100 days of school Most schools now celebrate it as a fun event to have the kids do.

Teachers mostly make up their own lesson plans. I don't think any school has a specific template that "everyone" uses. I think the college just made this one up and chooses to keep using it. Most of my professors have been younger than me

edit: 740 I've been trying to read/write a summary of two chapters since I dunno, 4pm or so. I CAN NOT FOCUS i've only just barely started the 2nd chapter. I nearly fell asleep twice reading the first chapter and had to go re-read over some parts to make my notes. ARGH. I dont know what is up this semester but I'm just not feeling it. Like I just feel like I can't do it. I know I can, and I AM, but I keep feeling flustered and frustrated and it feels like things are taking forever to complete. Sigh.

It's understandable that you feel that way since you've been presented with a class format you've never done before and a professor who does things differently also. You probably need more then a 1 month break between classes considering how much school you've been doing lately. Don't let yourself burn out so close to the end. :D You've got this! :D

Thanks..I appreciate your support!! I think the month break was ok, (I was bored by the end of it). But it has been hard getting back into routine for sure.

I did not sleep good last night. Went to bed late (like 11), woke up at 3. Fell back asleep after a while and woke up at 5. Shane brought the puppy at 530. I have I'm person class tonight for the first time. Tried to gather all the things I'd need last night in a bag so I can grab and go shortly after I get home.

Wow, your night's sleep sounds a lot like mine except I usually go back to sleep at 5530a until about 7-8am. Sorry you had such a hard night. Good luck with your live class. You'll do fabulously. :D

Class is over, I'm back home. I'm super tired. I think the professor was pleased enough with my lesson plan presentation. I was the ONLY one there in person tonight. There are three of us that are enrolled at Henry campus, one had already called out saying she could not come in person due to husbands surgery, the other called out tonight saying she was sick. I really want to say she was, I don't see her calling off in person just because she didn't want to (but I hate that she IS sick if she really is!) Anway. I felt BAD for the professor by the end of the night. I tried to help him figure out the camera better, but he still stayed confused and kept trying to be able to use the desktop to show things to people online (I even moved across the room and told him to SHOW ME the book, and everyone would be able to see it, and he still kept turning the pages of the book to himself to read and NOT showing me - then asking "do you all see that? look at the ______" LOL Poor guy. And then he asked us to be brief in our presentations. and the 4th person (out of 5) to go was literally going over every last step on her lesson plan and not being brief, so he interrupted her politely and asked her to quicky show her materials and activities so we could all go home early - and she GOT PISSED (I could tell it by her face) and then at the end (like 10mins later) when almost everyone had signed off, she went off on him - "Can I talk to you? I AM OFFENDED. You cut me OFF and I worked HARD on this lesson plan and YOU CUT ME OFF. I am OFFENDED" and so on. I walked out at that point. I could hear him apologizing and trying to speak about how he wanted everyone to be brief so we could get home/offline.... The poor man has an hour and a half drive to get home after all that. URGH that woman. She can be soooo pissy/witchy if you know what I mean. I tell you what, I was OFFENDED by her, for him!!!

[edit] Feb 1 8am Eep How is it 8am? I need to go to the store. Anyway. I just filed my taxes. Estimated for next years as well since Nathan will legally be an adult and not a dependent (even tho I bet I still pay more than half his living expenses next year). I think I have the federal taxes set up ok on my paycheck, I am not sure about the state. Hope I don't end up owing them next year. On another note - I've finished everything that is due Sunday, need to start working on things that are due Wednesday as well as next week AND my literacy group project. I have had ideas but have not begun work. Argh.

Anyway. Just wanted to pop in and say hi, even tho NO ONE ELSE HAS!!! cries :P

Sorry I dropped off the face of the planet, Kat. :(

There's just been so much going on in the world that like.. I just couldn't deal with it. I've basically been ignoring the internet at large.

How's class going? And family life?!

OMG YOU ARE ALIVE!!! ;) LOL - I figured you were busy with RL stuff! It happens.

Family - good. I was sick with the flu last week but am on the mend now and have been back at work since Thursday. Still have cough/congestion. Nathan also has cough/congestion, but he never got a fever or felt as bad as I did. (Saturday my fever was 101.7 and Monday 2am my fever was 102.7)!!! I went to the DR last Monday and got antibiotics, steroids and cough med.

