I can't get no relief

Right now it is the middle of the night, and I don't know whether the stars are aligned badly or there is some sort of natural disaster coming this way, but the animals won't let me sleep. Purl, the big dog, who usually sleeps soundly has pestered me twice (2am and 2:30am) with paws and a wet nose and tongue - which usually means she has a bathroom emergency. But both times she basically stood in the yard, but ran back when I called after 5-10 minutes. Now our stable personality cat, and oldest, has come into the living room during the second emergency, followed by loud yowling and scratching outside the bedroom door. Again, unusual behavior for her. She is in my lap now.

I don't expect to get back to sleep for several reasons, one that descends from the others in a way. First, and probably least, I don't enjoy this time of year. While others prance around full of the holiday spirit, I am consumed with dread and premonitions of disappointment. Some of this might have to do with growing up "lower middle class" - which is a nice euphemism for "not exactly poor, but close enough." With emphasis on material goods, which has only gotten worse in the decades since, I felt like the season was all about how much you could spend and what you got. The other night I had to endure a tirade on this subject from my eldest. She hated getting "cheap" presents like $10 gift cards from relatives, and everybody got better things than she did. She wants this or that (very much out of the budget) but would settle for that, except she doesn't really want that - she just wants to complain. Her attitude improved a bit the following day, but it just highlighted my general disgust with the "Christmas" spirit.

A bigger, but related issue, is my job. This one is a little complicated, so stick with me. Recently, Memphis City Schools was awarded a mulit-year grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. $90million over six years, if memory serves. The district proposed revamping the entire structure of teacher compensation, creating three levels of teachers - apprentice, professional and master. Pay would be different at each level, with incentives to reward and retain beginning teachers, most of whom leave teaching within the first three years, and substantial compensation for "master" teachers, who would be involved in evaluating and mentoring teachers at lower levels. Put this way, it sounds great, doesn't it?

The subtext is a little bit more ominous. The state legislature has to approve a waiver for Memphis to treat its teachers differently than the rest of the state. The union has to sign off on this, since the current system bases compensation on how long you can stay in the system, regardless of your knowledge, skill or anything. Many teachers with seniority cannot use a computer competently enough to enter attendance, let alone the various other daily duties required in this day and age. So the proposal includes having teachers evaluate each other - the "best" doing the evaluating. But how do we define best? Test scores. A flawed measure to be sure, and also one that again doesn't recognize teachers who teach, only teachers who teach to the test. When your administration begins pressuring you in January to start prepping students for a test in April; when the district commissions periodic assessments to measure how students will perform on this test, beginning the second month of school, and requires teachers to focus instruction on the areas in which students scored poorly; when the district contracts with a computer based math tutoring program and assigns students to use it (a mandatory 90 minutes per week - in context, this is two full daily instructional periods) based on these predicative test scores - again choosing test preparation over teachers teaching - well, it doesn't show a lot of emphasis on classroom instruction and practice. For example, last year, 98% of my students passed their TCAP (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program), and yet my TVASS (a measure of how much my instruction changed student performance) was a negative, and lower than the state, overall. In the past, this TVASS data was informational. Now it will be part of judging and grading teachers.

Now here comes the best part. Not only will teachers in the system evaluate teachers, but there will be a component from the "stakeholders." Who are these people? Parents and students will be surveyed about teacher performance. What an interesting idea - let's hold teachers and their salaries hostage to a popularity measure, regardless of qualifications. We already have serious problems with parent and student ethics (lying about addresses so get into a school they want, parents telling students to do the opposite of school rules - e.g. If somebody messes with you, defend yourself physically, as opposed to the non-violent solutions teachers are charged to promote), so let them be the judges and jury of performance, when their main concern is not whether the teacher teaches, but whether the teacher treats their child the way they want.

Which brings us to the this week's trigger. My administration requires teachers to support school rules. Most are simple, and routinely ignored by students and frequently neglected to be enforced by teachers. Other teachers, like me, do their best to do as they are asked, which means constantly, hour after hour, day after day, reminding students about walking on the right side of the hall, not talking in line, staying in line, not wearing jackets that are not approved colors, to remove jewelry that is not allowed (boys can wear a watch, girls can wear a watch and earrings that are gold or silver, with hoops that do not exceed the size of a half dollar). Sounds simple, but half a year later we are still repeating this dozens of times, writing students up for violations that won't amount to any sort of disciplinary action or consequences.

On Thursday, I asked a girl in one of my classes to remove her earrings, as the hoops were visibly too large. I could see from across the room, it wasn't the first time I had told her about these earrings, and early in the year I had often used a coin to check diameters. On this very special day this young lady informed me that if I had any issues with her uniform, I had to call her mother, and that the size of her earrings didn't have anything to do with her classroom performance. If it sounds scripted to you, it does to me as well. These were not the words of a pre-teen, but an adult coaching a child, possibly even encouraging this child to break the rules to provoke an incident. On the phone, mother informs me of the same thing, then implies I am a racist because I only pick on her child, and I don't say anything to the white and hispanic kids in the class who wear big earrings. This opinion is naturally based on what her daughter has told her - and comes out of the blue instead of being conducted in a parent/teacher conference where it can be addressed properly. Mom states repeatedly that I am a racist and she won't have her daughter in my class.

