A New Begining

So I thought I was going to have a relaxing, restful summer. Master's Program hoop jumping done. My Mom's place pretty much under control to start this spring after cleaning up from the snow/ice storm. No huge home projects to tackle, besides the continuous battle of moss in the lawn. Could pretty much stay on auto-pilot teaching first grade. Then I got stupid again. ( I do this often and I do it well.) An opening at Grand Mound Elementary School, next door to my school, for  3rd and 4th grade teaching positions came open due to retirements. I applied and interviewed and holy toledo they offered me the 3rd grade job.  So next year a new chapter in my teaching career begins.

I have taught K and 1st so now I am skipping a grade and going up. I have always been intrigued with teaching older, more self sufficient students, who probably have more attitude then I am used to dealing with (maybe!)  But GMES has a new principal who I have heard nothing but great things about so I figured it is a good time to try something new. So back to packing boxes and setting up a new classroom.

Change is nothing new to me. A quick run down of my teaching life by year.

Year 1 - 1st/2nd Hi-Cap at RPS/GMES
Year 2  - 1st/2nd Hi-Cap at RPS/GMES but moved to new RPS and also coordinated after school program at RMS.
Year 3- Taught first grade at RPS.
Year 4 - RIF'ed from RPS and went to Oakville Elementary to teach all day Kindergarten.
Year 5 - Back to RPS to teach 1st, in a different classroom from before. A portable.
Year 6 - Same thing!!!
Year 7 - Teach full day kindergarten at RPS, in a different portable.
Year 8 - Teach full day kindergarten at RPS, but moved to a classroom in the building.
Year 9 - Back to 1st at RPS!!! Back to the classroom that I started with in year 3!
Year 10 - Same thing!!!!
Year 11 - I will move to GMES and start 3rd.

I guess I like change. One huge advantage to all my moving is that I have already gotten rid of a bunch of junk so not so much to move. Bad news. Completely different grade so I need to find out what the heck  I need to get for the classroom.

Scared and excited at the same time. I hope the hell I didn't get too stupid this time.

Computer Withdrawals

Well, finished with the masters program. Just waiting for that piece of paper that tells me I graduated. Problem is now I get online to check email and I feel that I need to spend a couple of hours on the computer. I hope this feeling goes away soon!

Last night was a great night seeing all of the cohort who endured this masters program with me. Nice dinner and lots of laughs as we reminisced about our various classes. 

Great weather today!  Nice to be able to enjoy the day and not worry about having an assignment due.  Cutting firewood, thatching the yard, mowing, cleaning the garage. So nice to have the time but I have a feeling tomorrow my old body will be a little sore.

Next adventure, July trip to Orlando, FL. with the friends who went on the cruise with us. Disney World, Universal Studios, Cape Canaveral, and ?????  Spending two weeks so we will have lots of time to explore and relax.  Best part... 5 dollar plane tickets. After years of using that credit card it finally has paid off. 

So if anyone has been to Orlando and has suggestions, please send them my way.

Until next time... 

Cozumel - The End

After a wonderful day in Grand Cayman we cruised on to Cozumel the next day. Cozumel is a nice place to visit. Last time there, adults only, we walked around town and then went for a little beach time. This time with the kids, we went to the beach only and just let the kids play. It was pure relaxation for them to just play in the ocean or pool. I carefully watched out for them with drink in hand. Hey, someone has to do it! The grandparents walked around town a little bit but it was about 86 and a little humid so they only spent about 3 hours in town and went back onto the ship.

Swim buddies!

The girls on water toys at Cozumel

Lido Deck Pool on a sea day.

Early morning - so peaceful

The Crew

Sunrise on the sports deck

Looking at the water park and slides - the bucket is dumping

My favorite time on the ship - early. So peaceful at 5:30

After Cozumel we had a day at sea. Then it was time to pack and get ready to head home. We pulled into Galveston at about 4:30 am but did not disembark until about 9:30. Ride back to the airport, a 2 hour wait and fly home.  Our trip was fantastic, especially considering how it started off. Our friends and there two girls, who we travel with often are fantastic to share these fun memories with. The grandparents seemed to enjoy the experience. An update on my mom. She went in for testing today and all looks good. The doctors think that they know what the problem is (I can't spell it) and do not think it is serious at all. That news today along with the fact that my last master's class finishes today makes it a good reason to celebrate. So now I am dreaming about my next cruise. Adults only I think. So do I want an 8 day with only 4 ports or do a 7 day with 6 ports.  Decisions, Decisions.

