Sick of Being Poor

Black Friday

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:09:00 +0000

I promised when I finally got some alone time that would blog about black Friday. The teenager is visiting with her mother who was released today, so I'm all alone.

Prior to this year, I'd only been black Friday shopping once before. Crowds are not my thing, but the teenager begged and the brother begged. I gave in. We lost our living room t.v. to the great raining in the living room of '11, i.e. when we discovered that the shingles blew off in a freak windstorm. The insurance company gave us $300 to replace it. (My insurance company rocks. That t.v. was ancient and I can't believe they even gave us that much for it.)

The brother had been researching flat screen t.v.s for ages. Our plan was to use the money to buy a new flat-screen t.v. They wanted to go at midnight when the large big box electronic store opened. However, I went to my college roommate's parents' house in Akron for Thanksgiving (5 hours round-trip) and I didn't want to turn around and spend another hour in the car driving to the nearest city. (While I love living in Appalachia, the driving sucks. Everything is nearly an hour away, Wal-Mart, hospitals, a decent restaurant.)I convinced them to go to bed and wake up at 4 and leave immediately.

We arrived in the nearest city just before 5 a.m. The big box electronic store was practically empty, but we got a nice Samsung flat-screen for $200 off the regular price. We wanted a bigger t.v., but electronic store does not deliver to my town and the 40-inch was all I could fit in my car.

I also bought a dryer!! It no longer takes 140 minutes to dry a load of towels. I no longer have to turn the t.v. volume all the way up to drown out the racket the dryer made. I bought an LG model and saved $250 on the regular price. The big box store wouldn't deliver that either, so the brother borrowed his best friend's truck and hauled it home. I love, love, love my new dryer. One day I'm going to buy the matching washer. Appliances make me feel like such a grown up.

I've had my eye on winter coats. My winter coat is at least a decade old. My dad bought it for me for Christmas one year and this is my eighth Christmas without him. It has rips in it and I had to use a paperclip to manipulate the zipper. JC Penney was having an amazing sale! I bought three winter coats, one for me, one for the brother and one for the teenager all for $148. We saved $425 on coats. My coat was originally $225 alone. It's warm too and is perfect for recess duty out on our windy playground.

The crowds weren't too bad at most places, except one home improvement store. They had a dryer that I liked that was cheaper than the one I bought, but they wouldn't let me check out in the appliances section. I told them I wasn't waiting in line for two hours to check out. I think we were home by 9 a.m.

Happy House

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:07:00 +0000

My darling 13-year-old niece has been living with my brother and me for about three weeks now. I love it! I am going to miss her when she has to go back to her mother. I call her my very own personal teenager. She gets a kick out of it.

We gave her our late mother's room. It's so nice to refer to it as A's room instead of mom's. We let her pick out the paint. Lord help me, but her room is now Justin Bieber purple. Did you know the Biebs had a signature color? Me either. Mad props to you if you have no idea who Justin Bieber is.

It is working out much better than I ever would've expected. I think having her stay with us was a good decision.

We have fun debating things in a friendly manner. I am apparently old because I think it is silly to wear socks with sandals in the winter and that I'd never wear Aeropostale clothes unless they paid me to advertise. I also get to provide structure and boundaries. We eat dinner every night as a family. I lay down the law about why "Teen Mom 2" is not an appropriate t.v. show. She was disappointed that I wouldn't let her watch "Bad Teacher." Have you seen that? No way Jose. She also has chores and has to help with the dogs.

I hosted my first teen girl sleepover last weekend. The niece had her first semi-formal dance at school. (She looked so pretty!) She asked if she could have her best friend stay after the dance and I agreed. They were great.
Question to parents of teens: How do you get the sleepover person to go home? I couldn't get ahold of the young girl's parents. She said her mother was coming to get her "later" but at 6 p.m. she was still there. They weren't answering their house phones and both parents cells were turned off. I offered to drop her off at her house, but she didn't have a house key. Finally, I made her call her grandmother and dropped her off there. I let my niece know that from now on, all sleepover people have to be gone by noon. I've got stuff to do. Is that reasonable?

The only other problem I have is the morning rush. I have to wake up earlier since middle school starts earlier. I could either drive her to the bus stop at 6:30 in the morning or just drive her to school at 7:15 and go in to work early. My school and her school are next door to each other, which is nice. I go in early now. I didn't realize that the early bird hours were very common among teachers who have middle or high school children. I am super productive.

I went black friday shopping for the second time in my life. Next time I have a teenager free moment (she's at choir practice), I'll blog about being outvoted.

