Ah the sweet sweet smell of...

I think I smell SUMMER VACATION! One more day! ONE More DAY! I can do this. We can do this. Although it would help if I was in bed by now. I had  to stay up to make dessert for our staff luncheon tomorrow. What I didn't have to do was go to dinner with a colleague. Let's be realistic though... there was NOOOO way I was cooking dinner tonight. If I hadn't have gone out to dinner my dinner probably would've been a bowl of ice-cream. So yes, dinner out was the better choice.  

Tomorrow is the big wrap up of everything we are supposed to have done. I am so used to Thursday being an official work day. Nope it isn't. We have students for 1/2 a day tomorrow then the 2nd half we are supposed to get all of our teacher stuff done.  After the staff luncheon. If a teacher has a classroom completely in order on the last day with students. Hats off to you...but I think you have issues.

Today was Field Day. In a burst of enthusiasm and optimism our PTO put on the most elaborate Field Day ever seen by our students. They had a ball. I needed about 2 more layers of sunscreen and 2 more cups of tea. However,  my students did receive compliments at several "stations" on their good behavior. There was bubbles, bouncy slides, bouncy obstacle courses, sponge tosses, a dunk tank, kick ball with kiddie pools for bases, gummy worm eating contests, water relays, a color run, and other ridiculous fun. Then we had to walk back to school. Yep one block seemed completely unreasonable to my students.  The whining was non-stop. I grabbed Popsicles from the freezer, turned on a movie, and the last 30 minutes I had students impersonating limp noodles. It was awesome. The bell rang. The sigh of relief coming from their teacher was amazing.   I think the PTO was a little optimistic about how long lower grades can go without water, bathrooms, etc. However, we learn from a party every time we give one.

So I spent my evening firing up sprinklers in my yard and making Special K bars for tomorrow. They are done. I am "unstinkified" from my shower. I am trying to hydrate more before bed. One more day. Unofficially more days than that. I  hope it won't take me too long to clean it all up. The students have taken most of their things home and have "mostly" emptied their desks. We had a desk cleaning activity. Imagine my surprise when I check them after school and a couple of them had just moved things around. Really?  So then they had to finish the job.   I start an online class in 6 days. I will also be going to a 2 week training and a 1 week conference this summer.

Well my alarm always seems to ring earlier than what I think it should... So G'nite

Paint

I am sure after the fact I will be really glad I had my students help with our mural. Today though...all I could think was "WHAT WAS I THINKING?" Overall they did very well and painted within the lines on the wall and not the floor, themselves, etc. I had a parent volunteer that made sure they weren't setting the class on fire while I took a couple of students at a time to paint. They are extremely proud of their work. I had 3 students absent today and one went home with a fever. One I know had a dentist appointment. Hopefully we don't have a spring bug running around.

Tomorrow is our grade level planning day. Since I spent the weekend at school doing things OTHER than sub plans I stayed extra late today getting the ducks in a row. I always have wayyy more work than the sub can do. Nothing is worse as a sub than your students having free time.

My allergies are making me really tired. I plugged in my humidifier last night so last night was a little bit better. I also used my essential oil blend for allergies plus my antihistamine. Hopefully they will start getting better.
I am doing a load of laundry and trying to stay awake till a reasonable hour.  I hope tomorrow is a productive day.

Weekend

After an exhausting week I have actually accomplished a lot this weekend. I spent hours at school on Thursday Night and Friday doing some planning for next year. The next day I went in and began working on a mural in the lunchroom. A friend came and helped so I made progress much more quickly than if I had done it alone. Then today I went back and worked on grading papers and then continued work on the mural. It is coming along rather nicely. It needs more depth that it has right now but it is getting there.  It will 

eventually have rays bouncing out of the top of it onto two nearby bulletin boards. On the bulletin boards will be posted pictures of students that are "bucket fillers" or students that have been recognized by their peers as being kind.  

My plan for tomorrow is more time spent at school getting ready for the week and adding a little bit more color to the bucket. I know my students are very excited to be painting the mural. Hopefully, they all remember to bring their "paint" clothes.  We only have 5 and 1/2 days of school left. So crazy.

I went to our local movie theater tonight. They just recently updated their screen, sound, and projection. The viewing is much more enjoyable. I wasn't surprised but was disappointed to see that parents brought their kindergarten and first grade students to this movie. Yea ratings are merely suggestions apparently these days. I also got in a little lawn mowing this weekend. Despite the rain we've had we didn't get enough to really saturate my lawn. It was getting a little crispy so I have been watering today. My neighbor was kind enough to move my sprinklers around while I was working at school. 

We have a "track" day at high school on Thursday. I don't know what this involves other than we go to the high school track for an hour. When I experience this I will be sure to share. My class also won a pizza party from PTO for a reading contest. They are pretty excited about that. There has been some negativity going on but then I look at all of the accomplishments  of my students and wonder "Why do I let cranky people bring me down". We have a lot to celebrate! We kicked some major keister on test scores as well. Hard work pays off. 

Thank your for your service to our country all service men and women past and present!

End of the Year....

Yep it's that time of year when your teacher probably looks way frazzled. Like maybe he/she needs a week on a beach with a cool drink in hand.  It has been so busy and strange and wonderful. We've been experiencing some very bizarre behavior from a handful of parents. The upside is they have lost any credibility they thought they had. One is delusional enough they still believe they have it. Anyone who works with the public gets rocks (verbal) thrown at them. It makes you wonder why you do this job. Then your students have unbelievable successes and you think "THIS is why".  You know what I have learned about some parents this school year.  They say they want their student to do well but their actions show otherwise. You send home reading, it's never complete. You nudge their student to work a little harder, they complain that you're expectations are to high. You set expectations that aren't high but on TARGET, and they're too high. TOO HIGH! To ask them to rise up to where they need to be????

In the past week I've been told I'm a wonderful teacher by many, a horrible teacher by a few, and why do I let myself be upset by the few? It's being human I suppose.  I am extremely proud of my students. They surprised me and themselves on testing. Together we kicked a lot of heiney on testing. This isn't something parents have access too so they wouldn't know how the students' do overall in each class.  When I get in trouble for setting the bar high, I look at the success of my kids and think "Why Would You Want Me To Lower It?".

There are some parents who want you to lower it though, and not because their student isn't capable.  It amazes and frustrates me.   I have come to really despise these words "We just want what's best for our child."   I despise them because they sound sincere and true. They sound so reasonable and just. They sound as though they are infused with love and concern.  Those words are disproved by sooo many actions I lose count of them. Please don't say those words to your student's teacher. Show the teacher through your willingness to help your student by reading daily, getting homework done, showing up to help out during activities when possible, sending a note in their lunch box to encourage them through the day, and did I mention read to/with them?

In other news we are working on our planning for the next school year and next week we have a planning day. Luckily my Jury Duty was cancelled so I don't have to worry about not being able to attend.  A colleague and I sat down and went through the pacing guide to fit it into next year's school calendar. We had to tweak it a few times but we made it work. That was just one subject area. We are going to try to meet several times over this weekend to work on more of it. It is a time-consuming mind numbing process.

I am also spending my weekend finishing up grading, planning, cleaning, and painting the mural. Busy days ahead but the finish line is within sight!

I know laundry talk AGAIN!

The next few weeks till school is out for the summer will be crazy busy.  I decided I needed to build up my freezer stash to survive the insanity. So I made some Taco Soup and a Taco Casserole... Hmmmm what's up with my Mexican Food craving? I hope to get one more dish cooked this weekend. Probably something that can be neglected in the crock-pot.

I had plans to go into school on Friday and get work done. Yep that didn't happen. Our school was broken into and vandalized and we were asked to not go in until today or later. That worked out for me because I needed the break. I babysat last night. It had been awhile since I had spent so much quality time with a 1 and a half year old. I enjoyed it but there were times of extreme boredom. When I left my nanny days behind I thought I had left behind toddler television. Apparently not.

I have also been getting caught up on laundry. I have almost conquered the laundry pile.  Now I have to conquer the clean laundry pile. It doesn't end.

I am addicted to loose leaf tea. I start my day with a fantastic blend of   chocolate mint black tea. It really is the best way to start the day. I have wonderful tea tumbler. After awhile there is this build up that I've had difficulty cleaning up. It makes the tea have a funky flavor as well. I've scrubbed it and followed the cleaning directions but nope... nothing worked. The tumbler also has an infuser that gets this build up on it. So today I tried that magical combination of baking soda and vinegar.  They were back to their original stainless steel without the tea stain. YAY!  I anticipate a delicious cup of tea come Monday morning.

We are having a trainer come this summer for our new reading program. I have some reading to do before the training. We took a couple of math classes this winter to help us in teaching our math curriculum with fidelity. They were great classes. They just offered the teachers who did not take that class the opportunity to go to the conference the makers of this curriculum put on. I took the class but decided to ask if I could attend the conference despite this. I haven't received an answer yet but I feel it doesn't hurt to ask. It would be really amazing to be able to attend this. It made me wish that I hadn't taken the class this winter so that I would be able to attend the conference for sure. We shall see what happens. Any opportunity for me to learn  more I jump on.

I have all of my cleaning appliances doing their job right now. So that means I better work on tackling the clean laundry pile otherwise my couch may just disappear.  Tomorrow is a day at school for me. Hopefully my room was not invaded by the vandals and thieves.

The "TANG" Experiment!

It worked folks. A container of TANG dumped in the bottom of the empty dishwasher an put on the Heavy Wash cycle did the trick. It got rid of  the residue that it was creating on the dishes and it smells wonderful.  So I would do it again. I even bought the generic brand of TANG because TANG was sold out. Perhaps there was a lot of folks out there needed to clean their dishwashers! HA!  Anyhow, random information from Mom's take  you interesting places.

I've been pretty lucky in my life with great neighbors. Yes not just good but GREAT.  My neighbor saved me once again when I misplaced my keys to my car. Sigh. I had a very blonde day.  I finally decided I needed a cup of tea to engage the brain. It helped a bit. I still can't find my keys... but I did find my spare set (locked in my car). Yep it was one of those days.  

Anecdotes for others

It seems my family and friends find my anecdotes from school FAR more amusing than I do. I will have to come back and review them when I've gained a little distance from the treasures who've helped create these memories. Not all of my students bring me joy but through my stories I get belly laughs from others. I have a tattle tale box at school and I collect and keep these notes from the kids. I had an especially egregious tattle tale this week. My family has been unsuitably entertained. While I am not as amused. I am glad someone else can find humor in it all. Perhaps I can giggle a little more when I've gained a little distance from the subject.

I am attempting the "Tang" experiment tonight. You never know what little facts or tid-bits of information your mom possesses. I was complaining of the funky residue my dishwasher was leaving on my dishes.  I have tried a number of ways to attempt to clean the dishwasher and consulted   Plumber Google, and
Mrs. Pinterest. I attempted a couple but there was still issues. So after consulting MOM tonight I ran to the grocery store and bought Tang. Apparently this product when dumped in your dishwasher will help clean it up of some of that "hard-water" residue that is an issue here.  I will share my results.

In other news we found out who our new principal will be next year. We will be sharing with the middle school. She is very experienced and I am hopefully she will implement some positive changes. She is very new to our district so I am not sure how this will turn out. I've heard both positive and negative from the middle school. I am glad we are going through this process of change. She is a huge proponent of using the new curriculum that we are using and wants to make sure we have training in it. So for now I reserve judgment but am hopeful about the change occurring.

There is so little left to this school year It is hard to believe.  I know this month will fly by.  I am so ready for summer!

Spring Break!

My allergies and I have been on the move since my break started. I am carrying my sneezes from town to town. I am over them and looking forward to them being over with me. Allergies can make you feel like you have a bad cold, or even like you can't breath. When they are severe it seems like your whole body is struggling to operate it is sluggish, and feels weighted.  Right now I have the itchy water eyes and skin. My nose constantly itches/hurts/tingles. I visited the dentist this week and warned them that a sneezing attack could occur. Luckily for both of us I managed to get through the appointment without such an occurrence. This is a fairly mild allergy time...but when it drags on for days it gets old fast. Also, when you are on antihistamines it does wonderful things to your digestion.  Okay moving on from my allergy whines.
I have gotten a lot accomplished this break visited with new and old friends.

