Funny questions from my part-time job

Here is another installment of silly questions that customers ask me at my part-time job.

For those of you that are not aware - I work part-time at a pet store that specializes in collars, leashes, treats, toys, clothing, etc. for dogs and cats. We also sell breed specific products for the dog/cat lover.

1) Not so silly question: Do you carry sympathy cards for pets? (yes, we do!)

2) Silly question: Per phone conversation - Do you know if it's OK to give Benadryl to a dog with itchy skin? (So, do I have a veterinary degree now????) I suggested that they contact their vet.

3) Not so silly question: Do you carry boots for dogs? (yes, we do!)

4) Silly question: How do the dogs put on the boots? (just like we do - bend over and put them on their feet - JK) :-)

5) Border line silly question: Do you carry a cheerleader costume for dogs? (we did at Halloween)

6) Silly question: Do you carry lingerie for dogs? (I really don't want to know why the customer wants sexy nightwear for their pet - way too much info!!!)

Long Monday . . . . . .

Still correcting midterm exams. Still annoyed that the grades are pretty bad. The only thing that is reassuring to me is that the other 9th grade teachers told me that their students tanked their exams too. There is something about disappointment in numbers . . . .

I really need to get to bed. I'm tired and my stomach is upset and blah. I really can't afford to get sick right now. Way too much stuff to do. Why is there never enough time in the day to get everything done?????

I'm a list person. I make lists for everything. I also have a planner that I use to help me stay organized.

How do you get everything done that needs to get done in a day????

Busy weekend

Not much to report here.

I'm working all weekend at Paws. Correcting my midterm exams. Which by the way, the kids are tanking them! :-( The only reassuring thing that got me through last week was that all the other freshman teachers told me that the kids tanked their exams too. Looks like we will have more failures this 2nd quarter than we thought. :-( When will my freshman realize that they will not get socially promoted next year and that they have to pass all of their classes this year?

Grades have to be in by January 31st. I've already entered in all my 2nd quarter averages into my grading program so all I have to do is finish correcting the exams and plug those numbers into the program. Afterwards, I take those grades and type them into the school grading program.

I'm also trying to stay warm. It's been a tad bit cold here the past few days. I think my blood is thinning out because I can't handle the cold weather like I used to "back in the day." :-)

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

As I was driving home last night from the movies, I saw a sign that stated the current temperature here in New England: 3 degrees!!!!!!

Two words came to my mind as I read that temperature: This sucks! :-)

Stay warm all! :-)

Random Thoughts . . . . . . . .

Just some random thoughts:

*My Patriots lost on Sunday - I'm officially in morning. :-(

*Go Bears! Kick some serious Colt-ass! :-)

*As of Tuesday, I am in midterm exam hell! :-(

*Oh, I should mention that today after school, I went to photocopy those midterm exams and every single photocopier in my building was out of paper! Does that mean that my students do not have to take their midterm exam tomorrow? Just wondering! :-)/:-(

*Just got back from dinner with Janet and Lauren to celebrate Janet's b-day. Thanks ladies for a wonderful night out. And, remember, follow your feelings - you'll do the right thing. :-)

*As I was driving back home this evening on Route 495, the snow flurries kept coming and going - very strange! I'm not ready for icky snowy weather. :-(

*A local high school had a horrible tragedy last week. Read about it here. The student that stabbed the other student has Asperger syndrome - a form of autism. I have had a few students over the years that had Aspergers. I also have a friend that her son was diagnosed a few years ago. There are so many different forms of it and my fear is that a stereotype will develop because of this horrible event. My thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and school community during this tough time. :-(

*Is it Friday yet??????????? :-)

Good Luck Bears and Patriots!

I just wanted to give a shout out to the Bears and Patriots today -

The Bears are playing the Saints - a really tough team to beat. Go Bears!

The Pats are playing the Colts today - Go Pats!!!!!!!

If the Bears and Pats win today, off to Superbowl XLI for both teams . . . . will it be another Superbowl XX???? Bears 49; New England 10????

