Flu bug kicks my butt!

Hello. I know. It's been so long since I've posted. Please forgive me. Once you read this post, you will so understand why!

Here's the scoop:

Tuesday morning at school, I started to feel very icky! When I mean icky. . . . I mean icky! The school nurse had to drive me home because it was that bad. I spent the next three days vomiting and diarrhea and sleeping on the bathroom floor. Not a pleasant experience. School nurse and Dr. informs me that this icky thing is going around the school systems. GREAT!

I already had a scheduled Dr's appt on Thursday for "other" stuff. The Dr. told me that I was "dangerously dehydrated". Great! Just what I need. And, I've lost over 30 pounds with all the stress and sickness. Double great! Not the way I want to lose much needed weight but I'll take it.

Update on evaluation: Since I've been out sick, on Friday, I went to my Principal and requested that we move the evaluation to next week. He told me to see him early in the week and we can reschedule.

Update on job situation: Nothing new to report except I've been applying to teaching jobs all over MA and southern NH. No interviews yet. Stress level at an all-time high at this point.

Oh . . . . my saving grace . . . watching the Soprano's on DVD! :-) I'm working my way through season four!

Formal Evaluation?

Get this. . .

As you ALL know, I've been formally let go by my high school at the end of the school year. Yes, I have to act like nothing is wrong until June 23rd.

I go to my mailbox at the end of the day today and what do I find? A formal evaluation form to fill out. With it - attached a note from the Principal stated that "under the circumstances" I can forego the formal evaluation to be completed by him. HELL NO! I want him to come into my classroom! I showed Peter, my dept chair the note and Peter's response, "What do you have to lose?"

I just can't get over the fact that my Principal has never come into my classroom formally to observe me and made the decision to not renew my contract.

I don't claim to be the best teacher in the world - I'm a good teacher who is always looking for improvements and honest critique.

I've decided to have my principal do the formal evaluation. I have a few concerns regarding his professionalism and the evaluation.

I have a pre-conference meeting on Friday at 8:00 am and the formal observation takes place on Monday, 9:00-10:30 am. Should be interesting to see how this all plays out . . . . . . .

The End of April Vacation

Well, it's been an interesting week here at the homestead.

Lea and Joann left on Tuesday. We had such a nice visit. I took them into Boston on Friday, Newburyport on Saturday, Salem and Kittery Outlets on Monday, and the beach on Tuesday before they left for IL. On Wednesday, I had a dentist appt - fillings for cavities. I've been good for so long with my teeth and all of sudden - WHAM! On Thursday, I got new tires for the car ($320.00). Ughy lots of money! Worked in the afternoon at my doggie place. Had Book Club that evening. Today, I had to have a plumber come and unplug my tub - it wouldn't drain. I tried everything - Liquid Plumber, this real industrial stuff from Home Depot, nothing worked! Final Cost - $250! Ughy! The joys of owning your own property.

Not much to report on the job search. I'm really stressing about it. There isn't a lot out there. Plus, schools are cutting back their budgets so I'm almost too expensive to hire. I'm fine financially until the end of August. After that, I'm totally screwed!

Please be thinking lots of happy and positive thoughts for me!

And, if you see a position for a high school history or social studies teacher, let me know!

Pictures from Visit

Joann, Carla, Lea, and I at Warren's - Kittery, Maine.

Joann and I at the beach - Plum Island, Newburyport, MA.

Joann, Lea, and I at Old North Church in Boston, MA.

Happy Easter All!

Happy Easter Everyone!

I have Joann and Lea out here visiting from IL.

The menu for Easter: spiral ham, Green Rice, Greenbean casserole, crossants, salad, chocolate cake, cookies, etc. Yummy!

Enjoy your day -

Trying to Move On . . . .

This has been the toughest week for me.

Thank God for my wonderful family, friends, and work colleagues for being there and helping me get through this - I'm so blessed to have such a strong support system.

Monday was hard. I was very emotional all day. The kids knew something was up. I was told to not tell them yet. I'm not ready to tell them either. My colleagues kept checking in on me all day long. Everybody is so emotional and depressed right now. The morale in the building is pretty low right now.

I took up the offer of that recommendation letter from my Principal. When you read it, you want to ask yourself, "If I'm such a wonderful teacher according to this letter, then why the hell are you letting me go?" It makes absolutely no sense at all.

