brrrr

It was -10 degrees when I was driving to work today. It should be illegal to have to go to school when it is that cold. And, apparently our heating system at the school doesn't work correctly when it is less than 10 degrees. So, my room started out FREEZING today and slowly as the day has been going on it is getting HOT HOT HOT . It is not a good feeling.

Once again in my life I have learned that when I don't get enough sleep I get cranky and irritable. Last night we got home from our game at 12:30 and then I had to get warm and get in bed, fall asleep around 1 and then wake up at like 6:20 to freeze again and work another 10 1/2 hour work day.

But I learned something else important today too... Good moods are contagious. One of the basketball girls is in my 2nd period class and she just makes me happy. She is usually happy and in a good mood and just nice to everyone. She is always joking around with me and I just love her. I am glad that her mood slightly rubbed off on me today otherwise it would have been a long day for me and for my students. (I guess it didn't completely rub off though because I kicked 2 kids out today and made my entire 4th period sit in complete silence for the last 5 minutes of class today- but I guess things could have been worse)

Christmas break is in the near future and oh boy am I excited.

I'm still here...

Wow, it has been 2 months since I have posted. Sorry if there are people who still even check this thing . Things have been crazy busy lately. We finished our first trimester the week before thanksgiving so I was busy writing reviews, helping students, writing tests, making keys, making copies, grading assignments, entering grades, dealing with crazies, oh... and trying to have a personal life. And, to top it all off, basketball started and is already up and rolling again. If I am not careful I might fall asleep right now. I am tired all the time. It is worth it though. I have a pretty good life and I like my job. Yes, there has already been quite the good amount of drama with basketball this year and my team has been struggling but I still think it is one of the best jobs in the world. Those girls teach me something every day and I am forever grateful that I get to be a part of their lives right now and them a part of mine. Don't know what I would do without them.

Whoever said that the 2nd year of teaching was easier than the first made a HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT! I cannot even begin to explain to someone how much better this year has been going. I know what I am doing now. I know what to expect. I know how to handle things. I know all of the school rules and policies. I know which students to watch out for and which ones need a little extra attention. I know what to avoid and who I can talk to. I could go on and on. Lets just say, I know a whole lot more this year than I did last year. And, I love that.

Things are good overall. Thanksgiving break was very much needed and I hope the 3 weeks until Christmas break go insanely fast. I think they're going to. We have 3 games every week until then. I think I might sleep through the first 2 or 3 days after I get home.

Well, that's all for now. I would like to say that I am going to try to write more but I have said that before and it didn't happen and I don't want to make myself a liar again.

Inservice

I think that teacher inservice days are a waste of my time. Why is it beneficial for me to go to a class all day long that is supposed to teach me all of these amazing new things when what they are teaching is what I JUST learned in college not even 2 years ago. I mean really... are there teachers out there that have no clue what they're doing?? Becuase that's what I feel like this class is for. Also, why oh why do teachers complain SO much about their students? If you have so many negative things to say why are you a teacher at all? Deal with the fact that they are kids still and have problems and have drama and have a hard time with life sometimes and they are HUMAN so they aren't going to be perfect all the time! Blah... I need a the weekend.

Oh my...

I am pretty sure that one of my students was drunk yesterday in class. What am I supposed to do when I think that? I have no idea.

Today I am almost positive I heard arrangements being made for a drug deal. Right out in the open for everyone to hear. I went and told the vice principal cause I have no idea what I am supposed to do in that situation.

Why are these kids who are 15 or 16 years old even involved in this??

I'm really here

Ok I know that I said I was going to try to do better at updating this blog and believe me, I have tried. I actually think about it a lot and think that I need to get on here and write but I just seem to never have time. I feel busy now.... what am I going to do when basketball starts?!

So lately I have been struggling with being grumpy with my students. Not all of my students though. It seems like if one of my classes is bad then my grumpyness lingers to all of the classes for the rest of the day. Or, if I have something going on in my personal life I am not the most patient teacher and I have a hard time dealing with kids doing things they aren't supposed to do. I feel bad when I am like this. I am taking things out on students that have done nothing wrong. I think my 6th period class thinks I am always grumpy or in a bad mood. I don't like this. I don't know what to do. Maybe now that I am more aware of it I won't do it as often. Sometimes I just get so tired of repeating myself and telling the same kids the same things every stinkin day. I have had to send more kids out in the hall this year than I did last year for bad behavior, bad language, yelling at me, and things like that. I don't know if the kids are worse or I expect more. I think its a little of both.

Well, my lunch is pretty much over so I should get some things done before next period. Hopefully I get out of this funk soon.

Accident

One of my student/basketball girls from last year got in a car accident this summer. She fell asleep on her way home from Utah and rolled her car. She ended up 150 yards from the freeway down in a ravine. Search and rescue had to come and get her out and she was life-flighted to Utah to the trauma center there. I was in Hawaii at the time and felt so helpless I almost couldn't handle it. Hate to admit it, but she is by far my most favorite student I have ever had and maybe ever will have. I was in shock. I found out that she broke her back in 5 places, broke almost every single one of her ribs, damaged her spline almost beyond repair, and broke her neck in 2 places. Everything about this accident should have left her either dead or paralyzed. Amazingly, she is neither. She had 2 major surgeries and is already walking around doing great. She has 2 metal rods up her back with screws everywhere. She said her x-rays look like there's a ladder running up her back. When search and rescue was cutting her out they accidentally sliced her open about 5 times on her side. She is going to have more scars than anyone ever should.

