Dashing through December

Disclaimer:  I wrote this fifteen days ago.  I was too tired to hit "publish".  I just realized it now. It has been that kind of month.
  Reading... A Snicker of Magic.  It's the next book for Battle of the Books.  My goal is to finish it by the end of winter break.

Playing... is it Winter Break yet?! 9 days...9 days...I'm playing this countdown in my head. 

Watching... Parks and Rec.  We just finished A Very Murray Christmas on Netflix!

Trying... to be positive.  This weekend was consumed by work.  I had to prep for thirty six conferences.  Each sheet for my students took, on average, twenty minutes.  I have three dozen students.  That was my weekend.  Oh wait, I also did laundry.  

Being a grown up really stinks sometimes.

Cooking... nothing.  We had left overs for dinner.

Eating... nothing. Wishing I had Christmas cookies...

Drinking... hot tea in an attempt to clear out my sinuses.

Calling... no one. But I think my bed is calling me!

Texting...no one. I don't actually know where my phone is...

Pinning... teaching ideas, always.

Tweeting... gosh, about nothing! It's been a while since I've been on instagram and twitter.

Going... to defeat this week.  I have Battle of the Books on Monday, kids before & after school on Tuesday for retakes, parent teacher conferences starting Wednesday, a friend's performance of Grease on Thursday, staff party Friday, math training Saturday morning, possibly a grade-in protest Saturday afternoon, a friend's ugly sweater party Saturday, and wedding dress shopping on Sunday.

Loving... that our Christmas decorations are up and I love them.

Hating... how the expectations from the school district never end, but my pay gets smaller and smaller...

Discovering... my hidden reserves of patience.  It's December.  My students are acting ridiculous.

Thinking... about the lesson plans I should put into curriculum engine.  We have to post our lesson plans...and it's the last thing I want to do.

Feeling... like bed at 8 pm seems like a wonderful idea!

Hoping (for)...successful parent-teacher conferences.  By successful, I mean not hostile.

Listening (to)...Parks and Rec.

Celebrating... it's almost winter break and that means a break from my alarm. 

Smelling... nothing. Thank you allergies.

Thanking... my coworkers for their honesty that yes, right now really does stink and at least we're in this together.

Considering... what to take to work for lunch since I didn't make it to the grocery store this weekend...oops.

Starting... to realize I have to make wedding decisions, for real, soon.

Finishing... grading.  It's an endless, daunting task.  Then finishing lesson plans.  Sigh.

What are YOU up to currently?

Bring back the joy

One of my favorite parts about the post-DEN event bliss is the rejuvenated, optimistic, joyful attitude I have toward teaching.  

Today we're trying something new.  We're doing our first SKYPE call of the year to Ms. G in Ohio.  Mrs. H and I tested it yesterday and after forty minutes, four adults, four devices, and a bit of a headache, we got it to work.

(Our desktop doesn't have a web cam.  There's not a webcam we could use.  So we could see and hear her, but would type back our responses.  We then tried the iPad, but didn't have the iTunes store password, so had to bring in a fourth person for that top secret information.  I'm a proud Android user, but Mrs. H has an iPhone, so Facetime was our plan B for the day.  Luckily we got Skype to work on the iPad and will be using the projector to display the image on the smartboard.  Oh technology!)

There's a LOT to be frustrated by with education right now.  But I've vented enough, so it's time to spread some joy.

I'm really excited about trying something new. I'm excited my kids will have the chance to use technology in a powerful way to connect with people in another part of the country.

What's something new you're trying with your students?

Fire Drills

I have no issue with the rehearsal of fire drills.  I appreciate that we practice them consistently on a monthly basis.  Our school is about half a mile away from a fire station and the firemen usually bring the fire truck down for school carnivals and let the kids take a tour.  They also get red plastic hats and stickers, which is adorable.

But must the fire drills happen during my prep every single time?   

Yes, every fire drill for the past two years has been during my prep period.  Which means the sacred forty-five minutes of planning time I get is cut in half on a regular basis.  I sweep the pod. I help the screaming kinders outside while reminding them to walk. I go find my class, double check the student count, then hold up the correct colored sign (green or red).  Yesterday, it was ridiculously cold and windy, so that made the task extra unpleasant.

I just want to ask the firemen to come at a time that doesn't fall between 9:15 and ten am.  Just one time.  Let another grade level make the time sacrifice...just once.  Please? Pretty please?

(We did casually and grumpily mention this to our administration, so hopefully the next ones will be at more random times throughout the day.)

Class Size Inequalities

December is one of the times that class size inequalities really, really stinks.

We are in the process of scheduling parent-teacher conferences, which in itself is a nightmare.  We are granted 1 Monday off for conferences and expected to stay late one evening (as one of our contracted times).  Morning meetings are cancelled...but that actually doesn't leave enough time slots for all my kids.  The hour lunch I'm supposed to have on Monday (since I don't have prep) isn't happening.  I had to schedule conferences and work with other teachers.  Lots of my students have siblings and we try to schedule their conferences as close together as possible to make it easier for families.

 The school district does not give me the time needed to meet with my thirty six students and their families.  Logistically, I've been giving an impossible task if I was to stick to only my contracted, paid hours yet expected to meet the goal of 100% participation rate. 

So I have to come in early each day.  I have to stay late.  I love my students and their families, so I'm flexible with staying late for some evening conferences to  accommodate  their work schedules.  

A good part of winter break will be spent compiling data for report card comments (and again, writing three dozen of them takes a while.  We don't have drop down menus with pre-selected comments.)

None of this is financially compensated.  The more I talk to non-teachers, the more I'm horrified that there's a myth teachers are paid overtime for this sort of work.  Do any of you work in a magical district where this occurs? What I'm feeling in this district is that more and more demands are placed on me as an educator, while my pay and benefits are actually and financially shrinking.

