I'm soooo nervous....

[MagicPrincess]

And excited! I can't believe tomorrow is the big day! It's the first day of school in my first year of teaching! EEEK! I still have stuff to do! LOL. Who goes to up to school on a weekend?? I do! Spent 6 hrs up there yesterday and more soon today. There's no way I'm gonna be able to sleep tonight! :o

[Lt.Mac]

before you go to bed light a few scented candles in the bathroom, put on some relaxing meditative type music, pour yourself a glass of wine or a cup of herbal tea or hot chocolate or whatever and take a long hot bubble bath.

[dreamer]

Wow..that's wonderful MagicPrincess, I think you choose a great job and *trying not to make you even more nervous* I allways admire people who decide to go into teaching because they have the opportunity to mold(sp?) our future generations into great people.
Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great and the kids will love you.;)

[MagicPrincess]

I just may do that Lt. Mac. LOL. Sounds like a good idea.

How funny is it Dreamer, that our "theme" this year for our district is that we are dream keepers. :)

[Sam]

Great idea Mac. Dreamer you are so right!! But no pressure Magic Princess!:p (Sam giving Dreamer a wave. Missed you Buddy!) Hey Magic Princess write this sentence on the board and repeat after me : I HAVE MACE AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE IT!!:p
Good Luck on your first day and let us know how it went!!;)

[Silverwolf]

Good Luck and I'm quite sure that you'll do fine. I've been teaching for 17 years (in NYC), piece of cake :)

Hold your ground and remember why you are there- not for a paycheck, but for the children.

I'm here if you need any advice.

[appeace]

Good Luck to you, my friend!
I know the students are going to love your effervescent personality and you will be a wonderful teacher!:D

[MagicPrincess]

Oy...that was a nerve wracking day. LOL. I think it went ok...more procedural stuff than actual teaching yet. My timing sucks so far though, gotta learn how to slow down to take up more time. Other than that, it was good :) Didn't have to send anyone to the office on the first day...unlike one of the biology teachers. LOL

[renate]

awesome Princess-so what are you teaching and where at??
I'm not-just not into it this year-must have to do with the age difference and communication.
It's a conversational Spanish class and nobody wants in conversing with one another-very strange:D

Renate

ps good luck with your teaching.

[dreamer]

LOL MagicPrincess.:p So what are you teaching and what grade/s?

[MagicPrincess]

I'm teaching 5 classes of Chemistry and 1 class of TAKS preparation. For those of you not in Texas, it is their, somewhat crappy, assessment of what students have learned in school. They must pass it before they can graduate. They take the science portion of the test in 11th grade, and if they fail, I get them in my TAKS science class as seniors. Lots of pressure on me to get them to pass. It worries me. LOL.

Anyway :) Today was better than yesterday. Mainly because I'm saying the same thing over and over again so I'm more prepared each time. We do our first lab/demonstration tomorrow, which should be fun! I get to pour sulfuric acid on an egg white to show what could happen if you get acid in your eyes. Whoohoooo! I love chemicals! LOL. Ugh...I'm such a nerd!

Thanks for all y'alls encouragement thus far :)

[Sam]

:cool:AAAHHH the 11th grade... accidentally blowing up the chem lab...having to dissect that poor frog..eeewwwe.. THE DREADED TABLE OF ELEMENTS to memorize...harrassing the male teachers..:DThose Really were the good old days. Princess those kids are really lucky to have you for a teacher. I like the concept of an interactive classroom. It's much easier and more interesting for the kids when they are able to apply what they are learning to their day-to-day lives.

[Lt.Mac]

I took chem sphomore year- by the end of the first quarter(two fires and an explosion later) I was asked to promise to never step foot in a chemistry lab again- the request was repeated when I was in college- :rolleyes:
You are very brave.

[Cara et Pax]

Hang in there MagicPrincess.Things will get easier day by day as you get experience with it.Each job has it's own joys and problems.Soon,the joys will far outweigh the problems as you see your pupils start to really learn things if they only try it.

[MagicPrincess]

LOL Lt. Mac. I've had a few experiences in college lab that make for great stories for the kids. they love to hear stuff like...evacuations of buildings...having to actually USE the safety shower...breaking more things than you ever thought you would...losing a flask of concentrated sulfuric acid...yeah....LOL. Good ole organic chemistry lab.

Apparently Lt, coco and I are just that awesome at using chemicals. LOL.

