Hello July!

July...yes us teachers are still on summer break, but don't let that fool you. Our thoughts are already gearing up for the new school year. So here goes. I've been in a couple of times to do some work on my bulletin boards. Last year I took off the first semester as an extended maternity leave, so it feels great to get in there and change things up!

I found that rug at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $25 ($5 off coupon) and the blue/green bulletin boards are some bright wrapping paper I picked up.

Getting EXCITED!!!

The Joys of Teaching

Don't get me wrong, I do love teaching. I enjoy working with children and I love knowing that I have expanded their knowledge. More than that I love influencing a student to love to learn.

However,

I am finding it quite exhausting. It is 8:45 and I am just now sitting down to start grading the monster load of papers that I have from the past couple of days. It would be so bad, except the day itself is draining. 20% of my class are 5 boys that are disrespectful, disruptive, and definitely not excited to learn. These 20% of students take 90% of my attention and energy during the school day. They take away from the rest of my class. Even the students that are lower achieving than everyone else are willing to try and do the right thing. I don't ask for "smart" students. I don't even ask for students to be good all of the time. All I ask if that you respect me and those around you. I ask that you at the very least try everything I ask of you, rather than wasting both of our times.

You know, I really do despise complaining. Other than getting it off of my chest, I believe that it does no good except make a person more angry or bitter with their situation. So...that is where YOU come in. I feel as though I've tried everything. They are behavior sheets, check in/out with other adults in the building, miss recess, contact home, use humor, use trying to catch them doing it right, use choices, use breaks, use positive language and rewards, etc, etc, etc.

HELP!!!! It is my personal goal to provide the other 80% of my class with quality education and a safe and encouraging environment. How can I enthusiastically teach 20 of my children while 5 are walking around the room, talking out, shouting out answers, poking/touching others, or whatever else they can think of doing.

P.S. I am going out of my way to make life easier and more fun for the students who are usually doing the right thing. I give them extra rewards and make sure I am always letting know that I appreciate them as a person and a student. I even had a parent call and thank me for making her daughter feel special. This particular girl has told her mom that because of her good behavior in classrooms full of behavior problem students, she often feels invisible to the teacher. She thanked me for going out of my way to notice and involve her positively in the classroom. That alone makes it all worth it.

Feelings resolved + My Students

Thank you to everyone who commented about my last post about That Kid. I've come to understand that he is an almost 3 year old with some learned bad habits. At the same time, I have kids in my classroom and kids in my building that I know for a fact that I do not want Caden to be like. A screaming phtaradactyl that screams and cries when he doesn't want to do something in his classroom. A hard shelled child that tells his teacher 'no' when asked to follow simple directions. With friends and each other to support this battle, we will raise Caden to be a respectful and obedient young boy. I appreciate his humor and sense of independence, and I look forward to him maturing when it's time.

My class-

I can't use names, but I will tell you a bit about my students.

The do it right girls- This is a group of girls in my class who are always doing the right thing with a smile on their face. They aren't suck ups or perfectionists but they are sweet, caring, and fun. I adore them!! They make teaching EASY and enjoyable.

My little emetophobiac-

I have a little boy who already has attention problems, but is the cutest thing I've ever seen. He cracks me up on a daily basis. If anyone in the class expressed that they don't feel well in any way he comes to me with the most worried look on his face. He cannot take his eyes off of the person because he is afraid that they might throw up. I literally cannot teach him a thing if he thinks someone might throw up, even if they throw up all the way downstairs he is still worried about it. I hate to laugh at his anxieties but it is just hilarious!

The runaways-

I have a couple of students who have run away from me or the classroom in their frustrations/anger at someone or something. It is quite scary!

Boys will be boys-

These are boys that are rowdy and comedians. These are boys that love sports and boy toys. I love them! They are also geniunely curious in what about what we are learning.

The know-it-all-

This is the one who already knows everything I am trying to teach them and therefore doesn't listen or follow directions. Then wonders why they miss so many points on assignments and such.

