Salvete,
My love is home, which is why I haven't been blogging. Blogging will resume when he leaves.
Valete,
Magistra
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
I'm Happy and Grumpy (or, Whistle While You Work)
Salvete,
Because I showered last night, I did not have to get up early this morning to take a shower. The result? I was grouchy for the first three periods this morning. I know myself better than to pull such shananigans. I need a shower to wake up in the morning.
However, I will probably shower tonight, because I am being forced to go to a TAKS training tomorrow morning. In order to demonstrate my rebellion, I will attend in a bad mood. That will show them.
My beloved went to Dallas for the day, in order to accomplish several objectives needing to be dealt with. I am alone right now, but he should be home soon. I am glad he's not at sea right now. For some reason, it seems like this is going to be a long week, and having him here makes everything a thousand times better.
Third period, for some reason, has turned into a very good class. Maybe it seems so good because it is right before fourth period. Proximity lends itself to contrast, and fourth period is terrible, making third look that much better. We'll see if the good behavior in third persists. I can't even put my finger on what exactly has caused the improvement (except for my guess that fourth is becoming increasingly worse). I thought seventh was sort of bad, but my department chair has assured me that they are not (see previous post).
I've begun employing a new tactic to get students to turn stuff in. I list the assignment on the board, and put down their names if they haven't turned it in. I may have mentioned in a previous post that I've started doing this. Today, however, I decided to take it one step farther. I made a list on the board of all the students who are failing. This is legal because I am not listing their exact grade. Hopefully, this will cause some of them to see that they cannot go through my class and not turn in work. Just coming to class is not enough. There must actually be some sort of partakage.
I heard about another teacher who is a friend of the family having to report a child to CPS. I can't imagine having to do this. I haven't noticed any abuse signs in any of my students. I wonder if I would recognize the signs if they were there.
I'm going to go get a shower.
Valete,
Magistra
Because I showered last night, I did not have to get up early this morning to take a shower. The result? I was grouchy for the first three periods this morning. I know myself better than to pull such shananigans. I need a shower to wake up in the morning.
However, I will probably shower tonight, because I am being forced to go to a TAKS training tomorrow morning. In order to demonstrate my rebellion, I will attend in a bad mood. That will show them.
My beloved went to Dallas for the day, in order to accomplish several objectives needing to be dealt with. I am alone right now, but he should be home soon. I am glad he's not at sea right now. For some reason, it seems like this is going to be a long week, and having him here makes everything a thousand times better.
Third period, for some reason, has turned into a very good class. Maybe it seems so good because it is right before fourth period. Proximity lends itself to contrast, and fourth period is terrible, making third look that much better. We'll see if the good behavior in third persists. I can't even put my finger on what exactly has caused the improvement (except for my guess that fourth is becoming increasingly worse). I thought seventh was sort of bad, but my department chair has assured me that they are not (see previous post).
I've begun employing a new tactic to get students to turn stuff in. I list the assignment on the board, and put down their names if they haven't turned it in. I may have mentioned in a previous post that I've started doing this. Today, however, I decided to take it one step farther. I made a list on the board of all the students who are failing. This is legal because I am not listing their exact grade. Hopefully, this will cause some of them to see that they cannot go through my class and not turn in work. Just coming to class is not enough. There must actually be some sort of partakage.
I heard about another teacher who is a friend of the family having to report a child to CPS. I can't imagine having to do this. I haven't noticed any abuse signs in any of my students. I wonder if I would recognize the signs if they were there.
I'm going to go get a shower.
Valete,
Magistra
Friday, October 24, 2008
I can hear the bells...
Salvete,
I am currently in Austin, TX, preparing to attend the wedding of my dearest friend. I can't believe she is getting married. Hopefully, some day, it will be my turn, but I count it one of the greatest gifts I have received to be a part of the goings on related to her wedding.
The children have a substitute today. They will survive. I'm trying not to think about it too much. Four periods have gone by, and the sub is on a nice long break so that they can prepare mentally for seventh.
My department chair for English came in yesterday. She was making her rounds, trying to see how everyone is doing in their respective classrooms. She came during seventh period, which is probably the best time of day she could have come, except for second (Latin). Her feedback was positive, saying that my kids obviously felt comfortable with me, and that I had fostered a positive environment in there. It's a good thing she didn't come during fourth! Actually, I might have liked to have her in there during fourth to give me some ideas, because I'm not sure what to do with them. See the following paragraph for an explanation.
On Tuesday, fourth was unmanageable. I couldn't get their attention, and they were rowdy. Finally, I told them that I was through with them, and they were hereafter responsible for their own education in my class, until I decided that they had earned a teacher. I informed them that when they came in the next day, I would have a slide posted with they day's directions, and that if they didn't do the work, that was up to them, and they could get themselves a zero. So, the next day, I did what I said I was going to do. I didn't talk to them for the whole of 50 minutes. I ignored every request, everything they asked me. I had the slide posted with specific instructions, and most of them actually did the work. Some of them were slacking, and got told off by fellow students who were upset that they weren't getting taught. I even got an apology note from one of them.
Yesterday, I had to talk to them because they were having a test. They asked me (while they had me talking) if theirs was the only class receiving this treatment. I told them they were. I also told them that the silence would resume on Monday upon my return (they knew they were having a sub today). We'll see how it goes.
One of my holy terrors in fourth period has now been moved from one Spanish class to another. His first day in the new Spanish class, he was good. The second day, he was kicked out. He proceeded to come by my room, for whatever reason, and asked if he could hang out. I asked him if Mr. X had kicked him out, and he said yes. I asked him if he was supposed to go to his AP, and he said that Mr. X hadn't specified. I went in and sent his AP an e-mail, and told him that she would be expecting him. Still, he lingered, and disrupted my class for a few minutes longer. The next day, Mr. X kicked him out again. Again, he came by my room and disrupted my class. This time, his AP had called him out of class, and he was on his way to her office. No one is exactly sure what to do with this kid.
Valete,
Magistra
I am currently in Austin, TX, preparing to attend the wedding of my dearest friend. I can't believe she is getting married. Hopefully, some day, it will be my turn, but I count it one of the greatest gifts I have received to be a part of the goings on related to her wedding.
The children have a substitute today. They will survive. I'm trying not to think about it too much. Four periods have gone by, and the sub is on a nice long break so that they can prepare mentally for seventh.
My department chair for English came in yesterday. She was making her rounds, trying to see how everyone is doing in their respective classrooms. She came during seventh period, which is probably the best time of day she could have come, except for second (Latin). Her feedback was positive, saying that my kids obviously felt comfortable with me, and that I had fostered a positive environment in there. It's a good thing she didn't come during fourth! Actually, I might have liked to have her in there during fourth to give me some ideas, because I'm not sure what to do with them. See the following paragraph for an explanation.
On Tuesday, fourth was unmanageable. I couldn't get their attention, and they were rowdy. Finally, I told them that I was through with them, and they were hereafter responsible for their own education in my class, until I decided that they had earned a teacher. I informed them that when they came in the next day, I would have a slide posted with they day's directions, and that if they didn't do the work, that was up to them, and they could get themselves a zero. So, the next day, I did what I said I was going to do. I didn't talk to them for the whole of 50 minutes. I ignored every request, everything they asked me. I had the slide posted with specific instructions, and most of them actually did the work. Some of them were slacking, and got told off by fellow students who were upset that they weren't getting taught. I even got an apology note from one of them.
Yesterday, I had to talk to them because they were having a test. They asked me (while they had me talking) if theirs was the only class receiving this treatment. I told them they were. I also told them that the silence would resume on Monday upon my return (they knew they were having a sub today). We'll see how it goes.
One of my holy terrors in fourth period has now been moved from one Spanish class to another. His first day in the new Spanish class, he was good. The second day, he was kicked out. He proceeded to come by my room, for whatever reason, and asked if he could hang out. I asked him if Mr. X had kicked him out, and he said yes. I asked him if he was supposed to go to his AP, and he said that Mr. X hadn't specified. I went in and sent his AP an e-mail, and told him that she would be expecting him. Still, he lingered, and disrupted my class for a few minutes longer. The next day, Mr. X kicked him out again. Again, he came by my room and disrupted my class. This time, his AP had called him out of class, and he was on his way to her office. No one is exactly sure what to do with this kid.
