Special Thx
and in other news…
My AP course was approved!
which means when I resubmitted (for the 3rd frickin time) at 10:30 last night and it was approved by 11:30 PM NO ONE READ IT. and if they actually did I will gladly eat every page of it and post the video to youtube.
The Birthday Extravaganza #12
Yesterday our oldest turned 12. Today, we shall let her eat cake. (and ice cream and cookies and chips and cheese dip and chocolate) Today, we shall celebrate…her.
We have been in NC since August 1 and I think for the first time our Big Kid has made real friends. Yes, she has had friends before, but I don’t know how “real” they were. This is the first time she has had several girls over for a birthday party. Usually it is just one, maybe two and family. Her interaction with friends is different now too. It is laden with the excitement I remember from my own preteen/teen years. The joy of being with friends you can be goofy with can be seen on her face. It warms my heart to know that our first born is finding her place in this world, and is being accepted by her peers. Acceptance is something we all crave, and we thrive from it. Even when we claim a non-conformist view of the world, we still want to be accepted in it…accepted for who we are.
Now. . . if I don’t put the laptop away and get to cleaning I will be embarrassed come 2:00 PM. Don’t get me wrong, Jem has done a wonderful job keeping the house maintained. However, from a mother’s point of view the bathrooms and floors need a good scrub, decorations will have to be utilized and cheese dip prepared. Time to get started.
Finish line
I made it!
It really has been a race to the end of term two. With an understanding administration I struggled through a major multi-tasking adventure. Teaching, mock trial, and frantic grading became my life. The Monday after we returned was MLK and snow was expected on Tuesday. I drove to school got what I needed to grade. I also HAD to rework and resubmit my syllabus. That was priority one. Out of school on Tuesday, I finished the syllabus and did little to prepare for Wednesday. In school on Wednesday it was trying just to get through the day. MT after school, more grading too, but I had to prepare for teaching on Thursday and Friday. Thursday was another long day with MT that evening. I managed to get most of my quizzes in the computer before practice. Friday was much better and I completed the grades for one class, but didn’t get their major project in the computer so I couldn’t generate. I was also told Friday that it was no big deal if I completed my grades by the end of next week. Phew! I can relax a little this weekend. I went to school Saturday, with my girls, and worked on tests. Not that productive. Sunday, I did very little with my grades. I finished another set of tests and didn’t stress. Admin said not to remember? Late Monday it was a different story. It was not a demand, but a request that my grades be complete by Wednesday morning. Could I do that? WTH?!?! You said END of next week! Do I freakin have a choice? “Of course, they will be complete no problem.” Yesterday was a 15 hour day and my students were told to sit down, be quiet, and leave me alone. Video for one class, short and sweet lecture/discussion for another… thankfully a three period day and one of the periods was my planning. I despise the find something to do while I work, but there was no other option. I had to finish grading AP exams and current event portfolios, enter into the computer, post and calculate. I also had mock trial practice for three hours that evening. I finished all grading by MT practice and did the grade entering after practice. Success and relief, my T2 grades were finished by midnight.
How did today go? I’m glad I like teaching the Civil War and do not have to refresh before teaching the catalysts because it would have been a rough day otherwise. Throughout the day I consumed a pot of coffee. My second AP class insisted I write bullet points on the board because I was slightly speedy in my explanation. By the last period of the day I was operating on caffeine crash. They were amused. I lisp when I am tired. Honestly, I am glad it is over. The frantic race to completion was exhausting, but at least now I do not have to stress over it. …
Now…I’m ready for Idol to off, my children to be in bed, and the DVR playing 24. I missed it Monday night and I have forbidden my students from discussing it…I hear it was great.
One more thing…
Monday of this week (what a wonderful day that was) I found out my syllabus was rejected again. <insert expletive here> They were not happy with the amount of writing I require. My AP students are fearful that I will now add more. I assured them I would not. I had to email for clarification because I included every essay that I require (13, I counted) with a * stating that I include others when appropriate. I also included a DBQ, pulled from the AP site, and a link to other DBQs stating that I use them throughout the year. I also require at least 10 short answer/essay questions per unit.
