Watching him grow up…..

Jeremy is turning out to be quite a nice young man.

I know, I shouldn’t sound surprised, but really I am…….

He can be such a doorknob sometimes…… and the person who is guiding him in this world is me….so really, the odds were stacked against him from the beginning.  :)

Jeremy wants to pursue a career in Education.  I think this would be really good for him.  He loves to “explain”, to “be correct” about information and facts.  He can be quite entertaining when he is excited about a topic.

He applied to York University, Faculty of Ed– and had an interview on Saturday. Jeremy worked hard on his responses, and even had a mock interview to prepare, and he feels it went well.  ***FINGERS CROSSED

For the rest of the school year he is doing an unofficial “placement” with me at my school.  I am grateful to my friends, who are welcoming him into their classes, and I hope he understands how lucky he is to have the opportunity to try out ideas and lessons with a real class.  I wish him well, and hope he discovers that this is a career path he wants to follow.  Let him take direction and criticism with the love and support it is offered.  I know he will be wonderful!

The Start of a Brand New Year

I know what you are thinking– its September, not New Years.  But to me, its NEW YEARS, because we are back in school.

Its much nicer time to have new years, because the weather is nicer.  In Crappy wet January– who wants to start new routines and try new resolutions.  But this time of year, when the temperature and the leaves are changing– its nice to change too.

My goals are to be more organized at school– never super clean, but more on the ball!!! 

I will go to bed earlier.  I have realized “What am I staying up for????”  When I’m tired–I will go to bed, even if its 8:30

I will try to do everything with joy.  Even if its dishes, homework or rehearsal.  I am so lucky to have a job, home, family and friends that I can’t let the mundane details of life weigh me down. 

I will write more.  Its a nice quiet time to centre yourself and find some peace.  Also I can hear my own “inner Wisdom” more, when I stop talking   (Imagine that!!!)

I will stop hurting myself.  (now I’m not cutting or a drug addict or anything) But I do eat crappy, I don’t always wear sunscreen or moisturizer, I don’t exercise.  So I will begin to treat myself better.  Because if I don’t do it???? Who will???????

Cinderella….or Spiderella, or Cheetahrella

My students have been writing (FOR A MONTH) a fairy tale story.  We read a number of fairy tales.  (you’d be surprised–if its not a Disney movie–they don’t know it–like Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk or Rapunzel)

Now we are writing Cinderella stories.  I have a collection of Cinderella’s –like Dinorella, or Cinderella Penguin.  SO they chose an animal set and they got to it!!  Each day or two, I would lay out the foundation of the next set of details.  (First introduce Cinderella…lovely, beautiful…. had to live with SS and SM.  They make her do all the chores….give details.)  then the next day:  Now do the invitation…what is the prince’s name, what kind of ball (that matches the types of animals there are)  and then the SSisters say “You can’t come to the ball… you are too dirty…etc)  It took them over 2 weeks to write the story.  But they have never written so much!!!!  I have pages and pages from each student.

Now its taken 2 weeks.  I will edit a chunk at a time and tell them when to stop on each page.  Like a picture book, some pages only have one sentence, and some have a lot more.  But, each page will have a coloured picture with it.

The stories are so funny!!!!  Snakearella lost her tiara (and the picture of the snakes dancing is a little rude), Pigerella fell in love with a Chicken Prince, Cheetahs, tigers, dogs and cats are all going to the ball!!!!  Each completed book is between 12-25 pages with illustrations and everything.  I am going to use the spiral binder to make the books last a long time.

I hope mom’s and Dad’s like the stories and will keep them.  I ‘ve had a great time helping them write!!!

Hello…..Hello…..

I haven’t been blogging……

As a reader of this blog, you know this…

I can’t explain why not…its not the time…. its not other work to do…(although I do have tons of things to do, still)

I just haven’t felt like me……weird…. then who have I been????

I’m going to write some more–even if its just to hear my own voice.  I read back through my old blogs, laughing and crying, and I think I lost touch with who I am.

I become the things that need to get done, rather than a person doing those things.  And I need to reclaim myself.

Is it because the temperature is above freezing? and the sun is out?  Maybe I hibernated….. but I can’t ever let 6 months go without being ME!!!!!

Updates: School is good–new friends on staff (well old friends, new to this staff–things are working out great), still not working out–getting fatter by the day, Wearing more dresses to school (new staff/friends are fashionistas–feel the need to keep up), Jeremy and Phillip are good.  (And still causing me laughter and grief to be explored in subsequent blogs)

Its good to be back!!!!

Jobs I have had!!!