Valete,
Magistra
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Week of Insanity.
Salvete,
This week has been OUT OF CONTROL. I will explain.
Tuesday (the first day back...we had Monday off): Got to work around 6:15. Worked like crazy until 2:50, when I sneaked out of the building to avoid having to attend a faculty meeting. I did not do this sneaking without reason or permission. Reason: I had to attend a seminar on how to rate ESL student writing from 4:30-8. Permission: via my team leader for English I. I ran home, got some stuff together, and ran up to our staff development center, where I proceded to "listen" for three and a half hours. I then ran home, and went almost directly to bed.
Wednesday: Got to work around 6:15. Attended a make-up faculty meeting, because I didn't have enough to do. The sophomores took the PSAT, so the schedule was all messed up. I had periods 1st through 3rd 20 minutes longer than I usually have them, which created meyhem for my day's pacing. Upside: 7th period did not meet because of the extended 1st-3rd periods, so my last period of the day to teach was 4th. After school, I ran to HEB to get supplies for cornbread and cake. I then went to the rest of that seminar until around 7:30. Silver lining: I got to talk to my love :) After the seminar, I ran home and whipped up some from-scratch cornbread (easy as Corn-Kits, and tastes better). I stayed up too late (talking to my love, so it was ok), but got to sleep eventually.
Thursday: Got to work around 6:15. Taught my extremely chatty children until 2:30, then had a meeting about going to Italy. That lasted until 4:30, then I sat and talked with two of the other chaperones until 5:15. I ran to the taqueria, got a taco for dinner, and went to 25 minutes of the JV game. We were winning when I left, but that did not last (eheu!). One good side of today was that we had the chili cook-off for which I cooked the cornbread. Our team did not win, but I got free lunch, so that was good. We had chili cook-off t-shirts. They are "sexy," according to one of my girls in 3rd period. After the game, I talked to my love, and made a heart-shaped cake for the bachelorette party I attended/threw this weekend.
Friday: Got to work around 6:15. Taught my out of control chatty children until 2:30. I then met with my principal about applying to Dallas districts. I really respect and admire her. She was supportive, but also encouraged me to think over my options and really give Houston a chance. She promised she was going to give me good references, which was relieving. I'm going to put my reference form in her box this week, because those are due next week to one of the ISDs to which I am applying. That is the only one that has that kind of deadline, otherwise, I would wait a little longer so as not to appear to eager to leave. I assured her I would finish out the year with gusto. After that meeting, I ran home, made icing, iced the cake (if I never see pink icing again, that will be ok), got my skirt altered, packed, and drove to Austin to meet my mother, the bride-to-be, and the mother of the bride for dinner.
It was very refreshing to see some of my girlfriends this weekend.
Valete,
Magistra
This week has been OUT OF CONTROL. I will explain.
Tuesday (the first day back...we had Monday off): Got to work around 6:15. Worked like crazy until 2:50, when I sneaked out of the building to avoid having to attend a faculty meeting. I did not do this sneaking without reason or permission. Reason: I had to attend a seminar on how to rate ESL student writing from 4:30-8. Permission: via my team leader for English I. I ran home, got some stuff together, and ran up to our staff development center, where I proceded to "listen" for three and a half hours. I then ran home, and went almost directly to bed.
Wednesday: Got to work around 6:15. Attended a make-up faculty meeting, because I didn't have enough to do. The sophomores took the PSAT, so the schedule was all messed up. I had periods 1st through 3rd 20 minutes longer than I usually have them, which created meyhem for my day's pacing. Upside: 7th period did not meet because of the extended 1st-3rd periods, so my last period of the day to teach was 4th. After school, I ran to HEB to get supplies for cornbread and cake. I then went to the rest of that seminar until around 7:30. Silver lining: I got to talk to my love :) After the seminar, I ran home and whipped up some from-scratch cornbread (easy as Corn-Kits, and tastes better). I stayed up too late (talking to my love, so it was ok), but got to sleep eventually.
Thursday: Got to work around 6:15. Taught my extremely chatty children until 2:30, then had a meeting about going to Italy. That lasted until 4:30, then I sat and talked with two of the other chaperones until 5:15. I ran to the taqueria, got a taco for dinner, and went to 25 minutes of the JV game. We were winning when I left, but that did not last (eheu!). One good side of today was that we had the chili cook-off for which I cooked the cornbread. Our team did not win, but I got free lunch, so that was good. We had chili cook-off t-shirts. They are "sexy," according to one of my girls in 3rd period. After the game, I talked to my love, and made a heart-shaped cake for the bachelorette party I attended/threw this weekend.
Friday: Got to work around 6:15. Taught my out of control chatty children until 2:30. I then met with my principal about applying to Dallas districts. I really respect and admire her. She was supportive, but also encouraged me to think over my options and really give Houston a chance. She promised she was going to give me good references, which was relieving. I'm going to put my reference form in her box this week, because those are due next week to one of the ISDs to which I am applying. That is the only one that has that kind of deadline, otherwise, I would wait a little longer so as not to appear to eager to leave. I assured her I would finish out the year with gusto. After that meeting, I ran home, made icing, iced the cake (if I never see pink icing again, that will be ok), got my skirt altered, packed, and drove to Austin to meet my mother, the bride-to-be, and the mother of the bride for dinner.
It was very refreshing to see some of my girlfriends this weekend.
Valete,
Magistra
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The weeks get longer...
Salvete,
Even though this is a four-day week, it feels about like a sixty day week. And it is only Wednesday. WOW. I worked for 13.5 hours yesterday. While I usually do work about 10 hours a day, 3.5 of yesterday was spent in a professional development seminar. 3.5 more hours will be spent in said seminar this evening.
I made a list in the seminar yesterday of careers I could take on other than teaching. Here is the list (in no particular order):
1. Vet clinic (again).
2. Office management.
3. Editing.
4. Graduate school.
5. Lecturer.
6. Waitress (no, I'm not kidding OMG OMG).
7. Merchandizer (again).
8. Secretary.
9. Assistant of some kind.
10. Resume writer.
11. Pet sitter (isn't that what I already do? Oh, wait, no--that's babysitting).
12. PR.
13. HR.
14. Astronaut (kidding).
Any other ideas? I'll take them. I've begun applying to other districts. They are all in the D/FW area. Maybe I shouldn't write that on here, in case some of my coworkers get ahold of this blog. I have set up an appointment to meet with my principal on Friday to let her know that at the end of the year, I'm out of here. Really, I'm meeting with her because I'm going to need her as a reference. I really like her, and all of my coworkers, but I'm just not sure I want to stay in this area. If I do keep teaching, I know that it is going to be in D/FW. I hate Houston.
I wrote up a kid again. I wrote this one up last week too. And I will continue to write her up until she isn't in my class anymore. Maybe this is the wrong attitude, but whatever. You just can't act like that and not face some sort of consequences. These kids think they deserve respect. What they deserve is a spanking. You don't deserve respect. You earn it. Do you think I earned the respect of my elders and peers by being late all the time, swearing at them, breaking rules, refusing to work, etc? No. I got it by hard work. By doing what I am supposed to do.
I am supposed to finish my masters, and that means sticking with this job for the rest of the year. My parents taught me never to quit. I want to quit, but I am not going to. I am going to see this damn thing through to the end. Maybe I'll even learn something or grow personally in some way. I'm not sure how I could help but do so, really. Perserverance builds character.
Valete,
Magistra
Even though this is a four-day week, it feels about like a sixty day week. And it is only Wednesday. WOW. I worked for 13.5 hours yesterday. While I usually do work about 10 hours a day, 3.5 of yesterday was spent in a professional development seminar. 3.5 more hours will be spent in said seminar this evening.
