Season's Best Learners.

Miss EB and I did some major teacher shopping today, especially in the sale section of TAPS... One of my favorite purchases was a bulletin board set for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I can't wait to read that aloud to my class. Probably sometime next month.

My year-long theme, I think, is going to be "fruits." On the first day, every student will decorate a piece of (paper) fruit and put it on our "basket" bulletin board. The name? "Season's Best Learners." Yeah, EB and I amuse ourselves at our cleverness. :) I'm not sure if I'm going to continue to use the theme for bathroom passes, behavior charts, or what... Anyhow, every month, we'll focus on a different fruit in the realms of writing, reading, math, and science through learning centers as a side treat so we can become experts on our fruits.

Having fruit as my theme also just gives me an excuse to bring in (healthy) food for the kids (which reminds me to do my next soapbox moment on my latest conviction: child obesity-- we already struggle enough as adults with our weights; it's our responsibility to start kids off right in the first place!). I'm already going to be bringing in cupcakes or cookies for their birthdays. (No, no hypocrisy here! I make the treats healthy/low-fat AND yummy! Talk to my toughest food critic, C. haha ... hint: applesauce.)

Because I'm an organizational dork, I did a major upload of all the new books EB gave me and the ones I've bought... LibraryThing is a teacher's best friend (yeah, it's obvious I really love Magic School Bus). I'm now up to 329 children's books... I need at least 400 to have a "decent" classroom library, according to the "experts." Sometime this week, I'm hitting up B&N though; I need to get "First Day of School" read-alouds.

Miss EB and I had fun doing some pre-planning and getting down some details about our themes, etc. Ask her to do the "shoulder wiggle." I laughed so hard at its context and her expertise (it felt so good to laugh like that).

Yikes, it's getting late, and I STILL need a haircut after a month of saying I need one. I hope tomorrow will be the day. A teacher wants to look her best. :)

- Miss Chelsea

My right arm.

The move was good as it could be considering the circumstances. I had a fabulous day which included serving Boston for one last time, seeing beautiful skylines, being treated to a girly-day at the nail salon, just being with my best friends, and having help to the airport. Once I got into the airport, I felt the walls crumble a bit, though. Strangely, I did feel a (proverbial) comforting arm around me and it said, "I'm with you." But of course, when that arm is placed around you, you want to cry into it. I held it together. It was just what needed to be done. Normally, the airport is a busy, cold place. For the first time in the Logan Airport, I had so many friendly people offer assistance for my bags and conversation. It was really nice. I don't believe it was a coincidence since, well, I don't believe in coincidences.

If it weren't for that extroverted little girl and her mom in my row on the plane, my flight would have been miserable. Somehow this small fifth grader drew me out of my head to help me focus on what I have to do by her questions about everything. I saw her reading a new book I hadn't heard of before... "Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo." I asked her about it and if her friends really liked the books because I'm trying to build up my classroom library. That somehow went into a conversation about my classroom. She started giving me tips on what I should do with my second graders and then her mom chimed in with what she remembered of her daughter's second grade experience. It was really touching actually. His Goodness comes in many different forms...

I can't say the evening ended well. Let's just say my anxiety towards policemen surfaced and intensified. But again, His Goodness comes in many different forms...

At least I get to see C this coming Friday and go to a bookfair with Miss EB this Sunday.

New teacher training starts on Tuesday at 7:30am. I'm so glad Miss P will be there with me. I do have someone I can face this with. Our school (CP) also sent us schedules for next week and what to expect when we get there... I love schedules.

I'll be fine eventually. I always am. It's just the initial reaction. I used to move every year from when I was five years old until college (no wonder I want to settle down somewhere), but this is by far the hardest move I have ever made, especially since my core knows I'm not meant to stay in Virginia for the long-term.

Moving away from my soul's family is like when your right arm has been amputated. It's painful and downright frustrating at first. But as time goes on, you learn to write with your left hand and do everyday tasks in a new manner. You adapt. You embrace a new life and might even start to cherish the change. Your right arm will always be missing and will always remind you of its absence... but life has to go on. It has to... no matter how much you miss writing with your right hand...

- Miss Chelsea

MTELS = CONQUERED.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!

I PASSED MY THIRD AND FINAL MTEL!!! No more money, no more tests!!!

A bajillion dollars, tears, and hours later, I'm a licensed teacher in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts!! And double yay for reciprocity in Virginia!

I did! I finally did it!! Praise God!

Now watch me officially change the lives of many seven year olds... licensed-ly!! :D

- Miss Chelsea :)

No windows.

The longest recent wait I've ever had to do has been this week. On Friday after 5pm, I will receive my test results for my redo MTEL. This is the sole determinant on whether I get my Massachusetts teaching license. Intimidating much? Yeah, I know it's out of my hands... but I just don't want to face any more disappointment right now. If worse comes to worst, then I'll just apply for a Virginia license... but it'd be ridiculous after the time, energy, and money I've spent on this process. When I checked my status, it does say "Ready for Review." Please, All Things Good and Marvelous, let me just get this license.