Oh the demo went great...until i dropped a glass petri dish that then shattered all over the floor. At least they learned where the broken glass disposal is located. :)

[Coolwater]

Oh, goodness, and what acid does when you spill it on nylon is a wonderful thing to behold. Even more wonderful is the sight of the teacher in a panic, splashing water on the stockings with the nearest beaker - all 30 mililiters of it!

[Sam]

Coco ROFL. So Princess when do we get to grow micro organisms in those petrie dishes. I'tll be fun to take a girls make-up sample for that project!! Let her see what she's Really putting on her face!:eek:

[MagicPrincess]

Awww coco, I wish I was doing that! I LOVE microbiology and would do anything to teach it. I want to get my master's degree in either that or genetics. I even buy stuffed animals that are microorganisms from a website called giantmicrobes. My favorite is ebola and african sleeping sickness. LOL. I really do need to get a life. LOL

But what I'm noticing is that the kids love the fact that I'm such a nerd! :) We were doing a lab today and I was drawing out the data table and 2 of the rows were labeled "Head" and "Shoulders" and one of my kids sang "knees and toes" and I just about doubled over laughing...and we all sang the song for a minute. I have a great time, but I'm trying to keep my head above water as far as the planning goes. I feel like I'm in the Pacific Ocean with just one little floatie. LOL.

[Sam]

:D KIDS, LAUGHTER, LEARNING??? Sounds like a pretty good life to me Princess!!:cool: OH and keep an eye on that kid. Could grow up to be President one day...Who knows???Stranger things have happened!! LOL.
Sounds like you've got a great group of kids and the fact that we haven't found you wrapped in duct tape and stuffed in a locker means you're doing an awesome job so far!!;)

[MagicPrincess]

I keep the tape locked up! As well as the scissors and markers. LOL. And oh yeah...all the chemicals. They'll have to search for something to use and be creative. And if that's the case, then they're using their brains and that's what I want. LOL.

But FINALLY the weekend is here...my chance to get caught up! I will be laboring all Labor day weekend. LOL

[Sam]

;)Well Now See!! That's why you're the teacher and they are the students!! Always prepared and one step ahead of them.:D And if taking care of my 7 month old Granddaughter while the rest of the family is working is considered work , then I'll be working too.:rolleyes:

[dreamer]

Oh, how I wish we'd have such Chemestry classes here too...I'd love to blow something up...*in an organized, supervised emviorment*. Kids, don't try this at home...LOL

[MagicPrincess]

Ah! I want to cry! I feel so bogged down, why can't time just stop so I can get stuff done??? I started out today in such a good mood, but it soured so quick by 4th period (the last of the day). Hell I think a student was high in that class! Good lord! Ok...I'm gonna go grade papers and cry :( sigh

[Lt.Mac]

apple martini, and a hot bath--
watch the video clip from Adrian's play that'll cheer ya up

[Sam]

:)A BIG HUG FOR YOU MAGIC PRINCESS!!! Don't let some unruly kid get you down. If he's just stoned you can totally mess with his head. There is probably something deeper going on with him. Try taking him aside where other classmates aren't around (cause that would just intensify the situation) and ask if something is up with him and if there's some way you can help. I know your first responsibility is to the kids who want to learn but sometimes reaching out to the difficult ones can make a difference in not only winning him over but the rest of the students as well. The best way to deal with a kid is to try to think on his level. And I highly recommend Lt. Mac's cure! And if that fails then you might need to pop in "Tides of War " and put the pool scene on Loop or you can always break out a "Tracker" vid.

(:eek:Picturing Dreamer in a chem lab...or reading her post again and trying to remind myself that this is a family board and not to say what popped into my mind!!:D)

[renate]

I agree:):)

Renate

[Lt.Mac]

shame, shame, Coco- here's a bar of soap now be good and go wash out your brain:p

[renate]

LOL-now now ltMac:):)

Renate

[Sam]

:DLOL Lt. Mac. :rolleyes:I think I'll need bleach to go with the soap for that one!!;) Can you imagine all of us together in the same lab?? Frightening thought isn't it? I don't think the world could handle it.LOL

[Lt.Mac]

I don't think there would be any world left:eek:

[MagicPrincess]

LOL probably not...and me being the chemistry teacher should be a help, but I'd probably contribute to the disaster!

