it´s beginning to look a lot like Navidad en mi colegio!!

paz en la tierra= peace on earth

hola a todos!!  I arrived back from the long puente we had a couple of weeks ago to visions of beautiful replicas of nativity sets all around our school and it is AWESOME!!  There is one big one (pictured above) that is right in the main entrance of my colegio and it´s just amazing.  And then all through the lobby area there are about 20 replicas made by students from all sorts of material including yarn, lights, and FOOD!  don´t worry, there was a sign next to the food ones that said "Do not eat! Do not touch! TOXIC!!"  and even though it was written in spanish the words look similar enough that I got the idea and kept my mitts to myself.   I have got to say that this semester is flying by sooo fast that it´s a bit hard to hang on.  I feel like I just got to this muy bonita place and I´m already flying home in just a few days.  Time sure goes by quick when you´re having a good time.  My students have all been a bunch of little locos in the classroom for the last week of school before christmas and I can´t help but remember back to when I was their age and in school.  Needless to say I can´t complain about their behavior when my own at that time was at least twice as bad.  I really lucked out and got a solid group of kids this year in the classroom.  And by solid group of kids I really mean the ENTIRE school is filled with good kids.  I teach the entire secondary school and the high school kids and a class in the 6th grade.  Even the kids that act up and are sometimes down right buttheads are even pretty cool once you figure out what they like.  I heard once that a good teacher doesn´t smile until Christmas.  That way the kids know that you are the teacher and are straight down to business from the moment you walk into the classroom until the moment you walk out.  I remember those teachers.  And there are a few of the none smilers over here in Madrid as well.  And if I remember correctly: Those were my least favorite.  Sure I didn´t try any funny stuff in front of them but I can assure you when their backs were turned there was plenty of monkeying around going on.  I slipped up and made the mistake of smiling on the first day.  I feel like it was the right decision tho.  A.)  Seriously, when do you see me not smiling (except for when I don´t get my way)? I´ll never be able to wipe this silly grin off my face. and B.)  The kids like me.  I LIKE BEING LIKED!!  Can´t help it, I´m a smiler.  So far it has been proven as a success.  Doesn´t mean it will work out all year but I think I can ride it out for the last 2 days of the semester.    :)