This was another fast-moving week with so many things after school - two days of physical therapy, massage, and a hair cut, color, and manicure...
The students had two body paragraphs due on Wednesday. I spent yesterday afternoon and this morning marking them up to return them tomorrow.
I'm watching My Week with Marilyn - it's a BBC treasure trove...
Jack from Pillars of the Earth
Inspector Japp from Poirot
Foyle from Foyle's War
Jo from MI 5
Hermione from Harry Potter
Wallander from Wallander
Ariadne Oliver from Poirot
The butler from Downton Abbey
and
Judi Dench
Toby Jones
Dominic Cooper
Dougray Scott
Also had the septic tank pumped out - and the guy warned us that the tank is really getting old...
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
And another week goes by -- March 18-23
This past week was incredibly EXHAUSTING. I started physical therapy to try to break up the calcium deposit in my right shoulder, so two afternoons were devoted to that. I went back to Phoenix in Harleysville -- the therapists are really good. However, I'm not used to going right from school to another activity, so I was really tired on those days.
On Wednesday afternoon, I drove down to Maris Grove for the quarterly meeting about my dad's care. We talked about the upcoming move and also about his sleepiness, which seems to be just another stage in his decline. I also had dinner at Iron Hill in Media with Nicole. We discussed the possibility of turning off Dad's pacemaker. In hindsight, getting him the pacemaker was probably the wrong thing to do - it just prolongs his really unfortunate quality of life. But what did we know? I read an article about the topic just after he had the surgery, but even if I had read it before, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have brought it up with my sisters...
In school, my kids were working on note cards and expanded outlines, both of which involve a lot of back and forth with each student, so every period was busy, busy, busy. That alone was pretty exhausting. Oh, and there were wretched benchmarks essays to grade - administration gives a "standardized" test, but guess who has to grade the essays!!
Yesterday, my fifth period made me laugh yet again. At the beginning of the period, this was the exchange between two rather eccentric students:
Student #1: I'm disappointed in the level of intelligence in the hallways.
Student #2: I'm disappointed in your lack of social skills.
I just shook my head...
Later in the period, I gave student #1, who is always raising his hand to comment with some random fact that has nothing to do with the discussion at hand, the opportunity to make a random comment of his choice.
Student #1: Searing meat sealing in the juices is a myth (He then went on to expound at length on this topic.)
Student #2: But you're talking about a vocab word we just discussed, so that's not random!
Student #1 then goes on a lengthy discourse about an interesting way in which ice is formed.
Student #2: But that's really the opposite of the vocab word we just discussed, so that's not random either! I guess you can't be discursive (yet another vocab word) on demand!
At that moment the bell rang....
I had to drop off paperwork at Barry Hayes auto body for my upcoming car repair - Progressive Insurance agreed that it was their client's fault for last week's accident in the Giant parking lot. Just another thing to remember... I met Nancy for dinner at the Joseph Ambler Inn -- I don't know what it is about that place, but every time it's been good, the next time we go, it's really bad. This time the bartender was really inattentive, chatting right in front of us with a just-arrived bartender -- and then walking to the other end of the bar -- all the while I was trying to get her attention because she hadn't brought the water we'd requested. Yikes!
Bob was in Canada two days this past week, so last night was really the first time in a while we could talk at length. He's traveled 3000 miles in seven days...wow!
I finished the Hunger Games trilogy and a David Sedaris book with corduroy and denim in the title; now I'm reading Imperium by Robert Harris - it's about Cicero.
On Wednesday afternoon, I drove down to Maris Grove for the quarterly meeting about my dad's care. We talked about the upcoming move and also about his sleepiness, which seems to be just another stage in his decline. I also had dinner at Iron Hill in Media with Nicole. We discussed the possibility of turning off Dad's pacemaker. In hindsight, getting him the pacemaker was probably the wrong thing to do - it just prolongs his really unfortunate quality of life. But what did we know? I read an article about the topic just after he had the surgery, but even if I had read it before, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have brought it up with my sisters...
In school, my kids were working on note cards and expanded outlines, both of which involve a lot of back and forth with each student, so every period was busy, busy, busy. That alone was pretty exhausting. Oh, and there were wretched benchmarks essays to grade - administration gives a "standardized" test, but guess who has to grade the essays!!
