TP and Eggs

On September 25th my husband and I woke up to our house having been TP'ed and egged. We were unhappy because we were on our way to church when we noticed it. We had to skip church to clean up because it was about to rain. Well, during our clean up is started to rain pretty hard. We called the police so we could have it on file and because we found the receipt for the purchase of the TP and eggs. We figured that was it and we moved on with our lives.

On October 10th we were TP'ed again. This time the nose bridge on my husband's only pair of glasses broke while trying to clean the yard. Because he has prisms the new pairs didn't come in until yesterday. He went eleven days with headaches and other annoyances because he had to live with broken glasses. It especially sucked because we bought those glasses in March so insurance did not cover the new glasses. We again reported this to the police and asked for a case to be opened since his glasses were damaged and because now our trees were sick from mold. (We weren't able to get all the TP off the last time before the rain started). My husband put in two security cameras outside.

On October 20th we were TP'ed and egged again. This time my husband was awake when it happened. He went outside and caught them in the act. They were wearing black ski masks and dark clothes. They scattered and one went into our backyard. He was able to escape without our dogs mauling him (pretty damn lucky if you ask me). My husband called the police and they stayed in our neighbor's driveway (lights off and such) for a while to see if the perps would come back. They didn't. My husband was too kind to me and didn't wake me up for all of this.

Obviously I am upset by all of this. This is now a more serious case for a few reasons: they egged our cars and the paint on our house so there is now very definite damage that is directly caused by their actions. Also, they went into our backyard which is definitely trespassing whereas being in our front yard isn't a real offense. I am so tired of feeling hated and scared. Yes, I am scared at this point. Since they escalated from TP and a few eggs in the yard to purposefully egging the cars and wearing ski masks, what are they going to do next? Are they going to hurt my dogs? Are they going to break in? I'm pretty sure that I'm getting worried about nothing but that fear is still there. I heard the dogs barking this morning and my first thought was, "Oh my gosh, they are in my backyard again." I shouldn't have to think that. (The dogs were actually barking at the neighbor's dog in case you were wondering)

Honestly, I am also now afraid for the kids (I think it's teenagers) doing this. Do they not realize that we live in Texas? Freaking everybody owns guns. Going into anyone's backyard while wearing a ski mask and dark clothes is asking to be shot. I am earnestly praying that they don't come back for everyone's sake.

If you are the praying kind, please pray that these kids (or idiot adults?) have decided to stop. I can see why someone may see TP'ing as funny even though I don't but this isn't funny anymore. This is mean and hurtful.

-Clare G. S.

Terrible Blogger

Ok, so I'm a terrible blogger. I haven't written in nearly a month. Life has been crazy. These Freshmen really know how to push my buttons. The good news is that we hired a new teacher so my class sizes are now 21-25 students instead of 21-32. My students scores are near the school average so I'm pretty happy.

I really want to update on my progress toward a healthier me. Here are the numbers. Remember, they are compared to where I started on August 1st of this year.

• Weight: -16 lbs
• Bust: -1"
• Band: -2"
• Natural waist: -4"
• Hips: -2"

To be frank I'm mostly losing weight because I don't eat much during lunch. In the past I've had conference during lunch so I basically had over an hour to eat. Now I have 30 minutes to eat but once you factor in a bathroom break, running to ISS for students who were just put in there, setting up for my next class, etc it's more like 15-20 minutes. I cannot eat much in that time because it upsets my stomach so I usually just eat an apple or a pear. I'm sure it's not the healthiest thing to do but I haven't found time to eat during my conference either (it's from 11:15-noon). There's just too much to do!

Speaking of too much to do, I have to run. I have plenty to do before I can go to bed tonight. I will try my best to post on Tuesday!

-Clare G. S.

Substitute Teachers

Let me start by saying that I hate having a sub. It is much easier to go to work sick than to deal with a sub. It was especially bad when I had multiple preps (I taught Spanish 3, advanced 3, 4, AP 4, IB 4, AP 5, and IB 5) because the sub had a tendency to give the handouts to the wrong classes. When I have a sub I have to deal with a messy classroom, writing up students for their behavior, trusting the sub required the students to follow my rules (must be in their assigned seat, no electronic devices, no food/drink/perfume, etc), and having no idea until later if the sub gave the correct directions (paper A is due before class ends, paper B is due tomorrow, etc).

