Ahhh the last day of the weekend. I did get caught up on laundry and dishes. My sink overfloweth! :) I made Kalua Pork in my crock-pot and it was delicious. That will be my school lunch this week. All two days of school that is. I am grateful we have Wednesday off school. Since we are such a rural community most people have a long way for Thanksgiving. I also managed to get some house cleaning done. I have a lot more to do but I feel like I made some progress. My home is still in a "moving" state. Not quite sure where I want everything and I change the plan quite often. So it is still in transition. I did find my winter gloves this weekend. That was a relief because the cold has come to visit. On the up side by Thursday we are supposed to have a high of 50 degrees. That will make for nice Thanksgiving weather. My toes have been soo cold all week I am wondering when they will defrost. Luckily I also found the box with all my warm slippers. Gloves and slippers. The gloves are so important in the mornings. My hands hurt sometimes it is sooo cold. It is this time of year when I have to plan time into my morning for the car to warm up.
I am almost ready for the parents visit. The guest room is ready with electric mattress pad and many extra blankets. I really miss having a wood stove. This electric heat just doesn't warm you up as quickly. I have cleaned out my entire stash of pre-made lunches. I am hoping mom and I will have lots of cooking time. I have two soup pots and two crock pots. So If we prepped things well we could have 4 going at a time! Ummmm that may be asking too much of my wee kitchen. HA! I am just so glad to have a kitchen w/ all my kitchen tools.
November 24, 2013
November 19, 2013
Monday Made it!
I was observed today for one of my classes all about vocabulary. The class is ran by such sweet people that they just make you feel good about yourself while offering constructive criticism. Their methods bring forth change because they are so invested in helping you to do well. It is positive, encouraging feedback.
I don't know if it was an answer to a prayer from upstairs that new my limitations today but many of my students were out sick. Their teacher wasn't feeling peachy either. I did a lot of self talk today to make it through. There were several teachers out today so I knew the availability of subs was limited. I was supposed to attend class this evening but by the time school was out I just didn't think I could do it. I came home and crashed for a few hours. I had done a little work before I left school to get ready for the sub but it was incomplete. So I did my classic midnight run to school. This is the kind of thing that gives mother stress :)! Anyhow the nice part is there is no one to share the copier with, it is quiet and I can get it done quickly. I checked on our online sub-finding program and I do have a sub for tomorrow. That won't just be a relief to me but to any extra staff that may have had to fill in for me tomorrow.
This afternoon we made catapults for science. The kids were very enthusiastic about making these. Tomorrow is their opportunity to launch items through the air. These aren't the most sturdy catapults and I know they will be put to the test. I hope the sub survives all of this action!
I want to feel well. My immune system is quite low this fall despite all of my best efforts to boost it. My insurance kicks in soon and I can't wait to see the Dr. On Wednesday we are having a meeting to get some training on our states new Teacher Evaluation. Our district volunteered themselves to be one of the pilot districts to work the kinks out on the new Evaluation. Then when it rolls out officially we will be accustomed to the process. I wonder how this all will go. It may give an opportunity to move on some not so great teachers. In a small rural district such as ours that never has enough teachers. What are the options? Will they keep not so great ones? Will the evaluations have validity? I don't know the answer but I do know it probably won't be a fun roll out for us teachers. It isn't that we aren't all giving our best, I just don't think the district has the supports in place for us to be as successful as we could be.
Speaking of that we signed our contracts they were just ratified last month. Hurrah! I am making more than at my last district (including extra duty pay I earned there). With our contracts we also received an evaluation on the district. I sat down and discussed some of the items with another teacher. It didn't take us long to realize we had different forms. The questions were good questions and I really felt like it gave me a voice on things that were frustrating me. I don't know if it will elicit change, but there is always hope. There isn't a school district in the land that doesn't have issues. So it is part of the job.
On an up note. I recorded the CMA's (Country Music Awards) to watch at my leisure. Over the weekend I watched them. It was such a wonderful contrast to the previous awards show I heard so much about in the so called "news". It was fun and refreshing. Although I am noticing a trend in music that kind of disturbs me. This "go your own way", "My Way", "Follow your arrow", "That's who we are" I could go on but I think you get the general idea. Follow your heart, your bliss, your path. Um does anyone else see the problem here?
