Bronchitis? You've got to be kidding me!

So, here I sit, one week later, and I can't believe how fast the week went by. Seriously! It's been quite a week! Let's see if I can re-cap the week!

Monday: Opening Day for teachers. I got up at 6am (ouch!) and headed to Opening Ceremonies. I really enjoy opening day. It's full of chit chat, and everyone catching up with one another. It was cool. I went to a meeting Monday night for church, and am going to me mentoring a really cool gal from church. I am excited about it!

Tuesday: We had most of the day to work in our rooms. We had one semi-productive workshop, but overall, we could work in our rooms. Afterall, Open House was scheduled for 6pm that evening! It was a really good day. The highlight for me was when one of my former students, who's now in 8th grade, came to see me! Open House is always great because I get to see the kids who have moved on. I have been invited to some 8th grade volleyball and basketball games! hehehe Very cool!

Wednesday: It was our first day of school (with kids!). And who would have morning duty with the kids? ME! Yeah, it was semi-controlled chaos! Overall, it was good to see my students, and meet the new Kindergarteners. It still cracks me up to see the little ones come in! And, if you've never witnessed 5 year olds carry their lunch trays, you're in for a treat! I also did lunchroom duty, and loved it! It felt great just to be with the kids again!

Thursday: It was similar to Wednesday with the exception of my trip to the doctor. I felt puny on Wednesday night and went to bed at 7pm! I broke down and saw the doctor on Thursday! And, he told me I have Bronchitis! I sat there thinking, "you've got to be kidding me!" I've never been sick the first few days of the school year, and now I have Bronchitis? Ugh! Well, he gave me an antibiotic, and went back to work. (Note to the people: I wasn't running a temp, so I was cleared to go back to work, but ordered to "take it easy")

Upon arriving back at work, there was a note on my desk from one of the teachers: "I need to see you after school, I need to discuss Dustin with you!" Now, I should clarify something here. I don't "pull" kids the first 3 days of class. At the Elementary Level, my regular education teachers want the kids in their rooms to establish routines, etc. So, I spend the days helping throughout the building in classrooms, the office, and trying to make a schedule for my kids to see me. It doesn't sound like a lot, but trust me, my butt was dragging all 3 days!

So, back to my story. Dustin. I actually inherited him that day. My partner-in-crime, Robin, had a super-large caseload, so I agreed to take a few of her kids. Not a problem. I'm a team player. Ready to go! Sign me up!

And I wanted Dustin.

Guess why!

That's right, he's Autistic! I was pumped...elated! I lost one autistic this year to the Middle School! (And for the record, I already miss him!)

So Dustin...yeah, I have already fallen in-love with this kid! As it turns out, he hit two of the kids in his class! And, he was sent to me around 1pm because he needed a "time out!" Yeah, the first real interaction I have with the kid, he is in time out! But, I knew then that I would love him!

So, we met after school, got some behavior strategies set in place, and made a plan!

Friday: Friday Dustin had a great day! Not one time out, and he earned enough points for Computer Time with me! Apparently we found out he was without his meds on Thursday! However, I don't think that was all of it because he still made bad choices and it's not like his meds solve all the problems.

Friday was a good day though! At the end of the day, I pulled my students from last year and showed my camp video to the kids! I figured they would enjoy seeing what I did this Summer. And, I was right, they did! Honestly, it just felt good to be with the kids! I have missed them!

By the end of Friday I was pooped and needed to rest. I came home and spent most of the evening on the phone with Ms. H.! (She doesn't get kids until the 27th!) It was good to get caught up with her!

Which leads me to today, Saturday. I was semi-productive even though I still feel under the weather. I actually cleaned the bathroom, dusted, and vacuumed the house! I have thought a lot today about camp.

Out at camp people just jumped in and did stuff. And, I'll be the first to admit that I tend to be a couch bum when I'm home. I mean, my room stays pretty clean because I can't stand it dirty. But, I tend to let dusting and the bathroom slide. And, honestly, it felt good to be back in the routine of cleaning again. It made me realize that I need to be more helpful in all areas of my life, not just at work. At work I do a good job of jumping in, but I haven't been as good at that at home. :-)

So, tonight I went and rented a movie and cheated and got a pizza. I should've cooked, but I still feel drained, so I skipped. I'm such a slacker!

So, I think this is the longest post I've ever written, so I will stop for now. Don't worry Ms. H., I'll answer the ten questions tomorrow, I promise! k?

So until tomorrow...have a great day everyone!

Later!