"If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly!"

I hate to disappoint all of you who opened this blog thinking we had an encounter with a bear. Unfortunately, the only reason I used the quote was to relay my interest in hibernating with the rest of the bears out here. The weather has gotten colder, the snow has begun to show its face a little more often, but rarely sticks around long enough to have any fun in. And the sun seems to be becoming scarcer than the snow.

It's conference week and now that my paperwork is done, I want to clean up shop and sit back bundled in blankets with a movie. So, that's exactly what Brandon and I have been doing. We've been cleaning house, getting dishes done, laundry washed, floors swept, and the interest in dirtying another dish after our cleaning rants is nonexistent. So, tonight was a leftover night on paperplates; and when leftovers were gone, Brandon had a bowl of cereal while Tombstone blared in the background.

Knowing that I can't hibernate, some of the grizzly's temper has found its way into my interactions. I started off slowly, trying to find my footing as I interacted with the kids. But as I get to know my kids and how they work, I've found the confidence again. I had a student sharing a story with me today about how she crossed paths with a fox on her way to school. She comes into my room and tells me stories about 15 minutes before school every morning. Because I enjoy that students are warming up to me, I've allowed the visits even when they interrupt the quiet of my planning period. As she told the story, she spoke village English. And all the while, I helped her through her story, adding articles and prepositions. After a few corrections, my student interjected that I talked like a city girl, as if it should hurt my feelings. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: What's that like?
Student: Like you!
Me: Are you saying a city girl speaks English correctly?
Student: Yes! You always say right English. I say village English.
Me: I speak that way so others can understand me.
Student: My parents can understand me!
Me: Then go talk to your parents.

The student was receptive and agreed that she'd rather speak in a way anyone could understand her. She made her corrections and I felt effective. It was a nice and motivating beginning to my day; something I needed to jerk me out of this hibernation phase setting in on me.