Who's the coolest?

Today I was reading The Hunger Games aloud to my kids and we got to the part where it describes how Katniss shoots squirrels in the eye every time to save the rest of the meat. I paused to talk about it with them because I wanted them to fully get how crazy this is, so I explained that squirrels are a very small animal that runs really fast, and to shoot one at all takes some skill. But to shoot one in the eyeball while it's small and running very fast, and to do that with an ARROW, means that she is an incredible shot. Before explaining all of this to them, though, I started out with "I don't think I've told you this but I come from a family of hunters, so..." and then I explained all of that. Two of my classes just listened with their full attention because they know nothing about hunting or what is a good shot, but one of my classes stopped me and said "Wait, wait...you're a hunter? AND a boxer?!"

In case you didn't catch that, I'm without a doubt the coolest 7th grade teacher at the moment.

Half Days are My New Fave

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which means that today was a half day. We had school from 8 till 11:30. Basically a waste, except for the fact that two of my three classes earned free time/Finding Nemo and my other class sat in perfect silence as I caught them up in The Hunger Games. And except for the Student-Faculty Basketball game that the faculty hilariously dominated in. And except for the rumor that is now running rampant through the 7th grade that I used to be a professional boxer (that one is my personal favorite). All the kids are fully convinced and, I like to think, have a new sense of fear of me. The last reason today was awesome is that my kids are REALLY stepping up their mission to find me a husband. Honestly, it's a little (a lot) ridiculous, but they're trying so darn hard to find me someone inside the four walls of our school - and it appears that there are exactly two options. So my odds aren't looking to hot. Of course, there's always my student who proposed to me the other day...


Happy Thanksgiving!

This is My Life

My homeroom had to come back to my classroom at the end of 5th block today because of a locker cleanout, and while my walkers were waiting to be dismissed they were all acting a little loopy. They've been acting particularly loopy this week and I think the locker cleanout and the lack of any recognizable schedule added to it this afternoon...they were all laughing and teasing each other and being goofy, when my new student who came last week suddenly yells "I farted this morning and no one noticed! Miss Melchione was even standing right behind me at the time!"

Yesterday in my 5th block class I was trying to start class and said that I needed to tell them something, and a student interrupted me and asked "that you love us?" And I said yes of course I love them and he said "that you want to marry me? Okay I accept."

These, ladies and gentlemen, are my children.

Looking Up?

Had a huge and awesome post written and almost done. Then it got deleted. I swear...I need to figure out how that keeps happening and never do it again. Because it was a good post. And I just spent a half hour typing it, and I'm not typing it again. And because my quickie version I'm about to type now is going to stink. Here's the stinky highlight reel:

-This week started out really bad and full of emotional turmoil and frustration, but it's been going much better since and I'm feeling refreshed and at peace. Not perfect, and circumstances still aren't super fantastic, but I'm feeling better. One class still needs to get kicked in the butt but my other two seem to be doing leaps and bounds better...which is really saying a lot considering how much of a challenge they've been.

-I'm learning to see and hear and appreciate God in areas and settings that I haven't bothered to notice Him before, and I'm loving it. It's a different way of looking for Him than I'm used to, I think, and even though I am well aware of areas in my walk with Him that need improvement, idols that need to be cast away, and priorities that need to be adjusted, I am also taking this opportunity to appreciate the gift of these times with Him too.

-The girls in my Bible study that I've joined this fall are fantastic. I love getting to know them and I love every time I am able to spend with any or all of them. Tonight only four of us could make it so we sat and colored and shared personal struggles as well as hilarious stories....laughter is so deeply connected to joy for me personally, and I laughed a lot tonight. I'm so thankful for these developing friendships and the comfort they bring me in this strange new phase of life.

-My kids are making me laugh again. There's been a few rough patches or two in the last several weeks, but we're back on a smooth-ish surface and I'm realizing once again how hilarious they are. I sneezed during silent reading time today and a student waved me over to squirt a ridiculously large blob of hand sanitizer into my hand. Then he whispered "there's stuff going around. You don't want to get sick, Ms. M." Two of my other boys are in the middle of a fake fight about how one of them beat the pants off the other in a computer game yesterday after the benchmark test. They chase each other around and fake threaten each other and fake hit each other. At LUNCH they were doing this today. I mean, come on. As dumb as it is, though, its also hilarious and they know I think so...so they haven't been very motivated to stop. I mean...they're thirteen.

My mother won't like this post.

Reason number one why momma won't like this one: I've been watching too much SVU and all the noises in the creepy woods behind my apartment freak me out every time I step outside after dark. Because I think a man is going to run up behind me and kidnap me and/or rape me.

