Hey all! I am linking up with Running on Happy and Fairytales and Fitness for Friday 5 2.0!
Today, I'm just going to share 5 random things about the last week!
1. First of all, I am sorry if I suck at reading/commenting on blogs and Facebook right now! I am a bit overwhelmed with getting back into the swing of things with work and piano lessons. It's just hard at the beginning of the year because I have to work about 5 times as hard to make sure the students are following all the rules and procedures. After about a month or two, I will be able to relax a little because the students will be accustomed to doing everything on their own by then. But right now, it is very... rigorous? Monotonous? I don't know how to describe it. Oh, I know! ALL CONSUMING!
This meme is so true.
In August I am like: "I can change the world!!!!!!"
In May I am like: "WHEN IS SUMMER GOING TO BEGIN????
2. They changed all the toilet paper and soap dispensers at our school. The toilet paper rolls suck. The paper breaks and you have to be soooo careful and nit-picky about getting it off the roll. The soap dispensers are higher than they were the last 13 years so every time I instinctively jut my hand out to get soap, I bang it into the wall instead of the dispenser.
3. I thought I lost all my lesson plans when they re-imaged my work computer over the summer but it turns out I DID BACK THEM UP! However, I am going to try to make it a goal not to use the same lesson plans that I have been using for years. I need to switch things up for my OWN sanity. This will be more time consuming, because even if I use an old lesson plan, I do tweak it. It's harder starting from scratch. But I'm up for the challenge! For now, anyway. Ask me in January how I am feeling...
4. The eclipse was awesome! I did not make seeing the eclipse a priority. In fact, I didn't even have a way to view it because I didn't have glasses. But during my plan period, my friend Barb grabbed me, put a pair of glasses in my hand, and walked me out to the back playground to see the eclipse. I thought it was so cool! I am really glad I got to see it. So I'm looking at this article and it seems like the next total eclipse in North America will be in 2024. That's not too far away. Don't you think it's amazing that they can calculate when they are going to happen? To me, the calculation and the knowledge of science is even more impressive than the eclipse itself!
5. Guys, the first couple days of teaching kindergarten is a SHIT SHOW! I don't know how else to describe it! They say teaching kindergarten is like herding cats, but I'm here to say it is much worse than that! I have so many hilarious stories I could tell you but it wouldn't be appropriate for me to talk about them on here. But yes, I did make a kindergartener cry, (all I said was, "It's not your turn to talk right now.") and during music class a couple of them blurted out, "I want to go home." HAHA ME TOO! No seriously, full day kindergarten is a LONG DAY and I am not a fan of it. I don't think it's developmentally appropriate for 5 year olds to be in school all day long. In fact, it's not developmentally appropriate for 35 year olds to be in school all day long... HAHAHAHA!!!
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tell me something random!
Full Day Kindergarten: Yay or nay?
Teachers: Have you ever made a student cry?
Did you see the eclipse?
Full Day Kindergarten: Yay or nay?
Teachers: Have you ever made a student cry?
Did you see the eclipse?
That Jeopardy clip is AWESOME! I think full day kindergarten is too much for 5 and 6 year olds. I did see the eclipse--Colorado had quite the viewing (not as good as Wyoming which had 100%) and I thought it was just amazing. My sister was in Casper, WY and said it was life changing--while I know that sounds dramatic, I knew what she meant. I kind of wish I would have gone to see the 100% eclipse but it was a mess on I-25 the weekend before and the day off/the day after!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah that would have been sooooo cool to see it 100%!!! I guess if we ever want to do that, we should plan ahead and make a little vacation out of it so you don't have to travel on the day of and stuff.
DeleteThat jeopardy meme is seriously everything. I can only imagine!
ReplyDeleteThat's hilarious that your k-students declared they wanted to go home. Literally same... AND as adults we don't get nap time so they really have nothing to complain about! :D
Right!? I wanted to be like, "Well I want to go home too!" hahaha. They said, "When are we going to sing?" And I said, "As soon as I stop getting interrupted and have the seating chart filled out."
