Sorry it's been sooo long....

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted.  Things have picked up, and I have gotten very busy.  I just finished my fourth week in my first placement.  I am halfway done!  I am excited about this because I am closer to being done with student teaching, but I'm also very sad I'm halfway because that means I have to leave my kids in four weeks.  I have picked up a subject each week, and starting next week I will be full time teaching!  I am super excited to being teaching all day! 

I started teaching writing.  We have worked on learning how to write "how to" stories.  They are currently publishing their stories so we can have our author celebration on Tuesday.  Some of them are doing their stories on how to draw different things.  I will definitely be keeping a hold of those so I can learn how to draw! We will move into nonfiction expository next week, and they will be picking an animal or something to do research on for this unit.  The next subject I picked up was science.  This time of the day is rotated between three areas social skills, science, and social studies.  When I first started with the kids they were doing social skills (mainly talking about bullying as there have been problems with that).  Now it's science time and I am teaching a unit on water.  We were working on understanding surface tension, but it was a struggle for them to understand it.  I am currently searching for a book at their level that will hopefully help them understand it more. Then I started reading this week, but I have been teaching a small reading group.  We are reading James and the Giant Peach in our small group.  The class was finishing up their unit on comparing and contrasting, fact and opinion, and making judgements.  They took their post test today, and many of them passed and did really well!  Finally, this coming week I will start math.  They are finishing up their unit on multiplication/division and story problems including two-step problems.  Our next unit is fractions, of course very basic fractions.  I have enjoyed teaching the subjects I have so far, and finding different ways to make my lessons interactive and fun. 




Next week on Wednesday is the 100th day of school.  We have different things planned for the day.  In writing they are going to write a story titled "When I'm 100...."  They will also do stuff in math pertaining to 100.  Outside we have posted four different posters with different titles.  One says "100 ways to make 100", the next one says "100 questions about anything", the third one says "100 places I'd like to visit", and the last one says "100 ways to be nice".  They will then write stuff down on post-its and stick on the poster it goes with.  I'm excited to see what they come up with.  They will start working on these on Monday, and will hopefully be done with them by Wednesday!

Here are two funny conversations from my kids.  I am going to try and remember to write these down as there are many more of these I wish I could remember! 

I was working on story problems with one little boy.  He can mentally solve the problem, but when you ask him to show you an equation he used to solve it he gets a little upset.  So while we were working this happened...
Me:  Good job, can you tell me what equation you used to solve it?
Boy:  Uhh! (takes his pencil and starts hitting it on his forehead like he was trying to break it in half)
Me: Be careful you might...
As I was talking he broke the pencil in half on his forehead.
Boy:  Oops! Sorry!
Me:  (trying not to laugh) Don't tell me sorry.  You didn't hurt me.
Boy:  Ohhhh, but I hurt me.  Now I have wood in my brain from my pencil.
Me: (still trying to contain my laughter)  I promise I'm not laughing at you I'm laughing with you.
Boy:  But Miss Drake I'm not laughing.

Boy to my cooperating teacher: My hair itches do you think I have those bugs (meaning lice)
My cooperating teacher:  I doubt you do.  Did you take a shower today?
Boy:  No
Cooperating Teacher:  Sometimes when you don't take a shower your scalp can get dry, especially in the winter.
Boy: Oh...(walks over to me) Hey, I think I have those bug in my earbrows.
Me: What are those?
He points to his eyebrows
Me:  Oh you mean your eyebrows.
Boy:  Yeah, those!

Freak Out Mode..

Ok...not so much, but I am freaking a little...ok alot!  I had training today for student teaching, and when I woke up this morning I felt I was ready to go for student teaching.  After the training today and listening to student teachers from last semester I became more nervous.  I'm sure I will do just fine, but listening to them talk about planning, taking over, and their teacher work sample I must say I feel a little overwhelmed.

The good news is while I do all of that planning I can watch all my guilty pleasure tv shows that are starting back up again!  Tonight The Bachelor starts (which I'm watching as I write this!)  Tomorrow night The Biggest Loser starts, which the last season just ended a month ago. So glad I don't have to wait forever for the next season to start.  Thursday I mean Jersday I'll be getting my fist pumping and jersey turnpiking on!  Then next Tuesday the final season of One Tree Hill starts, and I have been waiting for this to start back up for a long time! Then the Real Housewives of The O.C. starts in February.  Needless to say I will be busy with student teaching and watching my tv shows!

I hope everyone's holiday season was great!  I had a good one, and spent it with the people that mean the most to me.  My sister and I got back into Iowa a little later than expected, but what do you expect with Amtrak always late or always something happening to make you late.  While she was back we went ice skating, to Zombie Burger, and a bunch of other stuff.  It was nice to have her home and I'm ready for her to be back for good! One of the best presents that we got was a DVD full of my dad and his dad, Pa Dave, 8 mm videos of them riding motorcycles and enduro races.  It was so much fun sitting there listening to stories.  Pa Dave was ranked #1 nationally toward the end of his career.  My dad never lost a race...besides one.  He was going around the first turn and his bike stopped.  He tried kick starting it a couple times it wouldn't start so he threw his bike down and walked away!  My sister and I definitely found out where we get our competitiveness from! 

Alright I'm off to watch The Bachelor, as I have lost all motivation for this post.  I will keep everyone updated on how the week goes with the kids!