Officially on Christmas break

It's official. I am on Christmas break. No school until January 5th.

I leave for Chicago tomorrow to spend the break with my family and friends (weather pending - weather in New England is OK; it's Chicago that may be the problem). Just finished packing my suitcase. I can almost guarantee that I will get the fee for over 50 pounds in my luggage. Ugh.

Probably won't be blogging much over the break.

A very Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to all.

And, here is hoping that 2009 is a fabulous and happy new year . . . . . . . for everyone!

Snow day!

My superintendent called off school for today. He actually made the call on Thursday. The weather reports are predicting at least 12-15 inches of snow here in New England for this first round of storms. We are supposed to get another storm on Sunday with an additional 12-15 inches of snow.

However, the snow didn't start until 3:00 today. So, maybe we should've had school today.

Don't get me wrong . . . I like a good snow day like any teacher or kid. Ha! :-)

It will suck in June when we have to make up this day.

I guess he was siding with caution since last year when we had a terrible winter storm, it took folks like me that live 45 minutes away from school over six hours to drive home. Even better, elementary kids were stuck on school buses for over 4 hours because my super claims that he can't issue an early release due to weather. Every school in the state did early release except for us that day. Parents called and emailed him for days complaining about how he handled the situation.

Don't get me wrong, you couldn't pay me enough to do his job. But, don't you need to think it out a little bit more and NOT overreact?????? Most of the teachers at my school were complaining because we have all this curriculum that needs to get taught before midterm exams so we are all panicking. And, because of MCAS in the spring, we lost two weeks 2nd quarter to get curriculum taught.

Oh, well. I got to sleep in and relax for the day. :-) I ran to the post office and bought some stamps so I can do my Christmas cards. Went to bank to deposit a check and get quarters to do laundry.

It's 4:15 pm and the storm is starting to get nasty. The wind is picking up and the snow is falling at a rate of about 2 inches an hour.

The joy of living in New England . . . . . .

Lots of excitement in the world of MDawg

Let's see . . . . where do I start?

Busy week. Had a ton of meetings and lots of late nights at school this past week. School Council meeting, parent conferences, National Honor Society Induction Ceremony, etc.

The best part of my week: I come home after a long day at work to find the common hallway of my condo building flooded - with sewage and water. In front of my door. Ugh. A drain was clogged and a plumber had to be called in to fix the problem.

Luckily, my unit only received minimal damage. And, the condo association needs to pay for the clean up and fix the pipes. They had to tear up the carpeting in the main hallway. And, I had to stay in a hotel one night (the association is paying for it). Ellie the Cat had to be moved out for a day too.

The smell has been lovely to say the least. :-(

The good news: had all my rugs professionally cleaned and I didn't have to pay for it. Bad news: won't know until the summer on a hot day how "clean" my place really will be . . . .

Oh, and I didn't miss any school because of this drama. I've been getting pulled out of classes for mandated training a lot this month so I really couldn't afford to lose a day of curriculum.

The joy of teaching to a test - thanks No Child Left Behind!

Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941

No . . . I didn't forget about Pearl Harbor Day.

"A day that will live in infamy." These words would be spoken by Franklin D. Roosevelt about the historical event that would bring the United States into World War II.

I always think about the men and women that died on that day. And, the men and women that would die in World War II for my freedom.

To hear FDR's speech, check out the link here (scan to the bottom of the page and click on the media that best suits your computer).

To read/learn more about Pearl Harbor, I would suggest the following resources:
*National Park Service (Attention teachers: they have some great oral histories to use in the classroom with your students - even an oral history from a Japanese pilot and his interpretation of the attack).
*National Geographic - They have a great interactive map of the event.
*ERIC - Remembering Pearl Harbor Lesson Plan - you can download the teaching document in a PDF file. Some decent teaching activities.
*Free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence - Some great teaching resources from the Library of Congress and National Archives.

Remember Pearl Harbor . . . . .

Happy Birthday Cheryl!

A picture of Cheryl and her family - 2002.

Happy B-day Cheryl! I've been friends with Cheryl since high school. We had some amazing times together over the years. She's an amazing Mom and person.

Enjoy your day kiddo! Lots of hugs! :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good day all -

I just wanted to wish you and your families a lovely, restful, and blessed Thanksgiving. There is so much to be grateful for this year:
*A job - on most days - I enjoy, love, and appreciate.
*A family that loves and supports me - no matter what decisions I make.
*Friends that love and support me.
*Ellie the Cat. :-)

Eat lots of turkey and enjoy the good company and conversations that go along with this fine day.

Crazy random thoughts by: MDawg

*It's hard to believe that I've been blogging since November 2005. I enjoy blogging for many reasons but the best part is to just vent about life in general. I think we all go through those up and down spells in our life. A blog allows us to release those frustrations and good things in life through writing. So, happy blogiversary (if there is such a word) to MDawg! :-)



*Is there anyone else out there in the teaching world that is frustrated with all the state mandated testing and teaching to a test thing???? My school keeps putting more on us (curriculum) and it seems like we are just spinning our wheels. Ugh.



*I have a fab SPED co-teacher this year! She is amazing! She's so hands-on with the kids. And, the best part: for the first time in three years that I've been teaching at this school, my SPED kids all passed 1st quarter! I truly believe it's because they are finally getting all of their accommodations met by herself and me. We work together great!

*Had a rough start to the school year with this year's freshman but FINALLY . . . we might have worked all the bugs out of their system and the transition to high school is working. Yah! :-)

*Dad is officially retired as of Saturday. Mom will be retired on Wednesday. They both have worked so hard for their dream of traveling around the country in a camper. The house is sold. The car is sold. Most of their belongings are either sold, in storage, or given to my sister or I. Mom and Dad will move in with my sister over this next weekend (for the month of December). I fly out to Chicago on the 24th of December and will be out there until Jan 3rd. After the 3rd (Mom and Dad will drop me off at Midway Airport), Mom and Dad will take the camper out of storage and leave for FL. I'm excited for their new adventure!

*Shorten week at school: we are officially in Spirit Week. Monday is pajama day. Tuesday is dress as a class day. Wednesday is school spirit day with a pep rally and early release (we get out at 11:00 am). I'm soooo wearing PJ's tomorrow! :-) Oh, since I'm no longer a class advisor, I can now enjoy Spirit Week! :-)

*Spending Thanksgiving with friends and their families. I'm so blessed to have wonderful people in my life that adopt me over the holidays. :-)

Oh, list out one thing you are grateful for this year. (I'm grateful for my family and friends and the love and support they give me - and Ellie the Cat!) :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

Mom - you've been a fabulous Momma is me and Mandy. You always support us, love us, and accept us NO MATTER what we do or how we live our lives.

Hope you were able to enjoy your day -

Love ya lots!

PS Sorry about the old picture - I think we need some recent pictures! Maybe when I'm out in IL for Christmas we should take some photos. :-)

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure to attend a showing of a documentary called Traces of the Trade at the House of Seven Gables. The documentary is about filmmaker Katrina Browne's discovery that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. From 1769 to 1820, the DeWolf family was involved in the slave trade (Interesting fact: In 1808, a law was passed prohibiting the importation of slaves and it wasn't until 1820 that participating in the slave trade was an act of piracy and punishable by death).

The film follows Browne and nine members of her family on a journey that retraces the steps of her ancestors and their involvement with the Triangle Trade. They start their journey in Bristol, Rhode Island, move on to slave forts in Ghana, and then onto Havana, Cuba to visit the ruins of a family plantation.

I found the film interesting since we have been taught to believe in our history that it was the Southern states that were the evil ones when it came to the topic of slavery. The film forces us to stop and think about our history and the damage that has been done to African-Americans and the involvement and the role of the Northerners during this time period.

After we viewed the film, we had a walking tour - compliments of the National Park Service - throughout Salem. As we walked through Salem, there was visual evidence of the role of historical "Salemites" and their involvement in the Triangle Trade. For example, the Derby family is a HUGE historical name in Salem. The Derby family made their wealth off of the slave trade. Again, makes you stop and think about our history and how we should be teaching it to our students.

