Book Club! Here! Tomorrow!

The days of stressing and sweating and micro-planning every detail of hosting book club have long since passed. I am hosting up to 10 people here tomorrow and really don't know what I'm serving. It's safe to say that I will not be cooking, though.

The thing is, I chose this incredibly grisly book. It's so grisly that it's making the thought of actually EATING a little difficult.

Safe bet that we're going vegetarian, though.

Time Change

a;lskjf ?


ajklsd;f?


Me too.

Bugs Me

... sound of someone clipping their nails.
... sound of someone cracking their knuckles.
... sound of someone chewing ice.
... sound of someone chewing gum.
in fact
... sound of anyone chewing anything.

Gaiters

Well the snow is up to our dog's belly. About to Rose's hips. Definitely taller than my snow boots. Still coming down. My friend Felice is wearing gaiters. I used to have some gaiters, and if I had to walk around in this, I'd be wearing some too.

I have been promising a post about the voices in my head, but they've been keeping me so busy that I haven't been able to get around to it just yet.

Here's one thing: I just ate a bite of zucchini bread, and I felt inside my head that it tasted yellow. And kind of thin. That is just another example of the things that make me think I have synesthesia. Here's another one: the headache I had this weekend was definitely thin and cold. And pointy. Not like the migraine that I had a long time ago (and which I will never forget) which was definitely round. And warm. OK, here's another thing: I don't want to get into a lot of detail about what was stressing me out so much a couple of weeks back. If you don't already know, here:

• Classroom behavior expectations: Rose sits alone in the back of the room while every other child is in table groups of 4. apparently one attempt was made to have her sit in a group and when she had trouble with that, she was moved and no further attempt has been made to help her begin to learn and practice more typical 3rd grade classroom behavior.
  
• Classroom participation expectations- Rose and a visiting parent indicate that she sits alone in the back when Mr. X has the others gathered for whole group. He has not asked what she knows about her science studies and has not responded ot my offer to come in and help her conduct a lesson/presentation on the moon.
  
• Positive behavior supports- Has not taken up either the program we sent in or any other system of eliciting positive behavior. Approach is punitive or unsuccessful bribery.
  
• Academic goal-setting- Has candidly stated that any work she is able to do is provided by sp ed or is scaffolded by Ms. B. Otherwise, he- and I'm quoting- "tries to encourage her to at least be reading or writing." His initial plan was to have her get some coloring sheets.
  
• Differentiation of classroom work- Up to20 blank worksheets come home each week with no marks on them whatsoever. She often doesn't know what the content study is.
  
• Differentiation of homework- Homework is differentiated if Ms. M has chosen which problems Rose should work on. Otherwise, it comes home as is, and we modify as appropriate.
  
• Social support- She is stating that other children are excluding her- the same children who last year championed her and took pride in comforting her and teaching her the right way to try new things.
  
• Emotional support- He comments that "she was crying about something but I don't know what." She has begun to have more potty accidents and has begun chewing on everything.
  
• Lack of communication- I have sent 3 unacknowledged e-mails WITHIN THE LAST WEEK alone, one of which explicitly asked for a response.

I wouldn't say it's all resolved, but we've had a meeting and things are back to zero. You can imagine that we were deep into negative integers by that point.

So I went to Estes Park for the weekend and played with photos. I have been learning all about using digital photos to make albums which are assembled entirely on the computer. Then you mail away for them and they are bound books. It's really nifty. I had a lot of fun and I am so pleased with the albums I worked on! I am still learning the digital photo software and at the moment don't seem to understand how to attach a picture here, so I'll post photos soon.

Hardy Har Har

Oh, and Tess of the D'urbervilles?
Hard. Lyrical. Didactic. Hopeless. Fatalistic, in fact.
I'm sorry to report that, not only did I not finish reading it, I don't intend to.
However, I will defend the right of English teachers everywhere to include it on the syllabi.
Whew.
Reading for this month, my pick, is a true crime book about the killing of a Hollywood starlet. I thought it might be "fun" to read during the month of Halloween.

and in other news

• REALLY struggling with third grade around here, folks.
  
• And it's not Rose who's having trouble.
  
• It's her teacher...
• However, I am keeping my shoulder to the grind wheel.
• And my eyes on the road.
• And on the prize.
• OK, but 9th grade is going pretty well. I think the challenges of the work have shocked him, but they are bringing out the best in him.
  
• Generally.
• Except for those zeroes.
  
• Which do seem to be getting his attention.
• and speaking of getting attention- how about those flu symptoms?
• If YOUR head is in the sand about this flu season, you might want to leave it there. I understand the virus is airborne.
• However, if you don't have that air filter, let me tell you about Peter.
• And Lysol, disinfecting wipes, face masks, gatorade, mucinex, delsyn, theraflu, listerine, segregated towels, tissues, soup, loads of emergency laundry, advil, aspirin, shivering and muscle cramping.
• It's enough to make you stick your head in the sand.
• Or drive to a couple of places with your teen to get a flu shot right now.