Mid-Week
Mood:  lucky
Topic: work
Wednesday got here really fast. My colleagues are saying that the week feels long to them so far, but we already had chess club this week?! It came really quickly. Of course, in the morning, it’s crazy waking up so early and getting here on time. But I was! Once here, I am loving the chess action.

106 minutes
Mood:  irritated
Topic: work

I survived the longest commute ever today. What usually would have taken 25-30 minutes took over 90 minutes. The radio traffic report actually estimated the travel time at 106 minutes. That was pretty accurate. Well, I ate all the chocolate in the car. I listened to an entire CD. Then, I started a list in my head of things I saw on the roadside. When it started getting weird, I knew I had to write it down and blog about it.

The normal debris:

plastic bags

cigarette butts

plastic wrappers

beer cans and bottles

bottle caps

plastic to-go containers

tire rubber

car parts

hubcaps

soda cans

paper products

styrofoam packing materials

More on the unusual side:

a towel

a sofa cushion

a mini wine bottle

a bottle of cough syrup

a prescription bottle

a slim jim wrapper

a cell phone charger

Strewn apart over 30-40 feet:

an empty McD's drink cup

a Big Mac burger box

an empty fries container

an empty McD's bag

The weirdest of all:

a McCain/Palin yard sign

No joke! I'm serious! I'm sure scribbled out there were some sermons of Pastor Bob, who leads an emergent church in Sante Fe. California is a great place to explore your spirituality. If you need to find a church in Rancho Sante Fe, or you're thinking I want a better marriage, you can seek out Pastor Bob's advice. He currently serves on the advisory board of Billy Graham. For some reason, that's a plus in some people's books. Well, my motto has always been, "Live and let live."

Previewing
Mood:  rushed
Topic: work

In my class, we just started reading Where the Red Fern Grows. Even for kids that don’t like to read and have never seen a raccoon in their lives, this book seems to resonate. In the story, the main character Billy has a bad case of puppy love, especially for a pair of redbone hounds. He works hard to earn the money for the dogs. Some of my students can relate to working hard for something they want, especially if it’s something their parents can’t afford or reluctant to give them. I’m sure a lot of them, like me, had a dog or pet they felt a strong friendship with. Today, we were discussing the price of the pups Billy was trying to buy. They cost $25 a piece, which was a lot of money back then. A good hunting dog nowadays probably runs about $150-200. So, we were talking a bit about inflation. I mentioned how I remember when gasoline was 89 cents a gallon. They were all surprised. Even for 6th graders, they are aware of the strains on their parents’ pocketbooks.

A strategy I used with this book was to “preview” part of the movie version. Of course, after we finish each chapter, I have a handful of kids asking if we can watch more of the movie. But I can’t deny that I love their enthusiasm. For a bunch of Latino and African American kids to want to find out what happens to a kid from the Ozarks, I think that’s real cultural learning.

With my current schedule, an online degree in ESOL or TESOL would be great. I would incorporate lessons like this as well as all the other ideas I have. The website An Online Degree by Distance Learning shows the top 3 institutions to maximize your time online and not waste precious clicks! So, yes, college and post-graduate work has become easier to find. I'll definitely check back from time to time, to preview my education choices.

Little Identities
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: work

My students are a pretty plain lot. They wear pretty much what they've been given or bought, they listen to pop music or whatever their siblings listen to, and they pretty much move as a mob. When they turn 12 or 13, though, they start developing more personalities and little identities. One of my students already has an emo look going on, but he's a repeater. He's a cool kid, nevertheless, with his all black and punk hoodies. He does stand out from the other Latino kids, but for me, in a good way. I should try to find his myspace page. It's probably full of dark poetry, teenage angst, and messages from the friends he made in emo chat rooms, at Emo Chat City. Kids like that make it interesting for me, make it interesting for the world.

Ouch
Mood:  mischievious
Topic: work

No more pencils, no more books,
No more teacher's dirty looks.
Kick the table, kick the chairs
Kick the teacher down the stairs!

Well, that's a rhyme probably for the lasst day of school. But the first week of school has left me feeling pretty much kicked around.

Butterflies and Car Pooling
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: work

I was excited about the first day of school and now I'm just really anxious about it. Of course, it's just the natural butterflies most teachers (and students) get before the first day of school. I even have my first day outfit picked out. Nothing new, but I hope it's cute. If I had the doe-ray-me, maybe I could buy myself some new digs. I did buy some new jeans, a pair of pants, and a nice shirt, so it's not all bad. I just won't waste it all the first day of school.

I recently came across Freedomdebtrelief.com, while perusing other debt relief websites. They have some great advice and I learned a lot reading their different articles. They offer a variety of options for debt relief, including debt consolidation, credit counseling, and budgeting. We could use all the advice and help we can get these days.

Another thing I'm excited about with the first day of school is carpooling. I'm ride sharing with another teacher at my school, three days a week, on the days I don't have to drive the baby to daycare. I still have to pick him up everyday, so I have to be the one to drive. I've been wanting to carpool for a long time. Pregnancy and doctor's appointments were kind of a hindrance in the past. So I'm really excited now. Any relief from gas prices is welcome relief.

