Exhausted

How can I be SO tired on a Tuesday? I felt like crying a dozen times today for no particular reason. My class has embarked on the Gilded Age project with after just 2 days a very mixed review. Some students are working diligently, finding websites, organizing the work, creating a shared google doc, blogging...and others are blowing it off. I suppose this is not uncommon. Students used to blow off opportunities to research in the library. Trying to keep them focused is a challenging task.

And, my desk. It's overflowing with paper. I cannot, and have not been able to for several years, get a real handle on the paper. One would think in this digital age that much of the desk paperwork could be eliminated and I guess it has, but my desk still seems to spill over. I am about ready to start a filing process that consists of putting everything into a file folder with a label! ACT scores, scholarship information, stuff for new school, etc., etc., etc.

New Year Reflections

I am not big on resolutions. I make them. I break them. Sometimes on the same day. That said, I believe that reflection is important and something that I think we could do more of. These reflections are not meant as black and white statements of what I will and won't do, but rather as thoughtful reflection about what I should do, what I must do, what I want to do, and what I want others to do. I have decided to break them up into categories. . personal, professional, home, and family.

I begin with personal. I know it sounds pretty selfish, but I would like 2012 to be a year for and about me. . .I cannot take care of others if I do not take care of myself. So I hope to do a better job of watching what I eat, concentrating on


Personally,

a) taking a salad each day for work
b) eating less red meat and processed foods
c) eliminating dairy. (My mom and dad told me that as a child I was extremely allergic to all things dairy. I think perhaps that my system is still sensitive, more so than I have listened to in the past.)
d) drinking 8 glasses of water each day
e) getting 7 hours of sleep each night
f) walking 10,000 steps each day
g) refraining from using my credit cards and paying with cash
h) reading a book about health each month, starting with Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Esselstyn, tweeted about today in a Time.com piece about former President Clinton and his new vegetarian regime
i) drinking only red wine, 5 ounces per night, as recommended by heart specialist
j) taking my blood pressure medicine each day
k) eating breakfast every morning
l) going to Mass at least once-twice each month at St. Margaret's
m) reading all of the Newberry award books
n) reading a biography of each American president, excluding Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Lincoln, which I have already read.

Professionally
a) recommitting to communicating with teachers in the building
b) getting into the teacher's classrooms, a different teacher each day, to observe, comment.
c) following up the visit with a comment to the teacher
d) finishing my master's degree
e) continuing to read professionally
f) attending 2-3 workshops on topics including special education (and I hope) the ISTE conference in San Diego this summer
g) becoming a stronger advocate for the teaching staff, especially with the administrative team. Sometimes, I let myself be bullied or pushed into cooperation without time to reflect on HOW our decisions impact teachers or HOW we could be more collaborative
h) continue to connect with people in the diocesan school office as we look toward the building of a new high school
i) work on Ipad deployment for 2012-2013 school year, helping teachers make the best use of 21st century technology and tools
j) commit to getting student papers back into their hands within 1 week
k) commit to quality lesson planning and wide reading
l) continue to develop strategies to improve the teaching of my AP US History course
m) pray with my students each day, bringing to them stories from the news that are about peace and justice
n) finally reading De La Salle's biography

Family
a) being more honest with my kids and husband about what bothers me
b) asking the kids to text me each night when they are away from home, telling me they are safe and who they are with
c) being more proactive about Bill's alcoholism, refusing to cover or hide
d) helping my dad as I can without feeling guilty when I cannot
e) sending my dad an email each day about things we are doing and what is going on in the family
f) take more pictures
g) go to church together
h) prepare an evening meal for the family at least 3-4 times each week
i) go to a movie with someone in the family at least once a month
j) encourage the kids to make more healthy life decisions and to be with people who make good decisions
k) talk with Matt more, via email, text, or whatever means I can use to get him to listen
l) try and not let my brother Phil get under my skin because of his resolves not to "take on other peoples' problems", etc.
m) work on being less envious about Phil and Sue's situation and more thankful of the positive things in my life
n) remember to keep family first
0) refraining from giving Grady table treats

Home

a) get deck repainted and repaired
b) get door jamb on outside door repaired and repainted
c) clean out garage (throw away!)
d) paint! (downstairs, Becca's room, my room, ceilings, upstairs bathroom, kitchen
e) cut back the rest of the shrubs
f) fix drawer in kitchen
g) buy new washer, dryer, refrigerator, and dishwasher and maybe stove (yeah, right)
h) fix Becca's downstairs toilet
i) get flooring for Becca's bathroom and for entryway
j) fix fireplace
k) replace windows
l) never go to bed with the kitchen looking a mess
m) reorganize utensil drawers
n) buy George Foreman
o) buy toster oven, although I am not sure hwere it would set, must measure
p) vacuum each week
q) dust each week
r) ask kids to keep their rooms up, go through closets and throw out what is not being worn or used (starting with mine!)
s) do the same with the cabinets and drawersjavascript:void(0)
t) buy a really good set of cookware. . .and not charge it. :)
u) buy more plates and bowls from Fiesta ware (that match) and not charge it

OK. There they are. . .thoughts, resolutions, to do lists, priorities.