Just Too Busy and Boring

I haven't written on here lately because this is the busiest time of the year yet also the most boring for other people to hear about. I have been planning my class's field trip. I have taken up about 10 prep periods and am still not done. So far we are reading to the residents at the retirement home, one of the residents used to live across the street from the school and loves to have us come visit her. Then we are going to the bank and then the hospital. We will have lunch in the 4-H building so no matter if it is rainy or windy we will have a place to stretch, go to the bathroom and run. Then we are going to the Humane Society and then to the Fire Station for a tour through their new storm safety house. They will simulate a storm and tornado and teach the kids what to do. It sounds pretty neat to me. The other Third Grade teacher has done NOTHING to help me plan this. She just said to me to " just do it." Then we have our final Good Friends celebration coming up. There is so much to do for that I don't even know how to explain it all to her. We have to get decorations bought and then put up that afternoon. Then we have to get the invitations sent and the information to parents and Good Friends. We need to get a program made with a picture of the kids on it. There is just a bunch to do. Oh well. We have achievement tests next week so have this week to get ready.
Then at home I am trying to get things cleaned up. I have a plan to change my cow bedroom into an office. I have a leather chaise lounge in the basement I am going to bring up, put a TV on the wall and get a desk and some bright lamps. I think it will be kind of neat.
That's about it for here.

Update on the Last Blog

Thank you for all the nice comments and I am glad that some people updated their blogs. I went to the eye Dr. and my numbers were back to high normal so I don't have to go back for a year. I have worn my new glasses and they really help. We went to visit the school that does the Reading Series we are looking at. I guess as far as I can see it is just another reading series. I can teach it, I am sure. It reminds me of how I learned reading and I am a very good reader so I have nothing against the program. Two things really worry me. One, everyone I know that has taught out of it says that you cry the whole first year and parents are very unsure of it. The other is the cost! They could bring in a college class and give us all three hours and spend less money. Maybe that would be a better use of the money. Then, no matter what you are teaching, we teachers could do it the way they seem to want it. One argument I have heard for it is that it takes the teacher element out of it but after observing I would have to argue that that is not true. We watched several teachers today and all of their own styles came thru loud and clear. It involves testing every week and recording "data", the new buzz word for education. It looks like it would take a long time. Right now our kids leave at 3:45. That only gives us 15 minutes of school time to do anything. If that is the schedule next year, then they will have to figure out a time for us to assimilate all our data. The rumor is that next year our kids will leave at 3:15. That would give us 45 minutes which would probably do it. Who knows. I saw two people I know that were teachers there so that was nice. It was a nice trip and the weather was beautiful. I am very tired though.
I heard back from the kids I sent one package to. I am so glad they like the books. I don't know if everyone feels the same about Marc Brown but I was pretty much in awe when I saw him.
I had a great Friday the 13th. A safe trip and I got to eat lunch with Janny and Jim and Valerie went with me. We hadn't done anything for a long time and it was lots of fun to spend some time with her
I heard from the sermon that we are to love people for who they are and nothing more. Not what they can do for us or get us so I have decided to not mention wanting a house again. Maybe I will start buying lottery tickets! I love Neal for being him and for making me laugh and feel safe, not for what he can get me. (Obviously, because he hasn't gotten me that much stuff.) Ha Ha. No, really though. Maybe if I had money, I wouldn't want to share it either.
That brings up another topic. Love of Money. Maybe the next blog.......
Here's hoping that everyone is happy and safe. Remember, that we can't control what other people do. We can only control how we handle it and what we do with it. There will always be people that are mean and unfair and we have to figure out how to deal with it. I have experienced that all my life but especially this year at work. I have just decided that I will be me and whatever happens, happens. Not that I don't worry or feel bad but in the long run, those people are not important to me. Maybe that is another blog topic too. We could all tell our thoughts.
Thanks again for the comments!

