Anatomy and Proper Names

Tonight as Ben was running naked after his bath he was paying a little too much attention to his special friend. Nate, wanting to teach his son good manners gently chided "Ben, stop playing with your thing." To which Ben matter a factly replied "Dad, it's not a thing," Nate and I waited patiently wondering how he had figured out the proper name for his little friend, but then Ben finished "it's a thingy." HAHAHAHAHA. It will be a sad day when he learns it's not really a thingy. Oh well.

Ben's Heading for the NFL

Ben started flag football this week. Of all the sports experiences he has had, I can see that this one is his favorite. He absolutely loves it. His first game he ran the ball. . . the wrong way. . . but he didn't give a hoot. He had the ball in his hands. Tonight was his second game. He chased someone down and got their flag. It was his first success at that and he was so proud. He ran up to Nate and described it in detail. Here is a little clip for you to enjoy.

I Couldn't Imagine Using It . . .

The time-out booth. The first time I saw it I couldn't imagine using it but then I was spit at, kicked, sworn at, hit, threatened with a ruler, threatened with teeth . . . and suddenly it became a lot easier to use. Three weeks into my career and despite the bad days I like it. Despite the children's somewhat erratic behavior I can't help but love them. And, despite my original cringing at the sight of the time-out booth, I find I am very grateful for it. Here are a couple other pics of my room just for fun.

Week Two and Counting!

Well, after a smashing start to my teaching career I have been running in to plentiful road blocks to my happiness. Children here and children there, driving me crazy everywhere. I can handle the hyper activity and the inability to focus. . . but I am struggling with the more severe anger management issues some of my students seem to have. Today was an especially frustrating day in which I spent over an hour with a student who was fighting on the playground. Following that incident the particular student continued to refuse to follow any instructions or take any responsibility. Instead he spent an hour pretending he was a wild animal. In the end, all I can do is get up in the morning and wipe the slate clean. Start over. 4 out of 5 days are manageable. I read the story "The Little Engine that Could" to my kids this morning. That's how I feel tonight. The hill is huge and the load is heavy but "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can". In the end I am doing this hoping that I will make some kids life better, even if it is only one. These kids need somewhere to go and be educated. They struggle in the regular classroom. I can handle them and love them and hopefully teach them something. I really believe that. It will just take getting through the occasional horrible day in the process.