Suedehead10's Xanga

Relief!!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:33:35 GMT

Issue 47 passed. Barely. On Tuesday night, around 11:45 P.M. it was confirmed that Issue 47 passed with 50.6% of the vote. There are still provisional ballots and the late absentees to count, but it is pretty well confirmed that Issue 47 has been successful. (Last time the late votes and provisionals gained us 100 or so votes, and we are up by 450 votes right now.) I attended my first Student Council meeting Wednesday afternoon. It was weird, but in a good way. Issue 47 restored bussing and extracurriculars to SWCS. (Busing starts November 30, according to DSC.) I am relieved and excited. I expect salary freezes at least for the next year and possibly beyond, but I'm not going anywhere. I'm just happy that the current seniors have something to look forward to. And with pay-to-play (including a $20 fee a year for activities like SC), I'm hoping we will not be in the same position for at least 4 years. It would be especially helpful if the current levy lasted at least 5 years. No, I don't want to take a pay cut, but I am willing to freeze my pay for awhile. I am anxious to see what the new school board has in mind.

So, yes Tim, all of the great stuff that made GCHS worth attending has been restored. For now. In my professional opinion, it is time for all of us to rise up and demand that the State of Ohio make the change to a fair and equitable funding solution for Ohio schools.

Thank you to all of you who voted "for" Issue 47. It is greatly appreciated!! The SC has decided that our annual canned food drive in December will be the most successful ever. We are determined to show the GC community that we appreciate their support.

Again, thank you!!

Until next time. Take care of yourselves and each other!

"And I wonder if everything could ever feel this real forever?
If anything could ever be this good again?
The only thing I'll ever ask of you,
You've got to promise not to stop when I say...when."

- Everlong, Foo Fighters

Issue 47

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:14:57 GMT

I didn't intend to wait this long to file another report from the front lines, but, as usual, things have a way of just happening. So, here's what I've been up to recently...

Issue 47 is just a few days away. Issue 47 is the SWCS's fourth attempt in the last year to get a levy passed. They reduced the milage a little and made the levy permanent instead of just for four years. If you don't know why this is important to me and the 21,000 students in the district, then there's probably not a lot I can say at this point to make you understand. But it is important, so I'll try. If Issue 47 doesn't pass, then there will continue to be no extracurriculars and no sports. Bussing will stay at minimums, including no bussing to the high schools. In addition, the district faces an $8 million budget gap for next year. The following year, another $17 million will have to be cut. Heck, even with the passage of Issue 47, the district has pledged to make the levy last four years, which will require an additional $15 million in cuts over those four years. Already, there are decisions taking place that will help that along. Recently, all three unions agreed to a restructuring of our health insurance, which will result in about $2.5 million in savings for the district. The three unions also have agreed to pay freezes for this year, and I can see that happening again for next year. The teachers and other staff members are doing their best to help out, and we hope it will be enough to convince some members of the community to vote for the levy this time. There's a lot of positive energy out there right now, and, by my estimation, I figure the levy has about the same chances of passing this time as it did the last time, only maybe a little better. (The August levy failed by just 400 or so votes.) I think the bussing issue may have tipped some in our favor, along with the reduced milage. I think pay-to-play may also put a few more in our corner. It will all come down to the number of voters who turn out on Tuesday. I anticipate numbers similar to the August election, and I think that falls in our favor. Maybe. Who really knows? I keep hearing doom and gloom from people in the community, but I don't subscribe to that negative talk. I can't. If I allow myself to believe that this levy will fail, then I lose myself. It's that simple. If it doesn't pass, then I'll deal with it. I just can't be that person right now. I go to school every day with a positive attitude so I can be the best English teacher my students could ask for. And for the most part, the kids are staying upbeat too, despite the crappy hand they have been dealt. Sure, they miss football Friday nights, band, and so much more, but in class, they are just like every other group I've taught, if not better. No matter what happens Tuesday, they kids will be alright. It's the community I'm worried about.

For SWCS's school board, we have eight candidates. Four are for the levy, and four are against it. I'll be casting votes for Cathy Johnson and Karen Dover. My last vote is still up in the air. I don't know if it will be Ed Palmer or Greg McCarty. Or maybe I'll only vote for two. We will see on Tuesday.

I was one of five staff members who chose to chaperone the fall dance put on by the "student alliance" and the PTA. It cost me. Two of my good friends accused me of supporting something that I shouldn't have, and said some hurtful things. (My relationship with both of them has remained okay since the dance, but I have no way of knowing what they really feel about me since the dance.) I understand their frustrations and hope they understand why I chose to chaperone the dance. How could I face those Student Council kids next week if I didn't support them and the levy passes? I was afraid they would see me as someone who was only interested in money and not them. And the kids did a great job. Sure, there were some hiccups in the process, but it was still a success, and I'm proud of them. And it was a learning experience for the "student alliance." They heard the same complaints that I do every year. My only problem with the dance? They spent almost $1000 on a DJ that they thought would be better than anything the Student Council has ever been able to produce. My observation? The DJ played the same music we do and had even less lights/effects than we usually do. Part of me saw this as a victory.

