moving day.

for all of you readers (aka Kristen), tomorrow is moving day.

I hate moving almost as much as I hate snow day lunch duty (see past blog for more info).

I live my life in constant and extreme organization and therefore, the chaos that comes with moving is almost too much to handle. This moving process is particularly bad because we are moving like 10 feet from our current apartment which gives my husband zero incentive to get it all done at once and therefore I will live in chaos for a few days. If I had a Harry Potter wand and I would point it at my current apartment and say something along the lines of "packus and moveus" and my problem would be solved. but I don't have a Harry Potter wand b/c apparently Harry Potter isn't real.

time out. (Zach Morris style) My precious hubby REALLY cannot stand my love/obsession with Harry Potter and makes fun of me constantly. One time he caught me reading Harry Potter whilst listening to the soundtrack and I thought he was going to die laughing. 

time in. the apartment we are moving to is smaller and therefore, we have to downsize. I am not thrilled about this particularly when it means I cannot proudly display all of my Celine stuff due to serious lack of space. I am really working to count my blessings on this one because I am not excited about moving into an apartment that is smaller than the small one I am in now. So in an effort to focus on the good and not the bad, here are the things I am looking forward to about moving next door:

• moving day means I get to spend some time with my mom since she's helping, this is maybe the best part.
• moving means we get new appliances that are stainless steel
• the new apartment promises to be "more soundproof" than the one we are currently in. i'm praying that's true.
• we get Verizon Fios cable/internet which is already working and apparently really cool. This means I can watch Jon and Kate's marriage fall apart on several channels.
  
• my sister is going to move into the apartment we currently live in because she can move quickly whenever the house sells. I don't think it will sell anytime soon so that means my sis will be my neighbor. I think that's fun.
• moving this week means that Jacky (my enormous cat and favorite feline) gets to come back home. he's been at my parents due to the moving chaos and my extreme paranoia about something happening to him. i miss my chubby boy. 

so...tomorrow begins and if i'm lucky, ends the moving process. can't wait to have you all over to show off the new place. but don't plan on eating, we don't have space for a kitchen table :)

Confessions of a First Year Teacher

Having taught for almost a year now, I consider myself wise in the ways of teaching and feel I should share some truths/debunk some myths for you non-teachers out there:

- Teachers who say they don't have favorites are lying. I absolutely have favorite students and even a few who I'd consider hanging out with if it weren't a little Mary Kay Letourneau-ish (don't worry, the one i'd like to hang out with are NOT boys)

- I am actually considering not failing a student who has absolutely earned their F because the thought of teaching them again makes me die a little inside

-I LOVE grading. I know that many teachers find grading a chore but I love it. Grading typically affirms that I've done a good job and always provides a good laugh. 7th graders have some pretty creative answers when they have no idea what else to say.

- Sometimes, secretly, I nap behind my desk. It should come as no surprise that I plan my lessons way ahead of time so I find myself frequently without things to do during my prep. I may or may not keep a small pillow and blanket in my file cabinet.

- There are days when I have no idea what I am going to do in class. And yet, I never have days when we have excessive down time. This is not because I am a super teacher...it's because I am a super great maker uper of activities.

- I really like that my students like me.

-I like even more when I get to put my "mean face" on and lay down the law. Today I kicked a student out for screaming "Mt Everest" at the top of his lungs.

Teaching has been the best experience of my life thus far. I really like junior high and feel incredibly blessed to be here. Thank goodness that I teach students who are always more awkward than I am.