Miss P called me and said she saw my classroom. She and her parents went over to check things out, and I asked her to check out my room. It doesn't have a window, and that was the one thing I really, really hoping for. :( But you know what, I'm going to make one. Sure, my father nor my mother were glassmakers, but I am pretty crafty with construction paper and tape. Miss P even did tell me that they were going to give me a whiteboard. So that's pretty awesome. She also said that the women in the office would be able to help me out in any way I needed. I love this type of community. :)

I'm on the lookout for these individual lapboards because they're great for phonics and math drills... but I'm hesitant because I don't know if I can find them in Virginia or not for cheaper. It also would help if I knew what is already in my classroom or available to me... and how many children. I've been figuring so far that I'm going to have about 20 kids.

You know what, I'm just going to call the school right now. Yeah, get my answers now!

- Miss Chelsea :)

UPDATE- Okay, I have 20 kids so far (who called that one!?), but it is likely to go up or down. As for supplies, an Office Depot rep is going to come in and will show us how much we can spend on our classroom supplies online. WOO HOO! I'm going to hold off a bit getting anything else until I find out more about that. Must remember Mrs. W's name for when I go in; she's the office secretary... she seems super nice, and I definitely want to make friends. Secretaries always have the inside scoops; not only that, but they tend to be really nice people.

All right, I'm at ease for now. Gosh, I felt like a dodo on the phone though... I wanted to say six million different things, and I stumbled over five million other things. :P Excitement needs to calm down.

Etc.

The day I got back from camp, I had my "see you later" party. C and C made it such a special time that I'll always be grateful... especially the video that was made for me. To have people who know you so well that they know what you will love is just one of life's biggest blessings.

Miss J was able to come, too (she reminds me of a Boston EB and so I'll miss her tons), and she gave me this totally teacher-y folding rolling crate with a telescopic handle from Staples. She cracked me up because she then proceeded to tell me that you can get accessories and doodads for it. I think I have officially crossed over to TeacherLand. I don't know if I'll buy accessories for my crate, but it's my crate, and I will treasure it with books, materials, and other student-related paraphernalia... while looking all educator-nerdy, I'm sure. :)

C also gave me a very (very) generous Barnes and Noble card to help me get my classroom library up to par. Of course, my heart wavered, and I started to cry because of the constant reminder that I am being looked out for... and that people care this much about me. (But I won't get reflective; I'm trying to take a break from that for awhile).

I can't wait to get all these books that will really enhance my professional library. There's a book on Ideas on How to Set Up a Classroom Library and a few other teacher books that have been on my Wish List now. I haven't been able to buy these for some time now...

Watch out, books.

----

I'm exhausted. With the help of some wonderful friends, I packed up the moving truck yesterday. Everything is gone now.

I can now start planning the first days of school... and start organizing in my head what needs to be done. C's mom offered to drive down (from Richmond area) to help organize my room, so I think I'll take her up on her offer. I know others will want to help, too, so that'll just be a bunch of fun times. :)

The New Teacher Institute starts next Wednesday, so I think I'll have a more clear idea on what to expect, curriculum-wise, at that time.

Until next time,
- Miss Chelsea :)

Final hours.

I'm so unbelievably exhausted right now. My eyes can barely stay open, and they burn when I try to look at the screen. It would look bad if I put my head down to take a nap when I'm supposed to be supervising Study Tutorial.

It's the last "full day" here at camp. Amherst 2007 is about to come to a close. Tonight is the final dance, and alas, my "dance card" (the joke amongst the housemasters) keeps being fickle. Miss E has kicked M off of hers and now he's back on. M is on my dance card and then not. I tell ya, if it can't get more 18th-19th century than this, then I'm content.

Last night, I hung out in T's office and had some good laughs. Some things that you find out that aren't widely publicized are very interesting! I found out that a camper was withdrawn without the office knowing... which is obviously a huge to-do since we're responsible for every child until the final paper is signed that he/she has been picked up by a parent. I also found out why we had to get a new nurse three days before camp close. YIKES.

Added onto all that, my elephant movable eraser (named Hubert) has been abducted (at approx. 8:30am, Thursday, August 9, 2007), and I keep getting emails from the perpetrator (anonymous email... "Dumbo Must Die"), holding him for ransom unless I put candy in all the housemasters' boxes. Yeah, my prime suspect was supposed to be my twin. But he loses his status now... because all evidence points to him. The SHAME! He continues to deny it, too. I think M had an accomplice. I'm still getting to the bottom of it.

The latest ransom picture is below. Somehow they managed to have Hubert pose without my knowing during the kids' performances last night. I am the one in the aqua-colored shirt. Yeah. Again, all evidence points to M because he sat behind me. He and the other deans deny it. NO!


Even though this camp session was far different from previous years, I did enjoy it. It's a different type of enjoyment. I don't think I'll come back to Amherst next year, but this place will always be considered my beginning when I became veteranized in SIG ways, met great lifelong friends, discovered my Bostonian home, and explored New England. They are opening up a new campus in Austin, Texas, so I may be going there in 2008. That would be kinda neat. Who knows! Let's worry about adjusting to the Virginian move and teaching my first year of 2nd grade before thinking about summer employment plans next year...

It's been good times.

- Miss Chelsea :)

Gloomy Wednesday.

Last night was heartbreaking. One of my girls was in heavy tears. She's a very well-versed child, and so to hear her not be was saddening. A boy whom she likes and asked to go to the dance first said yes and then no in front of everyone. A public rejection. I just wanted to cradle her and say it'd be okay. Thankfully, her friend was there to help her. She needed her friend's presence more than mine. Poor thing.

