Saturday, September 27, 2008

Things I wish I hadn't heard.....

It seems like my whole life I have worked with kids in some form or fashion. They never fail to take me by surprise with the things they say or do. Sometimes it is funny, and then sometimes I think I work on a funny farm. It is always something interesting, though.

I like lists. The movie High Fidelity is one of my most favorite movies, because John Cusack's character is always coming up with his top 5 of everything. So in the spirit of lists, I have decided to compile a list of things I wish I hadn't heard and/or seen. Some names have been changed to protect the not so innocent! If you have a weak stomach you might want to stop reading!

"Miss Floyd! Tommy is sucking his toes!"

"Miss Floyd! Tommy just tried to lick my ear!"

"Miss Floyd! I need to *insert puking noise here*!"

"Miss Floyd! I need a tissue *insert image of a child stringing snot from his hands and nose to the tissue box*!"

"Miss Floyd! My ponytail just came off! Can you put it back on?"

"Miss Floyd! When Johnny threw up on the table, some splattered on my shirt!"

"Miss Floyd! Suzy just peed in the sink of the girl's bathroom!" (I only WISH I were joking!)

"Miss Floyd! Someone wrote about you in the bathroom in red permanent marker!" (And it wasn't "Miss Floyd's my favorite teacher!")

"Miss Floyd! You sure have put on weight!"


But then there are those things you hear that just melt your heart!

"Miss Floyd, you're hair smells really good!"

"Miss Floyd, you are SO skinny!"

"Miss Floyd, can I hold your hand?"

"Miss Floyd, can you teach 5th grade so I can have you again?"

"Miss Sarah, I was one point away from commended on my reading TAKS!" (Matthew, my friend Elaine's son, after years of struggling in reading.)

"Miss Sa - wah, I need a hug!" (Sweet little Noah, Matthew's little brother.)

"Tay-uh, Tay-uh!" (Little Noni Gearhart trying to say my name as she runs to hug me!)

"Aunt Sarah, you're my favorite!" (My nephew, Kolin, 3)

So I guess when working with children, and loving children, you have to take the good with the not so good. I don't think I'd trade it for anything! Well.......maybe some Calgon and a bottle of Advil!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

......just cuz!

There are moments that I find myself doing things or saying things just because my parents did them that way. It's like that story about the woman who cut the ends off the roast before she put it in the pan. When she was asked about it she said she did it because her mother did it that way. Then her mother was asked why she had done that same thing, and she had the same reply. Come to find out the grandmother cut the ends off the roast because she didn't have a pan big enough for it to fit in.

When I make a bed I always tuck the corners a certain way. It was never a thought to me, it was just the way mom did it. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized we did that because mom was a nurse, and it was called a hospital corner. I just thought that everyone made their beds that way.

I have a very particular way to fold towels. One time an old roommate pointed it out to me. I hadn't thought about it before, but that's how mom folds towels.

I'm thrown off when I let someone borrow my toothpaste and they put a big thumbprint in the middle of the tube. That is a nuance I picked up from my dad.

The last time my mom was in town we had been out and about and I was backing into my garage. My mom asked me why I did that and before I could answer she said "Because you're Gerald Floyd's daughter." Actually it is because my bike is hanging where the driver's side door would open if I drove in forward.......and I am Gerald Floyd's daughter.

So what things have you picked up from your parents that are just second nature?