Exhausted

Still tired, and don't want to write put a whole entry...this job is more exhausting than I ever imagined...damn kids wearing me out!

• We didn't get 40 "balls". Miss Phipps tried real hard to pad the jar, but today just wasn't the day to do that. Anytime I looked at my kids, they were sitting turned around in their seats talking to their friends, or causing a commotion at the recognition assembly. I still gave them the balls I told them I would for the assembly. And...I'm not cold-hearted. I told them that if they promised me they could earn 5 more balls (they had gotten up to 35) by the end of Thursday, that we could have a party. I just want to actually be able to do something fun with them before we go so that I'm not a total bitch with them. I've decided that I'll be bringing in sugar cookies and frosting and candy to decorate (seeing as how all food brought into the class has to be store bought, so I can't make my rice krispie treats...)...Hell, I'm done with them at 3:26, I don't have to deal with them being hyper.
  
• After being sat down with the Assistant Principal about my pop-in observation (It went well, but she was telling me what I all need to change in the classroom...well, duh, I just haven't had much free time to do so unless I want to stay at school until 10pm), I had a nice high on the way home (high on life type situation here). I had a teacher way back when in 7th grade that I absolutely adored. He was by far the best teacher I ever had. I've had great teachers, but for some reason, he was the most fun and awesome teacher. He retired when I went off to high school, so we kept in contact by writing to each other. I've always written to him. I try to write at least 2 times a year. The past few years, I haven't written to him, not because I didn't want to, but that I didn't find myself wanting to write since I didn't have a teaching job. I didn't want to look like a failure to him since he knew I was studying to be a teacher. In the back of my head I kept telling myself that I needed to write to him, but I just couldn't bring myself up to it. I finally sat down on Thanksgiving this year and wrote him a letter. It was a nice long one too. I didn't send it out right away, but I did eventually send it. When I called home tonight, mom said to me, "You'll never guess who called worried sick about you and wondering if everything was alright with you!" Well, I knew she had talked to Eve, but maybe it was Jeane calling to make sure everything was kosher out here. I couldn't think of anyone, and she told me it was this teacher. I guess he hadn't gotten my letter yet. He told her that he thought he would call since he hadn't heard from me in a couple of years, and needed to know if he had done anything to upset me. Mom told him all that was going on, and then he started telling her that he'd been thinking about me for some time since he hadn't heard from me after he sent his last letter. He told her that after teaching hundreds of kids, I was by far his most favorite student, and that he knew I would end up doing a lot in my life. When she told me that, I started tearing up (hell, I'm kinda doing that right now). She kept asking me if I was alright, and everything. It was just touching to hear that. I hope that when I get to be a teaching veteran like he is, I can have a student that I bond with like this. It just made me feel real good inside. Now I get to call him when I come home on Saturday, because he told mom that he would love to see me when I come home. She also told me that he told her that he's always wanted to come to Vegas, but he's not much of a gambler...he now has another reason to come out to visit. Damn...I went off on that one...sorry, it just made me feel good to hear all of this. It was my Christmas miracle. :)
  
• I'm trying to think about what else happened today...OH! I got to get up in front of half of the school today and speak! Yep, the one who can speak to a bunch of kids, but not adults, got to get up and recognize my students with great attendance, honor roll, and then my student of the month (seeing as how I've been there not even a month!). Some teachers made speeches...not me, I got up there and read off the names. The only one that I did anything that wasn't on the list was when I introduced my student of the month (the lesser of all of the thorns in my side)..."This student is always willing to help out in the classroom, and made my transition into the classroom more smooth." Something to that effect. I was talking to a teacher during the assembly (nice role models we were), and he hadn't even picked out his student of the month. He decided that he was going to look around the room to see what parents were there, and give that kid the award. It was great seeing him up there...I could literally see him scanning the room and his list of honor roll students. This was all before he decided that he was going to embarrass one of his kids during the assembly. All of a sudden I hear him whisper loudly (and violently) a student's name. I look over to his class, and there was one student who was sitting with her back to the stage, talking to her friends. He walked right in front of the stage, up the main aisle, and pulled her to the back of the room, where she had to stand with him for the rest of the assembly. It was awesome. He's now going to be sending in his students who are not acting like 4th graders into my classroom. I love it! I'm not the only one shaming my kids into good behavior!!!!

Alright...that was my day. I need to go take some NyQuil and head to bed.