Serenity Black's Dysfunctional Crystal Ball

Kindergarten...

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:38:33 GMT

I am so out of my element in Kindergarten.... it doesn't help that the teacher has very little structure set in place... I'm lost and confused and freaking out about it.

I have been So proud of myself!

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:53:58 GMT

I haven't been sulking in my alone-ness. I haven't checked my phone every 2 hours hoping that I just didn't hear a text message or anything. I even decided to go out on my OWN to visit my friends!

James loses his phone... like it's lost lost.... So that now makes me not checking MY phone a bit redundant.

Now the only way James can get a hold of me is through facebook... so I'm checking THAT every 2 hours.

I drove back to Rohnert Park after visitng Meagan and everyone and Lovinia's not back yet. I resolve myself to locking myself in my room and passing out... and there's a GUNSHOT. Wtf? I haven't heard a gunshot in rohnert park... ever.

So now I'm bugging Lovinia to see where she is because... I'm done with being ok with being alone.

We're back to the slightest noise of the apartment settling being scary. Damnit. I was doing so well!

Im drunk

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:54:21 GMT

For the first time this semester

James said: "I remember this girl... this is the girl that jumped in my arms and kissed me..."

Sometimes... i miss that girl

Yes!

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:06:48 GMT

Portfolio submitted! I still have to do one paper.... damn my procrastination... but it was PALES in comparison to the 8 hour long 24 page long (not including work samples which extends it about 6 or 7 more pages) portfolio de my teaching styles/theories/ect.

Happy dance.

Wow.. thats a lot..

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:38:05 GMT

I am so mean to my 6th graders. The day before their thanksgiving break and I have 4 lessons planned (science, math, writing and history) along with a small group discussion. Yep. I'm a meanie.

I'm also tearing out all of my hair trying to get everything put together for tomorrow.

They are dropping like flies...

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:31:18 GMT

6th grade girls are vicious..

One week they are sweet and innocent to the naked eye..... then BOOM they are on the "Bully" side focusing on the girls who haven't *turned*

It was just a moment and sudden my eyes were open:
Cast of Characters:
P - only child, one of the youngest girls in the class... Tiny, but tall, blonde, has make-up that she gets to wear outside of school and has the fashionable clothes that look cute on her. Needs everything to look pretty/perfect

I - Middle of the road in regards to age. Her hair is always tied back and shes usually in simple clothes, oversize shirts. She has decent self esteem.

J - Very low self esteem, taller than most, thinks in a different way, and not into the "pretty" stuff that the popular girls are into.

The kids are working on their writing assignment. I'm the the only teacher in the room and suddenly...I see P at Is side. J was very upset after lunch and shes still upset, and very quiet because of it. P has *the Look* on her face... the passive aggressive, forced grin, big eyes.

P: Whats wrong I? I'm just trying to figure out why you're upset?
I: I said go away.

I then walked over to them and raised an eyebrow at P the entire way back to her seat... which she was now surrounded by K and B.

They all give me *the look* and explain that they are just trying to figure out why I is mad at them.. I told them to leave her alone, if shes mad, let he be mad by herself... by bugging her its going to make it worse.

k: but theeeen we'd have to wait. We dont deserve that, do we? (She was on the verge of giggling the entire time)

I separated the girls and talked to I later in the day.

Apparently P, B, and K (thats their hierarchy order btw) were bugging J. I (along with S and M) called then out on their bullying and made the fact that they were upset with them known. Then the bullying focused on I, S, and M. Because they all have relatively high self esteem and good sense.. they just ignored them... luckily the focus was off of J.

This entire encounter has made me so angry. This was *not* how the girls acted a few weeks ago. It started out at P.... then P and B (which was very obvious and easy to dissolve)... now P B and K... now i'm just asking: who's next?

See ... everyone says that I was crazy...

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:28:59 GMT

I was asking about the "doesn't 2/3rds of the CA congress have to approve the change?" I remember reading that in my HS government class...

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/11/07/unpacking-the-challenges-to-prop-8-a-qa-with-uscs-david-cruz/

I mean this might not work out, but at least it cleared up my thinking.

4 years

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:03:30 GMT

Danny L. Brice

December 11, 1956 - November 3rd, 2004

I miss you Dad.

Don Draper's Guide

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:44:25 GMT

I'll admit... I squeed a little...

Boo depressing posts

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:17:51 GMT

Red Ribbon Week 043
Originally uploaded by StudentTeacher

Onto brighter things: I am the savior of Red Ribbon Week. And Lisa (another student teacher) and Nancy (one of the primary moms) are *my* saviors. I think that I shall make them cards...

It all started when I was forgot to grab red cups. I had to go in the morning to grab them which put me at the school at exactly 8:05 I wanted to be there at quarter til... yeah, didn't happen.
Because I am not normally at the school on mondays, everyone assumed that i wasn't going to be there today. Mr. Rose (the full timer) would have told them because HE is there on mondays... but he quit the program (!) in a drama filled haze.

So... the teachers sent all the student council kids to class and sent the balloon lady home.

I got there and suddenly they scrambled to bring everyone back. I had my two volunteers and I grabbed the supplies we created and collected and went to work...

The guy who judges the decorations every year showed up *a day early* (so today instead of tomorrow) just as we finished. It was crazy. All the teachers who were telling me to just do it tomorrow were rather happy I didnt listen to them.

I went home... I sat down.. and i didnt get up and go to math. I now found out my reading class is cancelled. This of course means that I shall have plenty of time to do my big seminar project thats due at midnight tonight... but am I starting that now? Ha of course not.

ETA: I don't understand how I can load more than one Flickr picture on my lj...

Belck

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:18:16 GMT

Up down Up down Up down

It amazing how much I have to say when i cant say it...

