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Well, it's been months since I've updated, so I have a lot to say.  I need to tell you of all of the things that have happened in the last few months since school has started and now ended.  I also need to say some things about my life.  It's been a while since I have written the journal.  I know some of you don't care, but at least a handful have wanted to know what's going on, so I will post this here for their sake.  That being said, this is going to be a LONG journal entry.  I will put it into sections.

SCHOOL- Okay, so school has really taken over my life.  It has had a huge impact on me and everything I am today, who I am today.  I have had nightmares about it.  This is an account of everything this semester, from start to end.  It's been a crazy semester.  I was teaching at the preschool for this semester, if you remember.

When it started, the lead teacher was Joli and her graduate assistant was Lindsay.  Keep that in mind as I go through the semester.  Everything went pretty smoothly for the first little bit, but Joli was driving me a bit crazy.  She's kind of scatterbrained, but I liked her enough.  I just found it difficult to work with her because I never knew what she wanted.  She would always surprise me with something, and I crave order.  The first sign of trouble was when Lindsay left to teach somewhere else when a teacher went on maternity leave.  For a week or so after that, there was no graduate assistant.

Sometime in the middle of that, Dr. Mills came in and watched family circle.  She didn't like what she saw, so the next day we were informed that family circle would be different from then on.  We were splitting the 2 and 3 year olds from the rest of the kids and they would have their own.  Chelsea and I would be in charge of the 3 year olds and Shamiya, Taylor, and Morgan would take the 4 and 5 year olds.  We would rotate leading our respective family circles, twice a day.  So we had to make extra plans for that.  Family circle with babies was a nightmare.  There was more crying and running than learning.  It was pointless, completely futile.  At that point I became irritated at Dr. Mills.  But that was not the last time I would see her, not at all.

In week 6 or 7, I had nap room duty on Friday (Valentine's Day).  That was the worst day I had in the ECC up till that point.  I had a headache in the morning because I stayed up late making valentines for the children, and was already having a bad day. Then I didn't get to eat because I had to do my duties and get in the nap room.  None of the kids went to sleep and we had two screamers who cried and kept everyone awake the whole time.  By the time nap room was almost over, they were all standing up on their cots and complaining and the boys were turning the lights on and off.  It was extremely irritating, and I was in need of a break, but I didn't have one.  I went back to teaching and I had blocks center.  The other girls were setting up for the Valentine's Party and I was attempting to hand out valentines when Joli grabbed me and told me to open my center.  That pissed me off because I was the only one working.  Midway through the party, Joli got all over me because I wasn't playing with the kids, just managing.  She kept complaining and criticizing and once she was gone I just sat down and cried.  I think I scared a few of the kids.  "Adults can cry? What??"  The only good thing about that day is I didn't have to teach my lesson for literature the last half of the day and no blasted family circle time.  We had outside time for almost 3 hours.

The next major catastrophe began Wednesday the week before the week before Spring Break (February 20, I believe).  Joli had kidney stones and had to be hospitalized, so Thursday we didn't expect her in, but she came in anyway, heavily medicated.  She made it through about half the day and then found herself in her office crying.  We were all like wtf, so Shamiya went in to try and calm her down while we studied for our quiz while eating lunch.  Well, we had class and then she let us out early, unable to continue.  We all went to the lunchroom and chilled out for a while until we had to be back after our classtime.  While we were in the lunchroom, someone discovered that she was "intoxicated" and news travelled up the chain quickly.  Joli was called into Dr. Mills office and asked to resign or be fired.  She resigned.  We all had to write reports for HR about her behavior in an attempt to offer her "the help she needs."  It was all very bullshit.  She shouldn't have been at school, true.  She should have been in the hospital.  But I applaud her for trying.  And I don't like what happened to her.  The good news is that when I talked to her she seems to be doing better than I am, so at least she's adjusting well.  She said she's just been fishing with her husband.  And she just got married too.  So congrats to her.

A few days after Joli was fired, Dr. Mills announced during class that she was taking over, as she has done 3 TIMES IN THE PAST 5 YEARS.  (Doesn't that say something about her if she fires everyone she hires within a year or two?)  Anyway, that was the final straw.  She took over in the ECC and was terrible.  She made the kids cry all the time, she was mean to us...  I don't like her.  She's just overall not a nice person.  She thinks nothing of hurting other people, whether consciously or not.  And she has never apologized when she's wrong.

A week or two after that, March 18, I got an email from Dr. Mills insisting that I leave the class or fail.  She said I hadn't made enough progress.  Whatever.  I dropped the class on the 20th with full intention of going to another school to complete my degree.  When Mrs. Parker got wind of WHY I was leaving in the middle of the semester and with so much disdain, she sent me to Dr. Card to plead my case.  Dr. Card sent me to Dr. Morton.  Dr. Mills can make sure I don't intern with the flick of her pen, and if I don't intern, I can't be a teacher, so staying at AUM seems a pointless venture.  I am currently in the process of talking to some of the higher ups trying to get it so that I won't have to move, so that she's not in charge of me, but that isn't going well.  That place moves at the speed of bureaucracy.

LIFE DECISIONS-  And that brings me to life decisions.  I am on the precipice of making a decision.  I have 3 options the way I see it.  1. Stay at AUM and fail to get my degree.  2. Leave the school and go to Troy to get my teaching degree, having to retake almost the entire curriculum and losing my credits, but no Dr. Mills.  3. Switch to a different career entirely and either stay at AUM or go to Troy.  I am thinking about criminal justice.  I have been knocking around the idea of being a cop for about as long as I can remember.  I want to be a detective, but you have to be a cop first soooooooo...  But there are many downsides to that as well and I still want to teach above all.  I guess I will try to be a teacher and if I just keep getting stopped I will go be a cop.  At least I can do that with practice and dedication.  And dedication and practice have never been something I struggled with.  What do you guys think?

UPCOMING EVENTS-  Next month, Dana and I are going to a Three Days Grace concert at Iron City Grill.  The tickets were super cheap, so I'm kind of happy about it, and it'll give me an opportunity to get out of the house.  I told Lauren about it as well, so she might be coming.  That would be great.  Our little group getting back together for a little music and catching up.  The perfect social event.

There is also a convention in Montgomery this year!  So I will definitely be going to that.  It's only 10$ for admittance, and we won't have to have a hotel, so even if it's awful, it'll still be worth it.  The last one in Montgomery was a few years ago, and it was awesome, or at least I thought.  Regardless, it will be nice to get out of the house.  I am planning to talk to my group and see if we can't go to one or two more this year before school starts again and I take up whatever classes I choose and let school rule my life again.

We will also be going to two other conventions during the summer, so I will be planning those shortly.  I'm going to look up locations and travel times today!  I have been dying to plan a trip for so long.  I can't wait. :D  Hopefully being useful enough to plan a trip will bring me out of my funk.  Maybe I'll wear my cosplay when I do it.

Rachel

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Mimrai's avatar
Cheering for ya!!! C: