Well this weekend we decided to take the plunge and convert Tyler's crib to a daybed. He's been climbing out of his crib pretty consistently and it's just too dangerous for him to be doing that with it being on the lowest setting possible. Plus, I don't want him running around the house in the morning unsupervised because he's just not responsible like Kaitlyn and there's just too much trouble he could get in to.
Jerry took of the front crib rail and placed the bottom stabilizer piece on the crib to convert it to a daybed. Because Tyler is a mover and a shaker even in slumber, we also bought one of those rails that you can put on any bed to make sure your kids don't fall out of bed. (Kaitlyn has one on her twin size bed because she was falling out of bed.) It pretty much takes up his whole crib leaving about 4 inches on either side for him to squeeze through if he wanted to get out of bed. Since he can easily open the bedroom doors, we also put up a swinging baby gate right outside his bedroom door so he can't wander around the house. (We have a pool in the backyard and it's my biggest fear that he's going to slip outside one morning and fall in.) His bedroom is right next to ours, so all he had to do is call to us from his room and we should be able to hear him.
He's only spent one night in his new bed and so far, so good. He stayed in bed well after he woke up this morning, so he hasn't quite figured out that he can get out of bed whenever he wants to.
I'm pretty sad that my baby has outgrown his crib and he's getting older ever day. It just makes me want another baby that much more.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Hell Week
The week from hell is over. The problem is that I have two more weeks of hell to go. We are in the middle of end of course (EOC) testing right now and since I do both math and science I'm stuck for three weeks. It doesn't help that we have to continue on with the school day and we don't have enough people to help proctor and give breaks and cover classes, etc.
Hopefully the biology test will be a bit better than the geometry test. I understand that kids have to take more time to figure out word problems and solve them, but it is seriously ridiculous that some of them literally took all day long to take the freaking test! I don't even want to deal with the Algebra test because mostly lower level kids take Algebra in high school so those kids will be taking forever!.
I'm pretty much stressed out all day and night right now and my anxiety level is through the roof. Not to mention that we are at that time in the year where my job is in limbo and I have no clue what I will be doing next year. I may still be coaching, I might have to go back in to the classroom or I could get lucky and get a job at admin doing some teacher on special assignment job.
It also doesn't help that my teachers are pissy right now because of all they have to deal with and it's evaluation time and they're freaking about, especially the ones who are on annual contracts. I try to reassure the good ones that they have absolutely nothing to worry about, but I don't think it helps alleviate their anxiety and quite frankly, I don't blame them. This time of year just sucks all around for anyone who works in the school system and it doesn't get better until that last exam is given and the graduation ceremony is over.
Hopefully the biology test will be a bit better than the geometry test. I understand that kids have to take more time to figure out word problems and solve them, but it is seriously ridiculous that some of them literally took all day long to take the freaking test! I don't even want to deal with the Algebra test because mostly lower level kids take Algebra in high school so those kids will be taking forever!.
I'm pretty much stressed out all day and night right now and my anxiety level is through the roof. Not to mention that we are at that time in the year where my job is in limbo and I have no clue what I will be doing next year. I may still be coaching, I might have to go back in to the classroom or I could get lucky and get a job at admin doing some teacher on special assignment job.
It also doesn't help that my teachers are pissy right now because of all they have to deal with and it's evaluation time and they're freaking about, especially the ones who are on annual contracts. I try to reassure the good ones that they have absolutely nothing to worry about, but I don't think it helps alleviate their anxiety and quite frankly, I don't blame them. This time of year just sucks all around for anyone who works in the school system and it doesn't get better until that last exam is given and the graduation ceremony is over.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Now I'm Sick
I thought I was in the clear with everyone else but me being sick. Kaitlyn and Tyler are on the mend with just the slightest cough still lingering. Jerry is still a little sick and sounds like he's trying to hack up a lung. Now I am sick, achy, stuffy and all around miserable. I've been sucking down liquids and made Jerry run out and get some saltines and sprite. I made some chicken noodle soup and plan to eat that every chance I get to help me feel better. This being sick business really sucks and I feel like a crappy mom because my kids have been watching movies all day and haven't even changed out of their pj's. Kaitlyn wanted to go to the park today, but I didn't want her to go so far away from home so instead I let the kids go out in the sunshine and help water the plants. The fresh air seemed to do them some good yesterday so I thought it couldn't hurt today.
