I remember last November when I wrote every day in this blog. Obviously, not happening this November. Life is busy and different, but different in a good way.
I've finally started standing up for myself when it comes to certain people and issues. I won't allow negative people to play a role in a my life any longer. Sometimes I thought that I would never be able to survive without some people in my life, but I'm learning that I can and it's quite nice!
I never thought I would say this, but I enjoy being a Catholic school teacher. I have a blast every day and I get paid to do that - well not paid super well, but PAID! I'm finally able to TEACH! I don't have to spend every minute of my day to stop and tell some stupid kid to stop saying the word FUCK!
Don't get me wrong - I have loved my crazy times with CMSD and the awesome people I have met. Those experiences made me the teacher I am today. I can teach anywhere just like Mr. Pettiegrew and Mrs. Harris told me.
What's so awesome is that I don't have to fight to TEACH! I can do fun activities in the classroom! I was finally able to implement Literature Circles in my classroom - without any arguments! I even assigned the groups and no one killed anyone. The work my students completed was AMAZING! There are always students hugging me, bugging me, and offering to do things for me. I can actually send something down to the office and it will actually make it there! WOW!
The teachers I work with in the middle school are awesome! We are a great team and we always have each other's backs. We have no problem helping each other out. Plus, my principal who is a crazy, workaholic, always listens to our concerns and lends a helping hand even when he's "Charlie Sheening It", LOL! I always makes jokes that he runs on tiger blood and I ask him if he's "winning" yet.
So I'm adjusting well. There are plenty of demanding days, but I like waking up in the morning and not hating where I am going. Every day I went to Adams last year, I was dreading who was going to get into a fight, which staff member was going to be an asshole that day, or who I was going to kick out of my class and have to fight with the assistant principal to keep that kid out of my class. Fun, really fun!
Well, it's getting late and I need to get to bed on time. It's going to be a long week - especially since it's the week before Thanksgiving and those tend to drag anyway.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Scranton Trip
So last Friday, when Mike came home from work we were both lamenting about how we haven't gone ANYWHERE all summer. We were both itching for a road trip, to just get out of town for a bit. I looked at my class' syllabus and realized that I did not have much work to do and since I was already caught up I figured we should go SOMEWHERE! So we decided to go to Scranton, Pennslyvania since we are both fans of The Office. We started watching the show later than most people, but nonetheless we still wanted to go to Scranton to see some of the places mentioned in the show. Luckily, our awesome friend Debra had stopped in Scranton a while back and sent me a bunch of tour guides for Scranton so that helped us figure out what places to visit.
So Mike booked a hotel room in Dickson City because the Scranton Radisson was actually completely booked! We left Saturday morning around 9:30am and got to Scranton around 3:45pm. We got to the hotel and the power was out and within five minutes of being in the hotel, the power popped back on. Thank God, because it was hot and kind of smelly in the hotel with the air conditioning off. The hotel was a Days Inn in Dickson City's red light district, LOL! There were adult bookstores everywhere! We chilled in the hotel for a bit and Mike mapped out where everything was so we could head out to Scranton!
Our first stop was the Steamtown Mall since it's right off the highway. The Steamtown Mall houses the famous Scranton sign from The Office opening. Steamtown Mall was as dead as Parmatown, LOL!! We found the sign and did our obligatory pictures in front of it. We walked the mall a few times and bought a few souvenirs from the Dunder Mifflin stand in the middle of the mall . The stand just sells all The Office stuff you can purchase from the nbc. com store at the same prices. I purchased a Scranton shot glass and a Dunder Mifflin lanyard (these items I did not spot in the online store). I did buy an awesome pair of boots that were really cheap at the Steamtown Mall's Shoe Dept. Store!! So I have an official receipt from the Steamtown Mall and the Dunder Mifflin stand! I of course, had to get a picture of the Victoria's Secret there too!
After the mall we decided to grab dinner at Cooper's Seafood Restaurant. It wasn't far from the mall and we got there after the dinner time rush so no wait! The food is a bit pricey, but it was delicious. I got the homemade pot roast and it was totally worth the money. The meat was so succulent and it melted in your mouth! Mike got crab and lobster tail and it was yummy too! The service was outstanding and I definitely want to stop there again!
So after dinner we decided to find the bar where The Office characters like to hang out at called Poor Richard's. Poor Richard's is in the ghetto of Scranton, LOL! It wasn't bad though. It's very close to Alfredo's Pizza Cafe. Poor Richard's is located in an bowling alley called the Southside Bowl. It is definitely a local's kind of bar. What was funny was that they were doing promotions fro Svedka Vodka at Poor Richard's and we love Svedka Vodka, so that was pretty cool. It's basically a sports bar, some people would call it a dive bar, but when you're like Mike and I who mostly frequent the Spitfire and Now That's Class, Poor Richard's was pretty nice. The female bartender was so sweet. She was very talkative and was excited to have Office fans there. She even gave me a free drink! The bartender used to work at Alfredo's Pizza Cafe so she was telling us what we should order and even gave us directions to the Penn Paper Tower from the opening credits. We had fun talking and she definitely made us feel like local Sranton-ites! LOL! Poor Richard's has karaoke on Saturday nights and we saw some crazy people coming in for the karaoke so we decided to leave before that madness began! We got lost going back to the hotel from Poor Richard's, but luckily Mike's phone guided us back to Dickson City.