Love Bug-

This guy is one of a kind. He has an accent an he says "I love you Mrs. McAfee" and "Can I have a hug?" about 10 times a day. I love this boy and even though he is different from many other children, the other students help and love him all the same.

I could go on and on, but I won't. Let's just say MOST of the time I adore my students and love teaching!

'That Kid'

I am sad to announce that we have that kid.

That kid that bullies other children. That kid that screams and yells. That kid that says awful words full of hate. That kid that teachers cringe when they see him coming. That kid that says disrespectful things to adults.

Caden definitely has a temper. He is two years old I know, but his temper goes beyond that of a regular tantrum. When I picked him up from his classroom at church today I could see the disappointed look on the teachers' faces. They told me calmly in code words for "Your child is awful!" that Caden was very frustrated today and shouted "I HATE you" and "I am going to throw all of these toys". He even had the gall to act like this in front of me. The teacher was holding him talking to him in a nice calm voice and I looked over and saw him pointing his finger in his face telling her that she was mean.

I know what it's like to be disrespected by children and all of the time I ask myself how their parents could let them get this out of control. And now I have one of them.....granted he is only almost 3 years old and thankfully I have a couple of years to change his ways before he goes off to school but how?

Help! And please don't tell me that this is normal 2 year old behavior. We are around plenty of children that do not treat people this way.

Scared to death..

I am qualified and experienced, but I am scared to death to return to work. I am fearful of not being able to manage my time appropriately. I am terrified of missing moments with my little babies. I am frightened about the fact that I don't know these kids and I'm stepping into the middle of the year full of new testing and curriculum that I haven't learned about yet.

Yes, I am scared to death...but as with all things, I know that I can handle it because God wouldn't give me any more than I can handle. I am excited for what's to come and I know my children will be in good hands.

Now, I just need to focus on breathing, sleeping, and living one day at a time. Breathe....

This is not a very good idea...

This is a post dedicated to some of the funny things Caden has said and done lately. As much as he frustrates me with his 2 year old antics, he makes me laugh even more.

The other day Mark and I were working around the house like busy bees. I was downstairs and Mark was upstairs. All of a sudden Mark hears this statement coming from Caden's room in a sing-songy type voice: "This is not a very good idea." Mark then peeks into the bedroom to find Caden standing on top of his bed with his arms out and then before he can say anything Caden takes a huge jump off of the bed and onto the top of his ball tent. Needless to say he collapsed along with the tent onto the floor and when he heard Mark laughing he said "Daddy, why are you laughing?". Caden then went on to explain that he was trying to fly like Buzz Lightyear.

Then another day I was trying to be a good girl and get some exercise in while Mark was home. I jumped on the treadmill but quickly noticed that I couldn't focus on my run with Caden in the room as he was begging to get on the treadmill and exercise with mommy. I didn't want him to get hurt so I locked him out of our bedroom. I got into a good run and was about 10 minutes in and I hear the doorknob twisting and I think to myself "ha, he'll never get in!". Fast foward about 10 seconds and he is walking through the door with his Lightning McQueen keys in his hand. He literally unlocked our bedroom door with toy keys!! You've got to be kidding me! I better be more careful in the future when I don't want him in my bedroom.

Last Caden story. Today he was watching a show and on the show the little boy had the flu with a fever and a cough. So later in the day Caden tells me that he doesn't feel good.

Me: What's wrong Caden?

Caden: I have a beaver.

Me: What?

Caden: I'm coughing, I don't feel good so I have a beaver.

I love my son!

Funny Bones

Last night at a family Christmas party we played this game: Funny Bones. Have you heard of it? I guess it's an old game, but it is HILARIOUS for parties! I think I'm going to order me a set now.

If an onlooker came by they would have seen aunts with grandparents attached to their ears by funny bones or cousins coupled with uncles funny bone to funny bone. Talk about awkward! The best part was when Mark and his uncle were partners and the first card they drew was "hand bone to hip bone". How does Mark always get himself in these situations? Actually, he won both times we played. Hmm...