then i had to do CAR pd...which went fine-we were able to get some questions answered that teachers had, which was good. then on the way home, i decided to make a stop at kroger for some cider. well...i stopped by the card and halloween section. you already know i am a sucker for cards, and spent way more than i'd planned on stuff for CAR teachers and cards (they had some AWESOME cards!). that was my therapy-i felt better because i knew that in my bag i had the underpinnings that would eventually create bright spots in other peoples' days. all good-i felt much better!
these cards are not just 'any' cards...i'm usually very particular about the cards i purchase, because as i read them, i usually analyze them and make sure they just right for the certain people i plan to send them to. so yeah...i got cute cards! and fortunately when i got home, there was a check in the mail from the healthy wage challenge for meeting my goal!! woohoo!!! totally worth it! and if you are a disd employee and considering the benefits of doing the cafe wellness program, i highly recommend it-the check in july is TOTALLY worth it!!
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| happiness=the perfect card that specific person! |
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| the moment you get your entry fee back! snaps for perseverance and commitment! #teameffort |
- CAR PD went well, and my group was able to get things done
- we got through most of our planning sessions, and they went well
- i got to take the dogs for a walk
- i got to wear my new pair of halloween socks that jeri got me 'just because'...she is so thoughtful!
- i am making meatloaf
- and my check from healthy wage came in the mail today!!
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| candy corn socks from jeri-they match my earrings! |
thursday i was out for a morning for training, and it was okay, but i didn't leave with an overwhelming feeling of "i'm so happy i came." i don't mind going to training, but i have high expectations of trainings. the bright moment was deciding to take the stairs down rather than wait for everyone in the building who was leaving for lunch. so there's that.
when i got back, i had to get the copies ready for our common assessments for next week-our copier is on the fritz...it's one of those maintenance job-security machines. our maintenance guy will always have a job... but it really makes life difficult for the TAs.
we had our school quality review for personalized learning-which is basically just an all-day walk-through in which our central-staff pl folk were out scripting, observing and noticing what was going on, and then matching that up to the objectives and goals that we had set as a school. they were a wealth of information, and it's so necessary to have these types of visits-not so much to show off what we're doing, but to get an accurate portrayal and feedback of what is going well, and what are the opportunities for next steps moving forward.
what i really walked away with, is that we really have a lot to celebrate. with all of the perceived 'problematic-issues,' there are MANY great things happening at cabell! much of it is residual from last year, as we were able to get some things started to move staff (as a whole) in the right direction! thank you, joanne and sean! and of course much of it is due to the resilience and perseverance of the teachers who are carrying on the vision of what they want to see happen in their classrooms...and i would be remiss to not include our new teachers-we have some rock stars, and we're so fortunate that they chose to join our team at cabell, as they are certainly a valuable asset, and bring a wealth of knowledge to the table. do we have room for improvement? ABSOLUTELY!! but that's the most exciting part! i never want to reach the point where we have nothing more to work on, because that would breed stagnancy. and that would suck.
alrighty then, school stuff aside, oh...wait, not yet. last weekend-killed me! i was working on curriculum map-stuff all day saturday (until i realized it was 12:55 am, and i was getting tired)...so i finished on sunday around 8 pm. i did not sign up for this. but it's done, nonetheless.
so for real now, no more shop! (although that's really all i know these days)...yesterday i got home a little late because i went out after school with some friends and it was so refreshing to just talk about silly things with friends-to laugh about godzilla, the black stallion, aliens and trolls...and the cabbage patch hospital...i mean...those are the conversations that make life a little more interesting! i love finding commonalities and celebrating differences. there is nothing more rewarding than building relationships-i believe that is what God created us for.
i arrived home to jumping puppies. bruno was like, "where have you been?!? it's dark out again! i'm hungry, and i just want you to pet me twice and then feed me. that's all." and of course chaco, "not me!! i just want to bark at you a couple times..wait, where's my toy? here it is! throw it until your arm falls off, please...or i'll keep barking! that'll teach you to not come back right after school, yeah." so, yeah, i felt guilty for about a minute, then once they were fed, they just found their respective places to lay down and sleep, and we were back to normal. my boys!
i should've gone to bed, but for whatever reason, i was thinking about an event from a few years back, and so i began looking through pictures. whenever i do that, my heart just seems to grow and i get that nostalgic feeling because memories of good times are so strong, and it just strengthens the bonds that i have with my friends...i'll be writing more letters this weekend-that's what it does to me. it makes me want to not lose that connection. i feel very fortunate to have so many amazing memories with such a variety of amazing people!
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| at least rent didn't go up this time. |
and then there's this: i don't get my own stationery back very often, but i got a letter from one of my former kamper/ princess/ ropes course friends! it's always a day-brightener to hear from friends! and a treat to see stationery make it's way back around!! thank you erin!!! -your fairy god-mother
and i think today i'm going to watch gotham (since hocus pocus seems to be unavailable on netflix..), and perhaps late, i will watch fellowship of the ring. these came up in conversation, and i've not watched fellowship in awhile, so it's about time to experience that eucatastrophe once again- gotta keep fantasy alive! i really need to go back and read some of the tolkien letters, and g.k. chesterton books that are sitting on my shelf!
it's almost time to go to orlando for inacol, so i am prepping the boys-hopefully they will be complete gentlemen with joanne...maybe bruno will warm up a little more this time (not holding my breath, because he's usually a one-pat dog, then he likes to find his own little piece of the floor to rest). i am looking forward to the conference-so many great sessions! i wish they were recorded! whenever you travel with people, you learn so much about them. i've found that being with colleagues away from the workplace is certainly healthy and quite enjoyable.
i love that it's halloween and it's still a bit drizzly out! time to make another coffee, sit back, relax and write some letters!
Chaco: Why don’t ghosts like rain on Halloween?
Bruno: It dampens their spirits!
Have a great weekend!!
julie
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