hot glue gun + heavy duty stapler + duck tape + magnets + velcro = my classroom

Dear world,

I am sorry you are sick today.

Love, Heidi

okay, so i wrote something to that affect in my diary when i was like 6. cute, i know. it was raining, and i thought the world was sick. well, it is raining today. and there's some pretty gnarley lightning going on out there with occasional crashes of thunder.

so my day today.

woke up. ran. decided to switch my route half way through and took an unexpected detour. i only knew where i was going because i could see the Angel Moroni on the Provo Temple. the temple will always lead you to the right place.

continuing. i left around 9.30am. went to the district office, laminated some things, ran to Walmart for some supplies, and got to my school about 11am.

and i worked, and worked, and worked, and worked.

then katie came to put up my reading corner that she so graciously volunteered to make. love her. and love it.

then i went to walmart again for more hot glue and magnets and got a wendy's berry summer salad and plain baked potato. i was gone a total of 37 minutes--i'm fast (no, i did not get a ticket. probably should have.). then i turned on the tv since i had been listening to music for the past 7 hours while working. and the Lord loves me--seinfeld just so happened to be on the channel the tv turned onto. so i watched it for 15 minutes while i ate.

then back to work.

then i left at 8.55pm before the alarm reset for the night. last one out--won't be making a habit of that.

then i got gas.

then i got home.

and now i need to make my job chart so i can put it up before 9.30am.

AND I AM TIRED!

here are some pictures of my classroom!

comprehension and fluency.

and a crab.

the blank spot to the left will have my job chart

"a sea of helpers".

and i'm not quite sure will go to the left of that.

long vowel sounds.

6 traits of writing.

forgot to make a sign that says "6 traits of writing".

will be done in 5 minutes.

a whale of a tale!!

writer's workshop station.

stages of writing and underneath is a bunch of writing helper things. like green light, red light: underline your capital letter at the beginning of the sentence in green and circle the period at the end in red. yeah, i love 2nd grade.

oh and there are all of the parts of speech! well, the ones we will be learning.

and my schedule is on the left of the chalkboard. and my voice light.

calendar! you saw that already.

and 100's chart! that flips over from the back so i can write on the easel, too.

genius, heidi. genius.

annnnnd our carpet area.

"make a splash with math"

and the cute reading corner katie made!!!

catch the reading wave.

LOVE it.

and i looooooooove love love maps.

so i put one up, even though we won't be using until march-ish.

and it's right next to the sink at their level so they can go and stare at it, like me. and they'll start learning about the world!

and a little video of the stuff i didn't take pictures of. enjoy!!

current state of life {in pictures}

1. i need help. {thank you katie. and whoever else who would love to help me set up my classroom.}

2. i'm thinking of getting that stress reduction kit. wait, i don't even need one. i have plenty of hard surfaces here, and i don't need a circle to tell me where to bang my head.

3. don't worry, i've only made that face once a day. oh the tears.

4. we can do it. i can do it. i will do it.

[5. river in a few days. family. friends. {and statistics still....boooooo.}]

state of the [me] in letter form

dearest blog readers,

remember when i used to blog todos los dias [that is spanish for 'everyday']? well, i don't anymore. and i will tell you why in a series of notes. kind of. it will be more like an update of why i am having a hard time being productive today. which is exactly why i am blogging rather than reading. or writing. or statistics-ing. boo.

love,

an open-mouth, comic strip heidi

dearest gold's gym of provo/orem, utah:

are you seriously going to make me start paying $25 a month when my 14 travel pass times are up? i get that you won't make me pay the start up fees, but $25? does my mother's 12 or so years of membership and my 5 years mean nothing to you? apparently. please, lower your cost. and plus, your power pump class [that i attended this morning] aint got nuttin' on body pump. and your turbo kick aint got nuttin' on body combat. and your yoga class aint got nuttin' on mercedes at hb golds or my david swensen ashtanga yoga dvd [yes, he's insane and gooood].

alas, i will probably sign with you come september. then i will be making money. but first, i will bat my lashes and twirl my hair and blush just a tad to get that price knocked down to $20 or less.

sincerely,

a disgruntled semi-member

dear social studies teacher,

i adore you. i think you are the greatest teacher. and you are hilarious. and you are interesting. and engaging. and you give us work to do. but i don't mind doing it because you are fabulous. thanks. i look forward to class tomorrow.

yours truly,

miss kendrick.i.t. {in training}

dear watermelon,

you're possibly one of God's greatest fruit creations. i always think it's strawberries. and then i think it's just berries. and then i eat you and i think, you, it's you. which is probably why i ate you for lunch today. but don't worry, i had a barbecue turkey burger and salad later.

your fruity friend,

heidi

dear Church,

thanks for asking my to speak on Sunday. i am genuinely looking forward to it. plus it gives me a reason to spend extra amounts of time on reading Gospel things and scriptures. although, i shouldn't need a reason to do anything more than 20-30 minutes. nevertheless, i'm excited. will report when it's all said and done. oh, my friend is speaking too. i'm going to tell the first half of a joke and just stop it in the middle and people are going to think i'm really weird and not funny. but then he'll get up 15 minutes later and tell a joke. and when he says the last line people will all say, "oooooooh. hahahaha. heidi's not crazy. they're both funny!"

