you decide at 11am to run in a 5k road race at 2pm
-and-
you haven't run more than 15 minutes consecutively for over 2 years
-and-
it is pouring down rain
but I did, and I didn't stop, did finish, and felt pretty fine afterward. Might set my sights on a bigger race, basically the same course, on July 4. Hasn't rained for that one yet, but has been over 90.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Big week - whew
One down, four more to go. Although I am not seeing them as weeks, but snapshots of a potential hell in five part sequence. Strangely, things are getting smoother.
While the kids expect to stop learning altogether, and the teachers expect to ramp things down and coast to the finish, the administration following the lead of the school board has increased accountability, requiring us to submit plans for all five of the remaining weeks. We teachers have been asked to give up a planning period to do a walk-through and 'inspect' our fellow teachers. Not doing a hell of a lot for morale, especially during a period where most teachers are inspecting their options and reasons for staying.
Friday I had a professional development seminar in the school library, so was excused from teaching. Except the sub arrived 10 minutes after 8 (school starts at 7:15). But I got to leave when it was finished - missing the fallout from a massive foodfight instigated by 7th graders who were not allowed (due to behavior issues) to attend a field trip. This could set the tone for the rest of the year, and possibly show up the ineffective options the administration and teachers have to combat such things.
Meanwhile, a prostitution sting near a local high school (hello, Hamilton) netted a 14-year old working-girl who was truant. Mother puts the blame on the school for not calling her to tell her the daughter did not show up at school, completely ignoring the 39 unexcused absences this girl has racked up over the year. Oh, and she wasn't turning tricks, she was just standing around.
Today was my big test day. Praxis, teacher competency. Even though I am licensed for K-8, new requirements don't allow me to be highly qualified for 7 and 8 unless I take a test showing I know the material for Middle School. So I did. I hate going there, although I always test well. Hearing people like the guy behind me, going for the fourth time (Last time I only missed passing by 5 points). And you know he is probably still teaching, maybe even has tenure and can't be removed. Results in 4 weeks, right about the time school ends, but soon enough to give my principal peace of mind that I am highly qualified for the 7th grade class to which she assigned me.
While the kids expect to stop learning altogether, and the teachers expect to ramp things down and coast to the finish, the administration following the lead of the school board has increased accountability, requiring us to submit plans for all five of the remaining weeks. We teachers have been asked to give up a planning period to do a walk-through and 'inspect' our fellow teachers. Not doing a hell of a lot for morale, especially during a period where most teachers are inspecting their options and reasons for staying.
Friday I had a professional development seminar in the school library, so was excused from teaching. Except the sub arrived 10 minutes after 8 (school starts at 7:15). But I got to leave when it was finished - missing the fallout from a massive foodfight instigated by 7th graders who were not allowed (due to behavior issues) to attend a field trip. This could set the tone for the rest of the year, and possibly show up the ineffective options the administration and teachers have to combat such things.
Meanwhile, a prostitution sting near a local high school (hello, Hamilton) netted a 14-year old working-girl who was truant. Mother puts the blame on the school for not calling her to tell her the daughter did not show up at school, completely ignoring the 39 unexcused absences this girl has racked up over the year. Oh, and she wasn't turning tricks, she was just standing around.
Today was my big test day. Praxis, teacher competency. Even though I am licensed for K-8, new requirements don't allow me to be highly qualified for 7 and 8 unless I take a test showing I know the material for Middle School. So I did. I hate going there, although I always test well. Hearing people like the guy behind me, going for the fourth time (Last time I only missed passing by 5 points). And you know he is probably still teaching, maybe even has tenure and can't be removed. Results in 4 weeks, right about the time school ends, but soon enough to give my principal peace of mind that I am highly qualified for the 7th grade class to which she assigned me.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Long hiatus
Two weeks is as long as I have gone without posting here. Been quite a few good changes and plans.
