Field Day

Before field day began, I taught my class a multiplication game using dice.  It was me against them (which is a good way for them to learn the game rather than me just explain the rules.  Ask me how I know...). They won.

And they were very sassy about it.

It seemed like the field days of my youth where I lost every race.

But field day is different now!  They go to stations and play games.  I had an uneven number of students so I was partners with one girl.  We were the last group going strong with the water balloon toss.  We just kept going and going and my student said, "I think we are the world champions at this!  We are crushing this!"

The aide running the station had us back away from each other and my partner dropped the balloon, it popped and our reign as world champion water balloon tossers came to an end.

I truly think it's the most successful I've ever been at field day.  I am as indoorsy as I am unathletic.

As it warmed up, my students began shedding their jackets.  I had told them ahead of time that I would not be carrying anything for them.

That doesn't matter.

A girl came up to me and held out her jacket for me to take.  She didn't even say anything.

I said, "I'm not holding your jacket.  I'm not your mother."

Another girl reminded me, "But you are a mother."  

I said, "True.  I wouldn't hold my kids' jackets either."

Two of the girls said, smugly, "My mom would hold my jacket."

I told them they were very lucky to have their mothers instead of me.  (Also later the same girl came up to me and demanded, "Where's my jacket?"  I said, "Remember how I said I wouldn't carry it?"  She said, "But I don't have it."  I told her to go look for it.)

At the nine square station, someone said, "Don't hit it to her!  You'll get out!"  They were meaning don't hit it to my most athletic girl.

I didn't say it, but I wondered if the strategy was to indeed hit it to the most athletic one so that you could get out.

That may or may not have been my best dodge ball strategy in elementary school.  Cary King and Tommy Morrow could catch anything, even my feebly thrown balls.  Then I happily got to be out.

Work smarter, not harder.

We made it through all ten stations of field day and we were tired.  Happily it was lunchtime.

While everyone was lining up, one boy laid his head on his desk and cried huge gulping sobs.  I sent everyone to lunch, crossing my fingers they would behave civilly down the hall and was finally able to ascertain the trouble. 

He'd lost his watch.

I told him I would help him find it, but that he should go to lunch so he didn't miss out on eating.

I searched for ten minutes and finally found it.

I found him eating lunch and said, "Is this yours?"

He said, "Yep," and casually took it from me.

You are most welcome.  It was my absolute pleasure....

They either give me cards and drawings saying I'm the best teacher ever or they are completely ungrateful and entitled.  There is no middle ground.

Later in the afternoon, we had the teachers vs. 6th graders kickball game.  This particular group of 6th graders has been unruly and disrespectful at times to their brand new soft spoken teachers.  

So the rest of the teachers were ready to trounce them and trounce them they did.

It's always nice to knock 6th graders down a peg to prepare them for 7th grade.

Since it's neither my first nor even second rodeo, I took a chair and sat in the shade.  I don't not participate in kickball because I'm old.  I've always been this way.  There wasn't an age where I wanted to play kickball.  Just now no one can make me.

I held Alissa's keys and phone and told children to put sticks down and instructed one of my students to put her tooth in her pocket when she lost it.  (They're always so flummoxed when they lose a tooth and they hold it out to me like I'm going to do something with it.)

At one point an errant ball came out of bounds right to me and I caught it and threw it back to the teacher who was playing first base.

All the teachers and Matt cheered wildly for me.

So I am going to call it a very successful field day.

That gym with those children

 Yesterday was Camp Day, which is a third grade tradition that I started (because I like to camp so much????). 

We have the classes rotate between teachers.  I have a team of overachievers.  Alissa had tents set up in her classroom and they played board games.  Miriam had tents set up in her classroom and they toasted actual s'mores.

I did not have tents set up.

We did an art project and played games (I can't emphasize enough how much they love Down by The Banks right now) and I read them the Berenstain Bears Bear Scouts.  I love surprising them with old books like that.  At first they aren't super interested because the book looks old and babyish, but then I start reading and they get completely invested.

Camp Day was fun, but also chaotic.  I would much rather be a teacher than a camp counselor.  The last week of school feels more like a camp counselor (today is field day), but at least I'm a camp counselor with kids I love.

At the end of the day yesterday we had an assembly to celebrate the growth of the multilingual learners.  There were about 70 of them and they walked into the gym with the rest of the school cheering.  Each student was waving a flag of the country where they are from (I provided a bunch of the flags from my stash of flags we use for our cultural program). Their parents were there and I did my VERY best not to cry.  

It just got me.

Those brave children go to school in a second language and also in a lot of cases help their parents navigate the new language!  It's amazing.

At my local elementary school, the principal was going to throw candy off the roof if they reached $10,000 in their fundraiser.  I can't imagine our school able to raise 1/10 of that amount.

Still.

Keep your $10,000 and give me that gym yesterday filled with those children.

