9th of 9

Parent night

2011-09-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm trapped in my classroom for Back to School night. Yes, I could be grading, but why would I really want to do that? This is usually TV/Facebook time. Over the summer, my school got a new internet service so I can no longer get into facebook here. Sad. I do have a TV in my classroom, but it doesn't get channels and I always for get to bring DVDs. Besides, I only have 30 minutes left until it starts; an hour and 30 until parents come into my classroom and I get to talk about my classes.

Is it just me or did teachers always know just what to say on Back to School night? I don't ever know what to say, and last year a parent was so upset when I said that I don't give regular homework, they e-mailed the principal telling her I should be fired for not knowing how to teach. I'm always too tired by the time parents come in to know what I'm even saying and then they fire off all these questions that I'm just too tired to think up answers for. Sheesh.

I am still unpacking my mountain of boxes from moving two weeks ago, but it gets better all the time. I haven't done much this week, but I made an important decision about where I want my depressed-enough-to-commit-suicide women books to be, so it's all uphill from there!

Guess I'll try to find some website that will entertain me until I have to be "on" again.

Back at School

2011-08-10T09:30:00.001-07:00

I always say I will blog more, but I don't. This school year I have 1st period conference, so that may change.

Mass. . .

2011-07-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

I've been here in Massachusetts for three full days now.

I went to an SA ward where they were very nice and told me I should choose to live here, but didn't have much help to offer. I'm looking for a place to stay while I look for a job,and once I have a job I'll know where I need to live, so I think one has to follow the other. There were a few leads on houses, but they fell through, so I'm still living at my cousin's mercy and I really shouldn't take advantage of them any longer.

If I had a million dollars, I could just rent a place or a hotel room and it wouldn't matter, but since I am a compulsive shopper, I don't have much and there-in lies the problem. So I'm sleeping on an air mattress in their office and trying to stay out of their way, while still trying to search for and find jobs and it's a little rough. I hate always having to ask people for things, I'm very individualistic. Maybe that's why I haven't found anything, I need to learn to rely on people and let them help me. But I don't wanna!

I need to find a hotel that has wekly rates so I can move out tomorrow, which is when the parking pass I've been using expires. Hopefully somehting will happen, but I'm not feeling like this was such a good idea anymore. Here's hoping one of the people on Craig's List e-mails me back and has a nice room to share with me!

Summer

2011-06-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

This is my summer of adventure. I gave my apartment a 30 day notice yesterday, so now I have to pack everything up and go somewhere. While Massachusetts is my ultimate goal, I think I'll spend a week with my sister Beckie in South Jordan, Utah first. Not everything is working out as I had planned, but I don't really have any firm plans yet, so I'm not worried, and normally I would be. Guess I'm doing something right for once.

So while everything in my life is up in the air, I'm actually happier than I have been all year. Once the worst class of my life was gone, I've been feeling much better. I even got sunburned over Memorial Day weekend, and it hasn't been too bad. (I first got some bad tan lines at a wedding where we were outside for two and a half hours, so I tried to fix it and that might have been a mistake as there is some peeling going on.)

I'm slowly trying to clean things out so I can pack up only what I need to take with me and we'll see where this takes me. I still have my job here in California, so I can return and work here, but I would love a change.

sorry I never post

2011-05-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

My school gets out in 12 days and then I can post all summer long. I think I need to move this summer, just pack up and take off. I'm so over California.

I was just looking on youtube for these bands that a few of my students have started. They said they would be on youtube, but I can't find them. Same work ethic they displayed in my classes.

And that's my life, school. At least until it's over. Can't wait.

Another password problem

2011-03-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how difficult it has been for me to remember the password for this blog. Anyway, I think I have it fixed * and then maybe I can do more writing!

Boston

2010-11-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Boston this weekend to take three tests. This is more stress that I think I can handle. I also have three class sets of essays to grade and I can't do it. I think there's a mental block that has to do with this trip. Hopefully I'll get another half class done tomorrow, but it's not looking good, since book reports are due. The book reports will be graded by tomorrow when I leave school, but the essays? Probably not.

