Another week whizzes by..

 It was another wacky week. I am so exhausted at the end of every day it is hard to even remember all that happened. We are having trouble getting students to complete their work. Those that are completing their work  without any mistakes and to such a high level have us suspicious as to "who" is completing their work.  I had several phone calls to make to parents and you try to give them the benefit of the doubt but, there are a lot of excuses.

FYI I NEVER EVER AGAIN want to hear from a parent that another kid was distracting their kid in class. I have had to attempt to teach them with LOUD parent phone calls in the background, T.V.'s on, Video games being played by siblings, interruptions from all the pets they own, older or younger siblings joining the meeting, parents interrupting, friends coming to visit, the list goes on and on. 

I hate my job right now, I don't know a single teacher that feels good about teaching in this format to elementary grades. It is wrong.  It doesn't help that I have a couple of people on my team that have apparently been in isolation for too long, or this is just their personality. They've been well... just mean and cranky. I think admin may have to step in at some point because they are so hostile. 

Friday night we had some rain come down. I took that opportunity to take out the trash. I wait till a clear day otherwise I just struggle to breath. I had a lot of broken down cardboard boxes to take out as well. That was nice to get such a simple chore completed. This morning when I got up it wasn't too bad. The smoke gets increasingly worse throughout the day. I got up and changed the engine air filter and my cabin air filter. I had changed the cabin one not too long ago, but decided it couldn't hurt. The engine filter definitely needed a change. As long as the smoke continues I should probably change them more frequently. I usually just wait for an oil change, but that might not be the best idea right now. 

For the last 2 Saturdays I have had a class on Saturday. I completed the class, but I have some followup paperwork to complete. I do not know why I sign up for things with the demands placed on my right now. My brain is more active than my lungs really allow for. It is frustrating to say the least. Friday, the school nurse checked in with me and I had a little cry. I am so weary of being weary from not breathing. I may be alone, but I can't wait for snow. 

My reading endorsement class started up again as well, or at least the next portion of it. I am just barely keeping up with it. One day at a time. Today I did what I could and rested the rest of the time. I probably should have done more today, but I am thinking what I accomplished  will have to do. I have another busy week ahead. Our admin just asked us this week to have several days worth of emergency lesson plans ready as well as our regular lessons. I started those while my student teacher was teaching. I completed a couple days of math and am about halfway on having a couple days of reading done. I don't know where they think we pull these things out of... thin air and magic. It isn't that it requires extra time. Oh NO! And knowing some of my colleagues, they just won't do it and will expect me to share mine.  GRRRRR sooo... anyhow dishes are in the dishwasher and I need to throw some clothes in the dryer.

G'nite

It's My Birthday!

 So strange to be this old. Mom told me my age and I thought "That can't be right?!", but it was correct. It wasn't an easy day, or even a fun day. It was a day with highlights though. I will try to focus on all of the highlights and not the frustrations.

I came into my classroom and was greeted by a balloon and treats from one of our janitors! It was a sweet surprise. My student teacher bought me lunch. Mom bought me dinner from a local Basque restaurant and I enjoyed a huge steak. I had many many birthday messages. Many of my favorites came from personal messages. I took a break from all work this evening and just enjoyed reading my messages and watching mindless T.V. (mostly home-improvement shows). I also remembered to take my coffee to work and some colleagues and I shared a few laughs. 

I'm thankful for those who took my mind off the stress.

4 day weekend

 Friday was Fair Day for the 4-H, Rodeo Club, and FFA kids. Monday was a day off for Labor Day. I didn't complete as much work as I'd panned on this long weekend. The smoke rolled back into town. Which makes my lungs work just a little harder to do anything. I did get the cabin air filter changed in my car for a more expensive one that filters out more. I hope it helps on my drive to and from work.  I picked up some groceries, did laundry, and dishes. My travel coffee mugs are ready for another busy week. My student teacher brought in a K-Cup coffee maker. It is the totally generic Wal-mart brand, but it holds my travel mug perfectly. It's a keeper. I won't discuss where it is made. Now if I forget my coffee, I won't feel sad about that travel mug sitting full on the counter at home. Now and again this happens. I also took out the trash a few times, broke down boxes for the bin, and did a grocery pick up. There is rumors that around election time things could be hard to find on the shelves again. Sigh. I tried to think of the staples I use most of the time and make sure I have them on hand. 

