I haven't updated in just about a month, and a lot can happen in a month. For example, I might get my tires slashed by a couple of students who thought my car was another teacher's, and only a few days later get my wallet stolen and have a student tell me that I should "probably get a nose job".
Fortunately, that didn't happen. But I'm just saying, lots of things could happen. Like, oh, I dunno, having my volleyball team win the playoffs in a nail-biting Cinderella story, winning the staff 50/50 draw and meeting my awesome new boyfriend.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen either.
Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you about my life happenings and just get down to the real stuff.
Over the past month, things just kept on happening to me and I'd find myself thinking "this is SO going in my blog", but then it got to the point that I had such a long list it became overwhelming because I knew I'd have to set aside a good hour or to two type it all out! Instead, I've decided that I'm going to have a sort of annotated version of the happenings in order to keep this at a readable length. Here we go!
1) For the school fundraiser, all of the junior high students will be selling chocolates - mint chocolate, chocolate-covered almonds, milk chocolate, dark chocolate; you name it. Imagine how many boxes full of chocolate bars and are required to supply an entire school of junior high students for fundraising. Now, imagine all those boxes contained in one room. The band room, to be exact. WHAT A GLORIOUS SMELL! I sometimes fake my disgust when students or other teachers complain about the potency. But secretly, I love it. How can anyone complain about a room that smells like chocolate!?
And, dear world, I am proud to say I have resisted. What a testament of willpower. (it's times like this I wish my name was Will.)
2) One of the schools I teach at has a "BFF" program. Contrary to what you may think that is, it is not a program you sign up for if you are in desperate need of friends in a new city (believe me, I made that mistake already and got lots of pity looks when I showed up with a "Hi, my name is____" nametag and social resumes to hand out). In fact, BFF actually stands for "bucket filling friend". Sounds cheesy, but its actually really nice (remember, many things are cheesy AND nice, like nachos).
The whole idea is that when you fill someone's bucket, you're making them feel good about themselves, and conversely, when you are not so nice to someone, you're emptying their bucket, and they feel worse about themselves. So we're all assigned, in a Secret Santa-esque way, another member of staff who we're supposed to look out for, and perform random acts of kindness for throughout the year. I was pleasantly surprised to see that within a week of receiving our BFFs, mine presented me with an entire loaf of homemade chocolate chip banana bread left in my mailbox! HOO BABY. This, I AM a bit more ashamed to admit: It was devoured by me, and only me, in less than a week.
Hold on a second.
Isn't my BFF supposed to make me feel BETTER about myself? I can assure you that after devouring all of that deliciousness so quickly, if anything I felt worse about myself. (*BFF, if you're reading this, I'm only joking. It was the most delicious banana bread I've had in a long time. And hey, there were some bananas in there, so it can't have been ALL bad for you, right?)
3)
Good teaching days are happening more and more often! I'm slowly discovering a few things about teaching:-the amount of time I plan is directly related to how smoothly a lesson goes
-sometimes the above is not true, because:
-every group of kids differently. At first I was happy to discover that although I teach 12 main classes, it's really only 4 grade levels, repeated 3 times. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Covering the material is different in each of the classes. Which brings me to #4.
4) I don't know if I've mentioned before that I 'hired' an instructional coach from the district to come and help me with my scary class of grade 6s. I can honestly say that I have been working on teaching them and using different approaches and they're becoming one of my favourite groups to teach! Some of them even expressed sadness when the fact was brought up that I'm only teaching here for a year. That was heartwarming. What was not so heartwarming was one of the grade 5s in the class following that who said "Oh, Miss Stewart, you look much better when your hair is curled!". Uh, thanks, kid.
5) The reason my hair was 'curled' the previous day was for World Literacy Day. In honour of this 'holiday', one of my schools had a theme day at school where everyone could dress as their favourite book character. Well, since mine is Legolas but I didn't want to be 'that weird lord of the rings teacher' (well that, and because I don't have elf ears), I went as Hermoine Grainger. I didn't want to go too 'out there' and be the only teacher that dressed up. At the same time, I didn't want to be the only teacher who DIDN'T dress up! So I dressed in black tights and shoes, a skirt, white collared shirt, grey vest, and a black blazer. Then I made a yellow and red tie out of coloured duct tape I had lying around, and styled my hair a little outta control, and VOILA! The perfect I'm-dressed-up-but-not-dressed-up costume that, without the tie, could be used at my second school of the day without too many weird looks.