It's going to suck having to go to school tomorrow because we are smack in the middle of testing season so I can't even take the day off to get better. I'm proctoring the FCAT for freshmen so it's not like I can hide in my office either. I'm just hoping I don't get a rowdy group of kids or I'm going to have to just write some referrals! I will so not be in the mood to deal with asshole teenagers.
It's going to suck having to go to school tomorrow because we are smack in the middle of testing season so I can't even take the day off to get better. I'm proctoring the FCAT for freshmen so it's not like I can hide in my office either. I'm just hoping I don't get a rowdy group of kids or I'm going to have to just write some referrals! I will so not be in the mood to deal with asshole teenagers.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Sickies
Well Tyler is still sick from Easter. He's not vomiting anymore, thank God, but he still has a slight fever. He's also not eating much at all and only wants to drink milk. I'm limiting his milk intake and giving him Pedialyte when he asks for milk. He doesn't mind. He's got a boogery, mucusy nose and has also added a cough. Fantastic!
Jerry went to Vegas for work on Monday. He felt awful before he left and sure enough he got worse once he landed in Vegas. He sounds horrible and has been pumping himself full of Dayquil, NyQuil and Gatorade. He's coming home late tomorrow night and if the kids are still sick, he's going to stay home with them.
And in true form, Kaitlyn is also sick. She apparently woke up at 4:30 last night and got some tissues from the playroom and came into my room to sleep. I didn't even hear her come in so who knows exactly when she woke up and came into my room, I just know it was 4:30 when I noticed she was in bed with me. ( I've been having trouble falling asleep lately because of stress so it was not a great night of sleep.) When we finally had to get out of bed at 6 AM, she complained that her head hurt. I checked her temperature out of curiosity and sure enough she had a slight fever. I gave her some Motrin and loaded her up on juice.
Unfortunately it's testing week so I can't even take any time off right now to keep my babies home to get better. On top of that today was a very long day for them because I had a meeting from 3:30 to 6:30. I had to leave the meeting early though because my daycare closes at 6:30 and they charge overage for ever 15 minutes you are late picking up your kids. (They charge per kid as well.) I would have just skipped the meeting, but lots of important questions needed to be answered and I couldn't miss it. I am so stressed and exhausted right now I wouldn't be surprised if I got sick as well. For the next 4 weeks though, I cannot call in sick because we are smack dab in the middle of testing season and I have to proctor/facilitate testing. The joys of working in public education where other people's children come before your own!
Jerry went to Vegas for work on Monday. He felt awful before he left and sure enough he got worse once he landed in Vegas. He sounds horrible and has been pumping himself full of Dayquil, NyQuil and Gatorade. He's coming home late tomorrow night and if the kids are still sick, he's going to stay home with them.
And in true form, Kaitlyn is also sick. She apparently woke up at 4:30 last night and got some tissues from the playroom and came into my room to sleep. I didn't even hear her come in so who knows exactly when she woke up and came into my room, I just know it was 4:30 when I noticed she was in bed with me. ( I've been having trouble falling asleep lately because of stress so it was not a great night of sleep.) When we finally had to get out of bed at 6 AM, she complained that her head hurt. I checked her temperature out of curiosity and sure enough she had a slight fever. I gave her some Motrin and loaded her up on juice.
