What I've Learned the First Two Weeks of School

We are now half way through the second full week of school. And it's been incredibly educational for me. I've learned a lot about myself, the people I work with and my students. It has truly been amazing and I feel so incredibly blessed.

1. I learned that I'm actually good at this job. I realized the first day of school that I was going to be just fine, but I was still really nervous about whether or not I was going to be a good teacher. I don't want to be that okay teacher that the kids tolerate from day to day but at the end of the year haven't learned anything from. I want to be the teacher they remember and whose class they enjoy coming to every day.

 

I have some pretty far fetched dreams, right?

 

That's absolutely what I thought. But it turns out those dreams aren't so crazy. I have heard from several parents and students that they love my class and they love having me as a teacher. It is so encouraging to hear that middle school students are going home and telling their parents about my class and how much they like it. That's not something most students typically do.

 

2. I have some amazing co-workers. We have several new teachers at the school this year, but we also have a number of teachers who were there last year. But I had trouble last year with the whole "friends" thing. There were a few reasons for this. One, there weren't many teachers my age. And two, I only worked one day a week. It was tricky. So I spent most of the year on my own, or with Gramma. I did and I didn't mind. But this year, I'm working more. And one of the teachers who is close in age to me is KBug's teacher.

 

Is it weird that I want to be friends with KBug's teacher?

Well, maybe.

 

But it's a small school, we work together, and she's an awesome person! We had a work event that we attended last Friday evening and Mr. Boston and I spent some time talking with her and her husband. It was the most social interaction we have had with another couple in months. Literally. We have zero social life. But we are hoping to change that, and I think we might actually have a good chance at it this year!

 

3. Coordinating the school Mass on Wednesday's is frustrating. It has nothing to do with the students, though. It's the person I have to coordinate with. Unfortunately this person and I have a history. And that history isn't a pleasant one. I have been dismissed from various musical events on several occasions by this person and am continuously being treated like a child. And if I am not being treated like a child, I'm being thrown under the bus for something I didn't do.

 

It's pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

But, hey, I guess no one did.

 

I'm doing my best to be cordial and make everything work. But it is incredibly difficult when I'm continually be met with resistance. I will try my best, though, to make it through the year without any unnecessary drama.

 

4. This one is not entirely school related, but it is in a way. Mr. Boston has been absolutely amazing. I have spent the past two weeks running around all over the place, having to leave in the middle of conversations and having almost zero time to really spend with him. I feel terrible that all of this has taken such a toll on our relationship, but he's really been great about it. He hasn't complained about the craziness that is our schedule, he's willing to help in any way we can and is volunteering at the school several days a week. (*Sidenote: KBug is LOVING having him as a volunteer. She asks every morning if he will be there at recess and to have lunch with her and she gets so upset when he isn't able to make it. It's adorable to see how much she loves spending time with him!)

 

KBug and I are so incredibly blessed to have him in our lives!

 

He and I had talked before school began about having an insane schedule, but I honestly didn't imagine how chaotic it was going to be for the first few weeks. I have had impromptu meetings on days that I usually don't. I have had more responsibilities put on me than I was expecting. And trying to keep up with everything is taking much more time than I thought it would. But he's still here. And he's still talking about the wedding. He's still telling me he loves me and that he can't wait for me to be his wife. He's still kissing KBug good night and telling her how special she is. And that means so much to me. I can't imagine what I have done in life to deserve such a wonderful man, but I am so thankful.

 

There is much more that I have learned in the past few weeks, but I would be here all day. And, unfortunately, I have a long list of things to do today. There's laundry to be folded, dinner to be made, schoolwork to be completed and student grades to be updated. Trust me, there's much more on the to-do list, but that's a good start. Time to get on with it.

Back 2 School: Starting Kindergarten

Our final post in the Back 2 School Series is by Candice from My Little Circus & Me! A mother of three boys, Candice certainly has her hands full. But this year is about to present a big change for her family because her oldest is starting Kindergarten! A is an awesome big brother and has been in preschool before, but starting at a public school and not being home with his brothers as much is going to be very different. Take a minute to read about how Candice is handling the entire experience.

 

OMG! I Have a Kindergartener!