Fun times ensue. I put another teacher in charge of my class and head to the office, to inform my principal of the coming storm, but she is in a meeting. 20 minutes later, the office rings me to say this girl's dad is in the office and wants to meet with me. Again, I ask for an administrator to be present, but they are both in a meeting. The receptionist assures me that she will keep the dad in the office, and witness things for my protection. Dad is not in the office, though. Dad is waiting outside the office in the lobby (and naturally hasn't checked in with the school - not wearing a Visitor's badge) while his daughter strolls around the lobby on her cell phone (something the district does not allow in schools - noticing a trend here at all?). Dad proceeds to tell me how the earring issue is petty, that it doesn't affect his honor roll student's performance, and that I am picking on her. Calmly I show him the coin I use to remain fair, and tell him the rules are established by the administration, and I just enforce them, along with many others, regardless of gender, color, etc. He doesn't want to hear this, nor does he want to hear a simple solution - if you feel your daughter is being picked on because her earrings violate school policy, maybe she shouldn't wear them. He goes on to inform me he works two jobs "which you don't" and how his son, who also attended Ridgeway Middle, is bigger than I am (this father stands about 6' 6"), and best of all, how my racism has been going on since the first day of school and he has organized many other parents who feel the same way to go to the Board (of Education) about me. And the icing on the cake is the thinly veiled threat of violence, as if the threat of taking my job wasn't sufficient. I lived in New York City for 20 years, and I can recognize a threat, and this one wasn't terribly subtle.

Finally, I extricate myself from this, letting the dad know I don't care for threats. His parting words are "Your word against mine." And to emphasize this, he asks for confirmation from a nearby teacher he knows. As I am walking away, suddenly the Assistant Principal is there - what timing. Dad rants at him a bit and leaves. I ask the Asst. about his threats to take things to the Board, etc. and am told it won't get that far, and I reply "I hope so."

Cut to the end of my planning period. I had just spoken to the records secretary to ask if this girl had been transferred from my class yet. Nothing so far. Ten minutes later, though, she confirms it, and tells me the office is looking for me. I get to sit with the Principal and Assistant Principal behind closed doors and defend my statement of "I hope so" - which has been seen as a lack of faith in the administration. There is no show of support for me at all. Nobody says "We know you aren't racist" or "Don't let this worry you, that parent was out of line, but in order to keep them placated we will be moving this girl to another class." Just "what did you mean by that comment" and at the end a suggestion/command to "watch how you do things."

The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, made worse by the fact this is at least the second time this has happened to me - a month or so ago a different parent (who volunteered in the office to be nearby when her unruly and disrespectful child would get into trouble) accused me and another teacher of singling him out. It is true, he was singled out, in the same way police single out frequent lawbreakers - he kept doing the same things over and over again despite being gently reminded and reprimanded. The common factors here are parents who allow their children to disobey school rules (that we are bound to enforce) rather than support us, then claim the problem is with the teacher. In that incident, the student was removed from both of our classes, but still sneers at us when we ask him to follow school rules.

Faced with lack of support from my immediate supervisors, soon to be at the financial mercy of parents and students like these (the crazy ones are usually the ones who attract others who can be swayed into a mob to make demands), I am feeling quite a bit stressed. Which brings us to the final item of my new and less than improved mood.

Last June (yes, about 18 months ago) I had a crick in my neck that just wouldn't go away. My neck hurt, mainly on the right side, and sometimes I had some arm pain. In the past few months this has come back, in spades. My shoulder and neck are constantly aching, sometimes much more painful, and I have numbness from my thumb to the inside of my elbow. A year ago I went through all the tests and such, and the specialist told me I had a disk pressing on a nerve. The solution, according to him, was surgery. Six weeks recovery. I told him no thanks and he told me to come back when it started to affect my quality of life. I don't relish the thought of six weeks recovery, nor six weeks out of work (I have sick days that could/would cover it, but at the same time it is hard to come back after that long).

