Wildlife

I drove another carload to my new home. On the way back it seemed like wildlife was greeting me around every corner. From four bucks to wild horses. I saw a wild horse with a colt that was pretty cute. The weather has been wonderful this week. Our mornings are humid and our evenings a thunderstorm with a refreshing rain.

I feel like I am pretty close to being done with moving. My plan is to move everything left to one corner to get a real feel for how much I have left. After I finish that the cleaning spree begins.  This change has been good so far. I've been welcomed back to the community by so many people. At my current house moving is made more difficult by the very steep set of stairs to my apartment. I carry stuff down and feel like I have noodle arms. Then after driving to my new place... I am like why does this seem so easy? Well because it is two steps into the house. I saw one of the parents of students in the town I am leaving and they told me good luck, thanks so much for everything, I could tell they were really wishing me the best. That was really nice. I am getting some anger from other folks. I guess in a way it is a compliment that they are mad I am leaving.Well I think it is time for a rest.

WIDE AWAKE!

I made a mistake... I drank some tea to stay awake to clean and pack. Now I have that age old caffeine problem of my eyes are open wide and the rest of me...wants to rest.  I guess I'll keep working till I crash. G-nite... soon, I hope.

Update: After a cleaning, packing, organizing caffeine induced spree. I decided to take a trip to the dump at 1 in the morning. Where else can you go to the dump at 1 a.m.  I didn't see any jack rabbits but saw a couple rats. Icck.  I also  interrupted parking teenagers or parking grown-ups. I didn't investigate.  I realized on the lonely road to the dump I turned my blinker on to turn into the dump. Made me laugh I don't know who I was letting know I was turning, a rat perhaps?   The bar is still thumping and it doesn't sound like they're slowing down much. I am though I think the caffeine  high is gone. A shower and my pillow.
G'nite.

In Style

Well this town is sending me off in style ...ahem.  The stoolies are in their seats loud, and proud, and a lot annoying. Someone brought out their  horn on a street above and started blowing it. They only know one note and it isn't a well played note.  When it gets this rowdy I expect a little nonsense.

I took another load over to my new place today. I am getting to that place in packing where it is odds and ends of this and that.  I had a couple of little helpers today. I may have things in strange places throughout my kitchen but they are "put away". It will be an adventure finding out where exactly my things are.

There seems to be so much to remember while moving, changing addresses for everything, etc that I think my brain is a little mushy tonight. I  don't see myself having an early night based upon the street noise.  I think part of the nuttiness is that after being soo hot we had thunderstorms come through which cooled it down to reasonable temperatures. Apparently for some that means go to the bar, as if they need an excuse. I just keep telling myself, that soon I will have houses for neighbors not saloons.

Timing moving.

So it is the second week of living gluten free. I do notice a difference and everyday I feel a bit better. It has been easier than I thought in many ways to live gluten free. What is amazing is how many everyday pantry essentials have gluten in them.  From salad dressings, soups, broths, mixes and more. Once I started reading labels it really is scary how much I was eating that I didn't realize. I don't eat bread much or things with bread (unless I visit north) that I really thought I didn't have that much gluten in my diet. I was wrong. Anyhow, every August I have my week of cooking preparing foods for my freezer to live on when the weather gets cold, school gets crazy, and I come home all tuckered out. This is going to need an overhaul as well. I am collecting new recipes. It will be way easier to manage this living closer to a grocery store. 

I am realizing this move will bring life back into balance. I haven't had that balance here in my current location. There has been so much good about it and I have learned so much. Overall this living situation hasn't been healthy for me.  Physically and mentally.  So that makes the move easier to do.

Speaking of moving the part of this state in which I live is all out of U-hauls right now. Apparently a lot of people are moving out of here instead of into here. Not sure that is good. It makes moving last a little longer than I'd like. I am trying to get my apartment packed up. It sounds like my apartment may be available tomorrow. I am crossing my fingers. I plan to take a load over from my apartment in my car. If I can't leave it at my new apartment I can leave it at a friends house.  So that will work.  

I am wondering why I am moving at the hottest time of year. The news is saying avoid strenuous activities during the hottest part of the day. Uhmmm I think moving is classified as strenuous.  So here I go another U-haul in my future. As I continue going through my gluten free life and find any yummy recipes I will share.

Changes

Sometimes change occurs very quickly. Although, I am not sure in this case it was quickly. I have been asked and asked again, and again... to come back to the district I worked at before. I really didn't want to make that decision when I was exhausted from the last school year. After taking a long break and meeting with the principal again. I talked it over with many of my favorite people who have my best interests in mind. It came down to the realization that what was keeping me here at this job probably wasn't going to last long term. I also realized health wise it probably wouldn't be good for me. Once I decided I started crying not because I will miss the place but my heart is so attached to the students here and I will miss them. Once I made the decision life began to move rather quickly.

My friend offered to come help me load up and move my classroom "stuff".  He brought over his car and trailer and we had my car. We loaded it all up today and drove it to my new workplace 2 1/2 hours away. It was sooo amazing that the janitors came out helped us carry everything in and then will move it into my new classroom when they finish cleaning it. I was SOOO surprised by their willingness to be so helpful. I was very thankful and grateful. I can't even begin to explain what a unique experience this was  after the last two years.

I looked at a possible rental today and depending on what "the boss" or the landlord's wife says, I may have that lined out. I have had such a warm welcome back to this town it really made me feel like my choice was the right one. I know it will have its struggles, ups and downs, but I have pals there to commiserate with.Teaching one grade level... so weird.

Many of you have donated books to go to the rural school I've been working at and I want to assure you that I left a lot behind. The next teacher will be in a wayyyy better position than I was when I started. Hopefully, it is appreciated. I did some of my paperwork today at the district office. I just have to wait to get my "release" letter from this district before I can be "official". The school board met tonight so hopefully they approved that. They posted my old job today so that is a good sign.

There is a little sadness about leaving such wonderful kids but there is a lot of excitement for meeting new ones  and meeting new challenges.

In other news when I was up north I was enjoying the yummyness that I normally don't get to enjoy, like pizza, burritos, sandwiches with fresh ingredients, and all sorts of deliciousness. The problem was my body wasn't really enjoying it and I began to feel worse and very lethargic. I won't share all the glorious symptoms, no one wants that. ;). After analyzing the situation and realizing that I ate a lot of breads that I rarely eat. I have said for a long time I don't really feel well when I eat grains especially really heavy thick breads. I decided to go of gluten in an experiment to see if it was the culprit. I've only been off gluten one week but every day I feel better and things are closer to "normal". So I don't know if I have an allergy or intolerance but I think I will be living gluten free from now on. If I can quit soda I can do this right?   It will be much easier to live gluten free now that I am moving closer to a grocery store.

Anyhow, I will keep you posted on what is new and exciting.

Boost!

I've been thinking about the ways that people help you get through life. Sometimes it is a little thing, or a big thing, or even  invisible. Sometimes you get help that you may not ever learn about. This has been on my mind because I've been thinking about the variety of ways people helped me get through college, finding a job, continuing education and more. That support in the variety of ways it came still means so much to me. I've thought about many times how I can kind of pay it forward so to speak. I haven't come up with a brilliant idea yet but it often occurs to me that even a little boost can really encourage a person.

I've had some amazing, positive, encouraging people in my life. What I value even more is those who speak to me the truth. Ahh yes it hurts at times, but those people I value so much more because I know they care enough to help me do what is right.   Anyhow, I know many of the people who helped me  along the way would not want anything in return.  So I am going to keep pondering this idea of how I can "pay it forward" in whatever small way I can.

Judgment

The question is... Is judgement a sin?

There is almost an agenda of  "judgment" in this land. Using the verse from Mathew 7 as their sword of righteousness when one should cast judgment upon someone.  It doesn't say not to judge, it says if you do judge you must also judge yourself by the same measure. In Leviticus 19:15 it says in righteousness to judge thy neighbor. So what does that mean?  It clearly says to judge thy neighbor but only in righteousness. If judgement was a sin every single judge in this land would be in terrible trouble. And  oh yes "Judgement Day". It is called judgment day, the day we are judged for our sins.  Hmmm, would God not want us to do what he does himself?  Okay back to judgment in righteousness. Righteousness according to Merriam-Webster means to act in accord with divine or moral law.  So if we are judging with divine law we are using the scripture as a foundation to make judgements.John 7:24 gives similar instructions "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."   Did that verse tell us not to judge? Nope it was instructing us to not judge the appearance of another but judge if they are using righteous judgment. In other words judge whether  they are using the divine law to make their judgments.  