Niece potentially moving in

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:56:00 +0000

So apparently my "sister" is going back to prison. I'm not sure why this time. She was arrested last winter for drug trafficking, but according to public records, the case was dismissed. Our county is pretty slow to update public records, so I haven't been able to find the reason yet-and I'm not about to call and ask.

The reason I mention this is because her mother contacted me and asked me if I'd be willing to take A, my oldest niece, who is 13 for at least a couple months. Her mom is going to take the younger two, but A doesn't want to live clear out in the boonies with her Grandma. She wants to stay with Grandpa (they are divorced) in town to be close to school and her friends. Problem is Grandpa works swing shifts at a factory and could not provide adequate supervision for my darling niece. She is a really good kid, but she's still a teenager and we all know teenagers don't make the best decisions.

My brother and I talked it over and we decided that we can't screw her up anymore than her own mother has. We could give her my late mother's room, but paint and redecorate it. To be honest, it mostly looks like it did when she died two years ago. I just never had a reason to redo it as we don't use the room.

I'm concerned about the financial aspect. With my new job, I lost about $300/month in income between the salary cut and the higher insurance costs. I don't think I will have offical custody, so I'm not sure about pursuing child support from her biological father in Texas, whom I've never met. I don't know what if any resources are available to me, if any. My brother already costs me a fortune. He did qualify for food stamps though, which shocked me. He bought our groceries last week and was really proud of himself for contributing. (I chide him all the time about being a freeloader, but my mom let me slide until I could support myself.) I'm also concerned about my social life. I like to go out on the weekends, even if to a friend's house to watch movies. I never saw my parents take a sip of alchohol until I was an adult. I'm grateful for my sheltered childhood and I wish she had the same.
I have an unable-to-adequately define situation with my ex that I don't want her to be privvy to. She will be 14 soon, so she's old enough to stay by herself. She also babysits a lot.

So my friends think I'm nuts. My brother thinks it is a good idea. My godmother thinks it would be great for my niece and for me.

Yet another death in the family

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:38:00 +0000

Yesterday, I buried my 10th family member in less than 8 years. My cousin C died of a heart attack at the age of 38. We're waiting on the autopsy results, but it will mostly likely be drug related. You see, three weeks ago my cousin overdosed on bath salts. I don't know if they are a big problem in your part of the world, but in southeast Ohio, bath salts are a problem. According to my cousin's doctor in the ER, 1 out of 4 people who try them die. My cousin was in a coma for a few days. My friends in local law enforcement tell me that a person needs to be medically supervised to come down off bath salts or it can result in pyschosis. My friend at child protective services said she recently had to remove a child from a home where both parents were hallucinating, but the dad was in the home's rafters thinking he saw giant rats.

I just don't get drugs. Drugs ruin people's families. My aunt and uncle are now childless. (Their other son was killed in a car accident a few years ago, which makes this doubly sad.) I don't mourn for the loss of my cousin. I mourn for the mess of a life left behind. His beautiful daughter will now grow up fatherless and uncleless. It's just a mess. I am angry at what my family has to go through now because of his choice to use drugs. My aunt begged him to go to rehab, but he refused.

I'm so tired of funerals. We have such dark humor in our family that we joke about the "frequent family discount" at the funeral home. It makes others uncomfortable, but I look at it as how we cope. I'm so tired of grieving. I feel like I come to terms with one death, then another one happens. It seems to be a never ending cycle for me.

Lions, Tigers and Bears, Oh My- in my own backyard

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:59:00 +0000

My area has been in the news of late. Like so many others, I'm heart broken and horrified at the exotic animal escape in Zanesville, OH.

I live outside Zanesville. Zanesville is where I was born, where the nearest Wal-Mart is, where we go to the movies, out to eat or to the mall. My best friend works at one of the hospitals there, a mere three miles from where 56 exotic animals were set loose by their suicidal owner.

I had no idea that someone in Zanesville was hoarding dangerous exotic animals. I didn't even know it was legal to own a bengal tiger in Ohio, much less 18. I have three dogs that cost me a fortune in food, grooming and vet bills. I do not see how this man and his wife cared for 56 of them. When I first heard the news bulletins, my brother and I thought that the nearby wildlife conservation center The Wilds had some escapees, but they've always been tight about their security.

I applaud Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz and his deputies. They picked the best option out of a bunch of bad choices. They were dealt a shi$#y hand by some lunatic. Not even the Columbus Zoo or the Wilds keeps enough tranquilizers to take care of 56 animals. Jack Hannah and the zoo and the Wilds vets were interviewed about the difficulty of tranquilizing an exotic animal under the best of circumstances in captivity, not in the pouring rain at nightfall. Doses are administered based on the animal's weight and the last time it ate. I also don't think the news coverage did an adequate job of explaining the distance between Zanesville and the Columbus Zoo. Zanesville to Columbus is only 55 miles on I-70, but the Columbus Zoo is in Powell, above Dublin and is a good hour-and-a-half drive from Zanesville. There was no possible way of getting tranquilizers before nightfall.