My asthma had made a huge improvement until the smoke came back. I did pretty well yesterday but today I am feeling it. I am just staying indoors today. The whole Pacific Northwest is supposed to get big winds going into tomorrow morning. That is a scary situation with all the fires going on. I'm sure those fighting them feel a huge sense of urgency. Scary stuff. 

This afternoon I decided to put on a pot of soup. It's potato kale this time. I switch up the meat. Sometimes I get Italian Sausage, Kielbasa, or beef sausage with Italian seasonings. It seems to come out delicious with any of these. Today was Kielbasa. The soup is in the Instant Pot and when it is done, I will add the kale. During one of my shopping times this summer I discovered they have frozen chopped kale. It is for steaming apparently. However, it is perfect to throw in the soup. I can have it on hand and not worry about the quality at our grocery stores. Well, quality and whether or not they have it. Sometimes in winter I cannot find it.

Last week was so stressful and insane that I found myself not wanting to even think about work. I am hoping some of the drama will fall by the wayside as we focus on our students and their families. The moral at our school is at an all time low in huge part due to the micro-managing from our administrators. I think they needed to spend more time in the classroom teaching, before getting their admin degree. Neither one had experience in primary grades and they look at us confused all the time. They think they know, but they don't know. It makes things even more challenging. I've had many administrators and varying degrees of crazy. I can survive this too. 

I need to go do some reading for my online class. I will be done with my Reading Endorsement in March. To think... I started last January with NOOOO idea how nuts the world was about to get. Then school closed in March, and I will finish in March. Will we be back to work with kids? I've no idea. 

Whit- a very small part or amount.  I had to remind myself of this words definition today. As soon as I read it I recalled seeing it in books. It's a fun word. I give not one whit for my administrators today. It works very nicely. 

Well, I'm off

Good Afternoon! 

Stress

 Another week of stress! I work with a phenomenally dysfunctional team. Almost every day I'm asking  mom "What should I do", there are some people so difficult that it doesn't matter how you respond it is wrong.  The good news is my asthma was much improved this week. So while I wasn't functioning at optimal levels I had so much more energy than the week before. It was a relief to breathe! Just breathing. Pretty simple, but important stuff. 

I went to the Dr. again and it was encouraging to see some positive changes in a short period of time. The smoke is coming back to town again this weekend though which is a bummer. He told me to avoid my triggers as much as possible. I really don't know how to avoid them any more than I am. I drive to school and home. Once a week I get gas, and do grocery pick up.  That's it. I buy the HVAC filter that filters out the most  allergens etc. I bought new filters for my car that filter out more. So, what can I do.  

The stress of the last couple of weeks has been nutso! I hope things mellow

Saturday

 The stress is not doing great things for me. I'm sure it is exacerbating my asthma issues. With my new medicine and increased medicine, I am also not sleeping well. I am doing my best to take it slowly today. I woke up with a massive headache. Which probably can be contributed to the stress and medicine as well. I talked with a friend this afternoon who also has asthma. It is always nice to speak with someone who has it that can understand how exhausting it is to do basic tasks when it is acting up. Other than my headache my asthma is better today. I also have not had to be outside which I am sure helps. I am working on laundry and dishes.

It has been very difficult to find a positive attitude. My planning meetings with my grade level teams have been an absolute nightmare. The circular talk has been as great as any politician. I'd leave every single meeting thinking, "I can't do this again."  Our last meeting last week we split up tasks for the first quarter of school. I have been very quiet in these meetings, mostly because I've been focusing on having enough oxygen. I only speak up when necessary. So as we were splitting into groups to take on different tasks I didn't say much. A young first grade teacher that was moved to second this year because of the class sizes joined us. He's been in my reading endorsement classes too. He said "Trisha and I will be a group" I nodded my head in agreement. Yes, I want to work with the only guy who is also fed up with all these ladies drama. I've been working with him for our endorsement classes. It will be nice because we can be task focused and get the work done. 

I am getting some blood-work done on Monday to determine if there is an underlying issue that is increasing my asthma issues. I had to ask permission to get to work a little bit later on Monday. It is walk-in only to get blood work. I am hoping that I will be the first one there and get it done quickly and get to school. I will be hungry after fasting all night so I will have to figure out breakfast to take to work. Perhaps some yogurt.  Then I see the doctor again on Thursday after school hours. I hope that I can get some relief. The stress of this school year is insane. I hope parents understand that this is NOT what we want as teachers either. It is not in any way best practices for instruction.  