Today and tomorrow I have required training all day so I had no choice but to get a sub. I returned to my classroom at the end of the day and I am NOT happy. Here's what went wrong while I was out:

• The sub did not leave any notes for me so that makes me assume all of my classes were little angels. I really don't think that's true.
• No one was marked tardy. Again, I don't think that's true.
• There were food wrappers littering my floor which means students were eating in class. That's not allowed in any classroom at my school.
• There was a pencil stuck in my ceiling which means my students definitely were not angelitos but the sub didn't tell me.
• A few of the tennis balls that were on the bottom of the chairs were scattered about the room. Again, the sub did not leave a note saying students were playing with the tennis balls.
• Some papers were paper clipped and on my desk and others were in the turn-in box. My instructions said the students should turn in everything to the turn-in tray. I have no clue why the papers were separated.

What tops this all off is that I have the same sub tomorrow. We are short subs so there is nothing I can do about it. That means that tomorrow I will once again find myself on my hands and knees cleaning the broken pencils, food wrappers, crumpled papers, etc from my floor. Also, the students have a quiz tomorrow. The good news is that they can use notes so I don't have to worry about the sub watching for much cheating. However, I have a strict no talking/whispering and no electronic device while any quizzes are out. I have the distinct feeling that the sub won't write down the names of those who talk or use electronic devices.

Well, as you might have noticed, I like to end on a happy note. I won $100 in school supplies from GoGuardian! They are a company that makes software that allows me to monitor my students' computer use while they are in my class. I entered a drawing about a month or two ago and I got the news today that I won! They will buy me $100 worth of school supplies from my Amazon wish list. I filled it with pencils and lines paper. Specifically I will receive 3 grosses of quality pencils and 150 sheets of paper. I ration my pencils; I add two pencils to my "borrow box" everyday and almost everyday by 4pm that box is empty. I'll still have that problem but at least it won't cost me anything. :)

Yay!

-Clare G. S.

Kermit Flail

How I feel on most days. :/

Life has been hectic. I am almost well again. I still have a cough and my sinuses are still bothering me a bit. I'm kind of sad because I can't sing in my normal range. I'm basically stuck as a tenor right now so that means no singing in the choir until my vocal chords heal.

I guess the biggest news I have is that my students took their first unit test . . . and it was awful. My overall average was 58%. That includes the student who made a 0 (yes, he filled in the entire multiple choice test and made a 0), the student who answered only one question out of 15, and the students who obviously filled in random bubbles or all C. On the bright side, the school-wide average when you take out my students was about 68% so my guys are not terribly far behind. What really bothers me is that we offer test corrections. The students had about 25 minutes on Wednesday to work on corrections and otherwise they had to come in after school. I made it very clear that Friday was the absolute last day for corrections (except those who have been absent). I had just over 1/3 of my students do the corrections. The test corrections walk you through what to do! They can use notes, calculators, and ask me questions while they work on it! There was no reason anyone should 1. pass up this opportunity to raise their grade and 2. get below a 50 on the test after corrections.

I am up-to-date on all of my grading so tomorrow I'm going to make calls home to all of my students who have below a 60 in my class. If I have time, I will also call those that have a 60-75 since that is failing (but close to passing) or borderline. I'm too ashamed to tell you how many phone calls I will need to make.

I need to update y'all on the retaining wall but it's a mess as well. The short story is that it looks like we will be taking our contractor to court for theft. We paid him for some jobs that he never did and now he refuses to do. The good news is that we are very good about keeping a "nest egg" so if we lose that money it will hurt but we will be able to make it.

Let's end on a positive note: I started to flip my classroom on Friday. Most of my students said that they liked video notes better than me lecturing because they can go at their own pace. I had one student complain that I talk too much in the videos. I pointed out that the videos are less than 15 minutes long. When I lecture, it's 20-25 minutes so I'm actually talking less in the videos. Another student said he didn't like the videos because then he couldn't ask questions. I pointed out that it's easier to ask questions because now he doesn't have to feel like he is stopping the whole class. Plus, I now have more class time to answer those questions in detail. Basically, for every "hater" I was able to explain why flipped learning was better. Here's hoping it's a success! :D

-Clare G. S.

I'm not quite dead yet

I feel a bit like the guy on the shoulders

I apologize for the hiatus. Life last week was crazy and then I caught a cold. I've decided that I need to change the days I post. Wednesday is too crazy; I have choir rehearsal and sometimes I have all-staff meeting which leaves very little time for writing. I'm going to try writing Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday since I don't have any regular commitments on those days.

The reason why last week was so nuts was partially because I had hall duty. That means that for 20 minutes before classes begin each morning I had to stand in the cafeteria and make sure none of the students acted like fools. It's boring but I understand the need for it. We have a rotating schedule so last week was it until the next grading period. Unfortunately, that took away 20 vital minutes in my day. That's when I make copies, take work to ISS, and answer e-mails.

Well, it wouldn't have been so bad if things didn't seem to pop up during my conference each day. Someone from Texas Instruments (they make the calculator we use) came by to talk and see if I needed help. She's a wonderful person but I just didn't have time that day for an in-person talk. However, that was the only day she was on our campus. Another day I walked work to ISS, came back to my room and found out that another student had just been sent to ISS and needed her work. I took her work over and then I had to go to a secretary to drop off work for a student who was out sick for the week. I got my exercise that day!

