What Make Loud and Soft Sounds

Kids, especially first graders, never cease to amaze me. Today I was teaching a lesson on loud and soft and we were making a list on the board of things that are loud and soft. I'm getting all the regular answers one would expect to hear...kittens, lions, trains, etc. Then this kid raises his hand and is so excited to get to say something and he says, "electricity!" WHAT? I guess it does make a soft sound...ha! Kids! You Gotta Love 'Em!

7 Things

So it has been requested by my stalker (ha ha! Totally kidding Tracy) to fulfill the following lists of 7 things (hence the name) each:

7 Things I Want to Do Before I Die...

• Live in a foreign country
• Get married to an amazing Christian man
• Be in a professional musical
• Go to Hawaii
• Be on a sitcom
• Have my own choral arrangements published
• Play concert piano

7 Things I Can Do..

• Sing
• Make other people laugh
• Swing Dance
• Do the hustle
• Pronounce almost any word in German, French or English (thanks to college diction)
• Type a lot of words per minute (I just typed that really fast)
• Rock Climb, repel and white water raft

7 Things I Can't Do...

• Write with my toes
• Sky dive
• Reach the top cubbard above my refrigerator
• Catch the squirrel in my fireplace
• Speak Dutch
• Eat colored tortilla chips
• Drink out of plastic cups unless I own them (I know...I'm quirkey)

7 Things That Attract Me to the Opposite Sex...

• Being a Strong Christian
• Beautiful eyes
• Well managed hair
• Humor...a definite must
• The ability to protect me in any situation
• Well-dressed
• Smart; being able to have an intelligent conversation about music.

7 Things I Say Most Often...

• "What the crack?"
• "So..."
• "I'm fairly confident that..."
• "I like say 'like' before like every word I like say"
• "Ohhhh great" (thanks Karessa for that one)
• "If you can hear the sound of my voice clap once.." (thanks to my loud students)
• "Awesome"

7 Celebrity Crushes...

• Topher Grace
• Freddie Prinze Jr.
• Ryan Gossling
• George Clooney
• Luke Wilson
• Jonathan Taylor Thomas (like 10 years ago! But I loved him!)
• Michael Buble (I'm a sucker for guys who can sing!)

7 People I Think Need To Do This List...

• Tamra
• Amanda
• Jessica
• Adam
• April E. (you're not April W. anymore!)
• Karessa (she already did it though...good job!)
• Kevin Peters...I don't even know if you read my blog, but if you do then you should do this! Ha!

My Own Personal Fan Club

I'm not going to lie...today was a terrible day. I didn't sleep well and woke up only to find the night was not near long enough. As I stood in the shower trying to wake up it occurred to me that tonight is open house night. I had already made dinner plans and would now be forced to not only cancel said plans but also deal with the realization that my 9 1/2 hour day would now be a 12 1/2 hour day. I got ready and headed to school. Half way to school I realized I had not taken my morning medication (vital to keeping migraines at a distance), so I had to turn around and go back home making me, of course, late to school. I had some major problems in my band class with kids who feel the rules do not apply to them. If this gives you any idea of how my day was let me tell you that my school functions on the credit/debit system and I gave out five debits today. I think last school year, I gave out five debits the whole year!
As I walked from my classroom to the open house meeting area, I passed the playground where all the kids were being babysat so their parents could speak with teachers and they all started yelling my name. This happens every time I walk by the playground. It was at that very moment that I remembered why I do what I do. Now open house has concluded and I sit in my empty classroom just contemplating life as I know it. I love these kids and they love me just as much back. The child who is repremanded and sent to the principal still wants to please you the next day. Kids are amazing and I am honored to teach your children. Thank you for giving me my own personal fan club.

A Prayer For My Brother

As many of you know, my brother Wayne is on his second tour in Iraq. When he first left, my good friend Tamra sent me this prayer via email. I think it is an awesome prayer and one that I pray often. Wayne has really been on my heart lately and I just want to share this prayer with you all:

Father God, please put a protective hedge around Wayne as he is inIraq. Give him safety and peace in this turbulent time. Father, provide a sense of security to the entire Stephens family that theymight know Wayne is in your hands. Be with his wife during her pregnancy that her body can grow a strong, healthy child who will know and love you. Be with April and the rest of their family. Calm their nerves and boost their faith in your plan for their lives. Lord, please also put people in each of their lives who will encourage themand left them up. Use Wayne during this time to not only serve our country, but to be a light in this dark world for your kingdom. Thankyou so much for Christ's willingness to serve others and set that example for us. Its in his name I pray. Amen.

