quickie

-Budget still isn't set. We had a whole meeting about how the higher-ups have no clue about what they're going to do to balance the budget. So, we're all waiting for the state to finish waiting for the federal government to make decisions.
-I wore my Shakespeare shirt today because a) it was Friday, b) I finished reading Macbeth with my 12th graders today and c) I'm starting A Midsummer Night's Dream with my 10th graders. (YAAAAAY! NO JULUS CASESAR THIS YEAR! You have no idea how happy I am!) Some of them laughed, some of them didn't get it.
-We just finished our taxes because my W-2 from NPS finally arrived. It was originally sent to my parents' house because when I left there I couldn't remember our new zip code, but it was returned to sender, but the postal system caught it and forwarded it to us.
-I did a really fun and funny activity with my 10th graders to introduce a theme from Midsummer. I don't like to tell my students we're going to do something "fun" cause they're definition of fun is way different from mine. So, I told them "I don't want to say it's fun, let's just say it's more interesting than usual." One kid leaned toward me later and asked, "I thought this wasn't supposed to be fun?"
-I promised myself that starting Feb. 1st, I'd write something every day. It may not be here, but in a written journal I keep. Either way, I'll try and write more here.
-We made sweet potato stew today! Most of you don't care, but I love it (and those of you that have made/ate the stew, you understand) and I've been looking forward to it all day.

Just as I'm getting used to my job...

So the state of Virginia has cut into education for the new budget. That's okay, I guess. Schools are pretty much used to it.
David tells me today that the House of Reps in VA is debating not approving the budget that Gov. Kaine proposed for political reasons and they're going to push to get rid of the small tax increases and instead cut MORE from education. Doesn't sound too bad unless you actually work for a small school district that's been hit hard like I do right now.
Last week, we were told by the administration and then in a letter from the Superintendent that our budget is bare bones. We are cutting after-school buses, summer school and a few other programs. No new textbooks are going to be ordered and we have to be diligent about getting the issued ones back. That's all so we don't lose any positions. That's with the proposed cuts in place and it's all "As far as we know..." and a feeling that nothing's solid just yet. If they're going to cut more from education, that means we're going to have to get rid of more. Since I'm new to this district, who do they get rid of first if they have to cut positions? Support staff? Janitorial? New teachers? Older, more experienced (and thus, more expensive) teachers? Ones with the grades? Ones who they've known?
It's a small place, where everyone knows everyone.... and I'm one of the new kids and, to be honest, a few teachers there do not like me already. So... should I be worried about my job? Even though we've been reassured, I've told them I'm coming back next year (screw spending money to apply to closer places when everyone is tightening up their budgets) and I'm hoping that I'll be able to, I'm still keeping the thought that I might be laid off in the back of my mind. Keep your fingers crossed, I guess.

books & end of semester

Ahh, the end of the first semester. I have less D/F students this nine weeks than last, I have two small things left on my to do list, and I have small corrections to make on my exam. What a wonderful feeling.
Today was full of silliness. My 4th period seniors are hilarious and I was trying to think of all the ways I could say crazy things about Macbeth to help them remember information, plot and characters for a test on Act I-III this Friday. We went off on tangents about how The Wire was amazing and another topic I can't remember, but definitely had nothing to do with Macbeth.
One of the best things about teaching is when you get an on-going inside joke in a class or group of students. For example, in my 3rd period senior class, we refer to Fleance, Banquo's son in Macbeth, as either the "F-word" or one specific student yells out his name in a way that sounds like "FleeeeAAAAAAncSSSSSSSSS". A perfect example of the inside joke with students is this: I have a faithful group of students who I spend lunch with. Most of them are in my 5th period (the lunch period), but there are a few that have first lunch, but hate going downstairs to the cafeteria. Usually, we get pretty silly and end up laughing for 5 or 10 minutes straight. It's always the highlight of my day. On Monday, a student I'll refer to as CH asked me a question. CH is like a little brother where we harass each other constantly. For example, he calls me Pippi in class because he found out I hate to be called Pippi Longstocking. Anyway. He asked if I had a blog. I said "yes, it's called 'Mrs. P hates CH' and I post in it every day about all the things you do that I hate." Ever since then, every time he does something during class, I'll say "Dear blog, today CH called me Pippi 5 times. I think my hatred for him has gotten stronger. Love, Mrs. P." Today, he said something nice about another girl in the Lunch Crew, SH, and they all joked about how the blog post will be "Dear blog, CH said something nice about SH today. Maybe we won't kill him after all...."
Oh, and I did the dance to "Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer at lunch today. Ever checked out pandora.com? It's a lifesaver during my super quiet study hall, plan period, or after school time. Today, I typed in "Baby Got Back" because all the students started singing it. "Can't Touch This" was the second song on the "station" (pandora will come up with similar songs to whatever band or song you type in). During 5th period today, the Lunch Crew decided we should keep the music on, but low to see if anyone noticed. Finally, we had to give it up that the music WAS coming from the speakers. We were then treated to a few students singing along and dancing to 90s hits. It was hilarious and I think it actually helped them get their exam reviews done! hah!