It all really came to a grinding halt on Friday when I woke up with a bit of a sore throat. By Saturday morning I was miserable. I definitely had caught a cold. Sunday was pretty bad but I decided to go to work today anyway. Looking back, it probably would have been wiser to stay home. I really hate having a sub because it usually means more work when I get back.

The good news is that tomorrow my students have a test so that means I can rest my voice a bit. Here's hoping they do well!

-Clare G. S.

P.S. - No walking recently because I wasn't feeling well. :(

Vacation?

I almost forgot to write today so I'm going to keep this short. Today was not a vacation day for me. Sure, I didn't have classes but I worked from 10am-6pm and then 7:30pm-9pm. I even went to the school and made some copies. However, I did get to spend some quality time with my husband on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We celebrated his birthday by going to dinner with his sister and her husband. I made a yummy carrot cake (his favorite). That cake is gone now lol.

Yesterday my husband and I saw Kubo and the Two Strings. It was so good! The only thing I didn't like was Matthew McConaughey as the Beetle. I can't even describe why I disliked it. His voice just didn't seem to match the character. My husband thinks that there should have been more back story for the Moon King and the aunts but I didn't think that was really necessary. Visually it was AMAZING. It's stop motion with some computer graphics for the backgrounds mostly. The music is beautiful. In fact, I plan on buying the soundtrack so that I can play it in my classroom. If you like Japanese culture, this movie will put a smile on your face.

Time for my measurements! If you follow me on Twitter (@ClareG161) you may have seen that I was pleasantly surprised with my weight. The other measurements are moving in the right direction as well! :D

• Weight: -10lbs!
• Bust: -1.5"
• Band: -1"
• Natural waist: -3"
• Waist: -1/2"

-Clare G. S.

3 Day Weekend Ahead!

Week two as a math teacher is over! It was definitely a roller coaster of a week. The good news is that it ended pretty well. I need to remember in the future to see if my students who are causing trouble are athletes. Those coaches know how to reach the kids! Sports are very important to many of the kids so if the coach says, "If you don't start behaving in class you won't play" the kids magically find a way to behave.

The real problem with dealing with disruptive students is that it is negatively affecting my health. :( I have a sensitive stomach and apparently I have been more anxious about this than I thought. I have woken up feeling sick to my stomach every day this week. What doesn't help is that I have these problem students near the end of the day so I spend the entire morning thinking, "Everything is fine now but in a few hours I have to be prepared." It's really hard to stop myself thinking that way! I need to enjoy my classes because really a majority of them are awesome! In the couple of classes where I have trouble it's just a few students who are causing the trouble and I'm working hard on finding what makes them tick so that I can motivate them to do their work and not bother others. If any of you have good ideas to reduce anxiety, let me know! Please don't suggest yoga. I've tried it a few times and I feel ridiculous and everyone else in the class seems to take it waaaaay too seriously.

I'm still not exercising as much as I would like but I'm hoping that this long weekend will help. My plan of attack is to take a nice long walk tomorrow morning and Monday morning. I want to use this weekend to get ahead in my work so that I have the time to exercise. I am still not finding much time to eat lunch which worries me a little. I didn't even realize how little I ate today until I sat down to dinner! My breakfast was just an apple, I had a granola bar for a mid-morning snack, and lunch was half of a Hot Pocket. That's got to be fewer than 500 Calories in total.

I almost forgot to talk about my husband's birthday! Yesterday he turned 30 and I had a funny little gift for him. I should preface this story by saying that my husband and I don't really buy each other gifts anymore because we like to save our money so that we can go on trips. We agree that we would rather spend money doing fun things together than on trinkets that we don't really need. If we happen to find something small that we think the other would especially enjoy we go ahead and purchase it. Well, my husband loves Fruit by the Foot. Specifically, he likes the flavor "Berry Tie Dye". Unfortunately the grocery store only sells variety packs so he ends up eating a bunch he doesn't really like just to get to the ones he enjoys. I thought he would get a kick out of receiving a few boxes of just his favorite flavor. After a lot of online shopping I found out that Walmart had the best price. About two weeks before his birthday I ordered the boxes. Well, the week before his birthday I picked up the shipment and they were all the variety packs. I contacted Walmart and they re-sent the correct items without charging me extra. It was cutting it close because it was supposed to come in the day before his birthday. On his birthday I ran up to Walmart and lo and behold they sent variety packs again. I was not happy. Luckily my husband and I have a good sense of humor because we are now stuck with 120 Fruit by the Foot (10 boxes of 12). I think we are set for after school snacks for the next couple of months.

