Thursday, August 26, 2010

Rotating Groups and Bangle Bracelets

So, after yesterday I felt so successful that I decided I go "all the way" today and do small group activities. This will give the kids a chance to see how I want them to do their work, when I am working with a small group, and I can help them because today, I did not have my own small group. Yeah, a good idea after one day of school right? And, since I knew that we didn't get much done yesterday, I decided to just go for this today....just six stations and try to get all 21 kids through them.

I explained the activities, sent them to their tables and got them started, re-did directions when necessary, set the time, and off they went. Some were more independent activities, some were pretty easy, some were more difficult, and some required group cooperations. I decided that they probably still want to impress me, so they'd be extra good and work hard together. I was right, they did still want to impress me, but it started to be a competition..."I did this better than she did this, didn't I?" I told them that it wasn't a competition, but that they needed to work together to get one really great result. That seemed to sink in, and they started doing more cooperative type work. It took guidance, but I could really see them trying.

When you tell a first grader they are doing a really great job and you're proud of them, it's like Fireworks over Manhattan on the Fourth of July AND New Year's all at once. The face lights up, they want to let their friends know, and they often fist bump in celebration. It's pretty cool to see . They don't seem to be jealous of each other, more just happy to see each other happy.

I have one student who just can't work with a group. Let's just say he has "issues" that I'm working to address, but he's truly just a group of one. This means that he does another activity than everyone else, all by himself. If it's an engaging activity, and I spend some time talking with him, it goes really well. He's learning and happy and productive. It's a challenge, but I think we're making headway.

Today he was trying so hard to be good, because he really liked my elastic (cheap) beaded bracelets. He wanted to wear one, and that would require following the rules (for like 5 minutes)....which he really wanted to do. So, he followed the rules, and got to wear the bracelet. When he broke the rules, the bracelet came back to me. We exchanged them several times and there were even times when he had both of them at the same time. A girl said, "Why are you wearing Ms. Crab's bracelet?" His answer, "'Cause I earned 'em by bein' good."

I came home, went through my jewelry box and took all my elastic beaded bracelets, plus the livestrong and buckstrong bracelets and put them in my bag for tomorrow. If he wants to work for bling....I'm there!

Tomorrow's Friday....Fun, Friday....a little movie, some educational games, and maybe, if things work out, a game of bingo! Oh, my, first grade.....keep reading, and don't forget, if you have any extra unused bling, send it my way.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Tooth Fairy and other First Grade Firsts!

Today was MY first day of first grade. All of the complaining, researching, reading and other anxiety producing activities prior to today, were just not necessary...IT.WAS. FABULOUS!!! I mean where else can you do a happy dance, lose a tooth, find a new friend, learn that the playground "rocks," and be given crabapples (because they match your name). Seriously...where else?

I got a few things accomplished today during school

1. I did not lose any children
2. I took attendance and lunch count
3. I laughed, the kids laughed
4. I read a story
5. I laughed, the kids laughed
6. I'm pretty sure they all semi-know what to do tomorrow
7. I learned that they want me to eat lunch with them
8. I learned that recess "rocks."
8.5. When you lose a tooth in first grade, everyone needs to see it.
9. I learned that getting ready for the bus takes 30 minutes, and even then it's a bit of a crap shoot.
10. I know that first graders don't get 2 syllable teacher names...they can handle only Ms. Crab...and I'm fine with that.

I'm pretty sure that I'll have lots more stories, and I'll do my best to post as the days go on...but right now, I'm going for adult conversation with the Jazzman, and a little drink to wind down my day.

Teaching...a gift...First graders...priceless!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

The Trashed Mailbox


On Wednesday night, sometime during the night, when most normal people were sleeping, someone trashed our mailbox. I don't think they intended to do so, considering that they probably also trashed their vehicle at the same time, but nonetheless, they did. The mail box post, a 4x4 piece of solid wood, was broken off like a matchstick, and the mailbox lay on its side, a little bit the worse for wear.

Being the observant person I am, I didn't even notice this until Jazzman pointed it out. I drove by it twice, but failed to compute that it was lying on its side, battered and bruised. In order to do this, a person had to be going very fast and just slam into the box, which would have (I think) caused them to stop rather quickly. I suppose someone could have been driving a farm implement and knocked it over, since we do live on a country road and all sorts of dirt digging, plowing, and other large machines move up and down our road. Whatever the case may be, it was Thursday evening and "we" needed to fix the mailbox.

