People have been so amazingly kind these last few days as I have found out that I've been unassigned. Today was actually the first day that I received official notice that I had been unassigned (this turns out to be after two different people were offered my job, which one accepted).
I'm a little bit unclear about what will happen next year, and so will be talking to HR and the union over the next few weeks to get all of that cleared up. It sounds like I will mostly likely have a job next year in the district, but it is a bit surprise as to what job I will have. Also, I will not have any say as to what job I will be placed in, if things go the way they have been explained to me. It sounds like I can be placed into any job that I am "qualified" for in the district. So, that is not all bad news.
On a positive note, so far 35% - 40% of my students have exceeded on their state math test! Yah! That is the highest rate for any fourth or fifth grade class in the school! (Statewide the rate is about 12%.)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Excitement on the job front
Well, I suppose you could say it was an "exciting" day at school. For the last two weeks, every few days after I go in I hear different things about what could be happening with my job. As of the beginning of last week, I was told that I would probably have a job next year, sharing with another teacher, half time at 5th grade. Well, this sounded great. I would love to stay at the school and still be teaching fifth grade half time! Yah.
But, for that to happen, two people would have to get the leaves they have been requesting.
On Thursday I go into school and find out that the administration talked with three different people and had them sign papers saying that they understood that their jobs were "unassigned." And on Friday, supposedly, they were going to formalize everything at the staff meeting. I felt bad for the people unassigned, and didn't totally understand why a bilingual teacher with more seniority than me was being unassigned, but also felt relieved that no-one had talked with me.
So far, it looks good for me.
Friday - staff meeting, they say that they are going to talk about jobs for next year. But then the principal decides not to talk about it after all. There will be a paper put in our boxes by 3pm to formalize staffing for next year.
Monday - 8:15am, a paper goes in my box saying that I am now the first person to be cut because I have the least seniority.
Monday - 10:30am A wonderful teacher at our school, the one who was told that she was cut on Thursday, has the decency to show me that last week she was offered by HR and the principal, my position for next year. This is the first I've heard about it.
So, what now? I don't really know, but as of this moment, I don't have a job for next year. I "should" have something before someone is hired outside of the district, but it is all quite confusing.
But, for that to happen, two people would have to get the leaves they have been requesting.
On Thursday I go into school and find out that the administration talked with three different people and had them sign papers saying that they understood that their jobs were "unassigned." And on Friday, supposedly, they were going to formalize everything at the staff meeting. I felt bad for the people unassigned, and didn't totally understand why a bilingual teacher with more seniority than me was being unassigned, but also felt relieved that no-one had talked with me.
So far, it looks good for me.
Friday - staff meeting, they say that they are going to talk about jobs for next year. But then the principal decides not to talk about it after all. There will be a paper put in our boxes by 3pm to formalize staffing for next year.
Monday - 8:15am, a paper goes in my box saying that I am now the first person to be cut because I have the least seniority.
Monday - 10:30am A wonderful teacher at our school, the one who was told that she was cut on Thursday, has the decency to show me that last week she was offered by HR and the principal, my position for next year. This is the first I've heard about it.
So, what now? I don't really know, but as of this moment, I don't have a job for next year. I "should" have something before someone is hired outside of the district, but it is all quite confusing.
Catching up, again!
M has been teething hard this past week - working on his eye teeth - and hence there hasn't been much time or energy for blogging. And, my memory is still so shot from prolonged sleep deprivation that I can never remember what I wanted to write about when I do sit down to the computer. I finally decided that I should just start typing and maybe some ideas would come back.
First, Sacha started her third trimester yesterday! I want to send out a big congratulations to her for making it this far. She is doing a wonderful job. The honeymoon of the second trimester seems to be coming to a close, as she's had a lot more aches and pains recently. Luckily, she was able to get in for a massage at this wonderful spa near us that focuses on pregnant and parenting mamas. That seems to have helped a lot.
She's also started to feel the little one kicking a lot more. And, I've started feeling her a lot more, as well! Mostly at night, because she moves more at night and also because I'm usually chasing M around during the day. We are just so excited to be getting close to June and meeting our daughter. I keep thinking about how she's pretty much fully formed in there and mostly working on developing her lungs and gaining weight at this point. Apparently she even has eyelashes now! Here's a photo of my lovely wife yesterday, at 28 weeks. Yay third trimester!
