Words from a weed

So guess who fails utterly at quitting her job? Oooh yeah! In retrospect, it could have just been a really difficult week for me to get through last week with the whole language arts assignment and math. God I am hating my math class. I don't think I've learned anything yet. I have another assignment that is due next Wednesday in Math. It's another reflection assignment. Fuck! Whyyyy?

But back to my job. I think I was just sick and had a lot of shifts at Gymboree and had two assignments due in the same week. I think it was just a lot of combined stress and I felt the need to cut something out. I only had one option of what I could cut out and that was the day care. Especially since I was kind of hating on the place. So I went to quit and she talked me out of it. She reminded me that I would be able to put two years of program planning onto my resume if I stayed. Plus the kids really don't have anyone else besides me. Both my site director and I know that. The other people in the out of school care department really don't have the skills or motivation to look after the kids properly. So I stated on reduced hours. I'm only there for one hour in the morning now. Except on Fridays but I can go home and sleep on Fridays if I really need to. Plus it's the weekend so I have a lot more free time to work anyway at that point. Either way, life will go on.

I have a midterm on Thursday in my special needs class. I'm going to go study for it now.

So I mentioned to my math teacher when she asked us about our experiences in math about how I always had difficulty in it and that a lot of it had to do with the ADHD that I have. So she referred me to SSDS, Specialized Support and Disability Services. I figured, what the hell, if it gets me more time on my math exams then cool beans. I made an appointment and that appointment was yesterday and that is the cause of my wtf.

I went there, I talked to them and explained that if I have a formal diagnosis I don't remember it and I'm not about to go to my creeper of a doctor to ask to look at my medical records and I don't want to go to my pediatrician I haven't talked to since I was ten because that would be an exercise in awkwardness. So she tells me I have to go to the Health Services people and get one of the General Practicioners there to refer me to a psychiatrist so they can either diagnose or rediagnose me for ADHD. The other thing is that after me and the SSDS lady I spoke to were done talking she said after I get my rediagnosis for ADHD she wants me tested for a math disability. She says that my math marks don't compare to my marks in other subjects and shite so she wants me tested.

A math learning disability? Really? Not something I would have guessed. Huh. Maybe, I do imput or read numbers in the wrong order and often miss important signs and stuff. I just thought the ADHD made me not slow down and think through what I was doing.

Whatever. It's all going to sort itself out eventually. It's just weird.

WEll it is fall semester which means, hopefully, that I am going to be around a lot more now. I will try and post on here as often as possible now, to make up for lost time. At the same time I will try and keep up with everyone else's journal's as much as possible. I've been kind of lost as of late. Hopefully reconnecting as much with my old world as possible will help me find my way again.

I've kind of been in a strange limbo lately because I don't feel like I've really moved forward at all or have done anything. That was what most of my summer was like. I spent all last semester running my brain and heart so fast that once summer hit I guess I just kind of stopped. Stopped talking to people or doing anything. There are rare exceptions to this of course. There are the times that I spent with Heather and Tracy at con and the fringe. As well as all of the time I spent with Mike or gaming. There just wasn't a lot of adventure involved at all.

Now school has started again and there may be adventure or there may not. I think I would be happy either way. Even if I don't expand my experience I'll be expanding my mind and that, for now, is enough. I'm liking all of my classes so far, even math. Surprisingly, thusfar phys ed is my favourite and that is not what I would have expected. But I love the teacher and it really is much better than the experiences I had in the gym in school. Perhaps if my gym class had been the way that I am now learning to teach it I would have had a lot more fun and would be more active now. Oh wait.... I'm lazy.... nevermind! Haha!

I am glad that I am not working as much as I was the first couple weeks of school. If I was working every night at Gymboree, even without the job at the day care I don't know when I would get anything done. This makes it all so much easier. I was worried that having two jobs while going to university would be difficult, and it was until I cut my hours at Gymboree. Now I think I can manage it and will be able to live and work comfortably for the rest of the year and maybe even save money. Save money rather than living from pay cheque to pay cheque. What a concept!

All in all, while I am stressed, I think it is because I am not used to being anymore, if that makes sense.

