third grade...

third graders are really fun.  they are really willing to learn, super eager to please, and full of questions (both good and bad).  third graders are also really exhausting.  they are still working on ignoring people who bother them, not being tattletales, and being responsible for their words, actions, and belongings.

we're half way through the year and i think i've adjusted from teaching my middle schoolers to teaching my third graders.  i REALLY miss the older kids, particularly the 8th graders.  i was young and cool to them, and they could talk to me / ask me for help and advice about school and non-school related things.   third graders just see me as still being too old to comprehend (which i get, but is not as fun).  teenagers also understand that they are typically slackers and can do better than they do.  they also can take and give sarcasm which makes life as a teacher a little more fun.. or for the most part at least (i did make a kid cry once when i played along on a joke and i guess he was more sensitive than we realized... oops.)  most third graders don't get sarcasm yet, and would not be able to hold back the tears.

surprisingly enough, even though those middle schoolers have disgusting raging hormones, and can be unpredictably mood swing-y... i think i'll be headed back to that age range when i'm back in the states.

hey, 2011.

happy 2011!  celebrating new years seems to be less and less exciting to me with each coming year.  i'm not sure why (maybe because i'm getting older?) but i guess as reflection goes... crazy to think about how much you can experience in a year.  this time last year i was in the midst of becoming an international teacher candidate.  i went to an insane job fair, got a job, finished off my time at south river and said goodbye to my students/co-workers, got a million shots and prepared for life in a different country, said see ya later to friends & fam, picked up a good portion of my life and moved to AFRICA (still surprises me sometimes),  and am now trying to sort through teaching 3rd graders while figuring out life in nigeria.  whirlwind, much?  

a new year is upon us, but maybe not so happy in abuja -- a fish bar in our city was bombed right around the new year.  i was still in the states when i heard about it, and luckily nobody i know was hurt... but it obviously gives me reason to worry.  much of the violence we hear about typically occurs in jos, nigeria which is several hours north of us so to hear the news of the bombing in abuja made me a bit nervous to return, but things seem okay thus far...  please keep me in your thoughts & prayers.  on a happier note, looking ahead: i am very excited for 2011 and much of the traveling i know i'll be doing (nigeria, tanzania, germany, hawaii)!!

while home was and always will be wonderful (saw a lot of friends/fam, ate a lot of good food, stocked up on goodies to bring back), it is kind of nice to be back here.  my roommate is still back in the states and unsure of when she'll return, as she managed to mess up both her ankles, so it is a little quiet and lonely, but i'll get used to it with time.  i like that the weather is warm, i'm back in my apt, and reacquainting myself with life here. with that comes being back to crazy traffic and getting stared at everywhere.  the immigration man asked me if i knew his friend, jackie chan, when i was going through line at the airport.  haha...