My Very Own Mini-Concert

Last night, I decided to go out for a night on the town.  I needed a break.  Some me time.  And, I figured the best way to get some of that is to go to a place where no kids are allowed...the little karaoke bar I go to every now and then.

That little bar is the only place I've ever felt comfortable doing karaoke.  The atmosphere is relaxed, everyone is there to have a good time, and nobody cares if it sounds terrible.  Which has been the case for a few times of me getting on that stage.  Despite often cringing at the some of the sounds that come out of my mouth, I have always received a warm reception.  I won't call myself a "regular" but there are a couple of people there that I've gotten to know, and it's just a place I enjoy being.

So, anyways, last night I decided I was in need of some karaoke time.  

When I first got there, the place was pretty empty.  It took me a while to feel a little more relaxed, but that happened once my friend showed up.  And then I was comfortable enough to get up and sing.  The first song I sang was inside, and it went well.  After that, we decided to head out on to the patio.. where there was also karaoke going on.  It was pretty empty outside, with a few people sitting at tables.  Nobody had signed up to sing, so I took the plunge and went up there.  

I have never sang karaoke outside, before.  There were people walking behind the fence of the patio, and it just felt weird knowing that there were people listening outside the perimeter of the bar.  I started out with some Norah Jones.  I have never sang one of her songs before, but after I sang I wondered why I hadn't.  I nailed it.  I think so, anyway...and so did the people that were listening.  It felt amazing, and I really enjoyed it.

After me, my friend got up there.  But, there was nobody to go after that, so I went up there again... and then again...and for the next hour, my friend and I were rotating and I was up every other song.  I felt like I was performing my own little mini-concert.  People were coming in from the street to listen, and people started to fill up the patio area.  I won't lie.  I felt pretty darned great.  

I spent the rest of the evening doing that.  More and more people started to flood in, so my rotation got a little less frequent.  I didn't mind, I sang more songs last night than I think I ever have all the times I've been combined.  Everyone was having a great time, and so was I.  I enjoyed listening to others sing, I enjoyed getting compliments from the people that were listening to me, and I enjoyed just laughing and talking to the people that were coming in.  

All in all, I had such a fantastic time.  And it really helped relieve some stress and enjoy some of my down time, that I probably won't see again for quite a while.  

Today, I'm going to enjoy some more of my free weekend by taking the kids to see P-Momma.  We haven't seen her in a few weeks, and the kids start to miss their Grammy if they don't see her for a while.  And I start missing her, too.  I'll have to take my work with me, so that I can get something done this weekend, but I'm sure she won't mind.

Which I better get to getting if we want to spend some quality time over there.  It's another beautiful day, so we better make the most of it.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!!

I'm Falling in Love

                                       

There are some signs that give away when someone is falling in love.  Goofy smile?  Check!  Pep to your step?  Check!  Positive outlook on everything?  Check!  Butterflies in the stomach whenever you're face to face with your new love? Check!  Telling everyone and anyone you meet how much you're in love?  Check!

Yep.  I've got it alright.  The love bug.  It's infecting me hard and fast...and just like I've been telling everyone else about it, I now think it's time I tell all of you.

I'm in love.  Madly, truly, deeply in love.

With....

THIS WEATHER!!

Oh yes...there's a new beau in town, and his name is Fall!

I just hope it's the real deal, and he's not messing with my head and my heart.  I hope these past couple of days haven't been a big tease, and that his feelings are mutual.  I hope he plans on sticking around and swaying me with his cool hugs and crisp, chilly kisses.  I have been thinking about him non-stop, and wanting to spend every waking minute in his presence.  And, he's making me one happy girl.

I never thought I'd fall in love so quickly.  I mean, just three days ago, I was fighting with Summer about his heat.  Complaining about the 90+ degree weather...and then BAM!  My new hero swoops in and sweeps me off my feet with his cooler temperatures and strong, breezy arms.  

I'm in LOVE, I tell ya.. and I want everyone to know.  

I have waited several months to feel this elated feeling, and I feel bad that I had to end my short relationship with Summer.  I mean, it hasn't been all bad.  Summer was a good companion, for the most part.  He wasn't too crazy, hot this year.  He didn't flex his powerful, hot muscles too many times... but he flexed them enough to make me know that I was tired of sweating my behind off, and ready for something cooler.  A little less intense.  And sure, Summer does provide a lot of fun.  He's a fun guy to hang out with...we got to play in the pool a few times, he accompanied me to theme parks and water parks.  He kept himself in check while I enjoyed outdoor activities during my time off work... but then he had to go and get all mad when I went back to work.  He decided to blast me with temps close to 100 degrees.  He caused me to have to keep my students inside because it was too hot to play outside.  I don't do well with jealousy, and Summer was just too jealous that I had to go back to work and end the fun we were having.

