Stress levels lower

    The semester is just about over. There are a few classes left yet, but fortunately the super big piles of homework that I’ve been having to deal with have shrunk to almost tiny piles. I have to write nearly ten pages worth of reflection for next week, but compared to the homework I’ve had to deal with I’m not even worried.

A package I’ve been waiting for showed up today in the mail. My calendar for next year, “The Lovely Mistresses of George W Bush.” Some great classic pin-up shots to brighten the next thirteen months.  Miss April is someone I know from an online forum. I’m kind of surprised that none of the girls have any ink on them, but the photographer could have easily ’shopped the ink out.

I’m off to watch some more of Tin Man  before heading off to bed. I promise some more Monocle in the coming days as well.

Published in: on 10.December.2007 at 10:06 pm Comments (0)

Two Down

  I did actually take some time to relax a little this weekend, but most of the holiday weekend was spent doing homework and trying to get everything done before the end of the semester. I managed to finish out two assignments this weekend and get the nitty gritty of a third out of the way as well. So, that should leave me with approximately 3.5 assignments left to do before I’m free for a few weeks to kill off some brain cells before student teaching.

I ran into a guy I used to know from college last week as well. I found out his daughter is a student at the school I’m doing my student teaching at and she is in the right grade. I have no idea which classrooms I’ll be in though, so I couldn’t tell him if I was going to be teaching his daughter. I’ll have to see if I recognize his last name if I see it on the class roster. Considering I can’t remember what his name is currently, I figure I have a 50-50 shot of recognizing it if I see it written down.

How will I celebrate the end of the semester and the fact that I have given my current place of work notice? I will be getting together with a friend to watch the Series 3 Doctor Who episodes we missed and maybe play some Wii. I love it when girls ask me to bring my Wii over to their place to play. It just seems… titillating somehow. :)

Clearly I am also running into some fun insomnia with the end of the semester as it is half-past one in the morning and I’m awake.

Don’t Blink!

Published in: on 26.November.2007 at 1:40 am Comments (0)

Cue Dramatic Music - maybe something with a Salsa beat

Today I get to teach the second of the three lessons I have to teach before student teaching starts next year. I’m teaching a combo lesson that covers both science and literacy. I have my snazzy power points ready and I’ll be printing a bunch of stuff out in just a moment. Right now my biggest concern is keeping them engaged for the class. I’ll be teaching the same lesson three times over today to get some hours in and get a bit more experience with modifying on the fly.

I ‘m sure ALL of my loyal readers, even the Orwellians, are wishing me well today.

For the first time in a while I looked up some old Sociology stuff last night. I confirmed that Isolation is one of seven methods that can be used. It doesn’t mean anything on it’s own, but if it is combined with a couple of the others it can take a very severe meaning. I like what I do and I like that I will soon be a teacher. There are still times I wish I didn’t have some of the info that exists in my head that has to be there when considered a Man. Rep.. Enough of that though.

This Friday Adverb is hosting a get together to help the class relax and kill off a brain cell or two each. It should be nice. Everyone won’t be there, but it will hopefully still be fun.

I’ve been so focused on school work I haven’t had a chance to get any scribbling done on the Monocle. That will be corrected soon.

Published in: on 8.November.2007 at 7:54 am Comments (0)

The end of an excellent class

      Tonight marked the end of our Classroom Management class. These classes have been really informative and I’m sure will prove to be helpful down the line when I have my own classroom. I have to say I’m still kind of happy the class is over if only because it marks one more class down before the student teaching semester begins. The professor was great and I honestly think I may pick his brain in the future when I need help.

As with his other class sessions we did a role play. The role play concerned the topic of a firearm being brandished in a classroom. The scene was that a student who has been picked on constantly has brought a handgun to school to teach the bully a lesson. I was the student with a gun.

My teacher handed me a toy gun during a break and I put in my belt in the small of my back under my shirt. No one knew  I had the gun on me and when I decided to pull the gun, no one, not even the people sitting next to me realized that I had pulled it until I drew attention to the fact I had a gun in my hand. I think that scared some of the other people in class. It sort of pointed out just how easy it is to sneak a gun into a classroom and how easy it is for someone to start shooting before anyone even knows there’s a shooter. The student role playing the teacher did an excellent job in handling the fact a gun was in her class.

After hearing about the Madison cohort I don’t think my professor would have asked me to be the student with the gun if he had known I’ve been present at a shooting in real life. I’ve also had a gun pointed at me before. I can’t say I wasn’t scared when those things happened, but I’m still here. At least I know I can handle myself with a certain aplomb in a crisis situation.

Don’t Blink!

George Lucas has announced that he is developing a live-action television series set in the Star Wars universe. Yay. He gets another chance to destroy my childhood. No matter what he says, I know the truth. Han shot first.

The angels have the phone box.

Published in: on 17.October.2007 at 9:56 pm Comments (1)

Spiffy

I’m starting to explore some of the other Edublogs. I ran across this Youtube clip posted at one of the other blogs. I have no clue who may actually be reading this at the moment, but at least I’ll be able to find it again if I post it here.

To give credit where credit is due, the blog I found this clip at: http://tama.edublogs.org/2007/10/13/a-vision-of-students-today/

Published in: on 15.October.2007 at 10:29 pm Comments (0)