The Mad Chatters thread Part 2

[Princess Mindy]

Hi Mad Chatters!! Anybody here? I'm still at work. Its been a pretty busy day-lots to catch up on. I leave in 12 days everyone! I am so close to single digit dancing! I am totaly there with you Jay about the anticipation driving you bananas! So lets zone in on these bananas for a bit!

 

[Bbgrizzle]

Hello, Mad Chatters!!! Sorry no one is here right now!

I'm sad I missed Denise, she and I are never on at the same time anymore! We'll have to make a date to get on the computer at 6:00am so we can chat!

Jay and Minty, your trips are coming up SOON. You are both so stinkin' lucky! I'll be looking forward to my POST CARD from each of you!

Okay, my first day. The things that I was worried about, I didn't need to be. I did get paired up with someone else who knew the kids, but she wasn't really that familiar with that room. So she handled the naptime stuff and things like that. Gotta say, it is nice, when the kids have to sleep for 2 hours!! But other things didn't turn out that good. There are a LOT of wild kids in that class. I would say half are gonna need some serious shaping up. One boy threw a big tantrum and threw toys, hit other kids, and even threw a chair which hit another child. YIKES! I have to observe him to see if he needs to get screened and maybe he might need to leave the center (that's what the principal said).

I've heard that my assistant is hard to work with because she has a hard time being the ASSISTANT and wants to take over everything. I heard she was the reason the last teacher left. But that's just a rumor from the lady I worked with today who is very gossippy! Guess I'll find out tomorrow cause the assistant will be back. The coworkers seem nice, which is good, but I haven't met everyone yet.

One thing that suprised me: About half of the staff there have heavy accents and are difficult to understand (the principal included). I think that would be difficult for the kids.


Okay, that's about it. My back is killing me from being on my feet all day, but I'll get used to it.

I hope someone comes on soon for me to chat with!

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

Hey Bonnie!

Isn't getting the first day under your belt a relief? It was for me. Some things not as bad as I thought, others worse, but at least now I know.

 

[Bbgrizzle]

Yeah, it is nice to get that out of the way.

Are you working right now, Stephanie? If so, where?

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

I work at a high school. I run social skills groups. Fun fun.

 

[Bbgrizzle]

I didn't know that! Cool!

Hey, how come you and I both got our new siggy names on the same day, yet mine disappeared whilst yours is still there? Is yours from Glitterkiss too?

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

It's not that exciting of a job, and I am going to go back to school in the near future to do something that I actually make money at.

I don't know......yep, it is glitterkiss, and I remember getting mine like a minute after you got yours.

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

Ugh, I am just in a funk!

I will chalk it up to back to school blues, but I am just in such a blah mood.

 

[Bbgrizzle]

Have you already gone back to school?

 

[paigevz]

Hi guys. Bonnie, sounds like a roller coaster day. Boy, this business never gets boring, does it?

I had a frustrating kind of day. Seems like we are forever running out of time. We go straight from morning work, to reading groups, to writer's workshop with no breaks in between. 20 min. recess and then math. All before lunch! After lunch is downhill as it's science and then social studies, and then the kids go to specials. The way we do it, though, with the lessons leaves no downtime, really, and very little practice time for the kids. We are having to have them turn in practice work at the end of each period as there is just no time to do it later on. I have worked in 30 min on Fridays for catch up, but that's it. No time for just reading by themselves for fun, no time for centers. It's like running to stand still.

 

[Princess Mindy]

Hi Bonnie! Glad the first day went well! I've been thinking about you today. DOn't worry about the assistant tomorrow. I'm sure things will work out. If she wants to take over some things, maybe just relate that the 2 of you can work together instead of being hierachical and stuff. This approach may help. We are having a similar problem with a staff member at my work who feels she needs to take over and do everything.

Hi Stephanie! Thats cool you work at a high school. How'd your kids treat ya today? You said you started, right?

 

[Bbgrizzle]

Hi Paige. That sounds frustrating, girl! It's hard when you just don't have enough time in the day.

I wanted to ask you, since I am a preschool GIMP, and since you taught pre-k for all those years: When learning the letters of the alphabet at that age, Do you teach them both upper and lower case at the same time? Or do you got through all the upper case and then start over again with the lower case?

In Kindergarten, we spent a week on each letter and did both upper and lower cases. But since lower cases are more difficult to learn to write correctly, I was wondering if pre-k might do it seperately. Your thoughts?

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

Yep, started bright and early this morning. Sounds like we all have the back to school yucks.