Okay, enough about school...

Modern Family is a great new show from ABC that deserves your support. It's funny and has a heart at the same time. I'm also impressed with The Middle and Cougar Town. The Middle is especially hilarious. The little kid, Brick, is one of the funniest characters on TV. If you aren't watching these shows, you need to. I also recommend The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Community, Parks and Rec, and 30 Rock. All are great, funny shows. And, of course, there is the animation block on Sundays from FOX. Justin has been coming over on Wednesdays to watch the ABC comedies with me. It's a great time and helps us pass the days until Lost returns early next year. Now there's some good television...

The new Brand New disc, Daisy, has continued to perplex me. Some of the songs are great, and some are....well, you know. It won't gain them any new fans, but it is solid. I'm also enjoying the Kings of Leon's newest. I literally had "Sex on Fire" going through my brain all day the other day. I know Alex doesn't like them, but damn, that song is catchy.

Book club is currently reading Shadows of the Wind. It's alright, but it takes some time to get through. It is supposed to be a mystery, but so far the revelations have been coming at a snail's pace. Meh.

Well, I guess that's about it. If you are so inclined, please vote for Issue 47, and if you can't vote for it, then please keep us in your prayers. We could use them. Take care of yourselves and each other. Until next time...

Blessed

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:58:13 GMT

Today, I feel tremendously blessed. I was reminded that I have wonderful, caring co-workers. Sure, I already knew that, but today they proved it. As usual for Fridays, I went out to lunch with Marilyn, Randi and Marilyn's student observer, Dave. We went to Five Guys. (Which, by the way, has delicious burgers and fries - I highly recommend it!) I drove. We had a great lunch, but when we got back in the car to return to school, my car wouldn't start. While Marilyn "reminded" us that it was a laughable incident (we hadn't checked out with the admin), I was, of course, mortified. It seems my 12 1/2 year old car battery just wasn't up to the task. So I would like to publicly thank Kevin for picking us up and taking us back to school. Emily for arranging coverage of our classes until we could get back to school. Marilyn for covering my 8th period class so I could get back over to Five Guys to meet the AAA guy. Kris for allowing me to use her car/behemoth to get over to Five Guys and back to school. Angie for watching 90(!) kids until Marilyn, Randi and I could get back to school. And Kevin and Randi for dropping me back at my car after school. As the only single person in the dept., it is nice to know that I have friends who are willing to go the extra mile to help me out. Yes, I have family in the GC area, but not needing to depend on just them was a wonderful feeling. The AAA guy was also extremely nice, and his wife works for SWCS as a school nurse. I discovered, to my astonishment, that most car batteries last just 4-5 years. Mine held out for 12 1/2. I really can't complain. So, I have a new car battery, and I'm $125 poorer. It was well worth the price.

I've been advising Student Council behind the scenes for the last few weeks. Part of me misses the whole thing (including the stress of Homecoming), and part of me is glad to have the break this year. It makes me feel very guilty, knowing what these kids are missing out on. I'm really hoping the levy in November passes so I can get back to normal. Whatever that is...

Student Council took home 3rd place in the Red Cross Blood Sharing Challenge Luncheon today (for the "big" high school division). That's a drop from the previous years of 2nd place, but I'm still very pleased. With around 300 units collected, we have the potential of saving around 900 lives. That's pretty damn impressive.

GCHS was featured as the "Cool School" of the week for central Ohio on Fox 28 today. We won last fall, too, making us the first school to repeat. A lot of the kids asked what we had to be cool about this year without sports and extracurriculars. I asked myself the same question, but it's clear that we are persevering, despite the deck that is stacked against us.

I downloaded the new Brand New CD (Daisy) from iTunes this week. I like a few of the songs. Some others...well, it is a bit of a departure from their previous stuff. A few more listens should clear things up for me.

The new TV season has finally started. Heroes was better - more down to Earth. Big Bang Theory was great, as was The Office. Community looks good, as does Modern Family. We will see if they can keep it up. The Simpsons and Family Guy start this weekend. Can't wait to see what they have in store for us.

I guess that's about it. I'm reading Dan Brown's newest right now. The Lost Symbol is not nearly as good as The DaVinci Code or Angels and Demons, but its still a decent read. Take care of yourselves and each other...

Until next time...

"We never are what we intend, or invent."

-Brand New, At the Bottom

Different

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:25:27 GMT

Different. What an ambiguous word. It can imply many things. But, despite the abstract quality of the word, it is the only way for me to accurately describe the start of this school year. No sports. No Student Council (well, at least not that I'm involved with...more on that in a moment). No band. No buses. It's just different. My classes are okay. I have 5 CP4 classes this year and 1 AP3 class. The biggest change for me is the extra CP4 class. I had my usual beginning of the year exhaustion, but the biggest struggle has been to keep straight what I've told each class. I find myself forgetting to tell that last CP4 class some things because I'm convinced I already told them. Repetition is good for some things, but in teaching, it gets old fast.

