My half day at an elementary school turned out to be a full day with 5th graders. It went better than expected.
The morning started with me filling in for a PE instructor who had to leave for a sporting event. I was left to play Whipple ball with the students. The first class was a class of 5th graders, second class was a group of rowdy fourth graders and the third hour was a group of pesky third graders.
My afternoon was with the same 5th-grade class and by the end of the day they warmed my heart. They seemed pleased to have me for the afternoon.
The teacher left me a very detailed instruction sheet. She also wrote down the names of three "disruptive" students. All were Hispanic boys: Miguel, Fernando and Anthony. Ironically had she not left that note for me I would not have noticed those boys being disruptive. I actually thought they were pretty courteous.
But the one child who touched my heart was a tall, thin black boy who sat in the corner by him self. He was the only black child in the class. Why was he in the corner alone? He told me he had gotten in trouble the day before and his desk was moved there.
The problem got worse for him, though, when I was told my three "group leaders" would help keep the class in check. These three group leaders were all girls who took their leadership position to their heads. The black boy could do nothing right: by the end of the day his name was marked "disrespectful" 13 times. Everyone in class labeled him as disruptive and no matter what he did he could do nothing right.
I didn't catch all the alleged disrespects but I did notice that the primary group leader egged this boy on. When the boy responded with anger (which is what the girl wanted), he got marked as "bad." It was a vicious cycle.
By the end of the day the boy was so discouraged that he told me he wasn't going to come to school.
Why? I asked him. "Because I have so many demerits I won't get recess for a week!"
The student completed their assignments early and I was allowed to let them outside to vent off some energy. I spoke alone with Deshawn, the boy, and told him that I thought he was a smart and handsome young man, but that he shouldn't let others egg him on. The more he reacts to the egging, the more he reacts negatively, which gets him into trouble.
What I really saw in the boy was a troubled young man whose parents recently divorced and he's having a hard time coping with the change. His change translates into misplaced anger and isolation. And I don't think his teacher is handling him correctly. She is pushing him toward failure when in fact he's a young man quite capable of achieving well.
But how to tell the real teacher this? When she came back 20 minutes before dismissal I filled her in on the day's events. I watched her handle the class: with an iron grip. I didn't want to interfere, nor did I want to tell her my opinion of Deshawn.
Deshawn, the three Hispanic boys, the girl leaders and the rest of the class all showed me a diverse class in action. But what I also witnessed were stereotypes in action as well: brainy girls leading the discipline, minority boys reacting physically, and labeled groups stuck in a group they can't get out of. I wish I could reach inside all these young minds and get to the bottom of any misbehaviour, because what I saw today was also a group quite capable of achieving well. There were other active minds: Chase, Gaby, Jasmine, Fabian, Brandon, Braxton, Gina the Math wizard ("I'm going to be a doctor or a lawyer!")
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
First case of swine flu in Arizona
The 5am news reported that the four cases of suspect swine flu had not come back yet, but the local Tucson NBC station reminded viewers that results should come back by noon today and that the station would report that right away.
I was gardening in the back yard at 8:30am when I was called in to work. One teacher's child was sick and was told to keep it at home today.
I came to her rescue, to the same World History class I had last week.
Today the same students were a little more rambunctious. One young man came up to me after 6th hour and apologized for the bad behavior...most of the really rude ones were the young women who just absolutely had to gossip about the latests "sluts" in school.
Today's kids made me miss yesterday's six-graders even more. And yes, I have been considering focusing on middle school rather than high school. I really enjoy the combination English/Social Studies very well.
The majority of students were busy listening to their iPods, keeping abreast of the spreading swine flu when, during 4th hour, we were given a printed "Health Alert" on the swine flu: preventative measures to take just in case.
An hour later the first confirmed case of swine flu from Maricopa County (Phoenix area) was reported: an 8-year-old elementary student.
After that news none of the students could concentrate and each subsequent class was worse than the rest. I couldn't wait to get out of the high school today.
Swine flu swine flu swine flu is all I heard all day. By the time I walked to the car I was sneezing myself.
The World Health Organization raised its level from 4 to 5 today, one short of all-out pandemic. Indiana and Nevada reported their first cases today; Arizona now has 20 more suspect cases and the virus is showing up in other countries.
I don't even want to think what the town will be like when the first local cases show up. The rednecks will blame Mexicans and Obama for the outbreak.
I'm not panicked yet. (What good will that do?) but I'm worried that by the time my road trip starts in three weeks I could be held back by this virus, which by then will have spread all over. What if I catch the virus? I couldn't even hold my own grandson then. I'd be too worried about infecting him.
Traveling while down with the flu is no day at the beach, either. Neither is sitting in a brewpub not being able to taste that golden ale in front of you. Of all the mission stoppers I could come up with, changing travel plans because of an infectious disease was the last thing on my mind!
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/04/29/20090429flu-USroundup.html
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/04/29/20090429arizonaflucase.html
I was gardening in the back yard at 8:30am when I was called in to work. One teacher's child was sick and was told to keep it at home today.
I came to her rescue, to the same World History class I had last week.
Today the same students were a little more rambunctious. One young man came up to me after 6th hour and apologized for the bad behavior...most of the really rude ones were the young women who just absolutely had to gossip about the latests "sluts" in school.
Today's kids made me miss yesterday's six-graders even more. And yes, I have been considering focusing on middle school rather than high school. I really enjoy the combination English/Social Studies very well.
The majority of students were busy listening to their iPods, keeping abreast of the spreading swine flu when, during 4th hour, we were given a printed "Health Alert" on the swine flu: preventative measures to take just in case.
An hour later the first confirmed case of swine flu from Maricopa County (Phoenix area) was reported: an 8-year-old elementary student.
After that news none of the students could concentrate and each subsequent class was worse than the rest. I couldn't wait to get out of the high school today.
Swine flu swine flu swine flu is all I heard all day. By the time I walked to the car I was sneezing myself.
The World Health Organization raised its level from 4 to 5 today, one short of all-out pandemic. Indiana and Nevada reported their first cases today; Arizona now has 20 more suspect cases and the virus is showing up in other countries.
I don't even want to think what the town will be like when the first local cases show up. The rednecks will blame Mexicans and Obama for the outbreak.
I'm not panicked yet. (What good will that do?) but I'm worried that by the time my road trip starts in three weeks I could be held back by this virus, which by then will have spread all over. What if I catch the virus? I couldn't even hold my own grandson then. I'd be too worried about infecting him.
Traveling while down with the flu is no day at the beach, either. Neither is sitting in a brewpub not being able to taste that golden ale in front of you. Of all the mission stoppers I could come up with, changing travel plans because of an infectious disease was the last thing on my mind!
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/04/29/20090429flu-USroundup.html
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/04/29/20090429arizonaflucase.html
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Swine flu scare
Confirmed cases of swine flu have now reached 68 people in the US alone. Only cases in Mexico have resulted in any deaths. Needless to say it’s become the new hot topic in the news. Confirmed cases yesterday alone doubled from 20 to 40 to 46; today it’s been steady at 68. If it reaches 120 tomorrow I may start getting nervous, especially if the four suspect cases from AZ come back positive for the virus.
Nonetheless, when Kevin left for work yesterday I wished him well and reminded him to be careful. “Don’t come home with any broken bones!”
“Don’t come home with the swine flu!” he shot back.
And today, subbing for a sixth grade class at my favorite middle school, I had to talk about the Black Death and the new swine flu. The kids were all ear when I told them what I know about the swine flu, information I had gotten this past week reading all the news articles on it. Showing them how quickly people could be infected by the virus (by coughing or sneezing in front of some one) they looked alarmed.
But until there are confirmed cases in Arizona or Sonora I reminded them to not panic. The disease has to multiply much faster and travel much further away to make a global impact.
I think my presentation sunk in. I liked the class, and except for 4th hour I enjoyed giving them my knowledge; many more listened to me than ignored me. It was a productive day.
As soon as I got home I resumed my gardening. Our potatoes are multiplying and in three months we should have our first real harvest of our own home-grown spuds. Kevin dedicates much time in the vegetable garden now, unlike previous years. I think he’s secretly getting ready for the big apocalypse when we are all sick of the swine flu, the borders are closed and the military installation is quarantined and no one can work. (If this swine flu gets any more serious then at least it will hit threatening levels after school has let out)
I took all three dogs out for another three-mile walk around the neighborhood again. Sara’s limp is gone and she seems just as ornery as ever; sometimes she reaches over to Sadie and nips her face.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/health/29flu.html?ref=americas
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/world/americas/26mexico.html?ref=americas
Nonetheless, when Kevin left for work yesterday I wished him well and reminded him to be careful. “Don’t come home with any broken bones!”
“Don’t come home with the swine flu!” he shot back.
And today, subbing for a sixth grade class at my favorite middle school, I had to talk about the Black Death and the new swine flu. The kids were all ear when I told them what I know about the swine flu, information I had gotten this past week reading all the news articles on it. Showing them how quickly people could be infected by the virus (by coughing or sneezing in front of some one) they looked alarmed.
But until there are confirmed cases in Arizona or Sonora I reminded them to not panic. The disease has to multiply much faster and travel much further away to make a global impact.
I think my presentation sunk in. I liked the class, and except for 4th hour I enjoyed giving them my knowledge; many more listened to me than ignored me. It was a productive day.
As soon as I got home I resumed my gardening. Our potatoes are multiplying and in three months we should have our first real harvest of our own home-grown spuds. Kevin dedicates much time in the vegetable garden now, unlike previous years. I think he’s secretly getting ready for the big apocalypse when we are all sick of the swine flu, the borders are closed and the military installation is quarantined and no one can work. (If this swine flu gets any more serious then at least it will hit threatening levels after school has let out)
I took all three dogs out for another three-mile walk around the neighborhood again. Sara’s limp is gone and she seems just as ornery as ever; sometimes she reaches over to Sadie and nips her face.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/health/29flu.html?ref=americas
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/world/americas/26mexico.html?ref=americas
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Trail work on the Arizona Trail
It was nice to finally get into the mountains again. I had coffee and cereal, petted the dogs, and took off. This was my first dogless hike in months.
I met the group at 7:30am and we carpooled to the trailhead, talking the whole time about the new swine flu outbreak out of Mexico. This is starting to concern us all, as cases seem to be increasing at an alarming rate.
I hadn’t been on the Sunnyside Trail in years, but recognized it right away. It was three years ago nearby where I found some beautiful specimens of a certain mineral that is only found in these mountains. Sara back then was much more energetic.
We each grabbed some garden tools. I carried loppers and a handsaw. The others took turn with a large saw. Our mission was to cut down dead growth across the trail, which is also part of the Arizona Trail that our hiking club is the steward for in this section of the state. We were to remove growth that was growing into the trail, and remove any blow-owns. We started out at an elevation of 5950’.
