It's Fah-reeeezzzzing!

My morning today 7:45-8:15:

3 layers of clothes +
12 degrees w/ a windchill of -5 +
car rider duty for 30 minutes +
frost-bitten toes =

a cranky teacher

this is when I miss winter in Florida

From the mouth of a 1st grader:

When asked how the CogAT* was, the student's reply was:

"It was easy. All you had to do was color in the little circles."

*Cognitive Abilities Test - all 1st, 3rd and 5th grade students take it in the fall.

"BOHICA"

A new term I learned today:

Bend
Over
Here
It
Comes
Again

As heard in a meeting regarding new polices and procedures on student intervention.

Slowly...Drowning...

I haven't been blogging because back to school has kept me so busy. I have some extra needy/high maintenance kids this year. They are all sweet but they suck the life out of me. And I am working on some new programs/curriculum which takes lots of time. I usually don't have the energy after work to do anything else. I know if I could get in bed before 11pm every night I wouldn't be so tired at the end of the day. However, I can't get everything done before 11pm!

I spent last weekend in Wisconsin with my grandpa. He is not doing well and has been moved to hospice. When I got back to Atlanta, my parents went up to Wisconsin and now I am house/dog sitting until they get back.

My weekends have been busy with a concert, a weddings, visiting with family in town and the trip to Wisconsin. I am looking forward to things settling down so I can start treading water again!

Funny Things Kids Say

One of my 1st graders was coughing countinously. I asked him if he needed to get a drink. He said, "No, if I drink too much then it makes me have to pee......pause.......(as he continues working) "If I eat to much I have to poop." Huh.

During center clean-up time a Kindergarten student asked if he could knock down a castle someone had made. The other student said, "Say the magic word." The other child's response..."Abracadabra!" Well, I guess that is a magic word...

As told by our music teacher: During 3rd grade music class we were singing a song that had the word "barrel" in it. One student asked, "What's a barrel?" Another student replied with, "You don't know what a barrel is?!?! It's what monkeys come i!"

Today I got...

an unexpected day off work because my school was closed due to this.

In August 2000...

I taught Shannen reading and writing. She was one of my first students. I worked with Shannen during her 2nd and 3rd grade years. Teachers say they don't have favorites but secretly the do! I mean, how can you not? Shannen was one of my favorites. She was (and still is) one of the reasons that made me glad I chose teaching as my career.

Please ignore the beginner scrapbook page!

And now...

Shannen is a high school Freshman. She plays on the varsity softball team and is doing well in all of her classes!

Busy Weekend

Saturday night Supin and I went with some friends to see the singing comedian Steven Lynch. The guy is a talented comedian and he has a great voice. However, his material is really raunchy and not PL (don't say I didn't warn you).

Sunday night Supin and I went to see the Falcons lose to the Panthers. The ride on Marta was sucky but it is public transportation. What was I really expecting.

Today was a busy day at work. I left on time with my exploding bag of papers to grade at home. The bag is still in the car and I am going to bed.

Staying busy...

Check out this new font I bought today for my die cut machine! I used some of my birthday gift cards at Archivers and a 30% off coupon. Lovin' it!I have been working in my classroom this week as well as attending the plethora of pre-planning meetings. Trying to workout the Resource schedule has proven to be a nightmare once again. My room is completely unpacked. All I have left to do is finish hanging stuff on the walls. Pictures coming soon.

I am lovin' my new computer. Vista is hard to get used to...I hate not knowing how to get to things quickly.

I am looking forward to one final getaway this weekend. Supin and I are leaving Thursday night for Hilton Head...just what I need before the first day back to school!

Gotta get to bed. We have Open House tomorrow - yuck.

Busy, busy, busy

I have been staying busy getting my classroom ready for the new school year. I had to switch classrooms so I have been unpacking boxes and rearranging furniture like crazy. I wish I wasn't so anal about certain things. But once I have my classroom set up I don't want to have to rearrange it again later in the year.

I am working this week even though teachers don't have to report until next Monday. My principal allows his staff to work a flex schedule the first week of school if you put in hours the week before. Soooooo, next Friday I won't be at work. Supin, Susan, Rob and I are going to Hilton Head for a 3-day weekend! Sort of an end-of-summer-vacation/30 b'day present/graduation present to myself.

Gotta get to bed. Tax-free shopping starts tomorrow and I have to be up early to go to Circuit City. I'm getting a new laptop for my b'day and graduation!

Teachers

Many blame society's shortcomings on education. Too many people are looking for heroes in all the wrong places. Movie stars, rock musicians, athletes and models aren't heroes: they're celebrities.

