I think most teachers out there know how kids are during the full moon. By that I mean, miserable. Actually I can't even blame the kiddos for the crazy week. I mean there was some out of character behavior, mostly a bit of crying from my tough guys, but mainly it was just me who was OFF all week. Stressed, but just not as productive as I normally am. Hopefully that is going to change tomorrow, and 100% next week because I have a lot to do before Sedona. Also I went for a run on Sunday, and then didn't have a chance to work out again until today. That's a bit too long for me... maybe that's why I've been so unproductive. Interesting.
Thanks to Nora for bringing Wine and Love to our lives.
Wine
Well I should start by saying that last week I ACTUALLY grabbed the bottle of wine on Tuesday night, and that didn't happen this week, so I guess that is a step in the right direction, no?
1. Okay, maybe this is a whole post topic, but sometimes I find myself (especially at work) having to basically "put my foot down" on something that I may have been inclined to be more flexible about because I don't want someone to take advantage of me. For example, this happens with kids all the time. I don't really mind if 1 child whispers to his or her partner when I am talking, but if I let them get away with it, no one will ever listen to me again. What annoys me though is when this translates to adult relationships. I know I'm a pretty flexible person and I think sometimes people take advantage of that and assume I will be the one who bends. I hate that I sometimes have to be like NO in order for people to listen.
2. I hate homework. I truly think it should be banned from elementary school entirely. I know some children need the extra practice in order to fully "get it" but I think almost all children would benefit from more time to explore other interests or maybe just freaking relax once in awhile. I don't assign homework in kindergarten so you may think this does not apply to me. However, one of my tutoring kiddos has spelling homework we do together every Tuesday. The past couple of weeks it has been serious torture, for both of us. This week is was so bad that I actually stopped at the grocery store on the way home for ice cream. True story.
3. The Super Bowl did not go my way. I'm really not a huge football person, but many people in my life are. Also, I don't know if I can explain it to people who are not from Boston, but there is just something about New York for us... Don't get me wrong, I enjoy New York City, and don't know enough about the rest of the state to make a judgment. But it just always feels like Boston is the underdog to New York in life (though they weren't supposedly in that game). I can only speak for myself to say this, but I'd rather lose to anyone but New York. Maybe you guys have your own cities/states that you feel this way about...
Love
1. I really love my photo class. I'll probably continue to write about my experiments and what I'm learning, even though not too many people felt the need to comment on it :)
2. I love our Blogger Book Club. It has forced me to read so many books I never would've picked up on my own, and 90% of the time I end up liking them so much more than I thought I would. I finished Rebecca today, and I have no idea how many starts to give it. I liked the story line, though I think the beginning could've moved much faster. On the other hand, I absolutely hated the writing style.
3. This year I said no to the ridiculousness of the 100th day of school. Usually it's a crazy big deal with parent volunteers and crazy amounts of prep and crazy kids. This year, we made awesome crowns I found on pinterest and I let the kids count 100 Legos and play with them. That's it. The kids had a great day and so did I. Win for everyone. I plan for Valentine's Day to be equally low key, though I should probably consider actually making or buying valentines...
Let it out- what are your wines and loves this week?
We do give HW but I hate sorting through it and correcting it. We require a parent signature on it so I feel like it should be correct if parents are doing it with their kids, so I usually just skim and put a star on it, but it's 3 sheets per kid times 38 kids....ugh! I usually leave it until Thursday and then finally get around to looking at it so I can return it on Fridays. I want the parents to know I look at it, yet truthfully I really don't look all that carefully.... oh well.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to become a push-over, I know, and that's why I learned years ago that it's ok to be MEAN sometimes! I Refuse to become a push-over (because my mom is one!) so I get called mean on occasion, and I'm fine with it. Seriously. It's especially the case with people like us who have to TEACH classes! No texting during my nutrition class (and this is 30 year olds..).
ReplyDeleteHow about this for a wine; yesterday we had an all-day Wellness Seminar and they told us breakfast would be provided, so I skipped my FAVORITE at-home breakfast to come and eat a free breakfast that I assumed would be healthy. NOPE, it was danishes and donuts with a side of fruit. BLAH. I was FURIOUS!
I COMPLETELY agree with the Boston- New York thing. It's more than just sports, it's random people being like "Oh NYC is bigger and better than Boston". It's annoying. And I swear I will forever feel like an underdog to NY in a game, even if we are technically the "favorite".
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're enjoying your photo class!!
I have the same thing for a wine and love this week - giving my notice at work. I'm happy and excited to move onto new opportunities and challenges but also really really sad to say goodbye to a great boss and coworkers!
ReplyDeleteOh man, this was full moon type of week. Ay yi yi.
ReplyDeleteWine: Work was really stressful this week. Between work travel and other things that are happening that are ambiguous/out of my control, this week really sucked.
Love: I have a quiet weekend on deck and will get to hang out with my friend's adorable 14 month old.