Wednesday, March 26, 2008
OUT OF THE BUILDING AT 4PM!!!
Today was a very nice day. A very nice day. Kind of like a trip day kind of nice day.

Today did not start out nice, in fact I was in a bit of a mood. This week started with a continuation of my poor sleep routines. Last night, I was planning to leave about 4 or 4:30, but after a couple of conversations and copies on the faculty copier, it was 6:30PM. The subway was in its slow-mo routines. Then, I rode the MN train home with a lady who had 5 kids with her. Three of the kids called her "mommy". The kid in the carriage didn't speak. One kid was waving a chicken bone asking his mother for a trash can. A 3 or 4 year old had nail polish, and was playing with it. Even a threat from mom to "punch the kid in the head" didn't deter her from opening the nail polish. I got home and repeated the evening routine I've repeated for the last few weeks. Eat. Sleep. Stress.

This morning, I waited until about 5:30AM before I finally started planning out what I was going to be teaching in a couple of hours. I finished about 6:10AM. By the time I finished my "morning" routine, it was 7:00AM, so I knew I would miss my regular train. That mean another taxis ride. Strange, last week sometime, I got in a taxis that managed to pick me up right in front of the MN train station and caught almost all (yep, almost all) of the lights from the Bronx to Manhattan. I think the taxis missed about 3 lights for the entire trip. It was a beautiful ride. Strange part? Great ride, but bad day. Today the taxi ride was not great (okay, but not great. The guy was a bit slow - catching a lot of lights. Today the work day was nice. The first 45 minutes, I was in a bad mood, and my usuals were in the usual form. After the literacy block, my luck changed. AP2 made an announcement that all of the girls -- that included my girls (Cackler, Giggles, Princess, & Drama Queen) had to report to the auditorium (for what I found out later would be an all-day thing). The purpose was for the girls to do some empowering activities during the day. I thought the idea was a nice one, but a bit poorly executed. Anyway, I lost my girls (for the day), and gain the boys from Ms. Down the Hall (who was absent). Ms. DTH was absent, but there was a sub in her room. The girls were gone, and the lesson plan I had stressed about early this morning, I did not do anything, so that meant that everything would be done tomorrow. So, no stressing tonight! I think a bit of clarification is needed. I was happy about having my disruptive girls out of the room not all girls. I know I would have had a good day if only the top 4 trouble-makers left and the other girls remained. Anyway, it was a good day with no unnecessary drama, cackling, name calling, or arguing.

Today, I was really determined to be out of the building by 4PM. I was ready at 4PM, but then I told Ms. Across the Hall. I ended up waiting about 5 or 10 minutes for her. I enjoyed the walk to the train. The problem was that if I missed the 4:39 MN train, then I would have had to wait until the next 5:16 MN train. Luckily for me, I made the 4:39 train. I was home at 4:59PM!!! Nice! It was a very nice feeling to be home at a reasonable hour. The sun was shining, and temperature was nice also. After eating my Weight Watcher's lasagna meal, I sat down to type up the "blurb" that was asked for. Admin decided a few months ago to start a school newsletter, and recently the secretary (the editor and chief) decided to highlight one grade per issue. This time, it is 3rd grade's turn. I thought it would be nice to put a bit more into the newsletter than the 2 or 3 lines per class inserted into text boxes that was the usual. I was even willing to do it, but I really couldn't get the secretary to understand. I think she thought that I was trying to take a shortcut from the submission by pairing up with another teacher. She told me she wanted to have individual entries. So, before doing this blog entry, I wrote up my newsletter submission. I will attach my submission to this blog entry. I apologizes for my writing skills not being what they should be.*

*The end result was provided once again that I had wasted my time. I think the secretary's computer skills are limited to inserting text into text boxes. All of my formatting (seen in the above picture) was lost.

Well, I think that is about it. I need to get offline now and hopefully get ready for an early bath and bedtime.

Completion Date - Wednesday, March 26, 2008 9:01PM
Post Date - Thursday, May 15, 2008 1:03AM

Sunday, March 23rd.
Last week was a very stressful week. I seemed to have dug a hole that only got deeper. Each day of the 4-day workweek, was basically the same. I left the building later and later, crashed when I got home, woke up about 2AM, took a taxi to school only to repeat the process over. By Thursday, my 4-day work week felt like a 5-day work week.

Friday (Good Friday), was my required recuperation day. I slept most of the day away. I did finish watching the Spiderman DVD, but most of the day was sleep (and mental recovery). My plan was to stay in for the weekend, and get organized, but I received an invitation to go see the movie "10,00BC". I wasn't really in the mood for a movie, but since I kept putting off going, I thought I should go. I told my epal that I was not available during the work week. Only those of you who have read my blog for a while, would understand why I wouldn't go out for dinner during the work week, or why my weekends are usually busy (Saturday sleep day and Sunday being errand day).

After putting off doing another event since our last event, I told my epal that a three-day weekend would be the best time for me, not realizing that I would be too tired to really do anything. But, since I made the arrangement, I decided to not break it.

