The Ultimate Virgo

As I'm sure you all know, the last week or so has been incredibly cold in Minnesota. In fact, I've only worked with students 2 days in the last week. On Martin Luther King Day, my school district had a teacher in-service day, so we didn't have any students. Then school was canceled on Thursday, I had a funeral to attend on Friday, and school was canceled again today...and tomorrow. Now, I know it probably sounds crazy, because I have been paid to stay home for five days this year so far, but I actually MISS my regular schedule. My students haven't been able to get into a routine since winter break, which they need...but I need it, too! I'm such a creature of habit and I thrive on routine. Sometimes I don't know what to do when I have too much spare time! Now don't get me wrong...I have plenty to do. I've been working on my business and finishing paperwork for the school, along with frantically cleaning my house (I'm pretty sure it's cleaner than it's ever been). But, strange as it seems, I miss my students! I'm PRAYING we have school on Wednesday!

When I have extra time, I find myself doing a lot of work (I use that term VERY loosely) on the internet. Sometimes I'm researching daycares, other times I'm looking at rental homes closer to the school...  The last few days have been no exception. Charley has been under-the-weather, so we've been relaxing on the couch quite a bit, and my 'research' has become more 'looking around online because I'm bored,' than anything else. The other day, I was on Facebook, and someone posted 12 Signs You're an Aquarius. So, naturally, I had to look up, 'Signs You're a Virgo,' to see how it fits in terms of my personality. HA! I am the ULTIMATE Virgo. It's weird to me that when I was born determines ANY of my personality tendencies, but seriously, it's pretty accurate. One of the Pinterest posts states the following about Virgos:

Loves: organization, constructive criticism, being of service, health and hygiene, and dealing with details

Hates: crowds, people who complain, interrupted schedules, people moving their things, and making hasty decisions

Another post cites that, "No need to worry. A Virgo will do the worrying for you."

Ha! It's like someone read my mind. I love organization, and helping people. Details are SUPER important to me, so when I look at a project that I know I won't be able to execute perfectly, I don't even attempt it, just in case it doesn't come out right. I've been working on that, actually... When it comes to the things I hate, I genuinely can't stand people who complain. Everybody has struggles in their lives. Everybody has things that are difficult, and circumstances that are complicated. But my philosophy has always been, if something's not right, CHANGE it! I've changed my path many times in the last several years, and I'm better off because of it. As I tell my students (frequently), "I don't speak whine." I thought it was just my personality. Apparently it's a Virgo thing! Oh, and the worrying thing? I'm pretty sure I've made myself physically ill worrying before. Good to know it's a Virgo thing, and I'm definitely not crazy. Ha! 

I think my favorite Virgo-related post is the one that states, "Virgos are not really complicated, but at the same time, they are. The reason being, on the surface they are so calm, collected, reserved and down-to-earth. Inside however, there is a WHOLE lot going on, especially in their minds." Ummmm....Hi. That is TOTALLY me. I'm frequently praised for my ability to remain calm in stressful situations (let's just say a child throwing a fit doesn't phase me even a little bit). But just because I appear calm, and seem like I know EXACTLY what to do, doesn't mean that's the case. Sometimes I'm internally freaking out, but keep a calm demeanor on the outside. I suppose it's a skill in the workplace, but the tendency to overthink anything and everything has gotten me in trouble in other areas of my life.   That's a Virgo trait I think I need to try to use only in certain situations...

Hours after I read about my Virgo traits, and confirmed that I am truly, in every sense of the word, a Virgo (perfectionistic, goal oriented, driven, etc.), I went to a staff party for Kenwood. It was a really nice party. Great food, wonderful people...and they all embraced the fact that Charley came along as my date! I'm grateful to work with such wonderful people. But anyway, that same evening, my boss gave out holiday gifts and awards to all of the staff. What was my award? The GO! Getter Award. It couldn't have been more fitting, based on what I'd just been reading about myself (that totally sounds weird). My boss went on to tell everyone how I needed a change, and I just up and started a new career, which is why I'm consider the gym's go-getter. I really appreciated that! It's nice to have such a positive relationship with everybody in the gym, even though I'm not there much anymore. I honestly think that regardless of how frequently I'm there, my Kenwood friends will always be more like family to Charley and me!

So, here I am goal-oriented, overthinking, and BORED. I've got to get out of the house tomorrow, in spite of the cold! Have a good week!

Target Kids

It's been pretty busy, as usual, but a really productive week. Between Winter Break and snow days, this week represents the first full four consecutive days of school since mid-December, and boy, it was clear the kids have gotten used to having their days off. Lucky for them, they have tomorrow off too, due to a teacher work day. It might be nice for the teachers to have the day off too, but I'm actually looking forward to going in and getting some paperwork done. My plan is to be productive. We'll see if that happens, but it really is my intention! It'll be nice to have a day surrounded by adults, too!

