Sickness Has Struck!

Sarah had the plague last week with the stomach thing and now I have it with the sore throat and achy chest thing. I was feeling pretty bad all weekend and got to rest alot. I was feeling better until Monday night when my throat started hurting really bad. By Tuesday morning I could barely talk (which was great since I had a formal observation scheduled) and I was in serious pain. I made it through the day without much voice and my throat felt like their was broken glass in it. Sarah made dinner and we watched 24 for a while (we have joined netflix - which is fun!) and I went to bed early.
I am happy to report that I am feeling better today, throat's still a little sore and I am coughing alot but it doesn't hurt so bad - guess I'll live to fight another day!!

Wet Spot

When I used to teach I n the elementary school it was not uncommon for a student to have an "accident" - to wet their pants. Now, while this is not uncommon in smaller children, it is not expected in older children. So imagine my surprise when a girl in my last block peed in her seat yesterday! Now, she didn't just let a little out by mistake, she all out made a puddle under her seat. It was really strange. I loaned her a jacket that I keep in my room and she tied it around her waist and went to the nurse to call home.

No one has mentioned this incident since but I really wonder why she didn't just ask me to go to the bathroom. I allow the students to go when they need to and I never get on them about it. So it was just weird. Anyway, I still haven't gotten my jacket back, I hope it is being washed!

On Top of Things

So today I had a student, who has struggled a little, finish his work and asked if he could get a book to read until we moved on. I told him he was on top of things (meaning he was doing well and getting things done on time) he started picking up his feet to see what he was "on top of". It was very funny and also a reminder that I teach alot of second language learners who have a hard time with slang and catch phrases!

Pamper thy self

Or at least that is what I imagine God would say to a couple of exhausted teachers with an hour to kill before bed. Sarah and I had a "spa" tonight as we like to call it. What it really was was we took turns helping each other pumice our feet, do satin hands and then paint fingers and toes. It is fun to just doing something mindless once in a while. I have a light day at work tomorrow with the kids writing essays so I could relax a little.

Take my advice and pamper yourself!

Week 3

This is the third week of school and one thing that is already different than last year is that I am aware of what is happening. I cannot remember what happened these weeks last year. Seriously, no recollection of the first few weeks. I think I was in shock or something! I was just telling Sarah today that I don't think I can go back to teaching elementary school, I really like this age group and it is a bit less work than elementary. By that I mean that I don't have to sit on the floor all the time or physically carry a child (at least not yet)!
Now I am just rambling because Sarah is reading her student's essay answers aloud for me to help grade, I will be glad when Rikki Tikki Tavi is no longer part of my vocabulary!

60 Inches

Yesterday, a student was showing me a project he did for FACS class (home ec) and he had a drawing of his house. There was a 60 inch television in his bedroom. I asked him if that was true and he said it was. He has a 60 inch televsion in his room that he shares with no one and there is a 90 inch in their living room! I was really taken back by that!!!! I never had a televison in myroom when I was growing up - not until college. I guess times are changing though I wonder if this has anything to do with his severe ADHD and his inability to write. One of his accomodations is to have everything dictated for him. I am not really blaming the TV but I wonder if there is a connection.

Happy Birthday to Me!

After a pretty good week at school, we all ran out of the building Friday night and headed to my birthday party. Which was really a party as such but we ate greasy food and had a blast dancing the night away at one of Yuma's finest establishments. I won't go into anymore detail except to say that it was fabulous and I was glad to spend my birthday eve with all my Yuman friends.
Saturday, my actual birthday I got a massage and then Sarah and I went to Ihop and rented Entourage and watched the whole first season before I passed out at ten, still tired from the late night out. Today, Sunday we went to church, had lunch with "the girls" getting caught up form the summer away and then came home to watch the second season of entourage and I just mopped the kitchen floor. So I was a little productive today. I still have two sets of tests to grade for work but that won't take long.
Friday, I also got 2 dozen pink roses from my parents (thank you Sarah!) and earrings from that are beautiful and dangly. She always picks out the perfect thing. But the best gift was the three get out of Wal-Mart shopping coupons in my card. This is fantastic for me as many of you know I hate grocery shopping more than anything!
All in all it was a great birthday weekend and anyone who hasn't scene entourage it is very funny and I recommend it!