I mentioned Student Council above. There shouldn't be a Student Council at GCHS right now - no extracurriculars at all - but there is. And I'm not involved. From what I have gathered, a certain member of the faculty at GCHS met with some of my kids over the summer and started organizing them. He got them in touch with the administration and the PTA, then bowed out, for the most part. My SC members met several times over the summer with the admin., and I knew nothing about it. On the first day back for teachers, during our meetings, the principal announced several activities that SC was going to be doing this year. I was completely blindsided and pissed off beyond belief. (And more than a few teachers thought I was involved and were not happy about that. It's akin to crossing a picket line for a lot of teachers.) With the support of the PTA, they have a homecoming/prom/formal dance planned for Oct. 16 at the Aladdin Shrine Temple in Columbus. They also have a lot of other stuff planned, too. A lot of this is student and parent driven, but I can't help wondering if this won't work against the levy in the long run. The community is stepping up to help out with a lot of things, but I'm very afraid that a lot of people in SWCS will say, "see, we don't need to pay for this - they are doing it without taxpayer money." And, of course, the admin. and PTA supporting these moves is a slap in the face to all teachers who have worked their asses off over the years to be class and SC advisors. I personally lost $5000 because SC is gone, and I know plenty of other teachers who lost the same or more. I'm sickened by the whole thing. Teachers are threatened until they get out of the building at 4:30 each day, but these things are allowed to take place. It's not right. The thing is, though, I'm not mad at the SC kids. They are doing what the think is the right thing to make the year as bearable as possible. I was SC president my senior year, and I honestly can't say that I wouldn't be doing the same thing if this happened while I was in that position. With years of experience on the other side, I obviously have a better perspective and understanding of the situation. I know what will happen if they show the community and district leaders these things can happen without paying teachers extra for it. I'll be out of a job. Many of my colleagues have talked about not joining PTA this year. Me included. I've loyally supported the PTA every year I've been at GCHS, but I find it hard to pay for a membership in an organization that is working against teachers right now. Sigh. Nothing is ever easy...

No busing for high school students has turned the parking lot into a giant clusterf***. They (the admin. and GC cops) have permanent barriers in place to flow traffic in specific directions. But you have to be careful. Because of the barriers, you can only go certain directions when you exit the parking lot. It's ridiculous.

Okay, enough of that crap. On to better things...

I'm currently about 2/3 of the way through Drood by Dan Simmons. It's a fictional account of the last few years of Charles Dickens's life and involves the creation of the character of Edwin Drood. It's pretty cool. I've especially enjoyed the exploration of the underworld (literally and figuratively) of London in the mid-1800s. It's worth a read. Book club is reading The Likeness by Tana French for this month. I'll tell you more about it next time.

I attended Shawn and Amy's wedding a few weeks ago. It was a small, wonderful affair in Pittsburgh. I think there were only 24 or 25 people there. Alex and I made the trip together to celebrate with our friend. I wish them both the best of luck and hope they have decades of married bliss together! Congratulations! (And Shawn, we still owe you a proper bachelor party!)

The fall TV season is starting soon. I'm looking forward to it, if for no other reason than it will be a good distraction from the fact that there are no football games in GC on Friday nights this year. Hell's Kitchen started another season a few weeks ago. Delicious! I'm rooting for the bald guy. It's one of the craziest seasons ever.

No new music recently. Brand New has a new album hitting soon though. Can't wait for it!

GC received about 5 inches of rain yesterday and last night. My mom's electricity went out and the sump pump stopped working. According to her, there was quite a bit of water that accumulated in her crawl space - she has a split level without a basement. And, of course, the sump pump stopped working after the electricity came back on. It was 37 years old, afterall. One of the neighbors has agreed to replace it and some of the pipe in the yard, rather than hire someone else to come in and do it. Since my dad moved out, 10 (?) years ago, she has been on her own, but she has done a fantastic job of keeping up with everything. I'm very thankful she has neighbors who still watch out for one another. There were no less than three neighbors who came over and helped her out. My thanks to each and every one of them. Mom also said she was up until 5 AM this morning dragging buckets of water from the crawl space to dump in the yard. I'll probably be over there tomorrow to help her drag out some of the plastic and old carpet that was used to line the crawl space. She's an amazing woman!

I bought a new chair for my classroom. The old one I used at the computer had the arms duct taped on. Andrew S. (Class of 2009) came to school and picked up the old one to take to college with him. I don't understand why anyone would want that chair, but it was a comfortable, faithful part of my classroom for many years. It's the end of an era....

I also am obligated to mention my old college roommate, Jim. He sent an email threatening me that I would be "dead" to him if I didn't respond to his email and mention him in my next blog entry. Done and done. Do I get to "live" now? :) Jim lives in Chicago with his wife and two kids, and is a good friend from way back. I stayed with him and his wife years ago on my way out West, and I also visited him when I attended the best Morrissey concert I've ever been to. Some day I'll travel that way again...

Well, that's about it. Take care of yourselves and one another. Until next time, my friends....

"I want to live where soul meets body
And let the sun wrap its arms around me,
And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing
And feel, feel what its like to be new.

Cause in my head there’s a greyhound station
Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations
So they may have a chance of finding a place
Where they’re far more suited than here.

