I LOVE SUMMERS!
WHEN I FIRST BEGAN TEACHING, WHEN SCHOOL WAS OVER,
IT WAS SUMMER!
I WOULD TAKE A COUPLE OF CLASSES OR WORKSHOPS
EVERY SUMMER, WORKING TOWARDS A SALARY LANE CHANGE.
I'D USHER AT THE "PAGEANT OF THE ARTS."
LOTS OF TIME WITH THE NIECES AND NEPHEWS.
I SPENT 3 JUNES HELPING CONRAD WITH HIS ORCHESTRAS.
TWO SUMMERS WERE SPENT DOING
MERRILL OSMOND'S PIONEER PAGEANT.
THOSE SAME 2 SUMMERS...WALT DISNEY WORLD AFTER THE PAGEANT.
ELEVEN YEARS OF BEING IN THE STAKE YOUNG WOMENS
MEANT 11 SUMMERS OF CAMP AND SOFTBALL.
.
ABOUT MY FIRST 10 YEARS OF TEACHING, ANY PREP WORK
WE DID TO GET READY FOR SCHOOL, WAS DONE ON OUR OWN TIME.
THEN, WE STARTED "CAREER LADDER."
WE HAD 6 DAYS TO WORK WHENEVER, AND 2 PRINCIPAL DIRECTED DAYS!
A NICE BONUS BEFORE CHRISTMAS!
HALLELUJAH!!!
THEN, SLOWLY, THE DAYS CHANGED.
SAME AMOUNT, BUT MORE PRINCIPAL AND DISTRICT DAYS.
THEN, IT WAS JUST COLLABORATION DAYS.
NOW, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S NOTHING, UNLESS YOU
GET THE COLLABORATION GRANT. (ALL TITLE I SCHOOLS GET IT.)
NO COLLABORATION DAYS CAN BE USED FOR
"BACK TO SCHOOL" ROOM PREP, ORGANIZING,
GOING THROUGH FILES, COPYING, ETC.
UNTIL AROUND 2000, OUR TEACHING CERTIFICATES WERE
RENEWED AUTOMATICALLY...AS LONG AS YOU WERE CURRENTLY
A FULL TIME TEACHER.
AFTER THAT, YOU HAD TO HAVE 100 "RELICENSURE" POINTS.
I WOULD GET 30 POINTS A YEAR...JUST FOR BEING THE
AEA REP FOR MY SCHOOL.
THEN, THE STATE STARTED CHARGING TO RENEW YOU LICENSE,
AND TO BE FINGERPRINTED.
MY LAST RENEWAL IN 2010 COST OVER $200!
MY LICENSE IS UP FOR RENEWAL THIS YEAR.
I HAVE ENOUGH POINTS TO RENEW...AND I WOULD,
IF IT WAS FREE!
THEN, THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN.
AKA..."NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND & COMMON CORE."
WE HAD TO DO A LOT EVERY SUMMER!!!
DISTRICT MEETINGS...ALL DAY...THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE!
MORE WORKSHOPS.
AND, COLLABORATION DAYS!
YOU HAD TO APPLY FOR THESE DAYS.
80% OF YOUR TEAM HAD TO AGREE TO DO IT.
WELL...WITH 4 TEACHERS, THEN 3...80% DIDN'T WORK.
IF I CHOSE NOT TO DO IT, MY TEAMMATES WOULD BE MAD,
CUZ THEY COULDN'T EARN THE MONEY!!!
(THAT'S CALLED "TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM!)
SO, WE APPLIED, AND GOT THE GRANTS.
WE HAD TO WORK 5 DAYS. ONE TEAM MEMBER WANTED
TO WORK 10 1/2 DAYS!!! NO THANK YOU!!!
GET IN, AND GET IT DONE!!!
I DID, HOWEVER, HAVE TO COMPROMISE AND
DO SOME DAYS IN AUGUST, RATHER THAN JUNE!
(I COULD NEVER HAVE COMPLETED MY YW CALLING WHILE DOING THIS.
I WOULD HAVE HAD TO MISS SOME SOFTBALL AND SOME CAMP.)
IF I HAD NOT RETIRED, MY SUMMER IN 2013 WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE THIS:
SCIENCE WORKSHOP
3 DISTRICT COMMON CORE MATH DAYS
CLEAR CREEK RECERTIFICATION
5 COLLABORATION DAYS
(OUT VOTED FOR 5 WHOLE DAYS)
INSTEAD, I WAS CONFINED TO THE CONDO WITH
MY FOOT...BUT, SOOOOO WORTH IT!!!
THE SUMMER OF 2012, WE HAD TO DO ALL OF OUR
COLLABORATION IN THE COMPUTER LAB.
WHY???
THEY WERE DIGGING UP OUR HALL FOR
EARTHQUAKE UPGRADES!!!
THIS PICTURE APPEARED ON MY "TIMEHOP" APP.
I HAD TOTALLY FORGOTTEN.
QUITE THE MEMORY!!!
SPOOKY!
