yep. a woman of few words. gotta get to my math objectives and filling out the required forms for 4 field trips.... after 20 years, this should be getting easier NOT making me crazyEEEEEER.
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someday i will reel myself back in...... i'm all over the place....emotionally and physically.... literally.... wonderful wonderful september mixed with my mother's decision to have MAJOR optional surgery NOWWWWW ........
arguing with the high school regarding IEP. husband's work schedule is never the same thing two weeks in a row. middle school kid who can't remember ANYthing that is important ........ but can remember anything he wants to remember.... principal demanding outrageous lesson plans....
miss you guys! thank you for your notes of love and concern........
take care
Summer- glad you got out of jury duty. How did it go with the band conductor? How does Dd like playing flute (I took lessons for about 10 years.....still love to play in the little spare time I have). Have your students settled into a routine and made it thru a day w/o accidents?
Kerry- great news for you that you actually have a planning period and can get some sanity in your day!!!!! Gotta be a good feeling, knowing that when you go home at the end of the day you have things sorted out for the next and can focus on family life and taking care of yourself. Hope your new boss works out well. Did you get any reading done?
Ms Mermaid- always good to hear from you, even if it is harried. You have been thru such a tough few weeks, between the beginning of school and then your Dm's surgery. (she doing ok now?). Let the dust settle........do the best you can. Sometimes we have to settle for getting pieces of our lives back together, and hope that eventually it all falls into place. And you have 2 teenagers. I think that says it all! (I remember my Ds in middle school. I was afraid that one of us was not going to survive middle school. thankfully he showed signs of becomming a human being in HS- note I did not say mature human being, just human being) Post when you can.......hope that you get some stability from Dh's work schedule.
I am doing ok.......trying to get back to normal from the miserable visit from MIL. Miserable visit, miserable woman. I did get a nice walk in this am (before my am route) and I am really liking the fall weather we are having.
Guess I'd better go get the dishes loaded and then go back for my afternoon.
Well I'll be! Chatting with myself here!
I wonder how Kerry is doing, she has not checked in in a few days. Kerry, I hope you are just busy, and all is well.
Hi Summerr, and Ms Mermaid. Hope both of you are enduring the life given to each of us well and with a smile. I thought of you this am......when I was wondering why the dickens I became a bus driver instead of a teacher (they offered me a position as a teacher, but I would have had to return for my masters). Yup, the bus ride was that bad.......
I have a student who just moved from NYC-has no experience on a public school bus. His behavior reflects that- however, everytime I have asked him to stop a behavior, or asked for a different behavior, he has complied immediately. He sits in the back with the other 5th graders, a rather tight bunch. I think part of the problem is that this bunch is tight.....and he is having a tough time fitting in. Perhaps he is acting out a bit, which of course, with the eyes in the back of my head, I can see some 30 feet behind (and around and under the seats). Got a phone call last nite from one parent......and a note from another parent. So, kept the kid in the first row, will write him up this afternoon and have the principal speak to the masses this afternoon. Supposedly the "new" kid was whipping another student with the seat belt, punching another student and kicking the seat very hard.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........
Got my walk inthis am......gotta go inspire Ds to do something! Anything other than watch TV.
Take care
Ginger
Evening,
I am still alive. My kids are justing keeping me very busy in my classroom this week. Then today was out of the building at a workshop all day long. Then was a sucker and went in for 1.5 hours for the afterschool program. So I have been coming home and falling asleep in the chair in the evenings. Have to do 10 alternate assessments this year. So that is what my workshop was on today, the changes the state made. They did come up with a computer program to use. So I will be using that this year to fill out my forms. That is what is new with me. Plus I have gotten three new Avon customers at school. So I am moving on up the ladder to my President's level. Hope to reach it by March. Then I can earn points for prizes.
Summer hope live is going well for you this week! How is your ww online going?
Miss Mermaid glad that you popped in to let us know you are okay and alive. Hope things mellow out for you soon. I know the feeling bout dieting and working out. I am trying to do well with my diet. Just haven't found time to put in schedule yet for working out. Think I will check into the workout room at the high school next to my school to see what their hours are. Maybe I could sneak over there one or two nights a week to workout a little bit before going home.
Ginger hope you straightened out your little angels. Especially MR. New York City. Sounds like he can be a handful. Have you ever thought about going back and getting your masters and then becoming a teacher?
Well I must go and think about going to sleep. TGIF is tomorrow. This week seemed really long. The only good think about it is hopefully on my next paycheck I will get my afterschool money on it. Every little bit helps. Goal is to pay off some bills and then spend the extra money on little extras for us. Like a weekend a way or saving for a vacation next summer. My dh's best friend tonight told us that we have to go on vacation with him and a few of our other friends next summer. So that is what we are going to start saving for. I guess the dear old ex is going to have to find another babysitter for a week or two so we can go to the beach. Well chat with you all later.
