Miss Madalynn

If anyone read my blog last school year, I'm sure you remember Miss Madalynn. Everyone says teachers shouldn't have favorites, but that's just impossible. She was my absolute favorite last year! (Next to Walker, that is.) Madalynn is now in 2nd grade, and she comes by twice a day to give me a hug (before and after school.) She is so sweet! A couple days ago she came tearing down the hall with a huge story to tell me. Apparently she had a bad dream the night before about me - she said she missed me very much and in her dream she could never get close enough to talk to me. Break my heart! I reminded her that I would be there almost every day, and she could always come talk to me. But then I started freaking out about what would happen when/if I ever leave Henry...dude, I need to get a grip. But it is nice to feel loved!

Yesterday Madalynn brought me the newest Magic Tree House book to read. She got it in the last book order and thought I would really enjoy reading it. Honestly, Magic Tree House can kiss my booty. I had to read about 10 of them to my class last year, and by the end I wanted to throw them all out the window! Jack and Annie and their crazy tree house that whirls and twirls and leaves them in faraway lands are soooo boring! But my class last year LOVED them, and I caved every week. Anyway, this one isn't that much better than any of the others (unless you are 7-9 years old). But I was thinking about how much Madalynn enjoys talking to me about books, and wasn't that the best thing I could ever give her - a love of books!?! So I'm going to start a reading journal between Madalynn and myself. I thought we could take turns picking books to read and write each other letters in the journal about the stories. I might kick myself in the next few months for starting this, but hopefully she'll be excited and we can stay connected this year through books. Let's just hope they're not all Magic Tree House books...and I hope Mary Pope Osborne isn't reading this...

First Grade

A couple of my friends mentioned that I hadn't updated about my class lately...let me just say, you asked for it! I don't know if I'll be able to stop once I've started. :-) My class this year is so wonderful. I'm not trying to brag by any means, but I was definitely blessed with the best 1st grade class at Henry. They are little angels! (Well, most of the time.) My boys are totally wiggly and funny. They make noise ALL THE TIME! I have no idea why. Boys are a complete mystery to me! But I love them. They make me smile. My girls are also very sweet. They've been having a hard time with trying to tell everyone what to do (which reminds me of a story I've heard about myself in 1st grade - it has something to do with me bossing the ENTIRE class around), so we've had lots of talks about how to "just take care of yourself" and not worry about anyone else.

The other really fun thing about my class is that they are really bright. Very smart. All of them. They just "get it," and it's so fun to watch. You can literally see little light bulbs going off in their heads. The other day I was teaching them a new math game and sweet little A said, "Mrs. Teal. I know why you're teaching us this game. The point is for us to find all the combinations of 7" all matter-of-factly. And she was absolutely right! I was totally sold out by a 6-year-old. Another day I was telling them a story problem in math about how I was eating peas and carrots for dinner, and one little girl yelled out, "We know this is not true because you HATE peas!" She was also right, but it totally ruined my story problem set-up.

I was also out one day a couple weeks ago, and when I came back this note was on my desk from M:

Hi Mrss. Teal. I hope you are fyling bedr because evre day we have a very bisy day in frst grad. I rile mist you Mrss. Teal. You know Mrss. Teal beying sik isint so bad at all because you get tv and brekfist in bed but to sum peeple its not vere fun. I will see you soon. You are the best techr in the school I cud not have a nuther.

Then there was a picture of me (rosy cheeks included) at the end with a speech bubble that said, "Sik is sad."

Seriously?!? How could you not love this job!!!

OU vs. Tulsa

I haven't posted in awhile - my apologies. School has been busy and I had a bit of a rough go for a couple of weeks. But now I have something fun to talk about - OU football!!!

We spent this past weekend in Bartlesville and Norman. On Friday we went to visit my mom at the high school and my dad at his new office. While we were at the high school we got a quick tour from my mom. That place has really improved since I left. I'm so jealous! Then we headed to Tulsa to eat lunch at The Brook with Jonathan's dad. That evening we went to the Bartlesville Bruin football game with my family - I know, try not to be jealous. It was a really good game, and I enjoyed watching the poms and visiting with the sponser who was there when I coached.

On Saturday we got up early to go to Norman for the game. Jonathan and I have been looking forward to this game for a long time. One of our very first dates was to an OU/Tulsa game in Norman in 2005. It was also the weekend that a bunch of my pledge sisters got together, so they all got to meet Jonathan and witness the beginning of our relationship. (Let's just say we're very glad he survived that weekend and passed the "Theta" test.) My parents got us tickets to the game so we could go with them - thanks, mom and dad! We had a great time in Norman - especially lunch at The Mont (swirls included...mmm!) and a good game for the OU fans. I will say, I was totally surprised that TU never scored. I went into the game honestly not knowing which team would win. You just never know with the Sooners these days, and Tulsa has a great team. Hopefully they will finish off their season strong and maybe take the Conference USA title! At least that's what we're hoping in the Teal household. Jonathan was a great sport and I think he even enjoyed himself in spite of the game.

