Fridays are Fabulous

Hello! It's me! So I've been spending my days with ten year old hoodlums for almost a month now, and I just want to tell you about it!

First of all I'm in love with this job. I really really love it. I have had some pretty late nights at the school, but it's all time well spent and enjoyed. I'm kind of maybe addicted. I should probably work on getting a little more balance. I'm just there planning lessons, and copying stuff, and laminated things, and setting up my classroom and grading math or writing-and I'm in love with every second of it. Poor Steve though, I haven't cooked an actual dinner on a weeknight in like two weeks.I think we finally have all the set-up and routines going, which is a HUGE relief. So maybe I'll get home before 8 from now on. :)

So my class-well, they are super crazy. 20 of the 25 kids are hispanic, 1 has hot pink hair-but she's just the sweetest girl ever, they all never stop talking, they are obsessed with hot cheetos and "party rock". And "skrillex", whoever that is? They try to convince you they weren't talking, or someone else was talking to them and made them talk. Or that their homework is done-but they just left it at home. It's really funny. They probably think I'm super mean cause I don't really entertain excuses like that. If they don't have their homework they do it during recess. Is that cruel? They only have math like three days a week though the big whiners! They won't die doing 20 minutes of math a few nights a week. :) Maybe they'll even get smarter!! :)

Our school is awesome. The principal is so invested and involved in the kids' success. It's really refreshing to see the leadership of the school so involved in things and dedicated to make good things happen! It's pretty common to have older leaders that just kinda "monitor" but don't really make the changes that are needed. This school really has it together.

I'll have to add pictures soon!

I am so incredibly lucky to have this class. This seriously is my dream job.

All the painful hours of BYU's Education classes have paid off and I finally get to do what I want to do! Did I tell you that one of my professors told me I wasn't cut out to be a teacher? That I was lazy and unprofessional and no school was going to want to "babysit" me? I dealt with her railing on me incessantly for two semesters. I wanted to change my major so many times- it was a tough road. I felt so strongly about sticking with it though, and had a few incredibly kind teacher friends that kept my spirits up-thank you kim, brittany, and shannon. :) Now it's all paid off. There is seriously nothing else I would rather do all day. I kind of want to flash my shiny diploma in her face and tell her to take a chill pill! Some people...sheesh.

I am so happy to be a real live teacher. :)

Day 6

Well,I have been a fifth grade teacher now for six days. Totally my dream job and I love love it! But today was just too funny. So here's the stats for the day:

4 kids were crying at some point in the day

1 boy spent the last half hour of school hiding from me behind the computer cart because he was really mad at me- I made him take his language arts test just like every one else had to. I'm the meanest.

14 hours I put in today. I got home at ten.

20- there were about twenty times I wanted to kill some kids today. Argh.

50-I gave out like fifty gold star stickers to get kids to work. It started as a joke- at least I meant it to be- I had no idea fifth graders were still so motivated by star stickers.

59- this is the amount of classroom money in our fine jar- we have class money, they get two dollars a day, and it's a dollar fine if you are talking when you shouldn't be. Mind you today is Tuesday- the jar was emptied on Friday. It's only taken them two days to form over 59 dollars. Tough start to the week I would say. Let's pray tomorrow is better. My goal for tomorrow? No more than one person crying, less than$30 in our fine jar,and no one hiding from me cause they hate me. Wish me luck! :)