eleven: My husband
A year in, that still feels weird to say.
He makes every day better. He's not perfect, but neither am I. He's my favorite person to tackle all of life's adventures with, whether it's navigating the grocery store right before a holiday, tackling home improvement projects, or frantically finishing a show on Netflix before it goes off line, I'm grateful for my rock.
He helps me laugh at things and not take everything so seriously. He's truly the opposite of me in so many important (balancing) ways, but at the end of the day, we agree on what matters.
He doesn't complete me. I am complete as a person. Instead, he compliments me and challenges me to be the best version of myself. He comforts me when I need it, encourages me always, and lets me know (politely) when he thinks I'm wrong (on the rare occasion it happens).
I'm thankful for a friend's birthday party that brought us together. I'm thankful for the relationship we've built together over the past (almost) five years. I'm thankful we got through the first year of marriage! I'm thankful that the adventure continues and the best is yet to come.
Let's not glamorize sinus surgery friends. It's not a pleasant experience.
While it was an out patient procedure, I wasn't expecting the pain afterwards. I'm still in the healing process, so I can't tell if it was "worth it" yet (a question I'm frequently asked).
Since I shared openly about the {LASIK} procedure I had last June, it seemed appropriate that
Spoiler alert: There are post surgery pictures and they aren't pretty. (They aren't grotesque and what I've sent my mom, but I didn't post them on social media for unsuspecting eyes. Read at your own risk. Xo, Voldemort.)
Pre Surgery
This saga started months ago. In March, I got yet another sinus infection. Several rounds of antibiotics didn't do a thing and the infection kept getting worse. I was miserable. The urgent care doctor sent me to an ENT (ear, nose, & throat doctor).
After many hoops, I got into the ENT in early April. Long story short, he's amazing. I explained my medical history (chronic ear infections as a child, several sinus infections a year, etc). He explained that I wasn't getting better because the cough incompetent cough urgent care doctor prescribed me medicines that were counteracting one another. One was thinning the mucus, the other thickening it. I feel like that's a simple error the doctor shouldn't have made. One look up my nose revealed the truth: I had a severely deviated septum and surgery was a definite possibility.
He referred me for a face CT to see the severity of my septum and create an action plan. I was scheduled for that in May, but since my insurance does not process things in a timely manner, I had the CT in June. (This is two months of struggling to breathe by the way. I definitely don't feel like a priority to the health care system.)
From there, I went back to the ENT and he said yes, surgery would fix this. My nose made a S shape on the inside (it's supposed to be straight) and my x-rays revealed a gray ring of mucus completely impacting both of my sinuses (the under the cheek bone ones). Fun, right?
Because my ENT respects my job as a teacher, he fit me in two weeks before I go back to work. The healing process is roughly 10 days, so this left me some wiggle room to set up my classroom.
I had to change my primary care physician, go to a new one (who was booked through November), see the PA, and get her to sign off on the surgery as well. Insurance took until August 1st to approve the surgery, which was only slightly nerve racking because surgery took place on the 8th.
Luckily it was approved (and incredibly expensive). I went in on Thursday (8/04) to do blood work, a urinalysis, and sign all my pre-op paperwork. I went to St. Rose and it was such a pleasant experience.
I spent part of the weekend outside and anxiously awaited Monday morning. As part of my pre-surgery care, I stopped taking vitamins (because many contain blood thinners), couldn't eat or drink after midnight, and removed all jewelry prior to going to the hospital. I had a horrible migraine on Thursday but had to suffer through it because Excedrin was on the banned list. That wasn't fun.
Surgery Day
I was at the hospital at six am, which meant we left our home at 5:15 in the morning. Because this is ridiculously early, my (future) MIL came over the night before and spent the night. We (okay, he) made my mom's 3 bean turkey chili and she brought a salad & bread sticks from Olive Garden. We walked Waffles, watched some of the Olympics, and went to bed early.
I got checked into the hospital, changed into the ever attractive surgery robes, met the anesthesiologist and my surgeon (my ENT). The nurses were friendly, I was wheeled into a sterile room, I got a oxygen mask...and woke up several hours later.
I was in pain and anxious after surgery. I was nauseous and continued to be so for days. My amazing MIL brought me home, went to get my medicines (Tylenol with codine and augmentin, both of which make me sick to my stomach), and proceeded to clean our whole house while I "watched soccer" (aka napped). She stayed until B got home, then came back two days later to take me to get the packing removed.