This guy, Mr. Thompson, didn't even have proper fencing. He had regular barbed wire livestock fencing that barely contains my neighbor's horses. I've had to rustle many a cow back inside the fence when they've escaped. Livestock fencing is not meant for grizzly bears and cheetahs. Critics suggest that the deputies could've lured the animals back to their cages. Nice idea, but it's been revealed that Mr. Thompson damaged all their cages prior to shooting himself. According to an article today in the Columbus Dispatch, Mr. Thompson placed a bucket of chicken parts near him prior to committing suicide. Sheriff Lutz would not speculate on why, but did reveal that Mr. Thompson had a bite from a large cat on his head and appeared to be dragged several feet from the sight of his death.

I'm sad that 49 beautiful creatures lost their lives, but their owner signed the death warrant by letting them loose. He had to have known that would be the outcome. Public safety is always number one. West Muskingum high school is only a mile from the Thompson farm. Zanesville City is only two miles and is highly populated, with two hospitals, a mall, two Walmarts and two Kmarts. No one could take the chance that an angry lion (or 17) would run down Maple Avenue and start eating people.

My classroom aide and I were discussing this story and we both decided that it would be awful to be the person who hit the bengal tiger on Interstate 70. Imagine that you are driving through Ohio, probably listening to a CD, ipod or audio book rather than the radio, when something suddently jumps out in front of you. Instead of the suspected deer, you realize you hit a bengal tiger. You get confused if you are in Ohio or India, where the bengal tiger lives. Insurance companies give you fits about hitting deer, can you imagine filing a claim about hitting a bengal tiger?

Fleas are Gross and Expensive

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:15:00 +0000

I dropped nearly $300 at the vet this week. It amazes me that I generally spend more on health care for my three dogs than I do on myself. Despite being on flea protection, my doggies and my house developed a flea infestation. I was less than thrilled.

On top of the flea infestation, my boys have an allergy to fleas, so if they get one bite, they start scratching and losing hair. They each had to have a cortisone shot to help with the inflammation and an antibiotic to rid the infection caused by scratching.

The vet switched us to a different, more expensive brand of flea protection (goodbye worthless Frontline Plus) to break the life cycle. My brother and I had tried an OTC flea spray, but it didn't work. The vet gave us a really potent spray that we used to treat every fabric surface including carpet. We had to wash all bedding and curtains.

I had to give the dogs a special pill at the same time we treated the house to get rid of all adult fleas currently on them. We all played outside for several hours yesterday while the spray was doing its thing. So far all of my dogs are buggy free and I've not seen a single one jumping around my house. We have to repeat the house treatment process in a couple weeks to make sure all eggs and larvae are gone.

Fleas are gross. I never ever want to deal with this again.

Missing Paycheck

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:10:00 +0000

I was due to be paid Friday via direct deposit from this new job. Last payday, they mailed me a check, which I deposited myself. So far no money deposited in my account. No check mailed to my house. I didn't realize this problem until yesterday after work, which meant the payroll staff people had already gone for the weekend. I talked to the bank and they have no record of anything being deposited, so I have to wait until Monday to talk to the payroll office.

Thank goodness that I no longer live paycheck to paycheck. What is a minor annoyance now would have been a big freakin' hairy deal a few years ago.

ipad 2

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:58:00 +0000

Guess what my school bought for me?! An Ipad 2! They bought them for all the special ed staff. It is not something I would've never purchased myself, but I will admit that it is quite cool. It does everything my laptop does, but is smaller and more versatile. I can see replacing my laptop with a tablet down the road.

It was a nice surprise this week to be given an ipad. On the same day, the superintendent called me to ask if we could use computers. We have computers, but they are older than my students, half won't connect to the internet and the ones that actually function freeze constantly. Not to mention, they are incompatible with the various computer programs that we are required to use. I made the tech department install the IEP writing software on my personal laptop because I refuse to wait 10 minutes for it to open on the dinosaur on my desk. My ipad 2 came installed with the IEP software on it. Isn't that cool?

Life in the classroom

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 12:01:00 +0000

I finally got paid for this new job. Luckily, I didn't have to use one single penny of my savings account during the job transition. I completely forgot that every few years my old district would be on a 27-pay cycle instead of 26 pays. This was the lucky 27 pay year. I just have to get used to paying my bills on the twice-monthly schedule again instead of bi-weekly.

