A Typical Fun Work Day for me - wheeeee - NOT

Decided to try and keep track of what I am doing just to see what a day is like - and I will be honest - I missed stuff I did - just could not write and remember everything - I should wear a pedometer and see how much I walk too - lol - and this is not the busiest day I have had lately - this is pretty slow

Thursday

up at 6 to get myself and daughter ready

7 - drive to drop daughter off with my ex at his house and coordinate some things

740 - get to work - answering phone messages, printing workshop materials and all sorts of projects

first period 755 - 845

Spanish class comes in and helping students creating Spanish children's books in Publisher - damn line tool work, damn it work, work, live, you can do it.............., um student so and so how about we try something else - lol -

Teacher forgot ALT codes for Spanish characters so I Googled for her and printed a few sheets for reference - we got the students typing everything up no excuses - lol we are styling now!!!!!!!!!

Spanish teacher taking them into media center next week and will call me so I can be there to answer tech questions and help with Publisher and book formatting - I am a book publisher now - yay

second period 845 - 930 -

Teaching video on demand to the other Spanish teacher he is pretty good tech wise so not as hard- we have a service that allows for access to over 4000 videos and 3000 images so teaching them how to use it and such - found a cool video series called Flipped: two people change roles - they are cools

Helping French teacher print flyers for a school dance, history teacher comes in needing to download digital images from camera so we do that and I have three students stop by needing various tech help - managed to score hole in ones and answer all those questions...

Third period 930 - 1020 -

co worker comes in and discusses tutoring with me - she and I are the tutoring co-directors we are responsible for scheduling teachers, doing payroll, scheduling students, creating matching tutor/student schedules generating notification letters rescheduling and other shit that comes up - we do tutoring by marking period - so if student fails math marking period 1 they are in math tutoring (mandatory) for marking period 2 (tutoring sessions are once a week 40 minutes after school for 6 or 7 weeks) if they pass math 2nd marking period then no more tutoring - so the tutoring schedule has to be done every MP - we just ended tutoring session last week and are making the schedules as MP3 ends Friday - so she asked me to create this letter form and send to all teachers asking them for a projection (grades are due Friday and Monday) of failing students so we can see how many tutors we need - I gotta do that after my next training appointment which is for Access

Then we start talking about what we have to do today and spend a few minutes trying to get through what projects we are working on and she is meeting with our boss about a grant and asks me if she can tell boss anything so I pull a few things outta my butt and thank her for asking about them - hope she gets good answers

10 - ok waiting - the office person was making tea so I am going back in 15 minutes - while there another office person asked me about having trouble writing on this new kind of color printout and I solved her problem - use a sharpie - well I only have the fat tip one she says - again I can help I say - I go back to office to get fine tipped sharpie and wait 15 minutes to do training

in hall on way back to office I am stopped by the Carpentry teacher - he has one of my center's digital cameras and is doing student projects and has question about batteries and other issues with camera - I answer questions and send him in direction of tech department for batteries I do not have those - well I have my supply cause being in with the tech department is a good thing and I always get stuff - I know how to work the system and get the goods - another reason why teachers come to me - I stroke the techies egos and such and get what I want - hehe damn I am connected just teasing

walking the halls and going into offices is dangerous for me - I can not tell you how many times I get stopped going to the bathroom - I have the fricking door open and people stop me asking questions

10:10 - Communications arts teacher (she does the video production occupational class) calls me on phone (DAMN it I answered i usually let voice mail pick it up - that'll teach me)- another staff member had checked out one of our cameras and gave the camera to her to download the pics because she does the schools news page and she was going to put the pictures on the page - well she calls her computers are not locating the camera and she can not download and she has done stuff in past - so 8th period I am going over will check her USB ports with another one of my cameras but then take camera here and download pictures for her so she can get to them - hope I can fix that problem alters

third period into fourth - working with office staff to teach Access because they need to develop a database for their administrator - so helping create the database and teaching them access - thank goodness this person has a bit of knowledge and is easy to work with - well all was good until access crashed but I saved the patient, yes I did - I am good

fourth period 1020 - 11- turned my workshop hand out for tonight's workshop into a web page - damn I love web design and dreamweaver but created a few pages for the workshop

Also during fourth and into fifth managed to do some paperwork and update Summer conference binder with information for the conferences I am coordinating

I am director of the QUILT - questioning and understanding to improve learning and teaching team - this is a new program we are bringing in (www.ael.org/page2.htm?&index=515&pd=2) I am doing everything from getting teachers involved, to training using these methods to booking hotels, creating budgets, scheduling meetings, and even buying flip charts for workshops - you name it I am doing it for this program

I am also director and site coordinator for our three NAF academies (National Academy Foundation, www.naf.org), The quilt conference is June 19 - 24 in Nashville and I am doing everything from creating purchase orders and registering people to coordinating flights and training my team on what to expect. NAF is July 16 - 20 - I am Director of everything which means I am overseeing a lot.