The plan was to meet downtown Manhattan to see the movie "10,000 BC at 10:45AM (Saturday). To get there on time, I had to leave 9:30AM. To make sure I was there on time, I decided to take the MN train all the way to 42nd street, then it was only a matter of one subway ride to 34th street. I ended up arriving about 10:40AM. I wasn't sure if I could wait in the lobby, I did not know if someone would think I was loitering, so I waited outside reading the newspaper. My epal arrived about 11:10AM. Waiting in the cold for about 30 minutes put me in a bit of a bad mood. We then went to the wrong theater (that did not help). Having stood in the cold for about 30 minutes left me chilled to the bone. I spent the entire movie with my jacket and hat on.

So how was the movie? It was okay. The makeup was nice. I think the movie producers were trying to have a bit of both worlds (they were trying to have a sci-fi story, but I also think they were trying for a realistic edge as if this story could have really happened. So on the one hand you got sci-fi mumbo jumbo about prophecies on top of prophecies, all-seeing visions, and all-powerful gods. Then, you had the "Natural Geographic" story-telling. If you take the movie for its sci-fi mumbo jumbo, then I think you will be satisfied. The movie wasn't great, it was nice. And since I saw the $6 matinee showing, I was satisfied.

After the movie, we went to Wendy's for lunch. The conversation was interesting -- more drama with my epal's neighbor. I think he calls her "pookie". She called a few times during our walk after the movie. To be honest, I felt a bit like a third-wheel. I'll leave out the rest of my observations since it doesn't relate to me (and my blog really isn't suppose to be about others).

After lunch, my epal asked if I was interested in going to Macy's. I hadn't been there in decades, so I said yes. My epal was interested in buying another messenger bag. Although Macy's would not have been my first choice (or any choice) to go walking around, I did enjoy going in. It was nice for a personal reason. For too many years, I've made most (if not all) of my purchases in imitation 5 and dime stores. It was nice to look around at the merchandise in a non-bargain basement store.

After Macy's, we went to HomeDepot. My epal wanted to do some comparison shopping for items he wanted for his apartment. Although I did not have any plans to buy anything, I ended up buying a hand-held shower head. Some seeds, and mini pots. I thought it would be nice to see if I could get my students to grow some flowers for their parents.

Next stop was Barnes & Nobles, my epal wanted to see if the last Harry Potter book was out in paperback. Again, I wasn't planning on buying anything but I ended up buying:
a graphic novel (The Dark Wraith of Shannara by Terry Brooks)
3 Quamut "how to do it" cheat sheets (for lack of a better descriptive word)
Microsoft Word 2007, Microsoft Access 2007, and Microsoft Excel 2007
The "cheat sheets are a tri-fold (laminated)page of short summaries of key functions of the programs. I bought a tutorial program around the time I purchased my new desktop computer, but I have yet to do any of the lessons.

After B&N, my epal said that he was going to walk further downtown to a liquor store then would head home. Since, I had no plans, I said I would walk that way also. Those of you who have read previous entries of this blog know that walking is my thing. Walking three or four hours doesn't mean much to me. Well, at least it used to mean nothing. Anyway, my epal then changed his mind, and mentioned that he would walk about the farmer's market in Union Square. I don't know why, but I got the feeling my epal wanted to get rid of me, but did not know how. After walking around in circles, I decided to help him out. I told him that I would head over to Forbidden Planet (a comic shop) while he would continue on his way. While we were walking around Union Square Park, we came across a pillow fight in the park. I later found out it was International Pillow Fight Day. There were feathers falling like snow everywhere. I would hate to be the person who would have to clean up that mess.

In front of FP, we said our goodbyes, and I went in to look around. Again, I wasn't planning to buy anything, but after about 45 minutes, I left the shop about $50 poorer. It has been many years since I've been in a comic shop. I bought a few titles that did not have a major "to be continued..." ending:
Shadowpact with Blue Devil (DC)
Batman and the Outsiders (DC)
Green Lantern Super-sized Finale!
Fantastic Five - The Final Doom (reprinted - Marvel)
Thunderbolts - Civil War (Marvel)

After I finished in FP, I walked passed a movie theater. For the heck of it, I went in to see what was playing. Horton Hears a Who was playing in 10 minutes. Even though there was a bit of a line, I decided to go see the movie.

The theater was much more crowded than with the BC movie...and noisier.

After the movie, I headed for home. Since I had about 40 minutes to wait for the MN train, I went to Target to by some milk and orange juice. I then went to the local Chinese takeout restaurant. I ordered some beef lo mein.

I returned home about 9PM. I watched a couple of the PBS Britcoms, "Are You Being Served".

Completion Date - Sunday, March 23, 2008 1:47PM
Post Date - Thursday, May 15, 2008 12:48AM

Monday, March 17th
Field trip to see a mini opera/dance performance at a local high school. Also, I received a new student today. Already my new student showed that she would "fit right in" with my other personalities. I assigned a photocopied reading assignment from a 3rd grade reproducible workbook, but she said that she couldn't read it. What bothered me was that the new student could not read the assignment, but was able to converse with those around her with absolute ease.

About the performance. It was nice, but way over my head. I did not understand most of what was going on.

