wow

I'm so tired. I've just been waiting for it to be 10, so I can go to bed without feeling like a total loser. Even though I've been nodding off on the couch for the past hour. I was just about to go to bed and noticed a message from Tiresa about big news from the dept of ed. They're cancelling the P.E.! They're going to bring them back next year, but at a lower grade, so at least 2 years of kids won't ever have to write them. For those of you not from NB, the P.E. is something you have to write in math and English in grade 11, a standardized test that is thus a bit of a farce, and not an entirely accurate picture of how you're doing in English or math. Teachers always end up freaking out a bit, and then completely teaching to the test, which is just stupid. That's not a test of the kids' comprehension; that's them knowing what's going to be on a test. Anyway, the fact that they're cancelling it is strange, especially now with the test only 2 months away.

This week was just awful. Meetings until 5:15 Tuesday and Wednesday, and then we had to stay at school for an entirely useless 'help your kids pick courses' fest until 7:30 tonight, where nobody even came to see me, natch. No wait, I lie, I had another teacher sit with me, and some kids that we both taught came to chat and ask us why we had to be there. Good question. A couple of good things did happen though. One of our supply teachers, who happened to be pregnant, went in to labour yesterday, on the last day she needed to get in order to qualify for maternity leave. We covered for her, of course, and were all very excited, and glad to find out everything went well and she had a little girl (she already had 2 boys, so yay). I covered one of her classes, and it was all grade 9s, who I know all of now, and they were all like 'oh, Miss S, we love you! are you going to be back next year? you're the best teacher! you have to come back!' and so on. Just when I think I've decided for sure that I'm outta there in 2 months, these little bastards make me feel guilty for even considering not returning in the fall. It's not entirely up to me where I'll be, I'm definitely going to explore my options. At the very least I'd like to be teaching a combo of art and something else, not just art. I also had my official evaluation yesterday, which went swimmingly, so if I'm still here next year, I will very likely get a permanent contract. Big load off. I wasn't worried, really, but you always worry a little bit when you know you're being evaluated.

I really have to go to bed now, my eyes hurt. Anyone want to go see 13 Going on 30 tomorrow night? There's a sneak preview.