Fall is so much different.  The type of fun I can have with Fall is so much more up my alley.  Going out together for walks around the park, sitting out on the patio wrapped up in a light blanket enjoying a hot cup of coffee, going to football games, fall carnivals, Halloween festivities, and then there's Thanksgiving.  

Plus, I LOVE getting all dressed up for him.  I can bring out my boots, my cute scarves, and my sweaters.  My fall wardrobe is my favorite.  I have so many cute outfits that I can wear.  The weather can still be warm enough, now and then, to wear some capris... but can be cool enough to wear a long-sleeved shirt with a colorful scarf.  

I am so happy, and I have Fall to thank for it.  Stresses of work and school were bringing me down, but it didn't take long for Fall to turn my frown upside down.  The last couple of days, my stresses have started to melt away and I have this feeling inside that no matter what stresses are thrown my way, I can face them.

All joking aside, I really have felt a lot happier these past couple of days.  There's a lot going on at work, there's a lot going on with the kids, and there's a lot going on with me going back to school.. but since the weather cooled down, I haven't felt near as stressed out.  My students have made comments the past couple of days about how happy I've been, and they've enjoyed the change in my mood.  We've had a lot of fun, and they are different when I act that way.  They work harder, they try harder, and they want to keep me happy.  But, sometimes they don't realize that they do make me happy.. I love being with them, and I love my job.

Sure, I can get cranky.  Sure, I can lecture and complain.  But, at the end of the day, I love each and every one of them as if they were my own children, and I have their best interests at heart.  I push them, I have high expectations, and I want them to succeed.  

It's weird that a change in the weather can have such a drastic impact on my mood, but I have never claimed to love hot weather.  It does make me cranky and uncomfortable when it's 90 degrees outside... but I am so happy and carefree when it's only 65 degrees outside.  

The temps for the next week seem to support that Fall is, indeed, moving in.  I am ecstatic about that.  I'm ready to start packing away all the summer clothes, and dusting off my fall/winter wardrobe.  Time to get out my boots, my sweaters, and my scarves.  

Fall and I make a good couple, we compliment each other.  He makes me happy.  So, I plan on enjoying our time together.. making the most of it.  

Everyone enjoy this BEAUTIFUL Saturday.  I know I will.

Good Weather, Great Football, Awesome Email

This is going to be one of those days where I share the good, gooder, and goodest parts of yesterday. (Lord, please forgive me for the terrible use of grammar... I did so for humor, but it is now killing me just looking at it).  Anywho, yesterday was a great day, with several great things happening... so I wanna share.

First off, the weather.  Wow.  Wednesday, the temps were in the 90s and it was hot, humid, and so uncomfortably stuffy.  I hate weather like that.  It makes me cranky.  But yesterday? Our high was in the low 70s, and it was perfectly cool and comfortable. It actually got downright cold yesterday evening, and wouldn't you know I was sitting outside with just a t-shirt on.  We went to a football game, last night, and the only thing I had in the car to keep Peanut, Jelly, and myself warm was some swimming towels.  Thank goodness I had them, though, because we were FREEZING.  I'd say the temps were easily in the low 50s.  Not that I'm going to complain.  That's PERFECT football weather, and I LOVE cool weather.  Right now, I'm sitting on the patio with a blanket wrapped around me, and it feels great. I just know that next time we go to a football game, I'm going to make sure I pack a few blankets and jackets to take with us.  

Which leads me to my next great thing.  Butter's football game.  It was the team's first game of the season, and I'm so happy to report that they won!  The final score was 24-6.  The boys sure did play hard, and made some great plays.  It's always nice to win, but it's so much better to watch a game that has several close calls, and some strategic game-playing.  Our 8th grade boys sure did that.  There were several attempts and close calls made by the opposing team, but the defense really pulled through and prevented them from getting in more than one touchdown.  I sure do love me some local football...and I sure do love that I have a son that loves to play.

Speaking of sons, yesterday, I was so proud of Butter.  Yesterday afternoon, I received an email from Butter's Ag. teacher.  The subject line just contained Butter's name, so my first thought was "Great, what did he do now?"  That's a terrible thing to think, I know, but in all honesty the only time I ever hear from one of Butter's teachers is when he did something he shouldn't have.  But, yesterday, that all changed.

I opened up the email, and read....

I just wanted to let you know that I thoroughly enjoy having Butter in my class!  

I wanted to brag on him especially today because he did the best on the assignment he had today in his class.  He is on of the most opinionated in that class which leads to some good discussions and keeps me learning!

I see so much potential in him and I know that he will do some amazing things!

I'll admit it, when I read that email I got tears in my eyes.  It is the ONLY email I have ever received about my son telling me how good he is, rather than how he can improve on his behavior.  Which is pretty sad in it's own right.  Butter is no perfect angel, I know that.  He gets in trouble.  He acts out.  He likes to be the class clown and make people laugh, but has a hard time knowing when it's appropriate and not appropriate to act that way.  But, one of the reasons that Butter is not a fan of school is because no matter how long he goes without getting in to trouble, he knows that the only time I'll ever hear from his teachers is when that happens.

