Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Kathy Nesteby's LiveJournal:

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Sunday, April 16th, 2006
11:12 am	A great quote I got a Shoebox card with this quote about a year ago, but I found it again as I was cleaning out papers today and I thought that I'd share it: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. But when life hands you a load of crap, don't make anything. Trust me on this one." I'm actually in a pretty good mood right now, just thought I'd share the quote. Current Mood: content Current Music: The Podcast of Car Talk (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, April 6th, 2006
11:21 pm	"Your phone's not working? Call us and we'll help you!" says Cingular So a couple of days ago my cell phone decided to get absolutely no signal, no matter where I am. I decided tonight that this isn't going away on its own, and since I can't call them on my cell, I thought that I'd try online technical support. After diagnosing my problem in 3 pulldown menus, the closest I got was: "My phone isn't working." Their advice? "We can best help you with this problem over the phone. Please call Customer Support at . .. " Arghh! Current Mood: annoyed (Comment on this)
Friday, March 17th, 2006
11:59 pm	In Search of a Lucrative Summer Job So I'm trying to figure out how I am going to support myself this summer. I have very little in savings right now, and since I'm still a long-term sub I'm not on the 12-month pay schedule. I will be taking two summer session classes, which are more concentrated sessions than normal, and I will only have mid-June to mid-August available for work. I would prefer not to teach this summer because I need a break from whiny kids (and they're all whiny!). And, ever since I read (actually, I listened to the Book on Tape) On Writing by Steven King, I've had a strong urge to "close the door and write." I really want to write a novel this summer, or at least spend a lot of time sitting and writing some work of fiction. The problem: How will I have time for school and writing and still pay the rent? So I decided that I need a job that pays a lot of money for very few hours and is flexible and would let me work for just the summer. Yes, I know, if these jobs existed then wouldn't everyone work them? The only (legal) job that I can think of is stripping. Not really ready to go there. Too bad you have to be in law school to be a summer associate. I could try waitressing, but I probably couldn't get a big money waitress job for just a few months, especially with class at night. So does anyone have any ideas for how I can pay the rent this summer? And yeah, it has to be legal. So this is really more of a rhetorical question . . . Current Mood: ponderous (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, February 24th, 2006
10:13 pm	I had to try this Johari thing too http://kevan.org/johari?name=Kathy+N. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 19th, 2006
10:09 pm	Barrel or no barrel? Since I'm in a posting mood now (I only blog in binges, don't I?), I thought that I would frame a question to all of you RPCVs out there (and anyone else who might have knowledge about sending barrels to foreign countries). So my Goddaughter's mother called the other day and we talked for a while. My Goddaughter loves basic school and is really smart (so her mother says, but since Jamaicans are very blunt this is probably true- if she was dumb, the mother would have just come out and said so), so that's the good news. The bad news is that the restaurant where the mother worked has now closed down, and the nursing school that she applied to also closed down. She said that sometimes they don't have any food in their house and asked me to send a barrel of staple foodstuffs to them in Jamaica. I think that this particular Jamaican friend would not lie to me about something like this, nor would she ask for a barrel of food if she just wanted cash to buy bling. So I said that I would try to help out, and began investigating the process of sending a barrel to Jamaica. It appears that barreling is pretty specific to the Caribbean, and therefore the barrel shipment companies are centered in places like New York and Miami. If I do succeed in finding a barrel company here in DC (there might be one), then I will have to purchase a barrel, purchase everything that goes into the barrel, then pay for shipping. Then my friend will have to pay customs (which she has already agreed to do). There have also been reports of people stealing things from barrels, though I don't think they would steal food- more likely Nike shoes. But, in summary, the barrel might be more trouble than it's worth. So here is the question. Should I: 1) Send a barrel. If so, how do I do this? 2) Ship a big box of food. 3) Send cash through Xoom and hope that it gets spent on the essentials. Any advice? (2 Comments |Comment on this)
