April 18, 2010: Another Fast Weekend

And just like that the weekend is over. Good thing is it was pretty productive. Got a bit of yard work done as well as cleaning out the gutters on Saturday. Sunday consisted of a couple of birthday meals - Chuck's and Mercer's. Chuck's was earlier this week but we went to brunch today to celebrate. We ate at Joyce's Family Restaurant in Fuquay. It was some really good home cookin'! Good enough to rival Mama Dip's Kitchen! None of the food would be suggested to anyone looking to lose weight before the summer. Dinner was Applebee's for Mercer's birthday, which is actually today. To compensate for brunch, I decided to have a half order grilled chicken caesar salad, followed by a trip to Ben & Jerry's (oh well, there is always tomorrow).

From the Classroom

Friday, 1st period was interesting. It went smoothly from the start, but something unusual happened towards the end of the period. The class had finished taking a test and a few students who were absent the day before were taking notes from the board when I heard quite a bit of discussion and conversation outside my trailer. When I stepped outside and stood on the stoop of my trailer several students, around eight, began to scatter in all directions - not running, but walking briskly - some walking away from campus, some back onto campus, but none I was going to be able to catch neither by my chasing them or calling on the phone for an administrator. So I had to let them go. However, down the sidewalk I recognized one of my student who was talking with his mother. As it turns out, she had returned to campus to drop off a student at school, I am not sure if it was a friend of the family or a younger sibling, and saw her son, not in class. We met on the stairs and we had a pleasant conversation about her son who has a habit of not being in class and who did not do well at all last semester. The thing of it is that if he were to come to class regularly he is smart enough to easily pass the class, most likely with a grade in the 80s at least. We spoke to him encouragingly though we clearly showed our disappointment with his performance. I told him that I was there to help no matter what and that there are many opportunities to get and turn in missing work and gave all of my professional contact information to his mother. Despite having caught the student skipping class, I felt good about the situation and am confident that is the student commits to being in class, he will do well and I would work with him regarding his third quarter grade.

April 15, 2010: Tax Day

Yes, it is Tax Day, but it is a non event for us, have already received our tax returns. Our philosophy is simple, "Pay, pay, pay, and get a refund." We know we are not disciplined enough with our money to have money in savings in case we owe in taxes. Therefore we claim the least deductions possible, allow the government to take as much of our income as possible, and then settle up with us next year. In this way, we are involuntarily saving money and giving ourselves a gift each spring when the tax return checks come. Sure, I know, if we kept the money ourselves and held onto it in even a basic savings account we would collect interest on the money and technically we would have even more money when it is all said and done. But like I said earlier, if we see that money is in the bank, it won't be in the bank for long.

From the Classroom

I have been teaching at Leesville Road High School for almost 14 full years, but I know I still have a lot to learn about teaching. Just yesterday I made a couple of observations that will be pretty important in the future.

1) Students are superstitious.

My 1st period class, regular Civics and Economics, was viewing a Power Point presentation and taking notes. I offered to put the presentation online on my website - both the Power Point Show and the handout/paper version. The hope was to speed up the class by not having to spend so much time on each slide while the students all copied down the information. Mind you, although I have done this with my two honors classes this semester, I have been reluctant to do so in the regular class because I do not trust that they will actually view the presentation on their own time. But I took a chance and let them have a try. More importantly was that some of the students who were the biggest advocates for putting the presentation on line continued to write down the notes during class. So I did not save any time at all! From this I have that the students are superstitious, they will stick to their habit out of fear that if they don't do things the way they always have, that they will not do as well. I think I will change the expectations from the beginning and give them more independence from the start.

2) Some Students Need a Forum

I have student in my 2nd period honors Civics and Economics class who needs to be in the spotlight. This student has gone so far as to challenge me to a foot race (although we did not race, I am confident I would win). The class has discovered that his goal is to fill all silence in the class with words. He does not understand the idea of "meaningful silence." Every time I pause he will interject with a story or a "what if" type question. Yesterday this became painfully obvious because I needed to finish up a unit as I was giving test on the information today. True to form, every time I paused to allow the students to think on an idea or write some information down, he filled the space with a question. I learned a valuable lesson from this, do not give him an audience and he will eventually stop. For most of the semester I have enabled this behavior by entertaining most of his questions and comments (it is social studies, being social is an important skill). But out of necessity, I had no time to entertain him and so I was forced to move on and ignore him - which at times came of as though I was being rude. We did finish the lesson yesterday and had the test today. I must remember to keep the spotlight for myself.