Okay I've said judge quite a lot. So  again according to Merriam-Webster means:
to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premise.  To form an opinion. Okay we can form an opinion and make a judgment but it must be using righteous judgment or divine law to make that judgment. In the  old testament it gives rules for judges in their official capacity to follow so they can make sound judgments. There are also times in the old testament God asks Ezekiel for instance to judge Jerusalem to show her all of her abominations.  

So back to Matthew 7:1 Judge not that ye be not judged. 
If I am judging someone with righteousness or according to divine law. I better have the understanding I will be judged for the same thing, by the same measure. I also must have all of the facts to make the judgment.

So go forth and Judge Righteously. Every day we have to make judgements to keep safe, to keep away from things that may harm us, or take us away from what is righteous.  In Malachi 3:18 we are told we will have to discern between the wicked and the evil. We will have to recognize and identify those who follow God and those who do not. We will be responsible for that judgment.

While and a bit!

I've been trying to figure out what I want to say about the past while and a bit. Not sure. I spent some time with a couple good friends and saw some family I hadn't spent time with in a long while.  With the good experiences comes some less than stellar ones but I think I learned from both of them. When someone reaches out to you that hasn't in awhile make the effort to reach back.

I had a wonderful time sitting between the tall tall shelves of one of my all time favorite bookstores up north. I  was offered a chance at a second trip but declined on account of my accounting :). I  had a book budget but it is easy to exceed in a book store like that.  I could be quite content scouring shelves for books.  I've always enjoyed that. Their is a piece of me that would be quite content as a librarian. Although I think it is more enjoyable as something you do once in awhile, on a daily basis it might be quite monotonous.

I haven't processed all of my thoughts on some things I am figuring  out. Perhaps once I do I will share more.

Mom and I did some cleaning up and purging around the house today. One trip to the donation center and many to the trashcan. So that is progress.  

Weekend Project!

My Weekend Project

Otherwise known as the adventures of an

 incompetent/inexperienced/unknowledgeable DIY Project Manager!

(Sometimes you just have to learn by doing!)

I started with 4 Milk Crates

4' 4"   1 by 12 Pine Board

8  Carriage Bolts  5/16"  with 2" Length

8 Hex Nuts 5/16"

8 Wide Washers 5/16"

12 Zip Ties

Foam to Cover Top of Board

Fabric to cover board and foam

Staple Gun

Upholstry Tack Spray

(I wanted to use actual upholstry tack, but they were out)

 I zip-tied the four crates together

 Put the crates on the board and penciled in the hole where to drill Then Drilled in the center of each mark.

 Drilled and then inserted the carriage bolts

 I used the Upholstery Tack spray to adhere the foam to the board to prevent movment while putting the fabric on.

Stapled the ends and the sides then worked my way out 

I then put the washer on then the nut. Here is where I realized a 2 1/2 inch long bolt was way to long. But after umpteen trips to the Hardware Store to buy the wrong thing... I didn't care ;)

The Finished Project... You can see in the back ground I had 2 more. I ended up making three in all!

So what went wrong? I measured the benches correctly and knew how much fabric I needed. I just was a little to short on how much I bought. The vinyl if it had been a little bit wider it would've been perfect.  Buying bolts after going to the wrong unhelpful hardware store 2 times and being given the wrong thing. I wised up and went to the other one. I didn't measure how deep the bolts would have to go and bout 1 1/2" bolts which wasn't enough to fit all those layers. I also got a little carried away with the upholstery tack spray and almost had my fingers stuck together, it happens, at least to me!  Have someone around that uses Nail Polish Remover or a handy product called "GOOF OFF"! After all three projects were completed my brother came in and said "There is something called a Blind Bolt" I wanted to blind him! Why is the helpful info always shared after the fact? I know nothing about upholstery as well but I think it turned out okay! 

Next Steps:

We'll see how these hold up to kids! I am going to use them for winter boot storage at school.  When They are taking off boots/snow-pants/etc pretty soon the hallway is littered with snow paraphernalia.  I am trying to figure out what to put in the bottom of each crate to collect snow/dirt/snow I was thinking of carpet remnants, but if someone has a better idea please share! 

Sherlock, Bolts, Alternator!

If you've been reading my blog for awhile you know I have been listening to the Complete Tales of Sherlock Holmes on my various long car journeys. I am a little over 1/3rd of the way through the complete tales. I am trying to plan for the day they do end. I am looking for another classic book to listen to in the car. Sherlock Holmes is great because it works for a long or shorter car journey.  Before I started listening to this I became addicted to a British show simply called "Sherlock". It is the best representation of a modern Sherlock I have ever watched. The writer of the show is taking a lot of time writing the next episodes in the series and I am down to my last episode. I've been saving it for a time when I could be completely relaxed and enjoy it without distractions. I think summer break is the perfect time to do this. I hope the last episode in this series is as amazing as the rest, because I've been looking forward to it for awhile.

Well I went to the Hardware Store to purchase nuts, bolts, washers, and boards of course. The guy in the bolts department was very helpful and quickly got me everything I needed. The lady in the lumber department was unhelpful and sold me junk that I ended up returning. So I called an expert who told me exactly what to ask for and what lumber store I needed to visit.  So I feel much more prepared this time. I don't like it when people take advantage of your ignorance. Uggh!  So I hope to make that run tomorrow. Once I have the lumber and upholstery tack I will have all the materials needed to make my bench. I am excited. I also have a brand new re-manufactured alternator in my car. It is running smoothly and hopefully that continues.

My brother and I have been contemplating Father's Day for awhile and I am sure will come up with something brilliant. Mom said all he really wants is a barbecued hot-dog. I am sure that is true but I doubt we will go with something you can by off a cart on main street. 

I also spoke with my landlord today and he said he would check out the a.c. situation when they went to town. Hopefully, it is fixed while I am gone. He said "you don't really need it do you?". Okay dude have you visited in July or August? Uh yeah I think I need it. If I could open my windows without inhaling an ashtray in the summer maybe I could live without it.

  I have curriculum sitting in a box "staring" at me and I've successfully ignored it this week. I really need to dive into it soon because summer doesn't last as long as you'd think.  I got a snarky comment about teachers having summers off today. It is one of those rocks thrown at us and some of us deservedly so.  If more could see the hours some of us put in before work, after work, on the weekends, on our breaks,  maybe you'd make that comment less. Most teachers also spend a lot of their own money making the learning environment better for your kids as well. So please don't resent us for these things appreciate the ones who put in the extra effort and don't lump us all together.  I told my Dad today that teachers have summers off so students can live to see another year :) I am kidding, the tradition actually has more to do with our agricultural roots. Summers were and are still needed in most parts for planting, harvesting, and preparation of crops and land. In some parts of the country where they raise strawberries in winter they have a longer winter break. Even if school had been open in the past they would've lost their pupils to the farms. 

Wish me luck with my next lumber store adventure... G'nite

New Knowledge

I'm just gathering knowledge like crazy on this break. This is some knowledge probably passed from fathers to sons and apparently never shared with daughters. Anyhow, I just found out that boards labeled dimensions aren't their actual dimensions.  WHAT? Isn't this false advertising?   I feel like I've been lied to. So a 2" by 4" is actually a  1" 1/2" by 3" 1/2" board.  I have to now revise my thought process based on this new knowledge.   I had to google it of course and ask the question as to what the real measurements are. They claim when they cut the boards they are actual size and when they shrink in the drying process their measurements change. So why don't they cut them a half an inch wider to take care of this problem??   Sheesh.

So the reason boards came up in conversation is that I am attempting a summer project to enhance my classroom. I've been hoarding milk crates from the lunch room to make bench seating out of. Sitting upright on a side with the opening facing out. This would make for wonderful winter boot storage. I'm zip-tying the crates together and putting an soon to be upholstered board on the top and bolting it to the crates. I thought I possessed enough knowledge of measurements and the like to decide  the board to purchase. Siggh. I was WRONG! Luckily I conferred with our resident civil engineer before embarking upon my  lumber store shopping journey.  So I think I have been empowered by my new knowledge to make the correct purchases. If I complete this project I will share with you. It will be much more stylish than  my milk crate pantry.

I also have plans to do a different project to take care of another classroom problem.  The "Water-bottle" situation.  We have had twenty year old nasty beat up, taped down, holey, carpet these last two years. If the students spilled their water I just shook my head and moved on. We live in a dry climate  it evaporates before long and doesn't really create any new stains that  affect the overall aesthetic of the carpet. This summer they are putting in vinyl tiles. Now water bottles will be a problem.  What to do?  Unless one of my readers can engineer a better design  (please share) here is my plan. 