Just the other day, Butter got written up for acting out during his Outdoor Classroom class.  He was written up for trying to be the class clown, not taking everything seriously, spraying people with the water hose, and so on.  No "major" infractions, but enough to warrant a discipline form being sent home.  I, once again, gave Butter the whole spill about how disappointed I was with his behavior, gave him the lecture that he needs to be more serious, and told him that he just couldn't act that way...I was tired of hearing about him getting in trouble.

His response to my disappointment sure did hit me in the gut, though.

He listened to my concerns and then said, "OK, fair enough, but what about when I'm good?  Do you ever hear about that?  I might get in trouble once in a while, but what about all the times I don't?"  

And, he's right.  I do only ever hear from Butter's teachers when he's acting up.  But, what about when he's being good, working hard, and making an effort?  There is one teacher in the Junior High that came to me the first full week of school to tell me he'd been having some issues with Butter being disruptive in class.  I spoke to Butter, and then the teacher followed up to tell me that Butter had improved his behavior and the teacher appreciated the effort Butter had made to turn things around.  That meant a lot to me, but that's the only time I've ever heard a follow up to a complaint.  

Butter does have it pretty tough.  Being that I'm right there in the school, it's easy for teachers to come and see me when Butter isn't being the "model student".  But, one thing that really upsets me is when I hear about stuff that other parents wouldn't hear about.  I mean, if he does something that his teachers would call ANY parent about, then sure... I need to know.  But, if he calls out answers without raising his hand, throws a paper across the room to try and make it in the trash can, or forgets to bring a book to class, that's stuff I really don't need to know.  I understand that my co-workers are just trying to keep me aware of some of the issues they've had, but I'm a parent.  I want to be treated the same way as other parents.  If he does something that requires parental contact, then by all means contact me.  If it's something that can be dealt with in class, by the teacher, I don't really need to know.  But, one thing Butter has complained about is the fact that he doesn't even have the chance to tell me he got in to trouble... I know sometimes before he does.

So, I was absolutely ECSTATIC to receive that email, yesterday.  And, the best part was the fact that it's from a new teacher I haven't even really spoken to.  She only works half the day in our building, and so I haven't had a chance to meet her.  What I do know is that Butter really likes her and loves the class she teaches.  I know that because he told me.  And, now that I've received that email, I doubt she will EVER have a problem from him.  He's waited practically his whole life for me to receive an email like that.  And, I can't even describe the smile and look he had on his face when I let him read it. 

I was a little mean and played a trick on him.  After the game, we were on our way home and I told him I needed to speak to him about an email I'd received.  I gave him my stern face, and told him that I wanted him to read the email to get his side of the story before we discussed the "issue".  His first response, with that quite common defeated look on his face, was "Great, what did I do now?"  As he started reading, I could see the confusion on his face.  Then, he looked up at me in the rear view mirror with one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen on his face.  I could see how much it meant to him straight away.  And, for the rest of the ride home, he talked non-stop about his class, the assignment she was talking about in the email, and how much fun he has in the class.  

That's what I'd love to hear from him more often.  How much he enjoys his classes.  How much he enjoys school.  And I am so thankful that his Ag. teacher took the time out of her day to send me some nice words about my son.

She's absolutely right when she speaks of the potential that she sees.  Butter loves all things related to Agriculture, and despite him telling me that he wants to drive trucks when he's older, I definitely think he has a future in Ag.  At the very least, he'll definitely show a much higher interest now that he knows she's gone out of her way to say nice things about him, and I know that he won't want to ruin that.  

Butter is one of those kids that yearns for attention.  He wants to be noticed.  Unfortunately, it's usually in a way that is disruptive.  He lives in the shadow of a sister that is always good, gets raving reviews by all the teachers that have had her, and has her hands in more clubs, organizations, and projects than I can keep up with.  Butter is impulsive, he often does things without really taking the time to think about what he's doing.  And, then he ends up getting in to trouble.  I know that he yearns for positive attention and kudos, but being that it's so hard for him to get those things.. he sometimes opts for the easy way:  Negative attention.  

Now, he has made some close connections since I got my job.  His 6th grade teacher was awesome for him.  I never heard from him about discipline problems.  Butter did very well in his class.  Last year, it was his football coach.  The coach took Butter under his wing and did his best to keep Butter on the straight and narrow.  This year, his comm arts teacher (who had some discipline issues with Butter last year) has turned that relationship around, and he's told me that he really likes her (this year) and they get along very well.  And now, he can add his Ag. teacher to the list of teachers that he loves.  I'm very happy that the list is getting a little longer, rather than shorter. 

