[ECmom]

Will this week PLEASE end! Can't wait for a normal week........might actually get something done.
Robyn- you are a saint for teaching all day. My exposure is short in duration.....but I do love the little buggers. BTW-there lovely adolescent age and hormones gave them the right to an opinion- it don't get much easier as they get older either!!

Gotta go return to the tin can. See ya!

[ECmom]

I sent a man to work and got Atilla the Hun back. And it is not even Friday yet! Kiddies at work are getting spring fever. I need a ton of patience for that.
Nite!

[ECmom]

Hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!
The Atilla the Hun syndrome! It has a name. There was an article in the paper yesterday, and seriously, it is callled Irritable Male Syndrome. Described the dear man I married perfectly (he was not that way then). Of course getting him to do something about it is another story........

Anywasy, somehow was down a # at WW yesterday. Today has been ok- crummy work day (detours and road construction all darned day and the kids were wired). Just glad it is all over. Tomorrow is Friday.....Yes!

(Robyn, I would be happy to send you the link for the IMS article. LEt me know

[Anonymouse]

I am SOOOOOO glad its Friday tomorrow. But! Saturday is April 1st, and my Red Cross team goes on-call.
I got an A on my paper for my grad class, which was good... Things have been pretty calm and quiet at work and I'm trying to keep it that way... but that one girl just drives me up the wall! She cut LUNCH today... of all things! Didn't report to the cafeteria. She says she was in the library, but she didn't sign in and our regular librarian was out... the substitute, of course, doesn't know her. And then when we came back from the community, she went to the bathroom. Didn't ask anybody, didn't wait, just went. I understand she's 18... she doesn't think she should have to ask to go to the bathroom. I certainly chafed at that myself... but it drives me up a wall!
And my Spanish speaker refused to wash his hands to help us make rice krispy treats for the SD teacher. Her birthday was today, and so we decided to make her rice krispy treats since she loves them. My TA and I also got her a water bottle from Hopkins (she's the lacrosse coach... and Hopkins is one of the biggest lacrosse schools in the country), and a gift certificate to Chik Fil A (her favorite restaurant). He spent the period mucking up the teacher computer (not really, but its the one computer that when the teacher logs in, the media options like burning a CD show up, and the gradebook program).
And I'm afraid I'm going to really disappoint one kid tomorrow: he earned (finally, after 9 weeks!) a perfect week award... lunch at Subway. And I find out that the Subways in this area do NOT sell gift certificates!!!!!
I can't wait till spring break! Let me tell you: I plan to spend the week swimming, reading, and sleeping. I haven't been able to swim all week because this idiot mouse left half her swim suit in Baltimore at the other gym!
I've taken steps to prevent such a problem from happening again (ordered some cheap bike shorts that match the suit tops... because of the endocrine disorder, I can't do a one-piece suit: if I buy to fit my top, the bottom doesn't fit right! And the two-piece chlorine proof fabric suits are sOOOOO expensive!!!), but they didn't get here till today even though I paid for fast shipping!

[HatterasMermaid]

Hey YALL! WHOOO HOOO TGIF!!!! and YES, I'm SCREAMING it!

[ECmom]

Yup, thank goodness it is Friday!!!! How come this all seems to get tougher and tougher???? (no brainer here, it is life in general!)
Sort of a sane weekend ahead- tomorrow I think I am going to hang out at home- Sunday another double header at Dd's school (so that makes an all day affair). So far and if I behave myself, my eating today has been ok. Yesterday had its moments, and I went over points but there was no collossal disaster blowout....maybe I can salvage this week.

Gotta go- lots to do online( like pay Dd's tuition).

[Anonymouse]

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
I only have 2 kids in my morning classes on A days. One of them has been out all week with the flu. The other is my former chronic absentee who threatened to drop out when she turned 18. She didn't. She's still there. And hating every blessed minute of it. She spent all morning refusing and ignoring my requests for her to do her work... and when she did finally get work at to do, everytime I asked if she needed help, wanted me to check it, offered to help, she refused. The one assignment is designed to be done on the computer. She got all the pages out of order, skipping through and doing what she wanted to do. I offered to help, asked, asked and asked again... and kept being told no. I knew she wasn't doing it right, or doing what she needed to do... she spent 90 minutes copying 20 words on a list she didn't need to copy, and that the directions didn't tell her to copy!
She became mad when I told her she spent the whole 1st period doing something that she didn't need to do, that she couldn't get credit for, etc. Then, 2nd period, she shuffled papers for 60 minutes, and I told her she had work for me to do... I'm trying so hard not to make things WORSE because she just goes home and tells her father that I've done this stuff to her and I haven't... But her dad believes every word she says. Everytime I ask if she needs help she either ignores me or says no. If I go over and try to help, she gets madder.
And my Spanish speaker walked up to one kid and slapped him on the rear. I had to take him to the office because he was with the other teacher, and she was alone with the kids in the cafeteria. The ***'t principal was less than thrilled to see me, even though I said that I wasn't there, he wasn't with me. The first thing he asked me was, "why were there together without an adult!?". And I said they weren't... the other kid just walked up to him and did it! But it wasn't even my class!!!!!

[HatterasMermaid]

Oh Mouse! How frustrating! Hope it all works out... and I know..easy for me to say, BUT... Hang in there! Have you had spring break yet? Hope not! That way you have something to look forward to! Days with only Mouse and those that YOU choose to be with! ...ahhhhhh....

