Finals are a bit intense. Yes, the similarity to Law School Musical is a bit disturbing. I will have a life again on December 19th, for any who haven't received a prompt reply lately.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Finals
Finals are a bit intense. Yes, the similarity to Law School Musical is a bit disturbing. I will have a life again on December 19th, for any who haven't received a prompt reply lately.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Shopping
Today I had to get out of the apartment so I went shopping. I really enjoy living so close to everything. I got all bundled up and braved the snow and cold. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that it snowed within 24 hours of my arrival in NJ.
I took the light rail to the Newport mall and I went shopping. While I don't enjoy shopping I really like finding things and for a discount. I ended up getting myself a 3 quarter length jacket and two pairs of jeans. I got Miles two pairs of jeans but I have to return them because Miles is skinnier than he told me he was.
Miles is studying again. I really hope all this hard work on his part pays off or I am going to feel jipped that he is not paying attention to me and I just got here. I am not upset about him ignoring me...yet...I will let you know when that happens.
I took the light rail to the Newport mall and I went shopping. While I don't enjoy shopping I really like finding things and for a discount. I ended up getting myself a 3 quarter length jacket and two pairs of jeans. I got Miles two pairs of jeans but I have to return them because Miles is skinnier than he told me he was.
Miles is studying again. I really hope all this hard work on his part pays off or I am going to feel jipped that he is not paying attention to me and I just got here. I am not upset about him ignoring me...yet...I will let you know when that happens.
Hoboken
Now that I am finally here it is time to start blogging again. It is amazing how much time I have on my hands. I didn't believe that I could get bored in one day but it is possible.
On Friday I went to my school for my last day. I had the worst headache of my entire life but it was good to see the kids and the teachers one last time. Two fellow TEPers were with me observing in some of the classes. After school got over we went to the Cheesecake Factory and then the airport for my flight.
The first flight was delayed but I was able to make my connection out of Portland, OR. I wasn't able to choose my own seat when I got the ticket and I ended up sandwiched between two big men in the second to last row in the plane. That was a bummer but it is the last flight I had to take for a while so I sucked it up. I didn't really sleep on the plane. I think I am becoming immune to Tylenol PM.
My plane landed 45 min early so I had to call Miles to wake him up so he could pick me up. He ended up getting to the airport at the perfect time. I picked up my bags from baggage claim and he was right there with the car as I walked out of the airport.
We got back to Hoboken at about 6:30am. We parked the car and had to walk a few blocks with all my luggage. It was really cold out. Really cold.
I was exhausted by the time we finally got to the apartment so we crawled into bed and passed out. I slept until 11am and Miles was gone when I got up. He had study group in Newark so he was gone most of the day.
When I got up I cleaned. The apartment wasn't dirty but it was messy. Some of the boxes from when we moved here in August were not unpacked and Miles had been through them looking for who knows what...there was just stuff all over the place. I got myself unpacked and the apartment semi cleaned...
I was bored. Really bored. Miles wasn't at the apartment and I knew I didn't want to go out in the cold by myself so I stayed in and cleaned and that is just not what I am cut out for. I need a little more excitement in my life.
Miles got home around 7:30pm and we had to go out shopping for food as there was nothing in the fridge. We had pop-tarts, coke, some cheddar cheese and that was about it. Weather.com said it felt like 19 degrees outside and I have to say I agree with that assessment of the cold. I was freezing not having more than my fleece and a sweatshirt. Seattle weather is always mellow. No highs and no lows.
Miles made us dinner and then I had to be quiet so I watched some TV on my computer before going to bed a little after midnight.
Oh, and our heat doesn't work in the apartment again. I have to call to get it fixed tomorrow.
On Friday I went to my school for my last day. I had the worst headache of my entire life but it was good to see the kids and the teachers one last time. Two fellow TEPers were with me observing in some of the classes. After school got over we went to the Cheesecake Factory and then the airport for my flight.
[Cheesecake Factory with Emily and Jen]
The first flight was delayed but I was able to make my connection out of Portland, OR. I wasn't able to choose my own seat when I got the ticket and I ended up sandwiched between two big men in the second to last row in the plane. That was a bummer but it is the last flight I had to take for a while so I sucked it up. I didn't really sleep on the plane. I think I am becoming immune to Tylenol PM.
My plane landed 45 min early so I had to call Miles to wake him up so he could pick me up. He ended up getting to the airport at the perfect time. I picked up my bags from baggage claim and he was right there with the car as I walked out of the airport.
We got back to Hoboken at about 6:30am. We parked the car and had to walk a few blocks with all my luggage. It was really cold out. Really cold.
I was exhausted by the time we finally got to the apartment so we crawled into bed and passed out. I slept until 11am and Miles was gone when I got up. He had study group in Newark so he was gone most of the day.
When I got up I cleaned. The apartment wasn't dirty but it was messy. Some of the boxes from when we moved here in August were not unpacked and Miles had been through them looking for who knows what...there was just stuff all over the place. I got myself unpacked and the apartment semi cleaned...
