Hmm... *blinks* Again... hmm.
This past week... very interesting. I've been going on about my new schedule and actually, it's pretty okay. I'm getting used to it. What's really kinda neat about it, is that I'm getting to help teach 5 classes... English 4, English 3, 2 English 2 classes and one English 1 class. I get to go down the row. Being able to go through that and to utilize all kinds of different teaching varieties and styles... it's just... amazing and fun. For example, on Friday, Mr. Myers (the senior English teacher) had told his classes that he had made a rap of the prologue of The Canterbury Tales. I thought that he was full of it... but he whipped out his guitar, plugged it in, had it plugged in with a synthizer - and started rapping in class. Pretty cool. Mr. Justice - he's a funny man anyway - has too much fun just trying to get things across to the kids. The look on his face sometimes is just priceless. Ms. Witt... I don't know how many times I've heard her say already, "Soinso... you're killing me!" instead of really telling them, you know, "Quit doing that sh**!" I'm learning bits and pieces everywhere, but so far, it's fun. Kids seem to be willing to accept me. And what really made my day the other day was when I had to go off to an meeting for a special education student called an ARD, I told Mr. Justice that I was going to go and one of the students said, "But... we need you!" That... just really made my day. I mean, I was only in there ONE day... and this particular kid said that. I really did appreciate it.
Enough school.
I know what I did. I slightly fell down the stairs and jarred my back. Again. Sucks, really. (This was back on Tuesday.) I don't know if I put it in the blog or not. ANYWAY, I did... and I'm still trying to recover from that. Thankfully, I didn't have to go outside and do a lot of yard work with the rest of the family. They are leveling out the backyard that our dog, Rune, had so nicely destroyed before he passed away.
I'm trying to relax by taking very little meds and drinking beer to relax the body instead of depending on soma. At least with beer (or any other kind of alcohol) I know how much I can stand. With that soma, I can take too much with the pain that I'm in and then... kaput. No... no... that just won't do. I will not go kaput. So there. :P
I've made a fudge chocolate cake for desert this evening. A friend of ours birthday is today and we are cooking a mess of deer and pork backstrap and enjoying the evening with him. What we are going to do... I don't know. I just know that I'm going to be going in the kitchen in just a bit to frost that thing with fudge chocolate icing. Yumola. *smiles* I can't wait for desert!
I've already started mixing on Episode 21 of Jerry and the Pirates for Colonial Radio Theatre: On The Air. It looks like it's going to be a pretty straight foward mix. Not too much stuff to do in that one. So... I'll get started on that probably tomorrow 0r even this evening if I get a chance to work on it.
I do have the lines for the next Tales From The Museum. So... I can work on that as well. I also have lines for Quantum Retribution, so I can begin on that as well. I'm going to have so much fun with these. I just have to set aside some time to get them done. We've gone a few months now without a Quantum Retribution or even a Tales From the Museum audio... but I think that my co-horts understand that family, work and CRT comes a bit more before them. At least CRT pays me for my time spent on working on audios. So far, that means that I will have my name on at least 3 of the JatP audios. Episode 15, 19 and 21. Possibly, I'll have it on 23 and 24. Who knows. It doesn't really matter to me. I'm just trying to get these out for Jerry as quickly as possible because he's needing them like last week.
This Thanksgiving, we are going to Alvin, Texas. It's near Houston. We are going to be at Johanna's (my cousin) for the holidays. I can't wait to go down there and see her. I've not seen her since this summer. She's such a sweet little thing. :)
Time for me to go frost a cake and go upstairs and shower and whatnot before everyone starts showing up. Perhaps, I can get some kind of miracle to happen and forget about my back hurting? We'll see.
Until later.
15 November, 2008
11 November, 2008
Tuesday, November 11th
I spend the majority of the day working on Jerry and the Pirates. I didn't want to do much of anything else. I have worked hard on it and found out that I need to go ahead and probably redo the whole thing.
I'll see what Jerry thinks of the final and then if I need to redo it... I will.
However, I did speak with someone today that made me smile and laugh today. *smiles* That was more than pleasant.
I'll see what Jerry thinks of the final and then if I need to redo it... I will.
However, I did speak with someone today that made me smile and laugh today. *smiles* That was more than pleasant.
10 November, 2008
Monday November 10th
I'm beginning to think that the school is out to do me in. I wrote the other day about the teachers that they made leave to other high schools in Killeen, right? (If you don't know what I'm talking about refer to Friday, November 7th post.)
