Thanks for visiting my blog. If I visit your blog, I will only support. I will NEVER be rude or critical. Even if I do not know you personally, I will add my comments in a supportive and loving matter!
I would like to apologize for the lack of posting. March has been crappy in several ways and this week was just the icing on top of the cake. Granted there has been some good but I'm tired. I'm ready for March to be over for multiple reasons. If you've emailed or called, please forgive the lack of speediness o the return.
At the first of the month, I had pneumonia & it took me down hard. I missed school.
* Teaching plus taking a senior capstone has been interesting. It's a lot of work & has challenged me. I have an e-portfolio that is due soon & my extra time/energy goes to it.
* I did have an awesome Spring Break with my family. It was nice and relaxing before the storm. I will post picts eventually.
* The storm: I was an accident on Tuesday. He told me "I was trying to go around you." I was in a rental car as mine was in the shop for another transmission leak. It shook me up and now he says it's my fault. He tried to go around me and it's my fault he ran into me? My insurance and his insurance are involved. Apparently, per my insurance, he is playing a game. To say that I'm frustrated is an understatement. Tuesday night and Wednesday were a mess for me. Thursday, I was angry. Friday and on equal me being mad and frustrated but not letting it overtake me. I've left out various details as the storm is less than over and it will be a fight. I've learned several valuable lessons. No one wants an accident to occur and no one knows how the other driver will react. I'm angry, upset, frustrated, and mad but am trying to move on.
* I had a mock interview with a principal on Tuesday afternoon, after the accident, and it went well. Texas is in a budget crisis and it's not when I get a job a job in the fall-it's IF.
It's scary to think that I won't have a job. I am certified for EC-6 & am working on my ESL & SPED certifications. I am scheduled to take my sped test in June 3.
* I got my senior ring last night. I will post pictures this week. It was an amazing ceremony. It was pretty cool, I got all glammed up, and had a blast.
Graduation is a little under 2 months away. College flew by. Time does fly.
Coming up:
* Weekly update
* Ring ceremony pictures
* SB pictures
Hope you are having a great weekend!!
The past few weeks have been rough and difficult for several reasons. Between school, work, planning, my life, juggling many things, and the hours in the day, I have been lacking in the blogging department. This was not intentional. It just happened. I do have lots to share and hope to be able to formulate a post soon. Please know that I will be back this week.
I will be back soon...
The week before Spring Break was an adventure indeed. All of the students had spring fever and their behavior was less, far less, than remotely acceptable. I questioned myself my choice of profession twice this week. Some days I wanted to laugh it off while others left me frustrated. I am please that my 2nd grade student that gets removed weekly had no issues. Huge deal! Another student, sadly, took his place.
Monday: Today was the day that I thought would be the worst of the week. My 2nd graders were pretty good while my Kindergarteners were not. It was a constant battle of wills and they were not going to win. My fourth graders were surprisingly good today as well. After school tutoring was quite fun as the fourth graders really got into the story comprehension that was done.
Tuesday: Today was a really good day. I worked one on one with several fourth graders to review/correct assignments that they had done. It was awesome to see that lightbulb go off. In math, they learned a cool way to do volume as well. Even I learned something new. After school, I had my class and was shocked at how hard my midterm was. I mean, the "review" we were given and the material on the exam were completely different. It was one of the hardest tests I've had to take.
Wednesday: I can honestly say that I would not want to repeat today ever again. My sped teacher attended an ARD so I controlled and taught the class first thing. Then one student decided he dis not like that I took up his assignment with his drawing on the back. This student has been told not to draw on the back of assignments since he rushes to complete the work to draw. He said I had to give it back & I told him no. I asked all the students to get the next assignment out of their binders and he refused. He repeatedly said that he wanted his drawing back. I asked for his red folder and did not get it. The sped aid had enough before I did. She told him to get out his assignment, hand me his red folder, and to stop arguing. He refused so she said to go to the Principal's with her or she would go get him. The Principal was called down to our room. While waiting, he eventually threw his folder at me and, at first, refused to go with the Principal. In the end, he got ISS for the rest of the day. After that fiasco, I was to read a benchmark TAKS test to three students. It was not the real test. It's to see where students are. That was a painful reality as it broke my heart to watch students struggle. After students were done, they all had time to go back and prove their answer. During that time, myself and another teacher asked students to explain why they put what they did. It was an interesting hour as a student decided he was my bodyguard. The student was a third of my size. We had a faculty meeting after school and as always, it was entertaining.
