The idea that goals should be specifiable in advance and that success in teaching consists primarily of bringing about predictable outcomes are themselves what is at issue. Such a set of beliefs, fostered not through an explicit educational rationale but rather embedded in the very techniques that one is encouraged to use, can have significant effects on the way the teacher's role is conceived and what educators believe they are after. Surreptitiously but inexorably, techniques that go unexamined with respect to the ideology that they reflect can be debilitating. Training comes to be substituted for education.The emphasis at the end is mine. This conclusion seems particularly important to me on two distinct levels. First, it refers to the fact that we are training future employees rather than educating future citizens. Secondly (and more importantly, if you ask me), it seems to point out that teachers are no longer being educated in the learning process and their role within it, but instead are being trained to manage a set number of students and move them from predetermined point A to predetermined point B.
Elliot W. Eisner, The Educational Imagination
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
I'm Learning!
A particularly important passage that I came across while I was working on my masters today:
Friday, June 22, 2007
Part 2: The Capitol
~Day 5~
This was the busiest day of the trip. It was also the most emotional/meaningful for me. I loved all the historical stuff, but Washington is what's happening NOW. We first took a tour of Arlington Cemetery, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (in time for the changing of the guard even!), and John F. Kennedy's grave and the eternal flame. It was quite sobering to see those rows and rows of white gravestones. We then rode to the Mall area to see the Lincoln memorial, the Washington monument, the Korean War memorial, the Vietnam memorial (the wall and both statues), the White House and Capitol buildings (both with their own protesters), and the Federal Reserve building. We even got stopped in traffic for a motorcade, although our guide wasn't sure if it was the President or the Vice President who was within.
I had a hard time with the war memorials. It was so disturbing to me to see people standing in front of those statues, smiling and hamming it up for their vacation photos. There were very few who looked as though they were thinking about the reason they were there. I was holding it together until I read some of the letters at the Vietnam memorial. I know the rest of my group thought I was a little crazy as tears streamed down my face, but I couldn't stand thinking of all the people and lives connected to the names on that wall. The statues flanking that memorial are some of the best I have seen. Instead of showing the soldiers as invincible and warrior-like they show the reality of war. The first shows three soldiers (white, black, and hispanic) supporting one another. Their sleeves are rolled up and they look tired. The second is a monument to the women of the war. It shows several nurses holding a wounded soldier. The sorrow and pain show on their faces. It was a very emotional visit for me.
I was also strongly touched by the Lincoln memorial. I loved walking up those steps, feeling the burn in my legs and thinking about how it represented the struggle for freedom for so many groups in our country. Fighting for justice will always be an uphill battle, but it is one I can face with joy, knowing that so many have fought before me and so many will fight after me. It was something else to stand in front of that giant statue of Lincoln and think of how far we have come since the birth of our nation. And how far we have left to go.
My dark mood was somewhat eleviated by visiting the White House and the Capitol building. It at least gave some purpose (however questionable) to the deaths we had been memorializing. While I am not a fan of our current president or many of the decisions being made in our Senate these days, I am a HUGE fan of what our country stands for. We have a government built on the ideals of liberty, justice, and basic human rights. We have a government that is required to not only put up with, but also listen to those who disagree. There is a man and woman team that has been living in front of the White House for the last 26 years. For 26 years, they have been there, with their signs and pamphlets, fighting their own government. And they have the freedom to do just that.
We got to see the woman while we were there. Our kids were stunned (most of them having been shielded from anything like it) but they were interested. We discussed freedom of speech and the rights/responsibilities of US citizens. I was quite disturbed by the choice of a teacher from another group. He was there with a group of high school students who were equally enthralled by the sight of this dirty, shouting woman and her signs. She had focused on this group of students, accusing them of being the children of fascists and blaming them for the ills of this world. Instead of explaining to the students that she had the right to say these things and that she was a little bit disturbed, the teacher went up to her and demanded that she stop speaking to his students. The irony of it was quite...um...ironic?
When we had finished racing around the mall, we headed over to Union Station for lunch. Shortly after that, we were dropped off at the airport for a lengthy check-in process and our return home.
I'm tired of writing now. I will add pictures and make any editing changes another time. Now, I must finish watching an Evening with Kevin Smith (Evening Harder). Catch you later!
