Happy Thanksgiving

For the last many years, American Thanksgiving is the holiday that almost would have come and gone without me even realizing it had come and gone.  I did usually get a reminder from a phone call or e-mail.  I was still sometimes surprised to see it come up on Google or Facebook that morning.  My family didn't usually do much for Thanksgiving when I was growing up.  At some point Mother did start making a turkey meal.  Then there was the year that I found myself at home unexpectedly with my family over Thanksgiving recovering from a lengthy illness.

This year I could not miss Thanksgiving.  In fact I've been on count down for quite awhile.  No, I'm not that excited about the turkey.  This year it's first significant break in our school schedule since August.  You see I had a very short summer.  With only 6 1/2 weeks between school terms, Thanksgiving has been calling my name.  Next year I might start on a crusade to get Thanksgiving changed to October.  Grenada knew what they were doing when they put Thanksgiving in October.

Before vacation can start, course, there are certain school events to happen.  Today was the school Thanksgiving party, complete with Pilgrims, Indians, and turkeys.

And then there is one more reason why Thanksgiving is a bit more special this year.  We have an additional family member with us (not that he'll eat any turkey).

Sorry, no new pictures of Charles.  I just realized I don't have any pictures after the hospital pictures.  Guess I should have a chance to remedy that this weekend.

So Happy Thanksgiving to all.  If your Thanksgiving passed last month already, I'll wish you a Merry Christmas in advance.

My Cookie Is as Big as the World

As I prepared my classroom for another day, I breathed a sigh of relief that it is November and not September.  There are still crumbs on the floor and the usual snippets of paper, but the volume is decreasing.  I can see the floor at the end of the day.  They seem to grow and improve without me sometimes.  I really had little energy to put into teaching them to keep the floor clean but it has improved drastically nonetheless.

I've had my eyes fixed on Thanksgiving for quite awhile.  It's not so much about needing a break from school (though that will be welcome) as finally having a chance to put the rest of my chaotic life details in order.  Last week I realized at the end of the day that I had missed the inspection appointment for the car I am driving.  Then it also occurred to me that it was also the last day of the month.  I decided I should not risk driving it so my family did vehicle shuffles for a few days until we got it to the garage.  In the middle of the weekend I came home to find papers on my bed.  Papers for my expired licence.  Seems the papers never made it to me and though I noticed the upcoming expiration many months ago, I did not remember when I really needed to.  I've been driving with an expired licence since September.  Of course that won't wait until Thanksgiving.

One of my favorite things about first grade is the stories and comments I hear.  Their minds just don't have categories like ours do.  They also have so many areas that they just don't know anything about yet.  I've noticed that when describing size, they quickly turn to "it's as big as the world".

I felt it was time to change the bulletin board but I really didn't have time to do it.  At the suggestion of another teacher, I had the students make the board...

The big picture

 First grade details

 Remember what I said about categories?

 Boys.

A tornado?

 Use as many colors as possible.  (I did tell them to make the pictures colorful.)

Learning to write :)

I thought it was going to be a unusually warm day today.  The thermometer said 66 degrees.  Then I noticed it dropping rapidly and realized the cat had been sitting on the sensor.  I am thankful for the warmer weather even if it's not that warm.

Fall Field Trip

There is little explaining needed.  We took the afternoon to go to a local orchard where the students were treated to a hayride, caramel apple making, hay bale mazes, pumpkin picking, and a snack of pretzels and cider.  I was treated with having 4 moms along to help.  When things got a little crazy I just had to shout, "Find your mom."  I think I'll invite them to school everyday.  Just kidding, but it was nice for the afternoon.  The students were a little bit extra hyper.  Actually it was more than a little bit.  They behaved quite well in spite of their energy.  I enjoyed spending some time with them outside the classroom.  And now for a few pictures.

 They were so excited to pick their own apples.  We had little success in getting a picture of all of them at this point.

 So proud of his enormous, GREEN apple.

 I believe this was the most interesting pumpkin picked.

It seems this farmer is missing her eyes and her front teeth.

Now we are back to regular days in the classroom.  As a general rule, things keep getting better.  I'm so ready to have them reading more independently so they can solve some of their own problem.  If they forget what to do, I see many hands waving and needing me to remind them.  Hopefully it will not be long until they can reread the directions themselves and not need to wait for me.

School Days

One day flows into the next and suddenly it's weeks instead of days.  I am totally grateful to be on this side of September.  A month ago I had completed only the first day of school.  Now we have a month under our belts and everyone is much more comfortable.  My students continue to keep me challenged and chuckling.  Here are a few pictures of lunch time.