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:02:46 GMT

I don't think it's like last time.

It looks like its over... just like that... one day I thought it was good... and then the next...

Its never fun making this realization when you're all by yourself for the night...for the weekend mostly.

hmm

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:09:37 GMT

What do you eat when anything that comes anywhere near you makes your stomach turn yet you're becoming physically weak from lack of nutrients?

Right now I'm nursing an ensure... and i forced a granola bar down. Im trying to think of more options...

OooO

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:13:07 GMT

I own *two* signed Neil Gaiman books. He called me "lovely".

I walked out of the event with way over 70 books.

I have the advanced reader of Inkdeath...with no time to read it. At least i don't have to pay for it.

Oh and i have Christopher Moores new book "Fool" that comes out in Feb. That one i AM finding time to read.

James And I

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:35:37 GMT

One year!

wow.

it just got better

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:18:25 GMT

I just found out that I am sitting at Niel Gaiman's table.

Shannon and I are also collecting as many bags as we can to haul our ARCS out. When I asked him what I should take he said: "Let me put it this way... *Im* taking a backpack filled with backpack"

NEXT WEEK!

Oh! And also: I get to start up a storytime at the store! Sundays!

AHHH!!!

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:02:44 GMT

So i get to go to a book convention a couple of sundays from now. It's a trade show which means all the swag (ARCS!) I can carry. I was getting pretty excited about it until I got a call this morning....

I get to have breakfast with Neil Gaiman.

My happiness knows no bounds at the moment!

(Ps. For those of you who don't know who Neil Gaiman is: he is a fantastic author--one of my favorites--who wrote Stardust as well as many other fabulous things)

Student Teaching

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:23:41 GMT

So, I did my first lesson in front of the Principle/Superintendent, My Site Supervisor, My Mentor Teacher (but she sees all of them, so thats not intimidating), and other student teachers...

I kicked ass.

I found out the next day that my site supervisor, who wrote the program in the first place, said it was the best first time student-teacher lesson she has ever seen.

I have a very respectful group of 6th graders who I can relate to. Because I have always had a natural ability to relate to kids, it worked out for me. The principle of the school said that I related to them, but instead of going down to their level, I brought them up to mine. She said that I created a collegiate atmosphere.

This then makes me worry about my last lesson in front of everybody, because I have to dazzle *more* to show improvement. While I know that there are definitely things i can improve on, I just hope that that situation doesn't blow up in my face the next time.

A Very Cute Moment

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:30:37 GMT

So three weeks into the semester SSU allows us to go to our first Monday class. Also ssu does not allot parking for everyone that has day classes.. but that's another story.

I left for school about a half an hour before I was supposed to be there in order to find parking. I discovered in my rush to get out the door and find parking that my backpack was not in my car as I thought... it was in fact upstairs in my room. So, instead of getting it, I decided that I would just go and carry my books and some paper to my classes.

I decided to circle the good lots once, just to see, and then give up and park behind the school near the art building. Its amazing how serene it is back there. Most students do not walk around that way (in fact I think that the only students who know that that place exists are the Hutchin Students that go to the Carson building and the Art Majors). So as I walked through the parking lot and onto the actual campus, there was no one around me.

Then James walks around the corner.

He had gotten out of class very early and was starting his walk home, which starts at the very back of the school, and he was just as surprised to see me. He actually laughed.

He then offered to walk me to class, discovered that I didn't have my backpack, promptly emptied his out and lent it to me for the day.

It was just a very cute start to my morning.

Wow... I feel weird

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:38:40 GMT

Half of the girls in my classes (so half of 99% of the class) got married over the summer before they started their credential......

I guess that's just the profession I'm walking into.

Days off? What are those?

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:59:26 GMT

So, Wednesdays are going to be long.

I go to Dunham until 1:30 and Copperfields until 9:30. However, I love both places, so it's not going to be places I hate being at... but its just long...

I also have been put into the best student teaching classroom. I wish that I was full time teaching there. I'm at perfect school: a very welcoming and close-knit staff, a trusting and accommodating administration, respectful and well behaved 6th graders....

I am never *ever* going to find this again.

So: Love my job... LOVE my student teaching
Now I just need to not *hate* my classes and I'm golden.

I feel SO much better!

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:05:08 GMT

I LOVE MY JOB!

It is *so* much better than Barnes and Noble! I love it!

And they offered me 30 hours a week!

I can breathe again!

Also: The man at the transmission place is going to see what he can do to lower the 667 (or get rid of it completely) AND take the car off of my hands. I probably would sell it to him for the price it took to fix it.. i mean most of trans is maintenance--and he's obviously doing it.. Or its still good for parts. He told me that this morning (we'll know if he CAN do it on monday so x>.<x) and it was the best news I had heard all day. Today is so much better than yesterday.

Stop It....

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:50:49 GMT

Now my car wont work. It wont shift out of park....

My job is 20 miles away... my student teaching is about 10 - 15....

Its been having so many problems... and now it wont work... and all my mom can say is "well you still need to give me $2000 or else I'll lose my house"

Ooo

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 05:47:05 GMT

I just got a job as a ....

(drumroll)

Bookseller!

I work at Copperfields starting next friday. They chased me down as I left the store, brought me back in and had me talk to three managers. I did an impromtu interview in the cafe and they hired me the next day as I was filling out the application.

Its a bit of a trip, but its just like working in vacville and living in fairfield. And i might not be so poor.

This is actually happening...

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:47:31 GMT

I have a floor!

Better yet, I have a floor in my CLOSET!

Now all of my movable possessions are outside in my backyard and I am hopeing beyond hope that the millions of cats that live on this street (my two included) don't pee on anything.

Also: I have *way* too many clothes.