Saturday, October 25, 2014

Clutter, Aches and Pains, and Political Ads


*Every day I keep wondering where our "fall" weather went.  Summer temperatures are still around and so are the allergies.

*Aging aches and pains:  3.  Me:  0.  Back, neck, and right foot are all giving me grief.  And none of it is related.  The neck is a bit stiff every day, but really bothers me at night. The back pain is sporadic--but when it hits, it almost takes me to my knees.  The foot is just weird.  It hurts right under my toes on the pad of my foot.  Who knows?? 

*Every activity in class this year takes three times longer than I think it will.  I rearrange lesson plans on a daily basis.  It is killing me! (My schedule was shot on the 3rd week of school.)

*I started the year grading on google docs and am saving the school tons of paper.  The kids share the paper with me on google docs, and I have created class folders that organize their work by hours.  And now instead of red ink, the students see little yellow highlights and lots of comments.  My first try at this a couple of years ago was overwhelming.  Now?  It is almost as easy as writing.  Almost.  And I love not having stacks of papers.

*Single best change for this school year:  Interactive notebooks.  Students keep all their daily work in a notebook.  A Table of Contents is supposed to make it easier to find subjects covered.  (That is, IF the students keep it correctly.)  I check notebooks two-three times a grading period. Sometimes, I walk around the room and stamp an activity to make sure they are completing the assignment.  Once in awhile, they can use the notebook on a quiz or test. (Incentive to do a really great job of keeping notes.) Best part of these notebooks:  not having stacks of daily work papers.

*Noticing a theme?  I hate stacks of papers!  The older I get, the more clutter is driving me crazy.  True both at home and at school.

*I absolutely can't wait until this round of elections ends.  The political ads are driving me crazy.  C-r-A-z-Y! It isn't enough that we see them on TV.  We get phone calls, daily mailings, and my inbox is full of politicians begging for money or votes.  One. More. Week.

And there you have it.  I figure if that is the worst I have to complain about, life is pretty darn good.  

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Foot pain sounds like neuroma. See your doctor. Had dinner with your big, big brother and SIL last night. So much fun catching up about college days and getting to know SIL.