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| Wednesday, October 15, 2008 |
| Sir, come Cision. |
Hello Friends,
Tomorrow is mini-Friday! whooya. Wednesday is my busiest day because I have zero preps which means I am with my Grade 7 class for FOUR CONSECUTIVE CLASSES. Usually I want to die by the end but it was a fairly pleasant day.
Let me recap: In religion we are talking about Joshua and today were doing a "chapter 1-6 review." Let me just say that though one may THINK religion will be the most "wholesome" of subjects at a christian school, that is not true at all.
Chapter Two: Rahab is a Prostitute
" Does everyone know what a prostitute is?"
giggles. faces hidden. nods.
Boy 1 : it's like a whore.
Me: Well, that is a slang word that is not very kind.
Boy 2: ohhhhh! so like a hooker?
Me: ugh. Another slang word.
Girl :some dress up as women but they are really men.
Me: ok. awesome. Let's get back on track.
...
Chapter Five: circumcision at Gilgal.
"Does everyone know what circumcision is?"
giggles. faces hidden. boys grab their crotches.
Boy 1: Let's just say it's when something gets cut off.
Boy 2: And then you can't have babies
Me: Uhh. Well no, something IS cut off but you can still have babies.
Boy 2: No, my dad had one so he couldn't have kids anymore. My mom made him and then they got divorced so he's really mad.
all kids look up in interest.
Me: DIFFERENT PROCEDURE. ok, uh. take out your Joshua crossword puzzles.
...
Later on in Social Studies a boy points at a picture of a knife depicting some artifacts the British traded with the Mi'kmaq people: "so is this what they used to circumcise them?"
Me: (sigh) I don't think the First Nations were really into circumcision.
boys huddle around picture of knife and rein act how bad the pain would be if they too were circumcised and (incidentally), circumcised by the knife of a Mi'kmaq tribe member.
pardon the pun. |
posted by michelle @ 5:47 PM  |
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| Wednesday, October 8, 2008 |
| musings. |
I just ate a big bowl of Cinnamon Life and Multi-Grain Cheerios. Yep, it was my supper. Luke is working tonight which means I can pretend I am single and go all crrrazy!
i wish he was home.
also. I am still hungry
anyways, I am eager for the long weekend. I love not setting alarms and sipping coffee instead of gulping it while saying to myself "I don't care if this makes you feel nauseous, you will need it later.self." I was a good girl last weekend and planned all ahead for this week which means that I already have stuff planned for next week which MEANS...perhaps a break. I have a problem with planning ahead though; once I get slightly ahead then it becomes an obsession and I just want to get more-and-more ahead until it gets out of hand. I am really good at time management. almost too good.
I am trying really hard to love my class; however, Grade 7 is SUCH an annoying age group. They are too cool for school, and yet, they are just not cool at all. (It doesn't help that the boys are forced to wear khakis) I remember Grade 7 pretty well and I feel as if I should just enlighten my class with a few words of advice:
- Everyone in the class is only thinking about themselves, despite the fact that you think they are all looking and/or thinking about you.
- You can't hide under desks anymore. You weigh more than 70 pounds.
- Slouching is never attractive.
- "No you're a __________" is not a really, really funny comeback. It never has been.
- Bad marks are not reason to celebrate. Good marks are not a reason to make fun of someone.
- Your boobs may never grow bigger than that. Sorry. |
| posted by michelle @ 5:41 PM |
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| Thursday, October 2, 2008 |
| time & time again |
It is amazing to me how much life can change in such a short amount of time. The last time I wrote a blog I was in the middle of a mini-crisis about my future. I had given up most hope about having a teaching job and I was embarking upon a year of what I thought would be discouraging and unchallenging. And then... in the matter of three days (from phonecall-application-interview) I had a job teaching grade 6 and grade 7 at a...Private. Christian. School.
