SNOW BUNNY!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Looking at getting out
Big Guy and I are looking at houses to move into. Between the school issues and other things, we're just not comfortable here anymore and need to get out. The hope is to find a house that someone is willing to sell on a land contract. We talked last night and decided that this is our last year on the lease here.
Our idea is to make a list of what we want in our ideal house and then decide what we are willing to compromise on for a rental. Somewhere in all of this, we'll sort out what needs sorting out and figure out what will make us happy. We went and looked at a rental last night which really cemented our need to get out of here. However, Big Guy doesn't think that we should apply for this particular house and I can see why he feels this way. I've told him that I recognize my impulsivity and I am willing to defer to a less emotion-filled decision maker. But, I also told him I felt we SHOULD apply for the house. I am not going to push that issue though.
With the end of the month approaching, I am grading and preparing for the end of this class. Next month, I am scheduled for Comp II. I'm relieved that this year seems to be going so well, but we do have a few financial details to take care of. Once we do that, my hope is to go back to school for a Master's degree and increase my marketability. I love teaching English at a college level but I need more money and more reliability in this.
Tonight, however, is finals night for my class. I'll be grading and submitting grades tonight, and then I'll hopefully be going home. With class next month, we are going to start figuring out how to improve our situation. Then we're going to do it.
Our idea is to make a list of what we want in our ideal house and then decide what we are willing to compromise on for a rental. Somewhere in all of this, we'll sort out what needs sorting out and figure out what will make us happy. We went and looked at a rental last night which really cemented our need to get out of here. However, Big Guy doesn't think that we should apply for this particular house and I can see why he feels this way. I've told him that I recognize my impulsivity and I am willing to defer to a less emotion-filled decision maker. But, I also told him I felt we SHOULD apply for the house. I am not going to push that issue though.
With the end of the month approaching, I am grading and preparing for the end of this class. Next month, I am scheduled for Comp II. I'm relieved that this year seems to be going so well, but we do have a few financial details to take care of. Once we do that, my hope is to go back to school for a Master's degree and increase my marketability. I love teaching English at a college level but I need more money and more reliability in this.
Tonight, however, is finals night for my class. I'll be grading and submitting grades tonight, and then I'll hopefully be going home. With class next month, we are going to start figuring out how to improve our situation. Then we're going to do it.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
OMG U need 2 care 2 teach
Big Guy and I take education rather seriously. Both of us have college degrees and recognize the necessity to have one in today's world. While we do struggle financially, I can only imagine how much harder it would be without the education to back us up. One of the things I have learned while teaching, however, is that there are schools that are not doing what kids need to prepare for the outside world.
A while ago, I was told by a neighbor that the local high school allows students to write papers in "text speak". Big Guy did not believe the story until I had it confirmed by a student in my class this month. When I asked for the name of the teacher, she looked at me blankly and asked: "Which ONE?" After that, Big Guy was much more amenable to the idea of homeschooling. We've narrowed down which districts we are willing to send Little Guy to school in and which districts are absolutely a no-go due to their lack of concern or ability regarding education.
I can understand being burned out. I'm sure we have all been at a point in our jobs where going for just one more day seems impossible. However, in a job where you have a direct impact on people, as in teaching, you need to force your way through it. Allowing children to write papers in text speak is nothing short of criminal and reeks of sheer indifference. When jobs are looking for workers that can communicate effectively, encouraging laziness in kids and their writing does no one a service.
This month, several of my students have exhibited frustration that no one called them on their writing ability, that no one corrected their writing in the English classes. Admittedly, in high school, you don't learn the writing structure. However, you do have to write papers and your teachers should care enough to correct your mistakes. By allowing the students to get away with using shortened speech is not doing your job as a teacher. It may be easier rather than hearing the complaints, it may be simpler rather than fighting with them, but being a good teacher, just like being a good parent, means doing the difficult things.
A while ago, I was told by a neighbor that the local high school allows students to write papers in "text speak". Big Guy did not believe the story until I had it confirmed by a student in my class this month. When I asked for the name of the teacher, she looked at me blankly and asked: "Which ONE?" After that, Big Guy was much more amenable to the idea of homeschooling. We've narrowed down which districts we are willing to send Little Guy to school in and which districts are absolutely a no-go due to their lack of concern or ability regarding education.