The first day I was able to sleep for about forty five minutes at a time before I'd wake up choking and needing water. I think I drank fifteen glasses of water and had to use the restroom every thirty minutes. My throat was raw from the breathing tube and my face felt full. My nose was swollen and full of packing. I take antibiotics every 12 hours and pain killers every four. I also get to take a probiotic and stool softener because the medicine wrecks my insides.
Luckily I managed to escape the dreaded black eyes! I did have gauze under my nose that
I'd have to change every few hours because of bloody mucus discharge. I also got to use saline drops to moisture my nostrils. B has been wonderful throughout the whole process.
Recovery
Today, four days after the surgery, was the first time I was able to eat a real meal. The rest of the week has been water, apple juice, Gatorade (or at least the few sips I could take), a Popsicle, toast, attempting to eat oatmeal and mashed potatoes (both made me sick), and lots of soup broth. Today I managed some Trader Joe's mac and cheese (thank you Mrs. J for bringing it over!)
I had the packing removed from my nose on Wednesday, which essentially meant my ENT used large tweezers to yank the cotton from inside my nose. Not fun, but my head felt less "full" afterward. He also switched my medicine to extra strength Tylenol and that has significantly cut down on the nausea. I had a few people ask why I wasn't given stronger medicine and quite frankly, I'm glad. I don't handle strong medicine well and if I can get by with naps, water, and extra strength Tylenol, then that's my preferred healing plan.
I'm not allowed to touch my nose and spend the next few days dealing with discharge. I was not prepared for how gross this would be. I literally have gooey snot bubbles coming out of my nose that I can't touch. I have to wait for them to pop, blood to drip down my face, and then gently blot with a tissue. Fun, right? My ears pop every so often, my throat is still scratchy, my tongue gets super dry, and I have a pressure headache most of the time.
I did accidentally bump my nose waking up from a nap, so if it still tingles tomorrow, I'm going back to the ENT. I'm worried that I've made it crooked. It looks crooked to me, but it's also still swollen and hard to tell.
I get the splints out next Tuesday. I'm very much dreading this process.
Luckily I have amazing friends and a great support system throughout this ordeal.
First, Chloe supervises my eating of soup.
She's also been laying in my lap and on the back of the couch. Her sister, Crookshanks, watches from the table. (Yes, there are my teacher planning materials in the background).
Second, Waffles has been by my side almost constantly:
Whenever friends come over, she's her rowdy puppy self. But she must know that I'm hurting because she's been incredibly gentle with me.
Third, my mother in law has been wonderful. My own mommy couldn't be here and Kathy more than stepped up to fill the void. Between getting me medicine, driving me to appointments, and taking care of house chores so that B could devote his time to me, I couldn't have done this without her. I appreciate her and I hope she knows it.
Fourth, B has been wonderful. Even when I was puking in a bowl on the couch (because I can't bend over and puke in the toliet), he didn't have any reaction. He normally is super grossed out by this stuff but he held it together because he knows how much this hurts. He slept on the couch the first night (because I have to sleep in the recliner with my head elevated) and is beyond attentive. He's picked up the slack on house work because I can't bend over, which means I can't help with dishes, laundry, or the litter. He went to the grocery store and brought me back five types of instant potatoes and three types of pudding because he wanted me to have options. That's the man I'm marrying and I couldn't be happier about it. We've already got the "in sickness and in health" part of our vows down!
Fifth, I have great friends. I've received lots of texts and facebook messages (because talking hurts). Mrs. K did a drive by with my favorite type of ice cream on Tuesday and is coming over tomorrow. Mar came over Wednesday night. Mrs. A, Mrs. H, Mrs. J, and Mrs. H came over today for some planning and catch up time. Mrs. A brought me a Harry Potter coloring book and Starbucks. Mrs. J brought me a Sonic slushie. They stayed for about two hours, which was perfect. I appreciate them so much.
After they left, I needed a several hour nap to recuperate. I woke up to find B had went to bed (he has an early day tomorrow) but he was kind enough to leave me with Broncos pre-season football on the television (because that's love).
Tomorrow (and the rest of the weekend) brings more relaxing on the couch, frequent naps, and all the water I can handle. I've got some reading materials and a coloring book to keep me company. I've also got friends coming back on Monday to finish up planning because the start of the school year is creeping up on us.