Planned to leave the building at 4PM, but Teacher's Choice paperwork was due. NYC teachers in public schools receive $260 near the beginning of the school year to spend on classroom related materials. Then, around this time, we have to submit proof of materials purchased in the form of actual receipts. The total must equal the voucher allocation($260). Of the receipts I submitted, the total came to $726.93. Since we are (technically) required to bring (and keep) the listed materials in school, I did not include anything that I wanted to keep (or would be leaving with me when it came time to move on), so my submitted total was $487.60. Now, if I included the online orders, and the recent purchases, then I would have had to add another $200 dollars(approx.) to the total. If I included the expenses (this school year to date) for my personal copier, then I would have to add another $400 to the total. Oh, and if I included the miscellaneous (rewards, snacks etc...) tack on another $100 to date. The Grand total "out of pocket expenses" (to date) is about $1,140.

After finishing the paperwork and putting my classroom in order, I was out of the building about 5:30PM. I arrived home about 6:40PM. I had a Weight Watcher's meal, and then fell asleep on the couch. I woke up about 1AM to do my lesson planning, and then I remembered that teachers were suppose to submit a pacing calender for the month of March. Yes, we were told in the middle of March to create a pacing calendar for the month of March. I needed a break from thinking about school work, so I checked my email and did this blog entry. Now, I will type up my pacing calendar. My part of the 3rd grade curriculum was the Social Studies. However, I added the Science as well. I should be finished by 4AM.*

* However, I didn't finish until 5AM.


Completion Date - Tuesday, March 18, 2008 3:10AM
Post Date - Friday, April 25, 2008 11:46AM

Long restful weekend. Saturday (and most of Sunday), I slept and vegetated in front of the TV. After a very draining work week, I knew I would need the weekend to recuperate. I was a bit disappointed, but not by much.

Saturday I watched half of the computer-animation Spider-man series. It was nice, not great, but nice. I also watched the boxed-set of the original British series of "The Office". It was nice, a bit too "edgy" for me. It was a bit of like watching a train wreck (interesting, but a bit painful). Each person seemed to be making one bad decision after another. I was a bit worried that the last episode would not have a happy ending. I would have liked a nicer happy ending, however, the ending was nice. It did make me smile. I also like the extras like the cast's visit to the Golden Globes where everyone thought (according to the DVD) had no chance of winning(they won two awards). Lunch was take-home leftovers from my uneaten school lunches (a fillet sandwich and a veggie burger). For dinner, I had a Weight Watcher's meal.

Sunday, I finished watching "The Office" episodes extras. Later in the day, I went out to do my laundry, and pick up the Daily News paper. I also had to buy some milk. Last weekend, I ordered milk online. And again, they got my order wrong. This time, I ordered organic lowfat milk, but I was given lactose fat free milk. Nasty!! I did have another sip today, it did not taste as bad as the first taste, but it still did not taste good. I didn't eat lunch today. For dinner, I had the leftovers from the meal I bought from one of the students' aunt. I also had a honey sandwich (just honey between two slices of wheat bread).

While I washed the dishes in the sink, I filled up my bathtub for a bath. I am long, long overdue for a bath. I won't embarrass myself with a count of days since my last bath (or shower), but needless to say, I am long overdue.

Completion - Sunday, March 16, 2008 9:57PM
Post Date - Friday, April 25, 2008 11:39AM

Saturday, March 15th

My rough work week is at an end. I really need to get my act together. This past week, somehow, I managed to make it through the week on 3 to 4 hours of sleep for most of the 5 days. On Monday, an announcement was made that report cards were due the next day. Even though the announcement was the first and only one about report cards, I knew report cards would be due eventually, so I should have had my act together and had them done already. But since I didn't, I was up late getting them done. Result. From my professional side, I am Mr. Has it together and organized. however, those of you reading this blog, know the real story. My report cards were handed in on time, while other teachers handed theirs in late (or not at all).

Next up was the progress report that I had said that I would be doing on a regular basis. I always put it off until the load was too daunting. On Tuesday night, I spent going through the mounds of papers, doing a bit of last minute corrections for the sets that were not completed. Those (papers) not even started, I did not touch.

Finally, Wednesday night, I was up typing in the grades in a grading program. Since I've learned about grading programs, I've been reluctant to have a P/T conference with only a report card to talk about. Having something to show how the grades were decided, (I think) makes a big difference. So by 6AM (I woke up from my return home crash about 1:50AM), I completed my progress report. Since Thursday is a half day, my plan was to use the morning to do some last minute up dating to the students portfolios. Unfortunately, Admin had other plans. About 8:15AM, an announcement was made that upper grade teachers (that included me) would be in the library meeting and planning a pacing calendar for the month of March. Yes, this month that is just about over. So, each upper grade class was assigned an out of classroom teacher to cover our classes. I was assigned the school librarian, a very, nice grandmotherly lady. I spent the next 45 minutes getting my class, my students, and my materials for 3 lessons that I was not planning to do. Then, I spent the next 2 hours in the library with the other upper grade teachers. 11PM the meeting was finished and the students were in the cafeteria eating lunch for an early dismissal. To be honest, I was a bit annoyed that I spent about 45 minutes setting up, and the librarian didn't do anything I left for her. But......she complained to me that there were problems with their behavior. Having done the substituting thing for a while, I respect and understand the need for flexibility on the classroom teacher's part, and the understanding that the lesson plans and materials left usually aren't left with the sub in mind. I always tell any sub (or coverage) coming in to feel free to adapt, change, or do what fits your teaching style. As a sub, I hated when the classroom teacher left lessons scribbled on scratch paper, school paper towel etc.... Students as a rule aren't going to stay on task for sub with an assignment like "students can update their portfolio for a 45 minute period". Or, "students should edit their writing assignment for the 45 minute writing period. Etc... So, I can understand if the librarian had something that she was comfortable doing. Problem? She had nothing. She keep them reading independently and responding for the 2 hours. Then complained about their behavior. When I subbed, I had my granny cart full of assignments and activities for any grade K-6. I knew the key to my survival was to keep them busy. Sorry, I got sidetracked.