We have next week to work on content and prepare for school starting September 8th. We also have our virtual back to school night on Wednesday. I have to do a video for that. 

That's all I know for now...

Morale

 When we first came back in August our school board approved a hybrid schedule.  

1/2 of the class:

Week 1: attend school Mon. Wed  Fri. (Tues. Thurs. online)

Week 2: Attend School Tues. Thurs. (online Mon. Wed. Fri.)

other 1/2

Week 1: Tues. Thurs. (Mon. Wed. Frid. online)

Week 2. Mon. Wed. Frid. (Tues. Thurs. Online)

This was going to be a nightmare to be attempting to provide in person teaching while supporting students working virtually. I was also very concerned that school would closely impersonate prison. With social distancing rules in the classroom, hallway, lunchroom, and even recess, my heart hurt that we would be teaching students this is okay. Then the whole mask enforcement issue. I didn't want to be the mask police. I wouldn't even be able to walk over to a student desk and offer them support. So, when our school board decided to go Virtual for at least the first 9 weeks, I was relieved. However, I didn't realize that now I would be an inmate. That now my hands and feet would be shackled. That everything that makes me love teaching would be taken away. The opportunities for creativity, to share my goofiness with my students. We have to do EXACTLY the same lesson, at the same time, with all the same resources. This has sucked the soul out of teaching. I called a retired teacher friend and told her what we were being told to do and she said "That's Blasphemy" and "I'd be fired"  I've had days where I thought I need to find another job, but then I regroup and go back and find the joy. This year so far we are being so micromanaged that I want to leave my profession more than ever before. I've tried to think of ways to bring the "joy" back into my job. However, every time it is discussed by admin it ends up being "no, you need to do the same things." The morale at our school is very low. Normally, when we come back in August we are rested and cheerful and so happy to see each other again. We had that for about a minute and a half and now we feel hobbled. 

In other news, with the continuing wildfire smoke my asthma continues to be an issue. I went to the Dr. today and we came up with a new treatment plan and I go see him again next week. He also scheduled blood work. So, I have to get permission to get that done on my way to work one morning. The nice part is I can get it done right in his office. I hope that we can get it to a manageable place so that I can start to enjoy life a little more. 

It has been an insane couple of weeks at work. I just don't even know what to do

Distance Learning

 Just when I think virtual teaching can't get any harder. Our admin throws something else at us. In true communist style we are asked to be on the same lesson, the same dialogue, at the same time, every day. If my students are doing well, I can't move forward unless the whole team is ready. If my students are struggling I can't stop and reteach that lesson, I have to move forward to the next lesson the following day. I can only reteach in small groups at certain times, but I have to reteach that lesson. This means it will be very difficult to meet the needs of individual students. If they aren't able to get on during the school day for instance, because their parents are both at work. It will be after my work hours and I won't be available for support. 

I'm beating my head against the wall, because I am not allowed to do what is right. It really sucks the joy out of teaching. It was a very frustrating day. If you want investment from your teachers you allow them to be creative and express themselves through their lessons. It's pretty hard to do with something this dry. I just agggghhhhhhhhhh

There's been times I've wanted to leave teaching, but NONE more so than at this time.  

I'm off to watch some dumb T.V. and try to relax before going to sleep.

G'nite

Mondayest!

 Beginning last week we started a "training" for teaching "virtually". Today we completed the 4th day. So far I have NOT learned anything I didn't already learn last spring. It has been a completely frustrating waste of time. We are also supposed to be sharing  "how we are teaching what" with our admin on Wednesday. The major problem with this is they haven't given us requirement or guidelines. So it is VERY frustrating.  School was supposed to start today. Then it was moved to the 31st. Then they moved it to Sept. 8th. Which is all fine and grand, but they've had time to figure out guidelines for us and NOTHING! I can't create a schedule because I don't know if I have to be online at certain times or for how long. I don't know if different subjects have different requirements.  We've been given these very broad directions and when we ask for more information we are put off. Tomorrow is yet ANOTHER school board meeting. I have NO idea if they are going to give more information or guidelines.  

