Merry Christmas to all (2) of my readers!!!

I am the first one up and I can hear the trees cracking and popping from the cold. Brrrrrrrrr. The Haradens are here. Santa came early to their house in Seattle .... quite an understand guy that Santa Clause!!!

I have few worries these days. My biggest now is that the slippers I got for Connor will be too small... he's growing so fast!!!

Oh. Well worrying about Danielle has been a life long endeavor ... the fact that she and Zack were repelling down waterfalls in Ecuador yesterday and have readily admitted that some of the South American treks they have taken on have been crazy dangerous just ratchets the worry up a little bit. Skype is the best thing ever for reducing concern for them. They will be back in time for Danielle's 30th birthday, February 28th.

Hey all.... I am on a leave of absence pending board approval. Having it approved is a formality... the paper work through HR is completed. I gave my permission to post my position for a long call sub.

My personal responsibility professionally has now officially taken a back seat to my personal responsibility to me. ... to take care of myself and get some semblance of both physical and mental health restored.

There is no timeline on that and the leave gives me a cushion of transition for which I am forever grateful. Someday YOU might need a leave for whatever reason and each case is different ( so don't ask me for specifics... it is very case specific) and so know that it's there... but I'd suggest taking care of yourself better than I did so that you can avoid it. Although I did my best and have no regrets thankfully...

It will be baby steps forward and maybe some will be backward but I'll find my way back to me eventually. It's been awhile!!

I may be back to teaching and I may not ( more likely not) but for now teaching is not a part of my life. Thought you should know and go ahead and spread the word... Housman-Meyer is on a leave.... not retired!!!!


 Yo & Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!!!

Mary :)

Well for crying out loud.

I came into the c. lab today and the whiteboard that distinguishes for the students which side to go to according to their instructor said "Ms. Housman - Meier".

I pointed it out to Nancy and she said, "oh! I took it off of the teacher extension list". And sure enough, my name is listed as Mary Housman-Meier" on the Apollo extension list.

That is the fourth way that my name has been misspelled THIS YEAR!!! I do believe, and I am NOT kidding, that my name has been misspelled ONE time since 1995.


If that isn't a sign ( get it? sign... whiteboard sign..never mind) then I don't know what is.

I'm still loving Apollo.... that has made a HUGE difference!!!

Mary

ps

Danielle in Nicaragua ...

Did I give you this link? If I did, I don't mind re posting. 

Last Sunday Jamie, Danielle and I skyped all at once. Seattle-----------> MN -----------> S. America.

Cool. Danielle and Zach are in a very weird zone. I mean like zone in their heads. Their lives are moving very slowly. It took them 7.5 hours to travel 50 miles total to there destination on what is called a "chicken" bus. And when she told me this there was not one comment of dissatisfaction. I kept waiting for it. And waiting ( I am patient.... she can't blame the following on me) . Danielle was the most impatient baby I had. I had to stop breast feeding this child because she would scream before my milk would let down, I would get uptight, the milk took longer then and she just turned red in the face screaming screaming screaming. Danielle did a LOT of screaming ( at me) like .... until she was 22yrs. old. She is THE most IMPATIENT person I have EVER known!!!!

SERIOUSLY??? It took you 7.5 hours to go 50 miles????? I think I would have screamed at everyone!!!  Things are slow in Nicaragua I guess....

These buses are old American school buses. They break down frequently. They are collectively called "chicken" buses because people carry any and everything in the bus and on top of the bus including chickens.

The bus stops to pick up people on their way to work . There is a man who rides on TOP of the bus to whom the people on their way to work throw their satchels, packages, tools, etc. And as the people get off the bus to go to work,  they yell at the man on top to throw their posessions down to them. The man always gets the right item... never makes a mistake.

The bus is as full as three to a seat with people standing in the aisles. This sounds crazy to me.

But go to the link. There is a pay out. They are living a dream. I sure wish I had done some of these things when I was young enough and physically fit enough to look a volcano in the eye!!!

Equador is next. I swear, my spelling is getting worse. The crazy thing about traveling to Ecuador ( got it) ? It will be cheaper for them to fly to Miami, stay overnight , and then fly to Ecuador from there. So things are slow and don't make sense. The only thing that comes to mind that is similar is the Alzheimer's unit my step dad is in. But yet they are at the opposite end of life as Bill.

Ok. I'm done. Life is strange.

