Changes

yep... leave it to me. Sprain my knee while cleaning a closet. Sigh. It doesn't feel very good but it is better than it was a couple of days ago. The school has an ice machine and I had plastic bags so I could elevate and ice easily. Not sure how well it will go being on my feet at school all day. Oh well.  I worked on my classroom a lot this weekend. Now that I've been here almost a year I have a better idea of what resources left in my room I need and those that can go.  Hence the closet cleaning.

A colleague came and kept me company and helped a little. I've had this document camera and faux smartboard system in my classroom because my colleagues didn't want to set it up. So we set that up today. I don't have it completely figured out but it will be fun to keep messing with it and see what it can do. It doesn't work as well as Promethean or SmartBoards... but it is what I have. For you non-techies it is like a modern day overhead projector that you can write on digitally, show documents,  have students input data and way more.

I have been waiting all weekend for lesson plans from a colleague. She seems to think receiving them in the morning will work just fine.  She's going in early in the morning. Our e-mail system is down so the only way I can receive them is for her to get them to me. She has the only typed copy. It is sooo frustrating.
This colleague is going to kindergarten next year. I am hopeful about what we can accomplish with a change. It has been all about change at work lately. I think this could be extremely good for the school. We are waiting quite impatiently for our reading curriculum to arrive.

I have some plans to make my classroom a nicer place to spend my days! I will be spending some quality time with some paint cans.

Change

Well I've had a great couple of days of training. My  brain is on over-load right now. It is good when you attend a training of great quality. I have to figure out what I can implement soon. Anyhow, it was a good couple of days and felt very worthwhile.

While at the training today we got a message that we had to attend a staff meeting at school today. We were speculating a little (of course) what the meeting would be about. I had heard a rumor a couple of days ago but I took it in stride because there are always rumors. It turns out this particular rumor was factual. Our principal is leaving us to head to the high school. It sounds like our vice-principal will stay in that position and they will advertise for a new principal.  Our principal addressed any rumors related to her leaving and stated why she was making the change. Some of her reasons were personal and some were because she didn't feel like she had the skills to help us make the next steps in our growth.  This is the second time I've felt I didn't have leadership invested in the teachers. I really hope that we will have someone invested. It makes a huge difference.

I don't know why being in training is more tiring than being w/ kids all day. It just seems like it is.  It sounds like my students were on task and well behaved.  So that is good.

R and R

I think we are at 36 days of school left. It is incredible how quickly this year has gone by. I was asked to go to another training next week. I hope it is a good one. I really know very little about this structure we are being taught. Well I think I know very little I may get there and know more than I realize. It is a two day training so I really, really, want it to be a good one. If I leave my students for two days I definitely want it to be worth the time.

I am doing a little cooking this evening. Making the Taco Casserole I made awhile back. It was worth a repeat. Although next time I think I will add rice the recipe mentions as optional. I spent a lot of time at school yesterday planning next week. I don't think I am ready and will go in again tomorrow. Today I pretty much rested. I've been fighting either a head cold or allergies or a combination of the two this week. All I know for sure is that it was kicking my heiney!  I did look in my flower bed and my bulbs are up about 2 inches so that is an encouraging sign of spring. Although here the snow isn't over till it's over and I don't know if it's over.

My students won the district spelling be on Thursday so I was super proud of them. They really wanted to compete at the next level (state) but I don't think that happens till 5th or 6th grade.   So this isn't much but it's all I can think of for now... have a lovely weekend!

Learning

I have learned so much in such a short period of time I feel like my brain is overloaded. I went to a school visit to a 5 star school. I learned a lot from the teachers there and just the experience of being there. Our principal would like to recreate what they have done with their school. I don't know if we have the supports in place to make it possible. I do know that I learned a lot from the experience which will allow me to be better at my job. The teachers there were very generous with their time and resources. What impressed me besides great teaching and great students was the administration. They behaved as colleagues with their staff. They popped in and out of all classrooms throughout the day. They addressed behavior as needed but they really supported their teachers.

The next day we went to a parent engagement conference. I also learned a lot from this experience. More importantly it was uplifting and encouraging. We ended the conference feeling validated and celebrated as teachers. The four of us teachers that went to the conference kind of made a unsaid vow to be more encouraging to one another. It was a really great way to end those days of training.

We came back home late and the next day I had a math number model training. It was good but I was so tired I am not sure how much I retained. My favorite part of that day was that our Vice-principal sat down with us. She joined a group and asked questions, took notes, and went through the training with us. I can't explain how much that meant. It really impressed me and made me feel like she valued what we were doing and learning. She was as invested as we were.  I told her I really appreciated her doing this with us. In contrast our principal sat in the corner and just observed and worked on other things.

So I packed a lot in three days. I know that it will be a fight to implement some of what I learned in our school. I am going to start with changing what I know I can. I won't forget the other things but I will change what I KNOW I can and will keep trying to push change in those other areas. We'll see how things go. I am going to continue to work on that bond with the people who experienced that conference with me. I think together if we really stay positive we can help changes occur. We really need some huge changes to occur.

In other exciting news in our school spelling bee my 2 second grade groups won. They will participate in the District spelling bee at the end of the week.  See teaching phonics makes a difference. Ahem! They only take the top two groups from each grade level. I was really proud of my kiddos. I missed their spelling bee because they had it while I was gone.

I am sure there is more that is new but that is all I can think of right now.  We have a math night at school this week. I also have three scheduled formal observations at school this week. We had to pack them in because I was gone and my administrator was gone and then will be gone again. She is coming in at three different times so it should give her a good snapshot of my day.  I was struggling to stay positive today. My colleagues didn't get our common lesson plans done while I was gone. Then when I looked at the incomplete plans it was ridiculous. Then my colleague that is gone this week just did the bare minimum for her substitute. I had to help the substitute fill in the gaps. They were hard for me to fill because I didn't know what the heck they were thinking. The poor sub!  I asked her "Could you follow my lesson plans, did you have what you needed?" She told me yes she did and that I gave her plenty of extra just in case. She is the type that would let me know if I forgot something or if it was lacking. Anyhow, I am glad I had those other days of training because I strongly feel that can overcome these impediments to success.

Update: I forgot to share what a 1st grader said on today St. Patrick's Day. He walks up to another teacher "Are you wearing a green shirt?" She says yes unzips her coat a little and shows him. Recess, Cold, Cold, Windy, Blustery, Day. Anyhow, he looks at me and GRINS HUGELY as he sees my bright green coat.  "Are you....?"  "Yes I  am wearing a green shirt too"  and I show him.  He says " I am wearing a green jacket, a green shirt, and GREEN UNDERWEAR!"   I said " That is great!" Luckily he didn't feel the need to show them too me. So stinking cute he was so proud! Anyhow, I hope you all wore green today.

Cooking Saturday

A friend came over today and we cooked up a storm. We made this Lentil Soup. I changed it up by adding kale instead of spinach. We also made this Taco Casserole. Then I started my favorite Kalua Pork recipe. I didn't start the Zuppa Toscana on my to-do list. I need to do it before the weekend is over since I bought the ingredients. The weather has been beautiful this weekend. I picked up my bountiful basket which had some things not on my edible list like green chilies and brussel sprouts. It worked out find though because I found someone to take them off my hands. If they didn't my neighbors rabbits were going to eat the sprouts.  I have some laundry to catch up on so I am ready for the crazy busy week.

