Careful What You Wish For

I finally have a job and have been officially hired.

I am tired!

Teaching has changed drastically since I first began in 1985.  Then, there was trust that teachers knew what they were doing.  Students sometimes failed because they spent the day doing nothing.  They also spent the evening doing nothing.  These days, I have to keep a mountain of paperwork to prove that a student did not do work.

Also, where I work, I have to decorate my room like everyone else.  How boring!  Though, since the kids are stuck in the same classroom all day, they don't know any better.

But the work load!!  I teach English but have to do a prep for Junior Great Books, Expeditionary Learning, Social Studies, and independent reading using the 100 book challenge.  Further, I need to administer a testing diagnostic to my students once a month (then grade those exams).  I also need to assess reading levels of students on a monthly basis.  Since I haven't yet received the training (and my students' behavior is not conducive to administering such assessments), I am already behind.  I have to write the entire lesson plan (or so it seems) on the board for visitors to see what I'm doing.  I have to put student work up with an explanation of what the assignment was, the rubric used to grade it, and notes on the student work that addresses what was done well and what needs improvement.

I am exhausted.  I have to walk my students to and from the lunch room (four floors).  the partner teacher I work with has a room on the floor above mine.  My other co-workers get to have a partner teacher who is right next door.  I have to walk my students out of the building at dismissal.  Four floors back up.  I don't have a place to make copies.  The copy machine is on the floor, but to use it I need to wheel it down the hall, plug it in, and hope it works.  One day it literally took 40 minutes to make a copy of one piece of paper!

I've not been paid.  I will be observed this week and have no idea what to expect.  I teach the worst students in the school and know my observation is based on their behavior.

So, this is what I wished for.  Now what??

What is illegal hiring practice?

Wow!  This job is so tough!  It's even worse (or there's no light at the end of the tunnel) when you're doing it for free.

So, when a person gets hired, shouldn't that person have to sign papers?  You know, 1099 or something...the W2?  I've signed nothing and was reprimanded for requesting what the hold up was.

Hmmm....now I know what I am up against.  Since I tried to peak behind the curtain, I just about got pushed out the window.

Here's the story.  I was hired outside the pool of candidates within the NYCDOE.  My principal needs permission to hire me.  Frankly, I had no idea that I wasn't actually hired until today.  What I mean is, I do not have a job.  I have not been hired.  I can't be until I get clearance.  But what the hell am I doing at the school every day?  Further, is it even legal for me to be there???

Ugh! What a job.

Finally, I got a job in a NYC public school, and I am totally hating my job.

Well, to be fair, I want to be a teacher and that is what I was hired to do.  Unfortunately, very little instruction actually occurs in these classrooms.  When principals ask about how I handle discipline, and I give the talk about progressive discipline, they are fine with it.  The reality, however, is that these kids have no respect for anyone or anything.  And while their parents are quite literally ready to beat the crap out of the kids, no change in behavior occurs.

So, I try every day to rise above the shit.

Where I work is very unfriendly to teachers.

The students do not travel from one room to the next, it's the teachers who are required to do that.  It's difficult for a variety of reasons.  First, a portion of my evaluation is based on the classroom.  I have no control over my room (because the kids are often fooling about in all their classes) nor do I have control over another teacher's room.  Our stamp is to be present, but I am struggling to figure how to do that.

The discipline is problematic.  It's possible that making these kids sit in the same room all day long only increases their poor behavior.  Kids need to get up and move.  Keeping them in the same room day after day cannot be good for learning.  (Though I suspect it makes the principal look good.  Any visitor to the school would see a nice, quiet building.)  Further, we, the teachers, are told to escort the children from class to lunch.  Imagine, the kids are ready to bust out of the room, but I have to get them to walk in straight lines down four floors to enter the cafeteria quietly.

Then the logistics.  Still no sign of a pay check on the horizon.  If my boss thinks I'll stick around all year with no pay, think again.  This is utterly ridiculous!!!!

And, I have to do these nutty programs with the kids.  for example, I have to do Junior Great Books.  The students listen to a story on CD and then there are a whole load of lessons to go with them.  That's all well and good, but I do not have a CD player, nor do I have enough books for the students.  Nevertheless, I am expected to begin this program.  Hmmm.....how can I pull that off??  In any other situation, I would have made copies of other materials.  Not at this school.  NO Paper is available.  Further, the copier on my floor needs to be wheeled out from where it is, and plugged in to a plug outside someone's classroom.  Further, the copier often doesn't work.  On Monday it literally took me 40 minutes (almost my entire prep period) to make a copy of one sheet of paper.

So, I can tell the IRS that I'm a teacher, but it really feels like I'm just a punching bag.

Back to Work

Yesterday was the first time I had my own class in over a year.

It was very tough.

Teaching in an inner city school requires much structure -- there are too many students to allow for a loose hand.  But, the greatest issue for me is the challenge to get the students to relate to me as their teacher.  It was obvious that the white woman in the room was not like the boys she was teaching.  However, after a second go, it seems we are beginning to make progress.

Since I was hired only last week, I did not have time to prepare myself or my room.  I do not have enough materials to begin covering the curriculum.  I am thankful that the administration is supportive.  So are my co-workers.  Nevertheless, I am the one who needs to get it together and I am struggling.

First, the classroom is utterly filthy.  I feel so dirty every day.  However, it'll be a slow go.  I have to trash much of the materials the former teacher left for me (she has portfolios of student work -- from three years ago!).  I finally opened the laptop, and was disgusted by the grime on the white Mac surface.  The blinds in the room are broken or gone so the former teacher made curtains for the classroom.  It was a nice gesture, but the curtains are not matching.  There are blue curtains on some windows and maroon on others.  Since it's an old school building, the windows require very long curtains -- instead she made a pair for the top of the window and a pair for the bottom.  I have easily 8 windows in my room with mismatched curtains.  I cannot pair the colors (put all blue curtains on one window and all maroon on another) because I have 15 foot ceilings and the windows go to the top!

