Greetings blog readers. Okay, so I've been really, really lame about writing new posts. I'm going to make some excuses now. But before I do, I want this to be a testament that I do "walk the walk" with all this stuff I write on here. This post has little to do with teaching music. But since it comes from a music teacher, I guess it does. And I just know many of you will be able to relate.
The entire month of May was a blur. Much of April was spent worrying about what was going to happen in May. So here goes...
Field trips. Folks, there is a definite downside to being one of the few males in a teaching situation. This is especially true if you are listed as "no sub required" on the district substitute reporting website. Yes, when I'm gone, so are my classes. They just don't happen. Is this a bad thing? I'm thinking it's not. What's better for children - more time with their teacher or time in the music room with a non-music person?
During the month of May I chaperoned ten (yes, that's one-zero) field trips. The brutal part of this is that these were no down-the-street, run-of-the-mill field trips. Many of these were big, long-distance trips, ALL on school buses! The longest was the fourth grade trip to the Texas State Aquarium. For you non-Texans, that's located in Corpus Christi. My school is located in La Joya, TX. I'll save you the Google map search. That's 170 miles. In a car? Not a big deal. In a school bus that is limited to 55 mph, it's horrid (4 hours each way - remember to factor in the immigration check point and restroom stops!). Departure time: 7:30 a.m. Return time: 10:00 p.m. Time the last student was picked up: 10:45 p.m. I got home at 11:30 p.m. The only saving grace was: the next day was Saturday.
Other highlights - the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. That one is only 78 miles on a bus - each way. Third graders enjoyed it. I, on the other hand, was considering offering a "donation" to the zoo for a new exhibit. The scorching Deep South Texas heat added to the pleasure. Oh yes, I almost forgot, we were about two miles from the zoo when our bus broke down on the way there (we were one of two buses on the trip - I'm always the lucky one!)
Schlitterbahn Water Park, South Padre Island. A mere 77 miles. Departure: 7:30 a.m. Return: 7:00 p.m. and, naturally, the requisite waiting time for all to be picked up. This one was also a Friday, so I got to collapse and sleep in on Saturday. Fun trip, however. We take our "millionaires" on this one - students who read one million words (word count from books) or more during the year!
Disney on Ice! Forgive me ice skating fans, but any entertainment-related event followed by the words "...on Ice" makes me physically ill. And the best part is...I got to do that one TWICE! Once with pre-K and once with kindergarten. The good news about those two is that tiny bladders in a chilly environment meant I became very familiar with the location of restrooms. I didn't get a whole lotta seat time. Darn, and I really wanted to see Woody from Toy Story rescue the others while ice skating.
Roller skating. Now here's the deal, many of you know that I turned 50 a couple of months ago. I used to skate EVERY Saturday as a kid. That last phrase is important - AS A KID. When we arrived at the skating rink, I was seriously thinking, "Oh it has to be like riding a bike. Bend your knees, lean forward, keep your head up, not down..." Sure. Sounds good in theory. I'm here to tell you, if you haven't been on skates in 40 years, you may want to re-think the whole idea.
Bowling. One short sentence: Seriously consider the attention span of a second grader before undertaking this type of field trip. 'Nough said.
Summer School. My school district is large (about 30,000 students). They hold elementary summer school at four locations. My school is usually one of the sites due to its central location for the area. My principal had requested that I apply to be the lead teacher. It is helpful for the person in charge to be from the school in which summer school will take place (they hire teachers from throughout the district to relocate to the various sites for summer school). I had applied a few years ago and didn't get accepted, so I felt free to go ahead and register for the ISTE (International Society for Technology Education) Conference that will take place in San Antonio at the end of June. This was all good - until I got the letter saying that they had decided to hire me as lead teacher. The deadline for cancelling the conference hotel had long past - "cancellation fee." I was within the window for cancelling the conference registration...but of course, with a "cancellation fee." Fortunately, the registration was covered, the hotel: out of my pocket.
The month continued with meetings, creating schedules, creating class rosters, trying to get bus routes, assigning teachers to classrooms, etc. I finally had a handle on it and thought I could breathe for today's "work day" (half day for summer teachers to prepare their classrooms) but oh no, that wasn't about to happen...the second round of test scores came in from the state. This meant re-doing ALL of the rosters based on need by subject, transferring teachers that would not be needed, etc. all while simultaneously trying to distribute a plethora of materials to teachers eager to get started. First day of summer school is Monday, June 3. I am taking deep breaths and looking into some serious meditation (note: that's "meditation" not "medication").
Talent Show. What's the end of the year without a school-wide talent show? In between field trips, I held auditions and emceed our talent show. I gathered all the various music, approved costumes, made sure parents were aware of performances, etc. I even managed to accompany one of my singers live on the piano - we had a whole 5 minutes just before the curtain went up to practice together - but hey, I'm a professional.
School obligations. Yes, even though I was the master of field trips and summer school, I still had to prepare lesson plans, teach classes (when I could), attend committee meetings, submit grades, pack up my room for summer, and do all the things a teacher has to do at the end of the school year. As I said before, I'm a professional.
Family obligations. Several of you know, when you reach a certain age, it's time to reverse roles when it comes to your parents. It makes it difficult when you are 2,000 miles apart and tends to compound the worry. I am blessed to have my siblings still close in proximity to my parents. Nevertheless, I will be making the long trek home to do what I can later in the summer - in between the trainings I must both teach and attend.
Community obligations. Through it all, I remain faithful to my duties with my homeowners' association (I am the bookkeeper). I also have been managing the estate for a deceased close friend and finally managed to finish the last big part this past week - selling his house.
So folks, when you say, "Gee, Norm hasn't posted since March!" I'm hoping this post helps explain why. For those who may see me in person, please: smile, wave, then politely pull me aside and say, "Norm, remember...the underwear goes on the INSIDE of your pants."
Until next time...
