Sometimes all you need is a little more "honey, sweetie, dear" and foot massage in your life.

I've been reacting to stressors in my life and lots of negative energy. I've noticed my body responding in tense back muscles and a clenched jaw. I've also not spent much time being quiet, listening to others completely, or being especially kind.

Yesterday I received a great pedicure that lasted over an hour. I was pampered. Those feet were massaged and re massaged. Heaven! Being closer to the south, I was affectionately referred to as "sug", "heart", "sweetie", "honey", and "dear" all day. It made all of the difference.

I feel like my softer, more patient, and more considerate side is charged up and ready to meet those negative forces in my life with a little more "honey" and "dear".

Stewardship Series: Part 2- I am God's Stewardess

Definition of Stewardship:

Being Responsible and Generous with the Gifts God Has Entrusted You

As the thumb touches all four fingers, so love should permeate my stewardship journey as a Christian.

I found the above image when I was researching the concept of Christian stewardship. I've recently been encouraged by many friends and peers as I've struggled to persevere in less than ideal teaching situations. They've encouraged me to keep parts of myself and my enthusiasm apart from my job and just for me and my private life to avoid burnout, as well as to turn all of my struggles over to God. They've reminded me that God has given me the talent and the educational experiences to meet the challenges I am facing, God has given me the opportunity to earn a steady salary this year, which means I have an incredible opportunity to use the money to fund charitable works and plan for our domestic future. God has also given me the time to invest in the lives of children as well as other non-believers on my staff, which is an interesting experience so far.

I am planning to spend more time studying the image of the hand, as well as the verses and the website that is linked to it. I'd love someone else to do so as well and share their thoughts!

Here's a nice long document I've read from the Lutheran church describing characteristics of a good steward.

Stewardship Series: Part 1 - Being a Better Steward

God has given us a great planet to call home. How are you being responsible for what he has given you?

Here is a link to an article that lists 40 things you can do to be more responsible with the gifts God has blessed us with. Its written by a man who decided to totally STOP making an impact on the Earth - he quit consumerism, materialism, and begain to think outside the box when it comes to living a sustainable life. Some of my favorite ideas he lists are:

Don't buy food that comes in plastic or paper packaging.
Read the heartbreaking article "Plastic Ocean".
Buy fewer things. Don´t buy on impulse. Ask yourself if the thing you're buying is something that you really need.
Understand the impact of the products that you buy on the environment, from resource extraction through to disposal (watching The Story of Stuff will help).
Eat less meat (read here to understand why).
Start buying food and household products that are only made of things they can pronounce.
Make your own non-toxic household cleaning products.
Collect all of your trash each day and so you can see how much you produce.
THINK about how running the tap wastes water. THINK about how lights on in rooms not occupied wastes energy.
Avoid bottled water (read why here and here).
Join Freecycle, where you can give away what you don't need and get second-hand stuff for free.
Go to a good carbon footprint calculator so you can learn in what areas of your life you are using energy and carbon needlessly.
Don't waste.

Traveling and different doves

We're off to travel. First stop, StJ to visit my parents, meet my in-laws, drop off my car. Next stop, Springfield, Mo! Later, we'll enjoy Table Rock Lake, Landolt relatives, and the company of of Mr and Mrs. Wiggins.

Don't worry... we'll be back on Sunday in plenty of time for the husband to enjoy DOVE season. For me, DOVE season sounds like a chocolate holiday or Dove's campaign for real beauty or something... not getting up so early trying to shoot little nuisance birds.

Vs.

Vs.

Dancing with the (sorta) Stars!

I love to watch DWTS, though I am the first to admit its not because of the "stars" that are selected. Just look at the stars who will appear on this season 7:

• Lance Bass (Yeah, I love *Nsync, loved when Joey was on the show)


• Toni Braxton (who sang "Un-breaaaaaak my heart!


• Brooke Burke (who? and what is up with her website, http://www.babooshbaby.com/?)


• Chef Rocco


• An Olympian sprinter (who is paired up with Cheryl Burke, lucky guy!!)


