No Contest

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday (we all really needed the break, I'm sure)!

Other Art Teacher and I got the art show hung just before school let out for Thanksgiving and just in time for literacy night, so we had a lot of traffic through that hallway.  It was wonderful!  We were hearing a lot of feed back about how good our 1st and 2nd graders did and how great the hall looks with all that art up.  Our superintendent even got to see the kids efforts, which is pretty great I think.

Done and Done!

So I spent the last two days crawling around my floor mounting art for the 1st and 2nd grade art show; I am absolutely tapped out.  Because of certain issues, we (the other art teacher and I) mounted the artwork on large sheets of black bulletin board paper to be hung on the wall.The way I did mine meant working on the floor was easier than the tables. But I am sore, and my knees feel absolutely shredded.

But everything is hung and labeled now! Yay!  We've gotten a lot of positive reactions from teachers and students so far.  The older kids keep asking when they get to have an art show (it will be in the spring). I am very happy they're all so excited.

Overall, very pleased with how it all looks and the reactions.

Back in the Saddle! (Or at Least Trying to Blog Again)

When the new school year started, I had every intention of blogging on at least a semi-regular basis.  Alas, I have been lazy.  Of course, things have been rather busy...

Worst Day Since Yesterday

EDIT: Is it bad that I'm too lazy to go through and change all the present tense wording to past tense? I wrote this yesterday but forgot to post. Blegh.

Really, what can be more embarrassing than having a half-dozen teachers and aides witness a class full of kindergartners pushing your buttons thoroughly until you explode? To be honest, I really couldn't say.

In my last post, I declared that there was a new contender for the title of "the Challengers". Well the  kindergartners aren't giving up their title so easily. As you might have guessed, I've had a vexing time today (and I'm not even getting into the standardized testing going on right now--I'm testing a group to help out).

To start us off, I was informed that there was a new student, a quiet and sullen little boy standing near the back of the line. Then, one of my usual troublesome boys was really acting up; I left him sitting outside the office where he--I am sure--promptly fell asleep (I think he needs it anyhow).

I had a nice long talk with the kids about their previous behavior, and they were quite eager to offer up reasons the class didn't go well and how they could change that. Of course, there was plenty of chit-chat and interruptions galore. Nothing said penetrated their brains, I am certain, except for those precious few whom give me no real trouble on most days.

At first, they were marginally well behaved. But by the end of class, well... I didn't lose it like I would have at the beginning of the year, but I felt as though I could have.

Maybe I should have closed the curtains entirely (it really kind if stinks being on display for anyone passing through the cafeteria) and stood quietly while they went insane. Maybe that would have made an impression. I don't know. All I know is that I'm at my wit's end, and summer vacation has never sounded sweeter.

The No Good, Very Bad Day (but at Least it Wasn't Raining)

I think my kindergartners have a contender for the title of "The Challengers". I have just finished royally chewing out my 1st graders. And I gnawed a little on the fourth graders the other art teacher has (using my classroom). The poor things looked a little shocked, but they were treating their sub quite rudely.

Deep breathes, Underwood. Deep breathes.

Been having trouble with this class for several weeks now (since Christmas in fact), and they've had several instances of very disruptive behavior which was addressed first by putting their heads down and then by writing, as in this post.

Today was just the icing on the cake, the proverbial straw, my last nerve et cetera et cetera.  To even be heard (because counting down, ringing the bell, and standing quietly waiting for silence did little to provoke much more than several shushes and a return to previous deafening levels of sound) I had to yell so loudly they probably heard me the next county over. I marched them back into the hall to line up and chewed them out (which was witnessed by their teacher to boot). The final verdict is that they will no longer be doing art, they will be writing about art instead.

Joy.

Now I'm at the kindergarten, and these kids have been hit with a serious case of Spring craziness. I tried, but nothing was getting done. We came outside instead much like the other classes (as much because of general insanity as because the teachers are having a meeting).

The sun is shining, there's a nice cool breeze (80 degree weather this week, geeze), and this group of kids will be having art tomorrow, too, so why not?

My Hero...

Ohhh Spring Break, how I miss you.  It went by far too quickly, and I have learned what the worst day of the year is:  the following Monday.  I was pretty exhausted, which didn't help (for the curious, check my lj here.)