This was the busiest day of the trip. It was also the most emotional/meaningful for me. I loved all the historical stuff, but Washington is what's happening NOW. We first took a tour of Arlington Cemetery, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (in time for the changing of the guard even!), and John F. Kennedy's grave and the eternal flame. It was quite sobering to see those rows and rows of white gravestones. We then rode to the Mall area to see the Lincoln memorial, the Washington monument, the Korean War memorial, the Vietnam memorial (the wall and both statues), the White House and Capitol buildings (both with their own protesters), and the Federal Reserve building. We even got stopped in traffic for a motorcade, although our guide wasn't sure if it was the President or the Vice President who was within.
I had a hard time with the war memorials. It was so disturbing to me to see people standing in front of those statues, smiling and hamming it up for their vacation photos. There were very few who looked as though they were thinking about the reason they were there. I was holding it together until I read some of the letters at the Vietnam memorial. I know the rest of my group thought I was a little crazy as tears streamed down my face, but I couldn't stand thinking of all the people and lives connected to the names on that wall. The statues flanking that memorial are some of the best I have seen. Instead of showing the soldiers as invincible and warrior-like they show the reality of war. The first shows three soldiers (white, black, and hispanic) supporting one another. Their sleeves are rolled up and they look tired. The second is a monument to the women of the war. It shows several nurses holding a wounded soldier. The sorrow and pain show on their faces. It was a very emotional visit for me.
I was also strongly touched by the Lincoln memorial. I loved walking up those steps, feeling the burn in my legs and thinking about how it represented the struggle for freedom for so many groups in our country. Fighting for justice will always be an uphill battle, but it is one I can face with joy, knowing that so many have fought before me and so many will fight after me. It was something else to stand in front of that giant statue of Lincoln and think of how far we have come since the birth of our nation. And how far we have left to go.
My dark mood was somewhat eleviated by visiting the White House and the Capitol building. It at least gave some purpose (however questionable) to the deaths we had been memorializing. While I am not a fan of our current president or many of the decisions being made in our Senate these days, I am a HUGE fan of what our country stands for. We have a government built on the ideals of liberty, justice, and basic human rights. We have a government that is required to not only put up with, but also listen to those who disagree. There is a man and woman team that has been living in front of the White House for the last 26 years. For 26 years, they have been there, with their signs and pamphlets, fighting their own government. And they have the freedom to do just that.
We got to see the woman while we were there. Our kids were stunned (most of them having been shielded from anything like it) but they were interested. We discussed freedom of speech and the rights/responsibilities of US citizens. I was quite disturbed by the choice of a teacher from another group. He was there with a group of high school students who were equally enthralled by the sight of this dirty, shouting woman and her signs. She had focused on this group of students, accusing them of being the children of fascists and blaming them for the ills of this world. Instead of explaining to the students that she had the right to say these things and that she was a little bit disturbed, the teacher went up to her and demanded that she stop speaking to his students. The irony of it was quite...um...ironic?
When we had finished racing around the mall, we headed over to Union Station for lunch. Shortly after that, we were dropped off at the airport for a lengthy check-in process and our return home.
I'm tired of writing now. I will add pictures and make any editing changes another time. Now, I must finish watching an Evening with Kevin Smith (Evening Harder). Catch you later!
Part 1: Birthplace of our Nation
I'm going to recap my trip to Virginia now and add the pics in later. I'm afraid I will start to forget details if I don't get right on it.
~Day 0~
We left from San Diego International at 10:30pm on Friday, June 15th. There were 49 of us all together, with an adult to student ration of about 1:2. There were 4 students and 3 adults along from my class. Because of the red-eye flight, a brief layover in Atlanta, and the time change (lost 3 hours), we landed in Dulles Airport (D.C.) at about 6 am. We immediately jumped on a tour bus and headed to Williamsburg, VA. There was quite a bit of traffic, so it took about 4 hours to get there. We also had to make an unscheduled stop for breakfast. How they thought we were going to fly all night and then travel/tour all morning without eating is beyond me.
~Day 1~
The delays got us to Williamsburg a little late. We managed to spend some time on the guided tour of Colonial Williamsburg, however. It was quite informative, and I enjoyed it very much. If we hadn't all been so tired, it would have been perfect. We got to see recreations of a colonial seamstress's shop, a silversmith's shop, the magazine (armory) from which gun powder and weapons were confiscated by the British, and a foundry, as well as a typical household setup. The characters there are all well played and very authentic looking. We got to see the
Governor's mansion as well.