Unfortunately it's testing week so I can't even take any time off right now to keep my babies home to get better. On top of that today was a very long day for them because I had a meeting from 3:30 to 6:30. I had to leave the meeting early though because my daycare closes at 6:30 and they charge overage for ever 15 minutes you are late picking up your kids. (They charge per kid as well.) I would have just skipped the meeting, but lots of important questions needed to be answered and I couldn't miss it. I am so stressed and exhausted right now I wouldn't be surprised if I got sick as well. For the next 4 weeks though, I cannot call in sick because we are smack dab in the middle of testing season and I have to proctor/facilitate testing. The joys of working in public education where other people's children come before your own!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Happy Easter!
Another Easter has come and gone. Tyler spent most of last night vomiting. He also vomited twice this morning and has had a fever all day. I've been pumping him full of water and Motrin and he seems to be better right now. I still may take the day off work tomorrow so if it's some kind of bug he doesn't pass it on.
He still hunted eggs with Kaitlyn at home and the grandparent's house. He tried to eat every single jelly bean, marshmallow and chocolate egg that he found in the eggs. I had to start opening his eggs to dump them in a cup to keep him from eating them all. If he wasn't sick, I wouldn't have cared, but I didn't want him to upchuck again.
Kaitlyn had a blast finding the eggs and made a decision that she was only going to pick up the purple, pink and blue eggs. Silly girl. Unfortunately for her those were the eggs that the ants found so we had to dump out all those goodies. That's the only bad thing about egg hunting in Florida. You can't hide them too soon or all the bugs come out in force and attack the eggs.
We ate Easter lunch at my parent's house and it was delicious. Ham, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, asparagus, rolls and veggies. I had to leave early because Tyler was just miserable and wouldn't take a nap in my sister's room. He barely wanted to hunt for eggs and only ran outside because Kaitlyn told him she was going to find all the eggs. I wish he was feeling better because I just hate to see him miserable.
Hopefully your Easter was not full of vomit and snot, but chocolate and jelly beans!
He still hunted eggs with Kaitlyn at home and the grandparent's house. He tried to eat every single jelly bean, marshmallow and chocolate egg that he found in the eggs. I had to start opening his eggs to dump them in a cup to keep him from eating them all. If he wasn't sick, I wouldn't have cared, but I didn't want him to upchuck again.
Kaitlyn had a blast finding the eggs and made a decision that she was only going to pick up the purple, pink and blue eggs. Silly girl. Unfortunately for her those were the eggs that the ants found so we had to dump out all those goodies. That's the only bad thing about egg hunting in Florida. You can't hide them too soon or all the bugs come out in force and attack the eggs.
We ate Easter lunch at my parent's house and it was delicious. Ham, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, asparagus, rolls and veggies. I had to leave early because Tyler was just miserable and wouldn't take a nap in my sister's room. He barely wanted to hunt for eggs and only ran outside because Kaitlyn told him she was going to find all the eggs. I wish he was feeling better because I just hate to see him miserable.
Hopefully your Easter was not full of vomit and snot, but chocolate and jelly beans!
Monday, April 2, 2012
The Unknown
I am fast approaching that time of year where anxiety strikes and the unknowns of my current position start to arise. It is especially stressful this year because we have a new superintendent who has only been with us a few months and he is currently restructuring some things in our district.
This year, as well as the past two years, I have been an instructional staff developer. Simply put, I work with teachers to help them improve their practice. I am not an evaluator by any means, I work in tandem with teachers to make sure students are successful in their classes. I am a certified science teacher, but this year am taking on the responsibility of both math and science due to budget cuts.
Every year there has been question as to what will happen to coaches. When we first got coaches in the district, each DA high school, 9 total, had at least 1 RTI coach, 1 math coach, 1 reading coach and 1 science coach. (At the time a DA school was one that had a grade of D or F determined by our students FCAT score. FCAT is our state standardized test.) Some of the traditionally poor performing schools, SIG schools, got additional grant money to use on things like professional development, technology and other resources they so desperately needed. Fast forward to the present, three years later, and we only have 4 SIG schools with coaches and my school with me as a math/science coach and a reading coach who is only here 1 week a month because she rotates between 3 other high schools.