I don't know if it was an answer to a prayer from upstairs that new my limitations today but many of my students were out sick. Their teacher wasn't feeling peachy either. I did a lot of self talk today to make it through. There were several teachers out today so I knew the availability of subs was limited. I was supposed to attend class this evening but by the time school was out I just didn't think I could do it. I came home and crashed for a few hours. I had done a little work before I left school to get ready for the sub but it was incomplete. So I did my classic midnight run to school. This is the kind of thing that gives mother stress :)! Anyhow the nice part is there is no one to share the copier with, it is quiet and I can get it done quickly. I checked on our online sub-finding program and I do have a sub for tomorrow. That won't just be a relief to me but to any extra staff that may have had to fill in for me tomorrow.
This afternoon we made catapults for science. The kids were very enthusiastic about making these. Tomorrow is their opportunity to launch items through the air. These aren't the most sturdy catapults and I know they will be put to the test. I hope the sub survives all of this action!
I want to feel well. My immune system is quite low this fall despite all of my best efforts to boost it. My insurance kicks in soon and I can't wait to see the Dr. On Wednesday we are having a meeting to get some training on our states new Teacher Evaluation. Our district volunteered themselves to be one of the pilot districts to work the kinks out on the new Evaluation. Then when it rolls out officially we will be accustomed to the process. I wonder how this all will go. It may give an opportunity to move on some not so great teachers. In a small rural district such as ours that never has enough teachers. What are the options? Will they keep not so great ones? Will the evaluations have validity? I don't know the answer but I do know it probably won't be a fun roll out for us teachers. It isn't that we aren't all giving our best, I just don't think the district has the supports in place for us to be as successful as we could be.
Speaking of that we signed our contracts they were just ratified last month. Hurrah! I am making more than at my last district (including extra duty pay I earned there). With our contracts we also received an evaluation on the district. I sat down and discussed some of the items with another teacher. It didn't take us long to realize we had different forms. The questions were good questions and I really felt like it gave me a voice on things that were frustrating me. I don't know if it will elicit change, but there is always hope. There isn't a school district in the land that doesn't have issues. So it is part of the job.
On an up note. I recorded the CMA's (Country Music Awards) to watch at my leisure. Over the weekend I watched them. It was such a wonderful contrast to the previous awards show I heard so much about in the so called "news". It was fun and refreshing. Although I am noticing a trend in music that kind of disturbs me. This "go your own way", "My Way", "Follow your arrow", "That's who we are" I could go on but I think you get the general idea. Follow your heart, your bliss, your path. Um does anyone else see the problem here?
November 9, 2013
Cook, Clean, Laundry!
I picked up my basket of fresh produce. I hadn't bought one for about a month I think. I was busy and still hadn't used a lot of my produce. Since Thanksgiving is coming soon and my frozen dinner stash is low I thought that I need to do some cooking. For the first time I grilled some tomatoes. Did I go online and look at a recipe or instructions on how to do this. Nope! Instructions are for people who do it wrong the first try. AHEM. I had the general idea correct. Put on a little olive oil sprinkle with some salt and throw them on the grill. I probably should have left them on a little longer but overall I think I did an okay job. I tossed them into the soup pot where they will cook some more anyway.
My first soup for today is:
My first soup for today is:
Taco Soup
1 lb. ground beef (cooked and drained)
2 cans Pinto beans, (undrained, I substitute a can of black beans)
1 can whole kernel corn (undrained, if I can get it I prefer white corn)
2 cans stewed tomatoes,(undrained) or like today about 6 small grilled tomatoes.
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning (get the low sodium if you can)
1 pkg. Ranch Dressing Mix ( I've used both Uncle Dan's and Hidden Valley with similar results)
1 1/2 Cup water
Add cooked drained ground beef throw in large soup pot. Add all other ingredients and simmer.
As my experiment continues today I also added some rice. I have no idea how the rice will turn out but it seemed like a good idea. If you have problems with acidity. This isn't the soup for you. Although, you can cut it by adding sour cream when eating it. I usually throw in a little shredded cheese after I heat it to eat it.
I also received some mushrooms today in my pack so I will probably make a gluten free Beef Stroganoff. It is quite a simple recipe but I really like it. It also freezes nicely. I don't buy gluten free noodles to put it on. I do as the recipe shows and eat it over white rice. This is where a rice cooker comes in quite handy. You can cook a lot of rice quickly. Wal-mart has them quite cheap. It is worth it. I think I bought the cheapest and smallest one they had at my former local Wal-mart. I dont' think I spent over 20 dollars for it.