Peter, my dept. Chair, wrote my a great letter too! He's been so wonderful about everything! Again, very blessed that I have a dept chair who really truly cares!

I've been calling in a few favors to some of my parents of the students I have taught - they work at other school systems in the area and have asked for their help in trying to find a new job. I've also asked a few of them to write me a recommendation letter. All the parents I've spoken with are in absolute shock about me leaving. They want me to stay. I want to stay. But, fate has something else in store for me.

Oh, and get this one! My Principal is leaving next year. He received a job offer at another school for more money! That's what makes this even more mean and hurtful! Part of me wonders is the "problem" with him or another administrator in the building.

Again, thank you everyone that has responded to the last post. Your support and strength is what will get me through this horrible bump in my life!

I Love Ya All!

Life just sucks!

I know it's been a while since I've posted on my blog. The initial reason was that softball season started up and I've been very busy with that. However, I received some devastating news on Friday.

I've been trying to muster up the nerve to share this information so here it goes:

I was pulled out of my classroom at the end of the day on Friday to be told by my Principal that I would not be coming back next school year. I was numb. I was upset. I was sick to my stomach. I asked why and his response is that he legally can't tell me why because I'm within the first three years. Yes, I've been fired. I thought I was a good teacher. I thought I was doing everything right. Apparently not. Thank God for my colleagues in the History/English Office. They were completely shocked by this news - it makes not sense they tell me. They tell me I'm dedicated, caring, and a good teacher. What makes this even worse is that the principal (who hardly ever "works" with me or seen me teach) overrided my Dept Chair's decision. Peter, my chair, fought hard to keep me. Peter works with me everyday. He's seen me in the classroom many times! My formal evaluations are great from Peter and the other administrators in the building. I have received no formal evaluation from my Principal in the three years I've been in the school. Unfortunately, the union can't do anything because of the law so their hands are tied. How am I supposed to grow as an educator and learn from this experience if I'm not told what I did wrong?

The students knew something was up today because I looked like crap (I haven't slept all weekend and everything I eat comes up). Kids are very perceptive! I was told to wait a while to tell them I'm leaving. They are going to freak out! I don't like having to lie to them.

Can I just say how blessed I am to have such great friends and family in my life? Everybody has been so supportive to me during this very difficult time.

I'm feeling a lot right now: anger, what the hell did I do wrong?, scared, confusion, etc. I just don't understand why I was let go. I also know that I can't wrack my brain and overanalyze this or I'll go crazy.

As I've posted in prior posts, I'm very dedicated and emotionally connected to my school. I'm invested! So, I'm taking this very hard. I just don't get it. I probably will never find out why I was let go. All I can do is move forward.

I have many concerns right now. First, is my mortgage and other bills. Second, health insurance. I'm also worried that because I have seven years experience, I'm almost too expensive to hire. We are having major budget cuts out here in MA in education so I keep thinking if I'll be able to find a job.

I also need to re-evaluate my professional life. I adore teaching. But, maybe this a wakeup call for me to stop having my job focus around my life. It's so easy for me to throw myself into my job. After Paul and I broke up, I literally threw myself into my job because I didn't want to feel all that hurt. Being a workaholic is not a good thing in the field of education because people can take advantage of you. So, I pose a question: how do I maintain a level of being the best history teacher that I can be, but also have a life outside of school?

Today, I resigned from the softball coach position. I can't be an effective coach and look for a job at the same time. I felt bad for the varsity coach to leave her on short notice but I need to do what it is best for me. I put everyone else ahead of my own feelings that I never think of myself. That changed today. Luckily, the athletic director and the varsity coach were very supportive. They are both in shock of me being let go too.

My parents have been great. Of course, one of the comments out of the mouth was: "You can always come back to IL." I've been out here since 1994. Moving back to IL would not solve my problems. I'm happy here. Even though I continue to have these small set backs, I'm still happy here. I do the best I can. I just wish that my parents would realize that.

So, after this huge book that I just babbled out to the cyber world, this is the reason why I haven't been blogging a lot lately.

Trip to NYC

My trip to NYC was fun! My colleagues Matt, Ken, and Wendy and I took 25 teenagers to NYC to the Model UN Conference.