Second, I have not yet signed a contract.  The woman at the school in charge of organizing my paperwork indicated that I may not get paid until October 15th.  In the meantime, I am spending money getting to work -- 392 dollars for the train alone.  Add the cost of parking at the train station and my metro card and you can see that I need money coming in the door sooner than mid-October.

Third, I have to teach according to a very set program.  We should all be in lock-step to help the students gain ground on the state tests.

Still, I am happy to be at work again.

Wasted Time No More

So, my "wasted" time has become quality time spent.

How?  Despite the hurdles she had to jump, my principal hired me.  Finally I am employed again because someone saw me and liked what she saw.  Since the principal at my new school is not new to her job, she was able to cut through the nonsense and get me on her staff.

Yes, there are still excess teachers with my certification in my field.  However, my new principal did what needed doing to leave those teachers on the curb while inviting me in the door.

The lesson?  Keep trying.

Another lesson?  I work for someone who knows exactly what she needs to do and I better not let her down.

Wasted Time?

I keep trying to get a job and go on interviews, but it's a struggle and I wonder if it's even worth my time.

Today I went on an interview.  The principal told me that the NYC DOE has a hiring freeze on out-of-system teachers (unless you carry a certification in Special Ed., science, or math).  I was shocked.  Then he asked if no one had previously told me.  Obviously not.  Really, it costs 30 bucks to get into the city per interview.  Would I do that for a job that was not available?????

Well, the good news is that the man who interviewed me today said he received a call last Friday from the big office suggesting that they may be opening the door for new hires.  Hmmmm....perhaps it's not been wasted time.  In fact, the principal told me I did a good interview.

Please, let it not all have been wasted time.

Creepy Things

On Friday afternoon I received a curious letter from an agency in Florida claiming I might be the relative of a child in that state.  I tried to call the sender, but got no answer.  Frankly, I didn't believe that I was related to anyone I don't know.  As the day wore on I got to thinking about my brother Anthony and how maybe he left someone behind before he died.  Rod does not agree nor does my logical side, but it's neither here nor there -- at least for the time being.

Also on Friday afternoon I received a call from a school in Manhattan for a job interview on Monday.  Since the boys are away this weekend, I spent more time than usual researching the school.  As I was, I noticed a sidebar on the computer inviting me to search the criminal background of people I know.  So I did.  I searched my own criminal background.  And what did I learn?

One of my possible relatives is the same person who is the parent of the child the agency in Florida contacted me about.  So, I know where they got the information, but I wonder how they got the information.  Where is the connection????  Because also my father and stepmother were listed with this girl.

Honestly, as I looked at this information, I started to feel creeped out and dirty.  Now I really want to talk to the guy who sent the letter.

Garden Woes

When we decided to move the location of the vegetable garden, I expected much greater results than last year.  And, we did succeed!  However, there are still problems.

First, something was eating the leaves of the broccoli plants.  Early on we put a pesticide on the leaves and it worked somewhat, but I don't like the idea of putting poison on my food.  There must be a better way.  (On the plus side, I do actually have broccoli growing -- like, it looks like the real thing and all!!)

Second, what is the story with our tomatoes?  Instead of growing plants, somehow ours became very long vines.  If we poled them, we'd have needed 10 foot poles.  Weird.

Third, am I really the only person who cannot grow zucchini?  Everyone else is trying to give the stuff away.  I'll be lucky to pluck one fruit.

Finally, the garden itself seems too small.

Well, at least things are growing.  It's been a better year than ever!

Deer, we have a problem

Growing up in a small town on the Hudson River allowed me to see quite a bit of nature.  Still, the deer were only present at dusk and not often.  Some mornings we would see evidence of their presence by a nibbled tulip bud.

These days, the deer are doing very well.  Their numbers seem to multiply by the minute.  Just last week as I was driving my son to a friend's house, we passed seven deer -- three of them strolling down the middle of the road!  While on Long Island this past weekend, more evidence of the exploding deer population was present.  Obviously we saw deer, but there were also an awful lot of deer fencing around properties that I'd not seen several years ago.  But the biggest problem is right at home.  When we got back from our weekend adventure, we came home to a devastated garden -- the clematis, honeysuckle and rose of sharon are all chewed to bits.

It's a all out war here.  We will begin erecting the deer fence today.  We have plans for deer fencing the property.  It's an expense we could do without, but desperate times are calling.

Old Time Music

We're headed to the beach for the weekend.  The house where we stay offers ample lodging, good food and plenty of new music.  It's nice to have family with money!

Anyway, I know to bring a pad and pen when I visit because the music is just about always playing.  My brother-in-law and his wife -- and their kids -- love music.  Because they listen to so much of it, they have a very wide range of music to listen to.  I often come home with the names of new bands to check out on my own.  I enjoy listening to new music.

But, the old stuff is fun too!  Mostly I remember spending hours looking at the album covers.  I would know the lyrics to the songs and the order in which the songs played.  For some bands, the album cover itself was a piece of art worth note apart from the music.  Joni Mitchell designed her own album covers; Yes album covers were interesting; The Rolling Stones had some pretty neat ones too!

We have access to so much more music -- and for free -- than ever before.  Sadly, that access has allowed some of the more interesting parts of music fall by the wayside.  As a visual learner, for instance, I can't remember the name of a song just by hearing the song.  I actually need to see the name of the song printed.  Ah, the old days....

The monthly gift box

Have you heard of the monthly gift boxes?

Depending on your taste and desire, you can get a gift box of "goodies" for yourself -- or whomever.

For example, my daughter is a subscriber to Birchbox.  Each month she receives a box of beauty goodies -- usually sample sizes -- that can be tailored to her wants.  Occasionally she even receives full size goodies.

