we got a big one!

I have a big problem child. The funny thing is that he isn't even in my school. This is a student that is driving me absolutely bonkers at CHURCH! My hubby and I are teaching faith formation class on Wednesday nights, and we have a student that is one of the most challenging kids I have had for years. The thing is that he sucks the energy out of the classroom, and it even follows me home. I talked with him after class yesterday, and gave him an option. Either he stops his disruptive behavior, or he leaves....what does this guy need? How can I help him? How can you make a difference with a student when you only see them once a week?

I have to brag/gloat/share! I love, love, love teaching 7th graders! I just wanted to share how happy I am. Then, on a bad day, when I am down and out, you can send this email back to me. :)

Today a student brought me a mango. Haha...so random! She just thought I would like it.
A "naughty" boy from years past is staying after class talk to me about homework and how much fun he is having writing.
A parent wrote in a letter that I am his daughter's role model.
Another parent wrote that the energy I have for reading is really helping her sons start to love reading!
I just walked into another classroom to drop something off, and all of my 7th graders yelled "Mrs. Pearson! Mrs. Pearson! Hi! Come look at what I am doing!"

Gosh...8th graders really grow up...and by doing so sort of stop liking teachers.

Successful First Week

Gosh, was I ever nervous for the first day of school. My room was ready, my lesson made, but I will still shaking like a little kid last Tuesday morning. Then the bell rang, kids poured down the hall, into my room, and my concerns flew out the window. Everything just magically clicked. The 7th graders were fun, excited, silly, and eager to please. We had so much fun together, and they listened so well. It is fun to have them hang on my every word. (I know that won't last long! :))

Yesterday, I was at school from 6 am to 10 pm after the football game. It was such a great day!! I talked with my class all about what reading is NOT. Reading is not supposed to be painful. Reading is not followed by tests or quizzes. I even went so far as to say that during reading, a teacher is not always peering over your shoulder and asking questions. The students loved hearing this. Then I read a chapter from Harry Potter to them. They crawled around on the floor, giggled at my voices, listened intently, hung on every word that I read, and didn't want class to end. Now that is why I love teaching.

I know that the trials will come. They will test me, roll their eyes at me, and glare at me. They will forget homework assignments, lose items, fight, and struggle, but just one day like yesterday will keep me coming back to the classroom year after year.

Golly...gosh...gee...wow...holy cow...zoinks!

I can't quite put my finger on the word that I need to say right now. My mind is spinning with lesson ideas, kid's names, things to do, smiles to remember, books to read, papers to write, units to organize, things to decorate, teachers to talk to, parents to call, children to check on, and meetings to attend.

The beginning of the school year is a magical time; I just don't feel like I will be able to do everything that I want to do this year. It is only the end of the second day, and I am already worried that I can't share a tidbit or a book with my students.

• What if I run out of time to truly care for them?
  
• What if they don't like me?
  
• What if they don't love reading?
• What if they don't learn from me!
  

SEE! These are the questions that keep bopping around my head.

I did read a great quote today though. "Teaching isn't my job. It's my life." I love it. I truly feel that same way. I just only hope that I can teach and live truly and do my students right.
Golly...gosh...gee...wow...holy cow...zoinks!

Julie and Julia

Last night I saw the move, Julie and Julia. It really got me thinking about this whole "blog" thing. I mean it. I haven't promoted my blog, or really even imagined that anyone would ever read it. I thought it was amazing how in the movie, Julia really thought about and interacted with readers of her blog. I like to think that my blog just floats out in cyberspace--drifting along, not bothering anyone. Other bloggers though blog as a full-time job. I can't imagine! I don't even have enough going on in my life to post every single day.

After being swept up in the blogosphere last night, I wondered what I would write about every single day. The biggest thing in my life (besides my wonderful Sam) is teaching. For a few minutes I dreamed of blogging every day from my little classroom. I worry though about repercusions. It would be far to risky to blog about students/school/work. Gosh, the thought alone makes me shudder with what could go wrong. If I slipped up just once and wrote about a certain student and someone guessed the name of that student, my job would disappear. Much too scary to write about school. I think I will continue with my random posts. I like it that way. Random and simple. :) Kind of like me.

Whoopie!!

I saw on a fellow blog today, that whoopie pies are reported to be the new cupcake. It made me want to share one of the best bonding experiences in my classroom. Whoopie pies! Yep, they are amazingly simply ways to reward students. They are unique, delicious, and include the word "whoopie!" in the title. What could be more excited for a middle school student then to earning an indulgent treat and being allowed to shout "WHOOPIE!"

I celebrated the end of the school year with my homeroom by bringing them all whoopie pies. It was such a fun day, and we really bonded! WHOOPIE!

KINDLE

I have the best husband in the entire world. Now, I know that is a big statement, but he knocked my socks off. Seriously. He got me a Kindle for my birthday. What could be more exciting then saving trees via less paper and being able to download books immediately. I can't wait to start reading!

