Goodbye is not forever, Farewell is not the end, bc in my Heart is a Memory, and There You will Always be...

I got my last "handshake, high five, or hug" from my kiddos, it's 4:00 o'clock and they just left on the bus for summer break. They had an amazing fanfare farewell with honks and waving from every teacher in the building. I had to immediately write, bc I'm just a bottomless pit of emotion. I cannot stop crying and I cant understand why...sad? joy? relief? I'm going to miss my little buggers, and I've cared for them so much. There were days, I would cry on the way to work and then I would leave laughing. You could be having a great day and then 10 minutes later, be looking for the nearest exit or hiding in the bathroom for a moment to breath. As a teacher, you put all of your emotion in the classroom and in the kids to get through the day. And being that open and ungaurded takes a lot out of you. I think every emotion I felt this year is just pouring out at once. One thing is for sure, I will always always, remember my "wild things, the wild rumpuses, the roaring of the terrible roars and the gnashing of the terrible teeth." No matter how crazy my monsters were, we loved each other and everyone supported each other through everything in our own special ways. We were everything my class theme lived up to! We were every line of the story. We were "Where the Wild Things Are!"

Cheers! (Heres hoping I stop crying soon!)

Before He Cheats...

In no way, shape or form do I EVER EVER condone cheating...but it is kinda funny how our kids go about it. Some of our kids are not very good at cheating or lying, although they try, and I love them for their innocence.

Besides the obvious sit up straighter and peer out of the corner of the eye method, some of my kids go to great lengths to deceive me. Glen, my child that refuses to break any rules and does not like to be rushed, is probably the most innocent and funniest "cheater" I have. For instance, sometimes, he'll get really upset if we dont have enough time to finish an activity and I have to say, "Don't worry, about it Glen, we did a lot of the hard work, we dont need to finish this worksheet," and he'll respond with much concern, "No NO!! I have to finish! If I dont finish I'll be in trouble." I have to remind him to look at my face to see my smile and that I'm the one that gave him the assignment and I'm ok with it if he doesn't complete it. Often he is still perplexed and continues to think I'm mad at him no matter how much I reassure him. But at the same time, I'm semi-pleased to see him try to get away with small mischevious acts (which sometimes he then tattles on himself for doing). The first time was when he was playing hangman with Eduardo and he didnt mark a letter correct when Eduardo guessed it. Keeping in mind, Eduardo's limited language and academic ability, he had no clue how to play hangman or spell the word (Wilmington) that Glen had picked. For the remaining 20 min of recess, Glen was sure Eduardo didnt want to be his friends bc he cheated. Eduardo had no clue, but Glen was in such a fit about the situation. Other times, he also tries to switch his chair with the empty desk next to him (for what reason, I have no clue) when I'm not looking. He's pretty bad at being sneaky. He'll push it a little and then stop in a huff, drawing attention to himself. When I look at him, he stares at me straight in the face like a deer in headlights. When I look away he'll scoot it loudly again. This continues until he has successful switched chairs. If I stop him, it's a much bigger deal to calm him down for "being so bad" so sometimes I just have to let him get away with it. His final uprise against the man, was when he pushed the door handle a bunch of times repeatedly for the loud noise it makes while looking at me directly in the eye. When I asked what he was doing, he shouted "I didnt do it!!! I didnt do it!!" With which, "But Glen, I saw you, its no big deal, I'm not mad, but just dont do that again." He was pretty concerned he was going to be sent to the discipline room, but with all the punches I dodge and cuss words I ignore, a confrontation with a door is the least of my worries.

I am not the only person in my building with a multitude of crazy stories. My good friend Jamie is a fourth grade teacher. Recently, one of her students, we'll call him John came up to her to ask her if two dimes and a nickel was 25 cents. When she confirmed, she watched him walk back to Mike and give him his change. John then began copying the answers to the previous nights homework Jamie had assigned. The sad part of the story was that the kids involved in the answer black market, had not yet learned how to count money, yet understood the supply and demand. Further, to increase his popularity and power, Mike gave away some of the answer for free to the cooler students in exchange for friendship on the recess playground. Goodness gracious, where do they learn this!

Cheers!! May no one cheat you in the near or far future!