9:45 pm	Yes, an update! Hey, ya'll! This teaching thing has kept me very busy (actually, it's the hardest thing that I've ever done!) but since I've already wasted a good couple of hours on the net today, I thought that I should give an update. Not too much to report- still living in DC, still trying to figure out how to teach LAD kids math, getting ready for high-stakes testing (just remember- "all you need is high expectations!"), and Irish dancing on Thursday nights and some Fridays. I only have one class this semester and it's not difficult, so things are slightly less stressful than last semester- but only slightly! I succeeded this weekend in getting out on the town last night, so hopefully I will continue to meet my goal of getting out more. So if you're in DC, give me a call and say, "Kathy, you need to get out more! Come out with me/us!" I promise that I won't talk TOO much about the trials and travails of a first year teacher! (Comment on this)
9:38 pm	Question: If I "don't have time to watch television", then why will I spend hours wasting time on the internet each week?! And still not manage to update my blog? Though there were many Friendster updates for me to view, and I do have tomorrow off . . . (Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 4th, 2006
9:08 pm	What a boring person I am! Greed: Low   Gluttony: Low   Wrath: Low   Sloth: Low   Envy: Medium   Lust: Low   Pride: Very Low   Take the Seven Deadly Sins Quiz (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, November 25th, 2005
6:06 pm	My Productive Unproductive Day My unproductive day actually turned out fine. I did clean my room, which wasn't so bad because I am the only roommate home today (the rest traveled for the holiday) so I got to play my Les Miserables soundtrack and sing along to every song while I was doing it. I hadn't planned to do "work" today, but having a clean room is very psychologically uplifting. It makes me feel like my life is in order. And I no longer trip over things while I walk through my room. Then I did laundry and washed my sheets. Then, I tried to log into the World Championship Sports Network again, and this time it worked! Yay! There were a few glitches, but I was able to watch half of the competition- and the webcast shows many more routines than the networks ever do. Now, I'm off to synagogue and then Irish dancing. The nice thing about official days of Unproductivity is that I congratulate myself for getting a few things done, instead of feeling frustrated with myself for not finishing everything on my list (which happens almost every day this year!). Current Mood: content (1 Comment |Comment on this)
9:47 am	You try teaching Middle School, Mr. President! Last week I reached a very frustrated point in my first year of teaching. I'm actually feeling a lot better now, but I had some interesting thoughts at my most frustrated points. Our school took our Math Unit Exams last week. I never minded tests as a student (I still don't), but I HATE them at a teacher! Many of my students need a lot of review of basic concepts, but I have to give them the grade-level exams, on a pre-determined and set-in-stone testing schedule, and they are not doing well on them. In fact, the test results are quite dismal. As I was wallowing in frustration a week ago, I thought: According to the current political environment, the fact that none of my students passed this test is all my fault. Despite the fact that I often stay at school till 9PM and I come into school about every other Sunday, our students our failing because our school is failing them. I don't necessarily agree with the other extreme of the argument that says that nothing teachers do matter because certain students will fail no matter what, and I also know that I have a lot to learn and improve upon as a teacher, but I am also quite frustrated with the current political rhetoric about teachers. I must admit that, before I started teaching, I too thought that being intelligent, hard-working, having good intentions, and liking children (and even pre-teens) would make me a good teacher. But being a good teacher, especially Middle School, is so much more complicated! Hopefully with experience, I'll gain those undefined traits (and the very defined trait of better organization skills!) that will make me a better teacher. It's not that I don't enjoy teaching, or that I'm not making any progress with my students, but I find the expectation that my students can come in terribly behind, with learning disabilities, and perform at the level of their grade-level peers to be very difficult to deliver. And I also think that it's almost impossible to realize just how difficult teaching can be until you've tried it yourself. Current Mood: thoughtful Current Music: Still Riverdance (Comment on this)
9:34 am	So frustrating! Today is my day off. The first year of teaching has been quite stressful and all-consuming so far, so I decided that yesterday and today would be my days off. Yesterday I went to see my relatives in Virginia for Thanksgiving, and now today my plans are to do nothing (that I don't want to do) and not feel guilty for not being productive. But I might as well go do homework, because all of my plans are being foiled! My first plan: Watch the World Gymnastics Championships. I was quite excited that an online site, www.wcsn.com, is offering coverage of the Gymnastics Champs on streaming video for $9.95. And it is airing on my day off! Perfect! So I bought it. I went to log in last night, but every link I clicked on told me to click to "Buy." I already bought the damn thing! I even typed in all of my info again, because my confirmation e-mail told me that I might have to enter my address and credit card info again for verification purposes. So it processed everything again, charged me again (I'm assuming), and did not let me log in to watch the program! I e-mailed- no reply. I called them- they're closed. So then I proceeded to play with my server for a good hour, logging into the site on every browser that I own, till the site informed me that I had logged in too many times and was being kicked out. Grrr! Okay, I thought, I can't watch the World Championships. I'll just go to International Gymnast online and read about it. But when I click on the link, the site can't be found. Alright, I think, I'll just watch my tape of the 2004 Olympics, since I'm in a gymnastics-watching mood. Nope, can't find the tape. Alright, I'll watch mindless television instead. So I check the TV Guide- nothing I want to watch at 9AM on a Friday morning, even when I have given myself permission to waste time. So I look at my roommate's DVD collection. I decide to watch When Harry Met Sally, since I am one of the only people in the USA who has never seen it. I open the case- no disc inside. I look everywhere- no disc. Perhaps this is all a sign that I should just go clean my room, since it really needs it, and forget about a day "off"! Current Mood: frustrated Current Music: Riverdance (Comment on this)
Sunday, September 18th, 2005
2:02 pm	A Brilliant Idea I have a letter that I need to write to Congress, but I haven't found time to write it yet. I thought I would share my brilliant idea on LJ anyway, though. According to NCLB, schools need to acheive a 100% pass rate on their state exams by 2013 (or somewhere around there) or they will be a "failing school" according to NCLB. Does any population ever acheive a 100% pass rate on anything? I have a feeling that the law will change before 2013, but this is how it is currently in the books. So now, my brilliant idea: Congress and the Executive branch wrote a law stating that standardized testing is the way to tell if our students are learning. Of course, our lawmakers should set a shining example for America's students. How can they do that? Every congress and executive member should show the public how fun and effective standardized tests are by taking the High School exit-level exams in Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science. If Congress and the executive branch do not acheive a 100% pass rate, we should cut off their federal funding and set up an improvement plan for them. In addition, every Congress member should be highly qualified. How can they prove this? Tests, of course! Everyone in Congress should have to pass standardized tests about American government and civics, American history, Geography, International Affairs, Public Relations, Economics, etc. If they are not deemed "highly qualified", then the government should send a letter home to all of their constituents sharing the fact that they are not "highly qualified." (If a teacher is not deemed "highly qualified", all of the parents of the teacher's students receive a letter stating this fact.) I applaud our government's effort to improve education by giving everyone more standardized tests. Now the government needs to follow that example! (Comment on this)
2:00 pm	The Adventures of a First-Year Teacher Where have I been for the last month? Buried in the work of a first-year teacher! My first three weeks of teaching have gone well overall, but there is SO MUCH WORK TO DO!!! And I have small class sizes! So I'm overwhelmed, but no major complaints. In fact, I feel very blessed with the situation that I have. In compliance with the Baldrige model of cooperative management used at my Middle School, here is a Plus (Good things) -Delta (Things that could improve) list: Plus: 1) Everyone, from the teachers to the administration to building services, is super nice and supportive. This has definitely made my first few weeks of teaching manageable. The school has a good, cooperative atmosphere. 2) I have, on the whole, small class sizes, which makes the variety of abilities pretty manageable. 3) I only have about ten students on my IEP caseload, which is a nice size for a first year case manager. 4) I have not yet had to give out a referral to the office or call security, though I have given out a couple of lunch detentions. 