BUT...

Work is hard, BUT...

• It turns out I'm pretty good at what I do. My observation yesterday morning yielded positive results - students were off task less than 20% of the time and when given a prompt or direction to correct behaviors, they were 90% compliant with my request. So, even though it sometimes feels like I have no control, apparently I do. As much as I am NOT a math person, I am a data person and, in that respect, numbers are great.
  
• I love my students. Today, after Government, JH wandered to my desk instead of booking it to lunch as usual. I looked up from my computer and he handed me a large envelope. "What is this?" I asked. "My senior proofs," he replied, smiling. Inside were proofs from his three outift (tux, grad gown, casual) photo session that he just wanted to show me. I oohed and ahhed over them, made fun of how big the graduation gown made him look (it was WAY too big) and asked him which was his favorite. Then I sent him on his way to lunch. It was just one of those little moments that make it worthwhile.

It's only Wednesday, BUT...

• I have exciting plans for the weekend. Well, exciting to me anyway.
• Wednesday is now half over.

Maggie's mom is still sick, BUT...

• The doctors determined that her heart is healthy.
• Major surgery has been avoided, even if only for now.

Winter break is a long way off, BUT...

• I bought my tickets on Monday.
• I am already looking forward to seeing people.
• So many get-togethers must be planned. (I will be in Chicago 12/20-12/27)

Update

First and foremost, I have to send a shout out to my roommate, who turns 25 today. Happy birthday, Elizabeth! You are a remarkable woman and I hope that this is a remarkable year. Love ya.

Keeping with the shout out theme, one is in order for my friends Dave and Gwen who got engaged over the weekend. Congratulations, Dave and Gwen! I cannot wait for the wedding and I know that this is only the start of much happiness for the both of you. (PS: Gorgeous ring and great announcement. Seriously.)

Other updates:

• Elizabeth's party was Saturday night. A good, old-fashioned keg party was the order of the night and it was a lot of fun. More so, frankly, than I thought it would be. There were enough people, but not too many. There was flip cup on a specially crafted wooden table (supported by trash cans b/c we're not that classy). There was cheap booze in plastic cups. There was music and dancing (although not, apparently, enough) and conversation. And, of course, some pretty amusing moments and great one liners. I'd share them here, but there are too many and, to be honest, I don't remember all of them that well. I do remember this, said to me by one woman's girlfriend after I killed a spider on the porch so the woman would stop freaking out, "You are her hero. If you liked women, I'd be pretty annoyed right now." And the benefit of keg parties at age 26? Lots of cheap beer over the course of many hours (in this case, 5) means no pain the next day. Sweet.
• Work is hard right now. I'm really tired and sort of unmotivated and the kids have seriously lost their minds. My first and seventh periods pretty much guarantee that I start and end the day on a rough note and that's just no way to live. Yesterday, seventh period was so bad that I passed on yoga and the gym and went home to do laundry and drink beer. I was in that place.
• My friend Maggie's mom is having serious surgery today and, depending on what they find, may have even more serious surgery to come so please send positive thoughts out into the universe on her behalf.
• Speaking of moms, mine is doing well. She is on round two of chemo and feeling better than she did during round one. I mean, she still has cancer and is still rundown and not working, but her mood is up and everyone is staying positive. I know I don't say much about it (mainly b/c, at a certain point, there isn't much to say), but thanks to all of you who check in and let me know you're thinking about/praying for/sending positive vibes to me and my family.

I think that's all for now. Have a good one!

It's official

I am the coolest girl I know.

Today I checked my mailbox at school and I had received a 958 page catalog of AV resources. Nine hundred and fifty eight pages. AV resources.

It's okay, you can admit it, I'm the coolest girl you know too.

In other news, it's raining here which works b/c I feel like I'm going to be at work forever (mid quarter grades are due tomorrow and I have pre assessment writing responses to score). Oh well.

Not alone

Fun fact for your Monday:

Who do people talk to the most? Themselves.

Glad to know I am not alone on that one. (Also, is the grammar on this correct? It sounds off, but I couldn't figure it out.)

