I know, a little late, but hey!
Merry Day-After-Christmas!
I'm sitting here gleefully looking at all the stickers I got for Christmas. Yes, stickers. Mom and Dad went to this awesome family-run online educational supply business and bought me... *counts* ...five huge packages of stickers. There's a 2500 variety pack of seasons stickers, 2500 Positive Praisers (<3 I was LOOKING for something like these!), 2500 everyday favorites, 432 sparkle animal fun stickers, and get this, a 480 "Kids' Choice" variety pack of "stinky stickers."
That's right. Scratch-and-sniff.
They have strawberry-scented dinosaurs, guys. Valentin is going to be psyched. X3 *dances* And they ALL SMELL AWESOME. I didn't even have to scratch any to smell how awesome. My kids are going to LOVE these!
I'm so squee! over these stickers.
Oh, oh, and two of my stocking stuffers were these tiny little books: Those Who Care Teach and Teacher, the book jacket of which is like a brown paper bag, and has a "definition" of teacher printed on the front. They're brilliant uplifting little books of quotes and anecdotes, and when I read the last little anecdote in the second I had to laugh because I thought, "I could totally see one of my fifth-graders doing that to me in a heart beat."
So I know that I want to teach but I've already said that I might want to do something outside of the lines before I do the normal teaching thing. At least, it's looking like I may have to do that. I have this extracurricular nonprofit program I'm very passionate about starting, and so far the closer colleges that have schools of public affairs or policy (and by closer I mean Baruch, which is a CUNY school, which isn't terribly close, but anyway) don't have education certification programs. They have minors, but no majors.
Therefore, this is the deal:
I work on trying to start up a nonprofit with no real idea of what I'm doing, but get a head start on teaching and maybe establish myself in a school and try to run it as an extracurricular rather than a multi-school nonprofit, maybe try to develop it as one later,
-or-
I go to a school for public affairs, get a degree or a certification in American Humanics, start up my nonprofit, hope to God it works, and then go back to school for Education and teacher certification once it's off the ground.
I'd love to get a major in Education and a minor in Public Affairs or American Humanics, but Baruch is the only school in downstate NY that has an American Humanics program, it has no teacher certification program or education major, and neither Dowling nor Hofstra have public policy programs.
Business minor? Won't do me any good. I need something specific to running a nonprofit.
Any suggestions? Helpful. Welcome. Pleasethanks.
In the meantime, they DO have a basic American Humanics course at Pulaski Tech that I think I can take as an online course, so I'm going to check that out.
I have to finish this damn Innovation Fund grant, but I haven't gotten any answers to my questions yet. Granted, it *is* Christmas vacation, and Alicia and Jonathan deserve to relax as much if not more so than anyone else...
...but I can't get anything else done on this thing until they give me answers. And *I* can't relax until I don't have to WORRY about it anymore.
You see my dilemma.
Ugh, and I still have to do that computer skills thing...
Anyway, awesomeness on Christmas. Including a visit from Candi and her boyfriend on Christmas eve that I was too Nyquiled up to be coherent for -- but they got me lovely soft slippery socks for Christmas. And a pair of purple socks. I think I remember Candace laughingly pointing out that they were purple because I was so whoooo that I couldn't quite comprehend what I was looking at. I remember you were there guys! I...uh...well I know that much, and I know you were awesome! :D;
Mom said she tried to wake me up this morning to spend some time with me, and that I didn't wake up. I don't know when she did because I was up at 9:30 and again an hour later, and was up for good after that. So when she told me that I felt terrible, like crying, because she wanted to spend time with me and I was apparently sleeping. Only when I asked if maybe she wanted to read in the living room instead of the dining room because it was more comfortable in there and she'd said she wanted to spend time with me, she said she just wanted five minutes to read, if it was ok, and of course I was going to say it was ok.
...and then she was heading upstairs and asked if I didn't want the light on, and I asked if she wanted to come in and hang out for awhile, and she said she just wanted to go up and take a nap.
...I'm getting really frustrated guys. .___. And I'm starting to feel overwhelmed and upset for no reason. I've had really weird sleeping patterns 'cause of the coughing so I haven't been too steady on my meds, and I'm probably just...PMSing or...something. But it just upsets me.
We passed Mandees and I was joking that I should have brought one of my giftcard things, because she'd wanted to go. And she said maybe we'd go Friday ok?
*sigh* I dunno...it was so bad when I came back that I told Mom and Dad they needed to get marriage counseling. I even gave Dad an ultimatum, that I wouldn't come home after Little Rock if he didn't, because apparently Mom had asked about going before and he said fine and never went. I talked to Mom about all of it already and she's of the opinion that it's all hopeless, that everyone tries to make her life as difficult as possible, and that she missed the boat on being happy in general.
