More State Assessments

If a child is absent, they have until the Friday of testing week to take the test.  We tested Tuesday and Wednesday, so we spent yesterday and today catching any of those 7th & 8th graders who were absent.  So . . . who tests these students?  Teachers have their own classes.  Well, SpEd folks not in a classroom and Instructional Specialists are the ones who put their jobs and responsibilities on hold in order to test these students.  I have spent 4 days testing, so my work keeps piling up, and I am not in classrooms or supporting teachers.  State testing involves so much more than legislators imagine.

State Assessments

Yesterday and today were filled with state testing.  Yesterday was horrible, but today was better.  My job was oral administration for 7th grade Math yesterday and 7th grade Reading today.  This testing season has been the most stressful.  I don't think I've been this stressed about testing since I was in the classroom full time.  What non-educators do not understand is that we have very strict rules to follow.  If we do not, we can be written up or lose our teaching certification.  As an educator and adult, I can control what I do and say, and I follow the rules very closely.  However, I cannot control what a child decides to do.  We can say (all we want and until we are blue in the face) that there is no talking, at all, period, but that doesn't mean the child will keep his/her mouth shut and not do everything possible to signal to or disturb others.  We can move them, remind them, cue them, whatever, but in the end, I cannot control what another human being actually does.  Because of this, testing is extremely stressful.

Girl Scout Leadership Appreciation Day

I am so grateful for my BFF and Girl Scout Co-leader.  We started our troop 6 years ago to give her daughter and my niece a wonderful Girl Scouting experience.  It hasn't been perfect, but each year we do our best.  I am so thankful she is always there, for her ideas and experiences, and for her support.  I couldn't do it without her.

Do you have an amazing Girl Scout leader or experience? 

Happy Easter

He is risen!  And I'm so grateful!

How did you spend your Easter?

We began with the kids looking at their Easter baskets, grabbing breakfast, and then heading to church.  I am so glad my niece and nephew were able to go to service with me and hear the Easter story.

Mom took the kids back, so I did laundry, made tea, swept the kitchen, cleaned out the dishwasher, changed the kitty litter, took out the trash and recycling, worked on something for work, and watched a Tyler Perry movie marathon.

I have been receiving pics from Mom and my sister-in-law from their afternoon/evening.  Here are a few.

My niece made dessert to go with dinner.  It sure looks yummy!

Attacking one another and Gram with Cascarones.

A Day of Fun

When I heard my niece and nephew were coming, I asked them what they wanted to do.  They sent me their list of places to go and foods to eat.  Since we only have a short time, I had to figure out how to make the most of their time and squeeze in as much as possible.

8:00 am--Breakfast at McDonald's
9:00 am--Dallas Zoo
We have passes, so we hit the specific places they want to see when we have limited time.  We covered one whole area of the zoo, and then we went to 3 specific places on the other side.  They both touched snakes, saw what they wanted, and had a great time.
12:00 pm--Lunch at Subway
Since we were downtown and didn't have too far to go, we had to find somewhere they wanted to go and in our location.
1:30 pm--Perot Museum
We visited every floor, seeing what they wanted, spending time where they wanted, and had a blast.  The museum did a great job covering all the tested materials for 5th and 8th grades, so I pointed out what they will both need.  :-)  Always the educator!
4:45 pm--Walmart
5:30 pm--Church Small Group Pot Luck
When the kids are with me, I do and plan what they want to do, and I focus all my time and energy on them.  My church small group had a pot luck/gathering planned for today, so I asked my niece and nephew if they wanted to go or do something else.  I gave them all the details so they could make a good decision.  Not only did they agree they wanted to go, they were going to get to see my BFF's children too, children they love to see/play with.  We had a great time visiting, and by the end, all of the children were in the hot tub or pool--fully clothed.  My niece and nephew had the best time, and it makes me so happy.  We had tasty pulled pork, homemade mac and cheese, fruits, vegetables, potato salads, coleslaws, and desserts.
8:30/9:00 pm--Taco Casa
Yes, we ate at the pot luck, but we had planned to have dinner at Taco Casa (before we decided t go to the pot luck), and my niece didn't forget, so we went and got a "snack."
10:00/10:30 pm--The kids passed out for the night.