In other annoying Monday news. In the middle of a Video Tutorial for my training the janitor slammed the classroom door in and walked in yelling. My student teacher and I jumped. They've been asked to sanitize our room twice a day. I told her she'd have to wait as I was working. I don't know if they got spoiled for having no teachers for so long or what. It was so rude. About 30 minutes later I was able to stop and take a break and she could come in. I emailed the head custodian and he wasn't very empathetic.  If she had just walked in quietly it would not have been a problem. Teachers are going to be recording, meeting with students online, etc. They need to learn to enter quietly. Good Grief!

My student teacher and I had to have a virtual meeting with her instructor so we could go over expectations, paperwork, etc. It was a lot of info at once, but I think we both know what we need to be doing for her to succeed. 

Tomorrow night I start my next class for my Reading Endorsement. I'm glad I was able to get some rest this weekend, because this is BUSY! 

Well, I'd better get to bed... G'Nite

Cookin II

 I had some browning bananas so this afternoon I turned the a.c. up or down. Whichever one makes it cooler. Then I turned the oven on. It was 99 degrees outside. I used the small loaf pans to make 3 mini loafs out of the dough then I froze them.  Last night I had put some chicken in to marinade and I took that out and cut the chicken into smaller chunks to bake.  While it was baking I prepped the ingredients for homemade chicken noodle and put them in the instant pot. With the homemade noodles mom had made me and we froze for me to take back here. 

Then I started prepping veggies for beef stew. I used one quart jar of stock I had left from cooking the beef shanks. It still had some riced cauliflower resting in it. To it I added chopped carrots, celery, onion, spiralized zucchini, black beans, chopped parsnip, green beans, potatoes, and fire roasted garlic tomatoes. I also added Italian seasoning, cumin, salt, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic,  and I think that was all. Oh yes, stew meat about 1 pound. I turned it up to get it boiling  for about 10 minutes then I turned it down to low and simmered for a few hours. It smells really good. It is cooling off so I can put it into containers and freeze. While it finished cooking I cut up the chicken for the noodle soup and put it in the Instant pot with the rest of the ingredients and started it up. I finished and I am also waiting for it to cool.

I hope the beef stew is as good as it smells. Usually by the time I finish cooking something I'm not so into eating it. Chefs all over the world groan. You must taste 😛😜. I'll trust my nose I suppose. In between all this cooking I ran the dishwasher about 3 times.  

This afternoon beautiful lovely dark storm clouds rolled it. The air was still. I had hopes of a lovely summer rain on a hot hot day. All the sudden wind gusts picked up and took all those lovely clouds east. They're probably dropping moisture on the Rockies. 

I have another jar of broth to use up... perhaps tomorrow night I will use it to cook something up. I think tomorrow will be a long day.  G'nite

Cookin

 I was not very functional this a.m. I kept trying to get myself moving and it wasn't happening, perhaps because of the medicine it was difficult to get to sleep last night. I finally just surrendered to the need for a bit more rest. Then I decided to give my lungs some rest as well and just work on household chores. I started a cooking experiment this afternoon. I have NO idea how it will come out. Here is my improvised beef stew sort of...

I put a couple of beef shanks in a pot of boiling with granulated onion and garlic. I also added salt and pepper. I boiled for 10 minutes then cooked on low for 3 hours. To my pot I added about 1/2 a diced turnip, red potatoes, spiralized zucchini, carrots, celery, riced cauliflower. I also added one container of beef broth, a little cumin, pinch of red pepper flakes, and a little chili powder. Oh yes a few bay leaves because well... because. Then I dumped in the beef shanks and its water it had been cooking in. It is now slow cooking for about four hours.  How will it turn out? Don't know! Hopefully, it will be good because it will be a great dinner on a cold night in November.  I am hoping with the veggies I chose and the vitamins they add along with the bone marrow which apparently is nutrient rich.  There ya go... I'd tell you amounts but I can't say I really measured. 

Update: This was heavy on broth and just needed a bit more something. I didn't know how much meat would be on the shanks and now I have a better idea of that. I needed more meat. I think more shank, a little Worcestershire sauce, and some tomatoes would have kicked it up to what I wanted. I had so much extra broth I saved it to make another pot of stew tonight.  

This summer has been the summer of melon. Cantaloupe and Honey Dew pretty much every day. They are refreshing on a hot day and they soothe some of the side effects of my asthma meds. I cut up a couple of melons and put them into containers to take to work this week. I also prepped a salad for every work day. I've been taking extra snacks to work as my hours usually extend to later than I plan. This kind of planning helps me to not be so hungry on the way home I stop and grab a fast food dinner. 

