Busy week - what else is new?

The life of M-Dawg is always busy and overwhelming. This past week was NO exception! Let's re-cap, shall we?

Monday and Tuesday: Not so overwhelming. I stayed late at school on both days since the kids had a project due at the end of the week. Still had my cold and was feeling miserable!

Wednesday: Early release for kids. Professional Day for teachers. We had to sit in these meetings about assessment. Sorta boring. At the end of the day, we went back into the auditorium to finish up our day. The administration put together this PowerPoint about AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress - it's a No Child Left Behind thing in education). We didn't make it this year. The way the PowerPoint was presented to us was very insulting to a lot of teachers and they were upset. We didn't qualify in ANY of our subgroups. We never pass in Special Ed or Black/Hispanic categories (my guess is that most schools are in the same position). So people left for the day upset and angry because we were not provided with any feedback. Also, people are upset that we STILL don't have a contract. The day ended on a very negative note. It looks like the union is finally going to try to do something. I think we are going to do work to rule (which means that I will only work at school my contractual hours) and we are going to start protesting at the School Committee Meetings every other week. It looks like it might get stressful and scary the next few months at my school. My cold is still here and not going away!

Thursday: Back to School Night. A group of us went out to dinner before the events started with the parents. I stayed at school until 9:00 pm. And, then I got to drive home late that night. Bad turnout by the way of parents. It's so upsetting that more parents didn't show up. I lost my voice from talking and my cold is still kicking my butt!

Friday: Exhausted from night before. After school, I had to run shopping to get food and drinks for the dance that my class was co-sponsoring that evening. Had one of the kids come with me (had parental and administration persmission) to the stores to help carry the stuff. Back to school to set up everything for the dance. I would not be chaperoning the dance since I'd already made plans for that evening (the other advisor NEVER checked with me to see if I was free that night so I told him I couldn't chaperone the event). Stayed at school to get some correcting done until I had to meet Janet in Burlington. We had a nice night of catching up and chatting. I miss my Nutty! It was a late night - I didn't get home until almost midnight!

Saturday: Delta Kappa Gamma State Conference in Taunton, MA. I had to meet our chapter president at 6:45 AM and off we drove down to Taunton for the day! It was a long day of meetings and workshops! My head was killing me and I was exhausted! I wasn't feeling feel for most of the day but kept smiling! :-) I went to some great workshops. One workshop was about Vertical Simulation Learning and the other was on Africa and service learning. Very cool stuff! But again, I was exhausted and came home and crashed! Went to bed at 7:30 pm!

So, that was my week. My cold is still here. I slept until 9:00 am. Wow! Over 12 hours of sleeping!

How was your week?

Icky cold needs to go away - NOW! :-(

Sorry for not posting anything in a while.

I'm alive.

Barely.

I caught a nasty head cold thingy from school. It's WAYYYYY TOOOO early in the school year to be calling in sick and to have icky germs and illnesses spreading around my building! UGHY!

I've been in bed by 8:30 every night.

My new best friend: Nyquil!

Sorry about the ranting. It had to be done.

End of story.

List of happies for the week

I'm going w/ the theme from Lauren and Janet. I sorta kind of need a list of happies. It's been a busy and rough few weeks of school (I'll save the vent session for another post).

Happies:
*My Mom - thanks Mom for listening to me rant and rave about school stuff.
*Ellie the Cat - she's my baby girl and I love her so much! She puts a smile on my face when I walk into the door of my condo.
*My job - as much as I bitch and rant and rave about school, I do still love what I do.
*My friends aka "peeps" - thanks for always commenting on my blog, supporting me, emailing or calling me, and just being a damn good friend to me! :-)
*Matchbox Twenty! Rob Thomas! Need I say more??????? Countdown to release of new CD - 11 more days baby!!! Wahooooo!!!!! :-) I've seen Rob in concert in Boston - can't wait to see Matchbox Twenty!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's your list of happies for the week???????

Oops - should've posted about Constitution Day on Monday!

Bad M-Dawg! I didn't post anything yesterday on the 2005 federally-mandated Constitution Day! Oops!

FYI: Federal law requires that all high schools, colleges and universities that receive federal funds hold an educational event about the Constitution on September 17.

For your reading pleasure, here are a few sites to check out!

The National Archives - lesson plan ideas

Justice Learning Web Page

Constitution Day, Inc.

Constitution Center

Constitutional Right Foundation

Center for Civic Education

Are you "Constitutioned" out yet????? :-)

Beautiful and relaxing day

The scoop on what I did today:

Enjoyed a relaxing day with my friend Aileen. We got up a tad bit early to eat some breakfast at the Hallow Cafe in Amesbury. Very yummy food by the way. We then ventured off to Todd Farm and Flea Market. Aileen was on a mission to find a bureau for her clothes. The poor gal has all her clothes in boxes or in baskets on the floor of her loft condo. I saw a lot of cool furniture. I wish I had the space (and the money) to buy some of it. Flea markets are sorta interesting because it's a hit or miss on items. I guess it depends if you are looking for something specific. I just went for the ride and the company.

Her first purchase was this fabulous metal table from the 1950's. The table reminded me of the table my Auntie had in HER kitchen way back in the day! It was refinished and looked amazing! It will look great in her kitchen. Her second purchase was the bureau. She only had $113 and they wanted $120 but she talked them down. The bureau looks great! We loaded both items into her car and drove back to her place to unload them.

We were going to go to Plum Island but I had a ton of stuff to do so Aileen dropped me off at my place.

I ran to Market Basket for some food for the week. I'm trying to be better about making my lunch instead of buying my lunch. I also eat out a lot so I'm trying to cut back on that too.

I just finished two loads of laundry and I'm doing school work. Well, technically, I'm blogging right now but ya get the idea! :-)

The day was beautiful here today. Perfect Fall weather! It's hard to believe that Fall is almost here. Fall is my favorite time of the year.

How was your weekend??????

It's a rainy day here in New England!

It's raining here. Sorta a good day to stay in bed and read a good book kind of day.

I'm exhausted from my first full week back to school. My white days are rough. I teach the first block. 2nd block I have 45 minutes of hall duty and 45 minutes of common planning with my freshman team. 3rd block I teach. 4th block I teach. Oh, the block is 90 minutes each by the way.

I need to point out that my white day schedule is a violation of our old contract (We are in the second year of working without a contract). We are to have a planning block every single day. There are six teachers in the freshman house that have the schedule that I have right now. Someone went to the union to complain (not that the union will do anything about it anyway - our union is VERY weak at this school).

My issue is that I'm all for supporting the team. However, I don't want to be taken advantage of either. As a freshman house teacher, we all go above and beyond our hours as it is. I just want to be treated fairly.

I'm even more annoyed with the situation since this is the second year I'm making the same salary. For those of you not in the teaching world, we usually get a "small" increase in pay every year. Trust me - it's not even a cost of living raise but it's something. I've tried to vow to not stay late after school like I normally would do but I've been staying late since I can't get my work done in the time given to me during school hours. It's VERY frustrating - I really don't want to be doing a lot of my work at home anymore. So what's a gal to do?

So, what am I doing this weekend? Sleeping in, resting, and relaxing. I have a ton of school work to get done but instead I'm relaxing and beating up myself for not being more productive.

Ughy! :-(

Quick shout out Anniversary to Janet and Jeff!

Happy Anniversary to Janet and Jeff!

Enjoy your special day!

Lots of hugs!!!! :-)

Hump Day!