I was bored. Really bored. Miles wasn't at the apartment and I knew I didn't want to go out in the cold by myself so I stayed in and cleaned and that is just not what I am cut out for. I need a little more excitement in my life.
Miles got home around 7:30pm and we had to go out shopping for food as there was nothing in the fridge. We had pop-tarts, coke, some cheddar cheese and that was about it. Weather.com said it felt like 19 degrees outside and I have to say I agree with that assessment of the cold. I was freezing not having more than my fleece and a sweatshirt. Seattle weather is always mellow. No highs and no lows.
Miles made us dinner and then I had to be quiet so I watched some TV on my computer before going to bed a little after midnight.
Oh, and our heat doesn't work in the apartment again. I have to call to get it fixed tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Another Great Quote
From my torts professor:
How do you make that argument not sound like a war crime?
How do you make that argument not sound like a war crime?
Friday, September 28, 2007
Two Hoops Away...
...From Quiting the Teacher Profession
I have had a really rough day. For the past few weeks I have been trying to get emergency substitute certification so that I can get paid to teach (As I already am) on days that my cooperating teacher is sick or takes time off. I finally found the 11 pages of paper work that need to be filled out online and I filled everything out, sent it to the printer in the main office at school, went to pick it up, and...nothing. So, I sent it to the other printer, the one in the staff work room. Again, nothing. So, I asked in the main office and they said to try it again. So I did. And then again to the staff work room. And the again the main office. These are the only two printers that are installed on the computer. I don't have a printer at home. After running back and forth from one end of the building to the other and back again I finally found a tech guy to install an different computer and with 2 minutes left in my prep I got the form printed.
Or so I thought. Turns out only the first 8 pages printed. I have no idea what happened but at least I got the opportunity to print it again later and it worked.
So, after looking over the forms I noticed that I have to have part of it filled out by the district superintendent. So, I call the district office to find out about where to send the forms and I was on hold for over 12 min. before I had to hang up because my lunch break was over.
I also have been trying to figure out the certification process for NJ and NY for once I move. I tried to take care of these certifications during the summer when I had time. However, the NJ department of education is only open for phone calls between the hours of 3 and 6 on week days during the school year. As I live on the west coast this means I have to call between 12 and 3. I am teaching right now and I have not been able to stay on the phone long enough during my 25 min lunch to get my questions answered. The menu before you even got on hold to talk to someone takes about ten min.
We had an assembly today so I decided to make the phone call during this time. After being on the phone for an hour I found out that I have to take a total of science tests to become certified in both NJ and in WA. I don't know about NY yet. At 100 bucks a pop I not only don't feel like I can afford this added expense but I am pissed because these tests are practically the same, only offered every three months or so, and you can't take more than two on any of the dates offered. I ave no idea when I am going to get the opportunity to get these taken care of.
Ok, so that was frustrating. By the time I got off the phone with the NJ people it was to late in the day to call the NY people and find out what I am going to have to do to get certified there.
Because I could not get a hold of the district people during lunch I decided to track down the principle after school. It took a little doing but I finally did. The one good thing today was finding out that she is the person to actually fill out the district part of the forms. At least she says she is and the forms are signed.
So, after going through the ringer of trying to get information from different departments of education I can't believe we have as many teacher in the US as we do. If I were a smarter person I would not want to be a teacher. Every year it gets hard to do the job and even more complicated to get and stay certified. Teachers get paid crap. They are constantly at risk of losing their job. The hours suck (even with summers off). And the hoop jumping is ridiculous. They make it so hard for the people that actually want to be teachers to become teachers that I am amazed anyone even tries.
Why, oh, why do I do this to myself. I am worth more that this headache.
I have had a really rough day. For the past few weeks I have been trying to get emergency substitute certification so that I can get paid to teach (As I already am) on days that my cooperating teacher is sick or takes time off. I finally found the 11 pages of paper work that need to be filled out online and I filled everything out, sent it to the printer in the main office at school, went to pick it up, and...nothing. So, I sent it to the other printer, the one in the staff work room. Again, nothing. So, I asked in the main office and they said to try it again. So I did. And then again to the staff work room. And the again the main office. These are the only two printers that are installed on the computer. I don't have a printer at home. After running back and forth from one end of the building to the other and back again I finally found a tech guy to install an different computer and with 2 minutes left in my prep I got the form printed.
Or so I thought. Turns out only the first 8 pages printed. I have no idea what happened but at least I got the opportunity to print it again later and it worked.
So, after looking over the forms I noticed that I have to have part of it filled out by the district superintendent. So, I call the district office to find out about where to send the forms and I was on hold for over 12 min. before I had to hang up because my lunch break was over.
