Teri Parris Ford's Blog

Mid May Moving

I got sick again last week. This is the 3rd time I've been sick this school year, more than any other year I have taught in 25 years. I'm not sure if it is because I'm older or if there is just so much more out there. I kicked off the school year with a bout of Covid and have gotten an aggressive cold (RSV?). I do not wear a mask and I should. Between the cold, age and it being the end of the year, I am weary and ready for a summer break. I'm starting to feel like I may be ready for retirement soon (next year or two?).

On Sunday Monika got us tickets to go see Lion King. I was able to invite my friends; Joe brought his family, Grace and Patty both brought their husbands. It was a very fun evening. I sat next to Joe's wife who also had a cold, so I did not feel bad not wearing a mask since both of us were blowing our noses.

At school, I am working on finishing up. The newspaper is working on a senior issue and the yearbook is fixing up a small mistake. We got our books delivered a week early which gave us plenty of time to fix a broken QR code. We used a free website to make the code and it expired. I made a new one with Adobe and purchased stickers. After printing 1000 off, the kids started working on sticking them all in. It is a very minor mistake. There are a few spelling mistakes, but so far, the book looks so good. The kids want me to tell them it is the best and I hate telling them I have to wait until it gets out there. I have to wait until I get complaints. That's the thing, I only hear the complaints. It's part my feeling a bit low at this time year-- I am afraid of those potential complaints. I haven't gotten them, but I know how horrible that feeling is when a mom emails complaining about how we left their kid or spelled their kid's name wrong. Mom's tend to think other kids did it on purpose and want heads to roll. Only once I got an email from a mom who thanked me for all the work but wanted to inform me of a minor mistake regarding her kid. I was so impressed with how sensitive this woman was with me. I wish everyone could be that kind, but they aren't.  I shared with my students, that no one ever contacts me to tell me how great the book is, so they needed to listen to what kids are saying and remember to share a few good comments my way. I could use a few nice words every so often.

Prom and Spring is here!

Prom used to be Mother's Day weekend but this year it came the week before. The weather warmed up just in time for a wonderful weekend. I still have photo duty-- which just means setting up lights and cameras, getting student volunteers and supervising them. It makes for an easy in and easy out, without much clean up. One camera ran out of batteries and another ran out of disc space, so it was a great excuse to leave early. I can barely stay up after 10pm these days. It's a fun evening, seeing all the kids dressed up and acting their best. 

With the yearbook done, my May is pretty open. I'm working on a lot of projects, but nothing pressing. I have the June issue of the newspaper which needs to be printed for graduation. I'm working on a highlight reel of animations featuring student work for film fest. I need to organize yearbook distribution with a viewing party featuring pies, a BBQ, a luncheon with cake and senior gifts. Plenty to keep me busy, but not too stressful. I'd like to paint my kitchen white when there's time at home when I have energy. I started but it's going pretty slowly since I'm in no hurry.

The yearbook is done!

My students finished the yearbook today and suddenly it feels like school is almost done! There are 44 days left until school is out; or 31 school days. Yes, I am now counting down! Prom tickets go on sale next week and an administrator told me once (when I was the Prom adviser) that once prom is over so are the students. Since the pandemic absences are kind of crazy, add spring weather, senioritis, AP exams, and field trips and it's just going to be nuts. 

I have to be honest, this year the stress of making the yearbook weighed a bit heavier than last. The older I get, the harder it is for me to jungle all the things I do at school. The kids always procrastinate but a few really left it until way last minute, like down to the very last minutes of class today. Spring sports are always difficult and as always, Baseball was the last page done along with Girls Soccer and some senior collage pages. But I walked out of school this evening at 5:29 pm (see picture) and took Monika out to dinner to celebrate. I'll bring in big treats tomorrow (I'm thinking some Dairy Queen Blizzards). On Friday I am taking a bunch of my students to see the Super Mario Bros on a field trip.

Yep, May is just going to fly by!

Holiday Weekend?

At what point did Easter become meaningless in our household? Monika asked yesterday. Jim came down for the weekend so we could celebrate his birthday. We went out to eat to a Jordanian restaurant for an early dinner with Erika & Mon, missing Jess ($120 for just the four of us). The food was amazing but the conversation and joy of being together was the best. I almost forgot it was easter and yes, it is completely meaningless in our household. 

