i just checked my school mail, and here is what i found:
1 - passing GED scores for my last MO Option student (yay!! that means she gets her diploma at the end of the year. incidentally, she is the one whose dad is in prison for kicking a cop. she's battled through a lot, and i'm very proud of her.)
2 - the following plan of a student who shall remain anonymous: "touretts, bipolar, adhd, ODD (oppositioanl defiant disorder), and severe PDD (on the autism spectrum)." the only condition in that list that i'm somewhat weary of is ODD, but i'm not sure why because i think about 25-60% (depending on the day) of the kids i deal with have ODD.
in other news, here's what i'll be doing this semseter:
1 - attempting to get about 15 or 16 students ready for the GED so they will pass, get their diplomas, and be fine citizens not living on welfare when they grow up. (i only had 4 in the program first semester, so this is a change.) also helping several other students recover classes they've previously failed. again.
2 - learning how to deal with ODD.
3 - taking 6 hours of classes. (after that, 5 more hours til my master's.)
4 - coaching track.
5 - watching as many LR baseball games as possible. i like to watch the games, but i really like to watch coacher (particularly when LR is winning).
6 - continuing to visit the Y in the morning, despite the naked people. however, these days there don't seem to be as many as there were the first few times i went. (but that might be because now my eyes are only halfway open when i'm there.)
7 - playing club vb.
8 - learning more about the intricacies of the Bible. it's completely awesome how everything is woven together.
9 - becoming a couponing queen. (my first attempt was so-so. i need those experts to host another class. i'll even offer to give them my entire savings upon my first outing. that's only about 72 cents or so; i think i can afford it.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
village people
we have dawned on a new experience in the lotz household: 5:30 AM. coacher has started having his athletes come in to throw and catch before school, so i decided i might as well get up at the same time he does and go to the ymca. The weird thing was, when i got there, it didn't even feel like 6 am anymore because so many people were already sweating and lifting and moving and running. it was a new world. here i was, all along thinking i was working out hard in the afternoon, but these people are on a whole different playing field. so i'll be going back tomorrow, armed and dangerous, ready to sweat more than anyone else. (I’m a wee-bit competitive.)
anyway, that was not the most shocking part of the morning. apparently, the morning is when all the village's barenaked ladies come out of the woodwork. in my world, that’s a lot like a scary dream where naked people replace zombies. and they're not just momentarily naked while trying to find a towel or dry off or what-not. they walk around, they do their make-up in the mirror, they dry their hair, they read books. heck, i don't really know what they do because i'm looking the other way. I mean, yay for women’s rights (well, some of them), but I should have the right to not be bombarded with their free-ness. (if what I’ve heard about the village people is correct and if the men’s locker room happenings are like a younger, more fit version of the women’s locker room, i guess i just figured out why they liked the ymca so much they sung a song about it. Yeeck.)
on a side note, there are a lot of old people there in the morning, and they are just so nice!
but the nakedness, now that is completely unnecessary.
anyway, that was not the most shocking part of the morning. apparently, the morning is when all the village's barenaked ladies come out of the woodwork. in my world, that’s a lot like a scary dream where naked people replace zombies. and they're not just momentarily naked while trying to find a towel or dry off or what-not. they walk around, they do their make-up in the mirror, they dry their hair, they read books. heck, i don't really know what they do because i'm looking the other way. I mean, yay for women’s rights (well, some of them), but I should have the right to not be bombarded with their free-ness. (if what I’ve heard about the village people is correct and if the men’s locker room happenings are like a younger, more fit version of the women’s locker room, i guess i just figured out why they liked the ymca so much they sung a song about it. Yeeck.)
on a side note, there are a lot of old people there in the morning, and they are just so nice!
but the nakedness, now that is completely unnecessary.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
seen and done
ok, so it has been a busy two weeks or so. i will not bore you with minute details of things we've seen and done, but here's a listing of a few of the favorite activities from the fabulous trip to south dakota:
1 - attempted to memorize "we didn't start the fire" by billy joel. it's a very long song, but it was a very long car ride. (ps...i've decided that if i ever become a history teacher, this song will be the focus of my lessons. all of them...) in case you're wondering about the lyrics, go here: http://www.teacheroz.com/fire.htm
2 - attempted to snowboard. let me tell you, i can do it, but i don't do it in the conventional way. i do it "peanut butter style" or "falling leaf style." BUT i will be doing it again and practicing the toe-side turn that will enable me to ride like a pro.