We had parent-teacher conferences today, and so it was certainly long.  I don't get parent or student visitors, and the time is generally spent working in the classroom.  It did afford me the opportunity to take down the snowflake mobiles my second graders did; I promised I would give them back after Spring Break.  Tomorrow I'll take pictures of them.

Shortly after arriving at the elementary from the kindergarten, I was paged by the office to receive a phone call.  Jodie, who is one of the secretaries at the kindergarten building told me that Dr. Warren, our Superintendent, wanted to see me.  Do you ever get that feeling in your gut, like you expect to turn around and find it laying on the floor because it's fallen out?  I sort of felt like that, only less dramatic.  I also had people sing-songing in the background that I was 'in trouuuubllllle'.  Those ladies crack me up.

As I have mentioned before, the "artroom" at the kindergarten is a stage.  I have no access to water, and so, just before we all left for break, I submitted a grant proposal for the money to buy a portable sink and accessories.  They're expensive, usually running anywhere from $700-$2000.  So no way can my art budget ever cover the cost.  When I arrived at the administration building, Dr. Warren had my proposal and was basically saying that it was ridiculous and unacceptable (though of course far less bluntly said), and my first thought was that I needed to rewrite it or something.  But, as it turns out, I was pleasantly surprised.

Dr. Warren, who told me she didn't even realize one could get portable sinks, said that the grant was unnecessary as I should have already had a sink, and I was to fill out a requisition form to be turned in as soon as possible.   They're going to buy my sink for me, no fuss, no muss.  When I was told I had to see Dr. Warren, I had no idea that it was going to be something so absolutely fabulous!  I was seriously squealing like a little girl on the inside.  I still am!  Dr. Warren is totally my new hero.

Attitude!

Just recently I have decided that I need only 3 rules for my classroom:

#1 - Have a good attitude.

#2 - TRY.

#3 - Have fun!  (Okay so this last one is silly, but I like it and think it's still important.)

No. 2 has been an unofficial rule for most of the year, something that I have continuously pounded into my students' heads.  But the first really only occurred to me after today.  Attitude is important!  Of course I knew this; so do most people, if only in an abstract, back of the mind sort of way.  It may go by a different name or phrase -- we routinely admonish the kids to "make good choices".

This week my kids have had a free-draw day, earned each 9 weeks through good behavior.  But today's 1st graders have had somewhat appalling behavior since Christmas, and as a consequence, they lost their free day.  Now, as it so happens, I had nothing planned for this eventuality.  So I got out a quote on attitude, one that my college mentor teacher gave to recalcitrant students to copy.  I had the children sit quietly with their heads down while I explained to them exactly why they didn't get free day.  Then I read the quote:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes. -- Charles R. Swindoll

 I feel that this quote is something of a truism, and I was really getting into it.  After reading it aloud, I further expounded upon how important having a good attitude was.  I'll admit I was on a bit of a tear (they've been incredibly frustrating for months now--talking, sniping, arguing, tattling, the list goes on).  I wasn't shouting, but I was loud and rather vehement, gesturing and pacing through the room.  And I'm not sure why (or even if I wasn't imagining things), but it seemed to me that for once the kids were actually taking in what I was saying instead of letting it go in one ear and out the other.  Time will tell, I guess.

And then they spent the rest of the class copying that quote.

Now, having thought back about today and how thoroughly I lectured my students, I've thought about how this all applies to me, not just in my teaching but in my life.  Attitude really is one of the most important things in life, and I think it's something that one should always try to keep in mind.

As an instructor of small children, I know that how I feel has immediate effect on my students.  If I am unenthusiastic, so will they be.  I've noticed that my students are always more difficult to keep on task if I'm feeling low energy or low on excitement.  And it makes it hard.  But I also know that if I just take a few minutes before class to breathe, and to do whatever I need to do to change my attitude, the whole day just brightens.  Both my students and I will have much more fun.  Sometimes, I just need to do something utterly silly like wave my hands wildly in the air and jump up and down or have a quick stretch.  It wakes me up!  (Sorry, theater person here; we do crazy warm ups like that.)  Or maybe I'll read a bit of an interesting article or funny anecdote.  Sometimes I start the class speaking with a silly accent; giggling kindergartners can really lift my mood.  But if I ignore my less than wonderful attitude, I end the day feeling disillusioned, exhausted and put out.

It's something to think about.  If I police my current attitude and try to keep to a positive outlook, will things go more smoothly, even when they don't?  I'm not sure, but I think that it will at least make me feel better, more productive, and more fulfilled.