September 9, 2014

The first MAP test wasn't until 10:15AM this morning so I had time to finish my login information signs for the front of the room. I redid the one for Odyssey to include the school because that was still confusing some kids. I also glued the keyboard and log-off info onto construction paper so they match the signs I just made. Now the trick is to get kids to start looking at and using the signs.

The first and only MAP test of the day went well. No tears and given a little extra time, all but one kid was able to finish. And that kid only has six questions left. Granted, those six questions could easily take him another hour, but I think he's on a faster pace than he was last year.

During the test, while talking with the teacher and random things, I asked her if she was eating enough lemons and limes to prevent scurvy. I asked this because she had a very nautical look to her outfit today and I was pretty happy with my cleverness. I learned from this exchange that this week is apparently pirate impersonation or talk like a pirate week. Something along those lines. I guess the actual day is Friday but the whole week can be celebrated. The teacher learned this from her mom who is a child's librarian who enjoys speaking like a pirate when the day or week allows.

With the rest of my day I caught up on my spreadsheet, entering all the information from the five tests so far. I was once again annoyed by the discovery that the Lexile score shown at the end of the test is a few points off from the official one posted on the reports. I don't like this. I don't think I'm going to go through the effort of changing it for all the kids but we'll see. My spreadsheet is really boring looking until the end of the year when there are three tests-worth of information to compare. We'll get there eventually.

After school I went home and pretended to almost get started on grad school stuff. I went out in the backyard with the dogs for awhile. Then I came in and had a snack while playing a jigsaw puzzle game on my laptop and watching Modern Family. When I was finished with my snack I continued with the jigsaw puzzles and continued to deal with the dogs. All of them had trouble just chilling out, especially Alfie, and I let them out and in several times. I also used colorful language to tell them to calm down and shut up every time they barked at random noises. I was genuinely avoiding school work but I was on edge the whole time because the dogs were on edge. It was frustrating.

I ate dinner a little early and afterward I got caught up in several games of Minesweeper. Such a fun game when you're trying to avoid something. I did eventually work on my reflective journal for one of my classes. Ever so briefly. And then got completely frustrated with it. I still haven't figured out my angle. I need to email the instructor.

Right now I am at the old house, writing this and watching YouTube videos. I kind of want to go back to the new house though and read a textbook. I need to read a chapter for my research class and write a discussion post, preferably by Thursday so I don't have to worry about it this weekend when I go down for the face-to-face meeting for my other class. And for that class I need to read another chapter before the weekend so I am at least caught up on the reading, if not the journal entries. It would be nice if I could at least get one of the two journal entries done. I would like to have something I could send the instructor and at least see get some feedback so I don't commit to something for the whole semester and find out at the end that I am entirely off base. Hopefully I can come up with something. I still really hate this journal entry thing.

Tomorrow is early-release so that should give me some extra time to read. I might just take my books to the old house so I can read in peace and quiet and not have to deal with the dogs. I could just hang out in the basement of the new house but there would still be random barking and Tanner would most definitely pee on something if I wasn't upstairs.

I will also hopefully have a visit with the new volunteer kid tomorrow. Wednesday is supposedly his only day off from work so fingers crossed he doesn't get called in. Regardless of that, it will also be Chipotle night. That is something to look forward to.