The World According to Leslie

Snow Day #3 for the year was Thursday of last week.  We actually still had snow falling.  Then all of a sudden, it stopped.  Every school in the 22 surrounding counties (and most all of the schools in the state) were closed that day and Friday!    We ended up with about 8” of snow total!  It was crazy!   Snow Day #4 was Friday!  OMG!  After being stuck at home Wed and Thurs, I was pretty sure that the Princess was going to go nuts!  But, she didn’t. Her teacher sent home assignments. She completed them.  All is right with the world.   Friday night, we had our first Girl Scout Cookie booth.  Saturday we had 3 booths.  Sunday, we rested!     Then….Monday…..  President’s Day.  Wow! That was a heck of a week off!  The Princess had my niece over Sunday night.  That kept her entertained yesterday!   Now….  I’m awake (or so I keep telling myself)!  I’m getting ...

Although we did not get much snow, and most of it melted yesterday, we have another Snow Day today.  This is because many of the secondary roads (also known as COUNTRY BACKROADS) are still covered in ice.  These are the roads that the DOT does not have to pay a lot of attention to because they are not city roads.  That is one of the drawbacks of living in the county and not in the city limits.   Last night Tony and I went over to my parents’ house.  We picked up mom (who does NOT drive in this stuff) and went riding around to check out roads.  Many of the roads that I would take to work or to get the Princess to school all had huge patches on them that were still snow covered or that would be sheets of ice this morning.    All of the public schools in the area  are closed today.  Since the Princess does not go to a county public school this year, her school decided to run on a two hour delay.  Her momma (ME!) decided that si...

So far, the 2nd semester has been great.  We had a three day week last week. Monday was MLK, Jr. Day (no school). Tuesday was a teacher workday (no school). So we went to school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday,  but one of those days we had a 2 hour delay because the temperature was going to be around 10-12 degrees. They didn’t want the kids standing at the bus stops in those temps and they were afraid that the buses might not start correctly.    NOTE: Remember….I live in the South.  Snow is a rare, exciting event in our lives!   We went to school Monday—normal day. Tuesday we arrive at school only to stay for 3 hours because there is a THREAT of snow. That was yesterday. Then it snowed yesterday afternoon and last night. It only snowed for about 4 hours. There is only about 2” on the ground (if that much!).   Today, Wednesday, is a SNOW DAY! Hooray for that! They called school last night. I slept until almost 9am. The Princess is still ...

Today the Princess gets out of school at 11:30am.   Tomorrow we are going to Trunk-or-Treat at my school.   Sunday is church.   Monday I am resting. I have papers to bring home to grade, but other than that…. I'm sleeping in!   So excited! 

Note: I love alliteration. Don’t you? I have finished all my afterschool meetings with adults for the week….well, almost.   Today, I have a Multicultural Club meeting. (I hope a lot of kids show up!)   Tonight is Girl Scouts. We have had 11 every week so far. I hope we keep a large group! It’s easier to do things with them if we have a huge group.   Tomorrow I have training after work. The kids get out at 10:30. Then the teachers are required to work until 3pm because we have training.    Monday is a Teacher Workday. If I can get most of my projects that the kids turned in this week graded today and tomorrow, I don’t think I’m going to work on Monday. (I could bring them home…..that way I’m not going INTO work!)   Here is my request.  And…. it’s random.  I have found a way to earn credit towards technology for schools. Every school is looking for free ways to get things into the classroom. So….  did you know that if yo...

Wow!  I can’t believe I went two days without writing.  I have gotten in such a habit that now it just feels strange.   There isn’t much going on in these parts right now. 1. Saturday—Softball was cancelled, but they are rescheduling for THIS Saturday.  8:30am!  (Hooray for waking up early on Saturdays!)   2. Sunday—We officially told our pastor and his wife that we are leaving the church.  They tried really hard to get us to stay, but we aren’t leaving because of them.  It’s the other stuff (some other people) that are killing our church.  Unfortunately, it’s really the only church the Princess has ever known.  We started attending there in June 2003.  She was born in August 2003.  10 years!  A decade!!   3. Monday—I took my dad to get his hearing aid fixed.  Simple enough… the filter was clogged.  He had already cleaned it.  But…. still clogged.  New filter—no charge—now he can hear...

Normally I don’t complain about my job because I love it! Normally I don’t complain about my students because they are wonderful!  Obviously, this is extremely different than I felt last year, but I did keep most of that OUT of this space.  I would just talk about vague things….never specifics.  That’s what I am going to do here.  Because….what I am going to say has happened to EVERY teacher…. I’m sure!   I was not in class with the kids on Friday.  I had a meeting.  So, I left them PLENTY of work to complete.  They were left with instructions that if they did not complete the work in class, they should do it for homework.  So yesterday, we needed to discuss three pages of study guide questions they were given on Friday.   Of my 36 kids, only about 6 of them had all the questions complete.   So, instead of going over them yesterday for the test on Friday, we are doing that TODAY!    Unfortunately, that ...