The job itself (most days)is kind of boring. I have three boys,all in the 9-10 age range. One is nearly full-inclusion all day. The other two I have are sweet as pie. I enjoy them tremendously. Due to a myriad of circumstances, we're working through the first-grade curriculum. God bless all the K-1 teachers out there. I'm bored out of my skull with the curriculum. The highlight of my day is social studies, when I get to teach 4th grade content that has some meat in it.

Minus the nuclear meltdowns one of my students' experiences, all is well in emotionally disturbed land.

One of the kindergarten teachers is having a very bad year, due to a very bad class and asked me how I have a smile on my face everyday. I replied that when you've been rif'd as much as I have, you are grateful to have a job at all.

September 11, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 12:54:00 +0000

I am watching the 9/11 ceremony on t.v. with tears streaming down my face. I didn't know anyone who died. To my knowledge, I don't even know anyone who knew anyone who died. I just feel grief and sadness so deeply, maybe because of my personal experience with it. I mourn for those who lost their loved ones. I mourn that America's innocence was lost. I didn't realize 9/11 affected me so deeply.

Ten years ago, I was in news editing class at Ohio University, where I was a journalism major. After class, I walked to my work study job across campus. I didn't notice anything different at that time. I walked into the office and the secretaries and department chair were crowded around the radio, listening to NPR. One secretary told me that a plane hit one of the world trade center towers. I remember thinking what a horrible accident. Just a horrible accident.

Then a few minutes later, the second plane hit. I knew it was deliberate at that point. I knew America was forever changed. There was such confusion and fear that day, and for many week to follow. My roommates and I huddled around our t.v. in our orange-painted living room and watched, horrified as the towers fell. We watched people jumping hundreds of stories to their deaths in desperation. I will never forget that.

I remember that we all went to fill up our cars with gas and that the gas station line wrapped around several blocks. I remember we were worried that the attacks would continue and that an attack would happen on campus. I remember wanting to be with my mom, dad and brother who were at home. I remember there being backlash against the muslim students and attacks on their mosque. I remember the fear and uncertainty that was felt across the country. Those were uncertain days.

Today on this solemn anniversary, I remember. Always remember, never forget. We are the United States of America and we are a resilient people.

My Idiot Brother

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:23:00 +0000

Last Friday, it was HOT in Ohio. It hovered somewhere around 97-100 degrees. I come home from school to find that my brother shut the a/c off and has the windows open. This is the same kid who wants to turn the a/c on when it is 70 out. So it's 100 degrees and he says he's cold. I was burning up.

Whatever, I think. I go upstairs to my attic bedroom and it is HOT. I can't breathe. The floor is hot to the touch. I make him come upstairs to feel what my room is like in the hot weather if the a/c is off. I lecture that if it is above 85 outside, the a/c must be on otherwise I can't breathe in my room even with the window open and a fan. He's curious and goes downstairs to look at the thermostat. Idiot has the heat on!! In 100 degree weather. He flipped the switch from one setting to the other. I can only imagine what my utilities are going to be this month.

New house rule: Only I am allowed to touch the thermostat.

Car Problems Galore

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:52:00 +0000

We're having a car problem in our little family. Well I'm not, but my brother is. We have three cars between the two of us. The only one that currently functions is mine. My brother was a pizza delivery boy. Was because he quit to go back to college. Pizza delivery kills cars. He's also a DJ and travels all weekend long doing weddings and charitable events. He just did a super fancy wedding at the zoo a couple weekends ago. A zoo wedding! How cool is that?

I have an 04 Saturn, bought new and paid off, thank goodness. He has an 07 Saturn, bought used and has had sooo many problems with it. It is currently sitting in my driveway with a shot transmission.

We then bought the used Mazda in Aug. of 2010. He drove it two months, then the engine blew up. My brother fought the dealership, but they basically told him, what you see is what you get, which is what I told him too when buying used cars. We bought the Mazda because a car is a necessity for his job.

The Saturn would just periodically die while driving, just shut itself off. It was dangerous. He had the Saturn fixed, we put it up for sale, then the next day, he hit a deer and it was out of commission for a couple months. We hoped and prayed they would just total it, but no such luck.

Back to the Mazda. His best friend's father (He promised my late father that he would guide my brother) loaned him the money to purchase a used engine and have it installed. J has to have reliable transportation back and forth to work. It took a little while to find an engine. My brother asked our mechanic friend, who has a real job, but has a garage business on the side, to install the engine. He didn't have room in his garage until April. We towed the Mazda there in April. It is now September 7 and the damn car is still there.

It wasn't a big deal when his Saturn was running. I let my brother drive my car while I was in California for work and whatnot. Once I was back and stuck in the house, I got really mad. I sent a nasty facebook message that basically said fix the car or else. A compromise was made and our mechanic loaned my brother his other car, which was a 20-year-old beat up convertible.

