Merry Christmas from Savannah, Georgia!

I'm going to post some recent beach pics. I will walk on the beach, unless it is very, very, very cold - say freezing or below! Our unusually cold temps have resulted in probems for some sea life. I saw the remains of a sea turtle wash up on shore this week, plus numerous starfish.

I'm relieved to have a mental and physical break from my teacher's aide job. It was fun to experience the anticipation of Christmas through the eyes of kindergartners! I say a little glitter on your clothes, your body, your hair, your food just makes everything more festive....:)

Pondering end of life and quality of life issues, as my mother-in-law is once again in the hospital with complications from MS. This has been going on since October. Before, though she was confined to bed pretty much, she could feed herself and carry on a conversation. Now you cannot understand her when she tries to speak, and she has oxygen, IVs, feeding tube and catheter. I'm praying for her comfort, and for mercy. This has been hard on my husband, his brother, and her husband. My family is in Virginia, and I didn't feel like trying to travel there. I've been busy this morning cooking, to send food to family members taking shifts at hospital. The ability to see, hear, taste and touch is a wondrous thing, as well as the ability to move around and experience life!

Balancing act

I'm trying to stay balanced right now - not fall down, literally and figuratively! Here I am in the month of December, working in a long term temp job helping a special needs kindergarten class. Every day we do a few exercises in class, to stretch and change activities. News flash! It ain't easy balancing on one leg holding the other when you are 50 years old!

In southern Georgia we are having an artic blast, with highs in the 40s this week. At least that constitutes an arctic blast to us. I did not walk on the beach last weekend, but did the weekend before, and took these pics.

I would probably need major meds to live further north, as I have felt sorta depressed last two weeks. I attribute this to ---end of life issues with my mother-in-law being so ill, a series of car repairs, a very tight budget, a son going to college. But enough whine...To put this all in perspective, my husband and I went to an art show featuring a student of his who is battling brain tumors. Now that's a REAL challenge! I just need a little more time in the sun...and another beach walk - whether it's 40 degrees or 60 degrees!

Cool but cozy...

At last! Cool fall weather in southern Georgia! I made my first fire of the season last night, and my first "real" fire in about six years (not using fake logs). I forgot how wonderful wood smells and crackles...ahhh..Hubby and I watched Men Who Stare at Goats, which spoofed the psychic craze the army tried to get in on decades ago, and lots of laughs about army procedures and funding. Very strange movie but had cute guys in it as well (George Clooney and Ewan McGregor).

Changes in my employment life...I was offered a temp job as a teacher's aide in an inclusion kindergarten class. My contract ends in mid March, with possiblity of extending it. Don't know if I will do that. For $10 an hour I am CONSTANTLY busy with kids or taking instructions from the teacher. I love helping the kids though, especially the two in the room with Down's Syndrome, and one who is physically handicapped. However, there is one kid with behavior problems, and he is a challenge to keep up with...I also attended a meeting about a new private school that is starting up in the area for next year. If the school gets in enough students in the upper grades (4th,5th,6th) I will possibly have a teaching job for next year. Don't want to get my hopes up...

I am headed soon to the beach, for a brisk walk!

Holding steady....almost!

I haven't posted in about a month. I have been trying to grab every sub job I could, and was working away happily until a week ago Sunday, when I woke up SICK. I have had every symptom you can name, but the worst was the constant headaches, fevers and weakness. I'm sure I could have worked today but decided I wanted to wait another day or two. Tuesday is a hair appointment reschedule day (you know I am sick when I cancel a hair trim) so nothing is going to prevent me from achieving my goal of decent looking hair!

My walk on the beach a week ago is like a distant dream. I love the color of the sky this time of year, and the air was really cool! Only negative - I cut my toe on an oyster shell. Yes, I have walked this beach hundreds of times, and I know about the shells. Maybe it is a middle age thing....

I saw some feedback about a recent show that Oprah did on education. I didn't see the show, so I can't judge, but I do know our system is failing, despite federal and state fix it programs, and endless testing and accountability. Could I succinctly sum up the problems, as I see them, in a blog? Hmmm....save that for another post!

Freedom

This is a pic of Tybee Lighthouse and restored lightkeeper's cottage - one of my favorite flag locations. I didn't post on Sept 11th but certainly have been thinking about it. Everyone remembers where they were at that time. I was teaching at a private school for learning differences. Soon after the first plane hit, a couple of military families came to pick up their kids. On my first break, I went to the director's office, where the only TV was. By then they were announcing the Pentagon attack. I assumed we were receiving multiple attacks, and that martial law would be declared. I also wondered if we'd be making a makeshift fallout shelter.I remember the day after was more significant for me. I started the day with a 2nd grade Language Arts class. We were told not to bring up the attack with the young kids, but if they brought up the subject, to let them talk. We started our day the usual way, with a three sentence paragraph and picture in our journals. Every child (ten in room) wrote about the attack, and each one drew a picture of the twin towers as the first plane hit. I had ten identical pictures, and the accuracy was stunning.

