Another week...bites the dust :)

Well last week I did not get the opportunity to attend the training after all. Another teacher was already down south for a Dr. appointment so they decided not to pay for me to travel etc. down there. It was a bummer but at the same time a relief.

This week was very busy. We had our first Parent-Teacher conferences of the year. Which is always wayyyy more interesting than I would like. I will just say it is a confusing world kids live in. I had a discussion with a friend. The friend didn't quite understand what I was trying to say about this. Much of our country has decided the nuclear family just isn't that important. I see the price being paid and I am powerless to change it for children. Just hear me that there is a price and it is very, very costly. The world has enough confusion without adults decisions adding to it.

We do not have access to our online assessments because the company that provides these for us is doing updates. We don't know if we will have them all year. So all we can do is use assessments available to us and track that data. The problem is they are not as comprehensive or complete. The district hasn't given us suggestions or alternatives. I keep seeking out assessments in hopes that I am tracking my students to the best of my ability. It is quite frustrating though.

The days have been very warm here and the nights quite cool. Fall has arrived. I wish we would get a little more rain but other than some beautiful fluffy white clouds traveling over us I haven't seen a possibility of rain.

I need to do some cooking this weekend. My stash is depleted. I am just having trouble deciding "what". Inspiration has not struck.

I went to the chiropractor again this weekend. I had a minor adjustment. So it is getting better and better. My muscles are always sore after the adjustment.  I am not walking in major pain at the end of every day now.

Today I went in to school and all that I accomplished was my lesson plan for next week. I will have to go back in this evening and grade papers, clean up the classroom, organize materials, and do a bit more planning. I keep thinking I will get faster at this. So far not much luck being faster.

We received an interesting e-mail from administration this weekend. It was discussing our first professional development training provided by our regional professional development coordinators.  It was a high quality lesson. What was interesting is that the feedback administration got was that it was too "hard" and didn't make sense. What these trainers do is teach us as if we were the students in the classroom. They always teach this way. They teach an "example" lesson use strategies that they would like to see us attempting and then we have a reflection period. I think we didn't quite reflect long enough to cover what was taught because we ran out of time. It was a math lesson with an anchor task. It was at about a 3rd or 4th grade level. If this was too "hard" for our teachers... I am at a loss. I hope that next time the trainer will offer more explanation for these folks. I really do not understand why it was hard for them. The administrator asked that we give feedback to her so she could let the trainer know.  Anyway they had better get used to being taught in the format of being a student to learn strategies. We have to actively participate and think. Perhaps they were unable to do this on a Wednesday afternoon after school. This is why if I had children.... they would not be in public school. Your "highly-qualified" staff.... needs to get more qualifications.

Travel and assessment

You never know what a day will bring or a three minute conversation. I am headed south tomorrow or Friday. I don't have any details yet. Which makes it hard to make a plan. I was asked to attend a statewide conference. Our state passed a law about students reading by grade three. There are a few exemptions such as special needs students and English Language Learners. If they are not reading by grade three they will be retained.  So apparently what is up for discussion is what assessment tool we will be using to track them. I don't know when this law goes into effect. I think it is a couple of years. When a law is passed like this that has such a huge impact on the current system, plans are put into place sooner rather than later. It should be an interesting conference with representatives from each district around our state. The lawmakers also passed a law that every school must have a reading specialist. So that is new to our state as well. It is interesting they put these laws into place when we have such a large teacher shortage in our state.

I will have to pack a bag even though it may only be a one day trip. I hope I have the details by  morning so I have a little bit of an idea what I need to be prepared for. There are only two teachers from our district going that I know of and our administrator. I will try to share more of what I learn upon my return.

Speaking of assessments. The statewide assessment tool we usually use to evaluate and track our student progress has been unavailable to us due to some updates they are working on. So I have really had to think about what tools I have available to me to assess my students. I've spent a lot of time creating data folders to track their progress. There are still components I feel I am missing but I am using the materials available to me without spending more money.It is a little frustrating that administration new this and didn't help us come up with an alternative. It is what it is and so I must work with it. I wanted to track data more often this year anyway. In our district it is very unusual to retain students and getting them tested for any kind of learning issue is very difficult. If I track them throughout the year I have a better chance of making that happen. So I have learned from observation how I can possibly overcome this. One of the biggest hurdles is parents. They don't want their students retained. I understand there can be a social impact from retention. Now with our new law it is possible that one in three students will be retained in third grade. That is pretty significant. I feel that the lower grades  MUST do a better job on tracking these students so there is some back up for retaining them.

The whole retention process was not EVER explained to me in this district. Still hasn't been. I learned from observing people going through the process last year. It wasn't pretty because some of them did not have any data to back up their claim. Now you'd think that would be fairly self explanatory. However if you were never told what data to use and especially in Kindergarten the online test is pretty much a practice round. You can't use it for evaluation purposes. It is more of a practice round. There is also a mysterious file with retention paperwork in it that needs to be filled out. Has this information EVER been shared. Um nope. Not to my knowledge. I discovered it only because I am a good listener. I heard one teacher asking for it. She was the only teacher I have spoken to that knew this paperwork existed. Clearly we have some communication issues at our school. So this is why I am spending a lot of time collecting and tracking data.

So tomorrow or Friday I head south. We've had a lovely day of refreshing rain after a very long dry spell. I am not looking forward to heading back into summer down south. I love our crisp fall air. I am going to melt.

Weekend

Another week complete. It was a busy one. Meetings... of course. I helped babysit the neighbors kiddos today while their mom was  away at a conference and dad working. I managed to squeeze in an afternoon nap on Friday. I worked on lesson plans Friday Evening and prepared materials for use this coming week. I went on Saturday and worked on a bit of organizing my classroom and putting things away and some laminating I needed done as well.  Today I went in and did more laminating and graded papers.  It was a few hours here and there but it was a lot. Hopefully I will feel well prepared for the week ahead.

I celebrated my birthday tonight with my three year old birthday present. We had pizza including gluten free for me and watermelon, honeydew, and salad. It was all delicious. I skipped on the ice cream and cake and had more fruit. They gave me some watermelon to take home so that will go well with my lunch tomorrow. I had plans to do some cooking this weekend but between tackling laundry and getting ready for next week it just didn't happen. Bummer! Maybe I will have some time another day.

I was sent a letter for Jury Duty the week after this. It is my fourth time this year to be served. I will have to see if  I am actually required to serve.  That is a lot of Jury Duty notices in one year.  I decided to take a week hiatus from Facebook. It is entertaining and a huge distraction. I can't tell you how many times I have clicked on it out of habit and then realized I temporarily deactivated my account. That tells me I click on it too much.

It has been super dry here. Today some clouds roll in and there was  a drop or two but nothing significant. We are supposed to have some rain the middle of the week and I am looking forward to a little moisture.   It has been such a dry summer.  Well, I'd better rest my head so I am somewhat ready to rise in the morning! G'nite

New Curriculum

This is our second year implementing our new reading curriculum. We had our second half of the training on this curriculum over the summer. We are beginning to see positive results from our efforts. The students who started in the curriculum last year are showing significant improvement. There are a couple that fall outside of that rule but they have larger learning issues going on. It is exciting to see the growth. What is even more interesting is the reaction of people that are new to our school. We fought so hard to get a reading curriculum. It is such a relief to have a quality program. There are a lot of options that are horrible on the market. The new teachers are fighting this, they aren't open to it, and are pretty unwilling in general.   I can only hope they keep putting forth effort so that they can see the growth potential. It always takes more time to implement something new. Then you find your groove and it works.

I woke up in the middle of the night last night. I realized I had to change my lesson plans. Do you think I could sleep with that weighing on my mind. NOPE!  So I got up and just did it! That way I could spend the rest of the night in peace.  I hope nothing is bothering my mind tonight.

I came home tonight made some dinner and chilled for a bit. I had some materials to prepare for a new student and for lessons tomorrow. I think I have completed my to-do list for tonight.

Lesson Planning

Lesson planning: it takes time. A lot of time. There have been times I have winged it. There is a price to pay for that. I promised myself I would spend more time really reading through our teaching guide and planning lessons.  Tonight as I was working on Lesson planning I realized  that about 3 hours had passed while I was working on lesson plans.  I hope it will allow me to feel more prepared for the week ahead.  It was one of my huge tasks this weekend to work on lesson planning. I may have to tweak here and there but overall I feel it is pretty complete. Now I have to gather and organize all the materials to execute the plan. That takes more time.  I started using an online Plan book this year. I think since it is the first year we have had a complete curriculum it really makes lesson planning much much easier.  I read it sometimes and think " I am really doing that all in one day?" It is no wonder whey I am tired and my students are tired by the end of the week. It is a lot of new learning.

I will have to go in to school to prepare and gather materials for next week. I will also have to go in to finish grading from the last couple of weeks. The list is long. I am glad I have more time to prepare.  I  have an app called Evernote that I have been continuously adding to a "to-do" list on. I just read it and think all my goals for being ready for next week are achievable. I accomplished more the past couple of days than I realized. Not that it won't take me some time.  It will. Oops as I typed I added two more items to my list. So it goes.

