Milestone...

My friend's blog has 1,000 followers.

I have 4.

Thank you.

Good thing I use this as an outlet to a frustrating and overwhelming journey of our (my) life.

Bluebird, I wish you well...

And I also shotgun being your editor for your book...

when you finally suck it up and do it.

Because I am an English Teacher...

And I should be able to do something right

because my students test scores are making me depressed.

Kelly Gallagher

Today I was fortunate enough to hear Kelly Gallagher speak.

His most recent book is Readicide, which is about how we are killing reading and what we can do to fix it.

Great speaker.

I think it is because he is also a real classroom teacher.

He took the day off to speak to over 300 Minnesota Teachers, giving them advice on how we can fix the lack of literacy in our students.

Really great guy.

Take a look.

MEA

All teachers need MEA.

It is a great time to catch-up, regroup, and hopefully get ahead.

I am hoping to at least catch-up.

Not sure if that will happen.

Grades are due by the end of the day on Tuesday,

and I have a sub on Monday for a conference.

I am very excited for the conference.

Not so excited for making my complete sub plans.

Dear Substitute,

Thank you for taking my class. Do not allow periods one and five get a pass anywhere.

If you need help (which you will) please dial '0' for the office and ask for help.

Mr. W and Ms. P know my classes.

Sorry in advance.

Have a good day.

Thank you,

L. Beaulieu

August 18th

That was the last time I had been to the gym.

Yes, two months ago...

Josh and I went today.

We went and worked out for 30 minutes.

Not that much, but way better then before.

I also have new insurance which will pay for half of my gym membership if I go 12 times in a month.

We will now go to the gym 4-5 times a week.

We also have a wedding in Mexico that we will be going to in a month.

Maybe 5-6 times a week.

Meeting my GOAL

Yesterday as I was awaiting my hair appointment I took some time to read some magazines. The first one that caught my eye was that of PEOPLE and BULLYING...

Good stuff... I read it for about 20 minutes while I was waiting for the salon to fit me into my appointment.

Patience.

It is a virtue...

Until you have no time.

I managed to wait one hour to get my hair done,

until I left.

I said I would reschedule.

I won't.

Before I was excused from my appointment, my hairstylist had a minute to discuss the mop on my head and what I needed to do with my life...

She suggested that I "make a goal to give myself more ME time."

I immediately started laughing.

Did she not know that my life is filled with "Goals"?

Seriously, I know people can't read my mind, but this might have been my tip off that tonight was the last time I would see her.

If you haven't figured out yet, my life is filled with "Goals". Every class needs to have a Goal for the students to write down. Every PLC has a Goal to accomplish in the next two weeks. Every team has a Goal for their team. Every St. Paul teacher's class has a "Goal" for the day/next week.

I swear to God, if I hear the word "Goal" in my 'unprofessional' life again...

I might scream.

People might think I am crazy...

I don't care.

I am a teacher, and my life is filled with "Goals"

I mean: Goals are very important in life, everyone should have them for every facet of their life. No one should be able to wake up or go to bed without one.

I guess you know how I really feel.

I have to take this link off of my Facebook.

Oh, and in case you were wondering... my hairstylist decided that she needed to wax eyebrows and facial hair instead of get to me... I decided that I couldn't waste another 3 hours there for my hair and went to Target to buy candy for my students, and a new sweater for myself.

I spent the same amount of money last night.

All About School

What is funny is that I didn't really believe people when they said your first year teaching was very busy.

It is.

Today, I was able to take 20 minutes and clean off the top of my desk, recycle some old post it notes, move textbooks to where I needed them, left school before 5pm.

I think it was the first time in weeks I left at 3:40. Which is still an hour after school has gotten out.

I got home to let Lady out for an hour before I get to go and get my hair done.

The girls want me to put red, pink, or blue as a color.

HAHA

I just want it blonde again! Or, maybe I should go brown.

Either way I have to figure out when I can get it done again within three months.

Probably not going to happen, seeing as I don't have much time.

I am not discrediting any other new teacher, but I do think that having at least 2 classes to prep for, not including that boys are totally different from girls, so I guess 3 classes; and the fact that I have no classroom... maybe it might be a bit harder then most.

I am very lucky that 3 out of my 5 classes are really good, and work well for me.

But my first and my last class of the day... well, let's just say I am learning patience like nobody's business, and also how to fully be a disciplinarian.

What is funny is that I am home early, yet I have my laptop in front of me and I am prepping and sending emails to make tomorrow (just tomorrow) a bit smoother.

On a positive note: I have learned how to get through my day with sugar and not coffee.

*I never thought of how much sugar teachers rely on!*

Cake!

In the current school system, homemade treats are not okay.

By not okay, I mean they have been deemed 'bad'.

However, when a student shows up to class with a homemade cake for your (the teachers) birthday, how do you deny?

We had cake, and liked it.

I haven't had to work on my birthday for at least 8 years.

I didn't go to college classes on my birthday.

I had McDonalds for breakfast and hung out either watching marathon TV shows,

or doing something stupid.

I will now work on my birthdays.

Cake will do that for you.

Thank you Mrs. Beaulieu's 8th grade World Geography class for making this a very special day.