{when you're happy and you know it, clap your hands}

what do you do when fifteen children simultaneously burst out in song?  now, this is something i should be used to... i mean, i've worked at a summer camp for four years and i am known to hum a little "great big moose", "boy and a girl in a little canoe" or "your mama don't where no socks" from time to time.  but this was nothing like i've ever experienced!  strange, bizarre, beautiful, and fabulousness all at the same time :) 

as i was giving my children the run down of the day's schedule, i was explaining this prayer card i was going to pass out that had different bible verses to look up when you are ..."sad or if you are happy..." that's when the kids jumped in...  "AND YOU KNOW IT CLAP YOUR HANDS!"  they continued with this rendition for several, what seemed like minutes!  while i, stunned and complexed waved my arms to try to quiet them down but was so struck with the joyfulness that i couldn't help but smile, laugh... and well... clap!  yes, i'd have to say that i'm happy and i know it. 

{pants on fire}

so, i may have fibbed a little to my small friends... (i know what you're thinking... and who works at a catholic school?)  but before you start shaking your head and giving me the "tisk, tisk. shame on you"  face, let me just say, it was ALL for the sake of learning! 

here's my story:  i had planned a FABULOUS, if i do say so myself, lesson on cause and effect.  it was complete with an excellent read aloud picture book that supported the cause (and effect... ha!), partner problem solving activities, higher order thinking questions, and included some rockin' guided learning modeling too.  FABULOUS.  as i introduced the lesson i needed something epic that my small friends could totally relate to and that would stick to the sole of their shoes.  answer: puppies.  no kid can resist puppies. 
WALLAH!  so came the fib:  "this weekend when i was visiting my best friend i left my shoes out by the front door and her puppy chewed up my shoes.  beCAUSE i left my shoes out the puppy chewed them up.  cause and effect, anyone?"  you should have seen those hands shoot up.  (insert angel choir here.)   teacher's dream.  the munchkins nailed it.  before we could move on however, the story (of my best friend who does NOT have a dog)  started to unravel. 

lovely child number one, "oh, so is that why you are wearing different shoes today?"  (what?  boy friend, you've memorized my shoe collection?)

yours truly:  "oh, no... he chewed up my tennis shoes."  i busted out, trying to move on.   

lovely child number two, "oh no!  not your nice tennis shoes that you wore for the marathon!?"  (dude.  why are these children paying attention to my feet?) 

yours truly:  "hum... no, it was an older pair."  (okay... are we finished?!)

third lovely child, "what kind of dog was it?" 

(okay... i can't stop now!!) "she just got it.  it's an adorable black lab." 

all of the children at once: "oh... one time our dog..."

hum.  you're probably thinking-- why didn't you just tell the truth?  they probably would have still grasped the concept and you could have just moved on with the lesson.  that's where you are wrong.  it's all about the magic, people. to them, it was real-- they made a connection-- they got it (and came up with hundreds of other cause and effect examples that included their pets, i might add)! i bet if you ask any of my kiddos for an example of cause and effect they'll bring you back to the scene of that gosh darn cute black lab that chewed on my old pair of tennis shoes.  it's all in the presentation that learning occurs, people.   

as for this liar, liar... i suppose it's a good thing my class is heading to confession tomorrow... because my pants are on fire. 

{so... you want me to run?}

today was the best. day.  ever.  EVER.  it was our school marathon day where my little athletes and i set out for a day of walking, running, skipping, and... well, complaining of feet aches. as we ventured out to the camping area out of town, i was a little skeptical of how i would survive my kiddos would keep up.  but it was WONDERFUL.  not only did i get to enjoy the beautiful fall weather, but i got to participate in hilarious kid discussions including puppy pimples (i don't even know..), retirement, and halloween decorations, AND i witnessed my fourth grade boys singing and dancing to taylor swift, children practicing math facts-- willingly!, and kiddos with hot coco mustaches (some were more like beards!)  my 15 kiddos and i reached a stellar combined miles of 205.  SUCH ROCK STARS.  i've never seen my crew work so hard.  i am SO proud. 

oh, and i didn't even get to the BEST PART-- i got to wear sweat pants to work!  (YAHOO!)

