Guest Editor? Yes!

Well, today is the day I write about my six picks as GUEST EDITOR at AOL journals... this is that special entry I've been hinting at these past few days.

Thank you.... thank you very much!

                         

I was pleasantly surprised when I read Journals Editor Jeff’s email about two weeks ago…. He invited me to be a guest editor for aol journals this week. I felt honored to have this much attention put on my journal, but then the reality of what he was asking me to do sank in. I would have to pick six journals to feature in my guest editor entry.

Just six? I have at least 25 on my journal alerts. How would I narrow it down to six?

I’m not one to seek the spotlight, but I’m facing my fear by saying “yes” to the Guest Editor opportunity. Thanks for asking me, Jeff!

I’m supposed to write something about me… Uh, I’ve been writing about me for over a year now…. Do you want me to bore them to tears with a repeat of all that?

For those of you who are new to this journal, I am an Exceptional Children’s teacher, in my eighth year of teaching. I was 46 years old when I started teaching. This year I had made the decision to change what I do and how I do it, so I put in for a transfer to another school. In the same school system.

There is the excitement of starting over, like I felt seven years ago: meeting new people, learning something new, treading in untrod (by me) territory, and getting to know the students.

At myage, that feeling is one to treasure. I highly recommend it (starting over) to anyone over fifty. I want to learn more about my profession by teaching with others who have different backgrounds, by learning new methods, and sharing what I have learned in my seven years as a Special Education teacher. I have learned from the best these past seven years, and want to continue that path in a new environment. Likewise, I hope to bring the best of what I do into my new classrooms.

I’m married to and in love with the man who pursued me thirty-one years ago when I was a senior at the University of Georgia. He he was in the Air Force. I loved Air Force men, grew up with one all my life: my dad.

Then the third man in my life was born a few years later, my son. Now, he is in Pharmacy school at UNC-CH, but I don’t write much about him because I respect his privacy. I am very proud of his work and commitment to excellence in his profession, and especially with the dedication he shows toward community involvement. He organized a fundraiser last year, the First Annual Aging In Stride 5K, to raise money for a local senior citizens center in Orange County (NC). I participated, but not as a runner. I’m a walker. It was so successful that they are going to have it again this year. I'll be there.

My contribution to the event last year (beside walking fast and paying the $15 entry fee) was telling him to make sure that next time there are some strategically placed bathrooms for us older women. He laughed, but I was serious.

I have two mini-schnauzers, Max and Misty who keep my laughing and give me something to do when I'm home. I know, they need grooming. They'll have to wait until I have some unclaimed time.

                           

Enough about me. I want to get my editor picks in. They are not in any particular order.

http://journals.aol.com/jcgeorgiapeach/ThePeachPages/ Tara is on to something really big. I mean BIG! You can’t read her entries quickly and then leave without feeling something is touching you inside, prompting you to think again about something you thought you understood. Her writing will either surprise and delight you, anger you, or, as she has admitted, it has turned some away. But that doesn’t stop her. She has some serious work to do through her writing.

http://journals.aol.com/caromarls/ANewAdventure/ I picked Caroline because she is relatively new to aol.journals. She began about a month ago, and is learning fast the technical aspects of journaling. She is a teacher from South Africa who dearly loves our country and wants to live here permanently. Caroline has a deep capacity for loving and taking risks, and if you talk to her for ten minutes, you will find that her source of happiness is in the Lord. Her story unfolds in her journal.

http://outmavarin.blogspot.com/  I’ve directed readers to Karen’s journal several times throughout the year because I’ve been fascinated with her experiences and stories about the writing process, as well as the stories themselves. If you are interested in reading her fantasy fiction, you can start here with Part 1 of The Jace Letters. I’ve have read the first three chapters of Heirs of Mavarin, and I’m completely charmed by her characters and the story plot. But if you just want to check out her daily journal/blog, OutPost Mavarin (pronounced Mayvarin), you will learn about “Mages of Mavarin“, her newest volume which, I believe, is in the rewrite/edit phase.

