Update on our frogs...

So our frogs all died not long after I posted about them. It was a long, slow, tortuous process of finding a dead frog floating belly-side up each morning. It was almost more than the kids could take, and I have to admit that I was a little bit glad when the last one died. But we went on with our unit on animal studies, especially because we'd planned our field trip to the zoo months ago!

Today my kids took their science test on this unit. One of the questions read: "Write at least two things you learned from your frog observations." What Andrew wrote pretty much summed up the whole unit:

"Frogs don't live for long amounts of time and they can be very hyper."

Does holding a grudge count?

My students have been making medals in art over the past couple of weeks. When they were brainstorming what types of things they could choose, our art teacher asked them to think of something they've done in their life that they are very proud of. She also explained that it might be something they've done for a long time, like taking piano lessons or working on a puzzle that took a long time. Tanya raised her hand and asked, "Does holding a grudge count? I mean, I've been working on it for a long time now."

Granted, Tanya likes to think of a funny spin for most everything in the classroom, but this threw the teacher for a loop. She asked Tanya if that was something she could really be proud of, and I think that ended the discussion. But it did make me think about grudges. Why is it that girls in particular can hold a grudge so well? I've noticed during the last year and a half of marriage that Jonathan can always get in an argument, state his point, then drop it. Not me! I manage to hold on to my point or idea for DAYS! I realize that it's not something to be proud of, but I honestly can't help it sometimes. What is it in women that makes us so able to hold on to anger? And is there a way to get ride of it? It's not like I feel any better during the two or three days that I'm stewing over something stupid. Too bad there's not an anti-grudge drug out there...

Samuel

This is Samuel giving a half-smile and a wink, I think.

This weekend we got to spend lots of time with our nephew, Samuel Emerson Glasser. He'll be two months old next week, and we absolutely love him! Savta (Jonathan's mom) was in town, so we went to a trivia night with Sarah and Dave on Saturday night while she babysat. They raised money for a women's shelter in St. Louis, and we had so much fun! I was very impressed with my knowledge of "famous women." Unfortunately, I didn't do so hot on "5th Grade Questions." I'm wondering if I should consider a career change...

On Sunday we went to brunch with Judy, Sarah and Samuel. Then they came over to our house for a little while to hang out. It is incredible to watch Samuel grow each time we see him! He's just too much fun. Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Uncle Jonathan had fun bouncing with Samuel on the exercise ball.
It's his favorite place (Samuel's, that is.)


Aunt Laura and Samuel....that's his "blue steel" look

Savta, Sarah and Samuel

It was just killing Lola that she couldn't get in on the action. She had to check out what was going on from the entryway.

The view from the living room

Am I too cute, or what?!?

Jonathan's Favorite Quote

So Jonathan has decided that he needs to add his favorite quote to the bottom of the blog. In all fairness, this is technically his blog, too, so I obliged. Scroll down to the bottom and enjoy! (And don't ask me why that's his favorite...)

"I should have worn black today..."

So I started this blog not long ago, mainly as a way to keep up with family and friends from far away, but not really sure if I would have anything to say. Apparently folks, I do. People have always told me I should write a book about all the funny things my students say, so I'm thinking this will be a great place to start "publishing" them! (By the way, for those of you who don't know, I'm currently teaching 3rd grade in St. Louis County, MO.) And like all teachers, I have some funny stories to share occasionally. So here's one from today:

We just started a unit in science on "Animal Studies" which means we're building habitats for African Dwarf Frogs. (Let me just say, "Ewww!") So my teammates and I go to PetsMart to pick up the frogs last Monday. By Tuesday morning, five in Katie's room were dead. Kicked the bucket. Kaput. The rest of the week went better, and by Friday we fed the remaining 25 frogs and were ready to head off for the weekend.

This morning Katie beat me to work (as usual, I might add.) She met me at my door to "see how my frogs did." This can't be good. Nope, it's not. Three goners. The worst part was that they were floating belly up in the tanks, all swollen and bloated. (Again, let me say, "Double ewww!") Katie and I quickly get the frogs out of the tanks and into Styrofoam cups with tissues covering the tops before any of the kids can witness this horrific scene. I also added rubber bands around the tissues, just in case those disgusting frogs decided to come back to life. We'd already had the whole "circle of life" discussion in my class, and my kids were adamant that we WOULD hold funerals for any frogs that might not make it. (I hated to tell them that these African Dwarf Frogs didn't have a great rate of survival in Parkway schools, but why crush them so early?!?)

So I decided to meet my kids at the door with the news. Best just to be honest and get it over with quickly, like pulling off a band-aid. So with each student's arrival, I give my short speach. "Good morning, I'm so glad you're here today. After you sign in, make sure to check the frog tanks. Some of the frogs didn't make it over the weekend." It seemed to be going pretty well until some of the kids said, "Yeah, Mrs. Teal...this one sure looks dead!" Oh right, those were the LIVE frogs. Oops...so after I clarified that the dead frogs were actually already out of the tanks, the kids spent a few minutes fighting over which of their two frogs was still alive. (It really came down to whether a girl arrived first or a boy to "claim" the living frog...with names like Tinkerbell and Spike, it was definitely war of the genders!)

The morning went better than expected, with only one crier. After about 10 minutes of greeting kids and letting them know the terrible news, along came Samantha. First she gasped, then she shrieked, then she ran to her best friend and exclaimed, "I SHOULD HAVE WORN BLACK TODAY!" A little confused, I walked over and asked Samantha what she meant. "Well, we're having a funeral today, right?!?"

Oh right, forget the frogs. Let's worry about whether you're wearing an appropriate outfit for the occassion. I'm started to wonder if I've rubbed off on my class, in more ways than one...

The other member of Team Teal

This is the view of Lola I normally get...

right up in my face, checking out the action,

and usually ready to give me a big, wet lick...yuck!

Lola, our sweet doggie Here is the third member of our family, Lola. Jonathan bought her before we started dating, and he claims that she was a complete "chick magnet." Apparently it worked because we feel in love not long after he got her. I quickly added a middle name to the one Jonathan picked out, so her full and complete name is Lola Isabella Teal. (That way I can call her Lola Belle.) She's an adorable, lovable almost 3-year-old yellow lab who keeps us entertained daily. Her tail can be dangerous at times, especially when she's excited (which is about 98% of the time.) And you can't help but love a dog who will keep your feet warm while you use the restroom...

Our First Post

So we decided to jump on the band wagon of online blogging...hopefully we'll remember to post every once in awhile and we'll try not to make it too boring!