I had really big plans for this week-starting my new classes, beginning discussions on World War II and The Great Gatsby (I was SO EXCITED to talk about the green light).
All of that was thrown away when I came home on Wednesday to find Matt in bed shivering and looking horrible. I woke him up to talk to him and learned that he had been vomiting since BEFORE he went to work the previous day (Note: On Mondays and Tuesdays, we work opposite schedules. He goes to work at 4 in the afternoon and works through the night). So, Matt had been getting sick for over 24 hours.
I let him sleep for a couple hours, then woke him up with a hot bowl of soup. It didn't go well. He couldn't keep it down, and looking at him, I just knew something wasn't right. We decided to go to an urgent care facility a little down the road to get him looked at. I was concerned about his blood sugar level, since he is a type 1 diabetic. I was right to worry. After they got us into a room, I mentioned his diabetes, which got them moving (I should have mentioned it when we walked in). They tested his sugar and he couldn't even sit up. His sugar was at 402 (which is HIGH). Immediately they told me to take him to the hospital, so over to the ER we went.
After being admitted, they took us back almost immediately to a small room and got him hooked up to IVs, etc. His blood sugar was higher, he was still getting sick, and it was horrible. He was so dehydrated that they couldn't get into his veins to give him medicine and insulin. At one point, his blood sugar was so high (over 500) that when the nurse asked him to identify me he said, "I have no idea."
They made the decision to put him into the ICU after that, so we traveled upstairs. The meanest nurse told me to go "Wait somewhere" while they set him up. At that point, it was super late, I was alone, hysterical, and just wanted my husband to be okay. I may have lost it a bit in the waiting room, and eventually she came to tell me I could come see him.
It was so scary to see him hooked up to a lot of machines. They were worried about his heart rate since it was so high. But at least he was awake and talked to me a bit. The room had one chair, so I sat down and settled in for the night. I kid you not, that mean nurse told me at least ten times to go home (Matt agrees that she was really rude). I was not about to leave my husband alone in the ICU. Thankfully, another nurse brought me a blanket and tried to make me comfortable so I could sit with him during the night. I slept a little, but woke up every time they checked his sugar. At around 5, I snapped awake and Matt was awake too. He looked so much better, so we talked for a little while. I had to run home to feed the animals, call in for a sub, and sleep for a couple hours.
I was back by 9:30, and they decided to move him out of the ICU since his sugar level stabilized. At that point, it sank in he would be okay. From there, we spent the next two days waiting for his other levels to regulate themselves and getting some food in his stomach (he hadn't kept anything down since Monday night). He was finally able to come home Friday.
I am so glad to have him home. He feels a million times better, and it's great to see him looking like himself. He has a lot of bruises on his arms from all the needles and bloodwork, and the tips of fingers are bruised from them testing his sugar so much.
I feel really drained (emotionally) from everything that happened, but I am so grateful for my co-workers. They really helped me pull together lessons and make sure the subs were comfortable with my classes. The media specialist, a good friend of mine, stepped in and taught my history classes on Friday so the kids would have a break from book work.
The kids have also been quite sweet. I posted on my webpage that I wouldn't be in, simply saying my husband was in the hospital, and I've gotten some very concerned and sweet e-mails hoping he gets better.
I'm so happy to have such a warm and supportive group of people around me, but most of all, I'm glad Matt is home with me and on the mend.
Showing posts with label Weekly Wrap-Up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weekly Wrap-Up. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Weekly Wrap-up for January 20, 2013: The Halfway Point!
On Tuesday, I am starting the second semester of my first official year of teaching. On one hand, I'm thinking that this crept up on me, but on the other, I'm excited for the content and excitement that comes with the spring!
I'm going to be busy. While I am losing a prep (I'm not teaching mythology this semester), I am gaining an section in each of my other classes-so I will have 3 U.S. History classes, and 2 sophomore English classes. In addition, I'm co-teaching theater, so I don't have a prep hour during the school day. I will be busy, yes, but I am excited for the challenges.
And to be honest, I am so excited to only have two classes that need prepping (the teacher I am working with for theater is doing all the planning). I feel like I can put a lot more of myself into those classes and come up with some amazing lessons.
