Week 1 of Summer Down

The first week of summer has slipped through my fingers. I can't even really remember what I did all of last week. Oh that's right...I got sick on Wednesday. BFF says that it's because I always stress myself out and then when vacation is in sight, my body knows, and then shuts off its immunity to colds. :p I shouldn't wait until the last minute to do everything...

Tomorrow I'll be heading to the BI for the final time this year for a friend's wedding in Kona. Soon after the wedding, BFC will be coming back to the island for good. It should be interesting to see what happens now that we'll both be on the same island.

Freedom!

Today was the official last day for me of the 2009-2009 school year. Teaching fifth grade was an interesting experience and I'm looking forward to doing all over again, but better. I guess that's what teaching is about though. With each year, you grow and have a chance to reflect on what could have been done instead. This is will be the second year that I'll be staying in the same grade level, so I'm a little more prepared for what's to come instead of being a "blind bat" like this year. I'm looking forward to doing nothing but veg out for a couple of days before heading to the BI for the A/P wedding. I'm also going to see BFC for a few days before he returns for good in two weeks. It's amazing how quickly time went by...I still remember thinking like he would never be coming back. Now he'll be back before I know it.

4 1/2 More Days Left

The end of the year is almost here! My first year of teaching fifth grade has been an interesting experience. I remember receiving my acceptance call from my principal before transferring and thinking, "Fifth grade, eww," but now I'm glad that I decided to try something new. I admit, it's been difficult having to get used to a different curriculum nearly every single year, but there's something about fifth grade that I really enjoy. They're very independent and are able to help me with a lot more stuff than my former students could. They get my jokes more and are able to take my sarcasm. They can read me very well. I'm looking forward to teaching fifth grade again next year so I can fine-tune my lessons.

I'm looking forward to letting my "monsters" go, but I know I'll miss the majority of them. They were extremely good this morning. We hadn't been doing our Reading textbook for the last few weeks, and when we started the lesson, they knew exactly what to do and where to go to the activities for the story. I was really pleased.

I just hope that the upcoming class will be just as memorable as this one...

11 and a Half More Days (I think)

I felt an update was in order for my "gripe" site.

Things have been moving steadily at work. We just had DARE day on Tuesday and our DARE graduation on Wednesday morning. Going to DARE day was really interesting and I found that it was pretty exciting, but my co-workers said that I'd think differently after seeing the same things again and again as the years passed. Surprisingly, we sat down next to my former school and I felt somewhat like a celebrity with my former students saying hello to me. I even got a hug from one of them before we left. Being at the Stan Sheriff was like madness with so many schools in one place. I was dying as we stood outside waiting for our bus because it was like the lines of children would not end. I found myself giving the stink eye to some other students since they weren't acting appropriately.

There are only a few weeks left of school and I've been counting down the days since Spring Break. I'm looking forward to my summer, although I should be teaching summer school to get some extra money. I guess that's something I can look into for next summer. BFC will also be coming back for good in late June, so that is definitely something I'm looking forward to. I'll be going to see him for the long weekend on Saturday and again in June for a friend's wedding.

I also finished three of my portfolios within a few days of each being due. I have one more due next Friday, so I'm in the process of finishing up my lessons, gathering up student work, and writing my reflections.

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...

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!

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.