The hotel must have been hosting some event because parking was ridiculous. We had to park like a mile a way in the darkeset part of the parking lot near the woods. Guests for the event took up the hotel guest parking spaces, which was really frustrating. I was hoping our car would still be there in the morning, and of course it was! The music was really loud and it was some Spanish speaking event because that's all I heard in the hotel lobby and the music reminded me of the music from Mexican restaurants. We turned up the tv in the hotel room to block out the music and watched some reruns of Ghost Adventures until we fell asleep.
Sunday morning we woke up and packed up. Our car was way back in the parking lot and we decided to head out to Alfredo's Pizza Cafe. The service was top notch, but I did not like the food that much. We got the square tray pizza they are famous for and Mike loved it, but I did not like it very much. I thought of it as Kevin from The Office would say "a hot circle of garbage", but it was a "hot square of garbage". Maybe it's because I'm super sensitive to dairy and gluten now that we are mostly paleo eaters, I don't know, but Alfredo's did not impress me. According to the show, Alfredo's Pizza Cafe is the good pizza place, but not in my opinion! After Alfredo's we stopped by the Penn Paper Tower and took a few photos, it was really deserted over in that area. Then it was time to make the 6 hour journey back to Ohio. We were pretty tired by the time we made it home and Artemis was very upset by us leaving him alone for 36 hours! He puked everywhere and was upset the rest of the night. By late Sunday night he was back to normal! What a drama queen! So that's Scranton! It was a blast, and hopefully we can go back with some friends and have more Scranton adventures! The trip was a nice short trip, but I really need to go on a long trip soon! Hopefully, it will be New Orleans in October!!!
Remember, you can see my Scranton pics on my facebook page!
So Mike booked a hotel room in Dickson City because the Scranton Radisson was actually completely booked! We left Saturday morning around 9:30am and got to Scranton around 3:45pm. We got to the hotel and the power was out and within five minutes of being in the hotel, the power popped back on. Thank God, because it was hot and kind of smelly in the hotel with the air conditioning off. The hotel was a Days Inn in Dickson City's red light district, LOL! There were adult bookstores everywhere! We chilled in the hotel for a bit and Mike mapped out where everything was so we could head out to Scranton!
Our first stop was the Steamtown Mall since it's right off the highway. The Steamtown Mall houses the famous Scranton sign from The Office opening. Steamtown Mall was as dead as Parmatown, LOL!! We found the sign and did our obligatory pictures in front of it. We walked the mall a few times and bought a few souvenirs from the Dunder Mifflin stand in the middle of the mall . The stand just sells all The Office stuff you can purchase from the nbc. com store at the same prices. I purchased a Scranton shot glass and a Dunder Mifflin lanyard (these items I did not spot in the online store). I did buy an awesome pair of boots that were really cheap at the Steamtown Mall's Shoe Dept. Store!! So I have an official receipt from the Steamtown Mall and the Dunder Mifflin stand! I of course, had to get a picture of the Victoria's Secret there too!
After the mall we decided to grab dinner at Cooper's Seafood Restaurant. It wasn't far from the mall and we got there after the dinner time rush so no wait! The food is a bit pricey, but it was delicious. I got the homemade pot roast and it was totally worth the money. The meat was so succulent and it melted in your mouth! Mike got crab and lobster tail and it was yummy too! The service was outstanding and I definitely want to stop there again!
So after dinner we decided to find the bar where The Office characters like to hang out at called Poor Richard's. Poor Richard's is in the ghetto of Scranton, LOL! It wasn't bad though. It's very close to Alfredo's Pizza Cafe. Poor Richard's is located in an bowling alley called the Southside Bowl. It is definitely a local's kind of bar. What was funny was that they were doing promotions fro Svedka Vodka at Poor Richard's and we love Svedka Vodka, so that was pretty cool. It's basically a sports bar, some people would call it a dive bar, but when you're like Mike and I who mostly frequent the Spitfire and Now That's Class, Poor Richard's was pretty nice. The female bartender was so sweet. She was very talkative and was excited to have Office fans there. She even gave me a free drink! The bartender used to work at Alfredo's Pizza Cafe so she was telling us what we should order and even gave us directions to the Penn Paper Tower from the opening credits. We had fun talking and she definitely made us feel like local Sranton-ites! LOL! Poor Richard's has karaoke on Saturday nights and we saw some crazy people coming in for the karaoke so we decided to leave before that madness began! We got lost going back to the hotel from Poor Richard's, but luckily Mike's phone guided us back to Dickson City.