Anywho, all in all, yesterday was a fantastic day.  I am so thankful for days that I can reflect on with smiles and sunshine.  It feels good.  

Today is Friday, and so the weekend is near.  I'm exhausted and ready to catch up on some sleep.  I'm also ready to see Sanity, P-Momma, and just enjoy a weekend of relaxation and fun.  I won't get very many of them, so I have to cherish each one that I do get.  

Have an awesome Friday, everyone!!

A Great Wednesday and a Very Busy Thursday

I'm dragging this morning.  I just didn't want to get out of bed, and I'm lucky I woke up only twenty minutes after my alarm went off to find that I'd turned the alarm off and went back to sleep.  Had my internal clock not been working, that could have turned out very bad for me.  And, I was having such a nice dream, too.

I'm so tired because I didn't get home until 10PM last night, due to being in class.  It was a great class, though.  I found out that I'd worried WAY too much about my homework assignments that were due, and that I'll never have to stress that much again about the homework.  I also realized that if I don't want to be in class until 9:30, I'm going to have to not talk so much.  But, dang I enjoy the conversations that we have.

Discussing school issues is fun.  I mean, really fun.  I've already learned so much about some of the issues revolving around the public school system, and it's extremely interesting to learn so much about them. I know that some of my classmates are probably thinking, "Dang, will she stop talking so we can get out of here", but I just can't help myself.  It's something about myself that just happens.  I'm a talker.  A discusser.  I like to share my ideas, my thoughts, and my vents.

Last night, we discussed some of the article reviews we'd written, we shared our first group presentations, and we learned about some of the legislation and controversy that's currently out there about school choice, religion in schools, standards based grading, teacher unions, and equality rules.  

I had a lot of fun, and I feel so relieved to know that I only have to write an article review by next class.  That's the only homework I have, and I know that's totally doable because I managed to finish up all the homework I was worrying so much about and got it all turned in last night.  

Being that I got home so late last night, it would be nice to come home this evening and have an early night.  But, no such luck.  Instead I'll be going to a meeting after school and then getting in the car to drive to Butter's first football game...which happens to be an away game.  That means there's a good chance we won't get home until about 11PM.  His game probably won't even start until after 7PM, they'll play for a little over an hour, and we might be lucky if we're heading home by 9:30PM.  The town where he's playing is about an hour and a half from my house.  

Thankfully, I'll just have to get through tomorrow with being so exhausted and then I can catch up on some of my sleep.

Today is also September 11th, so I have to try and fit in some time to discuss this very important day.  It gets tougher and tougher each year, because the kids I teach weren't alive in 2001.  Heck, Peanut was only a little over a year old, and Butter was only 5 months old back when it actually happened.  But, it is very important for the kids to know the significance of Sept. 11th...even if we don't discuss it in great detail.  I don't like to discuss it in great detail because even though it's been 13 years since it happened, it makes me a little teary eyed thinking about that day.  I remember and will always remember what I was doing on September 11th, 2001 and will forever remember the images that scrolled across the news screens for weeks after.  

I choose not to show the video from that day in my classroom, and instead I show the BrainPop video about this day.  I know some people don't agree with my way of doing it, but I really don't think I need to show the graphic images from that day to a group of nine and ten year olds.  I do think it's important to teach about the events of that day, what terrorism is, and how a country came together after a massive tragedy.  

OK, time for another great day in the classroom, and for an evening of watching some football.  The high for today is only 75 degrees, so it should be a BEAUTIFUL day.

Have a great Thursday, everyone... and if you can, take the time to reflect on the events from 13 years ago and how far our country has come since that tragic day.

Thank Goodness for Facebook

This morning I realized one very important thing when it comes to Facebook.  Whether you love it or hate it, it does serve a purpose.  That purpose being that it allows people to find out stuff you wouldn't find out unless you have Facebook.

Recently, a few people have told me about finding out personal stuff through Facebook that has shocked them.  Long held secrets, finding family members, connecting with school friends you haven't seen in years, and big announcements.

Just a few days ago, I connected with C's ex-wife who found out about Peanut being C's child through Facebook just a couple of weeks ago.  Well, actually, Peanut's half sister finding out about Peanut and then relaying that information to her mother.  

That was a bit of news C's ex-wife wasn't expecting.  I mean, she wasn't angry at me, or Peanut... the exact opposite in fact.  We were able to have a great chat, and I appreciate her reaching out to me.  But, I can only imagine her shock to find out that her daughter isn't the oldest daughter of her ex-husband and that her daughters had a 14 year old sister walking around.  I can imagine it was even more shocking to Peanut's sister.  That's not something she planned on seeing or finding out about on her father's FB page, I'm sure.  

