Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Saturday, January 23, 2010
winter humdrums
With the sun not showing it's warm face for weeks, we've found ourselves thoroughly entrenched in "Winter Humdrums." This may or may not be a real thing. There's certainly only one remedy: more cowbell.
Seriously though... I've found some of my more ambitious goals for this school year slipping by as I sit on my couch spacing out and thinking about Hawai'i. Speaking of goals, here's where I stand:
(1) Running a half marathon by Spring of 2010: I was doing a great job until after Thanksgiving when my life got a bit busier with end of quarter school work, colder weather and less daylight. I was running 3-4 times a week, several miles each time. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I slipped to around 2 times a week. Our trip to Colorado Springs where there is thinner air (aka: Katelynn almost died trying to run a mile) and ice and snow really slowed things down. Basically, for the past four weeks, I've been lucky to run once a week. Needless to say, I'm really doubting my own determination and ability at this point. I'm hoping for a bit of sun and some less than frigid days.
(2) read 60 books this school year: I've read 44 whole books from August until now. I've also started but put down five more (this has not been the year for astounding book selections). Some of my favorites have included Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. Now I'm at the point where a whole bunch of the books I was waiting for at the library arrived at the same time and there's no way I can read them all in the three weeks you're given. So since I'm overwhelmed and suffering from this seasonal mood disorder business, I've not read much lately either. I think I'll pull out of it.
(3) Vegetarian cooking and eating: this is the one thing I'm actually feeling really confident about. I've discovered a good number of things that I like to eat that don't involve meat. I'm also craving it WAY less and pretty good at finding yummy things on restaurant menus if and when we go out to eat. Now the catch is not feeling like a loser when I talk about it with my friends. I feel like a constant imposition - "oh, you're inviting us over for dinner? What are you cooking?" I think I just need to get over this.
IN OTHER NEWS, teaching at Trailridge has been going well. Starting at the beginning of 2nd quarter was a bit weird, but I'm thankful that I already had a little bit of experience under my belt. The curriculum is keeping me busy though - teaching three classes, only two of them repeats but with all new text books means a fair bit of prep work. Also, there is some pretty heavy pressure when it comes to the State Assessment Tests. I feel like I'm preparing my students pretty well, but it's hard having missed out on a quarter of teaching and not knowing what was already covered with other teachers. I'm just hoping to hold on this year and do my best.
There's not much news other than that. We've seen a couple of movies lately that I enjoyed:
"Invictus" was much better than I expected and really inspiring. It was one of the reasons I picked up No Future Without Forgiveness by South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Also a good read.
"Sherlock Holmes" was entertaining and light. I even recommended it to some of my more conservative friends and family.
"Up in the Air" was okay, but I don't think it's best picture worthy. Also, I enjoyed "New Moon" but I think that's coming from my slightly obsessed point of view - anything having to do with the Twilight series is exciting to me. Speaking of which, "Eclipse" in only 158 days!
My half birthday in three days. Cupcakes are welcome...
Seriously though... I've found some of my more ambitious goals for this school year slipping by as I sit on my couch spacing out and thinking about Hawai'i. Speaking of goals, here's where I stand:
(1) Running a half marathon by Spring of 2010: I was doing a great job until after Thanksgiving when my life got a bit busier with end of quarter school work, colder weather and less daylight. I was running 3-4 times a week, several miles each time. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas I slipped to around 2 times a week. Our trip to Colorado Springs where there is thinner air (aka: Katelynn almost died trying to run a mile) and ice and snow really slowed things down. Basically, for the past four weeks, I've been lucky to run once a week. Needless to say, I'm really doubting my own determination and ability at this point. I'm hoping for a bit of sun and some less than frigid days.
(2) read 60 books this school year: I've read 44 whole books from August until now. I've also started but put down five more (this has not been the year for astounding book selections). Some of my favorites have included Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. Now I'm at the point where a whole bunch of the books I was waiting for at the library arrived at the same time and there's no way I can read them all in the three weeks you're given. So since I'm overwhelmed and suffering from this seasonal mood disorder business, I've not read much lately either. I think I'll pull out of it.