From the Sports Desk

Last night, Fences of Cary Blue (our softball team) had a "West Coast" game - not literally, but since it started so late it felt like I was up late watching a game from the west coast. We learned that we are not an 8:45pm team, we do much better when we begin our game at 6:45pm. We lost 16-6, run ruled in the 6th inning. Overall our bats didn't come together for most of the game until the late innings, and our defense was less than spectacular. Tack on to that the fact they were good hitters that seemed to always find the holes in the field made it very difficult to get any momentum in the field. I did continue my usual contribution going 3-3 with two doubles, one single, one run batted in, and one run scored. I do take blame for some of the things that went wrong in the game. Right from the beginning, I tried to stretch a double into a triple to lead off our half of the first inning and was thrown out at third. It is the first game this season that I led off with an out. I put us out of our rhythm from the start. It is also the first game this season we did not score any runs in the first inning. I did learn a bit from the game, but I will see just how much come next week.

To see my website for my classes, visit: Caggia Social Studies. It will always be a work in progress. So far the only pages with content are under Civics & Economics.

April 13, 2010: It's Official, the Mets Suck!

Were it not for the lowly Houston Astros (0-7), the New York Mets (2-4) would boast the worst record in the National League. But do not worry Mets fans, the season is still early, they could have the worst record before you know it. Mets fans nationwide (if there ARE Mets fans nationwide) had high hopes after their 7-1 drubbing of the Marlins on opening day, but since then it has been a train wreck. Tonight, by the 3rd inning the Mets were already trailing 8-0 to the Rockies. It seems I will have not have a team to get excited for until the fall when hockey season starts up again. I would like to say I could get excited for football, but let's be realistic, I am a Browns fan, what do I have to be excited about?

Today was an average day. I gave a LOT of notes to my honors classes today. I really hate doing it, but sometimes it has to be done. Some students began to complain citing the pain in their hands as the symptom. There was not much for me to do or say, so we trudged on until we were done. I am trying to catch up, not that I am behind, but I want to keep at the pace we have been - I want to give a test on Thursday.

I have been feeling a bit "lazy" lately, although I am not sure "lazy" is the correct term. Perhaps distracted would be more accurate. The weather is beautiful and the last thing I want to be doing is working (but I am sure that is true of everyone!). I am finding myself a little behind in my planning; I am getting to work needing copies for that day. Pretty much all year I have been doing well keeping ahead of my planning by turning copies in well in advance. I would like to get back to that and I think I will be able to after this up coming test.

I have also been having a difficult time exhibiting the will power to stay away from snacks at home. I am enjoying the taste of cookies and sweets of late and I really would like to lay off of them so that I can lose the rest of the weight I have set for my goal - ~15 more pounds to get to 160 lbs. I will continue to be more active with softball and getting in a few workouts here and there at the gym, but the will power just isn't where it needs to be. I need a little something to push me over the edge back to the level of dedication I had last year around this time. Maybe if I put on a bathing suit from last summer I may find the the incentive I need.

April 12, 2010: Crazy turn lanes!

I didn't realize it had been since Wednesday that I posted! I knew I took off for the weekend but forgot I hadn't posted at the end of the week either! Oh well, here we go.

So the Town of Cary comes up with a brilliant idea that violates rule #1: "If it's not broke, don't fix it." (Actually, Rule #1 in my class is "Read the Directions", so this is a later rule). Well apparently Cary thought it had a better idea than your usual turn arrows. It now has a crazy plan with a strange blinking yellow arrow. When the light for the oncoming traffic turns green, the turn lane will show a blinking yellow even if your side of the road remains red. It is the stupidest thing I ever saw. So now, when you get a blinking yellow, you don't really know what you are supposed to do... Do you wait because your traffic has a red, do you go because your light changed? The correct answer is choice 'c', take your chances and good luck! I saw an accident Saturday because the light turned blinking yellow and a car turned while the oncoming traffic turned green. This could easily have been avoided if the town had simply LEFT THINGS ALONE!

The weekend rolled by way too quickly. Before I knew it I was getting ready for school this morning. At least I like my classes this semester, but still getting up at 5am and being at work before 7am just seems unholy. We are rolling through the branches of government and will be testing on executive and judicial branches by the end of the week. The problem is, I am not sure what to do between now and the test. Do I bore them to death and just give them worksheets? Or should I try to be creative after years of having my creativity stifled by apathetic and unmotivated students? I am trying a few things differently; my honors class emailed their assignment to me this weekend, it was due by 7:25am this morning to my inbox! It was a current event project of sorts and I think it went over well. I will figure out how successful it was once I grade everyone's work. I have now assigned a timeline project for the President's cabinet. This is due next Monday, it is to be a poster so no email this time.

Evan and Michelle went to Wrightsville Beach for the day. They seemed to have a nice time but Michelle did not put sun block on in time and now looks like a lobster. One day she will learn, but I doubt it.

