10.06.2011

Ahh, the joys of a volunteer... take two.

So I took my not feeling so wonderful self to Alexa's school on Wednesday to help out her teacher.  She had a huge stack of papers with some simple instructions - or at least they seemed simple on the outside.  The first one was to sharpen some pencils (of which I am 99% sure that it said to bring SHARPENED pencils on the school supply list..) so I head off to the office to sharpen pencils.. with a pencil sharpener that doesn't sharpen..  Seriously when I want a sharp pencil, I want a SHARP pencil..  not a dull nubby one.  However I realize this may be beneficial in those classrooms where students try to use their pencils as a weapon to inflict harm on one another.  So 55 dull pencils later and I am on to task two..

Which is making two sets of booklets for the kiddos.  Seems easy enough, the teacher wanted a cardstock cover and back because they will be adding to the booklets and they need to be sturdy..  Doesn't seem like a challenge does it?  Well think again.  The paper "room" at the school is out of paper, we're talking those teachers are lucky that they get white paper.  In addition to that it says right on the copier that you cannot put colored paper into the copier.  Well shoot.

So what is a mom to do, I take the project home and raid my cardstock pile - which yes I have an abundance and 80 sheets is not going to put a dent in my collection.  When I was finished my office looked like this:


I seriously think that volunteer work is more work than regular work.  For one thing the reason they need volunteers is because they have no money, and no money means no supplies.

In addition to that, a teacher complained that I was "hogging" the copy machine..  then walked off in a huff.  Seriously I didn't know there was copy machine etiquette, I thought it was first come, first serve...  And second this teacher should have simply said, "I really need to make this one copy real quick."  I would have been more than happy to move over, but the attitude was just ridiculous.

Then I was caught by the PTO, who apparently have decided that the treasurer needs replacing due to having too many other commitments..  so guess who is the new treasurer?  Yup, me.  I hope it will look nice on my resume :)

I am saying no from here on out to anything else that comes my way.  Maybe in the new year I will accept additional responsibilities but I need to see how I do with the ones I've got first.

And today, I am in pain.  I skipped class, which I probably shouldn't have.  But I would have been a distracted blob of jelly anyways.  I've been googling joint pain trying to figure out what is wrong with me.  Every one of my joints hurts, from my fingers, to my spine, to my knees...  and hurts like a 7 on the 1 to 10 scale.  As if someone injected acid in each joint..  I have been popping 6 to 8 Tylenol daily for the last week.  I know it is partly due to the rain, as I only had a few days of pain over the summer.  But I can't be giving all my money to Tylenol which only dulls the pain a notch or two.

So thankfully I FINALLY got my student loan approved, and we will have money again - YAY!  Too bad I have to start paying it back in February - boooo!  But I am going to the dr. tomorrow and I hope to good gracious that something can be done about this semi-chronic pain.  It's so draining.

10.04.2011

Ahh, the joys of a volunteer...

So tomorrow is my day to volunteer for Alexa's teacher.  I don't think I actually help out IN the classroom, its more of a stapling sort of situation where I do paperwork that the teacher doesn't have time to do.  Which I am more than happy to do.  However..

Last week I volunteered to help set up the bulletin board for Parent Night, and I had quite a fiasco going on.  First the teacher said I could use this board in the hallway, then I get started and another teacher comes and states that she has that board and I should not be putting anything on it.  Then I go to the office to see if they have some sort of "board directory" or for heaven sakes a book about board etiquette or something.  Only to hear that the person who knows that sort of information will be back in 30 minutes..  O..K..  what am I going to do in an elementary school for 30 minutes?  So I wander around..  now mind you, I had an early morning meeting so I am dressed to the nines with my suit and my killer hooker boots, so I am totally rocking the elementary school hallways here :)

Luckily I run into a lady from the PTO whom I met during the first PTO meeting (of which I was the ONLY parent there who was not a board member...) she kept me entertained and we had a good time chatting.  I like her, she is very down to earth and funny, and she didn't even mention my ridiculous outfit..  but I digress.

So after the mandatory 30 minutes, I go back to the office and the lady is STILL not there..  UGH!  I have now been volunteering for an hour and I haven't gotten anything done.  So I sit in a chair where the office people can see me impatiently kicking my heels..  I get no respect..

