Picasso? Not so much.

Let's go ahead and write it down that the month of February, as far as school has been concerned, has been the exact OPPOSITE of awesome. This week, especially Friday definitely added to the non-awesome of it all. Allow me to elaborate.

Friday afternoon my kids go to art. They are a pretty well behaved group of kids, outside of the fact that they can't ever, and I mean EVER close their mouths for 5 seconds and think before they act. I really think there is something in about 8-10 of their genetic make up that makes them unable to hear practical and informational bits of advice from those older. It is literally as if they get inside the head of the person giving directions (mostly me) and hear me think "I sure HOPE no one does THIS," and they do the very thing I do not want done. It's really quite amazing.

Anyway, I go to pick up my kids from art, and I hear a child being fussed at. I definitely hear the phrases, "Dry it up," and "I don't want to hear it," so I automatically know said kid is crying. This said kid (we will call him Boy) weeps uncontrollably ev-er-y-time he gets in trouble. He is one of the tallest kids in the class, yet is the most sensitive. He tattles and disobeys and is yet so SHOCKED when he has to move his clothespin (the consequence for not making "smart choices." Earlier that day, Boy had to move his clothespin for blatantly farting on the carpet and rolling around laughing about it during center time. He thought it was hilarious, but soon starting crying when he got in trouble. Unbelievable. But back to art--so I hear Boy getting in trouble, so I know I'm in for tons of fun when I pick him up. When the door the art room opens, Boy's face is the first face I see...and do you want to know what I saw?

PAINT. ALL. ON. HIS. FACE. Paint! Boy had apparently taken his thumb and painted it while the teacher wasn't looking then proceeded to wipe the paint all on his cheeks. AND THEN, when he was repremanded, in standard fashion, begin to cry. I saw him and immediately pointed to hallway for him to go out there and said one word to him: "RED." This means he moves his pin to red which is pretty much the worst. This word sent him into a frenzy of tears and wailing and knashing of teeth. Ok, maybe there was no knashing, but there were tears and wailing. I mean, he carried on all the way back to our classroom. You would've thought I was pinching him. I wasn't going to let him in my room until he calmed down, and he never did. I tried to talk calmly with him but he just kept on and kept on, so I told him we were all going to have snack; he could join us whenever. He finally went to the bathroom and washed his face and came in to sit down. I have absolutely no sympathy for Boy. He drives me nuts. He told me he was now not going to get any birthday presents or a party because he had a red day. Most of you might feel bad and then just move his pin back; well not me. The truth is, he'll get whatever he wants and there is no way I am being manipulated into thinking otherwise. Call me mean, call me insensitive. I just refused to have one pulled over on me by a young William Wallace (you know, the paint, on the face...not a good reference).

I am hoping the month will get better. This Friday kicks of the Spring 2009 concert tour. We'll be heading to ATL to see Ben Folds at the Tabernacle. The rest of the tour consists of these other fantastic acts.

April 11-Flight of the Conchords
April 20-Dave Matthews Band
April 27-Ray LaMontagne

With possibly the Avvett Brothers, Ben Kweller, and various other artists sprinkled here and there. It's gonna be amaaaaaaaazing. Expect pictures and full reports. Until then...

Dreads, Phantoms, Drums, what's not to love?

Season 8 of American Idol has finally after weeks of auditions, gotten underway. I am excited, yet also, a little skeptical of this years contestants. As always in the beginning of a season, I am wary that any of the contestants will be as good as ones I've like prior. I gotta tell you though, for me, season 7 had to be one of my favorites. I'm not entirely sure if it's because I watched it every single week 2 times a week while helping Shane and LaJuan take care of the girls or what, but I just loved it. With all the stopping and starting of songs (thank you Brook (or is it Brooke?) White), forgetting lyrics not just once but TWICE--in the same night (Jason Castro, my love), technical "foreigners" being in the top running for THE American Idol (Carlie...Michael Johns...always a pleasure, but I mean, where's the accent, come on?), putting hard rock twists on 80's and early 90's classics (Oh David Cook), the excessive amount of guy-liner (again, David Cook), or bringing middle-aged women to tears with soft-pleasing tones (The other David), it was just an all around great season. I did like others in the past, buuuut not like last year.

So, in standard fashion, I have selected a few video clips to commemorate favorite Idol performances. Relax...and enjoy. Shropshire, out.

I don't care WHAT Simon says...this stuff is gold. But Lord Andrew is a freak of the week.



I love this song anyway and it always makes me cry, but I just love this little dread head freak.



Also, another all time favorite of mine. PLUS, he's just so awkward. And high. It's hilarious.


I do love a piano...and it IS Brooke...with an e.


Alright, this one is really just for the sheer fact that Jason Castro sang like all my favorite songs...GRANTED he didn't ACTUALLY know he was singing about, but come on, Grisabella the Glamour Cat...that hits right to the heart.


I mean, kid wasn't my fav, but there's no doubt he can saaaaaaang. I mean, saaaaaaaaaaaang.


This is personally my favorite re-make of Mr. Cook, so, here goes...if though technically somone else did the re-make first, so it's really a re-make OF a re-make.


Annnnnnnnnd to top it off with one of my all time favs just because Blake Lewis is so freakin random...I don't think he's givin love a bad name. And they say David Cook was the pioneer of "original" versions. Ok, maybe not.

