equals a very tired and sore Ms. P. at the end of the day! Actually, I was in a first grade class this morning, and they were okay; they just wanted to chat a lot. There was an assistant to work with one boy who had a behavior chart, which helped immensely. Out of 24 kids, only three really gave me any problems. One boy the teacher had warned about that he doesn't like to listen to substitutes was good as gold, so I praised him highly. I praised where I could, and took recess from those to talked back or refused to work. Of course, it's always different when the teacher is out, and it's a holiday to boot.
After lunch, I switched to a kindergarten class (half-day meetings). We did a math lesson, then they had a special. After their art class, it was PARTY TIME! You can imagine how hyped up they were. We gave them cupcakes, cookies, potato chips, and juice boxes, and then it was time to pass out the cards. They took great delight in giving out their cards to all their friends. It got a bit chaotic, but that is to be expected at the end of the day when they are sugared up and excited. A couple of them even gave me valentines, which was sweet because I wasn't even their regular teacher. Two moms came in to assist; apparently they are regulars in the classroom as helpers, so it was wonderful to have their assistance. The class also has an instructional assistant, so there were four adults in the room. We managed to get through until car riders were dismissed and buses were called. I told the assistant, "At least we get to send them home to other adults!" They all wanted to hug me at the end of the day and wish me a happy Valentine's day. Have I mentioned I really like the pre-k/kindergarten age kids?
The only drawback, though, is that since I have fibromyalgia, I get very sore from being on my feet all day and bending down to help the kids. But it's worth it, because they are such fun!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Books and Depression
The book I am reading right now is called It's Kind of a Funny Story. Younger Daughter has a copy and refused to lend it to me, so I downloaded it on my Nook. It's about a 15-year-old boy who gets into a prestigious high school and seems to have it all made. Then stress and depression start to get to him, and he ends up in a downward cycle culminating in a trip to the Emergency Room, which gets him admitted to the psychiatric ward of the hospital.
The story is very well written and rings true for this girl who underwent a major depressive episode in high school (and yes, I was also admitted to a prestigious high school). Craig, the main character, describes his feelings of depression and suicidal ideations in a way I can totally relate to. At the point I have reached in the novel, he is still hospitalized and working through his feelings of depression and guilt.
The only fault I find with this book (and this is because of who I am) is that it is very triggering for me, as someone who still struggles with depression. The author tells the story so realistically that it brings back memories for me. I notice that I feel more depressed. Is it the story? Is it situational? (Last weekend brought anniversaries of the deaths of my aunt and my father.) I can't tell yet. I will finish the book, and I recommend it highly, with the caveat that it may trigger feelings of depression in those of us who are prone to them. It sounds a little funny to say that a book is so well written that it is almost too realistic, but that is my take on it.
The story is very well written and rings true for this girl who underwent a major depressive episode in high school (and yes, I was also admitted to a prestigious high school). Craig, the main character, describes his feelings of depression and suicidal ideations in a way I can totally relate to. At the point I have reached in the novel, he is still hospitalized and working through his feelings of depression and guilt.
The only fault I find with this book (and this is because of who I am) is that it is very triggering for me, as someone who still struggles with depression. The author tells the story so realistically that it brings back memories for me. I notice that I feel more depressed. Is it the story? Is it situational? (Last weekend brought anniversaries of the deaths of my aunt and my father.) I can't tell yet. I will finish the book, and I recommend it highly, with the caveat that it may trigger feelings of depression in those of us who are prone to them. It sounds a little funny to say that a book is so well written that it is almost too realistic, but that is my take on it.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
R.I.P. Whitney
I got up this morning, did the crossword, ate breakfast, then got my daughters up for church. Younger Daughter popped out with, "Did you hear Whitney Houston died?"
I didn't believe her at first. How could that have happened? She was such a talented singer, with so much to offer. When I was in high school and read Seventeen magazine, I saw the pretty young model and read that she was an aspiring singer. Her vocal career took off in the 1980s, my high school and college years, and I was impressed at the strength and power behind her voice.
Like so many of us, though, Whitney had her own demons. A tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, repeated miscarriages, drug use and abuse as her star rose. She admitted to Katie Couric that she was both "her best friend and her own enemy." I can relate. I am saddened to think that she was never able to overcome her demons and died tragically, of unknown causes, at the age of 48.
