Great Expectations

I have been working with children for as long as I can remember.  My first experience in a classroom was when my baby brother (Hi, Ty!) was in kindergarten.  I traded my study hall period for an hour of helping in his classroom.  I read with them, played with them, helped them complete activities, and listened to their stories.  I was in 7th grade at the time.  I have held some kind of education related position every single year since then.

Many of the things I do today are the product of hard work, practice, and dedication.  Some skills were mastered relatively quickly.  I've been walking and talking (to varying degrees of success) for 30+ years.  I took to reading like a duck to water.  Some were developed slowly over many years.  My sewing skills have improved through the repetition of 2 decades.  Mathematics and writing are still works in progress.  The fundamentals of teaching - understanding what is going on inside the minds of children and being able to communicate new ideas to them - are skills that I don't remember learning.  Teaching is what I was born to do.  It is my purpose in life, and it is a part of me at a cellular level. 

Anyone who's had the dubious pleasure of carrying on a conversation about education with me will be able to tell you that I am more than a little opinionated on the subject.  I have very strong feelings about what education is, how it should be done, and what is wrong with our public school system.  I am very passionate about all things relating to the welfare of children and the molding of our future generations.  Despite my lack of personal hands-on experience, I have some very distinct ideas about parenting, as well, although I am the first to admit that theory and practice are two very different animals.

All that is preface for me to admit that I am a snob when it comes to teaching.  I have very high standards when it comes to adults interacting with and holding influence over children, especially when said adults are supposed to be trained experts.  If you wish to be a part of this thing that is the very core of my being and the reason for my existence, you better be ready to give it your A game.  I have no patience for people who treat teaching like a hobby or a 40hr/wk obligation. 

What does it take to be a teacher I will look up to?  I'm so glad you asked!  I've arranged it into a nice little acrostic poem just for you! 

- - - - -
T is for teamwork.
As a teacher, you are one small part of the team that is guiding each child into adulthood.  You have to be able to work within the spectrum of teachers they are going to experience from kindergarten through high school and beyond.  You have to be be willing to share ideas with and get ideas from the other teachers you work with every day.  Teaching is too big a job to be contained within one single person.  The only way to make the most of the collective knowledge, experience, and abilities of the educational system is to keep lines of communication in good repair.

Most importantly, you have to understand how to be an effective member of each and every Parent-Teacher-Student triangle of which you are a part.  This includes accepting the weighty responsibility of your chosen profession.  As the "professional" within this triangle, you will be held to a higher standard in the areas of self-control, knowledge, ability, and leadership.  If you don't want to do your fair share (and often an large part of someone else's fair share), teaching isn't the job for you.

E is for enthusiasm.
Politicians and businessmen are doing their best to drain the fun and wonder from schools and turn them into factory floors.  Students today are subjected to insanely high levels of testing and stress within our educational system, leading to feelings of anxiety, frustration, fear, and depression.  Teachers must be able to reach through all that and convince their students that school is a positive place to be and that the process of learning is rewarding.  Kids have an amazing ability to see past your facades and into your true feelings.  If you don't truly enjoy your job or the material you are teaching, they will know that and it will influence their willingness to cooperate with you.

This doesn't mean you can't have a bad day.  Even the most enthusiastic teacher will have an off day.  Children know what it is like to have an off day or make a mistake, and they can be very forgiving as long as they trust that in your heart of hearts you are enthusiastic about what you are sharing with them.

A is for accuracy. 
 Obviously, the foundation of accuracy is having knowledge.  This means being a life-long learner.  Good teachers see themselves as continuous students.  They take classes.  They read.  They talk about politics, religion, and the many other complexities of humanity.  Good teachers reach outside their comfort zone to explore uncharted territories and make unexpected discoveries.

Being accurate isn't about how much information you can hold in your brain, though.  If it were, I'd be screwed.  I will freely admit that there are a great number of things that I do not know.  For one thing, I have only studied tiny bits of a very small number of the subjects available to humanity in the 21st century.  For another,  I do not have a very good memory, and I'm sure that I have forgotten the majority of those things I have studied.  Accuracy in teaching is often about your willingness to say "That's a very good question that I don't know how to answer.  What could we do to find out?" coupled with your legitimate interest in the answer. 

Accuracy is also about being able to gracefully admit to being wrong.  There are going to be times when a 9 year old knows more than you about a particular subject.  You and your ego have to be able to acknowledge their expertise and admit your own ignorance.  This must be done carefully, however.  There is a fine line between allowing kids to see that you are still learning and making them think they can't trust you to know what you are talking about.