I don't know what to do. Or how to deal with it. I'm trying to be the adult, since no one else is. But it's hard. And I find myself sitting here thinking, "I want to go home," but I am home. So where is it that I want to go? Back in time maybe...
Anyway, I'm really Rei-sick. Rei, I miss you! Holy hell. Mom got this little photo carousel thing for Christmas from Jerry and Heather, and she had me print out a picture of me and you to put in it, not just putting one of me in there. I miss you.
*curls up in ball* Yeah, PMS talking...maybe I should just take some more Nyquil and call it a day?
These stickers are so cool. I'm just going to look at these some more, start on one of my new books and pass out until Rei gets back so I can talk to her. I feel like she's one of the only steadily good things in life right now.
I also didn't realize quite how much I miss Devin...even when he pisses me off about my lesson plans. *not serious* *pokes him*
*wears sparkly Santa hat...even though it isn't Christmas anymore*
And in true Joanna fashion, I'm donning a really nice soft blue fleece and blue, white, and yellow fleece scarf I treated myself to at Walmart, my light blue plaid pajama bottoms, a yellow sock to match the scarf...
...and one salmon sock. Just because I can.
Merry Day-After-Christmas X3
(At some point I'mma go down to the supermarket and get some carrots and celery so I can make myself some quick and easy chicken soup -- with potatoes too this time. Yayness.)
(Oh -- and Tomo's card was so sweet. She drew an apple for the teacher in it for me.)
(Sorry it got so random emo on you guys...have some extra stinky-stickers to make it better. >.>; )
Oh and all my grant work? It's in a great little folder-thing with pockets and a legal pad and pen in it that all say "Meadowcliff Elementary." I was carrying it everywhere whether I was using it or not. That and a power team cup and water bottle and t-shirt -- Principal Carter gave them to us (the Tennenbaum Family Foundation City Year team, the one at Meadowcliff) as Christmas gifts after calling City Year to the front office over the loudspeaker then back to her office like we were in trouble. xD; I was so touched I almost cried.
I'm such a friggin sap. I'mma curl up with some super-happy Nyquil now...and maybe with some slippers on. I got a lot of those under the tree too. My old ones were falling apart. Thank you, guys. <3;;;
I'm sitting here gleefully looking at all the stickers I got for Christmas. Yes, stickers. Mom and Dad went to this awesome family-run online educational supply business and bought me... *counts* ...five huge packages of stickers. There's a 2500 variety pack of seasons stickers, 2500 Positive Praisers (<3 I was LOOKING for something like these!), 2500 everyday favorites, 432 sparkle animal fun stickers, and get this, a 480 "Kids' Choice" variety pack of "stinky stickers."
That's right. Scratch-and-sniff.
They have strawberry-scented dinosaurs, guys. Valentin is going to be psyched. X3 *dances* And they ALL SMELL AWESOME. I didn't even have to scratch any to smell how awesome. My kids are going to LOVE these!
I'm so squee! over these stickers.
Oh, oh, and two of my stocking stuffers were these tiny little books: Those Who Care Teach and Teacher, the book jacket of which is like a brown paper bag, and has a "definition" of teacher printed on the front. They're brilliant uplifting little books of quotes and anecdotes, and when I read the last little anecdote in the second I had to laugh because I thought, "I could totally see one of my fifth-graders doing that to me in a heart beat."
So I know that I want to teach but I've already said that I might want to do something outside of the lines before I do the normal teaching thing. At least, it's looking like I may have to do that. I have this extracurricular nonprofit program I'm very passionate about starting, and so far the closer colleges that have schools of public affairs or policy (and by closer I mean Baruch, which is a CUNY school, which isn't terribly close, but anyway) don't have education certification programs. They have minors, but no majors.
Therefore, this is the deal:
I work on trying to start up a nonprofit with no real idea of what I'm doing, but get a head start on teaching and maybe establish myself in a school and try to run it as an extracurricular rather than a multi-school nonprofit, maybe try to develop it as one later,
-or-
I go to a school for public affairs, get a degree or a certification in American Humanics, start up my nonprofit, hope to God it works, and then go back to school for Education and teacher certification once it's off the ground.
I'd love to get a major in Education and a minor in Public Affairs or American Humanics, but Baruch is the only school in downstate NY that has an American Humanics program, it has no teacher certification program or education major, and neither Dowling nor Hofstra have public policy programs.
Business minor? Won't do me any good. I need something specific to running a nonprofit.
Any suggestions? Helpful. Welcome. Pleasethanks.