I was so blessed today!  I absolutely love those two darlings, and I love watching them learn and have fun. Thank you, Lord, for a wonderful day!

Elephants

 Lioness

Monorail

Alligator Encounter 

Touching a snake 

Learning about rocks

Life Science floor

 Swimming in April

Dying Eggs

One of my favorite things about Easter is dying eggs.  We did ours tonight b/c we will be busy tomorrow night. This year, they were more into writing on them and coloring them with Sharpies than actually putting them in the dye.

Blitz 2014--Day 2

Today, we had to go to school as a snow day make-up day, so we planned our Blitz Day today.  7th grade did Reading and Math lessons all day, and 8th grade did Math and U.S. History lessons all day.  If classes had both 7th and 8th graders, they did Reading with a History twist.  While it was a crazy day with students making weird choices, it was a good day for reviewing.  I so greatly appreciate our teachers taking a risk and teaching something out of their comfort zone.

Good Friday

This morning, when emailing my BFFs, I wrote, "Happy Good Friday!"  That is kind of weird.  It is an amazing thing what happened so long ago.  Jesus dying on the cross for us is, in a sense, a good thing. What Jesus went through that day is horrible.

Can you imagine what happened and what it must have been like?  Jesus being treated like that, having to carry His own cross, being whipped, wearing the crown of thorns, being nailed to the cross, and then hanging from the cross?  The pain?

I started thinking . . . nothing I ever feel or go through will be like what He endured that day.  I need to keep that in mind when I am down and low.

I am so grateful for Jesus for dying on the cross for us!

A Sweet Request

Tonight, I heard my sweet niece and nephew on the phone with Mom.  Those sweet little voices asked, "Gram, will you come get us tomorrow night so we can spend the weekend with you and Auntie?"  (I may not have the words quite right, but they are pretty close.)  This is their one weekend off of dance, Young Marines, and other activities, and they haven't been here to just hangout in quite a while, so it was perfect.  Yep!  Mom said she would get them.  I am so excited they will be coming here for a few days.  So excited!!  God answered my prayers of wanting the kids to be able to spend Easter here.
Oh, how I love and miss those amazing darlings!

My 1st Color Run!

Today, my BFF and I did the Color Run.  My coworker and her family also did it, so we met at the Start and Finish lines.  This was mine and my BFF's first Color Run, so we were excited to see how it worked getting the color.  I was worried about the color getting in my eyes, but I was fine.  I did have to make sure the girls at the blue station didn't throw the powder in my face.

With the walk from the car to the starting line, the race, our extra walking around, and then the walk back to the car, we walked around 5.5 miles.  We even jogged some of the race.  Yes, people who know me, I did jog . . . in public . . .  for several minutes at a time.  I love getting my exercise done in the morning, and the weather was perfect today.

Now, to figure out how to keep the color in my shirt.  I have read several blogs and websites, and it doesn't look promising.

Gardening, Making Games, and Easter Fun During Girl Scouts

Tonight, we had our April meeting.  It started kind of different because we started with 3 girls.  We've had as few as 5 before, but we've never started a meeting with as few as 3.

One of our Juniors prepared to lead the girls in the Gardening Badge.  She had a PowerPoint with pictures of flowers.  She provided little pots for the girls to decorate with stickers.  We got the Sharpies out too.  (Do you know how often we use those?)  She also provided potting soil and 3 different kinds of flower seeds.  The girls enjoyed getting the dirt and planting the seeds.  We talked about what plants/seeds need to survive as well as their favorite flowers.  We also walked to the edge of my property to look at the neighbor's vegetable garden.