I am just about finished with the fireplace. I hung the mantel on Friday. I need to finish cleaning the grout, add the trim and add a black finishing caulk around the box. I should probable by a fire retardant for under the mantel as I have a bad history of fires running amok. It all looks so nice, I am kind of afraid to have any fires at this point! Here's my Google photo album of before and after images.

I took Jim for a tour of the new art space yesterday and he was very impressed with our spaces. They are currently working on gutting the old space (room 508) which used to be an open studio and creating 3 separate classrooms; a drawing room, computer lab and photo lab, along with an office space and gallery. The days of an open shared studio is over. I am hoping to make the painting room as much my classroom as I can (see below) BUT shared spaces are not complete over. Josh is currently teaching drawing in the painting room since the drawing room is not complete, so he has a strong presence still. In the future, Grace will teach fashion design in that space as well, but I think I will eventually be the primary teacher using the space until I retire-- which I keep vacillating over-- next year or the year after? We shall see how things go next year before making that decision. Right now I am excited to be working and doing all the things I'm doing and I finally feel like I am in command. I have begun to add things to the walls of the painting room I want. I am still looking for a good Star Trek flag to add to the mix!

Heating Up

It is starting to feel like spring. There are still bits of snow here and there, so it's not too warm but relatively warm. Anything over 32 degrees feels balmy these days. I am eager for some warmth, so much so I am tempted to go tanning but I'm trying not to spend money. Spring Break is 3 weeks away but I'm not going anywhere warm. I had hoped to visit Jessi in Virginia but she got called up to go to the middle east at the last minute. Well, tanning is cheaper than going to a beach. We'll see.

Things are heating up at work with moving day being the week before spring break. There's just so much to do but I keep chipping away little by little, hoping it's enough. The yearbook is heating up as well. I included my photo here that is going on the yearbook staff page. Working on the yearbook is my favorite part of my job but it can be the most stressful as well. Deadlines are right before spring break, along with grades and the moving. The next few weeks are just going to be crazy.

On a more personal note, I met with my doctor and a specialist last week and it's looking like I will be having surgery over the summer-- a hysterectomy. I also signed up for summer school this summer since my retirement counts the 3 highest years income. This summer may end up being more interesting than I want it to be. As long as the pool is involved, it will be okay.

It's a Gift

I've been team teaching an art class for disabled students with Erika this semester. It is the first time I am working with so many disabled students in one class. I usually only have one or two in an art class at the most. I once taught a class that had nearly half of my students with IEP's (write ups for disabilities) and I was given a special ed teacher for the hour for support but most of the kids in that class had behavior issues, not developmental issues. Currently, I have 4 students in wheelchairs that have very little mobility. Many students are non verbal or are difficult for me to understand. A couple are deaf and I have a hard time understanding them. I should learn sign language. I have a couple of students who are Spanish speaker and it is great fun to hear Erika learning Spanish to speak to them. My mom would be so proud of her. The class is not easy, but it warms my heart every day to see Erika at work and watch her deal with issues that come up. She is kind and easy going, hugs kids comfortably and is constantly smiling. When I got my teacher's license I avoided getting a special certification to work with special needs children because I was so uncomfortable around them. I am not a huggy teacher, so when kids approach me for a hug, I am reluctant but I am learning many of these kids will not be turned away easily and I'm glad. 

\

The Countdown to Summer started.

We had very hot weather this past week. It has felt very summer-like but I have felt like there is so much to do at work, that I haven't been feeling like summer is that close. Jim's summer starts next week. I've got about 18 work days still, only 14 with kids! I have a student teacher who will not be able to take things over, so my plan of having time to clean up the studio may or may not happen. Tomorrow I meet with senior editors to choose future editors who will make big changes next year. In Yearbook we start working on the senior edition of the newspaper, which always marks an end to the school year as well as run yearbook distribution. May is always such a whirlwind of activity. 

I had hoped with the heat would bring a better mood, and I guess it did and yet there's still some sadness hanging around. I miss my mom, and think about wanting to call her too often. I am trying not to worry about Jessi over in Europe doing work in the Baltic Sea (I sent her a big box of treats yesterday). I do enjoy having Erika at work with me and seeing her in the hall often as well as having Monika at home with me cooking, knowing both situations will come to an end in time. I think I have decided to push off retirement for several years now and that uncertainty has been a source of confusion for me. The economic downturn offers a bit more incentive to continue working (my retirement fund has lost tens of thousands this year). Becoming the art department head has me feeling some weight, as we are in this crazy transition time in education. And since I mentioned weight, I am constantly thinking about my actual weight, realizing more and more that the older I get, the less I can eat. By the time I'm 80, I'll be down to a small bowl of oatmeal a day-- haha. 