I was not going to get out the chains and truck and pull the post, nor was I in the mood to do any digging. It was evening, I was hot, and I just didn't feel like doing that kind of physical work. Jazzman, on the other hand, insisted that we "fix" the mailbox, so we could get our mail the next day. Now, our mailman is a really great guy, and he probably would have just put the mail on our porch, but Jazzman insisted the box needed to be upright for mail delivery.

I suggested putting it on a sawhorse, and setting it along side the old broken post. Jazzman felt that someone would steal the sawhorse, and/or perhaps the mailbox with it. Besides, he reminded me, there are about 27 screws in the mailbox to hold it on the post, and he wasn't in the mood to remove them.

So, he proposed a plan B, which, if I do say so myself, was pretty creative. We dragged an old trash can out to the post, placed the broken off post, with the mailbox on it, down in the trash can, then filled the can with rocks to hold it steady. This took about 20 minutes and was a great quick solution. Of course with this solution comes the "look" too. I mean most people have these lovely posts, and nice mailboxes, and here's ours....a trash can full of rocks. I have no idea what the neighbors will say, and I'm sure they wonder why we've done this, but for now...it works.

So, if you drive by and see the mailbox sticking out of a trash can, well you know you're in our neighborhood. We're nothing if not inventive!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Whattaweek!

Wow! It's been a hectic week! Getting ready for first grade is much more labor intensive than getting ready for 8th grade. I had NO IDEA how much work this was going to be...well, O.K., I had some idea, but certainly wasn't fully clued in.

For the last two weeks, I've been in my classroom all but two days (and weekends of course, even I will not go to school on weekends). I've cleaned, sorted, filed, arranged, re-arranged, computed, printed, hung, trashed, and laminated until there seems to be nothing left that needs to be done. Seriously, I never understood why the elementary teachers were always at school two weeks early, and stayed two weeks late, and worked nights and weekends, but I sure do get it now! It's amazing what needs to be done to prepare for 24 six year olds to enter my door on day one.

There are name tags, lunch choices, pin numbers (yep, even six year old have pin numbers), bus numbers, workbooks to label, Buckeye Bucks to make, schedules to put up, rules to post, bulletin boards to decorate, and countless other small tasks. I'm happy to report, however that most of my small tasks are done, with the exception of names on things, because I've yet to get an accurate class list. Class lists are an interesting thing at the elementary level. I guess, if you're going to have to be in a teacher's class for a whole year...one teacher, and you, for a whole year....you want to get someone you think you'll like. So, class lists are the ultimate in school secrecy.

Teachers will get their lists on Friday, nearly the same time as parents. This is because there are so many students coming and going, that the lists seem to be in a constant state of flux, so getting that final list takes until the midnight hour. So, on Friday, at 3:00, the lists will be posted on the school door. The parents will be lined up to see them, and there will be cheers and tears, and I'll be too busy writing names on things to pay attention. If we do get the lists early, it's "top secret" and we are not allowed to tell anyone about our class lists. Kinda like the, "If I tell you, I'll have to kill you," method of secrecy.

So, about that laminating.....yeah, it's amazing! I have laminated so much stuff that I'm pretty sure the laminating film would reach from home to school and back. That means, of course, that I've also had to cut out around all those laminated things, and then organize them in their particular places. I've got laminated name tags, locker tags, lunch pin tags, bus tags, and schedules. I've laminated letters, bulletin board pictures, cards, and just about anything that can be fit between the rollers of a laminator. All this in the hope that things will last all year, so I don't have to do this again this year!

Now that I've been in my room a great deal, it's starting to feel more like it's really mine. I'm starting to make some decisions about things I want to do, and some routines I want to follow. I'm starting to feel confident enough to ask questions when I have no idea, and that's stopped making me feel inferior!

The only thing I've yet to do is set up my lesson plans. That's what Friday will be for. I will be planning for the first two weeks, laying out the materials and figuring out what I want to use. Since I have to teach all subjects, this will require a good bit more thought than when I just taught two, but I think I have a plan to make it work well.

You know, it's been a lot more work, but it's really stretched my brain, and I'm beginning to feel the creative juices starting to flow, so that I believe it's possible this first grade thing and I will get along just fine!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

One Hot Mimi!

