Most awful beggining of school

Well, school is back in swing. So far, this has been the worst beginning of school. Usually, the first few weeks are pretty good bec. the kids are a little nervous of a new teacher. Not these kids!!! I have came home with a headache almost every night. I already have 4 kids sitting by themselves and have already had several parent conferences. I hate it when kids don't behave. I think that I am a pretty good "teacher" and have a way of putting school work in "kid language". But, I am not a good disciplinarian of other people's kids. I expect kids to behave and I know how to handle my own personal kids. For some reason, they know I mean "business". But, when it comes to other kids, I just don't have the knack. I am not good with "consequences" like pulling cards. It seems that i can't find consqences that "fit". For example, if a kid doesn't do his work, he should get a zero or not get to play on Friday until his work is done. Makes sense to me, except the kid doesn't care if he is not playing, he just sits there instead of doing his work and if he gets a zero and has a bad grade on his report card,,, who is punished??? Me, bec. I have to fill out all of this paperwork about how I am going to help his do his work. Now, I understand if he "can't" do the work but, it is not that he can't, but he won't.

Now see with my own kids, if the teacher wrote me a note saying that my kid did not do his work, I would make sure it didn't happen again. There would be no TV, video games, nothing for a long time. But, not with the kids in my room. The parents don't seem to do anything bec. the same kid still won't do his work.

As a matter of fact, Gray got into trouble yesterday. I have been out sick for two days. I felt good yesterday and went to work but I couldn't talk above a whisper so I got a sub and came back home. I was sitting on the porch waiting for the kids to walk home from school. I heard the bell ring and see a little boy in a blue and white stripe shirt running out to the street and climbing on the "walk" pole which is near the road. I couldn't quite tell if it was Gray or his friend. I hear the teacher telling this kid to wait on him. Well, the light change and the "walk" sign came and he ran out half way to the road before the teacher got there. By then I could tell that it was Gray so I started walking toward the road. When I met Gray, I told him we were going back to the school to talk with the teacher that walks them. I went to this room and the teacher tells me that this is not the first time Gray has went to the road without him. (I am thinking,"why haven't you told me before?". So, we came up with the plan that if Gray ever runs out again then the teacher is to take Gray to the office and call me or his dad to pick up in the office. By the time we got back home, Gray's dad was home and Gray had to tell his dad why we went back to the school. Needless to say, if we ever get a call from the office that Gray must be picked up bec. he ran close to the road, it will not be a pretty day for Gray's backside. I mean, we talked to Gray about the dangers of the road and that even though the sign said walk he has to wait on the adult. I don't think he will do it again bec. he knows i mean "business". And if the teacher had of told us that he had done that before, it wouldn't have happened yesterday. I am just glad that I was home yesterday to find out about it.

Last day of summer vacation

It is sad to think that today is my last day of vacation. I went to the school to work in my room the last two days bec. I knew that I wanted to be home on my last day. I got up and made Gray his fav. breakfast..pancakes. I took a picture of Zac driving (by himself!!!) to band practice. I can't believe that I have a driver for a kid. And now I am going to turn on Magnum and clean the kitchen. My plans for the rest of the day are to eat at my fav. lunch buffet, go grocery shopping, take a load to the goodwill box and a load to the church daycare, and then to visit with my mother, and cook supper. Tonight I am going to load up my car with stuff going back to the classroom so that I can sleep as late as possible tom. morning. I am just glad that I don't work at a system that started today.

POWER TO THE S.O.S. (save our summer group)

Hen Party/ Man Bashing

My sister and I took my mother to visit her last remaining sister in MS. Talk about fun. It really was like a big spend the night party. Her sister lives on a "compound". Aunt Hester lives on 10 acres with all of her kids and grandkids in various dwellings around her. There were lots and lots of kids coming and going. The women folk there have all had man trouble at some point in time so we stayed up until 11:00 man-bashing. That is really late for 80 somethings (folks in their
80's). I did not man-bash bec. I said that after almost 20 years of being married I had it figured out... you just have to ask the man to do the little jobs and they would be willing to do them. Well, I guess I have to eat my words. I had asked David to sweep up some grass on my just-cleaned floor and would you believe that after three days it wasn't done?

Aunt Hester has always been my favorite "blood-kin" aunt. In the 1950's she moved from the country (AL) to a city in MS. She lived in a neighborhood and had coffee with the ladies after the kids went to school. She changed her name to Louise (her middle name) and always wore make-up and fingernail polish. Even at 83 she still puts on make-up and dresses up to go out of the house. She once told me, "Sally, you must always be careful to keep a girlly figure." I think that was her nice way of saving that I had "put on a few".