The New Crib

This, friends, is my new house.

I moved in with the help of 11 13-year-olds. My friends offered to help me, but I couldn't turn down the eager pleas that I let students from my predura. We discussed it last Monday before school. Here's what I got all day long:
Ms. Nicole, I am so sorry I wasn't there this morning, can I still-
You want to help me move?
Yes! Can I?

We ate American pancakes, hung out, and then I eventually had to ask them to leave so I could get settled... but it's kind of beautiful, eh? And I have PLENTY of places to sleep, so... please, please feel free to come and stay with me. I will take good care of you.



I think this is beautiful. Notice the picture of Graham... I didn't forget you! (Thanks, Nikki)




Living room + place for everyone that I know here (excluding my students, who are not invited) to sleep.



And finally, my kitchen, complete with some of the most wonderful people in the world, who came as my first visitors.

POČITNICE!!!

Well kids, we did it- we made it to the first facation. I now have a whole week off to rest and read and enjoy my freedom. How did I kick it off? Well... let me tell you how we ALL kicked it off at school on Friday.

7:10, Voluntary Predura. Students are in no way required to come to this class. Do they? Absolutely. Out of their own free will... and if I try to cancel, what happens?
''Mrs. Nicole! Come on!''
Sometimes I would like to sleep in, but I'd hate to make them suffer the horrible injustice of not having school. Before school.

8:00, 7th grade English class. Nothing special. Read William Tell and fielded the amazing questions that my dear student Miss P asked me whenever the was a quiet moment in class.
''So tell me, in America, are all of the cops always like this?'' (She stands with her fingers out in front of her mimicking a gun).
They're just regular cops, dear.

''Do Americans really cry all of the time, over everything???''
Only my mother when she gets an emotional card on Christmas... love you ma!

''Is it hard to get jobs in America? As an actress??''
Hmm... there was that one time that I wrote a letter to Disney asking about auditions for the next Disney Channel Original Movie

''What's your favorite movie?''
''Book?''
''Band?''
''Superhero??''
''Character in Harry Potter??'' Ron, btw

And my personal favorite from yesterday:
''Miss Nicole, I have a question for you'' duh ...''I'm writing a book. It will be 800 pages, but I'm on page 5. When I finish, can I give it to you?''

8:45-9. Break- usual conversation club- Jaša.

9-9:45, Free period. Look up info on genetic engineering for the 9th graders. I'm, oddly enough, being distracted by the loud pop-music in the hall. Decide to get some peace in the teacher's room and have my snack, which is apparently where the principal and her staff meet for the principal's meeting:
''Uhhh, sorry. Um, oprosti! -Te! Oprostite!''
stares.
''So... zato to je... uh sestan- ja. Vredu. Jaz bom šla... uživajte'' (so... so this is... uh... meetin- OK. I'll just go... enjoy)

9:45-10:05, Snack. Half-sandwich with bologna and pickles, + watching my 8th graders climb up the stairs as slowly as possible. Jaša and Žana arrive to inform me that they spent math punching in the same key on Jaša's calculator 3000 times, Jaša at speeds of up to 700x per minute. Visited by Jernej and Miha who acted up in class yesterday...
JERNEJ: I'm sorry.
MIHA: Oprostite
Jernej hits Miha upside the head
JERNEJ: V angleščini! (In English!)
MIHA: Sorry.

10:05-10:55, 9th grade. Here I quickly realize that genetic engineering is wayy too advanced. Ah, what do we do? Think quickly, teacher. Ok- make them decide if we should or should not create clones. Explain what a clone is. How does it work? Show a video of Dolly the Sheep on the internet. What do you think? Where is the line?
Explain. good.
Comment on the strange music in the hall. check. Seriously, what is going on?
Tell them about genetically engineered food in America. no, we don't all eat McDonal's all of the time.
FOCUS! Ignore the bizarre music in the hall. no wait, don't. WHAT IS THAT?
Bell rings. dismissed.

11-11:45- 7th graders again. Oh, ok. Take them to the presentation of... musicians? (No, Miss P, not everyone in America
has a brother and a sister) These are not your typical musicians though- they are little kids wearing tight pants and high hells singing to songs about breaking up. Why doesn't ANYONE else think this is strange???
ME: That presentation today was... interesting. Was that typical?
GOSPA R: Yes, sometimes the music school gives a preview.
ME: Oh yeah, great. But do they always dress like that and sing such... mature songs?
GOSPA R: Ok, Nicole. I just listen to the music.

11:50-end, 5th Grade. They're crazy today. First of all, because they love me. One of them has left a glitter tattoo on my desk as a gift (it says 'Good' in blue rhinestones). Secondly, they are crazy because it's the last period before break. They need to move or we will have no concentration. Ok, no problem. New game.
Here's what we're going to do... The vocabulary that we just learned? I am going to call out what I want you to get, and you run to your backpacks and bring it to me! Ready??? (YEAH!!!) Ok, bring me your... Folder!

(25 folders and excited kids meet me at the front).
Good! Ok... bring me your... eraser!

(25 excited kids run to the front. 24 erasers run toward me and one pair of...)
Neja, those are scissors. Let's... let's play Simon Says instead.

A Wonderful Field Trip... A Very Strange Tradition

One thing that is definitely, definitely true is that field trips are better in Slovenia. So far, I have been to hike Stol (2236 meters), a group of my students spent a week at the seaside, another spent a week at camp, and a third spent a week in London, in addition to traveling around Slovenia, Croatia and Italy. I've learned that when people say ''Miss Nicole, we were wondering if you'd like to go on --------'' to immediately say 'YES.'

Last Friday I was asked to go on an 8 hour field trip to visit some sights that were important to the Sočka fronta in WWI (Yugoslavia's Western Border). I said yes (because I'm not crazy) and had a great and interesting day. We visited some historical sights, a WWI museum, and went hiking in a canyon.

However, my favorite part of the day was eating lunch on the Soča River.

Because I'm the 'cool American', I was invited to eat with a group of 9th grade girls (and boys. I choose the girls). During the lunch, one of the girls asked another if she'd be getting married today. Ok- strange question (especially since people get married very late here).

I decided to just let it go. What I did not realize was that it is a tradition on fieldtrips for 2 of the students to get married. What? Yeah, I know. When I was in the 9th grade, I would have died if one of my teachers tried to marry me off to Tyler Warner. BUT, Ines and Denis took it well. Here's what happened...

We were eating lunch when the conductor of the boat stood up and told some jokes about men and women (which miggggght have been a little inappropriate for young ears I'M JUST SAYING. Then he asked Denis to come up and say some words, and then forced him to propose to Ines. Of course, she said yes (she didn't have a choice), then they had to kiss each other, everyone shook their hands, and we left the boat. They left the boat in each others arms as we threw leaves over them.





ME: Mrs. Resman, is this a normal custom here in Slovenia??

MRS. RESMAN: Of course not. We usually throw rice.

Still born to teach innercity kids...

In the past year I have started to email correspond with a whole bunch of former students- it's kind of what I live for, so I don't mind if it takes a bit of time... nothing brightens my day like hearing from some long-lost kid :)

Anyway, the emails that are definitely the most entertaining come from Eisenhower Middle School-- here is a thread:

Hi Shantel! It's great! I'm starting a science club after school, so that is really exciting and going really well. How is everything going there?
Same I am in a play at school I am a back up dancer.
Oh that's great! What is the play?
I cant remember but I wish you could be there.

So much love... I might just feel like the queen of the world- she doesn't even remember the name of the show, but she wants to invite her former student teacher. Delighted.