Car maintenance that is. I've become fairly adept at maintaining my car on my own. I can change the air filter, the battery, the headlights, taillights and windshield wiper blades by myself. I could even change a flat tire if I needed to, but on the side of the road I would probably still use USAA. I would like to learn to change my own oil, but until I can find someone to teach me, I'll stick with paying professionals to do that.
Two years ago, my stepdad and I replaced the belts in my car. A year and a half ago, I learned how to change my own brakes and shocks when they needed to be replaced and I didn't want to spend the money to pay a professional to do it. My stepdad patiently stood over my shoulder and told me what to do while I did the work and then checked just to make sure all the bolts were tight enough before I drove off. Six months after that, I replaced my own O2 sensor so that my car would pass inspection. It almost killed me last February when I needed a transmission overhaul, my clutch replaced and my a/c fixed because those were things I couldn't do myself and it ended up costing me over $3000 - OUCH!
Well, now, those same belts that were replaced 2 years ago are squealing again at fairly regular intervals, but only when the a/c is turned on. I checked them myself this morning and they look ok to me - no cracks visible to my eye and they didn't look loose - but still they squeal. Problem is, I don't really have the money to replace them right now. Not that they are terribly expensive, but to a dried up pocketbook, just about anything is expensive. I'm wondering if there is anything I could do, possibly lube them, that would help with the squealing. Does anyone out there have any ideas or suggestions? It would be a great help...
By the way, the first week of school went really well - only 35 more to go!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
and the worst part was...
And the worst part of today was...definitely the blisters on my feet! The first day of school is always crazy, and today didn't fail to meet expectations, but at the end of the day, the pain of blisters on my feet overshadowed everything else that happened. I hate wearing shoes, especially dress or work shoes...I spend my summers barefoot or in flip flops so putting work shoes on my tender feet makes them very susceptible to blisters.
I'm teaching 2nd grade for the 7th year in a row, but what makes this year different is that I no longer have one set of kids all day long. We are team teaching so I am teaching reading/language arts and social studies and my team teacher has math and science. I have to learn the personalities, strengths and weaknesses of 41 students (so far) instead of just the 21 on my homeroom roster. The challenge today was that I had maintenance stuff (such as enrollment info and sorting school supplies) to accomplish with my homeroom class and that took up all the time I had with them plus some, but since I didn't have to do all that with my afternoon class we had a lot more "free time". I don't want one class to get ahead of the other, so 2C (the afternoon class) and I spent time getting to know each other just by talking.
Nothing crazy happened. In my homeroom, I have 12 boys and 9 girls - a much better ratio that last years 6 girls and 12 boys; in my afternoon class I have 11 boys and 9 girls. The end of the first day came much faster than I was ready for...I guess that just means I have extra to accomplish tomorrow. We'll see how it goes...and if I can avoid any more blisters.
I'm teaching 2nd grade for the 7th year in a row, but what makes this year different is that I no longer have one set of kids all day long. We are team teaching so I am teaching reading/language arts and social studies and my team teacher has math and science. I have to learn the personalities, strengths and weaknesses of 41 students (so far) instead of just the 21 on my homeroom roster. The challenge today was that I had maintenance stuff (such as enrollment info and sorting school supplies) to accomplish with my homeroom class and that took up all the time I had with them plus some, but since I didn't have to do all that with my afternoon class we had a lot more "free time". I don't want one class to get ahead of the other, so 2C (the afternoon class) and I spent time getting to know each other just by talking.
Nothing crazy happened. In my homeroom, I have 12 boys and 9 girls - a much better ratio that last years 6 girls and 12 boys; in my afternoon class I have 11 boys and 9 girls. The end of the first day came much faster than I was ready for...I guess that just means I have extra to accomplish tomorrow. We'll see how it goes...and if I can avoid any more blisters.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Summer is ending, a new year begins...
Since my last post, my summer has wound down and come Monday, it will officially be over. I went back to work last Monday, but the 25th makes it official because that is when the kids come rolling in.