Anyway, since my P/T conference morning was a meeting, I had no time to get the things done that I wanted. No one's fault but my own. So, during lunch, I had to do some last minute preparation.

The P/T conferences went very nicely. However, it was an almost total waste of time. I got a lot of "things will be different" speeches, but the very next day, the same behavior, and the same "I don't care attitude". One of the nicest kids (I've never written about him here, so he doesn't even have a nickname), was doing the same disgusting "look and me" attention-getting actions. At the beginning of the school year, this boy would end every sentence with "yes or no sir". I pulled him aside and asked him if his mother spoke to him about the conversation I had with her about him probably being held over in the 3rd grade if he did not improve. He told me yes. I asked him if he was sure. He said yes. I said than either he wasn't listening or he did not care, which was it. He said he didn't care. It wasn't the nasty shout of "I DON'T CARE", but the more pensive(after a moment of thought) low "I don't care. Wow. Sorry, sidetracked again. P/T conferences were suppose to be finished by 8:00PM, but 7:55 (while other teachers were locking up and leaving, two of my parents came, so I stayed to talk to those parents. I ended up getting home about 9:30PM.

Friday was the day after P/T conference. I think about 6 to 8 teachers were absent. I was worried that I would be receiving students, but luckily, subs were available for each of the absentees. One of my students' aunt has a small part-time business making dinners, so I bought the BBQ spareribs dinner ($13). The dinner came with red rice, collared greens, candy yams, corn bread, and potato salad. Since I had paid for my school lunch in advance, I put my dinner in the refrigerator until later. Friday is my easy day, and I was fortunately, it turned out to be a (relatively) easy day. Unfortunately, having spent most of the work week on 3 or 4 hours of sleep took its toll. I was too tired to leave, and too tired to do anything productive. I finally left the building with Ms. Across the Hall a little bit after 7PM. Normally, I walk her to the train station even though, I normally go in the opposite direction. Today Ms. ATH decided to visit her sister, she was going to take the bus. I was planning to walk her to the bus stop, but when she told me her sister only lived about "5 city blocks away on the east side". I told her she could walk in the time she would spend waiting for the bus. I misunderstood the distance. East side meant wayyyy on the east side. The distance I thought would take me 15 minutes, actually took us about 40 or 45 minutes. Usually, I don't walk at a strolling pace. I've been told that I am a fast walker. Anyway, when we walked past the MN train station, I realized that I could just take the MN from there instead of taking the bus back to the west side, and when I realized that the train was about arrived in about 5 minutes, I am sorry to say I politely backed out of walking Ms. ATH to her sister's place(3/4 of the way). Unfortunately, chivalry is dead. I was more interested in not missing the train instead of walking a lady home. The next train was about a 40 minute wait. Sorry about that.

I arrived home about 8:45PM. After reheating my dinner, I was going to go online for a while, but the Internet was moving at a snail's pace. From the music I could hear through the floor, walls, and ceiling, I think a lot of people were home Friday night. Besides, I fell asleep in a matter of minutes. I woke up about 11PM and decided to call it a night. I was in bed about 11:20PM.

Completion Date - Saturday, March 15, 2006 11:09AM
Post Date - Wednesday, March 26, 2008 8:05PM

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Quick entry.
Yesterday I was out of the building by 4PM. I had a late night finishing up report cards. An announcement was made yesterday morning that report cards would be due today. Today Ms. Across the Hall was absent. Last minute no-show meant no sub for her class. I received 3 of her kids.
My kids were super hyper. Super hyper!
I wanted to be out of the building by 4PM again, but you know me. I ended up leaving about 6PM. I went to the post office to mail off some paperwork. Again, slower than molasses. After a quick trip the bank, I headed home. I arrived home about 8:40PM. I reheated the takeout I ordered earlier.

Post Date - Wednesday, March 26, 2008 9:05PM

Sunday, March 9th

I finally got around to activating my new phone(silver and black). So far, I like my new phone. It even has limited Internet access. My old phone(blue and silver) was a very basic model. I will attach photos of each.

This Sunday, I did not do much. I visited my foster father and I finally folded the clothes that have been sitting in my moon chair. And yes, some of the clothes were my summer clothes. Yes, under that pile (of clean) clothes, were the clothes that I wore last summer, washed but never put away (until now). If you remember, for a moment of honesty, I mentioned in a previous blog that I was purchasing the moon chair for exactly that reason.


