Sooo....

I ♥ my new job!! I ♥ the students, I ♥ the teacher's aides, I ♥ the rest of CHS staff too. Everyone’s been SO awesome and helpful! I have a few problem students, but that's to be expected and I’m learning to deal with them. What I permit in my classroom, I promote, and there’s a few things I’ve got to stop permitting. But overall I’m really enjoying the job and the learning experiences that it’s giving me. =o)

I even like the Master's classes I have this semester. One of them is "Action Research" where basically, I try to help a student, or a group of students, and I document it. (In a certain way of course.) This class has caused me to come up with a great “book club” idea that will be a relevant way to benefit my students *right now*. It will definitely help them, and in the process, might make me look good with the principal. AND, if it works well, and if it works out that I can stay in this same position next year, it will definitely benefit my students in the future.

The other course is "Foundations of Measurement" and we've been talking about benchmarks, how to 'unpack' them, and focus in on singular skills to work on with students. This has been especially helpful for the set of students I’m working with.

If you think about it, the benchmark "A student will read a paragraph and identify the main idea" is a very complex skill. First the student has to be able to read, and that's a whole other ball of wax right there. Then the student needs to be able to read a group of sentences and comprehend capitalization, punctuation, and vocabulary. Then they have to link that all together into understanding. Then they have to weed through what they think they understand, combine it with their previous accumulated life knowledge, and comprehend that. They also have to remember what they’ve just read, compare it to the question that was asked, and evaluate if their answer actually answers the question that was asked. If somewhere along the line they’ve missed one of those steps, or if they are a very week reader, then... yeah... it's not gonna happen.

So anyway... this class has helped me to realize that I can’t just look at a teacher’s manual, teach from that, and be done. I can’t just say “Read this paragraph and tell me what it means” and then expect the student to be able to do it. I have to approach it in a different way. I’ve got to make sure the student has mastered all of the steps needed to complete the task or else how can I expect them to complete it? This class is helping me break those benchmarks down identify the singular skills that my students will need. I've really enjoyed it. In fact, this class has been my favorite one out of this whole masters program.

I was SO nervous before this semester... I spent sleepless nights worrying how I’d be able to cope with the stress of these final Masters classes, along with the stress of learning a new job, being a new teacher, and ... yadda-yadda-yadda, everything else. But it all seems to be falling into place and working together. This has been the perfect time for me to take these classes and start this new job. So I guess God knows what he’s doing after all. =o) And now that I’m done with the “traveling to Pensacola on Saturday mornings” portion of the EDF class, I’ll get my full weekend back. *Whew!*

So anyway, in conclusion... the world has a happy (but extremely busy) Lori, and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. (No more homework soon!!)

So I got the job that I mentioned earlier. (yay!) I'm going to be a teacher at Crestview High School. It's in a EH classroom, and I'm not exactly sure what I'm expected to do yet... but I think this is a direction that I'm meant to go in.

This should be an interesting semester. I'm starting this new job, and there will be lots of learning associated with that. It's also the final big semester of my Masters degree and there's a big project involved. Also, part of the classes are in person, in Pensacola, on saturday mornings, so that's gonna suck. (ugg!) I'm a little concerned about the clash of the classes vs. new job, but when April finally rolls around it'll be smooth sailing.

Then one last class over the summer and I am DONE with my education for a looong time. I am *sick* of spending every waking moment thinking about when my assignments are due.

So.. here we go!

Ok, so interview done. Now the waiting begins.
=o)

You know what I’d like to see?

A “Ghost Hunter” type show, where they send ghost hunting teams into houses or places that they know nothing about… (No past history, no stories, no pre-supposed ghost suspicions, no “psychics”…) and *then* let them investigate. Some of the places would have had reported paranormal activity, and an equal number of places have never had any known paranormal activity.

I wonder what would happen.
I wonder if the teams would find paranormal activity in every house, or if they’d find more or less activity in the regular houses, vs. the labeled ‘haunted’ houses.
I wonder if they’d simply find stuff, because they were ‘looking’ for stuff.