I have almost conquered my laundry pile so that is an accomplishment as well. The winds have arrived. With it that chill to the fall air. The very warm days and chilly nights season has started. The afternoon winds howl over my house they are so strong.

Thinking about the wind I drove by our town cemetery as they were preparing a grave for a graveside service. I was thinking about how we kind of  "pretty up" these ceremonies with AstroTurf and the like. Then I realized that may have started for a more practical reason. The pile of dirt they cover with turf isn't blown around by the wind into the eyes of those gathered there. I was thinking at first perhaps they were just covering the grim reality of where the body was going. So that was my weird thought of the day.

I received a couple of early birthday cards this week. They were of course from companies I pay for services. A better birthday gift would be to deduct the amount the spent on postage to send me a card from my bill. Don't you agree? Then I received a couple from local businesses that have a "club card" for 5$ off on my next purchase of a gazillion dollars or more. Ahem.  I should hit the hay!
G'nite

My buddy

Well my little neighbor buddy comes to visit quite often. If dinner isn't quite up to par at his house he will visit after dinner for a banana muffin and a orange. Well the other night he came over and headed to my freezer to get a muffin. I had to tell him that I was all out. His look toward me fully indicated his complete disgust. I mean this is as bad as grandma's cookie jar being empty. He said "make more" and left my house.  So last night I fulfilled this obligation and made a couple of batches of muffins. He came over as I was pulling the last bunch out of the oven. Eating commenced. Five muffins later I talked him into an orange. This morning he came over for one more.  All was back to normal.  I often freeze bananas that are super ripe to make banana muffins out of later. It works. They are a little slimy to peel but I am able to save them for when I have time to bake.

I also managed to get quite a bit of cleaning done a long with another trip to the recycling center. I ran down to school today to get my teachers manuals to work on planning.  I brought them home so I can keep doing laundry and plan as well. I will have to spend some time at school later but for now I am just enjoying being at home.

My little buddy is hanging out with me for a bit while his mom makes a grocery store run.  It is great to have neighbors that can help and this relationship goes both ways. I am very lucky in my neighbors.

Week 2

Week 2 is complete. Whew. Even though we had training on Monday it felt like a full week. I think it was almost like the first week of school again because the students had more days to get off schedule. Since this coming Monday is a holiday as well.... well wish me luck!

I actually have a pretty great class this year. I am not saying I don't have noodleheads because I definitely have noodleheads. They just are more manageable with a smaller class size. I also think there are a couple of people that were moved in that are more capable of dealing with issues that arise. That makes my job a little easier.

When I come home on Thursday after a four day school week. I am two things; tired and hungry. I managed to eat some dinner, get my front postage stamp sized lawn mowed, a load of laundry in, a load of dishes in, and a trip to the recycling center. I even did some picking up.  So I feel good about that. It wasn't a lot but it was enough after a long day.

Tomorrow I see the chiropractor again. I look forward to that. It is relief for me. It gets a little better every week. I have this one week spot that just needs to heal. I was told I have a very healthy spine. I guess a few people might think "all too true." :)  

My administrator asked me again to be a mentor teacher. I don't know if I will be able to say no. We shall see. I am nervous about how this is being done because some people may be given a mentor that don't feel that they need one. It could create a tense working environment. So I shall see. I really don't want to take that on. I will have to wait and see what happens. I am not even sure I have enough experience to be a mentor teacher. I am still learning every single day.

I was trying to think of what else is new. My weekend "to-do" list is extensive. I will spend some time in the morning prioritizing that list.    It is past my bedtime soooo g'nite

Whew!

Week 1 Complete! There are about 140 days of school left. It was a hectic week. My class this year is so much more enjoyable. It is a small class and there are a couple noodles. However, after the large amount of noodles in my class last year it is much more doable.

We are doing this new program that is supposed to help behavior and culture at our school. The philosophy is that every child can be a leader in their own way. UGGH. I cannot express my true feelings on this in any way, shape, or form at work. It is what the district has adopted and I do not have a choice. I will attempt to spend less time discussing  Leadership and a little more time on making responsible choices. I think in part the word "leader" is mis-leading. Uh huh I said that. Not everyone can be a leader, nor should they be a leader. I guess I may have to have a "leader in tying shoes." Because we are supposed to have  every student be a leader in some way.  I have to pull the nuggets from this that will be good for kids and suck it up.

In other news our Math and Reading Curriculum's are strong and I really like them.  I feel like they are both increasing my skills in teaching. So that is good. In so many ways this school year is WAAAAYYYY better than last year. Our administrator is really great. She communicates and tries to make sure there is a plan in place. The beginning of the year is so stressful but in comparison to past years it is soooooo good. So I am going to keep on keeping on.

I have a lot to get done this weekend to feel prepared for next week. We have an all day training on Monday for this leadership program.

GF-Pizza

Just a quick post.  I have tried a lot of gluten free products and some measure up and some are trashed. One of the things I miss is a decent pizza. We don't have gluten free options here and once in awhile I just cheat. Because PIZZA!  Then I pay a price. Anyhow my neighbor kindly made me pizza one night with a gluten free pizza dough product. Her kids ended up eating mine instead of theirs. :(   It tastes great and one of the reasons I believe is the Italian seasonings added to the dough. So if you are gluten free and miss pizza  try this Full Circle Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix. See if your grocer has it.

The day before the day before...

Countdown... One more day off and then the FIRST DAY!  I am not ready... am I ever ready?  I did so much at school on Thursday and Friday that today  I just chilled out.  I picked up my bountiful basket and did some laundry.   We were able to complete two weeks of lesson plans and submit them. I found a website to do lesson plans on called  planbookedu.com.  I can download them as a word document as well once they are typed in their form.  It took me a little bit to figure out some of the features available.  It will save us a lot of time because I don't have to fight with formatting our lesson plans or retype certain  headings in over and over again. I sent our completed lesson plans to a colleague and she said "Our lesson plans have never looked so pretty before."  That made me chuckle who else but a teacher would look at lesson plans as "pretty." I totally understood what she meant though. It helped us organize them so completely it was a beautiful thing. Anything that helps us save a little time on lesson plans is a thing of beauty as well.

We have tried to get our administration to allow us to put a little less time on grade level lesson plans. Why? Because we have our grade level lesson plans, our lesson plan minutes, and personal lesson plans to submit. Do you know what happens? We end up spending so much time typing things into forms to submit them we lose time spent on quality discussions about how we are going to teach.  It bites.  Lesson plan minutes was a new thing added to us last year and our currant administration made us continue them this year.  It is a mindset I cannot change so I suppose I will have to accept it and move on. Hopefully with this new site I can put them in and recycle most of it the following year with tweaks here and there so we don't have to re-do the whole thing every time. This is my first year teaching in this district in which we have a complete curriculum.  It is amazing to have this. Some of our new teachers don't understand how much we appreciate this. I don't know if all of them will be on board with the curriculum choice but the district has adopted it so I think they will have to find a way to accept it.

So what do I need to do to be ready for Monday? Finish my personal lesson plans for the week. Get their job chart and hot lunch cold lunch chart up, finish making any necessary copies, and  a few other organizational things. Then it begins.  ♪ Dun DUN Dun♫!   So tomorrow that is what I will be working on. Hopefully, I will get that done quickly enough I can clean house a little more before the insanity begins.

Relief

Today was the day... I finally saw the chiropractor. My back was out of alignment in one place, right where I knew it was. Oh the relief having it adjusted. It felt wonderful. To get my muscles to release some of the tension they put a electronic pulse thing on my back with heat. That felt fantastic. I went home and pulled my old mattress off and put my new mattress on (without straining my back). I think I will sleep an amazing sleep tonight. Which is good, because back to school night is in a couple  nights.

I have to have my classroom "mostly" put together and my bulletin board up by then. I have been putting off doing my bulletin board because hanging paper up on in while stapling doesn't feel great with a sore back. So I have that to do, some odds and ends to put away, and student name tags and welcome packets.  There are other things that need to be done but we are required to be there all day Thursday and Friday so some of the things can wait until then.  I am always amazed that they require us to be there on certain days to work. There isn't one single teacher that hasn't been there before then getting things done. It seems like overkill to require it. The first day we do have meetings for a couple of hours in the morning.

Our new administrator. It is interesting so far to see that she is taking input from individuals but addressing things to the whole group and putting ideas up for a vote. It is less of a dictatorship with input only from the special ones. It completely changes the dynamics.  So that is a good thing. We shall see how the rest of the year goes. Our administrator told me positions would be coming open to be a mentor teacher and she thought I should apply. It was flattering to be asked but I do not think I will. I promised myself that this year I would be involved a little less and focus more on my own classroom. I feel a lot less stress when I make my own classroom my priority. Mentor-ship is something our district DOES NOT always provide and I am really glad they decided to offer it this year. It can take up a lot of your own free time working with another teacher. I feel like I have a lot of my own new learning to put into my classroom this year. I want to focus more time on quality lesson planning.

