Sunday, November 8, 2009
Silver Comet 1/2 Marathon
It may not be my fastest 1/2 Marathon but it was the first one that I have been able to move the next day. I did not feel like I was run over afterwards. I think it is about time to start thinking about a Full Marathon......
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Proceed with Caution - Honesty is hard.
There was never a day that I dreaded having to go to Birchwood last year. Even though I was the secretary and not teaching in the classroom/gym I never got the deep down dread of having to go. It was something that I did everyday. Yeah, sure some thing were annoying but most things were within my control.
So, let me be positive first.
The kids are great at my new school. There are no major discipline problems that are mean spirited.
The teachers that I have slowly gotten to know are very nice and extremely open to the changes I have made.
I am getting the oppurtunity to visit two schools in Rochester, NY in a couple of weeks for FREE. I love getting inspiration from different places and people.
I feel like my grasp of teaching elementary PE is flowing without much effort and lessons are for most part working out great.
Now for the RANT.
I HATE not having an indoor space to use!!!!!!!!
I dread having to go to work when it is raining!!!!!!!
The grass is wet everyday.
I have to squidgee the "pavilion" because who ever built it poured the floor so that pools of water collect on it.
The community leaves their trash on the pavilion ALL the time. One monday there was a bag of beer bottles left. I have picked up food containers, cigarette boxes and butts, beer cans/bottles, and other random things left. I am sorry but I find that behavior to be disrespectful and irresponsible.
I have almost stepped in dog shit because someone let their dog crap on the grounds and did not have the decency to pick it up.
I have to teach next to a playground where several classes are having recess all at once during some parts of the day. I find kids and myself constantly being distracted and losing focus.
Discovered Thursday that even when it is cold and dry that the dew and condensation drip all over the pavilion as the sun begins to heat up the roof. (I think this sent me over the edge.) It is hard to have the kids moving and running around concrete when it is wet.
Having to teach, cover standards, and try to perform an assessment is nearly impossible when you have 40+ kids.
Yes, I am frustrated as I sit here listening to the rain fall outside. The part that frustrates me the most is that I have no control over any of it. It is what it is and some how I have to figure out how to change my reaction to it because the things I am hating right now are beyond my control.
If you have any words of wisdom to help me process this please share I need a new perspective to help me make it through the next 8 months. 4 months ago I got this job and then I thought I got it for a reason. If only I knew that it was going to be a character building reason with plenty of hardships. It was alot easier moving to Bellingham than moving back to GA.
So, let me be positive first.
The kids are great at my new school. There are no major discipline problems that are mean spirited.
The teachers that I have slowly gotten to know are very nice and extremely open to the changes I have made.
I am getting the oppurtunity to visit two schools in Rochester, NY in a couple of weeks for FREE. I love getting inspiration from different places and people.
I feel like my grasp of teaching elementary PE is flowing without much effort and lessons are for most part working out great.
Now for the RANT.
I HATE not having an indoor space to use!!!!!!!!
I dread having to go to work when it is raining!!!!!!!
The grass is wet everyday.
I have to squidgee the "pavilion" because who ever built it poured the floor so that pools of water collect on it.
The community leaves their trash on the pavilion ALL the time. One monday there was a bag of beer bottles left. I have picked up food containers, cigarette boxes and butts, beer cans/bottles, and other random things left. I am sorry but I find that behavior to be disrespectful and irresponsible.
I have almost stepped in dog shit because someone let their dog crap on the grounds and did not have the decency to pick it up.
I have to teach next to a playground where several classes are having recess all at once during some parts of the day. I find kids and myself constantly being distracted and losing focus.
Discovered Thursday that even when it is cold and dry that the dew and condensation drip all over the pavilion as the sun begins to heat up the roof. (I think this sent me over the edge.) It is hard to have the kids moving and running around concrete when it is wet.
Having to teach, cover standards, and try to perform an assessment is nearly impossible when you have 40+ kids.
Yes, I am frustrated as I sit here listening to the rain fall outside. The part that frustrates me the most is that I have no control over any of it. It is what it is and some how I have to figure out how to change my reaction to it because the things I am hating right now are beyond my control.
If you have any words of wisdom to help me process this please share I need a new perspective to help me make it through the next 8 months. 4 months ago I got this job and then I thought I got it for a reason. If only I knew that it was going to be a character building reason with plenty of hardships. It was alot easier moving to Bellingham than moving back to GA.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Georgia Educator's Night at the Aquarium
I was able to meet up with my old Girls Night Out group from Griffin this Friday Night (and a couple of other friends that we lost at some point during the evening) and enjoy the World of Coke and the GA Aquarium for FREE!
I don't think I would have ever gone if I had to pay full price for it. Below are the sights we saw. Pictures are crappy......I just need to suck it up and buy a new camera because it is killing me to not get all the great shots I saw.
I don't think I would have ever gone if I had to pay full price for it. Below are the sights we saw. Pictures are crappy......I just need to suck it up and buy a new camera because it is killing me to not get all the great shots I saw.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Enough said.....Saturday, August 1, 2009
Expeditionary Learning
New teacher orientation is over and next week I start my new job as a PE teacher for Kindergarten thru 3rd grade. I am soooooo excited about being back in the classroom after a 1.75 year hiatus.
Challenges that I will have to overcome with this job are:
1. My work space is outside under a pavilion. If people in Florida can teach PE outside so can I.
2. For the first time I will have an assistant for two of the days because I have double classes on Tues. and Thursday. I have always been by my self even when I had 40 kids at a time. I hope they are on board with the "New" PE and don't expect to just roll the ball out.
New exciting things to look forward to are:
1. Decatur City Schools are charter schools. We follow the Expeditionary Learning Model at the Primary Level which is based on the Outward Bound Principles. In the 80s an Outward Bound guru took their idea to professors at Harvard to incorporate their model into the academic realm. Just to give you an idea of what others think about this learning....our current President Obama has spent time checking out this model of schooling. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/how_our_schools_should_be/
Challenges that I will have to overcome with this job are:
1. My work space is outside under a pavilion. If people in Florida can teach PE outside so can I.
2. For the first time I will have an assistant for two of the days because I have double classes on Tues. and Thursday. I have always been by my self even when I had 40 kids at a time. I hope they are on board with the "New" PE and don't expect to just roll the ball out.
New exciting things to look forward to are:
1. Decatur City Schools are charter schools. We follow the Expeditionary Learning Model at the Primary Level which is based on the Outward Bound Principles. In the 80s an Outward Bound guru took their idea to professors at Harvard to incorporate their model into the academic realm. Just to give you an idea of what others think about this learning....our current President Obama has spent time checking out this model of schooling. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/how_our_schools_should_be/
2. Running a 1/2 marathon with Robby (well we will at least start together but the way he has been running lately he will be waiting for me at the finish line) on Halloween Day.
3. The unknown, who know where this will all take us.
More on Expeditionary Learning as I get thrown into it. :)
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