Thursday: What a day. My Kindergarteners behavior was like Monday, my Fourth graders behavior was atrocious and talk about attitude, and my second graders were pretty good. Tutoring was after school with my second graders and went well. I also got evaluated by my teacher and did quite well.
Friday: Everyone did quite well today. My second graders were well behaved, my fourth graders were better today, and the students got out at one. The teachers left about two.
Next week is spring break. Woo Hoo!! It was a week indeed.
While I will not go into all the details, I have to say that I am frustrated with public AND private schools today. Between teachers not stopping students from pestering other students to argumentative students being brushed aside, I am just irritated. Today was a Monday of all trades and I am surprised, not shocked, as to how some students *think* they can act. I was always taught to respect my elders and wonder what students are learning, today, at home.
Monday: My mom drove me back to Collegetown today. Still did not feel so great but I needed to make an effort. So I went back.
Tuesday: Talk about exhausting. Today was TAKS writing for the fourth graders. I was not able to go into my SPED classroom so I spent the day helping my K, 1, 2 students. Rooms were rearranged due to TAKS and it was a low day. That was nice. My students were pretty well behaved today. I got to teach resource reading and that was a lot of fun. I had my class after school and I was done after it.
Wednesday: Today was rough all around. I have one student who is off his meds and his parents are using his SSI money to pay their bills and not his medication. It's sad as he is a completely different person off than on them. During math, he had a total meltdown when I said I was going to sign his folder for not following directions. I got to teach resource math today as my teacher had an ARD. It was an experience. My fourth graders were totally off today as well. Since it was the day after TAKS, the teachers planned a relaxed day. That backfired as their schedule was thrown off. Live and learn. During my tome in the second grade classroom, work was a complete struggle. First the words are not writing themselves and one can't see the board. After school tutoring went well.
Thursday: Today was the calm before Friday's storm. I wish I was kidding but I'm not. I was evaluated in second grade science today and it went well. My students were horrific but my advisor didn't seem to mind. I did very well on my evaluation. I was pleased. After school tutoring, with four second graders, is always fun. Their personalities are blossoming and they make me laugh. On an unrelated note, I experienced transmission issues after school. Turns out that my gasket was previously placed wrong and I had no transmission fluid. Let me tell you that it's scary stopping on a busy street. It was an experience indeed.
Friday: This morning threw me in a loop. I started the weekly spelling and daily oral language tests with my students. One student started loosing control of himself. The office was called twice and no one came. His aide gave him several chances and it got worse. So she picked him up and took him to the office. My teacher dashed out of the room as he tried to head butt the aide and kicked her multiple times. This shook everyone. I took over the class as he was dealt with. While I took the other students back to their classroom, I saw the student being physically held in a room with my principal. It was heartbreaking. After talking to his homeroom teacher, it was found that he forgot his homework and that sparked this. Usually, I work with a kindergartener from 10-10:30 but chose to stay with my sped students during that time. I needed to breathe and talk to my teacher. I went to see my fourth graders and had a great time with them. They were reading "Because of Winn-Dixie" out loud and the book is a favorite of mine. I also did a lot of grading for teachers today. After lunch, I worked with my resource math students. That is always a joy. The rest of the afternoon went well. While working with my last class, I saw my student be removed for the second time today. Seeing students struggle with various subjects is heartbreaking. No one can prepare you for it. At the end of the day, I was able to talk with my teacher for 30+ minutes and felt much better. After school, I picked up my truck and had a quiet evening.
I have a comprehensive midterm on Tuesday afternoon and we were told to study everything. Studying are my weekend plans.
