Tonight could have been the last night Jack would sleep by my bedside until Sunday. I'm going to my cousin's wedding and leaving for Phoenix early Thursday morning. So naturally tomorrow I will have to take him to Yahan's house until then. But because I am sick with the common cold and am congested and achy all over, I don't want to put Jack ( Read more... )

On Friday I made Jack an adjustable birthday hat. At first I tried using a rubber band to serve as the tie. But I soon found it to be ineffective as it snapped and broke. Then I decided to use a pipecleaner. Perfect! I decided to expose it to him earlier and was taken by surprised when Jack tried to avoid it. He was scared, no doubt. Maybe if I  ( Read more... )

Today marked the last "long day" at my school site. The next five days I'll be going in to work are going to be a breeze. Tomorrow (Friday) we have a community trip to Walmart, Monday we go bowling, Tuesday we have a pool party with the other self-contained special education classes, Wednesday we go to IHOP and the library. Then on Thursday and ( Read more... )

I talked to SS, Leave Specialist of MCPS, today of the options I have in terms of retaining my health benefits if I should stay in the school system. Apparently, I have the option of staying in the school system and taking professional leave, while maintaining my benefits. Sounds good right? It is only contingent however on whether Johns Hopkins ( Read more... )

Exactly one week from today Jack will be turning two years old. I want to do something special for him. Yesterday, Sara and I brainstormed ideas on how I can make a little veggie/fruit bowl using an small empty melon rind. That would be cute. And tomorrow, when I go to fill up the Drink More Water jugs in our house, I'll pick up a triangular cup ( Read more... )

This morning I woke up at 7:30 in the morning and went out with Yahan on a mission. We were going to 1) pick up her guinea pigs from her friend's townhouse, 2) bring them back here, and 3) put them on the porch for a couple hours until she could 4) pick them back up after her dad left to go back to Taiwan (he doesn't know she has guinea pigs and ( Read more... )

So I found out yesterday afternoon that I was declined again from being hired as a special paraeducator at Richie Park. Initially I thought it was me and my lack of ability to interview well, which got me bummed. Part of me still thinks this but I'm trying to restructure my thinking.Listening to Stef, my mom, and Kate, I'm trying to keep into ( Read more... )

Over these last couple of days, I've had excessive earwax build up inside my left ear. Yesterday after work, I went to the Minute Clinic at CVS where this practioner removed it with irrigation (which flushed it out). This was not the first time Minute Clinic took care of this situation. A couple years back, I had the same problem. But the method ( Read more... )

A little bit of exciting news. I received an email yesterday asking me if I'd like to interview at a local elementary school to work as a special paraeducator in resource next year. I decided to do it and so I will be taking off work next Tuesday so I can get a good night's rest and feel prepared to do it. I am going to be interviewed by both two ( Read more... )

After much consideration, I decided to close off my old journal (jessjack) and expand it. Now, along with the musings I sometimes take part in revolving around Jack, my little guinea pig, I am going to use this blog to write about my experiences in the realm of special education. For the next month I will be wrapping up my last year as a special ( Read more... )