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| Summer Days Drifting AwayWell, this is my last summer post, I think. School starts for teachers next Monday and students report on Wednesday, so I figured I better do this now before things get too busy. This week brings schedule pick-up nights on Wednesday (freshmen) and Thursday (upper classmen), and Friday I'll be at the school to help with numbering books and getting things ready. Speaking of numbering books...I spent a couple of days two weeks ago helping to move books and workbooks and grammar books and, well, you get the idea. The English department is only getting new books for the freshmen and sophomores this year, as well as for AP 3, but I decided to be a nice guy and help out my fellow teachers. And in doing so, I have hopefully secured their help next summer when the junior and senior books come in. Normally this would have been done by the department head, but since we don't have those any more, it falls to volunteers. Sure, the assistant principals should really be in charge of this, but the reality is that if we didn't do it, it wouldn't get done. Moving over 1000 books, workbooks, grammar books, etc., and the teaching materials that accompany them is not fun. Speaking of the school administrators, I am liking Dan Boland more and more each day. He is new to being an administrator, but his "if I don't know, I'll find out" attitude is refreshing. He was a huge help to us with the books and a few other things. Willison is the new supervisor of the English department. I still don't have much of an impression of Ging. And Mankins, well, let's just say it could be a long year. I'll reserve my final judgment until I get to see her in action during the teacher meetings next week and the first few weeks of school. I previously said it may take me all year to develop a proper judgment of her, but now I'm not so sure. More to follow... The lonely three have become the lonely two, and soon to be the lonely one. Nick is off in Dayton attending med school. He moved into his condo this past weekend. And Tim is here through this weekend, I think, and then he's off to Rose. I will say that we have had a good summer of board games and Phase 10, though. If it weren't for the friendships of those two and a few others (Alex, Dan, Kevin, John and Matt) this summer would have been a disaster after summer school finished up. As usual, I don't handle "free time" well. I've also enjoyed a couple of days catching up with Mrs. Adams and Mrs. McGraw which is always a delight. And, of course, there's my family. I think I've spent a good deal of time with my mom, sister, nephew and nieces this summer. But, I really should spend more... I went with Tim, Alex and Dan to see The Clone Wars on Saturday. Sigh. It wasn't what I would call a good movie. I love Star Wars and George Lucas, but this should have stayed a part of the cartoon that's coming to TV this fall. The animation was kinda cool, and there was plenty of Star Wars action, but the plot...well, it was pretty bad. I won't bore you with the details, but it revolves around a kidnapped Huttling (don't ask) and trade routes. Gah! When will George learn that we want good vs. evil, not politics? He has completely gotten away from the stuff that inspired him in the first place (mythology, the hero's journey and other stuff from Joseph Campbell). And then there's the humor. During the second act there's some humor from the battle droids which almost seems out of place, and then there's the unintentional humor from Ziro the Hutt in the third act. He speaks like a gay southerner. No, really, you read that right - a gay southerner. I honestly can't give this movie higher than a C. Now, as a series on the Cartoon Network, it might get up to a B. We'll see, I guess. Matt and John are off on their adventure out west. Let's all take a moment and hope they aren't eaten by a bear... I guess that's about it. I've read my quota of books for the summer (about 8, I think), I've played a few videogames (including an old-school Halo night here at the TreeHouse), I've seen some movies (and I'm hoping to catch Tropic Thunder before next week), I've played innumerable games of Phase 10 (and cursed throughout all of them), and I've had some fun. Mission accomplished? Take care of yourselves and each other. Until next time... | | |