This past week, I purchased this book. The book is about the unique story of Thomas Norman DeWolf's experiences during the making of the documentary feature film Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. The book is a nice companion to go with the film. I highly recommend reading the book if you are interested in this topic.

One of the reasons why I enjoy History so much is that it makes you think and question our past. Attending this seminar last Saturday did just that - made me question and think about the involvement of North and South during the slave trade. The film also made me question what is the legacy of slavery and what history do we inherit as individuals and as citizens. Also, how does the Northern involvement make this topic much more complex? And, finally, the topic of reparations - should African-Americans receive some form of payment?

If there happens to be a screening of the film, please check it out. Also, check with PBS. They were showing the film throughout the summer.

Veteran's Day

American Cemetery in Normandy, France. Personal Photo - July 2005.

This photo is what Veteran's Day is all about . . . men and women that gave up their lives for MY freedom.

Read more here and here about the history of Veteran's Day.

Don't forget to thank a Vet for what you have today!

Remember to get out there and VOTE on Tuesday!

Hi folks!

Just want to do a quick reminder to those few of you that are still reading my blog. :-)

Please get out there and VOTE. It is so important to voice your opinion in this election. It has been a very long battle for the White House. Hopefully as of Tuesday, it will be all over. Educate yourself about all the candidates (I'm speaking of local elections and topics as well) and make an educated vote.

Spoken like a true History teacher . . . .

Etc, etc, etc. . . . . .

It's been a productive yet insanely busy few weeks in the life of M-Dawg.

Where do I begin?

*Volleyball season officially ended on Friday with a rematch for varsity against our rival. We won! Life will settle down a bit for a while. No more riding on a school bus with 40 screaming teenage girls trying to sing the Barney song at the top of their lungs. Are you not just so jealous of me as you read this?

*Had a fund raiser for Harvard Model Congress on Saturday. A local business donates their parking lot to our school to charge tourists during the month of October that are visiting our lovely city. We made $880! All money raised will deter the costs of the conference over Feb break. It was a little chilly on Saturday - I sat outside 8-5 all day. I was so numb that I thought my fingers would break off.

*Still enjoying having my weekends off. I'm still doing stuff on the weekends - like proctoring SAT's or doing fund raising stuff for my groups that I advise but it's different. I'm not stressing out about it or getting annoyed which is a good thing.

*My former roommate from a few years ago is living with me until Jan 1st. She's looking for a place to live permanently. She sold her house to her son and daughter-in-law. Today, we went looking at places and I think she found a place that she likes and is reasonably priced.

*I signed up for a local history seminar on Wednesday that I'm excited about and they are paying $125! Bonus!

*The ecomony is soooo depressing . . . how's everyone holding up?

*Wish I had some news on the love front. If anyone has any suggestions on how to meet a nice guy, let me know.

OK, that's about it for updates. I somewhat have limited of computer access since my roommate is using the second bedroom (my computer is located in that room).

Here is Maddy!!!!

This is Maddy!!!! My sister adopted her a few weeks ago. Maddy is half Yorkie and Havanese. Isn't my niece just the cutest thing you've ever seen?????????

Where do I begin with my crazy schedule and life?

It's been a crazy few weeks at school and at home. Where do I begin?


*Volleyball season is almost over - I have two more games this week and my JV season will be over. Varsity will have to play in tournament so I'm expected to help out with varsity practices and games. It's been a wonderful yet exhausting experience. I will probably coach again next year (the varsity coach already told me he wants me back).


*It's been a weird school year thus far. The freshman this year are interesting - especially on my team. We have a lot of kids that can't read or write. Behavior is out of control (had one of my 14 year old boys' suspended out of school for carrying a huge bottle of vodka and bag of pot in his back pack). We have four students that "suck their thumbs" (they are 14 years old). Add to this that I was already formally evaluated, have had way too many meetings with parents, and administration is finally holding teachers accountable (I'm not knocking it but it creates for a more stressful working environment). Luckily, I'm a teacher that follows rules but I'm still afraid that I'm going to mess up.


*I now have a roommate in my condo. My former roommate sold her house to her oldest son and wife and needed a temporary place to live until she finds somewhere to live. The extra money will be nice but I didn't realize how small my place really is until you get another person in it.


*The economy has me (and everyone else in the world) all stressed out. I'm so afraid of looking at my 403B - I'm sure I lost a ton of money the past few weeks. Good thing I won't be needing my retirement money any time soon.


*Mom and Dad finally had the closing on their house last week. So they are officially living in the camper full time now. It just seems weird to me that they will be retired soon and traveling full time. This is their dream and I'm happy for them but I'm still having a tough time dealing with it.


*A lot of my friends at school are pregnant. Although I'm happy for them, makes me feel lonely and sad about my own relationship status. Sometimes, it still bothers me that I don't have a wonderful guy in my life. On a funny note: we think there may be something in the water at my school since everyone is getting pregnant. :-)


*Really miss my friends. I'm feeling isolated and lonely. It seems forever since I've chatted or seen a lot of them and I could really use a quality gal's night out soon.


*So far, I've been able to financially survive by not working on the weekends at the doggie store. I've been able to find other forms of income to help out. Proctoring SAT's and PSAT's, babysitting, and the coaching has been good. I was thinking maybe during the month of December working on Sundays only but I don't know if the owner would go for that or not. I'm concerned about having money for Christmas which is why I might work on Sundays. I've been looking for other jobs but there is not much out there since the economy is so bad.

My head spins just thinking about my schedule for the month of October!

It's going to be a busy month. Volleyball, HMC stuff (Harvard Model Congress), and school stuff will keep me quite insane.

Progress grades are due this week (Wednesday). I have done NO correcting since the beginning of the school year. Ugh. And I have a volleyball game on Tuesday.

If you don't hear from me, it's because I'm officially changing my mailing address and sleeping at school. :-)

So, does anyone have any relaxation techniques they are willing to share with me? I may need something soon - the lack of sleep is starting to catch up with me.

Happy Birthday Lorie!

Just wanted to wish my friend Lorie a very happy birthday today!

Lorie and I met at Western Illinois University and we lived in the dorms together. Our group used to call her Little Lorie (since I'm tall Lori and she was short Lorie).

We had some fun and amazing times in college. Too many memories to write down here but I will always remember how Lorie was (is) always a good friend to me.

Lorie has a great hubby and two kids (girls). She's been very blessed to have a great family.

Happy b-day kiddo! Lots of hugs!

I live for weekends! :-)

I have to admit it's been nice having weekends off. No second job. Just relax. Enjoy time with friends. Enjoy time with Ellie the Cat. Enjoy time with me. :-)

Other news:

*My sister adopted a dog! A friend of hers had a friend who's boss just had a baby and they were having a tough time with the baby and the dog. The dog is two years old. It's a half Yorkie, half Havanese mix. She tells me Maddy is a cutie pie! My sis said she would email me a pic of her baby soon. My sister (like me) is a HUGE dog person so she's going to make a GREAT MOM! How cute is this: My sister Mandy now has a Maddy baby! :-)

*School is good but busy. My colleagues are amazing and so supportive (not that they were not supportive in past years). Being in the freshman house is such a great support for me. We all look out for each other. My school has a different feel this year - almost like we are a REAL school. It's a good thing since there have been a lot of issues that the school needed to work on regarding teachers, students, and administration. Here is hoping to a wonderful school year.

*Volleyball is good too. My girls are improving and getting better each day. Last night we had a match and actually played three games (we play best out of three at the JV level). They were SO excited that I can't begin to describe it. I'm proud of them. They are happy and so am I. :-)

*Lots of old friends are contacting me through my Facebook account. Especially my high school friends. I only started the Facebook account when my former students from my first school encouraged me to set up an account. It's been nice getting in touch again with old friends (even a few old boyfriends!) :-)

*Ellie the Cat is wearing her new Halloween collar and she looks boooeatiful! :-)

Plans for the weekend: Going to go yard sale shopping with my friend Aileen today and do some cleaning around the condo. Sunday: rest and relax. Do some school work. I'm behind in my correcting. Ugh.