M has been working on a couple of new things. First, he's learning how to climb! He moved on from our coffee table (which I moved away from the window, causing him to immediately lose interest) to a chair we just moved into our front room. We keep walking in there to find him just chillin' in his chair, like he just got home from work or something. Too cute.
He's also started to put two or three words together into little mini-sentences. My favorite so far is "Thank you, Mommy". I was telling him the other day that Mommy works really hard for us and we should say thank you to her. Ever since then, he's been saying "Take you, Mommy!" I love it. Another one of my favorites is how he refers to our hot tub. We take him out there sometimes (we have the temp set low for Sacha and him) and he LOVES it. We call it the big bath and whenever we talk about it, he goes "bi bat! bi bat!"
Of course, we're a little biased, but both Sacha and I think Mateo has gotten even more adorable recently. He's so interactive and talkative and fun to be around, and he's learning new things like a sponge. I need to get him on video before he learns to pronounce things any better, because I want to remember what his first attempts at speaking sounded like. I know I'll love all his different ages, but this one is pretty great.
First, Sacha started her third trimester yesterday! I want to send out a big congratulations to her for making it this far. She is doing a wonderful job. The honeymoon of the second trimester seems to be coming to a close, as she's had a lot more aches and pains recently. Luckily, she was able to get in for a massage at this wonderful spa near us that focuses on pregnant and parenting mamas. That seems to have helped a lot.
She's also started to feel the little one kicking a lot more. And, I've started feeling her a lot more, as well! Mostly at night, because she moves more at night and also because I'm usually chasing M around during the day. We are just so excited to be getting close to June and meeting our daughter. I keep thinking about how she's pretty much fully formed in there and mostly working on developing her lungs and gaining weight at this point. Apparently she even has eyelashes now! Here's a photo of my lovely wife yesterday, at 28 weeks. Yay third trimester!
M has been working on a couple of new things. First, he's learning how to climb! He moved on from our coffee table (which I moved away from the window, causing him to immediately lose interest) to a chair we just moved into our front room. We keep walking in there to find him just chillin' in his chair, like he just got home from work or something. Too cute.
He's also started to put two or three words together into little mini-sentences. My favorite so far is "Thank you, Mommy". I was telling him the other day that Mommy works really hard for us and we should say thank you to her. Ever since then, he's been saying "Take you, Mommy!" I love it. Another one of my favorites is how he refers to our hot tub. We take him out there sometimes (we have the temp set low for Sacha and him) and he LOVES it. We call it the big bath and whenever we talk about it, he goes "bi bat! bi bat!"
Of course, we're a little biased, but both Sacha and I think Mateo has gotten even more adorable recently. He's so interactive and talkative and fun to be around, and he's learning new things like a sponge. I need to get him on video before he learns to pronounce things any better, because I want to remember what his first attempts at speaking sounded like. I know I'll love all his different ages, but this one is pretty great.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The wonders of soap
One of the many things I have experienced this pregnancy has been the wonders of restless legs. I started having restless legs issues pretty soon after we found out that I was pregnant.
Things we have tried:
And, I was willing to try just about anything to get a decent night sleep.
Don't ask me why, but it works! The restless legs are not completely gone, but they are totally manageable. I love soap! A loves soap! We all love soap!
Things we have tried:
- Getting my iron levels checked (They looked ok)
- Taking more iron anyway (helped for a few nights, but then they just started getting worse)
- Taking more calcium at night (not too helpful)
- Doing exercises on my back before bed (maybe slightly helpful, but now I can't be on my back to do exercises)
- Stretching in the hot tub (the heat turns out to make my restless legs worse!)
- Stretching after they start in bed (slightly helpful)
- Having A sleep on the couch (sad, sad, sad and doesn't solve the problem)
And, I was willing to try just about anything to get a decent night sleep.
Don't ask me why, but it works! The restless legs are not completely gone, but they are totally manageable. I love soap! A loves soap! We all love soap!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Goings-on
We had a wonderful evening tonight with Sacha's mom, who's visiting for the weekend, and Mateo's Apa, who just got a new job! He has been considering a move out west and it looks like it's really going to happen. In the few weeks he's been out here, he's already secured a gig for his small business and a full-time day job with great benefits. We've really been enjoying having more of a day-to-day relationship with him, and we know M has been, as well.
