It's Been a While...

But I have an excuse, I promise. Actually, I have lots of excuses. Let's see, in the 4 1/2 months (WOW! It has been a while) since I last wrote I have been busy with...

-Jordan coming home
-Getting engaged
-Enrolled full time at 2 different colleges pursuing two different programs
-Started teaching full time- Special Education no less (If you want funny stories you will have to ask Jordan. He does the best impressions of my class)
-Got married (Pictures to come)
-Moved out of my parents house (a larger feat than it sounds)
-Finished and presented my Masters project. I AM FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course when Miqui texted asking, "How does it feel to never have to go to school if you don't want to," I had to laugh. I still have at least 2 more years. Stupid Special Ed. Credential.

Wow, when written down that doesn't really look like very much huh? It sure seemed like a heck of a lot more as I was working through it... I guess the old saying is true "Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand." But, I promise all of these reasons are really good reasons for me not blogging....
Of course, the only reason I am blogging now is I was looking for an excuse to not mop the kitchen floor. Jordan and I are leaving for Sacramento on Wednesday and I want the house clean. I just am having a hard time working up the gumption to actually do it... Shoot, I have nothing else to say so now I've run out of excuses. Off to mop the floor....

My family,

is the greatest. They are crazier than all get out but they are the greatest. Anyone who has put up with me for the past two years for any length of time should get a medal and my family should win the nobel peace prize. They are probably more excited than even I am that Jordan will be home tomorrow. (No, that was not a typo. He will be home TOMORROW!!!)

Just to show you how awesome my family is Yannette, my older sister, is going to meet Jordan at the airport tomorrow since I can't make it. Not only is going (dragging along a 6 month old I might add) but she is also making him a sign and taking noise makers! I am sure airport security is going to love her. The best part of it all is that she is going to give him a pair of crocs. I won't spoil her fun in telling the story but I am just sad that I will miss his face when he sees his newest pair of shoes....

less than 48 hours

until Jordan will be in the United States. I can't believe it! I bet you can't believe it either....

Some choices

Okay Netty, I am still working on "your" background but here are some that I have created. If there is on that you like, I would be happy to give it to you. Or if you like one but would like some changes, I can do that too. Just let me know...

Blog Backgrounds

are kind of fun. I am still working out the kinks. Miqui has a new background but it still needs a little bit of work. My background is very simple but I like it that way. All in all today was a fairly productive day- at least in the scrapbooking world. My lesson for Monday is still not planned and I have a million things still left on my to do list but are weekends really meant for getting things done? I didn't think so.

Oh, for those of you that are counting, as of 52 minutes ago, Jordan has only 10 more days of being a missionary. Can you believe it? I know I hardly can. It is like Christmas. You know how you look forward to it for so long and it feels like it will never get here but suddenly it is Christmas Eve? That is how I feel right now...except even more excited. 10 more days... I had finally broken the habit of biting my finger nails but the last 2 days have kind of shot that one. It is a good thing I have a manicure scheduled for the exact time Jordan's plane is supposed to be landing.

A few more...

      

        

More....

Still blocked....

Scrappin' Block

I am currently suffering from scrappers block. I am frantically trying to get as much of Jordan's missionary scrapbook done before he comes home (11 days!) and it seems the pressure is getting to me. Since I couldn't think creatively regarding missions I stole some pictures off of Net's blog and came up with this...

                                              

Today

started off well. Okay, not really. I over slept, really over slept. I have just enough time to jump in the shower, jump back out and run to the car. Of course in my haste to get to the car I forgot how to walk. Yeah, did you you know that there are 8 steps from the landing to the 1st floor? Yeah, I didn't know that either until I found out this morning- I counted each one with my @$$. From that moment on I knew my day was going to be just fantastic. Actually, I gave myself a whole pep talk on the way to work on how just because it started off poorly didn't mean I couldn't have a good day. Apparently, my pep talk didn't work.

After catching 3 students blatantly cheating on test corrections, it just got worse.

Yannette wrote about the stupid things people do. I think this act of stupidity should be added to the list. I stood over the students and watched them as they passed their papers back and forth and copied answers. Are you FREAKIN kidding me? I was insulted. Do they honestly think I am THAT stupid? If you are going to cheat, at least don't get caught!

