You Trendsetter, You!

Last year my big "thing" I got into was feng shui, and I set up my classroom according to feng shui principles (pretty much). As others at the school found out about this, they too began to get into feng shui (jumping on the feng shui bandwagon, so to speak...).

Now, I'm setting a new trend that seems to be catching on. Last spring I bought this cheap little beaded necklace that my ID card and keys could attach to, and I could wear it around my neck. I was made of vibrantly colored wooden beads in pink, green, yellow, orange, and blue. I got it from the Dollar Etc. store near my house, and it cost all of $1.40. At the end of the year I gave one to both of my teammates. I like it, as the brightly colored beads are perfect for elementary school.

So, this year we are starting up again, and we met as a staff last Wednesday and Thursday. My two ex-teammates and I were all wearing our beaded necklaces. During the meeting, one of the 4th grade teachers whispered to me, asking me where I got it, and how come so many people were wearing one. I explained, and asked her if she wanted me to pick one up for her, too. She did. One of her teammates overheard, and said, "I want one too!"

On my way home today from doing errands I stopped at the Dollar Etc. store and bought 4 more for the 4th grade team, and I think the 3rd grade team is eyeing them as well.

I should buy them and sell them for twice as much!

5 Stages of Grief: Acceptance

I accept. I have no choice.

Still Not Ready

On Monday, I worked all day at school putting everything back up on my walls, but I'm still not ready for the Acceptance Stage.

Tuesday I moved all the furniture in place, got rid of a huge table I don't need, and replaced labels on the bookshelves in my library. I agreed to teach a 5th/6th grade split this year. My former teammate whom I can't stand refused to give me an extra student desk, even though she had 32 student desks in her room, and I knew that she'd only have about 27 or 28 students this year. I'm still not ready for the Acceptance Stage.

Today I sat in meetings all day. I have the Curriculum Map for writing for this year. I get to keep the same schedule I had signed up for last June, even though now I'm not teaching a straight 5th grade. They almost made me change my specialist schedule, but it would have been an awful schedule with all of my specialists on the same day, leaving me some days with no breaks at all. And now I get to keep my great schedule. But I'm still not ready for the Acceptance Stage.

I'm still not ready.

Still Not There Yet

-No "acceptance" post yet. Yesterday I bought a Canna plant (Fire Bird) at the grocery store, and planted it in our yard. My husband says I'm still trying to believe that it is not heading towards fall and school. Perhaps.

-We made our annual trek to the fair the other day. Among the usual things, the following occured:

*Emily got licked by Matilda the cow, and sneezed on by a pig (whose name we didn't catch).
*Stella tried to be a surrogate mom to a baby pygmy goat, whose real mother was removed from the pen and led to the judging arena. The baby goat just cried and cried. It tugged on my mom heart strings.
*In the cat display area, a hand-written sign on the cage of one of the cats asked people not to try to touch her cat, as it was "tierd (the "e" was crossed out) and "crancy." I think I might put a sign up in my classroom this year when I'm feeling a bit "tierd" and "crancy."
*I chatted at length with this old guy who was a bee keeper, and was displaying his hive. I told him about a poem in book called Joyful Noise, Poems for Two Voices, where there is a poem about the life of a honey bee, told from both the Queen's perspective and the Worker Bee's perspective. It's quite clever. He thought he'd get his daughter to read it at his next bee keeper's chapter meeting.
*We parked in a handicapped spot, but it still was a long walk to get to the entrance to the fair. When we finally left the fair, Eric was tired of walking, so we caught their little "shuttle." I asked the gal if they could take us to the far end of the handicapped parking area, which is where we were parked, because my husband was too tired to walk. She said sure. The driver pulled out, and took us directly to our van. As we got out, he said, "Guess how I knew which was your car? I was out having my lunch when you guys came to the fair." Wow. That was hours and hours ago! He remembered us? Out of all the people he saw that day? That old guy's memory was sharP!
*We stayed at the fair late enough to see the fireworks display. That has never happened to us at the fair before.
*We got a family picture taken at the "Giant Button" booth. It was a giant button, and I'm going to take it to school this year.