After this, the whole house somehow knew. At our house meeting, when I asked "What are some good things happening at camp?" it basically turned into a guy-bashing session... which quite honestly annoyed me. 1) Bashing any gender is just not okay. I will not condone sexist behavior. 2) I asked for positive things!

So they started saying, "Okay, girls rock then!" Okay, that's fine. :) Then my little CB piped up...

"Yeah, you know why girls rock? Because we MAKE THE WORLD! That's right, we carry the babies!"

Oh, CB. She's a trip. She seriously is a grandmother in a nine year-old's body. We're pretty much kindred spirits. haha I couldn't stop laughing after her comment. I had to question Miss K to make sure I heard what I heard.

Morale here at camp is down (perhaps due to the all-staff meeting last night, the dark weather, and/or fatigue). I feel kind of helpless that I can't really do anything about it. I'm probably not the best individual to help anyway at the moment... The dam that I built up to prevent my thinking about moving broke. I'm blessed by the shoulders I lean on though... especially when they cry with you in the rain. ... Okay, I can't write about this anymore.

Mom definitely got a 101-point word in our Scrabble game (but somehow I'm still in the lead??). Not only did she use all of her letters (and earned the bonus points for that), she landed on the Triple-Word Score square. The word: Crabbier. I was pretty impressed. She surpassed my 79-point word!

Speaking of Scrabble, the whole thing kind of makes me laugh... I've gotten a lot of people into (or addicted to) the email Scrabble thing... and that does make me smile.

Just three more days. Have to finish Student Evaluations, House Evals, etc... the job of the housemaster is the job of paperwork. Sadly enough, I don't mind the tediousness. It's busy work, and busy work is good.

- Miss Chelsea

Unknowledgable accomplice.

First off, I love the staff here, especially the deans. Two individuals (aka the culprits) played a pretty hilarious practical joke on T (the head honcho here at camp). Basically from what I hear, the people pasted photos of this one woman from last camp session who drove T crazy all over her office. In order to execute this joke, I had to provide the master key to these individuals so they could get into her office and set it up. Like I thought last night, "it's going to get traced back to me since I'm the only one with access to the entire building." And it did. The moment I walked into the dining area with my daily bowl of Golden Grahams/Rice Krispies mixture and cup of chocolate milk, I got the look. "Chelsea F! You better watch yourself!" T and I bantered at breakfast, proclaiming my innocence and her false accusatory remarks. Now I have to watch my back. :P

I finished HP 7. it was good, and I am satisfied. That is all I will say on that note. :)

I got to chat for awhile with C on the phone last night... and it was just nice. I love hearing about uplifting things happening in friends' lives. I like to live vicariously through them sometimes. :) It constantly reminds me of the Promise given to us; we're always being taken care of. Yeah, as everyone knows, I'm just not a phone person, but I had to explain to some people here at camp (since when they see me on the phone, they're like "?!?!") when I'm close to someone, it's a useful medium to stay close, and I try to make the effort, especially for those insane phone preferrers such as C, C, and Dad (though he is trying to get more email savvy... but by the time that happens, I could just walk over to his house, plop on his couch, and talk to him). I know. It totally goes against my 19th-century persuasion. Hopefully Victorian society will forgive me this once.

Since it was our day off yesterday, Miss E, Miss J, and I went to Target for here-and-there items. A complete splurge buy was a label maker. It was on sale... and I called Dad and asked if it was a good investment. He was like, "Yep." So I got it. It'll be good for labeling folders, mailboxes, and various other 2nd grade things. And it's a fun teacher-y gadget to play around with... hee hee

It really helps that Dad and the rest of the fam are excited to help me buy things for my classroom. The first year of teaching is just so expensive (the average first-year teacher spends about $2,000+ out of pocket)... and I think this is their way of saying, "It's about time you moved home! We know it's hard." Dad and Crystal have been buying me composition books and are on the lookout for those awesome put-together cardboard mailboxes (the most expensive item... and my most coveted object of the year).

All right, not much other news on the educational camp front.

- Miss Chelsea :)

P.S. Mumford was sighted on Friday. All is well with the world. ;)

Unify.

There's another Chelsea (a counselor) here at camp, and we work our names like nobody's business. It's become a fun joke-relationship and everytime we see each other, we yell out each other's name. Her birthday is also a few weeks before mine. And according to a name meaning thing I got when I was younger, the Chelsea traits are artistic, beautiful smile, quiet and reflective, and warm and welcoming. I know she has them, so since we're "twins," I must have them, too, by default! :D

Me: "Yeah, Miss S said that I'm THE Chelsea, and she's just Chelsea."
Other Chelsea: "I can't believe you just said that, Chelsea. Talking about me behind my back. That's just cruel."
Me: "Come on, Chelsea, we are ports of ships. We have to bring the ships together. We can't be against each other."
[insert more banter]

[insert more questions to find similarities]

Me: "Are you an introvert? Were you a quiet child?"
OC: "I am. And yes and no."
Me: "No way. Me too."
OC: "We are the same being in two different bodies."
[etc]

----------------

Yesterday was the first time I was personally confronted with gossip and that some were not happy with my decision to involve people beyond residential staff in a talent show idea. At first, I was very disappointed even though I knew it was inevitable to not avoid gossip at a residential camp. Next, I felt like I was being pulled different ways: "Should I change it all? What should I say?" Finally, my integrity beat me over the head, and for the first time since I could remember (I try to avoid these situations like the plague; I don't like choosing sides), I chose not to side with the majority. As much as I love this camp (which is apparent since this is my 4th year here), I can't stand how this camp divides itself into categories. We segregate according to staff position and create these exclusive cliques. Instructors are on the leprous fringe, and the titles of housemaster and counselor are insinuated to be elite. I want unity. There is no reason why we should be separated for activities. We are ALL for the same goal: providing a good camp experience for our gifted kids.