You can tell a lot about a person by the jobs they have done in their life.  (I’m just not sure WHAT my list tells you–let me know what you think)

I worked at Collegiate sports, and Elk’s Menswear in the Bramalea City Centre (I’m not sure if both stores are there anymore.)  As a 15 year old retail clerk, they don’t give you much training, in my opinion.

I worked for a number of summers with the City of Brampton.  One summer I was on the “Sign Crew”.  We drove around in city trucks and fixed the street signs.  In the sign shop, I cut out the letters that make the road signs– with a big die-cut machine, and I built some street signs too.  You had to bake the background plastic on the metal first (in a big Easy-Bake oven), and then place the letters and bake again–If you know where Chrysler Drive is, in Brampton –I made one of those signs–ages ago.  This was interesting, being a 15year old girl and the daughter of the foreman’s boss.  But the old, crusty men were impressed when they sent me to the truck that I not only could identify a wrench, but could read the markings on them and could find the 3/16 or whatever one they sent me for.

Also for the City of Brampton, I worked 2 or 3 years (summers -full time) in the parking lots.  You know those losers you pay the money to as you leave, well that was me!!!  I worked day shift 8-4 and an evening shift 3 -11.  But both city jobs were good money for little effort.  The hardest was the parking lot, being bored and doing the same thing over and over.  I found it very soul-sucking.  I tease and complain about my job now–but really I love it!!

I was part of the “Student Security” team at York University.  We would walk on patrol with our giant red plastic reflective coats.  We had to check in with base and write a little log of the buildings we went through.  It was late 6pm to 2 am.  But again, money.  Sometimes you got to be in one of the three “Escort Vans” .  Students could call the “escort service” –(get your mind out of the gutter) and you would be walked or driven to your res building or your car.  (Sometimes when it was slow–we took the vans “off road”~ but that was wrong  and we shouldn’t have done it –Sorry York.)  It was at this job that the “Chocolate Milk” rule was instated in my marriage.  (the rule is: NO Chocolate Milk after midnight)  Apparently, I was a little crazy when I’d get home at 2am after drinking Chocolate milk to try to stay awake.  Phillip and baby Jeremy were already asleep, but sometimes I’d want to talk or play.  No chocolate milk late at night anymore.

I also worked at the Disney Store at Yorkdale (which I was informed this week–no longer exists!!!)  I liked working retail– talking to people and putting out new merchandise.  Its just they pay horrible and you have to work nights and weekends.  Another blog could be stories from working at the Disney Store–I met some WEIRD people!!!

I have been a cashier at Price Chopper.  I come from a family tradition of being cashiers at grocery stores–both my mom and nan worked for years as a cashier. 

I was the Assistant manager of the “Northern Getaway” kids clothing store at the Pickering Town Centre for a few months.  I had keys!  Cool!

I have taught as a supply teacher for 2 months, then in Holy Family in Beaverton, St. James in Ajax, and finally Brother Andre in Ajax.  I really love teaching.  Its predictable in many ways, and “out of control” in others.  Kinda like me!!!

Back to the Blog

I haven’t felt like writing a lot lately.  I don’t know if it is because of my Grandmother’s death bumming me out, or the change of seasons, or the mess in my class and house, but I just feel BLAHHHHH.

Well, nothing changes a grumpy mood like doing something about it!!!!  I am going to be back to blogging, here on my personal blog, and on my school website.  If you would like to see what my class is doing  check out www.teacherweb.com

Once you get there, click– find a teacher, scroll down to Ontario, Canada, then pick a school, we are Brother Andre (the first of the two listed), and last pick ME, from the list of teachers that have set up sites.  Its a lot of fun, and the parents who are checking the homework lists and the calendar really like it.  I have also added a “Student Blog” section.  Every couple of days, a student gets to sit at my desk and write what is happening in school.  It gets posted to the website and parents and friends can read it.

Hopefully turning around and facing my crappy mood will help me beat it!!!  If you are reading it, send me a shout out and say hi.  I could really use it!

Back to School

Well, now its official– we are back to school.

I’m really glad to be back.  I mean, really, I’d still love to be on the beach.  But vacation wouldn’t be special if that’s where you lived all the time.  So I need school to “earn” my vacation.

Plus, I like routine and the fun that my job brings.  Sure, some days I want to scream.  Teaching primary brings some unique challenges.  (like my friend yesterday who had to mediate a fight about which stuffed animal was “The Queen” and which were “just Princesses”)  Yup, this is my life.  But I really like it.  This is a great group of students and I’m already having a ball with them!!!!

Well, I’d better get back to work!!!