Anyways, in discussing radical expressions, students might have well have stayed at home they were so out of it. I get it, Algebra at seven in the morning= crappy. It is not the most facinating topic I grant you but if you have to be there you might as well make the best of it right? So, after getting fed up with talking to myself and the one girl in the front row (bless her heart) I started yelling "GET UP!" They looked at me like is she serious? Of course I was serious. I made all 33 students stand up. When I started singing "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" they knew I had lost it. Yup, I made high schoolers do "Head, shoulders, knees and toes" . The best part was if ANYONE didn't participate the entire class had to do it again. No one is too cool for head, shoulders, knees and toes!

Administrators...

Never mind, I can't say what I was going to say. I am not tenured yet and my blog is public again. DRATS! Let's just say that I have a lot to say on the matter of education- if you ever have a day or two to listen to me rant and rave, just let me know and I would be more than happy to oblige.

Butt out...

Net says I need to blog more so here goes...

 Why do some people feel as if it is their right and responsibility to keep track of what I do? Why must they comment to others about my personal life? At least I am in a relationship... ERG! 

Okay, let me back up. For those of you that don't know (can't imagine who you would be, but, whatever...) I have a missionary. Jordan has been faithfully serving for the last 23 months and 1 week. Yes, the count down is down to 22 days. I guess you could say that I waited. I have always known that I would make the entire two years- no matter how many well- intentioned (and some not so-well- intentioned) people told me that I would never make it. Trust me, even people I hardly know feel inclined to give me their personal opinions. Fine, whatever. I don't care if you have an opinion but unless I specifically ask for it, don't tell me! 

Anyways, even though I was waiting, during my time at BYU I spent plenty of time with members of the opposite sex. I didn't lock myself in a closet or refuse to have fun because "I was waiting". I had a great time but as awesome as all of the people I met were, none of them came even close to Jordan. So that brings me to why I am venting on this particular topic.

Last night, my darling younger sister faithfully attended a singles ward activity. Where she was unfortunately cornered and accosted as to my dating status. She, of course, as any good sister would, reported that I was happily still waiting for my darling elder. Much to her dismay, she was then subjected to their personal views on how I have "wasted" the last 2 years of my life. "Wasted?" she says, "excuse me, but in the time since Jordan left she has graduated from BYU and almost completed her masters." (Keep in mind she is talking to boys that have spent the last 5 years at a 2 year college...) Their argument was that although I have not wasted my time academically, I socially locked myself up. I am sorry, just because I rejected you, does not mean I locked myself up. It just means my time is valuable and I am selective in who I chose to spend it on...

 

Random...

This past week sucked. That is all I can say to sum it up and this new week hasn't really started off that great. I hate being sick. 

 Oh well,  I suppose. Tomorrow after all is a new day and hopefully it will be a better one. Before you think that this past week was a total waste, a few redeeming events occurred. I was officially issued my preliminary single subject credential. Don't believe me? Go check it out yourself here. Isn't that so cool? Yeah, I am pretty stoked. And guess what, you should be too! :)

Now just a few more years of school and I will never have to darken the door of a college class again. That is of course, unless I am the professor. 

this is me...

blogging. Okay, now I am done. I am going to go shower now. Trust me, if you were within smelling distance you would appreciate it. I will come back and write some more later.

Memories...

It is funny how simple things, things like a song on the radio, or a smell, will trigger your consciousness to flitter back to a different time, a different memory. Almost 3 years ago I met Jordan during the weirdest of circumstances. Those who do not believe that God exists and doesn't care about us, ask me sometime to tell you our story. What am I talking about, everyone that reads this knows the story already. Anyways... Nothing like hearing a Sublime song to make you recall being driven through a canyon in Provo, at a million miles an hour, by a crazy man. Hillary (my BFF) , Kristen (my lovely freshman roommate), Jordan (love of my life...I just didn't know it then), a boy named Lance (crazy man driving the vehicle), and myself were on our way to a giant bonfire up in Provo Canyon. As this was my first weekend away at BYU I thought for sure it would be my last and that the newspapers would be splashed with horrid pictures of a car mangled at the bottom of the canyon. As I was hyperventilating (okay not really... I was trying to act cool. This was after all my "first" weekend of college) I remember Jordan putting his arm around me and taking my hand. In that moment I knew I would be okay. I knew I would be safe. Funny huh. I had known Jordan for less than 5 days and I already knew that he would do anything to protect me. I guess it was that moment that I began to fall in love with him. 

