Due Diligence

I recently completed my due diligence neurologically speaking. I had a portable eeg done that we are eagerly waiting for the results to reveal if I have epilepsy. I really don't need another neurological issue, but the doc said we needed to complete the eeg, so I wore it for 48 hours, hoping diligence has been severed! Somehow I'm thinking diligence wasn't served but the insurance company and hospital were!

I can say that the eeg did allow me to diligently explain it's purpose to students and faculty. While most people first thought I was being tested for brain cancer, I diligently explained my battles with migraines, the prevalence of epilepsy and the purpose of wearing a hat to cover the wires. I diligently told students that I wasn't getting electronic shocks and that the eeg didn't hurt.  It smelt bad and I had to cut my hair to get rid of already the glue, but diligence has been served! Now, if only the doctor's office would diligently get my results back!

I included some pictures in case you're curious!

Some Prayers

There are millions around the world praying for the families of Sandy Hook elementary. Tonight I also pray for those families and I also pray for America to stop using such tragic situations as political footballs! I'm praying that while people are arguing about God's involvement, or lack of involvement in this situation that American's use this incident to examine their own values, examine what is truly important to them.

Yes, I hugged my kids a little tighter tonight. This hasn't changed the fact that my husband had more security at his tire plant then any school I have ever worked in. If children are truly our most dearest and important resource, is it too much to ask that all schools ensure exterior doors are locked from the outside? How about badges and door greeters at the front door of all schools? If identification badges, key cards and door greeters are security mainstays at the dam Wal Mart, they sure as hell can be standard at all American schools! I pray such security measures are put in place in every American school by Monday!

I'll be saying a lot of prayers for the children in America who now wonder if their school is safe. I'll be saying prayers for the teachers and staff that they have the strength and awareness to ensure America's schools are safe! Most of all I'll be praying for parents and communities to have the wisdom and strength to ensure children's safety at school! This is AMERICA! We are BETTER than this! We will FIX this!

That Mom

So, it's that time of year when I spend a great deal of time watching my oldest son wrestle. I've been coaching since I was fifteen, so I'm sure there were concerns about how the coach would be a parent with her athletes.  Over the last twenty years or so, I have seen some parents who are coaches stop being a parent and continue being the coach (a really rough coach).  I understand their concerns.  Some of the parents at these wrestling matches are ROUGH and they don't make a living coaching like I do!

I'm pretty well known and with a background in athletic training, I get access that other parents don't.  I have a coach's pass, so I don't pay the $7.00 to get into the match.  If Stephen gets hurt, I go down to the mat (if I'm not already there).  I've wrapped, stretched and iced for the team.  I know where everything is in the med kit and most of the time know where the med kit is.  I have keys to the wrestling room and in a pinch will fill in until a coach can get to the match.  Despite all of this, I try to remember that my role at wrestling is supposed to be Stephen's mom, not a coach!

Since I don't often get to be the athletic parent, I think I'm a good athlete parent, but I've been told that I'm one of THOSE parents!  You know, the ones with the video cameras and no matter where they are in the gym you can hear their voice over everyone else's.  Yeah, I'm that mom!  I have even attached video proof that I am THAT MOM!  Sometimes I think that I have earned the right to be that mom and other times I just pull out my knitting and try to be quiet.  Since I'm not a naturally quiet person, and I'm a very passionate sports fan, I usually leave most wrestling matches hoarse and like I've coached a marathon!

Stephen's childhood/ high school athletic career will come to an end next year.  When he shows his kids old videos of his great high school wrestling career he won't be able to do it without that loud voice in the background.  Even if I'm gone, when he shows his kids his videos, at least generations will know that he had a mom that cared enough to shout the very best behind the camera because she was THAT MOM!

Get In The Fight

This week, when I have been driving home, one of the talking heads has been going on about all the things that are wrong with public education. There have been some valid points, but not once did anyone mention the true problem with public education..... the student! There are a multitude of factors that go into the making of a student, but at some point, the student has to become responsible for their education! With the current state of public education, the student has been excused of their responsibility for their education!   Caller after caller blamed the quailty of the teacher for the lack of performance for the student. Not once did identified parent callers mention that the student they sent the teacher maybe part of the problem!

I've seen the sentiments professed in the radio show time and time again in parent conferences, at athletic events and in communities whenever grownups discuss the lack of performance of students!  In fact, I've seen people almost come to blows over such matters! One parent I spoke to this week stated "No one at that school cares, no one is fighting for my child to get his education! That's what's wrong with public education and if I could afford it I'd put my child into private school!" That rubbed me so wrong, it rubbed me raw! I couldn't resist the urge any longer and responded!

"I have spent the last couple weeks trying to get freshmen to buy into the fact that you need to pass classes to get a diploma. I'm checking grades, talking to other teachers, offering make up work, and staying after school to tutor!  I've called parents, talked to coaches and probation officers. I've had older students come and talk to my students who are failing multiple classes!  I've posted assignments to Twitter, to Facebook and my school website! I've texted students reminders of due dates not only in my class, but others! I provided pencils, pens and paper in gross! I'm fighting for kids everyday, but these kids are not fighting with me! MAYBE THE PROBLEM ISN'T THE FIGHT FOR EDUCATION IN THE TEACHER BUT THE FIGHT FOR EDUCATION IN THE STUDENT!"