What are your exciting plans for the weekend????

I know . . . . it's been a while since I've checked in.

What can I say???? It's been a VERY busy few weeks between school and volleyball.

Life is good. Busy. It has been an exhausting few weeks getting back into the swing of things at school. The good news is that I no longer work on weekends so I can relax a bit. I still have tons of school work but at least I can sleep in on the weekends.

I have a normal teaching schedule again. No more 40 minute Preps (planning periods) on one day instead of the contractual 80 minutes per day like last year. The administration fixed all schedules so that the teachers have 80 minutes per day planning (at my school, we have block scheduling and by contract, we are supposed to have an 80 minute planning block every single day). I have A Block (first block of the day) as my planning block on red days and H Block (last block of the day) on white days. I'm teaching the same classes - World Studies (4 sections) and the local history class (one section per semester). We changed the curriculum a bit in World Studies so we hope to get further in the curriculum by the end of the school year. We cut five units out at the beginning of the year. We are now starting with the Middle Ages and hope to get to the end of the Cold War if not to the present day.

The freshman this year are VERY slow (academically and behaviorally) - even the Honors are not true Honor students. Reading and writing levels are terrible so we have our work cut out for us this year. My co-taught class is interesting . . . lots of behavior problems and serious learning disabilities. I have three students in that class that need a para (aka aide) with them plus there is a SPED teacher in the room with me. The good news about the co-teaching this year is that the social studies folks were given a new SPED co-teacher!!!!!! She's great!!!!!! VERY hands-on and from the looks of it, I think for the first time since my time at this school, my students will actually get their accommodations and the help they need to do well in the class!!! I'm so pumped that I can't contain my happiness! She's been working with the kids, helping me, and even doing discipline (remember my co-teacher from last year used to fall asleep in the back of the room and fart and did nothing but complain how horrible the kids were - in front of the kids).

I am having a tough time adjusting my time management during the school day. Since I'm coaching after school, I don't have all that time to get ready for the next day so I need to get better at being more productive during my Preps. It doesn't help that I spend my entire planning aka Prep at the one photocopier in the building that actually works trying to copy my stuff! We have five photocopiers for teacher use and only one has been working since the beginning of the school year. I need to point out that there are 160 teachers in my building and we all use the photocopiers. Ugh.

The building looks great! Most of the construction and renovations have been completed. The school looks like a real school! My classroom has a new LCD projector installed from the ceiling, new MAC computer, new teacher desk, new computer desk, new filing cabinet, and new student desks. On Thursday, my LCD decided to die on me so now I'm back to using my own LCD projector for my PowerPoints. I emailed the tech dept. about it so hopefully they can try and fix it. I think the projector might need to be sent back to the dealer to be fixed though. I tried to troubleshoot the problem online and the problem seems to be the cooling fan. It should be under warranty so it won't cost the school anything.

Volleyball has been fun. This is only the second year of the program so it's been a lot of working getting the girls ready to play. Varsity is doing well. My JV's are still learning to play the game and the skills. All of my girls have never played volleyball before (PE doesn't count since it's not real volleyball). So, I have my work cut out this season. They are having fun and working hard and that is all that I ask of them. The league we are playing in requires a lot of traveling for away games so I'm not coming back to school until late and then I have the 45 minute drive home afterwards. My days start at 5:00 am (I wake up at this time), get to school by 6:45 am, and I'm not getting home until after 9:00 pm! Of course since there is always stuff to do at home and getting ready for the next day (make lunch, school work, lay out clothes for school, reorganize my duffel bag for a practice or game, etc) I'm going to bed after 10:30 sometimes 11:00 pm. LONG day! And, since I'm exercising so much, I'm losing weight - which is a good thing. I went clothes shopping and I went down a size! Let's hope the weight loss continues and that I can maintain the loss after volleyball season ends. :-)

Since I'm not working on weekends, I've been trying to relax and enjoy myself a bit. Today, I'm going apple picking with my friend Michelle and her daughter.

To my teacher friends from the blog world: I hope you all had a great start and wishing you all a wonderful productive school year! :-)

I've been tagged! :-)

I've been tagged by this silly girl. . . I am supposed to write 6 quirky things about me. Here we go!

1) I have major OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). I'm a major neat freak and can't go to bed at night unless everything is where is needs to go and/completed (Ex: dishes done, lay out my clothes for the next day, make lunch for school night before, etc.). I can't leave at the end of the day at school unless my classroom is neat and organized for the next day too. Yes, I have issues! :-)

2) I hate it when drivers don't use their turn signals (Ex: switching lanes, exit ramps, right or left turns, etc). Drives me absolutely batty!!!!! I notice it more now that I'm commuting on the highway. Oh, the other thing is slow drivers in the fast lane. Another pet peeve of mine!

3) I listen to my Itouch at night in bed - it helps to relax me and helps me go to sleep.

4) Hate it when my students use inappropriate words in school (the "N" word, Jew, swearing, etc). Bugs me!

5) Since I adopted Ellie the Cat in 2001, I have this thing about buying collars for her that match the time of the year. For example, for the summer, she wore a watermelon collar. I already bought her a Halloween and Christmas collar. She is one stylin' kitty! :-)

6) I'm a huge movie fan so I'm always matching movies - I subscribe to Netflix. Huge fan of documentaries and foreign films. My dirty little secret: cheesy old TV series! Here is a list: Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Dallas, Love Boat, etc. You get the idea. Again, I have issues. My Queue in Netflix has a pretty wacky selection of films. I currently have 211 movies in my Queue.

I tag anyone that would like to comment. :-)

Almost time to go back to school . . .

As I logged into my blog this morning, I looked over at my counter and realized that I have only seven days left until the first day of school. My goodness! Where did the summer go?

Since I've been coaching volleyball since last week, I've been able to have a little time getting my classroom ready (we've had double sessions so I usually have a two hour break in between practices to get stuff done). However, yesterday the workers started waxing the floors in the halls so I couldn't get into my room. I have a ton of boxes to unpack. The head guy of building and grounds (major control freak) refuses to give us (the teachers) our keys until the 1st official day of school so I can't get into my own desk or cabinets to organize them. Plus, the building is still in construction so they are hoping to finish everything up over the Labor Day weekend (I'll be VERY surprised if it happens). You can't use the main entrance of the school so it's a huge walk around the building to get into the building. I have a ton of stuff that needs to come back to school but I'm waiting until I can carry it through the front entrance. And, the poor custodians and construction guys . . . the elevator broke the other day so they've been having to carry heavy furniture up and down the stairs! They seriously don't get paid enough . . . .

This year, we only have one professional day until we get the kids. So, that means only one day to get everything ready if a teacher doesn't come in this week to get their room and office ready. I don't want to complain too much about the loss of a PD Day since I've been reading a lot of horror stories of other teachers across the country that have already started school and had to sit through pointless and waste of time type of meetings. Our union voted in a horrible contract last year and one of the "bonuses" was one less PD Day. Now, I'm hearing the teachers that voted that contract in complain about how little time they have to get their rooms ready! Did they not THINK about this when they were voting????? Duh! All they saw was one day off from school. Ugh.

The PD Day focus: all the new technology in the building. All the classrooms now have a LCD projector installed from the ceiling and a new MAC computer for the teachers. We are going to be doing attendance online now too. The faculty needs training on the technology. The majority of our faculty doesn't use any form of technology so it will be interesting to see how that PD Day works out. We also have three new computer labs (30 new MACS with LCD projector and SMART boards). A faculty of 160 - only 20 uses various forms of technology in our classes. Scary thought in 2008! Three years ago, I came from a school that did everything technology so I felt like I was going backwards in time by working at this school. I ended up going out and buying a lot of my own stuff (Ex: LCD Projector).