Yesterday, my fifth period made me laugh yet again. At the beginning of the period, this was the exchange between two rather eccentric students:
Student #1: I'm disappointed in the level of intelligence in the hallways.
Student #2: I'm disappointed in your lack of social skills.
I just shook my head...
Later in the period, I gave student #1, who is always raising his hand to comment with some random fact that has nothing to do with the discussion at hand, the opportunity to make a random comment of his choice.
Student #1: Searing meat sealing in the juices is a myth (He then went on to expound at length on this topic.)
Student #2: But you're talking about a vocab word we just discussed, so that's not random!
Student #1 then goes on a lengthy discourse about an interesting way in which ice is formed.
Student #2: But that's really the opposite of the vocab word we just discussed, so that's not random either! I guess you can't be discursive (yet another vocab word) on demand!
At that moment the bell rang....
I had to drop off paperwork at Barry Hayes auto body for my upcoming car repair - Progressive Insurance agreed that it was their client's fault for last week's accident in the Giant parking lot. Just another thing to remember... I met Nancy for dinner at the Joseph Ambler Inn -- I don't know what it is about that place, but every time it's been good, the next time we go, it's really bad. This time the bartender was really inattentive, chatting right in front of us with a just-arrived bartender -- and then walking to the other end of the bar -- all the while I was trying to get her attention because she hadn't brought the water we'd requested. Yikes!
Bob was in Canada two days this past week, so last night was really the first time in a while we could talk at length. He's traveled 3000 miles in seven days...wow!
I finished the Hunger Games trilogy and a David Sedaris book with corduroy and denim in the title; now I'm reading Imperium by Robert Harris - it's about Cicero.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
March 17, 2012 - Erin go bragh.
This past week has been both short and long - short because Bob was home, and we never seem to have quite enough time together when I'm working - and long because it was PSSA testing week, which is always interminable. I did enjoy the students I proctored, however, because a third of them were in my English classes last year. We did yoga each morning -- Bob says we should check the scores to see if the kids were way off the charts. It's possible, but more because they are really smart to begin with...
I also was involved in an accident in the Giant parking lot - some woman backed into me as I was putting my car into drive to move forward after backing out of a space. Sigh...
Last night we went back to Stella Blu after visiting Dad. He's becoming less aware of people around him and also sleepier. So sad - Judy is having a really hard time with this latest slide downward. I have to admit that I always have mixed feelings - I'm been watching my father on a downward spiral for at least five years, but I've been without my Sammy for four -- so unfair in so many ways. I know my dad would be so upset that he's become the person he saw while he was doing physical therapy at Riddle.
Anyway, today is St. Patrick's Day, so I should be wearing green, etc., but I'm just not.
Am on Book 3 of The Hunger Games series (Mockingjay).
I also was involved in an accident in the Giant parking lot - some woman backed into me as I was putting my car into drive to move forward after backing out of a space. Sigh...
Last night we went back to Stella Blu after visiting Dad. He's becoming less aware of people around him and also sleepier. So sad - Judy is having a really hard time with this latest slide downward. I have to admit that I always have mixed feelings - I'm been watching my father on a downward spiral for at least five years, but I've been without my Sammy for four -- so unfair in so many ways. I know my dad would be so upset that he's become the person he saw while he was doing physical therapy at Riddle.
Anyway, today is St. Patrick's Day, so I should be wearing green, etc., but I'm just not.
Am on Book 3 of The Hunger Games series (Mockingjay).
Sunday, March 11, 2012
March 10, 2012 -- The big surprise party!!
So this is the day for Fran's 50th birthday party. My sister Judy and niece Nicole have been the prime movers in getting everything into place -- I'm just a gofer on party night, picking up last minute items and taking people to Fran's church parking lot, where the actual surprise occurred. Fran was totally surprised, a hard thing to do because although she likes surprises, she's always trying to figure things out...!
Fran was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago - age 35, no history in the family, low risk because she breast-fed her girls - and still it happened. I wasn't teaching full-time then, so for the six months she had to have chemo, I would stay with her for 2-3 days each month to take care of her then 5 and 8-year-old daughters. This year marks 15 years since that traumatic time in all our lives. I was talking to her neighbor at the party, and one of the things we both remembered was that she never had a negative attitude about the outcome of the disease: she always believed that she would recover. And she did - so much so that she became a dynamo of energy - the ultimate super-mom who was always making sure her girls got to whatever event they were involved in on any given day.