Social Media

I am currently sitting in a grad class all about social networking. How exciting! I love using technology like this to "trick" kids into enjoying school. My students LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Facebook, so I hope that I can funnel that love into a Ning site of my own. Middle school students need to feel part of a community and they need to learn how to socialize appropriately. I think that a class social network site would be a cool place for them to learn.

Busy Busy Busy

Such a fun weekend-We went camping in Wisconsin with our friends, the other Pearsons. We biked 50 miles in one day, played minigolf, ate lots of s'mores and banana boats, and enjoyed some Spotted Cow. It was such a fun weekend, but now we are back in the real world for one day. Tomorrow morning, (3am-EEK!), we leave for D.C.. It should be a fun trip, but today I feel swamped with papers and projects for GPDE. I can't believe how much homework we have. There is no way to get it all done, so I am one crabby girl. Sam keeps telling me not to worry, but I can't seem to help it. Therefore, I am trying to relax by checking up on my blogs. It will be about a month until I can veg out online again, so I am soaking it all in now. (i.e.-procrastinating)

Tears

I don't know why I keep finding tears joyful. Seriously, tears usually are brought about by sadness or pain. Lately, I keep finding them refreshing, natural, and inspiring. Last night, I went to see the movie My Sister's Keeper. I honestly wasn't expecting a lot. I mean seriously, I thought I knew the story. I even told my friend Bridget, "Don't judge me if I don't cry. I never cry when I am supposed to." Lo and behold, I spent the entire movie crying. The bond between the sisters was just so touching. It reminded me of my sister, Laura-or Louda, to me. I miss her so much, and she just moved to Montana. It was quiet a coincidence that in the movie, Kate, the sister that passed away, told her family that Montana was the place where they could always find her. That got me...the tears and sadness were so refreshing though afterwards. It really made me realize that I am so blessed. Seriously, why am I so lucky??

sick

How can I be sick during the summer? All school year, through the cold, the snow, the sniffles, and the snot that surrounds me, I remain healthy. Then, summer comes, and BAM, I get the flu. Bah. I wish I could shake it. After saltines and toast, I snuck some real food today. Let's hope it doesn't rock the boat too much.

Tears of Joy

I feel like crying!!! Crying huge elephant tears of joy! A student in my class is currently laughing so hard that tears are rolling down his face. The reason I am so happy? He is reading a BOOK! Amen! All kids need is TIME to read and discover the joy of reading.

Summer

I truly felt like our house became a home this weekend. After lounging around all day Saturday watching Lost, we left for Soph's house and the cabin. It felt so nice to get away, but when we returned I felt this sense of peace and home. We have lived here almost a year this week-and it truly feels like our house now. It helped that we planted our garden yesterday afternoon. Tomatoes, broccoli, beans, peas, sunflowers, pansies! It felt so good to dig in the dirt.

poetry

I have decided that I love poetry. Not fancy-smancy poetry-just simple poems. As I told my students, we are all poets. All we have to do is express emotions through words-it is really art. It's a lovely thought.

Spring
lilac wind
melted cream
sunny mornings
rainy eves
light and joy
Spring

Macbeth

This a place of JOY, but I need to share a sadness I felt today. It is not an overwhelming sadness, just a little frown really, because of my students. I love them dearly, but they can be so gosh darn mean to one another. I try so hard to teach respect, and they seem to just roll their eyes. I am trying to teach my class Macbeth, and they simply couldn't handle it. I overestimated the fact that they are 14. Most of them still call each other names-so they just went to pieces while watching the play. It just really bummed me out. Usually, the kids impress me or at least there is a bright spot, but today there were no bright spots. I guess I should have realized that Macbeth is too much for them!

Weekend

This weekend absolutely joyful. I haven't had such a time of peace and fun for a long time! Sam was in a faculty play so I saw that THREE times. I just couldn't get enough. Every time I saw him on stage my heart would beat a little faster. I was so proud of him (and man, was he handsome on stage!) His female students in the audience definitely agreed with me. Gosh, the giggles and cheers that erupted from them was absolutely hilarious. The first time he appeared, whispers could be heard saying, "Pearson! It's Pearson!" I couldn't stop beaming.

We also had Indian food on Friday with Sam's family and then my mom made homemade hot fudge for ice cream. It is heaven in your mouth!

Annabelle's Fudge
Boil 1 stick butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and 6 tablespoons milk. Once it boils, remove from heat and stir in 2/3 cup of chocolate chip. Stir until smooth. Die and go to heaven.

Colorful

I found these pictures on a blog yesterday, and they completely awed me. I showed some of my students and they were shocked. Although, one kid's only comment was "wow, that must really stink." Oh, 8th graders!

First Post

I am nervous as I type this. I want this post to say it all! To tell everyone why I am starting a blog, and what I am going to be "blogging" about. Truth of the matter is that I don't know! I have been following the fashion and DIY home improvement blogs for awhile, but I feel a tad out of that league. I don't really feel a passion for joining the blogosphere of teachers, because I want this spot to be more than just that. I guess, I want this blog to be my special little sanctuary of joy and beauty. I like that.