The hotel must have been hosting some event because parking was ridiculous. We had to park like a mile a way in the darkeset part of the parking lot near the woods. Guests for the event took up the hotel guest parking spaces, which was really frustrating. I was hoping our car would still be there in the morning, and of course it was! The music was really loud and it was some Spanish speaking event because that's all I heard in the hotel lobby and the music reminded me of the music from Mexican restaurants. We turned up the tv in the hotel room to block out the music and watched some reruns of Ghost Adventures until we fell asleep.
Sunday morning we woke up and packed up. Our car was way back in the parking lot and we decided to head out to Alfredo's Pizza Cafe. The service was top notch, but I did not like the food that much. We got the square tray pizza they are famous for and Mike loved it, but I did not like it very much. I thought of it as Kevin from The Office would say "a hot circle of garbage", but it was a "hot square of garbage". Maybe it's because I'm super sensitive to dairy and gluten now that we are mostly paleo eaters, I don't know, but Alfredo's did not impress me. According to the show, Alfredo's Pizza Cafe is the good pizza place, but not in my opinion! After Alfredo's we stopped by the Penn Paper Tower and took a few photos, it was really deserted over in that area. Then it was time to make the 6 hour journey back to Ohio. We were pretty tired by the time we made it home and Artemis was very upset by us leaving him alone for 36 hours! He puked everywhere and was upset the rest of the night. By late Sunday night he was back to normal! What a drama queen! So that's Scranton! It was a blast, and hopefully we can go back with some friends and have more Scranton adventures! The trip was a nice short trip, but I really need to go on a long trip soon! Hopefully, it will be New Orleans in October!!!
Remember, you can see my Scranton pics on my facebook page!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
First Day of Summer
I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought why not? I'm listening to the thunderstorm and the hum of the air conditioner on this ridiculous humid day.
I just finished my second to last graduate class, and my last one starts next week. So this week leaves me with a lot less to do than I am used to. So I'm enjoying every minute of it. Artemis has been turning into a Mama's boy for the summer like he always does when I am home with him for most of the day. He stays up with me until I go to sleep. Sometimes he gets impatient and yells at me because he wants me to go to bed. LOL!
This past weekend was hectic, but nice. I got to see a lot of people!
Saturday night's dinner at Melt and then a rousing game of Apples to Apples was the most fun I have had in a long time! I haven't laughed so hard since the introduction of the term "bingo cart love" was introduced to me by a dear friend! Getting back to Apples to Apples, I ended up winning because Mike and I think so much alike that we were taking over the game. It's crazy how much we think alike. I love having Mike as my best friend.
Saturday night my group of friends and I came up with some great ideas for some future film parodies and projects. I can't wait to get started writing them! I'm starting with our Ghost Adventures Parody! It's going to be so funny!
Oh well, I'm going to go for now. I have a Netflix queue waiting for me to watch it!
I just finished my second to last graduate class, and my last one starts next week. So this week leaves me with a lot less to do than I am used to. So I'm enjoying every minute of it. Artemis has been turning into a Mama's boy for the summer like he always does when I am home with him for most of the day. He stays up with me until I go to sleep. Sometimes he gets impatient and yells at me because he wants me to go to bed. LOL!
This past weekend was hectic, but nice. I got to see a lot of people!
Saturday night's dinner at Melt and then a rousing game of Apples to Apples was the most fun I have had in a long time! I haven't laughed so hard since the introduction of the term "bingo cart love" was introduced to me by a dear friend! Getting back to Apples to Apples, I ended up winning because Mike and I think so much alike that we were taking over the game. It's crazy how much we think alike. I love having Mike as my best friend.
Saturday night my group of friends and I came up with some great ideas for some future film parodies and projects. I can't wait to get started writing them! I'm starting with our Ghost Adventures Parody! It's going to be so funny!
Oh well, I'm going to go for now. I have a Netflix queue waiting for me to watch it!
Monday, May 30, 2011
End of the school year and Memorial Day Weekend
I'm so busy this time of year. I have lots of homework for my online class and tons of work to finish before the school year ends in a few days. A lot of people have asked to hang out and I'm sorry it's just not happening. My next free weekend isn't until June 25th!! UGH! I can't wait for the school year to be over so I have some more free time!
I went to prom on Friday and I am so glad I got to go! Here are some highlights of the pics!
I went to prom on Friday and I am so glad I got to go! Here are some highlights of the pics!
Kay Kay and her date! They both were on the prom court!
Me and Merlin! He's so funny!
Nettapooh and her date! Interesting dress choice!
The Prom King Errol and his date!
Le'Quan and Angie! One of my favorite couples!
Ricardo and his date! One of my favorite students! :)
Most of Memorial Day weekend was spent doing homework and catching up on housework! Fun stuff! Mike and I did make it out to downtown Willoughby for breakfast Saturday. After breakfast we found this awesome soap shop! It's called The Gourmet Soap Market. It is amazing! I am set for soap for a long time now!! It's a neat little store! Definitely check out their website and facebook page: http://www.gourmetsoapmarket.com/ If you make it out to downtown Willoughby definitely check it out.