This coming week is very busy. Monday have a evening Zoom meeting with my student teacher and her advisor. Tuesday I start my Reading Endorsement fall class. There is also an emergency school board meeting that night to address some new mandates from the governor. Changes are coming again. My Official Teacher Work Days begin on Wednesday that include online training from Wednesday-Friday then 2 more the next week. ALL DAY ONLINE TRAINING. I'm sure that is going to be super fun!  Sigh...

The good news is since it is all virtual I can cut out laminating and prep some materials. I think. SHHHHHH I never said that. 

It's been hot, tomorrow is supposed to get seriously HOT. Glad I have good a.c. at home. 

August has arrived

 So many unknowns! We are starting school with a hybrid schedule, we think, maybe...

All we know for sure that whatever we plan minutes, hours, or even just a day later everything could change. Our governor issued new directives for school  after our school board approved plans last week. An emergency school board meeting was scheduled for next week.  Trying to plan is a little bit futile. 

Our grade level team met the beginning of this week and that was a bit of a circus. One teacher dominated the meeting and was basically "My way is the only RIGHT way." There were a lot of gaps in her planning and when gently asked what she would do about  Reading Comprehension for instance we were told it wasn't as important as background knowledge or reading fluency. Wellllllll okay then.  Reading requires a lot of skills and once you are  a reader all three of those are pretty important and I don't think one outweighs the others. That was just one example out of many that I couldn't jump on  her train for. Opinions of others were pretty unwelcome.  So, one teacher left about an hour and a half, I left after about 2 1/2 hours and the others stayed in for the long haul. I just couldn't do it.  In other words working with my team could make for a LONG year! Tomorrow we are going to try another approach. If that doesn't work then I'm just going to work within a smaller group.

My student teacher joined me today to help set some stuff up, put up my bulletin board, and have a discussion. I basically did a BROAD overview of what we would be teaching, in what format, and what options we might have to share lessons both digitally and in person. We also discussed some practical procedure type things for this year. I am very thankful to have a young, energetic, excited student teacher this year. It will be such a huge help and the timing is perfect. We will learn A LOT together this year. 

What I know for SURE about this school year:

I am a teacher

I have a student teacher

School is about to start

Everything can and will change

I have students

..... Can't think of anything else.

Dust and Smoke- 

Wildfire smoke blew into our area from California and it picked up some dust on its way. My asthma just about did me in. I went to work yesterday in my classroom. I didn't feel great when I got up, but I attributed it to a bad nights sleep in part. I got to school and walking in from the parking lot was exhausting. I went and sat in my room and tried to do a little work and I was functioning less and less. I brought out my oximeter and realized that my numbers were dropping. There is a 2 point error, but it  does help me get a general idea of where I am. I decided I'd better go home and use my nebulizer. I called mom and she talked to me while I drove. I used my nebulizer and realized that I wasn't really noticing much of a difference.  I called a friend locally and asked for suggestions. I don't want to go into Urgent Care and sit in a waiting room. She reminded me we have TeleDoc with my school insurance. Through a video call I can speak with a Doctor. I set that up. I've been struggling all summer with my asthma, it would get a bit better, then worse again. Anyhow after our long chat and and assessment he put me on oral and inhaled steroids and also increased one of my other medications temporarily. After just one dose I noticed a difference. I was able to sleep through most of the night without coughing, I was only interrupted by a couple bathroom visits. It was soooooo nice to just be able to rest. After my 2nd dose I felt like a whole new person. Hopefully, after a few more days I am rocking and rolling.  When I got back to school the following day the janitors said to me "OH you LOOK soooo much better, you were SOOOO white!"  "You have color in your cheeks!" "I was worried about you!" I knew when I left I wasn't doing well, but I didn't realize how bad it was. One of the problems with asthma issues is when you are low in oxygen your thinking isn't great and your thinking processes slow. One of the janitors came and talked with me some more because she has a son with asthma. We compared notes, and I told her if she saw me like that again to stop me and tell me what she sees. I can't explain how much I want a few nice rainstorms, and I just can't wait for snow. The sooner it SNOWS the better.  

I have some cooking to fit in somewhere this weekend. Since I am feeling more perky I hope to have a cooking day Sunday. Excited to try a couple new recipes too.    

That's all for now...

Breath and Wind.