Guest post by Candice

 

It's happened! I have a Kindergartner! Well I would of last year had we been up in NY but the age cut off date is different in NC. Now some may say "Oh you have a boy be glad!" but I know my son & he could have aced Kindergarten last year no issue. I've always been told from the get go he was super smart.

Anyhow even though the whole stereotyping of "boy's need more time" pisses me off to no end, I'm glad I had an extra year with him! A is a big help to me & I'm honestly not ready to let him go off to school. Why??

Well it means he's growing up. NOOOO!! I'm scared, yep, me I am! I'm scared what he will learn from other children. I'm scared of someone being mean to my child (um. kids are rotten these days). I'm scared of education in general these day's! Some teachers just don't seem to give a crap & it worries me. I'm also scared of the pressure of test scores & what they want these kids doing now a day's! Will they pay enough attention to him? Will they really help him achieve his best?

I don't know! What I do know is he had AMAZING preschool teachers that put their all into those kids everyday & I hope & pray his Kindergarten teacher will do the same. He or She has some big shoes to fill after my experience with preschool.

I've gone back and forth on maybe I should home school him- protect him from the evil world! But I honestly don't know if I could do it. Am I smart enough to home school? Am I creative enough to home school? Not sure on that! I do want A to be able to socialize with kids his age & I don't know many mom's who home school so I have no idea where I'd start or how he'd have the socialization of public school. A loves baseball so I also want him exposed to more sports & have the option so that is another reason we decided public school. My husband & I both went to public school (Both in NY) so that worries me as well. I'm not familiar with schooling down here. I know up North there seems to be a lot more pressure, so maybe it's good were in NC.

I guess it will be a learning experience for us all! I plan to drive A to school, I really don't want him on a bus! I absolutely hated riding the bus when I was in school so I walked or got a ride with friends or my mom drove us. (Kids are awful on the bus, I know first hand) I want to spare A from that at least till he's older & can really stick up for himself if he had to.

I have so much fear about Kindergarten & it is only the beginning of it all! My stomach hurts & my head. But I keep a positive attitude & smile for A! I want him excited about school & I don't want to put any fear in him, so I put my big girl panties on & suck it up!

We went shopping for school supplies & his uniform (YUCK- I never had to wear one)! In one way I get it they all wear the same stuff so no one can pick on anyone. But those things are expensive!  My husband was not happy with the uniform idea at all but what can you do? I will admit hubs was great while shopping & kept his comments to himself & tried to make A excited about his uniform.

A got his backpack & he was so excited he had to wear it around the house, he wanted to open all his supplies & stock his book bag! A is excited but he also told me he is nervous. It will be a big change from 3 hour days of preschool, 3 days a week to 5 days all day. School starts in 2 weeks so expect to hear more about our experience.

To read more from Candice, follow her by clicking the links below:

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

 

This concludes the Back 2 School Guest Series here on Musings of a Single Mama! I hope you've enjoyed the stories and maybe picked up some useful tips for the coming school year!

First Day of School

Things I Learned from KBug's First Day of School:

1. She's going to be just fine.
2. It's going to be just like last year. Any questions asked about the school day will likely be answered with one, possibly two, words.
3. Her favorite place to spend her time after school is still under Gramma's desk in the computer lab.
4. I'm never going to be "Ms. P____" to KBug's friends. I'm "K_____'s Mom". Forever.
5. Nothing trumps playing on Mommy's cell phone.

Things I Learned from My First Day of School:

1. I'm going to be just fine. As long as I remember to give all handouts to the principal for approval at least 24 hours in advance so each student has one in hand when we discuss them in class.
2. 8th grade is going to be the hardest class to contain because they still haven't figured out how to not talk continuously. I love them, though.
3. 6th grade is super quiet. But it was the first day of school and they still have plenty of time to find their voices before the year is up.
4. My middle school students are far more interested in my upcoming wedding than I think is necessary.
5. The memories of my 7th and 8th grade students do not reach back a full year. I used something one of them said at the beginning of last year and no one could remember who said it. But it was still effective and worked well. Go me!

Conclusion:

1. I might actually make an impact on these kids.
2. Middle school students are still a lot like preschoolers, just in larger bodies.
3. These kids are going to keep me on my toes.
4. I have a lot of work ahead of me.
5. My job is awesome and I am so happy that I found this school for KBug 4 years ago!

