Lions, Tigers, and Bears...Oh My!

Okay, well, its more like dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, and birds...Oh My. I, too, like Caton am sorry I have fallen off the grid a bit and haven't held up my end of the bargain with keeping in touch. It was much easier when I was unemployed, but I do miss you all tons!

First off, Caton, I am so sorry that things aren't all that great teaching, working, i guess, just isn't all its cracked up to be.

My life, too, has changed tremendously.

Firstly, I have moved to Massachusetts and live with my oldest brother and his obnoxious cat. But actually, it's pretty much just me and the cat because my brother has practically moved in with his girlfriend and is hardly home. (Not that I am complaining ;)

I wake up at 6 oclock every morning so I can leave my apartment by 6:45, where I then sit in traffic for about an hour so I can make it to work by 8. If it wasn't rush hour I could do the trip in 20 minutes...ugh. I go to bed between 10 and 11...some exceptions. If I decide to nap, my nap occurs at 9:00 pm where I then just decide to sleep until morning.

I too am dirt poor, and this job is just barely going to cover paying back my loans, nevermind feeding myself, but at least it is a job, and for that I am thankful.

So, I have been working for about a month now. And I must admit, I really do enjoy my job. But it is 8 intense non-stop hours each day of being on my feet, bending down, heavy lifting, dodging claws, evading teeth, preventing disease spread and so much more. We have 20 dogs and over 120 cats, about 6 birds and about 10 rabbits and rodents. The dogs need to be fed, walked, cleaned, watered, entertained, walked, enriched, trained, fed, walked and watered. The cats need to be fed, cleaned, watered, entertained, enriched, fed, and watered. All this needs to be done along with a million other things, like cleaning of common areas, a million dishes, restocking of foods, kitty litter, dog treats, plus so much more.

I have lost some of my trust and faith in people, since working at this job. I don't think I will ever understand people who can let terrible things happen to their animals, or even worse, those people that do the terrible things. We have one dog rescued from a pit bull fighting ring, another dog (border collie) that has no fur, for her owner allowed scabies to ravage her body, another dog who was so terrified of everything, she can't even manage to walk up one flight of stairs. And a pair of dogs that had cuts on their backs, and because their owner left them unattended in a yard, maggots started eating at their flesh. And that is only the dogs. We've gotten in cats with fur that is so severely matted that they can't walk. Others had collars on so tight that they no longer have fur around their necks, one cat came in with duct tape wrapped around him to use as a sling for his broken scapula. The things humans do to animals is absolutely terrible.

Caton, I wanted to reassure you, that you are not the only one who is brought to tears regularly because of your job. Seeing the cruelty that happens always forms a lump in my throat. I worked so hard with some animals, training and trying to work through their behavioral problems, but their issues stem so deep that i couldn't teach them otherwise and for this reason they couldn't be adopted out and thus were euthanized, bringing tears to my eyes.

Let's face it, working sucks. And no matter how much we try to make the world a better place, something always seems to prevent us from doing so. Caton, I don't want you to think that you are a terrible teacher, because you aren't. You care, and that is what makes the difference between a good teacher and a terrible one. The good news is, I do regain a little bit of my faith lost, everytime I see a deserving animal find a forever home. Because not only does it mean that animal will have a better life, but a new cage opens for another animal in need. And Caton, I'm sure in time, these kids will start to appreciate what you are doing for them a little more, and your faith in yourself, and in others will be restored.

Kristin, how is graduate school going? I'm glad that you are feeling better about the people you live with. And don't let anyone get on your back about your dirty dishes. I reserve that right, (Im sure Caton and Judy do too) :) Is your work difficult? Are you enjoying it? Any men in your life?

Judy, a month into vet school, are you still alive? How is it going? I wish I was back there with you. (However, when I say this, I want to be working there, not taking classes and memorizing a million different scientific names and how everything works). Is your living situation still going well? How about men in your life?

I also have no drama in my life, there isn't even anyone I have had to be stopped from punching. Caton, a little part of me wishes your friend Sarah didn't stop you.

Well, girls, I hope that you are all doing well, and I promise that I will try and be better about writing more often. Oh, has anyone heard from Jodi? When is she getting married anyway?

Miss you lots,
Naomi

I miss you girls so much, it hurts.

I don't wanna work, I just want to bang on the drums all day!

Hi lovelies!!!

I miss you all oodles and oodles. I want to apologize to all of you for not keeping in touch better. I think once I explain my schedule, you'll understand. However, I am making a Labor Day Resolution to just start calling all of you on my 15 minute commute to/from work, which is about all the free time I have. Seriously.

So, let's see, right now I am in planning period (which is my 4th block). Normally, I spend this time creating my lesson/powerpoint for the next day, but since it's Friday, I have plenty of time to procrastinate. :) Not everything about me has changed, haha. But...a lot has changed for instance:

1.) I wake up at 5:30AM every morning and go to sleep at 11PM at night. This is without exceptions.
2.) I take no naps.
3.) I make meals (taco salad, huevos rancheros, pasta salad anyone?)
4.) I am dirt poor. (oh wait, I guess that hasn't changed)
5.) I do not drink (except one day on the weekends when I get a little out of control after two drinks. My lack of tolerance and overtiredness combined make a horrible/powerful combination).
6.) I do not watch TV (with the exception of Top Chef and Project Runway), which as all of you know, is a severe downgrade. I do grade papers during this time, so my attention (regrettably) is divided.
7.) I have no drama in my life (except for student drama which is not nearly as much fun).
8.) I cry hard at least once every three days.

Wow, so that's a little intense, but it really isn't all bad. This is absolutely the most challening thing I have ever done in my life, but it's also the most wonderful. I feel a purpose to my actions and life. My students are a riot, somewhat out of control at times, but I've become the hard-ass new teacher, so I don't really let a lot slide. I've thrown about 6 kids out of my room so far. I don't play around.

Lately, I've been feeling really frustrated. My students quizzes consistenly come back in the 60s-70s range, and they're OK with it as long as they pass. This is infuriating!! I've also been doing checks for understanding throughout my lesson. I'll ask a question, say, about macromoluecles, and wait for a response. Yesterday I asked what are the 4 macromolecules that make up all living things (we've been teaching this for 4 days now). First student response:- "no idea, I wasn't listening." Me: "You haven't been listening for the last 4 days??" "No." "OK- well, I'll tell you the answer." I told the student the answer, asked him to tell me the 4 macromolecules, again. "I don't know." I asked the SAME EXACT QUESTION to four students in a row, each time telling the correct answer and asking them to give me the answer back. Everytime "I don't know." I could have cried. I know I'm a terrible teacher, and I really need to find ways to make my students learn. I think I've been too focused on creating fun activities to do that relate to what we're learning, but aren't actually helping academically.

As you can tell from my rant, I'm very invested in this teaching thing. I think about it ALL THE TIME. I think I need to get more sleep or something, haha. This long-weekend I have so much work to catch up on, grading, organizing, lesson planning, it just never ends.

On a happy note, I almost got in a fight with a guy at a bar last weekend. He spilled a drink all over my roomate, and I was like *teacher mode "Excuse me, you need to apologize." He came back and said, "you are the biggest bitch I have every met." Naturally, I lunged after him swinging. If it weren't for Stacey, I would have punched him directly in the face. She stopped me.

I've become incredibly aggressive and combative, probably a bitch to be around. I still try to find the humor in my classes, and it's getting easier. I have some funny stories I will share later. For now, I have to go to a meeting at 1, so I will stop with my tyrade now.

I love you all and miss you so much!!!

Ms. McKenna :)