We got our first good, solid snowfall this week, about 4.5 inches overnight Thursday, and then another 5-6 inches yesterday. It was beautiful! They're well prepared for snow here, and all the main roads were plowed and sanded by the time I commuted to campus at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning. Though we missed church this morning (somehow I woke up with a fever??), I managed to improve enough to go play in the snow with the girls. We made snow angels, I pulled them around in the sled, and we had snowball fights. I felt so amazingly blessed and happy to be here! We don't often feel that way in life, do we? Or, if we do, it seems fleeting and somehow associated with something temporal, like a vacation to some place exotic or something.
I mustered the gumption to head to the gym this afternoon, a much needed event since I didn't make it in the past two days. I forgot to mention that I've lost over 1% body fat in about 10 days!! That's a huge thing for me to see as progress, since the scales aren't actually going down. I still occasionally have some back and neck pain, but the doctor is planning on doing a second ablation procedure, which basically burns the nerve endings so that they can't send pain signals to the brain. The procedure lasts anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, and I'll be thankful for any pain-free time I can get!
I've started teaching my classes, and I know I'm going to LOVE teaching Shakespeare!! My students are fun, they're talking about how interesting the historical context is, and they're putting the context alongside the text in really productive ways--hooray!
The new schedule is still a bit crazy, and I'm supposed to be home schooling Eliza, yet I haven't chosen a curriculum yet. I feel completely unqualified, and I really don't know *how* to do this. So, for now, we're doing several worksheets, covering basics, and I'm trying to get a solid idea of what she knows and where she needs to do some extra work. I'm really hoping I can something more formal in place soon, so that we'll feel like it's more "school"-like.
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
RBoG (Random Bullets of Giddiness)
- Now that I have the news from the Assoc. Dean at NES that I'll have three courses for the fall, and two of them are the Women Writers to 1900 course, which I've never taught, I can't stop thinking about all the wonderful possibilities for the course! I'm actually giddy with delight in thinking about which anthology to use, which supplements to include...Should I focus on British women writers because that's really who I'm most interested in? What kind of assignments would work well and are appropriate for this 300-level class? And, how can I make it the Best. Fucking. Women's Writer's Course. Ever!?
- Everything is connected. Getting the third course pretty much gives us the green light on the house, as well as a decent monthly budget. In turn, this means that we can proceed with buying things like furniture, bedding, a bed for our oldest daughter, dishes...you know, things that people kinda need to have when they move into a new house. While in NET (New England Town), I went ahead and picked out a bedroom suit that Hubby and I had agreed upon previously, as well as a mattress/boxspring set. I put down a 20% deposit, and that ensures they'll have it in stock and ready to deliver the day we move in--yay! I also picked out living room furniture, of which Hubby approved, and all I have to do is call to place the order to get it in stock and ready for delivery as well. I'm holding off on dishes because the ones I really, really want
(aren't they gorgeous?)
are almost double what I budgeted. I'll wait and see how all the other expenses turn out--especially the inevitable unexpected ones--before I buy anything. We will, however, need to buy a refrigerator ASAP since the house doesn't come with one. I have one in mind, and we don't have many options because of height issues, but again, I'll wait until we get on the ground before doing the buying.
- The Assoc. Dean was happy to submit a verification of employment to our mortgage lender, and he just passed along the good news that he was able to lock us in at a 4.5% rate for the loan, which is fantastic! Given that the closing costs are approx. $3,400, and we've already put $3,000 down in escrow, the money we'll need for pre-pays and escrow is very reasonable. We're not required to put down anything on the house since we're using the VA loan benefit, thank God!
- The only thing I'm not so giddy about is health insurance. Since we'll technically be unemployed for July and August (our contracts don't begin until September), we'll have no insurance unless we: a) pay for COBRA at over $900/month, b)apply for MassHealth, the state-subsidized Medicaid program that we may or may not qualify for, or c)buy short-term health insurance, which really isn't an option because they don't cover pre-existing conditions and two of us have them. That takes us back to option A: COBRA. In addition, NES has a probationary period of 60 days before employees are covered. This means we'll have to purchase coverage through COBRA for 4 months at more than $900/month. Don't know how we're going to do it just yet, but it has to happen. Right now, we're just saving everything we can, trying to live frugally over here (a difficult feat in Doha), and plan for all the relocation expenses we can foresee.