Tomorrow I need to run up and finish my lesson plans for the week. I have a good sub coming in which makes it easier to leave.

Dress Up/Down

In my previous post I mentioned I made broccoli cheese soup. I haven't really tried it yet other than a quick sample at the end of the cooking process. I will say the cooking of broccoli cheese soup should be done in a well ventilated area. My house still smells like  broccoli cheese soup. That could have a lot to do with why I haven't sampled any yet.

I went in to school this afternoon to watch some videos with a colleague and work on lesson planning for next week. There was a little snafu in that I couldn't make any copies because there were some meetings/training's/classes going on in several locations. I did a little bit and then I decided I would head home and do something constructive. That really didn't work out too well. I threw in a load of laundry and a load of dishes and then I took a nap. It felt wonderful. I did a few more dishes and went grocery shopping. So I can't say that I accomplished a lot but it wasn't a complete waste of a day either.  I am always so wiped out on Fridays I feel like the wind up monkey at the end of the wind. My music went flat and I'm drooping.

We had a busy week with it being Reading Week. It was more than a little annoying how little thought went into the preparation of it. It was more than a little chaotic. What  I discovered this week is the teacher cannot dress "down". No crazy hair, crazy hat, backwards anything. Do you know what happens to 2nd graders when this happens. You lose them. Yep their attention span goes to nothing. It is a distraction. I was trying to remember if my teachers dressed in anything wacky in elementary school. Other than an Ugly Christmas Sweater for the Holiday program. I do not recall any such goings on. They dressed professional. Way more so than I do. I don't know how they cleaned glue off themselves. Anyhow I thought you know I don't need to do this. Is it fun for the kids? Yes of course.  What am I really hoping to accomplish? So I am thinking this over. Maybe I'll wear a crazy hat that I can take off and get down to business.  I am probably viewed as a "spoil-sport". I want my students to have joy in learning which is way more important than their teacher dressing nutty!   We'll see how my thoughts on this evolve.

When I look at the 144 days I have to teach my students and then realize how many of those teaching opportunities are eaten up by fire drills, assemblies, and other interruptions It gets a little discouraging. I can see why people can Home-school their children in a short window. Yep it is a challenge.

Oh yes... added to my food list of things I can never eat again without suffering:
cucumber. The flavor isn't bad. It feels great in a slice over your eyes. Ingesting it is agonizing. Instant suffering. Yep goodbye cucumber... you always tasted better as a pickle anyway.

Here we go round and round

It has been a whirlwind lately that I am not sure I am keeping up! It was great to have visitors this weekend and have a bit of a change. We got some cooking done and even made  Chicken Noodle Soup. I always forget to add the cornstarch... I don't know why. It is just a thickener so I have runny soup. We used Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour to make the egg noodles.  It is a very fine flour but it will do what you ask all purpose flour to do and tastes pretty good.  I also made a Hearty Beef Soup.  Tonight I had some broccoli I needed to use and so I  made this Gluten Free Broccoli Cheese Soup. I don't know that I've ever been a fan of broccoli cheese soup but I thought I would give it a try. I needed something different.

You  never know what changes will come. I have been frustrated this year with our lack of reading curriculum. Finally, we get to pilot a reading curriculum that I really believe in. My neighbor that has really been helping support me fill in gaps in reading asked that I be purchased a curriculum as well. This was despite someone else on my grade level piloting it. I am sooo happy. I have said many times "if you cannot read who cares if you can identify the main idea of a story".  If you can't read how are you going to solve a math story problem.  So it may take awhile but eventually we are heard.

It was also really nice to have our Vice-Principal doing our observations in my grade level. She has been a teacher for a long time and she really looks at it from a different perspective. She gives constructive criticism but also focuses in on things you do well. She is very specific and not general which is also nice.  I have another observation coming up this month. I am not sure when yet.  

Another thing coming up is I am attending a training with some other teachers. We will be going to observe at a school that really focuses in on effective strategies and they are doing well on their test scores. It will be over 2 days. So it will be a change of scenery and I hope to learn some really good things.  I also volunteered to be part of a team that is testing out a site that creates tests, tracks data, and more. I hope it is as beneficial as it seems to be. We  have only a 2 week window to try it out.  If we have good things to say the district will be purchasing it. If it works like we want it too it would really save the teachers a lot of  time. We wouldn't have to focus on creating assessments as much and could focus more on creating great lessons.  We'll see how it all goes.  It will be very busy in the next few weeks.   It is hopeful that I will have some great learning opportunities.

Crock-pot Sunday!

I think my mom always had a crock pot. I was just thinking of how in the past women couldn't go far from the stove or they might burn their dish or their house down. I love the crock-pot. We've come a loooonnng way from a life by the stove. I have a crock-pot with cowboy beans going and a crock-pot with Kalua pork going. I am going to eat a little dinner and see if I can get a pot of soup on the stove. My stash was soooo low things were looking grim. I know that it is going to be busy between now and spring break. We have about 8 weeks until spring break.

I have a electric tea-pot that a former aide gave me. It is the best thing ever! I love it!  It was getting some build-up on the inside from minerals in the water. I put water and vinegar in it and heated it up a couple of times. It came out sparkling clean. I was desperate for my tea. I ran out a couple of weeks ago and it came just in time for my second round of Parent/Teacher conferences. Some people have their morning coffee and I have my morning tea. I only have one 8 oz cup a day during the school week. So I don't think I am doing too badly.

I also went down to school today for several hours. I realized I was at school every day this weekend. I did get quite a few things done on my "to-do" list. I also created a pile of things for my parent volunteer to do. So I feel good about that! A colleague and I made a deal that every weekend we would spend 1 1/2 hours  a piece in each others classroom. You really can get a lot more done with a buddy than by yourself. It keeps you going if nothing else. I hope it works out well.  It will keep me motivated and moving a long.

There is also a rumor I may have visitors from the land up north so I may have to get that pile of clean laundry off my couch and put away so my guests can sit down.  Well I'm off to get more done so I can give my all to the kids this week.

The Conferences

Day 1 ..... super long day. A day when I could have used a caffeine i.v.  I made it. One more day till the weekend! I can do this!  Uh Oh I just remembered I forgot to take the trash out this a.m. Oh well it will come the same time next week.  One more day of conferences ! Hurrah. A parent volunteer is coming in next week to help me get several things done that I just haven't been able to get to. I am so glad to have her help. She is a great volunteer. Proficient parent volunteers are awesome. This one is upbeat, helpful, and understands what is needed of her. I love that she can help in my classroom.

Parent-Teacher conferences are tiring. It is the talking and the late nights. Even when it all goes well and it is positive it is so tiring. I am off to find my pillow!

Happy Birthday Granny!

I hope your birthday was wonderful and you were able to do something you enjoy! I miss you!