So my homework the past week: I've been trying to update and change the homework blogs for the kids and organized my curriculum binders. I need to work on my syllabus for my two courses (World History and the local History class). I already have a rough idea of the first two days of school - it tends to be all the administrative paperwork and getting to know you stuff anyway. A working photocopier would be nice so I can start copying stuff.

I think I'll feel better once my classroom is ready. With coaching volleyball this year, I won't have all the time like I normally would to set everything up.

I love my job . . . . I love my school . . . . . keep repeating until next June! :-)

Started volleyball on Thursday . . . . bump, set, spike!

Started volleyball on Thursday. I'm the JV coach - my school started a volleyball program last year and they decided to build up the program by establishing a JV team this year. I was asked by the varsity coach since I used to play and coach. And, yes - it's a stipend position. :-)

It's been an interesting transition to be helping out with a program that is only in its second year compared to my 1st school that had an established program for over 30 years. We have a lot of work to do with the program.

We only had two freshman and three sophomores come out for the team. We have a total of 18 girls. Some girls will end up swinging between JV and varsity due to the fact we have small numbers for JV.

We started pre-season with double sessions (2 three hour practices). I've been trying to get into better shape over the summer to prepare myself physically for coaching again. I can't do the hands-on stuff like drills because of my shoulder. It's killing me to not spike that ball!!!! :-(

For pre-season, we've had to use the facilities at the local college since our high school gym is in construction until the end of September. College facilities are SO MUCH nicer than our facilities at the high school. Once school starts on September 2nd, our practices will be at one of the elementary schools. All our games for the month of September will be away.

We have a scrimmage next Friday against our rival school. The girls are VERY excited about it but I'm a little nervous. It's been so long since I've coached volleyball. I'm hoping to get into the swing of things soon. The varsity coach has been great. And, a lot of rules have changed since I've coached (I coached volleyball for four years in NH). It should be an interesting season to say the least!

Bump, set, spike!

Happy B-day Jacob!

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Jacob is the son of my friend Cheryl from IL. Isn't he a cutie? He's grown up so quick! I remember when he was a little baby.

Jacob - Enjoy your extra special day and tell Mom and Dad to take you out to dinner to celebrate!

Lots of hugs! :-)

Off to the beach for the day . . . .

Finally! Some rest and relaxation (at least for the day) for M-Dawg.

Getting a pedicure this morning. Major relaxation!

Then, I'm off to the beach! One of my friends from school is renting a house on the beach for the next two weeks and she invited me to spend the day with her and her family. I live 15 minutes from the ocean/beach and this is the first time all summer I've been there. Wow.

Have a great weekend everyone -

Happy belated B-day to Mark and Happy Anniversary to Mark and Traci!

OK, I'm losing my mind. It's official. I think you all know this about me already. I'm late on b-day and anniversary greetings.



Happy belated birthday to Mark! Mark is married to my friend Traci from IL. Traci and I have been friends forever. It's so nice to know she has a great guy in her life. :-) Happy b-day Mark!

And, happy Anniversary to Mark and Traci! You guys rock! Hope you get to enjoy some quality YOU time with each other.

Lots of hugs and love!

Picture of Mark, Jeffrey, and Traci (missing is the new little guy, Joseph).

Busy week . . . .

It's been a busy yet productive week.

Working at second job (30 hours). Appt's. Meeting at Witch House to incorporate service learning into my local history class. Planning first unit of World History. Getting stuff done around the condo. Oil change. Meeting with friends for quality time (included a lobster dinner - Yummy). :-)

I signed up for an organization class which I'm excited about taking next week. It's online and lasts for about four weeks. It cost $50 (normally $100). I have to pick one small project (I think I'm going to pick my closet in my bedroom) to organize. I'll try and remember to post before and after pictures. :-)

How was your week?

Check off the list . . . . one paper and lesson plan DONE!

I did it!

The lesson plan for emailed on Friday and the 10 page thematic essay was emailed on Sunday evening.

Done.

FINALLY!

Now I wait for my grade.

My summer can officially begin . . . . . .

Two Birthday Wishes to Two Great Friends!

Picture of Lauren and I taken at my condo.

Picture of Traci and I taken at her house in IL.

Happy B-day Ladies! :-)

Traci - We've been friends since high school. Lots of parties!!! We've been through a lot of ups and downs over the years but we've stuck through them together. You've been a wonderful friend to me. I've watched you over the years become an amazing wife and Mom to those handsome boys of yours and you are great!!!!!! Happy birthday and enjoy your extra special day! I love ya!!!!!! Hugs!!!!!!

Lauren - Remember our crazy days at Pagenet???? Seems like yesterday when we (you, Janet, and Me) used to eat lunch together and talk about TV programs. There has been a lot of drama in both of our lives (namely over men) over the years but we hung in there. You've found the love of your life (Mr. Rich) and have the "bestest" doggie eva' (hugs to Giz)!!!!! Happy B-day kiddo! I love ya!!!!!! Hugs!!!!!!!

I am so proud to call both of these gals my friends. Enjoy your day ladies!!! You both deserve it!!!!!!

PS Sorry about the old photos. I don't have any recent pictures of us together.:-)

Pressure (to quote David Bowie and Queen)!

The pressure is on . . . . . . .

8-10 page thematic essay and 3-5 day lesson plan due on Sunday!

Ugh.

Blah!

(I know you have that song in your head now! Hah!) :-)

How do you like yourself?

I promised myself that I would work on ME this summer. Getting myself into a better frame of mind: physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Here is the update.

The mental part has been difficult. It's been really hard to think positively about myself when I don't like myself. So I've been trying to work on liking myself (not that I ever did like myself). When I was younger, I used to "fake" being happy since that is what everyone in my life seemed to expect of me. I realize that people can't be happy 24/7 but I can be happy some of the time. I've felt like a hypocrite since I'm always telling my students to like and love themselves and accept themselves for who they are or are becoming in this world. How can I tell my students to like themselves when I don't even like me for me? There are a lot of reasons why I've felt like I was never good enough. Some of it stems from child hood crap which I don't want to get into on this blog. I've been doing a lot of soul searching and realized that there are some people in my life that bring me down as a person. I'm working on removing this folks out of my life. I also work in two jobs that don't appreciate me (being a teacher speaks for itself and the other job is a long story). Regarding the teaching aspect, I'm working on trying to be positive in a very negative environment. If it means that I have to isolate myself and not be around the negative people, that is what I will have to do. The best feeling I have in the world is being in the classroom with my students and teaching them World History. The other job scenario: I can no longer be trusted (according to the owner) due to an incident and she believes what she wants of me no matter what I say to her. I can't work for someone that doesn't trust me. So, I will be doing some soul searching (and looking for another job) to better that situation. I've worked there for almost four years and all that retail experience is down the drain (I don't think I could even use the owner as a reference since I can't trust her to say anything nice about me). Nothing I do (or anyone else that works in the store) is good enough and it gets old after a while. I've also become very resentful that I have to work a second job after teaching for ten years. I'm sick of always working and never getting ahead. I adore the dogs. They are the best part of the job. But I've felt like I've been in an emotional abused relationship the past few years working there. I completely acknowledge that I'm not always the easiest person to be around at times but either is the owner (we are both VERY MUCH alike when it comes to be moody which is why we clash - I see that - she does not). So I'm going back to being "fake happy" to please her and that is not the way I want to live my life. The soul searching continues . . . . . . . . . .

The physical part has been a struggle. My shoulder still bothers but I'm putting off getting the surgery. I'm hoping that if I lose some weight, it might help the pain in my shoulder. I'm eating better now and exercising. I figure that if I look better and healthier, maybe I will like myself too. Food has always been an addiction of mine and I'm an emotional eater. Hence, the weight issues. Since I start coaching volleyball the end of August, I figured that I better get back into shape again. Gotta be a positive role model to the girls on the team! :-)

The spiritual part is also a struggle for me. I've been trying mediation to help relax me. Formal/organized religion doesn't seem to work (I was brought up Catholic and I don't believe in what the church stands for anymore). I feel like I need some type of spirituality in my life to grow as a person.