I came up with and discarded several ideas.  One problem is students bring their own water bottles and they are a variety of sizes. So traditional water bottle holders will not work.  I looked online. They are made to fit strollers, bicycles, and cars. No water bottle holders made to fit student desks.  The makers apparently don't live in a dry climate. Anyhow, I  finally decided on using PVC pipe wide enough to fit all sizes of water bottles and cap the ends. Then I had the problem of how to clamp it to the desk leg. I looked at hose repair clamps but I couldn't figure out how to attach this clamp to the PVC pipe and then have it wrap around the chair leg. Dad though I should just get a large one that would wrap around both. I see problems with this. It leaves an exposed metal edge that a student will cut themselves on, hang things from, tie things to, etc. In the gap created between the PVC pipe and chair leg. So I pondered this for sometime. My brother suggested I zip-tie the PVC pipe to the chair leg, but that still leaves that gap. So I thought maybe I could drill holes in the side of the PVC pipe and thread the zip-tie through the holes and then around the chair leg.  I think this might work if I zip-tie in a couple of places. I am worried about it sliding up and down the smooth metal chair legs.   If you have a solution HELP! I'm going to the hardware store tomorrow to see if inspiration strikes.

2 Chords

Just a quick note:  I've learned two chords on my guitar. Well I've learned the finger placement. It definitely isn't natural yet. Progress on the learning front!  

Sandwich

Ahhh it begins to feel like vacation. I slept hard and long last night. I didn't get much accomplished today other than some unpacking, a visit to the book store, and a sub sandwich.  I will get antsy before long but today I needed to totally chill. I was carefully considering all of my dinner options and I went with a sandwich. Sounds kind of boring and basic but it made my day.

I found a few books at the used book store for my students. It is always entertaining to go into the store. They recognize me as the teacher that visits on her vacation so they always want to find out what is new. They are changing locations and I could give them some very sincere empathy about moving books. It really isn't fun. Finding new books is fun. Moving whole shelves of books. NOPE!

I got to open the case and see my new/old guitar. It has a very nice sound. It may not be anything special but it is fairly indestructable and strums a nice tone. I haven't called anyone yet or made any plans to visit friends. I am just chilling out. On our way home we did stop and surprise some friends. It was great to see them and chat for a bit. We always seem to miss each other and this time we were both in the same place at the same time and realized that someone was knocking at our door.  We also were served some ice water that  got me home.

I've learned something about cars this last year. Most lessons I didn't really care to learn. Today I found out that most alternators are not brand new but re-built. Luckily my alternator got me up north before giving up. I just had it put in in September. Luckily it also fell under warantee and it is getting taken care of quite quickly. Thank goodness this didn't occur in the middle of the desert in the heat of the day. Siggh.  When are they going to figure out teleportation?

I have a few plans to build some things this summer which I hope to post here! Hopefully my plan goes well because I really want it too. I've also been trying to figure out a way to clamp water bottles to the students desks. They are perpetually knocking them on the floor. Next year there won't be  nasty carpet to soak up the water. I have a couple of ideas involving PVC pipe. I'll let you know how that goes.  I haven't made a lot of plans yet mostly ideas. When I get another night of fabulous sleep...maybe I can change those ideas to plans.

Barrels and Grads

Got my classroom cleaned up and cleaned out. I just need to run in and get a little work and move my computer. Today Mom and I drove down to watch one of my students in a barrel race and three of my other students were there watching it so that was fun. I forgot my hat, my sunglasses, and my sunscreen. NOT GOOD. So I came back with a little sunburn. It has been quite toasty here and my air conditioning broke yesterday in my apartment. I called  my landlord who told me which local to talk to to get it fixed. This individual I had to talk to....well... the best I can describe him is "Beetlejuice" and that may be a bit flattering. The creepy level is quite high.  If you've never seen the movie "Beetlejuice" just google the picture. That will give you a clue but won't quite display the weird factor.

Mom and I had fun watching the barrel race today. We stopped at a little market for sub sandwiches and headed back to town. Then we went to the school for graduation. It was almost unbearably hot in the building.  Graduation had its usual technical difficulties. The students did  fairly well. The graduation ceremony is personal to them so it is pretty meaningful. Then the graduation dinner was at town hall. Town hall is an old church. It was nice and cool in there and we had a nice dinner.   We came home and I caked on some lotion and took a cool shower. Tomorrow I have to load up to head north. I am looking forward to seeing some green and soaking up some moisture like a dry sponge. 

I am hoping that while I am gone the air conditioning gets taken care of.  Mom brought water melon down and that has saved us this week. It hasn't really sunk in yet that school is out. I think once I get completely away I shall be able to relax. 

Creamed Peas?

I'd never heard of creamed peas. I certainly never ate them. Mom brought them up today and I looked at her as though she was speaking a foreign language. Why would you eat peas with white sauce?   Why did we ever start that?  Creamed peas... Hmmmm

It has been hot weather here. We don't have a.c. at the school and the heater is still on.  Yep it is working in June ... Not so much in January, but June it works perfectly.  Not sure why they haven't turned it off yet. They probably think that it is off but the software isn't working correctly.

I almost have my classroom cleaned out. Almost. Not quite. When that is done my sigh of relief will be HUGE!   

Creamed peas.... WHY??

Conclusions

I've come to a couple of conclusions:

1. I need to have company more often so that I clean house more often.
2. That means YOU need to come visit.


Living in the boonies makes you start doing nutty things that you once saw your great aunts and grandmothers doing. Like saving twisty ties from packaging, and the plastic thing-a-ma-jigs from the end of the bread bag. You find yourself hoarding things because you just might need them, for something, sometime. Once in awhile you are glad you kept them but those occasions are probably a little rarer than what you think when you save them. I think I also find myself saving random used yogurt tubs and their lids because we don't have recycling here. Having been raised in a state that your recycling been is three times the size of your trash bin it is difficult. I could save my recycling and make a 3 1/2 hour drive to a recycling center. However, this last year I believe I made that journey a couple of times. So by the time I did make that journey my house would be taken over by recycling. It isn't very convenient or realistic.

I can share now that my parents are on the road and my Dad won't have an opportunity to read this before they arrive. I had a local bake homemade bread. It is Dad-Crack. I have butter and jam. Between that and RFDTV he will be completely content. Mom may kill be for buying Dad-Crack but I have to keep him going for a week! 

I've been thinking today about my neighbor that I grew up with. I learned so much from her and I find myself wanting to call her once in a while. I will reach for my phone and remember again. I am soooo thankful I had her in my life. Once in awhile I can hear what she would say in my head about this or that.   She is missed.

So, give me a call before you come so I can clean house... but you need to come... that way I throw out my stack of empty boxes! It's on YOU!

New wardrobe Found!

You know .... when I never get any comments.... I begin to wonder....

I am preparing for visitor (whoo hoo)!  I am tackling my mountain of clean laundry and washing the little pile of dirty I had left from this past week.  It is like discovering a whole new wardrobe. Although probably most of the bottom of the clean pile is winter clothing which I won't be wearing for awhile.  I turned on the music to help me get through this mountain and I have a question. When did 70's music become classic rock. Uggh. I know there is some redeemable music from that era... just very little of it is being played on the classic rock station.  

We had a brief meeting after school on Wednesday to discuss bicycle day. Do we really need to devote a whole day to bicycle safety. It is quite overdone I feel. Then I realized that our deputy's ego is attached to this event and his planning of it.  It came about because three years ago a town to the north of us lost a child riding on the streets in a terrible accident. After this they wrote a letter to our  president. It took three years for the letter to circulate through all of the agencies. They were told to create a plan. So bicycle safety is part of that. Our town grows up through a steep canyon. There isn't much bicycle riding of youngsters going on in town because the grown-ups are well aware it isn't safe. We do have lots of adults riding through town on long distance rides. The only students who ride bikes with any consistency live on ranches, and they ride horses first.  I had a bicycle afternoon last year to give the students a chance to ride on flat ground. Anyhow, here we go.  Hopefully, this isn't a yearly event or can at least be down scaled because they are asking way too much of one day. The weather prediction is hot. I am preparing myself for hot, tired, cranky, children.