So. Over break, David and I went to our favorite book store ever, Kazoo Books. I FINALLY got some dictionaries (for some reason, NONE were provided in my classroom), but I only have 2 full, 1 somewhat full, and 1 barely-there dictionary. I've also started thinking about what books I'd like to add to a classroom library. I finally have enough space to keep textbooks, dictionaries, supplies AND a classroom book collection all in the same classroom, so I think it's time to start it. What I'd like from the three of you that read this (haha, as if 3 people read this, especially since I've been horrible at keeping it updated) are some suggestions that are absolutely necessary for this collection. If you're feeling really into this idea, there's a wonderful section on half.com where you can find books for less than $1. Good books, too. There's no way I'd ever get the district to pay for this, especially now with them cutting everything but teaching/staff positions to make sure they can stay within budget.

Oops

I keep forgetting to update this.
The holidays were good. Flickr is updated with pictures from the two week vacation. Speaking of having two weeks off instead of one, it is AMAZING how different it is. I figured it'd be about the same-- I was wrong! It's a lot more relaxing having two weeks off instead of just one. I am dreading tomorrow, though. It's going to be tough going to bed on time tonight and getting up tomorrow. Oh well.

New Years Resolutions?
1. Update this blog more.
2. Ride my bike and moped more when it gets warmer.
3. Try more stuff in Richmond.
4. Become a regular somewhere.
5. Take the GRE and apply to grad school.

My guess? I complete #3-5.

I tried the 50 book challenge again this year. I think I actually did it, if my Good Reads account is right. Here they are, not quite in chronological order, but close:
1. The Great Gatsby: F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. East of Eden: John Steinbeck
3. Jane Eyre: Charlotte Bronte
4. Fences: August Wilson
5. Their Eyes Were Watching God: Zora Neale Hurston
6. A Raisin in the Sun: Lorraine Hansberry
7. Teacher Man: Frank McCourt
8. The Scarlet Letter: Nathaniel Hawthorne
9. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha: Roddy Doyle
10. Wide Sargasso Sea: Jean Rhys
11. Atonement: Ian McEwan
12. "Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": A Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity: Beverly Daniel Tatum
13. Song of Solomon: Toni Morrison
14. Wild Iris: Louise Gluck
15. Praise: Robert Hass
16. The Awakening: Kate Chopin
17. The Magician's Nephew: C.S. Lewis
18. The Satanic Verses: Salman Rushdie
19. The Piano Lesson: August Wilson
20. Thunderstruck: Erik Larson
21. The Audacity of Hope: Barack Obama
22. The Painted Veil: W. Somerset Maugham
23. The Crucible: Arthur Miller
24. The Abstinence Teacher: Tim Perrotta
25. What is the What: Dave Eggers
26. No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories: Miranda July
27. The Road: Cormac McCarthy
28. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardobe: C.S. Lewis
29. Travels with Charley: In Search of America: John Steinbeck
30. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay: Michael Chabon
31. The Best American Short Stories of 2003
32. Invisible Monsters: Chuck Palahniuk
33. The Pillars of the Earth: Ken Follett
34. Dandelion Wine: Ray Bradbury
35. An Atlas of a Difficult World: Adrienne Rich
36. A Streetcar Named Desire: Tennessee Williams
37. The History of Love: Nicole Krauss
38. Unaccustomed Earth: Jhumpa Lahiri
39. The Complete Persepolis: Marjane Satrapi
40. Choke: Chuck Palahniuk
41. Something Wicked This Way Comes: Ray Bradbury
42. The Canterbury Tales: Geoffrey Chaucer
43. No Country for Old Men: Cormac McCarthy
44. Water for Elephants: Sara Gruen
45. The Glass Castle: Jeannette Walls
46. The Reader: Bernhard Schlink
47. Macbeth: Shakespeare
48. Our Lady of the Forest: David Guterson
49. That Night: Alice McDermott
50. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife: Mary Roach
51. A Thousand Splendid Suns: Khaled Hosseini

Wow.

an exercise in hyperbole

'Twas the week before Winter Break and my Tuesday gave to meeeeee:

12 bazillion sick kiiiiids (thanks to the weather going from 70 to 40 degrees in a day!)
11 million "What are we doing today?"s
10 million "Do we HAVE to do something to day?"s
9 thousand students whining about having to read Macbeth or Into Thin Aiiiiir
8 hundred more essays to graaaaade
7 thousand questions about Macbeth Act II. (Honestly. Did they not listen at ALL?)
6 hundred more whining students asking "Do we HAVE to do this? Do we HAVE to do anything today?"
5 mooooore days until we leave for Michigan!
4 faiiiiiiiliiiiing Poetry test grades in 7th period (you have NO IDEA how amazing this is!)
3 times Bryan called Stephanie a bitch.
2 cars I almost hit trying to parallel park
1 New Haircut!:



Tuesday was okay for it being the Tuesday-before-winter-break. My eyes hurt, but we think we've figured out that it's the contact solution I switched to causing it and not an infection or the contacts. If it's not the solution, then I will have to go back to the doctor. My eyes hurting so bad has really put a stop on reading essays. I got 6 of them done today, but I have about 20-30 more to go. That's not too bad, but I'd like to get them done before Friday. I'm going to work my butt off tomorrow to get as many as possible done. My throat also hurt today because apparently, Virginia's weather gods want everyone to be sick for winter break. It was not a pleasant day for me or most of my students and our sinuses. But. The day ended up okay, I'm making some mini cupcakes now. Who doesn't cheer up while making cupcakes? Seriously.