It's been a struggle but I'm working on it . . . . one day at a time. I don't expect miracles. But being truly happy and content with my life would be a wonderful way to start out the school year.

Thank you to all my supportive friends and Blog buddies - you all rock! :-)

How did you spend your day off? Touching REALLY old letters!

Greetings!

Yesterday, I spent the day reading through old documents at a historical society. By old I mean like around 1775! I read letters from a soldier to his wife during the American Revolution! How cool is that????? I even got to wear the white "Mickey Mouse" gloves to read through all the letters . . . . in case you are not aware of it - our hands (skin) have oils on them that can destroy the letters so you have to wear the protective gloves to preserve the letters. The handwriting was difficult to read since the ink had faded over the years and the spelling was quite "unique" - for example, they spelled "which" this way: WITCH. Reminded me of my students and their spelling habits. :-)

I then went to a public library to research old newspaper articles from the time period as well. Everything is on microfilm and I could make copies of the articles.

So far, I've come up with some good material and primary source information for my lesson plan for the Using Essex History class. And, I'm pumped about using the materials in my local History class that I teach at my school.

That due date is coming quick! :-)

Finished up the Using Essex History class and now it's time to write a thematic essay and lesson plan!

The Using Essex History class that I took last week was great! I really enjoyed the various topics each day:
*Day 1 - American Revolution (The National Heritage Museum - Lexington)
*Day 2 - Civil War (Marblehead Historical Museum - Marblehead)
*Day 3 - Westward Expansion (St. Joseph's Hall - Salem)
*Day 4 - Civil Rights Movement (National Archives - Waltham)
*Day 5 - Nathaniel Hawthorne (The House of Seven Gables - Salem)

Each day was filled with lectures from professors on each topic, a field trip of the facility we were hanging out in, and time to look at primary sources and analyze them and brainstorm teaching ideas in groups with other teachers (there were 30 teachers that were chosen from Essex County). Our day started at 9:00 am and lasted until 4:00 pm. A long day but sooooo productive! My brain hurt at the end of the day! :-)

So, now the fun part begins! Prior to the class, I had to read four books and a packet of readings designed for each of the five days. We had to turn in one book review and three book note papers during the week. Due on August 3rd, I have to write a 8-10 page thematic essay and a 3-4 day lesson plan.

Between now and the due date - I have two days off from work and one of which I'm spending at the Beverly Historical Society to research letters from the American Revolution.

The bonus: I get 3 graduate credits (since it is a grant, I don't have to pay for the credits) and a $1,000 stipend. Yahoo! :-)

And, the race begins! I'll keep you posted. :-)

Bonding meeting was a success! :-)

Last night, the Freshman House had a bonding meeting at a local restaurant to discuss the past school year and goals for next school year.

I have to say that almost every single teacher in the Freshman House came to the meeting. The fact that we attended this meeting during our time off is a huge deal.

Our house master (aka Asst. Principal) had some positive data to share with us. Our failure rate went down by 16% this year! Every single year the Freshman House has been in existence at my school, we have seen improvement. Some of the biggest goals of the House is to help with the transition from Middle to High School and the expectations of being in High School AND to decrease the drop out rate at my school. There has been a slight decrease but not as much as we would like to see. I guess we need to be patient and see what will happen . . . after sophomore year is when we see the drop out rate increase (in most classes).

One of the goals for next school year we discussed was to create a more community feel in the Freshman House. We also scheduled two more bonding meetings this summer for the teachers.

Oh, I'm on a new team and I LOVE IT! The English and Math teacher are great friends of mine (the Math teacher and I are co-advisers for the Class of 2010 so we are already used to working with each and get along great). We do have a new Science teacher - she's fresh out of college so she will probably need some support. She seems nice and willing to work as a team. Compared to this past school year, I'm looking forward to moving on and working with a group of people that are in this for the kids and the school community. :-)

And, the SPED teacher that I worked with for the past two years is no longer in the Freshman House. He's still working with the Social Studies teachers but from what I understand the administrators are working very hard to not schedule him with me. Yeah!!!! :-)

Working with the dogs . . . . .

I'm here. Alive and kicking. Barely. :-)

Been working a ton of hours at the doggie store. Compared to last summer, the store hasn't been that busy. I'm sure the high gas prices is keeping a lot of people away from traveling and spending money. It is great to see all the dogs. They rock my world! :-)

I've been getting over food poisoning so I haven't been myself for a week. I'm feeling much better but my body doesn't want to be 100% yet.

I've also been doing a lot of the reading for my class that begins next week. I have a lot of work to do before next Monday - four books need to be read, one book review paper, and three note summaries need to be written. Unfortunately, the readings are boring so it's difficult to get through them at a fast pace. I don't mind reading historical books as long as they are interesting and to the point.

It's been hot and humid here in New England. I don't do well with humidity . . . I finally had to turn my A/C on today. I've been lucky most of the summer . . . . my condo is located on the first floor so it remains relatively cool during the day. However, today it got a little too warm for me so I turned on A/C.

Ellie the Cat has the right idea . . . . just hang out on the futon! :-)

Reflection of the school year

Every educator should reflect about the previous school year. You think about what you did right, what you did wrong, what needs to be improved, what needs to stay in your curriculum or get rid of some boring activity or project, etc. Reflection helps you to grow as a teacher.

My school year has been rather dramatic as a whole. First we had no contract for two years and then the budget cuts/teacher lay offs in January. However, I still had to put a smile on my face every single day and continue to teach and do the best job that I knew how to do.

I taught two new courses this year. The local history class was a challenge since I'm not a native New Englander but my students were resilient and patient with me and stuck by me. The students helped to create new projects for the course which was fun. I even did one field trip. I'm hoping to increase the field trips for the course this next school year. And, the best part: I'm going to incorporate service learning into the curriculum so my students will be working with one of the local historical homes and doing some joint projects and activities.

The second course I taught this year I helped co-write the curriculum. Current World Affairs was definitely a work in progress but again the students were patient and understanding and worked through the curriculum with me. Next school year, I won't be teaching the CWA class but I feel that I left the curriculum in great shape.

I had my 9th grade World History classes fill out a teacher evaluation on the last day of school. I asked that they not put their name on the sheet and to be HONEST. Some of the comments were interesting:
*Loved the PowerPoints - short and to the point!
*Too many PowerPoints - too long and too much note taking!
*Loved the projects.
*Favorite unit: French Revolution.
*Favorite unit: World War I and II.
*Spent too much time in the Middle Ages.
*Suggestion: Prepare us more for the seven page research paper - like have mini papers prior to the big paper.
*Suggestion: Field trips
*More projects
*NO more projects
*Group projects
*More hands-on activities.
*End of year party??????
*You were my favorite teacher.
*I looked forward to coming to class every day - you are ONE crazy lady! :-)

Some students even thanked me for teaching them and wished they could have me next year. I didn't get one bad comment so I don't know if that's good or bad. I'd like to think they were being honest with me. And, I don't read the evaluations until after grades are submitted (this was stated to them and I typed it on the sheet).

Regarding World History curriculum, the other three History teachers and I decided that we will be eliminating the first quarter of curriculum. The middle school is supposed to be teaching it (they don't teach it - they teach whatever they want) so we decided that in order for us to get past World War II next year, we need to eliminate the first half of the World History curriculum. The good news (this is questionable good news) is that our state does not test on World History (I guess knowing World History isn't that important) but they do test on US History. And, considering the role of the United States in History during the 20th century, we figured it would be important to support the US History curriculum to get as far to the present day as possible.

We will start with the Middle Ages and work our way to the present day by the end of the school year. I would like us to start at the Enlightenment but baby steps shall be made with the curriculum. We shall see if we can handle this massive goal -

A goal of mine for next year is to continue to work on pacing. I'm terrible at it. I barely made it to World War II by the end of the school year so I know that I need to stay on task and pace my way through the curriculum. The other World History teachers and I struggle with the pacing so it's reassuring that I'm not the only one but we all agree that we need to make some changes for next school year.

