HaPpY ThAnKSgiViNG!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I've included a cute little Kinder conversation for your enjoyment.:)

*****DISCLAIMER: This conversation took place after at least two week of studying Pilgrims and Indians (or Native Americans if you want to be P.C.) and maybe we need a little more education on the subject...:)

Me: OK friends, everybody is going to get to dress up for our feast and you get to decide if you want to be a Native American or a Pilgrim. Raise your hand and let me know what you want to be and we can put your name on the right spot on our graph.

Kid #1: DARTH. VADER! (Ummmm, was he an Indian or a pilgrim???)
Kid #2: A Naked American... (It took me a few seconds to realize that this wasn't meant to be funny...and I was the only one in the room laughing.:) In this kids' defense, "naked" does sound a lot like "Native" and really, how often do you see pictures of Indians who are fully clothed???)

Hope your Thanksgiving gives you as many reasons to be thankful as mine does!

A Few Things I'm Thankful for...

This week in Kindergarten, my kids and I have had many conversations about how blessed we are and what we are thankful for. I have asked them to list several things that they are thankful for. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I would do the same...

1. It only seems right to start with this guy. He's my Favorite, my BFF, the love of my life... Lately, I've really been noticing things about him that I love so much... most are simple things, but just things that are so "Karson." For example, usually at least once or twice per week, I come into the kitchen to see every herb from our garden picked and out on the kitchen counter. It means that he is creating some completely strange, unusual concoction for us to eat...and I love it!

2. I am thankful for my parents. I'm thankful for how much they love each other and for how much they love me. And I'm thankful that I get to see them in 3 short days! It has been TEN years since I have gone home for Thanksgiving and I am so excited!

3. I am thankful for Coke Zero. I. am. an. addict.

4. I am thankful for music. I love to play the piano. There are few things that I enjoy more than playing the piano or listening to music. Whether it is learning a new Chopin song or going to a Pat Green Concert, I love music!

5. I am thankful for Karson's parents. They raised the man that I love and I love them for that.

6. I am thankful for modern technology... I think of how I am able to keep in contact with some of my dearest friends because of cell phones, blogs, etc.

7. I am thankful for our friends that let us be a part of their children's lives. We love babysitting, having them come over to play...they even let us help get their kids ready for bed...




8. I am thankful for Josephine's Italian Bistro. Please call me and we can go eat there sometime...SO YUMMY!

9. I am thankful for my job. Some of the women I work with are my very best friends and I feel so blessed to see them every day!

10. I am thankful for my Room Moms this year. I have always had at least a few good moms, but this year I have so many! Just today, one of them brought me a Sonic drink...and it is not unusual for me to get all sorts of goodies throughout the week. That is just what they do for me! They do so many things for my kiddos, too!

11. And lastly, I am thankful for the 22 kiddos that call me Mrs. Williams everyday. They challenge me, drive me CRAZY at times, but I am so excited to see them every morning and I can't imagine life without their hugs, silliness, and sweetness.

This list is by no means complete, but it is just a few ways that I am blessed! Happy Thanksgiving!
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Ciga-Wettes and Happy Halloween!

Kid: Mrs. Will-wams, wast night I cut da eyeballs out of my pumpkin and at night, I said to my mama, "MOMMA! You thwow yo ciga-wette in that pumpkins head??? Cuz his heads on fire!"

Maybe you just had to be there...but it was one of the best laughs I've had in a while...

Happy Halloween!

I've Quit My Job...

...and am now gainfully employed as an ice cream server at Baskin Robbins...:)

Whatcha think about that?

Kinder Conversations #3

First of all, I want to apologize that all of my posts lately have been about teaching...I don't really have anything else blogworthy to post.:) So, thanks for reading anyway!

Girl: Mrs. Williams, I have to potty really badly. (We are outside at recess.)
Boy: Can't she just go outside? When my mommy is taking a long time on one potty and my dad is taking a long, LONG time on the other potty, I just go outside. (Yes, if you have children, they ARE sharing these private things with their teacher, classmates, etc.:))
Me: Well...when you are at home with mom and dad it is ok to do that if they say it is ok, BUT at school we always use our toilets inside.
Boy: Hmmm... (thinking really hard) Is that because girls have to sit down when they potty? Like on a toilet?
Me: Well, everybody uses toilets differently...sometimes we sit and sometimes we stand... but we always have to use them at school.
Boy: OH! I remember! Girls have to sit down to use the potty because they don't have that thingie...what's that thingie that I have called???
Me: Uhhh...yes, it is good to sit...well, we better hurry inside:)


