I wanted to check out this fancy new blog.  I know it’s mine, but it’s like a new house… not really, it’s still WordPress, but maybe it’s like a new room.  Or dare I say its like going back to school after a vacation and moving the desks around!  Yah I’m a geek.  But you know you love it!

I need to write one, and I’ve never really thought about it before.  I need to come up with something that will spur a sense of community and cooperation in an inclusive classroom.  I know no one reads this but I would love no one’s advise on what should or absolutely should not be said!    Many thanks!! 

I am now 4 classes down… and too many more to go.  I finished up on the 19th of December, just in time for Mr. Man’s 4th birthday, and then to be thrust full force in to holiday catch up duty.  The last 2 classes I took really kicked my butt, and consumed every ounce of spare time I had, hence the lack o’ blogging.  I didn’t even have time for my beloved soccer team and I missed that terribly.  That keeps me sane – and saves me from having to buy new clothes because I’m fat – hey whatever works for you, right?!?!? 

Anyway….  I finished up Intro to Special Ed with a project on Dyslexia, and ended up with an A-.  I’m THRILLED with that because I really bombed the quizzes every week, and one isn’t bad, but it happened EVERY week, so I started to worry.  But all was for not, and I did fine.  I also finished Children’s Literature with a project on Katherine Paterson and the Bridge to Terabithia (get me some Kleenex PLEASE!), and walked away with an A in that class.  Woooo Hoooo – all A’s so far!!  I might be a smidge of an overachiever.

Now I start in a week and a half taking Intro to Psychology, and Special Ed and Inclusion.  I’m eyeball deep in notes for the Special Ed. class already, and working on my “welcome speech for the first day of school” – no idea how that’s going to go… any advice would be helpful (assuming people read this).  As for the Psychology class, still no syllabus posted, so it’s a guess.  I suppose when I finish up the Special ed. work, I’ll read the first chapter in the Psych book… seems like a good place to start.

I hope everyone had a great holiday, and here’s to a Happy and Healthy 2010.

Brace yourself for the list of excuses…. They’re good, I promise…. well good by my standards and it’s my blog so think what you want.

1. I needed to make this happen…

2. Christmas shopping….

3. A little sweetheart tradition that The Cop and I do every year…

4. A much needed week off from school left me not much to blog about really.

5. A much needed week off from school to catch up and dare I say slightly ahead on homework.

6. A much needed week off from school to start hacking away on the bevy of projects due on someone’s birthday.

7. My child is going through some nasty growing pains…

8. I’ve been focusing on him more than blogging.  Somethings are way more important than blogging. 

9. This little boy….

10. …Is going to be 4 in two weeks, and it makes me cry just to think about it.

I was warned that this would happen. I’m usually pretty good at keeping up with things, and just getting them done when they need to be that I wasn’t too worried about this little venture. But here I sit. Sunday – thinking back on yesterday and last week and I want to light fire to all my books and notes and spend next Saturday on a plane to a tropical island by myself. My fingers hurt from the 25+ pages of notes that I took from my Special Ed. reading last week. I’m literally trying to find new ways to hold my pen because my middle finger is sore. I have NO CLUE what is to when anymore. Both classes are so intense in note taking and projects that my head is spinning. I’m on the bridge, but more than likely I won’t jump off. My grades are still where I like them so no need to panic yet. I’m just holding my breath for the next 5 weeks. AACK!!

So Saturday was my first day with 2 new classes. The morning was Introduction to Special Education, and the afternoon was Children’s Literature. Both will be very intense classes, but I only have 5 more classes of each. So bring it on – not too much though. The special ed. class is fun, I’m there with nearly everyone from my previous EDU class, and a few from my American Gov. class (hack, cough). So I know the majority of the people, and that is good… very good. Because….. My Children’s lit. class is full of strangers. Six of them to be exact. They have all taken classes together, and with this professor – but I haven’t. I don’t know anyone, and I don’t know the professor. Poohey. Seriously. But….. come what may, I’m gonna be a teacher some day, and a bunch of catty strangers aren’t going to stop me. OK, I added the catty part myself, but I kinda got that vibe from them. I hope they prove me wrong. So far I have done all the reading for the Lit. class, and taken copious notes on it because I loathe literature. I showed up to my Special Ed. class, and she announced that we were having a quiz on the notes we took on our reading. DOH! I was so sick of taking notes when I started reading the special ed stuff that I didn’t bother. See – literature always ends up biting me in the back side! MAN! And… may I interject (strong teacher word there!) who is this woman who 5 min. after meeting each one of us feels the need to slap a quiz in front of us. The absolute NERVE! Well, next week will be better. It’s tuesday, and I need to find a book to write a 2-3 paged paper on. Hmmm…. Plenty of time.