I go back to Alexa's classroom and grab my granola bar because I am darn near starving from all the calories I have burnt with my impatient pacing.  And the teacher tells me to just keep doing what I am doing and don't worry about the other teacher.  But I feel sort of stuck in the middle because Alexa's teacher is new and I don't want it to seem like she's bossy or stepping on any of the other teachers toes, so I decide to go directly to the 'clowns mouth' and go back to the office to hear the directions for myself.

Once I get the right office worker to help me she comes out with a diagram of all the boards, their locations, and the respective teacher that has that space.  OMG, 45 minutes later she tells me I can use a different board than the only I've already started and I've been asked if I am a new teacher FOUR times (which I kindly deny while pointing at my VISITOR name tag... and without shouting, "NO who would want to work with you people?!?!?!")  So I try to re-think how I am going to un-staple the part that I already have stapled, and move it to this other wall..  when another 2nd grade teacher comes up and says that I can use the board I am using, and that the teachers have already worked it out..  Okay, back to ground zero.

But I got it done, and when I was finished the original teacher who caused such a fuss came and said it looked nice, and I politely said that I was sorry for the confusion and I hope it all works out in her favor.

I CANNOT believe elementary school politics.  Those teachers were practically brawling over corkboards!

So here's hoping that tomorrow is better, however the school staplers suck..  Seriously 4 staples before you get one that works - I told the office that they need to get a Swingline and they'll never have to replace them again..  The bureaucracy of it all - I may just bring my own stapler with me..  Might be easier and faster that way.

10.03.2011

Kindergarten and Second Grade!

The kiddos are in school all day now, wow!  (They were in school all day last year too, but this year they are at the SAME school - which is huge!)  Alexa is doing well, she likes her teacher and she seems to be learning.  She comes home with homework, a lot of homework.  Her teacher taught 3rd grade last year and I think she really pushes the kids to do their best and stretch their imaginations.  It's been a little challenging but I like that Alexa is being challenged (her homework last year took her less than 5 minutes to complete and was pretty much a no-brainer).

Adrianne is adjusting, I am still helping her out in the morning but she is getting better and make a TON of friends.  That kid is a friend magnet - we have had many playdate requests already.  I love spending time in her classroom and getting to know all the others kids, which is challenging because 1/2 the kids names start with either an 'A' or a 'B'...  like Aiden, Braden, Alexys, there is even an Adrianna..  yikes!  I could not believe it, I don't know how the teacher keeps them all straight.  Adrianne is not getting any homework - which drives me bonkers!  I give her challenging worksheets everyday after school, and we always add in time for reading.  Her class this year is working on Heart words, which are words they should know by heart - she knows most of them..  and they are learning their ABC's in sign language - which she also knows as she learned them all at Kidspace (LOVE that place).  So I'm not sure how much she is currently being challenged, but I am Super confident that her teacher (who taught 2nd grade last year) is going to push her as far as she can..  which I LOVE.  They already told me that her first of the year assessment put her at the top of the entire kindergarten class, WOW!  (and considering she lost a lot of reading words while in the Philippines, I am very proud of her).

Alexa is taking her time to meet new friends.  She said that she still plays with her friends from last year and hasn't made any new friends from her classroom.  Although the other day she did say that she spent the entire recess talking to a 'girl who I forgot her name' and she was proud of herself for talking to someone new :)  She has also started back with her Girl Scout troop so she will be making some new friends there.  We even let her friend come over for a playdate - which has never happened before.  It was fun, I'm hoping we can do it again.

Adrianne informed me this morning, much to my SHOCK, that, "Yesterday when I was getting my backpack, Braden held my hand..."  OMG, WHAT?!?!  NO way child, my hand is the only hand you will be holding for the next 12 to 15 years - no exceptions!  It was all I could do to refrain from saying, "Which BOY.. Show me him NOW!"  LOL.  But I am biased because I am still attached to her little romance that she had with Hayden at Kidspace - he was the cutest kid ever, he's totally going to be a heart-breaker, and I've always wanted a boy named Hayden...  so I could have a cute little son-in-law, someday..  (I guess you know I'll be having a hard time with getting attached to the BF's later on..)

Everything else is going well, I've been doing awesome (well I have a sore throat at the minute, but still).  In fact I am so looking forward to the holiday season I'm excited to spend it happy and joyful this year.  Lets keep the good times rolling :)   It's so much nicer to feel happy and content instead of always worried and uncomfortable.  My world is in a good place, may is stay there for the long run!