Chuggington!

What a great month, April!  Chuggington wooden rail pieces came out and we are looking forward to adding them to Nick's train collection.  You can check out the set and a detailed review at
www.simplybeingmommy.com.

If you are looking for ideas for Easter gifts, these are great!

Back at work

With great thanks to Kala Seiler, I'm back at work for a week now.  Convention was a big success and things have calmed down a lot.  The need for this blog has ended, although apparently it wasn't really necessary at all.  Goodbye!

Congratulations!

Great job, 3rd Year!  I looked at your test results and it looks like you are progressing very well.  Since none of you has commented here or sent me questions, I am going to assume that Miss Seiler is doing a terrific job!  Congratulations all around!

Two Weeks!

I realize that what counts as two weeks for me is really only 7 school days, thanks to snow and delays.  Regardless, I'm interested in your thoughts on progress, instruction, etc.  Keep me posted, if you can.

One Week!

It's been a week.  I hope everyone is having as wonderful a January as we are.  Today was grading papers, checking e-mail, bathing Katie.  My kind of day.

I can't say it enough - if you need help, let me know!  I may not get back to you in minutes, but I will do my best to get back to you quickly.

Anyone?

Ok.  I set up this blog to keep in touch, but no one seems to be using it.  I'll take that as a good sign, that you all understand everything so far and don't need any extra help.

On the baby front, all is well.  Katie is eating well, sleeping well, and Nick seems to be adjusting well, although slowly.

More soon... if I hear from anyone!

What fun!

Ok, so everyone else is off enjoying their COLD snow days, and I'm snuggling the cutest little girl in the world.  I hope all my students are using their time wisely and getting things done like vocabulary!  Good luck to all in the coming weeks.  Just remember - I'm a mouse click away.

Welcome Birth Day!

I'm up early and excited to get to the hospital!  It does seem a bit of a waste, however, that school is cancelled today.  That means everything I planned for Miss Seiler is going to be off by one day.  How confusing is that!!  Apologies in advance, and all the best at keeping things straight!

Hello students!

Salvete discipuli!  Welcome to my blog.  Please post comments and questions freely.  I will check it as regularly as I can to see what successes and difficulties you are having.

In order to leave a comment, you will need to use a "google" account to sign in.  This can be a gmail, hotmail, or yahoo e-mail account, I think.  You can also always e-mail me at pk1teacher@yahoo.com.

Thanks and keep up the good work!
Mrs. K.

Lesson Planning Progress!

As of 12pm today, I have completed the overview plan for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year Latin.  I'm just beginning Etymology, then I have to go back and write the worksheets, project rubrics, and tests for each class.  It would definitely be easier to NOT take off, but that's not an option when a beautiful baby is involved!

Vocabulary and more!

Today I began creating activities for the second-year class on quia.com to review their vocabulary.  They loved doing the quizzes last year, and these are less pressure - more fun.  Each chapter has flashcards, concentration, a picture puzzle, and more to help them learn the meanings of the words.  In conjunction with their 5x writing, category identification, 3x recitation, poem, and chapter usage as recorded in their notebooks, I think vocabulary will cease to be an issue for tests and quizzes.

Hopefully the productivity bug will invade the rest of my day as well and I'll get more planned than the list of topics.

New pressure - the doctor's office scheduled my surgery for Jan 11 instead of Jan 12.  One day sooner = less time to prep!

Am I Nesting?

Organization efforts at school are well underway.  Students are beginning to notice that supplies are neatly stored and visible, so they no longer have to ask to borrow a pencil or pen, where the stapler or calculator is, or if I have an eraser.  Does this mean I'm nesting?

I am certainly not doing it at home.  My evenings consist of playing with a small boy and propping up my feet while watching terrible television.  I have the most wonderful husband on the planet who does everything else.  Soon, though, I'll have to sort the boy's toys and create some room for Katie's playpen and a rocker in the living room.

The emphasis on organization at work is certainly a reflection of my growing concern that I will not complete all my lesson planning on time.  It is infinitely more difficult to tell someone else what to teach (and how) than to teach the material yourself.

Then again, if I spent more time typing up lessons, and less time reading and blogging, I might make more progress.... Nah.

I can't believe I'm doing this...

7 1/2 months pregnant, planning daily lessons plus future lessons for my leave, and teaching a night class in computer literacy - and now I decide to start blogging.  What on earth am I thinking?

I'm thinking this might be a great way for students to keep in touch while I'm out with Katie.  They can ask questions, chat, talk about JCL, whatever.  I'm thinking this will be easy to do while Katie sleeps.  I'm thinking I can access this from anywhere (unlike Facebook) and post updates about my progress, while checking feedback from colleagues anywhere in the world.

That's what I'm thinking.  Yes, I know I'm crazy.