Back to work?

School ended on Friday. Summer vacation begins tomorrow, right? Wrong. I am going in to school tomorrow to work on my NEW classroom. Allow me to explain... A few months ago I requested a transfer from 6th grade to 4th grade. I was surprised when my boss told me it sounded like a good idea. I was even more surprised when the request was granted. So... I spent a day and a half last week moving all of my "stuff" into my new classroom. Tomorrow I plan on getting some things organized so I will be ready to get started on the right foot in August. Yes, I'm going to work on the first day of my vacation, but that's what teachers do. We do whatever it takes to do the job right. We do this even if it means working on a day off. And by the way, you may be asking why I requested a transfer to 4th grade. The 4th grade Social Studies curriculum is Ohio and U.S. history. Those are my favorite subjects to teach and teachers do a better job when they teach what they love. Goodbye 6th grade. Hello 4th grade.

Poor!

Ponder this one for a minute...

I do not have a lot of cash, but I am blessed beyond measure. I have everything I need and much more. I do not wish for anything. I am satisfied and completely content with my life.

Soli Deo Gloria!

That's a wrap!

This morning at the faculty breakfast I received my 25 year pin. That pin and $3 will get me a cup of coffee at Starbucks. In seriousness... that pin represents a lot of hard work and dedication to a job that is extremely challenging. Many people go into teaching and only last a few years before quitting. Many can't hack it. Many can't handle the immense pressure and responsibility. I'm not tooting my own horn, but staying in education for 25 years is an accomplishment. Now I have 10 years until retirement and those years are going to zip by.

Now on to bigger and better things... SUMMER! Break out the sunscreen!

All but the shouting

Today was my last day with students. Now it's all over but the shouting. Hooray!

I have a teacher work day tomorrow, but without students it almost doesn't feel like work.

Hello summer!

Half Day

Tomorrow is a half day with my students. After that, my 25th year as a teacher comes to a close. After a quarter century in St. Bernard, I've now spent more than half my life teaching. That thought boggles my mind.

Summer is nigh!

Two More!

Two more days of school with students and then it's on to SUMMER VACATION! Woohoo!

Here is another grilling picture because it reminds me of summer. It's also because I'm on a diet and I won't be eating anything like this any time soon. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day. It's a day off work for most Americans, but it means so much more. This is the day we honor the fallen heroes in our armed forces who died in the line of duty. Many people confuse this with Veterans Day, the day we honor all veterans of the armed forces (living and dead). So feel free to thank a veteran today (we should actually do this every chance we get), but today is actually reserved for dead military heroes. This is why Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day. On this day people would place flowers and other adornments on the graves of deceased military personnel. They decorated the graves with appropriate items (think of the term "highly decorated soldier"). Many men made the ultimate sacrifice so that we Americans may enjoy the freedoms we frequently take for granted.

So today in honor of these brave soldiers, I will do what many other Americans will do also. I will have a small cookout. I have placed a photo of my master grillwork below... just kidding.

Sunglasses

Check out this cool dude!

Awwwwww!!!!!!

Remote Control

Kids today have no idea how good they’ve got it. They have every convenience known to mankind. One such convenience is the remote control. The TV remote control is now so commonplace that kids have no idea there was a time when a person had to actually walk over to the TV to change the channel. And there weren’t always hundreds of cable channels to choose from either. When I was a kid there was 5, 9 and 12. Channels 19 and 48 were available too, but they were usually “snowy” and didn’t always come in well. That was it. I also remember being my dad’s personal remote control. He would call me from three rooms away and then tell me to change the channel for him. Oh how times have changed!

Three More

177 down... 3 to go. After this long, holiday weekend, only three days of school remain. It has been a difficult year (I think they will all be tough be from here on out), but not not nearly as bad as last year. Nevertheless, summer vacation is coming fast and I cannot wait!

Four More!

Another milestone reached! My school had Field Day today and it is always good to get it behind me. There are officially four days of school remaining, but a few of those days do not involve much work for the students. So in reality it's basically all over but the shouting... and trust me, at this point in the school year, there is a lot of shouting.

Wildlife at the school

This is not new information... there's wildlife at the school. No, I'm not talking about the students. Although sometimes I feel like I teach at the zoo :-)

Keeping in mind I work in an urban environment, there was a day last week where we saw two wild animals on the school playground. In the morning a deer was spotted on the school ball field. While this is highly unusual, it's completely understandable. There are two cemeteries within a mile of the school. We are relatively certain the deer come from one of the cemeteries. Then later in the afternoon we saw a hawk fly overhead and subsequently land on the tether ball pole (photos below). Talk about a crazy week!