Mike and I went out Sunday to see the movie Bridemsaids, which was pretty funny! Well, that's about it for now! Can't wait for things to calm down!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
It never ends... decisions, frustrations, and random craziness!
It's been a long time since I blogged. I am super duper busy, but I felt the need to write. So here goes...
This time of year is one of the busiest times for me. The school year is ending, my online grad class is in full swing, and I want to spend time with my friends and of course Mike!
Yes, I am sad that I'm laid off again. I realize more this time around that whatever happens will happen. I feel bad for my students though, who once again will be robbed of any type of stability they had in their lives. It's the last week for my seniors and I'm going to miss them so much! They are the reason I go to work. They make me laugh every day and I just love teaching them. Yes, they are needy and drive me nuts, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Prom is Friday and I think I am chaperoning. I've never been at school that has a prom, so it will be interesting. I have to make sure I send them off properly. I write every student a personal note before they leave me for the year. I remember getting a note from my 2nd grade teacher when I was a senior in high school. She tracked me down and even put a picture from our 2nd grade Halloween party in the card. I'll never forget that. So that's why I write the notes for my students. You never know if it will make a difference. Yes, it takes me a long time to get them all done, but I love the look on their faces. So many of them have parents who do not care, and I want them to have the written proof that they are good kids no matter what has happened.
My grad class is in full swing and I've had so much work to do and 15 hours of classroom observation to do. I was very lucky to have some help from some awesome teacher friends that allowed me to observe their classrooms. I appreciate their help so much!! The class is demanding, and it's my second to last one before I finally have a master's degree. I'm just running out of steam for writing papers and participating in online discussions!
I'm sad that I haven't done too much musically. I have Tracy and Ashley's wedding to prepare for, and I'm excited to play for it! I'm happy to help out! I haven't had time to get the Powerhead Kids website going either, but in a few weeks I hope to get to that!
This past weekend Josh and Becky came up from Columbus. It was a blast to see them and hang out. I'm just sad that I didn't get to spend more time with them. :( Ashley joined us too and it's so nice to have cool friends. Even though we don't get to see each other all the time, it's good to know that we can have a blast together no matter how long it's been!
Mike has been picking up the slack around the house while I get all this work done. He's been cooking amazing meals (paleo) and keeping up with the grass and other yardwork that has to be done. He's the best boyfriend I could have. It came to my attention this weekend that some people have a hard time with the fact that we are not married. Well, too bad! I'm sorry, but Mike and I know each other much better than some of the married couples we know. It's so frustrating. It's our lives and yes, we will get married one day, but on our terms. We're not going to listen to anyone putting pressure on us.I will not have ANYONE bossing me around when it comes to our future wedding.
I also have to put this out there, my mother is the best seamstress and dressmaker ever! (And no, she's not available to do your tailoring needs!) If I want something made, I go to my mom. She made my awesome skull kitchen curtains and tons of amazing dresses when I was younger! Her mom also sewed, that's my Grandma Irene (that's where I get my middle name from), so when it comes to sewing my mom is the authority. No, she will not make my wedding dress because I rarely buy formal dresses and I'd like my wedding dress to be the first. END RANT!
Needless to say, it's been a frustrating few weeks. I'm looking forward to the school year ending because I just need some breathing room.
This week is going to be very exciting because I will finally be seeing the band Anathema! I can't f*cking wait!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's it for now. I think will blog again soon!
This time of year is one of the busiest times for me. The school year is ending, my online grad class is in full swing, and I want to spend time with my friends and of course Mike!
Yes, I am sad that I'm laid off again. I realize more this time around that whatever happens will happen. I feel bad for my students though, who once again will be robbed of any type of stability they had in their lives. It's the last week for my seniors and I'm going to miss them so much! They are the reason I go to work. They make me laugh every day and I just love teaching them. Yes, they are needy and drive me nuts, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Prom is Friday and I think I am chaperoning. I've never been at school that has a prom, so it will be interesting. I have to make sure I send them off properly. I write every student a personal note before they leave me for the year. I remember getting a note from my 2nd grade teacher when I was a senior in high school. She tracked me down and even put a picture from our 2nd grade Halloween party in the card. I'll never forget that. So that's why I write the notes for my students. You never know if it will make a difference. Yes, it takes me a long time to get them all done, but I love the look on their faces. So many of them have parents who do not care, and I want them to have the written proof that they are good kids no matter what has happened.
My grad class is in full swing and I've had so much work to do and 15 hours of classroom observation to do. I was very lucky to have some help from some awesome teacher friends that allowed me to observe their classrooms. I appreciate their help so much!! The class is demanding, and it's my second to last one before I finally have a master's degree. I'm just running out of steam for writing papers and participating in online discussions!
I'm sad that I haven't done too much musically. I have Tracy and Ashley's wedding to prepare for, and I'm excited to play for it! I'm happy to help out! I haven't had time to get the Powerhead Kids website going either, but in a few weeks I hope to get to that!