And, we still have no formal/written World History curriculum. My colleague and I spent our duty block working on some of the curriculum units toward the end of the school year but we still need to get more completed. There was no money to actual pay us this summer to write curriculum so it looks like we may do the same thing next school year during our duty.

So, overall, the school year was dramatic, busy, stressful, and productive for the most part.

I would give myself a B+ for the school year. :-)

"School's Out for Summer . . . . " sing it with me!

FINALLY!

School is officially done!

Visual: M-Dawg doing a dance all around her condo.

What are the big summer plans?

No, I'm not traveling this summer. A lot of folks have been asking me that question. I've grounded myself (financial stuff prohibits me from going anywhere this summer). Blah!

I'll be working at Paws all summer. So, if you are visiting the New England area, stop by and visit me. And, bring your doggie. I'll hook up your doggie with a nice treat!

I received a Using Essex History grant so I'll be attending an institute for five days in July. Get this: I get 3 graduate credits, 30 PDP's, and a $1,000 stipend. Nice! There is a TON of work to complete but it's a good ton of work. :-)

And, it looks like I'll be the new JV girl's volleyball coach at my school so the season starts on August 21st.

Of course, I'll be hanging out with friends too. Gotta throw in some crazy M-Dawg time too. :-)

What are your summer plans????

Happy Father's Day to my Dad and all the Dad's out there!

This is a picture of Mom and Dad in front of their soon to be new home.

Dad - Happy Father's Day to my Daddy! I know we disagree on a lot (OK, almost everything) but you are my Daddy and I love you! You are always there to support me and be there for me through all my crazy dumb blond moves. :-) Who was it that showed me how to ride a bike (yes, through all my tears and crying) and drive a car (through your tears and crying)? My Daddy! :-)

Enjoy your Father's Day!

Love Ya!!!!!

7 more wake up days until school is OUT!

Quick summary of the past week:

*Seven fire alarms in three days set off by students.

*We had our eighth fire alarm set off today by a kid.

*Autistic student had major melt down in my classroom over the Holocaust PowerPoint I showed the class. I warned him and asked him if he would leave the classroom since it would upset him. I was right. He was wrong. He freaked out.

*Seniors FINALLY graduated!

*I asked my SPED teacher to modify the final exam. He told me it didn't need to be modified. I showed it to two other SPED teachers and they said it NEEDS to be modified. Guess what history teacher will end up doing her SPED teacher's job AGAIN??????????

*Trying to get all my curriculum taught by Friday since final exams are next week. Yeah, try teaching World War II and the Holocaust in three 90 minute classes with fire alarms going off at the same time. :-(

*Sophomore class officers STILL haven't booked their Junior prom venue yet (they are supposed to book it by this Friday). SO not going to happen.

*I'm trying to correct country portfolio binders from the Current World Affairs classes. The kids didn't follow the directions so the grades are LOW. Oh, this portfolio binder counts as their final exam (two test grades) for 4th quarter.

*Did I mention 7 more wake up days until summer vacation???????????????????

Memorial Day

This photo was taken in July 2005 at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France.

You can read about the history of Memorial Day here. It should be noted that the history goes back to at least the Civil War although there is some speculation that it goes back even further.

As a child growing up, I can remember every year on Memorial Day, my grandparents (on my Mom's side) and my family would go to the cemetery and place flowers on the graves of loved ones. And, the local cemetery would have a Memorial Day parade go right through the cemetery. The cemetery had all the American flags of vets that had died hanging on flag poles that lined the parade route. Once my grandpa died, his flag would be flown along the route as well. My grandfather fought in World War II (Battle of the Bulge).

Even back then, I remember feeling thankful and appreciative of what our veterans did to sacrifice MY freedom today. This also may be another reason why I enjoy History so much - that I would not be here today if not for the sacrifice of my relatives during the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.

At 3:00 pm today, please remember to do a moment of silence. You can read more about it here.

Happy Birthday to my Sis - Mandy!!!!

This is a picture of Mandy with her favorite band group - the Goo Goo Dolls! Mandy is the girl in the jean skirt and light greenish top. Yes, that is John Rzeznik (lead singer) in the middle! :-)

Mandy spent a few days down in Florida for a relaxing vacation. She returned to lovely Chicago weather . . . in the 60's.

Happy Birthday to my baby sis - you turn 33 years old today and you don't look a day over 30! Ha!

Seriously, I love ya and thank you for being a great sister.

Hugs!

It's been a long school year . . . .

Thank you for all your comments and words of support on the last post.

My last day of school is June 20th and it can't come soon enough. I hate wishing my life away but it's been one hell of a school year.

Still don't know anything about the cuts. My principal is still going through cut process. The rumor mill claims that 19 teachers will be leaving on their own merit at the end of the school year anyway so maybe that will save some jobs.

Because of the horrible contract that was voted in and all the teacher cut drama that occurred in January, I think most people are fed up with my school system.

Not a lot of teaching jobs out there for History/Social Studies. And, when I do apply, I'm guessing the reason why they won't call me in for an interview is that I'm too expensive to hire. Why hire someone with 10 years teaching experience when you can hire someone under 3 years and pay them less money? I'd like to point out that you get what you pay for but school districts don't care in this day and age of saving money.

So, it's the waiting game. We shall see what happens over the next few weeks.

I'm not posting a lot because this time of the school year is very busy and rough with activities going on almost every single day after school or in the evenings. My calendar for school has no empty time after school or in the evenings. And throw in all the correcting, grades, and trying to finish up my World History curriculum (World War II come hell or high water!) by the end of the school year and my brain is on overload! It's crazy! And, I'm not able to read a lot of blogs until the weekend. I actually had Saturday off so I was able to catch up on my blog reading and comments.

I've also been thinking a lot about how negative this blog has been or gotten the past school year. Over the summer, I'll be doing some "housecleaning" of my life and my blog. :-) I'm going to work on trying to put myself in a better mind set, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Stay tuned . . . . .

So, be good. Be safe. And, I'll be writing soon. Just a break. :-)

Updates . . . . . . and Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom - Joela. She's a rockin' lady!!! :-)

Updates:
*Budget cuts will occur at my school by the end of the school year. The stress and drama returns. Please be thinking happy thoughts . . . . I've been applying to schools but I'm too expensive to hire (It will be 10 years of teaching next school year for me).

*I applied for a Summer Institute for a week in July and got it. They are going to pay me $1000 stipend and 3 graduate credits for five days of work. Bonus! :-)

*It's been a rough school year. Between no contract, budget cut drama in January, rough students on my team, my team (teachers) not getting along, having an "illegal" teaching schedule (by contract, I'm supposed to get a 90 minute planning period every day; I'm getting a 40 minute planning period on the second day which is in violation of our teaching contract), and having the SPED teacher from hell, I'm really ready for the school year to be over. I'm exhausted. :-(

*A few weeks ago my colleagues and I were lucky enough to have a Professional day to write out our Common Assessment for final exams. The four of us were excited to be collaborating since we all get along and work well together. For the first hour, we were doing great. Then guess who decided to join us? That SPED teacher that I've been complaining about for the past two years! He invited himself to our common assessment day! He did nothing! I mean it! Nothing! Except sleep of course! I actually took a picture of him sleeping w/ one of my colleagues cell phone! I know . . . not the most professional thing to do but we all thought it might provide photo evidence of what is actually going on in our classrooms. We ended up deleting the photos but it was funny! Sad but funny. He would occasionally interrupt us and talk about stuff that had nothing to do with the Common Assessment. At one point, one of my colleagues got fed up. So, I went down to our Housemaster to tell him what was going on (The Housemaster is the one that arranged for us to meet to complete the Common Assessment). My Housemaster was annoyed that the SPED teacher was not doing what he was supposed to be doing and that the SPED teacher crashed the "party" so to speak. BUT, he still allowed the SPED teacher to stay with us for the entire day. I swear my administrators need to grow some balls and stop worrying about "hurting" feelings (this is how it was explained to me). Never mind that the SPED guy does nothing and doesn't accommodate the students needs.

