OrionsContemplation

Prize-Winning Fruit

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:42:00 +0000

Why do I feel slightly more wise this morning? Is it because I'm drinking coffee from my Houghton Class of '99 coffee mug? Nope. I think it's because I'm spending some time in the Word this morning.

Do you ever think about what it takes to raise prize winning fruit? You must start with good seed, fertile soil, and take extra special care of your plants so that they can produce that blue ribbon fruit. But how does the Gardner do it?

In my Bible this afternoon, I read about Jesus teaching his disciples about the Vine and the Branches and it led me to understand more about how God shapes us as we remain in Jesus and allow him to nourish us.

Jesus Teaches about the Vine and the Branches
John 15:1-17 NIV

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cutsoff every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

Jesus is our vine and we grow as part of him, as his branches. Father God is our gardener. Gardners care for plants. God sees us as an extension of his Son Jesus and he's not only watching to see that we bear fruit he's working to see that we do.

God wants us to draw our nourishment and our strength from Jesus. The Bible says we can't bear fruit unless we remain in the vine (v.4). But, even if we are bearing fruit we still get cut back. He is still going to take his shears to us. And the shears he uses are sharp. Have you ever tried to cut something with a dull knife? If you had, you'd discover that you usually don't get a clean cut. Dull tools make your work harder and if you use them, what you're cutting gets crushed, torn or damaged. Praise the Lord that his tools are sharp! The Bible says God prunes us. Now, Father God the Gardener prunes his branches to direct their growth.

I did some research to find out the reasons why gardeners prune. Here's what one internet site told me:

Any overgrown, or struggling plant will benefit from a little pruning. Even a healthy plant benefits by a trimming from time to time. It doesn't matter whether it's a tree or a shrub, a bush, flowers, or your vegetable plants. They all benefit by pruning and trimming.

With few exceptions, plants can be pruned anytime during the year. Pruning makes your plant look better and feel better too! It allows the plants "support system" to send vital energy and nutrients a smaller area and to newer, more vigorous growth. The result.......a lusher, healthier, and better looking plant!

There are several reasons to prune plants:

To remove dead , weak, or unsightly branches.
To re-invigorate plant growth...new leaves and branches grow faster.
To reshape the plant into a more desirable shape.
To produce denser, bushier appearance.
To thin out growth, providing more air circulation and light.
To limit plant size.

Let's examine these reasons to prune.

"To remove dead, weak, or unsightly branches." If you don't have a pulse, you're nigh on to getting there, or you are spiritually an ugly person, look out! God is coming to garden in your heart.

"To re-invigorate plant growth." If you've been spiritually stagnate and you haven't experienced growth in your life, you better take a good long look in the mirror and think about why that might be. Are you in the Word? Are you praying? Are you in fellowship with other believers? Do you even remember what the vine looks like?

"To reshape the plant into a more desirable shape." You might be growing yourself ugly. You might be shooting out a branch here and another over here and then looking up at God and saying, "How 'bout this Lord?" And God picks up his shears and says, "How about you let me take over and shape you into the image of my Son?"

"To produce denser, bushier appearance." Some people are just throwing shoots off in all directions instead of concentrating on growing strong in a couple of areas. They're spreading themselves too thin. God wants his branches strong so that they can withstand all kinds of weather, so he picks up his shears, and trims us back so that we can grow strong and sturdy in him.

"To thin out growth, providing more circulation and light." Sometimes we're just too darn thick. We are so thick, we're choking ourselves to death. We have too much going on and we're literally killing ourselves. We don't have room to breath, and one thing is pressing on another and nothing is healthy in our lives. God steps in and makes room for that his life-giving light and air to circulate and give us what we need.

"To limit plant size." Finally, God doesn't want us getting to big for our pots or for our flower bed. If we start getting too big for our britches, God prunes us back not just for our own good, but for the good of our neighbors. He doesn't want us to overcrowd, or become malnourished or over-reach our boundaries he has put there for the health of the plant. Wild, untamed plants seem more like weeds than objects of beauty and fruitfulness. God trims us back to limit our size. He knows how big we should be.

If we eventually fail to bear fruit, we get cut off, we are left to wither and then we are thrown into the fire (v.6). I don't know about you, but I think I would rather be cut back than cut off. I'm going to start looking to the vine for nourishment and welcome the Gardner's shears, trusting that what he does in my life is for my growth and benefit. I want to remain in Jesus and trust that the food he provides me with, will help me to bear much fruit, so that one day, the Gardner will see my prize-winning fruit and be proud of me.

