So, today was day one of subbing for me - ever. And let me just tell you now: teaching is so totally my thing! I LOVE it. Am I totally and completely 100% exhausted at this moment in time?? YES. Absolutely. I'd be lying to you if I even tried to say anything different right now. BUT, I absolutely canNOT wait to go back to love on those kids some more tomorrow.
Ok, so how did today go?? {Well, as I'm sure you've gathered from my opening...} After waking up to one of the most amazing text messages one could ever receive, from my darling Mak, I started my day with an extra little skip in my step. Didn't leave the house quite when I wanted to, but I still got to school with plenty of time to settle in and prepare myself for a day full of 7th and 8th graders :D {Seriously, total bliss} First period got off to a good start with my first class of 7th graders - precious, precious kids, like really. They were very cheery and welcoming, even though it was 8am and the first class of the day. They did an outstanding job with their warm-up exercise and work so beyond diligently on their exam reviews, allowing me a quiet 30min stretch to take it all in and observe them quietly and contently. Most them made really good progress on their review which should make tomorrow pretty easy to get through with them. They left for 2nd period with smiles on their faces and got plenty of "See you tomorrow, Miss Cummins!" {Still trips me out to be called Miss Cummins...yikes, I'm getting old!!}
2nd period gave me my first dose of 8th graders...huge differene between the two grades, I mean, major. These kids seem so grown up! I could hardly believe it. A little more willing to tow the line, but still very respectful and willing to help me out when there were uncertainties as to how things are done in their classroom. I mean, there were, of course, those kids who were all, "Oh! Miss Cummins! I know how we do that....," complete with "angelic grin". My response, "Ehhh! WRRRAANNGGG!!!" (Mario Twins, anyone??) Ok, so I did not respond to the kids by quoting Group X videos, but it went through my head, lol. I did however see right through their attempts to "help" me settle in. Haha, they think they are so sly! Depending on the dynamic of the period I would kind of play along with some of the kids and then just totally broad-side them with "Yeah, except that, I know that's not how it is done..." Insert looks of shock, horror, and "Aw, man!" Haha. Priceless. The rest of the morning went really smoothly and I rarely had to ask the kids to do or not do something twice - is this real life!?
LUNCH DUTY! Oh my gosh those kids are LOUD!!!!! I was already suffering from a sinus headache, add the acoustics of a cinderblock, mirror-walled (it doubles as the dance team room), tile-floored lunch room, complete with oh...70+ 7th and 8th graders laughing and talking/shouting at the top of their lungs for a good 45min and you have a perfect recipe for misery. Awesome. It was great though, because I got to visit with one of my old teachers, whom I adored (and still do). That was super great.
My two periods after lunch were a bit more challenging than the first 4. It's after lunch and getting to be the end of the day...the kids are just ready to go home at that point. Here come some stories, though...oh man, 7th period was a rough one. But first about my 6th period 7th graders. I LOVED them!! While they were a little "A.D.D." it was super great to actually get to interact with them. They asked questions!! They asked for help! We had a class discussion about some of the questions on their review!! Oh, it was so great. THAT, my friends, is what I love doing - interacting with the kids and teaching! So yeah, that was great. But 7th period...oh 7th period - more 8th graders. WOW. There really are no words for these kids! I mean, absolutely and positively endearing, but wow...crazy. I had to get rough with them. I was insanely close to writing a few d-halls. Probably should have, but if the kids behave this week their teacher will let them make their own seating chart when they get back from spring break...I would so hate to have to take that away from them. If I have to write down one name, that's it - no free seating. So yeah, I'm trying to work with them, but man do they push it! I actually had to bust out the old "Do NOT make me start counting..." Haha. It was rich. These two boys had decided that it was totally ok to get up from their seats and start shoving this one kids arm (which he recently had surgery on...they had to put in screws he's on this mechanical brace, yada, yada...) in this one girls face! She's freaking out because he's making the screw poke out a bit and the two boys are just absolutely loving it. I calmly asked them to please return to their seats...nothing. Well, ok, I'll raise my voice a little bit...maybe they can't hear me? Nope. Alright, here we go: "P, T...do NOT make me start counting. Leave R alone; go SIT down at your desks; and, WORK on your reviews, please. If I have to start counting it will not be fun for you." Oh my goodness, you should have seen their faces. The entire class stopped, turned back around to their desks, the hoodlums returned to their desks, and they all started working on their reviews. SCORE!!! Haha, I'm not gonna lie, I was a wee bit proud of myself...shocked that I could be that stern and still keep my cool. I can't wait to be a mom :) They were still fun kids, though. Haha, this one little boy totally tried to flirt with me throughout the whole class period - it was all I could do to not laugh out loud. SO, so funny!
