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24304. arkymalarky - 8/17/2008 3:02:31 PM Man, that sucks, Judith! Hopefully they'll straighten everything out and it will go back the way it was.
We got in at 1:30 am last night. The Korean student knows almost no English and her bag was lost in Houston. She didn't sleep any last night, and I didn't sleep much. But today I called and they called right back and her bag is found. She is so happy. We left for Little Rock at 4:00 yesterday afternoon, and I've got to take the students to their host homes today.
I'm ready for school to start so I can get some rest. 24305. judithathome - 8/17/2008 11:25:51 PM Arky, I'm going to the bank in the morning to get it straightened out....I've calmed down considerably since that post....ha! 24306. judithathome - 8/18/2008 10:43:42 PM Check's here...overnighting a cashier's check tomorrow and already have the title so I'm good to go! 24307. arkymalarky - 8/18/2008 10:51:58 PM Good for you!
24308. judithathome - 8/22/2008 3:24:15 PM My car is all legally registered and has Texas plates (I got to keep the ones from the Jag and got new ones for Leslie) and is paid for...I am so pleased with this car!! And Leslie now owns the Jag...I just hope he's as pleased as I am when something goes wrong with his new car...ha!
Arky, when you see Ronnie, tell him we're thrilled with the car and that my BMW-owning friend is envious of the color AND the fact I have as many options as he does at a third of the price! 24309. arkymalarky - 8/23/2008 1:29:21 AM Terrific!
My car is going to be free, but I'm not getting it until tomorrow. 24310. judithathome - 8/27/2008 12:12:15 AM I drove to Dallas today for Leslie's follow-up appointment with the neurologist...he's been released to go back to work tomorrow! He was very impressed with my GPS all the way over there...
We had a great time: went to a Harley-Davidson dealership that has been featured on the Discovery Channel...saw some awesome custonm bikes. Went to lunch and had a great time with my son...he has a wicked sense of humor.
The doctor was smiling the entire appointment...he is so proud of the work he has done to make my kid better...and justifiably so!
Our favorite moment of the entire day: someone who had an appointment at the same medical facility had come in a 1955 baby blue Rolls Royce! It was a joy to see such a glorious automobile amongst the Porsches and Mercedes that pulled up...I'll never forget how beautiful that car looked in the sunshine. Although my car looked pretty damned good, I must say!
Leslie bought two Harley-Davidson decals for the front and back winshields of (now) HIS Jag...I just had to bite my tongue. ;-)
24311. judithathome - 8/27/2008 12:13:29 AM errata: custom 24312. thoughtful - 8/27/2008 11:10:28 PM I had the pleasure of sitting the driver's seat of a 1967 rolls...there's nothing quite like it...the smell of the leather, the long, long hood reaching out in front...amazing.
We go to cruise nights on occasion with our Jeep. Last weekend, the photographer happened to catch hubby eying that souped-up Model A...our jeep is the cranberry colored fender on the left.
 24313. Ms. No - 8/30/2008 12:57:06 AM Woo-frickin'-hoo!
Just got a job teaching Drama at a local high school! I find it funny that I'm going to be employed in a position that is generally really hard to find rather than as an English teacher which is so much more likely.
Anyway, I'm hyper as a chihuaha on crack right now and am off to spread the word, but wanted to drop my news here.
Wheeee!!!! 24314. arkymalarky - 8/30/2008 3:56:23 AM Oh man, that's FANTASTIC! 24315. alistairConnor - 8/30/2008 9:32:40 AM Way to go Nyetskaya!
My elder daughter is starting high school on Tuesday, she chose the school because there is a drama option. 24316. judithathome - 8/30/2008 4:30:10 PM Congrats, MsNo!!! They got a good deal when they hired you! 24317. Ms. No - 8/30/2008 4:54:53 PM Thanks!
Yeah, I've been a little stressed out of late to say the least. It took a long time for the budget to go through and this year seems to have a glut of full-credential English teachers who legally must be hired before Interns get a shot.
I had interviewed for the English position that this school had about two weeks ago. I knew I hadn't gotten the job so I was surprised when the principal called me (he wasn't at the initial interview). He said I'd gotten high marks from the interviewing panel and he wanted to know if I'd come back and interview for their Drama position.
The bad news is that it's only a 60% position right now. This is woeful news to my bank account because 60% of not much to begin with is Ramen Noodle City and a roommate, however, on the two days a week that I'm not teaching my own classes I can sub for other teachers at the school which will bring my salary up to just manageable.
They expect the Drama program to expand next year to a full time position, but even if it doesn't, their student body is growing each year so they'll need me to teach English.
As it stands for the moment I can't "officially" teach my classes until I get fingerprinted and cleared through the District which could take up to 5 days. So, when classes start on Tuesday I'll be teaching with a certified substitute in the room to satisfy the law. Crazy, eh?