I'm already exhausted and it's only Wednesday!

Have a faculty meeting today after school. I'm going to try to leave school after that meeting - I've been staying late at school again and I promised myself I would start leaving at a decent time.

Also, been trying to get to bed earlier since I get up at 5:00 AM! Yes, I get up THAT early for school!

My body is on a completely different time zone.

I hope to get back into the swing of things soon -

How many of you have a hard time getting up in the morning?????

Sept 11th

I took these photos in July 2002 on a weekend visit to New York City. Across the street from the World Trade Center stood a small chapel. This chapel would become a make shift memorial for the victims of Sept. 11th. These photos capture the different memorabilia of family members, friends, and strangers from all over the United States and world that sent their thoughts and prayers to the site.

I remember exactly where I was on that day. I'm sure most people of a certain age remember too. It's very similar to the generation that was around when John F. Kennedy was assassinated - they know where they were and what they were doing at the time he was killed.

It's a sad memory. A memory that will impact me for the rest of my life. A memory of a beautiful early September day when innocent people were killed for no reason. A day that will forever be etched in my heart and thoughts.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of Sept 11th.

We will NEVER forget!

Back to school!

A quote from Billy Madison (1995):

"Back to school! Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool! I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight! Ohhhh, back to school! Back to school! Back to school! Well, here goes nothing!" Watch the clip here.

Well, I'm back into the swing of things at school. We had professional days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday was a day of meetings. Wednesday was freshman orientation. My team came up with creative ways to present the four major goals of freshman house to our students. The entire freshman house was divided into four teams and then each team was divided into groups of twenty. Each group had a 30 minute presentation from each of their core teachers (History, English, Bio, and Math) about one of the four goals of the freshman house. My goal was "9th graders will take responsibility for their learning."

This is what I did:
1) Welcome to World Studies and quick intro on me.
2) Broke them up into groups and gave them a big piece of butcher paper with the word Responsibility on it and a marker. Told them as a group, to try and come up with a definition of what responsibility means. After 10 minutes, they hung up their sheets and presented their info to the class.
3) Hung up the "real" definition of responsibility according to Mr. Webster (I wrote this out the day before on a piece of butcher paper) and we compared the dictionary version to their own.
4) I then asked them what are some ways that they can take responsibility their learning. Wrote out the ways on butcher paper. We discussed what they wrote.
5) The freshman house has a rubric for each of the goals. I passed out a copy of the rubric goal, went over the expectations with them, and the kids checked off where they thought they were on each of the expectations. Some of them admitted that they "needed improvement."
6) I passed out a strip of paper and a marker to each of them. I asked them to think of one goal they could work on this school year on how could they be responsible for their learning. They were to write their name on the paper and then write their goal for the year of the paper. I then told them that I will take each of these strips of paper and connect them into a chain. A chain of responsibility! After I connected them (stapled) together, I hung the chain across the classroom. It's a huge chain! :-)

The activity went very well. Afterwards, my team members and I met to check in. We all agreed that there will be one class that may be a bit on the rambunctious side! :-) We all agreed to keep them in check right at the beginning.

First day of school on Thursday went well. I have a small section of Salem in History class. My co-taught class is large and of course, I'm receiving no support from my SPED teacher. He just sits in the back of the classroom. We have some severe cases this year that really need some help so I don't know what is going to happen. I can only provide the support that I can provide to these kids. Last year, I advocated for support in my classroom. When I went to the head teacher of SPED, her response was this, "Suck it up. He's retiring at the end of the school year!" Nice support, eh?

My second day (White Day) is going to be rough. I teach the first, third, and fourth blocks. The second block, I have 45 minutes of duty and 45 minutes of common planning with my team. I need to point out that my schedule is a serious violation of contract. We are supposed to have a planning period every day. I have two planning periods on red day. None on white day. There are only five freshman teachers that have the same kind of schedule as me and no one wants to "cause any waves" since they are not tenured (I am only in my second year at this school). Since I've worked in other schools and this is my 9th year teaching, I do SEE what is going on and how wrong it is for the administration to take advantage of us. I was so exhausted yesterday when I came home. You need that break in the day away from the kids. Those of you that teach now EXACTLY what I'm talking about! :-)

Plans for the weekend:
*Going to a psychic party this afternoon. I really don't believe in this stuff but thought it would be fun!
*School work!
*Cleaning the condo.
*Quality ME time???? Maybe????? :-)

Enjoy your weekend folks! :-)

Had lobsta's!

The photo is a little blurry but ya get the idea! I'm holding a seven pound lobster! Rich (notice arm in pic holding other lobster) is holding the eight pounder!

On Monday, I drove out to spend the day with my friend Lauren. We did lunch here. Spent the day chatting and catching up since it's been forever since we've seen each other!

Her boyfriend, Rich, likes to go lobster diving off the coast of Gloucester so imagine my surprise when I was invited for dinner to help eat one of these beasts!

We had corn-on-the-cob and fresh lobster! Yummy!

There was so much meat in these lobsters! I was full immediately!

I also got to hang out with Giz the Superdog! He's such a cutie pie!

Thanks to Lauren, Rich, and Giz for being such wonderful hosts! :-)

It's Official - I'm done! :-)

No more working weekends.

No more working late hours during the week.

I finally will have a life on the weekends. I can attend parties, go out with my friends, etc.

I worked my last shift at my second job yesterday. The only two things that I'm sad about is that I will miss the usual dogs that come into the store and I will miss the gals that I worked with at the store. They are a great group of ladies who really have a caring nature and good heart.

So, what is M-Dawg to do with her free time?????? :-)

Last Day at Paws!

Long story but I got roped into working one more day at Paws.

There is a festival going in Newburyport so with folks giving notice, the store is short of workers. And, there has been more drama with the owner so she's not coming into work.

I told the owner that I would work today and that's it! No more! I already made plans for the rest of my weekend so no more work!

I really would like to enjoy having the long weekend off.

A six hour shift and I'm officially done!

Joy! :-)

Major Duh!

I brought my camera with me to Maine but forgot to take pictures and I left my camera in the car. Bad M-Dawg! :-(

Had a nice visit with Susie and her family. Her and her husband Wayne have twin boys, Walt and Will. They are four years old and are such cutie pies! Full of energy and life! Wayne's sister, Karen, lives in Wells, Maine and spent the day with us too.

We drove over to Kennebunkport for lunch at Federal Jack's Restaurant. I had a delicious lobster roll -it's been forever since I've had lobster and it was yummy!

One of boys got sick after we ate lunch - I felt so bad for the little guy! :-(

Afterwards, we walked around some of the quaint shops and stores. I window shopped! :-)

We spent a nice day together and caught up. It's been over four years since we've seen each other.

Oh, the countdown for the last day of second job is two more days!! Wahoooo!!!!! :-)

Major brain fart - I forgot my camera! :-(

Ughy! Yesterday as I was driving down to school, I realized I forgot my camera to take pictures of my classroom. Oops! :-(

I was able to get some work accomplished yesterday. I hung up most of my posters and cleaned out my desk. I put together my Russia bulletin board. It looks good! I also hooked up my computer but I couldn't access the school system for some reason. As far as I know, I still have the same sign in and password. I'll ask our tech dude on Tuesday. :-)

I also got my hair cut and highlighted yesterday. I had about four inches cut off and my hair is now layered. I just felt like I needed a change. Seems to be the theme around here. :-)

The plan for today is for me to drive up to Maine to meet my friend Susie and her family and spend the day together. Susie and I have been friends since college. I haven't seen her since she was pregnant with the twins! Should be a fun day! And, I WILL NOT forget my camera! :-)

Saturday is my last day at Paws. It's been sorta a strange working environment. It's going to be so strange not working on weekends and having a life again. What is a gal to do in her free time????? :-)

Finally! The Russians are doing something!