C is for curriculum.
Developing a curriculum that works for your style is one of the most important jobs in teaching.  Unfortunately, the textbook companies have such influence over schools that teacher prep courses often focus on how to follow a teacher's manual rather than how to truly develop lesson plans.  A teacher's guide can be a great resource, especially as new teachers are finding their footing, but it makes me cringe to see experienced teachers moving day by day through a mass produced curriculum with little to no regard for the actual progress of their students.

Good teachers know how to tailor their lessons to meet the needs and interests of their students.  They recognize the individuality of each child in their care, and know how to blend those unique individuals into a working whole.  Good teachers make their lessons both motivating and meaningful.  They can break a concept down into components small enough for students to master while simultaneously allowing students to visualize that concept's importance within the big picture.  Teachers must know their students and their standards like the back of their hand, but they must be able to make adjustments on the fly.  When curriculum planning is done correctly, the teacher has found that perfect balance between preparation and improvisation.

H is for heart.
 In my opinion, this is the most important component of teaching because this is the driving force behind everything else.  Being a teacher means adding a new batch of children to your family every year.  It means expanding your heart to include each name on your roster.  Not just for the time that they are in your class, but for the rest of your life.  If you are doing it right, you will suffer from empty nest syndrome every June as your hatchlings fly off and leave you.  You will wake up in the middle of the night wondering whatever happened to that poor little guy from 5 years ago.  You will feel pride whenever you run into or hear news about a former student.  You will brag about them to your family and friends because they will be a part of your family and your heart forever.

Like all parents, good teachers also experience frustration and anger.  If your students don't disappoint you or upset you occasionally, you aren't investing enough of yourself into your teaching.  If your students are failing tests or neglecting their work or tuning you out, you should be driven to do whatever it takes to find a solution.  This means digging deeper into the causes behind these behaviors.  It means thinking outside the box and calling on every resource at your disposal.  Teachers have to be able to morph frustration and anger into the fuel needed to keep going until something works.

It is vitally important that your students feel your pride and learn to trust that you care about them before you express your frustration or anger with them.  It is equally important that they understand that your pride and frustration aren't mutually exclusive.
- - - - -

There you have it - the five elements that I feel are absolutely necessary for quality teaching.  I recognize that it isn't possible for any teacher to excel in all these areas at all times, but the teachers I respect the most are the ones who recognize the value of these aspects of their job.

I should add that time, while not actually mentioned by name, is woven into each of the 5 aspects above.  It takes time to communicate, to care, to plan, to learn.  Good teachers come in early, stay late, and spend a significant portion of their weekends and their often envied vacation time working.  Teaching isn't just a hobby.  It's not even just a job.  It's a lifestyle.  And it takes a special kind of person to life it.

Warning: Rant Ahead...

First, read this article.

No, really. Go read it. I'll wait.

Second, I am not, nor do I claim to be, a medical doctor or an expert of any kind. I am completely speaking from personal experience and my own (very unscientific) understanding of this topic. So take what I say with a grain or two of salt and a healthy dash of skepticism.

..........

Even though I completely and utterly agree with everything the article says, I am also completely and utterly irritated by it. Yes, ADD/ADHD is over-diagnosed and over-medicated. Yes, children need healthier diets, better sleep habits and more exercise. Yes, families have become too splintered by work/sports/etc schedules, and children have been given too much freedom and forced to take on too much responsibility. (Not the good, character-building, take out the trash and clean your room kind... that's always good. I'm talking about the get yourself off to school in the morning, let yourself in with the key after school, microwave yourself some EZ Mac for dinner, and make sure you put yourself to bed at a reasonable time cuz I have important adult things to do and I'll be home sometime after 11 kind.) YES, relying on medication to "fix" your kid because you are too busy/lazy/disinterested to be a parent is (in my humble, I have no kids so it's easy for me to talk opinion) is a crime.

HOWEVER.

I have known a great number of kids who needed just the tiniest medicinal boost to help them get control over themselves. These are kids who had loving, caring, involved parents who were doing all the right things. They got plenty of sleep, ate healthy food, spent time together as a family, and so on. These kids wanted to do the right thing. They were desperate to please their parents, their teachers, their friends. They wanted to get good grades and finish things they started and stay focused. They just couldn't.