(3) Vegetarian cooking and eating: this is the one thing I'm actually feeling really confident about. I've discovered a good number of things that I like to eat that don't involve meat. I'm also craving it WAY less and pretty good at finding yummy things on restaurant menus if and when we go out to eat. Now the catch is not feeling like a loser when I talk about it with my friends. I feel like a constant imposition - "oh, you're inviting us over for dinner? What are you cooking?" I think I just need to get over this.
IN OTHER NEWS, teaching at Trailridge has been going well. Starting at the beginning of 2nd quarter was a bit weird, but I'm thankful that I already had a little bit of experience under my belt. The curriculum is keeping me busy though - teaching three classes, only two of them repeats but with all new text books means a fair bit of prep work. Also, there is some pretty heavy pressure when it comes to the State Assessment Tests. I feel like I'm preparing my students pretty well, but it's hard having missed out on a quarter of teaching and not knowing what was already covered with other teachers. I'm just hoping to hold on this year and do my best.
There's not much news other than that. We've seen a couple of movies lately that I enjoyed:
"Invictus" was much better than I expected and really inspiring. It was one of the reasons I picked up No Future Without Forgiveness by South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Also a good read.
"Sherlock Holmes" was entertaining and light. I even recommended it to some of my more conservative friends and family.
"Up in the Air" was okay, but I don't think it's best picture worthy. Also, I enjoyed "New Moon" but I think that's coming from my slightly obsessed point of view - anything having to do with the Twilight series is exciting to me. Speaking of which, "Eclipse" in only 158 days!
My half birthday in three days. Cupcakes are welcome...
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Between Facebook and this blog - I'm not always consistent with my updates. So here comes a big one:
After my last post, I was contacted by another teacher at my former school and she extended an invitation for a summer job. There is an award that is given out once a year to a young adult/ adolescent level novel. This award is called the Heartland Award, and was started about 12 years ago by a professor at KU. Every summer, 20 individuals (teachers, librarians, etc...) are given a list of 30 books that have been recommended for this award. Our job is to read all 30, and then meet to narrow down the list to 10. Those 10 will then be read by teens all throughout the school year and at the end of the school year, the students vote and one book receives the award. So I'm on this committee to read - and I'll get paid to do so! - 30 books before August 22nd.
Therefore, my summer goals have been a bit thrown off - but here is how my list of "to-do's" is coming along:
1. Re-arrange the contents of my filing cabinets from school and recycle unncessary papers.
This I have done. It was a huge task, but very fulfilling! As you can see though, the contents of a classroom take up a lot of closet space (and this picture only represents half of the closet and a limited view of the top shelf!).
2. Read books:
- "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan ~ loved this book and this whole series really
- "I am the Messenger" by Markus Zuzak ~ got it from the library, but had to return it because of the 30 other books I have to read... I'll get back around to this one.
- "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith ~ gave up on it after 100 or so pages... so boring!
- "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt ~ also loved this book. I recommended it to my mother. It's a good one!
- "Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet" by Jamie Ford ~ have this one checked out right now, but haven't started it.
- "The Book of Lies" by Brad Meltzer ~ this one was just "okay." Nothing to write home about.
- "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau ~ not yet, but there is still summer left!
Here are some of the other books I have managed to read so far this summer though:
** For the Heartland Award **
"My Mother the Cheerleader" by Robert Sharenow
"Becoming Billie Holiday" by Carole Boston Weatherford
"Lizard Love" by Wendy Townsend
"All the Broken Pieces" by Ann Burg
"More than Friends: Poems from Him and Her" by Sara Holbrook and Allan Wolf
"Jumped" by Rita Williams-Garcia
"The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
"The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
"Revolution is Not a Dinner Party" by Ying Chang Compestine
"Hippie Chick" by Joseph Monninger
"The Book of Jude" by Kimberly Heuston
"Breathing" by Cheryl Renee Herbsman
"Handcuffs" by Bethany Griffin
"Thaw" by Monica M. Roe
"Rits" by Mariken Jongman
"Walkaway" by Alden Carter"
** Not for Heartland **
"Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
"Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
"My Last Skirt" by Lynda Durrant
"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
"Secret Society Girl" by Diana Peterfreund
"The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb
"The Scarlet Pimpernell" by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
"Downtown Owl" by Chuck Klosterman
"The Stolen Child" by Keith Donohue
"The Yiddish Policemen's Union" by Michael Chabon
You can ask if you want to know what any of these are about or how much I enjoyed them individually.