J has gotten to the point where he harasses our mechanic friend daily about the cars progress. Most of the time our mechanic friend ignores him. We've taken to stalking the garage and showing up announced at weird hours. I just don't know what to do. I suggested that my brother have our lawyer send a letter to light a fire under his butt. I hate to threaten to sue a friend, but this is ridiculous. If J hadn't of quit his job, he would've been fired for calling off so much with car trouble.

My brother started back to college this week at Ohio University. OU is about an hour's drive from our house. Neither of us ever thought he would still be without a car when school started. J is going to be a commuter student to save money, but you can't commute without a car. He took me to work yesterday and picked me up an hour late, but I didn't know what else to do. The mechanic told us his car would be ready last night and it wasn't, so before work this morning, I drove my brother 70 miles round trip to college. BEFORE WORK. Before I taught emotionally disturbed children all day. I made him stay the night with his best friend tonight. I can't make two trips to Athens in one day. I'll pick him up tomorrow or Friday.

Aside from forcing the mechanic to finish his car at gunpoint, I don't know what to do. I can't drive J to college every day. I can't let him have my car every day as I have a life and things to do. For nearly a year, I've been paying the insurance on all three cars. I just don't know what to do about this situation. My brother is beyond broke right now. Even before he quit, work cut his hours in half. He's behind on all his bills and his inability to get to work has hindered his financial situaton. I'm just fed the heck up with all of it.

Good teachers gone bad

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:23:00 +0000

I wonder why good teachers go bad. In my district, there is a high school teacher currently on leave for "inappropriate conduct" concerning two male students, if you catch my drift. I know this woman. We went to high school together. She's from a good, solid family. She's a wife, mother and coach. I taught with her brother and now with her sister. Her state test scores are great and from all accounts, she is/was a pretty good teacher. Of all the teachers at the high school, she would be the least likely candidate for a scandal.

Is it a mental problem? A mid-life crisis in your early 30s? Why throw away your marriage for a high school boy? (she's been with her high school sweetheart since 9th grade. I used to have to get them to stop making out so I could get into my locker.) Why throw away your career like that? This is a small town. Everyone knows everyone else's business. You grew up here. You know there are no secrets. Why sully your reputation and that of your family, not to mention the reputation of the district and teaching as a whole. Your siblings (who all appear to be good people and teachers) are getting extra scrutiny because of you.

I just don't understand.

Broken hearted

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:02:00 +0000

I jinxed myself. I got my new student today. Well he came to visit anyway.

My heart is broken. He is the victim of a high profile child abuse case in Ohio. I won't tell you anymore than that, other than he has major, major issues stemming from years of horrific abuse and neglect. He's been placed in a therapeutic foster home in my county, far, far away from where the abuse happened.

For the last hour, I have bawled my eyes out reading his records from CPS and all the media reports. Hollywood screenwriters couldn't have written some of the atrocities this child has been through. I don't understand how these monsters could torture this child or his siblings. Both parents were sentenced to decades in prison, which is not enough in my book. I hope they rot in hell.

A New School Year

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:39:00 +0000

Day 2 is finished. Only 178 left to go. Kidding.

It's so weird not starting the school year with my old 4th grade team. I really, really miss them. As of right now, I only have two 4th grade students identified as emotionally disturbed (I hate that term, fyi IDEA). One little guy is mostly included in the regular classroom for core subjects, so I have only one little guy for most of the day. Plus I have a classroom assistant. So my little guy is getting 2-on-1 for most of the day. I'm not quite sure what to do with my aide with only one student. Last year, the class had seven students in grades 3-5 and they would rotate for instruction between the aide and intervention specialist, plus complete centers and independent work. I don't really have the need for all that at this point.

I was supposed to have two more students, but they haven't shown up yet. We're still waiting on paperwork to be sent from another school district who said they were sending a student. Wait and see, I suppose.

It's going great so far. I don't want to jinx myself, but I really like it so far.

Employed Once Again!

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 02:38:00 +0000

I have a job! It came about rather unexpectedly. If you recall, I had a weird conversation with the elementary principal of my hometown about not being licensed for 3rd grade. Well he kept me in mind for another position.

Early this morning, the local superintendent of the education service center called me about a position as an SED teacher, which stands for serious emotional disturbances. I've always shied away from ED classrooms in the past, but the two 6th grade positions went to someone else (actually the teacher whose job I'm taking.) I interviewed for the position this afternoon and was offered the job on the spot. Since I had no other offers or interviews, plus school starts Monday, I took the job. Teacher orientation starts Thursday.