The first mile was a pleasant low grade uphill which years ago was a wagon trail to a small town. The trail narrowed, crossed a creek, followed underneath Douglas firs and oaks. The smells here reminded me of Grass Valley, CA for some reason. I hadn’t smelled such pines in months!
Years ago prospectors mined for copper here. A sawmill was nearby and abandoned foundations were already overtaken by vegetation.
Years ago prospectors mined for copper here. A sawmill was nearby and abandoned foundations were already overtaken by vegetation.
We got to the Sunnyside Canyon Trailhead at 9:10am. Big Steve took an ibuprofen and we didn’t see him again until two miles later, resting in the shade for us. It was 4.75 miles to the Crest Trail, where we planned on doing most of the trail work.
My lungs were feeling OK the first mile, but as the slope increased, my breathing became more tiring, and I stopped at every switchback for what seemed a few extra breaths.
Once we reached the two mile mark we could see the open vista of the Santa Cruz valley and Mount Wrightson to our Northwest.
We made it to the Crest Trail shortly before noon. We were now at an elevation of 8475’ with strong winds coming from Mexico. Here the tall pines did not whisper, they roared. To our surprise, there were no blow-downs. I scouted out a bit further down the Crest Trail and saw two smaller blow-downs, to which the guys carried the saw.
It was windy on top, with the exposed crest pushing the northbound winds against us. Most of the vegetation in spots was just agaves and tall grasses holding strong in the wind. I lost my straw hat a few times. I could see what looked like a brush fire in Mexico.
This is where we started to lose the group dynamics. Big Steve and Gordon beat feet back down, I went off a side trail where I saw five big blow-downs in an area that looked like had had a burn recently. Older trunks were charred and there were many dead trees in a see of young Ponderosa pines.
Two USBP agents came up the Pat Scott trail with a young German Shepherd dog. They startled me at first as I thought that perhaps there were illegals nearby that they were scouting for. We chatted for a bit, I warned them of the other guys further down the trail cutting down dead growth. The agents said they were just walking down the trail and thanked me for warning them about the other dog.
I perhaps chatted with the agents longer than I thought, because I did not see another group member until an hour later when Brenda caught up with me. Where were the others? Big Steve had raced back down to the trucks to rest his sore legs, Little Steve was in the rear, and Gordon and Chillita were resting at the two-mile marker.
We wouldn’t have gotten separated had we had radios. Why did I not think of bringing ours?
We saw no other people except for the two agents. No illegals, no trash, no other hikers. This was odd, especially on the Crest Trail.
“This is one of my favorite Canyons” said Brenda as we walked together back to the trucks. I have to agree. And we saw little trash this time around. There was some water in the creek, and some lush vegetation along the water’s edge. We heard Mexican jays and saw what looked like a kingfisher. Chillita loved chasing after the birds. Had my dogs been with me, they would have joined her.
Near the trailhead Brenda showed me some Hohokam petroglyphs. I had never seen them before.
We were back at the trucks by 5pm where Brenda and Gordon had beer and some other treats for us. I accepted a Budweiser (Kevin would be so proud) and ate some chips. Big Steve was in such pain he lay on the ground. I’ve never seen him in such pain before. Was he dehydrated? Did he tax his body too much? I certainly felt my thighs throbbing too, but I don’t mind, as I finally got up into my mountains again.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Birds, bees and babies
It’s been a busy week. I worked all five days this time, a first since leaving BMS (a school, I found out today, what will officially close after this school year to save money)
Tuesday I subbed in the PE department and worked with Jackie, another Guest Teacher, when time allowed. That meant we only chatted between classes, when we were both on duty in the girls’ locker room. I like Jackie. One of the Downs Syndrome boys from SpecEd the day before recognized me and gave me a hug. I gladly reciprocated.
It was hot that day and everyone in the Intro to PE had to run a mile around the track. I have that routine down well, but panicked briefly when a girl from another class started having an asthma attack and I couldn’t find the right key to open the school’s outside doors.
“Hurry, Ma’am, she can’t breathe!” said one boy, while the asthma-stricken girl looked anxiously at me, heaving for air with her reddened face. She turned out OK shortly thereafter. I don’t know how my day would have turned out otherwise.
Wednesday was supposed to be a day off but I got a call at 6:40am for a 7:20am starting time at the Clark Middle School. I was slated for math, but once there was given a computer class. I was literally saved by the bell as math frightens me. Most of the 7th-graders were on a field trip to Fairbanks, and in my first class I had no one. Second hour I had planning. This gave me plenty of time to finish reviewing for my SpecEd chapters.
Third hour was my one and only full class: a class of talented graphic artists.
“Cool, the Beast Lady!” said one charming boy as he walked in with a smile.
Beast Lady?
“Yeah, that means you’re pretty cool!” Whew. I still made everyone do their required in-class work: find 5-10 digital photos on-line and turn them into thumbnails. Now that is something I would like to learn, and these kids did it all in 20 minutes.
One kid, Tyron, hadn’t eaten any lunch in fifth hour. He wanted to go to the nurse for some crackers.
“How come you didn’t eat lunch?” I asked him.
“”Cause I don’t have no money!” he fired back. I stilled his hunger with a bag of party snacks the regular teacher left on his desk. I later wrote him for forgiveness.
Jackie was in the class across from me. She wanted my phone number. “I love talking to you and want to talk to you some more!” she explained. I am looking forward to time alone with a peer, away from demanding kids or screaming teenagers. She is always so up-beat.
I really liked working at the middle school that day and called Diane to tell her. I left a message on her voice mail. Perhaps Middle School is my calling afterall?
As usual on days when I have college classes, I stayed at the Cochise Library to idle time and surf the net. Lately it’s been reading updates on my new Facebook page, a website I created after much coddling by others who kept inviting me to view their photos on their own Facebook accounts. I have now joined the “Look-at-Me!” generation.
It was here, at 4:30pm that Wednesday, that I learned Erin was going to get induced the next day. Baby Ethan would be born no later than Friday.
I wasn’t expecting to get this news via a public Facebook “wall” but as I sat there, my eyes glued to the screen, I started crying. The young woman at the monitor to my right kept staring at me. I hope I am not the reason she got up and left?
OhMyGod I kept thinking, this is for real. I am going to be a Grandma. Were those tears of happiness or tears of fear? Or were they tears of guilt because I was 2700 miles away from my very pregnant only daughter? I had to calm myself down before my EDU222 class. I wanted to be calm enough to pass the day’s quiz we always start the hour with.
There is no turning back now, Ethan WANTS to come out, and I’m going to be a grandma for the rest of my life! That basically means that if I ever get successful now, I’ll always be known first and foremost as a “49-year-old grandmother of one”. That’s enough to never want to commit a crime and see my name in the local paper attached to the adjectival pronoun “grandmother” because that’s all I’ll ever be associated with.
I couldn’t fall asleep that night, worrying about Erin and Ethan and having fears that there were be complications, or worse, thanks to all the readings on birth defects, something major wrong with Ethan.
On Thursday I was back at the high school, another last-minute plea, and filled in for a World History class. The topic: British India at the end of the 19th century. Most students showed no interest in the subject, let alone my added impute. By sixth hour most of the students were chatting against the walls on the floor and socializing.
“Don’t worry,” said one regular teacher, “The last time I was in here there was a student sleeping on the floor!”
Well, at least I have higher standards.
Thursday night I gave my presentation on my EDU226 book-of-choice: “Schoolgirls” by Peggy Orenstein. Everyone in class knew I wasn’t happy with the book. I don’t know what my grade was—I was the last one to present my topic and went over the official class time—but I am relieved that I can finally concentrate on my Apache research paper.
And today, Friday, I went back to fill in for the French teacher. She left me a bar of dark chocolate as thanks. What a sweetie! The assignment today was watching the beginning of “Cyrano de Bergerac” in French, starring Gerald Depardieu. After the third time around I lost interest in viewing it and read my new Amazon Vine book: “Halfway to Heaven” a mostly humorous book about a middle-aged man’s quest to bag all 54 of Colorado’s Fourteeners. By the end of the sixth hour, I was half-way done.
The bird feeder was knocked over when I got home. Seeds were strewn all around the feeder’s post. Was this an attempt by Vinnie to attack a bird feeding from the seeds? The hummingbird sugar also looked sipped from.
The front yard welcomed me home in new bloom, too. The Desert Palo Verde now boasts yellow blooms, the Cleveland sage sports its first purple flower the mesquite tree continues to branch out into a mature tree.
I took the two older dogs on a two-mile walk around the neighborhood just before sunset. It was my first hike with them, I believe, since Sunday. Sara walked without a limp and seemed to enjoy solo time with her two best friends: Sammy and me. Sadie stayed home with Dad.
I heard a great horned owl hooting from the top of a swamp cooler. At first thinking it was a bushy-tailed cat walking on the roof (Vinnie did that last Sunday) I soon discovered it was an owl; it’s 90 degree head movement gave it away.
The walk ended with a hound-beagle ix running out of a door to attack Sammy. Screams and pulls on the leash did no good, and it took the panicked homeowners a few hard screams to get their dog back inside. The next time I walk the dogs, I’m bringing my stun gun with me.
It’s now just after 8pm on Friday and I haven’t heard anything from Erin yet. I figured she is sleeping off her birthing or enjoying new motherhood with Ethan. But even her Facebook Wall is silent. I’ve gotten used to getting all my baby news from Facebook rather than personal email or phone calls.
I am joining a few others tomorrow for a day of trail maintenance up a western slope of the Huachucas. It will be a ten-mile hike when all is said and done, and those ten miles will be well-appreciated because I have been so busy and emotionally drained all week that bagging a peak will be great therapy for me. I’ve longed for my mountains every morning as I’d leave for yet another day in school.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/24/news/doc49f1682ad1b13228235274.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/americas/25mexico.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Tuesday I subbed in the PE department and worked with Jackie, another Guest Teacher, when time allowed. That meant we only chatted between classes, when we were both on duty in the girls’ locker room. I like Jackie. One of the Downs Syndrome boys from SpecEd the day before recognized me and gave me a hug. I gladly reciprocated.
It was hot that day and everyone in the Intro to PE had to run a mile around the track. I have that routine down well, but panicked briefly when a girl from another class started having an asthma attack and I couldn’t find the right key to open the school’s outside doors.
“Hurry, Ma’am, she can’t breathe!” said one boy, while the asthma-stricken girl looked anxiously at me, heaving for air with her reddened face. She turned out OK shortly thereafter. I don’t know how my day would have turned out otherwise.
Wednesday was supposed to be a day off but I got a call at 6:40am for a 7:20am starting time at the Clark Middle School. I was slated for math, but once there was given a computer class. I was literally saved by the bell as math frightens me. Most of the 7th-graders were on a field trip to Fairbanks, and in my first class I had no one. Second hour I had planning. This gave me plenty of time to finish reviewing for my SpecEd chapters.
