Nothing, really

Hey. It's been a while. I've been busy, stressed, and often very happy since the last time I posted. I don't really know what else to say but that.

Oh, the second year is harder. I'm a better teacher than last year, but I'm trying to be better than last year, and that means working harder. So I'm busy, stressed, and tired often. And I need to find some yummy slow cooker recipes.

2:3 - Things could have gone better

We're getting close to the end of the first month of school. The kinks are getting worked out, and I'm beginning to see just what the class of 2014 will be like. But this past week, my mind wasn't always on school. I bought a new car at the end of July, and on Thursday I hit a rock with my new car. Oops. So I have 2 flat tires, two bent wheels, and I'm using a rental until they give me a quote. EFF. That's going to cost me. At least the tires are covered under the Super Gold Star Extended Warranty that I bought. The wheels? Well, I hope it won't cost much to hammer out the two small dings.

I finally cleaned my room, which looked like a disaster up until yesterday. And I have my grading done from this past week. I still need to input it into the computer before I have to submit my grades by tomorrow night, but I can do that after school tomorrow. Now I need to plan for this week, which is one of those really weird weeks schedule wise. We have Stanford testing on Thursday and Friday, which means I will only see periods 3,4,7, and 8. So I can't teach new material... I have to do something supplemental. I'm thinking REVIEW since they have a test the following week.

And I had a meeting with my PD (program director) on Monday. He shared his thoughts on my class, and suggested that I integrate some sort of portfolio work into my class. I agree, this would be helpful and wonderful for the students, but I just don't know how to go about that. I have to  make EVERYTHING up from scratch: the rubrics, the requirements, the organization system, how it will fit into my Long Term Plan, how it will be graded, what PERCENTAGE of their grade it will be... It's a lot. Maybe I'll send an email out to the social studies teachers in KIPP and ask for some guidance.  I can do that now that they've created a list serve for all of us around the country. I might get some interesting feedback. But I don't want to piggy-back off of a woman who just sent out an SOS about 5/6th grade. I might wait a week.

This long weekend was a blessing for sure. It was great to relax yesterday and then spend today grading and planning. I hope the next week flies by.

Birthday Present Ideas

In case anyone is wondering what I might possibly need/want... here are a couple of ideas...

via: http://www.errolgraphics.com/

http://www.orkposters.com/portland.html

How it's different

1. My room is more decorated. And by "more", I mean decorated. Period.
2. I knew what I was doing on the first day, and it didn't suck
3. I have special rules. Like no pencils, and only loose leaf paper. This will save my sanity
4. I'm not worrying about dress code. Whatevs.
5. I am busier.
6. I have more responsibility. Grade level chair... No longer the "fetus"... Advisor of a real club.

2:1 done.

Sundays are no longer a day of rest. They are days of laundry, groceries, cleaning, planning, grading, printing, sorting and getting ready for the next week. And since this is the first Sunday of my second year of teaching, it's a busy one. All week long, I neglected anything that wasn't directly associated with planning for my classes. My room looks like a natural disaster, I am running out of clothes, and the only food I have is some cereal, a couple of Jell-O chocolate mousse cups, and some white American cheese slices. Oh, and some eggs. Not exactly the things one makes yummy meals out of.

The first week back went WAY better than the first week last year. My lessons were solid, my instruction has improved, and my classroom looks pretty nice. It's crowded, since I'm sharing a room with another teacher, and I have 10 tables stuffed into my room. But I think I have a solid start to the year. Now I just need to plan the next week out, and memorize the names of my students. I'm having trouble doing that and I need to find a way to get over it.

Alright, I need to get working. First thing on my list is grading/sorting. Here I go...

Here are some pictures that I've snapped with my phone this summer. I'm a fool, and they aren't in any order. But they are pretty awesome. 

Hawaii.  My view while drinking up the sun at the beach. 

This is HOME. I LOVE the pano app on my phone. 

It sort of kills me that I haven't seen the new Twilight movie. Oh well. I can still wear a crown at Burger King and act like a fool and embarrass Allison.

Don't I have the COOLEST brother in the world? He's so cool, he's in 3 places!

Reunion time. First, my networking skills payed off. If all else fails, I have a contact at Playboy. Second, I stole a couple of party favors, such as the float toy. I also drank a lot of red wine. That i didn't pay for. Man I love UP

Exhibit B: another example of how cool Dominic is. 

More Hawaii: sunset at the Luau, and me kissing a fish made of some sort of plant. 

Now, I've had some trouble in the past of my pictures not showing up. Let's see if that happens here. 

A New Type of Countdown

It seems like it was just a week ago that I was counting down the days until summer break would arrive. Now the countdown has begun for school. There is a part of me that's excited, and a part of me that wishes summer would go on, and on, and on. I've enjoyed my time off, my adventures, and being in the sun. I've loved sleeping in and grilling and laying around being lazy.

But now I need to start thinking about next year. There is so much I want to do to get ready. Maybe I'll put some effort towards my syllabus today. Or Long Term Plan? I've about 4 hours until our barbecue tonight, so maybe it's time to go to half-priced books. MMMMMM. Books!