Paycheck!

That's right, I got my first paycheck today! I was surprised that it was for so much, because I didn't think I would get paid for all the days I have worked so far, but it was a good surprise. I am working hard for my money so far ;-)

This week has been full of reality checks. The school I am working at is really rough. I met a third grader who has the marks of a gang initiation on his face (the gang cuts their eyebrows a certain way so that it scars over). I have a sixth grader who has to be escorted everywhere he goes because he gets into big trouble if he is allowed to go places alone. Two kindergarteners were sent home today for fighting (kindergarteners!!! fighting!!!). It's crazy, but I am just going to have to get used to it. I am trying not to have any preconceived notions of the kids I am going to be seeing, but it is hard with all the stories I am hearing.

I finally got my schedule all figured out. I am going to be seeing 32 kids each day, plus I will go into a classroom once a day to help out a teacher with some vocabulary and things like that. The only break I will have throughout the day is going to be a 30 minute break at lunch. I won't see kids on Fridays, which will give me a lot of time to get ready for the next week, so I am looking forward to that. I have to make it through next week, though. We are still testing kids, which is ridiculously tedious and time consuming. We have about 220 kids to test, and with 6 of us doing it for 4 days straight we didn't get it finished (part of the test is individual with each kid...). We have to finish all these kids and do the "field test" on some of the "proficient" English speaking kids, which just adds to the time commitment. I'm glad I can help out, but I was really looking forward to meeting the kids I am going to work with and getting that started. I don't really have a choice at the moment, though, so I am just going to have to roll with it.

Our kitchen is done!! Except for hooking up the water to the sink and the dishwasher it is completely done. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I feel like the kitchen should just be a picture in a magazine and I am scared to cook in it because it will mess it up, haha. The guys that installed the countertop asked if we would send them a picture once we had everything in so they could add it to their professional portfolio, and they said they did not ask hardly anybody for pictures (that's how much they liked our kitchen). It makes the rest of our house look a little... inadequate. We are already thinking about the next project, but we don't want to start it quite yet. We need a break! It's exciting that it is finally useable, though (we made biscuits in the oven for the first time in about a month last night).

Ok, enough for now. I am going to bed early tonight and I am going to sleep in tomorrow. Yippee!