FOODOLOGY:



What is your salad dressing of choice?
I rather like Italian



What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
I'm not entirely sure. I like Moxie's. It's affordable, but Mike can have his boring old steak and I can have something like Beef Vindaloo and we're both happy. The drinks are good, and HUGE. It's also a place I can go with my friends. They are also laid back enough there that I can bring a live fish in a jar and put it on the dinner table and they don't kick me out. That's a good memory. lol



What food could you eat everyday for two weeks and not get sick of?
Ramen. Trust me, I've done it! XD



What are your pizza toppings of choice?
Donair meat and onions.



Chocolate or Vanilla?
If we are talking icecream vanilla. I hate plain old chocolate icecream, it tastes nothing like real chocolate.


TECHNOLOGY:



How many televisions are in your house?
FOUR, because there is one in the living room and one in each bedroom because my family hates spending time together. lol The tv in the living room is big enough to count as four tvs on its own too. lol So, seven? XD



Do you have a laptop?
Yes and I rarely leave the house overnight without it. :P



Do you have a desktop?
I use my laptop on a desk sometimes, when the desk is clean enough. Does that count?


Do you have an MP3 player?
I do. I lost it somewhere. I think it might be in Mike's car. Right now I am using my phone as an MP3 player. What else am I supposed to use the 2GB memory card for?



What is your favorite piece of technology currently?
My laptop.



BIOLOGY:



Are you right-handed or left-handed?
Right-handed, because I am boring



Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
Nope, all original me. :P


What is the last heavy item you lifted?
Children, several of them at once.



Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
Nope, I've had some hard knocks to the head but I've never actually passed out.



STUFFOLOGY:



If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
Not really. There are cooler unknowns to learn about than the day you die. I mean, the day all the fun stops or whether or whether the God wears boxers or briefs? I am personally under the impression he goes commando because the Goddess likes it that way. XD



If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
Who? Simply for the amusement at introductions.



Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
Considering how broke I am? Yes. Besides, you forgot to tell me I had to drink it all at once. I don't need the money until September, HA!



DUMBOLOGY:



How many pairs of flip flops do you have?
I don't have any because flip flops are evil.


Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
No matter what you hear, I DID NOTHING! I - I WASN'T EVEN THERE! THAT WAS MY TWIN SISTER STEPHANIE!



Last person you talked to?
Mike. But he doesn't know that because he was asleep. I hope I told him to cut the right wire. Otherwise he is going to wake up and I won't have time to finish this meme.



Last person you hugged?
Mike, but I complained the entire time because it is so fucking hot out.



FAVORITOLOGY:



Season?
Fall because the weather is awesome, everything is pretty and I don't hate school yet.


Spring/Summer?
Summer, spring here usually means everything is slushy and grimy. It is generally summer within a week or two of the snow being gone. Things come to life with a vengeance here because they have to wait so long.



Holiday?
Yule. There is dinner and gifts and everything is ultra-sparkly. Fire is generally involved as well and that is ALWAYS FUN!



Day of the week?
Friday. On Friday I get to kill things for gold!



Month?
September. I generally consider this the real start of the new year. Everything is basically reset for me, at least what counts. Things have started to cool down and the leaves are only just turning, leaving the trees in interesting cow-like cosplay.



CURRENTOLOGY:



Missing anyone?
I am always missing someone. I should corral all the people I care about and keep them in a really big basket or something. I'd give you guys a bitchin hamster wheel and lots of food!



Mood?
Hungry? Does that count?



What are you listening to?
A very rickety ceiling fan.



Watching?
Letters show up on the LJ input screen. JUST LEIK MAGICK OMG!



RANDOMOLOGY:



First place you went this morning?
The kitchen. Did I actually have breakfast? No.



What's the last movie you saw?
Harry Potter and the Awkward Teenage Hormones. I mean Half Blood Prince, yeah.



Do you smile often?
I smile most of the time, even when I am angry, as I am plotting someone's demise.



Do you always answer your phone?
I have caller ID yo. I often refuse to answer the phone. I also get pissed off at who is calling because they are too much of an idiot to realize that I don't want to talk to them. The other people I don't answer for are the people unlucky enough to phone when the phone is hidden somewhere I cannot immediately access. In those cases, caller ID is also handy as I can call them back.


It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it?
It's probably... actually it could be a rather large number of people. WHY DO YOU PEOPLE NEVER SLEEP?


