First Week of School!

In the past, right before school starts, I start having nightmares about school. These nightmares include situations where the students take over the room, or someone gets hurt, etc. This is not an unusual thing....many teachers suffer from these nightmares as well. Often times, when we come back to school for our first faculty meetings, teachers share their latest nightmare or when they started having them. We laugh and joke about them and then give support to remind each other that it is going to be a great year!
Well, this year has been different! I have not had one nightmare! I have not woken up in complete panic wondering, "where in the heck did that child take off to," or "if the class really did tie me up!" I think the reason for the lack of nightmares is because of the drugs I was taking for the pain in my neck/back, thumb and knee....but none the less, I wasn't plagued with endless nightmares right before school started and oh what a blessing!
Now I am not sure if that was a sign, but I have the most amazing class ever! I truly don't know what I did to have such an amazing class! Don't get me wrong---in the past, I have had amazing students...but it took a moment to get them that way. Not this class! The first day of class I reviewed the school rules and started practicing how to line up, sit on the rug, etc. Usually it takes a full week to get them to master these concepts.....but not this class. Within 3 hours they were literally perfect! I even was able to start into next week’s lessons. By the end of the week, we were actually able to accomplish two weeks in one. Now I don't know if I am very lucky, God just smiled down on me and decided to give me an "easy year," or something tragic is going to happen and I need to have students that can learn quickly?!?! But I am so excited to teach this group of kids! Now, I am also aware that the "honeymoon stage" will end (this is my 12 year of teaching---not that naive) and that the real class will poke it's head out....but Friday I was able to put them to work, so that I could individually test each one of them, and they did perfectly! Something that does not occur during a normal first week of school.

Some fun highlights:

I told the kids I was going to teach them a word they know but that is "naughty." I then explained that this word is "naughty" because it doesn't follow the rules. I then asked the kids which word do they think I was going to teach them. Well, 3 kids guessed some great high frequency words that easily could have been the word. I complimented them on their guess and told them that the words they choose were "naughty" but that they weren't the one I was thinking about. I told them it is a word they see in almost every book. Then one of my cute darlings raised her hand. I quickly called on her and said, "Go ahead, which naughty word do you think I am going to teach you today?" She quickly, and so confidently, piped up and said, "ASS!" Luckily, we live in a pretty naive environment and the other students looked like deer in front of headlights......I had to hold back my shock and then burst of laughter.....so I simply said, "Not that naughty word." and moved to the next child. The next child guessed it correctly, "THE." I then wondered....what type of books is she reading or her family reading to her.....I specifically said, "A word that is in almost every book you read?!?!?" Go figure.

While working with a student, a little boy came over to me and wrapped his arms around my neck (shocking me, because I didn't see him coming) and said, "I L-O-V-E YOU!" He melted my heart....and then I told him to go sit back down in his seat ;-)

When I was reading a book to my class (I was seated on a little chair and my students were on the ground) one of my students started tugging on my skirt. I quickly looked at her and said, "Could you please stop touching my skirt." To which she replied very loudly---while literally flinging my skirt over my knee (the skirt had a side slit)-----"BUT MISS WINWARD YOUR GARMENTS ARE SHOWING!" Only in Utah....apparently I had ripped my skirt sometime before and hadn't noticed it!

To top it off, Friday 2 teachers brought their kids into my room to watch a phonic educational video (enabling me to finish up the last 5 kids I needed to test). When the video was over one of the teachers hadn't returned to pick up her kids. I was getting nervous because I needed to take my kids down to gym.....so I thought I would chance it (something I have never done on the first week of school). I told my class.....I need to walk this class down the hall to their classroom, can I trust you to sit still while I return. They said they could, so I quickly took the other students down to their classroom. When I got to the classroom the teacher wasn't there. I became a bit panicked since my class was alone in my room---we all know what happens when a teacher leaves the classroom----a few cute ones venture out the door to see if they can see when the teacher is coming, some run around the room, some sit quietly, etc. I finally got a neighboring teacher to watch the class so I could return to mine. As I was walking back, I noticed my neighboring co-worker in the hall talking to my kids. "OH NO!!" I thought. I quickly said to her, "I am so sorry! What are they doing?" She said, "Oh no, they aren't doing anything wrong. I looked over at your classroom and saw.........why don't you look." I turned into my classroom to see all 22 kids sitting like soldiers in their seats, with their eyes forward and mouths closed. My mouth dropped open. My co-worker said she had to come over and tell the class that they were so good and how impressed she was by their behavior! I immediately rewarded them with a Starburst (I am not above giving out candy to kids that are behaving correctly!). Like I said.....lucky, blessed, etc. I don't know. I just know I have had a blast with these kids already!!!!!