tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150089882024-03-13T22:59:07.800-04:00180 days as a teacherLolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1139840780902719612006-02-13T09:11:00.000-05:002006-02-13T09:28:05.603-05:00Day 110: The ups and downs of teacherhoodTeacherhood - add this word to the dictionary please - I never heard that word before but I think it describes well the way I feel about teaching. A special mental state that combines teaching with feelings of motherhood.Not the way I think about teaching, but the way I feel. I feel part mom, part teacher. When I'm in class lecturing on a new topic, writing things down on the blackboard, Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1138843213715904562006-02-01T20:05:00.000-05:002006-02-01T20:20:15.010-05:00Days 100, 101 and 102: Winds of ChangeIt's weird... I'm almost in control of the situation, and that makes me feel good - and worried that something big is going to land on my head and knock me right out.Let's see - any kind of browsing through my posts paint the picture of someone who is suddenly wearing teacher shoes - and the clerk screwed up badly because they are NOT running shoes (which would really help!). I have been feeling Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1138533399272403892006-01-29T06:08:00.000-05:002006-01-29T06:29:09.186-05:00Day 99: Fireworks in my headThis title does not refer to a bunch of great ideas I've had all day, but rather to the migraine that started on Tuesday at school, then played hide-and-seek with the meds I was taking until it finally won on Friday around 1AM - I had taken all the meds I was allowed to take for a one-week period so I had to rely on regular OTC drugs - which is basically the equivalent of simply praying for it toLolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1138239484527896352006-01-25T20:28:00.000-05:002006-01-27T12:34:37.340-05:00Days 96 & 97 & 98: Greatest challenge yet...Well, so far in these 98 school days, I've improvised classes, quickly read a chapter to then explain it in all its details (read time: 10 minutes, class time: 90 minutes), I decided to introduce Project Management as something they need to learn and even have each class working on a monster project of building a city and in a couple of weeks, these kids will be dissecting hearts, eyes and frogs,Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1138037451892194812006-01-23T12:09:00.000-05:002006-01-23T12:30:51.976-05:00Days 87 to 95: Back from the dead...Well, it's been ages since I last posted. I'm not sure what happened - potential guesses include: A) I am becoming more of a real teacher (and thus have less time for blogging)B) I am still baffled by everything I need to do and can't schedule my blogging timeC) I'm running out of steam as the ship has reached the half-way mark and has not sunk!D) All of the aboveE) None of the aboveI'll let youLolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1136941131902178412006-01-10T19:55:00.000-05:002006-01-10T19:58:51.933-05:00Days 85 & 86: Bad bad cold...It was back to school for me today. Yesterday actually, but I stayed home and did some grading all day. Back in the actual classroom today, feeling somewhat under the weather. My eyes are watery and itchy, my nose needs constant attention and I feel lousy. All the signs of another cold, probably an unwrapped gift from someone during the last holiday parties...And so this blog will be short soLolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1136597881705866862006-01-06T20:03:00.000-05:002006-01-06T20:38:01.770-05:00Back to school in 3 days...Where did the time go? I thought I would have time to do all sorts of planning and thinking, and all the grading that had to be done... and here we are. Friday night - school starts on Monday and I have not tackled the research project grading yet...We had a party - well, OK, let's call it a "get-together" because the term "party" would imply lots of booze and loud music, and someone Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1136047585495823672005-12-31T11:24:00.000-05:002005-12-31T11:46:25.513-05:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!This has been quite the holidays. We are so pooped, the fact that this is supposed to be "vacation time" has never even occurred to us... With Christine getting up before 5AM NO MATTER WHAT TIME SHE GOES TO BED, it makes it an even more tiring string of parties and dinners, too much food, and not enough exercise...In case you think I exaggerate about Christine's NON-EXISTENT need for sleep, letLolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1136046237921084052005-12-31T11:23:00.000-05:002005-12-31T11:23:57.936-05:00Days 83 & 84: Can't remember much of them...... but they did happen last week. I guess I just stayed away from the blogosphere too long to detail them in any way...Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1135128743651487692005-12-20T20:21:00.000-05:002005-12-20T20:32:23.666-05:00Days 81& 82: Who has time to blog??? I am gift-worthyI'm swamped... not only lots of grading - which I can't do in the evening because I'm too tired - but we have all the gift wrapping to do which is no small feat in this place... Perhaps if I went easier on the shopping, we wouldn't have this problem...I was both shocked and totally pleased today when some students brought me Christmas gifts. Of course, secretly, I was hoping to get some gifts, Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1134992836175019912005-12-19T06:14:00.000-05:002005-12-19T06:48:58.120-05:00Day 80: Snow Day #1I was just as excited as the MY kids, and as all my students I'm sure, when the snowstorm on Friday was big enough for all the schools to close before they even opened. I got the call at 6AM - I was basically waiting by the phone (thanks to my lovely Christine, I had been monitoring the whiteout since 5AM!!!).Being home with all 3 kids means absolutely no school-related work being done of courseLolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1134669103874712482005-12-15T12:42:00.000-05:002005-12-15T12:51:43.920-05:00Days 78 & 79: Christmas is almost here...There are many differences between a teaching job and a "normal" job - one thing I have noticed as we're entering the holiday season is that I have no time to think about or look forward to Christmas. I used to be able to get some shopping done at lunch time, think of meals and make lists of presents to get while sipping my coffee in the morning. This year, it seems time is just zooming by, andLolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1134521961418048572005-12-13T19:51:00.000-05:002005-12-13T19:59:21.433-05:00Days 76 & 77: Enjoying a stroll through the alps...Well, not quite the Swiss alps, but let's pretend...The mountains around me are really piles and piles of tests to correct. I am responding to the need of the students to have more marks in one semester - the chapters are broken down into smaller, more "study-friendly" pieces, and they have a chance do well in "easy" quizzes. This unfortunately has a terrible downside for me: a lot of grading..Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1134089979118604972005-12-08T19:58:00.000-05:002005-12-08T20:11:11.346-05:00Day 75: Are we there yet?I'm looking forward to Christmas break. The first part of the school year, ie until now, is apparently the worse part. It's an uphill battle getting the girls in gear, getting their brain juices flowing in the right direction, getting them used to our routine. Then, it's an easy roll down the hill until June.Unfortunately, I can't see that happening in my case. In my vast (75 days) of Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1134005337170205412005-12-07T20:17:00.000-05:002005-12-07T20:28:57.283-05:00Day 74: You learn something new every dayAnd today's anecdote has nothing to do with school!!!My 9-yr old son has a new girlfriend. It's all we've been hearing about lately. She called him today after dinner so he retreated to his room to have a "private" conversation. He came downstairs a few minutes later and asked Christine if she wanted to speak to her. Christine is only 3 years old, but she's very very talkative and she wants toLolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1133915456124997592005-12-06T19:12:00.000-05:002005-12-06T19:30:56.140-05:00December 6th, 1989: I still miss her after 16 years16 years ago today, my best friend Anne-Marie Edward was savagely gunned down in an engineering faculty in Montreal. A crazy gunman who was pissed off at the fact that women could now become engineers (among other things). He was successful in killing 14 bright, beautiful young women before ending his own life. He wanted to send a message to all women about this. I heard his message loud and Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1133792206616739602005-12-05T08:58:00.000-05:002005-12-05T09:24:12.790-05:00Day 72: Curves report cardI'm working from home as I do every Monday. And I went to work out at Curves this morning as I do every Monday. And today was the day I had to get weighed and measured. This is a VOLUNTARY thing - no one was holding a dumbell and threatning to drop it on my head, no one was trying to whip me with the measuring tape if I did not comply. It is simply a service offered monthly for those who want Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1133554689185768242005-12-02T15:11:00.000-05:002005-12-02T15:18:09.196-05:00Days 70 & 71: The red pen parade (Santa is out, Bic is in!)Just got back from school - I will now attempt to clean (vacuum, wash floors, bathrooms, etc) the place we call "home" which looks more like a jungle right now. I really need to hide the scissors from my two little paper-cutting queens... they are transforming cutting paper strips into an olympic sport. Someone give them a medal already and have them retire from this messy sport!!!! My head Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1133378968280836342005-11-30T14:07:00.000-05:002005-11-30T14:29:51.856-05:00Day 69: Looking for weapons of mass destruction (or simply for cheaters)Since discovering that I could put the girls to work correcting quizzes in class (see how I discovered this trick of trade here), I have not thought much about those who may try to cheat during the actual correction. I ask that they use a green pen, sign their name on their classmate's copy (so I know who did the correcting) and I of course go through them myself (most of the time just to takeLolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1133312771566799552005-11-29T19:44:00.000-05:002005-11-29T20:23:37.590-05:00Days 67 & 68: Understanding by teachingI was a little concerned about the technology class I had to teach today (3 times to 3 different groups) because I am stepping out of my comfort zone and into a studied-a-long-time-ago-mumbo-jumbo unfamiliar zone. Case in point, I had to explain the intricacies of magnetism and electromagnetism.I have never had much (well, let's be honest, ANY!) interest in electricity and its related topics. ILolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1133104441184243192005-11-27T09:56:00.000-05:002005-11-27T21:37:43.553-05:00Frustration mounts...My hubby has undertaken finishing the basement (as described here). This is all great and dandy, and I knew I would be pretty much watching from the sidelines while he (and his brother) went ahead and did their thing.I've had to put up with being alone with the three kids every week-end (the kids are great, but spending 12 hours with the exclusive purpose of entertaining, feeding, wiping their Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1133103305871787652005-11-27T09:52:00.000-05:002005-11-27T09:55:05.883-05:00Day 66: it went wellWhat more is there to say???I have a ton of things to do by Tuesday morning - including really really understanding electromagnetism so that I can not only explain it very well, but also answer all the quirky questions students are so good at coming up with...Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1132876779445076322005-11-24T18:41:00.000-05:002005-11-24T18:59:39.460-05:00Days 64 and 65: He committed suicide... and other gloomy thoughtsToday was a busy day - and I was off to a bit of a disappointing start since I purposely left extra extra early to get a jump on some grading at school, and had to battle the elements (it was snowing and drivers were extra cautious...) such that I got to school with less than 30 minutes to spare and didn't get any grading done...The day was a very sad one as we were told that one of our fellow Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1132709548422898742005-11-22T20:24:00.000-05:002005-11-22T20:53:28.540-05:00Day 63: Outing - and the bus driver from HELL!!!!I was soooo excited 2 weeks ago when someone put the following notice in the teachers' lounge: "November 22nd: all 9th graders are going to see a play so classes end at 12:30PM. They will be back at around 4PM".I dashed to the bathroom for a private little victory dance - anticipating to have the afternoon off (remember that this is the day I teach non-stop for 7 periods). I marked my agenda, Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15008988.post-1132596332089949212005-11-21T13:02:00.000-05:002005-11-22T20:53:43.286-05:00Days 61 and 62: Go Diego, Go!!!Quick post because typing is actually a pain. My CTS has been acting up again.CTS is of course Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and it's not the most pleasant ailment to have when you're a teacher. I would have to admit that it's probably even more scary if you're a brainsurgeon, or a dentist. And scariest if you're the PATIENT of aforementioned surgeon or dentist...CTS has proven to be quite the Lolitahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08049361880431066578noreply@blogger.com2