Rookie Reflections

1. You didn’t go to sleep hungry last night.
2. You didn’t go to sleep outside.
3. You had a choice of what clothes to wear this morning.
4. You hardly broke a sweat today.
5. You didn’t spend a minute in fear.
6. You have access to clean drinking water.
7. You have access to medical care.
8. You have access to the Internet.
9. You can read.
10. You have the right to vote.


Seen here.

We got our first paychecks for 2010 today. To our disappointment, our taxes went up. It affected our take home pay enough for the loss to equal three months' rent over a year.

This comes after the State of the Union address, where President Obama explicitly said taxes would GO DOWN for 95% of Americans. How did we fall in the chosen 5%?


?

- We had a visit from the State Department this week at work, because we haven't made AYP in a few years. They wanted to see what we were doing and let us know how we could improve. Some of the more veteran teachers were cool and calm, but for some reason, I was flipping out (and not in a fun way with Jeff Lewis beside me).

The SDE people were conducting walk through observations, teacher interviews, and student interviews with a few select staff members. GUESS WHO HAS TWO THUMBS AND GOT PICKED FOR BOTH THE WALK THROUGH AND THE INTERVIEW? (Yes, this girl.)It turned out to be not as bad as I was thinking, because the walk through observer ended up being only one assistant principal at the school who I already knew. I was thinking it was going to be a team of strangers scrutinizing what I was doing. Also, the interview ended up being a group of teachers and very laid-back. After they were both over, I was exhausted from having been so anxious, but relieved that it was over.



-I have been slacking on my diet/workout schedule. What is new?! It's not like I've gained a ton of weight, but I just feel gross. I need a workout buddy! This is my workout plan for next week:

Monday: Body Pump
Tuesday: Step Aerobics
Wednesday: Bowling (I'm not mentioning the beer that accompanies this.)
Thursday: Zumba or Step Aerobics (depending on how sassy I feel)
Friday: Hopefully it will be warm and sunny again and I can do something outside.

I AM DOING IT.



-I just finished reading The Hunger Games. I am officially obsessed. Stay tuned for my review!


-One of my girlfriends, Jessica, told me this week that she has decided to get married in the state instead of eloping. I know it is her wedding and she can do what she wants blahblahblah but I am SO EXCITED SHE IS HAVING IT HERE! I am looking forward to it so much. They are both so special, and I can't wait to see them have their special day. (Jessica, if you are reading this, I might be more excited than you. Step up your excitement meter!)




-When the weather gets warmer, I'm doing a giant overhaul of my closet, selling all my clothes to consignment shops/donating the leftovers, and going shopping for age appropriate, fun, unique clothes. I am thinking of starting at Kohl's. They have some supercute, affordable stuff there now. See....?




(in my Jerry McGuire voice): Who's coming with me?

Please read THIS ARTICLE

DISCLAIMER:
Commentary of the blog writer does not reflect the opinions of her employers (allegedly).

This is RIDICULOUS. In several people's IEPs it says to designate a "cooling off place" for them to calm down before they go apeshit. It seems merciful on a faculty member's part to let them cool off instead of writing them up for suspension when they get violent. I don't see it as a violation of rights. What about the rights of students and faculty around that violent child?

Also, when a kid gets disciplined enough to be suspended one time, that kid usually DESERVED to be suspended at least five other times before that. Contrary to popular belief, teachers don't like to see students miss school. To me, it sounds like someone's parent wanted to get some easy money at the expense of the school system. If the parent wins, that means our hands will be tied in discipline even more than they already are.

I saw this somewhere on the Interwebz, and it inspired me. I read this at the right time. I hope you enjoy, too.


Fill your bowl to the brim
and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your knife
and it will blunt.
Chase after money and security
and your heart will never unclench.
Care about people's approval
and you will be their prisoner.
Do your work, then step back.
The only path to serenity.

(from the Tao Te Ching, by Lao-tzu Stephen Mitchell translation)

Yesterday in class, we played a quick game of verb charades to show them the difference between physical and mental action verbs. One of my students asked, "Do you just sit around at night and think of things like this?" Since I was too busy laughing, another student fired back, "No, they learn all their tricks on the Internet."

HAH!

I was thinking about work, and I figured out one of the biggest changes in me as a teacher. I am finally figuring out how to discipline effectively and how to give tough love. When I started teaching, I took everything personally. When a student was mad/upset at a decision I had made (such as not allowing them to turn in late work or go to the bathroom for the fitieth time) it hurt my feelings, and I would second guess myself every time. I'm sure it showed, and it probably contributed to my lack of disciplinary skills. Now, I am confident about my discipline policies and realize it's important for them to learn things like deadlines and resource management, even if it means them getting angry or aggrivated for a minute. I would still say my weaknesses are mainly in the disciplinary area, but at least I feel like I'm getting better at it.

Next goal: not thinking about work on the weekends

Today was a great day at work! We finally got to start reading the scandalous Puritan soap opera The Crucible. I was nervous that they may not be interested, but I worked really hard on my intro and background information; the discussion beforehand went GREAT. They listened, questioned, and even acted it out with emotion when we read. I am looking forward to tomorrow!