An update on my life.
-I blogged a while back about looking for a new house. We have found one. It is perfect! It has lots of bedrooms and a dedicated office for Christ. AND it has hardwood floors! We are closing in the middle of December and we are hoping to sell our current house before then. Two mortgage payments seems stressful.
-I also blogged a while back about some of my frustrations as a teacher. I feel like I have more students this semester who choose to not care or not put forth effort. Especially in my second block. I also have a student in there who has decided I don't like her (which is not true). This is her second time in Spanish which means that she has seen it all before, and so she thinks she knows it all (which is also not true). She stirs it up and others follow her. Despite talking to her, her coaches, and her mom, she hasn't really let up. She was absent on Friday. It was a nice break. I hope that Chris and I teach Jim that education is important. I also hope we teach him to behave and be obedient. I have many students that do neither.
-Cheerleading. I cheered in middle school, high school, and in college. It was a huge part of my life. I coach basketball cheerleading at the school where I teach. When I was hired, things were not good: girls had quit, cursed at each other and the previous coach. My job was to keep things under control. I did that and have worked hard to try to establish a good reputation within the school. The basketball cheerleaders are totally separate from the competition/football squad. Their coach is a bully and intimidating. When I was first hired, I was told I was not subordinate to her, but despite her knowing that, she treated me as such. And after some tears and a conversation with the athletic director (AD) things got a little better. (Although the same conversation had to be repeated the next season.) Since I've been coaching, I've learned more and more. I learned that my squad was not on the uniform rotation, meaning we were never set to get new uniforms (we got hand-me-downs from the competitive squad). When I approached the AD about it, I was essentially brushed off. I talked to the principal and we got new uniforms. I'm also planning to step it up this year. I am sick of being seen as the red-headed step-child of sports at my school. And this other coach makes it worse. She makes comments to her squads about mine and intimidates her girls to not try-out for me. But no one will come out and tell me because they are afraid of her and the consequences of crossing her. It's frustrating. Sometimes I feel like the only sane one; I just hope all this will come out and people will see her for who/what she is. I also hope the administration, including the AD, will recognize that my girls are excited about cheering and have school spirit, unlike the competitive squad. (Sorry for the rant, but this whole thing is a source of great frustration and annoyance.)
-My son is totally adorable. He is incredibly smart. I love watching him engage with the world around him. His personality is also becoming more visible. Although he's laid back like my husband, he also has a sense of order, like me. He knows that everything has a place and wants to put everything somewhere. My husband took the trash out yesterday and left the trash can lid on the floor. Jim walked over to it and put it back on the can. He also loves to read. I appreciate his love for books and I hope it never diminishes.
-TV shows I'm enjoying: Community, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Hawaii Five-O, Amazing Race, Project Runway.
I think that's about it. I hope to come back sooner than I did last time.
