Stranger Things

I look back at this week and I wonder....how did I do that?  And I am not done yet.

I have managed this week to squeeze in exercise into little slivers.  My job has been crazy busy and has taken up lots of my time...past the 8-5.  I start by 7 in the morning and have stayed on top of things with my One Note...phone calls, follow up with teachers, keep check ups with students that I could release, and take on new cases.  I think Holly and Lisa have had quite a laugh over how they keep trying to give me new case loads to get me to my full load of 40 kids but I keep releasing other students from my list so that the most they can find my list at is 28.  I actually had one grandmother that has been taking care of the schooling with her grandsons cry when I released them from having engagement support.  She cried because she was thrilled to hear from me that they have come a long way, she is doing a great job with them and they finally seem to have everything on track. They seem to have been struggling for the last year but I worked with her and kept nudging them in the right direction and they finally go things on track.  She thanked me over and over for having the patience to work with her.  (It's my job)  It made me feel good.  I have had many parents thank me which makes up for the nasty ones.

Along with the regular job, had to sit in on a one-on-one with a Intervention Specialist and a student.  It is part of my final class project.  Kind of difficult to believe that I only have 2 more weeks of this class.  Then I begin the second one and by Dec. 9  will be 1/3 of the way done with my classes.  I know I am getting ahead of myself but the idea that I am almost done with the first class already is kind of amazing to me.

In the meantime, I am trying to keep up with my job and this classwork.  Each week it is 2 chapters and 3 assignments.

PLUS this week, I made some decorations for my DIL to use to decorate the apartment for my son's bday.  At first his dad had told her that he would help...then she didn't hear anything from him. So she texted him and he said, "sorry...thought I texted you."  typical  "I couldn't find anything other than costumes."  She texted me about it and I got to looking.  I made some suggestions and bought the stuff to MAKE the decorations.  She wanted a Harry Potter theme because she had bought him a Harry Potter wand remote control (they are such nerds).  So in less than 4 hours I made a Sorting Hat and a Dementor for her to hang from the light over the diningroom table.    The Sorting Hat cost me about $6 worth of materials.  They sell those things for $30.  The Dementor was easier and way less time consuming and cost me $6.50.  It was less than half the price of one already made.

I managed to take some time off yesterday and go to the Lebanon Apple Festival with my younger sister.  I was 4 hours out of my life and it was just what I needed.  Today I am taking a few hours to go to our town Mum Festival with my daughter before she goes to work.  Then...I have homework to finish and a lawn to mow.  Yay me.

Then...Monday...hopping right back into it.  I have to make sure I stay on task with my job and within the time frame because I need to make sure I get my final project worked on a little every day so that I am not breaking my back over trying to get it done all at once.

I am actually looking forward to Winter this year...because I don't want to have to keep working on the lawn while doing my job and classwork.  My second class in the Spring and first class of the summer will be a challenging too because of yardwork.

However...one thing at a time.

This last week on my job, 2 of families that I was trying to work with had visits. One had a visit from the Compliancy officer.  Another case of the grandmother taking care of the kids and trying to take care of their schooling.  He came back and told us he is suggesting they be withdrawn.  He said he walked into the house, the kids were just watching TV and not doing any school work (they haven't for 2 weeks) and there was pot on the coffee table that she didn't even try to hide.

The next kid had not done ANY school work since school started. We had no way of getting in contact with the parent because his email address seemed to be wrong and his phone seemed to be disconnected.  An email we finally got from the dad through the daughter's email address said something about him being mentally ill and sick in bed and the student was helping him.  My boss sent a Well Child Check to the house...that means a visit by a police officer.  It turns out, the student had gotten into her father's school parent account and changed his email address and deleted his phone number.   However, my question is this...WHERE was the dad?  He even admitted that he thought it was strange he had not heard anything from the school. And he wasn't checking the daughter's work?  Because if he had he would have seen that she had done nothing.  He said he and her mom needed to talk over the weekend about whether or not they needed to consider a different schooling option for her.  I told him he had until first thing Monday morning.

I am just more thankful for my kids.

Craziness.