Interesting

When I first started at my school, I was hired literally two days before school started. The teachers were well into the first workweek, and I was hired on a Wed. and then arrived on Thursday...catch: I had no idea where the school even was, much less what neighborhood it was in. Thank goodness my friend had told me it was a good school...and thank goodness B was hired on the same day as I. What is interesting is that on the day we were supposed to have our Meet and Greet, where my students comes to meet me, a tropical storm came in and flooded the whole city. The schools were closed and so I did not meet or greet my students. Looking back, I believe if I had I wouldn't have stayed at the school. 

I can usually size a kid up pretty quickly, and since a few of my students from that year came back to see me  today I was instantly reminded of the dysfunction in that group. I remember the numerous reports to child services, the insanity of one student who smeared his feces on the bathroom walls with regularity, the child who ripped a soap dispenser off the wall of the boys' bathroom and regularly attempted to cheat on all of his work (I caught him, and one time I actually Googled his phrases from an essay and found the sources of each sentence he had plagiarized), and the list goes on. I remembered thinking that all I had to do was just get through each day, and eventually it would end, and I could only hope that the next year would be better. There were days when I literally wanted to walk out of the building and just quit. The only problem was that I did care about them. I couldn't just pick up and leave. Besides, most of them were used to people leaving them in some way and I would not give any one the satisfaction of leaving. If I had met them on that first day though, I wouldn't have come back.

So I am now beginning my third year at the school, and although the fear of that first year still remains within me, especially when I see those students from that class, I am so happy I stuck it out. They always say that when you go through a year like that, stick it out. The odd thing is that when I went through it, I didn't think it was all that bad. But then I got my next class and I realized how bad it was. This year I am excited and I can't wait to get going with them.

Wow

I met most of my students today. I am just in love with them, already. 

That's all. 

:)

Learn something new...

So apparently "exercise-sledgehammering" is a real thing, albeit esoteric in its use and following. I guess we just lucked out by getting fans just a few houses down. Oh, and the tire is for striking (see post below). Fascinating because it is so weird looking. 

Just in case you thought I was kidding....

Yep. Zoom lens. Heard the thumping and I grabbed my camera. Never before have I seen this. I've seen a guy riding a unicycle backwards, while texting, near my street, but nope, I have never seen this one before. 

The world is a hilarious place. 

:)

School of Hard Knocks Gym

It goes without saying that everyone has weird neighbors. Weird because they are not like us. I thought my neighbors were pretty boring, but oh, today I learned I've got some weird ones not too far. 

Today Barry was out on the porch reading a book for his class. In the distance I could hear some thumping, but didn't know what it was. He came in and told me that there was some guy carrying a heavy beam on his shoulder, walking with it while doing deep knee bends. Strange, we thought. 

So then we decided to go on a walk, and we discovered the full majesty of the "School of Hard Knocks Gym." Out in the driveway, one girl was literally tossing a boxing bag up into the air and catching it. Up it went and down it flew into her arms, over and over. Then we discovered the source of the thumping. Another girl was in the drive way swinging a sledgehammer up and and down, striking some unknown surface, and then quickly raising it up above her head again. "thump, thump" went the hammer. Then there was a huge tractor tire sitting idle in the driveway. Its purpose, I cannot imagine. Off in the garage was a guy barking "come on ladies! good job!" He was the guy carrying the beam who B saw earlier. 

Yes, these are my neighbors. I guess they miss boot camp?

What is this, New York?

Just got our semi-annual insurance bill in the month. It's up $100.00. Where was the biggest increase? Collision coverage. They are banking on us getting into an accident because, well, let's face it, there are a lot of accidents around here. So our insurance is over $1,300/year. This is why NY'ers don't drive cars.

Tired of Doing All of the Work?

Are you tired of feeling like you do all of the cleaning in the house, and your husband does very little? 

Do you ever feel like no matter how much cleaning you have to do, there's always more, and so you feel stressed? 

Well, if you're one of thousands of wives across this country who can say yes, then just keep reading.

For just a few more minutes of your time, I can tell you, yes, YOU how to get him to help out cleaning. No more of those endless arguments about cleaning and responsibility. Put that Advil away, because I have the answer:

Threaten to get a maid.