We all work for the same children, we see the same children. We all get paid by the same people. We eat meals together. There is no excuse to shun the staff who want to be around the kids on their free, unpaid time. A friend last year at Emory was an Instructor, and he did just that. He crossed over by hanging out with the residential staff. No one had a problem with his involvement in camp-related activities. Why now?

Either way, I said no. I'm sticking to my guns. Let the gossip circulate. People can drop from the show idea if they want. It's made me realize I need to make a more conscious effort to interact with the instructors... In a way, it's good to deal with this. I need these reminders and challenges to tell me to kick me out of my character-laziness. I have felt dormant lately; it feels good to stretch my heart in a different way, even if the initial discomfort is distressful.

Besides, SIG hasn't seen the last of me if unity is a problem for them!! Even though everyone's already seen facets of them, I'm overly obsessed with building community, optimism, and encouraging child-like hearts, too! WATCH OUT!

- Miss Chelsea :)

P.S. Still no sign of Mumford.

P.P.S. For my day off on Saturday night-Sunday night, I think I'm going to hang around here for the first time ever. No road trips this weekend, I don't think. I just want to check out the local spots... it'll be nice. :)

Best Drama Story of the Week.

So with nine/ten year old girls, there is always bound to be a story. Beyond my little possessed camper, we have another camper who was in hysterics that the boy she liked went home (due to homesickness, I believe). She had been crying all day and couldn't eat. She talked to him about three times (in total) and have had a few tizzies with another girl who liked him as well. The best part is that she doesn't think she could enjoy camp ever again because she never told him how she feels.

Also in my house, there is apparently another camper has three "boyfriends," another has two, and another likes one of the junior boy counselors (which is harmless because it's just like the little crushes most girls get on all of the "unattainables"). I heard all this "gossip" when they came to hang out in my room during Rec Hour.

Me: "I didn't even think girls your age would be into boys yet!"
Their response: "Of course we are. We are TEN."
Me: "Gosh, I didn't even have my first boyfriend until I was 16."
Them: "Whaaaaaat?!"
Girl #1: "I'm not really into it all right now. I don't like any boys right now."
Me: "So what does having a boyfriend mean?"
Girl #2: "You know... we talk during swimming class, and we wave to each other. We're also going to the dance together."
Me: "Ooooohhh, I see. Then why have two boyfriends? I think having one boyfriend would be enough!"
Girl #2: "Oh, he's more like a friend, you know."

A little bit of me was a bit sad to hear all this. They have all their lives to worry about boy problems, but I guess they don't have much else to dramatize in their lives at this age... and it's all over the media... but still sadness.

To get on my maternal soapbox, I want to rant about the kid fashion industry. Nothing gets me more going than this. The issue? Pants/shorts/skirts with text written across the bum. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, FASHION?! We have so many cases of pedophiles, child molestation, and kidnapping. Yes, let's bring more unwanted attention to our young girls; that's a GREAT idea to stop the problems.

One of my campers had a pair of jeans with "pretty girl" written across. WHY is it necessary to have big "bling" letters in that location? Even for older kids and young adults, stuff across the tush is just asking for inappropriate eyes. It is utterly pointless and ticks me off that parents would even buy this crap. Your kids can be stylish without sacrificing their innocence. Stop shoving them to grow up faster. Let them enjoy the moments of carefree childhood for as long as they can before they have to be in "the real world" for the rest of their lives. I had to grow up too fast due to circumstances (thank goodness not due to fashion), and it's probably why I feel like I'm 49 inside already (and that I'm just an old soul... :) ). If there's one thing that I respect most about Dad with my little brother is that he makes it a point that he wants Chase to enjoy childhood as long as possible. I think he knows that LK and I had the opposite.

All right, off my maternal soapbox now. Whenever I have kids one day, they're going to have way too much fun and love (with structure, of couuuurse!) to even worry about boys before the age of ten!

- Miss Chelsea :)

Conversations: The Good and The Bad

So the mail office was definitely fibbing to us. We received so many packages and letters. (I was the recipient of 3 of those items! ... and it made me pretty happy all day.) Kids were happy; staff were happy.

It's hard to be an introvert here. In the "real world," I need to be drawn out a little; I'm like a fish that needs that fluorescent bait dangled in front of her... but here, I wouldn't be able to talk to anyone if I didn't start a lot of the conversations. I know it's practicing life experience (and heck, I do have tons of moments where I'm crafty and pretty much trick everyone into thinking I'm an extrovert... I cheesily become proud of the Southerner in me during these moments), but it's just a bit forced here at camp. At lunch yesterday, I tried to start a conversation with one of the instructors here since he was sitting across from me (it's awkward and impolite NOT to talk to someone right in front of you). I asked tons of questions, and in a normal conversation, questions are then turned around to you. Nope. This conversation was completely one-sided, awkward, and short.

