How to drive in the snow...

In my backyard with my pups Brutus (pug) and Breaker (lab). They give me kisses.

Welp. It is finally happening. I was a little bit jealous of the west side of the state (greater Seattle area) because they were kicking our bootays earlier this week in the snow-department. Hrmph. That's our job! This is precisely what the inland northwest is KNOWN for. Snow. Lots of it. Hrmph.

(insert dramatic operatic music here)

SNOW DAY!!!!! Even though the Seattle area is facing a combination of "Snow-pocalypse 2012" AND an "ice storm" at the moment, we're getting ours. Boo ya. Spokane Public Schools hardly ever cancels school, and today they did it. My prayers have been answered. I feel so much more justified today as I sleep in, sit on the couch, and "grade papers" (ok...let's be honest...watch Dexter on DVD).

The only negative? We were going to have a Semester Break Day on January 30. This is actually a very, very valuable day (teachers, I know you understand). It is a day when I can actually finalize grades, write real comments instead of picking pre-made cheesy ones, and prepare for a new semester. Unfortunately, it also served as a snow make-up day. So we'll lose it to make up for this one. Bummer city.

{Oh yeah...the title of this post. Almost forgot.}

This is a pic I took from my car window yesterday afternoon.

Driving Tip #1) In the words of my father, when driving in the snow, "Be a steady Eddie, not a frantic Fred." Well said, Pops.

Driving Tip #2) Keep your foot on the gas. Don't be a weenie. Be bold. Cocky, almost. This will help you.

Driving Tip #3) If you don't have anti-lock brakes (does this even apply to anyone anymore?), pump 'em. If you do have ALBs, don't pump. Let the ANTI-LOCK feature do that for you.

Driving Tip #4) Steer through it. This is pretty important on turns. Just go for it (See Tip #2).

Driving Tip #5) Avoid stopping on a hill at all costs. In Spokane, you can pretty much plan an alternate route for anywhere you want to go that won't involve hills. Sorry Seattle-ites. This isn't really an option for you...

Driving Tip #6) If the light is yellow and about to turn red, keep going. Even if they snap a photo of your car with one of those fancy-schmancy red light cameras, isn't your license plate completely covered in snow? Don't worry, they won't find you.

Driving Tip #7) Make sure you carry with you at all times: A hefty car scraper. Nice gloves. Boots.

Driving Tip #8) Don't be afraid to drive five to ten miles per hour UNDER the speed limit. No one needs to be a hero. Take it down a notch.

By the way - even though we do own a Chevy Silverado w/a lift kit, I usually drive my trusty Honda Civic Hybrid in the snow.

I feel like I have more control with this little front-wheel drive car (it has snow tires - not studs - snow tires). It suits me just fine.

Spokane's Levy, My Job

The school district I teach in faces a Levy Replacement in approximately 27 days. It is a mail-in ballot, due on Valentine's Day (how romantic), and if it passes, it will continue to fund 25% of our district's budget; an estimated $73 million bucks.

{Breathe}

We've been told all sorts of things in BEFORE HOURS meetings (we cannot talk about the levy during the school day; "we" being myself and fellow school employees). We've signed up to wave signs, write post cards, post signs in our yards, wear buttons on our fancy teacher-key lanyards (for some reason we CAN do this during the school day), post stickers/magnets on our cars, etc. Our superintendent (holla Dr. Stowell) visited each and every building in the district to stress the importance of this levy. This is quite the feat considering we are the second largest school district in the state of Washington at 30,000 students strong (that's bigger than WSU, people, but whatev's).

{Trust}

I work with an incredible group of people. People who show up everyday with a passion in their hearts to teach some of the toughest kiddos in the state. I'm not exaggerating. My students have some really difficult home-life situations, and I know how much this levy money helps them. If we lost this chunk of change, things would forever be different for these kids' school days. Things like transportation, school sports, and fine arts programs would pretty much go bye-bye. If you think about it - these three things are the lifeblood of these kids' school experience. Getting to school without worry, and then getting to enjoy singing or playing an instrument or shooting hoops are what these kids live for. It's what gets them out of bed in the morning. Hey, maybe along the way we educate them, too.