24318. arkymalarky - 8/30/2008 5:32:01 PM Oh you MUST make time to let us know how the first days go! I'm SO excited for you!! 24319. Ms. No - 9/3/2008 3:18:55 AM Okay, first off, my feet hurt, but not as much as I thought they would.
The day went pretty well --- actually it went really well if I think about all the ways I could've been prepared and wasn't.
We operate on a block schedule --- all 6 periods on Mondays and then Tuesdays and Thursdays are 1, 3, 5 (my classes) and Wednesday and Friday are 2,4,6.
This means our classes on most days are 100 minutes long. Yes, 100 minutes. One. Hundred. Minutes.
I didn't get my textbook or even know what it was until I got to campus this morning and they don't yet have a teacher's edition for me nor do they have the curriculum from the Drama class last year. They're trying to hunt it down, but in the meantime I'll get to meet with the English teacher who heads up the Drama Club tomorrow and I should be able to get some great info from her.
I had no idea who my students would be until ten minutes before my first class, so seating charts were out as were student files. This wasn't too awfully bad, but I'll definitely have charts for Thursday.
My first period classroom only just seats all 30 of my students and there's not a lot of space for movement although we do have access to the stage when we want it. first period students were pretty good overall. There was more random chatter than I would've liked, but they were good about calming down when asked. Some jokesters but nothing malicious and I think we'll all get along great.
Third period was in a different classroom --- much larger and a few extra desks so we've got plenty of room to move when we need. This class was much more focused and less prone to chatter and outbursts for which I'm grateful since there are 34 of them.
Lunch came and fortunately there was someone to let me into the teacher's lounge since I don't yet have keys. This means I also have to find a buddy if I want to use the bathroom. Joy.
24320. Ms. No - 9/3/2008 3:19:08 AM Fifth period has a LOT of hooligans and it was the only class all day where I had to really get on students for talking. This class also seems less together overall --- the other two classes could tell me what their interests were and what they had planned for their course of study. Our school has a specific industry focus so all of the students are working on curriculum that will not only support them getting into 4-year colleges but also prepare them for a specific job field.
Fifth period had a lot of "I don't know" answers and then we had a lovely group of girls who talked about wanting to be strippers at the club their table-mate (male) is going to own. Ahem.
It actually wasn't as bad as it sounds. I knew they were playing so I played back and asked them what they were going to do when they were 24 and getting too old to strip anymore. This table of students was a bit chatty throughout, but pretty much on board with the activities and tuned into the lecture.
Ah, the lecture. I hate lecture. It's a pain in the ass for me and it's not all that exciting for the kids, but sometimes it has to happen. I impressed myself with the fact that I actually had all of this information off the top of my head --- well, I made an outline last night, but the content was all from memory.
We did an improve activity where the students got to work in small groups and then present to the class. Only a couple of the groups were cop-outs and even though I didn't get from them all what I was looking for (my fault for not understanding that they didn't understand) what I did get was a lot of students going above and beyond what was actually required for the activiy and performing some full-blown pantomime sketches.
So, of my 100 minutes I had material well in hand for 90 of it and all three classes got to work on their journals or talk quietly for the last ten minutes of class. Not too bad seeing as how I thought I'd be teaching English rather than Drama up until Friday.
The administration and staff are all lovely and very friendly. The principal stopped in at my first period class and then at my fifth period class and I just thank my lucky stars that fifth period was amazingly quiet and tuned in when he happened to drop by. If he'd seen them for the bulk of the class he might have had some concerns about me.
So, tomorrow I have no classes but I'll be on campus and will hopefully get a tour so I can find stuff. I'd also love a list of my students so I can put them in my gradebook and draw up a seating chart. Oh, and a handbook on school policy would be nice so that I know whether or not I'm throwing a monkeywrench in things by letting students out of class to use the restroom.
Ai-yi-yi. I'll get there, but man is it exhausting and a bit overwhelming. It's kind of like being taught to swim by being thrown overboard in deep water. In a storm. With circling sharks. And a flesh wound. ;-> 24321. concerned - 9/3/2008 5:12:52 AM I can count myself among the victims of Hurricane Gustav now. A remnant of the storm dumped rain on some unfinished woodwork I had outdoors while I was at work. So I'll probably have to wait a couple of days to let it dry before I resand & reseal & repaint it. 24322. alistairconnor - 9/3/2008 8:52:33 AM Ramen Noodle City and a roommate
You've captured the zeitgeist there, girl... Lovely phrase.
It sounds like you were born for the job. Well, that your character and life experience have trained you wonderfully well for it. In six months I expect you'll be running the place.
I wonder if I can get my daughter to do a guest post on her drama classes... 24323. thoughtful - 9/3/2008 1:41:30 PM congrats ms no! Nothing like finding a job you'd be happy to do for nothing and getting paid to do it besides! Sounds like a perfect match up. I'm so pleased for you!
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