My last activity of the summer was a weekend trip to New Braunfels with my singles group to tube down the river - if you've never done it, I highly recommend it. Tubing down the river made me reminiscent of my old college days - it was so relaxing, but it was hot and after just 3 hours or so I was burnt to a crisp (yes...I applied sunscreen - twice...I learned that the spray on kind doesn't work for me). We topped off our Saturday afternoon of tubing down the Comal River with dinner at the Gristmill http://www.gristmillrestaurant.com/ (a wonderful meal, but you always have to wait at least an hour for a table) and a concert at River Road Ice House http://www.riverroadicehouse.com/. Most of my friends spent the night at a hotel in San Antonio, but Michelle and I crashed with my cousins in town. Sunday, they were all ready to spend another day on the river and headed out to tube the Guadalupe (they didn't finish tubing until after 6 pm and then had to drive back to the Metroplex). I chose to spend some time with my cousins, Billy and Margie and on Monday morning I took off on the 2nd part of my weekend get away.
I left New Braunfels around 7 a.m. and took a 7 hour drive to the far northeast corner of the state where I spent 2 days with Kim and Owen. I hung out at the Pop Pop Shoppe with Kim, Paula and Owen and learned the art of making gourmet popcorn.
On Wednesday I headed home for a few days of absolutely nothingness - it was wonderful. The following week I had 3 days of staff development training for school - I learned a little, but not a lot. I spent the week of the 11th up at school painting my classroom, moving around furniture, throwing out old stuff that never gets used and finding places for all my frogs. The paint, a blue gray and light yellow, turned out great and really gives the room a calming feel - much better than the dingy white it was before.
On the 18th, Dallas ISD employees reported back to school, along with many other school districts across the state. We had two days of inservice training on campus and then on Wednesday we all (some 20,000 Dallas employees) headed to the American Airlines Center for a school year kickoff celebration. We were welcomed back to school by the likes of the mayor of Dallas, the DISD board president and through video, Nolan Ryan, Cynthia Izaguirre and John McCaa (Channel 8), Marty Turco (Dallas Stars), state senators and representatives from the Dallas area, Barney (the big purple dinosaur) and many others. The superintendent spoke for a while about where the district is heading over the next few years in attempt to become the premiere urban school district in the country. He discussed how far we've come since we began this journey in 2006, how far we have to go to meet our goal by 2010, and the things we need to do to get there. About 10:45 he finally introduced the keynote speaker for the morning - this is one of the most dynamic speakers I've heard in a very long time. Dalton Sherman only spoke for about 10 minutes but his message was powerful and touched the heart of every teacher sitting in the AAC. Dalton is a 5th grader from one of the Learning Centers in Dallas - after listening to his speech, I can only imagine the great things in store in his future. Take a few minutes to listen to Dalton's speech and see if you aren't moved by it...http://www.dallasisd.org/keynote.htm.
Well, in about 48 hours, my first day of second grade (for the 7the year in a row) will be coming to a close. I'll let you know how it goes and post some pictures of my home away from home. For all the teacher out there (new and experienced), and all those going back to school or sending their little ones off to school...Happy School Year 2008 - 2009!
My last activity of the summer was a weekend trip to New Braunfels with my singles group to tube down the river - if you've never done it, I highly recommend it. Tubing down the river made me reminiscent of my old college days - it was so relaxing, but it was hot and after just 3 hours or so I was burnt to a crisp (yes...I applied sunscreen - twice...I learned that the spray on kind doesn't work for me). We topped off our Saturday afternoon of tubing down the Comal River with dinner at the Gristmill http://www.gristmillrestaurant.com/ (a wonderful meal, but you always have to wait at least an hour for a table) and a concert at River Road Ice House http://www.riverroadicehouse.com/. Most of my friends spent the night at a hotel in San Antonio, but Michelle and I crashed with my cousins in town. Sunday, they were all ready to spend another day on the river and headed out to tube the Guadalupe (they didn't finish tubing until after 6 pm and then had to drive back to the Metroplex). I chose to spend some time with my cousins, Billy and Margie and on Monday morning I took off on the 2nd part of my weekend get away.