*My co-advisor and I will be resigning at the end of the school as class advisers to the Class of 2010. The Sophomore Social stuff and all the drama from the past year is ridiculous so we've had enough. The Class President is difficult to work with and the rest of the class officers do nothing. And, I'm sick of it. And, I'm sick of the President telling me that I'm not doing everything when in reality I do a lot. It is not my job to do HIS job. I tell him what needs to be done because I'm trying to teach him responsibility. He doesn't see that so I'm the bitch and bad guy.

*Wish I could report more on my love life. The online dating just didn't work. I'm such a romantic and kept wishing for some great, nice guy to sweep me off my feet. True love is not meant for me. It's sad but it's the reality. I'm accepting that it's not meant for me to be married or have children. At 37 years old, slightly overweight, and not a catch . . . . it is what it is.

So, these are the updates in the life of M-Dawg.

36 more teaching days . . . . maybe NOT!

Does the title of this post state it all? How much do I want the school year to be over? Let me count the ways!

I know it's not a good thing to wish your life away but in this case . . . . 36 days left of the school year baby!

Out of those 36 days, technically, there are 24 actual teaching days left. Why? MCAS (state testing), final exam week, Diversity Day, and I'm out of school tomorrow for a Professional Day.

And, my school is on block scheduling so to make this post even MORE fun I technically only have 12 teaching days with my classes. I see my students every other day. 12 days with my freshman World History kids to teach the following: Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, Nationalism, Unification of Germany and Italy, WW I, and WW II and the Holocaust.

OK, now I'm really stressed!

Blah! :-(

April Break - Part III

What can I say? I live such an exciting life!

The hair-do on Thursday turned out nice. It's much lighter and a tad bit shorter too.

Hanging out at Barnes & Noble is my fav place in the world. Was productive! I was able to grade three classes of work! After all the grading I did at the end of 3rd quarter, I sorta went on strike and didn't want to grade for a while. Unfortunately, that meant that I had a ton of correcting to do!

I didn't end up making it to the beach. It was such a beautiful day and I spent it inside a bookstore. Oh well.

Worked at Paws on Friday. This economy is still not picking up so I wasn't that busy in the store. I hope it picks up soon.

I'm watching my neighbor's dog, Otto in the evenings for the next week. I have to feed him and walk him. Last night, I took him to Newburyport for an hour walk. Otto is a Schnauzer and such a cutie pie! He's my little buddy! I'll try and remember to take some pics of Otto.

The rest of the weekend plans: working at Paws on Saturday and Sunday. Hanging out w/ Otto in the evenings. Attending a poetry reading on Sunday afternoon here.

Back to school on Monday! Blah! When I get back, I'll have to unpack a few of my boxes and set up my classroom. Thank goodness I have the first two blocks off on Monday! :-)

Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Anniversary to Cheryl and Brian - a day late!

Happy Anniversary to Cheryl and Brian!

A belated post but I was thinking of you guys yesterday!!!

Hope you were able to have some alone time together and Brian took ya out for dinner!!!

Lots of hugs and love!!!!

April break - Part II

On Wednesday, I was invited to one of my former colleagues home for lunch up in NH. It was a lovely weather day! Sunny. Bright. And, the company was nice too! :-)

Rest of the day: I cleaned my car. Paid the bills. Cleaned the condo. Productive yet busy.

Today, I have a hair appointment to get my hair highlighted and cut here. Oh, the eyebrows need a touch up too. The gal that does my hair always does such a nice job. Why can't I do my hair the same way????

After the hair, I'm planning on heading to Barnes & Noble and do some correcting for a few hours. Need to correct those French Revolution tests!

Tonight, I might try a drive out to the beach and take a walk. It's been forever since I've been to the beach. I only live 15 minutes away from the ocean!

The weather this week in New England has been amazing! Couldn't ask for a better weather week off from school.

Enjoy your day -

April vacation week - part I

On Monday, I drove out to Northampton, MA (western MA) to meet some gals for Delta Kappa Gamma stuff. It was a two hour and 13 minute drive one way. The drive was long but incredibly scenic! I drove through the Berkshire Mountains and saw the Green Mountains of Vermont.

I got involved at the state level of DKG. I'm on the research committee and we had members fill out surveys. The committee met yesterday to go over the results. I have to put together a PowerPoint to present at the State Convention the weekend of May 2nd of our findings.

It was a very long drive and long day but productive. :-)

Today, I brought my car into Saturn to have it worked on (takes 8 hours). The head gasket has been leaking and I've been putting it off to get it fixed. I have a rental car - a PT Cruiser! I like it. Drives different than my Saturn. Not great on gas though . . . .

Well, I'm off to run some errands for the day (hence the rental car).

Enjoy your day!!! :-)

Four words!

I am on vacation!

Enough said!

Update on life

Just wanted to do an update on what is going on in M-Dawg's world (warning - VERY negative post!):

*I didn't get the teaching position at my first school. I received the phone call last night. The assistant principal (I'm friends with him) wanted to tell me over the phone instead of waiting for the letter. I'm upset and disappointed. For five years, all I've heard from administrators and other teachers was how they wanted me to come back. Nice.

*Survived the Sophomore Social (dance) for my class. My co-advisor and I have decided that we will resign at the end of the school year from being their class advisor. The officers do absolutely nothing and we are not paid enough to deal with the stress and bullshit.

*My classroom is currently in a modular trailer. I've been in the trailer for 1 1/2 year. The entire freshman house is moving out the trailers over April break. I filled out my request form over a month ago for boxes and moving supplies. When do I get my supplies and boxes: a week ago! I have a ton of shit to pack. Luckily, I have student leaders and a colleague of mine helped me pack most of it. It will be nice to be back in the main building again. Strange. They are moving us to a temporary classroom until June. Then they will move us to our permanent home which will be up on the third floor. I won't be unpacking anything except for two boxes of stuff I need to get me through the rest of the school year.

*My shoulder is still painful. I have an appt next week with an orthopedic surgeon.

*Good news: I'm on April break starting on Monday. A whole week off from school. I do have a busy week filled with appointments and working at Paws.

*I really need a break from school. I'm in such a bad mind set right now. Very negative and burnt out. Exhausted from working all the time and getting no financial rewards. And very poor! :-(

*And the best part of my life right now: my first mortgage is going up $250 a month. Got the letter last week notifying me of the increase. They won't even talk to me since I'm still paying my mortgage on time. Nice! I have two mortgages and the second one will go up too. I can't refinance since I owe more on my condo than it's worth right now. So, I'm screwed. Gotta love life. When you are down, you are DOWN! I am looking for a roommate to help defer the costs. If you know of anyone, let me know. I'm also posting an ad on Craig's List.

This is my life. Shitty right now. I think I need to go back into counseling again. I'm really having a hard time dealing with stuff. My personal life sucks. My professional life sucks. Trying to focus on what is good in my life and I just can't seem to do it.

End of vent/bitch/losing mind session. :-(

Happy b-day shout out to Brian!

Look at the happy family! :-)

Happy birthday Brian!

Hope Cheryl and the boys take ya out for a nice steak dinner and wait on ya head and foot.

Lots of hugs! :-)

Joseph Murphy is here!!!!!

Joseph Murphy - born March 31, 2008.

Congrats to the Eltrevoog-Milota family!!! Baby and family are all doing well.

Isn't he a cutie pie????? :-)

Is it OK to have nap time in High School????

I'm so exhausted that I can't even think straight right now.

Things at school are very busy. No time for anything.

Just a few updates and shout outs:
*Congrats to my friend Traci and her husband Mark: they had a baby boy, Joseph Murphy a few days ago. I'm so happy for you both. Big bro Jeffrey is doing well too. :-)

*Got a phone call for a second job interview for next week. We shall see. . . . . .

*Book Club on Thursday evening. We read this book. I enjoyed it. Highly recommend it!

*Junior Prom at my high school last Friday night: 20 kids in a limo were drinking and got caught. A ton of other kids at the Prom were drunk too. The administration isn't doing much about it. Joy.

