My Life- Thoughts and Happenings

[luminousone]

Busy day today. A number of us from work went to a book sale. We had a fun time.

 

Younger son went to take a college entrance test today.

 

Older son is still travelling in Europe but he will be back next week.

 

I didn't make it out for a walk with my friend C, because I remembered that I was supposed to make a display for a church dinner tonight. I will see her tomorrow.

 

Off to the dinner soon.

[luminousone]

Busy crazy week.

 

Older son is back from his trip. I haven't seen him yet but he said he had a great time. I am glad he is home though.

 

Younger son was with me this week. I went to see him run at a track meet. He also had a major school event with his language arts and social studies classes so he was busy writing papers and getting ready.

 

My work was intense this week but fruitful. We will have some major changes next year and most of us will be moving rooms around this summer.

 

It was so cold and rainy this week that I pulled out my sweaters, but yesterday it started to warm up finally. Things must be blooming, because my sinuses are driving me crazy with my allergies.

 

I have to do my taxes this weekend and I am dreading doing them.

[Silverbirch]

Blah taxes - one of my least favourite things to do.

[luminousone]

I owe a bunch this year. Ack!

 

I decided to do an extension and then go to a professional to prepare them properly. Just too complicated for me.

 

I have another crazy busy week ahead.

[luminousone]

My cat caught a garden snake and brought it in as a "gift" to me. I put it back outside.

 

I still haven't found the live mouse he brought me a few days ago.

[luminousone]

Last night my cat brought in abother mouse. I put a bowl on top of it and put it outside.

 

There is a bell on his collar but I guess that doesn't help.

[luminousone]

Life is so busy right now - especially work, so I don't always have time or energy to post here. But I do keep up with threads and journals when I can.

[Silverbirch]

Glad to see life is going well for you Lum (())

[luminousone]

I had two really intense meetings - one last week and one yesterday. Yesterday's one was so difficult. I had to advocate for some of my students and one professional was finding all kinds of excuses why they couldn't do what I was recommending.

 

She has done this all year with me. This time I went into this meeting with an attitude that I will not be pushed off like that. It took an immense amount of preparation but I went into the meeting with the goal that I would make a solid case. In the end it worked! She still tried to criticize me in what materials I use but I stood my ground.

 

Later she gave me a compliment. Go figure.

 

Glad to have that one done and now I can focus on working with my kiddos.

[luminousone]

On a different note- I found the live mouse in my house. It was right by my back door, so I shooed it outside. My cat chased after it and caught it but he let it go eventually and I put it back into the bushes where the snake resides.

[Silverbirch]

Good you were able to deal with that woman. I've had nice in the feed shed recently and the farm cat cones and sits in their for hours. Sounds silly, but even though I don't like mice, I fin it hard to kill them so glad the cats take car of them.

[Seraphim]

I had two really intense meetings - one last week and one yesterday. Yesterday's one was so difficult. I had to advocate for some of my students and one professional was finding all kinds of excuses why they couldn't do what I was recommending.

 

She has done this all year with me. This time I went into this meeting with an attitude that I will not be pushed off like that. It took an immense amount of preparation but I went into the meeting with the goal that I would make a solid case. In the end it worked! She still tried to criticize me in what materials I use but I stood my ground.

 

Later she gave me a compliment. Go figure.

 

Glad to have that one done and now I can focus on working with my kiddos.

 

Thank you for being a great advocate.

[luminousone]

Thank you for being a great advocate.

 

It took me all school year until now to find my voice and resolve to speak up. I think she was shocked. Some of our students have missed out on services they need because of it. I think she knows that I am determined to push for assessment to see if they qualify for special services. Then if they don't qualify for services then so be it. But it really astounds me that she would drag her feet on assessing them.

 

One of her excuses was that our school has too many students in special ed, and her mission was to reduce over identification. I told her that over identification has nothing to do with whether a single student should be tested. Our school has nothing to do with identifying students as special needs - we recommend them to be assessed and her profession does the assessment and reviews the results and uses the district guidelines to see if they qualify. So if there are students incorrectly identified, then it is on her, and her colleagues. Not me or anyone at our school.

 

Can you tell I am still mad? You should have heard the excuses she tried to give me- I was using the wrong book, I didn't test the poor student enough, I tested them at the wrong level, and then she complained I was giving her too much work. Sheesh!

 

Okay, I will get off my soap box now.

[luminousone]

Well, I am a little wiped out after the past 2 intense weeks. Glad it is the weekend.

 

Tomorrow I hope to walk with my friend, C.