Here's a photo from the girls soccer game with two of my students who chose me as the teacher to be appreciated. It was wonderful to feel appreciated.

Prom Season

After two years off, we are back to a somewhat normal prom season. At my school every year during Mother's Day weekend is prom. Kids had to wear masks and there was no cake to eat. But what I found interesting was because we hadn't had a prom for 2 years, most kids had no idea what to expect. So many traditions are carried on year after year but when everything stopped for almost 2 years, traditions had a hard time carrying forward. Other than the masks and the lack of cake, I noticed the mismatch of shoes; combat boots with gowns, air jordans with a tux, slippers, sneakers, crocks, rubber sandals, etc. Oh sure, there were plenty of traditional formal shoes too but they were not the norm. I also noticed a lot more gender mixing outfits, boys in prom dresses and girls in suits. Some kids left early because they thought the dance was boring and I heard others exclaiming it was so fun they did not want it to be over. I did my best to make sure everyone got to capture the evening with a photo. I had a couple of underclassmen who had photo experience helping me out. It was a late night for me but luckily I got to sleep in this morning for Mother's day. Erika and Monika took me out for lunch downtown and then Monika and I enjoyed evening watching some tv. The day was cooler than I'd hoped but we are in for some heat later this week. I can't wait!

Overloaded

It's been 2 weeks since checking in on my blog and I had a student ask me about it yesterday! Oops. Without having my mom around to complain if I miss a post, I often procrastinate. My mom would call me if I missed a day, concerned about why. This semester I have an overload-- 6 classes instead of 5, so I'm feeling busier. I started swimming again at lunch twice a week to keep myself active. I actually posted my Professional Practice Goal as swimming 500 yards in 15 minutes twice a week. I know it's not really "professional" but it's about self care and staying healthy as a teacher during this difficult time. I'm overloaded, the pandemic is dragging on and I'm dealing with record numbers of students who are disengaged in my class. It's exhausting. BUT overall my classes are going well. Animation is the most time consuming class, not yearbook interestingly. The only discipline issues I seem to deal with is kids are are not engaged in class -- they stare at their phone, on Tik Tok or watching Netflix. They aren't disruptive. Kids are so rarely disruptive anymore, at least not in my classes. I have kids failing in all of my classes except Yearbook. They fail mostly because they rarely come to class and when they do, they don't work. I make rounds, after giving instruction to the class, asking kids who aren't working what they need. Students so rarely ask questions and seldom ask for help. If I sit back and work on other things, kids will sit back and just fail. There are a few kids who can't take the confrontation. They rarely push back, they just leave. There is a culture change and it scares me a bit. There are a lot of students who are avoiding life. What happens to those kids after high school? I try not worry about all that. I know I'm on my last few couple of years teaching. It makes for a nice balance in the scheme of things. 

I'm on VACATION!!

I came home from work today utterly exhausted and very ready to be on vacation. I don't think I'm busier, especially not as busy as when the girls were in high school. I'm just a lot more tired at the end of my day. There is not a lot of physicality to teaching, (unless you are coach or gym teacher maybe) but there is a busyness that ebbs and flows. For me when yearbook deadlines hit, newspaper layout happens and grades or projects need attending to, things heat up; especially when all of those things happen at once. This week was one of those weeks when there was a lot on the hopper and I am so glad the week is over. Better than just a weekend ahead, I have two full weeks off with no school work to think about. I have so much to prep for for next semester, but I'm not even going to think about it. Note; the photo is for the yearbook spread-- we are all taking staff photos from movie or tv show posters and mine is from "Bad Teacher" 

 

December Count Down

Once December hits, the days are short and the count down to winter break is on. This past week flew by and now we only have 2 left. The semester has been really great. After the craziness of last year, this year feels wonderful at times. I love being with the kids with the exception of one or two dumb ones. All of my difficult situations are with students who are not in my class-- kids who wonder in to avoid their own classes. There are record numbers of kids out in the halls, avoiding their classes. I guess after a year and a half of being able to do whatever, it's hard to have sit still for some. Having Erika at work makes life more fun too. This week admin had us pass out a survey to all of our students asking about our classes, how fun they were, if they felt mutual respect in the classroom with the teacher. I had one student comment that they could tell I really liked my job and another say how much they loved the vibe in my room. It was nice to read. Below, I got a photo of my yearbook class for the yearbook page. A lot of kids forgot to wear their sweatshirts but oh well. This year I have the most kids working on pages so we are easily making our deadlines. It may be the best book yet! 

