End of Radio Silence

Lots has been going on recently, but I've been under a self-imposed blogging ban.  Didn't want to whine, complain or otherwise send out negative energy. 

The great news - we have received our tickets to fly to AD on September 16.  Here's what's been going on in August/September:

My birthday - extremely uneventful. 

Jon's grandpa passed away after three weeks in the hospital. It was a sad day but we were grateful to be around for the funeral. 

Finished my summer teaching. Jon decided to leave work and we cleaned out the house and traveled north to visit family while waiting. 

Stayed with my sister and her family in Memphis for a couple of weeks. 

Moved to NC to stay with my mom for another week. 

Now on our way back to Florida for a couple of days before our flight out of Tampa. 

Rest in peace

Those on Malaysian flight 17.  Sad day for so many families. 

Late night blogging

After just getting home from Sarasota, where I've been teaching since 12:30 pm, I was inspired to repost this most awesome Weird Al video (thanks Marley). This is truly an English teacher's best friend! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

It's starting.

Some teachers are starting to get notice of their impending travel dates. These so far are all ADVETI and private schools. However, it makes me stress even more about everything we have to get done.  My prediction: August 10 I'll get an email for an August 17 leave date. Let's see if I'm right! 

Ouch!

Just posting to share a moving-related injury. While loading yet more books into the car to take to donate, the lift gate came down and smacked me in the head. So I'm sidelined with the baby today. Just another day in my clumsy life :-) 

🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪

Way to go Germany!   I had on my lucky shorts, we cooked up bratwurst and potato pancakes, and cracked open some St. Pauli Girl. An amazing game and quite the exciting time today!  

What I won't miss...

Lakeland is beautiful, but I won't miss driving there twice a week to teach. Sometimes I feel like I'm risking my life!  Pictures below: 

Yeah, this truck didn't like it when Florida banned "truck nuts" so he created some of his own. Oh, Lakeland. 

A practical passport post.

Anyone out there trying to get passports/document authentications done, listen up. If you have started the process early enough, you don't have to pay courier fees or wait three weeks for a post office passport appointment. 

Pro tips that worked for us:

Passports: 

Check with your local clerk of court office to see if they accept passport applications. If they do, most of the time they have a walk-in service to drop off and process your application. It took us ten minutes from walking in the door of the office to walking out with the application done.  Passports were received in the mail in three weeks! 

Passport pictures: take them yourself with a free phone app. Just stand against a white surface (like an interior door) with lots of light. Prop a baby or toddler up on an adult's shoulder to grab a good picture of them. The app will save your picture in the correct format.  Use a drugstore or Walmart app to order the pics online for less than a dollar for a six-picture sheet. 

Documents: 

We chose to use ProEx for my documents, because we were in a time crunch, but sent my husband's and daughter's through the mail. It was easy and so much cheaper. If you do it this way, allow at least 30 days. Take your documents to be notarized at your county clerk of court (if necessary).  Our marriage license and birth certificate were already notarized when issued. Send with payment and self-addressed stamped manila envelope to the state dept of state. Florida took about a week to get us our documents back. Repeat that process to the US Department of State. This took about two weeks to come back. Finally, resend to the UAE Embassy. About a week and a half later, you are good to go!  $310 and about 14 days vs. $130 (including insured postage) and about 30 days. Save money by planning in advance!! 

Hope this helps someone. Good luck! 

What I'll miss about Florida.

Everyone hates on Florida an awful lot, but as someone who was actually born and has lived a majority of her life in this state, I beg to defend Florida for a moment. Here are my Florida top ten: 

10. Orlando. I still tear up when I walk down Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom. There's a good reason why people from all over the world flock to the theme parks every year, despite the ridiculous prices and heat. 

9. The roads. They're flat, straight, and well-marked. Sure, there's almost constant construction on the main highways, but it's very easy to navigate in Florida. 

8. Winter. I spent nine years in the northeast, and winter stinks. I don't miss scraping ice off my windshield, having to warm up my car 15 minutes before I want to leave, or driving on slippery roads.  Give me our 70 degree highs and 50 degree lows. 

7. Sunshine!  It's not called the Sunshine State for nothing. I love the sun and being able to open the blinds and lighting up the whole house. 

6. Foliage. Or plants, to those who don't get it. I love palm trees, live oaks with gently swaying Spanish moss, azealeas in February, poinsettias in December, and orange blossoms in the spring. 

5. Thunderstorms. No, really. I adore lightning and thunder and driving rain. Nothing puts me to sleep quicker. Also, because the utility companies are so used to the weather, power outages never last long. 

4. The Strawberry Festival. It's starting to get more well-known, but it's essentially the same as it's always been: a home grown festival celebrating a lowly crop. And they have the best strawberry shortcakes. Ever. 

3. Southern hospitality. Not so much in the coastal areas, where almost everyone's from up north, but in the internal parts. My students from Lakeland and their parents are always so polite, well-mannered and sweet. 

2. Publix. Oh my gosh, how I love Publix. The stores are clean, the staff is friendly and helpful, and the food is amazing. Great hoagies custom made, incredible fried chicken and fresh sides, and a bakery to die for. I grew up getting my free cookie from the bakery and weighing myself on the huge scale by the front door. I love you, Publix. 

1.  The beach. Anyone who knows me knows this is always my number one reason for living in Florida. White sand beaches, gentle waves in the Gulf, and so many memories made by the water make the beach my favorite place to recharge. 

I do enjoy Florida. Most of the time. 

Go Germany!

Just getting ready to go back to work after the long holiday weekend and looking forward to the game (that I won't be able to see) at 4 pm. Here we go Germany!!! 

Easy day.

Spent it relaxing, ironing, watching tv and eating. Good thing too, since we had ridiculously heavy thunderstorms today!  Enjoying my quiet time with my family. Also had a check in from my editor- I love saying that - checking on my moving process.  It's getting more real all the time. 

Fun at the beach yesterday - courtesy of my sister. 

Skipped a day!