The picture above was from one of my 3 schools, you can kind of see what the room looks like behind me there. Here's a picture of another one of my classrooms (one facing the front of the room, and one facing the back:
6) As part of my instructional coaching, I had my coach record me on an iPad and then I had to watch myself teach and make observations and goals.
I noticed a few things, first and foremost:
holycrapitalkfast!
I'm going to really have to try and slow 'er down. I have a bunch of ESL students, too, so I must be even scarier to them than to the rest of the class. Sorry, dudes :(
7) Oh! And something else exciting happened! I conducted my first concert ever! I was kind of scared thinking about it, but as soon as I saw the people there, and started talking to the audience and conducting, it was totally fine! They all went fairly smoothly, but I can't post videos due to privacy issues. If you want to know more about the performance, let me know! :)
8) In other news, our elevator is disgusting. I think the fan must be broken or something, because every time I go in there, it smells SO strong of...well, something. Sometimes it's nice, like pizza or a nice perfume. Most times its not, though, like cigarettes, B.O., old food, garbage, or vinegar. One time Libby swears it smelled like poop, but I'm trying not to think about it. Maybe it's God's way of trying to convince me to take the stairs. I want to, it's just hard when I have my arms full of a trombone, teaching bag, lunch, extra shoes, groceries and/or mail. Fortunately, the bright side of the mysterious elevator smells is that they arne't not the only thing that goes up and down with it. All sorts of entertaining things are found in there. Once there was a trial of pillows -- one in the lobby, one in the elevator, and one on the third floor. Then there was this, which was one of my favourite finds:
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| It was just in there, going up and down. Too bad there wasn't an actual cat hiding in there. Or wait, maybe there WAS! I didn't even check. |
9) Sears.
Fricken' Sears.
I wish I didn't have to get into this, but if I had a therapist, I'm sure he or she would tell me that writing down my feelings helps to accept the past and let it go. I need to let this go. So here goes...
You know, I've never had a bad experience with them before the incident described below, but it has forever tarnished my view of the company. If it wasn't for their good deals (also described below) and quality products, I'd say they lost a customer. Here's what happened:
-When I moved to Grande Prairie, I ordered a chest of drawers, paid for it in full, on August 20th. Unfortunately, the set I ordered was on backorder, but I agreed to wait because it was a good price, and the sales associate told me it would arrive, at the very latest, at the end of September. Now I'm not necessarily saying this lady is a lying witch, but the end of September came along, and -- after checking 3-4 times throughout the month on the off-chance that it arrived earlier -- it never arrived.
-When I called and visited the store to inquire on the 29th of September, a different associate told me that in fact, the chest of drawers had been put on backorder until the end of OCTOBER, and that my scheduled delivery date was October 20th, exactly two MONTHS after I had paid for the product in full. In a rare moment of Beckyness, I was raging. Are you kidding me? I'm only here for 10 months, so there is NO WAY I would have paid for something in full knowing that it wouldn't arrive until 20% of my stay in the city had passed.
-And so, I lived out of a suitcase, without the elusive chest of drawers for another month after the 'latest possible' arrival date. Bah! The worst part is, no on even informed me of the change -- I was the one who had to inquire about it. Maybe that's not the worst part, actually. Maybe the worst part is that when they actually DID deliver it, they didn't come on the day they were supposed to come, so they called while I was at work and then asked me to reschedule. Which I did, begrudgingly. Or, maybe the worst part is that, after many, many carefully-worded emails on my part, they have yet to follow up on their promise of providing some kind of compensation for the inconvenience and their lack of professionality surrounding communication with me, the client.
Customer service my ass, Sears.