Now, though, as stress has increased, causing muscular tension, that shoulder and arm sing Ave Maria pretty much all the time. Sleeping is tough, since there isn't really a position that eases the pain - only positions that make it worse. I am seriously thinking about going back to get a second opinion - there is a great surgeon who did my mother-in-law's back reconstruction, and who sees my youngest for her potential scoliosis. But, there is a catch. Isn't there always? Earlier this year, to save money, the district decided, with no input from anybody, to change our insurance plan - from a choice between Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Aetna, to only Cigna. Effective in January. People were up in arms, as the biggest hospital group in the area is not covered by Cigna. Chaos in possibly changing doctors or paying through the nose to go out of plan. But the district saved $8million (earlier a spokesman was questioned about ongoing contracts for pagers (!) and cell phones that continue to be rolled over to the tune of $600,000 per year - he referred to that amount as "chump change"). Bottom line for me - no sense in starting a process now when insurance carries will change in the middle of the process. I get to endure this for at least another month, then get to discover whether this doctor is advocating surgery, or if the first guy is just knife-happy. Fun times for me, and no end in sight of the stress.

So, if anybody hears of a teaching job (in Memphis, as I don't see a move in our future) that doesn't suck (as if), pays decently (which eliminates most private schools, where good teaching is more likely to be recognized and appreciated) - let me know.

Now, at 4am, I guess I wll try to snag an hour or two of sleep before I go back to school to teach a monthly advanced math class. At least these kids are excited by the prospect of intellectual discovery.

Parental Responsibilities

I am the 'unofficial' assistant coach of my youngest's volleyball team. The real coach is a young pre-med, high school and college volleyball player, and is also a new first-time coach. I come to some practices and all the games, and have learned to fill in the scorebook. Mainly I am just supportive (and I can't help but reflect on how little involvement my students' parents have in their extracurricular life). Tonight was grueling, though. 8pm game, which started late. The girls won both games, and finished about 9:10.

Of course, this is past my youngest's normal schoolnight bedtime. Again, I reflect on the hours I hear some of my sleepy students keep. Going to bed at 1am, watching Adult Swim (my students are 12 years old), having little or no rules or guidelines at home for behavior. Also, I am knackered, having been up at 5:20am, on the road on the bicycle at 6:15. Then on my feet for the day, including lunch, and a humid ride home.

To me, this is normal parenting. It is tough, it is sometimes less than convenient, but it is necessary and it is rewarding.

Almost a month later

Yep, been letting this blog slide a little bit. Nothing major going on, but generally things are looking up. Not in the economic sense, as Memphis City Schools seems to feel teachers shouldn't get a negotiated raise, nor our "step-increase" (basically a cost of living increase of approximately $1000 per year, each year), mainly because the budget has become a political football. And let's not start in on Memphis politics.

School is well under way, and for a change I am enjoying it. I have sufficient time to get things done, create (both prior to classes and on the fly) lessons that help the kids, including the ones on our team who are in the most need. Some of these "inclusion" students are super-willing to work hard, and they do. Others have psychological issues (that is code for kids who have ADHD or more serious issues, and are ignored or have their wild behavior condoned by parents) that prevent them from engaging in meaningful learning. Still, I see it as a challenge, and I am rising to meet it. A big bulletin board where students who get 100% on a test or quiz have their name posted on a shark. If they get another, the shark moves up the food chain. EVERYBODY wants to be on that board, and they really pay attention when we review after a quiz, especially those kids who only miss one question. This is a new thing.

Also, I am taking my lunch, such as it is (basically a protein bar), in the cafeteria to help with the staffing issue (basically, there is no staff to monitor the cafeteria). This shows me to be a team player, plus the kids get to see more of me, and I can joke with them, or help them out by getting them a napkin or a spork, or some honey mustard. Such a little thing, but it is making a larger impact on feeling accepted by the students. And thanks to some recent self-reflection, I am not bothered if they don't accept me - I just keep doing what I know works, and they will catch on.

With the oldest a senior (!!!) in high school, she is driving the family car daily now. Which means I am back on the bicycle just about full time now. I think the odometer just rolled over 1100 miles...it is just part of the routine now and most teachers and students don't even comment after seeing me coming or going daily for a month. A subtle message of health, conservation, and even thrift.

New habits include watching some random NetFlix movies on the computer as the mood strikes me, plus the usual assortment of series we have rolling in via USPS (finishing Season 2 of Torchwood, then into Season 4 of Supernatural). I don't think we have ordered ANY movies from NetFlix, just series, but that is fine. Also doing a bunch of reading, mostly from the public library, something I have always done, being frugal before it was fashionable/necessary.

Remember Me?

Yeah, it has been two weeks now since school started, and it is not as bad as I usually expect it to be. That first week was lots of chaos, overcrowding (as yet again they used my homeroom as a temporary placement before "leveling") which has subsided a little bit.

My classes are still pretty crowded. 29 in my homeroom, about 25 in each inclusion class (meaning we have learning disabled or special needs kids embedded in the class), and 34 in my honors class. That last one is the problem, as it includes too many smart-alecks. Already been on the phone with a mother of one of them (who culminated his ass-hat-ness by holding up the quiz on Friday and asking me why I said there were three pages when he only sees two - meaning two sheets. Hell, the pages were even numbered!!!), and she seemed indifferent until I told her we would boot him out of Honors if his behavior didn't improve. That got her attention!