She came to see me yesterday after school and she looks AMAZING. She still is wearing her brace that looks horribly uncomfortable and still is in a lot of pain but overall, I couldn't believe how good she looked. It was so nice to see her. I think the thing that made me most happy was she just looked happy. She has had to deal with quite a lot in her personal life and it always seemed like it was wearing on her but yesterday it was like she was so comfortable with her life and just content. It made me so happy to see that she has come out of this horrible accident with such a good attitude and doesn't complain about it. I mean sure some days she's told me she's tired of everything and just wants the pain to stop and for everything to be back to how it was but who wouldn't say that in this situation? I was actually a little jealous about how happy she was. Man this girl has changed my life more than she'll ever know. I'm so glad she made it and is doing so awesome.

A New Year!

Ok so I know I failed terribly at keeping this thing up to date last year. Things were just much busier than expected! Maybe I will do better this year.

Meetings start next week and then students come on the 24th. I will say that this year I am WAY less nervous than I was last year. I know what to expect, what's expected of me, and just feel like I know the ropes. First year teaching is tiring. I know this year will be tiring too but I feel more capable of handling it. The only thing I am a little nervous about is I have heard that the incoming freshman are a nightmare. That means that I have to be a strict meany for the first couple of months or things will not happen this year. People that know me outside of being a teacher sometimes think its funny when I tell them I am actually really strict. Mostly I get that reaction from people at church and things who don't know me other than what they saw this last year. I think that they see the goofy immature side of me more often because by the time I get home from work everyday I am so tired of being composed and the serious one in charge I just can't handle it anymore and I let loose! It is pretty fun though.

Well, I hope this year is amazing and even better than last year. And, hopefully I do a little better about keeping this thing updated!

3rd Tri

We just started our 3rd trimester on Monday. I CANNOT believe that we are this far in the year already. This year is flying by so so fast. I think that 2nd trimester went pretty well. I made it through the craziness of coaching and still survived and taught my students a lot of math. When we started reviewing for the final they could not believe how much they had learned. It made them and me feel pretty good about how things had gone. I think that 6 of my students failed but honestly, probably only one of them failed because he couldn't understand the math very well. The rest failed because they were lazy so I don't feel so bad about them. I can only get them to do so much and then they have to take some responsibility.

On the note of failing... I have on Algebra 2 student that failed. This came as no surprise to me. He had been failing for at least a month. The final comes around and he failed it, BAD. He ended up with a 52% in the class I think. So, the 1st day of the new trimester during one of my classes here he comes with his mom. They ask if I have a minute to talk to them, during class. Ok, first of all, don't interrupt my class. Set up a time when I can talk to you and I will be more understanding. Secondly, you are a senior in high school! Take some responsibility for yourself, don't bring your mommy with you to have her bail you out. This kid is a nice enough kid. I don't mind him as a person. As a student... so not fun. He is one that told me this DURING a TEST because I wouldn't help him do a problem "That's why students don't learn it because teachers aren't willing to help!" Where does he get off telling me that he isn't doing well because I won't tell help him do his test problem?? I would have been more than willing to help him anytime leading up to the test even that morning but once the test starts, its too late. That is HIS fault, not mine. So, I guess to make a long headache of a story short. I basically told him and his mom that there wasn't anything that he or I could do at this point and that it was too late. And, I don't even really feel bad about it.

On the last stretch of the year.... Bring it on.

Not Dead

Ok, so I know that it seems like this blog has died but it has not! I refuse to let it!!! I guess that basketball made me more busy than I even realized and I didn't have time for anything other than school and ball. Not even time for this blog! But, basketball is over so now I might have time to function and do the things that I want to do. 2nd trimester ends in 2 1/2 weeks. I cannot believe that we are already that far into the year. Looking back, I think that this trimester has gone a lot better than last trimester did. I feel like I am more organized and just a better teacher in general. I act more like I want to act when I am in class and I feel like I am finally letting the kids get to know the real me a little more which I think helps things a lot. I am sure that I have a lot of good stories that I should have put on here but right now, I don't have the energy or the brain power to write them. I will slowly start to add some of the stuff that has been happening. Mostly this post is just to say that there will be more posts to come!

2 minute post

I only have 2 minutes until my prep is over. I must say... I don't think that I have ever been as busy as I am right now in my entire life. Even when I was going to school full time and working 2 jobs I feel like I had more free time. I think that it is mostly because I feel like basketball consumes my life. And, I'm not upset that it does. I love coaching and I love everything that it has brought to my life. I can't imagine not knowing all of the girls that play. I get so upset when I see them upset.

Teaching is going well. I am getting more organized and on top of things. Nothing too exciting to report...