Sick Day

I am home sick today. My head is pounding and I am so tired. Thanks to Angelee who is taking her life in her hands by subbing my first graders. Most people think... "oh, first grade, how fun!" But those people have not taken THEIR life in THEIR hands by visiting room 1 at Bird Street School. But those people are mostly correct. Generally speaking, first grade is very fun... but sometimes the sun and the planets line up to create a most unnatural force in the atmosphere that causes some phenonomens here on earth and my class is one of them. I have several groups... the Baby Boys, the Bossy Girls, the Yakkity Yakkers, the Blessed Ones and the Psychos. I spend my days trying to motivate these various groups to bring their behaviors closer to what is expected in public education these days. With 25 children in the classroom the various groups need to bend to the direction of the teacher so that learning can take place. I don't merely want to survive... I want to see that every child in my classroom is ready for second grade. And herein lies the problem. Most of the children that I have don't want to listen... oh I shouldn't say that. They DO want to listen, if they have time after doing what they are consumed with, at that moment. The bossy girls are telling everyone what to do, the Baby boys are rolling on the floor or playing "I'll poke you and then you poke me", the Yakkers are having conversations with everyone around them, the Blessed are sitting there ready to learn (thank Goodness for them... all 6 of them) and you don't even want to know what the Psychos are doing... (who knows what they are thinking)

Anyway... why am I discussing this on my sick day!!!!? All I wanted to really say was, "Thank you Angelee... and Becky" (who babysat)

And since I have a blog that noone reads... except for Angelee... and maybe Sam... and maybe Ben... but surely noone else... I would like to say that I love my Seminary class. I love teaching the Book of Mormon... but in the midst of all this gooey love and tenderness... I am feeling a tad of nonsupport from some of the parents of the students in my class. At least 3 weeks ago I mailed a letter to each of them (which I am very proud of doing because I am notorious for having good ideas but doing nothing with that good idea) but I actually wrote the letters, made copies, addressed them, stamped them, put in a self-addressed stamped envelope, went home to get them when I forgot them, turned around at school when i forgot to mail them and actually MAILED them. WOW! Yay for me. I asked in this letter for a letter from them to their son or daughter... kinda like what Alma said to his sons... Helaman, Shiblom and Corianton. And yes, I have most of the letters at this point... but guess whose letters I don't have... my FRIENDS letters. Yes, that would be Jagodas, Robertson's and Hancocks. Oh well... maybe they have been on a cruise or maybe they ran out of paper or maybe they are more busy than any of the other parents who have dutifully returned their letters to me. It is not up to me to judge... Each time I have talked to Annette she says, (hopefully), "Am I too late?" Oh no, you are not too late. (I wish I had a letter from my mother.)

Hey... I found my camera!!! I had lost my red camera, my new red glasses and my new grandchildren necklace from Christmas. Angelee found the glasses and the necklace and I found the camera this morning. I am not publishing where I found it.