Goodbye Weekend

Inspired by Your Best Beautiful

Goodbye Weekend...

Goodbye Birthday Celebrations: Singing (at the top of our lungs), Counting (sparkly dressed pregnant ladies) and Shooting (jello shots yum yum)

Goodbye fights with the sewing machine: why won't the tension just work!!!

Goodbye Backyard BBQs: catching up with old friends and more jello shots

Goodbye late night text messaging: thankful I wasn't the one sleeping in the tent

Goodbye new restaurant adventures: this one surprised us all

Goodbye morning coffee on the patio: love me some sunshine

Goodbye working in the garden: I love some dirt under my nails

Goodbye evening conversations around the grill: to escape the hot hot house

Goodbye fresh breezes through open windows: in effort to cool off said house

Hello Beautiful Week...

Looking forward to costume parades, art shows, live music with friends, wearing jammies to work and perhaps some more conversations around the grill

this weekend

I am...

destressing from a crazy horrible no good week at work.

Working with the grandma sub is fine for a day or 2, but 4 out of 5 days? not so good. Yes it is a fun challenge to see just how much one can do teaching solo. But it makes my back hurt alot. It makes my head hurt too and my feet and my lungs from all the deep breaths I take in order to get through a day

getting my garden ready for spring.

4 bags of dirt that need spreading about.

3 different seedlings that look ready for some actual outside sunshine. one 1 of which I actually remember what it is. Hoping to have some snap peas soon!

celebrating 4 years!

Can't believe we've been together that long, although sometimes it feels like we've been together forever. Excited to think back and remember how we got here. Excited to go out on the town and enjoy our city. Excited to think next year we'll be somewhere very warm. Excited to start planning for Hawaii!!!

To me...this is teaching

It began with a tornado drill just before 10:00...cause we didn't have enough practice last year when we had to herd the toddlers into the basement (and keep them entertained) 3 different times.

During my break the Warning System went off again...no sirens, just the possibility of tornado sirens this afternoon. Great.

We still went outside. It was warm and windy and brilliant to watch the trees dancing. We ran and pedaled and dug for 45 minutes before the first crack of thunder. Made it back inside moments before the rain pelted down. Decided to keep the door open anyway. Best idea ever.

Toddlers squished together just to be able to find space in the doorway. But no one argued. No one screamed for more room. No one cried because their foot was getting stepped on. We were all mesmerized.

Laughing as the wind tickled our hair. Taking deep breaths and remembering that we are safe at school whenever the noises rumbled above. Listening as the rain splashed on the sidewalk. And then we noticed something.

Little white balls. Dancing on the sidewalk. What are those? Where did they come from? A few even danced their way into our open door. At first we weren't sure about those. But soon we were brave enough to touch the tiny specks in our teacher's hand. Cold! Ice! And then the tiny specks disappeared. Where did it go? What was that? It's called Hail.

More Hail! More Hail! Were the chants. Arms reached as far as they could under the gate trying to catch the dancing hail on the sidewalk. Friends who could reach scooped many up, pulled them inside the room and gave small Hails to their friends. Watched as the small Hails once again disappeared before us. Wondering again, where did it go? Can I make it stay?

We stayed squished in this doorway, working together for 10 minutes. Figuring out how to coexist in this small space where we all wanted to be. Figuring out who can reach the Hail and the responsibility that comes with being the toddler with the longest arms. Wondering out loud, where does the Hail come from? Where does it go when is disappears?

They say toddlers aren't developmentally ready to share. They say toddlers have a 2-3 minute attention span. They say toddlers don't engage in collaborative play where they work together towards a common goal. And while I agree that 4 of out 5 days we don't...this doesn't mean that we can't try.

Because sometimes we are able to be bigger than ourselves. We are able to reach heads taller than ourselves and grasp the big concepts. We are able to work together like 4 year olds. We are able to question and form hypotheses like 2nd graders. We are able to test our theories like high schoolers do in a science lab.

Taking advantage of ordinary moments. Exploring with wonder and amazement. Finding something new. Adding big vocabulary describing what we are doing. Reminding that we are brave. Cheering as we investigate our ideas. Celebrating our discoveries.

Fumbling for a way to begin...

I do not teach in the K-12 system. Im an early childhood educator (before K) I do not have a union. I do not have state sponsored benefits. Senate Bill 5 does not directly affect me. It is a bit like comparing apples to oranges, the beauty being that its still comparing fruit to fruit. And it still makes me angry.

John Kasich's children don't even attend public schools (you gotta scroll way down to personal life) what does he know about whats its like to be a public school teacher

Lets talk about tuition:

An elementary classroom with 20 kiddos (although many many classes have more)

5500*20=121 000

121 000- average teachers salary of 57 000= 64 000

Lets take out another 50 000 for building expenses/curriculum costs/

a plethory of #2 pencils for test taking and we're left with 14 000

Do you know what I could do with 14 000 to spend each year in my

classroom on my kiddos.