This year we are in need of a lot of support but can't get that support because our wonderful governor slashed the education budget by a billion dollars this year. Our district has already cut 73 million from our budget the past three years and had to cut another 56 million this year! Not to mention that new legislation passed last year and was signed into law new graduation requirements which include end of course (EOC) testing. Also included with the new law is a new performance appraisal system for teachers. All these things cost money and of course the state expects us to do more with less. (I'm not even talking about salaries, benefits, etc. just resources we need for our students.)
Last year it was very stressful because we were losing 3 coaching positions which meant that 3 of us were temporarily out of a job. It was decided that some internal restructuring had to happen and we all had to reapply for our jobs and interview, which meant compete with each other for the few coaching positions left. At one point, it kind of got ugly, and some bonds were broken between teammates. I am not going to go in to specifics, but I was not offered a coaching position when the school year ended.
This year has been really challenging for me learning two new curriculums, a new school and new teachers. I don't think that I will return as a coach, due to budget cuts, but I wouldn't be opposed to returning as a teacher. Which begs the next question, am I ready to go back in to the classroom? I have been out for 3 years and am rusty at best. It's not the same, modeling in someones elses classroom, as having your own classroom and developing those relationships with your own students. Sometimes I miss being in the classroom dearly, and then other days I don't miss it at all.
Tomorrow is the deadline for voluntary transfers so I should know what's going to happen by then. At least I know I'll have a job somewhere, I just don't know where.
This year, as well as the past two years, I have been an instructional staff developer. Simply put, I work with teachers to help them improve their practice. I am not an evaluator by any means, I work in tandem with teachers to make sure students are successful in their classes. I am a certified science teacher, but this year am taking on the responsibility of both math and science due to budget cuts.
Every year there has been question as to what will happen to coaches. When we first got coaches in the district, each DA high school, 9 total, had at least 1 RTI coach, 1 math coach, 1 reading coach and 1 science coach. (At the time a DA school was one that had a grade of D or F determined by our students FCAT score. FCAT is our state standardized test.) Some of the traditionally poor performing schools, SIG schools, got additional grant money to use on things like professional development, technology and other resources they so desperately needed. Fast forward to the present, three years later, and we only have 4 SIG schools with coaches and my school with me as a math/science coach and a reading coach who is only here 1 week a month because she rotates between 3 other high schools.
This year we are in need of a lot of support but can't get that support because our wonderful governor slashed the education budget by a billion dollars this year. Our district has already cut 73 million from our budget the past three years and had to cut another 56 million this year! Not to mention that new legislation passed last year and was signed into law new graduation requirements which include end of course (EOC) testing. Also included with the new law is a new performance appraisal system for teachers. All these things cost money and of course the state expects us to do more with less. (I'm not even talking about salaries, benefits, etc. just resources we need for our students.)
Last year it was very stressful because we were losing 3 coaching positions which meant that 3 of us were temporarily out of a job. It was decided that some internal restructuring had to happen and we all had to reapply for our jobs and interview, which meant compete with each other for the few coaching positions left. At one point, it kind of got ugly, and some bonds were broken between teammates. I am not going to go in to specifics, but I was not offered a coaching position when the school year ended.
This year has been really challenging for me learning two new curriculums, a new school and new teachers. I don't think that I will return as a coach, due to budget cuts, but I wouldn't be opposed to returning as a teacher. Which begs the next question, am I ready to go back in to the classroom? I have been out for 3 years and am rusty at best. It's not the same, modeling in someones elses classroom, as having your own classroom and developing those relationships with your own students. Sometimes I miss being in the classroom dearly, and then other days I don't miss it at all.
Tomorrow is the deadline for voluntary transfers so I should know what's going to happen by then. At least I know I'll have a job somewhere, I just don't know where.
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