Another softball game today. We won again, this time 11-6. We are now 3-0 and in first place! I am still hitting well, I went 3-4 today, with one double, 2 runs scored, and 1 run batted in. So far I am 9 for 12, with 2 triples, 2 doubles, 6 runs batted in, 5 runs scored. I account for 26% of our run production! I feel really good about my contribution to the team! I am a little disappointed and relieved at the same time - no one is hitting the ball to me. I like to think it is because they know better, but I just think they just haven't hit the ball to me for no particular reason other than it just hasn't happened. For that I am disappointed because I want to field the ball, get some action out there. On the other hand, my should is probably around 60% and it is a good thing I haven't had to throw and make any plays.

April 7, 2010: Happy Birthday to Me

Does that sound to self-centered? I am not trying for that, but that was pretty much the only eventful thing to happen today. The day was typical, other than finding a big "Happy Birthday" sign on my classroom door when I arrived to school today. I gave the students their grade reports for the 3rd quarter. This is a print out of their all their grades for the class, it is not a report card which just lists the grade the student has for each subject. I had to go through the typical, "You all can do better" routine. I do believe many of them can do better, I am not just blowing smoke to try and motivate then. The challenge is, as the weather keeps getting nicer and nicer (80-90 degrees all week so far!), the students will be thinking more and more of being somewhere else.

I did demonstrate my naivety in class today. We were giving an example of the President meeting with party whips in Congress, and I innocently mentioned that I did not mean that he would be whipping them. I went on to say that of the US Presidents, he would be the most likely to be whipped himself. I am sure you are thinking the same thing a few of my students were, I was making bad, inappropriate, off color joke. A few of my students began laughing out loud, unable to believe I had said that. I didn't see what the big deal was because in my mind I was thinking that, well, of all the Presidents so far, Obama does not seem very physically strong compared to the previous US Presidents, as a result they all could kick his butt. That is where I was going, but it quickly became the race card. Fortunately, the students did NOT believe that I was making a racist comment. But needless to say, after the fact, I did feel pretty uncomfortable.

We had a softball game tonight. It went well, we jumped out to a 7-0 start in the first inning and won 12-7 in the end. I hit well (2-4, 3B, 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI). So far this season the team is 2-0 and I am hitting an awesome .750 (6-8, 2-3B, 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2.000SLG%). I am feeling pretty good about it. I was a little disappointed on a play I was running out to first. I was thrown out but less than an inch, I know he got me, I am not arguing that. I am disappointed because I wonder if I have "lost a step." I joked, if I were 38 I would have beat out the throw!

April 5, 2010: I Hope You Like the Color Green

... because we have enough of it here in North Carolina! This time every year the Oak trees explode! The spew thick green pollen on everything coating the entire world in green. The dusting is complete, if you sit still for five minutes your are covered. It is atrocious! We could use a little rain wash all this away.

Today was a good day, a teacher workday. Evan was at work with me today without any students. I spent the entire day getting my grades entered and finalized. They are due tomorrow by 8am and I will not have time to take care of it before that time, so I needed to get it done today. Evan is such a good kid, he is my champ! He spent the entire day watching movies on the big screen, drawing pictures, playing his DS. We went to lunch at Five Guys with a few other teachers. And Evan contributed to conversations almost like he was one of the grownups. He is awesome.

We had our first softball game this evening. A great way to start the season; we won 19-6. I went 4-4, with a triple, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. It felt great to win, but I had butterflies most of the game. Well, I make it sound like a long game, we did run rule them after 4 innings, but I did have the butterflies for the duration.

Yesterday, Donovan McNabb was traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to division rival Washington Redskins. Normally trading a quality player to a division rival would be a no-no, but considering it is the Redskins, it doesn't matter. What is worse is how the Redskins (former) starting quarter back Jason Campbell found about about the trade - from a reporter who called his home to get Campbell's take on the deal. You would think the team would want to be the first to let the player know about a trade that will affect his status as a starter. Looks to me like Campbell will be throwing the football for another franchise come this fall. But what can you expect from Dan Snyder?

Campbell found out about McNabb trade from reporter

April 4, 2010: Happy Easter

Today flew by, unfortunately as I have to go back to work tomorrow after what seemed like the shortest Spring Break in history! I spent at least 3 hours today blowing leaves left over from the fall - and I am still not done. Please, I do not want you to think I have left the leaves all winter, I blew most of them in the fall, but now I am tackling the corners and areas I do not usually clear. It is unbelievable how many leaves fall in my yard annually! (You will get an idea as to why when you look at the pictures below of the Easter Egg hunt in our back yard - too many trees!)