• Some lady named Kim (who gets to be with Mark Ballas who looks like our friend Ben Niesen)


• Cloris Leachman (a really old woman who is paired with Mark Ballas's dad... odd)


• Cody Liney (dude from Hannah Montana who gets to be with Julian Hough!)


• Susan Lucci (old lady soap star)


• Misty the gold medal vball champ


• Some old actor named Ted


• Some old comic (who gets to be with Edyta, my favorite dresser)


• Retired football player

I'm more excited about the dancing, the sparkles, the fun judges, the live music...

Reduce: Rideshare!

Here's something I just added to my right hand side column list of things that I am doing to make less of an impact on the world... rideshare. I began to carpool in mid August with another employee in my building who lives in the same area of Columbia and was looking for a rideshare buddy. We meet each morning at 7:05 am at the Home Depot or at the AC exit Commuter Lot and take turns driving. So far, its saved me an entire weeks' worth of driving, which amounts to about 150 miles, or about $28.

I found this nifty calculator tool which told me it costs me $98 to commute each month, so I'm saving $48 per month commuting in a two person carpool. My yearly savings is $571!!

At first I felt hestitant about this. An MU buddy, Jen, raved about it. She found an instant friend. My neighbor David, Abbie's husband, commutes two hours each way each day and loves to have alone time to listen to books and think. So far, the time has been helpful to discuss school news, vent about public schools, and generally solve the problems of the world.

Are you looking for a rideshare? Here's a site that will help you connect with others who take the same route. I was impressed to learn that Missouri's Department of Natural Resources Coordinates rideshare programs in various parts of the state.

Poll: Would you carpool if the circumstance arose? Why or why not?

Things aren't going so fabulously when you've got to institute a behavioral expectation contract...

2008-2009 Biology Behavioral Expectations

I Will Show Respect...
For myself by always doing my best work.
For myself and others when I don't use profanity, name calling, or hurtful language.
For my teacher by raising my hand to talk and waiting patiently to be called upon.
For the classroom furniture by keeping my feet on the floor and by keeping all four chair legs on the floor.
For other classes by entering and exiting the room quietly.
For others by leaving their property alone.
For the classroom materials by using only materials I've asked permission to use.
For the live organisms in the classroom by handling them in a safe way and performing only teacher approved tests.
For the custodians by cleaning up after myself and putting my chair on my desk at the end of sixth period.


I Will Take Responsibility...
For bringing necessary materials to class, including my science notebook, a writing utensil, and class assignments.
For knowing what homework is assigned each day by listening for verbal directions, looking on the board for written directions, or asking others for assistance.
For completing my homework before class begins.
For my actions and reactions when they are inappropriate.
For taking care of my personal needs, such as taking restroom breaks, getting messages to a coach, etc. during the first or last five minutes of class only.
For the paper and plastic bottles I use by placing them in the recycle container.
For putting away all materials I used.

I Am In Charge of My Own Active Learning...
By being seated in my own chair when the tardy bell rings with my science notebook open, ready to begin the day with the warm-up or purpose.
By quietly listening to the teacher when she is talking.
By asking questions to clarify when I do not understand.
By participating in all class discussions and activities.
Working on the assigned task during the time given in class to work on it.
By refraining from using all personal technology such as cell phones and music devices during class time.
By keeping my head up, staying awake, and making eye contact with those who are speaking.
By notifying the teacher when I will be absent and requesting make-up work from the teacher.

I Will Demonstrate Safety...
By only performing authorized experiments.
By keeping my book bags, purses, and other items off of my desk space during class.
By listening to all instructions.
By knowing the emergency exits and emergency situation plans for this classroom.
By not eating anything or drinking any beverages in room 21, unless Mrs. Haid has given you permission to do so.
By being aware of my environment and notifying the instructor of any potential hazards.




I have read this statement and discussed any questions and concerns I have with Mrs. Haid.

I understand that these class expectations are put in place to allow our classroom to have a positive learning environment that helps all students learn.

I also understand that failure to comply with these expectations results in disciplinary action.