My suspicion is that the usual hallmarks of paranormal activity can be found in any place, haunted or not. I don’t know if that’s right or not, but it’s interesting to think about.

Anyway, I’d watch a show like that. For a little while anyway. Then I’d probably flip over to the Cartoon Network.

I called Atlanta Cutlery/ Museum Replicas to discuss the shipping issue UPS/USPS and the guy HUNG UP ON ME!!!

Oh no. This will not do. Not at all.

Imagine that you order something online and are forced to pay and extra $15.00 to have your order shipped via UPS. (You're not given another choice when you order.) They send you a tracking number for UPS, only it's not a UPS number, it's a USPS number. You find this out when you try to actually track your package through UPS and their site says that your tracking number is not valid. So on a hunch, you take the number to the USPS site and plug it in there. That's where you find all your package tracking info.

I KNOW they didn't pay $15.00 to send this stupid thing through the regular US postal service!!! When I ordered the thing, I specified UPS. (There was no other choice!) On all the documentation I've gotten, the company has specified that it'd be sent UPS. The tracking number was sent saying "This is your UPS tracking number" 23352345pu345blahblahblah...
I ordered this through a reputable company, (Museumreplicas.com) so they should know better than to do the bait and switch right?


I think I'm entitled to a refund of my shipping charges. What do you think?? Or am I being too anal about this?

So, my laptop bit the big one. Well, maybe it didn’t, I just can’t get it to boot up. I’m hoping some of my computer friends might be able to help me out with that in the near future.
However, that laptop was getting a bit long in the tooth, and I needed something for my classes that start next week, so I took the advice of the universe to “Buy the system that your most computer literate friends are using” and I got an Mac Book Pro. However, I am going to have it partitioned so that I can run it as a Mac or a PC. But that’s not the cool thing.

So I bought this Mac Book Pro. Paid a pretty penny for it, I don’t mind tellin’ ya. I ordered it on the 13th, and it was due to be delivered today. I didn’t get it, because the Fed Ex guy came by... but nobody was home to accept it and he needed a signature. So I’ll get it tomorrow. I hate waiting. But I digress, that’s not the cool thing.

So I purchased this system on the 13th, and TODAY I got an advert in my email that says, “Buy a Mac Book Pro between the dates of “such and such” and get a rebate AND a free iPod touch!” I was like WHAAAAA???? MAN!!! I want a rebate and a free iPod touch!

So I called the Apple Store, gave them my order number, explained that I was an educator and asked if I was qualified to get the rebate and the iPod. I was told (by a very sweet lady named Kimberly… she was really very nice…) that I could get the rebate, but in order to get the iPod, I’d have to return the system, (and she’d send me some free return labels,) then I’d have to re-order it through the ‘educator portal’ and then I could get the iPod. I might have said… well I did say, MAN!! What a JIP!!! (But I said it in a nice way.) She said that she was sorry, but that was the process and there was nothing she could do. I thought to myself, “Surely there is something that can be done!!” and I asked to speak with a manager.

Kimberly put me on hold for about 5 minutes so she could contact a manager. When she got back on the line with me, she told me that the manager approved my discount, and that with proof that I was an educator, she could send me the iPod too. I wouldn't have to send my system back. All I had to do was fax a copy of my nametag to them and boom, my iPod would be on order for me.

Yay!

So, the cool thing is, I was going to pay $1800 (or so) for the Mac Book Pro originally. Now I’ve got an educator discount of about $200 off of that. On top of that I get a rebate of $229 for an iPod touch, (have to pay for it up front, then send off for the rebate) so it ends up I’m getting about $400 in freebies.

Woot! Go Mac!!

Glasses for Student update...

It's been two weeks since we put in the paperwork, and the Lion's club has officially voted on paying for glasses for my student. It's been APPROVED!! WOOT!! WOOT!!!!!! WOOT!!!!!