I just read the most encouraging blog post in a long time. For quite a while now, I’ve been following Stellan’s story. He’s a little one year old who yesterday nearly died. He is in the most capable heart surgeon’s hands and this doctor worked a miracle on this boy’s tiny heart. Little Stellan may never know what it’s like to have the trouble he’s had until now ever again. He still needs much prayer, as there are several issues related to his recent surgery that are wreaking havoc on his little body, but as his mommy put it, he won this battle, and we’ll continue to pray as he fights the war.

So last Saturday was my last class in the first session of this semester.  Each semester consists of 3 6 week sessions in which I take 2 classes, so that’s 6 classes per semester which is full time and then some.  I passed in my final projects for both classes.  My EDU class I had to make up a pretend school and make a brochure and a poster to advertise it which was extremely fun.  My GOV class I had to lead a discussion that lasted at least 15 min. on crime in the late 20th century.  That was hardly fun if not a little painful.  But the Cop felt very useful and he was sure to weigh in with his 2 cents on various portions of it.

So anyway, I got my grades for both classes yesterday, and I’ll thank you very much for my A-‘s in each one!  I was very happy with those grades since my first couple papers in the EDU class were B’s, I finally got my groove after week 2.  And the GOV class ranked right up there with a colonoscopy in terms of holding my interest – actually the colonoscopy might even win.  So needless to say, I spent much of the class texting Scott or whoever would listen to me, but I still managed to eek out a 100 on the final exam – I’m sure that helped! 

So no on to EDU 230 – Introduction to Special Ed. and ENG 210 – Children’s Literature.  Both of which I’m totally excited for, and both of which I’m already up to my eyeball in homework for.  I have this Saturday off to go Trick or Treating with the Monkey and the Lion (there will be a picture or two to come), and back to the grind next Saturday the 7th. 

So I got this fandangled new laptop (that’s a word, I’m sure of it) for my school, and it’s got this handy dandy thing that just allows me to update my bloggy-doggy-do (gee, I’m just full of them tonight!) right from the comfort of my desktop, not logging on to the actual blog itself.  How easy is this? 

So anyway, I’m just checking it out to see how it works.  Pay no attention to me…..

Remember here and here when I had all kinds of apprehensions about starting this whole adventure??  Well this week they came to a head and I nearly quit the team!  This past Saturday I met with the Head of the Education department to answer a couple of questions that I had.  Oh she answered them alright!  Let me back up a bit….

In the beginning when I first had my interview with the Director of Admissions I specifically asked about student teaching.  I live in a different state than the school, and intend to teach where I live, so would ideally, I’d like to do my student teaching here.  So I asked that…. and she said that it wasn’t a problem.  See where this is going?   ….fast forward 2 months to Saturday, and the woman who eats, sleeps, and breathes Mass. state education requirements tells me “No way.”  In addition to that, I was reading on the CT Dept of Educations web site about all these hoops I’d need to jump through to come from another state to be certified in CT.  Needless to say I had smoke coming out of my ears.  Thinking there was no way this was ever going to work out, I crumpled into a heap and for a brief second, I gave up.  I thought of my options, I could stay where I was and not do the student teaching and state testing, and not graduate as a teacher – or I could find a school in CT and do a program there, but it wouldn’t be nearly as convenient as what I’m currently doing.

So before I thew my books into the fireplace, I called the CT Dept. of Education, and spoke to a nameless gentleman there.  He told me that as long as I finished my program requirements, I didn’t even need to be certified in Mass. to apply for certification in CT.  And… several of the Mass. licensing exams apply in CT.  Wha….  he said it was very simple to come from Mass to CT and get certified.  The Cop told me that we’d figure the schedule out when the time came, and hopefully I could do my student teaching somewhere close.  Love that guy.  He’s so totally supportive.

So now I’m on a cloud because I’m gonna be a  teacher someday.  I love my classes, I’ve made friends with so many great people, and I’m going to get together with one of the ladies so our kids can play together.  How fun!!  I’d hate to think of leaving this program because I really do love the friendships and teamwork atmosphere of everyone that is in this program together.  And again, back in the beginning when I was praying for a sign… it seems as though every hurdle I come across just somehow works out.  Maybe this really is what I’m supposed to do.

Anyway, the short kid is feeling much better, the taller one is completely miserable, and has been since Thursday.  The short one got to see an on call dr. when he was sick and got prescribed an antiviral med and he was better within a week.  The tall one got to see our normal pediatrician who felt no need to prescribe anything and let my poor child suffer, tomorrow will be a week, and he’s still barely eating, and cries constantly that he’s in pain.  There will be a nasty letter to go along with our records release when we find a new pediatrician once he feels better.  So that was the drama du jour this week.  Fun, huh.

Oh I almost forgot, I got my book for my Special Education class starting 2 weeks from Saturday, and got my Performing Arts class (ugh, please) changed to Children’s Literature, I ordered that book today, and I can’t wait for both of those classes!!!!!!  YAY!

Oh and a quick thank you to Jodi for the linkey love!! Jodi, you’re the first person that knows about this blog!!  Shhhh…. it’s a secret! )