Am I bitter? Yeah. Is it the end of the world? No. I know half of you are shaking your heads, thinking things like "You know, Becky, the majority of the world's population doesn't have to worry about that because they don't even have clothes to put in a chest of drawers". But that's not the point here. The point is that I was promised something that was not true. And that's what gets me. My dad always said he only hates 2 things: Strep throat and liars. (*side note: Dad, I've quoted you to my classes, too!) And when people lie to me who pride themselves on excellent customer service, it irks me. I like that word, except for it's meaning. Irk, irk, irk. Sounds like an onomatopoeia for a squeaky door or something.
Maybe I'm overreacting. My pent up anger about my experience with horrible customer service once again on my most recent trip to the Hyundai dealership (a '20-minute' ended up being 2.5 hours), and the fact that someone parked in my paid parking spot today, forcing me to park even further away regardless of the sub-zero temperatures are making me a little sensitive.
Good news is that it DID arrive undamaged, and it DOES look freakin' amazing.
10) Everyone told me that I should buy a pair of cowboy boots now that I'm out west. They told me I'd learn names like Ellen Jackson and Billy Currington. I denied it and denied it, until finally, I cracked. A guy named Travis asked if I could fill in for his band, which was playing a (paid) gig at a bar/pub. Who was I to say no? Especially being new to a city, I'll take all the performing experience I can get! Plus, Tasha was playing in the band, too, so it must be okay, right?
Wrong.
Here's the catch: it wasn't just a band; it was a country band. Oh Lord. So needless to say, I didn't know any of the songs, and of COURSE the gig came during concert week, when I had no time to breathe or write out parts or anything. I did my best, and it was loads of fun. This is a candid picture Tasha took of me on our break between sets. I was having a blast!
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| Needless to say, I think I'm a long ways away from purchasing cowboy boots. |
11) Remember how I always have horrifying things happen in class that are later hilarious? I have another story for you:
After our concert, we had a reflection day, where we talk about how we did, what we can improve on, and set goals. One of my advanced JH bands finished their reflecting with some time to spare, so I agreed to play a game for the last 5 minutes of class. I think it's a good idea for teambuilding, and getting to know each other as people, not just as classmates, etc. So the vote, surprisingly, was to play none other than the traditional broken telephone. I choose a well-behaved kid to start the chain; one who I knew would pick something appropriate. As it came around the circle, however, facial reactions of the 2 students in the chain before me indicated that something fishy was going on. When it came to me, my jaw dropped when the student beside me whispered into my ear....
wait for it....
and I'm not kidding here, folks....
"circle jerks are fun"
.
.
.
.
Hold the phone. Is this happening?! I announced that it was completely inappropriate and that I refused to repeat that, and determined who the culprit was just as the class was saved by the bell. I kept the apparent trouble-maker after class --an unexpected culprit, I might add -- who sheepishly asked, once his classmates were gone, "but really, Miss Stewart, do you know what that means?!" I just said "YES. Do YOU know what that means?!". It was only seconds later, after hearing his explanation, that it all made sense. APPARENTLY it's also another term for an echo chamber. The student's apparent confusion at the disciplinary action being taken and his positive behaviour leading up to this event allowed me to truly believe that it was an honest mistake. A very hilarious, yet very honest mistake. Also awkward, since I'm sure he looked it up online to see what my confusion was all about and now knows that I know what the term actually means to most people. I still can't keep a straight face when I tell the story.
GOLDEN.
12) I chaperoned my first junior high dance. And it was a Hallowe'en dance, to boot! I was pretty sad that I didn't have a Hallowe'en party to go to myself, what with still a small social circle, but volunteering my time at least gave me something to do, and between that and decorating my house with the Hallowe'en decorations my mom sent me, I got my full dose of the season. Fortunately, there wasn't too much cleavage or fishnet stockings to deal with. In fact, there were some pretty sweet costumes : the cookie monster, Luna the clown from the Big Comfy Couch, and a banana, just to name a few.
13) If you know me, you know that I hate moths. You will probably find great delight in the following story. Imagine this: It's night time, I'm alone at home, all the lights are off except those in my room (my dad would be so proud!), and I'm working away on marking or planning or something useful and not at all catching up on tv shows, no sir-ee. Out of nowhere, I hear a repeated buzzing/flicking sound. I look up from my ...work...to find the source of the noise and am absolutely horrified to find that it is a fist-sized moth, fangs and all, thrashing it's body against my bedroom window. Yes, from the inside of the house.
