A Curly Chica's Contemplations

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Location: Connecticut, United States

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."--Eleanor Roosevelt

Friday, October 27, 2006

Arrrggghhh...

Hola!

I'm sorry but I need to vent a little bit right now, so please bear with me. I did something rather dumb today although it's not entirely my fault. I'm upset at myself and frustrated eith my bosses. But you need to know what happened first before that makes sense, so here's what happened. I've been tutoring one of the students in our resource room because he missed a lot of school (approx. two weeks) and he needs to be caught up. It's nice because he gets the help he needs, I get some more teaching experience, and I get paid at a tutoring rate which is almost three times as much money as I usually make per hour (or should I say will get paid as soon as I hand it my time sheet, but that's a mere technicallity). So today a few things happened with that that got me upset. The student had an English test today which he did not finish because the classes were shortened for the pep rally (oh yeah, it was spirit week...). So I sat with him in the library while he finished it during his study hall during their last class of the day. The problem starts with the pep rally which the student did not want to attend (and who can blame him?). So the head teacher in our resource room and our supervisor thought it would be good for him to be productive during the pep rally if he wasn't going to attend. So they asked me to tutor him during that time and I said yes. I figured it would be a good opportunity for him to get some work done, I wouldn't have to endure the pep rally, and neither one of us would have to stay late on a Friday. For me, that last bit translates to a more relaxed night at home and it also means that my sister, whom I pick up from school everyday, wouldn't have to do homework at the library until about 4pm. So it's a win-win situation, right? WRONG! As it turns out, I forgot something very important when I said yes to this plan; money! One of the other aides asked me before we left for the day if I was going to get paid at the tutoring rate for working with the student. I said I didn't know so I asked my supervisor. She, naturally, said that would be double dipping because it was still during the school day (apparently if we took an hour off my regular time sheet and put in the tutoring that would be okay, but it would still cost me some money--not as much but still something). And so, that is how one little "yes" lost me about $30. Do you know what the kicker of it is? My horoscope, as published in our local paper, said (and I'm quoting directly) " Someone might try to talk you out of money you can't afford to loose." Grrrr.....

Okay, so I learned something. Next time the answer is a resounding NO! But it was still a sucky way to end the week, you know?

Other than that, life is good. And for that I am truly thankful. Hasta luego!

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Loooonnnngggg time no post!


Hola!

It's Saturday night and I'm really bored so I thought I would type up an entry to give myself something to do. Also, it has been postively FOREVER since I last updated this thing. I know I should be better about this but, on the other hand, none of my friends know about this blog so it's not like anyone reads it.

Let's see, the last time I wrote I was job searching and had just learned that my first interview yielded no good results. Well, I kept looking and putting together applications as positions were advertized. It turns out that a lot of school districts are very unorganized and do not post jobs until practically the first day of school. This just makes my type-A, super organized personality go into spasms but, in the end, I survived. Anyway, I applied for four more jobs (three of which were aide positions and another that was working in a career office at a community college) and began to experience some success:-) I was offered two of the aide positions but not the other two.

So I took one in a nearby high school (it's a couple towns over from where I live, maybe 10 miles or about a 20 minute ride) and I've been working there since the first day of school, right after Labor Day:-D The position is full-time so I get health insurance-whohoo!- and it pays about $11 an hour, which is pretty good for an aide, so I'm happy. More specifically, I spend my days taking kids to class (which kid and which class changes with their schedules, it's not a one-on-one gig) and making sure that they are organized and on task. I also help them with their homework during their study hall periods. They are all really good kids and try their best, in spite of their various disabilities, to do well in school. The other aides and the head teacher of the resource room are all very nice and we work well together. So, I'm getting my introduction to the world of teaching and, next year, I'll work on getting certified and getting my Master's so I can actually teach classes of my very own:-)

In other news, the service dog we have been training has turned out to be one of the bright spots in our lives. He's a great dog and he fits in our family really well. He is also very, very well-behaved and has improved over our short time with him. The thing is that this is probably going to be our last weekend with him:-( He's going to "boot camp" (aka his final training) at the end of this week and then, providing he does well, he will be placed with a disabled person. We're sad that he will no longer be with us because he hass been soooo much fun but I guess it will be good knowing we helped someone with a disability get a fabulous dog to serve them and make their life that much easier. So, buena suerte Enrique! Queremos muchisimo y vamos a recordar ti por siempre!

I think that is all of my news. It's sad to have so little after two months of no posts, but mostly I've been working! Well, hasta luego!



P.S. I've deferred my admission to Boston College so, if I can get some serious grants/assistantships, I can still go next year. Otherwise, Sacred Heart and University of New Haven have much more affordable programs. Also, UCONN has a teacher prep program (although it starts in May which conflicts majorly with work...). Wish me luck with all of this!

P.P.S. That's a picture of our service dog, isn't he adorable?