Me: Hi! I'm sorry, I don't think I know your name!
Him: I'm Bl.
Me: My name is Chelsea; nice to meet you.
[silence]
Me: So what classes do you teach here?
Him: Space Time Continuum.
Me: Oh, that's great. Do you like it?
Him: Yeah.
[silence]
[more silence]

Le sigh. I could have planted my face in my half-eaten Peanut Butter and Strawberry Rhubarb sandwich. How does one pick up a conversation when it's just dropped like that? Both Cs would get a kick out of this. Maybe he was just having an awkward day. Well, if there's another chance, I'll attempt conversation again. Trying to consciously exercise more grace and give people more chances since ooohh gossssh, I have my awkward moments, too.

But to cancel out the awkward conversation, I had a great one with another instructor. She's pretty nice and has her baby with her most times (other times baby is with her dad).

Me: Oh, I love your necklace [a gold icthus with a cross in it]!
Her: Thanks! I had it made when I got confirmed and Little E was baptized.
Me: That's wonderful! I have a silver one a lot like it... they're pretty rare to find.
Her: So where are you from?
[insert more back-and-forth questions and two-sided conversation]
Her: If you want to go to church with us on Sunday, you're more than welcome to come with us!
Me: Oh, that would be great!

That helped confirmed I'm not a complete conversational doof. It also made me think that technology really has stinted human interactions. There are probably a lot more awkward people now than say, 100+ years ago when people had to talk face-to-face to people to do business and make social house calls. There were no phones, IMs, or emails. People hand-delivered letters and left their cards for people to return with their own visits. There was no room for conversational awkwardness in 19th century society.

Again, just more proof I was born in the wrong century.

- Miss Chelsea :)

P.S. I'm questioning certain individuals on the whereabouts of Mumford. I haven't seen him for two days now. I think Miss E ate him. She looks suspicious. So does P. I will get to the bottom of this. Mumford is not one to spook out. :P

I am a cube.

I think the AC Post Office is fibbing to us. They say "no mail has come." But really, a camp of 200+ kids and staff, and not ONE piece of mail comes? I find that very hard to believe! One of my campers said her mother tracked a package, and it said it was delivered yesterday morning at 10:00am, but it is mysteriously not here. Auntie said she mailed me a package Priority Mail four days ago; that service is typically consistent, so what's the deal? College Mail, you disappoint! At our house meeting yesterday, at least all of us (campers et al.) bonded over the disgruntledness that is the AC Post Office. I'm hoping things arrive today.

I had to speak to a group of boys after class yesterday and give them special instructions for their homework since they have not been turning it in (basically had to show the counselor in Evening Tutorial their work and if they didn't finish it, then they had to spend dorm time doing it). I really hope today is different. I really don't like being disappointed in my students. When I see such potential in these kids and when I see it becoming wasted potential, I get pretty disappointed. We are given our lives to live up to our potential... and when someone has a talent and doesn't invest themselves in it, I just want to shake him/her and say, "Don't you see what you can offer the world?!?!" A teacher can only encourage so much until it becomes the student's personal responsibility to do something about it.

There are few "pinnacle passions" for me where I can get fired up in less than two seconds: service and teaching. The moment I get into teaching or service mode, I'm gone. All issues of confidence, worry, and self-consciousness fly out the window; they no longer apply when I'm in these zones. I don't get as tired either... but this high school class is tiring for me. I unfortunately drag my feet. My confidence wavers. Doubt pecks at the fringe. Worry nags and wonders how the final evaluations will be for this class. I feel like a cubed block trying to be shoved into triangular hole; it's painful and slightly frustrating.

If nothing else, this is finite and permanent confirmation that I am not meant to "formally" teach high school kids. I just hope my students and I can take something out of this in the end... no moment can never be wasted in the grand scheme of things.

- Miss Chelsea :)

Everything is wonderful at nerd camp.

New random factoid from Intelligent Radio with John Tesh (a random selection on a road trip to Boston): Cereal has some wheat chemical in it that induces sleepiness. Well, I'll be darned. This possibly explains my constant fatigue. I eat a lot of cereal (it's a healthy obsession), and I love naps. Mystery solved, but I'll never give up my cereal!! Cereal + sleep + me = beautiful days.

So Miss E and I leave for only 24 hours, and everything happens at camp in our absence. We had a huge lice outbreak in the senior girls house--- the first in SIG history apparently. I just feel sorry for the girl who had it first and so badly she had to go home. A huge misconception is that you can only get lice if you're dirty. It's not true! Au contraire, lice love clean, dry hair. They can't live or stick to oily, dirty hair particles, so heads up. Just don't tell the little boys that... we don't need to give any incentive to not take showers and not keep up their hygiene (a constant camp-related issue every summer). :P

In addition to this "fun" news, apparently parents kept calling the office and wondering why their daughters were saying that the dorms were unsupervised because I had my day off. As important as that makes me feel, it's just not very accurate. We still have 1 RA and 2 counselors who are very present in the dorms. I had to give a call to S's mom (Southern woman) about all of the issues that somehow accumulated in that 24-hour time span. On top of my already-there exhaustion from packing all day, that added to it.