| OnceAugust? It's August already? Ugh. That means school is not far off. Not that I'm dreading it, I'm not. It's just that when I look back on what I've accomplished this summer so far...well, let's just say that it doesn't appear to amount to much. Typical. Anywho, there's really not much to report, but I'll do my best to update anyway. The Freshman Focus Mentor training was Wednesday and Thursday this week. Mrs. Jacob handled the first night and focused on the 7 Habits... and 6 Most Important Decisions... books by Covey. I had the stage on the second night for Mrs. McGraw's (well, I did steal it all from her after all!) patented peer mentor and tutor training. I thought both nights went well. It was a good group of 70-some kids. On Wednesday I got to meet the new assistant principal - Mr. Ging. He came over with the new head lady, Mankins, from Reynoldsburg. He seems like an old-school administrator (and no, I don't mean that in the sense that he's been in education for 30 some years even though he has), but with a milquetoast twist. He is certainly different from what GC has had in recent years. I'm anxious to see how he works out. But, since he is already familiar with Mankins' style from Reynoldsburg, I'm sure he'll be okay. Mankins was in attendance on Thursday night for a time. I liked that I had the chance to talk (even briefly) with her and introduce myself before the school year starts up. I'm not sure how I feel about her yet. And don't read anything into that, please. I just mean that I haven't seen her in action yet. Give me 6 months under her leadership and I'll get back to you. (I say 6 months because I have a feeling the bond/levy issue slated for this fall will keep her very busy.) And history has taught me that the district really leans on principals to do a lot of work to make these happen. In fact, Mankins said she had already been to a meeting at a parent/student's house this summer about the levy. Considering she's the same age as Mrs. Jacob and me, it should be interesting if nothing else. Speaking of Mankins, she has had to cancel the meeting she requested with Student Council for this Thursday because of some district level meetings (a retreat, I think) she just found out about. So, if there are any Student Council kids out there who read this - don't show up on Thursday. (Heh. The funny thing is I am almost positive that there are no current SC members who even know about my Xanga account, let alone read it.) She wants to reschedule, but hasn't picked a date yet. I managed to relay the info to about 17 members so far because they were at the Freshman Focus training (or have direct contact with some others who were not there). That leaves me with about 28 phone calls to make this weekend. Ugh. I'm hoping to get some cell phone numbers for current members from Justin and Tony (my superstars from last year!) so I can send a mass text to about 6 or 8 of them and save myself some more time. I'm also asking for some prayers this week. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins had their baby Wednesday and there were some complications. The last update I got this morning was much more positive than the initial news Mrs. Jacob gave me on Wednesday. But, if you could keep them and little Samuel in your thoughts and prayers, I would appreciate it. They are really good people and this has been hard on them. I don't feel right posting details here, but your support would be great. I rented a few flicks last weekend. I loved Into the Wild and Mrs. Jacob has said she'll let me borrow the book, which she claims is better than the movie. I also loved Once. If you are a fan of original, independent, folk (?) music, then you must see this movie. Heck, rent it even if you aren't a fan - it's that good. The Bank Job was a decent flick and based on real events. And Vantage Point was okay. Nothing great, just a typical thriller. Honestly, there's not much else to report. Take care of yourselves and one another. Until next time... "I don't know you.
But I want you
All the more for that.
Words fall through me
And always fool me,
And I can't react.
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out.
Take this sinking boat and point it home.
We've still got time.
Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice.
You've made it now.
Falling slowly, eyes that know me.
And I can't go back.
Moods that take me and erase me,
And I'm painted black.
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself.
It's time that you won.
Take this sinking boat and point it home.
We've still got time.
Raise your hopeful voice, you had a choice.
You've made it now.
Take this sinking boat and point it home.
We've still got time.
Raise your hopeful voice, you had a choice.
You've made it now.
Falling slowly, sing your melody.