 I told Daniel he has a milk mustache.  "No!" he said. "It's yogurt!"

The class drama queen.

Out to eat before Kaitlyn headed off to SBMI for another year of "deaning".  

Kits, rubbers, and family gatherings

School has begun.  It feels so much better to have my classroom full of people.  While I could have used a few more days to prepare, it was still a relief to stop wondering how things would go and just get started.

There are now 17 unique faces peering at me each morning.  I wish they would all continue to peer at me all day but I found quickly that it takes a great deal of creativity for that to happen.  O.K. I don't exactly want them to peer at me all day but having their attention is paramount if they are going to learn.  By now I'm finding out which students like getting tissues so they can walk across the room, love to color so much they forget to finish the worksheets, cannot remember to raise their hands, think lunch is the most important part of the day, or correct whatever mistake I make up front.

 Joey was sniffing and blowing his nose and looking generally miserable this day.  This charming little boy is going to give me my share of smiles and white hairs.

 

 Donuts and milk on the first day of school.

On to other happenings.  Grandpa had a birthday.  The family got together.  It was the first time in nearly 9 years that I was present at an extended family gathering on this side of my family.

Baby shower time!  We did manage to surprise Maria.  Now we all wait for a few months for baby's arrival.

Family Picnic on Labor Day.  We were missing one sister.

Humoring the younger brother:)

I'm enjoying all the family time.  There lots of things I'm enjoying like peaches, beautiful summer scenery, and a great school staff.  There are others things that I miss like good bread, warm weather, and a suitable wardrobe.  Other things I just notice to be different like clouds that hardly move across the sky, changing fads (gaga pits, shoe styles), and longer daylight hours.  I'm working at my English and vocabulary.  Grenada had a definite impact on my speaking style.  Thankfully first graders are fairly adaptable and seem to understand what I mean when I talk about kits and rubbers.

Back to School

It's school time, already.  This is officially the shortest summer I've ever had.  Since I want to head off to bed very soon, this will be short.

Traveled with Sammy and Jana to Faith Builders for Teachers Week.

Here's the classroom...

All ready for first grade.

Life in a New Place

The sad good-byes are over and almost a week has passed since I flew away from my home of eight years.  "How are you adjusting?" people ask.  I'm not.... yet.  Right now, other than hanging my clothes in the closet and putting the suitcases away, it feels like a normal summer.  I usually fly back to visit my family and friends.  So far it all feels quite normal.

That said, there are few things going on that are not normal.  First of all I unpacked nearly everything I own and am still working to make places for all of it.  Then I purchased several sweaters, very warm sweaters.  I have not made quite as much effort to meet friends and see people.  I have all year for that.  

Today I stopped at a mattress store to look at the mattresses.  I had no intentions of paying for delivery or hauling one home in my little car so I made it clear that I was just checking to see what they had to offer. The salesman told me, "It doesn't make any sense to go in and out of stores and not buy anything."  I decided there must be better bargains elsewhere that he is afraid I will find.  I plan to find them.

And here are a few pictures that I've taken since I returned.  

 We took Grandpa and Grandma to visit "the store".

 Just documenting how high the corn is for a friend that wondered.

 Roasting "bread on a stick"

I enjoyed hanging out with friends this weekend.  I'm grateful to have friends that have welcomed me back each summer.  Now I'm looking forward to seeing them a bit more than a few weekends a year.

Only 2 more days

As I come down to the last several days, I am coming to realize a few things about good-byes.  First of all when you need to say good-bye to everyone that feels important to you, you will probably miss someone.  It actually has little to do with how much they mean to you but more to do with figuring out when you are seeing them for the last time.  Also, when you live somewhere for 8 years, there are a lot of people to bid farewell and they don't all come looking for you and you don't have time to look for all of them. Unfortunately.  There is no way to make every single moment feel as special as it seems it should feel.

As I mentioned before I have been on a mad chase to capture as much of my life here on pictures as possible. Here are a few favorites...

 My plate of oildown at the farewell party Ms. Annie hosted for me.  I didn't take many pictures that night but it was a truly special night.

 One last trip to Vendomme.  I was disappointed to not see all the children.

 She was 2 when I moved here.

 Town

 Saying good-bye to Selena...

and Zoe.

Tears come in the weird times right now but not when I would have expected them.  So many changes about to happen.