Stabbing at Magnolia High School

I just found this article on the OC register website:

http://www.ocregister.com/news/school-jefferson-anaheim-1926106-stabbed-magnolia

This school is in the district that I teach. Not only that, but I was at the school yesterday at 3:15pm. It is right down the street from the school I teach at. I had just drove up and there were a bunch of cop cars and people in handcuffs. But I had no idea what had happened. They must have rushed the boy to the hospital, because there was no ambulance when I got there.

How can people, especially high school students, have no regard for other people's lives? Thank you to Anaheim PD who are always patroling. It was a good thing they were around or else those kids would have got away.

A little background on that school. It is a Title 1 school which means they have many students who are on free or reduced lunch (poverty students). The student population is largely hispanic, and they have many rough students who attend that school. Now we aren't talking Compton or South Central tough, but tough students none the less.

I can only hope that we will be able to live in a community and within a school district where Kayla can have a safe and effective education.

The first vacation of the year

Well, its almost time for our first vacation since school started. I am exhausted. Now I know how teachers get burnt out so easily. I feel like I'm running around in circles and not really getting anything done. I've got pressure from my department head, the administration, other teachers on campus, and even the district office. I have got to learn how to say no. If I keep at it like this I may drive myself insane before Christmas break. I am stressed to the core. I am waiting and looking forward to the break. But in the back of my mind I wonder whether it will reallly be a break. Can I enjoy the vacation without thinking about family drama or what I still need to do before I go back to work? I hope so, because I definitely need it. I think if I don't get a break, then a BREAKdown will be happening soon.

I hope all is well with everyone out there and I'm sorry if I haven't been keeping in touch. But really, I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I love you all and hope you are all doing well.

Sports

Now, everyone knows I'm a jock! But, I was never a fan of baseball. I thought it was pretty boring and long and I couldn't sit still long enough to watch a game. I will be the first to admit that between Mike, Shane, and Fantasy Baseball...I am actually starting to get into it. I know every single player on the Angels and the Dodgers (Can you name them all Jack?!). And as i sit here and watch the Angels losing to Seattle, I am getting a little excited that we may be at the game that the Angels clinch the division title. We have tickets to tomorrow's afternoon game and the Angels need just one more win to clinch. Seattle is up 4-0 and I'm actually rooting for them tonight.

Might I just add, that there is a "boy," and I do mean "boy," that dares to be sexist in my presence. This "boy" claims to be training to be a UFC fighter but I have more muscle in my left calf than he has in his entire body. Let me tell you what he had the audacity to say to me. We were sitting in the bar having a couple drinks talking about Fantasy Baseball. I mention how well I'm doing and he says "Yeah, but that's with Mike setting your team for you." I was like no he di'nt! But, being the lady that I am I didn't say anything to him. Although if he says something again, it will not be pretty. So Jack if you read this...you better watch out if I have had any drinks and am anywhere near Donovan words will fly. By the way Donovan the pig...Who is #1 and #2 in Fantasy Football? That's right Denise and Krisdee...the only girls playing in this league.

By the way, congrats to my cousin who is looking beautiful with her pregger's bump!

Congrats to all the teachers out there who have survived the first couple weeks of school. It will get better.

First Full Week of School Down

Well, the first full week of school has past. Its been a long time since I have been this tired. I've been at school until 4pm each day and working hard to introduce a new curriculum that I have no experience with. I'm just making it up as I go along. I've been receiving the brunt of the complaints. Its been pretty taxing especially on my positive outlook for the year. I'm already starting to fall back into my bad habits. I've also heard things are going to change drastically tomorrow. This is the most unorganized first week of school ever. I hope the counselors can figure something out. How can I have one class of 41 and then one class of 30? Support for the program is starting to fade and many of the kids want out. I'm starting to wonder whether it was a good idea to implement this year. I'm going to work hard to keep a "glass half full" attitude.

A month since my last post

Oh my gosh! I can't believe it has been a month since my last post. I can't believe how busy I've been. But now I can take a breather and let everyone know what we've been up to. Well, I agonized over my last paper a couple weeks ago and was able to punch out 10 pages in 5 hours. Then, the next two days I went to Western to work on my room. Which, by the way, looks amazing. We went into Labor Day weekend excited to have some time without having to think about papers and tests, etc. However, I did spend Labor Day working with Gary in my room putting up bulletin board paper. Finally, it was back to school. Last Tuesday and Wednesday were the first days of staff development which turned out to be a waste of time. Unorganized and repetitive, we ended up just like the kids...spacing out. Then it was GO TIME. Thursday and Friday brought the first days of school with kids. I was amazed to find my freshmen behaving and listening intently. Unfortunately, the small learning community is not as small as anticipated. Plus, everyone has large numbers this year and the kind administration is blaming it on our program. So, I'm struggling with curriculum that I am not used to and had no training with and a program with no support. Wonderful! But I guess that is how it is.

