Paperwork

Now that the year is really wrapping up, there is a lot of last-minute paperwork to do. I see the value in some of it, but there is a lot of unnecessary tedium. I spent a couple of hours today updating the students' cumulative folders, their permanent records that follow them until high school graduation (hopefully). In order to do this, I had to access data stored online, and then copy it down into the folder. Twice. For each student. Isn't it easier just to save the data electronically? This seems like it is adding a ton of man hours and room for errors. Oh well, not surprising.

Three of my students are not being promoted to 8th grade, but two of them can make it up with summer school. District policy is that a student has to pass Language Arts (Reading OR Writing) and Math, and either Science or Social Studies. That seems like a lot of room for failure, but I guess we can't leave any children behind, even if they are unprepared.

Today, I told my homeroom class I was leaving. I got a few sad looks, but they're mostly excited for me. There was even a group hug there. I'll miss these kids. A lot.

The big news is that I think I've found an apartment. I'm anxious about having the application approved, because I still haven't accepted that I'm a self-sufficient grown-up, but it should be fine. It's a gorgeous 1-bedroom apartment in Piscataway, in a brand new never-lived-in building. There's a whole room for an office, an in-unit laundry room, and an extra 1/2 bathroom. The kitchen is beautiful and has stainless steel appliances (included a dishwasher and a mounted microwave). I'm so excited about it. The only downside is that they don't accept any pets. That means no puppy for at least a year (and up to four years) and I have to find a home for my gerbils, Piggles and Mudge.

This marks just under a week until my first triathlon of the season. That means no alcohol or dairy until then, and only limited workouts. I'm still a little sore after combining a long run (4.5 miles) with a long bike (12 miles) on Friday. I also completed my second consecutive 10-mile week, which is a first. Ever. Hopefully I've got a habit here (except this week, when I'm resting up for the race).