Right now, I'm working on creating a display for The Great Gatsby. I'm printing out a ton of pictures, quotes, cartoons, and more that are related to the book and collage all over a wall. I'm also adding in some "20s" themed decorations-lots of glitz, feathers, and sparkles-to set it all off. There will also be a lot of yellow (oh symbolism), and I can't wait to get the rest of it up!
I'm also finishing up a bulletin board for my World War II unit. Right now I have my big Rosie the Riveter poster up, as well as a huge poster of an atom bomb detonation. There are some other things on the wall now, but I'm adding much more. I've found some pictures from Maus to display (since we're reading it), as well as other images of the time period.
I think both units are going to be amazing and set the tone for this second semester!
But I'm really excited about the collaboration going on between myself and another history/english teacher in the building. She is actually the teacher I subbed for two years ago! She is going to come into my history classes to give a presentation about her visit to a concentration camp, and share some of her family's experiences from during the war. In return, I'm going to her senior composition class to talk to her students about the classics and reading them! It's a win-win situation and just really inspires me. This is what teaching should be about!
And if you can't tell, I'm feeling really good. Now that I'm under treatment, I feel like a lot of pressure is off of my shoulders-I feel a bit free, actually. And feeling better physically? Nothing can really top that. :)
For today, I'm going to keep working on getting things ready for the week. I also need to sit down and read some more of Anna Karenina. :)
I'm going to be busy. While I am losing a prep (I'm not teaching mythology this semester), I am gaining an section in each of my other classes-so I will have 3 U.S. History classes, and 2 sophomore English classes. In addition, I'm co-teaching theater, so I don't have a prep hour during the school day. I will be busy, yes, but I am excited for the challenges.
And to be honest, I am so excited to only have two classes that need prepping (the teacher I am working with for theater is doing all the planning). I feel like I can put a lot more of myself into those classes and come up with some amazing lessons.
Right now, I'm working on creating a display for The Great Gatsby. I'm printing out a ton of pictures, quotes, cartoons, and more that are related to the book and collage all over a wall. I'm also adding in some "20s" themed decorations-lots of glitz, feathers, and sparkles-to set it all off. There will also be a lot of yellow (oh symbolism), and I can't wait to get the rest of it up!
I'm also finishing up a bulletin board for my World War II unit. Right now I have my big Rosie the Riveter poster up, as well as a huge poster of an atom bomb detonation. There are some other things on the wall now, but I'm adding much more. I've found some pictures from Maus to display (since we're reading it), as well as other images of the time period.
I think both units are going to be amazing and set the tone for this second semester!
But I'm really excited about the collaboration going on between myself and another history/english teacher in the building. She is actually the teacher I subbed for two years ago! She is going to come into my history classes to give a presentation about her visit to a concentration camp, and share some of her family's experiences from during the war. In return, I'm going to her senior composition class to talk to her students about the classics and reading them! It's a win-win situation and just really inspires me. This is what teaching should be about!
And if you can't tell, I'm feeling really good. Now that I'm under treatment, I feel like a lot of pressure is off of my shoulders-I feel a bit free, actually. And feeling better physically? Nothing can really top that. :)
For today, I'm going to keep working on getting things ready for the week. I also need to sit down and read some more of Anna Karenina. :)
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Weekly Wrap-up for January 13, 2012: Back to the Grind.
Phew. This was the first week back after our two-week winter vacation, and let me tell you, it was a rough one. On Tuesday afternoon, the district was working on the servers for our computer system...and everything went down. Teachers and students couldn't access files, laptops on our carts had no internet access, and the computers were SLOW. They finally restored full access YESTERDAY, so you can imagine it was rough.
