You can just call me "Professor Mom"

I've been taking a professional development class in fourth grade science from the district this semester.  I had to be pretty much coerced into taking it.  I didn't want to take one more class - ever.  It is being taught by a district teacher about half my age and a retired professor of education from Westminster College.  I ended up liking both the class and the women teaching it.  The former professor has also been to my classroom to observe a methods student who taught a couple of lessons to my second grade group.  I ended up sitting with the two of them giving some feedback and helping the young lady see that her lesson hadn't been a total failure like she thought.

That evening the professor called me out in the hall.  I, of course, thought I had done something wrong...me and my big mouth...but no.  She asked me if I had ever thought about teaching at the college level and did I want to consider teaching the science methods course at Westminster?  I was surprised and flattered.  She told me the college had hired someone to replace her and was dissatisfied with them.  She said she was going to talk to the dean.  I thought, "Yeah, sure."

The very next day she emailed me and put me in touch with Westminster.  Long story sort of short - I'll be teaching science methods for pre-service teachers next semester.  It's considered an adjunct instructor position, but I can't get the family to stop calling me Professor Mom.

It fell in my lap, but it's something I've been thinking about for quite some time.  Part-time work at a community college or university would be a great thing to do in another city, but most places won't hire you unless you have experience.  And here experience came, knocking at my door.  I am a bit intimidated by the caliber of the other instructors for the methods classes.  I know one personally and have met with another.  The level of discourse is incredibly high and I am hoping I have the ability to give my students the quality experience Westminster expects.  Fortunately, a colleague is teaching the graduate level of the same course and has offered to share his materials and syllibus with me.  He even asked if I would like him to come to the first session and help me get started.  YES - of course.  

Only time will tell if I have bitten off more than I can chew.  I hope not.  P.S.  I kind of like being called Professor Mom.

Moving On

 

We rented a truck this morning and loaded Sean's worldly goods into it.  He moved out of the home he bought with his partner and into a friend's spare bedroom.  Something went wrong between the two of them and while I don't know exactly what, I think things haven't been good for a while now.  They appeared to part friends and we are maintaining a caring if strained relationship with his ex.  Sean is disheartened.  As his relationship is ending for a reason (or two or three - I haven't asked) he's feeling like a failure.  His partner was the first person he was in love with.  And though he acknowledges this is for the best in the long run, in the short run it just sucks.  His new room mate is a nice guy and it should be a good place for Sean to regroup.  Still, I wish my baby didn't have to go through this pain.  (Isn't that what mothers always wish for their children?) 

All I Want for my Birthday is...

My family demands that I post this on my birthday and at Christmas.  Trouble is, I have become accustomed to seeing something I like and just buying it.  I guess I can come up with a few items I haven't immediately thrown money at, like this:

A shower curtain to go behind my shower curtain.  Really.
This boombox so I can listen to NPR at work.  No, they won't let me stream it.
To go along with the shower curtain this bathmat which isn't as awful as the one I now use. 
And finally, this splurge nightgown size XL.  I love Eileen West knit gowns. They are super comfortable and soft.
Is that enough?  Or maybe this.  Or this.  Or even this. 


Really, a meal cooked by someone else and a slice of THE chocolate cake would be enough.

Row, row, row your boat...

I spent Saturday at the Great Salt Lake with a bunch of insane people.  Yeah, they were teachers, so???  We kayaked around a place called Egg Island that is literally covered with seagulls.  Who knew there were three different species of those annoying birds in Utah.  We don't have a Sea!  We do not need seagulls.  I had a great time even considering I fell out of the kayak onto some rocks.  Yes, I do know how lame that sounds.  My arms are black and blue.  It's been so warm in my classroom that keeping long sleeves on was difficult.  Explaining the bruises was even more difficult.  So I put the long sleeved shirt back on.

Population Explosion in Welfyville

Tomorrow Welfybomb joins us here in Welfyville.  Tay and Anna will be staying with us until she gets new job.  I'm thrilled she's moving back into the city, but I'm a little anxious about our personal population explosion.  We'll have six of us here once again.  That's a boatload of people.  Well, not like we haven't done it before.  More kids?  Bring it on!

Being a nice guy - er - gal

I stopped by my new school today.  There are two rooms across the hall from each other for the two new science teachers.  I was expecting them to be essentially the same.  But no.  One looks like this:

 

The other classroom looks a little like this:

 

So what's a nice gal to do?  I really, really want the larger room with the door out to the enclosed outdoor classroom and the lovely high ceilings and tons of storage.  And I could just go into the principal and ask for it.  I have seniority and more importantly, the principal is a friend of mine.  So she would just give it to me.  *sigh*

Well, I guess I'll just wait until we meet and we can look at the rooms together.  Maybe she'll be the nice gal and say, "Hey, you've got seniority.  Why don't you take the larger room?"  One can only hope.