I don't know if any of you were aware of this BUT since Russia has been under the leadership of Putin, a lot of Russian journalists have been killed. And, the majority of these murders have never been solved. Anna Politkovskaya was a journalist that was very critical of Putin and the Chechnya conflict. She was murdered on October 7, 2006 (also Putin's birthday). Until now, no one has ever been blamed for her death.

So, a huge step has been made recently. Read all about here.

The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists state 13 journalists have been killed in contract-style murders since Putin took office in 2000. Others say that there have been more journalists (numbers as high as over 100) that have been killed for writing against the Putin government.

I just purchased this book a few weeks ago. I haven't started reading it yet but it looked good. Check it out here.

Let's hope that justice will FINALLY be served!

Getting ready for a new school year!

It's that time of the year again. Time for M-Dawg to go back to school.

I'm actually looking forward to going back and seeing the kids and teaching. It's also nice to have a regular schedule again.

I've been working hard the past few weeks on the curriculum I'm co-writing for that new course that I'll be teaching in the spring semester called Current World Affairs. My colleague will be actually teaching the course the fall semester so hopefully she's get the kinks out it before I get to it in the spring. The course sign ups for the course are high - I hope that means that the course didn't become a dumping ground for students to fill their schedules. This new course has a lot of potential to be an educational elective course for our department so I hope it works out OK.

However, I'm a little stressed about this new class I'll be teaching called Salem in History. I don't have a lot of teaching materials for the class and with the exception of the Witch Trials, I don't know much about the local history in the area. I have a textbook for the class but there is only so much you can do with a textbook. I'm sure it will work out but I can't help but feel a little anxious about teaching a new class.

I've been bad with preparing for my World Studies classes too. I'm hoping to get some work done this week. Every summer, I always have these huge to do lists of how I'm going to go through each of my binders and clean them out and organize them. I also like to re-type some of my old files and put them on my computer so I have copies of them. That SO didn't happen this summer. The other three 9th grade World History teachers were supposed to finish (or should I say start) the curriculum for the class. I have this sneaky suspicion that they didn't write it. I really wanted to help write it but with my being away for most of the summer, it wasn't really fair for me or them.

One of my goals for this week is to go into school for a few hours (maybe on Tuesday morning) and try and set up my classroom a bit. I did go in twice already but it was just cleaning and moving desks around and lugging boxes and books. I'll try and remember to take before and after photos so you can see (hopefully) the improvement. Being I'm out in the modular, my classroom isn't that bad. I have A/C and heat which I can control. The space is actually rather nice in comparison to the classrooms in the main building - we are in construction so they building looks like a bomb went off inside. We (the freshman house) are supposed to be in the modular until the end of the school year and then we move back into the main building.

So, my goal for the week is to try and get my room organized, type up my first day handouts for my classes, and finish up the Current World Affairs curriculum. I'm aiming for a restful Labor Day weekend of not worrying about school work. :-)

My host family in Vladimir, Russia and Problems in the World

This is a picture of me and my host Dad, Andrei, and host Mom, Natalia at their flat in Vladimir.

I just received an email from Yana, my host daughter. She's been wonderful about keeping in touch with me since I've been home. Yana is the inspiration of this post tonight.

My visit with them was so nice and wonderful. They were so kind and good to me. It amazed me how complete strangers could be so kind to a stranger - especially an American! :-)

In my travels over the past few years (Europe), a lot of people in these places don't like Americans. It's really sad when you think about it. A lot of it has to do with our government - mainly our idiot of a President.

When I was in Russia, I spoke with people that always asked me my opinion of President Bush and the war in Iraq. Of course, there is a belief that ALL Americans voted for him (NOT ME!) and that ALL Americans want our troops in Iraq (I support our men and women serving - I don't support our American gov't trying to control the world and push democracy on folks that don't want it!).

My host family asked me if America planned on taking over the world. How do I respond to that? How do I tell them that our government makes decisions that the majority of the American public don't agree? I tried to explain to them I hope that America doesn't have the plan to control the world. Yes, we are a world power (I question for HOW much longer) but that America needs to work with other countries (such as Russia) to make the world a better place, politically, socially, and economically. The focus should be on Darfur or how about this - problems that are going on here in the United States such as education, poverty, Katrina victims, etc. I also pointed out that before Bush was elected, the world didn't hate us as much as they do now. Thanks to our involvement in Iraq and the idiotic decisions that have been made over the past four years by our government, the United States has officially pissed off the majority of the Islamic world and isolated the United States from everyone else. Not a smart move.

So, why did Yana's email motivate me to rattle on these topics here? I don't know. I just get so frustrated with our government. At least here in the United States, we have freedom of speech (or do we?) and freedom of ideas. I'm fearful of where America is heading the next ten years. There are so many other problems in the world that need to be dealt with - global warming, North Korea, poverty and world hunger, etc. Oil is NOT the answer to our problems - we need to find other alternative forms of fuel sources.

While living in Russia for a month, I appreciate the little things in life. Good quality toilet paper. Hot water for a shower whenever I want it. No mystery meat - I know from what animal my meat comes from. Unlimited Internet. No smoking laws. If I get pick pocketed here, the police won't say to me, "Stupid American!" Electricity that stays on most of the time. Cars that have to pass emissions tests to drive on the road. Not seeing piles and piles of trash and litter everywhere in a state or national park. Being harassed by drunk Russian men (in a bad way). Food that has flavor and some taste.

I am proud to be an American. I just don't always agree with how America chooses to do things within its government and the world.

Hang tough folks - we only have 512 more days of a Republican President! :-)

M-Dawg is one busy gal!

I've been a busy lady lately. Not that I'm knocking being busy. Busy is good. Between working at my second job and doing school work, I haven't had a lot of down time.

*I've been working on curriculum for a new course that is being offered in my department called Current World Affairs. I'm working on it with another colleague of mine and thank goodness she's on top of everything and keeps us focused and on task. We've been meeting once a week for at least five to six hours at a time plus the time we put into the curriculum on our own at home. I guess I should point out that we are only getting paid for 10 hours. Oh well. We want this done right and good and are willing to do whatever it takes to make it work.

*I'm also teaching a new course called Salem in History (a local history course). So, I'm trying to brush up on my readings for the class. I really want to do some field trips with my students. Today, I met with one of my colleagues that is also teaching a section of the course at the PEM for the afternoon. We are trying to coordinate field trips with her kids and my kids.

*I need to do a lesson plan on my trip to Russia. I haven't even started it yet. I'm doing something on Czar Nicholas II and his family but I haven't figured out WHAT exactly I'm going it on.

*I'm on officer for my local Delta Kappa Gamma chapter so we've been working on some community service projects and planning meetings for the year.