Many of these things--the good stuff and the bad--have been keeping me from getting any sort of sleep. I don't remember the last time I went to bed before 11:00 p.m. Staying up that late is very rare for me, so most of the time I'm exhausted in the mornings and trying to talk myself out of napping the rest of the day. I don't want to make a habit of taking sleeping pills, but the anti-anxiety meds my U.S. doctor prescribed haven't been helping lately. Not sure if there's anything to do other than just ride it out for the next five weeks.
- Everything is connected. Getting the third course pretty much gives us the green light on the house, as well as a decent monthly budget. In turn, this means that we can proceed with buying things like furniture, bedding, a bed for our oldest daughter, dishes...you know, things that people kinda need to have when they move into a new house. While in NET (New England Town), I went ahead and picked out a bedroom suit that Hubby and I had agreed upon previously, as well as a mattress/boxspring set. I put down a 20% deposit, and that ensures they'll have it in stock and ready to deliver the day we move in--yay! I also picked out living room furniture, of which Hubby approved, and all I have to do is call to place the order to get it in stock and ready for delivery as well. I'm holding off on dishes because the ones I really, really want
(aren't they gorgeous?)
are almost double what I budgeted. I'll wait and see how all the other expenses turn out--especially the inevitable unexpected ones--before I buy anything. We will, however, need to buy a refrigerator ASAP since the house doesn't come with one. I have one in mind, and we don't have many options because of height issues, but again, I'll wait until we get on the ground before doing the buying.- The Assoc. Dean was happy to submit a verification of employment to our mortgage lender, and he just passed along the good news that he was able to lock us in at a 4.5% rate for the loan, which is fantastic! Given that the closing costs are approx. $3,400, and we've already put $3,000 down in escrow, the money we'll need for pre-pays and escrow is very reasonable. We're not required to put down anything on the house since we're using the VA loan benefit, thank God!
- The only thing I'm not so giddy about is health insurance. Since we'll technically be unemployed for July and August (our contracts don't begin until September), we'll have no insurance unless we: a) pay for COBRA at over $900/month, b)apply for MassHealth, the state-subsidized Medicaid program that we may or may not qualify for, or c)buy short-term health insurance, which really isn't an option because they don't cover pre-existing conditions and two of us have them. That takes us back to option A: COBRA. In addition, NES has a probationary period of 60 days before employees are covered. This means we'll have to purchase coverage through COBRA for 4 months at more than $900/month. Don't know how we're going to do it just yet, but it has to happen. Right now, we're just saving everything we can, trying to live frugally over here (a difficult feat in Doha), and plan for all the relocation expenses we can foresee.
Many of these things--the good stuff and the bad--have been keeping me from getting any sort of sleep. I don't remember the last time I went to bed before 11:00 p.m. Staying up that late is very rare for me, so most of the time I'm exhausted in the mornings and trying to talk myself out of napping the rest of the day. I don't want to make a habit of taking sleeping pills, but the anti-anxiety meds my U.S. doctor prescribed haven't been helping lately. Not sure if there's anything to do other than just ride it out for the next five weeks.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Speaking of Students
Mine will be getting an early Halloween treat today. I've purchased 4 tons of Halloween candy this morning, which I'll use to thank them for their wonderful class discussion and participation on Monday. On Friday, I'd reminded them that class participation counts for 15% of their grade, and only a few of them had an A at this point. This was a timely reminder, as my teaching was being observed on Monday by the director of the writing program in my department, who will be writing my "teaching" letter of recommendation for the job market. I wanted to make sure my kids brought their A-game, so I gave them the instructions to read the text (1st act of ) as if they'd have to teach it themselves. I think they expected a quiz, but I just wanted to make sure they started bringing up their level of class participation.
The reminder worked, and the class was AMAZING! Great discussion, debate, questions, etc. All I had to do was sit back and direct traffic. When I met with the director after class, she said she'd never seen participation at that level, as average participation is 80%. My class? All but one student contributed to the discussion!! So, they did themselves a great service and, in turn, helped me out as well. Candy for all!