I left New Braunfels around 7 a.m. and took a 7 hour drive to the far northeast corner of the state where I spent 2 days with Kim and Owen. I hung out at the Pop Pop Shoppe with Kim, Paula and Owen and learned the art of making gourmet popcorn.
On Wednesday I headed home for a few days of absolutely nothingness - it was wonderful. The following week I had 3 days of staff development training for school - I learned a little, but not a lot. I spent the week of the 11th up at school painting my classroom, moving around furniture, throwing out old stuff that never gets used and finding places for all my frogs. The paint, a blue gray and light yellow, turned out great and really gives the room a calming feel - much better than the dingy white it was before.
On the 18th, Dallas ISD employees reported back to school, along with many other school districts across the state. We had two days of inservice training on campus and then on Wednesday we all (some 20,000 Dallas employees) headed to the American Airlines Center for a school year kickoff celebration. We were welcomed back to school by the likes of the mayor of Dallas, the DISD board president and through video, Nolan Ryan, Cynthia Izaguirre and John McCaa (Channel 8), Marty Turco (Dallas Stars), state senators and representatives from the Dallas area, Barney (the big purple dinosaur) and many others. The superintendent spoke for a while about where the district is heading over the next few years in attempt to become the premiere urban school district in the country. He discussed how far we've come since we began this journey in 2006, how far we have to go to meet our goal by 2010, and the things we need to do to get there. About 10:45 he finally introduced the keynote speaker for the morning - this is one of the most dynamic speakers I've heard in a very long time. Dalton Sherman only spoke for about 10 minutes but his message was powerful and touched the heart of every teacher sitting in the AAC. Dalton is a 5th grader from one of the Learning Centers in Dallas - after listening to his speech, I can only imagine the great things in store in his future. Take a few minutes to listen to Dalton's speech and see if you aren't moved by it...http://www.dallasisd.org/keynote.htm.
Well, in about 48 hours, my first day of second grade (for the 7the year in a row) will be coming to a close. I'll let you know how it goes and post some pictures of my home away from home. For all the teacher out there (new and experienced), and all those going back to school or sending their little ones off to school...Happy School Year 2008 - 2009!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Out for the summer - part 2
Back when I first got out of school for the summer, I wondered how I was going to spend the next 10 weeks. I know that there are many people out there who wish they still had the summer vacations they had when they were in school, but really...10 weeks gets a little long when you have nothing to do. Let me update you on what I have been doing this summer. My last post was about my job as a nanny - that took about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks. Blair is a great kid and I really enjoyed my time hanging out with her. Other than that, I...
me at Old Bedford Village
...left Dallas on July 3rd and flew to Chicago then to Washington D.C. and finally to Altoona, PA. It was a very long day - just the right amount of time to change terminals and get back through security in Chicago and about 3 hours too long in Washington D.C. where all I could do was walk up and down the terminal or sit at the gate. On July 4th, I went with my aunt, uncle and cousins to Old Bedford Village http://www.oldbedfordvillage.com. We walked through an old town with houses and other buildings that had been moved there for restoration to their original form. We saw a lady spinning thread in an old house; walked through an old church; ate lunch in a tavern (I had sausage on a potato roll and a cream soda out of a bottle); went to the carpenters shop, the chandlery, the blacksmith and the whitesmith and two schools. On the 5th, we had our family reunion down at the farm and in the afternoon, my uncle loaded most of us (probably 60 - 70 of us) into 2 hay wagons, attached us to the back of the tractor and took off down the highway. On the 6th mom, pop, my brother Chris and I went over to the Bedford Springs Resort
http://www.bedfordspringsresort.com to look around. The last time I was in PA, the Springs was in shambles but now it has been restored and is up and running for business. It is beautiful!
...Mom, Pop and I began our trek back to TX on the 8th and made several stops along the way. On the 9th, we stopped at Jackson's Mill in WV, http://jacksonsmill.wvu.edu, the boyhood home of Stonewall Jackson. We walked through several cabins and 2 mills.
