Main » August 2004
August 31, 2004
Videos and meeting parents
Hi all,
I appreciate the kind comments people have emailed me. You are the greatest!
We finished the respiration videos in the three Biology classes. I helped out with acoustic or electric guitar if needed and let them do it all themselves if they seemed so inclined. I don't think that we are ready to join Eric Clapton on tour but we had a lot of fun with the projects. The students really got into it and tried their best. It was interesting for me from the rosacea standpoint since I get very nervous playing in front of others. In spite of this, my flushing remained mild.
We had open house for parents last night. This is another proven flusher for me, but I handled it with humor and an easygoing manner. I guess I've done this for so many years now that it has pretty much lost it's power to terrorize me. We had a good evening and I enjoyed it. The energy level has been low today, though. I'm going to have to get extra rest tonight so I can finish the week.
That's about all here. The only other news is that on the way home today I rescued a beautiful box turtle from the middle of the road. It's always great to save one of these guys since I dn't see very many in the wild today. The area has built up and the wildlife has gotten scarce here. I did see our resident neighborhood peacock eating from our bird feeder. I don't know where he came from but he has taken up with us.
Posted by at 01:57 PM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2004
Eat your heart out, Paul McCartney!
Today we began the dreaded chapter on respiration in earnest. It's the material that I dread the most in Biology because the kids have so much difficulty understanding the process. It is also a challenge to make this material relevant and interesting. To the average 9th grade student if you don't tie in the material on a personal level to their lives they 'turn off'. With that thought in mind, I went through the process with each class today in agonizing detail. Three hours of lecture/discussion later and I am completely exhausted. They have excellent questions and seem to be really trying to understand the material. It's a rewarding but physically and mentally draining day. I'm too tired to even worry about flushing or my appearance. This may actually be a good thing because people with rosacea have a habit of fixating upon their symptoms. Ironically, losing yourself in teaching can improve the symptoms of rosacea temporarily. Today I have almost no flushing. The dryness remains a daily problem.
Tomorrow we begin our class projects on respiration. Each class will be responsible for producing a music video that outlines respiration. This is great practice in group cooperation and a relatively painless way to review this topic. I supplied the music, old rock/folk standards, and three students are working on putting respiration lyrics to the music. It's not easy to sing about respiration to the tune of "I'm a Believer" or "Signs" but I'm sure they will pull it all together. Tomorrow they will work on the background, choreography, and I will walk the musicians through the music. Next Tuesday we will tape the final product. It's a sneaky way to get them to work on the material in a fun context. After all, who hasn't dreamed of being a star at one time or another. The only downside to this is that I have to load an amplifier and guitar into a Miata and then drag it all upstairs to my room. It's worth it to see the looks on their faces when they realize that the old teacher can actually play. It's a well known fact among students that teachers only care about talking and live in a closet when they are not teaching. I won't share the fact that I almost quit college in the early 1970's to go on the road with a rock band. We teachers have to keep a little of our staid image intact, don't we? Besides, I'm still trying to recall the late 1960's/early 1970's with limited success.
Posted by at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2004
How dry I am
It's the second full week and things have remained exciting on several levels. As far as the computer system and supplies are concerned it's the usual SNAFU. The 9th grade class is mostly out in portables. As we suspected might happen, they moved the class out back without installing the lab tables or supplies we asked for. The lab tables are backordered and the county office waited until recently to order most of the requested supplies. Those poor science teachers out there have to do labs with no water, few microscopes, and inadequate electrical outlets. I feel a little guilty that I kept my room in the main building, but am thankful I have supplies and water. We did four cell labs this week and my feet almost gave out. Today the air conditioning went out from 12 AM until around 2 PM. Teaching can be rewarding but these little frustrations can sap your strength and enthusiasm over time. The heat doesn't help my rosacea either. I arrive home today very tired and pink. If that isn't enough, my throat is sore. Either I need a break soon or I need to find an extremely wealthy family who is looking to adopt a slightly older (49) kid.
I'm beginning to see a major difference between my regular and honors level Biology classes. The regular classes seem to appreciate the labs and activities much more than the honors class. Most of the honors kids have been so spoiled by their parents they just walk through the labs with a bored, indifferent attitude. The more you try to inspire many of these honors kids, the more they shut down mentally. In contrast, the regular level kids were really excited by what they were doing in the labs. Several of them told me how 'cool' the Elodea cell's appearance was today when we added salt water causing plasmolysis. That is the kind of excitement I would like to see more of with my honors level kids. It's sad how some of them just roll their eyes and smirk when you are putting all of your energy into teaching them. They have no appreciation of your efforts or of the fascination that science offers. Their parents have spent so many years telling them how special they are, these kids have the "me, me, me" syndrome.