Have a great TGIF!
Kerry
Great to hear from you Kerry!!! Sounds as though you too have been busy, earning some extra $. It sure will come in handy with the financial goals you have set for yourself. Gee, the extra work sure poops me out too.....are you planning on working so much for the rest of the semester too? A vacation with Dh and some friends sounds nice, (you like his bf I hope!) and allows you to get some adult time in. We all need that, but hardly get it! Congrats on the new Avon customers ( I use Avon, too bad I live so darned far!). What does President's level mean?
Me? Well, I have had Mr NYC sit in the first row. My take on him is that he is really not a bad kid- I think he acted out because he feels left out. He converses with me beautifully- basically polite. The principal is actually going to ride my route Mon afternoon to see how the kids are (did I ever mention that she should be nominated for sainthood?). I do think this will all work out- once Mr NYC finds his niche in the social climate of my bus, and the other kids accept him. Kerry, I did very briefly entertain getting my masters- the nearest school that I can get masters level ed at is in New Paltz- about 75 minutes away on windy country roads. In bad weather it would be awful.
And considering the lack of support I get at home (housework etc) I know my studying would not be tolerated well. I needed something with a set schedule- regulated hours.....and that is what I have. And now I am taking a course to go for state certification as a bus trainer- and will be able to free lance doing that. Believe me, what I am doing right now is fine.
Could not figure out why I was so darned compelled to stress eat last nite, until this am.........I knew I was "due" but got too busy and forgot. (gee I make so much sense!). Hopefully I can get back on track with my eating, now that I know I was fighting PMS.
Did get a nice walk in this am. Got a weekend of softball/baseball.
And the lousy bills keep piling up.........plus the orthodontist just broadsided me and wants $200 a month. (I will save that story for another day).
I had better go and clean up a bit. TGIF
Ginger
Oh brother. The principal came up to me this afternoon....seems I really hit on a raw nerve regarding Mr NYC. She, because of my "incident" spoke to several who had interactions with Mr NYC ( teacher, lunch monitor) both mentioned great difficulties with him- foul language and defiant behavior out of line for someone his age (10). So the principal looked into Mr NYC's record.
He has a violent history-all she would/could tell me and he has been violent with other kids in NYC before moving here. So she has called in for counselling..... and I have submitted the letter I got from a parent to the district to help substantiate the matter. Guess my evaluation of the kid was not too correct... My husband thinks I am doomed.......last year it was the Aspergers kids (still have them, BTW!) now I have Mr NYC. I am SO glad it is Friday, and I do not have to deal with this any more. Well for 2 days.
Someone please tell me that I like this job.
Atilla came home, but I think he is mellowing. We are driving 130 minutes tomorrow to see Dd play softball. Well with Dh driving, it might take less time!
Ds has a game Sunday. I am sick of softball and baseball. I want to sleep in tomorrow.
Gotta go........Dd is on the phone.
Have a great weekend!
GInger
It has been so busy this week. Sorry I've been MIA.
Ginger: I only have 9 credits toward my master's degree, and I'm not pleased about having to get it. Being a certified teacher isn't enough to teach for more than ten years, and I'm on year seven. I don't have tuition money, and I have to work after-school just to pay the bills, so even if I had the money to pay for school, I certainly wouldn't have the time. It'll get done eventually. I don't blame you for NOT wanting to go back to school. Being a teacher isn't all it's cracked up to be anyway. The summers and vacations are my only incentives to stay in this field. If they ever took those away, you'd find me in some air-conditioned office somewhere making six figures instead.
Sorry you got a handful of grief with Mr. NYC. Poor kid obviously hasn't had a good beginning to his life. So, it may not be that the 5th graders are just an inpenetrable clique, they may actually have some very good judgement of who to befriend. Then again, if they just threw him a bone once in a while, he might be less hostile.
Kerry: You sound as busy as I am. September is a rough time of year. Hang in there. Congrats on the three new customers enhancing your status with Avon.
Mermaid: How's mom? How are you? How's the family? Take a breath once in a while.
DD's band meeting was a waste of time. The new band leader was trying to get kids to change their minds about the instrument they chose. He's even approached some children during school and put pressure on them to change. They didn't approach DD, and if they did, there would have been **** to pay.