In non-camp-related news, my entire room is packed up. C, C, and Miss E all helped, and we got it done in a few hours. After camp, I'm not looking forward to staying in there; it's just not "my" room anymore... thankfully C said I could stay with her for a night or two, and I'll probably take her offer.

Miss E and I now have a determination to eventually visit Pakistan. I want to meet her grandma who does the funny hand motions. She's teaching me some Kachchi phrases (since that's what her grandma speaks). My favorite is "[insert item/name here] is coming!!" I don't know how to spell it, but it sounds like "i-ee i-ee." I think we have a little too much fun with that one. hee hee

To segue from one language to the next, Little A dropped his 5th period class so I could tutor him in French!! (Before this point, I resigned myself to believe I wouldn't be doing any tutoring since we hadn't even met). I feel so special! We started our lessons last night, and he's such a willing learner. This is going to be a blast. It's so cute because he keeps getting his Spanish mixed up with his new French AND he already knew what [é] sounds like because of Pokémon. Yesterday, we learned very beginning conversation and numbers. We will be learning about colors and fruit today... I need to make it more interesting beyond what I'm doing now though; poor kid will be exhausted by the time 8:30pm rolls around for his lessons every night.

Mom and I started a new game of email Scrabble; we're at a stop because finding word space is difficult (she beat me last game (which lasted 3 weeks... haha)!). I found out Z (Miss E's boy) loves Scrabulous, so he challenged me on a different email Scrabble game. My big accomplisment? For the first time ever, I used ALL of my letters and got the double bonus points for it. A whopping 78 points! On one word! The word? Mantric (adj. having qualities of a mantra). Does it get much nerdier than this? Probably. :)

- Miss Chelsea :)

The little things.

Each morning, I hear my mourning dove. Since it is my favorite type of bird, it never fails to make me smile. As an continued inside joke, I have named him Mumford and have created little ditties of his consistent appearances. I always see him appear on the roofs of buildings I am about to go into. Perching alone with his low, soothing call. But in all seriousness, I really look forward to this every morning. These birds normally travel in groups, but each time I see this dove, it is alone. I take it as my daily gift from Above. That Mumford was sent especially for me to remind me that I'm loved and not alone.

Another nice morning thing is that there is a gentleman who works in the dining hall most mornings, and he always says hi and asks how I'm doing when I'm getting my cereal. I appreciate that, especially since I'm not a big morning person and my groggy awkwardness probably shines through at that time.

Yesterday, there was a moment of fun when K and I were rocking it out to Disney music with our junior girls. While we were singing our hearts out, the little girls were singing and dancing along as well to the tunes of Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Mermaid. Nothing beats bridging the generations through song.

On a related note, we're definitely doing a Disney Medley for the talent show. I'm organizing the entire staff to perform the funniest and best show ever since the staff always does some sort of skit. We will be singing songs from Lion King, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Little Mermaid. I've already made the character lists... and am still trying to get more people to join in. I'm pretty excited I'm singing Belle's song (aka "The Bonjour Song"), but Lord, I pray that my confidence doesn't leave me. As a kid, I somehow felt I most identified with Belle and her black sheep status.

My high schoolers are not getting their homework done, so I need to take action in some way. I don't know how to "motivate" older kids to get their work done. With 2nd graders, it's easy. You make a visible homework chart, and the kids will just feel like they need to do it so they can be up with the rest of their classmates... oh, and they're still excited about gold stars and praises. I just have to keep reminding myself that teaching this class is all a part of some grand lesson... I was asked to teach this class for a reason... whatever that reason is... I have not a clue. I may look qualified on paper because of my English degree, but by no means am I personally equipped to classroom manage a bunch of 16 year olds. Part of the grand lesson I'm being taught is probably exposing myself to my own vulnerabilities... I'm not liking it, that's for sure.

Tomorrow night is my day off, so after the Saturday field trips, I'm heading back home for the evening/day to see C and C and pack up the rest of my room.

- Miss Chelsea :)

Life lesson #343: Becoming vulnerable.

As to completely shock me, our pyrophile student K did a complete turnaround. Somewhere a switch flipped up, and she participated more than anyone in the class yesterday. Am I surprised? YES. She's a great writer, so I'm glad she did.

What happened was that I had to give a talking-to to these high school students because there was a lack of participation when sharing their writing with -everyone-. I got a bit strict and said that this was not going to work. I laid it out there that writers need to be vulnerable; they need to let people in. It's petrifying to let someone hear or read our work, but good writers have to make themselves vulnerable to really grow and get better. We have to expose themselves to criticism, encouragements, and failures. It really sucks because writing is a very personal thing. We take what is in our minds and place it on paper for all the world to see; we take it to heart. The process is necessary to really have authentic and layered writing. So, after that little pep talk, K rose her hand and shared. [insert happy I'm-going-to-eventually-change-the-world teacher dance here]

I still love to teach my Writer's Palette class most. They give SO MUCH participation. They especially loved our "Round Robin" character development activity (where you have one minute to write about a certain character and then you have to pass it to the person next to you... who then must elaborate upon the pre-existing character). It got them all laughing, and we learned no matter what, when writing, our characters will always change. One girl's character started out as a princess and ended up a spandex-loving superhero. Another hilarious one was a young boy turned boy band member. The best one I thought (and pretty layered) was a 55-year old professor who dealt with a bunch of melancholy through his whole life, including non-speaking terms with his daughter and losing his son. There were other details within that character's description... but too many to mention. Just take away that it was really great.

