"You know, where I come from, there's no better way to get acquainted than by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance together."

I have been reciting the pledge with my class for 159 days now and I think I know them pretty well. It's soon going to be the end of year #2 and I have to say, overall, it's been very good. I've had a nice class and I'm grateful for that. Teaching is a bit easier but it's still very challenging. I was watching the documentary "Waiting for Superman" the other day and Jeffrey Canada said it took him "maybe 5 years to be a master teacher". That would be cool but that's hard to imagine right now. I wish I could write some more "interesting" things I deal with but I'd prefer to keep my job. I also find when I tell non-teachers things that happen in school their eyes either glaze over or they look at me like I'm crazy. Ryan still lives in the world where all elementary teacher are sweet things who love everyone and everything. So when I tell him that so-and-so was driving me nuts today, he makes me feel like I'm a big meanie. I'm really looking forward to summer this year and warmer weather. This is the first week we've had, outside of the week spent in Mexico, that I might actually say it's warm. That's cool because we had an outside field trip tomorrow.

Field trip lunch-time.

I just had the funniest thing happen! I had two boys from another class accuse two boys in my class of screaming in the bathrooms. They "gave me their solemn" word that it wasn't them and then said it was two other boys from another classroom. I went and got those two boys who also told me it wasn't them. Must be the bathroom ghosts. The same ones that are pooping in the urinals. I told them that someone here was not telling me the truth since they were the only ones in the bathroom at the time. I reminded them what honesty was and blah blah blah. I finally told them that being honest would make me very happy, more happy than I would be mad. (really at this point it's a battle of wills and I felt like I was losing).
Me to boy #1: Are you telling me the truth?
Boy one: Uh huh
Boy two: yes
Boy three: shakes head yes
Boy four: I'm going to be honest, I was.
Me: Give me a high five! Way to be honest!
Boy three: I'll be honest too (while holding his hand up for a high five).
I just had to laugh at boy #3 because he was obviously going to keep on being dishonest until he saw that I wasn't mad. I hate these kind of "she said he said" situations and I've learned that they really go nowhere. Kids don't want to get "in trouble" so they will lie and they will stick with it forever. I'm super impressed by this kid who didn't but I'm not super disappointed in the one that did. Adults must be scary. I was so terrified of getting in trouble in school that I just never did anything wrong but the one time I did, I lied about it. It still eats away at me. (It doesn't)

Monkeys!
I had almost given up hope but yesterday I got an email from our resort and they found our monkey photos. This is the only one that anyone will ever see. Seven days of food binging does not result in great bathing suit photos but I had to show you the monkeys. My monkey looks like it loved me more than Ryan's monkey. Man! I'd love to squeeze a monkey right now. So cute!

Because I'm the mother...that's why
I've got my very own pre-teen right now and I see that I'm getting payback for the moody child I was. Hanna has decent style but she is still experimenting and sometimes she wants things from the jr. prostitute line. I tell her that aint happening and then she gets all pissy. I don't react well to her behaviour and so there are consequences. We got rid of our land line phone last week, so for Hanna's 12th birthday (in a few weeks) she got a cell phone (that she will have to share with Grace). She has already had it "grounded" because of being snotty to me. She'll learn. You don't mess with mama. Happy Mother's Day to everyone who has been a "mom" to me. Luvs you!