Fa la la la la

Last twenty minutes of the last day of school til Jan 3rd and counting! I have a Christmas party going on after school til around 8pm but that should be fun. This week has been crazy busy with extra things goin on after work every night. Needless to say I have not gotten much running in as I should have. It is just really hard for me to wake up at 5am to go run knowing that I have til work from 7:15-5:30 everyday. I have only run twice this week and I am disappointed in myself. I look foward to an intense weekend of running along with all of next week off of school. I should be able to get many long runs in and that makes my yule tide behind happy! Blessings to you all. (if anyone actually reads this)

Set out the traps last night but nothing was caught. The cheese was not even toughed. I do believe that these suckers are reading some books and studying up because they are getting smart.
So today and tomorrow in class I am showing the movie Elf (starring Will Ferrell) to my classes. I love this movie and it is nice to give them (and myself) a break. Tis the season ya know. Well with the holidays soon approaching I must say with regret that I have not really gotten my Christmas shopping tapped yet. A couple of things here and there. Some things have really been tugging on my heart lately, which usually this time of year does for people. Let me explain: At Lee we have a program designed for the students called SAFE. This is a place where they can go if they are dealing with things. For example they have classes in anger management and other emotional troubles. Anyway they do a "Sponsor a student" thing for really underprivaleged students who would not otherwise have a Christmas, or any presents to open. I wanted to sponsor someone but forgot about it until last week. Last Thursday I went down to the office and there were only three students out of the entire school who had yet to be picked. I took a look and one of my students was on the list. She is a 7th grader of mine and one of eight children in her single parent home. She is always dirty, and never has any materials needed for schoolwork. I guess I never realized how bad off she was before, I would just get frustrated with her when she asks for pencil and paper everyday. Anyway my heart just really goes out for her because she is definitely got some emotional and self esteem issues because of her family life. Needless to say I got her some things. The coolest thing about this program is that she will ahve no idea that it is I who gave. I hate to say that it has taken the holiday season for me to reach out and help and it makes me sick to think that I am this way. I honestly think that my purpose her on earth is to serve others. Sorry to make this so long but I would like to end with this thought. Please do not just open your heart to others during the holiday season, let it extend throughout the years.

Out of hand

It seems as though my rat problems are getting worse! I picked up the phone in the classroom and answered and thought "That was funny, they hung up".....only to look down and notice that my cord had been chewed by "a certain something". Nice. This is getting out of hand and it looks like I will be having to set out some traps....but people these are no ordinary rats, they are the big ole lake rats that are more like small cats. I am not looking foward to walking in in the morning to see if it has been stuck on the paper. This sucks!

Rat Race

The race this weekend went well. I improved my time by 5 minutes and finished 14 overall female. I was pleased with these results. A new obstacle that I am facing now is at work. There is a rat problem at Lee and it has found it's way into my classroom and is eating my plants!!! I have addressed the issue with the principal twice and I have yet to hear a response back. I really don't want to set traps up in my class. I have had to do it before with a cabin I lived in in college and it is not a pleasant experience. And I do not think I should have to get rid of my plants to keep them away! Any suggestions people?

It's almost Friday!

YEAH! Two stressful things going on this week are over. I was assessed today during first period by the principal. I was not nervous for it but it is a little nerve racking having "an outsider" in your classroom, constantly writing about how the environment is. I just pretended like he wasn't there and went about my business. The class was actually well-behaved. And I got assessed again during 3rd period by a reading coach. She was making sure I was doing the program that we have to implement correctly. She gave me some positive feedback. So now I gotta bust a move to get all my things together and move furniture into my new house. I haven't really started to pack yet. Is it already Thursday?! I run in a 1/2 marathon on Sat morning and for the rest of the day will be moving into my house. I am excited to see if my time improves this year. I had a pace of 7:45 a mile last year and I love this race because their are different people playing music at every other mile and it is nice and cool outside finally. I look forward to this weekend!