This past weekend Josh and Becky came up from Columbus. It was a blast to see them and hang out. I'm just sad that I didn't get to spend more time with them. :( Ashley joined us too and it's so nice to have cool friends. Even though we don't get to see each other all the time, it's good to know that we can have a blast together no matter how long it's been!
Mike has been picking up the slack around the house while I get all this work done. He's been cooking amazing meals (paleo) and keeping up with the grass and other yardwork that has to be done. He's the best boyfriend I could have. It came to my attention this weekend that some people have a hard time with the fact that we are not married. Well, too bad! I'm sorry, but Mike and I know each other much better than some of the married couples we know. It's so frustrating. It's our lives and yes, we will get married one day, but on our terms. We're not going to listen to anyone putting pressure on us.I will not have ANYONE bossing me around when it comes to our future wedding.
I also have to put this out there, my mother is the best seamstress and dressmaker ever! (And no, she's not available to do your tailoring needs!) If I want something made, I go to my mom. She made my awesome skull kitchen curtains and tons of amazing dresses when I was younger! Her mom also sewed, that's my Grandma Irene (that's where I get my middle name from), so when it comes to sewing my mom is the authority. No, she will not make my wedding dress because I rarely buy formal dresses and I'd like my wedding dress to be the first. END RANT!
Needless to say, it's been a frustrating few weeks. I'm looking forward to the school year ending because I just need some breathing room.
This week is going to be very exciting because I will finally be seeing the band Anathema! I can't f*cking wait!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's it for now. I think will blog again soon!
Friday, April 8, 2011
April Update
I'm so ready for spring break! Let me just start with that information. Life has been busy, there's never a dull moment. This week has been a week of fighting for what is right and not backing down. Between telling a principal the way it is and e-mailing a CEO who shouldn't be making education decisions, it's been a crazy week. So let me move on to more happier things.
We finally purchased curtains for our living room. This is a big deal, because it's been very difficult to find curtains that we liked, and that were affordable! Luckily, we finally did!
We finally purchased curtains for our living room. This is a big deal, because it's been very difficult to find curtains that we liked, and that were affordable! Luckily, we finally did!
Here are the living room curtains!
These are the new bathroom curtains!
Mike's mom made us a new set of bathroom curtains to match the newly painted bathroom. She also made a new shower curtain. Artemis enjoys the new shower curtain very much! He spends every morning playing in between the liner and the actual curtain. It's pretty funny!
My second to last graduate class started this week. This is probably the most awful class I have taken in the entire program. Our professor just got switched again and things are kind of ridiculous with trying to figure out how manage this class. There is a lot of work, so I probably won't be blogging very much for a while.
Well, that's it for now!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
SB5 Rally!
So the Rally Against SB5 was awesome! There were around 2,000 people. Yes, it was rainy and chilly, but it was so worth it. There were a lot of interesting signs. I think my favorite one was "I think Kasich has a Koch habit." So true!!! Many cars were honking and in favor of what we were doing. Mike saw some thumbs down. Thank God I didn't because they would have gotten the middle finger from me!! LOL! I didn't get to take pictures at the rally because it was so rainy. I did take some pictures of our signs that we made.
Regardless if you are non-union or union - SB5 does effect everyone. Everyone needs to be active in defeating this bill. So write your state senators and house representatives. Get involved! This bill will hurt all of us. We need to work together! If this goes to the voters in November we will need your help to make sure this does not pass!
Mike's Sign
My Sign!
Artemis was our helper! He's the cutest protester ever!
Getting ready to leave!
Regardless if you are non-union or union - SB5 does effect everyone. Everyone needs to be active in defeating this bill. So write your state senators and house representatives. Get involved! This bill will hurt all of us. We need to work together! If this goes to the voters in November we will need your help to make sure this does not pass!
Friday, March 11, 2011
MARCH SNOW DAY!
So like I predicted I had a snow day today. I'm happy that I prepared my kids for the snow day so hopefully they will look over their OGT study guide that I made for them Thursday. It was relief to know that i did not have to go out in the snow today.
I shoveled the driveway and even helped a visiting nurse for one of my neighbors dig out her car that was stuck in the street. Luckily, my cop neighbor came out and drove her car out of the mess.
Then my cop neighbor brought up SB5 and how pissed off he is. We talked about how we don't live extravagant lives, yet we are under attack. If Kasich is so concerned about balancing the budget, why doesn't he take a pay cut? Why doesn't his entire staff take a pay cut? Oh well, enough about that.
I'm a bit sore from shoveling. Mike and I were hoping to go to The Adicts Show tonight, but we decided not to go. Mike is working overtime tomorrow and I have a paper to start/finish, LOL!
Life has been really busy. One of my classes is overwith. I still need to finish my final project for my master's. Then I have two more classes to take to finish my master's degree. Whoo hoo! Not that it means anything anymore to have a decent education.
I shoveled the driveway and even helped a visiting nurse for one of my neighbors dig out her car that was stuck in the street. Luckily, my cop neighbor came out and drove her car out of the mess.