The only other thing I was disappointed about was that the Theta house wasn't open. We walked all the way over to see how it's been remodeled, but we couldn't get anyone to come to the door. I heard everything was beautiful AND that they now have a frozen yogurt machine! No fair!!! I guess I'm just glad I didn't have anything else to add to the freshman 15 I gained at OU. But I was very happy to see two of my very favorite pledge sisters - Susan and Marianne - so I quickly forgot my disappoinment. Theta love, you two! Thanks for coming to meet us. It made my weekend!

Outside the stadium

I haven't been to the stadium in 3 years...boy, have I missed it!

We got to see one of my favorite friends, Marianne, and her husband at half time. Enjoy the lovely oily face I have going on...it was a little hot. :-)

Mom and Dad showing their love for Jonathan's team

Mom and Dad at lunch

Sarah and Kylie with a swirl at The Mont

Another one of my very favorite friends, Susan, drove up from Dallas to eat lunch with us. I felt so special!!! And it was WONDERFUL to see her.

Boomer Sooner! And go Golden Hurricane!

For the love of peanut butter

Is the weekend over already?

This weekend we enjoyed being home...for once! On Friday night we rented some movies and relaxed at home. On Saturday we ran a bunch of errands and then picked up Samuel so Sarah and Dave could get their house ready for someone to look at. Later some friends came over for a BBQ. I honestly can't remember the last time the weather was this nice...it was almost cooler outside than inside. On Sunday we went to brunch in Kirkwood and sat outside on the patio to soak up a few more minutes of sunshine. I just can't believe how fast the weekends fly by, especially when you're a working woman again. :-) I took lots of pictures on Saturday, especially of my adorable nephew.

Mallory and Brian brought over their new puppy, Max.

Lindsay gives Max some lovin'

Dustin and Brian playing bags

Sarah, Jonathan & Dave wait for their turns at bags

Sweet Samuel...don't you just love that face?!?

He enjoyed "watering" my plants with ice from the cooler

His look of "surprise"

Taking a break

Samuel really enjoyed playing bags with the big kids

Helping pick up the bags

I am sad that summer is quickly coming to an end. But I am super excited for fall - especially for cooler weather and college football. Two things that make me really excited! Go Sooners and Golden Hurricane!

1st Week of School...

...and I survived! On Monday I wasn't so sure I would make it. I absolutely love my class, but my, are they young and immature! Especially compared to my class last year. But they are so cute and funny...I quickly forget about how wiggly they are. Here are a few funny things I overheard this week:

"Is it time to go home, yet?"

(This happens about 200 times a day...it gets worse after lunch)

"First grade is hard!"

"I just can't do anymore work today. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow."

"Man! These chairs sure are slippery!"

(By the way, they're not slippery at all. He just has a hard time not falling out of his seat.)

Oh, bless their little hearts. It's going to be a long, but very fun, year. Oh, and this is a TRUE story that happened in my friend Lisa's kindergarten class. I think she should enter it in a magazine...she could make money off this one! The parent sent her an email with this story. (And just in case you've never heard of it, The Kissing Hand is a really sweet story about leaving for school for the first time):

I thought you might enjoy a cute conversation Tuesday afternoon when Sam was asked about school. It was the day they did "The Kissing Hand".

Dad: So, Sam, What did you do at School today?
Sam: We learned how to make Love....
(Dad is in a little shock as Sam fumbles a bit)
Dad: You did what?
Sam: We learned how to make love....see? (and attempts the sign language for love).

Dad to Mom: Whew! I was wondering what they were teaching in that class!

Bartlesville High School Class of '99

My high school reunion was last weekend. As President of our Senior Class (I know, I was a dork back then, too!) I had the privilege of planning the weekend. Luckily I have FABULOUS friends from high school who all pitched in and made it all happen! There's no way I could have come close to making it as fun without them. Especially when Jonathan and I didn't make it until Saturday evening. (That wasn't in the plan, but what can you do?!?) So I owe a huge thank you to several people...Megan, Melissa, Sara, Jill, Hollye, Britney, Mary and April all made the weekend so much fun for everyone. Thanks, girls! You all are the best!!!

There were fun events all weekend. On Friday there was a "meet and greet" at a local restaurant. Saturday we had a picnic and tour of the high school in the afternoon. That evening we had a dinner and dance at Hillcrest (the country club in B'ville.) We made it in town just in time for the fun that was had at Hillcrest. There were lots of people there...my guess is over 150...and everyone had so much fun! We even got kicked out by the Hillcrest staff and moved the party to the Elks Lodge.

I'm so glad so many people from our class made it back for the weekend. It was so fun to see everyone and catch up. Go Bruins! :-)

Me, April & Megan

Britney, April, Megan, Mary & Hollye

Cutting a rug on the dance floor

Jonathan and Britney had LOTS of fun dancing. Someone even asked Britney if Jonathan was my husband or hers...too funny!

Sara, me, Mary & Melissa

The infamous close-up shot (J took like 20 of these with different people...that might have to go on its own post.)

