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2001-11-06 - 4:31 p.m. I am feeling a bit more chipper today. No way did I just use the word "chipper"! HA HA. Anyway, there was another boring meeting, but we start making the plans for developing the curriculum guide tomorrow. Supposedly we are going to be able to finish it by the end of the year, and there are just two high school language arts teachers (me and smack talker). I am glad I will be working with her, but we were wondering how exactly that is going to work out. Apparently some people from other high schools were invited but declined or something like that. I didn't really realize that was an option, but "developed the district curriculum guide" is going to look awfully good on my resume. I have to remember to start keeping track of all this crap I do so I can give myself credit later on. Things worked out, my sub was understanding about what happened and isn't mad about it. Lucky me gets to go back to school in time for lunch gym duty. I also was thrilled to see that no one signed up for library time on Thursday or Tuesday, so I can have my sophomores typing their papers. I just have to worry about what to do with my seniors on Thursday if they are all done with their test. I am not sure if I can stretch the SAT test, new SAT words, and reviewing for their test out to last the whole time. I can always do a little lesson on some grammar stuff, they always can use that, but that's not exactly something to make them happy for me being back! We'll see. I actually talked more than once during the meeting and didn't feel shy or awkward. Normally I hate sharing out in front of a group (kind of odd for a teacher but I am really a very shy person). I was proud of myself. Supposedly we got put on this committee because we are good teachers who can come up with great curriculum guides. I thought that was a laugh. I think they put me on to represent young people in our district or something. Our interim superintendent is really touchy feely. He put his hand on my shoulders/back once yesterday and once today. He actually touches everyone like that, even the guys, and he is one of those real "close-talkers." I am not a big fan of that at all. I like my personal space, especially if I don't know someone. I will sometimes put my hand on a kid's back in my class (usually to say "time to wake up!" or "Focus on what you are doing!") but I know my students fairly well. It does make me wonder if I shouldn't when I saw how uncomfortable it made me and the smack talker when the superintendent touched us. On the other hand I have the belief that teenagers aren't touched much anymore (unless they have a boyfriend or girlfriend) and that they need a little bit of nurturing the way we would if they were younger. So I'm not sure. I am also not sure if it makes a difference that I am a female who is not at all intimidating while the superintendent is a huge scary man. Who knows? It's nice being around teachers sometimes but I can't believe how rude they are as far as being good listeners and not talking while the main speaker is talking. Especially knowing that the presenter is a teacher or former teacher and therefore has this heightened awareness of everything going on in the audience (I know I do) so will notice and be distracted by your whispering and carrying on. I felt like ssshing some of the people next to me but I didn't. There was actually a realy good lunch today, it was Caesar salad with chicken. I wouldn't mind eating more of that. Maybe I will go to that hotel's restaurant sometime. The nice thing about hanging out with smack talker is that she seems like she is a really good teacher from what we talk about. She is as stressed out and overworked as I am, but she seems to really be doing good things in her classroom. We both teach seniors so I only wish that we were at the same school. She does journals like I do, which I thought was awesome to find out. The other language arts teachers at my school are nice enough (except the one who tries to make me do all that crap for her) but don't seem to be doing anything all that exciting in their classes. They are more old-school. One is about to retire so is very by the book, and regularly uses the crappy worksheets that I threatened my kids with as punishment. The other is more drama oriented. She does seem to do some good stuff here and there but she doesn't share anything anyway. I've asked but she must have just forgotten. Smack talker has sent me over stuff in the past for ideas so I know we would be sharing if she was at my school. It's really too bad I don't have that kind of collaboration at my school because I could use it. Especially for the things that actually work really well, you know? I got this short story writing contest notice. It is short short story of only 1,500 words. I don't know how long that boils down to, but maybe I will try it. Maybe I will write about a fabulous young English teacher. ;) I love/hate the winking smiley. I miss the kids, I guess I will enjoy seeing them again tomorrow. That's one thing that is going to suck about this whole curriculum guide thing; I hope we don't have to take too much time away from teaching for these meetings. Maybe they will have extra evening days or something where we actually get paid extra? I can only hope. I also hope they give us some sort of perks like free dinner. I was all about free lunch because we so rarely get that kind of stuff. I'm looking forward to Gilmore Girls tonight. I actually didn't watch Ally McBeal yesterday. I like her hair better this season but the show doesn't seem that good from the little I saw. It was starting to get lame last season too so I might just give up on it. I gave up on ER last season and I don't really miss it. I just got tired of every episode trying to outdo each other, and my favorite characters are basically gone anyway. I don't like the idea of Susan coming back and not getting with Mark, but instead Carter. WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?! I know that Mark is otherwise occupied but Carter and Susan doesn't work for me. I saw a little bit of an episode where they were doing yoga together and I thought it was lame. Speaking of lame things, on Boston Public I think they were pretty inaccurate about the abortion, if I understood it correctly. There is no way that she would see the fetus after they aborted it. Unless she meant she saw it on an ultrasound earlier on, that was not accurate to how they do abortions. I also couldn't believe that the principal would tell her that they would send her away after she started to show. I had no idea that schools still did that (do they?) I know our school doesn't because my pregnant girl is starting to show. I wonder when I will end up having a baby. I always thought I would have a baby by now, but I definitely do not feel ready at all. There are a number of girls who are younger than me that have diaries online and are married and have babies. It is crazy. I think I would always be feeling like, "Wow, this is my life?" I wonder when I am ever going to feel like a grown up, because I sure don't now. I am able to handle my finances and all of that which I guess is grown up, but other than that I can't see any evidence of being different than before. I got on this crazy Diet Coke with Lemon kick and bought three cases of it, and now I am sick of it. Hopefully I will go back to loving it again soon. I am annoyed with the sheriff's office because they just now got around to trying to serve my landlord with the papers and since he wasn't there they are telling me I have to come in and put in writing that I want it sent to his PO Box. I already told them what I needed done and they acted like they would do it, and now I have to go back and sign more stuff. It is infuriating me. Here I thought that the clock was ticking on his fourteen day thing, but they haven't even served it yet. I have been obsessing over the songs that are going to play at my wedding. One of them is "Selfish" by N'Sync. I love that song and it totally fits Justin and I. I LOVE that song so much. I think it would be so romantic. Justin even burned the CD from me, and he's a boy. His brother is obsessed with Britney Spears so they are excessively teeny boppered out. It cracks me up.
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