I can understand being burned out. I'm sure we have all been at a point in our jobs where going for just one more day seems impossible. However, in a job where you have a direct impact on people, as in teaching, you need to force your way through it. Allowing children to write papers in text speak is nothing short of criminal and reeks of sheer indifference. When jobs are looking for workers that can communicate effectively, encouraging laziness in kids and their writing does no one a service.
This month, several of my students have exhibited frustration that no one called them on their writing ability, that no one corrected their writing in the English classes. Admittedly, in high school, you don't learn the writing structure. However, you do have to write papers and your teachers should care enough to correct your mistakes. By allowing the students to get away with using shortened speech is not doing your job as a teacher. It may be easier rather than hearing the complaints, it may be simpler rather than fighting with them, but being a good teacher, just like being a good parent, means doing the difficult things.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Spiritual Sunday - The World Works as it wills
Last Week
It took many years and many trials and tribulations before I learned to accept that everything truly does happen for a reason. There have been many times that I have dealt with what I was certain were horrible situations only to discover that there had been a plan after all. The world works as the world wills and everything will work out for the best from the end of relationships to the loss of some dreams.
People can look sideways at this and shake their heads, but the fact remains. You need to have faith and let go. Have faith that the situation you find untenable, the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, is for the best. Wipe down your face and stop fighting the inevitable. Crying won't fix the job; yelling won't fix the relationship. Accept that in those situations, you are powerless. And accept that there is a plan, you just can't see it yet.
When the door closes, the window opens. If the relationship ends, it wasn't meant to be. There will be other relationships, and one of them WILL last. If the job is lost, it simply means that a better job, a better fit and one that will make you happier, is out there. And everyone, good or bad, has given you something to make you a better person, but it's up to you to find out what it is. But that first step is acceptance. Accept that it's OK that things did not work out the way you wanted, and really mean it.
Most of us spend a good portion of our lives railing against the inevitable instead of accepting the plan we cannot see. We can't accept it for a number of reasons: it doesn't fit with our plan, we were content with the situation as it stood, or even we are too set with that path that change is nearly impossible. But, by relinquishing control to the flow of the planet, we will find our path.
That is not to say that the right things don't require work. I recognize that had any of my relationships followed a different path, I would likely not have ended up with Big Guy. However, all relationships require work, even good ones. Big Guy and I make it a point to maintain our marriage daily. We talk to each other, help each other, and reinforce our feelings for each other every day. A job that you enjoy needs the same care and work as a good relationship. I spend a great deal of time thinking about what lessons need to be tweaked and what I can do to improve my class, another opportunity I would have missed had I railed against the unexpected course my life took.
Next Week
It took many years and many trials and tribulations before I learned to accept that everything truly does happen for a reason. There have been many times that I have dealt with what I was certain were horrible situations only to discover that there had been a plan after all. The world works as the world wills and everything will work out for the best from the end of relationships to the loss of some dreams.
People can look sideways at this and shake their heads, but the fact remains. You need to have faith and let go. Have faith that the situation you find untenable, the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, is for the best. Wipe down your face and stop fighting the inevitable. Crying won't fix the job; yelling won't fix the relationship. Accept that in those situations, you are powerless. And accept that there is a plan, you just can't see it yet.
When the door closes, the window opens. If the relationship ends, it wasn't meant to be. There will be other relationships, and one of them WILL last. If the job is lost, it simply means that a better job, a better fit and one that will make you happier, is out there. And everyone, good or bad, has given you something to make you a better person, but it's up to you to find out what it is. But that first step is acceptance. Accept that it's OK that things did not work out the way you wanted, and really mean it.
Most of us spend a good portion of our lives railing against the inevitable instead of accepting the plan we cannot see. We can't accept it for a number of reasons: it doesn't fit with our plan, we were content with the situation as it stood, or even we are too set with that path that change is nearly impossible. But, by relinquishing control to the flow of the planet, we will find our path.
That is not to say that the right things don't require work. I recognize that had any of my relationships followed a different path, I would likely not have ended up with Big Guy. However, all relationships require work, even good ones. Big Guy and I make it a point to maintain our marriage daily. We talk to each other, help each other, and reinforce our feelings for each other every day. A job that you enjoy needs the same care and work as a good relationship. I spend a great deal of time thinking about what lessons need to be tweaked and what I can do to improve my class, another opportunity I would have missed had I railed against the unexpected course my life took.
Next Week
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