Lice, Tarzan & Popcorn

It has been so long since I posted. So much has happened, and it is another amazing year.

Year 2 has been WONDERFUL. I never thought I would love a class as much as my class last year, and I was wrong. This class is so sweet, so unique and so needy. They make me laugh everyday, and many times throughout the day, I look around at them and am so THANKFUL that I get to be their teacher...that I get to show them a better way of life.

*I have a hilarious new student. He is probably the funniest kid I've ever met. And not because he is trying to be. He is like a 17 year old baller shrunk down in a 5 year old. And he has a gruff voice. He has never been to school and started in October...VERY in need of structure. You should have seen him the 1st day...but with a few weeks of structure, he is doing much better. On his 3rd day in my class, I was hunched over him, helping him write his name, and he looked up at me very seriously and said "Hey-is you all THEY'S teacher too? (pointing to the other kids)." I said: "Yes..I am the teacher for all of you!" He looked at me very confused and said : "OH!" -He does require a lot of attention but not THAT much. :) As the other kids were filing into the bathroom, he stopped...tapped me and said "Hey-you think we can get some of them crackers again? Them was REAL good." :) And my favorite...during calendar "Hey...we needa hurry this up, I gotta get to church". Me-WHAT?! :) They keep me laughing for sure!

Parent/Teacher conferences were a wonderful/rough time. Parents start to realize they can trust you and tell you really hard things they are facing-I heard everything from parents deported back to Mexico, murders in the apartments, not having enough money to pay ultilities, etc. It is very heartbreaking, but they also told me these things that filled me with HOPE: When asked if their child likes school, these were the responses "Oh YES! She used to watch TV all the time, now she just wants to read and practice the worksheets she brings home and her sightword books." "All she does is try to teach her little brothers how to read". "She tells me EVERYTHING that happened at school-and sings all of the songs you guys sing in here". And my favorite "She loves learning so much, she erases all the work she does at school and does it again while she shows her little sisters". How can that not fill your heart with love for these sweet kids? They haven't had very many opportunities, but there is HOPE for their futures. One kid had to leave early, and this perfectly behaved BOY threw a FIT to have to leave before school was over. His mom seemed so embarassed, but I just smiled. That is AWESOME!

*I added some stuffed animals to my library center. I gave a big lecture on how they can NOT just play with them-they have to read to them. It is my FAVORITE thing to look over at the library center, to see my kids cuddled up with animals, pretending to read stories. I put a lot of my read alouds over in the library center, so I see them retelling the stories I've told. One hilarious little girl had the animals lined up and was reading to them like a teacher (I even heard her say-hey! Sit right-criss cross applesauce...Thank you!) :) Another girl was at the listening center part of the library center and had a stuffed bear sitting next to her-both with headphones on, her pointing to the book for the bear. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen!

*They are learning SO much--I am testing kids everyday on letters/#s/etc. for grades. While testing the numbers, I asked the kids to count for me as high as they could. They could all count to 39, but none could get above that--it took me about 5 kids to realize that it was the 39th day of school. We had only counted to 39 (I didn't go on, because most didn't know #1-10 so I didn't think they were ready to count to 100)....it made me realize that for the most part, what they know...I have taught. VERY humbling...but also means they're LEARNING something!!!! :) I was SHOCKED at how the kids had improved in 1 Quarter. Kids who had NO ideas of numbers/letters/colors/shapes/etc. Were now writing sentences, some kids had gone from knowing 0 letters to 30!! Some could now count, etc. I am so excited!

*I got tired of testing, so for about 5 minutes just looked around at my class. They were sweetly playing games at centers. At the front carpet, one of my hilarious girls was quizzing the other kids on their letters/sounds/characters like I do. She kept saying, "Come on girl! You GOT this! I KNOW you can do it! YOu are SO smart!" It is so funny to hear them talk like me.

*One of my moms from last year called me to ask if I could spend some time with her daughter...that she missed me a lot. (I miss her a lot too!) She was a family we were very involved with, for Christmas, etc. and her little brother is in my class this year (after me BEGGING the secretary!) ha. Anyway, my husband and I decided to take all 3 kids to Pizza Hut/the park/and a free children's museum. We picked the kids up from the apartments that I volunteered at this summer and as always, it broke my heart to see what these kids are living in. They came SCREAMING when they heard that I was there. In our car, they were all talking like CRAZY telling me everything that had happened in the weekend so far. As we drove, they talked about how they want to be teachers when they grow up and how they are so excited. We let them pick where they wanted to go, and they all screamed PIZZA HUT! The waitress fell in love with my sweet babies VERY quickly. As we asked them what they wanted to eat, they kept asking "Are you sure you have enough money?" I assured them that we had enough. The little girl said "I wish my mom was rich." I reminded her that money doesn't make you happy--friends/family/school are things that can make us truly happy....and my new little student said "Yea....but money doesn't make you sad!" We had so much fun eating and talking with them. We left Pizza Hut to hit the park. They were in HEAVEN and kept telling us how fun it was. This little girl who used to be scared of men (Because of an abusive past) was obsessed with Paul. We played and took pictures and laughed and were all having the time of our lives. After awhile we went across the street to a free children's museum. The kids can dress up like doctors, there is a little farm, a grocery store, a stage to perform., etc. it is SO fun! The kids were hilarious. There was a little place where you could make jewelry (and my girl is a diva!) so while the boys played "golf", us girls made bracelets. While we talked, she put her hand on my leg and said "I wish you were my mom". I looked at her and said..no you don't! You would miss your mom a lot. I love you and love seeing you at school, but your momma is a good mom and loves you a lot! She said..."Yea. I wish I was a teacher like you. I wish I was white. I wish I could live with you." I went on to tell her all of the things I loved about her--and how beautiful she was-inside and out.

