FAMILY TIME

Family Time is about love, time, distance, and choice.

BUMPS IN THE ROAD?

All I can say is that I really need a bigger room at school! Okay, that 173 count is now up to 181 students. It may not seem like a big deal to those who don't teach, but when the class sizes reach 32 and 33 students in a classroom, problems do arise. If the other foreign language teachers had the same or even close to the same number, I would not be as unsettled as I am. Oral work? Forget it! Do you know how long it takes to get responses from over 30 students in one class period? There isn't enough time because you have to mix up the activities to keep the students listening and responsive. Grading papers? In the good old days I always had each day's papers graded by the end of the day because of student cooperation and willingness to learn through actually doing their own work and not cheating when we corrected answers in class. This is now and not the good old days, so it takes two days to grade a major test because I don't use scan-tron tests (multiple choice, matching, etc.). I may have to create a file of scan-tron tests, even though that type of testing is really not beneficial to students in a foreign language class.

On the bright side, the students that I have are decent--no ruffians, bullies, potty-mouthed kids so far! There is a lot to be said for having students you like even if you wish there were fewer of them. Their first test was last week and I am really proud. Class averages were great! Four of the classes averaged in the upper 80's, one class a 76 (no surprise to me), and the one that makes me really happy is 6th period with an average of 92.

My student teacher didn't show up the first two weeks of school and his supervisor from the college sent an email to check up on him. I'm not sure if this one is going to work out or not from the get-go. He did show up yesterday, so we shall see what happens!


Bumps in the road, maybe so,
since school is in full swing.
Too many students, too many rules
for me to do my thing!

The art of teaching is at stake
when red tape ties my hands.
So don't complain, Administrator,
when I don't meet your demands.

I'll do my best to do what's right
for the students, not for YOU.
When you cruise into my classroom,
oh, don't tell me what to do!

I'll hurdle the bumps in my own way
and take it all in stride.
But if you challenge my classroom realm,
be prepared for a bumpy ride.

BACK TO REALITY

Well, I've been back to school in-service for 6 days. The most that I can say is that I am really tired and still have so much to do before school starts for students on Monday. Once again, I have a huge load of students, 173 at this point. And, once again, I have the largest number of students in the department. The up-side of all this is that I only have one preparation, Spanish 2, and I still have conference and lunch together giving me one and a half hours to regroup for the end of the day. Tomorrow I'm going to do something that I haven't done in years - I'm going to go back to school to get my room in a bit better shape than I left it this afternoon. I moved into a new room and I need to finish putting away some of my materials, or maybe I'll just throw a bunch of stuff away! Oh, another "nugget" thrown my way: I'll have a student teacher this year. I've had about 5 or 6 through the years, and I haven't had a good experience with one yet; I've even had a few removed. For the first time I have a male student teacher. I've met with him and was favorably impressed, so I am very hopeful for a positive experience. Time will tell!

LITTLE CHILD SMITH

Little Child Smith, we wait for you,
Not knowing who you are.
We don’t know where you’ll come from,
But I’m sure you’re on some star.
We want to tell you from the start
That you’re our special dream.
We send that thought, within the heart,
To you through that star’s beam.
We want to tell you of the love
That waits for you right here.
We send our prayers to God above
To help us bring you near.
Little Child Smith, we hope you know,
Our love for you is great.
We have much love to give and show.
It’s simply hard to wait.
August 12, 2008 - For my Becca and Scot

PRESENT PATH AND FUTURE

In silence and contemplation,
I survey the path ahead.
No one shares my chosen path;
I am alone, but not in dread.
I search the paths I’ve taken
so to compass what might be.
Unknown for now lie future paths
beckoning to me.
Looking back along the paths
that brought me to this place,
no lingering sadness of the heart
leaves marks of any trace.
The youthful paths remind me
to seek joy in each new day.
I sidestep any rugged ground
that blocks me from the way.
Life is traveled only once,
and paths teach just one thing.
The path behind can’t tell me
what my future path will bring.
We cannot know what lies ahead.
We cannot see that far.
It is the traveling of the present path
that carves out who we are.

No Time Like the Present...

Okay, I only have 4 more days of summer left before inservice starts. So, what am I doing? I bought 4 new books to read before school starts on Aug. 25. Becca loaned me one, so that makes 5 in all. Since I'm a fast reader, I 'll probably be finished with at least 4 of the books. I really got hooked on Sandra Brown last year, and I try to buy one of her books every time there is a new one displayed in Walgreens, my habitual shopping spot. The store had a buy one get 50% off the 2nd, so...I now have new books. Man, they are expensive these days.

I worked in the yard this Monday morning cleaning out dead sun-dried leaves and blooms from the front area. The only bad part was not the heat, but the inevitable back ache that I got. That always sends me back into the cool house. I did fill up one whole yard bag though. Maybe tomorrow I'll do more?

Carmela came by, and she always wants to go up to the Oklahoma border to Winstar. I hope I don't let my resolve crumble and go because of course it will cost money, and I want to put down a new floor in the front room and hallway. The flooring company is coming Wednesday to measure. Hmm, we'll see.

Tuesday I'll see Rachel in the afternoon, and we may do an early dinner.

I'll be busy with company (MJ) coming in on Wednesday; Thursday my boys go to the groomer, and BOOM...Friday is inservice!

Now, when am I going to read those books? No time like the present!

SOMETIMES I CAN'T SEE THE ROAD AHEAD

After 37 years in teaching, I'm not sure what the future holds in store for me. I think about retirement, but then...what would I do every day? I'm such a lazy person in the summer that I hate to think of the boredom that would certainly set in after more than two months of not teaching. So, this year I am really going to think about what would lie in the road ahead if I took the road not yet taken...retirement.