WFW

I was really draggin' on Friday and not really feeling well. After I'd finished my lunch it showed even more and my colleagues started telling me about all the people who'd died of the flu. It feels more like a head cold and I hope it stays that way. I've tried to rest this weekend so that I am hopefully up for rambunctious kids tomorrow. I haven't ran a fever so that is good. I also took a gazillion vitamins. Here is hoping that it is all enough.

I made a roast this weekend in my little crockpot and it turned into shredded beef. It is delicious but cooked a little longer than I'd planned. I also am attempting my first pot of soup in my Instant Pot. I was a little concerned because I needed to saute the veggies before putting in the rest of the ingredients and it had a saute option on it that worked really well. I hope the cooking part works just as well. It does seem to speed up the whole cooking process and with my schedule that is perfect. I will have to practice a little more and see what all I can do with it. Starting with a pot of soup that doesn't take hours to get done I think is a good start.

This week begins Western Folklife week at school. Tomorrow it begins with Basque dancers and performers.  We need to finish up our own poetry in the classroom. The students will choose their favorite pieces and read them for their parents. Last year we had a school wide Buckaroo Breakfast and parents could come eat with their kids. It has become to difficult to execute that in a timely manner due to the large size of our school. We have lunch that starts very early because of the size. So we are having a classroom Buckaroo breakfast. I asked the parents to bring pre-cooked sausage, Eggos, syrup, milk, and juice. Nothing fancy but it will be fun for the kids. Some of the teachers were bringing a griddle and actually cooking! NO thank you lol!

I  paid off another student loan last week. YEE HAW. I am closer to being done with that!  Next week a student teacher is going to be helping in my classroom for the rest of the semester. She is willing and ready to help I think. I am excited to have a little help. I got a little background on her and it seems like she is pretty good. I am hopeful it will be a good experience for both of us.

Answer the Phone!

I have trained my students to answer the phone when it rings. The phone is in a very inconvenient location. The students can usually get to it faster than I. They say "Hello Miss Carpenter's Room how can I help you?"  They do a great job for the most part. They sometimes forget to ask who was on the phone and what they wanted when they hang up. However, the majority of the time they relay the information. I also have my students trained to not interrupt when I am doing one on one assessments with their classmates. They have to wait till I have finished with a student to ask a question. The other day the phone rang when I was assessing a student. They answered politely as usual. Then they said "I'm sorry she can't come to  the phone she is testing a student." She listened for a bit and hung up the phone. I almost giggled out loud, I was so surprised.  I finished my assessment and said "Who called? " The principal."  ACCK um "What did she need?" "She needs a copy of the paper you are sending home."   I have to think for a minute about what paper. I'd already sent it to her so I thought maybe she doesn't need a print copy but a digital copy. Anyhow I got that figured out and sent it.  I couldn't believe she told the principal  that I couldn't come to the phone. Sometimes your training is a little TOO effective. This was my giggle of the day. I never had a conversation with the principal about this so I am not sure what she thought. 

Unprepared

I've said it before and it can bear repeating. There are some things you cannot prepare for and you cannot learn in teacher college. Students losing both of their parents in a domestic dispute is one of them. The students are not in my class but we felt the blow through the whole school. Four children lost their parents.  It is heartbreaking. No words...

Back in Session

We are back to school with a bang and a whimper. Full speed ahead. I am pooped. The kids were pretty good I think they were pooped too. The standardized testing and assessments have began. So have my headaches HA!  I had a meeting after school today and the principal did a fabulous job of  pointing the parent in the right direction. I kept telling myself to not say anything because she was doing such a good job. It  was a relief.  I have a lot of work ahead of me the next few weeks. The end of the 2nd quarter is coming up as well.  So we are back, back at it, and I already  am looking toward the weekend.