MIA

I know, I know, I'm a bad blogger. I apologize. This week has been crazy what with getting acclimated to my new school and students. I'm hoping to make some time each weekend to write up my posts for the following week, but if I continue to blog less regularly, don't be surprised and please don't unsubscribe!! I have exciting news to share soon and want you to stick around to read all about it.

This weekend is my 10 year high school reunion and I have cold feet. Do I have to go? I did pay a lot of money (for me) for the tickets and got a new dress for the occasion. We'll see if I have the guts or if I suddenly feel really sick that night.

What are your plans for the weekend? I'm ready for fall and Trader Joe's pumpkin bread mix. Anybody else?

Image from Simply Recipes.

First Day of School

My vision board (an example for the first assignment) is complete:

My dress is ironed (and I did it all by myself - I never iron):

And my lunch is packed:

Salad with homemade dressing, pretzel thins and hummus, a luna bar, and a vitamin water zero. I also made my lunch for Tuesday so I don't have to worry about it tomorrow. I have a feeling I'll go straight to bed when I get home from work; the first day is always so exhausting.

Wish me luck!

P.S.

I loved your guesses on this post. The dahlias and lilies are store bought and the roses and hydrangeas are form the garden!

Back to School Shopping!

Aren't I lucky that I get to go back to school shopping every year? I always like to get a few new outfits before the new school year to get me in the mood for work after a nice long break.

Ohhhh my goodness, I almost forgot to tell you!! Remember how I said that the scary teacher dreams would start any day now? WELL I had a big one last night. It was my new school, but with the same teachers. There were some bratty students and I stayed until 8pm (!!), but at the end of the day I was happy to be back. Strange...

Ok, so let's look at my new clothes, shall we?

This dress from White House Black Market. I used an online coupon code and had an old store credit, so I think I only spent $50. I already had the shoes; they're from DSW. I actually got this dress for my 10 year high school reunion that's coming up in a few weeks, but I can wear it to work, too.

This dress from Old Navy. Yes, it is a maternity dress. NO, this is not an announcement. I wandered over to the maternity section and thought it was cute and flattering, so I bought it. It works now and it will work later when I need some extra tummy room.

These shoes from Old Navy. I have them in black and they are so comfortable.

The pups wanted in on the photo shoot.

I'm sorry this photo is so blurry, but it was the most flattering in this outfit.

Here's an unflattering in-focus one. The skirt is the only thing that is new and it's from Old Navy, but it's not on the website. I'm having second thoughts about it and might be returning it soon...

This dress is from Burlington Coat Factory and was only $18! I already had the sweater and shoes. I have a styling questions for you guys: Do you like the sweater buttoned like it is above?

Or unbuttoned like this? I can't decide.

As I was linking to Old Navy, I found this dress that I really want. Maybe if I return the black skirt I can get it instead...

As for school supplies, I haven't bought much. I want to wait until I see what the school gives me when I go in for meetings at the end of the week before I buy a bunch of stuff. I did get a small fan for my desk (my room in newly painted and smelly), hand sanitizer, and a planner. I might get a new desk chair (the one in the room is wooden and stationary), but I'm going to see how uncomfortable the provided one is first. Luckily, I've been teaching for a while so I have a lot of stuff already.

Did/do you like back to school shopping? What's your favorite part?

When one door closes...

Today is my last day at my first teaching job. It is sad to leave this place I've been working at for four years and consider my home, but I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things.

This school is very different from my new school. My current school's neighborhood is very rough and almost all of my students have witnessed gang violence at some point in their lives. Our school does not perform well academically and is at risk of being taken over by the district or put up for auction for charter companies to bid on. Most of the parents don't speak English and aren't as involved in their children's education as we'd like them to be. I've had several pregnant students over the last four years and even had one this year who became pregnant while she was in 8th grade.

My new school is very close to my house and in a somewhat affluent neighborhood. The school is the highest performing in the district and is going charter by choice to have more control over how money is spent. The parents not only want their students to do well, but they want their teachers to challenge them so they are prepared to attend the top universities in the country. Every teacher has an LCD projector and document reader in their classroom so they are able to teach using power point presentations and without overhead projectors.

I feel like I'm graduating and moving on to the big leagues. More resources with more pressure, but I know I'm up for the task.

Goodbye PHS! I will miss you...

Overwhelmed

What happens when Amy works an additional 15 hours a week (9 hours of class, four-ish hours of preparation), goes on clomid, and has round two of an interview coming up?