The Numa Numa Dance

So Karessa showed me this link (that's right...for once I am stealing something funny from Karessa!) You really need to click this link then click "watch this movie" (the yellow button), then click "watch without subtitles" and watch this guy get down with his bad self! http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/206373
I wish I could dance like this!

Disclaimer: I take no responsiblity for anything else on the site. I have only watched this one video!

Little Bunny Who Who??

So in pre-k today, we are reintroducing the wonderful book/song "Little Bunny Foo Foo" and I say to the 3 year old class, "Does anyone remember the name of our little bunny from last year?" and they say didn't answer so I told them, "Little Bunny Foo Foo!" and a little girl says, "yeah! Little Bunny Poo Poo!"

My OTHER New Roommate

So I've introduced you to Lenny, the lizard in my classroom, and I've introduced you to Karessa my soon to be human roommate. Now I would like to introduce you to "Chutter" the squirel (at least I think it's a squirel) Side note: My second graders named him Chutter...I just don't ask questions anymore.
Anyways...so I have this animal of some kind living in my fireplace. I first encounted Chutter about a week ago when I heard a noise in my fireplace. After talking with my pal Adam, Karessa, and my Mom, I was convinced that it was not a person trying to come down my fireplace and that it was, most likely, a squirrel. Well Chutter appeared to have gone his own separate way until last night.
Chutter seems to have come back and made it completely down my fireplace to the damper (don't worry it was closed). So he's just scratching on this metal damper, trying to get in I guess, and I'm totally weirded out that he somehow will figure out how to open the damper and come make himself at home in my apartment! Well, Thomas (my sweet protective kitty) has been in big time hunt mode for several days now. I even caught him trying to get in the fireplace! He just sits and waits for Chutter to make it into the apartment so he can get him.
Well, I called my apartment maintenance people and they came to my apartment today to try to catch Chutter...well of course he was MIA. They found nothing! So I guess Chutter will come and go as he pleases and I will just have to trust the damper will not magically open because I just don't know how I would react to a squirrel in my apartment!

Random Comment of the Day

So I'm in study hall with my 1st and 2nd graders. Here's some background. I have a bunch of balloons in my room for a lesson I've been teaching. So they finished their homework and I said they could each pick a balloon to play with. One girl says, "Miss Stephens did you blow all these balloons up yourself?" I said, "Yes I did," and she says, "Ohhh...so that's why you are so skinny." Like 'oh I get it now!' HA! I love kids!

High School Ensemble Name

I've been contemplating names for my new singing group at school. I want it to be unique, but not too complicated. I want it to sustain and remain the name of the group for many years. I need your help...I've come up with a few possibilities. I need your vote. Please comment and tell me which one is most appealing to you or if you just hate all of them. Here they are...

Vocalise - this is a word meaning vocal exercise (like a warm-up or something to that effect)

Allegro - Italian for fast

Uno Voce - Italian meaning One Voice

Bel Canto - Italian meaning beautiful singing

Melodioso - Italian for melody

Daybreak - English meaning daybreak

This is a working list so please let me know exactly what you think, let Me know what you think PLEASE!

Our House

So as many of you know, Karessa and I are getting a brand new house! They just framed it last week. Things are progressing nicely and hopefully we will be moving in at the end of October. I just wanted to share with you the floorplan of our new dwelling.
Go to http://www.pulte.com/homefinder/model.asp?commOrg_acctCode=2183&plan_acctCode=35703 and you can see what our new house will look like!

What is Your Biggest Fear?

So after the ropes course, we were discussing the purpose of it. And the question was asked, "what did you get out of participating in the ropes course?" And one of the kids gets up and begins his answer with, "Well I'm really chlostrophobic when it comes to heights..." Well done!

