Blog Much?

I have completly gotten out of the groove of blogging. I still try to read peoples blogs and keep up to with them but I don't ever blog. Im sure it has something to do with moving up to Salt Lake, getting a teaching job, having 2 weeks to get a classroom ready, teaching, going on a much needed vacation (I love year round schools) and more teaching. Right now as I type this I should be doing report cards for the dreaded Parent Teacher Conferences on Wed. and Thurs this week, but I am not. I love my job and I do manage to get down time Im just not always awake for the down time. Really though I think part of why I haven't blogged in forever is that I now live closer to most of my family than I have in 4 years and get to see and talk with them alot. Blogging seems sort of repetitive. On a random side note, Jordan District has this evaluation called JPASS where the principal has to come watch 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year teachers teach. It is a stupid hoop to jump through and is ridiculous. I met with my principal today to go over the results. She hands me the paper and says. "you passed." (The score you have to get to pass is ridiculous a monkey could pass it). Then reminds me that she has to come again in January. The End. Seriously, no how are things going, no this is what I saw you could work on, nothing. I think it is very odd to go from student teaching where everything you do is graded and evaluated to not ever having feed back from anyone. Very odd... and now I really have to go do report cards.

Alot has happened since I last posted. Most recently we moved. The original plan was to move at the end of the month into Brian's parents' basement. We had decided that even without a teaching job I could do more subbing up in the Salt Lake area than in Cedar. What was supposed to be 2 weeks to move turned into 3 days and we are now officiallly in Kaysville. Jobless but in Kaysville. As I drove out of Cedar last Saturday with my car full of stuff I realized that I had lived in Cedar for 4 years and despite knowing that it was time to be out of Cedar and that going up north was the best decision, I was a little sad leaving Cedar. It holds lots of memories. Some of my favorites are:
1: My apartment flooding freshman year
2: Walking to Ihop and eating a ton of food
3: Pastry Pub
4: Ballroom (I could list a ton but I'll just say Ballroom)
5: An orange stuffed frog and falling over from laughing
6: Alternative Spring Breaks
7: Dating and marrying Brian
8: Our first apartment with orange counters
9: Going into old houses
10: The Block
11: Sleeping in the student center, the library, the science building, pretty much everywhere
12: Student teaching
13: Working for the Family Support Center
14: The sheep tunnels
15: Cheesecake and diet coke at Denny's.

Not a Good Blogger

Not having internet at my house sucks! I am currently sitting at the library on campus using the internet because I was running errands and thought to stop and check the bank account. As I logged into the computer I thought... one of these days this log in isn't going to work anymore since I am no longer an SUU student. BUT let me tell you the 2 days of summer vacation so far have been very nice. I was able to apply for 13 teaching jobs yesterday. I was able to clean my house. (I ignored the laundry). I am sure sometime in the near future I will get bored but for now between job hunting, cleaning/organizing and weddings I am very okay with life being low-key. Let me tell you ending a school year while I am sure it is great for the kids as things start to "wind-down" is very hectic for a teacher. Not wanting to throw academics out the window for the last 2 weeks but being met with rebellion at trying to force the kids to do the "same stuff" they've done all year is difficult. The last week I felt like I had to trick the kids into academics. We played many math and reading games. But let me tell you most teachers seem to hate the last day of school. I loved it. Maybe it was because for once I didn't panic that I had kids standing on the counters (they were cleaning), or that we had to get something done, it was very nice to just have a low key day. Well maybe low key isn't the right word between taking their desks out in the hall, cleaning everything in the classroom, and an ice cream party with 19 different topping choices most of which were candy the classroom was actually pretty loud but we had a good time. Maybe that's were all the problems in the 3rd grade came from... the fact that I think doing the same centers week after week is boring, and that some days I don't want to grade a math worksheet, I have come to the conclusion that my medication induced ADHD causes me to HATE making the kids sit and work silently. Its like when I told the 3rd graders I knew they hated end-of-year testing, and that everyone hated testing but it was important and we needed to get it done, according to the other 3rd grade teachers, I shouldn't have told them that. I don't see why not. I explained why the tests are important I didn't say the tests were bad just that I knew they didn't like them and that grown-ups don't like taking tests either. Im not going to lie to the kids...I told them part of life was doing things we don't like but are important like going to the Dr. ANYWAY, this has been one rambling post, I apologize for those of you that have sat and read the whole thing. I promise better ones in the future.