Post Date - Monday, March 24, 2008 12:08AM

Friday, March 7th.
Two teachers were absent, so their classes were broken up. I received two students from 4th grade and one from 5th. Later, a sub arrived for the 4th grade teacher's class. I would have rather had the two fourth graders than the 5th grader I got stuck with. I knew the kid was going to be a handful when AP1 made the call. Anytime the AP makes a phone call, then there is usually more to it than was is mentioned. The kid started off nice, but later in the day, the temper tantrums started. When he didn't get his way, or what he wanted, he'd pout and walk off or out of the room.

Luckily for me, Friday is my (relatively) easy day. I have a Computer Prep and a Computer Lab period, and Friday is an early dismissal day.

During the literacy period, the literacy coach came in to ask if I was interested in observing another teacher doing the Literacy program during Monday's literacy block. I (of course) said yes. It is a bit strange that I've been offered a pass one time to view a video about the program, and now another pass to watch another teacher doing the program. What's strange? Ms. Across the Hall (who received a letter stating that she showed very little evidence she was doing the program and showed very little understanding of the program) has not received any extra support. Oh, and I've been offered (by the principal) to attend a 3 day seminar about this program that will occur out of state, on the 3 days right before the Spring Break. Things here tend to be top military secrets on a strictly need to know basis...They will tell me when they think I need to know.

The day ended nicely. The Tech/Computer teacher let my class stay in the computer lab for an extra period. I spent the time grading the homework. By the time, we returned to class, it was time to pack up and go. Nice!!!

Since I managed to leave school at 5PM yesterday, I wanted to try a repeat performance, but you know me, one thing tends to lead to another. After chatting with Ms. Across the Hall, and box repairs, it was past 5PM. Box Repairs? When my materials had to be moved to a different room, I saved my boxes. I've observed teachers year after year, scrounge around for boxes at the end of the year, then proceed to throw away the boxes when the new school year starts. I decided to save most of the boxes. I tucked the boxes in a couple of corners, and everything was okay until I noticed that the boxes were "creeping" out of one of the corners. I had to move the desk and supplies around the boxes. I taped the boxes together, and tucked them back neatly. I should have taped them the first time. The boxes over time were bending at their folds (hence the "creeping"). After taping the flattened boxed together, I cover them with a piece of large bulletin board green paper. It looks nice now.

I also spent the afternoon looking for (and bringing) more books for the literacy coach to label. We use a computer-based literacy program were the students can take comprehension test on the books they read. Teachers are responsible for labeling the books in their class library, so students know what the level of the book is as well as the point value of the book.

In the end, I left the school at 8PM. For dinner, I had a Weight Watcher's meal, but I ruined any benefits of the meal by eating an iced bun right after.


Post Date - Sunday, March 23, 2008 1:52PM

Thursday, March 6th.
Today was an okay day. My day started at 2AM. Yep, 2AM. After crashing the night before, I woke up about 1:50AM. Since I had to spent the reminder of the night procrastinating and avoided the lesson planning, I ended up finishing about 5AM. I already did the 5AM bedtime a few times, and since I was feeling only a little bit tired, I decided to stay up and get an early start. However, my "early start" evaporated fairly quickly. I ended up in the usual rush to get out of the door routine. I caught my regular train to NY, and my day began.

Today was day 3 of the NYS exams, only the 4th graders were being tested. I think it was AP2's idea to have the remainder of the testing grades (3rd through 6th) do long-term planning for the remainder of the year. I liked the idea, but not the execution. Teachers were asked to plan (or begin planning) in all subject areas, including planning for extra activities, with everything stated in terms of standards. Again, very good idea, but poorly executed. We were told that next week admin will be doing a "walk through", and AP2 was asking for specifics of what would be taught when admin walks through "at any given time of the day, what standards would be the focus". It was a bit unsettling looking at a couple of my colleagues ramble on of this that or the other. Again, everything AP2 was asking for was what teachers really should be doing. However, having pointed out that it was not being done, and then expecting everything to be done (and visible)by the admin walk-through was a bit unrealistic(like expecting a couch potato to run a marathon). Since I have not committed the State Standards to memory, I had to keep my mouth shut. As AP2 pointed out a couple of times during the meeting, "if you don't know, then you should keep your mouth shut". She said it with a smile and a laugh, so I guess that makes it okay.

Anyway, I was getting a headache trying to keep track of everything that AP2 was adding to the table (literally and figuratively). I believe now that the standardized test are done, admin wants to make sure teaching and motivating the students would be still going on. I agree with the idea, but not the execution. I thought that we should have been laying out a general plan of topics to be covered in the remaining months, then pacing (recognizing holidays, and schedule changes etc...), and then attaching state standards to any lessons being taught. Instead, it was "what writing will you be doing on Tuesday and what standards will you be applying. Now, writing will be done during the Skills period (8:00 ~ 8:45) and again during the 37 minutes at the end of the day. Oh, and Science will be taught 3 times per week. When I did ask about the district literacy supplemental program (advocated by one of the literacy coaches, but not liked[I think] by AP2), I was told "squeeze it in".