Beautiful Grand Cayman

Logan on the rope course.

When we returned to the ship after Dunns River Falls, my son and I went to the top deck and did the rope course which was fun. Great views from up there. Mom was doing better, even joined us for dinner despite the fact she couldn't eat much. So things were looking up.

The following day, at Grand Cayman, we had arranged to hire a 35 foot sailboat for the day. The captain and his deckhand were wonderful. It was the best excursion I have been on in the caribbean. We tendered to shore and took a van ride to the marina and headed out to Stingray City.  Stingray City is a natural sand bar proteced by the island on 3 sides and a reef on the fourth. The water is only about 4 feet deep. The southern stingray lives here. They are wild but domesticated. In years past fisherman would clean their catches here and dump the waste over the side. So the stingrays had a great habitat full of free food and safe from their main predator, the shark. Eventually someone started playing with the stingrays and feeding them. Now, hundreds, and on some days thousands, of people go out there to see them. It is just so cool to be a mile or so from land and stand in the ocean. The stingrays are swimming around your feet. Makes you jump when they brush against you and you didn't see them coming.

The gang at Stingray City

Brain coral

Kids at Rum Point

While out there we fed the stingrays, held them, had them give us a back rub. They are so soft. Kids had a great time. After the stingrays we went to the reef and snorkeled for about 45 minutes. While we snorkeled the deckhand cleaned out some conch shells, which he dove for the day before, and created a tasty conch snack which we ate on our cruise over to Rum Point. Had rum punch and beer along the way. Good lunch at Rum Point, let the kids play in the water and an hour cruise back to the harbor. Just a great day!  I was happy my mom made it out their, really made the cruise worthwhile for her. The kids even got to keep the conch shell! 

Relaxing on the boat!

So back to the ship we go.  And I get to prepare for the second formal night. Wearing a tie again. There is always something that has to go wrong no matter what!  Probably worse than the tie is that if you wear the tie on the ship, you are going to take a picture, if you take one picture, you are going to take at least two. At this point I change and head to the Red Frog Pub. Next stop, Cozumel.


A Rough Beginning

So, flew into Houston, stayed over there and the following day our group of 11 took a small bus (yes, I do ride the small bus) to Galveston. About 30 minutes after handing our luggage off, we were on the ship.  I tell you what, the disembarkation and embarkation of a cruise ship is fascinating to me. About 4300 people getting off along with the close to 7, 000 pieces of luggage being put off and the same number of people and bags being put on.  All people and bags going on are screened. All passengers check in, get their folio card (think credit card, room card, and the card that lets you get back on the ship at ports) have their pictures taken. Like I said, fascinating to me. 

So all goes well. Red Frog beer, Muster drill, explore the ship, unpack the clothes, Red Frog beer, great dinner in the main dinning room. Then things went bad. My wife, son, and I had an adjoining cabin with my mom and daughter. My mom is 72 but healthy. My daughter came in and said Grandma had a bad stomach ache and wanted to know if we had any medicine. My daughter walked back into her cabin and came back saying Grandma had hit her head and was bleeding. I go in and she has a small 1 inch cut and seems a little dazed. She complains of her stomach but is not sure if she fainted or not. I ask my wife to call for a nurse to come and evaluate her. Complaints of stomach pain get worse. Then she throws up. Luckily, garbage can was close.  So I am wondering, throwing up due to stomach or hit on head. Then my mom does some convulsions and passes out. She came back to quickly but is in a lot of pain. Nurse calls and asks if I can get my mom down to them. After repeating what was going on she says she will have a wheelchair sent so she can be taken down. I know things are bad but just tell her to do whatever because she needs to be seen immediately. Just as the wheelchair arrives, a nurse also comes in. At this point it has become clear that it is indeed critical because in no time a doctor and 2 other nurses are there. My mom was taken on a stretcher to the infirmary. Keep in mind, the cabins and corridors of a ship are not large and getting my mom out of the room (on a blanket, to the stretcher) was not easy. 