If you could change your eye colour what would it be?
My eyes actually change on their own and not always together. They're generally somewhere between chocolate and hazel. I'd put more green in than is actually there. That would be pretty sweet. Grey eyes are pretty bitchin though, I wouldn't complain there either.



Do you own a digital camera?
I do; however, I can find neither the battery charger or the cord that allows me to plug it into my computer. So I do, but cannot use it. Fuck.



Have you ever had a pet fish?
Yes, some of them are even still alive despite the efforts of my several cats.



Favorite Christmas song(s)?
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. I like singing it really fast. I'm nerdy like that.



What's on your wish list for your birthday?
Lards wads of cash, preferably thousand dollar bills.



Can you do push ups?
Yeah, but they ain't pretty.



Does the future make you nervous or excited?
Both, depending on what aspect of the future you are talking about. If you go far enough into the future I get kind of apathetic about it though. lol



Do you have any saved texts?
I have one.



Ever been in a car wreck?
Several, but none recently. I was never seriously injured.



Do you have an accent?
Yes, it is a strange blend of other accents and it is entirely inconsistent.



What is the last song to make you cry?
Rise Against - Hero of War
By that time every song on the radio had been so depressing that I was not a happy camper anyway. What the hell is with modern rock anyway?



Plans tonight?
Working at my new job~! Wheee~!


Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom?
→ I've felt like I was sinking pretty hard, but never that I've actually hit rock bottom.



Have you ever been given roses?
A few times.



Current hate right now?
My job. Over-zealous right-wing Christians. Doing laundry. Smelly fish. You get the idea.



Met someone who changed your life?
Several.



How did you bring in the New Years?
With my best friends and video games and a lot of snow.



Name 3 people who might complete this?
The ones I can think of already have. I am late doing this, lol.



Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?
I've read that book. No!


Do you have any tattoos/piercings?
Two per ear. I'm piercing my nose in September.



Does anyone love you?
Lots of people, and all the ones I can think of, I love them back.



Would you be a pirate?
Not really, I like to be clean. Besides, it actually seems like a lot of work and I'm kind of lazy. I can drink rum and get wenches and be on a boat without all the hassle thank you very much.



What songs do you sing in the shower?
I don't.



Ever had someone sing to you?
Several of my friends have, one of them a couple of weeks ago even, with a guitar and everything. One time t'was accompanied by an entire dance routine, which was epic. My Oma always sang to me when I was little, her voice was stunningly operatic.



Do you like to cuddle?
I am a proud cuddle-whore!



Have you held hands with anyone today?
It's too damn early for that, give me a couple hours.



Who was the last person you took a picture of?
The day care children, on a field trip.



What kind of music did you listen to in Primary school?
Oh gods, why are you asking me this? For the most part it was horrendously sugary nineties pop, which is still better than the Jonas Brothers thank you very much. God, I never thought I would say the Backstreet Boys lyrics had substance, but in comparison... To my credit I also listened to eighties rock music most of the time and loved it.


Are most of the friends in your life new or old?
I've kept all my older friends, all two of them lol. I have a hella lotta new friends though.


Do you like pulpy orange juice?
A bit, I find it adds texture, but too much pulp and it detracts from the flavour because you taste the pulp instead of the juice.



Have you ever ridden an elephant?
Not a real one. But I've ridden carosel elephants!



Do you like to play Scrabble?
I've never really had the attention span or someone willing to teach me how the points actually work, so no.



When was the last time you ate peanut butter and jelly?
We've run out of jam, so not in a while. I used to have it everyday for breakfast. That is jam though, not jelly.



What were you doing at 12 AM last night?
SLEEPING LIKE ANY SANE PERSON.

Aw yeah, I got the job. I start tomorrow. I think it'll be interesting. Apparently they are going to be super busy because it is the last day of a sale. I don't know if I mentioned this, but this particular Gymboree is at West Edmonton Mall, which last I checked is the biggest mall in the world. They might have something bigger in Japan by now, who knows. Last I'd heard they were thinking about it but hadn't built one yet.

My boss, in her eyes, lied to the people to give me a good reference. The thing is though, unless something is going wrong she doesn't really see me. lol That and she is overly critical about things that don't matter. Conversely, she doesn't give a shit about things that should matter, like child to staff ratio, the allergy list and whether or not we've bought any craft supplies in the last month or two. Basically, she told me I owe her for giving me a good reference. I lied through my teeth agreed with her.