I made a list in the seminar yesterday of careers I could take on other than teaching. Here is the list (in no particular order):
1. Vet clinic (again).
2. Office management.
3. Editing.
4. Graduate school.
5. Lecturer.
6. Waitress (no, I'm not kidding OMG OMG).
7. Merchandizer (again).
8. Secretary.
9. Assistant of some kind.
10. Resume writer.
11. Pet sitter (isn't that what I already do? Oh, wait, no--that's babysitting).
12. PR.
13. HR.
14. Astronaut (kidding).
Any other ideas? I'll take them. I've begun applying to other districts. They are all in the D/FW area. Maybe I shouldn't write that on here, in case some of my coworkers get ahold of this blog. I have set up an appointment to meet with my principal on Friday to let her know that at the end of the year, I'm out of here. Really, I'm meeting with her because I'm going to need her as a reference. I really like her, and all of my coworkers, but I'm just not sure I want to stay in this area. If I do keep teaching, I know that it is going to be in D/FW. I hate Houston.
I wrote up a kid again. I wrote this one up last week too. And I will continue to write her up until she isn't in my class anymore. Maybe this is the wrong attitude, but whatever. You just can't act like that and not face some sort of consequences. These kids think they deserve respect. What they deserve is a spanking. You don't deserve respect. You earn it. Do you think I earned the respect of my elders and peers by being late all the time, swearing at them, breaking rules, refusing to work, etc? No. I got it by hard work. By doing what I am supposed to do.
I am supposed to finish my masters, and that means sticking with this job for the rest of the year. My parents taught me never to quit. I want to quit, but I am not going to. I am going to see this damn thing through to the end. Maybe I'll even learn something or grow personally in some way. I'm not sure how I could help but do so, really. Perserverance builds character.
Valete,
Magistra
Friday, October 10, 2008
Mythology, mythology! There's nothing like mythology!
Salvete!
For the title reference, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFPKbg_dKyg at the 1:03 mark. Then, go see "Cats."
7th period was wild today! I never cease to wonder at the difference a group of kids can make when they are put together a certain way. Class chemistry is extremely important, and my 7th period class has chemistry. Here's a list of things that regularly go on in that class:
-The children tell each other they find each other annoying.
-They beg me not to sit next to this or that individual, even though I had no intention of putting them next to that person in the first place.
-They make lewd jokes.
-They swear excellently in their writing, usually for emphasis.
-They ask great questions.
-A few of them seem to have a particular disability that involves needing to rise from one's seat when speaking. This disability also applies to getting things out of their bag. In order to get out a supply, the students afflicted with this strage disease have to stand up, pull their bags off of their backs (because they sit with their backpacks on, for whatever reason), get out their items, put their bags back on their backs, and then sit down again.
-They are tremendously funny. I would never tell them this, but sometimes, when I'm trying to discipline them, it is all I can do not to crack up at everything they say.
3rd period, on the other hand, has some kind of chemistry that keeps them all from excelling. I sometimes think that it must be me, because they are the first class of the day in which I teach English. Periods 1 and 2 are Latin. In 3rd, not only is it my class with students who need In Class Support, but it is also the class when I don't really know what I am doing yet. By 7th period, I am a well-oiled machine (sometimes), but in 3rd, I just sort of fumble along. After I am done blaming myself, I realize that it is just the class's chemistry. Fourth period sort of gimps along between 3rd and 7th, having no real personality of its own. It has some characters, though. There are some interesting issues in that class that I probably can't discuss legally on here.
With the six weeks being officially over, we are starting a new unit! This unit has to do with mythology. I introduced it to them today, and they were so excited! A co-worker had told me that the kids don't do well at mythology, so I'm going to have to keep up their momentum. Today went better than I could have hoped. They were riveted to the lesson. The thing that clinched it for me, I believe, was the warm-up. I have not been following my team's warm-ups. I make up my own. Today, to introduce the unit, I had the kids tell ghost stories, then introduced mythology as the idea of the Ancient Greeks telling each other stories to explain weird occurances and other such things. They ate it up. I felt like one of those teachers you see in a documentary.
Anyway, my dear friend will be here soon, and we are going to get dinner. I haven't talked to my love in almost 3 days...I am missing him so badly! Hopefully I will get to talk to him tonight!
Valete,
Magistra
For the title reference, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFPKbg_dKyg at the 1:03 mark. Then, go see "Cats."
7th period was wild today! I never cease to wonder at the difference a group of kids can make when they are put together a certain way. Class chemistry is extremely important, and my 7th period class has chemistry. Here's a list of things that regularly go on in that class:
-The children tell each other they find each other annoying.
-They beg me not to sit next to this or that individual, even though I had no intention of putting them next to that person in the first place.
-They make lewd jokes.
-They swear excellently in their writing, usually for emphasis.
-They ask great questions.
-A few of them seem to have a particular disability that involves needing to rise from one's seat when speaking. This disability also applies to getting things out of their bag. In order to get out a supply, the students afflicted with this strage disease have to stand up, pull their bags off of their backs (because they sit with their backpacks on, for whatever reason), get out their items, put their bags back on their backs, and then sit down again.
-They are tremendously funny. I would never tell them this, but sometimes, when I'm trying to discipline them, it is all I can do not to crack up at everything they say.
3rd period, on the other hand, has some kind of chemistry that keeps them all from excelling. I sometimes think that it must be me, because they are the first class of the day in which I teach English. Periods 1 and 2 are Latin. In 3rd, not only is it my class with students who need In Class Support, but it is also the class when I don't really know what I am doing yet. By 7th period, I am a well-oiled machine (sometimes), but in 3rd, I just sort of fumble along. After I am done blaming myself, I realize that it is just the class's chemistry. Fourth period sort of gimps along between 3rd and 7th, having no real personality of its own. It has some characters, though. There are some interesting issues in that class that I probably can't discuss legally on here.
With the six weeks being officially over, we are starting a new unit! This unit has to do with mythology. I introduced it to them today, and they were so excited! A co-worker had told me that the kids don't do well at mythology, so I'm going to have to keep up their momentum. Today went better than I could have hoped. They were riveted to the lesson. The thing that clinched it for me, I believe, was the warm-up. I have not been following my team's warm-ups. I make up my own. Today, to introduce the unit, I had the kids tell ghost stories, then introduced mythology as the idea of the Ancient Greeks telling each other stories to explain weird occurances and other such things. They ate it up. I felt like one of those teachers you see in a documentary.
Anyway, my dear friend will be here soon, and we are going to get dinner. I haven't talked to my love in almost 3 days...I am missing him so badly! Hopefully I will get to talk to him tonight!
Valete,
Magistra
Thursday, October 9, 2008
They aren't all bad...
Salvete,
Good things in my day:
1. The children had tests in both English and Latin. This is good because it gave me lots of time to grade. They are also required to be silent, and I can hold zeroes over their heads as a penalty for talking.
2. After school, I had two girls come in to make up work. It makes me happy when children come in to make up work, because it is a reminder that some of them do care, if only a little, and if only at the end of the six weeks.
3. After school, one of the students who was only in my class for about the first week and a half of school stopped in on his way by. He was just the sweetest thing when he was in my class, and contributed so much to every discussion. I had been very sad when he was put in one of my co-worker's classes. Anyway, he stopped at the door and said, "Hi, Ms. ____!" I greeted him by name, and he told me he just had to stop in and say hi to his favorite teacher. He gave me a hug, and I laughed, thanked him, and reminded him that I wasn't his teacher anymore. He said he wished he were still in my class, because it was his favorite class. We talked for a minute about his new class, and about the Me Boards around the room. He went on his way after that.
4. After the young man and young ladies had gone, two other young ladies, neither of whom I had ever seen before, stopped by and asked if I had anything they could do to get volunteer hours, even though they were not my students. I had them take down and un-tape all of the Me Boards so that the children can take them home tomorrow. They chatted with me and with each other, and it was generally pleasant not to be in there by myself, and not to have to do all of that taking down and untaping by myself.
True, I was at school today from 5:59 AM to 5:57 PM, but it was worth it. I got a lot (albeit not everything) done. I can do the rest tomorrow. All of my grading is done for the six weeks, except late work, which the children may or may not turn in. Minus a headache, things are looking pretty okay. Tomorrow is jeans day, I have a 3-day weekend, I get to go swing dancing on Sunday night, and I might get to talk to my love tonight. Euge (that's Latin for "hooray," according to my students' text)!
