The kids are eating my braaaaaiiiinnnnnn...

OMG, today was nuts. All day long the kids were crazy and friggin' wouldn't SHUT UP. I hate hot days like this, especially with large classes (I've got 32 now). One kid starts chatting and the rest follow, and all the rewards and consequences in the world won't make them stop. Now, after 6 years of teaching I'm pretty damned confident in my ability to manage a classroom, and 3 principals who all say pretty good things make me even more confident. But days like today make me feel like a first year teacher who can't do anything but yell at the little brats.

The sheer size of the group makes it doubly difficult, since the second I redirect one on one side of the room, there's one on the other side that wasn't engaged because it took me 2 seconds to get in proximity to manage the other one. I feel like I'm at a tennis match some days. Look left: "Billy, eyes on me." Look right: "Jenny, put that away." Look left: "Sally, this isn't a beauty parlor." Look right: "Annie, don't put that in your mouth." And the hardest part is that my room is so jam-packed with kids and desks (desks, mind you, that are twice as big as desks need to be, so there is literally NO ROOM TO WALK in my classroom) that I have a really hard time using my best weapons, proximity and the infamous "teacher stare." The teacher stare works better if you're close to the kid getting stared at. Which is hard to do if YOU CAN'T WALK BETWEEN DESKS.

I had my first student processing today. Without going into details, that means that the kid couldn't get it together twice, which meant he needed to leave the room for some downtime. They go to the next room over, fill out a form explaining what they did and why, how it affected themselves and others, and what they will do differently next time. To his credit, this kid did a great job on the form, came back in a better mood, and had a better rest of the day. Which is exactly what our system is supposed to do, so yay for us! At least I'm doing something right.

On a nursing note, pumping at school is going okay. I'm managing to find time 4 times a day at school to pump, which is great for right now while I'm trying to keep up my supply. I imagine once Emma hits 6 months I'll cut down a bit. This is going to sound nuts, but I love my closet - it's completely private, has a minifridge and an outlet for my pump, and I can fit a chair in there so I can relax during pumping sessions. However, I'm only getting 7-8 ounces for a 10 hour day. Emma is certainly not hurting for it - she's chunking up nicely and is starting to get that breastfed-baby roundness about her. I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow to look up fenugreek to increase my supply - apparently if you take it for awhile you start to smell like licorice, but I like licorice and I want to keep nursing my baby, so the rest of you, well, you're just gonna have to deal.
She's gonna have him wrapped around her little finger in no time.
That's a Matchbox car in his hand. He didn't even stir when I went in to take a picture of him, yet he's still gripping that Matchbox car like his life depends on it. Damn, I've got some cute kids. I wish I could take credit for that. :-) On another note, he has this new toy that he got in his Burger King kids meal - a Pokemon called Jub Jub. Except he calls it Chub Chub. Which Scott can't help but giggle at. Men. Seriously.

I decided to skip the Wii tonight. I've worked out every day for the past week and I need a break. Too much too soon isn't good for the milk supply either, and I'm really tired. But I'm still down 13 pounds, and I'll do more tomorrow. Off to watch One Tree Hill - if for nothing other than the eye candy. Chad Michael Murray is totally dreamy. :-b... *drools*