Tomorrow: Definite frustration and possible elation

Tomorrow, Wednesday, is the appointment with the new neurologist. That's what I am hoping will be the elation part of my day. I've picked up all my MRI films from the local hospital and found my old disk to pack up in my health binder. The paperwork is filled out and my questions, symptoms and meds sheet is all typed up and ready to go.

Prior to that appointment is another day at work. I am feeling more and more frustrated each day I walk in the door. We have less time to teach in the day, thanks to a new and "improved" schedule, and more things to teach in that time.

I have a 72 minute block for English Language Arts. Now take some time off the end of that because we need to switch for math classes. Within this 72 minutes, which is really more like 68 minutes, I am supposed to be teaching this subject for 90 minutes uninterrupted.

Okay, I am no fifth-grader on that Jeff Foxworthy show but the minutes just don't add up. You can't do 90 within 68. It doesn't work.

Now let me add in 5 inclusion students who get pulled out for part of that time and every other day I have 1 or 2 students also leaving to go somewhere else for other E.L.A. instruction. The pull-outs are supposed to be in addition to my 68 minutes but obviously, they're not. If the kid isn't in the room they can't be there for my part of the instruction.

The children who leave are supposed to receive instruction at "their" level, which can be anywhere from a 1st to a 2nd grade level. That's great but the rest of the time the textbooks and worksheets and everything else we use and read is geared to our fifth grade level.

We don't want to frustrate the children but they must be frustrated because they can't read what we're doing. That's so damn handy, I can't stand it. (Yes, that was sarcasm!)

I am frustrated because we do this every day. Someone or many someones leave the room and do something that I am not doing. They get tested on what I am doing. Does anyone else see the insanity of all this?

I'm supposed to keep on going throughout the day when, let's say, 7 or 8 students in my class cannot read the materials in front of them. I'm frustrated, they're frustrated. There must be a better and smarter way.

Apparently this is supposed to be "the better and smarter" way but I've got to tell you that someone is trying to make lemonade from acorns here and I'm not drinking this Kool-Aid!

More random bits (Doesn't that make me sound a tad English?)

1.) My typing is getting worse and worse and so is my inability to catch errors when I try to proof my writing later on. How flipping embarrassing is that? I can spell well and type fairly decently but it's getting more noticeable to me because I do this all the time and use it for the teaching craft. What's worse is when it is highlighted in yellow because the program thinks it looks wrong and I still bypass it. Duh!!!

2.) Up on top is an image of Hoops and Yoyo and some other blue thingie that sometimes appears with them on their cards and other merchandise. If you are having a day where you feel like you're a broken bridge under troubled water or you feel like absolute crap in the universe, get thee to visit Hoops and Yoyo. They have cards all over the place, but especially at Hallmark, who came up with the idea for the gem that these two are. The cards are hysterically funny with these little tiny voices that say things that just make you laugh!

Go to the store and open up all of these, or buy yourself a card because you deserve it dang it, or check out their website http://www.hoopsandyoyo.com/ and check out the cards there. I am in love with H and Y and they always make me laugh. Recently, I received one of these cards in the mail as a really early Happy Birthday card which is really masquerading as an "I know you're super depressed and hate most of life right now, but maybe this will make you smile card".

My card does make me smile. I just listened to it two times while typing this and laughed a booming loud laugh that felt good. I also listened to it a few times on Friday at school when the kiddos were gone and I needed some relief. I heart Hoops and Yoyo.

3.) Open House at work for me is ALWAYS the same night as the first night of Survivor. I think this is a conspiracy and I don't like it one bit. I've been tracking this for several years now and I really think we should just ban Open House until maybe the second month of school so I can watch one of the few shows I enjoy that is on until 9 p.m.

(As another random aside, I am generally in bed around 8 most nights, exhausted, hooked up to my CPAP for sleep apnea, with the fan or A/C on high, and my arm splints on. It's a really beautiful sight; can't you picture it now?)

4.) I wish school was 4 days a week, two days on with Monday and Tuesday, then Wednesday off so you can get those things done like the bank and the doctor and dentist and such, and then back at it for Thursday and Friday. I really do think my attitude would be a smidgen better if I could sleep in for three days like that.

Now I roll in to my coma around 8ish with all my paraphernalia on and then I am up at 2 or 3 for an hour to 90 minutes (for no real reason). I do some school work and maybe fall back asleep around 4 or so and then I'm up shortly after 5 to soldier onward in the field of 5th grade academia.

Oh, and by the way Mr. Jeff Foxworthy (of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? fame), some of those questions on your show are so not what a typical 5th grader is being taught let alone actually remembering. They had a question on the the other day about who was the youngest President ever. And no, it's not JFK. On a technicality, he was the youngest elected President but someone else was one year younger because that current President died in office so this other gentleman was the correct answer.

Now I am not telling you who the correct answer is because a.) if you really want to know you can find it out easily online and b.) I've forgotten who it was for certain so I can save face this way! My students, after a whole school year, still need to be reminded where Hawaii and Alaska are and I still have to tell them they are states that belong to the country called the United States which is part of North America which is located in the Western Hemisphere.

Those kids aren't human, methinks. Some crazy sort of tiny academic cloning going on with this show. Not to mention that these kids generally spell the answers correctly and capitalize when needed. Are you kidding me, Mr. Foxworthy? I am so on to you, buddy!

5.) I am a procrastinator. I need to begin working on school stuff, like plans for the week and all.

6.) Depression and MS both still suck. A LOT!