Eventually, we went to dinner (uninspired pasta dishes) and checked into our hotel room. We had just enough time to rinse the travel grime from our faces before heading back to Colonial Williamburg for a Ghost Tour. We heard stories about ghosts that supposedly haunt Williamsburg. Although they weren't very frightening to me (the kids were somewhat spooked), they were very well told and enjoyable. (At some point this evening, one of our teachers managed to trip in a hole and hurt her ankle.) We chased some fireflies on the way back to the bus, returned to our hotel, and collapsed into bed for the first time in 38 hours.
~Day 2~
After an excellent breakfast (one of the few places in the world that makes GOOD scrambled eggs), we spent time at the recreation of Jamestown. They have an excellent museum/gallery there that really focuses on the interactions between the English, the Native Americans, and the Africans at this time. We were given a quick tour of the gallery, model villages (native, colonial, and slave), and the three ships used to reach the new world: the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. I can't even begin to imagine traveling ACROSS THE OCEAN on a ship only slightly bigger than my father-in-law's speedboat. We were given some time to do further exploration on our own before lunch. I chose to return to the gallery to read all the information we had previously sped past. It was quite informative. (The ER docs were also quite informative regarding the teacher's broken foot. She was given pain meds, crutches, and orders to stay off of it as much as possible.)
After a sandwich lunch at Jamestown, we went back to Williamsburg for some shopping and wandering on our own. The kids had a blast spending their money on colonial toys (mostly guns and bow-n-arrow sets). It was somewhat disappointing because we couldn't go into any of the houses (where the characters were), but it was fun to walk around and soak up the atmosphere. We had a decent dinner at a local pizza place, and then headed back to our hotel for some swimming. Trying to lifeguard a pool full of 30 over-excited 11 year olds is a challenge. Thanks to the assistance of many parents, we managed to keep everyone safe.
~Day 3~
We returned to the same place for breakfast, and then we headed off to Busch Gardens for some fun. The kids were AMAZED to hear that I was willing to ride with them on any roller-coaster they wanted. The group I was with managed to hit about 4 coasters, along with several water rides (necessary because it was HOT!), the bumper cars, and lots of walking. We put off getting our lunch until the last minute and ate on the bus, so we wouldn't waste any of our fun time. I managed to soak my cell phone on the Roman Rapids, causing it to refuse to acknowledge some buttons while randomly pushing others. 97482lshh2984! I had to turn it off for the remainder of the trip.
Upon leaving the park, we took a 3 hour trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, where we stayed the night. There was plenty of time for swimming (imagine a tiny indoor pool surrounded by incredibly slippery floor and filled with 30 screaming children - this should be one of the circles of hell, if you ask me.) and hanging out before bed, although we were pretty Busch-ed from our fun in the sun.
~Day 4~
Up early for a very bad continental breakfast before heading to Monticello - the home of Thomas Jefferson. We had a very nice tour of the house before being allowed to wander the grounds and (of course) do some gift shopping. Then we were off to Mount Vernon - the home of George Washington. Again, touring, wandering, and shopping, before heading to Washington, D.C. and checking into our hotel for the night. Thank goodness, the pool here was outside. Even better, it had its very own lifeguard! My relief was boundless.
The remainder of our trip is discussed in the next post...
~Day 0~
We left from San Diego International at 10:30pm on Friday, June 15th. There were 49 of us all together, with an adult to student ration of about 1:2. There were 4 students and 3 adults along from my class. Because of the red-eye flight, a brief layover in Atlanta, and the time change (lost 3 hours), we landed in Dulles Airport (D.C.) at about 6 am. We immediately jumped on a tour bus and headed to Williamsburg, VA. There was quite a bit of traffic, so it took about 4 hours to get there. We also had to make an unscheduled stop for breakfast. How they thought we were going to fly all night and then travel/tour all morning without eating is beyond me.
~Day 1~
The delays got us to Williamsburg a little late. We managed to spend some time on the guided tour of Colonial Williamsburg, however. It was quite informative, and I enjoyed it very much. If we hadn't all been so tired, it would have been perfect. We got to see recreations of a colonial seamstress's shop, a silversmith's shop, the magazine (armory) from which gun powder and weapons were confiscated by the British, and a foundry, as well as a typical household setup. The characters there are all well played and very authentic looking. We got to see the
Governor's mansion as well.