I asked mom to bring ketchup, because with Dad coming to visit I know I will run out. That would be a tragedy. Also when he comes the butter usage goes up 99%. Luckily I stocked up on that and have plenty in the freezer. I rarely use butter anymore because I don't bake much anymore. It is sad. My kitchen just isn't conducive to baking. I can't believe next week is the last week of school. It is kind of surreal. This year was a very crazy and exhausting one and at many points it seemed as though it would stretch on... and on.   Okay you may have noticed I am rambling about not very important things. This could have to do with me and my amazing ability to procrastinate. I think I better go make another cup of tea and get back to work.

Smokey and Opportunities

My day started with a phone call.  A principal asked a former colleague of mine to call me. "Tell her to get over here and do what it takes to get her here!" It was a boost this morning to feel that rush that someone thinks you are good at your job and they want you at their school.  At work all these little faces looking at me made it really hard to consider moving at this point.

Then I had a meeting this afternoon. I've fought for two years to get a student help. The head of that department finally sat and talked with me before spring break and made it happen. Someone else tried to sabotage it moving forward. My heart sunk. I think the person had a personal issue with me and made it about that instead of the student. I had a horrible experience with this person last year and I was asked to write up what had happened. UGGH! So luckily the head of the department could set all of that aside and make it about the student.  So finally after two years I can get this student the help needed.  The head of that department told me "we should've done this for you and him a long time ago".  Anyhow the bottom line is it finally happened. So many times I  was near tears for this kiddo. I really hope this will make a huge difference.

This afternoon Smokey the Bear came to school. The kids were so excited to see him. It is really funny to me that even the kids who think they are too "big" for these things still went and gave Smokey a hug. Then as we were leaving my kindergartner ran over to Smokey and made him lean down so he could whisper in Smokey's ear. I don't know what he said but Smokey have him a "thumbs-up". Cracked me up. You never know what the kids will do. 

After  meeting Smokey and learning about fire safety  I took the kids up to the field for some play time. On Thursday Afternoons it is the only way to keep them sane. They played a couple of rounds of "Spiders and Flies" and then it was time to go home.  Every year I make a CD for my students of songs we learn throughout the year. I play a lot of music in my classroom but I forget how much I do until the kids start helping me make this list. It is really great because the majority of them are education related. They even requested some of the classical music I play. It makes me feel good when we make this list because I know they love the music.

Judging

I've been thinking a lot about judging. It seems more and more people are justifying their behavior, actions, and choices by saying someone else is judging them. I don't believe it is wrong to judge. I believe it is wrong to judge and not turn that same judgement upon yourself and reflect on your own behaviors, actions and choices. The verse I believe is in Matthew 7 that talks of judging others and ourselves. We have to have some discernment on what is good and right.  I feel saying "you're judging me" is a cop out for people to do whatever they want. Everywhere I turn lately it seems someone is trying to justify their choices to me or to the world, or to someone else. They want someone to say it is okay and find people in agreement with them. If  you feel completely secure in your choice you don't feel you owe anyone an explanation.  I know I am guilty of doing this as well. It is a dangerous trap. It is natural to seek approval from others. However, who are those "others" we seek approval from? Just some of my thoughts lately.

I headed east for a couple of days this weekend. I hung out with some friends and had a great time with them. It is one of those places where you always feel like the door is open and they're happy to see you. So it was a very relaxing time for me. I came home and have almost completely tackled my mountain of dirty laundry. I haven't  tackled the folding part of that yet.  I really hate folding laundry. I need to get over it though I don't see that chore ever ending!

6 school days left. I spoke with a colleague tonight and he said "Are you tired?". Yes, YES, I am. We are tired mentally. It has been a really rough and long year. We need to step away and refresh. Six more school days, the 7th day is a work day for teachers. I can do this. I am really hoping their will be some positive changes over the summer.  I know there will be some for me because I will get away and spend time with friends and family. Looking forward to this.  

Countdown

I usually write on my blog after work when my brain is tired. Then I come back and read some of my blog post and notice all my errors. Forgive me my spelling/grammar errors. It is so weird how you can do basic math all day and come home and can't do it. It tells you how tired a brain is by the end of a day. ''

Today was a good day. The kiddos worked hard this morning and then after reading time we focused on our play. We wrote a play as a class about the three states of matter. Today was the grand performance for the parents. We did have a practice round several weeks ago for the upper grades. I really appreciated all the parents, friends, and family that came for a short little play.  There were a couple of students that didn't show up. I don't know why so I quickly rearranged the lines and we pulled it off with barely a hitch in our giddy-up. It was a great way to end a long week. The parents enjoyed it and the kids were proud of themselves. So it was good.

Six days of school left. SIX DAYS! Our aide has started to help me box things up in my classroom in preparation for new flooring. Also after two years for some random reason they decided to give me my username and password to submit help tickets for maintenance. It was amazing. I immediately put one in to get a white board put back up that they took down over spring break to do some painting and never replaced it. Also to fix a lock on the Uniform Room door. Students have been accessing it and trying them on for fun. I don't know if these help tickets will be acknowledged but it made me feel like there was a possibility  they would be taken care of. 

The upper grades worked on making a rock outline of our high school initials on the hillside below our track field. They just finished placing all of the rocks. I guess there is a plan in place to paint it but it looks very nice. The seniors had their first week back after their senior trip. I have to figure out how to become their class adviser. They went on a cruise to Alaska. From what they said they had a wonderful time. They were excited about the unlimited food at the buffet, seeing lots of green, and how moist their skin became.  They were pretty lethargic this week but with only six days left I imagine this lethargy will get progressively worse. 

I am looking forward to having some visitors the last week of school. Although I will have to clean the mountain of clean laundry off the guest bedroom bed.  At least they are clean clothes!   Well I've been forcing myself to stay awake till a reasonable hour... I think it is here... so off to my pillow I go...

Have a lovely weekend and Memorial Day.  

Stoolie Season

The "bar-stoolies" are out and about. Mostly out on the sidewalk.  The music is loud and their yells over the music louder. Not my favorite season of the year "stoolie season".  If you've read my former posts you know I live over a saloon which is closed the majority of the time. However, virtually all of my neighbors are also saloons. When the weather gets warm they celebrate by drinking outside on the walkway. They open the doors to the saloons and the otherwise contained noise filters into the streets as well. I fondly (ahem) call them "Stoolies" because they bear some similarities to the "stooges". They sit on their bar stools and solve the worlds problems and create more than they solve. So "stoolie-season" is here. I don't hear them much unless they  are quite near my house or I am in my front room.Well, or if they happen to get in a fight and pull a weapon on one another. Otherwise my walls are so thick at the back of the house I do not hear them much.   It is worse this time of year because we have drillers and temporary workers in town.

It was quite a day today. You never know what  a day will bring that is for sure. We had a meeting after school and as usual I was wowed by the professionalism. I feel sure I have something more to learn from all I've been through this year and seen this year. Is it any wonder I am counting down the days till school is out. The more I learn the more I want to make sure I have very good people around me. Good people help you to be the best  you can be as well as being encouraging.  It is why I am looking forward to heading north for awhile this  summer. I need to get back to the basics of why I love teaching and focus on my students. 

So if you can walk into your home without hearing the "stoolies" opinion on the state of the world.. You may want to move... HA HA!   

Grocery Creativity

It's been over a month since I purchased groceries. Cooking is getting a little more creative than I'd like. Thank goodness for our delicious school lunches. It is the end of the year so all the meals I made to get through winter are pretty well gone. So dinners are a little more creative than they should be. Creative is a very generous description. A better word might be "desperation"dinners. I need that app that you can plug in what you have in your kitchen and it can give you a list of possible meals. It might get embarrassing if the app was confused!

I am heading east for a couple of days this weekend and will pick up a few necessities at the store while I'm there. This Thursday my students are delivering their "Three States of Matter" play for their parents. Hopefully, they will enjoy it.  One of my second grade students tested for reading at a 6th grade level. I knew she was high but I was surprised by that. I attribute this mostly to parents who always read to her and never "dumbed" down vocabulary. They would just explain the words and continue reading the books. I hope her teacher had a little something to do with it but, I think it is a combination of good genetics, good parenting, and hopefully a good teacher.

I discovered I am old yesterday. Not that I have a multitude of aches and pains or I'm falling apart. Nope I realized I can't drink caffeine after 5p.m. and expect to sleep at night. Sigh... it is a bummer. 

Tomorrow, we have our planning meeting for next year. It will happen after school. I decided to keep quiet and let the chips fall, even if I think the chips need to be thrown in a trash compactor. Logic doesn't work in this situation so I won't try to infuse any into the discussion. 

I'm going to eat a bowl of cereal.. I still have milk and cereal.. what more do you need?