I'll sing along. I've played the cards too late. Now you're gone." - Falling Slowly, Glen Hansard, from Once | | |
| Why so serious?The first week after Summer School hasn't been too bad. On Tuesday I had dinner with Mrs. Adams and Mrs. McGraw. It was a good time at the Starliner Diner in Hilliard. I had forgotten how delicious the food was there. We caught up and talked about a lot of stuff. It was great to see both of them! Wednesday was the second Student Council meeting of the summer. It was a much more productive meeting, since there were about 35 members in attendance, than our June meeting. Our biggest obstacle right now? Finding a theme for Homecoming. The kids want Vegas, Mardi Gras, and flashback (80's or 90's), in that order. The first two are problematic because of the connotations they carry with them. And flashback? What? Ugh. I'll talk things over with our new administration team when I get a chance. Ben and Annie appeared in GC on Wednesday. It is always a pleasure to see both of them. The GC Class of 2003 reunion is this Friday night (tonight). It's been 5 years? Really? Wow. I feel old. Thursday was a very good day. Book club met at Applebee's for lunch. It wasn't the most conducive place to meet for book club, but it was nice to see everyone. Rurak has elected to give up book club, and it seems we have added a new member - Tobin (a drama and English teacher for one year at GCHS). We didn't really talk about the new addition, but I don't think anyone will object. The problem will come during the school year when we have to start scheduling meetings (she works for Olentangy and does drama for one of the high schools). Our next book is The Monsters of Templeton. It should be interesting. Thursday also brought the AP scores for this year. A few scores trickled in to me on Wednesday, but I got the full report from Hampson on Thursday. The scores were better than I expected. I am pretty happy. They are still not where I want them to be, but a 10% increase from last year (60% at 3 or above compared to 50% last year) is pretty good. Overall, I had 2 fives, 7 fours, 26 threes, 20 twos, and 3 ones. As usual, there were some kids that did better then I expected, and some that did a little worse. One of my fives was a true, pleasant surprise. Anyway, the key has always been having more threes than twos, and this year's class delivered. Thanks guys! I am really looking forward to next year when I only have 30 total kids. The scores should really be good, or so I hope. I went with Tony D. and Justin (and a few others) to see The Dark Knight at midnight last night. Wow. All of the talk about Heath Ledger receiving a posthumous Oscar nomination is deserved. His portrayal of the Joker is phenomenal. The movie itself is long but good. I can't wait to see what the third movie brings. I gave blood today. The Red Cross called the other day and was determined to get me to donate blood. It took a little longer than usual at the Church of the Nazarene (their staffing problem, not me), but I was successful. The Red Cross says they are at a critical shortage, so if you can schedule an appointment to donate, do it. Which brings me to the following: as you may know, when I was sick, Urgent Care registered my blood pressure at outrageous levels (160/128 or so). Today, it was 120/80 according to the Red Cross nurse, which is where it has been for the most part (according to the Red Cross) for the last few years. I have not made an appointment yet with a doctor, per the request of the Urgent Care doc, as I promised to do in early June. My dilemma is this: do I make an appointment for something I don't think is a problem, or do I discount the Urgent Care numbers as vastly inflated because of all the crap/medicine I had in my system at the time? I really don't know. I'll do whatever you guys think I should do. My health is important to me, and I have no intention of ignoring a potential problem, but I'm not sure this is a problem. Advice? Thoughts? I guess that's about it. There's nothing on TV worth watching right now, and I haven't picked up any new CDs recently. I did splurge on Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga today after my donation. I need something to do, right? Take care of yourselves and one another. Until next time.... "I was wasting my time
Trying to fall in love.
Disappointment came to me and
Booted me and bruised and hurt me.
But that's how people grow up.
That's how people grow up." - Morrissey, That's How People Grow Up | | |