Third hour was my one and only full class: a class of talented graphic artists.
“Cool, the Beast Lady!” said one charming boy as he walked in with a smile.
Beast Lady?
“Yeah, that means you’re pretty cool!” Whew. I still made everyone do their required in-class work: find 5-10 digital photos on-line and turn them into thumbnails. Now that is something I would like to learn, and these kids did it all in 20 minutes.
One kid, Tyron, hadn’t eaten any lunch in fifth hour. He wanted to go to the nurse for some crackers.
“How come you didn’t eat lunch?” I asked him.
“”Cause I don’t have no money!” he fired back. I stilled his hunger with a bag of party snacks the regular teacher left on his desk. I later wrote him for forgiveness.
Jackie was in the class across from me. She wanted my phone number. “I love talking to you and want to talk to you some more!” she explained. I am looking forward to time alone with a peer, away from demanding kids or screaming teenagers. She is always so up-beat.
I really liked working at the middle school that day and called Diane to tell her. I left a message on her voice mail. Perhaps Middle School is my calling afterall?
As usual on days when I have college classes, I stayed at the Cochise Library to idle time and surf the net. Lately it’s been reading updates on my new Facebook page, a website I created after much coddling by others who kept inviting me to view their photos on their own Facebook accounts. I have now joined the “Look-at-Me!” generation.
It was here, at 4:30pm that Wednesday, that I learned Erin was going to get induced the next day. Baby Ethan would be born no later than Friday.
I wasn’t expecting to get this news via a public Facebook “wall” but as I sat there, my eyes glued to the screen, I started crying. The young woman at the monitor to my right kept staring at me. I hope I am not the reason she got up and left?
OhMyGod I kept thinking, this is for real. I am going to be a Grandma. Were those tears of happiness or tears of fear? Or were they tears of guilt because I was 2700 miles away from my very pregnant only daughter? I had to calm myself down before my EDU222 class. I wanted to be calm enough to pass the day’s quiz we always start the hour with.
There is no turning back now, Ethan WANTS to come out, and I’m going to be a grandma for the rest of my life! That basically means that if I ever get successful now, I’ll always be known first and foremost as a “49-year-old grandmother of one”. That’s enough to never want to commit a crime and see my name in the local paper attached to the adjectival pronoun “grandmother” because that’s all I’ll ever be associated with.
I couldn’t fall asleep that night, worrying about Erin and Ethan and having fears that there were be complications, or worse, thanks to all the readings on birth defects, something major wrong with Ethan.
On Thursday I was back at the high school, another last-minute plea, and filled in for a World History class. The topic: British India at the end of the 19th century. Most students showed no interest in the subject, let alone my added impute. By sixth hour most of the students were chatting against the walls on the floor and socializing.
“Don’t worry,” said one regular teacher, “The last time I was in here there was a student sleeping on the floor!”
Well, at least I have higher standards.
Thursday night I gave my presentation on my EDU226 book-of-choice: “Schoolgirls” by Peggy Orenstein. Everyone in class knew I wasn’t happy with the book. I don’t know what my grade was—I was the last one to present my topic and went over the official class time—but I am relieved that I can finally concentrate on my Apache research paper.
And today, Friday, I went back to fill in for the French teacher. She left me a bar of dark chocolate as thanks. What a sweetie! The assignment today was watching the beginning of “Cyrano de Bergerac” in French, starring Gerald Depardieu. After the third time around I lost interest in viewing it and read my new Amazon Vine book: “Halfway to Heaven” a mostly humorous book about a middle-aged man’s quest to bag all 54 of Colorado’s Fourteeners. By the end of the sixth hour, I was half-way done.
The bird feeder was knocked over when I got home. Seeds were strewn all around the feeder’s post. Was this an attempt by Vinnie to attack a bird feeding from the seeds? The hummingbird sugar also looked sipped from.
The front yard welcomed me home in new bloom, too. The Desert Palo Verde now boasts yellow blooms, the Cleveland sage sports its first purple flower the mesquite tree continues to branch out into a mature tree.
I took the two older dogs on a two-mile walk around the neighborhood just before sunset. It was my first hike with them, I believe, since Sunday. Sara walked without a limp and seemed to enjoy solo time with her two best friends: Sammy and me. Sadie stayed home with Dad.
I heard a great horned owl hooting from the top of a swamp cooler. At first thinking it was a bushy-tailed cat walking on the roof (Vinnie did that last Sunday) I soon discovered it was an owl; it’s 90 degree head movement gave it away.
The walk ended with a hound-beagle ix running out of a door to attack Sammy. Screams and pulls on the leash did no good, and it took the panicked homeowners a few hard screams to get their dog back inside. The next time I walk the dogs, I’m bringing my stun gun with me.
It’s now just after 8pm on Friday and I haven’t heard anything from Erin yet. I figured she is sleeping off her birthing or enjoying new motherhood with Ethan. But even her Facebook Wall is silent. I’ve gotten used to getting all my baby news from Facebook rather than personal email or phone calls.
I am joining a few others tomorrow for a day of trail maintenance up a western slope of the Huachucas. It will be a ten-mile hike when all is said and done, and those ten miles will be well-appreciated because I have been so busy and emotionally drained all week that bagging a peak will be great therapy for me. I’ve longed for my mountains every morning as I’d leave for yet another day in school.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/24/news/doc49f1682ad1b13228235274.txt
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/25/world/americas/25mexico.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
No hable espagnol
I got to the high school yesterday to sub for a Spanish class (I was so looking forward to that) but once there was diverted to a Special Ed class. I couldn't turn it down, as the Spanish teacher was in school anyway; the appointment the teacher had to go to had been postponed.
I was hesitant at first but thankfully the two paraprofessionals (a term I really don't like as they are invaluable in a Special Ed class) helped me all day. One woman was Scottish who was a delight to talk to. (She has been in this country for 16 years and hasn't lost one tone of her accent)
Everything I've learned in my college course about Special Ed could not teach me what I learned in one day. I had five autistic boys, one autistic girl, two Downs, one Williams Syndrome (a genetic defect I hadn't learned of before) and a few "mildly intellectually disabled." Textbooks simply can't teach HOW to handle such students.
One child, who luckily was absent, was prone to burst out in aggressive attacks. "He bites!" said one para. Bites?
Whatever the paras get paid simply isn't enough. That job is an 8-hour a day job at least with no breaks. Besides calming ADHD and autistic students down, some have to change diapers, feed students, guide them to the bathroom. And then they have to deal with parents who have unrealistic expectations.
"I make five dollars an hour less here than what I was making in Minnesota" said one para.
One girl with Downs won my heart. Whenever we walked down the hallway we were holding hands.
Another boy with Downs, a very talkative student, told me his father died yesterday "of a broken heart." It turned out his father died several years ago of heart disease. He proudly told me his birthday was soon coming.
Two boys recognized me from other classes.
We took the classes to a special presentation by the band and drama clubs and the student with Williams Syndrome was bopping in his seat to the music. I later learned that people with Williams Syndrome have an affinity for music.
Even some of the autistic students sat quietly in their seats as the play progressed. The drama club did an outstanding job; it brought tears to my eyes knowing these students may lose the opportunity to learn drama if the drama department gets cut back next year.
One of the teachers, who recognized me, thought for the longest time that I was a regular teacher. "You're always here at the school!" he said. I joined them for lunch and learned some of the goings-on in the school, some that have been making the press locally, some which are no fault of the school.
"Some parents just don't want to accept the fact that their child will never be independent" said one teacher. "They really believe their child will be able to get a job busing tables at a restaurant after graduation." The student in question was definitely not able to function independently; we were always making sure the students wasn't bursting out of the classroom and running down the hallway.
"The parents refuse to medicate that child" said another teacher. Although I am hesitant myself about medicating an autistic child, some should be tried on an experimental basis.
But what if some of these autism cases are a result of environmental toxins? It's just been revealed yesterday that pharmaceuticals and chemical companies have been dumping toxins into our rivers for decades. We eventually drink that water and the toxins build up in our bodies over time...eventually permanently altering our genes. Will these companies ever get investigated? We have pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers from corporate farms washing into our rivers every day.
When I left the school in the afternoon to retrieve my cell phone from the army hospital, I realized that I wasn't stressed out, angry, frustrated after my day at the school. Not one student glared at me. None of the students disobeyed me, and I actually felt love in my heart for the kids I had. Perhaps there is a calling for me in Special Education...but whatever or wherever that talent is, I will not pursue it because these SpecEd teachers simply do not get paid enough for this job, and this town's school district and its parents are one perfect example of how teachers are underpaid, underappreciated, overstressed and overworked.
I was hesitant at first but thankfully the two paraprofessionals (a term I really don't like as they are invaluable in a Special Ed class) helped me all day. One woman was Scottish who was a delight to talk to. (She has been in this country for 16 years and hasn't lost one tone of her accent)
Everything I've learned in my college course about Special Ed could not teach me what I learned in one day. I had five autistic boys, one autistic girl, two Downs, one Williams Syndrome (a genetic defect I hadn't learned of before) and a few "mildly intellectually disabled." Textbooks simply can't teach HOW to handle such students.
One child, who luckily was absent, was prone to burst out in aggressive attacks. "He bites!" said one para. Bites?
Whatever the paras get paid simply isn't enough. That job is an 8-hour a day job at least with no breaks. Besides calming ADHD and autistic students down, some have to change diapers, feed students, guide them to the bathroom. And then they have to deal with parents who have unrealistic expectations.
"I make five dollars an hour less here than what I was making in Minnesota" said one para.
One girl with Downs won my heart. Whenever we walked down the hallway we were holding hands.
Another boy with Downs, a very talkative student, told me his father died yesterday "of a broken heart." It turned out his father died several years ago of heart disease. He proudly told me his birthday was soon coming.
Two boys recognized me from other classes.
We took the classes to a special presentation by the band and drama clubs and the student with Williams Syndrome was bopping in his seat to the music. I later learned that people with Williams Syndrome have an affinity for music.
Even some of the autistic students sat quietly in their seats as the play progressed. The drama club did an outstanding job; it brought tears to my eyes knowing these students may lose the opportunity to learn drama if the drama department gets cut back next year.
One of the teachers, who recognized me, thought for the longest time that I was a regular teacher. "You're always here at the school!" he said. I joined them for lunch and learned some of the goings-on in the school, some that have been making the press locally, some which are no fault of the school.
"Some parents just don't want to accept the fact that their child will never be independent" said one teacher. "They really believe their child will be able to get a job busing tables at a restaurant after graduation." The student in question was definitely not able to function independently; we were always making sure the students wasn't bursting out of the classroom and running down the hallway.
