Random Tid Bits

1. Yesterday I was distracted in the office because boss man and a building next door were have loud words exchanged. I was sneaky, and wanted to listen in on what was going on. I could hear loud voices, but everything was muffled because of walls and distance. When I went to move closer to hear, and pretend to look at books. Get this...his wife was doing the same thing. Ha! She wanted to know what was going on too. I went back to my office.
   
   This isn't the first time they've exchanged loud words. The fight is aways the same. They are arguing about the parking lot.
   
   Restore is a nonprofit that helps destroy things people don't want, and sells those things for cheap. The problem is, is that they drive their big ass trucks through our parking lot very fast. Our concrete surface has gotten destroyed on more than one occasion. It gets fixed, and gets destroyed again within a few weeks.
   
   Our school has fixed it, then they asked to share the price to fix it a 2nd time, then boss man blocked off the area to make them go the other way. Restore didn't like that! Boss man said he blocked it off to protect our students because they drive fast around the school. True, but it's not really the reason he blocked them off. Well after a few fights about it being blocked off, boss man I believe sent them the bill to fit the concrete. In boss man's defense we're not driving big trucks around the building EVER. Then Restore brought up that our students and staff park in their lot space. We're having them move.
   
   What's one to do in this type of situation? I hear about neighbors fighting over trees, or retaining walls. This is kind of a similar situation. Yes I could fight over trees and a retaining wall with a neighbor as well. We haven't, but we could.


2. We have a ton of junk food left over from New Years in the deep freezer. I said, "Pull out some pizza rolls. We can have them as a snack. Travis said, "Careful the pizza rolls are hot. They just came out of the oven." I said, "No worries." I grab one to eat it. He said, "You're going to burn yourself!" I said, "No you just need to learn to eat them right. You nibble the long edge off. Then you open it up like an old 80s money clip/holder, and blow on it before eating it all." It took him a minute to know what I was talking about. Hey I never burn myself with this method of eating a pizza roll.





3. We had a follow-up meeting with Mr. Principal last night. I went in saying, "Well it's good news, we now have an index card of things going wrong, verses a full letter page." It did go better!
   
   We found out that the biggest reason why Isaak got a C in Social Studies. It was because he went to go meet with his teacher and councilor on his own accord; then when he got back the Librarian didn't tell him what they worked on. She wanted him to ask his partner, which she did nothing the whole time, and had no clue. Isaak didn't understand what to do. Most of his packet was blank. He actually answered more questions than his partner that was there the whole time.
   
   Now he has to follow up from the packet he half did with a PowerPoint. Mr. Principal is going to have him work on the packet instead of some reading assignments he finds aren't making him grow. That's helpful! 


4. It's getting ready to snow good in Nebraska. All the elementary, middle and high schools got off school. It didn't happen much until the 1/2 half of the day. The kids all have Martin Luther King's Day off as well. Yay for a 4 day weekend. Have you had any snow where you live?


5. I'm a little nervous to drive home. It's a sheet of ice out there! 

Random Tid Bits

1. I was full steam ahead over break. Now I'm just blah feeling. It's like I have no energy for anything. Possibly I need to up that vitamin D. Possibly I need less stress in my life. Possibly it's from switching schedules so much. Possibly it's from Isaak's teacher. I'm not even kidding about that last one.


2. Travis has been working more hours at work. His bosses were out of town all of the kid's break, one girl has been sick a lot, and another girl is pregnant (different appointments). Good for the checkbook, but he was less there for the boys. 


3. I have a sort of friend that's always been a hot head. He's a liberal that's very out spoken.  He reminds me of the character Yosemite Sam, but he'd have a cigarette, and wouldn't ever have a gun.
   
   
   
   
   
   He's a college instructor. He said because of the government shutdown, students wouldn't get their financial aid checks. I check with our financial aid director to see if this was true. It isn't. While things may be slow, it's still going to happen. Anyone new to school may have trouble. Anyone already attending school won't have trouble at all. 


4. Isaak got his first C in a class: Social Studies. I decided to order the book off Amazon. It was $6. It came in on the 2nd. They don't want the books to go home because there aren't a lot of them. It's out of print, so pricey to order in bulk.
   
