Today, they learned something!

I know they size me up. Most of my teaching career, actually most of my life, people have taken one look at me and thought they knew.

Knew I was soft.
Knew I was shy.
Knew I couldn't handle it.
Knew they would eat me alive.
Knew that I didn't stand a chance.

But it's them that didn't stand a chance. My classroom discipline motto has always been to speak softly, and carry a stick of chalk. Because I don't need to yell. I have other ways of getting what I want.

I am a manipulator. I foster relationships with my students so that they want to make me happy, make me proud of them. If I don't get what I want, I make it very clear that 1, they've disappointed me, 2, they should be disappointed in themselves, and three, they'll only get out of life what they put in. My genuine praise of them makes it this way. And it helps that I'm an expert at guilt trips. Learned from the best Catholics!

Here's two examples:
Tough guy in cross country tells off a janitor before practice after she yelled at him to get off a table. I made it clear he needed to apologize to her. He did. No yelling.

Dance team seniors want "a life" and only want to perform at 5 home games. I bargain for 8. They ended up with 15 performances. Manipulated.

So now I am the only female coach for track, in charge of mid distance and distance. I feel I'm taking some grief from the guys. They don't know me, they figure I'm no expert and they don't need to listen. The first practice they had me we did a ladder up to 600 meters. After we got to the top, my declaration of heading back down was met with groans and whining. After some warnings from my cross country kids who know better, it continued. To which I said, "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I say 400 meters? I meant 600! Here we go!"

But today, after a few cocky comments and not paying attention, I gave them a very hard day. They learned after the 5th hill to stop asking when they'd be done. They stopped complaining by the 9th hill. They started listening to me on the 13th hill. After the small hills we headed to the notorious "Dam" hill, which is painfully long. one asked if that was our destination. I smiled and they replied "Yay?" (as if saying, oh my god I'm going to die, but I'm going to try!). I rewarded them by telling them instead of 2 hills, as I had planned, because they didn't complain, they would only do one. And finally, after 17 small hill sprints and 1 "dam" hill, when asked if they were tired, they said yes. When asked if they had a hard but good workout, they said yes. And finally, when they were asked if they were done, one said, "NO!". I smiled and said I loved the attitude, was proud of them for working hard and not complaining, and that yes, they were done! They told the head coach they had a great workout. I think they learned something today!

Scattered thoughts

It's been a while since I've written. I have so many different components in my life, it's hard to get one theme down in any given post, so I've been avoiding it. And I've been busy! I've been doing 3 or more days of subbing at 3 different school districts.

I'm finishing up coaching the dance team. This coming Monday is the Strut Your Stuff show, a fabulous end to our great season. There will be 16 routines, which includes their 2 "award winning" state routines, 5 routines they choreographed themselves, 5 solos, and grade school kiddos. It will be quite the production. I've even started working on next year, if it's not too presumptuous to assume that I will be the coach again, and booked hotel rooms for state competition. Just to brag, it's closer to the events center, has free parking, free breakfast, and a pool, and it is LESS THAN HALF of what we paid for this year!!! I love a good deal!

And, I've been hoodwinked, fairly willingly, into being the assistant coach for girls track, concentrating on the distance! However, I'm being constantly tested by the boys and their coach, who I'm trying not to peg as a chauvinist, but I suspect he is. Last week he told me not to run with them, but to stand in the hall and babysit, making sure no one walks. Then he changed the plans without consulting us when he said he would show me how to use the weights, and yesterday he cancelled an appointment again. His boys also got a taste of "Coach Rudd means what she says." After making it to the top of a ladder workout at 600m, I said it was time to go back down to 400. Whining and asking if I was serious was met with "Shut up!" from my cross country runners who know what I'm like. It continued, so I said, "Oh, I'm sorry, did I say 400? I meant another 600! Here we go." They didn't complain as much after that. Today will be a three mile run. Can't wait to see if they have learned their lesson.

I've signed up for an 8k next weekend. I hope it gets dramatically warmer. I'd really like to run in 50 degree weather, as opposed to 20 degree! Competition makes me nervous, but I'm going to do it anyway. It is good to work to overcome fears, especially since my team will be going through these same fears this season.

And I've picked up a job. The same school I've coached at has offered me an aide job to 3 students who are at risk. I go back and forth about it. Professionally, it's a step backwards from teaching and pays less per day than subbing, but it does make me more invaluable to a great district, will allow me to build relationships with colleagues, is a steady pay check, will allow me to have a regular routine, and allows me to be there and working despite the meet schedule for track. In addition to that, I can be very helpful to these students, and that's what it's all about, right? I will start in 2 weeks.

