Knocked Up Out.

No, I'm not pregnant but I do have a funny story about getting "knocked up".

Yesterday, I went to sub for an hour in the Kindergarten class where I used to student teach. When I sat down with the kids, one of the little boys runs up to me and screams, "MRS. GRAY CAN WE PLAY THAT GAME WHERE I GET KNOCKED UP?"

The game is 'Knock Out'. How do you explain to a 5 year old what the difference is, especially when laughing hysterically?


{I had to share an adorable picture with such an adorable story. Isn't little Maren the most precious kid in the world?}
Oh, and I bet you thought I forgot all about my little blog here, didn't you? Nope, didn't forget about it... just let it take a quick rest. I think I'm back for now, but who knows.

Mrs. Perry.

Over winter break I got to sub as the librarian at the elementary school where I student teach. It was a blast because I got to teach every class, and I got to know a majority of the kids on campus. But the weird part was that on the first day at least ten different kids, from all different grades, said I looked like Katy Perry. Up until then I didn't even know what she looked like- I went home the first night and google image searched her. At first it was just, "Mrs. Gray you look like Katy Perry!" or "Are you related to Katy Perry?". But because I'm mainly talking about 10-12 year olds, things have gotten out of control. I'm now known as 'Mrs. Perry' by a majority of the sixth graders, and even had someone scream "Hey look, it's Katy Perry!" at me while I was pumping gas one afternoon.

I honestly DON'T see the resemblance at all! But I'm a good sport about it- I guess it's kind of funny, and only slightly obnoxious.




Oh yeah, and I had a group of girls beg me to sing one of her songs. They thought I was insane when I didn't know any of them. Not that I would have sung one if I did!

A New Pet.

I think I need a hedgehog. No seriously, how adorable are these little guys? Someday when I have a classroom of my own, I'm definitely going to get one as a class pet. But of course, he will be coming home with me all the time- I sure hope Jordan won't mind. I don't know how he could say no.



Do you like how I used the excuse of needing a classroom pet to justify me getting a hedgehog? Yeah, I'm smooth. PS in California you can only have one if you have a special license from the USDA for educational or film reasons. I think I can convince them that a special education elementary classroom needs one, right?

{Images from WeHeartIt}

When I Grow Up.

When I was really little (like 3ish) I dreamed of growing up to become "the queen of the world". Yes, I honestly thought that was a job title. I even went to the state capitol, and told my mom, "someday I'm going to live in a house like this". Then someone told me that wasn't really a feasible career choice, so I decided I wanted to be a teacher. Most people grow up dreaming of being one thing, and then turn out to be something completely different. I, on the other hand, decided very early on what I wanted to do with my life. I later (in my confused early college years) tried to take about a million other paths, but eventually ended up back where I started... dreaming of becoming a teacher. The only change was that I added on the dream of special education, which is where I am now.

My mom kept a ton of my school work when I was growing up. I have a huge box in my closet full of papers, drawings, report cards, awards... you name it, it's there. I found this the other day, and it made me smile. My one dream was to be a teacher. Who ever said dreams don't come true, was wrong.



PS I think I owe a lot of this to my sister, who I forced into playing "school" with me every day growing up. And of course, as any good big sister would do, I always bullied her into being the class while I got to be the teacher (I had a thing with being in charge & trust me- some things don't change).

So, what did you want to be when you grew up (whatever that means)?

Make Believe.

Who made the rule that grownups aren't allowed to play make believe? Now, I know it's developmentally appropriate for young children to have a difficult time distinguishing reality from imaginary, but I don't see why that distinction should stop us from using our imaginations. Somedays I just want to escape reality, and what better way than to play pretend? I'm thinking a tea party with my old dolls and stuffed animals is in order.



One of the little guys in my Kindergarten class is always playing make believe, and it's hilarious:

While sitting at rug time, listening to the teacher, Brian* puts his hand up to his face, making a pretend phone.
Brian- "Ring Ring, Hey mom it's me. Yeah, I'm just sitting in class."
Me- "Shhh, Brian. You need to listen now."
Brian- "Ohhh, mom I got to go"
Brian pretends to push a few buttons, hang up his phone, and put it in his pocket.
Brian- "Sorry Mrs. Gray, I had an important phone call!"