It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:59:00 +0000

The longer you live, the more opportunities you have to encounter bad things and dark valleys. Things like infertitlity, poverty, joblessness and the deaths of friends and loved ones. On November 27th I lost my Grammy, and yesterday, December 11th an old classmate and team mate from HFL, Brooke and her fiance Tristan were killed in a traffic accident that killed two others and left a third in critical condition. Additionally yesterday, my Dad's best friend from high school took his own life in front of his daughter in the midst of an argument.

I'm working on cold number two in as many weeks, and we're short on money. This year, no Christmas tree, no presents and our computer died taking my entire I-Tunes and most of my photography library with it (back your shizzle up on CD people).

I mentioned that my Grammy passed away. Last night, before I got the news of the traffic fatalities and the suicide, I was trying to listen to a cassette tape recording of my Grammy preaching at a womens' bible study at Penn Yan Bible Church. I really wanted to hear her voice and hear her testimony. One minute into her oration, the tape was eaten by the machine. My husband managed to extract the tape, with minor damage and I called the church and they're trying to locate the master tape to make me a CD copy. I left them my number so that they could call me to let me know if they have any luck finding the tape.

Wednesday night, I gave a message to the Pioneer Girls about God making good things out of bad things. I can't wait to see what he does with the last several months. Bring it on Abba Father!

"Christ" is a Dirty Word in School

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:56:00 +0000

The more I look around and the older I get, the more I notice how Christmas is dissipating, dissolving into commercial nothingness, its historical roots passing into history. Kids don't go to Sunday school anymore so they don't know their Bibles or about Christ's birth or the reason he came to Earth. And we aren't allowed to mention him in schools. "Christ" is a dirty word at school.

We can't have Christmas trees anymore, we have mitten trees and holiday trees, but no mention of Christmas. We can't risk showing favoritism and neglecting other holidays, be they newly made up or traditional. Now we have winter break instead of Christmas vacation. How sad that Christ isn't BEING erased from our schools, he HAS been erased.

And another thing. It's not cool to be "moral" anymore, (tolerant yes, but moral no) because having a sense of morality is akin to being judgemental. The world says, "Anything Goes" as long as we aren't hurting anybody or telling anybody else what to do. You turn a blind eye to me and I probably won't sue you. Because if I do something nasty, and raunchy it's my choice to parade it in front of you (Adam Lambert) and your choice not to watch (it's your fault you weren't expecting it). Don't judge me because of my personal expression and political statement or I'll accuse you of discrimination. No thanks, Adam. I decidedly DON'T like your kind of entertainment.

Having a sense of right and wrong, what some call a moral compass, is frowned upon. Political correctness is a democracy...the mainstream acceptance/tolerance of all things morally abhorant will mean our undoing. The old expression "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything," holds true. 'Nough said. Seasons Greetings? I think not. Merry Christmas!

P.S. Thanks for being tolerant of my post. I appreciate it.

Chain of Frustrations

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:11:00 +0000

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! (NOT A PIRATE VOICE)

I am so very frustrated right now. (My single friends...I sympathize with you now).

My car needs work.
I can't work or go anywhere important without a car (work, church, grocery store, clothes shopping).
To get work done on your car, you need to have your registration card, which I have lost (first time ever).
To request a duplicate registration card, you need to fill out a paper application and mail it in with a check to the DMV. You'd think they would make this an online transaction, but NO.

I don't have a working printer to print said application because we haven't hooked the new one up yet.
My appt. is Monday at 8 a.m. at the car place. A paper application will take awhile to be processed and returned. In the meantime, no card, no work on your car, no go to work, no grocery shopping, no food.

It couldn't be as simple as requesting a duplicate online!!!! They don't even let you do that! I wouldn't care so much if Jeff were home to hook up the new printer, and I could have his car to get places.
I'm feeling very passionate right now. Can you tell?

I'm thinking of that country song, "Sounds Like Life to Me" by Darryl Worely

I'll just share the choruses with you.

"(Chorus)

Sounds like life to me it ain’t no fantasy
It’s just a common case of everyday reality
Man I know it’s tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
It sounds like life to me

(Chorus)

Sounds like life to me plain old destiny
Yeah the only thing for certain is uncertainty
You gotta hold on tight just enjoy the ride
Get used to all this unpredictability
Sounds like life
Man I know its tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy
Sounds like life to me
Sounds like life."

It's life and in the meantime, you gotta suck it up and deal. But how do you "deal" when you can't pay your bills unless you're working. Why must we be chained to our cars?