I found Patrick one day while visiting another journal. He‘d left a comment there. I have since come to know him through his daily journal,  http://journals.aol.com/daddyleer/CaregivinglyYours/  where he generally reflects on his life as a Caregiver. His wife has MS. He has to modify their lives so that hers is as comfortable and active asthey can possibly be … most of us take for granted what we can do without thinking about it. His outlook is positive, humorous, and helpful. When you read his journal, you learn something about how to modify and adapt to life with someone who needs 24/7 care. He reminds us that someday we (either you or your spouse) may be the Caregiver, or the one needing the care of one.

http://journals.aol.com/siennastarr/Hopefloats/  Jackie has been through hell and back. The name of her journal speaks to her courage and vision of her future. She is on the road to a new life that even she is not sure where that will take her. She does not give in to the darkest of nights. She has a story to tell, but you won’t find out that story in one sitting. You’ll have to read it over time to hear the story this woman has to tell. Hope does float!

Natalie at Interface has always been a favorite of mine. http://journals.aol.com/lurkynat/Interface/  I think what drawsme to her journal are her brief entries about global issues and controversies. I usually avoid these topics in my journal, not wanting to think about some of the ones she brings up. Yet, they do make me search for more information so I can think about them. She also writes poems. She wrote one about me once! How flattering that was! Even so, she is very modest about her talents.

I’d like to say hello to some of my other favorites:

Kate, who lives in Scotland, is living an interesting life, with her two beautiful kids and husband, as an archaeologist and author. She writes about places in the world I‘ve never been. I think she has a wonderful life. I learn ancient history when I read her journal.

David in Sunshine Colorado is retired and living with his family in the mountains. He walks his dog and raises the school flag every morning. There is something quaint and comfortable about him, his life, and his journal.

A big hello to Michelle and Jackie, EC teachers. I like to visit their journals to see how they’re handling their classrooms, although they also write about their families and other areas of interest.

Hi also to Lori (Fitzzer) and Lori (Helmswondermom), Liz (Bethjunebug ) , Robin, and Gwynn, Donna, Penny, Gayla, Becky, Barbara, Sugar, Donna, and Marti. Oh, and Detective Dave who makes me chuckle.

Thanks for visiting and reading about my picks. I hope you find someone you would like to visit.

Bea

A good day

It's been a couple of days since I last made an entry. I just hadn't counted on being so tired when I got home from school, nor that I would be getting home as late as I have. Lately, it's been 6p.m before I even walk out of the building.

The good news is that I will soon be moved into my new classroom. I haven't been able to take any interior pictures because I've been waiting for the previous occupant to move her things that she will need in her new classroom. It's been a difficult week here at our elementary school, with the moving, and teachers being half in their classrooms and half out, waiting for the final move. Which may take place as early as Friday morning.

Yet, the spirit of the staff is positive, hopeful, and high. Being the new teacher on the block, I am impressed with their friendships and their willingness to step up and do whatever has to be done to make the school run smoothly. Without complaining. Cheerfully, even.

I wondered if maybe I just wasn't hearing the complaining since I am one of the "new kids" here. It's possible there is something going on around me that I wouldn't be aware of if others were hiding it from me, but I have this intuition that they try to make things work here, even when there are sacrifices to be made.

I am pleased to be part of this new team, and today I had a good day. I am finding out the difference between teaching fifth grade students and first grade students. This year, I have a first grade group, a second grade group, and a fifth grade inclusion class. I've been teaching 4th and 5th grades for the past seven years. I had forgotten how much fun working with the younger ones can be.

But I can't lose sight of the fact that they aren't there to make me laugh and enlighten me with their innocent wisdom and wonder. They do have learning problems, and I am there for them, to find their strengths and to give them support where they falter, to help them find ways to overcome their processing weaknesses.

Tomorrow, I hope to have that special entry in place. It may mean that I'll be posting it tonight, or very early in the morning. If I don't get to it by then, it will be after school before I can get to it.

A New Mousetrap

I'm back!

The headache is gone... I appreciate your sympathetic responses to last night's entry. From Thursday afternoon until this morning it lasted... all through the night I'd wake up and there it was, a deep dull ache.

Maybe it was the TylenolPM I took before I went to bed that helped... I took it before I wrote the entry last night, but even as I entered it, my eyes were aching from the light coming off the monitor.

Maybe it was knowing that today was Saturday!! Yeay!