Tonight reminded me of something I've been trying to pay attention to ever since Sacha got pregnant. Whenever I see a pregnant woman or a couple expecting their first child, I always want to stop them and say "SLEEP NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" That's not very socially appropriate, obviously, but it just always makes me think back to those days before M was born and how we just had no idea how our lives were about to change.
Recently, I've been thinking that we are in a new kind of honeymoon period. While M is definitely still keeping us on our toes (it seems that the 'no' period of his life has begun), things feel pretty normal. We have daily routines with him and we can have friends over and go out and even sometimes have date nights and generally feel pretty well-rounded. And, overall, we're decently well-rested compared to the early days.
This is all going to change very soon. Not only will we be back in that newborn/recovering-from-birth haze, but we will be attempting to parent our toddler at the same time. Nights like tonight, with a relaxing dinner and dessert and lovely conversation after M went to bed...well, I'm sure they'll start happening again at some point, but it won't be for quite awhile. And just as our normal now is totally different than our normal used to be, I'm sure we'll have a new new normal eventually.
My point is, tonight I tried to soak it all in and just enjoy being where we are. It's a pretty great place to be.
On that note, here are some photos from tonight. Our little one started having a party inside and both Sacha's mom and Apa got to feel her. It was a magical moment.
Tonight reminded me of something I've been trying to pay attention to ever since Sacha got pregnant. Whenever I see a pregnant woman or a couple expecting their first child, I always want to stop them and say "SLEEP NOW WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" That's not very socially appropriate, obviously, but it just always makes me think back to those days before M was born and how we just had no idea how our lives were about to change.
Recently, I've been thinking that we are in a new kind of honeymoon period. While M is definitely still keeping us on our toes (it seems that the 'no' period of his life has begun), things feel pretty normal. We have daily routines with him and we can have friends over and go out and even sometimes have date nights and generally feel pretty well-rounded. And, overall, we're decently well-rested compared to the early days.
This is all going to change very soon. Not only will we be back in that newborn/recovering-from-birth haze, but we will be attempting to parent our toddler at the same time. Nights like tonight, with a relaxing dinner and dessert and lovely conversation after M went to bed...well, I'm sure they'll start happening again at some point, but it won't be for quite awhile. And just as our normal now is totally different than our normal used to be, I'm sure we'll have a new new normal eventually.
My point is, tonight I tried to soak it all in and just enjoy being where we are. It's a pretty great place to be.
On that note, here are some photos from tonight. Our little one started having a party inside and both Sacha's mom and Apa got to feel her. It was a magical moment.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Lessons
We had our first Bradley childbirth class today. It went well and we both liked the teacher - she really brought both of us into it. And, it was at her house and we got to bring M along. He held up pretty well, although he was Mr. Crankypants by the end. Now he's asleep for the night, having fallen asleep in the car at 5:45 pm. Will we regret this tomorrow? Only time will tell.
(Updated to add: He did sleep until close to 6 am this morning, so that was a lot more sleep than he usually gets. He also woke up at 7:30, 9:30, midnight, 2 am, and 5:45 am to nurse. So, that was a lot less sleep than I usually get!)
We got home to a message on our machine telling me, in not so many words, that I shouldn't let Mateo play with my wallet and pull out all the credit cards because I think it's cute. It said especially that I shouldn't do this in the car or in public places, because even if I think I'm keeping track of everything, that inevitably my debit card will fall out and I will not notice and someone else will. Then, that someone will then embark on a few test purchases in preparation for a big spending spree. Luckily, the message went on to say, the fraud protection department has placed a hold on your card and you should call as soon as possible.
Thank goodness it was only $27. Lesson learned.
(Updated to add: He did sleep until close to 6 am this morning, so that was a lot more sleep than he usually gets. He also woke up at 7:30, 9:30, midnight, 2 am, and 5:45 am to nurse. So, that was a lot less sleep than I usually get!)
We got home to a message on our machine telling me, in not so many words, that I shouldn't let Mateo play with my wallet and pull out all the credit cards because I think it's cute. It said especially that I shouldn't do this in the car or in public places, because even if I think I'm keeping track of everything, that inevitably my debit card will fall out and I will not notice and someone else will. Then, that someone will then embark on a few test purchases in preparation for a big spending spree. Luckily, the message went on to say, the fraud protection department has placed a hold on your card and you should call as soon as possible.
