My Alter Ego

Become an M&M.

first week of class

We just completed the first three days of the new semester. Let me tell you how wonderful it is to have my own students instead of someone else's leftovers. I have been busier than I have ever been in my life, and while it's seriously depriving me of sleep, I'm happy to be working. I think I'm making up lost time for those few of months of employment.

Right now, I'm teaching honors 9, low-level 9, and low-level 12. The honors are truly a joy. It's nice to have students who try and succeed, who like school, who are motivated by grades, who listen to instructions, and who behave without question. I'm going to do a lot with these kids, and it'll be great. The low-level 9s are good for the most part, but today, I found out they are entirely susceptible to a case of the Fridays. The seniors barely have a pulse. I have them the last block of the day, which is rough. Senioritis, here we come.

So my schedule is interesting. I have the abominable first period planning. That means that when a teacher is late or needs a sub, I'll have to come to the rescue. It also means that when students need to be supervised for testing, I'll have to be there. It basically comes down to the fact that I won't be able to get any real planning done for class, which is absolutely essential. I'm not amused, but learning to deal with it. In other news, I am now sharing my classroom with a very cute Englishman, a visiting teacher, who has no permanent classroom of his own. He is using my room during first block. Good times. I haven't quite figured out how to get my room ready for my own classes with just 5 minutes between blocks, but it'll come.

Today was my first observation. The administration pulled out the big guns and sent the principal down to check things out. She was nice and decided to visit my honors class. I guess she was more interested in how I teach content rather than how I babysit and handle discipline problems. I heard she's kinda tough on observations and that she gives no positive body language. Not gonna lie, I preened when she gave me a glowing review. Woo! I had prepared a rockin' lesson for my 9th graders for yesterday and today, and it went very smoothly. They all seemed to have fun, too, and it's days like this where I can honestly say that I love my job today. These kids make it worthwhile.

On that note, I'm taking a complete break tonight. Watching a cheesy movie and trying to finish The Kite Runner. I also took a glorious nap and had some Boston Market. Life is good today.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Most Serene Highness Lady Lauren the Crepuscular of Waldenshire under Throcket Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

What's in a name?

I checked my roster for next semester, and I have a student named Precious. That gave me a chuckle on so many levels. Of course, that's nothing to some of the students I have now, namely Kwashawn and Jacques, who, incidentally, are related but in different blocks from each other. Both are troublesome students. Oh, and Jacques actually goes by "Queen" and will not answer to anything else. That says it all, eh?

benefits and speculations

So there are some definite perks to working for the state. For instance, I get MLK day off on Monday, which I have never had before. Also, I found out today that as of January 1st, all generic prescriptions are free of charge to state health plan members (i.e. yours truly). This even applies to medicine-by-mail programs. How awesome is that?!

In other news, I think my entire 3rd block is possessed by aliens. Somehow, by some miracle of God, they all became angels over the weekend and behaved nearly perfectly today. I'm not complaining, but still, a little puzzled here, considering they are my extremely troublesome group. I think it had something to do with a conversation we had at the beginning of class. "Hey, Ms. E, you look different today. Like you're bright or something." "Ugh. I'm sick. That probably explains the glow." Perhaps they have a sympathetic tendency, so maybe I should milk this whole sick thing for what it's worth? I'm starting Romeo and Juliet with them tomorrow, so we'll see if they can survive good ole Willy S. in good form or if they will, once again, revolt.

I gave my first test ever today. As you all know, college writing teachers assign papers (because we're evil that way, mmmuuuahahahahaha) and not tests. Soo, the seniors got tested on Gulliver's Travels. I'd like to think they did pretty well, although 1/3 of my class decided not to show. Figures. I'm starting The War of the Worlds with them tomorrow, and I am completely excited about it. I'm playing the Orson Wells radio broadcast from 1938 as an introduction. I called Pop tonight to see if he remembered the broadcast, but he said he was only 12 at the time and didn't recall much. Instead, he told me, "But if I did remember hearing that program, I'm sure I wouldn't have worried about the Martian invasion and the end of the world. What will be will be. I guess I'm a fatalist that way. Doesn't matter much how ya go, I guess." Oh Pop.

In other news, I talked to Ma and Pa today. They were outside of Rodger's declaring no intention to go in (Ha, yeah right! Dad's sweet tooth is almost as bad as Amy's!) and that they were on their way to look at some art, which they had no intention to buy. I told them that I had dibs on whatever it was they "didn't buy." Beat ya to the punch this time, Aims ;)

I'm moving!

So I took advantage of the 70* weather today and went apartment hunting all afternoon. I decided on an older, but spacious 2-bedroom in Greensboro in a quiet, wooded community. I'm excited. And I'm also moving in a week! Thank goodness for a 3-day weekend with the MLK holiday. It also means that I'll have time to settle in before hosting this year's pageant party on the 29th of January (it's on Monday this year, unfortunately). Girls, you'll have to celebrate in your own way. Anyway, my apartment is in this particular part of town where the Quakers settled, so everything is named "Friendly" something or other. I like that kind of atmosphere. A good buddy was kind enough to come with me and help me make my decision, so I bought her dinner at the Macaroni Grill (my pesto is better than theirs!) and let her pay homage to the Banana Republic gods. In other news, damn the common cold and the dirty students who passed it my way.

potential high school drama

So I've been able to piece together a love triangle among my students that they haven't figured out yet. It's rather amusing, I dare say. This one boy in my 4th block is dating a girl in my 3rd block. He walks her to class almost every day and even told me, "Hey, Ms. E., you know she's my girlfriend, right? Let me know if she gives you any trouble!" Ha. Anyway, he's been all flirty with another girl in his own class, and she has done the whole writing her first name with his last name thing all over her papers. I have no clue if either girl knows about the other, but I'm just going to take a step back and watch it unfold. The end.