Adieu 2010--you were a GREAT year!

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better person."

The end of 2010. What an incredible year it has been. Dad spent all year working on home improvements--ceilings scraped, walls painted, baseboards trimmed, carpeting laid, pipes replaced, tile set...it's all so beautiful! It's as though we have a new home! And it was his way of not missing Kara so much. He is so excited to welcome her back home in her new room and the new look of our home.

Vices...some are interesting, some are not good, and some are just fun! I trust people too much, always thinking they mean well. Unfortunately often times (most times) I am disappointed and I get angry...at them, at myself... I need to step back and analyze situations before I jump in with both feet. I need to keep to myself more and not open myself up for target practice so much. I need to do what I can do and move on.

That brings me to peace with neighbors---when I actually can keep to myself at work it seems I have created a reason for people to be nice to me--it's like they wonder what I've been up to, because I'm not saying anything---quite an interesting dilemma. But the only thing I can do is to keep them guessing what I'm up to! The saddest part of that idea is that I have no reason to be up to anything at this school---they are all so self-absorbed--I just don't need any of it! My new retirement date is 3 years away. I only hope I can hold on--and be of service to my students.

Which brings me to the idea of a better year. Yes, this is going to be a great year! Kara will be coming home! It's been a long, difficult commitment on everyone's part, but especially for her. I am so proud of the work she's doing---and I know that her presence there will be felt for generations. I figure she'll be going back--and vicariously I will realize her importance in their lives. I'm just glad that she'll be here again soon.

A better year----I ended 2010 with an incredibly busy spurt--OK it was an incredibly busy year! Fortunately I was able to visit Kara for 3 weeks in the summer---that kept me going---and then sane. Whew! I'm tired....not sure how many weekends it's going to take to catch up. It was a busy year. I promise myself that I am going to enjoy 2011--I am NOT going to spend more time at Fisher than I need to---"pack it up, headin' home" is my new motto. Fortunately my class at SJSU this semester is later so I won't feel like I'm running around like a crazy person---I can breathe a little between jobs :-) nice!

I'd like to (going to) lose some weight---going to try following WWs for a few weeks---and exercise every day. My plan is to walk during prep on M, T, Th and at break on W/F. That may make a difference--if nothing else it will make me get out of the classroom and into the fresh air!

2011---I'll be watching you with great interest! xo

FAUX Principal

"Lead, follow, or get out of the way." — Thomas Paine

The Faux Principal

I work for a faux leader. She lives in a BS world, but she is SO connected. The community views her as SO together, SO in the know, SO fighting for the students in her care. HA! As a new teacher on her staff she has not been in my classroom ONE time this entire school year! She has no idea what kind of teacher am, nor how I treat the children in her (and my) charge. This is totally unacceptable in my world—and I have no use for people like her.

My problem is that I work for her—the district that I work for has chosen her as a leader—yikes, I guess I have my work cut out for me. I really am looking forward to my evaluation cycle next year---I think it will be next year—won’t it???

They won’t know what hit them! I could do half time and still run circles around them---should be fun to watch anyway!! I’ll be watching with great interest—and I hope you do too! xo

Spring has Sprung!

OH MY! Where has the time gone? My last post was about the great shopping trip Sam, Linda and I had--was that really in November? Seems like just a couple of weekends ago!! Yikes!
I am pleased to announce that spring is here...blooms are on the fruit trees and the crepe myrtle is peeking it's leaves out as of today. Kodi has had the first bath of the year and we are regularly enjoying our weekend walks again. Rain is predicted for this week, but showers are more probable than actual rain. The best news is that there is about 50 more days of school---and one more year will be in the books--YaY! 23 years!

