Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Last Days Before Pesach

Monday was a stupid kind of day where I just gave open notes tests in both classes.

CFC got on my last nerve when she got upset about getting in the 80's. I hate having to curve her marks just so that she can go home happy. I put my foot down and refused to give her anything more than she deserved. She was not happy.

Recess time I played belts with the girls and they were thrilled about it. I myself enjoyed it too.

My co left early because she wasn't feeling well and I had the feeling that I was going to be the only 8th grade teacher coming in Tuesday when the 8th grade was off.

Seventh grade didn't finish their tests- even though it was open notes. I was not happy.

We had a meeting in school with a reading specialist who is going to wreck all my literature lessons from now on with her idea of the "politically correct" way of teaching students. ARGH,

She was from Australia and without realizing it, when she came into my class, I sort of began copying her. She wasn't so happy, but then AS, who had been listening to our entire conversation, promised up and down that I always spoke with an accent.

Cute kid.

So then the specialist wanted to know where I was from. Oh great. I just told her I didn't want to talk about it in front of the class. It got her to shut up for a bit.

Tuesday I WAS the only 8th grade teacher who didn't have a day off. Steam was coming out of my ears the entire bus ride to school.

During recess I played belts with the 7th grade and fooled around like one of them. I even gave them an extra 20 minutes of outdoor recess. I told them it was so they could enjoy the weather, but really it was because I didn't have what to teach them. ;)

In class SE, who is my cutie and knows it decided she was walking out because she had finished her test yesterday and didn't want to sit around and wait for everyone else to be done. I threatened to fail her if she left early.

She didn't believe me and started walking out. I smiled and picked up her paper and started to rip it up. She smiled back and sat down and shut up for the rest of the afternoon.

I let the girls listen to this cute phony call I had brought in on CD with a girl talking about a school in Dublin because they had learned about the place in geography.

After the test, I gave them a quiz to see who remembered the list I had taught them to memorize last week. Majority of the girls did really nicely.

Last 10 minutes of the day I read them from the book the sub had started reading to them. Then was dismissal!

Free till the middle of April!

Whooohooo!

Friday, March 23, 2007

Tired and Teaching

Yesterday I actually taught both classes a full aim in history. The 8th grade was so happy to finally be back to the schedule where I ended an aim every day.

I just opened my arms wide and asked "missed me?"

Hebco is at it again. 8th grade has no school Tuesday so that they can help out at home for Pesach. Usually, 7th grade would have had off as well, but not this year.

Hebco asked the principals to give school Tuesday for 7th because she needed an extra period to teach them in. That means that on Tuesday I need to come in from 2:30 - 4. I need to travel and find arrangements for JB just because Hebco needs to finish another posuk.

I told the principal that if Hebco needed another day- let her teach my period for me Tuesday, I don't see why I had to come in. I'm fuming.

*shakes**cries**slams fist into wall**ouch*

I'm sooooo angry.

JB was up the ENTIRE night last night and of course today was an English Friday, so I had be up and out bright and early.

I gave 8th grade a study period for their open notes test on Monday, but all they wanted to do was schmooze and ask about JB.

Finally, we got to talking about the stock market and I went 10 minutes into recess teaching the most amazing lesson I'd never prepared.

The girls were so into it and now I just hope they can remember it all for next chapter when we learn about the Great Depression.

Seventh grade was great today, and as a treat for ending the chapter in history, I taught them a trick to help them remember numbers and dates and things like that in the future. They were so cute about it.

At the end of the day, I walked out of the class before all the buses were called- I needed to go to the office and load up on chocolate. I was zonked.

The principal took one look at me and told me to make sure to rest over Shabbos. As if.

Hubby wants to drug the kid up with benadryl so that we can get a full night. Crazy men.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

First Day Back!

I was a nervous wreck today, and almost cried when I left Jellybean at the babysitter. He made the cutest faces at me as I was leaving and I was sure I was going to cry all day missing him.

