I Wanna Play Dodgeball For My Birthday!!

                           

What a week it's been!  It started out with me in some fierce bad mood on Monday for really no reason, then my mood did a complete one-eighty, and I have spent the rest of the week floating around school on sunshine beams.

My students have been absolute ANGELS all week, and the only negative thing I've had to say all week is "OK, turn the volume down a couple of notches".  That's it.  No complaining about forgotten homework assignments, no disappointment speeches about work not being done or effort not being put in, no frustration over giving directions and then getting questions asking what they are supposed to do, and no standing in front of the class waiting on the students not paying attention.

It's been AMAZING.

I have loved every single minute of each of my days between Thursday and yesterday.  

And it feels so great that today, I'll get to reward them for their hard work by our class participating in a mini dodgeball tournament.

Do you remember a few months back, before Christmas, when the school did a Penny War to raise money for Shop with a Cop?  

Well, my class came in 3rd place, and the prize was a dodgeball game against the Student Council and members from the local police department, including the SWAT team.  Due to all the winter weather we received, the dodgeball game got postponed... and today, we will actually get to have the reward.

My class will play the class that came in 2nd place, and the class that won the competition will be playing against the SWAT/police team.  

I think it will be LOADS of fun, and I will be out there with them playing the game, throwing balls at people, and undoubtably receiving a few hits in return.  

I think it will be a great way to end out this amazing week, and an early birthday celebration... being that it's my birthday tomorrow.  The only downside will be having to wear sweats.  Well, that's not a downside, that's a big PLUS... except for the fact that I hate wearing sweats to work, because I don't exactly have the best figure to pull them off.  Especially when all of my school t-shirts are a little on the snug side around the waist.  But, I'll suck it up (no pun intended), and run my fat behind all over that gym to have the best time that I can have.

The game will throw a kink in my usual Friday routine of finishing up our reading unit, but I'm not that concerned about it.

There's a big possibility that we'll be getting more snow days next week.  The news is saying we're in for a MAJOR winter storm at some point.  Maybe starting as early as Sunday, but may not really impact us until next Friday.  I hate it when the weather reports are all so different and conflicting.  Pretty much every meteorologist in the tri-state area agrees that we're getting some snow, but they all seem to disagree on when it will hit, how much we'll get, and where the biggest impact will be.

I'm just going to sit and wait.  I'm not going to start my Black History Month unit until the week after next, and just extend this week's unit out another week.  The kids are just really getting in to their books and completing the activities I had prepared for them, and it's been a pretty hectic week... so it won't hurt to give them more time to really study the books they currently have.

With today's dodgeball game and an assembly yesterday morning, we'll be two days behind in the reading plans, so it won't hurt pushing the unit out another week.

Yesterday, we spent most of the morning in the gym for our monthly Terrific Tiger assembly, and that was followed by an AMAZING performance by the high school's Rhapsody and Rhythm show choir.  It was a combination of singing, theater, and dance all rolled in to portraying a historical event...and I was captivated by the show.

The first half was performed by the county's "Dynamic Divas", an all female show choir.  They performed songs to portray life for a woman during WWII.  I was completely blown away by the singing talent and choreography of the whole show.  After their performance, the co-ed "Rhapsody and Rhythm" group performed their show depicting life during the Civil War when women disguised themselves as soldiers in order to fight along side their men.  It was a moving, funny, and emotional show...literally ending with a bang in the form of a mini confetti cannon.  

The shows lasted about an hour, all together, and I could have sat there all day long watching them perform.  They were absolutely breathtaking... and now I want Peanut to join the group next year when she enters high school.  We'll see how that goes for me.

I can't believe that this time tomorrow, I'll be 32 years old.  Time sure does fly when you're having fun... and getting older.  And, it's my plan that I spend the last day of being 31 having a blast.  Dodgeball will start the party, and then this afternoon the kiddos and I will have a little class party and maybe some extra recess time...depending on the temperature outside.  

I want them to leave my classroom today knowing how much I have truly appreciated their dramatic change in behavior and attitude.  Their complete change has been the cause of my amazing mood all week, and it's only fair that I shower them with praise and appreciation for it.  My only hope is that they don't lose that momentum over the weekend, and come back to me next week still motivated, energized, and devoted to doing the best they can.

Well, I better get to getting dressed in my "dodgeball best", ready to face this last day of the week.  It will most definitely be a day of all play and no work.  Well, a little work.. but mostly play.  We've earned it this week, and I plan on celebrating my birthday with my kiddos having an absolute blast.

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!!