I can't wait until September when I can kiss this day care goodbye. I hate this place beyond what I had previously thought possible. One more month. Just One More Month!

I have an interview later this week to possibly work at Gymboree. It's a children's clothing store, which means I don't have to buy anything from the place to work there. From what I can tell the manager is super friendly and it sounds like it would be a lot of fun working there. To be honest I like working retail. I'm really good at selling things, lol. There will also be all kinds of toddlers to coo over. :P It'll be fun.

I was planning on having evenings free this summer to relax but really, I'm not doing anything with them anyway. I'm really just lounging around my bedroom playing videogames and being useless. I might as well make some money. Retail isn't that stressful anyway.

Wish me luck guys!

Yes, that is basically what the movie comes down too. But it was still bloody brilliant, for the most part.

There was a lot to love~!
( Spoiler alert! )

But I do have a beef or two.
( Spoiler alert! )

All in all it was a genuinely enjoyable movie that stayed faithful enough to the text to be in keeping with the HP universe. I did have to suspend disbelief on occasion and let my inner canon nazi relax a bit. All in all though, I had a good time and it was pretty damn awesome.

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I am not entirely sure why I haven't posted in so long. I know why I hadn't posted for May or June. Both were ultra stressful and I wanted to wait until I had something upbeat to post about and so I just kept waiting...

I guess it's just that nothing particularly interesting has happened. :P That's not entirely true. Canada Day was epic. I hung out with some fucking awesome people and the fireworks were totally choice. Other than that though, life is just more or less going at the moment. Though I have to admit, I kind of like having nothing on the go. I've been firing at all cyllinders so long it feels like I've forgotten what it's like.

It's very relaxing. I mean, work is still stressful I don't like it there much but after it's over I can go home and chill. I've cleaned my room. I found my Wii and I'm working my way slowly but steadily through Trauma Centre: Second Opinion. I dismantled a bomb yesterday; that was interesting.

I'm taking Mike to see Half Blood Prince later. I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm going to keep this quick because it is the middle of the night and I am bone tired. lol

Finished my student teaching on Friday. It went really well. I got my credit and a stellar final evaluation. The kids all made me cards and gifts. I miss my little babies already. They were the sweetest bunch of kids that you ever did meet. I wish they were really my class. I would like them as my first class when I finish, even though I know that will never happen. They'll be in grade seven when I graduate. lol

The daycare had promised me that they would hold my position over the semester so that I could take it up again once summer hit. They didn't. They said that everyone from last summer came back. Uh, that's what I was trying to do!!! lol Oh well. I've been job hunting over the last couple days. I had an interview today and I have another two tomorrow. It sounds like I am going to be working as a program coordinator in a toddler room at a daycare downtown. It sounds like it would pay well. I hope I get it. I passed the first interview today and the other one is tomorrow.

I'm back at Dad's now. Leaving Mike's was kind of rough. I already miss him. But if I stayed any longer I might as well move in with him and I'm not ready to do that. His parents and mine kept asking if I had or not. But student teaching is done, it was time for me to leave.

Oh, and I am on my brother's computer because mine is broken somehow. It won't connect to the internet, which is hella annoying. I may take it down to futureshop sometime in the near future just to see what they can do about it. I have a three year full warranty. Might as well use it.

That's all for now I think.

I am so glad that migraine is gone. It kept me in bed, drifting in and out of sleep for over 24 hours. It was rough.

But what is more frustrating than the pain I was in was now I've more or less lost a day. I feel like I am never going to catch up. The apartment is never as clean as I'd like it to be. My lesson plans always seem rushed to me, I'm doing them late into the night. I haven't even started marking yet.

I don't even get to start until late because I don't walk into my apartment door until something like 5:30 or six, provided Mike is home on time and I'm not wandering around outside waiting for him. Then I usually have to do something about supper because Mike forgets and he never cooks anything healthy anyways.

So I don't get to start until late. I almost want to learn to drive to save me time come my APT next year. I will be learning to drive this summer. Mike is getting a new car which means that I will be able to learn in the chibi jeep AKA the Runner. I dunno though, I think Mike having to teach me to drive might be the ultimate test for our relationship. Haha.


[Mood| Frustrated]
[Music| Final Fantasy X OST ~ Suteki Da Ne (Orchestral Version)]
[Location|Mike's]

My mentor teacher called me a "God Send" no less than 8 times today. :D It's so nice to be appreciated.