And then there's the rug rats and hubby! Addie aced her "Kindergarten Assessment Evaluation" with flying colors! Or, because I have no idea what kind of questions it involved, and the general comments were, shall we say, VERY general, I am more or less assuming my child scored off the charts and should be classified as no less than a genius! Regardless, it says that she is ready to go. Emily is pretty much potty trained. She is ever so proud when she poops, and insists on showing us, and I am most impressed, usually because the kid can poop like an elephant! She has a few accidents now and then when she's playing hard or sleeping, but hasn't worn a diaper for a good 3 weeks! So nice! Jeremy is working on his special talent of carving Jesus. He got another commission from a church in Ames to do their processional. It looks awesome! He is truly gifted!

I think that's all I've been up to! Now maybe in future posts there will be less topics!

Whiney toddlers?

I have a terrible two year old and a frightening four year old. The oldest is the most baffling. She's smart, funny, beautiful and totally infuriating! She randomly refuses to do things we ask of her, digressing into some sort of crazy madwoman, complete with tears, wails, throwing and kicking. She's moody, one minute saying, "I love you, Mommy!" and the next she's screaming, "I hate you Mommy!" And it's all over the fact that she refuses to feed the cat or put her dish on the sink, or have me brush her hair!

Really?

And the two year old just thinks it's normal, so she starts doing the same thing.

But the worst is the whining. At the faintest hint she's not going to get what she wants, she starts wimpering and protesting, as her little fair face crumples. It's not like she gets what she wants when this happens, so why does she keep doing it? I know she's only four (and a half), but it just seems so immature. And it's driving me batty!

I'm watching the future leaders right now.

Right now, I'm subbing in an AP Calc class. Calculus is all Greek to me. There are 9 seniors, 2 of them I've coached, one of them is a neighbor and sits for my kids. They could have blown off today, it being a 2hr late start.

They had their books open before I had taken attendance, and all but shoved me out of the way, eager to get to the white board. Each of them took a problem and started explaining it to the class. The room is full of "You missed plugging in your D value." "No, look at your dA/dt, right here." "Is that right?" "Explain that again." "Can I borrow your brain next year?"

I love it. These guys get it! Self starters, motivated to do their best, understand, explain it to others, help out. And even though I've only had a small part in a few of their school careers, I feel proud of them!

These guys are going to be the 20% in the world that are the great leaders. Have faith that this generation is not lost!

Things that must be said.

This mostly has to do with random thoughts that pop up while I'm driving, that should be a tweet (twat? twat?) or a crackbook status, but since I'm not a texter, the thoughts go unsaid.

The first is that on my way to one of my sub jobs, on an old county country road, in the middle of nowhere, is an explosives manufacturing business. Really? They make explosives? I always wonder just how dangerous it is in there, because the building is relatively unassuming. And, I think, would this be a possible terrorist target? What if it's a cover for top secret government weapons? I mean, I pass it at least once a week, just what is it doing out there? By posting this, am I going to end up on a watch list? hmmmmmm.

The next is that sometimes I have a nearly uncontrollable urge to exit off the interstate while maintaining the same speed, blow past the stop sign, and shoot right back onto the on ramp. One of these days I may not be able to control it!

And finally, when I'm stressed out, I try to put a seat belt on, whether I'm in the car or not. I sit down, on the couch, at a desk, to supper, and I involuntarily reach for my seat belt. Not sure why.

I feel much better, now having said all that!

Recovering toddlers are crabs!

Last Wednesday, Addie hit a fever of 104.6 and threw up three times. I was gone to state dance competition, so my husband had to deal with her alone. Emily then got a fever and felt sick. The next day Emily was doing better, but Addie was still in the 103 to 104 range as soon as the Motrin wore off. She was a slug on the couch. She stayed that way until Monday morning, when it appeared that the fever was gone. It was a good thing too, because that evening was the Christmas Pageant she had been preparing for and talking about since the beginning of school. I called the school and said I'd keep her for the morning, just to make sure, and then she could come for lunch and finish out the day, and make her debut.

By 9:30 it was apparent that she was not doing better, and her temperature was back at around 101. She melted down at the slightest bit of resistance, and found herself in bed by 10am where she passed out until 1 when I woke her to drag her into the doctor.

It was one of those mommy-second-guessing moments. She's had a fever for 6 days, but it is lower, and really what are they going to do? But what sort of mother lets their kid have a fever for 6 days? I took her, and consequently felt stupid because he said whatever it was was on its way out and to call if it wasn't gone in two days.

So no pageant, and she stayed home the next day, where she spent the morning screaming at me anytime I told her something she didn't like. She could have moved into time-out she spent so much time there.