 What is on my mind is the choices people make. I feel some people have multiple chances to live in the light. They may have a mental illness but not severe enough that makes them unable to understand right and wrong and their own insufficiencies. They may have enough to make life a struggle but not unwieldy.   If they choose the dark path to walk down it only gets darker. The lack of life there gives them a sickly sheen. They may have moments of acknowledgment of the edge they walk and still walk further into darkness. It sickens me. The impact it has on all the people around them makes me sad. These aren't people who lack choice, or lack the knowledge to stay out of the pit. Yet it fuels them in  a way that keeps them going. The cost for themselves is great and the cost for people around them can be high as well.  The choice was their own but many people suffer the consequences. The only way to keep apart from this darkness is to keep apart so your own spirit can stay clean. It is a sludgy stain.

Moving on to brighter cheerier things :). I have done a million errands, and visited good friends. We made a pot of soup and I grilled some chicken for mom's fridge.So she is stocked up for a little while. Pineapples seem to be in every store. I love a smoothing with strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple. Yummy! So I have a couple of pineapples. I didn't need to purchase two but that is a craving I can accede to. I've heard rumors that some folks way down south of the border soak their pineapple in chili powder. Ummm I don't think I could do that. I do like the pineapple though. I have some more errands to accomplish this week. When I have some down time I also have a stack of papers to grade and a curriculum to read.  I may fit that in somewhere!

Water, Water, NEWS

Apparently some person(s) broke into the county water supply this weekend. Their is some concern that the water supply may have been contaminated.  Certain areas are on "boil water" restrictions. We are on an automatic call list for school and they called and announced this to all district employees and  students. Now I'm not saying my colleagues are impaired, but we had to have a directional conversation. North of such and such street had to boil. South of such and such etc.  They were pointing south for north etc. I mentioned the cities that were to the south and to the north to help them  get a little insight into where they are in the world. I hope they are only impaired in their sense of direction.  Oh my!

We received our reading curriculum today. Kindergarten has been piloting it and they have been saying again and again how they can't believe the results they are seeing. So that is exciting. I will have some reading to do before implementation. I am okay with that. 

My students were discussing how they miss art and music just ended for the year. I said well I could easily do some art lessons but you are going to have to earn it. How can you earn it? So we negotiated  and came up with a great list for them to earn it. I was talking to a friend about it. She said we should get permission to paint a mural in the school. We are a "bucket-filling" school and so I asked if we could paint a mural about that. So I talked with the vice-principal today and she liked it. The principal gave me a tentative agreement. So the last couple of weeks of school we may be working on that. I may live to regret it but I think It will be fun. I hope. :)

I am getting ready for our spring break. It comes late around here. I was a little nervous today because I had a little bit of a sore throat. I was screaming "NOOOOOO" inside my head because so many of my colleagues have been home sick with strep. I have been sneezing with watery eyes so I am going to say it is allergies and my sinuses are draining. I refuse to accept any other alternative. I am trying to catch up on laundry, dishes, etc. So I can leave guilt free.  Well off to not boil water because I am south of the restricted area. HA! 

Ssshhhhh!

I think I hushed my student's oh approximately a gazillion times today. Poor kids. They had to be quiet because all of the upper grades are working on their state test. It is painful to be so quiet for so much of the day. They even go to a different area for recess and they don't feel like they can spread their wings.  We are going to have to have some extra brain breaks tomorrow because they really felt like they suffered :)! Two more days of state testing for the upper grades.

We had a planning meeting today looking at the rest of the year. There are less than 30 school days left. It is sooo crazy to me. This year has flowwwwwwn by.  I am looking forward to our spring break. I think everyone is ... it falls so late here that by the time it arrives you almost can't stand it.   We have been working on data and graphs the last couple of weeks. The students have been plotting their own graphs. It has been quite interesting to see  them survey their friends for data to plot. It doesn't always make sense to me and we have to adjust but it makes sense to them.

We have a "Tattle Tale" monster in my class. I keep the "tattles" because they are gems! I need to remember to bring that home soon to share some of the best with you like this one  " Every day __________ acts like a bird!"     Today  " ______ told ______ **** and ****.  There was four stars written on the page. So apparently one of my students realizes that stars stand for bad words. I can only speculate what those words were. Maybe the student has been reading Beetle Bailey! I don't remember when I realized all those symbols stood for curse words when Sarge yelled at him. Anyhow, those are the tattle tales I can remember right now. Not all of them are entertaining some sound remarkably like my childhood " he's breathing on me" and the like.  Well I am off to find my pillow! G'nite

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.