My thought for the times we live in - Christianity and Patriotism , when these become fanatical, are just a boot click away from Fascism.

A Day in the Life of A Substitute Teacher

God, I am missing the beach! With public school starting this week, I haven't been out to walk. Since this weekend is Labor Day weekend, I may not get out much then either, due to crowds and traffic on our small coastal highway...beach withdrawal in process here....getting a bit light-headed and clammy just thinking about it.....I took these pics one evening last week. I love sandpipers! They seem to work so hard for the little morsels they get...kind of like how I feel as a sub teacher....

I get up each morning at 6am and turn on my computer, to see any computer job listings as well as waiting for the phone to ring. That means taking my cell phone with me everywhere in the am....Our system is only using certified teachers, but I would guess there are about 400 of them, all huddled over their computers in the morning, waiting to "peck" at a job. I did get a call Tuesday and went to an elementary school I haven't ever been to before. Thank goodness for Goole maps (can't afford GPS)!

The school has actually been razed to build a new school. It was a pile of rubble, with a maze of portables surrounding it. You could easilty get lost just going to the cafeteria. I was in a 1st grade room with only 14 students, but that number seemed multiplied by the end of the day. The teacher was also out on Monday, so this was the second day of school, with a second sub...don't you feel sorry for these little guys? I did! Most had no crayons and no pencils; not all had a lunch. I bring a number of things along on a sub job, but didn't have crayons. Also, there were no sub plans. Other teachers ran off stuff for me.

I took the class to breakfast about 9am, as instructed, along with all the 1st grades. We did not get back with our food until 10am. We were supposed to go to recess at 11:30, but another teacher told me to wait for her and she was late, so only 10 minutes of recess. Hey, I believe in recess! We then proceed to lunch, which is also late. The lunch monitor relieved me for about 20 minutes to scramble back to the room, use the restroom (holding for 5 hours - a personal record at age 50), and nibble some lunch. Sub teaching is great for weight loss!

We muddled through some lessons, but I could see I was losing them in the late afternoon. They were supposed to go to another teacher for 40 minutes, but she was a "no show." I have found that when resource teachers find out there is a sub, they tend to "disappear." Curses on her! The teacher I went to recess with kindly offered to watch my brood for about 15 minutes so I could gather my energy. My savior! By the end of the day, there was trash all over the floor, those who had crayons had busted most of them and tossed them on the floor, and a couple of books were torn, but hey, there were no tears or injuries. I survived another day in the life of a sub teacher!

Shaken, not stirred....

On Friday the 13th, I decided to run errands in town. As I neared an intersection famous for accidents, I could see that I had the green light and people were lined up on both sides to turn left as well. The group facing me was waiting, which was good, then suddenly a white car pulled out in front of me. He made it but the motorcycle that came after him did not. I hit the cycle, mostly with my right bumper, and the cycle burst into flames. I pulled over, got out, and with wobbly knees and trembling hands looked frantically for a body as I tried to dial 911. The guy was walking around and o.k., thank goodness. I couldn't bear the thought that I might have been a factor in someone getting hurt or killed, even if it was unavoidable. I will never forget the sound of crunching metal on metal, or the image in my rearview mirror of a motorcycle in flames. In 33 years of driving, this is my first accident other than a minor fender bender. It is a very real reminder of how life can change in an instant. I'm still feeling a bit shaken, and hesitant to drive. Today I went back to do the beforementioned errands, but I was very nervous....

My son started dual enrollment for his senior year at the college across town yesterday. I was a bit more anxious than I normally would have been, in light of my recent accident. He loves the college scene, but does hate the traffic and commute. He will only have to go there 3 days a week, at least.

I went to sub teacher orientation last week, required for my district each year, and did my drug test. Next week I get my sub badge and the following week school, and hopefully jobs, start. No calls on permanent jobs from the ones I have applied for. Oh well. I really don't think public education will recover from the economic downturn. I believe we will move toward online learning for middle and high school, and have privatized public elementary in each state. I also believe the number of private schools will dwindle. Not trying to sound gloomy, just looking at the reality of it. I need to try for some online jobs....

Cool experience of the week: I saw my first manatee in the north channel near our beach a week ago. It was dusk and my husband and I saw what we thought at first was an alligator, then a log, then....I suddenly saw this big, smooth body with a cute manatee face (that perhaps only a mother could love) right in front of me, just two feet away in the shallow water. He slowly reversed and moved out to deeper water. We saw another manatee in the same spot last night. Perhaps they are territorial and this was the same one.