While lying in bed yesterday morning, waiting for the clock to say 8, so I could call in sick, I picked up a book I've been reading on and off for the last six months.  For those of you who haven't heard of it, "Keep a Quiet Heart" is a book of short pieces Elisabeth Elliot wrote about a variety of topics.  I've really, really enjoyed this book.  Ms. Eliot has experience so many difficult things in her life but has maintained a strong and beautiful faith throughout.  I've been reading the book randomly, and yesterday the passages I read were both about being thankful.

Elisabeth wrote about how often we are only thankful for things that we like.  This really stuck a chord with me.  She said that we shouldn't lie to the Lord and thank him for things we despise, but rather thank him for the basic blessings we will always have during adversity.  

I haven't been able to find a lot of things to be thankful for lately.  I've been finding myself whining and complaining way too much and having a bad attitude about most everything.  I'm going to give this thankful thing a shot.

1)  Strep throat: No, it's not pleasant being sick, but I'm thankful that I have the extended weekend to have a much needed break from school and time to rest.

2)  Feeling exhausted:  Again, not pleasant, but it's opportunity for me to see how much I need the Lord to sustain me and that I can't do it on my own.

3)  A tight money situation:  I've been forced to question the necessity of every purchase I make and see how much I waste.  As silly as it sounds, too, I often buy things (aka Starbucks) as a "reward" for a rough day.  Instead, I've been forced to think more things through and process.

4)  An internet-less five days:  It's been inconvenient (Thank you, Charter!) but it's been wonderful to not have this distraction this week.  So much more has been accomplished, and my mind feels freer not feeling like I have to check email, blogs and Facebook (as much as I enjoy it).

SIgNs oF a CrAzY wEeK

1. Three of your students are in ISS and another is suspended indefinitely.
2. A student is upset because your green Crayola crayon's wrapper is printed only in English, not English AND Spanish.  Apparently there is a difference.
3. Your teacher friend has ramen noodles hanging from the ceiling of her classroom.
4. You come home with peanut butter in your hair.
5. Your Unicorn Club President is upset because you reported your fake unicorns status as happy.  Who knew unicorns go crazy if they get too happy?

Gearing up for Monday....

Oh Yay! It's Cooking Day!

After receiving 28 pounds of pizza crust from our local food bank (they sell food to our school at a discounted price), I decided my class would make these cute spiderweb pizzas.  This is what I intended for them to look like:

This is what my creative young men came up with, much to my disgust.  It literally looked like puke:

(I have no idea how to fix the formatting.  Oops!)

Why Make-Up Shouldn't Be Applied In the Car

Today's Horoscope:

 "People want to follow your example! They think you have the secret to looking good."

 

What I heard from one of my darling students today:

"Miss Darcie, what's that pink stuff all over your face?"

The pink stuff, my friends, was blush.  Obviously not the secret to looking good.

The Cooking Saga, Part 3-Bamboozled

This is the third and final installment of a three part series on the events that transpired one Thursday and Friday.  In real life, the events that transpired  were hilarious.  The events in blog world may not be as humorous.  Humor me.  I need blog material.

Friday, the day after cooking day, I went and told the teacher of Sweet Student what was said to Young Behavior Specialist (it was soooo funny) and how happy Sweet Student was go cook.  

Ms. M:  "Sweet Student went in your room to cook?"

Me: " Yes, and she loved it!  Thanks for letting her come in yesterday."

Ms. M:  "I didn't tell her she could go into your room.  I was absent yesterday."

Me:  "You were absent?"

Ms. M:  "Yep."

Another teacher listening to the entire conversation:  "Darcie, I think you have officially been bamboozled."

The Cooking Saga, Part 2- What An Amazing Man

This is the second piece in a three part series on the events that transpired one Thursday and Friday.  In real life, the events that transpired  were hilarious.  The events in blog world may not be as humorous.  Humor me.  I need blog material.

6th hour being last hour of the day, I was able to see that we had lots of leftover apples.  One of the school's behavior specialists, a forty-something-kind-of-intimidating-if-you're-a-kid-guy, had come in and joked that he was going to steal the apples from the kids.  Since we had leftovers, I suggested we make him one. 

Our other behavior specialist is younger, probably thirty or so, and is the object of affection for the older female students, including Sweet Student.  She immediately asked if she could make Young Behavior Specialist (YBS) an apple as well.  Happy to get rid of the excess apples I agreed. The apples were made, and she went with a paraprofessional to deliver them.

Sweet Student and the para returned, and the para was nearly in tears because she was laughing so hard.  Sweet Student had delivered the apple and said to YBS,

 "YBS, you are an amazing man."

She giggled and bounced and blushed was thrilled to show off her cooking skills to her "amazing man."

Gotta love those teenage hormones.

To be continued...

The Cooking Day Saga, Part 1-Let's All Say Yay For Cooking Day!