I better change the subject, again, this blog really isn't about other people. Anyway, I spent the planning meeting blocking out the conversations going on around me. Down the Hall was absent, so it was up to Across the Hall and myself to do the lesson planning. After the meeting, I had my preparation period, and then lunch. I only had to deal with my kids for the two periods after lunch. Of course, they got a bit hyper, loud and rude. Cackler complained (out loud --of course) that she did not understand the concepts, and I'm suppose to be teaching, but she still felt the need to sharpen her pencil, talk to her classmate, play with objects, etc... She is another one of those impatient ones, everything has to be easy to understand, or she's not interested. Then when she finally understands it, later I get, "oh, this is baby work". I started to feel sick (headache and a runny nose, etc...), so I started to get in a bad mood. I started threatening the talkers and players with staying after school to do the assignment. With about 6 names on the list, they finally quieted down.

Unfortunately, when 3PM came, I did not follow-through. Too many times, I'm giving up my lunch time and after work time to be teacher, referee, babysitter etc... Since I was feeling a cold coming on, I was not in the mood for giving up my time.

Strange thing. Today, my plan was to be out of the building by 4 or 4:30PM. Did I make it? No, of course not. However, the strange thing was that time did not move as fast as it usually did. By 3:55PM, I felt as if it was much later. I actually could have made it by 4PM. Almost. But then, the literacy coach offered to do labeling for books in my classroom library, and a conversation with Across the Hall made time fly fast again. I was out of the building about 4:56PM. I was home about 6PM. I had a Weight Watcher's meal for dinner, and as per (recent) routine, I fell asleep soon after. I think I went to sleep about 7:30PM and woke up about 11:30PM(and again at about 1AM).

Completion Date - Friday, March 6, 2008 2:05AM
Post Date - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 2:20AM

March 5th
A tiring day. After going to bed at 5AM only to get up at 6:20AM, I was tired this morning. I did not even try to make my regular "on time" train. By taking the later train, I knew that I would be paying for a taxi. I managed to arrive on time (even with the MN train moving a bit slower than usual).

Cackler arrived with her (almost) usual spiteful attitude. Princess and Sneak were also in their play/disruptive modes as well.

The Day 2 test was (in my opinion) an easy test.

During test collection, someone from the right side of the classroom threw a pencil eraser at me. The three prime suspects were Giggles, Sneak, and Daze. Each one said "it wasn't me". Each refuse to change their story until I threatened to punish all three, then (reluctantly) Daze and Giggles admitted it was Sneak (others were already telling me that it was Sneak. In the inner-city, there is this "thing" about snitching, each one was willing to admit that it "wasn't them", but were unwilling to give up the culprit. Since it was only a pencil eraser, I wasn't really bothered. However, I am slowly starting to realize how the game is played (I'm a bit slow). In the past, I would have just said something like, "don't do that" and continued collecting the tests. Today, I made a big production about how angry I was, and how Sneak had to leave because I was disgusted. Later I told AP1, at first she said "oh, that is an automatic suspension...write it up". However, I was more interested in sending a quick message rather than jumping through almost a pointless endeavor. Remember last school terms "incident" with the boy who threw a major temper tantrum during lunchtime. The punishment was a suspension that was forgotten. Remember the recent "writing curse words on the wall incident" that was going to be an automatic in-house suspension -- after parents were called and asked permission --and after each of the parents gave permission for the in-house suspension. The suspension was forgotten by admin. I think the message of the teacher going on a tirade and removing the student quickly will...probably have a greater impact than any bureaucratic threat sometime down the line. I photocopied a "detention pack" I'd made from last school year and sent Sneak to another class for to rest of the day. That sort of put the others in a (relatively speaking) better behavior.

During lunch, AP2 called me to inform me that I should have a lesson plan for a sub that would be in my room tomorrow while I (and the other upper grade teachers were doing end term curriculum planning. With a messy desk, and two wasted phone calls to the parents of Sneak and Princess (she was very disruptive shouting, playing, hitting others, rolling on the floor laughing in the hallway, spraying her new asthma pump like it was perfume, but mom only focused on how she (Princess) really should not have been playing with her asthma pump), I ended up leaving school about 8PM, with the idea that I would be returning home, and planning a lesson plan for a sub. I had to wait for the 9:OO MN train, so I went to a local Chinese takeout restaurant and ordered a small lo mein to eat there. I arrived home about 9:40PM. I showered, and fell asleep. I have not even started the lesson plan, so I will most likely do it on the train ride to school in a couple of hours.


Post Date - Tuesday, March 18, 2008 3:18AM

Tuesday, March 4th.
Day 1 New York State (elementary school) exams.
I had 3 students arrive ontime, with the remaining strolling in with the latest arriving about 20 minutes late. Cackler was absent. Princess was her usual disruptive self. I also had a few excessive talkers and players. I was ready to hit the ceiling, but I knew that if I got angrier, then more than a few would have taken a "so I don't care" attitude, so I had to put a positive spin on my disciplining. For the most part, I think I was successful.

