A greatest day in detail:
I got up at 6:30 on Fri. and arrived at the private school (my favorite) for my second day in 4th grade. It was a fairly easy day. The kids had silent reading for an hour (and I took The Fountainhead and got a good start on it). They then had a spelling test and then the math teacher brought over some work for them to do. They were rounding decimals. THAT I could do, AND explain. I was happy. The kids... were not so happy with 52 problems to do. But once they got into it they got into it. That's what I love about teaching there. If the kids have work in front of them, they're into it. They then had their first rehearsal for the Easter program. The music teacher was running late with the kindergarteners and preschoolers so we got to sit and watch them run through their song a bazillion times. The 4th graders were so cute, standing on the bleachers and doing the hand motions! Their song was my favorite!!! "Jesus, you're my superhero. You're my star, my best friend." IN THEIR CUTE LITTLE KID VOICES!! AWWW! Then it was 3rd and 4th grades' turn... and they were singing soooo quietly and the boys looked SO unhappy up on stage! It made me almost feel sorry for them. One little boy was SO CUTE though. Seriously. I wish he was my son.
The afternoon was study hall and mostly spent practicing more for the show, with the whole school. It was soooo long. It took longer than originally planned, but that was fine, I guess. When we got back we just played silent speedball. Then the day was over... but I had volunteered to return to meet the 4th graders in their room and take them down and sit with them because their teacher was gone for wedding stuffs.
I went to dinner with Tara AND WE SOLIDIFIED PLANS TO MEET SAMMIE AND HER BROTHER!!!!, and we both had breakfast for dinner and talked a lot.
Anyway, met the kids in their room. We played some games, but some of the kids were nuts. It was the longest 20 minutes of the day. I couldn't stop watching the clock. They were really driving me crazy. The show was good, but it felt long. I think the kids were excited but also just tired of it and wanting Easter break to start. So was I!!!
THEN I went back to the dorm and played Apples to Apples with the other girlies for a while... and listened to Leann's horror stories of student teaching... and remembered my own experience and how I was not myself. Life really was dark and foreign for me back then. I feel so blessed to have had this year "off." Subbing has done amazing things for me. I certainly hope it will continue to do so. I really do love going into new places and meeting new people. I especially love going back to the private school and to the school I student taught at... where I know the people a little better. It's nice to go back to that school now that I am myself and have some confidence in myself and others and the world and education and children. I would have hated anyone passionately who told me to keep trying back then (well, I didn't HATE them...) but I really do hope Leann gives teaching a shot.
THENNNNN Tara and I went to meet Sammie and Homer at a Japanese place. We got there at about the same time, and I pretty much couldn't believe my eyes. We hugged forever... and then we went inside. It was my first time at a suishi place. I tried some of Tara's avacado thinger, and it was pretty good. I had a stupid little lump of rice-covered Green Tea ice cream. Mochi ice cream... I dump little lump for $1.99. The ice cream inside was good. The outside was stupid. But who cares anyway? Sammie had her fill of suishi, and we got to talk face to face for the first time in our lives! We talked a lot about animals and her plans and her job at the shelter... all the politics and such. We then headed to Starbucks for drinks. I had a smoothie... even though it was freezing outside. I was just craving chocolate, and I needed me some protein. It served me well. Tara and I drove back to school, and Sammie and Homer followed so I could drive them out to the park!!!!
We chatted a lot in the car. I got to show them some things. I learned that Homer read Atlas Shrugged. It made me smile. What a wonderfully amazing book... Oh yeah, got to point out the Japanese garden. Wish we could have gone in there. But... definitely not open at like... 10pm or whatever time it was. Also, they saw the symbol!
What made me happiest, I think, deep down inside (not including the fact alone that Sammie was WITH ME IN PERSON), was when we stepped out of the car at the park in the dark and Homer just couldn't stop commenting about the SMELL. I suppose I don't always notice it, really, as anything out of the ordinary. But he lives in Chicago. He tuned me into it, and I just breathed it deeply and realized how fresh it smelled mixed with the cold night.
I walked them up toward the barn, pointing things out in the dark like the arenas, round pen, forest... Then I realized the horses were probably in the pony pasture... because that's where their evening hay is thrown. And they were. We walked along and visited some of the boarders who were by the fence and talked with and petted the ones that came up to us. Stormy, of course, did not. I wasn't even able to identify him. Either he stayed in the horse pasture or he was right in the middle of the pony pasture, in the dark, where we couldn't see him. Maybe he was even standing in the shelter... which faced away from the fence. Silly booger.
