Teacher Work Day

I returned to school on a teacher work day, so I had some time to catch up in my classroom before the new trimester started.  The morning was taken up with a tour of the CTE department at the high school.  It was long and I was more than ready to get back to my own agenda, but I made it through.  Meg and Preston came over in the afternoon to help in my class.  We got a lot done and I'm pretty much ready for students tomorrow.

After school we drove to Walmart to buy groceries.  We were glad we talked Preston into coming along as we needed help carrying the water and Little Hugs.  We dropped him off when we were done shopping and headed to North Webster.  Meg had been wanting a haircut and this was the first opportunity we've had to get her one.  She had about 3 inches cut off.  It will be hard for her friends to tell, but it was quite a bit of hair.

Doug and Meg had soccer tonight at the middle school.  Only five players showed up, but Doug reminded me that although the numbers are down it was more touches on ball for those that did show up.  They had their first indoor game last night in Elkhart.  Meg was excited as she scored a goal with five seconds left in the game.

A Wonderful Experience

Today Doug and I were up early.  We wanted to get our luggage dropped off at the airline check-in before heading to Hollywood Studios.  I am so glad that we did.  There was a long line as a lot of other teachers were checking their luggage as well.  Doug waited while I put our carry on bags in a different area.  It went a lot quicker than either one of us expected it to.

Our luck with busses continued as the one to Hollywood Studios arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule.  Therefore, we were able to make it to the park before it opened at 8 a.m.  We headed with the crowd to Toy Story Mania.  With all of the closings and additions coming to the park there isn't a lot of big ticket rides to go on and the crowd was heavy.  We made it on, however, with very little wait and were able to circle back and ride again before we left.  I was happy as it is one of my favorites and I found out that by riding with Doug I have a better chance at a high score (according to Meg.)

We ate lunch at the hotel while waiting for the Magical Express.  It was a beautiful day to sit by the lake and enjoy the sunshine.  The trip home was uneventful.  The plane was on time and the Magical Express was full so we did not have to stop at another resort before heading to the airport.  I spent the time catching up on several items for school and home.  I had quite a bit of time to reflect on my experience.  I learned so much while at the conference about teaching high ability students and parenting my own.  I hope to put both into practice.  I also learned that I can travel on my own with relatively no problems.  I was extremely proud of that as I do not believe that I could have done so several years ago.  Finally, it was wonderful to spend the time with Doug.  He was a great travel partner and made the trip even more special.

NAGC Day 2

I knew after last night's social event that I would have no problem getting into the first session this morning as many teachers arrived back to the hotel pretty late tonight.  I was right and enjoyed listening to a speaker discussing Growth Mindset.  She had a lot of resources for us that I  gathered after the meeting.  The keynote speaker today was enthusiastic, but a little more generic.  I enjoyed listening to her, but appreciated the one from yesterday even more.  Today's speaker ended early and I was able to meet Doug for lunch by 11:15.  We headed straight to the pool as we knew that it would become packed soon.  We were glad that we did as we were the second one to order.

After lunch Doug caught the bus to EPCOT.  He wanted to tour the countries while I attended the afternoon sessions.  I had really been looking forward to my next session - high ability siblings.  The speaker was excellent and answered so many questions that I have had raising my own high ability children.  My favorite quote was "I'm not underachieving.  I'm just trying to prove that I'm not my sibling."  That summed up Cal's entire high school academic experience.  I felt validated as a parent by the time I left the session.  It has taken a lot of work to raise four high ability children while keeping their autonomy.

My next session was also interesting.  It was entitled "Pobody's Nerfect" and dealt with perfectionism in high ability students.  I appreciated the topic, but most of it I had read before.  I do now know, however, that I am a self-orientated perfectionist.  When I was finished with the afternoon sessions I caught a bus to EPCOT.  I was extremely lucky as the bus came within two minutes and we were at the park within ten minutes.

EPCOT was packed as we expected, but we were still able to tour the countries and sample many of the different treats.  My favorite was France as usual, but there were so many other good ones to try tonight.  Ireland had a delicious chocolate cake/pudding that I really enjoyed as well .  We also had time to do some shopping.  England and Germany had the best stores in the various countries, but China and Africa were fun to shop in as well.  We were going to ride Soarin', but the wait was over 90 minutes and neither of us were up for standing that long.

Instead we caught a ride on the monorail to the Polynesian.  They have several restaurants and we wanted to check them out.  It was absolutely packed.  We stayed for a little while and then headed to Magic Kingdom.  It was crowded, but fortunately we had Fast Passes to ride three of our favorites - Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean.  Meg and Cam would have thought us lame, but we had fun.  We were also able to ride the Haunted Mansion without too long of a wait.  The park was beautiful tonight as they had already decorated for Christmas.  The Jungle Cruise had even changed to the "Jingle Cruise" complete with Christmas decorations, music and holiday jokes.

The park was open until 1 a.m. but we were too exhausted to stay that long.  Doug waited for me as I did some shopping and we were back at the hotel before 11:30 p.m.  Our luck with buses continued and we appreciated the short ride back.  Doug was still hungry so we stopped at the food market for a Chicken Caesar wrap.  It was a different experience without the Heinisch children, but we still had fun.

NAGC 2016 Conference Day 1

I was up early this morning to navigate the first session of the gifted children's conference.  I didn't know what to expect, but it was a lot more crowded than I imagined.  The first session I wanted to attend was on math and high ability.   It was absolutely packed, so I chose another one on resources for teachers.  There were some great ideas of what to do with a discovery room and also projects for students.  I arrived to the second session early and was able to get a seat without any problem.  It gave great ideas for conferring with students and helping with high ability social and emotional needs.  I came away with several good resources to use in the classroom.

