The Conferences

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

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

Happy Birthday Granny!

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

Child Wrangling

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

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

Weekend

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

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

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

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

Soup Night! Revisited...

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

Technology woes...

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

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

Weekend!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Right Thing

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

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

The Price.

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

Weeks End.

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

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

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

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

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

Eat the cookie!

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

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

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

I am ready for the weekend!

Rough day

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

Thanks

Visitors... of a sort

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

Lesson Plans

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

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

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

The best laid plans...

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

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

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

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

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

On the Range

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

We received an email from our principal yesterday 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Moment of Silence.

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

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

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

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

A great day!

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

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

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

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

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

The Christmas Season

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

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

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

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

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