Unpack your Magic Number 3 in the Great American Melting Pot

Does this title confuse you? If you were a fan of School House Rock, then you might actually not be confused. That sentence alone leaves room for confusion, but I digress. ANYWHO, I have always owed the bulk of my knowledge of anything to School House Rock. Those who know me more than likely can attest to the fact that I am auditory learner...frighteningly auditory. You put anything to a song, and I can learn it. I'm not bragging, do not be fooled, because I might not actually know what or be able to "explain" the information I "retained", but so help me I can sing it to you. My sister Amber and brother Sheldon (sorry Leigh, odd one out) are the same. I distinctly remember listening to this tape on the times tables every morning on the way to school in elementary school so that Amber could learn them, and I was probably the only 1st grader who could tell you their 7 times tables, but not have a clue what I was talking about. To the same effect, I was the only kid in kindergarten who knew their 50 states (well in my class anyway) because my brother and sisters learned a "50 Nifty United States" song for chorus and they would practice it at home, so I just picked it up. That little ditty has helped me out a number of times, I tell ya.

So anyway, we've been talking about adjectives at school, so I decided to go raid the movie drawer at school and I stumbled upon The Best of School House Rock! and I was so excited because not only did it have the song "Unpack Your Adjectives" (which is aplicable to what we are learning right now) but pretty much every other SHR song that I love. And to make it better, my kids loved it. I told them that I learned most everything I know from School House Rock, so they said they concluded they don't actually have to listen to me anymore, and are now convinced the only reason I was able to become a teacher is because I listened to School House Rock. I tried to explain it to them, but it just got too hard, so I quit and just pressed play.

So now I decided to take you back to the old school (literally) and share with you some of my favorite SHR songs.

In the area of Grammar...

What's NOT to love about this song? I mean, ok the graphics are poor, but come on, this is an amazing song.


Any person you can know, any place that you can go, and anything that you can show...oh those crazy nouns.


Lolly, Lolly, Lolly...


Oh, those and but and or, they really DO get you pretty far


All I know about the government and how our country came to be, I owe to these next few songs.

Preamble...helped me out tremendously in 5th grade when I had to memorize it


NOW I know how a Bill becomes a law...and whenever I'm in doubt, I always refer back to this song


I really just did this one for Dominique...because she loves it.


The true bane of my existence...mathematics.

According to my kids, this was a "sweet one." So weird.


I mean, dang, I'm adult and this one helped me out...interest...what??


Could've gone on forever, but I felt like I've shared enough. What are your favs? OR maybe you're secretly judging me for being a 24 year old adult posting School House Rock...that's cool...keep that to yourself.

I guess Bill Cosby WAS right

Kids really do say the darnedest things. My 1st graders are proof of that. Since returning from Christmas, I have overheard/been a part of some interesting conversations. I've waited so long to post them now that I don't remember half of them, but I'll try to remember them.

• Teaching 1st grade has caused me to almost literally hate the sound of my own name. All day long all I ever hear is "Miss Shrop can I..." "Miss Shrop she just..." "Miss Shrop when are we..." "Miss Shrop where is..." "Miss Shrop. Miss SHROP. MISS SHROP!" One day I finally just snapped. It was the end of the day and we were all on the carpet after just packing up and waiting for the bell to ring and, as always, 3-4 people were calling my name at one time. Finally I just said, "Oh guys, I am REALLY beginning to HATE the sound of my own name. Can you please just stop saying it for 1 second?!" About 5 seconds pass by before one smart A kid goes..."So...what do you want us to call you then...you know...if you don't like the sound of YOUR name." Un-be-lievable.
• This past week at the end of the day when all my kids were packed up and sitting on the carpet hanging out, I was back at my table working with one of them, I overheard something truly hilarious. All my car riders and some of my bus kids had left so I have about 9-10 kids left in my room. One of them just went to change for her dance class at school and comes back to join the rest of her friends. All of the kids are commenting on the bright orange slightly over sized t-shirt she is wearing and intently inquiring where she got it from. For those who don't know, 1st graders are prone to a sad, yet sickening disease. It's called over exaggerationitis. The treatment for this disease is unknown, though some of believed a little bit of truth serum might do them a world of good. Anywho, I overhear her tell her friends something a long the lines of she got the t-shirt from her grandfather/uncle and he was wearing it when he died. The truth of that story is she may or may not have received it from one them and they may have happened to die, but nothing about that shirt would ever fit a grown adult. Well, this lovely bright spot in conversation kind of brought all the kids to a quiet awkwardness, when all of a sudden I hear one of my kids kinda laugh and go "Wah waaaaaah," as if to indicate the other student had clearly brought the mood down. This had me laughing for about 5 minutes.
• My kids frequently ask me at lunch if I get very tired of eating the same thing every day because they know that they sure would. They've even offered to share their school lunch with me. I, however, have to pass.
• I still get asked, quite often, by my kids when am I gonna get married and a few of them are in the works of devising a plan on "how to get Miss Shrop a man." Awesome.

I'm sure there is more I could add to this list, but I just wanted to make a post/share these things with you because it's been a while. Hope you all have a fantastic start to the month of February.