Starting today, this weekend is going to be a BLUR! Today, I have a meeting.  It’s like a teacher workday when the kids are in school!    It will be fun.  The girls I will be with are fabulous!   Then we have softball practice tonight, if they don’t cancel it from the rain we had LAST night!   Then I have to get the food for the Daddy-Daughter Dance (LUAU) for Girl Scouts.    I have to come home and make new CDs for the music.  The ones I have are good, but they aren’t long enough… not enough songs.   Tomorrow is softball.  Dance decorating.  Dancing.  Cleaning!   Sunday, I’m supposed to do the induction ceremony for Phi Kappy Phi at UNC, but I don’t think I’m going.    I have choir practice at the  same time.   So…. here goes the BLUR!!!

At 8am this morning, I am going in to work for 3 hours.  :(  Then I am leaving.... claiming my munchkin from my mommy's house (since she had a sleepover there to avoid getting up so early this morning)...and going Easter SHOE shopping.  We have the dress, we just need cute little white shoes or sandals to go with it! Then I am going to come home....sit on my couch...and do NOTHING until time for softball practice tonight.  My Spring Break starts at 11am today!  I'm so excited to have NOTHING on the agenda (except some rest and munchkin time) for the next week!!!! :) Then the countdown is on until Final Exams and Summer Vacation!!! :)

I love when I get to plan easy days at work.  Today, the kids have a test.  Then they have study guide questions for the book we are reading.  Then they are working on homework.  I guess I will finish grading projects and getting those grades in.  I love easy days.  Tomorrow I will actually teach. :)  BUT... my last class tomorrow gets to leave early to go to the Faculty vs. Staff basketball game!  I'm good with that!  (I'll be watching...NOT playing!  I was never quite coordinated enough for basketball!) Friday is a Teacher Workday.....but only about 3 hours!  Then it's SPRING BREAK!  :) 

In our school system, we have this week (5 days) and next week (4 days) before Spring Break.  The kids get Good Friday off.  However, teachers have a 1/2 day planning day--REQUIRED!  Then we have an entire week off for Spring Break!  I'm excited!  After that, we only have 9 weeks left until Summer vacation.  (Our 3rd quarter ends the day before Spring Break!)  I'm excited!  (Did I say that already!?) I can't wait to sleep past 4am on Spring Break!  We don't have much (anything) planned, but I am looking forward to sleeping!  :)  Before then, I need to get my kids through the stuff we are working on so they don't forget it while they are out for break.  That means a tests and a research presentation are due NEXT WEEK for me to grade before Friday--when report card grades are due! :)  Let's hope this goes REALLY well! :) 

Today, February 23, 2013, is a teacher workday. :(  We had a snow day in January.  Unfortunately, the snow melted.  Actually, I'm pretty sure that if you check clock times for the two days, the snow melted before I will get off work today.  I have to work until about noon.  The snow was gone around 10am that morning.  (We totally could have had school!) In order to make up the day without having to have the kids come to school on a Saturday, "they" turned Monday (2/18--President's Day) into a school day.  Then "they" (the people who do NOT have to work on workdays) turned today (SATURDAY!) into the teacher workday. So... I have to be there at 9am.  We should be finished around noon (or 1pm).  I'm glad I didn't have a cookie booth set up for this morning! But...we have one tonight! :) 

While I think much of the government is shut down today, I have to work.  We have a snow make up day today.  So instead of sleeping in until 6am and going in for a teacher workday, I had to get up at 4am to go in for a regular school day. That also means that this Saturday, Feb. 23, we have the teacher workday.  :(  Really?  ARGH!!!!  But.... I get to sleep until 6:30am before going in on Saturday!  ;)  I'm hoping my kids aren't bouncing off the walls today.  They normally are on Mondays, but make up days are the worst!

Monday was a day off school.  We celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. day.  (I posted about that here .) Yesterday was a Teacher Workday . Today the students are taking the final exam (last class) that they were supposed to have taken on Friday.  They get out for 1/2 the day.  As soon as I get my grades and stuff in the computer and get a couple more copies made, I am out for the day too.  (I might go have lunch with the Princess, if I can swing it!) Tomorrow begins a new semester.  I get new students.  The students all get new classes, new teachers.  I work in a high school.  We have 4 classes first semester and 4 different ones second semester.  Luckily for me, I only have to tweak what I did first semester because I am teaching the same thing this semester.  First semester, I only had 8 kids in my largest class.  This semester, my largest class will be 14.  That will be the biggest difference for me.  I have ...

Since we had a "Snow Day" on Friday, I have to work today. I had the option to be off today.  However, my procrastinating self decided on Thursday afternoon that I would sign up on Friday to be off today.  Guess what!  SNOW DAY!  (No!  It did NOT teach me a lesson about procrastination.  But...I will use it to teach my students a lesson about it.) :)  So...  I'm working today.  I'm taking the Princess to work with me. As soon as I finish making a few copies and moving my room around for the new kids I'll have on Thursday, I will be out of there.  I really do love my job this year!