Tonight's soup is a strange concoction. I made lemon herb chicken again. Mom vetoed turnips in soup (so close minded) So I did a base of celery, onion, carrot, (the usual) and then added parsnips instead. It is simmering now and towards the end of making sure the veggies are cooked through I will add spiralized zucchini as the noodles. I'm sure this will be a NEW favorite for Dad. After I am done with this chicken run, going to do a beef stew. I'm over chicken. It has been fun to try some different recipes although they have a lot of similarities. I was going to be braver, but mom keeps vetoing squash in soup with an emphatic NO.  Mom was out of Parsley 👀😕 so I chose some of my own spices.  I added basil, turmeric, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. It smells pretty good right now in the house.  Dad often takes a peek to see what is going on in the kitchen and is usually horrified. Not by the number of dishes in the sink, but by the vegetables here and there. I've discovered over time that broth or stock  a long with sauteing veggies it can take the stink out of most of them and make them downright edible. Although, Brussel Sprouts there is NO hope for them. 

I stayed up late the other night to see what decisions our school board would make regarding starting back to school. Their plan is awful, for teachers and parents. It is a lose lose plan. A schedule that is a nightmare for working parents. Listening to the board I also was PAINFULLY aware they have NO idea what teaching actually involves and what Online learning actually involves. Also, I realized how much they didn't know they didn't know. They still have a lot of questions to answer, and they don't have those answers. Our superintendent has only been here for three weeks so she is having to play catch up on the move. She seems pretty "on-the-ball" and I am hopeful she'll be a good leader.

The wind shifted a bit and the air quality has improved a lot here. I am almost feeling like I am at capacity for oxygen.  The simple act of getting enough oxygen on an inhale is the best feeling. If the air quality did not improve I was going to pack up and leave for elsewhere. I cleaned the filters on the air conditioner so that it smelled a lot less like a campfire today. The best thing of all though was that I was FINALLY able to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time. My brother keeps telling me to eat watercress for my lungs. A search was conducted and no watercress to be found. Occasionally I will see it in a store, when my lungs are working fine, and it isn't needed. My brother suggested I grow my own. I looked into that and I am lacking a lot of skills, time, patience, and water sources for that project. It was vetoed. It would be nice to find a source for it.

I try to make a plan for this school year and wrap my head around it, and then something changes again. I am just telling myself one day at a time, and it will be what it will be. So many practices that make for effective teaching are being left by the wayside. The edicts from our governor are bad for kids. Sad...

Soups in July

Seems random to cook so much soup in July perhaps. I fill Mom's freezer with easy lunches. The soup themes have similar notes since they are made for Mom she has input on the soup. I tried to add variety but Squash Soup sounds gross! I thought she was more open minded. The soup list has been

Homemade Chicken Noodle
Hamburger
Italian Potato Sausage
Lemon Chicken Artichoke

I like these freezer/microwave/dishwasher safe containers for soup. 
They are a good serving size, and their square shapes fit nicely in the freezer.

19-20 School Year Wrap Up

Moving into classroom in a whirlwind few days.
Starting school with incomplete small construction pieces here and there
Seemingly Unending Raw Sewage smell in our brand new school giving us headaches and nausea.
Super Lice- 50% of my students had SUPER lice.
Lice Repellent Spray- Every Day smelling like I'd been fumigated.
Testing, Testing, Testing
PITA parent who contributed greatly too their students anxiety.
Super Lice
MEETINGS, Meetings, MEETINGS!
COVID-19
School moves to online only
Incredibly Annoying upstairs neighbors
Missing Students- whereabouts still unknown
No Spring Break travel
Reading Endorsement
Parents discover their students won't do work at home and that is their teachers fault.
Online learning curve.
Continued Meetings
Packing up classroom at designated times to prevent too many people being in the building at the same time.
Most pathetic ending to school EVER.

Crazy Week

Okay first of all if I become more irritable throughout this post it is because of my upstairs neighbor. My patience is being tried. He has been babysitting every evening this week. He's a young guy and I doubt there is much ummmm supervision. The kids run and run and run, but that isn't the worst part. They climb on the furniture and jump off.  Boom, Boom, BOOM, boom, Boom, BOOM, yeah, I have  a headache. It starts about 5p.m. daily and this continues till after 10 p.m. every night. There is a park across the street. I wish they could spend a little time there before being trapped indoors in a small apartment.

