Whatever you say, Napoleon . . .

I have been visiting schools all month. I call it our "Fall Road Trip". The purpose is to get out and visit with the counselors, review their goals for the school year, and address concerns and questions. Aside from spending time with the counselors, I get a chance to talk to students either in the counseling center and/or the administration office. Yesterday was no different, however, my conversation with a couple of boys at one of the junior high schools was most interesting.

Me: So, why are you here on this chair outside the Principal's office?
Student 1: I wasn't doing anything, this kid was talking trash behind my back, and I told him to talk to me face to face with the trash not to say it behind my back.
Me: So, why are you here on this chair outside the Principal's office?
Student 1: I wasn't doing anything, but the kid who was talking trash about me got me in trouble.
Me: So why are you here? (Speaking to student #2 who made a loud "passing gas" noise making all of the students in the office break out in laughter and move seats away from him.)
Student 2: What? Someone took my wallet.
Me: Okay, let's talk about why you are here in school -- we can start by looking at the future -- what are your goals and plans, what do you want to be? (This is my standard question to students everywhere.)
Student 2 (the one who passed gas): I want to be a sex therapist.
Me: Okay, now get your mind out of the gutter and give me another answer.
Student 2: I want to help people with STSs.
Me: Okay, your mind is still in the gutter, let's try again --
Student 2: Okay, I want to play in the NBA and the NFL. (Mind you, this kid is about 5'3" and is wearing a pink shirt for breast cancer awareness day.)
Student 1: I know I am going to be in the NFL, I pretty much already have three scholarship offers to play in college.
Me: Oh, you do? What grade are you in?
Student 1: 9th grade (Now this student is a little taller -- maybe 5'7" or so and pretty slender.)
Me: Are you playing football now?
Student 1: No, but I have had some NFL scouts looking at me and my three friends when we play football at the park -- they said we are good enough to get scholarships -- I have three scholarship offers already.
Me: (No response, but I wanted to say "Whatever you say, Napoleon . . .")
Me: You kids have a nice day and be serious about school.

Not my month for blogging . . .

Where has this month gone? It's been nearly 20 days since my last blog post! I guess this has just not been my month for blogging. Not that things haven't happened and inspired me to blog -- just not finding the time or making the time. I have spent many otherwise blogging times reading papers, building a biome, and just keeping track of the homework for the two boys in my house -- namely, Karl and Willie. It's good work -- that homework stuff. I guess it's my hobby. I don't do scrap booking or any of that kind of stuff, but I do love editing a tough paper and working on keeping my 9th grade GPA respectable.

November is just a few days away and with it comes the NABLOPOMO -- a blog posting every day. I can't wait!

By the way, Willie has got me watching The Office. It is a show about nothing and is hilarious. The other night Willie and I were watching an episode and Karl wasn't too far from us. I commented to Willie, "I hate Dwight!" to which Karl replied, "Whose wife?" to which Willie realized, "I live in a senior citizen center!"

Yes, you may laugh all you want, but your hearing will gradually impair, too.

Have a nice day!

Autum Colors

Went for a drive over the weekend -- autumn colors are beautiful.

My day . . .

Got up and all that stuff . . .

Took Willie to school -- delivered box of materials to his junior high - Made high school visit -- looking for funding for a new day school program for students short on graduation requirements -- also met with counselor there about a new student who hasn't been in public school since 7th grade but has taken classes at SLCC - Made a junior high visit -- counselor just returned from FML (new baby), wanted to make sure she was transitioning back to work okay - Another junior high visit -- gave kudos to a new counselor who helped out with a shopping event for needy students sponsored by the Assistance League of Salt Lake -- one of the league members e-mailed me about how impressed she was with this particular counselor - Made in-building office visits -- trying to track down October 1 enrollment counts -- while doing so heard good news and sad (twins born to colleague's daughter, colleague's wife passed away -- long time battle with cancer) --Checked-in with Karl about Willie's ortho appointment - Attended brown bag meeting -- discussion on Response to Intervention -- perhaps a solution to long overdue school reform -Participated in conference call -- ACTE Legislative Committee -- update on bills and issues in Congress that impact education - Took a parent call -- mother trying to get her emotionally damaged student back into high school -- he wanted to drop out earlier in the month, but now wants back in -- facilitated re-enrollment - Took a call from a junior high counselor who had a student in her office who had done some cutting on her wrists in the locker room during PE class -- the counselor had never had this kind of situation -- I walked her through the process of what to do -- she called back later to report that the student was in the care of her parents --Went home to family -- Annie and the kidlets and Parker were there in addition to Karl and Willie -- nice surprise -- Willie's teeth hurt --Haley came by for piano lessons -- 3 students tonight - Karl has been painting all day -- he is doing a nice job --Headed to Wendy's -- to get something quick for dinner -- the kitchen is a mess --Homework time -- Willie is a good student --Got a call from Haley -- she reported a WVC Resource Officer assigned to a local high school was arrested for bad stuff --Checked-in with the grandparents - Caught up on blogging --Going to bed soon!

Parallel Passions

Passion is defined as any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling -- as love or hate. So often, passion is connected to love or intimate desires. But, the passion to which I am referring is a strong, parallel essential to your well-being and identity. It's a strong and enthusiastic desire for anything -- like a passion for music. Parallel is having the same direction, course, nature, or tendency -- corresponding, similar or analogous. In geometry, parallel lines, equidistance apart, go on into infinity, never meeting. Hmmmm . . . .

On Tuesday and Wednesday last week, I had the privilege of going back to the classroom. (A colleague who is working on her teaching license is teaching {voluntarily} Financial Literacy at the alternative school took some time off. Once her teaching license is completed, she plans to get an administrative endorsement but teaching comes first). At any rate, it was fun going back into the classroom -- I don't get there too often. The students in the class were pretty much sitting in their seats, putting in the time, doing as little as possible to pass the class so that another box on the graduation credit sheet could be checked off. I challenged the students to look beyond the requirement for graduation to see if there wasn't something pushing them along -- a passion for something parallel to their school stuff (sitting in class, mainly). Needless to say they didn't get my point, and collectively explained that school was for their parents, for college, because they had to go, and so on. How sad!

What's your parallel passion? Yes, I go to work everyday, but what motivates me to get there and to do my best? Is it my family? Is it that each day presents something new and exciting -- a new student who needs help, a new problem to solve, a new idea ponder? Is it the association with great professionals? Is it the music/news I listen to on the radio? Is it the red/orange/yellow glow of the mountains in the early morning sun? Is it the success I see each of my family members achieving? Is it my faith? It's not one, two, or three parallel passions, I have too many to list. I know that it's a passion for something that energizes and transitions people from one day to the next -- I hope my parallel passions continue to accumulate.