I love days off!

Today, I have a day off! Yes!! I slept in until 8:30 and I actually have time for a blog post! I still have unfinished USU homework and I had to bring home a second bag from school yesterday because all of the papers I am behind on grading wouldn't fit into my main bag. But, I have a day off!

On Sunday, my brother-in-law Ross said that kids in Utah get too many days off from school and that teachers have too much time off. Ummm . . . I don't know about that. I think we have the same 180 days as usual. I know that we start a week or too earlier than other areas of the country and maybe things just get spread out more. Maybe Ross is jealous because he's in a field that doesn't get days off. Maybe one of the huge reasons I chose the field I did was because I like to take days off! Your not going to ever hear me complain about my salary because, well, I only work 9 months out of the year and I can't really imagine a job where working during the summer was required. That's why some people are suited to some jobs and others are suited to other jobs. I appreciate that there are people like Ross you do the type of work he does and I appreciate that there are people like me who do the crazy work we do!

It's useless to argue, but it did get me thinking. I like teaching. I don't know if I "love" teaching. If there were a word somewhere between "like" and "love," that's how I would feel about teaching.

Occasionally there are moments that are very rewarding, too! It feels good when parents tell me their kid is doing better in math this year than they ever had. It feels good when kids tell me that my class is their favorite class. Now, I'm not trying to win any sort of popularity contest, but it does feel good. It also makes me feel good when a student walks away grumbling because, no, they can't turn that assignment in from 3 weeks ago. Sorry. Don't drop the ball next time.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I have amazingly high test scores, but I do tend to stay right in line with other teachers who are mean an ornery. Most of my students have learned that I will help them whenever. I don't have "office hours" and I don't have "contract time," which is probably why I'm the last teacher to leave in the math hall and I still have a separate bag of papers to grade on my day off. Oh well.

What got me thinking about all of this on the morning of my day off, was an e-mail I received just this morning. It is from a Tooele student. This particular kid had me for two years in a row and I don't think he passed a single term. He was so far behind on credits that I thought he had pretty much given up on any chance of graduating. He also told me (and our class) that he sabotaged teachers who he didn't like. He peed on Miss Twitchell's hall pass and he peed on Mrs Sneed's couch. As much as I expressed disapproval, I never had the heart to actually turn him in. Plus, he promised me that he hadn't done anything like that to me and if he did, he would tell me. He was a friendly kid with more knowledge about music and musicians than me and he had a lot of potential, but just didn't care about school all that much. I was totally surprised when I got this e-mail:

Hey, this is Eric M. ...I don't know if you remember me or not...well, honestly I'd be kinda of mad if you forgot about me!! Haha, no I'm just joking.I just was bored and was going through Tooele's faculty thing where they've got this whole like mini bio set up and it made me wonder what was going on with one of my favorite teachers!! Well, I'm graduated now Class of '09 and I don't know if you've heard about the new high school in Stansbury Park but a lot of teachers left for it and Ms. Twitchell left somewhere...no one really knows...but anyway I was just stopping by to see how you were doing how Murray is treatin' ya. I hope you haven't elaborated any stories to your students about my body fluids and hall pass vests and a certain teachers couch...lol. Hope that didn't ruin your day...maybe it made you laugh a little lol. Hope everything is going well. Sincerely, Eric

Of course I sent him an e-mail back telling him that I was proud of him for actually graduating and that I wondered what he was doing now to be productive. I'll keep the blog posted if I hear anything, but until that time, I would not recommend eating at the Pizza Hut in Tooele.

Yes, I may get a lot of days off, but it's worth it if you can make a small, positive impact on a kid's life! Plus, don't forget, even with the day off I have ALL those papers to grade and they are not going to grade themselves. The end.

