Got through my 1st day
 

Wasn't as hard as I worried it'd be! Will do 1st experiment Thursday. (Today was to establish who was in the lab/lay down groundrules for the class).

My classes (as a student) start tommorrow.

Yesterday I was able to name a quirk about a co worker that is driving me nuts. It is such a simple thing to name this quirk and I think my ability to respond to it appropriately will save us both quite a bit of misunderstanding.

The thing she does is try to get help with her workload (which I am happy to consider doing and we've talked about it) by not asking but telling. She says, "I was just thinking you would...." or "It only makes sense if you do...." and "I just can't do this and since you are there too..." And since she is very literal if I say "okay... let's talk about that" or "that might work" she considers the matter settled.

Now I know to set a time to think and come back to it explicitly. Or even better I can say something that highlights her asking. I am not sure how to do that. I just know that a couple of us are starting to get irritated and we are keeping positive this year.

BK that is an ambitious and fabulous plan. I hope you make it so you and the kids play everyday.

Work on my end is busy and good. Most of all it is the complicated communication loops that are slowing me down. Way down.

I was doing well on at work this week. Until Friday. :| I know is it too much to ask to have 4 days in a row go well? looks like it. The vice principal who is working hard on "clearly defining" this year jacked a few of us around Friday. If she had just had a conversation with myself and the others she would have found we all had it covered. But flying off the handle is her MO and now the rest of us suffer.

My co worker (and favorite person there) is pretty sure that when she goes out on maternity leave in December she isn't coming back.

I think the clincher for me was the chair scratching the floor issue. A student has an adapted chair that goes everywhere for stability and positioning. When moved it scratches the wax. The solution of felt pads was too simple and now it must be moved with a wagon. Which the staff person must now juggle pulling the chair in the wagon and a mostly stable but wandering child.

See the hierarchy of concern... shiny floors then children

Was pleasantly surprised by the 1st batch of lab reports. These guyas are pretty good already.

How does the parent feel about the extra attention being drawn to her/his child? Most of my parents would FREAK.

God, IA's have the worst fucking jobs sometimes.

Yes, other parents would freak. Not this kiddo's. And yes IA's do have it difficult at times. One of the great things about where I work is some freakishly talented IA's. The kids are very blessed and as a teacher I am sooo grateful.

Making this work...not easy - but I never give up on anything that truly means something to me!
:D

Happy Tuesday!

Let us fortify our minds against the tyranny of the dumb ass administrator.

Sorry I needed to let go of my positive balloon for a second, put down the bubbles and just say it like it is....

They are nuts! Flat out crazy. I am doing my job, just as described in the handbook and then being told not to do that. cause really it won't be a problem if I don't. Ummm... unless it is a problem and like last year that didn't work for me or the kids and umm... I am not going to go against the handbook.

BECAUSE the handbook is the sanest thing around this place. :seeingstars:

Back to letting go and spreading joy.

TGIF!
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...enuff/TGIF.jpg
What a week!
Had to have the SRO (Campus Cop) come to my room twice this week to remove students....ugh!
Met with my Principal again about ongoing situation...plain and simple -Sixty to one is not working nor conducive to teaching and learning! On a lighter note - 7th and 8th students played this week! Sixth grade is a bout two weeks out from starting on their instruments... :D

Yaw. It is so.

This week a student was put into my program who has no chance of benefiting from it. It's just another opportunity for him to fail. It's just that there is no place else for him. I said to the administrator something like, You all aren't under the illusion that this is going to work, are you? And she said no. At least she was honest.

Their position is rational in a way. There IS no place else to put him. Still, it's fucked up.

Guidelines for Gay and Lesbian Symptoms
 

We just LOVE dumbarse homophobia from the Ministry of Education do we not?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1881863.html

a couple of highlights ...

Just this week, Azril Mohd Amin, the vice president of the Muslim Lawyers Association of Malaysia said that LGBT rights should be "excluded from a human rights declaration currently being drafted by Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)," LGBT website Gay Star News reports.

...

"Malaysian and those who are against LGBT rights are thereby protecting the human race from the secular fallacy, perpetrated by the United Nations, that human beings may do as they please, within their so-called "sovereign borders" (as laid down by the European powers)," he wrote, according to Gay Star News.

The symptoms listed for women look like women being community based and isn't outward affection toward men bad anyway when they are children?

However asinine the symptoms listed are the bigger issue is the impact on how children are treated at home, school and in their families.

Yes, and it's really common in Asia to spend time with other women, including sleeping together in the same room. It's culturally appropriate behaviour for goodness sake!

Last year there was a camp for "sissy" boys to toughen them up and make them less likely to become gay. :(

Just checking in here - I teach at the local community college. All of you who are K-12 teachers (assistants, paras, etc) have a MUCH more difficult job and I have boundless respect for all that you do with so little support!