Finally Feeling Better

Well, it has been almost three weeks and I think I am finally over whatever bug I had. It really had put me behind at work and at home to feel so lousy for so long. Now, I will have to use my one day Spring Break to do report cards and get ready for a substitute in my classroom. My principal is looking for a new reading series and we are going to go watch one particular series in action on Monday. We will have to leave home at 6:15 a.m. I am anxious to watch it and see how it goes. I have to go to Kearney tomorrow to the eye doctor. My pressure number was way too high so he wants to check it out again. Hopefully, it will have gone down. I know of three other people going to Kearney to doctors tomorrow. All at different clinics and all at different times.
This really is a whatever blog tonight. I have checked almost every night and no one has posted anything new or posted any comments. I guess everyone is as busy as I am and not having the time or inclination to put any effort into the blogging game? or whatever you call it.
We looked at a really nice house last week. I really do want a house but HE says it is too small and expensive so I guess we are not going to get a house. I suppose I should stop bothering the real estate agent and just accept it but I keep hoping.
Tonight I was on the bed with all three kitties beside me. Paris and Marsha were actually both sleeping beside each other. Well, Marsha was sleeping. I think Paris was faking. Olivia was stretched out and sound asleep. I even fell asleep for a little bit but then HE was watching a basketball game that went into 6 overtimes so I had to get up and watch.
This has been a week that I have been thinking about my family a lot. My cousin in Minnesota lost her husband and had a funeral on Monday. My cousin in Florida called and told me he had no reason to live and that he loved me. Makes me wonder what he is up to. I have been too afraid to call him to see if he will answer. Today was my uncle's birthday and my cousin in Kansas had a birthday today. Tomorrow is my cousin Sam's birthday. He'll be 40. We are so lucky to have him as a part of our family and we love him bunches. My nephew is even named after him. My 21 year old niece moved out of home today and into her own apartment. What an exciting time for her. My nephew just turned 16 and is driving. Oh my! My mom is getting better after not being able to talk for several weeks. Neal's dad had been under going tests this week and found out that both his cancers are "awake" again. He starts treatments next week. This will be about the fourth time. His niece turns 13 on Saturday. Now she is a teenager. I sent packages to two cousins last week and haven't heard from either of them. I hope they received them. I guess it was just a week to think about family and to know that even though we have troubles we are so lucky to have such a loving family.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy Friday the 13th.

Crazy Cell Phone Lady

As I said before, I spent a lot of time with a bunch of teachers all looking for the best way to teach reading to a society that really doesn't value reading all that much. Part of the Reading Conference was a visit with Marc Brown, the author of the Arthur books. What a great thing to be in the same room with someone as brilliant and talented as he. He was also very gracious and nice and a very good speaker. At our banquet, which cost $27 to attend, he gave the after dinner speech. He was talking and we were laughing and listening intently when "Ring, Ring." The lady sitting behind us had not turned her phone off. Instead of silencing it or getting up quickly and heading toward the nearest exit, she hunkered down low and answered her phone. OK, she was older and there are times when you do have to be available so say hello and then head out. Nope. She hunkered down lower and started arguing with someone on the other end. "No, that it too far. You can't go there. Where are you? Be careful." All the while this very respected speaker is trying to talk. He is sort of looking around trying to figure out where the talking is coming from but of course, he can't see her. She is hiding behind me. I can't hear the speaker at all. She was very annoying. So, one of the organizers of the conference went over and took her by the elbow and told her she would have to step out. She yanked her elbow out and practically yelled, "I am talking to my husband!" Well, Tiffany tried to explain without talking that she needed to step out. "No! He is is a blizzard really far away and I have to talk to him now!" She did hang up but no apology to the rest of us or a thought given that she was in a room of 300 or more people. Marc Brown just kept talking and was very gracious.

It Takes All Kinds

I have just been reminded that it certainly takes all kinds to make the world go round. I spent last week spending time around teachers from many different schools. Monday and Tuesday I was home with pneumonia like symptoms. Wednesday I went to a large meeting in which there were about 150 teachers from probably 12-14 different schools where we looked at samples from many Reading companies so we can all choose the magic program to "Make our reading scores go up." There were two professors from UNL there to convince us to buy one certain program or to supplement whatever we chose, with some programs that they are the only ones in the state trained to sell. They kept reminding us that they weren't endorsing any one program but we should choose a program that is vertical in nature and there is only one. Anyway, there were all kinds of people there but all of them were there with students in mind and trying really hard to pick out the best for their kids and their reading scores. Then I spent Thursday night through Saturday afternoon with 800 teachers who were spending time and money to find the best ideas for teaching reading to our students and listening to college professors from Doane, UNK and UNO telling us that what the other two told us was a bunch of hooey and that they are just pushing a program that they make money from. What is the best choice? I find it amazing that so many teachers can be spending so much time and effort to help our students learn to read. I think that shows what teachers are made of.
So even if we all looked different and all had different backgrounds and ideas there was lots of conversation and lots of listening and everyone worked together to help our students.