Interest Does Not Make A Specialist

So yesterday I packed a duffel bag and drove to El Cajon (just outside of San Diego) where I stayed in a hotel by myself. I wasn't robbed or raped or caught in a fire so this in itself was a feat for me. This morning I got up and drove (very slowly due to traffic) to the city of La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya if you were wondering) and successfully maneuvered the parking garage and found the right doctor's office. All of the above are things that give me incredible anxiety so I was feeling pretty good as I sat in the waiting room reading Joey Pigza Loses Control (phenomenal reading by the way).

They called for me and I anxiously awaited Dr. Aung who I was sure was going to be my savior in this land without good or even mediocre doctors. He came in, didn't want to look at the history I had brought from the Chicago clinic, in fact, he barely looked at me. He asked me several questions and then with no preamble stated that he could not help me. That was it. He was not a specialist in migraines. This came as quite a shock to me as I was told when I asked his secretary that he was, in fact, a specialist in migraines. When I told him this he said that the practice is interested in migraines but does not specialize in them.

Now, were I quicker on my feet, I would have said: I am interested in biking but I would never say I was Lance Armstrong. Or something equally sarcastic. As it was I started to cry and told him I didn't understand. He just kept repeating over and over that he couldn't prescribe or change any medication for me. The man didn't even offer me a Kleenex. He did however graciously agree to wave any charges for the office call. Which is nothing when you consider I spent over 6 hours in the car, $79 on a hotel room and $60 on gas to get there and be told that I had wasted my time. I walked tearfully to my car through the crowded waiting room where I am sure many people thought I had just received terrible news like I was dying from a brain tumor or something.

So I went and ate french toast and got my car fixed and came home. I did discover that my students were perfect angels just as I had expected and there will be no yelling tomorrow. This is such a change from last year already.

Whew!

Wow, the first week of my second year at Crane Middle School is over! It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Instead of setting up my room, which moved locations, I also helped Sarah set up hers and got her ready to teach 7th grade. She is doing great although she is exhausted and sound asleep on this Saturday night at 10:00. I can't blame her, we have been going nonstop and spent the night with our friends in Mexico last night and then were at work for 6 and a half hours today.
I am going to San Diego tomorrow to spend the night. I have an early appointment with a new migraine specialist Monday morning. I think it will be good to get a check up and see if there are new drugs out there I can try just for the heck of it!
I hope everyone out there in blog land is having a good summer and check back, I will be back writing frequently now that things have settled a bit.
Here is one story to keep you waiting: the copy machine has been down all week at school. This is a major problem. Even though we don't do a lot of worksheets there are still a bazillion copies of things to make and it makes it hard to plan. The Xerox man came twice today (Saturday) and it is still broken. I think we should go back to using slates for everything like they used too:-)

The Library

Today we went to the Yuma County Library and I got a library card. Sarah could not get one because she is in fact an illegal alien and is not afforded the rights of those of use who have waited the 14 or so hours in line at the DMV.

The librarian told me that I could check out two items today because I had not been deemed trustworthy to have access to the entire library. Sarah chose "The Truth" by Al Franken and I chose a book that claims to cure anxiety, panic attacks and other problems by reading it. I figured it was worth a try. I started reading the book tonight and discovered 1.) it is not interesting and 2.) it increased my anxiety while reading and 3.) toaught me step by step how to hypervenilate should the need arise.

I am supposed to have a studt partner for the book (this person does not have to have any of the disorders being cured) and Sarah reluctantly said she would do it. I am going to have her read it and see if she thinks it is a bunch og bullhockey and then I will determine how much stock I will put it into reading and following this woman's advice.

So far I have learned that when I feel anxious about something I have to assess the risk in a ratio. For example, there is a 50 percent chance I will faint at this event. But, people with anxiety disorders tend to assess risk on what they THINK will happen not what has happened in the past. So if I say there is a 75% chance I will faint and someone says well how many times have you fainted in the past and I say never then in reality there is a 0-5% percent chance I will faint. The book says that worriers are the worst fortune tellers so I don't really know why they say to assess the risk when it will always be larger than the actual risk.

So I guess my point to all of this is that we are all better off reading fiction rom the library!