Last Day of School

So last Friday (May 20) was my last day as a first grade teacher. I wasn't able to blog about since we left right after school to head to CO, got back Wednesday night, and I babysat all day yesterday. This is the first time in a week I've been able to sit and relax in my own home. I'll blog more about our trip to CO in another post.

I didn't know what to expect for the last day of school. I was hoping some of the kids would stay home; but I was amazed when I only had 3 out of 14 kids! I had another student show up with her mom just to pick up her report card. By 9 am, one of the three students was picked up, leaving me with 2 rambunctious boys.

I pretty much let them do their thing, while I did mine. I put a movie (Space Jam) on and let them mess around on the computers while watching the movie. While they were busy being entertained, I worked on cleaning up the room. I was only responsible to make sure that the tables & chairs were stacked as well as marking anything movable with the classroom number. I, being the overachiever that I am, did a bit more than I was asked. I made sure everything was labeled, all the students' things from the year were cleaned out of the classroom, and swept/dusted the room. If I didn't do work while in the room, I'd have had nothing else to do, so it made the time go by quicker.

All throughout the day, some of my students and their parents came to pick up their report cards. Some of the kids gave me hugs and talked with me a lot; others, just asked for their report card and left. It was interesting to me which kids fell into which category.

After lunch, I moved my two boys into the room next door where the teacher had 6 girls. I was able to get my room "checked" and pack up stuff and just wait for either the two boys to be picked up or 3 o'clock; whichever came first! One of my boys was picked up around 12:30, so I just had one left. I colored with the students and helped the teacher get all her stuff done around the room, too. At 2:30, she told me that she'd take care of my student for the last hour and that way I can leave early. I said my goodbyes too all the lovely first grade teachers I got the privilege to work with. They are wonderful ladies & made me feel a part of the team.

I'm so thankful for this experience and how it has helped me grow as an educator. I will admit it was stressful at times and felt unfair with the situation I was thrown into, but I understand that God had a plan not just for me, but for those 14 students, too. But boy am I glad for summer!

What a Week

I can't believe this is my last week as a first grade teacher. I've enjoyed the whole experience, but I am totally ready to be done! I've learned a lot about classroom management and have gotten some more great ideas to add to my future teaching plans (whatever the grade may be!). Even though I'm certified for secondary (middle or high school) Social Studies, I've really enjoyed being in an elementary setting and may (some day) get certified to teach elementary.

This week is going to be pretty crazy at school. Of course all the kids have the end-of-year-summer-is-coming squirm going on. They are all ready to be out of school as much as I'm ready to be done. There really isn't much "academics" going on this week (especially for 1st grade), so my week will be consisting more of babysitting than teaching. We'll be doing lots of videos (pbskids.com is a God-send!), coloring, and computer activities. We're having an awards day as well as class party on Thursday, leaving Friday as a clean-up day.

As if the week won't be crazy enough (planning the class party, coming up with little treats for the kids, keeping the house clean, & Steve fed), we've decided to return Ian's (Steve's brother) car to Colorado this weekend. We will be leaving right after I get off school on Friday. So I also have to add in laundry & packing into the crazy week. I got the car cleaned up today so that's one thing off the list. Now to just prioritize the list and figure out what to do next. This week will fly by!

Field Day!!!

Today, I got the privilege of experiencing field day with my kiddos. Field day consists of the kids signing up for events in advance (like 50 yd dash, football throw, class relay, balloon toss, etc) and battling out against all the other first graders. Over the weekend, I made t-shirts for all my kids so that we would match and have team unity (and all the other teachers were doing it, so why not!).

We had good weather while we were outside, even though it was in the mid 80s. I got to sit under a tree and keep track of my kids' scores, so I enjoyed the breeze and the shade. However, the kids were all running around in an open area under the hot sun. I luckily bought some water & juice on a whim, which came in super handy for the kids!