There are also gift boxes for your dog.  At Barkbox, a subscription often (always?) contains a treat for your pup and a toy.  I got one for my dog for Christmas.  She really liked the contents of the box, too (well, she didn't really enjoy the dog shampoo, but I did).

My husband and I were talking about this yesterday and he mentioned that there is a monthly box for fisherman.  Obviously it's not to my liking, but you get the idea -- have a hobby or interest, there's a gift box out there for you.

The latest?  Yarnbox.  Each month two full size skeins of yarn --  art yarn -- arrive.  While you can designate the needle size you generally use,  the colors are variable.  Oh to get that every month!  As it is I get excited about the arrival of my Knit magazines (I subscribe to two).  But getting a new yarn every month??  Wow!!

I applaud the people who think up these gift boxes.  It's like getting an old-fashioned hand-written letter in the mail.  Something to look forward to!!

Crafts

When I was a freshman in high school, my friend Gretchen gave me a Christmas card she'd made herself.  It was a picture of people skating on a pond.  The bodies of the people were made with her fingerprint and she added arms, legs, scarves, skates.  I was simply awed by her creativity.

I, however, am not "artistic."  Well, not in the traditional sense.  I cannot draw a picture of something.  I also have difficulty putting colors together.  Frankly, I don't actually consider myself fashionable in no small part because I am not artistic.  (It's been my experience, generally, that those who are arty can put a good outfit together out of nothing.)

Anyway, I do enjoy crafts.  I enjoy knitting -- and reading knitting magazines, looking at knitting patterns online, taking knitting classes.  I have also enjoyed making cards, making jewelry, and designing scrapbooks.  This is all thanks to people like Martha Stewart who have brought their ideas to the consumer.

Crafts can be costly.  I was just looking at a knitting place in Manhattan that charges 50 bucks an hour for knitting help.  Yikes!  That would send me in another direction.  However, you can just stop in at my local knitting shop for a quick tip (or not so quick).  Buying beads and string and fixtures for a necklace can also be costly.  If you keep stuff, it's okay.  I started making jewelry about 10 years ago and have amassed quite a collection of findings.  While I don't make much jewelry these days, I still have the stuff and can it I want to.  I also have my scrapbooking materials which I pull out every so often when I get in the mood.  (Scrapbooks are great for keeping my kids' school memories in order.)  Despite the cost, it's soothing to craft.

Years ago I went on a camping adventure with 7th grade students.  I was surprised to find my friend Liz had brought along her crocheting.  There she sat, working on a curtain no less!  I was inspired by her craft too!

PBS did a series called Craft in America.  It was a fascinating look at people who still craft -- blacksmiths, potters, textile designers etc.  The dedication and art involved in craft was interesting and inspiring.  It showed the value of art -- in an age when we can get our hands on mass-produced goods, it's nice to see one-of-a-kind pieces made by people who are driven by creativity.

I am no artist, but I value crafts.  I love pottery and the interesting textures of yarns made in this country.  I like touching the wood of a piece of furniture made by hand.  I am drawn to the colors of a hand sewn quilt.  I suppose it's why I am drawn to craft fairs and such.  Like Gretchen's Christmas card or Liz's curtain, I appreciate hand crafted work.

Knitting Community

Gail, the owner of my local yarn shop, suggested I become a member of Ravelry -- an online knitting and crocheting community.  I became a member quite a while back and I spend a lot of time checking out the patterns people have posted there.  I don't, however, spend much time looking at what others have completed.  To be more clear, when I choose a pattern to knit, I don't check what others had to say about the pattern or what others' finished patterns look like.

All that changed on July 4, 2013.

That's the day I spent some time with a former classmate who told me to become "friends" with her on Ravelry.  I did and saw a lot of her projects posted.

It's fun to see what other people are knitting and what they think of the whole project.  Also, since I have difficulty putting colors together, I like seeing what other people come up with.  So, I decided to post my current works in progress -- there are three of them:  2 sweaters and a baby blanket.  Somehow, posting them online motivates me just a bit more to get the job done and update my progress.  We'll see how it goes.

If you want to check it out, I am kgwilson on Ravelry.

Modern Television

Back in the day, if I got caught up in the drama of a television series, at the end of each episode I had to wait to discover what happened next.  God forbid I missed an episode!

These days things are so much different.  Since we can "record" an episode of any given show, our schedule is not wedded to a specific time.  Sure, this causes problems -- finding out what happened on the season finale of Downton Abby before I saw the final episode.  Still, we can watch what we want when we want.  This is a good thing during football season.

And, since we can devour entire series in one sitting if we wish (my son practically watched all the Lost episodes in one weekend, we are left open to watch even more shows.  As a result of having time to watch and devote to a new series, Rod and I watched The Killing.  Two seasons, twenty-six episodes.  Television gold.  I was so involved in this series, I would think about it during the day.  In fact, I am still thinking about it even though we finished season two last night.

Why is the show so good?  Perhaps the authenticity of the characters -- specifically the two detectives in charge of finding out who killed Rosie Larson.  Perhaps is the complexity of the plot.  During the twenty-six episodes there were probably 10 suspects.  The clues pointed in all sorts of directions.  And the two detectives followed the leads with determination.  They were a good team too!  

So, now the let down of a good show finished.  Only to be replaced by the elation of learning that there is a season three!

In the meantime, I will enjoy the perks of modern television as I prepare for football season.

The Farmers Market

I love the farmers market.  Any farmers market is good fun, but there is something sweet about the hometown farmers market.

This morning I went to buy some fruit and jams.  The woman who makes the jam is from nearby Cornwall-on-Hudson and she puts some cool flavors together.  Today I tasted a horseradish jelly that was quite tasty.  I did not, however, buy it because I couldn't figure what to pair that jelly with.   Anyway, every week those are my two stops.  There are others offering their wares, however.