Only time will tell . . . . .

TGIF!!!

Cold. Tired. Need rest. Getting ready for midterm exams next week. Correcting hell. Grades. Ugh!

Anyone have any industrial strength caffeine??????

It's cold here in New England

We are currently experiencing a cold spell here in New England. We went from 70 degree weather in January to 15 degree weather! Crazy stuff!

Good news is that my classroom in the modular is nice and toasty! Why? Because I can jack up the heat . . . that's why! :-)

Bad news is that I control the thermostat for my classroom and the classroom across the hallway from me. The poor guy across the hallway . . . .he's got the windows opened and is sweating his $%&$#@ off! Oops . . . .

Today was a long key day. The students are coming off of a four day weekend so they were pretty calm for the most part. We start midterm exams next week so I'm prepping them for exams and trying to make a one last chance at teaching curriculum that needs to be taught - thank you MA Curriculum Frameworks! :-) 1st rule - cram as much information down their throats as humanly possible the week before exams. They will hate you with a stormy passion! 2nd rule - scare them and freak them out about the exam (Ex: tell them the exam is over 40 pages and keep a straight face!).

I'm so evil . . . . . I adore freshman . . . . you can torture them to the fullest extreme and truly get away with it. There is a place in hell for me. You know that, right?????

Is it February break yet????????

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday

Happy Birthday to one of the most courageous men of our time. He fought for the rights of others and for humankind.

A Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1964, he risked his life for civil rights. I sometimes wonder if my students really understand and get the significance of what this amazing man accomplished in our history.

If you are looking for some reading on MLK, Stanford University has some nice documents.

MLK's "I Have A Dream Speech" is one of the most inspirational speeches in our history. Read it here.

"We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back."

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Helping out the college students

Let's hope this goes through the legislative process.

Read here to find out more.

Coming from someone that had undergraduate and currently has graduate students loans, every little bit helps! There is no reason why the average American can't get a college education at a reasonable price.

Do I like having to write out that check to the US Department of Education every month for my graduate student loan? NO! But, I have a Masters degree and no one can take that away from me! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the State of Massachusetts requires teachers to get their Masters degree but not compensate us the salary or cost of living raises that we deserve. Oops! Forgot about that!

Finally, the weekend!

It's been a long week but not a long week. I know. That makes no sense at all.

Long week at school. Students that just don't want to be in school. Students blaming me for them failing not just my class but all their other classes too. A week full of non-productive meetings. Yes, that's one of my pet peeves. If I'm going to sit in a meeting, please let it be productive.

I chaperoned the senior dance on Thursday evening (no school for kids on Friday due to a professional day for teachers). Didn't get home until after 11:00 pm. Made for a long night. And, I had to be back at school on Friday for the professional day.

Another pointless professional day. It was painful. I do mean painful to sit in meeting after meeting without falling asleep.

It's the weekend and I get to play catch up with my personal and professional life. Joy!

We have one more week until midterm exams. I get to cram as much content down their throats as humanly as possible. Joy!

So, is it time for February break yet????????

War Debt

At the close of 2006, England paid off its debt from World War II to the United States and Canada.

Read about it here.

The U.S. loaned England 4.33 billion in 1945 at 2% for 50 years (apparently there were 5 years that Great Britain had to defer payments because of economic hardships). The money was used to rebuild Great Britain after the war.

World War I war debts have still not been repaid. Ummmmm???????

I'm curious . . . . how long will it take the United States to repay the money it is borrowing for fighting in Iraq?????? Ummmmmm????????????

Thanks to my peeps! :-)

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and words over my last post.

I do care too much and I need to let it go. Kids will be kids. I wonder how they would react if I stole from them? But, it's not in my nature to steal from someone.

And, yes - they need to prove to me that I can trust them again.

I see them tomorrow - the last block of the day (we are on block scheduling so I see my students every other day - Ex: Red Day and White Day).

I wonder how they will act?

Am I too trusting?

Question: Am I too trusting?