I hope this surgery was worth it. I hope this severely cuts down on the number of sinus infections I get each year (ideally to zero). I'm hoping to be able to breathe normally and not wake myself up coughing in the middle of the night.
Fingers crossed it worked!
I posted this message on my facebook wall, but felt it warranted appearing here too.
I wanted to say thank you to those who have supported one of my small businesses ({Jamberry}, {TeacherspayTeachers}, and/or {Younique Products}).
Your support helps pay for books and supplies for my students. (Specifically glue sticks, thousands of post its, and everything Rick Riordan writes in mass quantities. You'd figure nine copies of the same book would be enough, but it's not enough.) You helped pay for Waffles's pet adoption fees, shots, obedience school, and toys. (So many toys). You're helping us pay for our wedding, because we're trying not to go in debt for this fabulous dinner party we're hosting. Your support helped us afford the new computer B needed for college (because his laptop was eight years old). Your support helps cover expenses because teachers took a pay cut this year and well, that sucked. I need to double check my courses, but I'm pretty sure I just finished Masters +32, that I may or may not receive a pay raise for...so small businesses help cover the difference.
Thank you for supporting me.
Quite frankly, the school district is a bit of a hot mess right now. The most frustrating part is I don't know who to direct my anger towards. Is it the superintendent and his cabinet for mismanaging funds? Is it the board of trustees? (One is an incompetent ignoramus who had the audacity to enter our school and tell fifth graders that the goal in life was to be rich and have lots of friends. Petitions are circling to get this person recalled.) Or should I be mad at teachers health trust? The union?
I know the one group I'm not upset about is my fellow teachers. While I can't speak for all educators, but the ones I'm blessed to work with are some of the most passionate and dedicated educators. They are there early, stay late, and reach into their own hearts (and wallets) to provide what their students need the most.
In one of the teacher support groups I'm in, I found this rather frustrating post.
I do not know the author in person and for that, I am grateful. She's been rather hostile and aggressive towards other teachers, which serves no purpose other than fanning the flames of anger.
Her post:
"I ran into a nice kid yesterday who told me he hoped to get his degree and then apply to be a TFA. TFA is a scam. Please warn your friends and neighbors about this trap. It would be much easier for aspiring teachers and better for kids if the leader in the at-risk classroom was prepared. Please forward to anyone who is considering this move and warn them."
Below it, she attached a rather biased and negative opinion piece.
Normally, I move on from these sorts of things. I try to take the high ground. I try not to engage with the irrational.
However, I've had enough. Biting my tongue only works for so long.
Here was my response:
"Don't paint all TFA teachers, or ARL teachers, with the same brush. As a TFA alum who's on year seven in the classroom, I take offense to my non-traditional career path being called a trap and a scam. Teaching isn't easy, period. Name calling and pitting teachers against one another doesn't make the situation better. Why not band together and inspire one another? Not all students have the same background, so why not embrace that teachers have diverse backgrounds too?"
So far, I've only received positive replies and other teachers mentioning the great work that the TFA teachers have done in their buildings. Turns out, spreading positive vibes and emphasizing diversity as a positive attribute is more well received by the public then rage-filled vents that seek only to hurt others' feelings.
Yes, teaching is quite frustrating at times. Low pay and a lack of respect don't help. But when teachers start bashing other teachers, how does that make the situation any better?
Instead, I choose to spread good vibes. I hope this rather angry teacher finds something positive to share with others. Being irate all the time isn't the way to live.
Today, like most days, I'm thankful for my work wife, Mrs. H. (Her husband, who also works at our school, knows we are work wives and accepts our constant collaboration).
She keeps me on task. She reminds me of work obligations that I've written down, then ignored. She motivates me to look for ways to improve and continue to improve my knowledge as an educator. We're currently taking our fourth (?) grad class together and we keep each other accountable to deadlines.
She is very linear and sequential in her thinking and planning. She is organized and on top of things.
I am organized in my own, slightly chaotic way.
See, I'm a squiggle and she's not. That's why we work.
I live in right brain, global thinking, big picture land where we try new things and make lots of connections. She lives in scaffolded, sequential land and that's very good for students. Together, we make some awesome learning opportunities for our students.
Sometimes I have to go to trainings and she's not there. This is how I cope:
Those of you who also have work spouses, you get it.