I know it sounds kind of conceited but I totally earned it. I taught an awesome first lesson that kickstarted my poetry unit. I got some kids who are totally scared of anything resembling poetry to get excited about it. Kids were coming in from recess and performing poems they'd written on the playground as they came in. It was awesome. That took care of the firs two periods.

My partner student teacher was home sick today so Rob was thinking that he would have to ad-lib his way through gym and computers today. But I had known ahead of time that Fatima would probably not be up to teaching gym today, even if she was here. So I planned a gym lesson to start off the Badminton unit and taught that. Rob, my mentor teacher was impressed. Then during prep I offered to take the computer lesson. I just took the kids through an extension of the poetry that we had done in the morning. I was taking their apparent natural enthusiasm and running with it. It totally worked.

The kids were a little chatty, as is to be expected coming back from a break. But I gave them a bit of a loose leash first thing this morning but by first recess I had drawn the line. Bless them they followed it all day. It was hard to keep them on it by the end but it worked. I bribed them with Shel Silverstein. Never let anyone tell you that bribery is not a useful tool when working with children. There is nothing better.

[Mood| exhausted]
[Music| The popping noises from Facebook chat]
[Location|The Livingroom, watching Mike play X-box]

I taught my first lesson first thing this morning. It went quite well, my mentor teacher was impressed. What is somewhat amusing is that all these supposed management techniques I was supposedly using were instinctual and just my normal way of acting. All the stuff that impressed him I didn't even know I'd done it at all until he pointed it out. I'm still not quite sure how that makes me feel. I suppose I was rather proud of myself. But after the lesson all I could think about was all the stuff I could have done better. Then he has nothing to really complain about and talks for a twenty minutes about all the awesome stuff I did. I only taught a forty minute period! O_o

I'm teaching three of the four morning blocks. Double block of math first thing in the morning and then social studies after recess. Both of those lessons are about as straightforward as the language arts lesson I taught today, so I'm not really worried. What's got me worried about tomorrow is the gong show that the afternoon field trip is going to be. I'm hoping that we'll be the only school there. It's bad enough that we have no idea what to expect so there is next to nothing for a game plan. I don't want the extra anxiety which comes from trying not to lose my kids in a sea of strange munchkins. Here's hoping tomorrow goes as well as today.

On a completely unrelated note, I have noticed a negative correlation between the cleanliness of my kitchen and the amount of time on my hands. That is life, I suppose. :P

Yes, I finished all my exams. The last one was today. I think it might have kicked my ass just a little bit. He was asking information that was way too exact. For some reason my hands were shaky so I couldn't get out as much as I wanted to, I was too concerned with making sure I was legible and not forgetting letters or words. I do that for some reason, especially when I am rushed. It keeps things from making sense, unfortunately. Oh well. I didn't even need to show up today to pass, what do I care?

Other than today I have all my exam marks back. I passed all my courses! *3* I don't know what any of my final marks are yet, but I know that I made it through! That means I can do my Student Teaching! Normally I wouldn't be surprised, but it was a really close call with my Inclusion class. Sally rights hella tough exams. Why am I taking a Spring course with her again? lol

Now I have to finish my KFT fic for the fanfiction.net challenge that I promised those lovely ladies. Plus Gina would never forgive me if I didn't finish it. You are such a demanding waifu! You're lucky I love you so much woman!

It doesn't really feel like I am done. Technically I'm not; I still have a month of student teaching before summer vacation. That reminds me, in addition to cleaning the apartment and clan dinner tomorrow I have to read the Programs of Study for grade 4. Fun, fun! Oh, and I need to plot my character education ideas for the assembly I am planning with Fatima, Jen, and Selena when I get back to Westbrook.

Crap! I just realized I forgot to pick up my program sheet from the Undergraduate Student Services office. My program exceptions all went through so I have a new sheet to follow for the rest of my degree. Except for that I don't have to set foot in the University until my Spring Courses. YAY!