Heroes abound in public schools, a fact that doesn't make the news. There is no precedent for the level of violence, drugs, broken homes, child abuse, and crime in today's America. Education didn't create these problems but deals with them every day.

Consider Dave Sanders, the teacher shot to death while trying to shield his students from two youths on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Sanders gave his life, along with 12 students, and other less heralded heroes survived the Colorado blood bath.

Jane Smith, a Fayetteville, NC teacher, was moved by the plight of one of her students, a boy dying for want of a kidney transplant. So this woman told the family of a 14 year old boy that she would give him one of her kidneys. And she did.

Doris Dillon dreamed all her life of being a teacher. She not only made it, she was one of those wondrous teachers who could bring the best out of every single child. One of her fellow teachers in San Jose, California said, "She could teach a rock to read." Suddenly she was stricken with Lou Gehrig's Disease which is always fatal, usually within five years. She asked to stay on the job.... and did. When her voice was affected she communicated by computer. Did she go home? Absolutely not! She is running two elementary school libraries! When the disease was diagnosed, she wrote the staff and all the families that she had one last lesson to teach....that dying is part of living. Her colleagues named her Teacher of the Year.

Bob House, a teacher in Gay, Georgia, tried out for Who Want s to be a Millionaire. After he won the million dollars, a network film crew wanted to follow up to see how it had impacted his life. New Cars? Big new house? Instead, they found both Bob House and his wife still teaching. They explained that it was what they had always wanted to do with their lives and that would not change. The community as both stunned and gratified.

Last year the average school teacher spent $468 of their own money for student necessities. That's a lot of money from the pockets of the most poorly paid teachers in the industrial world.

The average teacher works more hours in nine months than the average 40-hour employee does in a year.

Where does my time go?

I am drowning at work. People who aren't teachers can't possibly begin to understand. I have been trying to account for my time...hoping to find an undiscovered block of "wasted" or "unused" time. I thought the best way for me to do this would be to write it down. I type faster than I write so my blog is going to serve as my space to account for my day. It may be very boring reading for the next few days.

7:30 am ~ arrive at work, prepare for sub

7:45 - 9:45 ~ professional development (hence the sub) *note* - I really didn't get anything out of the professional development meeting.

9:45 - 1:00 ~ teach

1:05 - 1:25 ~ working lunch (met with the other resource teachers)

1:30 - 2:30 ~ was planning on testing but I had a student who was out of control and had to be removed from class. She got to sit in my room and finish her work. I could not concentrate so all I was able to do was grade some papers.

2:35 - 3:00 ~ made copies and had interpreter call a student's mother

3:00 - 4:00 ~ worked on lesson plans and met with another teacher to make a new schedule for a student

4:00 - 6:00 ~ worked on IEP changes, SST paperwork, schedule changes, clean up classroom

6:00 - 7:00 ~ left work and went to Publix

7:00 - Now ~ ate dinner, did two loads of laundry, checked email, read newspaper

Now - Bedtime ~ finish lesson plans, resubmit grad school paper due to email problems, fold laundry

Catching My Breath

I have been so busy with the beginning of a new school year. I promise to update soon. There is so much to tell.

Just Stuff

I know everyone has said it but my god it's so FREAKIN HOT! Ugh, I can't take it anymore. It makes me feel so yucky. I'm sure my period hasn't helped.

My classroom is s-l-o-w-l-y coming along. I had a lot to clean up in there before I could really start unpacking my stuff. There is a storage closet in my room. It used to be the counselors but now it's special eds. I had lots of special ed stuff to organize. I will post a before and after photo soon. The before photo is not really a "true" before photo. It's more like a "photo taken after working in my classroom for 3 days". It will be next week before the after photo will be taken...stay tuned.

Okay, so I have been busy all week and I have been having major urges to scrapbook. I think I am going to have to do a page tonight before I go to bed - even though it's 11:35 and I am tired.

I have a busy weekend coming up. Friday night my friends and I are going out to dinner and bowling for my birthday. Saturday Natalie is taking me out to lunch for my birthday. I have Sarah's 5th birthday party Saturday afternoon. Saturday night I am doing something with Supin. Sunday I am going to Tyler's 1st birthday party and then to Julie's pool for the afternoon.

Can't Sleep

You would think with all of the work I've done in my classroom the past two days that I would be in bed sleeping. Nope. I can't sleep. I couldn't sleep last night either. I have been falling asleep around 3 or 4 and getting up around 8 or 9. With just a few hours of sleep and working hard all day I was really hoping to fall asleep right away tonight. I finally had to get up out of bed. I took some "PM something or other" and I hope it kicks in soon.