5) I have not yet received any complaints from parents, nor has the Special Education Resource Teacher. Apparently this is a good sign for the first three weeks of school. Delta: 1) There is so much to do! I better get more efficient at all of this, because some nights I am at school until 8PM and I still don't finish everything that I plan to do. I want to plan ahead by several days, but I am constantly re-adjusting my lessons and discovering new challenges or students who can work ahead, so it is difficult to plan very far ahead, even if I had time. I think that all of this stuff gets easier as time goes by. I hope it does! 2) The main reason why the entire school did not make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) last year was Special Ed Math. This is what I am teaching (though many of the special ed students are in general ed classes this year). This is stressful, as there is a lot of responsibility resting on me to raise standardized test scores. I suppose that I can just do my best and hope for the best when the dreaded Maryland State Assessments come around. 3) There is a lot of pressure to get through the entire curriculum. There is a lot of curriculum. I also need to do a lot of remediation, and the teachers last year did not get through the entire curiculum so there was some stuff that was never taught (though I haven't reached that part yet). I feel like if I teach one ineffective lesson (which I've pretty much already done) and I have to reteach something, I've already derailed the class and we'll never get caught back up. I still think that I made the right decision to go into teaching, but I want to be a Master Teacher without having to be a first-year teacher! Current Mood: hopeful Current Music: I-tunes shuffle of everything (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 19th, 2005
11:48 am	Help Kathy Decorate her Classroom! First the exciting news: I do indeed get my own classroom! Unfortunately, unlike many teachers who are super excited to decorate their room, I had no idea where to begin yesterday. Finally, I sat down and wrote out all of things I am "required" to have in my room, which helped me get started. I would like to buy a couple of "fun" posters and such for my room, but I can only afford about two because I don't have much money right now. So, for all of you with a few minutes, which should I put in my room? I'll be teaching mostly Math C (Pre-Algebra) to eighth grade learning disabled students, so I don't want anything too chock full of words. Though I might have to get the "Why Study Math?" poster anyway. Here are a few of my options: Pi The Ten Commandments of Math Problem Solving Strategies Useful Math Charts Math Around the World Why Study Math? American Number System Take a look and let me know what you think! (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 5th, 2005
10:22 pm	A hat by any other name would not be as bling Today I had a disappointing phone call from a friend of mine in Jamaica about some baseball caps that I sent over there. The story behind it goes like this: As many of you know, there were two teenage girls who lived in Majesty Gardens that I became almost like a surrogate big sister to when I was in Peace Corps. I have kept in touch with them since Peace Corps, though not as often as I should, and their life has not been that happy since I left. So during a conversation about a month ago, after hearing about a series of bad things that had happened to her, one of my little friends asked if I would buy her a hat. "What kind of hat?" I asked. "A fitted hat, like the singers wear," she answered. Of course, I couldn't say no. Then, she asked if I could also send hats for her Aunt and two cousins. Four hats total. I was less instant with this response, but I eventually agreed to send four hats. If I can't give her a better future, why not buy her household some hats? The problem was that I couldn't understand exactly what kind of hat she was talking about. She doesn't understand that have no sense of either American pop culture or fashion, and I decided not to try to explain that to her. Instead, I went on the internet to see what kind of fitted hats the "singers wear." I determined that it was probably a New Era cap, but they looked very similar to every other baseball cap on the market and many other caps claimed to be "fitted." And New Era fitted caps are expensive! There was no way that I could buy four. So I decided that I would compromise and find four hats in the colors and sizes they wanted in slightly lesser brands, but still brand name. I found Adidas and Reebok on sale online in the colors that I wanted, so I bought two of each and mailed them to Jamaica. Deep down I knew that Jamaicans make no compromises on brand names and bling bling, but I was hoping that they only wanted American hats from their American friend and that they would be happy with them. My friend was very excited and concered about getting these hats. Before I sent them, she asked about them several times. After I mailed them, she asked if I could send them express mail (I sent them the cheapest air mail method) and then asked if I had insured the package. Today, I got a call from my little friend and (after asking me to call her back because they never have money on their phone cards) she informed me that, "We got the hats today, but they're the wrong