Graduation.

College graduation is a great feeling. I had a wonderful day.

Here is my special day in pictures.

Here I am with Eli, Emma and Tripp outside of TTU.

After everyone was seated, and I got my hat balanced on the top of my big hair, Dave and I took our obligatory self photo.

Here is half of my graduating class. We may or may not have been praying. I was probably crying. I cried several times. I am smack dab in the middle and I am kinda looking up. See me?


Finally, after an hour, it was my turn. I wore heels. I did not fall!
I heard my kiddies hollering at me. So I threw them a big kiss.

Here I am shaking Dr. Bell's hand. Yey for me! I did it.

Horray for my family. They survived!

Wait. That is not Dr. Bell. He is not wearing a gown. I don't know who this dude was. I had a line of about eight people that shook my hand.



Here I am going back to my seat.

We turned our tassels. The most exciting moment for me. Then, I cried some more.

Outside, I found my family. The pictures kinda look like a kid took them.

That is because Tripp and Emma are the photographers.

Tripp took this picture. He cut Dave's head off. But here I am with my support system. My sweet inlaws. (My side of the family got in their cars and drove away when graduation was over so I never saw them. No pictures)

A random shot of Emma and myself. After we got home, we had a party. My sweet husband did an excellent job. It ended with just him and me karaoke-ing on my mother in law's porch - all alone- about 11 p.m.

So, what the next step? I went to TTU on Monday and got my application for graduate school.

I kinda slid it into a conversation with Dave on Monday night. His reply? Are you trying to start a fight? So, for now, I guess I am just getting a job :)

Until he figures out how much more money I will make with a Masters Degree. :)

Nine Days.

Countdown: I have nine days of student teaching left - Five this week, then four the following week. On the 29th, I am going to go with Emma and her first grade class on a field trip to the Zoo. Crazy, right? This morning, I was thinking about how much I had learned in the past four years and how hard I had pushed in the past year. Last spring semester, I had 15 hours. In the summer, I took 17. In the fall, I took 15. So I have felt like student teaching is just a piece of cake. Finally, it is coming together. My mother in law is planning a graduation party. Food? Music? I don't care. I told Dave to choose. Finally, I will have that paper. That is all I care about. Oh, and I am concerned with what dress to wear. And shoes. Also, it is now going to be the "real" world. I can't imagine how scary this would be for a 22 year old who has only ever known school. I suppose it is weird not really having homework already. But there is some sort of work *(A TPA Pilot Program that I was chosen for) and I still have that looming around. In less than three weeks, I will graduate.

Updates.

Boy, how sporadic am I? It is almost like I have things to do :) Well, we survived the aftermath of the girls leaving. While we sometimes still have heavy hearts, it is getting better. We are staying busy. There is lots of organization going on here. Emma and Tripp still ask for the girls, and they cry occasionally. But, they are alive and healthy, just down the road, and if I wanted to see them, it wouldn't be that hard. Right now, I am avoiding seeing them at all costs. I just can't do it - yet. Eli sees M daily at school. They don't talk. He is hurt. It is understandable. But we are moving along, developing our "new normal" and "taking our power back". I only have thirteen days of student teaching left. I love, love, love my kids in my class. I love 2nd grade. I appreciate the fact that they are still young enough to call their stomachs "tummies". It tickles me to no end. I have bonded with them. I know when they do their best - and when they don't. I will miss them terribly. But again, it is not like I have to go far. I told one boy just that today - I will be back ALL THE TIME. And I will. So my college graduation is in less than four weeks. It is kind of scary not knowing whats on the other side. I anticipate it. I have fantasized about this for years. At times, I thought it would never happen. That was usually when I found out about a new set of Praxis Tests. But, I passed them all, first time. Now, I am working up enough courage to take my MAT to get into grad school. Who woulda thunk it? Dave told me - discouraged me - from going so soon. Then, he told me that if I went, I could not say ONE WORD - Not ONE COMPLAINT - about homework. or school. or anything. Well, we all know how that goes. So I prolly won't go :)

School Update.

I have about 45 days of student teaching left. That is actual school days, not counting weekends.

Starting on Monday, I will begin teaching Reading and Spelling. I have been teaching Science for about three weeks now.

I am excited about it, but kind of apprehensive because it is in a class where the students are established in the teachers methods. When a student teacher takes over, students like to correct. It is hard to keep them on task. And then I worry about them failing.

I have been up since 6:30 this morning. I am a little stressed out about teaching something new, I guess. I don't really know my host teachers methods. We haven't been in school enough to have it down.

