Laughed til I Cried...

So on Fridays we get all of our first graders together for music time right before it is time to home. This is always fun and quite crazy with singing, dancing, and 70+ six and seven year olds. Well today we were practicing our songs for the Christmas program and then the kids were belting out "Must be Santa," when the announcements came on. They were announcing the winners from the weekly drawing. So, as you can imagine, nothing quite quiets up a group of kids like prizes.

So it goes from being crazy noisy to silent within a matter of seconds. A couple seconds later a little girl farted. Now let me just tell you that as a teacher, it is important to not laugh at these moments. I am usually really good about keeping a straight face, but it was just so quiet and she was just so loud that I just lost it. When the kids saw me laughing they started laughing, which made me laugh more. Tears started coming and I had to turn around so the kids would stop laughing.

I finally got my giggling under control and was feeling so bad for laughing at this poor first grader who was probably already embarrassed. I walked my kids back to class and as we were lining up to go home, one of my kids says to me (so sweetly), "It's ok Mrs. Keller, when my mom was pregnant she farted a lot too."

Well, that came back to bite me! HAHAHA! That is when I realized that my kids thought I was laughing because I did it!! So that is when my kids started telling me how funny it was that I farted. I quickly corrected them, but thought it was so funny! Now I have an even bigger reason not to laugh when that happens next time, so I don't get blamed!! :)

Day in the life of a teacher

So one of my kids has never turned in his homework before. He comes in today telling me that his mom throws his homework away so that is why he doesn't have it. I asked him if I needed to call his mom and tell her not to throw it away. He just kinda stared at me like... Uhh... I dunno..... So before he leaves for the day I pinned a note on his shirt (this works fabulously in first grade since they can't read upside down, and this they will keep it on).

Here is what the note said:

I have never turned in my homework and today I told my teacher that my mom throws away my homework so I can't do it. Please help me get my homework done and turned in every Monday. Thank you!

About 10 minutes after school gets out his mom comes in with him about the note. She tells me that she didn't know he had ever gotten homework because she has never seen it and that he always tells her he doesn't have any. I proceed to give her a new one for the week and explain my homework packet. When I asked the student if he still had his new folder I gave him yesterday in his backpack (because he lost his) he didn't know, so we checked.

There in his backpack was his new folder with this week's homework, his old homework folder with a previous week's homework, along with a zillion other papers I have sent home. Needless to say, I think she felt like an idiot. Oh and did I mention that this was the same parent that I had a big confrontation with at the beginning of the year? I am sure glad I go through the effort to keep my parents informed of everything with a calendar, and a note attached to their homework every week :)

If you are reading this and have a child in elementary school - please I am begging you -CHECK THEiR BACKPACK!!! :)

***comic relief*** watching this student entertain himself in the mirror for like 30 minutes while his mom stayed and talked to me :) they call him "shiny object," haha I am glad this student and I have something in common!

Yellowstone!

Lots more pictures to post from our trip this weekend, but here are just a few for now! We only have taken like 500 so far... haha :)

Special Needs

So on Sunday we had the Special Needs Mutual come and do a program for our sacrament meeting at church. I feel like if I don't write down how it made me feel, that I may forget. I appologize ahead of time if this post bores you. This blog is the best journal I have and I really want to remember this experience!

I don't think I have ever felt the spirit like I did that day. I love my job and working with kids, but it really made me realize why Special Education was always what I wanted and thought I would do with my career.

They started the program by singing In This Very Room. This message of this song is basically that Jesus is in this very room. I cannot express how true that statement was. I know that each and every one of those special needs mutual had such an amazing spirit in heaven that they were sent here to be protected. They are truly celestial beings.

Throughout the program they had the leaders speak a little, a parent spoke about her daughter, had special musical numbers, and a few members of the group gave talks. They all had different ailments and special needs. There were those that couldn't walk, talk, hear, or see among others. I loved to hear their testimonies in both words and song.

One particular man got up and spoke about how he had meningitis as a child and couldn't see well out of one eye, had a hard time walking, and couldn't hear. He told a story about how he felt the spirit to sing Silent Night with the choir. He mentioned how you can't understand him so when he sings it just sounds like loud noise. The choir director was clearly upset and looked around to find out who was making that loud noise. When she discovered it was him she smiled, nodded, and continued directing the song. I truly understood how that woman felt when she realized who was making that noise. When they got up to sing their musical selections it didn't sound how people would describe as "beautiful." There were many who were singing but clearly not singing the words. But it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard.

Clayton and Amy came up for the weekend and came to church with me and the three of us sat on the back row of the congregation and were bawling by the end of the program. I know with every bit of my heart that each and every one of them is an angel here on earth to teach us and make us better. They have already proven themselves and are already celestial. Being able to experience that program that day was such an incredible reminder of what is truly important in life.

Cupcake Blanket

Now I don't claim to be a sewer or anything... but I am pretty proud of my second blanket! :) I used the scraps of my red and white minky blanket and sewed them together. Thanks Momma and Biggie for helping pick out the rest! It took me forever to finally sit down and put it together, but I am so pleased with how cute it turned out!! If you are a sewer, try not to judge haha!

Back To School

So I started school back up this last Monday! I wasn't sure I was quite ready to go back to school yet, and boy did I not know what to expect! I figured I should blog about it so I can look back to remember and laugh... (hopefully) :)

So the hottest week of the sumer also happened to be the first week of school... and our school doesn't have AC. So if you can imagine, 98 degrees outside + 24 first graders + a pregnant teacher = a LONG week! I bought my kids bottled water to keep in the classroom, but there isn't a whole lot you can do when it is so hot! I am looking forward to the temperatures going down a little bit this next week so hopefully my kids can focus a little better, and so I can sweat a lot less!

I had 2 kids throw up, 1 go to the in-school suspension room for being violent, and 1 parent upset with me and threatening to sue the principal after her child got in trouble for being dishonest (long story, I will spare you the details haha). It has been quite the interesting week!

Now I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer! I also have had some great moments this week as well!! My kids love to ask me about my belly and I even had one ask me how my baby was going to come out... haha it was hard not to laugh at that one! After the summer you forget how honest these little kids are! It is going to be a great year and I am so excited to get to know my kids better! Here are a few snapshots of my room on the first day of school!

Rounding Up Summer

My mom and dad took a little road trip this month! They went and visited my sister and her new adorable baby, Henry in Minneapolis! From there, they came to spend some time out here! It was amazing to have them come visit! We ate and made lots of yummy (comfort) food, they helped a TON with my classroom (with Katchie too), gawked over my ever growing belly, we went to a concert, Salt Lake, and Park City, and just had fun! It is a bummer having them far away, but it is sure nice when we get to see them! Thanks for coming to visit Momma and Biggie T!! Love you! Here are a few pics!

Baby's first concert!! We took my mom and dad to see Tim McGraw at Usana Amitheatre last weekend and it was such a blast! The belly picture was taken at about 22 1/2 weeks! (haha I guess I was REAL excited)

This last Saturday we went to Park City with the family! We were walking down Main Street and saw "Loosey the Moose" and I had to have our picture in front of it! :) This is at about 23 1/2 weeks... not sure if you notice or not, but my belly grew quite a bit in one week! This feisty girl is growing fast!!