Already skipped a day. We went on my sister's boat and came home completely exhausted. But it was a great, fun day filled with lots of laughs.  I'll just consider this one yesterday's and do a post later on today. Here's a pic:

Aurelia having a great time on the beach. She's just like her mama!  

A long time ago...

I saw Star Wars, A New Hope for the first time.  I've been in love ever since. And how are we celebrating the 4th today? By relaxing, snacking on our favorites, and watching the original trilogy. We got started a bit later due to the Germany soccer match, but we are well into it now. And look who's getting to experience it for the first time: 

Happy Fourth of July from our family to yours :-) 

Two faced

So it came to my attention today that not all my family members are as excited for me as they pretend to be. That's fine. I just want people to be honest about their concerns with me, not talk behind my back. The only two-faced person I want in my family is this one:

I have to do what?

Making lists, hard choices about what to keep, donate and leave behind, teach 12 classes a week, fight for my summer pay from the charter school, and try and fit in time to see family while they're visiting. I kinda feel like this sometimes: 

In other news, I've gotten a lot done and am really looking forward to the move. I know there will be tears at the last moment, but it's going to be a great experience for all of us. And now a moment of silence for the US National Men's Soccer Team. You did great. 

Doing what I have to do

So this is where I'm watching the end of the US game in between reading classes. Thank goodness this church has technology!!! Onward we go with a post a day in July! And hopefully the US goes on. 

Moving...

Well, it's been a crazy June so far.  I've been teaching twelve classes a week for IRD, taking care of the baby, and trying to get rid of stuff before the move.  I'm setting myself a challenge to blog more.  In the month of July, I'm going to attempt blogging once a day, even if it's something as simple as a picture and a caption.  It's important to me to keep writing and recording everything that's happening, so I'm going to work on making sure I'm still doing it.

Baby stats from the last doctor visit:
16 pounds even, 26 1/2 inches.  She's now eating purees, Cheerios, ground beef, pancakes and scrambled egg yolks.

Bathing beauty at St. Petersburg Pass-A-Grille Beach

Summer Break

Summer break has begun, and with it the stress if preparing for the big move. My oldest daughter helped out by taking many things back to college with her, but we still have lots to do. I'm also teaching reading this summer, so I don't have as much time as I'd like. I keep seeing folks living on mattresses already and having their bags packed, and can't help thinking "we should be further along!"  

But my other self says, "it's probably going to be August, so don't go crazy!"

In the meantime, we are enjoying summer. We've already been to the beach, the pool, and are now firmly entrenched in World Cup Soccer. My husband is for Mexico and I am for Germany, so we shall see how this pans out. I also just finished my third article on learning styles for Teach UAE magazine. 

Representing Germany!! 

A Tale of Two Emirates

Part of my preparation for moving to the UAE involves, as unscientific as it seems, reading expat teacher blogs.  I diligently check my favorites regularly and am so happy when there's a new entry.  These folks are so brave and thoughtful for helping out those of us who are considering making this very big move, and some of them even pop into our Facebook group to offer advice and encouragement.  Seeing so many varying sides and ways to embrace this journey is making me wonder how my own experience in the UAE will be.  I know I won't be one of the "clubbing" teachers in the city every weekend, just because 1) I'm over 40, and I've pretty much grown out of that stage ;-) and 2) I do have an infant to contend with!  The blogs written by teachers with families seem more realistic to how my life will be, and it looks like it will be awesome!

My awesome roommates  Who needs the club?

So what do I think my days and weekends will look like? Probably pretty close to how they do now - I do know that I want to play more tennis over there, and Jon wants to learn rugby.  If we are placed in Al Ain, there's a club to do both, and I believe our evenings will be spent there.  Weekends will hopefully be times to explore our new country and have fun with Aurelia (and maybe Marley).  I'm not really sure about how much time grading and planning takes, and how much of it can be done at school, so that will be a factor in any free time we do have.

Nearly empty halls on Friday

On another note, I'm writing this blog from my empty classroom.  We have post-planning today, it's mandatory, and my room is already cleaned out. So I've brought my new Stephen King novel and will be diving into that after I'm done writing for the day.  I also need to research and begin writing article number two for Teach UAE magazine (the June issue was released yesterday, so I can officially say I am a contributing writer!).  My middle school team and I will also be going out to lunch later to say a tearful goodbye, and then I will be off to pick up the kids and head to the beach for the evening.  Sounds good - looking forward to many more working/relaxing days like this one!

Keeping Busy...

It's the last week of school here in Tampa Bay, and the students are definitely feeling it.  I can relate in some ways to a high school teacher, since my eighth graders are always "graduating" on me.  The news that I'm not coming back next year has spread through the staff, and everyone I've spoken to has been positive and has wished me luck.  I will miss so many of these great people next year, but look forward to meeting new colleagues in the UAE.

Dress like the students day - I think I nailed it!

I finally cleaned out my closet and the few boxes I had in my bedroom from our move in September.  So much throwing away of old papers and random stuff.  It does feel good!  Many, many bags of clothes for Goodwill as well.  I don't see the point in bringing most of my very old, outdated clothing to my new life.  Like many other moms, I always buy for myself last, and haven't really gotten any "new" clothes (I buy most of my stuff at the consignment or thrift stores) since I've been pregnant.

No rest for the wicked, however.  My boxes came from the Institute for Reading Development last week. This is always the start of "summer" for me, as I have been summer teaching for IRD for several years.  I definitely appreciate their professionalism and the opportunity to teach many different ages and skill levels in one summer.  The money isn't bad either. ;-)  Saturdays and Sundays will be especially fun, as I'm teaching preschoolers and beginning readers on those days.  I love being with that age for limited periods of time. They are so eager to learn and have so much fun with books.

Well, hello IRD boxes! 

While I'm teaching on the weekends, Jon will have time to practice his full-time dad skills before we leave for Abu Dhabi.  I'm sure he's going to do an amazing job!  It's pretty crazy to think that in just a few months, we'll be living halfway across the world.  I hope we're ready, but I know that we'll be supporting each other and be part of a great community of educators and their families.  Till next time!