Thankfully I keep most of my files on a flash drive (which I really need to back up), so I still had access to my final exam files (many teachers did not, and since we have exams THIS WEEK, you can imagine the panic). I did have to rearrange some lessons and took out a video that the kids were really looking forward to (I've been showing my U.S. History classes episodes from The History Channel show, "America: The Story of Us" as we get to that content. They really love the show, so it was a bummer not to get to the Great Depression episode as promised). But, it was actually a good way to push my own creativity as a teacher so that I didn't rely on technology. :)
This week will go by quickly, I am sure. We have two full days, followed by three half days-2 exams each day. I'm in relatively good shape for grading, since all I have are the handful of things I collected in this past week. I'm hoping that I can spend the time the kids are taking their exams on prepping and getting things ready for second semester.
With second semester also comes my unit on Maus, which I am more than excited for. I brought the copies of the novel down to my room this week, and they are currently sitting in a box on my big front table. They have caught the attention of my kids, and I think they are really going to love the book and the unit.
I'm also teaching The Great Gatsby in my sophomore English classes at the beginning of the semester, so I need to do a quick reread this week to refresh my memory.
Besides all the school stuff, I've spent a lot of time this week with my niece, Zoey. It's hard to believe that she is almost 3 months old! My mom is watching her during the day for my brother and sister-in-law, and there were 2 days this week she had an appointment, so I came over after school to spend a couple hours watching the little munchkin. I also babysat last night for a few hours while my brother and sister-in-law went out for a date night. Zoey is the cutest little thing, and except for one little bout of fussiness last night, she was a blast to play with and cuddle. I'm glad that I get to be a big part of her life.
In reading news, I launched my Willa Cather Project this week, which I am over the moon excited about. :) When I was planning it, I was looking into finding copies of her poems and essays. While they were sold in single-volume sets, they were so darn expensive! I decided to be 2 of the 3 titles in the "Library of America" series on Cather (I decided not to purchase one of the volumes since it just contained her novels, which I already own). I've never owned one of the editions before, so I took a chance and ordered them used on Amazon. The first one came yesterday, and thankfully, it was the one with her poetry (April Twilights), so I already started reading. :) There aren't an overwhelming amount of poems, so I imagine I will finish them this week.
I also finished Cold Sassy Tree, which, as I read, seemed more and more familiar to me. I could have sworn that I read it before, but I couldn't figure out when. Generally speaking, I have a pretty good memory of what I've read and when, but I was drawing a blank. It was only after the scene with the car that I was SURE I had read it, and after asking on Facebook, turns out that I read it in high school for my sophomore English class. I'm pretty sure I didn't read it as an assigned book, but as a book for fun.
Lastly, I started Anna Karenina yesterday morning. I've been meaning to read it, and I was disappointed I didn't get to it last fall. I'm already 50 or so pages into it, and I can imagine really sinking into it and flying through the pages. Assuming I get all my grading done between today and tomorrow, I'll have a good amount of time to read this week (the grading for my exams is pretty straight-forward). I'm also looking forward to next weekend since we have the following Monday off. I'm picturing a lot of time snuggled up and reading.
I hope you all had a pleasant week and that you currently have a good book waiting. Let me know what you're reading!
Thankfully I keep most of my files on a flash drive (which I really need to back up), so I still had access to my final exam files (many teachers did not, and since we have exams THIS WEEK, you can imagine the panic). I did have to rearrange some lessons and took out a video that the kids were really looking forward to (I've been showing my U.S. History classes episodes from The History Channel show, "America: The Story of Us" as we get to that content. They really love the show, so it was a bummer not to get to the Great Depression episode as promised). But, it was actually a good way to push my own creativity as a teacher so that I didn't rely on technology. :)
This week will go by quickly, I am sure. We have two full days, followed by three half days-2 exams each day. I'm in relatively good shape for grading, since all I have are the handful of things I collected in this past week. I'm hoping that I can spend the time the kids are taking their exams on prepping and getting things ready for second semester.
With second semester also comes my unit on Maus, which I am more than excited for. I brought the copies of the novel down to my room this week, and they are currently sitting in a box on my big front table. They have caught the attention of my kids, and I think they are really going to love the book and the unit.
I'm also teaching The Great Gatsby in my sophomore English classes at the beginning of the semester, so I need to do a quick reread this week to refresh my memory.
