Today was a day

I had forgotten what grad school was like. I'd forgotten the 149 page reading assignments, the endless stream of group project work, the papers to be written not in your own words but cited in APA style from the words that others borrowed from others.
I'm entering week 2 of a 3 week class and it's kicked my butt so far. After this one more 3 week class and I can keep my emergency certification and teach another year here. Yippee! And tomorrow I spend all day in professional development learning about "Structured English Instruction" (I have no idea what this means either).
I am still fighting the plague and have now missed the last 4 yoga classes I'd planned to go to. But I stayed up late tonight writing a junior high/middle school debate paper so I can go tomorrow. We'll see if that happens.
I don't mind school work, in fact, I enjoy it. I love learning and writing and exploring and sharing. But it's rough on top of a demanding 40+ hour a week job. I feel real sympathy for those who do it in addition to children and a husband. It's all I can do to nuke hot dogs for Ang and I.
And yet I contemplate voluntarily going back to school soon. I know right now the idea itself threatens to kill me but there is that part of me that is excited. Possibilities....."I dwell in possibility...."

Happiness Cake

With the turkey burgers still frozen and no ready-made meals in the fridge, Ang decided to make Grandma's homeade waffles tonight. We both aren't feeling great (me = full-blown cold, her = sore throat) and she thought we needed this. So she went through her recipe box and handed me a card for Happiness Cake my mom had snuck in there sometime when she made the box for her.
It includes things like a heafty dose of prayer, 4 cups of self doubt, and spread it on with a smile. This was a good reminder today, especially after a very long Thursday. Not only did I start the day with a power struggle between myself and a rotten eighth grader but then I had a room full of detentions after school. And to top it all off I had to make 2 parent phones calls today and the second one resulted in finding out a kid had forged a parent signature, and he had already gotten detention while in detention today (chewing gum while in detention - brilliant!). And I had to deal with this online class stuff tonight so we missed yoga but anyway, the Happiness Cake recipe reminded me that I do have a lot to be happy about:
- As I was leaving school one of my students who'd recently been suspended was getting picked up after a football game and his mom flagged me down to thank me, I'd been the only teacher who'd supplied him with homework assignments during his suspension like she'd requested. I was happy to tell her she had a good kid and he'd already pulled his grade up to a B. Something to be really happy about.
- I work with some people who watch out for me and have my back when I need it most (like when I forget about bus duty because of all the detentions and then there's a fight out there, on my watch - luckily my team leader knew I had detentions so she was out there, yay!).
- I have an awesome sister who makes me homemade waffles while I get to rest on the couch!
- I have a new baby cousin - Olivia, who I get to visit in July!!!!
- My online class is going pretty well so far even though it's a lot of busy work. My virtual group seems ready to work and my teacher has complimented several of my discussion question answers already!
- My kids are making poetry books and are enjoying it, thus I don't have any discipline problems in class really this week. That makes a huge difference in my day.
- Tomorrow the social studies department at school is throwing a salad bar lunch for the whole staff! Yay for free, healthy lunch!
- I am employed, I am (relatively) healthy, I am loved by many, and I am blessed beyond belief. I guess I have a whole lot to be happy about:-)

What a day!

Something exciting happened this morning, I mailed off my last car payment! Woohoo! Yes, that's right - I now officially own my car after 5 years of payments. It was very exciting! Now I get to apply that whole car payment to all my other debt - even more exciting.
In other news - I took a sick day today. I think my allergies are bad or else I have a cold, I cannot decide. Either way I sound like a 3-pack a day, 80 year old smoker and my throat hurts up into my glands. Lovely.
Also, tonight Ang helped me sort through the first day of my online class. It's three credits in three weeks and it's going to be a lot. But I did the readings and posted my first assignments tonight so we'll see how it goes. I am so glad to have a study buddy!
And I wrote 6500 words of my novel today - very exciting for me!
So here's my top 10 things from my day "off" (I use the term loosely):
10. Working in my pjs for a while and no shoes!
9. Eating lunch when I was hungry, not when X period was over.
8. Listening to music, not the cries of annoying students, hehe.
7. Talking to Jamee and my mom during the day.
6. Lying on my bed and reading for a few minutes of lovely quiet.
5. Fresh strawberries.
4. A comfy desk chair.
3. Making dinner without feeling exhausted.
2. Iced tea and sugar free honey lemon drops.
1. Knowing that of my 62 student, only 3 will be served with referral forms tomorrow for acting up in class when I was gone today. Not a bad percentage.