I was in the grocery store one evening this weekend. I live in a rural community. The nearest civilization is about 3 1/2 hours away. You learn to adapt your shopping based on that. A good example is buying produce through BountifulBaskets.org . A neighboring state that has kind of a "banana belt" has started a produce stand during their harvest season that has some delicious produce. There are also certain things I order online. Walmart,com has a grocery section where an order of 50$ gets you free shipping. Amazon.com has Amazon Pantry that you get load a box with free shipping and discounted prices. So based on what I need and where I can get it those are my options unless I drive to the big city. The city is over 4 hours away. You can still get quality produce and products that you want for decent prices but you have to have a plan. Our local grocery store has high prices but they do a pretty amazing job at having variety and quality for such a small place.

In the grocery store the other night I woman came in line just behind me. The manager had just came to help the clerk because their printing machine was not working correctly. I could read the grumpiness written alll over this woman's face. She  asked the clerk in a condescending manner if anywhere else in this town sold produce. He said no sorry we were it. (There is another quite small grocery store but they weren't open that time of night.)  She  unleashed on him. I have been all over this store and I could only find one item of organic produce. You don't even have any non GMO foods here. Apparently YOU people here don't care about these things. (I though uh oh out-of-towner doesn't realize how rural they are). Luckily the manager was there and stepped in for the clerk. Mam if there is something specific you would like I can order it in for you.  Her rant continued. I could only find ONE loaf of non-gmo bread. ONE LOAF!  The manager continued to speak to her nicely and respectfully and ask if there was anything he could order in for her.  She was having none of it.  My first thought was oh another Californian. No insult to my Californian friends but a lot of you drive through with a little too much attitude. Then I thought OH NO what if they are from my home state that would be embarrassing. As I walked out to my car I thought there aren't very many cars in the parking lot I should be able to spot their out of state plate and their Prius. Yes, I assumed they were driving a Prius based on their bad attitude. I assumed a lot of things.  I quickly identified their car by firstly its lack of dust and second its out of state plates. To my surprise they were from Washington State. Even more interesting they were driving a new Large S.U.V. They aren't concerned about the environmental impact of their S.U.V. just the impact of G.M.O.'s on their body.  I had thought about saying something several times to this woman to help her clear up her ignorance. It just wasn't worth it. I thought about her self-righteous indignation about people not caring about G.M.O. food. I thought about how many students I have had that are thankful to have food on their table G.M.O. or not.  I thought if it was that important to her to have certain foods available to her she may have to plan a little more wisely when traveling through the boonies.

We have been getting smoke from the fires West and North of us in our state and neighboring states. It is quite a fire season in the Northwest this year. I have been reading how states are begging for resources  to help them fight the fires. I think of the safety of those fighting these fires and the families who have lost homes and their livelihood this summer. It is a rough one.

The weekend before....the week before...the first day

The weekend before, the week before, the first day of school. Umm am I overwhelmed much. Why yes, yes I am. I completed my training today. I have spent  the last two days after training at school. Did I get anything done? Yes and No. I accomplished a lot in creating a resource binder for our math curriculum. I worked with a colleague that went to the same training as I to create a presentation and binder of materials for anyone who might want to learn more. We spent hours on it and it is not completed. It is hard to wrap up that many days of learning into a clear, concise, presentation.
Then today I went and we worked on lesson planning the first 2 weeks of school. Just lesson planning the content not  allllllllllll of the other stuff we have to add in. For instance we have to go visit parts of the school and discuss expectations of behavior. There are always a lot of things that spring up that first week that are not related to content. We almost finished our lesson plans. I have more to finish tonight. It was really frustrating because our colleague refused to meet with us and couldn't come up with any other time in her schedule to lesson plan.  Working with others... not always fun.

Tonight I am hanging out with my little buddy. Almost three years ago he was born on the day of my birth. We have bonded. I hear  "SHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAA" coming from the window next door and know I am being paged. He likes to come visit me, eat a lollipop, throw rocks at my hill, eat my oranges and banana muffins, and play with my electronics. It is nice for him because he rarely has to share with his two big sis's. It is nice for me to have a  cute little distraction from life. He often vacuums  and shreds paper. I mean who doesn't love those chores. HA. I bet in 10 years you won't be able to convince him he should do those chores. He is hanging out with me tonight so that his parents can have a "date night". His big sisters are off on a sleepover.

My back is still hurting. The pain isn't nearly as severe as it was before, but it is constant. Right now I am happily leaning on a bag of ice. I have another appointment with the acupuncturist  on Monday and the Chiropractor on Tuesday. I have a lot to do in my classroom this weekend. I plan to beg for help! I am borrowing the neighbors oldest girl to put books away for me. Hopefully I can get the majority done so I am spiffy up my classroom for Back-to-school night. I hope to accomplish all of this without causing more injury to my back. Somehow.... Someway.... this will allllll get done.

Best Laid Plans

The best laid plans... and all of that. So I have been counting down the days till my chiropractor visit.  Every day the pain in my back gets a little worse. Then their office calls today and has to cancel my appointment the Dr. has to be out of the office. I wanted to cry. My colleagues recommended visiting the local acupuncture practitioner. I thought "why not" because I am desperate at this point. So I go and it does help. It isn't gone by any means but I do get relief at least for awhile.  So now I have a decision to make. I can wait till next Tuesday to visit a chiropractor or drive 3 1/2 hours to visit one.  I am not sure I could make the car ride. Sigh. I am really going to have to rely on help to get my classroom ready for school.

Pain and Rain

I have gained a new understanding of people who are in constant daily pain. I don't know how they do it. I can't think, am not getting much done, and am just frustrated. I have just a few more days before I see the chiropractor. I wouldn't have made it without some very kind neighbors. They carried stuff to my car for me, got me pain medicine, fed me, and just checked on me.  I have been in training with shooting stabbing pain going up my back.  I couldn't have done it without their help.

Training has been really good. Despite my back pain I am learning a lot and feel like I am going to be able to execute the application of this curriculum with ease. It will definitely take more planning time. I just hope we are given the planning time to execute it for all of our students. I also have to jazz up some of what we have learned. What is amazing about this training is they work in practice and planning time. The two things we usually do not do in training. Usually it is "according to research" you should do blah blah blah. Then we go back to our classroom and don't quite have it and haven't had time to plan it.

We have been having a lot of  rain and thunderstorms. Luckily not dry thunder but with a lot of rain. It has been quite enjoyable and refreshing. I am going to have to recruit a little help to get my classroom together this year. Luckily I took my time with packing it up so it is just a matter of putting it back where it belongs. So hopefully it won't take too much time.

Transitions and training

I tweaked my back again and I am in pain. The bummer about being in pain is that you don't realize how much it drains you. I don't think I've been super grumpy, but I do notice a lack of energy. I have an appointment next week. I think it will take awhile for the muscles around my injury to heal. I also  must make sure I ice my back every night.  You  know the bummer about having a sore back where I do is that I can't put  DoTerra Deep Blue on my own back.  I am telling you that Deep Blue is the stuff. Forget that Bengay or Icy Hot.  I found this product to get the lotion on my back. Otherwise I'd have to call on a very understanding neighbor. Awkward.

My training continues this week. It has been good thus far. My presenter isn't the most dramatic so by the end of the session I am usually over it. She is good but just dry. If I taught my students as dryly as she teaches us, well it would be torture for all involved.  It is great to be learning more about the application of this curriculum. The more we dive into it the more I like it. They are also making some strides in the online portion of this curriculum for students. So maybe by spring or at least next fall we will have that to use. I like that they are sticking with the core of what makes the curriculum quality but updating  how that core is implemented with technology.

I made meatloaf the other night and finished it off by making mashed potatoes to go with it tonight. I put them all in  a freezer container to heat up for lunches or dinners. I will have to had a veggie or salad to it when I eat it. It just makes it so much easier for me to have a freezer of ready made meals.

I have been observing a friend go through a period of transition. These times of life are always so hard. You're unsure of the next steps, what the outcome will be, if you're making the right decision, what decision to make. It is always at that point when you let go and realize this one isn't in your hands that things work out. I am there as an observer and friend and I feel bummed for my friend.  Usually these times of transition don't just impact yourself but others around you. Especially if you have children and a family. Getting to that point where you can let go is always such a release. What is difficult is when the transition isn't your choice. Then it is really hard to think of what to do next.  So life goes. I am a person who really likes stability and being settled. God hasn't allowed me to get stuck in too much of a rut yet. I have had so many of these periods of transition that I know that I will learn from it in the best of ways. Even though I know this, it does not remove the stress.  If you know someone going through something like this it seems like the best thing you can offer them is a listening ear and maybe a little distraction.  

The End... of Summer

Ah denial... summer is over :(  Waaaa  
I have been doing  a lot  of cooking to build up my freezer stash before school begins.
So far  Potato Kale Soup, Hearty Beef Soup, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Italian Delight Casserole, and Meatloaf.  When I was a nanny I made Italian Delight a lot because it was so easy to make. I am getting my freezer full of school lunches and dinners. It makes such a huge difference in a busy day. I have a lot of muffins to make as well.  

I started training this week. It has been good so far. It is the 2nd half of the training I began last year. I  am glad to learn more about the curriculum and the methodology. It will make this year much smoother having this half of the training. We had the same trainer as last year which is great. She was also our coach last year. It makes it feel more consistent to have the same trainer.