9 of the 10 boxes we now own

-Clare G. S.

AMDG

In more modern language I would title this post #blessed

Today was a much better day. Before I can get to today, I have to talk about yesterday. Tuesday wasn't that great of a day. No, there was no fight but I still had students talking over me, making odd noises, etc for all of that one class period. I tried a tactic I have seen used by other teachers where we all go in the hall and then file back in the classroom with absolutely no talking. If they talk, we try again. We probably spent 10 or 15 minutes doing that. They failed to enter the classroom in silence each time. I was frustrated beyond belief. My last period of the day has been a bit challenging simply because I have 33 students and only 31 chairs (that includes my stool!). I e-mailed our principal in charge of discipline so that we could meet and talk about what I should do next.

Last night I talked to my husband and the only solution we could think of was to give the students one warning in class. If they keep acting up it would have to be a referral. I have changed seats, talked to the students one-on-one, and called home. I have used all of my options. My meeting today with the AP (assistant principal) arrived to the same conclusion.

Today went much more smoothly. I had a few students acting up so I took them out into the hallway for a short chat and made sure they understood that if I had to address their behavior again today that I would send them directly to the principal. Each student said he understood. Each student chose to act up again so they were sent to the office. Once the few who were causing a majority of the distractions were gone class was better. There was still some talking, poking other students, etc but I was able to teach and do small re-directions.

Here's where I have to bring in God. During my talk with my husband last night I told him that part of the reason I felt so horrible is because I have been praying to God everyday usually multiple times per day. I was asking for patience, for the Holy Spirit to guide me, and for the Holy Spirit to guide my students. I was feeling like God was just ignoring me because nothing was changing. Today, I have to admit that I was foolish and that God was there all along. He kept me calm and level headed and I made it through today with His help. I titled this post AMDG (Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam) because all thanks and glory belong to God. It made me think of that song I sang at Catholic camp as a kid: Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory! :)

Health

I'm still not going on walks around the neighborhood but it's mostly because I honestly think I walk more than a mile each day at school. I need to find my old pedometer to see if this is true. My husband and I have been better about eating at home even though many of our meals are frozen. It's still cheaper and at least a little better than eating out. At school I rarely have time to eat more than just my sandwich and a granola bar or two. I end up really hungry by dinner time but the weight is just dropping off now! (The scale says I'm down another pound) I'm realizing that I have been eating way more than my body needed. I was eating until I was full when really I ought to eat until I'm no longer hungry. It sounds like a small difference but I think it's an important one. I have little down time or a chance to be bored so I'm not filling that time with food. Any down time I earn is mostly used to chat with my husband and read.

Oh yeah, this is going to sound really random but I have other good news: my toe nail grew back! I accidentally ripped off most of one of them at the beginning of July but it is 100% fine now. 

Now that I've grossed you out, I think it's time to go. ;)

-Clare G. S.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Today was pretty darn awful. I don't feel like writing but I want to give an update so I'm doing bullet points today.

• We left the house nearly 20 minutes late. I hate being late. This meant I didn't have time to finish all my copies, etc.
• The dogs got tangled in their leads 3 times before we even left the house. (They are on a trolley system because we are missing a large chunk of our fence. That's a whole 'nother story)
• The dogs knocked over the water just as I was about to leave so I had to go refill their water. (Small annoyance, I know)
• There was a physical fight in one of my classes. I've never had a physical fight in my classroom.
• Because of the above some of my co-workers saw me cry with frustration during PLC (meeting with our teams and/or department)
• The usual student interruptions from talking and such.
• A student complaining so much about having to take notes that I had to talk to him outside because I couldn't continue my lesson.
• They added a new student to my largest class so I now have 34 students and only 28 desks. (Nutshell explanation: we had many more student enroll this year than projected. We need to hire more teachers)
• Gene Wilder died.

My husband pointed out that I did everything I could to try to prevent the fight from happening and that it had nothing to do with me nor my class. Still, I feel crappy about it. It took so long to get my class back on task afterward. They are already a "lively" group and this just killed the class period.

Happy Stuff

Because, darn it, I've got to look at the bright side.

• A student who would not stop talking (I moved his seat, talked to his parent/guardian, talked to him one-on-one) was a little better today.
• A student told my husband that I'm a very kind person.
• One of my co-workers (I called her K in a previous post) gave me a big hug after the whole fight ordeal.
• All of the parents I have talked to have been very level headed and want to help their students succeed.
• I let myself have a Dr Pepper and it was good.
• See below for my health update. It's really good!

