Memorial Day

I'm looking forward to "retirement." I'm hoping to be able to do presentations on a variety of topics ranging from psychological to storytelling. I will be working on speeches and presentations in the future as well as making crafts to go on my daughter's and my websites - I love Etsy!
I also want to tutor as I enjoy teaching, and I want to write. There are a lot of things that I'm interesting in, and I hope to share information that I have learned along the way with others.

Next to the last Tuesday

Rather a bad day today. I ached all day and am still aching dreadfully now. At least, I can put my feet up. This rainy Indiana weather is taking a toll on my body this year. Usually in the nearly summer time, I feel better. I'm still hoping to relocate to another area where it's dryer - I just don't want hoter! I guess, though, that I can always tell clients that I understand what others are going through.
The girls went to a movie together this afternoon - the bridesmaid one - they said it wasn't as good as advertised. One reason why I don't go to movies very often. It's just too much money for no more entertainment than it is. When you can get DVD's at the dollar stores and garage sales, why bother?
I'm looking forward to setting up my web sites. I think I'll also run ads in the paper for tutoring and music lessons. I need to prepare brochures for other things - like storytelling - and put out newsletters and send emails to daycares, etc. I have so many ideas going through my brain; I'm very excited!

My last Monday in school

I'm so tired; I'm sick of parents who think tht I'm supposed to pass their children, no matter what their children are doing in class - like nothing. I will be so glad to be away from all the politics that come with the territory of teaching. It shouldn't be this difficult; it's not for everyone. As one of my friends said when she heard that I was hired: "How did you make it? You're not one of the pretty people!" I totally agree, and there have been many, many times that I wish that I hadn't. Some places are worse than others. The focus should be on educating our future, but instead, many of the administrators are too busy trying to be popular instead of realizing that popular isn't always the right way to be.
I know that no job is perfect, but when teaching is not the enjoyable task that it should be, then it is time to go. (In other words, what's the point of teaching if all it takes is complaining istead of work to get a grade?)

Wednesday

No news yet from the travelers. They should be home any minute now. I hope the flight was smooth. I don't even know what airline they came on; she just sent me the times. Hope they get here soon. When they're gone next month, it's work, work, work as I need to get my business GOING!

Wednesday

Still no word from my daughter and granddaughter, and the plane landed nearly 2 hours ago. Probably stopped someplace to do something! In my car and probably with my credit card!
I didn't get much done today with my crafting which was rather disappointing, but I was busy with a student planning a trip to Germany next summer. Can't wait. It's been 10 years since I've been there. It's probably changed a lot; thing's do, but it will certainly be great to be back there. I always feel as if I am home again - after all these years; my family came to the United States before the Revolutionary War, but it still feels good being there. When we come to America, we search out places that look like home.

Only 2 more Tuesdays

Then school will be out for the summer! And much longer for me.
I have a lot to do this summer to get ready for the ISCA Conference. I'm very excited about it and want to get all the information together. I need to look up statistics. I've found several articles, movies, and TV shows dealing with the topics of teen dating violence and cyberbullying. Actually, my topic is "Texting, Sexting, and Cyberbullying." I just don't understand why kids will do some of the things that they do: like solicite sex with the use of a cell phone or literally bully someone to death. I'd like to include a clip from a CSI: Miami that dealt with bullying. A girl was bullying her classmates in just about any way possible, and she ended up getting stoned - by the parents of her classmates. Very sad.
My first two classes of the day are awfully bad to bully others. I've spent a lot of time explaining what bullying is and for them to stop, but without backup from the administration, not as much can be done. The problem is that the administrators know these kids and don't think that they can act that way. They can. When we stick our heads in the sand, we allow the cycles to continue. People aren't always what they appear to be.

Monday, Monday

Alright, so I'm a little older - I listen to classic radio every day. I can still understand some of the things going on in today's society. And, to make me even dweebier, I love classical music, too; not just rock, but Bach! That's the kind of music that dreams (for me) are made of.
This has been a different spring; last week, we had nearly 90 degree weather, and this week, the weather is in the 50's with lows in the 30's! That's spring in Indiana. As the old saying goes, just wait,, and the weather will change.
I need to buy a remote for my computer, so that I can present some power point presentations. I'm supposed to give 2 presentations in November at a conference in Indianapolis. One is on cyberbullying, and the other is on teen dating violence. I'm a little nervous, and will be even more as the time draws closer, but these are topics that are near and dear to me - watching teens in relationships for 20 years plus have made me very aware of the difficulties that they face. We live in such a violent society; we need to be winners - or loosers. Even "teasing" among students has such a negative effect. We need to be aware of this, and change, and help others to change.