20 questions

1. Your name
   Jessica
2. Your 3 favorite songs
   What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
   Time of Your Life, Green Day
   G-d Bless the Broken Road, Rascal Flatts
3. Your favorite movie
   National Treasure
4. Your favorite color
   Orange
5. Shower in the morning or at night?
   Morning
6. How many languages do you speak? (list)
   One - English (I know, I'm lame)
7. Your major (if you went to college)
   Elementary education & history
8. Do you spend more time on your feet or butt?
   Feet
9. Last concert you went to
   some local reggae group
10. Last movie you saw in the theater
    Catch the Fire
11. How many times have you tripped over yourself while walking in the past week?
    Countless
12. Was anyone watching?
    Usually
13. Can you roll your tongue?
    Yes
14. Left or Right-handed?
    Right
15. How many rolls of toilet paper are presently at your place (approx. #)
    Four
16. Are you a keen observer and good at math?
    I am very observant, but not so good at math
17. Brief description of your most or last embarrassing moment
    Thursday: walking from community meeting to class with my 21 seventh grade boys behind me. I am instructing two seventh grade boys from another class to stay in line and stay to the right hand side. Turning at the landing to take the second set of stairs down from the gym, I get my left heel caught in the cuff of my right pant leg and barely manage to catch myself on the railing. Had I not done so, I surely would have tumbled down the stairs. Even still, I managed to look quite ridiculous in front of approximately 25 adolescent males. Neat.
18. What did you do yesterday?
    Babysat Daphne and Leo. Watched Wisconsin lose to Michigan. Drank Miller High Life. Flirted with a cute guy. Caught up with a newly old ASM-er. Shopped at the organic market. Ate pizza. Talked to Maggie. Talked to Austin. Watched Failure to Launch. Graded papers.
19. What did you have for breakfast?
    Kashi cereal, oj
20. What are you avoiding right now?
    Curriculum maps

Symphony of sorts

This morning I gave a quest (shorter than a test, longer than a quiz) to my seventh grade boys. In second period, this was no big thing b/c I only have ten of them and two were absent so I was able to spread them out all over the place. In first period, we were looking at much closer quarters as I have 21 students, 21 desks and not a lot of extra space. Our principal helped get them settled and started quickly and our behavior specialist swung by to check on things, so they were actually really quiet, which for them is highly unusual. The only sounds were those of pens and pencils on paper, deep thinking (for younger students this is an active and sometimes audible process) and that tell tale sound of fall: sniffling and coughing. Seriously, not to be gross, but there was so much snot going on in first period that I was getting legitimately grossed out. At one point I had to make them all stop what they were doing so I could address the noises. I cannot do them justice in words, but I think most of you can imagine. Ew.

Now my seniors are finishing an essay exam (and thinking evil things about me, I'm sure) and then I'll do a class on McCulloch v. Maryland with my AP kids and I'll be done for the day. It's our first half day, which means our first round of interim assessment grading. Our students are tested every four weeks in the same way that they would be tested for the annual standardized exam. We then meet as faculty teams to score their written responses and identify areas that need work. Then we focus on those areas until the next assessment. It's actually a great process with a lot of merits, but the first assessment scoring is always a little depressing, at least for the seventh graders.

Random things:

1. Tomorrow UW plays Michigan! I'm going to watch the game at our local alumni bar, although I'll get there late b/c I'm babysitting until 12:30pm.
2. I got a new toy at work - a Dell Inspiron 640m. It's very new and small and wonderful. It means I can work from home and that I can connect to my new ceiling-mounted projector and to my smartboard. Plus it looks cool. I'm so technological now, it's awesome.
3. Fall starts tomorrow. In DC that means it will be 84 degrees and humid. I have to take Leo, one of the kids I now babysit on Saturdays (he has a younger brother and sister), to soccer practice. It will be fun, but hot. Oh well.
4. Happy birthday, Jeff! Happy birthday, Angela! For very different reasons, you are both amazing people using your talents to change this world for the better and I, for one, appreciate you. I hope you live it up tonight!
5. My friend Laina reminded me that it is Rosh Hashanah tonight. I had completely forgotten. Like I wasn't a bad enough Jew to being with. Not having a real planner is no good. Anyway. L'shanah tovah, everyone! May this new year be filled with peace, happiness and success.

Smile.

Three seventh grade girls are eating lunch in my room right now. They just had this conversation:

K: Are y'all going to go here through 12th grade?
Y & T: Yep.
Y: Wouldn't it be tight if we all went to the same college?
K & T: Yup.
K: I'd be all like, "Hey, T"
T: And I'd be, "Hey, K"
Y: No, but I am going to the University of Maryland.
T: I am going to UCLA or Stanford.
K: I want to go to Harvard.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, this is why I do what I do where I do it.