soo cold

can i just say... that it's my lunch break and i'm freezing..

A. it's snowed today.. SNOWED and we had school.. that blows my mind. big snow, def not, but in NC, this would have been no school, AT LEAST a 2 hr delay.. i had to shovel snow off my car! :) haha

b. the heat in our building has been broken the last two days. today i was asked by a student if i have a cold b/c my nose is so red.. no it's just freezing, literally.

think that would happen in a suburban schooL? i think not.

Thanksgiving

Can i just add how surprised i am to have learned this past week that
a. my kids have no idea what thanksgiving is
b. they barely know what a pilgrim and indian are
c. never heard of the mayflower (aka. my joke about it... would have flopped)
d. they have no idea why thanks should be given... even though it is a day called THANKSgiving.... hmmmm

starting over

today i took a step back.. cause i'd been getting really annoyed w/ my kids lately and feeling like they were just doing stuff to drive me crazy. HOWEVER today i didn't take it personally.... and today was a mUCH bettter day... can blame it on the fact that i was missing 4 kids... but i think it was my attitude change :)

Parent Teacher Conferences

So last night/day was parent teacher conferences.

What a long, tiring, overwhelming day.

I had 38 conferences between 9 am and 7:30pm yesterday, which was awesome. We got all paretns to come excpet for 10. out of 50, not bad.

Unfortunately there were a few parents i really wanted to see, that didn't come, but then again some parents i dind't expect to see, who came

I didn't get yelled at by any parents which was nice..

The hardest part was seeing HOW MUCH some of the parents care, and having them be dissapointed at their kids low grades. Unforutaely me and my ohter third grade teacher are VERY strict , nad expect a lot from our kids, and i think the parents see htat now.

The other hard part was telling 4 parents that their children were making d's in every subject and tat we think they need to be referred for special ed Every parent excpet for 2 were VERY surprised.

we also had a HUGE breakthrough with my BIGGEST behavior probem child's mother.
She is a mother that HATES our school/principal/teachers in general, and ALWAYS takes her daughters side, she said she was SOOO glad that she had teachers who finally could read her daughtere weren't going to give up on her, and were going to push her. She even cried!!! What an amazing breakthrough!!!

overall a very scucessful day!

i can't believe first quarter is done.. and that i still have 3 more.. haha

spanish readinG :)

today every single kid EVERY single kid in my class read a book, IN SPANISH... some might have been VERY basic.. but they did it.

and a girl who knows spanish but always speaks english spoke english to me today :)

also i learned that my girl who told me to shutup yesterday needs to be ignored.. today i told her to get to her seat, she said NO, and ran to the closet and cried like a baby and was whining. and i ignored her.. she sat in her seat w/in 5 minutes

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...