Dad and Aurelia reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Double rainbow after tornado in our area (we are all fine)

Endings and Beginnings

The school year is only two weeks away from being over - and I'm really feeling it this year.  I'm giving away my classroom library to other teachers, preparing to toss or donate posters I've had since my first year of teaching, and facing the reality of being the "new kid" in school in August.  I actually enjoy being the new teacher in school - it gives me the opportunity to start fresh with students who may be already labeled as trouble by the other teachers, and often I manage to establish a good relationship with these "problem kids" simply because I don't seem them as a problem.  We are also getting rid of extra stuff in our house and finishing up paperwork for my husband and the baby.  All this is only a drop in the bucket of the master to do list, but every little bit helps.

I've recently been given an amazing opportunity - a beginning of something I've always wanted to do.  I am now a contributing writer for Teach UAE magazine - a new online magazine dealing with education in the UAE and other Gulf nations.  I've written two articles for them, and am enjoying the chance to write more and share my knowledge with other teachers.  It's a great magazine and I'm honored to be allowed to be a part of the organization.

I'm also getting ready for my summer job - teaching reading for the Institute of Reading Development.  This will be my third year teaching for IRD, and they are a truly professional and passionate company to work for.  I teach reading to students from preschool to adult, emphasizing different skills at each level. Surprisingly, my favorite class to teach over the summer is the pre-reader class, because the parents are an integral part of the class and the activities we do to engage the kids with the books we read are so much fun. I'm glad to be able to work for IRD in the summer - especially this year, when that salary will be put aside in the bank as savings for our start in the UAE.

In family news, everyone is doing well and we're just waiting for the end of school so that the organizing/purging can commence in earnest.  The Facebook page of hopeful EMTs is constantly discussing luggage and meetups and sharing inspirational quotes.  We're all in a holding pattern, but how we hold is different for everyone.

Let It Go...

No, this is not a Frozen post.  I've only seen the movie once, and wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be.  I'll chalk that up to my daughters telling me it was the MOST AMAZING DISNEY MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!! Never underestimate the negative power of overestimation.

This is a post about calming down.  Not something I'm good at.  But something I've had to learn to do more recently.  I admit it.  I am a control freak.  That's part of the reason I love teaching - because I have control over my classroom from how the seats are arranged to who sits where to what books the kids are reading over the summer.  So this whole moving across the world thing and being at the mercy of a government office doesn't necessarily sit well with me.  I posted last Monday about a list of things I wanted to achieve last week. I haven't done any of them.  Granted, the baby is going through a new Wonder Weeks leap and is all mommy, all the time, but still, I'm disappointed in myself for not finding the motivation to do the work.  I will try harder this week, and hopefully Aurelia will cooperate.

I cannot control everything.  I can only control my reactions to what happens to me.  I choose to do this positively when I can.  We're going through a stressful period right now in my house, and how we handle ourselves now says a lot about who we are as a family.  My ex-husband chose to have me served with papers to modify child support and it hit me hard. Not because I didn't know it was coming, but because 1) I thought we were going to handle this maturely and face to face, 2) because it was the first time I saw in black and white that he was serious about keeping Marley and 3) because all the paperwork was in his new wife's handwriting.  With the loving guidance of Jon, I managed to get over that hurdle on Saturday and move on in a positive way.

On a different note, I told my students about my move last week.  They were excited and had lots of questions, but in general, they were extremely understanding about the Middle East.  It's amazing how so many prejudices get established so quickly, but at the same time, can be quashed easily at their age.  I only got a couple of "terrorist" remarks before I managed to establish with them that the UAE is a very safe, very modern country where yes, the government is run by Muslims, but it is tolerant of other cultures and religions as well.

Ending positively, I wanted to list some of the things I'm most looking forward to doing when I get to the UAE:

Meeting my students and fellow faculty members
Shopping at Lulu's Hypermarket (an experience not to be missed, according to many bloggers)
Going to the Burj Khalifa
Seeing the Formula One races
Watching my husband learn to play rugby
Hearing the call to prayer
Not worrying about paying rent or bills (this resonates right now especially)
Not worrying about Aurelia being at day care
Seeing camels in the back of cars
Enjoying the more laid-back style that is the UAE system

Guess I'll have to learn how to let it go...

Turning Trials into Triumphs

When I woke up this morning, I remembered.  Today was the day I had a conference with "that" parent. You know the one - her child does no wrong, you are solely responsible for any less than perfect grade, and he/she always leaves the house in perfect school uniform.  This is a parent whom I have contacted via email several times during the year about various issues, but who has waited until three weeks before the end of the year to come and meet me face to face.  This is one of my trials.  My goal in this conference is to let the parent know that I'm on her side and that I want her child to be as prepared for high school as possible. This student is extremely bright, but unmotivated.  A solid B student, where there should be straight As.  Typical 8th grader, in other words.  :-)

Many times as teachers we are faced with challenges that seem insurmountable.  Administrators, students, peers and parents all have their own agendas and priorities that often clash with ours.  However, there are many ways to change the way we deal with and view difficult situations in school and turn them into a positive experience.  Here's how to spin that negativity and improve your own day in the process:

Students:  When students are resistant to learning, or if it's just "one of those days", take your objective and find another way to achieve it.  For example, when I planned a parts of speech review lesson the day before a long weekend, I was quickly faced with the reality of 22 antsy teenagers who, in their minds, were already on a mini-vacation.  So I mixed it up and taught them the slap game instead, where I wrote the parts of speech on the board, divided the class into two teams, and students took turns slapping the correct part of speech when I called out a word (if I said big, they would slap "adjective", swim - "verb").  In this way, we managed to review while allowing students to be physically and mentally engaged.