Then my cop neighbor brought up SB5 and how pissed off he is. We talked about how we don't live extravagant lives, yet we are under attack. If Kasich is so concerned about balancing the budget, why doesn't he take a pay cut? Why doesn't his entire staff take a pay cut? Oh well, enough about that.
I'm a bit sore from shoveling. Mike and I were hoping to go to The Adicts Show tonight, but we decided not to go. Mike is working overtime tomorrow and I have a paper to start/finish, LOL!
Life has been really busy. One of my classes is overwith. I still need to finish my final project for my master's. Then I have two more classes to take to finish my master's degree. Whoo hoo! Not that it means anything anymore to have a decent education.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
4 Day Weekend
It was a glorious four day weekend! I woke up on Friday feeling so good with the weather in the 50's. I made sure to get a nice long walk in before old man winter appeared again!
Friday was a "me" day. I spent time doing stuff I like doing! It was fantastic!
Saturday should have been called nap day! I think I was just run down from the week and the busy time of the year it's been with the OGT coming in only a few weeks.
Mike's mom came over and we all went to JoAnn Fabrics to get some material for the new bathroom curtains. I love what we picked out! I did get to go out to dinner with some great high school friends that evening! We had a lot of laughs and then we headed out to the Clubhouse in Parma and I got to see Nicole who was bartending. I even got to catch up with her boyfriend Will. I had a nice time with the ladies and I can't wait for our next outing!! Hopefully I'll see Nicole soon!!
Sunday was another relaxing kind of day. We spent it mostly getting work done around the house and running errands like buying cat food because Artemis was throwing a fit that he only had crumbs left! I also purchased something special for a little boy who is going to be a big brother really soon! I stayed up late on Sunday and finally watched "Eat Pray Love". Wow, it was a sucky movie. I totally recommend reading the book. The movie just moves so fast - it's not a horrible movie, but you must read the book to get the full effect! I even got some crafts done too - I'm hoping to open an Etsy soon!
Monday was spent doing work for my graduate classes and the classes I teach. I can't wait until the OGT is over. I've been really hard on the kids this year. No messing around!!! Not that it will do much good, considering I'll probably get laid off again. I'm so sick of working so hard and I get nothing for it. I really hate the laziness around me. Plus, don't even get me started on SB5!! Fuck REPUBLICANS!
Well, enough of my ranting! I hope everyone is having a successful February! Hopefully, I'll write again before it's March, but don't be surprised if I don't!
Friday was a "me" day. I spent time doing stuff I like doing! It was fantastic!
Saturday should have been called nap day! I think I was just run down from the week and the busy time of the year it's been with the OGT coming in only a few weeks.
Mike's mom came over and we all went to JoAnn Fabrics to get some material for the new bathroom curtains. I love what we picked out! I did get to go out to dinner with some great high school friends that evening! We had a lot of laughs and then we headed out to the Clubhouse in Parma and I got to see Nicole who was bartending. I even got to catch up with her boyfriend Will. I had a nice time with the ladies and I can't wait for our next outing!! Hopefully I'll see Nicole soon!!
Sunday was another relaxing kind of day. We spent it mostly getting work done around the house and running errands like buying cat food because Artemis was throwing a fit that he only had crumbs left! I also purchased something special for a little boy who is going to be a big brother really soon! I stayed up late on Sunday and finally watched "Eat Pray Love". Wow, it was a sucky movie. I totally recommend reading the book. The movie just moves so fast - it's not a horrible movie, but you must read the book to get the full effect! I even got some crafts done too - I'm hoping to open an Etsy soon!
Monday was spent doing work for my graduate classes and the classes I teach. I can't wait until the OGT is over. I've been really hard on the kids this year. No messing around!!! Not that it will do much good, considering I'll probably get laid off again. I'm so sick of working so hard and I get nothing for it. I really hate the laziness around me. Plus, don't even get me started on SB5!! Fuck REPUBLICANS!
Well, enough of my ranting! I hope everyone is having a successful February! Hopefully, I'll write again before it's March, but don't be surprised if I don't!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
February Update
So I haven't blogged in a while so here's an update!
Last weekend Mike and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary! Please don't bug us to get married! We're happy with the way things are and when we decide to get married, believe me you will all know! Weddings cost a lot of money and we're very particular with how we want things! Mike took me out on a wonderful date! We haven't done dinner and movie in a long time! He even took me to see a movie that I so wanted to see: The King's Speech. I'm obsessed with the British Royals. The movie was brilliant and who doesn't love Colin Firth?!! It was an awesome night!
Work has me really busy. It's standardized testing time. I find it frustrating because no matter what I do - won't save me from being laid off. Seniority needs to go when it comes to education. There's gotta be a better way! My students have been crazy, fun, and annoying all at the same time. I'm reaching burnout already this year and isn't that close to June yet! AHHH!!
My master's program is becoming crazy and demanding. I'm trying to work ahead to get everything done! It's just difficult to do when I'm lesson planning and then have to do more work for my classes!
The Powerhead Kids are awesome! We have plans for a website soon! So stay tuned!
