Teaching. It sometimes makes me LOL.

Somedays it makes me want to shake my fists or throw myself on my bed and cry. But, more times than not it makes me laugh. Through everything that happens, teaching inspires me. 

The school year is coming to an end. As much as I can't wait, I always feel a lil' bit sad to say good-bye to my 6th graders. This year's bunch was a fantastic group. 

I have read some amazing journal entries, there is one that has stuck in my mind for months:

(In response to JFK's inaugural address): I can help the United States become a better place by doing baptisms for those citizens who have passed. 

Today I was taking the kiddos to lunch when one of my girls who was on hall monitor duty ran up to me with the most distressed look:

"Mrs. Bourne, there is this little kid who put both of his legs behind his head and he is going down the hall like that..."

"Is he stuck?"

"No, he is going down the hall with his legs behind his head, scooting on his butt with his hands and he won't listen to me!"

...Sometimes ya' just can't help but laugh.

20 minutes later two of the 6th grade boys ran to Mrs. Anderson and said, "Man, we just had to help this little kid who had his legs stuck behind his head."

One thing I have noticed this year that I have loved...I have two students who say a prayer before every test. I noticed it during end of year testing. I see their heads go down, eyes close, just for a little bit and then their heads come up slowly and they take a deep breath and you can tell that their little prayer made them more at ease. A little bit of relief sweeps over their face and they start answering questions. 

I love to see that! 

Ball Bucket Horror Stories...

Remember back in the elementary days when you walked down to lunch following the ball bucket? The ball bucket was great, it held your basketballs, soccer balls, jump ropes and footballs. Not only that, as you walked out to a much anticipated lunch recess you would drop your lunch boxes in the bucket and they would be waiting for you back in the classroom. You didn't have to worry about a thing.

...Wow. That sounds great if YOUR STUDENTS REMEMBERED TO TAKE THEIR LUNCH BOXES/TUPPERWARE/SANDWHICH BAGS OUT AT THE END OF THE DAY!!!

There as been the weirdest, yuckiest, un-coverable smell in my classroom. And it isn't just the natural smells of 6th graders (that is coverable, thank you Febreeze) it is a moldy/dirt smell. The smell has been a mystery until this morning.

This morning I woke up with one goal in mind. Track and destroy the mold/dirt smell. I walked in the classroom, took a breath, became dizzy from the smell and began investigation. My student teacher, Sara, was there and she wanted the smell gone just as bad as I did.

We discussed that it could be a leak in the sink, then I looked at the ball bucket. BINGO. I shared my theory with Sara and went to the office for some latex gloves. When I got back Sara had pulled the ball bucket out from under the counter, she had a very disturbed look on her face and said, "Yup, this has to be it."

The smell was 100% stronger since the bucket was pulled out, it got worse once we took off several layers of coats and uncovered the culprits. Emphasis on the plurality of culprits.

We took out all of the balls and jump ropes and there was nothing left except for several pieces of tupperware containing blackish/greenish nasty mold. It looked and smelled like my students were attempting to make a sewer monster. I swear I thought one tupperware had grown worms. Seriously.

I picked up a piece of mold that was the size of a bouncy ball. THE SIZE OF A BOUNCY BALL! It looked like one of those fuzzy puff balls, except nasty and smelly and I had to hold it in my latex glove. Nas to the T people! NASTY!

Sara and I were running back and forth throwing away nasty mold that used to be food. Seriously, what heck students.

I came back from throwing a big chunk of mold in a sandwich bag away when Sara said, "I don't even know why I opened this. I shouldn't have"

Well, of course that peaked my interest and I had to look.

In it was a sandwich. Not just a little leftover piece, a WHOLE sandwich. I literally think that it was at least a month old. It was all mold, not one piece of white or wheat. It stank soooo bad. But the funniest part is, one of my students came in and said, "Smells like those clorox wipes. Are you cleanin? Smells like cleaning supplies."

There were several other lunch boxes with moldy food inside.

If you are wondering the reasons that I didn't check there in the first place here ya go:

1. I never had students do this before. I mean, usually parents are anal about their kids bringing back their lunch boxes/tupperware. As for the plastic sandwich bags, they usually throw them away on their way out to recess.

2. The smell was masked by several layers of coats until it got so bad it surpassed the coats.

3. The ball bucket was the last place I would look for a science project to be growing. But guess what, Miss Doll is teaching the 6th grade about microorganisms. What a fabulous coincidence, but Miss Doll did not want to use the moldy sandwich as an example. I don't know why she wouldn't.;) jk.

Mr. Billie really saved the day when he sprayed out our ball bucket and brought it back looking brand new and smelling fresh.

Week 2 of 2012

What a week ladies and gents! Second week of the new year, a.k.a, 2012. 

This week Steve, Cache and I packed up our stuff and headed over to my parent's house for a week of teen-sitting. We have been having some good times over here.

Mandi and I were being us and taking lots o' pictures when I said, "On three, make a face that you think describes this week." 

Yup....

One lost backpack resulting in one missed bus.

Lots of Monopoly.

Lots of cooking.

Lots of ice-cream.

One missing 19 year old, later found. 

A nail in a tire.

A few fights between the teens. No offense to the teens (if you're reading this) I'm just documenting life. 

LOTS of potty stickers....seriously, Cache can do the whole potty thing already, but he can't part with the sticker rewards. 

And one amazing husband who...found the backpack, took Mandi to school, fixed my other sisters tire, cleaned the kitchen, told me to calm down, made the milkshakes, made dinner while I had SEP's and kept everyone happy. THANK YOU. I just love ya!

Other events going on this week; Parent Teacher Conferences were tonight, I have a new student teacher and Cache is pro at being a big boy. We have experienced the occasional slip where we hear, "Oooh man. Oooh. Mom!! I went potty but I left my undies on!" Steve and I run to see what he is talking about and there he is, shorts pulled down, undies still up. Then when he sees us he says, "Oh see, dis' is freaking me out!" Yes, Steve and I are both trying not to saying "freaking" so much as that is a bit too much of Cache's language. Today he told me that helicopter was freaking nuts....thank-you T.J (said with sarcasm).

Oh, and did I mention that one of my students asked me what a virgin was. I told her that it was a mom question...

Also, another one of my students was telling me about all of these old books he has and the pages are yellowed (loved that description btw) and he said, "I am great at reading all them. I understand them perfectly. Except for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. You see, I thought it was about baseball." He said with a matter of fact tone. Then he gets this confused look on his face and continues, "I thought it was going to be about baseball played underwater, in the sea, and there were 20,000 leagues playing. That is the only one that confused me."    LOVE IT!!! 

Truth be told, I truly do love my job. A big part of that is the ladies I work with. I hope they know how fun and enjoyable they make it to go to work. 

Can you tell that school is on my mind? Remember I just got done with conferences an hour ago. ;) One last school thing...one of my students moved up 8 LEVELS in reading. That is monumental and I am very happy. 

That is just some sprinkles of the week. But, of course, what is a blog without some pictures from the week. 

We survived!!