Monday Mania

Today was an interesting day to say the very least.

I was out on Friday and came back to a note that was not on the good side. So the day started with me having to talk to a handful of children about their behavior.
Then it happened. I knew it would. In 4 years, I have not had it happen to me until today... One of the other 5th grade teachers walked in on me while I was using the restroom. Stupid woman that I am, I didn't lock the door. Well... I'm just glad that she did not see anything because I screamed and with cat like reflexes grabbed for the door as it was being opened. She did tell me at the end of the day that it made her laugh all day long when she thought about it. Hey at least I'm good for something... entertainment. Wonder what my act will be tomorrow... I'm looking for ideas.

The Cutie Copy Cat

They say the best form of flattery is to be copied. Well after last week I totally agree.

Last Thursday, at open house, one of my students from last year stopped by for a visit. Her little sister is going to be in kindergarten and big sis had to jump at the chance to come by and see me. When the three girls (mom included) stopped by my room, we chatted and hugged and reminisced. As they were getting ready to leave, I noticed that little kindergarten cutie had a tiger tail tucked into her pants. She had worn it because she had seen me wear one at collegiate field day when my class was Clemson. Personally, I thought it was the cutest and most flattering thing I have seen. Kids can make you feel so special.

First Day

Today we established our 4 classroom rules... What they are I have no idea because we wrote them at 9 am.
(After day 2 I know #3 is support and listen to eachother. I had to remind them to follow rule 3 today. One is about respecting people, their space and materials. There is one about working hard and trying your best on assignments. I am pretty sure the 4th one is follow directions. I added a 5th that says learn and have fun. Hey not bad. I guess once I got going they flooded my head.)

Then we spent almost 2 hours putting together binders... With 10 year olds, it takes 2 hours.
(On day 2 we organized our other supplies and got text books. OOOOOOOOOOO fun).

On the first day, I had a young lady who would not stop talking. I redirected her several and I mean SEVERAL times. Today I placed a note on her desk asking her to focus on controlling her talking and being nicer to the people at her group, because (did I mention) she bosses all the boys around.


Hey there is power in a Post-It!!! she was good today... I'm going to leave more Post-It "notes" for my students.

Tune in for more 5th grade fun.

To Do is No More

I have an announcement.... I am officially ready for the first week of school!!!

I completed all tasks on my To Do list, so the kids are more then welcome to join me on Monday. I have included some pictures so you can come on in and join us.

This is a picture from the doorway into my classroom.


This is a view from the front of the room to the back.


I spend a lot of time in here and so do my children so I try to make it as HAPPY as possible.
I'm sure I will have lots to say Monday after my first day. Until then...

To Do:

List of things left do to before Monday...

1. Write lesson plans: Now this is critical since as a teacher I need them in order to do y job and be prepared for the students each day.

2. Prepare Teacher Incentive: I have decided that after last year my Big Bird needs a few accessories so he can travel to the different teacher when needed. (This is a CRITICAL task, let me tell you)

3: Clean My desk: You can not see it... well I couldn't see it anyway when I left work today because there were no lights on in the building.

4: Create Power Point: This will include morning directions for the students when the walk into the classroom. I will most likely spend my time doing this and they will not read it and ask me what they are supposed to do... GO FIGURE!!!

Mix all this together and what do you get? Me going to work tomorrow on a Saturday to finish. Good thing I didn't have plans until tomorrow night... It's all for the children, It's all for the children, It's all for the children. And for the HUGE pay check I get. HEHE.

2010 Top 10

I was walking last night around my Aunt's neighborhood in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and decided that I need to create a summer posting. The night was clear and the sky was blue and despite the 100 degree temperatures during the day, the night was crisp and cool. Walking is the way I deal with everything. It clears my head, helps me process events, and allows me to pray. Last night was was especially important for me because my grandmother's beset friend Barbara passed yesterday afternoon. During my walk last night I was thinking and praying. In the midst of my thoughts, I began to think about my kids from this passed year and all the wonderful moments we had together. I decided to create a top 10 list of the best and most memorable moments from the 2009 - 2010 school year.

10. One of my girls was a bit strange and LOVES cheese and pie and would talk about it consistently. It became her thing and she would ALWAYS include the items in stories and team names.

9. Tech Decks: these are little skate boards that the kids would use with their fingers. I think by the end of the year I had about 10 or so in my May box. OH Joy!!! Along with the magic meatball.

8. In the 5th grade the kids begin to discover members of the opposite sex and they begin "going out" with one another. It always cracks me up because I ALWAYS know who likes who and who is going out with whom and when the breaks up happen. The kids are always amazed at how much I pay attention to them.

7. I had one boy who had been in Love with a young lady since the 3rd grade and would put her name on EVERYTHING!!! Upon looking in his desk one morning he raised his hand to tell me that someone had written her name on his ruler. I asked him if he wanted me to investigate and find out who had done it. He pondered the idea for a good long minute and then replied, "Nah I probably would have done it myself eventually." At this comment I burst into laughter.

6. During the end of the year I planned several projects for the kids to work on while I cleaned and finished grades. One of the last days of school, I put on music while that were working and the electric slide popped on... About half of my class jumped up and we broke out into dance. There is nothing like busting out the electric slide in the middle of class.

5. I had a boy who was extremely near and dear to my heart. I developed a special bond with him because he needed to know that he could trust me. We had our own special dance that we would break out into in the hallway. I'm sure you all have seen it and or do it yourself... you know the head wave with the snap (you know to the right and to the left).

4. Justin Beber is extremely popular with my age group of students, so every time I heard them mention his name I would break out into song and sing Baby and one of my boys would always join and help me out with the "OOOOOOO Baby" part. Pretty fabulous.

3. "Hey Miss Finnegan, how do you make Lady Gaga mad? Poke-her-face!!!"

2. This memory is not of the happy variety. In January, my boyfriend broke up with me. I tired very hard to push through the pain and be as normal as possible. On my first day back at work, I looked tired and sad. The children knew something was seriously wrong. Several of the children asked me why I was sad, and then I eventually shared with them what had happened. I have never felt so much love from a group of children in my life. I now know exactly why those 25 blessings were placed in my room. If any other group of children had been with me during the months of heart ache and sadness, I'm not sure we would have made it through. Those kids were the reason why I could got up each day. They were the reason why I kept on. Now that I'm on the other side of the situation, I can see why everything happened and the reasons for it all happening.

1. The most memorable moment of the year was field day. I blogged about it when it happened, but the thought of my students in purple and orange cheering one another on, just brings a smile to my face. I also get a giggle when I think of one of my boys carrying around the boom box on his shoulder like they did back in the 80's. Super Cute!!! He felt so special being in charge of the music.

This year was FABULOUS and the first day of school is next Monday 8-9-10, so look for new post about my 2010 -2011 crew. I hope they are just as fun.

He Passed

I wanted to follow up on a post I wrote on May 3rd.

My student who had to retake the state writing assessment passed. Not only did he pass, but he scored very high. This just goes to show that good stories can be slapped on paper with out being edited or revised. Imagine if he had done those steps. He made have exceeded the expectation.

All of my students passed their state assessments. So this year was a complete success.