GULP!
what?! Last year I distinctly remember saying how this would NOT be where I would be working; however, life is funny and so is God. I pretty much feel like God plucked me out of my pity-party-for-one and said "ok. try this!". It has basically been two weeks now and ain't it somethin'. Here are some things that make the whole thing funny:
1. It's a private Christian school.
2. It's in Spruce Grove and I have to drive there. Our car is standard. I had to learn. I am still learning, much to the chagrin of the person behind me.
3. It is Grade 6 and 7. I am an elementary person, like...Grade 2 is probably my favourite grade. I like reading corners, math manipulatives, show & tell and hugs. I don't get hugs, but I do get attitude.
ALTHOUGH!! I wrote in my previous post about reading "the willoughbys." On my first day of teaching I had some time to burn so I pulled it out. My Grade 7's groaned with exasperation that they would have to participate in something so juvenile as listening to a story. I started reading and at first they suppressed their chuckles, muffled their guffaws and hid their snickers; however, soon they could not hold it in anymore and I had outright laughter at the wit of this perilous parody. Now they BEG for it. Michelle:1. Class:0. |
| posted by michelle @ 6:46 PM |
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| Sunday, September 7, 2008 |
| Goin' To Jackson |
Hi friends. I don't know if anyone will be reading this because it probably seemed like I was DEAD; however, I am not. I decided to rekindle the blogging fire I never had because I don't have homework anymore.
A lot has happened in my life since I last wrote on this here inter-communcation site. I graduated from University, I got married, I moved out of my family home, I moved in with a boy (who I also share a bed with), I became an Aunty, daughter-in-law and sister-in-law, and my bestest pal moved far away from me. Most of these things are great. Some aren't. I miss Jenny, and sometimes I miss sleeping alone in my twin bed. (sshhhhhh!)
July and August were a harrowing experience. For the first month of marriage, Luke and I thought that maybe a key factor in marriage was unpacking, repacking, sorting, and taking things from the trunk and moving them into our little home. The week after we got married was AWFUL! There was a flood, a melted crockpot, a wrong turn out of Jasper, two photo radar tickets and the daily realization that life will never be easy. frig! We are finally settled, Luke is in school and we like being together which is a good thing cause we're in it for the long haul! We spend our evenings drinking tea, reading books and watching "American Dreams" on dvd. About one hour ago you would have found us with a cup of Earl Gray and me reading aloud from "The Willoughbys." We'll never be all that hip, but we dress ok and we make good choices.
 I don't have the teaching job that I have desired so badly. There are days when I am filled with pep and determination to fight my way into the ever-so-coveted Edmonton Public school board, and then there are days when I am discouraged and blink tears into my pillow. It isn't fair to go to school for the only job you've ever really wanted to do only to not be given a shot. I am working at an after-school program but it doesn't pay well and it isn't teaching. I tried to tell myself that I could be content this year doing something else, but the reality is that I am a teacher and therefore...I want to teach. The fat lady has not sung yet though and I will try to store up that pep and determination so I don't waste too many tears on a year that could be really rewarding and fun. I don't have homework or lesson plans so...bring on the books! crafts! apple crisp! clubs!
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| posted by michelle @ 7:12 PM |
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| Thursday, April 17, 2008 |
| One Year Ago Today... |
I have this weird obsession with always liking to know something that happened exactly a year ago, or month ago, or TWO years ago etc. from "today." I think it is interesting to see what was going on and give me perspective on whether my life was better or worse THEN, than it is NOW. I like to resend e-mails to Luke that he e-mailed me when we were in the awkward "not dating" stage. This I more so do cause they are so awkward:
Sunday, October 23, 2005 8:02:42 PM
Ya I was thinking that we should talk sometime... about stuff. Yaa.. I think you know what i mean. Anyway I think I should be going to sleep, I haven't had enough of that. So until next time...
Anyways, the reason I am talking about this is because after not finding a summer job as soon as I should have last year I went through like 10 days of applying for jobs and not getting them and it was raining all the time and I was reading some of the most depressing books ever and basically felt like garbage, and THIS year I already have a summer job all lined up so I am foregoing all that 'no job' depression. Until the fall, then it may resume. (**how appropriate that 'resume' is a homograph in this situation!)