I also have been trying to figure out the certification process for NJ and NY for once I move. I tried to take care of these certifications during the summer when I had time. However, the NJ department of education is only open for phone calls between the hours of 3 and 6 on week days during the school year. As I live on the west coast this means I have to call between 12 and 3. I am teaching right now and I have not been able to stay on the phone long enough during my 25 min lunch to get my questions answered. The menu before you even got on hold to talk to someone takes about ten min.
We had an assembly today so I decided to make the phone call during this time. After being on the phone for an hour I found out that I have to take a total of science tests to become certified in both NJ and in WA. I don't know about NY yet. At 100 bucks a pop I not only don't feel like I can afford this added expense but I am pissed because these tests are practically the same, only offered every three months or so, and you can't take more than two on any of the dates offered. I ave no idea when I am going to get the opportunity to get these taken care of.
Ok, so that was frustrating. By the time I got off the phone with the NJ people it was to late in the day to call the NY people and find out what I am going to have to do to get certified there.
Because I could not get a hold of the district people during lunch I decided to track down the principle after school. It took a little doing but I finally did. The one good thing today was finding out that she is the person to actually fill out the district part of the forms. At least she says she is and the forms are signed.
So, after going through the ringer of trying to get information from different departments of education I can't believe we have as many teacher in the US as we do. If I were a smarter person I would not want to be a teacher. Every year it gets hard to do the job and even more complicated to get and stay certified. Teachers get paid crap. They are constantly at risk of losing their job. The hours suck (even with summers off). And the hoop jumping is ridiculous. They make it so hard for the people that actually want to be teachers to become teachers that I am amazed anyone even tries.
Why, oh, why do I do this to myself. I am worth more that this headache.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
My Seemingly Boring Life
My days right now would seem pretty bland to most of the population, of that I am sure. I get up at 5:15 (before my alarm goes off), get ready for work, and I am walking through the door of my classroom by about 6:15. I plan, I teach, I eat, I teach, I plan some more, and then I leave at about 4:30 only to come home, eat, plan, and sleep. When I put it like this it seems even worse than it is in my head. I am spending all my time preparing for a job that I am not even getting paid for. In fact, I am paying to do this job...just one of the beauties of my masters program.
At least I think it is fun. This last week I have had students run up and down stairs to learn scientific notation and the metric system, swing meter sticks around like swords and light sabers (sp?), learn about Fibonacci, and race around the room to find the leaf in the leaf line up. It has been a pretty eventful week considering all I taught about was measuring and the metric system.
To top it off I got into some trouble with the administration because I am teaching something different than the other 6th grade science teachers. We are actually all doing our own thing around the same topics. The 6th grade house leader wants us all to be doing the exact same thing on the same day. Well, I am sorry but I teach science and we only have enough equipment for one class at a time. Which means that while we all did the same 2 day activity we all did it on different days, spanning over 10 days. This means we have to have different ways of teaching the same material because we have to font load some learning depending on when we get the materials. Even after this has been explained the administration doesn't quite understand.
One of the great thing about teaching is you can be really creative about how you teach a topic. You can cater to the kids you have. We can't all teach the exact same way because we are different people. If I wanted to have my curriculum handed to me each morning and basically read off a script I would have chosen to work in the Bellevue School District. What they are asking for is teacher proof teaching. And yet, they all talk about the "great" teachers of the world. Let me tell you this...Those great teachers are not reading someone else's lesson plans every day doing exactly what is written on the sheet and then moving on to the next day, no thought involved.
At least I think it is fun. This last week I have had students run up and down stairs to learn scientific notation and the metric system, swing meter sticks around like swords and light sabers (sp?), learn about Fibonacci, and race around the room to find the leaf in the leaf line up. It has been a pretty eventful week considering all I taught about was measuring and the metric system.
To top it off I got into some trouble with the administration because I am teaching something different than the other 6th grade science teachers. We are actually all doing our own thing around the same topics. The 6th grade house leader wants us all to be doing the exact same thing on the same day. Well, I am sorry but I teach science and we only have enough equipment for one class at a time. Which means that while we all did the same 2 day activity we all did it on different days, spanning over 10 days. This means we have to have different ways of teaching the same material because we have to font load some learning depending on when we get the materials. Even after this has been explained the administration doesn't quite understand.
One of the great thing about teaching is you can be really creative about how you teach a topic. You can cater to the kids you have. We can't all teach the exact same way because we are different people. If I wanted to have my curriculum handed to me each morning and basically read off a script I would have chosen to work in the Bellevue School District. What they are asking for is teacher proof teaching. And yet, they all talk about the "great" teachers of the world. Let me tell you this...Those great teachers are not reading someone else's lesson plans every day doing exactly what is written on the sheet and then moving on to the next day, no thought involved.
Friday, September 14, 2007
2 more quotes
From property today:
All right, they will all die....big deal
If he does not graduate Harvard, because he is dead or because he is dumb, it doesn’t matter
All right, they will all die....big deal
If he does not graduate Harvard, because he is dead or because he is dumb, it doesn’t matter
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