Weekend

 Friday was a rough day physically.  I felt kind of lightheaded all day.  I hadn't slept well and that impacts me.

It was also a pretty good day, full of the ups and downs that make teaching 3rd grade interesting.

One of my students walked in first thing and I overheard her tell another student, "If today was pocket day, I would win."

She showed how her jacket had not only outer pockets, but inner pockets.

We've never had a pocket day; I've never heard of a pocket day.  Now I want to have one though. And I want there to be a prize.  And I want her to win.

I've been reading The Million Dollar Shot to my class.  They were sitting on the kiva and clutching each other in anticipation at the climax and then stood up and cheered.

I love reading to children.  It is one of my favorite pastimes.

I had afternoon recess duty.  The older sister of one of my boys, a sixth grader, came up to me and asked how he was doing in class.  Is he behaving?  Is he working hard?  It's not the first time she has interrogated me.

Another boy came up.  He is rather persnickety.  When I call on him in class, he looks around in contempt at the noise that is always happening and says, "I'll wait."

Like he thinks everyone will get silent for him.

I finally told him that if he wants to say something, he needs to just say it.

Anyway, he came up to me and said, in his imperious voice, "Miss, two boys are fighting."

It was the younger brother and another boy.  The sister turned on her heel and started walking toward him, arms pumping.

Older sisters are amazing.

I got there and she relinquished the scene to me.  I talked to the boys and they said they were only playing.  I didn't really believe them, but they said they wouldn't fight so the older sister and I were both satisfied.

(I'm guessing their mom heard about it.)

On the heels of that, a soccer ball went into the parking lot.  They know they aren't supposed to go get it and most of the boys turned to me for help.  I was walking over there and one of Alissa's boys darted out into the parking lot.  

I took him by the arm when he returned to the playground and said, "You know you aren't supposed to go in the parking lot.  Cars aren't expecting you to be out there and it isn't safe."

He sneered at me and said, "And?"

I said, "And you are staying with me for the rest of the recess."

He scornfully asked, "And?"

I said, "Nothing else."

Then I don't think he knew what to say and I just held onto his upper arm for the rest of the five minutes.  He is naughty and disrespectful, but I'm stronger.  (For now.  The little hooligan.)

After school, the teachers were invited to play pickle ball in the gym.  I for sure didn't have that in me, but I went to watch my teammates and cheer them on.  They finished their match and I got up to go back to my classroom to work and they said, "We're going to play again, but you don't have to stay."

That is the trouble with having teammates who were college athletes.  They're...athletic.  I don't mind though.  They apply all the discipline and hard work that propelled them through college basketball to being great 3rd grade teammates.

Saturday was restful and I also felt angsty because I just want to do stuff instead of get Adam or Mark to help me do stuff.  It is working out OK though.  All part of the fun....

In the evening we went to Night Under the Stars with Dave and Nola at BYU.  It was a dinner and outdoor concert to thank the donors and sponsors of the athletic booster club.  We are neither, but happy to be along for the ride.  The event was on the baseball field.  We had a delicious dinner and then when it was dark, they had this great show with Savannah Stevenson, who was Glinda for three years in a West End production of Wicked in London and has performed in lots of other theater roles as well.  Also, Casey Elliot, a singer from Gentry performed.  They were amazing.  I got super tired, but I also enjoyed it.

It was disorienting when they turned on the lights at the end and we found ourselves on a baseball field!

At church I felt like I needed to sit down every time I stood up to lead the singing for primary (our program is this Sunday!).  I only felt worse as the day progressed.  My immune system is not great and I had congestion and a lot of pressure in my ears and just an overwhelming desire to lie down.  

The presentation of the slideshows helped.  Emma had requested we make slideshows.  Adam and Mark did not, but Emma and I did.  Mine was a presentation about which Disney characters could be characters in Pride and Prejudice. Important work, but it didn't surprise me when Emma's slideshow eclipsed mine.  She had a presentation about two Nepalese men who climbed Mt. Everest then paraglided down, kayaked to the Ganges River and ended up in the Bay of Bengal.  She had maps and pop quizzes and lots of interesting facts about it.

I love having Emma in my life.