How Ironic

I bet you thought I was going to write a post about the 5th stage of grief, right? Well, I can't. I began to write these last few entries about the five stages of grief as a joke. But I know the last stage is acceptance, and I'm afraid I'm not there yet. I can't write an "acceptance of the new school year" post yet. What began as a joke is now reality. That's irony. I'll have to remember this to share it with my class this year.

5 Stages of Grief: Depression

God, I'm depressed. There is sad music playing in the background, just like that commercial on TV ("Who does depression hurt? Everyone..."). I just can't believe that the summer is over, and that next week I have to go back in to school to begin setting up my room. I feel like I did nothing this summer. No hiking. No trips with my family.

Now I have to start another year. Another year of dealing with obstinate kids. I wonder how many of them this year will bring a knife to school? How many more parents will I have to deal with this year, parents who are in denial about their own kid? Or worse, the parents who just don't care. I just do not have the energy for this.

And I'm not excited about this year. I'm depressed.

5 Stages of Grief: Bargaining

Dear Beloved Principal,

I'm really not ready to come back to school yet. We've had so much rain lately that I haven't been able to get out with my girls for the last week of summer like I had wanted to. If you'll give me another three weeks, I'll be the model teacher when I come back to work the end of September. I'll put in so much extra time, whether I get paid for it or not. I'm sure I'll even win the coveted "Educator of the Year" award.

Normally, June is not a nice-weather month, but September is usually great! I propose that we should teach to the end of June, and then start back to school in LATE September. I think we'd enjoy that schedule. I think we should just start this year!

So, see you in a month, OK?

Love,

Julie

5 Stages of Grief: Anger

No, it's not happening. My summer is not over. I do not have to start back to school. I do not want to go. You can't make me, you can't make me, you can't make me. I'm not going, and I don't have to.

5 Stages of Grief: Denial

What do you mean summer is almost over? No it's not. No. I don't believe you. There are still so many things I need to do this summer. I never went for a hike. We never took a family trip. I think I still have many weeks left to do these things. No, I have plenty of summer time left. I better hurry and make some plans.

Published After All

By the way, my second letter to the editor about the wealthy feeling the economic pinch was published in our paper earlier this week. I think that makes two letters that I've had published in the paper so far this year. I usually get at least a couple letters to the editor in the paper per year.

Cell Phone Ponderings

It's an interesting phenomenon, cell phones are. Yes, I have one. But I hardly use it. During this summer, it has rarely been on. During the school year, I would have it on constantly, in case one of my daughters had to reach me. I also had them call me daily when they got home from school, although that routine began to die out as the year wore on. Now, my phone is usually only turned on when I go out in case someone needs to reach me, or if I was in an accident or something and needed to call 9-1-1. Since it is now illegal to use your cell phone when you drive (a secondary offense), I use it even less.

So I was surprised the other day when, as I was heading out to my car to go on some errands and turned on my cell phone, it rang indicating that I had some voicemail messages. I gave them a listen, and they surprised me.

The first two messages were from my next-door neighbor. She had been out of town for the day with her family, and some torrential rains came. She was worried about the fact that she had left some windows open at home, and was wanting me to go close them.

Now, I was home at the time when she called me on my cell phone. And when I'm home, I do not have my cell phone on. Why should I? I have a perfectly good phone at home. Had she called me at home, I would have scooted over to her house and closed the windows. As it was, she couldn't get ahold of me, so then had to call another neighbor, and then call me back, telling my to never mind the window request. Had she called my home phone in the first place, it would have saved her the two more calls she had to make.