Going to Seed...

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:41:00 +0000

When two people join together in holy matrimony, inevitably some parts of their personalities learn to ride back seat to others as they try and live in harmony with eachother. These parts are a piece of their individual egos. Those sunken personality traits tend to resurface for air when the couple is apart for extended periods of time. If one partner passes away, the change becomes more permanent.

I've seen it happen to grandparents in the later situation and to myself in the former, whenever hubby is away from home. I become like my old self; a spark of who I used to be when I was single. Sometimes I miss those parts of my personality and it's good to remember what it felt like to live the single life and to not have to care about how your actions affect the life of your spouse. It feels good to be able to be selfish every once in awhile.

On weekends when my husband and I are apart, It's like a slow awakening to a reunion with an old friend. I feel like I miss the old me; the one that felt more alive, was more vivacious and spontaneous. I also cared more about how I looked, the clothes I wore, and my overall appearance.

We don't all go to seed when we get married, but some of us do, and I kinda feel like I've let myself go, physically, emotionally, confidence-wise. Hear that? It's the world's smallest violin...playing a sad song for me. OK, it's over now. :)

Old Faces, New Places

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:41:00 +0000

It's pretty nice to be liked by your students; to see their faces light up with recognition and loudly whisper to one another..."Mrs. Schoonover's here!" like you were a celebrity or Santa Claus.

This afternoon I had the opportunity to sub a half-day in my old stomping grounds; the building where I did my substitute teaching. In fact, I was in the classroom across the hall from where I taught the 4th grade. Today, my students were fifth graders and I have to say, fifth grade was enjoyable.

Not only was I pumped to sub in a classroom where I knew I would run into some of my old students, but I was also subbing for a teacher whom I admire and aspire to emulate; someone who has attained a level of teaching greatness I endeavor to achieve. Mrs. "M" is one, savvy lady.

This woman knows her shizzle and she had an awesome group of students. As a sub, walking into a well-managed classroom is like a soothing balm to the soul. You know within the first five minutes in a classroom what your day will be like and this woman's classroom was balmalicious. Organized materials, left a nice, clear lesson plan, helpful kids, and established routines. Fabuloso!

To say I had a great afternoon would be an understatement. These kids were wonderful to teach. It just ROCKS to have a good day!

Barren Grief

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:12:00 +0000

Whatdoyasay when people innocently inquire, "When are you going to have kids?"
And you want to, but you can't?

Maybe someday.

Whatdoyoudo when you're still waiting to be able to tell people you're the one who is pregnant,
And every other woman you are close to has already said it,
at least once
And they're younger than you?

It's just not our turn, again.

How much longer do you try and wait before you give up hope and admit your own barrenness?

This is never going to happen for us.

How can you look your husband in the eye,
Knowing you can never give him children?

What's wrong with me?

What's it like to feel like you're excluded from the Mommy club, or that you can't participate in a conversation about your kids when it's the dominant topic of conversation at most social gatherings for women your age?

I sit there silently, trying to smile and contribute something. Anything!

I crawl inside myself and hide there behind a smile. Don't ask me how I'm doing because I'll tell you what you want to hear, not what I'm dying to scream at you. Waves of grief wash over me and recede.

I wish I didn't want this so badly, then disappointment couldn't cut my heart so deeply.

6th vs. 8th Grade Language Arts

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:50:00 +0000

I had a half day in a sixth grade language arts class yesterday (Wed.) and enjoyed it. Today I had a half day of 8th grade language arts and it was a different experience. I have discovered that 8th graders can't be allowed to work in groups, at least until you know them better and know who they can and can't work with and still stay quiet and productive. Individual work time is best!

I got the call around 9:30 a.m. at that I was needed at 11:20 a.m. I got to the school early and they seemed excited to see me in the office, I soon learned it was because my class started at 11:05 a.m. and they wouldn't have to get coverage for me.I was literally walking up to the classroom, many of the kids were already inside and there was an adult there with them that kept them occupied while I scrambled (in a calm authoritative manner) to find and read the lesson plans.

After the first class I knew what to do, and more important, what not to do. The second class went more smoothly than the last and then we had the third class with quite a few challenging students in it. Most of them stayed for a study hall period called "Trail" which got rowdy. It would have been good to know in advance that they weren't supposed to work in groups for Trail, only in pairs. I didn't know this until the end of the day, when I finally had time to read the rest of the instructions to the sub. It was a "wing it" kind of day.