We got to meet Peanut's little sister when we went to Tennessee.  And it was there where I found out about how she had found out her sister existed.  It made me a little upset that she had to find out that way.  I mean, it's great that C wanted to put pictures on his FB of Peanut and share with the world his excitement on connecting with his long-lost daughter... but he I thought he might have told his other daughters about it first.  Peanut has three other half sisters, and she's been able to meet two of them.  The other one we're hoping to meet when we go back in October.

This morning, I got to feel exactly what it feels like to find out important news on Facebook.  

Thanks to a post on Facebook, I got to find out that my youngest sister had her baby this morning.  I didn't even know it was time for her to have her baby.  So, I guess I'm an aunt again.  Thanks for the news, FB!

Not that I can be angry or upset finding out that way.  I mean, I haven't spoken to my mother or my sister in several months, now.  I knew that I would eventually see the news at some point posted on FB.. but now that I have seen the news, I now know what it feels like to find out the "important stuff" through social media.  It stings. 

Now my mother has her new grandbaby.  The long anticipated grandbaby.  I'm sure both of my parents are ecstatic about the new arrival, and I'm happy for them.  I'm sure the little guy will be very happy.  I just hope I am able to break the news to my own children before they see it on Facebook.  I'd like to be the one to tell them, rather than them finding out something like that by scrolling through their newsfeed this morning.

What would some of us do without Facebook?  I mean, really.  

Peanut probably wouldn't have connected with her bio-dad if it weren't for FB.  I wouldn't have been able to connect with all of his family.  I wouldn't still have some contact with people I went to school with.  I wouldn't be able to keep up with the lives of family members that live in England.  And I wouldn't find out about my sister giving birth to her first child. 

It really is a miraculous piece of technology, if you really think about it.  Most people get their news about the world through the internet, so it makes sense that people also get their news about their family and friends in the same manner.  

I often wonder if my mother ever checks up on me through FB.  Does she know all about Peanut and her recent family adventures?  Does she know about me being in graduate school?  Does she ever wonder how her other grandchildren are doing, and use FB to find out?  Is she even able to do that stuff being that we aren't even friends on FB and I keep all of my stuff private to friends only?

I mean, I wouldn't have found out about my sister's baby unless my aunt (that I am still friends with) hadn't posted it.  I saw her post about my sister going in to have the baby, and then saw another post from my sister confirming that the baby had arrived.  

I know that some people will read this and then question me as to why I don't just bury the hatchet if stuff like this bothers me.  But, it's really not that simple.  I guess some people will think of it as a pride thing...not being the one to "cave in" first.  That's not it.  It really isn't.  I'm still hurt, I'm still angry, and I still have my reasons as to why I believe that this separation in our relationship is necessary.  I have really learned a lot about myself and my family's relationship during this feud.  I have become a stronger person and a better mother.  I look at the relationship my mother and I have and use it to drive my own decisions with my children, to ensure they never feel the way I feel.

I just broke the news to Peanut about my sister, and I'm not surprised about seeing the hurt on her face.  My sister and Peanut used to be very close, and I know it upsets her that they don't have any form of a relationship left.  Deep down, it's why I think it meant so much to Peanut to reach out and connect with C's family.  Because she wants grandparents that love and support her, that make her feel important.  She has expressed to me how grateful she is for P-Momma being a grandmother to her, but I know she felt like she was missing out on that connection with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that she used to enjoy so much.  

Butter has also felt the weight of the argument.  His granddad means the world to him, as does my brother.  But, because the women in the family can't get along, he's had to suffer the backlash.  My dad also stopped any contact with me after my mom and my falling out, even though I have absolutely nothing against my father or any ill feelings toward him.  Butter has been the one to be pushed in to the crossfire because of that.  Thankfully, Butter stays in contact with my brother... and even though my brother really wants us all to let everything go so he can have his nephew back in his life again, he understands my decisions and decided to stay talking to Butter through phone calls and text messages.  

Jelly, thankfully, hasn't had to deal with too much of all of this.  After my mom adopted my niece and nephew, Jelly never really spent much time at my parent's house.  It's a sad truth that Jelly looks to P-Momma as her grandma, and P-Momma has returned the sentiments.  Jelly absolutely ADORES that woman, and her "Grammy" is her everything.  Jelly's always asking to go and see her and spend time with her, something she never really did when it came to my own mother.

At the end of the day, though, this is about Facebook...and finding out about important stuff.  It is what it is.  We all choose our own paths when it comes to family and relationships.  But, thankfully Facebook is there to help keep a window in to the lives of people we have distanced ourselves from... for whatever reasons.  

Regardless of family drama, I'm happy for my sister.  I know that she will be happy and that her baby will be well taken care of.  I'm happy that my parents now have another grandchild.  A grandchild they can help raise, and be there for, and apart of his life.  That's good.  I'm happy for all of them.  I will remain on this side of the window, looking in from time to time.  

OK, I should probably go and wake the other two kids up and get ready for work.  It's my class day, so it'll be another late night for me.