The stress that I have is about traveling. I don't like to leave my classes because I have to prepare a lesson for someone else to give and then I worry about how the little darlings are behaving for a substitute. I wish I didn't think about all these things, but I do. Add to all that, I don't fly well. If I flew more I'd need to buy stock in the Dramamine Corporation. I can't sleep in any moving vehicle, which is horrible, and I have a hard time focusing on anything. If I could focus, those essays would be going with me and would get done.

Once I get to Boston I need a shuttle to take me to the hotel I had to book before I knew where my test would be, so it is near the airport and the test is, well, not. The three hour time difference will come into play when I will need to go to bed early, for those tests. I'll need to leave the hotel at 7 am (4am pacific standard time) and take a cab for the first time in my life. And there is a hockey game on that night. So, I'll stay up watching it and then get no sleep and be taken to some random middle school to take three tests; one proving that I'm literate, one proving that I can choose appropriate main ideas after reading passages and one that proves that I am an English teacher. I don't know if there will be food places near-by, so I will also have to pack a granola bar or something. After the test I'll need to go back to the hotel and go to bed for the early flight I have to take back to LA. And there is another hockey game on, which I'll want to see.

So there will be a weekend of no sleep and too much stress and then I have to go back and teach on Monday. Those poor little darlings. They'll never know what hit them, especially if they are bad for the substitute. I shouldn't care about that, but I do. I like having a reputation for under control classes. That might be gone soon.

Here's to my break down!

Hallo-crazy

2010-10-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

This morning we had a faculty meeting. The last Friday every month is a faculty meeting. Not the best time for them.

Anyway, one of our assistant principals told the entire faculty of a disturbing trend among our students. And let me tell you, it is disturbing. So here's what's going on in our little corner of the world.

Apparently, these kids are filming everything. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING! They are filming each other on drugs, at parties "doing things college students do," lots of inappropriate things. Including those of a sexual nature. Then these videos are getting posted online and the kids are humiliated, as they should be. But then, the girls are going to the assistant principal and saying that they were raped. Which they weren't, they fully consented at the time of the "filming", they just then grow regrets and wish something could be done.

So here's what getting done, since they bring the videos in as proof. The victim and the performer of all acts on the videos are suspended. And their parents have to come to school and watch said videos. Not just the sexy ones, either, the druggie ones, too.

What is this world coming to that people let themselves be filmed doing all manner of things and then call that rape. That these things are happening at all to 14-18 year olds just shows that there needs to be mandatory moral training for all children, especially for those whose parents don't take them to church, where people used to learn their morals.

It's a sad, sad Halloween, Charlie Brown.

Upgrades

2010-10-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

I now have 2 readers, "moving on up"!
I should start my world domination planning, since I have doubled readership, hmm. . .

So, today at school was another day of "Where do I go today? Are we meeting? What does the administration want us do to today? They want us to change what?" So after ten minutes of meeting in the main office, my team decided to get our grades done, which are due tomorrow, instead of worrying about what they will make us re-do next week. I turned in my grades yesterday, so I'm now free for a minute.

Yeah, and I have no other thoughts this morning. Good thing my lesson plan comes out of a book I just read an assign the work from, no original thoughts from me. I'm feeling more 1984 everyday, with the feeling of constantly being watched so that they can bust me for something. Pelase no rats in the face!!!!

Mom's birthday

2010-10-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

I saw today's date on a calendar earlier this week and had to pause. It's my mom's birthday. Only she hasn't needed it for some time. They say that losing someone heals over time, that the pain lessens, but I say they are wrong. Some days there is no pain, some days it's like she died yesterday. pain fluctuates, it doesn't necessarily lessen.

But I did get most of my cable fixed yesterday, so I can watch hockey again. Too bad none of my teams are playing today. And I have to do laundry, oh, the hits just keep on coming.

I'll make it through, and maybe have Chinese for dinner. That will make it better, right?

Hockey

2010-10-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

The hockey season has started. I love that because I get constant updates on my favorite player. For some readon he is in this hilarious video, so I wanted to save it here:

I guess that's what you do when you have time on your hands before a game!

Copy Problems

2010-09-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

So, I was just in the copy room here at work where there are two copiers. There was an office lady working on one and she told the teacher who was waiting in front of me that one was broken, but that she would get off the one she was using so we could "play through". So, since I was third in line, after said lady already using the copier, I put my stuff down and said, "I'll try to fix this machine while I'm waiting, it's better than doing nothing." So I opened the copier and the other teacher helped me and we cleared the machine easily. Only after first lady left did I say to the other teacher, "Did you see what we pulled out? It's what the other lady was copying!"