*I have the Sophomore Social dance next Friday. The rumor mill with the kids is that a group of kids will shop at the Social drunk. Double joy!

*I need to keep reminding myself that I'm splitting a $650 stipend to be a class advisor and all this added stress is SO not worth it. Triple Joy!

*Had an MRI on Tuesday night. I was scared shitless! :-)

*I'm working all this weekend, I have 23 Honors 5-page research papers to grade, 60 projects on Storming of the Bastille, and grades are due on Wednesday of next week. Can M-Dawg do it?

*I'm being formally evaluated next Thursday. Ugh.

*Have a retirement party for a former colleague at my first school next Thursday night. Oh, I'm interviewing for his job. How weird will that be?????????

*I haven't had a day off from school or the doggie store since Easter (March 23rd). I don't have a day off until April 12th.

OK, maybe this turned into more of a bitch fest. Sorry. This is what happens when you are tired. Oh, I had the 8th grade Open House tonight at my school and didn't get home until after 9:00 pm. I've been at school since 6:45 am. Long freaking day!

Tomorrow, instead of teaching, can I have nap time in all of my classes????????????????

Job Fair, Dr. Appt, and went to Jail! All in one week!

Just an update of the week:

*Went to a Job Fair at the 1st high school I ever taught at on Tuesday night. I'm applying for the social studies position. One of the guys in the dept is retiring this year. Teaching in NH is sorta a mixed bag - it would provide stability for me which would be a welcomed change in my professional life. But the pay and retirement isn't that great. The guy that interviewed me is best friends with my current Principal. Oops! I wasn't planning on telling my current school that I was going to be looking for next year but due to all the drama that happened in Jan with the budget cuts, I decided that I would look for another job. My Principal received a phone call that evening from the guy at my 1st school that interviewed me. Joy! Where is the professionalism? Anyway, I guess the cat is out of the bag. The administration knows that I need to do what is best for ME. They said they don't want me to leave but they understand how unstable the school system is right now. And, my mortgage won't get paid on loyalty, I'll tell ya that much! :-(

*Had a Dr's appt on Wednesday. He finally decided to get the MRI done on the rotator cuff and make an appt with an orthopedic surgeon. It looks like surgery may be the way to go - ugh! The Dr's office called me today to say that my insurance company is being a pain about the MRI. They are questioning whether the MRI is "necessary" - nice! I'll update when I find out more info.

*Wednesday evening, I met my friend Aileen and we saw Juno here. Excellent movie! Check it out if you get a chance!

*Took my students to Middleton Jail today (Thursday) for a Scared Straight program. It was a huge eye-opening experience for me personally. It really got me to think about some of the choices I've made in life. It was a powerful program and I got the impression from most of my kids that the point hit home for them. The prison guards and prisoners stressed the role of family and teachers in their lives. And, that alcohol and drugs can really mess up your life and you could end up in prison. Middleton is a maximum security jail so it was pretty intense. I really hope the kids learned some important lessons as well.

Exciting plans for the weekend:
*Work at Paws on Saturday and Sunday.
*Correct student projects since grades close next Friday for 3rd quarter - where has the time flown by? One more quarter to go peeps! :-)

What are you doing this weekend??????

The History of Easter

Believe it or not, Easter and Paganism have a connection.

To learn a little history about Easter, check out the following links:

History Channel

Religious Tolerance

Enjoying a weekend off! :-)

It's a miracle! I actually have a FULL weekend off! Saturday and Sunday. No Paws. Nothing!

The big plan: Sleep in on both days! Something I rarely ever get to do anymore.

I also decided that I'm staying in for Easter. I'm not going out at all. There is always stuff to do around the condo but I'm just going to relax. I'm sooooo pumped you have NO idea! :-)

Happy Easter to those that celebrate it and here's to the Easter bunny! :-)

Happy St. Patrick's Day and other stuff! :-)

Wishing everyone a happy St. Patrick's Day and drink lots of green beer and Guinness! :-)

To my Irish friends - cheers! :-)

M-Dawg is enjoying a day off from school today. Just lounging around and watching DVD's - a true day off. Ellie the Cat is enjoying having me stay at home today. :-)

Worked all weekend at Paws. Sorta of a crappy weather weekend here in New England.

I'm getting ready to teach the Middle East unit in my Current World Affairs class. Should be interesting since I have a few students from Iraq and Lebanon. I'm trying to get this woman I met a few weekends ago from Afghanistan to come in and be a guest speaker to talk to the kids about living under the Taliban rule. She's a teacher too so I don't know how easy it would be to get her to school during the school day.

I'm still in the French Revolution unit in World History. The kids are currently storming the Bastille! :-)

That's about it for news here. Same old thing. School. No life. :-(

Have a good week peeps!

Doing a good thing for an animal! Or two! :-)

My friend Lea is fostering these two puppies! How adorable are they????? They've had a rough start to life but she's taking great care of them. They have some physical and neurological damage so they need constant care.

She may end up adopting them. Which I hope she does since they will go to a great home. Thanks Fishy for taking care of these little cutie pies!

Personal Day on Friday and plans for the weekend

A much need personal day was in the plan for me on Friday. I hadn't had a day off since the Wednesday of Feb break. For the most part, the day was rather relaxing. I slept in which is a HUGE deal for me. I had a doctor's appt in the early afternoon to check my rotator cuff. Since I've been doing physical therapy, my shoulder is doing much better. My Dr. wants to see me again in three weeks and to continue with the PT. The last appt for the day was PT. My PT has been using ultrasound and exercises to help the shoulder. This visit she tried this electric shock treatment with an ice pack on the shoulder. It felt weird but good. And, I have special exercises that I'm supposed to do at home to help the process. That's the update on the shoulder situation.

I also started the online application process for a job at my first high school that I taught and made an appointment for an interview at their job fair on March 25th on Friday. The application online took me hours to complete. The school is in NH and I'm sorta mixed on whether or not going back is a good idea. The commute is less which is good for my car and gasoline prices. It's good in the sense that NH provides stability - they don't do the budget cut thing or lay people off. I really need financial stability since I have a mortgage to pay. The negative is the pay and the retirement system. NH pay is less and the retirement is crap. Another plus is the health insurance (district pays 90% and employee pays 10%). This school system would acknowledge all my time in education so I could start at a step 10 (10 years teaching and they would recognize my 30 credits above the Masters which MA schools are not doing right now). To compensate the lose of income I could get involved in other activities to raise my salary to where it would be now. Although there are no guarantees of a job, the Principal and Assistant Principals told me they really want me back. I left there on a positive note back in 2003. This school had a lot of issues but I'm beginning to realize what school doesn't have issues. There is no such thing as a perfect environment and I just need to suck it up and deal. Lots of decisions! I'll update later.

I need to point out too that I will only looking for jobs in the area that I'm living in right now. I don't want the hellish commute that I currently have now so if a school is looking for someone in my area, I will apply. Otherwise, I'm staying at my current school. The financial stability at my current school is not good right now anyway so who knows if they will be letting me go?

An update on the condo parking space situation: I might have to go see a lawyer. What the association did might be against the law so I need to have a lawyer read/translate my documents. I have a deeded parking space which means there are marked documents at the courthouse that states that I own that parking space. My head teacher of my dept at school was a former lawyer so he said he would look at the papers for me. He said that if he can't help me, he could refer me to a good lawyer that could help me. And, another teacher at my school is on the board of her condo association and she said she might be able to help too. So that's the update so far on my parking space.

The plans for the weekend include:

*Today (Saturday), I have High Tea at the Concord Colonial Inn with Delta Kappa Gamma. My chapter and the chapter in Concord are having High Tea. Sounds very high class, doesn't it??? :-)

*We are supposed to get a ton of rain today - flooding type stuff. Let's cross our fingers that I don't have to build an ark!

*Working at Paws on Sunday. Hope to see lots of dogs! :-)

*School work. That never goes away! :-(

Any excitement in your lives?????