Image from here.

She eats all the cookies that her husband brings to her in bed, even though he was planning on sharing them.

By the way, clomid sucks. Cramps, bloating, nausea... loads of fun. Good thing it's cheap because I would be pissed if it cost a ton of money AND made me feel like hell.

The Sea of Resumes

Wow, has it been a week since my last post? I'm sorry, I've been lost in a sea of cover letters and resumes. So far, I have submitted resumes to 10 schools. There are a couple of job posting online, but I have to wait for my letters of reference first. I have one, but am waiting on a couple more...

Last weekend I took back a dress that my husband got me for my birthday and used that credit along with another gift card to buy some interview clothes. I got a blazer and three shirts. I already have a skirt and pants that will go with the blazer and I have some not too high heels as well. I still want a new bag, but I'm really trying not to spend any money as I won't be getting a paycheck starting in July.

Speaking of saving money, I haven't eaten out since last Monday, the 14th! Not a single breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I did have Maria's takeout last night, but it was free since my parents both work for the company. I'm pretty impressed with myself!

We were supposed to take a little trip during my spring break, but it looks like that is out of the question now. Maybe we'll just go down to my in-law's ranch instead. It always feels like we're on vacation when we go down there!

I just remembered something: last summer when we started trying to get pregnant, I had imagined that we would have an infant at Easter and go down to my in-law's with my parents. I actually pictured it in my head. The hardest part of this whole infertility thing has been all those holidays and milestones that I had allowed myself to mentally plan out. I'm really trying not to do that anymore.

On the subject of infertility, I'm going to the doctor on Monday to ask about starting clomid. I'm really nervous about it, though, and am not sure I'm totally ready. It doesn't seem like fun to go through all of those hormone changes while also interviewing for jobs. It might be too much to handle at once. On the other hand, I'm so ready to be a mom and I can't put it off forever. The timing will never be just right, so I might just have to keep moving forward, especially since we don't know how long it will take and what other treatments we'll have to go through.

I'm trying to think of more things to write, but my brain has gone blank. I'm so tired and stressed. I should go to the gym, but.... I'm just going to be lazy instead.

I'll leave you with a picture that shows what my lovely dogs did about 5 minutes before my sister-in-law came over last night.

Good thing our friend Emily had the couch treated to be stain resistant!

Television Debut

The last few days have been incredibly stressful. You already know I got a RIF, aka pink slip, but yesterday I found out that even if it gets rescinded, the enrollment at my school is going down so much that they won't have a position for me there next year. This means that, best case scenario, I will be put on a list of displaced teachers and I could be placed anywhere in the district. Since I've only been teacher for four years, other displaced teachers will be ahead of me in line and take the jobs at the decent schools and I'll get whatever school is left. Basically, I need to find a job outside of the district no matter what. I'm trying to see it as an opportunity for growth, but that doesn't make it any less stressful. If I could stay at my school, I would, but that isn't an option at this point.

On to happier news, I was checking the HGTV website yesterday and saw that our episode is in the schedule with a little description. My husband doesn't want me to tell anyone when it's on because he's nervous that we'll look like fools, but I can't keep it to myself.

From the website:

"Emily helps the Carters combine their clashing styles into one clean and contemporary look. A quick tour of the home and a style diagnostic determine this newlywed couple is a combination of Chic Boutique and Rustic American. With a concept in mind, Emily re-styles the Carters living/dining space, layer-by-layer. Her first look is inspired by the sophisticated feel of a boutique hotel. Clean lines, glossy textures and low-level furnishings create a sleek and savvy environment for this trendy young pair. For her second look, Emily incorporates a few rustic, colonial-style furnishings for a warmer, more all-American feel."


The episode is titled "Mantique Minimalism" and will air April 2nd at 9pm. If you have DirecTV, you can watch it at 6pm on the west coast. Tell your friends!

Interview Season

Well, it's that time again. I'm officially on the hunt for a job. While I really don't want to leave my current school, I'm trying to stay positive and see this whole RIF/lay-off thing as an opportunity. Ironically, I'm pretty happy I didn't get pregnant when I wanted to last summer because I would be huge right now and hugely pregnant women don't do so well on job interviews, I suspect.

Yesterday was resume and cover letter day, so today is interview outfit day. While I know it is what I say that should really matter, if I'm feeling good about how I look, I will do much better in the interview than if I feel yucky. Here is a little polyvore board to show what I'm thinking to wear for the first round of interviews...