Child Wrangling

Whew! I don't know if it was the long weekend or what. The kids were wired and tired today. I felt like I was wrangling 3 year old children instead of 7 or 8 year old children. I am exhausted. I wasn't alone in my feelings. All of the teachers expressed that the kids were wound up today. I also had an observation by the Vice-Principal. She stated that every class she had been in that day the kids were bouncing.  We have a couple of short days this week so we can do parent-teacher conferences.  It will be hectic but with some moments to breath thrown in there.

I finally did a taste test on my soup I made over the weekend. It wasn't bad. It wasn't my favorite but it was pretty good. It was a nice hot lunch on a school day.  

Weekend

Just knowing you have one extra day in the weekend is bliss!  It will be a hectic week with only one full school day, and two half days. The rest of my free time will be spent in Parent-Teacher Conferences. I never know what to expect with these.

Tonight I am attempting to make gluten free spaghetti. I attempted it before and the rice spaghetti noodles just weren't all that good.  I have corn spaghetti noodles this time. I am going to let the sauce really soak into the noodles before I eat it. I am hoping that will overcome the flavor I don't enjoy. I will freeze some as well. Hopefully this experiment will work out well.  I never know... I do know that the sauce smells wonderful so I am hopeful.

I have a lot to get done at school tomorrow before I face another busy week.  Last week I found out that pink eye is traveling around the school. So I got out the Lysol and sprayed things down. None of my students have had it yet so "knock-on-wood" hopefully we can keep that contagion away.

I can't believe some of the things that young people have to deal with in their lives. It is one of the most difficult things to deal with as a teacher.  It has been good to have a long weekend to regroup and face another week.

Soup Night! Revisited...

I attempted  THIS soup tonight! We'll see how it turns out. I didn't have fresh carrots, celery, or onions. I also didn't want to go to the store tonight! So I used my dehydrated veggies to put it together. I also added a wee bit of Italian seasoning and a cup of rice. I hope it turns out well. I never quite measure the dehydrated vegetables correctly. I have to err on the side of less is better! I purchase my dehydrated vegetables at  Honeyville Farms. The quality is good and the flavor seems to be there. It is a great option to have on hand. Especially if you live in the boonies. I don't know this year some of you "townies" have had trouble getting to the store with the Artic Vortex.   I had a moment of panic when I thought I was out of basil but in my shuffling it  got shuffled to the back of the spice shelf.   I will freeze this and it will provide me around 2 -2 1/2 weeks of lunches.

Technology woes...

So I thought I had cell phone issues. I couldn't receive or make any calls. I kept getting messages from friends that they left me a voice mail. I haven't been able to access those. I can send and receive texts and get on the internet with my phone but really isn't the whole point of a phone to talk to people?? Anyhow, I spent some time on my neighbors phone with tech support. They couldn't fix it or reset it which led them to believe it is a "network" issue and their engineers would get right on it.  UH HUH! In 1-3 days they will....! So hopefully they get it fixed sooner rather than later and I will be able to hear your lovely voices. I feel very disconnected.  About a year ago my cell phone completely died and I had internet issues, and no neighbors to go borrow a phone from. So there is a silver lining. I haven't had a chance to get much done at school today as I was dealing with these issues. The best laid plans...and all of that! :)

My neighbor's kids are making me a "Tattle-box" for my classroom. I am hoping they will use that instead of telling me all of the infractions.  The big ones I want to hear. I also think it might help the kids who rarely complain. It might give them a space to have a voice. If they finish the box today I will take a picture. Now if they were only a little bit older I could really add to that chore list :)!

Weekend!

This weekend I found out that my class had made the most gains of all the classes in the district at my grade level. I felt really proud but at the same time new how much was due to a LOT of hard work. Most of my students have worked hard and so have I. What bums me out is that this will not be acknowledged to me personally by administration. I am glad I have a connection that let me know this information. It made a lot of the struggles I have gone through a little more worthwhile. It is the paycheck I work for. I want my students to have success in school because I understand the importance of it.

I also successfully completed many chores on my chore list this weekend. I had a mountain of laundry, a pile of dishes, and a pile of old bills and mail to shred. Then of course house cleaning as well. I made progress in all areas which makes me feel good. I also made my "salad-in-a-jar" for my work week.  I had almost burnt myself out on all my favorite soups.

I've been enjoying the Olympics while working on all of my home chores. It reminded me of my favorite neighbor that I grew up with. I was lucky enough to be able to go to her house to watch the Olympics. I remember the winter Olympics the most. I don't know how old I was when I saw my first one but I was definitely a teenager. It is one of my favorite memories of spending time with her. We loved watching the ice-skating. It made me miss her again! I would've loved to call her and say "What did you think of....?"

We are working on finishing our class "invention" for the science fair. It has been really fun to see how engaged my students have been in this process. What I love the most is that they all have been  able to contribute their thoughts and ideas. The analysis it prompted has been awesome to see.  I  am excited for them to present their "invention". I think it will be a really positive experience for my class. I hope that all of the parents will visit the science fair to see their students contribution.

Tomorrow I will be at school most of the day to get ready for the week.  I have a new parent volunteer coming in that I am excited about. I think she is skilled enough to really help me reach some of those struggling kids. It isn't easy to be everything for everyone in the classroom. Good parent volunteers can help make a huge difference.

Common Core, Crazy, Heat Waves, Brats, and Smarty-pants!

THIS is the best argument I have read against the Common Core State Standards. The incredibly high cost to states and districts. As with most bureaucracies I don't think they really consider the cost ramifications when making decisions. The change of curriculum which involves everything from text books to software. The changes in assessment. I mean it really just continues on. The technology needed to implement it. I hope that districts make the investment in the right places but I'm not optimistic about that.

Today was a crazy day I think our high was in the low twenties today and just a minute ago I checked our temperature and it was three degrees Fahrenheit.  So nice and toasty basically. I don't know if it was the weather, a full moon, post Super Bowl sugar crashes, but the kids were wound tightly today!

You want to know the biggest lie teachers hear from parents?  "We never have problems with him/her at home."   If you think your student's teacher believes that one you are delusional. We don't buy it. We know you probably ignore a lot of behavior at home that we just can't overlook in a large classroom where a lot of other children are trying to tolerate your little darling.  Parents just please PARENT your kids. If you don't know how there are classes, resources, self help books, and friends.   Oh yes and if you hear the same criticism of your child from the teacher, principal, lunch lady, secretary, other teachers, your parents,  etc. Your child IS having a behavior problem. Not everyone around can be wrong about your kid.

I have some smart kids in my class. I was doing an assessment today and realized I need to kick it up a notch for some of them. I have some thinking to do this weekend. In "government" schools as my cousin so fondly calls them. The higher kids are the survivors and the low ones need sooo much more from us and demand so much more that well we don't offer enrichment like we should. Do you think my principal has asked me one time this year what I am going to do to enrich the education of the high kids? Nope. Has she asked me how I am going to help the low kids? Yes so many times I've lost count. This isn't okay. It is just reality.