So, it's August, and it's Ohio, and the humidity and heat combined make the outside pretty darn hot! It's the first thing anyone says when they see you...."Dang, it's hot!" I mean today, it was about 91 degrees, with 86% humidity, and just thinking about going outside made me sweat. Of course today was my errand day, which meant a good bit of in and out of the car, so I had ample opportunity to sweat.

There was a time when I was a dainty young lady, and I didn't sweat. Heck, in High School I took salt pills, because I didn't sweat enough and it caused health issues when I was competing. But that is definitely NOT a problem any longer. I buy the anti-perspirant that uses a professional football player to endorse it! I mean, when I say sweat....well that's what I mean. So, I wear as few clothes as I can, and not make people want to throw up when they see me, and I just got my hair cut to try to help with this hot thing.

In my Jr. High teaching days, I had the hottest classroom in school! Literally, in August, when we went back to school it was usually about 86 degrees in my room by 10:00 a.m. and it never got any cooler, especially as the hot students packed the room. Of course, the kids always complained, and I had lots of fans, but finally I told them that, "Yes, this is the hottest room in school, and that makes me the hottest teacher." Which of course totally grossed them out, thinking about another meaning of hot, and that would not be possible for Ms. Nerdy Mimi to be the hottest teacher. As a matter of fact, one time a student said, "Uh, no, that would be Ms. Goody Two Shoes."

Now I much prefer hot over cold. I love the summer, will lay out in my lawn chair on these really hot days, and just bask in the heat. I take along my water, and make sure to take some breaks, but the heat is a good thing! I'm NOT complaining about the summer heat, you will never find me doing that.

It's just the sweating thing. I mean sometimes I'll be hot, out shopping and look down and my t-shirt is wet between my boobs. This is not to say, nor even slightly intimate that I have a large chest, much the opposite. So, why is it necessary for sweat to pool there? I mean isn't there some sort of biological law that prohibits old ladies from sweating and calling attention to their bust? And, then there's the sweat running down the back, and, well, you get where that goes...just think about your last anatomy lesson and you'll figure it out.

I always used to think this would stop eventually, you know I'd be in menopause for 10 years or so, and then it would go away...but no, there seems to be no light at the end of this very hot tunnel, or perhaps there is, and it's a heat lamp. Whatever, I'm going to take my sweaty self into the living room, dial up the air conditioner now....cool....yeah, I'm cool......

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Dumpster Diving

This might be the strangest thing that's happened to me in a long time, and I can tell you (and you can probably guess) that lots of strange things happen to me. Most of them are of my own making, but this time I'm begging off...this is just strange and there's no way around it.

You might remember that I'm moving to first grade from my former 8th grade position? I know, it would be pretty hard to forget, since I'm constantly whining about it, right? Well, a few weeks ago I cleaned out the room I was moving into. It had about 40 years worth of accumulated stuff from the teacher who was there before and had retired. It was a two day job, about 8 hours each day. I threw away a LOT of things. I also packed up some things and offered them to the other staff. The room is clean and organized and I believe I can move my other stuff in and still have room for kids. Which is, after all what the classroom is for...kids!

So, last night, after the board meeting, another teacher from the first grade came up to me and said she needed to talk to me. She told me that, when she'd gotten my email about the things I had gotten rid of she, "got nervous, and called the custodian and told him not to throw away the trash." She went in the next day and went through my trash (she told me this, I'm not making it up) and pulled out things that, "I wasn't supposed to throw away."

She told me what she'd pulled out, and I explained that I had thrown them away because they were trashed, they were torn and not useful, and I could get those same materials on line via the Smartboard. "Oh," she explained, "You can't throw them away because they belong with the curriculum and they have to remain with the materials."

So, I have some things back, that I won't use, but can't throw away, and that are not useful, but can't be gotten rid of. And I have a dumpster diving co-worker who is, evidently, not afraid to interfere in my decision making process and force me to do things in a way she views as appropriate. I'm not sure what to make of this. When I tell people they are mortified that someone would do that. Some tell me I should tell her to stay out of my room, others think I should tell her off. I've decided that I'll pack away the things she thought I needed for the next person who she'll think needs them and save her any future dumpster diving.

Did I note that this year might be a challenge for me and my politically correctedness? Well, I'm pretty sure I just had my first test, and given that I smiled and thanked her, I'm giving myself an A+. It might be the only one I get all year, so I'm going to bask in it!

Cheese in your purse

O.K. I just had to blog about this topic, because it's one of those things that, in the moment, you don't realize it's weird, but then you walk away and you tell people and they have this look of utter amazement on their faces, and you realize maybe it was a little weird after all.