So every time I hear Sublime I think of that night and how safe I feel in his arms. Romantic, I know. hahahaha However, I doubt Sublime would be an appropriate choice for a wedding song. :)

Like Calvin says...

The man is a genius....

"The world isn't fair, Calvin." 
"I know Dad, but why isn't it ever unfair in my favour?" (Calvin)

H : "What do you think is the secret to happiness? Is it money, power or fame?" 
C : "I'd choose money. If you have enough money, you can buy fame and power. That way you have it all and be really happy. Happiness is being famous for your financial ability to indulge in every kind of excess." 
H : "I suppose thats *one* way to define it." 
C : "The part I think I'd like best is crushing people who get in my way."

That is why I chose to become a teacher... :)

Gotta love Calvin and Hobbs

Another one bites the dust...

So, it appears another one has bitten the dust (a couple actually). There are now more girls from my freshman ward that are either married or engaged than us non-committed gals. That sucks. Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly happy for them and I hope that they all find eternal happiness and bliss but where the hell is my eternal happiness and bliss? 

I know some of you are saying, "Shut up. You have a missionary." I know and I am very grateful for my missionary. I love him with my whole heart, it would just be a million times easier if he were in the same damn state- shoot I would take in the same country! I am just a little cranky because I just got my hair done and Jordan isn't here to even appreciate it. 

So you know what, rather than wallow in my semi-singleness. I am going to embrace it. I am going to go get the large cartoon of mint chocolate chip icecream (that just happens to be calling my name) and revel in the fact that I don't have to share! Take that all you married folks! HA!

The best part...

I just spent 3 hours installing a new left fender panel and headlamp.  I am SO stoked. This has been waiting to happen for almost 2 years. (Long story as to why  I had a dented fender in the first place) For those of you that have never had to figure out how to get into a car with a door that barely opens, in a tight skirt and high heels- thank your lucky stars! It is awful but hysterical for others watching. I originally planned on having an autobody do the repair but their quote was WAY out of my price range. So after a great deal of stalling (almost 2 years...) I decided that it was up to me to fix it. So I did some research. Found the needed parts and in 5-7 days they were here! WOW! 

 Now I would like to be able to say that I did it all by myself and that I have infinite wisdom regarding auto mechanics but I don't. And really, I am glad that I don't. I just got to spend 3 hours hanging out with my dad. Learning new things and laughing about things most wouldn't understand or wouldn't find humorous. So, as happy as I am about having a non-mangled fender, or being able to open my door all of the way, really, the best part was hanging out with my dad.

I guess you are never to old to be daddy's little girl. 

(A few years ago...)

Of Mice and ...kids

I have several class pets. We had seven but unfortunately a few days ago Armageddon (serves me right for naming him that) was sent to the porcelain gods- if you know what I mean. So now we are down to: Arlin the Ninja (I have a pencil sharpener whose name is Samurai Tornado Man. I only felt it fair to represent two Asian cultures warriors), Alfredo, Archemedes, Alvin, Agnus and Algernon. Yes, I have a theme going....

So anyways. For the most part my students are absolutely wonderful with my animals. It has been a great way for some of my less um...how do I put this in a way that wouldn't get me fired... uninvolved, nonresponsive, less than approachable students connect in my classroom. Sometimes the biggest punk on the playground, if given an animal that depends on it, become the best student in class. However, there are some kids that are not as sweet. Today one of my students left Agnus a little traumatized. So she was in need of a little extra love. I had one of my college classes, which was conviently being held on my campus, tonight so I decided to put Agnus in my pocket and take her with me. She provided all sorts of entertainment as she loves to peek out of my pocket and see the world. She will crawl all over my shirt but is very good about not falling off. So, besides freaking out my professor and some of my classmates it was a great class.

I had something to entertain me! So, thank goodness for class pets!

Can't sleep? Blog of course!

So I guess the new solution to not being able to sleep is no longer counting sheep- it is blogging. What to blog about? Hm... I guess there are tons of things I could blog about. Miqui comes home in 4 days (woot woot!) and in 5 days I will be completely done with my student teaching. Yup, only 5 more days. Scary isn't it? I will have completed all requirements to be a licensed teacher in the state of California. Oh and this week I also received notification of my PRAXIS scores- I can teach in basically every state in the Union with my scores. That is an encouraging thought considering who knows where I will end up. (I am praying for California but you never know.)

