Ugh!

As I head into my room to put in an hour before I work our school's carnival, I turned around from my table and saw them.

Ugh!

This year has been different than those in the past.  Due to high numbers, we have a split fourth section where they divide into three groups and come into our rooms for math, science, and social studies.  Our language arts block is all in the morning.

However, I have a group of students pulled for LLI in the morning.  I did the spelling test while they were gone and would have them make it up later.  I placed them on the back counter and went on with my day. 

Yep.  You got it.

I forgot.  Again.

Do you ever feel pulled in so many directions, you can't make out which end is up.  That is how I feel. 

Ten days.  Spring Break.  My brain needs rest!  My body needs sleep.  My soul needs recharged.

Liar!

Because I'm blogging from school (I have a meeting at 7 and there's no point to drive 20 minutes home at four bucks a gallon), I don't have the slice of life button.

However, since I have so much time at school, I decided to finish up grading piles of papers and record them.  I grabbed the Sharpie erasable pen to record my new data.

I have a small obsession with certain types of writing utensils.  Ticonderoga pencils.  Papermate Sharpwriter (pencils where the lead twists).  Sharpie pens.  All teachers have these obsessions, right?

Enter the Sharpie Liquid Pencil.  With.  An.  Eraser!  Wow...

I had written the students' scores on a verb paper and then had them redo it.  Serious reteaching needed.

Tonight, with lots of time (no bitterness) to kill, I regraded and went to record the information. 

Liars! 

It is not liquid pencil that erasers.  Just a really nice pen.  It didn't work on my grade book.  Scores had to be rewritten over and ones turned into fives with some finesse.

I'll stick to my Ticonderoga and Papermates...Sorry, Sharpie!

Quick History Lesson

I have tried to incorporate more historical fiction into my reading to help give students context of when things have happened.  Let's face it, seven and eight year olds don't always have the most up-to-date knowledge of history and even current events.

Case and point today.

One of my girls was so excited that she had found some author information in the back about Molly (one of the American girl dolls).  Molly's life takes place in the 1940s...era of WWII.  We were looking at the photographs together when she inferred, "I think that's Molly's dad."

Quickly looking at the photo, I interjected, "Um, no, that's Adolf Hitler."  And thus entered a VERY brief synopsis on who he was and what he stood for.

"Oh."

Whew...

Oh, no, she didn't!

Tonight, we (my friend and I) went to Zumba, like normal.  We walked, which was abnormal.  (Super fun!)  We sat outside and chatted before class, like normal.  We moved into our spots, like normal.  

I noticed the sun was kind of in my eyes, which is abnormal (thanks Daylight Savings Time).  I moved to the window and unrolled the shade.  

I turned around and noticed a woman (who tends to not be very friendly) in my normal spot.  

Oh, no, she didn't!  Um, she did.  

I hightailed it across the room and danced, shook, and cumbia-ed, my way through the class.  She can have my spot.  I am a creature of habit.  Thankfully, I can let it go, and just laugh.  

Where are you?

I'm searching for many things...but today, papers would be one of the many.

We are required to send a weekly newsletter home to parents.  No problem.  I normally type it in during my prep, but I had finished it early and sent it before school even began.  Walking down to the copy machine, I stopped and said hi to a few people.

Peeking into the room, I noticed NOTHING in the top tray.  No problem.  Someone probably moved it.  Nope.

Back to the drawing board.  I sent it this time to the lounge copier to pick up on my prep.  Walking down to the lounge, I stayed on my mission.  Popping into the lounge, I noticed the familiar red, blinking light.

You've got to be kidding me!

Paper jam.  Insert any words you would like to here...

I fixed it.

Job going again.

Jam.  Again, insert any words you would like to here...

Job going again.

Jam.  You know the drill...

I walked off (keeping the words to myself) and printed a copy off in my room.

I'm sure tomorrow I will have two copies of my letter in my mailbox.

Oh, copy machines, how I love you and loathe you all within two seconds.

Ahhh...

The signs are there.

Buds are on my lilac bush.

Flowers pushing up through the ground.

Youth group games are outside.

Car windows were down.

People out on bikes.

Flip flops.

Need I say more?

I think spring is peeking it's head out...it hasn't decided yet if it's going to stay, but it's thinking about it!

Well?

At 7:15 this morning, I heard the familiar ding dong of a text.  Turns out, my friend wasn't going to be able to join me for our Saturday morning torture of Zumba and intervals.

Waiting for the alarm to go off in thirty minutes, I had time to contemplate.  Do I shut off the alarm and sleep in?  Do I still go and just skip Zumba?  Do I go to both and push myself?

When the alarm went off, I had made up my mind.  What did I decide?

I put myself through both workouts.  Why?  Because when it comes down to it, no one is going to get my body into shape except for me.  Sure, my friends can join in through support and work out with me, but I am the one who will have to put the rubber to the road.  Well, in this case, the shoes onto the dance floor.