My week...the highlights....

Tuesday - Former student who is now in the chemistry class next door has a seizure and his new teacher did not know of his history.   Another student whose Mother is also a teacher at the school I am at chews me out b/c she wants her son moved from honors to standard level chemistry.

Wednesday - Faculty meeting where I am recognized for my National Board achievement. Coincidentally the superintendent and the head of high schools for the county is there. Get an email from my head principal about 10pm that the earlier mentioned teacher/mother wants a conference the following afternoon.

Thursday - No alarms went off. Woke up at 6:02am. I am usually awake by 4:45am and at school by 6. Receive several emails in response to gradesheets I sent home earlier in the week. Have conference with teacher/mother after school. She was late to the conference but did apologize for snapping at me earlier in the week. The world's greatest administrator was there with me and lead us through a very successful conference. I felt very relieved.

Oh, and I am working on learning my Jazzercise workshop set for becoming an instructor. My head continues to spin. I wonder what tomorrow will bring for me. 

Ugh....

Fat free cheese....you taste gross....that is all.

Favorite Christmas Gifts this year...

Of course I picked these out myself (not one for surprises unless EXTREMELY well hidden).

My new purse - not an over the top brand name. I love it! Less than $20. :)

For you gentlemen this is probably TMI but I am elated that I can fit into Victoria Secret bras again and replenished my bra stash. Not overly sexy or exciting colors but I love them! <3

Trying not to blame myself....

Maybe it is just my nature. Or maybe somewhere in some education class somewhere I was told it is my responsibility.....

It is exam time here. My students have a nine week exam and a semester exam w/i a week of each other. Today was the nine week exam. I am partially finished grading them but to combat the verbal comments of "It wasn't that bad" the grades are THAT BAD! I cannot figure out what else I could have done to help. I have seriously been teaching my little heart out. I have been "leaving it all in the classroom" (as opposed to the pep talk of leaving it all on the field...). I even gave them study guide material (which I said I wasn't b/c I felt the test study guides along with the tests which I went over in addition to all the papers I look for in the notebook collection wad plenty to study from. But I did it any way. Around the room I posted sample questions which mimic the exam questions. I may use a sodium instead of a calcium or other things like that but essentially I gave them the exam questions AND when they lift up the poster, the answer with the work! What else could I have done?  Sooooooo depressed.......

Seriously? It has come to this?

Last night I woke up from a vivid dream where I was continually trying to explain to my students how a single replacement(displacement) reaction works while balancing an equation. Ugh! Now I am teaching in my sleep? 

The Joys of Toddlerhood

The tow year old has discovered the yummy goodness of graham crackers dipped in cold milk. I may never have to cook for her again. I swear she ate an entire package today. I made breakfast for dinner (pancakes w/ syrup and sausage). She still chose the graham crackers. Oh well. I tried.

Starting anew.... where am I now?

These were my NYR (New Year's Resolutions) for last year. Let me see if I have kept up.

Drop some pounds/firm up - get on an exercise/diet regimen - I joined WW and Jazzercise in August, love both and am about 20 lbs lighter than I was then. Plan to continue both. Even thinking about becoming a Jazzericse instructor although the start of fee scares me! 

Successfully finish NBC - YES! Finally. Praise God! Thinking about becoming an assessor myself now for a little bit of extra money or maybe revenge? Just kidding well, kind of....I am assuming if I assess then the renewal in 8 years should be cake, right? I wonder if NBCT will still get a little stipend then. 

Make some more "me time" - Well, with the Jazzercise and WW I think that is where the me time has come in but I would sure like some more.....

Organize stuff - anything - well, everything. - baby steps on this one...We now have all our belongings in the same state (I guess that would be step one). Since I am down 2ish sizes in clothes I recently cleaned out all the too big stuff. Yea for being smaller. Boo for losing clothes that I really like and not having the money to replace. Trying to look on the brighter side of "I am not finished losing weight so I don't want to buy new clothes yet" but I was a bad eater this holiday season. :( So, I do keep organizing and finding a better way to store/keep 100 lbs of stuff in a 50 lb sack.

Get rid of my acne (Accutane???) - I haven't gotten new medication but I things in this department are mostly better until my monthly bill comes due. 

Grow my hair out...maybe... - Since August, been growing but the 'swooping bangs' that HAD to be cut due to coloring/straight iron damage is the part I am the most impatient with. I hate not being able to tuck them behind my ear. So I guess I am working on this one too. I didn't even remember I posted this one or that this time last year I was thinking about it. I like the posh cut/bob I seem to hover between these days.

So, what is different for this year.....that is a whole 'nother post!