A few years have passed since the last time I did 4th grade self-contained, and I'm finding it's everything I remembered: lots of drama and lots of paperwork.
The only thing to do with the drama is deal with it as it comes up. This week's adventure was annoying and time consuming but ultimately, I think it'll be fixable and we'll get on with life.
The paperwork, however, is something I have some control over. After getting swamped yet again this week, I spoke with many of my peers and my supervisors, and now there's a plan of action to get my work done without pulling 16+ hour days 6 days a week. It'll be an experiment to find balance between doing a good job and driving myself past endurance.
In my writing adventures, with the help of my critique group buddies, I've figured out how to close the enormous plot hole in Lines of Succession. Like a lot of things, I'd missed the obvious answer by staring too hard at the details. The fix isn't going to be a complete cakewalk, but it'll definitely be easier than some of the options I was coming up with on my own.
Once I finish here, I'm going off to work on LoS and start getting the thing ready to go again.
I find writing to be a relaxing and stress-relieving hobby. I'm hopeful that as I readjust my weekly schedule, I'll have more time to write or do craft things and thereby dodge the hazards of burn-out.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Funny but Incorrect
At school, the first round of tests has just passed. Don't worry. More are coming. For each of these tests, I give bonus questions so the kids can earn some extra points. The district policy has decreed that tests count half of the final score for the 6 weeks, so every extra point to be had on an exam could be worth its mass in gold. As usual, I put one question in the set that has the answer built into the question. All the kid has to do is read the question correctly and the answer is right there.
On the math test, I put the question, "If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how much does one pound of butter weigh?" The funniest answer was "On Tuesday." Yes, it was Tuesday, but that doesn't answer the question. The best answer was "16 ounces." Yes! This one can read and do measurement conversions.
The science test had a different set of bonuses. For the reading comprehension one, I put this question, "When was the War of 1812?" The oddest answer was "The Alamo," which actually came from multiple kids. Unfortunately, even if The Alamo qualified as a "when," the major Battle of the Alamo was in the 1830s. The best answer, of course, was "1812." No one got the end date, but this is a good start.
I polished off the ubiquitous paperwork last night, so this afternoon, I get to work on my writing again. I'm still hashing out Lines of Succession, but so far all is going well. The crit'ers I work with online must be busy or else they're finding a lot that needs fixing in Wind Herding. I haven't heard anything back from the 2 chapters I posted for review. That's okay. I know they all have lives that don't revolve around my writing. I'm not in a hurry.
On the math test, I put the question, "If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how much does one pound of butter weigh?" The funniest answer was "On Tuesday." Yes, it was Tuesday, but that doesn't answer the question. The best answer was "16 ounces." Yes! This one can read and do measurement conversions.
The science test had a different set of bonuses. For the reading comprehension one, I put this question, "When was the War of 1812?" The oddest answer was "The Alamo," which actually came from multiple kids. Unfortunately, even if The Alamo qualified as a "when," the major Battle of the Alamo was in the 1830s. The best answer, of course, was "1812." No one got the end date, but this is a good start.
I polished off the ubiquitous paperwork last night, so this afternoon, I get to work on my writing again. I'm still hashing out Lines of Succession, but so far all is going well. The crit'ers I work with online must be busy or else they're finding a lot that needs fixing in Wind Herding. I haven't heard anything back from the 2 chapters I posted for review. That's okay. I know they all have lives that don't revolve around my writing. I'm not in a hurry.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
A Weird Paradox
How is it that a short work week can feel like it drags on forever, but a full work week can just zip on by? Last week was only four days of teaching kids -- along with a full day on Saturday to catch up on grading paperwork -- but it felt like ten.
I've been so badly swamped with paperwork this week that I haven't had a chance to do any writing. I'm hoping that this afternoon when I get back from church and finish errand running, I'll have a chance to tackle something, if only working on Lines of Succession. I want to finish that before I take on one of the nifty ideas for new works that are zipping around in my head like dust motes in a hurricane.
I've been so badly swamped with paperwork this week that I haven't had a chance to do any writing. I'm hoping that this afternoon when I get back from church and finish errand running, I'll have a chance to tackle something, if only working on Lines of Succession. I want to finish that before I take on one of the nifty ideas for new works that are zipping around in my head like dust motes in a hurricane.
Monday, September 6, 2010
A Long Weekend!
Whoohoo!
I don't think kids realize that teachers look forward to holidays as much as the students do.
The school year is settling into a rhythm. The kids are learning that 4th grade is more independent than 3rd and lower, so I'm there to help, but they have to nail together the courage to ask for it. One parent was concerned about her son's failing marks, and I explained that the child didn't follow directions for assignments and never asked questions. The next day, and every day since, he asks more questions than any 12 other kids, and his work has seriously improved in just a week.
One of my coworkers has a sign that reads, "If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your teacher told you." Amusing but accurate.
My writing adventures also continue. Working a few minutes at a time and longer on the weekends, I completed an edit for a tale called Wind Herding. Unfortunately, I've been hashing and rehashing this one for a couple years, so I'm not sure I could find any errors if they all tap-danced and held signs. I've submitted the first couple chapters to a critique group I play with, and while I wait for their answers, I'll try to fix the killer plot hole I found in Lines of Succession.
I don't think kids realize that teachers look forward to holidays as much as the students do.
The school year is settling into a rhythm. The kids are learning that 4th grade is more independent than 3rd and lower, so I'm there to help, but they have to nail together the courage to ask for it. One parent was concerned about her son's failing marks, and I explained that the child didn't follow directions for assignments and never asked questions. The next day, and every day since, he asks more questions than any 12 other kids, and his work has seriously improved in just a week.
One of my coworkers has a sign that reads, "If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your teacher told you." Amusing but accurate.
My writing adventures also continue. Working a few minutes at a time and longer on the weekends, I completed an edit for a tale called Wind Herding. Unfortunately, I've been hashing and rehashing this one for a couple years, so I'm not sure I could find any errors if they all tap-danced and held signs. I've submitted the first couple chapters to a critique group I play with, and while I wait for their answers, I'll try to fix the killer plot hole I found in Lines of Succession.
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