Camp Itenerary For Fifth and Sixth Grade Retreat

Friday, Aug. 19
6:45 - Scheduled departure from CHS to Camp Cho-Yeh
7:15 - Actual departure time to Camp Cho-Yeh
8:30 - Pit Stop
10:30 - Pit Stop
12:15 - Arrive at Camp Cho-Yeh and head to lunch
1:00 - Ice Breaker Games with the not so eager staff of Cho-Yeh. Oh yeah, it's about 105
degrees and no shade in sight. At one point we are playing "People to People" the game
where one yells out body parts and you must connect with your partner. For example
"chin to nose" that's the one I got to experience with my principal. No one should ever
be forced to be that close to their boss!
3:00 - Swimming at the Livingston Public Pool
*Students continuously get in trouble for not waiting in line properly for the water slide.
Note to self...students are not so good at the listening thing.
5:30 - Kids head back to camp I make a Wal-Mart run for supplies. On the way to Wal-Mart I
give myself the tour of Livingston's finest areas of town. The wal-mart, HEB, trashy
trailor park, a lady thinks I am going to run over her as I stop to let her cross the street,
oh and another trailor park.
6:00 - Make my way back to Camp Cho-Yeh for dinner
7:00 - More games organized by yours truly. For all my OC fans, I did teach the "Take A Hike"
and they loved it...but unfortunately, we had to end the game because people wanted to
be in the middle so they would not so subtly run in circles til all seats were occupied.
Good job kids!
9:30 - Devotional
10:00 - Lights Out
10:30 - I'm questioned by parent, whom i don't know at all, about why I'm single and how it is
that I'm still happy in life (so uncomfortable!) "So you don't have any prospects? "no"
"and you're okay with that?" "I am" etc. (why is it that people think life is not worth
living unless you are betrothed to someone?
11:00 - Actual time the lights went out
Middle of night - Boys' cabin absolutely out of control...I sleep through chaos.

Saturday, Aug. 20 HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARESSA!!!
7:00 - Rise and Shine!!
7:30 - Devotional in Outdoor Chapel...about 95 degrees already
8:00 - Breakfast
9:00 - Ropes Course...at this point I am sweating profusely and am yet to do any physical
activity. I climb a tree, walk a tight rope and go down a zip line. Life is hotter than ever,
but it's good.
10:00 - Still at ropes course. Kid doesn't have tennis shoes and begs and cries to go get tennis
shoes.
11:00 - Still at ropes course. Kid now has shoes but is sitting on a log not participating.
12:00 - Leaving Ropes Course. Kid throws fit because now he wants to get on ropes course and
we are leaving.
12:00 - Lunch
1:00 - We asked Mr. Arnold for a 30 minute rest period...permission granted
1:30 - Sports...outside in the sweltering heat. Kids beg to go back indoors (as do teachers). We
all begrudgingly head to the basketball and volleyball courts.
2:30 - Coach and i come to other field after playing volleyball until near death from heat
exhaustion and find that of 12 adults only four are present at sports.
2:50 - I track down remaining adults (including a principal and two board members) in air
conditioned meeting room and tell them just what I think about their sitting in the air
conditioning while I am dying outside. It is at this point, I really have no will to live
anymore and I inform them that they can watch the kids in their next outdoor activity
because I am going to sleep in my cabin.
3:00 - Kids go swimming in lake, I go sleep in cabin.
4:30 - Kids are done swimming due to lightening and I am awakened.
5:00 - All are forced out of cabin to dinner hall where we sit outside in the heat doing nothing
until dinner at 5:30. Why in the world did you make us come up here????
5:30 - Dinner
6:30 - Scavenger Hunt/Wild Goose Chase...outside of course it's only about 95 degrees now
8:00 - Campfire with smores
8:30 - I am still passing out smores, and now completely covered in them as well.
9:00 - Yet another Wal-Mart run in the great town of Livingston, which seems to be the WT
capital of Texas.
9:30 - still searching for needed items and am checked out by a strange girl in a mesh top.
Livingston is high society!
10:00 - Three boys refuse to stay in bed and are forced to stand outside their cabin as
punishment. Faculty sits outside and laugh about/at them. All other children asleep in
cabins.
11:00 Lights out for me.

