An Eventful Return

By some miracle, Thanksgiving break actually felt pretty long. I had a seriously wonderful week catching up with old friends, spending time with family, and even going to my high school reunion. By the end of the week I was in full-on vacation mode, which certainly didn't make going back to work today easy. I wasn't sure what to expect with the kids having been off for a week, and I definitely didn't expect my day to be as eventful as it was.

First, I got two pieces of sad news: One of my students' parents are getting a divorce and her mom moved out this week. It sounds like it's happening as amicably as possible, but it's still heartbreaking to see any kid go through that. And secondly, my precious little Philip is moving! Philip was my late-comer who arrived from Korea mid-September. He is so cute and bright and well-behaved, and I'm really sad he's leaving. He has two more weeks here, and then is headed back to Korea for 6 months and then to Canada after that. Poor kid. 

Then my nightmare happened: Elizabeth threw up in the classroom. I looked over during Daily 5 time to see her standing with vomit in her hands and all around the floor underneath her (you're welcome). I am not a good handler of vomit - not one bit. And the idea of having a kid throw up in my classroom has always terrified me, and luckily it's never happened to me before today. But guess what? I handled it like a champ! I calmly walked the poor little angel out of the classroom and into the bathroom, had a kid go inform the office (and janitor!), helped wash Elizabeth off, and did it all without gagging (too much). This seriously might be the most proud I've been of myself all year. 

Also some funny things happened, including this: Rylyn was showing us her Star Student poster this morning and had covered it with a variety of Barbie stickers. The kids were asking her about her poster and giving her compliments, and Johnny had several to give. For his last one, he stood up, bashfully mumbled "Oh gosh," pointed to the a sticker on the poster and asked, "Who is that hot girl?" I could barely stop laughing long enough to whisper to him that we don't call girls "hot."

And while I didn't actively miss my kids over vacation one bit, I was reminded today of how fun and hilarious they are to be around. On the way to lunch Jake asked me, "Can I chomp down a tree outside? 'Cause I'm half beaver." I told him he could. I may have missed them after all.