And I cannot guess what we'll discover
When we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels.
But I know our filthy hands can wash one another’s,
And not one speck will remain.

And I do believe it’s true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes.
But if the silence takes you,
Then I hope it takes me too.
So brown eyes I hold you near
Cause you’re the only song I want to hear,
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere.

Where soul meets body."

-Death Cab for Cutie, Soul Meets Body

Monday, August 10, 2009

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:11:42 GMT

Well, nothing much to celebrate, at least not like last time, but I guess I do have things to share. So let's get to it...

The summer has been sailing along. I have two weeks (it is Monday now) until school starts. I don't know how I really feel about this. I'm usually very excited (new students, new year), but this year will be markedly different. As I'm sure you all know by now, the levy failed for the third time. It was only by 500 votes, but this is neither horseshoes nor hand grenades, so being close certainly doesn't count. I am disappointed to say the least. As many of you know, I also gave up the peer mentoring and tutoring gig and my position on TEAM. With the failure of the levy, I will also not have Student Council. This is going to be a very different year for me. For the first time since my first year at GCHS, I will only be an English teacher. Part of me is looking forward to this - with new textbooks and no distractions, I feel I can rededicate myself to being the best damn English teacher possible. The other part of me (despite my yearly pseudo-complaints on here) will truly miss Student Council. I feel terrible for those kids who were elected by their peers to serve, especially the seniors. GCHS is going to be a much different place this year. I'll let you know how it goes.

I have to rave about a book right now. Book club picked The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield as its latest pick. I was reluctant at first (too much flowery language for my taste in the first 25 pages), but the end result was a page turner of a mystery. The 400 pages eventually took me two days to get through. It's not "great" literature (in my opinion), but it was a compelling read. Check it out if you like contemporary fiction. It's worth the time. See if you can figure out the mystery before the narrator.

I spent the last two days without water in my apartment. The shower faucet has slowly been dripping for the last month. Sometimes a little, other times a lot. On Friday evening I decided to check it out. I turned off the water at the main valve in the apt. to see if there was something I could do to make things better. I investigated and decided that it either needs a new "cartridge" or a replacement all together. So I turned the water back on and decided to let the apt. complex know on Monday (new shower assemblies are expensive). When I turned the water back on, however, the trap primer valve decided not to cooperate. All of the water was being sent straight through it to a floor drain in the utility closet. The only choice I had was to turn off the water again. (Let me stop here and say the trap primer valve is a valve that senses pressure changes in the water flow and sometimes allows small amounts of water to travel through it to the drain to help with built up gases and the such - it is not supposed to allow the entire flow to "go down the drain," so to speak). I had no option but to shut off the water again. I tried a couple of things over the weekend to get it to stop to no avail. The last two days I have traveled to my mom's in order to shower, and I only turned on the water long enough to get a pitcher of drinking water or flush the toilet when I had to - not the best of situations. Well, anyway, when I turned on the water tonight to flush and get some drinking water, the sensor in the valve finally corrected itself. I have no idea why, but it did. I know they used some pretty cheap stuff when they built this place (I have personally replaced both bathroom faucets and the kitchen faucet because of leaks), and that evidently extends to everything they installed. Having lived here for almost 10 years, I guess some eventual break downs are to be expected. Still, it seems like they may have gone too cheap. So...I'll let them fix the shower leak and if the valve acts up again, well, that's their problem. Not mine. For now, I can shower again and use water to brush my teeth and flush. It wasn't like roughing it exactly, but it was similar. Just without the tent...

I have two "classes" this week through the district. One is on web design for a personal teacher site through the district, and the other is a teacher leader class. I also have book club on Thursday. A busy week for me! Actually, not that busy, but more so than usual. I've also been cleaning out some stuff here at the apt. that has needed to go, but I just never got around to. All of my old electronics are now in the garage awaiting either a garage sale (anyone need a scanner or two?) or a time when I can take them to a recycling center. I have also boxed up old files, gradebooks, and some books that are destined for the garage. As my good friend Gwyn used to say - "cluttered house, cluttered mind." So true...

I did have two exceptional dinners last week. Wednesday was dinner with Roberta and Gwyn at City BBQ on Henderson. Delicious food and great conversation! And Thursday was dinner with Jeny at Spaghetti Warehouse (our usual). It was also a great time with great conversation!

I guess that's about it. Take care of yourselves and each other. Until next time...

Vindicated!

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:46:28 GMT

I know, I just posted. But I had to brag about this.

About 15 months ago I had a conversation with then assistant principal at GCHS, Bob Hill, about this past year's AP English 3 class (Language and Composition). I had been teaching the class for a good 8-9 years. There had always been a feeling at GCHS that my scores weren't as good as they could be. I agreed. (I hovered between a 50% and 60% at 3 or above - national average, but not great either.) But, the district had always said that whoever wanted in, got in. And with around 58 kids (the highest enrollment of any AP class for the last 6-7 years), I didn't see that changing. English doesn't have a feeder program like other subjects (math and science come to mind). I proposed that they drop it to one class (30 students) and let me pick who got in from the applications, which included an essay. Bob Hill agreed, and the great experiment began.