Today I stopped at the lavender stall.  There the woman sells lavender sachets, pillows, culinary lavender, candles, photo cards.  She even sells plants.  I bought a candle.  Though pricey, I do like to support those who come out, enjoy people and are just generally positive people.  They are all a reminder of why I like the farmers market in the first place.

If you have a market near you, stop by and shop.  Supporting local growers is a good path to a healthy economy.  It's also a nice way to learn something new about what to cook or how best to grow your plants.

The Beach

As I sit here enjoying the cool weather, I cannot believe that I was at Virginia Beach on Monday and found it too hot!

Oh, fickle me!

Well, while I enjoy being at the beach, I don't actually enjoy swimming in the ocean.  At least not the ocean water on the coast of the United States.  When I was in Bermuda, the beach water was very inviting.  I could see my feet when I looked down in waist deep water.  That's my kind of beach!  Nevertheless, I don't like the feel of salt drying on my skin.  It's like being in an outfit that is shrinking while you wear it.

I also have - have always had, in fact -- an issue with body image.  Even in my very thin days I felt fat in a bathing suit.  Now that I am considerably larger, the idea of walking down the sandy stretch just seems horrifying.

Ultimately, the beach scene is not necessarily for me.  Still, I yearn for the cash to rent a place on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  A place with beach access AND a pool.  And all the family with me -- kids, brothers, wives, nephews, parents.

As I look at the cool weather outside, I am thinking of the beach and how it invites relaxation.

Privacy

This country is certainly in a twist about the President's plan to keep track of whom we call.  Frankly, I don't care.  I know the bigger issue is where to draw the line, but I cannot help but be concerned with the fact that we focus on nonsense when bigger issues are being ignored.

Take for instance, identity theft.  No one seems to be terribly concerned about it.  There are companies that prey on us looking to protect us from identity theft, but I am not aware of a genuine plan that actually keeps us safe.  Furthermore, there seems to be no quick, direct fix to getting your identity back once it's been stolen.  This is a real issue that we need to face.  What does this country do?  We make a comedy about it (which you can probably get on Netflix now).

I wish this country weren't filled with such namby-pambies.  If we want the government to protect us, we need to recognize that to do so requires us to allow the government to track what we do.  We cannot have it both ways.  Once we understand that idea, perhaps we can move forward and start dealing with the things that matter to us all.

Effective Communication

Goodness I lose it when the communication I receive is muddled.

Today's addition:
I called the high school to inquire about getting working papers for my son (and 8th grader who is 14).  The secretary told me:  a. go to the nurse's office before noon Friday.
I asked what I needed to bring with me:   a social security card.

So, I drag my son to the school only to find that I could not use the high school nurse's office because he was not in high school.  Then, I was told I needed his medical / physical paperwork.  Needless to say, I made some noise-- is it too much to ask for the school secretary to either pass along correct information or forward my call to the person who can?????  So, the high school nurse relented and said she'd call the nurse at the middle school to get an okay that he had the proper medical paperwork.  Alas, his records are not up-to-date.  (NOT my fault, by the way.  I had all his paperwork in, handed them in on back to school night.)  Furthermore, the state of NY mandates that if a child does not have the proper medical paperwork after 30 days of school, the parent is to be notified.

HMMMMM......the last time paperwork was due to the school was when he was in 7th grade.  Perhaps the school nurse is not paying attention??

I came home for the paperwork (I keep copies).  I cannot find them.  My husband has no knowledge of them (and, his argument, why should he, I was the one who brought the kid to the doctor).  Well, I found suitable paperwork in the Boy Scout folder AND the medical paperwork probably walked out of the house when my husband handed them over for football.

Well, I guess I will just have to do this stuff on my own in the future.  And, I think I'll make my son figure the crap out on his own.  I am so incredibly inflamed because of this.

Ah, all is calm (ish) again.  I finally found a copy of the paperwork.  Now let's hope the school will be able to help me tomorrow.

Accidents and lawsuits

It's been over a year since I was t-boned on I-215 in Las Vegas.  The woman who hit me took responsibility for the crash and we have the same insurance company.  You'd think things would be smooth.

Not so.

On Friday I got a letter from a collection agency because the doctor who spent a whopping 7 minutes with me did not get paid in full from my insurance coverage.  I called the collection agency who did not want anything from me but a date I would pay.  Then, I was harassed yesterday by the same collection agency.

So, now I have to sue for damages so I am not stuck with a poor credit rating.

This would be easier in this case if, since the driver of the other car recognized that she was at fault, the other person's insurance just covered everything.  Ugh.  Pain in the ass.

A New Shed Door

After posting about the free stuff we use, I thought it would be good to do a follow up:

the new shed door looks fantastic.

Although it currently has only primer on it, later this week it will have a pale yellow paint on it.  (And the front of the shed will be sporting a new coat of white paint.

Why yellow for the door?  We are using the same color we chose for Rod's big shed for the small door on my shed.

Bags

I have no idea why, but I love bags -- handbags, tote bags, clutches.  I have loved them since I was little.  Easter shopping was fun because my parents allowed me to get a white patent leather purse to match my white patent leather shoes.  Although I've grown out of my love for white patent leather, I do still love bags.

My latest obsession is with fabric bags.  A woman in my community makes a living as a seamstress.  She is from the Czech Republic and, while my age, seems old worldy in her skills.  Here's the scoop:  she makes window treatments, pillows and fitted slip covers.  Her jobs come from some super swank clients in Manhattan.  She uses custom made fabrics that the clients choose and is allowed to keep the left over.  Now this isn't some cotton stuff found in Walmart; this is beautiful fabric made of linen or embroidered with wool.  What's a woman to do with so much extra, glorious fabric lying around?  She makes bags.