The reminder worked, and the class was AMAZING! Great discussion, debate, questions, etc. All I had to do was sit back and direct traffic. When I met with the director after class, she said she'd never seen participation at that level, as average participation is 80%. My class? All but one student contributed to the discussion!! So, they did themselves a great service and, in turn, helped me out as well. Candy for all!
Monday, November 05, 2007
Random Notes and Catching Up
Last week was a bit of a blur as I conferenced yet again with H's teachers, re-read the novel I'm teaching (Roxana), evaluated about 20 rough drafts, prepared for and followed through with the obligatory Halloween festivities, and spent lots of extra time helping H with various homework-related tasks. For about four straight nights, I didn't go to bed before 1:00 a.m. --- this is in contrast to my usual 10:00 p.m. bedtime. What little time I had in between all of this was spent trying desperately to finish the draft of my first full dissertation chapter. So, by the time the weekend arrived, I was ready for some much needed vegetation (as in I was the vegetable). Thus, here are some random notes to catch things up:
- H's teachers were happy to report that they've been noticing some improvement already. She came home with almost all Bs on her homework grades last week, and she made an A on her continents & oceans test! Whether this is due to them moving her seat to avoid distractions, calling on her more frequently, or something H is now doing to stay more focused, I don't know. But, we've made several changes at home in our homework time protocol, and they've made an obvious difference.
- I've read quite a bit of Understanding Girls with ADHD, one of the few books on the disorder that focuses on girls and the inattentive type symptoms that H has. Let's just say that if I was upset, guilty, and sad before reading this, I can now add mad as hell to the list of emotions! Almost everything we know about ADHD is based on boys. That is, the symptoms, the diagnostic indicators, and even the forms given to teachers to fill out when they make referrals, are all based on the stereotypical hyperactive-dominant form that's most often associated with boys. In ways that seriously affect almost every aspect of their lives, from before diagnosis (if they ever get one) into adulthood, girls with ADHD face a dramatically different experience from teachers, some parents, and their peers. I could go on forever, but I'll stop by simply saying that more attention has to be paid to this issue NOW!
- Halloween was a hit...Lots of candy, cute kids in costumes, and everyone was still in bed on time :)
- I can happily report that my very first full dissertation chapter will, indeed, be finished this week! WOOHOO!! It's only a draft, but that baby will be done! I'm only a mere 4-5 pages away.....I can taste it.
- We meet with the clinical psychologist on Thursday. I've filled out all the paperwork, which included an 18-page health history form for H, and I'm anxious to hear what the "expert" has to say.
Now, those mere 4-5 pages call, so I return to them. More to come after the doctor's appointment Thursday.
- H's teachers were happy to report that they've been noticing some improvement already. She came home with almost all Bs on her homework grades last week, and she made an A on her continents & oceans test! Whether this is due to them moving her seat to avoid distractions, calling on her more frequently, or something H is now doing to stay more focused, I don't know. But, we've made several changes at home in our homework time protocol, and they've made an obvious difference.
- I've read quite a bit of Understanding Girls with ADHD, one of the few books on the disorder that focuses on girls and the inattentive type symptoms that H has. Let's just say that if I was upset, guilty, and sad before reading this, I can now add mad as hell to the list of emotions! Almost everything we know about ADHD is based on boys. That is, the symptoms, the diagnostic indicators, and even the forms given to teachers to fill out when they make referrals, are all based on the stereotypical hyperactive-dominant form that's most often associated with boys. In ways that seriously affect almost every aspect of their lives, from before diagnosis (if they ever get one) into adulthood, girls with ADHD face a dramatically different experience from teachers, some parents, and their peers. I could go on forever, but I'll stop by simply saying that more attention has to be paid to this issue NOW!
- Halloween was a hit...Lots of candy, cute kids in costumes, and everyone was still in bed on time :)
- I can happily report that my very first full dissertation chapter will, indeed, be finished this week! WOOHOO!! It's only a draft, but that baby will be done! I'm only a mere 4-5 pages away.....I can taste it.
- We meet with the clinical psychologist on Thursday. I've filled out all the paperwork, which included an 18-page health history form for H, and I'm anxious to hear what the "expert" has to say.
Now, those mere 4-5 pages call, so I return to them. More to come after the doctor's appointment Thursday.
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