Optimistic

It was  a good day today. I drove about an hour to watch a couple of my students compete in a barrel race. It is good to see them out of their usual context because  you can get an idea of how they behave in different situations.  It also means a lot to them when you show up to their event. Anyhow it was fun to watch them and see how these little people ride these big animals with such confidence.

For the first time in awhile I am feeling optimistic about my job situation. We may be changing administration. I really, really, hope this happens. It would be a huge change and we would all be held more accountable. I am okay with that because I know that things will be taken care of and that would relieve so much of my stress. I know that I may get told NO, now and then but it would be from the voice of experience. I also know that I may not like the answer I get all of the time, but at least I would get an answer. Sometimes we are forced to handle things we probably shouldn't because otherwise they don't get taken care of at all.

There seems to be a lot of possible changes in the air which really makes me more excited about my job. Which is sooo good. I was getting so discouraged about things that it was hard to see possibility if that makes sense. Anyhow, I don't know anything for sure but time will tell.  We don't have much school left till the end of the year. I am very much looking forward to summer break. I have several school related projects I want to work on over the summer, but over all I am really excited about a change of pace. There has been so many stressful events at work this year, no heat, floods, staff, drama, etc. That It is time for me to head northwest and see water, and trees, and the like.  

There was a request out on a social media site from a former colleague of mine. Their sun has an extremely rare disease their son has been in and out of the hospital since birth. They had to fly to the east coast for genetic testing to find out what was going on. They finally moved to a large city so he could get better medical care. He is doing phenomenally well since they made this move. He has an electric wheelchair he isn't able to walk very far. Anyhow, a lady with kind generosity donated them a wheel chair lift for the chair. If you've ever tried to move one of those you know how heavy they can be. They asked if there was anything they could do to say thank you! The lady told them she wanted a cow skull for her yard. So I put the word out and one day a student walks in with a bull skull, one horn still intact.  I thought this was sooo great. I took it to the other teachers and said " Your students might bring you an apple or chocolate, but look what my students bring for me!" We had a couple of chuckles about that. Now I have to get it to my former colleague. I hope to be able to do this in a couple of weeks.  I hope it is what the lady had in mind.  

Not much time left until the end of the year. I've really been pushing the kids to keep working up till the end and they have! I am very proud of them for pushing hard. There are a couple of exceptions but the majority of them are giving it their all.   I had a parent tell me that school was supposed to be "FUN". I said no school is about learning and learning isn't always "easy or fun". Sometimes learning is work. I do try to make it fun to learn but isn't one of the lessons we have to learn in life that we have to overcome things that are hard for us? To do this we need to continue to work through them even when they aren't "FUN"!   I appreciate the parents who really see that I am pushing their students because I want them to have success in learning, and in life.    I am looking forward to my parents coming down for a visit soon! It will be good to have a little help. I have to empty my classroom so that they can redo all of the flooring, finishing fixing drywall, and a fire alarm system and other updates. Hopefully they have all this done in a timely manner this summer.  We shall see....

Mother's Day and Mondays

I hope everybody had a nice Mother's Day. I sent my Mom a gift card and Dad said " What's this for" Uh Dad.... Mother's Day ahem!  It was a quiet weekend which was nice for me. Got a little laundry done, did a little cooking, did some dishes. Nothing exciting but that is exactly what I needed. The weather has been very warm here and by the end of the day today I thought we were all going to melt in the classroom. I finally turned off the lights and we worked that way. It helps keep it cooler.  It is this time of year and in the fall that I have to push the kids to drink. I worry they are getting dehydrated and don't know it.  So then I remembered when I was visiting the mine they had a "Urine Color Chart" taped to the back of every bathroom stall. It gives the colors and how much water you need to drink. So I taught the kids about it and hung it in their stalls. Then of course they alllllllll had to go to the bathroom to analyze the color. Only a couple came back and said they needed to drink some water. It made me laugh, this process. I think it is important to teach kids how to listen to what is going on in their body. It is so dry where we live and when the weather gets warm you can get dehydrated pretty quickly. I am sure there are some parents are going to learn more about urine color tonight. I talked to a couple of them and they thought it was funny and a good thing as well.   So... if you are interested you can find a
"Urine Color Chart" here. 

Tonight we had our Athletic Awards Presentation and Potluck. They always do it up right with the potlucks around here. We even had some greenery this time, I saw lettuce and some broccoli. Quite impressive.  Anyhow all of the coaches came and said very kind and wonderful things about the athletes. Before all that though I had to give a little speech. I hope I articulated as well as I wanted to.  Once you're talking you're not sure how it is coming out.  I was disappointed  that only two of us teachers showed up tonight. That is fairly typical though. You can only do what you can do though. Scheduling this was a pain because the seniors travel dates for their senior trip kept changing. So we finally just decided on a date and went for it.  So the seniors did end up being gone, on a cruise to Alaska. I hope they are having a great time.

I am tuckered out so I'm hitting the showers... g'nite

Mining

It has been busy. I know I'm going to forget something so I hope I can remember the highlights. For my STEM class we were privileged to visit an underground mine. We went about 17 stories underground in just the shaft cage. I am not sure How much further we went down after that. It was deep and dark and seemed like another world.  We all were provided coveralls with reflector tape, steel toed rubber boots, headlamps, a respirator, and a safety presentation. The respirator was precautionary as the mine had an amazing ventilation system. Air sucked through a ridiculously huge fan was pushed down into the mine while another sucked the bad air out. There was a maintenance shop underground, a "car" wash,  a huge jack for oil changes, and even a lunch room. We saw where the carts carry the ore above ground.

 We were able to watch miners placing bolts in the walls of  one of the branches they were getting ready to pull ore out of. The bolts were put in to hold up the surrounding walls, then a layer of "shock-crete" is placed over that. This is done as they go to prevents rocks falling or cave-ins.  It wasn't a day they were trucking ore to the bins to raise to the surface it was a maintenance day, so we didn't get to see blasting either. Although I am not complaining about that. It sounded quite dusty and not as exciting as one might think. Well unless you like carefully placing explosive which may bring out the inner eight year old boy in some! 

The ventilation tubes were quite large and you could feel the air blowing in. The fresh air felt amazing down there. You could immediately notice the change in air quality when you were further away from the ventilation, or near the outtake ventilation. 

We also got to go into the room that has the hoist cables which carry the "cage" up and down into the mine.  It was  also way larger than I had imagined. The "cage" is what the miners called the elevator. Elevator doesn't begin to describe it though it was built to carry the heavy mining equipment into the ground and if I remember correctly it could carry over 27,000 pounds. The "cage" part is where the miners take the two minute ride underground. The level under the cage is where "cargo" is taken down. Then above the "cage" was an area for shaft inspectors to ride and make sure the shaft didn't have any issues that could be dangerous to the operation of the hoist.   It was a little spooky to realize how far underground we went so quickly. 

It was also interesting to see all of the large equipment you just wouldn't expect to see underground because the only way in is in the "cage" they explained that the equipment would be delivered, mechanics would take it apart, the parts would be sent down the shaft, where mechanics would reassemble them. There was almost an assembly line of tool boxes. Each mechanic had their own box. They would get a stipend for tools. Also apparently they had to put a limit on the size of toolbox they were allowed to bring with them into the mine. We wondered if their was a "toolbox" hierarchy, as you were there longer your toolbox might be moved to a better location. I don't know why that occurred to us but it did :).

We needed our hardhats with the miners light for the light. When you were walking you had to keep an eye on the ground where you were walking or you'd slip in mud or trip on a rock in your huge mucky boots. We rode in transport trucks  and I was able to sit up front which was nice because I had a great view. Once in awhile we'd have to pull off into a side channel to make way for equipment coming through. We even had to pull out of the way for a road grader. It was completely bizarre to see that underground. The maintenance areas were very well lit and all of the equipment had LED lights and reflective materials on them. Once in awhile our driver would holler something out to someone he would see and apparently they have their own lingo down there because I didn't understand a single word he said.  It could've been anything from hello to get out of the way you jerk. I have no clue!  

Our guides were a couple of geologists and a mine supervisor and a crew supervisor. We had a lot of people with us. Some stayed in front of us for the tour and some behind us. Making sure we stayed with the group at all times. I could see how imperative that was,  for safety reasons. I'm not sure what they miners thought of a bunch of teachers coming down into their world but they were all gracious hosts.

I think we were down there about 2 1/2 hours but I kind of lost a sense of time. When we came up we were provided with box lunches. I am really glad I was able to experience this. I came home and probably washed gold dust from my hair, definitely arsenic, and other gunky rock materials.

