Responses to my last post

Rebecca- I agree somewhat. I am not totally against unions, but it is so "funny" to me how the weak teachers tend to be the union reps as well. And she was one. I do think having protection against horrible admin is a must though. I have seen some really scary admin.

Jennifer- unfortunately since it is a small school, she is the only history teacher, so I will have to work with her somewhat. But that's fine. If she is rude to me, I'll give it right back. I really feel sorry for the students though. But, I'd rather deal with her than the crazies I had been dealing with in my last position!

I will take pics next week and post them.

I got to see my new classroom today!! I was hoping for a room w/ a/c, but that didn't happen. That's ok, most of the schools don't have a/c anyway. But I'm just hoping it cools off. Today it is 10 am and already 98 degrees!

My room is huge and has a good amount of storage space. I also have a sink and water fountain in it, so that is very nice. The BSS told me I will be moving classrooms in February, and I am so grateful for him telling me. Usually, things like this don't get mentioned! I still need a lot of stuff in my room like bookshelves, a screen, document camera/projector, but hopefully I will be getting those. Worst case scenario I start the year with none of it. Which I don't want that to happen, but I will survive if it does. I am totally different from how I used to be at the start of a school year. Before, I would be stressing and wanting my classroom to look perfect before the first day. Now, I'm not so stressed. It will be functional and look nice, but if I don't have all the books out or everything in place, I'm ok with that.

The bad news is I just found out I will be teaching with a teacher who I have tried to work with for the past 3 years. She was at one of the schools I was assigned to, and quite honestly, she is awful. She is one of the worst teachers I have ever seen, and even worse, she has NO desire to get better. She is a union rep just so she can get days off- and she takes all of her union days. She goes to professional developments just so she can get out of the classroom and shows up late to the professional developments. She even was falling asleep one afternoon in one of them! She didn't like me because I have blond hair and blue eyes, and just simply refused to even try to work with me. Not to mention how awful she was to quite a few of my students. And now, I will be working closely with her. Joy. At least now we will be on equal terms and I don't really have to watch what I say to her. I mean, of course I'm not going to be mean or anything, but I will be able to be more direct. I just hope the year goes ok.

Thanks for the reassurance Teridr! I did recently write down all of the words the girls are saying and repeating. If I include mom/mommy and dad/daddy, Maya is saying 4 words on her own. Now, she also used to say "dog" but she hasn't said that in a few months. Sofia, on the other hand, is saying about 9 words and repeating about 4 others, probably more since she tries to repeat a LOT of what we say! But I have noticed that Maya is babbling more. I'm not too worried, I have a feeling she is fine, but I am still going to ask about EI. Can't hurt!

Here are some new photos:
Still Rear Facing at 17 months!




I start work again soon! I am excited since I will be back in the classroom and at a new school, but I will miss my girls! I know I am going to feel like I am missing so much since they are growing and developing daily. But my new school is year round, so that means I get more breaks throughout the year, which is nice. It won't all be saved up for summer. I think I will like that, although in the winter I will have to work intersession (like summer school) to make up for the extra days I will need to work.

Wow, I haven't updated in a long time! It has been busy around here. Toddlers are very active! We have to get out of the house at least once a day. Otherwise we all go crazy. One day a week we have a Babies Boogie class, which they LOVE! The other days we go to playdates, go to a park, go out to some stores- whatever- just to get out.

I like taking them to a park or a play date because then they can get out and run around, but taking them to a park by myself is a lot of work, and stressful. They always run in opposite directions. If I am with another mom, it is easier since it is an extra set of eyes and hands. So, we are pretty busy all day! If we are at home, they usually want me to read to them, play with them, hold them, or just sit in the play room next to them while they play. There is plenty of whining too! The computer area is in the playroom, but blocked off with a gate. The girls do not like it if I am sitting there! They want me to be on the same side of the gate as them. And this gate we have has these little areas that are predict size and shape for them to put a foot on and climb up. All day long I am telling them to get down and removing them. I say "Down" so often that now S. says "down!" and points down like I do. It's pretty cute. Especially when M. was trying to climb in the cupboard, and S. kept telling her, "Down!"

S. is saying and repeating a lot of words and sounds! She has a few words she can say on her own, and her favorite thing to do now is repeat words we say to her. Today, I wanted her to say "diaper". It came out as "biper" and was so cute! I'm a little concerned about M. though. She really is not saying much. She can say "mama" "mommy" "dada" "daddy"- but do those even count?? She says "Hi" and that's really all she says on her own. She has repeated "doggy" but not much else. She likes to sign though, so I know that is a good sign. At their 18 month appointment, if she hasn't started saying more words I am going to request Early Intervention. It certainly can't hurt!

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