I'm researching this.

This is Yusuf Islam or Cat Stevens of the 60,s/ 70.s. I listened to his music. He dropped out . Is back recently and has written a musical. It premiered in Australia. I am looking for a copy.



I'm very intrigued with his story. I think he is the "real deal" when it comes to peace, happiness and finding more to life around every corner and under every adventure. Perhaps it is where I need to be right now. Who knows.

Sweet Jesus They are transfering all my account info. to APOLLO!

And I am PUMPED about it!!!!  They transferred Lynn Johnson to ALC too!!

Looks like all the big mouths, perceived "power" folks, the I'm not gonna jump on ONE MORE  mother fucking band wagon people are  GONE FROM SOUTH!!!!

Save the fucking world South. Make George look good. Drool and pander to  the "red zone kids" and we'll all just watch the majority of our youth (the middle) continue to lose ground academically. That will be the test. If you can  close the " Achievement Gap" at an accelerated rate AND maintain the data proven necessary slope for progress for the the average kid to reach his/her potential, then you will be Superman. Superman will be IN THE HOUSE if South can do that . Let me reiterate. IF you

1) can accelerate the "redzone" kids growth 

AND

2) maintain the slope for progress ( this is a data proven rate ) for the the average kid to reach his/her potential.

You will be Superman. George will be the head of Supermen. I sincerely wish you luck. And yes, I do say that with some sarcasm, but I will be proud of you if you can do it.

M

Mother fucking testing is going to be the bane of the 21st century education phenomenon. End of story. Mother fuckers. 

The time I called 911 three times in a row.

I have everything I need/ want from South except for one thing and that is the number for dialing a long distance number from inside school. Not everybody was given that number but I needed it and used it quite frequently to make orders for science supplies. It started with *54.......and ended in 91   and then you had to dial the number. You probably have figured out where this is going.

Yes. On one occasion under great stress I'm sure ( teaching is stressful. Duh) I dialed *54.........91 then 1-507    for example and the 911 dispatcher picked up and said "What is your emergency" and I hung up.
And then I re - dialed *54.........91  1-507  and the dispatcher
picked up and said "What is your emergency?" and I said "OH! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to call 911!" and hung up again.

Yes....a THIRD time I repeated the same damn thing and he picked up , asked the same dang thing and I responded with the same dang thing. I stopped trying to make that call that day and prayed no fire trucks would show up outside of door One. That would have been embarrassing.

M :)

Two more good books.

I finished The Pact by Jodi Picoult about two weeks ago and thought that would be the last book of the summer but I was wrong.

I'm reading Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God by Joe Coomer which is turning out to be my favorite read so far. I picked it up at the public library yesterday. Jessica & I ate at The Whitehorse and then went to the library together. I signed up for a new library card and found I had a fine from 2004 of $3.00. Jessica asked what book it was that I had out overdue and I said that I didn't know, I never asked. I wish I had.

I ran into a teacher there that I had taught with for one year at ALC...1995. Her name is Mary and is a language arts teacher. She retired quite awhile back but has been teaching water aerobics ( I took a class from her about 7 years ago. It was held at South at 5:00 pm) and homeschooling for about ten years now. She told me a funny and intriguing story while we were standing by the doors of the library and I was waiting for Jessica:

One year during workshop week Mary was taking part in sessions at SJH but there were a lot of elementary school teachers there and she thought that perhaps she would be better served by walking to Tech where there were more secondary people so she approached an administrator. She explained how she felt and  he/ she approved so she started to walk from South to Tech.

She said "I got to Tenth Street and I was drawn to the river like a magnet! So I turned right and walked across the bridge!" Well, she wound up down by the Beaver Islands, found an old pair of tennis shoes and she "played in the river" all day!!!  Doesn't that sound marvelous?!!!

I can't wait until I can enjoy Fall days again without beginning a school year. I hope that it won't be too long now.

M:)

With every visit I feel more calm.

I went to Apollo for the third time since I found out that I would be transferred. The first was when I visited a class that was in session around June 1st or something...before anyone else at South knew and before Danielle's wedding. On that day Chris Ann Johnson offered me a textbook and I very reluctantly brought it home. I didn't look in it until last week.

The second visit was a week ago when I met with Heather Johnson to briefly go over the course outline & look in the classroom I will occupy. I noted that the five boxes of teaching materials that Dan & I had packed up at South were in the room. It was a brief meeting with Heather. I think I made her nervous. It must have been the glassy-eyed look I gave her when she started to talk about Ohm's Law & the four types of chemical reactions we'll teach. But when I unpacked the boxes the familiar touch of things like my bean bag hippo & water cup helped me relax.

Today I went to Apollo to get my keys but the office was closed. A man who looked familiar walked quickly by me and he must have noticed the freakishly frightened look on my face and asked "May I help you with something?". I felt like saying "Yes you can. Hold me tightly & don't let go. I think I may die here." but I didn't. I explained who I was, we shook hands ( I wanted to keep holding his ) and we exchanged pleasantries as he walked me down to open my room for me. His name is Brian and he is one of the two assistant principals. He stayed to chat for just a bit and then I was alone. I brought my wooden name "tag" along and so I set it on the lab desk by the interwrite board, stood back and looked at it. It looked good! I searched for and went through some of the resource materials for the text and after a bit I could visualize how the curriculum proceeds.  It has been a looooong time since I have taught this stuff ...it will be work... hard work but I am hopeful. And more calm. Until. I'm afraid, 36 very tall boys and very developed girls walk in the room. It will be then that I will have to dig deep and resist the urge to RUN just as today I resisted the urge to jump into that guy's arms.

Baby steps.

M :)

Introducing Aunt Jessica and the very Talented GRACE HARADEN!!!!!!!!!!!

Any advice?

I am going to Apollo tomorrow to meet up with Heather Johnson whom I taught with at South a number of years back in order to go over the curriculum I will be teaching. She has been at Apollo for quite a few years now.

I am having feelings about the move. So. How should I handle these feelings? Currently I would describe them and not in any particular order as:

* scorn ( ok. scorn is at the top..... dumb fucks)
* uneasy
* determined
* scared shitless
* cautiously excited
* in awe
* relaxed
* resigned
* relieved
* skeptically confident
* hopeful


That's it. Those of you who have experienced a career move... which of the above did you experience? How did these feelings evolve? Did your pre- move include different feelings? Which ones? How did you personally handle them?

M