Signature:

________________________________________________________________

Printed Name:

_____________________________________________________________

Marvelous Marinara and Obscure Spice

I decided to use the last of a lot of summer tomatoes on homemade marinara sauce. I loosely followed this recipe, but found that I needed to keep the sauce simmering for over four hours to achieve the desired softness of green peppers and carrots. Its certainly jam packed with vegetable goodness! I also omitted the marjoram because its a spice I've never seen in the spice aisle. Upon closer research, I learned the following details:

Marjoram: An herb of the mint family with oval, inch-long green leaves with a mild, sweet, oregano-like favor. Wild marjoram is actually just another name for oregano.
Season: available year-round
How to prepare: Add near the end of cooking or the heat will destroy its delicate flavor.
Matches well with: carrots, chicken, corn, duck, eggs, fish, halibut, lamb chops, meats, mushrooms, peas, pork chops, potatoes, rabbit, ravioli, salads, soups, spinach, squash, stuffings, tomatoes, tuna, zucchini
Substitutions: basil, thyme, oregano or savory

I hope to update this post with recipes I've used this marinara as an ingredient in... the obvious is, of course, spaghetti, but hopefully I find something much more adventurous and out of the ordinary!

Friend Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday AshleyFannonRedburn,
Happy Birthday to You!

DWTS

Keeping up to date with the fab show!

Cool things from Olympic Games...

I guess I missed these guys. They are so cute!

I didn't miss these glow in the dark Monowheels during the closing ceremony; they were so cool!

Reuse, Reuse, Reuse!!

Neighborhood Garage Sale Action!

Though my husband loves to attend them, we've never hosted one of our own. Until this weekend! I hosted the sale and invited our friends the Dorrs to contribute, too.

It did take several sweaty hours gathering, sorting through, and pricing our "un-needed" things before Saturday morning, but that part wasn't too bad. The sale began about 20 minutes early than I expected when lots of cars just pulled up at 6:40 am. They perused our things and made purchases! In fact, half of our profit was made before 9 am.

Yeah, it was a hot, exhausting day. Tay and I are relaxing in the photo below at noon, shortly before the sale finished.

In total, I made over $150 and our friends made over $300.

I also made progress in a few personal growth areas. For example, my personal connection to my clothes collection was severed. I sold several pairs of six 6 pants, size small shirts, and clothing that had emotional attachment associated with it but really had no purpose in my current life. It was sort of hard to see some of those linen crops go, but its more important that they have an new owner and a new life. Another personal growth area is my need to control my body size. By hanging on to those clothes, I am hanging on to ED thoughts. Those negative thoughts controlled my life for so long and don't have a place in my 26th year.

Teaching, week 2

I've experienced two calendar weeks teaching high school. Though I took only a 12 month respite from the field of public education, I'd forgotten a few things; namely:

1. Tired, achy feet. So much so that all my shoes are uncomfortable and my ideal look of chic heels paired with pants seems ridiculous. Dr. Scholls, please.
2. Teachers set the bar for performance and students respond accordingly. I've got some real goofball students in some hours and I got so discouraged that I began to expect less of them and grow weary. They responded by with increased off task behavior and decreased achievement. The next day I asked an administrator to monitor and critique my teaching, which made me perform better, and they excelled.
3. Some co-workers love their jobs. Some co-workers hate their jobs. Find the ones who are positive and draw on their energy, avoiding the downers at all costs!
4. Photocopy machines break in a regularly, but it seems like its ALWAYS when you need to copy something!
5. Weekends are again something to look forward to, starting on Monday afternoon!
   

At this point, I feel disappointed in myself for some of the things I have not accomplished. I am disappointed that I don't know every student's name and that I haven't begun to make parent contact. I have prided myself on learning each child's name the first week and making home contact within the first two weeks of school for each child. My classroom is an organizational disaster. I am just now figuring out systems for turning in homework and for putting things like scissors, petri dishes, etc. I'm disappointed that I've gotten angry at classes for task behaviors when I haven't provided them with rigorous, interesting material 100 percent of the time.

I'm aware that I am critical of myself, and since I use this blog as a sort of type-therapy... I'll now reframe the lats paragraph. Reframing is a technique somewhat like "looking on the bright side" but its more of a method than a colloquialism. So here it is, reframed.

