Author: kathleen

I agree with my commenter Jan. Over the years, I’ve gotten to be more and more fascinated by our foreign students, while cursing the charity that brings them in.

First of all, I really admire them. Can you imagine how scary it has been for them. I’ve had a girl for Afghanistan in two of my computer classes. She has a real flare for web design and I hope she follows it, tried PreAP CS and struggled with it. There are only three women, no men in her family, her mother and her sister.

I also feel badly for them. So often they are victims of our other students. Some what-to-be banger grabbed my Afghanistan’s head gear off of her, and has hasn’t worn it since. Never could find out who it was, in a way I’m glad but if I need the kid, I’ve have been all over her.

I get aggravated with the charity that brings them in, because it doesn’t seem they really think about where they are putting people. We’ve had some pretty violent incidents because two kids from opposing ethnic backgrounds were in close promixity to each other. I honestly think that you need to put them in different neighborhoods, going to different schools. And I know that can be done in Dallas. They all live in the same addresses (about 10 different apartment complexes).

Off to bed. I don’t have to be there at a certain time, but I don’t like the drive much after 7:30 until about 9:30. But then I lose some cool time to run errands. My room might be cool but the walk between it and the building isn’t.

Extra rain coat in my room would be good.

I’m looking into an ESL endorsement. At the rate I’m going, I’m going to be a formible teacher for a really small school: Math, Computer Science, Technology Applications with a Master’s.

Add an ESL certification and I’m REAL interesting. Love Dallas ISD though, as crazy as it is. At least I’ve been through some of the worse.

Though someone in the finite wisdom made Friday a Staff Development/Comp Day. Someone hunt that person down and punish them, because guess where 50% of the teachers that DID their staff development day this summer will be. Yep, right where I will be, in my clssroom.

I’m taking a carload of stuff that is designed to make my life more comfortable and I’m going to finish cleaning my room.

Here’s what I have — a rough plan in my head for what I am going to do the first week. A solid plan for Algebra I, and a fuzzy plan for ESL. I will be doing the fuzzy plan for a few days with ESL called alternative ways to evaluate my students next week.

I have a room I like. Okay, it’s a long ways to the bathroom. I’ve got 3/4 of a white board and 1/4 of a chalk board. I may get ambitious and make a whole white board. I’ve got it up with double sided carpet tape and the drill is in the car with screws as I want to fashion it down harder. One of the other math teachers helped me with it.

I took down the two year old black paper off the corkboard and found a prestine cork board. Two of my former students put yellow paper on it and I have a cute “quilted” border, since that’s something I want to do. I’m going to print out two cool pictures, one of each dog, from my pro agility photos and put them up. I’m going to start putting notices up, and reserve an area for work.

I’ve got a “measuring station” started. I need measuring things — shameless begging. I want measuring cups, spoons, themometer, balance, and even a gallon jug and quart sized jar. Send things to Hillcrest High School in Dallas addressed to Kathleen Weaver. 9924 Hillcrest Road, Dallas, 75230

I have workbooks for the ESL kids. I’m supposed to be getting a projector — it’s in the building they say, and I’m flat out supposed to be doing agile mind with as many kids as possible. I’m supposed to have internet access by the end of the month, but I’m going to confess that I have very slow dialup right now, that I can get buy with.

I’ve got brackets to fix the shelves and some posters for the ESL kids. I need to find Algebra posters.

I’m getting there.

Okay, in case you haven’t figured it out, I’m teaching ESL English for Math and Algebra I kids who have flunked it at least once. I have seniors in this class.

DIET: People out to prove you can actually lose weight eating at McDonald’s

And you really CAN lose weight by eating at McDonalds. They have lots of tools that can help too.

They have a full nutrional database on their site and software tools that will help you generate a good meal. I’ve used them quite a bit.

I decided to try the new chicken sandwich the other day, and they were able to give me a nutrional handout with all the counts on it when I ordered.

I think I only despise Michael Moore more than Spurlock.

A commenter asked.

My first one was an old Respirants that still works, I love having a spare.

My second one which I LOVE is a Puritan Good Night with the humidifer that matches it.

It is a super small and light unit but does the job. The doctor’s office hates to download but they don’t always know what they are doing. The whole bundle is about half the size of the other CPAP units.

I use a full face mask. Somewhere in the blog if you do a search it will tell you which one. I like it, other people hate it, but that’s the way it is with masks. The best thing about this one, is it only comes in one size and has an insert to change the size.

It’s been extremely stressful. I finally found out what I am teaching this year, and I think it will be very challenging. I have repeating Algebra I students and English for Math. The English for Math are the group I am most looking forward too. We have a high population of refugees from many different areas. We also have a very dynamic group of teachers in that department (sorry, I’m not sure what the current term is — the curriculum people are calling it MultiLanguage).

So I straddle two departments which is going to be tough. I am roomed with the English for *** teachers, but am about two portables away from the lead Algebra I teacher. I am not sure, but we’re calling the Algebra I kids either sophmen or freshmores.

Our room arrangements are very different. I am in a portable with its own climate control! Yeah, but little contact with the outside world. I’m fairly close to the main building though. Like I said, I’m housed with the one department.

Across the sidewalk from me, we have the 9th grade houses. They are grouped together in portables.

It’s actually pretty cool, as my English for Math kids will be circulating in about 7 different rooms near mine, so they should be late. My Algebra I kids could be coming from anywhere, which is the other reason for my location.

Shortage of Patients for Medical Device Clinical Trials – MedGadget – www.medgadget.com

would you sign up for an experimental heart device trial, where there’s a 50% chance your device will be inactive (‘control group’), and there’s an FDA-approved device already on the market?

As a wearing of an insulin pump, no way. Of course, they can’t do that with an insulin pump.

Why aren’t they comparing the new device with the old instead of using nothing?

Weird.

Reuters AlertNet – “Dying in sleep” linked to sleep apnea – study

Which isn’t nearly an approximate to what the local NBC affliate said.

I really wish I knew why I got screwed up this morning. The good news, is that recovery has been real fast. The day ended up being a bit weird.

I “forgot” it was Monday and that I needed to pick up food. So I got home, messed around, gave myself some Symlin, with the intent of eating in half an hour.

Husband got home, after a short “just got home” discussion, I said, I’m going down to eat — oh my gosh, I forgot to get food. He offered, but didn’t want to do it in 5:00 pm traffic, but I forgot, and needed something to eat and didn’t have anything but breakfast, so got in the car, went to McD’s and got a Quarterpounder, and then got dinner.

So then I couldn’t really eat dinner until two hours after, as I’m not sure how to dose with the Symlin if I stacked, so I ate my dinner at 7:00.

I’m still way under my normal calorie count though, it’s just that I’m probably going to be up with GERD because I ate dinner so late. And I have 70 minutes to look forward to tomorrow, and there NO way I’m getting all that walking in before I got to school. Hoping to get in 30 minutes though.