So... here's my day:
First rattle out of the box, I took my computer to the technicians so that it could be reimaged. The thing was acting completely up and they asked me if it was okay to put on just Mac. They know that I'm not a Mac person - I'm more Windows based, but I said - sure. Go ahead. I wasn't really pleased with that, but oh well. I'll get used to it. At least now my work computer has about 80 gig of space.
Yeah... well, I reported to my first period class today in English 4 with Mr. Myers. I think that it would have really been an excellent class if he'd been there. Yes, you read that right. He was there, but only for a little bit to set the substitute right before he left for the day. He had a molar that had cracked and had a dentist appointment. Unfortunately, I know exactly how he feels because one of mine broke a little over a year ago. Painful. Anyhoo.... there's a substitute there and I'm trying to explain who I am and why I'm taking over for Mrs. Gibson (the inclusion teacher that was there before). So, I just took over the class. They were going over Chaucer. CHAUCER! Oh my goodness. I haven't read Chaucer in like 20 years! So... they were making a character bio/log of the Friar. So, we did that and helped them out with that. We went through it step by step. All in all, not too bad of a class, except the only problem was that too many of them laid their heads down and decided not to do jack-crap.
2nd period: Is my PLC (Professional Learning Community) period. Basically, all the English teachers get together and plan or learn new things or whatever. I was talking with a fellow teacher (Mr. Finnen) he's the one that I teach 3rd and 6th with and he somewhat gave me an idea of what he had heard that was going to happen. I prayed that it wouldn't, because for the most part, it was a bad bad BAD thing. Dang, it... if he wasn't right.
3rd period: Mr. Finnen and I go ahead and teach to the kids... new vocab. words and whatnot and talk to them about their tests from last week... etc. Normal stuff. Nothing big.
Lunch - wasn't enough food, but I ate anyway and drank all my tea. (I was hungry for the rest of the day)
4th and 5th period: Ms. Michel and I taught together - as usual. We had decent classes today. We had them busy all period. (Thank goodness).
6th period: went back to Mr Finnen's class (on the other side of the school) and continued with our day as usual.
7th period: I was asked earlier in the day to go see Mrs. Key and see what she had found out about my schedule. She said that she'd know what was going to happen by my conference period. So... first, I went to go get my computer from the techs. They said that it would be done around an hour after I turned it in, but I didn't want to press the issue or rush them, so I just dealt without a computer all day. Then I went to talk to Mrs. Key. My boss, Mr. Sibberson was there and it was an interesting discussion. Basically, this is what was decided:
I'll lay out the schedule here:
1st period - Mr. Myers. (12th grade English)
2nd period - PLC
3rd period - Mr. Finnen (9th grade English) and Ms. Witt (11th grade English) - I'll explain.
Lunch
4th period - Ms. Michel (10th grade English)
5th period - Ms. Michel (10th grade English) and Mr. Justice (11th grade English)
6th period - Mr. Finne (9th grade English)
7th period - Conference
Okay. Now... this is what I was told: There will be an aide that somewhat follows the same schedule as I do. However, during 3rd period and 6th period, we will be switching out -- yes.... like every other day, we'd go back and forth. It could be every other day... it could be that period - we each have half. It could mean every other week. Interesting huh?
But the really neat thing is how our school is set up. It's a BIG school. On the classes that we are supposed to switch out - oh... those are like MAJORLY across the school. It's not like a cute little jaunt down a couple of doors and you're there. Oh no... these are across the freaking school.
Oh... and did you notice. I went from 2 classes - English 1 and English 2 - to having all the English classes - 9th through 12th. Yeah!
It's not the school's fault - it's the administration that have caused this issue (the ones that aren't at the school - like the superintendent (yeah... the guy that's leaving in January that's screwing with our school and making it difficult to do a good job).
I'm stressed. Very stressed. Tis why I have a beer sitting beside me at the moment.
~MJ
So... here's my day:
First rattle out of the box, I took my computer to the technicians so that it could be reimaged. The thing was acting completely up and they asked me if it was okay to put on just Mac. They know that I'm not a Mac person - I'm more Windows based, but I said - sure. Go ahead. I wasn't really pleased with that, but oh well. I'll get used to it. At least now my work computer has about 80 gig of space.