Some of the girls who helped pull off the reunion...Sara, Melissa, Mary, Jill, Megan, & me

Kansas City

Last weekend we went to Kansas City with some friends from Oklahoma. Britney's husband, Ryan, has been playing baseball for the Kansas City T-Bones this summer. We were all so excited to go watch him play! We watched his games on Friday and Saturday. We also shopped and played some games at Dave & Busters on Saturday. It was a wonderful weekend, and we are excited to see everyone again next weekend in Bartlesville!

The whole group: Jonathan and me, John and Hollye, Ryan and Britney, Drew and Megan, Nick and Jill, and Tyler and Sara (with a friend from college)

The boys weren't exactly thrilled to pose with our signs!

We used some of Jill's signs from work to make posters for the game...we were so proud of ourselves!

More Letters

I'm sitting here cleaning out my binder for school, and I found two more funny notes from my students:

Dear Mrs. Teal,

1st grade has been a blased! I just wish 1st grade wlod be lognger, Becase I love to be with you. I even like read aloud, Oh YaY I even wish spring break is not even close! But when I go to 2nd grade I will say hellow every morning, If your still there.

Love,

C

*This little guy was having a really hard time settling in that day (well, most days actually) and I think I sent him to "take a break" for most of centers time. The letter was waiting for me on my desk after lunch.

Im sorry I was Being gooFy at the carPet and at centers.

From S

That last one just melts my heart! I felt bad for getting on to him, even though I know he deserved it. They're little minds are just so funny!!!

School and "The Best Thing in First Grade..."

I've been back at school this week working on my room. It's so much fun! I realize that I'm a complete dork for loving school this much, but I just can't help it. (I also love, love, love buying school supplies...side note) This year I'm super excited to have a new addition to my classroom...a SmartBoard! Our PTO worked really hard last year to raise money for new technology, and I'm so thankful that I was chosen to have one of these boards. If you've never heard of them, they are like a white board that can hook up to your computer. They're absolutely incredible. At the end of last year, the word on the street was that my board would be in by November. But lucky me...it's already here! Today Pam got it all set up for me and I got to play with it. I can't wait for all the cool stuff I'll be able to do with my classroom this year. (Again, I realize I'm showing my true dorkiness in this post, and I'm totally okay with that.)


Since I have this new addition, I've had to completley rearrange my room so that the focal point is now on the SmartBoard. We've also added another 1st grade teacher so I will have 17 students this year instead of 22 like last year...another huge blessing! With less students, I was able to get rid of a bunch of furniture and junk that I didn't use last year. There's nothing like purging to make a girl feel good!


Yesterday I put up my bulletin board in the hallway. I had my students write to the prompt "The Best Thing in First Grade is..." at the end of last year. I thought it would be fun for the incoming first graders to read them when they come meet their new teachers. This one is my favorite...it's written by Miss Madalynn (I left the original spelling intact because it's much cuter that way):

"The Best Thing in First Grade is...

meeting Mrs. Teal, having feald day, speling test, meeting Ilona our new student, studying plants, writing workshop, the delishus lunch, and did I say meeting Mrs. Teal.

Madalynn

White Water Rafting

On Wednesday we drove to Buena Vista, CO to go rafting at Noah's Ark. We had a blast! We got stuck on a rock for a long time, which made for some great laughs. Other than that I think we did pretty well.

Family Pictures

It's been awhile since we've had a good family picture, so we thought we'd take some while we were all together. We used the self timer for lots of the pictures, and I was surprised at how easy it was to use.

Lake George, Colorado

We spent last week in Lake George, Colorado with my family. It was such a wonderful week! We really enjoyed relaxing, and the weather was absolutely beautiful. It would rain every afternoon for a little while, but it was never enough to ruin any plans. We kept the windows open in the cabin the whole time, and in the morning it would be nice and chilly! I enjoyed snuggling up by the fire with a cup of coffee. You can't beat that! The views all around us were breathtaking. Like my mom said, it's easy to believe in God when you see this much beauty in the world. He created so many wonderful things for us to enjoy, and I'm so thankful we got to spend a week in this place where it's so easy to be reminded of that. Here are some pictures from the week:

Lake George

The cabing where we stayed, thanks to my sister's good friend, Rebecca

I love this bench near the lake

Boats were lined up everywhere, between the road and Lake George

Sarah and I at the top of the mountain (I especially like our bejeweled sunglasses...I think it's a nice touch when you're hiking)

Mom, dad, Sarah and I hiked up the mountain one morning

This is how Jonathan spent most of his time...fishing. He loved it! Here's one of the many fish he and my dad caught

The boys favorite fishing spot in Eleven Mile Canyon...it was so beautiful there!

Catching a fish

Jonathan showing off the 9 fish he and my dad caught the last day

The big catch

On Friday J and I hiked to the top of the mountain, and my sister took this picture from the cabin. You can see us in the middle of the picture if you look really hard...

This was the view out our bedroom window on Saturday morning before we left. What a beautiful way to say goodbye!

I have tons more pictures, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more of them very soon!