Hey remember if you want to check out what trips we're up to check out my travel blog http://simplifiedtravel.blogspot.com
So-
Since no one will hire someone for only two months and since I am a terrible liar and would feel too guilty telling someone that I wanted to work there for a really long time I have been keeping very busy with touring DC, taking care of Evan :), cooking pita bread weekly, reading good books, and working on my curriculum on the days that Evan doesn't need the computer. Today is such a day. I really SHOULDN'T work on it since I don't get paid for my many many many hours but I think by doing it NOW I will be much less stressed out during the school year... hopefully! Evan's also going to help me set up my website for my classes http://www.simplifiedart.com For all of my art ed friends you can see my calendars, demo videos, powerpoints, and any handout for my students. I actually have spent about half of my time researching curriculum of other teachers and "stealing" their best ideas for projects, etc. So, hopefully I've got a rocking year planned out for my students! Something else I'm really excited about is my classroom management plan. I don't really have problems with classroom management. Most students (I think) respect me, they're quiet when I need them to be and they have fun in my class. But last year I had a VERY difficult class that took longer to settle down. So I have a new plan. I'm going to divide my classes up into houses like on Harry Potter! I am even buying glass jars & different colored marbles. Each time the WHOLE CLASS is on time, they get points. If the WHOLE class is quiet while I'm lecturing and makes comments, they get points, if they keep the room spik and span they get more points.... etc. Disruptive behavior or irresponsibility loses points. The winning house gets a pizza party at the end of the semester... Or icecream depending on my classroom budget. Most students don't care about their grades- I know! SAD- but they DO care what other people think of them so I think this will put the right kind of pressure on them to do well in my classes. Anyway I'm excited about it. Well I had better get started oon my curriculum. It's not everyday I've got a computer! Don't forget to check out our trips on my travel blog. I'll be posting new trips soon :)