That first lady broke one machine and then left it for everyone else and moved on to work on the other machine. I hate that. Then once I started copying, I had to refill the machine with paper, and there was a box full right next to it. I mean, really? Is it that hard to fix your own mistakes instead of leaving them for other people who have things to do, too? And you can't refill the machine with paper, you just leave it there empty for everyone else to have to clean up after you?

Really? What is our society coming to?

Universal Balance

2010-08-31T21:40:00.001-07:00

I had another experience of the unicverse balancing itself out today, so I thought I'd share.

Two years ago I received the most hateful letter abdout how horrible I am in the eyes of my students. It was put in my school mailbox by a student (I know who it is, but had no proof to cause trouble for him) on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and it was so shocking, I didn't even know what to do about it. I let my administrator know and nothing really happened, but I left school in a dark mood.

I needed an oil change, so I went to a Jiffy Lube right after school, and while there recieved a phone call from a friend telling me that another friend was just told she had cancer. (She's fine now). And so the dark mood continued until I was called to pay for my car.

A former student was working there, so he called me to the window saying "Miss An-der-sen" and I recognized him, but couldn't remember his name. He found a coupon someone else had used and gave me a discount, and then gave me free windshield wipers. So, that former student renewed my faith in humanity on one of the darkest days I have known.

And it's happened again.

Yesterday was a bad day at school. I had to kick out two people from my honors class, that's how bad it was. Then today I had to kick out one of the two again, since he would not acknowledge his error in calling me profane names yesterday. While he was waiting outside my door, he decided to etch "F U Miss Anderson" (only he spelled it all out and spelled my name wrong, that poor Miss Anderson whom he hates) onto my classroom door. Not the first time that's happened. That doesn't bother me as much as the confrontation with a 15 year old who thinks he is acting like an adult. I laugh at the tagging, especially since it's clear he did it. Silly boys. So then I left school, not it a dark mood, but it weighs you down, you know?

I went to Taco Bell on my way home for the first time in awhile and the boy working at the drive-thru was a former student. Usually this makes me cringe, but he just kept staring at me like he knew me, and then looked at my credit card to see my name and he was like "Miss Andersen, I thought I knew you!" I didn't remember him either, but he said he was in my summer class years ago, which explains to me why I don't remember him, it was only 6 weeks. Then he told me that he still remembers a book I had him read in that class, one of the only books he has ever read and that he loved it. Those are the moments that make it worthwhile and put the universe back in to balance for me.

Oh, and now there are 2 Wendy's and a Taco Bell that I can't go to because former students work there. Blast it all!

Passwords

2010-03-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

So, I started this blog at Pepperdine and I must have left the memory of my password there, because I couldn't remember it. And, I can't access the e-mail for this blog at my work, so when I tried to re-set the password, yeah, it didn't work. But I'm back now, and hopefully I will be a more often writer because I get bored at school so often and I will remember the password, I promise!

pepperdine

2009-07-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

This school is sucking the life out of me. Yes, I planned on going to school from 8am to 6pm everyday, but there were things I did not plan on.
Like the parking situation. Last year showing up at 8am guarenteed you a parking place, which I thought would be a bonus to taking an 8am class. Not so. Pepperdine is doing a huge construction thing that has closed the main parking lot for the administrative people and so they and all the constructions workers are taking all the parking spots. This normally would not be a problem, but Pepperdine is not a normal school. This school is built on the side of a mountain and you have to walk up a 45 degree angle street to get to the next building. If I park at the bottom, there are nine flights of stairs that I have to climb to get to my classroom. inaddition to eh flat places that connect the stairs. This path has been clased also, andso it's either up one steep hill or another and my clafs are killing me from all the hill walking. I like a nice flat campus, like UC Santa Barbara and Cal state Northridge. Chaffey was hilly, too. Maybe it's just my lot in life.
Another thing I did not plan on was 13, no make that 15 books in four weeks. Sure I don.t have to read every page of every book, and I am intelligent enough to skim things and comment with my general knowledge, so I'm participating in class, but not doing all the reading. This is not suggested for classes that test you, though. It is difficult to do that.
Also, I was not prepared to write 40 pages for one class. Luckily my morning class did not assign a paper at all, so I may get this done.
And I did not anticipate having to get a smog check when I don't have the opportunity to really do that. I hope I can get it taken care of before my paper work is due to the DMV.
And the last thing I did not anticipate was getting so tired of my classmates. There is this girl that is a total train wreck, and was loudly sick for a week. And the complainers, I'm done with tem. luckily school is only for a weeka nd a half more, and then I'm done! Well, I'll have one more class in the fall, and then I'll be done. Until I decide to do another Master's. . .