Now she is singing with the heavenly chorus of angels.
R.I.P. Whitney. We will always love you.
(Trying to link to the video - having some technical difficulties!)
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I didn't believe her at first. How could that have happened? She was such a talented singer, with so much to offer. When I was in high school and read Seventeen magazine, I saw the pretty young model and read that she was an aspiring singer. Her vocal career took off in the 1980s, my high school and college years, and I was impressed at the strength and power behind her voice.
Like so many of us, though, Whitney had her own demons. A tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, repeated miscarriages, drug use and abuse as her star rose. She admitted to Katie Couric that she was both "her best friend and her own enemy." I can relate. I am saddened to think that she was never able to overcome her demons and died tragically, of unknown causes, at the age of 48.
Now she is singing with the heavenly chorus of angels.
R.I.P. Whitney. We will always love you.
(Trying to link to the video - having some technical difficulties!)
<object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8QaI-M9sxW4?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8QaI-M9sxW4?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Down by the bay
Where the watermelon grow, back to my home, I dare not go
For if I did, my mother would say . . . .
And I was making up funny rhymes for the kids in the class, like
"Did you ever see Susanna, eating a banana, down by the bay" and
"Did you ever see Camille, eat a Happy Meal, down by the bay" and
"Did you ever see Elaine, dance in the rain, down by the bay."
Well, the kids just fell out laughing. I promised them I would try to think up rhymes for the rest of them next time I was in the class. It was just whatever popped into my brain this afternoon. What fun, teaching pre-K!
For if I did, my mother would say . . . .
And I was making up funny rhymes for the kids in the class, like
"Did you ever see Susanna, eating a banana, down by the bay" and
"Did you ever see Camille, eat a Happy Meal, down by the bay" and
"Did you ever see Elaine, dance in the rain, down by the bay."
Well, the kids just fell out laughing. I promised them I would try to think up rhymes for the rest of them next time I was in the class. It was just whatever popped into my brain this afternoon. What fun, teaching pre-K!
And another busy week in pre-K comes to an end. Boy, am I glad it's Friday! It's been a good week, just crazy. Today, I was fortunate enough to be in a room with a student teacher from our local college, so I mostly served as backup.
This afternoon, at 3:10 (kids start getting dismissed at 3:30), we had a fire drill. At the end of the day, on a Friday! But it went just fine.
I am hoping to go to bed early. Younger Daughter is going to a middle school dance, and is very excited. She is getting a ride there and back with a friend's dad. (She and her friend, a boy, are not going TOGETHER. It is not a date; they are not even going as friends. They are just carpooling. LOL.) She is parading around, announcing, "I am sex-see!" Should I be worried?
This afternoon, at 3:10 (kids start getting dismissed at 3:30), we had a fire drill. At the end of the day, on a Friday! But it went just fine.
I am hoping to go to bed early. Younger Daughter is going to a middle school dance, and is very excited. She is getting a ride there and back with a friend's dad. (She and her friend, a boy, are not going TOGETHER. It is not a date; they are not even going as friends. They are just carpooling. LOL.) She is parading around, announcing, "I am sex-see!" Should I be worried?
When I woke up this morning, my first thought was, "I'm not in the Bahamas." I was having a dream that I went to the Bahamas with my college roommate and a few other girlfriends. The beach was beautiful, but there were giant spiders all over, and we had to take anti-malaria pills because of them (never mind that malaria comes from mosquitoes, not spiders!). I found myself wondering why I hadn't taken the pills before we got there.
Normally spiders don't bother me, but these were big spiders, and at one point I was screaming and running away from them.
In the dream, the medication made me sleepy, so at the end of the dream, I was waking up and trying to figure out how to turn off the alarm clock. Turns out it was my real alarm clock waking me up for school! Hence the confusion about not being in the Bahamas.
Normally spiders don't bother me, but these were big spiders, and at one point I was screaming and running away from them.
In the dream, the medication made me sleepy, so at the end of the dream, I was waking up and trying to figure out how to turn off the alarm clock. Turns out it was my real alarm clock waking me up for school! Hence the confusion about not being in the Bahamas.
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