The day was fairly stress-free. My plan was to get out of the building about 4:30PM, but somehow, time just flew by. I spent about an hour making copies for the remaining of the week. I was happy that after making "originals" on my personal copier, I used the faculty copier to do my bulk coping. Unfortunately, the faculty copier does not allow duplexing (front and back copying onto a single page), so I had to manually do the duplexing. I also collated and stapled the homework for Wednesday through Friday's homework. In the end, I was out of the building about 7:45PM. With the MN train being about 5 minutes late, I arrived home about 8:50PM. As soon as I got home, I put a Weight Watcher's meal in the microwave. While my dinner was "cooking"(5 minutes), I undressed and told myself that I would lay down for a minute. I blinked and it was about 1AM. It is now 3:08AM. However, since I still have a few posting in my draft box, I will have to add this one to it as well.

Completion - Wednesday, March 05, 2008 3:12AM
Post Date - Sunday, March 16, 2008 10:03PM

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Annoying high schoolers on the morning train (loud talkers). Once the young lady gets on the train, the loud conversation starts (usually about how they hate such and such class). Once I got off the train, I saw a Metro card drop. Since the guy had headphones on, he could not hear me calling him, so I ended up walking back up to the platform where I finally caught up to the guy. After I returned the dropped Metro Card, then while walking down the stairs, I saw an elderly lady struggling with her own granny cart. I left my granny cart to help the elderly woman carry her granny cart up the stairs to the platform. I wish my cart was that light. The way the lady was struggling, I thought hers weighted as much as mine.

Back in school. Princess Beady returned...eager to play. Even Cackler commented how quiet it was with Princess out.

The day was fairly nice. The kids seemed to have been fairly mellow for most of the day. After the literacy block, classes returned to the auditorium for the Day 2 of the Black History assemby. There was finally an outdoor recess for the kids. All in all, it was a pleasant day. Although, by the last thirty minutes, the kids did turn hyper, but for the most part it was a pleasant day.

Faculty meeting after school. Although I wanted to be out of the building early, I spent about 45 minutes covering up the walls. Tomorrow is the the New York State Exams(Day 1 - multiple choice math questions). On Wednesday, we have the Day 2 part of the test(open-ended questions, and extended responses).

I was out of the building about 6:30PM. The subway train was behind schedule, I waited on the platform for 15 or 20 minutes. Oh, while on the train, my doctor got on a few stops later. For me it was strange seeing my doctor on the train. I always thought doctors could afford to drive around. He stood right next to me, but other than saying hello, he did not say anything, or even look my way. It was also strange seeing the doctor running(jaywalking)across the busy street just to catch the MN train. He also took the Metro North going North.


I just did a google search. I was planning to get a street view of the Bronx Station area, but instead I was taken to the Google "Bird's eye view". Cool!!! I was able to see a bird's eye view of the area. From what I could see, I think Google has thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of satellite photos. Or, Google hires people to drive around and take digital photos of various areas, and then upload the photos. Depending on the angle you want, you will receive photos that are different ages. For example, just looking at the Marble Hill area of the Bronx, different angles of bird's eye view, I could see some photos that were older than others. Looking south would only show photos of the area from a year (or two) ago, where the area was just a very large construction site. Cool. I attached a photo of the Bronx station area. On the right side is the train station steps and the Target Store complex.

Much more than I was planning to write. Quick summary. It is now 3:54AM.

I was just going to write that I took the MN train to Yonkers and got off the train to go to the bank. Since I had about 2O minutes, I decided to go to the grocery store for milk and orange juice. My cart was full yesterday, so I could not go. Anyway, I finish shopping and was hurrying to catch the next train. However, I was about 2 minutes too slow. I missed the train, which meant another 30 minute wait. Luckily for me, the Yonker's station has a waiting area inside the station. In the end, I arrived home about 8:40PM. I had leftovers for dinner (sweet and sour chicken). Then, I prompt fell asleep on the couch. I woke up about 2AM.


Post Date - Sunday, March 16, 2008 2:31PM

Sunday, March 02nd.
Decided to go shopping at the teacher's store in Brooklyn.
MN train at 1:30PM. This time, I rode the MN train all the way to 42nd street.
I started reading DS9 - Twist of Faith on the train, I also tried out my new electronic dictionary, so far, I am enjoying both.
In Grand Central Station transferred to the #2 train.
About 45 minutes in the teacher's store.($76)

(2)word search books for rainy day lunchtime activities.
Reproducible book of famous American Women(grades 3-5). Each entry has two reading leveled entries.
Bulletin Board lettering, border, and paper for my next bulletin board.
paints & misc. art supplies.

About 4PM, I left the store and went to Wendy's restaurant. I like their burgers. I had the 1/2 lbs. burger meal(medium-sized). Strange how the medium size now looks like what used to be called the large. I think the drink was a 32oz. From downtown Brooklyn, I headed to the Bronx. I went to Target Store to buy a few items(Weight Watcher meals, face scrub, snack (for the class) etc... Why is it that store never seems to have baskets available. Oh right, to force you to use a shopping cart, hoping you would spend more. Today, Target was fairly crowded(with no shopping carts available). I rarely use the cart anyway. I told myself that one of these days, I would buy a large (see-through) tote bag to use.