   I had this wonderful thought that I'd act out his Social Studies. I had a teacher that did that for me, and I got into it! The problem is that the book is just really informative, with highlighted vocabulary words. Not really acting out material. It is what it is.
   
   
   
   
   I started to read to Isaak the first part because she said, "Unit 1", but what I was reading was "Lesson 1". Anyhow I read all of it out load to Isaak, made flashcards all for very little. It's not what he's learning right now, or being tested on. He got an earful from me on that.
   
   Isaak came home on Monday and said, "We're not learning that stuff Mom." He showed me where he was at. I started reading that material. Travis texted to see when his test is over Unit 1, and what pages it's over exactly. She texted back that she didn't know; it depended on the kiddos, and how much the retained. What ever happened to lesson plans?
   
   That night I got a text saying that there would be a test on Friday. He can use notes, but he was at Strings when she had them take notes! FLIP! Talk about random! So Thursday night was our cram study night. 


5. Monday the boys started back up to school. I kept thinking, It's a new semester. Things can turn around for Isaak.
   
   
   Isaak went to watch the National Football Championship game with Travis. They didn't watch it all. Just some. They were out late for a school night. 
   
   
On Tuesday morning I get a text from his teacher saying they had a math Standardize Test that day, and to eat a good breakfast. I was like, We always have a good breakfast! But bloody hell! They just got back from break. They are testing right away! How about send the text the night before to get a good night sleep!

Isaak took the test. 20 questions in, the computer flaked out on him. Then it started him back at question 1 again, but the problems were really hard.

His teacher said she'd take care of it for him. The next day his teacher said she couldn't do anything for him, and will give him a homework pass.

I was at home thinking, He's not going to get into the middle school we want him to be in if he can't finish his test, and gets a C in Social Studies.

I emailed Mr. Principal all these new concerns. 

Part of our 2nd meeting with the teacher and Principal was saying that we'd have more time to help Isaak study, and be informed on when tests would be. He called me back in 2 minutes. He was clear, to the point, and told me that the testing was on each student's individual growth. No other school will see the results. He also looked up if Isaak has results, and he did not. So he will be finishing up the test. I felt better.  

Random Tid Bits

1. Isaak got a gigantic keyboard, a sweet new bigger screened Kindle Fire and more for Christmas. I got the biggest reaction when he opened his Under Armor Boxer Briefs. I think he thought that when he put on his undies he'd look much like the man on the package. Ha! Skinny boy needs to work on those muscles. He actually popped up, and changed into his undies right then and there. No shame.
   
   
   
   
   
2. I watched a documentary last night on a snowstorm that happened in 1949. Boy was that horrible! Livestock and people froze because it happened so fast, and the wind was so bad! They didn't have equipment to predict the storm, or to take care of the snow. It was horrible!
   
   It snowed here. One of my friends said, "The weather man said we were just going to get a dusting." Well compared to the 1949 snowstorm it was a dusting! It was lightening and snowing at the same time.
   
   

   

   Source

3. My sister never believed my green pepper relish tray trick. She specifically told me not to put green peppers on a relish tray, so I made one where that's all I put on it. She said, "I know you're messing with me. Get the real one out here."
   
   I ended up making tasty fajitas with all those peppers the next day. Take that!


4. I have 2 of my classes fully prepared for. I mean everything done! I'm just having a hard time getting into the last one.


5. We've been trying to work with the boys on math. Just to bump them up with things they weren't getting. Mica needs to get the meaning of - show your work! Isaak gets all emotional about things he doesn't get.
   
   Isaak got all good grades except for Social Studies. Imagine that...his core teacher teaches that. He got a C. That's the first for him. I woke up one morning at 5, couldn't go back to sleep, and emailed his teacher asking for the name, edition and chapter of their book. I ordered it on Amazon. It's Mica's favorite subject. I'm going to try to read the book with Mica by acting it out. Sometimes I do think if we didn't work, homeschooling would suit us well. I feel like we're doing a lot of teaching at home. Anyhow I had a teacher when I was Isaak's age that acted out Social Studies. I love it! Sometimes I think different kids need to be taught differently. Isaak's a visual learner like I am.