It's the WEEKEND!

I made it through this school week and we survived state testing. We finished our play about the three states of matter and performed it for the upper grades today. The older students appeared to enjoy it and my class seemed to feel quite proud of themselves. Next we will work on props and do a performance for their parents. The adults especially got a kick out of the play I could hear their chuckles which is good.  I have been worn out this week so I am very happy it is my Friday today. 

I will have to go into work over the weekend(when don't I), but at least it is quiet and I can get quite a bit done in a short period of time. I also am going to see a friend a short ways away this weekend and have some relaxation time. I am also going to another event that I will share details about later. It should be interesting.

I was looking over the calendar today and there is only about a month left until school is out. I knew time was flying by but I didn't realize it was happening that quickly. It will be June in the blink of an eye. I have a mountain of laundry to catch up on and dishes piling up in my sink. How I created so many dishes when I've been avoiding cooking this week, I am really not sure. When you live alone you can't blame it on anyone else.

Signs of spring and summer are here. Tourists are driving through town and stealing my parking spot. They pull the "wrong" way into the gas station. The rhythm of town changes if that makes sense. I think it is a good thing though because we all develop these quirky little patterns. We need to mix it up once in awhile. I was speaking with a local recently and she said this is one of the few places you live that all the town drunks know you by name and feel they can comment on your job performance, personal life, etc. It is amazing! Some of them I've never seen at a school event so you really wonder where their information came from. This town has taught me sooooo much. Some of the lessons were easier than others. It is up to me to not get stagnant and not continue to learn and become better at my job.   I had a substitute this week who moved here with her husband for his job. She has her teaching degree and is quite a good teacher. She told me she didn't know how I did this job here.

I find more and more that I can't have much of a social life within this community. What you say or do is quickly twisted and mythologized. Getting out of town isn't exactly cheap or easy. So I tend to chat on the phone more than I should as a social outlet.  I also have my brother on a guitar search this summer. Maybe I can learn a little on the guitar and use it in my classroom. I definitely need more creative outlets. Next week for my STEM class we are going on a tour of a huge mining operation. I am excited but not excited to wear the required  provided boots and coveralls. It is quite an amazing opportunity though tours of this type do not happen very often. I will share more later... have a fabulous weekend

Manic Monday

Well, I think I've gotten the message on how important parents find state testing.  One family visited another state over the weekend over a 12 hour drive, some kids went to their grandparents, one had visiting family and friends and activities, one parent has meetings keeping the student out till 10 at night, the other I don't know. Then one of the parents had an after school birthday party which of course creates a sugar high, lack of sleep, and too much stimulation. Sigh. The parent did tell me that testing wasn't that important. I guess her job doesn't depend on it.  Sooo frustrating. If they had to attempt to teach them after having a crazy busy weekend and an over abundance of sugar maybe their priorities would change.  I had to keep them awake this morning for their test. We have three more days of testing.  I am kind of disgusted but what can you do. We sent so many informational things home about testing and it apparently was ignored. This makes me frustrated and tired.

Instead of going  into work yesterday for a long period of time I decided to get up and go in early this morning. It was good because I did get a lot done before school. I am awfully tired after school today though.  We are finishing up our "Three States of Matter" unit and are finishing by writing a play about solids, liquids, and gases. It has been fun to help them write the play and develop characters for the play. Hopefully, we can finish writing it tomorrow so that they can perform it on Thursday.  This has been my afternoon change of pace so that they do something completely different than state testing.  Hopefully, my students are doing well on it. I have no idea.  

The grandparents of one of my students came in with her this morning to see the school and drop her off. They donated 200$ to the class to purchase some books. I thought that was extremely generous. So we looked up some books she would like to order. So that was fun and I will pick out some more later. 

Well, I am going to throw some laundry in and put on some pj's Monday is almost over!

Thursday

What a day brings, you never know. I was invited to attend the baptism of two of my young students. I have mixed emotions about it for many reasons but eventually I decided I will attend. This event is occurring out in the desert at a natural hot springs. I have been curious to see the hot springs so that should be fun, and overall it should be an interesting time. It is important to the students that I attend.

A local passed away last weekend and there will be a funeral for him. He was kind of the helper for my landlord and fixed things, and cleaned things. So I talked to he and his wife quite often. The funeral is next weekend so I will attend that as well. I've also  been invited to two of my students birthday parties. So  I kind of feel like if I attend one I'd better attend the other. So between school and weekend activities, and the end of the year, it is going to be busy.

I am glad it is Thursday. Even as I left work I forgot it was the end of the week. It is though... WHEW!

Missed Learning

I've been thinking a lot lately about how many school days are interrupted for non-education related things. I guess it could be argued they are educational. When I look at how much we have to cover and how much time we have to cover it in it is frustrating to have interruptions. There are picture days, smokey the bear, bicycle safety, legos, assemblies, anti-tobacco assembly,  it just goes on and on. I've been really frustrated this year because they keep scheduling things in the morning which is when the students are fresh and I try to do as much core content in the morning. Today kind of pushed me over the edge. An individual scheduled things without talking with any of the staff, or even the principal, or the unofficial principal (secretary). The principal is letting it happen with a slight schedule change. To me it shows a lack of respect for what we have to do at school. It isn't that I think the kids shouldn't have these opportunities. I just feel that our teach time is so valuable and precious because there is so little of it.  I just wish everyone valued education. So many people talk like they do, but then everything they do suggests otherwise. If I started adding up the hours that were non-core content teaching hours. We would miss several days of school. Frustrating.

I was looking closer at student test scores today. With one the scores didn't match what I see in the classroom. I think I need to hover near this student while testing is going on because the attention span is so short. Lack of sleep, lack of healthy food, lack of structure, lots of sugar make it difficult for the child to stay focused. There may be some other issues as well. I just wonder how much better it could be if the above things were taken care of.  I noticed some other things about students as well. So It was good to take a closer look at it. I told my mom today the students that were high had nothing to do with my teaching, and the students who are low, it is all my fault.  At least that is how administration makes me feel.

I was asked by another district this week to come and meet the principal. No pressure involved just come and have a meeting. I will have to do that. If I knew that principal would be in the district for awhile it would be a stronger pull. The principal retired once but came out of retirement to help clean up some messes. It is good to make connections even if no change comes from the meeting.

I had one boy struggling finding something he enjoyed reading. He picked up the biography of John Glenn and really enjoyed it. I hope he picks up some more biographies. He likes adventure books which really good biographies are an adventure.  Biographies seem to be the new favorite thing. Well after every horse book ever written.

I was listening to a student read the biography of Sacajawea today and here is how our conversation went.

"she was married at 16 years old!"  student
"That happened a lot back then, too young huh!" me
"Yes, that is how old  high school student is!" student
"She shouldn't get married till she's like 49" student.

Me chuckle, I was wondering if she meant the h.s. student or Sacajawea.  The kids make the frustrating days more fun!

Update: Forgot to share we are on a "boil water" notice until Saturday. We'll see if that is extended. This is due to a water leak that became a flood, and hopefully doesn't lead to a town water shortage.  So apparently this affects water quality  so yay! Ahem! I had some left over bottled water from the last time something like this occurred at work. So the students  could drink that. The excitement continues.

Poo and Assessments

It was great to get away for the weekend. My house definitely smelled of cigarette smoke   when I got back. UGGH!. I spent a couple of days airing it out. Then a friend gave me this oil spray and it finally took the smell out.  I felt like I was tasting an ashtray when I walked in.  Getting back to work after the weekend was interesting. I had to have a conversation with the janitor about keeping the dog out of the kitchen while serving food, and out of the school in general. I had to clean many piles of dog poo off the playground which didn't make me happy. It is a good thing I had experience dog sitting and I am okay with a shovel. Yuck. This is not in my job description. I just didn't want the kids stepping in, rolling in,  the poo. 

I finally got to see the test scores of my students. One had gained 28 points this school year which is close to three grade levels. That made me feel really good. Some did better than others. The younger kids I think have trouble navigating a test. I think sometimes they hurry to get it done, or just enjoy the clicking. You can tell when they get it because their test scores jump really quickly.   The third graders have their state test next week so I am trying to get them ready for that.  I realized as I was looking over test scores I need to figure out ways to talk to them about these test scores to increase them. I may be confusing you we have a couple of kinds of assessment tests.