What is your passion?

I had a student ask me today when I found my passion. I responded with that I am pretty sure I am still looking for it but then proceeded to talk about my journey through grade school to the present of my wanting to be a teacher but always being gravitated to art making for various reasons. I don't think I ever thought I could be an art teacher as a youngster. I did not have an art teacher until I was in 7th grade and I did not connect, but I had a lot of elementary teachers I dearly loved, so I remember wanting to be an elementary school teacher. At some point I recall wanting to be the kind of teacher I never had. -- someone who did not get upset, and rarely said no. I learned early on that did not make me a good teacher, just a nice one. 

I am really enjoying my schedule this year and absolutely love being in the classroom with students. At one point I had planned for this to be my last year of teaching which is no longer my plan. I am enjoying the work too much and am afraid retiring too soon will be a mistake. I have so much I think about doing but wonder about that passion-- maybe I'm still trying to figure it out. (note: the photo is of my practicum student teacher doing a demonstration).

HoCo 2021

We got to celebrate, what felt like an almost normal homecoming week! It was great fun having Erika here to experience it all too! 

First Day of School!

539 days after what seemed liked  a normal Friday we went home to find the United States declared a national emergency due to the COVID-19. I remember Joe telling me we would not be back and I said, "no way!" Boy, was I wrong-- and kind of oblivious. The last year and a half has been so odd but what become a new normal. I keep wondering when does it all go back to "normal" and today was that day, but with some significant changes. Obviously we are all in masks. Students are taking the mask mandate seriously. I did not have one student not wearing a mask or refusing or even not wearing it correctly. While lots of teachers start the school year with a seating chart, it's not something I normally do but I have to now for contact tracing reasons. I wonder if masks become something we begin to wear regularly in American society for mitigation. They do it in Japan? It's really hard to read student's faces with masks. I can't see who's talking and I often can hear what's being said. There have been some positive changes in education and I'm eager to see how this all plays out.

 

Graduation Times Two

For social distancing reasons, we had two graduations which allowed for twice the student speakers but meant spending most of the day helping out with ceremonies. Admin asked if I would create a photo booth for families to take photos. I needed to have a tent set up for shade and was able to use all the balloons from the senior party photo booth. It worked out great. I stood around letting parents know that I could take the photo with their phones or cameras so that the whole family could be in the photo. It was a great idea! I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Because of the heat, the district decided to make mask wearing optional so hardly anyone was wearing a mask. It was the first time I was able to get photos with kids without masks on and not get into any trouble (I posted a bunch on instagram!!). I came home from the day over heated and exhausted, eager to put my feet up and enjoy some air conditioning.

The Last Day of School!

Finally! What a school year... it was crazy. Today after grading and cleaning up, seniors came back for one last hurrah. There was food and games and music and I was in charge of the photo booth. I was not there to be in the photos but when two of my yearbook powerhouses came by, I wanted to remember them and asked for a photo. I feel so privileged to get to know some students because they are so talented, so smart, so fun to have in a classroom and these were a couple of those special kids. While were out there, Joe came out to say hello and asked to take a photo too. It had been awhile since the two of us took a photo together (here's one of my favorites).

Tomorrow we still have one last morning staff meeting and then I've invited the department over for brunch out on my patio. After that, I'm planning to go to the pool to kick off my summer! I know I'm not as exhausted as most teachers, but this year has been nuts with so many changes and so much work. I'm really hoping after a tame summer, we'll be back next with things feeling back to normal.

1 Week Left

The last regular day of school is next Wednesday and there's no school on Friday or Monday. So yeah, this school year is coming to an end quickly. My yearbook kids planned and worked distribution today. We had amazing weather and all went perfectly. Tomorrow we continue but it's supposed to rain. I have one last project in due in my art classes and my kids have had plenty of time to get the work done. I am hoping they get stuff turned in. Instead of finals, we now have "bridge week" which is just for kids who have fallen behind. The goal is for all of my students to be done before that. Monika is coming home for the holiday weekend, which is exciting and will certainly make the weekend more fun. Below is picture of my painting class. I've been working on a panel for the LatinX mural.

