I'm walking, baby look at me

I have started to wear a pedometer. I check it more than I check facebook. I'm very excited when I pass the 10000 steps mark in the afternoon. It's really amazing how much you walk in the run of the day. If you're me, anyway. If your job doesn't involve running around doing and getting and finding things for everybody, you may not walk so much.

41 days left until students are done, and then 2 more days for us. Still no word on what's to happen next year. My principal has recommended me for a permanent contract, which is fantastic, but who knows where that will be! I've decided though that I will apply for jobs in Woodstock and closer, but no farther afield. I can do that for a year, and then hopefully something will open up. I've also come to realise that although I really like this school, there are going to have to be some big changes in the next few years, which will involve fewer staff memebers, and since I'm last man in, I'd be first out. Not really a comforting thought. The high school is a little better, but all these small towns are going to either have to figure something out or they'll be closed down. Better for sure if they can stay open, but the numbers are declining really alarmingly, so something new has to come up.

Anyway. Fredericton also posted a call for R&M teachers, hopefully there are really some jobs, and they'll really hire someone who's not FROM there already. So silly how some of these places work. They legitimately expect you to give up whatever job you may have already to go supply teach there for anywhere from a few months to a few years, at which point they'll probably give you a job an hour away from home, which you can work for a few more years, at which point you may get your permanent contract, and THEN you can maybe transfer into town. Really fun. We'll see what happens here I guess.

Had the boy's birthday party on the 15th, it went well. He didn't need to nap in the middle this time, which I think his guests appreciated. He did wake up really early, but that worked out because I had to make the cake.



Hilarious, I thought. Worked out pretty well though. I had other plans, one from Martha that involved baking it in a bowl, but I think mine worked out just as well. There were no shaped pans that were monkeys. Some of the bears probably would have worked, but whatev.

Back to work!

wheeeeee e i!

So, it looks like as of right now, I will be able to get EI benefits this summer. This is a pretty huge relief. Although it will be a *slight* cut in pay, it is a whole lot better than nothing coming in for 2 months. I'll look for work, really, tutoring or something. The other possibility is that I'll somehow wind up with a B contract at the end of this year, and get roughly $7 a pay for the summer. Sweet.

Jobs should be coming out soon. District 18 actually has a call out for R&M teachers. I'll apply, but I won't hold my breath until they call me. They're not known for hiring outside the long-term supply list.

I'm supposed to be working, I just wanted to share with you that if you're a teacher, and your contract ends, you CAN still get EI. Good fricking thing.

I have a 2-year old

How frigging crazy is that? As of two hours and...21 minutes ago (6:24pm), my dear boy is two. And terrible! Ha! No, not really. No moreso than he has been for the last little while anyway. He's big into things being his, and getting what he wants when he wants it, regardless of logical or nutritional barriers to that end. We had a nice day today. We've had a crazy long long weekend, we (the boy and I) had a snowday Thursday, then Friday to Monday off for Easter. Tomorrow we're back to the regular routine, but no students at school, parent-teacher meetings and PD. 2 days of regular school, then I'm off Friday again for the annual NB Learning Disabilities Association conference. I'm going to be so frigging trained up by the end of this that anyone would be FOOLISH not to hire me. Which should come in handy. Anyway. Today was nice, we went to McDonald's for lunch, because that's fun. He had nuggets, apples, and chocolate milk. Relatively healthy, as far as McD's goes. Then we went and got some groceries, and had his picture taken. It was his first non-mom photo session, and it was a bit of a fiasco. He was wailing when we went in, which is never a good sign. I tried to put a nice shirt on him, but no go. He then would absolutely not sit or stand anywhere near where he had to in order to have his picture taken. But then...he found the sports gear props. We had 2 basketballs, one small and one regular size, a mini football, and a mini hockey stick. The 3 pictures I ended up ordering were all with the hockey stick, which wasn't really what i was going for, but whatever. He looks like ME in one of the pictures too, which is really the reason I got it. The good smiles were elicited by him hitting the basketball with the hockey stick, and then me and the photographer lady clapping and cheering madly for his great shot. I was like, his dad will be so proud. We had a little cake and candles (which he knew exactly what to do with, cute enough) but we'll have the big shindig next weekend. We didn't want to interfere with anybody's Easter weekend plans.

What else. Easter bunny brought the man and I a truly ridiculous amount of sugary stuff, despite our repeated requests for that not to happen. We trade amongst ourselves and his brother for the stuff we each like most (eggs - mini, caramilk, creme, whatever, for me), and then the two of us end up bringing most of it to work, where our co-workers curse us while stuffing themselves silly. Good times. He also got new tires, which is sweet, and I got a new complete outfit. I'm debating whether I should wear it tomorrow for PT / PD day, when I will surely impress my co-workers and the 3 parents who come to see me, or the next day, to impress my 11 & 12 year olds. And co-workers.

Alright. Enough dialuppage for me. I'm going to upload some new pics to the boy's site in the next day or so. His birthday party is next Sunday afternoon. Stop in if you're in the neighbourhood!