Today was a really interesting day at school. It was one of those days where it seemed like I had all of my students in my classroom a times they weren't supposed to be there, because they needed help with something, or they were having trouble in their classroom with one thing or another. I like being able to offer a, "safe place," to my students, but it certainly makes my day more challenging. Especially because so many of my students have problems with behavior, and come bounding into my classroom during the middle of a lesson, and don't pay any attention to the fact that there are 5 other kids in the room who are working on something. It's okay, though, days like today don't come along very often, so I can deal with them when they do. I felt like I made a connection with a particularly challenging student, too, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. This student is one of those kids who always seems to get into trouble when he's with his peers. He can be deliberately rude and disrespectful at times, but at other times, he can be very sensitive. Today, he was having an issue in class, and instead of throwing a fit and getting himself into trouble, he chose to come down and talk. So, we talked. It was probably a 30 minute conversation, during which he spilled his guts about how he felt like he got singled out in class, and how he always gets in trouble for doing things that other students were doing, too. I listened to him, asked him a lot of questions, and gave him some suggestions on how he could handle himself differently, so he wouldn't get into trouble. I think this is where my experience in the general education classroom was really helpful. When I taught fifth grade, I VIVIDLY remember several students who were consistently getting into trouble. They distracted their classmates, disrupted lessons, had disrespectful moments...I remember how frustrating that was, when I had a classroom full of students. I told my students about that experience, and asked him to think from his teacher's perspective. I told him that sometimes kids become, "target students," who end up taking the blame for things they didn't do, because they have a pattern of bad behavior. Then I asked him what simple changes he could make in the classroom, so he could build some of her trust, and gain independence. He had some really good ideas, and impressed me with his maturity. He didn't get defensive or mad when I talked to him about his role in the situation. He simply expressed how he felt, and listened openly to my feedback. I was most impressed when, responding to my question about talking with his teacher directly, he said, "The thing is, the things I say now can affect my future. I have trouble because I'm not sure what to say or how to say it without saying something I shouldn't." Wow. How insightful, at such a young age! When he came back to see me at the end of the day, he announced that he was having a great day. "Did you talk to your teacher?" I asked, proudly. "Not yet," he replied, "I'm having a great day because of talking to you!" How cool is that? It reinforced the fact that so many students just need someone to listen, and need to feel like they're being heard. I didn't just tell him what he wanted to hear, but I listened to his side of the story, and told him I understood why he was upset. It was that simple. It was probably the most mature, open discussion I've ever had with a 12-year-old, and it came as a complete surprise. But definitely a pleasant surprise!

Even though it was a crazy day, and I was glad for it to be over, my students did get a lot accomplished! Now they're off for a four day weekend, while my colleagues and I will be working as usual. I went to pick up Charley after school, and she was excited to see me. There's really nothing like walking into your child's daycare and watching her run as fast as she can to give you a hug. I love those moments every day. On our drive home, I was stuck behind a truck that had some really smelly exhaust. "Mommy, that truck smells bad! It's making my nose on fire!" she said. I asked myself...Is she seriously 2? I mean, I know she will be 3 soon (WAY too soon, in my opinion), but sometimes her vocabulary and the things she says are shocking to me. She's going to talk circles around me by the time she turns 10!

On another note, I've decided to take up a new hobby or two. Now, realistically, I don't have time for hobbies that take a lot of energy to learn. I'm all about fitness as a hobby, but that's kind of a daily thing I should be doing. I'm thinking about things that I can do once or twice a month for fun, and to meet new people. Any suggestions? I have a couple in mind, but I'll have to try them out before I can really consider them to be hobbies.

Alright, time to feed my kiddo! Have a great weekend!

Cleaning Up!

As usual, things have been busy, lately. For those of you who have been living under rocks for the last two weeks, it's been absolutely FREEZING in Minnesota. I mean seriously....freezing. I hate the cold. I know when I lived in Vegas I missed the seasons, but I don't think I ever missed temperatures below zero. Anyway, due to the extreme cold, I had snow days on both Monday and Tuesday. Talk about a nice surprise! Snow days are definitely a perk to being a teaching in Minnesota, that's for sure.

I learned on Friday afternoon that school would be closed on Monday. I was looking forward to an extra catch up day, because even though I was fresh off of winter break, I hadn't accomplished all I'd wanted to get done over the break. Normally, if I have a break, I take that time to clean my house, pay bills, do my laundry, etc. However, I was staying at my dads' house over the break, so I didn't really get the opportunity to do the deep clean I'd been planning on doing. So, I figured Monday would be the day! Then, I got a message from some friends asking if I could watch their kids on Monday, because their kids' school had closed, too. Now, as much as I'd been looking forward to cleaning, I knew having the kids over would be WAY more fun for Charley. So, I agreed to watch their kids while they were at work. It was such a fun day. We did some painting, which the kids loved, but I was about done with in 15 minutes (it's SO messy!). It's funny, though, because I look up art projects online, but they never turn out exactly as planned. I have great ideas, but I am just not artistic. My older sister got that gene, but clearly, I did NOT. Anyway, the kids had a great time, and I followed them around the house all day, cleaning up behind them as they blew from one room to the next. That's one of the negatives about living in a small duplex. There's just not enough room for a bunch of kids to play, without making a massive mess. That's okay, though, I accepted that my house would just be a mess for the day, and enjoyed the fact that the kids were having such a great time.

