farewell to Third Grade

Today I went back to school for my going away party. There were snacks and best of all, Manwich. I believe there is a prior post that explains the significance of manwich.

I showed the slideshow I made for all of them and handed out my little cards with the quote from "The Littlest Birds" - "You pass through places and places pass through you but you carry them with you on the souls of your traveling shoes." I told them to think about it as poetry and they did:)

And ohmygosh the presents. Flowers and cards and poems and jewelry (handmade), a lanyard (love it...see Billy Collin's poem "The Lanyard")...and a big sign with a big sailboat that said how much they would miss me. It was soooo sweet.

Tomorrow is graduation, but really it's just the ceremony since I have more classes and such still. Sigh. Oh well, the parentals are coming and I get a gown with weird sleeves and a fancy hood. It'll be cool.

So one would wonder

how I managed to spend like 22+ weeks with, you know, kids who tend to attract germs and not get sick, and then wham, the second it gets warm out, I go from sinuses? to flat on my back feeling like death, fever and all. At least the time for being boss teacher lady is over.

in the words of a second grade teacher...

"Ugh, I don't know...how do you know what these f***ers need in writing?"

Ms. S.

Spring Break

Thank goodness for mid-winter break AND spring break. When I go back I have one more week of being teacher boss lady and then a couple half days and then we go back to class and I move on to an ESL classroom much to my utter sadness.

I am going to miss my classroom soooo much. My CT is amazing - we have just clicked so well and really formed a totally unexpected friendship. So lucky - I mean the stars really aligned - great CT, great FI, great school, crazyfun kids (some very challenging)...

This week was Wacky Week involving PJ Day, Crazy Hair day (got videotaped for my online portfolio - woo), Crazy hat day, Twin Day (CT and I were a combo of what the two of us wear on a regular basis - he wore a headband AND a scarf metro-style, bless his heart, while I sported one of his button downs and hiking shoes) - today was Team Spirit Day and I went all out with my Indians gear.

We're doing a poetry unit right now that I made up and it's so fun. One kid wrote a poem about Cheetos. Another wrote one about dune grass which was utterly amazing. I wrote two to do some modeling with for them and really shocked myself since I hadn't had to like write anything like that in eons.

The kids are totally enamored with the fact that I, in fact, have a first name. My CT slipped up a couple of times and called me that instead of Ms. _____ and they were all over it. The best thing about our relationship is that we have a really similar sense of humor and we are able to laugh about the kids in the same ways. I don't know what I'll do when I'm all alone with the little darlings - what fun are the silly things if there is no one to share them with? It will be fine.

My little sister came a few weeks ago and taught the kids some hip hop at recess. It was a riot. My dad came this week and decided to tell them embarassing things about me when I was a child. Stuffed animal cat with bow on head named....bowhead. Thank you, DAD.

ohh man

so much anxiety...I hate hard decisions especially when there is not time to think