Gin, hope you salvaged the week!

Gotta get kids moving towards baseball practice! Yahoooo! DH is working again this Saturday! Work is good.... but on Saturday??? Mannnn....

Ya'll take care!
meee

[Anonymouse]

We'll see. I spent some time this afternoon with a friend of mine who also has training as a mediator. She was the paid staff person for my local Red Cross, but isn't anymore... but being just friends is better. I was telling her this, and also that I'm not that easy to read in terms of body language. I never have been because I don't follow the rules. Especially now, since I'm always cold (yesterday, it was 80, and I was wearing a turtleneck! Today, I had on short-sleeves and culottes, but had to put my fleece jacket on!), I tend to sit with my arms crossed. That is usually a signal that you're mad. Not for me. I've known my friend off and on for several years (although, as with a number of people I am friends with through Red Cross, we didn't know we knew each other. You meet people on national assignments from other chapters, and never know where you might see them again), and she's been my supervisor on at least one national assignment (Katrina). She told me that she has noticed that when I'm frustrated, I can send off signals like I'm mad. I'm also guessing that I'm quieter in school than I am with friends or in other situations... I'm not very loud to begin with most of the time, so hearing me "raise my voice" might have confused the administrators. Finally, I do have a very strange sense of humor. I can often laugh at the irony of a situation that most people don't find amusing. For example, I find it rather amusing that the local Red Cross (as have several other local chapters) sent me a 5 year pin for service. I've been a volunteer for 19 years now. This is the 2nd or 3rd 5 year pin that I've received. I also find it funny that it seems like whenever I'm on-call, we get a definite spike in responses (and in Baltimore, I was the dispatcher the weekend of more than one multi-unit apartment fire, Hurricane Isabel, and the Blizzard in 2003!). But most people don't understand it! So... her advice is to talk to the administrators and try to explain it. I'm less confident that this will be successful, but I'm thinking I'll give it a try. Logically, I can recognize that I'm having issues with this because it is hurting the kids I'm working with/for, but also because of what happened at my last school. I've been waiting all year for the administrators at this school to act like the ones in my last school... so now that they have, I'm not surprised. But, are they really acting like the people from the last school or is that my perception based on what has happened? If so, then I'm as guilty of making stuff up as the students are!
I finally finished my March goals. Not bad, since I wasn't allowed to swim until March 11th... and I left my swimsuit in Baltimore last week! This is a 4 day week for the students, so we should be okay... then, SPRING BREAK!!!!

[ECmom]

Take me out to the ball game..........
Be back to chat later!

[ECmom]

Survived today......Dd's team won both games, she pitched the first and DH'ed in the second. Even Atilla said it was a good (but nerve wracking) day!
See ya tomorrow.

[ECmom]

7 more days till spring break!!!!!!!!!!!! And that is about the best thing I can say about today!!!!!!!!! Thanks to a ton of stupidity with Dd, tomorrow I am off to register her for a summer course at the community college....so going to WW tomorrow instead of Wed. (not ready for this, but I am so hopelessly behind in my housework that I have to combine all my errands in one day or NOTHING gets done......so tired I could scream. Maybe I should scream...

[Anonymouse]

I can't wait till spring break myself, Ginny. Our students are off Friday, we have a teacher workday. But then we're off for the whole blessed week... and I'm actually finished with 3rd quarter grades, and my progress reports are turned in. I have both my IEPs that were due finished (one meeting tomorrow, one after spring break). I might survive the week.
I have a cold... and am thankful it is just that because we have had 2 kids out with the flu. One of them was the kid that said I scared him to pieces (he hasn't been gone for quite 2 weeks yet), and the other is my ED kiddo.
Speaking of which, that kid has had TWO perfect days this week. I might buy him lunch on Thursday anyway, even though he is supposed to have 5 of them... and he did miss 1 point off his sheet for something silly. I think he was goofing off instead of paying attention. If he makes it through tomorrow, I'll buy him lunch on Thursday... and crow to the world that he had a PERFECT week!!!! WE have worked SO HARD on his behavior this year.
He had only 2 office referrals during the 3rd quarter, and the point sheet totals have been climbing steadily during the whole quarter.
I can hope it stays that way!!!! Anyway, I got to go swimming on Sunday, but because of the cold haven't slept. So, I'll have to wait till Friday or Saturday now. I have class tomorrow, and a parent meeting that will probably go very late on thursday.
Oh... and I found somebody to clean my apartment! HUZZAH!!!! WOO HOO! I'm so excited! I'm never, never home, and when I am, I don't want to clean!

[ECmom]

Mouse, Hope you do survive the week. Sounds as though things might be a bit calm for you - between sick students and being caught up with your report cards etc... Hope the cold passes quickly.

Another stupid week. Barely getting anything done, or so it seems. Got to WW yesterday (long story why it was Tuesday instead of Wed but I was combing errands.) How I did this I don't know but I stayed the same. Exactly. Oh well.......clothes feel looser.......I'll catch up on the scale next week.
Have to sub on a HS/MS this afternoon. Not looking foward to that.......hate MS routes.
Gotta return to the salt mines. See ya!

[ECmom]

Well, this MS route lived up to all expectations.........loud, bratty, out of control. Had to threaten to pull the tape and pull off road to get the monsters to behave. Things are pretty bad when I am actually happy to see my elementary.....aw you know I love them.......so glad today is over.
See ya tomorrow.

Pam and Robyn- where ya hiding?! We miss you!