This year I am seeing things more as a challenge that I can meet, instead of a burden to bear and endure. Some of it is last year's success rate, which lets me know I am doing the right things, and this year I have vowed to do more of them. On the discipline side, I am going by the book - strict, following the discipline ladder established by the administration. I don't argue with kids, just tell them the problem and give them a chance to fix it. If they don't, they get consequences - again without getting into a debate or discussion over "why" - something I could get drawn into in the past.

On the social side, I take my lunch in the cafeteria to help out with the understaffing situation which leaves little supervision. This lets me chat up students, or have them call to me to show off - but in a non-classroom situation. It makes me a little more approachable, and helps show others around that I am putting in my time in a less than desirable situation.

I know I won't make an immediate difference, but this year I know I will make a difference somewhere, at some time, with some student. That is enough for me, even if I don't know it this year.

Back to School

Teachers reported yesterday. The day was mainly a review of our TCAP (state tests) scores and discussion of upcoming challenges. The nice upshot was, my team from last year (split up this year) was named team of the year for having high test scores, low office referrals and doing the job everybody is supposed to be doing. The 7th grade math teachers were recognized for having overall high scores, and my students had a 98% passing rate.

Today was registration. Bleh. 8am - 3pm, then back for 6pm - 8pm. I had three families show up, all at noon. Then one lady at 8:10pm (yes, after it was supposed to be finished). Some of my students pre-registered, so I have 11 of 24 with completed paperwork. Mind you, some of these people don't actually register or bring their kids to school until Labor Day, a month after school starts.

Just tired, but trying to stay optimistic.

Australia - Air Travel

Needless to say, it is a long way there, and a long way back. Going, you lose a day, thanks to the International Dateline - but even so it is easier to adjust.

I left Memphis on a Tuesday morning. Checked my bag, which is an accomplishment since I can't remember the last time I checked a bag. Since it had a bunch of snorkeling gear (fins, wetsuit, mask, gloves, boots, etc.) I wouldn't need it, but it bulked a good bit, leaving lots of extra space for outerwear and little things. I didn't know if the bag would go all the way to Perth, and I eventually found out it wouldn't.

Memphis to Dallas/Ft. Worth was uneventful. One of those nice little jumps that is barely longer than takeoff and landing. Dallas to Los Angeles was in the same concourse, which for Dallas is saying a lot. There are at least four, some that can be walked, others that require a shuttle rail. This flight was the warmup for the big jump. About 4 hours, with the first of several time changes. Again, uneventful, but a pretty full flight. Kept myself occupied with a big puzzle book - you know, sudoku, word search, crosswords, acrostics...all that stuff. Once we arrived at Los Angeles the fun started.

For some reason the jetway didn't reach the plane, or maybe it lost power. In any case it took an hour for them to exhaust all options and wheel those old-fashioned metal steps to the plane. Then the nearly full plane took what seemed like forever to disembark. Once inside the terminal I had a decision to make. I needed food, but I also had to change terminals, to the International terminal. My long walk through the domestic gates showed me all the typical, and overpriced, options you expect in an airport. Still, I had six hours to kill, so I decided to walk to the international terminal, which was about 50 yards beyond the exit from where I was.

The International Terminal at LAX has a food court, upstairs, overlooking not much to speak of. McDonalds (which I didn't know, but I wouldn't see again until I returned to the states), Starbucks, and a few no-name food court type places. Got a tray of food, and realized there were not enough tables, so sat across from an Asian girl who probably didn't speak English, which was no problem since we ignored each other. I figured there would be plenty of things, like shops, etc. in the terminal itself, so I went through security (second time of the day) and found that most of the terminal was under renovation. My gate was at the extreme far end of the terminal as well, and the only thing nearby was a little snack/coffee shop. No gift shops, no bookstores, nothing but a very long bare corridor. I got to watch it become night outside, two other international flights departed. Finally hours and hours later more people started arriving for the Sydney flight. Turns out the darn thing was packed full. And even better (sarcasm), I had been booked into a middle seat from checking in at Memphis.

Middle seat, bare bottom economy. Guy on my right, in the window seat, was kind of talkative, but also informed the two of us between him and the aisle that he had two Benadryl and would sleep the whole way. My biological clock was telling me it was past midnight, but I have this odd rhythm that keeps me from sleeping when I travel or arrive in a new city. I stayed awake, watching Paul Blart, Mall Cop until the meal service. One nice feature was the on-demand video, which includes current movies, some older movies, art house stuff, international, TV shows, etc. Even an in-flight map and status of the flight. I stayed awake until about 3am body clock time, then dozed. We got a little snack sack in case we got hungry during the "night", plus a travel kit of socks, eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste. Sleeping sucked. I couldn't move either direction, and even with a pillow and a blanket couldn't make myself comfortable. Woke up at my "normal" Memphis body-time of 6am, and then proceeded to watch Taken, Quantum of Solace, Juno, and during breakfast Benjamin Button.