"The parents refuse to medicate that child" said another teacher. Although I am hesitant myself about medicating an autistic child, some should be tried on an experimental basis.
But what if some of these autism cases are a result of environmental toxins? It's just been revealed yesterday that pharmaceuticals and chemical companies have been dumping toxins into our rivers for decades. We eventually drink that water and the toxins build up in our bodies over time...eventually permanently altering our genes. Will these companies ever get investigated? We have pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers from corporate farms washing into our rivers every day.
When I left the school in the afternoon to retrieve my cell phone from the army hospital, I realized that I wasn't stressed out, angry, frustrated after my day at the school. Not one student glared at me. None of the students disobeyed me, and I actually felt love in my heart for the kids I had. Perhaps there is a calling for me in Special Education...but whatever or wherever that talent is, I will not pursue it because these SpecEd teachers simply do not get paid enough for this job, and this town's school district and its parents are one perfect example of how teachers are underpaid, underappreciated, overstressed and overworked.
Monday, April 20, 2009
A warm-up is coming
It was a pleasant morning today, with birds twittering as soon as the sun rose. The weather forecast predicts a rising warm-up from here on out, which means the days will be hot and dry and we will have to water our garden more. I even put up the first hummingbird feeder yesterday, after spotting a little guy buzz around the front and back of this house looking for nectar.
I don't mind a warm-up, as we do live in Arizona, but this also starts the fireseason.
However, hearing the birds, smelling the flowers and watching all the various butterflies in the front yard are all joys of living in this part of the world.
I waited until 5:30pm yesterday to walk the dogs so that they wouldn't get too hot. I may have to walk them early in the morning from here on to keep their paws from getting too hot for the pavement.
I am busy with my classes but I can't help but get lost in planning for my summer trip. I'm getting anxious, too, for the birth of Ethan. Any day now, I tell myself, and he will show himself to the world.
I don't mind a warm-up, as we do live in Arizona, but this also starts the fireseason.
However, hearing the birds, smelling the flowers and watching all the various butterflies in the front yard are all joys of living in this part of the world.
I waited until 5:30pm yesterday to walk the dogs so that they wouldn't get too hot. I may have to walk them early in the morning from here on to keep their paws from getting too hot for the pavement.
I am busy with my classes but I can't help but get lost in planning for my summer trip. I'm getting anxious, too, for the birth of Ethan. Any day now, I tell myself, and he will show himself to the world.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
A sprained ankle on Earth Day
We were both up early today, for some reason, and what a good day to do so. I tinkered in the garden, then went with Kevin and all three dogs briefly to a site where I thought I lost my cell phone yesterday (no luck) and then went to Home Depot to get more redwood boxes for a potato garden. Yes, a potato garden, right here in southeastern Arizona! At the rate the current Russett Potatoes are growing, we may get a bumper crop, and Kevin wants to keep the potatoes coming.
Somehow, however, as I got out of the truck I sprained my right ankle. It hurt at first, but it wasn't too bad to walk on.. Now, however, 12 hours after the incident, my right ankle is throbbing and it seems to hurt more.
It sucks getting older. The rest of the day was spent making sure I didn't aggravate my ankle even more.
I took Sadie to the town's Earth Day/West Side Block Party for a while, to see this year's vendors. The Farmer's Market area looked pretty much the same. I recognized a few vendors from last year.
Sadie pulled on the leash the entire time, which surprised me. Maybe it was all the smells, the crowds, the other dogs? There were at least three other German Shepherd Dogs in the audience. She wanted to sniff and greet them all.
I had to rest my legs and sat under a shade canopy to listen to the Cochise County Youth Group Orchestra play a few folksy strings. Sadie wanted to do more sniff and greet, so we left. After three rounds around the market, I left. Sadie wanted to nip at one Husky dog, so it was time to get back home and do some gardening.
Volunteer clean-up crews were picking trash near the highway. And all I did today was garden in small increments, sitting down a lot to rest my legs. I planted more strawberries, green beans, even some butternut squash. I know it will be Kevin who will be tending to the garden before the monsoon comes, and I'm here to get it all ready for him. I'm happy that he at least enjoys this activity.
I keep telling him we need a small greenhouse to get seedlings going year-round. But at this rate what we need is a bigger garden! We need more of every crop to produce a year-round garden crop. I have strawberries and blueberries coming up on the shrubs and plants, but after I pick them off I'll have enough of both to fill two bowls of cereal.
Kevin also made me aware of a birdnest against our back patio. How long has that been there? I've never noticed birds flying there with nesting materials. I placed a long aluminum slat against the lattice so that Vinnie wouldn't be able to climb up it to the nest. The nest has been empty. No birds, no eggs.
Tone posted beautiful photos of his trip to Big Bend last week, and some of the pics brought back memories of my three-day stay there in early 2008. I hope I can take as breath-takingly beautiful photographs of Montana this July.
But until then...I better make sure I don't have any more freaky ankle sprains. I'm still dumbfounded as to how I managed to sprain it in the first place!!!
Somehow, however, as I got out of the truck I sprained my right ankle. It hurt at first, but it wasn't too bad to walk on.. Now, however, 12 hours after the incident, my right ankle is throbbing and it seems to hurt more.
It sucks getting older. The rest of the day was spent making sure I didn't aggravate my ankle even more.
I took Sadie to the town's Earth Day/West Side Block Party for a while, to see this year's vendors. The Farmer's Market area looked pretty much the same. I recognized a few vendors from last year.
Sadie pulled on the leash the entire time, which surprised me. Maybe it was all the smells, the crowds, the other dogs? There were at least three other German Shepherd Dogs in the audience. She wanted to sniff and greet them all.
I had to rest my legs and sat under a shade canopy to listen to the Cochise County Youth Group Orchestra play a few folksy strings. Sadie wanted to do more sniff and greet, so we left. After three rounds around the market, I left. Sadie wanted to nip at one Husky dog, so it was time to get back home and do some gardening.
Volunteer clean-up crews were picking trash near the highway. And all I did today was garden in small increments, sitting down a lot to rest my legs. I planted more strawberries, green beans, even some butternut squash. I know it will be Kevin who will be tending to the garden before the monsoon comes, and I'm here to get it all ready for him. I'm happy that he at least enjoys this activity.
I keep telling him we need a small greenhouse to get seedlings going year-round. But at this rate what we need is a bigger garden! We need more of every crop to produce a year-round garden crop. I have strawberries and blueberries coming up on the shrubs and plants, but after I pick them off I'll have enough of both to fill two bowls of cereal.
Kevin also made me aware of a birdnest against our back patio. How long has that been there? I've never noticed birds flying there with nesting materials. I placed a long aluminum slat against the lattice so that Vinnie wouldn't be able to climb up it to the nest. The nest has been empty. No birds, no eggs.
Tone posted beautiful photos of his trip to Big Bend last week, and some of the pics brought back memories of my three-day stay there in early 2008. I hope I can take as breath-takingly beautiful photographs of Montana this July.
But until then...I better make sure I don't have any more freaky ankle sprains. I'm still dumbfounded as to how I managed to sprain it in the first place!!!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Letdowns
The winds howled for almost three days. Driving was a chore and walking the dogs was torture. And I was stuck with several classes of Seniors that really discouraged me.
I love being productively busy but it seems I can only be productive when the rush is no more than 38 hours. More than that and I'm in need of a break. I hit that break last night.
It started yesterday morning, shortly after Kevin left for work. By 6:30am I was at the computer starting my assignment for that night's class (which took me about two hours to complete later on) when the high school called at 6:40am to come in. I was already showered, so all I did was eat a bowl of Cheerios, brush my teeth and got dressed. Bisbee called ten minutes later but I was out the door, forgetting my wallet in the kitchen. Luckily the Cheerios pulled me through the day.
The day started out with three gifted classes of AP English. But my lesson plan was a one-sentence plan: "Have students read 'Ode to a Nightingale' and finish multiple choice quiz." The poem was by John Keats. Most of these students were done before the hour was over and kept busy with other assignments from previous works.
There were a few gems in the first three AP classes. One Hispanic girl boasted about her all-paid scholarship to ASU that she rightfully earned (and who also defended that university for not honoring President Obama with an "honorary degree" just because he was Black), another student I recognized from a few months ago who shared a few dreams of studying comparative religions, and a few other bright minds that quietly wrote their assignments.
One young man in 4th hour, a junior, complained that he was one credit hour away from graduating but the school was not going to let him unless he took the class during the summer for $147. When I asked him why he simply couldn't take that one credit in the fall he shot back that he couldn't wait to get out of school and leave home.
"He could get a job this summer!" replied another girl, clearly defending her classmate. But my point was not that he was rushing through his life, but that he was wasting the opportunity to take elective classes of his choice in the fall that would help expand his mind. He wasn't interested in that. He just wanted to get out of school.
"What are your plans after school?" I asked him.
"I dunno...get a job?"
But what got to me was the Senior English classes toward the end of the day. I had no grade book to peek through but these kids must have been tracked as the low achievers. The first indicator was the attire I saw coming through the door: one girl, whom I recognized from weight training (and all she ever does there is preen herself in front of the boys) came in wearing a sheer red dress barely covering her crotch line. The front was low-cut exposing her push-up bra and cleavage. The back was low-back with her bra strap running across the upper back. And she wore her trademark moccasin black boots. Another classmate, walking in with super shorts, commented on her dress with "That's a nice dress!" but what went through my mind was "Ho."
Unfortunately the rest of the class came in fitting right in. Two boys wore sleeve-less work-out shirts and kept nagging me to write them a pass to the weight room. I refused unless they finished their assignment. Jock 1 turned his in with incomplete sentences, each one with several errors in it. Jock2's work was more complete and more thorough but he had to wait ten minutes until his jock friend was finished re-writing his. The entire class, I could tell, hated me for delaying their friends' plea for the weight room. I was not going to budge. Telling me that "The teacher lets us go to the weight room" answered with "But I am not that teacher!" did not sink in.
I couldn't wait to see that group of low achievers walk out the door and for the first time in a long time, I was glad to get out of that school for the day and relax finishing up my assignment at the library.
Fatigue began to set in in the late afternoon and our class last night ran until 9pm. The instructor rambled at times and I had to stay awake, which was hard with no caffeine to hoist me up artificially. When I got home I devoured the left-over Kevin left for me, thankful for that little surprise, but had to force myself to stay up to 10:30pm. I didn't have the energy to finish my take-home assignment from Wednesday's cancelled class. Since it's not due until Sunday at midnight, I figured another day won't hurt me. My goal was to finally get some rest and sleep off that day's horrific experience.
Despite the shining minds, what always gets to me is seeing young people waste their opportunities for a free and solid education. The "jocks and hos" that walk through that high school door today are going to be tomorrow's homeless and I have no desire to continue supporting their careless lifestyles.