Then the other day, during recess, Brian comes running up to me. He's completely hysterical, screaming and crying, with tears running down his little face. I could have sworn he had broken his arm or something terrible, but ohhh no it was much worse.
Me- "Brian, what's wrong?!"
Brian- JACKSON STOLE MY COOKBOOK AND THREW IT OVER THE FENCE. AND. I. WAS. MAKING. LASAGNA. IN. THE. SANDBOOOOOOOX!"
Me- "Oh no, well guess what! I already got it for you and it's here in my pocket"
I handed him back his invisible cookbook, which I "saved".
Brian- "Thanks Mrs. Gray!"
He skips off, all smiles, back to the sandbox to making another dinner.
Then his little friend, who was standing behind him, says, "Ohhh don't worry, Mrs. Gray, I made a copy of my cookbook!"

{Image from WeHeartIt.}

*I don't use student's real names. But, maybe next time I'll think of something more fun to call them on here! What's a good fake name?

Hugs Not Drugs.

So this week is Red Ribbon Week at my elementary school, and each day has a special theme. Tuesday was 'Hugs Not Drugs' so the kids brought their teddy bears to school. Tuesday was crazy sock day (there was a cute name that had to do with knocking the socks off something). Well, what I didn't realize was that crazy sock day means you wear crazy socks underneath your jeans. Yep, I showed up in polka dotted tights and stripe socks up to my knees. It doesn't help that I'm 6 feet tall, so I already stick out like a sore thumb in the midst of 25 five year olds. But it's okay because my kids loved my socks and they were so excited when I showed up in my silly outfit:

I ♥ Fall.

The other day, on the first day of Fall, I read my kindergarteners a story about Fall to start off the day. But before beginning the book, I asked them if they knew what 'Fall' was. Almost all of my students raised their hands, and came up with following answers:

• It means... ummm... the sky is blue?


• Fall is when we wear our jackets because it's cold.


• It's when the leaves change colors.


• Halloween!


• It's when I go to the pumpkin patch.


• Apple Hill is in the Fall.


• {And then of course, my genius child had to shout out} NO MRS. GRAY, Fall is Autumn, it's the season that comes after Summer!

Besides Mr. SmartyPants, I loved their answers. It's so refreshing to see the world from a child's perspective, and I was reminded how badly I want to go to Apple Hill. Maybe I can talk Jordan into going this weekend!

Image from WeHeartIt.


P.S. This is my 100th post! Thought that was pretty exciting.

They Really Do Say The Darndest Things.

I need to start a journal of all the hilarious quotes I hear as a teacher. Here are a few of my most recent favorites:



Me: "B", I LOVE your boots. I'm going to have to find those in adult sizes.
"B": Ohhh no, Mrs. Gray they have a heal and if you wear them you will bunk your head when you try to go inside! {I'm 6 feet tall, and apparently won't fit inside if I wear heals}

Me: How was your vacation "M"?
"M": It was VERY VERY VERY good!
Me: Oh yeah, why was it so good?
"M": Because I got to see a dead donkey! I hope I get to see another one someday.

"G": {While poking my leg} Mrs. Gray, you are verrry squishy! Are your bones squishy too?

"Z": {In the most pathetic whiny voice you've ever heard} Ohhhh nooo, my hair feels very OLD today.

Me: "G", when I talk to you look at me please.
"G": {Finally looks in my eyes and starts screaming/laughing hysterically} MRS. GRAY, YOU LOOK LIKE A SCARY EVIL ROBOT LADY!


Yeah, Kindergarten is pretty fun.

Image from WeHeartIt.

Oh, So Serious.

I have such a hard time keeping a straight face. While I may be good at fake crying/freaking out in order to get my way with Jordan, I cannot be serious when it matters. Especially when I try hard, and it's starting to become a problem. When teaching such young children, a lot of funny things are said and done, and it's my job to keep a straight face. But how in the world am I supposed to not laugh hysterically when a six year old comes running to me, screaming at the top of her lungs & crying hysterically, because someone called her a "buuuutt looooserrrrr". I mean, come on! A butt loser?! That's funny stuff. And when the whole class is giggling because someone farted, I can't help but laugh. Maybe I'm just extremely immature, as immature as the five year olds I'm supposed to be teaching? But oh well, it makes life fun.

Here is a good example of me failing at being serious. I can't even take more than one picture without posing like an idiot.

{Serious Ashley}



{The Real Ashley}

Two Things.