The bag on the left is the first bag I bought from her.  While it's big enough to be a tote bag, I use it for a handbag.  It's big and simple.  And I get tons of compliments whenever I carry it.  The spring/summer farmer's market had a preview this past weekend and advertised Irena as one of the vendors -- I put the date on the calendar and set out as soon as the market opened.  The bag on the right is my newest purchase.  Outwardly they look the same, however, the new bag is lined and is constructed with heavier fabric.  The flowers are embroidered too!

These fabric bags are not the first of my obsession, however.  Many years ago, my father dated a woman who carried at lined velvet tote bag.  I LOVED that bag.  So, when my father saw some in Paris while on a business trip, he bought it for me.

I got this bag when I was a senior in high school.  I still love it as much now as I did then.  Although the black, cheese cloth like lining could be replaced, I wouldn't swap this bag for anything.

My friend Andrea claims she loves shoes because no matter how much she weighs, shoes always look good on her feet.  I suppose that's how I feel about bags.

Free Stuff

Last year at this time, I was in Las Vegas counting the days to come back to NY.  To pass the time, I found myself gravitating toward garden magazines that focused on shabby-chic stuff.  Another way to pass time is to check out my friends on facebook.  Gardening and facebook dovetailed nicely when I spotted my friend Debbie's posts about her garden.  Debbie has an eye for color and design and puts all that together with shabby-chic pieces.  (Yes, Debbie wants an old bed frame in the garden to plant a bed of flowers.)  I was so intrigued that I invited myself to Debbie's house to check the garden out.

Wow!  It is something else.  She started small and added over the years.  One idea Debbie had that worked beautifully was to add the cheap solar panels you can purchase for garden paths and putting them in mason jars.  Those mason jars were hanging about on fence posts and an old ladder (one her husband saved from street side trash).  Deb says when the sun goes down, the lights give the garden a nice glow.  She also used a wood pallet for planting vegetables.  Basically, you lay the pallet down, put dirt in the slat openings, then plant the seed.   From what I saw the pallet worked well -- no weeds could place themselves in between the rows of vegetables and the brussels sprouts were popping through.

So, I was motivated to do some gardening after I came home from Debbie's place.  It's been a slow go since the winter came through and I have little in the way of available funds.  Still, Rod was able to construct an arbor for me out of the dismantled swing set we had.  Also, when Rod tore down the old bungalow on the property, he separated out usable wood, burnable wood, and junk.  We paid for the junk to be hauled away in a dumpster.  The rest of the stuff has sat in the yard.

This spring we put in a new vegetable garden.  With the exception of the cost of the chicken wire and the seeds, everything else has been constructed with free material.  And, this weekend we are putting a windowed door on my little garden shed.  The door is a left over from when we built the house.  By accident, Rod ordered the wrong sized door for the basement entry.  We lived with it for a couple years, then when money wasn't so tight, we bought a bigger door.  Rod, mister gets-rid-of-nothing, kept the old door.  Finally it'll find a new home.

the old door to basement; new to shed

Not everyone has the room to store so much stuff as Rod and I have.  There is a plethora of free things out there, however.  Try Craigslist.  There is a free section.  If you're lucky, you have a designated spring cleaning time when everyone puts their junk curbside.  Need plants?  Ask.  I wanted to get some philodendron.  Instead of buying a plant, I got some cuttings from others for free.  Once they form roots, I'll have my own plant.

It's great to get stuff for free.  It's good for the environment; it's good for the pocketbook; it's good for the soul.

Testing

It's testing season.

Kids are miserable; teachers are stressed.

How did we get here????

When the reports came out in the mid 80s that students were graduating from high school without the ability to read, the you-know-what hit the fan.  And it should have.  What a waste of taxpayer money to allow students to miss such an important part of schooling.  Change needed to be made.

The answer?  Tests.

As usual, this country has gone too far.  We test all the time and have ensured that our students reach mediocrity.  How pathetic.

It's time for change.  It's time to stop incessant testing.  It's time to start teaching and allowing kids to learn not perform on tests.

Works in Progress

As a knitter I often have several things going at a time.  This week there are four.  Oddly enough, as of today, I am only still knitting one thing:  a sock.  The good news is that this is sock number 2 so I am pretty close to having a pair.
















Today my goal is to finish the sweater I began after Christmas.  Since I was tired of knitting for others, I decided to knit for myself.  All I need on this sweater are buttons.

I also chose to knit something for my house.  It seems that more and more interiors are handknit and I wanted in on the action.  So, I chose to knit a rug (it will be placed on the floor in front of the kitchen sink).  All I need to do on this project is weave in the ends and sew a rubber like back on it so no one slips.

Finally, the baby sweater.  One of Julia's friends had a baby and I knit this little number for him.  I still need to weave in the ends and get some cute buttons for it.  I should have it done by the end of the weekend.

So, what will I put on my needles next??  I need another work in progress.

Riding the Rails

I don't mind saying that I am pretty proud of myself for accomplishing something I couldn't have done several years ago -- I traveled the subway system in NYC.  I had an info session to attend in Brooklyn in the morning and an interview in the Bronx in the afternoon.  Midway between I stopped on the upper East side for lunch with my friend.

Phew!

I never considered myself one who could read a map.  The MTA subway map is simple enough, but there are some stations that are not necessarily connected.  So, you get off the subway in one place and have to find the other place to catch a connector.  I learned this before I went to Las Vegas when my daughter and I had an interview in Queens.  She was able to figure out that the subway we needed to catch was NOT in Grand Central and she figured where we had to go.  This was notable especially on my trip to the Bronx.

The school where I interviewed is the same stop as the Bronx Zoo.  If you look at the school's website, it says you can take the 5 or the 2.  However, when you take a close look at the map, the 5 seems not to go the stop I needed.  So, I had to connect to the 2.  (For the record, the 5 train seems never to be around.)

Once you arrive at your designated stop, you need to figure where to go from there.  Once above ground in Brooklyn, I only knew what street I needed to be on and what the cross streets were on the way.  Naturally I began by walking in the wrong direction.  Nevertheless, I found my way.  And back again.