I haven't started putting my classroom back together yet. I went in for a bit to look for some materials but that was it.   I hurt my back this summer and it really isn't up for moving four drawer filing cabinets etc.  The janitors took pictures in other classrooms so they knew where to put things back at, but they forgot to do this in my classroom. The janitors "borrowed" my hand truck and didn't return it all summer and didn't put these large items back in place. So I am going to ask them to help me move them back. I usually do it all myself but I don't want to re-injure myself.

I attended a meeting today. The topic of discussion was Math professional development for next year. It was good to have a little input and get some insight on what would be expected. We have seven new teachers at are school and a few that have changed grade levels. There will be a lot of old learning reviewed again to get them up to speed.

On my way back I stopped to help an old Russian who had broken down in the middle of nowhere. He asked me to go to the next little town and tell them his name "----- the Russian" and who to call for help. He worked at this little mine in the boonies.  So I did my best I can only hope someone came and rescued him.   Then I met up with some folks who had just hit a deer. They weren't able to move the bumper was bent into their wheel well. I helped them pull out their  bumper. I hope they made it home. I also extinguished many a varmit on the road. The jack-rabbits were out. I knew I had hit a lot of them but I really didn't think about the residue they leave on your car. Then my neighbor suggested I "wash the bugs off my car." So I did and then I realized I had a fly problem. Not from the dead bugs but the guts decorating the side of my car and undercarriage. I decided that is what car washes are for! I drove through the car wash and problem solved. I did have to hose a  little blood off my driveway as well.  So it goes living in the boonies.

I have homework to do from the training today that is due tomorrow. I am going to have to take some vitamins or something to get my brain in gear.
Have a good night!

Summer

So far this summer has been super relaxing albeit HOT. It's been really hot! I picked mom up down in the BIG City and we were able to attend a really fun show. We also ate at a couple of great restaurants that the thought of them has me drooling.  Mom stayed with me for a week and  I was able to get a lot of things done that I just hadn't had time for. Luckily the weather hadn't turned to hot yet so we enjoyed our time.

Then I came up north. It was as though the stress of the year decided to hit my body at the same time. I had been complaining some of a painful back but it got progressively worse. It was like I hadn't oiled the engine and it seized up.  I was able to get into the chiropractor a  couple of times and even went for a back massage. Every day it improves a little more. I really need to take better care of myself next year.

I have been able to spend some quality time with my friends up here and it has meant a lot. I really needed that time with people who know me best.  It helped me leave more of my crazy school year behind.  I am looking forward to some more quality time with family and friends this 4th of July.  It  will be really amazing to hang with them.

Then I am heading back south for a National Conference for Educators. I was able to attend last year as well and the quality of this conference was superb. The most well known names in teaching the math curriculum I teach will be there. It is super exciting. Although I am NOT excited about how hot it will be there. I feel droopy thinking about it.  It was interesting to talk and meet teachers from all around the country. Some of them are not as lucky as I am. My district is paying for the travel, food, hotel, and conference. A lot of the teachers who attend this conference do their own fundraising. I really admire their effort to get there and their communities for supporting their learning.

While I have spent time on prepping things for next year... I have also found time for a Netflix Binge watch. My current favorite... Death in Paradise!

End of Year

An interesting end to my school year.  I stepped on the delicate toes of my administrator and was called into the office. I was at first very offended and felt defeated. I took a few steps back eventually and looked at the bigger picture. I wasn't called in on anything I could be disciplined on. It was all about ego. I had asked a parent if their student was receiving promised services. I wasn't sure it was occurring. The student was not receiving services so they went in to admin and complained.  This was "painted" as pot-stirring. I couldn't be sure if the student was receiving services without talking to the parent, but I was to go to admin before I asked the parent. Okay fine. Noted.

I don't think I have every been this relieved to complete a school year. This year was a roller coaster of absolute crazy. I spoke with a colleague the other night from another school that shared this administrator with us. She had the very same complaints. Poor communication, talking in circles, lack of understanding what students need, creating a very divisive  working environment, not listening to the group as a whole but the individuals (who said what she wanted to hear).  I hadn't spoken to this teacher much last year there wasn't time and we weren't at the same school. We always kept saying lets get together and it never happened. It was such a relief to me to hear the same issues were going on. This administrator has a way of making you feel like you're the crazy one.

When I left school this year it being my 5th  year I completely understand why teachers leave after 5 years of teaching. We know the system is broken and sometimes corrupt. We know how our hands are tied. We are fighting every day against poor administration, under-prepared colleagues, over regulation, and parents who undervalue their students education.  We are also battling absolute heartache. The situations children are living in are staggering.  Our society thinks more and more is okay. The consequences of that are confused, lost, and abandoned children.

We are also fighting teachers that are of poor quality. In my state they removed tenure and a teacher can go back on probation at any time. However, to get rid of a teacher administration MUST do their part. It just happens that it can take a lot of effort from them to get rid of a poor quality teacher. So they don't always do it. What I have observed in our small district is them just making the lives of this teacher so miserable they quit or leave. That isn't okay either.  I read online horror stories of what teachers have done. I hesitate to use the word story because it is a factual account. I just want you to know that there is a very high chance a colleague said something to admin, parents probably said something, other aides or workers in the school. They probably yelled it a few times. Then it was probably pushed under the rug until the public became aware.  It makes me pretty angry.

I will be very honest about my education. I thought it prepared me to become a teacher. I knew the theories behind education very well.  Piaget, Pascal, Jensen, Bloom, Vygotsky and more. What it didn't prepare me for was what I would be teaching. I have read sooo much more valuable material since becoming a teacher. I have learned soooo much more about the practice of teaching. I have gained knowledge about the content in teaching. More than I ever experienced in my Education program. Maybe that laid somewhat of a solid foundation for me. I also think I have some natural ability to teach.  I wonder how the Education of Teachers will change. I see 1st year teachers coming very prepared and I wonder what was different about their program. I see teachers coming who have few skills. I think I hit about the middle of the road with my program. If I hadn't been invested in my own learning. I would've failed as a teacher.

I left this school year behind feeling kind of toxic. It was like something iccky had invaded my spirit and I didn't like it. What it was, was working with and in a climate of dishonesty.  I needed some refreshing.  What I realized from this is next year I am not going to be as involved in the workings of the school. I did it to have some say in decisions made. What I realized is there just isn't enough of us speaking out to counteract the crazy. So I am going to focus way more energy on my classroom. Lastly, I am going to focus way more effort on myself. I put all my hobbies to the side, all the things that relax me and renew me. There will be more time made for that.

Mediocrity RULES!

There is NOTHING more frustrating to me as a Public School Teacher is the embracing of mediocrity! It is the thing that sends me over the edge quicker than anything. I had to sit through an assembly today and watch students receive awards that did NOTHING to earn them. These students basically got a thanks for showing up, doing nothing, and filling up our allotment needed to get more tax dollars award. YAY YOU! You didn't even have to try on your tests or do school work. You didn't have to get a long with your peers, have good behavior, or push yourself to excel at any level. However, if this boosts your self esteem to get an award you didn't earn,some people will feel nice, warm. and fuzzy inside. Yay them!

In the meantime I was just undermined as a professional. Since these folks have decided to give awards for mediocrity, you no longer have to pretend. You can sit back be disrespectful and be comfortable with the fact that all you have to do is show up.  Isn't it awesome that you are so great for another teacher but do not demonstrate this ability for your own teacher or classmates. That makes you more deserving of an award. Obviously, your teacher is just mean for expecting more out of you. It is clearly a fallacy for your teacher to expect you to do your best in every situation to receive an award. That mean lady, how dare she expect more of you. How dare she think that you are undeserving.If I had to choose an award for this student it would be for mastering learned-helplessness.

So why do I show up to a job in which I cannot do what is right. How can I go tomorrow and have any expectations of this student when all the work I have put into raising the bar was tossed out. When the bar just crashed to the floor rolled down the hallway and out the door. We just failed this student. We failed society. We failed his future employers. We just sent him a powerful message. Failure is an option, and if you embrace it you will be rewarded. Hmmm I wonder what the future grownup will think when life gets hard, because it will.

I brought this up to an administrator. I was talked to about ratios of awards when I questioned the validity of giving awards to that many students. When I questioned that I have 4 students I could choose out of my 25 and an entire small group could receive one. Deserving or not. Then I received an e-mail with a breakdown of the ratios as I obviously do not understand ratios. I haven't read it because really it wasn't about the ratios as much as attempting to get the point across that I have 24 deserving students that didn't receive an award. The ones who did, their awards were turned into a joke when they looked at who received one with them. The students knew.  We have a culture of mediocrity at our school because we enable, make excuses, make exceptions, and lower standards. I am beyond frustrated.

So far... this week....

One of my favorite cousins generously posted this post about me. It was very nice to be acknowledge by administration. It was also from the administrator I like and respect which made it mean more. It is a very busy time of year. We had a field trip last week and are attempting to complete our state assessments in a short window of time.  Usually we have the students test earlier in the year. This year because of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium  the upper grades all must take we are far behind schedule. It is truly unfortunate because our students are very tired by this time of year. It is difficult to keep them motivated for assessments. The usual bribery doesn't work.  Sigh.
This SBAC test has been a nightmare for our state. The provider they used to access the assessment failed to have enough server space for everyone to access. They had to add servers. It sounds like our state may sue the service provider. I don't know but it was a pretty epic fail. Most of the states districts refused to continue with the test this year. It is too bad our students are being asked to continue with it. They have been testing for several weeks with continuous freezing, loss of data, and shutdowns. It is plain  old fashioned  "WRONG"!  I hope this data is not used against the teachers because it is completely invalid.