I'm SO HAPPY!! And my student can't believe it! He's *way* happy too.
(They kept us waiting for awhile... it's an unusual situation, they don't usually do free glasses for adults. It's mostly a program for children.)

So, he's got all the info, he knows where to go and he's got an appointment. All he has to do is actually get in the car and go!


I can't WAIT to see how much the glasses improve his coursework. (and his life!)
Can't wait, can't wait, can't WAIT!!!

Regina Brett's 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on
by Regina Brett
Sunday May 28, 2006, 10:13 AM

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
( Read the rest, they're SO true! )

Every have “one of those” days where all sorts of things go wrong for no reason?
Today was ‘one of those’ days for me.

Wanna hear about it? Here it go....

( Yes, I’m going to whine, cuz karmacally, I feel it’s necessary. )

I spoke with my student, and he said that he knows he needs glasses. He said he's known it for a looooong time and he'd be very grateful if I could somehow help him get a pair. He said he'd definitely wear them. WOOT!!

So, we've filled out the papers for the Lions Club, and in addition, I wrote a letter explaining the situation and basically begging for their mercy. We submitted it all on Tuesday. Now all we have to do is wait for the committee to vote on it.
I hope we hear back soon!!

*Fingers Crossed!*

Kissed any one of your LJ friends? --- Yes
Been arrested? --- Nope
Kissed someone you didn't like? --- No, but I’ve been made to hug people I don’t like.
Slept in until 5 PM? --- Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? --- No
Held a snake? --- Yes
Ran a red light? --- Yes
Experienced love at first sight? --- Yep!
Totaled your car in an accident? --- No

( More Meme Here )

Today I had a ‘light bulb’ moment concerning one of my students and solved a mini mystery. Woot!

I’ve been teaching GED classes this week while the regular teacher is gone. It’s been an interesting and surprisingly fun week! A little over a week ago, a new student named *Dave entered our program. He’s in his early 20’s, and seems really nice. He has a daughter whom he loves to bits, and he works hard in class. He’s a white guy, but he’s a little bit ‘gangster’ too. He’s a former dropout, been arrested for a few things, and is covered in tattoos, but he wants to get his life back on track so he can support his family.

( This week, I noticed an odd thing about him. )

Whew! My semester finals are officially done! Woot!!

Looking forward, I’m a little worried about June. I’ve got 3 compressed classes and one of them is a writing class that’s only 10 days long. This should be interesting!

Stolen from sarahtoalaska

Another semester almost done! All the major projects are finished (just one small one left) and finals are in the next two weeks.
So I'm free and clear this weekend. What am I gonna do with all this free time?
GARF! That's what!

Wootie-woo!

I can't wait to get on the road!

A friend of mine who works at an elementary school, (and in my circle of friends, that doesn’t narrow things down a whole lot...) sent this to me last month. I’ve been lazy and I didn’t get around to posting it till now, but it’s hilarious!
Here’s the story:
----------------------------------------------------------------------


I’m sending you a picture that a second grader drew (this is from a teacher friend of mine).

Below is the letter from the mother of the child after the teacher contacted the mother about her daughter's picture; the names were changed to protect the innocent. I laughed at this for a while.

-Jack

**************************************************************************************

Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer.

I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week
before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had,
and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were
fighting over who would get it.

Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to
depict me selling the very last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.

From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly
before she turns it in.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith
*************************************************************************************

( Ready to see the picture? )

This series of church signs came to me in an email earlier in the week. I thought it was a real "War of the Churches" type of thing, but MLR went to the Presbyterian church website found out it was a prank.

BUT, I still think it's incredibly funny. =o)(Cuz it's prolly something that I'd do if I worked in a church office somewhere and was in charge of the sign...)


BTW, You can have your own chuch sign war at Church Sign Generator. Go check it out!

This cartoon is *SO* me.
All my friends will immediately understand why.



*giggle*
Yep!