The End is Coming!

So, not much going on. I feel like I don't have much of a social life at the moment because I am stressing over my students doing well on their end-of-year tests! I am going to have them start taking them this next week. The end of the year has just come way too quickly! I still have SO MUCH I haven't taught them! I feel so bad for them because I am cramming so much into their little brains at the very last minute! Especially math...I am resorting to 2 math lessons a day to get it all in! Bad, I know, but I know for next year what to do better! I can't take so much time at the beginning of the year to teach things! It is just so hard when I have kids that are getting so behind because they don't understand things yet and I don't have the time to teach it to them better! AHHHH! Frustrating for sure! Hopefully I can figure it out soon!

I can tell that my students are becoming 5th graders now because of all of the drama that is going on! It isn't so much the boys as it is the girls. Girls are so weird! I really can't figure it out! This past week, I had to send 2 of my cute girls to "Think Time" because they came in during lunch recess, put lip gloss on, and kissed a boy's planner that was sitting on his desk. Ug! I NEVER would have thought of doing something like that in 4th grade! What is this world coming to! It is also one thing after another with my girls saying hurtful things to one another. One day they are "best friends" and then the next day it is the crying about how somebody said something that hurt their feelings. I really did NOT sign up for all of this! I think next year I am going to have to teach some good communication/people/teamwork skills at the beginning of the year, because I am just tired of it! Anyway, sorry for all of the complaining...but it really is frustrating! :0

I still have 6 more weeks until I am out for the summer. Crazy! I know that seems like a long time, but I think it will go VERY quickly! This whole year has. We will definitely be busy with our field trip to "This is the Place State Park", a talent show, a program, and Utah County Reports. At first I was worried about having enough to do, but I don't think that will happen! I will keep you updated on all of it!

Back to Work!

My how time flies! I am already back to teaching again and I can't believe May is here and I am almost done with my first year of teaching! It is kinda creepy how fast it has gone...

Anyway, I though I would tell about my trip to California last week. Sally and I left on Sunday night and stayed with our awesome friend Tanya that night. We had a blast with her and her 2 adorable little kids on a part of the Manhattan Beach the next day. Yes, we did get a little fried in a few spots, but it was so nice to just relax, eat junk food, and build sand castles with the kids. So FUN!

We checked into a hotel near LA that night and on Tuesday we went to a Price is Right taping! It was sooo fun! No, niether one of us got to win anything, but we did sit just a few rows behind contestants row! It was also very interesting to see the process of how they filmed the show. We had to be there really early too, to get our "order of arrival" passes and then went shopping for a while until 1, when they wanted us to be back for "processing". We actually didn't get inside the studio until 4:30 in the afternoon! They interviewed every single one of the 300 people in the audience. It was QUITE the process, to say the least!

On Wednesday, we found our way to Six Flags where we promptly went on 2 REALLY crazy roller coasters and go sick from them! Ya, after those, we pretty much rode all of the water rides and then went back to Manhattan Beach for some more beach fun. We felt really old, because we couldn't handle all of the rides...but they were just toooo extreme for us! I think I am just used to all of the fun and NOT crazy Lagoon rides in good old Utah! :)

We had to come home on Thursday because Sally had to work that night and I had to work on Friday, so it was a pretty short trip, but very worth it! Here are a few pictures of our adventures.

Beach fun! This is Sally, Tanya, and little Andrew. He was a great little buddy the whole time we were there. Such a cute kid!

Yes, we took turns burrying each other...it was quite the experience! Let's just say that there ended up being sand in places you never knew there could be sand! :)

This is the other little buddy we had! Her name is Ally. She was so cute!

Andrew and I. He is the only guy who wants to hold my hand these days... :)

Sally and I waiting in line during our "processing" for the Price is Right.

My official Price is Right name tag! AWESOME!

This is how frozen yogurt affects us... :)

Yes, this is what I wanted to do after riding this ride! You can see the horror we went through in the background...

The last night there at the beach. It was GORGEOUS!

So, that was my short little "off-track" adventure and now I am back to the grind, but it really is going pretty well. I am a little stressed about teaching everything I am supposed to before end of year testing at the end of the month, but I think I am getting to the point that I know what I am doing a little better. I am really enjoying the kids too. I know I will miss them when the year ends, but life does go on I guess! :0 I did have a student that didn't come back this time because of the whole Swine Flu thing. His mom decided to pull him out of school because she didn't want him to get it. Crazy! I feel bad on all that he is going to miss out on! He was such a sweet kid too. I will miss him. Also, I have had MAJOR girl drama going on with about 3 or 4 girls in the class. Girls are so mean sometimes! It is just frustrating as a teacher, because I feel like I don't know how to handle it, because I never really got into fights with my friends. Any suggestions? I just have told them to apologize and forget about it! I am just soooo tired of it! Ahhhh!

OFF TRACK!

Yes, for the next 2 weeks I am off track! I am so excited! One my first day off today, I really didn't do much, which was VERY nice! I just hung out at home and did a little shopping and tended Scott and Kim's little darlings... I do need to get going on planning for when I get back on track because I am going to California with my friend Sally next week! We are going to visit our darling and wonderful friend Tanya, who lives there and just relax. We are going to try to get on the Price is Right and go to Six Flags too. Neither of us have done those, so it will be a blast!

Anyway, I thought I would also give you a little update on the whole job situation next year too, if you haven't heard. I WILL be able to teach 4th grade next year! YEA! I was soooo relieved when my principal told me... hopefully I will be staying on the same track, but at least I get a chance to change a few things for next year and do some things better! My mentor teacher, in 4th grade right now, is moving up to 6th grade though, so I am sure another teacher will have to get hired for that position... Also, I feel bad because the 2 6th grade teachers that I was talking about last time are going to different schools so that they can teach 6th grade. I am sad that they are leaving, but at the same time I am happy, because if they would have chosen to come and teach 4th grade, I would have been "bumped out". All I can say is that I must be staying in the 4th grade for a good reason or else I would have been gone! I am so grateful for this! Also, I am grateful that my 2 new students that I got are doing well in my class, and their parents are a lot happier with the situation, so that is going good...it is just a lot more work keeping track of 2 more students!

Well, not much else going on, so I will have to let you know how the trip goes when I get back!