As you can see it's very hard to remain a calm, aloof instructor if you care about teaching. Energy levels drop, the body collapses, and problems like rosacea appear. I don't have the stamina I did when I started teaching. Lately the rosacea flushing has gradually increased as my health has deteriorated. I almost didn't make it up the flight of stairs yesterday when I was carrying four gallon jugs of water for the triops aquarium. Spider veins have appeared on my sides and the skin dryness is so bad now that my skin seems to soak up any moisturizers I put on it. Along with the basic flushing I've developed styes in both eyes this week. From my reading I've found that styes are a common problem with rosacea. The eye pain and grittiness is driving me crazy. Other than that, I'm doing great!
Posted by at 07:17 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2004
The last couple of days
Hi all,
Sorry for the lack of posts the past couple of days. We were preparing for Hurricane Charley here in St. Augustine. It hit the lower western parts of Florida hard but by the time it reached us all our county got was one small funnel cloud and a couple of inches of rain. Winds stayed below 40 mph and we only lost power for a few minutes. That's good since shelters would not accept us with our 5 cats and house bunny.
Good news on the school front. I am now fully into the computer system now and can access the grade program and attendance. That took a lot of stress off of me at school. I also got a very nice student intern one period who has been helping to set up labs. She is a hard worker who previously took Biology and Anatomy with me. She plans on majoring in forensic science when she goes to college next year.
All of these things above had mixed results on the rosacea. Some flushing this week, but I kept it under pretty good control. I was a little stressed out by having to call my first parent. The 'honeymoon period' is officially over in class now and one student decided he would not bring his book, do the classwork, or even look on with another student. After a warning, we went to my office and I talked with his mother. I then put him on the telephone so he could explain to her why he was sitting in class doing nothing for 90 minutes. Each term one or more students will test the teacher's limits to see what they can get away with. Though it is stressful for me to have to handle those types of policing details, it does have the benefit of letting the rest of the class know that the expectations we talked about in class were not just rhetoric. That evening I had a migraine and the rosacea flushing worsened. It's the price a teacher will have to pay for being a good instructor. I know of a couple of teachers who basically are stress-free. They spend more time off task than on task in class. Unfortunately the students love them because they get to pretty much do whatever they want to do and the administration loves them because of feedback from the students that these are great teachers. I wonder what happens to these students when they enter college. The important message here is that in most schools image is everything. It's sad but true. Of course that makes it harder for myself and all of the other teachers when a small minority of instructors are inconsistant in their expectations and lax in their instructional rigor. The students decide that the weakest link should be their norm at school. Did I mention that stress is not good for rosacea? This is a business with a moderate degree of stress at the best of times. Bad days really tax my ability to control the flushing as well as other physical manifestations. Oh well. No one ever said this would be easy. Time to de-stress
now by petting the furry guys here.
Posted by at 12:43 AM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2004
The continuing computer saga
My laptop that is supposed to have a wireless connection to the internet isn't connecting. That means no gradebook, no absentee lists, etc... It worked fine last year before they upgraded Windows and the server. Our computer tech guy couldn't solve it quickly so he took it back to his office to run some diagnostics. At this point it isn't stressing me out as much. That's odd, isn't it? After a while I realized that it isn't worth worrying about. As a result, the flushing has receded. I'm exhausted but feel like I've put in a productve day. Using microscopes was the activity of the day and the 9th grade munchkins enjoyed looking at a variety of objects. It's always rewarding when the kids get excited about science. I only wish I had the feet of a 20 year old teacher because mine feel like they are ready to fall off after walking around from table to table all day. I'm going to relax tonight and maybe play a little guitar and talk to a couple of amateurs on the radio. Tomorrow is 'hump day' and we have another microscope lab.
Posted by at 01:53 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2004
Monday, Monday
It's been an interesting day at school. I finally got my computer only to find that the phone company had accidently cut the lines so no email, gradebook, or rollbook. Sometimes you just have to laugh. At least the kids were pretty good. We did a basic skills lab on the metric system and scientific method that kept their attention. The rosacea is not bad today despite the fact that I was out in the sun Sunday for several hours working on the amateur radio antenna. It seems that stress really is my main trigger. Dryness is always a problem, though. I woke up at 2 AM this morning itching like I had poison ivy. I'm going to have to be more religious about putting on moisturizer. Sometimes I forget or just get tired of doing it and I pay the price with itching, redness, etc...