Here's the scoop -

Wednesday - We left school around 7:45 am on a chartered bus. The bus had a DVD player so the kids watched one of the Harry Potter films and part of Pride and Prejudice. First let me say that there were 21 girls and 4 males on this trip! So, the chick flicks went over very well with the females on the bus. Wendy and I chatted the entire ride down to NYC so we didn't even watch the movies. We stayed at The Hilton . After the kids got settled in their rooms, we left for the Opening ceremonies. The opening ceremonies were at the United Nations that evening. The security to get in was very tight! One of our students (a exchange student from Turkmenistan) was searched by security. I felt really bad for him because when you look at him, his skin tones are Middle Eastern. The kids got to sit in the General Assembly where all the ambassadors from all over the world sit to discuss world problems. The guest speaker discussed how the kids can make a difference in the world by participating in events like Model UN. Bed checks were at 12:30 am! Can I just say how old I am that I can't even stay awake that late anymore? We had two kids that decided it was OK to walk down to Times Square and walk around at 1:00 am! They broke curfew so they were "grounded" for the rest of the trip.

Thursday - the students were in committee meetings all day. We had to check on them to see if they had any questions or concerns. The adults then could do whatever we wanted. Ken and I headed to Times Square to walk around and check out the heart of the city. We ate lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. The food was amazing! In the late afternoon, Wendy and I walked around Central Park and shared a pretzel. I did sit on some of the committee meetings - some of the topics were more interesting than others. For example, the League of Arab Nations meeting was discussing the impact of oil and the world economy. They also were trying to figure out a way to conserve oil. The World Bank meeting was rather boring.

Friday - the students were in meetings all day again. Wendy and I decided to check out MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). They had a great exhibit on Edvard Munch (think the Screamer painting). Afterwards, we walked down to Rockefeller Center for a quick lunch at this organic restaurant. We did a group dinner at this place. They had great pizza! After dinner, a bunch of the girls and I ran to the Carnegie Deli for cheesecake - oh my goodness - the cheesecake was huge and amazing! Yummy! I really couldn't finish it all. I'm so happy that I could "work off" that cheesecake later on in the evening. There was a dance on Friday night for the students. Matt, Wendy, and I "busted a move" on the dance floor with the kids. I think they got a nice chuckle out of their teachers dancing! Curfew this night was 1:00 am! I'm getting way too old for staying up so late!

Saturday - We were able to sleep in a bit because our bus wasn't picking us up until noon. Wendy and I did a nice buffet all you could breakfast at the hotel. We had been doing on the go breakfast the past few days and thought it would be nice to just sit and relax and enjoy our breakfast. The bus arrived at noon to pick us up at the hotel. It took us almost five hours to get home - we ran into a bit of traffic.

Overall, it was a fun experience! I would definitely do it again. The kids for the most part were pretty well behaved. I didn't really know a lot of the kids but by the end of the trip, I got to know most of them. It's such a great learning experience to get to know your students outside of the classroom.

Fun time in NYC!

Hi!

Sorry I didn't blog before I left for my trip - I tried to post something before I left but blogger was having technical difficulties and wouldn't allow me to post anything!

Had a fun time - I just got back from a five hour bus ride so I post more on Sunday. Very tired! Being on call 24/7 for four days can be exhausting for a gal!

Check back on Sunday and I'll have some pictures for ya's!

Happy B-Day Carla!

Happy Birthday to Carla!

I used to teach with Carla at Timberlane - we used to team-teach World Studies together.

We became great friends and I truly value and appreciate her friendship!

Thanks Carla Lou for always being there for me! Enjoy your day - you deserve it!

Love Ya! :-)

Take me out to the ball game . . . .

It's official!

Softball season starts today!

If I don't post a lot on my blog or email you right away it's because I will be living, sleeping, and eating softball from now until May 24th.

I will try and take pictures of some of my games this year and post them on the blog.

Let the games begin . . . . . . . . . . .

To Do List

Things to do today, Sunday, March 19, 2006:

*Return videos (PG-13 folks - keep your mind out of the gutter!)

*Super Wal-Mart - need a light bulb for my bedroom - I've been in the dark for three days. (Again, keep it clean folks!)

*Pack for New York City -leave for Model UN Conference in three days!

