Salutations Bloggers,
This week has felt like a month! Except that I didn’t get paid. What a lame month that would be! I had to review for their exams with my 6th and 7th graders and they weren’t so much feeling it. That and they hate my boss and she kept popping into my classroom and reminding them why they hate her. Finally Friday rolled around and it was exam time. My 7th graders did ok, but my 6th graders didn’t do so hot. They either really got it or didn’t get it at all. The class average was 57… That means that I need to slow down or do more practice, somehow alter my teaching so that more of my students are understanding and scoring better. I dislike it when there’s really nobody to blame but myself. I could blame my students, but that wouldn’t be fair. It’s just as much my fault as it is theirs. Boo, that’s no fun.
Plus there’s the grading that comes along with giving exams. Because my school is somewhat stuck in the stone ages and we have to do all grade calculations by hand, it takes FOR-EV-ER. There’s this nice software available that lets you weight your grades and enter individual assignments and it does up the final grade all nice and computery, quick-like. Unfortunately, that requires money for software and also, COMPUTERS for teachers. Boo again. I spent all day Sunday grading the exams and calculating grades. Only 4 or 5 of 40 students are failing, but there are quite a few that are borderline. That stinks because I like the kids (almost all of the time) and the ones that are failing actually try. But if they are getting 46 percent, I can’t, in good conscious, bump them up to 60 percent, even if they are excellent kids and really put in the effort.
Friday afternoon I spent taking a nap and grading exams. We went over to Pako’s aunt Pachita’s house to hang out and visit with the fam and ended up playing Loteria (bingo). 1 peso per board per game. I think Pako and I lost like $30 pesos. That was, however, because I didn’t know that there were all these special ways that you could get bingo (all 4 corners, or a 4-square box). Tonight (Sunday night) we’re going to play again and I plan to win back my money and some! I hope I don’t get addicted to Loteria. What an embarrassing addiction that would be…
Saturday we were supposed to go fishing with Pako’s cousins, but as it was just a “plan,” it didn’t happen. (If you noted some bitterness attached to those quotation marks, it was put there intentionally). We showed up at the agreed upon place at the agreed upon time and… nothing. So, we made due and played catch with a football. Compared to Pako I have tiny little carnie hands (no offense Schnuck :).. hehe) and I don’t have the great big muscles that he does, but my throwing form and aim is better. Then we met up with our friend Jim (the saint who brought me the jug of Febreeze) and chatted for a bit. We made another ‘plan’ to watch the soccer game (Mexico vs. El Salvador) together that afternoon at Las Urracas and to make some hamburgers. (As we made the plan with a Canadian and it involved food, it happened). So that afternoon we went and fried some hamburgers (no grill… ) and french fries (which were made in a combo convection and microwave oven – what an ingenious invention!). The food was good and the soccer game was even better: 4-1 Mexico!
I had already decided to buy a toaster oven (I need an oven, whatever size and shape it comes in) this coming week, but now I’m really decided! I can toast bagels and toast (duh) and I can bake (small versions of) cakes, cookies, casseroles, etc. Score! Seriously! Plus I found canned clams at the store, so I can make clam spaghetti, one of my ultimate comfort foods! Double score! As long and rough as the school week was, it was pretty ok food-wise. As my Mother-in-law is out of town until Thursay at the earliest, food duty has automatically shifted to me (God forbid the unemployed member of the family would cook…). That’s fine though, hahaha, I’m going to make them eat only American food and I’m not even going to make any salsa for them to spice anything up! Take that!
This week my 10th grade conversation class is talking about shopping and clothes… TRIPLE SCORE! I’m not sure if I can cover everything in a week! We might even take a field trip to a boutique. That would be educational, don’t you think? Oh, I’m all aquiver with the possibilities! Shopping? Clothes? OMG! The other conversation class is going to talk about jobs. Talk about boring when you could be talking about clothes and shopping. Oh well, such is life.
Alrighty, time to iron my clothes for the school week and shower before taking back all of my pesos and MORE! Loteria, here I come! Have a good week everyone, hope to hear from you all soon! OH, WELCOME HOME COUSIN MATT!!!
besitos!