Yeah... well, I reported to my first period class today in English 4 with Mr. Myers. I think that it would have really been an excellent class if he'd been there. Yes, you read that right. He was there, but only for a little bit to set the substitute right before he left for the day. He had a molar that had cracked and had a dentist appointment. Unfortunately, I know exactly how he feels because one of mine broke a little over a year ago. Painful. Anyhoo.... there's a substitute there and I'm trying to explain who I am and why I'm taking over for Mrs. Gibson (the inclusion teacher that was there before). So, I just took over the class. They were going over Chaucer. CHAUCER! Oh my goodness. I haven't read Chaucer in like 20 years! So... they were making a character bio/log of the Friar. So, we did that and helped them out with that. We went through it step by step. All in all, not too bad of a class, except the only problem was that too many of them laid their heads down and decided not to do jack-crap.
2nd period: Is my PLC (Professional Learning Community) period. Basically, all the English teachers get together and plan or learn new things or whatever. I was talking with a fellow teacher (Mr. Finnen) he's the one that I teach 3rd and 6th with and he somewhat gave me an idea of what he had heard that was going to happen. I prayed that it wouldn't, because for the most part, it was a bad bad BAD thing. Dang, it... if he wasn't right.
3rd period: Mr. Finnen and I go ahead and teach to the kids... new vocab. words and whatnot and talk to them about their tests from last week... etc. Normal stuff. Nothing big.
Lunch - wasn't enough food, but I ate anyway and drank all my tea. (I was hungry for the rest of the day)
4th and 5th period: Ms. Michel and I taught together - as usual. We had decent classes today. We had them busy all period. (Thank goodness).
6th period: went back to Mr Finnen's class (on the other side of the school) and continued with our day as usual.
7th period: I was asked earlier in the day to go see Mrs. Key and see what she had found out about my schedule. She said that she'd know what was going to happen by my conference period. So... first, I went to go get my computer from the techs. They said that it would be done around an hour after I turned it in, but I didn't want to press the issue or rush them, so I just dealt without a computer all day. Then I went to talk to Mrs. Key. My boss, Mr. Sibberson was there and it was an interesting discussion. Basically, this is what was decided:
I'll lay out the schedule here:
1st period - Mr. Myers. (12th grade English)
2nd period - PLC
3rd period - Mr. Finnen (9th grade English) and Ms. Witt (11th grade English) - I'll explain.
Lunch
4th period - Ms. Michel (10th grade English)
5th period - Ms. Michel (10th grade English) and Mr. Justice (11th grade English)
6th period - Mr. Finne (9th grade English)
7th period - Conference
Okay. Now... this is what I was told: There will be an aide that somewhat follows the same schedule as I do. However, during 3rd period and 6th period, we will be switching out -- yes.... like every other day, we'd go back and forth. It could be every other day... it could be that period - we each have half. It could mean every other week. Interesting huh?
But the really neat thing is how our school is set up. It's a BIG school. On the classes that we are supposed to switch out - oh... those are like MAJORLY across the school. It's not like a cute little jaunt down a couple of doors and you're there. Oh no... these are across the freaking school.
Oh... and did you notice. I went from 2 classes - English 1 and English 2 - to having all the English classes - 9th through 12th. Yeah!
It's not the school's fault - it's the administration that have caused this issue (the ones that aren't at the school - like the superintendent (yeah... the guy that's leaving in January that's screwing with our school and making it difficult to do a good job).
I'm stressed. Very stressed. Tis why I have a beer sitting beside me at the moment.
~MJ
09 November, 2008
Sunday, November 9th
I did too much yesterday. I decided to clean the house like in spring cleaning and now my back is yelling at me for doing so. I mean, I moved furniture and vaccumed, swept, mopped, dusted, etc. The house (save for upstairs) were my room and bathroom is - is clean. I'm exhausted. But, my house is clean.
Last night, my mother in law (Joy) took the boys and I out to eat. The rest of the family were out doing their duty and hunting for deer out at the lease that his job has. They reported last night - all four of them (Mike, Matt, Meghan and Robert) shot a deer and are in good spirits. They said that Meghan has shot so many times that they are out of bullets for the smaller guns. That's my daughter. The huntress. *giggles*
I need to start working on Jerry and the Pirates. So, I'll be back later to post more as the day progresses.
~MJ
Last night, my mother in law (Joy) took the boys and I out to eat. The rest of the family were out doing their duty and hunting for deer out at the lease that his job has. They reported last night - all four of them (Mike, Matt, Meghan and Robert) shot a deer and are in good spirits. They said that Meghan has shot so many times that they are out of bullets for the smaller guns. That's my daughter. The huntress. *giggles*
I need to start working on Jerry and the Pirates. So, I'll be back later to post more as the day progresses.
~MJ
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)