The downside is that even though it is in the local elementary (My elementary!) it is not a district position and is through the educational service center. Their pay scale is lower, so I had to take a $3,000 salary cut. We're union, so no negotiating. It was a take it or leave it situation. My best friend kept reminding me that even with a salary cut, it still beats unemployment. I need one more consecutive year to make 5 years and get $17,500 in student loans forgiven. I can do anything for a year. Right?

I haven't even seen my classroom yet or met my classroom paraprofessional. Open house is tomorrow (lol) and I need to work all day tomorrow to have a presentable classroom. I really feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants. On the plus side, I only have four young gentlemen for students to start the year with. I've had students with emotional/behavioral disabilities in the past, but I've never had them self-contained in one room all day. On the plus side, I've taught 3RD-5TH grade, so I can just jump right in with curriculum. Also my commute is short. Two minutes max. Seriously. I used to commute to Parkersburg, W.Va.(90 minutes one way) when I worked in the non-profit world. Now I have two minutes.

Obviously, this position isn't what I want. God and I have had long conversations today about this, but if this is where He wants me right now, so shall I be. I look at it as good experience if I want to go into special ed admin one day. I've taught inclusion, resource room, Multiple Disabilities and now emotional disturbed (which is such a horrid name). There's not a whole lot I haven't done. But if you would be in prayer for me and my new situation also my students whose names I don't even know. I would appreciate it.

But I HAVE A JOB!

Possible Job Opening

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:36:00 +0000

So the 6th grade special ed position that I interviwed for that went to the board member's worthless child is now open again. Said worthless child moved to a different grade. On a bright note, the other 6th grade sped teacher moved somewhere, leaving another 6th grade opening. So two potential jobs.

On the encouragment of my friends who work for this district and school, I went in and talked to the principal (who just got hired himself) about the openings. He said they were "in the process" of filling them. He took my resume and requested that I write my references on the back. I haven't heard anything else today. I was so nervous. I'm quite shy around strangers. I'm not the type of person who can just waltz in to someone's office unannounced and inquire about a job. But desperate times call for desperate measures. My friend is a guidance counselor in the building and she said it would be great to have me in the building and that we'd have so much fun. I ran into one of the teachers last night at a bar (!) that interviewed me the first time and she was so ticked off about the process. She said she wasted 16 hours interviewing 13 people just to hire the "worthless son." She also said she'd pull in a good word for me.

On a really weird note, one of my friends who teaches 3rd grade facebooked me to ask me when my interview was for the 3rd grade opening. I was very confused as I don't have an interview for 3rd grade and never applied for 3rd grade. (Also, I can't teach regular ed. I don't have the licensure.)She said I was on her interview list for the panel interview and that she would really pull for me. I thanked her of course and remained confused. A few minutes later the principal called me in for an interview. He got my application from the district office and apparently didn't pay attention to the Intervention Specialist: K/12 on it instead of the necessary Pre-K/3rd certification needed. Although it is nice that someone somewhere looked at my application. He took my info and said he'd definitely call me if a special ed position opened in his building. So that is something.

A little bit of everythng

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:45:00 +0000

I'm still out there job hunting, which is depressing. School starts in less than 2 weeks and I am jobless. The job I interviewed for ended up going to the board member's worthless son. There's another potential job opening up, but it is going through the in-house folks before it's posted externally. So we'll see. I take heart because one of the college fellows from the regional university that worked at my school applied to over 100 districts and ended up taking a job in middle-of-nowhere Arizona. It was her only offer.

I've also been sick. I think my healthy eating habits (i.e. ground turkey instead of beef) have landed me with salmonella poisoning. I was unaware that there was a recall on ground turkey until my grocery store phoned me about it, but too late, I'd had turkey tacos and spaghetti with turkey meat sauce. It's been about 10 days now and my stomach is still having problems, although not as severe as early last week. According the the CDC, it can take a couple months to get my digestive system regulated. Joy.

I'm working on obtaining health insurance. I still have a couple weeks left on my current plan. I finally got my COBRA papers and they quoted me more than $700/month to keep my existing coverage. Thanks to my healthy e-fund I could do it, but I'm not going to. I'm planning to use a temporary policy through my alma matre that I've used between jobs in the past that only costs a fraction of that. I'm pretty healthy and can cover a high deductible if I need to. The problem is lack of prescription coverage. My medication for Barrett's esophagus will cost at least $200/month. I wish they made a generic or OTC version. I've tried all the others on the market and they don't work.

Also, unemployment is screwing around with me because of the one-week drama camp. I tried to do the honest thing by reporting the $500 I made and it has been nothing but a headache. I haven't been paid in two weeks and I had to refile my claim and fill out all kinds of paperwork for a one-week camp. Ridiculous. I hope it sorts itself out soon. I probably could've gotten away with not reporting my earnings, but that is fraud.