I am utterly smitten with these kids...yes, after one day. I'm already sad thinking about leaving them on Friday :( Ridiculous of me, I know. But, I love them...what can I say?!
I am positively in heaven working with the kiddos. I know every day won't and can't be as fun as today was for me, but nothing is ever all rainbows and butterflies. And, I mean I survived the 7th period devils, so that has to be something to cling to, ya?? I think yes :)
Oki doki, olies, I'm calling it quits for now...it's LOST time, yo!!! WHOOP!! Hooray for LOST and tea. Mmmmm, divine.
As is so often the case, I'm not proofing this post...sorry kids, I'm tired.
Shalom!
~MW
Showing posts with label LOST. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LOST. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Monday, February 08, 2010
Birthdays to Boy Scouts
Hello my happy readers. I trust you are all fairing well on this {for me} gloriously rainy Monday. I do apologize for having not updated in a while...it's just been one of those weeks...you know, the kind of week where you just don't want to do anything and so you don't and thus have nothing to report and your brain is kind of void of any form of coherent thought...yeah, it was one of those.
So, Tuesday was my birthday, and I must take a moment now to thank each and every one of you who took the time to call/txt/email/facebook me to send me your thoughts, wishes, and love - definitely made my not so thrilling day a blessed one. This was a very strange birthday for me. For as long as I can remember I've had friends around either day of, or shortly there after, to celebrate with me...and, for the first time in my 23yrs I didn't have any of my beloved friends with me. Don't get me wrong, being with my family was definitely nice, but this birthday made me really realize how dearly I love my friends, and that they have truly become my family, and I miss them all dearly. So, I have been in a bit of a funk about that... This is no tantrum about not having a party or something ridiculous like that, this is simply my heart-breaking realization that I miss my friends much more than I thought I did. Thinking about all of this and reflecting then lead me to a terrible realization: next year is going to be even worse!!! I don't know anyone in MN...oi, if I thought this year was bad, I won't even have my family with me next year. I'd better toughen up and put on my big girl pants now, eh?? Ugh...can I just stick all of my friends in my pocket or a tupperware container and take them with me??
Well, that said, I must admit that I've been a little off this week, due to all the above..err...dwellings, I suppose we could call them. But, my family was so great. The Mamma made me dutch pancakes like she used to do when I was in high school...I did have to get up at 6:45 to partake with the fam, but it was totally worth it. The Mamma and I proceeded to munch on the leftovers throughout the rest of the day - heavenly! And then...I spent a rather hefty part of my afternoon {J-Hump, please overt your eyes...} window shopping online with Miss Ricci...it was awesome...we had so much fun! My evening consisted of a Valentine's Dinner Prep Meeting, followed by Bible study, and finally, my ultimate birthday present: the Season Premier of LOST!!! The only thing that could have made that better would have been being with all my peeps at the LOST party down in CS...I was definitely there in spirit.
Probably one of the best things I did last week was dig my rickety, I mean lovely old bike out of the garage give it some TLC and take it on a nice little 3mi ride. Nothing, huge, I know, but it was beyond great to take it out for a spin and do some work on it...I also discovered, that much as I had suspected, I am severely, severely, out of shape...working on remedying this situation :)
I did finally get my new phone on Friday! Oh, I am so in love with it...I have named him Reuel. Can anyone guess where that comes from?? You get a gold star if you can figure it out. :D
Saturday was quite a full day: took Faja to the airport, had a morning visit with Gela, Alyssa, and Samantha - that was simply delightful, had a mid-day coffee date with Lu - also wonderful. And then, my dear ones...I did it...I - CLEANED - my room!!! I still hadn't unpacked everything from moving up here in December...awful, I know. But it is now done, and it is awesome. Have some pictures us, and everyone seems to be happy. Mid cleaning though, I stopped to have a spot of tea and lost it...the missing all of my friends and not seeing my here-friends very often and not having a job/outlet finally got to me and I broke down. I simply felt lonely even though I had seen a ton of people that day, that might have been enough to put me over the edge. I felt better after allowing myself to put a label on what I was feeling instead of just pushing it under the rug and pretending like nothing was wrong. This is hard...that's about all there is to it.