I thought about going in to school to play catch up, and even put my school key in the car, hung it from the rear view mirror so I wouldn't forget it. I never made it to school.

Before I drove into town for a few groceries, I stopped at my girlfriend's house. Her eleven year old daughter had called to tell me about her new kitten that her dad had found at work this week.

Knowing her dad, it was quite a surprise that he would do such a thing. Just goes to show us all that he has a very soft spot in his big guy heart.

He had found the tiny kitten outside his work place, laying on top of another kitten, which was dead. The mother cat was nowhere to be seen, and the kitten appeared to be malnourished. From what I understand, he took the kitten into his workplace, and of course, everyone thought it was cute and fussed over it, but nobody wanted to take it home and take care of it.

He called his wife (my girlfriend) and told her what he had, and told her the sad story, before asking her if he could bring it home... they already have a dog and two cats.... but she knew if she said yes, she'd be the one taking care of it after the first three days. So she said no.

She is not a heartless woman, no. She loves animals, but like me, she believes in taking only as many pets as one is prepared to be responsible for. And she did not want the responsibility to fall on her. Someone would have to take it to the vet, clean up after its accidents, feed it, etc, etc. You know what happens when you take in a new pet, especially one so young.

Well, to make a long story short, she told him he would have to be responsible for it, he would have to take it to the vet, and so on. He agreed, and brought it home. He took it to the vet, it's clean and free of critters, malnourished somewhat, but they are taking very good care of her.

                                      

Here is my friend's daughter with the kitten, named Smitty. There's a clever story to how the cat got its name, but I wanted to make a brief entry tonight. This is going to be another spoiled, but well loved kitty cat.

And now, for one more animal story. We've always had problems with mice getting into our home. I've tried various mousetraps.

The poison. Didn't like it. They die in the house, between the walls where you can't get to them. You have to wait for the stench to go away.

The spring trap. Didn't like that kind either. I have to see the poor dead body of a tiny mouse with its eyes bulging. Not pretty. And there's blood.

The spring trap with a clip so you don't have to touch the mouse. Press the clip and it releases the dead mouse. Supposedly. Didn't like them because they don't always kill the mouse right off. Sometimes the mouse struggles for a long time, strangling, and suffering. That makes me cry.

The sticky glue pad. That one is horrible! Have you ever watched a mouse caught on that one? Worst, have you ever tried to rescue the mouse from it after it has gotten stuck? Horrible, horrible, painful. They should do away with that one.

The mouse hotel. Now there is a friendly mouse trap. The mouse is tempted to walk into the little clear plastic box. The hinged door flips open easily and lets them in. A dab of peanut butter rubbed on the outside, and some further inside is the key. The mouse goes inside, licks up all the peanut butter, then turns around and ... the lid has closed. It only opens one way, coming in. The mouse can't get out.

Now if you are a vigilant box checker, you can carry the little box outside, and release the mouse about five miles from your home so it won't come back into your house. However, it will go into someone else's house.

Any closer to your house and the mouse comes back into your house. It's a fact. I did an experiment once, after we caught a grey mouse in the box, with blue food coloring. Painted the mouse all over with blue, then released it into the woods. Two days later there was a mouse caught in the box again. A regular colored grey mouse. Not a hint of blue on it. Surrounded by a day's worth of blue poop.

Okay, for the reason I brought this up. Tonight, my husband calls to me from the garage, "Do you want to see a mouse in a predicament?" 

I wondered as I grabbed my camera, "I don't recall setting up any mousetraps lately."

I walked slowly to where he stood next to a shelf in the garage. I turned on my camera to get ready for the shot. He indicated a paper cup sitting on the shelf.

I asked if it was dead. He chuckled, "No, take a look. I think I have an idea for a new kind of mousetrap."

I peered into the tall cup, about a fourth filled with a soft drink. Must have been left behind during the week. I set down cups all the time, so does he, when we are working in the garage.

Inside was the mouse. We wondered over how it came to get into the cup. It probably crawled up above the level of the cup, then fell or jumped in. Couldn't get back out.

After I took a quick picture of it (turned out to be fuzzy), he took it outside and poured out the drink, mouse and all. The mouse took off so fast we didn't see which way it went in the darkness.