I think I should celebrate this momentous moment in my life. Maybe I will take a nap on Friday afternoon...that is about as exciting as it gets in my life. lol.


So now that I am done with this portion of my life what is next? Teaching without being a student myself? HA! I wish! Nope, 2 quarters more of school and I will have a Masters degree. (Is that a weird thought for anyone besides me?) And then, of course, there are the 2 years of school for my SpEd credential and after that will be my Education Therapy Post Masters Certificate. And who knows, maybe in a few years a doctoral program. So, I will be in school FOREVER! I keep telling myself that my education is one of the few things I get to take with me after this life so I best stock up... Heaven knows the riches I don't have won't be going with me!

School Friends

One of the greatest aspects of my job are the friends that I have made. They freakin' rock. We are all science nerds (at least we recognize it right?) and have tons of fun. Last Saturday we went on a hike and found some really cool things...

 

It is hard to tell but this beautiful snake just had what appears to be a very satisfying meal... he was just chillin' on the path- 

Food+sunshine+cold blooded= not a care in the world

An awesome example of sedimentary rock (I told you we are science nerds)

                                             Here they are... just don't ask about the outfits...

(Yes, I have a matching shirt...)

Day in the life of a school teacher...

I could sit here and describe in detail how my day went. Instead, I will share with you one example and that should make it very clear...

Student: "Miss P. can I go outside"

Me: "Is there a reason you need to go outside?"  Keep in mind I am in the middle of talking to the class.

Student: (after walking up to me) "I need to fart"

Yup, it is just a shake your head and laugh type day....

P.S- Since Monday I lost 5 lbs!!!! WOOT WOOT for me! That means I weigh less than I did in middle school! 

40 chicken wings later...

No, I didn't eat 40 chicken wings. I, or rather, my students dissected them to look at how muscles work. Pretty nifty huh? I sure thought so and thankfully so did my students. We were able to look at the muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc. I LOVE SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!

My Disease...

I have a disease. Don't worry, it isn't contagious but I wish it were (being a teacher would be so much easier!) I have what we refer to as "bookitis"-  only treatable with a credit card and a trip to the nearest Barnes and Noble or Borders. The symptoms include an undeniable urge to expand ones library and a lack of storage space.  

I just bought 15 new books today! I love getting things in the mail- especially books. The great part is all $35 (yes, I purchased 15 books for 35 dollars!) is tax deductible. ;) One of the perks of being a teacher...

Some of my newest additions to my classroom library are:

The Wonderful World of Cooking, Kaufman

Getting Ready for a Career in Food Service, Streissguth

Environmental Science/Working with the Earth, G.Tyler Miller,Jr

The Microbes: An Introduction to Their Nature, Vandemark & Batzing

Food Science and Nutritional Health, Labuza

How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life,  Fisher

And several others... I can't wait for them to start arriving.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday dear MEEEEEEE......happy birthday to me.

Yup, today is my birthday- I am 2 years old. Okay, I am really not 2 years old in the typical way of counting (I am 21 and 2 months) but I am in my way of thinking. You see, 2 years ago today, I became an "official" Peterson- at least in the eyes of the state of California. I have been a Peterson for a lot longer than that- my drivers license just had a different last name.

Two years ago I was lucky enough to be adopted by my Daddy. It is true that the piece of paper and name change really didn't change anything in my life- my dad loves me the same and he loves all of his girls (with or without the last name Peterson)- but it was really important to me for reasons that are hard to put into words. I count myself very blessed to have the world's greatest dad (and mom) and I couldn't be more proud of carry around a drivers license that says "Jessica Faun Peterson" And come on, being referred to by my students as "Miss P" that is just plain cool.

Now I am off to go eat some cake...I love cake.

Scrappin'

I am not a very creative person (especially compared to Net and my Mom) but I do love to scrapbook. Maybe it is because I am the only person in my family that does it and I can't be compared to them. I will never take up quilting, sewing, stitching, crocheting, or decorating seriously because there is always someone to be compared to. But scrapbooking is mine, all mine. 

