A teacher's life is always entertaining

So I am finally updating my blog. I don't know if anyone still checks it, but oh well. I will mostly be focusing on the experiences I have as a teacher as that is much more interesting than any other part of my life. Besides I have decided I would like to remember some of the funny things that happen to me. I was reading my old blog posts and laughing at all the things I had forgotten. It is nice to have memories typed up so they are not forgotten or lost.

I have one boy in my class, let's call him T, who really likes to keep me on my toes. Actually, I am glad he is in my class, because then I am never bored and he challenges me to think outside the box. This kid is brilliant and says the funniest things on a daily basis. I am kicking myself a little bit for not writing them down earlier, because I cannot remember most of what he has said. However, one thing I do remember happened more towards the beginning of the year. You see I have a tooth brush and tooth paste at school so I can brush my teeth in the morning after I eat breakfast, because usually I eat at school. I almost always brush my teeth before my students get to the class, but one morning I forgot until they had started to line up at my classroom door. I quickly started brushing my teeth. T poked his head inside the door and saw me brushing away. He gave me a confused look, like when a dog turns his head sideways, and said completely serious, "Miss Collett do you live here?" Let me ask you this: How many of you thought your teachers lived at the school? I know I thought it. So I decided to mess with him and I said, "Yep I sure do." He replied, "But where do you sleep?" I told him I slept on top of the desks, but he didn't buy it. I just smiled at him and said nothing more, so who knows if he thinks I live at the school or not. Sometimes I feel like I do.

On September 11th I wanted to make sure that the kids knew that it was a day to remember all those who lost their lives. Most of the students had an idea of what happened, so I just kind of told them where I was and how I felt when it all happened. I explained my love for this country and people who fight for freedom. Then I played "I am proud to be an American" for them and had them just sit and think. I had 3 students in my class full on cry during the song, all girls of course. I was actually proud of them for feeling for their country. One girl wasn't ashamed at all and said loudly to the class, "Man that song made me so sad I was crying!" She is my soon to be actress and I love her for it. You should here the way she reads her stories out loud. She has so much character and expression in her voice. I think I should get an autograph before the end of the year.

We just recently had a 3rd grade dance festival, because we were studying cultures and so each class took a dance from a different country. The kids really loved it. During the second or third time we were practicing I had one boy come up to me and ask if he could switch partners. Now I was going to have none of that, but I asked him why and he said, "Well Miss Collett S (I will just name all my students with one letter so I don't get in trouble) picks her nose and I just really don't want to get boggers (how he said it) on my hand," Haha, what could I say to that? I wouldn't want boggers on my hand either.

Well for now that is all I have. I will really try to keep more up to date, but I am making no promises. Mostly I want to remember, so I am making a goal to write when I have a good story or two. Bye for now!

Birthday Weekend Fun!

I had an awesome birthday! School was fun and my kids were really cute. We had a party and Jodi surprised me with balloons which of course I got very excited about. We went to Dave and Buster’s, which is like a big kid Chuckie Cheese, and played until we were all ready for bed.

Saturday morning we got up super early to catch a Chinatown bus to New York; we had so much fun! The bus ride was actually kind of fun. We slept, because it wasn’t very crowded and I enjoyed the bus stop breaks where we got supplies of treats which we shared with our bus friends. In New York we did a lot of smaller things. We had at more famous quaint restaurants and went to fun stores like FAO Schwartz. We stayed at a nice little hotel where we enjoyed some good ol’e television. It was a really fun trip…here are the funny highlights:

Chinatown bus: Okay not as bad as I thought. Let me just say the bus stop was between the Chinese restaurants Wok ‘n Roll and New Big Wong. We laugh about that randomly still.

