The Beginning of a New School Year

Well, I've survived the first two weeks of school....and I've already had a puking incident. On Wednesday a boy got sick while we were sitting on the carpet. I immediately rushed him to the trash can and told the others to go to their seats and read a book. Then one little boy comes up to me...he was sitting directly in front of the sick boy and was covered! He took it a lot better than I would have. He calmly went to the bathroom to clean up as much as he could. Since he was wearing an undershirt, we took off the topshirt and put it in a bag. He called his mother and went home to shower.

So far, I have a GREAT class this year. Most of the kids came in knowing a lot, and for the most part the class is well behaved. I only hope it lasts and we're not just in the honeymoon period. This is much better than the past couple of years when I've been bitten and had students who throw, yell, and who knows what else. I'm really looking forward to this year. We've also already had parent-teacher conferences (which I think is ridiculous). The idea is that we develop relationships with the families early in the school year. That makes sense, but most parents want to know how their child is doing...and I don't have a whole lot to tell them after 9 days of school. Other than that I explain some of the policies and expectations (20 times) which could be done once at an open house or parent night. But of course the district didn't ask me.

My KU class started on Monday. I went in believing that it would be my last class and that I would have to do a two semester internship beginning next fall. My professor informed us that the internship has been eliminated from the program! So (cross your fingers), all I have to do is complete this course and take a test. Then, I'll have my reading specialist licensure. Hopefully I'll be able to find a job in that area. I'm going to email a professor who has done research in my class just to make sure that I'm not missing any requirements before I get my hopes up too much.

Darwin's First Camping Trip

Since we didn't have anyone to watch Darwin and we were only going camping for one night, we decided to take Darwin. He had a great time! When we got to the campsite it was raining. By the time we got everything set up, we were in the midst of a downpour. All three of us were soaked. Fortunately, yours truly had the foresight to tell Cody to buy a "screened pavilion." We hung out inside for most of the afternoon. Darwin slept under the picnic table. Around 4 or 5, the sun came out. Cody did a lot of fishing. Darwin was very interested in the minnows.

We were a little worried about how Darwin would act, but he was a very good boy! We put him on a stake/chain. He wandered around exploring what he could get to. After awhile, he just laid around us. He slept in the tent without a problem. I think he may get to go on more camping trips in the future. But he was tired...he actually slept in the truck on the way home (which is unheard of!).

The end of summer

Today is the last day of my summer. I go back to school on Monday for inservice, etc. Kids come back next Friday (I don't know why they start on a Friday). I've actually been going back to school most days for the past two weeks. Our school went through some major changes this year. Last year we were very overcrowded so this year the district gave us two new classroom teachers; however, we have no space for them. We did some creative rearranging and ended up with almost everyone in the school having to move. I had to move rooms again, so I've been back unpacking, trying to figure out where things should go, and setting up. I'm hoping to have my room set up before I leave today so that next week I can focus on planning and getting materials ready for the first week of school. Cross your fingers!

I'm hoping this semester isn't nearly as hectic as last semester. Last semester I worked at the bar on Monday nights, had a class on Tuesdays, tutored on Wednesday and Thursday for my class, tutored for school on Saturday mornings, and had a small group meeting for another class on Saturdays after tutoring. This semester (so far) I am only taking a class on Monday nights. It's the last class in my reading specialist program. After this I just have a test and a year-long internship. The bar was closed down during the summer so I won't be working there. I've been contemplating signing up to tutor at an after school program, but I'm still undecided.

Last night was the last night of our volleyball season. The bank team finished at 9-15, the school team finished at 13-11. I played on both teams. Cody only officially played on the bank team, but he subbed for my school team at least half of the time so I guess he's an honorary member. We might be playing in a fall league but it starts next week and Cody would like a couple of weeks off between seasons--I don't blame him. Outdoor sand volleyball in July/August is HOT!

Well, we're going camping this weekend at Hillsdale Lake (near here). I guess that will be our last hurrah for the end of summer.

Hottest Canoe Trip EVER!

Last weekend, we went on the hottest canoe trip ever! We drove 5 1/2 hours to Eminence, MO. It was so bright that I had to cover my legs in the car because they were getting sunburned. Once we got there and got the tents setup, we were soaked in sweat. We hung out in the river for awhile to cool off. The float on Saturday was a blast! It didn't seem so hot while we were on the river. Fortunately we were smart enough to keep up with the sunscreen, but both of us forgot to reapply to our legs and ended up burned pretty good. We got off the river late afternoon and went to make burgers. Then I felt miserable. It was too hot in the tent to sleep (our tent fan batteries were dying); my legs were on fire; and it was even hot outside the tent. I went and sat in the car with the a/c on for about 10 minutes to cool off. Finally, Cody woke up and realized why the fan wasn't working and changed the batteries. I finally got to sleep sometime after 1. Remember that 5 1/2 hour drive....we had to come home the next morning. I was feeling sick from all the heat and no sleep. Luckily, Cody was sweet enough to drive the whole way and let me nap (I did offer to drive several times). Overall, it was a good trip....I just wish we would have gone on a weekend that wasn't one million degrees.

And Cody wants to go camping again in a few weeks....