Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

I Survived...Barely!

Seriously, the person who schedules parent-teacher conferences on Halloween week obviously is NOT a primary teacher.  In fact, they probably aren't even in a classroom with children of any age for that matter.

I won't go into the unmentionable things that the teachers in my building would like to do to this person or persons.  But I recall hearing something about slowly pulling out fingernails and toenails.  And that was one of the kinder unmentionables.

It was a rough week, let me tell you.

Monday the kids were wild!

Tuesday the kids were even more wild!!

By Wednesday, I don't even think the kids in my class were human.  They were more like the Dementors from Harry Potter sucking the very life out of me.

Image this is me . . .

If I'd been able to scream you would have heard it no matter where you live.  But I couldn't.  I didn't have enough energy for that even.

To top it off, my birthday is on Halloween.  Yeah, I know.  When I signed up for the teaching program in college someone should have said, "Oh, I see your birthday is on a holiday.  You are not allowed into the teaching profession for your own sake.  Sorry.  Next!"

I may have mentioned before that having a Halloween birthday was great as a kid.  Not so as a teacher.  My birthday wish has never come true.  Calm kids.  I know you aren't supposed to tell your birthday wish but since it has never come true yet I think I'm safe.

Every year, EVERY year, the darlings ask me what I'm going to be for Halloween.  The answer is always the same . . . a tired, grouchy teacher.  Then they ask what I'm going to wear.  I point to myself from head to toe and say "You're lookin' at it!"

Don't get me wrong.  I love Halloween.  It's fun.  It's frivolous.  It involves imagination.  And I don't plan on being a tired, grouchy teacher for it.  It just happens slowly, day by day, minute by minute.  And having conferences the day after doesn't help.

Halloween should be on the last Saturday of October so that everyone can have fun and not worry about getting enough sleep or eating too much candy, etc.  Parents would appreciate it, kids would appreciate it, neighbors would appreciate it, and trust me so would teachers.

Valentine's Day should probably be on a Saturday too.

That way we could have our little celebrations on Friday afternoons and go home to sleep it off for a few days.  I know it sounds like a hangover but, trust me, it's worse!

But that's just my opinion.  What's yours?

There Poster

Here is a poster to help with the spelling and usage of there.

I didn't write these just made them into the poster form.  I can't for the life of me find who to give credit to, so if you know please tell me.  I also don't know the tune, if there is one, so I just use "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall".  :)  Use whatever works for you.

Click the image to go get it.

Last week was crazy assessment time as we have parent-teacher conferences this coming week...starting the day after Halloween.  Yes, you read that correctly!  Whoever planned that one wasn't playing with a full deck I tell you.

I'm praying that after dealing with the still sugar-high, wacko kids on Thursday I have a few positive things to say to their parents who are probably going to be tired and cranky as well.  It sounds like a win-win situation for us all doesn't it?

Saw this on Third Grade Thoughts blog and had to grab it...

Here's to us all surviving Halloween on a Wednesday!

Common Core Giveaway

Heather over at Second Grade Perks is having a giveaway for her HUGE common core pack.  We've just started common core this year so I am really hoping to win.

Go check it out and register to win yourself if you want.  (But remember I'd really, really like to win!)

Subject or Predicate Game

Sometimes at the end of the day when we are waiting for the bell to ring, we'll sing songs like the Sentence Song to fill the time productively.  The other day someone picked the Sentence Song to sing and another little dear went and grabbed the Sentence Shazam! game and handed it to me.  That is how much they love it.

They loved it so much that I decided to make a Subject or Predicate Shazam!

You could play this and sing the Subject and Predicate Song to help your little peanuts learn these concepts.

Click the picture to go to my Teacher's Notebook shop

My kiddos requested more shazam! cards for this version because they like them.  Go figure!  You could take out some if need be.

I'll give away a copy of this game to a random commenter.