Picking a Color

I've been knitting beads. (Again.) Since I finally learned how to get close up shots on my camera (yes, this was an obvious thing, but it took me way too long to figure it out), I have better pictures.

Here's what they look like after I've knit them...

Then I run them through the washing machine to felt them...

And then I dye them...

Aren't those colors pretty?

I mention this all for a reason. I have no idea what color to try next.

I used food dyes for them. (These.) I've exhausted the box. But, there are recipes for other colors. It's time to experiment, but I don't know which color to try next.

I can actually do four batches at the same time, so it's not like I really need to narrow things down too much. I guess it's just the plethora of choices that's making choosing so hard. That, and I have another box of food dyes to play with as well.

Any ideas? I'm open to suggestions.

Teenage Wishes Part 4

I used to have a MySpace account. I started my blog there. But after I had a few too many technical difficulties, I moved the blog here. I have since closed the MySpace account. I hate to lose all of my blogs from that time, so from time to time I repost them here.

I did something like ten of these before. To refresh memories, here are links to part 1, part 2, and part 3. This one originally appeared on March 2, 2007.

Remember the questionnaire? It's been a few days, so perhaps not.

A week or so ago I was at the continuation high school, and they filled out this worksheet called "The Wishes You'd Like to Come True". I've been posting some of their responses, editing only for clarity (but leaving all their words). And I'm not nearly done yet.

First up: "The person I'd choose as my best friend, and why."

"[name deleted], because I always kick it with him."

"The vioces in my head, cause they always talk to me."

"God. Because he's got my back."

Those were kind of weak, weren't they? Let me try again. Next: "The animal I'd like to be, and why."

"Dolphin, because they are in the water and they are free."

"Bald Eagle. Mile long vision. Razor sharp tallons."

"A cat, because I could lay around all day and be pet by hot girls."

"A bug, so I can bug the hell out of you."

Well, that's it for this installment. Still to come...what they want to make a living at and how many children they want to have. Should be interesting.

No Still Hands

I've finally started my Christmas knitting. Yes, I know it's June. But last year I started in February, so I'm actually behind.

I have to knit something. I've been kind of between projects since I finished my niece's birthday present.

And a close up...

I get a sense of accomplishment whenever I finish a project. It lasts maybe ten minutes. Then I panic. What am I going to knit now?

I have to have something to do with my hands. I can't just sit and watch TV. I have to be doing something!

Yeah, so it's now time to start my Christmas knitting. I hope that'll keep me busy for a while.

End of School Year Review

The school year is over. It's time to compile the stats. (I'm not the only one.)

There are usually 180 days in the school year. I'm not sure about that number this year. There were supposed to be a couple furlough days. Most of the school calendars I saw said 180 days total, but then there was one that said 178, so I don't know which number is correct. (And I'm not going to count them. I've done enough counting today.)

I worked 108 days this year. Last year, I worked 104. The difference is surprising. Since I was on all early morning wake up calls (rather than a majority of days scheduled ahead as was my usual), I expected to have worked fewer days.

More specifically, I worked 43 days in high school classes, 22 days in middle school classes, and 41 days at the continuation high school. In case you're checking my math, yes, I'm two off. Those other two days I worked in reentry. That's sort of in the continuation high school, but sort of not.

I also tallied how many days I covered each subject. Since this is boring in paragraph form, I'm just going to make a list:

• Science: 31 days
• Biology and life sciences: 9
• Physics: 6
• 7th grade: 5
• 8th grade: 6
• English: 14 days
• Social science/history: 27 days
• Government and/or economics: 11
• Math: 21 days
• Algebra 1: 14
• Calculus: 2
• Opportunity: 3 days
• Although, I did cover 5 days of opportunity over the summer. I did not count those days in this list, because this list is school year only.   
• Miscellany: 10 days
• Various electives and special ed.  

(If you're still checking my math, you've noticed that I didn't include every specific subject under each bullet point. That would make the list a bit too long.) 

I worked the last day of school but not the first, although my first working day was in the second week of school. I got 26 extra period assignments (down from last year). Some of those were covering another teacher while others were for teachers who didn't have a prep period.  

Any other subs out there? How many days did you work this year?  

Graduation Daydream

A couple years ago I had this thought (full story here) and I posted in on the blog. Every year at this time, the end of the school year, I think of it. Since the end of the school year was yesterday...

It starts with a stage. On this stage, there's a group of teens in caps and gowns. They look over the audience filled with proud parents.

After the graduation ceremony, the new graduates slowly descend the steps at the side of the stage. They hug each other. Many are in tears. they meet up with parents, take pictures, and gradually leave the area.

