Kids STILL Say The Darnedest Things!

Hi, Everybody!

I believe it was the late Art Linkletter who reminded us that kids say the darnedest things. Well, after what I experienced today during Dave Five of my internship at Carter Elementary, I can say in great faith that Mr. Linkletter’s statement still rings true today.

So, it was lunchtime, and I was sitting by myself, watching the little ones play jump rope, hopscotch, kickball—the things that I used to do when I was a little one… hahahaha! Anyway, my mind drifted to my peeps back at Rust, and I began to smile. I had just bitten into my sandwich when this one little fella came over and sat right next to me.

“Hi, Miss Natasha,” he said with a great big smile. “I’m gonna sit right next to you, because I don’t want you to be sad.”

I chuckled a little bit, then I said, “Well, don’t worry, little buddy—I am not sad. If anything, I’m just thinking about my friends back in Mississippi. I’m kinda wondering what they’re doing right now.”

“Well, I bet you anything that they’re thinking about you too, Miss Natasha,” he said. “And they probably miss you, too. I mean, what’s not to like about you? You’re nice, you’re fun, and you’re cute!”

This little guy really touched my heart.

“Awwwwwwwww—thank you,” I said with a smile.

The little fella smiled back, and then he gave me an innocent little kiss on the cheek.

At that moment, I got tickled in my spirit, because I could clearly see my girl Ruby’s facial expressions crossed my mind. I t was then that I started thinking about what she would say: “Ooooh, Girl—you got the fellas goin’ crazy over you!” And then my other girl Azalea would be like: “Girl, you might wanna watch that little fella—he’s already startin’ off as a heartbreaker!”

In all seriousness, though, it was very sweet of the little guy to cheer me up like he did… well, all things considered, anyway. Again, I was merely thinking about my peeps back at Rust, and apparently this little guy could tell that something was wrong, otherwise he wouldn’t have sat down and had lunch with me.

Then again, maybe his modus operandi was to give me a kiss on the cheek.

 

 

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

I've Come To A Decision, Y'all!

Hi, Everybody!

I trust that you all are having a fantastic Labor Day.

Speaking of Labor Day, I just want to state for the record that I really miss the Hudspeths! I’m tryin’ to tell y’all: If I was back in Mississippi right now, then I would most definitely be over at Mr. and Mrs. Hudspeth’s house, enjoying some barbecue, hot links, potato salad, and of course, Mrs. Hudspeth’s freakin’ delicious banana pudding.

At the same time, that old adage rings true: Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home. Yet and still, I am hook on Mrs. Hudspeth’s banana pudding… hahahahaha! Lemme tell y’all how delish it is—it’s right on the same level as Great Aunt Reesie’s banana pudding, and that’s sayin’ a helluva whole lot!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled blog post… hahahahaha!

 

So, it’s been about two weeks since I received an email from “he who shall not be named” (sorry, y’all—saying his name kinda makes me sick to my stomach). Within that time period, I’ve been in great deliberation over whether or not I should respond to his email. Becky convinced me to yank the proverbial band-aid off my arm, but I went ahead and sought some wise counsel in Gramma Jewel. Well, y’all already know that Gramma Jewel don’t mince words. When I talked to her yesterday evening, she simply said, “Baby, if you really want to feel better, then you go ahead and take Becky's advice—respond to Homey Dog’s email. It ain’t gotta be no long drawn-out sonnet, but go ahead and respond to him.”

And I did just that! Granted, it took me two hours, but I did respond. This is what I wrote:

 

Hello,

I received your email on August 20, 2015. I just want you to know that I forgive you, and I accept your apology.

 

And then I hit the “send” button.

I want y’all to know something: I weigh 146 pounds, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my heart and my shoulders. I really do feel great—heck, I feel so great that I actually have an extra bit of bounce in me!

And now I can really move on a little further in my life. Case in point: I’ve gotta get ready for Day #5 of my internship tomorrow. I’ll holla at y’all later.

 

 

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Winston Strikes Again!

Hi, Everybody!

 

I trust that you all had a wonderfully fantastic Saturday—I know I did!

Do y’all remember a blog post from a couple of weeks ago about a guy I met named Winston? Well, check this out: I had another encounter with him today.