My budget is 600 (for 12 kids) extrapolated to 1200 for 24 kiddos.

BIG DIFFERENCE

Let's talk about testing:

And they want to judge a teacher's performance on how their kiddos perform on tests...the tests don't even paint a clear picture. One group "passes" at 31% while another "passes" at 63% really? really?

Judge me based on my kiddos and how far they've come THIS year. You can't compare one group of kids to another- it does not work. Give them a test at the beginning, then at the end. I'll show you improvement.

And while we're at it, lets talk about these kiddos who are in my room. 22 Kids. 5 with IEPs that means 5 with different needs/plans/strategies that I modify my plans to accommodate their individuality. Oh and lets throw in a couple of ESL kiddos.

I remember in high school dreading, hating, avoiding at all costs 3rd period. 3rd period was my French Class. I do not do foreign languages. I could not understand what my teacher was trying to say. I struggled to translate simple phrases like "I walked to school" Can't even imagine trying to translate "Pick up your #2 pencils and fill in the appropriate bubble" (once I again translate the question) and they are evaluated on the same test as the kiddos who live in suburbia who have personal tutors and have been practicing their bubbling in the answers technique since pre-k (maybe coloring sheets do teach important skills after all)

Oh and the 2 schools they referenced as low performing? Wow, they are in great neighborhoods

Oh and Beatty? yeah that school is for "emotionally disturbed elementary students" they concentrate on making it through each school day, not making it through a test

Let's talk about what a day looks like for me:

I walk in to find last nights snack all over the floor of my classroom (cause apparently the cleaning company didn't feel up for it last night)

In the midst of cleaning up stale cheerios and dirt, a grumpy toddler enters my room. Dad says he didn't sleep well last night and good luck this morning. Great

2 minutes later I notice he is standing in a puddle. His diaper leaked (guess Dad didn't feel like changing him this morning)

While changing and cleaning this newest mess up, kiddo launches into a tantrum b/c he does not want to take off his spiderman shirt. Finally convince him that batman is just as cool. He calms down and promptly slips and falls in the still wet puddle (cause I chose to clean him up first, then worry about the floor) Major tantrum ensues as I am now forced to remove the wet batman shirt.

**I have been at work for 10 minutes**

Later that morning a kiddos pushes another face first into the sandbox. I count my lucky stars that sand is soft and he still has all his teeth. I secretly chuckle a bit at the sand boogers dripping out of his nose.

Later I intercede in what I in vision as a viscious vampire like attack only to be assured by the lil aggressor "gentle hugs" (as opposed to a little nibble)

Later as I take lil johnny's temp for the 5th time in 3 hours I realize that his stable temp of 98.6 is spiking to 99.8. Lil johnny has a history of seizures when his temp spikes too quickly. My team rushes into action: a shot of tylenol and phone call to parents and he is out of my hands. The report comes back that he slept off the fever and never seized- wahoo

5 min after said temp taking I once again don protective gloves as a kiddo slips and bumps his eyebrow on a table edge. A rounded table edge. Get the bleeding under control, call dad. Who asks me if I think he needs stitches. Wait? Did I get a medical degree? No! Go ask a doctor!

Later as I change a kiddos diaper through the well honed technique of changing squirming toddler while they remain standing...I deny a request to sit on the potty. Kiddos stares me in the eye and pees on the floor. When I ask if she did this on purpose she continues repeating "on purpose, on purpose, on purpose"

and that was all before lunch.

So John Kasich and your 144 000 salary... how bout we trade for a day. Or even just a morning

What I learned last week

Always, always bring extra coffee to work when getting new children and/or changing the classroom schedule. And if they both happen the same day (and you get 2 children) make sure the coffee is extra tall and extra hot.

I quickly realized my error when I walked into the day empty handed. I rectified it at lunch. Coffee goes a long way to making my day run smoother.

Even on the crappiest of crappy days, humor can be found- usually in the midst of another crappy situation. Why is their poop in your underwear? "I dunno. I just coughed and it snuck out."

Provided a great distraction from the chaos of the classroom

Having to play man on man instead of zone defense in a classroom is exhausting. The constant stress over where is so and so. The constant creating new ways to convince him to want to stay by my side. The constant stern looks- now what makes you think that is an appropriate way to handle the situation?

The day I've planned to NOT drink wine with dinner is the day I'll need it the most. And cave in. And drink nearly the whole bottle.

Getting up for work the next day will once again require large amounts of coffee. Viscous Cycle.

A fresh coat of paint makes a world of difference. Also makes me rethink everything that was hung on the walls. Makes my store room a disaster from storing said things that no longer hang on the walls.

Here's to needing fewer cups of coffee to get through the days this week

a love-hate relationship

with Valentines day

Way back in the day (ie college) I was proudly part of the protesting crowd. I hate Valentines Day! It's a made up holiday! Its Single Awareness Day! I wore black, I snickered at those poor saps with arms full of teddy bears, flowers and chocolates.