Well, tonight is pizza night, so maybe pizza will be the cure.

Talk to you gals later, and hopefully I will be better company next time around.

Catch you later!

 

[Princess Mindy]

Hi Paige
Sorry your day is so frustrating. Its really hard to find the time to get the kids to learn all they need to, I'm sure. Do your kids have to take proficiency exams too?

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

Hi Bonnie! Glad the first day went well! I've been thinking about you today. DOn't worry about the assistant tomorrow. I'm sure things will work out. If she wants to take over some things, maybe just relate that the 2 of you can work together instead of being hierachical and stuff. This approach may help. We are having a similar problem with a staff member at my work who feels she needs to take over and do everything.

Hi Stephanie! Thats cool you work at a high school. How'd your kids treat ya today? You said you started, right?

Hi Mindy!

The school admin, in all their wisdom, decided not to schedule our groups yet, but to change everyone's schedules sometime this week. So all I did today was hand out schedules. So just when everyone gets the hang of things, we will change it up on them.

Ok, I am really going this time. Bye all, have a good evening!

 

[Princess Mindy]

Hi Mindy!

The school admin, in all their wisdom, decided not to schedule our groups yet, but to change everyone's schedules sometime this week. So all I did today was hand out schedules. So just when everyone gets the hang of things, we will change it up on them.

Ok, I am really going this time. Bye all, have a good evening!

Ugh. Thats so frustrating! I hate having things change just when you have set things up

 

[Bbgrizzle]

Hi Bonnie! Glad the first day went well! I've been thinking about you today. DOn't worry about the assistant tomorrow. I'm sure things will work out. If she wants to take over some things, maybe just relate that the 2 of you can work together instead of being hierachical and stuff. This approach may help. We are having a similar problem with a staff member at my work who feels she needs to take over and do everything.

Hi Stephanie! Thats cool you work at a high school. How'd your kids treat ya today? You said you started, right?

Hi Minty! It's great to see you! Thanks for the well wishes about my job. Good advice about the assistant. I thought of doing something similar. I think she and I shoudl have a little powow and decide in advance who will be responsible for what so there is no problem. I've never really had issues like that with coworkers before so hopefully it won't be a big deal.

So only 12 days till your big trip, huh? Exciting!!!

 

[TheDisneyTraveler06]

Hey, Bonnie! How are you, girl?! I am so thrilled to see your green light lit! I'm so glad that you had a good day today. I've been thinking about you so much lately! Hopefully that little boy will get straightened out...

How's everyone else doing tonight?

 

[paigevz]

Nick had a great time at middle school. He likes his classes and teachers, he like the "snack shack" at lunch. He has PE everday, and they will have runs where they must go for a specified period of time. If they make their times all week, they'll get to choose dodgeball, kickball, basketball.........whatever the majority wants for Fridays. The science teacher has promised dissecting and other "fun stuff". The math teacher made a big deal about him being late to class by "15 seconds, mom, I swear".........and I assured him that he's just trying to make sure the kids take being on time seriously and if he's not late again, he will forget all about him being late today. He was upset not being in pre-AP language arts, as his friend is. We were given the criteria, though, and I had explained to him that he was 3 points under (they add together the TAKS test reading score and the average from ELA in 5th grade), but that we'd ask. I told him pre-AP is much more work and this way his grades will be higher. He's in his pre-AP math and is excited to do algebra.

Luke had a great day too. They transitioned the other classes (they had put him in the class he would transition to, as he just started and they didn't want to switch him so soon) and he has a new friend........named Lenny, apparently. He was excited to ask if Lenny could come for a sleepover! They are barely 4 years old..........I sort of changed the subject for that one.

My mom seemed happy when I called. She gets to go home tomorrow or Wed. and her mom is coming to stay with her just to be company and bring her things..........she can't see well as she has cataracts due to her diabetes and she doesn't hear well and forgets things, but she will be company for her, so that will be nice.

 

[Princess Mindy]

Hi Minty! It's great to see you! Thanks for the well wishes about my job. Good advice about the assistant. I thought of doing something similar. I think she and I shoudl have a little powow and decide in advance who will be responsible for what so there is no problem. I've never really had issues like that with coworkers before so hopefully it won't be a big deal.

So only 12 days till your big trip, huh? Exciting!!!

It sounds like you've got it all planned out. that it all goes well

Yep, 12 days to go! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I put together my landyard today for pin trading and attached to the bottom is a pocket where I put a printed copy of the beautiful siggies Lori made, both mine and the mad chatter one! It looks so cool!