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Did You Really Order That?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by auburnchick

Last Friday night, I had a busy agenda.  I was headed to the high school I work at to watch some of my students play basketball.  From the court, I was going to head over to the soccer field to watch Barb’s son play soccer.

I decided a run by Starbucks was in order, so I pulled into the drive-thru.

After placing my order, there was a moment of silence before the Starbucks employee asked, “Did you just order a Sexy Caramel Frappuccino?”

And then I heard deep, guttural laughing.

Oh my word, I wondered instantly.  Was it possible?

I told him, “I might have.”

I desperately tried to think of some way to get out of this conversation gracefully.

I’m afraid that I’m not very quick on my feet where it comes to situations like this.

What I wish I’d said was something coy like, “Why yes.  Yes I did.”

However, I’m a rule-follower…one with a sense of humor though.  I felt like I had some backpedaling to do.

So, I responded by saying, “I teach high schoolers all day and hear a lot of stuff.”

The guy could not stop laughing, which made me even more embarrassed and unsure of myself.

I truly had no idea what I’d said.  More than likely, I had not enunciated my words properly.

After modeling fluent reading all day and speaking slowly and repeating myself to ensure my students hear and understand instructions, my mouth was probably tired.

Yes, to you naysayers, I do get tired of talking (I’m beating you to the punch here).

Finally, I asked if I could drive around.

He continued to laugh while telling me to move forward.

Now, the best thing you can do in a situation like this is to laugh.  I chatted up the guy when I got to the window, and he was quite charming, let me tell you.  We discovered, through our small talk, that one of his relatives is a guidance counselor at the school I work at.  Small world, eh?  I don’t know her…probably because I don’t teach her students…but still, it was an interesting connection.

I also learned that the gentleman works at another fast food establishment, so he’s constantly taking orders.  Is it possible that he misheard me?

I’m going with that, for surely I didn’t do something lame like order a Venti Sexy Caramel Frappuccino.

I order mine with soy and no whipped...just for the record...*wink*

Surely not.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Finally Organized, Or Is It?

Posted on February 5, 2012 by auburnchick

Friday, before leaving school for the weekend, I spent quite a bit of time organizing my desk, guided reading table, and another table in my room…

The pictures are a bit misleading, however, because most of what was on those tables wound up here…

That’s my take-home pile…work for the weekend.

I’m realistic enough to know that I’ll never plow my way through everything; however, I will, at least have nearly everything I need to accomplish two or three tasks.

Sigh.

The life of a teacher.

It’s definitely not a Monday- Friday, 9-5 job!

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Dear Mothers Who Have Boys…

Posted on February 4, 2012 by auburnchick

Dear Mothers of Sons,

Do you have boys who, at the age of 17, still exude fearsome body odor despite all of your attempts to teach them about proper hygiene?

Fear no more!

There is hope!

These same boys…the ones who brought home icky things like snails and toads but who still wanted to snuggle with their mamas while watching cartoons do actually grow up!

In fact, they even, out of the blue, ask their mamas to buy them deodorant that WORKS for longer than the amount of time it takes for them to close their armpits after applying the stuff!

And it gets even better!

There is that magical moment that follows the request about the deodorant when these boys ask you to buy them cologne that makes them smell good for several hours!!!

I KNOW!!!!

As a fellow mom-of-a-son, I too was shocked to discover this truth, which, in all honesty, nobody ever bothered to tell me!

I’ve decided not to hoard the joy and give you a glimpse into your future.

So, if you’re following behind your boys, using air fresheners to invigorate rooms they recently occupied…

Just remember…

The boys grow up…

And they go with their parents to Target, cause it’s a family affair…

And they spend twenty minutes sniffing all of the body washes, cologne, and deodorant…

And they leave happy…

Because the boys have turned into young men who…finally…care.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

MJ Lives!

Posted on February 3, 2012 by auburnchick

When you’re a new teacher and dealing with messes like these…

…it helps to find things to laugh about.

Take, for instance, my ongoing conversation with a student of mine.

I’ll call her Miss P, and she’s just about as precious as any teenager I’ve ever encountered.

From Day 1 of this school year, this sweet child has endeared herself to my heart.  That first day of school, I was nervous as I reviewed my rules and procedures.

Miss P sat in the back of the room and nodded and smiled at everything I said.

She’s a preacher’s child but doesn’t fit the stereotype.  She truly is a good girl.

She’d also been quiet…until the last few weeks when her quirky personality came to the surface.

Oh my word, but you’d think this girl was a blonde for all of the “moments” she’s had lately.

One day, near the end of class, we were all chatting.  Because Miss P is in my fourth period class, we are usually a bit giddy by the afternoon…eager to be finished with the day.

We started talking about the Wii game Just Dance – Michael Jackson.

I talked about how the kids had given me the game for Christmas, and Miss P said, “Did you get the white glove?”

HUH????

White glove?

“Yes, my Daddy got me the game, and it came with the white glove,” she said.

Oh my word.

I expressed shock that my own children didn’t love me enough to buy me this version of the game.

Well, Miss P went on and on about that glove, and finally I looked at her closely.

See, the other girls in the class were laughing hysterically.

I began to suspect that all was not truth that Miss P was speaking.

She finally admitted that she was joking.

Stinker.

Ever since then, Michael Jackson has come up in conversation every now and then, and Miss P is always quick to point out how much she loves him and that I need to get the white glove.

Yesterday, during class, I passed by Miss P, and she said, “Mrs. AuburnChick…look…”

And that child pulled out…

Uh huh…

You guessed it…

A white glove!!!!!

