What a year! (So far)

WOW WOW WOW. This is, hands down, the best (behaved) group of kids I've had so far. Yes, it's still early, and there's the danger that we're still in the honeymoon period. But this time, I really don't think so. I really just think this group of kids is awesome.

It hasn't been all sunshine and roses, however. Many of you know that I have someone in my class who is currently in a shelter. They're moving into an apartment, and we've been focused on finding a way to keep him at our school. (He's moving farther way.) Just today, we were able to get him on a bus (as a charter school, we have more limited busing than the public schools), but he'll have a mile and a half walk each way. Still, he'll be able to stay. And here's the thing: to some, it may not seem like that big of a deal, whether he stays with us or switches schools. But he's been with us for like 5 years now, since he was just a little kindergartner. And considering his situation--this has been the ONLY steady thing in his life that whole time. In many ways, it IS his home, at least from 8 - 3. So he's almost--DESPERATE to stay here. And this--this MAN CHILD (cuz he's taller than me and has facial hair)--was looking at ME to fix it, to solve it, to find a way to keep him here. It was just KILLING me this last week or so, while we dealt with the red tape and found a way to make it work. (He's on a wait list for a bus that runs a little closer to his new place.) They don't even have furniture or anything yet for the new place...but it's a place to live. And it's theirs.

So anyway, other than THAT, the year has really gotten off to a great start. (Well, that, and the fact that my other little girl, with the sick dad, gets a visit at school from a Hospice worker every other week.) My kids are good--not PERFECT, of course. I have to get on them, still. But they're good kids. One little boy told me to close my eyes, and when I did, he gave me a big hug and said, so enthusiastically, "I love you, Miss K!!!!" (I told him to just wait a few months, LOL.)

Oh--and some of my kids from last year told me that in their new language arts class, they had to write an essay about someone who changed their life. And a few came back to tell me they'd written about me.

Seriously? It doesn't get any better than that.

The new school year

So there I went and disappeared for a while again. Oops. I promise to start posting more regularly...especially since it's a new school year, which of course means another year o' stories.

This year, I have 26 kids, 6 are ESOL and 7 are ESE (some are both). I have a huge rage of challenges and learning disabilities. But, you know, I love them already. Then again, it's only day 2.

I have one ADD kid who is already famous for asking random questions. For example, during a spelling pre-test:

Me: "Underground. Number 12 is 'underground.' "
K: (raises his hand)
Me (slower and with more enunciation, because most questions involve word repeats): " 'Un-der-ground.' "
K: "Yeah, I heard. Aren't you the teacher who went skydiving?"

Hey. At least he raised his hand first. Small victories, my friends.

As many of you know, this will be a tough year emotionally, since one of my kids has a terminally ill father. But I think it's going to be a really, really fun year, as well.

PLUS, my kids are already getting compliments in the hallway and stuff for their good behavior.

But did I mention that it's only day 2?

;)

One month later....

Holy crap, I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Does anyone besides the usual people even read this thing anymore? Damn. Anyway, this'll be short and sweet since I've talked to --well, all of you recently.

I had my bi-annual sojourn back to Michigan. As always, it was great times. I got to hang out with Amanda WITHOUT Andrea, which was pretty cool. We were able to spend the day with Katey and her kids. We went to the zoo, and afterwards, we hung out at Katey's house for a while. Amanda told me later that she felt totally comfortable around all of us, like she had always been there. It's been a rocky almost-18 years, and things haven't always turned out the way I'd hoped they would (especially in terms of her home life)...but, as she approaches 18, if she's able to have the kind of relationship with her birth family that I'd always hoped for, everything will have been (almost) worth it. Next time, I hope for her to meet Missy and her boys and Nikki. (Because it goes without saying that I consider them part of her "birth" family.) And Renee, she really wants to meet you, too. For her to meet my best friend??? That would be AWESOME.

