An update from Miss Keefer...

Burning the candle at both ends these days. I'm up at 4:30 and gone until 7:30 - getting only about six hours of sleep. My days are packed with job #1 and job #2, traffic, commuting, and feeling hungry and tired. No matter how hard I work, it always seems like I'm behind. But, chaos and six paychecks a month are welcome changes from being bored and poor.

Between No Child Left Behind, parenting I can't relate to, ultimately, teaching high school English at a public charter school probably isn't for me. I'm hangin' in though - fake it 'til I make it - that's me. There's just not enough time in the day for lesson plans, journal entries, vocabulary lists, parent phone calls, progress reports, attendance trackers, bitch sessions with the VPs, and, when I can squeeze it in, time to go pee.

I'm lucky to have a strong, tough lovin', teacher supporting administration at the school; an appreciate, hard workin', kick ass boss at the online college; a slowly growing group of new homies; and, of course, Joe and Coop - my boys. No good shows around for a few months. Though, I have tickets with Joe to go see US vs. Mexico men's soccer game at Cardinals Stadium. And Coop and I are heading to Venice Beach/Santa Monica for Memorial Day weekend.

Other than that, not much else to report. I'm counting down the days until my birthday in July when I can head to the Keefer Camp, bum on the beach all day, and see the whole family. Also, I'm hoping to get a call from ASU soon. I submitted applications to teach composition and/or professional writing. It's for next school year, so I'm guessing they'll probably be interviewing by March.

Pray for me. Get some sleep for me. Work hard, play hard.

Live. Love. Laugh.

Time for a little update...

In just four short days, my schedule has been filled with a maelstrom of responsibility. My lovely alarm clock starts bleating at me at 4:30a. I'm at school, trying to find the lock on my classroom in the moonlit darkness, by 6:00. The little monsters come in at 7:55 and the chaos begins. I have three 90 minute periods with a teeny-tiny 10 minute break. Then, the pitifully small lunch period for 29 minutes. Lunch has been interesting, though. A fairly large group of kids come eat with me. We listen to music and I turn my teacher ears off. After lunch, it's one only more 90 period, but my worst bunch of the day. I spend a few moments after school tidying up and running back and forth to the office.

Next up at 4:30, is my second job, which is reduced hours with Anthem. I go in for a few hours a day and attempt to work my way through a laundry list from my boss and an inbox full of emails from instructors who are used to working with me, and only me. I leave Anthem and try to make it home by 7:00, in the thick of evening rush hour. By the time I get home, it's time to wash the face, change the clothes, pack the lunch, load the coffee pot, answer personal emails, prepare for tomorrow's teaching, set the alarm, and, before I know it, it's time to go to bed. Crazy, crazy, crazy.

So, now I'm sitting here trying to figure out how I'm supposed to prepare for class, write lesson plans, track standards, grade papers, get to both jobs on time, and spend time with my AZ homies. I'm trying to figure out how to connect with my students, who all have iPods glued to their ears, cell phones glued to their hands, portable game players in their back pockets, cuss words falling out of their mouths like me at 3:00a in Brewsters after too many shots, and tattoos and piercings in places you wouldn't believe at the tender age of 15. I'm trying to figure out how I'm suppose to do all of this without adding hours to the day, without dropping of exhaustion, without neglecting my friends, and without missing out on my own, young life.

Live. Love. Laugh.

Call me Miss Keefer

Okay, okay. So, I promised myself I would post a holiday letter, new year update-type blog. But, this will have to do. Time flies when you're freaking out...

On Tuesday, I was hired on the spot after my interview with Skyline West Prep School. Starting MONDAY--AGGHHH!--, I will be teaching 9th grade Creative Writing & 10th grade World Literature. I was hired to replace a teacher on maternity leave who decided to not return. I get her salary and classroom; however, I'm pretty much writing syllabi, assignments, etc. from scratch.

I chose--and, thankfully, my bosses were flexible to my ideas--to continue my work with Anthem College. I've been tentatively OK'd to work from home. If all goes as planned, I will work a minimum of ten evening hours during the week and will put in as much time as needed/as possible on Sundays.

Two of my common complaints as of late have been: (1) That I'm bored and (2) that I'm poor. Well, now I'll be wicked busy and pocketing income that I have no time to spend! I'm SO SO SO psyched to teach and work within the realm of what I've studied for most of my life.

Wish me luck!

XOXO

--CHELSEA

P.S. Of course, in honor of this majorly positive turn of events, I'm sick for the first time since October of 2005. For the past wee, I've had watery eyes, clogged ears, a stuffy nose, a ticklish throat, and a lovely, hacking and whooping cough. Go figure. 'Tis the season...

What The Floyd says about me...

1. Choose a band / artist and answer ONLY in titles of their songs: PINK FLOYD

2. Are you a male or female: A New Machine

3. Describe Yourself: Fearless

4. How do some people feel about you: A Saucerful of Secrets

5. Describe your family: The Happiest Days of Our Lives

6. Ex boyfriends/girlfriends: Run Like Hell

7. Describe current boyfriend/girlfriend: It Would Be So Nice

8. Describe where you want to be: Learning to Fly

9. How do you feel about your friends: Wish You Were Here

10. Describe how you live: Interstellar Overdrive

11. Describe how you love: In The Flesh

12. What would you ask for if you had one wish: Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving With a Pict

13. Share a few words of wisdom: Shine on You Crazy Diamond

14. Now say goodbye: Goodbye Cruel World