E is for Endings

     We are going through a lot of endings in our house lately.  Of course we've just gone through the end of winter.  Very soon it will be the end of the school year.  Less than a year ago was the end of us having children in elementary school.  But, there is so much more getting ready to come to an end and it's got at least two of us in this house a little unsettled.

     My daughter is going through the most endings right now.  Her Girl Scout troop will be folding after this school year and so that's the end of everything that goes along with that.  The end of mother/daughter dinners, father/daughter dances, neighborhood camps, overnights at museums, cookie sales, etc.  The cookie sales I will not miss.  It will be very strange not having the other stuff going on.  She is going to do PEGS so she can continue to earn her awards.  But, it will not be the same.

Neighborhood Camp 2.5 years ago

     This is her last year of middle school.  Everything that goes with not being in high school is over.  This is both scary and exciting for us.  I just am having such a hard time believing that my baby girl is going to be in high school come August.  In just four years we will be planning for graduation.  YIKES!

     We are also part of the ending of an "era" with our local YMCA.  My daughter has been part of the swim team there for the past three years.  All of the coaches are leaving which means whatever happens next year it will be completely different.  It's a little scary, but then, change is always scary.  I hope that they are able to find new coaches soon.

The coach who is pregnant

     This past Christmas saw the ending of Santa Claus in our house, too.  It was the first Christmas that we did not have to pretend about Santa.  Which also meant that the tooth fairy and Easter Bunny have ended, too.  These actually I'm not as sad about as I probably should be.  I'm more relieved because I was HORRIBLE at it.  I just can't remember my lies to keep them going.  And,  our poor kids, the tooth fairy has NEVER been on time.  So, that ending has been helpful.

     This year also saw the ending of my 18 year run as a first grade teacher.  I was moved to 2nd grade for this school year.  I was not happy about it, but am really hoping this is where I stay next year.  There is a lot of uncertainty about that, but I'm still hoping not to be moved again.

My first second grade class in 19 years

     My husband's job that he had for a long time ended less than a year ago.  The company he worked for closed it's doors.  This led him back to a company he left about 13 years ago.  Thankfully, he did find another job.

      And, now it is time for the ending of this post.  Life takes us through lots of changes.  Sometimes they are far apart, but sometimes a lot happen in a short period of time.  The upside to it all is that whenever something ends, something else begins.

An early spring sunrise

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Words to Live By

     When I was in college, there were many things that they did not teach me about being a teacher of young children.  For instance, I was not taught about some of the things I would have to say to my students in the line of teaching social skills.  Here is a list of 10 of the strange things I find myself saying on a regular basis.

1. Stop chewing on your collar.
2. Why is there a crayon in your nose?
3. Why did you tie your shoes together?
4. Stop poking people in the ear.
5. This is a classroom not a mosh pit.
6. Take your book bag out of your mouth.
7. Why did you bite the button off your shirt?
8. Stop turning your eyelids inside out.
9. Please do not do back bends over your chair.
10. Stop trading hair with each other.

Must update here with a bonus one that I said for the first time today:

Stop kissing your desk.

Gumtopia

Ok, so today when I was getting ready to have individual conversations with each of my students about their STAR Math test results from last week on of my darlings raised his hand.

Darling: "She got my stuff." as he's pointing to the little girl sitting across from him

Me: "Who's She?"

Darling: "Missy May"

Me: "What 'STUFF?'

Darling: refuses to answer

Me: What do yo expect me to do about it if you won't tell me what it is?

Darling: Mumbles something that sounds like "I don't know."

Me: "You don't know what it is?  She has your stuff, but you don't know what your stuff is?"

Darling: "I didn't say I don't know."

Me: taking a deep breath... "Ok, again, What stuff?"

Darling: "Tommy Joe Jason gave me...."

Me: interrupting him... "I didn't ask you who gave it to you, I asked you what stuff?"

Darling: "My gum"

Really?  This child has been in trouble for having gum numerous times over the last few weeks.  I've even called mom about it. 

The gum was confiscated and thrown away.  Come to find out he was pushing the gum onto Missy May's desk so she took it and put it in her pocket. 

Ten minutes later I was introducing the trash can to three more violators of our school wide no gum policy.

For some reason this happens EVERY year about this time.  We can go all first semester and only have one or two gum incidents.  Then we come back from winter break and all of the sudden it's Gumtopia. 

0_o