" about an inch from her face. He then turned the boy next to her and said "HAHA I just barfed in her face!" Like what even makes someone do that?

Well maybe that made you smile :)