                                   

Poor little mouse!!

I love animals, and don't like to see them suffer, even mice. They have fur, and they're tiny and cute. They are food for the owls and snakes in the world, but I don't like killing them.

I think Steve is onto something when he said that it gave him an idea for a better mousetrap. The worst that can happen is that the critter will have a sugar and caffeine overload. The secret is only put enough to get the mouse wet, not to drown it. Hmmmm....!

How do you respond to the mice that get into your home? Do you have a preferred method?

Heacaches can be disabling

I hadn't realized that my last entry was on Monday... but you understand, school has started.

Staying up until midnight did not help me out this week. I expect that between now and Monday, I will have to cut back on that.

The Open House on Wednesday went very well. I had arrived at school by 7 a.m., helped other teachers move into their classrooms for a couple of hours, and worked on getting our combined resource class ready for the evening Open House. The kids and their parents were happily filling the halls by 7pm, it was over by 8:30, and I was home by 9:00pm. It was a very long and tiring, but eventful day

Thursday, I helped a teacher move her things into her new classroom for another hour or so, then was able to unload some of my things from the car and put them into the closets of my mobile unit. I could not do more than that since the 4th grade teacher has to teach from her mobile unit until her new classroom is completed and passes the inspections (along with the nine or so other classrooms in that wing). When she moves out, I am moving in. That could happen by Tuesday... could.

A painful migraine is gnawing at my brain ... has been since yesterday. I'm thinking a combination of all that physical work of moving boxes, and middle aged hormones are the cause.

Even so, today the students returned. It was a very good first day in my new school.

Not only am I remembering teachers' names, I am now learning students' names. I've been looking at the names of my students for three days, reading their records, making lists, sorting them into their classrooms, trying to get a mental picture of where they will be each hour of the day. I had met a few of them during Open House... for the most part, they seem to be very much like the students I had at my former school.

I look forward to teaching them, to helping them realize that they have the power to change the course of their life. They will improve their reading skills, and that will change their life. They don't realize the importance of that, yet, and they may not realize it until they are long into adulthood. It will be what sets them up for success in all that they do. Not just the reading skills, but the realization that they have the power to change the course of their lives.

The headache ruled today, despite my desire to eradicate it. I took something early this morning, and again at lunch time, but no results. By 5pm, I couldn't think. After I gathered a few things to take home, I left, promising another teacher that I would return either Saturday or Sunday to do what I couldn't finish today. I have to be prepared for Monday, and as of this minute, I am not. I expect I will see many teachers playing catch up tomorrow.

Darn those headaches!!

But I do look forward to Monday, and especially look forward to the day the principal says "Teachers, you can move yourself and your students into your new classrooms!"

Then you will see some interior photographs ... before and after. I want to make some surface changes to add color and style to the building. I want to personalize it, make it mine.

What I like most about the building is that I have control over the room temperature. For the first time in years, I will be able to wear long sleeves and sweaters in the winter. In my former classroom, I didn't have control over the temperature, and apparently, neither did the school... technical and mechanical issues. My room was always hot, winter or summer. I could wear sleeveless summer shirts and lightweight pants all year long in that room. Even before the hot flashes started, I would feel  hot in that room. Complaining about it often resulted in the classroom getting extremely hot in the winter or extremely cold in the summer. So I said nothing during my last year there to maintain some kind of manageable range.

Before I leave the journal tonight, I have to tell you that I will be writing a very special entry this coming week. Many of you will read it with high interest. So keep coming back for the surprise!

Now I'm going to bed and hope to wake up in the morning without this nauseating, blinding headache. I can hardly keep my eyes open while I'm typing this. Goodnight, all!

School Jitters? Not this year!

First day of school, and our principal read us a story called First Day Jitters, by Julie Danneburg and Judith Dufour Love.

It was a cute story about a girl who is very anxious about going to school. Her dad has trouble getting her out of bed... it's her first day going to a new school. She doesn't know anyone there. The principal of the new school greets her warmly as she steps out of her car, and walks her to her classroom where she meets all of .... her students!

It was hilarious... all the while a story about a teacher's first day at a new school, told as though she were a kid who wasn't ready to go. You never see the girl's face until the end when the students meet her. We all laughed!

