Crazy...

One of my students was listening to an upbeat Disney song before Saturday School and commented, "If I had whiskers, they would move to this song." Hmmmmm......

Potential Dog Mauling

So, the neighborhood where my school is often has stray dogs running around. These people don't believe in spaying or neutering, leashes, or licenses. Anyway, every now and again a dog will wander on to campus. Usually we can either chase it off campus or our Jack-of-All-Trades, Armando, does this fabulous lassoing and we call the pound. In fact, last Monday, while on duty, a lab puppy was galloping around campus. Ms. Brooks and I tried to catch it and shoo it away, but it wouldn't heed our yelling. Some children told us the dog's name was Noodles. Imagine, if you will, two grown women running around trying to chase a playful puppy while screaming, "Noodles! Noodles! Noodles" repeatedly! The dog's name probably isn't even Noodles.

On Thursday, while at recess, a colleague and I saw two German shepherds on the other side of the fence. Before we could process this, they were on the interior of the fence, squeezing through a hole some escape artist fourth graders were working on. The dogs then decided to chase our third graders, I guess thinking it was playing time. I used my whistle, as the children screamed, and shouted for them not to move. Most of the kids were disobedient and just ran closer to the buildings. Now, only Luis Fernando, one of darlings, was out with the dogs. I told him to freeze, and he did so. The dogs sniffed him and walked away.

Now that our children were relatively safe, I went over to shoo them off campus. One ran away immediately, but the other couldn't seem to find the way out. He ended up next to the gate. I thought I would just open the gate and let the dog out, but the dog felt threatened by my approach and snarled at me. I backed away, but the dog was still angry and he lunged at me. I put my hands up in a gesture that I hope every species recognized as surrender, and plastered myself to the edge of the tree. In my mind I was thinking, "this is how I'm going to die. I will be eaten by a stray German Shepherd while my students watch". Luckily, our other Jack-of-All-Trades, Mitch, came and was able to successfuly get rid of the angry dog. I was really scared! So were my kids.... I got a lot of hugs and "I thought they were going to eat you, Miss Sells!"s when I went back to my class.

All in a day's work...?

Super Miss Sells!

I received this from a student I had last year.... Isn't it perfect? It actually kind of looks like me. I LOVE the boots!

Anyway, Monday I go to back to school after a much-deserved, much-needed break. I'm a little excited (and a little overwhelmed) because of all the important standards addressed this quarter. I have been prepping in my classroom since 11 for my introduction lesson to fractions. It's going to be GREAT (Twinkie, of course, is involved).

Pray that I won't be burned out as quickly as I was last quarter!

Long December

At about 2:30, after having specials at about noon....
Ricardo: Did we already have P.E.? We DID!? I didn't even feel it!

Four of my kids were tested proficient so will now be leaving my class. It's good news in the way that is means what I'm doing is working if these kids are already proficient by the second quarter, but I don't want them to leave! I know it's greedy and wrong, but my classroom is a little like my family. It's hard to see anyone go.

A little humor

We were playing a centers game where I'm trying to get them to guess a particular word. This time it was, "A Frisbee".

Me: What often gets thrown over the fence?
Ricardo: A nerd!
Me: It sometimes gets on the roof.
Ricardo: Poop!

Voting

I got at my polling place at 5:15 (it opened at 6) and there was already a huge line, like it was the opening of a new Star Wars movie or the release of a Harry Potter book. I voted, and it was my first time voting a) in Arizona and 2) physically at the polls.

I also got my first sticker, but sadly, it doesn’t say, “I voted for your mom”, “Kiss me, I voted” or “Voters are sexy”. I’m really disappointed.

The kids at school are involved in this nationwide campaign called KidsVote, where kids, K-8, are given Voter ID cards and vote at simulated polls. The votes are tallied and compared to the real votes. Pretty awesome, really. (My kids are pro-Obama. One kid calls McCain "McCan't").