Midweek was good. The kids are adjusting to the routine. Classroom is boiling hot and humid. Thursday was Back to School night. What a friggin' bust! I had two families represented. Fortunately they were my two favorites, so it was quite pleasant, but there should have been 16 more families there to listen to what I had to say. Whatever! Friday was an all-day professional development day. Everyone in the entire school system had a workshop to go to except for pre-k. The early childhood department finally came up with something (with much attitude...apparently we were putting them out) for us. It was a much needed meeting. The early literacy coach wasted an hour of our time giving us information we already had (again, with much attitude...and what are these people doing for their salaries?!). But the rest of the day was informative and also gave us a chance to vent our many frustrations.
There was one very serious issue not resolved. Late last spring, four principals were informed that their pre-k's were going from two half-days to one school-day schedule. The only info shared beyond that was that we needed to order cots. We ordered our cots, and I jumped for joy that I was no longer going to have to travel between schools. Fine. Parents registered for the free pre-k program supported by a grant. Summer happened. School began. Children arrived. Some cried. Some wet themselves. Routines began to form. I received a paper with numbers on it and words that read, "Sliding Scale." Didn't know what this was or what it meant, so I showed it to my principal. She said, "WHAT?!" I said, "I don't know!" She called the new director of early childhood who doesn't know anything about anything, but she dresses well and looks like she spends a tremendous amount of time at a spa. Anyway, yesterday's meeting provided us with too much information, i.e., collecting proofs of income, sliding scale figures, and calculation info. I received a blank monthly report on my pre-k's finances. I need to open a checking account. I need to tell the parents they now have to pay tuition, collect that money, account for that money, and deposit it in the bank. I'M A TEACHER!!! Bad enough I've been forced to be a social worker, nurse, and practically a parent to both the parents and their children, but now I'm an accountant and a bill collector too?! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I return to school, I will try to lay this at my principal's feet. Even if I have to manage the money, I don't want to collect it, and worst of all, have to tell the parents that they now have to pay. Isn't that breach of contract? The early childhood department insists that all the principals were told, and all of the principals insist that they were never told. I believe the principals. Unfortunately, being right won't help the situation. Nobody want's to take responsibility for their actions. People suck.
My ultrasound results came in, but I did not hear them over the phone. I was promised that the doctor would tell me over the phone. Instead, I will be told the results in person and will have to have an endometrial biopsy on Monday. I refuse to be sick, so the results need to be benign. This would be a good time to start praying.
Summerrr, congratulations on your promotion to the accounts payable department. I am sure that that is a 12 month position and comes with a high salary, $125,000 per year or so. Oh, and paid vacations, flex time....
OK, by now you hate me. This situation sounds borderline unethical to me, besides that is sucks. I do so desparately hope that your principal stands behind you AND most importantly, writes the "dear parent" letter that explains in detail, this miserable disaster. You would think that the district would draft the letter, complete with the explanation of the sliding scale of fees based upon income. About the only good thing I can see regarding the situation is that school has been in session almost a month- so that by now the parents know that you are a wonderful, caring teacher, and that this is really not something you intended to do. Try not to "sweat" this situation regarding your biopsy. Lots of times they request additional testing for the sake of being excessively thorough and completely eliminating all possibilities. (think I just went thru that kind of experience....and remember the darned transvaginal sono I had about 2 years ago for no apparent reason). I am thinking super positive thoughts for you- and praying for you. It will all be ok. You are in my prayers. AND, I am so glad that the band director did not attempt to dissuade Dd from taking the flute. I know my years of playing were very enjoyable (actually considered being a music major, but realized it was not practical). Flute is a great instrument. I hope she finds great joy in playing it, as I did (and still do when I find the time).
So, today we went to Dd's first softball game of the year. It was a tournament, 3 games. She pitched the first game (they won), and she had a good outing. Dh promised we would leave after the first game (the only one she was supposed to play in).......and we stayed for 1/2 of the second game.
Mind you, it was north of Albany, a 140 minute drive one way. And it was hot.
Dh got "pissy" once we left.....said he should have stayed...(anyone got tissues?). Well, the next time I will either not go, or figure out a way not to bring Dd (11). Dh has been miserable all afternoon, and feels guilty about leaving the tournament. Mind you, tomorrow, Ds has a game- only this is only 1/2 away. (that is why we attempted to cut today short). Sigh..........such is my life. I did get a walk in once we got home (had to blow off some steam!) and started waging war against a bush that I am taking out because it has become overgrown.
Oh, and BTW, Summerrr, the reason I took this job is the very same reason you stick with teaching, the schedule and vacations. I have no desire to return to college. Had entirely too many years of anal retentive professors who have delusions of grandeur about themselves and honestly think they rule the world.
So, tomorrow is church, then Ds's game and a trip to the craft store (have to make a basket for a raffle for Dd's team). Not much else is new. See ya tomorrow!