Valete,
Magistra
Good things in my day:
1. The children had tests in both English and Latin. This is good because it gave me lots of time to grade. They are also required to be silent, and I can hold zeroes over their heads as a penalty for talking.
2. After school, I had two girls come in to make up work. It makes me happy when children come in to make up work, because it is a reminder that some of them do care, if only a little, and if only at the end of the six weeks.
3. After school, one of the students who was only in my class for about the first week and a half of school stopped in on his way by. He was just the sweetest thing when he was in my class, and contributed so much to every discussion. I had been very sad when he was put in one of my co-worker's classes. Anyway, he stopped at the door and said, "Hi, Ms. ____!" I greeted him by name, and he told me he just had to stop in and say hi to his favorite teacher. He gave me a hug, and I laughed, thanked him, and reminded him that I wasn't his teacher anymore. He said he wished he were still in my class, because it was his favorite class. We talked for a minute about his new class, and about the Me Boards around the room. He went on his way after that.
4. After the young man and young ladies had gone, two other young ladies, neither of whom I had ever seen before, stopped by and asked if I had anything they could do to get volunteer hours, even though they were not my students. I had them take down and un-tape all of the Me Boards so that the children can take them home tomorrow. They chatted with me and with each other, and it was generally pleasant not to be in there by myself, and not to have to do all of that taking down and untaping by myself.
True, I was at school today from 5:59 AM to 5:57 PM, but it was worth it. I got a lot (albeit not everything) done. I can do the rest tomorrow. All of my grading is done for the six weeks, except late work, which the children may or may not turn in. Minus a headache, things are looking pretty okay. Tomorrow is jeans day, I have a 3-day weekend, I get to go swing dancing on Sunday night, and I might get to talk to my love tonight. Euge (that's Latin for "hooray," according to my students' text)!
Valete,
Magistra
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
It Won't Make You Feel Better.
Salvete,
Yesterday, I yelled at my kids for the first, and I pray the last, time. Everyone loses their cool from time to time, but it sure did not make me feel any better once I had gotten it out of my system. In fact, I felt worse, and ended up apologizing to the class. My mother will tell you, I can be volatile. Usually, though, I only lash out at her.
I wrote two of them up. That made me feel better.
As the end of the six weeks approaches, everyone is in panic mode. Surely I am not the only one in the world who keeps up with grades. Everything is graded except for journals that the kids have taken out of the classroom against my orders, and tests that the kids have not taken yet. It seems like my co-workers are rushing around like mad to get things put together. I am just watching in amazement that their heads do not fall off. My secret? I use my conference period wisely, and I stay at school from 6am to 4:30 or 5pm. I take care of e-mails and paperwork right when they come across my desk. I check my e-mail often, and enter grades in the computer as soon as they are marked on the paper. Everyone has their system, and I guess I have mine. I have always been super efficient, even (and especially, it seemed at the time) when taking 18 hours in college.
Here's a shout-out to my team for bearing with me when I was in a tremendously bad mood yesterday in our team meeting. None of them reads this (they do not know it exists), so a lot of good it does.
Valete,
Magistra
Yesterday, I yelled at my kids for the first, and I pray the last, time. Everyone loses their cool from time to time, but it sure did not make me feel any better once I had gotten it out of my system. In fact, I felt worse, and ended up apologizing to the class. My mother will tell you, I can be volatile. Usually, though, I only lash out at her.
I wrote two of them up. That made me feel better.
As the end of the six weeks approaches, everyone is in panic mode. Surely I am not the only one in the world who keeps up with grades. Everything is graded except for journals that the kids have taken out of the classroom against my orders, and tests that the kids have not taken yet. It seems like my co-workers are rushing around like mad to get things put together. I am just watching in amazement that their heads do not fall off. My secret? I use my conference period wisely, and I stay at school from 6am to 4:30 or 5pm. I take care of e-mails and paperwork right when they come across my desk. I check my e-mail often, and enter grades in the computer as soon as they are marked on the paper. Everyone has their system, and I guess I have mine. I have always been super efficient, even (and especially, it seemed at the time) when taking 18 hours in college.
Here's a shout-out to my team for bearing with me when I was in a tremendously bad mood yesterday in our team meeting. None of them reads this (they do not know it exists), so a lot of good it does.
Valete,
Magistra
Monday, October 6, 2008
Boom De Ya Da!
Salvete,
All I can think about is that Discovery Channel commercial, so it will go in my blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0
I love the mountains!
I love the clear blue sky!
I love big bridges!
I love when great whites fly!
I love the whole world,
And all its sights and sounds!
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da,
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da!
I love the ocean!
I love real dirty things!
I love to go FAST!
I love Egyptian kings!
I love the whole world,
And all its craziness!
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da,
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da!
I love tornadoes!
I love arach-a-nids (I do not)!
I love hot magma!
I love the giant squids!
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da,
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da!
2X
YAY!
I know this has nothing to do with my school, but oh well. It is what is on my mind. Besides my love.
Valete,
Magistra
All I can think about is that Discovery Channel commercial, so it will go in my blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0
I love the mountains!
I love the clear blue sky!
I love big bridges!
I love when great whites fly!
I love the whole world,
And all its sights and sounds!
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da,
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da!
I love the ocean!
I love real dirty things!
I love to go FAST!
I love Egyptian kings!
I love the whole world,
And all its craziness!
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da,
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da!
I love tornadoes!
I love arach-a-nids (I do not)!
I love hot magma!
I love the giant squids!
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da,
Boom de ya da, boom de ya da!
2X
YAY!
I know this has nothing to do with my school, but oh well. It is what is on my mind. Besides my love.
Valete,
Magistra
Friday, October 3, 2008
Too Many E-Mails, Parent Phone Calls, Too Little Water
Salvete...
I get about a million e-mails a day from various people. Then, I get duplicates of those when the original e-mails get forwarded to me. I check my email about four times during the school day, and that is hardly enough time to keep up.
I called about thirty parents this week. I spoke with maybe ten, but the ten with whom I spoke were very supportive, albeit surprised that their child was failing or misbehaving or whatever. I assured them that tutorials would go on every morning from 6:30 until 7:15, and every afternoon from 2:45 until 4:30. They liked this very much, and assured me that their little darlings would be scooting into my classrooms at those times. I had one student in this morning at 6:05.
In other news, I had no water yesterday morning. I must take this opportunity to brag about what an amazing school I have. I got to school, shampoo and soap hopefully in tow, thinking that I would seek out a shower in the locker rooms during my off period. I happened to walk by my principal's office, and she inquired about how I was feeling (the day before was my first day back after the migraine, and I was not feeling well at all). I told her I was feeling much better, but that I awoke to dry faucets. Immediately, she asked one of the coaches (who happened to be nearby) if I could go take a shower. The coach said that I most definitely could, and if I needed soap, shampoo, anything, including deodorant, she had it and I was welcome to it. A few minutes later, I ran into my foreign language department chair, who said that she had heard (in a gap of about five minutes) that I had no water, and that she had a towel for me. Not only that, but she was more than happy to sit with my class until I got a shower and could get all ready for the day. By that time, it was 6:45, so my students would be showing up in about 25 minutes (they are always so early). I thanked her, showered, and got back up to my room by 7:15.
So, I baked a pie last night and shared it today with my team, principal, and helpful coach.
I hope you guys have amazing co-workers like I have.
Valete,
Magistra
I get about a million e-mails a day from various people. Then, I get duplicates of those when the original e-mails get forwarded to me. I check my email about four times during the school day, and that is hardly enough time to keep up.
I called about thirty parents this week. I spoke with maybe ten, but the ten with whom I spoke were very supportive, albeit surprised that their child was failing or misbehaving or whatever. I assured them that tutorials would go on every morning from 6:30 until 7:15, and every afternoon from 2:45 until 4:30. They liked this very much, and assured me that their little darlings would be scooting into my classrooms at those times. I had one student in this morning at 6:05.