Subway trips: Being in DC we all felt pretty confident on the subway, because we use the metro here everyday. Of course it is different, but the same idea. Well one big difference: the doors close A LOT faster. At one stop we causally got up to get off just like we usually do in DC, well not quick enough for the subway in New York. Tracie managed to get off but no one else. The doors shut without anyone else getting the chance to leave and so we continued to the next stop without her. We were laughing hard for the next 10 minutes as we had to go 2 more stops to turn around and go back. It gets better. When we finally were getting on the subway to go back, those stinking doors started to shut on Kami. I seriously thought we were now going to have people in 3 different locations. But she fought her way through the closing doors which were trying to shut regardless of who was in the way. Oh it was a site to see! Needless to say, we were much quicker at getting on and off the subway. J

TGI Friday’s: We ate in Times Square at the TGI Friday’s and we thought since it had only been one day since my birthday we thought we would see if they would sing and maybe get a free dessert. When we asked they kind of sounded unsure, but they did sing and brought us a nice big brown sundae. We were all very pleased with ourselves until they brought us the bill and charged us 9 dollars for the dessert we did not even technically order. Who does that? At least they usually tell you it will cost and ask you what you want. Nope. So we argued and they ended up not charging us, but really?

Good times in New York City!

Well I am excited to come to Utah! I had a dose of sadness yesterday, because two of my kids were suspended which means I won’t see them again. When I found out they were going to be suspended (for showing their private parts to a girl during recess) I also realized I wasn’t going to see them again. So I found a camera and went to go grab the two boys to come in the class picture. As we were walking to the classroom I was kind of explaining that I wouldn’t get to see them again since my last day is Friday. One of them started crying sending the other one into tears also. I started getting emotional, but I calmed them down because I was thinking: we are going to take pictures we can’t be crying. We took some class pictures and then I took the two boys back downstairs to the office and they started crying again. I gave them a hug and that made me cry too. I am really going to miss them. I am not sad about not having to teach them anymore, but I am sad because I feel like I am breaking their hearts. I feel like I have been a constant adult they can rely on and many of them don’t have that. I think tomorrow is going to be tougher than I thought; those crying boys faces are forever going to be engraved in my mind.

Jodi suprised me with balloons! I love her!

Love them! I swear I am not that white, they make me look like I am dying. :)

All the other kids were standing on a
chair, but this girl isn't. She is so tall
and beautiful, but a pill.

Happy Birthday Miss Collett! Nothing better then
elementary kids to make you feel special for your
birthday!

They love me...most of the time.

On the way to New York City baby!



Serendipity. Seriously good frozen hot chocolate.

So our annoying principal has this
"think green" idea that he constantly
bugs us about on the intercom. It is
suppose to be something about if you
are in the "green zone" you are being
good, but if you are in the "red or yellow
zone" you need to be better. It is
actually a good idea, but he is so
annoying about it we all hate it...Notice
our faces. We found this in FAO
Schwartz and we almost died laughing.



Very interactive toy store. Probably
meant for kids, but hey we aren't too
old yet!


Love New York!

Spring break

Spring break was amazing and desperately needed. Jodi and I got to spend tons of time with Ashlin which was a total blast. She is one smart little girl! I am grateful Chad was able to give us buddy passes to watch her. Thanks SO much!

I also got to see my family which was also needed. I miss my family out here! I ran around trying to see everyone as much as possible. There was not enough time, but the good news is I will be back in 2 weeks! We have all decided we are ready to be done. I want my own classroom where I can do things exactly how I want. I can't wait for next year! I met the principal of my school and he was very nice. I also got to see the site of my school; it is in a gorgeous area.

I am going to finish out the last 2 weeks strong. It is my last chance to make as much of an impression as I can.

Here are some pictures. We went to the cherry blossom festival Saturday.



So stinkin adorable!


The new addition to the Meyerson family. He
is hard not to love.


Eating the Jefferson Monument


Yummy




Now I am holding it. Maybe these pictures
should be in a different order. :) Although
then again 3 people couldn't eat the same
monument....well nobody could really eat a
monument. Yep I am done.


The cherry blossoms! It was a dreary day, but
it still looked really pretty.








We went to the kite extravaganza on the mall strip.
I was really surprised at how many there were.
We were constantly dogging them which made
the experience even more funny.

Let the good times role!

I have had the most wonderful week! Everyday was a good day with a lot of learning. Monday and Tuesday were unbelievably excellent and probably the most productive days since I have been out here. Like I have said before a lot of days feel very worthless, but both days I got through all of my lessons and I felt like my students were actually learning. Wednesday and yesterday my teacher was home sick, so I had the class to myself. Surprisingly it wasn’t too bad. Usually the kids are a lot more difficult to manage when my mentor teacher is gone, but they really haven’t shown too much of a difference in behavior this past week. I was still able to get a lot done and I didn’t really feel too overwhelmed with any management problems. I did have a fist fight go on at the end of the day Wednesday, but I handled it and nobody got too hurt. J I will explain more…I just finally felt like a teacher. I felt like I had my class under control. I know my kids. I know how to handle each child on an individual basis which allows me to be a teacher on a deeper level.