They had each teacher come up and present certificates to their classes.  One of my students (who I will call J) didn't have a certificate.  I asked Maren, who was in charge, "What about J?"  She told me that he had passed WIDA (the intensive English test they have to take) so she had a different certificate for him.

After I was finished, I returned to my class and they were just as concerned as I was.  "What about J?"  "J didn't get one!"  I told them to just wait.

Then Maren called up all the students who had passed WIDA and the crowd went wild.  J's name was called, but he didn't hear it so he sat on the stage with the rest of the kids, the only one without a certificate.

As soon as they were done, I abandoned my class, made a beeline for the stage and told him to go get his certificate.  He said, "She didn't call my name."

I said, "She did!  You just didn't hear."

A big smile spread on his face and he went to get his paper.

I can't celebrate these kids enough!

Weekend

Friday we had a Chick-fil-A balloon assembly!  It was very exciting.

Also, it was effective.  I wanted Chick-fil-A afterward.

My students are equal measure maddening and sweet.  We finished testing and they did pretty well.  We had art day and some of them freaked out because it wasn't the regular schedule.  Also, why did they have to learn about artists?  They wanted to do actual art. I have a minuscule tolerance for whining this late in the school year and I told them if anyone else complained we would do phonics.

That got everyone in line very quickly. And we did do actual art.  Patience young ones!

One of my students made me this (not part of art day) and I was delighted by the level of detail he added.  He kept looking over at me while he was drawing it.  I guess so he could nail that yellow skin tone....

Caroline, my fifth grade teacher friend told me she was SO excited that I was on the leadership team because we were going to have FUN at the leadership retreat.

I said, "I think you think I'm more fun than I actually am.  I am almost always the least fun person in the room."

She said, "There will be kicks and giggles."

She said it kind of ominously.

I'll try my best.

I got my literacy curriculum and math curriculum delivered and I did the most rational thing I could think of and texted Mark to see if he'd come and help me after school.

We unboxed everything and got it all stowed away.  

Adam went to Father and Son camp sans son on Friday night because Mark had plans with his friends.  He didn't stay the night and Mark and Adam went to the breakfast together Saturday morning.  Also on Saturday morning, I was surprised by a new post on Emma's seldomly posted on blog.  She wrote a poem.  About me.

Sometimes motherhood kicks you in the teeth and sometimes your daughter writes a poem about you.

She sees me.

That matters.

And I wish that girl would write every day because I love every word she writes.

Also on Saturday the Porter's washing machine broke (Nola texted me a video.  It sounded like really bad bagpipes, being played by a sickly cow) and our dryer broke.

Maybe we should do laundry in the middle of the street together with our still working appliances.

Adam and I watched an episode of Miss Austin Saturday night on PBS.  Most Regency era movies show warm, well lit and elegant rooms.  This is a little gloomy and it looks like it just rained or it is about to rain and everyone seems slightly cold.  It was probably more like that.

No wonder everyone was worried about dying when they were caught out in the rain.

I am enjoying Miss Austin though.

I led the singing in Primary.  I still feel like I am out of my depth, but it is fun.  And the fastest 20 minutes of my life!

We ate dinner very early because Adam had to go to seminary graduation at 5:00.  Emma and Mark roped me into playing Monopoly with them.  (It is so long!)  They refused to play the made up rules my sisters and I played with for years and years.  Also, I didn't get the railroads, which was unfeeling of them.  We played with an extra dice and the extra dice had all these ways to change things up, but Mark could keep track of all of that.

It was fun, but I wasn't sad when Adam came home and I said I was done playing.  We had my new favorite GF dessert.  It is fresh berries, a spoon of lemon curd (I just get a spoonful with everyone's individual spoon and plunk it on the berries) and some very minimally sweetened whipped cream.  So good!  

Now I'm off to my last week of school with students!  

Grateful Friday

 I have a One Line a Day journal--the kind where you write a sentence every day for five years and all of the May 15ths, for example, are on the same page.

Last year on May 15, I was deep into freak out mode and I feel like I already had my main freak out about the school year ending, so hey.  I'm ahead of schedule.

That's something to be grateful about.

My classroom is reasonably in order.

I have next week reasonably in hand.

It's all working (especially if I can get the dawdlers to finish their last test today).

I'm grateful to have Mark home.  Being a mother stretches and teaches me and is constantly changing and presenting new challenges.

It is also wonderful.

I love that kid.

Really tired

 We are finishing up testing. I'm simultaneously cleaning my classroom and still teaching. I'm planning for next year and the next five minutes.  Since we aren't doing our regular curriculum, there's time to fill in between the big things.

For someone who loves routine, it's a lot.

I am already missing my students.  I have loved having them in my class.  Yesterday was the fifth grade wax museum.  I made sure to visit my former students and two of them hugged me.  

I love my students forever.

Miriam and I have traded spots and I'm on the leadership team next year.  I had my first meeting yesterday.  It was quiet and short.

Matt said, "I think we're all really tired."

He's not wrong.