*And, of course, I'm still working at my second job. My last day will be August 31st. I looked at the schedule and on a few of the days that I'm scheduled to work, there is no one else scheduled to come in! For example, this Saturday, I'm on the schedule 9-3. Well, the store closes at 10:00 pm! I'm NOT working all those hours! Especially on a busy Saturday when the store is really busy! And, I already have plans for the evening. I wasn't originally scheduled on Saturday but to help out, I said that I would work the shift. That's what I get for being too nice. The stress level at the store is still high with all the employees. I hope it gets better for them. They are a really nice group of ladies and I wish them the best. The owner is still dealing with her personal stuff and is not in the store a lot which is causing all sorts of problems. When you own your own business, you need to put your personal stuff aside and RUN your business. That is not happening and it's making everyone on edge right now. I do feel badly for what she is going through HOWEVER, it's no reason to take out your emotions on your employees. Especially when we try our best every single day.

So, that is the life of a busy M-Dawg! Wheh! :-)

Happy Birthday Jacob!!!!

This picture is of Jacob in his baseball uniform.

Happy Birthday Jacob!!!!!

Enjoy the day with Mom, Dad, and Corey. Eat lots of b-day cake and make sure they take you out for some ice cream!

Lots of hugs kiddo!!!! :-)

I finally gave two weeks notice at my second job!

I did it! Finally!

Part of me wanted to give my notice in person. Part of me wanted to do it on the phone.

I went into work yesterday and the owner of the store was there. She didn't even say hi to me when I came in (there were two other employees in the store and they both said hi to me). I think the owner had some idea that I was going to give my notice. Maybe she found this blog. Oh well. I don't know and I don't care anymore.

The owner was in another one of her "moods" and she didn't stay very long anyway for me to chat with her. I had already had it in my head that I was going to give notice on Friday come hell or high water.

I chickened out and told her on the phone that evening when I had to call to give her the totals of the day. She didn't ask why. She didn't really say anything. She didn't beg me to stay like she did the others so apparently I'm not a good worker to keep around. I told her that I'm dealing with some personal issues and I need to take care of myself. I explained to her that it's not fair to the customers, the employees, her, or myself to stay when I'm not happy. I know it wasn't professional to give notice over the phone but to be honest, I really didn't want to deal with anymore drama that there already was in that store. All the employees are unhappy. I'm sorta sick of being unhappy at a second job that I really don't need anymore. I will miss the frequent puppies that come into that store. :-(

Friday, August 31st is my last day. That Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, there is a festival in Newburyport. Sucks to be them!!!!!!!!

However, this will be the first Labor Day weekend in over two years that I won't have to work! Yeah!!!!!!!!

Thanks to all my buds for the words of support - love ya's!!!!! :-)

Happy Birthday Shout-outs - Aunt Jenence and Sherri!

I have no recent photos of Aunt Jenence or my friend Sherri from high school! :-(

Happy Birthday Aunt Jenence! Wishing much love on your extra special day! Hope Uncle A takes ya out for a nice dinner!

Happy Birthday Sherri! I met Sherri my freshman year in high school - such a goofy girl! Always the life of the party! Some of funniest memories from high school are linked to this girl! Mooner - thanks for the memories! Enjoy your day kiddo!

Hugs and love to you both!!!! :-)

Random Thoughts for the Day - school related!

Thanks for the comments about my second job. I'll keep everyone posted about what happens when I call her. Joy!

It's that time of the year again. Back to school. Parents doing the dance thing down the Staples aisle. Teachers stressing out about getting their classroom ready and lesson plans completed. Kids complaining that they have to start getting up early again for the new school year.

I went to Staples (my first trip of MANY!) yesterday to pick up a few things for school. I belong to Teacher Rewards so a certain percentage of what I spend comes back to me in savings. Since I spend so much money in that store, it really pays to belong to the program. I picked up some binders (Although I still keep most of my curriculum on my computer, I still keep the hard copies in a binder), markers for my white board (I officially killed my markers from last year - OR should I say my students killed the markers when they wrote all over my white boards good-bye notes and well-wishes for my trip to Russia on the last few days of school), tacks for the bulletin boards (I'm going to do a board on Russia - surprise!), and binder clips (the best invention ever!). Once I get settled into my classroom, I'm sure that I will be taking a few more road trips to the local Staples to load up on more supplies. Wouldn't it be nice if my school actually provided materials to me???????

Once I get my classroom all set up, I'll take some photos and post them at a later date.

Some of my first day of school memories:

*The smell of pencils and school supplies (still gets me hot and excited - I know - I'm a sick person!)

*Mom and Dad ALWAYS taking a picture of Mandy and I on the first day of school. I have EIGHT of them for the first 8 years of school. You can always tell the styles of clothing and hair of the time based on those pictures.

*Meeting my teacher(s) for the first time. I have mostly positive memories. I have one BAD memory of one teacher I had for 3rd and 4th grades - she was the most horrible teacher in the world! She used to make fun of kids that couldn't read! Who does that???????

*In high school, going shopping to pick out that that "First day of School" outfit.

*In high school, I always wondered if I would know anyone in my classes. I need to point out that my high school had 400 students in it and it was a VERY small high school.

What is your first day of school memory? Could be your own personal experience - could be your child (or children) experience. Please share. :-)

And, for your enjoyment, here is a little picture of me and my friends on the 1st day of school (probably around 5th or 6th grade).

I haven't done "the dirty deed" yet . . . .

I'm such a chicken. I still haven't given notice yet at my second job.

The owner of the store has been so bitchy and hasn't been in the store a lot. She's not even on the schedule for the whole month of August. I understand that she is going through some personal issues but you OWN A STORE!

I worked on Sunday. I was schedule to work 10-3. The lady that was scheduled to work could not work and no one else could work on that day so I got stuck working open to close. I usually don't mind working long hours except that if I need to go to the bathroom and get something to drink, I can't leave the store. And, it was sales tax free weekend in MA so that meant that is would be busy (weekends in the summer at usually busy since we are a tourist town). I worked until 5:30 that day!

The owner came in on Sunday for about 20 minutes (enough time for me to go to the bathroom) and then left! While she was in the store, she was very snappy at me!

So, I guess I won't see her again in the store for a while. I guess I'll have to tell her on the phone that as of the Sept 1st, I will not be working at the store. I don't why I'm being such a chicken about this - I think she's going to throw a fit so I think that is why I'm not telling her. Another employee gave her notice (she's a college student and would be leaving after Labor Day anyway). Another gal that works with us is leaving too.

Reasons why folks are leaving: 1) The bitchiness of the owner (she is very difficult to work for). 2) The responsibility at the store is ridiculous 3) The pay for what we deal with 4) The customers are sometimes rude. The college student that is leaving us got another job this summer working at a retail store in the same downtown area that our store is located (she worked at both stores). I think she realized after working at that store how much easier it is to work at THAT store compared to our store. And, she's making more money for less responsibility. I can't blame her. And, the owner put A LOT of responsibility on her like doing the schedule for the entire summer - essentially this girl was the manager of the store all summer and didn't get paid or treated very well for doing it. I think she just got burnt out. She's been at our store for three years so it's sad to see her go but I don't blame her.

I need to do what is best for me. All of you are commenting and telling me the same thing. I just care too much sometimes. I do love the dogs that come into the store but it's so not worth my aggravation or stress.

Should I just call her to tell her that I won't be working? Please give me your thoughts and opinions. Thanks! :-)

Happy 1st Anniversary Mark & Traci!

Happy Anniversary to Mark and Traci!

Mark and Traci are celebrating their 1st anniversary today!

Wishing you much love and happiness in your lives - love each other - accept each other - laugh with each other.

Enjoy the day!

Lots of hugs and love to you both!!!! :-)

A day off! OR, is it a day off???????

I have the day off from my second job today.

