tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62458939293218077002013-07-13T13:43:28.147-04:00Teaching + attempts at life outside of work = ADVENTURES GALOREChebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-29214647133078762152013-07-08T11:38:00.001-04:002013-07-08T11:38:54.766-04:002013-07-08T11:38:54.766-04:00

I've been thinking about my blog a lot lately.I want to move in a different direction.This blog will remain up for the time being... but it may become a private blog, just for my thoughts and rants.I'd really like to do more work with planning to help me keep my thoughts in order.Check back soon for a new site for teaching tips, tricks, ideas, and plans.

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-27097931160753656572013-07-02T09:43:00.001-04:002013-07-02T09:43:29.295-04:002013-07-02T09:43:29.295-04:00

Dog woke me up at 6:50am barking his head off. At nothing. He was sitting on the couch, barking at absolutely nothing. Well, he was facing the TV, which was turned off.Which is weird, since he's not a barker and as far as I can tell, she doesn't watch much TV.I would have gone back to bed, but then the aroma of coffee it my nose and there was no turning back.I went through my morning routine of

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-60903161336079854922013-06-29T11:18:00.001-04:002013-06-29T11:18:03.755-04:002013-06-29T11:18:03.755-04:00

You would think that summer - the time of no work - would be an excellent time for me to actually get some stuff done.But.Every time I sit down to do some work - school work, house work, sewing - something happens.The phone rings.A text comes through.A knock at the door.I go off on a crazy research tangent.The Internet goes down in the middle of something, and I waste time waiting for it to come

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-21088877512891257752013-06-26T07:50:00.001-04:002013-06-26T07:50:04.499-04:002013-06-26T07:50:04.499-04:00

Have you ever sat down to work on a lesson and got so engrossed in the material that you literally forget all sense of time and other obligations?I'd like to say I have the attention span of a drunken gnat, but considering that my attention yesterday was held for nearly 15 hours on one topic, I think it might be more fair to say that a distraction can turn into an obsession.An obsessive quest for

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-11485810840793645132013-06-23T08:51:00.001-04:002013-06-23T09:04:50.698-04:002013-06-23T09:04:50.698-04:00

My Zen has been restored by two weeks of cleaning, snoozing, reading, and eating. Life is good and balanced once more.Which means I actually care to work on some school stuff.I started out by re-reading The First Days of School by Harry and Rosemary Wong. It's one of those books that, despite having taught for several years, always seems to reawaken my passion for getting ready for school.It's

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-88743624435788661412013-06-12T07:27:00.001-04:002013-06-12T07:27:53.101-04:002013-06-12T07:27:53.101-04:00

The last day of school was super anticlimactic. Is that an oxymoron? Whatever. But it was. I don't actually feel like the year is done. And so... I clean. Cleaning is one thing I'm just awful about during the school year. I really like having a clean house. And with pets who shed constantly now that it's hotter than Hades, I need to clean constantly. But when I get home completely exhausted

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-70513497408584041682013-06-02T09:12:00.000-04:002013-06-02T09:12:42.803-04:002013-06-02T09:12:42.803-04:00

It's here. The end of the school year. Five more days, and I will be set free to wake up at normal hours like a normal human being. I've been working on my room, in the small amounts of time I've been afforded to do so. Every year, we have to take everything down off the walls and pack everything away. This year, we were also told to take home all of our personal items. That ain't happening.

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-9761710247578716952013-05-28T18:14:00.001-04:002013-05-28T18:14:32.993-04:002013-05-28T18:14:32.993-04:00

No, but I'm seriously so freaking excited I'm ready to just fall over and tremble because I am helpless to do anything else. It's been a lot of doom and gloom around here (still sick, still waiting on biopsy results), but I have super, super awesome news to deliver tomorrow. I can't wait until tomorrow, so I'm telling the Interwebs today. Because I know you can keep a secret. And because I

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-23839525725529739302013-05-26T09:34:00.001-04:002013-05-26T09:34:03.685-04:002013-05-26T09:34:03.685-04:00