Here are some pictures of my classroom, class, and pictures from the day:

I have a total of 14 students (I started with 13 but got a new kid around Easter). One of my kids did not get to participate in Field Day because he was in In-School Suspension for the day. While in the classroom, the kids sit in tables of 3-4. During the morning we work on reading activities, leaving the afternoon for math, science/spelling/social studies, and an activity (art, library, music, P.E., etc).

Here are a few of my kids entertaining themselves with the grass while they were waiting for their event to be called. In the background, there is some sort of game (I think it was frisbee throw) going on. My students are pretty antsy, so they can only last in an activity so long before they go stir-crazy. I also have some students who have issues with sitting still, so I was pretty tired with keeping my kids in check by the end of the day.

Here are my kiddos in their shirts that I made (well, minus the little girl in front, she got too hot and took her matching shirt off). Also, yes, I am the only whitey in my class. I stick out like a sore thumb when I'm with them. The front of their shirts say "Ackerman's Alligators" with a picture of an alligator on it. Throughout the day, they'd chant "Alligators, Alligators!!" Ha ha, we did have a fun time, but I'm glad it's over!

Only in Tennessee

I had heard rumors about how bad spring weather in Jackson was going to be; however, I think it may be blown out of proportion (kinda like it was in the winter, remember this post?).

Severe weather came in Monday night and has stuck around until now (but according to the news, the sun is a bad sign because there is more to come --we'll see). School was cancelled yesterday and today with the possibility of it being cancelled tomorrow. Where we live in Jackson, we haven't seen the troubles with the weather that the news keeps reporting -- power outtages, fallen trees, and flooding. Since the school buses fear they can't get kids to school safely, they don't do it at all. I can't complain!

Even though we personally haven't seen any damage, I will say that I have never heard as many tornado sirens in my entire life as I have heard this past month. Jackson's reputation with weather has been bad the past couple of years (bad flooding last May & tornado damage a few years ago), so I think people take severe weather very seriously.

Personally, I have become immune to the tornado sirens. So instead of instilling fear & warning me to take cover, I have just learned to turn the tv up louder :). (Don't worry mom, I watch the news during severe weather; although, this is mostly due to the fact it's the only channel I can get because I lose the satellite signal. Oh well, it counts, right?)

Easter Break

Over Easter, we decided to go and visit my family. We originally were not going to go anywhere for Easter because we were going to be traveling for my cousin's wedding the previous weekend. However, with my new job, it just worked out to travel over Easter instead.

We left Jackson Thursday afternoon around 4:30 (5:30 Indiana time). I drove the first part while Steve napped. Things were going great until we hit the outskirts of Nashville (okay, I guess that's about 1.5 hours). Traffic came to a dead-stop. I'd never experienced that before. Generally when being stuck in traffic, cars usually creep along. However, that wasn't the case here. I ended up parking the car and turning the engine off as we sat for about 45 minutes. But before I turned off the car, here was another first:

While trying to figure out what was going on, a cop car zoomed along side the highway. Then, out of nowhere, a firetruck came up IN BETWEEN the 2 lanes of parked traffic! I was able to angle my car onto the side like all the other cars around me. However, 2 cars ahead was a semi who was stuck and unable to go anywhere. The car in front of me backed up as close to our car as possible, and made a way for the firetruck to get through with only 1cm clearance on each side.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. We met minimal traffic; however, I think it was because we were on the road so late. We finally got to my parents house around 2am. We had a great easter weekend filled with family egg hunt and visiting my new niece Charlotte Joanna (Congrats Joe & Liz!).

We headed back to Jackson on Sunday afternoon. We again met traffic that was at a complete stop, but luckily we were close to the exit & able to bypass the traffic jam. Whew!

Steve had to go back to work on Monday; however, I got the day off! To make things even better, a storm swept through last night that brought power outtages, fallen trees, and flooding which meant school was cancelled for today! I have been able to catch up on school things (like making a new seating chart, behavioral plans, lesson plans, etc), unpack & clean up from our trip, as well as enjoy being a bum and lazy.