Eventually, we went to dinner (uninspired pasta dishes) and checked into our hotel room. We had just enough time to rinse the travel grime from our faces before heading back to Colonial Williamburg for a Ghost Tour. We heard stories about ghosts that supposedly haunt Williamsburg. Although they weren't very frightening to me (the kids were somewhat spooked), they were very well told and enjoyable. (At some point this evening, one of our teachers managed to trip in a hole and hurt her ankle.) We chased some fireflies on the way back to the bus, returned to our hotel, and collapsed into bed for the first time in 38 hours.
~Day 2~
After an excellent breakfast (one of the few places in the world that makes GOOD scrambled eggs), we spent time at the recreation of Jamestown. They have an excellent museum/gallery there that really focuses on the interactions between the English, the Native Americans, and the Africans at this time. We were given a quick tour of the gallery, model villages (native, colonial, and slave), and the three ships used to reach the new world: the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery. I can't even begin to imagine traveling ACROSS THE OCEAN on a ship only slightly bigger than my father-in-law's speedboat. We were given some time to do further exploration on our own before lunch. I chose to return to the gallery to read all the information we had previously sped past. It was quite informative. (The ER docs were also quite informative regarding the teacher's broken foot. She was given pain meds, crutches, and orders to stay off of it as much as possible.)
After a sandwich lunch at Jamestown, we went back to Williamsburg for some shopping and wandering on our own. The kids had a blast spending their money on colonial toys (mostly guns and bow-n-arrow sets). It was somewhat disappointing because we couldn't go into any of the houses (where the characters were), but it was fun to walk around and soak up the atmosphere. We had a decent dinner at a local pizza place, and then headed back to our hotel for some swimming. Trying to lifeguard a pool full of 30 over-excited 11 year olds is a challenge. Thanks to the assistance of many parents, we managed to keep everyone safe.
~Day 3~
We returned to the same place for breakfast, and then we headed off to Busch Gardens for some fun. The kids were AMAZED to hear that I was willing to ride with them on any roller-coaster they wanted. The group I was with managed to hit about 4 coasters, along with several water rides (necessary because it was HOT!), the bumper cars, and lots of walking. We put off getting our lunch until the last minute and ate on the bus, so we wouldn't waste any of our fun time. I managed to soak my cell phone on the Roman Rapids, causing it to refuse to acknowledge some buttons while randomly pushing others. 97482lshh2984! I had to turn it off for the remainder of the trip.
Upon leaving the park, we took a 3 hour trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, where we stayed the night. There was plenty of time for swimming (imagine a tiny indoor pool surrounded by incredibly slippery floor and filled with 30 screaming children - this should be one of the circles of hell, if you ask me.) and hanging out before bed, although we were pretty Busch-ed from our fun in the sun.
~Day 4~
Up early for a very bad continental breakfast before heading to Monticello - the home of Thomas Jefferson. We had a very nice tour of the house before being allowed to wander the grounds and (of course) do some gift shopping. Then we were off to Mount Vernon - the home of George Washington. Again, touring, wandering, and shopping, before heading to Washington, D.C. and checking into our hotel for the night. Thank goodness, the pool here was outside. Even better, it had its very own lifeguard! My relief was boundless.
The remainder of our trip is discussed in the next post...
Officially.
I am assigned to a 5th grade position at Pauba Valley. Since this is the one and only position that I wanted (or interviewed for), I am quite pleased.
I plan to open my tutoring business anyway, with myself having limited tutoring hours for the time being. Luckily, I have some excellent friends who are eager to pitch in.
I plan to open my tutoring business anyway, with myself having limited tutoring hours for the time being. Luckily, I have some excellent friends who are eager to pitch in.
Whirlwind
I know it's no big shock to stop by here and not see a post, but this time I have a good excuse. Really!
I spent the week of June 11th finishing out the school year. I managed to get my 33 chickadees graduated and moved on successfully, thanks to some excellent work on their part and not a few sleepless nights on my part. I am thrilled to see them heading off to the next leg of that adventure called "Life", but I am going to miss them terribly. I have never shared so much with a class, and that tight bond makes for a more painful separation. I'm pretty sure many of them will keep in touch, though.
Immediately upon dismissal, Mikey and I kicked it into high gear to finish packing and labeling the contents of my room. I would have left it until later, but since I didn't want to miss out on having my boxes moved for me, I figured I better get it done. (For those who don't know yet, I was finally offered a position (actually, THE position) in the district for next year. More on that later.) We packed and stacked until 5 pm, when we headed down to the San Diego airport so that I could catch my flight to Virginia/Washington, D.C.