Although there are many things that can cause a child to present with ADD/ADHD-like symptoms - many environmental, some behavioral - I firmly believe that some children have a chemical imbalance in their brains that prevents them from being able to be completely in control, no matter how hard they try. This chemical imbalance is present from birth and when adults tell them to "control themselves" they have NO IDEA what we are talking about. They have never experienced the feeling of being fully in charge (as much as that is possible for anyone) of their own actions/thoughts/emotions.

Medication can help balance the brain chemicals and allow these children to see what being in control feels like. Once they have the ablility to focus, they can be taught various methods of self-control. More importantly, they can be taught how to observe and interpret their own brains. Metacognition - thinking about thinking - is not something you are born with. By helping these children recognize the non-medical things that effect their brains, we can give them the tools to maintain self-control on their own. Medication can sometimes be a way to enable them to reach the point where they no longer need to be medicated. It should NOT be considered the solution to the problem.

My irritation with this article stems from the fact that they are treating the question of medication as if it has one simple answer. As if what is right for one child is right for ALL children. Not only is this bad for children (just take a peek at the NCLB fiasco to know that the "one size fits all" approach doesn't work), but it is bad for parents. Being a parent is hard enough without having people throw headlines like

"Ritalin Linked With 500% Increase
in Sudden Death of Children!!"

at you. Ritalin is not the only (or as far as I can tell the most commonly recommended) ADD/ADHD medication out there any more. Telling parents that the health, well-being, happiness, and future of their child hangs on this one little question might be truthful (after all, don't all choices effect those things one way or another?) but it is terrifying and unnecessary. No one does their best thinking under that kind of stress.
So, let's try a little less hyperbole and a little more reasonable discussion all around* when dealing with the question of helping students with ADD/ADHD (or any learning disability, for that matter). Helping children who have trouble focusing is difficult. There are risks and benefits to any potential solution, whether it is medical or otherwise. Cooperation, understanding, and level-headed behavior is the name of the game. At least, that's what I think.

.......

*Yes, that goes for the teachers who immediately call for medication when 7 year old has a little trouble sitting still and doing what he's told for 6 hours. Can we say "developmentally appropriate behavior" anyone?

School Days

I've been back at school for 3 days now. We're starting to get into the swing of things. A couple of notes about my class...

1. They are GREAT direction followers. I have been very impressed with how well they can stick with me as I am rushing through things trying to get everything done. When I ask for their attention, I get it.

2. They are still a little shaky on the organizational side, but I'm going to pick up some 3 ring binders and some dividers to share with some of them and then I think things will be better.

3. They seem to be able to handle a little extra freedom without letting it go to their heads. I can give them choices and trust that they will stick to the parameters I have set up and not go crazy.

4. They need LOTS of encouragement to participate in class discussions. This class seems to be made up primarily of those kids who normally just watch what's going on. They are paying close attention and they are learning, they just aren't being as overt in showing it. I'm working on changing that. Gotta get 'em verbalizing more (especially the English Learners).

5. On the other hand, in a very wierd paradox, they are VERY chatty. Lots of sharing ideas with neighbors and talking amongst themselves. I can already tell that I will be fighting a losing battle if I try to stop it completely. Since they seem to be able to get work done while they chat, I am going to plan lots of group work for this bunch. We just need to work on volume at this point.

This was an odd beginning of the year for me. I spent TONS of time in my room beforehand, but felt very unprepared on the first day. It took me nearly 2 days to get into the groove of being "the teacher" again. Conversely, I learned the names of my students by the second day. It typically takes me at least a week know remember all of them correctly. Of course the fact that I only have 29 students helps some.

I tend to be very individualistic when it comes to teaching. I am somewhat picky about how things are done (I can just hear Mikey saying, "SOMEWHAT?" when he reads this!) and I am not great at delegating work. I don't usually have a ton of support, so I have learned how to do it all myself. This year, I have an aide in my room full time AND I am going to have a student teacher starting Monday. YIKES! I'm having to learn how to include other adults in my own private little party. I'll keep you posted. For now, I can sum it up by saying that I am having a SUPER year.

Science Training

For the first time in a LONG time, I left my 6 hour training day feeling as though I had learned something valuable. Another first: I looked up at the clock at one point and thought, "Wow! It's 2 o'clock already?". The guy who is doing the presentation is funny and smart and very engaging. Instead of telling us "This is how you should do it" and doing it a completely different way himself, he is actually teaching us using the methods he thinks we should be using. It makes the whole thing fun and completely motivating. In my district, the teachers have become fairly jaded. We have had so many people telling us what to do and ignoring the skills we already have that we approach all newcomers with a "You think you can do it better? Well, prove it, buddy!" mentality. We all start each training sitting back in our chairs with our arms crossed and our minds tightly closed. This guy was able to overcome that in a BIG way. I am absolutely excited to be going back for the next two days.