In other news, I had no water yesterday morning. I must take this opportunity to brag about what an amazing school I have. I got to school, shampoo and soap hopefully in tow, thinking that I would seek out a shower in the locker rooms during my off period. I happened to walk by my principal's office, and she inquired about how I was feeling (the day before was my first day back after the migraine, and I was not feeling well at all). I told her I was feeling much better, but that I awoke to dry faucets. Immediately, she asked one of the coaches (who happened to be nearby) if I could go take a shower. The coach said that I most definitely could, and if I needed soap, shampoo, anything, including deodorant, she had it and I was welcome to it. A few minutes later, I ran into my foreign language department chair, who said that she had heard (in a gap of about five minutes) that I had no water, and that she had a towel for me. Not only that, but she was more than happy to sit with my class until I got a shower and could get all ready for the day. By that time, it was 6:45, so my students would be showing up in about 25 minutes (they are always so early). I thanked her, showered, and got back up to my room by 7:15.
So, I baked a pie last night and shared it today with my team, principal, and helpful coach.
I hope you guys have amazing co-workers like I have.
Valete,
Magistra
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sub-a-dub-dub.
Today was the first day I have left my children with a substitute. There was no avoiding it. I woke up this morning feeling alright (with a slight migraine "hang over"), but as soon as my shower was over, BOOM, came another aura. I knew this did not bode well, as I had two auras last night, along with the aforementioned numbness that had not yet happened when I wrote the previous blog. For the record, I had another aura later today as well, around 10:30. I could not drive, nor could I read, so I decided that I should just keep the sub.
Apparently, my school is still standing, and my children were only a little bad. Some of them were (according to a coworker) blatantly disrespectful and disobedient to the substitute. Children, if ever you see this blog, I know who you are, and I am coming for you. Others of my coworkers assure me that the day went fine. I am anxious to see what the substitute said about my class, if he left a note at all (I know it was a male from various reports). If they were bad, it was because I was not there, not because the substitute was inept, or because they are dumb. They are dumb, it is true, but that is not why they were bad. Does that make sense? I'll update you on how tomorrow goes (if anyone, besides my mother and my darling, even reads this or cares).
Once I can drive again, I really must get to the grocery store. I have no ice cream in my freezer.
Valete,
Magistra
Apparently, my school is still standing, and my children were only a little bad. Some of them were (according to a coworker) blatantly disrespectful and disobedient to the substitute. Children, if ever you see this blog, I know who you are, and I am coming for you. Others of my coworkers assure me that the day went fine. I am anxious to see what the substitute said about my class, if he left a note at all (I know it was a male from various reports). If they were bad, it was because I was not there, not because the substitute was inept, or because they are dumb. They are dumb, it is true, but that is not why they were bad. Does that make sense? I'll update you on how tomorrow goes (if anyone, besides my mother and my darling, even reads this or cares).
Once I can drive again, I really must get to the grocery store. I have no ice cream in my freezer.
Valete,
Magistra
Monday, September 29, 2008
Case of the Mondays.
Today was not as good as Friday. But, every day cannot be perfect, right? Especially when you're wrangling 130 ninth graders. To add to the chaos, I had major heartburn this morning. First period seems to choose days to be collectively uncooperative. Today was one of those days. The heartburn only lasted for my first two periods, thankfully, before it subsided during third period. The kids were working on projects on their own, so I was not the center of attention, and was able to take a minute to breathe.
Seventh period was unusually rambunctious, which I did not mind, as my heartburn was gone, and I was feeling pretty good. They got a little loud, and I had to get on to a few of the regulars, but other than that, nothing significant happened.
I have been grading their first compositions. The first thirty or so (the ones turned in on time) were really good. I was suprised at their ability to find a voice and tell a story without too much direction. The ones I have graded tonight (the ones turned in late) have been less thrilling. Only one or two have impressed me. Of course, I'm also a little grumpy because I am not on the weekend. In addition, my body thought it would be a good day to rebel. I have a wicked migraine, and the words on the screen are disappearing more and more every second. Forgive typos...I cannot actually read very well right now.
This is my first [what I consider] real migraine of the year, meaning, it is my first migraine with an aura. If you do not know what a migraine aura is, go to:
http://headaches.about.com/od/migrainediseas1/a/aura_ache.htm.
They give a pretty good description in the first paragraph of that article. "Visual disturbance" (the way an aura is usually described) is kind of a lame term for what I experience, but whatever. At least I can feel my right side of my body (for now). If this worsens during the night, I am going to have to call in a sub for tomorrow. Lately, my low-grade migraines have been rather frequent, but I have not had any aura (huzzah, right?). I could attribute it to stress, but I think the weather is about to chage, so that could contribute as well. My love being gone is a weight on my poor brain, as is the struggle of being a first year teacher. My brain just cannot handle the additional stimuli of a day with heartburn, an extra department meeting, extra paperwork, etc.
I need a hug.
Valete,
Magistra
Seventh period was unusually rambunctious, which I did not mind, as my heartburn was gone, and I was feeling pretty good. They got a little loud, and I had to get on to a few of the regulars, but other than that, nothing significant happened.
I have been grading their first compositions. The first thirty or so (the ones turned in on time) were really good. I was suprised at their ability to find a voice and tell a story without too much direction. The ones I have graded tonight (the ones turned in late) have been less thrilling. Only one or two have impressed me. Of course, I'm also a little grumpy because I am not on the weekend. In addition, my body thought it would be a good day to rebel. I have a wicked migraine, and the words on the screen are disappearing more and more every second. Forgive typos...I cannot actually read very well right now.
This is my first [what I consider] real migraine of the year, meaning, it is my first migraine with an aura. If you do not know what a migraine aura is, go to:
http://headaches.about.com/od/migrainediseas1/a/aura_ache.htm.
They give a pretty good description in the first paragraph of that article. "Visual disturbance" (the way an aura is usually described) is kind of a lame term for what I experience, but whatever. At least I can feel my right side of my body (for now). If this worsens during the night, I am going to have to call in a sub for tomorrow. Lately, my low-grade migraines have been rather frequent, but I have not had any aura (huzzah, right?). I could attribute it to stress, but I think the weather is about to chage, so that could contribute as well. My love being gone is a weight on my poor brain, as is the struggle of being a first year teacher. My brain just cannot handle the additional stimuli of a day with heartburn, an extra department meeting, extra paperwork, etc.
I need a hug.
Valete,
Magistra
Friday, September 26, 2008
Blue Skies...post-Ike happiness!
Now that Ike is over, and I've been back at school for four days, I have to admit that I don't mind my job a bit. At least, not very much. On Monday, we had a day back at school just for the teachers, so that we could all adapt our lesson plans to the events of the hurricane. I enjoyed my day mostly in the solitude of my room, getting activities together, sending copies to be made, and straightening things up. I am really glad we had that day, because it refreshed me and got me caught up for the rest of the week. Now, Ike seems like a hundred years ago.
On Tuesday, when the kiddos came back, I found myself actually glad to see them! I was surprised at myself, as I had thought that my week back would be full of discipline problems due to the week they had off. One especially delicious moment on that first day back was right before first period, when I had a student tell me that they were so bored already on the second day off of school that they picked up their Latin text (amazing, I know) and began to read the culture sections that we had not had time to cover in class. Imagine my surprise! I don't give these little people enough credit.
On Wednesday, my darling left. He got a job, and is off to the Great Lakes for a month or maybe a little more, depending on this or that. It has been difficult these last two days. The apartment is quiet with out another person's noise, and empty without another person's mess. I lived in it for a month alone before he got here, so it's back to the olden days when I cooked for one. The upside (for me) to his job on the Lakes is that he is in the States, so I get to talk to him, and use Skype. Yay!
All this week, my English students have been writing personal narratives (a.k.a. stories about something that happened to them which they learned from or will never forget). This is their first composition of the year, besides little half-paged warm-ups they've had to write. I've read four or five of them, and am actually really pleased so far. If my pen runs out of ink, it will be because of grammar fixes, but not because of content, which is the most important thing. Some of these kids have had really awful things happen to them, the likes of which I can't even begin to imagine. They seem to take it in stride, mostly, but I would rather they all had perfect childhoods like I had. I guess it builds character...?
Oh, another wonderful moment came regarding the warm-ups we've been doing this week. They have had to copy a sentence with grammatical errors, and then correct it. We then go over it as a class. Today, two students (one in 4th period, one in 7th) asked if we could go back to the half-page prompted writings we used to do before this week's grammar warm-ups. I was really surprised at this, because they would hem and haw, complaining about having to write half a page OMG OMG OMG. It made me very happy to know that they preferred writing to copying.