As I was grilling my tomatoes I could hear my doorbell ring. So I walked around to the front of the house. The Fed-ex lady confirmed I was cooking them correctly. :) Anyhow, I received my transcripts for my finished class. I am waiting for one more set to arrive then I can send off my licensure paperwork.
I don't know yet what other cooking I will do this weekend. I can confirm I will be doing A LOT OF laundry and housecleaning. I have some work to do at school as well. It is good to have a long weekend.
November 8, 2013
My evening in Jail
This morning I had class. It was very inspiring to me. The research that we were looking at had to do with reading aloud. The research backs this up as one of the most important aspects to help children learn to read. They learn text direction, vocabulary, predicting, and other skills. It is imperative that parents read in the home. We read as much as we can in the school day, but that simply isn't enough. PLEASE READ to your kids. If you are not a confident reader that is what audible.com is for or books on c.d. What I loved is that it really gave me permission to do what I've always felt is important. Reading to students. They get exposure to texts they might not have the skills to read. It helps them to make connections and creates opportunities for great discussions. Anyhow, READ! It is everything!
After class I had the opportunity to put on my pj's and take an afternoon nap. It was heavenly. I am so wiped by the end of my school week I sometimes feel like it takes the entire weekend to refill my tank. It was one of the best naps I've taken in awhile.
I am working on the paperwork to renew my teaching license. One of the things I needed to do was go to the bank and get a cashiers check to send in with my application. I waited for my turn and then none of the ladies behind the counter had every done a cashiers check before. What I thought would be a 10 minute trip to the bank turned into a 25 minute trip to the bank. The ladies were very apologetic and I said " hey we have to learn something new every day right?". It was surprising to me that they didn't know how.
Then I ran home to get some paperwork to take to the Sheriff for my appointment to get finger-printed. It is a little spooky you walk in the front door to an empty waiting room. At the back of the room is one way glass. A voice from the beyond asks if they can help you. You tell them why you are there and they say " please wait a minute". So a minute turned into 10 minutes which turned into 20 minutes. Officers walked in and out and asked if I had been helped. I would say yes "she said to please wait a minute". They'd ask if I was waiting to get finger printed and I would confirm this. Their response would be "ya that's going to be awhile". My imagination ran away with me. What was going on behind the scenes? Were they attempting to prop up a drunk person for fingerprinting? Who knows. I was thinking of how difficult that would be. The fingerprinting you have to stand for and it is a digital pad that takes a picture of your prints. I can't imagine attempting to finger print someone resistant or sloppy. So 30 minutes, 40 minutes passed, and 50 minutes passed. I was getting to the point I thought of leaving when the Deputy came out and had me come back. That took about 10 minutes and I was on my way. FYI the empty lobby contained a bench, and empty desk with a seat, and an ATM machine. So that was my every so exciting evening in jail. :)
After class I had the opportunity to put on my pj's and take an afternoon nap. It was heavenly. I am so wiped by the end of my school week I sometimes feel like it takes the entire weekend to refill my tank. It was one of the best naps I've taken in awhile.
I am working on the paperwork to renew my teaching license. One of the things I needed to do was go to the bank and get a cashiers check to send in with my application. I waited for my turn and then none of the ladies behind the counter had every done a cashiers check before. What I thought would be a 10 minute trip to the bank turned into a 25 minute trip to the bank. The ladies were very apologetic and I said " hey we have to learn something new every day right?". It was surprising to me that they didn't know how.
Then I ran home to get some paperwork to take to the Sheriff for my appointment to get finger-printed. It is a little spooky you walk in the front door to an empty waiting room. At the back of the room is one way glass. A voice from the beyond asks if they can help you. You tell them why you are there and they say " please wait a minute". So a minute turned into 10 minutes which turned into 20 minutes. Officers walked in and out and asked if I had been helped. I would say yes "she said to please wait a minute". They'd ask if I was waiting to get finger printed and I would confirm this. Their response would be "ya that's going to be awhile". My imagination ran away with me. What was going on behind the scenes? Were they attempting to prop up a drunk person for fingerprinting? Who knows. I was thinking of how difficult that would be. The fingerprinting you have to stand for and it is a digital pad that takes a picture of your prints. I can't imagine attempting to finger print someone resistant or sloppy. So 30 minutes, 40 minutes passed, and 50 minutes passed. I was getting to the point I thought of leaving when the Deputy came out and had me come back. That took about 10 minutes and I was on my way. FYI the empty lobby contained a bench, and empty desk with a seat, and an ATM machine. So that was my every so exciting evening in jail. :)
November 3, 2013
HURRAY!!!!
