Crazy Daze of School

Hopefully by the start of next week I will have both the pink sweater and the cable sweater (which is actually more like a jacket) done. This week has been insane.

I got my new homeroom. The kids coming into the 5th grade were a bad combo last year. There are four 5th grade homerooms total, and so far only one of them seems a bit difficult. My homeroom is cute. I always have an awesome homeroom, but I'm looking back at the last three, and I'm starting to think that they're awesome b/c I make the best of what I have. People say I treat the kids like real people. That's what they are to me, like co-workers...or rather employees.

There are a few that are worrysome to me right now - or rather I'm worried about them. We have one french boy that is new to the country and doesn't speak much english. In a predominantly hispanic neighborhood with lacings of arabic, indian, african, and asian, coming across another french kid to translate is hard.

I asked if he spoke any spanish, and he was able to tell me no. My husband suspects he may speak german and that's how he's understanding us to a point.

there's another boy that seems like one of those "i'm a troublemaker b/c i can't pay attention and have no idea what's going on but I'm also a thuggie kid so I must have an attitude" students. He cracked a smile today when I said gabagillion comes after million in the place value chart, so hopefully he'll chill out and try to be patient with himself. kid's like that have a tendancy to get irritable and pissed at themselves and then take it out on you. He looks so much like another boy i had with similar problems. I don't want him to become a deal like I couldn't help the other kid so i gotta help him to make up for it. If a kid wants to be helped it works. The best analogy I've thought of for this kind of situation...b/c some people think that I'm suposed to fix everything and if not it's all my fault b/c I'm the teacher...

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. The best you can do is go to the water yourself, scoop some up, and hold it near him hoping he'll take even just one taste. And then you have to be happy with whatever comes of it.

Yarn shopping...finally

I finally got to go yarn shopping, so I'm working on the pink sweater, which will now have lots of purple and blue in it as well, and the cable sweater at the same time. I'm just very eager to finish something! It's been almost a month since I completed my last project. My ankle is getting better, but I have to go to physical therapy. Eh!

Summer Fades

I spent Friday and Monday in Pepper's classroom. The building is only a few years old, but it was kinda dirty. Monday was the 3rd day we'd been in there. Before Pepper and I were teaching, when it was only Mom's classroom that had to be set up, we used to knock it off in one long day.
Mom did her classroom on Monday as well, while Pepper and I were in the art room...

Let me summarize the situation so it's more clear. Mom and Pepper teach in the same building, I teach in another; we're all in the same town.

So mine still has to be done. I spend most of my day walking through the room, on the floor with the kids, or standing at an overhead (the best way to lecture...in color!) so I need to set up the classroom in a way conducive to that. I have a wall full of bulletin board and another full of blackboard. I wish I could switch them...and think I have an idea. I ordered this...

A roll of chalkboard made by the company that makes clear contact paper. Cross your fingers.

On the knitting front, I've gotten further with that cable thing...

This is the first time I suppose I'm doing intarsia. I'm working the sleeves flat and working the cable in the middle in dark brown all the way. I've run out of yarn, so I'm off to get some more.

I'm going to start a February sweater from EZ's Knitters Almanac with some of the yarn Mom brought back from Connecticut. I'm also trying to plan out a kimono sleeve tunic with this Blue Heron yarn

Mom's back!!!!

I don't often get really close with others, I'm a rather guarded person in certain aspects, but when the one's I am close with are away I'm dying for them to come back. Mom came back from Connecticut. She gave me the idea to go there a few weeks back.

She brought with her some more Ellyn Cooper yarn. I think the yarn is called Twisted. They're really beautiful.

Pepper has gotten to just around the underarm of her adult surprise jacket. She's kinda taken off on the EZ pattern and done her own thing. She's also working on a really cool fuzzy-ish eyeglass case that I did not get a pic of.

I've been working away on the cable sweater I started after I put the Schaefer aside. I'm using all different Lions Brand superwash wools. I want to put in some pockets and have a cable running up the front and around the neck...we'll see. It's the first time I'm trying anything like this.

Pepper's pup Maggie is feeling much better after having had surgery last week. She is the sweetest thing...a good dog. Here she is in her new collar from Connecticut.