Inside the original mill
pictures of Stonewall Jackson
As we continued on our journey, our next stop was the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in KY, http://www.shakervillageky.org. Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill was started in 1805 and the last Pleasant Hill Shaker died in 1923 - the shakers would be considered a cult by today's standards as they lived basically in communes as brothers and sisters - there was no husband and wife - and they tried to live a perfect life before the Lord. They are known as the shakers because of the body movements used during their "meetings" which we would call church. The same day, we got into Paducah, KY which is the home of the National Quilters Museum and many antique shops. We only had about 30 minutes before the shops closed, so we rushed through town looking at antiques - even bought a few treasures. We got back to Dallas on the 10th, had dinner, went grocery shopping and the next afternoon headed to Lake Whitney for another family reunion.
...today, I decided to ride the Trinity Railway Express http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org from end to end - I hopped on in Irving and went west to Ft. Worth stayed on and went east to Dallas. I jumped off at Dallas Union Station and walked a few blocks to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza http://www.jfk.org. This is the location where Lee Harvey Oswald stood on November 22, 1963 and assassinated President Kennedy during a motorcade through Dallas. There is an audio tour as you walk through and look at pictures and memorabilia as well as short informational movies you can sit down and watch for additional information. This was a very moving experience - and creepy to stand almost in the place that Lee Harvey Oswald stood.
Well, it's been a pretty busy summer so far and it's not over yet. I wonder what the next 4 weeks will bring...I'll keep you updated on my adventures.
me at Old Bedford Village...left Dallas on July 3rd and flew to Chicago then to Washington D.C. and finally to Altoona, PA. It was a very long day - just the right amount of time to change terminals and get back through security in Chicago and about 3 hours too long in Washington D.C. where all I could do was walk up and down the terminal or sit at the gate. On July 4th, I went with my aunt, uncle and cousins to Old Bedford Village http://www.oldbedfordvillage.com. We walked through an old town with houses and other buildings that had been moved there for restoration to their original form. We saw a lady spinning thread in an old house; walked through an old church; ate lunch in a tavern (I had sausage on a potato roll and a cream soda out of a bottle); went to the carpenters shop, the chandlery, the blacksmith and the whitesmith and two schools. On the 5th, we had our family reunion down at the farm and in the afternoon, my uncle loaded most of us (probably 60 - 70 of us) into 2 hay wagons, attached us to the back of the tractor and took off down the highway. On the 6th mom, pop, my brother Chris and I went over to the Bedford Springs Resort
http://www.bedfordspringsresort.com to look around. The last time I was in PA, the Springs was in shambles but now it has been restored and is up and running for business. It is beautiful! ...Mom, Pop and I began our trek back to TX on the 8th and made several stops along the way. On the 9th, we stopped at Jackson's Mill in WV, http://jacksonsmill.wvu.edu, the boyhood home of Stonewall Jackson. We walked through several cabins and 2 mills.
Inside the original mill
pictures of Stonewall Jackson
As we continued on our journey, our next stop was the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in KY, http://www.shakervillageky.org. Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill was started in 1805 and the last Pleasant Hill Shaker died in 1923 - the shakers would be considered a cult by today's standards as they lived basically in communes as brothers and sisters - there was no husband and wife - and they tried to live a perfect life before the Lord. They are known as the shakers because of the body movements used during their "meetings" which we would call church. The same day, we got into Paducah, KY which is the home of the National Quilters Museum and many antique shops. We only had about 30 minutes before the shops closed, so we rushed through town looking at antiques - even bought a few treasures. We got back to Dallas on the 10th, had dinner, went grocery shopping and the next afternoon headed to Lake Whitney for another family reunion.
...today, I decided to ride the Trinity Railway Express http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org from end to end - I hopped on in Irving and went west to Ft. Worth stayed on and went east to Dallas. I jumped off at Dallas Union Station and walked a few blocks to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza http://www.jfk.org. This is the location where Lee Harvey Oswald stood on November 22, 1963 and assassinated President Kennedy during a motorcade through Dallas. There is an audio tour as you walk through and look at pictures and memorabilia as well as short informational movies you can sit down and watch for additional information. This was a very moving experience - and creepy to stand almost in the place that Lee Harvey Oswald stood.