love,

heidi

dear statistics,

why? why!? i tried 4 times to have you waived. you're the same book as before! oh, the pre-reqs are different? puh-lease. it's the same book! and now i have to drive to salt lake twice a week for you. not fun. you're not going to get more than an hour of my attention a day. hopefully it will be less than that. i just don't have time for you. and i really only need to just pass you, so, yeah. you're on the bottom of the totem pole. sorry. but, my professor is a sweet man.

regards,

a not-so ecstatic statistician

dear bed,

welllll what can i say? it's summer. and it's light until 9.30pm. and i want to have fun. and i am. and i am trying to plan out my classroom. and get my homework done. and did i mention have some fun? yeah, i did. so basically, you're pretty low on the totem pole, too.

but. you've been calling me for naps, little ones. 3 days in a row! is that insane or what? i never take naps! the late nights and 5-6 hours of sleep just aren't cutting it. and i've gotta go running in the mornings before class. so thanks for the naps.

i look forward to your inviting comforter tonight.

sleepy heidi

{this will be the last one. because i need to stop procrastinating. mostly just because i have to get ready and leave for slc. boo statistics. great attitude, eh?}

dear miss kendrick,

oh wait, that's me! i just wanted to inform you that you are official. you've signed the contract. you've got the badge. you're enrolled/registered for the internship. you have your classroom/school keys. you've been to alphabet station with a purchase order. you're in your last 2 classes. this is real. and you need to apply for graduation. woo hoo!

welcome to the real world,

heidi

jumping. for joy.

this pretty much sums up my feelings right now.

assignments? done.

finals? done.

studying? well, didn't do much of that in the first place.

done with the fastest, most credit hour-ed semester of my life. insanity? done. ha, yeah right.

tomorrow is thursday fun day. and game 7 of the nba finals. go lakers.

peace and love to all. i'm going to get my hair cut.

i love finals because....

[you] wait, did i really just read that? did she really just write that?

[me] yes, and yes.

my 2nd home during finals

[lyndi's 1st home. and 2nd home the rest of the semester]

i just got off the phone with erin and i told her about my odd obsession with finals

my reasons?

1. i feel insanely productive. because i am so productive.

2. i'm at the library or in study groups all day.

3. i actually buy food [jamba juice & string cheese from the vending machine] on campus.

4. i get a little crazy. like brain hurt crazy.

5. i'm tired. and so is everyone else. and no one sleeps [except i think 6 hours is stellar considering the cirumstances.]

6. people are sleeping everywhere [library desks / bathroom lounges, halls of buildings, grass, etc.]. and walking around like zombies {see #5}

7. it's a tough week but then it's over. [for 4 months, or in the case of spring term starting in 9 days, for 2 months.]

but what i really love right now...

is spring.

it's here.

thank you, mother nature.

and thank you mr. sun.

your presence is welcome.

and we so enjoy all of the beautiful tulips and daffodils everywhere!

[because we {as in i} so enjoy flowers. so so so much.]

[yes, this was a free foto.]

erin in 3

a few items of business you should know about.

1. dana bought her camera. little canon rebel. well, not so little.

so add her to the blog list, there will be some good photos.

2. em put this picture on her blog last night.

christmas 06.

i wish this was the photo we sent out.

dad: natural.

mom: good thing it's been 3.5 years. you're better at it now.

word.

3. erin's coming late friday / early saturday.

if you know when

let me know then.

{rhymer--i think i'll start writing poetry.}

4. my 2nd graders gave me 4 picture books as a departing gift from practicum.

i read one to them.

then they got me this one with "silly dilly" songs.

funny words to familiar tunes, like take me out to the ballgame, now called take me out of the bathtub.

and i sang a few to them.

and they all made me cards.

and one said "you have a yong face"

and one was anonymous and said "i will miss you the most" {from the student who had to stay in 5 minutes at lunch or recess 80% of the time. poor kid. i guess he didn't mind too much.}

and one said,

"dear miss kendrick,

you rock. you are pretty too. you'r hair is cool. you'r alfits are pretty. you are so nice. you smell good.

love

sarah,

p.s i will miss the book we read."

[and then there were some hearts and the letters A B C. and the back said i will miss you so much!]

and my case study student drew a rainbow with a pot o' gold at each end. lucky me! and a leprechaun. and he wrote "I LIKE YOU!" on the inside.

truth comes out.

and good news: my 2nd practicum in may will be in the same class.

smile.

take a good look at this face

what does it remind you of?

maybe miss kendrick?

well, it should. {but probably not}

because i am now officially Miss Kendrick.

