treinta de septiembre

I am so thankful to be done with a month and almost to Friday!  This week I went with the 8th grade team and the entire 8th grade to the 4H Center in Ferndale for a two day leadership development camp.  We did the zip line, canoed, fished, hiked, archery, and several team-building a life skill-teaching activities. On Tuesday night, we had a dance, and yours truly was the DJ.  It was hilarious.  They were so cute to watch as they tried to figure out who to dance with.  Miraculously, we had no inappropriate dancing.  I wore a 1980's red prom dress over jeans and a t-shirt, accessorized with multi-colored beads and earrings and bangles.  Some of the kids were so cute, because they couldn't tell if I was joking or serious with my costume.  Some girls seriously said, "Mrs. Rogers, you look so nice."  After I said, "Sweetheart, I am just being goofy," their reply was "O thank goodness."  It was a great trip because I had the opportunity to bond with students and see them bond with each other.  

While I was gone, my classes were obviously very good for the substitute, because she did not leave me any notes, only the absence report.  The kids didn't finish all of their work, though, so maybe she/he was just a push-over. :): Who can ever know for sure!

Well, I am off to CHOM practice (cheer and pom).  I gave my six months notice today that I will NEVER do cheer or pom again.  Surely they can find someone in six months time.  I thanked the athletic director and my principle for the opportunity to realize that my calling in life is NOT to be a CHOM sponsor.  :)

veintidos de septiembre

Well, first Saturday class down, five more to go!  The time actually went pretty fast for me.  Time is going pretty fast in the rest of my life.  And I don't have enough time to get everything done.

For the first time in over three years of teaching, I did not have a class' test graded by the next class.  Having half of the planning time that I am used to is starting to catch up to me.  I absolutely must revise my lesson plans and work for the students because I honestly don't have enough time to grade all of their homework, projects, quizzes, tests, and composition notebook writings.  I honestly think that I am creating more work for myself than I ever have, and I have less time than I have ever had to get this amount of work done.  (that may have been a terrible sentence, sorry)

My voice is getting into the 'teacher groove.'  I was coming home each day with a sore throat and a hoarse voice.  This week, I have only had a sore throat, and I am no longer hoarse.  Which may be a bad thing because now I can return to choir which only adds another activity that I don't have time for!

My students are really starting to get the hang of things.  We have had our second chapter test in three of my classes, Spanish 1.  Their grades and reflection on the test, something I conduct the day after each test, were very encouraging.  I like to make sure that students did not feel surprised by any questions or unprepared. Their behavior is improving, as well.  

I have a big test of my teaching ability coming up this Friday and again next Tuesday and Wednesday.  I am going to be gone on field trips and a sub will take over.  I have reviewed my routines over and over.  I have had the students practice them.  I have everything as 'ready' as I know how.  I will update you all next week on how it all went down! :)

One of the things that I am most excited about this year is my course's emphasis on  culture and stories of all 20+ Spanish-speaking countries.  I need to tailor my presentations and assignments on these countries, so that I do not need 8 hours to grade them.  But I am excited none the less.  I am also excited about the "Pobre Ana" Readers that I am using.  My students are responding very well- better than I anticipated- to this authentic text. 

el ocho de septiembre

This is going to be a great year, but the beginning has nearly killed me.  Remember when Donna advised us to not get pregnant or try to move or anything too stressful during this year....I listened, I really did.  But I did not obey.  I have volunteered to have an exchange student this year. I have no plan period every other day this year; and I have the pom squad drama already in full swing.  But thankfully I am not pregnant and I talked my husband out of moving until next summer.  I have literally been getting home at 5:00 and taking a nap for an hour or so before cooking dinner, fixing lunches, bathing, and going back to sleep as SOON as possible. 

On a positive note, this crazy schedule has given me a new outlook on life.  I used to hate rainy days.  Now I love them, because it means that I have a great excuse to not fix my hair.  Not that I fix it too much for non-rainy days.

In the words of Tony the Tiger, my classes are grrrreat!  I am teaching three Spanish 1 classes, two Spanish A classes, and one Spanish B class.  I also have a class period for Pom/Cheer.  My Spanish A classes are all seventh graders and they are adorably scared of me.  Respect and healthy fear is so endearing! They listen and participate and try!  It's wonderful.  They don't think they are too cool for Spanish which is what the upper school students think.   I have two high school classes, 9-11 grade, and they do drive me crazy.  But I am giving them " **** from bell to bell" like Dr. Snow advised.  So I think I am driving them crazy, too. 

I can feel an improvement in my teaching this year over last year.  I don't know if that is due to the fact that this is my second year here, or if I am already the wiser teacher for having completed 12 hours of MAT courses. 

All in all, I think that this year is going to be great.  It can only get better, right?