No, literally, I get sick every three day weekend. Every September, I get sick for Labor Day. Every November, I get sick for Veteran's Day. Every January, I get sick for MLK Day. Every February, I get sick for President's Day. Every May, I get sick for Memorial Day. I also get sick over Winter Break. I don't get sick over Spring Break. I just spend the first three days sleeping. Most of

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-41362369132749383242013-05-24T17:46:00.002-04:002013-05-28T20:26:35.766-04:002013-05-28T20:26:35.766-04:00

All is not rainbow unicorn farts. I hate the end of the year. Bad things happen. Things like: Friends are getting non-renewed. District is cutting our staff, while increasing our enrollment, which means friends getting excessed, and no one can figure out why this is happening. Some of my most favorite-est people ever are retiring this year. I used a stupid low-temp hot glue in an effort to

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-31345872041660122032013-05-18T09:16:00.000-04:002013-05-18T09:16:25.393-04:002013-05-18T09:16:25.393-04:00

I had a wee bit of surgery. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I was mostly freaked out over the anesthesia. And the consent form I had to sign about possibly dying and broken teeth and such. And the part where they injected it and my entire arm went numb. Anesthesia is amazing stuff, yo. One minute you're freaking out about surgery; the next minute people are yelling at you

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-15135165126486107482013-05-14T17:11:00.000-04:002013-05-14T17:11:05.768-04:002013-05-14T17:11:05.768-04:00

My biopsy didn't come back so good. I've spent the last four days freaking out so hard it's not even funny. Current diagnosis is CIN3 on the surface. ECC was normal. I'm having surgery to get a bigger biopsy to see if there is cancer. And to remove the precancerous parts, too. If there's no cancer, then. You know. Woohoo! If there is cancer, then. You know. Hysterectomy. I know I'm not the

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-15120767543068715732013-05-09T16:39:00.001-04:002013-05-09T16:39:21.300-04:002013-05-09T16:39:21.300-04:00

(Name that song.) Teaching has turned into a huge struggle for me. I get it. It's May. Everyone is chicken-fried. Done. Ready to get the hell out already. What I don't understand is how it's May already and my kids still can't remember to do the simplest, most basic things. Like enter the classroom, take out their planner, and write down their homework. The same procedure we have done every.

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-65492557144389537152013-05-04T10:04:00.002-04:002013-05-04T10:04:45.143-04:002013-05-04T10:04:45.143-04:00

The way it affects children is frightening... But seriously. It's true. I love horrible summer storms. I love thunder shaking the house and the windows rattling. I love the way the lightning makes weird shapes out of clouds. I love the sound of rain pounding against the house. I love the weird whistling of the wind. I love curling up in comfy clothes in a quilt with a book and and enjoying

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-39648155751905438732013-04-29T15:56:00.003-04:002013-04-29T15:56:53.811-04:002013-04-29T15:56:53.811-04:00

the mice will play. BF is on yet another business trip. On the one hand, I hate that he has to travel every month for work, and I miss him so much my spleen hurts. On the other hand, the short trips are nice because, hey, everyone wants a little alone time. My big plans include: Ironing Sewing Grading some papers I have been trying to get done for three damn weeks Lying in the bathtub until

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-83225879283115777052013-04-27T16:41:00.001-04:002013-04-27T16:41:28.819-04:002013-04-27T16:41:28.819-04:00

My week sucked more than any week had a right to suck. Let's recap, shall we? Monday: I discover a coworker talking smack about me to my students and a coworker. Monday: My friend's mom passes away out of the blue. Tuesday: Normal level of Suck; the usual close-to-the-end-of-the-year stuff. Wednesday: Doctor's visit results in "This doesn't look good" and biopsies. Thursday: Normal level of Suck

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-8634260744232780632013-04-25T16:37:00.001-04:002013-04-25T16:37:11.011-04:002013-04-25T16:37:11.011-04:00

I just keep getting bad news this week. My friend's mom passed away very unexpectedly this week. My barely-abnormal test results are really more like totally-abnormal-let's-biopsy-this-shit. I won the testing lotto and get to be an EOC admin next week. I'm also getting kicked out of my room for day or two for other testing that has nothing to do with me. I had a meeting before and after