We were able to enjoy Kayla's second birthday. We had a party at the park. Which was fantastic. Filled with good food, conversation, family, and friends. Pearl brought up a good point, she was amazed at how many of my friends have kids. And you know what...I am too! It didn't really hit me until they were all there hanging out. Geesh! Thank you to everyone who attended, especially Grace who drove the morning of the party from Las Vegas to be there...I love you G! But to everyone else: Annie, Dave, Theresa, Cheryl, David, Quasar, The Chews, Helen, Steve, Shane, Ryan, Jen, Rick, Noah, Angelo, Ashley, Matthew, Tuyen, Pearl, Izzy, and the family. Thank you for being an important part of Kayla's special day.

The Great Debate

We had our policy presentation yesterday. Our group worked really hard to ensure our presentation was informative and entertaining. It aimed to please. And it did, but unfortunately it fostered too much conversation. Our 20 minute presentation stretched to 30 or 40 minutes. Questions were being fired at us left and right. It changed into a debate. I felt like we were being attacked. I don't think they got the point of the presentation. At one point I felt like says, "When you have actually spent time in the classroom, then come and talk to me." Eileen and I left class fully frazzled. And still as I recap the event, I feel a little heavy in the heart.

My A-

Now, normally I would just accept the grade I get in a class and move on. But this last class that I took...Geesh. How are you gonna hire a bad professor in the area of education. Let me first start off by telling you that this professor only graded about 20% of the stuff that went toward our grade. Then, our TA was an ICS major, no an education major. He graded our papers like we were all English majors! I don't know about you guys, but I was a Math and Science major, not much need to write persuasive essays with research. Finally, the final we took had to be the worst written final I have ever taken. This was especially evident considering we just took a class on Assessment (tests). OMG! But its over, and although I think that I should have received an A and not an A-, I don't have the energy to protest. I just thank god I got an A- and not a B.

I GOT AN A...and a b

What a week of ups and downs! First, I get an A on a midterm I was certain I didn't do well. Then I get a B on a paper. My whole masters experience has been ups and downs so far. Every Monday and Wednesday I'm up because I enjoy the class and I know exactly what is expected of me. Then comes Tuesday and Thursday where I am in a class I have no idea what the heck I'm supposed to be learning and the professor is a biotch! The rumor is a couple of students wrote her an email to let her know everyone was upset with the work for her class...then she emails them back chewing them out. Geesh, shouldn't professors who are teaching teachers be flexible and state clear expectations...I don't know...just a thought.

Congrats to my cuz Wei Yan! Wei finished in the money in the WSOP. Man, he has become a poker pro. And to think our family are the ones who introduced him to this wonderful game. Now when I see him he can tell you about the odds and how you should play each hand depending on what you KNOW the other guy has. So far this year Wei Yan has finished in the money twice this year! That is amazing! We are so proud of you Wei Yan. I'm sure RC would have been there except for the second hand smoke. His friend is still in it, we're rooting for ya!

That is all.

You Know You're Getting Old When...

We just got back from Vegas. It was a blast! But why is it that every time I go to Vegas I (1) don't gamble nearly as much as I'd like and (2) feel like an old person. We all went out on Saturday night for Shane's 30th (Shane....CARBS). We went to the Palms and had dinner at Little Buddha (I rate it an 8 out of 10). Then we waited about an hour in line only to be almost scammed by a taxi driver (Thanks to Stacey for looking out). We finally get up to the Ghost Bar and I'm exhausted, not to mention not feeling well. So Mike and I stayed for about 45 minutes before we excused ourselves. We share a cab with Ryan, Garrett, and Jessica back to Hard Rock. We go upstairs and I change my clothes. At this point I am fully sober, not feeling the slightest bit buzzed. I lay in bed and all of a sudden I feel nauseous. I'm laying there shivering and I bolt out of bed with..."I'm gonna puke." I make it to the bathroom and puke everything that I had back up. It was gross! I'm thinking it was a combination of wine, sake, and cigarette smoke (2nd hand smoke, no I was not smoking) that did it. No one else got sick that night so it couldn't have been the food. But I was completely sober when I got back to the hotel. I think it was the smoke that really did me in. Luckily I woke up this morning and did not feel the least bit sick. Man, I'm getting old.