Word on the street is that there's another wave of storms tonight/tomorrow morning. More rain could cause some more flooding which may lead to another day off. We'll see what tomorrow holds :)

A Classroom of My Own

About the time I posted the last blog (P&G craziness), I got a phone call to sub for the week of April 11-15. I quickly accepted, hung up the phone, and went about the next week with my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces visiting. I never thought that accepting that one phone call would become another life changer.

When I showed up on Monday to sub in the class, I discovered that detailed plans weren't left. As a sub, you learn to just wing it sometimes. However, the whole entire week turned into "winging it". This week marked TCAP (Tennessee standardized testing) week. My first grade class didn't have to test. However, my classroom was in a hallway with several testing classes. I ended up combining my class with another in the 1st grade hallway all week. We did lots of activities like movies, art projects, and activity centers. The week ended up going well since all the first graders & first grade teachers were working together.

All week long, the other first grade teachers kept asking me if I was staying on for the rest of the year. I soon learned that the teacher I was subbing for was out for the rest of the year. I sent an email to the principal saying I was willing, but new that I may not be eligible because of my degree. In order to sub for more than 15 days for the same class, you have to have a degree. I wasn't sure if my Secondary History degree would count in an elementary class. Well on Thursday, the principal came into my classroom to let me know she had it cleared with the district and I am the new teacher! She also gave me some great feedback. She said that she had heard so many great things about me and how my class was doing. It made me feel pretty good :)

The other teachers have been so helpful in making sure that I'm involved in decision processes and planning activities. They even plan all their lessons together. They gave me the information on what I have to teach each day, I just have to figure out how to teach it. I also got really lucky in that I have really good kids (and there's only 13 of them!)

Coming from experience in a middle school, I have quickly discovered the "power of the corner". It's so much easier to say "Go stand in the corner" than having to make threats, sending to the office, or taking away points. Another great thing, is that you can get a kid to do anything for a piece of candy. I have 3 kids who all need stapled to their chairs, but I'm quickly learning how to keep them entertained (or tell them to stand in the corner!).

I can't believe it's only been 1 week. I feel like it's been longer, but all the other teachers keep telling me this week has felt long due to the TCAP testing. I'll go with them on that for now. It'll be hard to figure out the feel of a "normal" week. The next 2 weeks are only 4 day weeks (I get Good Friday & the following Monday off). After those two weeks, there's only 3 weeks of school left. I got this!

Sold!!!

Before 6:45 AM this morning, the title "sold" should have related to buying a new house; however, it's after 6:45 AM. Why does a simple time matter in the topic of a blog post, simply because at 6:45 AM this morning, P&G announced and blindsided all Pringles employees that Pringles had been sold to a Diamond Foods.

What does that have to do with the Ackermans, well. . . .

Yesterday, we put an offer on a house in Jackson. When went high on the asking price and knew that we had a solid offer. However, with today's announcement, we decided to retract our offer. This was very hard to do, especially since we've spent months of researching to buy the perfect house and knew that this one had the best opportunities awaiting us.

With P&G selling Pringles, Steve's job became very uncertain today. We know that he still has a job, but the uncertainty lies in the question of "Who will Steve work for?" In the agreement between the two companies, anyone hired on after April 5, 2010 has the option to remain with P&G (Steve is the only one in his department with this option and one of the few in the entire plant). So since he's a special case, no questions have been answered and probably won't be in the near future.

This is all we know:

Steve probably has the option to stay with P&G, if he stays with P&G he will (fingers crossed & prayers lifted) be placed in Cincinnati. However, there is the chance that he may be placed in another plant (the state of Utah was thrown around but I'm choosing to ignore that state for the time being). So with these options, chances are very high that we will be moving out of Jackson by the end of the year (we're leaning on this possibility but it's out of our hands & only God knows!).

Now, if Steve does not have option to stay with P&G, he'll remain at Pringles under Diamond Foods.

For now, it's a waiting game. A hiring manager should be contacting Steve with his options and things move on from there. But for now, we sit and wonder what tomorrow holds. However, we've decided it does not hold a new house in Jackson until we get some definite answers. We'd appreciate all prayers (especially about patience) on the above issues. God is in control. God is in control. God is in control. . .