14 hours of flying, everybody is itching to get off the plane. But wait, we are being diverted to Brisbane, since the Sydney airport is fogged in, and we don't have enough fuel to circle. So we fly an hour north, land and fuel up (pity the people who were supposed to go to Brisbane via Sydney) then go back an hour. Saw very little of the Syndey airport. Had to walk through a department store called Duty Free (a little joke, but it was like the first floor of any department store, with all the perfume, except it had liquor too). Cleared customs, then had to claim my luggage. My first time with the bag, and I watched it go past 3 times before I recognized it. Then I drag it to quarantine, where I gave up the fruit/nut mix the airline gave me, as you can't bring in any produce, even if the airline gave it to you. Then drag my bag through multiple corridors to reach the domestic check in for my bag, where the lady was very nice and directed me to the shuttle bus to the domestic terminal. See the symmetry?

Short bus ride, then another security checkpoint. Full flight again, since the airport had been closed for fog. Instead of leaving at 8 something, it was a 10 something departure, but the first plane out. So I arrived in Perth around 2:30pm, instead of a few hours earlier, which plays a role in the next portion of the saga: Ground Transportation!

Or maybe I will cover the return flights first, not really sure.

I live in "Crazy City"

I wish I could make some of this stuff up. Really. To an outsider it probably seems 10x more ridiculous than it does to those of us who are suffering to live here. Which truly begs the question of why anybody stays here.

The mayor. Well, he isn't smoking crack and stalking women like Marion Barry of Washington DC. He isn't perjuring himself about using city supplied phones and computers to conduct an affair with a staffer, like whats-his-name from Detroit.

However, he is under constant FBI investigation for shady real estate deals, appoints unqualified staffers (former bodyguards, usually) to positions created for them to justify $100,000 salaries, many of whom become embroiled in scandal. The latest fun takes the cake. Within weeks of his unprecedented 5th term election, he announced he was resigning to take the then-vacant job of School Superintendent, a job he held until he resigned following a sex-for-promotion scandal. Problem was, he didn't want to interview, just have the job given to him. So, he withdrew his resignation. While I was in Australia, he resigned AGAIN, this time to run for a congressional seat. The person who was to replace him began assembling a team to run the city during the time between the resignation and the special election. Meanwhile, mayor's cronies lined up to resign and collect fat pensions. Then mayor decides he doesn't like the guy who will be interim mayor, and he doesn't like the number, or caliber, of people lining up to run in the special election. So he withdraws his resignation again - this time, informally, saying he will "retire" at the end of the month.

The man has an overblown ego, and a need to be in the spotlight. He also doesn't want to work for the betterment of the city, but would rather have a city that is predominately poor and black, those being the key demographics who will vote for him. He has told people who don't like how he runs the city to "leave," and many have.

Don't get me started on all the alleged changes to the City Schools format and curriculum for the new year, or the continued drama of who will be funding the schools and to what degree. It is all a big mystery.

Over the next few days/weeks, expect to see some new posts here with the prefix "Australia." I will expound on my experiences, differences in the US and Australia, and just cool stuff that I want to share.

Back in the USA

Slowly getting re-acclimated to the time change (I am feeling 12 hours off, which is not a good thing), the weather (much hotter and more humid) and the noise (there were not audible cars where I was, nor the wealth of bird/insect/amphibian noises at night like here). If you are a FaceBook friend, I have posted about 50 pictures there so far. Soon I will build a webpage of just about everything I can think of. 24 days is a lot of text, plus a lot of pictures.

The trip was overall amazing. Words really don't convey the kind of experience I had, not just in meeting people, experiencing a different culture and lifestyle, living pretty rough far from "civilization", or even traveling so far.

Over the course of the trip I saw kangaroos, emus, various cockatoos, sea snakes, green and loggerhead turtles, dolphins (more than I care to have seen), tiger sharks, whale sharks, dugongs, eagles, coral reefs, humpback whales and probably other things that seemed "normal" that I forget aren't typical in the US. In Australia 95% of the roadkill is kangaroo, so seeing a squirrel in the road last night was odd.

The landscape I saw in Western Australia (the biggest and least populated of the Australian states) was mostly flat, covered in scrub brush, rarely with hills or taller trees. Some was cultivated for wheat, olives, or pastureland for cows, sheep or goats. In some areas the road stretches flat without a curve from horizon to horizon. "Cities" like Exmouth, Denham, Kalbarri tend to be a couple of streets with most of the businesses, easily walked. Everywhere you can buy a meat pie, usually several flavors, for a few dollars - kept hot in a little oven-like thing. Most places along the coast have fish and chips, and the better ones let you choose what kind of fish - from whiting to shark to snapper to cod - and is relatively inexpensive. Kids are apalled by the idea of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - they prefer Vegimite (which I loved from the first taste, which nobody could believe) and cheese. In fact peanut butter is not the ubiquitous spread like in the US.

