re: "our 3rd is pretty cool." --> Amanda!!!

From an essay on "Why Spanish is or is not a good language to study, and why you are taking it this year" (in English):

" This year is my first year taking a Spanish class and i actually really like. Well we actually had three teachers so far. Our first one is kind-of-weird, and our second was kind of strict, but our 3rd is pretty cool. I like doing her work. I think she's pretty fun teacher But she does a lot of fun activities."

that's me!! :)

craft sale...

Well my first "solo" craft sale (hosted by the elementary school's PTO) was pretty much a flop.

I sold a few suckers for the Costa Rica Trip, and had a few ladies (there were maybe 10 non-vendors, tops!) looked at my pillowcase dresses. at least Laurie (the teacher who lives next/behind/beside/random preposition to me) wants 4 of them. i hope....

So i managed to sell one of my scarves (my $5 transformed from dollar tree scarves) to one of the younger girls at the sale - she gave me three dollars (what she had left after buying some suckers, lol...) and a pair of size 6 knitting needles that "we don't know how to knit, so you can have them if you want..." so yey. (more) nitn needls!

but most of the morning was really frustrating because no one really came. i'm not sure why, ...ridiculous, really. they probably had no signage or something. meh!

i am in the process of rolling yarn balls from the flea market two weeks ago-ish, and cleaning my trailer, and making "plarn."

craft sale...

Well my first "solo" craft sale (hosted by the elementary school's PTO) was pretty much a flop.

I sold a few suckers for the Costa Rica Trip, and had a few ladies (there were maybe 10 non-vendors, tops!) looked at my pillowcase dresses. at least Laurie (the teacher who lives next/behind/beside/random preposition to me) wants 4 of them. i hope....

So i managed to sell one of my scarves (my $5 transformed from dollar tree scarves) to one of the younger girls at the sale - she gave me three dollars (what she had left after buying some suckers, lol...) and a pair of size 6 knitting needles that "we don't know how to knit, so you can have them if you want..." so yey. (more) nitn needls!

but most of the morning was really frustrating because no one really came. i'm not sure why, ...ridiculous, really. they probably had no signage or something. meh!

i am in the process of rolling yarn balls from the flea market two weeks ago-ish, and cleaning my trailer, and making "plarn."

connections

i am procrastinating, again.

tomorrow is test #2... on chapter one of the textbook, and on some random stuff we've covered in class. I have to make up the test myself, and i didn't sleep last night because i had lots of coffee at Earl's in Gallup, where they happen to have amazing chili (in the southern sense, meaning chili sauce, lol) to go with the amazing enchiladas, and a really neat atmosphere: there are tons of vendors that come up to your table with their jewelry, (one guy had some flutes) and it's all gorgeous and really decently priced (Christine and Gay bought some, but i didn't... maybe next time).
But it was good coffee, and I had a good time away from Sanders with some crazyfun ladies.
who decided - while browsing through a thrift store's party supplies - that they are throwing me a birthday party. ha. ha. and inviting a select few from school.


re: connections.
i am sensing more and more that there are a few connections happening between my students and i, and this is making it harder for me to think about "next year." and whatever that may bring.
For example, one of my kids calls me "Son." I'm not sure how respectful his motives are, but he calls me "son."
There are a few of them that call me "mom." Maybe because I started calling them "children," or maybe just because they had lunch (this is my 6th hour class) and are more "alert," haha. But anyways, while i was helping some children with homeworkses, I kept hearing "mom, mom..."
so when I looked up, yes, it was one of my children. "Mom, can i use the bathroom?" So I said yes, i don't want to have to clean up; he took the green plastic dinosaur (my new hall pass - the inflatable flamingo wouldn't stay inflated) and came back shortly.
Then this morning, one of the girls came in a little early and asked me what i thought of her hair. She had dyed it to a gorgeous wheaty color (from the original blue then pink) and it kinda shocked me that (1) it was a normalish color and (2) she asked me what i thought of it. (she usually ignores me, well, kinda).
And more and more the children are saying hello to me in the hallways.

So when it comes to next year, I'm not sure whether i am supposed to stay on here, where these kids really just need some love and attention, or if i am supposed to move on to another place.
Especially since I don't have a real teaching certificate.
I do know, however, that somewhere out there are kids who need love. Wherever that is is up to my Abba, though.
Marty Stamos... how one of my kids signed a poster in the hallway,... that cracks me up.

ABC ... 123... llamas...

Sew today: I started about 7 more pillowcase dresses. they are really easy... the "hardest" part is the tie. they are sooo cute, too.
i just need to push spring-type clothing on people now...

also.

i got some of those ABC magnets - 4 packs, actually -for my students. only,... there are only 4 of each letter... so. i have dry erase markers for those super-long words.

go grrrreen.

(on the whiteboard in the Edge room (the people i hang with at church in Gallup) someone drew a llama and labelled it "Obama the llama."
haha.)

i, for one, did not vote for a llama....

right now i am going to go.. shower? :)

Fun (?) little update-ical blurbs

I am watching The Shining. Can't say I've watched it before, but I needed something to watch/listen to while cleaning up in preparation for "housing inspections."

Once again I have been disappointed by my students. I assigned them the daunting task of writing a childrens' story last Monday, to be due on Friday. They had literally all week to work on it, and I even extended the due date to today (Monday).

Today, though, we "started" Paso a Paso (our spanish TEXTBOOKS - there are THIRTY of them!!! Hallelujah!!). They had a bit of a hard time with the dialogues, because it was, i suppose, our first time. (Because I've been working more on vocabulary, but MEH).

We also talked about the things I am going to start saying / making them say. Such as, they know how to ask to use the restroom,.. but now i am not letting anyone leave if they can't say it in Spanish (example: library, nurse, office, Ms. Saffell, (haha).)

And then in 7th hour some girl came in and told me to go get a flu shot. I think it was free... the nurse who "gave" it to me was like On the count of 3 - 1, 2, 3... and I was like (in my head) - was i supposed to feel something? I didn't... but now I do. it is sore.

I am supposed to "keep moving my arm" (whatever that means??) So I finished another pillowcase dress. That makes two dresses (toddler sized, if anyone's interested: one's pale yellow, and one's whitepink. both have flowers. and are great for layering or wearing alone (in warmer weather).

there is a cat outside eating my leftover chicken from a few weeks ago that i though was in the fridge. (sorry for the grammarian mess). There were two of them eating from my garbage bag of chicken guts, so i was like, hey! cats must be hungry. easier than finding someplace for chicken guts - kitties! :) one of them ran off, and the other one (that is out there now) just chilled in the street.

So i burned my cardboard (i am gradually "adding" it to the pathetic excuse of soil we have, along with my coffee grouns) and then he came back,
or she.

I have the counter halfway cleared. WOOT!

Jack nicholson is ridiculous. and he's always angryous.

Mmm, old chips. that aren't too stale!

i miss you like crazy. all of you. write to me! i will write you back! on... my prep period! yeah! woot! Kristan, i need your real email address...