Saturday, March 28, 2009

Week 1 of SB done

I can't believe one week's already passed.  I got nothing accomplished and I lost the majority of my money in Vegas, but I'm able to put a little bit back into my bank account.  I also bought some new things from the stores in Vegas, but the highlight of the trip was going to Trader Joe's.  Oh and my mom and I tried something new and caught the city bus to the Meadow's Mall.  The pass was a good deal at $4 for an all-day pass.  Yay!

I spent a little time with BFC since he went back to the BI today.  It was nice seeing him, but I'm not too sure when we'll see each other next though.  I'm debating whether to visit him sometime next week, but his work schedule might coincide with those plans.  

I need to get cracking on my portfolios.  I'm nearly done with one that is due next month, but I haven't started anything for the others yet.  I should jump on to my desktop to look at those things again...

Saturday, March 21, 2009

SPRING BREAK!

It's finally the break. This last week at work seemed to drag by really slow, but by Friday afternoon, I was all smiles since we had JRFH for most of the afternoon.

I ended up waking up early this morning and doing work (I don't know what was wrong with me) before heading to Jazzercise. My intention was to lose a few pounds before heading to Vegas, but I ended up not losing anything since I'd missed so many classes. I was sick nearly all week last week and almost lost my voice. It's slowly coming back to normal.

A few weeks ago, I had put in my application to transfer to another grade level at my school, but after much thought, I decided to talk with my principal to withdraw my application. I guess I could teach fifth grade for another year since I put my toes in the water for a little bit. I'll feel more prepared this year.

On a more depressive note, BFC will not be coming back until Tuesday and leaving on Saturday morning. I won't be here for nearly the whole week, so I'll only be able to see him on Friday and Saturday. So much for spending quality time with one another. But on a happier note, he will be here on Oahu for next school year! Yay!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Glimmer of Admiration

I've always been a book person...I love doing research and writing essays. I've been trying to instill that into my students. With the History curriculum for the grade level (American history), it's important the students understand how America came to be and how people from all over the world came to settle in America. So, I've been using the textbook and having the kids take notes about important dates, people, and events. I admit I haven't been very diligent about keeping up and we're pretty behind as far as the benchmark maps go, but I know we still have to plug on and I don't want to skip around and have the kids get confused.

I've been creating outlines for the kids so that all they need to do is read the lesson and fill in the blanks. I've had complaints about it, but I told them that I could give them nothing and they'd have to take notes on their own without any hints. I overheard one of my students (JL) complaining today about how long it is, etc...this is a kid who hardly EVER turns in his work to me. I think he said something like how I just make copies of some workbook or something. Then I overheard one of his quadmates (JS) saying, "Did you know that Ms. N actually types the paper out herself? Imagine how long it takes her? She has to do one for every lesson! You shouldn't complain about it." I was surprised at JS's reaction because I didn't think he cared too much for me, but for him to defend me (somewhat) made me happy. It shows that he appreciates what I do to make things easier for them.