Back into the Groove Again

So my first day of school photos got taken on the third day of school this year.  What a slacker mom.  Anna is in 9th grade this year.  High School!  It doesn't feel quite so different because our school is 7 thru 12.  Ryan is finishing middle school with 8th grade and Sydney still has two more years of elementary.  They all seem happy with their schedules and teachers, though it has been an adjustment for sure.  Gone are the lazy happy days of summer wondering what to do with the day.  Instead we are just making sure to fit in everything that needs to get done.  We started with a full 5 day week this year and I am sure we will all be dragging a bit by Friday while we adjust to the new schedule.    No time for sewing so far, but maybe on Friday?  We are headed out this weekend for a memorial service for  Aunt Maryanne in St. Augustine.  She passed away earlier this summer, but they timed the service to allow family to get together and visit a bit.  

Last Day of Summer Vacation

School starts tomorrow!  Supplies have been bought, backpacks have been stuffed and lunches have been packed.

 In what has become my bizarre end of summer tradition, I went out in the woods behind our house and gathered termites.  I've gotten much better at finding them than last year.  Look at all those little guys!  I do a lab with my AP class and we talk about emergent properties and levels of organization.  Did you know that termites will follow ink trails left by certain brands of pens but not others?  Fun fact of the day, and you thought this blog was all about quilting.

 I also washed a bucket of rocks for my other bio kids.  I used to do this really cool lesson with a peanut on the first day of school.  Everyone grabs one on the way in and then studies it while I talk dramatically about observation and the scientific method.  Then they all put their peanuts back in a bowl where they get mixed up and then they have to find them again.  About 10 years ago, I brought up observation again about halfway through the year, and Susie remarked that it was just like the peanuts from the first day.  I got very emotional that she had made such a meaningful connection when she pulled her peanut out of her backpack.  Just as I was about really to loose it, several other kids all pulled out their peanuts while the rest told me where they kept theirs at home.  Those are the moments that make you remember why you teach.
Well, peanuts are now totally taboo.  I have one student who will react so strongly to peanuts that I can't touch them and then grade papers.  I tried it with apples one year, and that was nice, but expensive.  So this time I'm going to try rocks.  Maybe they will want to have a pet rock when we are done?

I just took the last stitch in the periodic table quilt so that I can get it hung up for the first day.  Kurt bought a big long piece on conduit for a hanging rod and some hooks.  So I guess those are odd preparations for the first day of school, but it looks like I'm are just about ready for students.  

First Day of School

 The kids are all SO excited about the first day of school.  The girls have picked out just the right outfits and coordinated their accessories.  We talked Ryan into brushing his teeth.

It will be Ryan's first day of middle school.  He and Anna ended in the same math class so I had to go back yesterday and change their schedules.  Anna was ready to torture Ryan if they were in class together.  She isn't so happy that Ryan is accelerated in math and will be in the same level with her anyway.  He really loves math though.  Sydney will be the last one in elementary school.  She seems pretty glad to have the place to herself.  Her teacher is the same as last year, which she was really happy about.
For the past two days, instead of being in my classroom getting everything ready, I was on jury duty.  The judge didn't seem very sympathetic to the idea that I didn't want to miss the first day of school.  Fortunately though, I didn't get picked for the jury and got to go back to my classroom yesterday afternoon to get everything ready.  I'm still feeling a bit behind, but I'm sure I'll get it all caught up by the time the weekend rolls around.