Poking Around

So Friday was fair day. What is fair day you ask? Well the kids get the day off so they can go to the Florida State Fair. Yep it sounds crazy but I remember fair day as a kid. And the best part of fair day is that the teachers get the day off too! Woo-hoo! :) So mom and I went shopping which was way fun and I finally got caught up on my laundry (well almost). But that's not the point of this post! :) So I've posted before about some of the silly boys in my class. (see I survived my first field trip!! Out of the mouths of babes. ) We don't get much of a chance to be silly during the day, well at least I don't. But dissmissal time is a different story. We all kind of hang out on the front lawn until their parents come to get them. We thumb wrestle and poke each other. And they are forever trying to get into my back pockets even though I have told them repeatedly that its not appropriate! And for some reason they like to try and get my keys with my teacher badge. Then they pretend they are me and try and send me to the principals office. It's really alot of fun and the kids just make me laugh and laugh. Well Thursday they were even more off the wall than usual. They were all over me! They examined all the freckles on my arms and were overly fascinated with my elbows. And I was wearing fake cargo capris with lots of pockets and they checked out all of the pockets! They even sniffed my finger nails! Which for the record smelled like anti bacterial soap. And they were just laughing and having the best time! I think anyone else would have had a fit, and I have to admit it was bizarre, but they were just so delighted that it was hard to get mad. I just let them poke and prod for a bit. I really must be one of the most laid back teachers ever!

I love the Dollar Store!

The Dollar store is a teacher's best friend! Went there today and got modeling clay so we can make landforms in science. A broom b/c the custodians never sweep or mop our rooms. Some cute valentines gel sticker thingys to put on the window of my classroom door. And some snacks for my store! AWESOME! Oh and I got 2 purple baskets for no reason at all accept they only cost $1! :) Its all good! I brought work home with me tonight which I finally finished. I guess I should be bummed but there isn't anything on TV accept Gladiators and some kind of dance show! UGH! That gladiator show is the cheesiest thing I have seen in a LONG time. Plus its pretty obvious that all the gladiators are on steroids. I guess its good that I have a ton of work to keep me busy!!

Stressed?!? Who is stressed?!?

Ummmm ME that's who! So there is alot of stuff going on at the Sussman household. I'm not going to get into it because even thinking about all of it brings on a monster headache. But let's just say that between family stuff and teaching stuff I realized that I am wound pretty tight. The teaching stuff is mostly me freaking about b/c my kids have to take a standardized test in March and so I have to teach them everything they need to know in math by then. Now understand that the school year ends in June but they need to know everything by March. And then after March I get to go back and reteach the stuff they didn't have time to absorb b/c I was moving along so fast trying to teach them everything they need to know to pass the test in March. yeah it doesn't make sense to me either. They also take a reading test, but everyone seems to be doing OK in the reading department. And because of all this performance measuring of both me and the kids I end up giving about 1 assessment a week which is a big waste of time! I kind of feel sorry for kids today, we don't have any time to do fun kid stuff. But they know alot more than I did at their age (well accept they can't add or subtract because who has time to teach that? apparently not their second grade teacher). The whole point of this post is that I need to find a way to relax and to be honest I am not sure how to go about doing it. I feel guilty for any free time b/c there are a million things I could be doing for my class. I had big plans for yesterday but I was layed out with a headache all day. I don't feel right about catching up on the Sabbath. UGH! I can't win! So if anyone has any ideas for doing anything relaxing that I can actually do I am open to suggestions. In other words...................HELP!

Six in the morning

Unfortunately its not the time I get up I get up around 5 am :) Who knew I would turn out to be a morning person? I am feeling much better and sound almost normal now which is a relief. My birthday was good! An extended celebration that included cupcakes from my team mates at school, dinner at PF Changs with my sis and friends, and another celebration on Sunday with my family. Really who could ask for more? :) But that's not the point of this post! I got the news Sunday night that my beloved Prophet and President of my church Gordon B Hinckley passed away. He was 97! He is the only Prophet I've known, being a convert and all. I can remember going to General Conference (when I was taking the discussions) and hearing him speak. I remember thinking "ok this guy get's it, he knows what this life is all about". I love the way he always honored his wife who passed on before him. I take comfort in the fact that he gets to be reunited with her again. Also I take extreme comfort knowing that this is the Lord's Church and his perfect plan includes the choosing of a new Prophet. There is no turmoil no chaos, just time to morn the loss of such a wonderful man and be comforted by the knowledge that one day I will get to see him again and thank him personally for helping to bring me closer to the Lord! Although I have a feeling I will have to stand in a LONG line to say my thanks!

An update on my condition

Sooo it turns out I have an upper respiratory infection plus laryngitis! They gave me a zpack and an inhaler! Turns out the inhaler makes me wired and can't be used at night which completely defeats the purpose. My voice is just starting to come back, but is not back 100% so I sound like I've been smoking 3 packs a day for the last 20 years. And I am now in love with the smell of vick's vapor b/c its been in a vaporizer that's been running every night! I really really really hate being sick! I have all these things I want to do but I don't have the energy or the voice to do them! Its frustrating. But I am still going back to school tomorrow so lets all say a prayer that my voice is in good working order by then!

