odds and ends

We are half way through our second week of school with no snow days! This is so great the district rewarded us with a mandatory Saturday work day! Joy, joy! I actually have some things that need doing, so I guess it's ok. My student teacher is done and I'm working the new schedule which includes 10 minutes of playground duty with second graders. Yesterday I noticed a 9 foot long icicle hanging from the north side of the building. Even though no kids should be over there, I thought I'd better tell the principal and he had a great time pulling it down from the drain spout. Unfortunately the ice was blocking water behind it so he got a little shower as well. He even came to my room to thank me!
I've had a cold this week but feeling better each day. I needed to get to the Dr for a physical but they weren't making appointments - the computers were down. For two weeks. Must be hard to get things done in those circumstances. Way harder to do things the old fashioned way!
This week I am helping to interview candidates for the superintendent's job. She is retiring. We are considered to be a rather large district, so want someone with experience. Should be interesting. It extends the day quite a bit so I hope I don't embarrass myself by yawning too much!

Will we or won't we?

Well, it's snowing. We're not getting as much as they first predicted, still, if it does this all night ...

All the travelers are home, safe. I imagine Lynne will share some of her adventures, and Chelsey and Greg also had a great time.

Tomorrow we start a new schedule at school - the associates are gone. I also have a completely new plan as I added a student who needs pullout services. I wasn't doing any of that. I will be on the go all day long, back and forth to classrooms, then my room, back to classrooms. My student teacher has completed her work so I will have to actually work! There is a possibility of three more students being placed this month which gives me as many students as our smallest classrooms. So much for extra help and attention! I told my principal that I am good, but don't know if I am THAT good!

Tuesday at home

Guess what? It snowed again! Still is, but nothing like earlier. I guess the wind is supposed to pick up and we'll have more drifting. Anyway, I'm home again. Today I will mend jeans for Greg and then I have baby quilts to work on. I think I'll put something in the crockpot so I don't have to stop to cook. Yesterday we got out early. Chelsey had invited us for dinner, so we got to see the new furniture and enjoy a very good meal.

Basic skills are over except for four students who missed tests because of absences. I got some caught up yesterday. My student teacher has another week to teach before I take things back from her. The school district still hasn't decided how to make up the 6 remaining days of the 9 snow days we missed. If they have a board meeting tonight, a decision should be made. Next week we try working without most of our support staff. Lots of hard feelings, sadness and low morale.

I hope everyone is inside safe and warm!

Whew!

I am celebrating for a moment. I am on the downhill side of ITBS! Most groups have only four tests to go, then I have some make up tests to do for kids who were absent.

Busy night tonight - after school meeting, have to bake a cake for a funeral tomorrow, have a city band meeting, then back home to frost the cake. Usually I have nothing to do!

Lincoln School Redo

Most of you know I taught at Lincoln School before the move to the new elementary. When we moved, the building was sold to a group who planned to remodel the building into apartments for elderly housing. The old building had numerous problems including rodents and bats, leaky pipes, poor water pressure, antiquated heating system, on and on. Yesterday afternoon was an open house for the remodel and I still can't believe how wonderful it is!
The building now has 15 apartments in it. Each one is one or two bedrooms, full kitchen, lots of closet, wonderful original hardwood floors and a tiny bit of the feel of the old classrooms. The gym is now 4 apartments with the original high ceilings and shorter walls. The custodians room is a workout center with a treadmill, etc. The building is on the register of historic places, so the outside is restored to the original look. I was ready to move in! It is great when someone has vision of what could be and then is able to carry it out.
We gathered as many of the old crew from the building and took a picture - we'll see how they come out.

addendum

We are going home early - one hour. Don't know what good that does but maybe visibility is better at 2:00 than at 3:00?

Favorite time of year

Well, it's my favorite time of year. God won't strike me down for lying, will he? Today I started giving Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. I have twenty kids to read to - spread out across their available day, that means 60 sessions or two complete weeks with testing 6 times a day. Such fun! I have one session completed and will begin another after the classes have music, pe, art, etc.

I guess the weather is pretty nasty if you had a commute of any kind today. The teachers who come in from Pella, Ottumwa, etc, needed more time than they thought so very briefly this morning I was a general education fourth grade teacher. She wasn't very late, but said it was extremely hard to see the road markings. Looks like I will get to work on my birthday this year which has happened only once before in all the years I have taught. Our Sunshine committe has a "birthday mug" that travels from teacher to teacher on their special day. The birthday person then fills it for the next person in line. Those of us with summer birthdays get a bonus birthday assigned to us so we can celebrate, too. Looks like I'll get the mug twice! Just a s long as I don't have to be two years older!

Stay safe