This past week, we were talking about dreams, goals, and what we want to be when we grow up. I must say, I have always had several conversations like this with my kids, but none have ever been this entertaining and I have never had so many kids say that they wanted to be an inanimate object...I'm pretty sure I was laughing so hard that I snorted...too bad there weren't any other adults in the room with me to laugh with me.:) And don't worry, we did go back and clarify what some real "job options" are:)

Here are just a few of the responses that I can remember (they were so precious that I wrote them down as soon as the kids went to lunch.) :

Kid #1: a pink smelly marker
Kid #2: a bumblebee
Kid #3: a Coach purse (Now that's a smart girl!)
Kid #4: a mermaid
Kid #5: a spatula
Kid #6: a dog that doesn't bark
Kid #7: a pretty girl like you and my mommy (Now, that is REALLY a smart girl!)
Kid #8: your daddy
Kid #9: I'll have two jobs...a yogurt shop person and a pizza place person. And I'll give you free yogurt if you come to my shop.
Me: Wow! The Teacher gets free yogurt!
Kid #9 : Yes, as long as you pay for it... (Hmmm...)
Kid #10 (my personal favorite): a doctor that helps people's butts...my mommy has this thing hanging out of her butt and it hurts her and she had to have surgery and now she has a bruise and has to sit on a pillow.


Have a good week!

There's a First for Everything...

First Day of my First Year of teaching...

Kid runs away...out the front door of the building...

Lost a kid at dismissal...found her about 30 min. later...

I could go on and on...it was definitely a "first year" experience.:)

Second Year, First Day of School...

Kid poops all over my rugs and pillows in the reading stations...

A screaming mama runs into my room screaming in Espanol and takes her kid out of my class and runs out the door...

Kid cries (screaming cry) until after lunch...(annoying!)

Third Year, First Day of School...

17 of my 22 students don't speak English...(and don't get me wrong...I loved them, but...nuf said...)

Fourth Year, First Day of School...

I better not disclose this one due to confidentiality issues, but lets just say I lost almost twenty pounds the first few weeks of school...most of you who know me know the whole story.:)

Fifth Year, First Day of School...

8:02- Kid pukes...

8:05- Kid pees EVERYWHERE!

10:00ish- fire alarm goes off...smoke in the kitchen...we evacuate...

10:3oish- kid has allergic reaction to the grass we are standing on...carry her to the neighborhood and hang out in the street...

An hour or so later... we eat lunch in our room because the cafe is out of commission...Yippee!

3:00ish...kid pees everywhere AGAIN! ( And I promise we take LOTS of bathroom breaks.:))

My Assistant Principal and I lift the children over the pee puddle so that they can get out the door for dismissal.

This year...

No pukers, pee-ers, poopers, runners...

No fires, allergic reactions or naked children...

Now, don't get me wrong, I still went to bed at 7:30, but it was a pretty uneventful day.:)

There's a first for everything...

Here's to a good year!

Done!

I normally wouldn't put pictures of my classroom on my blog, but I have had THREE people ask me to. So...since I am such a people pleaser...enjoy.:)

Those of you teachers who are reading may be able to relate to me on this...

The other day, my sweet friend Jill, told me about this store that was going out of business (Jill, thanks so much and I had fun at lunch!). I bought this "book display turner thingie" (that is the technical term) and I am absolutely in love. Pitiful, I know... It doesn't take much to get us teachers excited.:) Maybe fewer of my books will go to the book doctor, book heaven (or hell), etc. now that I have a better place for my kiddos to store them.

And this picture has a story behind it...

My sweet dad came at the end of the year and was helping me hang fabric on my walls for this year. I left for a few minutes and came back to this...

This is Kellie...Kellie walked into my room to ask me something and when I wasn't there, he decided to recruit her to help him hang fabric. When I returned, I was a little surprised at the sight and decided to introduce my dad to Kellie, my principal.:) Luckily, she is very helpful and would have probably volunteered to do this had she known I needed help, but I just thought it was funny.:)

Happy Friday!

Sweet Emma's 6th Birthday

As a kindergarten teacher, I love all my kiddos. Every once in a while, however, I have a student that I just absolutely fall in love with and wish they were my own. Emma is one of those sweet little girls. She is so polite and sweet and she is always thinking of others. She is also really funny and a whole lot of fun to be around. Emma's mommy and I work together, so I get to enjoy her even more! Today is Emma's 6th birthday, so she came over for a birthday breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and eggs. It was so much fun! Her little sis Avery came along for the fun!