Those bastard Kings

2009-07-03T21:41:00.001-07:00

The kings traded my favorite player away, to New York City, of all places, so I'm hating them for awhile. This is a video of Brian Boyle, talking about the trade and being in Boston for the summer and training for the upcoming NHL season, in New York.

sigh.

http://rangers.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=765&id=44634

This is really so I can watch it when ever I want, but he is a cutie!

Summer

2009-05-13T12:05:00.000-07:00

I do not get out of school for almost a month and a half, but already my summer if filling up!
Right after I get to stop coming to school I will be taking a road trip with my sister Julia to St. George Utah for our first family reunion. I'm excited and apprehensive, both. I just hope we can all behave and try to get along for one weekend. That will be nice.
July will be hell, I'll be taking three classes, from 8 in the morning until 6 at night at Pepperdine to finish my Master's by December. As long as I can get the reading before the classes start I keep telling myself that I will be alright, but only time will tell. If I'm a little looney after that, I don't think anyone will blame me.
August will be: first, rest after hellish summer program. Then, take a road trip with my sister Beckie to help her drive her kiddies home after the reuniona nd her visit to the West. They live in South Carolina and we don't get to see them very often, sso they are coming out for awhile! Then, if my school ever decided when our start date will be for the fall semester, I'll know when school is starting. And August 31 I start my last Master's class!!! Yahoo!
So, crazy busy summer and the school year is not even over yet. I hope I can wait for it to get here!

Last Class

2009-04-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

I think I'm overly excited about my current class being over. But I am really glad that I don't have to make the 40 mile round trip to Malibu once a week until July. And, I only have 4 classes left in this program. I also figured out how to link all of my Twit/face/blog pages together, so I think that's exciting. If I get a B in this class, I'll be golden. I suppose I should aim higher, but I'm fine being a B student. I'm not going to be a doctor or anything, this Master's degree is for more salary points. My students keep asking me what I'll do when I get this degree. They don't really understand that a degree doesn't mean what it used to. It's just a piece of paper that represents college classes taken which to me means more money a month.
In my class we're discussing the book Fast Food Nation. It was highly readable, and didn't turn me off fast food like I thought it would. Sadly. It did make me think about which fast food I wanted at the time. Oh well. One hour and 26 minutes left in this hell. I think I'll actually make it!

Conference Period

2009-04-15T11:37:00.001-07:00

The other place where I experience boredom is in my classroom during my conference period. I'm given 53 minutes to take care of any business that I have to do, but I'm usually too tired or uninterested in doing anything to find something real to do.
I have done something really great, though. I just make the last payment on my car. The first car I've ever bought and it is not all mine. No one can take it from me, and if I lose my apartment, I will still have my car. I'm pretty excited about that. Now if I can only pay off my debt, I will not have to worry about losing my house. Stupid horrible economy.

Pepperdine

2009-04-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in my "History of the United States" class, and I'm bored to death. So I thought it might be entertaining to start a blog. Of course I may only write when I'm extremely bored, so this may not be an interesting read, but it may keep me from making snide comments in class. We'll have to see.
Up until this week I was able to watch hockey games online on Tuesday nights, but now that the regular Hockey season has ended and my team (The Los Angeles Kings) did not make the playoffs, I need something else to do during my class. Tonight I already took about 5 quizzes on facebook, I updated my twitter, and wrote a vocabulary test for my tenth graders. I even took a few notes, but I haven't really been participating in tonight's lecture, "Urbanization and suburbanization of the United States."
So now I'll try to pay attention, but technically we still have two hours left.