You shoulda seen me today, I had to demonstrate lighting a butane torch thingie...that was fun. LOL. They don't use bunsen burners anymore because kids would go and turn on the gas source without the burners and it would just leak into the room....Those I know how to light...butane torch...not so much.

[Sam]

:DBut we really need a teacher Magic Princess ... how else would we get hold of the chemicals. However we could raid the cow pasture a few yards away for some fertilizer but then we might be tempted to go cow tipping too and I'm not sure at my current age that I could outrun that bull....:rolleyes:
Now I could help you light that torch but I can't guarantee we'd have eyebrows or eyelashes when we're done. Hey Princess you do have some extra HazMat suits in case we all come to visit your class ...Right??

[Sam]

:rolleyes:Don't mind me ... I'm just doing a little locker search for Magic Princess.....I haven't seen her in a day or two.;)

[MagicPrincess]

LOL coco...I've been sooo busy! It's getting better though. We are starting the most unfun stuff of the entire year....scientific notation, metric system, significant figures etc. Bleh! I hate teaching it, and the kids won't get it. Their world doesn't operate in metric :rolleyes: I had a kid call me, in joking, unpatriotic because I said the US needed to catch up with the rest of the world in using metric. LOL.

Actually the week of October 10th is National Metric Week and October 23 is Mole day (moles are the amount of particles in something) so I need to figure out a way to celebrate...any ideas? :)

[Lt.Mac]

I'll cheer you up- my 18 month old granddaughter, Madyson, was just sitting here watching me type, when I switched pages and she saw a pic a Adrian- she pointed and started saying Papa? Papa?-
(she calls my hubby Papa)
No honey, we can only wish that was your Papa- but they do look some what alike( well a long time ago anyway)
and you must remind her of her aunt Chrissy cause you have now been dubbed "Neeny":)

[MagicPrincess]

Awww that is so cute! :) Hehehehe! That did cheer me up. Just got back from the gym and now I'm going to grade papers...so I needed it :) So freaking cute! LOL

[Sam]

:DYeah Lt. Mac. Don't we wish they never changed. She sounds so sweet. We'll have to get together and swap stories. There is a cute story about my grand-daughter at Mooseville.
Off course I have ideas Princess. For the celebration of metrics : ask them to calibrate in metric measurements how far it is from their home to the mall and back and how much gas using the metric system it will take to get there? Or for the guys..well tools used to repair cars and other things are measured by the metric system so if you are going to do work in any feild requiring tools they are going to need it. And of course if they plan to ever travel outside the US they will need to know it. Having them take a medication that is measured in ounces and break it down in metrics. Even the scales their local drug dealers use are metric. Most things in medical professions are a combination of the two.
As for Moles.. have them make a game of finding out how many Moles it takes to make up the items they use in their everyday lives.
Scientific Notation: Well that's also used in the Medical Professions (all of them) It's called charting so they are going to need it. And the majority of professions use their own form of it. It's called CYOB!! (covering your own butt). It's those endless forms you have to fill out describing minute details in case reconstruction of facts and events need to be replicated to prove a fact. Just letting them know how it applies to their lives everyday will be a real eyeopener.

[Sam]

:eek:Oh Lt. Mac that reminds me. My grand-daughter is almost 7 1/2 months and her first tooth came in yesterday. Anyway I had her sitting in her walker and I took one of her toys with a velcro strap and strapped it to her walker. I noticed she was watching me intently. I turned around to start cooking when I heard a thud. I looked behind me and it was the toy. She had watched me secure it and had unsecured it and threw it on the floor. A few hours later I put her down for a nap with her pacifier (it has a clip to clip it to her clothing so it doesn't get lost.). Well I heard her yelling like she was terribly upset by something. I go to see what it is... She had taken her pacifier clip off her and had clipped it to her bedrail and the pacifier itself was dangling outside and had gotten stuck where she couldn't pull it back up!!:rolleyes: I think I might have a future geek on my hands!!:D

[Sharon D.H.]