Posted by at 03:28 PM | Comments (0)
August 08, 2004
Thoughts about teaching
First I want to thank everyone who has been reading as well as the thoughtful emails. The feedback means a lot to me.
I vacillate between thinking that teaching is a terrible profession to get into and that it is the most wonderful job one could have.
The negatives: 1) The pay is lousy for the education level attained. I have a masters degree and could earn $15000 more per year in a large research lab.
2) You have to put up with bumbling administrators who don't know how to do their jobs effectively.
3) It is an emotionally and physically draining experience if done well.
The positives: 1) Teaching can change lives. A few years ago I ran into a student I taught who came from the Boy's Ranch. He was considered a hopeless case. When I saw him he was finishing his medical residency. He said that I was responsible for his interest in science that led to him becoming a doctor.
2) Summer, a time to recharge the emotional batteries!
3) It is very rewarding when you have classroom interactions and you can see the enthusiasm of the students. It's like a light bulb lights up over them when they learn something new.
All things considered, it is not the best job for someone with rosacea. The stresses can easily cause flareups. It's what I do best, so I will just have to find better ways to control the stress level and rosacea. I don't have all that many years left and I would like to do what I can to help motivate students in science. Now if I can just get a blasted computer!
Posted by at 08:18 PM | Comments (0)
August 06, 2004
First school day!
There were two stresses today. I still have no computer. Also, our principal took over the intercom this morning and gave a 15 minute 'talk' that was elementary school level to our high school kids. He has an elementary school background but it's rather embarassing the way he talks to students who are almost adults.
The good news is that I actually got to teach today. I have two classes of regular 9th grade Biology and one class of 9th grade Honors Biology. We had a lot of fun with an opening activity on using the sense of touch. Volunteers put their hand through a hole in a box and tried to identify objects by touch. The cow eye was an interesting one! I really enjoy the teaching aspects of education. If they could take care of the ridiculous administrative issues, the rest is wonderful. I had less stress today and experienced a clearing of the rosacea flushing. It did get a little warm in class this afternoon and this caused some flushing. I sprayed my face with some cold water before the last period and that helped. You know, if the front office would get their act together and support us instead of causing stress this would be a great job. I love the interaction with the kids where I try to help them to think outside the box. It is very rewarding seeing students learning. My rosacea symptoms would be under good control if I could just lock myself in my room and teach. It's all of the other garbage that brings on the stress. All in all it was a pretty good day. I'm tired and my feet hurt so I must have done something right.
Posted by at 03:11 PM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2004
Preplanning - Day 4
The kids come tomorrow. I still have no computer. I asked one of the assistant principals why I did not receive the homeroom packets of information to give out. He checked and told me that I had somehow not been assigned a homeroom. He promptly gave me one. Stupid, stupid me! We had an afternoon faculty meeting with a very high stress level. The answers kept changing during the meeting. It was rather tragicomic. The rosacea is a little worse today. I've gone back to putting on chamomile extract, something I haven't done in months.
The whole thing is like a Three Stooges comedy here. I enjoy teaching but the turmoil and uncertainty are wearing me down. I have 5 more years before retirement. At one time I thought about teaching beyond that time. The way I feel now, it can't come soon enough. This has been the second worst school start that I've had, and it's causing flushing levels I haven't had in a year. Hopefully I will have better news in the near future.
Posted by at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2004
Preplanning - day 3
Things are not better today. I still don't have a computer for keeping grades and recording absences. They are so fouled up with putting new software on the computers and with a crashing, buggy new system, they cancelled our gradebook training today so they could keep working on the computers. The kids start in two days and we are supposed to keep grades on a program we don't know how to use. I guess it doesn't matter since I don't have a computer. The rosacea is worse today (surprise, surprise!). Even listening to Norah Jones CDs didn't tone down the stress. This place is going to hell in a handbasket and there isn't much I can do about it. At this point I'm just locking myself in my room and cleaning, making lesson plans, etc... My use of migraine medicine is up this week. I'm sure that things will work out eventually, but it doesn't look good now. I wish I could get the flushing down, but a lot of it is triggered by subconscious stress that's hard to deal with under these circumstances. My face is blotchy red now and very itchy and sensitive to even plain water. Oh, to be a type B personality! This week has been a lot like the Norah Jones song "Humble Me, Lord".