Mad Scientist makes Happy Teacher

 Recently my days as a teacher left me feeling a little - um - frazzled.  There's plenty to blame for the way I feel.  But if I'm honest I'd say a good deal of my frustration comes from the fact that I've been doing the same job for several years now and I'm too familiar with the things that should be fixed and can't be.  I'm guessing everyone pretty much has those experiences in their life, too.  You'd love to be able to do some task the efficient way, the way you know will work and will benefit you, or your company, but there's a reason you can't.  Maybe the boss is dead set against it.  Maybe it's not economically feasible.  Maybe you just don't have the time.  Anyway, I've become far too aware of the way I wish things were.  For instance, at the beginning of the school year I wish I had time for two important activities - planning the first few days of instruction, both alone and with grade level teams, and setting up my classroom.  When I do have to come in for my first contract day what do we do?  We sit in meetings where the administration tries to "motivate" us.  We go over test results that we already went over the spring before.  We listen to the new rules someone at the district thought up for us to have to follow.  We get maybe 1/2 day to work in our rooms.  It's disheartening, and most of all, totally predictable.  I know I could come in a week early and have that planning time.  I wouldn't get paid for it, though.  So I whine (usually just in my mind) about it.

This year I've been given the opportunity to make a change.  I was hired by my old principal, a person I greatly admire and work well with, to teach science all day long.  I'll be working with students kindergarten through fifth grade on a rotation, seeing each class twice a week for about an hour.  It's an extremely interesting idea and something our district hasn't tried before.  I'll be working with another teacher who will be doing essentially the same job with the other half of the school.  Together we have a chance to show the district what science specialists can accomplish in terms of raising test scores and contributing to excellent classroom climate.

I don't make a habit of writing about my work here, partly because I want to be careful about what I post about colleagues and students.  Also, my life is not all about work.  But my life has been a lot about science for a long time now.  When I'm not in school I'm reading newspaper articles about the latest scientific findings.  (Sometimes I argue out loud with the paper as I read.  Mike finds this hilarious.)  I look through science catalogs and think about ordering things.  I don't generally order them, though, because I don't really have a place to use them.  UNTIL NOW!  Ha!

So now I'm feeling a little more like I can do a couple more years in the classroom.  At least two and maybe three if things work out.  It gives me a chance to try something I love.  Besides, it'll be a while before I figure out what needs to be fixed that I can't do anything about. So I'm feeling a bit more like:

Oceanside - AAAAAAH!

 

 

 

 

The weather is lovely, the company has been wonderful (Ron and Deb from Phoenix) and the produce is abundant and inexpensive.  Ahhhh.  Kick back and take yer shoes off.

San Luis Rey Mission garden

Torrey Pines Golf Course looking out to sea.  Almost makes you want to take up golf.

Winery hopping in Temecula.  I was DD, but tasted just a little bit.

And finally the ocean, and my Don King hair.  I need a cut.  Know someone in Oceanside?

Party Time

Mike's retirement party was a great success.  We started at 4:00 pm and didn't finish until after 11.  That's pretty late for the "old" folks.  It was fun to see all the band guys that have retired through the years.  I wish I could have recorded the stories they told.  Makes me remember why I joined the band in the first place.  Mike got invited to a couple of gigs, so his idea of never playing again got shot down completely.  

Mike and Garry shoot the breeze.

Larry, Jan and Pres hang out with... their wives!

Patti, Kaye, Mark and wife visit on the patio.

Dave, Mike, Stephanie, Bob, Randy and Melanie enjoy Carino's Italian.

Kiddos play blocks and trucks.

Kimmi and Lucas entertain Lincoln friends Joan, Barb, and Jen.

Richard and Mary visit with Bob.

Julianne relaxes with Lincoln colleagues Deonne, Barb and Joan along with Jen, and Dean.

Lucas kicks back with Taylor and Matt (Julie, where did you go?)

Amy created a masterpiece from the old band fridge.

Why I love Linus Torvalds

Lucas got a job at one of the computer labs at the U.  He will be providing help to lab users, but also doing various tasks to keep the computers up and running.  Just up his alley.  I credit the fact that he knows, uses, and LOVES the Linux operating system for this opportunity.  He tried to teach me, but since I am an old dog, I chose not to learn that new trick.  He's so pleased with himself I just can't tell you.  It's so fun to see him enjoying himself while earning money.  That's something we kept telling him would happen when he got to the right job.  But secretly, I wondered if he would ever be in the position to actually get the right job.  Thank heaven for Linus Torvalds.  I would kiss you if I could.  Though that probably wouldn't be much of a thrill for him...

Boy are we RETIRED now...

Mike joined the army when he was 19.  It was the height of hippyville.  He wanted long hair, so he bought a short-hair wig (see photo below) to cover the long stuff.  He wanted to wear wacky clothes (after drill and at college) and he wanted to have facial hair (see mustache cut very short and damn, does it hurt when he kisses - oh wait, never mind.)  The other thing he really wanted was an earring.  But that was just impossible.  Until yesterday when his daughters bought him an aquamarine stud at the mall and gleefully watched it installed. BTW - he looks great!