The Right Thing

Sometimes doing the right thing takes a little more effort than you'd like it too. Like when you get a package via UPS and it isn't your name on the box. You try to call UPS and you can never get a warm body that understands that you're not trying to ship something, receive something, or track something. So you give up on that and decide the only option is to open the box. You do and discover 2 brand new phones. I spent an hour on the phone with Sprint explaining the situation and trying to help them identify the customer based on the limited information on the packaging slip. We finally found the right number that they could look up the customer. Then I had to wait while they decided to send me a re-send box.  I don't know when that will come. I am sure there is a very cranky Sprint Customer out there that ordered next day air on their phones that is REALLY Mad they didn't get their phones. It went against everything in me to open the box. So I went to the neighbors (witnesses).   Sprint  did thank me for my honesty. That is reward enough.

Sometime now I have to grade some papers.... etc... G'nite

The Price.

A story was shared with me tonight that will stay with me. A soldier shared a story from wartime. As soon as he started talking I understood this wasn't a story shared often if at all. A story that I am thankful he shared because I learned from it. I also have a better understanding of the price paid by our soldiers that go to war. I am not sharing details because it isn't my story to share. What I am sharing is that there is a cost. A cost I don't always stop to consider and don't always completely understand. I am not saying I haven't thought of it or haven't appreciated it. When the story comes from someone you know you have a deeper understanding of the price, the cost, the sacrifice. We were standing in the great out doors looking at the starlit sky followed by flakes of snow and clouds, and clear skies again. It was a quiet moment where we both could appreciate where we are.  I am glad I heard the story and that I could learn from it.

Weeks End.

Well  we wrapped up our study of Ancient China with our celebration with food today! The kids were so excited and loved it so much that it made it easier for me to suffer through the smell of that stinky food. They loved everything about it. Well not all of them liked the food but they all tried some. We painted Happy New Year in Chinese (I hope). It is always interesting to see what students excel at projects like this. There is usually one that really surprises you. This is why having projects at school is important even if your principal thinks it is "fluff".  It engages a another part of the brain.  We also danced to this song HERE. What is great is most of the boys got moving for this dance! Sometimes even 2nd graders are a little too cool to dance to the crazy songs their teacher brings up.

The kids that test all of my patience were well relatively well behaved today.  It started snowing early this morning and hasn't let up yet I think we have around 8-10 inches. I wasn't as lucky today with the shoveling/plowing. I had to shovel the driveway. I have been so lucky most of our snowstorms that I am not complaining! It was my turn to do the work! I did borrow the neighbors amazing snow-shovel
the SNOWBOSS! It moves a lot of snow at once! It is great for that dry snow we generally have here! It doesn't work quite as well with a wet snow.

One of my students keeps stealing his mom's cell phone. I get messages "I miss you"... and I am thinking ummm it has been hours since I've seen you and I am not quite sure I miss you yet :)! I do find it very sweet though!

I had a formal observation on Monday and the principal went over the evaluation with me today. It went well. I was very nervous because she has been in a rip-roaring bad mood. Today she perked up. So I am glad she typed my evaluation today.  I also had a chance to look over most of my students growth in their test scores. There was one student that was absent so I am not sure about that one. All of the other students except for one made significant growth. It made me feel like I am doing something right. I have to keep plugging away at it. 

I went to dinner tonight with a pal! I hadn't been to this restaurant before and It was pretty good!  I will probably go back. It was also nice to end a crazy busy week with a  little stress relief.    Well the bottoms of my pants soaked up a little too much snow and I am getting chilly. G'nite

Eat the cookie!

When it is a student's birthday and they insisted their mom bring Chocolate Chip Cookies straight from the oven still gooey and warm because their teacher  loves them that way you eat them. Even if you've gone gluten free. You eat the cookie, you savor it, you enjoy it and you hope that you don't pay for it later. YOU EAT THE COOKIE! Sometimes no thank you isn't a possibility.

Tomorrow we have our "Ancient China" celebration. To wrap up this study we are eating Chinese food and having lunch in the classroom with the teacher. Am I excited about this uh nope! I really hope Chinese Food is actually better than any Chinese food I have ever had to choke down at a Chinese Food restaurant.  UGGH! I don't even like to eat a Fortune Cookie. Yep Yep!  I think I can get away with not eating the cookie in this case. Unless some mom makes them by and and delivers them fresh from the ....uh whatever they cook them in!

Today was a hectic day. My behavior problems were at the top of their game! They had both barrels loaded and were ready to do well as little as possible unless it involved driving someone else crazy. Tomorrow is my Friday! I will be able to make it yet!

I am ready for the weekend!

Rough day

Pray for me to be able to help a student in the best possible way. Today was one of those days as a teacher that makes you want to go do another job. Not because I don't love the job but sometimes the heartache is huge! I don't know what the next days will bring but I know I need to help a student through a difficult time.  

Thanks

Visitors... of a sort

You're home sick. Making a lot of visits to the bathroom.  What happens?  You get visitors. With way to much frequency. Those kind of visitors that  can't accept that you really are home sick. So far it has been Kirby Vacuum (NOT SALESMAN) people. They assured me they didn't want to sell me anything but just wanted to give me a free carpet cleaning.  Then the Home Security people came. I told them I had home security a revolver and a bad attitude.  I did leave them speechless for a moment before I told them to have a goodnight and closed the door.  I missed another visitor when I was (ahem) indisposed. I can only assume it was somebody that wanted to help me to find Jesus, sell Avon products, or an Amway salesman.  Well the girls scouts are out an about too so maybe I missed the chance to buy some thin mints. Bummer. Whatever the opportunity I missed was I don't feel sad about it. I need to use that little peephole on my door. Apparently January is the month to make some sales in the boonies.   It reminds me of one of my favorite movies of all time. Second Hand Lions! I love how they deal with their unwanted visitors!

Lesson Plans

Well overall I felt better today. I think I've won the war against the fever. I can't stray to far from the bathroom as of yet though. Sigh.  I had another late night sub-lesson planning session. I got it done. I realized yesterday how much I forgot or just wasn't able to think clearly enough on the lesson plans. The sub did an amazing job though. It makes it a little easier when you know you have a good sub.  I haven't been able to eat much yet.  I didn't think I'd be up for a day of chasing short people and all that entails.

I had some sad news today. A former classmate passed away from complications from the flu. It seems like the H1N1 virus is really hitting places hard this year. So my thoughts are with her family. It seemed to happen so quickly.

If anyone wants to come clean my house, I would be happy to let you. Maybe do a little laundry?

The best laid plans...

The best laid plans. Yep they go awry. So I had a plan to meet a friend down south and do some sight-seeing. It didn't work out so I did some shopping and ran some errands I needed to do. I came back home and got some much needed rest. I tried to catch up on many of my much neglected chores. It was kind of a bummer but I did get a change of scenery however brief it was.

The next day I got a pretty bad headache and thought I was probably dehydrated. The sagebrush doesn't grow to high so I didn't drink enough. Watering the sagebrush isn't fun if you get caught. AHEM! The next day I felt a little off but couldn't put my finger on why I didn't feel well. Then I went back to school. I didn't feel particularly well but, I attributed it to a restless nights sleep. By the end of the day my stomach was making some creative musical sounds, and I had the chills. 

