"The Office"/Spanish Presentations/So Much Work

We don't have a working TV right now and I was at school anyway, so I am currently watching "The Office" Season 4 premiere...and I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING. It's hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My favorite part of Spanish presentations today:

Student X's group members elbow him as they deliver their cultural presentation on Argentina onstage, in the auditorium, in front of the principal and other teachers, letting him know it's his turn.
Student X: The food of Venezuela...
Me (from the audience): Pssst! Student X! ARGENTINA!
Student X: Huh?
Me (pointing at the screen next to him): ARGENTINA! You're doing Argentina!
Student X: Ooooh! Right! The food of Argentina...is very tasty. I haven't actually had it, but I think it's very tasty. You see, I forgot to research my topic last night because I was-

Students in audience: STOP Student X! We don't want to hear your whole life story!

It was amazing...haha...

Fall Break starts tomorrow...except I just got a billion more assignments...ick. Countdown to Christmas?

JKJ to answer your questions, I feel like it's going awful, haha. I have no idea what I'm doing and I don't know if they're getting anything...they seem to be doing okay on the grade tracking though so that's good...thanks!

Regarding a Westinghouse Pencil

"Miss, where did you get this?"
"Oh, that's from my family."
"Where's it from?"
"Oh, that's from where my grandfather worked. He sent it to me."
"Miss...no offense, but how do you have a grandfather who's still living?"

FALL BREAK...

So close I can TASTE it...

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday are teaching
Wednesday is some kind of day where only teachers go in...

then Oct. 1 - 5 are FALL BREAK! AHHHHHH!

Ayiyi...

Female Student: He said women should be in the kitchen! But I know PLENTY of great chefs who are MEN!

North Shore Pictures

Click on the picture for more!

amazing day on the island

Today I realized something: no matter how hard I work or how many hours I work, there is still more to do. So I need to take SOME time off, and just keep working really hard the rest of the time. So after another late Friday night at school, I decided to hang out today with Candice and her friends from CA who are visiting for a few days. We had an awesome day all around the island - pics soon!

I have to share an excerpt from one of my students' essays. I assigned him a 3-paragrah, 5-sentences-per-paragraph essay on why we need to respect both men and women after he screamed out, "WOMAN" to the EA in my classroom (education aide). The student still insists that he was asking how to spell woman and I misheard him, but regardless, the way he said it needed to be addressed!

"Even if you are not a female you still should respect them because you could of ended up as a girl. Besides if you dont respect your mom you will get in trouble. Men are the same as women because they have similar things like heart, lungs, and all that stuff. That was one reason why you should respect men and women. . . Yesterday I did not show respect. I did not show respect because Mrs. Moretti thought I offended a women by calling her women. Next time I should speak loud and clear."

Somehow, I don't think he quite got the point...

MAKING GREAT GAINS!

This was the document we signed today as a class :-) I seriously have the best students ever. They are amazing and they are what keeps me motivated...but it's been pretty rough. Soooooooooooooooooo much to do...sooooooo exhausted....today was another pretty long day, 5:45 AM - 9 PM.

No, you may NOT do construction on my room DURING OUR TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1st Math Test

First math test tomorrow!
I'm way more nervous than I have ever been about one of my own math tests...ayiyiyiiiii

another birthday!

Happy Birthday, JKJ! Now when are you and Megan gonna come visit to celebrate? :-)

wild friday night

It's 7:25 PM Hawai'i time. Just grabbed dinner with two veteran teachers and I'm staying for a few more hours to do some work. According to them, it doesn't get easier. You just get used to the work. Oh, man...

Seriously, they are amazing. They've been doing this for years, but they still are giving it their all. I really respect them and I'm lucky to have them as my mentors.

But yeah, that's my wild and crazy Friday night :-)

I GOT KEYS :)

Still no keys...

Happy Birthday, Dad! And Happy Birthday, Julie (yesterday)!

Hmm...

Now I have a door.
But I have no key to my new door.

Um...

Today I walked into my classroom and I didn't have any doors.

John - My first Cleveland connection!

Yesterday at UH orientation, I met two of my professors who used to teach at Kent State! Then I met a woman who lived in Cleveland for 18 years and DJed at WRUW...

I'm actually in class right now...I need to start paying attention.

the three-ring circus

At any given moment, my class is a three-ring circus. You've got construction noises blaring through the unfinished windows, rain or sunlight pouring in through the unfinished windows, either drenching us or making it difficult to see, students coming in and out at the wrong times because their schedules keep changing (and sometimes no one tells the kids), math and Spanish papers flying around because of the wind coming in through the windows, which need to be open even when they are finished, since we are in a sweltering portable classroom, problems going on, office aides coming into the wrong room, and phone calls for the wrong person since I've switched classrooms so many times.

ay de mi...