My incompetent colleague has been moved to another grade level next year. So that is a relief. I can only hope that this person isn't replaced by someone of equal or greater incompetence.  Think kind thoughts for me. We all know changes are in the air for next year. Slowly and incrementally we get bits of information. I think they are waiting for finalized budget cuts before they share the rest of the changes. I just wish it wasn't such a well kept secret.

Warning: Vomit Discussion Ahead.
I am not starting my week off well. I was certain that I had the beginnings of a UTI yesterday. So I put a call in to our Rural Health Clinic. The doctor had just returned from a ten day hiatus. Luckily they called me and squeezed me in today's schedule. I planned to be tough and work go to the Dr. and then return to work. Then last night the vomiting started. It's the time when I really wish I wasn't a grown up. Seriously. Mom's ability to clean up after their children....well we all owe them another thank you after Mother's Day. Anyhow, keeping out the steam cleaner wasn't a great way to spend my evening.   So after my Dr.'s visit today I was provided with antibiotics and told to go rest. I am fighting an infection and a little virus. YAY ME! It took 2 hours of waiting in the Dr.'s Office for a 5 minute consultation.  Oh and lest I forget.... the only time I wish I was a dude is when I have to provide a urine sample. Seriously, couldn't they modify this process for the ladies. Sigh.  Just a few weeks left of school I CAN DO THIS!

It's Saturday!

Another crazy week complete. I spent most of Friday grading papers. With a babysitting stint in there. I was able to get a lot graded. So that is good. My pile is a little less intimidating. Now they are graded I have to enter them in the grade-book.

Today I went and volunteered at our Bountiful Baskets Site. It was a lot of work helping to get 168 baskets filled. My muscles are feeling the lifting of the boxes of cantelope, watermelon, and bananas. I received some delicious vegetables and fruits. I have some cooking to do. Tonight I made a make it up as you go soup.  I used one of my frozen olive oil and oregano pieces to start in the bottom of the pot. Added 2 cups of water and 2 cubes beef bullion.  Then  a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced carrots, diced onion, diced, celery, some Italian Seasoning, and garlic. Then after all that had come to a boil and was simmering nicely I added a package of Quinoa Rotini Pasta. It smells amazing. That will be some good lunches this week.

I have some banana bread and zucchini bread to cook up. I don't know if I will get it all done and be ready for the school week but it is a good goal. I leveled some books today as well. I needed to put out some higher level books for my students. So I had that to work on.

Our principal gave us an extremely short time to pack up our classroom. We were told we weren't to take anything down or put it away because we need to "teach till the end." Well DUH! However, one weekend to pack up an entire classroom isn't fair. We have to take every single thing down and box it up and label it. Nothing left on shelves etc. We do have carpets that need shampooing so I suppose that makes it easier.

We had a staff meeting last week that made me want to beat my head against a wall in frustration. Nothing says I disrespect you as a teacher and place no value on your time like 1 1/2 hour staff meetings. I wish I was exaggerating but I'm not. I wish I could say we accomplished something but we did not. I wish I could say I learned something but sadly I did not. It was  a soapbox rant from our principal. Since I have been attending the budget meetings and know what has been said and what has and has not been decided I really wanted to say ummmm WRONG!  I managed to bite my tongue.  Oh well I survived and there are 16 school days left with children. We have training the following week and then.... FREEDOM!!!

Weekend

Every weekend is such a gift. If I manage to get some rest and relaxation. I have to find a balance between that and work. One of the parent suggestions for lowering our budget for next year was to not allow teachers in the building after ours. They thought this would save on heat and electricity. I was thinking to myself. You have no clue when your teacher grades your student work or does planning. Planning for the next day, week, or year. So much of it gets done after work hours. It is the reality. I am not playing before students come during the day or after they leave during the day. Other than the all important potty break, I am working.  As far as saving on heat and electricity. I wonder what they think will happen to water pipes without heat in the building in our climate.  Yep that is a realistic suggestion. If they want to save on electricity, I'm thinking there are a few people who could be trained on how to turn off a light or a.c. when they leave the room. It is always something.

Anyhow, I went to work on planning for next week and gather materials for some students in an after school tutoring program. I was there for four hours straight and didn't get it all done. I got home and realized I forgot something back at school. So I went back much later with the intent of just grabbing it. Then I saw the stacked of graded papers and thought it won't take me that long to just enter them in the grade book. An hour later I left school. I have to feel good that I got something done I suppose.  I will have to go in a couple more times this weekend. Sigh.

I did make plans to hang out with some pals this weekend. My neighbors are experiencing a round of the flu. I am hoping I took enough antioxidants to counter any germs that may attack. I need my play time too!

I attempted to organize my canned food cupboards.  I realized I had a gazillion of some items that I thought I was low on and low on things I thought I had a gazillion of. I dream of an organized pantry. Yep, not happening in this "ye ole house" built when men designed homes and had no idea what women did in that room.  I shouldn't complain too loudly they did pull out old cupboards to put in a dishwasher. I love a dishwasher. LOVE IT. I hate dishes.

While I was on spring break my landlords had a plumber come in and look at the state of the pipes. I am thinking there will be some serious tear down to get to "ye ole pipes."  Yep. So when I go on summer break I plan to leave my house "plumber ready." That will be a fun thing to prepare for.  Plumbers don't care about the mess they leave behind. So yeah... that's going to be fun...

I cleaned my house and put away my headphones. It is killing me that I can't find them. I started listening to an audio-book on my way back from the north. It was just at the point where things were getting very exciting when  I arrived home. So I've been listening to it for a few minutes at a time when I run errands or go to work. I decided while I finish cleaning my cupboards I will finish this story, but no headphones. The suspense is killing me. I just realized that this rant probably sounded silly to some of you... maybe the gas station would have some headphones.... but I can't run to Wal-Mart.... well I could but it would be about 7 1/2 hours round trip. :)

Self Talk

It takes a lot of self talk to make it to the end of the school year.  A lot. Seriously, A LOT!. It is a weird combination of things this year. The budget situation. The crazy rumors surrounding the budget situation. The crazy ideas on how to save money for the budget. That all makes me crazy. Working with incompetent people. Not having quality support. It is such a round-up of insanity. I normally don't do the countdown. I am counting down this year.  

Something that is just getting harder as an educator is the dysfunction students are living in. I know, I know, you think "everybody should do what makes them happy". UGGH. The worst type of thinking that our society seems to be encouraging in every way. There is a lot of propaganda strongly suggesting that these choices don't have a negative impact on children. DON'T BELIEVE IT! This is the big LIE you are being force fed daily. I am telling your all of your choices impact your children. If you are doing whatever makes you "happy" I guarantee it is impacting them in a negative way. It isn't all about being "happy". Do what makes you grow as a person, makes you content, challenges your brain. Don't focus on "what makes you happy." Seriously. What if "what makes you happy" is oranges? If you ate oranges for breakfast, lunch, and dinner would you be healthy? So my point really is that you need to step out of yourself and think of your child. Sacrifice some things that "make you happy" because if you don't you're sacrificing your child. That's it. Off the soapbox for the moment.

So it is the final countdown. I think I can... I think I can....

Spring Break

It's already half gone :( WAAAAA!!!!  Anyhowser on my way up north to visit the family I was traveling with at least 1/3 of the Arizona snowbird population. When I left town I was filling up my tank with them and then I didn't seem to ever escape them.  There were several as far away from home as British Columbia. FYI If you see a Hay Truck in the left hand lane... it is getting over so it can make a wide turn into whatever farm/ranch road it needs to get into. It isn't in the left lane because the driver is confused. Pay attention people. I almost saw your little  Electric Car beheaded by a Hay Truck. No one wants that.  Speaking of Electric Cars when you are peeing in the boonies next to a scraggly little sage brush it would be nice if your car made a little more engine noise.  Luckily I had pants up just in time. They need to whistle a tune or something..I mean really.

The snowbirds are a little tough to navigate they are often driving huge Motor-homes and don't have a lot of spacial awareness.  It is quite scary. Do you need that big of one for 2 people?? Wait I just  envisioned my parents living in one together for an extended period of time. Scratch that clearly you need the space. Can you just leave it parked down in that sunny state for the summer?? Then drive your little smart car home??  It is something to think about really!  

Well I haven't seen many folks this trip but the days seem full. My allergies are not enjoying my visit. However at least I have several drug stores to choose from and have my choice of allergy medication, eye drops, nasal spray etc. I don't have to worry about the store being out. I can go back fully stocked.

I stopped by the Uncle/Brother owned Pizza place had a delicious gluten free pizza. I also had the spuds. Which aren't gluten free. Which are delicious. Which is a good thing I live over 500 miles away from said spuds.  Since I know the chief in charge of such things I plan to recreate the recipe without the frying and gluten part. Who knows I may even like it just as well.  

