"Yo, Miss, I need your help!"
You know, I try so hard to be professional and treat my students with courtesy and respect with the hope that they in turn will treat me the same. However, some kids just don't get it. This kid in my 5th period class just bursts out in the middle of class with, "Yo, Miss, I need your help!" I spent all of last week teaching and practicing what the correct way is for someone to get my attention in class. This kid was there the entire time, but somehow missed that minor requirement. Whatever happened to "Ms. Hall, I need help"? It's not that hard!
Anyway, that's just a minor pet peeve. It's Tuesday, and the week seems to be dragging. Tomorrow is our accelerated day and the kids are out an hour early. I have big plans for my extra hour of planning. I'm going to file every piece of stray paper I can find! I stayed an extra 20 minutes today just to clear off my table so I could actually see the bottom of it. It's amazing how much paper I accumulate in a week.
I've been doing cooperative learning groups with my kids, and overall it's going well. They are enjoying the activities and the opportunity to socialize in the process. Tomorrow, since each class is only about 30 minutes, I am doing a chalkboard relay where they compete against each other in teams to complete math problems. It's going to be really loud in my portable! However, everyone needs to be loud once in a while.
I'm also trying to get my exercise routine going again. I had to quit for a few months because of surgery, and I gained a few pounds because of the inactivity. So, it's back to kickboxing two days a week. The instructor added a third day, but I need to build my stamina back up before I attempt that. In addition, I am also trying to walk my dogs everyday. Yesterday was the first time I had them on one leash. I bought this leash at Pet Supermarket that has two leads attached to one main leash. It's supposed to make it easier for someone to walk more than one dog. However, it's still a challenge to me. My dogs are not the most well trained dogs in the world especially on a leash. I was only able to walk them about halfway down the block before I turned around and came back because they constantly pull and compete with each other. It drives me crazy! I'm going to keep trying though. The idea is that walking them will keep them a little more calm since I'm gone during the week and don't have time to play with them. We'll see.
Happy Reading!