PM homeroom followed and the students were at the end of their ropes as I was at the end of mine. Is it OK to crawl into a little ball and chant, "there's no place like home" repeatedly, when you're the adult?

There were no bells to signal the beginning or end of class. THAT was annoying.

Tomorrow is another day, this one will last all day instead of a "half" day. I'll be teaching science, which should be fun, but I don't know the grade level or anything else for that matter. It's the "not knowing" part that is so difficult. I almost think I could handle teaching middle school students if I had my own class where I could set up my own rules and procedures.

Into the unknown once again, on the morrow!

Full Day, 1st Grade

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:51:00 +0000

I took an assignment last night at a new elementary school, an older building, but closer to home. It was my first time in first grade and I met the teacher who was finishing up her lesson prep. as I arrived. She was obviously not feeling well, but she was very nice and showed me where everything was. That was nice!

She gave me a heads up about two students in my class. One of them was known by many other teachers. We'll call him Tishon. He was diagnosed with "Oppositional Defiant Disorder"

Tishon was actually absent the first part of the day, but arrived before lunch. This boy needs love, structure and discipline. He missed the first part of the day, and was out of routine, which put him off schedule and into a bad temper. He had trouble with everything, and every little thing set him off. He needs behavior therapy to learn how to deal with disappointment. Don't we all? To top it all off, his aide was not there today.

I don't know whether it was a coincidence that the two boys that had the hardest time behaving in class today, also went to after school Kids Care at the end of the school day.

My second little guy who had a hard time was Liam. I made him my helper today. He and Tishon did NOT get along and were at eachother during carpet time, and in the line. I learned to separate them quickly. Liam was very concerned with fairness, as was Tishon. They were tit for tat, those two. Two volatile commodities that I needed to keep apart or there would be inevitable fireworks. But I loved them both. I cannot tell you the amount of compassion that overflows out of me for these boys.

Lessons learned:

Ask the right kids for help

Make the attention seekers your helpers and teach them patience, discipline and self-control.

First graders love fairness and are continuing to learn about personal space and self-control.

First graders NEED routine.

"I'm standing up straight,
I'm standing up tall,
My lips are zipped and
I'm ready for the hall!"

A Day and a Half in a Multi-Handicapped Class

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:52:00 +0000

Half day 10/1, Full day 10/2/2009

Every sub assignment brings new incites and learning experiences. I have to tell you I had the best time subbing in a multi-handicapped class for a day and a half. When you're helping kids to move around, to communicate, and to eat their lunches, it's a truly humbling experience. You really learn to be thankful and to count your blessings and you learn what it is to truly serve another human being.

These kids are dependent on their teachers and their aides for many things. It was a blessing to be in that classroom, with students who needed you,and who had the biggest smiles, even if they couldn't physically tell you "good morning" without electronic aide. They continue to focus on learning cause and effect, and that pushing a button or hitting a switch is necessary to communicate the need for help, attention, or a thought to another person.

I fed a student her lunch, I "danced" with students in their wheelchairs, I read stories, and I watched "All About Me" Power Point presentations to get to know the students. We even got to watch part of Mamma Mia. It was great! The head teacher and classroom nurse change diapers.

On my first half-day there, I was called away to sub for a half-hour in an 11th grade, honors Spanish class. The difference between the general education and honors environment is almost like night and day.

Lessons learned:

I will gladly sub in a multi-handicapped classroom.

It makes all the difference in the world if a student wants to be in school or not and if there is something in it for them.

The Hot Librarian Was Me

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:55:00 +0000

Sept. 25, 2009

Today was my first half-day in a new elementary school and as a librarian. It was a really nice school, gorgeous library...and when I walked in, I had no idea what to do. I also had bus duty. I may have had a bun, but I wasn't wearing any glasses and no one asked me to take my hair down and to seductively ask them what the penalty for an overdue book is. This was an elementary school.

With the help of the principal, an aide and other teachers, I was able to figure out that the librarian (who had been out several days taking care of a sick parent) had a system. She had bins with books, for different grade levels that contained lesson materials for each grade level for the entire week. We were recycling lessons for the entire week as each class had this special about one time a week.

I had to do some digging to figure out where some things were (we never did figure out how to lower the projection screen)how to check out/in books, where the kindergarten name tags were for the afternoon class, and how to figure out which class on the lesson plan corresponded to actual classes coming to the library (turns out you could do this with the phone list).

After all that initial anxiety, I only had to teach a 4th grade class and a multi-handnicapped class of two students who were accompanied by aides. I was even able to set some things up for the afternoon sub before I had to leave. They asked me if I could stay for the afternoon, but I had a prior house-sitting commitment. No dice. It was a real bummer, because I could have used the money.

