Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Still Lookin'

I just got an e-mail back from the agent that I had contacted. It was a form letter--not really a rejection , but more like, "FAT CHANCE!" They just said they get over 20,000 submissions each year, but only a few ever make it to print. I chose another agent, and started all over again.

Still tryin'. Stick.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Job Huntin'?

My principal was talking to me the other day. He told me that there might be a histroy position opening at the High School. He said, "Now don't get me wrong. I think you are a great teacher, but I'm worried that we might not get the grant funding next year for this position. we don't want to leave you high and dry if that happens. They have already eliminated this job at the High School. I'm just afraid they are going to come tell me that they are doing the same thing with us, and then I'd have to tell you that you don't have a job."

I appreciate his honesty, and being up front with me. Now I just need to find a job for next year. I hope the history position is really there, or that something else comes open. Maybe my book will get published, and I'll make millions...maybe not.

Keep your fingers crossed. Stick

Who Dunnit?

I created a murder mystery for my four math classes to solve. They need to do temperature conversions, Kilogram to pounds conversions, shoe size conversions, solve math and logic problems, and even use the internet and a dictionary in order to solve the case. The winning class gets a pizza party.

It has been interesting to see the different attitudes and approaches the different classes use.

One group thought they could just make up an answer that fit all the clues and they would be done and win. Others are just siiting around while one, or two, of their team members try to solve the crime. Other groups are really into it, and are trying to figure it out. I guess you can't make everyone happy. We keep trying.

Have a great day. Stick.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Time and time again

Here it is. Parent/Teacher conference time again, and I’m all alone. We are required as teachers to be here for about 8 hours total, to be available to talk to parents about their darling children. I’ve armed myself with grade reports, progress reports, time on task reports, lexile reading reports, and a number of other reports of different criteria to help the parents help their child.

I have 65 students. I have seen 7 parents. I’ve written two chapters on my next book. I’ve beaten 22 levels of Blox-orz. I’ve finished one book I was reading, and started a second, and I’ve written this blog, along with reading all the other blogs that I follow. I guess the time has been productive. I think I’ll go try to solve the last 11 levels of Blox-orz.

Have a great day! Stick.

Friday, February 6, 2009

A star is ..

Tonight, daughter three participated in a talent show/fundraiser at the High School. She has been singing for years, sometimes with choirs, sometimes with her sisters. Tonight, however, was the first time in a while that we have heard her Really sing on her own. All I can say is... WOW! Her voice has improved dramatically since her last performance. It is no wonder that she was chosen for all state jazz choir. Putting aside all bias, she outshone everyone there tonight. At first I thought she was nervous, but she sang beautifully.

All I can say is, daughter number one, watch out, or team up!

Being proud and loud. Stick.

Damsel in Distress

My oldest daughter called me at work the other day to tell me that she had “somehow” locked both sets of her keys in the trunk of her car. She had set in her backpack, and then decided she needed to do something else in the trunk, and had laid her coat down—with her keys on top. The spares were in her backpack. Then she closed the trunk.

When I got home from work, I began the process of trying to break into her car. I took one look at the locking mechanism, and realized that I could not use the “slim jim” method, since her locks are electronic. We decided to slip a wire between the door and the frame, and try to loop the handle, thinking that pulling the handle from the inside would unlock the door. Number three daughter was standing there watching us—for an hour—then finally told us that only the front doors will open like that when the doors are all locked.

“Great! You couldn’t tell us that an hour ago.”
“I just thought you were trying to open the door from the inside, I didn’t know it was locked.”
“If it was unlocked we could open it from outside!”

So now we start on the front door. Fifteen minutes later I had the car unlocked. Problem solved, right? Nope. We thought we if we could get in the car, we could push the trunk release, and open it right up. Not in this car. If the security has been set (and it had), you cannot unlock the doors, start the car, or open the trunk without the keys. The keys are still in the trunk.

My next move was to try and take out the seats to access the trunk from inside. The kids told me that the seats fold down to make the trunk bigger. I began to look for the release mechanism to fold down the seat. Her car manual finally tells me that the release bolts are inside the trunk! However, the seats are divided, to allow two separate parts of the seat to fold down depending on the cargo to be hauled. Between the seat there is a thin gap. Very thin. Luckily, number two and number three daughters have very skinny arms. We were able to run a wire through the gap, hook the backpack, pull it up next to the seat, and with many contortions, get the keys out of the backpack and unlock the trunk-- four hours later.

Now for the topper. Two hours after that, number one daughter calls again. She had closed the keys in the trunk again. Luckily, this time, she had not armed the security, or locked the car, so she was able to pop the trunk from inside the car. I told he that if this was going to become a habit, she needed to invest in a Hide-a-key.

Take care, and keep smilin’, that’s all you can do sometimes. Stick

Sunday, February 1, 2009

A Higher Standard

My children are very involved in sports, so recently (this being the season) we have attended many basketball games. One thing I have noticed, among the many, is the different standards that boys and girls baketball are held to. What might be considered a pushing foul in girl's basketball , seems to be accepted as normal play in boy's basketball.

I watched the boys pushing, shoving, and throwing elbows without a foul called. The only time a foul was called was if any of those occurred during a shot, or shot attempt.

On the girl's side, if they started pushing and jockeying for position like the boys do, they got called for a foul.

Maybe it is because the girl's aren't supposed to be as aggressive, Although play one game with them and you'll know that's not true. Maybe we just want them to be more ladylike. Whatever it is, the disparity still exists, at least at the high school level. If anyone can explain it, let me know.

Confused, but not confounded. Stick.