Its true that I've not accomplished all my goals during the last two weeks; however, I've got more than 30 weeks to finish these goals as well as set new ones. I know the first and/or last names of over 75 students in the school, as well as 50 more faculty members. I've got the opportunity to meet 325 more students this year and learn so much more than their names. I also get the pleasure to work with parents to develop ways to help their children succeed and become excited to learn. I get to practice my teaching skills and lesson planning abilities this year and become a great Bio teacher. I've never actually taught first semester biology, only a four week summer school period and a 8 week student teaching experience, so I'll get to design many new lessons and think about the best and most engaging ways to draw students in. I've already got students working in collaborative teams collecting data, reflecting on their tests, and identifying parts of good experimental design. They are using science notebooks each class period and reflecting on the day's lesson in writing at the end of each class period. I've never had 100 percent of the kids doing science notebooks so well and so faithfully! I'm teaching this much better than in the past.

Its really tough for me this year, since I'd hoped to be teaching primary or middle grades and LOVING it. I'm only sort of liking this teaching position. Yes, its much better than vegging out on the couch watching The Tyra Show and nibbling my Chocolate Chex. Its true that my personality is easily disappointed by disrespectful high school students, but I can also appreciate their sophisticated thought processes and lives.

I'll leave you with some photos I took of my students working on a lab... notice, they are collecting data, working together, and DOING science. For most of these kids, its the first lab they've EVER DONE.

They are recording the behavioral responses and the response durations of isopods when they are touched by a plastic dropper. I'm pretty proud of this lab because finally the kids were interested in the classwork, asking questions, making inferences, and laughing with each other!

And here they are testing the effect of different types of liquids on environment preference. This was a cool lab!

What Flower are You?

Little flower quiz ... it says I'm vibrant but picky and not good in new situations. Hm....

I am a Petunia What Flower Are You?

Isopod Collecting

I've got a patient husband. After I had a crappy day at work (attributed to the disrespect of a dozen adolescents who spoiled my positive teaching high) and wasn't friendly to him, didn't prepare him any meal, and didn't attend his softball game, he helped me procure a few hundred isopods for use in a biology lab.

Isopod? What? Oh... we called them roly polys. Apparently they are called pill bugs, sow bugs, and woodlice in other parts of the country. They aren't insects, but are land crustaceans. See, no segmented body.

If you'd ever like to colonize them for an animal behavior lab... well... if you science, too... here is the link!

So tomorrow the students will observe their behaviors in normal circumstances. On the next class meeting time, they'll design and conduct an experiment to see how the isopods react to a new situation. I am hoping to teach them experimental design.... changing only one variable and collecting data. Let's see how it goes!

Gosh, I am tired. Its been a long day. I feel like a real whiner. I miss "me time", unprofessional wardrobes, and adult conversation. Maybe I don't like being a high school teacher so much. :o(

Its Been a Fruitful Weekend!

Pun intended. I can't even take credit for the pun.... its my mom's. Heh.

This weekend I spent a lot of time around produce.

On Saturday morning, my Mom picked the largest blackberries I've ever seen from her garden. Unfortunately, I don't have any proof since the photos are on her camera! But they were HUGE. And ready for a blackberry cobbler.

Later that day, Rachel, Mom, and I went to the Farmers' Market at the St. James Info Center. I was impressed by the amount of vendors and the low prices! I'm used to Columbia's pricey green peppers and cantalopes. I could get so much more at this market! My mom and I bought three grocery bags (reused) full to prepare homemade salsa and have fresh veggies.

That evening, Mom and I went to a family friend's farm to harvest part of her orchard. I've never picked apples or pears, that I remember. It was really fun. We spent about 45 minutes there and left with a trunk brimming with golfball to lemon sized apples. A few were large and grocery store quality, which made me realize just how "not genetically modified" these were! And they weren't sprayed so we were able to pluck them from the tree and sample at will! Tasty!

For the duration of the weekend, we prepared apple sauce. We made at least 8 gallons!! Here's the SUPER EASY directions, modified from Douglas Company's recipe and these tutorials PickYourOwn.com, Recipezaar.com, and SimplyRecipes.