 

Then I will be going to a memorial service for a friend of my in laws who passed away this week. She had cancer that had returned and she made a decision to stop treat and enjoy the last months of her life with her family and friends. She had a good 8 months with them, and traveled with them early on.

 

When she got weaker them she stayed closer to home but still was very involved on life. She has been to church recently and even attended a women's church event last week. So I was surprised to hear she died a few days ago, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She was such a loving person full of love and light.

 

I admire her for her decision

 

Her husband had died about 5 years ago, so I hope they are together now

[luminousone]

On a different note, I made fajita chicken in the slow cooker today and it turned out great. Chicken and spices and onion and peppers.

[Silverbirch]

Sounds very nice. I just bought a new slow cooker. So far just cooked quinces in it.

[Seraphim]

It took me all school year until now to find my voice and resolve to speak up. I think she was shocked. Some of our students have missed out on services they need because of it. I think she knows that I am determined to push for assessment to see if they qualify for special services. Then if they don't qualify for services then so be it. But it really astounds me that she would drag her feet on assessing them.

 

One of her excuses was that our school has too many students in special ed, and her mission was to reduce over identification. I told her that over identification has nothing to do with whether a single student should be tested. Our school has nothing to do with identifying students as special needs - we recommend them to be assessed and her profession does the assessment and reviews the results and uses the district guidelines to see if they qualify. So if there are students incorrectly identified, then it is on her, and her colleagues. Not me or anyone at our school.

 

Can you tell I am still mad? You should have heard the excuses she tried to give me- I was using the wrong book, I didn't test the poor student enough, I tested them at the wrong level, and then she complained I was giving her too much work. Sheesh!

 

Okay, I will get off my soap box now.

 

People like her make me want to throat punch people. Thank you for standing up to her.

[Silverbirch]

She sounds a bit like my old boss. Always their own ugly politics and self-promotion underneath that behaviour

[luminousone]

Silver, since your weather is beginning to change then you are headed into soup season. Some great vegetarian soups cook up so well in the slow cooker:

 

Black bean soup, lentil soup, split pea soup, pumpkin or butternut squash curry, vegetable soup, veggie minestrone. I wonder if you can cook up beans and rice together?

[luminousone]

I'm off for my walk. Then to the memorial service. Then to a visioning and planning workshop for my work. Busy day...

[Silverbirch]

Silver, since your weather is beginning to change then you are headed into soup season. Some great vegetarian soups cook up so well in the slow cooker:

 

Black bean soup, lentil soup, split pea soup, pumpkin or butternut squash curry, vegetable soup, veggie minestrone. I wonder if you can cook up beans and rice together?

 

Hi alum,

I've done one big batch already but not in the slow cooker. I was thinking that I will use the slow-cooker for the soups now though. I feel bad that I end up composting so much fruit and veg Im given as so many people grow their own here. Friend going to show me how to do jam, but I want to have a go at doing vegetarian stocks and keep in the pantry - not enough freezer room but a huge walk-in pantry.

[luminousone]

Well, I went walking with my friend and her dog for a few hours this morning. Then I rushed home to get ready for the memorial service.

 

The service was beautiful. I sat next to one of our pastors, who is actually on sabbatical right now but came to say goodbye to our mutual friemd. She was in tears most of the service and we actually never spoke with each other - she left quickly as the service finished.

 

Beautiful music today. They had a clarinet group, a choral group, and her son actually sang a song he wrote after his dad died. I can't believe he was able to sing and I told him so. He said that was all he could do- he was unable to speak about her so he let his sister and brother in law do the talking.

 

They told me later that she had planned her own service.

 

After the service I rushed off to a meeting at work. They were doing some long term visioning and getting ready to create a 5 year plan. It was good I went, although I was late. They knew I was at the memorial service.

 

Then home to have a chicken fajita dinner with my son.

[Silverbirch]

Oh I'm sorry Lym. I didn't realise you meant memorial service for a friend. Monday here is big Memorial Day for veterans and for some reason, Iassumed you meant the same. I'm glad it went as well as it could have.

[luminousone]

The service went well. She was such an amazing woman.

[luminousone]

Work has been and continues to be intense. It seems to be slowing down a bit, because I have some major meetings behind me that I had to run.

 

I find myself looking forward to the end of the school year. On the other hand, kids are in the learning zone right now and it is great for them to have that wind in their sails.

 

In different news, my son took a college entrance exam just for practice and he got an exceptional score above the 95th percentile on it! He didn't study. He will study for it next year, so he will likely even do better. This will translate into scholarships for college in a few years.