Have a great day, everyone!!

The Field Experience Project

Last night, I attended my first meeting for my field experience class.  It's not so much a class as it is an ongoing project that will require occasional progress checks.  It lasts between now and December 2015, so basically a little over year long project.

The purpose of the field experience is to obtain 300 hours of experience, while documenting exposure and training to the Missouri Leader Standards.  Yep, even administrators have standards they have to follow.  

I have to admit, I was a little shocked when I saw the 31 page syllabus that was handed out.  I mean, it's basically a small book.  I've had syllabi that were 5 and even 10 pages long, but 31?  If that's not intimidating, I don't know what is.  Thankfully, the intimidation wore off pretty quick once the instructor (who happens to be a current elementary principal) started to explain what our project will entail.

We have 14 months to complete 300 hours of field experience.  During that time, we'll collect "artifacts" demonstrating our understanding of the Missouri Leader Standards and store them in to a portfolio.  We will also have a few assignments here and there.  We will then write a 12 page paper (2 per standard) as a reflection for each standard.  Now that I can handle.  I've done almost that much writing (or will have) during the first three weeks of the Critical Issues class that I'm currently taking. 

Our principal will serve as our "instructor" for the project, and he will oversee our training.  We will have to observe and perform certain tasks that are required of administrators, and really get a feel of what it's like to be a principal.  I think that's kind of exciting.  I mean, what better way is there to learn how to be a principal than actually doing it?  

Our first assignment, which is due by our next meeting in January, consists of recording an 8-10 minute video showing us in a mock administrative duty.  There's a plethora of situations we can use, and the only rule is that we can't use students in our videos.  I'm not a fan of being recorded, and that part is a little intimidating, but I think it will be fun to act out a situation I may find myself in one day.

One of the choices that jumped out at me was putting myself in to the position of a principal hiring a new teacher.  The video would have to consist of me making a phone call to the applicant I chose to hire, and then the phone calls to the applicants that weren't selected.  I tell ya, I have been at the other end of plenty of those "sorry you didn't get the job" phone calls, so that's something I could pull off quite easily.  

The other thought I had is going through the Intruder on Campus Active Shooter training.  Our school will actually be taking part in active shooter training with local law enforcement personnel.  It's scary and downright awful that we have to do something like that, but also necessary with the level of danger there has been towards schools in the past few years.  After the training, I could sit down with the law enforcement officials and discuss the school's response, areas of concern, areas of improvement, and areas of success.  I think that would be a great mock admin situation to play out, being that its' so relevant to today's admin duties.  

This whole project is very similar to the field experience I had to do my last year of college for my teaching portfolio.  We had six tenants that we had to collect artifacts for, collect a certain amount of on-the-job training hours, and then write up reflections for the tenants.  So, being that I've done this before, I should do pretty well.  There will be about 50 weeks of time to collect the hours, so I'll have to get in about 6 hours a week of experience.  I'll have even more time if I'm able to collect some hours during the summer.  So, even though six hours a week will be tough, it won't really be that much.  Plus, a lot of the projects and assignments I'll do for other classes will be able to be used for the time.  So, I'm thinking if I can get in 3-4 hours a week of experience with my principal, the rest will come from assignments, research, and other activities.  

I'm still not even close to being done with my homework that's due TOMORROW.  I managed to finish up the presentation I'll use for the group project I'm doing with my partner.  We'll present that tomorrow, no problems.  I have, still yet, to do the two article reviews and answer the chapter questions.  I have the articles, I've read them, but I just haven't typed up the 1-2 page reflections.  Those I could knock out in no time, it's the chapter questions that I'm concerned about.  They require a lot of research, so I'm thinking that it'll be a late night for me tonight getting it all finished.  

But, like I said yesterday, I work best under pressure.  This takes me back to my previous college days, when I'd sit in front of the computer the night before an assignment was due, typing on the keyboard while listening to my "study music".  I graduated with a 3.9 GPA by doing that.  The only B I made during my entire college career was in College Algebra, and that didn't require any late night paper writing.  So, the rest of the time that I crammed and wrote at the last minute earned me all A's.  Although, this time, I want to really try hard to NOT spend so much time procrastinating.  Starting this week, I plan on working about an hour a night on homework so that I'm not spending an entire weekend or staying up all night before class getting my work done.  I have 16 kiddos counting on me to be alert and focused for them all day, and I can't perform my teacher job very well if I'm sleep deprived and stressed out.

I figure if I spend an hour after school getting my teacher work done, I can come home and spend an hour on school homework.  Then maybe, just maybe, I'll actually be able to have some time to spend on weekends doing fun stuff or just relaxing.  Of course, this week I'm bogged down with meetings.  Today I have a PTP meeting after work, tomorrow I have class, and Thursday I have a NEA meeting followed by Butter's first football game.  Not really conducive to my plans of spending a couple of hours each evening getting my work done.  Thankfully, I have nothing going on this weekend.  No football games, no debate stuff, no plans whatsoever.  That's great news for me, because I can knock out my homework for next week, and still have a day to relax or go and see P-Momma (being that I haven't seen her in a while).  