This afternoon, my mom decided that she and I should go out and celebrate our Mother & Daughter relationship, considering that I’m home from college. First, we had breakfast at IHOP, and then we went to the mall and did a little shopping, and later we took a little trip to Manhattan Beach and just walked around for a while. Around four o’clock or so, we got a little hungry, so I told her about a sandwich shop that I frequent every now and again… and yes, I told her that the sandwiches are the bomb-diggity!

Well, as soon as we walked inside—lo and behold—it was Winston!

Now, call it a woman’s intuition, but I saw how his face lit up when he saw me; it was as if he had been expecting me or something. Case in point: When it was my turn to order, Winston smiled at me and said, “Hello, Stranger—long time no see. Lemme guess: Your usual with bacon, avocado, ranch dressing, and Swiss cheese.”

“Why, yes—that’s correct!” I said, shocked. “How’d you know?”

Winston chuckled, then he said, “Well, there are only three sandwiches that you order, and they all depend on your mood—the barbecue roast beef sandwich, the Caesar chicken sandwich, and the turkey club sub. And judging by the look on your lovely mother’s face, I can tell that she’s interested in the barbecue roast beef sandwich.”

My mom and I looked at each other, totally impressed at what we heard. My mom then took out a five dollar bill and said, “Young man, you didn’t have to work so hard to earn a tip—I would’ve given you one anyway.”

Winston grinned kinda sheepishly and thanked my mom, then he finished making our sandwiches and rang up our order, which I paid for.

Now, here’s the funny part: Mom and I had just sat down and said our grace, and I noticed that there were three peanut butter cookies in our meal. I knew that Mom had ordered one chocolate chip walnut cookie, and I ordered one white chocolate macadamia nut cookie, so why did we have three peanut butter cookies? Well, I went up to Winston and was about to correct the error, but Winston said, “Don’t worry about it—they’re on me. Besides, I know how much you like peanut butter.”

All I could say was: “Awwwwwwww—thank you! That’s really sweet.”

Y’all know that my mom teased me mercilessly about Winston being my crush—matter of fact, my mom said something about Winston using the right kinda bait to hook me. I simply laughed off my mom’s comments…

But y’all do know that I’m gonna go back and holla at Winston sometime this week, right? Hahahahaha!


Hugs & Kisses,
Natasha

Day #4 of My Internship

Good Friday Evening, Everybody!

Well, I completed Day #4 of my internship at Carter Elementary, and I can safely say without any fear of contradiction that it was a day of surprises, and at the same time, this day taught me so much about myself. Allow me to explain what happened:

As soon as the opening bell rang, the little kiddies sat down with their hands folded and their eyes on me. We were all awaiting Mrs. Martin to walk in at any given moment, but she was running a little late, so I led the children in our opening prayer and our good morning greetings and salutations. Afterwards, we all sat quietly and awaited Mrs. Martin to step inside the classroom—she still hadn’t shown up yet.

Well, I figured that I would at least go ahead and take attendance, so I did… and I was glad to see that all thirty-five students were present and accounted for. By this time, a whole half hour had passed, and there was still no sign of Mrs. Martin.

I ain’t gonna lie to y’all—I almost thought the worst, but I didn’t want to alarm the little ones, nor did I want to go into panic mode. Thinking quickly on my feet, I told the little ones that I would be their interim teacher until Mrs. Martin arrived… yes, I actually said “interim,” so y’all already know that the children had asked me what that word meant. Well, like any good teacher would, I wrote the word down on the board and said, “Here is an example of interim: When you’re not at home with your mommy and daddy, you’re here with Mrs. Martin, and she is your interim mom.”

“Oh!” one child exclaimed. “So, you’re saying that Mrs. Martin is our schoolmom until we go home to our real mom.”

“Very good!” I cheered.

Imagine that—some of the little ones got it right on the spot, and they were so proud to know that they guessed correctly. Of course, that opened up the floodgates; some of the kiddies asked me if I knew of “any other ‘grown-up’ words,” and I immediately holla’d, only because of the way they asked me that question. Obviously, my mind had traveled elsewhere when I heard that question—and yes, I admit that I was thinking of some other grown-up words… hahahahaha! However, after I composed myself, I managed to keep the conversation clean and I taught the kiddies my favorite word—clandestine. Surprisingly, I gave a very simple definition; I explained to the kiddies that, in order to keep something clandestine, it is to be treated like a secret. At the same time, I let the kiddies know that there are certain situations where they cannot keep things clandestine, particularly those things where someone may be in danger.