3. See movies:
- "My Sister's Keeper" ~ no one to go with who has already read this book. It is even good enough to merit a theatre visit?
- "Harry Potter 6: The Half-Blood Prince" ~ going today... SOOOO excited! I re-read this book as well.
- "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" ~ I sort of gave up on this one.
We also saw "Public Enemies" with Johnny Depp (too violent, not enough plot or character development) and rented "The Cake Eaters" with Kristen Stewart (it was actually okay, a bit weird in times, but a cute story in the end). I also re-watched HP5 (Order of the Pheonix) in prep for the newest movie.
4. Perhaps try to re-finish my shoddy kitchen table.
I went to Home Depot looking for cast off gallons of paint and have just not found a color I like yet. I'll keep looking...
5. Take a couple of classes through the school district.
I took a class about how to incorporate the use of student-created videos into my curriculum and how to upload them onto various websites. Useless. I also got paid to play with Google Earth for 2.5 hours. It was awesome.
6. Cook interesting vegetarian dishes.
- Scalloped Potatoes in the crock pot earned 3 out of 5 stars. I changed the recipe - this was not a good plan.
- Lentil Vegetable Casserole earned -7 out of 10 stars. It was basically the most disgusting thing I've ever made. We kept trying to eat the leftovers in various other dishes, but there is nothing you can add or take away to make this any better.
- Campfire veggies (potatoes, onions, carrots & garlic in tinfoil packet over a camp fire) earned 4 out of 5 stars. Not too messy, great during camping. I may try this at home!
7. Apply in a couple more school districts in the New England area.
I filled in the application for the Boston public school system online. I also mailed my application to the Manchester, NH public schools and Ryan & I are going this weekend to interview for a job for Ryan. We're hopeful!
8. Make my own windchimes using random scraps from random places.
Um... yeah. I haven't done this. I don't know what I'm doing. I haven't put my mind to it either, to my own credit. Stay posted on that one...
Our very long road trip to the General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene in Orlando, Florida was a lot of fun. We drove some 4,000 miles and saw plenty of cool sites. I touched a stingray (on purpose), bought a journal made out of recycled elephant poo, stood on the highest point in the US east of the Mississippi River and visited the Magic Kingdom. Not too shabby.
Tune in next time for more summery fun.
Monday, June 8, 2009
So I just finished The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. The book clocks in at 730 pages and is heavy: both in actual weight and subject matter. The author covers such topics and themes as:
American Civil War
Iraq War
Korean War
Women's sufferage
Anti-slavery movements
Prohibition
Columbine shootings of 1999
September 11, 2001
Hurricane Katrina
alcoholism, drug usage, AA meetings
incarceration - particularly of women
rape, incest, other abuse
familial relationships: ancestry, step/adoptive families, genetic traits and characteristics
marriage, divorce, adultery
anger management, violence, rage
There are probably more, but I'm too exhausted to add more to this list. Lamb also incorporates characters and events from his previous two novels, She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True as well as the volumes of writing he edited written by female prisoners at the York Correctional Institution. The characters are complex and generally believable, although the flow of the story is often a bit hard to follow. The plot jumps from "current time" to letters written during the Civil War and then snippets from the life of a minor character in the 50's. Some parts I found myself wanting to skip, and I experienced anger at the ending of the novel as well. I suppose I just like a happy ending - and that would have been possible in this novel if Lamb had so chosen.
Either way - this tome has worn me out and I think my next summer read will be The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt. More posts to come!