The response? you should provide specific evidence–within units–that AP level DBQ are assigned on a regular basis. Citing questions from old APUS exams would work here. Simply using an example and linking to your source is not sufficient. My 20 page syllabus is about to be 40. Is it really that awful that it should be rejected twice??? The one accepted last year was crap and I couldn’t follow it so I had to create my own! x2…Really??? My Syllabus
I am almost finished with the redo. I am not changing much. Simply referencing every DBQ we will do and removing all mention of discuss when we write essays. Maybe that will do it.
*Please forgive all typos and weird wording. I have typed with interruption, stopped/started and reworded and I’m really just too tired to proof. I’m off duty anyway.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hanging on by a thread…
Just hanging on
After reading the last post of Tense I am rather frustrated. Not because of what Tense said, but because it is a reminder that I too need to achieve a healthier lifestyle and was on the right track. I was doing so well…and then life got in the way. 
I am really struggling to find time for exercise…shoot, I’m finding it difficult to get sufficient rest. I’m so far behind in my teacher responsibilities. Grades were due and I didn’t make the deadline. Admin is not concerned. They understand that family comes first, but that doesn’t change that I’m now playing catch up. It doesn’t change that my students need to know their average. It doesn’t change that my family needs me too.
I’m feeling a little lost these days. When did “me” disappear? I am a wife. I am a mother. I am a teacher. I am a team sponsor. Sometimes it feels that I am a teacher over everything else. Why do I let it consume me? How do I prevent it from consuming me? Where is the balance? Where did “me” go? When am I me? I know that all of my roles are part of me, but I get so lost in the responsibility that I don’t even recognize the joy of them anymore. I need to reclaim the joy. I need to reclaim me.
Scenic Views
Several days ago I mentioned that I wanted to share the scenic views of my FIL. The following pics were taken along the beaches of Alabama. Enjoy 
The President and his Crackberry
BBC NEWS | Americas | US Elections 2008 | Obama allowed to keep BlackBerry
President of the United States and he is worried about being “connected” to people who can text/email/whatever when he does something stupid? Really?
“If I’m doing something stupid, somebody in Chicago can send me an e-mail and say, ‘What are you doing?’”
Because Chicago is the authority these days…Do we really need the President of the United States addicted to his crackberry?
Under the post-Watergate Presidential Records Act, most correspondence from the White House apart from that classed as “strictly personal” is recorded in the national archives.
So what is stopping President Obama from conducting non “strictly personal” correspondence with his crackberry? Not that he would stoop to such communication, but what is stopping it? What about the GPS feature? Isn’t that a security risk as well?
Curious of the safeguards in place, I looked for more information on this issue. UK news, NZ news and gizmodo are the only places I can easily find mention, but I soon stumbled across a story on MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28780205/. They are THE news source for all things Obama and it was actually a thorough write-up that explains some of the safety measures in place, but it still seems like a security risk. The GPS chip will have to be removed, but what about triangulating the cell signal? Wasn’t his cell service compromised pre-election? It was not clear about the Presidential Records Act requirements.
I can’t imagine giving up my phone, laptop, and email…but it seems that national security should/would take precedent over my gadget addiction. Here’s hoping for good encryption, unbreakable code, and safe cell surfing.
Snow Day!
I am so thankful to have the day to catch up on grading. More pics later…right now I am attempting to be responsible and make progress on my work.
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| From January Snow 08 |
(click pic for more)
We’re home…
After several days, lots of tears, and lots of driving we we are back home in NC. Thank you for the kind words. We’re still in a daze.
I have many pics I want to share. My FIL had a great eye for a good scenic photo.
Until time permits…thanks for stopping by.
He will be missed…
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| From Family |
Please pray for our family as we mourn the passing of Jem’s dad.
Life simplified
How do you simplify your life? I often say that I am not getting something right if I am continually exhausted and continually dedicating a large majority of my time to work. Family suffers. Work suffers. Mind suffers. Body suffers. How do you balance? Personally, I believe I need to step back and evaluate.
Flair
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