I'm looking forward to doing some music stuff in the near future, but there's so much going on right now I guess it will have to wait!
That's it for now! I hope to update soon!
Last weekend Mike and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary! Please don't bug us to get married! We're happy with the way things are and when we decide to get married, believe me you will all know! Weddings cost a lot of money and we're very particular with how we want things! Mike took me out on a wonderful date! We haven't done dinner and movie in a long time! He even took me to see a movie that I so wanted to see: The King's Speech. I'm obsessed with the British Royals. The movie was brilliant and who doesn't love Colin Firth?!! It was an awesome night!
Work has me really busy. It's standardized testing time. I find it frustrating because no matter what I do - won't save me from being laid off. Seniority needs to go when it comes to education. There's gotta be a better way! My students have been crazy, fun, and annoying all at the same time. I'm reaching burnout already this year and isn't that close to June yet! AHHH!!
My master's program is becoming crazy and demanding. I'm trying to work ahead to get everything done! It's just difficult to do when I'm lesson planning and then have to do more work for my classes!
The Powerhead Kids are awesome! We have plans for a website soon! So stay tuned!
I'm looking forward to doing some music stuff in the near future, but there's so much going on right now I guess it will have to wait!
That's it for now! I hope to update soon!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Darnell
As a teacher you don't expect your students to die. Even in an urban environment where so many kids are needlessly killed, you still don't expect it. Well, it happened to me this week.
But first, let me tell you about Darnell or "Deuce" his nickname.
Darnell has the same birthday as me, September 7th. I know this because my students figured out when my birthday was a few days ahead of time and kept asking me what I was doing for my birthday. That's when Darnell told me that his birthday was the same day. When it came to our birthday many students were wishing me a happy birthday and I said, "Don't forget about Darnell! It's his birthday too!" Darnell got embarassed and really didn't like the attention. So I let him be. Come to think of it, he never wanted a lot of attention. He liked to blend in, but yet he didn't. He was very popular, despite his wanting to blend in. Darnell and I used to argue about typical teacher-student things. For example: him not being in dresscode, me telling him to get quiet, or me bugging him to finish an assignment, and he would get an attitude with me in front of his classmates, and I would laugh. Darnell always listened to me though. He just had to put on his show so everyone could see that he was rebelling. I'd always tell him "You're gonna drive me crazy!" and he would smile. I remember when he completed his Beowolf Children's Book. It was incredible. He took his time and was meticulous with that book. The illustrations were so impressive and he worked so hard. I hung it up on the wall and a month before his death he asked if he could take it with him. His mom was in the hospital and he wanted to show it to her. I said of course.
Darnell also loved to hoop. Most of his speeches were about basketball. He was a great basketball player. He was on John Adam's team and many of the younger players looked up to him.
Darnell was 17 when he died - a senior - so ready to graduate in June. About two weeks ago he was diagnosed with leukemia after being shuffled from one doctor to another. No one could figure out what was wrong with him. Then he got the leukemia diagnosis. I was told to gather work for him and that he would be in the hospital for a month to go through chemo. Within two days his lungs were failing. His lungs stabilized Friday (1/14). My students and I got him a Get Well card and one of my students delivered it to him over the weekend. On Tuesday (1/18) at 7am Darnell passed away. Ta'Shira one of his best friends and one of my students came running into my room Tuesday around 9am. I was already having a rough morning with my 9th grade repeaters. Ta'Shira had her shirt up around her face and I knew what she was there to tell me. I took her out into the hallway and she told me that Darnell lost a lot of blood over the weekend and he passed away that morning. For the rest of the day I saw members of the senior class just walking around like zombies. Even my pain in the ass 9th grade repeaters stopped their attitudes and got quiet for the rest of the day. I had Darnell for two of my classes. Ta'Shira and a few other members of the class won't let anyone sit at Darnell's computer. They sit there and guard it. As we were doing our mock job interviews in speech class this week, Ta'Shira did an interview as "Deuce". It really felt like he was there and she really nailed it. He would be so proud. I still have so many of his papers. I knew he was sick the last time I saw him, but I didn't know what was really going on. Darnell never wanted that many people in his business. He asked for an extension on some work and I said sure.
Darnell, you always made me laugh. The smirk you would get when we were arguing always made me laugh. R.I.P. Darnell. Gone, but never forgotten.
But first, let me tell you about Darnell or "Deuce" his nickname.
Darnell has the same birthday as me, September 7th. I know this because my students figured out when my birthday was a few days ahead of time and kept asking me what I was doing for my birthday. That's when Darnell told me that his birthday was the same day. When it came to our birthday many students were wishing me a happy birthday and I said, "Don't forget about Darnell! It's his birthday too!" Darnell got embarassed and really didn't like the attention. So I let him be. Come to think of it, he never wanted a lot of attention. He liked to blend in, but yet he didn't. He was very popular, despite his wanting to blend in. Darnell and I used to argue about typical teacher-student things. For example: him not being in dresscode, me telling him to get quiet, or me bugging him to finish an assignment, and he would get an attitude with me in front of his classmates, and I would laugh. Darnell always listened to me though. He just had to put on his show so everyone could see that he was rebelling. I'd always tell him "You're gonna drive me crazy!" and he would smile. I remember when he completed his Beowolf Children's Book. It was incredible. He took his time and was meticulous with that book. The illustrations were so impressive and he worked so hard. I hung it up on the wall and a month before his death he asked if he could take it with him. His mom was in the hospital and he wanted to show it to her. I said of course.