Ah! Another excited moment for me was in 2nd period Latin. I have a student who doesn't say much, but I know the student understands what is going on, because that student's grades are really good on things we have to do in class where they can't look up information, like on tests and quizzes. Today, we introduced the irregular verb, "to be" (sum). It is a booger. They've never seen an irregular verb, so they panicked a little bit. I made it seem as similar to a regular verb as possible, and they calmed down some. Anyway, the student asked some really great questions, and has been contributing more this week. The student asked what the word is for "to want," and I conjugated volo for the class. When so-and-so asked for the infinitive (velle), I couldn't remember. I looked it up, though. I get to answer fun questions like those in 2nd period because that class is smaller, and we have an extra five minutes for announcements and the like.
In other news, apparently I act like every day is the first day of school, according to one of my students. I won't say where I got the information, but I feel like I should be flattered.
This is a long post, but I must record one more thing. I hate to end on a bad note, and I don't think it will be bad ultimately, so I'll go ahead and put it. I had to admit I was wrong today. Alas (eheu!)! I had let 3rd period use the lap-tops (we have carts with 18 laptops in them and a printer, called COWs, or Computers on Wheels, that teachers can check out and use) to work on various things, then 4th period came in, and a student asked if they were going to get to use the lap-tops. I told the student, "No." Later, I let some kids use the lap-tops, and the student, along wtih two or three other students, called me out on it. I was defensive at first, but then just admitted I was wrong. They settled down really fast, and were content to let it go. One student, who had been especially offended by my misdeed, got a personal apology for the confusion regarding the computers. I'm glad I admitted my mistake rather than steadfastly refusing to budge on the matter. Teachers are human too, it turns out.
Valete,
Magistra
On Tuesday, when the kiddos came back, I found myself actually glad to see them! I was surprised at myself, as I had thought that my week back would be full of discipline problems due to the week they had off. One especially delicious moment on that first day back was right before first period, when I had a student tell me that they were so bored already on the second day off of school that they picked up their Latin text (amazing, I know) and began to read the culture sections that we had not had time to cover in class. Imagine my surprise! I don't give these little people enough credit.
On Wednesday, my darling left. He got a job, and is off to the Great Lakes for a month or maybe a little more, depending on this or that. It has been difficult these last two days. The apartment is quiet with out another person's noise, and empty without another person's mess. I lived in it for a month alone before he got here, so it's back to the olden days when I cooked for one. The upside (for me) to his job on the Lakes is that he is in the States, so I get to talk to him, and use Skype. Yay!
All this week, my English students have been writing personal narratives (a.k.a. stories about something that happened to them which they learned from or will never forget). This is their first composition of the year, besides little half-paged warm-ups they've had to write. I've read four or five of them, and am actually really pleased so far. If my pen runs out of ink, it will be because of grammar fixes, but not because of content, which is the most important thing. Some of these kids have had really awful things happen to them, the likes of which I can't even begin to imagine. They seem to take it in stride, mostly, but I would rather they all had perfect childhoods like I had. I guess it builds character...?
Oh, another wonderful moment came regarding the warm-ups we've been doing this week. They have had to copy a sentence with grammatical errors, and then correct it. We then go over it as a class. Today, two students (one in 4th period, one in 7th) asked if we could go back to the half-page prompted writings we used to do before this week's grammar warm-ups. I was really surprised at this, because they would hem and haw, complaining about having to write half a page OMG OMG OMG. It made me very happy to know that they preferred writing to copying.
Ah! Another excited moment for me was in 2nd period Latin. I have a student who doesn't say much, but I know the student understands what is going on, because that student's grades are really good on things we have to do in class where they can't look up information, like on tests and quizzes. Today, we introduced the irregular verb, "to be" (sum). It is a booger. They've never seen an irregular verb, so they panicked a little bit. I made it seem as similar to a regular verb as possible, and they calmed down some. Anyway, the student asked some really great questions, and has been contributing more this week. The student asked what the word is for "to want," and I conjugated volo for the class. When so-and-so asked for the infinitive (velle), I couldn't remember. I looked it up, though. I get to answer fun questions like those in 2nd period because that class is smaller, and we have an extra five minutes for announcements and the like.
In other news, apparently I act like every day is the first day of school, according to one of my students. I won't say where I got the information, but I feel like I should be flattered.
This is a long post, but I must record one more thing. I hate to end on a bad note, and I don't think it will be bad ultimately, so I'll go ahead and put it. I had to admit I was wrong today. Alas (eheu!)! I had let 3rd period use the lap-tops (we have carts with 18 laptops in them and a printer, called COWs, or Computers on Wheels, that teachers can check out and use) to work on various things, then 4th period came in, and a student asked if they were going to get to use the lap-tops. I told the student, "No." Later, I let some kids use the lap-tops, and the student, along wtih two or three other students, called me out on it. I was defensive at first, but then just admitted I was wrong. They settled down really fast, and were content to let it go. One student, who had been especially offended by my misdeed, got a personal apology for the confusion regarding the computers. I'm glad I admitted my mistake rather than steadfastly refusing to budge on the matter. Teachers are human too, it turns out.
Valete,
Magistra
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Home again, home again.
Salvete,
I'm on my way back home, via Austin. My dearest friend has a bridal shower today in said capitol city, so after the pre-nuptial festivities, I will be hitting HEB to fill my cooler, then heading east. I am supposed to return to school on Monday, sans students. Lesson re-planning will commence.
Who knows what awaits me upon my return. I assume my milk has exploded in my fridge, and if that is the worst that has happened, then I will be thrilled. My little Christmas lights on my porch are probably gone, but let's hope not. I paid $9.99 for them, so surely they were able to endure through some silly hurricane. Right. I have power, according to my apartment complex, and they've cleaned up the tree debris around the place. Last I heard, there is still a curfew in place in the evenings, but I haven't talked to anyone in a few days, so who knows. It will be nice to get back to the daily grind on Monday, I think.
I had a nightmare last night that I had a whole load of new students, and not enough desks, so many of them had to sit on the floor. The girls were all doing their makeup while I was teaching, and had makeup bags identical to mine, except that theirs were newer, and mine looked a little more worn. My document camera had been replaced by a regular overhead, which was set on a desk, instead of on a cart. My projector was now in a chair-attached-desk (I have chair-detached desks in my room, currently), which folded strangely in the top to reveal a computer control panel of some sort. None of the equipment worked like it should, of course. There were three other teachers in there talking over me and trying to teach what I was teaching. The kids weren't listening, it was so noisy, and everything was just a mess.
Let's hope this is not the case on Tuesday, when the children come.
Valete,
Magistra
I'm on my way back home, via Austin. My dearest friend has a bridal shower today in said capitol city, so after the pre-nuptial festivities, I will be hitting HEB to fill my cooler, then heading east. I am supposed to return to school on Monday, sans students. Lesson re-planning will commence.
Who knows what awaits me upon my return. I assume my milk has exploded in my fridge, and if that is the worst that has happened, then I will be thrilled. My little Christmas lights on my porch are probably gone, but let's hope not. I paid $9.99 for them, so surely they were able to endure through some silly hurricane. Right. I have power, according to my apartment complex, and they've cleaned up the tree debris around the place. Last I heard, there is still a curfew in place in the evenings, but I haven't talked to anyone in a few days, so who knows. It will be nice to get back to the daily grind on Monday, I think.
I had a nightmare last night that I had a whole load of new students, and not enough desks, so many of them had to sit on the floor. The girls were all doing their makeup while I was teaching, and had makeup bags identical to mine, except that theirs were newer, and mine looked a little more worn. My document camera had been replaced by a regular overhead, which was set on a desk, instead of on a cart. My projector was now in a chair-attached-desk (I have chair-detached desks in my room, currently), which folded strangely in the top to reveal a computer control panel of some sort. None of the equipment worked like it should, of course. There were three other teachers in there talking over me and trying to teach what I was teaching. The kids weren't listening, it was so noisy, and everything was just a mess.
Let's hope this is not the case on Tuesday, when the children come.
