Mission Accomplished

See ya later LSAT... at least until November 1st when you invade my life again with your score report.

To tell you the truth, it really was not that bad.  I got to sleep in past 4:30 am, it was a beautiful day, and I got to work in a quiet room free of scabies and ringworm.  Overall, better working conditions than I'm used to.  It was funny to listen to people during the break too, especially the people that you could tell were still in college.

"Oh my God, if I have to read one more second my eyes are going to fall out."
"I can't believe it's only halfway over... how are we going to keep working in that room for another two hours?!"
"This is awful."
"I need another beer." *Note: yes, another beer.  The kid sitting next to me admitted to picking up a cold one at 7:30 before leaving for the test to calm his nerves.*

Like I said before, compared to what I'm used to- kids peeing their pants, tapping my arm incessantly asking for a pencil, and spending 12+ hours at school- this thing was a piece of cake.  I'm wondering what these people are going to do when they actually get into law school and have to read for *gasp* more than two hours.  Or what they're going to do when they get a job and they have to work for eight (or more, realistically) hours CONSECUTIVELY.

I can't poke too much fun, because I'm pretty sure I was the same way before I graduated.  And I definitely downed a few cold ones in celebration of finally being done after.  But still, it was mildly amusing.

Now, on to the equally time consuming process of law school applications...

Moment of Truth

LSAT tomorrow.  Big day.  I decided to prepare by giving myself a pedicure and shaving my legs.  Like it's a big date (sorry Jack).  I've also begun to exhibit the extremely nerdy side of myself that I normally try to keep under wraps.  Some examples?

• I sharpened ten brand new Dixon Ticonderoga soft No. 2 pencils to bring along with me.  Yes, ten.  And yes, I have a very specific favorite brand of number two pencil.  If you don't know what brand I'm talking about, then you obviously have never used a quality number two pencil.  And I'm bringing ten just in case I become possessed by something that causes me to savagely break nine pencils during the course of the test.
• I'm also bringing a jumbo size pink eraser.  In case I fill in the wrong bubble two thousand times and use up all the erasers on my ten pencils trying to correct the mistake.
• Can't forget to bring the mini pencil sharpener... because there is such a high likelihood of all ten of my brand new, super sharp pencils will break.
• I spent 20 minutes planning out my outfit, with a specific layer for any possible temperature.  I don't think I spend that much time picking an outfit to wear when going out, and I definitely don't spend that much time picking out what I wear to work.

Wish me luck.  And pray that my pencil sharpener doesn't malfunction (just in case...)

We actually reach full maturation at age six

I've found a kind of scary parallel between college students and first graders in the past year.  It's weird how many things seem like a flashback to when I was in school- I never thought I'd be cleaning vomit off a carpet again, at least.

Today, it that feeling was stronger than ever after I found an index card in my room that said "I love Immanuel.  as my boyfren."

I pulled Immanuel over to me and asked him whether he knew who wrote it.

The look he gave me was a look filled with so much fear and horror I thought something else had happened to him.  He started to cry, and in between his sobs he said, "I... don't... have... a... girlfriend..."

The funny part is I'm pretty sure I've seen that face before in college.  I think that's how most 20-something guys act when they're the last ones to find out they have a girlfriend.  Jack reacted the same way when he found the note I wrote about him being my boyfriend in the Psi U basement bathroom.

A New Toy

I needed a pick-me-up today.  Badly.  I've been feeling a little deflated (a little may be an understatement) because of some things going on in my whole teaching life.  Then, just when I thought it couldn't get any more down in the dumps, I found out there is a case of scabies somewhere in our school.  I don't know what scabies is exactly, but it makes me feel like I have worms crawling under my skin.  I picture the symptoms to be foaming scabs... although that is probably completely inaccurate.  I'd google it but I'm pretty sure that would make me feel worse, not better.  I am instituting a strict no hugging or high five policy until further notice (one teacher suggested just giving kids a Jersey Shore fist pump instead).