Sometimes I get so disgruntled with the town. Sierra Vista has an ugly interior. There's a great intellectual divide between the high-end employees on post (who are not necessarily more intellectual) and the local low-end class in town of underpaid workers. I see so many more potential "workers" coming out of the high school. These kids have no future plans, no goals, no dreams. All they seem to want to do is spend their days texting their friends and staring at the cellphone, hoping someone would ring them.
An additional hit on my otherwise positive outlook for the day came via email from my Mom: she is flying next Thursday back to Berlin. Her beloved cousing Manfred is sick with cancer and, according to a family portrait that was sent to her via email, Manfred looks haggard and near death. She doesn't expect that he will live much longer.
The sad part for me was that I never got to meet Manfred. During the Cold War our families were divided by the Iron Curtain that divided Germany. Once that was broken, our lives continued going in separate directions. "I'll meet him one day" I kept telling my Mom, but that day will never come now. Lost opportunities and regrets, I am sure, will follow.
I love being productively busy but it seems I can only be productive when the rush is no more than 38 hours. More than that and I'm in need of a break. I hit that break last night.
It started yesterday morning, shortly after Kevin left for work. By 6:30am I was at the computer starting my assignment for that night's class (which took me about two hours to complete later on) when the high school called at 6:40am to come in. I was already showered, so all I did was eat a bowl of Cheerios, brush my teeth and got dressed. Bisbee called ten minutes later but I was out the door, forgetting my wallet in the kitchen. Luckily the Cheerios pulled me through the day.
The day started out with three gifted classes of AP English. But my lesson plan was a one-sentence plan: "Have students read 'Ode to a Nightingale' and finish multiple choice quiz." The poem was by John Keats. Most of these students were done before the hour was over and kept busy with other assignments from previous works.
There were a few gems in the first three AP classes. One Hispanic girl boasted about her all-paid scholarship to ASU that she rightfully earned (and who also defended that university for not honoring President Obama with an "honorary degree" just because he was Black), another student I recognized from a few months ago who shared a few dreams of studying comparative religions, and a few other bright minds that quietly wrote their assignments.
One young man in 4th hour, a junior, complained that he was one credit hour away from graduating but the school was not going to let him unless he took the class during the summer for $147. When I asked him why he simply couldn't take that one credit in the fall he shot back that he couldn't wait to get out of school and leave home.
"He could get a job this summer!" replied another girl, clearly defending her classmate. But my point was not that he was rushing through his life, but that he was wasting the opportunity to take elective classes of his choice in the fall that would help expand his mind. He wasn't interested in that. He just wanted to get out of school.
"What are your plans after school?" I asked him.
"I dunno...get a job?"
But what got to me was the Senior English classes toward the end of the day. I had no grade book to peek through but these kids must have been tracked as the low achievers. The first indicator was the attire I saw coming through the door: one girl, whom I recognized from weight training (and all she ever does there is preen herself in front of the boys) came in wearing a sheer red dress barely covering her crotch line. The front was low-cut exposing her push-up bra and cleavage. The back was low-back with her bra strap running across the upper back. And she wore her trademark moccasin black boots. Another classmate, walking in with super shorts, commented on her dress with "That's a nice dress!" but what went through my mind was "Ho."
Unfortunately the rest of the class came in fitting right in. Two boys wore sleeve-less work-out shirts and kept nagging me to write them a pass to the weight room. I refused unless they finished their assignment. Jock 1 turned his in with incomplete sentences, each one with several errors in it. Jock2's work was more complete and more thorough but he had to wait ten minutes until his jock friend was finished re-writing his. The entire class, I could tell, hated me for delaying their friends' plea for the weight room. I was not going to budge. Telling me that "The teacher lets us go to the weight room" answered with "But I am not that teacher!" did not sink in.
I couldn't wait to see that group of low achievers walk out the door and for the first time in a long time, I was glad to get out of that school for the day and relax finishing up my assignment at the library.
Fatigue began to set in in the late afternoon and our class last night ran until 9pm. The instructor rambled at times and I had to stay awake, which was hard with no caffeine to hoist me up artificially. When I got home I devoured the left-over Kevin left for me, thankful for that little surprise, but had to force myself to stay up to 10:30pm. I didn't have the energy to finish my take-home assignment from Wednesday's cancelled class. Since it's not due until Sunday at midnight, I figured another day won't hurt me. My goal was to finally get some rest and sleep off that day's horrific experience.
Despite the shining minds, what always gets to me is seeing young people waste their opportunities for a free and solid education. The "jocks and hos" that walk through that high school door today are going to be tomorrow's homeless and I have no desire to continue supporting their careless lifestyles.
Sometimes I get so disgruntled with the town. Sierra Vista has an ugly interior. There's a great intellectual divide between the high-end employees on post (who are not necessarily more intellectual) and the local low-end class in town of underpaid workers. I see so many more potential "workers" coming out of the high school. These kids have no future plans, no goals, no dreams. All they seem to want to do is spend their days texting their friends and staring at the cellphone, hoping someone would ring them.
An additional hit on my otherwise positive outlook for the day came via email from my Mom: she is flying next Thursday back to Berlin. Her beloved cousing Manfred is sick with cancer and, according to a family portrait that was sent to her via email, Manfred looks haggard and near death. She doesn't expect that he will live much longer.
The sad part for me was that I never got to meet Manfred. During the Cold War our families were divided by the Iron Curtain that divided Germany. Once that was broken, our lives continued going in separate directions. "I'll meet him one day" I kept telling my Mom, but that day will never come now. Lost opportunities and regrets, I am sure, will follow.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Huachuca Hiking Club
Last night was the first session with me at the lead. Steve did most of the talking as he went over old financial records. What to do with all the old paperwork from club meetings from the early 2002? We found a couple willing to archive it all (I would have volunteered had I not these college classes) as I hate to throw old trail reports away. The club has been in session since 1973 and there are still people around from the early days we keep in the books as "Honorary Members."
My big push is getting new and younger members. I haven't seen any new people show up to our meetings lately. The same few people show up every month and hike or lead. We need to get out and advertise our presence.
There are some good hikes coming up. Bill C has a hike up Slavin Gulch in the Dragoons on 2 May. I have my Mt Wrightson hike slated for 9 May now, as the following weekend would have put me too close to my departure for Indiana. Afterall, Baby Ethan is due officially on 12 May (but I think he'll get here in April) The following weekend, May 15-17 is an overnight carcamp in the Chiricahuas. I would have loved to have gone on that one!
I'll lead more hikes in August when I am back in Arizona. I want to lead a hike up Sage Peak in the Chiricahuas, starting from Rucker Canyon.
We were in session until 9:15pm, rather late for a school night. I didn't finish my reading assignment so I hope I have time today between classes. I'll be at the high school all day today. But at least my chocolate chip cookies were a hit and there are still plenty for Kevin to take to work today.
Winds have been howling since yesterday at noon and have gotten worse. Two days of intense winds can get to anyone's mind. At least the winds aren't arctic winds.
My big push is getting new and younger members. I haven't seen any new people show up to our meetings lately. The same few people show up every month and hike or lead. We need to get out and advertise our presence.
There are some good hikes coming up. Bill C has a hike up Slavin Gulch in the Dragoons on 2 May. I have my Mt Wrightson hike slated for 9 May now, as the following weekend would have put me too close to my departure for Indiana. Afterall, Baby Ethan is due officially on 12 May (but I think he'll get here in April) The following weekend, May 15-17 is an overnight carcamp in the Chiricahuas. I would have loved to have gone on that one!
I'll lead more hikes in August when I am back in Arizona. I want to lead a hike up Sage Peak in the Chiricahuas, starting from Rucker Canyon.
We were in session until 9:15pm, rather late for a school night. I didn't finish my reading assignment so I hope I have time today between classes. I'll be at the high school all day today. But at least my chocolate chip cookies were a hit and there are still plenty for Kevin to take to work today.
Winds have been howling since yesterday at noon and have gotten worse. Two days of intense winds can get to anyone's mind. At least the winds aren't arctic winds.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Illegals in our mountains
There was a discussion over the weekend in one of my on-line groups I belong to about the increase in illegal activity in the mountains of southern Arizona. I will be the first one to say that I've seen an increase in Mexican trash in the last few years along my beloved trails.
And it's getting worse in the city and in broad daylight. The Bisbee police beat reported 52 suspect illegals in last week's report.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/13/news/doc49e2ee181b680756453601.txt
But more disturbing to me were several personal accounts posted on one of the websites:
"I just spoke with a neighbor, Darryl, who hikes in Madera Canyon several times per week. Last Saturday, April 4, he was doing an early morning solo hike to Mt. Wrightson starting out just before sunrise. When Darryl was about 10 minutes above Josephine Saddle on the Old Baldy Trail, he noticed some movement up above which caught his eye. He thought this was strange as the Roundup parking lot was empty upon his arrival and he didn't expect to see anyone.
A few minutes later about 40-50 yards up the trail, he observed an individual with no pack cross the Old Baldy Trail and head down the hillside (bushwhacking) in the direction of the lower Super Trail. The first individual was followed by six more "hikers" that were carrying large burlap "backpacks" which Darryl estimated to be about 4' x 4' in size! Then an eighth individual crossed the trail without a backpack.
Darryl pulled out his cell phone and called 911. When the 911 operator asked if it was an emergency, he said "no" but asked if they were interested in hearing about drug runners. They were interested. Darryl relayed his observations and told them he thought that the drug smugglers were heading down toward the lower Super Trail. He then continued his hike to the summit.
About 3/4 of the way back down from the summit, Darryl's cell phone rang. It was the Santa Cruz County Sheriff calling from the Super Trail. They had not yet run into the drug runners and wanted to know if Darryl had seen anything more. As Darryl was talking with the sheriff, the sheriff got a radio call that deputies had apprehended four suspects about two miles down the road in Madera Canyon.
As Darryl was driving out of the canyon he came to a Border Patrol road block and identified himself as the person making the report. The Border Patrol asked him if he could identify any of the four suspects sitting in ditch which he could not as he had seen them from some distance. The suspects had told the officers that they were part of a party of ten. Unfortunately, they were not carrying the "backpacks" when they were taken into custody. However, the border patrol stated that the suspects had deep indentations in their skin from the weight of the packs. The border patrol estimates that these burlap "backpacks" weigh approximately 80 pounds each!
On Tuesday morning Darryl was back up Madera Canyon again early. An old beat up white pick- up truck had been following him up the road and fell behind. As he was gearing up, Darryl heard the truck approaching the Roundup and was surprised when it continued up the service road hidden behind the picnic area. As Darryl was hiking up to the Old Baldy Trail along the picnic area, he observed two individuals coming up from the direction of the service road who looked very much out of place. Although they had small backpacks, they were way over-dressed for hiking and even wore stocking caps on what was a warm morning. The two suspicious individuals headed up the Carrie Nation Mine Trail.