I have lots of stuff to do today. I'm trying to be somewhat productive around the house since I go back to school in a few weeks.

You know those things that never get done but NEED to get done but you NEVER have the time to complete those tasks???? Like organizing and purging the filing cabinet or cleaning closets? I also need to move a lot of boxes and stuff up to my storage unit in the attic. Add to my house list - my school list of stuff that needs to get done before school starts. Like writing curriculum for the new course or research material for a new class I'm teaching this year (Salem in History) or revamping my first unit in World Studies. Plus, I need to write up a lesson plan to submit to the University of IL about my trip by Sept. 1st.

I know that I should probably be relaxing and enjoying my day off. No luck in that happening! My head keeps racing of everything that needs to get done. During the school year, a lot of stuff doesn't get done since I'm so busy working all the time. I'm hoping that once school starts and I get my weekends back, I'll be able to be more productive at home. The best part: not having to set your alarm on the weekend to get up and go to work.

Oh, I did sleep until 10:00 AM today so I guess I did get some relaxing time today. :-)

What do you do on your day off or weekends?

I have to do something that I really don't like or want to do!

I'm sorta of stressed out right now.

I've made the decision to give notice at my second job. There are a lot of reasons why I want to give my notice. Part of it, I don't really need the money. I'm sick and tired of always working all the time and feeling tired and exhausted and not having much of a life. There is also drama that is always happening at the store and I'm getting sick of it.

I also would like to focus on my teaching this school year. I've been in a negative place the past year and I feel that this school year will make or break me as an educator. I would like to be able to say that I gave it my heart and soul and if it's meant to work out, that's great. If not, than life moves on and I will need to find another job outside of education.

The owner of the store is going through some personal stuff right now. I sorta feel bad for her and I don't want to add to her stress but for once, I need to take care of myself. I also found out that another girl just gave her notice too. I want commit to the store until the end of August and finish out the summer. Once school starts, my hours go back to weekends anyway.

The owner hasn't been in the store so it's been hard for me to tell her that I will no longer be working after this month. I don't want to tell her over the phone but I just may have to do that.

So, this is why I'm stressed. I hate confrontations - and I can guarantee that this will be a confrontation with the owner. I would like to leave on a positive note but we shall see what will happen . . . . . . . .

Happy Birthday Mark!!!!!

Mark, Traci, and Jeffrey.

Happy Birthday Mark!

To a wonderful guy and great Daddy! Enjoy your special day with your family and friends!

Hugs! :-)

Adjusting to life back in the United States

Sometimes, you don't realize how lucky we have it here in the United States. Hot water whenever we want it, rights protected under our laws and Constitution, technology, etc.

Life in Russia was hard. And I was only living there for a month. I knew I was coming back to my lovely home with all the modern conveniences, my rights were protected by my government and our Constitution, police are not corrupt here and bribery is rare, and if I wanted to change my financial situation, I could change it. If there is something about my life that I don't like, I don't accept it. I try and change it.

Russians don't live this way. They accept that they can't make a change or difference in their lives. They don't trust the police since the police won't help them. For example, when I was in St. Petersburg, a few members of our group decided to stay in the downtown area for some drinks and dinner for the evening and take the Metro back to the Hotel. We bought our coins for the metro (12 rubles or 48 cents in American money) and headed down the very LONG escalator to the Metro (subway). We were talking and laughing (basically, being loud and obnoxious Americans). We arrived at the bottom and walked in front of the doors to the Metro - waiting for the next available train. The train arrives and we all walk forward to enter the train. As we enter the train, we are shoved HARD! I went flying into the train (which was crowded since it was during Rush Hour or peak hours). I felt someone try and reach into my pocket. I didn't keep anything in my pockets - everything was in my side bag that I always carried in front on me during close confined spaces or situations. One of the guys in my group (Mike) was not so lucky - they stole his wallet with all his money and credit cards and drivers license. Good news - they didn't get his passport which was in his other back pocket. We were warned to not carry our money in our back pockets since pick pocketing is VERY popular in Russia. As the doors were closing, Mike jumped out to chase the criminals that stole his wallet. We all looked at each other - panic-stricken. This woman on the Metro said to us in English, "That's Russia for you!" It's like they accept this type of behavior. The rest of our group got back to the Hotel to tell the main guy in charge of our group what had happened. We also went to the Police and their response was, "Not our problem!" "Stupid Americans! You should be smarter than to keep your money where someone would steal it!" Nice, heh? The Police refused to help us. Mike did come back to the Hotel. He told the Hotel what happened and they allowed him to make a quick phone call home to tell his wife to cancel all the credit cards. And, he'll have to replace his drivers licence. The good news is that he still had his Passport. If they got his Passport, it could've ended up on the black market and sold.

I couldn't get over how the Police reacted (Or should I say the lack of reaction) in this situation. If this happened in the United States, they would've at least filed a report and been more helpful. I heard many stories while in Russia on how the Police are not helpful and if you are in trouble, you don't go to the Police. I had also heard many stories on how you could bribe or pay off the Police. We were also told that if a woman was raped, the Police wouldn't do anything. Very scary society!

Regarding the hot water: There would be days without hot water so people go days without showering or bathing. Makes for a very stinky society! :-( Again, the people in Russia accept it and do nothing about it. They don't go to their local politicians to complain. They don't advocate for their rights. Nothing.

We are very blessed and lucky to have what we have here in the United States. I know we all complain about our government at times or society. But, we really are lucky. Remember that the next time you complain about something here in the United States!

PS Mike lost $150 cash. Nothing was charged on his credit cards before he cancelled them so he was VERY lucky! Some American teachers in my group loaned him money to get by until the end of the trip.

Happy belated B-day to Traci!

Happy birthday Traci!

I've been a horrible friend - I forgot to post your b-day! Ughy! I blame that damn Yankee Homecoming week in Newburyport and all the hours I worked at Paws last week!

Anywho. Traci - thank you for being such a supportive friend to me over the years. You are an amazing person. I watched you become the bestest Mom ever. Over the years, we've had our ups and downs in life but have always somehow kept in touch and helped each other through stuff.

Keep being a wonderful Mom and friend. I wish you much love and happiness on your extra special day.

And, please forgive an old friend for losing her mind!

Love ya kiddo!!!! :-)

Happy Birthday Dorky Paul!

Happy Birthday Dorky Paul!


I have no recent pictures of Dorky Paul.


Who is Dorky Paul? Dorky Paul and I met in college. We both went to Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. We lived in Tanner Hall. We had some goofy and fun times in college.

We've had our ups and downs throughout the years but we've always kept in touch and always been there for each other.

Happy b-day Dorky Paul! Love ya lots!!!!

Happy Birthday Lauren!

To a dear friend - Happy Birthday!

You have been such a wonderful friend to me throughout the years. Thank you for always being there for me.

I wish you much love and happiness on your extra special day!

Hugs and Love- :-)

Started to update Travel Blog

I've started to update my travel blog. You can check it out here.

Also, check out the University of IL-Urbana-Champaign photo diary here. To access the photos of each week, just click on the dates and scan down. You may recognize a few pics of me. :-)

I highly recommend checking out the other blogs listed on the U of I photo diary web page. You'll get another perspective of the trip.

Oh, the answers to the previous post were:
1) Me, of course!
2) This photo was taken in Bogoliubovo at the Monasteries, built in the 12th century. It is currently a convent. The Russian Orthodox Church requires women to wear scarves on heads and a long skirt. I look like a Polish refugee because I didn't feel like wearing a skirt all day so I threw a skirt in my bag and pulled it over my capris (as did the other American teachers in my group) and then quickly tied the scarf on my head prior to walking into the Cathedral.