The trip was great. We had a group of 49 (I was the official headcounter.), including students from all four 5th grade classes, three teachers, and a bunch of parents. We all managed to get there, enjoy ourselves tremendously, and get back safely. All, that is, except one of the teachers (not me) who tripped in a hole and broke her foot on the first night. I took a million pictures, which I will share with you as soon as I get them uploaded, and bought many books/games/etc. to help me with my teaching in the upcoming year. We returned late Wednesday evening, and I am just now getting my sleep back to normal. It's amazing how sleep deprived one can get on a 5 day trip!
Now that I am back and all the school stuff is done for a while, I am getting to work on several different projects. I am continuing to move forward with Esquela del Sol, although I am relying more on my partner in crime than originally planned. We had our first "official" meeting of the minds yesterday at Starbucks. (I felt like a true entrepreneur, sitting there with my tall, mocha frapp!) I am going to be starting Spanish lessons next Tuesday, as well as continuing to work on my masters program. So that I don't spend the entire summer working, I already have plans for plays, stand-up comedy, a couple of dance recitals, regular trips to the beach and the movies, and a baseball game (Little League).
I spent the week of June 11th finishing out the school year. I managed to get my 33 chickadees graduated and moved on successfully, thanks to some excellent work on their part and not a few sleepless nights on my part. I am thrilled to see them heading off to the next leg of that adventure called "Life", but I am going to miss them terribly. I have never shared so much with a class, and that tight bond makes for a more painful separation. I'm pretty sure many of them will keep in touch, though.
Immediately upon dismissal, Mikey and I kicked it into high gear to finish packing and labeling the contents of my room. I would have left it until later, but since I didn't want to miss out on having my boxes moved for me, I figured I better get it done. (For those who don't know yet, I was finally offered a position (actually, THE position) in the district for next year. More on that later.) We packed and stacked until 5 pm, when we headed down to the San Diego airport so that I could catch my flight to Virginia/Washington, D.C.
The trip was great. We had a group of 49 (I was the official headcounter.), including students from all four 5th grade classes, three teachers, and a bunch of parents. We all managed to get there, enjoy ourselves tremendously, and get back safely. All, that is, except one of the teachers (not me) who tripped in a hole and broke her foot on the first night. I took a million pictures, which I will share with you as soon as I get them uploaded, and bought many books/games/etc. to help me with my teaching in the upcoming year. We returned late Wednesday evening, and I am just now getting my sleep back to normal. It's amazing how sleep deprived one can get on a 5 day trip!
Now that I am back and all the school stuff is done for a while, I am getting to work on several different projects. I am continuing to move forward with Esquela del Sol, although I am relying more on my partner in crime than originally planned. We had our first "official" meeting of the minds yesterday at Starbucks. (I felt like a true entrepreneur, sitting there with my tall, mocha frapp!) I am going to be starting Spanish lessons next Tuesday, as well as continuing to work on my masters program. So that I don't spend the entire summer working, I already have plans for plays, stand-up comedy, a couple of dance recitals, regular trips to the beach and the movies, and a baseball game (Little League).
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Action!
We've been working hard on the Escuela del Sol idea. I stopped in at the library to get books on starting a business and writing a business plan. Mikey worked his tail off today setting a very smart looking website, which will go up as soon as I secure my domain name. It mostly consists of a main page, some info about me, and a form to fill out if you want to get more information as it comes available. He also designed me a great logo.
I am mostly spending my time completing the numerous end-of-the-year classroom tasks. I went in to school both days this weekend to work on getting things packed up. Thanks to the help of several students and a wonderful parent volunteer, the only things left to pack are the things I will need access to during the next week. I am done with all my grading and ready to write out the final report cards for the year. I have also been doing lots of thinking about my mission statement and the things I would like to do with this whole opportunity.
It feels terrific to be taking action on my own behalf. This is one of those decisions that just feels RIGHT. This has happened a few times in my life - moving to CA, marrying Mikey, and donating a kidney - when making decision just makes me feel good. These moments have always worked out for me. This is one of those decisions.