Another Example

Working with my students on our final projects makes for most of days being pretty relaxed. While not all students are caught up, I'm doing my best to keep things less stressful so kids can get their work done with what time we have left with school. My favorite project that I do with my digital art (illustration) students is the self portrait where kids just draw over a photo. It's super easy (for me) but a lot of kids who feel like they are not good artists create really nice work since there isn't a lot of thinking, just draw what you see. It gets some students inspired to keep drawing. I grabbed the photo I shot for our first project to draw over as an example (included here). I usually get these projects printed and post them in the office for admin and they love it. 

As the school year winds down, we have 2 weeks left of class, no finals, we are starting to think about clearing out, cleaning up, yearbook distribution (the book is getting delivered this week) and just finishing up having survived a crazy year. What's next year going to look like?? No one knows. 

One and Done!

Yesterday I got my J&J vaccine at the Dane County Coliseum! I waited about an hour and had to stay after just in case I had a reaction, which I didn't. I haven't had any reactions at all, nothing. I don't think Jim had any either. He still has to get another shot in April, whereas I will be good to go in two weeks. I am planning to leave for Jessi's as soon as I can! 

At work, we are getting ready for kids to return to the building. We have a testing date on the books in April, so life should be a bit more normal before summer-- just a little bit. The plan is to have two cohorts, half the kids in the class for two days while the other half is on zoom. Lots questions and not a lot of answers. We are just going to wing it, which teachers are great at.

New Classes!

Today is the first day of the new semester. I love second semester as it always goes a bit faster and the slippery slope to summer is kind of exciting. I have two brand new classes (to me) this semester. Painting 1 used to be Painting & Printmaking but had to change to streamline to a district description (all four high schools now have to teach the same art classes).  Josh took the class over so I'm just using his curriculum. I am also using his curriculum for Digital Art 1 which was his class but he could not teach them all this year. It is quite nice to have a good foundation to start with but I still have to make the curriculum mine, by doing the projects for presentations and demos. The first project in painting is a color wheel in acrylic and in digital art it's a reproduction of a picture or painting with personal photo inserted. Josh made himself as Adam in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel's ceiling painting with god as an example (it's a bit audacious). I've decided to put face into Albrect Durer's self portrait. I'll post the finished project later.

Jim's new classes started last week. So we've both been crazy busy with prep. We switch our diet to a keto one, with the hope to lose a few pounds. Being vegan made me feel better, "cleaner" but I was not able to lose weight. Jim is still going out to walk, but once it gets below freezing, I'm out... or actually staying in. I finally cleaned off my treadmill and started walking at night in the basement!

Side note: my mom and dad's house has officially changed ownership and my connection to the Santa Clarita Valley is now history. Luckily I have a couple of friends who still live there. Jim's parent's home has to go thru probate but his siblings are taking care of business, so I don't see us having to go back there. It is a relief, but still makes me sad to see that connection to California gone. 

It's Spirit Week!

I've got a big yearbook deadline during winter break, so I'm starting to stress out a bit. This week the school is doing a virtual spirit week which is hard to get excited about-- not a lot of dressing up (wear a mask during zoom is tomorrow). I was hoping for a PJ dress up day but it seems everyday is pajama day for some. Do school from a fort is on Thursday and I promised my kids I would do class from under my desk so I can't forget to bring in some pillows in!

Jim and I went for a walk last night (it was 34, not too cold). We had ordered pizza and talked about how different life is. We are living alone (without kids), constantly working. Without parents to talk to, other than each other, we chat with the girls daily between facetime, text and snaps. I am so glad we have each other. We encourage each other to exersice, eat healthy but also to cheat periodically (we ordered pizza yesterday). I can't image how I'd be able to do this without Jim.

I'll be honest, I've been mad at mom these past few weeks and I've been having to process it alone really. Life is crazy sometimes. I don't believe in an afterlife anymore, so I can only deal with the present and try to recall the past. I'm not one to keep grudges or hold on to negativity, life is too short for that. She's gone and as much as I miss her, I'm glad it's all almost over. The house is still for sale but it won't be long until it's all done.