I'm supposed to start tutoring this little boy in French today, but I haven't even met him yet. I just received my "French for Kids" book in the mail yesterday, and I'm really, really anxious to get started. T (the program director) and everyone else just laugh at me and lovingly call me a dork. HEY! I'm passionate! And I wanna teach something I'm obsessed with! Don't mess! :)

At the moment, I think I got some funny looks because I just broke out one of my girls' skorts and started mending them. Two days ago, A was running around and came by my room with her zipper all falling off and I'm like, "Sweetie, go get some shorts on and let me fix your pants!" She just laughed and said, "It's not that bad!" Oh yes, it was. She's a trip, that's for sure.

Gosh, I'm exhausted today. I'm sitting in Study Tutorial right now, and my next period is my off time. Can't wait to take a nap and a shower! Trust me, you do not want to fight for bathroom rights with ten other little girls at 7am. It's just not worth it. haha

- Miss Chelsea :)

One to motivate the burnings of student work.

Today's update in Teacher Chelsea Campland takes us to a writing class, the final period of the academic day. There are about 17 students, all of who were given the opportunity to change classes for two days.

Enter our student named K. To preface this story, she was in my counselor group two years ago. She was also one of the ones with manic-depression issues at that time. That was the summer of issues. I still loved my girls though, problems and all.

Now to get it right out there, K decided to tell Miss E (my best friend here at camp who is teaching the other section of the class... so we have the same exact lesson plans) that she didn't like my class. I think to myself, "Well, that's not too surprising seeing that she doesn't participate much nor does she complete the work... said she only liked to write about stuff that bothers her... and she glared at me when I asked her to exit out of a web browser during class. Yeah, not too surprised."

Well, it gets better. Not only does she not enjoy my class, apparently I make her want to "burn her writing." Oh, and I remind her of her middle school teacher who never encouraged her. Hmm. Verrrry interesting, especially seeing as that I'm OCD when it comes to overemphasizing that I want my students to challenge themselves and think outside the box and that with work, they can be better writers. Other students are probably TIRED of hearing that one. :P

Oh, one final note, the boy she "likes" is in the other section of the class (in Miss E's class), and in her introductory letter to me, she said she never wanted to come to camp anyway.

FABULOUS. And the world wonders why I'm an elementary school teacher. Thank goodness her opinion cannot penetrate this wall o' kiddie-teacherly confidence, especially when I've got the "tough guys" of the class saying that they can't wait to come back tomorrow. Nothing beats a hardtailed kid who indirectly compliments your class. It made my day (along with Auntie's phone call saying she bought me the Harry Potter book because she wanted to surprise me... yay, I'll get it by Friday!).

So, to conclude on a positive note, burning papers is now the running joke between the academic dean and me (she provides the matches). And I get to update my resume!

"Motivates students to make pyres of their writing pieces."

- Miss Chelsea :)

P.S. I apologize for friends going back-and-forth to both of my journals (for those who do have both addresses). I will most likely be posting to Applesauce (the more public one) for awhile. I'm taking a mini-hiatus on "reflecting on myself and my life."

P.P.S. What also made my day yesterday was that the other housemasters and I went joy-riding around the Quad in the golf cart. J let me drive and woooooo! Did I floor it! It was my first time driving a golf cart. They did poke fun at me because even when I floored it, I was like a "grandma" in my rebelliousness. :P Ah, to feel the wind and laughs in your hair at 10 miles per hour.

Camp hoo-has.

So last night was the first night I felt like a Mom figure. As a housemaster, I put on my Mom hat and went with it. We have had a hysterically homesick little girl in my house for the past two nights. It's been a bit rough. The first night, she wouldn't really say anything but just cry and repeat "I don't know." Well, last night, her true colors showed. S gave the dramatics. Complete with "[the last camp] tore my heart and ripped my emotions and ruined me!" exclamations. Yeah, she really did say that, and yeah, I really had to restrain myself from laughing (that was a feat of strength, I tell ya).

That little bit was only the tip of the iceberg. After many requests saying "You need to calm down before we do anything else" and "older girl voice, please," the Mom-in-me gave her the looks that I wasn't going to accept her hysterical behavior. (She was seriously rocking back and forth... claiming tightness of the chest... rolling her eyes and pretending to vomit... etc... all I have to say, good thing I can tell the difference between bad/something to be concerned about and terribly fake. Or I might have been super worried.) She, of course, stopped, and it was kinda fun to see my tactics work.

Throughout the thirty minutes S stayed with me, she bursted into "song" with tales of her previous camp woes, why things can't work at SIG, and why she's a visual person and needs to touch her Mom. She ran the whole gamut. I feel bad for her because of a similar background, but I know she has to toughen up, become less dependent on her Mom, and not play the hysterical victim. Sounds harsh to say towards a 10-year-old, maybe. But it's what's needed. She has to deal with the cards she's been dealt. Thankfully, her Mom is on board with the rest of us and surprisingly enough, not clingy to her daughter (though misses her, of course... but she wants the best for her girl). GREAT sign, especially since it's her only child. (This woman is just plain awesome, too. She's from the South, has tried her best, and genuinely respects and trusts us; it means a lot.)