Good Stories:

Okay, the fight. I have had 2 other major fights that involved fists, tackling, or serious aggression. This one I think has topped them all. It began with an exchange of chips between two boys in my class. To make a long story short they were fighting over who the chips belonged to. Both boys have a temper and it became violent quick. I looked up to find one of the boys throwing the other down on the floor. Then the boy on the floor got up and gave the other kid a bloody lip. At this point they were chasing each other around the room. After two desks were knocked down I was able to get in the pathway of one boy and I kind of grabbed him and swung him out the door as another teacher came over to help. So that teacher took him and I was able to deal with the other one still in my class. I calmed my class down and we continued with the day. I had a discussion with them and things were better today. They just don’t know how to handle their emotions or deal with arguments. They know how to fight. They are 7 years old and that is what kills me. It is sad that all they know how to do is fight. But I successfully handle the situation and it didn’t seem to affect the classroom environment too much.

One of my students was walking past a Jesse Jackson poster in the hall and he said:
“Miss Collett look it is Jesus. Jesus Jackson” He was reading the poster; needless to say, he needs to work on his reading. J

I was very proud of one of my students because the principal came into my class and my student actually proved that he had learned something that day. (Side Note: My principal drives me crazy. He is a lot of talk, but doesn’t really do much but bug everyone. He periodically drops in unannounced and if he feels like it gives a quick 5 or 10 minute lesson on nothing to do with what the students are learning.) So, he dropped in the other day and saw that fractions were written on the board. He asked the class what they had learned about fractions. Alonte raised his hand and explained how to show a fraction in a picture. It was so adorable and I was so proud of him for remembering what we had learned. The principal proceeded to give a dumb lesson on which fraction is bigger which no one understood. However, I taught bigger fractions today and almost the whole class got it!

My worst student has never been better! ALL day today he was unbelievably incredible. He followed directions, finished his work, and never left the class, all very big successes for him. I think he finally believes I am on his side and I really do care about him. Even today he wouldn’t take off his hat and so when I finally got a chance to talk to him about it I found out that he was embarrassed because his hair was half braided. So I made a deal with him that he could tell me anyone who made fun of him and I would keep them at recess. He immediately took his hat off and the day continued without problems. Ah I wish I could explain in words how wonderful it was to have him behave the entire day.

Okay, best story of the week: In the morning my students come in and write in their journals. I have a journal prompt on the board to help them get started. Well, the other day my journal prompt was “If you found a pot of gold what would you do?” I got the usual I would buy a play station, a swimming pool, food, etc… Well I had two really cute entries, strangely enough the same two boys who got into the fight. One said, I wouldn’t pick it up. I would leave it there and try to find out whose it was. The other said, I would give some to the homeless, then I would give some to my mom and dad and then I would give some …and he made a small list of people he would give the gold to. He never once mentioned what he wanted. Too cute! I was laughing about it all day. They have the biggest hearts.

Too much fighting!!!

The weeks are flying by. Weekends are always something to look forward to. Last weekend Dad came to visit! We had a very good time. We enjoyed the hot tub, TV (a novelty these days since we don’t have one), Georgetown, and other DC attractions. We got to go to the spy museum which was my favorite part of the weekend. One part of the museum was interactive and we were able to find out valuable information for the government. We even got new identities. J

This past weekend was nice and relaxing. We were suppose to go to Philadelphia with our supervisor, but it was raining all day Friday and Saturday so we decided another weekend was a better idea.

