and so it began

Once upon a time I said I would write about spring break happenings. Then it never happened. The school year ended and the mister and I did some contract work for our schools and before we knew it sumer began with a fun-filled week of exploring and showing our family around the Gallup area.

We were blessed with a week of amazing weather when Bruce and Linda came to visit. We were able to spend long days in the sun seeing all that the southwest has to offer.

We started our time together on Saturday with one of the best breakfasts you can find in Gallup (if you've never been to the Plaza Cafe and you're local, you're missing out) and a trip to a garage sale that some of our friends were having. We were lured there by the promise of lemonade being sold by cute kids, and that promise was met (with an added bonus of being PINK lemonade, something that I have a weakness for). I also managed to walk away with some great new-to-me scarves and a new book, Chris picked up a bolero tie, and Linda scored big with a whole new library for her daycare and some new noise-making toys. Our shopping for the day wasn't complete though, as every visit to Gallup should also include a trip to the local flea market. I finally purchased some earrings that I have wanted for about two years and Linda found a horse to take home!

Linda's new horse

On Sunday we made our way into Arizona where we spent our morning exploring Petrified Forest National Park. With the painted desert surrounding us, discoveries of petroglyphs and pictographs, blue mesas, and an abundance of petrified wood we relished the beauty of the natural world (I particularly enjoyed chasing lizards) and contemplated the lives of generations past. What would it have been like to live in the open desert? Where would the people have gotten their water? What brought people to the area and made them want to stay? The National Parks Service has a way of making you think about things in a new way, and for that I am always grateful. 

one of my lizard friends

petrified wood

We stayed in Gallup on Monday and did the touristy things that the mister and I typically overlook, but have secretly wanted to do during our time here. We visited the Storyteller Museum, checked out new trading posts and did the city mural walk. Gallup has a rich history and an abundance of talented residents and this was a the perfect opportunity to take all of that in. We also made a point of visiting another landmark in Gallup, Glenn's Bakery. Chris brought me donuts from Glenn's once upon a time after a run, but we really haven't eaten there, even though we had heard that we should. We had a great lunch and it will certainly be a place that we go back to (don't worry, they sell more than donuts!). 

Bruce and Linda with a Code Talker

Chris, our ever faithful tour guide

On Tuesday we went back to Arizona, this time to Canyon de Chelly. Since moving to the southwest, I have found Canyon de Chelly to be one of the most beautiful places that we have visited. It is majestic, full of history, and peaceful. There is something about visiting this place that is just relaxing, even when making the trip down into the canyon and then climbing back out of it. We hiked to the bottom of the canyon to show Bruce White House Ruins and then spent the rest of our day going to the overlooks. One of the things about Canyon de Chelly is that it is a living monument. There are still families that reside in the canyon, therefore visitors are not allowed to explore on their own (unless you are willing to run a long way). From the top though you are able to meet artisans from the area, learn about their families that reside in the canyon, and of course buy beautiful artwork (which we all did). On our way home from Canyon de Chelly we stopped in at Hubbell Trading Post for another glimpse of life in days gone by.

replica hogan 

the four of us at spider rock

white house ruins

Wednesday was a day of recovery, to some extent. We returned to Arizona (though just barely) and visited the Navajo Nation Zoo and the Nation Museum. The morning was nice and mild as we made our way through the zoo, and then we escaped from the heat of the day by visiting the museum. It was a relaxing morning, followed by an afternoon of Chris and I playing catch up with grad school (yes, even though it is summer, we are still working a little bit).

Linda petting animals at the zoo

window rock

We wrapped up our time together with a trip to Zuni, Ramah and El Morro National Monument. We were fortunate to find the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center open in Zuni. This is a great little museum of the history of the Zuni people; the mister and I were introduced to it as a part of our new teacher orientation with the school district, but had not been able to go back on our own. The museum covers the long history of the Zuni people in a small space with unique artifacts and images. Our history lesson did not stop with this trip to the museum though, as we ventured down the road to El Morro. Here, travelers made their mark as they passed through on one of several trails heading west. There are marks from ancient tribes, western settlers, and railroad men, all stopping for a break from the hot desert sun and to refill their canteens from the spring that made the place noteworthy. While one would't want to drink water there today, the shade is still a welcome respite during the heat of the day. Instead, water is consumed, along with delicious food at the Ancient Way Cafe, one of our favorite eateries in the southwest. 

the pool at el morro

the story of antelope passing through

the marks of spanish conquistadores 

Our week was full of adventure, good food, and of course Nightly Indian Dances. It is always fun to show people around, and it's even better when it is family that comes to town. We were sad to say goodbye, but fortunately it is summertime which means we'll be able to squeeze in another visit before the school year begins in August. 

one of my favorite dances of all time, the hoop dance

the buffalo dance

ack

Life has been beyond crazy since Spring Break. We enjoyed a nice week outside, camping, hiking, and playing by the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. We finished up the week with a race in the Tijeras Mountains outside of Albuquerque and then jumped right back in to the remaining weeks of school.