Now, if your husband is as miserly as mine, (and whose isn't?) then all you have to do is sit right down during a quiet Sunday afternoon, preferably while he's into something like sports or reading, and just tell him that you're considering hiring a maid for the house, because the stress of cleaning is just too much. If he doesn't flinch, tell him how much it will cost. Even if it is your money, just the cost alone should make him squint. Sure, you might hear the words "ridiculous," or "stupid," but what you might end up getting: a renewed commitment to cleaning, which has to be demonstrated in order for the maid to disappear, and a trip to your favorite low-cost store Target, to buy all of the things you and he will need to keep your house clean. 

Yes, that's right. You need a carrot to dangle in front of his head. Find something that will get to his heart, and you will have a cleaner house.

**Void where prohibited. In certain cases in which the husband is a happy spender, or doesn't really care if you get a maid, this may not work. Fortunately for me, so far, it has.*** 

Happy

I have to say I am happy I took the summer off and did not teach. Usually I tutor or do a summer camp, but this year I decided that I would not teach. I have worked on my plans for the upcoming school year, but that's hardly the same thing as working with kids every day. I am most happy with not working because I think it has allowed me not to think about teaching, but to gain insight into myself, my husband, and my family and friends.  

Last spring, as the year wound down, I found myself reminding me to "let go." What that means is that sometimes I am afraid to do things, especially socially, because I have worries and anxieties about things, and I can think of many reasons why I shouldn't do something, when really I'm just making excuses to not do something. So I decided that I need to relax and not be so uptight about people and myself in certain situations. I have had a few friends who I have lost contact with, but for many years made many excuses for why I shouldn't try to get in touch with them. The primary reason was because I thought that if they wanted to talk to me, they would have already tried to get in touch. What I didn't realize is that they were thinking the same thing, and well, someone has to make the first move. So in my effort to "let go," I have regained some lost friends, and made some new ones. One of the friends who I recently contacted is in the area, so she and I are once again friends, and now that I am talking to her again, I see why we were so close years ago. She is smart, insightful, very quick to figure things out, and has a great sense of humor. Another friend I've made is a good friend to one of my best friends who also happens to live in the area. She is another person who will say what is on her mind and is okay with the repercussions of that. Now, being in my profession, there is no way I can completely let go in that way, but I like her because of her candid attitude and sense of humor.

One thing that I am starting to realize is that I shouldn't have to worry so much about what everyone thinks about what I say. I guess I became more worried because of the field I entered, teaching. I was warned by my supervising professor that I needed to be careful of what I say to others because it could be taken the wrong way, and could impact my career in a negative way. I do not dispute this fact, especially when working with others in my field; but I have let this bleed into every other part of my life. And while I'm not saying that I am throwing caution to the wind, or that I won't keep others' feelings in mind when I'm talking, but I also think that when I'm dealing with someone who is a true friend, I don't have to worry as much as I have. I have shied away from socializing with my co-workers because I didn't feel that I can be who I am, but now that I am more comfortable with being at my school, I am feeling less worried about such things--at least in social situations. At the end of the year the other teachers saw a different side of me, the drinking, laughing and talking non-stop side, and they were pleasantly surprised. 

Taking the summer off also allowed me to focus my attention on one of the most important parts of my life: Barry and I. When you work really hard and then fall asleep long before your husband, sometimes communication wanes, and when the summer first started I had a lot of things I needed to sort out in my mind with regard to us. Not to say that I wasn't happy, but I just needed to shift my attention to us. Without going into extensive detail, having this break has been very good for us, in many ways. 

Finally, I had one big realization that has been a guiding factor in deciding where I want to go with my career. I realized that a major reason why I hated being the grade level chair last year was because I hated being the one to cause unrest or unhappiness on my team. In conflict, I am usually the one who tries to bring peace to a conflict, not to create more drama or unhappiness. I thrive when I am helping others. I truly love making other people feel good, whether it's by doing something nice for them, or by teaching them in ways that make them successful. To that end, when I sense that I am causing harm or unhappiness to another, it really makes me unhappy, and it's a major reason why I can't stand it when my husband gets mad at me. I completely know and understand that it just isn't possible for things to be okay at all times, but I certainly don't like being the bearer of bad news. Even when I give a bad grade to someone, I write an encouraging note like "You can do this!" instead of "Study!" or something like that. So I have decided that I most definitely do not want to go into education administration. You may as well write a prescription for Zoloft while someone hires me to be a principal. I think I would be miserable. I would hate for everyone to be mad at me all the time. I know that there's always one person who will never be satisfied, but still, why beg for it? So, in considering the EdS program at UVA, I think it would be a good choice for me. I know even with that I can't make everyone happy, but teaching others how to read is an amazing job to have. 

