I already miss the joys of sleeping in

I keep looking forward to the day that school is cancelled or at least delayed because it is "too cold.". Unfortunately today was not that day.

I mean I guess it is above freezing outside, but apparently it hasn't taken me very long to completely uncondition myself from 4 years of Loretto cold.

Wonderful Birthday Wishes

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MAMA!!!

I wish I could have been there to celebrate, what, it's 32 this year right?? :P

Hope you had a great day :)

Stuck between Thanksgiving and Christmas

I actually had a really really fantastic start to the beginning of the end of my break. So I'm sitting in BWI waiting for my flight to New Orleans and I'm observing this very strange and annoying phenomenon - every other person that walks up to my gate freaking already knows someone there are proceeds to exclaims "oh my gosh, what are you doing here? Why are you flying out of Baltimore?" Ironies upon dramatic ironies, I would find myself repeating this statement only moments later (ridiculously less annoying to those around me, of course). Of all people to come waltzing up to my gate was my suite mate from institute this summer - who is from Maine, by the way. Her family just so happened to decide to spend thanksgiving in Annapolis and so she was on the same flight back with me! It was truly fantastic catching up because she is one of those people who can put a smile on your face even when you're venting about the horrors of teaching. Even though she only teaches and lives one parish away from me, of course I never get to see her so it such a treat! It was also really nice to hear that I am not the only one burnt out/ feeling jaded/ feeling entirely under-supported in one way or the other, especially from someone not teaching horrid middle school children (she gets the little 2nd graders, although, bless her heart because I would take my 8th grader's insane behavior over a 2nd grader's neediness any day).

Beyond that wonderful encounter coming back to school has been... Well it's been like a middle schooler's first day back from a week long break, with less than a month until Christmas. I will admit though, it certainly was far from my worst day at school this year, so maybe my students are improving?

Field Trip

I saw a TFA friend's FB post today about taking her students on a field trip tomorrow, and all I could think was that I can barely take my students to the office to pick up a few boxes without any incidents. To bring them somewhere with normal members of society.... oh that would be quite the accomplishment.

Countdown

New poster for my classroom. Stole paint strips from Wal-Mart to make the numbers. 147 days is going to go by really fast!

A new principal

... or maybe two new principals??

So update at my school: the past 5 days have been without a principal because our has been "under investigation." It really sounds worse than it was - basically, they just had a bunch of people from the school board in and out of our school due to a heightened number of complaints not only about the principal not doing a great job, but about how everything at our school was basically falling apart; i.e. multiple fights in one day, six last Thursday to be exact, and two of those were before the first bell.

Just about every teacher was interviewed, all the school's dirty laundry was aired, everyone got their complaints out of their system and drumroll please...

Welcome Mr. Smith as our new principal. Yes, only 13 weeks after the start of a new school year with a new principal, we have another!

This new guy seems legit though. He works for the school board, was both a high school and middle school teacher as well as a principal before and from what I've gathered from other teachers, he was a really good principal. Hopefully things are going to be looking up from now on at, what my students have deemed, Glen Oaks FIGHTING Magnet High School. Oh, they are creative, aren't they?

only in Louisiana

The only highlight of the day:

bringing boudin for lunch and not only having my students know what it is, but asking me if they can have some, and then actually knowing how to eat it when I give them the rest.