Fall is falling

Time is going by so fast. There are only 3 weeks until Thanksgiving and only 6 weeks left in this school semester, thank goodness! (And only 6 weeks left until Disneyland!) Our apartment complex is covered in leaves. I love the crunch, crunch under my feet when I walk around. The weather is wonderfully cold and I finally get to wear my cold-weather gear.

Speaking of cold weather, Faron and I bundled up the other night to go see the Tulsa Oilers play at the BOK center. Faron won free tickets to the home opener. I am not a big sports fan (OK, I admit, not even a little sports fan) but I had a really good time. Apparently, I am a closet hockey fan.

So for your viewing pleasure, some pictures from the game!

The BOK Center, Downton Tulsa

We had the nosebleed seats, but they were free so I can't complain too much.

Some of the hockey action. We won! Go Oilers!

Aren't we cute?

You can COUNT on me.

I am no master pumpkin carver. I usually stick to the simple and classic jack-o-lantern face. But this year I came across a pattern I just had to try. And it turned out pretty good (if I do say so myself). And here it is, for your viewing pleasure.

Can you tell what it is? I'll give you a hint...

One. That's one pumpkin. Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Addendum to the addendum to my previous post.

Friday they were awesome. What the heck.

I think my entire class is bipolar.

Addendum to my previous post

I spoke too soon. Today was bad.

Sigh.

Yabba Dabba They Do Listen to Me!

On Monday, I started my first day of my brand-new (and full-time, permanent) job. Turns out, the district I was subbing for had a sudden opening, and they were so pleased with my sub work that they hired me for the job. (Which, to be perfectly honest, was exactly what I was hoping would happen when I took the sub job). Because I was taking over for another teacher, I had the unique opportunity to find out exactly how my classes were. Unfortunately, I heard from a lot (and I mean a lot) of teachers that my new 6th hour was going to be a nightmare. After a less than desirable experience with a certain 5th hour last year, I was worried. I knew that I needed some help in the classroom management department, so I turned to an expert. As the teachers out there know, one of the best people to go to about classroom management is Harry Wong. So I found a copy of his book The First Days of School, and got to reading. The information in there was AMAZING!!! After going through the book, I was feeling much better about going into the classroom. So I showed up for day one with a firm set of rules and consequences and my best game face on.

And then came 6th hour. And it was so much worse than I expected! I took me an ENTIRE class period to go over 5 rules and 5 consequences. I had to stop every 5 seconds to calmly wait until they stopped talking so I could continue. And it wasn't just the talking. It was a total lack of respect for the teacher. But, I didn't yell, not once (although I did have to stop and take a deep breath a couple of times) and I kept my tone of voice very steady. I simply told them, this is the way it is going to be, and if they didn't like it, here were the consequences. They didn't like it, but when I handed out the first couple of consequences (on the first day!) they seemed to get the message that I (and these rules) were here to stay.

When they left, I screamed. And cried. Even though I had kept my cool, I had to wonder, would it even make any difference?

So it was with trepidation, that I waited for 6th hour on Tuesday. And, miracle of miracles, they came in, got to work, and were completely quiet almost the entire class period. I was shocked. I could not believe this was the same class as yesterday. And although I would have liked to take the credit, I couldn't help but think they were setting me up for something. That they were lulling me into a false sense of security. And then they came in again today. They didn't enter quite as nicely and they wanted to talk instead of work. But when I handed out a second consequence to one of the students, they accepted it and went to work. And worked almost the entire class time. We can only wait and see what tomorrow holds, but I think 6th hr and I are off to a good start.

But wait, that is not even the best part! The best part happened after 6th hour ended. One of my students popped his head back into the classroom and asked,
"Mrs. Nelson, do you make us be quiet because you want us to learn?"
"Yes," I replied. And then he said those two words every teacher wants to hear.
"Thank you."

Is there any better reward than that? I know my challenges with 6th hour are not over. But I now have a little extra motivation to keep on keepin on.

P.S. Faron came up with the title. Had to give credit where credit is due.

Pretty

Good Books and Broken Stuff

If you haven't read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, you need too. This book was recommended to me by Mike & Brooke and I loved the book. It was a great read and I couldn't wait for the next one to come out, so I pre-ordered it months in advance. This last week it finally came. Usually in a trilogy the 2nd book is my favorite and least favorite of the bunch. I love getting the continuation of the story, but I hate the cliffhanger ending. Especially when I know I have to wait a long time to get the next installment.

That being said, the second installment Catching Fire was AMAZING! I devoured the book. And even I was shocked at the ending (and yes, it was a cliffhanger. Grrr. Can't wait for the 3rd one!) You need to read these books.

In sadder news, my less-than-five-months-old laptop that I LOVE has suffered a terrible accident. See, Faron and I have these really loud upstairs neighbors. They must wear boots or something because we always hear them stomping around. Occasionally they will throw a wild party which includes loud music, shouting and drunken revelry. Usually we don't mind, unless they are up til 3 in the morning. Last Saturday night they threw another one of their parties. Which resulted in Faron, who usually sleeps very deeply, waking up in the middle of the night due to a loud crash of music. Which resulted in Faron getting mad and getting dressed to go up and ask them, nicely, to turn their music down. Which resulted in Faron walking through the dark living room, groggy and angry, and stepping on my laptop, making Faron even madder (and rethinking going up stairs in such a mood). Which resulted in a huge crack all across the screen of my laptop. Sad story, but true. And the warranty doesn't cover it. LAME!