Another key point of the evening, S and I differentiated between what is a "strong cry" and a "hysterical cry." We can cry if we want (as she mentioned, "I have to cry or... or.... I'll just EXPLODE!"), but then we need to be positive afterwards. No more dramatics. No more not wanting to find a solution. The conclusion of this evening is that she's going to try out camp for a week and then, we will reevaluate on Sunday. So in adult craftiness, we'll keep doing that procedure until the end of camp! I know. Terrible to trick a little kid. You gotta do what you gotta do to help a kid out. :P

This ends the first update of the gifted camp experience. Many more stories to come.

- Miss Chelsea :)

Gathering for the future classroom.

So while my friends were having a grand ole time swing dancing which I had hoped to do tonight (but I was feeling slightly under the weather, body-wise), I got to talk with Miss EB... and the big news? She will be a kindergarten teacher at an elementary school near where I used to go to middle school! I always get so thrilled to hear when a friend gets a teaching job. It means they have climbed out of the feeding frenzy pool of applicants. They have shown experienced people that first-years have value and spunk. Someone believes in them. And they will prove to everyone who caused them heartache and hair-pulling in their teacher education journey wrong. Oh yes, it is a great feeling. The feeling of blissful unadulterated "na na na I told you so!"

Because of this wonderful news, it is definite now that we'll be roommates sometime this winter (once we have paid off our credit cards from grad school-- that is our goal at least); and we will have the best "teachers" apartment ever with resources galore. No, we're not trinket types where we must keep every apple-emblazoned clay object nor do we wear the holiday sweaters/vests with the hidden battery compartment to keep Light-Up Fabric Santa ho-ho-ho-ing all season long on our chests. So, why is it a teacher's apartment? The books. Purely the size and number of books. Oh, and probably some student artwork. That'll probably be on our fridge and walls because well, kids' artwork is awesome and adorable.

So to refer back to my woeful evening of non-dancing, Miss EB and I also put in a huge order at Oriental Trading tonight. This site is great for getting treasure box goodies, random craft projects, etc. EB said her second graders loved the "bendables," stickers, erasers, and rubber duckies. The ducks are just plain wonderful; if I were a second grader, I would be the most well-behaved kid so I could collect them all! Pssh, Pokemon has nothing on the classic rubber ducky.

Hmm, I need to invest in a plan book, too. I have way too many ideas rolling about in my head, and it's difficult to settle on just one.

On a bookish note, I have been buying book lots (as in large quantities of books in a single auction) on eBay, particularly Magic School Bus (yeah, that's nothing new) and American Girls. I haven't quite figured out how I'm organizing my library yet, but I do know I like the whole "genre" ordeal. I'm not really sold on the idea until I get and read this book. (It's on my Amazon.com wishlist for any of those bibliophiles wanting to gift books. ;) )

Okay, it's getting late, and I'm doing an early power-walking jaunt around the Reservoir with C.

- Miss Chelsea :)

The gifted camp experience.

In the next few weeks, I will be teaching at a gifted camp for the fourth year in a row. You get the same type of kids each year-- you know the ones... they have a lot going for them: parents who care where they go after high school, strong opinions, exceedingly brilliant minds... and last but not least, they lack social skills. The purpose of these camps is to not only inspire and stimulate intellectual neurons, but also to encourage social interactions with like individuals. We all desire to be around people who are like us... and because of this, I love the premise behind a gifted camp.

The whole "academic camp" experience really is a lot of fun, and the girls I always have are just so sweet. It's sadly mostly the boys who have more awkward social issues. Nothing beats the little J of Summer 2006's "insult" of telling someone that "I wish she would just go to 7734!!!" Obviously, I had the look of confusion until the proverbial light bulb illuminated above my head. He meant 7734 on a calculator. Now turn that upside down. Yes, he just told some girl to go to the "naughty place" via a calculator's numbers. Oh, the interesting times at gifted camp. These kids truly crack me up.

Thankfully, I will be teaching English-related classes and can really get the kids involved in writing. One is a middle school class and another is a high school class. I'm slightly worried seeing as that I'm trained to teach ELEMENTARY grades. Quite honestly, not a big fan of the older kiddos; I just fit better with the spunk and energy of a first grader. However, each summer, I fall in love with these middle school girls and their quirky, awkward ways. They teach me something about life or show me something that makes me question or reevaluate my perception of people. I went through that same strange stage they are going through... it is nice to hear their stories.

It's an overall good job for a teacher. For just three weeks of the summer, you can teach, bond with kids, make new friends, go on fun 24-hour days off trips, and make really good money for such a short amount of time. That will always leave me the rest of the summer to travel! It's a good life. :)

- Miss Chelsea :)

Official details.

So it's even more official. My principal told me a few days ago that I will be teaching 2nd grade. Am I excited? Oh, you betcha. This is my dream grade, especially as a first year teacher who did her student teaching in 2nd grade. Now I'm just waiting to find out what exactly the New Teacher Institute is all about.

There are a lot of things going in my head right now... particularly that I need to finish up lesson plans for the gifted camp that I'll be teaching at in a month. Miss S is coming up to visit this weekend so we can collaborate since we're teaching the same class. Yay, it'll be easier for the both of us. :)

Okay, yeah, I can't focus right now on writing... I just discovered a mourning dove outside my house, and that's gotten me pretty excited since I've become more of a birder recently.

Hopefully I'll write more later.
- Miss Chelsea :)