3 - talked politics.
4 - listened to the hillengirls on the ipod.
5 - Chubby Chipmunk chocolates http://www.chubbychipmunk.net/TruffleLove.html
6 - woke up to 3 inches of fresh snow on New Year's Day.
7 - camped out in Custer State Park with long-horned sheep and 45+ mph winds. also saw hundreds of buffalo, some mulies, a few antelopes (or maybe they were pronghorns), and one little prairie dog while we were there.
8 - Rummy and Apples to Apples.
9 - debated over the degree of "studliness" Bear Grylls (AKA man vs. wild star) possesses. my opinion: he fakes a lot. remember the video of him jumping around acting like he was defeating death in a desert when all along there was a highway right in front of him? but he does find several uses for pee, and he jumps into freezing lakes, and he eats snakes right after killing them, so his studliness is somewhat justifiable.
10 - lost a wedding band on the mountain. (not me.)
11 - drove through the awesomely bad Badlands and saw hundreds of mulies and more prairie dogs. (so cute!)
12 - stayed in a sweet cabin that was only two minutes from the slopes (unless, of course ANOTHER car got stuck in the intersection of our road and the guys had to push it out. again.)
13 - learned the word "pronghorn," and just now figured out what it was:
1 - attempted to memorize "we didn't start the fire" by billy joel. it's a very long song, but it was a very long car ride. (ps...i've decided that if i ever become a history teacher, this song will be the focus of my lessons. all of them...) in case you're wondering about the lyrics, go here: http://www.teacheroz.com/fire.htm
2 - attempted to snowboard. let me tell you, i can do it, but i don't do it in the conventional way. i do it "peanut butter style" or "falling leaf style." BUT i will be doing it again and practicing the toe-side turn that will enable me to ride like a pro.
3 - talked politics.
4 - listened to the hillengirls on the ipod.
5 - Chubby Chipmunk chocolates http://www.chubbychipmunk.net/TruffleLove.html
6 - woke up to 3 inches of fresh snow on New Year's Day.
7 - camped out in Custer State Park with long-horned sheep and 45+ mph winds. also saw hundreds of buffalo, some mulies, a few antelopes (or maybe they were pronghorns), and one little prairie dog while we were there.
8 - Rummy and Apples to Apples.
9 - debated over the degree of "studliness" Bear Grylls (AKA man vs. wild star) possesses. my opinion: he fakes a lot. remember the video of him jumping around acting like he was defeating death in a desert when all along there was a highway right in front of him? but he does find several uses for pee, and he jumps into freezing lakes, and he eats snakes right after killing them, so his studliness is somewhat justifiable.
10 - lost a wedding band on the mountain. (not me.)
11 - drove through the awesomely bad Badlands and saw hundreds of mulies and more prairie dogs. (so cute!)
12 - stayed in a sweet cabin that was only two minutes from the slopes (unless, of course ANOTHER car got stuck in the intersection of our road and the guys had to push it out. again.)
13 - learned the word "pronghorn," and just now figured out what it was:
14 - hung out with two very sweet/neat/cool/adventurous couples.
(pics to come later...)
Monday, January 5, 2009
u-POD
the 20-30+ hours (depending on how you look at it) we spent in the car over the break helped to remind me that coacher has some pretty good music on his ipod, thanks to several of you who have contributed actual music or suggestions in the past. HOWEVER,
i am quite sure we are missing some essentials. (not billy joel, though; we have the essential billy joel covered. more on that later...) also, some punk high schooler stole his ipod last year and he still hasn't been able to replenish all of his music.
sooo, i am going to need some people to post some musical recommendations on this blog. what should we have on the ipod? we will take any suggestion, "essential" music or not. in fact, i like the novel stuff that no one's heard.
on a side-but-similar note, i have always liked the idea of a music-sharing party. you know, everyone brings the ipod and a computer to broaden their musical horizons and get some fresh music? but that might be illegal.
thank you in advance for your horizon-broadening (or not) musical suggestions.
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