The pandemic scares me, but I'm doing my best not to live in fear while at the same time taking precautions. Jim and I went to Chili's last week and it felt nuts-- like we could be killing ourselves for chicken crispers! The place was empty, so it felt relatively safe. It's been at least 5 days since so I'm guessing we survived the risk but I'm not sure we'll be doing it again anytime soon. It had been 9 months since we'd gone to a restaurant to eat inside (we've gotten Chili's twice before but to go) and of course, several other to go experiences. The good side effect of this, is all the money we are saving!

Zoom Zoom

Week #3 is in the books and now I have the weekend to get my act together to do again and teach next week. I'm starting to get a feel for this new way of teaching which is nothing like last spring really. While I have full classes instead of just a handful of kids, the dynamic has complete changed. I feel like I am teaching to students with bags over their heads. Every so often a kid will give me a glimpse of their face, whether on accident or just for fun but it is rare. With the exception of my yearbook class, most of my classes look like this photo -- me just talking to boxes. It's not fun or easy. A colleague shared with me that she has learned to change up the view to speaker (instead of gallery, like this photo) and just talk into the camera to herself. She ignores the all the black boxes. I am keenly aware that there is a kid behind those boxes, I'm trying to connect with. Today at the end of my last class of the week, kids started saying goodbye to me and it was wonderful. I have a feeling it's going to take the whole semester to get anywhere significant and then I'll have to start over again.

First Day of School

Dear Mom, Today was my first day of school and my second day without you completely. I've been expecting this for over 4 years, so it's not awful, just oddly sad. Students were eager to connect and that helped make the day more eventful. I considered doing the morning meetings at home, but I had to get out. I love being in the brightly colored, brightly lit classroom. I love that I'm showered and fully dressed with Vans on and not lounging. I love that I'm so busy, I forget to eat lunch. I love that there people here "checking in" on me. Josh came by with a large latte and banana bread this morning a real hug (we practiced responsibly). A couple of principals came to see me and it was good to chat with them. Part of my needing to process it all is being able to talk about it. Patty came in to do her afternoon zooms and we were able to chat as well. I left at the end of day feeling like I'm so blessed that I have people at work that really care about me.

I came home to Jim in the middle of a zoom session. Erika came home from her first day of work. She really likes her job and I think her taking care of you helped her to find a new career. She will be assisting elderly in their homes with exercise and errands. She's started with a small new company that she said is beginning to grow and feels there is potential for her to grow with it. It was so good to see her excited about starting a new job and possibly a new career. I made a stir fry for dinner and watched some news and thought about you, wishing I could call you to say hello. I could call Monika (she called me this morning before my first meeting). I have lots of friends I could call too-- so many friends commented on my post about your passing, hardly anyone you knew but they knew you through me. But you are the only one I want to talk to right now.

Voluntary Day

Today was a paid work day that was officially voluntary but the reality is most teachers that I know had to work today because the work load was so great. I went into the studio early to work on videos. I cleaned things and got ready to video tape when everyone else came in and it got too noisy. I went into the photolab to tape my yearbook video. I decided to run a few errands and then go home for lunch. Erika needed my truck, so I walked back to work. Only Patty was left. I was able to video tape the rest of my class videos and edit them all. I didn't get home until after 5pm. My videos weren't quite what I had hoped for, but I'm running out time. I still have a lot to work to do, but it's the weekend and I need a break.

I chatted with my mom for a short bit this evening after getting home. She was very sleepy. My sister in law filled me in that they were planning to get my mom anything she wanted for dinner. Oh, I shared, she should get an In N Out hamburger for sure, with french fries and a vanilla shake. My mom responded to that! I told her how much I loved her and that I would call again tomorrow. (Note: it would end up being the last time she would be able to talk to me.)

Back to work

I decided to go into school to work this week. With both Jim and Erika at home, I thought it would be easier to focus if I was in my classroom actually working without distraction esp. since there is so much to do. I certainly got a ton done and feel like it may be the way to go for the whole quarter we are working virtually. Both Patty and Joe came in for most of the day as well. Jim was able to sleep in and have the day to organize life at home teaching. Erika got stung by a wasp yesterday on her thigh and is having an allergic reaction so is was barely able to walk. I came home after work and made both of us dinner (vegan pita sandwich with baba ganoush), Jim had eaten my left over curry from yesterday. There was a lot going on at school as families were picking up chromebooks, supplies and art kits for classes. There is a lot of cleaning happening as well with some preparation for in person teaching at sometime in the future which many debate on. Some say it won't happen at all this year, others say once we get a vaccine, while a few (very few) think it might happen this November. Once we get back in the classroom, we will be hybrid, with only 1/2 classes at a time, so it might not be bad. We'll see.

