October

It is rainy and cold today, but this autumn has been amazingly beautiful! The weather has allowed the trees to come into full color before the rain pushes the leaves off of them. The golds, the reds, and the browns are all so vibrant this year.
Yesterday, on my way to town, I looked over and saw a stand of trees all decked out in their glorious fall colors, and one smaller tree in the middle, still with all of its leaves--and they were bright green. It was striking! I have just been enjoying this season so much.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Zach and Jessica's new baby Lincoln. He will be born next Friday, I can't wait to see him. Soon after he comes, we will get to meet Syndey Faye, daughter of Kelsey and Steven. After the holidays, we will have one more, brought to us by Becky. She is confident she is having a girl, but the doctor said he would bet a nickle, but not his house that it is a girl. I am just so excited to get some new grandbabies.

Life continues to be fast-paced. I have lots of kids in my class this year, and they really keep me hopping. I love them all, though, and feel so blessed to be their teacher. I also teach the little 5-6 year olds at church. I was recently asked if I like teaching at school AND at primary. Lots of teachers, I am told, say no to callings in primary. There are times when I do want to play with the grownups, but I genuinely love working with the kids. I think they keep me young. Additionally, my patriarchal blessing tells me specifically that I will work with the youth all of my life. I believe I have been blessed with the talents to make me effective as a teacher. Also, I really do love doing it.

Life is changing in so many ways. It won't be long before it is just Mark and I in this big house. I am both happy and sad about that. I miss my children, and the fun times we had when they were growing up, but life is good and I love having the grandkids come over. Also, I look forward to good times with Mark. He is such a good man! We haven't ever had alone time...even our honeymoon was just one night in Pocatello.

I also feel like spiritually things are changing. There is SO MUCH opposition to every good thing. There is so much that is attacking the home and family. All around me I see the effects of promiscuity and porn. I also see how Satan is using apathy to meet his ends. Selfishness and meanness is rampant. Its incredible. I remember thinking in the late 90's that I could not believe that things could get any more wicked. The 90's are so tame compared to now, and I wonder how much worse will it get before it is all over.

I have felt very reflective lately, and felt this was a good place to store my thoughts. Someday I will have this turned into a book. I blog WAY more than I journal.

Overall, life is really good. I feel so blessed. I know where all of my wonderful blessings come from and I am grateful for that knowledge.

A funny from school

Today we learned that caterpillars eat so much in two weeks, that their skin gets tighter and tighter until they shed it. (Interesting...did YOU know that?)

As I was sitting in a small group discussing this fascinating fact, one little girl said, "Did you know that can happen to people too?" I thought, I have been on the earth for 50 years, and no--I didn't know that. She continued, "Well, they don't really shed their skin....






they explode."



So, as I was trying hard not to laugh out loud she says,

"My grandpa just gets bigger and bigger....I am nervous he will explode when I am by him."

(Just think about it. You know you have thought it sometimes at WalMart.)

Half Century

OK, I guess that having a "big" birthday, as one friend called it, deserves some sort of mention.

I turned 50 earlier this week.

*I don't lie about my age, unless its because I can't remember how old I am.
*I don't feel embarrassed to admit I color my hair.
*I do not eat prunes.
*I don't wear support hose.
*I am not wrinkled and drying up.
*I am not half-way to the grave.
*I don't use my body as an excuse not to use my body.
*I am not planning my retirement.

*I do enjoy the confidence that comes with being 50.
*I do color my hair.
*I eat what I want.
*I HATE panty hose!
*I want wrinkles--I want them to be around my eyes and mouth from laughing and smiling.
*I am very much alive and breathing--and living.
*I go to the gym because I LIKE it.
*I want to teach for as long as I can...I am looking forward to 15 or 16 more years.

These 50 years are the sum total of good times, and hard times. There have been tears, but more laughter. They have defined who I am and how I live my life. 50 is just fine.

Pencils

I hate pencils. Just thought I would share that with the world. I wish I was clever enough to invent a good alternative.

Reason #1:
At school time when pencils are less expensive than other times in the year, parents buy less expensive pencils. The thing is, the good pencils cost about the same every day of the year. The other thing is, the less expensive pencils have been known to land in the circular file right when I start to sharpen them (that is another fascinating story which is part of Reason #2) because the lead falls right out when you start the sharpening process. The WHOLE lead. All of it. This is the reason the less expensive pencils are less expensive.

Reason #2:
I am a teacher because of pencils. That is a good thing. I love teaching, as I think any regular reader of this online journal will attest. HOWEVER, because of an incident which happened to one of my own personal children when he was in the middle school (his teacher made him call me and tell me that "I am so dumb that I can't remember to bring a pencil to school."--in front of the class) I sharpen each and every one of the pencils my students use. This means I sharpen approximately 15-30pencils a day. I have had many different kinds of sharpeners and they all pretty much stink. It gets old, but I will not have any of my students being unprepared or wasting time on pencils--or feeling bad about themselves because they forgot one. It is worth it to me to have them ready for use each morning. Additionally, there is a lot of satisfaction in looking at a holder full of freshly sharpened pencils. The sharpening is not something I love though.