Besides all the school stuff, I've spent a lot of time this week with my niece, Zoey. It's hard to believe that she is almost 3 months old! My mom is watching her during the day for my brother and sister-in-law, and there were 2 days this week she had an appointment, so I came over after school to spend a couple hours watching the little munchkin. I also babysat last night for a few hours while my brother and sister-in-law went out for a date night. Zoey is the cutest little thing, and except for one little bout of fussiness last night, she was a blast to play with and cuddle. I'm glad that I get to be a big part of her life.
In reading news, I launched my Willa Cather Project this week, which I am over the moon excited about. :) When I was planning it, I was looking into finding copies of her poems and essays. While they were sold in single-volume sets, they were so darn expensive! I decided to be 2 of the 3 titles in the "Library of America" series on Cather (I decided not to purchase one of the volumes since it just contained her novels, which I already own). I've never owned one of the editions before, so I took a chance and ordered them used on Amazon. The first one came yesterday, and thankfully, it was the one with her poetry (April Twilights), so I already started reading. :) There aren't an overwhelming amount of poems, so I imagine I will finish them this week.
I also finished Cold Sassy Tree, which, as I read, seemed more and more familiar to me. I could have sworn that I read it before, but I couldn't figure out when. Generally speaking, I have a pretty good memory of what I've read and when, but I was drawing a blank. It was only after the scene with the car that I was SURE I had read it, and after asking on Facebook, turns out that I read it in high school for my sophomore English class. I'm pretty sure I didn't read it as an assigned book, but as a book for fun.
Lastly, I started Anna Karenina yesterday morning. I've been meaning to read it, and I was disappointed I didn't get to it last fall. I'm already 50 or so pages into it, and I can imagine really sinking into it and flying through the pages. Assuming I get all my grading done between today and tomorrow, I'll have a good amount of time to read this week (the grading for my exams is pretty straight-forward). I'm also looking forward to next weekend since we have the following Monday off. I'm picturing a lot of time snuggled up and reading.
I hope you all had a pleasant week and that you currently have a good book waiting. Let me know what you're reading!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Weekly Wrap-up for January 6, 2013: End of Vacation, Classics Club Readathon, and more.
I woke up early this morning to find that it was snowing outside. We still had snow on the ground from the storm that hit us on the 26th, but I am glad that a new, fresh layer is down. I sincerely love the winter and everything it brings-including snuggling up in hooded sweatshirts with warm fluffy socks. So, I decided to stay nestled in bed for another couple hours to finish My Antonia, which I started last night for The Classics Club Readathon. It was nice to settle in with a warm and comforting read while the cold winter winds blew outside my window. The cats were also grateful to snuggle in for some cuddles. It was a great way to spend the last morning of my two-week break from school.
Obviously, I am sad that break is coming to an end. I enjoyed being home with my husband and having time to recharge. I also didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but I guess I have to be okay with that. :) I am excited to get back to school, and the next few weeks will be really eventful. We have a full week this week to get things back in order and finish up content for the first semester. Then, next week is exam week. We'll be reviewing content and testing, so that'll be a fun time. :) After that, we start the new semester!
My classes are changing quite a bit second semester. We run on a 6-period schedule. Right now, I have 2 sections of U.S. History, 2 sections of mythology, and 1 section of sophomore English. My sixth hour is also my planning period. Second semester I have 3 sections of U.S. History, 2 sections of sophomore English, and I will be co-teaching theater. It is going to be a very FULL day of teaching, since I do not have a planning period. I'm excited for the new challenges of the theater class, and knowing that there is another teacher in the room with me settles my nerves a bit. :) I'm also excited to have more sections of the other two classes, since I very much enjoy teaching them!
I've done some plan/prep work this break, and I think that once things get started, I'll be just fine. I've taught the second half of both the core classes before, so I have materials and resources to turn to. I won't be "starting from scratch" like I did this fall (with 3 classes), so it should run much smoother this semester.
I'm hoping this means more time for reading and personal hobbies, since I didn't have much of a personal life this fall. But 2013 is already off to a great start, thanks in part to The Classics Club Readathon that took place yesterday. While I didn't manage to read all day, I did make enough progress that I feel successful. :) I finished the second half of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, read all of Tennessee William's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and read My Antonia by Willa Cather. I consider that a huge success! Starting 2013 with a string of good books makes me optimistic for this year.