Here are the layouts I just finished- they are of Laticia's baptism. I am realizing how many pictures I have left to scrapbook before Jordan comes home. I better get on the ball! :)

  

I used Zoom Pages: Patternology by Keri Schueler

Font: Jane Austen

For those of you...

That were concerned, I did hear from Jordan yesterday. All is well and life is wonderful. 

Now I am off to a job interview at Canyon High. Can I just say how much I hate interviews? Loathe, despise and abhor do not even cover it....

If I don't get an email by tomorrow someone is going to have to keep me from calling the mission home... 

Yes, I know. Some people aren't as lucky as I am. Some missionaries aren't allowed or able to write emails. But guess what, I am being selfish and I don't care. Jordan is allowed to and he has, every single week for the previous 74 weeks. This is the first week that I did not get an email when I should have and now I am freaking out. What if his parasite that he has been battling has made him really sick? What if a million different things have happened? The "what ifs" are running through my mind at a million miles an hour. Even a good dose of Tchaikovsky hasn't calmed my nerves...

Am I crazy? Probably but until I have an email...watch out. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

Impatience...

Patience is not a skill I have developed over the 21 years I've been alive. In fact, of all of the virtues I probably struggle with that one the most. With some things patience comes easier and some things drive me to the edge of insanity. 

I am particularly impatient when it comes with time and emails- not every email- just the emails from Jordan. It I haven't received an email by Monday evening I start panicking. I check my email about 1,000,000 times a day on Monday, constantly hoping that he will have written. Normally, I have my email by mid afternoon or early evening, at the latest. This week is different. It is almost 4 o'clock in the afternoon on Tuesday and I haven't heard a word- neither have has his family. Now I am far beyond impatience and into the realm of panic. 

Calm down? Yes, I probably should but I can't. I have scoured the internet for any story related to Mexico (thankfully nothing tragic has come up) and every worst case scenario is running through my mind.  I can't even think clearly. So until I have an email my impatience (and panic) will continue to increase. 

If this is God's way of helping me develop my patience, He has a sick sense of humor. 

"And, oh, how blessed is it thus to meet! To feel that vanished years have not estranged us, distance has not diminished love, that we are to each other even as we parted; to feel again the fond kiss, to hear once more the accents of a voice which to us has been for years so still,--a voice that brings with it the gush of memory! Past days flit before us; feelings, thoughts, hopes, we deemed were dead, all rise again, summoned by that secret witchery, the well-remembered though long silent voice... still will it be the same--the voice we once have loved, and deemed to us for ever still--oh, time, and grief, and blighted hope will be forgotten, and youth, in its undimmed and joyous beauty, its glow of generous feelings, its bright anticipations, all, all again be ours."

-Grace Aguilar

 

Jordan comes home in exactly 115 days...the countdown begins! 

Hillary and I are in similar boats (her missionary comes home one month before mine!) and we have found multiple ways to count down until the grand event...

1 more General Conference

4 Fast sundays

115 days

16 more Sundays

4 pay checks

1 school quarter

2760 hours

1656000 minutes

9936000 seconds

but its not like I am counting or anything :) 

Just something to think about...

"Have you ever been at sea in a dense fog, when it seemed as if a tangible white darkness shut you in and the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way toward the shore with plummet and sounding-line, and you waited with beating heart for something to happen? I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding line, and no way of knowing how near the harbor was. "Light! Give me light!" was the wordless cry of my soul, and the light of love shone on me in that very hour."

-Helen Keller

My only question is, do we cherish education in the same way? Would our lives be different if we had a different attitude about learning? So many do not have the opportunities that we have. Do we take advantage of them? Are we using our minds and capabilities to their utmost capacity? If not, what a terrible waste. 

(Can you tell that I am a teacher?) :)

Chinese Food

Whenever we get together as a family, it is guaranteed that we will have chinese food. The greatest part of chinese food are the fortune cookies (never mind the fact that fortune cookies are an american novelty and not chinese at all!). We have had some interesting advice in the past but tonight we had my all-time favorite:

Do not kiss an elephant on the lips tonight.

Need I say more?

Procrastinating...