Back 2 School: The Marble Notebook Mystery

Today's post is from Lori The Author! Lori Verni-Fogarsi is the author of two novels, “Momnesia,” and “Unexpecting,” as well as one nonfiction book. She’s a happily married mom of two, step mom  of two more, and has two cats, both rotten. She invites you to join her at her blog:

www.LoriTheAuthor.com, or on all social media @LoriTheAuthor.

 

Marble Notebook Mystery

A guest post by author Lori Verni-Fogarsi (LoriTheAuthor)

 

Between preschool, elementary school, middle school, and now high school, suffice it to

say that I have plenty of experience with the need for marble notebooks.

 

More specifically, I am accustomed to the annual deficit of marble notebooks–right when

you need them–at the beginning of the school year!

 

Oh sure, I see them throughout the rest of the year; I even see them the week before the

school supply lists are made available. But do I buy them? Nooo. Why? Your guess is as

good as mine. (I suspect it’s my desire to thwart complaints from my kids not being able

to choose them themselves.)

 

Instead, I wait for the school supply lists to come out. Which always involve marble

notebooks. At which point we do the school supply shopping and get every single thing

except for the elusive marble notebooks, which are undoubtedly sold out at every WalMart, Target, Staples, etc.

 

I smack myself on the forehead, thinking, “Why, oh why didn’t I just buy them when they

were in stock?” Not to mention on sale for 50 cents instead of $1.50.

 

27 stores later when we finally find them, I tell my girls to each pick an extra notebook,

just in case. I am so smart, I think to myself. I am outsmarting those rotten non-stocking

marble notebook people once and for all!

 

Then the kids come home throughout the first week with additional supplies needed,

which always exceed the one extra marble notebook. Foiled!

 

There’s also the further dilemma that now, marble notebooks are not even marble

anymore! Not only do they come in green, blue, red, and yellow in addition to the

classic black, but they also come in peace signs, rainbows, kittens, Miley Cyrus, and ten

thousand other designs. And to my girls, the picture on the outside of the notebook is

considerably more important than having the school supply itself.

 

I live in NC and school starts in two weeks. Yesterday, I was in Staples and found

“marble” notebooks on sale for $1. Not such a great price, I know. I bought six of them in

various designs. I’m slating them as the emergency backup marble notebooks (which of

course will not have the right kittens, but at least we have them).

 

Next week, when the school supply lists come out, I will undoubtedly drag my kids from

store to store, solely for the purpose of finding the darn notebooks in stock so they can

choose their own designs. Unnecessary torture? Perhaps. But in my mind less torturous

than hearing them complain for six months that they’re stuck with kitten notebooks when

their new favorite animals are (suddenly) rabbits.

 

The moral of the story? Go stock up on marble notebooks now, while you can. Or maybe

not. Either way, the good news is, school starts in two weeks.

 

***Lori has a big celebration, summer sale, and prize pack giveaway surrounding

her novel, “Momnesia,” from August 12 – 19, 2013. You can find all the fun stuff at

www.LoriTheAuthor.com/GoodBook.***

 

To find Lori, check out her pages by following the links below:

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

GoodReads

YouTube

 

Be sure to stop back in tomorrow for our last post from Candice over at My Little Circus & Me!

As KBug Starts Second Grade

My baby girl is starting second grade tomorrow. It's seriously scary and I am stressing over this year more than any other year. But I think I say that every year. This year carries some new things with it, though. So I thought I would write down some things I want her to know before she begins her academic year.

*Don't worry about what everyone else thinks. You're little, just be yourself. It doesn't matter as much as you already think it does. (Sidenote- why do kids worry about so much at such a young age now!?)
*The bully is gone. You are safe this year. Your teacher knows, your mom knows, Gramma knows and Mr. Boston knows the troubles we've faced in the past. You will be completely safe from all teasing and physical harm this year, I promise.
*You are capable. Don't worry about the hard stuff. You thought last year was hard and you made it through. Just trust me when I say you can do it.
*Math will get easier. I know you hate it, I know you struggle, but it will get better as you get older. Once you've got the basics, you'll be good to go. And you're almost there!
*Don't sweat the silly names people call you. Your name is part of your identity. As long as YOU know who you are, nothing else matters.
*Stay true to yourself. Someone who is as smart and beautiful and sweet as you shouldn't try to change for anyone.
*Everybody has bad days. No one is perfect. If you don't get 100% on your AR test, it's OK! No one will be mad at you and it's not the end of the world.
*You are loved. Always. By so many people both at home and at school. Always remember that you are loved.