Finally, she was fever free for 24 hours and I shipped her butt off to school. It didn't go so well. Much to her aggravation, she learned that she had missed the pageant and was very upset the whole day. Her teachers sent a note explaining they "gave her a break" because of the trauma inflicted by her bad mommy not explaining she was going to miss it and didn't prepare her for her friends asking where she was.

Tonight, the class A melt down came at 6pm when she informed us she was not going to finish her supper, but would throw it on the floor, unless we stopped making the wrong kind of cookies! Screaming and kicking and crying ensued, quickly followed by a hosing off and chucking into bed, where she was passed out before her head hit the pillow.

I hope this is the last day! Her crabbiness has got to end!

I never do these things...

...because they take forever. But I thought it would be a fun blog post. There are some stupid questions that would be better replaced by something more meaningful, since it takes an eternity to complete anyway. But here is my "Getting to know you" crackbook chain activity:
You've been tagged (as have I), you have the honor of copying all these goofy questions, writing your own response, and tagging 25 other victims. You have to tag me so really you just need 24 more people. To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your title as "Getting to know each other!", tag 25 people including me (tagging is done in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish. (I actually tagged more people, just to spite them!)

1. What time did you get up this morning?
6AM (I wish it would have been later!)

2. How do you like your steak?
Mooing

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Eat, Pray, Love (sucked, IMHO) but loved the GNO

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Grey's/Desperate Housewives

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I think I'm here! (except I could do without the cold and snow!)

6. What did you have for breakfast?
COFFEE!!!!

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Anything my husband makes!

8. What foods do you dislike?
Lemon filled bismarks disguised as Boston Creme; that is just EVIL

9. Favorite place to eat?
Hu Hot... even the name is fun to say... go ahead, try it... HU HOT!

10. Favorite dressing?
Ranch

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
The Blue Eagle (AKA Town and Country short bus)

12. What are your favorite clothes?
My power suit with the pink cami and kitten heels!

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
The middle east or Rome

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
depends; if the coffee is 1/2 anything, it's bad. However, if the wine is 1/2 anything, someone is having a good time!

15. Where would you want to retire?
Someplace close to family, as long as I had money to travel

16. Favorite time of day?
10:09pm

17. Where were you born?
St. Joseph, Michigan

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Dance (IS TOTALLY A SPORT, MEL!)

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
Well, I haven't tagged people yet, as I type this. And perhaps, by saying they will not tag me back, they actually will to prove a point, because if they are spiteful, like me, they will do it just to prove me wrong... so in that case...Jeremy, Heidi, Trinity, Levi, Adam... I apologize if I've forgotten anyone.

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
Let's just see who has too much time on their hands... like me... right now.

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
Probably my neighbors!

22. Bird watcher?
Only at my MIL's because she puts out a ton of birdseed, and word gets around! Some of those birds are so huge they need to go on a diet!

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Really? All morning people should be shot...

24. Pets?
2 cats, 2 kids, and a husband. The shedding is the worst!

25. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share?
Baby 3... no, just kidding. Talk to me next year...

26. What did you want to be when you were little? honestly?
A marine biologist. 10 years of getting thrown into freezing cold water before 7am for swim team killed that dream.

27. What is your best childhood memory?
Traveling everywhere in minivans with the McKees

28. Are you a cat or dog person?
cat

29. Are you married?
9 1/2 years

30. Always wear your seat belt?
Yes

31. Been in a car accident?
Yes

32. Any pet peeves?
See #8 and #23. Also silly bands, spam, and people who go slightly under the speed limit.

33. Favorite pizza topping?
The works

34. Favorite Flower?
Lavendar and Lilac for smell, but the first tulip in the spring is the best. Oh, and all kinds of tiger lilies.

35. Favorite ice cream?
B&J Creme Brulee

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Does subway count?

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? .
none

38. From whom did you get your last email?
The Scooter Store: I may be eligible to recieve a power chair or scooter at little to no cost... see #32...

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Target, but how would that be different?

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Took an industrial tech class on a short, unauthorized, mini field trip to the back lot of the school to check out their progress on a shed they were building... I was impressed! Also, taught an Algebra class actual math!

41. Like your job?
Love teaching, want my own classroom sooooo bad!

42. Broccoli?
Yum

43. What was your favorite vacation?
The summer of continuous road trip: From MA to home in Iowa, to Colorado, to Devil's Tower, to Walldrug, to Badlands, to Mt. Rushmore, to Iowa, to Rock Island, to MA to Sweden, to MA. Fun!

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
The Maquoketa Valley Dance Team!

45. What are you listening to right now?
Pachelbel Canon in d

46. What is your favorite color?
green

47. How many tattoos do you have?
none

48. Coffee drinker?
HELL YES!!!

49. What nicknames do you go by?
crudd, mom, mommy, coach, woman