The ISTEP is coming...the ISTEP is coming!

It's another Sunday night and I eagerly?? anticipate the coming work week. Don't get me wrong...I like my job. I love the interaction with students and my fellow co-workers. I just wish that I could do it when I wanted to. I guess that would be considered independently wealthy! I have been dreading this coming week because ISTEP testing starts. Grumble...grumble. It's bad enough to subject our kids to the stress of the test-taking, but the fact that special-ed students( whom I work with) are tested on their grade level instead of their functioning level just makes me crazy! I'd like to see the "great minds" that come up with the hoops that we must jump through come and give these students the tests. They have set this group of students up to fail, then wonder why our schools don't pass their rigid standards when the special -ed departments don't pass. I'll say a silent word of prayer (although that's probably not politically correct anymore) for the kids and educators. It's going to be a long week!

It's been a while...

Well, I finally got the time and notion to write a few lines to my friends. With school starting back, the disease, and my otherwise laziness, I have not been a thoughtful blogger. Not a whole lot going on here lately. We did just change our tv/internet/phone this week. My new e-mail is : valvey@wowway.com I'm excited about being able to get some of my favorite channels in the kitchen when I'm cooking supper. On our other service it was a pay station only on our big tv and bedroom set. Hey, don't get the wrong idea about our "pay for service " channel...it is Discovery Health. You never know when you might need to diagnosis a brain tumor, birth a baby, or solve a mysterious disease!
The only bad thing about the new e-mail thing was I somehow lost my old address book. This is the 3rd time I've lost it! The other 2 times I gave Ed such grief over it ( it was his fault both timesand I threatened him with bodily harm if it happened again!) that he was sneaking and trying to type my address in again before I found out that it happened again. Interestingly enough, he NEVER loses his! I really do appreciate his concern( or fear) and the fact that my addresses are ready to go. I barely have them all in from last time. Oh no...sounding bitter again...must change subject!
We have a new automatic cat litter box and you would think that Ed had given me a priceless gift. I've been positively giddy about it. You can only imagine my disappointment when the "clumps" were too heavy for the motor and didn't work correctly. It make this loud slapping noise while the motor made a grinding sound. Poor Roxy may never potty again! Imagine if your potty carried on like that. Anyway, we emptied the litter, packed it up, and promptly took it back and got a different model...so far so good even though I've had to coax Roxy a bit. I'm cleaning the litterbox...I'm cleaning the litterbox...