Don't get me wrong - I am tired. But when I lay down I can't get comfortable, it's either too hot or too cold. Once I am comfortable my mind won't turn off. Thinking of things I need to get done in my classroom. Thinking about grad school classes. I know I will be able to get everything together before I have students but the fact that it's currently a HUGE, FREAKIN' mess in my classroom stresses me out a bit.

Oh yeah, I have some serious PMS. I don't think my PMS would be this bad if I wasn't this overwhelmed.

I'm going to read some blogs and then try to go to sleep.

Back to School...Back to Work

Ugh. I had orientation for graduate school this past Tuesday. I will be going to Lincoln Memorial University to complete my Specialist's degree in Educational Administration and Supervision. It's a one year program and I am going with 5 other teachers I know. So...I am hoping it won't be too bad and that the time will go by quickly.

Friday I have Nikki's rehearsal dinner and then Saturday is "Wedding Day". I am in Nikki's wedding and then I will be off to Keri's reception. Unfortunately I will miss Keri's wedding but I am glad I will be able to make it to part of the reception. I'll post lots of pictures next week.

Monday I go back to work. Technically pre-planning starts Monday, August 7th but my principal let's us do a "flex week" the week before pre-planning. You record the hours you work and then during the real "pre-planning" week you only have to go to school to do Open House and meetings. The rest of the time you can take off! From what I have heard most teachers work all of flex week and all of pre-planning. I am sure I will too. I have sooooo much to do. Since I am starting at a new school I have to set up my classroom...again. I know I will use some of the time off to go visit friends at others schools during pre-planning. That will be nice.

My good friend from college, Susan, has moved up from Warner Robins to teach in Gwinnett County! We are not at the same school but I am still really excited that she's here.

New Layout

So far my summer vacation has consisted of...

scoring the Gateway test. Gwinnett County's Gateway tests measure how well students are learning the Academic Knowledge and Skills. The tests are used in certain grades to determine whether or not students are prepared to go on to the next grade level. The 4th grade Gateway test assesses language arts and mathematics, using multiple choice, short-answer, and short-essay questions. I have had the pleasure of scoring the 4th grade short answer questions for the past 7 days.

Pro's to scoring the Gateway:
1. It pays...really well.
2. I learned some new things that will improve my teaching.
3. I met some nice teachers from other schools.
4. Did I mention it pays really well?

Con's to scoring the Gateway:
1. We started scoring at the beginning of summer vacation (when every teacher really needs a break).
2. My neck and hand have serious cramping issues.
3. I have become cross-eyed from filling in those little circles on the scoring sheets.
4. It is very boring and tedious work.
5. You have to sit (quietly, not easy for me to do) and score.
6. Just when you think it's over they wheel in another 10 boxes of test books.

Yearbooks...

may be the death of me! We passed out yearbooks yesterday and the kids loved them. Of course this makes for a huge distraction. Even when the yearbooks are put away. That's all the kids are thinking about.

Student: "Can we look at our yearbooks when we are done with our work?"

Me: "Yes, if you ever stop talking about the yearbooks and actually do your work."

Student: "Why can't we look at our yearbooks instead of doing math? We already took the Gateway so we really don't need to do math for the rest of the year."

Me (thinking): Duh, why didn't I think of that. (saying): "Because I am a mean teacher."

Student: "When is the yearbook signing party?"

Me: "Monday" (I've only answered this question 500 times freaking times!)

Student: "What if we don't have enough time to sign everyone's yearbook?"

Me (thinking): Do you really want to sign everyone's yearbook. The way you guys talk about each other behind one another's backs I am surprised anyone would want to sign your yearbook! (saying): "You better use your time wisely then."

One student to another student: "Did you see so and so's picture? They looked really _______ (fill in the blank with any inappropriate adjective).

And finally, my favorite one:

Student (smacking lips and rolling eyes): "Why do we got to pay for yearbooks anyway?"

Me: "Because it costs lots of money to make them."

Student: "So. We still shouldn't have to pay."

Me: "Well then who is going to pay for them?"

Student: "The government."

Me (in total disgust): "That money you get from the government comes out of my paycheck each month! That is not right to expect the government (or me) to pay for everyone's yearbooks."

Student: "Then the Principal should pay for them."

At this point I was so disgusted that I just gave up. I told the student that if they did not bring in money for a yearbook no one else was going to pay for their yearbook. END OF DISCUSSION.