I got my AP scores today. Here's the breakdown:

5s - 3

4s - 10

3s - 14

2s - 1

1s - 0

There were 28 kids who took the test. (Note: one student moved away and one student didn't take the test because of illness.) My percentage at 4 or above is 46.4% and my percentage at 3 or above (the district standard) is 96.4%!!!!!!!! This is my best year ever. (Previously I had 76% get a 3 or above my first year - a class of 32.) I beat all other AP classes with the highest 3 or above %age. And I again had the highest enrollment. Yes, other classes had higher 4 or above averages (I'll never be able to compete with J. Nuckles's AP Calc class (26 students - the man is a Calculus god), or with the AP Physics class (12 students)), but this is my year to shine. And, of course, my students'. They were a bright group, and I'll never be able to thank them enough for proving me correct.

So, how do I feel today? Vindicated! I know it's crazy, but trusting a teacher to know what is best for his/her students and listening to that actually worked. Who knew?

So, what's next? This school year I have another class of 30. But, I had only 36 apply. (Last year it was 74.) I still expect them to do much better than what I have seen in previous years. I hope the trend continues. The new admin. has said that they will make the class two sections if enough kids apply. I think I now have proof to make them do otherwise. What do you think?

"Hope dangles on a string,
Like slow spinning redemption.

Winding in and winding out,
The shine of it has caught my eye,

And roped me in.
So mesmerizing, so hypnotizing.
I am captivated.

I am Vindicated.
I am selfish.
I am wrong.
I am right.
I swear I'm right.
I swear I knew it all along."

-Vindicated, Dashboard Confessional

Same Old Song and Dance

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:45:33 GMT

Summer school has ended. It was a moderate success. It was definitely better than I expected. Last Thursday was our last day. I ended up with everyone (all 27 students) with a 61% or above. I also ended with a nice bell curve - 4 A's, 10 B's, 10 C's and 3 D's. And no major personality conflicts. Would I do it again? Probably not. With Ron Brewer retiring (the man who gave me my first significant job in education - night school - and one of my mentors at summer school for the last 12 years), I don't know that I'm likely to take on the role of "teacher" for summer school ever again. If I'm asked to be a lead teacher, that will be different. But now that summer school has ended, I am left with a significant amount of days that are unstructured for the rest of the summer. Ugh. It won't be long now until I'm climbing the walls, and I feel like screaming. I don't know how other teachers handle the down time. We are asked to go from 50-60 hours a week of work to nothing for 2 1/2 months.

Speaking of down time - last Friday was my first day of freedom. I bought a grill. I had been thinking of getting one for awhile now, but the 20% off coupon from Meijer finally made the decision for me. (Meijer is my new favorite place to shop - 2nd only to Target.) Anyway, after weeks of debating the purchase of a charcoal grill vs. a propane grill, I finally bought a 40,000 BTU propane beauty with side burner from Meijer on Friday. (It was on sale.) I opted to put it together myself. What the Hell was I thinking? The instructions said 35-40 minutes. It took almost 3 hours. I had never put anything like that together before. A note to my faithful readers: if you purchase a grill and they offer to assemble it for you, do it - whatever the cost. It's worth it. I was sore after I finished. No, really. My shoulder ached and my lower back was tender. Anyway, I bought a propane tank on Saturday (the rainiest day of the year), and finally got to use the grill yesterday. Those Johnsonville brats never tasted so good! But it was no charcoal grill. Sigh.

I gave blood today. The GCHS Student Council sponsored a blood drive at the church right next door to the school today. Our (their) goal was 35. They had 30 people through before I even finished. I also got to meet our new Blood Mobile coordinator. A small group of juniors and seniors implemented the whole thing - I did nothing but volunteer to donate. They did a good job! I'm hoping the levy passes, if for no other reason than so these kinds of activities can continue. Student Council is about so much more than school dances. We do a lot for the community!

AP scores are starting to trickle in. I know of two 4's and a 2 right now. I'm hoping to have the whole list by Wednesday. I'll keep you posted. It should be my best year ever...

My 20th class reunion is this weekend. I'm anxious to visit with old friends. Maybe.

I've also been asked to do the tutor training for the freshman mentor program this year. Someone else is taking over the the program (I'm off of TEAM now, and I have 6 classes next year). That is July 30th. I also have book club this week (Edgar Sawtelle is good, but a slow, almost ponderous, read). In August I have a few classes to attend - web design and new textbook orientation. And that's it. Like I said, too much unstructured free time.

Not much to report on the TV viewing front. Harper's Island (a campy, slasher whodunit finished on Saturday with predictable (unfortunately) results. I've been enjoying a lot of bad movies the last few days, mostly from HBO On-Demand. Meh. I also rented The International, Role Models, Valkyrie, and Knowing over the weekend. The International has a great action sequence if you can get past the international banking stuff (snooze). Role Models was kind of funny, Knowing was better than I thought, and Valkyrie was also okay. Take from that what you will.

I guess that's about it. Please vote for the levy on August 4th if you can. And take care of yourselves and one another. Until next time....

A sucker is born every minute....