Peers:  We always want to have a collaborative, productive relationship with our fellow teachers and staff members.  The benefits of teachers who get along is priceless to school morale and performance.  We are all human, though, and miscommunications and conflicts happen.  To minimize these, a regular meeting allows everyone to be "in the loop" and feel like they have a voice in the school.  Beware of adminstrators taking over the meetings!  In our district, as in many others, we have PLCs, or professional learning communities, where the department head or another teacher take turns running the meeting and sharing strategies and knowledge.  Don't be afraid to get close to your peers as well.  Finding common interests and backgrounds can lead to a very positive working environment.

Administrators:  I've always struggled with feeling comfortable with my administrators. I think teachers in general, being their own bosses in their classrooms, have difficulty answering to higher-ups.  The teachers who are most successful at getting along with their administrators have several things in common.  First is confidence in themselves.  If you know that you are doing your job to the best of your ability, you have nothing to fear when the principal or HOF calls you into his office.  Secondly, you show up.  Teachers who have absentee issues are automatically pegged as less professional, whether that's fair or not.  Finally, cultivate a relationship with your administrator as you would with your teaching peers.  Most of the time,  administrators are former teachers with great advice to share.  Even if you're not having trouble with classroom management, break the ice with your principal by asking her what worked best in her classroom or other classrooms she's observed.  She will appreciate your interest in becoming the best teacher you can be.

Parents:  The biggest issue for many teachers.  I have known teachers to bump up a student's grade just because the parent had a reputation for raising a fuss with administration if it was too low.  At the school where I work, parents are considered "customers" and the customer is always right.  My own personal belief is that I teach as if the parents of my students are sitting in the back of the room.  This enables me to identify with the parents and see things from their point of view.  I also make sure to include positive feedback at the beginning of every student conference.  There are several keywords to remember:

If a student speaks out a lot in class, he is a leader.
If a student doesn't complete work on time, he simply needs to learn time management.
If a student is distracted, you can say she is a multitasker in training.
If a student tries to get you off on tangents, you can comment on her level of engagement and critical thinking questions.

I used several of these in my conference this morning, and the parent went from having a chip on her shoulder to asking me for advice about which high school courses her son should be taking.  The truth is the same, whether you make it ugly or not.  Why not make it easier for parents to hear about their student's issues?  We should approach conferences as interventions, as chances to make a difference with a child.  If you don't know what I mean, watch an episode of "Intervention".  There is constant positive reinforcement of good traits, eye contact, sitting in a nonconfrontational setting (don't sit parents on the opposite side of your desk), and clear setting of future goals.  I went from dreading dealing with this parent to smiling and hoping I have more contact with her in these last few weeks.

No one consciously invites challenges into their lives. They just show up.  You can handle anything life brings you as long as you stay calm, focused on the end goal, and true to yourself.  Happy teaching!

Reflections on a Monday morning

As I was driving to school this morning, I reflected that I only have two more Mondays to teach (Memorial Day is the 26th, so that doesn't count).  Two more Mondays.  That made it sink in, along with the fact that we had a garage sale this weekend and got rid of quite a bit of stuff.  I'm going to make it a priority to really begin purging this week.  Here's my list:
Monday: Go through my closet - sort into keep, donate, toss.
Tuesday: Go through my books - sort into keep, Bailey, donate.
Wednesday: Extra day for books (I have a lot).
Thursday: Go through the extra boxes in my bedroom that I STILL haven't unpacked from September and toss/donate pile them.
Friday:  Nothing.  I have a conference at 5:25 with a parent and then Jon is taking me to the beach for a makeup session from our foiled Mother's Day plans.  More below.

Mother's Day- started out awesome, sucked a little in the middle, then got good again.  First of all, Aurelia decided to get up at 4 am, so we headed down to the couch and went back to sleep after nursing.  Then Papi came downstairs, followed shortly afterward by Marley, and made me a delicious omelet for breakfast. (One of the pieces of advice I'm giving my girls on marriage is to be sure you marry a man who can cook!)  Once Ty made his way downstairs, I got my presents (a basket of all my favorite things from Marley - including Rice A Roni - don't ask!, a lovely shirt from Ty, and a preorder for Stephen King's new book Mr. Mercedes from Jon and Aurelia, along with sweet cards from all).  Then we headed for the beach.  And promptly turned around and headed home again when we found that everyone in the free world had beat us to it.  That is the ONLY time since 1992 that I haven't been able to find a spot to park at the beach.  Crazy.
After making it back home, I begged for only one thing - a nap.  My lovely family indulged me and it was so wonderful to snuggle down in my bed alone for an hour.  Felt like ten minutes, but I was reenergized and went down to the kitchen to make lasagna and meatballs for our dinner with Jon's mom.  We had a great visit with her, Jon's sister and Jon's sister's boyfriend (who, weirdly enough, I taught in eighth grade).  Aurelia had a blast playing with everyone.

All in all, just finishing up the year and getting ready for my summer job is proving to be pretty easy.  I'm hoping that the summer is productive and goes quickly.  Looking forward to my Bailey visiting on the last day of school for a week and cleaning out my classroom!  Have a wonderful week everyone!

Underwhelmed.

So Jon and I have told our respective jobs that we're moving - and the result was distinctly underwhelming. Good, I suppose, because I was living in fear that my school would fire me as soon as they found out (they have a bad reputation for that).  But I got a nice email back from my director, and that's that apparently. Scary stuff.

Facebook, on the other hand, has been very supportive.  I attribute that to the wonderful people I have as friends on FB - many people I grew up with in PA, some awesome teachers from my previous school, and assorted other cool folks I choose to associate with.  I don't believe in adding people just because I have 23 mutual friends with them. If I really didn't associate with you in high school, why would I want to now?  From what I saw at my 20 year reunion, most of those people really haven't changed much at all.

Still no movement on the Marley front - she's threatening to "pull a Bailey", which in our family code means to get really mean and antisocial until she gets her way.  As long as I'm not on the receiving end...

We have our community garage sale this weekend and hope to get rid of a lot of stuff.  Bailey will be coming down for a visit in June, and there are several items she has earmarked for herself, so after that our house will be pretty bare.  Just continuing to hope that we're not some of the last people sent over, as that will turn into just a mess.  I will be getting my prorated teaching salary through the beginning of August as well as my salary for my summer job, and we won't be paying a babysitter.  So ideally we'll have a few grand set aside in savings for when we leave.  Jon's job has offered to let him stay on until he leaves, which is a very good thing.