Overwhelmingly the people were friendly, outgoing and helpful. I got to do just about everything I set out to do, including snorkeling with the whale sharks, plus unexpected sights on the bus ride back to Perth. I would love to see more of the country the next trip, but would also like to re-visit a lot of the places I experienced.

A Week Gone By

The week has already been full of excitement and adventure. Four trips out sharking, and I am tying lines to anchors, baiting hooks and reeling in lines when we have a shark - 4 so far - and at the end of the day. I have tagged sharks, and put them to sleep, belly up while I hold the pectoral fins, so we can get a blood sample.

Lots of fun on shore, too. The staff is very international here, and friendly, and there is always somebody, usually us "sharkies" at the bar. Last night we had a sunset cruise on the Shotover, a racing catamaran. Two days ago I went on a bush walk with a local Aboriginal guide. Rained during that...something that only happens about 5 times a year.

So far have seen tons of wildlife, not even including the huge pigeons (they are actually emus, and very annoying) around camp.

Yes, have taken tons of pictures.

AUSTRALIA

Been here two days and things are incredible. Flights sucked, with some delays, diversions and difficulties (never accept a middle seat on a 14 hour flight). Saw the zoo in Perth, with barely enough time...I got maybe 90 minutes before it closed.

The next day was the bus ride here. 10 hours with three stops at "roadhouses" - no Patrick Swayze - these are gas/convenience places, most with some food offerings. Prices are high here all the way around, since most everything has to be shipped here, but working it out. Saw a couple of kangaroos, and some emus in a field. Not so excited about the emus now, as there are about a dozen that roam the resort here.

Have a trailer (called a caravan) to myself, but only there to sleep. Yesterday did data entry, as it was too windy to go out on the boat. Today took a walk up the beach, then we went out on the water to clean some cages under the water. Did a little snorkeling. Out and back we saw a loggerhead turtle, a few dolphins, a school of 15 stingrays...none of this is out of the ordinary.

won't be posting too often, as the connection is a dialup and it costs per connection.

Tomorrow

Such a word. Expectations, mysteries, adventures. It all starts tomorrow.

Packing is essentially done. Might shift a few things from the carryon to the checked bag. Of course the morning items that have to be put in last. Printing out boarding passes - although may skip that as I will want to visit the airline desk to check my bag in capable (I assume so) hands.

For those so inclined, here is what I can cobble together of a mailing address. Mind you, there are something like fewer than 30 residents of this little chunk of land, so I am sure somebody will know which Yank to give it to.

Monkey Mia
Shark Bay
WA 6537
Australia

As I know things I will try to post them, but will surely journal them. Got three marble covered composition books, and anticipating writing about virtually everything. Different smells, the stars, all the funky foods to discover, hardships in living conditions, you name it. If I can't post while away, I will more than likely create some sort of website to house the whole of the month with pictures and whatever else I can manage.

I am still vaguely anxious, which I suppose is to be expected. Got enough stuff to hopefully keep me occupied for my waking hours. The hardest thing will probably be working without research (via computer) at my fingertips. Directions to places, things to see, etc.

Yay Camera!

Looks SO cool. Canon D10, first in the D series. Waterproof to 10 meters (33 feet), shockproof and such, so you can drop it. 12megapixels, and with the 8GB SDHC, it holds over 2000 pictures. Still, going to bring a 2GB thumb-drive to store some pictures, just in case. Battery lasts 6 hours or 200 pictures, and is compatible with foreign power sources.

Aside from that, a lazy day. Oldest texted wife this morning, saying she wanted to come home tomorrow. We have decided that it is OK to want to leave, but we aren't driving up there to rescue her. She needs to fulfill her own commitments.

And in a crazy reflection of the Prop 8 nonsense in California, Shelby County officials voted on a proposal that would prevent the county from discriminating against gays in hiring and firing. Naturally a bunch of ministers, many black, came out AGAINST it, some even saying it was not a civil rights issue. One, ironically, even was quoted as saying "You can't outlaw hate". Today, in a slap in the face, after the council deadlocked 5-5 with two abstaining, the NCAAP came out in favor of the resolution. And a local columnist had another good line - it is as if the blacks are scared of losing the gold medal in the "Who had been treated the worst the longest" Olympics. (she is black, by the way, and pleasantly outspoken).

Final "official" Day

And what a waste it was. Some pre-recorded video from the Superintendent and his right-hand man, three exercises designed to get us to pay attention to changes in the curriculum. Basically they are using broad Grade Level Expectations instead of State Performance Indicators, but still keeping the SPIs. Also going to a 9 week grading period, and 90 minute periods, although we may be exempt from that.

The best part was being told to make a syllabus for the first two weeks of school, using the fill-in template on a particular website. Except it wasn't there. Much hilarity ensued. We got dismissed at 2pm, when we could have been done at 11.