I hope that when you click on the link above it will take you to an online reader where you can read about the story, the author, and see a couple of the pages from the story. A must read for all teachers, and for students. Older students, like 3rd-5th, I think will appreciate it, too.

Yes, our principal, after introducing all the new teachers (including myself), and reviewing highlights of the policies and procedures, the teacher handbook, dress code (for staff and students), grading, out of classroom duties, field trips, etc. etc., read us a story. As a matter of fact, she wasn't bad at reading out loud. I had no trouble imagining her reading to her own young children once, and now to her grandchildren. She has an expressive, gentle reading voice.

Did I mention she introduced all the new teachers? I didn't count them at the time we were introduced and all stood in one great line along the length of the cafeteria floor, but in my head I can see us all now, and I'd say there were about fifteen of us newbies in the building. A couple of us were formerly retired and returning, and some like me with a few years experience.  Some were brand new teachers, entering for their first year.  One was from Virginia, one from Iowa, various parts of NC... and me, from just down the road.

As she called our names, one by one we stood up and stepped forward. The AP (assistant principal) gave each of us a balloon with the word Welcome! on it, and then our principal asked us to tell something about ourselves.

What would I say? I wondered as I waited for her to call my name, listening to what the others were saying. Will I mention my former career before I became a teacher? Should I mention my family, my dogs, and how long I've lived in this fair state? How I came into teaching? Should I tell them why I came to their school, or what I was looking for? Should I give a brief rundown of my strengths, or be modest and make light of some embarassing event? Do I make them laugh? Nah, probably not that... I'm not good at improv.

Well, there I am standing at the front of the room, beside the principal, staring out at all those new faces.... new teachers to work with. I didn't know more than four of them, and had met a few more last week. One woman I remembered from twenty-eight years ago, when we were nursing mothers in LaLeche League! She had homeschooled her kids, and now they are all grown, and here she is. It's a small world!

I took a deep breath, and smiled at them all. I told them where I came from, that I had been teaching in EC for seven years, that I started teaching relatively late in life, but that I was thrilled to be part of their EC department, and looked forward to working with them, their students, and supporting them in the classroom.

Nothing spectacular, nothing memorable, but it was a start.

There were door prizes... I won a plant basket! I think I'll find a special nook for it in my new classroom.

Another EC teacher and I attempted to get a schedule made up for all of our grades... we have grades K-5 between us... and lots of kids... more than I had to serve last year. Today, right now, I don't know how it's going to look two weeks from now, but somehow we aregoing to work it out.

Maybe tomorrow I can move into my classroom. My car is packed and ready to go, but the classroom isn't ready for me to move into.

And now I've got to end this entry because I wanted to be in bed by 11:00pm and it looks like I've missed the deadline. I will have to work on that next week, though.

It's been a great day at school, meeting the teachers, sharing in their excitement, planning the schedule, and even making a brief trip to the post office during lunch break.... once the kids come back, there will be no running to the post office during lunch break.

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Anniversary J-Land!

                                            

I'll be back with an entry later in the day. Wanted to add this beautiful graphic for the occasion by Donna. This is the winning entry from the lighthouse graphic competition, started in honor of the 3-Year J-land celebration and Julie won.

So glad that I'm a part of it.

I wrote about my past in J-land last Tuesday, so here is the link if you are following that activity today! Seems I thought it was for last week... I got an early start.

If you are wanting to add an entry on your past in J-land, no matter for how long or short a time you have been here, be sure to post a link here with my entry, then stop by and say hello to Krissy, of Sometimes I Think, and leave a link there as well since it was her entry idea.

By the way, Krissy's husband John is very ill, and undergoing some extreme treatment for cancer involving blood transfusions and chemo. Do add him to your prayers and let her know you care by stopping by her journal, even if you are not planning to write about your past in J-land.

I visited for a few moments the Live Chat last night. Saw a few familiar screen names... they were having a ball talking to each other.

Have a great day. I'm off to school.

Success and Gifts

Another day that I did not go into school. I mopped and waxed my floors, instead. An extension of the cleaning that started a week ago just before I went to the mountain for my solo spiritual retreat.