My favorite part of the conference today occurred next.  We all met to listen to the keynote speaker and she did not disappoint.  Her husband was a member of the shuttle Challenger that was to carry the first civilian into space.  On take off the plane exploded and all members of the crew died including the teacher onboard.  The woman who spoke to us today started a Challenger education program for high ability students through NASA in honor of the crew.  As I remember that disaster well and we had just visited the training site and memorial in Houston last April, her story moved me to tears.

After lunch I attended sessions on identifying minority high ability students and supporting free and reduced students.  My favorite of the day was the last one which discussed math tools for high ability classrooms.  They had us solving math problems which was a lot of fun.  We only had about a half hour before our social event for the evening, so I hustled to the room to get ready.  I managed to get back in time to catch the bus with our group to EPCOT.  Disney threw a dessert party for the teachers which included a free night at the park, three food tickets for the Wine & Food Festival and a dessert/dance party.  I spent my time with Chris Noel, an 8th grade language teacher from WMS.  She had not been to EPCOT in quite awhile so I gave her a tour of the countries and then we rode Soarin'  It was a lot of fun.

We were at the dessert party early.  I was glad as it was packed as well.  Doug arrived in Orlando when we were at the park.  Once he got off the Magical Express he headed straight to EPCOT.  I was very happy to meet him in France at about 9:20.  Only once he got there did I realize that he ran all of the way there.  He had just missed the bus and didn't want to chance not making it.  I was impressed.  We had a great time touring the countries and watching Illuminations.  It was a wonderful way to end a very rewarding day.

I Did It!

I don't believe that I could have done it two years ago, but today I boarded a plane by myself and flew to Orlando.  I was able to navigate the Magical Express and check into my room by myself.  It helped that we were just here two weeks ago and I knew the area well, but regardless I was pretty proud of myself.

To celebrate my achievement I hurried over to Animal Kingdom and spent the afternoon enjoying the animals in Africa.  I was able to ride the safari and also walk through Gorilla Falls.  We had never done that before and I really wanted to try it.  It was beautiful and there were a lot of animals to see.  My favorite was the Bongo as usually those are so deep in the forest that we can barely find it on the ride.  I also ate lunch and caught the Flights of Wonder bird show.  It may have been corny, but I enjoyed it.  My last stop of the day was It's Tough to Be a Bug - one of Meg's favorites.

I did not make it back to the conference in time for the keynote speaker as the bus ran late.  I heard later that the imagineer lacked public speaking skills.  I did check into the NAGC (National Association of Gifted Children) Conference.  I caught a bus with Dr. Edington and Jordan to Disney Springs to go shopping before our group dinner.  Once I arrived I caught up with other members of our entorage.  I didn't buy anything but enjoyed the atmosphere.

We ate dinner at Splitsville - a bowling alley/restaurant.  The food was very good and I enjoyed listening to the conversation of our group.  I headed back to the hotel after dinner as I was wiped out. I had been up since 4 a.m.  Before I went to bed I heard from everyone at home several times.  They were all doing well.  I loved how Cam started playing trivia crack with me as soon as I left.  I really did miss all of them.  It is rare that I am gone and they are all at home.

A Fast Two Weeks

It was a whirlwind of a day at school getting sub plans ready and grades entered.  Since I will not be there on Thursday and Friday I told the students that I would end the trimester today.  Most took me up on the offer to turn in missing work and finish all past due assignments.  We even got the peer reviews of the students’ memoirs done.  Most of math class was focused on the election.  It was a perfect day for it as we had a lawyer come in to talk to the students about voting and politics.

Once I got home I finished the packing, put away the laundry and unloaded the dishwasher.  Meg filled me in on her day while I was getting ready.  She has had an exceptional trimester.  Her lowest grade right now is a 94.5%.  She still has finals to take in several classes, but should do well.  

Cam was excited when he got home.  He had basketball practice after school and that went well.  His big news, however, was his J-term permission slip.  He was excited to fill it out and rank his choices.  All of the classes looked interesting to me.  I had to sign off on it once he completed it.  I told Doug later that Cam and I definitely have different interests as his first pick was science related.  That would have been my last!!

Doug and I drove through a horrible downpour to get to our hotel near Midway.  It lasted for the majority of the trip and Doug was very happy to arrive at our destination.  We ate dinner at Giordano’s.  It was where we took Meg and Cam before we flew out in October.  It sure has been a fast two weeks.

Go Cubs Go!

It sure does not feel like November.  The weather today felt more like June - 74 and sunny.  I even wore capris to school.  Mom brought Meg to me after school so that she could visit with Mr. Larson.  She had a great time catching him up on her life and I know he enjoys keeping in touch with her.  I used the time to work in my classroom and then walked down to talk to them for a few minutes before we had to leave for piano.

Cam had chess after school, so once I dropped Meg off at Mrs. Meek’s I headed to Bethany to pick him up.  Piano went well and we set up a date for next week.  They want to bring Christmas music next week so they are ready for the holiday season.

We stopped at the store on the way home and then spent the rest of the night packing, folding laundry, putting away the Halloween and doing homework.  Doug had to take the investment banker to dinner so he did not get home until 8.  He made it in time to watch the Cubs play game six of the World Series.  They were down 3-1 and won the last game in Chicago to move the series back to Cleveland.  It has been an exciting World Series so far.  The cubs started off scoring early tonight and by the time we went to bed were up 7-1 with a grand slam.