Peace Day & Hidden Figures

Today our 8th graders took a trip to the high school.  Our high school looks more like a college campus.  They go there to take a tour, talk to current students, and get a feel for the place before they are there in the fall.  After that we went back to our school for lunch and then to watch the movie Hidden Figures.  We didn't finish it today but we decided to finish it up in math the next two days, which I am excited for, easy days 😃  I also got two really nice notes from students today!

MCA Tests

So we began our MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) state tests today for math & reading.  I am always anxious when we start testing because I want my students to do well and I know they can but lots of things happen and some students just don't test well.  Our school is being super strict this year about bringing nothing but a pencil, paper book, and water bottle into testing; so I had to give my students their testing goodies last week.  I also made "Rock the Test" t-shirts to wear on the days of testing.  Also today I was trying to be sneaky about it but I went to school early and wrote all over our sidewalks positive messages for the students, to give them that extra little encouragement before starting their state tests.

 

Bad News

So our spring break started today for students and tomorrow for teachers.  I just had a meeting with the principal and assistant principal and found out that I am not back for next year.  They said that with their numbers they are in a position to cut teachers and I was cut.... 😟

What a great way to start my spring break....  I had a feeling this was coming but it still sucks because there were a couple probationary teachers and I was the one cut, so it sucks but nothing I can do.

I am going to go to work everyday and show them that they made the wrong choice.  I am going to keep doing anything and everything I can to help out but I know that it wont change the outcome.

I am going to miss the families I met, along with the students, and some of my co-workers.  I know that I will be stronger because of this but it still sucks right now!

Spring Break

I can't believe it is already time for spring break!  Where has this year gone???  I have enjoyed all my classes this year but I can't believe that they will all be high schoolers soon!!  I have know this whole class since they were 6th graders and now they are 8th graders... seriously where does the time go?

I decided that for spring break I would give each student a sucker and a post-it note with a message on it from me to make the last day before break some what bare-able 😊

Global Festival

So both yesterday (my team) and today (other 8th grade team)  was global festival.  Students had to research another country and do a big project on it.  They had lots to do and make for this project.  They worked on it for weeks and weeks and weeks!  But it all paid off, they did an AWESOME job!  So proud of all of them.  Below are only a few pictures of some of the projects, there were so many to chose from, I only choose a few.

 

News Show

So each 8th grade advisory tapes and does the news show for a couple weeks.  You tape your ending a week prior and some students edit it and then for my class on two Mondays we did the new shows.  Well taping our ending was interesting, we were struggling to come up with an idea and came up with a student was dreaming and all the students were hiding from me, so I would go looking in a spot and not see them and then they would pop out from where they were hiding.  It wasn't bad and the students who edited it did a nice job but if we wouldn't have had only 20 minutes to fill it we probably could have done a better job but it was rushed.  Overall though my group did a great job taping.

Now doing the actual show was another story, it was like pulling teeth to get enough people up there to run the show.  I always had 2 or 3 up there ready to go but I would have to hunt the others down that morning as soon as I saw them to get them to go up there to help out.

I will say it is crazy and hectic but I my group did alright but I am glad we are done with the news show!

Happy St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patty's Day!!  🍀

I got to wear my new shirt and a student surprised me with a caribou cookies & cream snowdrift this morning!  I had about 20 students in my room at lunch watching March Madness 🏀 and we had cupcakes in every class 😃

Calculator message

I was walking around helping students today and instead of doing the problem a student decided to write a message on their calculator.  Although I should have been upset that they weren't doing what they were suppose to but instead I laughed and took a picture of what they wrote.  My students sure do make my day!

 

Pi Day 2017

HAPPY PI DAY!!
It was a fun, crazy, hectic, busy, and awesome day!  😁 

I got pied two times today (period 4 & period 5) 😆

Spring Conferences

Well conferences are over, and I enjoyed seeing all the families.  All three nights of conferences went great!  I got to talk about each students strengths and talk about how they are doing in class.
I may be one of the few but I truly enjoy conferences!  I love seeing the families and talking about their student and what their strengths are.  I love hearing the stories that my students tell their parents.  There have definitely been some fun things and some silly things going on this year and to hear what students share with their parents is always fun.
I have done conferences with some of these families 5 out of the 6 times they have had them in 6th, 7th, & 8th grade!  I can't believe they are over and I have met with them for the last time.  