So...there was that. We also had Girls' Weekend, which was on a whole new level this year, thanks to the presence of Lynda, Missy and Nikki. Ladies, I hope it was everything you had envisioned and more. GOOD TIMES. Everyone, start saving for GW 2011: The Florida Edition. ;) If you save just $1 a week, you'll have.....$52. Hmmm. Okay, save more than that then. ;)

School is starting up shockingly soon. I spent this past week working on a project for corporate, creating math tests that will be used by all the schools in our company. Go me! (No, I'm not getting paid.) I still have a few days' worth of work ahead of me. Teachers report back the week of the 16th (with students reporting on the 23rd), but, as always, I'm sure I'll be back the week before that to get my room set up. Needless to say, summer is definitely slipping away. This is BULLSHIT. We teachers had like 7 weeks off this time around. Yes, I know, your hearts are bleeding for me. ;) And on top of that, I had to take a class this summer. So much for that relaxing 3 months off that everyone is sure educators enjoy every year. ;)

We'll have 2 new teachers on the 5th grade team this year, too. We lost one (as we just found out yesterday), and we're adding a class so we need one additional teacher--which, as you may recall, will be Hot Married Friend In a Tiara (hereafter referred to as HMFIAT). The 3 of us who are returning will have to train/initiate new teachers for the first time in a couple years--and we've never had 2 in one year. We've been a pretty static team, till now. I know HMFIAT will fit in well, but the 2nd new teacher is a total crapshoot; we have no idea who we'll get. Hopefully they won't suck and break up the 5th grade groove.

Okay....do me a favor and comment, so I know you all are still out there. ;)

The scores are in...

My kids, sadly, didn't do as well as I had hoped for.

Then again, neither did the entire 5th grade. To show a year's worth of growth, a student has to go up a certain number of points from last year to this year (say, 150. It varies depending on the subject and grade). The average growth in, as an example, 5th grade reading, was +9. Yes, nine. (Again, this is for our grade as a whole.) Well, judging by THAT, my students did well. Twenty of my 25 kids did better than the grade-wide average. * However, of those kids, only 6 or so showed the amount of growth they SHOULD have for an academic year. In other words...my kids went up--but maybe not enough. Ugh.

*Math was worse for my kids. Only 10 did better than the 5th grade average.

Old friends

I talked to an old friend on the phone the other night for like an hour. (Renee, two words: Wide Load.) He's a (married) teacher down here in FL now, too. We haven't talked in, hell, probably almost ten years (not on the phone, anyway), and yet the conversation was effortless. It's hard to find people that can happen with, so when it does, you know you have a good friend. Hopefully, we can keep in touch more frequently this time...but even if I don't talk to him for another decade, it's good to know that the friendship will be there, waiting.

Another classic Jen moment

So I was out my friend P's house today (this is where I contracted my grassitis--which, btw, is much better now that I've taken a shower). He's just returned from a week in NC with his wife and family, and he brought me back this 1000 piece puzzle they had finished (he broke it back up again, obviously, but he thought I might like to put it together and then glue it or whatever--it's under the sea/dolphin themed, which he knows I love). A thousand pieces is pretty big, so I was trying to figure out if it would fit on my kitchen table (which, really, is more of a dinette, since my dining room--aka Anna's bedroom--is really not too large to begin with).

He flipped the box around to get the exact measurements. "Okay, it's 24 x 30," he read off.

And I shit you not, but without even stopping to think about it, I immediately replied:

"Inches, or feet?"

Now, as soon as it was out of my mouth, I was leaning up against the kitchen counter, just laughing my ass off, since I instantly realized what a dumbass question that was. And then when I looked up at his face, I doubled over again. I was CRYING by the time I got control of myself.

Yup. I'm awesome.

And in case you were wondering, I finished the outer part tonight, and it DOES fit on my round table--barely.

Breaking news

The Sunday paper reported that FCAT scores are being released tomorrow (Monday). This are the individual student scores. Our school grade, it sounds like, will be made public on Tuesday. There are two bonuses on the line here; if our school keeps an A, that's one bonus; if my kids in particular do well, that's another one (although I won't know for sure if I'm a recipient of that second MAP bonus until the fall, since it's also based on things like evaluations, etc).

It goes without saying, of course, that the BIG payout of the scores is the satisfaction of seeing that my kids' hard work all year paid off. ;) Which, after all, is why one goes into teaching.

