So Close! Only Two Days!

Then Thanksgiving Break is officially here! And let me tell you, I am ready for it. I've been told that there's an emotional curve that goes along with teaching. Emotions start off high, with excitement and optimism, then somewhere around hmm...THANKSGIVING...the cycle reaches an all-time low with stress, being tired, and disillusion (see my last post for evidence lol).

PS: Sons of Anarchy is a great series...but episode 13 is about to FREAKING PISS ME OFF!!!! Aww crap.

So I'm at the low part of the cycle, and am looking forward to the break. And that's all for now. SoA just officially pissed me off. Now I'm going to be mad. Crap. Stupid freaking Sam and Tig. DAMMIT. Arg. OK, I'm going to bed.

Frustrations of A First Year Teacher

My students don't care. Literally.

Ok, it's not all of them--I do actually have a few bright, driven, hard-working, diligent kids in my classes. And I thank God every day that I do, otherwise this first year of teaching would be the beginning of the end.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I enjoy teaching the subject matter, and my colleagues kick ass. I'm just sick of the attitude of the majority of my students.

To prove my case with one example: Last Wednesday I gave my students the answer key to the quiz they would take Friday. On Friday, I left the posters that had the answers on them on the wall, uncovered.

AND THEY MADE ZEROS!!!! AND TWENTIES!!!!!

Some passed and made good grades. But the MAJORITY, yes the MAJORITY, of my students made Cs and below. And THEN they asked me WHEN (not IF, but WHEN) they could RETAKE the quiz!!!

WHAT THE HELL?!?!?

Gah. It's enough to truly and completely terrify me. THESE KIDS are the future of our country?!?

Ok, so I know this has been said about pretty much every generation to come up through the educational system, including my own. And I realize that there are some in every generation who could fit into the same mold as many of the kids I'm teaching now. That said, in my generation at least, the majority of us still did what we had to to get the job done, to make the grade. These kids do not take notes, do not study, do not ask questions, do not show up for tutoring, FAIL, and THEN ask for RETAKES!!!

Really, I know it's not as dire as it appears. Really, one of two things will happen to these kids. They will either grow up and learn that they have to be accountable for their actions the first time, OR the rest of us will be paying for them for the rest of our lives because we will be funding the welfare programs that they spend their entire lives on. It'll be one or the other.

As for me, I'll go on teaching, approaching my subject matter in as many ways as possible so that as many students as possible can understand, helping those who ask for it, and doing my part to educate these kids. Somehow, I'll have to hold up under the pressures to be everything for these kids from motivator to counselor to the source of motivation for their parents' involvement in their lives. All of which I'm supposed to do in the 50 mins a day the kids are in my classroom. Easy, right? Heh.

I know the cycle will continue. Eventually there will be a re-emphasis on individual accountability FOR THE STUDENTS and a move away from teachers being expected to be everything to these kids. So until then, I'll keep trying. And blogging here whenever I get too pissed off to hold it in anymore :-P.

P.S.> If I ever meet the teacher who put it in these kids' heads that they automatically get a retake when they fail something due to their lack of effort, I will HIT them over the head with a large STICK!!!

Gotta Love Halloween Surprises

After dark on Halloween, I had just finished carving Charlie (my jack-o-lantern), was watching Resident Evil AND it was dark outside. The undead were chasing the group of survivors through the catacombs that was the Hive (which still sounds like a stupid idea to me) and Charlie's pumpkin eyes were glowing eerily (mostly because of the tea light candles I put in his gut). Suddenly a loud, insistent knock sounds on my door. Due to the ambiance, I jumped and then proceeded to walk quickly to the door (hey, I wasn't scared, not even a little bit...nevermind it was too late for trick-or-treaters...and the fact that I hadn't had any all night...). I looked throught the peep hole.

Noone was there.

I start walking away from the door, figuring it was just some kid prank knocking on doors and a bit irritated that I'd just missed some zombies getting their heads blown in.

The knock came again. Louder. More insistent.

I turn back around, this time with a bit more trepidation. I peer through the peep hole a second time, and there stands.....




My husband!!! Lol.



My wonderful hubby, besides giving me a minor case of Halloween heebie geebies, caught a flight 24 hours earlier than planned and surprised me with an early homecoming! It really was a wonderful surprise! He also surprised me a pretty necklace (which just happens to go perfectly with a pair of my favorite earrings!). We got to spend a wonderful evening together, catching up on TV shows and a few other things. It is so good to have him back!

Like I said in my other post, I could definitely manage the whole post-college, single 20-something lifestyle, but I am so thankful to have found my match and be married to my best friend! I really was kinda lonely without him. It is so wonderful to be able to cook him dinner, crawl into bed together, snuggle on the couch, smell his cologne, and feel his arms around me!

Of course, now the challenge of maintaining good eating and excercise habits comes back. The past two weeks, I had gotten into a pretty good routine. Now, that routine is going to change a bit, and I've just gotta figure out a way to merge the "two weeks alone routine" with the "hubby's back routine". By the way, I was down to 160.6 lbs on my bathroom scale this morning! I haven't used the Wii Fit today, so that number will have to suffice.

Anyways, back to my nap on the couch with my wonderful man!