Then I became a teacher. And apparently wearing black while the whole classroom is decked out in pink hearts is a bit frowned upon. I mean, I still wore black (much to the chagrin of my director who was decked out in pink frilly glory) But I did up the enthusiasm for the kiddos. Pink and White Streamers for cutting/taping to every surface. Mixing Red and White paint at the easel to discover new colors. Books on love. Special cards made for moms and dads. Sparkly Glitter Confetti. Everywhere. But in my heart I still firmly held onto the protest of Its just made up!

Then I grew up, found someone I love and struggled with the merging of my old mindset and this newfound relationship I was in. I didn't want to just throw in the protesting towel because now i had someone. That made the years of wearing black seem insignificant, like I was just waiting for a man to complete me (of course, that would make my mother proud) And hell No I am not that woman!

But being in a relationship comes with all the questions- what are you doing for Vday? What did Jesse get you? Where are you going to celebrate? And I hated not having an answer to these questions. It seemed much easier to say- its a surprise, flowers and our fav restaurant instead of the truth...I still don't embrace this holiday.

I still sort of think its made up. I still do it up for the kiddos in my classroom, but personally? Nah I'll pass. I'd rather celebrate the days that are important to us...When I first got the invite to meet "my son" When I first started "myspace stalking" him, When we finally had our first date.

But I do like having an answer to the question- so we celebrate Vday in a very us kinda way...

A bottle of wine (mmmm moscato) cooking our favorite dinner- mexican with the most perfectly ripe avocado (and eating the last tortilla shell) and splitting some left over chocolate cake. Yum Yum

Oh and dreaming of potential last minute vacations to the Pacific Northwest. Can this get pulled together in 10 days???

nutrition and child maltreatment

As part of a volunteer program I'm in advocating for kiddos involved in Children's Services I had to attend a training this month. 5 choices...4 of which were all about abuse. Guess which one I did not pick. Cause I already have to renew my "spotting child abuse" certificate which is a 3 hour long class of guess which item left this mark on a kid...yeah not how I want to spend my evening.

My training was a conversation about childhood nutrition, obesity and is this neglect?

This is a topic that often rolls through my head. My instincts scream heck ya this is neglect! Parents are responsible for raising their children. Children eat what they have access too...if the only things in their fridge are cokes, pudding and snacks then thats what they eat. If instead its filled with milk, yogurt, veggies and fruit then thats what they will eat.

However, its not that simple. You've heard of food deserts? If you can't find veggies/fruit at family dollar, and thats the only store near you, then you will fill your fridge with snacks and prepackaged food and cheese from a can.

If I did not have a car, I would not walk the 2 miles to the grocery store...especially if I were towing around lil ones. I would shop at the "beer and wine store" (good price on chips) and the gas station across the street. Cause hot dogs for 20 cents would go a long way towards filling up hungry bellies.

A fabulous organization in my town...Local Matters. They are working to fix this problem. To get good food where it is needed the most. Into those schools, into those neighborhoods.

So yes it is neglect. But not parental neglect. It's society, its the city planners, its the damn suburbs that steal life from the inner city, its the crime and lack of appeal for stores to open in various neighborhoods, its the lack of opportunity especially without a car, especially without education.

Which gets me thinking about the whole cyclical nature of this beast. You parent the way you were parented. You value what you were shown should be important growing up. You cook the way you were taught to cook. It is so near impossible to break out of that cycle.

I'm lucky. When I don't know how to cook something, I look for recipes online. Because a) I have a computer. b) I can afford the internet and c) I have a desire to try new recipes. But if I only had 1.00 to spend on food, why would I even think about trying something new that I may not like? With limited resources you have to stick to what you know will fill up hungry bellies.

Which makes me wonder...with all these smart phones with instant internet access...which end up being cheaper than a cell phone bill plus buying a computer plus paying for an internet connection...is there a way to use this technology to change these environments and disrupt these cycles.

And don't even get me started on school lunches. Yes I support that bellies are getting filled. But I am appalled at what they serve. And seriously...if you keep taking money away from schools, how do you expect them to afford to spend more than the government allowance on food. Said allowance does not even cover food costs much less the costs of hiring someone to prepare the food. And yes, it is going to be much cheaper to higher someone to reheat food than to hire a qualified/passionate person to actually make the food.

But society needs to suck it up and start pouring money into these cafeterias. Cause saying we provide 1 meal a day is half assed. Pizza does not make a meal. Hot dogs do not make a meal. School meals should be a place where we are introducing new foods, new tastes where we are safe from the picky eater demanding chicken nuggets from the freezer. Cause in a school you eat what is served. Cafeterias are full of hungry bellies waiting to be filled- lets fill it with good stuff.

But it costs money. I can't think of a better place to spend the money. A captive audience just waiting for lunch. Imagine what can happen if we change their taste buds. What can happen if they learn how yummy fruits/veggies are. What can happen if they learn how to prepare the more unusual ingredients. But we have to get them while their young.