Darnell also loved to hoop. Most of his speeches were about basketball. He was a great basketball player. He was on John Adam's team and many of the younger players looked up to him.
Darnell was 17 when he died - a senior - so ready to graduate in June. About two weeks ago he was diagnosed with leukemia after being shuffled from one doctor to another. No one could figure out what was wrong with him. Then he got the leukemia diagnosis. I was told to gather work for him and that he would be in the hospital for a month to go through chemo. Within two days his lungs were failing. His lungs stabilized Friday (1/14). My students and I got him a Get Well card and one of my students delivered it to him over the weekend. On Tuesday (1/18) at 7am Darnell passed away. Ta'Shira one of his best friends and one of my students came running into my room Tuesday around 9am. I was already having a rough morning with my 9th grade repeaters. Ta'Shira had her shirt up around her face and I knew what she was there to tell me. I took her out into the hallway and she told me that Darnell lost a lot of blood over the weekend and he passed away that morning. For the rest of the day I saw members of the senior class just walking around like zombies. Even my pain in the ass 9th grade repeaters stopped their attitudes and got quiet for the rest of the day. I had Darnell for two of my classes. Ta'Shira and a few other members of the class won't let anyone sit at Darnell's computer. They sit there and guard it. As we were doing our mock job interviews in speech class this week, Ta'Shira did an interview as "Deuce". It really felt like he was there and she really nailed it. He would be so proud. I still have so many of his papers. I knew he was sick the last time I saw him, but I didn't know what was really going on. Darnell never wanted that many people in his business. He asked for an extension on some work and I said sure.
Darnell, you always made me laugh. The smirk you would get when we were arguing always made me laugh. R.I.P. Darnell. Gone, but never forgotten.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
New Year Update
I haven't blogged in the new year yet because I've been pretty busy.
This week has been insanely busy.
It was the last full week of the semester so there was plenty to do at work. Plus, with the massive snow many kids and staff didn't show up. When staff doesn't show up and there's no time to get a substitute it's up to the teachers who actually show up to work to help cover classes. I did that twice this week - teaching for four hours straight. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem - you know working 4 hours - but when you are dealing with some crazy kids it is exhausting. I kept my cool and both days were busy, but flew by too.
One of my seniors was diagnosed with leukemia this week. The crazy part is that he was fine last week. He had his usual attitude, but I noticed he was a little less active than usual. I got a note from his guidance counselor explaining that he would be in the hospital for the next month going through chemo. I have this student in my speech class and English IV class. Our class was pretty upset with the news.We also found out that the student's lungs were beginning to fail. So Wednesday was a sad day for us. I decided to brighten up the mood by having the students come up and tell funny stories to lighten the mood and it really did. We were laughing really hard despite our bad news. We did find out later that the student is doing much better and will be starting chemo. So I bought a get well card and I had the whole class sign it and one of his friends is going to take it to him. It's just sad that he is a senior and shouldn't have to be going through all this. I couldn't imagine being his age and dealing with cancer.
The rest of the week at school was filled with idiot adults, nothing much different from the usual. I hate when people bitch and complain, but never go to our union rep. about it. UGH!
Well, that's my school update. I'll be back on here soon, I hope!
This week has been insanely busy.
It was the last full week of the semester so there was plenty to do at work. Plus, with the massive snow many kids and staff didn't show up. When staff doesn't show up and there's no time to get a substitute it's up to the teachers who actually show up to work to help cover classes. I did that twice this week - teaching for four hours straight. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem - you know working 4 hours - but when you are dealing with some crazy kids it is exhausting. I kept my cool and both days were busy, but flew by too.
One of my seniors was diagnosed with leukemia this week. The crazy part is that he was fine last week. He had his usual attitude, but I noticed he was a little less active than usual. I got a note from his guidance counselor explaining that he would be in the hospital for the next month going through chemo. I have this student in my speech class and English IV class. Our class was pretty upset with the news.We also found out that the student's lungs were beginning to fail. So Wednesday was a sad day for us. I decided to brighten up the mood by having the students come up and tell funny stories to lighten the mood and it really did. We were laughing really hard despite our bad news. We did find out later that the student is doing much better and will be starting chemo. So I bought a get well card and I had the whole class sign it and one of his friends is going to take it to him. It's just sad that he is a senior and shouldn't have to be going through all this. I couldn't imagine being his age and dealing with cancer.
The rest of the week at school was filled with idiot adults, nothing much different from the usual. I hate when people bitch and complain, but never go to our union rep. about it. UGH!
Well, that's my school update. I'll be back on here soon, I hope!
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