There were hiccups.

On the C train headed toward Brooklyn, I looked again at the map and it seemed as though I made an error and needed to be on the A train.  I got off; got the A train only to discover that I should have been on the C train in the first place.  Off I got and WAITED for another C train.  Then, on my way back to the upper East side, I knew I could take the 5 train.  I got on an express and overshot my stop.  I had to get on again going in the other direction direction.

On my way out of the Bronx I realized that despite my comfort level with Grand Central Station, it made no sense to travel from 177th street (or there about) to 42nd street only to catch a train that would pass 125th street.  Previously I avoided the 125th Street station because it was not actually connected to the subway.  Well, I conquered that fear too.

Did I mention that with all of this I was dragging my luggage?

What a day.  But I did it and feel much more comfortable with my abilities than I had before.  And, as usual, when in doubt, just ask someone for help.  New Yorkers have a reputation for being mean, but it's been my experience that they are just the opposite.

Bullying the Bully

http://bronx.news12.com/news/tri-state/timothy-doherty-of-highland-falls-accused-of-making-threats-to-highland-falls-intermediate-school-1.5021052


It never fails to amaze me when a child who is getting bullied finally retaliates and then winds up getting in more trouble than the person who was picking on him.  I have seen this countless times as a middle school teacher, but more recently I am witnessing the same thing with a parent.

For the past five years (at least) one of Tyler's classmates has been picked on at school.  His parents have contacted the school any number of times with little result.  In fact, one principal passed it off on the lunch monitor who couldn't possibly watch all kids at all times.  It's enough to make you scream.  (Well, it's enough to make me scream.)

Flash forward five years and we find ourselves in the middle of a seemingly scary situation.  Again this child was bullied; he came home beaten up and the school called the parents blaming the child.  The father went nuts and made threats.  Now, he looks like the bully and the school and its students victims.

I do know that the child is one of those provocative kids who invites trouble.  Still, that is part of the nature of dealing with bullies.  I have sat through several professional development conferences that focus on bullying in schools and one of the issues is how to deal with the provocative student.  Regardless of whether or not they ask for it, students need to be safe.  Just because a kid is not intelligent is no reason to call him stupid.  The same logic should apply to the provocative student.

Further, I do not condone a parent making any sort of threat, but I do fully understand it.  And, in these times we need to be extra cautious about what we say.  Making reference to blood and Sandy Hook Elementary school is dumb.  Still, focusing only on a parent's reaction to what happened to his child is only one part of the story.  If we only focus on the reaction of parents (or children) without looking at what caused the problem only ensures that the same thing will repeat.

If we really want our kids to be safe in school, we need to look the problems in the eye and deal with them when they happen.

Spring Cleaning

One of my favorite stories is about my friend Gretchen.  She had just moved back to New York from Georgia and lived in a nice place in Larchmont, NY.  On her way home from work she noticed a lot of "stuff" on the curbs.  When she mentioned it to her roommate, Gretchen learned that it was spring cleaning.  The stuff was put out as trash.

Gretchen got in her car and did some furniture shopping.

Just yesterday the people who live across the street put several pieces of furniture out at the curb for pick up.  That stuff didn't last long.  Literally, within an hour of placement all pieces were gone.  And, I basically live on a dead end street (albeit a long one).  It's good hunting.

But, if this town had a designated spring cleaning day, there would be good pickings.

Apathy

So, what do you do with a kid who is completely uninterested in school and everything it has to offer?  What do you do about a kid who can lose all distractions (TV, Xbox, phone, etc.) and still not do work?

I am in that place where I see apathy killing my son's future.  He hates school, but he's not unintelligent.    As an 8th grader, he has been passed from one grade to the next without learning any real skills.  At the same time his standardized test scores have steadily dropped and nothing has been done.  This weekend I learned that he is failing two classes (neither teacher called to let me know what I could do to bring up his grade) and, as a result of his standardized test scores, he should attend academic boot camp (45 minutes after school four days a week for the next 4 weeks).

So, the school recognizes that he needs attention to pass the tests but has done nothing to help him master the content of his classes.

Now I'm apathetic.  I feel as though this is too little too late.  My kid has been sidelined for years because they know he is bright, but he is a fool in class.  Further, they don't think he can be changed.  Where were these people several years ago when I was telling them that he needs some support?

No wonder my kid is apathetic.

Technology Doesn't Live Up To Its Promise

Technology promises so much, but when it doesn't work, it really doesn't work.  What's worse, we have become a people who cannot comprehend the failure of technology.

A case in point:  Many years ago I received my bank statement in the mail and was horrified to learn that I was overdrawn and had actually bounced a couple checks.  Upon further inspection I saw that I did not, in fact, make an error -- the bank had.  More precisely, the bank's computer made the error (another bank double deposited the same mortgage check).  It's a good thing I caught the problem so quickly.  However, despite the paperwork I had to prove that I did not make a mistake, the bankers were still hesitant to give me back all my money AND remove all fees related to the insufficient funds.  Technology should have been able to catch such a simple thing.  Really, the same check number cleared twice.  If a computer cannot catch that, perhaps there are more problems ahead.

I have that problem now.  Since I live in an area where there is no general mail delivery, I have to use a PO box.  The trouble began several years ago when other companies started using the Postal Service database to determine valid addresses.  Now, when I order something that is being delivered by a company other than the postal service, my actual street address comes up as invalid.  What's worse, no matter how many times we try to correct this with human beings, the same problem keeps cropping up.

Verizon is the worst for this.  Free phones are only available when you order them online.  (Frankly, since it costs so much for cell service, I have no desire to pay for a phone.)  Still, after traveling this road many times, we cannot get the dang phones delivered without a problem.

Why, why, why can't technology make my life easier???

Achievement

What is achievement?

All schools are looking to have students achieve, but the definition of the word may need some tweaking if we are to see results.

