Sunday, November 19, 2006

Welcome Baby Girl!

Something rather unusual (at least in our family) happened yesterday. Our first granddaughter was born! I am a mother to 3 sons and 2 grandsons, but yesterday the first girl born! Her middle name is the same as mine and my mother's (Sue) and her nickname will be my maternal grandmother's first name Lena!

She entered this world just prior to 6 pm, weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz, 19 3/4 inches in length with a head full of hair. I think she's beautiful, so does her other grandmother and her "Paw-Paw", her brother, her daddy, her mother, and anyone else who has seen her.

Yes I've already bought her some books! It was a great way to start the Thanksgiving break!

On a secondary note, the Chap stick kid has transferred out of my class! Two students chose to transfer in (due to an overcrowded class) I've had 3 new students assigned to me. So far my educational miracles for the year have been to see several students who did not like to read, read enough to get their Accelerated Reader points and have carry over! Another student asked if he could be a student aide for me! I was delighted.

Also I am reading Kelly Gallagher's books Deeper Reading & Reading Reasons. Both have given me a shot in the arm especially for my class of apathetic students!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 12, 2006

I'll play along too

Found on Mindful Teacher.


Wanna play? It's simple. Copy, paste and if you've done it, bold it.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumpedIt was a reverse bungee, called catapaulting!
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in

Saturday, November 04, 2006

This Week and Other Complications

Friday was not a good day with my last two classes. I was so frustrated I was ready to start swearing! I mean seriously swearing like a drunken sailor. Just the usual, not following directions, coming to class unprepared, kids wanting to be a lump. And then today, I spent an hour and a half trying to track down a med sent through the mail. I had a fit on the phone with about 6 reps from the mail order pharmacy, and the med was here in the house. LB put it in a safe place and didn't tell me it had come. I am so humiliated, I feel ill.

So I've come to confess my sins openly. Oh! And this Friday is my yearly observation, it will be done by our new Asst. Principal. He's the same age as my son! I'm feeling overwhelmed, humiliated, and sick. I might be coming down with a bug. Sometimes I get so frustrated I hyper myself until I become sick. I seriously am feeling "puny" They say confession is good for the soul and I guess I feel better.

No, it's that feeling of wanting to do everything right and good and falling FAR short of the mark. It's not like I'm obsessive-compulsive. I'm not a neat freak. You should see my desk and my living room, kitchen etc. Wait, maybe you shouldn't, I'd rather you think I'm a bit better than that.

I know the holidays are upon us and I have that to deal with. I don't like the changes that will happen with our Language Arts dept next year. I want to feel rested and I don't. Yes I am sleeping, no I am not eating well, because I'm trying to lose weight. It's not that I don't well, I just don't eat much.

What I really feel is powerless, and impotent. I feel my choices are being taken away. Like the pharmacy thing. I have used a local pharmacist for years! I would have remembered filling the prescription. LB was the one who got the mail that day and forgot to tell me. I know it's not a big thing, but I don't like the mail order pharmacy. Sure I could use the local pharmacy, but then I would be paying the full price of the med, which is ridiculous as anyone who has had a prescription filled recently can attest to.

I have one class that frustrates me so much. It's as if some one put all the apathetic kids in one class. Sadly it seems as if all the 6th periods at my school are that way. I've tried everything I can think of, bothered others to get input and finally arranged for the counsellor to talk with them. The bottom line is they don't care. Counsellor offered a movie and popcorn party if they started showing improvement! Right, like that will happen.

Here's another good one. I recently had a conference with both Mum and Daddums, their primary concern was their child be allowed to put on chap stick in class as the "Chap stick Kid" henceforth known as KC, because that child has lips that chap easily! Also the aroma of my class bothers KC. I have a candle warmer in my room and use a cinnamon candle. I read some research stating that cinnamon helped to stimulate the brain.

I told the parents, regular chap stick no problem, but makeup is a problem. Care to guess who had a makeup mirror out to tend to her face??? Mums and Daddums had told her that was okay.

Okay I guess that I have ranted enough. I hope my next blog is much happier. By the way, how was your week?

A big thank you to TMAO of Teaching in the 408 http://roomd2.blogspot.com/ After I read his blog, reality slapped me in the face and maybe my week wasn't as bad as I thought.