Sunday, Aug. 21
7:20 - Rise and Shine
8:00 - Breakfast
9:00 - Swimming at the lake.
10:00 - Clean up and pack cars
10:30 - Church...we forgot the crackers at the store (probably because I was frightened by the
people of Livingston), that we are forced to use crutons as our bread.
11:30 - Children perform prepared skits...students mostly just stand there cause they can't
remember their parts. I chuckle.
12:00 - Lunch
12:45 - Head for home
1:30 - Everyone asleep as I drive...teacher snores.
2:00 - Still snoring but a little louder
2:30 - Pit Stop
3:00 - Still snoring, now I'm slightly annoyed.
3:30 - Still snoring, but now feeling somewhat trapped in this moving vehicle.
4:00 - Still snoring. I'm not annoyed anymore, I'm really frustrated because she's all I can
hear!
4:30 - Still snoring and now I'm just mad!
5:00 - She finally wakes up and is complaining about the route we are taking...I become even
more grumpier
5:45 - We arrive back at CHS and I drop the kids off and run as fast as I can back to my
apartment to begin the process of forgetting this weekend ever happened!

Who Does Stuff Like This???

So I'm teaching my first kindergarten class yesterday who, let's face it, should not have graduated preschool...KIDDING (kind of). Anyways, I look over and this girl has tied her left and right shoes together. Most kinders can't even tie their shoes at all but this one ties hers together. Well then she wants help and I say no (I'm so mean) because I am teaching and we are sitting down and she's in no immediate danger of tripping. She then proceeds to lie on her back with her feet in the air thinking somehow this will help her untie the knot. Then she begins to solicit other kinders to help her...well it became quite the uproar and I was forced to stop my class and go undo her knot just so I could get back to teaching! I guess next time I'll just untie the knot rather than trying to teach her a lesson about tying her shoelaces in knots. Lesson learned Miss Stephens...lesson learned.

A Picture is Definitely Worth 1000 Words

I think this pretty much sums up my life to this point...always a bridesmaid never a bride...sigh. Wait...what am i talking about? I love my life! God is good!!

Random Comments...I Love Them SO Much!

So my first graders come to class the other day and one is like, "Remember Miss Stephens this summer when I saw you at Wal-Mart?" Another girl says, "yeah and 'member when I saw you at Target?" "I sure do" I say. Everyone suddenly remembers seeing me somewhere over the summer (which they didn't) then little Noah yells out, "I went to Canada!"

What's Your Favorite Food?

This is a fairly simple question that usually gets a fairly simple answer from kids...pizza, ice cream, etc. Well yesterday I was in second grade taking roll. The game was that I sing their names and then they sing back to me their favorite food. So we're going along and it's all the usual favorite food items. Then we get to Joey. I sing "Jo-ey" and he sings "Octopi." WHAT!? That's right he not only likes octopus but he pluraled it and everything. I don't even know how to spell that word (so please no nasty comments about my spelling). Kids are so weird! I LOVE IT!

I Need Your Help!!!

I need to come up with a name for my new show choir. Being a music teacher, you would think I'd be creative but I'm just not doing such a good job with it right now. I need everyone's input on what I should call my group. I really do want some good names so let me hear them!

I have had several complaints about the fact that my previous post "My New Roommate" was not about my soon-to-be actual roommate Karessa...so I thought I should take this opportunity to introduce you to Karessa Star. We are getting a house this fall and cannot wait! Many of you have met Karessa...if you have not, you are missing out. She's hilarious...but to be honest, she steals most of my jokes. Case in point...last year we're at a church retreat and I make a funny comment to her. I kid you not, she turns around and says my exact funny remark to the youth minister and he laughs a ton! WHAT?! You can't just steal other people's material. Anyhow, she's awesome and we laugh a lot! I have many more funny stories (most likely funnier than the story I just told) but I will close for now! 