*Get organized for softball season (Starting on Monday, my life goes from busy to chaotic!)

*Rest??????

As you can see, I'm a list person. I make lists all day long at school. What needs to be accomplished in my day is very important in teaching. I need to watch my pacing of the curriculum so I can get everything taught that needs to get taught by the end of the school year.

Will I complete my list by the end of the day?????

Da Vinci Code Movie Released?

There has been a lot of hoopla around the releasing of the new movie, The Da Vinci Code. Dan Brown, the author of the book, is being accused of copying the work of two authors.

So, because of the trial, the movie can not be released until the court case is settled.

I was in Paris when they (Ron Howard and his crew) were filming the movie last summer. I'm so excited to see the film adoptation of the book. I loved the book so I'm curious to see how Ron Howard depicts this story.

The trial officially ends on Monday so hopefully we will have some closure soon and the movie will be released!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my Irish friends out there!

Enjoy some green beer and some cornbeef and cabbage!

Busy Day - Busy Life!

My goodness! No time! No time to blog. No time to relax. No time to breathe! :-)

Today, I had a faculty meeting after school, a parent meeting after that, School Council meeting at 5:30, and then I went to the Faculty-Student Basketball game to support my colleagues at 6:30 pm. I got home around 8:00 pm. Long day!

This week has been so busy between meetings, working at my part-time job, and more meetings. I really would love to clone myself so I could be in two places at the same time. I'm sure other folks out there feel the same way.

On Monday of next week, I start coaching softball. I coach freshman softball. Now, I still have to work at my part-time job on top of coaching. Here is my schedule for next week:
Monday - Softball practice 3-5
Tuesday - Work 3-5, Softball practice 5:15-7:15.
Wednesday thru Saturday - I'm chaperoning a Model UN trip to New York City for my school. Now, it will be fun. No doubt! However, you still have to babysit a group of 25 teenagers in NYC! From what I understand from the advisors, it's a very exhausting trip. Long days! I'm still very excited about chaperoning. I haven't been to NYC since the summer of 2002 so it should be a fun trip!

So, that's a summary of my crazy busy life.

How many more days until summer vacation????? :-)

The Cutest Baby Ever!

Meet Jeffrey! Traci and Mark's little guy! Isn't he just the cutest baby?

And, he's a good baby too! They totally lucked out!

They are very blessed to have such a wonderful little guy!

How true!

This came from my friend Cheryl and her son Corey:

Corey's teacher sent home a paper with the following quotation from E.C. McKennzie:
"School teachers are not appreciated by parents until it rains all day Saturday".

Need I say more? :-)

Blaming the Student

Saw this article and it gave me food for thought -

Happy reading folks!

The Game of Education

Teaching the youth of America can be a challenge. Most teenagers that I teach are very happy and very adjusted kids. Some of them even want to learn some great history! A few of them have some "issues" that they must deal with on a daily basis. No Child Left Behind, the Massachusetts Frameworks, and my district tells me that I am responsible for teaching the content and skills to my 9th graders on a daily basis.

What do I do when a student doesn't want to be in school or learn? I know. It's the age old question that teachers have been asking themselves for generations. A teacher can only do what a teacher can do.

I have a few students this year that are quite a challenge. No matter what I do or say, they just don't want to do well in school. They continue to shut down and not want to deal with their schooling at any level. It's frustrating. It's sad. It's hard to watch a teenager set themselves up to fail. Now granted, these students have other "issues" going on in their lives that have nothing to do with school or learning. When I call or email the parents, the response is: "You deal with them; they are YOUR problem!" Look folks, if you didn't want the responsibility of children, why did you bring them into the world? Sometimes I feel like I'm more of a parent to these kids then the actual parents!

It's like you are banging your head against a wall trying to help a kid out that doesn't want to be helped or cared about. I guess that's the problem. Maybe I care too much?

I see so much potential in these kids. I've realized that I can believe in them all I want but if they don't believe in themselves, how far will they get in life?

I truly love my job and I love the kids that I work with on a daily basis. I just wish that I could save them all and I can't!

This game of back and forth blame between students and parents and teachers is getting old. Let's throw out the blame and let's start working on the priority here: the kid!

Just call me tired!

I'm so tired that even my hair follicles are tired.

Is this normal?