I am thankful for the continued collaboration with my work wife. We plan every subject together, share the SPED kids, and constantly bounce ideas off of one another. My strengths compliment her areas of growth and vice versa. She's my sounding board, my back up, and the person who willingly takes that kid when he's having that kind of day.
I'm thankful for a majority of my coworkers, but she really stands out as one that consistently encourages and motivates me to be the best teacher I can be. I hope I do the same for her.
I started this blog a few years ago as a way for me to document my growth as a teacher as well as share ideas with others. Since then, I've had several wonderful educational opportunities and expanded my PLN outside of my district.
Maybe you're here because pinterest brought you here. Maybe you follow my teaching board and clicked on one of the pins I generated about anchor charts. If so, welcome to my blog!
Maybe you're here because you saw something I posted on facebook about wedding planning. If so, hi! We still don't have a date or venue, nor have I officially asked most of the wedding party (just the MOH and officiant), so you didn't miss any major announcements.
Maybe you're here because you saw my post on twitter or we're in the same professional learning network. If so, welcome tribe!
To my followers, thank you. I have followers here and on TpT, both are highly valued!
To my readers, thank you. I know my 50,000+ views aren't all my mom! If you are a frequent viewer, why not become a follower?
The thankfulness continues.
I'm thankful I found this cute banner on Amazon:
I am itching to put up my Christmas & winter decor...but it's November. I will not give in to commercialization pressures and go overboard. One holiday at a time people! Let's just enjoy one day (and holiday) at a time!
I'm thankful for Chinese take out & Netflix. That's how we spent our Friday night. I think we started a movie...there's a very good possibility B finished it. I however, did not make it very far into our movie date:
I'm thankful for B's support of my career. Most of the time, he's my laminating guru!
I'm thankful I have until Tuesday to get my grading done because progress reports go out. I am NOT thankful in any way for our awful new gradebook. It's amazing for high school and middle school teachers, but beyond impractical for elementary school.
I'm thankful for humorous blog posts that highlight teaching, my new find being this one. It is 1000 % true!
I'm thankful that my class will be ready to publish their next essays this week, leaving me the opportunity to do this fun writing activity:
We'll be typing up these papers, so I'm thankful we have a lab to use.
I'm also thankful most of my weekend chores are done by 9 am on a Saturday! I have a few groceries to go buy before having gals over later and grading to do tomorrow during football, but my lesson plans are done and our house is spotless! Hooray for productivity :)
The thankfulness continues.
Day 3:
I am thankful to be in a profession where I have the opportunity to constantly learn new things and try new strategies. I am thankful to be at a school where I can learn from others. I'm thankful for my grade level and for the support I receive from the other math chair.
Today I presented on math strategies for staff development. It went fairly well and others were appreciative of new strategies and planning time.
Side note: I didn't teach math last year. The two years prior to that? I taught stations in an inclusion classroom with the special ed kiddos. Before that? A traditional classroom.
However, I've attended lots of math trainings over the past few years because I didn't want to fall out of practice. I guess they've paid off!
As frustrating as these math trainings are, I do appreciate that I have the opportunity to attend them to learn more information (and be paid to learn).
I had to change my classroom calendar.
It's October. Monday starts week 8 of school. I don't know where the days have gone!
Oh wait, yes I do. Devoted to learning. Devoted to place value, powers of ten, rounding, and comparing decimals. Devoted to reading the Lightning Thief. Devoted to their Native American Indian research projects and writing extension projects. Devoted to maintaining a positive classroom culture and celebrating successes.
It's been a busy start to the year!
While B is out having a boys night, I'm enjoying a lazy evening with the DRV, playing with the kittens, crafting, and a tiny bit of grading. I'm such a list maker, so let's make some October goals!
Professionally:
-Implementing another game day for my students to allow them to play with decimals and multiplication, allowing me time to reteach in a smaller group setting.
-Continue to have students be excited about The Lightning Thief. They are so invested in the story and keep trying to sneak the sequel, The Sea of Monsters off the shelf. Sneaky wanna-be half-bloods!
-Continue to build positive relationships with my coworkers, admin, and parents.
My assistant principal popped in today to share that a third grade teacher was struggling with math games and that she recommended he come see me. She wanted to make sure that her suggestion was okay, and obviously it's fine! I'm excited that she sees me as a go-to person on making the classroom environment fun while still standards-based.