During my horrible second year in Clark County, I saw the problem first hand.  While the principal wanted to see achievement, what he really wanted was to see that students were passing the course.  I, on the other hand, understood achievement to mean that students would be able to do the assigned task while reaching or at least approaching mastery.  Since we were not on the same page, I struggled within the confines of the system.  (For the record, I do NOT believe passing students is the answer.)

This same issue has come up in the local schools.  My son does not understand math concepts nor does he have an easy time reading and understanding non-fiction.  Nevertheless he is passing his classes because the grading system is designed to give credit for handing in work or having a parent sign a quiz.  Neither of those indicate the student's ability to do or understand the work.  Furthermore, no one is addressing the fact that I have an 8th grade son who is having real academic difficulty.  Masking the grade simply allows the teacher off the responsibility hook.

Can we give students credit for being in the room and doing work but not measuring accuracy??  Do we call that achievement?

Small town politics

The campaigning is heating up in this small community.  I live in the Town of Highlands but cannot vote for mayor of the village of Highland Falls; nevertheless, the winner of that race does have impact on me.  Furthermore, since we have had the same fool in office for quite a number of years, I am pleased to see that someone other than a felon is running against the current mayor (yes, I believe the only person to run against this guy is a fellow with some criminal background).

So, the background.  Highland Falls has had the same mayor for a long time.  Long enough, in fact, for him to have a personalized license plate.  The hubris of that alone makes my hair stand up on end.  But, to the point.... this mayor is mean.  He has been known to give the finger to those who cross his path -- literally.  He is also a bully.  While I am not naive and realize that small towns have carried on in this manner for a long time, I do not like the flavor of the community under his mayorship.

Understand, there has been talk for many years of joining the small Hamlet of Fort Montgomery and the Village of Highland Falls.  As a resident of Fort Montgomery, I can vote for the Town Supervisor, but I cannot vote for the Mayor of the village.  If the two communities were to officially join (a fiscally wise move), it would be nice for us to join with equal standing.  As it is now, I do not have public water or sewer.  I do not have a sidewalk.  I do not have mail delivery.  I do not have gas lines.  Joining the two communities means that I have to accept the added tax burden of caring for infrastructure that I cannot claim benefit from.  It's an issue.  Someone who was forward thinking might address that point.  The current mayor has not.  Instead, he has taken what is available to the village and basically told the town to go scratch.

Example:  West Point was to return lands to the town for development.  In some manner of high jinx, the mayor was able to strong arm the dealings so the land was granted to the Village, not the town.  That meant, though it's moot now, that if the property were developed, the tax dollars would go to the Village, not the town.  The mayor has also been weird about providing water to the town.  He wants to charge more for town residents who live on the water line.  Still, they'd be paying to get the water AND for the added stress on the water treatment plant. 

In comes an opponent.  This guy is a very active member of the community and has a DJ business that had been used for 4th of July festivities until this past year.  When the 4th of July Committee (headed by the Mayor) opted to use another DJ, the shit hit the fan and the line in the sand was drawn.  So, here's what is ahead.  Said DJ, another townie who has some shady behavior that has even the locals wondering if the devil you know is the devil you stick with, has thrown his hat into the ring and is running for Mayor.  If he loses, he can expect the Mayor's office to come down hard on him in one way or another.  He'll have difficulty getting building permits or be written up for some minor legal infraction (like having too many friends visiting and parking on the street, for example).   

So, the nastiness moves forward.  And, since the decisions of the 4th of july committee seem to have set this in motion, let the fireworks begin. 

Moving to Las Vegas was a culture shock, but nothing compared to the fact that those who graded the Nevada Writing Proficiency exams were not counting spelling.  The news I got:  Spelling doesn't count.

Well, it's just one more place where the state of Nevada got it wrong.  Spelling DOES count.

Imagine my horror, then, when I saw the sign above -- my own hometown library guilty of a spelling error.  There was nothing bizarre about the bazaar I attended at the library.  Except maybe that no one knew the bizarre was really a bazaar?

Tyler was telling me a story last night about some stuff he sees on Facebook.  Apparently there is a group of people who have their facebook pet peeves listed.  Tyler claims they are full of misspellings.  So, he added to the list of facebook pet peeves:  My pet peeve is when people don't know how to spell!  Oh, my boy, a real chip off the old block.  (Many claim the computer writing that contains spelling errors is just typos, not spelling errors.  I beg to differ.)

Football Shenanigans

So another football season has ended and we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

I am a football fan, but I have become increasingly annoyed by the Superbowl Super Show.  Really.  It's just plain annoying.


During any other game, the half time is 15 minutes.  Players are used to this break.  They enter the locker room and do whatever it is that goes on in there.  Regardless of if it's a pre season game or a play off game, the duration of half time is the same.  But during the super bowl, the half time show is 30 minutes long.  This must affect the pace of the game and the way the players get themselves ready.  The super bowl is the culmination of a dream for these players and it seems unfair to change the game for entertainment -- the game itself is entertaining.

Why is the Super bowl half time so long?  To allow for the Super stars to do their Super silliness. The pyrotechnics are stunning.  Then, the athletes come back on the field in an arena full of smoke.  Where is the sense in this?????  This year we had the added burden of a power outage (some say it's because of the half time show) that put the game on hold for an additional 30 minutes.  After the long half time and the power outage, the team that was getting its butt kicked was able to stage a comeback.  If they had been able to pull off the win, could we all really believe the extra time allotment hadn't been the reason?

The super bowl is still a game and should be presented as any other.  I am not alone.  Others are having a discussion about deleting the super half time show.  I say, thank goodness.  The super bowl is about the sport of football.  Let the Pro bowl, the game where the players bask in the glory of their super stardom, host the football shenanigans while the super bowl presents the best teams playing the game we fans enjoy.