I started the week off with lots of cooking. It has tapered off but Mother is NOT going to let me leave with out making the Banana Bread Muffins I promised. So I need to get that done.   Well I can't think of what else I know. So ttfn!

Weekend

I am thinking I need to make some adjustments. I am on a lot of committees. The problem with this is that it takes me away from my students. I have some students that I can't even explain how tough life is. The amazing thing is they don't really know it is tough. They are just moving forward. They are emotionally so needy. I have so many students that simply need love that I feel spread thin.  The secretary and I were talking about how much this has changed in the last 10 years. It makes me very thankful for the parents who meet their kids needs so that they feel safe and secure.

I bought clothes for a student this week. The student had 2 pairs of clothes. A winter coat the school got for the student. Everything the student owned was in the student's backpack. Life has improved for a short bit but I don't know if it will continue to be so. This is just a drop in the bucket of needs from students.  It also makes me feel frustrated with the parent who are raising whining kids who demand your attention simply from being so spoiled and having it be allll about them. So struggles as a teacher continue.

This week was the end of the quarter. Nine weeks to go. I have a leadership team meeting, a budget meeting, and my regular weekly meetings next week. It will be another busy one. I also found out some not so brilliant soul decided against spring break next year. So  no spring break. If you don't think that won't drive teachers to insanity. We have a very late spring break as it is. Our students have a long haul without any breaks and then no spring break. I need the break. The students need the break. We all need the break. I just don't even know what to think.

I picked up my basket today. I have some peppers to take to a friend. Then I made a beef stew. I had some stew meat I needed to use up before it was ruined. So I have a pot of stew on. Seemed like a strange thing to make on a warm day. I also got a lot of lemons, so I need to figure out what to make with them.

Thursday

Attempting a gluten free spaghetti tonight. I've tried a few of the GF pastas and sometimes they just don't taste very good. Anyhow, all I was thinking about as  I left school today was Spaghetti sounds sooooo good. So my sauce is simmering while I wait for the pasta to cook.

  It was another busy week. Only one evening meeting this week for the budget committee. After I left the committee meeting I thought of all the questions I should have asked. It isn't too late though. What bugs me is that one person is trying to manipulate how things go for the benefit of a few. That is not right. Then there were other concerns glossed over. It isn't too late to keep asking the questions. I am not excited about some of what I am seeing. We shall see it will get uglier before it is over.

I have a new student this week a school board members grandson. He came after being in some not great education systems. I won't bash anything but just say he is quite low. I have been working hard to get some resources for this child. I hope I see help him make some improvements this last 9 weeks of school.

Time Change

The bi-annual time change is another curse to teachers. The students are in a routine a rhythm and it is quickly demolished with the time change. It also has an impact on their teacher. Can we just leave it alone? Is this necessary anymore?

After work I ran home to pick up my grocery list that I forgot. Then I ran to the post office in an attempt to make it before it closed. I found it closed and an awful sign. The hours have changed to 7:30a.m.-4 p.m. My contract ours are 7-4:30 so this is a bummer. I will have to wait until Friday to send any mail. Not very convenient. It has to do with meeting the deadline to get it to the sorting center or something in that very big bright city down south. Sigh! After this I ran to the grocery store and bought the items I had forgotten when I ran this weekend. All of this took about 1/2 hour and I was whining about how long it took. Then I had to tell myself how ridiculous that was. In a bigger city it would take 1/2 hour just to run one of those errands. I was chastised sufficiently.

One item I had forgotten to purchase was baking powder. Thursday we have our monthly staff potluck. I usually don't bring anything nor do I eat anything. I thought I would contribute this time. However, I have meetings in the evening every night this week other than tonight. So I had to get the baking done tonight. So zucchini chocolate chip muffins are in the oven as I type. I did not use my gluten free flour for my work pals. Gluten Free flour isn't cheap so I wasn't wasting it on my colleagues! HA!  They won't care. I am throwing them in the freezer after they bake. Hopefully they turn out okay. It was a bread recipe not a muffin recipe. So I'd best be careful not to burn them.

I was so pooped when I got home from school that I was having trouble staying awake. After burning my dinner I decided just to go to bed. I knew I would wake up in a couple hours ready to get something done. Not a very good sleep pattern but to function...it worked.

Three weeks until Spring Break and 41 school days with students left. This year has flown by. At times it felt like it was dragging. Even on my bad days I try not to wish the year away because it does fly by.

In good news from the school front the district hired a ELL teacher part time for the rest of the year. They "found" some grant money they could put toward this. The awesome part is this is a retired teacher of the best quality. I am so happy for one of my ELL students that is totally lost. I think this child is living in poverty and I don't see a lot of motivation from the parents to change. I have another ELL student that the parents are extremely motivated. The parents English is so broken I find it very difficult to understand them. However, what I do understand is they want to make sure their child does well in life and they want her to succeed. We have a great parent-teacher relationship  because they make it so clear they are working hard on their end as well. Even with their limited understanding. It is just awesome to see.

I have another student whose life has been chaos. It sounds like someone has finally stepped in to make things better. I can only hope this is the case! Students lives are sometimes absolutely and completely heart-breaking. Then I expect them to learn in school. Sigh. I still push them the same as the rest. Do you know why? This might be their only chance to change their life path. I might be the only person who expects them to succeed.  So very little slack is granted. I want them all to do their best whatever that may be that day.

Good luck adjusting your circadian rhythms to the time change. UGGH

The Roaring Lion of March

A step ahead and 35 steps behind. It's only Monday. We have been inundated with  a downpour of meetings in March. I get a little overwhelmed when I look at the schedule for March. Most of them are outside of regular school hours. I am also in the position that my grade level colleagues are not going. I am getting pretty frustrated that it is falling on me every time. Frankly, I want to kick them in the heiny!

I started this post on Monday and never came back to it. That is how hectic this week was. Next week looks to be a doozy as well. Administration is coming to all of our planning meetings now to observe and make suggestions. They finally recognized that our team was not up to the standard. I could only do so much pushing. I was fed up!  

Today we had an all day meeting about our new Educator Performance Framework. It is how teachers will be evaluated. It is pretty intense. In some ways I think it is good because we have to think deeply about how we are teaching. In other ways I think... no! We should be thinking deeply about our teaching whether we are evaluated with this tool or not. What should happen is holding teachers accountable regardless of what evaluation tool is used. If you don't hold them accountable change will not occur. What I see about this new evaluation system is that it is a lot more work for us.  Some of the work will be good things that really help us to be more quality teachers. Some of it will be an endless sea of paper work that will be taking us away from what we need to focus on.... our students.  We are constantly told we should be thinking of them but more is placed in front of us all the time that takes us away from them and their needs. I don't know we'll see how it goes.

In other news in the million meetings of March, I am part of the team looking at next years budget. I was asked to be on the team and I said "If you need me to be on the team, I will be on the team."   "We need you on the team." "Okay then I'm on the team."  So I just added at least  two meetings to my plethora of meetings this month.  I don't really know what this Budget meeting will look like. It usually means we get rid of people.  It could get ugly. I have a few recommendations for who could depart but I don't think that is my job ha!  In our current contract  we are not just riffed based on seniority there are a lot of factors considered. So there may be some surprises. Some will not be a surprise at ALL!  

Zucchini, Sunshine, and Dancing!

It doesn't seem to matter how much time I spend at school on the weekends. I never get it all done. I always feel 25 steps behind. I can't believe how quickly the school year is going by. I guess the upside of the insanity is that it is flying by. I can't even keep track of the craziness. I have a cold and overall I feel okay but my voice is done. Which doesn't really work well in a class of very talkative seven and eight year olds. We do have a voice amplification system. I would be in real trouble with out it. They can even hear it when I whisper.  The stress that is put on a teachers voice is incredible. I can't imagine not having an amplification system. It really reduces the strain of talking throughout the day. You can also talk like Darth Vader into it and  add excitement to a lesson.

We do a lot of dancing in my class. If you know me and how much rhythm I possess, you are probably scratching your head in confusion. We watch some dances from Just Dance on youtube and the students dance along. We also use a website called GoNoodle. GoNoodle has one where the students sit in their seats and pretend to ride a roller coaster. It is pretty funny to watch the whole class throwing their hands up in the air and yelling as they "go down" the coaster. It is pretty fun. Seven and eight year old's have a lot of wiggles to work out of their system. If we didn't dance I would have a mutiny.

I was slotted for Jury Duty tomorrow. Luckily I called and the trial was canceled. Hopefully that will keep me off their call list for awhile. I never know who is going to trial but it is always a concern it will be a parent of a student. I could opt out under those circumstances. I just don't want to know all of the small town drama.

I made Gluten Free Zucchini bread this weekend. It is WONDERFUL! The delicious factor made my day. Sometimes I miss bread. Most of the time I don't, I miss things like pasta and pizza. I never ate much bread. I drank my tea today to get through the long day. I have to label Valentine's before Thursday. The Awesome news is that it is a LONG WEEKEND! Thank You George and Lincoln for having Birthdays in February... You help teachers survive till Spring Break. We have a late one here it is in April. January through March seem like the longest months of the year.  It was soooo warm here today that I had to open my classroom windows and turn on the Air Conditioner. Ridiculous!