The stage is empty, but not for long.

Off to the other side of the stage is another group of students a year younger than those who just exited. They climb the stairs and claim the stage for themselves.

The new senior class surveys its domain. Some look in corners. Others go to the edge of the stage and peer out at the audience. Many are cheering, fist pumping, and bouncing up and down. Two boys run at each other and bump chests. They have arrived.

While the new senior class celebrates, the area just off the stage that was just vacated starts to fill. This group looks around in awe and wonder. A few look up the steps, itching to join the seniors. Several look out over the line that stretches out behind them. It's a long line and it seems to disappear into the horizon.

As each group moves up to the next position, they look over their new surroundings. The new freshman class, however, is so busy celebrating and laughing at the group just below them that they don't notice how trashed their new position is. Then again, their old spot in the line wasn't much better.

The newest middle schoolers carefully take up their new position. They are all wide-eyed wonder. The more adventurous pull their peers along. They take their time looking around, acclimating to their new position in line. There's a demarcation behind them, and they thought they'd never get beyond that border. Now that they are, they're not sure what they're going to do next.

Each elementary grade moves up one. As the former kindergartners take their first grade spot (and make themselves right at home), an empty spot is left at the end of the line. But like all the other spots in line, this one doesn't remain empty for long.

Off in the distance, family groups start to arrive. The parents push their little ones into their spot in line. Some of these children run to take over their spot. Others cling. The families stand there, watching their little ones for some time, not sure what to do next.

One mother shakes her head as she watches her little one acclimate to the line. "They grow up so fast," she says.

Nearby, various people are on their way out of the area. One woman hears the kindergartner's mother, so she turns to her and says, "You have no idea."

The woman looks off into the distance where her graduate is off with friends. "You have no idea," the woman repeats.

An Early Summer Exit

"Oh wow. That was a double fail."

Outside the classroom, a girl had fallen. At that moment, a teacher and two students happened to be walking by. The teacher showed concern. Dane entered my classroom and announced the above to the class once we learned why the girl fell. She tripped over a huge cockroach.

Eventually, Dane left. I have had this student in class a few times. None of these do I remember fondly. He was not on my roll sheets for today, so I thought I wouldn't have to deal with him. Unfortunately, he kept coming by to "visit".

The second time he turned up, he had cookies. He had snagged some from the office. He was giving them away, but no one wanted them even though he had them wrapped up in a paper towel. First Dane told me that he wasn't going to let me have any, but when no one else wanted his last one, he offered it to me. (I declined.)

When it appeared that he wasn't going to leave, I asked him where he was supposed to be. He told me that he was supposed to be where he was, and no room could keep him. So, I asked him on whose roll sheet he was listed. He was supposed to be in science class. I told him to go back there.

Most of the students (the ones who bothered to show up at all--it was the last day at the continuation high school) were wound up. It was that kind of day. Dane found someone else to bother, and I didn't see him again until the last period of the day.

I was in the office. Dane was talking to an administrator. The admin. said, "Most people would like to start summer vacation early." Dane replied that he didn't want to leave yet. The admin. didn't back down. Dane left the office only to return a second later.

The admin. had turned around. A couple of us in the office saw Dane return, and the admin. must have seen it in our eyes. She turned back around and then Dane left. For good. Or at least for the summer.

By the reactions of the various people in the office, I knew I was not alone in being glad that Dane had left campus.

Lucky Lockdown

"Teachers, lock your doors. We are on lockdown."

There were less than 15 minutes left in 4th period. The lockdown lasted through "lunch" and 5th period. And tomorrow is the last day of school.

I was so lucky!

Lockdowns don't happen all that frequently. Sure, I got caught in one last week, but today's puts me at three total this school year. They can be long, and the students get testy. The students whine. And complain. And there's nothing I can do about it.

But, 4th period was my prep today.

Yep, I got locked down in an empty classroom with a working computer.

I could hear the students next door. They were loud. One girl complained that she had to use the restroom. I heard students call the office to find out how much longer the lockdown was going to be (the office didn't know).

I heard a helicopter circling outside, so something was up. (Later I learned that the police were looking for a car thief.)

When the bell rang and the students were finally let free, a collective cheer went up at the school. We got a long break, and then we skipped 5th period and went into 6th.

Again, I lucked out. While 5th period wasn't terrible, 6th period was a dream. Four students. Who worked quietly. (I had this group last week, so I kind of knew what to expect.)

I'm covering this teacher again tomorrow. Did I mention that tomorrow is the last day of school?