But, kudos to Shane and Stacey for arranging a killer weekend. I sure did have a lot of fun at the pool. If you have a chance to hang out at the Hard Rock Pool....DO IT! You won't be disappointed.

Happy 30th Shane!

It's 3AM!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe its 3am. I feel like I'm back in undergrad. But I finished my mediocre essay and now I have to work on packing for Vegas! At least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Four days in Vegas...laying out by the pool, playing Pai Gow with my brother, having a couple drinks, and relaxing. (While thinking in the back of my head about my midterm on Monday). I hope I can put all my stresses on hold and enjoy this weekend.

By the way, thanks to Eileen for keeping me sane and proofreading my paper. You have motivated me more than anyone else. You are the reason why I can make it through this program. I hope we find time to have some fun this summer too.

3am and I'm sitting here preparing to blog about my night and a black beetle drops on the table next to the computer. I about jumped out of my skin and woke Kayla up. So now its sitting on the table under a tupperware waiting for Mike to wake up and kill him.

For those of you who do not own a TV or have been in a monastery the past couple months...the iPhone came out today. Of course, being the tech geek that he is...Mike had to have one. So Wednesday afternoon, we drove around to see who would have it and how many units they would carry. One of the two places we went to already had a guy camping out. I was convinced Mike was not going to get a phone because he was only willing to wait a couple hours. So 2pm Friday, Mike made his way to the AT&T store on Beach Blvd. I was not waiting in the sun with him so I went to get my hair done. Three hours later, that's how long it takes to get highlights and a cut from my hairstylist, I called Mike to find out he was number 26 in line.

Mike then proceeded to tell me about his friend Nate, http://www.betanews.com/article/Ashburn_ATT_Store_Leaves_Dozens_iPhoneless/1183180359, who waited in line to find the store only had 15 phones to sell. Nate along with many other pissed off Apple fans made their way to the Apple store where they were greeted with open arms to the phone and entertainment.

This is insane, not only were there people camping out for this phone, there were people willing to pay thousands of dollars to have this phone. The second guy in line sold his spot for $850. That meant the guy who bought his spot paid $850 for the spot and then $599 for the phone. Another guy sold his spot on Craigs list and was holding a sign for the guy to get in line in his place. Is it that important to be one of the first people to get this phone?!

In conclusion, Mike did get his phone. It is pretty impressive, although I think I'll wait a while till (1) my contract with Verizon is up, (2) the price of the phone goes down ($499, $599), (3) its faster and has more memory and (4) apple works out any kinks it may have. But for anyone who has the money and likes Macs, this is definitely an innovative phone that does not affect your monthy fee (too much).

New Phone!

I am looking for a new phone. Now this is the situation. I need a PDA badly. If any of you have tried to make plans with me recently, you will know I have been horrible at keeping all my engagements in order. So, with summer school, weddings, vacations, and lesson planning for Western I need to get myself organized. I have verizon and it would cost me an arm and a leg to pay out of my contract and get the new iphone. I plan on buying a new phone on ebay and then transfer everything to it. Then pay an extra $40 a month for internet. So I need help picking a phone. I'm thinking the Verizon Palm Treo is my best bet. Thoughts anyone? Blackberry? Q? Which one is the best? If you have one of these phones with Verizon please give me some input, or if you have heard anything regarding these phones please let me know. I plan on buying the new phone sometime this week or else I may go crazy. Thanks in advance!

Back to School

Today was the first day of summer school, for the Master's Program. Oh Eileen, what have we got ourselves into! I thought this was vacation for us. Man, now I have to learn how to study for Midterms and Finals again! Geesh. Do I know how to do that? Wish me luck.

I have turned in my last official assignment for the credential program. Could everyone raise a glass and join my in toasting my success?! But really you have no idea how relieved I am to know that I do not have to put any more work into my credential. Now I just have to look forward to a new set of classes for my Masters. But this degree...these classes...will result in a graduation where I will wear one of those cool hoods. I'm looking forward to that. So, tonight I am enjoying a glass of vino, watching the Ducks beat the Senators, and watching the Angels kick some butt on the diamond. And tomorrow, I will celebrate by going to the Padre vd. Dodgers game in SD with my girl, Kana, and Mike's boy, Shane. This week will be out of control. After a rockin' time at the game, I get to enjoy a Q & A parent night session where I will be the Master of Ceremony. Thursday I will be making a speech at our "Recognition" ceremony. Man, I'm going to need the weekend to rest and unwind from my week of celebration. Thank you to all who have helped me get this far, without you I would have had a nervous breakdown by now.

Thank you to Mike for supporting me and helping me get through this rough year and a half.