1. Ingredients - apples(Lots of cored, unpeeleed, sliced) Brown Sugar (I love sweet things, so I sweeten to taste, but approximately 1 cup) Apple Juice (this is for the apples not to stick to the pot and to enhance the apple flavor, about one eigth of pot), Cinnamon Stick (I don't like cinnamon, so I take it out sooner), Lemon rinds


2. Cook - in a large heavy duty pot for over 30 minutes, until apples are super soft


3. Mash - using a potato masher. You can choose to remove some apple peel here or to cool the sauce in an ice bath in the sink if you are freezing.


4. Preserve - I prefer to use a freezer method, but you can use the canning method. Canning lasts almost twice as long, but its too tricky for me.

I hope Michael Phelps is up next on "Dancing with the Stars"...

Don't you?

Day 2

I worked from 6:45 am until 6pm. I set up a lab and got more things going, then I drove home and enjoyed a pleasant evening with the husband.

That's sort of a boring post, so here's something pretty!! These roses are in a parking lot island garden, and though they aren't in some fancy place of honor, they beautified the parking lot.

y

Maudlin: (definition) adj. foolishly senimental

When the movie P.S. I Love You came out at Christmastime, I begged Dan to see it with me. He was reticent, and understandably! Its got Gerald Butler, Harry Conick, Jr., "Denny" from Grey's, a grieving widow, gal pals, and sappy music. He promised to take me, but we got the flu or something, then did our Christmas traveling, and then it was out of theaters. Early this summer when it was released I watched it with my friend Hilary.

I found the very best part of the movie to be the soundtrack (which I got from iTunes). It's got James Blunt, Palo Nutini, and my favorite new maudlin (see title for definition) tune by The Pogues.

In true "The Girl who Wached Titanic Twenty times the first year it came out form", here are the lyrics. I think they are nice!

Title: Love You 'till The End (The Pogues)

I just want to see you
When you're all alone

I just want to catch you if I can

I just want to be there

When the morning light explodes

On your face it radiates

I cant escape

I love you till the end

I just want to tell you nothing

You don't want to hear

All I want is for you to say

Why don't you just take me

Where Ive never been before

I know you want to hear me

Catch my breath

I love you till the end

I just want to be there

When were caught in the rain
I just want to see you laugh not cry
I just want to feel you

When the night puts on its cloak

I'm lost for words don't tell me

All I can say
I love you till the end

There are a lot of good parts to this long, sappy drama. I'll show them in photographs. First, there's "Denny" crooning some lovely song in an Irish pub that just melts the hear. Next, there's Gerry Butler's kindess towards his moody wife. Part of the movie is filmed in Ireland, which makes the colors incredible and me wish that I had wool scarf and some smart walking boots, too. Then, there's the set design, shown in the apartment picture. I love the style of furniture and placement of objects in the sets. Hilary's character has two best girlfriends who are full of antics, swear words, and comic relief. Lastly, the fashion! I loved the clothes Hilary's character wore. She was a fusion of Carrie-Charlotte, which I completely loved. I couldn't find a picture to describe this, but I really appreciated the mother-daughter dynamic in this film. It was sweet and unexpected.

The down sides to this movie are... grief is pretty raw in some scenes, but made light of in others. Its interesting to see how others react to grief, but I had strong emotional reaction to the film. It made me sad thinking about my husband getting a brain tumor, too. Also, Harry Connick Jr's character either has Tourette's or Asperger's Syndromes, but the authors aren't too clear on it and use it as comic relief. Not okay in my mental health advocate book. Its also LONG. I fell asleep in it the first two time I tried to watch it because it went on and on and ... you get the picture. The issues of death, legacy, and mementos reminded me an awful lot of a great film, My Life. Micheal Keaton and Nicole Kidman portray a young family with a dying father who leaves a legacy for his unborn baby... its a really powerful movie.

If I watched it during the holidays or winter, I'd give it a B+ grade. However, if I watched it in the summer when I have better things to watch (like the Olympics) it would be a C-.

First day of the rest of the year....

