What?!

You know you're a teacher when:

* You carry your curriculum with you EVERYWHERE you go: walks, vacations, restaurants.
* You read Middle School Journal on the elliptical machine instead of People or InStyle like all the other female runners.
* Your Saturday afternoon lunch break consists of grading papers over Chinese.
* Every second of alone time is spent planning for the next lesson.
* The word 'respect' flies out of your mouth without thought.
* You tell a student to pull up his pants because it's disrespectful (see, the respect thing!) for a teacher to have to see his butt!
* You have a million post-it notes filled with a million to-do lists lining your desks, mirrors, refrigerators....
* You take pictures, not for fun, but in hopes that someday you can possibly use them in a portfolio.
* You get excited that it's 75 degrees and sunny so you can grade papers outside!
* You narrate EVERYTHING you do and are going to do. "First, we will do .... Then, we will do.... Right now I am...."
* Without thinking, you say "slow down", "walk please", etc and you're in the grocery store!
* You bribe teenagers with donuts to read quietly.
*Eight hours of sleep is NEVER enough.

You gotta love it!

Hypocrite.

I just killed three baby trees--green, salmon, and yellow--all in the spirit of celebrating Earth Day.

I helped Daniel chop down a tree yesterday in the spirit of de-stressing for Earth Day.

Happy Earth Day!

Twirling.

Tonight I jumped on the trampoline for over an hour. I couldn't stop. The stress, anger, and frustration from the day drove me to move in unpredictable ways.

I threw my hair in braids and drew up my hood.

I jumped. And I jumped. And I jumped some more.

When my stomach began to cramp and my legs became jello, I lay down and stared at the brilliant blue sky.

Then, I would jump. And jump. And jump some more.

There was no rhyme or reason. No balance. No poise. No grace. Just me, flailing limbs and all, braids bouncing in the breeze.

When the pain returned and my blood was sufficiently warmed, I lay back down. The bright branches danced beneath that brilliant blue sky above. My body too swayed rhythmically as the tarp moved in the wind. All the stress from my terrible day seeped out of my chest, my back, my shoulders, through the porous material cradling my body, and into the dark dirt below. All was well.

Then, I jumped. And, this time as I jumped, I spread my arms, raised my face to the sun, and twirled. Around. And around. And around again.

I twirled.

And it was magical.

My Little Munchkins.

My students, though they gripe at first, are loving the comic strip project. I graded the first group's comics this past Saturday...outside, under a tree, in the sun! And, I laughed the entire time. These kids are bright and quite clever!

My other two classes began working on the project today and are just amazing me with their creativity and productivity. Here are two of my favorite comments:

Dylon: "Ms. Stromgren, I think this is the best work I have ever done!"

"Ms. Stromgren, can we please stay in your class for study hall to work on our comic strips? We're all done with our math. We'll be really good!" Marcus and Dylon

Wow!

On another note, my students finished presenting their posters today, and I cannot express how impressed I am with their work. These posters are incredible...so incredible I spent an hour putting them up in the hallway! If only I had a refrigerator big enough, that is where they would be posted! *See bottom of blog (VERY bottom) for pictures!*

Lastly, I've applied to three school districts now! Austin, MN; Jackson, MN; and Sioux Center, IA. This week I hope to apply in Northfield, MN; Mankato, MN; Orange City, IA; and Kasson-Mantorville, MN. Next week, it will probably be Fridley, MN and St. Louis Park, MN. I just keep praying that God will bring me to the right school. God has been incredibly faithful in the past, so I'm trusting that things WILL work out again!

I. Need. Friends!

I have seriously not had any human interaction outside of school for the last five days, and I think I just might go crazy. On the radio this morning, they mentioned that someday it might be possible to time-travel. If that were the case, I'd go back to my college days and live with all the girls again. This time I wouldn't take them for granted! Here are a few of my fondest memories: sorry, they probably only mean anything to me and a few of you, dear readers!

* Gnome dances in the hallways...and library! :)
* Midnight Wal-Mart runs.
* Hanging out at the coffee shop writing stories.
* Meetings in the creepy library basement (remember the boys, Kate?!)
* All-nighters studying for ridiculously detailed psych exams.
* Re-enacting the nativity scene and being pelted with snow
* Sitting around the coffee table under low lights analyzing art.
* Tea Time!!
* Passion belts...taking pictures of Leah out the window!
* Coming back to campus with outrageous stories of babysitting the devil-children.
* Running across campus on windy days with our umbrellas surrounding us in attempts to block the wind!
* Friday nights at Hemmingways.
* Playing in the rain outside of Zwemer.
* Sitting in the showers during tornado warnings.
* Chasing squirrels on the green as a study break.
* Walking on the puddle jumper.
* Macaroni and cheese night, especially the night we blew a fuse using too many hot-pots!
* Wednesday night roommate meetings.

Friends, I MISS YOU TERRIBLY!

Seriously.

I left my cell phone at home. I seriously feel naked without it.

I finished my summer Kidstop plans. I seriously feel as though my back might crack from stress.

I found three more school districts to apply to. I seriously might cry; the applications take SO long!

I have a meeting to attend in 13 minutes. I seriously might fall asleep.

I must make a Wal-Mart run after work. I seriously might go broke.

I have the most amazing students in the school-system. I seriously might not ever want to leave them!

Actually, my kids were fantastic today! No one got in-school suspension. No one cried. No one swore at the class. Nothing. No drama. Hallelujah! I somehow motivated them to do their best on their final project posters (pretty much by showing them one that seriously raised the bar). I cannot describe the quality of work they produced today. Nor can I describe the phenomenal effort they all put forth today. I had to MAKE them to go to lunch and P.E. They didn't want to go; they wanted to continue to work on their posters! What?! I couldn't have been more pleased with my little munchkins!

So. Much. To. Do.

I sent in my first application today for an elementary teaching position in Austin, MN. By the end of the week, I also hope to have an application sent in to Jackson, MN (Yes, Alex, Jackson!) I also found about 20 more places to apply but am feeling lazy. Very lazy.

By Friday I must also have my first five weeks of planning done for this summer. And, I just cannot motivate myself to finish. By the time I'm done planning for my next school day, I have little mental energy left. Very little mental energy.

But, life moves on. Here's a cute dialogue I overheard today while my students were creating their physics comic strips.

*Cristian: "Ms. Stromgren, we should watch 'The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift!' There are tons of cars in that movie. Oh, and there's friction! And motion!"
* I give him a quizzical look...that shows him I'm just a little skeptical about that idea.
* Cristian: "And...there's a little violence. Oh, and little girls in mini-skirts!." At this point, he is blushing and definitely not looking me in the eyes! "But, it's okay, Ms. Stromgren, us guys could plug our ears!"
* I laugh hysterically.
* Cristian: "I mean, close our eyes! CLOSE OUR EYES!" He yells. "But, I'd be like this..." He whispers as he opens his fingers in front of his not-so-closed eyes!

Ahh! I just love these kids!