¡I may put it in Press!

Em is so cute! And I love hearing the progress of Aidan and Kara.

I got to see cute nephew pictures -- so cute and some of the onesies he's wearing are for 6 mth! but he's only 6 weeks! Long torso that one.

I'm outside on my deck with the laptop, I finally figured out how to adjust the brightness level (it was on 20 so no wonder everything looked dim and horrible) but now it's better. Except there are still mosquitos so I may go inside.

Since my cat keeps trying to escape out the front I decided to try supervised balcony time for her... she tried to go inside right away. 19 years as an inside cat I'm not sure what she would even attempt to do outside.

Teppy glad the job situation is a bit better.

Emeline photos have killed me ded with cute.

The drawback to creating your own curriculum and materials and activities and etc.? Copies. Lots and lots of copies.

This. So much this. Combined with not having a planning period this semester is killing me.

guess the kids are too young for e-mail distribution, huh? Or an online forum where they could check for those kinds of things?

I would love to do this. My district is too cheap and too backwards. This place is overflowing with backwoods, hillbilly rednecks.

That's fantastic news, Tep, but I'm afraid I still hate all their guts for jerking you around in such a shitbaggy way over the last couple of months.

Still, go you for making them suck it and eat all their nasty little words!

This! Very much this!

GG - my friend used blogger to set up a class website for her Year 4 (Grade 3) kids, so kids could get information on what their spelling words were/topics/homework reminders/links to handy websites etc. I mean, not ideal, but free and easy.

Thanks, Fay. I've been looking at some free sites to be able to do some things like this.

What Fay said, GG -- there are tons of teachers using free online tools where they don't have the budget for the proprietary education technology that's usually not as good anyway. I'd probably suggest a pbwiki (which has TONS of templates etc optimized for education, and better ways of handling documents and access control) over a blog, but either way -- if the fuckers are going to be backwards on you, go be forward on them. Or something that means the same but makes sense.

if the fuckers are going to be backwards on you, go be forward on them. Or something that means the same but makes sense.

HA! I totally get what you are saying. That is me on a daily basis. They get all grumpy whenever I do something that even seems slightly 'progressive' and then act like they are so supportive when it works and is successful.

One of the biggest problems this year is lack of time. Not having a planning period this semester, and having what amounts to 7 preps as well as 2 productions is killing me.

collapse

I'm 2 days into a three-day DVD Studio Pro class with NO INTERWEB ACCESS, but I'm finally caught up! Unfortunately, what I really want to be doing right now is watching TV and I have no TV to watch. I've already seen the House ep that's taping now and Fringe hasn't started yet. And the TDS & Colberts on the Tivo are repeats.

Happy Birthday Emmett!

Tep, I saw your news & concur that being back to full-time is great but your bosses are still pretty much shitheads.

Veggie chili is yummy. I declare this to be so. However, if I'd known I was so low on cheese, I'd have bought some on my way home. A practically fat-free bowl of vegetables over whole-wheat spaghetti* can only really be made complete by topping it with its own weight in cheese, I believe.

*Yes, spaghetti. For reference search "chili" in every Buffista thread going back to the beginning of time.

CJ is in elementary - 6th grade - and is expected to go online each night for homework.

Unfortunately, I can't do that. I teach in a low income district and many of my students don't own computers let alone have internet access. Shoot, some of them don't even have phones.

I do have a web page on my school's site and I put in homework and some downloadable stuff, but it isn't used very much.

Our school does have an email listserv, but we also have to send everything home via hard copy (written in both English and Spanish).

Combined with not having a planning period this semester is killing me.

Seriously. I have one planning period and it sucks (I teach 6 classes and one 30 minute advisory period). I can't imagine not having one at all.

having what amounts to 7 preps as well as 2 productions is killing me.

Holy crap. I have 4 preps and will do 3 productions this year. And I thought I was busy.

Just got home from ordering t-shirts for the fall show, getting a pedi and my brows waxed, and going out for Mexican food with the vocal music teacher (my co-teacher). It was a lovely afternoon/evening.

Teppy, I'm glad for your bosses noticing that your work deserves to be compensated better. But I do hope you get free of them soon.

sj, much surgery~ma for the little one.