Thanks to my fans (okay, maybe not fans, but friends and fam!) who prayed for me today. I have been feeling so sick lately. Dan brought the sickness in the house, but he was able to stay out of work for two days and rest, recover, etc. I took a few extra naps and medicine, and now I am feeling about 50% more healthy!

My class schedule today was busy! I got up at 5:45 am - which hasn't happened in... two or three years? -- prepared for the day with the mantra "can't win If I don't begin". then rewarded my self with my favorite treat - Non Fat Blended Grande Mocha Frapp with Chocolate Whip.

So, I had first period off. Then I taught the rest of the day, from 9:15 until 3:20 pm. It was difficult and challenging. My students were taller, louder, chattier, less inhibited, and older looking than I expected! My classes were also much larger than I had expected. I had 32 in one class. That's going to be a challenge.

Tomorrow will be more of the same thing since its a block schedule. I hope I get to experience more calm during the day tomorrow, and less "Okay, everyone look at your teacher and smile. I want to see your eyes". :o)

But enough about me! How are you? How was your day?

A little inspiration for a new semester...

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

Lyric from Semisonic's "Closing Time"

and the Great Roman thinker Seneca

~ Making the beginning is one third of the work. ~

Irish Proverb

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
Lao Tzu

“The beginning is the most important part of the work.”
Plato

“You will never win if you never begin.”
Helen Rowland

“Beginnings are always messy”
John Galsworthy

“Who begins too much accomplishes little.”
German Proverb

I selected these quotes because they make me think about the journey I am about to embark upon... a journey into the halls of a local high school. School starts at 8:00 AM, Wednesday, August 13th.

This beginning came from the end of my summer and time as an MU graduate student.

I'll spend 1/3 of the work making a great new beginning in the first month of school by building community, developing science inquiry skills, and sparking curiosity.

My first single step tomorrow will be at 6:45 am, though the first step of this journey was trusting God to find me a great job for this year.

I believe that establishing a community of learners is the most important part of my task as a teacher/guide. Second is developing the behavioral skills needed... respect, responsibility, kindness, and safety (yes, its PBS... all you Columbia Public Schools people!).

Sometimes I get scared and have a hard time with the "start". I just want to lay in bed and let fear paralyze me. If I don't try, I've failed. So when my alarm sounds super-early, I'll chant this mantra "can't win unless I begin" over in my head.

My classroom is messy. Learning 150 new names is messy. Paper jams in the copier is messy. Yep, beginnings are messy.

Those Germans are smart, but we Americans say it "bite off more than can chew". I haven't done that this year... yet. I haven't been assigned an extra-curricular or sport and have not volunteered for any (yet). I am going to limit myself this year so I can... (here's the best quote for the post...)

"Burn brightly, but not so much that I burn out."

Craft vs. DIY and card-creating

I like to make things... food, gardens, lesson plans, wedding plans, and yes, crafts. I think crafts has a "tacky tone" to it, so sometimes I just call it DIY - Do it yourself. For the most part, I do like to "do it myself", unless "it" refers to taping off a room to be painted, using power tools, or cleaning the shower. In that case, I'd much rather it be DBSY - Done by someone else!

So here's a nice little DIY project I did tonight. I like to send little encouraging messages to my friends, and usually just buy premade cards from Target or Papyrus. However, I am trying to stay in the spirit of the "August Buy Nothing Challenge", so I made these cards with items I'd bought when they were on clearance.



This card will be for a friend who is remarkable. Remarkable, to me, means that she is an excellent role model, possesses several fruits of the spirit, and inspires others.

This card is for a friend who I want to send a happy wish to. She'll get it in the mail this week!



Here's one I made for a particularly adventurous friend. She scales mountains, tackles new sports, and is always willing to try new things.

Here's what my dining room table looked like. Maybe I'll donate the letters which don't spell words to my mom's kindergarten classroom!

Hi, Friends.

Okay, this post is short.