But I REALLY want those bonuses....start praying extra hard. I'm going to go to the school as soon as we're allowed tomorrow to view my students' scores. I'll report back as soon as I know anything.

This is BULLSHIT.

Since gaining 15 lbs this year, my "project" this summer is, naturally, losing it. I bought two different workout DVDs last weekend, and I've done them every single day since then--sometimes a couple of times a day. (The Biggest Loser, which focuses on cardio, and Valerie Bertinelli, which is more toning. And they both use handweights.) I've cut out fast food and I've only been out drinking once.

Imagine my dismay, then, when I weighed myself today and discovered I'd GAINED two f*&##^#% pounds.

Now, I know what you're all going to say. You're probably gaining muscle, Jen, especially if you're using weights--and muscle weighs more than fat. Pretty soon, you'll start dropping the weight, since muscle ALSO allows you to burn off more fat.

Yeah, I know. I read the same magazine articles you do.

But I'm a GIRL, goddammit. I want to LOSE WEIGHT. I want the numbers on the scale to go DOWN. Now yes, I've seen a difference--at least I THOUGHT I did--in my body. My sides are thinner, my waist seemed to be attempting to come back (what little I had to start with, LOL), my thighs were thinner, and there was even a little less jiggle in my arms. And blah blah blah, you should judge by how you look and not the numbers on the scale.

Yeah, I know that too.

But I ALSO know that I weighed LESS when I drank every other day, lived on Wendy's, and worked out a hell of a lot less.

This is BULLSHIT.

I think this finishes off the year pretty well

The kids' last day was yesterday and it actually turned out to be pretty emotional. At the very end of the day, I made them come up one by one to get their report cards (and give me a hug). I then "annointed" them middle schoolers with my meter stick. They cheered uproariously for about 15 seconds--and then burst into tears. This, of course, set ME off.

My last class with my "adult kids" is tomorrow night. I have exciting news about that job (their final essay scores are in) but I took my meds and I am literally falling asleep. Will write more soon.

Oh, I have a blog?

Okay, so I've been a little busy the last few weeks. ;)

There is, of course, the normal end-of-the-school-year craziness. FCAT scores (duh-duh-DUH) should be released very soon, tentatively even this next week. We had our annual 5th grade trip to Busch Gardens; a great time, as always, even though one of my boys had a complete meltdown on the Phoenix (the "pirate-ship" type ride that goes rocks back and forth, going higher and higher each time until it's going full circle). Final grades are due Tuesday morning; the kids' last day is the following Tuesday. We have one teacher day after that, and then we're done, as well.

Oh yeah, and there's the whole matter of my teaching college now. College, bitches! I love it, too. It's really, really hard and tiring to be teaching twice a week and not getting home till pretty late, but it's only 5 weeks at a time and it's some nice extra money. Definitely better than your typical second part-time job. It's a great experience, and they've already asked me to teach another round of classes in the fall.

I've made a new friend, too. Not in the dating-type sense (he's married; all the good ones are), but we've actually become pretty close in the last couple of months. He's a sub at my school, although things are looking very promising that he'll be hired on full-time for the upcoming school year (and I'm campaigning very heavily to have him made the new 5th grade teacher, since we'll be adding a class next year). His wife and he (that sounds grammatically weird) are moving into a house 2 miles from me (I measured it on my way back from helping them paint last night). In an alternate universe, he would have been THE perfect guy for me, mostly because he has that same sarcastic sense of humor that I do, and you know how much I dig that in my men. The fact that he's hot doesn't hurt, either (he's right up there with Hot Teacher, my skydiving buddy). But I met him after he was already married (of COURSE), so I guess I'll just have to settle for adding a truly wonderful guy to my circle of Florida friends. He's kind of like a big brother (even though he's a few years younger than I am), and he's slowly but surely becoming part of The Crew. We talk and text all the damn time (and lest you start getting any ideas, his wife knows all about it). He's a great addition to the group, and to my life. And he knows about my crazy, too.

