Miscellaneous Missives

It's official. More than 700 (729) Minnesota public schools are not making AYP (adequate yearly progress) according to NCLB (No Child Left Behind). My school is one of those schools. As usual the Star Tribune did a stellar job in their reporting on school issues (note the sarcasm). According to the Star Tribune, "The results released Thursday by the state Department of Education led some educators to question whether the goal of having every child proficient in math and reading by 2014 is realistic." I hate to be cynical, but I really think most (if not all) educators have been questioning this for some time. The questioning didn't start Thursday. What does this mean for my school? It means we have the embarrassment of our name in the paper. We continue to work as a building to improve math and reading scores. While we are doing this, we also improve writing skills (as well as many other skills). Plus we not only teach our individual subject areas, but we de...

Today I lost my school keys. Lost is a harsh word; I misplaced my school keys. I realized this when I went to get my lip stuff attached to the keys. We had three meetings this afternoon. The keys turned up missing prior to the first of three. When we started the second, I asked to leave to look for my keys. As I was digging through my bag in my room, a former student appeared at the door. It was as though I was meant to leave the meeting to talk to her. A is a very intelligent kid, but she has a history of major drug abuse. Currently she is living with her mother up north and has been moved up a year in school, so she will be with kids her age (to 11th). The conversation started by my mentioning how pleased I was to see her and ended with my questioning her sobriety. Actually it wasn't the end of the conversation. M- Are you clean? A- I just went through eleven months of rehab. M- That doesn't mean you're clean. A- (small smile) M- You are a very intelligent youn...

When I taught high school, I had a paper on "Senioritis" that I automatically handed my seniors around January 15th. After working in the middle school for ten years, I realize that high school teachers have the same "ego" as that second semester senior. I DREAD any meeting involving 7-12 teachers. This morning we met with one of the high schools because our power is still out. 95% of the questions (complaints) were brought forth by the high school staff. The saying, "There are no stupid questions," is not factual. Yes, there are stupid questions. Later in the morning came the second round with the three middle schools and both high schools. I'm not sure why other middle school teachers sit back and listen to their high school counterparts without voicing their opinions. Surely I'm not the only one offended by their attitude and snottiness. Truly it's not as much their words as the tone of their voice. Examples: "...as it turns...

This may be the best back to school week of workshops. Yesterday bowling, today the option to work or stay home. The power is out in the building. My 6:30 alarm clock call came saying we were not allowed to go into the building because of the power outage. After I slept for two more hours, another call... no power go, in or stay home. Of course I went in but on my time. After six or so hours of work, not including my time yesterday while many were at the all district meeting, my room is ready to go. Life is good!

Today was our first day back at school. Staff meetings were scheduled all day. At the am meeting an announcement was made about the afternoon meeting. We were to meet at Lariot Lanes (a bowling alley) at 1:00. Our afternoon session was bowling. Even though our test scores released this summer were lower than expected, community building proved to be more important, and I appreciate it. Bowling is definitely not my game. I can probably count the number of times I've bowled on one hand, even after today. The afternoon was still enjoyable. Besides, it's a great way to get the staff enthused and willing to work harder which we will need to do this year. Now I'm ready to start the new school year!

Basically we used Dad's camera on the vacation because it has a better zoom. As I took pictures, I deleted quite a few and need to delete more. Tonight I looked through the pictures instead of "dealing with reality." I have a total of 372 pictures downloaded to iphoto from the week vacation. During the vacation I posted some pictures I liked. Tonight I tried to come up with my favorite five photos that had not been posted. My final count was 28. Now I've narrowed it to five. Notice I left off the otter and other animal pictures.

I'm back in Minneapolis. A wonderful friend picked us up at the airport this am (6:30). Although it is nice to be home, I'm quite overwhelmed. Kitty Klaus has been meowing non stop. My unpacking is done and the laundry is piled. Layers in Alaska are wonderful but a bit overwhelming on my bedroom floor. As soon as the bank opens, I'll get quarters and start. Actually I've also opened the mail... not bad for 7:30 am. The problem is I really want to take a nap, but I will probably take a shower and proceed with the chores of the day. Birds are chirping, but it's not Alaska. Did I mention I'm not at all prepared for work tomorrow?