ones." I don't think she even said thank you. I told her that I didn't know the exact hats that she had wanted, so she had her cousin get on the line and explain to me that the hats had to be New Era 59Fifty hats, signified by the "NE" embroidered on the side. I was a little disappointed in myself for not buying the "right" hats, but I more disappointed that my friend cared so much about the brand to call and ask me to send different ones. I wouldn't necessarily prefer that she pretend like she loved the hats when she really didn't, but I wish that she could just be happy with an Adidas hat. If she were my own daughter, I would tell her that brand name doesn't matter and she should be happy with what she has. But if she were my own daughter, she would also have been raised with love and affection and she would know how to read. I can't teach her the proper values over the phone and across an ocean. But I also don't have the money right now for four hats with "NE" properly embroidered on the side. So I told her I would try to send one authentic New Era hat sometime soon, then possibly send more for Christmas, if I have enough money (a big if). But she also asked for money for her school uniform, which I think is much more important, and I don't have much disposable income right now. So what is the proper thing to do here? The whole thing leaves me feeling disappointed. Why does bling matter so much to some people? Current Mood: disappointed (5 Comments |Comment on this)
12:33 am	I got a job! Yesterday, I officially got my teaching position for next year. It wasn't quite panic time yet, but all of my other special education classmates had gotten their assignments about two weeks earlier, so I had been a little concerned. It's nice to know that I have my position now! It is at Redland Middle School in Rockville, Maryland, about a half hour drive from my house, close to Gaithersburg (without traffic, but the commute goes against traffic so it isn't too bad). I will be teaching Math A, B, and C to learning disabled 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, respectively. Every student takes Math A, then the students who are not ready for Algebra in Middle School take Math B and C. When I told one of my friends about my new job he said: "You're teaching Math to learning disabled Middle School students? That's my idea of hell!" But I like Middle Schoolers (usually) and I like teaching Math, so I'm excited to have the job. I do know that it will be a challenge, though, especially with three preps. Fortunately, the resource teacher says that she'll give me an easier case load for my first year. The staff people at my interview seemed really nice, so I think that it will be a good place to work. Current Mood: cheerful (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, July 31st, 2005
10:09 pm	Borrowing My Sister's Fashion Sense I'm writing from Boston, where I'm visiting my sister for the weekend. I took the Greyhound bus down on Friday, which was 8 hours long- not much fun, but since I'm not working much right now I thought that I should save $40. It wouldn't have been nearly as bad if I had saved the rest of Harry Potter #6 for the bus ride- but alas, I had stayed up the night before finishing it. As a result, I was not only tired during the long bus ride but also very sad and upset about the ending. And we have to wait for #7 to get any more closure! Yesterday my sister worked during the day, so I took her dog on a long walk to the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. It was a beautiful day, but Griffin was quite exhausted by the end. I think I should have packed a water bowl . . . He survived, though, and seemed eager for another walk a few hours after we got home. Today, my sister and I went shoe shopping. A couple of the high school students where I student taught informed me (without solicitation) that my shoes are quite unstylish, which is probably true. Perhaps I shouldn't care about what high school students think, but my sister also agreed with their conclusion. I needed new shoes anyway, so we went to DSW, the big shoe discount warehouse near Downtown Crossing. I realized there that I really don't have any fashion sense, especially not with shoes. Most of the shoes that I suggested, she informed me, are quite unstylish. I also discovered that my ideal shoe does not really exist. My ideal shoe would be: 1) Stylish 2) Comfortable to walk long distances 3) Matches most outfits and colors 4) Professional enough to wear for a teaching observation 5) Affordable (not necessarily cheap, if it matched the other four criteria) So my sister helped me compromise on shoes that are "comfortable enough" and "stylish enough" and "affordable enough." I got the impression from the especially stylish shoes that to be super styling a woman has to have a different pair of shoes to match every outfit. Do people actually do this? Perhaps the way I feel trying to buy shoes is how my learning disabled students feel trying to write an essay . . . Overall, it's been a fun trip, and I get to take the plane home tomorrow because the one-way Greyhound was a compromise between cheap and quick. I need to enjoy my days of not working much while I can, because New Teacher Orientation begins August 12! Current Mood: cheerful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, July 22nd, 2005