Also this weekend is Mother's Day.  My mom is in North Carolina for the summer, but I will be sending her something nice.  My mom is awesome.  She and I have had our differences, but I do know that everything she does, she does because she feels it's the best for me.  Jon's mom is awesome too - anything anyone needs, she is always there to help with a wonderful attitude.  Thanks to the mamas!

Grandma (my mom) and Aurelia

Pride and Sadness - A Tale of Two Daughters

So first the pride - my oldest daughter finished her third year of college today.  I'm so proud of her because of all that she's been through over the past three years.  Bad boyfriends, unprofessional professors, a transfer and a change of major, and she's still super positive about everything in her life.  I love my Bailey.  She's imperfect perfection, my first baby, and her own individual person no matter what.  She loves anything Irish, animals, her freedom, books (finally) and romantic movies.  

Bailey at the Holi Color Festival at UNCA

Now the sadness.  My second daughter, Marley, has been wanting to come to Abu Dhabi with me on my new teaching adventure.  Her father was not for it, and after debating with me for the last three months, he has finally said no for good.  I cannot take her out of the country without his consent, and I refuse to turn this into a court battle, because the only person that would get hurt would be Marley.  He feels that she should stay in this little suburb of a mediocre city and become one of the "regular" kids going to the "regular" high school.  Marley is not and never has been "regular".  She is highly creative, mature for her age in most aspects, and has very little tolerance for the drama and ridiculousness associated with most high schoolers, and girls in particular.  This decision is a bad one, and I know that he will regret it within six months of my leaving.  Hopefully he sees that he's wrong, but if he still insists on keeping her here, I will do my best to be as involved as I possibly can in her life.  I just can't imagine being without three of my four children on a regular basis (my son's not coming because logistically speaking, it will mess up his senior year and his IB diploma).

The lovely Marley

I know that this move is the best thing in the long run, but in the short term, it will be harder than I thought it would be.  I just have to look forward to Christmas, when we are planning a trip to the UK with all the kids. Bailey will finally make it to Ireland, where she has always dreamed of going, and Ty and I will be able to indulge our rabid Anglophilia in London.  Jon looks forward to touring the Guinness factory, and I'm sure Marley will just be happy to be on vacation and explore a new place.

My son Ty and his prom date - oh the humor!

So I cried a little bit.

My mom, who likes to help me whenever she can, suggested that instead of getting a storage unit, I put some of my things in my sister's shed, and others, like my very fragile first editions and Stephen King collection, in her condo while I'm out of the country.  She is leaving for North Carolina on Thursday for the summer, so we went down yesterday to clean out the shed and bring her a few boxes of books.  I packed my first editions of Hemingway, my personalized, signed copy of Jaws by Peter Benchley, assorted other signed books and about half of my SKs.  Then I sat down on my couch and cried. 

I feel silly for crying over something material, especially since I pride myself on not getting to attached to "things".  But this is different.  Each one of the books I packed this weekend has a significance to me - the Tucker Max that was the first book my husband bought me, the SK novel that I read aloud to my dad after his first stroke when he was in rehab, my great-grandmother's New Testament in German that she received on her confirmation so many years ago.  These are part of my history, my past.  It felt like giving up my past for my future, although I trust that my mother will keep my precious books safe for me. 

I hear it's hard to find books in Abu Dhabi.  Wonderful old bookstores and secondhand paperback shops apparently don't exist.  I hope that's not true, because as many times as someone has told me to buy a Kindle and download my favorites, I just can't bring myself to do it.  I love the feel of books, the smell of the paper, the ability to take them just about anywhere and not worry if they get splashed while I'm doing the dishes, dropped because I'm carrying a baby, a book and a laundry basket upstairs, or even outright destroyed, because they were left too close to the tide line while I was swimming in the sea. 

Let's not lose sight of giving up the tangible for the intangible.  Most of us prefer our flesh and blood friends to Facebook buddies, cold hard cash to Bitcoins, and a real life hug to a virtual one.  Keep books alive!  Keep people real!  Hug your friends in real life and give them a real smile.  Shake your students' hands, high five them, fist bump them.  Don't keep yourself at a distance. 

A non-related post!

This post isn't related to teaching, Abu Dhabi, or anything professional, so be warned!

This Saturday is the Natural Birth and Baby Expo here in Tampa.  I'm excited to go and to participate in the Great Cloth Diaper Change.  I never thought that I would be excited about an event that features a drum circle and changing a diaper, but there you go. 

My journey into "natural" birth and parenting started about twenty years too late.  My first three children were all born in hospitals, all induced using Pitocin, and born vaginally under epidural anesthesia while I was semi-reclined in a hospital bed.  While all the experiences turned out fine, I never knew that this wasn't the best way to have a baby.  No pain?  Check.  Don't wait for nature to take its course? Check. "Professional" supervision of the birth? Check.  I figured those days were behind me, and I viewed the natural birth and parenting movement that began gaining popularity in the 2000s as something that only hippies and granola-chomping folks espoused.

Then I got divorced and later remarried a man thirteen years younger than myself.  Life being life, I soon ended up pregnant (we had planned on having a baby together, but not quite as quickly as it happened).  The more I remembered my experiences in the hospital, the more I worried about all the intervention.  The fact that being 40 automatically put me into the high-risk category made my anxiety even worse.  I did the research and knew that having a C-section was a high probability, and that was something I definitely did not want. 

The final straw came for me over the summer, when I was about four months pregnant and waiting in my obstetrician's office.  I had been there for about 45 minutes so far and knew that when I finally did see the doctor, or possibly the nurse practicioner, that I would get five minutes with him/her and be dismissed.  I was done.  I felt like a second-class citizen, and I pride myself on being a self-advocate.  I walked out of the office without seeing the doctor. After emailing the office that I was severing my ties with them, I began researching and contacting midwives.  I found a wonderful midwife about half an hour away, and set up an initial appointment.

People who have used midwives can tell you what a different experience it is.  Imagine being the only patient in an office for an entire hour.  Imagine your care provider bringing out a Moby wrap to demonstrate babywearing to your husband.  Imagine your glucose test involving not a disgusting orange-flavored sugar drink, but a Snickers bar or regular grape juice.  It was amazing and empowering.

My birth, when it finally happened, was amazing as well.  After three straight instances of being induced (40+12, 40+4 and 39), I was able to trust my body to know when it was time.  I do admit to helping my body out with various natural ways of induction, including eating a ton of salsa the night before I actually went into labor, but nothing as invasive as hospitals use.  When I awakened at 5 am on 11/27/13 and felt the first labor pains I had ever felt in my life, I knew that I could handle what was to come.  Only five hours later, Aurelia was born in our hot tub with only myself, my husband, and our midwife there to welcome her into the world. 

Sleepy baby only 30 minutes old in bed with Mama

Our amazing midwife weighing Aurelia - bed's eye view

Now I am confident in the decisions I make for my family.  I do my research and am very public about our choices to cloth diaper, exclusively breastfeed/pump, and vaccinate our child.  I am a mix of views.  I work, but believe in stay at home moms.  I cloth diaper, but understand that many others choose to use disposables.  What it boils down to is what is best for you, your child and your entire family.  I am very careful never to criticize another parent for their choices, because I used to use disposables, feed my children formula, and stay home with them.  I've seen both sides, and as I've learned, every situation is unique.

I am looking forward to learning more on Saturday about different options for my daughter, and any other children who possibly come along.  It should be a beautiful day and an informative one as well.  Hope your weekend is wonderful!

On Teaching and Appreciation

Teacher Appreciation Week is approaching - the second week of May.  I had a great idea for anyone who wants a great way to truly appreciate their teacher.  No, it's not flowers, gift cards, or even assorted stuff with an apple theme.  It's just doing. your. work. 

That's right.  Even the simplest act of doing what you're supposed to do would be a welcome change for many teachers today.  I recently assigned a Civil War project to culminate the Civil War unit in US History.  Part of the reason is because I believe in differentiated learning, part is because even with open notes, my students don't generally test well at all.  So I spent a few hours researching different options for proving the objectives that appealed to the multiple intelligences I have in eighth grade, created a bingo board with the options carefully arranged so that a complete bingo would cover several objectives, and made sure all the students had the rubric four weeks ahead of the due date.  The due date comes, and in period 4, ten out of twenty students had no projects to hand in.  Not only have I wasted my time creating the project sheet, but my students have not proven that they have even a basic understanding of the objectives in this very important event in American History.

I love teaching.  I love my students, my colleagues, most of the parents, and even the lunch ladies.  I love being part of a bigger mission where we are all united in one goal.  I especially love when I see my students after they leave middle school, because they finally get what I was trying to tell them all along - high school is hard!  I think most teachers don't feel like they need "things" to show them they're appreciated.  They just want respectful students who work hard, involved parents who trust teachers to do their jobs, and administrators who don't micromanage.

I watched an episode of "Inside Man" last night on Netflix.  Morgan Spurlock went to Finland to experience their top education system, teach a class to Finnish students, then teach a class to an inner-city charter school class.  I was definitely impressed by the Finnish educators and principal, who emphasized trust and a holistic approach to teaching.  I was not as impressed as Morgan was, however, with the charter school (even though I teach in one).  It seemed more of a behavior management teaching style as opposed to a higher-order thinking, problem-solving style.  I did like the culture of respect engendered by the school as well as the attention to detail and emphasis on college.

So what's teaching in Abu Dhabi going to be like?  I'm pretty sure I will be using some of the behavior management and engagement strategies, but like the Finnish teacher trainer said in the documentary, I will be using entertainment as a tool most of the time.  I'm not an actor at all, until I get in front of a group of teenagers.  Then I'm on, and I don't mind even when I get on a tangent, as long as the information is relevant to my students' lives.  I'm looking forward to project-based learning with them, getting to know them and their culture, and finding out what makes them motivated. 

Rant over.  I've figured out how to get some pictures on here, so without further ado,
My husband, the baby and me:

My three oldest kids:

 

My adorable dogs, Bas and Lily:

And just for fun, my niece Lulu in some amazing sunglasses her sister brought back from Greece:

 

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it.  :) 

Hope you laugh too!

 

 

 

Life is a Fantasy....

I wish.  If my life matched my fantasy world, I would be living rent-free, teaching kids who had respect, be able to have a parent at home with the baby, and not have to deal with my ex on a daily basis.  Oh wait.  That's coming in August!!!

That's right.  When we move to Abu Dhabi, our housing will be paid for, my substantially higher income will be tax free, my husband will be home with the baby, and I'll be thousands of miles away from the ex.  Hurray!

But the real fantasy right now is fantasy baseball.  I still can't believe I'm crazy enough to attempt to manage a fantasy baseball team, but it should be interesting.  I did manage to snag Evan Longoria and David Price, so I'm in good shape there.  I do love baseball.  I love everything about the game.  Some may say that the pace is too slow, but for me it's a chance to slow down and enjoy the ride.  We all move way too fast in this world nowadays that it's a good idea to go slow. 

Again, linking back to Abu Dhabi:  Life there is apparently done at a different speed than life here.  If I felt inspired, I could list some ways that baseball, is, indeed, like Abu Dhabi (lucky thing I feel inspired):

1. The game/country goes at its own pace:  Don't even try to speed things up.  You'll just end up making the fans mad and compromising the integrity of the game. 

2. When the superstars show up, just try and stay out of their way.  I've heard that the royal family rides around in cars with crowns on the license plates.  Everyone pulls off to let them through.  Kind of like when Derek Jeter or Chris Davis takes the plate and the pitcher decides to intentionally walk them rather than risk a home run.

3. You have to immerse yourself in the culture:  In the words of Crash Davis from Bull Durham, "You have to know your cliches."  Accept the fact that you will have to cover shoulders and knees, that people will drive crazy, and that everything will be different from America.

4.  On the other hand, don't be afraid to be yourself.  Just as every batter has a distinctive swing, every person has a creative and independent way of looking at the opportunities in Abu Dhabi.  Some will travel, some will try new foods, and some will try and keep things as close to "normal" as possible.  Everyone's way of coping is legitimate.

5.  Finally, remember it's not over till it's over.  Baseball games, as much as I love them, can stretch on interminably at times.  But eventually it will end and there will be a winner.  I am sure that Abu Dhabi will strain my patience at times, but when it's over, my family and I will be the winners.  We will have savings, be debt free, have lots of stamps in our passports and so many valuable experiences and memories that will last for the rest of our lives. 

The Slippery Slope

Well, we are on the other side of spring break and it's time for that quick trip to summer vacation.  Every year in August I tell the eighth graders how quickly their year will pass, and they laugh and say, No, Miss, school takes forever.  And then it's suddenly winter break, then spring break, then graduation.  This past week has zoomed by, and everyone I've asked has agreed.  Funny.

So to prepare myself for my overseas experience, I'm going to write about a typical day in my life here in Florida.  Some of the more infomative posts I've read from others have taken this kind of format, so it's worth it to practice.  Here's yesterday:

Woke up to my iPhone alarm at 5:20 am yesterday.  After taking a shower, getting dressed and doing my hair, I woke up my husband so he could start getting ready as well.  While I get ready, he is snuggling our three and a half month old so she'll stay asleep and not want to nurse till I'm ready for her. 

I then make sure my 17 year old is up and getting ready, and wake up my 14 year old for school.  The baby and I head downstairs, where I pop a bagel in the toaster, pour a large Tervis tumbler of iced tea (heavy on the ice), take the four 3 oz bottles from the fridge and put them in the insulated pocket of the diaper bag, and go back to butter the toasted bagel.  Then the baby and I head for the living room, where I change her diaper, get her dressed, and nurse her on one side while pumping on the other, while eating my breakfast and watching the Fox 13 news (love those guys). 

When the baby's done and I've pumped about 3 oz, we stop to burp and she and I have a little fun time.  Her favorite activity right now is being held and talked to, and she loves talking back to me and smiling. It really puts me in a great mood before I have to leave her for the day, because I know that she's a happy girl who just loves interaction, and she definitely gets that with her babysitter.  At this point it's about 6:15 or so, and my son is usually puttering around getting his lunch ready and remembering one last item he's forgotten for school.  His father picks him up around 6:35, so sometimes he has time to visit with me and the baby before leaving.  My 14 year old comes down to put her stuff for the next two days in her father's car, and comes back to hang out and watch a little more news. 

When the clock hits 6:50, it's time to start moving again.  The diaper bag is rechecked, school bags checked, and the pump and pieces are washed from the morning and put into the cooler bag for school.  I strap the baby in her bouncy seat, where she will entertain herself for a few minutes, head upstairs to kiss the hubs goodbye and head out to school with the 14 year old. 

After navigating some of the worst traffic and construction in our part of the suburbs, I drop off the 14 year old and make it to my school around 7:30.  I park the car, grab all my gear, and run upstairs to take notes on the middle school meeting we hold each Thursday.  Once the meeting's over, I run three doors down the hallway to get my classroom open and the morning show set up on my computer for homeroom, which starts at 8 am. 

Getting through the day is pretty routine.  I do have a pumping break from 10:50-11:10, where I pump in the nurse's office. All my main classes are before lunch at 1:10, so it helps the day go quickly.  After lunch, I pump during my planning period in my classroom, and then we have only the book club elective to go. 

Car line happens after seventh period, and it basically entails teachers supervising students on the outside sidewalk of the school while the parents line up to pick up the students.  We use a walkie-talkie system to announce who is getting picked up, so it usually goes pretty fast.  Since it's Thursday, I have intramural football after school.  I love coaching, especially football, so this is a fun hour for me.  We have our first "game" against the other team, and it ends in a tie.  Good!

I jump in my car and drive to the babysitter's house to pick up the baby.  Since I'm about half an hour later than usual because of football, she's asleep!  She wakes up quickly when she sees me, however, so I get my big smile from her :)

We stop at the Publix on the way home to get a few supplies for dinner (we are having breakfast for dinner, one of my favorites) and then meet Daddy at home.  After another nurse/pumping session on the couch, I fix dinner while the baby and Daddy spend time together.  Dinner usually gets eaten at the coffee table in the living room, but it tastes fantastic anyway.  By the time dinner's over, it's almost 8 pm.  We watch Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsay, I do the dishes, fill bottles for the next day, and do a load of diapers while watching the show.  The baby has fallen asleep by this point, so around 9:15 I head upstairs with her.  My husband comes up shortly afterward, puts on a movie, and we all fall asleep by 10 pm. Exciting life! 

And just writing all this down has made me exhausted, but it's an eye opener for me! 

Moving Forward

Well, I received my official offer letter from the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and couldn't be more excited about it.  Now begins the work, and the tough choices about what to keep and what to get rid of.  I already know that I'm going to have to scan a giant mess of resources to take with me so that I have room in my luggage for important items.  I was reading some advice about what to take and what to leave (Thanks, Abu Dhabi PTA!).  Here's some of the things that WILL be taking the journey with me:

Tampa Bay Rays Tervis tumblers (I'm pretty sure they don't have Tervis in AD, and anything Rays would definitely be a stretch)
Big Tupperware iced tea pitcher (do they even sell Tupperware anymore?)  Seriously, this pitcher has practical and sentimental value, as it is the perfect size for three tea bags that have been steeped and it's just like my dad's old pitcher :)
The white plastic spatula (it's perfect for my two favorite spatula foods - pancakes and Rice-A-Roni)

In the last few years, I've had to make these decisions three times: once, when moving out of my house prior to the divorce, second, when moving from the apartment to our current house, and now.  We will be getting a storage unit for my books, but I will be paring down that collection as well, since I don't want to take up the entire unit (and probably could).  As a semi-practicing Buddhist, I know that material objects should be the least of my concerns, and hopefully this journey helps me break away from things.  The only objects I am truly attached to are my books, however, and in the grand scheme of things they are probably not the worst thing to collect.

In other news, I told the ex about the new job and his "initial reaction was no, I don't agree to that".  So we start. Hopefully the kids can stand the pressure.  They really seem excited to go, but if they can't stand up to their father on this one, then they will be stuck here while we go overseas.  It'll be a true test of their will. 

Jon is getting antsy about telling his work - I think he's more excited than I am.  It'll be good to see how he handles being Mr. Mom.  The rest of the plan for this week includes telling family and friends about the move and starting to cull the book collection.  We have spring break next week so that will definitely be some good downtime for me to accomplish several of the things on my master list. 

Have a good rest of the week!

The Wait is Over...For Now.

So it seems that someone was listening to me yesterday when I was complaining about the wait.  During a staff meeting yesterday, I checked my email on my phone and was shocked to find one from my recruiter - I have been recommended for the job.  In the Facebook group that has sprung up around this job opportunity, it is referred to as the "golden email".  Next we wait for the "golden offer" (the salary/contract offer) and then finally, the "golden ticket" (the e-plane ticket to actually leave). 

I'm really happy, but really nervous.  Now comes the big ordeal of telling everyone I know and dealing with those reactions.  Here are my predictions:

Ex-husband:  Really, really mad.  He's going to fight me on bringing the kids, who want to come along.  This might get ugly.
My School:  Again, might get ugly.  I'm thinking that I should wait a while to spill the beans because these folks have a history of firing teachers with no notice (charter school).
My Mom: She's going to be confused until she researches AD and finds out that the national pastime is shopping and how much money I'll be making.  Then she'll be fine with it.
Jon's Mom: She'll be fine.  She has two other new grandbabies to spoil ;-)
Jon's Work:  They'll be ok, as long as they have plenty of notice.
My Friends:  Will be supportive and excited for me.  The one friend I've told in confidence is over the moon.  Apparently AD has been on her vacation bucket list for a while, so I should be seeing her soon!

I really do need to figure out how to put pictures on here - Jon's blog, bummingaride.blogspot.com, is so much cooler than mine!!

So that's it for now!

Cue Tom Petty...

The waiting really is the hardest part. 

Right now, I'm waiting for word on whether or not I will be teaching in Abu Dhabi next year.  My husband and kids are excited about the prospect, but I'm feeling so pressured and apprehensive because if I DON'T get it, then I'll be the one to blame. 

I know it will be a great deal of work to move out there, but it will be worth it in the end. Not only will we be saving money, but there are so many things we will be able to see and do as a result.  Jon will finish his degree (in what yet he doesn't quite know), I'm hoping to get my Ph.D in Forensic Linguistics so that I will have another career after teaching, and we will be able to travel more than we ever thought possible.  I'm so grateful that Jon supports and encourages me on crazy things like this.  It'll be hard to tell everyone we're leaving, but hopefully they will understand the motivation.

My interview day was interesting.  I woke up at 2:45 am, got ready to go, was at the airport by 4 am, and on a plane to New York City shortly thereafter.  After waiting impatiently for my shuttle, I made it into the very foggy city (Manhattan, to be exact).  The hotel was one of those "boutique" hotels where they charge far too much for a tiny room and minimal amenities.  But the location was terrific, so I suppose it's worth it to stay right in the center of Manhattan!

After getting into the main room with the other recruits, we cooled our heels for a couple of hours, since the morning interviews ran long.  Ariane from TeachAway was there to process our paperwork, and I was so glad that we had made those last minute runs to Kinko's!  All I was missing was my passport and authenticated documents, both of which I'm waiting to spend money on if I get the job.
Finally our interviewers came out and gave us a short briefing on the basics of the job, which many of us were already familiar with from all of our research! 

When I was called in for my interview with two very nice and professional women, I was asked about differentiation, motives for wanting to go to Abu Dhabi, and presented with a scenario in which a disgruntled parent wanted to know why her student had not gotten good grades the trimester prior.  I answered all the questions to the best of my ability, and felt pretty good afterwards. 

And then, the waiting began...

Question for the day:  Do we grow into or out of our "true" selves?

I've been wondering.  Who is the real me?  Is it the shy bookworm I was in middle school?  The upbeat (on the surface) cheerleader I was in high school?  The seemingly confident mother of three I was in my 20s?  Maybe it was the driven mom who made so many life changes (bachelor's degree, divorce, master's degree) I became in my 30s.  Now I have entered new motherhood for a fourth time in my 40s and am approaching it in a new way, along with the very distinct possibility of moving and teaching overseas. 

So do we ever know who we truly are?  You may laugh at a joke when you're out with your friends, but privately think that it was the dumbest thing you've ever heard.  Suffering from that wanting to please mentality is something we all do to some extent.  Many people bemoan that fact, but is it really so bad to please people, as long as it's not at the expense of your own well-being? 

That's the real conundrum, I guess.  It's typically me that I've just jumped right into the deep end without even getting my feet wet.  I'm sure I won't keep up with this blog the way I should (although I really do want to), but maybe healthy competition with Jon (my husband) will ensure that I do. 

Breakdown of my life right now:

Mom to four (B, girl, age 20; T, boy, age 17; M, girl, age 14; A, girl, age 2 months)
Born-again hippie (sort of) - fan of cloth diapering, breastfeeding and homebirth
Wife to Jon (we got married at Tropicana Field, one of the coolest days of my life)
Middle school English/History teacher
Wannabe travel junkie
Book hoarder
Aspiring forensic linguist (someday...)

Up at 5:30 every day, baby A in a mommy only phase :(, my mind completely consumed with the opportunity I may get to take advantage of soon.  More later.  Bye :)