Thank goodness it was only $27. Lesson learned.
16-month letter
Dear Mateo,
Happy 16th months! Mommy and I were realizing that a year ago, you were four months old and we were still mired in sleep troubles...and would be for some time to come. Things are going so much more smoothly now than they were then and we are very thankful for that.
What have you been up to this month? In a nutshell, talking, talking, talking. That seems to be what you spend most of your time working on. You're quite the little imitator and often parrot back what we say - either to you, to each other, or to other people. We've given up counting your words, but you have a lot of them. Some recent favorites include fork, chair, truck, bus, off!, hot cocoa, and my personal favorite, vaporizer (which sounds like pee-shy-a).
You've also started to put two and three words together on a semi-regular basis. This morning, when Mommy went in to get you, you said "Mommy, Mama sleep" - as in, Mommy, Mama's sleeping. You sometimes ask for me in the mornings and Mommy always tells you that I'm sleeping. Seems like you got the message!
You're starting to learn some fun new things like talking on the phone (fote, as you call it). You can say hi or hello (he-doh) and then you listen raptly to whoever's on the other end. Your rapt listening lasts for about 10 seconds and then you grab the phone and push the buttons like crazy and cry loudly when one of us takes it back.
We've been talking to you about the baby growing in Mommy's tummy. It's hard to know how much you understand, but you do love to point to her tummy and say "baby!" or your sister's name, which you can actually say pretty well. Even though we'd like to keep it a secret until she's born, it's quite likely that you will spill the beans before then. One of the cutest things of the past month has been when you cozy up to Mommy's tummy, lean in close, and say "hiiiii" very sweetly. It is just so sweet. We hope you'll be that sweet with her after she's born! We got you a book about being a big brother and have been reading it to you off and on.
Speaking of love affairs, you are still infatuated with Lucy, our cat. Every morning, and I do mean every morning, you wake up asking for the kitty cat (kee cat? kee cat? where?). You have started calling her Goosey Lu, which is a combination of what I call her (Lucy Goosey) and what Mommy calls her (Lucy Lu). You love to play with her and she loves to play with you. Lately, she likes to trot around the house holding one of your little socks proudly in her mouth.
Going to the park has been another favorite this month. You are always asking to go to the parky, which is your way of saying parque in espanol. We've all been lucky to have your Apa in town this past month, as he is considering a move out this way. We've seen him every few days and have all been enjoying his company. He's taken you to the park quite a few times, pushing you on the swings and playing on the slides and generally letting you run him all around.
Recently, thanks to Mommy's fabulous planning ahead, you've spent a few evenings with your buddy Rachael. She was our doula when you were born and you two have always had fun together. She remembers seeing you open up your eyes and look around when you were only partway into this world, so she might have been the first person you ever saw!
We've also gotten to see your Bubby and Poppa and your Grammy and Grandpa this month. You're always looking at their pictures on the fridge and seemed to enjoy seeing them in person. You can say Bubby and Poppa quite well and are learning to say Grammy and Grandpa. Right now, Grammy comes out sounding kind of like "bracky", which I think is the cutest and most hilarious thing ever. You actually got to spend a whole morning with Grandpa earlier this month. He took you all around the neighborhood and taught you to say coffee, among other things. We hope that was just the first in many such grandson-grandpa outings.
Oh, one more thing - sleep. Ah, the ever-present topic for discussion. Sleep is going well and continues to get incrementally better. You're taking just one nap a day and usually sleep for about an hour. Sometimes you make it to two hours and those are nice days! You nurse off to sleep for both naps and bedtime and we're all happy with it like that for now.
The best news is that you're showing an increasing ability to sleep through the night. We were wondering if it would ever happen when you suddenly reeled off about a week of sleeping straight through. We loved this! It got derailed by all of us getting sick but we hope to get back on track soon. Nights that you don't sleep through, you generally just wake up once. Not bad at all!
Mateo, Mommy and I can't believe what an amazing son we have. We love you so much that we think our hearts might explode sometimes. Every day with you is an adventure. We're so lucky to be exploring this world with you.