I am mostly spending my time completing the numerous end-of-the-year classroom tasks. I went in to school both days this weekend to work on getting things packed up. Thanks to the help of several students and a wonderful parent volunteer, the only things left to pack are the things I will need access to during the next week. I am done with all my grading and ready to write out the final report cards for the year. I have also been doing lots of thinking about my mission statement and the things I would like to do with this whole opportunity.
It feels terrific to be taking action on my own behalf. This is one of those decisions that just feels RIGHT. This has happened a few times in my life - moving to CA, marrying Mikey, and donating a kidney - when making decision just makes me feel good. These moments have always worked out for me. This is one of those decisions.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Job Update
I probably should have posted this first, but the other was more interesting and fun.
Anyway, this is the story of my search for a new position as it currently stands. For the sake of my sanity, I will present it in bullet format.
* I have not received any word on the job I interviewed for at School A.
* The principal I interviewed with hasn't contacted me.
* The District Office hasn't contacted me.
* The grapevine has informed me that School A was already staffed.
* The teachers who were chosen are friends of School A's principal.
* I received an email offering to let me INTERVIEW for a job at School B.
* Other teachers have been GIVEN jobs that they didn't ask or interview for.
* School B is over an hour long commute from my house.
* I am working my way through the grieving process.
* I don't really want to talk about it.
Anyway, this is the story of my search for a new position as it currently stands. For the sake of my sanity, I will present it in bullet format.
* I have not received any word on the job I interviewed for at School A.
* The principal I interviewed with hasn't contacted me.
* The District Office hasn't contacted me.
* The grapevine has informed me that School A was already staffed.
* The teachers who were chosen are friends of School A's principal.
* I received an email offering to let me INTERVIEW for a job at School B.
* Other teachers have been GIVEN jobs that they didn't ask or interview for.
* School B is over an hour long commute from my house.
* I am working my way through the grieving process.
* I don't really want to talk about it.
Screw 'Em
I'm seriously thinking about getting out. The public school system in general is a huge mess these days and obviously, the part of it that I work for could give two shits about me. I don't need to be debasing myself for a system that doesn't appreciate me. I can be working for myself, getting the same student interaction, providing the same (if not better) assistance, and actually feeling appreciated for a change.
I am very strongly considering starting up my own tutoring business. I have always wanted to open my own school someday, and this is a good first step. I have a lot of great ideas, and I know several people who would be interested in helping me. I think we've got the savings and equity and credit to make it financially possible. I can easily drum up the business through my parent and teacher connections. I have the expertise to do the tutoring part. The necessary components are there.
Plus, there are some great benefits for me. I would be working for myself. I would be making my own hours, which would be much shorter than the ones I work now. I would get to focus on what is really important about teaching and forget about the crap. It will be GOOD for me.
Stay tuned for further information about my business, to be known as Escuela del Sol.
I am very strongly considering starting up my own tutoring business. I have always wanted to open my own school someday, and this is a good first step. I have a lot of great ideas, and I know several people who would be interested in helping me. I think we've got the savings and equity and credit to make it financially possible. I can easily drum up the business through my parent and teacher connections. I have the expertise to do the tutoring part. The necessary components are there.
Plus, there are some great benefits for me. I would be working for myself. I would be making my own hours, which would be much shorter than the ones I work now. I would get to focus on what is really important about teaching and forget about the crap. It will be GOOD for me.
Stay tuned for further information about my business, to be known as Escuela del Sol.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Courage, Serenity, and Wisdom
I can change the way I present myself to the world, but I cannot change the way the world sees me.
I cannot change the way they go about sharing information in this district, but I can change the way I react to it.
The trick is keeping this in mind while I am in the thick of things.
I need the courage, the serenity, and the wisdom to handle everything these days.
I cannot change the way they go about sharing information in this district, but I can change the way I react to it.
The trick is keeping this in mind while I am in the thick of things.
I need the courage, the serenity, and the wisdom to handle everything these days.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Meanwhile
At the same time that all this crap is going on with interviewing and hiring, I have been having some of the best days with my kids. We are past the final testing days and we are into the "live it up together before summer comes and splits us up for good" days. We have been going on field trips, doing interesting activities, exploring the US government and our role in it, playing softball, and generally having fun together. I have gotten enough hugs, high-fives, and smiles to keep my spirits up despite the best efforts of my "friends" in the DO. The next 2 weeks are going to be wonderful.