We finished the afternoon playing on the stage-the little girl danced ballet for us and the boys did a ninja show. They were sad to go home, but were excited to get to take some pizza home. "But Mrs...all the other kids are gonna BEG us for some. They're hungry too. They're ALWAYS begging for our food". We dropped them off and both my husband and I said that was the highlight of our month.

I can't take the kids out very often, because I know so many kids who live up there, it's not fair. I've gone to visit the Center once after school and I'm going again tomorrow...but I love those kids. I wish I could make their lives more comfortable. Sometimes I go by their bus line and hug every single kid. Even the 5th graders want hugs. I have only a tiny glimpse of what their lives are like, and it breaks my heart. But there is SO MUCH HOPE.

A few weeks later, after dropping my kids off at lunch recess, a 1st grade teacher grabbed me in the hall, and told me my little girl had something to show me. She ran into the room to get her writing project. It was a book about our trip to pizza hut and how much fun she had. I cried as I read the sweet memory with the cutest pictures. Her teacher made me a copy to take home. I hugged my baby and told her thank you for writing it. My husband has been so stressed this week studying for a huge MEd School test, but when I showed him that--it put perspective on life. :)

*Apple day was last week-we had SO much fun making applesauce, cutting apples, and trying every kind of apple snack possible. The kids were hilarious and so fun. I love doing special activities with them. They are SO thankful.

This Friday I read a book called Popcorn Dragon at the end of the day to teach Using your senses while reading....while we read, I made popcorn in the microwave (they couldn't see). But when we started to smell & hear popcorn, you should have SEEN their faces. I was laughing so hard. They scarfed down 4 bags of popcorn before I cut them off. They are so hungry! :(

*"Mrs...I wish I could live at your house". Me-no you don't, It's not that fun. Student-"Do you have toys?" Me-Yes, I have a few. Student-"I bet it's PRETTY fun! :)

*We had med students from a local school come to our school to give our kids free dental/eye/hearing/physical exams. It is an AMAZING ministry, but a crazy day! One med student came up to me with my student and told me the student had lice. He had the real doctor check too and it was definitely lice. My whole body froze and I almost hurled ( I am TERRIFIED of lice!!!!-my whole head started to itch!). I thanked the student, took my student to the nurse, and the nurse confirmed that it was lice. I thought about how their backpacks all hang together, how we sit so close to each other on the carpet, how they share headphones, how I touch their heads and hug them all the time. My head would not stop itching. I took my kids to recess and then to the computer lab. An ESL aid came in to ask if I needed help with anything. I asked her if she could watch my class and ran to the nurse, begged her to check my head for lice. She said "I've never ever seen a teacher get lice from a kid" and I responded "I don't want to be the first!!!" She checked and said I was clear. I asked if she was sure. She was. I was so freaked...I needed to sanitize the whole room. AH! About 30 minutes later, the students' mom came to school to get her. She brought her to my classroom and explained to me that it was NOT headlice, but dried hair gel. She buys the cheap stuff and it leaves white specks in the hair. She said the nurse and doctor checked again and verifiied that it was just gel. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? When I got home, I told my husband that he BETTER learn the difference between hair gel and head lice. Ridiculous, but THANK GOD!! :)

*I have been listening to a mix on Pandora of all my stations when I run in the morning. I have a kids Disney station on my Pandora for when my kids are eating a snack/packing up/etc. This song came on and I started to cry so much. It is the PERFECT lyrics for how we feel for Foster Care. It might seem weird, but check it out!!!  Tarzan's You'll be in my Heart!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=git6DCXSqjE

I wish I could say all of the other things that crack me up all week long, but this post is already so long. I am learning that these kids don't have much, but they give me SO much. They are the sweetest kids to each other, they are so sweet to me, they give my life meaning. My husband loves them too. We both can't imagine life without my sweet kids.

We got our Foster Care license. We had 1 call, and got everything SO ready--but haven't had a call since. I have sub plans ready, the week at school planned out, my house is clean, the child's room is ready, we have lots of food in the fridge....but it is so stressful to live ALWAYS ready. It could be any time and any age. It is really teaching me to trust the Lord. I know He has a perfect plan, but I just know SO many kids are out there abused, hungry, neglected...not getting calls doesn't mean the abuse isn't happening, it just means people aren't getting caught! :( I am ready to be a Foster mom-I'm ready to love a child and give up my time and life. We are so busy, but we are also so broken for these sweet kids, and I know it's right...I'm just trying to have faith as we wait. It's making me a little bit crazy.

This scripture made me weep the other morning as I looked at the class pictures of this year & last year taped to my treadmill- "Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are MORE than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord". Romans 8
AMEN!