Here is a group photo:

Been busy

I've been busy so I haven't had a chance to post anything about my trip yet.

Here's a little "tease":

The teacher in me is coming out so here is a quick quiz:

1) Guess who?

2) Why is this person dressed this way?

Have fun commenting! :-)

Made it back to Boston safe and sound!

I arrived safe and sound back to Logan Airport last night. My plane arrived on time (which is rare). However, I had to wait almost 40 minutes for my luggage. For some reason, I don't think the airlines had enough employees working because my entire flight waited at the luggage claim for over 40 minutes for our luggage! I don't think I've ever had to wait that long for luggage!

Luckily, Carla picked me up at the airport - I had so much stuff to carry back home! I bought too much stuff in Russia.

I had a lovely visit with my parents and sister in IL. I was able to rest and relax for a few days too.

Some highlights:

*Dad took me to the storage place to see their new camper - here is a photo:

Dad put out the sliders to show me the full size of the camper - it's really roomy and comfortable! Mom and Dad are looking forward to living in their new home hopefully starting next summer.

*On Thursday night, Joann had a gathering at her place. We had Rips chicken! This is an old family favorite restaurant located in a town near where I grew up. Nice and greasy fried chicken - your cholesterol is guaranteed to go up! :-) Joann invited a bunch of my friends. Here is a group picture:

*Had a nice visit with Grandma. She still lives on her own at the age of 93! She asked me if I could take her grocery shopping so off we went! I forgot to take my camera so I wasn't able to capture the moment of us gals going shopping!

*Mom, Dad, Mandy, and I saw Hairspray on Friday night. Highly recommend the film - just to see John Travolta in drag is worth the admission ticket! :-)

*Mom made me all my favorite family foods while I was in IL. Thanks Mom!

*Mandy dropped me off at O'Hare Airport on Saturday. She wasn't looking forward to her company outing at Brookfield Zoo on Sunday (Hope you had some fun little Sis!). And, thanks for dropping me off at the airport.

I wish I could've seen more people but I really didn't have a lot of time. Plus, I really just wanted to rest from my journey from Russia.

I'll post more on my trip to Russia the next few days . . . I need to copy all 800 plus pictures to my computer!

Back in the USA!

Wow!

I'm back from Russia! My trip was one of most amazing experiences in my life. I have so many thoughts on what I've seen the past five weeks. The next few weeks, I'll post some stories and pictures that I can't really post on my travel blog (lots of reasons).

I'm at my parents house in Illinois right now resting and relaxing and visiting with family and friends.

I fly back to Boston on Saturday.

Feels great to be back home.

Visit me soon!

Do svidaniya (good bye). :-)

Countdown to Russia

Leaving for Russia . . .

OK folks!

All my school stuff is officially completed. Corrected projects. Corrected final exams. Entered grades into school system. Cleaned and packed up classroom. Checked out with the proper administrators. Had my last American meal in MA with two of my colleagues today for lunch.:-)

Now . . . packing! I can take two pieces of luggage and one carry-on. You should see me trying to pack everything I need for a month into a suitcase and a smaller suitcase. I think I'm going to be over the weight requirement for my domestic flight. I should be OK for the flight to Moscow. Ughy!

My brain is on overload right now - I'm trying to think of everything that needs to get done before I head out of here on Tuesday.

I won't be updating this blog while I'm in Russia. Please feel free to check out my travel blog. I will have limited access to the Internet while I'm in Russia.

Have a good month and I'll be in touch soon!

Lots of hugs and love to all!!!! :-)

Happy Father's Day to my Daddy!

This is Dad and I in 2003 - the picture was taken at Pokagon State Park in Indiana.

Happy Father's Dad to my Daddy! I know I can be a pain in the butt. I know that I can be stubborn. But, I get it from you! (Just kidding). :-)

I do love you Daddy! Thank you for everything you do for me. You are always there to stand behind me and support me. I do appreciate all the sacrifices you did for me when I was growing up. I hear a lot of your words coming out of my mouth now as an adult with my students. Scary, heh? I know I wasn't the "easiest" teenager growing up but you and Mom still stood behind me and believed in me.

Enjoy your extra special day!

I love you mucho!!!! :-)

This lovely picture is a flashback from my 8th grade graduation in 1985. Notice the big 80's hairdo on Mandy and I. :-)

This picture is from Mom and Dad's Surprise 25th Wedding Anniversary Party in 1994. Are you feeling the love???

Winding things down at school and home . . . . . .

I'm slowing getting things done.

Check list:
*Bought all my toiletries for my trip.
*Graded projects.
*Ellie the Cat is taken care of - thanks to Aileen! :-)
*Prescriptions all set.
*Travel to Logan Airport in Boston is all set.
*Contacted my bank to notify them I'm traveling to Russia so they don't do something stupid - like stop ALL transactions! Ughy!
*Contacted my health insurance to notify them I'm going to Russia.
*Cleaned and packed up classroom materials.
*Put my Netflix account on hold.
*Notified my condo association that I'll be gone for a month.
*Stop mail service.
*Travel blog all set.

What needs to be done:
*Finish grading final exams.
*Enter final grades into Gradekeeper and print out sheets for my students so they can pick up thier grades on Monday.
*Enter grades into school system for report cards.
*PACK!
*Hair appt on Tuesday morning before I leave.
*Pedicure.
*Get money out of savings account for my trip.
*Pay bills
*Gifts for my host families.

I'm probably missing a ton of stuff. If I have the time, I'll update my list.

I work all weekend so this should be interesting if I can get everything done that needs to get down. Ughy!

Oh, add to this, I had to deal with four of my Honors students that plagiarized their research papers. They will receive zeros for their grade which will impact their final grade for 4th quarter. The best part: one of the students - their Mom is an English teacher in my building! Joy! That was a drama in itself yesterday! Ughy! :-(

Can my life get anymore exciting and busy?????????

I SO have to post this picture!!!!

Picture this. Janet and I. Rainforest Cafe at the Burlington Mall. Mr. Frog wants to take a picture with me.

Strike a pose M-Dawg! :-)

Good times!

Thanks Janet for emailing me the picture.

PS I saved the picture on my desktop on my school computer. I'm such a dork! :-)

What is the meaning of summer?

For me, the meaning of summer is fishing. I have some nice memories of going fishing with my Dad.

My friend Cheryl from IL emailed me these pictures of her and her family fishing.


Isn't summer great?

This picture is (left to right) Corey, Brian, and Jacob.

This is Cheryl catching a fish!

Good job Hunt family! :-)

I have a little thief in my classroom

I'm very upset right now.

One of my students had her IPod stolen yesterday in my classroom. Now, let me first state that I don't allow IPods in my classroom. However, this student was digging out her project for me that she needed to turn in and she left her cell phone and IPod out on her desk (She keeps these items in her bag to be used before and after school). She walked over to my desk to staple her research paper. She went back to her desk and the IPod was gone. I wanted the police officer in our building to come down but he was in a meeting so my Freshman Housemaster came down into my classroom. He searched every student book bag and even searched the kids. Nothing. But, at least four students named a "potential" thief. The boy they all mentioned is on probation right now for stealing and having a gun (14 years old) - he was transferred from another school. This kid has quite the criminal record already. The Housemaster searched him twice. Found nothing. However, the Housemaster made the comment that it is possible for the boy to have the IPod down his crotch. Yes, you read it correctly. And, we can't search him "in that area" (for obvious reasons).