I haven't been working out much because school has taken over. I couldn't walk my planned 2 miles on Saturday because my butt was sore. I forgot how much I walk during the day when I have class! I only walked 1 mile last week but I walked 2 miles on Sunday. Here are the numbers:

• Weight: -6 lbs
• Bust: 0"
• Band: -1"
• Waist: -2.5"
• Hips: -.5"

I have to run off. There is plenty of paperwork that I really need to do. If you are the praying type, I could really use some prayers. Thanks!

-Clare G. S.

End of the week

Or when you don't want yourself/your husband to starve to death

Well, I have made it through my first week of school as an Algebra teacher. It was not an easy week. I would say over 90% of my students are just fabulous. That <10% is tough. Today I almost had a physical fight break out in one class. I was definitely saved by the bell because it rang just when things were getting really bad. I'd rather not focus on the negative so let's talk about some positive topics.

First, it may help to know my team a bit. Our leader is K. She has been teaching for a couple of decades. In fact, she taught our lead teacher when our lead teacher was in high school! (I don't understand this because K does not look like she is old enough for that to be possible.) The other Algebra I teacher is O. She is new to the district but not new to teaching. She came from an, uh, interesting district. It sounds like the admin there were completely clueless.

Today we were chatting while picking up some supplies and we all agreed on something: it is really nice to work with each other. You see, I think that I can work with just about any reasonable person and maybe even a few unreasonable people. What's really nice about this year is that I actually enjoy working with K and O. (Side note: I just realized that I could totally call them OK. Can I call them OK? Haha.) We all agreed that it makes our day much easier when we get along well with our teammates. It's good to have one part of my day that I know won't be stressful because I'm working with good people.

Speaking of school, I realized that I have a lot of digital paperwork that I need to do because our school changed how we deal with those minor problems that tend to grow into big problems (using phones in class, talking back, purposefully bothering other students, etc). Hopefully I will get better at doing that daily instead of once a week.

My only other news is that I've only walked one mile this week. :( Trying to get back into the swing of things was hectic so I decided to not go on my morning walks so that I could get a little more sleep. My plan is to walk at least two miles tomorrow morning. I would really like to then do a two mile walk in the evening but I think that may be unwise. Oh yeah, I was a little bad. I had my first soda in about three weeks. I'm not too upset because I used to have a soda a day so one in three weeks is a HUGE improvement. :)

Until next time!
-Clare G. S.

New subject, new students

The only problem is that I feel like the one on the right

Yesterday was our first day of school with the students and my first day teaching Algebra! Overall, I think it went well. So far I work well with the other two teachers who teach Algebra 1. The first day of school went exceptionally well until after lunch. I then had a class with about six students who wanted to talk and disrupt class the entire time. I took each student to the hallway in turn to discuss how they were starting the year. Today I changed their seats so that they were separated. That got four of the students to change their behavior. I now just have two who would rather socialize than work. I have a couple more strategies to see if we can get them on the right path. I'm hopeful but very tired!

Tomorrow is when I really start to hit the math concepts so I'm a bit nervous. I talked to my team and have some great tips. You see, I know how to do this math but I'm not sure I know the best way to teach it. One of my teammates showed me how to explain solving polynomial equations with just four steps. That's much simpler than how I would have done it! I'm incredibly grateful for their help and I keep telling them so.

Along with a new subject, I am teaching a new demographic of students: freshmen! Whenever someone hears this they say something to the effect of "Oh my gosh, God bless you." In my experience, freshmen aren't really that different from sophomores. I'm more worried about having students with special needs & accommodations and probably not for the reason you are thinking. To follow state and federal laws, I must be certain that I am giving the students the accommodations they need and to give that consistently. I've created a spreadsheet to keep track of what they need because there is such a variety! I had no clue that these lists were so specific. Accommodations can include behavior (seated near the teacher, encourage class participation, private conferences, reminders of the class rules, etc) and academics (note outlines, extra time, oral administration, etc). I'm hoping that doing these things will quickly become a habit.

The only other thing that is worrying me about work right now is my class size. That is completely normal for the beginning of the year as the counselors work out schedules. Unfortunately I currently have 28 student desks (with chairs attached) in my classroom but I have one class with 32 students. I have a table I use for absent folders, turn-in boxes, etc that is currently my overflow area. I have lucked out because I only have two chairs for that desk but I've had enough students be absent that everyone has had a place to sit everyday. I'm hoping this is fixed soon because I like to have a seating chart and that's very difficult when there aren't enough seats.

On a very different note, I have solved a mystery. Last year my husband never finished the lunches I packed and I felt a little hurt about this because it takes some extra time to pack them. He always said he never had time to finish the lunch and I couldn't understand why. Last year I happened to have conference during the lunch period. That meant I could easily take my time during lunch since it blended with my conference. This year I have a class directly before and after lunch. I've found that those 30 minutes really aren't enough. The first six minutes are spent helping in the hallway during passing period. The next few minutes are spent taking a bathroom break, responding to urgent e-mails, and just sitting and breathing. The next thing I know I have 15 minutes to eat and prepare for my next class! Yesterday and today I had a sandwich and a yogurt. I've tried to have a snack during conference but I haven't yet found the time to do it.