{so maybe i should write this in a more professional manner, since i am now a professional. I HAVE A CAREER NOW.}

last night i didn't sleep.

well, more like i collectively had about 4 hours of sleep in a 6 hour time period.

because.

i had an interview today. 2 rooms of 14 people.

but i did it.

and i wasn't nervous. just anxious. and excited.

and i smiled the whole time

{mom. i've been smiling more since our chat yesterday morning.}

anyway, i left my math class a few hours after my interview nervous/anxious again. and then just minutes later i was walking down the long 101 steps by the rb when ring-a-ling, my phone rang!

and it was my principal, well the one at my practicum school.

and he offered me a job. well, an internship.

which means I will have my OWN 2nd grade class in the fall!

so please, call me Miss Kendrick.

and to celebrate--another late night.

only because i got some fro-yo and hot tubbed.

and now it's 10.35 and i have an assignment do by midnight.

and this is airin carrying a jeep door. and she carried it up 3 flights of stairs.

and i signed a contract with my dear friend katie today.

and some other good things have just been happening.

and life is so good right now.

and practicum ends tomorrow which means, less stress, but then finals are coming and papers are due, and i will probably most likely cry when i leave those little kids tomorrow.

but i am so happy.

and the best part:

ERIN IS COMING THIS WEEKEND!!!!!

and it is General Conference.

and we're going to marathon train together!

and be best friends in person! not via technology!

notes

happy st. patrick's day.

i wrote notes on shamrocks for each of my students.

found this on my desk this morning.

i melted.

one word

stress

photo via: flickr

but because i'm not a woman of few words, let's just chat.

1. i sent my mom a list of 15 things stressing me out right now.

she promptly responded with notes (in red) on each of them.

love her.

2. mom, dad, and g.ma will be here in less than 2 days.

don't think they could have come at a better time.

i need them.

3. i absolutely love being in a 2nd grade classroom.

i think i now know why i am supposed to be in el ed and not dietetics/nutrition.

i adore my kids. they adore me {and i say that in the least bragging way possible. but seriously, they're in 2nd grade. they love their teacher. and their byu student teacher.}

4. temple temple temple.

5. listening to past general conference addresses.

download/watch/listen to/read them here.

especially this one.

and if you're going to read that, you better watch this. a little preview.

{coincidence that right after i listened to elder bednar's talk sunday morning i watched this? i think not.}

what's the practicum?

only at byu do you ever receive emails like this:

Hi teachers,

I know this is a nerve racking day. I also know how well prepared you are to go out there and teach these children. Whenever I am nervous about doing something new I like to think of the scripture in 2^nd Timothy 1:7 that says, For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. I have you in my prayers today. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Love, Sister Losser

as an elementary ed student at byu, i am required to do 2 practicums {cohorts 1 and 2}

that means i stop going to classes {except for 3, so i stop going to 4 of my classes} for a whole month! and i am in an elementary classroom observing and teaching.

i was assigned to a second grade class. so exciting. and erin is student teaching in a second grade class many many miles away in california.

today was day 1 of practicum 1.

i met with my mentor teacher, whom i absolutely love and will adore and will probably start worshipping the ground she walks on [kinda already do...is that bad?]

then i went to a different school in a different classroom and substitute taught for another teacher so she could meet her student.

so pretty much my first time in an elementary classroom [minus the dance lesson i taught or the 4 p.e. lessons, those weren't in the classroom. ok, and the 6 years i was a student in elementary school] i was alone. in a classroom. with 25 second graders. and i talked to the teacher for about 5 minutes before.

but it was so fun. and the boy with autism's observer came in [i thought she was there to watch me!] and helped out with him--lucky that happened today.

to avoid anymore boredom, if you even made it this far, i'll end it now.

just know that some good "kids say the darndest things" will be coming up. probably monday through friday.

harold, oh harold.

a note to harold

{because i'm liking the notes}

dear harold,

i have such a love / hate relationship with you.

i love you:

you are full of books. you're quiet. you provide many useful resources {books, search engines, computers, people, etc.} for me to use. you open early and close late. you have a fabulous children's book section.

i hate you:

you're cold. you make my hands dry. the bathrooms are a far walk from the cubbies. you make my eyes so dry--i can't wear contacts in there, or i have to take them out when i get to my cubby and blindly walk to the bathroom without my glasses. you're so quiet. i have to go against my integrity to eat food in your presence. did i mention you're cold and make my hands and eyes dry? and you make me so thirsty. which means i have to get up more to use the restroom and fill my water bottle.

i'm sorry harold. the cons are outweighing the pros. and that's why i haven't really been visiting you much in this major. last year you were great. anatomy liked you. so did the chem and the microbio {although, i did not like the microbio}. and human development and some others. but the elementary ed arts semester didn't really need you too much, so i started going less. and this semester, i've only visited you like 3 times. and today i realized why. i rushed from math to the library so i could hurry and get things done. but after one hour, i thought my eyes were going to crack and fall out of my head--and i had glasses on! why? so i gathered my things and sauntered down the stairs and out the door. and then i picked up my pace quite a bit because of the shock the crisp air gave. and i then i ate dinner. and now i've been working just fine from my little desk in my little room. but i took a break for fhe first. and now i am working on my thing. after i click "publish post".

love,

heidi.

soon to be miss kendrick

{yikes!}

i appreciate you though. you are fabulous.