Valete,
Magistra
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Still in exile...
School is closed through Friday, so I'm an evacuee until next week, at least. I talked to my uncle, and he said that if it is meat, cheese, milk, or bread, you can't get it in our area. People have either gone berzerk and bought everything, or the stores can't get supplies. I didn't ask which it was, but I'm certain it is one of the two. In the mean time, I'm still in Dallas, and frankly, I'm feeling a little lost. I don't live here anymore, but I still feel tied to the city--its sights, its ways, and its people. I don't love Houston. It is messy, crowded, confusing, massy, and ridiculous. But, it is where I live now. It is where my job is, and like it or not, I'm stuck in that job until I can figure out what I'm supposed to be doing. I'm not ready to fully commit to the idea that teaching isn't for me. I am a first year teacher, yet to hit my stride, and it is supposed to be difficult. At least, it isn't supposed to be easy.
And "easy" it isn't.
I want to get back to my apartment, where I am organized, where everything is familiar inside, even if the surrounding city is chaos (not just because of the hurricane, but because that is how Houston is). I want my bed, my room, my posters, my dishes, my couches...I want to check my mail. I feel like I'm living in a hotel on a business trip. I'm living out of my bag. I'm expected to perform certain tasks I'm not used to performing, such as being available to others for "hang out" time in the evenings. I'm used to running my own life, and not having anyone attempting to dictate where I should be, what I should be doing, and to whom I should be speaking at any given time. I don't have very many friends in Houston, and the ones I do have either live too far away to demand my time (another drawback of Houston--it takes a year to get anywhere), or are my co-workers, and are too tired to ask anything of me.
Don't get me wrong, I love being home. I love my parents, and my friends, and everyone I know who lives in Dallas. All I'm saying is, I feel like something of an alien, or a piece of furniture out of place. I find that I can't come here and continue to live seamlessly the type of life I live in Houston, whatever that is. I'm expected to perform. I'm expected to be whatever it was I was before I left. It is trying, not just for me, but for my parents as well. Hopefully by the time I get back to Houston, the city will have returned to some kind of normalcy.
Valete,
Magistra
And "easy" it isn't.
I want to get back to my apartment, where I am organized, where everything is familiar inside, even if the surrounding city is chaos (not just because of the hurricane, but because that is how Houston is). I want my bed, my room, my posters, my dishes, my couches...I want to check my mail. I feel like I'm living in a hotel on a business trip. I'm living out of my bag. I'm expected to perform certain tasks I'm not used to performing, such as being available to others for "hang out" time in the evenings. I'm used to running my own life, and not having anyone attempting to dictate where I should be, what I should be doing, and to whom I should be speaking at any given time. I don't have very many friends in Houston, and the ones I do have either live too far away to demand my time (another drawback of Houston--it takes a year to get anywhere), or are my co-workers, and are too tired to ask anything of me.
Don't get me wrong, I love being home. I love my parents, and my friends, and everyone I know who lives in Dallas. All I'm saying is, I feel like something of an alien, or a piece of furniture out of place. I find that I can't come here and continue to live seamlessly the type of life I live in Houston, whatever that is. I'm expected to perform. I'm expected to be whatever it was I was before I left. It is trying, not just for me, but for my parents as well. Hopefully by the time I get back to Houston, the city will have returned to some kind of normalcy.
Valete,
Magistra
Saturday, September 13, 2008
What is the Latin word for "Hurricane Ike"?
I have evacuated to Dallas. At first, I played off the impending strike of Ike as media sensationalism, but then I thought, I only have one life, so why not continue to live it in certain safety from the gusts, etc? My dear and I made our way to the Big D on Thursday, as school was closed on Friday, and all activities were cancelled for Thursday afternoon. Expecting to hit major traffic on I-45, we by-passed the gridlock via College Station. Apparently we were ahead of the major wave of evacuees, and even had time to stop at good ole Haiku Sushi for some dinner. Delightful.
I wrote up my first child this week. The aforementioned eloper got his just desserts. I felt more giddy than I probably should have. No, that's not true. I felt every bit as giddy as I deserved to feel. I also spoke with some parents, and several problems that have plagued me since the beginning of school (sleeping student, resistent-to-following-directions-and-turning-in-work student) are now inconsequential, or are on their way to being so. My advice to anyone: just call the parent. It will make a world of difference, and you might find out things you need to know that no one else is going to tell you. Most parents really are interested in their child's education, even if the child is not.
I haven't heard if we are having school on Monday. I'm fairly certain that my part of the city does not have power. My aunt and uncle live in the next suburb over, and they are without power AND water. One of my fellow teachers lives about seven miles north of me, and she has power just fine. I called my complex, and no one answered, which does not bode well, as they are meant to be open today. However, I did not read carefully the "Hurricane Preparedness" notice they sent out, so perhaps they are closed for Ike.
I'll keep you posted on the goings on...
Valete,
Magistra
I wrote up my first child this week. The aforementioned eloper got his just desserts. I felt more giddy than I probably should have. No, that's not true. I felt every bit as giddy as I deserved to feel. I also spoke with some parents, and several problems that have plagued me since the beginning of school (sleeping student, resistent-to-following-directions-and-turning-in-work student) are now inconsequential, or are on their way to being so. My advice to anyone: just call the parent. It will make a world of difference, and you might find out things you need to know that no one else is going to tell you. Most parents really are interested in their child's education, even if the child is not.
I haven't heard if we are having school on Monday. I'm fairly certain that my part of the city does not have power. My aunt and uncle live in the next suburb over, and they are without power AND water. One of my fellow teachers lives about seven miles north of me, and she has power just fine. I called my complex, and no one answered, which does not bode well, as they are meant to be open today. However, I did not read carefully the "Hurricane Preparedness" notice they sent out, so perhaps they are closed for Ike.
I'll keep you posted on the goings on...
Valete,
Magistra
Friday, September 5, 2008
Unbelievable
I had a kid escape from class today. No, I'm not kidding.
I've been having trouble with this individual since the individual came into my class about five days ago. The student acts as a distraction to the students surrounding, and it has been getting worse and worse despite my best efforts to redirect and put a stop to this behavior. Today, the students were doing individual work that was more unstructured. They were coloring and that sort of thing, so they were allowed to get out of their seats. I won't go into all the stuff that was going on, but it boiled down to me having a discussion with the student and two other students encouraging him to listen to me. The student smarted off, and eventually I asked the student to sit on his own and work without distracting others. Eventually I coaxed the student into doing this (with the prodding of other students), and let the student be so that the student could work.
Then, I hear someone say "Where's So-And-So-With-Whom-You've-Been-Having-Trouble?" I look up and indeed the person is gone. GONE. WHAT? So I sent an email to the AP in charge of that student's part of the alphabet. We'll see what happens.
Really, do the kids think they are going to get off for this kind of nonsense? It was the last 25 minutes of the day, but that isn't the point. We have cameras. We have email. We have their name, phone number, address, and probably their retina-print, so what do they think they are doing? I guess there is no thinking, which is the kicker. Ok, I'm out for the day. TGIF.
Magistra
I've been having trouble with this individual since the individual came into my class about five days ago. The student acts as a distraction to the students surrounding, and it has been getting worse and worse despite my best efforts to redirect and put a stop to this behavior. Today, the students were doing individual work that was more unstructured. They were coloring and that sort of thing, so they were allowed to get out of their seats. I won't go into all the stuff that was going on, but it boiled down to me having a discussion with the student and two other students encouraging him to listen to me. The student smarted off, and eventually I asked the student to sit on his own and work without distracting others. Eventually I coaxed the student into doing this (with the prodding of other students), and let the student be so that the student could work.
Then, I hear someone say "Where's So-And-So-With-Whom-You've-Been-Having-Trouble?" I look up and indeed the person is gone. GONE. WHAT? So I sent an email to the AP in charge of that student's part of the alphabet. We'll see what happens.
Really, do the kids think they are going to get off for this kind of nonsense? It was the last 25 minutes of the day, but that isn't the point. We have cameras. We have email. We have their name, phone number, address, and probably their retina-print, so what do they think they are doing? I guess there is no thinking, which is the kicker. Ok, I'm out for the day. TGIF.