Now don't get me wrong I am glad that conferences are over because when we have them it makes for some very long days but I also love conferences.

Sick update....

So it is now Sunday and I went to bed last night around 6:15 and slept till 10 am this morning.  Got up called my mom, ate something and went back to bed at 11:15 and slept again till about 7 pm and then I got back up and ate something again and watch a little TV.  I am finally feeling better, still not 100% but much better than Friday.  It is now 8:30 pm and I am heading back to bed so that I can go to work in the morning!

Sick.... :(

So I never take sick days, for a couple reasons one its more work to be gone then to just be there not feeling the best and also because I tend to try to fight things off right when I feel them coming on but man was yesterday a totally different story.....

I got up yesterday morning and I was super tired and not feeling the best but I just figured it was because I didn't sleep well the night before.  I was struggling in the morning but my nephew came to see me and gave me a donut but because I wasn't feeling well I couldn't eat it.  As the day went on I got sicker and sicker....By the time period 5 rolled around I was shivering, couldn't get warm, had a massive headache, and felt like I was going to throw up but never actually did.  I called a co-worker and asked for them to come take over my class for a bit so I could go up to the nurse and take my temp.  Well by the time I got up there I was worse and eventually talked with the secretary and asked to go home sick because I couldn't hold it together anymore and started crying because I felt so crummy.

I ended up going home and had a few different people cover my period 6 class.  I left school at 1:50 and was home and asleep by 2:15 and I slept till this morning around 9 am, got up for a little bit to try and eat something and then I went back to sleep at 10 am and slept till about 5 pm and got up to eat something again and post this quick and I am going back to bed now and it is only 6:10 pm.

3rd Observation

I had my third observation yesterday.  This time it was during my period 6 class.  Normally this class is talkative but they always get their work done.  Well yesterday was a little different, they all got work done but it was like pulling teeth to get them to talk and volunteer yesterday.  I had a great plan and was trying hard to get them engaged and nothing I did was working.  I tried to do a thing called proximity partner  and it kind of worked to get them talking a little more but my principal didn't like it (he asked me in our post meeting what the purpose was and I said to get them moving and to form partners).  

In my post meeting, the principal said things went good and that the lesson was good and the students were engaged and I was surprised by what he was saying because my students were engaged, they were doing work but the engagement and participation was down.  However it made a little more sense the next day when my students were asking me questions.

When my students came in today they were all asking what the principal said and they were all telling me they tried to be on their best behavior and do their best so the principal would see I was a good teacher.  I laughed and said but you weren't yourselves and that's what he needs to see.  You guys normally volunteer and talk more.  I never tell students when I am being observed because I want them to be normal but it rarely works.  When I said that the principal thought it was alright some fo my students said good (almost like a sigh of relief).  I asked why they said good like that and they told me that whenever they walked near the door or left the room to get a drink or go to the bathroom the principal was looking at houses and not really watching me, and at one point he looked like he was sleeping.  I was oblivious to all this until the students said something because I was so nervous and trying to do well, I never really looked at the principal.  I was also put on the spot when I ran into a parent that night and she asked me about it saying her son came home and said the principal was in my room and was suppose to be watching me but was surfing the web for house and sleeping.  I tried to say it may have just looked like that but I am sure it was good.

Talk about a weird and awkward last observation but at least they are done for the year!

I love to read day....

Today was "I Love to Read Day" at school, we spent a majority of the morning reading and celebrating reading with our advisory.  Mine did pretty great; we had snacks, we read, and just talked.  It was a fun day!

POP Day

Today was POP (people of prominence) day for our 8th grade students.  They all looked great and did awesome jobs on their speeches.  They all had to dress up as a person of prominence and do a speech on them.  When someone came to their spot and put a coin in their jar they had to give their speech.  it was neat to see and they all did a great job!

 

Update....

Well things still aren't going the best.  I feel like I am walking on egg shells around everyone.  One of my students, actually a couple of them, asked me the other day if something was wrong because I seemed different the past couple days.  If only I could say what was wrong....

I have truly enjoyed my time with this group of students, they have grown so much and I can't believe how far they all have come in the 3 years I have known them.  I am going to miss this group.  But that is also the down side of being with a group of students for 3 years, they know when your not yourself.

I have gone from someone who is outgoing at work to someone who just sits in her classroom now.  I still do my job to the best of my ability but feel like a crappy teacher.  I hope this feeling goes away soon but I doubt it will.

I think I will be struggling for a while....