New Haven Promises.....

New Haven Promise 

This is what threw off our routine - who knew they mattered THAT much. It took a good chunk of the morning and fail on New Haven's part - it didn't play over the slow bandwidth and naturally the whole district was trying to watch. So I announced to my kids and the 1st graders in the room we were using, that New haven was promising money if they are good students and go to college. Well that's *kinda* what New Haven promised - it's actually a really big deal and I am VERY pumped about it....but those are not the words they used.

Oh so highlights today?

T played peek-a-boo. T also got a foster placement in Hartford : (

"I gonna go to treasure box" - B after the day from HELL
Playing school during dismissal "SIT ON YOUR BUTT RIGHT NOW!!" Me: "We don't talk like that" (right?)
F- drinkable strawberry yogurt. Really. DRINK it - do NOT put it in your backpack open. Just don't. Trust me.

We read a non fiction story about tigers....and a girl informed that "some people gots dogs, but I don't gots a dog, I gots a tiger - it sleeps at the end of my bed....and we have a pool for it to swim." Now before you dismiss my concern with a laugh - consider the child, a simple, easily distracted and very below proficient student - not creative as far as I can tell, and lacking in initiative/common sense. Overall not showing any signs of creative genius. She did not "invent this story" as you might assume - I did talk to mom, I expressed concern - with a laugh- and mom awkwardly laughed back - "We don't got no tigers - just a dog named Sparky" all too textbook - I really am concerned! If you could the intense belief and excitement about her connection to the book, you too would wonder..... My para had at first dismissed it as a stuffed animal but soon became as concerned as myself....hm.

I send home food with a child who appears to be hungry all the time - today he said "I brought you food Miss Stowe!" What did he pull out of his bag midway through the day? A small microwaveable cup of instant Minute Brown Rice - COOKED and partially open. How sweet! I didn't ask any questions, I simply said, thank you! I love Rice! And I do....but I prefer to make it myself and not place it in backpacks .... which frequently are covered in wet clothes, left on buses, coated in drinkable yogurt, and thrown about in the room.

Best job in the world?

Remember that? Oh when was it....Just 3 days ago?
WELL then there was such a thing as the day after Halloween when children come in on very little sleep, toting candy bags secretly in their backpack and sneaking candy at all times. And our smiling, heart-melting friend T that I love so much? He came in double fisting middle fingers - "what up yo" he announced in the face of one of my quietest boys. I asked him to fix it and look like a kindergartner....which he did not do. And my usual "What are we working for today" gave me a "nuttin, I ain't workin for nuttin today." Lovely.
Happy Monday what can I expect from a day that starts like that?

Ringworm for 1 - and I happen to have the treatment for it at home - lucky me.

A 45 minute recess -  because they needed it.

no writing - math was about all we could tackle in the afternoon.

30 minutes of puzzle groups - literally got out 3 floor puzzles (new ones from my grandma!) and let them go at it until dismissal.

A bad report from art - no wonder.

T got sent home - with an accident and bad report.

a late night at school. 8pm to be exact.

disinfectant all over my tables

oh and an an evening of making cinnamon rolls to share with my staff - who though I love them, I have to see tomorrow while my kids are home sleeping so we can talk data....which is thrilling considering the academics we accomplished today.

Yes. It was indeed another Manic Monday. And they just don't stop.

Thank goodness for chocolate chip cookie pie left over from this weekend...and for kittens because mine is laying beside me purring reminding me that sometimes all you need to be happy is a cozy bed. : )

I have the best job in the world.

I do.

When words don't cut it....

There are videos replaying in my head today....

- Miguel didn't want to come to school and cried...while I was comforting him, T (my special friend) arrived , saw my back to the door, crept around me and tilted his handsome face around my shoulder so that I could see that he had arrived - full faced grin and a little laugh - then waltzed away to hang up his backpack and coat. I melted. I play it over and over in my head and it makes me smile everytime...no not smile, beam. My friend who wanted nothing to do with anyone now loves school and loves me and my para....is working on academics, and is barely taking breaks.

- 10 minutes later T - touches the side of his upper eye - 'What's this here Miss?" "On Me?" 'Yah, that stuff..." "Oh makeup - do you like it?" "No." Very abrupt but said with a bashful grin. Heart = stolen.

- Just after indoor recess I was setting the kids up to take a class picture - was 1/2 way through and they announced the start of Community Meeting so I lined them up - Katrina ran up and wrapped her arms around me "I'm sorry Miss Stowe." : ) There was no need but she felt I must have been disappointed.