Its so hot!!!!

I have a river of sweat down my back.  The students know its the last couple of days of the year and they have turned to puddles of mush.

I am very lucky because I am not moving schools or moving classrooms, but still I have a lot of crap to dig through.  Its hard to get rid of anything (because  you MIGHT need it), but how many strawberry baskets or egg cartons can you keep????  I know if I throw it out, I will be looking for it in September.  Plus its stuff I bought at the Dollar Store or mom bought, and I hate wasting money.

Well, most of their desks are cleaned out.  (But I pull the unused paper from the middle of the notebooks to save for scrap next year—- I hate knowing that they are going to throw away good, clean paper.)  I have the walls cleaned off and most of the shelves organized. 

But there is still so much to do (like the top of my desk and the file cabinet)  and the heat in the upstairs is making me feel sick.  Blahhhhhhhhhhh

For a final week, it’s going to be busy!!!

I was hoping for a quiet end to the school year.  No such luck.  Starting in a few hours, I go really hard until Mon. June 29th.  This was an initial date, but now I’m thinking to July 4th, until I really have NO plans. Perhaps writing it all out will help me to remember it all.  (This is not unlike my use of shopping lists–Whenever I write a grocery list, it never makes it into the store, but remains on the kitchen table or in the car.  But, the act of writing it out helps me to centre and focus.  I find I don’t NEED the list, because I wrote it)

So, Saturday: Grocery shop, house clean, get dressed up, Jeremy’s formal piano recital, drop J off at Brad’s house, go to staff party

Sunday: GARDENING–we have 6 bags of mulch waiting for the rose garden to get weeded.  And the magic fairies let me down again.  SO we will have to do it.

Monday:  School mass, no one has talked about it (because there is so much going on at school), and despite the fact that choir is finished for this year, we still get to sing.  Hmmmm  I think “Its a small world” is an appropriate Processional song. hee hee  (I won’t do that–I’ll pick nice songs).  Monday evening is Grade 8 Graduation.  Woooo  (Said with just as much enthusiasm and energy as you’d expect) woooooo blaah

Tuesday: Outdoor play day for all the primary students.  I am watching stations 5 and6 (what ever that means) but its always a fun day.  Tuesday night is Jeremy Jujitsu in Bowmanville. 

Wednesday: my class has been invitied to SK graduation, because they are our reading buddies.  So we will have to find a time to make them cards or something.  But we are going morning and afternoon.

Thursday: clean out the classroom, send everything home, hand out report cards.  I like this day.

Friday: Pioneer Play Day with the Gr threes, we do bobbing for apples, sack races and three legged races, egg and spoon race. Its like the church picnic in “Anne of Green Gables” only with out the singing or the ice cream. Students (finally) go home.   Friday night–Ju jitsu in Bowmanville

Saturday: Clean up because Jeremy is having a birthday party.  (Poor summer baby, never has people over, only get to go to WDW on his birthday and see Mickey Mouse–poor Jeremy).  Teenagers, food, drinks, movies, guitar hero, yikes.  Jeremy’s driving school

Sunday:  TEAM W is coming over!!!!!  Woo hooo ( or we are going there, not sure on the plans, but its us and them!!!!!!)  Jeremy’s driving school—******See I have just found a slight glitch in my busy week–Must confirm times of driving class and confer with Violaine– no prob, just needs to be checked!!

Monday:  STAFF MEETING 9AM, how horrible.   Plus side–Neil says its only and hour, Minus– a lot of our staff will not be joining us, Plus- I get to see the new staff that I’m looking   forward to having with us.  Plus or minus (not sure yet)  Get to meet the REST of the new staff.  Jeremy’s driving school Monday night, hoping to go to the Blue Jays game (we are not bad luck–this time they wont lose when we go)

Tuesday: Jeremy’s Driving school

Wednesday July 1: Canada Day.  Track (undecided yet), BBQ at mom and dad’s (yes a go)

Thursday:  Taking Nan to the hospital

Friday July 3rd; Jeremy going bye bye for 2 weeks–need to get him packed and organized.

Saturday and Sunday–NO PLANS!!!!

Boy I’m glad school is fininshed!!!  My job really gets in the way of my life sometimes!!!

The end of school

Well, its finally hot enough to think about the end of the school year.

I am starting to take down things off my walls, and to clean out cupboards and shelves.  Books are being returned, and things starting to go home.  The school looks so different.

The kids are beginning to shut down as well.  (It might be the heat).  Today we made “God’s Eye’s” from yard and sticks all afternoon.

Only 7 more days–I can make it!!!!