I have to admit, I feel a lot better today than I did this weekend.  Sure, I'm a little stressed that I still have so much to do by tomorrow.  But, I'll get it all done, probably lose some sleep, and then learn a valuable lesson about time management and that I'm not a girl in college that doesn't have a job waiting for me the next day anymore.  It's time to put my big girl pants on and lead by example.  If I preach to my own students and children about the down falls to procrastination, I better start realizing that same message myself.  

OK, it's that time again where I need to get ready for work.  I was a little cranky, yesterday, because we were without AC for a while and I don't like being hot.  Hopefully today, that will all be working again and I can go back to being my chipper, happy self.

Have an awesome Tuesday, everyone!!

Must. Do. Homework!

I've decided that if one of my students complains about their spelling contract homework this week, I'm going to hand them the homework I have to do for my class and tell them to do that instead....and then see if they still want to complain next week.

Everyone has heard my thoughts on homework.  I'm not a fan.  Mostly because I know what it's like to have a life outside of school, and after working all day the last thing I want to do is spend all evening working on homework.  But despite everyone's opinions on homework, the truth is if a kid is going to college, they better get used to homework... but it's a big part of college life.

I have one class a week.  Just one.  But, I'm already overwhelmed by the amount of homework that I have this week.  And all I have to do is write up an article review, answer some chapter questions, and do a group project about a critical issue in education.  No biggie, right?  I mean, I have a whole week to do that.

What I thought was that I'd get it done on a weekend day.  And, if I had actually spent ALL day on my homework yesterday (the time between getting up and going to bed), I probably would have finished it all.  But I didn't, so I didn't.

My brain and my body just aren't equipped with the necessary patience to spend an ENTIRE day in front of the computer researching, reading, and typing answers.  I just can't do it.  Not only are my brain and my body not able to do it, but I also have other responsibilities that have to be taken care of, which interfere with that time.  I had laundry and grocery shopping to do, as well.

Being that I spent ALL day Saturday working in a concession stand, I didn't really want to spend my ENTIRE day yesterday doing homework... but the sad thing is, the several hours I did spend doing homework barely cracked a dent in to how much I had to do.

The absolute worst part was the fact that I spent two hours answering questions I didn't even have to answer.  We were given three pages of information and questions to read, and it wasn't until I was about two hours in (and only on the first page of questions) that I realized there was only one question on the page that I had to answer, and the rest were just to think about for the next class.  Not cool.  It wasn't my professor's fault.  He told us in the directions that we just had to answer the questions that were at the end of the chapter.  The problem came when I thought all the questions he had given us WERE the questions from the end of the chapter.  It wasn't until I got to the end of the chapter in the text book that I realized only one of the questions on the handout were actually from the chapter questions.  The rest of the questions had gone with the reading in order to drive our thinking process and prepare us for the discussions we'd have in our next class.  I didn't have to type up three pages of answers.  UGH!!

That was a big deflate to my ability to sit and focus.  To realize that I'd spent two hours working on something I didn't have to work on.  Had I spent those two hours only answering the questions I needed to, I would have been done with that assignment.  But, I didn't even get to the first question I had to answer before I gave up and moved to a different assignment.

I will say that I finished my portion of the group project.  I got my research and my opinion written out.  Now all I have to do is mesh it with my partner's piece and we can put together a full document and presentation.  But the two pages I did type up took me a couple of hours.  By the time I'd done the research, laid out the information I wanted to use, and written up the information so that I wasn't plagiarizing my sources I had spent almost two hours working on it.  The opinion piece didn't take near as long, because I could just type that.  There's so much more work and time needed when there's research involved.

It wouldn't be so bad if I had tonight to work on homework, but I have another class to attend for four hours.  Starting today, I'll be enrolled in two classes, but only going to one class a week.  The other class is a field experience class that I'll do on my own.  Tonight's meeting is to just explain what the expectations and requirements are for the field experience project that I'll turn in either in October or December (can't remember when).

What makes matters worse is the fact that I'm such a bad procrastinator.  I am also a huge hypocrite.  I preach to my own students about procrastination, and how bad it is to wait until the last minute because you never know what might happen, and then I turn around and do the same thing.  I never wanted to be one of those "do as I say, not as I do" teachers.  But, in my defense, I work much better under pressure.  I have had plenty of practice with that, yet it's something I regret getting in to the habit of doing.  It's why I'm so adamant with my own students about NOT being a procrastinator.  I've had plenty of years of experience, and I can handle staying up until 4AM to finish homework if I need to.  Those little kiddos don't need to be trying to do stuff like that at their age.  Besides, they have a spelling contract each week that should take no more than 30 minutes an evening to finish.  If they did that each night, it would be easy sailing.  However, some of them don't and then complain that they had to spend over 2 hours on homework on Thursday night because it's all due on Friday and they never touched it all week.