Glad to be back

I tried to blog yesterday, but it was down. It's rather scary when a website's down. At any rate, I'm glad it's back.
There's just a few days left until retirement day. I'm looking forward to it so much. It's not that I don't like teaching - I love it. It's just that I've wanted to do counseling for so many years, but there were too many stumbling blocks thrown into my path. I guess I should be thankful for these stumbling blocks, for they have made me more aware of many things: the prevalence of domestic violence, the effect over the lifespan of child abuse, prejudice, the Milgram principle - the list goes on. I do hope I can find clients either through being a life coach or finding employment with an agency. Life experiences teach us far better than any text, and I have a lot to offer.

speeches

I've been collecting data for a couple of speeches that I will be presenting in November at a conference in Indy. I'm so nervous, but I feel passionately about these topics and am looking forward to geting the information together and getting everything together. I need to learn how to download movie clips into a presentation and get power points made. The topics are: texting, sexting, and cyberbullying and teen dating violence. Both are subjects that I feel very passionately about. If we can get kids to be aware of their actions and the effect that these actions have on others, prehaps there will be an end to the violence in our society. I see so much bullying - kids against other kids, kids against adults, bullying in the workplace; how can we act like such animals? It happens so much that I don't think that some of the kids even realize it. And then we have to factor in the Milgram experiment - or, as my great-grandmother used to say, "Water seeks its level." If someone starts bullying another person, everyone joins in. No one will "stand up" for the victim. I've seen one of my students in tears. Yes, he can be annoying - but so can the others, but everyone "jumps" on this kid and don't realize that what they do is just as bad, or worse, than what he does. It's very frustrating. Guess, I'll just keep on trying. Maybe someday things will change.

The end is getting closer and closer and closer...

I'm so excited! I want to try what I've wanted to do for years but wasn't allowed. "Get out and get a job, or we'll take your kids away!" Gotta love Monroe County. You jump through all the hoops, and they take your kids, your money, your self-esteem anyway. It's amazing how much happier I feel even though I may be living in a tent behind Marsh in a few months. I went from one abuser to another. Unbelievable how low someone can make you feel. I don't believe in the "sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you" line. Words can kill you - or make you wish you were dead. No more!
I have had a couple of job interview, but they didn't pan out. I don't want to work someplace exclusively for low pay (less than what I was offered there 3 years ago without the degree) and long hours. The other place hired someone else, but that was okay with me. It made me feel uncomfortable. I'd like to life coach and tutor. I'd also like to do some speaking as I've had several life experiences that might be interesting to others. I will be giving a couple of speeches at a conference in Indianapolis in November (I can't believe that both my topics were chosen), so I have a lot of work to do this summer to get things ready for that: learning to download movie and tv selections on the computer, creating presentations on the computer - where's my powerpoint?, and getting the little tool (I'm so computer literate) that means that I can project my computer screen onto the big slide on the wall. I'm gathering material. Now I just have to read it, organize it, write out the speech, write the handouts and presentation, and practice. Not much.
Better get going. I want to post on my other blog and work on some things for the Etsy.
Have a wonderful tomorrow.

Only 21 more days!!

I'm counting (anxiously) down the days until school's out. I'm really frustrated and annoyed with some of the little darlings. Someone defaced another student's extra credit today. I almost cried. It was just such a childish thing to do. I was so proud of this kid's work - he had drawn a life-sized outline of himself and labeled all the parts in German. I had planned on taking it home and hanging it in my office, but now I can't! It seems like the students get more immature each year.
I need to get my website completed and send out some newsletters and things to some daycares and other places around for my storytelling and things and also to some agencies for my speeches. Hope that things work out. I have studied a long time to get my counseling degree, so I'm hoping that this turn in my life will be a positive one.

Another rainy Monday

I think I'm going to build an ark. I don't know how long it's been raining now, but it does seem like close to 40 days. Do you think we might be having another message from God?
Speaking of God and rain, the other day when I was returning from a job interview in Evansville (no, I didn't take it - too many restrictions, like not as much pay as they were offering 3 years ago, they hire a lot in this area - translation: no one stays at the job because it's so poor, and I wouldn't be able to work anywhere else as it's a conflict of interest.)
Counting down the days! My second period class really makes retirement look good even if I end up living in a box down by the creek! They are so obnoxious, but they don't even bother doing anything about them - those are good boys! And they're going to grow up to be rapists and criminals as they are not checked now. There are so many children like that down there who are turning into monsters as the parents are friends with the administrators. Nice, huh?
In this vein; I wish that students would learn to take responsibility for themselves. It is the last week of classes, and I have one student who hasn't turned in anything; 2 students who have turned in paper each; and many who have attended enough to get any points for attendance - we start with 100 which counts for 20% of the grade. You're allowed 2 misses (one evening for us), and there are several students who either don't come - 2 classes, or leave after the break - 1 class. Subtract 15 points after the 2 misses, and ...
Well, it's not MY grade!
Guess I'd better be closing. I opened an Etsy shop today, and I want to start a blog about that, so I'm getting off of here for now.
Monday's down!