About an hour and a half later, I was really into the groove of my teaching, and just like that, Mrs. Martin walked into the classroom. Come to find out, she was in the principal’s office the whole time, listening to me over the intercom. She asked the little ones to give me a hand for doing—as she so put it—“such a grandtabulous job,” and I simply smiled and curtsied. Just then, the recess bell rang, and as the kiddies went outside to play, Mrs. Martin made it perfectly clear that I was gonna be “one helluva damn good teacher.” I thanked Mrs. Martin the onliest way I knew how—with a great big hug of gratitude.

As y’all can see, I received yet more validation, affirmation, and confirmation that teaching is truly my calling, and the validation came from someone whom I admire and respect.

Now, mind y’all—this was only the first week of my internship, and Heaven help me if this whole week didn’t just fly by. However, if this is any indication of what the next thirteen weeks will be like, then I say: BRING IT ON—I’M READY!!!

Until next time, y’all take care, and I may holla at y’all tomorrow.

 

 

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Day #3 of my Internship

Hi, Everybody!

Well, I just completed Day #3 of my internship at Carter Elementary, and learned so much from kindergarteners today.

As y’all know, it was Show & Tell today, and all thirty-five kiddies were pumped up and ready to display their one particular item to the class. To begin the festivities, Mrs. Martin showed the class a letter that I had written her during my freshman year at Rust. She explained to the little ones that she keep my letter in her purse on account of it shows that she truly made a difference in my life… and with that said, Mrs. Martin showed me off, further explaining that I was part of her show and tell.

Now, I didn’t expect to be shown off like that, nor did I expect the little kiddies to applaud like they did, but then again, this is Mrs. Martin that we’re talking about. Suffice it to say, I was very flattered.

And with that said, it was my turn.

I began by admitting to Mrs. Martin and the kiddies that I had a hard time trying to choose just one item, but fortunately for me, I remembered my mom’s photo album and I brought it with me. I explained to the little kiddies that my mom’s photo album is very special to me because it contains pictures of my family and friends. As I was speaking, I was a little surprised to see that all of the kindergarteners were so attentive. I was also surprised that some of the kiddies had questions for me. One child asked me if I had “a real favorite picture,” and I explained that I couldn’t really choose one on account of all of the pictures were special to me.

And then it was on to the kiddies’ presentations.

I could tell that they enjoyed this assignment, and that they put some real thought behind what to bring. I’m almost convinced that they too had a little trouble narrowing down just one thing to bring. Among the items brought were: action figures, baseball mitts, and dolls, but one little fella really thought outside the box—ironically enough, he was the last one called upon. His name is Jonathan, and he brought an autographed photo of retired OSW wrestler Dave Hawkins. There was a bright gleam of joy in Jonathan’s face when he explained how he and his dad just so happened to sit right next to Dave Hawkins in the food court at the mall, and how this wrestling legend volunteered to take a picture with him.

“It was so cool to meet him!” Jonathan shouted joyfully. “It was the bestest day in my whole entire life!”

And personally, I share in Jonathan’s sentiments, because today was the bestest day of my whole entire life… and mind you, this is only Day #3!

Well, y’all, I reckon I’ll close up today’s blog post—I’ve gotta get ready for this mystery assignment that Mrs. Martin has planned out. I’ll let y’all know what it is when I get home tomorrow, but in the meantime, y’all take care and be good.

 

 

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha

Day #2 of My Internship

Hi, Everybody!

So, I just completed Day #2 of my internship at Carter Elementary, and I had a blast!

As I mentioned in yesterday evening’s blog post, Mrs. Martin gave her kindergarteners a homework assignment—write at least two paragraphs about their summer vacation. And as y’all may recall, I volunteered to be in on this assignment, so I wrote at least a good two pages… front and back, mind you.

When the opening bell rang, we had our morning prayer, followed by our greetings and salutations. When the little kiddies sad down, Mrs. Martin jumped right into the homework assignment. The rules were simple: Mrs. Martin would call a student’s name, and they would come up to the front of the class and read their summer vacation paper. Maybe I’m being just a little too impartial, but all thirty-five children did a great job. Some of the kiddies talked about how they went camping, while others talked about going to a baseball game, and some others talked about how they spent a week with their grandparents.