American Civil War
Iraq War
Korean War
Women's sufferage
Anti-slavery movements
Prohibition
Columbine shootings of 1999
September 11, 2001
Hurricane Katrina
alcoholism, drug usage, AA meetings
incarceration - particularly of women
rape, incest, other abuse
familial relationships: ancestry, step/adoptive families, genetic traits and characteristics
marriage, divorce, adultery
anger management, violence, rage
There are probably more, but I'm too exhausted to add more to this list. Lamb also incorporates characters and events from his previous two novels, She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True as well as the volumes of writing he edited written by female prisoners at the York Correctional Institution. The characters are complex and generally believable, although the flow of the story is often a bit hard to follow. The plot jumps from "current time" to letters written during the Civil War and then snippets from the life of a minor character in the 50's. Some parts I found myself wanting to skip, and I experienced anger at the ending of the novel as well. I suppose I just like a happy ending - and that would have been possible in this novel if Lamb had so chosen.
Either way - this tome has worn me out and I think my next summer read will be The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt. More posts to come!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
summer plans
As a teacher, I could easily lounge around all summer wasting my time, so instead I'm setting some goals.
First - I have two trips that are non-negotiable. I'm flying to Maryland with Ryan for my grandfather's 80th birthday/ family reunion. This is just a weekend trip.I'm also driving to Florida and back - totaling 2.5 weeks - for the Church of the Nazarene General Assembly and high pointing with Ryan. One of the spots we're camping is an island off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico called St. George Island. I'm pumped!
So with these trips on the schedule, here are some of my other goals:
1. Re-arrange the contents of my filing cabinets from school and recycle unncessary papers.
2. Read books:
- "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
- "I am the Messenger" by Markus Zuzak
- "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
- "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt
- "Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet" by Jamie Ford
- "The Book of Lies" by Brad Meltzer
- "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau
3. See movies:
- "My Sister's Keeper"
- "Harry Potter 6: The Half-Blood Prince"
- "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
4. Perhaps try to re-finish my shoddy kitchen table. Does anyone have any free paint? White/blue/green... whatever.
5. Take a couple of classes through the school district.
6. Cook interesting vegetarian dishes. I am armed with a vegetarian cookbook and a bunch of courage - we'll see where it takes me.
7. Apply in a couple more school districts in the New England area.
8. Make my own windchimes using random scraps from random places. This is ambiguous because I technically have no idea what I'm talking about - I'm just wanting to try it.
Eight seems like a good place to stop. I'll probably forget to blog about all of this - so maybe I should make it a goal of mine to write about various adventures. Don't hold your breath... I'll be busy. Expect pictures - I'm good at that. Okay - happy summering!
First - I have two trips that are non-negotiable. I'm flying to Maryland with Ryan for my grandfather's 80th birthday/ family reunion. This is just a weekend trip.I'm also driving to Florida and back - totaling 2.5 weeks - for the Church of the Nazarene General Assembly and high pointing with Ryan. One of the spots we're camping is an island off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico called St. George Island. I'm pumped!
So with these trips on the schedule, here are some of my other goals:
1. Re-arrange the contents of my filing cabinets from school and recycle unncessary papers.
2. Read books:
- "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
- "I am the Messenger" by Markus Zuzak
- "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
- "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary Schmidt
- "Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet" by Jamie Ford
- "The Book of Lies" by Brad Meltzer
- "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau
3. See movies:
- "My Sister's Keeper"
- "Harry Potter 6: The Half-Blood Prince"
- "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
4. Perhaps try to re-finish my shoddy kitchen table. Does anyone have any free paint? White/blue/green... whatever.
5. Take a couple of classes through the school district.
6. Cook interesting vegetarian dishes. I am armed with a vegetarian cookbook and a bunch of courage - we'll see where it takes me.
7. Apply in a couple more school districts in the New England area.
8. Make my own windchimes using random scraps from random places. This is ambiguous because I technically have no idea what I'm talking about - I'm just wanting to try it.