The third message was from my mother-in-law. We had made plans to bring the girls over to her place to spend the night, as it was my birthday and Eric and I were going out to dinner and to see A Chorus Line. In typical fashion, the times that we'd drop off the girls was not definite; I'm sure Eric told his mom we'd be over "4ish." As we got close to his mom's complex, he broke the law and called her on his cell phone to let her know we'd be arriving in about five minutes. She was going to meet us at this back door that is kept locked, but is closer to her apartment.

But there was no answer to Eric's call. So he left a message, saying we were almost there. We got to the complex and parked next to her car, but we couldn't see her by the door. So Eric called again, but no one answered. He left another message saying "We're here!"

We sat in the car, wondering what to do. Should I walk around to the main entrance and go find her? We got out of the car, and pulled out the overnight gear. Just as we were contemplating further as to what our next step should be, she appeared at the back door. We gathered the girls and the gear, and went to the door. It all worked out.

But the third message on my cell phone? She had heard the two messages from Eric, and had called MY cell phone to reply. Why she called my cell phone I do not know, as it was Eric who had called. It's funny that even she assumed I'd have my cell phone on and with me. So it isn't just a generational thing.

How did we survive without them? I think I still could.

Republican? Are You Kidding?

Our state teacher's union has put its support behind a Republican for state congress, interestingly enough. He is running for re-election. It was a narrow race two years ago, but I think that now with the teacher's union endorsement, he'll get re-elected by a wider margin.

I was surprised to find out about this endorsement of a Republican candidate by the union. I found out about it at the local fair I worked at a few weeks ago. Our school district union president was there. She said that she sat in on the interviews with both Republican and Democrat candidates, and the Republican was by far the better choice. She said he knew the issues, and had the answers. So, I hope the unions are right, because it is the first time in nearly 30 years that I have voted for a Republican candidate.

Anyway, yesterday morning my husband and I decided to go out for a late breakfast. Both girls had spent the night at camp-an overnighter-and so it was a quiet morning. We went into the little neighboring town that has a fabulous bakery/restaurant. As we walked in, Eric noticed that the Republican candidate for congress was there.

We were seated fairly close to his table. He was with some women who looked well-dressed, and a young photographer was there as well, taking pictures continually. I wondered if he'd soon make the rounds of the diners there and shmooz. I told Eric that if he came to our table, I was going to tell him that I voted for him in the Primaries, solely because he got our state union's support, and that I hoped he wouldn't let us down. I'm not shy.

Eventually the shmoozing began. He went over to one table of older ladies, and talked with them. He shook hands with an older guy who was dining alone. Then he turned, and I could see him zero in on Eric. He headed to our table.

"Hello, Congressman," Eric said. We all shook hands. Then I told him that we were both teachers, and that I had just cast my vote for him because of the endorsement from our state teacher's union, and that I hoped he wouldn't let us down! He sat down at our table, and talked with us for awhile. I told him that my biggest concern was class size. I told him how I've been teaching for 20 years, but that two years ago I had 33 students in my elementary class-the biggest class size ever. I said that certainly was not showing an improvement, but a decline.

Anyway, the whole time we were talking, the photographer, who was from the Times, was clicking away. Later he took our names and where we taught. It was actually kind of fun, but I was so afraid that today the picture would be in the Times with the caption "Local Teachers Vote Republican."

I hope the union knows what its doing.

Are You Really Sorry, Or Are You Just Sorry You Got Caught Pt. 3

John, How could you? What were you thinking (said in a Texas drawl to sound like Dr. Phil)?

Totally Unappreciated!

All right. I just am feeling totally unappreciated here. No one reads my blog, or if they do, they don't leave comments. AND, the two clever letters I wrote to my local paper? I got an email that the one letter about the hiker getting shot by the hunter (a horrible tragedy) only made it to the online opinion page. No word about my second clever letter about the wealthy feeling the economic pinch.

But interestingly enough, tonight on the Cobert Report (rerun of last night's show), he talked about that article about the wealthy having to tighten their belts, and he poked fun at the article! So, I am so clever that I am like-minded with SOMEONE on the Cobert Report staff...Perhaps I'm just a little too clever for the local folk!

