back into the swing of things

Well, today brought me back into the real world. No more sleeping late, getting showered and dressed after lunch, no more staying up until midnight because I can (yes, Jeremy and Kacie, I do stay up late sometimes!)... Yes, today I had to get back into the swing of things. The alarm clock went off at 6:00 a.m. Don't worry though I didn't get up that early. I snooze it until 6:40 and then get up. Some may ask why in the world would you set your alarm 40 minutes earlier than you have to? Because I like the idea of knowing I still have a few more minutes to sleep. This also gives me the opportunity to slowly wake-up rather than having jump up and be perky instantly. Trust me, I need time.



Christmas break always goes by faster than I want it to; however the sooner we start back the sooner summer gets here. :) I must admit as I was getting ready this morning wondering how crazy our first day back would be, I was getting excited. I love my job. I love the teachers I work with. And most of the time I love my kids. I'm just kidding. I always love my kids. Some days I love them more than others though. Today happens to be one of those days when I have a stronger love for them. I really did miss them. I enjoyed listening to them tell me what they got for Christmas. I also expected today to be less than ideal as far as behavior goes. I have been pleasantly surprised that they have remembered and followed all of our rules. No phone calls to parents, no other teachers have had to bring me their children... yes, so far it's been a very smooth day. Of course, it is nap time. The day is not over. All in all, for a first day back to school after Christmas, it has been very pleasant.



Apparently I totally insulted one of my little boys this morning though. This week our bible story is about Jesus' childhood. I asked my kids if Jesus stayed a baby. They of course said no and I proceeded to explain that Jesus grew up like they are growing. I asked all of my little boys to stand up. One little boy was hesitant to stand up. I said, "Buddy, aren't you a little boy?" He said, "But Mrs. Jerkins, I'm not a little boy. I am 5!" Heaven forbid I call him "little."



On a sad note, one of my funny, little boys had his last day with us December 18th. His dad is in the military and they had to move to Virginia. He provided a lot of laughs and so if my stories aren't near as funny it's because he is no longer here to provide good material.



Regardless of the lack of funny stories I can guarantee you that my students will keep you entertained ... and most of the time it's at my expense. I was having my kids go to the restroom before lunch. I stood at my classroom door and watched them walk to the restrooms. I also happened to watch one of the other teachers walk out of the lunch room (which is across from my room) with a plate of food. So instead of saying, "Use the restroom and wash your hands quickly." I said, "eat quickly." One of my little girls who was reentering my room hugged me, and looked up and said, "Mrs Jerkins, you mean use the restroom quickly, not eat quickly. Silly Mrs. Jerkins. You must have left your brain at home." I will never go uncorrected thanks to the other 10 "teachers" in my class.



To sum this up... It's good to be back.