The party was so much fun - I danced for about 2 1/2 hours straight. Perry, Nicole, Alicia, and Perry's mom all gave funny, heart-felt speeches.
Bob was chatting up Fran's neighbors, who seemed to enjoy his stories -- I really don't know because I was sitting with Frank and Wayne's family!!
Fran was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago - age 35, no history in the family, low risk because she breast-fed her girls - and still it happened. I wasn't teaching full-time then, so for the six months she had to have chemo, I would stay with her for 2-3 days each month to take care of her then 5 and 8-year-old daughters. This year marks 15 years since that traumatic time in all our lives. I was talking to her neighbor at the party, and one of the things we both remembered was that she never had a negative attitude about the outcome of the disease: she always believed that she would recover. And she did - so much so that she became a dynamo of energy - the ultimate super-mom who was always making sure her girls got to whatever event they were involved in on any given day.
The party was so much fun - I danced for about 2 1/2 hours straight. Perry, Nicole, Alicia, and Perry's mom all gave funny, heart-felt speeches.
Bob was chatting up Fran's neighbors, who seemed to enjoy his stories -- I really don't know because I was sitting with Frank and Wayne's family!!
Friday, March 9, 2012
March 9, 2012
It's 4:25AM, and I've been up since before 3AM -- this hasn't happened in quite a while, so I guess I'm lucky...
Bob is due home today, and we have a big party to help with tomorrow.
At school, the kids are working on their preliminary outlines -- all is going well.
Lauren Levy is pregnant - another of Sammy's friends is having a baby. I think I'll go look at the moon...
Bob is due home today, and we have a big party to help with tomorrow.
At school, the kids are working on their preliminary outlines -- all is going well.
Lauren Levy is pregnant - another of Sammy's friends is having a baby. I think I'll go look at the moon...
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
March 7, 2012
We're moving into the critical paper process, so I know exactly what's happening for the next month. Tomorrow the kids will tell me what their topics will be for the paper; then they create a preliminary outline. Next week we have state testing, and they'll be in the library two days during the week.
No excitement outside of school this week...
No excitement outside of school this week...
Monday, March 5, 2012
March marches on...1-4
Busy beginning of the month!
Thursday and Friday, the students worked on their posters for Catcher. They'll be presenting on Monday.
I met Beth, Nancy, and Kathy for dinner on Friday - we went to Redstone in Plymouth Meeting. They're all doing well -- and I was the only one who ordered a drink....of course, I'm the only one who hasn't retired!!
Saturday I visited my dad and went shopping with Judy and Fran - it was fun! Sunday I graded a few compositions and went to yet another Frankie concert - it was really good. We had dinner together at the Pizza Pub.
I finished the first book of The Hunger Games - now reading the second one.
Thursday and Friday, the students worked on their posters for Catcher. They'll be presenting on Monday.
I met Beth, Nancy, and Kathy for dinner on Friday - we went to Redstone in Plymouth Meeting. They're all doing well -- and I was the only one who ordered a drink....of course, I'm the only one who hasn't retired!!
Saturday I visited my dad and went shopping with Judy and Fran - it was fun! Sunday I graded a few compositions and went to yet another Frankie concert - it was really good. We had dinner together at the Pizza Pub.
I finished the first book of The Hunger Games - now reading the second one.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
February 29!!!!, 2012
It's leap day - hard to believe how fast this year is going by.
Today the students looked over their Tale of Two Cities composition and filled out a grid. Each kid then wrote on the board a quote or incident with page number from Catcher, and that was the springboard for our discussion - another new thing to add for next year.
I got a manicure and haircut - felt quite pampered!
Still reading The Hunger Games.
Today the students looked over their Tale of Two Cities composition and filled out a grid. Each kid then wrote on the board a quote or incident with page number from Catcher, and that was the springboard for our discussion - another new thing to add for next year.
I got a manicure and haircut - felt quite pampered!
Still reading The Hunger Games.
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