Reading Year!

Friday is the kick-off assembly for Reading Year at my school.  Our theme this year is, "Virginia is for Readers."  I thought that was so fun and original, and then one of my new kids said that her school did that last year.  Oh, well.  So much for originality!

Our students will be placed on teams that are named after the regions of Virginia--did you know there are five?  It was my job to write a skit for the teachers to perform at the kick-off assembly.  I was wracking my brain trying to think of something fun, but quite frankly, I don't think that Virginia's regions are that much fun.

Then one day, a student said something that sparked an idea in my brain.  I can't even remember what he said, (but I do remember the student!), but it made me think of the book The Scrambled States of America  by Laurie Keller.  So I grabbed both copies off the library shelf, found my own copy somewhere on my bookshelf, and read it a few times.  I wrote a play in the style of her book, and it's called "The Scrambled Regions of Virginia." The Piedmont region decides that he doesn't like being in his place in the state, and he throws a party and gets all the other regions to switch places, too.  It's not quite as much fun as the book because we had to throw in some learnin' to tie it into the state standards.  But to get the kids ready, I read Scrambled States to every class (grades 1-5).  That would be 30 classes.  Thirty times I said, "Hi, I'm New Jersey.  I'm not new, and I'm not wearing a jersey.  Go figure!" in my best Sopranos accent.  Thirty times I said, "My friend switched places with California and all I got was this stupid t-shirt."  Oh, it was FUN!!!  "This is Illinois, and I need to buy an airplane ticket to, um, well, Illinois."  Oh, we laughed hard!! Thank you Laurie Keller.  It was so nice to rediscover this gem with my students.

It is a rare book that can be enjoyed by students all the way from first grade to fifth grade, and this is definitely one of them! AND, the movie is so cute, too!! I believe we watched a Weston Woods production.  The animation and voice-overs really brought the personalities of the states out.

    

"I like your blonded hair!"

Those were the words uttered to me by a first grader this morning. 

So I'm going gray.  So I gave up the hair-color fight.  So I got some highlights to blend the gray.

Blonded?!?! Really?!?!

I guess we'll see if blondes really have more fun.  :)
And no, there will be no photo.

Completely, utterly, totally exhausted

I am done.  Stick-a-fork-in-me done.
This week has been so hectic in the library! I know that we had meetings only three mornings: Monday, Wednesday, and today, Friday.  But the week flew by! I worked until after 6 pm and still will have to go in on Sunday to at least resemble being ready to open on Tuesday.  Oh, my.
The library was used for meetings this week, and we were cleaned up for the Open House, but all the tables and chairs were still set up for this morning's meeting.  As soon as it was over, my assistant and several other teachers took everything down while I met with the specialists (again).  Then I doled out PTA t-shirts to the new people and anyone else who wanted to buy one.  Then we had our PTA lunch.  Then, I got a call from a librarian needing help importing her student data.  While I was on the phone with her, one of my library cohort students (who got a librarian job!!) came in to look through my files and so we could chat. 
My assistant, who is just so fabulous as usual, left around 4 feeling guilty for it (!), and I was able to get a few other things done before just packing in it at 6.  Sigh...

Hopefully, Sunday will be enough time to get things ready for the kids.  If I have stuff ready for them, the rest can wait.  I don't know when exactly it'll get done, but it can definitely wait!
Today at our faculty meeting, our principal asked me to read Thank You, Mr. Falker to the staff. I was doing great until I started crying!  Then I heard the teachers all teary and it just got worse.  The whole time I was reading the sappy parts, the feel-good parts about being a great teacher and making connections with kids, I was talking to myself in my head--just read the words, don't listen to what you're saying...think about your horrible schedule this year...think about how you have to eat lunch at 10:30...think about your AP leaving next week...--but it didn't work!! That Patricia Polacco does it to me every time!!