My brain is so full…

That things are starting to fall out of my ears. 

My end-of-the-school-year forgetfulness is in full swing, and this is not a good thing. 

My son has a t-shirt that says it all “May I be excused from class?  My brain is full.”

I need that t-shirt, if only to wear as an explanation for my increasingly erratic and disorganized behavior.  I can’t even organize my thoughts to write on my blog tonight.

Maybe tomorrow.

Mrs. V

Message to the world.

I’m borrowing this little meme from Writer Chick.

Here’s the idea: If you have only 150 characters (letters) to give your message to the world, what would you say?

Children are a precious resource. Love, support and teach them. Provide boundries and discipline so they may learn to respect themselves and the world around them. Enjoy them!

That took some thought (and counting.)

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mrs. V

X-rays don’t talk

I bet you knew that though.  Apparently I didn’t. 

Here’s the evidence:

Scene and characters:  Wednesday morning, art table, child with broken collar bone, obviously blonde teacher

Child: Teacher, I had to get another x-ray.

Me: Oh, really?

Child:  They took a picture and put it on the computer.

Me:  Wow!  What did the x-ray tell the doctors?

Child:  Nothing.

Another Child:  Teacher, x-rays don’t talk.  (First child nods head in agreement.)

And yet I know the difference between *quiescently and quintessential. 

I love 4 and 5 year olds. 

Mrs. V

*See my last post.

Defining a Frozen Fudge Bar

Today I bought a box of storebrand frozen fudge bars for my snacking pleasure.  I must say they are delicious.  As I was slurping one down I read the box, which is what I frequently do with the food that I prepare or eat.  Under the bold heading of “12 Fudge Bars” it said “A Quiescently Frozen Dairy Confection”.

What?  Quiescently?  Really?

Now, I may just teach preschool, and maybe I’m a little on the “blonde” side of things some days, but that statement made absolutely no sense at all.  So, being a teacher I grabbed my trusty dictionary and thesaurus

Definition of Quiescently: adj.  inert, inactive, dormant, quiet, sluggish

So in a sense I guess it could be correct, since fudge bars aren’t known for their activity.  It is also true that fudge bars are frozen, so that may be why it’s a sluggish dairy confection.  I’ve also never heard a fudge bar talk.  Fudge bars are indeed motionless, unless being moved by something else, so I might agree with it being an inert dairy confection.  However, I’ve never known that a fudge bar could sleep, or possibly be waiting to develop into something bigger and better like a fudge brick on a stick.  Could the 12 fudge bars truly be a “A Quiescently Frozen Dairy Confection?”   Is it possible?

Although I do wonder if they meant to say “A Quintessential Frozen Dairy Confection?”

Nah, it couldn’t be.  I must have it all wrong.  Fudge bars aren’t a classic, ideal, typical or standard frozen dairy confection at all, are they?

Something to chew on besides a fudge bar, perhaps.

Mrs. V

Karma…

On my personal day I caught myself thinking about how I was lucky to have gotten out of winter relatively healthy, without having had to take a sick day. 

Damn…

Karma has such a way of slapping someone right in the face, you know? 

I had to find a substitute teacher for my classroom today, because I needed to take a sick day.  Not because I’m sick today, but I was the whole weekend, and today I’m still feeling like the junk stuck to the bottom of someone’s old shoe.

So, yeah, that’s the last time I’ll congratulate myself for not getting sick.  You’d think I’d learn.

Mrs. V

Love and Hate

I’m borrowing this love and hate theme from Reflecting for today.

Love: My friends who shared a coffee/tea date with me today. Thanks for the pick-me-up.

Hate: Having to color my own hair. However, in the name of saving money, I have done it.

Love: The gal at Cost Cutters who cut my hair. Thanks for listening.

Hate: The clouds and rain. Just for today and tomorrow though.

Love: My new hair color. It’s different, but it’s good. Maybe I’ll be brave and post a picture. We’ll see.

Hate: Road Construction. It’s messing with my life, and as you know, I don’t like change.

Love: My son’s 6th grade band concert. 200 students and they pulled it all together, beautifully.  I was very impressed.  I may just have to post a video. 