Besos,
Mommy and Mama
PS: You learned one more new thing just this morning - how to climb up onto the coffee table. I think we're in for it this month!
Happy 16th months! Mommy and I were realizing that a year ago, you were four months old and we were still mired in sleep troubles...and would be for some time to come. Things are going so much more smoothly now than they were then and we are very thankful for that.
What have you been up to this month? In a nutshell, talking, talking, talking. That seems to be what you spend most of your time working on. You're quite the little imitator and often parrot back what we say - either to you, to each other, or to other people. We've given up counting your words, but you have a lot of them. Some recent favorites include fork, chair, truck, bus, off!, hot cocoa, and my personal favorite, vaporizer (which sounds like pee-shy-a).
You've also started to put two and three words together on a semi-regular basis. This morning, when Mommy went in to get you, you said "Mommy, Mama sleep" - as in, Mommy, Mama's sleeping. You sometimes ask for me in the mornings and Mommy always tells you that I'm sleeping. Seems like you got the message!
You're starting to learn some fun new things like talking on the phone (fote, as you call it). You can say hi or hello (he-doh) and then you listen raptly to whoever's on the other end. Your rapt listening lasts for about 10 seconds and then you grab the phone and push the buttons like crazy and cry loudly when one of us takes it back.
We've been talking to you about the baby growing in Mommy's tummy. It's hard to know how much you understand, but you do love to point to her tummy and say "baby!" or your sister's name, which you can actually say pretty well. Even though we'd like to keep it a secret until she's born, it's quite likely that you will spill the beans before then. One of the cutest things of the past month has been when you cozy up to Mommy's tummy, lean in close, and say "hiiiii" very sweetly. It is just so sweet. We hope you'll be that sweet with her after she's born! We got you a book about being a big brother and have been reading it to you off and on.
Speaking of love affairs, you are still infatuated with Lucy, our cat. Every morning, and I do mean every morning, you wake up asking for the kitty cat (kee cat? kee cat? where?). You have started calling her Goosey Lu, which is a combination of what I call her (Lucy Goosey) and what Mommy calls her (Lucy Lu). You love to play with her and she loves to play with you. Lately, she likes to trot around the house holding one of your little socks proudly in her mouth.
Going to the park has been another favorite this month. You are always asking to go to the parky, which is your way of saying parque in espanol. We've all been lucky to have your Apa in town this past month, as he is considering a move out this way. We've seen him every few days and have all been enjoying his company. He's taken you to the park quite a few times, pushing you on the swings and playing on the slides and generally letting you run him all around.
Recently, thanks to Mommy's fabulous planning ahead, you've spent a few evenings with your buddy Rachael. She was our doula when you were born and you two have always had fun together. She remembers seeing you open up your eyes and look around when you were only partway into this world, so she might have been the first person you ever saw!
We've also gotten to see your Bubby and Poppa and your Grammy and Grandpa this month. You're always looking at their pictures on the fridge and seemed to enjoy seeing them in person. You can say Bubby and Poppa quite well and are learning to say Grammy and Grandpa. Right now, Grammy comes out sounding kind of like "bracky", which I think is the cutest and most hilarious thing ever. You actually got to spend a whole morning with Grandpa earlier this month. He took you all around the neighborhood and taught you to say coffee, among other things. We hope that was just the first in many such grandson-grandpa outings.
Oh, one more thing - sleep. Ah, the ever-present topic for discussion. Sleep is going well and continues to get incrementally better. You're taking just one nap a day and usually sleep for about an hour. Sometimes you make it to two hours and those are nice days! You nurse off to sleep for both naps and bedtime and we're all happy with it like that for now.
The best news is that you're showing an increasing ability to sleep through the night. We were wondering if it would ever happen when you suddenly reeled off about a week of sleeping straight through. We loved this! It got derailed by all of us getting sick but we hope to get back on track soon. Nights that you don't sleep through, you generally just wake up once. Not bad at all!
Mateo, Mommy and I can't believe what an amazing son we have. We love you so much that we think our hearts might explode sometimes. Every day with you is an adventure. We're so lucky to be exploring this world with you.
Besos,
Mommy and Mama
PS: You learned one more new thing just this morning - how to climb up onto the coffee table. I think we're in for it this month!
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