In the meantime, they DO have a basic American Humanics course at Pulaski Tech that I think I can take as an online course, so I'm going to check that out.
I have to finish this damn Innovation Fund grant, but I haven't gotten any answers to my questions yet. Granted, it *is* Christmas vacation, and Alicia and Jonathan deserve to relax as much if not more so than anyone else...
...but I can't get anything else done on this thing until they give me answers. And *I* can't relax until I don't have to WORRY about it anymore.
You see my dilemma.
Ugh, and I still have to do that computer skills thing...
Anyway, awesomeness on Christmas. Including a visit from Candi and her boyfriend on Christmas eve that I was too Nyquiled up to be coherent for -- but they got me lovely soft slippery socks for Christmas. And a pair of purple socks. I think I remember Candace laughingly pointing out that they were purple because I was so whoooo that I couldn't quite comprehend what I was looking at. I remember you were there guys! I...uh...well I know that much, and I know you were awesome! :D;
Mom said she tried to wake me up this morning to spend some time with me, and that I didn't wake up. I don't know when she did because I was up at 9:30 and again an hour later, and was up for good after that. So when she told me that I felt terrible, like crying, because she wanted to spend time with me and I was apparently sleeping. Only when I asked if maybe she wanted to read in the living room instead of the dining room because it was more comfortable in there and she'd said she wanted to spend time with me, she said she just wanted five minutes to read, if it was ok, and of course I was going to say it was ok.
...and then she was heading upstairs and asked if I didn't want the light on, and I asked if she wanted to come in and hang out for awhile, and she said she just wanted to go up and take a nap.
...I'm getting really frustrated guys. .___. And I'm starting to feel overwhelmed and upset for no reason. I've had really weird sleeping patterns 'cause of the coughing so I haven't been too steady on my meds, and I'm probably just...PMSing or...something. But it just upsets me.
We passed Mandees and I was joking that I should have brought one of my giftcard things, because she'd wanted to go. And she said maybe we'd go Friday ok?
*sigh* I dunno...it was so bad when I came back that I told Mom and Dad they needed to get marriage counseling. I even gave Dad an ultimatum, that I wouldn't come home after Little Rock if he didn't, because apparently Mom had asked about going before and he said fine and never went. I talked to Mom about all of it already and she's of the opinion that it's all hopeless, that everyone tries to make her life as difficult as possible, and that she missed the boat on being happy in general.
I don't know what to do. Or how to deal with it. I'm trying to be the adult, since no one else is. But it's hard. And I find myself sitting here thinking, "I want to go home," but I am home. So where is it that I want to go? Back in time maybe...
Anyway, I'm really Rei-sick. Rei, I miss you! Holy hell. Mom got this little photo carousel thing for Christmas from Jerry and Heather, and she had me print out a picture of me and you to put in it, not just putting one of me in there. I miss you.
*curls up in ball* Yeah, PMS talking...maybe I should just take some more Nyquil and call it a day?
These stickers are so cool. I'm just going to look at these some more, start on one of my new books and pass out until Rei gets back so I can talk to her. I feel like she's one of the only steadily good things in life right now.
I also didn't realize quite how much I miss Devin...even when he pisses me off about my lesson plans. *not serious* *pokes him*
*wears sparkly Santa hat...even though it isn't Christmas anymore*
And in true Joanna fashion, I'm donning a really nice soft blue fleece and blue, white, and yellow fleece scarf I treated myself to at Walmart, my light blue plaid pajama bottoms, a yellow sock to match the scarf...
...and one salmon sock. Just because I can.
Merry Day-After-Christmas X3
(At some point I'mma go down to the supermarket and get some carrots and celery so I can make myself some quick and easy chicken soup -- with potatoes too this time. Yayness.)
(Oh -- and Tomo's card was so sweet. She drew an apple for the teacher in it for me.)
(Sorry it got so random emo on you guys...have some extra stinky-stickers to make it better. >.>; )
Oh and all my grant work? It's in a great little folder-thing with pockets and a legal pad and pen in it that all say "Meadowcliff Elementary." I was carrying it everywhere whether I was using it or not. That and a power team cup and water bottle and t-shirt -- Principal Carter gave them to us (the Tennenbaum Family Foundation City Year team, the one at Meadowcliff) as Christmas gifts after calling City Year to the front office over the loudspeaker then back to her office like we were in trouble. xD; I was so touched I almost cried.
I'm such a friggin sap. I'mma curl up with some super-happy Nyquil now...and maybe with some slippers on. I got a lot of those under the tree too. My old ones were falling apart. Thank you, guys. <3;;;