Drugs didn't work..

... sick day it is.  My work load may increase, but at least I get to sleep late in the morning.  And those detailed lesson plans are sitting on my desk for someone to try and follow.  Hopefully no snot stains will be found on them from my dripping nose.  Gross, right?!  Good luck to my substitute tomorrow!

It's that time of year...

... for my winter season cold.  The problem with getting sick and being a teacher is missing work.  Most people would take the opportunity to lay on the couch, watch the tube, sleep, sleep and sleep some more.  But teachers... we have to write a detailed explanation of our working day so someone else can manage all those little bodies that rely on us five days a week.  When it comes down to a "sick day", we teachers ask ourselves, "How sick am I REALLY?"  Because writing those substitute plans for someone else to do your job that day is a pain in the ass.  And when you come back from your day on the couch, it just means you have double the work to catch up on.  So how sick am I really?  We'll see when I wake up in the morning.  Maybe my head won't feel like it's going to explode.  I made it through the day today.  I can do it one more day, right?  Drugs.  That's the answer!

Kids say the darndest things!

The bulletin board surrounding my school's elementary office has been converted to a "Wonder Wall".  Kids write questions about things they wonder.  Questions such as "How many stars are in the sky?" and "What sound does a fox make?" are written in kids' handwriting across this board.  One question that popped up was "Why is Ms. P so happy?"  As I walked through the hall this week, unseen by two Grade 5 girls, I heard this conversation:

Ten year old girl reading the Wonder Wall: Why is Ms. P so happy?

Her friend in a pre-teen tone: Because she has a husband.

Of course.  Why didn't I know that? :)

Writing Report Cards Part 2

In the midst of report card writing I am always a bit negative.  It's a big job and feels a bit overwhelming.  But the truth is that as I write comments for each child, they always make me smile...

E is a funny, kind girl who is an asset to Class 3P.
F enjoys sharing his creative stories with his classmates.
G brings a smile to his teachers and classmates each day.
It is a joy to teach V each day.

These kids are such a joy and privilege to spend my days with.  Their smiles and laughs and curiosity make each day a wonderful experience.  Even writing their report cards warms my heart and always ends with the corners of my mouth turning up.  Maybe writing reports isn't all THAT bad.

Thank goodness it's only 3 times a year...

Report cards.
I'm writing them now.  I'm grateful that my current school has trimesters instead of quarters - one less set of reports to write a year.  With 13 years of report card writing experience, you would think it gets easier, but it really doesn't.  Each child is different, each school is different, each year I teach different stuff (or so it seems with all the changes in curriculum).  And then there is always that kid (or two, or ten) who you want to be blatantly honest with and write the TRUTH straight out in that report card comment box.  But you know if you did that, you'd get fired.  Things like...

• Your kid is lazy.  
• You are a bad parent when you let your child stay up until midnight every night.
• Your kid is not smart enough to be above grade level like you want her to be.  Accept that she is average.
• Your child has anger management issues and it is obvious that he has learned it from you by the way you talk to his teachers!

During one of my "breaks" from these dreaded reports, I googled a bit and found some funny teachers out there who feel my pain...

Funny Report Card Notes from Teachers

Good luck to all the teachers writing their reports!

Laugh of the Day

While engaging in a writing conference with a child today, this was part of our conversation...

Me: So what would you like to improve at in writing?

3rd Grade Boy: I would like to make more sense in my writing.

Me: Why is making more sense your goal?

3rd Grader: Because I'm half Italian and Italians don't make sense.  I need to make sense.

Me: (Trying so hard not to laugh) Well ok.

I can never say my job is boring!  

Sweetness in an email

This is a 12 day work week.  The weekend is filled with 16 hours of a teaching conference, so it's just one of those weeks - BUSY and TIRING.  And then this pops up in my email:

Hi,Ms.P!

How are you today?

What you want to do on your weekend?

I'm going to the soccer training and sitting with P----- my brother for 4 or 5 hours on Saturday!

On Sanday I don't know what we are doing.

Have a nice weekend!

V-----

This little guy just made my day!  Maybe this class that started out driving me completely crazy will turn out to be one of my favorites.  Ahhh... the 12 day work week is for this boy!