1. I have always been in love with the classroom. When I was little I would come home from school and beg tell my sister to play school with me. [If she didn't want to play by my rules, then fine... she could find someone else to play with]. And to top it all off, I have been in school for 21 years and I want to be a teacher. So after realizing all this, what did I decide to do? Yup, I have a little wooden desk in my front room now. So when Jordan is at work, I can play school all by myself!



2. I saw Ramona and Beezus on Wednesday and I fell in love. I remember reading the books when I was little, and I even have a Ramona The Pest T-Shirt. Now I know my taste in movies is a bit immature, but if you love Disney Channel Movies as much as I do- you will love this one. I should do a post with my all time favorite movies, because I'm not sure you understand just how ridiculous my taste in movies is. Who else cried when they saw that the new Chronicles Of Narnia was coming out? Yeah, didn't think so. Anyway, you should really go see this movie. If for nothing else, Uncle Hobart is pretty darn adorable.



See, I told you so:

My Life, In A Nutshellhouse.

When I was in high school I thought the world revolved around my getting straight As. Needless to say, I graduated at the top of my class with a 4.2 GPA. What was next? Well, going to a University of course because settling for a Jr. College or even a State School was just out of the question. I wanted to conquer the world, and show everyone just how successful I could become so I went to UCSB. I was going to become an engineer, because I thought I loved math. Well, it turns out I didn't really love math I was just exceptionally good at it. Fast forward a year and I'm back at home, depressed, and without any direction. That was until I decided I had gotten it all wrong. Being "successful" wasn't what I wanted, I didn't even know what that meant. Money didn't make me happy, so why was I trying to make the "big bucks" anyway. I didn't want to be stuck behind a desk for the rest of my life. I loved people, I loved kids, and I absolutely adored people with special needs. So, that's how I got where I am today. 8 years after high school graduation, and still in school. But with a smile on my face.

Oh, I did fail to mention that in between all that, I changed my major more than 5 times before I finally figured out I wanted to be a special education teacher. This is a list of my majors, ridiculous huh?

1. Engineering
2. Math
3. Women's Studies
4. History
5. Speech Pathology and Audiology
6. Liberal Studies (finally)

One of the things I struggle with often, which I'm sure a lot of people do, is remembering that it isn't the material things in life that make us happy. They are just kinda nice to have around when you are bored!

For example,

I want my own bike. I had to sell mine to make some money, but thank God I have an amazing sister who is letting me borrow hers. Who needs a set of wheels when you have family like that?



I would love to own a bunch of different gadgets. But then again do I really want to get sucked down that path? Now that I think about it, I'd rather save my pennies for a month of garage sale shopping.



This is one that's hard to get out of my stubborn head. I really (really really) want a nice camera. I love taking pictures, but I think I can wait until I have the excuse of having a child to take pictures of.



Now that I got that off my chest, it's time to play housekeeper.


Images from WeHeartIt.

Dear Energy, Where Are You?

Oh my, it's been so long since I posted anything (I'm sorry). Who knew teaching summer camp/school would be this tiring? I have a group of 24 2nd graders, and they are extremely difficult, to say the least. But they sure are adorable and full of (endless amounts of) energy. By 4 PM I'm exhausted, and have a hard time staying awake for the drive home. By the time I get through the door, I have just enough energy to make it to my bed and crash. Then I wake up, plan for school the next day, take a shower, and crash again. Seriously, this is what I do every single day! How pathetic is that? I need to figure out how I can still have a summer, and a life, with this job. Any suggestions?

Oh, and here are a few pictures from my friend's beautiful wedding this past weekend. The entire night was magical, and I never wanted to leave.

The Good, The Bad, and The Hilarious.

The Good:

Today I taught my first full lesson plan to a 3rd grade class. It was a Social Science lesson on symbols and flags. I brought in flags from different countries, and talked about the symbolism of each. Then I had them make up their own country and flag. They had a blast, and were absolutely adorable. One little boy said his country was all about peace and harmony and his flag had a picture of a fox, which represented the wildlife that was preserved on his land. How flipping adorable is that? Then another little boy said his country was all about "rocking out and wildfires". When I left they all fought to give me hugs, and they begged me to come back again. I know, my heart melted. I cannot wait until I'm a teacher.

The Bad The Hilarious:

Iris fell. Yeah, she thinks I forgot about these pictures... but of course I didn't. Last weekend she decided to swing on my rope swing, and it snapped. Now I have to tell you, the thing was hanging by a thread and I warned her that it would break if anyone sat on it. But did she listen? No. And did we laugh at her when she fell hard? Duh.