It has been a crazy week.  A week ago all of our school superintendents met and said we wouldn't close yet. 2 days later our Governor announced school would be closing till April 6th. Our Spring Break is the week after that so we would be out till the following week.  This week was all about making a plan, changing the plan, making a new plan, etc. I had no idea when I said "see you Monday" to my students last Friday, how many Mondays that would be. 

We were asked to stay away from school as much as possible, only coming if absolutely necessary. We were told we couldn't leave town as we could be called in anytime for anything.  We did get asked to come in and put together student work, and as usual my teammate and I got it all together. They are making it available on the school website for parents to print off, and printed copies for those who can't do that at home. This isn't required of parents or students, it will not be graded, etc. We got that together and left.  I only stopped at school one more time after that. I brought everything home to work on.

OH MY WORD THE BANGING!

Okay anyhow, we were also asked to have Parent Teacher conferences using either technology or phone calls, next week. So that will be interesting. We were given questions to ask parents to help them out at this time.  There is no road map for how to handle this situation, but I am not sure we are making all the right choices. We will all learn from this experience.  Based on the absenteeism I've had this year, the lack of doing homework (which is soooo basic), I am thinking that academics at home for most people will not be happening.

As I watch what is happening with states around us, I don't think our school closure date is accurate. I strongly suspect we will be out significantly longer. I am just hoping we have a little time together at the end of the school year to say our goodbyes.

I also have my own class I am taking for my reading endorsement. IT has been pretty AWFUL, the most disorganized online class I have EVER taken, and I have taken a lot of them. It is such a bummer because the content is so good. The instructor said she reorganized some things to make it more user friendly for this week. I opened it up and was like... uh nope....nice try though.

SOMEBODY GIVE THAT KID SOME BENADRYL!   I have such a headache. Noise canceling headphones, might help but it shakes the apartment, I can even feel it. Sigh...

I have almost caught up on my laundry, other than folding it, the dishes are done. My goal this weekend is to buy a racket ball ball and throw it at the ceiling. NO not really. I want to finish my work for my online class  and then start cleaning house. After my last class finished and before this one started I went on a cleaning spree and got rid of stuff. I also had a soup making day!

I am so glad I did that now that the grocery stores are EMPTY. I was down to a cup of milk left and when my friends went to the store they picked up some for me. I guess we are getting a taste of true socialism.  All of the meat, paper products, dry goods, milk products, GONE. The only thing really left is some produce and junk food. I have nothing to compare this too, but my experiences in stores in the eastern block. Options were limited. Places that have high taxes and some socialist ideas as healthcare for all, also have the fewest regulations for starting businesses. Their capitalism is paying for their social programs. This is not true socialism like you'd find in Venezuela or Russia. 

I am trying to stay connected with my students and their families. I've been reading stories and placing them in our Google Classroom. They are able to send me messages as well. Which from 2nd graders is pretty entertaining. I hope more of them will get on and message me after I have their "conference" next week.

MAKE IT STOP!!!!

This week has been kind of a roller coaster and I want to find some type of routine soon.  Even if it isn't the "norm" I need the structure.  I don't know what is next, but I'll keep on keeping on!

Whew

Somehow, someway... survived January. Tomorrow is another... let me rephrase that .. Tomorrow is ANOTHER Staff meeting. They will NOT give us time in our classrooms. We've all expressed the need to be in our own rooms again, and again, and again.  I am over it!  I am just crossing my fingers they learn from this. It is ridiculous.

In other ridiculous news, my colleague and I end up prepping EVERYTHING for every intervention time. I looked at her tonight and told her we have to be done doing this. Someone else needs to take a turn now, and we might have to insist on it.

The end of this month will mark the end of the first class toward my reading endorsement. This has NOT been easy so far. It will get easier when I am healthy. Pro-biotics, vitamins, and sleep. Sleep is a big factor to staying healthy. I have about 5 more days of antibiotics and hopefully I can bounce back after that. 

I stayed at work till about 7 tonight finishing my own homework.  I was so tired of sitting at the computer I started walking the halls while reading the article I needed to read. It helped keep me awake and got me moving for a bit.

I know more, but that is all I can think of right now.
G'nite

January

January the month of 365 days, or the never ending month. You decide. Get back from break and it is full speed ahead. Attempts to get students back into the routine, then test, assess, test, assess, repeat, repeat, repeat. It's awful. Add to that Cowboy Poetry Week, a U.T.I. that refused to depart, report cards, and taking a graduate course.  I'm exhausted. All that soup I cooked has came in very handy. I'm going to have to make some more soon.