Situation: Today, I was teaching about coins from around the world in my 9th grade World Studies class. I brought in some of my money from Europe to show my students what foreign money looks like since the majority of them have never seen money from Europe (I have euros and Pounds). I had scrapbooked two pages of my England/Northern Ireland/Ireland trip from the summer of 2004 in one of my books so I brought that in to show the students.

I passed around the pages to the students. Most kids were quite inquisitive about the money. I want to point out that this money for the most part has no value here in the United States. At one point, a 5 pound note was taken out of the little pocket on the scrapbook page. I had no idea who took it. There are 30 students in the class and not one of them would "fess up" to who took it. So, I told them that I would stand out in the hallway and let them figure out who took it. If the money was placed on my desk, there would be no questions asked. End of drama. No one would admit to taking it so I went down to the Assistant Principal's office(my co-teacher watched the class for me) and told him what happened and he came down to my classroom to get it straightened out. Still, not one kid admitted to taking the money. The AP told the students that no one would leave until the money was returned to me (it was the last block of the day). Finally, one student asked if she could go to the AP's office for "something". 10 minutes later, the AP returns with my money. The student that left told me she was covering up for someone else. I told the class that I can't trust them anymore and that they would have work hard to gain my trust again. They showed absolutely no remorse at all for the incident and that has me a little bit concerned. These are kids that have not been taught to be held accountable or responsible for their actions.

I am disappointed in them. And, I feel like I can no longer trust them. Add teaching not to steal to my list of responsibilities as a classroom high school teacher! Ughy!

Happy Birthday Janet-poo aka Nutty! :-)

This picture was taken in 2002 at Janet's Bridal Shower.

Go over and wish Ms. Janet a very happy birthday!

I've been friends with Janet since my days at Pagenet in the 90's. She is one of the most nicest and kindest people I've ever met. Her compassion and love for her friends is one of the best things about her. She helped me through some tough times with my ex-fiancee and I will never forget her support and the strength she gave me during one of the most tough times in my life.

She's a great lady and deserves so much happiness. Thanks Nutty for always been such a great friend and support to me!

I love ya kiddo!!! Much hugs and love on your special day!!!! :-)

A short week . . . . .

I survived my first week back after the holiday break. It was a short week but a LONG week too! :-)

A gorgeous full moon had the kids a little more excitable than normal too.

Spent my weekend working at Paws. It's not as busy as it was over the holidays. We had a crazy weather day on Saturday in New England . . . . 70 degrees in January is just not "normal". I also spent the weekend trying to get some school work completed.

This week is also a shortened week in a sense. On Friday, I have a professional day so no students. On Thursday, I'm chaperoning my first school dance at my new school. Should be interesting. :-)

I might meet with some of my "babies" of the Class of 2003 for dinner this week. It's sort of a ritual that we started after they graduated. They are seniors at UNH this year! I can't believe that they will be graduating this May - time flies by so quickly. We meet at some restaurant in the Plaistow area for dinner and catch up. It's so nice that they still want to keep in touch with me and let me know what's going on in their lives.

We also have the following Monday off for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s B-Day. Gotta love these shortened weeks -

Have a good week! :-)

Happy New Year!

Happy 2007 Everyone!

I made it back to MA - had a wonderful time in IL. Thanks to Mom, Dad, Mandy, and Mia the Yorkie for a wonderful visit. I was able to see a ton of family and friends during my stay. If I missed ya this visit, I'll try and get ya the next time. :-)

My friend Joann organized an evening out with the girls. We had such a nice time at the Maples and then went back to Jo's house to chat and catch up. Here is a picture:

Thanks Lea for emailing the pictures out to everyone. :-)

I went back to school on Jan. 2nd. When I arrived in my new digs, there were boxes everywhere! So, I had to unpack all my stuff. I'll post a picture of my new classroom soon. I like being in the modulars. I have heat! :-) And, the best part, I can control the temperature in my classroom. My new space even has windows! Bonus! :-)

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and New Years - what did you do for the holidays? Post your answers and I'll post mine later on. :-)