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!

The Journey Home: 10 Years of Good Travel Karma Comes To A Screeching Halt

I don't even know where to begin with this post. Yesterday was pretty much travel hell. I'm serious. And let's think about this: I'm pretty much a "go-with-the-flow" kind of girl, and I can handle quite a bit without the drama. I understand that the airline industry is huge, and delays and lost baggage are just part of the deal. But yesterday, more went wrong than right, and I'd rather not step foot in an airport till I have to leave for Hawaii on the 2nd. Let me break down the day by numbers to try and give you an understanding of what it was like...

5 

am, the time I woke up in Rome

6

am, the time I boarded my shuttle to the airport

7 

am, the time the security gate opened at FCO

820 

am, the time my flight SHOULD have departed

930 

am, the time my flight actually departed
4 

the length of my flight from Rome to London, in hours

12:15

pm, the time my flight from London should have departed

12:25 

pm, the time my flight landed in London

1:15

pm, the time my flight from London to Dallas had been pushed back to (phew!)

2:30 

pm, the ACTUAL time that fight left London

9

the length of my flight from London to Dallas in hours

6:05 

pm, the time my flight from Dallas to Portland took off

6:15 

pm, the time my flight landed in Dallas

1

the number of bags BA lost. 

1 

the number of bags I packed for the WHOLE SUMMER

8:00 

pm, the time of my new flight to Portland

4 

the length of my flight to Portland, in hours

10:30 

pm, the time I landed in Portland

30 

the number of hours I had been awake, minus 2 hours that I slept on the fight from Dallas to Portland

17 

the number of hours spent in flight

2 

the number of hours I spent just sitting on a plane, waiting for a leak in the landing gear to be fixed, or for a gate to open

150

the amount of money that I talked American Airlines into reimbursing me for so I can buy some necessitites, like underwear

36

the number of hours it could take for my bag to clear customs in Dallas, if not more

This morning, as I was speaking to a woman over the phone about my lost luggage and being compensated, I had to prove to her that Portland was not my home. Her argument: since my final destination with American Airlines is Portland, than that must be my home. I explained that no, Houston is my home, and I do not have a single change of clothes here in Portland. She then started to interrogate me on how I could pack for a month of travel in one carry on. So I, not so calmly, explained to her that she could check the billing address of the card that I used to purchase the tickets and see that it is in Houston, and that yes, I was living out of a carry-on sized luggage for nearly a month. I am a teacher, and I have the summers off. I had an opportunity to go to Europe, Portland, Hawaii and Portland again, and I am doing so. Just because I have not booked my flight home does NOT mean that this is home. She then had to run that story by her supervisor, which could still be denied. Really, AA? Up until this fiasco, I had to problems with your airline. But if you really try to state that Portland is my home just because I have no flight THROUGH YOU to Houston, then you have just lost a customer.
Hmpf!

But here I am in Portland, and I'm so happy to be HERE! (I won't use the word home, lest AA is reading...) I'm staying with my dad in Vancouver, and he is giving me use of the Volvo, a bed, and a key to the house! Sweet! I have a lot of catching up to do over the next few days, and I can't wait to see friends and family. I'm getting pretty amped for Hawaii, but my trip to Europe was the absolute best!!!!!!!! Here are some photos. As always, I wish I had taken more.