School is getting better. The good days are starting to seem more frequent these days. I am not sure if my attitude has changed, if I am just use to it, or I am actually making some kind of a difference; I am hoping it is the latter. I can see my students improving a little bit so that is encouraging. There are so many things I want to do with my students, but my time is running out. I only have 4 weeks of school left! That blows my mind a little bit considering I felt like it would never end in the beginning. A lot of days feel very unproductive, but I do what I can. In fact on Friday I felt like it was a very unproductive day, full of simply managing the class. However at the end of the day I was so sick and tired of all the fights that had gone on in my class I was ready to explode. There had been the usual arguments about “busing in the line” or getting in front of someone in line, fighting over pencils, paper, markers, anything you could imagine, etc… But then on I also had the extra pleasure of dealing with one girl who had written a note to someone that said “Edugwu is ugly.” I intercepted the note and immediately dismissed the girl from my classroom in order for her to think about what she had written and to keep me from screaming. She consequently stayed with me during recess and wrote one nice thing about everyone in the class. Then after lunch I caught two girls making fun of another’s student’s ears. SECOND grade people, I mean come on! In second grade you should be sweet and innocent. So at that point I had had enough. I got everyone quiet real quick and proceeded to give a talk about how making fun of each other is rude and I would not have it in my classroom. After I finished my speech I went around the room and let everyone give one complement about each student in the class. It was actually really cute and went really well. Everyone was eager to give out compliments and some were really adorable. So that is the kind of teaching that takes place a lot around here. It was the only productive thing that went on all day Friday, but it was an accomplishment. I just wish that one time would stop the constant fighting. One step at a time.

I found out I will be going to Utah for spring break and I am really looking forward to that! I can’t wait to see everyone! Keep in touch!

Field Trip!!!

We went on our first field trip yesterday. It took a lot of effort to finally get on the field trip with all of the permission slips and "ok's" from everyone, but in the end it worked out. We walked about 4 blocks to the Air and Space Museum. The kids absolutely loved it! They were just beaming the entire trip. Each class took 4 or 5 students, so we had a total of 12 kids with 4 adults. It was nice to get out of the classroom and get a chance to really get to know the students. They are so much fun! I can't wait for the other field trips we have planned.


Walking to the museum. Single file line...not
easily kept. :)


The whole crew.


The students loved "flying" the airplane.


The kids got to participate in a paper airplane
contest. They learned about balance and stability
in the process. The kids really had fun with it.



My 4 that came from my class. They were a fun
group.




We had to eat at McDonalds. They are in love
with it out here.


Well today was an awesome day! My supervisors from BYU came for a visit and watched one of my lessons today. The lesson went unbelievable well, so they thought I was pretty amazing...or something like that. hehe. I am lovin' it!

Also, Dad is coming out so I am excited for that!

Moments to laugh

Okay we always have funny stories to tell, so I thought I would share some of the hilarious things that naturally arise when working with kids on a daily basis.

On Friday I was playing connect 4 with one of my students during recess. He made me laugh so hard when he was getting all into the game and said to me, "Girl, I know where your going. I got you, you can't get me. I see your plan." Oh man I wish you could here it the way he said it. First of all, he called me "girl" and second of all I beat him every time when I was trying to lose. It was so funny to me I seriously was almost on the floor laughing, which of course encouraged him to continue. :) He is so stinking cute!

The other day another elementary teacher here told one of her students, Aliya, she needed to be good for the last 20 minutes of school in order to recieve her treat. Aliya calmly replied, "Miss Mecham you know I can't be good for 20 whole minutes, I get fussy." She is in 4th grade. Fussy? 2 year olds get fussy. :)

Another teacher was talking to one of her 4^th graders and they got on the subject of getting married. Their conversation went something like this:

“Miss Buttars are you married?”

“No”

“I know how it’s gonna happen. You are going to be workin on some papers and

You will ax him for help. Then he will ax you on a date. After the date he will kiss you on the cheek, or maybe on the lips. Then by the second date he will say Miss Buttars marry me.”

“He will say Miss Buttars?”

“Well no, he will say Traci and then you will get married. But Miss Buttars when you get married you have to, you know…use protection.”

“What?!”

“You know protection…do you need me to say the word?”

“No. I know what you are talking about.”

“ My Aunt is always telling me you must use protection or you WILL have a baby.”

I am sure I didn’t know what “protection” was in 4^th grade! The funny things they know here are always a surprise to me. They try to act like they are much older than they are, but actually act immature for their age. But it makes for funny experiences like this.

Focusing on the small victories!

This week was pretty good. A mix of good and bad days, but more good. I finally have the hang of things and I know my kids pretty well. They all respond differently to management, so I have learned what works and doesn't work for each student.