One more thing... when I left work today... the sun was still SHINING! I love that the days are getting longer.

Basket Day

Went and picked up my produce basket today. Now I have to make some zucchini bread because it is the only decent way to eat a zucchini.  The butter, sugar, and flour disguise the zucchini flavor. That is important. I wasn't really in a baking mood today but I'd better find it.   I also got some asparagus(ugh), butternut squash(yikes), cauliflower (ick), and purple potatoes(yum). That was the vegetable side of things. I sometimes wonder why I get this because I am horrible about eating most of my vegetables. Usually in my basket I receive just one or two items I don't care for.  Asparagus freezes well so  Mom will enjoy that. On the fruit side apples, pears, oranges, kiwi, tomatoes, and lemons. So it was the delicious side of the basket.

I don't know the outcome but SpEd parents were having a meeting today to discuss options they have as parents. Their students are not receiving services. I am glad the parents banded together from their end. I feel the teachers have done as much as we could from our end. The only step further we could take would be to go to a school board meeting. It could put our jobs in a precarious position to do so. We've gone through all of the appropriate channels regarding this situation. I hope there is a change. I had to send an e-mail to admin today. I feel like there are so many times you can have the same conversation without result. It is a frustration.

In other education related headaches. A team of three teachers at our school including myself volunteered to be part of a team for Gifted and Talented students to do an after school program funded by a grant. We asked for information, thought we had received what we needed, then asked more questions. We received vague responses. So we e-mailed very specific questions regarding the grant and funds for this program. The answers again were vague and so we declined to participate. It is sad that those students won't have this opportunity. We were very uncomfortable with how the money was being handled and didn't want our names on anything that might be shady.  So I am sure we will get the blame for not doing the program. I called our PTO president and said this is why we aren't doing it. If parents ask. I am sure parents will ask and the principal will say the teachers didn't want to do it they have too much going on etc. If you can't answer basic money related questions on a grant that you submitted the paperwork for and received the grant. Something isn't right.

So the saga at school continues. I owe my janitors some delicious treats because I let my students use glitter. I apologized but really that isn't enough. I don't know what I was thinking letting them use glitter. If I ever do again they will certainly not have as much glitter choice.  Like I said I owe the janitors some treats. Even that might not be enough of an apology.   Well, I had better sign off and go grate some zucchini.

The backpack incident and other entertainment

It has been an EmergenC week. I needed that extra vitamin c. I feel like I am getting a cold. I hope it doesn't turn into a full blown  cold. I drank a little too much EmergenC and Tea yesterday and was a little wired when I needed to be sleeping. So I plan to hit the hay a little earlier tonight.

I attended a meeting after school today attended by about 10-15 teachers. We were bringing our issues with the SpED department to administrations attention. AGAIN. If they don't change something up QUICKLY they could be in a lawsuit. I can't  believe how long they have allowed them to make excuses and not do their jobs. If teachers were this incompetent they would be on us like superglue. It is unbelievable.

I had a difficult student moved into my class because the parents felt like the other teacher was too "critical" of the student. It is interesting the reaction I've been getting from the parents because I have been pretty "critical" of the student as well. The student is a real poop but when I talk with the student my commands are immediately followed. If not there is an immediate consequence. The student is very respectful to me when I "lay down the law". However, it wears me out to have to keep my thumb on the kid all day.

There was a backpack incident today. I don't know what the student had in their brown bag for lunch. I just know what ever it was leaked out of the bag into the backpack and onto the floor. It smelled so bad we all were pinching our noses. I buzzed the office and asked for a trash bag ASAP. The janitor brought one in with a puzzled look on his face. I bagged the backpack and the student went home looking like a hobo carrying the back on his back.  I had to spray some freshener around but it was one of those stenches that just lingered.  This is one of those students it is a miracle anything makes it to school in the first place because of clumsiness, so they should never be given a brown bag. Heck a ziplock bag, plastic bag, just something somewhat leak proof. Just writing about it brings the smell back.

I read my students a poem every day. I read them one yesterday they begged me never to read again. I can't recall the title right now but when I do I will share. One of my students came up to me and said if we are being naughty you should punish us by reading that over and over again. They felt that strongly about it.  

One of my students noticed a cd on my desk and asked if we could listen to it. I said, "Sure it it Johann Sebastian Bach."  Then we had a short conversation about who he was. Johann has a piece that is in a lot of Halloween type movies I think maybe in the Munsters. Anyhow their eyes lit up when they heard that creepy organ playing. So the rest of the day we had to listen to Bach whenever we had an opportunity.  You just never know what kids will delight in.  

I have NOT I repeat NOT watched the movie FROZEN. I know I am in a minority group. However, I have successfully gotten sick of the music without having watched the movie. I know way more about the music than I should on a movie I have never seen.   I have a couple of students who are professional work avoiders.  If they put as much effort into doing it as they do avoiding it they could accomplish great things.   So today to the tune of  "Let it Go"  we sang to them  GET IT DONE!  They mostly got it done.  

January flew by and February promises to be a busy month. I am glad we have a long weekend in there because I will need it. We are on our third quarter of school. Amazing! I had a brief meeting with our principal yesterday with some things she wanted me to take back to our team. It was supposed to be with our team but they didn't show up. So I went over things with them. It wasn't very good because it needed to come from her.  What can you do.  

I feel like after 5 years of teaching I have a TON to learn still. However a 2nd year teacher came in today and said I want to come and watch you teach for a day I feel like I could learn so much from you. That made me feel really good.  She is a great teacher as well. I think we get tired, sick, and discouraged. Then we don't feel like we are doing anything right.  This year has been such a crazy year that it seems like I haven't been able to focus on student learning as much as I would like.  Meetings out the wazooo keep interrupting what I should be doing.  I left school on time today. Not because I didn't have a gazillion things to do. I left on time today because after getting their early and having a busy day I had nothing left to give. I will pay for it with a heavy work load this weekend.  So it goes.... G'nite

Another day

I
 We had Western Oregon weather today. It was cloudy, cool, and overcast with a persistent drizzle all day. Then tonight that wet ground turned to a brilliant ice slick.  I think the weather made for wiggly kids. They were ready to bounce off the walls. I was ready to bounce them off the walls.  We have been working on winter testing as well so by the end of the day they are just done.  So far about 1/3 of my students are above grade level, about 1/3 on grade level, and about 1/3 nowhere close to grade level. I am going to have to up my game in some specific areas to push them to the next level.

I was evaluated last week. We are supposed to have a post observation conference. I never had any notification of the conference which I usually get. Then I get an email today scheduling another observation/evaluation. I thought it was strange I hadn't gotten the results of the last one before having another one scheduled. I sent off an e-mail regarding this, no response yet. So I am not sure.

I use an free online "app" to track student behavior. I had a parent send this note today
" Is student unmanageable? Or are we using this tool too often to judge his behavior and potential parenting/disciplinary needs"

My response "We are working on students behavior to make student aware of what student needs to work on. Student is doing better from what I have seen, and I hope student continues to make improvements."  

Parents response was positive after that. I have no idea what parenting may or may not be going on. I can make some guesses. The behavior tracker only shows what they are or are not doing well. I found it interesting the parent thought I was making  a judgement about their parenting.  It is a pretty dry tracker, it shows whether students are on or off task, following directions, participating, keeping their hands to themselves, talking out of turn, and those kinds of things. This student is consistently a little booger. The student was just moved to my class because the parent didn't like how critical the other teacher was of her student. When this demand was made I asked administration if they told the parent I was the strictest teacher in my grade level. Administration said they did inform the parent of that. This student was just moved into a class with much higher expectations. So we shall see how this goes. It could be a ride and a half.

Well I should be off to bed... goodnight!

Roadblocks to achievement

My cousin when he calls asks how is  your "Peyton Place?"  For a minute there I thought maybe just maybe things would be smoothing out and getting better. They aren't. I don't even know how to respond to some of the insanity going on around here.   I have a student moved into my classroom tomorrow. We started counting this afternoon they have moved about 8-9 students around in just our grade level. It is mostly due to parents who don't believe their "little darlings" are at fault for any of their inappropriate behavior.  Why they are perpetually letting parents dictate everything is beyond me. The result is a lot of nuttiness. I agree sometimes it needs to happen. The frequency with which it is occurring this year is just ridiculous. Just when you have your class settled in, expectations set, a wrench is thrown in the works.  Our administration is a waste of money.  We had another staff meeting after work today which was basically another "you guys suck look how low fall test scores were what are you going to do about it?"   I don't know why doesn't the administration create a schedule for ANYTHING so that we are all on the same page. The excuses made for the incompetent people is at an all time high.  Moral is very low.    One of my students that was used as an example for a "low" student in the fall testing cycle. This student just did the winter test and was way above grade level.

 I am so fed up tonight with our administration I had to express my frustration.   Administration refused to make a schedule for the computer lab. Six classes share this lab.  We are all trying to test. They suggested that we go to the 1st grade building and test. Without even asking them if it conflicted with their schedule.   GRRR. So  I went around to all the teachers and pushed us creating our own schedule. So I made a schedule and sent it to them.  I have never had an administrator so anti-schedule. It defies  logic. When you are managing such a large group of people you schedule everything. It prevents confusion and conflict. I have to remember to "Keep my eye on the purpose" helping my students to have success. I just am disappointed in the crazy roadblocks in our path.