Leyah
This week has felt like a month! Except that I didn’t get paid. What a lame month that would be! I had to review for their exams with my 6th and 7th graders and they weren’t so much feeling it. That and they hate my boss and she kept popping into my classroom and reminding them why they hate her. Finally Friday rolled around and it was exam time. My 7th graders did ok, but my 6th graders didn’t do so hot. They either really got it or didn’t get it at all. The class average was 57… That means that I need to slow down or do more practice, somehow alter my teaching so that more of my students are understanding and scoring better. I dislike it when there’s really nobody to blame but myself. I could blame my students, but that wouldn’t be fair. It’s just as much my fault as it is theirs. Boo, that’s no fun.
Plus there’s the grading that comes along with giving exams. Because my school is somewhat stuck in the stone ages and we have to do all grade calculations by hand, it takes FOR-EV-ER. There’s this nice software available that lets you weight your grades and enter individual assignments and it does up the final grade all nice and computery, quick-like. Unfortunately, that requires money for software and also, COMPUTERS for teachers. Boo again. I spent all day Sunday grading the exams and calculating grades. Only 4 or 5 of 40 students are failing, but there are quite a few that are borderline. That stinks because I like the kids (almost all of the time) and the ones that are failing actually try. But if they are getting 46 percent, I can’t, in good conscious, bump them up to 60 percent, even if they are excellent kids and really put in the effort.
Friday afternoon I spent taking a nap and grading exams. We went over to Pako’s aunt Pachita’s house to hang out and visit with the fam and ended up playing Loteria (bingo). 1 peso per board per game. I think Pako and I lost like $30 pesos. That was, however, because I didn’t know that there were all these special ways that you could get bingo (all 4 corners, or a 4-square box). Tonight (Sunday night) we’re going to play again and I plan to win back my money and some! I hope I don’t get addicted to Loteria. What an embarrassing addiction that would be…
Saturday we were supposed to go fishing with Pako’s cousins, but as it was just a “plan,” it didn’t happen. (If you noted some bitterness attached to those quotation marks, it was put there intentionally). We showed up at the agreed upon place at the agreed upon time and… nothing. So, we made due and played catch with a football. Compared to Pako I have tiny little carnie hands (no offense Schnuck :).. hehe) and I don’t have the great big muscles that he does, but my throwing form and aim is better. Then we met up with our friend Jim (the saint who brought me the jug of Febreeze) and chatted for a bit. We made another ‘plan’ to watch the soccer game (Mexico vs. El Salvador) together that afternoon at Las Urracas and to make some hamburgers. (As we made the plan with a Canadian and it involved food, it happened). So that afternoon we went and fried some hamburgers (no grill… ) and french fries (which were made in a combo convection and microwave oven – what an ingenious invention!). The food was good and the soccer game was even better: 4-1 Mexico!
I had already decided to buy a toaster oven (I need an oven, whatever size and shape it comes in) this coming week, but now I’m really decided! I can toast bagels and toast (duh) and I can bake (small versions of) cakes, cookies, casseroles, etc. Score! Seriously! Plus I found canned clams at the store, so I can make clam spaghetti, one of my ultimate comfort foods! Double score! As long and rough as the school week was, it was pretty ok food-wise. As my Mother-in-law is out of town until Thursay at the earliest, food duty has automatically shifted to me (God forbid the unemployed member of the family would cook…). That’s fine though, hahaha, I’m going to make them eat only American food and I’m not even going to make any salsa for them to spice anything up! Take that!
This week my 10th grade conversation class is talking about shopping and clothes… TRIPLE SCORE! I’m not sure if I can cover everything in a week! We might even take a field trip to a boutique. That would be educational, don’t you think? Oh, I’m all aquiver with the possibilities! Shopping? Clothes? OMG! The other conversation class is going to talk about jobs. Talk about boring when you could be talking about clothes and shopping. Oh well, such is life.
Alrighty, time to iron my clothes for the school week and shower before taking back all of my pesos and MORE! Loteria, here I come! Have a good week everyone, hope to hear from you all soon! OH, WELCOME HOME COUSIN MATT!!!
besitos!
Leyah
A girl in my class is always talking about loteria, when we play lo tengo. She calls it the game with the drunk guy. When she said that, I said maybe it is not a game for school...
ReplyDelete