I'm not sure what I'm going to grab next. I might stay with a couple slimmer books, but I've been eying a few big titles as well (Anna Karenina for one, Uncle Tom's Cabin is another). If you have recommendations, please suggest away!
I think it also helps that I got a jump-start on a few of my 2013 goals. I spent some time on Wednesday reorganizing the bookshelves in the living room. Everything got messed up a couple months ago when we purchased our new entertainment center and moved the old bookshelves (that housed our DVDs) into the second bedroom. Books have been sitting in piles everywhere and double-stacked on the living rooms shelves, so I re-alphabetized and rearranged my classics. I even managed to move all the "sets" I've been collecting onto one bookshelf, and I very much like how it looks:
The top shelf has the Puffin Classics series, then the beginnings of my Penguin Clothbounds (Northanger Abbey goes in that open spot-I had it out since I was reading it). The second shelf contains the remaining clothbounds (including the two new titles I got for Christmas from my mom!). The next two shelves are the Penguin English Library editions that I've started collection. I'm up to 56/100, so I'm making good progress. ;) I'm trying to finish up all the Dickens titles (have 3 to go), and then I'll own all his major works.
I also pulled out a few doubles I had to pass along and moved my Shakespeare to a different location. It makes the room look a lot nicer, now that books aren't piled all over. ;)
Anyway, I'll be spending the rest of the day doing more planning and prep work. I finished my unit on The Great Gatsby last night, so today I turn my attention to my U.S. History classes.
Have a wonderful Sunday and happy reading!
Obviously, I am sad that break is coming to an end. I enjoyed being home with my husband and having time to recharge. I also didn't get everything done that I wanted to, but I guess I have to be okay with that. :) I am excited to get back to school, and the next few weeks will be really eventful. We have a full week this week to get things back in order and finish up content for the first semester. Then, next week is exam week. We'll be reviewing content and testing, so that'll be a fun time. :) After that, we start the new semester!
My classes are changing quite a bit second semester. We run on a 6-period schedule. Right now, I have 2 sections of U.S. History, 2 sections of mythology, and 1 section of sophomore English. My sixth hour is also my planning period. Second semester I have 3 sections of U.S. History, 2 sections of sophomore English, and I will be co-teaching theater. It is going to be a very FULL day of teaching, since I do not have a planning period. I'm excited for the new challenges of the theater class, and knowing that there is another teacher in the room with me settles my nerves a bit. :) I'm also excited to have more sections of the other two classes, since I very much enjoy teaching them!
I've done some plan/prep work this break, and I think that once things get started, I'll be just fine. I've taught the second half of both the core classes before, so I have materials and resources to turn to. I won't be "starting from scratch" like I did this fall (with 3 classes), so it should run much smoother this semester.
I'm hoping this means more time for reading and personal hobbies, since I didn't have much of a personal life this fall. But 2013 is already off to a great start, thanks in part to The Classics Club Readathon that took place yesterday. While I didn't manage to read all day, I did make enough progress that I feel successful. :) I finished the second half of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, read all of Tennessee William's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and read My Antonia by Willa Cather. I consider that a huge success! Starting 2013 with a string of good books makes me optimistic for this year.
I'm not sure what I'm going to grab next. I might stay with a couple slimmer books, but I've been eying a few big titles as well (Anna Karenina for one, Uncle Tom's Cabin is another). If you have recommendations, please suggest away!
I think it also helps that I got a jump-start on a few of my 2013 goals. I spent some time on Wednesday reorganizing the bookshelves in the living room. Everything got messed up a couple months ago when we purchased our new entertainment center and moved the old bookshelves (that housed our DVDs) into the second bedroom. Books have been sitting in piles everywhere and double-stacked on the living rooms shelves, so I re-alphabetized and rearranged my classics. I even managed to move all the "sets" I've been collecting onto one bookshelf, and I very much like how it looks:
The top shelf has the Puffin Classics series, then the beginnings of my Penguin Clothbounds (Northanger Abbey goes in that open spot-I had it out since I was reading it). The second shelf contains the remaining clothbounds (including the two new titles I got for Christmas from my mom!). The next two shelves are the Penguin English Library editions that I've started collection. I'm up to 56/100, so I'm making good progress. ;) I'm trying to finish up all the Dickens titles (have 3 to go), and then I'll own all his major works.