I had to get report cards printed and turned in. So a colleague helped me get that done and I turned it in. My plan was to come home crawl into bed and try to sleep it off. You can't really do that while your stomach is having a rebellion and you can't stop shaking. I called the neighbor and she brought me a soda. It did help calm it a bit. Then I  took some acetaminophen to hopefully reduce my fever. By the time it was reduced it was close to midnight. So you guessed it. Midnight lesson plans. I ran down to school and tried to get it all done. I really hope it made some kind of sense to my sub. I'm really not sure how coherent it was. My colleagues will help her out if needed. I saw the sub before I left work and warned her I may be requesting her. When you find yourself resting your face on cold metal doors to cool off, you just might be running a fever. Also, if you find yourself going out in 22 degree weather without a coat and feel quite warm, you might be running a fever.

Midnight lesson plans. It always seems to work out that way. Of course as I was leaving the parking lot I was greeted by a local sheriff. She heard a funny noise coming from the building. I did too but attributed it to our ancient heating system. She was going to check it out.

I miss living somewhere that you can go to the grocery store at midnight. Luckily the gas station was open and I could pick up some 7-up. I also remembered I had some powdered Gatorade. That saved me. Hopefully, I can get over this pretty quickly and get back to work. I was supposed to have my formal observation from my principal tomorrow. The other teachers in my grade level had the principal and vice-principal come in today. I was so glad I didn't get a visit because I wasn't on my A-game so to speak. I was just pushing to get through the day.  So I am off to try to sleep again.
G'nite

On the Range

I didn't have as many pals go out to shoot.  Just one but we had a good time. We pulled up and there was some people drinking, shooting clay pigeons, drinking, etc. Even the little baby was with them and all without ear protection. I told her I didn't feel comfortable shooting in this situation. So we drove a little further and found a  good (previously used) shooting spot toward a high hill. There was a nice stand there with some long abused targets on it. We even found a bowling pin. So we had a good time shooting at our targets. We got to chat about a lot of things as well on our drive out there and back so that was good.   It was exactly what I needed today some fresh air and some time at the range. 

We received an email from our principal yesterday 

"On Monday morning, , a the person hired to do our district evaluations.  upon which our school performance plan is based) will be in our library hoping to talk to any staff who may be available.  I will not be there, and it is your chance to share your thought openly and honestly about how we are using curriculum, assessments, data, parent involvement, leadership, etc, in our school.  I have the whole list of indicators about which she is gathering information, and she has those same questions that you many have been asked a couple years ago by the group who did our audit.  If you want to see that list you are always welcome.

If you have a few minutes Monday morning, your input about how things are in our trenches would be so very helpful.  How can we focus and fix, if we don't hear the reality"

 

I wish I could say that we could be open and honest. I don't think we can be without having our job in jeopardy.  It is unfortunate. Mom and I were talking today about what happens to the person telling the truth and the reality. They are usually the person that ends up fired or relocated. What has happened to valuing honesty and integrity?   I pulled some of the times, place, and people out of the above paragraph if you notice some editing. I am apprehensive. If I go to this meeting will I be labeled a trouble maker. If I don't go will I have lost the opportunity to use my voice. Should I attend so I can see if others will use their voice in a manner of diplomacy while still sharing the message that should be heard?   I don't know.  

 

So it is this kind of thing that makes one go out to the range and empty some rounds. I have met some really good people here in this state and feel like I've made some friends for life. I feel like I have learned a lot and continue to build some great skills as a teacher. Many times you are kept awake at night worrying over  a student, the administration, being able to do your job in the way you know is right.   Doing what is right for your students despite the administration.  It is a challenge. I wish my main focused concern was "what do my students need".  The reality is that as much as I try to make them the main focus it is extremely hard. 

 

 

 

 

 

Moment of Silence.

It really isn't good to start a school day with a negative attitude. I had a meeting to go to this morning that I was dreading somewhat. It actually turned out well until the end. I was feeling positive and encouraged and then one person made a personal comment that was very critical, rude, and completely uncalled for in front of colleagues. I immediately got up and took myself out of the situation even though others tried to smooth it over. I  thought it would only go downhill from there. Then my next thought was now I have to go put on a smile and work with children. They don't deserve to be affected negatively by this. I was never so grateful to have an unusual law in our state. It is actually our state law to start every school day with a moment of silence before saying the Pledge of Allegiance.  That moment of silence although just a moment gave me a chance to quiet myself and regroup. 

It has been a busy first week back. Somehow we all missed the memo that we were having a Science night at school and nobody let us know until Tuesday. Then we were given an experiment to do at the Science night and materials to go purchase. So between my colleagues in my grade level and I we managed to get together what we needed to and split up our duties.  So today after school I worked in my classroom a little and did a little grading. I had to run and get dinner quickly and then run back. I had some fun with a couple of colleagues when I got inspired and decided to requisition a cabinet from an unused classroom. I found a dolly and we got the job done. With a lot of giggles but we got it done. I am grateful to get the cabinet. We got a whole bunch of math manipulatives but I have very little storage in my classroom. So I had nowhere to put them. So now I can put them all away.

I am also grateful to live somewhere were I can ask a few people and quickly have a group that wants to go to the shooting range with me. We have a fun group of ladies a lot of empty milk jugs. I also found out our local sporting goods store has some amazing targets.  It gives me something to look forward to other than grading papers. 

Anyhow, my feet are so tired tonight and I am so excited to see my pajamas. I forgot to mention we are getting a new Vice-Principal. I was able to chat with her tonight for a bit. She is excited about some things I am doing in my class and was really reinforcing an idea I have wanted to try for awhile. She is a very positive person and I hope she is able to maintain that because we really need it. She was assigned to my grade level which was like an answer to a prayer I didn't know to ask for.  So I am looking forward to this change.  

A great day!

Today was a great day!  I had a nice sleep in. Only one more morning to enjoy that before getting back into the routine again. I was able to chat with a friend that I haven't chatted with in a long while. Our schedules and lives made it difficult to connect and have that really good chat. We finally had it. The only thing that would've made it better is if we were together sipping tea.

I went down to school to get a few things done and I met up with a retired teacher who has been volunteering in my class and helping with some students. I had a lot of questions for her and she answered them and really gave me a lot of help, encouragement, and support. She reminded me to keep my eye on the purpose. Meaning so many other things that have to do with school, distract from what is important. The students and their learning are often detracted from while we attempt to fulfill requirements that we don't always agree with. I wrote this on a card to hang by my desk "keep my eye on the purpose." We get tired, burned out, frustrated, and discouraged by nonsense. It was so beneficial to me to meet with her and learn from her. It was a great way to step into the last half of the school year. She also very generously purchased a reading program for my students. I feel so grateful and amazed I didn't even know what to say to her. I don't know how I will repay her for her generosity other than teaching to the best of my ability.  I think it is really going to be a good thing for my students and I am excited about implementing it.