My toughest student has been responding really well to me lately and he has even participated in a lot of my lessons! The other day he finished 2 whole assignments and took a test; I couldn't believe it!

Subtraction with regrouping (when you have to borrow) is really tough for the students. So last week and this week I really worked on it with them. They still need to work on it, but they are getting better. A few of the higher students who can subtract have been working on multiplication too. For some reason they all really love multiplication, so they have been excited about that.

Friday the students took a spelling test and everyone but 3 students got 100%! When I came only one student got every word correct! Nice! Their spelling is atrocious, so they really need to work on it. I was happy to see so many succeed and I could see that they were proud of themselves as well.

The weather is pretty nice here most of the time. It never snows, but rains occasionally. The wind chill is what really gets to you. It is piercing. However, most days it is in the 40's making it feel like a spring day when the sun is shinning and the wind isn't blowing. We have been lucky with good weather on the weekends which makes it possible to explore a little more. Last weekend we went to the Air and Space museum and this weekend we are planning to go to the Museum of Natural History; after watching Night at the Museum of course. :) I am really excited, because we are planning to take a few students on field trips and one will be at the Air and Space museum and another at the Museum of Natural History. My students rarely leave their neighborhood, so I think it will be very beneficial to them. It is so sad that they live 4 blocks away from all of the museums and yet very few have gone to a single one. I can't wait to take them!

Well I have heard it has been like Alaska there in Utah, so sorry about that. I strangely miss the snow, but I am sure being there for a week would cure that. Well I miss you guys and I hope all is well! Hugs and Kisses!

And a special kiss to the little man who warmed so many hearts: Jacob Travis Meyerson. You are loved and missed by many.

"Oh my gosh" (say it with attitude)

Today marks one month teaching here in DC! I really can't believe it has been a whole month. It went by so slow at first and sometimes it still does, but when I think it has been a month already it seems faster. I am definitely getting attached to my students out here. They can all be very sweet at times and they just love attention. They all hug me like 5 times a day.

Well today was not so great. My teacher didn't show up to school and so I was alone all day. The kids are a lot harder to manage when she is gone. They really try to test me. I actually felt more in control then I have before, but it was still really tough. For 45 minutes after lunch I was trying to get the kids to sit in their seats quietly for a few minutes to calm down. 45 minutes! Plus, my supervisor came to observe and so that made me feel more stressed. The worst part of the day was when my hardest student tried to tackle me and finally hit me in order to get into the classroom. When he came back from recess I could tell he was too hyper and needed to go somewhere else. Plus I was told he wouldn't even be in class, but he ended up in class about 1/2 of the day. Anyways, when he came back from lunch I asked him to go talk to the councilor. However, he didn't want to go. I told him he could not come into the classroom until he went to see the councilor and this is when the shoving and hitting started. It wasn't hard or anything, but I had to call security to come get him. Good times. The worst thing about that is that it gets all the other kids more hyper. So, it was a tough day, but the good news is I made it through! I am learning...

I hope everyone has a good weekend! Oh... in reference to my title...my kids say that like 3 times a day each when they don't want to do something. Arg!!! The attitude kills me! Gotta love them though. :)

Pictures!!!

I finally took some pictures of my kids so here you go!
In case you didn't know...you can click
on the picture to make it bigger.


Ah they seem like such angels...


Doesn't that girls smile just make you want to
hug her? She is so cute, but she is very chatty
and can have some serious attitude. :)








Can have the most attitude of anyone I have
ever met. She tests me, but I love her!




They were showing me their pictures they drew.


The boy it the back sits by himself right next
to my mentor teacher. He is a tough one.

The week finished off with a bang! My supervisor came on Thursday to do her first formal observation and it went really well. The kids did a really good job and the lesson ran smoothly.

I started to feel sick Thursday afternoon and it got worse by Friday. I have been relaxing for the most part this weekend, but I still don't feel great. Teaching is much more difficult when you don't feel very good. Hopefully I will get better quick!

Here is a video. We were having a
party, because they had behaved so well. They
were showing me their dance they learned in music.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Bad News: Lost my wallet on the metro. Good news: There are good people in the world. Better news: I can totally teach these kids!!!