Drama Camp

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 00:05:00 +0000

This past week has been a great week. I co-taught a summer drama camp with one of my 4th grade co-inclusion teachers. (See how tight my team is-was :-(. I went to California with one, taught a camp with another.) We had 26 kids in grades K-9 and performed two seperate plays in one week.

It was great being reunited with my friend/co-teacher. We had a lot of kids from our school and even a couple of recent students. My former school district is so tiny, rural and Appalachian. It doesn't have a drama club. We barely have enough kids for a football team. It was great to provide any sort of culture to an area that is deprived of it.

The area where I teach is surrounded by nearly-abandoned coal mining towns. Most of the town and area is in utter decay. Buildings are vacant and condemed. The area had its heyday in the 30s and 40s. Our camp was held in a grant-funded renovated building that had a theatre in the top half. The building is on the list of registered historical places.
The floor of the theatre is unsafe, so kids were not allowed up there, but the council person took my friend and I up. I was amazed. You can just picture the vaudville acts, swing music and dancing, oh the dancing. There was even a sign still on the ticket booth that said "Couples $.35."

Camp gave us a chance to interact with families more than we do during the school year. We were fed lunch every day at the village park. There is a summer child nutrition program that was subsidized by our camp. Parents can eat too. It made me grateful for my parents and my lower middle-class upbringing. I didn't get to keep my parents for very long, but they were so wonderful while they were here. We had a family show up yesterday with no shoes. No one, not even the parents were wearing shoes. The baby who couldn't have been over a year old was toddling around in the gravel barefoot. He was also filthy. The other day, we had a family take their children swimming at the state park, which is about 10 miles away. The little girl who is 9 told me that she paid for the gas money. My parents never once asked me for gas money. I never had to provide gas money to my parents to take me places. I was just floored and grateful for my upbringing.

Job Hunt Continues

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 23:54:00 +0000

No updates on the job front. I haven't heard back the school I interviewed with. I've heard through the grapevine though that the son of a board member got a second interview. Small-town politics at its finest. It doesn't matter who you know, only to whom you are related.

I've applied for a couple non-teaching jobs, mostly to satisfy my unemployment requirements. I have to contact two employers per week, which was easier earlier in the summer, but not a whole lot has been posted in the last couple weeks. I've really been struggling with salary requirements. Teaching is based on a salary schedule. If you have x amount of education and x years of experience, you get x as a salary. No negotiating.

I'm struggling with trying to figure out what I should ask for, or a range, if I go after a marketing/PR type position. I figure if should be more than I make now, probably significantly more. I need to do research. I've been out of the game for 5 years since I've been teaching. For my newer readers, teaching is my second career. I have a journalism degree and worked in non-profit marketing for three years. I also started a non-profit community theatre and coordinate the entire business end. I have some skills.

Job Interview

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 02:44:00 +0000

I finally, finally got a bite on my resume. I had an interview today for a 6th grade special ed position very close to my house. Super close, in fact. :-)I have a lot of people pulling for me right now, so we'll see. I actually have people coaching me as to the interviewer's preferences and questions I should expect. I know my name has been floating around for awhile. I know the principal got a text today from the guidance counselor telling her how awesome I am.

I saw a list of a couple other candidates. One was another riffed teacher from my district. She is meh. Another one was a guy I had master's classes with. I remember he was in our group for a project and didn't contribute much, but things could've changed. Then there's a board member's son who is awful. The rest are unknown.

I think I would be a good fit. They are interviewing 13 people and will narrow it down to 3. Those 3 will interview with the superintendent who will make the final hiring decision. It should all go down within a week. If I don't get this job, please let it go to someone other than the board member's son. Pretty please. I'd rather lose out to skills and experience rather than coaching and nepotism.

I just have to trust that God will put me where I'm supposed to be. I've done all I can do and if I don't get this position, it will be for a reason. But if you could say a little prayer, that'd be great!

Experiences, Not Things

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:43:00 +0000

I'm not a materialistic person. I don't need to have the latest electronic gadget. My cell phone is so old I'm shocked it is still compatible. I don't own designer clothes or a fancy car. I do own a designer wallet (Kate Spade) that an unsuspecting person sold at a yard sale for $.50. Despite my lack of materialism, I love fashion magazines and can tell the difference between Chanel, Gucci and Prada, although I'm way too frugal to actually ever purchase designer clothes.

I value experiences more than stuff. I want memories that I'll remember for the rest of my life versus a possession that will only last x amount of time. I'd rather travel or try something new.

Yesterday, my group of college friends and their spouses and I went zip lining. There is a zip course in the Hocking Hills region of Southeastern Ohio. Since we are all turning 30, we want to try adventurous things. I was terrified at first. I don't like heights, but it was awesome.