[Mood| Pleased]
[Music|A. R. Rahman (feat. Nicole Scherzinger) ~ Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny)]
[Location| Living Room]

I made it through the entire semester of my assessment class without missing a single one. I swear, I am the only person who can say that. This was my thinking on Thursday when I decided not to go. Really, I figured I was entitled after sitting through four hours a week sitting in class and not learning a damn thing. So I cut the class. What happens? She teaches a full, high quality lesson on information not found in either the powerpoint slides or the textbook. Humph. Well, even though she said it was a secret for the people who did show up my friends gave me their notes and I got several people to explain the concept to me. So there Donna; so there.

I'm running out of parts of the condo to clean. That's what I do when I'm not studying to give myself a chance to get up and move around. The living room, kitchen, dining room, and bedroom are all spotless. I saved the bathroom for tomorrow so I'll have something to do. :P Seriously, I never thought I would be glad that the kitchen gets dirtied several times a day because Mike likes to leave dishes on the table.

Well, the living room isn't as clean as I would like it to be. The entire thing is covered in minis because Mike now has the largest private collection of Dungeons and Dragons minis in the city. Yes, Mike has managed to replace his D&D stuff... and then some. He has a friend that needed to get rid of his minis so he sold the entire collection to Mike for $2000. Yes, that sounds like a lot, but the collection is actually worth closer to $9000. Something tells me he won't be leaving this collection in the car. He's talking about complicated storage systems that he's going to buy once he starts his new job on Monday if he passes his final test. It's quite cute.

The studying itself is going well. I actually think I've studied more for finals since Wednesday than I ever have in a single semester to date. For starters, I've actually read the textbooks this time. I went to the viewing for my Assessment midterm to see which questions I got wrong and go over them with the professor. I've highlighted all the important parts in my notes. I've found flashcards in my e-textbook. Man, if I'd had these study skills back when I started University.... Desperation does wonders guys, I gotta tell ya.

That's it for now. Time to scramble my brain some more. Toodles~!

[Mood| cheerful]
[Music| Metric ~ Help I'm Alive]
[Location| Standing at the Edge of the World]

HOKAY! I am done with the whining and the angsting. The assignments are in, over and done with. That means the group bullshit is behind me, for now.

Now I have finals next week. I have to study to do well on these like never before. Maybe, just maybe I can save my GPA. I have my work cut out for me. I am behind in my readings for one thing.

Tomorrow is Mike's birthday so I have to take a break to go for dinner with Mike and his parents. Other than that I am banned from doing anything non-school related until next Friday afternoon.

All that being said, I am going to need your help guys. If you see me online boot my lily-white ass back to the books. Don't be gentle. I like it rough. ♪ You know I'll make excuses and say it's ok. Refuse to talk to me if you have to. Just make sure I do my work.

Thank you everyone for being so supportive. I'm almost through with classes! I love you guys! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

[Mood| Determined]
[Music| Yoshida Jungo ~ Mienai Te to Te]
[Location| Mike's much cleaner apartment]

I gotta say it. I'm not happy being back at the University. I knew I was going to be unhappy to be back... But I wasn't ready for how much my entire body rejected being here. I mean, maybe it was because I now know what I was missing. I know what it feels like to be doing what I have been striving so hard to reach.

All I could think about during the entire time I was in class was how pointless everything we did today was. Really, I don't care how everyone else's observation week went. Most of the people mean nothing to me. None of them are people I talk with outside of class. Even the ones that I would, I would rather hear it in a place that was more conducive to friendly conversation than a classroom being staring down at by our proff. And science class? We played with ligthbulbs.... For. Two. Hours. Not all that impressed.

Then I had to work on my group assignment with my partners. Know what I did? Edited the one's grammar mistakes and kept the other one from crying with how frustrated she was. I feel like I am getting nothing done on this assignment. None of us care how we are doing anymore as far as a mark goes on this assignment. We aren't even getting anything out of it education-wise. The teacher has made it so much more complicated than it needs to be.

I haven't started studying for finals yet, except for a little bit last night because Meg pointed out that I should at least be doing something in regards to that stuff. But Really, I just want to get the stuff here over and done with. I am so burnt out as far as academics go. I just want to be back with my kids. I am so tired of the bullshit and the hoops that I've had to jump through all semester. I'm not getting anything out of it anymore.

Finals are on Monday. Can't even get started studying until I am done this assignment. Going to go churn out a few pages of bullshit so I can get down to what really matters and try and save my GPA. Toodles.

