Dumb as Mud

This Saturday Jake, Katie, Hailey, Kaylyn and I ran the Dirty Dash! It's a 10k run with obstacles and mud everywhere! It was so much fun! Here are some pictures of the fun...

 

HELP!

So I am having some trouble with some students and I think I need an outside perspective on how to attack this issue. I have asked several other educators and some of my previous classmates and teachers and none of the answers seem to be working too well... So here is the situation...

I have two different girls with two different problems. The first girl won't stop talking no matter what I do! I have moved her seat on several occasions trying out different people and different areas in the room. Didn't work. I have subtracted points for the day because she won't stop talking. Didn't work. I have had personal one on one conferences and "contracts" with her. Didn't work. I have called her parents. Didn't work. I have given her five minutes at the start of class to get all her chats out so that she can listen during class. Didn't work. I have provided several break-out sessions where talking is allowed. Didn't work. WHAT DO I DO? All input is greatly appreciated.

Girl number two... she has absolutely no desire to work in class whatsoever. I have sat with her on several occasions helping  her through each problem which has caused me to neglect other students and she still doesn't want to work. I have paired her with other students but then she is mean to them. I have given her individual time to work on it but then she just distracts herself with other things. Another problem that is even worse is that she is a bully. She calls people names, makes racist comments, talks back to me, disrespects others property and on several occasions she has even gotten physical with other students. WHAT DO I DO? Once again, any and all input is greatly appreciated!!

THANKS!!

Scared

Since only my close friends and family read this blog I decided it would be ok to post a little bit of a personal story about something that recently happened.

A few nights ago I was talking with Jake and explained to him that I was a little "late." (Hopefully we all know what that means...) I was freaking out quite a bit but of course Jake is cool as a cucumber no matter what happens. We had discussed how we love babies so much but we just aren't ready for one quite yet. We don't have much of an income with Jake going to school with a full schedule and me doing my student teaching. Jake told me that he understands how I feel and that he supports me no matter what, but he would still love a little baby whenever it decided to come. I waited a few days longer and decided that I needed to know right then whether a baby was occupying my belly or not. On my way home from school I stopped by the dollar store (because they sell pregnancy tests there for a dollar whereas at Wal-Mart they are like eight bucks!!) and felt like a complete idiot as I rushed through the store looking for the tests. At the checkout stand with only a pregnancy test on the conveyor belt I felt even more ridiculous. I started to wonder what this lady was thinking of me...

I  got home and wanted to take the test immediately but decided that for that rare chance that I was pregnant, I wanted Jake there to console me. Jake came home about three hours later and I was extremely antsy. The second he walked through the door we decided to take the test.

The test came back and it was... negative. Of course I knew this was most likely going to be the result. I should have felt relieved, right? We hadn't even been trying for a baby so this was expected, right? I hadn't let myself actually think that I was pregnant, had I?

WRONG!! I let myself break. I told myself that I could actually be a mother and I let myself shake off the tough exterior about how much I wasn't ready for a baby. I had gotten to the point where I actually took a test and when I saw the single line instead of the double line it hurt. Suddenly, I wanted to be a mom. I wanted Jake to be a dad. I thought I was ready and I didn't let anything else matter. That night I had a glimpse of just how hard it is to get a negative result. I cried. I sobbed! I told Jake I didn't know why this was happening because I thought I didn't want to be pregnant, I thought I had expected it to be a negative, I thought I wasn't ready. It was a rough night. Even now when I think about it I tear up a little bit. Jake was the studly husband that he always is and comforted me until I was finally stable.

That night I realized that I'm still not ready to be a mother, but when the time comes, I know I will be. I also realized, Jake will always be ready. He will always be the perfect father, even now when there are no children to be a father to. Jake will always be there and never let me down even when I go crazy. Even though that night was rough, it opened my eyes to the future.

Photo Dump

My lovely sister-in-law Taylor gave us her old camera so we can finally take pictures again! Yay! Thank you Taylor! So here is a photo dump of the latest and greatest things that have happened since I have been cameraless...

Jake is in the process of growing an awesome beard!

 Caden has insanely long hair

 Katie cracked her head open while climbing

I am blonde again and I have awesome new glasses

 This Labor Day Weekend we went up to our property in Fairview and had a lot of fun relaxing with family. It was so beautiful up there, hopefully these pictures can prove it.  

 

 It's great to have a camera again! Thanks again Taylor!

What Teachers Make

One of my professors handed out a cool story in our Monday night class that made me smile. I just thought I would share it with the blogging world. I edited it down a little bit to my favorite parts...

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I make a C+ feel like the congressional Medal of Honor.
I make kids sit through 45 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an iPod, game cube or movie rental.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work and use their god-given brain, not the man-made tools.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
I make my students understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.
Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE

I'm pretty much in love with this!!