A WHAT Flower? You keep a straight face!

Picture this: class of 5 & 6 year old kids busy writing everything they know (and can't spell) about seeds & what happens to them when they grow.

Ms. ~C~, in her clinical assignment looking professional and very collected is approached by adorable, quiet, and very smart child, "Billy".

"Ms. ~C~, look at my flowers I drew to go with my story."

"Very nice, Billy. What kind of flower is this?" (points to pink flower)

"We grow those at our house. It's a penises flower." (stops short with eyes bugging out and face frozen realizing what he has just said.)

"Oh, do you mean a peony flower, Billy?"

"Ah, yea." (Runs back to seat & colors furiously)

Like I said, you try to keep a straight face!

I love kids. Happy Friday & have a good weekend everyone.

De-stressing & Anti-Monkey Butt

After the meltdown on my post a few days back I'm probably starting to look like a real mental case to you. It seems like there's some really tough spots this semester & I was beginning to think I'm just insane. After talking with the student advisor, she's assured me there have been more students in her office either in tears, near tears, or so angry & stressed they should be in tears this semester than in the last 5 years combined. I believe we're all affected by the Feb. 14th shootings more than we realize. Combine that with inept instructors and it adds up to a real mess.

So... my decision is to just do what I can & let the rest go. I can't do anything about the garbage going on so I'm just letting it go to focus on my studies. Life will go on and this semester won't be the end of my world.

In honor of the more relaxed me, I'm posting something that I've found really funny even if it is a bit obnoxious. Anti-Monkey Butt Powder. A real product sold at my local store.

Have a great Wednesday!

About the New Picture...

This is what happens when you fall asleep on the sofa at my house, you end up breathing in 12 lbs. of fur.

Will it ever end???

My classmates & I are now in what are a "block" of classes. We all trudge to the same classes together every Monday & Wednesday. Tuesday & Thursday are reserved for going our separate ways for our clinical assignments all over northern Illinois.

This semester we have two professors that are just downright horrible. Descriptive words we often use regarding them and their behavior are unorganized, contradictory, unprofessional, disrespectful, unprepared, as well as others that are not acceptable to list here. We have contacted the proper people about them but not much is being done. We are just now finding out that this is an ongoing problem with these two professors, apparently they can't find anyone else to teach the classes so we're stuck. I'm disappointed that the only reason they find these instructors qualified is because they're a warm body to fill the space.

Our two "favorites" have recently started to add projects that weren't on our syllabus at the beginning of the semester. As if things weren't already difficult enough with missing classes due to the closings for bad weather and then the entire university being shut down for an entire week due to the shootings. We're still recovering from that shock. Now they decide to add more projects as if we don't already have enough to do!

In addition a lesson plan and a 4 page report due Monday, we now have another lesson plan and another 4 page report due on Wednesday. This does not include the previous assignments of a behavioral assessment of a student and a write up of a behavioral plan (another 4 pages), an assessment of the reading levels of our clinical students (6 children for me) and a 4 page report on that, and an assessment of their spelling level with two complete spelling lesson plans due on Tuesday to present to our supervising teacher at our clinical site. Did I mention I would like clean laundry & a couple of hours sleep in there sometime???

This has happened the last two weeks in class. We're all so stressed over these same two professors that we're starting to really get on each others' nerves. The tension is so thick you can almost hear peoples' nerves snap! Classmates that were once good friends are now starting to bicker and fight, in some cases they're barely speaking to one another.

..... and I'm sure everyone's next question is with all this going on, how do I find time to blog?? Well, it's blog about it or cry about it. Blogging doesn't use up tissue, make my eyes red, or upset my children. My stress over this semester is already reflected in the fact the kids are acting like, well, aliens! They're behavior is starting to reflect the fact they're feeling my stress.

God bless my best friend & her hubby, she took them for the night tonight so I could work until my eyes bugged out on my homework & go to bed in peace & quiet..... and no fighting first thing in the morning when I wake up either. I love them.

Thanks for letting me rant on about the garbage...... feeling better able to concentrate on the mountain of homework waiting for me.