Thursday, August 26, 2010

3 Strikes...

Last year at school we had a power outage. The power was out for 95% of the day. So what do you with 23 kids in a room with no windows? Apparently you keep teaching. Just because it's pitch black does not mean that should stop you from practicing math facts. Duh.

That's strike one.

Since this school year started 12 days ago we have spent exactly 12 of those days in rooms without a/c. Actually....that's not true. Technically the 85 degree air that circulates through my classroom could be considered a/c because it is cooler than the 112 that it is outside. The air blows in the morning...when it's cool-ish outside...and there are not 27 sweaty little bodies in a confined space...so it give the delusion of a/c. I've almost been conned into believing this a/c ruse several times. When I find myself wondering if being outside....in Southern AZ...in the summer would be a better option, I know something is wrong.

Strike two.

That brings me to today. Picture if you will an elementary school. Said elementary school has 550 - 600 kids, give or take. All of these "kids" use the restroom, drink water, wash their hands, etc. All of these activities involve water. Well imagine that you get an announcement saying that a water main has broken and because of this....there is no water. No drinking fountain. No hand washing (went a little nutso with the Germ-X) and NO BATHROOMS. Well all 27 little wonders in my classroom, who up to this point had been working just fine, suddenly ALL had to go to the bathroom. Of course. Luckily there was one bathroom on the other side of campus (in the dreaded "big kid" area) that was available. There was a momentary uplift in the mood when the kids discovered the wonder that is an air dryer. We then got the announcement that we were not to fear because we would soon be provided with bottled water and.....wait for it....Porta Potties. Yay. Big, stinky, portable toilets...to be used by hundreds of cute...but lets face it, not so hygienically inclined kids. Fine. Life gives you lemons, make lemonade right? Wrong. I open the door to my classroom to find this...
...just a few yards away.

Strike Three.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Just because....

I don't really have anything to say, but I felt like blogging. I've said before and I will say again...I LOVE a song that moves you in a way that you can't explain. It's a song that you listen to over and over again and it evokes some kind of emotion in you. Maybe it is the fix to feeling sad or the accompaniment to a great day. Either way. I love it.

This is one of those songs. And so is this.

School started. I like my class a lot so far. Being that they are second language learners they interpret things VERY literally. I have to be extra careful how I say things to make sure they are translating correctly. Learning period for me too. Work is kind of lonely. I miss my neighbor. I probably took for granted how much of a support it was to have someone right next door. Other than that I work with some fun people...with a few screwballs thrown in...that definitely keep things interesting.

Self Diagnosis time. I am a worrier. A certified worrier. I don't like that about myself. I don't like the stomach churning anxiety I feel when I am worrying about something. It takes over and I can't seem to shake it. The worst part is that it's not like I'm really, truly suffering. Nobody has died....I'm not sick....I mean all in all things are well! And yet I worry. :-P How do I fix that?

P.S. AMAZING rain storm yesterday. Thunder. Lightning. Pouring Rain. It was fantastic.
Rain ALWAYS makes me happy.

So does this.
And this.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Student-isms

New school year....new student-isms.
Today I was reading my students this book and there is a part where they are looking for the worlds smallest circus under a magnifying glass. I asked the kids to tell me what they could see in the picture and one little boy looks at it carefully, raises his hand and says "I definitely see a hobo."

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Time for a change....

http://www.happiness-project.com

Personal Commandments
(work in progress)
1. Be Me
2. Let it Go
3. Be Grateful
4. Find the Good