Mother in law came home last week. Physical therapy will continue, but mainly on her own, in her own home. Sleeping in her own bed. All the little things we take for granted are returned to her. Plus it is nice to see her there, and lucid, as opposed to how she was before the surgery. She came to breakfast with us (a family tradition on Saturday - at first family members and none of us but now both girls want to go every week) which she hasn't been able to do for over 4 months.
This past week was TCAP, which means standardized testing. The kids think it is the whole reason for school, and that is the impression given from all the emphasis. In fact, the test is used to measure school success (Annual Yearly Progress) under No Child Left Behind, so it IS the whole reason for school as far as the government is concerned. So we teach to the test. And the kids give up on the last 5 weeks of school as soon as that test is over. What little focus they had is lost, and my job gets progressively more difficult. At least the light at the end of the tunnel is visible (five weeks).
This Saturday, we were invited to the home of a woman that knits with my wife, for their 17th annual crawfish boil. Her husband is from Louisiana, and they do this every year. She is only allowed to add one name to her list each year, and we were the lucky ones. Great food, 300 pounds of crawfish. I had no trouble learning how to eat them...just a miniature lobster with a proportionately thinner shell. Yum.
Summer plans are sort of starting to gel. Looks like the girls are all taking a road trip to New York sometime in June. They will take the "family" car so the oldest can help with the driving, since it is an automatic. Wife's car is off limits, even to me for the 2 weeks they are gone. I mentioned I might go somewhere on my own road trip, and was told to see if I could borrow mother-in-law's car. Which also explains why the family car is not referred to as 'my' car. As has been the case for most of the summer trips, they will be gone over Father's Day. And why am I not going, you ask? A couple of reasons - first being accommodations. The woman they will stay with adores the girls and is one of my wife's longest best friends. But she doesn't care for me all too much, and two weeks, let alone 2 days would be too much. Second, I am not sure if I am ready to return to New York. I spent a long time there working, and that career, that part of my life is over. Going back would be painful in a lot of ways, remind me of too many things I have lost, or been denied to me. Better for me to try to look forward.
This being said, there is a possibility that I might take my own road trip, although not by car. I have a few people I know but have never met through some of my online gaming. We are exploring getting together in a central location, probably St. Louis for a day of rides at a Six Flags. Even though it is a 5 hour drive, I will probably fly, since the price isn't that much more than the tanks of gas it would require, plus the wear and tear on a car. But then I would have to stay over a Saturday, which means doing more than just hanging in a hotel room. Still a possibility at this point, but to my credit it is not my usual - I am pushing out of my comfort zone and being a bit more impulsive.
Mother in law came home last week. Physical therapy will continue, but mainly on her own, in her own home. Sleeping in her own bed. All the little things we take for granted are returned to her. Plus it is nice to see her there, and lucid, as opposed to how she was before the surgery. She came to breakfast with us (a family tradition on Saturday - at first family members and none of us but now both girls want to go every week) which she hasn't been able to do for over 4 months.
This past week was TCAP, which means standardized testing. The kids think it is the whole reason for school, and that is the impression given from all the emphasis. In fact, the test is used to measure school success (Annual Yearly Progress) under No Child Left Behind, so it IS the whole reason for school as far as the government is concerned. So we teach to the test. And the kids give up on the last 5 weeks of school as soon as that test is over. What little focus they had is lost, and my job gets progressively more difficult. At least the light at the end of the tunnel is visible (five weeks).
This Saturday, we were invited to the home of a woman that knits with my wife, for their 17th annual crawfish boil. Her husband is from Louisiana, and they do this every year. She is only allowed to add one name to her list each year, and we were the lucky ones. Great food, 300 pounds of crawfish. I had no trouble learning how to eat them...just a miniature lobster with a proportionately thinner shell. Yum.
