Over a week ago, there was a big snowfall in Minnesota. Shocking, I know. Anyway, as usual, I found myself totally unprepared. It's funny... For some things, I am always totally prepared (work, scheduling, etc.)... but when it comes to the weather, I always seem to be caught off-guard and find myself stuck in the mud, in a sense. Well, the snow hit, and fortunately my neighborhood was plowed fairly early, so I was able to get around pretty easily, and within a couple of days quite a bit of the snow had melted. But then it snowed again. And I didn't have a shovel. Typical. I shoveled all the time growing up, but give me a break, I lived in Las Vegas for 4 years, and the last two years I lived in a duplex, where the landlord shoveled us out all the time and a shovel really wasn't necessary. I suppose I got a little spoiled in that sense. Anyway, I got myself a shovel and now I'm a little bit more prepared for the impending ice storm that's supposedly coming this way over the weekend!
I've been working twice a week at the new gym, and I have to say, I'm impressed with the quality of training, particularly in a community education program. I don't have anything against community ed programs, but when it comes to gymnastics, you generally get what you pay for. In this case, however, the girls are really well-trained...and they want to learn! So they're really fun to work with. I'm having fun getting to know them a little bit, and figuring out where I can be the most helpful and best-utilized. I have to admit, I was a little bit nervous about committing to weeknight hours, mostly because I'm afraid I'm going to burn out...but now that Charley has a place to go (that she LOVES), I'm finding that the long days really aren't that bad. And I LOVE having a weekend. I told someone the other day that this is the first time in 13 years I've had a full weekend, and that's true. Gymnastics coaches almost always work weekends. So I'm enjoying being able to relax like a normal person (well, not quite like a normal person...I'll always be a total busy-body), two days a week.
Okay, let me get to the events of the last couple of days. It's interesting. When I was in school, I remember being overly excited about holiday breaks, because I got a couple of days off to relax and be with family. Some of my students are excited about Thanksgiving break next week...others are not. Not at all. But they can't verbalize that or even really recognize their stress, so they act out in different ways. Teachers anticipate this type of anxiety as breaks approach, but it seemed to hit earlier than usual, this year! Anyway, I've got a couple of kids who are a little bit out-of-sorts, because they aren't really sure what the break will bring. So, it's my job to try to redirect them, try to get them to talk about their feelings, and understand their underlying motivations. Easy, right? Ha! Not so much. But I try. The week started off alright, but the kids have gotten progressively more anxious, hyper, and distractible. Today was no exception, and a few of my generally well-behaved students, were a bit off. Naturally, I had an observation today. Great timing, right? My observer came in while I had one student writing an apology letter, and two students going back to class. When my other students came in, they got right to work, but one student consistently interrupted. The phone rang (which never happens), several people came in to pick papers up from the printer, and when the lesson was over, one of the students in my next group (who was WAY off today) barged into the room, and exclaimed, "What are you doing?! Playing a GAME?" It was the perfect ending to the lesson. Totally summed up the distractions that had appeared throughout my normally effective math class. There's something to be said for working in a resource room, though... You've got to be prepared for anything, and if nothing else, at least the observer got a picture of life in the resource room!
While it's been a bit of a crazy week, it has had some great moments. One little girl (who is absolutely adorable), has been coming in looking sad, with her hair covering her face all week. Today, I said something to her about it. She made mention of her mom not having time to do her hair in the morning, because she had to get to work. So I pulled her hair back into a little ponytail...and her attitude changed instantly. Her classroom teacher told me later in the day that her students were having conversations about what they're thankful for. My little girl said, "I'm thankful for teachers that help me a lot and do my hair." That made me feel so good. Something that seems so insignificant made a difference in her day.
Alright, it's time for me to head to bed. Charley and I went to our friends' house for dinner tonight, and I'm exhausted. It was a nice evening, though. The kids played, my friend and I got to catch up, and Charley fell asleep within a half an hour of getting home. It was just what I needed at the end of a long day! Have a great weekend!
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