Reason number two involves my driving habits. I had dinner with a new and special friend tonight, and even though I'm busy and stressed and felt all day like I had too much on my plate for the next two school days, I knew I needed to go so I could have a little bit of Andrea time. It was a wonderful time, full of good food and great conversation about both the surfacy and the spiritual...I cherish my new friendships that are so focused on the Lord and our relationships with Him. It has done so much to make me feel more comfortable with this new town and surroundings and in spite of all the stuff going on at work.

In case you have been wondering why any of this has to do with my driving habits, though...I realized on the way to this friend's house that I forgot my purse. Just...walked out of the house without it. Meaning that I didn't have my driver's license with me. I drive all back roads to get to this friend's house and on the way home I got stuck behind a car that insisted on going much slower than the speed limit. If you have known me for very long or grew up with me, you probably know my hatred for people driving slow on back roads. I get very angry and frustrated and deeply annoyed. This started to happen tonight, but I was really into the music that was playing and was so caught up in the singing that I only got slightly annoyed rather than extremely annoyed. When we passed the hidden, parked cop car about fifteen minutes later, though, I realized why I was following that car. If I had had an open road, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have been going quite a bit over the speed limit when I passed that cop - the speed limit happens to be way slower than what is appropriate for that road, but I doubt he would have cared - and I didn't have my license with me. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten a ticket but I'm sure I would have at the minimum been pulled over. Praise the Lord for slow drivers who keep me in line and protect me when I'm irresponsible and/or itching to break the law. No really...I'm incredibly thankful for that.

Funny thing a student said? On Friday, one of my girls called me over during lunch with an animated wave and a shocked expression. She pointed to her half eaten Tootsie Roll Pop and said "Did you know that there is a Tootise Roll inside of here?!" I said "Yes I did! Did you not know that?" and she said "No! I didn't!" to which I responded "So is it like the best day ever now?" She enthusiastically affirmed that it was in fact the best day ever.

Today kind of sucked.

Today was the day that I promised my first block candy if they behaved for an entire class period and they didn't manage to do it. Today was the day that a student asked me why they're allowed to wear all this crazy stuff during spirit week because it's frustrating how bad everyone is when they don't have to be in uniform. Today was the day that I had a serious conversation with a colleague about not staying at this school another year. Today was the day that a student told me at lunch that if he was dying he would want me to be the one to do mouth to mouth on him. Today was the day that the entire school was packed into one room for the purpose of trying to outscream each other. Today was the day that a group of extremely attractive high school girls came to dance in front of a gym full of middle school boys...which went about as well as you might expect. Today was the day that I slammed a door in order to get the attention of my students who were running around the classroom, screaming at the top of their lungs, and climbing on chairs because they were waiting to be released to the pep rally and they thought that was a logical way to react. Today was the day that I broke up the beginning of a fight that one of my favorite 7th graders was about to start.

But...today was also the day, though, that one of my girls did a hands-free cartwheel in the middle of the gym during a step team performance, and I couldn't have been more of a proud momma. Today was the day that a legitimately awesome drum line from our high school came and performed for our kids, and half our football team decided to spontaneously break it down and have a dance party in the middle of the gym. Today was the day that my fifth block kids had to come back to my room after a pep rally and even though I was DREADING it because they were acting like crack addicts, they ended up making me laugh for fifteen minutes with their silly attempts at stepping and dancing like a bunch of goofballs. Today was the day that gluten free brownies came in the mail from my Grandma. So...I guess it didn't completely suck.

Peggy Anne McKay

Two brief windows into my morning, revealing my lack of health and sanity:

Today is jersey day for spirit week and I'm, naturally, wearing my Donald Driver jersey. An 8th grader who I've never had a conversation with ever in my life walked by and said "The Green Bay Packers?" And I screamed "WE'RE 7 AND 0!" after him at the top of my lungs in the middle of the hallway.

We did grammar packets all during first block today and kids kept asking me about the contractions, so I had them all stop and look up at the board so I could give them a hint. I explained that even though it doesn't always work, you can sometimes figure out where the apostrophe goes in a contraction by dropping the vowel at the beginning of a word and putting the apostrophe there. Example? Okay. I wrote "who are" on the board. And then explained that you can drop the "a" (I crossed out the "a") and put an apostrophe. Then I wrote the new word, which is "who're," which looks an awful lot like "whore." It was literally all my 7th graders could handle to not completely lose it.

Yeah...it's probably best I called it a day after first block and came home. I have SO much work hanging over my head and stressing me out so much, but the flu-like symptoms I'm feeling are hopefully going to win out and let me rest. I need to just be able to pause time so I can catch up on sleep and rest and stop this beginning-of-the-flu before it really gets started...AND get caught up on the literal mountain of papers and documents starting at me to grade.