middle school

so I will admit that I meant to write on Saturday when everytime I looked in the mirror, it seemed my hair was getting shorter. It is very short, but no shorter than it has ever been before. Just about three inches shorter than it was.

I wanted to write on Sunday about the double rainbow that stretched all the way across the backyard, but seemed to be so close I could less than a quarter of it in the picture.

I really thought about writing on Monday after my first day of middle school. Middle school is really weird for me. I have planning first and then four classes of physical science, two regular, and two advanced, and of course they alternate. On the first day of school there was a fire in the kitchen during third period and sixth grade lunch. We all thought it was a drill, but bc it was a fire we were out there forever. And I was missing 8 kids. I dont know how you can lose 8 kids in 100 yards and less than five minutes. They walked out and followed someone, but it wasnt me. They were found, returned, and received a stern talking-to. During the 45min outside I covered the rest of my safety rules, quizzed them on safety rules and class procedures and started to learn their names. Surprisingly I know most of them still... but know almost none of them in my other classes. Becuase we were outside for so long, fourth period seemed like ten minutes, and fifth period twenty. They may have been longer, but who knows. So by the end of the first day, all of my classes where I am covering the same content, were in different places. By the end of the 2nd day, they still were. Today, I think I have the general kids in the same place and the advanced classes in the same place. I think.

Middle school is not hard. I am having a hard time being a b**ch. Top on the list for tomorrow. I am also having a hard time with the schedule bc classes are twenty minutes shorter over here and I keep thinking that I will have more time to get more stuff done. Also the copiers are a HUGE frustration. Making a copy should be the least of my worries, however that is not the case. The copier in the 8th grade workroom had exceeded its copies on the 2nd day (and had only been fixed as of the first day) and will not get more copies until November. The duplicator in the main office is out of ink and it is on order. How can school not even be a week in and be out of ink!?!?! A typical copying day, like this morning is to walk to the 7th grade work room and find the duplicator in there also out of ink, someone making copies, and the third copy machine empty but with the doors wide open bc someone left it with a jam in it. ARGH! I found the duplicator ink, and someone else came in and cleared the jam, but I do not think that having to make copies should make me this angry or apprehensive about making more.

Today was a good day. Got everyone about in the same place, went over classroom procedures a bit more to whip them into shape, discussed talking out in class, reviewed safety, measured nose lengths etc.

Then the thing that is making me write in my blog. I received my care package from Shannon and Jeanetter over in the high school. I laughed so much walking down the hallway that another teacher asked me what was so funny.

The package says "The Avenging Narwhal Play Set" with four magical tusks and 3 adorable animals to impale" Hilarious. Currently the narwhal has a very realistic magical red tusk and it is impaling a baby harp seal. Oh wait now, I have read the back. The ruby tusk drains the blood of its victim. Tomorrow I need to put the crystal tusk on it for class - mind contol, hypnosis, and global communication.

Apparently penguins, koalas, and harp seals used to rule the earth and prey on dolphins and whales almost to the point of extinction. Until the narwhal struck back that is...

"Along their journey they will spend time in Australia, swimming upstream to the inland habitat of the koalas, where they will actually leap out of the water to spear the deadly koalas from their perches high in the eucalyptus trees."

I love it.

Tomorrow... safety tests, trying to get some notes done so we can measure some plastic dinosaurs, and of course reviewing their homework and listening to someone complain that they had to measure the height of their fridge with a googly eye, or a potato head arm, or a paperclip. Another day in Miss J's class in the middle school. :)