- 5 friends at puzzles during recess - one is particularly selfish with pieces - Princess Friend (the tantrum prone child) begins to scream "SHARE SHARE I SAID SHARE" and then proceeds to try and grab the piece from the other student. My course of action? "SIT IN YOUR SEAT AND PUT YOUR HEAD DOWN YOU CANNOT SCREAM SHARE AT FRIENDS!" Turned to my para and said - "If I were four and someone were screaming SHARE at me, I know exactly what I would do." Was not the first time she had screamed that today.


- 2 friends Rodney & Carlos very excited "MissStowe!! We have gym today!!" "Yes we do, how do you know?""Because g - y -m " spells gym!" "WOW!! You Read!!" : )

Haircut Writing Victories Workshop in Action and " 'poons that are Naty "

So today I got a haircut - and the only comments I can't wait to hear are not from family and my other half (who loves it by the way) but from my 21 kids who no doubt will have some sheer honesty to share. I really can't wait - so much that I told my hair dresser I couldn't wait. : )

Today was a HUGE step towards success - day 4 or 5 (I've lost track and I need to be better about this - for myself so that next year when I'm losing my mind I can look back) of Writer's Workshop, which means "everyone's writing" (so they yell back when I ask) "and it's quiet!" I asked them to draw themselves "angry, really really angry" (like Sophie in the book we've been rereading for comprehension) and to then try - actually I said PERSEVERE and they know that word (!) to write some words on  the top line, you know what? ALL but 1 child wrote random letters with some spaces on the top line, they get it, letters make words - WOW what a milestone!!! Were there any real words? Well no, some wrote the alphabet, some wrote their names, my spanish speaker wrote book, shine, look, cat - oh well - but they are recognizing text = huge and I was so excited I video taped them working quietly with jazz in the background.

Reader's workshop? getting there - 10 mins is pushing their ability to be independent but they are truly trying and seem to enjoy it. Phonics....centers are hard - hard for me to manage behavior AND teach a small group effectively -need to spend some time thinking about that this weekend.

Math? We are counting by tens each morning - as we count the days in school and yesterday marked a milestone, 30 days!! (another red number) and now our 3rd tens number : ). And that's a whole month of kindergarten! My expectations are higher - I don't give much slack....oh by the way My princess friend? She threw a fit - wore someone else's coat outside because it looked like hers - the other girl discovered it and was upset, then both girls screamed bloody murder that the coat was theirs - when I saw it I was able to say whose it was and princess friend still believed it was hers and went BALISTIC and I mean DANGEROUS - blood curdling screams, body rolling on the ground - kicking, flailing and attacking me - ridiculous behavior. I marched her inside and called grandma, informed her that she could not stay in kindergarten if that continued. Yeah done with that.

'poons? Yes my friend T - the one I love so much? He doesn't say S in the beginning of words- not all words, but a lot. Yesterday he wanted cereal, but it was muffins for breakfast so the spork packets were well, sporkless - included only a straw and napkin. So I said he wouldn't be able to have a cereal without a spoon - and wouldn't you know, the Village sent him with a spoon and his proud little voice appears beside me - "I have a 'poon in my pack pack." He brings it out grinning, eats his cereal and I take it to wash it. When it is snack time, he goes to get it to eat his yogurt and there were some fruit flies - whole school has them....and he says that my poon and that naty (nasty) he was thoroughly disturbed by the presence of flies near his poon. I just love to hear him talk. Or sing....he sings SkinnaMarinky Dinky Dink and it's cute - barely decipherable but cute.

I am not coherent - it's late, it's Thursday but I miss writing down my day and I'm sad I've missed so much already - I want to remember the moments where I literally jump up and down and say "look! look!" Today was one of those days - 3 mins of quiet writing...I was ECSTATIC!! Did I still lose my patience? Yeah - a little - clapped my hands about 10 times in the face of a child who was putting her head down during small group instruction - kept clapping then the class joined in - oops. Made tantrum friend apologize to the whole class. Made one kid stand on the carpet because he couldn't sit still.....but then also danced the Hokey Pokey, danced to ABC 123 - and watched a little friend show me "his moves." Gave out treasures from the treasure box like crazy.....and got a bad report from the PE teacher.

My new favorite word is "Pack Pack" I hope they never stop saying it. And now I will stop randomly word vomiting and sleep - a thorough, thought out reflection is due this weekend.