Now, I realized that I said that I was impartial, but now I’m gonna intentionally contradict myself: While all thirty-five papers were great, there was one presentation that I really liked—it came from a little fella named Mark. He was only five years old, but he already learned the importance of visual aids. He talked about how he spent his summer vacation in Hawaii with his family, and brought along some pictures from his trip. The little fella also talked about how his dad wanted to take “the perfect picture of the perfect sunrise and the perfect sunset, and he got ‘em both!”

I could feel the little fella’s excitement when he talked about how happy he was for his dad to achieve that which he accomplished… matter of fact, I personally gave Mark three silver stars for such a great presentation.

Afterwards, Mrs. Martin mentioned that there was one more individual left—yes, she was referring to me! Much like I did when I was in her class some fifteen years ago, I grinned at Mrs. Martin and walked up to the classroom, where I shared with the little ones how I celebrated my family reunion over the summer… and yes, I did discuss how my family won the grand prize at my Gramma Jewel’s church.

Some of the little kiddies were in awe of my “fantastical remembering powers,” as they so called it, to which I assured them that when they get older, they too would be able to recite a speech without having to depend too much on their notes.

Now, check this out, y’all: Mrs. Martin’s assignment for tomorrow is yet another real gooden—the little kiddies have to bring an item in class for Show & Tell. Y’all already know that I’m gonna participate in this assignment, and so is Mrs. Martin… matter of fact, Mrs. Martin mentioned that she already know what she’s gonna bring!

Well, I’ll holla at y’all later—I gotta find something to bring for Show & Tell tomorrow.

 

 

Smooches,

Natasha

Let The Internship Begin!

Hi, Everybody!

Well, here it is—Tuesday, September 1, 2015, and I had one helluva great day today!

Let me just cut right to the chase: My first day as an intern at Carter Elementary did not disappoint me one iota. First of all, as soon as I stepped on the grounds of my old elementary school, I was instantly hit with all kinds of nostalgia. Truth be told—so many moments of my days as a kindergartener swept over me like a flood, so much so, that I actually shed a couple of tears. I mean, let’s face it—it was only fifteen years ago that I graduated from Mrs. Martin’s kindergarten class, but here we are—some fifteen years later—and I have learned once again that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

So, upon arriving at Carter Elementary this morning, I checked in with the front office, where Mrs. Martin was right there waiting for me. We shared a big hug, and then Mrs. Martin let me know once again just how excited she was to have me as her assistant. I simply smiled and told Mrs. Martin that I would not let her down.

Well, when we walked into her classroom, I got to chat with some of the parents and the new crop of kindergarteners… and incidentally, I think I have yet another admirer. There’s this one little boy—his name is Henry—he took one look at me, then he gave me a big hug and told his mom that I was “a really pretty girl.” I smiled and thanked the little fella for his compliment, to which Mrs. Martin approached me and said: “That little guy’s found an added incentive to come to school everyday, and you’re it!”

I couldn’t help but laugh, but then again, Mrs. Martin may have a point.

In any event, Mrs. Martin gave her greetings and salutations, welcomed the new students to Carter Elementary, and then she introduced me as one of her “brightest students to ever grace the school.” Seeing as how that was my cue to break the ice, I let the parents and the kiddies know that I sat in those very chairs once upon a time, and I also let them know that Mrs. Martin was the greatest kindergarten teacher that I ever had. I remember saying: “You’ve got a great teacher in Mrs. Martin—she’s kind, loving, and she trustworthy. I think I should give y’all a heads-up, though: Mrs. Martin wants to make sure that each and every last one of you in here succeed, but you’ve got to prove to her that you want it.”

Suffice it to say, I had a great first day of school, and I’m really looking forward to sharing this particular journey with you all, especially considering that this internship counts toward my grade.

By the way, Mrs. Martin gave out her first homework assignment for the 2015-16 school year—each little one has to write one full page on how they spent their summer vacation. Now, check this out: As Mrs. Martin’s assistant, I’m gonna join in on this assignment… hahahahaha! Hey, if I’m gonna be the best damn kindergarten teacher in the world, then I gotta play along. Besides, if the kiddies see that I am having fun with the homework assignments, then they will want to join in as well.

With that said, let me go ahead and get started on my homework. I’ll holla at y’all tomorrow.

 

 

Hugs & Kisses,

Natasha