Just today we tested for 2 hours, I was punched by a special needs upper grade student, and went to urgent care.  It was better I was punched than the students behind me I was protecting, but yeah... sigh... what a day. I'm trying to remember what else. I took my medicine, I'm going to drink more water..then off to bed. 

School and more cooking

I woke up this morning with a terrible headache. I tried taking a nap that didn't work. So Then I started drinking water and kept at it. Even though we have had high humidity for us apparently I hadn't drank enough water.

I had to go out to school to at least get partially prepared for the week ahead. I'm not sure I am ready, but hopefully I have enough to at least get through tomorrow. Dad helped me do some rearranging in my classroom this weekend. After that I hadn't put everything away, so when I went back I had to work on getting it all put back together. Dad helped me get some projects done that I hadn't had time to do, and an assistant is a huge help.

I made another couple casseroles tonight and a pot of beef stew. I also cut up the ham I bought from our local FFA. I had put some of it in one of the casseroles I made. I diced the rest and will freeze it to use now and again in other recipes.

We've had a head lice outbreak at our school. They will not send students home when the nurse discovers they have it. They won't send them home if the parent says they have treated it. We have a "Super Lice" outbreak and usually one treatment isn't enough. Some people have to go get a prescription. It can be really expensive for families. Since it is not considered harmful to the health nor an infectious disease they feel that students shouldn't stay home. I am glad I work at a school with student cubbies this year. At least their coats are separated. I make them tie their coats around their waist if they get too warm during recess. Other teachers let them throw it into a huge pile. It is really frustrating that this is the policy. I might have to open up a Head Lice Clinic. In larger cities they have them. Anyhow, I keep my hair up and use some homeopathic preventative sprays on myself. Just talking about it makes my head start itching.

So No laundry done, but lots and lots of cooking. They are both time consuming, but cooking takes a larger consistent chunk of time. I'll throw some laundry in here and there as I have time.

Cooking Day

i ignored the growing laundry pile today. Focused on cooking. I made turkey noodle soup with the leftover turkey. Had to make the noodles first, but that didn't take too long. Then I made Acini de Pepe soup, spaghetti, and Hearty beef soup. All for the freezer of course. I will have some good dinners for busy weeks ahead. I have a few more things I want to make tomorrow. I really need to go to school, but I am procrastinating a little bit. We'll see tomorrow how motivated I am. I may be able to get some done from here.   I've been doing loads of dishes between and during each cooking session. Dishes instead of laundry. There is always the favorite knife or pan that I like to use best.  In between I have to "make-do."

Having mom and dad visit mom helped work on some of my chores that had been neglected. So that helped me to focus on getting some other stuff done like cooking. I also was able to watch some dumb T.V. and relax.

One of my favorite things to watch for escapism is Monty Don's Small Gardens, or something to that effect. I never understood why the English referred to their "yard" as a "garden", but after watching this I understand they are a little garden obsessed and their gardens are something above a yard. Even in the smallest of spaces. Their climate sure allows for some phenomenal gardens.

I also like to watch renovation shows especially those that are working on historically buildings. It is interesting to watch skilled craftsman use modern tools and historically accurate tools to recreate building methods used for hundreds of years.

What's that smell?

So much has happened lately. It has been busy. So I am going to start with the last worst thing.
There has been a horrible smell at school, one day it is in one wing, the next day in another, and just seems to shift around. Today it seemed to be the whole school. This smell I would call a "raw-sewage" type odor if that helps. Throughout the day I had a headache and nausea. I opened the windows in my classroom. I turned the fan on next to the window to get some fresh air.  I left school early because I felt so terrible. I thought getting home and resting would help. Then the vomiting began. I won't go into any more details. It hasn't been a good evening.  I wanted my Mommy!  She told me in her best MOM voice to stay HOME! I put in for a sub and I have one scheduled. I have to prep for her somehow and my Mom said I couldn't go to school.  Now if you think I am whining, I rarely throw up, and if I do it is usually a one and done.  This has been a onerous evening thus far.  Yeah...  So in the life of a teacher  sewage is a new one, and I've had some experiences.

Although there is more to say from other days and weeks... I must leave you with this thought.
Methane Gas is NOT healthy.