Happy birthday sweet Emma! I love you!

Kinder Conversations #2

Kid #1: Why do your friends give you a shower when you have a baby in your tummy? (We were getting ready for a baby shower for a girl on our team at school.)
Kid #2: BECAUSE....when you have a baby inside you, you get fat. And when you get fat, you start to stink. And when you start to stink, your friends make you take a shower. (Now this kid has it ALL figured out!)

Kid: I ran out of gas...(walking into the classroom with a big smile on his face)
Me: Oh, I'm sorry. Are you tired?
Kid: And the hallway smells...(ewwwww....)

Kid: That one is the mommy tadpole. (Looking at our tadpole aquarium)
Me: How do you know?
Kid: Because she has a big mouth and a big bottom... (Oh, of course! How did I miss that one!)

Me: Who threw up all over the pocket chart and the carpet back here?
Kids: Silence...more silence...
Me: OK, I really need to know who threw up so I can help you...
Kids: More silence...
Me: OK, I'm going to go back to my table to pull reading groups. If it was you, please come quietly tell me. You are not in trouble. I just need to know.
Kid: Ummmm......
Me: Did you throw up all over the back of the room?
Kid: Maybe?
Me: Maybe? Why didn't you tell me?
Kid: I forgot??? (Hmmmm...)

Kid: I'm worried about you Mrs. Williams.
Me: Oh, that is not your job. Why are you worried about me?
Kid: Because you drink a lot of beer... (Huh what?...How does he know? J/K)
Me: Sweetie, what makes you think I drink a lot of beer?
Kid: You know those green bottles that you always drink...that's beer...
Me: Oh, sweetie, that is not beer. It is water called Perrier. (Good thing we cleared that one up!)

Conversations in Kindergarten

Conversation 1:

Kid: Mrs. We-Wums! (crying hysterically)
Me: What's the matter sweetie? (giving a hug, of course...)
Kid: Bobby* made fun of my girfwend!
Me: Ohhhh.....how did that make you feel?
Kid: I'm not vewy happy.
Me: I'm sorry you're sad. What did he say?
Kid: He said she is not my girfwend!
Me: Well, I am sorry that you are sad, but I bet what he meant was that in kindergarten we don't really have boyfriends and girlfriends. We just have friends that are girl and boys. We are all friends. Isn't that special that we can do that?
Kid: No, but fo' weal..she is MY GIRFWEND!
Me: What is your friend's name? (trying to change the subject)
Kid: Pawina (Paulina...I'm guessing???)
Me: What do you and Paulina do together?
Kid: Go out dwinking togeder. (Who is the DD...I'm wondering?)
Me: Go out drinking together? What do you drink? (I've been teaching kinder long enough to know to never assume and always ask questions)
Kid: You know...like at cool.
Me: It's cool?
Kid: Nooooowwwwaaaahhhhhhh.....like at COOL!
Me: Like at school?
Kid: Yep.
Me: You mean like milk from the cafe'?
Kid: Yeah. Sometimes chocolate, sometimes stwawbeweeeeeeee, and sometimes, you know...the ugly kind.
Me: The white kind?
Kid: Yep.
Me: Where do you drink?
Kid: At the pawk.
Me: At the park? Was anyone with you?
Kid: Nope. Well maybe my mom. I was fouw and she was six.
Me: Oh, so she is 2 years older.
Kid: No, I six now too!
Me: OK. Sounds like she is a pretty neat friend. Go back to your station. Thank you.

Conversation 2:
Another Kid: Mrs. Williams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (crying hysterically...real tears)
Me: What's the matter sweetie?
Kid: MY. PENCIL. IS. NOT. LISTENING. TO. ME!!!!!! (Hmmmmmmm.....)
Me: What are you telling your pencil?
Kid: I'm telling it to do its work and it's not listening!
Me: Oh, I'm so sorry. You must be frustrated. Sweetie, does your pencil have ears?
Kid: (defeated) No....
Me: Could you hear without your ears?
Kid: (defeated yet again) No...
Me: Well, since your pencil doesn't have ears, you might just want to make it do what you want it to do. It probably won't listen very well. And you'll be sad. Be the boss of that pencil. Go sit down.
Kid: Okeeeeeee......Dokeeeee! Mrs. Williams, you're a good teacher.
Me: Thanks. You are a good kid.