My principal is anti-program. She doesn't want to hear the word "program" and if a curriculum is not created by teachers and part of a "program" she doesn't want to hear about it. It is sooo frustrating. It is at the point it is completely irrational. It is one thing to be anti-program and another thing to say we're not spending money on curriculum right now so figure it out. Uggh! So this reading "program" that was purchased for me I have to be very careful about how I use it and discuss it. I've realized more and more that my principal has no idea what teaching children to read is. All of her ideas about reading are reading to learn, not learning to read. I am going to really push my kids hard on phonics, reading, and decoding strategies. Second grade will be the last chance for many of them to learn to read before they will be doing a lot of reading to learn.

Anyhow, the rest of my great day was some house cleaning. I put some cloves and orange peels on the stove and enjoyed the wonderful smell wafting through my house. I got some housecleaning done and went next door for a gluten-free pizza dinner.  It was yummy!

The highlight of my day was talking with one of my former students and her mom on the phone. It was a delight to chat with her and hear about what she was reading and learning. Her parents decided to pull her out of school when I left and home-school her. I really feel like they made the best choice for her and their situation. She was just one of those students that I really bonded with. We got each other!  I also heard some of the news about the school I formerly worked at. It sounds like things aren't going well, they had no heat again this winter, and there are few students left. Many have moved or are moving soon for a variety of reasons.  I am grateful for my time there I feel like I learned a lot but, I made the right decision in deciding to move on.  Today confirmed for me my decision when I was able to collaborate with an esteemed colleague with decades of experience. I have a community now instead of living in a community.    Tomorrow is my last day to get ready for the following week. I will sleep  in a bit and prepare for the week.

The Christmas Season

Ahhh that time of year to get together with family and friends. A time to detox from stress at work and hopefully get to some of those things you've been putting off. Like your Christmas shopping. For me it was mostly a Amazon Christmas or Gift Cards. Shopping online sure takes the stress out of shopping. At least for me.  I made it up north with only a little bit of hazardous driving. I am hoping my trip south will be as smooth. I drove over to see my Granny and Aunt, Uncle, and a couple cousins. It was a nice Christmas Day. Quite relaxed. Especially since my Aunt and Uncle did all the cooking. We just had to show up!

Dad and I are working on shampooing the living-room carpet. That has been entertaining. If you come to my parents on Sundays you may be missing your favorite cobweb or dust bunny. Don't be sad they grow quickly when you have a cat, a dog, a grand-dog, and lots of people in and out. Oh yes and a couple half-feral children and a feral husband help enormously.

Most of the teacher gifts I got this year were chocolate (I've trained my students well), or something to keep me warm. I received four pairs of hand warmers. I guess I've looked cold! The nice thing is my classroom heat works very well. A little too well sometimes but we won't complain about that, we can always open a window.

Tomorrow Dad is spending his morning duck hunting and checking traps. I will join him later and practice shooting my new Christmas gift.  It feels like a good fit. I don't know how it will feel to shoot but I am excited.  

It won't be long till I head south again. I have to put my Classroom Elf on a Shelf ummm I mean our Classroom Elf has to go back to the North Pole till next December. I also have some paper grading to do as well. I will probably do a little house cleaning and all before the January back to school craziness occurs.  I haven't had a chance to send out Christmas Cards this year... Here's hoping I get a New Year's Card done. So it goes... Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!

Roux

I've come to write a post several times in the last while and never got far.  It has been busy. I ended one of my classes on Friday, and finished my Singapore Math class this weekend. Well, I kind of finished it. We are meeting this Friday with a Professional Development Math Co-ordinater to do some more learning this Friday. The upside of this class is that the district paid for the class and they are paying for my hours this Friday.  So I am down two classes, I have my vocabulary class continuing, and soon I will start another Singapore Math class. Oh yes, my STEM class as well.  The exciting news is I am down to  two classes for now. I don't think the S.M. class will begin till January. I hope anyhow, I need the break.  I decided not to add to my class load this spring. I really need to put more time and focus into my classroom and my students.

It has been a long chilly weekend. I had class on Friday. The heat wasn't working in that room and gusts of cold air came up through the heater. I sat through the whole class with my winter coat and tweety-bird hat on. I went home and crawled into my bed just to warm up! I went to the gymnastics recital for my neighbors kiddos then went home and finished my online class. The gymnastics recital was about as exciting as one could imagine.  Yesterday I did laundry, and dishes, and laundry, (repeat).  We also had some snow yesterday so I shoveled my driveway. I was using my snow shovel which works fine but isn't exactly speedy. My neighbor said to use his snow shovel. It is great for this light dry snow that we get here. You can use this SnoBoss two handed and it holds A LOT of snow. It  made a long job into a short job. I may need to invest in one of these.  It doesn't scrape snow as well as some shovels but it moves a lot of snow quickly. The back is kind of like a sled and moves easily. Anyhow as you can see I am a little excited about a snow shovel! :) You can watch a video about this snow shovel HERE.

Today I spend staying warm, reading, and contemplating tomorrows work. I also decided I wanted to attempt to make a Gluten-Free Roux (White Sauce) to use in one of my favorite winter casseroles. I just ordered a Gluten-Free All purpose flour I had heard about. It was quite a lot of money for flour. I don't use very much, very often, so I decided to give it a try. It does seem to work as well as regular flour. It doesn't have that odd flavor that many Gluten-Free Flours have as well. I will try a few more experiments to see if I really love it.  You can check it out here: Jules Gluten Free.

I forgot to mention on Friday I also had a Dr. appointment. I had a thorough check up. It has been awhile since I've done that. He is going to do a couple of blood tests and see if my levels have changed since my last blood test. I had also lost 10 pounds since September and 20 pounds since last spring. I didn't really notice. My mom kept mentioning it... anyhow. I think going Gluten Free has been a very good decision for me. For one thing I cook a lot at home. When you cook things yourself you know all of the ingredients. I also made the change of drinking whole milk. At first it was a little gross to me. I am used to it now. I've read that they add a lot of sugars to 1 percent, 2 percent and lowfat milk.  I prefer to get my sugar in my Chocolate fix. I mean really!  :)  I have my priorities and they start with Chocolate! 

It isn't long till Christmas break and I will be heading north. I am looking forward to seeing Family and Friends and a change of scenery. Let's hope this Arctic Blast heads back to the Arctic when I am driving home!

Preparation

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.  

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?

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:

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.

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. :)

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!

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!

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.

Midnight Learning Plans

I debated all evening whether or not I would work tomorrow. I finally decided one more day would give me a chance to get well enough to make it through the rest of my busy week. I had great plans of getting up early and going in to get the lessons ready for the sub. I attempted sleep and realized the coughing wasn't going to allow for much sleep tonight. I gave up the fight. Used my inhaler, warmed up my car, and drove to school at midnight. It is soo my style to do this. I don't know why I wait till the middle of the night... but if you can't sleep why not?  I set my timer for 1 hour. I decided to do this to help keep me focused and get the job done. Just as I was setting the last items down for the sub my timer went off. I was glad I was able to get it done in that time. 

We got some snow early yesterday. I love the snow! It has definitely put a chill in the air here. I don't know if we are ready for winter yet but it may be here.  I didn't get another pot of soup made yesterday so hopefully I can get one made today. I did get some other chores done.  I really want to feel well enough this weekend to focus on something other than school. 