I have a TPA to be writing. It is due tomorrow. Tomorrow at 4:oo pm. Am I close to finishing it? NO! Have I even started? Of course not. So in the spirit of polical correctness- which is what I have to be in writing this silly thing, I am going to share some of my favorite "politically correct terms" for common events in a teens life...

*No one fails anymore- he's merely passing impaired.
*Your bedroom isn't cluttered- it's passive restrictive.
*These days a student isn't lazy-he's energetically declined.
*Kids don't get grounded- they merely hit a "social speed bump"
* Your homework isn't missing- its having an out of notebook experience
*You're not sleeping in class-you are rationing consciousness.
*You are not late- you simpley have a rescheduled arrival time.
*You're not having a bad hairday- you're suffering from rebellious follicle syndrome
*You don't have smelly gym socks- you have odor retentive athletic footwear
*You don't talk alot- you are abundantly verbal.
*You weren't passing notes in class- you were participating in the discreet exchange of penned mediation (one of my favorites)
*You're not being sent to the Principal's office, you are being sent on a mandatory fieldtrip to the administration building.
*It's not called gossip anymore, its the speedy transmission of near factual information.
*The food in the cafeteria is not awful- it's digestively challenged.

Now I am off to write...like a mad women.

A productive day...

5 layouts- what a fabulous day! The wonderful thing about digital scrapbooking is that when you are done you just shut down the computer- NO MESS! I was a paper scrapper until about 6 months ago when I became addicted to Digi Scrapping. I LOVE my Adobe Photoshop CS (I would die without it!) and have become a scrapgirls.com junkie.

Here is a picture of Little Miss (as my sister calls her.) Doesn't she make the cutest little fairy?

This layout I used: Avalon Collection Biggie by Valeria Randall (available at scrapgrils.com). Font: MA Sexy

Instead of working...

Today I have not been in the mood to work- at all. So instead of tackling the GIANGANITC pile of paperwork that awaits me or even the powerpoint I need to create for tomorrows lesson, I have spent the last 2 hours scrapbooking. Even though I haven't been able to get anything "constructive" done, I had a very productive two hours, as far as scrapbooking goes. Here are some of the pages I did today...

(When viewing, the files are going to be huge so if you hit CTRL+ (-) [the minus key] the picture will get to a size that you are actually able to see.)

Be Silly Today...

'Nough said.

Wasting Time

There always seems to be a million things that I should be doing and yet I never seem to get around to doing any of it. Right now is a perfect example. Instead of working on my TPA (Teacher Performance Assessment) or the 10 lesson plans that are due on Saturday or the two papers that are also due on Saturday, I am sitting here blogging. Of course, now that I have procrastinated just a moment or two more, I am now off to start my work. So, if you don't see from me or hear from me the next couple of days, I am buried in the mound of paper work that the state of California has deemed necessary for me to complete in order to be qualified as a competent teacher.

Exercise

"Biggest Loser." I can not wait until I hear those words. I want to be the biggest loser in my district's biggest loser competition. This is the reason I have been killing myself at the gym. This is the reason I can't raise my arms above my head (stupid tricep exercises). I am going to look ridiculous tomorrow pointing at students with my elbow...

Job Hazards

Yesterday Yannette told me that I too should start a blog. A blog?!? What on earth would I write about? (Well, I have lots to write about but not much that anyone would actually want to read, that is why I have a journal!) So I dismissed the idea. Who would have thought that within 24 hours I too might have stories that others might want to read.

This morning started like every other, I was running late. I couldn't find my car keys and I had to do my makeup in the car. I finally pull into the parking lot at work, throw on some mascara, grab my "teaching bag" (yes, I have a teaching bag) and head towards my classroom. Anyone who has ever stepped onto a middle school campus knows that before the first bell rings the quad is an utter zoo. Anyone over the age of 13 avoids this area at any cost - even the campus supervisors avoid it if they can. With much on my mind and just a few minutes before the bell is going to ring I decide to chance it and am quickly swallowed up in a crowd of 12 year olds.

I almost made it safely to my classroom door when 1 student starts an all-out-drag-out fight. He is punching a kid like his life depended on it. I (stupidly) step over to try and stop it and without touching the kid (touching a student- even if it is in an effort to save another students life- is a great way to get sued) tell him to stop it. Before I even knew what hit me, I was hit in the stomach! I have been punched by a student- my first injury as a teacher! Does that make me a real teacher now?