By the time we started getting the soil, 3 more girls arrived.  Those 3 had dance pictures.

One of our Brownies prepared a scavenger hunt to work on the Making Games Badge.  The girls had to find various nature related items.  Funny how it tied to the Gardening Badge, and it wasn't planned that way.

We ended the meeting with foam Easter crafts.  The girls made flowers and rabbit decorations.

BFFs = Blood Sisters

When I was in upper elementary school or middle school, I was at a sleepover with girls I had known for many years.  One was in Girl Scouts with me.  They wanted to show our lasting friendship by becoming "blood sisters."  It freaked me out. We used ketchup and not our blood, but it freaked me out.  I can't even remember if I put the ketchup on my finger or not to participate.  I think the thought of something being forever and so meaningful was what botherer me.  I don't know.  The 2 other girls are still lifelong friends.  I keep up with them on Facebook, but I am not as close to them as they are to one another.

I am really into Luke Bryan music right now, and this week, when I heard "Blood Brothers," it made me think of that and my relationship with my BFFs.  I have been friends with one BFF, J, since 1st grade.  We have gone through many of life's greatest moments together. My other BFF, R, has been a friend for at least 7-8 years.

As I listened to the words of the song, I wondered what the words would be if I changed them to reflect  my relationships with these 2 ladies.  I think I will work on this when I have time.  I'll post my thoughts one I have them.  For now, enjoy the lyrics of Luke Bryan's song.


"Blood Brothers"

We were as young as we were dumb
When we piled in an old pile of junk
It was one for all, and all for one
A bunch of outlaws without a gun
Shootin' bad booze outta Dixie cups
Chasin' every girl that wasn't fast enough
No matter how bad the break or how bad the luck
Or how bad the day we still had us

Blood brothers closer than your next to kin
Thick as thieves and the best of friends
Take a bullet for each other

Yeah brothers like that don't come cheap
You fight, you cry, you lie, you bleed
And you lean on one another
Blood brothers

I got a scar on my cheek from a bar room brawl
Wasn't meant for me but I took the fall
It's a cowboy code it's an unwrote law
When you mess with one you gotta take us all.

Blood brother's closer than your next to kin
Thick as thieves and the best of friends
Take a bullet for each other

Yeah brothers like that don't come cheap
You fight, you cry, you lie, you bleed
And you lean on one another
Blood brothers

Time can fly on by
Everything can change
Until the day we die
We'll always remain
We'll remain
Yeah yeah yeah

Blood brothers closer than you next of kin
Thick as thieves and the best of friends
Take a bullet for each other

Yeah brothers like that don't come cheap
You fight, you cry, you lie, you bleed
And you lean on one another
Blood brothers

Yeah yeah
Oh oh
Blood brothers

Thoughts from a Delirious Dance Auntie

I spent March 28th-March 30th and April 5th-6th at dance competitions.  These are thoughts I had:

1. Just because you wear white does not mean you are invisible.  We cannot see through you! Not only should people sit down while dancers are on stage, people should not get up and walk through the aisles while dancers are on stage--only in between dances.

2. Speaking Spanish (or any other foreign language) does not mean everyone around you can't hear you.  You can be heard! And you are being disrespectful and interfering with our enjoying the songs and routines.

3. I will choreograph dances to every song I hear for at least the next week. I wonder how it would do if I did create a routine & someone performed it.

4. If you have prom or dance teachers know their dancers have prom, do not register for a dance competition that weekend. 

5. Bring in my heavy coat no matter what. It doesn't matter if I look silly or wind up not needing it.  Those competition rooms are cold. 

6. Audience members should be mindful of their comments when sitting directly next to someone. You never know if the dancer belongs to them or not.  (An older lady made a negative comment while my brother and other members of the studio were setting up props. Her husband said, "That was interesting!" after one of the hip hop routines from my niece's studio finished.)