This is one of the times where class size inequalities really, really stinks.

Primary grades (K-2) and third grade have around eighteen to twenty students.  Completely doable within the allotted time parameters.  Upper elementary?  Where each class is approaching forty students?  Not doable in the allotted time frame provided by the district.

But we'll get it done.  We'll stay late. We'll be flexible.  We support our students and their families, so we make the sacrifice of time with our own families to meet with our students.  Our administration is amazingly supportive, but the district officials who make these decisions without processing if it is actually feasible for a classroom? Shame on them.

Recapping November

Once again, I only met half of my {November Goals}.

 I tend to be overly ambitious all the time, which means a lot of things are piled on my list.  They don't all get done.  That's okay.

Goal 1: Finish teacher guide for The Sword of Summer

Goal 2: Create chronological order sort for The Sword of Summer

Goal 3: Bellagio Fountains and Gardens

I want to see the fall designs!

Goal 4: Haunted Ghost Tour (?)

There are two different options, one in Las Vegas and in a neighboring ghost town.  It'll depend on price but I really want to do this!

Goal 5: Get Christmas cards done

I want them done and mailed out in a timely manner this year.

Goal 6: Participate in the thankful blog challenge

That one is self-explanatory, I want to try to find one thing each day to be thankful for and share it publicly.


Well...when I look at my list this way, I didn't do so well.  I did conquer a second book (Ava and Pip) so there's that.  We didn't make it to a ghost tour or the Bellagio, but we did a digital pub crawl and rode the High Roller at the Linq, puppy sat, attended a princess party (two coworkers' daughters were turning four and seven), celebrated Thanksgiving with his family, and had a vendor event here.

Perhaps I'll be more realistic with December:

1) Write Christmas cards.  Address them.  Mail them. 
2) Finish our class read (The Lightning Thief) because we've been working on it since August.
3) Wedding dress shop (12/13 and 12/27)
4) Attend professional development (12/12? I think it's that day and I know it's paid)
5) Actually visit the bank
6) Go through some of the junk mail that's accumulating at a rapid pace and have a shredding party
7) Keep the children as sane as possible.

Trying new things

Despite being sick, it was a weekend of firsts for me.

It was my first Thanksgiving not with my mom.  It was my first one with B and his family.  It was a little strange, not being with my mom, but his parents and extended family are incredibly welcoming.  I realize this is part of growing up and that holidays are about compromise.  We just saw my mom a few weeks ago and will see her again right after the holidays, so it'll be okay.  Plus I talked with her a good half a dozen times this weekend (sorry mom!).

We arrived early and I helped in the kitchen (this is big for me people!).  We brought a variety of bread, wine, and flowers for the table.  His cousin made the whole duck-chicken-turkey situation which I was not brave enough to try.  

Food was delish and I felt a bit like this:

Afterward, my allergies got the best of me and I napped.  To be fair, I had a full stomach, a warm blanket, and my football team wasn't on television.

Friday was the first time that I did not go Black Friday shopping.  We ventured out of the house around one pm to visit the post office (bestie's birthday is next week), pick up Chinese food, and some medicine from the grocery store.  I know, I live an exciting life people!  The rest of the day revolved around trying to grade, napping, and decorating for the holidays.

Saturday we did a Small Business Saturday vendor event at my house.  I had {Jamberry}, Amy (my upline) had {Younique}, Lisa had {31} and Janel had {Origami Owl}.  We split the set up, which worked out way better for everyone's budgets.

We had a great time and started brainstorming our next big Saturday event.  We'd love to rent out our school's multipurpose room and have a Saturday shopping event...when things calm down.  So, March?

Our set up is getting better and better each time!

Sunday I tried a flash sale for Jamberry online with a VIP group.

It went okay, but I have ideas how to make it better for next time.  I'm thinking of doing a make up and Jamberry flash sale in the middle of December for those procrastinating gifters.

I did decorate and wrap gifts! (3 for my mom, 1 for his mom, 1 for my bestie, and 1 for Leah, my brother's girlfriend and one of my bridesmaids).  Obviously solid progress.

The rest of the weekend involved napping, attempting to finish up this grading pile, snuggling with fur babies, watching television, yelling during football, and doing the minimum amount of school work that's required for Monday.

This week brings extra paperwork (student withdrew and we've got to get ready for parent-teacher conferences, which means sending out conference notes.  I've learned my lesson, mine will be pink to clearly identify that they get returned to me.).  I've also got Battle of the Books tomorrow (we're trying paper slide videos), a Discovery Ed meeting, and the possibility of visitors just popping in on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (no pressure there!).  I'm already ready for next weekend.

The Highest of Compliments

We recently had a teacher leave our school, which ruffled a few feathers.  He hadn't been there for very long and there was some miscommunication, but I did my best to stay out of the drama.  It's been a bit of a logistical nightmare trying to find subs to cover a short term vacancy that coincided with the holidays.  I did my best with the students that I had and was fortunate enough to meet some awesome new substitutes.

However, upon his departure, the leaving teacher sent me a very thoughtful and kind email.  He expressed his appreciation for opening my classroom door, for showing him new strategies, and for letting him learn from my teaching style.  

The warm and fuzzy feelings continued when he shared that I would have been that "game changer" teacher for him as a child or his children now because of the passion I bring to the classroom.  He commented that it was inspiring to see how truly excited my students were about their learning.  

That's why I teach. I'm humbled that someone who was in my classroom co-teaching for such a short amount of time was able to notice the effort I put in and the difference it makes for my students.

Thank you, fellow teacher, for your compliments on my craft.  I love what I do. I'm glad it shows, even on the most difficult of days.