Today was our last day in Alaska. Our day was not as exciting as the others, but it was entertaining. First we paid twelve dollars to go through the Wittier tunnel even though I told Dad it wouldn't be worth the money. We did see Salmon in the river afterwards to make it worthwhile. Later in the day we went to the Alaska State Fair. The line of cars to get in the fair was five miles bumper to bumper. We saw 56 pound cabbage, 84 pound Kale, large rubarb, etc. It was similar to Wittier in the not worth the money, but it was entertaining. Before we went back to the airport, we stopped in Wasila (?) the opening of the Iditarod. Although it wasn't all that great it was worth the stop. Basically the day was filled with a lot of interesting and entertaining events that didn't match the rest of the trip.

Today we were scheduled for a combo (halibut and salmon) all day charter. The water was super rough, so many boats didn't go out, and it seems that no one did halibut. We listened to the skippers discuss the waves, wind knots, weather, and miscellaneous (some appropriate and some not) chatter on the radios while we drove to fishing spots and fished. Although we didn't get our salmon limit, Dad caught four and I caught three. Considering the weather and the water, fishing was good. Actually our boat did better than most of the other boats. Besides, I can't complain about much when the sights are incredible. Homer surpasses Seward in many ways. Fishing is one of these. We paid more to go out today than we would have in Homer, and the Homer charter outclassed today's Seward charter. If I am going to pay money for a charter, I want someone helping me (all of the time). Many times I was thankful Dad was there to help me because the skipper was neither friendly nor...

I really wanted to add these three too. Today we had to erase the card on Dad's camera because I take way too many pictures.

Today we moved from Homer to Seward. We are paying about $200 more for our hotel, and I have to go to the lobby to use the internet. Our glacier/wildlife cruise today was incredible. My only complaint is that the skipper cruised by the second otter instead of staying to watch! Pictures never show the beauty, but I'll give it a try. Otters, orcas, black bears, sea lions (?), and more birds (puffins, meers, etc.)... incredible. We also saw a hump back whale and eagles, but I wasn't quick enough for pictures. Try to double click on the black bear. He looks like a black dog without magnifying the picture.

Jemele Hill does a great job saying the opposite of what I believe. She actually has made me rethink my Vick stance. I don't know what to believe. Read her article.

Today was our half day fishing trip in Homer. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we found Max (the dog that barks at whales... none today) and his owner Art through Rainbow Charters. We had to move three times before we found halibut. Dad caught more fish than I did. He caught three cod, three sharks, and three halibut. Since the halibut limit is two and the other fish get thrown back in, he ended up with two halibut. I caught two cod, one shark, and two halibut. By luck my halibut were larger than Dad's. The guide mentioned that people who know little or nothing about fishing tend to have an easier time; that's me! After a half day of fishing my shoes and socks were wet, so I bought a pair of boots to wear on Friday for our full day salmon/halibut trip. Our clothes smell like fish, so we are at the laundromat (Washboard) washing jackets and shoes.

We took the Danny J to Halibut Cove today. Upon arrival I quickly realized it was not the same boat ride across the bay I took two years ago. The animal viewing was the same (awesome... more puffins), the food was much more expensive, but the views from the island and people were more amazing. They also had a seal on the dock. "Don't pet the seal," we were warned. He did talk to us because he is kind of a crabby guy. We hiked to the top of the cove, talked with a women (80 years old) who does art with octopus ink, and watched an otter from the shore. I hiked out on the shore close enough to listen to the otter. Click on the otter (looks like logs in the water) to see him more clearly... adorable! My plan was to bring an otter home to live in my bathtub, but they are larger than I remember. Rumor from the island is they saw an otter land an octopus. Supposedly otters eat more seafood than I can afford. Our day ended with a beer (or two) at the Salty Dog. Of co...

While Dad is sleeping I checked my e-mail. I actually had comments on my blog. It was refreshing. For you I am posting four more pictures. Plus it gives me a chance to look at the pictures from yesterday while I look over Kachemak Bay. The look of the bay literally changes every hour (if not more frequently). Last night Dad and I said it would be cool to take an hourly picture from the same spot to show the changes. If you're going to Alaska, I have your hotel accommodations. I am looking at the bay as I post.