Mr. Mundy

I'm not even going to protect Mr. Mundy by hiding his identity. Mr. Mundy has been at my school since cavemen walked the earth. He is one of the funniest people I know. As a disclaimer, you must know that I think he's a great teacher and awesome role model. He's also one of the most sarcastic people I've ever met! Now, most of us know that I appreciate good sarcasm and I respect a good burn when I see it. My philosophy is that if the sarcastic comment/burn is incredibly witty or smart, you can't get mad, rather, you must respect the intelligence it took to come up with said remark so quickly.
I am talking to Mr. Mundy and I'm telling him how last year, one of my tenth grade girls came up to me and said, "Miss Stephens, if I was your age we would totally hang out!" Then Mr. Mundy said, "if she were your age, she'd be married!" BURN!! But I can't get mad, it was a good one! Congratulations Mr. Mundy. I applaud your wit and the courage it must have taken to say that to a 24 year old single girl who just completed her fifth round as a bridesmaid one week prior to this conversation. That took guts!

You Just Don't Know Torture Until You've...

Been to a teacher inservice. I'm not lying! It's amazing how many useless things you learn at a teacher inservice. I just spent a week going to various meetings, one of which I think may have applied directly to me.
I kid you not, at one point there was a ten minute discussion among ten teachers about where and when students will purchase their extra slice of pizza on Fridays...what??? I KNOW!
What is it about teachers that make us ask so many questions? Is it because we are used to being in a class with kids so we've absorbed the talent for asking meaningless questions? Or do we just feel the need to constantly talk because we are used to having the floor all to ourselves when in class? This makes sense because teachers cannot stop talking during meetings. They are worse than their own students. They show up late to the meeting, first of all, then they talk and whisper throughout the entire meeting. Now this might not be so bad except because of their constant chatter, the same meaningless questions get asked not just once or twice but an average of three times within about a 20 minute period. Teachers are some of the most amazing creatures I have ever met!! And I'm proud to be one...hopefully not one that asks goofy questions (although I know I do...no teacher is immune!)

New Roommate

So I'm sitting in my classroom today plugging in my laptop and printer to my new computer desk, when this little lizzard comes out of nowhere to greet me! If you know anything about me, you know that I am quite possibly the jumpiest person on the planet. So I scream and jump back. I immediately call for backup...a high school boy, and demand he remove the lizzard from my room. Well now the lizzard has disappeared, probably because I gave it a heart attack when I first discovered it. So he leaves and I'm stuck with knowing there is a lizzard in my room but I'm just not sure where. I try to continue with my work as planned but I just can't stop thinking that Lenny, my new roommate, is going to come back to say hello. So as I sit here and write this entry, I am constantly aware of my surroundings as I look to see where Lenny will show up next. That's just great! Of all the classrooms on campus, Lenny has to show up at mine and now the day is shot!

No Longer A Rookie...

Wow! I cannot even begin to fathom that my summer is over and it is now time to go back to school. It's hard to go back to school. Because I never dreamed of being a teacher, I always assumed that the phrase "back to school" would never apply to me once I finished college. So here I sit in my classroom, already overwhelmed by the thought of a new school year and all that goes with it, staff meeting, study hall, music programs, staff meetings, more music programs, chapel, beginning band (that's right), more programs, oh yeah...and teaching.
I look forward to this new school year for several reasons. 1) I have a classroom, newly painted by myself, that is twice the size of of my old classroom. 2) My budget has increased very significantly and I have already made several big purchases to enhance my lessons. 3) I will be putting on music programs completely independent of PTFA meetings (this is a big deal even though you may not know what that all entailed). Of course, there are more reasons but these are the big ones.
Now that I am no longer a rookie, I look forward to actually having some clue about what is happening before it actually happens. I'm sure I will still do a fair amount of flying by the seat of my pants, because let's face it, that's what I do, but this year I'll be prepared for anything! Have a wundebar year everyone and GOOD LUCK teachers!!

Do The Hustle

I'm convinced that only a small number of music teachers would actually be willing to teach a group of summer camp kids ages 6-11 how to do the Hustle. I am one of those teachers. I taught a Music and Movement day camp class a couple weeks ago and we did all kinds of great dances: The Electric Slide, The Hustle, Hands Up, Macarena, etc. Well this day camp offered both fun and academic classes. We were in the middle of The Hustle when one of my first graders shouts out over the music, "This is way better than reading class!" HA! I love these kids!