Web Savvy
Mood:  incredulous
Topic: work

I'm glad I took 2 computer classes when I was in college. We learned basic html, because back then you needed it to build your own website. But the things people can do on the internet nowadays is just amazing. Even back then, we would just copy and paste javascript, since our professor thought it was just too complicated for us to do from scratch. You would probably need Cisco certification to design sites and compete with other IT professionals. Careers in this field definitely pay adequately, too, as one of my college friends can attest. Her fiance does something with computers and he'll be able to support her while she finishes her PhD. She could also be a stay at home mom no problem. Sigh.

I'm lucky I even took a typing class when I was in the 6th grade. Computers, at least the ones at school, were so simple, I remember playing a game where you actually typed out directions to the player, like "walk left." Oregon Trail, which always took forever to load, was an amazing graphic adventure at that time. My students don't know how to type unless they learn by playing a game online. I can't wait to see the office personnel of the future, typing out memos with one finger, writing in a sort of hybrid text messaging/misspelled language, and talking on their cell phones at the same time.

I always thought my brother should go into computers, but really, he's just into gadgets. He always has to have the latest gadgets, whether it's a flat-screen plasma tv, the newest Iphone, or the fastest laptop. He's not into programming or software design. I do always tell my students that they could translate their drawing skills and love of video games into a career. It could happen.

Too Cool for School
Mood:  sharp
Topic: work

Argh. Grump.

I'm mad.

Kids - summer school or summer camp - are tagging the walls and bathroom stalls. They virtually wrecked the art room - clay smashed into the floors, a mural scribbled on, trash in crevices.

The summer AP thinks it's one of our camp kids. We think it's the summer school kids. It's frustrating in general. What do we have to do? Cut out the arts & crafts class? Ban markers? One of the tags was done in plain marker (like Crayola, not permanent).

So, we got kicked out of the art room. I honestly feel bad for the art teacher. This crap did not happen on my watch. But I leave at 2:30 and the afternoon staff don't seem to be watching the kids closely. I've seen one of the so called teachers at lunch; her eyes stay glued to her laptop. Meanwhile, her kids trash their tables. Literally, leaving trash and food all over the floor.

No more pinatas? I would be really crushed out (disappointed).

Right now, though, I'm just mad.

A Word on Chipmunks
Mood:  smelly
Now Playing: the sound of my sweat dripping, no a/c at summer camp
Topic: work

I just got back from the movies with my summer camp group. The feature today was Alvin and the Chipmunks. Not bad, not great. It was cute enough, since I was a big fan of Alvin and the Chipmunks when I was a kid. Of course, what do these kids know about chipmunks? Most of my students hate to even sit on the grass when we go outside, though it’s mostly due to their age. They’re beginning to be allergic to running around and just playing. Unless of course, it’s in a classroom, then chasing is totally appropriate for them.

The movies we saw the last two weeks: Mr. Magorium’s Magic Emporium (sp? I’m too lazy to check) and The Legend of the Water Horse. I was glad for the respite, but any field trip involving a hundred kids wears me out. Next week, I think we’re seeing Shrek 3, which I look forward to seeing. Enough adult humor to keep me entertained. But these days, sitting in the a/c for a few hours is worth it.

Gosh, I shouldn’t complain about the students too much. I think I should be paid more and a lot needs to be changed about the camp (hours, activities, etc.). It’s just a few bad apples that ruin the bunch really. And I like getting the chance to get to know these kids before school starts. Don’t get me wrong, I am thoroughly looking forward to the two weeks off before then. Actually, my birthday is Monday too. I need to figure out what to do.

I can’t get that Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song out of my head. I still want a hula hoop…

Camp Recap
Mood:  hungry
Topic: work
Yay Thursday! I'm off tomorrow, so I have cause to celebrate. R's family is having a cook-out, which I am really looking forward to. I don't know why, since I'll just be eating salad and maybe a veggie burger. I guess I'm happy to just not be at summer camp.

It's not so bad. It can be summed up this way: the afternoon field trip was cancelled today because of their behavior. The older kids were cutting up yesterday in the afternoon (after I leave) and the sixth graders were cutting up this morning. So they have no one to blame but themselves. The camp is structured a weird way, not really the fault of the passive-aggressive organizer. It's the namesake of our school, a member of the county school board. She really insists on everyone being included and the kids being off the streets as long as possible. Of course, it makes for a long day, with kids that are probably too old for camp. For this kind of camp.

This morning was fun though. We went with the sixth graders on a field trip to a local rock quarry, so it was more educational than fun. But to me, educational is fun! The kids liked it well enough and were inquisitive and sang along to a video we watched. The coolest part was actually driving down into the 750-foot pit in the school bus, with our yellow plastic hard hats. Thank god for these small things.

I had a better day laughing and talking with my coworkers too. The non-news teacher was reading a book by John Irving, who is an author I just discovered and love! Even the lead organizer is a nice person, someone with a young son, who likes to shop online. We talked about buying plus size clothes, which was funny. I might need to do some shopping myself for work clothes. As I said before, a lot of the problems in the camp are not her fault at all. Well, I hope the cancelled field trip really sinks in and the kids come back on Monday with a better attitude. Right?