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:59:05 GMT

Okay, so I haven't been as faithful updating this thing over the summer as I thought. No excuses, really, just a general malaise. (That's a vague feeling of ill-being for all of you non-English teachers out there.) No promises of more frequent updates though. I just can't guarantee anything at this point.

Summer school has been interesting. As I've told some of you, I am teaching a combined English 11/12 class. Here's what went down: Ron offered me two different positions. He offered me a two hour lead teacher slot that would include some possible tutoring for 504 and IEP students. He then offered me the English 11/12 spot that had a "final" class list of 27. As you know, I was not inclined to teach, as a class that size in summer school could be disastrous. But, before I could answer, Ron also explained that 1) he didn't know what he was going to do if I didn't teach English, as they had four teachers apply (myself included) and were offering four classes (two sections of English 9, one section of English 10, and one section of English 11/12), and 2) if I didn't teach English he wouldn't have a job at all for Dave, the other lead teacher from the last few years, because they were not offering any social studies classes. Sigh. Yep, I'm a sucker. It's like Ron knew I was a nice guy and would do the right thing. I accepted the job for English 11/12. After I hung up the phone, though, I thought to myself, "What the hell have I just agreed to do?"

Anywho, it hasn't been nearly as bad as it could have been. The kids are actually pretty good, with only minor personality conflicts so far. I lucked out. We have completed the first 10 days, with only 6 remaining (and then the 2 make-up days). I did have two students added the first day and another added the third day (I think these were kids who couldn't get their first choice of class, so they got shuffled to mine), sending my total to the maximum of 30 - the most of any teacher doing summer school. Luckily, I've had two kids who were no-shows since day one, and, two days ago, another went over the amount of time he could make up (something about a DUI and still being drunk when it came time to go to class). I'm hoping for a strong finish.

Most of my days the last two weeks have been filled with teaching (8-12), napping (1-2), and grading and planning (whenever I can motivate myself to do it, but no less than 1-2 hours a day). I honestly can't wait until summer school is over so I have the freedom to stay up late, sleep in, and do whatever I want.

My only must-see TV shows of the summer have been Wipeout and Tosh.0. Both are hilarious in their own way. I've also watched a lot of bad movies on cable and HBO On-Demand. Kill me now.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a great mystery. I recommend it. Book club picked The Story of Edgar Sawtelle for its next book (my recommendations were Sawtelle, Drood and The Night I First Believed). I haven't started Sawtelle yet, but maybe this weekend. I've been on a comic book kick recently. I've been buying trades and hardbacks of some of my favorite storylines. Sure, I have most of the issues as originally purchased, but the trades make them much more accessible. For those of you so inclined, I'd recommend Kevin Smith's Daredevil run (Guardian Angel), Frank Miller's second run on Daredevil (Born Again) and Grant Morrison's epic run on the New X-Men. Well worth the price.

I had lunch with Roberta and Gwyn today. It turned into a 3 hour gab fest that I thoroughly enjoyed. Joey Chang's in Hilliard is a great place with great food. It's high-end Chinese/Thai food with a decent price. I'd give it 4 stars (out of 5) for food, atmosphere, service and cleanliness.

No new music recently. I've been spinning a lot of Weezer and The Honorary Title the last few weeks. With a dash of Brand New on the side.

My sister got married in late May (her third). I have high hopes for her latest, for the sake of her kids and his.

If you are registered to vote in SWCS, we could use your vote this August. As of now, sports, clubs (including Student Council), high school busing and other stuff has been cut for next year. We have a 4 year levy on the ballot. (We are hoping the four years will be enough until the state gets its head out of the sand and realizes school funding needs an overhaul, not a same-as-always policy.) I would personally appreciate your support. If you want more info, contact me.

I guess that's about it. Take care of yourselves and one another. Until next time...

I'm In the Bitter Barn, and I'll Tell You Why....

Fri, 29 May 2009 23:50:42 GMT

I knew it had been awhile, but really, that long? I am sorry. This has just been a long few months recently, and everytime I thought about updating, I just didn't have the energy or the time. I won't touch on everything, but here are the highlights.

The end of the school year is fast approaching (as in next Friday is the last day for teachers, and Thursday is the last day for kids). My seniors took their exams this week and had graduation rehearsal this morning. I am truly sorry to see many of them go as individuals, but as a class, they have been ready for "the real world" for awhile now. This has truly been one of the more challenging years I've had. I talked with a colleague about it today, and we both agreed that we just aren't the nimble, perpetually happy people we used to be. We are bitter and crotchety, just like those teachers we used to talk about - behind their backs, of course. We have become, in a way, what we used to complain about. Have we gone over completely to the "dark side?" Of course not (my heart still beats with blood and compassion, not dust and hatred), but stuff that used to roll off our backs now rankles us in a way we never thought possible. We don't like every kid we teach. We don't hide our feelings like we used to. We are human, not robots, who consistently treat every student exactly the same no matter what the student has said or done in our class. As I said above, I genuinely will miss most of my students (as individuals outside of the classroom setting), but there are so many that I just can no longer tolerate as students. And if we feel this way now, in the middle of our careers (15 years), how will we feel in another 15 or 20, if we end up going the now "norm" of 35 years? I shudder to think what I will become. Some how, some way, we have to find the answer. Or we run the risk of becoming what we once despised.