Speaking of food, I've got to leave my blogging here for today. I really need to work on dinner. I'm a bit sad because I'm missing the first church choir rehearsal of the season because my throat is so sore but at least I don't have to bolt down my food.

¡Hasta luego!
-Clare G. S.

On Anxiety

For those of you who don't know, I have GAD (General Anxiety Disorder). It basically means that I can get anxiety about anything. My no. 1 cause of anxiety is feeling like I can't accomplish everything I need to do on-time. Being a teacher, this can be a problem because I have to learn to prioritize what admin wants me to do. It often just isn't possible to do everything they ask. However, I feel awful when I don't do everything that is asked of me. There are lots of other things that trigger anxiety for me: doctors (especially my psychiatrist, ironically enough), crowded grocery stores, pets being unruly, etc.

Today my anxiety hit pretty hard. It was about 6pm and I was working in my classroom. The room looked pretty good so I was working on catching up on paper work. I hadn't finished my lesson plan for the week (that was due at 8am today, ugh) and I needed to edit my intro slide show since I'm teaching a new subject. It then hit me that ohmygosh I'm teaching a completely different subject! I've been teaching Spanish for four years and I'm switching to Algebra. Algebra! What if I totally messed up and told my students something incorrect? What if I forgot all of the terminology? What if the freshman are just as rowdy as everyone says they are? What if I can't handle having students with special needs in my class? I was freaking out. I sat for a moment and tried to focus on my breathing. It was helping but I could feel myself still on that edge so I went to talk to my husband.

Let me first say, I thank God daily for my husband. He knows exactly how to help me through my anxiety. So, I showed up in his classroom where he was working (we work at the same school) and said I needed a hug. He gave me a hug and asked what was wrong. That's when I started that gross hiccuping-crying. It wasn't pretty. I tried to explain my feelings and not get myself more worked up at the same time. He helped me focus on breathing. He pointed out all the stuff I don't have to worry about tomorrow: I have my syllabus printed, I have very good classroom management, I have a veteran teacher next door who also teaches Algebra 1 and can help if I need it. He reminded me that it's ok to mess up in front of the students. He reminded me that I will have an inclusion teacher to help with my students with special needs. I had made it through 4 first days of school as a teacher and survived them all; I will survive tomorrow.

I'm feeling much better now. Tomorrow still looks scary but I know I'll make it through.
------------------
I almost forgot to update my physical health stuff! I met my goal last week of walking 5 miles. :D It feels pretty darn good. Today's walk was a mess due to my dog spotting two cats and another dog walking in front of us.

• Weight: -1 lbs
• Bust: 0
• Band: -1"
• Waist: -2"
• Hips: -.5"

All the numbers are less than or equal to 0 so I'm happy! I'll tell y'all Wednesday how the first two days of school go. :)

-Clare G. S.

Be True to Your School

Over the summer there was a negative article published about my school district in our local paper. I don't often read the paper so I don't know exactly what it said but we received an e-mail from our superintendent that explained the circumstances. Since then more people than usual have been asking my opinion of our district when they find out where I work. I'll tell you what I tell them.

I truly enjoy where I work. This will be my 5th year teaching anywhere and my 5th year teaching at this particular high school. That means that I don't have any personal experiences with any other district against which to compare my current district. My husband is in a different boat. He worked for what I'll call "district A" for 5 years before coming to our current district. From my personal experiences and from seeing what happened with my husband years ago I am not only thankful that I work where I do but I'm proud.

You see, every school and every district has problems and there is such a wide variety of what those problems can be: lack of community/parent/admin support, old buildings, not enough money for basic supplies, drugs/sex/alcohol, poor pay for teachers, poor healthcare options, unruly students, unruly co-workers, etc. The list can go on and on. You know what problems I personally have with my district? I don't always agree with their decisions. I sometimes feel that my budget is too small or isn't flexible enough. There have been a few co-workers who rubbed me the wrong way. In the past I had too many preps for me to handle. That's it. Those problems are so tiny! I am never going to agree with every decision made. I don't work for a rich district so of course money feels tight. I can be as pleasant as the day is long but that doesn't mean I will be friends with everyone. I now have only one prep so that problem is solved. I truly do not understand why some people in our community think poorly of our district when they have no first-hand experience. They should come to my class! Yes there are days where I am frustrated but my co-workers support me, my students make me smile, and admin has my back. How many teachers can say that?