10 hours

I never sleep for ten hours but last night I did. I woke up this morning with intentions of going to church and then promptly fell right back asleep. I figure I must have needed it as this has been a particularly stressful week:
We finished the AIMS tests on Wednesday, had one semi-normal day of classes, and then had a 2 hour assembly Friday during which I had to play volleyball against my students.
We had our first city-wide golf clinic with real pros and I had to continually tell my students (not the whole team, most are great!) to be quiet and please don't try to hit each other in the head with a 9-iron.
I finally got registered for 2 three-week online courses so that I can keep my emergency certification for next year so I can have a job. This week I get to start with "Introduction to Middle School" which sounds oh-so exciting.
I went to yoga class 3 times and apparently my body has started sending out the toxins and working out all the kinks because by Thursday I was having sharp pains in my shoulder and by Saturday my left hip had given out. Luckily, a not-so-relaxing massage yesterday made me feel better (well Arcy promises I'll feel better soon).
Thirteen of my students were suspended this week. Yes, 13! So my job has become difficult, it's hard to teach them when they're not in the room. Six were for setting off stink bombs, three for concealing a knife, and four were involved in a one fight or another. The sink bombers were all boys, the weapons "experts" were girls and one boy, and then four fighters were all girls. Keeping homework and attendance straight has been a full-time job this week.
Because of the suspensions we're kicking two kids off the golf team, which may help with the behavior problems. If it doesn't, several others will follow suit this week.
Yesterday we went to work about 11am and left after 5pm. There's an attendance audit coming up we had to get ready for and lesson plans and cleaning and it goes on and on.
I am so thankful that we have 8 weeks until our next intercession, 6 weeks off! Woohoo!
So I guess that's why I needed my 10 hours this morning. I finally had to drag my but up to shower so we'd make it to Julie's house at noon for lunch. But I firmly believe that your body lets you know what it needs and today that's exactly what I needed.

It stinks!

Yes, today my job literally stunk. Like rotten eggs and bad farts and nastiness. It's because some of my dear little seventh graders have figured out the age old practice of creating and letting off stink bombs. We've had more than four go off in the past week. But thankfully, none in my room. Today it got close though, the room next door was bombed and we smelled it immediately, it was horrible. After a while I gave in and we marched down to Angela's room and bunked with them for the remainder of the class. What I don't understand is 1.)why and 2.)how? Why let off something that smells so terrible when you know the chances of you getting out of class are extremely low and the chances of you getting caught are extremely high? (We've already had several snitch on today's bomber, and one's a golfer of mine, guess who's benched Wednesday!) The how fascinates me. What goes into a stink bomb? Is it in a canister with a pin? What are the ingredients? I need to do some research or find the vice principal tomorrow - surely he'll know, right?
Beyond that five of my kids are suspended for six days, all good kids. Suspended for concealing a weapon (a nasty looking knife) in school for another kid, who's not so good. I don't understand that either. They all had to go to court today, they'll be lucky if they aren't expelled, they're in a mess of legal and educational trouble. So yeah, that's exciting. Oh and there were two fights at lunch today, all girls, several of whom were also mine. This is why we could manage to bunk with Ang's class in seventh hour, my class of 21 was widdled down to 12 by this afternoon. Amazing. These kids have little concept of right and wrong and consequences and it's so sad. Maybe the girl with the claw marks dug into her face will realize this when she examines the scars. Or maybe not.

