"We have to love until it hurts. It is not enough to say, I love." We must put that love into a living action, and how do we do that? By giving until it hurts." Mother Teresa

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Looking back on the past year

A year ago I was graduating college and applying for jobs. Well here we are again... applying for jobs at least. With the exception of the drama of my some of my "colleagues" I had a really great first year of teaching. More laughs than tears (which didn't come until March the tears I mean), more smiles than frowns, and health insurance that stays in effect until August 31, 2010!!

I found the most difficult part of my year was laughing at things that I should not be laughing at...quite a few correctly used "that's what she said" moments. Reading parts of different stories aloud that when read aloud are rather sexual. And I of course start to giggle because sometimes I cannot stop myself.

Discovery Education has a great online streaming selection for different standards or activities. I fell in love with a grammar series called "Dark Marker." It covers the basics, but most of my students needed a refresher. There is one episode about pronouns and the sentence ended up being "Buzz rode (insert noun/pronoun). Hilarity!

My students are really honest with me, which is okay. More often then not I hear things that I don't want to hear. Most came from my male students. Some examples:

"I know he is all man." Said by a male student in reference to another male student.
"I need to take a dump."
"Both of my nuts are fully functioning."
"That book has blow jobs in it!" (my response, "Let's just call blow jobs sex")

I hope I can land another job to have another excellent year with teenagers!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Book Review: Percy Jackson Series

I started reading the Percy Jackson series back in mid March I think. I LOVED THEM!! If you like greek mythology (or kinda liked it) I would suggest these books. The Gods are all there, and they got a make over. The author does a good job justifying why they are in the U.S. and not Europe.

At first I was worried that the books were going to very Harry Potter-esque. They aren't. I think they are better. First of all there are only 5 books, and they are not very long. And the main characters are very different. I enjoy Percy's sense of humor over Harry's lack there of.. also the supporting characters are much more interesting, and have their own subplots.

Like most YA books there are some predictable plot twists, but there are a lot of surprises.


The movie is being released at the end of June. I didn't see the movie, and I heard that a lot of changes were made. Don't they always make a lot of changes?

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Front Page of the Peru Tribune....

While I guess it is time for people to know (well the 4 readers that I have). I have resigned from my current teaching job. It wasn't something that I desired to do, but was forced to do. It isn't lady like for me to dish out the details here, but it happened at the end of March. While I know it is best for me to leave the school (there are some shady things going on by non-teachers) it breaks my heart.

I have poured my heart and soul into this job, and now I have to go. I want to live some place and start to establish a life... not feel like I am constantly moving. I have made great friends that I don't want to leave, but this is not the town for me.

But allow me to explain my title...

This past Monday the school approved the RIFing, non-renewals, retirements and resignations for the next school year. The local paper decided to put all of our names on the front page. Most of these things occurred at the secondary level-which honestly is total crap, and none were administration jobs or pay cuts. But the paper made sure to state that myself and Lukas (the other resignation) were making it possible for others to keep their job. Call it what you will we got fired (well expect for the one person that retired). I might be a nice person, but I did not resign so someone else can keep their job. Come on this is the real world!

I know that there are many schools going through this, but what I don't understand is the newspaper's desire to publish our names. It sucks enough, but to see it in print when I walked in to get my morning Diet Coke from the gas station really caught me off guard. Not only was it on the front page, but it was above the fold. Awesome. However unlike a certain higher up at my school the paper spelled my first AND last name correctly.

So now I am back to where I was a year ago. Applying for jobs and going on interviews. I know that there are many in the same boat. And that I have to do what I need to do. So now I am starting to wade my way back into the "market." There is no market everyone is cutting teachers left and right. I understand the whole paying us thing, and people cutting money, but at the end of the day the ones that are getting royally screwed over are our kids.

I know, I know everyone says this. And while I don't want this to be a political debate or anything, but great teachers are getting fired (or RIF'ed). Most of us are new teachers fresh out of school. Our first introduction to education is, "Pour your heart and soul into this job, and well we are going to get rid of you.."

Most of my students are pissed about what has happened, and were great today. I told them I was upset and why. They were supportive and worked. Then the class that never works and fights me everyday shocked me. They started a petition for me to get my job back. While it is too late and I tried to explain that they would not back down. I am sure this will come back and bite me in the butt. I will be told that I need to tell them to stop. Um I tried. 14 year olds are very stubborn, and hey it is their education. It is their lives that are going to most effected by budget cuts.


In other news (well mostly Loki news). He has been a good puppy. I weighed him this weekend. He is at 57/58 pounds. Lately we have been going to the park with my friend Emmy and her 2 toddlers, and their dog Ruby. Loki just loves the kids. He is really good with them. There is no need for him to jump because he is eye-to-eye with both of them. He actually does good (for the most part) not jumping on people and will sit. Honestly if I didn't have him around these past few months I don't know how I would have handled everything. He howls whenever sirens go past the apartment, or as my parents found out the car. He really loves squeaky toys and rawhides. And doggie ice cream. There is an ice cream place I go to here in town that has doggie dishes. It is a small serving of soft serve vanilla with doggie bones. He LOVES IT!


Well that is all for now. The first LOR movie is on.