In light of Melissa and Darryl's recent encounters, it's probably not a good idea to hike solo in Madera Canyon. If you see any suspicious activity, please report it when you are at a safe distance from the encounter. The telephone number for the Border Patrol dispatch supervisor is 520-514-4662 or 4663. It appears that 911 is an option when drug smuggling is involved."
Another hiker responded with this:
"In the last year alone, we've encounted drug "mules" while mountain biking on Guajolote Flat, helped rescue a migrant who had been abandoned by his coyote after breaking a leg in Sycamore Canyon, found an obvious stash near Mustang Peak, and seen piles of migrant trash along the Chiricahua Crest. We don't hike or bike near the border anymore unless we're part of a (well-armed) group, and we no longer backpack in the Santa Ritas or Huachucas. I feel like a large chunk of Arizona is under foreign occupation, and the rest of the country has no idea how much we've lost."
To which another person posted a BLM warning that was taken from the BLM website:
BLM Cautions Public of Illegal Activities Occurring in Southern Arizona
"Phoenix, Ariz. – Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands in southern Arizona continue to experience illegal activities, including drug and human smuggling. Visitors to public lands are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings while in southern Arizona. In the past, encounters with drug smugglers have typically been non-violent in nature; however, recent BLM law enforcement reports indicate smugglers may be armed and have displayed aggressive behavior toward people working or recreating on public lands in southern Arizona.
Visitors to BLM public lands in southern Arizona, including the Sonoran Desert and Ironwood Forest national monuments, need to be aware of these activities. Remember the following safety tips:
Cell phone service is out of range in many remote areas.
Know where you are at all times, follow good safety procedures and use common sense when making decisions.
Do not pick-up hitch hikers.
Keep valuables, including spare change, out of sight and lock your vehicle.
Avoid traveling outside of well-marked roads and routes.
People in distress may ask for food, water or other assistance. Do not make contact. Report the location of the distressed people to the nearest BLM or other law enforcement authority.
Report ANY suspicious behavior to the nearest BLM office or contact Law Enforcement Dispatch.
The BLM is alerting the public to be aware of their surroundings when visiting public lands in southern Arizona, and to follow the safety tips above. Your safety is important. If you see anything that looks illegal, suspicious or out of place, do not intervene. Note your location and call 911, or report it to the BLM Law Enforcement Dispatch at (623) 580-5515, as quickly as possible.
The BLM manages more land – 256 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands."
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/april/april_7__2009_-_blm.html
I don't tend to be an alarmist, but the situation here has gotten bad. I now see USBP vans in our immediate neighborhood, lurking in tall grasses right of the major road here. More USBP vans have pulled people over off Highway 92. This all is scary, considering what our neighbors in the USBP have told us these last few months.
And it's getting worse in the city and in broad daylight. The Bisbee police beat reported 52 suspect illegals in last week's report.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/13/news/doc49e2ee181b680756453601.txt
But more disturbing to me were several personal accounts posted on one of the websites:
"I just spoke with a neighbor, Darryl, who hikes in Madera Canyon several times per week. Last Saturday, April 4, he was doing an early morning solo hike to Mt. Wrightson starting out just before sunrise. When Darryl was about 10 minutes above Josephine Saddle on the Old Baldy Trail, he noticed some movement up above which caught his eye. He thought this was strange as the Roundup parking lot was empty upon his arrival and he didn't expect to see anyone.
A few minutes later about 40-50 yards up the trail, he observed an individual with no pack cross the Old Baldy Trail and head down the hillside (bushwhacking) in the direction of the lower Super Trail. The first individual was followed by six more "hikers" that were carrying large burlap "backpacks" which Darryl estimated to be about 4' x 4' in size! Then an eighth individual crossed the trail without a backpack.
Darryl pulled out his cell phone and called 911. When the 911 operator asked if it was an emergency, he said "no" but asked if they were interested in hearing about drug runners. They were interested. Darryl relayed his observations and told them he thought that the drug smugglers were heading down toward the lower Super Trail. He then continued his hike to the summit.
About 3/4 of the way back down from the summit, Darryl's cell phone rang. It was the Santa Cruz County Sheriff calling from the Super Trail. They had not yet run into the drug runners and wanted to know if Darryl had seen anything more. As Darryl was talking with the sheriff, the sheriff got a radio call that deputies had apprehended four suspects about two miles down the road in Madera Canyon.
As Darryl was driving out of the canyon he came to a Border Patrol road block and identified himself as the person making the report. The Border Patrol asked him if he could identify any of the four suspects sitting in ditch which he could not as he had seen them from some distance. The suspects had told the officers that they were part of a party of ten. Unfortunately, they were not carrying the "backpacks" when they were taken into custody. However, the border patrol stated that the suspects had deep indentations in their skin from the weight of the packs. The border patrol estimates that these burlap "backpacks" weigh approximately 80 pounds each!
On Tuesday morning Darryl was back up Madera Canyon again early. An old beat up white pick- up truck had been following him up the road and fell behind. As he was gearing up, Darryl heard the truck approaching the Roundup and was surprised when it continued up the service road hidden behind the picnic area. As Darryl was hiking up to the Old Baldy Trail along the picnic area, he observed two individuals coming up from the direction of the service road who looked very much out of place. Although they had small backpacks, they were way over-dressed for hiking and even wore stocking caps on what was a warm morning. The two suspicious individuals headed up the Carrie Nation Mine Trail.
In light of Melissa and Darryl's recent encounters, it's probably not a good idea to hike solo in Madera Canyon. If you see any suspicious activity, please report it when you are at a safe distance from the encounter. The telephone number for the Border Patrol dispatch supervisor is 520-514-4662 or 4663. It appears that 911 is an option when drug smuggling is involved."
Another hiker responded with this:
"In the last year alone, we've encounted drug "mules" while mountain biking on Guajolote Flat, helped rescue a migrant who had been abandoned by his coyote after breaking a leg in Sycamore Canyon, found an obvious stash near Mustang Peak, and seen piles of migrant trash along the Chiricahua Crest. We don't hike or bike near the border anymore unless we're part of a (well-armed) group, and we no longer backpack in the Santa Ritas or Huachucas. I feel like a large chunk of Arizona is under foreign occupation, and the rest of the country has no idea how much we've lost."
To which another person posted a BLM warning that was taken from the BLM website:
BLM Cautions Public of Illegal Activities Occurring in Southern Arizona
"Phoenix, Ariz. – Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands in southern Arizona continue to experience illegal activities, including drug and human smuggling. Visitors to public lands are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings while in southern Arizona. In the past, encounters with drug smugglers have typically been non-violent in nature; however, recent BLM law enforcement reports indicate smugglers may be armed and have displayed aggressive behavior toward people working or recreating on public lands in southern Arizona.
Visitors to BLM public lands in southern Arizona, including the Sonoran Desert and Ironwood Forest national monuments, need to be aware of these activities. Remember the following safety tips:
Cell phone service is out of range in many remote areas.
Know where you are at all times, follow good safety procedures and use common sense when making decisions.
Do not pick-up hitch hikers.
Keep valuables, including spare change, out of sight and lock your vehicle.
Avoid traveling outside of well-marked roads and routes.
People in distress may ask for food, water or other assistance. Do not make contact. Report the location of the distressed people to the nearest BLM or other law enforcement authority.
Report ANY suspicious behavior to the nearest BLM office or contact Law Enforcement Dispatch.
The BLM is alerting the public to be aware of their surroundings when visiting public lands in southern Arizona, and to follow the safety tips above. Your safety is important. If you see anything that looks illegal, suspicious or out of place, do not intervene. Note your location and call 911, or report it to the BLM Law Enforcement Dispatch at (623) 580-5515, as quickly as possible.
The BLM manages more land – 256 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands."
http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/info/newsroom/2009/april/april_7__2009_-_blm.html
I don't tend to be an alarmist, but the situation here has gotten bad. I now see USBP vans in our immediate neighborhood, lurking in tall grasses right of the major road here. More USBP vans have pulled people over off Highway 92. This all is scary, considering what our neighbors in the USBP have told us these last few months.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Las Cienegas National Conservation Area
It didn't rain that much afterall yesterday. My rain barrels were mostly empty. But this morning was a bright and sunny, albeit cooler, day. I wanted to explore some trails.
My choice was to go back to where I was last Sunday, the Las Cienegas Conservation Area and find FR 910 that leads east into the Whetstone foothills. This area once all belonged to Empire Ranch, one of the biggest ranches in Arizona in the 1870s.. It's now been divided into several parcels and most now is part of the conservation area. Kevin came along and so did Sara, which meant that we weren't going to get a lot of miles in today but at least we'd be together.
Mount Wrightson was capped in white and glistened in the haze from a distance.
I recognized some of the RVs that were camped out in the same spots as they were last Sunday.
It took us 90 minutes to get to a ridgeline parking area. Here the trails converged into a multiple gathering of trails. Anything east of here became rugged and more suitable for ATVs. Kevin went on one trail, and I went on another one with the dogs. I went 20 minutes out and back and a few more minutes down another steep and rutted trail.
Views here in all directions were spectacular. One couldn't tell if one was still in the foothills or in the Whetstones, although Apache Peak was still a distance away. I felt so remote in these alluvial plains, and there was little sign of human presence except for a plastic bag fluttering from a thornbush branch that once contained Pan Blanco from Mexico.
A lone red-tailed hawk briefly swooped over me, but then disappeared.
"This is one of the top scenic areas in Arizona" said Kevin.
We stopped briefly at a birding spot along Cienega Creek before heading home, stopping at Fry's to gas up. We heard on NPR that an American ship captain who had been held by Somali pirates since Wednesday had been freed by Navy seals who had been monitoring the standoff via satellite and listening devices from a distance. I knew they were just waiting for the right moment to attack. Three Somali pirates were killed and the fourth taken under arrest. At least for the captain's family it's a belated Easter present.
The rest of the day was quiet. We enjoyed a chicken meal at home with three very hungry dogs watching our every move. After the meal I took Sadie on a solo three-mile hike around the neighborhood, getting back just before sunset.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Winter weather advisory
Kevin got up at 4am to go on the backporch to look at the rain. Although it's quite cooler this morning, this precipitation is much wanted. At least for a few days we are spared wildfires.
I just hope all my plants survive these winds. I always loose some of the young corn or saplings in these high winds. The only people who are hurting right now are those drug smugglers caught overnight in the mountains and the people whose homes were charred in TX and OK. We had tornadoes strike down in AR. KY, TN yesterday within a 24-hour period.
This storm will make me stay inside and start my first report.