Mary :)

FOR example....

I will never EVER have to feel any sort of obligation and will never ever be personally persecuted
 (ever again) because of someone else 's vicious, intentional misinterpretation of my person hood simply based on said individual's selfish fear of failing a personal agenda that is either directly or indirectly related to the following depiction:


Confused? Tru dat. Peace. Fuck that. Up yours. Yo.

How about "Please pass the butter and may I be excused?'.

Peace.

Mary 

I am not only Thankful but Grateful today!

I've heard. 

That the school that I used to work in is in chaos and that 
" I picked a good time to leave".... as if I had a choice.  I believe that God intervened and saved me from losing my soul from the depths of despair believing that education was heading for the nearest rock to flounder upon an sink forever never to be resurrected  for generations.

I was wrong. I have been working under the first administration ( of my career)  that is competent.

I am working in a place that is quiet and respectful and empty of fear.

I am working in a department where working cooperatively and without dysfunction is the norm.

I am working in a place where everyone knows what the expectations are and they meet them gladly because they are presented with purpose , make sense,  are clearly for kids and not for greed or to feather a cap of some sort.

Of course all of my perceptions from my new "placement" are at first blush and I am not so naive as to think that there are not underlying currents of filth and disgust where I am as well. I just haven't seen any evidence of it. 

In my heart of hearts I have a palpable  feeling of uneasiness that this bliss is short lived and simply a result of not having the filth and disgust catch up with them yet. This is based on some very specific observations.

For example, in my new placement they are just BEGINNING to look at rubrics but they have  camoflaged the term rubric with "scales" . Why do they find it necessary to rename rubric and why doesn't anyone around me have the faintest idea of what a rubric/ scale is?

I attended an IEP meeting a week ago and people seemed surprised that a mainstream teacher showed up. I even had 3 candy bars in my PO in appreciation for my insight. Is it possible that the feds haven't caught on to this oversight?

I met with a counselor and a student who was giving me problems in school. The counselor was overjoyed that I would take the time to try to develop a positive relationship with this child. What has been happening with misunderstandings between tutor and student in the past? Does it just go on?

At the beginning of the year our school's AYP data was presented to the staff. There have been gains in some areas, losses in others but the achievement gap narrowed for the very first time. This phenomenon  was presented by the administration in a celebratory fashion followed by a round of applause. It was an after thought, a flippant , joking notation that the  narrowing gap between the lines on a projected graph showed that in fact the gap is narrowing but not because the low has gained significantly thereby catching up with the top, but that the top for the first time has lost ground more closely mirroring the gains but in the opposite direction. How are we supposed to feel good about that? And why do our leaders seem happy about it?

Yes. I am glad that I am not wallowing in what sounds like difficult muck to navigate through in my old school but my gut is telling me that the water is about to be muddied in my new school.

The good news? I won't be around to have to re adjust my navigation systems. For now I am thoroughly reveling in what feels like bliss and taking full advantage of it by not worrying about what the future holds and working hard and in the moment with my new colleagues, school and mostly wonderful students :)

I have a LOT to be thankful for today and my heart is overflowing with gratefulness. :)

Wishing you all a very happy and restful Thanksgiving.

Mary :)


  

Will not be mad forever.

"When you complain, you make yourself a victim. Leave the situation or accept it. All else is madness."

- Eckhart Tolle

This is so strange.

My "baby" , Jessica , is asleep on the couch. My colleague, Jen, is only 4 months older than Jessica. I just left school after having consulted with Jen regarding some important topics coming up. I very much view Jen as I would any accomplished , veteran teacher , as if she were 40 years old yet Jen is only 26. She IS an accomplished, veteran, tenured teacher.

Jessica is my baby and is sleeping peacefully with Buster wrapped around her feet. I think Jessica is darling. I think she is precious and cute, needs her sleep and should eat supper when she wakes up.

I like it that Jessica is here and I wonder if Jen's mom feels the same way about Jen. I sure do hope so because I'm not nearly as comfortable thinking about Jen sleeping on my couch as I am about asking her a million more questions tomorrow about what I am supposed to teaching.

Everyone should have a Mother who thinks he/ she is her baby. My Mom still does. When I answer the phone my Mom says "Hello. This is your Mother". Oops. That reminds me. Mothers don't live forever.... tell your Mom that you love her....kkkkkkkkkk?