Well, it's been a pretty busy summer so far and it's not over yet. I wonder what the next 4 weeks will bring...I'll keep you updated on my adventures.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Nanny
For several weeks this summer, I worked as a nanny for an almost 4 year old little girl. I gained a new respect for parents through this experience. I have been around kids in different avenues for the last 17 years: babysitting, working in my church nursery, working at a preschool and a daycare, teaching, younger siblings (my youngest sister is 14 years younger than me), younger cousins, and my niece and nephews. However, I have never been solely responsible for their moment by moment daily life.
I enjoyed hanging out with Blair and I tried to do as many fun things with her as possible, as well as just running simple errands. We went to a couple of parks, the Dallas Zoo, the Science Place in Fair Park (a great children's interactive museum for those Dallasites with kids of all ages) and we watched Happy Feet at the Studio Movie Grill. I took her with me to get my tires rotated, to get a new cell phone after I demolished mine and school supply shopping for when I head back to teaching.
I fixed breakfast and lunch; gave baths; cleaned so the house wasn't totally demolished at the end of the day; tended to boo boos; put together puzzles; colored; played hide and seek; and even had to put her in time out some. I was tired at the end of each day - but it was a good tired.
For you parents out there, I only got a sneak peek, but I applaud you because it's a tough job. But as tough as it is, I look forward to the day when I can join your ranks. I thank Blair for teaching me all she did about being a "mom".
I enjoyed hanging out with Blair and I tried to do as many fun things with her as possible, as well as just running simple errands. We went to a couple of parks, the Dallas Zoo, the Science Place in Fair Park (a great children's interactive museum for those Dallasites with kids of all ages) and we watched Happy Feet at the Studio Movie Grill. I took her with me to get my tires rotated, to get a new cell phone after I demolished mine and school supply shopping for when I head back to teaching.
I fixed breakfast and lunch; gave baths; cleaned so the house wasn't totally demolished at the end of the day; tended to boo boos; put together puzzles; colored; played hide and seek; and even had to put her in time out some. I was tired at the end of each day - but it was a good tired.
For you parents out there, I only got a sneak peek, but I applaud you because it's a tough job. But as tough as it is, I look forward to the day when I can join your ranks. I thank Blair for teaching me all she did about being a "mom".
Friday, June 27, 2008
100 Things...(I borrowed some of these because I want to do them too)
This is a list of things I would like to accomplish in my lifetime (my bucket list, if you will)...
1. get married
2. have/adopt kids
3. pay off my car (paid off 12-16-2008!!!!)
4. get out of debt
5. live debt free
6. go to New York City
7. go to Washington D.C.
8. go to all 50 states (I've made it to 25 so far)
9. take an Alaskan cruise
10. backpack through Europe
11. make a quilt just for me (finished 11-08)
12. finish my students handprint quilt (from 2004-05) - yes, I'm behind - finished it 7/14/08
13. finish the magic tree house quilt (from 2006-07)
14. buy a house
15. live in the country
16. have acreage
17. own a horse
18. finish all 7 BSF studies [Acts (04-05), Genesis (05-06), Romans (06-07), Matthew (07-08), the Life of Moses (08-09), John (09-10), Israel and the Minor Prophets (10-11)]
19. get my masters
20. work as an adoption counselor
21. dive the Great Barrier Reef
22. dive Roatan
23. lose weight ONGOING GOAL - AS OF 12/22/08 I'VE LOST 23 LBS AND 26 INCHES
24. get another tattoo
25. go to Brazil
26. go to Ireland
27. go to St. Petersburg, Russia
28. go back to Moscow
29. write a book and get it published
30. own a quilting frame
31. meet a celebrity
32. go to a Dallas Stars Hockey game (Emily and I went and saw them play the San Jose Sharks 12/29/08)
33. have a better relationship with my brother
34. ride the TRE from end to end (7/22/08)
35. go to Australia
36. go to New Zealand
37. have a backyard for Bella to play in
38. take a flower arranging class
39. go to the 6th floor museum (JFK) (visited 7/22/08 - very interesting - this is the location from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy
40. take a train ride cross country on Amtrak
41. eat lobster in Maine
42. read the bible all the way through
43. buy a Dyson vacuum (12/13/08)
44. fly in a helicopter
45. learn to snow ski
46. go to Disney World
47. go to Sea World
48. go white water rafting
49. go the Lone Star Park for horse races
50. do karaoke
51. go to Mackinac Island, MI
52. see Niagra Falls
53. go to Mexico
54. go to Canada
55. attend a taping of Oprah
56. go to Africa
57. go to Scandanavia
58. go to Spain
59. go to Austria
60. go to Italy
61. go on another cruise
62. have a star named after me
63. host a dinner party
64. learn to waltz
65. learn to salsa
66. learn to tango
67. stay in a bed and breakfast
68. see a broadway play
69. take a photography class
70. get an SLR film camera
71. swim with dolphins
72. go on a whale watching expedition
73. make a quilt and sell it
74. do sona med spa (or something like it) on my legs
75. do sona med spa on my armpits
76. make it to 500 volunteer hours at CMC (this put on hold...I have over 100 hours but because i got pneumonia in April/May and have been sick off and on over the summer - i temporarily resigned for my health and that of the sick children)
77. go to the drive in movies
78. see Emily get married
79. go to Texarkana to see Kim, Clay and Owen (7/28 - 30 /08)
80. live somewhere besides Texas
81. go to the San Diego Zoo
82. design and build my own home
83. learn to change my own oil
84. run a mile (I know its not far - but goals have to start out small)
85. plan a wedding (preferably my own)
86. ride horseback on the beach
87. spend a day at a spa
88. retire from teaching
89. rejoin a gym and use the membership (7/22/08 - I joined Curves - I like that I don't have to come up with my own workout plan)
90. ride the Texas Star at the State Fair
91. dive in Cozumel
92. go on another mission trip
93. go to the Amazon Rain Forest
94. go to South America
95. learn to knit
96. see Stonehenge
97. visit Alcatraz
98. go to the annual Tulip Festival in Iowa
99. go to Prince Edward Island
100. break out of my shell
1. get married
2. have/adopt kids
3. pay off my car (paid off 12-16-2008!!!!)
4. get out of debt
5. live debt free
6. go to New York City
7. go to Washington D.C.
8. go to all 50 states (I've made it to 25 so far)
9. take an Alaskan cruise
10. backpack through Europe
11. make a quilt just for me (finished 11-08)
12. finish my students handprint quilt (from 2004-05) - yes, I'm behind - finished it 7/14/08
13. finish the magic tree house quilt (from 2006-07)
14. buy a house
15. live in the country
16. have acreage
17. own a horse
18. finish all 7 BSF studies [Acts (04-05), Genesis (05-06), Romans (06-07), Matthew (07-08), the Life of Moses (08-09), John (09-10), Israel and the Minor Prophets (10-11)]
19. get my masters
20. work as an adoption counselor
21. dive the Great Barrier Reef
22. dive Roatan
23. lose weight ONGOING GOAL - AS OF 12/22/08 I'VE LOST 23 LBS AND 26 INCHES
24. get another tattoo
25. go to Brazil
26. go to Ireland
27. go to St. Petersburg, Russia
28. go back to Moscow
29. write a book and get it published
30. own a quilting frame
31. meet a celebrity
32. go to a Dallas Stars Hockey game (Emily and I went and saw them play the San Jose Sharks 12/29/08)
33. have a better relationship with my brother
34. ride the TRE from end to end (7/22/08)
35. go to Australia
36. go to New Zealand
37. have a backyard for Bella to play in
38. take a flower arranging class
39. go to the 6th floor museum (JFK) (visited 7/22/08 - very interesting - this is the location from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy
40. take a train ride cross country on Amtrak
41. eat lobster in Maine
42. read the bible all the way through
43. buy a Dyson vacuum (12/13/08)
44. fly in a helicopter
45. learn to snow ski
46. go to Disney World
47. go to Sea World
48. go white water rafting
49. go the Lone Star Park for horse races
50. do karaoke
51. go to Mackinac Island, MI
52. see Niagra Falls
53. go to Mexico
54. go to Canada
55. attend a taping of Oprah
56. go to Africa
57. go to Scandanavia
58. go to Spain
59. go to Austria
60. go to Italy
61. go on another cruise
62. have a star named after me
63. host a dinner party
64. learn to waltz
65. learn to salsa
66. learn to tango
67. stay in a bed and breakfast
68. see a broadway play
69. take a photography class