Magistra
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Dream a little dream!
It is only the first week.
It is only the first week.
It is only the first week.
I have to keep telling myself this. Not to sound cliche or anything, but this is a marathon, not a sprint!
Last night was rough! I dreamed about school the whole night. I am fairly certain that these dreams stemmed from my feelings of inadequacy. I feel like I haven't prepared my kids for their test on Wednesday. My passion for teaching English is having a hard time thriving. I know it is only the first week, but I'm pretty sure that my love for Latin has overtaken my love for English. Then again, it could just be my classes? I don't know. Either way, I want to do better this week. My students were not engaged last week. I had them write me letters on Friday rather than doing their scheduled warm-up. I asked them to tell me what I needed to know about them and what I could do to make the class better. Honestly, if I were in my English class, I'd be bored. I'm going to do better this week.
It is only the first week.
It is only the first week.
Valete.
Magistra
It is only the first week.
It is only the first week.
I have to keep telling myself this. Not to sound cliche or anything, but this is a marathon, not a sprint!
Last night was rough! I dreamed about school the whole night. I am fairly certain that these dreams stemmed from my feelings of inadequacy. I feel like I haven't prepared my kids for their test on Wednesday. My passion for teaching English is having a hard time thriving. I know it is only the first week, but I'm pretty sure that my love for Latin has overtaken my love for English. Then again, it could just be my classes? I don't know. Either way, I want to do better this week. My students were not engaged last week. I had them write me letters on Friday rather than doing their scheduled warm-up. I asked them to tell me what I needed to know about them and what I could do to make the class better. Honestly, if I were in my English class, I'd be bored. I'm going to do better this week.
It is only the first week.
It is only the first week.
Valete.
Magistra
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
"Life moves pretty fast..."
The first three days of school are over! I've been conspicuously absent from my blog, as I've been extremely busy with getting school started.
In other news, my power went out this weekend, so the problem of me not having a working internet connection became moot. There's a sunny side to everything, I suppose. My boyfriend is here, and that makes me extremely happy. We got to cook together at my aunt and uncle's house this weekend (we certainly couldn't hang around my hotter-than-hot aparment).
My kids are...interesting. I am not sure how much I am allowed to write about them. Just let me say, that I already love them so much...even the ones who are giving me trouble. I assume they just want attention when they act like they do, so I've moved them to the front of the classroom so that they can be as close to me as they seem to want to be.
It is bed time (I am having to go to bed around nine o'clock every night so that I can go to school at 5:45 in the morning). HOPEFULLY now that my internet works, I can update the blog more with fun stories. I have a particularly fun one that happened today, involving an eyebrow ring and vindication, so maybe I'll get that in tomorrow.
Until then...
Valete,
Magistra Sapiens ;)
In other news, my power went out this weekend, so the problem of me not having a working internet connection became moot. There's a sunny side to everything, I suppose. My boyfriend is here, and that makes me extremely happy. We got to cook together at my aunt and uncle's house this weekend (we certainly couldn't hang around my hotter-than-hot aparment).
My kids are...interesting. I am not sure how much I am allowed to write about them. Just let me say, that I already love them so much...even the ones who are giving me trouble. I assume they just want attention when they act like they do, so I've moved them to the front of the classroom so that they can be as close to me as they seem to want to be.
It is bed time (I am having to go to bed around nine o'clock every night so that I can go to school at 5:45 in the morning). HOPEFULLY now that my internet works, I can update the blog more with fun stories. I have a particularly fun one that happened today, involving an eyebrow ring and vindication, so maybe I'll get that in tomorrow.
Until then...
Valete,
Magistra Sapiens ;)
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Olim...
...I went on a cruise. When going through customs on the way back into the United States, behind me in line were two ladies. Both of them happened to be teachers, so naturally we hit it off. When I told them I was a first year teacher, they just could not contain themselves, sharing advice and stories. One piece of advice they gave me was to write down all of the things no one tells you, and then put it into a book entitled Things No One Told Me. I've been trying to compile a list in my head--unsuccessfully. I haven't yet hit a moment when I had to say to myself, "Agh! No one told me that!" Of course, I don't have students yet, the first week of school isn't over, and I'm still not on contract until tomorrow at 7:30 in the morning. I am confident that the minute my contract starts, the real "stuff" will hit the fan. No doubt it will be fun. Just like the cruise I went on, where everything was F-U-N. Carnival: the funship.
--Magistra
--Magistra
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Let it be(gin). Coepiat.
Salvete, mulieres et viri!
This is my teacher-blog. If you haven't figured it out, I teach Latin (among other things).
I am a first year teacher at a brand new high school.
Orientation started this week, even though I don't start "paid employment" until next Monday (and don't get paid until a month from yesterday). I have also been going to professional development, which I may or may not be getting paid for. But, everyone knows--teachers don't do it for the money. If they did, there wouldn't be any teachers.
Honestly, I've been having a great time learning how to be a teacher. My room is really coming along...my aunt and uncle were kind enough to move a bookshelf from my third story apartment to my second story classroom. They even were kind enough to take me out to dinner.
Having moved to a new city, I am finding that things aren't as easy as they were where I came from. I knew where everything was. My couch fit into my apartment doorway. There was not an insane amount of traffic at 2:30 on a Tuesday afteroon. My phone worked. I'd say my internet worked, but it rarely did, and it is up again in my apartment as of a few hours ago (I was able to fix it, because I got a phone that worked, and thus could call AT&T). Cops were lenient (I got a ticket on Wednesday). My tires were inflated (I got a flat on Thursday).
N.B. I am very happy to be living here. My apartment is clean and safe. People at my job are incredibly supportive and kind. A couch is on its way. I miss my boy friend, yes, but I think we are handling all this very well (especially now that my phone works...). My flat is fixed as of this morning, and I imagine I'll take care of my defensive driving course in a matter of weeks or something...it's been four years since the last one, so I don't recall much about how long these things take.
I plan to keep you all updated on what is going on. I won't be giving any student names, and I probably won't tell any scenarios that would give away who all was involved. Thus, the blog might be a little bland for a while, until I get a few classes of kids up a few grades to where it doesn't matter what stories I tell. I hope you'll bear with me, as I'll need all the support I can get.
Vale,
Magistra
"Anything you want to be, you can be. You can be just what-all you want." -Mary Pereira, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
This is my teacher-blog. If you haven't figured it out, I teach Latin (among other things).
I am a first year teacher at a brand new high school.
Orientation started this week, even though I don't start "paid employment" until next Monday (and don't get paid until a month from yesterday). I have also been going to professional development, which I may or may not be getting paid for. But, everyone knows--teachers don't do it for the money. If they did, there wouldn't be any teachers.
Honestly, I've been having a great time learning how to be a teacher. My room is really coming along...my aunt and uncle were kind enough to move a bookshelf from my third story apartment to my second story classroom. They even were kind enough to take me out to dinner.
Having moved to a new city, I am finding that things aren't as easy as they were where I came from. I knew where everything was. My couch fit into my apartment doorway. There was not an insane amount of traffic at 2:30 on a Tuesday afteroon. My phone worked. I'd say my internet worked, but it rarely did, and it is up again in my apartment as of a few hours ago (I was able to fix it, because I got a phone that worked, and thus could call AT&T). Cops were lenient (I got a ticket on Wednesday). My tires were inflated (I got a flat on Thursday).
N.B. I am very happy to be living here. My apartment is clean and safe. People at my job are incredibly supportive and kind. A couch is on its way. I miss my boy friend, yes, but I think we are handling all this very well (especially now that my phone works...). My flat is fixed as of this morning, and I imagine I'll take care of my defensive driving course in a matter of weeks or something...it's been four years since the last one, so I don't recall much about how long these things take.
I plan to keep you all updated on what is going on. I won't be giving any student names, and I probably won't tell any scenarios that would give away who all was involved. Thus, the blog might be a little bland for a while, until I get a few classes of kids up a few grades to where it doesn't matter what stories I tell. I hope you'll bear with me, as I'll need all the support I can get.
Vale,
Magistra
"Anything you want to be, you can be. You can be just what-all you want." -Mary Pereira, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
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