Lessons Learned:

Find a place to lay down your lesson plans and remember where you put it (bring a neon clip board and clip them to it for visability).

Sometimes, you can have more than one CD with a song on it with the same title, but it turns out they are different songs and the one you thought was the right one is actually, quite wrong. Don't worry, the kids will tell you if you're wrong.

Find out crucial responsibilities and make sure you have the tools you need to get them done properly.

Sometimes you will have to improvise if technology is not available to help you with whole group instruction. You will end up having to repeat yourself a lot.

See if the sub has left a list of reliable students that you can pump for info as needed. If not, single them out quickly.

Be prepared to split a large group between an activity and computers. Give directions before "off you go." LOL

Language Arts Bystander, A Tale of Two Teachers

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:03:00 +0000

Sept. 24, 2009

After my first bad high school experience in the gen. ed. math class, I knew I had to go back the next day as a special ed. teaching sub and possibly face some of the kids from the day before that had made my life so very difficult. I had processed what I could do better next time and I was ready for the next day.

I arrived, (trying not to sweat) and I was asked to first cover a homeroom/beginning of a 9th grade science class during a teacher's IEP meeting, prior to starting my day as a special ed. teacher. I got to talk to the science teacher before she left for her meeting. She had a lesson plan (if not written down) and a seating chart. Good times!

Before the kids got there, I bounced back down to the first floor (from the third floor) to find my classroom. The teacher I am subbing for doesn't have a classroom. She floats. It turns out, I'm team teaching an English class with a regular ed. English teacher in her classroom. (Yay) and she has the plans and is teaching for the day (Woohoo) so I get to observe her and how she handles the kids (Yahoo!).

The kids really didn't seem to respect their female English teacher (talking back, eye rolling) etc. It's general education again! 10th grade this time? They were starting A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. It was fun to be able to sit back and observe rather than having to teach. I got to see how another English teacher introduced a new book, and thought about how I would do it differently. I also got to observe more telling behavior of general education students. They definitely need to be involved/engaged right away and they really whine about taking notes.

Today was my reprieve from yesterday.

Lessons learned:

Teachers in neighboring classrooms can be valuable resources
Kids will do things when your back is turned
Don't allow them to write questionable answers on the board
Don't put paperclips or other things within arms reach where they can steal them
Don't put up with disrespect (students speaking after you've told them not to do something)

Sometimes You Gotta Be Self-Taught

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Sept. 23, 2009

Sometimes you show up for work as a sub, and you might not even really be needed. I showed up to teach a half-day of HS Social Studies, signed in at the office, got my sub packet, met the teacher and discovered he didn't need a sub. There must be a mistake. He'll call the office. "Sorry, I don't need a sub." Alrighty then. Back to the office I go.

I stay, I file, then I am asked to go to cover a math class, I survive nearly getting eaten alive by three general education math students who don't want to be there. No written lesson plan, no class list and three boys that want to play "Let's be Disobedient." A true recipe for disaster.

I have come to realize that neither of the school districts with which I am employed have any intention of teaching me, a substitute teacher how to use student "write-up forms," how to send special-ed. students to a "resolve room" or how to send general education students to in-school suspension (I.S.S.). I learned most of these terms from a conversation with another teacher.

NONE of these procedures were covered at either of my substitute orientations for either district. It's like they want the kids to eat you alive. Experience is my teacher, and she's one cold, hard (fill in the blank).

I have come to the educated conclusion that I think districts specifically don't want to have a written policy on these things because it could potentially lead to a lawsuit. That's the only logical explanation I can muster. What do you think?

Do you think it would be helpul to train teachers on the appropriate use and availability of such methods of remediation and discipline?

The Blind Trap of Last Minute Coverage

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:55:00 +0000

09/23/2009

Things I learned from covering for a secondary Math teacher for 45 minutes

Don't agree to cover a high school or middle school class for a teacher for any length of time without being equipped with the following things in place:

