Time Flies, Christmas Break, the RESA, and Procrastination!

I am a terrible blogger! I haven't posted anything since the end of last school year and here we are in January of the next year with the new school year half over! My trip to Alaska was awesome, but coming home in August left me little time to think much about blogging or really anything at all before school started.

It's been a pretty good year so far. Somewhat different classes than before but for the most part my students are pretty great. 

Christmas break is coming to a close. I still have the weekend, but this is my last official day off, since I get weekends anyway. Some schools in our area went back yesterday, but many of them ended up dismissing early and canceling today, so I'm glad that we were still on break... We can't afford to use any more snow days at this point! (We've already had 3!)

I just completed my RESA Task 1... The "Resident Educator Summative Assessment." It was no fun at all and I majorly procrastinated. I won't comment much on this for I have nothing nice to say to the state of Ohio except perhaps, "Thanks for extending the deadline!" I have not yet hit the submit button. It makes me nervous!

Well, that's about all I suppose. Don't feel much like ranting about the RESA right now... don't want the department of education people in Columbus hunting me down! 

Thanks to those of you who actually read this! Happy New Year!

Christmas Break is Here... ALMOST!

Today was my last day of actually teaching before Christmas. We still have exams, but that just entails handing them out, giving instructions, and waiting for them to be returned so I can grade!

I love teaching. I like my kids. I actually baked over 100 cookies tonight, just because I wanted to give them a treat for exams. But being a teacher unfortunately involves more than that. There's meetings and meetings, and, well, more meetings. Sometimes these can be helpful, other times it seems like a waste of time. It's always great to spend time with other "math minds." (If you are one, you'll understand, and if not, well, you probably think the whole lot of us math people are insane, so you probably think we should stick together.) We get along well because we understand each other and we value the importance of mathematics. But we're also people. Some days we all work great together, and sometimes not. I love my colleagues; I guess I should stop rambling and get to the point...

Today one of the other teachers I work with said to me, "I really appreciate you, as a teacher." That meant the WORLD to me. To be young and new, and have someone who has been there for a while and has experience tell me that I'm doing a good job and that he thinks I bring something to our department as an educator... that's unbelievable. It's difficult to be a first year teacher. I struggle to stay more than a day ahead of my kids (in planning, not in general content knowledge... I do understand the math!). I feel like there are days that go really great, and days that I could have done more. I could have had more prepared. I could have had better examples. I could have reviewed more. I could have better prepared them for this or that. I could have spent more time planning. All of that. There are days I feel like I didn't get through to anyone, or someone was left behind, or that maybe they just all hate me. But compliments like that encourage me. They were healing words to my soul. If you ever read this, THANK YOU. I doubt you will ever even stumble across this silly little blog, but if you do, I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out who I am and that I'm talking about you.