70. get an SLR film camera
71. swim with dolphins
72. go on a whale watching expedition
73. make a quilt and sell it
74. do sona med spa (or something like it) on my legs
75. do sona med spa on my armpits
76. make it to 500 volunteer hours at CMC (this put on hold...I have over 100 hours but because i got pneumonia in April/May and have been sick off and on over the summer - i temporarily resigned for my health and that of the sick children)
77. go to the drive in movies
78. see Emily get married
79. go to Texarkana to see Kim, Clay and Owen (7/28 - 30 /08)
80. live somewhere besides Texas
81. go to the San Diego Zoo
82. design and build my own home
83. learn to change my own oil
84. run a mile (I know its not far - but goals have to start out small)
85. plan a wedding (preferably my own)
86. ride horseback on the beach
87. spend a day at a spa
88. retire from teaching
89. rejoin a gym and use the membership (7/22/08 - I joined Curves - I like that I don't have to come up with my own workout plan)
90. ride the Texas Star at the State Fair
91. dive in Cozumel
92. go on another mission trip
93. go to the Amazon Rain Forest
94. go to South America
95. learn to knit
96. see Stonehenge
97. visit Alcatraz
98. go to the annual Tulip Festival in Iowa
99. go to Prince Edward Island
100. break out of my shell
Friday, June 20, 2008
A New Respect
I'm a teacher. I try to be at school everyday because I am responsible for the knowledge my students are required to gain throughout their year in second grade. However, just like everyone else, I occasionally get sick enough to have to stay home from work. And every once in a while, I just need a "mental health" day. But the concern of every good teacher is what a substitute will do with their class (think back to a class you had on a day when there was a sub - movies, talking, playing, no work, etc). Because I am a very organized person in general, my sub lesson plans are very detailed, often even down to the words I want the sub to say to explain a concept to my students. However, I never really imagined what it would be like for a substitute to walk into a classroom of students and be expected to teach, regardless of how well planned the lesson - I will admit that I have frequently been irritated with my substitutes for not getting done what I've left for them to do.
On Tuesday and Thursday, I was a substitute for one of my co-teachers for her summer school class. It was 4th grade (I've never taught anything but 2nd) and it was reading (I do teach this, just at a lower level). When I arrived, I found very detailed lesson plans which she had gone over with me on the phone the night before, but I still found I was very nervous when the students walked into the classroom and often felt like they were listening to nothing I had to say - a couple of times I asked "Is this how you act for Mrs. W?" They replied no. On Tuesday, it was all I could do to make it to the end of the day, wondering if this was really worth the $20/hour I was getting paid. Thursday morning was fabulous but that afternoon I wanted to pull my hair out.
Now that it is over, I've decided that it was worth the $20/hour - 2 days, 8 hours a day...but I have definitely developed a new respect for substitutes. In the future, when I have a sub, I will be much more understanding if they don't get everything done.
On Tuesday and Thursday, I was a substitute for one of my co-teachers for her summer school class. It was 4th grade (I've never taught anything but 2nd) and it was reading (I do teach this, just at a lower level). When I arrived, I found very detailed lesson plans which she had gone over with me on the phone the night before, but I still found I was very nervous when the students walked into the classroom and often felt like they were listening to nothing I had to say - a couple of times I asked "Is this how you act for Mrs. W?" They replied no. On Tuesday, it was all I could do to make it to the end of the day, wondering if this was really worth the $20/hour I was getting paid. Thursday morning was fabulous but that afternoon I wanted to pull my hair out.
Now that it is over, I've decided that it was worth the $20/hour - 2 days, 8 hours a day...but I have definitely developed a new respect for substitutes. In the future, when I have a sub, I will be much more understanding if they don't get everything done.
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