I know that problem all too well.  I'm still working on the article review that was supposed to be turned in last Wednesday.  Being that I was in Tennessee the weekend before, I didn't work on it.  Then class was cancelled on Wednesday, so I took that as having a whole extra week to get it done.  What ended up happening was me piling even more work on to the over flowing plate I had to take care of.  My bad, and something I won't do again.  Next time I get an assignment, I'm going to do it before the next class...regardless of whether or not the class gets cancelled or rescheduled.

I understand that my homework is an important part of my learning process, and vital for me to complete the required objectives for the class.  Meeting once a week for four hours over the course of eight weeks just isn't enough time for me to learn everything I need to learn from this class.  The homework portion gives me even more knowledge and experience with what this class is all about, and it's vital for earning the degree I'm pursuing.  Getting a Master's isn't easy, I never expected it to be.  It's just going to require some firm restrictions on my part to buckle down and do what I have to do.

These first two weeks have given me some insight on how the rest of the class is going to go, and now I understand that it can take up and over of two hours to do a single article review.  I understand that chapter questions aren't simply answering a question from the reading, but an entire research project.  I understand that a group project isn't as simple as creating a cute PowerPoint, but spending several hours researching and documenting sources, information, and opinions.  I have realized that in order for me to be successful in this class, I'm going to have to kiss ANY free time goodbye and really buckle down on prioritizing and time management.  There's no reason to give up what I already have on my busy calendar, I just have to realize that there may not be much time for me to relax and "chill" for the next 18 months.  If I spend an entire Saturday working for a fundraiser, I must know that I'm going to spend an entire Sunday working on homework.  I also need to move away from coming home from work each night and putting my feet up.  If I'm a little more organized, I could spend an hour an evening working on homework and then I wouldn't be too overwhelmed come the weekend...and I may even get a couple of hours on the weekend to relax, or at least take better care of my "mom duties".

One valuable lesson I have most definitely learned is the fact that school teachers just can't all jump on the "no homework" bandwagon.  I know that there are several teachers that don't like to give homework, and refuse to do so.  I'm one of those teachers that really don't like giving homework.  I give some spelling homework each week, but other than that I get to feeling all guilty if I ask students to take something home to finish.  I feel like they've spent enough time in class and shouldn't have to extend their school day in to their evening hours at home.  But, the harsh reality is, we're also a society that's moving towards more college preparation.  With Common Core and new state standards that are focusing on college readiness, we really need to think about the other ways we can prepare kids for college demands.  If a student spends the majority of their school life not receiving any homework, what's going to happen when they get in to college and realize that they have to spend 3-8 hours a week doing homework?  Sometimes even more.

And I'm all on the train that says that 3rd, 4th, and even 5th graders are too young to have too much homework.  That they are too young to have to worry about college readiness... but what about junior high and high school readiness?  I know that my Peanut is already feeling the weight of high school homework demands, because she wasn't prepared for the amount of homework a high school student receives.  In Junior High, her teachers were great about not giving homework.. or she was able to spend a small amount of time finishing up the tiny amounts of homework she did receive.  Now that she's in high school, she receives nightly homework assignments, often from more than one class, that could take her 1-3 hours and it's hard on her.  She just wasn't prepared for it.

So, even though I'm not a fan of homework, I really think that I need to rethink my own opinion.  I want my students to go to college when they graduate high school.  Will they all go?  Probably not.  But, I shouldn't be teaching to those that don't go, I should be encouraging them all to at least want to and seriously think about it.  Even in 4th grade.  Especially in 4th grade.  But, if I want to do that, I have to also face that fact that these kids need to be prepared for the volume of work they are going to receive.  Even if I'm just preparing them for what's awaiting in high school.  All I know is that having a no homework or minimal homework policy could be more detrimental to my students than having them take something home each night or a couple nights a week to work on.  If they don't get any homework now, or next year, or even the year after, they will eventually.  And then they'll be overwhelmed and will most likely struggle.

That doesn't mean that I'm going to start assigning an hour or two of homework each night.  It just means that I'm not going to feel so guilty anymore if I have to send a math assignment home to finish, or a science paper, or a grammar practice page.  If they have to take something home to work on, so be it.  I'm going to stop worrying about it, stop trying to fit enough time in to the day to give them time to finish any homework, and just remember that I'm helping prepare them for the future.  I know that there will be kids that don't do the homework, and the kids that will struggle with having homework.  But, being that I grade for effort, I need to further instill the importance in at least trying.  They just have to know, as do I, that it'll all be worth it in the end.

OK, I think I've said enough for today.

Have a great Monday, everyone!