summer 2012

summer has gotten off to a great start...
my job at Capitol Hill High School went right up until Fridsay June 1st which was last day for teachers. THe next Monday began my summer class at OCCC, teaching Comp I again. should be a great summer because unlike the last 3 summers, I am NOT working at Whitewater which is a water theme park here in OKC. WOW! so much more time to spend in the time and garden! so other than teaching one Monday and Wednesday mornings, I'll have time to travel on weekends or just do yard work. ha
We got out of school late because of the extended school schedule OKC schools began last year, starting back earlier and giving us 2 weeks fall break, 3 weeks Christmas break, and then 2 weeks springs break. THus I'll be returning to work July 27th, with students coming back Aug 2ndish...
The interesting thing about this summer is the possibility that it might be my last summer off from work. There is a job opportunity relying on a govt contract that may or may not come through this October. The same company that I worked for in AFghanistan is bidding on a contract to start an English language school in Norman, OK. I have been offered a job there, and although it would mean leaving my teaching position at OKC mid first semester, the raise in pay is 44% more than I'm making now, although it will be year round no summers off, alas! the good thing is that instead of the challenge of teaching Mexican immigrant adolescents English, some of which hate having to live here away from parents and lacking in any motivation in learning English, instead I'll be teaching air force pilots from all over the world, highly motivated young adults, usually the "cream of the crop" from their country. And it's a program of intensive lanuguage course I've taught before. I hope the contract goes through, it should keep me employed for at least the next 5 years if all works out. otherwise, I'll continue teaching at OCCC and public schools until something opens up full time with higer ed! ha
I'm also considering applying for something in administration if anything opens up at OKC schools. wow what possibilities. one thing is for sure, I plan to take advantage of all my weekends off in June and July and maybe even travel some while I have the time off... only the next few weeks will tell if I can actually get away or not. :)

last saturday busy

Was pretty busy last weekend. Saturday morning I had a few errands to run and ended up going to Home Depot and got some potting mix soil, and some air duct sealant tape, flashlights, some countertop samples of formica, and a few brochures on silestone versus granite. I ran by Papa Angelo's pizza next for a quick lunch then back home to unload the soil. next I drove over to my sister Jennifer's for her daughter's baby's first birthday party. all the local family was there. I was hoping to use a computer at their house with Microsoft Word on it because a former student had asked me to proofread an application letter for him. Leo is hoping to get accepted to Parsons School of Design in the Lighting design program. I didn't bring my work laptop home last weekend and my personal laptop doesn't have Microsft office. Well I left my sister's place and went straight to my local bethany library. I signed up to use a computer and while waiting , grabbed last SUnday's New York Times paper. I was reading through and came across the NYT magazine. I had forgotten how much I loved reading that weekly magazine, before this bookstore closed downtown okc, they used sell the NYT magazine from the leftover SUnday papers. and it was just 75 cents! I'd pick up a few every other week or so when I made it by that store. no longer can I do so. so sad, and I can't subscribe to jsut that part of the paper, alas. of course it's all online but I'd rather read stuff in my hand and see the pics on the page. I finished my proofreading and suggesting on the paper eventually and returned home. went out to eat at Cafe 7, a new place on North May with my buddy Scott, and then watched some tv at his place "the dog whisperer" before coming home and crashing into bed before 10! sigh. SUnday went to church and then caem back home and got lots of work done. so far the new school semester is off to a great start. :)

fall break

got a good start to fall break last weekend. had nothing planned and worked in the yard mostly all Saturday and picked up inside the house and such. However SUnday after church my pickup died a mile north after leaving my folks place in Mustang. UGH.
well we had it towed to a shop in town and then mom took me home. I waited around the house on Monday to hear from the mechanic about what could be done. It was a bit stressful because I had to teach class Monday night and I had trouble finding a rental car place with any cars available before 5pm. The mechanic called and gave me an estimate of $969 for replacing the timing belt, the water pump, flushing the coolant system, the serpentine belt, and oil change etc. I said go for it. ha
I've really been happy with my 2000 Ford Ranger. I bought it in 02 and it had only 12,000 miles on it. I have had the oil changed regularly and kept tires replaced. otherwise not the right maintenance as I should have.... so it's been super reliable up until now and it was time to have things taken care of obviously.
My sweet sister Jennifer took me to class Monday night, and my bud Scott gave me a ride home. Tuesday I checked out the outlet mall in OKC with a friend AMY and had a late late lunch at Republic on Classen Curve here in OKC. then mom and dad came to pick me up at my hosue and take me back to the garage to get my truck. :)
TOday I'll be grading some of the 20 essays that were turned in Monday night. I will try to get about 4 or 5 done before rewarding myself with some yardwork outdoor time. :) also hoping to get the house picked up and then maybe get to the gym for some cardio. no reason to put that off during fall break.

