Well, it's been quite the year, I must say. Between losing a teacher (and friend) whom we all miss, at the end of the school year, to meeting the new teacher and getting acquainted with her and the way she does things, it's been sort of a wild ride. Not only that, but administration is pressing in on all the teachers and expecting more, it's seriously becoming more of a place that you go to earn money, then a place where you love to go to help children learn. That may just be my take on the whole thing, but I feel like I'm getting burned out at work, and with less and less compensation. It's just been a tough year. My hopes are that the state or the federal government address the issue of education and the funding needed to give the kids what they need, especially those with IEP's. We just do not have enough people to do the job that needs to be done. I realize that their are SOME teachers out there that aren't worth the wages they are being paid, and trust me, I've met some of them when they were teaching my own kids, but for the most part, teachers are not teaching because they can make a lot of money, far from it, the main reason people become teachers is because education is very important to them, and they WANT to help children learn, so next time you meet a teacher, thank them for all they do, because there is SERIOUSLY more involved them being glorified baby-sitters. Teachers are under a tremendous amount of pressure to continually push the kids further and further. This "No Child Left Behind" law might help SOME children, but it is a complete disservice to children with alternate learning styles. It should not be a "blanket" fix, it should be something that can be adjusted for different learning styles, and for different disabilities or abilities.
Ok, I think I'm done with my rant. Just feeling a little under-appreciated in terms of my job lately. LOL!
Anyway, so, on a happy note, Justin will be graduating in June! He is doing so well in school. He got High Honors for this trimester, which is awesome. I am looking forward to all the senior activities. I know Justin can hardly wait to graduate. Nicholas is also in his last year in the Intermediate school and will graduate from 8th grade in June. He is hoping to go to Ellis Tech like his brother. We already put in his application. They usually have something in April for the new kids looking to go there and their parents, so I'm looking forward to that. He is also doing really well at school, he's got straight A's this quarter.
My brother Michael is also getting married in June! I hope and PRAY that I'll be able to get out there for the wedding. It's not looking so good right now, but I guess we'll keep trying to figure out something.
I don't really have a lot of positive things to talk about for this year, it's been a really tough year for all of us, not just us, but our friends as well, and we are all doing what we can to just hang on. I know there are a lot of people out there that are doing the same, so you are not alone. I am going to try to post a little more to this blog in 2012, so it gives me an outlet, and I can also remember more of the "good" things for the year. =) That is my determination....Hope I get the chance to stick with it! LOL! Until next time.