Yes somehow I managed to lose my wallet on the metro Friday night. I was coming home from the temple and when I went to exit the metro I couldn’t find my wallet. However, a woman found it and returned it, untouched, to the metro lost and found. I feel so lucky! The DC temple is gorgeous. I wish I would have taken a picture, but it was a really neat experience. I realized that the only other time I have been to a temple outside of Utah was when I was like 12. So, it was a different experience out here in DC. We had to get a time slot and then we were treated like princesses, because we were the only ones there.

So, today was amazing!!! It was my first day teaching the entire day by myself. I planned every second of the whole day. I was very nervous and I was sure that I had forgotten something important. But from the moment the students walked into the classroom I was determined to make it a good day. I decided I was going to really try and not yell at them and I was going to keep them engaged and learning. I wanted to be sure to give out a lot of compliments and positive reinforcement and it worked like at charm! The kids were the best they have ever been; even my teacher couldn’t believe it. They followed instructions, sat quietly on the carpet (mostly…kids will be kids), participated, and were genuinely trying their best. The entire atmosphere of the classroom changed; it was an unbelievable feeling. It really just solidified my belief that keeping students engaged, showing them you care, and giving them positive reinforcement really works. I can’t even describe to you how good it felt to see my students working hard and trying their best. There are just no words… I am exhausted and most of the time I am sure I won’t have enough time for everything I need to do, yet at the end of the day I feel like I a million bucks. Because I know that at least I helped one student become a little better or learn a little bit more, even if it was that they just realized that someone cared about them. Whoa there is no better profession for me!!! And don’t worry…I am not getting my hopes up too much. I don’t expect everyday to be so wonderful, but you must savor these days as a teacher.

I have a few funny stories:

1. The other day we were waiting for the metro later at night. On the other platform a train came to a stop, but it was not for passengers and the lights were completely turned off. Then on the last car of the train the doors opened and a metro officer came out with a SHOTGUN, or at least that is what it looked like. She just stood there until the train left. We all were sure she was just going to open fire on us. It was quite hysterical.

2.This is one of the stories to show how annoying it can be not to have a car…So, one of my roommates organized a ride to church with some guys in our apartment complex. Jodi and I were running a few minutes behind, as usual, so we told the rest of the apartment to go and we would catch up. They told us to go to the boys apartment. When we got there no one answered the door, so we went to the lobby hoping they would be there. We waited at the lobby trying to get a hold of people, but we couldn’t get a hold of anyone. Finally at 12:50 we gave up and went back to our apartment. Turns out we just didn’t knock hard enough, because the boys were just waiting for us at their apartment. Missing church, because we didn’t have a way to get there was a new experience. J

In other news:

This weekend we went to the Holocaust museum. It was very moving. It was emotionally draining and I don’t plan on going again anytime soon, but it is a very neat experience.

Love you all!

My crazy life

Another week has come and gone. I seriously feel like I have been here for a whole lot longer than 2 ½ weeks. This past week went pretty well. I had a few bad days in the beginning of the week. My teacher had to go to a workshop Tuesday morning, so I was all by myself. That isn’t supposed to happen, but it has happened to half of us already. It seems subs are hard to get around here, or the school just doesn’t want to get one. J Anyways, the kids are 10 times more out of control when the teacher is gone, so that wasn’t the easiest day. But I did make it through!

The end of the week went a lot better. I implemented a rewards system in which the students get a sticker at the end of the day if they receive enough “smile faces”. It has worked for a lot of the kids, so that is great! I also really started teaching a lot on Thursday and Friday. I planned math and some writing stuff. If the kids are engaged they really respond better, so that was good to see. I even had them in groups and they weren’t killing each other! I am excited to continue with math and writing while taking on more subjects throughout the day. I will probably be teaching all day next week.

This weekend was a 3-day weekend, so that was really nice. Mostly we just worked on planning and stuff. We have what is called a teacher work sample (TWS) that decides if we pass/fail student teaching. You must plan a unit, teach it, have an assessment, and then reflect. It is pretty intense and we all just want to get it done, so then we can relax a little more. We did get a chance to go up the Washington Monument. The views are awesome! You will probably need to check out Jodi’s blog for pictures of the view.

And a new week already begins…ah the adventures that lie ahead. Love you all!

Part of the group that went up the monument.