DeleteWhen I went to kindergarten it was only a half day. I thought that was the point of kindergarten, to ease the kids into the school environment. If it's going to be all day it should just be called first grade..haha!
ReplyDeleteYeah, anyway! I was half day too. Actually, the things they make K students do now are the things we learned in first grade. There's just so much more expected of students. (This is not a knock to my school, this is just how K is now. The consensus among teachers is that we are expecting them to do too much in K.)
DeleteI don't think I've made a child cry -- not a teacher but I did babysit a lot when I was younger. They may have made ME cry -- hang in there!
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the eclipse. I didn't have glasses. Maybe next time . . . I watched it on tv -- that's actually pretty cool too!
LOL I have cried as a baby-sitter before too. Oh my word, nightmares!
DeleteGetting back into the swing of things is so hard - you're doing great. I give teachers SO much credit - thank you for all that you do!
ReplyDeleteIt is my pleasure!
DeleteCannot even imagine the craziness of teaching Kindergarten!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just have to laugh about it or I will cry!
DeleteI'm a fellow teacher/runner! I teach P.E. to K5-5th graders this year. Shockingly, I'VE never made a child cry, but plenty have shed tears from being hurt or falling in my class....of course lol
ReplyDeleteNever made a kid cry? Impressive! I don't try to make them cry, it's just some are very sensitive at first.
DeleteThe eclipse was pretty awesome. I made pinhole viewers for our kids, but they didn't work out great. Luckily, a neighbor had a bunch of glasses so they have us a pair. This is all after it rained during out "best" time which was only like 84% so we were about 5 mins late until it cleared up. I loved watching the NASA livestream all day though see the total eclipse. The math for calculating all of that is pretty amazing.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter starts kindergarten on Monday. So she'll be one of those herded cats. Haha.
I'm glad your neighbors let you borrow glasses and at least you could see some of it. I definitely didn't see it when it was fully covered, just part way. Good luck to your little girl as she starts kindergarten!!!! <3
DeleteI hate those toilet paper rolls that cut off the paper and limit how much you can get. The toilet paper sucks to begin with but you definitely need more than they let you have. I also don't like those automatic sinks that take forever to turn on and off, yuck!
ReplyDeleteI watched the eclipse with friends at a baseball game. We had a fun time but the view wasn't as good as I thought it would be because of clouds and storms here. I'm glad you enjoyed it though!
Bummer about the clouds. Maybe it will be more clear in 2024. :)
DeleteI'm sorry you had such a crappy experience with the kindergarteners! I think it's totally dependent on the individual but for the most part, 5 is way too young for full days. Admittedly, I still count down the seconds until each of my kids go to school, although... my first three kids only did half days for Kindergarten because back then we didn't even have the full day option. I hope work settles down for you quickly and you're able to get in a groove.
ReplyDeleteIt's always like this until they get in the groove! I agree, it depends on the kid because some kids JUST turned 5 and some are about to turn 6!
DeleteOK, I had a good laugh at that Jeopardy picture. I did full-day kindergarten because my dad was in PHD school and my mom worked all day. I don't think I had an issue going to elementary school since I was used to being at school at day. We still napped in kindergarten, but I wasn't good at it. I look back on those days and want to tell myself to nap, but I was too antsy.
ReplyDeleteI went to half day K so no naps. At the school I teach at now, they don't do naps but some of them used to do "quiet time" where they could lay on the floor and either read or just relax. I don't think they do that anymore though because now kids are expected to come out of kindergarten knowing how to read and write!
DeleteWait ... Now I need to know, do you have a flask in your desk?
ReplyDeleteThe eclipse was awesome! It really bothered me that I didn't buy glasses for it, but I will be ready for the next one!
I have made people at work cry... some on purpose, some by accident.
Noooo! All my flasks are at home. Actually I don't have a flask teehee. :)
DeleteHAHAHAHAHA!!!! OMG girl, this post cracks me up!!! All I can say is THANK GOD for all day kindergarten!!! ;) It's people like you that make it possible for people like me to stay sane!
ReplyDeleteIt will get better. In fact, there come a point in the school year when my K students are more well behaved than my 1st graders! Not sure why that is..
Delete