This girl is the sweetest thing. She is one of my hardest workers in class. She struggles with school but wants to do well in life. She gets good grades so that she can go to a good college. She is from the Dominican Republic and her father worked very hard to purchase this $250 IPod for her (Her father adores her - he really wants the best for her). She was absolutely devastated yesterday. And the ironic thing - in the morning, she found a cell phone and returned it to the housemaster because she's an honest kid. See where kindness and honesty gets ya???

Fast forward to today: The Math teacher on my team has one of our girls out in the hallway and she's crying. HER IPod was stolen out of outside pocket of her book bag. Guess what kid is in the class? So, the Math teacher asked me to go get the Housemaster. I got him and he searched all the kids again and nothing turned up.

What is up with these kids?

I told the Housemaster if this stealing thing with IPods happens again next week and that kid is in the room, I think they should call the police and have the police search the kid. I wouldn't screw around with the situation at that point. The kid has some serious issues.

The Housemaster did explain to BOTH girls that they shouldn't have the IPods in school. Unfortunately, it's a hard lesson to learn for both girls.

Before I dismissed my kids after the search, I told them how hard I had worked to create a safe environment in my classroom and that was completely blown today. A few of the other students came up to up afterwards and told me how violated they felt about the stealing. I have to admit that I feel violated too.

The Internal Battle . . . . to be sick or not to be sick . . . that is the question!

My body is having a battle of whether or not it wants to be sick and blah OR healthy right now.

The dark side (the sick, blah part) may be winning the battle folks. . . . .

I have Sunday off so I hope I can make it . . . . .

Tired. Very tired.

I'm drinking a glass of orange juice as I type this post. Think it will help????? :-)

Exhaustion is the word of the day!

What can I say? I'm tired. I'm exhausted. And, I'm buried with school work right now. Overworked and underpaid doesn't flow very well with me right now.

I do it to myself at the end of every school year. Only this time, I have the Russia trip to get ready for on top of everything else.

If I've been out touch with folks - it's because when I do have ONE moment to myself, I choose to sleep. So, please don't be upset with me if I've been unable to comment on blogs or email back right away. I am trying to do the best that I can right now.

I'm also working a ton more hours at the doggie store. The owner of the store has a VERY sick Dalmatian so the owner hasn't be able to work her normal hours so all of the employees have been picking up extra hours to help her out - including me. The money will be nice for my trip but it's making me a tad bit more tired than normal. For example, last week I worked over 22 hours at Paws on top of my crazy hours that I put into school. I kept track of my school hours last week - I worked over 50 hours! Ughy! No wonder I'm not feeling like myself right now.

Our union STILL hasn't negotiated our contract yet which means that we are entering into the second year that the City of Salem has saved a ton of money by NOT paying us what we deserve. I really can't afford to be making the same salary for the second year in a row.

People keep asking me if I'm excited about my trip to Russia. Of course I am excited but I have so much stuff to do before I leave that I can't even think about it right now.

Oh, the local paper did publish the story on me going to Russia. However, when you try and check it out online, it's part of the Plus edition. Here is a snippet. There was a picture of me too. If you want a photocopy of the article, let me know and I can mail it out to you.

Oh, and to add more fun to this scenario - there have been a lot of teachers out since everyone is trying to use up their personal days so that means substitute teachers. Our subs are horrible! They never do their job. Last week, I ended up having to pull apart a wrestling match (yes, you read it correctly) in a classroom as the sub was watching and laughing in the middle of a classroom. I happened to be walking by the room and heard laughing and yelling. This also happened on a day of which I teach three 90 minute classes in a row and have the last block for my prep block (I'm supposed to be making phone calls to parents, photocopying materials, correcting papers, attend meetings, etc. during this block). So needless to say, I wasn't very happy about having to do someone else's job at the end of the day. Every day last week, either myself or my other colleagues had to intervene and monitor the subs. We've all complained to administration about how incompetent the subs are but since it's the end of the school year, no one else wants the job so a bad sub is better than no sub. Nice mentality. Ughy!

So, that sums up stuff here.

Great day off . . . thank you Sir, may I have another????

Ahhh! A day off is great for the soul! :-)

I did nothing! Yes, you heard correct. Nothing! I stayed in my pajamas all day and Ellie the Cat and I cuddled on the couch and watched movies. I rented the following chick flicks and watched them to my hearts content:
Because I Said So
The Holiday
Catch and Release

With the exceptional of Sunday, I worked the entire weekend. I really could use another day off but I can't afford to take off any time from school since I'm leaving early for my trip to Russia. And, I have all sorts of curriculum to teach.

I know that I need to take care of myself too so I'm trying to eat more fruits and veggies. I'm also trying to go to bed earlier at night.

What do you do to relax and unwind in the evenings????

I'm exhausted and in desperate need of a day off!

The week has been long, don't ya think?

We had MCAS this week (3 hour delay for the students not taking the test and then an abbreviated schedule for the rest of the day which means not being productive in my curriculum) - Math and US History (FYI: Kids already took English Language Arts). I had to proctor the US History - the state must think that the material after the Civil War is more important since the three hour test focused on everything from the Civil War to the present. MCAS is almost over - we still have the Biology and Chemistry tests on June 5th and 6th. Ughy!

I worked on Thursday from 3:15 until 10:00 last night (Don't forget that I'm up at 5:00 am and that I teach from 7:24-2:02). There is lots going on at Paws. The owner has four Dalmatians. Yes, they are VERY adorable! :-) One of them - Jasmine - is really sick and is dying of cancer in her liver and spleen. So, the owner can't work at this store this weekend since she needs to take care of Jasmine. The rest of us are pulling in a ton of hours to help her out. And the fun part of this: Newburyport is having a festival this weekend which will make the store VERY busy! I feel so bad for the owner - she's really having a tough time right now. Plus, she got a phone call last night that her father was rushed to the hospital (he lives down in North Carolina). I'm working a ton of hours tomorrow and Monday. And, I'm on call for tonight.

The Seniors had their last day of school today. Their senior prank was camping out in front of the school entrance in tents and they parked their cars funny in the parking lots so the faculty couldn't park their cars this morning. At 11:00 am, they all got into their cars and drove around the school for 30 minutes honking their horns. Joy! Next week, they have senior week activities (Six Flags, Harbor Cruise in Boston, Barbecue, and graduation on Friday night). I didn't know any of the kids so I won't be attending the ceremony. The seniors at my last school are graduating so I'm going to try and attend that graduation - they were freshman when I had them as students.

Have a good weekend all and if you are bored on Saturday or Monday, come visit me at the doggie store! :-)

I was interviewed by a reporter today for the Fulbright-Hays Grant.

A reporter from our local paper came into school today to interview me for the Fulbright-Hays grant. He also brought with him a photographer to take a few pictures of me. I felt so uncomfortable having my picture taken. The photographer had me leaning up against one of the poles of the entrance of the school (please keep your mind clean). Hopefully the picture they end up using for the article is a nice photo of me.

I really hope that the article receives some positive publicity for my school. Unfortunately, we've received some negative press lately so it would be nice to portray my school in a positive light.

The reporter told me that the article would be in the paper by the end of this week or early part of next week. I'll keep everyone posted.

Happy Birthday Mandy!

Happy Birthday to my little sister!

Hope your day was extra special kiddo!