Her response? " I don't think you understand how hard it is for kids today! I'm sure none of your personal children have problems that effect their education!"

Really that's the response! I wouldn't understand because four of my kids weren't born premature? One doesn't have adhd, been abused as a toddler and has hated school since pre k? One didn't have a tragic accident where he broke both his jaws? One doesn't have speech issues and severe reading fluency issues? One doesn't have epilepsy, arthritis and chronic migraine? Yes, I'm sure I don't personally understand adversity when it comes to education!

I knew the lady wasn't interested in hearing my personal parental experience with education so, I offered her the only thing I could, witty words of wisdom!

Getting an education can be a real struggle! I can tell you've been fighting for a long time! Now that it's high school it's time for your kid to get into the fight! Tell him to come see me if he needs a sparing partner! And with that I took my leave beccause there's still a lot of fight left in this dog!

Where's my nap!

Where's my nap!? Seriously, I frequently find that I want a nap! 1pm seems like a nice time. I'm full from lunch, it's a small group of kids who are tired too. It sure would help my yawning problem from the hours of 1to 5!  I get a second wind around five but by seven I'm ready for another nap because I'm too young to go to bed at 7pm and too old not to know I'm tired! Since no one sees the benefit to starting school at ten am, an hour nap would be a nice alternative or compensation for getting up at five, to be at work by 730 ,to educate kids who sleep in class until ten anyway!  My cat naps most of the day, babies take regular naps, why not hard working teachers? I just want a nap! It's a small request and I promise I'll be a more rational, functional, productive member of society if I can have a nap!

What The Hell Mondays

I think its time for a new tradition on Mondays! Those moments when you see something or hear something or do something that just makes you say "What the hell?" Well I think we should share such moments with the world so, the next time we have a wth moment we can assure ourselves that it's perfectly normal!  Wth Wednesdays has a nice ring to it, but wth moments don't seem to happen to much in the quantities that they do on Mondays so, wth Mondays it is!

Today's wth moments were plenty but the most outstanding one will not make you want to send your kids to school anytime soon!  I'll start with some minor wth moments before the shocker wth moment.  I find its best to go slow with wth disclosures for people outside of education who don't believe such craziness happens, but wth it does everyday! Maybe it was the break, or coming back to school from the break, or just the youth of America but.. wth was I thinking expecting students to work the day we get back from break? Yes in deed, at least one student every period said that, and yes people that's what your tax dollars are paying to educate! That's probably not a shocking wth moment for many of you so, here's another one! Had a student who has a major medical moment that leaves him incapacitated. 911 is called and the ambulance is on the way! The patents' response when told of the situation was panic, concern? Guess again! The parent wanted to know if it was really necessary for them to go to the hospital. WTH?! When your kid can't talk and is blue medical attention is necessary! The last wth moment? We were going around the room asking how everyone's break was. Most kids responded with a good, fine, it sucked... general stuff. One kid though just blew my mind  he shared that during his break, he "ran a train" and not the kind that goes choo choo! WTH?! At first I thought he was trying to be funny and didn't know I knew what he was talking about and despite the other kids and myself telling him to shut up, this joker wanted time continue with descriptions of his exploits! WTH? I don't get paid enough to deal with that sorta stuff so, tomorrow the ad administrator who does get paid for such situations gets to speak with the young man and have his own wth moment!

Feel free to share your Monday wth moment!

Getting Ready

While the pies are baking and the house is sorta clean, I'm attempting to get three boys ready to run tomorrow. It's hard enough to get yourself ready at 5am, but throw in three boys and it can be a recipe for disaster! Oh, did I forget to mention the new exercise I started last night to help strengthen and stabilize my ankles has my left foot swollen and painful? Right now I'm not feeling optimistic about a run to show how thankful you are that you can run! In fact, I'm down right scared for tomorrow!

Why am I full of fear instead of joy and thanksgiving?  There's always the fear that the alarm doesn't go off, or we don't arrive to the start corral on time. There's the possibility of losing one of the boys in the 4000 people that are running tomorrow, in Atlanta. There's the possibility that my foot will be so bad in the morning that I'll not be able to run, or possibly walk the entire three miles. This induces a full panic attack for the coach in me that yells finish the drill and the athlete in me whose never not finished a race! There's also the big meal that will need to be cooked and ready for nine other people by six pm. I'm also fearful that I won't get a nap so, I will be awake enough to enjoy my family that I'm very thankful for!

I'm not fearful by nature and this isn't our first family race. As FDR said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!" So, on a day where we offer prayers of thanksgiving for what we have, here's my Thanksgiving Eve prayer (and we'll take all the prayers we can get)!

Dear Lord, I thank you for my family and their willingness to share the day with me. I thank you for our health, our home and too many blessings to count! Amen!