Okay, enough philosophical BS.

Summer school is not summer school this year. I can't remember if I talked about this yet, but there is no lead teacher position for summer school this year (a position I have held for the last 6 years). At least...not yet. The district (wait, no, not really the district per se). A certain individual who made it his/her dream to create a utilitarian military state (where only the strong survive) has gutted the program. Each class needs a minimum of 21 students enrolled before the class will be offered. That means that classes like Modern World History, US Government, English 12, and others, who have never had 21 kids enrolled, will not be offered. Or at least won't be offered as a single class. (Yes, once again, we dump everything upon the teachers, who will be forced to teach more than one subject in the same classroom at the same time.) And if 40 kids enroll in English 9? Well, by the formula, that's only one class, so 10 will be shut out. Oh, didn't I mention the cap, by contract (for regular school year teachers), is 30? Sorry. But we have never wanted 30 in any class at summer school. We usually try to stick around 20 for repeat classes. These are the kids who couldn't survive the regular classroom experience, for whatever reason. What in the world makes this person think the students and teachers can handle/survive a full class of failures (note I said classes, not individuals)? And the poor teachers who have to teach these classes! Alas, what becomes of their sanity? (Note: none of the 6 English teachers we had last year have applied to teach this year - a glaring condemnation about the district's current plan.) We are about to find out...maybe. I am the senior (with the most continuous years of service) English teacher on staff for this summer (12 years and counting). I have asked for English 12, but will probably, in all reality, be an English 11 and 12 teacher this summer. Who thinks 30 repeat English students won't be a "challenge?" Gah! And the savings for the district for making these changes? A paltry $5000 (per the districts own published numbers for making summer school "self sufficient"). (And that's not even mentioning the increase to $175 for in-district students per class, up from $150.) Yep, I'm bitter. Sure, there are ways to make summer school more efficient, and I'd be happy to show the powers that be what I think they can do to be more fiscally responsible. But I wasn't asked to do that. Instead, they have decided to set up the students and teachers for failure. As of now, I am teaching "English" for summer school. But I have also been told that if numbers warrant it, I will be the lead teacher. Pray for me, my friends. I'll make the best of it either way. But I do fear the reality of 30 kids in a class in summer school. Oh, and all summer school enrollments must be made by June 10, a full week before most students are likely to have their final report card in hand. (I'd guess that at least 1/3 of our enrollment for the last 6 years came from kids who registered the first, second (or even third) day of summer school.) What the hell does the district think will happen to our state report card if that many students are shut out of the programs? Enough. I should know within the next two weeks if I will be teaching English, or if I will be the "lead teacher" once again.

The school levy failed in May. There is no Student Council next year. We held elections, but it was a bitter-sweet election at best. We elected a President and Vice-president of the Student Body (Jon Arthur and A.J. Sturm - my choices and hard workers), but as of now that means nothing. If you live in the SWCS district, please consider voting for the levy in August. Sure, I will lose around $4000 just on SC, but these kids deserve a chance to be leaders of the school - they are that cool and competent. If you want more info about the levy, please contact me, and I'll give you as much info as I can. Forget my pay, help these kids be as great as I know they can be. Please.

Confession time: maybe the reason I'm feeling so bitter right now is that I'm sick. I have the same damn thing I had last year at this same time. You remember - I was congested, stopped up and hacking like a champ last May. I made a visit to Urgent Care. That's right, the "stuff" that kept me sick for close to 2 months last year is back. My conclusion? It must be a new allergy. I can't explain it any other way. Last year, I thought it was because I was overextended and exhausted from doing too much at the end of the year, an already stressful time. This year, I honestly can't say the same. So, here are my drug induced thoughts - Claritin-D is a hell of a drug. Sure, you have to give over your life story to the pharmacist to buy it, but it is worth it. My nose hasn't dripped all week. I've not been sleeping at 100%, but that's a small price to pay. And Mucinex makes a nice one-two punch. I'm hoping to self-medicate myself to health within the next two weeks. The only thing I've heard about as being bad the last few weeks is "tree pollen." And no, the irony is not lost on me. (I'm known as "Tree" and I'm allergic to tree pollen . Sigh.)

We have entered a period of "nothing" on T.V. Lost ended on a high note (Jacob! Maybe Esau? Great stuff! One of my favorites on current broadcast programming.) The Office ended on a predictable note, but I still enjoyed the journey. And 30 Rock was as random as ever.

I can't really talk about any new music, as the last month has been all about older stuff that I just can't get away from...Jimmy Eat World's Futures, and anything by The Honorary Title. I hear the new Straylight Run songs are available , but I have yet to sample...

Book club is reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson for June. Intriguing so far. I have the next picks. I'll let you know what I finally decide on, and what the group chooses. I did start Drood by Simmons, but I haven't have the time to get very far into it. (I will finish it this summer, one way or another, so wait patiently for my review.)