Sending ya lots of hugs!

Going on weekend #2 of working at second job and no day off!

Yes! You read correctly! I haven't had a day off since I took my personal day on May 7th. The next day off I have will be May 27th.

And, to add more fun - the owner had extended the hours of the store to summer hours so I'm working more hours on top of teaching. Yes - I know I said I needed money for my trip. I have to admit that I'm feeling this "not having a day off" thing. I'm so exhausted right now. I've been working between 15-20 hours at my part-time job per week. Add to that - my 45-60 hours that I put into my teaching job. Ughy! No wonder I'm feeling not having a day off.

The money has been good for my trip but my body is feeling.

Oh, countdown of going to Russia: ONE MONTH!!!! :-)

Congrats to Carla!

My friend Carla just called to tell me that her Thesis Paper was finally approved so she officially has a Masters degree from the University of New Hampshire!!!!

Carla and I used to team teach World Studies at Timberlane. Carla taught the English and I did the History. We used to have so much fun teaching together and making those great connections in History and Literature.

Carla is currently teaching up in Maine and teaches AP English.

Carla's goal is to teach at the college/university level - the next step - her PhD!

I'm so very proud of her! Congratulations Carla!

Go Carla Go!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

I Love You Mom!
Mom's smiles can brighten any moment, Mom's hugs put joy in all our days, Mom's love will stay with us forever and touch our lives in precious ways...
The values you've taught, the care you've given, and the wonderful love you've shown, have enriched my life in more ways than I can count.
I Love you Mom!

Thank you for being such a great Mom!

PS I think we need to have another picture taken of the two of us. :-)

It's been a longgggggg week!

What can I say??? It's been a long week.

*Took a personal day on Monday. Good thing. Come back to school on Tuesday - found out that a student decided to bring a semiautomatic into the school and was arrested. Bad thing. Administration didn't inform any faculty member about what happened on Monday and all the teachers read about the incident in the newspaper the next morning. Really bad thing.

*One of our senior boys was killed in a car accident. My school hasn't had a death of a student in over 10 years. Speed was the cause. The boy was a very popular kid and well liked so the student population is having a tough time. They had the wake and funeral this week so the emotions were up and down throughout the student population.

*On Friday, another student brought in a knife and was arrested. This time, my Principal had an emergency faculty meeting to tell us.

*Thought the drama of the Freshman Fling was over. I was wrong. It still continues. Ughy!

As you can see, it's been a roller coaster of a ride the past week in the land of M-Dawg. And, I was actually trying to teach something this week on top of everything else! Imagine that!

The next month or so is my crazy time. Let me apologize ahead of time if I don't email or comment on blogs right away. The end of the school year can be a very stressful and busy time for a teacher. Add to it that I'm working more hours at my part-time job. And, I'm getting ready to leave for Russia (Consult my countdown). :-)

Oh, a reporter from our local newspaper is supposed to be coming in next week to do a story on me and the Fulbright-Hays grant. Cool stuff.

Tell me again why I teach???

Read all about it here.

The administration didn't even tell us about it. We read about it on the front page of our local newspaper!

Ugh!

Healthy reading

I read a lot of blogs. I try to read most of them everyday but I just don't have the time to read every single blog that I have bookmarked in my favorite folder.

Lately, I've been "on the dark side." So, I decided to post a few positive blogs that I enjoy reading.

Here are a few blogs that I find enjoyable:
*Ali Edwards Blog - Ali is the creative editor for Creating Keepsakes, a scrapbooking magazine for those of you that are not familiar with it. Ali's blog is very inspirational. I enjoy reading her blog because she gets me to stop and think about life. As a scrapbooker, I'm always looking for creative and fun ways to express myself and her blog challenges help me to find that extra help that I need to scrapbook.

*The Quaker Agitator - Talk about a great web site trying to get the word out there about and educating folks about the war in Iraq, Darfur, etc. . . . amazing! The human rights issues that are discussed on this blog will blow you away!

*History is Elementary - I wish that all elementary teachers had as much compassion and love of history as this lady does in her classroom. She does an amazing job and I really enjoy reading about the activities and stories in her classroom.

*Ogretmen - This blog is written by a New York City Middle School Science teacher that is living over in Turkey on a year long Fulbright. I've been reading her blog since the beginning of her journey in Turkey (June 2006) and I've learned so much from her. Her photographs of her excursions on breaks are just spectacular! Reading her blog and admiring her pictures makes me want to visit Turkey someday.

*World History Blog - I like this blog because it makes me think about World History. And, since I teach four blocks of World History, this is a good thing. :-) The author always shares great information to use in your classroom.

Are there any favorite and inspirational blogs that you enjoying reading every single day?

Personal Day . . .

I took a personal day today. I had made a Dr's Appt. last month and it's the kind of Dr's appt that you really need to take the whole day off. That's all I'm saying about that. :-(

Here's my To Do List for the Day:
*Get my car inspected.
*Take Ellie the Cat to Petco to get her nails clipped. She won't let me do it and I'll pay the $8.00 to have them deal with it.
*Library.
*Bank.
*Grocery Shopping.
*Do laundry.
*Dr's Appt.
*School work - I'm proud to say I got most of my correcting done last week. I still have my US History -Honors Star Spangled Banner Project to grade. I like to be caught up on my correcting since it can be overwhelming if you wait until the last minute.
*Plan out the rest of the year for my US History -Honors class. I already did my World Studies until the end of the year. World Studies was easy since I've taught the World History curriculum a million times. The US History curriculum is new for me this year. I have to be honest - I don't enjoy the first half of US History. I enjoy the American Revolution and the Civil War - everything else in between just sucks! :-)

I know it's quite a list but I really need to get this stuff done today. And, can I just say it's an absolutely gorgeous day in New England??????? :-)

They finally got over it!

It was a long week last week of drama with the freshman but they finally got over not having their Fling. Yeah!

I stayed at school last week late almost everyday to get stuff done. I always feel like I'm playing catch up with correcting. Plus, I'm trying to get all my curriculum taught that needs to get taught a week earlier than everyone else on the freshman team since I'm leaving for Russia. The Freshman World Studies teachers agreed that we would have to stop at World War II. We have new curriculum this year for World Studies so we were supposed to get to Modern Times such as September 11th or even the war in Iraq. The problem is (like most World History curriculum in the country) is that it's too much curriculum to be taught in one year. And, our state test doesn't even test World History - it only tests US History.

I received permission from my Principal to have my students take their final exams a week a head of time so I could get everything done (grades and correcting of exams). My last day will be June 18th. The students get out of school on June 21st. The last day for teachers is the 22nd.

And silly me . . . . I have two major projects coming in the week before my exams. The World Studies kids have a project on who they think the most influential person in World History would be including a six page research paper and a vision of some sort. My US History kids have a Civil War Scrapbook Project due as well. What the hell was I thinking having these projects due so close to the end of the school year????????? :-)

Plus, I'm picking up more hours at the doggie store for extra money for my trip.

If I don't respond to emails right away or comment on blogs, you can sorta see why . . . .

Mom and Dad's soon-to-be-new-home

This will be Mom and Dad's new home starting next summer. They are sooooo excited about the next adventure in their life!

Here is a picture of Mom and Dad in front of their new home!

The plan will be that they will travel all over the United States. In fact, one of their first big trips will out here in New England (which I'm soooo thrilled). Mom has been making her list of all the places she wants to check out and visit. She's a die hard fan of the Travel Channel so I think that list is growing! :-)