Done with my online class for licensure! Soooo happy took my final exam today. Now I just need to get my transcripts, get finger printed, send in my paperwork... and done! I don't know if you noticed but I really disliked this class. WOOT WOOT
It's OVER!
It's OVER!
November 2, 2013
Small accomplishments
Have I accomplished much for work this weekend. No not really. I have one more day to get there. What have I accomplished not enough. I did get my bathroom cleaned. Finished shampooing the carpet of one of the bedrooms. Got a couple loads of laundry done. Worked a little on my online class. Mostly I relaxed.
I also went out and purchased a cast iron pan this weekend. I am over the teflon non-stick madness. Can't take cooking on it anymore. So then I had to research how to season a cast iron skillet. Almost every website I found suggested LARD or Bacon Grease. I decided to try the non-traditional Olive Oil. If it doesn't work out I will have to go buy some lard I suppose. My skillet is now in the oven getting its seasoning on. I always imagined actual seasonings being involved in the seasoning process. Turns out it is just oil and heat. I greased it up my skillet with olive oil. Followed the instructions of putting some aluminum foil on the bottom rack to catch the drips from the pan on the top rack. Hope this all works and I can throw in some chicken breasts or something yummy.
I am still trying to get stuff out of boxes and put away. I've moved so often in the past few years there is some reluctance to get too comfortable. It has been great to have a kitchen and my own things again. I need to run to the grocery store this weekend. I ran out of Milk and a couple other necessities. I decided to go back to drinking whole milk. It has less sugars in it than the low fat milks. It also has more iodine in it. It was a hard adjustment because I am NOT fond of milk. I have adjusted to it now and it almost tastes good.
I got a nice e-mail from my Granny this weekend and I really need to give her a call. I haven't forgotten you Granny!!! We will chat soon!
I also went out and purchased a cast iron pan this weekend. I am over the teflon non-stick madness. Can't take cooking on it anymore. So then I had to research how to season a cast iron skillet. Almost every website I found suggested LARD or Bacon Grease. I decided to try the non-traditional Olive Oil. If it doesn't work out I will have to go buy some lard I suppose. My skillet is now in the oven getting its seasoning on. I always imagined actual seasonings being involved in the seasoning process. Turns out it is just oil and heat. I greased it up my skillet with olive oil. Followed the instructions of putting some aluminum foil on the bottom rack to catch the drips from the pan on the top rack. Hope this all works and I can throw in some chicken breasts or something yummy.
I am still trying to get stuff out of boxes and put away. I've moved so often in the past few years there is some reluctance to get too comfortable. It has been great to have a kitchen and my own things again. I need to run to the grocery store this weekend. I ran out of Milk and a couple other necessities. I decided to go back to drinking whole milk. It has less sugars in it than the low fat milks. It also has more iodine in it. It was a hard adjustment because I am NOT fond of milk. I have adjusted to it now and it almost tastes good.
I got a nice e-mail from my Granny this weekend and I really need to give her a call. I haven't forgotten you Granny!!! We will chat soon!
November 1, 2013
Happy Halloween
Whew.. I survived the sugar high. I didn't eat sugar... just 20 or so students did. All day long.. "when is the party" As one of my friends posted this picture today I had to smile. It is difficult to maintain learning when all your students are thinking about is.. PARTY!!!
Our district decided to form a coalition to decide what would be the best next steps to take as a district to raise test scores, and really have a deep understanding of common core. In one way I was relieved about their decision. Instead of focusing on writing assessments we are now focusing on unpacking standards. Here is the thing... This has already been done. Why are we focusing on this? Why not just give us some classes or professional development on what all the standards contain? Okay then they decided that we don't need to use "curriculum" in the traditional sense of a created curriculum to purchase and use to teach the standards. HUH WHAT? So I went from a assessment writer (even though I have little training in assessment writing) to a curriculum creator/writer?