We've ether got food poisoning or some sort of stomach virus over at the Haid house. Yuck! Dan's incredibly high volume vomiting woke me up at 2 and I didn't sleep much after. As a consequence, I wasn't sure if I was sick all morning from exhaustion. I gave myself permission to leave my "Back to School Meeting Day" if the going got too rough, but I toughed it out until 3:30 pm. When I came home he was still in bed moaning. At least he's been able to have half a Gatorade. I've had ginger cookies, club crackers, and 7 up today, as well as my first dose of Alkaseltzer.

Tomorrow will be a long day for me. I've got a faculty meeting at 8 am, then lesson planning and last minute rearranging of things/work time until Open House, which is from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. I question the choice to schedule open house the evening before the first day, but I have absolutely no say in it. I just don't want a sub for the first day of school!

I am so excited to teach this year. I'll be teaching high school biology in a district with the motto "Rising to Excellence: the Look of Excellence". How Excellent. The principal seems to have very high standards and I feel like my six years of MU Teacher Development Program training will pay off!

Room 21!

My classroom is large and was built within the last five years. It has two large westerly facing windows, dozens of empty cabinets and drawers, three sinks, gas valves, and small student tables. Its also air conditioned!!! So already, it trumps Room 31 at West Jr.

When I arrived at my classroom I was not cool with the mural on the wall in the back. It looked a little too much like a college weed-smokin' tribute to math.

Here is a close up of the neon mural, before the painting began.

Here's a view of the only filled shelving unit, which has 8th grade level science texts and some resources for teaching astronomy (neither of which I teach!). There is also a TV with cable and VCR (no DVD, Data Projector, Smart Board... YET!)

On the second day, I made progress cleaning and arranging the desks into pods of three and four. My desk is in the lower corner, buried under stuff!


I decided to make a real effort to spot clean all desks and counters before I leave each day, so here is what I got accomplished so far on day three:

The greenery on my desk are floral stemmed pens. I think its nice! And, yes, I totally stole the idea from the doctors office!

Here is a sunny window where I'll grow lots of plants. I think plants are calming and add some good juju to the room. There's also a large stack of student copies of Holt's Biology text. Don't know how much they will be using that textbook, since I teach an inquiry based class!

Here is the back wall, all painted and fresh with my two favorite relaxing posters. I will add a tree to the wall (out of paper and other media) and have that space as our Biology Word Wall. This on day four. I've cleaned up a large portion of the desks and I think the room looks great!

Here's how I keep track of my progress... a checklist!

And here's a nifty thing I did just for fun for me. I mixed different food coloring in old, unusable acid bottles. There's also a fern I am trying to rehab (I don't give up on plants easily!)

I'll post some more before the room officially opens to students on Wednesday!

First Impressions of SoBoCo

My new district is called SoBoCo as a loving nickname. I think it sounds like a type of whiskey!

Its official name is Southern Boone County R II. Here's a photograph of the front of my high school.

I went to work for the first time on Tuesday and returned each day. The drive is about 15 minutes from my home to my classroom door. That's roughly the same time as my drive to West Jr, but about ten more miles. I just zip down Hwy 63!

The Professional Development Committee, a district wide group, welcomed us appropriately. There were under twenty new hires, though only one new employee is a new teacher! I was surprised how many teachers were leaving CPS to come to work for Ashland. I was set up with a mentor teacher, who is there to answer questions and serve as my liaison with the faculty. She has been there for over fifteen years and is the "cooky" art teacher! I immediately felt a connection. She's smart, quick on her feet, and sincere. The PDC scheduled a full DAY of meetings followed by two unstructured days to work in our classrooms. That was nice! Very unlike my last meeting-frenzied school.

What I am struck most by is the kindness of the staff I have met so far. They are willing to drop everything to answer a question or help me find something. This often takes much of their time. I've been able to get help for all my concerns, and I feel I am getting real, honest answers, not just political/standard responses. I've also met the superintendent, who suggested I get a Smart Board. My last Spt. never even made eye contact! I'm impressed that she'd shake my hand, let alone extend a technological gift.

In an upcoming post I'll share pictures from the week working to redesign my classroom from an ugly place to a peaceful environment conducive to learning.

Company's Coming!

