Saturday, October 13th:
This morning, Mary had me over for waffles! Yummy! We visited for awhile, then I came back and did some laundry. Through the rest of the morning and early after I did a lot of writing - blogging, IM'ing friends, writing emails, jotting down thoughts for math. I drafted an email to send out to financial supporters (if you didn't get it, please let me know!)
At 2 pm, I laid down for half hour, hoping to relieve my headache. I ended up falling into a deep sleep for 30 minutes. The kind of sleep where you haven't moved a muscle and you don't even remember closing your eyes. After I got up, Sarah and I went to Texas Chicken. We walked for a good part of the way, enjoyed our meal, then walked part of the way back. It was a really beautiful day to get some good exercise. The weather is changing and it stays a little cooler in the afternoons. We stopped at the "green store" on the way home for popcorn kernels, laundry soap and paper towels.
In the late afternoon and evening, I did some research and lesson planning. Sarah recommended a classroom management site. I read through a dozen or so articles and was encouraged to persevere. At the beginning of the year, my classes responded well to my rules and procedures. Within the last week, I felt like everything was falling apart. After reading the articles, I was encouraged to realized that the rules and procedures are good, I just need to review, role-model, and review again.
Sunday, October 14th:
Woke up at 5:30 to a really bad dream. I was trying to get a sucker fish off my back that kept growing until it became an octopus. I woke myself up trying to call for help. Once I was fully conscious, I realized that I had really bad sore throat and my back was tingling like it does right before a fever. I've had the sore throat off and on the past couple nights - gargling and drinking tea have helped. This morning it was worse, but I felt a little better after my shower. It turns out that Mary is feeling far worse. Sarah ended up teaching her morning class.
I tried something new with 5B. Since they usually come into class at different times, it takes a long time for them to get settled down and working on the warm-up. I took a recommendation from yesterday's Website. We lined up outside the classroom. I greeted them as they walked in the door and then they started on the warm-up. It wasn't perfect, but I noticed that the tone was different. We'll try it again tomorrow. I also demonstrated how I wanted them to sit in "timeout" (when they get their second X). A lot of kids ended up sitting there throughout the class (the Website says this is a sign that I am doing what I'm supposed to ... I just need to make sure that participating with the rest of the students is more desirable than sitting alone). I started to lose them at the last 10 minutes (I needed more timeout chairs!) but we held it together as the teacher after me came in to set up the projector for his class.
5A went well. We reviewed the rules and procedures and I explained how I wanted them to go outside for their 2nd X. I didn't have nearly as many disruptions. Just as I finished their lesson, it felt like all the energy had been sapped from me. The cold/flu symptoms really started to kick in. I prayed all the way to my next class for the enthusiasm to teach their class. God blessed me with a fresh supply of energy. We talked about excellence and what that looks like coming from the class and from the teacher. A snack at the break helped me give my last class everything I had left. They were patient with my fading voice and listened attentively. After a quick 15 minute lesson, we went outside so they could start on tomorrow's group project.
Walked home right after my class and took a 3 hour nap. I woke up to Skype Mom and Dad. They caught me up on life at home so I wouldn't have to talk too much. Read and graded papers afterwards. Forced fluids and kept up a steady stream of vitamin C. Off to bed, praying that I will feel better tomorrow.