[Mood| Cranky]
[Music| Kate Nash ~ Foundations]
[Location|Bed]

This week was my observation week in the elementary school that I will be teaching with. When doing your first round of student teaching you do a week of observation, followed by the last week of school and finals. After all of that, then you get to do your month of student teaching. I don't know why they do it that way. It's not in my power to change, so I just went with it.

I am in a grade 4 class and things are proving to be quite interesting. The class has a good mix of students. There are more boys than girls. Six children in class are at varying stages of English Language Learning, as they are new to the country. There are also three students in there with special needs. There are a couple of kids in there with parents who are either ill or going through a divorce. All of the kids are fairly affluent as the school is in an upper middle class neighbourhood on the south side of the city. So there is a lot of variety in a group of 27 nine or ten year olds. They are all really good kids, though a little chatty. But that is because they all are pretty good friends.

I've got all kinds of cute stories. The kids were doing gymnastics in phys ed; you can imagine how that went. XD There were some very interesting balances going on, especially with the boys. :P The kids were making mousetrap cars in science, so there was a lot of chaos going on. I actually had to teach the class where they were painting the cars with the teacher standing in the background. I made it through that whole class with my white sweater spotless. Even the kids were still fairly clean when the lesson was over. I was rather proud of myself.

My mentor teacher is a great guy. He has a management style and a teaching style that is really in line with what I would like to do, so I've been paying close attention. It's nice to see that my management style actually works pretty well with the kids. Rob does a great job with them. He's so laid back and he jokes around with the kids. It's refreshing to see. :P

I didn't do as much observing as I thought I would. I was already teaching small groups of students by the afternoon of my first day. That lesson I taught the grade 2 challenge class about Acadia and the kinds of foods the people at there in the 1600's. Then the second day was the mousetrap cars and painting. I also did some notetaking in social studies with the kids. Wednesday I helped some more with the mousetrap cars, this time cutting and gluing. Thursday I was in the grade 1 class teaching the teacher how to use the smartboard as she taught her class about foodgroups. I also helped the grade 2 teacher administer a pop quiz. Though what I did was I took over for the teacher's assistant who was helping the child with down syndrome. He did great on the test, I just had to reframe the questions to a less complex level of thinking. Especially since it was a grade 2 class and the multiple choice questions were written for a grade 4 level. It's complicated, but it works. Yesterday I gave a math test to grade 5s, they were a really needy bunch. O_o Questions all over the place. They didn't seem to understand what the questions were asking. So it was a pretty busy week without much observation.

Well that's how my week went. I'll give more detail later, when I am back with the kids about how my student teaching is going.


[Mood| Sickies]
[Music| Guns and Roses ~ November Rain]
[Location|In Bed]

This years Oscars were very shiny. It was all glamorous despite the cutbacks they made. But honestly, the best part was Hugh Jackman. Not only is he hot. He's funny. And charming. And he sings and dances! And wears top hats without looking ridiculous! XD They said this year they weren't going to have a comedian but I think they got one anyway. Just look at his opening number, you'll fall in love - some of of you will do so all over again! XD



And this, because I love to watch him dance and Beyonce is awesome! Just ignore the High School Musical and Mama Mia kids! XD



[Mood| amused]
[Music| Parry Grip ~ Spaghetti Cat (I weep for you)]
[Location|home]

You Are Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds. You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life. Also nostalgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

I treasure my precious moments, it's true. And yes, I am a bit of a space cadet but it's for the sake of my infernal optimism. Yes, that adjective choice was deliberate. XD Think about it.

You Are a Brownie

Decadent and intense, you aren't for the weakhearted. Those who can deal with your strong flavor find out how sweet you really are.

See? This is why I have few friends but those I do are very close. I wouldn't trade that for the world. ^3^

You Are a Red Velvet Cake

Rich, decadent, and sensual. You have a deep appeal that transcends all trends. You are the definition of passion: intense, adventurous, and seductive.

LOL I have no idea where this came from. It makes me sound so much cooler than I am. I do know people who see me this way but it's definitely not typical. XD I will admit the appeal I do have is very old school. I am intense and adventurous but not in the way I think they mean. XDDDDD This is just too funny.

I think each quiz hits on a different side of me and you don't quite hit all of me with just one quiz. The last one is a very, very small part though. O_o lol

[Mood| amused]
[Music| The Garner Andrews Morning Show]
[Location| Home]