I am in the midst of final writing and this year I am taking the "less is more" approach to studying. I figure that the time I don't use for studying is just as important as the time I do use, so I do very important things like: go on facebook, organize my favourites on the computer, read the blogs of like 30 strangers who post great links to places that I would like to buy things from ** (one of my new 'favourites' folders), read my book, watch Arrested Development, go for walks,watch 'Ellen'...
Speaking of Ellen! Me and Luke forgot to send her a wedding invite. I gotta find an address! |
| posted by michelle @ 8:21 AM |
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| Wednesday, April 2, 2008 |
| "oh emm ay arr" |
I am HOME from my 6th last shift at Second Cup. Five more to go. It isn't like a horrible job thate I hate every second of. I complain alot in the hour before I go though: "ughhh! i don't wannnnnna go to work!" HOWEVER; my boss has the CUTEST little boy who was spelling him name for me. Can you guess what it is????!!!!!
Tomorrow I have a group presentation in my catholic class. lucky for MY group we got one of two boys in our class. And he has a beard. Who can see what's coming next????!!! Yep. He's playing Jesus. I would like to say it is my last presentation of the year, but it isn't. Group work is my nemesis. You are riding on the hope that your group members are as intelligent as you.
s-c-a-r-y. For instance, I am currently working on an inquiry based unit plan for my literacy class and it is a partner assignment. Our unit is for a grade one class and today my partner showed me a lesson plan she had done in which the kids were studying words such as " chlorofluorocarbons" and "the greenhouse effect." I said "i think that is way too hard for grade one." She said "no. kids are curious about this kind of thing." Hmmm. i doubt it. bitch bitch bitch!!!! whine whine whine!!!!
ANYWAYS! I am so excited for the new Office to be on. I also feel like spring could quite possible be making its way here. ALSO, today at work I looked up and saw a familar face: it was from year two at Grant MacEwan. He was in my drama class. He played my husband. There is our picture. I was pregnant in the play. Some people in that group took the play more seriously than me, can you guess which ones???!!!
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| posted by michelle @ 6:48 PM |
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| Tuesday, April 1, 2008 |
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Sept 16th was a long time ago. How does one summarize what has happened in their life in the last 7ish months? EASY.
1. Oct.15th - Dec.14th I was student teaching at Prince Charles Elementary which is a school for aboriginal children. It was somethin’ else. I have never been so consistently tired in my whole life. I taught in a grade 2/3 class which I thought meant “oh cute!” but after about 16 minutes in the classroom I thought “oh shoot!” No matter what they may tell you in university…there ARE bad kids in this world, and most of them are in Room 7. They have hard lives though, which is one reason why I could look past the profanity, the obscene drawings and the violence.
2. Jan.7th 2008, my last semester of this degree began. I was expecting to slack and have some relaxation after the above experience. WRONGO. I started to work again at Second Cup. I also had to start the process of applying to school boards. I also continued to volunteer at Prince Charles. I also had a wedding to start thinking about more. I also had relationships to build, people to see, homework to do, and make-up to apply. I had worries to worry and curries to curry. Anyways, needless to say I have never felt so bombarded by business and tired. Always so tired.
3. Here we are at April 1st and I am feeling the heat of final assignments, summer job lookin’ and the imminence of final exams. I have 6 more shifts at SC and then I am OUT of there. I have done all my school board shit. Most major wedding decisions have been made. I am majoring in fragmented sentences. Basically I am still pretty stressed. There are so many unknowns in my life. There are also some really great things in my life.
1. In 100 days I am marrying my bestest friend ever.
2. I am graduating. As scary as that is, it is also really great.
3. I remembered the password and sign-in information to this blog.
Welcome back, me. |
| posted by michelle @ 4:01 PM |
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