We had Easter dinner at home with Pete, Katie, their boys and Mercer. Spiral ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and Banana Cheesecake for desert - my request for my birthday! Michelle made the cheesecake and found an alleged Cheesecake Factory recipe online - authentic or not, it was gooood!

The boys all colored eggs in the traditional dip and dye. We "hid" filled plastic eggs in the yard for the boys to find (all filled with jellybeans). It was nice, the boys played, the adults sat and talked, nothing much to brag about other than good company.

More pictures at: My Photo Album

Chris, Brendan and Evan coloring Easter Eggs

Chris, Brendan and Evan hunting for eggs

April 3, 2010: Turn Signals!!!

If there is one thing that drives me mad on the road it is when people do not use their turn signals! They spend so much money on their cars and then choose not to use all the features - what is up with THAT? They slow down, slow down crawl to an intersection and finally turn without any warning, and I then miss the light. That is the one time a person should be allowed to just punch someone in the nose.

Today Evan woke me up on the wrong side of the bed. Basically he does this every weekend. His routine is simple: wake up early and call into our room, "Mom, what time is it?" It is usually sometime before 7am. "It is ___, go back to sleep." After about 25-30 minutes, Evan climbs out of bed, uses the bathroom in our room, drops the toilet seat with a bang, flushes the toilet, and then climbs into bed. Actually, more like climbs ONTO the bed, onto Michelle usually but then proceeds to reach across and touch me. Not for nothing, the last thing I want at a quarter after 7 in the morning is an 8 year old gently touching my arm! Usually he will not be content until one of us gets up with him and goes downstairs. Even if we convince him to just lay there with us, he cannot lay still. So this morning after repeated commands for him to go into his own bed, I finally just got up and came downstairs. I hate that kind of morning, which, as I said, is most weekends.

Today we attended the Easter Egg hunt in downtown Raleigh, at Moore Square. It was nice, organized moderately well, but still pretty chaotic! Evan only came away with six eggs after two runs. Even though he would like to get many more eggs, he is over it. He knows whatever is inside he can get elsewhere, and likely already has somewhere in his playroom!

Afterwards, Michelle and Evan went fishing with Dan and Aidan. I chose to head home and attack the back yard yet again - my never ending battle with the trees and whatever they feel like dropping into my yard. My goal today was to get rid of more leaves from the fall and all of the "prickly balls" that the trees drop. I did as much as I could before I ran out of gas in the leaf blower, I will finish the job tomorrow morning in order to clear the way for our little Easter Egg hunt in the back yard.

We ate dinner watching the hockey game on TV and true to form, the Canes lost at home 4 - 0, AGAIN. At least this time we weren't at the game! We know they are not going to make the playoffs but I'll be damned if they aren't going to cut it close. It is made all the worse when the TV announcer before every game tell the audience how close they are and that the Canes still have a chance. Why do they do that? They renew my hope every time, even after I have resigned myself to a short season.

Anyway, here a couple of pics from the Easter Egg hunt today, I will likely add some of tomorrow.

Aidan, Carlee, and Evan

Evan, Aidan, and Carlee

April 1, 2010

I couldn't come up with a catchy title for today, so the date will have to do.

It was a gorgeous day today, and we spent part inside and part outside. Evan and I went bowling with Katie, Chris and Brendan. It was fun, but I opted not to bowl so as to not hurt my neck. It is doing fine but I didn't want to do something stupid to it and screw it up just days before our softball season opener. After the two game, we went to the game room to win tickets to cash into prizes. I dropped a dollar in the "Deal or No Deal" game and came away with 75 tickets! (the 3rd highest ticket total). Afterwards we all went to Chik-fil-a for lunch, then we parted and Evan and I came home.

At home we hung out outside for a little while. Evan helped me rake the yard, then we played a little basketball and Evan wanted to ride his bike - that is wanted me to help teach him some more. It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside!

We came inside and just hung out some. I decided to work some on my website - to create a new page that will list the handouts as we encounter them so they can be printed. It will include the date assigned, date due, and instructions. . The goal is to minimize the number of excuse students will have to not have their homework. I was getting a bit frustrated at the process today when the design was not working correctly, fortunately I discovered the problem this evening and got past the first obstacle. I will like to work on it some more tomorrow but I have plenty of things to do to keep me outside most of the day, and by the looks of the forecast, that is where I will want to be!

If you are interested on the website I am working on the link is below. Presently I am only working on the "Civics & Economics" section as that is the only course I am teaching this semester. The page I was specifically working on today is also linked below. There is no direct link to it yet from the website because I haven't prepared any content, I was only working a little on the appearance. Let me know what you think.

Caggia Social Studies

Handouts at Caggia Social Studies