1. Knowing what grades the kids are in (the secretary won't always be able to tell you if the school is huge and the special ed. dept. has recently been reorganized)
2. Having a seating chart (you need to know their names, because sometimes a snarky boy might not want to tell you his name)
3. Having a written lesson plan from the teacher (the kids sometimes pretend not to know what they are supposed to be doing, even though the teacher says they know what they are supposed to do with the rest of their time, and the teacher neglects to tell you so you know for sure)
4. Knowing which kids have IEPs in the class and what their accommodations are (who is allowed to stand up at their desk, go to the library, go to see their special ed teacher, do fewer problems etc. If you don't have access to that information, everybody gets frustrated fast. "I HATE subs. They suck!")
5. Knowing the names of their special ed teachers and their phone numbers (so you can call them to tell them you are sending a student to them who says he is allowed to do so. Call ahead to make sure the teacher is there to receive the student)
6. Asking the teacher who your discipline problem kids might be (so you know who to believe and who you need to watch like a hawk)
7. Knowing the name and extension of the nearest teacher to ask for help
8. Having the phone numbers of the nurse, office, and security readily available
9. Having a transfer of power from the teacher who is leaving to the teacher who is taking over and consequences for a poor report. "Class...this is Mrs. so and so. She will be teaching the class for (time period). You are to give her your respect, the same as you would give to me. If she gives me a poor report, writes your name down, you will automatically receive (2) detention(s). Is this understood? Good. Mrs. so and so, the class is yours. Have a great afternoon!"
10. Remembering to have discipline reports at your fingertips and to fill out that sub report at the end of the day (sometimes you aren't given those when you are just covering)

Try and remember that each experience will make you a better teacher for the next class you have. If you choose to learn from your experiences and to look for how you would do things differently the next go 'round, each sub job will be better than the last.

A Half-Day of 4th Grade

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Getting my feet wet as a teacher with a half-day of fourth grade worked out perfectly! I got to teach a science lesson from the Water unit I taught during my student teaching experience and a math lesson on parallelograms from the math curriculum I had used.

Funniest moment of the day: discussing quadrilaterals with a 4th grade boy. All squares are rhombuses, but rectangles are not rhombuses because their sides are not all the same length.

Scariest moment of the day: realizing that this school had a more complex line up procedure for lunch than I could ever have imagined. The buyers had V cards to swipe for their lunches in the cafeteria, the there were different lunch categories by which they had to be lined up and then the bringers followed them. Together we were to line up and then we had a specific place in line with the other 4th grades that we needed to be in. Fortunately, the kids knew the routine and I had a teacher down the hall to help me to understand the whole process in advance.

Most surprising moment of the day: we got a new student from TN! He showed up with his mom and the principal at our classroom door. Mrs. Boyd, the principal was great! She got him buddied up with another boy in the class who volunteerd to show him the ropes.

Lessons Learned:

Be prepared for the unexpected and be OK with it
The kids will help you with unfamiliar procedures
Other teachers will be there to support you
Make nice with the building secretary, smile big and BE FLEXIBLE

I had a great group of well-behaved kids.

First Day of Subbing....

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:00:00 +0000

I decided to check Aesoponline last night and what did I spy with my little eye, but a special ed. aide job for today. After some debate on whether I should take it (do I want to be an "aide" vs. I really need the money and the exposure) I decided to JUST DO IT.

Right after I decided to do it, Jeff hollered downstairs that some cat had pooped in our bed and covered it up. He found it by laying in it. Good thing it was normal cat poopy and not any other sort. I ran upstairs and cleaned it up and Jeff stripped the bed.

Jeff immediately went on a tirade about it being Pixie's fault (our adopted cat of one year), except he reverted to calling her "that cat!" and talked about the cost effective way of putting her down (.22 to the head) promising that he would make for her a humaine end etc. He went on to describe how he'd never wanted her etc. and how she had been forced upon him.

I decided not to emotionally retaliate and to wait until I had laid out my clothes, and packed my lunch for my first day of subbing to make my move. Wait, it's not what you think!

When we were in fresh bedding and ready to fall asleep, I let him know ever so gently how I felt about him attacking our Pixie. I explained myself in such a way that was not disrespectful to my husband but also in a way that conveyed my sadness at his choice to disown my baby girl. (slap, slap!) That's the sound of me patting myself on the back for not instigating a fight with my spouse.

Flash forward to 4:30 a.m. this morning when I woke up with Hobbes marching all over and around us (in his usual, I'm awake-let's-play manner). I continue to shoo him away in my usual patient manner and THEN...I roll over and put my hand in wetness and I instinctively know, it's cat pee. WTF. It gets better.

This particular patch of wetness is on Jeff's pillow next to his head. There is another equally luscious and stinky patch of cat pee on our comforter in the gap between us. I am now fully awake, and feeling fully justified in assuming that it is HOBBES (my beloved male kitty, and Jeff's golden boy) that has done the dirty deed. I wake Jeff up. He can't put his contacts in for another hour. He is blind and sleepy.