I had an absoute blast. It cost around $85 and lasted about 2 1/2 hours. I felt like I was flying through the treetops. I'm so glad I went. The guides informed us that they opened a new zip course at The Wilds, which is a open-range wildlife conservation park that has exotic animals and is a partner with the Columbus Zoo. I would like to try that sometime when I am gainfullly employed.

Job Fair

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:39:00 +0000

Yesterday, I went to a teaching fair sponsored by an online charter school. They were hiring 75 teaching positions. More than 600 people showed up. The fair was from 8:30-4:30 in Columbus. I got there a little before 11 so I would miss rush hour traffic. There were no open interview spots for the entire day left at 11:00. It was a giant cattle call.

I don't know how I feel about teaching online from home. I'm disciplined enough and definitely a self-starter. The online school toted lack of discipline problems, because let's face it, in special ed, I have discipline problems, psychiatric problems, social problems. We've got problems. But I like the kids. The online teachers said they feel they know their students better than when they taught in a "brick and mortar" school. I just wonder how. I like when my students come in and tell me about their weekend or we rehash the most recent icarly episode. I'm good with kids. I think my ability to build positive relationships with my students is one of my most important attributes as a teacher. I also like having coworkers to discuss things with or collaborate with. Who would I collaborate with in my own living room?

Also the salary was really low. Super low. I work(ed) in one of the lowest paying school districts in the state and I would still have to take a massive salary cut.It was about $15,000-$20,000 less than neighboring school districts. They tried to sugarcoat the low salary by toting the lack of commuting,lunch, dry cleaning and professional clothes. Seriously though, I'm a teacher, my clothes come from Wal-Mart, Target and the sales rack at JC Penney. I'm not spending a fortune on work clothes and I once had prom dress dry cleaned. I also don't have children and therefore don't spend several hundred a month on childcare. My lunches are from the dollar frozen section.

I think this position would be great if you were in a dual-income situation with children. You could be a stay-at-home parent and work full-time. Financially though, I'm not sure I can swing it.

Dryer issues

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 21:52:00 +0000

My dryer is on the fritz. I'm not sure how old it is, but I do know we got it from my grandma when she bought a new one. My grandma died 7 years ago. I'm not sure if it is worth fixing or just getting a new one.

All I know is it takes me nearly three hours to dry a load of jeans or towels. And it's making horrifying noises that are so loud I'm sure my neighbors can hear them. I've literally had to turn up the t.v to hear over the dryer which is on the opposite side of the house.

My brother wants me to consider getting a new-to-us one on Craigslist. I'm a little skeptical of Craigslist after those murders in Boston. I'm also not sure about getting a second-hand dryer from strangers. I theoretically could walk into an applicance store and buy a brand-new one, but I don't want to spend that kind of money.

If you have ever bought a major appliance from Craigslist or from a stranger, leave a comment and tell me about your experience.

Getting Nervous

noreply@blogger.com (shelbug99) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:14:00 +0000

So it's early July and I have yet to go on a single job interview for a teaching position, despite applying for and sending out dozens of resumes for nearly every district in the Columbus area. I'm getting a little nervous. The last day to resign without penalty in Ohio is sometime next week, so more positions should be opening soon, I hope.

Although I am a supporter of unions and anti Sentate-bill 5, sometimes being in a union has downsides. Part of the issue is I cost more than a beginning teacher. I have a master's degree and four official teaching years completed, along with 9/10 of a subbing year. I've heard from several principals and superintendents that they do not want to hire teachers with experience because we cost more. On the flip side of that though, a district would not have to pay for me to go through the mentoring program, nor would they have to pay for a mentor. An experienced teacher is more than likely to get better state test scores than a beginning teacher.

Speaking of test scores, the prelim OAA (state testing) scores are back for 3-8 grade. They aren't made public or released to parents yet because administrators have so long to send certain students' scores back to be rescored. I'm really proud of my reading scores. About 60% of the IEP students on my caseload passed reading, which is awesome in special ed land. I was really suprised and pleased with how well some of my guys did. None of the students I instruct in math passed, which was disappointing. Math is hard. The state does not allow a lot of accommodation in math aside from reading the questions and extended time. Memory is a huge problem for many IEP students and in 4th grade, it is all memorization from single digit multiplication and division, to remembering the steps to do long division and how to interpret the remainder. I have a really cool color-coded method to teach long division, which is successful in my classroom, they just can't use it on the test. It makes me question my math teaching ability. Is it me or are they just too developmentally behind in math?

Hopefully I'll get an interview soon. Otherwise I need to figure out what I want to do with my life or prepare to move out of state to teach.