American Doping

Just as Lance Armstrong finally confesses to using performance enhancing drugs while racing, I wonder how he was able to get away with it for so long.

The New Yorker published an article about Armstrong delineating his physical traits that make him better than others in the sport (a longer femur is one example).  Now he is completely disgraced and this issue should shed light on paid athletes as a whole.

When the Roger Clemens hearing was occurring, Rod suggested that the sports industry should just accept that performance enhancing drugs is part of the process now and note that info when an athlete is inducted into the hall of fame.  The bottom line seems to be that everyone is doing it.  A sad state of affairs for this country.

I guess I am confused about all of this.  There are tests to determine if an athlete is using performance enhancing drugs -- why are so many getting away with using them then?  The shit comes down in the form of Congressional hearings, or, in the case of Lance Armstrong, in the form of law suits.  So, if you're a big guy, you pay the price.  But there are others who are equally guilty.  What repercussions result for the trainers who covered it up?  Why did the whistle blowers take so long to blow the whistle?

This country needs to take a chill.  Sports should be a good thing.  Sure it would be wonderful to have the talent to play professional ball, but that shouldn't be the reason we let kids go to the ball park.  The stakes shouldn't be so high.  Little league games should be fun for all, not just the kids who are good.  In fact, we need to give all kids a chance.  Some of the big name athletes in football have equal talent in another sport.  Those people are different from the rest.  They should be admired.  But when society demands that all athletes be as talented, then we create our own disaster.

I believe Lance Armstrong, despite his current mess, is still a very talented bike racer.  He may even be the best.  As a result of our society demanding more, more, more, we have but one more example of American greed.  Doping is dumb.

Just another note on global warming --- it was 25 degrees in Las Vegas yesterday while NY was enjoying high 50 degree weather.

Sad, sad, sad.

A Change in Weather

As with millions of others, I have started the new year looking to shed several pounds.  For me, the key is not just dieting but getting some exercise too.  Last week that was a bit tough because it was so cold. Nevertheless, I weathered the cold and did my walk.  This week has been horrible!

It's January and I don't want the weather to be unseasonably warm.  The notoriously incorrect weathermen called for 60 degrees yesterday -- thankfully they were wrong.  Still, we need to really think about what is happening to us, this country, this planet due to global warming.

I miss the days of my youth when we would get off the bus, run home for our skates and then back out to the lake to skate.  Everyone did it.  The lake was big enough to accommodate the casual skater while allowing for a hockey game on the other end.  Kids were getting their exercise -- hours of it -- and generally, parents knew where their kids were.  Except for the cost of the skates, it was a free activity.
These days, however, I don't think the ice freezes for more than one day at a time.  My own son doesn't know how to skate because there is no opportunity to do so.

Often I hear people praising the change of weather.  They shudder when it's below freezing during the winter.  I just what to shout, "If you don't like the cold, move south!"  I love warm weather as much as the next guy, just not in January.  It would be great to have a month of 20 degree temps just to kill off a couple deer ticks.

Modern man is certainly raping this earth.

The Hobbit

Thirty five years ago I read the book The Hobbit.  The Lord of the Rings trilogy was all the rage and I wanted to be a part of the "in" read.  It wasn't my cup of tea.

This afternoon we saw the movie.  LONG!!!!

I read the review in The New Yorker so I was prepared, but it sure took a long time to set up the action. Plus, although the book was only about 300 pages, I cannot believe that Peter Jackson chose to make the movie in parts.

Again, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings were not my cup of tea.  Now I'm feeling as though I missed something.  Is this movie only for those who were so into the books (you know the type -- those who know the name of every Ork and such) they could quote it?

On the plus side, the movie was a visual marvel.  Bilbo Baggins' house is cool as all get out and the various places in the movie are cool.  Still, it's a long movie.

Once again, I feel as though I'm not part of the "in" crowd all because of the Middle Earth.

Bullying boy behavior

Tyler arrived home from school yesterday with an injury.  He had been hit in the face with a piece of ice that the kids were throwing around during dismissal.  However, Tyler's injury wasn't an accident.

While the snowballs were flying, Tyler stood behind a kid and in jest said he was using the kid as a human shield.  This was not exactly true since the snow was not being thrown in the direction of Tyler. Yet, when Tyler went to get on the bus, he heard his name called.  When he turned to see who was calling him, his human shield said, "This will teach you to use me as a human shield" and he threw the ice in Tyler's face.

Tyler is embarrassed and did not want me to make a fuss.  Still, one of the dreaded duties I had as a teacher was bus duty.  That meant that I had to stand outside during dismissal and wait until all students were on the buses before going back indoors.  Obviously it sucked having bus duty in the cold months, but a job is a job.  Duty calls.  Whatever.  Where, then were the people on duty when Tyler was getting on the bus?

I am not so naive to think that the presence of a teacher would have kept Tyler fully safe; however, I suspect the kid who threw the ice at Tyler would not have done so where he did.  Standing on line to get on the bus is a place teachers would be looking...or would they?

Rod and I watched the end of a Without a Trace episode that showed a kid who tried to commit suicide because he was so constantly bullied at school.  While I don't believe Tyler is bullied to that extent, I am beginning to wonder how bad his school day really is.  Boys being boys is rough.  When a kid doesn't want to go to school I have to wonder about the connections.

Happy New Year!

Although it's but a date on the calendar, I like the opportunity to get a fresh start.  For me, resolutions are about getting myself on track.  This year that means losing weight and getting into a healthier lifestyle.

Losing weight may seem like vanity, but at this point it's about economy.  I have slowly grown out of my clothing.  It'll take even longer to shrink back down to size.  And, now that I'm 50 I really need to take a look at the way I live.  If I want the rest of my days to be good, I better take care now.  Sure, I should have been doing that all along, but I cannot erase what I've done in the past.

So, here's to a happy, healthy new year.  May employment be just around the corner.