Last night was a Board of Education meeting, which I attended. I attend all of these meetings now, because this is where the decision to eliminate my job was made, and I think it's too important to miss out on those types of decisions. Sometimes the board meetings are entertaining, in that you wonder just exactly what people are thinking. Sometimes they are boring because the meetings is about mundane things and the members talk a lot and express their opinions. Sometimes they are exciting, like when someone in the public is worked up about something and wants to have a chance to have their say. Last night varied between boring and entertaining. But it was a long meeting, and I had cheese in my purse!

Yes, that's right, cheese in my purse. A sealed package of provolone cheese, which I had bought on the way in . You see I had to stop at the store, I knew we needed cheese for Jazzman's sandwich the next day, so I bought some. When I got to the meeting, I realized that I couldn't leave the cheese in the car or it would melt, so I stuffed it in my purse. I mean it was air conditioned inside, and I did set my purse on the air vent, so why wouldn't that work, right? And you know what, the cheese was just fine. The problem is when I mentioned to Goody Two Shoes that it was a good thing the meeting didn't go any longer 'cause I had cheese in my purse, when things sort of took a turn for the worse.

It seems that others around me heard this, and they wouldn't believe it. Because of that I had to show them..(I mean, if you have cheese in your purse, you've got to prove it, right?) and so I whipped out the cheese. This resulted in some pretty colossal teasing and disbelieving shakes of the head. I don't know what they would have done, but I'm guessing it's not putting the cheese in their purse!


Monday, August 2, 2010

The Orange Spatula

It's become clear to my legion of readers that I am the parent of two adult children. Sometimes I wonder just exactly how we managed to get to this stage in life, but it happened. They just kept growing, no matter what I did right and/or wrong, and somehow figured out how to move out on their own and have a life.

I was not the perfect parent. I was not even close to the perfect parent. I loved (still do) my kids endlessly, but I had the patience of a fly, coupled with two week PMS. I wasn't very self aware, and while I wanted to do the right thing, sometimes I was just selfish and didn't do it very well. I know that I did a lot of cool things with the kids, and I did try to make sure they were relatively well adjusted, given that I was NOT!

I raised my kids as a single mom, their whole life. Their dad and I divorced when they were very young, and though I remarried, the second husband was as much a kid as they were, so I really just added another child, and did not get a parenting partner. So, while I was married for ten years in the middle of their lives, I was still a single parent. I often had to remind Stu that he was a grown up, and that he needed to act like one. That never went over very well, perhaps that's why Stu wigged out and had to go.

Anyway, I so easily get off topic, gotta work on that.....

Parenting. There is no magic formula, and what works for one person may be totally un-doable for another. I have friends that I think are just the best parents, they seem so relaxed and able to take things in stride. One of them is Goody Two Shoes. She's this awesome young mom, who is so patient and seems so downright, down-to-earth, that I feel as if I wanted my kids to be raised by her. Her little Betty is adorable and reflects that calm and peaceful parenting she does. Suffice it to say, I was NOT a calm mother. I'm NOT calm now....I probably should not even appear in a blog post with the word calm...

So when Felicity and Tater Tot were little, they were a real handful. They are only 18 months apart, and it was almost like having twins. My mom always said that "one kids takes all your time, so two can't take more"....right, Mom, sure! These two little bundles of fun and energy always kept me on my toes. The truth is I had no idea how to raise kids. There wasn't an internet to go to and ask, "What do I do when Tater Tot cuts his butt on the ladder outside," so I could make an informed decision. Seriously, it was fly by the seat of your pants time all the time.

I can remember camping, and needing to go to the bathroom, sneaking off in the woods, with my pants at half mast, while Tater Tot shone a flashlight on me to "help out." Or the time when Felicity decided to practice being a mermaid by opening a can of paint in the basement and swimming around. I remember chicken pox in the summer time, filling an old washtub with water and baking soda, and promising the kids ice cream if they's just stop itching! I can remember countless baseball and softball games, yelling for those two (sorry guys, but not totally athletic kids) and helping them feel better after a particularly tough game. There were times when we were so busy that Tater Tot had to put his football uniform on in the backseat of the car (picture that?) while we drove to practice, and then I had to run Felicity to gymnastics. After that, we ate lunch from a cooler on our way home, while the kids worked on homework. Yeah...those.....were.....the.....days......(not that I'd want to do them over).