So yeah, it's been a good summer. ;)

Olympics

I have been one of millions, perhaps billions, who have been watching the Olympics every night since the opening ceremony. Every single time I watch any competition in which there is the judgment of a human involved, I truly believe this whole competition is rigged. For the past few nights I have been watching synchronized diving and gymnastics, both of which involve the judgment of people and not clocks. Now I am not saying that the Chinese have not been doing well in both sports, but I also think their scores have been purposely inflated. 

For instance, while watching syncro-diving, two little Chinese girls delicately lifted off of the platforms making the same motions and sinking quietly into the pool with a ring of bubbles around their feet as they sank in. When the sportscaster reviewed the dive, I did not see perfection. I saw two little girls whose arms were not aligned with each other. One girl entered the water a little bit later, and even at that, their bodies were not angled the same as they entered the water. However, had you just listened to the sportscaster, you would have believed that one, not two, little girls entered the water, for their positions were so well synchronized. Coincidentally, the judged happened to agree with her, and they received several 9's, which I believe are like 10's in diving. Okay, so their scores were high. Let's see how the US does. Same dive, same slight errors, BUT did they receive any 9's? Most certainly not. They were docked points for the same errors I mentioned above, and they received scores they should have received, like a 7.5 and such. Dost my eyes deceive me, or is this really rigged? One thing I know I should mention is that during the Cold War, I clearly remember eastern block judges inflating scores for their competitors, so this is nothing new. I guess that since there are so few "communists" in their company this time around, the rigging is much more glaring.

I wonder if this will come out after the games end. I would think that after all of the journalists exit from the tightly controlled grips of the police state that is China, there will be stories of judges being paid off by China to give their teammates higher scores. If they can fake fireworks because of their smog issues, and if they can have a girl lip-sync at the opening ceremony, I'm sure they planned to have China come out on top, at all costs. Perhaps this is a message to the rest of the world: China is unstoppable because whenever they can, they will make the playing field in their favor. If this is how they play in sports, imagine what they will do if they become an enemy of the US. We will be talking about hegemony to the nth degree, but it won't be the US who's doing it.

B has created a monster

Today B showed me how to import all of my CD music onto my iPod. Yes, I know, I'm way behind the times. BUT, now that I know how to do it, I want to import EVERYTHING! I'm addicted now. Best part is that I have so much music to choose from when I exercise and travel. :) Wheee!

Just a reflection

I am always amazed by what people can endure and by their seeming ability to cope with extraordinary adversity. There is a family at my church in which the father suffers from Muscular Dystrophy (or at least that is what I think, because I have never asked). He has a wife and a small boy who is three and a half years old. The father struggles to walk, to speak to convey any emotions whatsoever. He cannot speak, although he can hum and convey some sounds. I have no doubt that his mind struggles to speak, but his body just won't work with him. 

I sat next to the family today and I was just amazed by how wonderful his wife is. There she was, sitting there with her little boy (who, by the way was SO WELL behaved, I was amazed), putting a cardboard pirate's eye patch on him, handing him little plastic gold coins, and at the same time continuously pointing at the program, showing her husband where they were in the service. Each time the congregation rose to say a prayer, she helped to lift her husband, while holding her son's hand. Her husband is at least six inches taller than her, but there she was, bracing his back to help him stand, and holding onto her son at the same time. She is raising a son and taking care of her husband, which I'm sure requires great patience and strength. I'm sure that's also why she goes to church. Sometimes when we have no one else to lean on, church can be a refuge. 

As I watched her, I was in awe; so much so, that it brought tears to my eyes when I thought about what she was doing. To watch her do this gracefully and with a smile made me wonder, how does she do it? I would like to think that I could be as patient, kind and good-spirited as she is, but then again, I would think even she hits her limits at times. Still, if that's the case, she really keeps it all together. I don't know what her husband would do without her, for she is not only taking care of her son, but also her husband. I don't know why we are given what we are, but it's amazing to see what some people can do in the face of adversity. I think she must be used to her role in the family; as she sat there she and I talked a little about her son, and she smiled and laughed, and my awe of her only increased. 

People tend to complain about the lives they lead. We complain about our husbands because they don't do this or that. We complain because we want to feel appreciated. But as I could see with this woman, sometimes we do have to accept what's been given to us, and do the best we can with what we have. I can complain about B teasing me, and my friends can complain about the work their husbands don't do, but at least my husband can speak. At least he is able to walk without my support. If something happened where he could not do these things, I only hope for humility, grace, patience and compassion.