I feel ready to have my own class and do it my way without someone critiquing me all the time.

So here is to April 29- the last day of school for me. And hurry up May 7th, 2 p.m.

I am done.

The Downhill Slide.

Yes... another school story. Yet again.

So, this semester was 17 hours. Six Classes.
Seven weeks in kindergarten.

As of now, I have three classes completely finished.

Today, my professor Jane is coming to evaluate my teaching at 11 a.m.
How will it go? In my head, great! But, I have twenty kindergarten students that make that change just.like.that.

For example, the other day, during a phonics lesson, one little girl raised her hand and said, "Mrs. Sadlerrrr.... When I have to go to the bathroom, I pee a lot."

So, this should be interesting because a visitor combined with a two hour school delay ON A MONDAY will set them off... :?

Let's see... I finish classes on Thursday and have one final next Tuesday. Let the countdown begin!

A New Chapter.

Oh joy!!!

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. I am quitting my job.

I have known for a few weeks and I couldn't tell anyone. But, as of Sunday, the news will be public, so I wanted to share here first.


Lots of things flow through my head. Fridays off- no school, no work.

Finished laundry.

Trips to the store.

Shaved legs.

Time by myself without the pressure of "work"

The ability to just "go to church"

See, the list goes on and on... I am ready to begin this new chapter.
My departure is bittersweet. It is scary, in some ways, to lose my income. I know I am secure in my job, but emotionally, it is tearing my to shreds. I am tired of talking about it, complaining about it.

So, here I go! Only two weeks left. I get to finish my senior year in college by studying, being a mom and getting caught up on the laundry.

Woot! Woot!

Tough Day.

I chose to skip practicum today. It is the first day that I have missed teaching.
Emma's homework was not done, Tripper was refusing to dress OR brush his teeth. Kindergarten papers were due, High School admission papers were due, applications for honors classes were due and needed teacher approval signatures. I work Eli up around 6:10. At 7 a.m. he rolled outta bed.

I sat there, at 6:55 a.m., my normal "leave" time, and had chaos all around me.
I chose to call in sick, to help Emma with schoolwork, help Tripper brush his teeth, deliver signed applications and papers to the proper places.

I got it done.

Sometimes, the kids have to come first.

It went downhill from there.
You ever had those days where ya just want to go to bed, get back up and start all over?
Today is one of those days.

Mistakes.

I have had some pretty stupid screw-ups lately.

• It is almost time for mid-nine weeks reports for the kids - I just sent report cards back this week.
• I realized on the 29th of March that I did not pay the water/gas/sewer bill for the month. It not only cost me $30 in late fees, I had to go into City Hall and pay the bill. Do you know how embarrassing it is to pay a bill with a cut-off notice when a picture of your husband is hanging right beside the check out counter at City Hall, staring at you as you fix a screw up?
• Spring Pictures were a couple of weeks ago. Thinking that I was on the ball, I put Emma's check in the envelope and sealed it, and put it in her backpack ONE DAY EARLY! Woo-Hoo! Fast forward a week later, I got a strange phone call on my cell phone. It was from the picture taking people. Seems that I did, in fact, put the check in, but I did not fill it out or sign it. They graciously sent it back and let me finish it, so Emma will still get her Kindergarten class picture.
• I registered for Summer/Fall session. I filled out the financial aid papers like the day they were posted online. I never received a response. I thought, "Boy, they are cutting it down to the last minute." So, I walked across campus yesterday and just stopped by and checked it out. They were never received. First,the lady at the desk told me my hair was cute. That was an added bonus :) Second, she told me to go resubmit right then. So I did. She said it looks good, I should have plenty of money to fund my 17 summer hours and my 17 fall hours.

Now, I have to build up my courage to talk to my bosses at work and ask for three weeks off in May. Someone, give me an opinion.

IF YOU CAN KNOCK OUT AN ENTIRE SEMESTER IN THREE WEEKS, WOULD YOU QUIT YOUR JOB OVER IT?

Please reply.

Slacker. Again.

As yet another semester draws to a close, I find myself panicking due to all the uncertainty in my life.

I have been with my kids, my group of 2nd graders, for two weeks now. We had several breakthroughs this week, where they actually paid attention to me, and I was their teacher.

While my Host Teacher is good, nice, and friendly, there is a lot more "classroom crazy" going on than I like. I am learning to adjust. I started actually teaching lessons last week. I did the spelling section Monday - Thursday. I graded their homework.
Then,

• I found myself wondering who actually studied at home.
• I noticed particular words that the entire class missed on the Spelling Pre-Test on Wednesday.
• I now can pick out my strong students, my middle line students, and my students whose parents are not involved or don't give a flip.

