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.