Eight seems like a good place to stop. I'll probably forget to blog about all of this - so maybe I should make it a goal of mine to write about various adventures. Don't hold your breath... I'll be busy. Expect pictures - I'm good at that. Okay - happy summering!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
This has been a difficult period in the life of Katelynn. When we first moved to Kansas, I am confident that I experienced depression (at least event-triggered depression, rather than biological... if that is such a thing). I questioned why on earth I had decided to leave all of my family and friends to move to this foreign place called Kansas. We had to find jobs, a church, new friends, and adjust to new schools. This is not even to mention adjusting to married life.
Yet I eventually found the way out of this time, mostly triggered by finally engaging in student teaching. For the first time in several years, I felt like I was doing what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I student taught, I subbed, I got a job in the Shawnee Mission School district teaching middle school English. We moved into a nicer apartment.
I've been happy for several years now. I've been feeling confident and competent in my work. Several weeks ago now though, my principal informed me that my position has been cut for next year. I have not been officially "fired" (or released, or whatever it is called when you lose your job). If an English position opens up at another school, I may get it. Yet due to the economy and budget cuts and the national and state levels, there are other English teachers in my district in the same position - many of them with more seniority than me. So perhaps I'll become a long-term sub for next year. Perhaps I won't have a job at all. I'll officially find out this Friday if I've totally lost a job.
Ryan & I had sort of been counting on my job as a back-up plan depending on what happened with his job search after graduation. He graduates from NTS in 14 days. Yet even after sending out resumes and making phone calls, he's heard nothing either.
So now the question: do we stay where Ryan currently has a part-time job not in his field and I am maybe a substitute teacher? Do we make a leap of faith and move to a place we would like to live and hope that we both find jobs? How much longer will we have to "wait out" this economy? Decisions, decisions.
I wish I could say that I've been at peace through all of this - yet it's hard to stay positive. I've been sick for about 2 1/2 weeks and things are not currently going well at school. Myself and the other 7 people who have lost their positions in our building are finding it hard to stay invested. Those individuals chosing to retire this year seem to be giving up on their responsibilities as well. It's hard to want to go to work every day - and I can honestly say I've looked forward to going to work every day up until the past few weeks.
So I'm again at a cross-roads in my life and coming to the realization that I may not handle these things as well as I wish I did. I've learned lessons since the last time we uprooted our whole lives and I have to hope that God will provide direction quickly so that I don't have the chance to try to take things into my own hands and make a mess of them. ;o )
Not a cheery blog - but an honest one.
Yet I eventually found the way out of this time, mostly triggered by finally engaging in student teaching. For the first time in several years, I felt like I was doing what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I student taught, I subbed, I got a job in the Shawnee Mission School district teaching middle school English. We moved into a nicer apartment.
I've been happy for several years now. I've been feeling confident and competent in my work. Several weeks ago now though, my principal informed me that my position has been cut for next year. I have not been officially "fired" (or released, or whatever it is called when you lose your job). If an English position opens up at another school, I may get it. Yet due to the economy and budget cuts and the national and state levels, there are other English teachers in my district in the same position - many of them with more seniority than me. So perhaps I'll become a long-term sub for next year. Perhaps I won't have a job at all. I'll officially find out this Friday if I've totally lost a job.
Ryan & I had sort of been counting on my job as a back-up plan depending on what happened with his job search after graduation. He graduates from NTS in 14 days. Yet even after sending out resumes and making phone calls, he's heard nothing either.
So now the question: do we stay where Ryan currently has a part-time job not in his field and I am maybe a substitute teacher? Do we make a leap of faith and move to a place we would like to live and hope that we both find jobs? How much longer will we have to "wait out" this economy? Decisions, decisions.
I wish I could say that I've been at peace through all of this - yet it's hard to stay positive. I've been sick for about 2 1/2 weeks and things are not currently going well at school. Myself and the other 7 people who have lost their positions in our building are finding it hard to stay invested. Those individuals chosing to retire this year seem to be giving up on their responsibilities as well. It's hard to want to go to work every day - and I can honestly say I've looked forward to going to work every day up until the past few weeks.