The pool is open

I opened the pool this week. The water is cold and a bit cloudy, but if we get a hot snap, swimming would be possible. Unfortunately it was a long winter of eating not-so-healthy foods (translation= I ate like a pig for six months) and my body is not exactly "pool ready". Oh well, I'm going in anyway :-)

The Big Day

Here are a few photos from the big day.

Looks like I should have powdered my forehead. SHINY!

Winding Down

There are 8 days of school remaining. These last days are some the most challenging and difficult of the entire year. Sometimes the days are so stressful I have a little drink when I get home. Don't worry though... I never overindulge. I only have one.

Education Award

I had quite a morning yesterday. Chosen as my school districts's recipient of the Hamilton County Educational Excellence award, I was honored with 24 others at an awards breakfast. This event is exactly what you'd expect from a breakfast at a convention center. A fancy breakfast followed by recognition of the board of directors of the foundation and corporate sponsors, Then each honoree was called to the stage to receive his/her award from emcee, Anthony Munoz. After a handshake and photo with Anthony, a group photo was taken. In addition to the award, each honoree also received a $200 check, two tickets to a Reds game and a gift bag with assorted odds and ends from corporate sponsors (pens, coffee cup, water bottle etc...).

It was an honor to be recognized, but as a simple guy, I'm not much for the formal, fancy stuff. The ceremony wrapped up at 10:00 and I was home by 11:00. I then received the rest of the day off (with pay and with no penalty to my attendance record). It was a day that was certainly out of the ordinary.

Hot Time!

It was a hot time at Great American Ballpark tonight. One of the Power Stacks caught fire. Three cheers to the fire department who quickly doused the flames. Unfortunately that was the only excitement Reds fans got. The San Francisco Giants obliterated our beloved boys in red.

Babysitting

Tami is babysitting the grandkids tonight. Unfortunately I can't join her, which means they have her outnumbered two to one. She's going to be really tired when she gets home tonight.

All Gone!

It's too late to post photos, but the trees are all gone. I am thrilled beyond belief. The yard is full of sawdust and mulch from the stump removal. I will post photos another time once the yard is all cleaned up. I'm too pooped to party tonight.

Another One Down!

Another one bites the dust!

Tree removal specialists are my heroes!

Devil Trees

The trees in my yard are the bane of my existence. Okay, maybe that's exaggerating a bit, but suffice it to say there are large trees in my yard that cause me nothing but worries, headaches and lots of extra work. For starters, they are locust trees with hundreds of long thorns on them. I'm talking thorns as hard as nails and as long as 7 or 8 inches. These things are bad news! They puncture my tractor tires, they go right through your shoes and are just all around nasty. Two of these trees hang over my house and I live in constant worry they will crash into the house and kill someone. Secondly these trees drop pounds and pounds of debris in my yard every day. I tell you, folks, these trees are always shedding something... buds, seed pods, sticks, branches, leaves, bark and THORNS! Third, these trees drop pounds of debris in my pool every summer. I am constantly skimming tree crud out of my pool. Finally, these trees create a lot of shade (which admittedly is good for the air conditioning bill in the hot months). However, it's this same shade that keeps my pool water from getting warm. The shade also causes algae and moss growth on my deck and lawn furniture.

Get the picture? At the very best these trees are a nuisance and at the very worst they are a danger to my house and family. In short... they need to go and that time is long overdue.

Why all this talk about these trees that cause me so much anguish? Because today is the day they are being removed! This makes me happier than any of you will ever know (Except Tami. She knows I am nearly giddy beyond words). Four humongous trees will be on the ground and all but gone by the time I get home from work today. This has benefits on so many different levels. Less yard work all the way around. A safer home. Warmer pool water. Less mess in the pool. No more of the green, creeping crud on my deck and lawn furniture.

Goodbye, Devil Trees. I won't miss you.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

This is how I feel every day. I come to school in a good mood. I've had a peaceful drive to work, I've spent some time in prayer, I've had my morning coffee and I'm ready to greet my students with a smile. By the end of the day I'm a totally different person that has had the life sucked right out of me. It's a real-life Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There is a noticeable, physical change that takes place in me every day. If you know me outside of school, you'd be shocked at what you see in me at school. It ain't pretty and it's a little bit scary.

Teacher humor

Whether you are a teacher, know a teacher or just went to school at some point... these are funny. They especially speak to me because I live this stuff every day.

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all you moms out there. This is a day of recognition for the most under appreciated job in the world. Thank you to all the mothers who work so tirelessly and without complaining (at least most of the time :-). Hopefully you got some nice gifts (unlike the ones below).