Good day all,

New crop of middlings arrives Monday... and it appears with a hurricane right on their heels on Tuesday.  Is this an omen?  My projector bulb has burned out and we have no extras on campus, but our librarian lent me hers so I'm still in business.  I still have 5 student computers to set up, 2 electricity kits to sort out, and a half a dozen boxes of supplies to unpack, sort out and stow away.  I have lesson plans for Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.  I should be OK. 

We had an Orientation day last week and I had 79 families show up out of the 140 I had on my roster at that time.  This is an amazing turn-out, I've only had 20-25 in the past.  I still have one class with 2 more students than I have chairs and that includes the chair I brought from home so I could use the back half of my desk.  I've had 38 in another school district, but my lab was about 1/3 larger and had more than enough chairs.  So much for the class size amendment... apparently they are not going to enforce it because budgets are under such stress.

On the absolutely amazing side, my gal pal arranged a suprise birthday lucheon for me.  I can't remember the last time I had a birthday party.  At home my birthday fell between or during the community festival or the county fair.  We were too busy chasing stock (both live and boxed), taking down or setting up,  adn all kinds of other activities.  I was totally surprised!  And even had one gal that couldn't make it call me at home with good wishes.  Heard from all the children except Joy, which has me a bit concerned... I'm afraid she has caught my yellow funk.  She really needs/wants a new job, but just  isn't happening.  Everyone says she's great and interviews well, but is advertising because it is the law... they all intended to hire from within.  Makes one crazy.  She has 4 years experience teaching behaviorally challenged kiddos plus her Masters in Special Education.   Good jobs are difficult to come by everywhere.

I'm still hanging on in to my reading course by the skin of my teeth.  I'm still pulling an A, but I'm back to being 2 weeks behind.  ACK!!!  How can I demand assignments on time from my middlings when I know I can't keep my own head above water?

I'm off to bed.  Need a good night's sleep.  I must get my classroom set up completely tomorrow .  Should probably get some extra batteries, stockpile some water and print up at least one of my reading lessons just in case Fay decides to blow us away us instead of play nice and just dump lots of water on us and the fine state of Georgia.

Keeping positive energy on my heart

be well dear friends

Good day all,

I am happily ensconced at school taking the mineral ID course I wanted.  Today was a field trip day.  We journeyed into South Carolina to Chunky Gal Mountain (which really looked like a series of mountains to me) to search for garnets & rubies.  I had some luck with the garnet hunting.  I have 2 particularly nice specimens to work with tomorrow.  On the ruby front none of use scored.  Last class found 2, so just not in our stars I suppose.  I also picked up some other specimens that I liked, but I haven't a clue what they are.  Several of the more experienced folk just smiled at me, but that's what learning is all about.  They only took the course for the field trips.  I, on the other hand, am looking for the know how.  My immediate curiosity is what does garnet grow with.  Lots of quartz, no garnet.  Garnet is found in a very hard dark colored rock.  I am tired and sore and very happy.  I will sleep well tonight.

I am caught up on my reading endoresement class... until Friday when I will be behind again.  I've only finished half of this week's lesson and I have to redo part of it.  I keep making the mistake of framing my answers in my world, the world of middle school.  Instructor wants answers framed in terms of the academic expectation.  So when we talk about the emergent reader, we are talking about Pre-k & kindergarteners, not eigth grade English Language Learners.  Makes me crazy, I have no experience teaching anything below 3rd grade & I only did that for a week to help out a friend.  I have dealt with youngin's one-on-one, but enmass... ouch, that's a whole new world of classroom management.  Grumble, grumble... I wanted to be a happy-go-lucky student this week.

I am off to dinner and an auction.  Maybe I shall pick-up a find. 

be well dear friends