We are 3 days out from our cruise - SO EXCITED! I don't think I will be able to teach much this week. I will probably rely on the textbooks a lot so I don't have to think! Ha.
We are still in the playoffs. I hope we do not have a game over Thanksgiving. I will be very sad if Jon and I have to take separate cars in all of that crazy holiday traffic!
My Kinder and 1st grade program was Thursday night. We sang Peter & the Wolf: A Musical Story. As usual, the K/1 program had the best turnout. We had cars parked down the streets and 200 chairs filled, standing room only. It was great!
The best part: The next day one of my 1st graders gave me a necklace she had made. It has my name spelled out in beads and a purple/pink pattern for the rest of it. So cute! I wear it with pride.
Yay! It is (finally!) the end of marching season... sort of... We are officially in the playoffs, so that means two tiny rehearsals thurs & fri mornings for Jon. But at least we get to go on a cruise.
A week and a half before our cruise!!
Things to do:
- buy sunscreen
- decide what to pack
- pack
you can buy almost any necessity on the boat - but it will cost an arm and a leg.
take a nap the day of the chocolate midnight extravaganza if they have one - i accidentally slept through mine
relax! :)
We survived! Jon and I stayed off of Hwy 290 all day Thursday and Friday... Only one broken pot and cooler temps to show for our hurricane experience...
Labor Day is a great time to go thrifting in Austin - half off of everything that is already dirt cheap.
I got a few books for my classroom and a fabulous play doctor's kit. I remember having one of these (or playing with it at school) when I was a kid. I will use it for the song/game, "Mother, Mother I am Sick!"
Dave Ramsey lesson for the week: men and women relate differently to money. It was oh-so-funny and of course, true.
Jon was being a good citizen on Thursday morning and trying to help a student when he ran over a manhole cover or something in the road. We are so glad we started the baby emergency fund when we started the DR class. We just had a "car emergency" not a "car emergency and a money emergency." Sigh of relief!
And, last but not least I got hit in the stomach with an exploding coke can. Note to self: don't leave a coke can in the car all day and then cradle it with all of your junk as you unlock the door and walk into your house.
Sunday is always welcome in my world. This has been a pretty busy week with band practice, etc. I am so grateful for a chance to decompress after the stress of the week. After church today, I took a nap, read a book & watched a movie. (and did laundry and watered the lawn)
As far as first weeks go, it was a positive experience. The same teachers are confused and bring their kids at the wrong time to the wrong room. The kids continue to amaze me with their ability to adapt to new procedures. The curriculum that I built this summer is taking my classroom to a whole new level. I love being Kodály trained!!
Advice: If you know anyone who is going into or already teaching elementary music, tell them to get Kodály trained & do it now! I honestly have to say that it has reduced my stress level & reduced behavior issues in the classroom to have a research-based quality curriculum at my back to keep me teaching as much as I should be teaching each year. The kids really can tell the difference between quality music & fluff.
On other events in our life, we are taking a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University course. I have to say that most of what we learn every week is common sense, but there are chunks of information that are going to change how we live our life based merely upon the math. I will save this for a later soap-box.
Labor Day plans: Go thrift-store shopping with the girls in the young marrieds group; grill barbecue chicken with Jon; make enchiladas so I can pack a lunch this week.
Hey! I'm glad you had a great week. I know what you mean about quality verses fluff. I used to teach art at the elementary level and my kids knew the difference between the two. I spent time teaching actual concepts which was entirely different than what they were used to. I've read Dave's book but I haven't been through the actual course. Where are you doing that?