That's about it it. One last thing: thank you to the Hirth family for hosting the Student Council picnic this year. Mrs. Hirth was so kind and helpful, and Chris, the grill-master, was indispensable. I really appreciate them opening their home and pool to our motley crew. Thank you!

Take care of yourselves and one another. Until next time....

This Charming Man

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:58:02 GMT

Spring Break! It seemed like it would be forever until it arrived, and yet, here we are. All I can say is it is a very welcome respite from the daily grind. Do I have any big plans? Nope. Just rest, relaxation and a little bit of work. The only thing I absolutely have to do over break is work on my IPDP for school so I can renew my license. In addition to my time on TEAM the last three years, I'm using my work with the peer mentoring and tutoring program as the biggest contributor to my needed hours - well over 120 hours the last three years. At this point, I just need to sit down at the computer and type it all up so I can get it sent in to DSC. After it's approved, I'll need to send in the paper work to renew, along with a nice big check (at least $200). Yep, that is $200 for a five-year license. Last time I renewed it was $80 for an eight-year certificate. Oh how the times have changed. (Thanks State of Ohio Department of Education, you greedy bastards.) So, not only do teachers have to continue to take classes and complete professional development, often on our own dime, now you are charging extreme amounts of money for a paper pushing bureaucrat to do 20 minutes of work and issue a $1.00 piece of paper to my school district. Thanks! Just....thanks. No, I'm not bitter. Just a little pissed off.

I went to the eye doctor today to get some new glasses. I'm getting new frames and lenses for the everyday pair and new lenses for the sunglasses. Should be about a week before I'm seeing in great detail again. Actually, my eyes have barely changed in the last 2 1/2 years, but the lenses did need a slight update. And my current frames have seen better days. I took them off awhile back to take a nap, and then managed to roll over on top of them, bending the Hell out of the frames. They haven't been the same since. Sigh.

Morrissey was in town last week. I made the trip to The Palace to see him along with Alex. It was a good show, but not quite as good as the last time he was in town. Maybe that was because I had Alex and Shawn with me that time, and it was their first time seeing the creator of the modern emo music movement. Anyway, he played the usual suspects and a few surprises. I liked the selection of Smiths's songs, but was puzzled by a few additions from the Smiths and his early solo career (Death of a Disco Dancer? Seasick, Yet Still Docked? I Keep Mine Hidden? ). In exchange for these oddities, we did get This Charming Man and Ask, as well as tracks off the new album. I guess the moral is, you never know what you're going to get from Morrissey. My favorite Moz show still has to be the Chicago show with Jim.

I'm dedicated to reading a couple of novels over break. I'm halfway through the newest Star Wars novel (Outcast) right now, and the coffee table has another three or four stacked up on it. I'm not sure I'll get to Drood right now, it maybe a summer read, but I'll review that one as soon as I get it done (sorry Teresa).

Now that Battlestar is done, I'm hoping for strong finishes from Heroes and Lost. Heroes has been better recently, and Lost has been really good all season long.

In Student Council news, MORP is dead. (That sound you hear is me rejoicing.) The kids wanted to have it, but they also wanted an outside DJ for name recognition. Their DJ was going to cost us $865. I was appalled, but it's their money, and despite my protests, they weren't listening. But, when I went to submit the purchase order, the activities account secretary said she didn't think DSC would approve it. They know we have our own equipment, and she doesn't think they would allow us to spend that kind of money on something we can do ourselves for free. Hallelujah! I had my out. It still took a little bit of persuasion, but I convinced them to let it die. If we have Student Council in a few years, that would be the time to bring it back. I was also told the day before break that some of the seniors don't think the Prom Fashion Show is going to fly this year. Seems they are having trouble getting the Fairy Goodmothers people to call them back. The event is scheduled for the Sunday after break - the 19th, I think - so we'll have to see if it happens or not. At this point though, I have no idea what they have done to get ready for it. It may be a moot point. With that in mind, I think we only have a few things left - a last Bloodmobile in late April, DJ services for Prom (but that's just me and a few helpers), and the end of the year picnic. And there's the senior awards assembly for scholarships. Heh. Sooo much better than last year's something-every-weekend-for-the-last-eight-weeks-of-school disaster that left me sick and exhausted.

I'm not sure if I'm doing summer school this year or not. They posted the jobs, but lead teacher wasn't there. When I asked Ron about it, he said he wasn't sure if they would have the positions or not. (They are trying to make summer school completely self-supporting, even though it only costs the district about $5000 above what students pay in each year. Seems like a poor place to try and save money, considering what the program does for graduation rates in SWCS.) Anyway, Ron recommended I apply for a teaching position for now, and then if the lead teacher positions open I can apply for one of those. I want to go back as a lead teacher, but I dread having to teach in summer school again. I applied for the 12th grade English position (I'm kind of over the whole OGT thing at this point), but I don't know if I'll teach or not. I'll keep you informed.

Man, if I don't do summer school this year and the levy goes down and Student Council doesn't happen next year, I'll be out around $6000. Meh. It's only money, and the time I put in isn't even close to being worth that amount. Wow, I may find myself with a whole lot of free time on my hands....

Well, I guess that's about it. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but you know how it is. Take care of yourselves and each other. Until next time....