I nearly fainted, and my students started laughing outrageously.

I told Miss P that I simply had to put it on…

Yeah, that’s me wearing the infamous glove.

The funniest thing is that just the night before, as I was putting on my white gloves during handbell practice, I’d told my fellow ringers about the ongoing discussion I’d been having with my student and speculated about how funny it would be to show up with a bejeweled glove.

She beat me to the punch!

You know, teaching is such a difficult profession…long, tiring hours spent without knowing if you’re really making a difference.

It’s times like the above-described on that we teachers thrive on…the connections we make…the laughter that reverberates within our hearts long after our students have left our classrooms.

I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to dance to that game without thinking of my sweet Miss P.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

A Little Motivation

Posted on February 2, 2012 by auburnchick

Last week, I wrote about sharing my personal journey through high school with my own students.

Yesterday morning, when I arrived at school, I put the finishing touches on a visual reminder of that chat…

I conveniently used a lamp my friend, Barb, loaned to me.  It kind of looks like a person, eh?  One of my students did a double-take when she got to class yesterday.

I hope that as my students’ attention starts to wander during class, their eyes will affix to this visual representation of the future that is beckoning to them.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

A Taxing Hodgepodge? Think Again!

Posted on February 1, 2012 by auburnchick

Go ahead and be envious of the creative titles I come up with for my Hodgepodge posts.

heehee

I’m feeling goofy.  Sorry.  It’s been an i-n-t-e-r-e-s-t-i-n-g two weeks at school, and I fear that either pre-menopause or teenage highs and lows are invading my body.

Anyhoo, join in the fun, link up with Joyce, and visit other Hodgepodge bloggers!

1.  It’s that most wonderful time of the year…tax season! Do you complete your own returns or farm that job out to the professionals?

The Mr. was blessed with a math/financial brain, so he does our taxes each year…with a little help from TurboTax.  He’s just about done, in fact.  Now, if only I could find the papers for the cars we bought the kids last year.  Um…see my previous blog post if you’re wondering how I could lose something that important.

2. This next question comes from Kansas Bob…he posed it in his response to something I asked in an earlier Wednesday post and I asked him if I could add it to the Hodgepodge some day. Today’s the day….

Which do you think has changed you more-love or pain?

I think that I would have to say pain.  Last week, during my classes, I shared some of the hard times I experienced during my childhood.  I wanted them to understand that I understand some of the pain they are going through, despite me looking like I have my act together.  I’ve often wondered why I’ve had to endure the things I’ve been through.  Then, I see why later.

The Bible talks about the refining process.  Precious metal cannot be purified without heat lifting the impurities to the surface.

That’s how it’s been in my life, and ultimately, I’m grateful for the times of growth, despite the pain.

3.  Tangerine Tango has been named color of the year for 2012. Your thoughts? Would I find this color anywhere in your house? How about in your closet? If not, will you be adding this color to your life in some way in 2012? If you’re not sure what tangerine tango looks like click here.

While you won’t find this color in my house, you might find it on my fingernails!  What a great spring color!

4.  Are you a collector? What do you collect and does it get admired, used, and/or dusted regularly?

I used to collect Christmas village pieces, but the collection got so large that it takes hours to set up and put away, so I haven’t used it in a while.

Something I do collect that that you will see around my house is…YARN!!

As a knitter, I feel it is my duty to buy it as often as possible and show it off.  Thought I don’t have time to knit much right now, the yarn sits in front of me…in baskets around the house…calling like a siren…”AuburnChick…take a break…knit me into something…”

Yes, I’ve completely lost my marbles.  Don’t judge.  You could be next.

5.  February is National Heart Month…besides a green salad what is one tasty heart healthy dish you like to prepare?

I love the black bean soup recipe I make from the book, The Daniel Fast, which I posted here with the author’s permission.  It’s vegan friendly, which means it’s completely heart friendly!

6.  When was the last time you had car trouble?

I refuse to answer this question because I don’t want to jinx myself.

7.  Have you been more demanding on yourself lately or less? Is that a good trend?

Oh, definitely more demanding of myself!  I’m a perfectionist and a control freak (see my previous post).  It’s my second year teaching, but honestly, I’ve always demanded a lot of myself…in certain areas of my life.

Ultimately, it’s not the best trend because I’m causing myself undue stress.  I’ve cried a lot the last couple of weeks, feeling like I’m letting my students down as well as myself.

It can be quite difficult to live up to unreasonable expectations.

8.  My Random Thought

I’ve reported that I’ve been having some problems with one of my classes.  I asked the advice of my school’s ROTC instructor, and while he asked to mull it over, he did say something that I’ve been chewing on…

“To get respect, you have to give respect.”

I think it’s safe to assume that as adults, we expect…or rather DEMAND respect from those younger than us.  However, how often do we stop to consider if we’re giving those same people…in my case, my students…that which I’m expecting to receive from them.

Oh, it’s not a pretty thing when you look inside of yourself and see another area you need to work on.

A student, one of my favs, called me out on it today too, telling me that I could have told her nicely that she couldn’t go to the bathroom.  Instead, I snapped at her.

She’s been snippy with me, but does that give me the right to snap right back?  What does that say about respect?

I think about my favorite EPI teacher, and I’m reminded how she always addressed us as either “Mr. So-and-So or Ms. So-and-So.”

You know something?  What she did made our relationship formal.  We had business to take care of.  However, it was respectful, and she received respect in return…even from students who had to redo their assignments time after time.

Respect is something I’m giving a lot of thought to right now.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 13 Comments »

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