Conferences

The thing I like best about conference time is that it gives me a chance to focus on the students in my class who rarely get their fair share of my attention. I spend 90% of my day redirecting the same 4 kids over and over. They need to be reminded of the rules, they didn't hear the directions I just gave, they want a drink, a break, an extra copy of the homework, and so on. Meanwhile, there are 22 students who manage to get through the day with minimal assistance from me. I try to touch base with each of my kiddos every day, but I'm not always as good at that as I would like to be. Meeting with the parents, one on one, gives me a chance to really notice how helpful, diligent, cooperative, or just plain nice most of my kids are.

My second favorite part about conferences is hearing variations of these words: "My son/daughter just LOVES being in your class. She/he is so excited to get to school each day!" Parent-teacher communication tends to focus on the problems, and the parents who feel this way rarely see a need to get in touch with me. (This goes the other way too. I don't like spending my evening on the phone, so I tend not to call the parents of the well-behaved.) If the next two days go like last night did, I might be set with a store of compliments that will last me through the end of the year!

Stuff I've Been Thinking About

1. Work
Between getting ready for conferences (testing, report cards, etc) and covering extra hours as Escuela del Sol, I have been working some long hours. I left home by 7:00 am every morning this week. I returned home at 8:30, 7:30, 8:30, 10:00, and 10:00. Long days. Surprisingly, (aside from a particularly rough Tuesday) I have been able to maintain a fairly positive attitude despite my lack of sleep or personal time. Yay, me! I now get to enjoy a 3 day weekend (thanks, veterans).

Conferences start on Tuesday. The students go home early all three days, allowing me to finish my meetings at a more reasonable hour. It is still emotionally draining to be "performing" for parents for such an extended period. My first conferences start at 1:30 and I am booked almost constantly until 5:30 on Tues, Wed, and Thurs. I know that there are many jobs that require you to be in meetings for extended periods of time, but rarely are people required to justify their job performance to 30 different bosses in back to back meetings. :) Wish me luck.

2. XM Channel 130 - POTUS '08
I have finally found a news station that is worth listening to. Most news sources are so flooded with less-than-vital information that it is difficult to filter out the stuff worth knowing. I really don't care who won the 35th annual Cookie Bake-Off in Podunk, MO. Nor do I need to hear anything further about Brittney Spears and her poor parenting skills. On POTUS '08, I get to hear news that is directly related to the upcoming presidential election. This combines my need for "high value" news with my interest in being somewhat educated about this important decision. They seem to give balanced time to both red and blue candidates and their supporters. (I say seem to because I only listen for the time it takes me to drive to work and back. I can't vouch for the rest of the hours.) I get to hear the candidates' ideas straight from their own mouths, and the few filler things they run are focused on presidential history - odd facts and Today In History type things. Entertaining AND informative.

3. Tutoring
When I first thought about opening EdS, I was worried that I was going to resent having to spend time tutoring in the afternoons. Typically by the time my students leave at 3:15, I am usually exhausted and the only thing I want to do is go home. However, walking into my own business seems to revitalize me. It helps that my tutoring kids are all quite pleasant to work with. I get a huge kick out of working with them on a more individual basis and seeing them make progress from week to week. It's a good feeling.

4. Parental Visit
Mom is coming to visit! :) I am especially excited about this because she hasn't been out this way since my wedding, 5 years ago. So much has changed since then, and I can't wait to show her everything - the dogs, the house/property, my school and Escuela. Luckily, I have a 3 day weekend in which to clean and prepare for her arrival. Not that she's that picky - but I want to show the place off a little. :)

5. Observation
I was observed by my principal this week. She is a tough one to read sometimes, and when she left I had no idea whether she had enjoyed my lesson or not. At our debriefing afterward she had lots of very nice things to say. She praised my growth and development as a teacher since she first (and last) observed me 4 years ago. She also complimented my classroom management, the tone of my room, and my ability to model/explain concepts to students. It was a wonderful meeting and I left feeling as though she was very glad to have me on her staff. I haven't been too worried about that, but it's nice to know that she didn't hire me just because someone said she had to give me a place. She truly appreciated the things I do, both in the classroom and as part of our school-wide community. That is an EXCELLENT feeling.