{Believe}

Things like a levy have the power to divide or unite. Build up or tear down. Strengthen or destroy. I'm obviously hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. You see, last year two neighboring (and much wealthier) school districts attempted to pass bonds, but failed. For all of you non-education-ese speakers out there, bonds build buildings, levies fund people and programs. This was devastating for those two districts. They were already busting at the seams and had high hopes of expanding, updating, and improving the four walls where kids learn and adults teach 180 days out of the year. My heart was broken for the staff and students of these two districts. I've heard horrendous rumors that up to 800 staff could potentially be cut if our levy fails, and I can't seem to push the past out of my head.

{Persevere}

For the next 27 days, I will be wearing a button, posting obnoxious things on my facebook, forcing my brother (who lives in the district) to display a yard sign, taping signs to my car windows, writing postcards, waving signs on busy street corners, and door-belling our school's neighbors. I will take a deep breath, trust the process, believe in my community, and persevere in my career no matter what happens.

Go to Yes for Spokane Schools for more information!

Perspective

People often ask me how I can work at a school like I do. They always say, "No offense, but isn't it a little depressing to be around those kind of kids?" I typically respond with a question like, "What kind of kids?" to which they generally reply, "You know - tough, unmotivated kids from tough neighborhoods - like the one where your school is." I always try to tell them how great our kids are; that despite some tough ones we also have tons of really good ones who show up everyday, work hard in every class, and try to make something better for themselves. I also remind them that we have chosen this path because we believe that it is worth it to make the effort to help kids try and make a better life for themselves. Not only because it makes their life better, but because it makes the life of the people around them - brothers and sisters, moms and dads - better, and it has the potential to make the lives of their children and grandchildren better. How many other careers can you say that about?

I go home exhausted most nights as I know most if not all of you do as well. Exhausted from standing in the gap between the next generation of poverty and success. Exhausted from trying to figure out why its not yet working for this kid or that kid. Exhausted from dealing with the emotional weight of trying to fix what's broken with limited time, resources, and constant pressure from outside our building to do it better, faster. This is hard work. Nothing good is easy. Nothing worthwhile comes from coasting. We have chosen this responsibility because we believe we can still change the world one child at a time.

As you finish 2011, and you prepare to celebrate the holidays with your friends and families, remember as you start to join in the complaining about "what's wrong" with education today (and believe me, the list is long), remind yourselves that what you do everyday is part of "what's right." You might be the only person who reminds students that they matter, and what happens to them matters. You might be the only one who speaks kindly to them and calls them by their name rather than "Hey, you." You are what's right with education today. Your courage and willingness to "gut it out" are what motivates me to get up everyday and come back to a school like this one, roll up my sleeves, and wade through the muck beside you again and again.

I will celebrate this holiday with my friends and family secure in the knowledge that what we do matters and look forward to starting 2012 with such a dedicated group of professionals striving to help kids make their lives better. May God bless you and your families with laughter, good food, rest, and peace this Christmas.

This letter was in my teacher mailbox this morning. My Assistant Principal wrote it. It confirms that I have one of the greatest jobs in the world. My bosses truly care about our "work" (students) and the people who do the work (teachers). I could not be more grateful. If you are a teacher - thank you! I am proud to call myself a teacher alongside you. Hats off to the extremely intricate, detailed, individualized work you do everyday. If you're not a teacher - be one of the few to stand up for those of us who are "what's right."

Cheers to Christmas Break 2011-2012...

Teacher Tip Tuesday

Its not much, but here is one of the best ideas I've ever put to use in my classroom: day-of-the-week missing work folders. Where else to put all those extra handouts at the end of the day? In the past I've used boring old manila folders (blech). This year, I got creative and went to Staples to find some patterned ones (woop).

What to do at the end of the week when Monday creeps up on you all over again? I have a binder set-up underneath each bulletin board that I put the previous week's papers into. At the end of each unit, quarter, semester, etc. (whenever I need more room in the binder). I clean it out.

This is a great tool to put the responsibility on the student for getting missed work/handouts instead of the teacher. By now, the kids pretty much know the drill or are gently reminded by my pointing finger steering them in the right direction.

I've seen other teachers laminate their manila folders so they can write on the cover of the folder what the contents were (with a thin-tip dry erase marker). I've thought about doing this as a way to keep a running (weekly) list of previous Learning Targets ("I can" statements or objectives you might call them).

I hope this Teacher Tip finds you...well...ready for Winter Break! ;o)

{Social Studies}

{Language Arts}

{AVId}