Dog is home with Anna for right now, I have not heard anything from THEM, but Ryan (my ex) says Shane told him Anna has to go back out two weeks with another trainer because she didn't do a paper log like she was supposed to - so I am waiting to see if they ask me to keep the dog again.... I am so tired of that dog. She wears me out. I pretty much decided I am NOT going to keep her (even tho I said otherwise before) if they decide they have to get rid of her because she doesn't do good in the truck. I just cannot handle the puppy and my school stuff - I feel overwhelmed trying to get stuff done while she is here.

School is also going well. We are in week 6 now and I still have full points in two of my classes (so 100s) so far, and the other class I have like a 96% from the crappy "exit ticket" quiz I screwed up on lol All my actual assignments I have gotten full credit on. I had my first observation by my college professor today and I think that went well. She basically came early, watched me read a book to my class and interact with them, then talked to my lead teacher and then to me, and asked if either of us had any questions, said we were both doing great so far in what we were doing (because lead teacher has to sign off on my stuff online AND do an assessment of me and a questionnaire about herself) and then she told me to take the GACE asap since the test is changing in July and left. So now I'm looking into the GACE on top of getting set up for my fieldwork NEXT semester AND trying to get my assignments done. :P Phew. I will get it done. Just added one more thing to my plate is all! I looked at the dates and the good thing is there is a whole week of available testing dates during my spring break!!

[edit] 2/12 710pm Ok guys, Got some of my assignments done so I'm on here for a bit to chill. And I wanted to share a funny moment...I was leaving work, talking to another para who was also leaving, and her ride rolled down the window and hollered something, she turned to me and asked if I'd heard what he said, I was like NO? She laughed and said he asked you for a date!! Then turned to him and said "leave her alone, she's married" - I of course called back that no I was not married, I am divorced. So she turned back to him and I heard her as she said, "Oh she says she's divorced!" She was getting in the car and I was walking on to my car at that point - Can't wait to see where that conversation goes in the morning LOL I just can't belive some dude randomly rolled down his window and hollered out at me if I wanted to go on a date!! ??? WTH? LOL Am I giving off single date me vibes or pheromones or something??

I am alive!

And yes, busy haha. But mostly the avoiding the internet thing :P

Oh my goodness. Maybe you ARE giving off date me pheromones.. but that's great in a way! And if not.. at least you can make new friends? :P

Also.. your paras are so different from ours. Ours get paid $13-$14 an hour and only work for 5.5 hours a day.. and no benefits of any sort. (Of course.. they do get paid a dollar more and an hour more than we do, so there's that :P)

Hahah When we talked (the other para and I) she said he does that a lot - and that he usually has 4-5 girl friends at a time LOL I was like OK I was just curious because I'd never had someone do that before to me. LOL

Yeah, really? WOW. Kinder paras used to work 7hr days, but this year they gave them 8hr days. And the pay level depends on how new you are, plus how much education you have. So like a first year, just graduated highschool para would earn the least, but like Mrs Price, the para next door, she has a bachelors degree and has been at the school system for like 10 years, so she gets paid more than even I do, who has also been at the school 10 yrs but only have an associates (right now)! I think I am paid about $17 an hour? I'd have to look at it to see for sure. But yes, we get all the benefits that teachers can get, dental, vision and health insurance, as well as a life insurance policy paid by the school system and the option to buy more, disability insurance and all that other stuff, PLUS retirement, which adds to my teachers retirement (once I become a teacher).

Yeah, education doesn't matter either, for pay. And again.. ZERO benefits.

So yes, VERY different than there!

Different systems obviously. But I am quite grateful for the fact that I get the benefits.

Shane and Anna came by. Gave me a gift basket for Valentines day. (No, they didn't give me any part of the $ they still owe me....I really need to bring that up to him again) Shane says that he is going to change over to day cab, and be home every day and he thinks that will be better for Daisy (the puppy). And apparently there is some issue with Anna at the truck company that trained her, and now she's job hopping over to Werner and is going to orientation with them and then a few days with a trainer with them and over the road but home weekly. WHATEVER. At least I don't have to get the dog anymore.

taps foot impatiently ZOMBIE TIME!!!