And during all this, I missed my UPS delivery, and will have to wait another day.

And wife came home and told me she was laid off from her part-time job at the yarn store. She draws a lot of people in there, is helpful and knowledgeable, and this will hurt the store in the long run, if it isn't actually the first nail in the coffin. Her boss, for some reason, thinks I make a great deal of money, so she was the first in line for layoff, as she could afford it better. Um, yeah.

Just one week

Today was a waste of a day in the school building. I had maybe six signatures to get to complete my checkout list. Think of a scavenger hunt where you have to find the right people, show them proof you did something and have them sign. My stuff was all done on Friday, but people weren't available, or wouldn't sign. In fact, one person refused to sign until after 930 - we reported at 8. Needless to say, I was the first one done, and got to sit around until lunch (I even hauled my boxes of garbage to the dumpster). When I returned, the principal released us for the day.

Tomorrow is an in-service to get us ready for (allegedly) block scheduling and 9-week grading periods. Which means nothing, except they are going to force people to write plans for the first two weeks, 2 months from now. And we will probably have to sit there the whole day. Hardest for me, as my mind is elsewhere.

Good news today, though. Oldest PASSED US History. I think the teacher took pity on her and gave her the grade she deserved (well, not that, but at least didn't fail her) instead of the grade she earned. Found out she could have made it up next year, but better to have her scared now, and hopefully more responsible next year (so she can get into college).

My day in Perth once I get there - going to check in to hotel and then stroll a bit. I am nearby the Mint (oldest one, founded during gold rush, still can buy neat stuffs), and a ferry across the Swan River to the Zoo. A nice dinner then turning in. The bus on Friday will take me directly to Monkey Mia. Turns out the bus company extends a courtesy to the researchers, so I can dead-head up there as long as there is a seat, which there usually is. This bodes well for my excursion to Exmouth - maybe I can snag a free ride there, too.

Memorial Day

Typically a day of travel. Well, for me it surely was. Took the oldest and her friend to their summer camp job - Boy Scout Reservation Kia Kima, extreme north Arkansas. The map provided by their website is deceptively not to scale, and neglects to give any directions past the town of Hardy. Through LOTS of trial and error, we found it within 2 hours, even getting a map from a fire station.

I expect to get a call from her before the week is out. The camp is very remote and they are in heavy canvas tents on wooden platforms. They were the last to arrive and got the leaky tent ("It should be OK if you put a tarp over it" - yeah, because my girl knows what a tarp is), and their area is about 1.5 miles from the administration area. I get the feeling, though, that they open up different sections of the camp as necessary, since there were pavillions for crafts and nature study in their area. Plus a waterfront. Much different than Camp YI, which was more compact and seemingly more organized. It made me a little "homesick" for camp life, remembering bonding with friends and making new friends by virtue of shared experiences, both good and bad. She has her best friend with her, sharing her tent, and that counts for a lot.

Driving back was another 2 hours or more, with curtains of rain every few minutes as I drove through the squalls. Stopped in Marion Arkansas to visit the gravesite of Specialist Christopher Thomas Fox, a good friend and adoptive son of some close friends. Chris shared my cabin at the aforementioned camp. He was killed in Iraq last fall, and against his wishes his body was returned to his half brother, rather than his adoptive family. He wound up in a county cemetery, not a veteran's cemetery near his loved ones. I expected to be the only person to visit him today, but when I arrived, a couple was just leaving, and they came back to meet me. They knew me as Amy's friend - they were Chris' biological father's sister and her husband. It was good to meet them and hear that they visit his grave regularly to drop off flowers.

Ahhhhh

Nice lazy day. Library, a quick sporting goods store run to get a headlamp for me, so I can have hands free light in the pre-dawn (since my PhD mentor says "you won't survive without one" - and I pretty much plan to survive), lunch at TGIFridays (yes, I did not hallucinate the $5 sandwich and salad menu, although there is nothing in the place to tell you this, including the server).

Oldest has (against my better judgement, due to her potential impending failure in US History) signed on to work at a summer Scout camp. She is really excited, and some of her good friends from Venture Scouts, which I guess is what were Explorer Scouts back then (go Team Venture!), will be at the camp as well. She asked me to drive up there on Monday. Not sure she has realized that will be the last time I see her for a month. Actually, I am VERY sure she realizes this, and will go out of her way to not mention it or have any kind of goodbye. Teens are SO fun.