Flash forward again. I have discovered not only the two patches of cat pee on our bed (remember this is the second time in less than 12 hours that we have changed the bedding)but I have also discovered poop on a pile of Jeff's clothes and another scattering of scat on the couch in the livingroom.

Jeff has now stripped the bed again and is now in the basement washing and refilling the cat litter boxes with fresh litter. I'm carrying the cat pee blankets, quilts and sheets down the stairs and beginning to wash them after cleaning up the cat pee, poo AND two newly puked piles of cat bile vomit that I have found in our bedroom- the ever popular place to spew bodily excrement if you're a cat. Yay teamwork!

Long story short, Jeff was able to get the cats appointments with the vet who determined that the problem is behavioral and not due to a physical problem. Wow. Did not see that coming.

Even after the craziness of the early morning I had a great first day in the classroom. I followed a 16-year-old, eighth grade girl with MR around for the day and had a great time. It was a positive experience and I would do it again with a given opportunity.

Yay for teaching! Boo for kitties misbehaving.

It's Back to School Time

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:25:00 +0000

If you're a parent, you're preparing to send your child back to school or perhaps to school for the first time. If you're a teacher, you're preparing to face a new group or groups of children. Preparation.

Getting ready for what comes next. That's what we do if we don't want to feel like the guy who finds himself naked onstage with the task of giving a speach before an unsympathetic audience.

What are you getting prepared to do?

Livin' in La La Land

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:26:00 +0000

Have you ever wanted to be 16 again? Have a do-over? What would you do differently? I think that as a 16 year-old I would like to have had more confidence, planned more things with friends (making a more concerted effort to socialize) and I probably would have tried out for a musical or two. Of course, my perception of my sense of self could be pretty warped, you know, hindsight and all of that.

These days, my fantasy land (or La La Land as I like to call it) involves little daydream vignettes where I am a different person, who can do anything she sets her mind to. I politely speak my mind, I have the ability to say "no" and I make household project lists and get things done. Have you met my alter-ego? She's awesome. She always has something witty to say, and knows what to say for every occasion. She's in a word...AMAZING.

Words to describe her: confident, balanced, articulate, intelligent, fun, friendly, loving, good, and oh, one last thing...employed...with a teaching contract. Yeah, that would be awesome.

Another Thing

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:03:00 +0000

Another thing that precipitates a change in your circle of friends is a move. This move can take the form of a geographic relocation, a promotion at work, or even a transition from independent living to assisted living in a geriatric care facility.

Soon you're hanging out with new people on a regular basis and you find yourself in a place where you just aren't around the people with whom you normally socialize anymore.

I've got a relative who recently transitioned to assisted living, and she's on a new meal plan, sitting in assigned seating in a new dining room and her social outlet has been changed for her. She can't sit and eat with her group anymore, instead she's eating her meals with another person that doesn't say much of anything at all.

Relocating from one state to another you're newly challenged to find a church family, you have to get to know your neighbors, and make new friends inside and outside of work. If you have kids, you also have to help them adjust: find new childcare, get them enrolled in new schools and they have to make new friends. Oi Vey!

I know how a plant feels when it's been transplanted, shocked out of it's little mind.

Left Behind

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 01:15:00 +0000

It's not just the name of a Christian best-seller. It also pertains to what your life looks like when you're the last one to....(fill in the blank).

When you're still:

...single. Everyone else gets a significant other, you stop getting to hang out with your friends because they're all double or triple dating and they forget you exist. You turn into that extra wheel, the spare that nobody really needs until they get that rare, flat tire.

...childless. Everyone else is off having playdates and getting together to talk about their kids and if you ever get an invite to attend you're stuck listening to all the moms kabitz about thier kids (because "that's where they are [in life] right now."

...unemployed. You have a mortgage, other bills and responsibilities but you still can't get a job, even after spending an obnoxious amount of money on your education. You know you are capable (being the hard-working individual that you are) and you know you should be gainfully employed (student loans are a b!tch), but you just can't catch a break, and you're NOT eligible for unemployment.

Circles of friends change and it can be painful when it happens, but it's a natural part of life. You can't control much in life, unless you have money, and even then you still can't control everything.

I was watching a 60 Minutes show tonight about Los Vegas hotel mogul, Steve Wynn and the man is loaded, but he's also going blind to a childhood disease called retinitis pigmentosa. No one has it perfect, but most of us have it less perfect than others. The powers that be always find a way to crap on your parade.