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-12252823405359529442013-04-23T16:41:00.002-04:002013-04-23T16:41:59.771-04:002013-04-23T16:41:59.771-04:00

I've been working really hard at my Zen. I'm not sure FCAT was the best time to work at it, but work at it I did. (The meditating, not so much.) Yesterday, I lost any and all semblance of Zen I ever might have had. Sit back and think for a moment about what would upset you the most at work. Now, let's not get crazy. I'm not talking death or weapons or physical hurts. Let's think about

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-58560331091791926672013-04-21T09:17:00.002-04:002013-04-21T09:17:57.012-04:002013-04-21T09:17:57.012-04:00

I hate the word diet. It makes me feel like I've done something wrong. About a year ago, I made some pretty significant changes to my diet. Sorry, my food intake. I was tired of yo-yo-ing around with my weight. Between August and December, I'd put on at least 10lbs. The snacking. The quick, easy meals because I was so tired after work I couldn't think. The holidays. I'd maintain between

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-58409583928464411182013-04-17T17:36:00.001-04:002013-04-17T17:36:25.571-04:002013-04-17T17:36:25.571-04:00

Are we all just so super excited that it's FCAT time again?! I hate FCAT. It screws up my life. But there have been some interesting developments this year. First, I hate taking down all 9 magillion posters that decorate my classroom walls. I have to take them down. I've tried to just cover them up, but my room is so humid that tape won't stick to my walls. And I'm not wasting preshus bulletin

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-43779246655434980042013-04-16T16:49:00.000-04:002013-04-16T16:49:03.777-04:002013-04-16T16:49:03.777-04:00

UGH. This eval is such a waste of everyone's time. Ok, maybe not. It might not be a waste of time IF... My county had actually implemented Marzano correctly. Instead, we got a two day training and were told to be experts by the following Monday. My county didn't keep continually changing the rules in the middle of the game. My admin were all on the same page about what each of the 60

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-86819086748442177872013-04-11T18:44:00.000-04:002013-04-11T18:44:11.181-04:002013-04-11T18:44:11.181-04:00

Cervix is not very busted. 10 years ago, I had severe dysplasia, also known as one-step-away-from-cancer. This time, it's really kind of more like "Awkwardly not normal but also not suspicious at all and normally we'd do another pap in three monthes but you have a history so colposcopy it is!" Some day, I will tell you about the most awkward two hours of my life, which involved a colposcope, a

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-17106518134981188162013-04-09T20:29:00.000-04:002013-04-09T20:29:14.230-04:002013-04-09T20:29:14.230-04:00

In a shocking twist, I really don't have much of a friend base. I mean, I spent the last three-and-a-half years completely focused on work. Nights. Weekends. Dreaming. No, literally, I go to sleep and have dreams about work. That sucks. I also seem to either not click with the people I meet or I just can't stand them. I have a couple of girlfriends in town, and I love them to death, but...

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-75732432123597274962013-04-08T19:56:00.000-04:002013-04-08T19:56:39.086-04:002013-04-08T19:56:39.086-04:00

I didn't have time to freak out over it, either. This happened last week and I'm just now telling you about it because I went a little crazy with the whole "Imma go live my life" stuff. I was so. busy. FCAT computer test thingie! That was only supposed to take 20 minutes, but clearly, the guidance counselor reads hella faster than me and also didn't take into account the the test encourages

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245893929321807700.post-62793168562499881012013-04-03T16:42:00.000-04:002013-04-03T16:42:01.615-04:002013-04-03T16:42:01.615-04:00

In the grand scheme of Life, the Universe, and Everything, Tuesday sucked hard core. My pap came back abnormal. I got my period, so definitely not preggers. I sprained my ankle. I kept trying really, really hard to woosaw or whatever that breathing thing from that movie is, but you know, after the ankle thing, I gave up and started pounding Reese's cups. I did manage to wash the whites...

Chebruttahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08520328402639309138noreply@blogger.com0