The last day of school

Yesterday was my last day zooming with students. I have several days of professional development ahead instead of finals so my zooming is not over. I'm sure I'll be zooming all through the summer as well. BUT I'm already planning on my summer trip to California. Erika and I will trade places for a month. I worked on travel plans today. I made a huge pan of stir fry and a pot of brown rice for Jim and I for lunch. Yesterday I made chicken tacos. Jim and I went for a long walk yesterday in the heat (90 degrees) and I came home showered and fell asleep early.

Today I posted my farewell message on my Google classrooms and started grading. I'd like to have most of my grades done by the end of this week. This year, the end of the school year is so weird. I was telling Jim, that everything is so weird. I feel so out of sorts... hopefully once summer it is here, a little normalcy may come back?

Distribution in the Rain

I had to be at work from 8 to 4pm today-- a normal work day several months ago BUT boy, did I come home utterly exhausted, and my fee hurt! I haven't spent a day on my feet in ages. Everything for yearbook distribution went great. My principal came over to let me know the book was great which made me feel really good. All the kids love it. Only one complaint from a freshman girl who's name was wrong in the book. I have no idea how that happened but it did so we will refund her book. I have another day tomorrow for kids who missed today and anyone who wants to buy a book. We handed out 800 today. I ordered 1400, but I'm guesing we'll only hand out another 400 tomorrow.

Busy Day!

February 22 seemed to be one of those days that had a lot going on. The school was hopping. My newspaper kids organized a news conference. We had 27 kids signed up but only about 6 showed up, which was disappointing but what can you do. We enjoyed the experience and at the end talked about how to make it more accessible next year. I went home to enjoy Jim's company for a while. I left a chicken for him in the crockpot while I enjoyed the pizza at the conference. Then around 7pm, I got ready to go back to school for a rescheduled dance. I had heard from the teacher who helped the kids organize the dance that I would be the ONLY teacher supervising. I wasn't even there to help supervise, only to take photos. The principal informed that there would only be one parent there to help. Luckily there were 4 principals, but it was a little crazy --1 adult per 100 kids attending? It was mostly freshman and sophomores and of course hardly anyone stayed the whole time. I started clearing up my photo equipment early and then I started help with clean up before the dance was to be over at 11pm. I asked kids to get up from tables and told kids who were sitting around tired to hurry up and go home. I went home exhausted so excited to be in bed!

Deadlines

My senior section was due today for the yearbook and I thought I was going to have to go in and finish it all but my kids pulled through and the section looks great. I know that the work was done mostly by a few girls and there were a lot of boys hardly working but this week even some of the boys got to work to make sure the section got done! I've one more deadline next week before I leave for a getaway to visit my mom. 

I stayed very late today, working with newspaper kids and making sure all of the pages that needed to be done were done perfectly. 

Friday & Development

It was a busy week, so having no kids on Friday was a relief. Even with all the morning meetings, I still had the afternoon off to catch up. Thursday I was able to get to a hot yoga class after school so I woke up sore. I've been working out most mornings but gave myself the morning off and fasted so I could go to the lab for blood work. In order to get my metformin renewed, I needed updated numbers that came in at the end of the day as "good." I got a nice note from my doctor telling me how well I'm doing with keeping my blood sugar down. It surprised me because I've been stress snacking on chocolate. I treated myself to a latte and cinnamon roll on the way to work after my morning tests.

I had a long list of things to do today that I did not come close to finishing but I got a good start. My yearbook kids are so lazy this year, that I'm having to pick some of their slack. We are short on photos and I've been bad about taking photos as well. I've got to start picking it up!

At 4pm I forced myself to hit save and get ready to leave. I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription and went home and did my beachbody workout. Monika called and then later Jim called. I'd gone out to lunch and got a large diet coke and found when I went to bed I couldn't sleep so I stayed up watching Youtubes knowing I could take a nap tomorrow.