Governor's Day

Saturday was Governor's Review Day at Rice-Eccles Stadium. All of the Utah Army and Air National Guardsmen (and women) march into the stadium and line up to be saluted by Governor Herbert. I've been around James now for 4 Governor's Days and I have never attended one of these. Usually it has been because James doesn't like participating in it, tells me it is stupid, and that I shouldn't go. I thought it was pretty cool, though, and I think I'll make it a point to go every year.

The most interesting part of the whole morning was that the service people kept passing out. I guess standing at attention for nearly an hour in a hot uniform on a really warm day can do that to a person. I felt bad for them, but it actually became comical. "There goes another one," we'd say as we watched sink holes appear in the perfect formations. A couple of them even required a stretcher. This poor little boy behind us was quite concerned, "Mommy, are they really dying out there?"

After the Governor's Day celebration, we went to lunch an Noodles & Co. and then to the Utah State Fair. It was a long, hot day, but fun!

Um . . . I don't think they want you to go there.

So, we all do dumb and stupid things sometime, but I just had to laugh last night at some other lady's stupidity.

I stopped at the gas station by my house to fill up. It's a Conoco station with doors on both sides of the building. Two windows and the glass door on one side are all boarded up. It looks as if someone tried to break in through the glass or something and they are waiting for the repair work to start. (I wouldn't be surprised since we've had a slew of break-in's in our neighborhood . . . but anyway.) Not only are the door and windows boarded up, but there is caution tape strung across that whole side of the building and big orange cones placed about every 5 feet. I'm pretty sure that the gas station people don't want you to use that entrance.

So I'm standing at my car, filling my tank when this woman in big sunglasses drives up to a pump. She gets out of her car and walks toward the building. Without hesitation, she lifts up the caution tape and stoops beneath it. She walks to the boarded up door and pulls the handle to open it. It doesn't open. She pulls on the handle a second time. It still doesn't open. She looks around as if looking into the windows for some assistance, but the windows are boarded up. She grabs the deadbolt on the door and taps it. She tries the door handle again. Nothing.

She gives up and walks back to her car.

Bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a quick overnight getaway to Snowbird.

We had a great time!

He's the President, for goodness sake!

I received this e-mail at school today:

"Murray City School District
Information regarding President Obama’s speech to students

On Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. . . . Individual teachers may choose to show President Obama’s address for educational purposes. Those teachers will send permission slips to the parents of their students. Each parent will make the decision to allow their student to watch the speech or opt out. An alternative activity will be available for those students that opt out."

Oh my goodness!

Since when do we need permission to listen to the President! Since when do we need permission to teach our students those extremely controversial and partisan values like "stay in school" and "do your best." This is the most ridiculous thing that I think has ever happened in my career (next to getting the day off from school for the prom a few years ago in Tooele). The election is over. He's the PRESIDENT! Feel free to disagree with his policies if you will, but insisting your kids aren't allowed to listen to a speech? Give me a break!

I remember a few years back, after the war in Iraq was just beginning to appear as less than a success, Hillary Clinton spoke out in the Senate against President Bush's polices for the war. Crazy people like Hannity and Beck called her "un-American" and an "ex-patriot," saying that she had no right to be in the Senate because she disagreed with the President. These same types of voices today are the people who are pushing against President Obama and don't want there innocent little children to be told to stay in school! The story is the same, the parties have just been reversed. What a joke!

Talk about brainwashing and socialism . . . make sure your kids are sheltered and not allowed to listen to anything that may potentially go against what you think. Make sure they become clones who follow blindly and do as you say without being able to think and distinguish ideas for themselves. That'll create a more democratic productive society, won't it.

My final thought is this: Barack Obama is the President of the United States of America. He is in a position that is one of the most respected in the world. He got to that position by winning a free and democratic election. Like him or not, he's our leader for at least the next four years. We don't have to agree with him, but he deserves our respect. Not in my lifetime has there been a President who wanted to "talk directly to students across the country on the importance of taking responsibility for their education, challenging them to set goals and do everything they can to succeed (from whitehouse.gov)."

Let the man speak and let the kids listen!