Reason #3:
Parents are suspicious of teachers who put all the pencils in one container for the students. I have to justify saving their students pencils for them. I have even heard it said that 'teachers save those pencils for their own personal use." I would refer you back to Reason #2. Those pencils are of the less expensive quality. The pencils I prefer are a Ticonderoga black or traditional. Now that's a good pencil. Some also say they buy the less expensive pencils for their students because, "there are always students who don't bring any, and I don't have to supply pencils for EVERY student." PUH-LEEZE, I know that no one who reads this would ever say that, but for the rest of the world I would just like to ask..."You don't feel like you can spend an extra quarter on a kid whose parents can't afford to buy him pencils? Think about it, its a quarter...do you honestly think they just don't buy them because they know you will?" Once when I was shopping for students (sometimes they come without supplies), I overheard a conversation similar to the ones described here. I gently tried to explain the pencil process because I know its the same in every classroom, although some teachers may let the children sharpen their own pencils. She didn't buy it. She was a little cynical about pencils. And teachers, I guess.

Today I spent about 40 minutes sharpening the cutest Dr Seuss pencils that I will give the kids on the first day of school. They really are adorable, and they match my theme this year--"Our class is funner than a Cat in a Hat!" I know the kids will love them, and I know they are necessary, but I really do not like pencils. I just wish I could come up with a good alternative.

Work

When I went to ISU, we were actually taught that we shouldn't ever say these words,"I wanted to be a teacher because I want summers off." They said it wouldn't go well in an interview. I believe it, but I haven't ever felt that way. I never want school to end. I want to play with my students all summer, then make a smooth transition to the next kids like the blink of an eye. But no, its not great for learning, so we send them home.

But I just can't stay away. I have taught summer school every year, even when i wasn't a "real" teacher. It fills a need I have. This year, however, no summer school.

Even when there is summer school, I go to my room to get things ready for the next kids, I clean and organize. I just love my job. Sadly, this year I lost my keys. I couldn't just go in at random times to see my classroom. Nope, I have been forced to stay home. I have been lethargic. I haven't planted flowers. I let my house chores go until Wednesday or Thursday every week. I have watched almost every episode of "Say Yes to the Dress" and Four Weddings. I watched a commercial about depression and thought...well maybe.

But today....da da da DUM! I got my keys. Now I can go and look at my room whenver I want. It feels a little like winning the lottery. I am SO happy!

Summer and Cousins Camp

This summer has been odd for me. Usually, I spend all of June doing migrant summer school. This year, there is no money for such things in our district. I was thinking of just tutoring out of the goodness of my heart because I just don't know what to do with myself.

At the end of June, my grandkids came from Washington and stayed until just yesterday. We had a cousins camp again this year. It was mainly two days, but we spread it out over the whole week. We cooked outside, went to a fun water park in Rexburg, had a sleep-over, made individual fruit pizzas, attended ball games, watched movies, played at Jensen's Grove, had water fights and played on the slip and slide. This year we had to ban Mark from the slip and slide. (He gets too excited and breaks it.) Here are a few pictures of cousins camp:


This is Chantel, my niece. Technically she is a cousin.


The kids chose waffles for breakfast.

They also had fun playing in the water.

Autobiography

At the end of this school year I had the kids write their autobiographies. I have taken the liberty of combining them into one autobiography of a second grader.

I was born in the year of the house (horse). That is when everything started in my life. When I was a baby my mom would put me in a baby swing. I would watch football all day long.
When I was little I ran into everything, so I had to go to the eye doctor. When I was a baby I got two scars. One was when I was jumping on my bed and it cut my forehead, there was blood everywhere. The second one was when I was walking with my dad and I hit my head on the table.
I was very small and was always sleepy. I was born second. When I was about 1 I got very sick and my hair turned gray.
When I was 2 years old I could walk and talk very well. I met my grandma when I was two.
When I was about three I learned how to ride my blue bike. I built a block tower and my sister knocked it down. (She's nicer now.)
I was a great eater when I was four years old. When I had my big birthday party, my mom had a baby boy.
Years past (!) and I'm in school. I went to kindergarten, and I got in trouble because Preston pushed me. We went to the zoo. We got to see all the animals, we went in groups of 5.
In first grade I missed school alot. We went on a field trip to the farm to see the baby pigs and bunnies. We went to see the plants at Kesler's. When I was six I found out that my mom's name is Jen.
Now I am 8, I am in second grade. I don't remember when my dad left me. I went with my family to Honulooloo. It was fun! Everyone here is nice. Mrs Behrend is so funny, she's also the class clown. School is cool. I love my teacher, and she loved me.
My life is great. Very, very great.

I did love them, and my life is great. Very, very great.

Posted by a teacher who is missing her babies.