Like We're Not Even Human
This afternoon, they started making phone calls to inform us about placements for next year. They talked to 3 members of our staff, offering them positions they didn't want (and hadn't asked or been interviewed for). The rest of us heard nothing.
This doesn't mean that we get nothing. It just means that they arranged to do the informing in the stupidest way possible so that it will take several days (they only call during work hours when we don't have students - a grand total of 1 hour per day) to complete it. While we know they made the placement positions, we do not know anything about our own positions until they get to us. Although, we do know that apparently our requests and interviews had NOTHING to do with our placements. WTF? Every action the HRD people take shows us clearly that we are nothing more than a name and number on a piece of paper. They demonstrate absolutely NO consideration for our emotional well-being in any of this. It is enough to make one consider leaving. If I weren't so attached to my little home here, I would look elsewhere for a position - I bet Northern California would be nice...
I am still trying to maintain a level of hope. I can be grateful that I didn't get placed at one of the schools I really don't want to go to. There is still a possibility that I will get the position I requested. This will all be over soon - I will definitely hear this week about my job for next year. I have to have faith that it will be something I am comfortable accepting and that it will be something I can live with.
This doesn't mean that we get nothing. It just means that they arranged to do the informing in the stupidest way possible so that it will take several days (they only call during work hours when we don't have students - a grand total of 1 hour per day) to complete it. While we know they made the placement positions, we do not know anything about our own positions until they get to us. Although, we do know that apparently our requests and interviews had NOTHING to do with our placements. WTF? Every action the HRD people take shows us clearly that we are nothing more than a name and number on a piece of paper. They demonstrate absolutely NO consideration for our emotional well-being in any of this. It is enough to make one consider leaving. If I weren't so attached to my little home here, I would look elsewhere for a position - I bet Northern California would be nice...
I am still trying to maintain a level of hope. I can be grateful that I didn't get placed at one of the schools I really don't want to go to. There is still a possibility that I will get the position I requested. This will all be over soon - I will definitely hear this week about my job for next year. I have to have faith that it will be something I am comfortable accepting and that it will be something I can live with.
Rockin' Out
I had THE BEST time on Sunday night!
My friend, "K", and I went to a concert at the casino in Temecula. Who did we see? THE INDIGO GIRLS! Only my favorite band in the whole world! The theater had great acoustics, and the seats were awesome.
They had a great opening act by the name of Thao (sounds like Tao) that I had never heard of before, but I ended up buying their cd. Very interesting, new sound with thoughtful, meaningful lyrics.
The Indigo Girls sounded great. I was worried that they would be playing all new music that I didn't know, but the set list included many of my absolute favorite songs. There were some great new songs as well, meaning that I am going to have to get their latest albums for myself sometime soon.
The crowd that night was energetic and friendly. There was lots of dancing and singing and laughing. It was interesting to see so many lesbian couples, since I have only heard the term mentioned once in my entire stay in Temecula. I wanted to run around the room asking all these liberally minded, enviromentally oriented people for their names and numbers. Those are the kind of people that I need to surround myself with, and they are few and far between around here. The whole evening was fabulous. I left making two promises to myself: I will most definitely be going to every Indigo Girls concert that takes place in the area, and I will be returning to the Pechanga theater for any concert that sounds interesting. It's a great place to see a show.
Next show: comedian Jim Gaffigan in July
My friend, "K", and I went to a concert at the casino in Temecula. Who did we see? THE INDIGO GIRLS! Only my favorite band in the whole world! The theater had great acoustics, and the seats were awesome.
They had a great opening act by the name of Thao (sounds like Tao) that I had never heard of before, but I ended up buying their cd. Very interesting, new sound with thoughtful, meaningful lyrics.
The Indigo Girls sounded great. I was worried that they would be playing all new music that I didn't know, but the set list included many of my absolute favorite songs. There were some great new songs as well, meaning that I am going to have to get their latest albums for myself sometime soon.
The crowd that night was energetic and friendly. There was lots of dancing and singing and laughing. It was interesting to see so many lesbian couples, since I have only heard the term mentioned once in my entire stay in Temecula. I wanted to run around the room asking all these liberally minded, enviromentally oriented people for their names and numbers. Those are the kind of people that I need to surround myself with, and they are few and far between around here. The whole evening was fabulous. I left making two promises to myself: I will most definitely be going to every Indigo Girls concert that takes place in the area, and I will be returning to the Pechanga theater for any concert that sounds interesting. It's a great place to see a show.