Anyways, congrats to the Saints on their Superbowl win - props, kids. Although, I must confess that I boycotted the game with KT and went to Borders instead. It was nice to visit and sympathize with each other about feeling lonely.
But, now a new week has begun and it's off to a crazy start! Tonight I will be undertaking the task of teaching the local Boy Scouts of America troop about....you guessed it, BUGS!! I'm really excited about this, but pretty nervous, this will be my first outreach education endeavor all on my own. I brainstormed with KReddick last night and got some awesome ideas on organizing it all and cuing in to how the kids are responding to the subject matter. So, for the rest of today I will be polishing that up and getting ready for the kiddos! I had intended on taking another bike ride today, but the forecast is for rain...all...day...long, which I love just not when I had planned to be active. Ah well, such is life.
Best wishes for the new week to you all!
Shalom,
MW
So, Tuesday was my birthday, and I must take a moment now to thank each and every one of you who took the time to call/txt/email/facebook me to send me your thoughts, wishes, and love - definitely made my not so thrilling day a blessed one. This was a very strange birthday for me. For as long as I can remember I've had friends around either day of, or shortly there after, to celebrate with me...and, for the first time in my 23yrs I didn't have any of my beloved friends with me. Don't get me wrong, being with my family was definitely nice, but this birthday made me really realize how dearly I love my friends, and that they have truly become my family, and I miss them all dearly. So, I have been in a bit of a funk about that... This is no tantrum about not having a party or something ridiculous like that, this is simply my heart-breaking realization that I miss my friends much more than I thought I did. Thinking about all of this and reflecting then lead me to a terrible realization: next year is going to be even worse!!! I don't know anyone in MN...oi, if I thought this year was bad, I won't even have my family with me next year. I'd better toughen up and put on my big girl pants now, eh?? Ugh...can I just stick all of my friends in my pocket or a tupperware container and take them with me??
Well, that said, I must admit that I've been a little off this week, due to all the above..err...dwellings, I suppose we could call them. But, my family was so great. The Mamma made me dutch pancakes like she used to do when I was in high school...I did have to get up at 6:45 to partake with the fam, but it was totally worth it. The Mamma and I proceeded to munch on the leftovers throughout the rest of the day - heavenly! And then...I spent a rather hefty part of my afternoon {J-Hump, please overt your eyes...} window shopping online with Miss Ricci...it was awesome...we had so much fun! My evening consisted of a Valentine's Dinner Prep Meeting, followed by Bible study, and finally, my ultimate birthday present: the Season Premier of LOST!!! The only thing that could have made that better would have been being with all my peeps at the LOST party down in CS...I was definitely there in spirit.
Probably one of the best things I did last week was dig my rickety, I mean lovely old bike out of the garage give it some TLC and take it on a nice little 3mi ride. Nothing, huge, I know, but it was beyond great to take it out for a spin and do some work on it...I also discovered, that much as I had suspected, I am severely, severely, out of shape...working on remedying this situation :)
I did finally get my new phone on Friday! Oh, I am so in love with it...I have named him Reuel. Can anyone guess where that comes from?? You get a gold star if you can figure it out. :D
Saturday was quite a full day: took Faja to the airport, had a morning visit with Gela, Alyssa, and Samantha - that was simply delightful, had a mid-day coffee date with Lu - also wonderful. And then, my dear ones...I did it...I - CLEANED - my room!!! I still hadn't unpacked everything from moving up here in December...awful, I know. But it is now done, and it is awesome. Have some pictures us, and everyone seems to be happy. Mid cleaning though, I stopped to have a spot of tea and lost it...the missing all of my friends and not seeing my here-friends very often and not having a job/outlet finally got to me and I broke down. I simply felt lonely even though I had seen a ton of people that day, that might have been enough to put me over the edge. I felt better after allowing myself to put a label on what I was feeling instead of just pushing it under the rug and pretending like nothing was wrong. This is hard...that's about all there is to it.
Anyways, congrats to the Saints on their Superbowl win - props, kids. Although, I must confess that I boycotted the game with KT and went to Borders instead. It was nice to visit and sympathize with each other about feeling lonely.