I also pulled out a few doubles I had to pass along and moved my Shakespeare to a different location. It makes the room look a lot nicer, now that books aren't piled all over. ;)
Anyway, I'll be spending the rest of the day doing more planning and prep work. I finished my unit on The Great Gatsby last night, so today I turn my attention to my U.S. History classes.
Have a wonderful Sunday and happy reading!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Weekly Wrap-up for December 9, 2012: Getting Closer...
It has been a whirlwind of a week. Lots of things have been happening in the political arena here in Michigan that will make things interesting for awhile. In addition to passing a bit of "Right to Work" legislation in just 24 hours (from it being brought up and introduced to voted on), there are a number of bills in the House having to do with revamping education in the State. One of the stupidest ideas is to turn the state into one big "super district." Things have been intense and a little uneasy at work, and I am anxious to see how everything pans out.
In addition to all that, the kids are certainly counting down until our last day on the 21st. They've already started on the path to becoming little monsters as their two week break approaches, so I'll be doing all I can to get through until that glorious break. I'm still having a hard time believing that we only have 2 weeks from break, 1 week in January, then exam week before we launch into second semester. CRAZY.
Besides school, we've been trying to be productive here at home. We spent a few hours on Wednesday pulling up most of our Christmas decorations and putting up our tree. We still have some smaller decorations that Matt promised to bring up tonight (everything is in our storage unit in the basement), and then we'll be cozy for the holidays. We usually decorate a bit earlier than this, but we've both been crazy busy with work.
Speaking of busy with work, I haven't had time for any kind of reading. I bet it will stay that way until break, since I am pushing through as much as possible so I won't have to bring home any grading over that two weeks off. Prepping and planning is fine with me, but I don't want to be stuck with any grading on my vacation! :)
I did put up a couple of posts this week, so make sure to go and check them out. I am going to finish out this year with some more YA themed reading before diving back into some classics come Janaury. I am going to pick up an Austen this holiday season (this has become a tradition for me), and I think it is going to be Northanger Abbey since it has been so long since I've read it. I also want to dive into a Dickens' Christmas story, so I'm going to look and see what one it will be for the year. I would also like to finish The Scarlet Letter, since I started it in the fall and never finished, but who knows. I'm trying to keep my plans loose! :)
I hope everything is going well! Happy Reading!
In addition to all that, the kids are certainly counting down until our last day on the 21st. They've already started on the path to becoming little monsters as their two week break approaches, so I'll be doing all I can to get through until that glorious break. I'm still having a hard time believing that we only have 2 weeks from break, 1 week in January, then exam week before we launch into second semester. CRAZY.
Besides school, we've been trying to be productive here at home. We spent a few hours on Wednesday pulling up most of our Christmas decorations and putting up our tree. We still have some smaller decorations that Matt promised to bring up tonight (everything is in our storage unit in the basement), and then we'll be cozy for the holidays. We usually decorate a bit earlier than this, but we've both been crazy busy with work.
Speaking of busy with work, I haven't had time for any kind of reading. I bet it will stay that way until break, since I am pushing through as much as possible so I won't have to bring home any grading over that two weeks off. Prepping and planning is fine with me, but I don't want to be stuck with any grading on my vacation! :)
I did put up a couple of posts this week, so make sure to go and check them out. I am going to finish out this year with some more YA themed reading before diving back into some classics come Janaury. I am going to pick up an Austen this holiday season (this has become a tradition for me), and I think it is going to be Northanger Abbey since it has been so long since I've read it. I also want to dive into a Dickens' Christmas story, so I'm going to look and see what one it will be for the year. I would also like to finish The Scarlet Letter, since I started it in the fall and never finished, but who knows. I'm trying to keep my plans loose! :)
I hope everything is going well! Happy Reading!
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