to write a nice long entry all about how I have completely confused every single seventh grader in the school about transitive, intransitive and linking verbs. But when I got to the blog, there were 137 spam comments that I had to delete individually. And then I had to go back and close the comments on all the old entries (I think I got them all). So now I don't have time to blog because I have to create a hand-out about adverbs and adverb phrases, which I hope will uncloud the intransitive side of things a little more.
Who knows. Can YOU tell me the difference between a transitive, an intransitive and a linking verb? Can you write a sentence demonstrating the appropriate use of each type of verb? Try, please.
I'm serious. Get busy.
I'm exhausted, but I wanted to check in and say that aside from the two or three kids who ranked it at 10 to the 10th power, when I asked them (after the "assessment tool," which was more like a test) how much, on a scale of 1-10 they hated my guts, most of them gave me a 3.5.
I can seriously live with that. And most of them did so well!!!
Hope your day was groovelicious!
I think I'm ready. I might not be. Who knows.
I'll try to post tomorrow evening. I'm giving a test as soon as I introduce myself.
They are gonna hate me! Woooo hoooooo!
I am toooooo busy to blog!!!! When did that ever happen before?
Lots of meetings over the past two days, mostly going well. Syllabus still needs wording help, but most assignments are thought out.
Hang in there, I'll be back to blog properly soon!
We had an offer. We counter-offered at 3K higher. She accepted the offer. She has signed paperwork. Tim has signed paperwork. Pending home inspection and successful sale of the buyer's house (it's in contract too), we should close on August 20th, which means only one more mortgage payment. Wooohoooo!!!
Still fingers crossed though. I know you're getting a cramp, but do it anyway!
So, to update you briefly:
I have now met with both the teachers I am replacing. And in case I haven't told that story yet, I'll give it to you now, because it's amusing.
During the 05-06 school year, the teacher named B (who had been the sole 7th grade English teacher for a year or so, I'm not sure how long exactly), got pregnant. When the time came for baby to arrive, a teacher named D was hired to be the maternity leave sub. But.... during B's maternity leave, and well before B was ready to come back to work, D discovered SHE was pregnant. So now there was a maternity sub for the maternity sub. Then, in the 06-07 school year, B&D decided that since they both really enjoyed the job and were both very good at it, they should try job sharing. Both would get to see their babies; both would still get benefits and paychecks. It sounded ideal. Only it turned out to be a real pain in the patooty for everybody concerned.
So both of them decided to go be SAHMs and I got hired (from SAHMdom) to be their replacement. I have already been warned that there's something fishy about the room I've inherited -- by administrators and strangely enough, by students. That part was a little weird, I'll admit. To have an 11th grader warn you that people get pregnant in that job was just a smidge creepy.
But anyway, both D and B were kind enough to meet with me this week and go over the structure they used for 7th grade English in the past. So I have a kind of an outline of the order of the year and the books that need to be used -- mainly because they've already been ordered and have arrived in the bookstore -- but I also have a very wide open slate, since the information the two volunteered didnot include a nice big package of photocopied tests or lesson plans from previous years.
On the one hand this is very daunting. I AM seventh grade English now. What if I do it all wrong? I'll have screwed up a whole year's worth of students. On the other hand, it's very liberating. Since I don't know exactly what they did, I don't have to do the same way or even in the same order. As long as I get the objectives met -- intensive grammar, intensive writing, intensive literature (all at developmentally appropriate levels) -- I can pretty much do what I want.
Which means I am wicked busy, people. Do you realize I get kids in 15 days??? And that's counting the weekends!
What am I doing blogging? I must be crazy!!!
Oh, and we may have an offer on the house. I'm not gonna say more than that because I don't wanna jinx it, but keep your fingers crossed that they accept our counter offer and all will be well. I'll update just to keep you informed on that score, but don't expect too many entries on the blog until after school starts for real.
I love and miss all my dear country mice back in Ohio, but at the same time, I am so thrilled to be back in civilization again! I can walk to Ben & Jerry's for ice cream. I can go to Starbucks after classes are over and write. I can stroll across the street and have an MRI at Vanderbilt Medical Center if I feel like it. That's not high on my list, but if it was, I could do it! So YAY!
But I'll keep you posted, just in case you're waiting for the crash.