I wish humans had a month for hibernation.

I slept for ten hours last night.
I just pooped out on the couch at 9:30pm while I was reading and woke up at 8am. Just in time to be late for school.

But I still feel like my eyes are going to fall off my face.
I think I have an idea why. I think I have 27 little reasons why. 17 of them are little boys and 10 of them are little girls. And like two of them can pay attention for more than 3 minutes. That's why.

My mentor teacher amazes me. I don't know how she does it. I have been at it for a few weeks and I feel like I'm melting.

Some days teaching is fun. Some days I want to duct tape half of their little bums to their chairs and threaten to melt their crayons if they don't just finish a worksheet. Just ONE worksheet! Write the words that go in the blank! Or trace the letter R! Come on! That's all I ask!!! But of course that would be cruel, so I let them have their crayons, and keep the duct tape to the posters instead of using it on little first grade booties.

So, the other day one girl kept coming up to me to tattle on people, so I told her to go back to her chair and glue her bottom to it so that when her legs wanted to get up she could say to them, "sorry legs! I'm stuck to my chair!". She gave me a funny look and then I saw her go get her gluestick-ha she thought I was serious. I stopped her in time and explained. I didn't even think that she would take it seriously! That was a funny day. :)

It's just so exhausting harping on little six year olds all day to hold still or listen or do their work or not talk. And knowing that the little chatty kid in the back isn't gonna know a darn thing when it comes to practicing what you just taught. It makes you so sad to know that the kids that need to learn this stuff most are the ones that won't listen or hold still or stop talking.

Every once in a while during a really great activity, or when they just barely get to the rug, or on a really good day you have a few precious minutes with all of their attention and you have to use and abuse those few minutes for all they are worth. Stick as much knowledge in it's simplest form into those little heads fast as you can and pray that they will find it valuable and give it priority over the fact that they are about to remember that their neighbor's cat died, or the girl sitting next to them has a rock in her shoe, or that they are going to be a cowboy for halloween.

It feels like trying to get caffeinated spaghetti noodles to learn and recite Shakespeare. Sometimes it feels bleak.

But sometimes they get it! and that feels so good. And sometimes this one little boy will be understanding his math and say "Oh man, that's all? this is easy peasy!". And this one little hispanic boy will come show me his journal and have five nicely written sentences with capitals and periods and all. That makes ya feel great. There is hope for these little spaghetti noodles. :)

Another thing about first grade- it's a bacteria paradise. They all have coughs and sneezes and "accidents" and you just wonder what else is going in your ear when the girl that was just out sick for three days whispers in your ear that sarah has a crush on isaac. lots of germies that's what. I carry hand sanitizer in my pocket. Is that a little overboard? Maybe. But it comes in handy quite a bit.

I really do love them, I'll be so sad to go, but sometimes they drive ya nuts. There is opposition in all things right? Overall though, I love it. Don't let me convince ya otherwise. But don't be one of those people that thinks teaching is just what girls do if their bored. It's really really tough. You really can't realize how tough until you do it. Especially with the little kids. I feel like the 6th graders were way easier that the 6 year olds.

Go thank a teacher you know. They probably work stinkin hard and wonder sometimes if it's worth it. I am sure thankful for all my teachers growing up. And I have a new found appreciation for all they did for me.