This will be the first post of a three post series on the events that transpired one Thursday and Friday.  In real life, the events that transpired  were hilarious.  The events in blog world may not be as humorous.  Humor me.  I need blog material.

Each Thursday we cook.  For six hours I insure nothing is burning down (sidenote-I haven't always been successful with this.  Perhaps that story will be shared one day), no one gets hurt, and edible food is made (another side note-I had no idea how ambitious of an idea this would be when I first undertook this genius idea).  Despite the chaos, it's a fun day.

Yesterday we made Microwaved "Baked" Apples.  As the smell of them wafted all over the school, people wandered in and out of the kitchen wanting to try a bit.  I'm not going to lie.  It was an enviable treat.

Not all students pass through my class. IEP goals determine who get to see me.  Around lunch time, one sweet student, who I don't have, came into my room crying.

Sweet Student:  "Miss Darcie, can I cook today?  I miss cooking."

Me:  "You can come in 6th hour if it's ok with your teacher.  Go ask Ms. M, and if she says yes, come on in."

SS (sniffling, but smiling):  "Ok."

Well, Sweet Student came in 6th hour and told me her teacher had given her permission to cook.  She was thrilled, and it made my heart happy to see her so excited.

To be continued....

I'm finally moving out of my mama's house.  In preparation for the big move, I made a very important purchase.  Olivia Walton, here I come! 

MySpace

1)  Almost one year ago I wrote about how I use the same phrases over and over.  I have some new phrases in my bag now-"Safe hands please," "Side hugs only," and "Remember, personal space." 

Day after day, all day long, I have kids in my space.  

They hug me.

They tap me.

They step on my feet.

They choke me.

They. are. just. always. there.

2)  Another topic oft mentioned on this blog is my singleness.

 (Note to self:  Quit talking about this so much)

Pulling these two points together:  Today, I had a random thought and realized that my singleness is a blessing.  If I was married right now, my marriage might just be doomed.  

Picture this: Me, standing in the kitchen fixing dinner, and my husband comes home from work. He wants to greet me with a hug and kiss as I romantically say: 

"Side hug!  Side hug! Personal space, please.  Use safe hands!  Not appropriate!"

Yep.  Good thing I'm not married.

Autism Speaks

One of my teacher friends shared this conversation that went on in her classroom over lunch last week:

Kid 1: Hey Kid 2-did you know that I have autism?

Kid 2:  No way!  I do too!  

Kid 3:  Hey!  I'm autistic too!

(conversation continues until all class members are included)

Kid 1:  Hey Miss Teacher,  did you know we all are autistic?!?!

Teacher: Yes.  Yes I did.

I follow the Peabody School's blog from Vanderbilt and thought some of you might find this interesting (especially my friends in education): 

http://peabloggy.wordpress.com/2008/10/04/doctors-not-at-fault-for-poor-patient-care/

Today was just one of those days.  Anything that could go wrong did go wrong.  By 5th hour (we only have 6 class periods), I was beat.  Fifth hour can be one of my more challenging classes.  Lots of big boys in a tiny kitchen who forget their deodorant, like to rough house, and hate doing work.  

This week we've been discussing hand washing, and I've found a few experiments that demonstrate how germs spread when your hands are dirty.  The big boys would have none of it. All but one refused my (what I thought to be) fun activity.  In an attempt to make them feel guilty about the educational opportunity they we were missing, I said, "I guess Max will have to be our guinea pig."  Oops, wrong thing to say.  This followed:

Max:  "What?!?! A guinea pig?"

Me:  "Yes, but not a real guinea pig.  That's just an expression, a figure of speech."

Max:  "I know what a guinea pig is, and I'm not going to be one!"

Me:  "Oh Max.  You're fine.  Nothing bad will happen.  I tried it yesterday and my hands are still here."

Max:  "I know what they use guinea pigs for, and it's never good!  Get away from me!"

So much for trying to be fun.  We (actually they) did worksheets the rest of the hour.

Warning: Trying to Relate Tomatoes To Special Education

In early May, at my favorite place on earth (ok, in KC),City Market, I bought two tomato plants, in the pursuit of domesticity.  One was a half dead hanging cherry tomato plant.  The vendor cut me a deal and promised when transplanted it would "gush tomatoes."  It did, and I had tomatoes in my salad all summer. Definitely in the gifted class.

My second plant was on organic cherry tomato plant.  Let's just say that if there was a produce special class, this plant would be in it.  I did not have a ripened tomato until the first of August, and only had one or two a week ripen until this week.  It was a slow one.  Although I was at first upset by the delays, I'm now enjoying plump and juicy, healthy, pesticide free tomatoes because of my early autumn harvest.

A lesson in patience, acceptance, and the beauty of hope deferred, I suppose. 

P.S.  Does anyone wise (aka who gardens) know why my organic plant was so delayed?