Cheers!

End of an Era, Beginning of an Adventure

On Monday, March 21st Mike was honored at a retirement ceremony for over 40 years of service to the 23rd Army Band.  It was an amazing and very humbling affair where I learned that my DH has the admiration and respect of everyone from the new E3s in his unit up to the Adjutant General of the state.  And there was cake.

Short History of Mike in the Military:

"The Wig"

Summer Camp at Camp Williams sometime in the 70s.

1986 with Lucas and Anna

Retirement Ceremony Major General Tarbet awards Mike the Meritorious Service Medal.

Retirement is just a long car drive away.

Two Old Fossils ready for a new adventure!

March? Already?

Norma is settled but not real happy in her new place at Atria.  Marianne is back from her annual cruise (even saying "annual cruise" makes me a little bit jealous).  Grades are done and turned in for the second trimester at school.  I'm nearly finished coughing from a nasty virus.  Mike retires in two weeks.  It's been a busy little time here in happy valley.  Too bad I still had time to read the paper, because following the legislature in their annual stupidfest was the last thing I needed to do while coping with the rest of all that.

Today is the first truly quiet day I've had since about December 31st.  That's when Norma got sick and ended up in the hospital.  After that all hell broke loose, as they say.  We're still mucking up some of the mess.  We have a house to finish clearing out so it can be put on the market.  We have some items of furniture to sell and other things to find homes for including many, many dolls and miniature tea sets. Clearing out that house has left me with a much longer list of New Year's Resolutions than I normally make (which is none, BTW).

1.  Never, EVER collect anything.  Just don't do it.  If you find you have more of something than you can remember, you have TOO MANY.  Time to stop amassing them.
2.  Value a good spouse over anything else in your life.  Keep him or her happy.  Give him back rubs and foot rubs.  Rub whatever it takes to get him or her to hang around.  A good spouse is priceless.
3.  Stop drinking wine before bedtime.  It will not help you sleep as much as it will upset your stomach.  Even a tiny little bit will upset your stomach because wine does not love you as much as you love it.
4.  Write down the awful, awkward, hurtful, and just plain hard things your parents do to you and plan to read those notes when you are in the same fix as they are now.  You may save your child some pain.
5.  Forgive everyone.  Someday they'll have to forgive you.
6.  Check before you buy a new toothbrush or bottle of aspirin.  You don't need 27 of these things hanging around.  No one needs 27 of them.  And no one wants the ones you have hiding in your bathroom cabinets.
7.  Figure out how to get around your city before someone has to take your car away from you.  Then thumb your nose at that person as you hop on the bus.
8.  Get help with your finances immediately if you find you can't balance your checkbook.  Believe your child or spouse when they tell you how much money you have and don't spend more.
9.  When the paramedics have to lift you from the floor to take you to the ER wearing dirty underwear trumps wearing no underwear.  Don't take it off if you can't replace it.
10. Tell the people you love often and soon that you value them.  Don't wait until it sounds like bribery.  You want them to know you love them before they are obliged to take care of you.

There are others, but ten will have to do.  I don't think I'll have much trouble following through on most of them.  Though I do have a few too many toothbrushes hanging around.

Developments

Shortly after going back home my mom decided she didn't like being there without use of a car.  (Never mind that she never went anywhere except her senior center and the store, both of which we found ways of getting her to...)  She "felt like a prisoner" in her home and decided she wanted to move to a senior living community.  I am actually very happy for her and feel she has made a good decision.  I think she'll be happier somewhere she can see more people daily.  She enjoyed staying with us and if it had been possible we might have made that semi-permanent.  But with no real bedroom or bath on the main floor it wasn't practical here.  Marianne's house would have been better but for the dogs.  They are big enough to knock into her and she is none too steady on her feet as it is.  So the senior community is a good choice.  It's jarringly expensive and her ability to get used to the routines there is questionable.  But she has a room reserved and moves next weekend.  Why do I feel as if I'm sending one of my children off to college?

Update

Norma is still at our house recovering.  She spent a few nights in the hospital, and now is living here.  She may not go home but to assisted living.  We're still looking.

Happy New Year

New Years Eve was a bit unusual.  We got a call from the medical alarm company just before 7 am.  Norma had activated her alarm.  We rushed over and found her on the floor.  She appeared unhurt, but pretty sick.  We ended up calling the paramedics and having her taken to the hospital.  Most of her test results came out fine, though there was an indication she had a bleeding ulcer.  It took almost 8 hours before they decided to keep her and do more tests.  Now we understand it really is a bleeding ulcer and she'll be in the hospital for a few days while they get her back to health.  Marianne and I will be using that time to decide if she can still live alone.  Meanwhile she's mad as hell to be sitting in a hospital bed hooked up to tubes and wires.  Happy new year all.