I slept enthusiastically and long last night and I'm feeling ready to conquer another day.  I may even have the time and energy to go through the drawers in my cabinet and get rid of stuff I don't use.

Challenge accepted

 When we lived in Washington, I moved furniture constantly.  (I think I needed sunshine and blamed the furniture placement.) 

My boys (and their friends) would tell me it wouldn't work and why don't you just leave it where it is?  I would say, "Grab a corner of that couch.  We're moving it."

Multiple times I have found furniture on the side of the road or a giveaway from someone and Adam asks me things like, "But where are you going to put it?" and "I don't think that will work."

And I have said watch me.

Yesterday Matt and Riley were in my classroom picking up our old reading curriculum to make room for our new reading curriculum.  

My class was at computers so I chatted with them.  The topic of my new kiva came up and Matt said, "Where are you going to put it?"

Riley said, "Your classroom is going to go from clean and organized to a mess."

Like I told my family, I am fueled by doubt when it comes to furniture.  

When they were leaving, Matt said, "By the way, Thelma.  Your math scores* are looking really good."

I said, "Wait until you see my math scores after I have that kiva in here."

*Before I'm too self congratulatory, it is in no way all the math scores.  It's like thinking a candidate is winning by a landslide in a state where the metropolitan areas haven't been counted yet.

Weekend

Sunday night I wearily told Adam, "I need a weekend."

We had a good time though.

First, we survived Thelma and Adam's moment of high anxiety with the resurfacing of our road.  I parked at the church after school and Adam and I went from there.  I realized that in our haste we didn't bring some of the food I was planning, but we also got on the road earlier than expected because of our haste.

So that was good.

Geri just beat us to our house and it was nice to have her there.  We showed her around and there were no mice, which is always a bonus!

She helped us get set up, vacuuming and making beds.  It's always a process!  After that, we enjoyed the evening visiting with her.

Saturday was mainly the bridal shower.  I went outside and cut apple blossom branches and daffodils (the tulips were mostly spent).  Then I went borrowing to the neighbors and got some flowers from my dad.  Adam went to town with us and I kept telling him that he didn't have to and I don't know what I was thinking, because I could not have done it without him.

Olivia was on a chair, Desi was rushing to the kitchen, Adam was on a ladder, I was directing traffic.  (I can't remember the name of the lady in the hat--she is in the Wells Ward.)

The party was in the primary room so we had bonus Doctrine and Covenants decor!

Carolina made a delicious and beautiful cake.

my vases had dripped on the table....

Marianne was the amazing ringmaster.  She's not the older sister we deserve, but I'm so glad she's the older sister we have!  Also, she's cute.

Speaking of cute, here's the happy couple (and all these bridal shower pictures are thanks to Geri).

And also, sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters....

After the shower we visited with my parents for a little while, then went home and Adam and Mark worked outside and Geri and Emma and I played cards.

We went out and helped a little, loading branches onto a little trailer that Adam hauled away with the lawn mower pulling it.  I think he is realizing all of his agrarian dreams.

We had dinner and went over to my parents' again to visit with everyone.

Sunday was a nice Mother's Day.  My children gifted me with books and Adam gifted me with tickets to The Ruth.  I felt loved.  

Carolina spoke in church as a farewell before her mission and did a wonderful job.  I was happy to have Adam on one side of me and my cousin Hannah on the other side of me during sacrament meeting.  

At one point, Hannah leaned over to me and asked, "Why did we even wear make-up?!?"

We were both just crying. Not only were we lifted by Carolina's talk, but then she and Hyrum and Lili and Marcos sang.  So good.

We took a few pictures before we changed out of church clothes.

I took the first one:

Then Mark took a selfie:

Then Mark used the timer:

We went over to Marianne's for a delicious lunch and I enjoyed visiting.  My mom gifted us with nice trays and dishtowels and when we were drawing for the gifts (my mom is always fair!), I said, "Wait, are some of the gifts better than others?"

Hannah started laughing.  She said, "Of course this is how you're acting when your mother is trying to do something nice for you.  It never ends!"

True.  Motherhood is not for the faint of heart!

Adam got out one of his kites and Geri took some pictures of kids flying.  (I'm grateful that other people remember to take pictures and are then generous with them.)

Liliana, Carolina, Maisie (Hannah's daughter), Emma and Mark

Geri had planned to come to Utah and stay with us, but unfortunately one of her brothers passed away over the weekend and she headed for home from Starr Valley.

Adam's uncle Ed was such a good man.  He's part of the reason our Mark has the middle name Edward.  It's a good Neilan family name.  I love how close Geri is with her siblings.  I remember when Linn passed away and her brothers came to her house and just sat around the table with her in solidarity.  To me it was a strong message of quiet love and support that I will always remember.

I married into a great family.

***

Yesterday I was super tired.  We had our field trip to the aquarium and I survived it and everyone came back the same number of children we left with.  

School is winding down!  I still have so much to do (grades are due Friday!), but one way or another, it will all get finished because school will end.