My wife is addicted to really poor quality movies on SciFi, or as they recently renamed themselves Scyfy. Something about a mega-gator awakened by a Hawaiian volcano. Intense laughter was the product. Although I am getting a little tired of the giant animal themes (go search for Mega-Shark vs Giant Octopus...I kid you not! "It rises"

And got a nice lengthy email from down under with my hotel for the day I arrive in Perth. Reviews of the hotel are bad (bedbug bad) but I will only be there a night, then onto a bus. The place is centrally located and within a block of a restaurant I wanted to try - Sister Maud's Swedish House...a true smorgasbord buffet. And then a fun bus ride with stops at refueling roadhouses, so I get to experience "fine" dining that way. Trial and error on the trail, since there are not too many large places between the two points. I am nervous, but my accent will probably be as winning as an Australian accent is here, and a lot less common since this is the relatively non-tourist side of the continent. Plus, the "real" tourists won't ride a bus for 10 hours, but would fly from Perth.

School's Out!

Yesterday and today were just wastes of days. At least we rewarded the kids that came yesterday by getting pizza for lunch. Surprisingly, some kids who didn't come yesterday showed up today, even though we have been saying "don't come Friday." Not enough kids to fill up a single classroom, so we rotated them, and gave them work. Before one hour was out, most had called home to be picked up. Remember kids, when a teacher says don't come to school or we will work you hard, we mean it.

Much of my classroom is packed up, and most of my check-out list is completed. Tuesday will be another non-day since I will have very little to do. Wednesday more of the same. I guess we will all get caught up on the gossip - who is coming back in the fall, etc.

Just two more

and they don't hardly count. We have encouraged the kids not to return if they have all their exams done. At first, this was only for Friday, but now we are including Thursday. I have a back-up exam for them, and I have a small handful, maybe 8, who haven't finished or haven't done the final exam. All my grades are in the spreadsheet, gradebook and online.

You would think this would elicit a huge sigh of relief. Nope. The entire curriculum is being revamped next year. From state standards changing to moving from 6 six-week grading periods to 4 nine-week grading periods, to block scheduling...and we got word today that before we are "dismissed" for the summer we have to submit lesson plans for the first two weeks of school in the fall. Funny stuff, as many of us won't be teaching what we are now...the district hasn't posted their curriculum in line with the new state standards, or the pacing they will prefer. Even so, I can put together two weeks of stuff in my sleep that will stand up to scrutiny - except it won't be scrutinized...it is just paperwork.

Been bicycling all week. Weather is perfect for it. Kind of cool, but dry, in the morning, with the sun just up, warm and breezy in the afternoon. My legs are back in the game, stronger than ever, and the only challenging parts are the two hills each way. Coming home is definitely harder, but by then I am warmed up, and not in a time-rush. Approaching 1000 miles on the odometer. Wow.

Birthday!

Oldest is now 17. She had a nice dinner of NY style pizza at one of our favorite places, then home for cake and ice cream with the family (my in-laws). Lots of gift cards, which suits her. She is in the middle of finals, trying to escape her junior year in High School. Hopefully she can squeak out a passing grade in US History - I hated history at that age. She is hella smart, just doesn't apply herself, which I can relate to, but I would rather not have her in summer school.

My teaching year is basically over. Tomorrow is the final exam, and we have telegraphed to the kids that once that is done they really don't need to come in. If they come on Thursday there will be a second part of the exam (that won't count) which will be essay questions. Friday, just don't come.

I think I have found my camera for Australia. New release from Canon, the D10. Waterproof to 10m, several modes for different lighting conditions, not too pricey. Now to find a place here that has it, or try to scour eBay and get something here within the next 2 weeks.

Feeling old

Yep. Time is catching up to me. Performing my lector duties in church today, for the first time I whipped out my reading glasses. Well, they aren't actually reading glasses, but those magnifying eyeglasses sometimes referred to as "cheaters." Since the new contacts, which do great for anything over about 3 feet, and are passable for some reading, I prefer to wear the cheaters when reading on the computer, or with books. Once I am in for the night, though, it is simpler to remove my contacts and wear my old glasses.

Other things that make me feel old - my oldest gave blood for the first time today. Hooray! for her - we were going to try to get her exempted since she turns 17 in two days, but they just recently reduced the age requirement to 16. She did fine, but then got up too soon and had to unexpectedly lie down on the floor. Now she is all tired out and wants dinner early so she can go to bed.

My youngest on the other hand decided she wanted to ride her bike to the "other house", which is what we call my sister-in-law's house, about 100 yards up the street. Not out of the ordinary, you say? Well, she never learned to ride a bike. We worked on it a few times, but nothing came together. She rode up and back, up and down the street like a pro. Her comment - Dad, I can ride a scooter, so why couldn't I ride a bike?" I forget this generation grew up on wheels, with roller blades, wheelies in the heels of their sneakers, and scooters, so the balance thing is pretty much second nature.

And finally, one more girl making me feel old. The daughter of my oldest and dearest friends graduated from college today! Many congratulations to her (and her parents). She and I will share divergent research projects this summer. She is going back to Alaska to study sticklebacks (something she did last summer as well) while I will be in Australia studying sharks. Fish, although wildly different sorts, since sharks are non-bony fish, and sticklebacks are teeny tiny.

But they all taste like chicken.