Anyway, on top of the scabies, it was Wednesday.  And we had a staff meeting.  And a training.  And then another meeting.  It was 3:30 before I got something to eat- a long time to wait when my lunchtime is 9:45 (yes, in the morning).

Like I said, I needed a pick-me-up.  So at 4:20, I left for UNCC on a mission.  I bought a brand spankin' new MacBook Pro at 4:50 and made it to class at 5:00.

Now I'm home and get to play.  The only problem is that I don't know how to do anything.  I never realized how much I use backwards delete until a time like now (how DO you use backwards delete on a Mac?  If it's not possible I might have to take it back).  I'm just hoping I don't spend the whole night exploring the trackpad shortcuts and finally being as cool as all those people with the photo booth pictures (see below).

Note: I am already in bed at 9:30.

A New Kind of Aromatherapy

This week is crazy.  I have school and TFA meetings pretty much until 8 pm every night and I'm banking on my quick reflexes to get me through the day.  One thing that is managing to ease my stress is my kids' insistence lately that I smell them.

Yes, more than one child has asked me to smell them.

The first one happened when they were lining up after lunch, when the smiling caboose of my line said,

"Miss Fiorillo, smell me!"  He was sniffing his arm.
"No, thank you.  I don't smell my students."
"But I smell good!"
Well in that case...

Then, the next day, a very soft spoken girl tried to talk to me during morning work:

"Miss Fiorillo, my mom put mumblemumblemumble."
"What's that?"
"Mango."
"Oh, do you like mango?"
"No.  There's mango in my hair."
What are you supposed to say to that?  "Oh... that's nice."
She looked at me, wide-eyed.  "Do you want to smell it?"
I never thought I'd have to say "No thank you, I don't smell my students" twice in one week.

And finally, during reading workshop, one of my students with a farting problem let a few go, causing me to stare her down to cut it out.  "Can you smell it?" she asked.

Just then another boy raised his hand to tell me that someone had passed gas and the stink was making it very difficult to work... no kidding.

My Double Life

I like to make myself into a new kind of person for my kids.  I wouldn't exactly call it lying, but I do take advantage of the gullibility of young children and stretch the truth.

Cases in point:

• Telling them how old I am.  This year, for some reason, I have decided to convince my kids that I am old.  Not older- old.  I want them to tell their parents that their first grade teacher is a decrepit old lady that can barely get around without having to pop her hip back into its joint.  It started involuntarily when one of my kids asked what all the black under my eyes was.  At first, I thought she meant I had makeup running or something, but quickly realized she was talking about under eye circles.  After that I was determined that they attributed any sign of me looking tired or irritated as an effect of my old age.  I think it makes them take me more seriously.
• Making them believe I'm the next Beyonce.  I rap the alphabet song and sing pop music, then casually add comments about how good I am and that I should be on the radio.  They don't really do much besides agree, so it's a real self-confidence booster.
• Convincing them that I am best friends with any adult they might ever come in contact with.  The other first grade teachers, their mom, the principal, Santa Claus- I may even go as far as to edit myself into fake photos.

 Short post, but I'm very tired.  After all, I'm pretty old for a teacher/pop star.

Playing Catch-up

I've been terrible at life lately.  Or maybe it's just blogging.  At any rate, I've been super busy going between, work, grad school, and LSAT stuff.  It's EXHAUSTING.  Then this weekend (which would have been my blogging catch-up time to reveal all the hilarious little details from my babies) I took an impromptu getaway to the Rappahannack (sp?) River to my roommate's house there.

We did nothing.  We woke up late, had her dad make us delicious breakfasts, lunch, and dinner, and then alternated between napping on the beach and closing our eyes while laying out on the beach.  There's not much of a distinction between the two, FYI.  See picture below to get jealous of me and my very impressive tan.

Looking out towards the Chesapeake Bay

School?  It's great.  I'm actually LIKING it.  Feeling like a teacher, minus the fact that we have been testing so much these first weeks that I've barely gotten to teach at all.  But soon that will be over and I will be in the zone.  More to come later- I promise.