Short and sweet, but I think it's important to write it down. And I'm going to read it to her tomorrow before school. It might not set in, but I'm going to try. That's all we can do as parents anyways!

Back 2 School: After School Snack

Today's post is by Dawn from Delectably Dawn! She's a coffee drinking, craft making, dinner cooking, soul searching, fun loving mama and wife. She has two beautiful girls, Bug and Spunk, and a son, Bubby. Dawn has been married for 5+ years to my wonderful husband, The Mister. She's type who  just does what she loves and loves what she does! Dawn loves meeting new people, so questions, messages and emails are always welcome!

After School Snack Plate
Guest post by Dawn

Having trouble finding a quick, healthy and interesting after school snack? Try making a "snack plate". It's easy, affordable and as versatile as you want to make it. All you need to do is pile the goodies on to the plate, cover with plastic wrap, then pull out the plate at snack time. Here are a five tips and foods I like to include on our snack plates:

1.) Sandwich bites:

• The best kinds of sandwiches would be peanut butter, cheese, or a meat and cheese combo.
• Cut each sandwich into small pieces.
• Don't use anything that's "wet" like jelly, mayonnaise, or tuna, on the sandwiches. The "wet" foods will make the bread soggy!

2.) Wraps:

• Instead of putting the sauce or dressing inside the wrap, offer it as a dip!

3.) Pre-cut fruits and vegetables:

• It's cheaper to buy the whole fruit and vegetables, then prepare it yourself.
• Use a 1 part lemon juice to 3 parts cold water "bath" as you are preparing fruits to prevent browning. Just toss them in the "bath as you slice them, then drain and place on the plate.

4.) Use small cookie cutters to create fun shapes with sandwiches, fruits vegetables and cheese.

5.) Get some Baker's Chocolate, melt it down and dip bananas in them for a sweet treat!

To read more from Dawn, you can find her by clicking on the links below:

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

 

Tomorrow? We have a post from Lori The Author!

Back 2 School: Ease the Morning Chaos

Today we have a post from Karmen over at 2+2=4 and a Pup! Karmen is a SAHM to two beautiful children, only one of whom is in school. Even though only one of her children is in school, she still has to have them both up and ready to go every morning. She has a few tricks that have worked really well for her family that could maybe help ease the morning chaos in your home!

Managing Morning Madness
Guest post by Karmen

 

Did you ever notice how long it takes for everyone in your house to get ready when you have plans to be somewhere, or have a time set? Are you always running late? If you're like me, I like to be early. Here are a few tips I have found very helpful when trying to get your kids ready for school in the morning:

 

1.   Layout the cereal or whatever your kids will be eating the night before. If my kids are going to eat cereal I have them pick out the type they want the night before. Otherwise they will spend half the morning trying to decide on what to eat.

 

2.   Lay out their clothes the night before. This includes everything they will need to be ready to walk out the door. Their underwear, socks, pants, shirts, belts, shoes… If they can get dressed by themselves, tell them to get dressed before they come out of their room.

 

3.   Have their toothbrush out and ready for them. Our includes toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash,. We have this all located in a drawer on our bathroom vanity. Makes it easy so we aren’t spending extra time looking for these things all over the bathroom. During bathroom time, I also make sure they have washed their faces, and brushed their hair. The wash clothes and brush is located under the sink in a basket.

 

4.   Have backpacks ready (& lunches packed) the night before. We keep ours on a bench located right beside the back door that we use to go in and out.

 

5.   Eliminate all MEDIA in the mornings. This includes TV. We ONLY watch TV if we are ready early and have time to spare. When everything above has been done then we can sit and watch TV until time to leave.

 

**And a big tip… get up prior to the time you have planned to wake them so you can get yourself ready, and have a large cup of coffee ;)

 

If you would like to read more from Karmen, you can find her by clicking on the links below:

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

 

Check back in tomorrow for a post by Dawn from Delectably Dawn!

Back 2 School: On School Supplies

Hey everyone! I'm excited to announce that today begins my Back 2 School Guest Post Series! I have a bunch of awesome bloggers who have come together to produce a series of wonderful posts for you, all focusing on going back to school. It's August, we're all getting ready to get back into our routine and we're trying to figure out life for the new school year. I don't know about you, but it takes us a few weeks to really get into the swing of things and I'm always looking for new ideas.