Next show: comedian Jim Gaffigan in July
Friday, June 01, 2007
This is a Test.
If you were driving down the road during a traffic jam, with all the cars slowed to a stop-and-go crawl, and you stepped on your brakes, only to find yourself rear-ended by the guy behind you, what would your first words to him be?
A. "What the *$^@ were you thinking!?!?" (with lots of violent hand gestures and shouting)
B. "Can I get your insurance information?"
C. Something else entirely, in which case you should post it in the comments.
Just so my parental units don't worry, this did NOT happen to me. It is something I witnessed when I was driving home the other day. The guy it actually happened to chose option A. Since I was the car right behind the one that hit him, I got a chance to see the 'hitters' reaction to the accident and he was obviously quite shaken. Realizing that the guy you just accidentally hit is a violent nut-job (as evidenced by all the insane flinging about of his hands) couldn't possibly help. From my vantage point, the 'hitter' needed more sympathy than the 'hittee*'.
* I don't care if that's not a word. It suits my purposes. I'm sticking with it.
A. "What the *$^@ were you thinking!?!?" (with lots of violent hand gestures and shouting)
B. "Can I get your insurance information?"
C. Something else entirely, in which case you should post it in the comments.
Just so my parental units don't worry, this did NOT happen to me. It is something I witnessed when I was driving home the other day. The guy it actually happened to chose option A. Since I was the car right behind the one that hit him, I got a chance to see the 'hitters' reaction to the accident and he was obviously quite shaken. Realizing that the guy you just accidentally hit is a violent nut-job (as evidenced by all the insane flinging about of his hands) couldn't possibly help. From my vantage point, the 'hitter' needed more sympathy than the 'hittee*'.
* I don't care if that's not a word. It suits my purposes. I'm sticking with it.
Interview
Yesterday, I interviewed for another position. (It seems like I've interviewed a lot, but that's only because I am a whiner. This was only my second interview.) I wish I could say I have total confidence that I am going to get the job, but I just don't know what to think. I was in there for about the same amount of time as everyone else, but most of it was spent chatting. She asked me two basic questions, one about my recent growth as a teacher and one about my ideas on how to develop a cohesive/cooperative team. Then she said, "Well, I already know you pretty well, so I'm not going to waste your time asking a bunch of nitpicky questions." Or something along those lines. We chatted a little more and than I left.
Augh!
I didn't get to sell myself. I know she already knows me, but I walked out feeling like I didn't get a chance to tell her how great I am. I get the feeling that this means she has already decided what she's going to do. Either she already knows she wants me and doesn't feel the need to make me jump through hoops (which means I should stop complaining), or she already knows she doesn't want me and doesn't feel the need to waste my time (which means I am going to start competing with the high schoolers for that deli clerk job at the grocery store cause I can't take any more of this). I just wish I knew which one it was. I would hope that if it was the latter, she would have at least given me a chance to convince her otherwise, but who knows.
The hardest part is that I want to harness the power of positive thinking. I want to tell myself and the universe that I don't have to worry because this is MY job and I'm going to get it. However, I know that if I do that and I don't get the job, I am going to be destroyed. It will be bad enough if I DON'T get my hopes up. If I do, I will be a wreck. I think about how devestated I was to not get the last position, and I don't know if I can take that again. So, I am sitting here, trying not to get too down, but trying not to get too up. It is a difficult balancing act.
Augh!
I didn't get to sell myself. I know she already knows me, but I walked out feeling like I didn't get a chance to tell her how great I am. I get the feeling that this means she has already decided what she's going to do. Either she already knows she wants me and doesn't feel the need to make me jump through hoops (which means I should stop complaining), or she already knows she doesn't want me and doesn't feel the need to waste my time (which means I am going to start competing with the high schoolers for that deli clerk job at the grocery store cause I can't take any more of this). I just wish I knew which one it was. I would hope that if it was the latter, she would have at least given me a chance to convince her otherwise, but who knows.
The hardest part is that I want to harness the power of positive thinking. I want to tell myself and the universe that I don't have to worry because this is MY job and I'm going to get it. However, I know that if I do that and I don't get the job, I am going to be destroyed. It will be bad enough if I DON'T get my hopes up. If I do, I will be a wreck. I think about how devestated I was to not get the last position, and I don't know if I can take that again. So, I am sitting here, trying not to get too down, but trying not to get too up. It is a difficult balancing act.
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