The Crock Pot

Today I am attempting to use the Crock Pot by myself for the second time. Hoping the food doesn't burn this time! For those of you who are adept at cooking, you are probably wondering, "What's the big deal?" For me, this is a big deal. Actually, I am always surprised EVERY single time that I cook and it is not only edible but also delicious. This is because up until about a year ago, I barely used my kitchen. I am an Undomestic Goddess.

When I was growing up, my mom cooked. I did my homework, went to ballet, played piano, read many wonderful books and never once picked up on much of anything she prepared in the kitchen. My mom made dinner basically every night. Then I went to college and basically lived off cereal and McDonald's Happy Meals until about age 30. That's when things changed.

First of all, my roommate and best friend was a fantastic cook! When she wasn't around, I forged for food-cereal and Baker's. I had been dating my boyfriend for about 6 months by then. He is a fantastic cook! He was astounded that when he asked me to chop something up or buy some meat at the grocery store I gave him blank stares. He was amazed that this woman who went to college and had a Master's degree knew absolutely nothing about cooking.  That was when the cooking lessons began and soon, I had prepped my first lobster to be barbecued all by myself. I now own several cookbooks and cooking magazines that I actually use. I have a fridge full of ingredients to make delicious meals with.

But still, I have to go shopping for meat with him because I don't know what all the different cuts are or exactly how to use them. And then there's the Crock Pot!

My boyfriend has made many delicious recipes in the Crock Pot and it all looks so easy. So, about a week ago, I decided I would give it a try. I was going to make pulled pork sandwiches. It seemed so easy. Threw in the pork. Threw in the BBQ sauce. Set it on low and headed out the door to work. When I came home I was in disbelief! It was ALL burned!!! I still don't know what went wrong. I followed all the steps. Needless to say, I threw it away and we had hamburgers for dinner.

Tonight I am making enchiladas in the Crock Pot. I will let you know how it goes!

The Pulled Pork Catastrophe

Redirecting

I am redirecting this blog. It is true, things are very dismal in the education profession right now. Not much has changed with my work situation right now. So I am redirecting this blog for my mental well-being. While things basically are crappy professionally, on other fronts...they are great!

I'm going to start writing about the other aspects of my life. Those topics will include the garden my boyfriend started on my apartment balcony that was supposed to be small but has since morphed into a jungle, picking up my crochet hook again to make some Christmas gifts made with love, and new found ability to cook. There are other things happening in my life that it is time to be thankful for and share.

So watch for a new and improved blog dear friends! Happy Monday!

Losing Hope

I hate to sound so negative and down in the dumps with every post but it seems that when it rains it does not just pour. It's just a hurricane! Just when I thought things would be okay, I find that I was wrong.
Yesterday I posted about the possibility that I would not be long term substituting in 6th grade next. Today as I was walking to the staff lounge at recess who should stop me on my way to pee but the principal! Apparently he's been interviewing people for that position and yesterday he found someone. He told me the sob story. He feels bad, it's what is best for the kids, they have experience teaching 6th grade. Then he said it. It's what is best for them to pass the test!!!
Really? Seriously! While our fearless leaders preach to us at every staff meeting about how we shouldn't teach to the test. The test is not the reason why we work hard. Apparently everything we do is for the test. We must live and breathe the test.
I couldn't believe it! What has happened? It is sad to think that when these kids look back on their elementary years instead of remembering the fun projects they did, they will remember all the tests they took and whether or not they were proficient.

Swamped!

Dear friends,

       I know I planned on blogging more often this school year however, I am SWAMPED! I completed my first long-term substitute assignment about two weeks ago now. I miss my kiddos! I felt that I was planting little seeds of knowledge about multiple meaning words, nouns, and fluency. We were also collectively making progress learning high frequency words. And then reality struck. I had to move on and head to a new group of students. I was sad and the kiddos were sad.
       I am proud to say that when their teacher returned she was excited that routines were established and the classroom was "turn-key ready." Now that she's back, she is able to pick up where I left off, establish her own routines, and move them along.
      On to my new group of kids. The first week was definately a period of adjustment. They had another substitute for two weeks before I was able to transition (their teacher went out on maternity leave earlier than expected). This time when I walked in I was faced with the task of restoring order to the chaos that ensued for two weeks prior to my arrival. And of course I had an informal observation by administration on my first day with this new group of kids! WTH? Seriously!?!
     Now that we have been together for two weeks, things are going much smoother. Students are beginning to learn about my expectations. I am beginning to learn about them and what they need. We have restored the routines set up by their teacher and added a few of our own. I am looking forward to starting small group time with them next week. I am also learning about students with SST's and their needs.
      I am very grateful to the team I am currently with. I feel that I have learned so much more about 2nd grade this year than last year. I wish I had known the things I know now about effectively teaching 2nd grade. It really would have helped me out last year.  So far, long-term subbing with this team and at this school has been a positive and rewarding experience. I am enjoying my time here and soaking up all of the knowledge I can.
      'Till next time.....happy teaching!

Good News!

I have an announcement to make. Drumroll please...I have a long-term substitute teaching position in a 2nd grade classroom! While it is not the contracted position I was hoping for, I am very excited for this opportunity. I will potentially have a long-term position for the entire school year and that is something to be excited about. I get to continue teaching, gain more experience, and do what I love. This year will be trying because of the decrease in pay but I am still hopeful that it may lead to a contracted position. In the meantime, it will be consistent work and that is very important. I'm looking forward to blogging about my adventures this year!