This series will bring you funny stories, creative ideas and put you in the Back to School frame of mind. I'm going to kick this week off with a post of my own, and the rest of the week will be my fabulous friends.

So, let's talk school supplies. I don't know about you, but I have a love for office supplies. Pens, pencils, post-its, I love it all. But when that list comes out and it's time to go shop for school supplies for KBug... I dread it. Because KBug isn't a big fan of shopping for all of it. We get into this The List Says vs. KBug Wants craziness and it can be a mess. The List Says she needs a green folder, KBug wants a pink one. The List Says she needs white erasers, KBug wants the cute dessert shaped ones. The List Says she needs a roll of paper towels, KBug wants the ones with flowers printed on them. It's ridiculous!

Suffice it to say that I have stopped doing Back to School shopping with KBug. It all gets done in random pieces throughout the summer so she doesn't notice, and when we get the actual list she usually spends a couple of hours with Gramma. It's just easier that way.

But I have to admit she has a point sometimes.

I understand the necessity behind having an eraser. I completely understand that some erasers work better than others. That's not the issue. But why exactly can't she have the dessert shaped erasers? Why does it have to be the plain white erasers that take seventeen trips to WalMart to find? It probably has something to do with the fact that teachers don't want to deal with children fighting over them. And I get that. But at the same time I think she should be able to express herself in little ways. The poor child goes to a Catholic School with uniforms so she looks exactly the same as everyone else right down to the white, above the ankle socks on her cute little feet. I think a little self-expression in the form of an eraser could be acceptable. Am I wrong? Probably.

Folders. Finding folders is crazy. Why? Because KBug needs multiple folders. But they can't be the fun ones that she likes. They have to be solid colors. But KBug doesn't want the red, green, blue and yellow ones. She wants the purple and pink ones. Alright, kid, it's getting old. Back to the basic colors we go. But now that I've convinced her that The List Says it has to be the basic colors, we can't find the right kind of folders. I would think it would be easy to find a set of plastic folders in basic colors. But it's nearly impossible. Walk into any store with a Back to school section and you can find the entire row of folders right at the front. But are there any plastic ones? You might be lucky to find 3. Maybe. But I'm not that lucky, apparently, because I'm pretty sure I still don't have a full set for her and she starts school on Thursday. Oops!

Now let's talk pencils. I'm a fan of mechanical pencils. KBug is a fan of mechanical pencils. The List Says she has to have regular pencils. And they can't be the pencils in fun colors, no, they have to be the standard, yellow, number 2 pencils that have been around since the beginning of time. Therefore no pink or purple or blue for KBug. Honestly, I really don't care about this one. And KBug deals with it well. But why can't she have the fun ones? Again, back to the self-expression thing above.

Backpacks and lunch bags. Finally an area KBug can make her own decisions! These are non-specific and allow a little self-expression. But then KBug has to make up her mind. Does she want the blue backpack or the purple one? Does she want a little horse icon on the front or a tiger? Does she want her full name or just her first name? What about initials? And then she gets to pick the font and thread colors and it's a lot for a little girl! I'm amazed we only had to look at all the lunch bag fabrics three times and not fifteen! And choosing a thread color? That was a ten minute exercise in Mama's patience.

What else is there? Oh, ponchos. It rains here. Quite often. And sometimes it rains without notice. The sky could be clear blue, but then there's one cloud that comes through and decides to open up and pour buckets on us. So the students are required to have ponchos. But KBug doesn't want the plain yellow one from the store here. Nope, she wants a fun one. A princess one, maybe? Or perhaps it's Tinkerbell? I'm lucky enough that we have managed to hang on to the same one since she was 4 so I haven't had to purchase a new one. But one of these days she's going to finally grow and I'm going to have to get a new one. I'm not looking forward to that day. I'm really not looking forward to that day.

I'm sure there's more I could right about the craziness that is school supplies, but I can't come up with anything else right now. So there you have it. My thoughts on Back to School supplies.

Stop back in tomorrow for a post from Karmen over at 2+2=4 and a Pup. She has some awesome tips and tricks for making your early school mornings a little less chaotic!