So had to email out hotel address to all quilt people and also coordinating people for NAF - we have a new counselor coming on board in May and my boss wants her to go to NAF so I am tracking down her address to contact her - been to two people going to get it eventually and then ask her if she is available - yes I will - It is a treasure hunt with her address as the reward

Also during 5th 11 - 1140 - I talked to tech staff about printing issues and started changing over machines to accommodate yet another printer - we have color printers so teachers and students come to us to print

Stopped the Tech coordinator as he came through to remind him of Monday's workshop - an all day intro to digital Video - I have a handful of teachers from around the county coming and he is going to present some of the workshop for me before I do the rest - also he is serving on the advisory board for one of my NAF academies and we have a site committee meeting with NAF rep next Wednesday which I HAVE to coordinate as well (just filled out the paperwork for lunch - had to figure out the menu and how many people and fill out the little thing and take to my boss - paper cuts 12 - me zero - lol)

Had to finish up Learning Styles workshop web page for tonight and FTP up direct to server, I manage the ETTC web site from creation to uploading

Started creating form for tutoring

6th period - 11:44-12:15

Working on tutoring form and discussing upcoming schedule with co-worker - found out about grant we have and will have to develop budget for spending money (yay spending money boo on paperwork) because I have been handed the newest job - helping write curriculum and being in charge of all curriculum development

This means I work with teachers to revise, rewrite or write for new classes the curriculum - this includes everything from developing the class, researching what should be taught, developing student outcomes, finding and making activities, matching curriculum to the State education standards, developing assessment tools (tests and the like) and more - well I have to help write and coordinate all of these projects now (our boss is retiring very soon and we think she is trying to prep us so we can take over - that would be cool if it happens but for now it means MORE MORE MORE WORK cause I am learning all this stuff and still doing all my other director jobs and just AGGGGG) okay anyways I am being handed the ENORMOUS task of being in charge of the TOTAL revamping of the Exploratory curriculum - a program not touched for TEN years which is major deal because ALL 9th graders take exploratory. It is an introduction to technology, study skills and ALL of the occupational classes we offer.

See we are a full time vocational/technical school so students get all the regular academic classes and then they select a shop or career (like culinary, pre-law, cosmetology, we have over 24 shops) and they take classes for that specific career as well. Exploratory introduces ALL of the shops and includes rotations so they then at the end of the 9th grade apply (like for a job) to the shop of their choice (they spend the next three years getting regular academic classes and specializing in their occupation). So the Exploratory class touches everything and we have added a lot of shops that no curriculum was even written for - so I get the job of rewriting and guiding this with reluctant teachers and all

But the grant my co worker was working on needs to spend money for the Exploratory shops so she needs to meet with me to discuss what supplies and equipment (COMPUTERS, COMPUTERS oh please cause the 'puters in there now are CRAPOLA) anyways so discussing the meeting tomorrow with the Exploratory teachers where my boss says we are rewriting the curriculum over the summer and next year and Julie (lil ole me) is in charge - oh god I am nervous - anyways discussing that - and oh shit I need to create a couple of handouts for tomorrow - okay that get done laters

By the way - my boss in a way runs the school realistically which is why I and my co-worker get all these fricking jobs - cause she does and gives them to us - she is the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Technology and Instruction - so it goes Superintendent, Her, and Principal.... and we report only to her -

Worked some more on the web page for workshop

7th period 12:19 - 12:59

Meeting with Computer technology Occupational class teacher and the Travel and Tourism teacher to talk about the NAF year of planning site meeting we have next Wednesday. As said I am the director and we are bringing the third academy in - Information Technology (we already have Marketing and travel and hospitality) - so we have the NAF rep coming down to talk about getting started and what we have to do - so this meeting is to talk about what we need to have ready for next Wednesday - I am very nervous about that - afraid we will not have things prepped right

I get so anal and have to have things in order and yet talking and working with me is like working with a tornado - no shit - I am a fluttergebudgit, spacey, ADHD, blonde and I am being serious. I am told it is a trip watching me work especially when really in the zone - cause I fly from thing to thing and will be talking about one thing and switch mid sentence topics and head off about something else - I am always working on something and going oh I need to do this or that'd be cool to do... but I do like to have things prepped and use highlighters and color sticky flags and post-its - a weird mix of order and analness with messy, cluttered and spacey - very weird - but then that is me - lol

Ah shit - the monthly fairy is visiting - more fun in the sun - lol crap and cramps.... thank you whomever that I keep an emergency pad in my desk - whew

Did wrong tutoring form have to edit other form

So off to meeting to discuss what we are going to do

And meanwhile our center is being used for Star Testing which is the test we give incoming 8th graders who want to apply to come to our school so have to be quiet and not do much as they are here until end of school day and we need to make sure the computers are working for them... they take the tests online