Okay, so it wasn't fist-sized, and it's fangs were probably small, but it may as well have been a pterodactyl. I didn't want to kill it, but I didn't want it to stay in there, either. I went to try and catch it, in between much screaming and more curse words than I care to admit; but just as I was getting close, it made a bee-line (moth-line?) to my face. I threw myself on the floor (not even joking here, you guys), and screamed. Of course, when I resurfaced, it had gone. Cheeky bugger outsmarted me.
I sifted through my clothes, rolled up ATA newspaper ready to kill, but to no avail. I decided to turn off the light in my room, turn ON the light in the living area, and wait. I couldn't even focus on my work, to be honest. A fwe minutes later (which felt like a few hours later), I saw it. For a brief moment, I felt bad for it - it probably just wanted a warm place to stay. But that feeling passed quickly. After
14) I received my Alberta health card! Hurrah! I hope that whichever teenager is making them in his basement is getting some sort of payment... Seriously, it's not what I expected. It's literally a piece of non-laminated paper, with a few numbers printed on it. No picture, no card, no nothing. I feel prone to identity theft or something. On the bright side, now that I am no longer living out of a suitcase, AND have a real Alberta health card, I'm settling in. I think I may be considered a true Albertan!
15) Bittersweet news, everyone: Zellers is closing tomorrow. Sucks because corporate giant Target is buying it out. Awesome because it means there are some outrageous savings. Look at this bill!
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| For those of you that can't see it - total: $21.00. Total savings: $72.67 Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! The crazy lineups were worth it! |
16) Last update for this post, is in regards to the recent weather. We've had snow for about a month now, and I don't think it's going away. I'm learning the hard way that gas mileage in the winter is drastically reduced, and saw my first cars plugged in overnight. So weird. I still can't get over it. I think it's a little early, though - nights are probably only about -15, and although that is cold, I don't think it's cold enough to prevent a car from starting. I'll also shamefully admit that I've had more than my fair share of embarrassing driving stories. Both involve tires spinning on ice, burning rubber, and audiences of unimpressed onlookers. I think it's safe to say I'm accepting winter driving tips now.
There is a silver lining, though. Although it sucks having to brush off my car a few times a day, a funny thing happened to me the other day. I started my car to start warming up, with CBC radio 1 playing, my new favourite station. While I ran around frantically swishing all the sparkling snow off my car, very poorly and with only one hand, might I add, I couldn't help but laugh at the soundtrack being provided to my task. It was a sort of upbeat ragtime piece, and I couldn't help but feel like I was Charlie Chaplin in a silent film. I was just waiting to wipe out or have discovered I'd locked myself out or something. It's the little things that make me laugh.
17) In a nutshell, my current life is filled with preparing Christmas music, finishing up the volleyball season, and spending every free moment at rehearsals (soon to be performances!) for the jazz ensemble I play with, and a musical I'm part of, 1940's Radio Hour, including oldies but goodies like Blue Moon, Our Love is Here to Stay, and Rose of the Rio Grande (my solo number!) Should be a good time! The musicians actually get to be on stage and have acting roles (although no lines). Which means I get to add something to my acting resume. Best part? My character's name is Bobo Lewis. I also survived the first round of report cards (upcoming parent-teacher interviews may be another story...) and I'm getting started on a VERY exciting fundraising project in which my junior high classes are doing an ipod drive supporting music therapy with Alzheimer's patients. If you're interested, take a look at this video:
Must sleep now - promise it won't be so long again before my next update!! Lots of exciting things coming up to look forward to.
That's about it for now - YOU MADE IT TO THE END!! 4 bonus points for you, Glenn Coco!
Seriously, guys, you da best. Oh, and watch Ruby Sparks. Adorable movie!
Until Next Time,
Bobo
1 comment:
I just smiled multiple times and even laughed out loud. I wasn't in the best mood before reading you blog, but your writing has put a little warmth in my heart. :). I am happy to hear things are going so well and that your enjoying Alberta! Its been a crazy amount of years since we hung out and I wish you were in Kingston so we could catch up. Anyways, thanks for the good read.
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