Must be Friday.

I never could get the hang of Fridays. I know the reference is to Tuesdays, but it's Fridays that are kicking my butt this year. I just can't seem to get the hang of them. I spend the whole day running from one thing to the next, never quite keeping up. The kids recognize this and take full advantage. Fridays are always their most chatty, chaotic day. Instead of being able to gently and humorously redirect them, I have to get very strict to keep them on track. As much as I would like to spend every Friday playing with them, we have a limited amount of time in which to complete a magnitude of activities. My Fridays are remarkably akin to herding a roomful of yowling, energetic cats through a waterfall. Damn near impossible.

Is Anyone Here?

I bet you thought I was gone for good this time. But I'm not. It's just that with my full-time school job and my part-time tutoring job I don't have much time left over for anything else: breathing, sleeping, blogging...

So, what am I up to these days?

1. Teaching - I'm having a great year, albeit a busy one. I have 30 students, each with their own abilities, challenges, and personality quirks. Despite my certainty on the first day that I was never going to get comfortable, I am actually getting to know them pretty well. They are a very helpful, sweet, TALKATIVE group. Some days it's hard for me to get a word in edgewise! There is no hope of getting them to stop. I can only hope that they will learn to focus and direct their conversation a little. As usual, the day to day workings of fifth grade keep me hopping. I am also part of the Student Success Team (extra support for struggling students) and the Caught Building Character (we rode scooters at our Friday Flag Salute last week!) program. Oh! And I am the library liaison for my grade level. I am getting to know the members of my team, and I get the feeling that we're going to work well together (lots of different personalities, all fun).

2. Tutoring - I am pleased to be able to say that we are starting the month of October with enough clients to pay the rent each month. Woohoo! I currently work 3 hours and my partner is working a bunch more. We are covering a wide range of ages (7 - 12 years old) and topics (reading, writing, math, study skills). We're having a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to business picking up enough for me to revisit my need for other employment. :)

3. Dieting - The doctor put me on a low-carb diet in an effort to control my cholesterol. Turns out I might be part of a small percentage of the human population who can eat all the cholesterol they want as long as I keep the carbs down. Just another of the fun genetic twists I inherited! I am doing better on this diet than I thought I would. If you know me, you know that I am a total Carb Queen. Mike has been working hard to keep me fed with interesting low-carb foods (he's a great cook!) and I have been exercising a great amount of restraint. There are 2 things about this diet that are helping me keep on track. First, I have very few cravings. If I smell something really great like french fries or toast, it's a struggle, but for the most part I don't really feel a NEED for carbs. Secondly, I have lost nearly 10 pounds. In the past, I have busted my butt, dieting and exercising like a maniac, without losing a pound. This time, the pounds are just melting off me. Not only have I lost the weight, but I can actually SEE the difference. My stomach, which has been distinctly un-flat since the kidney transplant, is on its way to my pre-college days. Fun!

Okay. There is lots more to tell you, but I'm not sure what it is. I will try to come back again soon. But I wouldn't recommend holding your breath. :)

it's the little things that give me away

If you were to sit and have lunch with me today we would probably talk at length about the two exciting things that are soon occuring in my life: starting a new school year at a new school, opening a new business. I would seem calm and confident, exuding enthusiasm for both projects equally. You would later tell someone how impressed you are with my ability to take on such challenges and still remain so relaxed and energetic.

That is because I wouldn't mention how hard it is for me to fall asleep these days. Or how I look for any excuse to keep sleeping in the morning. I won't tell you how much hair I find in the drain after a shower in the morning. You wouldn't notice how I avoid moving my right arm too often or too quickly due to that pain that just won't go away.

I am very excited about my new classroom. I can't wait to meet my new team and my new students. I am thrilled that I am making an attempt at a dream I have had for some time. I am just as enthusiastic as I seem, but I am in no way as confident as I look. I am terrified by both of these new things, and it's the little things that give me away.

I'm Learning!

A particularly important passage that I came across while I was working on my masters today:

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.

Elliot W. Eisner, The Educational Imagination

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.

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!

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...

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wanted: Luck

Please take a brief moment to send some good vibes my way. I am interviewing for a position this afternoon and I could really use all the help I can get. I am very concerned about what will happen if I don't get this job. I am right for this school. I am right for the position. We just have to convince the principal.