Job Interview by amym83 featuring glass bead jewelry

#1: I don't wear glasses, but these from zennioptial.com for $30 would make me look super smart.
#2: Royal blue is a power color and this cardigan from debenhams.com for $56 would give me an edge.
#3: I recently bought some black patent pumps like these from zappos.com, but mine were far less than their $248 price tag. I love how mine are not too high and not too low: perfect for an interview.
#4: I've been wanting a black patent purse for a while, but I would only be able to sport this $1,795 one from YSL in my dreams.
#5: I have a black pencil skirt similar to this one from zappos.com for $69. It is professional and classic.
#6: I'll wear my husband's grandmother's pearl necklace, but this one from gerarddarel.com is lovely, too.
#7: While this shirt from farfetch.com is cute, I'll have to find one that is about one-tenth of it's $280 price.

What do you think? Would an outfit like this land me the job?

WASC, or wasp, as my students call it

Either term, WASC or wasp sends shivers down my spine.

WASC stands for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In short, this group accredits schools to validate the diplomas they award to their students. Our school is new, so this was the first time we went through this process. Usually, WASC requires some work, but the school has everything written and just makes some modifications and preparations for the visit. In our case, we created the document from scratch. I was asked by the principal and WASC coordinator at our school to be part of the writing team. I knew it wouldn't look good if I said no, so I didn't and basically signed my life away for a whole lot of extra work without a whole lot of compensation. In fact, unless my next paycheck has a boost, the only thing I got out of doing all this work is a sweatshirt and a free lunch.

Well, it is over now and Spring Break is next week. How's that for timing? Our report was wonderful and we are anticipating a great term to come back from the state. Am I glad I did it? Yes. It looks good on a resume and it is good experience. Would I do it again? Heck no! No more working for free for me! Spring Break, here I come!

I'm a teacher, correcting is what I do...

I know this post will invite tons of scrutinizing to everything I write, but I'm a teacher and can't keep quiet when very basic rules of the English language are completely ignored.

1) Apostrophes are used to show possession. For example, "The woman's red pen ran out and she had to use purple which made her feel silly." If you want to make a noun plural, as in show that there is more than one, you just add an 's' in most cases. For example, "The teachers discussed the topic of timing in lessons for the whole 40 minute meeting when there were 5 topics on the agenda." You can also use an apostrophe in a contraction, like the example above (on the sweatshirt), but I rarely see that one misused.

2) They're means they are, as in, "They're going to drive me totally insane with all this extra testing and observations." Their is possessive, as in, "It is their job, I get it, but I used to love mine and now I'm not so sure." There is a place, as in, "Can we go over there so I can have a few drinks instead of grading tests I didn't even want to give?"

3) It's is the contraction for it is, as in, "It's going to rain today, which means the students will be bouncing off the walls in seventeen different directions." Its is possessive, as in, "Its heart is beating, so the kid must be alive, but she has slept through the entire class and won't leave now that school is over."

What are your biggest pet peeves? My husband's is that I always correct his spelling and pronunciation...

Haircuts confuse teachers

Coming back to work after three weeks off for winter break is hard for many reasons. When I have that much time off, I forget how to wake up early and work all day. Usually, the week before coming back to work I will have terrible dreams about forgetting students' names and dealing with severe discipline issues. This week was my first back after three glorious weeks off. While I didn't forget anyone's name and nobody got crazy with me, there was one thing that threw me through a bit of a loop.

Source

A bunch of my students came back with new haircuts! For most, it just caused me to give them a double take, realizing that one of my students did indeed walk in the room, not an intruder from another class. For others, though, it took me more time to figure it all out. In one class, for example, I was passing back some graded papers. I gave a student back his paper, or at least I though it was his, when I came upon another paper and couldn't find the student. I searched the room with my eyes for several minutes, trying to remember who this kid was and where he sat. Just as I was about to go check my seating chart, I realized that he had cut his long surfer/skater hair and now looked exactly like one of my other students in that same class. I had never had trouble distinguishing the two before because their hair really set them apart. But once the long hair was gone, I was officially confused. I fixed my mistake, giving each student their own papers and realized that I identify my kids by more than their faces. Hair, clothes, height, and weight all play big roles in how I remember them.

Source

When I see my students a year or two after they were in my class, I can't believe how much they have changed. It shouldn't be such a surprise, though. If I look at my collection of yearbook pictures from high school, more than just my hair changed in those four years.

What are your struggles when coming back from work after a long vacation?