Everything I learned I learned in...

...my first year of teaching! Well folks, it is over! My first year of teaching has come and gone and let me tell you I have learned so much. I thought I would just share with you the top ten things I learned while teaching 4th grade this year.

10. Even though they act like they don't care, kids need and want your love and attention all the time.

9. School lunch is not as nasty as I remember it to be.

8. Kids can not sit and listen to you talk for more than ten minutes, but they can sit and watch a 3 hour movie and be just fine.

7. 4 square rules are a lot more intense now compared to when I was a kid.

6. Laughing at yourself is sometimes all that will get you through the day.

5. Saturdays are your best friend and so is summer break.

4. Field trips are fun in theory, but will make you tired enough to sleep for days after.

3. Patience for myself is in more short supply than my patience for the students. You need both to be a good teacher.

2. Technology is now a must in teaching and in keeping the kids focused.

And most importantly...

1. Pee quickly because if you don't, your classroom will be a zoo when you come back from the bathroom.

I am so happy about all the things I continue to learn about myself and am excited to take on the new challenge of 6th graders next year.

Nesting!

No, I am NOT pregnant, but I have been nesting like crazy these past few days because...

MY SISTER IS COMING TO LIVE WITH ME AND I AM SO EXCITED!

She has decided to come live with me for a year and work while she prepares for college. I have been moving my extra stuff back into my room and moving things in the bathroom so that she can have room. It has been so fun and is getting me so excited. Everyday I think of new places I want to take her and new things I want to do with her. Too bad she is going to have a job over the summer because I will not and will be excited and ready to play. All I know is that you should keep reading this blog because we are going to have amazing adventures in this next year. I can feel it!

The things I do to make my students happy!

We had a pie throwing extravaganza at school today and I volunteered to be one of the teachers that the kids could throw pies at. Well I became an instant celebrity in the school and my students were so proud to say that they were in my class. Other than not being able to go home and shower and smelling like rotten milk the rest of the day, I had a lot of fun! It is always fun to see my students happy so it was well worth it.

All in the name of...

...this adorable little girl and many others. Today I was able to participate in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Great Strides Walk for a Cure in Salt Lake. It was so fun and it was a good workout. There were so many people there and all those with Cystic Fibrosis wore pink wrist bands instead of the blue ones we got. We were able to raise $345 for the research of finding a cure! Thanks to those who donated to me and my walk:

Allan and Kristine Carter (Mary Deane's great uncle and aunt)

Kevin and Tina Jones (Mary Deane's grandparents)

Royce and Jill Jones (Mary Deane's great uncle and aunt)

Kurt and Becky Knudsen (Mary Deane's grandparents)

Don and Janell Stockman (My coworker)

I was skyping with this adorable little one the other day and she said "I miss you Karlie, I love you Karlie!" She gave me a big smile and then started chanting, "I like you, I like you and singing hello, hello." It doesn't get any better than that. I want to hear her sweet voice for a long time so I am glad that I could do my part in helping to find a cure and thanks again to the donations that were given!

If you need a good laugh...

...you should read these books. They are an easy read and they are hilarious. The kids were making fun of me because I would start laughing out loud during silent reading time. And of course now that they saw me enjoying reading them so much, almost every kid in my class has one of these books in their desks. My favorite is when they try and sneakily read while I am teaching. I try to act mad because they should be listening to me, but secretly inside it makes me so happy that they have found a book that they can't get enough of.
Now there is a movie too and the kids tell me that it is hilarious. Of course they are 10 and think that farting and burping are hilarious and kissing is gross, but if the movie is anything like the books, then I am going to need to go see it and so should you!
P.S. These are just the first 3 books and there is now a 4th one that is yellow and a 5th one on the way! Yay for "Diary of a Wimpy Kid!"

Funny Conversation of the Day

Student 1: Ms. Jones, is it fun being old?
Me: Well, yes it is actually.
Student 1: I don't want to be old because you have to pay for yourself.
Student 2: Only until you get married and then you have a husband to pay for you!
Student 1: I am a boy though...
Student 2: Oh, good point.

I think he was a little depressed to find out that he would be paying for himself when he gets "old."

Teacher Appreciation week!

So this week is teacher appreciation week and my students have been so cute. Each day they are supposed to bring me something different. Yesterday was my favorite flower so I have a whole vase of beautiful sunflowers at home on my counter. Today they had to bring classroom supplies and tomorrow is my favorite store bought treat! One of my students forgot to bring flowers and she wrote a song about me instead. I thought I would share it with you.

Flowers like you your more beautiful than your favorit flower your more like a feild of roses with bunches of butterflys flying above the flowers way up in the sky when I think of you I think of sweet beaches with a wave of calm and a wave of things that will help me with my like cause some little waves can become big.

That is copied exactly how she wrote it. My students do appreciate me sometimes!