Kerry and Ms Mermaid,how are your weekends?
Ginger
Okay, I woke up with my period. Yes, my appointment was still on. I ended up not getting a biopsy because my endometriosis is so widespread that a biopsy of one area wouldn't give the doctor answers about the entire area. I have to have surgery and get it all removed. So, in December, I will have another ultrasound and in the new year, I will get operated on. Right now the results are inconclusive, but it is not an emergency situation. THANK GOD.
Tomorrow, I go back to school and deal with my principal about the tuition issue. Hopefully, she will take this off my hands. Yeah right!!!
Summerrr- what kind of procedure will you have in December? (I am thinking D&C, which is no picnic, but not too miserable). How are you holding up thru all this? How did it go with the principal and the tuition issue?
Me I am just busy up to my eyeballs. it is very interesting having a college student home, (Ds) but for this particular student I am glad he is home.
He is a good kid....not in trouble at all, just at times needs a mature push....or shove......
Getting my walks in. And am going to a meeting Thursday, come **** or high water. Even gonna be a real human being and stay for most of it!
Better go get ready to face the insanity for the afternoon.
Take care......
Hi Kerry and Ms Mermaid.
Ginger
Ok, lets see......start with the good stuff. Got a walk in this am. Stepped on the scale this am and I might be down a wee bit (.5) for tomorrows WI, if I behave myself. Mr NYC was not on again today- think his mom has him in before care to keep him out of trouble on the bus...
Then I got to the darned dentist and he had to make his 4th and then 5th impression for the stupid crown. My 45 min appt took about 75...... (the crown is a long, long story. I had a toothache in January, and had to see the new dentist in the practice...I will NEVER use him again and stay with my original dentist). Then came home, and while speed mopping the kitchen floor, the cat got to my lunch, which I stupidly left on the table for a few minutes. Aw life could be much,, much worse. And the heat here stinks.
Anyway, gee, I am beginning to rant like our dear friend Ms Mermaid.......miss you !!!! (and I do not nearly rant and rave as well as she does).
Kerry, Summerrrr and Ms Mermaid- hope you are having a great week.....I look foward to hearing from you whenever you can post. take good care
Ginger
As this day continues to spiral into insanity. Dd's teacher wants stuff for the science fair.......with no notice?! Huh? Oh, she will get stuff......she will see my not to smiling face tomorrow at school (tomorrow I am there to teach computer.......)and I will tell her to provide a wee bit more time than 12 hours to accomplish this goal. Gee, perhaps a day or so would be nice. But aw, heck, that is asking a wee bit much, isn't it?
I cant wait for my "19A" course........(I am taking the course for state certification as a trainier in Nov). It involves 2 overnights and I will not have to deal with this bull****. I get to spend 2 nights in a hotel room all by myself........think I can handle it? think I am nuts????
Nite all.
G
Evening Ladies,
Ginger sounds like you are having a busy week. Keeping my fingers crossed that you have a loss at your weigh in tomorrow. I gained a pound at TOPS last night. But that isn't bad since last week was TOM. Just have to work harder this week. Glad you haven't had to put up with Mr. NYC for a couple days. Sorry things have been so busy for you. When do you go to your class?
Hi to Miss Mermaid and Summer Hope your weeks are going well.
My week has been busy. I have worked every night after school. Then come home to do little chores around the house. Then get ready for the next day. I have to have my grades on my computer by the 2nd. So I am trying really hard to get them on there a little each day. But my kids are not being very cooperative. Must be the full moon. This week I am going home to see my family for the weekend. So I am looking forward to that. I know it will be a rushed visit but that is fine. Just as long as I get away from my everyday life for a little while it will be great. Plus I will be able to see my bf's baby boy.
Well off to bed. Very tired and need to get some rest. My ten kids keep me hopping.
Talk to you later,
Kerry
I think that says it all! (I remember my Ds in middle school. I was afraid that one of us was not going to survive middle school. thankfully he showed signs of becomming a human being in HS- note I did not say mature human being, just human being
) Post when you can.......hope that you get some stability from Dh's work schedule.
I said, "I don't know!" She called the new director of early childhood who doesn't know anything about anything, but she dresses well and looks like she spends a tremendous amount of time at a spa. Anyway, yesterday's meeting provided us with too much information, i.e., collecting proofs of income, sliding scale figures, and calculation info. I received a blank monthly report on my pre-k's finances. I need to open a checking account. I need to tell the parents they now have to pay tuition, collect that money, account for that money, and deposit it in the bank. I'M A TEACHER!!! Bad enough I've been forced to be a social worker, nurse, and practically a parent to both the parents and their children, but now I'm an accountant and a bill collector too?! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