Patience

Ah, my old friend patience. I've not had much this week and I am not happy about that. It's been a stressful week. We've come back to school full force after a sixteen-day break and while I know that doesn't sound rough, it is. Physically, mentally, emotionally. Especially because we started taking the AIMS on Wednesday, the big Arizona state-mandated test. We tested Wednesday and Thursday and will continue on next week Tuesday and Wednesday. It's stressful: the waiting, the nervousness. Did I teach them enough, do they remember that a five-paragraph essay needs five paragraphs. Are they using the right pencil? Are they on the right page? So yeah, by the end of the test each day our collective patience was used up.
And yet I still had to teach, and the go to golf practice (in a sandstorm) and then go home and maintain a routine life.
All that got me through yesterday was looking forward to yoga class and "finding my center" and those last fifteen minutes where we get to lie in the dark and put our body to sleep then wake it up. It's blissful! And then we got to the gym and couldn't get in because there were too many people from the apartment complex already there - talk about no patience! I was angry.
But I am working on it. Today God's been testing me during our movie. The movie I've watched three times so far today, Tuck Everlasting - a very good flick, an even better novel. We're watching it in class as a reward for finishing the book so quickly and for surviving two days of the test. But watching what is essentially a dramatic love story with 12 year old boys is really trying my patience. But I keep trying.
We're going to try going to yoga this weekend at a studio in town, it's more expensive but I think it'll be worth it. We also got good news about jury duty so it looks like we can make summer travel plans. And I found out if I complete six weeks of online coursework, I can keep my job for another year so I'll begin that in a few days.
Patience - quiet, steady perseverance. I like this definition I found online. That's what I'm going to strive toward: quiet, steady perseverance. I'll let you know how it goes!

Poetry

In Ms. Knapp's 7th grade language arts class we're studying poetry. We're learning about different types of poems, the language of poetry, reading some very cool poems (our favorites so far - Langston Hughes and Shel Silverstein), and writing our own. Today we did limericks and hate poems, the latter of which confused then excited my students the most. So here's my very own hate poem to share with you all! Try writing your own if the mood strikes!
I hate it when...
the back of my neck hurts after a day of standing/walking (i.e., not lying by the pool but at work).
I stub my toe and it brings tears to my eyes.
Hotmail won't let me see my email.
I trip on the overhead cord in front of my classroom.
I have a plan for my day and then it goes horribly arry.
the lettuce freezes in the fridge.
you go to a meeting and hear someone tell you what you already know.
there are too many people from your apartment complex at the gym where you get a reduced membership and you aren't let into yoga class and it's what you've been looking forward to all day.
I get angry when I know I shouldn't.
I burn the green beans.
my hair looks really good, just in time to go to bed.
we run out of ketchup.
the vcr doesn't record my favorite show.
I can't balance my checkbook.
sand gets in my eyes.
my paycheck doesn't quite cover the bills.
the networks cut a really good drama or comedy in favor of a cheaper reality show.
I buy the wrong thing on itunes by mistake (happens more than you think).
I smudge the polish on my pedicure moments after I've had it done.
--So what would go in your own hate poem???

The many sides of Easter

As I sat in church this morning looking around at the kids in spiffy clothes, the ladies with their hats on, the family members who seemed a little uncomfortable, I got to thinking about all the Easters I've had in my life and how I'm fortunate I grew up with both sides of Easter meshed into one.
First there was the side that required me to get the big pink foamy curlers put into my hair on Saturday night and sleep, uncomfortably, in them all night long and wake up early for the tearing out session that was usually started by mom and ended by dad when mom had to go get dressed or something. Then there was the new dress or new shoes (sandals some years but it was usually too cold to wear them) or occasionally a new hat. This was very important as Easter is about newness. And it was fun to dress up extra special on this day.
Then there was the dying of eggs, which got even more fun the older we got. I especially remember times with cousin Doris who's about 10 years older than me, and the incident which resulted in her having to put her hands on her head and leave them there.
Then there was the Easter baskets that my mom had made us, filled with treats from the Easter bunny. But nothing ever beat the Easter I got a real little brown, lop-eared rabbit in my basket: Charlie! The best Easter present ever. And the story's almost as good: how mom announced to dad that she was getting him for us, how her dad kept him alive over the cold night in the barn, and then the years that he was a part of our family (even being carried, cage and all, downstairs into the basement during tornadoes).
Then there's the other side of Easter - the part that stays with me just as much. The part that rushed back this morning as we sung He Lives and chanted "He is risen indeed!" I am so thankful that my parents gave me both of those Easters growing up. Because while I know the one is full of memories and great family love, the other is Jesus and his gift of eternal love. I could never and can never ask for anything more.

