Mercy Me!!! Have I missed the posts! I've been reading for over a half an hour, and finally had to skim the last few days. It sounds like suddenly we've become a very lively group! And I know that liveliness and commitment I've sensed will help us all. Today is my birthday
--I'm 48--I think I'm the oldest in this crowd--that doesn't matter though, because I only feel older in that there are more years to remember and more experiences to call on when I am doing life today. Except for a few minor aches and pains (sciatica and probably arthritis) in my hips and legs, I really don't feel old physically. I was blessed last night with a compliment from an old friend I hadn't seen in probably 4 years--she said the nicest thing to me--I'm going to try to quote--she said, "Barb!!! You look so good! You don't age!!!" Now, tell me, did that feel good to me? You bet it did! As my birthday present to myself, I am going to walk around the track in the park this morning. I haven't done it since November, so I miss it desperately. The weather here in Chicago has moderated--in the 50's and 60's without too much wind, so I can go out without freezing.
The reason I didn't post all week was that I was very tired
from all the housework and paper grading I did last weekend, plus it was an absolutely crazy week.
Last night I finally finished grading these periodic reading tests I have to give to my students--lots of reading for me in the grading part because they write out a lot of answers. Then I have to fill out all this paperwork on each student's results--involving which questions they got wrong and right--then make up master sheets with all of the students' results posted. There are two tests like this. The tests total about 75 questions in all, plus two essay questions written in two booklets (so I keep having to turn pages to find out what they are doing). Multiply that by 28 students, and that's a lot of work!!!
That is, of course, in addition to my daily work and carting my older daughter to dance and flute lessons and the younger one to a sleepover, after, of course, buying a birthday present for the girl involved, dealing with a husband with a toothache (does the word CRABBY spell crabby?) He's getting the tooth out tomorrow, thank God! He wants to have a dental implant to replace the tooth, which will probably not be covered by the insurance we don't have yet, but I agree with that plan as opposed to the bridge or leaving a space options. So we'll fork out the $2000
it costs. Luckily we're both working again. I still have more papers to grade, and quarter grades are coming due, but I am finding the whole thing more manageable. Also, I will start teaching math to my fifth graders tomorrow in a switch with the fourth grade teacher. She was teaching math to 4th and 5th grade, and I was teaching them English. Scheduling was too difficult, and the students aren't mature enough to be out of a self contained classroom as much as they were, so we're starting the switch tomorrow. I still teach 4th grade social studies, but I don't have to teach science at all!! I just don't think I'd be very good at that.
Now--to the crazy week I had. This all pertains to school. I started Monday going to a conference sponsored by the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago to help teachers deal with the problem of sexual abuse of children (because of that whole priest sexual abuse scandal going on in the church right now). That morning the media announced that 6 local Catholic schools (not mine) were closing and consolidating into two. So many of the teachers at this conference (some of which I knew from my days working at the teachers' store) will be losing their jobs. Also, in my childhood, although I was never sexually abused, I experienced physical and verbal abuse in my home due to my father's alcoholism, which I believe helped me to be affected more emotionally to the abused children in two videos we saw in that conference Monday. My parent-teacher conference Tuesday went well, but those things require a lot of energy, which I really didn't have. The school days on Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty good, except for the discipline problems in my class--I've narrowed it down to three boys--from nine 6 weeks ago when I took over the class. Then on Thursday I received a very upsetting, critical, threatening phone call from a parent (this woman is known for being a troublemaker in the school and harassing teachers) whose twin children I have in 4th grade social studies (where we have been learning about the history of the southeast United States, including slavery, civil rights, etc., and even relating it to the apartheid system that formerly existed in South Africa) mentioned to her that I uttered the "n" word in class, and she decided it was inappropriate that I had done so (even when I told her that I was answering a question a student had asked me about language that has been historically used to put down African American people in America, and there was no way to answer the question properly without discussing that word). She said she was informing the principal and pastor about what I had done, and then she asked me not to discuss our conversation with anyone and questioned my professionalism in suggesting that I might treat her children unfairly in class because she had spoken to me!!!!!
Now the principal was away at a meeting that day, and I didn't know what the pastor would think if he heard the story from this woman before he heard it from me--like I said, she is a troublemaker--I actually feel sorry for the kids. Anyway, I did talk to the principal by phone that evening. She agreed that I had done nothing wrong, and the next day she reassured me that the pastor felt the same way. But then Friday morning I started my day at 8:20 a.m. with one of my discipline problem children flinging a pen cap across the room and hitting another child in the eye--I was writing on the board at the time, so I didn't see it.