Hate: My forgetfulness.  Now where was I?

Love: Music.  My iPod made me stick to my excercise today.

Hate: Excercise.  Somedays it just feels like a necessary evil.  Today could’ve easily been one of those days.

Love: When people read my blog and comment on it.  Thank you!

Hate: That I’ve run out of things to say.

Mrs. V

“I meant what I said, and I said what I meant…”

This teacher is fed-up… 100%! 

Thank goodness I have Friday off.  I get one paid personal day each school year (yes, folks…  you read right, ONE) and I’m taking it on Friday.  YAY!! 

Why are my students pushing, hitting, kicking, fighting, spitting, tattling and every other “ing” that makes me nuts?  It must be spring fever.

The best thing about today:  The t-shirt painting, it really was a lot of fun and the shirts are really cute.  The children also know the difference between arachnids and other insects.  Woohoo! 

The worst thing:  A broken collar bone for one of my students.  It was a total accident.  Two children dancing (nothing wild, just fun) and the one fell on the other.  Kudos to my assistant, Mrs. K, for handling it.  Our poor student.  The parents handled it well.  To quote the father “Dancing with girls will always lead to trouble.”   

Chaos was today’s theme and we handled it, we survived, but holy smokes are we tired! 

I am so glad I have Friday off.  Then I can finish out May feeling refreshed and renewed.  Right?  I hope so!

Mrs. V

(The title is a quote from the Dr. Seuss book: Horton Hatches an Egg)

It must be in the timing

A joke overheard in my preschool classroom:

Girl A:  Why did the daddy rescue the princess from the dragon?

Girl B:  I don’t know.

Girl A:  Because the dragon had a new tooth! 

This is followed by a joyous round of laughter by the other children listening, because it’s obviously the funniest joke out there.  So, I decide to join in the fun.

Teacher:  Why did the chicken cross the road?

Girl A:  I don’t know.

Teacher: To get to the other side.  (Now waiting for laughter.)

Girl A:  Oh, yeah, my daddy told me that one already.  (No laughter…)

Teacher:  Why did the turkey cross the road?

Girl A:  To get to the other side?

Teacher: No, he did it because the chicken was asleep. 

**sounds of crickets chirping**

I swear it must be the timing. 

Mrs. V

“Give ‘em the ol’ Razzle Dazzle”

Have you ever seen the musical, Chicago?  I’ve seen the movie (very nice) and the stage show on Broadway in NYC (totally and completely awesome.) 

I have found that teaching preschoolers is a lot of “Razzle Dazzle.” 

To quote some of the fabulously written lyrics:

 ”Give ‘em the old razzle dazzle
Razzle Dazzle ‘em
Give ‘em an act with lots of flash in it
And the reaction will be passionate
Give ‘em the old hocus pocus
Bead and feather ‘em
How can they see with sequins in their eyes?”

I’ve become an expert at the “Razzle Dazzle” of teaching preschoolers.  I sing, I dance, I act silly, I make puppets talk, and I try to make learning fun.  I also do it to keep their attention.  In this age of split-second attention spans, and continuous flashy entertainment it feels like it has become a necessary tool for teaching.  To be truthful, some days the whole “performance” side of teaching feels forced.  Some days I really don’t feel like going into my song and dance routine.  Some days I’d just like those little ones to sit and listen to what I have to say, just because that’s what they should do.  However, I know better.  So I do it.  I entertain them in the hopes that I am teaching my students.

I fear that my “Razzle Dazzle” isn’t holding their attention anymore.  So, it must be close to summer break.  Either that, or the hook is waiting in the wings to pull me off stage.  Time will tell, I guess.

Mrs. V

(I can’t get that song outta my head now…) 

Tap Dancing Queen

Here she is as the tap dancing queen!  This is one of the dress rehearsals for her Tap 2 class.

She’s the third one in line, and pretty much in the center of the video.  I like this recital costume better than the jazz costume.  I love how she holds her ribbon and skirt throughout the dance.  She doesn’t like to look at the video recorder while she’s dancing.  However, she really does love performing and looks forward to her time on stage every year!

Mrs. V