| There Will Be StoriesI'll make this entry a short one. The Monster of Florence was a good book. I was hooked just on the concept - a serial killer terrorizes Florence, Italy for several summers. I liked the book, but was frustrated by the eventual let down. There is no definitive conclusion as to who the killer is. There is a strong theory presented, but it is not proven or dis-proven. (Is dis-proven even a word??) There is also an awful lot about Italian politics, especially in their police units. The first half of the book is great, and the second half is a let down of sorts. (I read the book in two days - which speaks to my excitement about the idea/concepts.) Overall, I'd recommend the book. Just don't expect a definite outcome (think Jack the Ripper literature). The new administration at GCHS is set. Dan Boland is definitely a new AP, and the lady AP from Reynoldsburg has turned into a guy from Reynoldsburg. According to Dan (who I had lunch with at our annual Summer School gathering on Friday), the lady took another job in Reynoldsburg schools, which left the door open for a man named Ging (I believe). Whatever. The most important thing is that Boland has volunteered to let me know when AP scores hit GCHS. He promised to email me and the other AP teachers when scores arrive. I trust he will have those to me ASAP after they arrive. I'll be in school on Wednesday for a Student Council meeting, so I hope to know by then what the scores are. Also, Mankins (our new principal) has asked to meet with Student Council on August 7. I think she wants/hopes to get a feel for GCHS before the school year starts. Props to her. I'll make every effort to get as many members there as possible. Summer School is over. It was a bit of a wild ride this summer. We had some unusual occurrences this summer, but, overall, it was just about usual. The eSIS access I enjoyed included the ability to log into and change any students' grade - wow. We only had about 5-7 students not complete the 16 day minimum, which is about on par with other years. Considering we had more kids this year, I would categorize that as a success. Shawn and Amy were in town last weekend. Amy seems like a nice, all-American girl (and she's a shrewd Phase 10 player). I hope her and Shawn overcome the long-distance relationship curse and make it last after she moves to Chicago. Ben is in town this week sometime. And Nick returned from Europe after a 14 day cruise and some other traveling. He treated us to some spectacular photos of Europe, especially Ireland, on Thursday. Petrozza was robbed! I understand that Chef Ramsey was looking to the future, but Christina? Really? Sigh. The night was better than the episode. Shannon and Dan hosted us. We order some pizza and watched with interest the season finale. Actually, I paid more attention to Husker and Apollo - Shannon and Dan's newest kittens. (They have four cats now....meow!) They were adorable, and I helped to wear them out with a fake mouse on a string. It almost made me regret giving up my mid-winter visitor to Mrs. Hughes. Almost. Maybe someday I'll be ready to take on a kitten or two... There Will Be Blood is an excellent flick. I rented it along with AVP:Requiem, Be Kind, Rewind, and 10,000 B.C. Yeah, 10,000 was the pile of steaming dog doo that Ben said it was. The others were entertaining for what they were. I have dinner plans with Mrs. Adams and Mrs. McGraw on Tuesday. I am looking forward to seeing both of them. And I'm going to see the new Batman flick with Tony and Justin on Thursday night when it opens. I guess that's about it. Take care of yourselves and each other.... | | |
| All You Need Is Me!I had hoped that my next post on here would be a testament to the miracles of modern science. I had hoped that I would be at 100% healthy. Meh. Not so much. But I am better. I can taste most things, although it's still a little muted. And the old sense of smell isn't completely back yet either. It's weird. I can smell/taste most things pretty well, but some basic things are still lacking (like my breath or body odor - yeah, that sounds strange, but those are things I have to make a conscious effort to notice). Still, I am getting back to normal, but it's not the quick recovery I wanted. The cough is effectively gone now, though. I haven't made an appointment to see a doctor about my blood pressure yet. I will, don't worry, but I've been putting it off until I feel completely better. I want to be in top form when I have it checked. I'm sure I'll be nervous (who wouldn't be?), so it will likely be slightly higher than usual, but it should be much better than the last time. Right? Summer school started off very busy. The first 3-4 days I was swamped with work. The first three days were especially busy with registering new students. Since then, things have really leveled off. And by that I mean I have struggled to find things to do the first hour and a half of each day. I'm pretty bored until the breaks start at 9:45 (and go until 10:25), and then it's collecting attendance sheets and making phone calls, which usually keeps me busy until it's time to head outside for parking lot duty as the kids are being picked up/leaving. (Side note: you couldn't pay me to try to drive out of that parking lot at 11:45 - the traffic is terrible, we have no visible cop, and all of them drive like maniacs - it's a wonder we haven't had an accident.) And I hate telling parents that their kids have missed three days and are done. I had one mother in tears when I told her that her daughter was finished. Ugh. But we have just five days left. Three days with everyone and then two make-up days. Thursday will have about half the kids at most, and Friday will only have one fourth or so. This week was kind of trying though. On Monday we had a kid removed by the police. He was upset about having to stay in class instead of working with the tutor, which he really doesn't need and, no, he doesn't have a 504 or IEP. After he threatened to kill his teacher he was pretty much done - and no, we don't anticipate any more problems