Great shopping day

Time. Today Linda and I had planned to spend some time together for coffee and a bit of shopping…nothing special, just time together. Samantha came over the hill yesterday so Linda could help her study for her GREs and she decided to tag along with the moms. We first tried to stop in to the alteration shop, but it was closed…bummer. It will be open on Monday, so no big deal. Then we headed toward Morgan Hill to check out the Farmer’s Market. First purchase was a loaf of cinnamon bread---yum! As we wandered the aisle, we each found our own treasure. I bought two yams, Sama found a petite butternut squash and Linda found a baklava that she enjoyed immensely. Further on there were dried apricots, a couple of broccoli crowns, figs, mushrooms, and a small spaghetti squash. I bought three bouquets of flowers---snapdragons, sunflowers and tiny mums—very fall-like and pretty…and we each can enjoy our little bouquet all week.
We then headed off to Target. The grand shopping experience! Not wanting to run into anyone from Gilroy, we went to the Morgan Hill store---it ended up being a great choice. Together we went down every aisle each noticing and sharing different things. We found great stuff –-some stuff we just admired, some stuff we laughed at and some stuff we actually purchased! We agreed it was Great Fun!! Mostly we just laughed and enjoyed being together. Time is a funny thing---we spent over 2 hours just casually shopping and talking. Time well spent.

“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.” George Santayana

It became apparent this week that our summer season is changing into fall. Fall is not nearly as dramatic here as in colder climates, but the subtle changes are evident to us locals. Tenth Street is lined with a proclamation of fall. Liquid ember leaves have changed from dull green to vibrant orange and fiery red. There is a flurry of squirrel activity as they sense the cooler nights as a signal for one last chance to store food for the upcoming wet days. A wisp of steam puffs from the surface of early morning coffee. Subtle changes.

As always, we accommodate to the changes in our world. It’s that time of year when you need your entire wardrobe. Don’t leave home without that sweater—you’ll need it in the morning and the evening, but be prepared to be too warm mid-day, if you don’t think ahead. Subtle changes.

Kodi has again found her comfy spots… on the couch during the evening read and watching TV --- on the bed between dad and I (not all night, just early in the morning when that crispness creeps in). Pretty cute how she has accommodated to the subtle changes.

Weekends are filled with football games. High school football homecoming has come and gone. Baseball playoffs are vying for TV time with Sharks games. Subtle changes in our daily life. Reminders of the passage of time. For the first time in my life I am painfully aware of this passage of time and I have to wonder why. Is time moving too slowly? Too quickly? Yes, and yes, depending on the event and the day…but as always, I watch it all with great interest.

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply.

Willing is not enough; we must do.”

—Goethe

Here we are at week 7 in a new school year. Crazy! I am getting to know my students and most are starting to confide in me—asking good questions to clarify their thinking and sharing their frustrations and misconceptions as they begin to trust me with their fears and their mathematical understandings, however fragile. My 8^th grade class (who are convinced they ‘can’t do math’ ) is finding brilliant connections that make sense and that show they are quite capable mathematical thinkers. Most are getting an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ for the first quarter…better than most ‘accelerated algebra’ students. They have many friends in the other math classes and hove begun asking the difference between our class and the accelerated classes. I tell them that they are different because they have me and the others don’t….quite simple, I think. They just figure that they’re the lucky ones…cool!

Watching the lack of collaboration within this math department, I am still amazed. The principal swears that we collaborate because we meet as per her expectation once a month. The discussion isn’t deep and it has yet to be about curriculum, mathematics, students or pedagogy, but rather how much would a replacement LCD projector cost. Professional, huh? (Of course I suggested the LCD projector probably just needs a new lamp, silly me!)

I am practicing what I preach—designing interesting, worthwhile problems for students to grapple with daily is interesting, but challenging. It makes me ‘walk the walk’ regularly….and it is really quite FUN! I do like to teach and I’m learning what my book should focus on. Interesting and fun work. I think the theme is going to be “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” —Goethe As I plan it, I watch with great interest! xo

"I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better." ~Georg C. Lichtenberg

I didn't get the job at the county office...and I must admit there was a general sense of relief that coursed through my body upon hearing the news. Weird, I thought. I had imposed on my friends and colleagues for letters of recommendation and had spent hours composing the required components for the interviews. But in my heart, I don't think that it was what I really wanted to do--I need to be with kids.
Since my direction has been decided, I have been thinking about the cool things we'll get to do---I have missed having my own class to play, to try new things, to do the research that is important for us all to move forward. Interestingly, I think the idea of my being in a classroom full time in that hallway has already made an impact on the department. Four of them took the training on the new textbook last week. Hmmm...I wonder what else they will agree to participate in. I know they don't want to be shown up, so perhaps my being there will change them in ways I couldn't do outside the classroom...who knows? But, I'll be watching them all with great interest.