It's been a long,long, long time!

I don't have time to do this any more :( I used to spend hours reading so much stuff about what's going on with everybody else and getting ideas. Recently, I'm just trying to keep up with everything I'm supposed to do. I'm getting used to feeling like I'm never finished. I have to keep telling myself that it's always going to be like that b/c there is ALWAYS something else to do, clean, organize, re-arrange, grade, plan, follow-up, file, etc.

I've realized this week that my kids are making some progress. It doesn't always feel like it but I noticed this week on the the Tejas LEE that a lot of my kids did well enough to start reading at the hardest story (the Tejas LEE is the inventory equivalent of the TPRI in Texas and it has diff. sections on phonics and sight word recognition and reading). At least now I'll have that to say when the principal asks about the kids' progress tomorrow.

The winter break was nice (I know that by now it feels like it was so long ago and we're already counting down to spring break - 7 weeks, by the way). I didn't do anything and it was awesome.

Oh yeah, one thing I'm thankful for: palms to administer the Tejas LEE/TPRI! They make it soooooo much easier, b/c the instructions are there and it automatically jumps you from one section to another instead of having to keep up with the answer sheet for each kid and counting up totals and skipping sections, calculating reading speeds, etc. I can finish in about three days. I think all districts should have this for their teachers (if they stop paying a quarter mil to the superintendents, giving them cars and extra travel-miles stipends to main office personnel who DON'T travel, maybe we'd have more funds). Maybe that's just my school district :p Peace out!