Summer plans are sort of starting to gel. Looks like the girls are all taking a road trip to New York sometime in June. They will take the "family" car so the oldest can help with the driving, since it is an automatic. Wife's car is off limits, even to me for the 2 weeks they are gone. I mentioned I might go somewhere on my own road trip, and was told to see if I could borrow mother-in-law's car. Which also explains why the family car is not referred to as 'my' car. As has been the case for most of the summer trips, they will be gone over Father's Day. And why am I not going, you ask? A couple of reasons - first being accommodations. The woman they will stay with adores the girls and is one of my wife's longest best friends. But she doesn't care for me all too much, and two weeks, let alone 2 days would be too much. Second, I am not sure if I am ready to return to New York. I spent a long time there working, and that career, that part of my life is over. Going back would be painful in a lot of ways, remind me of too many things I have lost, or been denied to me. Better for me to try to look forward.
This being said, there is a possibility that I might take my own road trip, although not by car. I have a few people I know but have never met through some of my online gaming. We are exploring getting together in a central location, probably St. Louis for a day of rides at a Six Flags. Even though it is a 5 hour drive, I will probably fly, since the price isn't that much more than the tanks of gas it would require, plus the wear and tear on a car. But then I would have to stay over a Saturday, which means doing more than just hanging in a hotel room. Still a possibility at this point, but to my credit it is not my usual - I am pushing out of my comfort zone and being a bit more impulsive.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Ch ch changes
It is official, or as official as anything gets in this ever-changing world in which we live in, that I will teach 7th grade next year. Not a major change, as most of the same stuff is taught, in the same order.
Another minor milestone, mother-in-law should come home on Saturday. Her home was inspected by her physical therapist and given a greenlight. We are planning a little celebration. She knows she has a lot of work still to do, but this is a huge step toward normalcy.
Spring is in full gear here. Forsythia blooms have faded, but replaced by azaleas. Need to mow the lawn a second time, and probably edge. Overseeding the lawn now that the week of rains has passed. Trim a lot of the vine-stuff in the backyard - trumpet vine, honeysuckle, etc.
Taxes are in, just waiting for the big money to roll in. Are we pumping it back into the economy? Hell no. The windfall will probably cover a quarter of tuition for the girls. And while I am thinking of finances, I need to start thinking about another in a series of menial 2-month jobs for the summer.
Another minor milestone, mother-in-law should come home on Saturday. Her home was inspected by her physical therapist and given a greenlight. We are planning a little celebration. She knows she has a lot of work still to do, but this is a huge step toward normalcy.
Spring is in full gear here. Forsythia blooms have faded, but replaced by azaleas. Need to mow the lawn a second time, and probably edge. Overseeding the lawn now that the week of rains has passed. Trim a lot of the vine-stuff in the backyard - trumpet vine, honeysuckle, etc.
Taxes are in, just waiting for the big money to roll in. Are we pumping it back into the economy? Hell no. The windfall will probably cover a quarter of tuition for the girls. And while I am thinking of finances, I need to start thinking about another in a series of menial 2-month jobs for the summer.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Clean again
Beard came off today, during the school day. Kids noticed, and kind of freaked - they look for any excuse for dramatics. On the other hand, my family didn't notice and had to be prompted. Still getting used to it.
Beyond that, minor April Foolishness. A new month, though, is always a minor rebirth...and a mental step closer to the end of the year. Principal asked me if I would be open to moving to 7th grade. On one hand I might see some of the same kids over again (maybe not so good), but from what my former students have said, sometimes that extra year opens their minds and they recall what they were taught the previous year. If nothing else it will be a change. Class sizes "should" be smaller. There is talk that, instead of each homeroom teacher covering Reading, we will be splitting Social Studies. Another change of pace that might be nice.
Trying to be positive. Change is good. And a couple of months of summer won't hurt.
Beyond that, minor April Foolishness. A new month, though, is always a minor rebirth...and a mental step closer to the end of the year. Principal asked me if I would be open to moving to 7th grade. On one hand I might see some of the same kids over again (maybe not so good), but from what my former students have said, sometimes that extra year opens their minds and they recall what they were taught the previous year. If nothing else it will be a change. Class sizes "should" be smaller. There is talk that, instead of each homeroom teacher covering Reading, we will be splitting Social Studies. Another change of pace that might be nice.
Trying to be positive. Change is good. And a couple of months of summer won't hurt.
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