Santa Claus is coming to couch 68!!!!!

In my house, it would be presumptive and frowned upon for anyone other than a child's parents to give a present from santa claus. No matter the age of the child.

In our house all the unwrapped items are from Santa and the wrapped gifts are from the original sender.

XT just dropped me an email out of the blue. Asked how I am and if I thought about doing therapy with him again, did he sense something was wrong in the force? Weird how something like an email can just make one forget what they are doing and also make one feel a sense of loss and caring at the same time.

I don't see the problem. Holding the door shut is not violence.

CE - I don't think Jersey was referring to what Squirrel did, but what the subs actions were, which were not acceptable. Especially tying the one child's hands down. When dealing with special needs children you would think subs would have more training.

Yes, the subs have really done that. Administration has banned those subs from subbing at our school anymore though. Hopefully, they don't do it at other schools.

my T got back to me and said that she will not be seeing me until the 7th of jan because they are closing at 3 on the day before new years and my appointment was at three .so no appointment .im just so lucky around these things.

on a positive note because I am really trying to be positive these days .she did call me back .she actually reassured me that is was ok that I called and that she was glad I did etc... she said she even confused herself with weather we were meeting again. I felt ok about calling her about this so maybe there is hope yet lol.
the only thing that annoyed me was she asked if this was ok . why ask that it isn't like I could change things.

I was referring to the subs and the way they physically handled the children

Are you at a private school? I'm glad that they won't be back to your school, but I am also alarmed that was all the action that was taken. I know that in the counties in Northern Virginia the subs would not be allowed back to sub any school.

granite, I'm sorry you won't get to see your T. It's good to hear that you feel okay about calling her though.

Well day one of reading is over. I wanted to "stab my eyes out" during two of the exams.

In the morning, I had two kids taking the same exam and needed verbatim reading. One kid was faster at answering than the other and started to complain that I was going "too slow". I can't go ahead of the slower kid. On top of being "slow", I swear he had OCD. On the first exam he had to write the short answer words and multiple choice letters on a separate sheet of paper (not a scantron) and he continually traced over the letters 5 times every time he wrote one. I'm not saying this is "wrong", it was just really frustrating. The exam was only 50 questions and the teacher said it should take about an hour to complete, but if they needed longer they could have it since another accommodation these kids have is "extended time". It took the full 2 hours for the kid to take the frigging exam. I had to sit in a chair waiting forever to go onto the next question, sometimes having to read the question again after 5 minutes of him thinking because he forgot what the question was. At first I thought maybe he just didn't study and that is why it was taking him "forever", but I had him again in the afternoon and he was the same way (and they could use their study guides on that exam). On the one in the afternoon, it was fill in the bubbles on the answer sheet and the kids traced over the bubbles 5 times after they were filled in. That is why I think he might have OCD (of course I am not qualified to diagnose after only seeing the kid 4 hours, but I am just assuming). I know if it is OCD, he can't help doing it, but it really frustrated the other students who had to wait for the next question to be read because the one kid was taking forever to answer his questions. Yes, these are students with learning disabilities, and I understand it may take them a little more time, but it is still frustrating. I hate sitting in one place for long periods of time, so it was torture for me. Not to be mean, but thank God I don't have that kid anymore this week.

The kid who took the exam during lunch period finished in 45 minutes. I don't know if he just knew the answers or he was guessing, but he finished quickly. It was a pretty easy exam by my judgement, so he could have just known the asnwers. The kids in the afternoon took the same exam and took the full 2 hours. Then again the kids in the afternoon claimed the following question was too hard and unfair: What is the abbreviation for meter? A) km B) cm C) mm D) m. I would call that a pretty "basic" question. About 10 questions were about abbreviations. Another 5 had pictures of science equipment (i.e. beaker, flask, etc.) and asked what it was. Another 10 were reading a ruler, thermometer, or graduated cylinder. Another 10 were on the scientific method. All very "basic" stuff, no remembering definitions or formulas or applying formulas. Another "basic" question that the kid in the afternoon took 5 minutes to answer was: What does degrees Celsius measure? A) length B) mass C) temperature D) volume. OMFG! I wanted to stab my eyes out in the afternoon. Were this kid just being a "jerk" and being "defiant" or was he really that "clueless"? I don't know. I just know I was extremely frustrated.

No, I am in a public school. The subs here get "3 strikes". They have to be banned by 3 schools for inappropriate behavior before they are banned by the county.

Squirrel - may I ask why you place quotation marks around so many of your words?

