new things

I realized I haven't posted since December. I've been really busy. Here is a list of everything that is new:

• Student teacher is now full-time. She starts teaching Eng 9 next week and Eng 10 in about 2 weeks. Yikes! I'm hoping the full-on teaching experience will help her improve in the areas we've identified. Some of them need to be improved, otherwise... I will be put in an awkward position. She is getting more comfortable in the classroom, which is a step in the right direction. The whole thing has been an interesting experience, one I'm not yet sure if I would do again. 
• I am taking two grad classes this semester: School Law (interesting, but the classmates are... slightly irritating.) and Improving School Programs and Performance (this one has 4 people total and is a hybrid course--we only meet every other week, the other weeks are online discussions. We've had really great discussions and I LOVE the professor, she is absolutely fantastic!)
• New semester started. I miss my old English 9 and 10 classes, my new classes are definitely different and the ST and I have had a lot of conversations about how unique my first semester classes were in terms of motivation and skills. Our English 9 class is 20 boys, 5 girls. That's been interesting. They're warming up though. My two English 10 classes are very different, but fun in their own ways. I swear, something about the 4x4 schedule makes these kids act better in class. I haven't had as many behavioral problems this year as previous years. 
• There's a good chance I will be teaching creative writing next year! That's so exciting!
• I am pregnant. Due in mid-September. It is exciting and terrifying.
• My students are really cute when they find out that piece of news. My 10th grade classes both know (and their reactions were ADORABLE), my 9th grade class doesn't know as a whole (a few of them have figured it out or other kids told them). I announced it yesterday on my student facebook, mostly for my older students or students I don't see often. Since I'm already showing, students that know me have figured it out, but students that don't know me probably just think I'm a little chunky, haha! 
• Being due in mid-September is good. It'll give us the whole summer to prepare, to find a long-term sub, and I might even be able to meet my new classes at least once before going on leave

That's about it. This is a busy semester. Classes on Monday and Tuesday, Literary Magazine meetings on Wednesday, mentoring a student teacher and my own personal life changes... whew. I'll try to keep this updated, but who knows? I always forget because I find other things to do.