Main » November 2004

November 21, 2004

Road Trip !

It's been an eventful week. Wednesday I fired up the computer and it promptly started loading tons of spyware onto the hard drive. I worked with it all day but even the spyware program I had from home could not rid my computer of all the garbage. I discovered that a backdoor Trojan virus had apparently snuck in through our server. I couldn't understand how this could happen since I had a virus program installed and supposedly running. When I checked, I found out that the computer tech had upgraded the system to Windows 2000 over the summer but had forgotten to upgrade the virus program. The current program would not work with Windows 2000. I took the computer to the tech and explained what was happening. It's now his mess to clear up since it was his fault that the computer was vulnerable in the first place. Of course it will probably be weeks before I see the computer again since the administration has been pulling him from his regular duties to sub for classes when they run short of substitutes! Unbelievable. We have one computer tech to take care of over 150 computers as well as teach a couple of computer classes and now he has to substitute as well. Lord help us all.

On a more positive note, our principal seems to be making an effort to get out more and talk with the students and teachers. He even smiled and said hello to me when we passed in the hallway.

Friday most of the 9th grade class went to Busch Gardens for the day. My wife Karen chaperoned on the bus with me. The kids were great and we all had a good time. It was sunny, but the temperature was moderate. I stayed in the shade as much as possible and drank lots of water. I also used a sun block moisturizer. As a result, the flushing did not get out of control. Saturday there was a little flushing and irritation, but it's better Sunday. I always worry about the heat since that is one of my main flushing triggers. The sun by itself doesn't seem to affect the rosacea symptoms as it does with some people. We are all different as to triggers. The one thing that almost always will trigger a flare in rosacea is alcohol. It's one thing I have to avoid or I pay the price every time.

Posted by Ken Albin at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2004

Interim reports

Yesterday we passed out interim grades to students. Many of these probably don't get home to the parents but at least we try to communicate. Today I got a couple of emails from parents who were asking why their child's grades were low. In one case the student had neglected to tell the parents that they had not turned in 3 daily assignments or completed a quiz they had missed when absent. I sent a copy of the student's grades home. It's going to be interesting to see how that student deals with the revelation that they have not been trying as hard as they had apparently led their parents to believe. They will probably claim that they had turned in all of their work. Responsibility is something that many of our students need to learn. In the past their parents have 'bailed them out' when they let their work slip. It's about time that they are held accountable for their actions (or lack of action). Parents do a disservice to their kids when they do not have consequences when the kid slacks off and then makes excuses for it. The second child had missed 2 assignments and had not taken a test they missed when absent. Neither of these kids have shown the motivation necessary to do well in class, but with some parental pressure they still have time to turn things around academically.

The rosacea is a little better as far as flushing is concerned. The constant flushing recently has caused several blood vessels in my face to remain visible. There isn't much I can do about this except laser treatment. I'm not thrilled at this prospect since laser therapy can sometimes actually do more damage than good. It's also extremely expensive and my insurance does not cover this treatment for rosacea. I will probably avoid it as long as the vessels are not too disfiguring. Other than that, the week has gone ok so far. It takes a lot of energy to keep the kids motivated. They are tired and ready for a break. Today we reviewed for the upcoming arthropod test by playing a beach volleyball type of game in class. I saw a number of the students taking notes, which is a good sign. They are actually beginning to worry a little about their grades and most will probably study for this test (I hope!).

Posted by Ken Albin at 03:04 PM | Comments (0)

November 12, 2004

Tired,tired,tired

Another week has ended. All in all it wasn't too bad from the perspective of teaching the students. We made it through crayfish dissection and the kids really focused on learning the parts and functions. They did great on the lab practicum Friday. On the other hand, I am pretty much of a mess after running around the room for three days helping students. They get so excited over the lab that it draws me into the general enthusiasm. It's afterwards when I realize how swollen my feet are and how drained I feel. This week was more than usually tiring because of the chess tournament I held after school each day. It concluded Friday with the awarding of trophies and picture taking.

The rosacea flushing is still hanging in with moderate intensity. Mostly it's due to stress and tiredness. I am writing this blog at about 3 o'clock local time after waking up with a 'weekend migraine' headache and taking a handfull of pills and using ice packs on my neck. It's a lot better now, so I will try to get back to bed pretty soon and catch up on rest. Take care and all the best from the nation's oldest city.

Posted by Ken Albin at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)

November 07, 2004

Threats and other joys of teaching

Hi all,

The flushing has settled in at a constant mild level now. The daily stress and tiredness will probably keep me from improving it past the current point. I will be SO thankful to have a break. This past week was a killer. We had labs two days in which I was constantly walking from table to table all day. Whew!!

My nextdoor neighbor at school poured out her frustration and fears to me Friday. She took a day off for 'sanity leave'. In her absence the classes behaved very rudely towards the substitute. It's a long story, but the gist of it was that they showed the sub no respect and would not even sit down when asked to do so. When my coworker returned, she cleaned house by chewing the classes out and sent several to the dean for detention. Two of these wonderful examples of adolescence were overheard at lunch telling others that they were going to 'do something really violent' to the teacher. One of them was seen cruising through the teacher's neighborhood the following morning. This teacher was afraid for her own safety as well as the safety of her family. I recommended that she strongly demand that the youth services officer and the deans pursue this and take appropriate action. They finally took the two students out of her class after the teacher threatened legal action aganst the school for failure to act on threats against an instructor. It's sad that teachers have little support. The administration is so concerned that they will upset some parents that they bend over backwards to appease them. Teachers have no value today at many schools except for being image promoters and babysitters.

I have 4 more years after this current school year before I can retire. I had been thinking of trying to work longer, but with the current environment I really do not think I could survive with my sanity intact. I am tired of dealing with the daily administrative garbage and lack of support. I am sick of the stress and what it is doing to my body. The good moments of being an instructor are often overshadowed these days by absurd demands and crazy expectations. We have little support, poor salaries, and no self-esteem. It's no wonder that my body is breaking down.

Posted by Ken Albin at 04:25 PM | Comments (0)