Yeah... ours aren't district employees, that's probably why?

Well, a gift basket was nice, though! But yeah, doesn't mean that they don't need to pay you back!

I feel like Anna is the problem, not the company :P

But that's nice for Shane, to be home every night!

Ohhh. Yeah. We are district employees!!

Hahah probably so. Shane is often the problem at his companies even tho he won't realize if. So I wouldn't be surprised if it's Anna. The way they were talking it has something to do with her trainer having her do logs wrong (paper logs) and so she has to go out with another trainer for two weeks but instead is at home and hasn't been put on another truck yet? And it's been almost two weeks with no pay. I get all the complaints and so does Ryan. So we get to know all the details. And I really don't care but I listen....I always listen.

[edit] 215pm Just got home from watching a movie :) He asked me to join him and his son to watch Captain America Brave new World Was interesting because I'd never watched any of the other avenger's movies so I had no real idea of all the back story but was able to enjoy the movie anyway and it was fun watching Harrison Ford turn into a red Hulk! :P

[edit] Feb 18 730am Went on to my college classes last night since I had a zoom meeting, and saw some graded assignments. Saw I had a 0 for one. Didn't remember seeing the assignment. Went to modules in the class - its not listed in this weeks module. I scan the modules. Its listed for week 9 (its week 7 right now). I click on the assignments tab instead of the modules tab. Its listed as due Feb 16 ?? How is it due Feb 16 (week 6) if its not even supposed to be available until week 9? I sent the teacher a text message (this is the one that never answers emails) and quickly wrote up the assignment last night and turned it in... but still ?? I'm confused. There is also another assignment due by Sunday the 23rd, but it is ALSO listed as in week 9 AND when I click the assignment there is no way to turn it in?? AND says the assignment is locked? SO how am I supposed to do this assignment? ARGH. I dislike that class so much. I also have to do a 1.5 hr training class for it, I looked at that last night too. Guess I'll be doing that today, in addition to working on the literacy crap and TRYING to work on the other assignment that is LOCKED (its a lesson plan) AND working on stuff for the other classes, which thankfully are ALMOST OVER (week 8 is the last week for them and we mostly have to finish up group assignments and then present in class next week).

I didn't even know there was a new Marvel movie LOL. I'm apparently very behind :P But I don't know that I care anymore? But ooooh, you're still seeing that guy?! That's fun!

ALMOST OVER!! You can do this, only a few more weeks of this teacher! You're seriously my hero Kat, you make me think that maybe I COULD do this, if I decided to..

I actually like my teachers for these 8 weeks :P Next 8 weeks I have the advisor lady as a teacher, and I know it won't be horrible but not really looking forward to that either, she's the crazy one LOL I had her last semester for a class tho so I do know it'll be ok. - And also, she is the teacher for the practicum class, in which I was complaining about - which is all 16 weeks, so - no, I'll still have her for that class - and then again for a new class. Double Dose!! :P (it was just the way the assignments are happening I was fussing about)

You could TOTALLY do this if you decided to!! Its not been easy but it hasn't been hard either.

And yes 😊 still seeing him. He has said to invite Nathan along on the next time we go to the movies. But Nathan won't get up for a 10am movie I doubt, so we will see what happens next time he asks me to go. I'm also trying to get him, and the coworker/friend who introduced us, and her hubby (who is his friend) together for some board games too. As for the Marvel movies - hahah I think I watched Iron Man, and maybe Iron Man 2. Is Deadpool a Marvel movie? No idea, but I watched that with Ryan once (I didn't really like it but it wasn't horrible)....and thats it out of about the HOW MANY? 15? Marvel movies that have come out LOL So I don't think you can say that is even behind on watching them, that is just more of a "never watched" :P

Oooh. OK well, still, you're almost done iwth THIS part, and then it won't be so long before that part is over! haha.

How's Nathans job going by the way?

That sounds fun, a night with friends. For real! I need to try and get one of those around, but life is so busy. :(

Yes, Deadpool is Marvel haha.

I think I stopped watching after Infinity Wars?