I'm looking forward to going back to Michigan, but worried that we're going to miss everybody. We barely know anyone that lives there anymore and the dates that we have to travel back and then switch between east Michigan and west Michigan seem to be different from everyone else's. I'd like to see some friends while we're there! It's bumming me out thinking that I'm not going to see anyone.
Also, Megan and I (and now David and Mike) have been enjoying playing together on iminlikewithyou.com. If you're on there too, or you decide to join, let me know! I'll challenge you to a game or two.

getting stuff done (finally)

This week I was at school until 3:45-4 PM four out of five days. I had three or four different meetings, progress reports due on Wednesday and Thursday (and the whining & complaining that comes along with them), an armed intruder drill (and only a drill), tests, projects, poetry readings and essays. This means I ended up with the biggest stack of Papers To Be Graded ever, all while trying to start a new unit on Nonfiction Essays which will straddle the winter break.
But. Somehow I managed through the week, I got a lot done and I was determined to have a productive weekend (last weekend I felt exhausted and lazy, which probably added to how much I had to do last week). Yesterday started off the productivity. We did some holiday-related shopping, finally. We started with giving ourselves gifts since we decided on trying to figure out something to get the both of us and we're never good at keeping gifts secret from each other. Then I wanted to go to a few places to figure out a treat I can give my students for bringing back their signed progress reports. The last time they had reports due back it was Halloween, so I gave them Halloween candy and pencils. I was thinking of making a little holiday-related/more-winter-than-Christmas-related bag of candy and other goodies, but I found these and got a brilliant idea:

I'm making mini cupcakes! I also went to the dollar store and picked up boxes of cherry and peppermint candy canes. I think that'll do. I figured the cupcakes were a special reward for my 10th graders since I just about killed them with the end of the poetry unit: a poetry portfolio of 10+ of their poems typed, a poetry reading where they had to read one poem, a test that was pretty long and difficult on poetry AND a poetry essay that was pretty challenging for 10th grade. Most of them survived, thankfully. For my 12th graders, it's a thank you for reading Macbeth out loud and acting in front of the class twice.

I also wanted to see if I was inspired to participate in the Secret Elf bag exchange the faculty was invited to do on Thursday. I did this on Halloween with the Phantom bags and it turned out pretty fun. I didn't have anything in mind though, but thankfully, Target has a ton of winter/Christmas/holiday gift sets that teachers would love. So I made one:

My bag's pretty cute for not really being prepared to decorate it. You should see some of the other bags both this time and last--they were amazing! My Phantom bag had a witch pez dispenser, some office supplies, cute pens, and cold/flu season supplies (airborne, cough drops, lip balm, etc). I thought it was pretty useful. My Secret Elf bag this time is a lot more in line with a specific theme. I hope whoever gets my bag likes hot cocoa. I got them a cute mug with a penguin (or was it a snowman? I can't remember) drawn on the mug with another one sitting on the handle, some chocolate and a set of four different types of hot chocolate (tiramisu, creme brulee, and two others I can't remember).

After all that, I relaxed for a while and then made myself work on school-related grading or planning from 3-6. I actually did it, too. I got a lot of grading done. All I have left are essays and the short answer part of the poetry test.

Last night we went with Shannon and Dan to a cute boutique to see two bands play.
While we were waiting for the second band to start, Dan and David looked at some of the records they had for sale in the store. That's when Shannon and I realized that they looked like twins once again:

The second band was just okay, so we dipped out early and headed next door to the Village Cafe, which we'd all heard a lot about. The guy that does the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives went there apparently. We didn't try the food, just had a few beers and talked until we all got tired.

drrrrr

It was one of those weeks where I felt frazzled and overwhelmed. I didn't have a lot to do, but my brain wasn't quite working right. I would forget things, I would wander around in circles, etc. It just wasn't quite working.
But that's okay. Positive things that make it not really matter that this week was "meh":

• The holiday season has begun which means my new holiday favorite, Pomegranate 7Up, is available once again. 
• And there are only two more weeks until a two week winter break where I not only get to go to Michigan, but Megan will be coming to Richmond to celebrate NYE! Eeeeexciting.
  
• Hopefully while we are in Michigan, I will get to see some friends AND get a new tattoo or two. 
• Netflix watch instantly now works on my computer.
• David got new glasses that are pretty sweet.
• David bought my moped new things.
• We ate some Five Guys burgers and fries and tried out an Italian place I kept hearing good things about that lived up to its reputation.
• Oh, and next week will be better, of course.
  

Here is a Flickr stats meme for your taking the time to read through my increasingly boring blog.

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Megan's tattoo (1062 views). 2nd place is Mike's tattoo, but the picture pretty much looks the same.

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