We then went across the bridge so I could show them the big cow. Hehe. Yes, big cow.
I took them back to the college parking lot where they'd left their car. As we were saying our good-byes, Homer grabbed me and taught me to tango. It's way fun! I sure do want to learn ballroom dancing. Man, I love dancing. So... we danced, and we swing danced some... to Sammie's musical laughter. It was a perfect night, and as I said before, it didn't completely seem like a meeting for the first time. There were no surprises. She was Sammie. My friend. I cannot wait until she is living and hour and a half from me. I will be going to stay with her, and we will be drinking Tequila Sunrises.
The afternoon was study hall and mostly spent practicing more for the show, with the whole school. It was soooo long. It took longer than originally planned, but that was fine, I guess. When we got back we just played silent speedball. Then the day was over... but I had volunteered to return to meet the 4th graders in their room and take them down and sit with them because their teacher was gone for wedding stuffs.
I went to dinner with Tara AND WE SOLIDIFIED PLANS TO MEET SAMMIE AND HER BROTHER!!!!, and we both had breakfast for dinner and talked a lot.
Anyway, met the kids in their room. We played some games, but some of the kids were nuts. It was the longest 20 minutes of the day. I couldn't stop watching the clock. They were really driving me crazy. The show was good, but it felt long. I think the kids were excited but also just tired of it and wanting Easter break to start. So was I!!!
THEN I went back to the dorm and played Apples to Apples with the other girlies for a while... and listened to Leann's horror stories of student teaching... and remembered my own experience and how I was not myself. Life really was dark and foreign for me back then. I feel so blessed to have had this year "off." Subbing has done amazing things for me. I certainly hope it will continue to do so. I really do love going into new places and meeting new people. I especially love going back to the private school and to the school I student taught at... where I know the people a little better. It's nice to go back to that school now that I am myself and have some confidence in myself and others and the world and education and children. I would have hated anyone passionately who told me to keep trying back then (well, I didn't HATE them...) but I really do hope Leann gives teaching a shot.
THENNNNN Tara and I went to meet Sammie and Homer at a Japanese place. We got there at about the same time, and I pretty much couldn't believe my eyes. We hugged forever... and then we went inside. It was my first time at a suishi place. I tried some of Tara's avacado thinger, and it was pretty good. I had a stupid little lump of rice-covered Green Tea ice cream. Mochi ice cream... I dump little lump for $1.99. The ice cream inside was good. The outside was stupid. But who cares anyway? Sammie had her fill of suishi, and we got to talk face to face for the first time in our lives! We talked a lot about animals and her plans and her job at the shelter... all the politics and such. We then headed to Starbucks for drinks. I had a smoothie... even though it was freezing outside. I was just craving chocolate, and I needed me some protein. It served me well. Tara and I drove back to school, and Sammie and Homer followed so I could drive them out to the park!!!!
We chatted a lot in the car. I got to show them some things. I learned that Homer read Atlas Shrugged. It made me smile. What a wonderfully amazing book... Oh yeah, got to point out the Japanese garden. Wish we could have gone in there. But... definitely not open at like... 10pm or whatever time it was. Also, they saw the symbol!
What made me happiest, I think, deep down inside (not including the fact alone that Sammie was WITH ME IN PERSON), was when we stepped out of the car at the park in the dark and Homer just couldn't stop commenting about the SMELL. I suppose I don't always notice it, really, as anything out of the ordinary. But he lives in Chicago. He tuned me into it, and I just breathed it deeply and realized how fresh it smelled mixed with the cold night.
I walked them up toward the barn, pointing things out in the dark like the arenas, round pen, forest... Then I realized the horses were probably in the pony pasture... because that's where their evening hay is thrown. And they were. We walked along and visited some of the boarders who were by the fence and talked with and petted the ones that came up to us. Stormy, of course, did not. I wasn't even able to identify him. Either he stayed in the horse pasture or he was right in the middle of the pony pasture, in the dark, where we couldn't see him. Maybe he was even standing in the shelter... which faced away from the fence. Silly booger.
We then went across the bridge so I could show them the big cow. Hehe. Yes, big cow.
I took them back to the college parking lot where they'd left their car. As we were saying our good-byes, Homer grabbed me and taught me to tango. It's way fun! I sure do want to learn ballroom dancing. Man, I love dancing. So... we danced, and we swing danced some... to Sammie's musical laughter. It was a perfect night, and as I said before, it didn't completely seem like a meeting for the first time. There were no surprises. She was Sammie. My friend. I cannot wait until she is living and hour and a half from me. I will be going to stay with her, and we will be drinking Tequila Sunrises.