7. Children & the elderly should not be at a dance competition after 8:30 pm.  (My niece and others her age did not even do their first dance until after 9:00 pm yesterday.)

8. I would love for dance competition companies to outlaw pelvic thrusting, chest pops, & booty shaking. It irritates me even more when those are the routines winning and scoring higher and good, clean routines are not.

9. Never should a dance routine involve pretending to shoot up the audience. (A hip hop type routine that involved several genres of dance actually had a stage full of dancers make guns out of their arms and hands and then point them at the audience and move them across their bodies to the machine gun sounds of shooting bullets in the music.) I was APPALLED!!!  I don't let any children in my presence every play like that.

10. Just b/c there are few boys in dance, they should not get favoritism. 

11. Dance competition companies need to cap how many routines can register. These last 2 weekends have been far too crazy, far too many people, cramped changing rooms, and not enough seats in the audience. 


12.  I LOVE watching my niece dance!  Her solo pictures from today were amazing.  I just LOVE her to pieces!

What a Week!

I have made it to Friday, thank goodness!  We had state standardized testing this week, and I tested 4 of the 5 days.  Actually, I did have a connection to testing today, but I did not have to actually stop what I was doing to test.  

Monday, I tested the top 8th graders on the 9th grade English test.  They were a great group and unlike any other.  They were so worried about the test, getting finished in the 5 hours, and not throwing up.  They were so serious, yet a lot of fun.

Tuesday and Wednesday, I had small groups with oral administration.  I enjoyed working with these students and getting to know them.

Thursday, my officemate and I tested the students who had been absent for one of the tests given earlier in the week.  We had 4 different tests going.  We got the directions read to everyone with the help of our Testing Coordinator and then we just monitored them the rest of the four hours.

Today, there was one student who needed to test.  Since my officemate and I both had things we had to do (me--cover a 7th gr Science class & my officemate had a situation to handle with a student/parent), my wonderful principal had one of our push-in teachers do it, and we gave her breaks until the student finished.

When testing, there are so many rules connected to the laws surrounding our testing. One is that you must actively monitor each tester.  I wore my pedometer every day to see if I could beat my steps from the day before. There is no sitting down, just walking and walking and walking. I got lots of exercise this week due to testing and I made sure to eat healthy meals each night.

Today, we had at least 3 classes without subs today, and I think we had around 8 others out with subs.  I started my day checking on all of them.  I covered a 7th grade Science class 2nd period.  They were pretty good.  It just amazes me the lack of respect students have these days--talking while the teacher is talking, doing whatever they want rather than listen, etc.  It is hard randomly covering classes, but I enjoy it most of the time.  I just have to really get my bluff in fast, lay out the expectations, and make an example out of someone if necessary.  I hate that, but . . .

I made my way through my To Do list that I created to keep from forgetting eveything I needed to do while testing. There is just one thing left before I tackle the biggest one on the list next week.

I got to meet with the other Science Instructional Specialists and Facilitator this afternoon.  I always enjoy talking with them.

After work, I went on a walk/jog with my BFF.  She uses an App where you walk 5 minutes, jog 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds, jog 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds (repeat until there are 5 minutes left out of 30), walk 5 minutes.  We then kept walking and jogged every time we were going downhill.  We walked/jogged just over 4 miles.  It was great!  I hope I didn't hinder her workout or slow her down too much.

After a long, crazy week, I am just vegging out tonight after eating a healthy dinner.

I hope you had a great week and have plans for an amazing weekend!

April, We Made It!

Well, we made it to April 1st!  I can breathe now. For those who know me or who have read past posts, you know that we have had hospitalizations, deaths, and funerals throughout the month of March for at least the last 19 years.  Every year, I find myself catching my breath throughout the month, worrying and praying more than any other time of year, and hoping we don't lose someone else too soon.  We made it through another March.  Thank you, God!  I lean on Him so much this time of year.