But, now a new week has begun and it's off to a crazy start! Tonight I will be undertaking the task of teaching the local Boy Scouts of America troop about....you guessed it, BUGS!! I'm really excited about this, but pretty nervous, this will be my first outreach education endeavor all on my own. I brainstormed with KReddick last night and got some awesome ideas on organizing it all and cuing in to how the kids are responding to the subject matter. So, for the rest of today I will be polishing that up and getting ready for the kiddos! I had intended on taking another bike ride today, but the forecast is for rain...all...day...long, which I love just not when I had planned to be active. Ah well, such is life.
Best wishes for the new week to you all!
Shalom,
MW
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday! Friday! Tonight I'll party with my friends!
...Ok...so by friends I mean the wee ones, but it's all good - we're friends too :)
So, since Christmas the wee ones and I have been trying to complete all 5 seasons of LOST to prepare for the start of season 6 - all of our questions will finally be answered! {We hope...}
On that note I need to thank whoever sets the dates for when my favorite TV shows start back up, because starting LOST, the final season, on my bday is the BEST birthday present EvEr!!! So, thanks guys/gals! You're the best.
Anyways, when the boyos get home from school today we will begin the final push. We missed a week of watching while I was down in CS, so we are slightly behind...just slightly. But, we are almost half-way through season 3 and should get beyond that point tonight. We plan to watch LOST all weekend long, in and around our other activities. Like my shopping extravaganza with 'Chuck' and hopefully 'Rose', as well. BUT! We will finish the previous seasons by Feb 2 - we have no other option but to succeed in this...or else...well, we will just be failures...and a poor excuse for LOST fans. This would bring the utmost shame to our heads and family name...the utmost.
Ok, enough dramatics for today! On to other things.
Isn't it amazing how no matter what you are doing in any given season of your life Fridays are still that light at the end of the tunnel? I was thinking about this last night (of course, while watching LOST with the wee ones), and had to chuckle to myself: I don't do any kind of strenuous activity right now, I don't have a job that I hate (or even one that I enjoy - Fridays are still like gold then), I'm not in classes, I'm just tottering along doing whatever, whenever and yet, I still look forward to Friday with as much hope and excitement as if I were working or in school...maybe it's because I know I will get to spend more than a few rushed hours in the evenings with my little brothers... I don't really know, I just like Fridays, and think I always will, until they finally make the work week 4 days long, that is ;)
Yesterday I worked on ISD apps for subbing for 5 HOURS. 5 hours!! No joke!! {Maybe that's why I'm so excited about today...?} I don't want to look at another online application interface for like...oh, I don't know...ever! Ugh, but, they are complete, so that's a plus. I'm holding off on my AISD app, because they charge you for finger printing and some of the other districts don't. So, if I can get away with not paying for my finger printing, I will! And then I'll apply for AISD. Frugality prevails! Haha.
I also ran by James Avery yesterday to see if there was anything I could/wanted to exchange a charm for...I got a lovely ichthys charm for graduation, but it's a little bulky for my tastes and so wanted one that was little more dainty or something, but didn't really find anything that really jumped out at me. I contemplated getting a 2nd A&M charm, one that I could wear on a necklace chain (I already have one sautered on my charm bracelet)...I dunno if that's over-kill though. I was thinking it would be nice to have just the charm that I could wear whenever since I don't wear my charm bracelet all them time...but I can't decide. There was a lovely ichthys there that was kind of "swirly", meaning it had curly-ques and everything in it's design, but I just couldn't decide. Thoughts?? Suggestions??
Ok, ladies, here's a confession/question for you all: WHAT DEODORANT DO YOU USE?! For the last few months I have been sweating profusely (sorry boys...gross, I know, but whatever, such is life)...and I cannot seem to find one that keeps me at least somewhat dry...I just want a little dryness. Is that so much to ask?? Ugh, I don't even have to be doing anything and it feels like Niagara Falls under there - so not cool. My mom swears by Mitchum Clear Gel, and I've been using that to no avail...I've tried the "prescription strength" stuff, and haven't really had any luck there either. I'm a freak, I know. But, I know there have to be other people out there with the same question, so I'm going to buck-up and ask it for all of us. I am woman! {That last bit was for you Rach}
Anyways, today I plan on finishing Out of the Silent Planet. I finally finished The Road and I have to say I think I enjoyed it. I wasn't too fond of the ending, I felt it was a little lacking, but I think that was the point...did leave Cormick with room to make it into a series of some sort if he wants to, though; since he does seem to write in series/trilogies, etc. Anywho, I'm pretty behind on Harry Potter, and I still can't find the box that Redeeming Love ended up in...hmph, I am frustrated. I think once I finish Out of the Silent Planet I will hit up The Life of Pi. It's sitting in my parents' garage, so I may as well take advantage of a free book with no deadlines for return, right?? Right.
