Back in school this week

And it was a decently good day, (Even though I was told to shutup, disrespected and completely ignored... it's amazing how the behavior of one student doesn't affect me anymore!)

I was woken up at 5:15 by my new sweet puppy Cici (or Cece) i dunno haven't decided yet.

but it was good b/c we got to go for a walk, get stuff done and get to school early so i started the day out well! but i'm pooped now! (as is she, PASSEED OUT!)

the kids were pretty good today, decently engaged in lessons, and even though they might not have liked my friend "main idea" with the detail hair as much as I did, i suffice it to say they really enjoyed my activity of going outside and looking at "what is in the sky!" (we're about to start a unit on preciptation and air patterns)

i didn't stress as much about math and it went smoothly. I think i'm starting to freak out before starting lessons because i'm afraid they'll be a total flop, BUT They are only a total flop IF u freak out (well not only.. but that contributes!)

i was informed by my advisee today that i need to do less me teaching, and more of them doing activities and being engaged... i just don't know how to do that when they don't all speak spanish but i guess that's my task!

ok to bed, if i'm getting up at 5!

Been sick

So i've been out of school for two days (which was a bummer b/c i missed the halloween party!)

but when i came into school to pick up a few things yesterday i found the sweetest note from one of my most "behavior problem" students.


Dear s. Grelock
Happy Hollween
I want you to
Be here today
But am sorry
your Sick. You have
to ms All the
Fun I thot
that yell be
hrere I was going
to Bring you
A Bag of chips.
Plese be hrere
on Monday I want
You to come
Back. So we can have hame work
exrta mintes on reccys
I ms you ms
Grelock. Come
back Monday.

Translated:
Dear Ms. Gerlach, I want you to be here today but am sorry you are sick. You have to miss all the fun. I thought that you'll be here, I was going to bring you a bag of chips. Please be here on monday. I want you to come back so we can have homework, extra minutes on recess. I miss you Ms. Gerlach. Come back MOnday,

This made me cry...

1st sick day

being taken tomorrow....

i'm done, physically, mentally, emotionally everything.

Positive aspect of the day-EVERYONE i mean EVERYONE did their homework.. first time EVER! which means that we got 5 minutes extra at recess....

Negative aspects-i felt like screaming at children all day because i was getting soo frustrated at them not understanding the language/material, and the fact that i was sick on top of that just about sent me over the edge. I have certain students who TUNE OUT completely when i speak in spanish, and now that i haven't spoken a word of english in the classroom except to say (IM LATE FOR MY DRS APMT! HURRY UP!) haha they are starting to really get frustrated.

i feel really bad taking a sick day tomorrow but i have a fever, puked and just haven't felt very good all day. i went to the dentist and he found a rash on my throat and said "do u normally have htat" haha um no! that would be b/c i've had a sore throat for days...

i'm afraid my kids will get no sub, and they will learn nothing, but let's be honest... if i was there the same would happen. today i literally started crying in the middle of the day. (thank goodness during my planning period) yes it was partially b/c i was sick, and partially cause i need to work on that patience thing..


the kids are great kids, but i just expect a lot out of them, and if they think they will get by in my class putting their heads down and giving up they are WRONG! :)

oo good week last week..

grading papers today, getting ready for report cards and conferences next week (scary!) Also... i don't have enough grades for these kids...


but anyways, the question was, Are ghosts real?
"No, b/c when people die they just rot in the groud and no one has real proof."
-Gosh i hope he's wrong

i like this one better:

"Cuando alguin muere van con dios cuando se van con dios se asen en gost"
-Yes because when someone dies they go with God and when they go with God they become a ghost.

i like this one too
"I think the gost is real bekause wen i was sleping i herd some thin in the kecken and i got skerd so thats way i think gost aer real."

just so i don't forget

1. Friday you had your first breakthrough with -iliano, we will call him. He sat and did the last 30 minutes of class great, did all his work, and got it done! WOW what a change from the usual distraction, misbehaving and accomplishing nothing!

2. Tomorrow marks the start of NOOOO ENglish... really though. After going to dual language training this weekend i realize that i'm giving my children that crutch, and i have to take it away. THey have PLENTY of english throughout the day, and the kids WILL LEARN if they pay attention!

terrible thursdays...

i dunno what it is about thursdays.. maybe it's too far from friday, and they're just exhausted from school, but today was a messs

morning went well (well relatively, besides a little bit of boredom, frustration, crumpled papers, and some tears-what else is new?) but then after recess those kids just acted like they forgot HOW to act.... we had a new students today (yes 1.5 months into school and i get a new student) she seems like a sweet girl, knows a good deal of spanish (learned in school) and is on court order where she can NOT see her father. i have been warned he might try and come to school, so to be careful, especially on places like the playground when he can just walk right up to us.. super

but anyways. after recess those kids just went nuts! TALK TALK TALK TALK TALK i literally almost startd crying in class because NO ONE was paying attention, i'm spekaing in spanish so of COURSE half of them don't understand me, and the lesson is complicated so they HAVE to pay attention!

i'm going to a dual language training this week (mon tuesday) in chicago, we leave sunday, which sucks b/c my kids will have a sub for two days, which might not sound like a lot but it is a LOT of things that aren't going ot be learned, and a LOT of time for them to go crazy and mess up and ruin my perfectly organized wonderful classroom :) (yes i'm ocd, and that helps me be a better teacher ) in fact. today i put tape on the floor to let the students know where their desks should be. because they start there EVERY morning.. but by the end of the day, they are alll so crowded and smooshed together and messed up even i get stressed. so today worked much better!

but i stayed at school til 7:15 planning for next week and trying to get things ready for the sub so things can run as smoothly as possible! we shall see how that goes!

but back to the training, i really hope i learn something about teaching in a dual language classroom b/c it is such a foreign idea and so new that no one really knows how to make it work! so i hope we find some great information (even though we have little resources)

but it's off to bed. i'm pooped and i have to get sleep so that i can have a good evening tomorrow celebrating one of my good friends last nights here (he unfortuantely was the only ONE out of 75 of us Kansas City teach for america corps members who did not get placed... which i think sucks a lot, and it's shitty that this stupid recession happened and caused people who though they were hired since last OCTOBER and yet they move and then have to move back home with no job and a lot of bills.. but alas what can they do, it's the districts fault righT?

days like this

today was a great day..

i dunno if i'm just getting better at lesson planning or what, but it just went well, smoothly, quickly, g kids listened probably 70% of the time, they were excited about our reading project of readers theatre, and i left the day liking them al and being excited for tomorrow!

now tomorrow might be the worst day ever... just gotta rememeber today.


p.s. this post was for you joe abernathy... i know u had been missing them :) good luck on ur interview!