I'M BACK!

I'm BACK!

It seems that everything has really sucked for the past two months, including me.  Mind you, I don't often use that type of language (I can be quite more colorful), and I don't allow my kids to use the word 'suck' in my classroom as it's one of my pet peeves.  However, the last couple of months have truly 'sucked' for many people that I love.  Our community has experienced tragedy in the forms of car accidents, fire, and cancer.  Burying a 9-year-old is something that one never quite gets over, and watching my dear friends have to say good-bye to their grandson is one of the most difficult things I have ever experienced.  Not to mention the aftermath of the accident that took Zayvier's life and seriously injured his father and sister, and the upheaval of the lives of his entire family.  But life continues....

Just two days ago we attended a funeral for a most remarkable woman.  She was truly a spit-fire and it's almost unimaginable that she is no longer on this earth with us.  It was only 54 days from diagnosis to death.  And now her 21- and 19-year-old children are left to grow up all too quickly.  With the support of family and friends they will be ok.  But it just seems so unfair.  But life continues...

and we need to remember to count our blessings.

I feel like my head is finally back in the game...ready to tackle school and students, challenges and nay-sayers; ready to hold kids accountable, and their teachers and parents as well.

We have so much going for us, and we are far too special for "good enough."

Bring it!  I'm back!

So Much to Do...So Little Ambition

OK, so everyone's TO DO lists are long.  But why does it seem like others are so much better at getting things checked off their lists than I am?  My list just seems to grow, or even multiply into more lists, and I don't seem to make much progress.

What's in a name?

Random-nymoty was the other option I came up with for naming my blog.  Why?  Well, the things I'm writing about are random thoughts as they relate to my life.  Anonymity?  Sometimes I feel like I just blend in.  I'm the person that has been introduced to you several times yet you never remember who I am.  When I say that we've already met, people often get a quizzical look on their face that beams, "Really?  I can't recall."  Whatever.  I think it's because the people I hang out with are so incredibly spectacular that they outshine me.  For the most part, that's fine with me.  However, sometimes having to re-introduce myself feels like a scene from the movie "Groundhog Day."  And even a flicker of recognition would be rewarding.  BTW, don't tell my parents this.  They think I'm pretty special and I'd hate for them to realize I'm just an average person.  Or maybe that's just what they want me to think...

Marathoner?

So I've been thinking about training for a full marathon.  With five, and hopefully soon to be six half-marathons in my running repertoire, I'm thinking that a full marathon might just be within reach.  Of course it will require training, and a lot of it!  I found a 30-week training schedule and am strongly considering giving this a try.  Can I really do 26.2?  What is my motivation for even considering it?  Am I nuts?  (If you know me, you already have formed an opinion about this.)  Perhaps it's the fact that the half-marathon has become such a popular distance and so many people have achieved this goal.  I suppose it might make more sense to improve my tortoise-like speed instead of tackling a race that is twice as long as any run I have ever completed.  But....then again..... a girl's gotta have dreams!

GOALS 2012-13

More details to come, but here are my goals for this school year:
BLOG! - 9/20/12 update - Obviously I haven't gotten the hang of this yet.

Organize - 9/20 update - I HAVE created a couple of new folders in Google Drive. In fact, I successful screwed up one of them and now have to go through one folder to get to another. There is more work to be done here.

Common Core/Curriculum - 9/20 update - I'm attending a series of meetings on this throughout the school year. Yay me! 

Balance - the key to life.

Twas the Night Before School...

Susan Weier-McCann (1948-2012)

Actually, the rest of my coworkers started school today.  It was Day 1 of Apple Training.  I was at a funeral for a very dear cousin. Susan was a beautiful soul; she was quiet unless she had something that she needed you to know.  Her life was not always easy and she was no stranger to great loss and sorrow.  However, I think the last several years of her life were quite happy as she traveled extensively.  This is something I did not know until seeing the pictures of her travels at visitation. She was an observer of all around her, and perhaps I would do well to learn a bit of that.  Sometimes I am too quick to speak my mind.  

It is strange to think that school started without me, and I feel a little bit behind already, but I would not have traded the time with family and remembering this beautiful woman for anything in the world.  And let's face it, I would be feeling behind even if I had been at school all summer long!

Middle of the afternoon....End of summer!

I have been participating in a very good tech camp the past couple of days and wrapping my brain around everything that has to be done before school starts.  When this time of year rolls around I always wonder where my summer has gone and why so few items have been checked off of my TO DO list.  All of the grand intentions that I started the summer with have faded, and now panic is beginning to set in.