Recent Happenings
Yesterday was some more professional development and time to work in our teams and rooms. I saw this great TED talk about how we view stress affects how we react to it. I also got a refresher on brain development which explains (but does not excuse!) the behavior of teenagers.

Today we had all day to work in our rooms, meet in our teams, work on lesson plans, etc. My husband had a bad day but out of respect for his privacy (he doesn't like posting much on the internet) I won't go into it. It's tough hearing about his bad day but not being able to do much to help. :( I worked mostly on getting my room together. I'm really excited for what I did to one of my cork boards! It's filled with graduation announcements, thank you notes, and drawings from my former students. I have it right next to my desk as a reminder of why I do what I do.

I've got to run because my husband is trying to fix our leaking roof. I definitely don't want him going up and down a ladder without me to hold it!
-Clare G. S.

The falling wall

There have been a few adventures in my life in the past few days. Let's start with yesterday

     We had our district conference as I mentioned in my previous post. Well, in my last session of the morning (around 11:40am) the lights suddenly went out! We waited a couple of minutes to see if they would come back on but they didn't. I decided to find my husband and have lunch since no electricity = no hot food very quickly. We grabbed some food from the cafeteria and headed back to his room to eat since it's on a corner and has multiple windows. When we arrived at his room we saw exactly what happened.
     A little backstory first: There are electrical wires & poles that go through the edge of our parking lot. The wires hang oddly low; I would say about 10 ft. from the ground. There have been a couple of times when the soda truck for the vending machines has tried to turn around and has pulled one of the wires down. It results in one wing of the school losing electricity. Well, it seems that one of the vendors had a truck that tried to turn around but it yanked on nearly all of the electric wires. Now we have really low hanging wires but at least the school has electricity back.

Did I mention that it had been raining?

Today we mostly met with our departments and teams. We also talked about our LMS (Learner Management System). An LMS is software for creating and sending electronic assignments and such. Think of Facebook but for a school. When my husband and I came home for lunch we looked outside at our backyard. You see, we live on a hill and have started construction on a large retaining wall made of big blocks of limestone. Each block weighs about 1.5 tons. Construction had to be paused a couple of weeks ago for a couple of reasons I'd rather not go into. When it was paused, the workers had dug out near the base of the wall to work on the drainage system. Unfortunately they did not re-bury the base of the wall. Because it has been raining for at least 5 days, the wall is now starting to tilt. This is a big problem. If those blocks fall then the filler stones behind it are going to fall out. I have no clue how we would put the stones and the blocks back. We have contacted the construction crew and hopefully they will be able to solve this problem because the rain isn't due to stop for another week.

This is where construction halted. The bottom row of blocks was originally half buried.

The good news is that I am getting along well with my new team at school. The teachers who taught Algebra I last year saved everything! That means I have lots of resources, a pacing calendar, etc. I am very thankful for all of the work they did!

-Clare G. S.

P.S. - I walked in the rain today because I was determined to get at least a little exercise. YAY!

Mish Mash

So much is happening right now that it is hard to organize it all. Let's do some sections, shall we? Feel free to skip the sections that don't interest you. :)

Home

Ooooh. Big, shiny new A/C unit!

We've had a fair amount of rain in the last week. One night I heard a dripping on the ceiling. Well, it looks like a vent in our roof was not properly sealed and since we had a new A/C system put in that leak now hits the ceiling of a closet (it was the A/C closet). My husband cut a hole out of the (very damp) drywall of the ceiling of the closet and we have a bucket under it. That wasn't too much fun.

Car
Yesterday my husband and I went to the school to get some work done since classes begin in just over a week. Well, on our way there a pick-up truck decided to make a left turn into our lane. I don't know how he didn't see us but he nearly ran us over. Luckily I had quick reflexes and swerved into the other lane and hit my horn. Our vehicles barely missed each other. I'm so glad there was no one in that lane because I didn't have time to check! The guy drove on. I had to pull off the road because it shook me up pretty bad. I've been in a few car accidents and I just don't do well with them.

School

Window cover I made for hard lock downs

The cover rolls up. Thanks, Velcro!

I'm in a new classroom this year so I started setting it up last Thursday. Things are moving along. Unfortunately the previous teacher didn't do anything about the students writing on the wall so I have some *ahem* interesting drawings and language that needs to be painted over. I erased what was done in pencil. My biggest problem was my closet. I have this awesome, big built-in closet with a lock. The problem is that it was locked and no one knew where the key was. Today someone in our custodial staff got a new key for me! Yay!

Health
I didn't take my walk Saturday. :( It had rained a lot and, honestly, I wanted to sleep in just one last time before I go back to work. I walked on Sunday! I also took my measurements. Remember, these numbers are compared to my starting point.

