My throat is killing me

It's tough to teach with a sore throat! Duh.

So it's Tuesday today. Monday was pretty crappy. I had no control, and I could not raise my voice to make myself heard. Of the three classes I taught, only one actually got a lesson. I was frustrated and tired. We had professional development after school, which was very helpful. We got mini lessons for teaching reading skills. However, when I was chatting with the literacy coach, I got/get the distinct impression that she thinks I'm an idiot and is all impatient with me. If I annoyed her, oh shit, you know? Cause I need her help! She's a former Fellow, so she should understand how desperately underqualified I am right now. She still talks to me and offers suggestions, but it's the tone of it, you know? Anyway, that sucks.

Today went better. A lot of the help was from Ms F, who came into Class B this morning--they're the ones that are now as bad as Class A. She helped keep the noise down, helped with discipline, etc. After class, she told me that she really liked my lesson. Hurrah! I did a good lesson!
I was actually pretty stoked about it--I made a mix CD of songs that illustrate strategies for writing engaging introductions. I used the Rainbow Connection for asking a question, El Condor Pasa (If I Could) for a bold/challenging statement, What it feels like for a girl for a quotation, Downtown for a snapshot, and Seasons of Love for a statistic. The kids seemed excited to have music, but were too easily excited, making noise and stuff, so they couldn't hear the lyrics.

Anyway, I'm at the library because, remember, our internet at home is down. And that SUCKS, a lot. DSL will be installed soon.

Okay, I have to go home, grade papers (the first drafts of the report!), and plan in earnest for the rest of the week. Oh shit, and make copies. And maybe eat a semi-healthy dinner. Haven't done that for ages.