10:44 pm	Can you "steal" an idea? I've had this random thought progression over the past few days about the value of an idea. It stemmed from me thinking about my fiction writing class and how sometimes I have a "great idea" for a story, but then I can't make a great story about it because my writing isn't good enough. Then I started thinking about the phrase "He stole my idea!" and how it really doesn't have much validity to it. Take a few "ideas": A series of books about a magical school for wizards, a bulb that can produce light without fire, the theory of relativity, hybrid cars, putting a man on the moon. Are these ideas worth anything by themselves? I just thought of an idea that we should invent a medication that can cure AIDS and cancer and cystic fibrosis at the same time. That doesn't mean I can do anything with it! The only real "ideas" that I can think of that are worth something on their own are catchy slogans, and even those need to go along with a catchy marketing campaign. I think the real motive behind claiming someone "stole" your idea is that you couldn't do anything with it and somebody else did a much better job with it. I would probably feel upset if someone took one of my story plots and wrote a kick-ass story when I only wrote a mediocre one. But if I had the skills to write the better story in the first place, then it wouldn't matter if someone "stole my idea." Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: More 80s (5 Comments |Comment on this)
10:34 pm	Go to this web site! Hey, everyone! I think that I've acquiesed to the fact that I'm going to be one of those occassional bloggers. I just can't motivate myself to blog that often. But, I do have a great website that everyone should to, on the Misunderstood Minds website. Go to the sitemap at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/sitemap.html Then, click on the "Experience Firsthand" links for Attention, Reading Writing, and Mathematics. They have a really good Learning Disability simulator. I think this site gives a really good idea of what it means to have a "Learning Disability" because I get asked about that a lot. I didn't understand it very well myself before I began graduate school. I think that a main lesson to learn from the site is that having a learning disability or an attention disorder is much more frustrating for the student than it is for the teacher. How tempting was it to just stop paying attention and trying during the few minutes that you had a "learning disability" on the website. While teachers should always have consistent and firm discipline methods, I find it easier now to understand all of the behavior issues that tend to go along with LD classes. Check it out! Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Cheesy 80s (Comment on this)
Saturday, June 18th, 2005
11:40 pm	Who says a mother can't be an elite gymnast? Four-time olympic gymnast Oksana Chusovitina has got to be one of the coolest women to ever walk this earth. As proof, check out this article from International Gymnast Online: Four-time Olympian Oksana Chusovitina of Uzbekistan will celebrate her 30th birthday on Sunday, June 19, in the Netherlands, where she will be competing in the Dutch Open. Chusovitina, the reigning world vaulting champion, is the oldest female gymnast competing internationally today. Married since 1998, Chusovitina has a five-year-old son Alisher. This weekend Chusovitina will take part in the Dutch Open, a competition for seniors and juniors in Nijmegen. Other expected participants at the Dutch Open include China's Zhang Yufei and Pang Panpan, Romania's Sandra Izbaza, Alina Stanculescu, Andrea Grigore and Roxana Stan, and Great Britain's Melanie Roberts. Chusovitina has lived in Cologne, Germany, for the past several years and competes for the Toyota Cologne club. Nijmegen is just a one-hour drive from Cologne, family friend Dr. Peter Brüggemann told IG. Chusovitina took part in podium training Friday in Nijmegen. The all-around competition will be held on Saturday, and event finals will be held Sunday. "Hopefully this will be a good birthday party," said Dr. Brüggemann, father of German Olympian Lisa Brüggemann. Chusovitina's son Alisher, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2002, is currently in remission after undergoing several rounds of aggressive chemotherapy in Germany. Gymnastics fans and supporters helped raise $100,000 for Alisher's treatment at the University of Cologne hospital. Alisher will celebrate his sixth birthday on November 18. "Alisher is doing very well," Dr. Brüggemann said. "He is in kindergarten and looks very happy." Look for a special photo gallery of Chusovitina's career here on IG Online on Sunday to celebrate her 30th birthday. Happy birthday, Oksana! You're my hero! (Comment on this)