Well, all, I'm off to read my day away and maybe run some errands with my faja. Happy Friday!!
Shalom,
~MW
So, since Christmas the wee ones and I have been trying to complete all 5 seasons of LOST to prepare for the start of season 6 - all of our questions will finally be answered! {We hope...}
On that note I need to thank whoever sets the dates for when my favorite TV shows start back up, because starting LOST, the final season, on my bday is the BEST birthday present EvEr!!! So, thanks guys/gals! You're the best.
Anyways, when the boyos get home from school today we will begin the final push. We missed a week of watching while I was down in CS, so we are slightly behind...just slightly. But, we are almost half-way through season 3 and should get beyond that point tonight. We plan to watch LOST all weekend long, in and around our other activities. Like my shopping extravaganza with 'Chuck' and hopefully 'Rose', as well. BUT! We will finish the previous seasons by Feb 2 - we have no other option but to succeed in this...or else...well, we will just be failures...and a poor excuse for LOST fans. This would bring the utmost shame to our heads and family name...the utmost.
Ok, enough dramatics for today! On to other things.
Isn't it amazing how no matter what you are doing in any given season of your life Fridays are still that light at the end of the tunnel? I was thinking about this last night (of course, while watching LOST with the wee ones), and had to chuckle to myself: I don't do any kind of strenuous activity right now, I don't have a job that I hate (or even one that I enjoy - Fridays are still like gold then), I'm not in classes, I'm just tottering along doing whatever, whenever and yet, I still look forward to Friday with as much hope and excitement as if I were working or in school...maybe it's because I know I will get to spend more than a few rushed hours in the evenings with my little brothers... I don't really know, I just like Fridays, and think I always will, until they finally make the work week 4 days long, that is ;)
Yesterday I worked on ISD apps for subbing for 5 HOURS. 5 hours!! No joke!! {Maybe that's why I'm so excited about today...?} I don't want to look at another online application interface for like...oh, I don't know...ever! Ugh, but, they are complete, so that's a plus. I'm holding off on my AISD app, because they charge you for finger printing and some of the other districts don't. So, if I can get away with not paying for my finger printing, I will! And then I'll apply for AISD. Frugality prevails! Haha.
I also ran by James Avery yesterday to see if there was anything I could/wanted to exchange a charm for...I got a lovely ichthys charm for graduation, but it's a little bulky for my tastes and so wanted one that was little more dainty or something, but didn't really find anything that really jumped out at me. I contemplated getting a 2nd A&M charm, one that I could wear on a necklace chain (I already have one sautered on my charm bracelet)...I dunno if that's over-kill though. I was thinking it would be nice to have just the charm that I could wear whenever since I don't wear my charm bracelet all them time...but I can't decide. There was a lovely ichthys there that was kind of "swirly", meaning it had curly-ques and everything in it's design, but I just couldn't decide. Thoughts?? Suggestions??
Ok, ladies, here's a confession/question for you all: WHAT DEODORANT DO YOU USE?! For the last few months I have been sweating profusely (sorry boys...gross, I know, but whatever, such is life)...and I cannot seem to find one that keeps me at least somewhat dry...I just want a little dryness. Is that so much to ask?? Ugh, I don't even have to be doing anything and it feels like Niagara Falls under there - so not cool. My mom swears by Mitchum Clear Gel, and I've been using that to no avail...I've tried the "prescription strength" stuff, and haven't really had any luck there either. I'm a freak, I know. But, I know there have to be other people out there with the same question, so I'm going to buck-up and ask it for all of us. I am woman! {That last bit was for you Rach}
Anyways, today I plan on finishing Out of the Silent Planet. I finally finished The Road and I have to say I think I enjoyed it. I wasn't too fond of the ending, I felt it was a little lacking, but I think that was the point...did leave Cormick with room to make it into a series of some sort if he wants to, though; since he does seem to write in series/trilogies, etc. Anywho, I'm pretty behind on Harry Potter, and I still can't find the box that Redeeming Love ended up in...hmph, I am frustrated. I think once I finish Out of the Silent Planet I will hit up The Life of Pi. It's sitting in my parents' garage, so I may as well take advantage of a free book with no deadlines for return, right?? Right.
Well, all, I'm off to read my day away and maybe run some errands with my faja. Happy Friday!!
Shalom,
~MW
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