Of course, the kid didn't admit doing it. Shortly thereafter, a policewoman who regularly comes into our classroom to teach an anti-drug/anti-gang program arrived for her lesson, and I got the principal, and for the next hour we investigated the incident by asking the students in the class to write anonymously what they knew about the incident, plus questioning individuals who seemed like they could be involved.
Finally the guilty party confessed
(we weren't doing anything until it was resolved) and received a punishment, and the principal and I are meeting soon to discuss some tightening of structure for those students. I also have outlawed pen caps and pens with pocket clips, pencils with erasers worked out of the metal end, uncovered rubber bands (even for hair or holding pencils together)--stretchy pony tail ties are okay, as long as they are covered--student-owned scissors (a kid last week took apart a pair of kid scissors, and it looked like two knives), rulers (another kid a few weeks ago broke his ruler into little pieces and threw pieces around the room), paper clips (they were bringing them to school, unfolding them, and throwing them), staplers, staple removers--yes, this is a Catholic school, and no, I don't allow this sort of thing to go on--it's been something that they have been doing on the sly, when I am writing on the board or looking at the book, or something like that, and it's hard to catch a student in the act.
I've confiscated things, told kids to take things home, broken a kid's ruler when he brought a new one in after I took the pieces of the one he broke himself and was throwing into a girl's hair. Now if any child has any of the things I have outlawed, he will be given a detention, no questions asked.
Parents, I'm learning, aren't always cooperative these days, so even talking with parents about the behavior of their children often doesn't help.
The mother of the kid who threw the pen cap knows her kid is a problem, but she pretty much accepts that he is just like that. I don't think she knows what to do with him either. So I'm often on my own, with the help of the principal only, in a situation like this.
Anyway, in trying to calm down after my day, I stayed after school pretty late to just putter around my room, which upset hubby. I wasn't too nice to him in response to what he said about it, and later when he spoke sharply to me later about something else, I absolutely went off on him.
Then yesterday I, for no good reason, went off on my older daughter about something she has been doing that is bothering me, but I hadn't really discussed it with her.
I apologized to them both, and discussed the issue I needed to with my daughter--probably better than I would have had I not blown up--but too bad I just couldn't have done the right thing in the first place.
I can have a sharp tongue, and I said some pretty mean things to her, which I can never take back.
I also discussed with my husband that I need to find a way to express feelings of anger that I can't express at school without hurting people at home. He agreed to be in charge of dinner
on Fridays so I can just come home after school and crash.
Anyway, that was my week. I didn't really follow my eating plan beyond the second day, though I didn't do too badly either. Starting April 8, I am off school for a week and a half for Easter break, so I am going to try a Phase 1 low carb period and walk every day at the track. Maybe I can lose three or four pounds.
As of last week's weigh-in, I was still at 156.5, unbelievably--only by the grace of God, I'm sure.
Well, Cjunk, as you can see, I am also a chatter.
I have gone on and on with these ladies for months now, and they still like me. It's nice to know that there's someone else out there that's also very verbal.
Welcome, Wubba! The girls give nicknames here--I'm Newie--short for newinspiration. I love it. For me, it's a sign of affection and caring.
How interesting to me that you're from Australia. I've had a penpal from Australia for about 11 years now. She also is from the south. I think she lives somewhere she calls Wesburn. She lives out in the country, and that is what I write on letters I send her before I write Victoria and Australia. Are you familiar with that area?
Well, cyan, you are sticking to your plan well.
You're helping me hang in there, as are the rest of you ladies, with your enthusiasm. I know I'm going through a very stressful time right now.
I am still happy to be back in teaching; it's just a lot different from what it used to be.
Well, I'm going to go now. I've been on this board for over two hours now. Tomorrow I've got a conference with another set of parents
--of a behavior problem child--not the one who threw the pen cap, but the one who drives me the most crazy. I'm going to try to be good to myself today. Hubby just told me to go for a walk. Thanks for listening to me, ladies.
You're life savers, all of you!!
Dont know how I managed to fit that in, but I did and felt better knowing that.
I hate scales.... I have been so good with the eating and the exercising and now this new scale has be weighing even more that before. Oh I am soooooooooo depresed and angry...but I will see what happens my the end of this week with this new scale.