So I'm again at a cross-roads in my life and coming to the realization that I may not handle these things as well as I wish I did. I've learned lessons since the last time we uprooted our whole lives and I have to hope that God will provide direction quickly so that I don't have the chance to try to take things into my own hands and make a mess of them. ;o )
Not a cheery blog - but an honest one.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Spring Break Reviews #3
Spring Break Day 3 - the "get-lots-of-work-done-so-you-can-feel-accomplished" day.
BIBLIOPHILIA: I love reviewing literature.
Face on the Milk Carton - loved it. I went to the public library this morning to check out the next three books in that series just because I want to read them all before I get my kiddos hooked on some series if it turns out that they're all garbage. My mom wouldn't let me read this book as a kid, and I had to call her today on the phone and specifically apologize for reading it now and confess my love for the story. Ahh, sweet cleansing.
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes is FIVE STARS baby. I loved this sweet little tome. Each chapter is told by a different student in a high school English class in the Bronx. Their English teacher gets them all to start reciting original poetry once the kids realize that it's not much different from rap. After each chapter is the poem that character speaks at their weekly poetry reading. A really "whole" story about diverse characters and situations from an impoverished area. I want to read sections of it to my students. BTW, it won the "Coretta Scott King" award for literature which promotes peace, non-violent social change and brotherhood.
LIFE REVIEWS:
1. Ryan graduates this May, which led us to think about graduation announcements and potential wish lists for parents who want to buy him something memorable. I am excited to get my hands on these announcements, being the paper-phile (I'm sure there is an actual word for this... the closest I could get was logophile... lover of words) that I am. Is $3.50 for four announcements a good price? I am also pumped to purchase a store-bought cake with fancy writing and thick gooey frosting. Ryan doesn't want any part of this and desires that no attention be drawn to himself, so I think I may have them script in pink something like, "at least he's not turning 30" or "Paramaribo is the capital of the Republic of Suriname" instead. I might also ask for gigantic flowers all over the place.
2. I have begun the arduous process of researching which states in this country have reciprocal agreements with Kansas for the transfer of teaching licenses. Since Ryan has begun the process of sending out his resume to various regions, I figured I had better get on the stick with figuring out how my job may change. Here are a few highlights from my searches today:
MAINE: will take anyone... literally. There are no real requirements other than "send us your application." Low fees involved.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: only need to have 3+ months of previous experience, as opposed to the 3 years that most other states require (I only have 2). I will have to submit a portfolio demonstrating that I'm legit. $300 fee to submit said portfolio. Do I get a discount for having been born there? No.
VERMONT: sucks. I would also have to submit a portfolio, which is peer reviewed, due to lack of experience. However, this peer review process costs over $1,000 and requires two in-person visits for seminars, etc... Did I mention I currently live in Kansas and Vermont really has no major airports to speak of?
RHODE ISLAND: has no reciprocity with the state of Kansas. $50 application fee to try though... might give it a go.
CONNECTICUT: no official reciprocity with any state, which is interesting. I would only need 20 months of "successful" (how do they measure this?), "appropriate" (again, is there a scale?) full-time teaching experience to apply for an out-of-state license transfer. $50 application fee. Reasonable.
NEW YORK: website was too confusing. Am I a moron? Is New York always this way? Gave up and wrote myself a note to "call a real person."
NEW JERSEY: hilarious. I will now copy directly from their state deptment of ed website an actual step to receiving a license: "Applicants applying for instructional certification must pass an examination in physiology and hygiene. The examination is administered at the county offices of education. In lieu of this examination, the applicant may present basic military training or college level study in areas such as biology, health or nutrition." So New Jersey really is smelly? Oh wait, as long as you take a college level nutrition class, you're probably fine. Love it.
MARYLAND: apparently you must have completed an out-of-state "APPORVED" program. If they won't hire me as a teacher, perhaps I could proof-read their web content instead.
VIRGINIA: see Maine. Love it.
