http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/ MiceChat is a Disney theme parks news blog, and discussion forum. We love Disney, so visit MiceChat to see the latest Disney park information and news! en Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:35:40 GMT vBulletin 60 http://micechat.com/forums/images/mc3/misc/rss.jpg http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/ http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/1309-seriously.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:11:01 GMT It's been way too long since I did any blogging. My last post was back at the beginning of the summer, and I never did follow up on my WDW vacation. (It was great, btw.) The fact is I'm burnt out on writing. After finishing my thesis it's been nice to not be tied to the computer all the time! I went to San Francisco and left my computer at home and I felt no anxiety. I left my cell phone at work last week and nothing horrible happened. I'm kind of enjoying being unplugged lately, and with some home remodeling projects going on, and my usual writing area displaced, I've been online less and less. I actually started writing...on PAPER! What a crazy concept!

I did start an "outside" Wordpress blog, but I'm even being lazy about that now. I just don't know what I want it to be yet. However, as a teacher, I know that the only way to get better at writing is to practice writing. I'm hatching a plan to get back into it soon, but for now I've decided that the rest of the year is devoted to reading. NaNoWriMo got me thinking and next year I plan to be ready. This year, not so much. ;) ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/1309-seriously.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/1157-summer-vacation.html Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:35:11 GMT I think today is Saturday. (It is, right?)

My school is over, teaching is over, my son is out of school, we've done a week at WDW, and aside from getting the boy to tennis lessons twice a week, I have no schedule. It's really, really weird.

The WDW vacation deserves a post of its own, so I'll do that later when I have more time. (I know, I know, it looks like I've got nothing but time right now, but I'm just not feeling very creative since we've been home. Lazy is more like it. ;))

The bummer part is that the day before we left for Orlando, which was the day AFTER school ended, my principal called to let me know that I had been bumped out of my classroom by someone who had more seniority. So as I'm packing to leave, I find out I have no job for the fall. I'm back to Square One, as far as interviewing and starting over, which most likely means a new grade level IF I can land a spot. Competition will be fierce, since there's probably 70+ teachers in my same situation. I hope that I haven't outpriced myself by getting my MA this year. It would be much cheaper to hire a younger teacher without the extra degree.

Oh well, it is what it is, and something will work out eventually. I'm thankful that I have another year of experience to add to my resume. I still have to go empty out my classroom and I'm putting that part off. I don't wanna! :stamps foot: I told my office manager to tell the new teacher that my classroom was haunted to try and scare them away- ya think it will work? ;) ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/1157-summer-vacation.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/1084-all-righty-then.html Sun, 03 May 2009 02:27:41 GMT I am days away from turning in my thesis and reaping my rewards, in the form of a master's degree in education. Tuesday is our last class meeting, Thursday is the master's hooding ceremony, and Saturday is the actual graduation. It's been a long two years and now the end is finally here.

My husband is pretty sure I'll go back to school in a few years from now, that I can't turn down an academic challenge. I said no. After I presented my paper to my class, the professor pulled me aside afterwards and told me I should really consider going for my doctorate. I said no. And laughed. A lot. :lol:

And as I sat at lunch that afternoon, I was reflecting on the journey and before I could stop my brain, I found myself thinking, "That wasn't so bad..."

We'll have to wait and see what the future brings. For now, I look forward to life getting back to normal at home, to clearing off my dining table/office area so we can actually eat there, to trashing piles of papers, and being able to read for fun again. What will it be like to have my weekends free again? To do stuff during the week? I can't wait to find out! And as soon as my signature ticker is up for this adventure, I can change it to show my WDW vacation, which is my grand reward for all of this hard work. :ap: Hurray! ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/1084-all-righty-then.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/1009-promise-me.html Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:17:11 GMT If I ever get the crazy idea that going back to school again would be a great idea, if those words every come out of my mouth, if you hear me... If I ever get the crazy idea that going back to school again would be a great idea, if those words every come out of my mouth, if you hear me thinking aloud how nice it would be to be called Dr. SusieP., someone had better smack me upside the head! This has been a very long 2 year process and I am running out of steam.

2 months. 2 months to go.

My email inbox is full of messages that say "Get your degree online now!" "Be a teacher!" "Online classes forming now!" "Start a career in nursing!" Yeah, thanks, no, it's already done. :botox: I hardly think now is an opportune time to launch a new career path! ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/1009-promise-me.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/970-just-so-you-know.html Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:09:54 GMT Here's today's revelation- As a mom, hearing your child throwing up in the middle of the night is one of the worst sounds possible. That said, hearing the cat throwing up in the middle of the night, UNDER YOUR BED, might be a smidgen worse.