Oh, don't think I am bragging about that though (not going to school), No, that is one place I really wanted to be this week, taking all of my boxes of books, materials, supplies, games, files, etc... unloading them into my new classroom, deciding how I want my classroom to look, then rearranging all those things in their proper places.

All the while, imagining the reading, math, and writing lessons I would teach, the students who would come to me with great hope in their eyes that they would learn how to read better, or pass the end of year test, or understand multiplication better... better than last year... that this year they would try harder, that this year they'd feel smarter.

I know it's the hope of every student who ever struggled with these core subjects, but probably moreso with reading than any other. It is also my hope. Reading above the others, reading first, ... reading because without it, what can you come to learn and understand for yourself without hearing of it from another, and without experiencing it first hand?

With books, and now the internet, you have a fairly unlimited myriad of sources to find out just about anything you want about China, or any place, anything, in any time period. You can read books or articles or newstories written by many different authors, giving you many viewpoints, from those who lived there to those who are only visitors, from wealthy citizens to the common workers, from those involved in politics, to those involved in the religious culture of the country... You can read it and be there today, or be there a thousand years ago. With a book, you can read it when your interest is high, put it away, and pick it up when it interests you again (or check it out of the library). With the internet, it's a keyboard button away. Not so easy to do with a TV.

If there is no one around, I can find out for myself by reading about it. If other folks don't know the answers to my questions, I can find out for myself. Maybe I'm interested in something that no one in my circle of friends and family is interested in... so what? Go read about it and find out for myself.

I know, I'm not revealing any news here.  Everyone at J-land, I feel safe in saying, loves to read, and readers often find themselves writing in response to life, and in response to what they have read.

Speaking of which, I am reading a great book to start off the school year. I had seen it laying on my Asst. Principal's desk earlier this week, made a comment about it, and the next thing I know I'm taking it home (I didn't lift it, it was loaned to me!).

It's called Leading with Soul, An Uncommon Journey of Spirit. I'm finding the parable-like story, about an executive of a large corporation who suffers from burn-out and who seeks help from a very wise woman, provides me with illumination for my own journey as a teacher. I haven't finished the book yet, but it seems that the same leadership qualities needed for successful business executives are the same as for teachers, no matter how much he or she is paid, these days.

When I say successful, I'm not referring to financial gains for the company or for the business executive. Success in this book is measured by how many people are empowered as a result of using the gifts we are given, and the gifts that we give to others.

And when I use the word gift, I am not referring to flowers, chocolates, and candles, or even trips to the spa, though these are perfectly fun to give and receive. Gifts like authorship, love, power, and significance are the keys, say the authors Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal, to igniting the passion in one's life, and as a result, in the organization in which one works.

Ah, that word passion again!!

It's often the missing ingredient in many workplaces, and I'm thinking that many folks don't expect to find it in their workplaces. I'm beginning to believe that one can find a passion for one's work, if not one's job, when one recognizes the value of service. I think we should not be ashamed if we find ourselves serving another.

Serving is not a menial labor. Certainly, when it comes to our job, we should be paid for our service. Yet, there are times in the course of the day when we would do ourselves a great service by giving something of our time, our attention, our appreciation, and our love to another.

I know, not allowed at work. Too soft. Not professional. I'm not talking about the kind of love and giving that leads to sexual harassment charges, either.

One must remember that serving is what our Lord Jesus Christ did. It's what he came to teach us how to do. To love one another is to serve one another. He worked. He was a carpenter, and a good one. Yet he lived in service to others. Certainly, he had the divine agenda on his mind during his last three years, but in the end, serving the Lord was his divine agenda (as well as saving mankind).

I know there are those who will scorn this philosophy/belief, especially in regard to the workplace, and others will jeer at the suggestive nature of serving and giving, but there is something to be said for making others feel capable, important, powerful and loved in their own lives.

Teachers do that with students. Research supports that students learn when they feel important, skillful, when they have choices (power), and are loved.

Why does it have to stop at the classroom door? Why can't it follow them into the workplace? Why do the rules often change at work? Wouldn't people feel better about themselves, and when they do, wouldn't they get more work done? More importantly, wouldn't they improve upon the quality of their work, in their relationships, their attitude, and their health?

What do you think?