Life Simplified? Not so much!

It's true that 2010 was supposed to be the year I simplified, but really things are not simpler. I think getting okay with the way things ARE is perhaps a more realistic goal. In early April I did finish my ProCert and last week I received my Professional Teacher Certificate to show that that is behind me. May and June should have been less demanding and complicated by thanks to the stress of ProCert by May I had shingles (not a terrible case, but exhausting) and in June my oldest daughter graduated from high school. So no time to rest or recover.

Summer has treated me well though or really I have been better to myself: regular exercise, healthy eating, time with friends and travel.

In late June I went to AVID training in Dallas (AVID = Advancement Via Individual Determination) with 12 collegues (all men) and learned a lot and had a great time. Thankfully I work with great people who are also a great time to hang out with. By time I returned home I was glad to find drier air, cooler days and food that was not beef or BBQ.

By the end of July my family of four, plus my wonderful mother-in-law hopped a plane for 11 hours and flew to Beijing, China on a tour. Dallas weather was cool and comfortable in comparison to Beijing this time of year. It was a fabulous trip. I climbed to the top of a section of the great wall, walked hours through the Forbidden City (no longer Forbidden), rode a rickshaw through Hutong and older section of the city, and ate Chinese food until I was ready to go back to beef and BBQ!

We came home after just 8 days grateful to have gone and equally grateful to be back. I spent two lovely weeks in my own home before heading out again with my daughters to my Dad's house in Eastern Oregon. He now has what I call a "gentleman's farm" overlooking the Umatilla River with grand views of pastures of horses and the curving river. We swam and tubed the river and ate delicious home cooked food courtesy of my step mother, Dee. My teen daughters even let me read to them at bed time for old times sake.

Now I am nursing a pulled ham string and wondering how to stop time to extend my vacation. I've already been back to my classroom to prepare things and have meetings. Students will be back on Wednesday. I'm not ready, but I know they aren't either. By 8:20 on Wednesday morning I will be prepared to begin a new school year. I don't think things will be simpler, but I think I am finding better ways to go with the flow and enjoy the moment.

Score One For Free Time

The school year is in full swing. Free time is precious and in short supply. Each day I greet 115 sixteen to eighteen year-olds and try to capture their attention long enough to fill them full of literary, communication and writing knowledge. They bring their stories of when they went to bed (often in the wee hours of the morning), how they spent their days and weekends (texting, movies, hanging out, activities and the occasional bout of homework), and what's bugging them.

I like them. I like their stories. I like the teaching. I fear the grading.

The grading is what eats away free time. The other thing chewing away at the edges of free time is a class I need (one of two) to get recertified to teach. In Washington we call this the ProCert (Professional Certification). I must make a portfolio. Former students will smile with satisfaction after completing one so that they could graduate.

So I work during the days at school. Then I come home in the evenings and do homework and grade things. My own daughters require some attention mostly in the form of things they need to shop for (homecoming dresses, gifts, jeans that fit, etc.) or places they need to be driven. Occasionally they need a piece of advice.

Today is Saturday. I woke up ready to get to my homework and grading (a full recyclable grocery bag full), but first had a variety of household tasks to complete:

• Clean the shower
• Fold some laundry
• Meet the dryer repair guy
• Clean up the dryer area
• Make dinner in the crockpot...Sloppy Joes
• Sew straps on Mckenna's homecoming dress
• Sew purse for Mckenna's homecoming dress (this I added on and shouldn't have)
• Take Mckenna to friend's house
• Help move kayak

So it's 5pm and my homework is done until tomorrow and the bag of grading is no smaller. I seized some writing time though, so score one for FREE TIME. Wait, I hear my bag of grading calling. Better go unpack it.