I love these kids- all of them, even my ADHD boy who now just stares me down as he runs from me, instead of scrunching his face up like a monster ready to attack. I am having alot of fun.

Yesterday, I had to go to my classroom at Tech. It was a somber scene all morning. I got there early, I listened to horror stories about Practicum from my peers. One guy told me that all his Host Teacher lets him do is file papers and move boxes. Another lady told me of how she is belittled. This was the first time this semester that our entire class was so quiet. There is a sense of panic about the upcoming four weeks - it is crunch time. Our Professors gave us a calendar of when to be where, what is due, what we should be working on. I am feeling more than a little overwhelmed. There is not enough hours in my day.

I am living three lives - I leave the house at 6:50 a.m., drive for 30 minutes, teach till 11 a.m. , drive for 30 minutes, go to work, pick the kids up, work till 4:30 or 5:00, go home or to soccer games or back to school. After this, I am trying to be a mom, and a wife. I have no time to be a friend. My tornado could be catastrophic, but I have Dave there, picking up my slack, backing me up with the children. I have my mother in law in the back, picking up my leftovers.

I woke up before 6 a.m. this morning, thinking about my kids at school, what I am going to do to get their attention about the lessons on Chinese culture that I am teaching next week. In my dreams I was devising word games for them to remember their vocabulary and spelling words.

I will be finished with this semester on April 30. The following week is FINALS.
So, today, I am going to work on today. Tomorrow is for tomorrow.

My First Kids.

***Please read the edit at the bottom***

So, I am loving L.O.V.I.N.G. my sweet little class. I am growing attached to some of the kids - we are bonding, I am learning about them and their families, and their abilities. I am learning about their strengths and weaknesses, and what I want to do for them.

I have fell in love!

There are a couple of children, in particular, that I have taken to.

One boy said some things that touched me yesterday.

Here is the story:

It is St. Patrick's Day. Everyone is wearing green. Little Dude looks at me and says, "Well, you know my brother is mostly leprechaun." Then, holding up his pointer finger and thumb close together, he says, "He only has about thismuch human blood left in him."

Ha!

Little Dude also likes to read to me. Yesterday we were reading Clifford: The Big Red Dog, and he told me that he was going to take the book home to his sister. She is autistic and LOVES big red dogs. Then, he said, "Me and My sister were twins. But she came early." Thinking that this is interesting, I said, "Wow! How old is she?" He answered, "11." (He is 8 and in 2nd grade) Musta been a difficult pregnancy. Poor mom.

Another boy that I have is diagnosed with ADHD- well, I am not so sure how this is going to work out. He doesn't like me. While I am not a fan of medicating children, I have a hard time deciding if this child needs medicine or a spanking. One day, I was asked to escort him to the library to pick out a new book. He told me to quit following him. Then, once we got in the library, he asked me what I was doing. I told him that I was going to help him find a new book. He looks at me and says, " Hey. The books I like are way over there. Why don't you go and see if you can find me one way over there." Now, he is not even beating around the bush. He tells me, "Why don't you go home?" and "Why are you still here?"

Our trouble began because he wanted me to draw him a smiley face on his reward system for RESPECTFULNESS. I told him we would talk to Host Teacher and see - and then he was told to wait 10 more minutes. So he says,"Fine. If you won't do it, I will draw it on myself."

Does ADHD cause meanness? Or just an inability to focus? Why is this kid able to focus on this attendance chart? Shouldn't he have forgotten it already?

I am not sure what I am going to do about his crankiness toward me. It has only been three days. :) It is gonna be an interesting seven weeks.


ETA~ I think my angry boy may also have something called oppositional defiant disorder. I have been researching this just because it is stressing me out. This is also translated as not liking to listen to adults. :)

A Date!

Tonight, Dave and I are off the Nashville - all by ourselves! I am so excited that I can't stand myself. We haven't been alone since the first of November. I have all these thoughts running through my head of things we can do (get your mind outta the gutter!) and things we can talk about. I do this every time we go somewhere by ourselves. My "to do alone" list would take me about a week to complete.

*****************

We are going to a Predators game. I have never been to a hockey game, and I am not sure if it is for me. But, I get to hold hands with my husband, (Dave, you know you secretly like to hold my hand) and not have anyone wipe snot on my shirt, and not have to wipe any butts, so this is a good deal.