Sometime during the day on Monday, I learned that I would have Tuesday off from work, as well. Woohoo! Charley's school was open, so I decided I would take her to school on Tuesday and take advantage of that time to really clean my house. I didn't just want to surface-clean, because I do that all the time. I wanted to go through papers, boxes, closets, and junk drawers, and clean EVERYTHING out. So, I took Charley to school, and started my clean-up. Whenever I do serious housecleaning, it makes me feel good. On Tuesday, it was like I was cleaning up all of the negatives from my past. I cleaned out boxes of papers that I've moved with me across the country, but not really looked at in 5+ years. In some of the boxes, I found awesome memories, like a book my gymnastics team put together for me when I was graduating high school, a book my student teaching class had written for me before the end of the semester I worked with them, old yearbooks, pictures of Charley when she was first born, and a plethora of other things. It was fun to look through old pictures, but it legitimately made me feel old. Especially when I found the picture of my friend Lindsay and me at my birthday when I was 5...that was decades ago! Anyway, I cleaned for hours. By 1:00, I'd cleaned out my closet, the front closet, my desk and office area, and both of my junk drawers (which were legitimate junk drawers, full to the brim with random crap). I'd really accomplished a lot! What's the problem with cleaning out closets and junk drawers, though? The fact that I'd cleaned all day, and my house still looked messy! I took a little bit of a break, then got back to work, cleaning the rest of the house. By the time I finished, I felt totally accomplished, and relieved. I'd dealt with a lot of paperwork and junk that I'd been avoiding for a long time. And now, it's gone! Totally out of my life! Phew!

My attempt at a Pinterest project. Art isn't my strong suit...

When I picked Charley up from school, I was exhausted, but glad to see her. Her favorite teacher is still in school, and doing her special education student teaching this semester, so she's not there anymore. Her replacement came up and introduced herself which I appreciated. However, she wasn't exactly warm and fuzzy. Charley's old teacher was bubbly, loud, boisterous, friendly...Basically the perfect personality for a preschool teacher. This new girl, who's probably 21 or 22, introduced herself politely, but she seemed pretty rehearsed. She was like, "I understand that working here is a privilege, and it's really a partnership between us and the parents to ensure that all of the students blossom academically, and socially, etc." She might have been saying the right words, but honestly, I prefer teachers who can just carry a conversation and tell me how the day went. I was skeptical. On Wednesday, I went back to work, and it was a pretty good day. When I went to get Charley from school, though, her new teacher mentioned to me that Charley had been off-task, and had to be reminded by her and several of the other teachers to behave. My guess is that Charley was probably talking out of turn, which doesn't surprise me at all. What DID surprise me was the choice of punishment. "Charley wasn't behaving as well as she did yesterday, so instead of doing stations, she had to sit out at do a worksheet." Ummm....what? She's 2. The thought of expecting a 2-year-old to stay on-task all the time is unrealistic, in my mind, but giving a 2-year-old a WORKSHEET as a form of punishment? That's ridiculous! She can't read. The teacher gave me the worksheet, which was basically a piece of paper with scribbles all over it. When I asked Charley how her day was, she said, "It was great!" She didn't even realize she'd been in trouble. I'm not one to complain much, especially to teachers, but this time, I'm going to have to say something. It's a Montessori school...Worksheets are not exactly part of a well-rounded Montessori school. I'm also looking for other daycare options, because quite honestly, it's not worth the extra money for me to drive totally out of my way to take Charley to daycare and do worksheets. I think I'll find somewhere for her that's closer to my work. 

Okay, enough of the rant about Charley's school. I have a funny story from school this week, that people might find amusing. On Wednesday, in social skills, we had done an activity were the students were discussing emotions, and how they felt in certain situations. The kids described what happened to their bodies when they felt happy, sad, etc. So, Thursday, I extended the lesson, and had the kids play charades with emotions words (excited, upset, thrilled, surprised, etc.). One of the assigned words was confused. A child pulled the card, and the boy sitting next to him (I'll call him Alex) saw part of the word. Before the word could be acted out, Alex shouted, "CONSTIPATED!" He looked surprised when all of the students, teachers, and paras in the room erupted in laughter. The teacher I work most closely with, looked at him and asked, "Do you know what that means?" "No," he stated. "It means you can't poop," she told him, matter-of-factly. His face turned red, and he immediately burst out laughing. He was embarrassed, but definitely handled himself well. He was able to laugh at himself, and in a group like that, that was something worth celebrating. As much as that group can be crazy, that comment totally made my day.

Alright, that's all for now! Have a good weekend!