Oh... just to add to my grumpiness this evening I received a Jury Summons. yay me. My second summons this year.

Winter testing

It doesn't take long to develop a bad habit.  I have a terrible habit of messing up my sleep schedule.   I often can barely keep my eyes open so I go to bed early. The consequences are that I wake up in the middle of the night WIDE AWAKE!  Sometimes awake enough  that I get up and get a few things done.  So I guess it isn't all bad.   I have been a light sleeper my whole life. Which is a bummer. It doesn't take much to wake me up or disturb my sleep.

We began our winter testing today. I had a couple of students moved to my class because their parents were unhappy with how they were doing in another class. One of them grew 26 points from the fall to now. I was wondering why so many of this teachers' students were testing so low in the fall.  They always drop over the summer but, some of them dropped a crazy number of points over the summer. I finally realized this was strategic. The teacher was ensuring growth from the fall by creating a hectic test environment.  In doing such she can say " Look how much they grew."  It is disappointing to work with someone who is being dishonest about testing. I hope there are those with enough sense to realize that is what is occurring.  The treacherous effects of focusing only on testing.

I did find out some good news. In our new contract how RIF-Reduction in Force has changed. It is not now based purely on seniority. Actually, seniority is last on the list. I am not sure that all of the teachers have realized this.  It is based on the following:

a.  The performance evaluations of the teacher,
b. The type of licensure held by the teacher including National Board Certification,
c. The disciplinary record, included in the district personnel file of the teacher,
d. If equality is observed in evaluations and performance, seniority will prevail.


So this may help remove a few not so fabulous instructors. We'll see how likely that is. Not sure. Anyhow, I just have to keep plugging away and moving forward.

Soup Weekend

Made a little soup this evening. My stash is very low and since getting back from the holidays, and getting sick I haven't done much cooking. I threw together a Hamburger Soup?   I didn't have fresh veggies I am waiting till this coming weekend for my Bountiful Basket.  So I used my dehydrated carrots, celery, and onions. I threw in a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, a pound of hamburger, a can of corn, a cup of black rice. I decided I wanted it really "tomatoey" so I added  a small can of tomato paste. I have no idea how this will come out. I am sure it will be a hearty school lunch.  It'll work.

I haven't accomplished a lot this weekend. Did some grading, caught up on laundry and dishes, did a little house cleaning. I did a lot of relaxing.  I had a frustrating e-mail from work on Friday. Sometimes all I can do is shake my head at the ridiculousness. I asked for some advice before replying. I am not sure what the outcome will be.  I have been hearing from some of our most experienced and most quality teachers that they are seriously considering leaving the district. I have to find a way to cope and move forward and be patient. It always comes back to the fact that 1. I want a job. 2. I still love teaching.  I hope my love of teaching isn't overwhelmed by the craziness to the point that I leave it. I've had a lot of downs this fall. Some adjustments have made for a better winter. I just need to make it through spring.  

Pet Peeve. I really don't like it when teachers complain about their wages. First of all teacher pay is well documented. You know what wages to expect.  I feel fairly compensated. I do work way more hours than required by my contract. It is the reality of teaching. This is also common knowledge.  Our benefits are generally pretty good. If you are expecting better pay than what teachers receive don't go into this profession.  It varies where a teacher lives and cost of living what wages you get. Still you chose to go into this profession. So I don't want to hear whining about that.  There are a lot of stresses with this job that most people don't understand. There are headaches, heartaches, stomachaches, pain in the arse-aches and more. I have empathy for those situations.

Well I  have one more day of "freedom" before back to work. I will go in to work tomorrow to do some more grading and get ready for the week ahead.

small town problems

I am not a city girl. However I have random moments when I wish I was. No not because of the plethora of shopping options.  Amazon.com and I have a great shopping relationship. No, it is when you are sick (I won't go into details here) and you really need something mild in your stomach.  Your stash of such items are gone so you have no other choice but to go to the store.  Everyone who could run that errand for you is at work. So you get out of your perfectly warm pj's,  slip on some winter clothing, winter boots, and head into the snowy day to buy yourself some broth. Then of course the first people you see as you walk into the store are parents of your student. Who as you say a pathetic "hello" you see the wheels turning as to why you are not at work. It is these moments you wish for a little anonymity.  A wish to be a tiny drop in a much bigger pond. I survived and made it home with my $2.15 cans of broth. I am sure they are cheaper on Amazon but I couldn't wait 2 days for them. Anyhow,  I look out my window now at that cold, wet, miserable day and with my pj's back on, and warm soup in hand, I am once again thankful for this small town. In part because my drive to the store was less than 5 minutes,  no one was in line ahead of me, and I made it out to my car without recognizing a single soul.

Hiatus

It has seemed so quiet and much more relaxed since coming back from Christmas break. I was attributing it all to having a break, getting away, change of scenery, time with family, etc. Then I realized since I came back my school computer isn't working so if I'm lucky I only check my work e-mail once a day. It is amazing how NOT reading that totally improves my attitude. I really must read it with less frequency. I may be out of the loop on a few things but blissfully so!  

Our district is piloting the new teacher evaluation tool that will be implemented state-wide next year. It sounds exactly like what we had to do when we created our portfolio for college. I am hoping it is a little less involved because seriously. I need to sleep once in a while during the school year. Do you want me to call parents, grade student work, gather data, implement differentiation, develop relationships with students, work on continuing education, attend professional learning communities, building leadership teams, implement Individualized Education Plans, read assigned reading, implement new curricula, lesson plan, and collect artifacts for a portfolio?    This is why our education system is broken. You want teachers to do it ALLL with less and less time. I talked with a colleague up north and their district had already put this evaluation tool in place. She said that with that and a new curriculum they were implementing teachers were at school often till eight at night. Yes we have long summer vacations, and Spring Break, and Christmas Break, and some other government holidays. If dedicated teachers didn't have those "breaks" we'd be laying in a puddle of our own drool rocking in the corner. Expectations have risen. I love higher standards. However, there needs to be a balance.  The pendulum of government education has taken another drastic swing. I am not sure where it will lead.  Seriously I often wonder why I didn't consider becoming a wildlife biologist. I was probably not excited by chemistry and biology.   Hmmm what was I thinking?

It was great to come back to school and see all my short people! They all seemed ready to be back. It was a good start to a new year. I hope to have access to some technology at school soon because it is difficult to lesson plan without it. Even though I am enjoying the e-mail hiatus. I am loving my Christmas present. The remote start for my car just makes my morning. It gives me just a little more pajama time without running out into the cold and then back in without completely warming up!
Well it is time for me to rest my head. G'nite

In Denial

Well, I am in denial that my Christmas Break is coming to its end.  I started my break with a bug that took up a few days to get well. I spent time with family and friends. I didn't get to see everyone I had planned on but time flies over this break. Everyone has  busy schedules this time of year as well.

You never know someone until you help them move a mattress. I've moved a few mattresses and helped move a few. They are inconvenient  items to move around. They never bend the way you need them to bend to get around corners. They don't fit through doorways following doorways. You can never tie down a mattress quite as well as you should. Yes I've seen a flying mattress and a semi-run over it. That's a story best saved. Anyhow, mattresses are a pain to move. Then one should flip their mattress once in a while. I recall doing this with my neighbor. When you ask a 20 something year old to move a mattress with you. Keep in mind their muscles and reflexes are stronger and quicker than your own. Luckily she was short and I didn't crush her. We giggled over our mattress flipping experience for years.  Usually the act of MOVING mattresses doesn't bring out the giggling. It brings out our grumpy side. Someone is always walking backwards and someone is always shoving this person. Then it seems as though someone is walking blindly carrying this heavy awkward item.  We got my parents a new mattress for Christmas. Just moving it one room away seemed like climbing Mount Everest.  Dad suggested that a new mattress wasn't needed.  Then we put the new one on. Mom said " I don't have to roll out of the valley, climb the mountain, and roll over the other side to get out of bed now!"  Dad thought she was exaggerating. He didn't recall climbing any mountains to get out of bed. Clearly they didn't flip their mattress often enough. He seemed a little disappointed  that the new mattress wasn't perfectly contoured to his body. Some people are hard to please.  Maybe he will find something nice to say about it after awhile.

Moving mattresses also requires a closer look at just what is under the bed that you haven't seen in awhile.  Usually just some "dust bunnies" that you never quite reach with your vacuum.

I went back home through the big city and stayed with a friend on the way so that I could break up the trip a little. It also allowed me to stop at the evil Wal-Mart to pick up a few things I was out of.   Before I left I wasn't feeling well so a few things I normally take care of before I leave fell by the  wayside.  So I came home to  a stinky trash can and several expired items in the fridge. I took care of that right away. Then I boiled some cinnamon on the stove to refresh the air. I have some laundry to do. Some other laundry to put away. I also need to plan for   this week at school. I admit I am in complete denial and am procrastinating.   Well, off to do something.