Tonight we invited David and Abby, the other young couple on our street, over for dinner. They are our new(ish) neighbors. We haven't spent much time with them, but we do talk when we are out doing things in the yard or walking. David also helped me "break" into the house when I was locked out and Dan was gone a few weeks ago (that would have made a good post!).

I felt a little apprehensive because I didn't know how well we'd get along or how much in common we'd have! They live in a house with the same floor plan and a similar color scheme, so we had a lot in common on the surface. We also had some common acquaintances, such as a law school classmate is my friend from elementary school's husband and a father's college roommate is my husband's friend's dad.

It was fun to talk about movies, churches, school, marriage experiences, jobs, etc. It was nice to entertain.

I am regaining my pleasure in such hostess experiences! During the last six weeks, we've had four "dinner parties". Our friends the Dorrs have been there adding laughter and companionship for many of them, as well as a Korean family, my parents, and my parents-in-law.

Tonight as I served up dessert, I realized how much I like entertaining. I like it and it seems "normal". Over the past year, depression has robbed me of pleasure of hosting dinner parties. When we were first married, we had company more than four nights a week. Conversation, card games, and wine flowed easily. My eating disorder relapse had me focusing more on food preparation than on my company's conversation and anxiety had me scurry around instead of sit and enjoy the experience. Our dear friends John and Ann, (who spent as many dinners at our house as at theirs!) moved to Florida and that left a lonely spot in our home. After the miscarriage, I didn't want to have fun and couldn't experience any joy. We didn't have a Christmas party this year. We didn't have friends over for new recipes and card games or movies this year. It just didn't happen.

I am thankful that the Lord is putting these pieces of my life back together. I enjoy the variety and life that fills our home when we open it to others. I also enjoy how clean it gets too, as we speed clean away.

A healing read...

Healing Stones; A Sullivan Crisp Novel

By Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn

I heard about this novel on a daily radio talk show that I listen to.

One of the hosts, Steven Arterburn, co-authored this book.

The show is called New Life Live, which is a Christian psychology/advice call in show. Usually the callers have questions about healing marriages after miscommunication or affairs or have some sort of personal issues. Its really interesting to hear a Christian perspective on these issues, since church doesn't always provide them.

This book is much like the show, in that the main characters have sinned and need to repent and reclaim their lives. There are a few plot lines that deal with deceit, sexual infidelity, communication break down, toxic faith, suicide, depression, divorce, unplanned pregnancy, lies, and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, FORGIVENESS.

The title is a reference to the passage in the bible when Jesus "saves" an adulteress from a mob of angry stone throwers. One of the themes of the book is about how others are quick to judge and condemn, and we ourselves often heave huge stones at ourselves, but once we have confessed our sins, Jesus says, "Go and sin no more". So that woman who committed adultery is no longer an adulteress. Its her past. Jesus covered those sins on the cross, and she is responsible for living a high quality, just life in the future as a pardoned person.

I learned a lot about the field of Christian counseling from this book. I also learned about the emotions experienced when one lives in an affair. I've never experienced this, thankfully, nor child as a child. I think I'll be much slower to judge, gossip about, hold opinions of, be concerned with, meddle, etc. in the lives of those entangled in an affair or divorce. Its not my business!

Just this morning, the radio reported coverage of a prominent politician's affair as if it were open for full disclosure. Bring on the stones, he's out of the Vice Presidential race! Good grief. His poor family, wife, and mental health.

I've not read much Christian fiction because I've been turned off by the setting (prairie, 1800s), plots (Will God help her find true love?), and literary qualities (virtually, none!). This book has several well developed characters who show growth, an interesting setting, lots of rising action, a surprising denouement, and a not-too-heart-warming-cheese-o-rama ending. Its a fine book, and I am so glad that I read it. Its a book I'd buy, and I series I'll look forward to with anticipation!

Baby Sister's New Wheels

My youngest sister (I've got two) just purchased her first New car. Here's a google image of the 2007 Pontiac G6 GT. Hers is a lighter silver than this one, and suits her perfectly!

I guess the post title "Baby Sister" is misleading. She's a college grad, recent hire at UMR, and is apparently old enough for a car payment! Her life is well on its way and now she can get there in a little sporty coupe.