From the Bronx, I headed home. I arrived about 6PM. While my clothes were washing, I cleaned up my bedroom. I washed down all the top surface areas to remove the dirt, dust, and (probable) dust mites. I removed all of the lite objects off the floor. Then, I swept and mopped the floor. Since all (of 2 working) dryers were in use, I had to hang up my clothes in my apartment. Usually I only hang up my dress clothes for work. I find manual air-drying makes the clothes last longer.

After I finished my bedroom. I decided to try to make the sweet and sour chicken meal on the box of Minute Rice. I followed the directions, but my rice looked nothing like the picture on the box. It came out okay, not great, but okay. Next time I will have to tweak the recipe a bit. After eating, I was about to do some lesson planning and my homework sheet, but I feel asleep. I woke up about 2AM, and well, here I am.

I attached a photo of my dinner attempt. You can see I am still using disposable plates and cups to cut down on a sink full of dirty dishes.


Post Date - Saturday, March 15, 2008 11:10AM

Saturday, March 1st.
Up about 7:30am. That was a rare feat for me, getting up early on the weekend. My plan was to go to the post office (1 hour) nearby to pick up my Amazon order. Then, I would head to Yonkers, to go to make copies of some papers and the mail those papers off. Now, it seems to be harder and harder to find a place that has a copy machine. Anyway, I decided at the last minute to make a change. Instead of going to the post office in Yonkers, I decided to go to the mall near Tarrytown. That mall has a Staples store and a post office as well.

First stop would be to pick up my Amazon order. MN train one stop north. 20 minute walk uphill to post office. 20 minute wait in the post office. I'm sorry, no disrespect, but they move slower than molasses. 20 minute return walk back to the MN train station. I finally took a photo of one of the steep mountain side streets that I walk around my home. I will attach a photo. I made it back to the station with a few minutes to spare. So, what was my Amazon order?

Star Trek (book)- Deep Space Nine "Twist of Faith"
Dream Girls (DVD)
Spiderman (DVD)- Animation


I took the MN train to Tarrytown and had to wait about 30 minutes for the bus to the mall. I went to McDonald's (hamburger & strawberry milkshake) to kill the time. It has been a very long time since I've had a MacDonald hamburger. Usually, I order the Big Mac Meal. What a waste of buying just a hamburger. All you get is a small patty with a squirt of ketchup and a sprinkling of onion bits.

On the bus ride to the mall, I started reading the DS9 book. I liked the timeline at the beginning of the book. I also like that it is the "official" continuation of the TV series. At the mall, my first stop was to see what was playing at the movie theater. Nothing interesting to me. Next stop, Panda Express. Next stop was Barnes & Noble ($40). Originally, my plan was to just visit the Sci-Fi section to see what was there. After a few(3) trips to the cashier, I ended up with the following:

* Kingdom Come (Graphic Novel)- The story of DC characters about 50 years in the future.
* Infinity Crisis (Graphic Novel) - A kind of sequel to the reshaping/reorganization of the DC universe.
* The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Having brought young adult fantasy books for the past several years (and being recently reminded of that), I looked through the Classics section to see about buying a classic (one that would not involve me covering up the cover for reading on the train). My plan was to buy Moby Dick, but it looked a bit too big and a bit too dry. I finally settled on the Kafka book, which I read in college. One of the stories was about a character who turns into a human size roach and the family having to cope with the change (if I remembered correctly). If I can get through this book, then my plan will be to alternate my reading between young adult fantasy and classic literature.

Last stop was a Target store ($203.11). I have a bad habit of shopping out of boredom. I ended up buying a few items that I did not really need to have at that moment (except the shower spray):

* Shower spray - Great invention for a lazy person. "Just spray and walk away". It was on sale, so I bought two.
* Plastic forks - again, for the lazy person who lately has not been in the mood for washing dishes.
* Wet Ones towelettes. I like the towelettes better than just the hand-sanitizer because the towelettes can also be used to wipe down the dirty fast food table surfaces.
* Electronic Dictionary - Even those "young adult" fantasy books can be a bit over my head. Ever since I bought my foster father's lady friend one, I've wanted one.
* Digital Voice Recorder (and a cell phone case I hope will fit) - I'm tired of trying to jot down the craziness with pen a paper. Now, with just a push of a button (with automatic day and time stamp), I can keep track of the craziness.
* TRACPONE (Prepaid)Cell Phone (also with a case I hope fits)- My current cell phone is a bit old with the monochrome screen. My students laugh when I pull out my cell phone with the plastic protective case (think granny's plastic covered couch). This new one is a bit sleeker with the flip-top design. This new one also has limited Internet access. I bought the prepaid type of phone because I rarely use my cell phone. I also did not like the idea of committing to a full year with a contract that seems like you are signing over your first born child. Now, I am just hoping I will be able to keep my same phone number. It would be nice if it is as easy as moving my SIMS card from my old phone to the new one.

After Target, instead of risking missing the bus by visiting another store, I decided to read my graphic novel inside the mall by the exit nearest to the bus stop. I rode the 7PM bus back to Tarrytown, and then transferred to the express train to Yonkers. From Yonkers, I walked home from Yonkers. I saved 6 minutes instead of waiting for the local train. I had a Weight Watcher's meal for dinner.


Post Date - Saturday, March 8, 2008 6:24PM