I've had some really positive conversations with parents lately and I hope it continues. I had one mom come in after school to learn about the math organizer we're using in math. We had a 20 minute conversation and afterward, both mom and daughter felt better. I sent them home with math games (because that's a way that the student will actually want to practice) and she had her retest today. Guess what? She got a B. Progress!
-Stay ahead of my grading and math planning!
-Add a few more products on TpT. I have a few students that are finishing up novels that I've read, but haven't made chronological order sorts for. When they skip the sort, they tend to get around 80% on their AR tests...which doesn't count for badges. However, when they do the sort, they earn 100%. For me, it's worth a few extra hours to help them be successful.
-Continue to network for Jamberry. I just got my business cards and am excited to pass out pretty samples to friends and family. I love having pretty nails :)
Personally:
-Finish the wreath I started for our front door. Right now it's a styrafoam circle wrapped in burlap. I want to add some embellishments, but I'm not quite sure what. Our door is navy, so perhaps something white or maroon.
-Continue to organize books to take into my classroom...and get a handle on the guest bedroom.
-Finish Christmas shopping. I've got my brother's girlfriend totally done and my mom mostly done...so baby steps!
-Be better at blogging!
-Finish The House of Hades.
What are your October goals?
I posted another project to donorschoose. I requested copies of Steal Away Home, Seed Folks, and My name is Maria Isabel to use with small groups. I read portions of these novels as read alouds (mentor text) with my fifth graders last year. They loved the stories but were disappointed when they found out I only had one copy. I'm requesting eight of each novel to use with small groups. I love when more than one student is reading the same novel because they discuss their ideas with one another outside of our group meetings.
I'm also requesting eight copies of House of Hades to continue our quest with Percy and co. In the grant, I also asked for some interactive number lines, math manipulatives to stress teaching powers of ten (but in a way that's helpful to my visual and kinesthetic learners), and some classroom organizing materials.
Donations to my classroom are 100% tax deductible and for the next week are being matched through charitable organizations. Use INSPIRE at checkout to double your donation! (Up to $100).
Even if you can't donate right now, please keep my classroom and young students in your mind. Pass along this information to any interested parties and I will be extremely appreciative! Thank you.
Kindly,
Ms. Vice
(and the munchkins of room 71)
I got my official welcome back email today. What a relief! Now I know what day I go back to work :)
What I was more impressed with is my new administration's value for our summer breaks. The earliest I could go back is Wednesday, but since I"m in training, that day is out. They limited the hours we can work. Yup, limited from 9-1. They expect us to do other things then spend all day prepping our classrooms...and all I can say is thank goodness!
I won't get keys until next Friday and even then, I can work a max of four hours at school. I can go in Saturday and Sunday (which I may, dragging B with me), but again I"m limited to four hours.
I talked with the grade level chair and they long range plan during the first few weeks of school, so I'm not a slacker teacher. More importantly, they plan as a team (hooray collaboration) and tweak the plans as the year progresses. Yes, the mindset that the plans you make in August, before you've met your students, can be altered based on the students' needs. Hallelujah this is a norm!
Besides my excitement about planning and not being allowed to work all day, there was one more piece of pertinent information regarding bulletin boards.
It's expected they'll be cute. What a refreshing change.
See, last year the cuteness was severely frowned upon. We did not have bulletin boards. They were called academic wall displays. They were graded, on a rubric, by ourselves and administration. We had a stern talking to regarding ours...and we weren't the only grade level. I remember being chewed out because some of the students' work wasn't perfect. Um, correct. I teach ten year-olds. Learning is a process. I hope they haven't mastered all of the fifth grade content in September. So yes, in the interest of displaying all students' work, I included some work that wasn't 100% correct. Again, I taught inclusion (with special education students), learning is a process...and the bulletin board was due in September. Not the end of September, but by the end of day 8 of instruction. Oddly enough, two weeks in, my fifth graders hadn't mastered that particular reading standard. I got lectured for it.
I don't think that will be the case this year. There was an email attachment about all sorts of ways to make your bulletin boards cute and recommended how to make lettering and borders. I will keep the background sheet and burlap border up all year, but switch out the lettering and theme as I see fit. Or every month, as is suggested.
Thank goodness for positive change. I'm so excited to be headed somewhere where I'm encouraged to have a life outside the classroom and it's expected I have fun with my job.
Hallelujah. It's about damn time.