Anyhow, my coughs seem to have slowed so I am going to attempt some sleep... g'nite

Hamster Wheel

I've felt like a hamster on a wheel lately. Going full speed ahead but not really going anywhere. This isn't a good feeling. I had a rough week last week. I just hope it is something I can learn from and move on. It wasn't much fun. I've been pushing myself so hard to keep going I think my body started to yell at me this weekend. It was time to STOP and re-evaluate.  My saw blade was beyond dull. I have been trying to rest it hasn't worked as planned. I finally decided to take tomorrow off. The thing about taking a day off is that... it feels like it takes a day to get ready to take a day off.

Someone decided to do standards based report cards. This is good. Seriously it is good. Problem is they haven't saved this in our grading program. It makes grading a pain. A  HUGE PAIN. A time consuming pain. Because it is not saved into our grading program we have a two page step by step program to follow to print grades. If you miss one little  check or click... you have to start over from the beginning again. I can't fathom why they haven't saved this system into our grading software. Somehow, someone, isn't doing what they should be doing. It takes about 1 hour to get through this to print report cards. Then we have to print grade verification reports which is another step by step pain in the patootie that should be saved into the software correctly so that we can just click and print.  It makes me want to yell loudly and curse a lot every time we go through this. I know just enough about this software to question why we are doing this, in this way. I did question it, and quickly shut up before I was shut up. Bureaucracy at it's best. Making paper work 10,000 times worse than it needs to be.

I have a pot of stew in the crock-pot to cook all night. My freezer stash is depleted so I am hoping I can throw together a couple of my easy recipes tomorrow. I am soooooo looking forward to a good sleep and a good rest. 

Lesson Planning

I need to refuel. A school nearby uses Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as their school philosophy. They also use  The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. One of Stephens philosophies is "Sharpening your saw." This simply means if you have a dull blade you're working twice as hard for the same outcome. Sometimes you have to stop and sharpen your saw. I have been thinking my blade is pretty dull and I'm getting pretty worn out.  What I'm going to do about that I'm not sure yet. On Friday I went to my a.m. class then in exhaustion went home and took a long nap. Then I worked on lesson plans from the afternoon into the evening. I did the same thing most of the day Saturday. Sunday I spent at school attempting to get ready for the week.

 Am I whining? Yes Probably. I am frustrated. We are supposed to be doing this as a team effort not alone. My team's lesson plans have been a mess. A complete mess. Something you can't even use as a planning tool mess. We are supposed to do a grade level lesson plan. The theory is if you work together on it you can collaborate and get a good plan, using quality resources, and quality strategies. This has NOT been happening. It was my turn to type up the lesson plans. After meeting three different days to work on them I was completely fed up with my grade level. I met with my friend to get some help. I keep wondering "WHY IS THIS SO HARD?". Well my blade is dull, and I'm not sure my grade level ever had a saw let alone a blade to sharpen.

Am I going to have to clean up our lesson plans every week? Probably. Yep. I can't keep this up that is for sure.  The format we do our lesson plans in is different in many ways than what I have done in the past. However, a lot of it is the same.  It shouldn't take this much effort. If I worked with others who were doing their part it would go much faster. The way the lesson plans have to be done are not "teacher friendly". The principal doesn't want how we are going to execute the plans,  just  a brief overview of the standard, the strategy, the objective, and the assessment. It sounds easy in theory right? The problem is we spend so much time typing all of this in we don't get to spend enough time thinking about the quality resources we want to use, or time to look for other strategies, or is this going to be part of our reading lesson, or writing lesson. It is just a pain.  I don't know what else to do to make it better. I've pushed my grade level, and asked, and asked, and pushed.

Today I realized. You may be asking something of someone who isn't capable of doing what you need them to do.  Maybe my student teaching, and education gave me more structure than I realized.  I literally don't see the evidence in their classrooms they are doing what they say they are doing. On our planning day they've matched strategies to standards incorrectly, they've chosen standards we aren't even teaching yet, they've messed up again and again and again. How can I make this better and not burn myself out? I don't know.

I have a couple more weeks of my ridiculously time consuming but silly online course. I started the Singapore Math course which is going to be very informative and helpful.  I will be glad to have one class done so I can focus on the others. I didn't get any cooking done this weekend. This week is the end of our grading quarter. So I have a lot of grading to enter and things to get done. The principal claimed we would not have any meetings this week after school. I am praying she holds to that so maybe we will have a little breathing room.  I do meet with her in the morning for my evaluation. I hope that goes well.

Late Night Soup!

This has been a crazy busy week. I was so grateful to my neighbors having me over for dinner last  night. Then I came home and remembered I have hamburger defrosting that I had to cook up. So I made a pot of Hearty Beef -Tomato Soup last night. I took it for lunch today, I was having salad every day but since it got cooler I've been eating whatever soup I make. Today I realized I was creating some Break-Room Envy. After the third teacher came in and said " Your lunch always smells sooo good" and they start to heat up their TV dinner. I decided maybe I'd better bring some to share sometime!  I was up later than I should have been.  We are working on Common Assessments at school, end of quarter grading, Lesson Planning, Professional Development, oh.... I don't even know at this point. We're working on too much and when that happens I wonder if you do anything well.

To make a busy week more stressful one of my students tripped and fell into my laptop provided by the district. Sigghhhhh.... BIG SIGHHHH! I don't know the outcome of this yet. I feel sick to my stomach about it but what can I do??

I talked with a friend after work today and she said " I can hear by your breathing you need to use your inhaler!"  I was like "You're right, why didn't I reach for it sooner?" I rarely have to use my inhaler so it tends to be my last thought. This is part of why I've had this cough. It happened before and once I started using my inhaler the cough went away. So it is out and being use. Getting proper oxygen will probably improve my energy levels. Sheesh!

Another teacher asked me after school how my day was "I felt like I was wrangling feral cats". It is true I did feel that way. There are a few non-feral cats in there trying to survive the feral cats.  There are a couple parts of my day that are teaching bliss. We have an amazing computer program that improves concentration, spacial awareness, reading, processing and more. The students when they are on that program are VERY focused. It is just awesome. Another favorite part of my day is my intervention time. The kids are so good, so motivated,  it is just good fun. They aren't students at a high level, they are low. They just really like what we are doing and they feel successful. I feel like I'm making a difference and it is just joy!  I wish all day could be like that but... the feral cats problem. Anyhow I started another online class on Singapore Math today. The feedback I am getting from the other teachers is that it is good stuff, what they have done so far. So I am excited about that even though it is one more thing! Well my pj's are on and I used my inhaler so now it is time for dinner and some R & R before tomorrows....Earthquake Drill... it will be hard to come back from that!

Saturday, Cooking, studying!

Oh Saturday..! I love that cold fall crisp air and knowing that I can sleep just a little longer. Maybe read in my toasty warm bed, and stay in my pj's for a ridiculously long time.  I started making a pot of soup a little later than I should have last night. So I stayed up later than I planned. Oh well, more soup for my freezer and my stash was low. I probably should've doubled the recipe but I realized I was out of freezer dishes so that worked out okay.