So what really brought me down memory lane is one of the things that my kids and I have very different memories of. That's the Orange Spatula. Here again, let me point out that I was doing my best, but sometimes it wasn't that good. You see, I didn't like to spank my kids, but sometimes I felt it was necessary (I grew out of that pretty quickly and don't advocate for that now). I found that most of the time I wanted to spank was when I was angry, and that just wasn't a good thing. So, I devised a way to settle down and think about it prior to spanking (or not). So, I had this old orange spatula (pancake turner) that was plastic. I kept it in a drawer in the kitchen (or in my purse for travel purposes) and when I felt the need to spank, I'd walk to the drawer and think about what it was that had been done and whether it was worth a spanking. If it was, my intent was to use the spatula, and lightly administer the punishment.

Here's where the difference of opinion occurs. I swear that I have never spanked my kids with a spatula! I felt, by the time I got to the drawer, I'd gotten over the anger, and could use another means of discipline which would be more effective. I really felt proud of myself for overcoming the spanking. Now that's not to say that I didn't say, on more than one occasions, "Don't make me get the orange spatula out." Which was a great deterrent to future "crime."

My kids will tell you (and they will, just ask them) that they were beaten often and very sternly with said spatula. They say they hid it so I couldn't find it when we moved. They say they specifically remember me spanking them with that spatula and it was the worst time of their lives. Of course they do this with a smile on their faces, and the story become embellished more and more as the years go by.

I suppose, if one were to be objective, it's possible that I did use that implement on them once or twice. I guarantee there were no welts, broken bones, or fractured spirits. In the end they will always believe I was the maniacal, spatula wielding, crazed, PMS Mom, who through some sort of miracle has transformed herself into their friend and advisor...sans spatula.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

First Grade Angst

O.K. for about a week now, I've been working really hard on getting over my fear of 1st grade! Yep, that's right, I can handle those hormone driven teenagers just fine, but put me in a room with 5 and 6 year olds and I feel a finger of fear run down my back. What does one DO with 1st graders? They don't really get the rules, because they haven't "done" full day school before. Telling them to read the directions won't do, because they can't read yet. You see, I'm supposed to teach them that skill. They've never eaten lunch at school, so they don't know about buying lunch, the choices they have, and whether they want milk if they packed their lunch. To be frank, I've don't know about this stuff either, because I've never taught in this school. So, the idea that I'll be in charge is sort of like the blind leading the blind!

I mean in 8th grade the kids came well aware of the routine. They'd been in Jr. High for a year, they know the building and the routine, it's easy. They have to be told the rules, and those have to be followed, but other than that, piece of cake. When 8th graders don't feel good, they know enough to make it to the bathroom before they are sick, and I've never had an 8th grader have a potty accident (thankfully). 8th graders go to the office with money and notes, and stuff like that, and they have the lunch routine down just fine.

So, when thinking about 1st grade, I get a little overwhelmed. I did work in the building where I'm moving before, so I know the lay of the land and a lot of the staff. When I met with a couple of teachers to find out more about what I needed to prepare for, they told me I'd have to go with the kids to lunch because the trays are too high, and they'll pull them down on their heads. What???? The lunchroom is not appropriate for the kids it serves? Hmmmmm, maybe I'll have to raise a fuss about this...but wait, not so fast!

You see, this year I have to behave myself. I'm working for a new boss, and there are different rules in this game. I have to follow the schedule, give all the assessments, file all the important stuff and keep track of these things so I make sure they get done. I can't go around tilting at windmills and raising a ruckus about every little injustice, or I'll never be able to keep up.

I suppose grading papers will be easier, I mean these kids aren't going to write an 8 page research paper, but what kind of grades do they get? They get some sort of grade, right, but not the typical A, B, C grade system. See, there's another thing I don't know.

If I just wrote about all the things I don't know, well the list would probably go on forever, but there are some things I do know, and those are going to make the year a great year. You see, I do know that these kids will want to have fun learning. They will want to make me happy, and work hard to please me. They will be excited about EVERYTHING, and I'm pretty sure they'll think I'm beautiful! I know that I have some very cool ideas about things I want to do with these kids. I believe that I have done enough research and reading to handle the developmental issues these kids face, and I'm pretty sure that mom and Mimi training will come in right handy. I imagine that there will be times when I forget that I didn't want to take this job, and find myself fitting right in. So, perhaps what I don't know isn't as important as I thought. I guess I'll just put on my new shoes and go to school.