 One type we do in our classroom which is kind of the dirty data so to speak. It just lets us know if they are making some progress in reading and math. There aren't many questions but it gives us a general idea. Then there are tests we take every quarter that are assessment tests for the district. These are the ones I was saying I need to get the kids more motivated on. Then third grade and up takes a state assessment test one time a year.  I was reading an article about how the students in our state are doing versus the national averages and it was pretty pathetic. I think sometimes our small areas are doing better than that though we just don't have the numbers the big cities do to counteract those averages. I would like to see it broken down at least county by county.  What is exciting about the district tests I could see how my students are doing in comparison to the District average and the National Average. This was fun on some because they were well above both of those.  Makes me feel like I am doing something right. I need to go back and take another look at them because I only had a quick look because I was printing off a report to help a student get assessed for special education.

I've had some decisions to make lately that I am still struggling with.  I hope I have that light-bulb moment that makes it all clear. I've changed my mind so many times my head hurts. There are a lot of pros and cons to consider. 

Saloons, Cigarettes, and Coyotes!

I knew the saloon was opening up for the weekend but I optimistically thought oh maybe they won't stay too long on Thursday night. I really wasn't up for leaving town right after school this week. I was pooped so I thought ahhh I can deal. I left school at about five and it was open the music was blaring and the party had started.  I had stopped at the cafe to get dinner made by someone else and ate my dinner and tried to relax. I made a few phone calls and talked with my Dad. He said boy you sound all stuffed up are coughing. That is the cigarette smoke doing its job. He suggested I run down to the school and get my air purifier. Well DUH! Why didn't I think of that. So I ran down there and if nothing else on its highest setting it drowns most of the noise. I can do this for one night. I am heading east for the weekend.

I had a crazy off kilter week this week.  It seemed like the plan was no plan at all because the plan was altered without warning  every day. I finally surrendered to the insanity. I had a person show up to do student testing, an assembly that I knew the day but not the time, a very brief visit from the principal, snow storms, picture day, a 4-H lego activity. I think there was more but I forget now.  On the upside my lovely tea thermos I bought at www.teavana.com kept my tea warm on those cold days.  

One of my students was very sad after finishing the biography of Daniel Boone. She informed me that she needed more biographies. I did order more and she moved on to Milton Hershey, Thomas Edison, and another one I forget right now. She was really quite unhappy to discover that she couldn't find the biography of Davy Crockett on the shelf. I am so in trouble for that! She had to settle for Florence Nightingale. Which after starting to read it wasn't too bad after all. You really never know what book or type of book will make reading more fun for students. When they find the thing that excites them it is really fun and rewarding for me to see.  I also found a series of horse books that are about horses owned by historical figures. So for my horse-loving students this has been  amazing as well. One of the boys I have had trouble finding a book for is reading the biography of John Glenn and seems quite happy about it.  

So this weekend is another coyote roundup. It is quite a clever way to take care of varmints on your ranch. You actually  can create an event that you even charge for. Interesting! So I have heard that coyote pelts are selling for about 45$ so maybe that makes a difference. I don't know anything for sure other than coyote roundups always come with nights at the saloon and a lot of cigarettes.  I am excited to be exiting town and enjoying some fresh air in another part of the state.  

Nag!

So I talked to my cousin for a minute and he told me he was mad at me because I hadn't been writing in my blog, so nobody wants that so I figured I'd better write :)!   I haven't written much lately because I've gone through so many levels of emotions mostly on the negative side that I really didn't want to throw that out into the universe. My cousin reminded me of how cathartic it can be. If you enjoy writing it is a healthy way to release some of that.

I had a wonderful spring break I was able to spend time with good people and get some rest.  It was very hard to come back. Not because I was dreading going back to work, or that I wasn't ready to come back to work. I just wasn't ready to come back to negativity.  A colleague told me I had post-spring-break hangover. I said I didn't drink!  He told me that I hung out with positive fun people and came back to the place where they celebrate your failures and you left the place where they want the best for you and celebrate your successes. This was a good wrap up of what had happened to me.

I was very happy to see my students again and see how their break went. I came back to adults pushing boundaries, adults worried about having jobs next year, adults manipulating,  and overall unhappiness. I was feeling better having purged my pain on anyone who would listen over my break. I realized when I came back the environment I am working in is terribly dysfunctional. There isn't enough functional people to overcome the rest of the nonsense. It is very wearing.

Today there was a town "Car Show", a "Town Team" Basketball tournament, A School "Pancake Breakfast", and much other madness. I was down at the school for parent teacher conferences all day yesterday. Then I went back in the evening to open the gym for the players so that they could practice a little before the tournament. So town has been packed full today. I was gathering my things to run down to the school and I could hear someone on my porch. I peeked out and saw a television crew interviewing someone. I waiting for them to finish their interview and then I surprised them by opening my door. They were surprised to see me as well. One of the locals sent them up to my porch. Did  I ever mention Main Street living isn't so much fun. I have a different perspective on things now. I was thinking of places that I have visited and the homes that were there. I was just fascinated by them from a historical perspective but I didn't give a lot of consideration to that being someones HOME! It is fishbowl living for sure. 

I had my formal evaluation from my principal, the formal evaluation was very good. The principal made a couple of comments that I did not respond to. It took a lot but I knew if I asked a question, or made a comment, I would be opening a door that I didn't want to open.  If my principal did just the basic requirements of her job it would be amazing.  I have come to appreciate the principal who makes difficult decisions and maybe I don't always agree with them they uphold a standard. 

I have gone back and forth ten thousand times about what I am going to do next year. My principal did ask if I had any plans to leave. I said no. I said that because at that particular moment I didn't :)! I didn't say it could change. We haven't gotten our letter of intent for next year. They are running a bit late with it so I can see that there may be some changes coming. 

So Here YA GO COUS! Your nagging worked .... uh oh did I just create a monster?

Spring

Had a great break got a little sun, saw some friends, and had an overall change of scenery. It made it a little easier to come back. I came back to the mess I was expecting. They did work over the break and so I just made it work today.  We had snow last night and the wind was blustery today. It made it a little chilly. I took the kids out for recess and even though it was chilly it was good to get some fresh air.  I was feeling pretty negative and down before the break. Some friends told me where you are "abnormal is the norm". That is very true. I keep expecting normal someplace that isn't ever going to be. I also realized I just need to set aside my pride not worry about  unkindness and just keep moving forward. I think it is a huge help that I am feeling almost healthy again.  I can breath again. If you know someone with lung problems have patience. I had no idea how much that would drag you down. 

The secretary told me today "the kids love you, you know that?". I do but sometimes I kind of forget. They were all pretty cute at lunch time we were discussing the musical we went to, and were singing songs, and really demanding my attention. They were on a roll this afternoon with behavior on the negative side. Since our classroom is not back in order yet I realized it was the close quarters getting to them. They just had a little too much "togetherness"!  We got quite a bit put back today and the high school boy's are going to help me in the morning move the heavy stuff.  The work they had scheduled to get done over the break was not finished. They only sent a couple of people so with all that needed to be done I think they did pretty well.  I don't know if they will be back or just wait until summer. I am hoping  they wait till summer the moving is not so much fun!

I am thinking back over my break and I am really glad I got to spend some quality time with so many good people.  In a couple of weeks we are having another coyote roundup and the saloon is opening. I am making my getaway plans for that event. It will be the last of it's sort for the year.  Spring is here and I know it despite the snow for a few reasons, 
1. out on the playground I hear the meadowlark singing to us
2. The "tourists are traveling through with more frequency"
3. the "stoolies" are hanging outside more
4. Sun, snow, hail, sun, snow, hail, all in 1 hour
5. Motorcycles are driving through
6. There is a hint of green peeking through the brown
 7. the bugs are back in town

There is probably more but that is all I can think of.  

Looking Forward

Trying to get it all done so I can leave for spring break guilt free. I have to do laundry, dishes, clean house, and pack. At work I have to finish end of quarter grading. I also have to have everything moved to the middle of the room because over the break they are replacing all of the drywall they tore out after the flood. They are also installing an fire alarm system.  I am glad to be exiting town.

I do have a lot to do in a short period of time. It will be the end of year push when I get back too. The 3rd graders will have their state test. I've been pushing them to get them ready. Something I notice with all students is the problem of slowing down when reading the question. They miss key words because they want to get work done and hurry through it. So we are working on that. 

I am excited to head north and see some green grass and bodies of water. As much as I enjoy sagebrush it is good to see some green once in awhile. It was a good Monday today. I think in part because I feel more like myself every day. I can breathe again and simple things like that.  