On A Roll

I've sent two letters to the Opinion page of our newspaper over the past two days...They are both pretty clever, and I hope they get published. One is about a woman who was shot by a minor while she was out hiking, and the other is in response to an article about how the rich are suffering in today's economy. Here they are:

"The idea of a woman getting shot to death while out for a day-hike is horrifying. I was stunned when I saw this on the news Saturday night, and again when I read the blurb in Sunday's Times. Aside from the fact that I am adamantly against hunting, I can't fathom how this can happen. Why is a minor, who is too young to own a gun, allowed to hunt? How could this child, who is now responsible for taking another human life, mistake a hiker for a bear? Where was the supervising adult? Was the adult next to the child, saying, "Ready, aim, fire?" How can these two hunters now live with themselves? How will the family of the woman now live without her in their lives?"


And...


"You mean even the wealthy are feeling the economic pinch, too? That's so sad, but I'm pleased that we now have something in common. Although, while I'm crying in my coffee, they'll be crying in their beluga caviar..."

Dog Days of Summer

This summer is slipping away. I try not to think this way, but I can't help it. I know it is just now August, and that school doesn't start until September 2. But that last week of August, teachers are back. We have a couple of mandated staff days, and I must also set up my room, so basically that last week is shot. I will try to hopefully have everything done so that I won't have to go in that Friday before Labor Day weekend. But for me, I really only have three weeks left of summer.

So, what to do? Now I feel panicked. I haven't taken the kids hiking yet. I wanted to hike all summer long. We haven't gone anywhere. We knew that we weren't going to go anywhere major this summer, as we spent all of our money on our deck last summer and our landscaping this spring. And I sure have been enjoying our deck.

But I begin to feel guilty, wondering if I have given my kids a fun summer vacation. As much as my summer has been taken up so far with swim lessons, so has theirs. Also, the last two weeks of July they were in this drama day camp, so they were very busy. Now it is August, and swimming lessons are finished. You'd think I had a whole month left to do the things I haven't yet done. But that is still not so.

Next week, the girls are both in a Girl Scout Day Camp all week long, Stella as a camper, and Emily as a Program Assistant. So we can't do anything next week. I think I'll be painting Stella's bedroom, but that's not fun.

The last week of August, when my husband and I both have to be heading back into school for inservice junk, the girls will go stay with my parents at the beach. Emily is looking forward to that, but Stella gets teary thinking about being away from home (from her dad and me) for five nights. I know they'll have fun at the beach, but it won't be with us.

We really only have two weeks in August that we can do stuff for fun. Two weeks. I want to hike, and I want to take the kids somewhere new-they want to go to Canada, because it is another country. I think they'll be disappointed when they see it looks just like home...but I'm thinking of doing an overnight in Vancouver, BC.

When I ask the girls what they want to do this summer, you know what their answer is? Go to the zoo! I think we can manage that.

Free At Last

We are done with swimming lessons. And I don't mean for just this summer. I mean FOREVER! This year, when the girls started their lessons, I watched them swim on the first day. "They know how to swim well already," I thought. "I wonder how long I must still take them for lessons?"

They were in level Y4. There is a level Y5, and a Y6/7. I think that is why I have continued to sign them up for lessons-because they still had levels they could complete. But I've just spent the last month-a huge chunk of my summer vacation-watching the girls swim, dive, do the free stroke, the breast stroke, the butterfly, the back stroke...And do it well. I realized that my goal of the girls learning how to swim had been met.

And what a freeing thought this is. Next summer, I won't be subjected to a summer swimming lesson schedule. It's extra money in our pockets. It's an extra couple hours back per day. And I know that if the kids were to fall out of a row boat on the lake, they could probably take care of themselves until help arrived. Not that we go out in row boats. But you know what I mean.