*****************

In just 11 short days, I start my practicum for my READ Block. Tomorrow, my teachers will email me my assignment and then I have to call my Host Teacher and meet with her next week. I am apprehensive about this, well, I am downright scared, if you wanna know the truth. Yesterday, in class, my teachers gave me a list of rules - dress code, things I need to know, etc. So I was sitting there, with my mouth hanging open, thinking, "What do I know? Can I teach? Am I ready for this?" All of my studies from the past two and 1/2 years are swirling around in my head. At any given time, a lesson pops up. I hope that when I get in the classroom, this information gets in order and I can get it out coherently. That way, I don't look too stupid.

Snow, Snow... Yes or no?

Sorry.
I was in Dr. Suess format...

So, I am sitting here at 6 a.m. - just waiting - waiting to see if the snow and ice are going to hit us.

Our county announced school closings yesterday afternoon. I checked to see if my school was closed, but no, it is not. Many other universities are - but not mine.

That is Ok. I am great with that for two reasons....
1. I am taking my handwriting workshop today.
2. I will get to drive my new van to town!

Yep, we finally did it. After months of watching the other van grow weaker, we traded it in yesterday on a newer model.

I was sad as I drove it out of the driveway for the last time.

Then, I got over it.

Even thought we are supposed to have tons of snow and ice, and I will not be able to travel anywhere, I will have my pretty van sitting in the driveway.

A Teaching Semester.

I am absolutely loving school this semester. I am doing a Reading Block. I am learning about the fundamentals of Reading, how to get children to be interested in reading, and how to set the example by exploring my own reading and writing.

I found out today that I get to take a HANDWRITING workshop. I am thrilled! I always wondered how teachers get that neat penmanship and I worried how my sweet little kindergarteners will learn their letters correctly if I am not positive how to do them myself. So, this Friday, I go into class and register for one of my four workshops... I am going to try to get into HANDWRITING first!

In just five short weeks, I will be teaching in a classroom. I am so excited about this.

In this class, I am also responsible for writing in a journal. Sometimes, I use thoughts that I have blogged about. By the time I get home, I am too tired to blog, or my brain is dry. I have "explored my feelings" so much that I don't feel like exploring ANYTHING else.

I guess this is a great semester update compared to what I usually say....

Wednesdays.

This is the view of town from my yard... see the top of the courthouse? I love this!

Today is my first crazy Wednesday... it goes something like this:

7:15 a.m. - leave and take the kids to school. Eli first. Then Emma. Then Tripper.

8:30 - my 1st class starts.

11:50 - get out of class.

12 p.m. - go to work

2:30 - leave work and go pick the kids up from school... Tripp first. Then Emma. Then Eli. Then I will take them home.

*I guess Emma really is the middle child* :)

3:00 - be back at work

5:00 - leave work and go back to school.

6:00 - class starts.

8:50 - class ends.

9:20 - arrive home.

And start over.

So, I am a little anxious to see how this works. Iam going now to lay church clothes out for the kids and get them up to start our day.

End of semester. A Bullet List.

Because I have random thoughts and I don't have the time or energy to find and create transition thoughts to get it all together, today's post will be in bullet format.

Here goes.

• I did a paper yesterday over an observation of a child. It ended up being about 8,000 words and 17 pages. Not kidding.
• I was only on page 4 at 12 p.m. I finished at 5:30 p.m.
• See why my mind hurts.
• Emma is singing to Tripp "Jingle Bells, Tripper smells." Tripp is crying.
• On Thursday, I have a Geology Lab Quiz at 10, a lecture test at 11, an education final at Tech at 4 and Christmas for Kids shopping at 6.
• It snowed today.
• Today is my nephew Ethan's birthday. He is three. Happy Birthday Ethan!
• I have mounds of laundry on my bed that needs to be folded. I am thankful that it is in a central location and it is clean.
• My last test of the semester is at 10:30 on December 15.
• Only ten days to go.
• I keep buying random Christmas presents for my children. I have no idea what is in the closet. It stems from mother guilt. I don't even own wrapping paper yet.
• I have to go study now so that I can list the Geologic Times Scale on Thursday.

I passed my test!

So, I took the test on Friday....

AND I PASSED!!

I am thrilled!

I don't like young people.

We had a long, tedious Geology test today. We had to answer 28 questions about rocks, their fracture, if they were from a volcano.... well, you see where I am going with this, right? WRONG.

So, after the test, I pick up my phone to text David, and this young girl behind me starts laughing. I turned around and looked at her, and she said, "I think it is so funny when older people text." I told her that I text all the time. She says, "Really? Do you like, know T9?" I said yes. Then I said, "I can't believe you just said that to me." She just kinda giggled.

Bitch.