Why I need yoga

Yesterday I sucked it up, paid for another month's gym membership (five whole dollars, I know, quite the splurge!) and went to my first yoga class. And it wasn't bad. In fact, I really enjoyed it. I was able to do a lot more than I thought I might be able to do. Including standing on my head with my feet up on the wall. And almost sitting on my hands. Well, I tried at least. And my favorite part was at the end we got to lie there on our mats in the quiet, dim room listening to the quiet music and our breathing and relax for quite some time. It was heavenly.
And tonight I'm going back because I really do need to relax and breathe and exercise. Mostly because I have no other way to care for myself and I must do it. This morning I tried to go to the doctor. I'd gone for my annual exam in February and had blood tests to get baselines and then it was recommended that I establish care with a primary doc here in town. So I made an appointment (which they called and changed once and which took me 2 months to get) and went this morning. I filled out all the ridiculous forms and sat there and waited. And waited and waited. And after an hour and 40 minutes I told them I had to leave. It was ridiculous. I was so angry. Everyone in the waiting room (and it was quite a large room, the practice has a lot of docs) had come and gone but me. And when I inquired at the hour mark I was told there was still someone ahead of me. And I lost it so I left. I was near tears. And the nurse who I saw briefly when I inquired asked me what I was being seen for and I told her to go over lab test results (which ultimately are for the arthritis I am trying to catch early on in my life) she seemed annoyed and asked if I didn't get a letter about them in the mail because that's how they usually handle those things. So obviously I wasn't a priority and was treated as such. Even though I was about to pay good money to see this doctor. I was furious.
So that's the story of why I need yoga. To calm me down and to take care of myself. At least until I move away from this ridiculous city that pretends to have medical care (don't believe me? See the recent news that Yuma is now considered in a state of medical care emergency by the feds. Lucky us.)
I hope you all have a stress free few moments today and try out a yoga class. I love it!

10 things I love about my parents

I am feeling homesick. Not so much for home but for the people there. The people I have memorized yet sometimes have a hard time remembering. And my parents are the center of that hub called 'home'.

1. They taught me to be responsible, to take care of myself and to dream, to believe I can and should do everything!

2. They have given me more than I've ever needed.

3. They send me packages full of things like my favorite tea, jelly beans, and candles.

4. They encourage me, and are genuinely happy when I am happy. Everyone needs someone like that in their lives and I am thankful I have two of those someones!

5. They love people, they have made our family much bigger than just the bloodlines.

6. They are hard workers. Stuffing envelopes at 10pm on a Sunday night to raise money for charity, working overtime just because it needs to be done, never shying away when something needs to be done.

7. They are not perfect. And that lets me know that's okay. And trust me, I need all the reassuring I can get in this area.

8. They make me laugh.

9. They love to play board games and love to read and love to golf. Three things I've carried with me into adulthood.

10. They taught me the importance of money and budgeting. And as hard as it is, I'm trying to remember what they've taught me.

So thanks for the idea Jamee, and everyone else - what do you love about the person/people you love?

I am so that person...

who checks people's blogs and gets mildly upset when there aren't any updates for days at a time.
And yet here I am, not having updated mine in quite some time. But I was on vacation so that's a reason, no excuse really, but a reason all the same.
So a quick update to be followed by more lengthy blogs soon. Because I am trying to enjoy my last week of spring break and do tons of things all at once.
Palm Springs was wonderful. I felt at peace there, unhurried, relaxed, and slightly fabulous what with the big white robes to wear at the Calla Lily, the cognac served nightly (I didn't like it but I liked the cute little glasses it came in), the dinner at the Chop House where I kept expecting Food Network crews to pop out and steal a close up of my salad, the gorgeous palm trees framed by the snowcapped mountains. It was serene.
Alas, I am back in my real world but it is vacation world. Today I am having my fitting for my crown, I am tres excited. I'd prefer the kind with diamonds on a tiara but I am glad to be rid of tooth pain!
We also have golf practice and I am going to start taking pictures for our yearbook of the team. Should be fun!
Anything new with you?