Pic:

/Camera phones are neat
//It's good to be immature
///And immature in a nerdly way

Where Did I Go?

Workday - (none)

Ok ok. Ok. Ok, ok ok ok. I know. I haven't been updating this blog. I apologize. A lot has happened since October (of course), and there's no way I could write about it all in detail. So here's a chronological list (I'll elaborate on some of the news):

• I bought a laptop (Oct. 05)
  
• Winter was mild! (Nov. 05 - Jan. 06)
• Happy Hanukkah + Merry Christmas! (Dec. 05)
• My holidays were pretty uneventful (lots of family obligations)
  
• Happy New Year! (Jan. 06)
• We did fondue
• The Walt Disney World trip is off (Jan. 06)
• Needed 40 students, received 17 forms.
• I survived semester 1 (Jan. 06)
• My semester 1, term 2 ESL careers class was way better than term 1's. Nicer kids, including a couple of interesting characters (it's too bad I can't backtrack to talk of them, but it just seems too late to tell their stories now).
• Semester 2 began (Feb. 06)
• No more careers class! I'm teaching two grade 9 academic maths (finally, a course I'd taught in the past) and one gr. 10/11 keyboarding (same as semester 1).
• I've been typing up my gr. 9 math lessons as I'm going along. It's nice to have them so neat and accessible (not to mention on overheads)!
• My younger sister (currently in "teacher's college"*) was assigned to my school for her second practicum (Feb. - Mar. 06)
• Fun wow.
  
• It was an unusual turn of events, because she lives in another district. She normally would have only been assigned to a school in that district, except they were low on associate teachers in her subject.
  
• The Monday after her last day here I noticed someone wrote on my keyboard classroom's blackboard, "Miss Smartypants Jr. is cooler than Ms. Smartypants Sr.". It was obviously written by her. I wrote below it, "But Miss Smartypants Jr. smells of elderberries". These statements remained on my blackboard for the entire week -- without a single comment from a student.
• She'll be returning to my school for a month-long internship in May. She signed up for that about 2 days prior to learning that her practicum would be here, as well.
• I had my first student teacher (Feb. - Mar. 06)
• I felt I was ready this year to take on a student (in math, if I had math in my timetable).
• My student was a "special case", in that she was 6 years new to the country. She's part of a program in teaching faculties these days to admit more teacher candidates who "look like the student population" (I kid you not).
  
• It was nice to have an adult translator in class for my several ESL students.
  
• Her English wasn't very bad at all. Not having grown up going through this country's school system (or, really, any similar Western culture-ish school system) is what put her at her biggest disadvantage.
• Though she was weak at first, she was very receptive to suggestions and improved on everything I mentioned. That's all one can ask of a student teacher. Needless to day, she passed the practicum.
• I feel old, now. I taught a teacher! Nevermind that she was older than I. Eep.
• Happy March Break! (Mar. 06)
• My week "off" ended up being extremely busy because...
• I bought a house! (Mar. 06)
• My boyfriend and I will be moving to our new place in the summer.
• We're off to the suburbs (ack!).
• The house is a 6-minute drive from my school!
• I'm really old! I own real estate.
  

Yes, I know it's April Fool's Day, but I have nothing to report on that subject. When April 1 doesn't fall on a school day, it's a fairly minimal "holiday".

The next few weeks will be busy. Parent interviews, a trip to the opera, midterm report cards, and spring concerts. I could rant, but I won't. Speaking of ranting, there's a major background story that's been accompanying this current year. It involves a VP becoming a bully of sorts, losing touch with reality more and more each week, and basically just being a pain. I really think he's going out of his mind. Problem is, there may be nothing the staff can do about it except take his onslaughts and live with his actions.

The good news for the future:

1. Music courses are up 4 sections for next year.
2. While this isn't directly good news, one of my music colleagues is retiring in June. Indirectly, it's good news because that increases my seniority and I can take over his classes.
3. Because of 1. and 2., I'll be a full music teacher in September! (In fact, our department will consist of 4 full music teachers next year. 4th one is yet to be hired).
   

I've really settled into this career.

* Another outdated term. It's technically just "getting your Bachelor of Education degree".