Thank you to Eileen and Tuyen - those who gave me the support to avoid overload and breakdown.

Thank you Mom for helping out whenever you could.

Thank you Kayla, for being a stress relief. You can always make me laugh.

And thank you to all my friends who were there for me to hear me rant and rave even though you had no idea what I was talking about.

I love you all. Now, its time to support me during my Master's program and BTSA.

Accident Prone

Now if you know anything about me, you know that I am the most accident prone person you may ever meet. Well, it was most apparent today when I was walking to my car from the classroom and I tripped. Now there are two possibilities to how I tripped. I either caught my heel in a crack in the concrete, or I caught my heel in the cuff of my pants. What ever the cause was, I tripped, fell on my elbow and fell right out of my shoes. I had too much in my hands so I fell forward right on my left elbow and have the nasty floor burn you see in the picture. What a dork! When I called My mom and Mike all I could do is laugh. Grrr...another scar!

So its Memorial Day Weekend and the last day of vacation before the year is over. Only three weeks left and the countdown has begun. 16 days till Seniors graduate and 19 days until I don't have to see any of the kids for three whole months. This year will be emotional for me because I've developed close relationships with the seniors this year. I wish them all the success in the world. But, then the dreaded Masters Program begins. Now don't get me wrong I'm excited to work for my Masters, but I feel like I haven't had a break in years. I can't wait until the day comes when I don't have to report to UCI for class. I am so glad Eileen is here to do this with me, because I don't know what I would do if she wasn't there. Only she can understand how hard its been and how burnt out I am. Its you and me Eileen!

Kayla is SO Silly

Kayla is amazing. Now, of course I'm going to say that because I am her mom but she IS amazing. She will bring a smile to anyone's face. Her laugh is contagious! I have to work hard to take care of her and keep my sanity after a long day at work. But I she can cheer me up any day. Especially when I come home and runs to me with her arms open for a hug. I melts my heart and everything that happened during the day just fades away. In the first picture, kayla is wearing a Russian hat that Mike brought home from Kiev. She thought it was so funny that we all started cracking up. The second picture is Kayla with the string, that comes around the newspaper, around her and showing her personality. What a ball of energy!

Grandpa's Funeral

Today was my grandfather's funeral. I am so happy I went. My grandfather served in the army and thus had the "final salute". He had the American flag over the coffin and everything. I think I was more emotional from seeing my family that I have not seen in three years. My grandmother held me so tight I broke down a little. I was so happy to talk with her again and feel close to her that it was hard to hold back the tears. She asked me a bunch of questions and I could tell she wanted to hear more. Unfortunately my aunt was not as warm and friendly. I don't understand how someone can go from your best friend to someone who won't even give you the time of day. Well, everyone else was glad to see me and we'll be seeing them again on Sunday. I can't wait for Kayla to meet Grandma. I'm sure Kayla will be scared but she'll warm up to her. Grandpa...no one understood you like Eric and I. No one will remember you like we will. Finally you are free from pain and sorrow. I hope you are looking down on me and smiling.

The Challenge

A couple months ago I started letting myself go. I haven't been good about watching what I'm eating or exercising. I feel HORRIBLE. I've been pretty stressed lately so I'm going to chalk it up to stress and being too busy. But now that the school year is almost over and UCI is winding down, I've decided to take control of my waistline. And thus the challenge is set: Work with me to lose weight. I had worked really hard to lose all the baby weight but now I feel like I'm right back to that weight and I'm ready to do something about it. If anyone else is interested in being a support let me know. Email me: truelove949@hotmail.com. We'll work together to reach my goal of a size 4/6. That is my goal. I'm not going to put a weight on it because its not about weight its about how my clothes fit and how healthy I feel. Anybody willing to join me?

Today Grandpa Died.

I just found out my Grandfather died this morning at 4:15am. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to see him before he died. Mike, Eric, and I went to see him when he was in the hospital. I'm not sure if he knew who we were or if he was happy to see us, but I got to hold his hand, he squeezed and would not let me go. I wish so many things could have been different. Good bye Grandpa, I love you. Good night.

It's Time for Dodger Baseball

Now, we're Angel fans at heart, but Mike likes to go the occasional Dodger game. Especially if it means they will be playing Barry Bonds. Anything to give Barry a hard time. So Denise, Mike and I drove up to Dodger Stadium (which by the way, didn't take as long as expected). We sat in Loge by third base and had a famous "All Beef Dodger Dog". Mike likes to say they "melt in your mouth". It was a good hot dog I must say. Plus the fans were very well behaved. No fight broke out and the only person thrown out of the game was a Giants fan. But it was funny to watch the section next to us hold up astericks whenever Barry was around. Mike told me that when/if he breaks the home run record, they're talking about putting an asterick next to his name to denote steroid use. That's too funny. What a sad day it is when we have to use astericks to denote steroid use. Well, I planned to upload a picture in this blog, but I'll have to add it later.