I am disgusted there is so much research already done by people specialized in curriculum. There are curriculum's that have decades of research behind them with improvements made based on their research. Now you want me to teach and create a curriculum? To a certain extent teachers should do this. For instance there isn't a lot I had to teach my students about this state. I had to do some research and find some curriculum and information to share with my students. I just had to shake my head. I am not a curriculum writer, nor an assessment writer. I just want to teach my students to the best of my ability. I want to spend time thinking about my lesson plans so that I can give great enriching lessons that will stay with students. That is why I became a teacher, to teach!
On the upside in one area we are using a WONDERFUL curriculum. Singapore Math. I am also taking a class online right now that I was to be honest procrastinating on a bit. I LOVE the class. It is so great. I am printing off all of the lessons from the class the extra materials and ideas provided. It has been so engaging. I was pleasantly surprised. Some of our teachers don't really like Singapore math. I think it is weak in Kindergarten, and involves way more cutting up papers than most teachers/students can handle with a large class. It also doesn't have enough manipulatives in Kindergarten. However, up from there it is amazing how it helps students to grow in their math abilities. The upper elementary teachers are beginning to like it because now they are finally getting the students who have been with the program a few years so it isn't brand new to them. To throw students into it without prior exposure... is really hard. Those students struggle so their teachers hate the program. Hopefully, taking this class and seeing students over the next couple years will change some minds.
I went to my neighbors for Halloween. It was nice to hang out with them and hand out candy for them while they went on their own trick-or-treat rounds through the neighborhood. We didn't have a huge amount of trick-or-treaters because of something that happens locally. Trunk-or-treat! It is done by a local church in their parking lot. They have all the treats in their trunks and even provide a free dinner. When I first heard about this it seemed so shady to me. Handing kids candy out of your trunk sounded like a drug deal. Anyhow, it is a safe place and kids are in a safe location. It was great to chill out next door. It just feels so great to have neighbors that care about me and want the best for me.
Our district decided to form a coalition to decide what would be the best next steps to take as a district to raise test scores, and really have a deep understanding of common core. In one way I was relieved about their decision. Instead of focusing on writing assessments we are now focusing on unpacking standards. Here is the thing... This has already been done. Why are we focusing on this? Why not just give us some classes or professional development on what all the standards contain? Okay then they decided that we don't need to use "curriculum" in the traditional sense of a created curriculum to purchase and use to teach the standards. HUH WHAT? So I went from a assessment writer (even though I have little training in assessment writing) to a curriculum creator/writer?
I am disgusted there is so much research already done by people specialized in curriculum. There are curriculum's that have decades of research behind them with improvements made based on their research. Now you want me to teach and create a curriculum? To a certain extent teachers should do this. For instance there isn't a lot I had to teach my students about this state. I had to do some research and find some curriculum and information to share with my students. I just had to shake my head. I am not a curriculum writer, nor an assessment writer. I just want to teach my students to the best of my ability. I want to spend time thinking about my lesson plans so that I can give great enriching lessons that will stay with students. That is why I became a teacher, to teach!
On the upside in one area we are using a WONDERFUL curriculum. Singapore Math. I am also taking a class online right now that I was to be honest procrastinating on a bit. I LOVE the class. It is so great. I am printing off all of the lessons from the class the extra materials and ideas provided. It has been so engaging. I was pleasantly surprised. Some of our teachers don't really like Singapore math. I think it is weak in Kindergarten, and involves way more cutting up papers than most teachers/students can handle with a large class. It also doesn't have enough manipulatives in Kindergarten. However, up from there it is amazing how it helps students to grow in their math abilities. The upper elementary teachers are beginning to like it because now they are finally getting the students who have been with the program a few years so it isn't brand new to them. To throw students into it without prior exposure... is really hard. Those students struggle so their teachers hate the program. Hopefully, taking this class and seeing students over the next couple years will change some minds.
I went to my neighbors for Halloween. It was nice to hang out with them and hand out candy for them while they went on their own trick-or-treat rounds through the neighborhood. We didn't have a huge amount of trick-or-treaters because of something that happens locally. Trunk-or-treat! It is done by a local church in their parking lot. They have all the treats in their trunks and even provide a free dinner. When I first heard about this it seemed so shady to me. Handing kids candy out of your trunk sounded like a drug deal. Anyhow, it is a safe place and kids are in a safe location. It was great to chill out next door. It just feels so great to have neighbors that care about me and want the best for me.
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