Wow, so I haven't posted in a really long time. Duh. Well, for those of you who are interested, this is how it 's gone down:

* (8/28) I started teaching 4th grade. Rock on.
* (9/1-4) visited Biggy B in Portland
* (9/22) Um, there weren't 4th graders to warrant having five 4th grade classes. So being the newest teacher, I got put in the surplus pool. This was on Friday. I had three hours to move out of my classroom and into a portable trailer.
* (9/23) The next day was B&K's wedding, in Utah.
* (9/25) I took a job teaching 1st grade at the same school. It started Monday. Shortly thereafter, I realized that most 1st graders don't know how to read.
* (10/9-25) Most stressful month EVER!!!

So I decided that taking 10 credits while simultaneously teaching a new grade level was not only over-ambitious, but also quite stupid. As a teacher, I was looking forward to stable work hours, free weekends, and leisurely evenings. So far, this has not been the case.

I've also learned a cruel, cruel fact of the real world: the more money you make, the more taxes they take out.

On a somber note...
I'm really angry with D.P. I think this is one of the stages of grief. I never really had a chance to grieve or mourn, because I didn't hear from his mom until almost two months after he died. She found my number and contact information in his journal. There is still some speculation over whether or not it was a suicide or an accident. I think it was a suicide. For awhile, I was totally in denial, and I secretly wished that he faked his own death. I still don't believe that he's really gone. I hate this. Well, I've been through denial, and I'm currently angry. The last remaining stages are bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. So that's what I've got to look forward to.

Wow, this was depressing. So, um, anyway, I'll leave you with some photos of my fourth grade classroom before I had to pack it up and move into a portable.