Finally, an update!

Well apparently when I updated last (two months ago!) I said I was going to talk about books, movies and a new school year. I have absolutely no idea what I planned to say about books other then I read a lot through the month of August. When I say a lot I mean at least 6 books a week. Naturally, I've slowed down a lot now that school has started but I am excited about a book club I've joined at work. There are twelve of us that are reading two teen lit books a month and we're meeting monthly to talk about the pros and cons of each book. In February I get to pick the books for that month. I'm pretty happy. This is my kind of thing.

Now my movie story is that we went to Saskatchewan to see a drive-in. We went to the closest drive-in around which is five and a half hours away. I searched on-line for a decent campground but couldn't find anything close. We wound up at a campground in the middle of the city. I had read that it was rustic and isolated enough and most of it was. Unfortunately, our site was one of five that bordered a fence and looked out to a parking lot and apartment building. Sonia said she felt like she was camping out in the backyard like we did when we were kids. It was rather lame. On the other hand, the movie was great. The drive-in was exactly as drive-ins should be and we saw some decent movies (Sisterhood-of-the-traveling-pants, Batman, and Ironman). By Ironman, Sonia was freezing to death because it was 1:00 a.m. and we had a window open so we didn't fog up. I couldn't figure out how to have the car run without my lights automatically turning on so we sat and froze (I have since got it worked out!). Eventually Sonia spent a half-hour in the concession building trying to warm up. I toughed it out though. We had booked ourselves at the campground until the Monday but we left a day earlier because there didn't seem to a be a point to just sitting around the campground looking at the cars come and go from the parking lot. We would certainly go back to that drive-in although rumor has it that this was it's last year. We wouldn't go back to that campground though.

This school year has had it's ups and downs so far. Apparently, because this is my third year, I'm in the in-crowd now. I have teachers pop by to talk. Teachers invite me join them while they chat in the hall. Teachers who invite me out for drinks or to small parties. It is weird... Other pluses are that my new principal is great. She is my kind of person. An outspoken, practical, strong woman is someone I am comfortable with. The atmosphere at the school amongst staff if significantly better. This year's crop of kids on the other hand... Actually, we were just talking in the staff room that our 7s this year are either the sweetest kids ever or hell-on-wheels. We have very few kids in between. I am again finding myself struggling with classroom management and I am tired and stressed. I need more effective strategies. I have put this in my growth plan this year which means I will have to talk to my principal about what is going on. I think this principal is someone who won't just give me a simple idea, pat me on my head and say good luck. I think she will be someone who will actually come into my room regularly, give me strategies, follow up with me on how things are going, etc. This idea makes me want to throw-up but also makes me excited. I am always just on the cusp of loving my job. If I could just get my classes more functional, I think I would truly enjoy my work.

Okay, next update I will talk about the wedding fever in Edmonton and about my dates with my nephew...