• Weight: -.8
• Bust: 0
• Band: 0
• Waist: -1"
• Hips: -.5"

No real results yet since 1) my changes are small 2) weight naturally fluctuates some and 3) measuring myself is hard! I'm also trying to make a conscious effort to drink more water. I recently saw a video of a kidney stone being removed. I don't know why the heck I watched it but OH MY GOSH, that is motivation to drink water!

Looking Ahead
Tomorrow I am co-presenting with my husband and a co-worker at our professional development. I'm hoping it goes well! The rest of this week is in-service. :(

That's all for now, folks! See ya Wednesday!
-Clare G. S.

Support

First of all, I should mention that I don't plan on writing here daily. I know myself and it's just not going to happen. I think starting next week I will try to update every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Now, let's talk about support. I am incredibly blessed to have found the most amazing husband. He is really my best friend and I think we work together really well. He has the tendency to jump into things head first and I am much more cautious and like to plan out everything beforehand. We usually find a middle ground. When it comes to this "healthier life" I took a page out of his book and just jumped into it. I was shopping for *ahem* undergarments when I realized how unhappy I was with my appearance. It kind of hits hard when you realize a plus-size store doesn't stock much in your size of underwear. I decided in that dressing room that I would do something to be healthier.

I went home and told him my plan: no sodas, a mile walk everyday, etc. He said that it sounded good. I asked him if he wanted me to wake him up the next morning to go for my first walk. (Side note: we are both teachers so this was a big request. Waking up at 6:30am during summer break is a little insane) He ended up missing that first walk because he has major allergy issues and going outside would not be helpful. However, he has gone on many of the walks with me. He is my rock and I can lean on him whenever I need to do so.

What has really surprised me is the support I have received from my family and friends. I've already had positive comments here and on Instagram. One friend texted me telling me about a cookbook she loves that has helped her lose a few pounds. One of my sisters texted to let me know about a free app that will keep count of calories burned, distance walked, etc. Another friend suggested I look into buying a FitBit. It's awesome that even though I don't live very close to most of my friends and family members I still have their support.

I know that at some point I'm going to want to stop but I'm hoping you all will remind me how important it is to stick to this. I feel amazing after I complete my walks. It's such a great way to start the day! My health is much more important than grading another paper or watching another episode of Doctor Who. So, when that day comes I'm looking to YOU to tell me to come back and read this. No, I won't die if I stop. But how great will it feel when I can say "Man, I used to get winded walking a mile. That's just a warm-up now!" Here's to being a better me. :D

-Clare G. S.

A healthier life

After the 1st workout!

After having to buy clothes in size XXL and realizing that I weighed over 220 lbs (I'm only 5' 8"), I've decided to get healthier. I figure the best way to do this is to make small, realistic changes. Here's my plan:

• No more sodas. Sparkling water is ok.
• When eating fast food, I'm no longer making my combo larger.
• When eating out, I find a healthier option. (Ex: Instead of a cheeseburger I'm getting a grilled chicken sandwich)
• Walk 1 mile per day.

I'm hoping to add to this list later. I started one week ago and I'm doing pretty well. I'm keeping a spreadsheet with my numbers: miles walked, sit ups, weight, etc. I record my exercise everyday and my weight and other measurements every week. Here's how things are looking after one week:

• Weight: -3.2 lbs
• Bust: 0
• Band: 0
• Waist: -2"
• Hips: 0

I’m not posting the actual numbers because, honestly, I’m pretty embarrassed. Instead I’m going to post comparisons to my starting measurements. As you can see above I’m already down a few pounds and I’ve lost a little bit in my waist. I’m debating whether I want to post photos. I think after I have some more obvious results that I will post a before-and-after set of photos.
-Clare G. S.

P.S. - Thanks to PokemonGo for giving me some motivation. My real motivation is to avoid health issues and to fit better into my clothes but I won't see that for months. PokemonGo has given me a very immediate reward. :)

Introduction

Introduction

Hello there! I'm starting a new blog mostly for accountability. I'm trying to be healthier so this is where I will post updates on that journey. I'm also hoping to put some updates about my new job: teaching algebra! I've taught Spanish levels 3-5 at the high school level for the past 4 years. This will be my first year teaching math of any kind.

What you should know about me:

• Name: Clare
• Age: late 20's
• Married
• Pets: 2 macaws, 2 dogs, lots of cichlids (fish)
• Location: Texas, USA
• Religion: Episcopalian (former Roman Catholic)
• Education: BA in Spanish with a minor in Mathematics

 I'm sure some of you will want to know why this blog is called "Life of Phi". It's a play on a book I love, Life of Pi. My favorite irrational number is phi, aka the golden ratio. I figure the title reflects my love of math and reading.

I think that's a decent introduction. ¡Hasta luego!

Clare G. S.