I took the bus to school because I still haven't driven the car since the accident and mu husband wants me to practice a bit before I begin driving to school again and with the baby in the backseat.

In school my students kept peeking their heads into the office to make sure I was really there. Sooooo annoying!

I opened up my notes and almost cried in the office because I was so overwhelmed.

8th grade would not let me walk in on time because they were busy cutting up confetti and stringing streamers across the room.

I came in and they started dancing and I felt kind of dumb. LOL

I let them party and give out nosh and answered a zillion questions. TG made sure to tell me how thin I was now and CFC, as annoying as ever, made sure to tell me how much she liked my shoes and clothes and how much she wanted to give me a hug, and how much she missed me and how much she'd improved in reading and blah blah blah.

I read them the story of Harrison Bergeron because it had to do with the literature story they are reading now - and because I was not about to teach today.

I had a hard time getting them to shut up long enough to listen to me. BK wanted to tell me all about how she was a holy terror by the sub and how she walked out of class on a daily basis. ARGH.

DF made me a beautiful sign, and RS went around bopping everyone with balloons.

I had an awful time getting them to daven mincha and to clean up the classroom. TG especially was a pest and a half.

I literally had to drag them out to recess, but then DZ cut herself and 10 kids came inside to bandage her up. I should have done it myself as I doubt my students are licensed in first aid.

I spoke to my co and caught up with the last 6 weeks. She had been thinking of leaving the school to get a job closer to where she lives, but turned down an offer she got because she said nothing could compare to this school.

I printed the entire holocaust book for my principal and it was almost 50 pages. I'm a little embarrassed about what an idiot I am. I never got a book like this in school, but I felt it was important to do it for my students. Principal was more than impressed though, so that's good.

Seventh grade was sooooo dumb!

The classroom stinks to high heavens and its not a deodorant smell, so I cant even give them a speech. They think its some dead animal stuck in the ceiling. Oh sugar.

The girls had their desks in a U and they played a dumb hangman game and word search that SS took care of. I'm amazed at how SS took charge. 6 weeks ago she was this quiet little nothing.

Talking about a quiet nothing, SNK has gotten soooooo weird. I never even knew she could talk, but today she shrieked every time someone touched her desk. I asked the Principal about it and she said that she had done that in 2nd grade and that it was sooo strange that she was doing it again.

CSS was as full as issues as ever, and CK and EMB are still part of her fan club. Ech.

DA was yum, and I'm going to miss her this week because she's going to Israel for yom tov.

SE!!!! OMG did I miss her!

And MB dressed up as me and brought in a little baby doll even and paraded around pretending I had brought him into school. Yummie!

RB and EL and SG and AS and HB - i missed them a lot.

The girls put on a skit and of course, RA was as annoying as ever. NN made me a card and a little card for JB where she told him he was cute and that he should let me sleep.

Er. Okay.

Tomorrow will be the real going back to school day because then I'm actually teaching.

Wish me luck!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Going Back

Okay, my 6 weeks of leave is up today, so that means tomorrow I'm going back to teach.

I spoke to my sub, and she pretty much told me where she was up to in each class. I took my notes out but I have no head to begin preparing now.

Also, because I wasn't there for 6 weeks, the lessons are on the schedule I had in mind all year. So now we are going into Pesach vacation and I'm going to be stuck in the middle of a chapter. There is no way I can come back after Pesach and give them a test on what they've learned before.

Oh well.

At this point I don't really care. I have a cute JB baby, and he's my first priority. I'll figure out a way to deal with the tests and marks as I get into the teaching again.

I've been working my bum off on this Holocaust book for my 8th grade, and it's finally getting somewhere. I still have some more articles to add, but I'm pretty much done I think. Actually, pretty much done usually means I'll be up till 2 am for the next 4 weeks, but anyways...

I don't really know what I will do with the baby when I'm teaching, but for the next week he's going to be dumped on his aunt and his father.

I'm so nervous to go back to teach, but I know it will be good for me to get back into my regular life.

Keep you updated!