Gettin' Beat Up

I had to go have my pacemaker repositioned.  It was sticking out in an uncomfortable manner and caught on various things including my bra strap.  The doc was afraid it would erode the skin.  I was afraid I'd just pull the dang thing out one day while reaching for a bowl in a cupboard.  So it had to be re-placed.  That's as opposed to "replaced."  So now it's under some muscle and much less apt to catch on things.  Unfortunately I'm a little bruised and battered.  I'll be off work until Monday.  I'm grateful for it to be over, but dang - I didn't want to do it over this quickly.  I knew I'd have to have the thing messed with after 5 or 7 years.  Ah well. Done now and I'm on the mend.

Model U.N.

So here's the official mix for my classroom this year:

Languages - 6
English
Spanish
Kirundi
Vietnamese
MaiMai
Farsi

Countries - 6
United States
Cuba
Mexico
Kenya
Iran
Burundi

Native American Tribes - 3
Ute
Paiute
Navajo

Students being pulled for special services - 5
Students in gifted program - 0  (students who should be there - 1)
Boys - 11   Girls - 14    Total so far  - 25

Teacher aides - 0   Assistants - 0   Clerical help - 0  
Cost of living increase this year:  -0.5%

Motivation to retire when Mike does - 98%

Cheers!

Back to it

I spent the morning at the school sorting through the stuff I've purchased or ordered.  Found out I double ordered colored pencils and red pens, but hey, those things are always useful.  I had some helpers put together the little boxes of pencils, crayons, scissors and so forth while I moved boxes of copy paper off the counter and into storage.  The books are in the reading center again and the kids' names are on the cubbies, though those will change when we get the move-ins and move-outs list.  I almost feel excited about starting again - almost.  It's hard to look forward to the new year when nothing's really new.  Of the three different jobs I could have moved to I got none.  I'm back where I was last year.  I just can't seem to get charged up by that.  Ah well, it will be a year of differences.  We have a new principal and vice principal and they are both very young.  And with Mike retiring in May and Kimmi working at the school with me it should be a different year in some fundamental ways.  Just not the ways I was hoping.  Well, welcome to 2010-11. 

Home again, home again

We pulled in around 5 pm yesterday.  Didn't hit the big caravans of SUVs and motor homes you sometimes get on Sunday afternoons pulling back into Utah.  That was a nice surprise.  Thanks to the kids we got the cars unloaded in record time and I put my feet up by 8.  I think one of the big reasons for travel is to come home.  It feels so darned good to sleep in your own bed and spelunk for food in your own fridge.  I remember coming home with tired, dirty children and thinking how nice it was when they were washed and in jammies.  Good to go, better to return.  Ahhhh.

Just Another Happy Day in Paradise

We're in Oceanside enjoying 70 degree days and 60 degree nights.  The beach is lovely and crowded (Well, that's to be expected!) and the sky is the most amazing color of blue.  The kids got here Saturday and we drove in from the band tour last night.  Bare feet, sand everywhere, sunscreen fragrance, beachy haze burning off by noon.  I love the beach.  Wish we could live here.

Anna made me do it

She took this quiz, so I had to try it. Our results are kind of different.

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.6
Mind:	7.8
Body:	5.8
Spirit:	10
Friends/Family:	7.8
Love:	9.1
Finance:	8.9
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Far Out

I finally got tired of the old green background that was really for St. Patrick's Day.  So now Welfyville is just a little far out...

Update on the grant our school district wrote and won.  Two middle schools will participate in the grant this next year.  They are adding quite a bit of time in seat for the kiddies, and much more time in seat for teachers as well.  There will be professional development "until your eyeballs roll" was the way the district liaison put it.  Since our school is next on the hit list I went to the meeting last night to hear what they were planning.  Also, there is an Ed Tech job available at one of the middle schools and I am applying for it.  Not much chance of getting that as I didn't even get a second look at the jobs available at the district, but hey, I'm building interview skills.

Anyway, I'm going to put a survey on the side of the page to see who likes the new blog look.  If they did a survey of who likes the new school schedule I can only imagine what people would say.