:yuck: ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/970-just-so-you-know.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/946-books-2009.html Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:37:09 GMT New year, new list!

1. The Doctor's Wife by Elizabeth Brundage
2. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
3. The Velveteen Rabbit by some lady, I can't remember. It's a tiny book, but I've read it three times for school. I think that counts for something. ;)
4. Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster
5. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer
6. And God Created the Au Pair by Benedicte Newland and Pascale Smets
7. Knitting Under the Influence by Claire LaZebnik
8. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
9. The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steve Johnson
10. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
11. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
13. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
14. Wonderland by Tommy Kovac
15. The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz
16. The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde
17. The United States of Arugula: The Sun-Dried, Cold-Pressed, Dark-Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution by David Kamp
18. Windless Summer by Heather Sharfeddin
19. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
20. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
21. The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall
22. The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
23. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
24. The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
25. The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
26. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
27. Clockwork by Philip Pullman
28. Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes
29. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
30. Adverbs by Daniel Handler
31. The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
32. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
33. Solomon Snow and the Silver Spoon by Kate Umansky
34. And Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/946-books-2009.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/902-vacation-deep-sigh.html Sat, 20 Dec 2008 21:02:10 GMT Did I post that I finished my paper after approximately 800 revisions? I did. It was 36 pages once it was all bound together. It was a fine... Did I post that I finished my paper after approximately 800 revisions? I did. It was 36 pages once it was all bound together. It was a fine feeling to drop it off at school! Alas, that was only the first half of my thesis. The rest gets written next semester. Allegedly the second half is the "easy" part.

It better be! :lol:

So now I'm done with school-school and with work-school. My students are doing well, my principal gave me a good evaluation, and now it is time for some rest and relaxation. Tonight we are going out to brave the mall and become official full-fledged Christmas shoppers! Tomorrow, I'm heading to Disneyland to check out the holiday offerings there, since there has been no time for the park lately.

Life is good. :) ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/902-vacation-deep-sigh.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/879-slow-down.html Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:01:52 GMT Belle's blog is asking 2008 to hurry up, but mine is asking it to slow down. I need another week!

I've been so busy lately that I'm having trouble just being in the now.

Be. Here. Now.

It's one of my mantras, but I can't quite get myself there because of all the other things going on in my head. I have the opposite of ADD- what would that be called? It's not that I can't focus, it's that I'm hyper-focused on this paper that I'm writing. I've got a huge list of things that I "should be" doing right now, and it's making it hard to relax and enjoy the holidays, and I feel like I'm not doing anything particularly well right now.

Luckily, I turn in my final draft tomorrow night and then my final-final bound draft by next Tuesday. And then it will be done. :sweat:

Until next semester, anyway. ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/879-slow-down.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/810-apathy-counterpoint.html Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:28:52 GMT Sometimes, it IS them. I'm really tired of hearing, "Do we HAVE to write this?" "Do we HAVE to play this?" "Do we HAVE to show all of our work?"

Yes, yes you do. Last time I checked elementary school was not optional. When you grow up and go to college, then you can decide to skip class or not turn in assignments. But hey, I have an idea! Let's GET you to college first and then you can do what you want with that.

Granted, it is the week of Halloween and we have a 3 day school week, so the kids are totally preoccupied. This week is so short and yet so long. They're being good, but they are lazy right now. I think we all need a couple of days to recharge our batteries and our candy supplies to get us through til the end of the year.

Halloween parade tomorrow after school- I told the kids I'd dress up. They had a good time trying to guess my costume. One kid guessed "Superman" and I made a funny face. He quickly amended it to "Superman's sister." :lol: ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/810-apathy-counterpoint.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/782-apathy-its-not-you-its-me.html Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:18:35 GMT The other day at work, I went into the lounge and someone asked me how my day was going and how my kids were doing. I said that I wasn't sure, the kids were really just "apathetic" that morning and just couldn't pull it together for whatever reason.

As soon as the word "apathetic" left my lips, I realized I was describing myself. :botox:

I was distracted, my day was not planned out well, I had 2 meetings to go to after school, I had homework to do for my own class... I was apathetic and the kids picked up on it and reflected it back to me.