Posted by at 06:46 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2004
Preplanning - Day 2
Another day to stress me out. Our computer system is so fouled up I don't know if it will be ready for the kids Friday. At this point I don't have a computer. I tried to download my class roster from another computer and it would not do it. The program locked me out after 3 tries. Next I had to submit a request to the school computer tech to have it unlocked. He calls downtown and they are supposed to email me a new password. Of course as of 3 o'clock the note was still sitting in his mailbox. We are supposed to check roll from this program and record grades on it. My rosacea is flaring back up a moderate amount. This whole situation is ridiculous but there is nothing I can do about it. Tomorrow I am supposed to receive training on the grade book program and I can't even get into my class lists. Some days I wonder how kids get an education. The funny thing is that we made an "A" on the FCAT test, the only high school to do so in our county. I will take a few deep breaths and try to block this fiasco out of my mind for the present. That's easier said than done. I've got to reduce the flushing.
Posted by at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2004
Preplanning - first day
I'm sitting here with my feet up, smoking a cigar (yes I know I shouldn't), with two ice packs on my neck and boy does it feel good! Getting up at 5:30 AM was a shock to my system. It usually takes a few days to adjust to the new schedule. I had a nice 20 minute drive to school. Then began the MEETINGS. We had one from 8:00 AM - 11:45 AM. This was what I call a 'touchy-feely' meeting. Lots of comraderie and little substance. Type A personalities like myself don't function well in groups like this wasting time when there is so much to do. We did everything except hold hands and sing "Kum-Ba-Yah". Arggggh!!! At 1 PM I had another meeting with the 9th grade group. More 'touchy-feely' activities. By this time I am completely stressed out. My face is moderately red and burning. On one level I tell myself to just go with the flow but on a deeper level I realize that this is a waste of time. The kids are coming Friday and I haven't even looked at a textbook yet. I also don't have a computer yet. Sometime this week I will have to make time for planning. Unfortunately it will have to take a back seat to computerized gradebook and rollbook training. I found out that I am teaching Biology and Anatomy. I'm looking forward to it, but have to find a way to conserve my energy better than I did today. Tired, tired, tired.
Posted by at 02:02 PM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2004
Old girlfriends
As an aside from the general blog topic, let me share a little story with you. The other day I was on a school reunion website and I happened to see a listing for this girl, Donna, who I was engaged to in college. Her dad was transferred to another city and after a couple of weeks she left without a word and joined them. I heard from her a week later in a brief call in which she promised a letter. The letter never came. That was the last time I saw Donna. It was a major trauma in my life, taking several years before the pain diminished. It's all ancient history now, 29 years later, but I always felt bad about the way we parted. Also I am curious as to how her life has been. After talking about it with my wife Karen and getting her 'OK', I emailed Donna. No reply. Another email and still no reply. Since this site sent blind emails both ways, I thought that perhaps she had just not visited the site in a long time. A little sleuthing and I came up with her address and email. I wrote a very honest, simple email to her explaining why I wanted to talk with her. In the past Donna used silence to punish me. I thought that surely she would have changed after all of this time. She is now 51 years old and I thought she would have gained some maturity. Well.... apparently not. She never responded to my emails. Perhaps this is her way of avoiding or hiding from any perceived unpleasantness. Perhaps it is her way of 'punishing' me once again. I honestly do not know what her motives for not answering were. I made it very clear the reasons I wanted to get in touch with her. Since she did not respond to my emails, I am not going to pursue it further. If she wants to hide the rest of her life, there is nothing I can do about it. It makes me very sad, though. Closure is a good thing in a person's life. Oh well. I've had a good life since Donna so her hiding has no direct effect on me. Sometimes things work out for the best in spite of our desires. Why am I writing all of this? There is still the old scar of our former romance that has never totally healed. I guess the most compelling reason is that I wanted to lay everything out so I could understand my feelings a little better. After all of this, I still don't fully understand. I just get the feeling that she once again missed the chance to put things right. That character flaw probably had a lot to do with our breakup all those years ago. Some things never change.
Posted by at 06:51 PM | Comments (2)
School tomorrow
Vacation is over. This was the first summer in a long time I didn't take a class. The ironic thing is that I spent all of June getting over pneumonia. What's the old joke about having to go back to work to recuperate from vacation?
I was looking over the 'welcome back' sheet to see the week's schedule. The kids come back next Friday. Until then, there are enough meetings to insure we do not have enough planning time to prepare for them. Sometimes I swear the administrators do this just to stress the teachers out. I suppose the real motivation behind their shortsightedness is their desire to have the office tasks they deem important completed. I hope I can keep the rosacea under control. Today I rested a lot but the anticipation still affected me. My face is dry and peeling. Thankfully there is not a lot of redness so I may be able to avoid the worst of the symptoms. I try to relax, but the situation doesn't allow for a relaxed atmosphere. We'll see what tomorrow brings. Until then, extra moisturizer!
Posted by at 06:20 PM | Comments (0)
