Happy Halloween

For Sophie's first Halloween, we worked off her costume. She and I were ladybugs, and Isaac was a bug catcher. I looked weird, but at least I didn't look like a total clown because that would have been particularly embarassing today...

The head of curriculum at the district, Dennis Brown, came to our school today. I didn't think he would come to my room because I am a newer teacher, I'm not in the main part of the school, and he was supposed to get there around 10, when I am on my prep for the next 45 minutes. HOWEVER, Mrs. Bedi called me about five minutes before the end of our prep to tell me he had just arrived, and she wanted the standard that covered elements of a short story for ELD since I had the standard binder. I still didn't really think he would come to MY room, but I made sure I had the right standard up on the board (we have to display them every day, but that is not high on my list of priorities, so I frequently forget to change it... for days sometimes...) When my class came in (my rowdy class, of course), I forewarned them that Mr. Brown from the district might be coming in, and that if he did, they should be on their best behavior and ignore him unless he asked them a question. They were amazing. They were actually being pretty good anyway, especially considering it was a holiday, but as soon as he and the principal stepped through the door, there was silence in the room as they worked on their scary stories except if they were raising their hand to ask me an individual question. As soon as they closed the door on the way out, the class let out a giant sigh chorally, lol, and asked if that was really Mr. Brown. I laughed and told them they did a good job, and then they kept working on their stories, but talking a little now. Anyway, it was good, even if it was funny to me that my class was one of only seven they visited.

After school, I stayed to help a student with her missing writing assignments. Her mother asked me to stay after school to teach her daughter that sometimes you have to make sacrifices to get what you want (in this case, not failing my class so she can go on the Washington DC trip at the end of the year). I didn't think it was very fair to ask me to stay the way she did, but whatever. I was there grading anyway, and I DO want the kid to pass.

After school, I came home and got ready for tomorrow. Then I got us ready for tonight, and we went to the ward Trunk-or-Treat. Sophie stayed in the car for a while, and I sat with her part of the time, and the kids loved that there was a puppy dressed up. I put her on the tailgate where Mom was handing out candy, and we called her the Trick, while Mom gave out Treats. She was pretty adorable!

Isaac and I went to watch Jaws at the Caldwells tonight, but about 10:30 I had to go home because I was EXHAUSTED. I don't know why it's so much later than that now, and I am still not in bed... probably because I ate caramel apple and looked at our pictures... (sigh) Time for bed!