{raise that roof}

i am well known for my (fabulous? amazing? epic? sometimes dangerous?) hand motions.  i'm not sure when this characteristic of mine came about (maybe from all those church songs! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTfrqAqShfQ), but i've always felt the need to "show" people with my hands by painting.. or motioning an image with my flailing arms. if you watch closely, i can't sit still (yes, even in church!) i'm always toe tapping, finger wiggling, body rocking, or fidgeting.  which is probably why i relate to kids so well (because they can't sit still either!)

my kids too are realizing my over use of fabulous hand motions...

student:  ms. s, why do you always do this? (raising the roof) And this? (throwing and waving hands up in the air)

i didn't have the heart to tell her that the second is used as a venting exercise, which means i am probably screaming in my head and on the verge of wanting to tear my hair out... so i went with this more catholic school appropriate answer: "oh! it means i'm praising God."  (which is sometimes true :) )

humm... and what did i find my little rascals doing the next day... rasin' the roof.

{ready, set, GROW!}

my kiddos and i have been working on a germination experiment for some time now... how long?  oh, FOUR WEEKS!  after getting my kids all excited about being scientists, making hypothesises, and doing experiments our first attempt FAILED miserably, and i must confess-- i saw it coming!  we used very sad looking seeds that seemed to already hit their expiration date.  so, i talked to the kids about "what happens when an experiment fails"... try, try again!  this time, using seeds that seemed a little more promising from my mother.  monday rolls around, and do you know what i find??? MOLDY SEEDS!  shoot!!!
some of my little friends have confronted me about the disaster... and i keep saying, "oh, maybe they need more water?" 
so tomorrow i'm going to prepare for this little confession:  i can't make plants grow... seriously!! several of my good  friends can tell you that i've killed a cactus or two (to which they said, "gee!  you're less nurturing than a desert!" hummm... thanks, friends.)  but this lady has been cursed with the opposite of a green thumb (black finger? brown pinkie? if we're talking color wheel, then red toe!) 

all i have to say is thank goodness i don't have to grow my own food :)

p.s. favorite quote from the day: child eating hamburger:  "oh no...ms. s, my onion ate my cheese!!"

{we all drool on our pillows sometimes}

i adore elementary kids.  a) they love giving hugs and b) they love making you homemade presents.  hence, why i love this tiny second grader.  i see this kiddo two times a week for computer class.  she doesn't always follow directions, but she sure has a cheerful smile.  among the chaos at the end of today, a little hand holding a handmade card waved in front of my face.  i took the card and the hug that came with it as the giver scurried away to her classroom.  as i opened the card, what did i find?  a portrait of myself in a field of flowers.  precious.  she also included a little sticker... "we all drool on our pillows sometimes."  how could you not smile!  yes, we all drool on our pillows sometimes, but fortunately, it's usually dry by morning :)  thanks for the reminder!   

{will you play solitaire with me?}

sometimes i just roll my eyes and laugh inside.  oh, children: the little aliens that are so mischievous... yet, are so darn cute that you don't mind.  which brings me to my next story-- we (the teachers)  have been TRAPPED inside with the kids for TWO recesses.  do you know what happens when kids aren't able to run wild and free?  they turn into monkeys, sharks, and emus (shout out for my camp people-- holla!).  any YES, a combined species.  (PICTURE IT-- that combo is fierce... did you put that baby into a mental picture, yet?  UFTAH!)   these are the days that teachers have the urge to  "call in sick"  or schedule doctors appointments but resist because they are professions who love their job (most of the time)....   you may be unaware, but teachers not only double as nurses, physiologists, counselors, mothers, yes- zookeepers, janitors, cheerleaders, and detectives (a few of our many roles) but one of our overlooked gifts is rhw role of a meteorologists.  we can tell you when a storm is coming DAYS in advance.  how?  the way our children act-- no lie, ask any teacher and they'll agree.  Anyways, on with the story... as I'm trying to camouflage myself from my little friends (who by now have become natural disasters), one little guy who is playing lego's notices that my spirit-o-meter would be much higher if i was taking part in the festivities.  he walks over to me...

child: "do you know how to play solitaire?" 
me: (where is he going with this?  does he not notice this book i'm holding up to escape from this juggle?)  "yes, i do!  it's a fun game!"
child:  "do you want to play solitaire with me?"
me: (i tilt my head and smile.. hum?)  "isn't solitaire a one person game?" 
child:  "oh, yeah."  (as he scampers off to play lego's with his friends )

i can't figure out how the little ones who make you want to tear your hair out are the same little ones that make you smile the most and keep you coming back day after day.  it must be the "alien" in them :)