 I also did an 8 p.m. grocery store run. I  smiled to myself as I drove home. It had taken me this long to realize that if I wanted to go to the grocery store at night I could. It is weird to have the possibility after two years of remembering the whole town shut down (not the saloons) by 8 p.m. and there wasn't a grocery store. So  that made my trip to the store more enjoyable. I picked up a few things I had run out of and that would help me in my cooking adventures this weekend.

Then I talked to Mom for a few minutes and she was talking about making a casserole which made me decide to make a casserole. It is in the oven now. I can't wait. I also looked up one of my other favorite soup recipes to start this afternoon. I hadn't made it since last winter so I am looking forward to having some of it.  We'll see what other inspiration strikes this weekend on the cooking front. I may have to do another grocery store run for some freezer containers. I have broken a few dropping them straight from the freezer. So now I seem to have a lot of lids but not enough containers.

Here is my soup I am making today I got it from a school parent last year. I am not sure where she got it. I haven't found it online. It freezes quite nicely.

Hearty Beef Tomato Soup

1lb Ground Beef ( I usually double it)

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 TBSP  Butter

1 16 oz can Fire Roasted diced Tomatoes (sometimes all you can find is 14.9 oz that works)

1 Tsp. Salt

1/2 Tsp. Chili Powder

1 Bay Leaf

2 Beef Boullion Cubes (gluten free)

2 1/2 cups water ( I usually have to add quite a bit more)

1/3 Cup Rice ( I add a little more of this too, prob. why I need more water) 

Saute beef, onion, and celery in butter. Stir in all other ingredients. Bring to a boil, and simmer until rice is done. 

The casserole I am making is the traditional tater-tot casserole without the cream-o-mushroom soup. I make a gluten free Bechamel Sauce with gluten free flour and milk.(without the butter) Then I just add some salt and pepper to taste. It makes a nice white gravy to add to the hamburger. The tator-tots I have to carefully read the label. You never know what you will get mixed into them. 

After my casserole cooking I have to finish the work for my online class. Then study for my Monday class. I am thinking tomorrow will be the day spent getting ready for the school week.   Oh and in between and during all of that I really have to do some laundry and clean house.  Where does the time quickly go?

Weekend Refresher

Ahhhhh the weekend. I left school on Thursday feeling pretty disgusted and frustrated. It isn't a great way to finish the week. I met with a friend yesterday who has been a strong advocate for me. I've been getting some great ideas on how to handle situations that are driving me nuts! I met with another 2nd grade teacher from another school. I realized a couple of things today. The focus on testing has created a "competition" mentality among teachers. Is this a good thing or not? If I had a student in the school and I didn't have a choice between teachers I wouldn't like it because my student wouldn't have access to the same quality. I feel that if teachers have a great idea, resource, strategy, they should share. If we can all win together wouldn't that be better?  I don't know but it finally clicked why the other teachers were not sharing items they are supposed to be rotating amongst our grade level. It is ridiculous but it is true. I am finding ways around this situation.

What I also realized today is that I thought I was failing pretty miserably as a teacher this fall. Then I met with a veteran teacher today to get ideas and help from. It was  great because I realized while I need work in some areas there is a lot I am doing right. I learned a couple of new strategies from her, was reminded of some old ones, and saw how she implemented them. It was really refreshing for me to meet with her. She has a positive attitude and was super supportive. I hope this can continue. 

What I am going to continue to do is keep learning and talking with people I know have the experience to help me get there! I spent a lot of time working on teaching today but it isn't over for the weekend. I have work to do to prepare for next week. There is a lot going on. I have another change in my schedule. Fall so far has been the perpetually changing schedule. You are just hoping you fit everything you are supposed to into the day. The students are in the computer lab for a brain-based reading program. It has been very interesting to read about so I am looking forward to seeing it work in person.  The program is very strong and if students spend the allotted time in the lab working on it they usually see  one and a half years growth in reading. As a teacher it has to be a priority. 

It was so great to be able to sleep in a little today. I even took a little afternoon nap. It was WONDERFUL! My body was yelling at me to get some rest.  I have some cooking I need to do this weekend as well. My stash of frozen meals is getting very low. I have a few ideas to switch it up. I had eaten so much lentil soup that I need a change.  So we'll see what I cook up.  So this Friday I really felt like this weekend I am refreshed. 

STEM

I love my S.T.E.M. class. I wish I could enjoy it way more often. It is invigorating, inspiring, and fun. I come back with great ideas and strategies. If every professional development was as useful as this one we would all be happy teachers. Well most of us.. you have one Eeyore in every crowd.  Today we did a couple of experiments with greenhouse gases, we had planning time, and we looked at some new technology.

I have a lot going on. I realized that I am going to have to surrender my weekends to school. To reading, to planning, to researching. Until I finish a couple of the courses I am taking and get a better handle on the curriculum this is just the way it is going to be. I will have to find some balance between that and home. I mean after all laundry has to get done at some point!  I need some down time but in order to feel more prepared and ready to take on the next challenge this is what I need to do, spend more time at work.  Most school days I arrive by 6:30 and am lucky to leave by 5 p.m. I do this because I love it and care about the kids.

On Mondays after school we have Professional Development in writing across the curriculum. On  Monday Nights once a month I have a College Course I am taking in Vocabulary. On the Weekends I work on my Political Science Class for teacher licensure. Every other Friday I take a class on Balanced Literacy.  I am also taking this STEM Class. Next week I start a Singapore Math Course.  That is six classes in case you were not able to count. Granted some of these I signed up for and have over-extended myself but some are mandated by the district. The wonderful part is I bring great strategies back to my students and I extend my own learning. The not so great part is the time commitment. My online class ends in November which is quite exciting. I can't wait, especially after the latest message from my professor:

Good morning! You have completed 60% of the class. Party on
Wayne! Party on Garth! Excellent! Can you name the movie? I have
a few announcements.

First, grades from the last Discussion will be uploaded by
tomorrow afternoon. The lack of direct references to the AM GOV
text in all parts of the response where applicable continues to
result in a deduction of 2-3 points. Typos and improper
capitalization are also impacting some of your BBD grades.

Second, materials for Chapter 9 -- Parties and Political
Campaigns: Citizens and the Electoral Process have been posted
under Learning Modules. It's one of my FAVORITE parts of
political science. Check out the 50-minute PBS clip on Karl Rove:
The Architect under Web Links. You'll see the food and beer
preferences of Republicans and Democrats. Based on credit card
and debit purchases, political campaigns are able to profile
voters and their tendencies to vote for either conservative or
liberal candidates.

Third, Exam 2 will be posted next week. I'll be posting an
announcement with Exam 2 details very soon.

Fourth, an OPTIONAL bonus assignment worth 10-points regarding
interest groups will be posted after Exam 2. Stay tuned for
additional details.

Fifth, third political parties in general don't win presidential
elections but do make a difference. In The War Room, can anyone
name the last third political party and their candidate to win a
presidential election? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Wikipedia is not a reliable source.

Are there any questions?

Online Class

Every time I work on my online class I end up irritated by the outrageous silliness of my professor. Here are is latest offerings of Online Quizzes:

http://www.people-press.org/typology/
http://pewresearch.org/millennials/quiz/

What do you think?