Evaluations

So I had my evaluation last week which did NOT include a formal observation. Quite confusing actually we just sat and chatted about goals, resources, and next year. I don't know how I did on the actual evaluation because I have not received it yet. It is so backwards of any evaluation I've had before I really don't know what to expect from my written evaluation. No criticism, constructive or otherwise was given. No recommendations were made, no advice, no strategies shared. Can you see why that is confusing. It was a non-evaluatory evaluation. So I guess I will have to wait for the formal written one to see what my principal is really feeling about my job performance.

I had to drive up north for a data team training at our district office. Our principal hasn't really had us do data teams for whatever reason. However, we still have to go to the meetings. I decided to go to that one so I could sit  in with another team and learn about what they were doing. It was good because it was almost like collaboration time and I learned a little more than I expected. It was a long night though and I got home late. The bonus was that I could stay in my pajamas a little longer the next day


I went down to the school to work on some projects I had been wanting to get done. I didn't complete them but I made a lot of progress. When I got home I saw that my predecessor was meeting with our happily-unhappy janitor. OH BOY I thought to myself. They make Eeyore look cheerful and upbeat. I knew that would kick off some drama. It reminded me my mom tells me all the time that "water settles at the same level". Think about the people you like to spend time with, and what their character is like, because water settles at the same level. You don't want to be settling with some stinky shallow water.

Today, two of the classes got together and did a dinner and Bingo night. I had the dinner just to  support it and no other teacher came. I gave a family that has a student in my class some cash to play Bingo on my behalf. I didn't have the patience to wait for I-39  :)!  I did get a little bit done before helping them find everything they needed for Bingo. The janitor hides stuff all the time, I don't really know why, so we often have to search for everything needed before an event. She has some really weird passive-aggressive things she does. She threatened the little kids with using their toothbrushes to clean toilets. I just found that out today. Uggh. Anyhow

I'm drinking a cup of tea and catching up on NCIS one of my favorite shows. It is good to be relaxed. What is even better is I am finally feeling well again. I forgot how much I could do when I was at full capacity. I have been in survival mode for awhile. I ran to the dump today and a couple miles down the road I came across a black lab. I thought,  well I will see if he is still there when I come back from the dump. He actually tried to follow me to the dump. I stopped the car pulled out a bottled water and game him a drink I could tell he'd been running while. He was a very sweet dog. I loaded him up and stopped at school to see if anyone recognized him. They didn't so the janitor took him because she had a kennel. That was surprisingly nice. I stopped at the gas station and a local was in there so I asked if anyone had lost their dog. Yep it was his dad's so they were reunited. He had taken the dog on a six mile run and then the dog ran off again. He'd run a few more miles after that so  I bet the dog has a long sleep tonight. Sometimes people dump their dogs or animals out there so I took a chance on it. He just looked a little to loved to be a homeless dog.

I am looking forward to spring break. One more week and I'm off! They are installing a fire alarm and re-doing all of our drywall over the break. So next week we are moving everything in my room so they can do that.

Neuroscience

Neuroscience students from a state university came today to teach our students about the brain. The high school and junior high students were fascinated by the presentation.  They had a real human brain with spinal cord attached, a few mouse brains, and a goat brain for our students to look at. They discussed the jobs the different parts of the brain do. The presenters were great for the upper grades but didn't quite explain it for the younger grades. I think you can use the same language but  with  examples young students can relate to.  I interrupted a few times which I am sure was really annoying but I could tell it was going straight over the little guys heads. Oh well, it was an experience and it will probably help them make connections to learning later.  They had our presentation after the older kids which was very good.

Our lunch lady/aide likes to read the dictionary. One of my high school student aides was telling me she writes some excellent poetry and used to share interesting words she had read in the dictionary. So we've made her a little  "Word of the Week" corner with a sign and box. We are going to do it "Balderdash" style. If you've ever played this board game you know that you have a real word but make up fake definitions. Then you have to guess which definition is correct. We are working on the honor system that students won't use modern technology or old school dictionaries to get the real definition. I just have to get some treats as a reward for one lucky winner a week. I think it will be a fun addition to the year.

Tomorrow I have my yearly evaluation. It is supposed to be way more often than that but apparently we don't follow the law around here. Anyhow, I am really dreading this. It isn't because I am not doing a good job, but that I don't feel my boss has the barest grasp of what I do every day. I am trying to keep a positive attitude, you never know.

We continued with our reading of "Detectives in Togas" one of my student aides asked if she could borrow the book when we were done. I thought that was kind of funny but it is history taught in a fun way.  I had a couple of adult visitors in my classroom in the last couple of days. They were very complimentary of what they saw in the room reflected in the anchor charts and vocabulary.  That was very nice to hear. I have to keep on going even when I get discouraged.

Another Chapter

I love it when I am reading the students a book and I finish the chapter and they groan and beg me for just one more! Doesn't get much better than that. Some of the language is a bit above the little guys heads but they still enjoy it. I know this book will help them make connections to history when they are a little older. It has been quite fun reading "Detectives In Togas". I try to find pictures online to make it a little more meaningful to them.

Learning is getting interrupted tomorrow for some Brain presentation tomorrow. I have no idea what it is about or how they are going to integrate all of the grades in our school. I really hope it is worthwhile because they are using a lot of class time to do this.

We have drillers again in town for a new geothermal plant. I am not sure where it is going in at. I am not excited about the drillers they usually bring a little more excitement than necessary to the saloons on the weekends. A local law enforcement person suggested I clean a weapon on my porch! Sounds like a plan to me! Well off to sleep..

Spring Fever

Where has time gone. The past few weeks have kind of flown by. Spring Fever has sprung. The students have so many activities going on it is difficult in school, they  are tired.  I am starting to feel better again and I am fairly certain I figured out what was triggering my lung problems. Our grey water has been backing up more and more and they didn't fix it. The lunch lady told the principal she was going to make a voo-doo doll of the principal and the superintendent if they didn't get it fixed. Apparently this carried some weight with them  and they called the plumbers. Of course the only time to do some nasty stinky plumbing is during school hours. Right? Yes, for sure!

So as they were plumbing this toxic water smell wafted through the school. I went out to the lunchroom and lost my voice in about 5 minutes. I would smell it periodically and didn't realize it was this that was affecting me.  They rotor-rooted and cleared out the worst of it. One of the pumps is still not working correctly and this summer they will have to drain the entire line. I am just sooo glad there is progress and that I can go home having a little energy left for my life because I can BREATH!  Breathing is not over-rated. If you have ever been oxygen deprived you will completely understand the drain this has on your body. You don't sleep well, are sluggish, and everything is just a little harder. Now that I am coming out the other side of this I realize how much it was draining me.

I also bought a air-purifier for my classroom and I think that has helped a lot along with being able to open the windows because the weather is getting nicer. That is also a bonus because our heat still is not fixed.

I had the students do their reading tests this week and one student in particular whined a lot about it. Most of the students want to because they want their reading level to rise so they can read higher books. They don't like it if their levels go down. I was trying to figure out why this student was complaining so much and then she finally let me know. she was almost in tears " I don't want my level to go up because then I will be too high and won't get to read all the good books I want to read in the other levels and there are some good books, and I won't be able to read them" SNIFFF SNIFF! I started laughing she's the only one who would worry her level would go up too high! Laughter of course was the incorrect response so it had to be tempered with a hug. I finally said "okay if your reading level goes up, you can take any of the other books home to read." She'd have those lower level books read in the 45 minute drive home :)! Anyhow it made me chuckle. She is a great reader and has an oustanding vocabulary.


We have started reading as a class "Detectives in Togas" this is a fictional story about Ancient Rome and seven boys at a grammar school.  The story was inspired by an inscription found in 1936 by Explorers. Inscribed in a childish hand was "Caius Asinus Est" Which is translated to Caius is a donkey's behind. The book sensors it further to "Caius is a dumbell". Anyhow, the book is teaching the students a bit about Ancient Rome and the Roman Empire in an age appropriate manner. It was a reminder for me how corrupt, without morals, and evil this Empire was. There are a lot of correlations to today that are kind of scary to think about. The students are really enjoying the book even the little ones. It may be quite above their level but I think more and more kids need a balance between grade level work and challenges above that. How can vocabulary increase by much if you never hear higher language? Anyhow, it is a fun read and I will share more as we continue.

Over spring break they are coming to tear out drywall and replace it. So I will come back in time to put my classroom back together for the third time this year !  This weekend I went to hang out with a friend that lives a little further in the boonies. There isn't internet or cell phone service available when I go there which is a blessing. I can leave work behind which is healthy! 

I am looking forward to spring break and leaving town. My goal is to see more trees and water. A very achievable goal if I head north!