Well meeting was good but long -talked about what we need to get ready, what courses are taught for the Technology, more curriculum junk and the fact the conference is in San Diego so talked about what we need for that - and that I have to fly from Nashville straight to San Diego from one conference (actually that is a third conference in Nashville not the QUILT one I mentioned earlier - I go to Nashville twice)

I got elected to pick up Danish and bagels for the Wednesday meeting - another hat I wear - breakfast chick - lol

8th 1:00 - 1:40

Went to communications art and spent a chunk of time loading a usb driver, messing with the cameras and trying to get this teacher's computer to work

Got stopped by tech coordinator for the school as walking back to office and pulled into conference center - we just got a new system for the tech in there and I got a demo of the smart screen and sound system (whoo Jethro Tull across the speaker - lol) and also he took that time to tell me he has more training for me - all of the county has access to video streaming product we just bought (over 4000 videos, video clips and images). And he wants to give it to the other schools and then send me to train - wheeee more fun - we have what 30 schools, hundreds of educators... where is my aspirin

Sitting back at desk the techie - Mark - who is a sweetie and as much as a silly goof as me so we always joking - and he always helps me - comes over and wants dreamweaver and web page help - now I'll bump other stuff for him cause he keeps my computers running and is a good guy and overworked too -

Well he has a cover band (he plays drums) - and is making a web site for his band - TOF (The Old Fuck's - lol - he is so cool) anyways so I am going to help him with that and gave him some advice and ideas for creating Flash movies for his site.

Co worker stops by and says she got a math teacher for tutoring - hurray we are making progress as I say oh shit I gotta go send that email out -

headache is pounding as is rest of body and I gotta teach a workshop 4pm - 6pm tonight and then go do other things - okay in with the good out with the bad - hmm I have taken three ibuprofen how many can I take I wonder?????

9th period - 1:45 - 2:25

Star Testing students went on tour so I can go out and download pictures from camera to J drive and email confirmation I did that -

I am doing a quick check here... My name is Julie, okay I can still remember that I am doing ok :-D

They keep finding me - I gotta hide - a student comes from the VICA group - VICA is a national organization votech and career students enter projects into and compete - this group are three students (all girls) creating a plumbing shop (The are called the Pink Plumbers isn't that neat) well they need to learn how to make business cards as part of the competition and project - so tomorrow I get three students in the afternoon to teach them how to make business cards (I like to use Publisher) and help them get ready for the competition

2:25 - classes end

Man - building manager came in - I was told wrong way to fill out job card for ordering lunch for my NAF site committee meeting next week so I had to fill out with her standing there three more forms for the meeting and lunch - man I hope that goes through okay - geez - I just wanna have a nice lunch and meeting - okay nerves coming back again

230 - working on workshop for tonight as well as sending out email memos for tutoring, NAF site meeting arranging substitutes and other things - teachers keep stopping in and asking questions

3:00 - hurray some fun - one teacher brought me Lisa Marie Presley CD to listen to and we decided to get tickets (she loves Lisa and wanted to see her and so I am like hey it is a concert I will go and we found cheap tickets - I am a whiz at finding tickets and concerts she is like hey we shoudl do this more often I tell her I am obsessed - lol - anyhoo - for once not going alone to a concert - yay!!!) it is at the Stone Pony in Asbury (a very historic venue - many famous people been there and I hear it is a cool venue and never been so that is exciting)

Back to work - I am submitting five presentations for the High Schools that work Conference in July in Nashville (actually I am on a whole school thing our school was named one of top 50 schools in the network so our reward we make a two hour presentation and everyone else chicken guess whose name is listed as presenter - yup mine - I get to go down in flames - just teasing... I hope) that I am co presenting with people -

had to write abstracts of 50 words or less - you ever try to say something meaningful in 50 words to describe a workshop (or anything really)? It is a bitch - anyways going online to submit those - topics range from Using Graphic Organizers in the classroom to an advisor program to extra help for students and more...

Ok finding I need to register the people as I sign up for HSTW conference presentation - damn it more paper work - okay registering myself and presenters


4:00 - 5:30 - Workshop - teaching a workshop to a handful of teachers on Examining Learning styles and Project-Based Learning - doesn't that sound exciting? We look at what PBL is and how they can use it in the classroom to reach all types of students - whew

600 - checked my mail - HOT DAMN we are in - lol - submitted a workshop to present at the T+L2 comference in Denever in October and they sent an acceptance letter - hehe - Improving student success through extra help programs such as turoring, study skills and more - wait now I have to think about that presentation - oh crap

okay going to leave work now around 620pm - phew

Now dashing to Borders to buy Dr. Seuss books for a baby shower for one of the teacher's tomorrow (no music Julie stay away from the books and music... but Borders is so cool they have listening stations - I go in and put on headphones and 3 hours later I am like oh shit I gotta go)

then home to do grading, and more work and I hope I can con someone into posting if my brain is not mush - just need someone to come up with the idea -

I am Toast ala mode - hehe