Stress!!!!!!

Please excuse me for not writing a lot in the blog the past few days.

I've been a little stressed out!

Here is the scoop:

1) I'm entering into one of the most stressful times for a teacher - midterm exams! Exams officially start next Tuesday. However, you have to finish whatever curriculum that needs to be taught in two days, type out that 30 page plus exam, photocopy the test, type up a study guide to help the students prepare for the damn test, correct the stupid exam, and get grades done. All in about a week! I swear that the teachers care more about the stupid exams then the students. All I know is that I put a ton of time into designing the exam, typing it, photocopying it, and then correcting it. Usually, the students do absolutely horribly on the exams. Midterm and Final exams count for 20% of their final grades. The exam tests them on all the material from the past semester.

2) I was formally evaluated by my department chair on Monday. This is a very important year for me - I will have professional status. MA got rid of tenure for teachers but now they have a new word for it - professional status. After three years, the school offers you professional status (Basically this means it is harder to get rid of you without a "sufficient or just" reason). I really enjoy teaching at Newburyport High School so I hope that they want me back for next school year. They seem to want me back. But, you never know!

3) Tax stuff. This is a new thing for me this year. Since I now own a condo, the tax game has completely changed for me. I'm hoping to get a huge tax refund this year! So, I'm trying to gather all my receipts and paperwork so I can get my taxes done. I want to get them done early so I get the refund sooner.

So, this is life. Crazy. But it's life!

The only good thing that keeps me going: knowing that there are other folks out there just like me!