Fadedwords

The school year is slowly dragging to an end.  This coming week is the time I’ve been most dreading: EOGs.  This is a week dedicated to the North Carolina End-of-Grade tests that so much of our lives revolve around.  The student achievement on these tests is what determines our Annual Yearly Progress (AYP), and this is incredibly important to every principal and every school district in this state.  Teachers are held up to make the students achieve high scores.  Our schools are judged by this, and it has everyone on edge.

What is my role?

I am the on-site testing coordinator.  It is my responsibility to organize every piece of testing material that comes into the school.  That includes 552 test booklets for the regular administration, as well as 552 answer sheets for the regular test administration.  It also includes another 30 or so special formats.  I spent the latter part of this week counting and recounting these books and answer sheets.  I also had to count the subforms of these materials, because you see each answer book has a subform that makes it so not every student is taking the same test form.  Example: there could be forms K, L, M, N, O of answer sheets in one grade.  There will then be subforms K1, K2, L1, L2 etc of the testing booklets.  These subforms will have differentiated questions.  It took me two straight days of counting and recounting to be sure I had what I was supposed to have.  After all the counting was done, I spent Friday afternoon separating organizing the materials for all 24 home rooms, as well as for each of the EC teachers.

It was incredibly tedious.

This week I will be in charge of making sure all materials go out and come back in properly.  Then it will be my job to schedule the make up exams, plus all the re-examinations for the students who don’t make either a 3 or 4 on the tests.  Testing has the potential to go all the way until June 15th.

There are only three more weeks left of school though.  I find it hard to believe that I began at this job nearly a year ago… and now it’s almost over.  I still don’t know if I’ll be back at this school next year or not and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for another position somewhere else.  We’ll see what happens.  For now I’m just counting down ’til June 15th.

Today marks 1 year and 3 months with Jake.  In another week and a half it will mark two years since the first time he left a comment on my blog.

I bought the newest Sister Hazel CD on Friday, Absolutely, and there are several songs on it that remind me of this relationship.  This one means the most though:

This Kind of Love

And this kind of love makes me feel ten feet tall
It makes all my problems fall
And this kind of trust helps me to hold the line
I’ll be there every time
This kind of love it’s what I dreamed about
Yeah it fills me up
Baby it leaves no doubt
This kind of love it’s why I’m standing here
It’s something that we can share
I can’t get enough of this kind of love
This kind of hope is what I try to find
And now I can’t deny I believe
And this kind of faith is so unshakeable
It’s unmistakable
It’s bigger than meThis kind of love it’s what I dreamed about
Yeah it fills me up
Baby it leaves no doubt
This kind of love it’s why I’m standing here
It’s something that we can share
I can’t get enough of this kind of love
Your love can move a mountain
It makes my world go round
It’s always there to guide me
I’m so lucky that I found
This kind of love is what I dreamed about
Yeah it fills me up
Well baby it leaves no doubt
This kind of love it’s why I’m standing here
It’s something that we can share
I can’t get enough of this kind of love
This kind of love 

From this:

To This:

This:

To This:

In just 5 short months.

Yes, I post about my dog a lot.  I lurve him.  :)  Don’t judge me.

TMoney in the hooooooooooooouse!

*I love the people I work with. Thanks for the laughs

I just got this book in the mail today, thanks to a gift card from my lovely friend Tiani. I have been an avid fan of SARK since I was in high school, and own every one of her books other than the address book that she put out several years ago. This new book is about friendships and how to experience them fully and deeply. It’s a wonderful book, and I recommend it (as well as all of her others) to anyone who reads. SARK is probably not everyone’s cup of tea… it’s very inspirational, self-helpish, and silly at times. But her writing makes me smile, and her art makes me smile. She’s lovely.

This book has made me think about my friends who are so far away. Tiani, who sent me the card that allowed me to get this book… a girl I never would’ve known if it weren’t for Hollywood Video. A girl who has been one of the best friends I could ever have asked for. Reading this book has also made me think of Monica, my best friend from college. This girl helped me through some of the worst times in my life, and continues to be someone I can turn to in times of joy and times of sorrow. She is an amazing woman, and I am so very lucky that she is part of my life.

This book has gotten me thinking about new friends and old friends and all friends in between. It’s helped remind me, on a day that wasn’t so great, that I am truly lucky. I have so many people in my life that I can count on, that support and love me, and that have been there through thick and thin.  On the bad days at work that have me wondering if I’m working at a prison or at a middle school, I know I can come home and drop an email or dial the phone, and they’ll be there.  On the good days, when I close on my first house with my future husband, I know that these friends will be as thrilled as I am.  On the in-between days, they’ll be there too.  How much luckier can you get?
So thank you friends… all friends. I love and miss you all so very much.