ALSO. Lily got invited on this weeklong civil rights journey, but it's $1750 plus around $500 for more meals.. so obviously she couldn't go. But, there's scholarships for the youths who got invited to go, and last night the church offered to pay for the entire rest of what the scholarship won't pay! Which is just.. incredible for her.

I really do think it will be a great learning opportunity for her. But eesh, the cost!

Well.. the cost of anything, really. :P And everything. Ughhhhhh.

Ouch yea. that is pricey. I am so glad the church stepped up to pay and help her go! That is awesome EVERYTHING is outrageous now days. Its partly why I am such a stay at home person :P I don't have $ to spend to go anywhere even when I find something I'd like to do. I would absolutely LOVE to go to the beach way more often, especially down by my mom, but $200-400 a night for a hotel is outrageous! And its still over $100 a night if you go off season - during which you can't enjoy the beach as much - no swimming, too cold! :P (plus, food, gas, etc as well for traveling and staying down there too!)

Nathan is doing great with his job, he seems to really be enjoying it. He gets on average about 3 days a week, 6-8hrs a day depending on the day (weekends he gets 8hrs, week days are usually 6ish hours). I am hoping they'll give him more days again soon (in Dec and part of Jan they only gave him 2 days a week to start off with). And maybe this upcoming summer break he can work more hours a day too if they want him to. He gets the 6hr weekdays because of MY schedule - I don't get home til 330, so he can't get to work before 345, so they schedule him for 4-10. I need to work on getting a second car - Did I tell you he screwed up the mazda? Anyway, fall semester (starting in August) I have to be able to go to a daycare after I get off work except on nights I have class - so that will make problems for him getting to work unless we get another car. Brother is going to come check on the mazda and see what he thinks. Hopefully soon.

When looking into all that assignment nonsense I found a whole BUNCH of "undated" assignments - they don't have due dates. I have no idea if they are supposed to be completed or not. Some of them are worth points. NONE of them are in the "modules" tab :o I guess I need to ask, because that is a lot of stuff to get done in 8 more weeks if I'm supposed to do it!!

I got approval for the GACE so I need to go register for that. Its almost $200 to take the two tests :o Sheesh. Glad I have my bonus money from DECAL. And I'll get my taxes back sooner or later. I am going to register for an April date, and there is another week in June if I end up not passing (hopefully I pass!! The test has a lot of "write in your reasoning" answers tho. UGH)

SURVIVAL TODAY!!!!

We just use regular small plates for stuff like that.. or just our hands :P

And I always buy the 90/93 hamburger, whichever I can find, so not really anything to soak up.. thankfully!

UGH I called the IRS today to see what was happening with my tax return.. they said it got pulled for a review (and it looks like a random one, because she cant' see anything weird about it) on 2/12 (I filed on 1/27) and we should hear back by JUNE 6TH. JUNE. 6TH. 120 days. Ughhhhhhhhh

Oh my gosh. That's insane. I've never had mine reviewed before. Did you get some kind of notification about it??

I buy whatever hamburger meat is on sale. I do prefer the leaner stuff. And I do sometimes use small plates/bowls for snacks and stuff but also just as easy to grab napkins Habit I guess.

[edit] 440 So I got onto my campus, emailed my teacher to verify - no zoom meeting tonight. I completed all the assignments that are listed for tonight. (I had to print out TEN templates of numbers 0-9) and somehow turn them into number puzzles. So I printed them in color, copied them in black and white for the puzzle bases, laminated them at work and spent the morning cutting it all out :P THEN during center time (free play) I asked some of the kids to join me and did a quick lesson on how to use the number puzzles. I wrote the on the back of each piece for each number. We discussed how many pieces we THOUGHT the puzzles would take, then we put the puzzles together and counted how many pieces they DID take to complete it. I recorded a video of this, because that is what the assignment/discussion tonight was. Either to record your small group/student using the puzzle or a video of yourself explaining how you could use them in a lesson. And then for the discussion we had to watch/respond to at least 3 others. At the time I posted, 4 people had already done so - so I watched and responded to all of them lol Now I am done for the night I guess.

Good time to go over some of the GACE stuff maybe? :P

No, I didn't get any sort of notification or letter or anything, and it's been almost a month since they decided to review it, apparently?!

How did your GACE review go? LOL