Well, that's not good! Having that lightbulb moment totally turned my day around, and thankfully it was early enough to make a difference. I guess the moral of the story is that when you don't get back what you want from someone, you should check yourself to see what you are putting out there in the first place. It might just be you! :eek: ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/782-apathy-its-not-you-its-me.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/765-chapter-29-wall.html Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:29:18 GMT In which our hero (that would be me) hits the wall and wonders why she is attempting to juggle a new job, a family, and grad school all at once. ... In which our hero (that would be me) hits the wall and wonders why she is attempting to juggle a new job, a family, and grad school all at once. The protagonist is doing the best she can, but is not sure if that will be enough to get through the next 6+ months of writing this stupid thesis paper. Meanwhile the household is a mess, things are falling apart, and underwear supplies are running dangerously low, yet nobody seems to care. (Except me, because these underwear today? Totally falling down. Good thing I just had to sit in a training all day.)

The antagonist, my professor, who we will see in a later plot twist is actually on my side the whole time, keeps sending emails full of various instructions and revision notes. Her time frame? Somewhere between yesterday and right now. :botox:

So if I had time, I'd really write about all of this, but I don't. I'm going to have to go into hiding for the next month or so to get my work done. There just aren't enough hours in the day. If I'm not back by Thanksgiving, send out a search party. Wish me luck! ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/765-chapter-29-wall.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/733-fourth-times-charm.html Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:09:01 GMT Okay. As you know, loyal readers, (OMG, who talks like that? :lol:), I'm in the middle of getting my MA degree. I was in one class for 2 weeks and then suddenly I was moved to another cohort entirely, which threw me for a total loop since the new class seemed to be about 2 weeks ahead of my original class! Not good!

I have to do this action research project, in which I design, implement, and analyze a study that takes place in my classroom. Well, I spent my summer thinking about it in relation to my old job. Then I got a new job. So I jumped in an wrote a proposal. Then the premise for my study was too loose. Then it was determined that the area I wanted to focus on was out of my control and therefore not a suitable topic after all.

So last week, as I was frantically rewriting and cramming for an exam, an opportunity literally dropped in my lap. The principal wants my grade level to pilot a reading intervention program before deciding to implement it for the whole school. I was the only one in the group who knew about the program and suddenly I was explaining it to everyone else at the meeting. How about that, the new girl knows something that nobody else does!

This new study that I'll be doing will give us some hard data on whether this program is effective for our school and also puts me into position as the resident expert. That's not too shabby for my first year, I'd say.

So as I sit down to once again rewrite my proposal, at least I know I'm finally on the right track. Hallelujah! ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/733-fourth-times-charm.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/724-ugh.html Sat, 20 Sep 2008 17:06:01 GMT I was going to follow Olympicnut's blog post about how his allergies are making him miserable, but I think I'm actually sick all of a sudden. Like, upper respiratory/bronchitis-y sick. Fudge.

I so don't have time for this. My son and husband are going camping today and my plan was to spend the weekend writing the first part my thesis and doing some research, but all I want to do right now is get back into bed. Not to mention that I have homework packets to correct and grades to log, and lessons to plan for the week.

I woke up yesterday with a horrible sore throat and no voice. Thankfully my students were pretty good at keeping quiet for me. Hopefully I'll at least have my full voice back by Monday. Looks like I'll be drinking my weight in tea and napping a lot this weekend. I definitely don't want to end up with full-blown pneumonia. :botox: ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/724-ugh.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/670-most-wonderful-time-year.html Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:51:33 GMT It's like Christmas Eve!

Only it's the day before school starts instead, so that means no presents in the morning. Unless you count the 33 students I get tomorrow at 8 am, but I'd like to meet them before I decide if they are gifts or not. ;)

33 third graders. Thirty. Three.

That's just not right. But that's a blog for another day.

Well, I did all I could to get ready, and whether I am or not (I am), they're coming anyway! I already know that I have one challenge student. One that has meltdowns due to his disability and can apparently scale fences in a single leap and run like the wind. :botox: I do love the quirky kids and they kind of gravitate towards me, which is always interesting, so hopefully this will be a good match for both of us.

I'd better get to bed early, because I know I'll be up at 0:dark thirty, all worried and nervous and excited! ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/670-most-wonderful-time-year.html http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/646-procrastinating.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:40:32 GMT I have 2 lowly chapters left to read for class on Thursday. Just 2. 17 down, 2 to go. I. Am. So. Unmotivated. Everything is distracting me... I have 2 lowly chapters left to read for class on Thursday. Just 2. 17 down, 2 to go.

I. Am. So. Unmotivated.

Everything is distracting me right now. I keep thinking I should go to the mailbox, but I already did. Cleaning the house actually sounds like a good idea! I have to get this homework done though, because I know I'm just going to get a new assignment when I report for class. And I have to start my research project, too, so I'm going to have stuff due every week for the next school year.

I can't afford to get behind this year, but right now I'm not even interested in getting ahead!

What to do, what to do?:pinch: ]]> SusieP. http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/susiep/646-procrastinating.html