Good Luck, MagicPrincess. I admire you because one needs lots and lots of patience with kids these days. When my son was in second grade many years ago, the teachers enjoyed him but he has ADHD and wouldn't stay in his seat. He kept wanting to sit on the floor and listen, or walk around and listen, not sit in his desk and listen. But, you ask "Clint, did you hear me?" He'll tell you all that you said, plus the answer. Most of the time it was right. I had alot of help with my son from my mother, while he was growing up now he is 19 and wants to get engaged. I tell him he's too young to get a wife, go to college and get a nest egg started, then in about 30 years you can get married. right now he's too too young.
So, from a mother's point of view to the teacher, Good Luck. I don't have the kind of patience to put up with more than just one of my own in the room.
My son's teachers had to put up with a lot of laughter and joking in class from him most of the time.
This was my day: "Mom, I got sent to the office." I sigh and ask"what for this time?" by the time he tells me what for, and all the details, I am rolling on the floor, tears and all, holding my sides, trying to stop laughing long enough to catch my breath. It was hard to punish my son for making people laugh even thougn the timing wasn't so great.
Like I said, Good Luck and enjoy/ (smiles and waves)
Sharon

[MagicPrincess]

Thanks Sharon :) I never thought I had patience either, but I seem to be doing ok. I'm finding that I'm actually having to have little chats with my students on being patient, especially when a few students don't understand a concept and I explain it again. So, so far so good :)

I just finished entering all my parent emails :rolleyes: LOL. Finally! We've got open house on Monday so that should be fun. So I decided to send out an official invite to all my parents to the open house. It's sooooo easy these days. We have gradebook software, and you can enter your parent emails and you can send mass emails, which you can do anyway on other ones...but I can also get the program to send out an individualized progress report with every single graded item and their average, with a click of a button. So much easier during progress report time. LOL

Anyway, off to the gym! Been slacking on my workouts. :( Too busy

[appeace]

WORK--1,2,3Ackkkkkkk my gym mantra!:eek:
Glad to hear school going well. Those kiddos are really lucky to have you and Im not abit scared youll explode anything!!:(

[MagicPrincess]

Someone mentioned to me that the fact I'm a chemistry teacher and I can't cook to save my life worries them. LOL. Since cooking is all about the chemistry of foods.

And appeace...yes you are :p

[appeace]

:p naaaaa, and that from a person who cant boil water but you light a real fire and watch me cook!:eek:

[Sam]

:DPrincess cooking is a state of mind!! If your stomach states to your mind that it's hungry then you can cook.:p

[MagicPrincess]

OK so tonight was open house....which was really awkward. LOL. It was ok, but it was the same night as the Heroes premiere, which severely pissed me off. LOL.

I only had like 24 parents show up. I have about 140 kids. :rolleyes:

[Lt.Mac]

I soooo feel for you-
I remember so many times when we( since we were Spec Ed we had four teachers to a classroom) all evening only to have 2-3 parents show up- usually the same parents we saw all the time anyway and had nothing new to tell them- My line about 45 min. into the evening "they ain't coming, who wants pizza?" as a matter of fact for a couple of years there, one parent (we had the kids for at least three years at a pop) would bring us food cause she felt bad we were missing dinner- GOOD HUNGARIAN FOOD!!! we hated to see her child move up to the next level, we all lost weight.:rolleyes:

[Sam]

:rolleyes: With my two kids...I was in conferences with teachers almost everyday. Unforunately for the kids now though the parents view it as an intrusion into their busy schedules rather than a very useful tool in furthering the education and development of their kids. They view homework the same way. It's pretty sad.:(

[appeace]

Yup, been there. Then parents throw a fit because they were not aware of your classroom or homework policies!:mad: Never missed a meet n greet or conference for my kiddos and it sure made keeping up with their progress (and grounding when homework was missed:p ) very easy.
Ya cant convince me that folks are soooooo busy that they cant take 15-30 min to meet and talk to teachers when their childs success is at stake----plain lazy--in this "raise yourself" society.:(

OK OK--Im climbing off my soapbox now, but it will take me abit--after all I am older than DIRT!!:D

[MagicPrincess]

Just letting everyone know I'm still alive and kicking. LOL. Been really busy lately with work. It's the end of the second 6 weeks. I can't believe I started this topic before my first day. Man how time flies when you're having...well...working really hard. :p

Hope everyone is doing great :D catch me up on how y'all are doing!

[renate]

hey magicP.
Good to see you on here-haven't seen or heard from you in a LONG time-you must be busy ehh??:) Yep and don't even say it-I know where you want in going with it:D :)

Renate

[appeace]

Hey Lady! So glad to hear you havent abandoned ship--lol:D Just keep repeating to yourself, "the years half over---the years half over!":rolleyes:

[Sam]

:D HEY WOMAN!!! I was just thinking about you and Lt. Mac and wondering if we needed to send out a search party for ya. Hang in there. It's almost Holiday time!!:p