Since that time, we have wrapped up all final projects for the spring semester of graduate school, finished our district mentoring binders, have been assigned new principals, and are gearing up for the final weeks of school. It has been a non-stop effort to keep things moving in the right direction. 

It is my hope that one day soon I will really be able to update things here and get everyone back in the loop of the adventures that make up my life in the classroom and our lives outside of the classroom. Until that moment however, enjoy the weather! Spring is here!

a spring break selfie until I am able to get a real post from those adventures written

strike

Today we wrapped up our week before spring break by field tripping over to one of the local bowling alleys. The kiddos did a great job, especially considering that three of the lanes didn't have numbers. I stepped in for one of my kiddos that was absent today, bowling with her preassigned group and I am proud to say that I won. I was in a lane that had bumpers. I was also beaten by a kinder in the next lane over. So I don't really have much to brag about other than reaching the triple digits (barely). My kiddos are awesome though and kicked some bowling behind.

After bowling we rolled on over to Big Cheese Pizza (think low end Chuckie Cheese) and had our fill of pizza. Or at least, we tried to get the kiddos to eat, but they were so excited about the arcade that they ate a slice and said, "I'm ready to play now!" This means that the mister and I have dinner taken care of, which is nice since we'll be spending the evening packing up to hit to road for a week. 

When we returned to school we had a small going away party for Mrs. S. Today was her last day as our assistant and we wanted to thank her for all that she does for us. So, juice and animal crackers it was. Followed by a little bit of The Land Before Time and some time in the play kitchen. 

All in all it was a fantastic way to spend the day before break. I don't think we would have gotten much learning done one way or the other, so at least we had an agenda. Plus, the kiddos talked about numbers all day - whether subtracting, counting how many pins they had left, figuring out how many quarters were needed to play arcade games, and counting tickets. 

the stylistic bowling of kindergarten, my amazing 112 score, pizza, and air hockey

bummer

Well, it is looking as if our summer off from grad school will be no more. Our beloved professors are both moving on in their lives - one is retiring, the other is moving north to be closer to family. As a satellite campus for WNMU, this means that we are unsure of what classes will be available to us in person in the coming year. As a result, it looks like the mister and I are going to jump on the opportunity to take one of our three remaining classes this summer while it is being offered online. It isn't ideal, but it will get things done. That means next school year we'll be looking at two remaining classes - how we'll earn those credits is to be determined. Hopefully they won't only be available online, but if they are, at least we tripled up this year so that we don't have so many classes to worry about in the future. The good news is that the University has stated that we will be able to finish our degrees. Thank goodness for that.

the things they say

"Mrs. Hall, I don't want to be a human any more. I'm a cat."

Just another Friday in Kindergarten. My kinders are pretty awesome. They frequently refer to themselves as humans. Not people. Humans. And I love it, every single time.

reality

Just before Valentine's Day I welcomed a new student to my classroom. While it may have caused a disruption to the class, we were working together to teach the rules and expectations that are the norm in my classroom. Then, he was gone for a week. I was told to wait. There was no notification from the family, so the standard is to wait for ten days before the district withdraws a student as a result of absences.

Then he came back. Once again, there was a disruption in my classroom. We started from scratch, working together to teach the rules and expectations for the classroom. Then, today he was withdrawn from our school because of the district requirement for official notes (such as a doctor's note or a printed obituary) to excuse absences. Our principal would not excuse absences without a note and the family was upset, so they took him out of our school altogether.

Unfortunately this is the reality for some children. They lack the consistency that is needed to learn the rules and expectations that come with being a part of a community. They jump from place to place, not on their own accord, and not necessarily because of family choices. We live in a world where children become the victims of policies that adults and politicians make. While there are rules in place to protect both children and adults, sometimes people fall through the cracks because of them.

Once again, I find myself in a position where I do not know what will come for this child and it breaks my heart. He is a very intelligent boy and has a lot of potential, I can only hope for the best and that the wind starts to blow in his favor so that he doesn't need to fight against so many obstacles at such a young age.

the things they say

This week we began studying measurement and comparisons in math class. Yesterday we did longer and shorter, today we focused on taller and shorter. I introduced the topic and the vocabulary words. I showed the students an example of measuring height to compare and then I had some students participate in a comparison activity. After that, they were set free to explore the classroom and find things that were taller and shorter than them.

After 4 minutes I called them back to the group. We sat down and each student had the chance to share about something that they had found. The students went around saying, "the door is taller than me," and, "the bookshelf is shorter than me," and, "Mrs. S's table is shorter than me." That's when I got my winner.

Me: What did you find?

Student: Ummm... the green tub.

Me: What can you tell us about the green tub?

Student: [blank stare]

Me: The green tub is sh.....

Student: The green tub is sh...maller?

I had to keep myself from bursting out laughing. I love my kinders. While it may not be a real word, I think it deserves acknowledgement for being an accurate descriptor.