Not a Good Start

I woke up TODAY to snow. That's right, snow, not a lot of snow but there was slushy snow on my car this morning. It is cloudy and rainy and cold. Not how I wanted my birthday to start out... I'm hoping the weather does not reflect the day.

Web 2.0 (This is for CSIS.. the rest of the world can just skip it)

Web 2.0 is all about the idea that originally the internet was used by people but controlled by companies and web-experts, then with the introduction of message boards, social networks and (drum roll please) BLOGGING, the internet became more shall we say.. democratic-"by the people, for the people". Which is great, I think its awesome the internet allows people a forum to get their ideas out and connect with the world. For example the sites such as the dietcokediet.com started as blogs, they are people writing to help out their friends and neighbors in cyberspace. So now a YouTube video link about Web 2.0

Bad Night

For those of you who haven't heard, on Saturday evening Brian and I were walking Bella and she got hit by a truck. We rushed her to the vet, but as he started to look her over we realized that there was nothing we could do, her back right leg was completely shattered and would need to be amputated. Her lungs had blood in them, and when she breathed it sounded as if air was going where it shouldn't. The vet gave her a 30% chance to live, if he could get her stabilized and to St. George, the odds of her surviving the trip were worse. Also, the cost (with not payment plans available) was creeping towards the $3,000 mark. Brian and I decided that it would be best to put her down, and not make her continue to suffer.
We have only been able to find 1 picture of her. If anyone has any from Christmas or anything like that we would love a copy.

Interviewing is stupid!

I am not a good "butt-kisser", I am not a good here is the "right" answer for an interview person. Because I think interviewing, as with all other shmoozing (spelling?!?!?!) is STUPID. If you really want to get to know someone, maybe you shouldn't try to trick them, that is how I feel about questions such as, "What is your weakness?" Really? Lets hire someone based on how well they LIE! That is what we are asking, don't really admit you are human and sometimes screw up, and have weaknesses but make one up so it can sound like a strength.Im pretty sure an interviewer doesn't want to hear that I accidentally threw away the 3rd graders ungraded pre-test for Spelling and so canceled the final spelling test this week. Because, I struggle with staying organized. In the education world, they always ask, "What is your favorite (strongest) grade to work with? This again is a trap rather than admitting and saying I love ___ grade because. Oh no that's not okay because then you aren't flexible. So you have to Miss America it. "Oh i love every grade, they all are fun and unique..." If you say, "I really HATE kindergarten.." That is the WRONG answer. How can there be a WRONG answer when you are asking for an opinion... don't we teach kids an opinion can't be wrong?. Do people who are interviewing actually expect you off the top of your head to be able to give EXAMPLES of something. When they ask, give us an example of a time you were proactive, what did you do? Why? How did it work? And I'm supposed to just PULL something out of my butt? You want to know what happens 99% of the time.. people MAKE stuff up. Again with the LIES. Having done 2 Target interviews which are all "give me an example of a time"questions. Let me tell you, "This one time at Odyssey.... BS, BS, BS. I usually don't completely make up a story but I do combine them and like I can remember details. But we have not yet come to by LEAST favorite, biggest pet peeve question. What unique qualities can you bring to this job?... Well since
A) I don't know the people who work for you all that well, how am I supposed to know if it is a unique quality?
B) The shear fact that I am ME. Its not 1 quality that makes a person unique, it is their life experiences and their personality. No matter who you hire you're getting someone unique.
C) I have no idea what the hell would be the "right answer"
I am going to babble out some B.S. that isn't really a unique quality.
When I am a principal and get to interview people, I am going to take them to lunch. We are just going to talk, no trick questions, no 1 person vs. 6. Then I am going to actually watch them teach. Watch them interact with students. Seriously, I challenge any principal, teacher, person in this world to come watch me teach, and then to just sit down and talk with me about teaching what happened that day, what I did etc; Get me started on education, behavior management whatever, in an actually conversation (not a LIE) and not hire me. Seriously, that sounds terrible, I know I haven't been teaching for 30 years or whatever, and have a lot to learn but I feel like I can hold my own with any other teacher...BUT instead they'd rather have me BS my way through an interview.
The End

Just kidding: I'd like to pass a note on to a certain parent who sits on a certain board of directors at a certain charter school.
I understand that you have an inferiority complex because you run and are "the boss" of people who have more experience than you in the education world, I know that a part of you knows this and in order to make yourself secure and validated you want to hire someone who LOVES parents and their input. However, asking the same question twice is stupid. Asking, "Give us an example of how you deal with parents." and "How do involve parents in the classroom. Is the SAME question.