WASTELAND in okc

man I made it to FRIDAY, woot woot. Went downtown this evening for the 5:30pm showing of "Wasteland" an Oscar nominated documentary. EXCELLENT film! Vik Munoz is a famous Brazilian artist who goes back to Brazil for a project of working with some people so poor they have to live and work at one of the world's largest garbage dumps in the world just outside of Rio. His project involves hiring them to help him incorporate the material they daily pick through from the dump into the portraits he's known for making out of various materials. Really inspiring and I was laughing and crying back and forth, such beautiful humble sweet sweet various people. If you get the chance to view this one coming through a town near you. SEE IT. :)

short films...

Great selection this year...last night went downtown OKC to the art museum for the annual showing of short films. Friday night a friend and I saw the animated shorts and then again tonight we'll see the live action shorts. Not sure if I can make it to the Tuesday or Thursday night showing of the Oscar nominated documentary short films, but I may consider trying.. I like a good documentary after all. Of the films shown, Day & Night, The Lost Thing, Let's Pollute, Madagascar, and The Gruffalo I think my vote is going to Pixar's Day & Night. ALthough my heart really goes to The Lost Thing because for years I've had this beautifully drawn wordless book/graphic novel by Shaun Tan called The Arrival, which through pictures tells a story of an immigrant force to leave one country for another, all in a fantastically illustrated world. You can read more about the films here at OKCMOA website if in OKC and interested in the schedule... :)

new job

well I got a new job at the end of last summer. They called me 2 weeks before classes started. I had applied to another school in the district in June but never heard back from that school. I had lined up a few classes to teach at Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) and was preparing myself for another year of teaching at the college part time and substitute teaching now and then, scrimping and saving and very careful budgetting...etc. So when they called and it was a school I may have never considered ever applying at, I went for it. I knew it was God opening a door, 'cause I'd prayed all summer that He provide me the right job at the right time and had just been hoping in Him while looking. I got the job and began the next week showing up for the new teacher training meetings for teaching new to OKC school district.
Last semester was very interesting. When school began, the days were around high 90 and over 100. The ESL dept at my school was out in the former vocatinoal building and the building had NO AIR. so for weeks we worked with no air, turning on fans, leaving doors open, and many many times walking to the cafeteria and having class there. It was quite an interesting welcome to the new school. I'm teaching two NEWCOMER level classes (students' first year in USA) and then 3 hours of second year ESL students. as fall break approached, we were beginning to ues the classrooms regularly as the weather cooled. However, next we were told, do to the school's reconstruction all teachers from the vocational building would be moved to the old practice gym at fall break. AFter fall break, we'd been moved into 6 temporary classrooms built in the middle of the gym floor with drywall walls and no ceiling. We had to adjust to the noises shared echoing back and forth around the gym. The classrooms are nice and large, but it's sometime hard to hear a student at the back of the room read or ask a question. OF course I'm talking pretty loud because I don't know if they can't hear me or just not paying attention..
One nice thing is having a few of the OKC public school district facilitators visit my classroom a few weeks after fall break. Next they invited me to be a coordinator of the High School Newcomer Program curriculum review, which means I began working with them at the admin building after school to put together teams for each subject, including myself as the "team leader" of the Math section. Well I told the people I am working with at admin how it made me feel apart of something in the district when at the high school, we sometimes feel forgotten by the school at times out in our temp classes in the old gym.
I've made it almost to spring break and look forward to finishing the school year and back to gardening all summer again. ha. Some good news is that during spring break we will be moved out of the gym back into the renewed building. I'll have a classroom to myself again without noise from all the other classes going on at the same time, and I can't even imagine how nice that's going to be. ha
The school I'm teaching at, btw, is about 78% or more latino, mostly probably illegal immigrants from Mexico. Although this school is on the southside of OKC and considered a rough gangster type school, most of my students are pretty calm and are just here getting by until their parents or aunt or uncle or sibling or whoever they live with may or may not have to move again...
I am still teaching two college classes, one online, and one on Monday nights at OCCC. My goal in life right now is to continue to seek out full time work at a junior college, otherwise if I remain working at a public school, I will have to seriously consider going back to school for a doctorate so I can get into a college job eventually. I am also really tempted by job opportunities overseas constantly. but those days are prolly over for now. I like having health insurance now, and plus all my plants to care for in the summer. I'll be looking for God to open the next door definitely. :)

autumn beard