The shootings at Virginia Tech have shocked the nation. Even the kids are talking about it at school. We actually had a kid threaten to shoot people at another high school in the district. What is happening to our youth? I have to deal with kids who are apathetic, who have parents in jail, who don't care if they get suspended, who are on house arrest. I can't believe it! Am i so sheltered to think that it wasn't this bad when we were in high school? Of course there were people like this when we were in high school, but was it really this bad? And what can I do to protect kayla?! Do I have a student who could potentially be one of those students who would shoot up a school? Am I doing everything in my power for my students?

It's OVER!!!!!

I can't believe its over! A total of 80 pages and I am finally done. Now I know what it feels like for those of you trying to write your thesis. I don't know how you guys do it. Although I doubt you would try to write it in one week.

Thank you Eileen for being my support during this whole ordeal. I don't think I would have survived Sunday night without you. Sorry to my kids who had to put up with a retarded teacher Monday morning. But now its over and I can focus on getting the kids ready for CST testing. Poor things. Why must the government torture the kids like that?

Mike is in Kiev this week so I'm flying solo. Single parent for the week, I don't know what I would do without my mom! She's a life saver. I just hope one day I will be able to do the same for Kayla when she has kids.....And we want another. Geesh!

I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday!

Spring Break

Its the second day of my spring break and what am I doing? Stressing over this project for school. I am the career student and I can say with absolute certainty that I have never felt as much pressure and stress as I do at this moment. This project may not count for much but I feel it needs to be perfect. Its the perfectionist in me. But at the same time, the procrastinator in me is doing to best she can to deter me from finishing. I need to focus and yet I find myself watching chick flicks on the tube and blogging instead of working. Focus, Focus, Focus. I will be done by Thursday...I will be done by Thursday....I will be done by Thursday. I promise there will not be another entry until Thursday and on that day I will post "I AM DONE!" Mark my words! See you Thursday.

My First Blog Ever!

This is the first time I have ever written a blog. But I feel this may be the best way for me to vent. Plus, this is always a good excuse for procrastination (my favorite pastime). Its Sunday April 8th, Easter Sunday. We planned to take Kayla, in her new easter dress to breakfast and then to the mall to have her picture taken with the Easter bunny. Little did we know she would puke all over her new dress as well as her carseat and the backseat of the Explorer. If you have ever had the opportunity to smell curdled milk, then you know the agony I went through to clean the mess. I can only hope the Explorer doesn't smell like it tomorrow.

I spent the day trying to make Kayla feel better while worrying about what could have caused her sudden illness. Even as I write this entry, Kayla is asleep in her bed and I can't help but hope she'll be ok. Now I know what they mean by Motherhood is a full time job. I give props to those single mothers out there.

"When it rains it pours!"

This is so true. I have felt the impact of this statement before, but nothing like how I feel it right this moment. Let me explain. This is what I am going through at the moment.

Let's started with the house: Mike and I have decided we need a stand alone house with a yard. This condo is just too difficult for the family, so we decided to put it on the market. Three days on the market and we got an offer. We were ecstatic. We found a house we wanted to buy so we put in an offer. Two days before the waiting period was up (about 12 days in escrow) the a**hole pulls out and we're stuck with no buyer. So we lose our dream home and we're back on the market.

Next UCI: We have this huge, HUGE project due for our credential. We have to analyze a learning segment that is three or four days long. In a nutshell, this project turns into a 40 page single spaced paper. I've already asked for an extension, so I have until Thursday to make it work. I'm stressin'!

Western: Thank god its spring break. But I have to figure out a way to cover as much information as possible in order to get the kids ready for STAR testing. Plus, we're planning on changing the school into small learning communities and they have asked me to be a part of the core group that will organize this huge project. I will also be the math teacher of the pilot program we will launch next year. So I have to start working on curriculum and planning for next year.

Kayla: Kayla is two ear infections away from considering tubes in her ear. After the cancer/leukemia scare a couple months ago, I've been on my toes whenever she gets sick. Plus the daycare she attends is horrible and stressing me out! I can't wait until my mom retires.

Masters Program at UCI: This starts this summer and they suddenly change the classes offered this summer. How will I schedule my classes so I can still attend Chuck and Danielle's wedding in August?

Basketball: We'll talk about this at a later date.


GRRRRRR...When it rains it pours!