PS my birthday is this Thursday! How old am I? 29!!!! (for the third time) :)

The 11th annual Vince Sussman Rehabilitation Fund Golf Classic

Classic is definitely the right word for it! Not classy by any means but definitely classic! :) So my dad is a former high school football and wrestling coach as well as just an all around great guy. So when he had the accident 11 years ago that caused him to become a quadriplegic a bunch of his former players got together and formed The Vince Sussman Rehabilitation Fund. They do a lot of fund raising for him which includes an annual golf tournament. Its also kind of a Reunion thing for the guys. They get together and tell football or wrestling war stories and act like they are 16 again. They go out and play a round of 9 wholes and drink LOTS of beer! (as in there is a cooler full at every whole). Then they come back for dinner that includes a raffle and an auction. I have to say its super fun to see all the guys every year. And they all remember me when I was a baby of course. :) This year was pretty tame, just a few bets on who could shotgun their beer the fastest. Previous years have included paying money to the fund if a guy would eat a jar of deviled eggs, stuffing a guy into a golf bag etc. The proceeds all go to my dad :) And I have never seen so many grown men tell my dad they love him. A few of them even kiss him! I really do have a great dad! He's always tried to help the people around him become better. And he treats everyone like family(which is where I get it from). So once a year we get together with about 80 of his "sons" and have a blast! Alot of these guys are lawyers accountants and business owners who have done very well for themselves and they all have told me that they wouldn't be where they were without my dad's help! I already know I have a great day but its just awesome to get together with so many other people who feel the same way!

P.S. This year the winners of the tournament donated the prize to my dad, and every year they rig the money pot raffle so my mom wins! :)

Shhhh! I'm trying to whisper!

Yeah I am whispering because I LOST MY VOICE! Its extremely frustrating to be a teacher without a voice! I had to take today off b/c I really can't talk at all and so its time to see the doctor. I'm not really sure how this happened. I had a slight cold that settled in my chest and so I was coughing alot Sunday night. Monday I sounded like I smoked 2 packs a day but I figured it was because of the coughing. Tuesday I could barely talk and today I can only whisper. Its annoying. I hate being sick, stuck here worrying about what kind of substitute is in my class. I hope its not someone the kids will run over, b/c I have some VERY strong willed kids in my class (I know surprise surprise). And so I am home with nothing to do. Normally when I am sick I call all my friends on the west coast to catch up but I CAN'T TALK! So frustrating! Trying to call and make my doctor's appointment was funny too! I am going to go stick my head in some steam.....

This one's for you Danica! :)

So I used this picture for a writing lesson last week. It was taken on my mission at Chuck - E - Cheese on my 27th birthday. The kids brought in their own pictures for the lesson as well, but that's not the point of this post! The lesson was on narrowing our focus and being more specific in what we are describing. We used Wiki Sticks to highlight different portions of our pictures and wrote descriptions. Well when I slapped this picture on the Elmo my kids immediately asked "Ms. S. Why is that girl in the blue shirt making a funny face?" I explained to them that she was a very good friend of mine but for some reason she always felt the need to make a goofy face when she is in a picture. "Is she special?" one of them asked. Oh yes she is definitely "special" ! :)

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Like my Christmas vacation! Its been a great 2 weeks I have to say. I got to catch up with friends, run errands that I had been putting off, help out with my family, and read a few good books too! But I am pumped to get back to teaching!! :) I have some great ideas for centers and a great idea for my schedule which should help me maximize my teaching time! I can't really say that I missed the kids terribly, but I am looking forward to seeing their smiling faces again on Tuesday. I go back tomorrow and I am sure the shock of waking up at 5am again will be great! But I was starting to get too lazy and I am looking forward to being a productive human being again!! :) I hope every one's holidays were terrific too! :) I know a few of you are getting ready to have babies which is so exciting! And a few more of you got engaged (yeah for finding your eternal companions) and one or 2 of you are preparing to graduate and officially grow up! I am so happy for all of you! I love that so many of you blog b/c it helps me stay posted on what's going on in your lives. And for those of you who don't blog........no time like the new year to get started! :)

2008 Will Be Great! :)

I seriously can not believe 2007 is over! What a whirlwind of a year! Here are just a few things that happened in 2007:

I turned 30 (and managed to survive the mental meltdown!)
My sister got married
I started teaching 3rd grade (ie decided what I wanted to do when I grow up)
I grew up! :) :)
Oh and I moved back to Florida from Salt Lake City!

Those are the big milestones but there were lots of mini milestones too, most of them too personal to mention :) 2007 was definitely a year of growth, some of it was quite painful! But I think I learned alot and all of the craziness somehow made me a better person! (I hope)
I am really looking forward to 2008! Its going to be great! :) I always set goals around this time of year and here are a few worth mentioning:

Go to the Temple more often
Buy a house
Get my permanent teaching certificate (by Dec 2008)
Decide what kind of Master's Degree I want to obtain and prepare to apply to that program (right now it's between Master's in Teaching and Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy)
Be a better Visiting Teacher :)

I'll keep everyone posted on my progress and feel free to bug me about them from time to time (but not too much b/c I tend to get kind of stubborn when pushed)
I hope everyone's 2008 will be great too! :)