Parent Teacher Conferences

Sigh.  Parent Teacher Conferences. 

I remember last year I was actually excited for conferences.  This year... eh, not so much.  Maybe it's daylight savings time.  Maybe it's because I've been so busy I want to stay home for a night.  But it's probably because I have 7th and 8th grade parents questioning me about their kids' grades.  Stuff like that makes me feel like I'm being attacked (even though I'm not) and I get nervous, hoping they won't get mad at me.  Though I really shouldn't worry about it; the reason they got the grades they did is because they earned them (or didn't earn them, as the case may be).  Sigh.  Grades.

On a lighter note, the 5th graders are packing up in a much more timely fashion.  I've been setting a timer for 5, then 4, then 3 minutes, and if they get packed up before it beeps, we get to watch a youtube video.  Today's video was "Working Farmer Style" (which also unfortunately features John Deere tractors).  Tomorrow's will be slow motion giant water balloon breaking.

The 5th graders have begun their NaNoWriMo stories.  I made them fill out a plot outline organizer, so they know what their story will be about.  I was surprised how much it helped them!  They were getting really excited about the stories they'll be writing, and I know that enthusiasm will transfer to their writing.  I can't wait to read them when they're finished.

In other news, I too am doing NaNoWriMo.  So far, I've been able to keep up with the word count; I'm currently at 10,129 words, or about one fifth of the way finished.  I figured out I can write my words for the day in about an hour.  The best part is, I don't have Internet to distract me, so nothing prevents me from pounding out my daily quota of words!

Since we're talking all about me today, let me give you an update on my pottery class.  We met for the last time last night to glaze our pieces.  I didn't finish.  I still have about 6-7 more things to glaze.  So we're meeting on Saturday night to finish up.  I hope I can get them done in the two hours or so we'll be there.  We get to pick up our finished products next Wednesday.  I realized we have a PTL meeting that night, so I have to ask if it's okay if I'm late...

Well, I suppose I should get back to being productive.  If I have to be at school until 7:30 tonight, I might as well get some lesson planning done.