Let's see....I guess that's about all for now. I've just been incredibly busy the last few weeks, but with summer quickly approaching, I'll soon have all kinds of free time on my hands once again. After paint-a-palooza at the P's new house last night, I'm totally jonesing to paint my apartment, something I've never done before. (Yes, I'll have to paint it back when I move out, but I plan on staying here for a while, so I might as well make myself comfortable.) I'll post pics if and win that comes to fruition.

I'm getting crazy excited for the annual girls' weekend...which will be Girls' Weekend on Steroids, with the addition of Missy, Nikki and their friend Lynda. Wait a way to celebrate GW's 5th anniversary.

And on a sadder note, I want to send lots of hugs to Renee, who recently lost her grandma. Since her family has been my second family since I was 6, it was a little like losing my grandma, too. It's one of those bittersweet things, since she's not suffering anymore, but it's still always sad to have to say goodbye.

I guess that's about all for now....let me know how you all are doing. (Yeah, I know, I email and text you bitches all the damn time, but I want to get Broken Road hoppin' again.) ;)

Why I became a teacher

And it's funny, because I've been extra super-bitch on them lately. (Part of it is getting them ready for middle school, part of it is because they're starting to act like they ARE in middle school so I have to take them down a few pegs and get them back under control.) I guess they're kind of like men....treat them like crap and they just want you even more. ;)

Ooops, my bad

I TOTALLY forgot to post about that whole life-changing-moment thing last week. ;)

Okay, so the horoscope in Glamour for May said that on the 4th, I would meet someone who could change my life. So I circled the date on my calendar (yes, I'm an uber-dork) and anxiously awaited for the fatefull day to arrive. Now, before you get too excited, it was NOT my soulmate (son of a BITCH, that bastard better show up soon)...but it was still pretty cool.

That day, Tuesday, I was doing a site visit at one of our other schools. (You know--go in, observe, offer feedback, etc.) I was at the high school again, but this time, instead of business and social studies classes and shit like that, I got to watch a morning of English lit classes (all grade levels, 9-12).

And I fell in love....with high school English.

I thought teaching HS school would be totally scary and intimidating and not something that I would EVER consider....but it's not like teaching, say, middle school. In other words, the kids aren't tools. ;) They're mature and they've calmed down and--

--I'm getting excited just thinking about it--

I could discuss novels. All day long. And get PAID for it.

At an intellectual level that I could only DREAM of at the 5th grade, or even middle school, level.

It'd be relatively easy to add on high school English certification (I'm certified now in English for grades 5-9, so I could actually walk in now and do freshman classes, but if I wanted to go any higher I'd have to get the extra licensing)--it's just a matter of taking the subject area exam (4 hours, $200, but all things considered, entirely doable). I got a study guide online and there are definitely some things I'd need to review, but I got an 85% on my the practice exam (that was only 30 questions, compared to 75 on the real one, PLUS I'd have to write an essay analyzing a literature piece, so I'd have to brush up on my English lit and writing terms, shit I haven't even DREAMED of being able to talk about or teach in the last few years)--but overall, I'm in pretty good shape. apparently, at least as far as subject knowledge, etc goes.

SO. That's where I am right now. I don't know if I'd be able to make it happen by the fall, but I could spend the next year getting all of that into place (and networking with the principal at the high school--and since it's in our "family" of schools, it'd be more of a transfer than anything else)--and then possibly make the jump the year after that. That would give me an even five years at this school, and at this general grade level. Then, if I still feel as strongly about it as I do now (cuz let's face it, sometimes I get all fired up about something and then the excitement just kind of dies out)--well, THEN I'll know it's a step I should definitely pursue.

But it was just....so....AWESOME, and inspirting, and exciting, watching the kids and the teachers involved in those kind of conversations and debates...about BOOKS (The Great Gatsby, FYI, which I checked out of the library that same day, since I'd never read it). Yes, my friends, THAT would just about be a perfect job for me (besides working with dolphins or working as a book editor in NYC, which I would actually kind of hate because I'd be miserable in NYC, but the book editor part would be sweet).

So...we'll see if it actually pans out, but it looks as though I met a whole BUNCH of people on the 4th who may very well have changed my (career) life.