I sort of gave up after this and really have only included the highlights here. Please say a little prayer for this not-overly-experienced English teacher. Several state websites specifically said, "due to budget cuts and decreases in staffing, application requests may involve a 6-8 month processing time." Maybe I could get a job reviewing adolescent literature? Would anyone pay me for these musings? On that note...
BIBLIOPHILIA: I love reviewing literature.
Face on the Milk Carton - loved it. I went to the public library this morning to check out the next three books in that series just because I want to read them all before I get my kiddos hooked on some series if it turns out that they're all garbage. My mom wouldn't let me read this book as a kid, and I had to call her today on the phone and specifically apologize for reading it now and confess my love for the story. Ahh, sweet cleansing.
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes is FIVE STARS baby. I loved this sweet little tome. Each chapter is told by a different student in a high school English class in the Bronx. Their English teacher gets them all to start reciting original poetry once the kids realize that it's not much different from rap. After each chapter is the poem that character speaks at their weekly poetry reading. A really "whole" story about diverse characters and situations from an impoverished area. I want to read sections of it to my students. BTW, it won the "Coretta Scott King" award for literature which promotes peace, non-violent social change and brotherhood.
LIFE REVIEWS:
1. Ryan graduates this May, which led us to think about graduation announcements and potential wish lists for parents who want to buy him something memorable. I am excited to get my hands on these announcements, being the paper-phile (I'm sure there is an actual word for this... the closest I could get was logophile... lover of words) that I am. Is $3.50 for four announcements a good price? I am also pumped to purchase a store-bought cake with fancy writing and thick gooey frosting. Ryan doesn't want any part of this and desires that no attention be drawn to himself, so I think I may have them script in pink something like, "at least he's not turning 30" or "Paramaribo is the capital of the Republic of Suriname" instead. I might also ask for gigantic flowers all over the place.
2. I have begun the arduous process of researching which states in this country have reciprocal agreements with Kansas for the transfer of teaching licenses. Since Ryan has begun the process of sending out his resume to various regions, I figured I had better get on the stick with figuring out how my job may change. Here are a few highlights from my searches today:
MAINE: will take anyone... literally. There are no real requirements other than "send us your application." Low fees involved.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: only need to have 3+ months of previous experience, as opposed to the 3 years that most other states require (I only have 2). I will have to submit a portfolio demonstrating that I'm legit. $300 fee to submit said portfolio. Do I get a discount for having been born there? No.
VERMONT: sucks. I would also have to submit a portfolio, which is peer reviewed, due to lack of experience. However, this peer review process costs over $1,000 and requires two in-person visits for seminars, etc... Did I mention I currently live in Kansas and Vermont really has no major airports to speak of?
RHODE ISLAND: has no reciprocity with the state of Kansas. $50 application fee to try though... might give it a go.
CONNECTICUT: no official reciprocity with any state, which is interesting. I would only need 20 months of "successful" (how do they measure this?), "appropriate" (again, is there a scale?) full-time teaching experience to apply for an out-of-state license transfer. $50 application fee. Reasonable.
NEW YORK: website was too confusing. Am I a moron? Is New York always this way? Gave up and wrote myself a note to "call a real person."
NEW JERSEY: hilarious. I will now copy directly from their state deptment of ed website an actual step to receiving a license: "Applicants applying for instructional certification must pass an examination in physiology and hygiene. The examination is administered at the county offices of education. In lieu of this examination, the applicant may present basic military training or college level study in areas such as biology, health or nutrition." So New Jersey really is smelly? Oh wait, as long as you take a college level nutrition class, you're probably fine. Love it.
MARYLAND: apparently you must have completed an out-of-state "APPORVED" program. If they won't hire me as a teacher, perhaps I could proof-read their web content instead.
VIRGINIA: see Maine. Love it.
I sort of gave up after this and really have only included the highlights here. Please say a little prayer for this not-overly-experienced English teacher. Several state websites specifically said, "due to budget cuts and decreases in staffing, application requests may involve a 6-8 month processing time." Maybe I could get a job reviewing adolescent literature? Would anyone pay me for these musings? On that note...
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