Teaching, Halloween, and Pumpkins

Once again it has been such a long time since we have posted.  We will try to be better and find chances to post between all the homework and grading that we are buried in.  

Teaching is going well.  I find myself at school, or should I say work, by 7:40 in the morning and staying until 5:00 each night. I always go home with a big stack of papers to grade or something else, like placing book orders.  Lately I have been extremely overwhelmed with all the demands that are placed on me as a classroom teacher.  I have a few students that seem to find new ways to try my patience each day. Dealing with these students was starting to wear on me.  However, two weeks ago I had a great experience that helped me realize that I really do love doing this.  I was standing in the hallway on duty, greeting students as they came in the front door when I was overcome with a great feeling that made me say to myself, "You know, I like this.  I want to be here and I love what I'm doing."  I was happy once again to by around students and watch their eyes light up when they learn something new.  Although difficult, I'm happy to report that I love teaching again.  

I got a free book from Scholastic this past week titled, Woe is I Jr.  The Younger Grammarphobe's Guide To better English.  I read part of one chapter and it explains exactly what has been going on in my classroom for the past two weeks.  

"With grammar, it's always something.  If it's not one thing, it's two (or four, or eight), and that's where plurals come in.  The rules.  

• The S rule.  To make most thing (including names) plural add s to the end.  
• The es Rule, if the thing (it mught be a name) ends in s, sh, ch, x or z, add es to the end.  
• The ies Rule, If a thing ends in y, drop the y and add ies.  
• However Rules, Add just s to a name that ends in y (like Jenny or Tommy)  Add just s to a word like boy or key if the y comes after a, e, i, o, u.   
  

Its been funny to teach this to 10 year olds who have a hard time keeping it all straight.  This week we reviewed how to make plurals and we learned how to add -ing and -ed.  By Friday I started getting confused with all of the CRAZY rules.  

Michael is busy with school.  He will be in the Springville Jr. seminary next week to begin teaching for his pre-service training class.  He will teach everyday for two weeks.  I know he will do a great job!  He really is such a great teacher.  Michael is so sweet, for the last few weeks when I have come home from work I have found a love note left for me.  After a long day at school that is just what I need.  Michael will graduate soon only one more semester.  I know we are both excited for that.  Then its on to the next step!

Halloween was fun.  The 5th grade team of teachers decided to dress up like dolls.  Like Raggedy Anne or something.  Well, none of us looked like Raggedy Anne but we did look like dolls.  It was a fun!  

Halloween was such a crazy day.  The students came to school acting as though they had already eaten all of their Halloween candy.  They were bouncing off the walls.  I must admit that not much teaching went on in the classroom that day.  We did take our spelling test and vocabulary quiz.  After that is was just Halloween stuff.  We had all the kids changing into their costumes at lunch, a pumpkin carving contest, a school parade, and a class party.  

The best part of the whole day... parents were invited to sit in they gym and watch as the students paraded by.  As we walked through the gym I was amazed to see that more than half of the parents were dressed up!  One was even in a big Sully costume from Monsters Inc.  

It was hilarious.  I have never seen so many people dressed up in one place.  My students had some great costumes too.  We had a Mormon missionary, Batman, a football player and a fruit of the loom grape guy.  I had a lot of fun, but I'm glad that day is over.  

Michael and I had a fun Halloween night!  We ate my homemade Chili, which Michael loves, rented a movie from Blockbuster and just relaxed!  I made a jack-o-lantern out of our tiny little pumpkin.  The pumpkin was so small that we didn't even have room to carve a mouth...just eyes and a nose.  

Our little house is doing great.  Our heater doesn't always come on when we want it to, but when it does it works well.  We are in the process of refinishing some furniture.  Its been fun decorating.  I will post some pictures of our house soon.