___
Weather service: Rain and snow possible on Saturday
Published: Saturday, April 11, 2009 2:14 AM MST
SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County and Southern Arizona were under a red flag warning and could see rain or snow on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service issued a red flag warning and wind advisory for the county and much of Southeastern Arizona. Both warnings were in effect until 8 p.m. on Friday.
A red flag warning is when high winds and low relative humidity levels are forecast, causing a high fire danger. At 2:55 p.m., a wind speed of 31 mph and a gust of 43 mph were measured at Libby Army Airfield on Fort Huachuca, according to the weather service.
For areas above 6,000 feet, a winter weather advisory is in effect between midnight on Friday and 8 p.m. on Saturday.
The weather service is forecasting a storm moving into the area on Friday night and being in the area today. Rain is possible, as is snow for the Bisbee and Sierra Vista areas.The weather service says snow levels could drop to 4,500 feet on Saturday morning, with 1 to 4 inches possible above 6,000 feet.
Winds on Saturday are expected to be between 18 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The storm is expected to move out of the area on Sunday, and warmer temperatures are forecast, the weather service said.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/11/news/doc49e012948f3e0950304429.txt
I just hope all my plants survive these winds. I always loose some of the young corn or saplings in these high winds. The only people who are hurting right now are those drug smugglers caught overnight in the mountains and the people whose homes were charred in TX and OK. We had tornadoes strike down in AR. KY, TN yesterday within a 24-hour period.
This storm will make me stay inside and start my first report.
___
Weather service: Rain and snow possible on Saturday
Published: Saturday, April 11, 2009 2:14 AM MST
SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County and Southern Arizona were under a red flag warning and could see rain or snow on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service issued a red flag warning and wind advisory for the county and much of Southeastern Arizona. Both warnings were in effect until 8 p.m. on Friday.
A red flag warning is when high winds and low relative humidity levels are forecast, causing a high fire danger. At 2:55 p.m., a wind speed of 31 mph and a gust of 43 mph were measured at Libby Army Airfield on Fort Huachuca, according to the weather service.
For areas above 6,000 feet, a winter weather advisory is in effect between midnight on Friday and 8 p.m. on Saturday.
The weather service is forecasting a storm moving into the area on Friday night and being in the area today. Rain is possible, as is snow for the Bisbee and Sierra Vista areas.The weather service says snow levels could drop to 4,500 feet on Saturday morning, with 1 to 4 inches possible above 6,000 feet.
Winds on Saturday are expected to be between 18 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The storm is expected to move out of the area on Sunday, and warmer temperatures are forecast, the weather service said.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/11/news/doc49e012948f3e0950304429.txt
Friday, April 10, 2009
My personalized plates have arrived!
I ordered these plates the same day I had my van registered for Arizona. They arrived in today's mail. I am now the proud owner of a silly plate, a variant of "Dog House" since all three dogs travel with me when we go long distances.
I checked the Arizona Department of Transportation website for other personalized plate choices. There are currently 20689 personalized license plates using Arizona's standard background of a desert mountain ridge with several saguaro silhouetted against a setting sun. Our state has perhaps the prettiest license plates in the country, (with New Jersey still holding top slot for most boring plates).
I was surprised that there are so many personalized plates for dog lovers and "dog houses." But other plates such as DOBIE, DOBRMN, DOBERMN, DOGDRVN, DOGDUDE, DOGGON, DOGHAUS, DOGILVR, DOGVAN, DOGJEEP, DOGMAN, DOGMBL, DOGNME, DOGPAL, DOGPEN, DOGWGN, DOGWUVR were on our roads. My favorite? DOGMA.
***
Winds that were predicted for today came this morning, with increasing gusts that now seem almost frightening in light of the news of several brush fires in Oklahoma and northern Texas in which two people were killed. The towns of Sunset and Stoneburg north of Dallas were destroyed. It's been dry here as well, and it wouldn't take much for a pyromaniac to set my beautiful mountains on fire. Wildfires are something I wouldn't want to wish on anyone. Texas last year had a burning season along its Oklahoma border; I'm sure residents there are reliving a nightmare.
I had planned on driving through the Texas Panhandle on my way to Indiana next month.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/041009dntexwildfires.558dc1.html http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/us/11storms.html?hpw
County seeing windy conditions, rain and snow forecast
Published: Friday, April 10, 2009 4:01 PM MST
SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County and Southern Arizona are under a red flag warning and could be seeing rain or snow on Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service issued a red flag warning and wind advisory for the county and much of Southeastern Arizona. Both warnings are in effect until 8 p.m. on Friday.
A red flag warning is when high winds and low relative humidity levels are forecast, causing a high fire danger.
At 2:55 p.m., a wind speed of 31 mph and a gust of 43 mph were measured at Libby Army Airfield on Fort Huachuca, according to the weather service.
For areas above 6,000 feet, a winter weather advisory is in effect between midnight on Friday and 8 p.m. on Saturday.
The weather service is forecasting a storm moving into the area on Friday night and being in the area on Saturday. Rain is possible, as is snow for the Bisbee and Sierra Vista areas.The weather service says snow levels could drop to 4,500 feet on Saturday morning, with 1 to 4 inches possible above 6,000 feet.
Winds on Saturday are expected to be between 18 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The storm is expected to move out of the area on Sunday, and warmer temperatures are forecast, the weather service said.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/10/news/breaking_news/doc49dfcf9eb8ae0934641902.txt
I checked the Arizona Department of Transportation website for other personalized plate choices. There are currently 20689 personalized license plates using Arizona's standard background of a desert mountain ridge with several saguaro silhouetted against a setting sun. Our state has perhaps the prettiest license plates in the country, (with New Jersey still holding top slot for most boring plates).
I was surprised that there are so many personalized plates for dog lovers and "dog houses." But other plates such as DOBIE, DOBRMN, DOBERMN, DOGDRVN, DOGDUDE, DOGGON, DOGHAUS, DOGILVR, DOGVAN, DOGJEEP, DOGMAN, DOGMBL, DOGNME, DOGPAL, DOGPEN, DOGWGN, DOGWUVR were on our roads. My favorite? DOGMA.
***
Winds that were predicted for today came this morning, with increasing gusts that now seem almost frightening in light of the news of several brush fires in Oklahoma and northern Texas in which two people were killed. The towns of Sunset and Stoneburg north of Dallas were destroyed. It's been dry here as well, and it wouldn't take much for a pyromaniac to set my beautiful mountains on fire. Wildfires are something I wouldn't want to wish on anyone. Texas last year had a burning season along its Oklahoma border; I'm sure residents there are reliving a nightmare.
I had planned on driving through the Texas Panhandle on my way to Indiana next month.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/041009dntexwildfires.558dc1.html http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/us/11storms.html?hpw
County seeing windy conditions, rain and snow forecast
Published: Friday, April 10, 2009 4:01 PM MST
SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County and Southern Arizona are under a red flag warning and could be seeing rain or snow on Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service issued a red flag warning and wind advisory for the county and much of Southeastern Arizona. Both warnings are in effect until 8 p.m. on Friday.
A red flag warning is when high winds and low relative humidity levels are forecast, causing a high fire danger.
At 2:55 p.m., a wind speed of 31 mph and a gust of 43 mph were measured at Libby Army Airfield on Fort Huachuca, according to the weather service.
For areas above 6,000 feet, a winter weather advisory is in effect between midnight on Friday and 8 p.m. on Saturday.
The weather service is forecasting a storm moving into the area on Friday night and being in the area on Saturday. Rain is possible, as is snow for the Bisbee and Sierra Vista areas.The weather service says snow levels could drop to 4,500 feet on Saturday morning, with 1 to 4 inches possible above 6,000 feet.
Winds on Saturday are expected to be between 18 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The storm is expected to move out of the area on Sunday, and warmer temperatures are forecast, the weather service said.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/10/news/breaking_news/doc49dfcf9eb8ae0934641902.txt
Thursday, April 9, 2009
"Why don't you try a charter school?"
I have to admit, all the bad news lately about the cutbacks in Arizona's public school districts has gotten me down. I've had thoughts lately of pursuing a different career after I'm done with these courses.
I didn't get called in today to work, which was perfect for me as I had another productive day elsewhere: I gardened for a few hours, read my required reading assignment and then spent most of the afternoon writing my essays. After my third "final draft" copy I took Sadie and Sammy on their three-mile walk around the neighborhood while mulling over what else to write about in my essays. After the walk I returned to my computer to finalize my essay before taking off for my class.
Tonight's class was perhaps the best class yet on this subject (Diversity). The instructor spoke from the heart, not with anger (like he did earlier in the semester) but with passion, and he had me captivated. It didn't matter that he went ten minutes over the class time. He put thoughts into my head that got me thinking. Despite the budget cuts in all the local school districts, why not try charter schools? At least in a good charter school I could pursue my passion for foreign languages. It's definitely worth a try.
Charter schools don't require teachers to be fully certified. But after May I will be highly certified in my area of expertise (German) and could work at any public or private school in Arizona. The problem is that many school districts are cutting back on classes in English, Spanish, German, French because of budget deficits. In a charter school I could also take proficiency exams in my other areas of interest such as history or English without having an advanced degree in those subject areas. As long as I pass the proficiency exams I would be qualified to teach those subjects...
It's all definitely worth looking into more. And there's still that Master's Degree I should get started.
I drove home at 9:30pm to a full moon hazed over by frontal clouds of an impending weekend storm. Weather is supposed to worsen tomorrow over the weekend, with high dangers for both fire and wind predicted. If I can't go on a hike at least I can stay home and write my papers.
Arizona is one of the top states with charter schools. According to the Arizona's Department of Education website, 24% of all public schools are charter schools. Of the 1,148,696 students in Arizona (K-12, 2006), 8.7% are in charter schools.
Arizona is a beautiful state and being here is living my dream. I do not want to leave this state. But I do want to spend the next ten years doing a job I have always loved: teaching. Not to mention that having my summers off is another bonus that means a lot to me. I don't want to live my life regretting not having taken time out to travel.
http://www.azcharters.org/pages/schools-basic-statistics
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/288194.php
I didn't get called in today to work, which was perfect for me as I had another productive day elsewhere: I gardened for a few hours, read my required reading assignment and then spent most of the afternoon writing my essays. After my third "final draft" copy I took Sadie and Sammy on their three-mile walk around the neighborhood while mulling over what else to write about in my essays. After the walk I returned to my computer to finalize my essay before taking off for my class.
Tonight's class was perhaps the best class yet on this subject (Diversity). The instructor spoke from the heart, not with anger (like he did earlier in the semester) but with passion, and he had me captivated. It didn't matter that he went ten minutes over the class time. He put thoughts into my head that got me thinking. Despite the budget cuts in all the local school districts, why not try charter schools? At least in a good charter school I could pursue my passion for foreign languages. It's definitely worth a try.