Those are "irony quotes".

Would anybody like to pocket ride with me to T tomorrow morning? The USanians will be asleep, I know that, but maybe you could sleep in my voluminous pockets? I know that my T is great and understanding and patient and all, but I have this knot in my stomach at the thought of seeing him tomorrow... it was just so hard on Tuesday, and I was such a mess, and I don't want that kind of thing to happen again just before the break. I would like to let him know how angry I actually was on Tuesday, but I'm afraid of that, too. Maybe it would be best to just let that rest.

In any case I have to go to bed now. Goodnight, couch.

When I started using the Internets back in 1993, there was a custom to use parentheses with full stops to indicate irony. (. Like this .) I don't know if it was a local custom or not, but I haven't seen it used in 15 years or so, probably. I wonder why it never caught on, it was very useful.

Mast I'll pocket ride....

Granite...maybe she asked if it was okay because she is waiting for you to ask if she has any extra times she could fit you in so?

Well, I also took in the "presents" for the teachers I work with today. Went to each of their rooms and gave the coasters to them before school. One of them asked if Im really made them. She hugged and hanked me and said she couldn't wait to show her husband (he also teaches at our school). The other two just said "thank you", which is fine (especially since one is a male and it might be seen as inapproprite to "hug" a female coworker).

I also dropped the sodas, chips, cookies, and cupcakes by the teachers room (same one that hugged me) for the kids' party this afternoon. She said I did too much for these kids. She also told me a story that one of her sons overheard her telling her husband everything I do for the kids. Her son asked her if I was "rich". She told him no and that I work 3 jobs. Her son told her if I have 3 jobs I must be rich. Her son is in elementary school, so that is so cute.

At lunch I ran to the pizza place that has cheese and pepperoni pizzas ready the entire time they are open, where there is no wait, you just come in and pick them up, for only $5 a piece. I got some cheese and pepperoni pizzas and went back to school and took them by the teacher's room. When she saw them, she told me I was too nice and I shouldn't have.

In the afternoon, I told the kid who was taking forever that he had 10 minutes less left than he really had, to try to get him to "hurry up" so I could stop by the "party" and wish the kids a good holidays, as I will not see any of them again until January. When I walk into the classroom, the kids all clap and say thank you. It felt nice to be appreciated. I was never really appreciated growing up, so it means a lot now when I am. There was stuff left over that the teacher said she saved for me. The only half full bottles if soda that were left were things that I don't drink, so I asked the kids if anyone wanted to take a soda home. Of the 2 bags of chips that were open with some left, I only would eat one of, so I gave the other one to a kid that wanted it. Then a kid asks if he could have the leftover cupcakes, I said he could. The left over cookies no one wanted, so I took them up the the teacher mailroom and put them for anyone to snack on (the school sets up a table of treats for staff in the mailroom on exam days). So all I had to take home with me was half a bag of ruffles potato chips. I will eat those, so I don't mind.

After the bell rang and all the kids left, the teacher told me that one of the kids was so funny. Supposably he told the other kids that "we should give Squirrel a hundred dollars" and tried to take up a collection. I could so see thatn kid doing that too. Makes me smile.

I love doing things for the kids. I have no kids of my own (or no nieces or nephews), so there is no one I can do things for. Most of them are appreciative of it. Some have made me handmade thank you cards in the past. I still have all of them from all semester. At least someone is thankful for what I do.

Just a habit, I guess. I tend to use them around words that I don't mean literally (like calling a student slow) or around certain coined terms (3 strikes). I will also put them around things people say sometimes.

Or as CE said certian irony words/phrases I will out them around too.

Thanks. It was confusing me. I mean I understood when you were quoting someone, but not the others.

I never saw those as far as I remember.

G'night, Mast. I'm in.

I have my last t session of the year tomorrow, too. I'm torn between wanting to throw myself at his feet and not letting go and just disconnecting altogether. It's been tricky since the rupture a few weeks ago. He's been trying a bit too hard and I've been pulling away. Relationships are hard.

Good luck critter.

Everyone should go see Anchorman 2, its so funny

Squirrel, that is so wonderful. That shows that those kids understand what it takes to do what you are doing, and they dont take it for granted. Nor do the adults. Its like how you started the year, with the spevial bulletin board and cleaning the students desks. You make US rich to know you

Eta: i just read the testing post. Now i believe those books on amazon about kids answers to test questions are real! Also that maybe i dont have the patience to volunteer at a school! O.m.g.!