Falling Behind and Catching Up

Do two posts in one day help me make my four posts a week goal?  I'm thinking not.

It's been a crazy week at school.  Students receiving special education services have an annual meeting to review their progress.  We call them IEPT meetings (Individualized Education Planning Team), and they're sort of like parent teacher conferences on steroids.  As a special education teacher, I need to review the work each student on my caseload has done, see if they are indeed closing the gap between them and their peers who don't require specialized instruction, write a nineteen page document that explains where they are in their progress now, where we'd like them to be next year this time, and how the school team plans to help them get there.  Then, we hold the meeting, and I explain all of that to the family and the student.  Typically, we like to spread them out. . .give teachers a bit of a breather between each one. . .allow them to carefully consider all that impacts how a student is progressing.

This week?  I have had four IEPT meetings.  Four.  In addition, I have had to teach my classes and score all of the assignments my students have turned in.  Tomorrow, I have to teach a training for other staff members in our district, attend a department meeting at lunch, hold the final meeting of the week, and get all of my paperwork completed and mailed out after the training.  And I have to write sub plans tonight so that my students are learning while I'm out of the classroom all day.

I love my job.  I take what I do seriously.  I am SO proud of the progress students in my class are making, and of the students who are on my caseload who are making such good strides.  I think I work in a great school district, and that the teachers in my building work hard to help close the achievement gap.

But.

(and you knew that was coming, right?)

I'm tired.  It has been a long week, and tomorrow will come early and will only make me more tired by the end.  I'm not complaining, really, I'm not.  I just want a bit of time for knitting this week, and I don't think it's coming as soon as I'd like.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow at four when I can walk into my house with papers to grade and know that most of the weekend is mine.

I'm looking forward to my NaKniSweMo sweater.  I can see a lot of couch knitting time and bad TV in my future. . .Hopefully I'll have pictures for you on Saturday, and you can oooh and aaahh over the beautiful colors.  It hasn't changed much since last weekend. . .but it will soon!

How is progress on your sweater coming?  What are you working on now?  I'm holding tight to the idea that others are working with soft fibers and feeling creative as I continue to plod through the work week. 

I won't be behind on my knitting for long. . .I see a warm and wooly sweater in my future.  And not a moment too soon, there are snowflakes flying around outside the window at my back!  Sweater season is here!