We can control our behavior and our actions. We can't control circumstances that are beyond us, like never being asked out on a date, or being barren, or not being able to find a job during a recession. These are just some of the circumstances that can bend, break and reshape your circles of friends. Don't be too surprised when it happens to you and don't be mad at your friends if they don't check in on you. They're too caught up in their own drama to notice. After all, it's not all about you, (Thanks Purpose Driven Life guy!).

Hard Work

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 22:57:00 +0000

It feels good to be physically tired at the end of a long day of landscaping (and I didn't even start until 11 a.m.). I don't know how professional landscapers do it! Today I helped my friend Dar clear and mulch some of her flower beds and move one wood pile and restack and build up another. It was good, hard work and I'm bushed on the couch to prove it.

Tomorrow should prove the hardest as far as muscle soreness is concerned. For now, I just feel fatigue. I'm making sure to load up on a bit of potassium and sodium as well as drinking more water to stay hydrated. I can't even begin to guess how much water I lost via perspiration throughout the day...but it was alot. TMI?

The good news is, I don't have any fight in me. I'm plumb tuckered out. Jeff could deliver bad news and I'm not sure even an adrenaline rush could oust me from this couch. Thank heaven for laptops, otherwise, I wouldn't have the gumption to share about my day, and then what would we do? ;)

I haven't been this physically tired in quite sometime. It's an amazing feeling! Usually, I'm just mentally tired, but this physical drain is something quite different.

Right now, I'm thankful for friendship, showers and soap, and a comfy couch on which to rest my weary body. Oi!

Kids, or Lack Thereof

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:13:00 +0000

This week I had the pleasure of having my sister and my neice come to our house for a visit. My husband and I have had trouble conceiving, so it was fun to have a kid in the house.

I learned that among the patience God gave to Job, it takes constant vigilance and discipline to properly raise a child. I guess I should really say the necessity for supervision and correction were reinforced because I already knew they were needed.

There are alot of lazy parents out there that don't provide proper, CONSISTENT supervision and guidance, but my sister is not one of them. She is among a decreasing number of parents who are perpetually striving to bring their children up the way they should be raised...to respect the authority of adults.

*You always have to make children aware that nobody has the right to molest them so that they learn boundaries to avoid being violated, but children should be raised to respect others and themselves.

Young children need to be told what to do, not given multiple choices. Who is the parent!!!? When you are older, you get choices as priviledges when you demonstrate responsibility and reason.

I'm tired of disrespectful, impatient attitudes of entitlement. Children need to learn self-control, discipline, patience, kindness, THE FRUITS OF THE SPRIIT... Virtuous behavior!

Kids Should:

1. Volunteer and learn the importance of helping others and of the concept of community.
2. Tend a vegetable garden, do the work, have patience as it grows, tend the garden, reap the harvest.

Argh. I'm off the soap box and going to bed.

Yes, I still want to be a teacher. Yes, I am prepared to deal with parents and children of parents like this.

We're Going to Casablanca

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:35:00 +0000

I love the nightlife. I love to boogie. On the disco.....

I don't know the rest.

What I do know is in a little less than two hours we'll be at Casablanca restaurant in Warrington eating an 8 course meal with our neighbors while watching the bellydancer do her thang.

I'm not as much into the whole belly dancing thing...it's a little sensual for my tastes, but the food is fun and so is the atmosphere. AND we have a coupon provided courtesy of our neighbor who by the way invited us to come along tonight.

http://www.casablancaone.com/home.html

The Wogger

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Have you ever "wogged"?

Wogging is a hybrid form of walking and jogging. I like to think I made it up. Who knows? Maybe I did.

When you're too out of shape to jog, let alone run, you can wog.

You stretch, you jog, and when you can't jog another step, you walk and catch your breath. Once you can breathe and talk again, you pick up the pace and start jogging again. Hence- the wog.

You should try it sometime. You might eventually graduate to jogging and dare I say, running. Now THERE'S something to think about.

Indeed.

How to Fix the Economy

noreply@blogger.com (OrionStar77) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:29:00 +0000

St. Petersburg Times Newspaper

The Business Section asked readers for ideas on "How Would You Fix the Economy?"

... Read More

"Dear Mr. President,

Please find below my suggestion for fixing America's economy.

Instead of giving billions of dollars to companies that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. - Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) They MUST retire. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed.

2) They MUST buy a new American CAR. Forty mi llion cars ordered - AutoIndustry fixed.

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - HousingCrisis fixed.

It can't get any easier than that!

P.S. If more money is needed, have all members in Congress and theirconstituents pay their taxes..."