I'll make this brief. Michael Vick is a thug as is his brother (VT... cleats to a leg). Although I realize Vick is a thug and cruelty to animals is insane (literally), I'm not sure that sending him to a federal prison is the answer. Is it truly just? Of course there should be consequences, but I think a monetary fine and community service would do as much to stop animal violence. Most of these people who have dogs that are violent have initiated the violence to show they are "real men." How is jail time going to solve this problem and/or change Michael Vick?

I started choosing pictures for my blog and had to stop... too many pictures. We took wonderful pictures today as we did a road trip across a lot of the Kenai peninsula. The people have proven to be as beautiful as the country. First we met two fishers from Wisconsin. I asked them about the sign that said no fishing before August 15th. After a fifteen minute conversation, we said our goodbyes. Later near the Swanson River in Captain Cook State Park we took a picture of a grouse. Making sure it was a grouse we showed the picture to three people fishing on the bridge. They agreed it was probably a grouse. Dad started talking to them about the Silver Salmon they were fishing, and we spent the next hour watching salmon in the river and talking about... well everything. As we were driving back to Homer, we stopped to take a picture of Kachemak Bay. It was going to be a brief photo op until this lady came up and pointed out a whale frolicking in the bay. If she hadn't taken t...

This morning we flew to Alaska; This afternoon I had another first. It was the first time I had eaten buffalo meat... not bad. We arrived in Homer at 6:00 (Alaska time) and were able to schedule fishing and a boat tour. Tomorrow we will drive around the Kenai peninsula looking at the scenery. We already saw a moose in the river today, but he was gone when we turned around for the photo op. Weather in Alaska seems to be ever changing. The glacier in the first picture was bright blue, but again by the time we stopped the clouds had overtaken its beauty. Our accommodations are as expected. All of our phone conversations have been pleasant... "mom and pop" establishment. When we arrived this evening, the couple was leaving in their truck. "You must be the..." we were greeted. They gave us pleasantries and directions to our room which they had left open for us. A note was also left, "Welcome! Please go upstairs ---> Then left at the top to #3.

Some may think I'm procrastinating on the packing, but it's not necessarily true. I can't continue thinking about packing because my raincoat (want to put on the bottom) is wet. When it drys, I will be able to continue again. The good news is my raincoat works perfectly in Alaska weather. It was 58º and raining when I walked to the bank in my new, bright yellow raincoat.

My goal this morning is to pack for Alaska. I started by taking my jeans off the shelf and trying them on. It's been four or five months since I've worn them and three or four pounds. How did I actually gain wait this summer? Needless to say the jeans are much more honest than the scale. They are snug. As soon as I get back from Alaska, I will listen more to my jeans. It will be time to start walking and visiting the gym on a regular basis.

Today we went for round two of the raspberry picking. This place had at least thirty times the amount of berry bushes as the last place. We were given little glasses with duct tape to hold in our hand. The object was to pick the berries and put them in the glass with the same hand. I was not coordinated enough for that venture. Bugs were everywhere. The grasshopper made a guest appearance to scare the pickers. Little green bugs were on the berries and a couple even followed me home. Once again I cleaned and froze the raspberries. I also made a pie. Notice there is no picture! My guess is I didn't wait long enough for the juice to thicken. It's in the refrigerator, but I think I should have gone with the two crusted baked raspberry pie instead of the one crusted fresh raspberry pie.

It seems Dick knew what he was talking about at one time.

Blackle.com is a new search engine that could save 750 megawatt-hours a year. I'm not really sure about megawatt-hours, but saving energy is important. Basically it's a Google search engine with a black background. The black background saves energy. Treehugger.com thinks that Firefox should replace the Google search bar with the Blackle search bar. I will certainly use blackle if I can remember it.

Since we barely made our flight on time, I was not able to buy a snack in the airport. Instead of rushing more, I bought a "snack box" on my flight. I was not able to eat everything, so I took the Oreos, Goldfish, and Sonoma Valley Trail Mix home. After finishing my dinner of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, I opened the trail mix. Although I am used to raw nuts, I thought I'd give it a try. When I popped what I thought was a nut into my mouth, I almost spit it out. Of course, I needed to check the package to see what exactly I had put in my mouth. It was a piece of pineapple "prepared with sugar and sulfur dioxide (for color retention)." What? The picture isn't all that clear, but there is no color. Obviously the sulfur dioxide isn't working for color retention.