Awww... my kids love me

I broke my ankle. Ick. Thank heavens my kids love me. There's no way I would make it through the day with the immobility and pain without them.

My favorite comments:

"Can I push you Miss Hortin?" This came after watching me scoot myself around on my wheelie chair.

"How do you get to school?"

"How are you going to get home?"

"Did you cry when you fell down?"

"Are you okay, Miss Hortin?" This concerned question has come from students in all grades, some of whom I don't even know. :)

"Don't stand up, Miss Hortin!"

"Can I help you? Can I help you? Can I help you? Can I help you?"

Warms my heart.

Husbands for Sale

Your story reminds me of one of my own. At the school I am student teaching at there are three fifth grade teachers and myself. One of the teachers has been married awhile. One of the others just got married in November. And then the last teacher and myself are single.

Since the beginning of the year my students have loved to ask me about boyfriends and if I had one. They would also ask when I would get one because they wanted me to bring him into the classroom like another student teacher did (her boyfriend came and proposed to her in her classroom with the students, needless to say, now my students want someone to come to their classroom). But, it has gotten even funnier and worse since the other teacher got married.

Now my class as well as the other single teachers class are trying to find us husbands. At first they started with the usual questions of if we had boyfriends. Then it went on to things such as this:

Student: "Well, I am sure you can buy a boyfriend. Or even better, you should just buy a husband."

Next student: "You can't buy a husband. Duh. You have to go catch one."

First student: "ok. Then you need to go fishing Miss Walker."

Another student: "She doesn't need to go fishing. She just needs to marry my cousin."

Next student: "I have uncle you could marry. He is a construction worker."

New student: "Yeah. Marry the construction worker, but he has to propose to you here in the classroom."

These comments are not only going on in my room, but in the other teachers classroom as well. It makes me laugh every time that I hear them. I even heard on student in the hall ask another where they could find husbands for sale. I told them to let me know where as soon as they found out. We will see if they come up with an answer. And as funny as it is, you have to love them for trying right?

My third grade guys

A few days ago, I was called over to the desk of one of the boys in my class.

Student: "Miss Hortin, do you have a boyfriend?"

Me: "Not right now."

Student: "You should get one."

Me: "Oh? Where should I go to get one?"

Student: "The mall."

Of course! I've been looking in all the wrong places! I should have been at the 'Boyfriend Store' the whole time!

It's nice to have my third grade guys looking out for me.

Writing Sub Plans

I injured myself. Badly.

I sprained my ankle and I can't put even the tiniest bit of weight on it. Which means it's time for...

SUB PLANS!

Hopefully I'll be able to get by with just one day away from my little darlings, but I still have to write up plans for a whole day - Everything I would say or do for someone else to follow.

So... here's how I do it.

I've created an outline for each day of the week with computer times, library schedule, recesses, etc. When an unexpected absence comes along, I just pull up the outline on my computer and fill in the blanks. Then I can email the file to a grade level team member or have an angel who lives with me (Thanks, J!) bring it to my school before the day starts.

Recently, I also created a week's worth of emergency sub plans. These plans follow the outline rule, and they have activities in them that could be used at any point in the year. I plan to use these plans if I get sick suddenly (like in the middle of the night), and I don't have time to create more detailed plans. I keep them in a red folder in my desk drawer with all the necessary copies to accompany the plans.

The only problem I have is - what if I was going to go to the library to choose a new book for my guided reading groups? Do I explain to the sub how to do that? What if I plan to teach an entirely new subject to my students that day? Do I put that in the hands of the substitute (aka 'guest teacher') and hope for the best?

I'm still trying to figure out these hiccups. Please share any suggestions you've discovered.

10 things I love about teaching

1. Reading funny things my kids write. The "I can help others by..." writing prompt yielded some wonderful responses. For example, "I can help others by taking out the garbage."

2. Reading insightful things my kids write. We talked about things that don't cost money, and one student wrote, "You don't have to pay anything to look at a rainbow."

3. Being inspired by my students' strength. Some of my students are dealing with huge struggles in their lives, but they handle it with grace and a smile.

4. Every day is different. There's never a dull moment in third grade.

5. Getting really excited about a lesson I'm going to teach. Sometimes I get to a point in my planning where I get so excited about a lesson I almost giggle. Almost.

6. Seeing my kids come so far throughout the year.

7. High fives at the end of the day.

8. I never ever look at the clock and watch minutes crawl by during my work day. Time flies!

9. Talking to my cute kids about their lives. I especially love talking football or discussing music with my third graders.

10. My kids are always looking for ways to make me smile, whether it's a joke, a love note, or a compliment.

The Morning Routine

This has made such a difference in the way I feel when I get to work that I just have to share.

Every morning, I try to be ready for work at least a half hour before I have to walk out the door. That gives me time for my cherished morning routine. Here's how it goes:

Say my morning prayers after making my bed.

Eat a breakfast and drink my airborne (a MUST!)

Watch a few minutes of the local news or Fox News. (I confess, I fell in love with the anchor of Fox New's America's Newsroom while I was living in DC).

Make a lunch.

Read my scriptures and browse the front page of the newspaper.

Make a cup of cocoa in a thermal mug to take in the car with me.

I promise you - a peaceful morning routine is a piece of heaven on earth. It's exactly what I need to get me charged up for the busy day ahead.

Just a little piece of advice...

If you are considering getting your ESL endorsement, I highly recommend it.

However -

I DO NOT recommend getting it during your first year of teaching. Unless you want to bring on a heart attack or a nervous breakdown. I'm all for setting big goals and continuing your education, but honestly. This is just too much. Learn from my example. :)