Charter schools don't require teachers to be fully certified. But after May I will be highly certified in my area of expertise (German) and could work at any public or private school in Arizona. The problem is that many school districts are cutting back on classes in English, Spanish, German, French because of budget deficits. In a charter school I could also take proficiency exams in my other areas of interest such as history or English without having an advanced degree in those subject areas. As long as I pass the proficiency exams I would be qualified to teach those subjects...
It's all definitely worth looking into more. And there's still that Master's Degree I should get started.
I drove home at 9:30pm to a full moon hazed over by frontal clouds of an impending weekend storm. Weather is supposed to worsen tomorrow over the weekend, with high dangers for both fire and wind predicted. If I can't go on a hike at least I can stay home and write my papers.
Arizona is one of the top states with charter schools. According to the Arizona's Department of Education website, 24% of all public schools are charter schools. Of the 1,148,696 students in Arizona (K-12, 2006), 8.7% are in charter schools.
Arizona is a beautiful state and being here is living my dream. I do not want to leave this state. But I do want to spend the next ten years doing a job I have always loved: teaching. Not to mention that having my summers off is another bonus that means a lot to me. I don't want to live my life regretting not having taken time out to travel.
http://www.azcharters.org/pages/schools-basic-statistics
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/288194.php
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Time Out
There's been nothing but bad news for the school districts. Tucson's cutting back 560 teaching and administrative positions for the next school year, Bisbee's going to four days a week and creating four ten-hour work days. (I will not work for what they are currently paying, for a ten-hour work day!) Sierra Vista's also laying off a hundred or so people.
I am busy with school and haven't been able to "play" much. I was hoping for a hike up Slavin Gulch this Saturday and now the weather looks bad: there's a chance of thunderstorms! That's great news for the mountains, but not so great news for those of us wanting to go into the mountains.
But now that I realize this is Easter weekend, I can perhaps do a hike on Friday nearby, and another on Sunday?
Winds are picking up again. They howled this morning. More winds are due on Friday.
Today: Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High 74F. Winds WSW at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy skies. Low around 45F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph.
Tomorrow: Sunshine and some clouds. High 71F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
Tomorrow night: A few clouds from time to time. Low 46F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Windy with times of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the mid 40s.
Saturday: A few thunderstorms possible. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 40s.
Sunday: Sunny. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the mid 40s.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/07/news/doc49daf2acc7b84301140624.txt
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/byauthor/287654
I am busy with school and haven't been able to "play" much. I was hoping for a hike up Slavin Gulch this Saturday and now the weather looks bad: there's a chance of thunderstorms! That's great news for the mountains, but not so great news for those of us wanting to go into the mountains.
But now that I realize this is Easter weekend, I can perhaps do a hike on Friday nearby, and another on Sunday?
Winds are picking up again. They howled this morning. More winds are due on Friday.
Today: Windy with a mix of clouds and sun. High 74F. Winds WSW at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy skies. Low around 45F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph.
Tomorrow: Sunshine and some clouds. High 71F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.
Tomorrow night: A few clouds from time to time. Low 46F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Windy with times of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the mid 40s.
Saturday: A few thunderstorms possible. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 40s.
Sunday: Sunny. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the mid 40s.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/04/07/news/doc49daf2acc7b84301140624.txt
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/byauthor/287654
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Santa Rita-Cienega foothills
My real goal today was finding a good access point to Davidson Canyon, but instead I wasted precious daylight driving down dirtroads that ended in dead ends. (The northern access point to the canyon, near the Cienega Preserve, is the only other point I know, but I wanted the southern terminus). Every turn-off I pulled off on to explore ended in dead ends or private property, and I didn't want to spend all day driving. I gave up looking for Davidson canyon and took the rest of the day to explore lesser-known trails.
I stopped in a few isolated turn-outs to exercise the dogs. At one point I encountered a Lesser Eared Lizard. In the eastern Santa Ritas I came across a very disgruntled skunk, the #1 mammal in our country that has been found rabid. I left Mr Stinky alone.
I wanted something isolated so I opted to try the Cienega Conservation Area, an area that includes a "working ranch," horse trails and ATV trails. I'm not so sure I understand why ATVs are allowed in a conservation area, but I also can't admit that I saw any ATVs. I came across several horseback riders and a few lonely RVs parked at primitive sites.
The dogs had fun in the water of Cienega creek before we left for our hot and dry drive back home. The wind that blew Friday and Saturday was gone today, thank goodness, and we were able to do some decent gardening late in the afternoon. We got a bumper carrot harvest and Kevin's proud of his few beets and turnips.
I did more driving than I did hiking today, and my exploratory driving didn't yield much. The land I really wanted to get in, I found out, was controlled by the State Trust Land, a state agency that holds land until miners or developers buy it.
We certainly live in an interesting neighborhood. One of our neighbors with whom we occassionally chat with told us that the street just north of us had a safe house with over 80 illegals busted two days ago. I've been walking the dogs every few days here and never noticed suspicious behavior? And this was after the Catholic Church (Our Lady of the Mountain) was found harboring illegals a few months ago. When that made the local newspaper a lot of locals were quite pissed. I'm sure this news will remain unreported. All this just falls into the other local and state news of more and increased arrests of illegals and drug runners.
Oh well. At least I can report my first hummingbird in the front yard today. It looked like a black-chinned little guy.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Quiet in the House
Kevin left early Monday morning for his week-long trip with a few co-workers to Gila Bend. The wind howled and I was nervous about him driving in the winds. It wasn't any calmer today, with gusts up to 40mph.
It's quiet here with him gone. Granted, by the time I get home from class he's usually in bed anyway, but he falls asleep to the radio and I'll hear the radio from the living room and computer area. But these last few days it's been quiet and I'm sure even Vinnie misses her "dad" as she likes to sleep between his legs.
But perhaps it's best he's not here as I've been stressing about the midterms. I got my Anthro midterm back on Monday: 97%. I got my Diversity in the Classroom midterm back last Thursday: 99%. And today I got my Intro to Special Ed midterm back with 96% and "Excellent!" written in fluorescent pink. I was so relieved from all that stress I just wanted to leave the classroom and scream with joy. One student got an "F" and two got "Ds." How can that be?!?! Some people just don't put any effort into their education.
Amira and I did our debates tonight and we did very well. The topic was very controvertial as I had to talk about the pros of medical abortions of severely-deformed fetuses. We both used photographs of deformed babies in the end, holding them up as if we were politicians campaigning for separate causes. My photograph was of a severely anencephalic fetus missing its cerebrum; a very disturbing visual. But there are other severe deformities that doom a fetus to certain stillbirth or death shortly after birth.
Amira, bless her heart, was so nervous about the debate but in the end we hugged each other with joy after the instructor's compliments. We had conquered the most controvertial topic in the class, and most of our debate was free-flow, meaning it wasn't read off any script but recited from memory. I had started my research on this a few weeks ago anyway, so that no matter what Amira said, I could counterpoint it. I just had to remember all the numbers and percentages for the right subjects.
I love research and can't wait to do it for real for my Master's, which is why the high grades mean so much to me.
Now that the debate is over I can concentrate on my Apache project and my last book report project for my Diversity class.
Saturday I have some Master Gardener volunteering to complete so Sunday means I can take time out for myself and do a nice hike again. Dos Cabezas. Miller Peak, Mount Wrightson? Who knows? I'm even considering exploring Davidson Canyon from Highway 83.
Vinnie was gone all day and she had me worried. I last saw her last night after giving Reina her meds. I saw her again tonight as I got home from class. Whew! What a relief to know she didn't fall victim to the tallons of a hungry great horned owl, the fangs of a coyote or the bites of a vicious dog. At least for now. She really is a cute cat I hope to have for many more years.
As for Sara, she is still limping. I took her on a short, slow hike with the other two dogs for a 1.5-mile walk around the neighborhood. She did fine until the last .4 mile, so we went straight home. What she needs is complete rest off her leg, but how does one keep a dog on "rest" when she will burst out into the backyard to chase utility trucks that drive in the back alley? She defends her house with 110% determination. I admire that old girl for her love and devotion but I also know she needs to take time out to heal.
It's quiet here with him gone. Granted, by the time I get home from class he's usually in bed anyway, but he falls asleep to the radio and I'll hear the radio from the living room and computer area. But these last few days it's been quiet and I'm sure even Vinnie misses her "dad" as she likes to sleep between his legs.
But perhaps it's best he's not here as I've been stressing about the midterms. I got my Anthro midterm back on Monday: 97%. I got my Diversity in the Classroom midterm back last Thursday: 99%. And today I got my Intro to Special Ed midterm back with 96% and "Excellent!" written in fluorescent pink. I was so relieved from all that stress I just wanted to leave the classroom and scream with joy. One student got an "F" and two got "Ds." How can that be?!?! Some people just don't put any effort into their education.
Amira and I did our debates tonight and we did very well. The topic was very controvertial as I had to talk about the pros of medical abortions of severely-deformed fetuses. We both used photographs of deformed babies in the end, holding them up as if we were politicians campaigning for separate causes. My photograph was of a severely anencephalic fetus missing its cerebrum; a very disturbing visual. But there are other severe deformities that doom a fetus to certain stillbirth or death shortly after birth.
Amira, bless her heart, was so nervous about the debate but in the end we hugged each other with joy after the instructor's compliments. We had conquered the most controvertial topic in the class, and most of our debate was free-flow, meaning it wasn't read off any script but recited from memory. I had started my research on this a few weeks ago anyway, so that no matter what Amira said, I could counterpoint it. I just had to remember all the numbers and percentages for the right subjects.
I love research and can't wait to do it for real for my Master's, which is why the high grades mean so much to me.
Now that the debate is over I can concentrate on my Apache project and my last book report project for my Diversity class.
Saturday I have some Master Gardener volunteering to complete so Sunday means I can take time out for myself and do a nice hike again. Dos Cabezas. Miller Peak, Mount Wrightson? Who knows? I'm even considering exploring Davidson Canyon from Highway 83.
Vinnie was gone all day and she had me worried. I last saw her last night after giving Reina her meds. I saw her again tonight as I got home from class. Whew! What a relief to know she didn't fall victim to the tallons of a hungry great horned owl, the fangs of a coyote or the bites of a vicious dog. At least for now. She really is a cute cat I hope to have for many more years.
As for Sara, she is still limping. I took her on a short, slow hike with the other two dogs for a 1.5-mile walk around the neighborhood. She did fine until the last .4 mile, so we went straight home. What she needs is complete rest off her leg, but how does one keep a dog on "rest" when she will burst out into the backyard to chase utility trucks that drive in the back alley? She defends her house with 110% determination. I admire that old girl for her love and devotion but I also know she needs to take time out to heal.
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