ivylecat's Xanga

Monday, February 18, 2008

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 01:21:08 GMT

Three day weekends are awesome. Instead of one day to enjoy and another spent dreading the coming week, I get two whole enjoyable days. Tomorrow will of course be filled with dread and foreboding. Can you tell I have been a bit stressed at work lately?

Today I spent some time with ponies and then trekked over to Walmart to get diaper wreath supplies. I had to improvise a bit with the wreath frame, the diapers didn't look like I thought they would, and I learned that it is hard to find green curling ribbon. But I think it turned out cute. I feel exceedingly crafty, and I expect to amaze my coworkers with my talent on Thursday at the baby shower.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:34:16 GMT

Merry Christmas!

Also, happy new year!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:06:43 GMT

So I survived the 1st trimester of school. My kids this year are mostly awesome with some interesting characters thrown in. And by interesting I mean driving me totally insane. I am pretty sure I did not yell at children nearly this much last year. Sad for me.

Anyhow, I am now on break for three weeks so I can regain my will to deal with the interesting ones. My goals include sleeping in, watching TV, cleaning my room, and doing some early xmas shopping. So far I have succeeded in two of those things. If I really lower my expectations for myself it makes me feel successful.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:46:43 GMT

I feel crappy and I need to get report cards done. I think I have a virus or something. My temperature is actually 97.7 so at least I don't have a fever, but I feel cold and achy so who know what is wrong with me. I only have kids until noon tomorrow so I think I can make it through the day.

It is Red Ribbon week and the wristbands the PTA got for the kids say "Say Nope to Dope". I think that is stupid because they don't even know that dope is slang for drugs. They don't really even know what drugs are. So now I have to teach them not only what drugs are but also that dope is a slang word for drugs.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 21:35:38 GMT

Last Wednesday was international talk like a pirate day and I decided on Monday afternoon that I totally wanted to celebrate it with my 1st graders. I gave myself 50-50 odds that the day wouldn't dissolve into rambunctious insanity. It turned out totally awesome. We were talking like pirates (lots of practicing the "ar" sound), Tigger dressed up like a pirate, and we read three different books about pirates. We wrote about if we did or did not want to be pirates, we drew pictures of pirates with treasure, and we even played a stealing the treasure subtraction game. The kids were soooo excited in the morning that some of them were literally bouncing around the room, they couldn't keep still. It was kind of like when a puppy gets really excited and can't stop wiggling. I was super tired and almost losing my voice by the end of the day from all the arrrs and avasts! and whatnot, but it really was the most fun I've had in the classroom since the end of school last year when we were outside all the time playing games and practicing for the end of the year dance. Now, what random holiday to celebrate next?

Bonus! Chicken as Pirate Picture!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 01:31:20 GMT

I have lived through the first three weeks of school! And, you know what? I haven't made a kid cry yet, that I can think of anyway. I think I just had criers last year. It seems like I have a pretty good group, at least academically. Behaviorally, ugh, I have lots of crazy little boys that need to learn to be still and focus for more that a minute at a time. Dear lord, the children will not stop fiddling with their shoes. And they can't keep their hands to themselves. And I have one girl who is always sucking on her belt or shoelaces. She puts them in her mouth! So gross! I want my six and seven year olds back, five year olds are way too little and sticky.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:32:32 GMT

OK, I am now starting to psych myself up for school starting again. Stupid short summer. I keep having start of the year anxiety dreams about school. Actually, I am pretty excited about the new year. I've been thinking about what I want to do differently, and mostly I want to get a good writing program going right away and get a daily cumulative math review in my schedule somehow. Maybe right before/after Calendar time? And I want to get reading and maybe skills groups started by the end of the first month. I know this is fascinating reading.

Summer countdown: 20 days left

Friday, June 22, 2007

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 01:05:34 GMT

I feels such joy at the approaching end of the school year that I must express myself in song:

(sung to the tune of La Cucaracha)
There are only
Three days of school left!

There are only three more days!

There are only
Three days of school left!

Only three more days!

Olé!

Monday, May 21, 2007

Mon, 21 May 2007 00:18:45 GMT

I figure now is as good a time as any for a blog. Let's see... Well, there are six weeks of school left. It should be pretty smooth sailing from here on out. I've been assessing my kids' reading, and it looks like the bulk of them are reading at grade level, so yeah for me! I got a haircut today, so that was cool. My pony is broken, which is not cool. I miss riding the pony and I feel bad that he is hurty. Maybe the vet will say that it is arthritis and he will give him a shot and make everything better. That would be nice. I am excited for Berryessa next weekend. It is going to be awesome. I think this blog sums up the bulk of my feeling at the moment. Here is a picture of the cat for you to enjoy:

A way to make money on the side?

Thu, 03 May 2007 03:02:23 GMT

Teacher Accused of Selling Kid's Jacket
May 2, 7:53 PM (ET)

HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP) - A Hillsboro mother found her daughter's missing winter coat on eBay, and now a teacher at the girl's elementary school faces charges of theft and computer crimes.

Elizabeth Logan, 41,is on paid administrative leave from Jackson Elementary. She denies stealing the coat, saying she got it from a lost-and-found, Cmdr. Chris Skinner said.

The mother searched the school's lost and found for the coat, then decided to turn to eBay for a replacement. After finding a seemingly identical coat, she noticed that the seller was from Hillsboro.

The mother alerted another bidder that the coat might be stolen, and the other bidder relayed the information to the seller, Logan. Skinner said Logan asked the other bidder to outbid the girl's mother.

Logan's salary is nearly $69,000 a year, and she has taught 20 years at two elementary schools. She is to appear in court Friday.