with him - he was venting more than anything. And Tuesday we had a young woman OD on her prescription for anxiety. She was completely out of it (slurring words and stumbling) and had apparently written a suicide note. We half expected someone to die on Wednesday after the first two days this week. But, thankfully, Wednesday was pretty calm and we didn't have any incidents. Book club last week was great! I got to see my friends and discuss a book that I really liked. What more could I ask for? We chose The Monster of Florence by Douglass Preston as our next book. It's about a serial killer and told from the perspective of two authors who investigated and became pretty consumed by the crimes. It should arrive in my mailbox from Amazon on Tuesday, and I'm looking forward to reading it. Our hope is that Mrs. Watkins is able to attend (it was her turn to present the book possibilities, but her baby is due on July 25 or so - we meet on the 17th). I'll let you know what I think of the book, as usual. Hell's Kitchen is now the only new show I'm watching on a regular basis (other than the Venture Bros. on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network). Christina was a surprise (Cory was robbed!), but Petrozza (sp?) was a lock for the finale. We had family food night on Tuesday, thinking that would be the final episode. But no, instead of a two hour finale, Fox decided to show an hour this week and an hour next week. Oh well. Dan, Shannon, Kevin, Tim and (eventually) John and Moses enjoyed the lasagna (me), salad (Tim), garlic bread (Kevin) and Rice Krispy treats (Shannon and Dan) that were served. I'm a pretty darn good cook, if I do say so myself. :) I'm rooting for Petrozza in the finale. AP scores should be arriving at GCHS next week. I am nervous. I really don't know what to expect this year. I had 58 students take the test and other than a couple of students I expect/hope to get 4s or 5s, I have no idea how things will turn out. I'm especially nervous because this will effectively be my first impression with the new principal. I'm hoping for around ten 4s or 5s and around twenty-five 3s. That would put me back at the 60% range that I would like to achieve. But, I fear that I will be closer to 50%. I'll let you know more as I get my official numbers. Speaking of GCHS administration - rumor has it that they have filled the two assistant principal spots. I've heard that one is a female from Reynoldsburg that new principal Mankins wanted to bring with her, and the other is Dan Boland (a former GCHS math teacher who has been at CCHS since it opened). I guess it really doesn't matter. I know nothing about the Reynoldsburg lady, and Dan was a good math teacher at GCHS when he was there. He was a former summer school teacher the last 4 or 5 years for us and has been the lead teacher at Brookpark for summer school this year (the regular lead teacher started out, but could only continue through the first week for reasons unknown to me). Looking at the hiring practices of the district leads me to believe that it's time for me to look into completing my principal certification. I had always hoped I could be the English department head for a few years before moving on, but I don't see those positions coming back anytime soon. I have my Master's Degree in school leadership, and I only need a few hours/classes to finish a principal's certificate. It's a scary thought for me, but Mrs. Adams has assured me many times that I would be a good administrator. I love teaching, but I have no idea if administration is the track for me. But, honestly, I can't see myself being a teacher for the remainder of my career. The pressures/demands are getting worse each year, and (on some level) I long for a change. My only fear now is that the district, facing financial problems, could cut assistant principals very easily. And I obviously don't want to put myself in a position where I'm forced to leave SWCS. I know there are better districts out there, but my heart is with SWCS and making things better for our students. But, just the thought of being an AP under someone like Kathy Buckerfield is a very tempting prospect... Last weekend was a fundraiser for Brittany and her PT classes at The Little Bar on campus. It was a great time with Brittany, Tim, Sean, Dan, Shannon, Kara, Alex, Kate, and Nick's girlfriend, Cassie. (And thank God for Kevin - serving as DD for several people!) The Class of '03 has their 5 year class reunion next weekend, I believe. I've been invited, or so I'm told, but I doubt I'll attend. Ben is supposed to come back next week at some point for the reunion. And Shawn is coming to town with his new lady friend (Amy) this weekend. Even Nick and Andrew are returning from Europe on Tuesday. The gang is all here... I won at Risk and Phase 10 tonight after wing night at BW3s. Very satisfying. :) I guess that's about it. Take care of yourselves and each other. Until next time... "There's so much destruction
All over the world.
And all you can do is
Complain about me.
You don't like me, but you love me.
Either way you're wrong.
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone.
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone." - Morrissey, All You Need Is Me | | |
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