When the stretcher team is called all crew on that deck are posted in the corridors. Or I assume that because in all there was about 10 or 12 people that were around the stretcher going down the hall and at every intersection there were cabin stewards or security making sure no one was in the way. Our cabin was at the back of the ship and we walked all the way to the front elevators, probably 700 feet and did not have one other passenger in the way. Obvious that this is something they practice.

Down in the infirmary I am filling out papers. The main worry from the ship is if this could be a gastro/intestinal (G/I) illness that could be contagious so I am trying to remember everything my mom has eaten in the last 24 hours.  I  can tell by all the commotion that things are not going too well. The decision was made to keep her in the infirmary overnight - something they try to avoid. Over night my mother is given 4 liters of IV fluids. The next afternoon she is allowed back to her cabin but is confined. That evening they readmit her and give more fluids.

Long story cut short. After 2 full days of being under doctors care, and being given  6 liters of fluids, the doctor gives her permission to leave her cabin. She could get off the boat (we had just arrived in Jamaica) but she advised her not to go on our excursion.  My mom was heart broken but she and I knew that it would  be best. So being the good son I am, I said see ya later and off I went. Seriously, I knew she was well enough to be on the ship and she would have felt terrible if she felt like she had ruined any part of the trip.  Little does she realize how much beer time at the Red Frog Pub I lost during those 2 days!!!

So the ship has 2 doctors and 5 nurses, maybe 6. I was impressed with the staff. Great care. My mom was very close to having to be taken off the ship either to a Coast Guard boat or by helicopter. So while it was not a good start to the trip, it could have been much worse.  The infirmary is on 0 deck, forward, port side.  More information than I needed to learn on this trip.

While all the signs were of a G/I illness, there were other, more disturbing symptoms that did not fit with a normal G/I illness. Since being home my mom has been to her doctor and has more tests scheduled. Her doctor thinks he knows what the problem may be but is not sure. So it will be a little while before a diagnosis is made.  We are still concerned but my mom does seem to be doing OK still.

Now to the good part. In Jamaica we took a shuttle to Dunn River Falls. It is beautiful but very crowded this day as there are 4 cruise ships in port. These falls flow directly into the ocean. Groups of about 25 people follow a guide up through the falls. The water felt refreshing from the humidity and heat. I have put pictures below.

After the falls, which was a hour and half trip each way, we stopped for a lunch of jerk chicken, beans, rice - typical Jamaican food. Very good. Just to give you an idea of how bad the economy is there, we had lunch for 4 people for less than 20 dollars - which is 1500 dollars Jamaican. Definitely (from what I could see) a country of a few haves and mostly have nots. Also not a place to go out on your own as a tourist. I have been told the concept of all-inclusive resorts started in Jamaica because they have beautiful beaches but tourists were afraid to leave the hotels.

Next stop - Grand Cayman

Interesting Trip

Well, it is 9:20 on Sunday.  Plane landed at the airport at 6:35, collected bags, transfer to where the car was parked, and made it home. Pretty good timing. Now to face the real world and back to school, my classwork, and coaching baseball.

Very interesting cruise. Found out how many doctors and nurses are on the ship. More on that later.  Great adventures in the Caribbean and fun with friends and family.  The trip was a great experience and relaxing after finding the way to the infirmary for the first couple of days. No, I was not strangled by a tie, but it felt like it when I put them on.

I will try to post a few pictures and give some details from the cruise in the next couple of days. But I need to get caught up on things for the class so not sure how soon.

FRIDAY!

FRIDAY!! Conferences over. No more students for a week. YES!!!  Conferences went OK. A couple of hard ones but overall I was pleased and the parents seemed happy which is good. My one "hard" conference involved recommending a student for retention. First time I have done this so it is not like I take it lightly. I had spoken to the mother before and mentioned that this would something we might discuss at conference. During that phone call she seemed to be agreeable to retention if needed. But during the conference she started with "at home he/she can do this."  When I was questioned on what students were expected to read at school I pulled out an anthology book and had the student read from the story that we will read when we come back from break. The student knew less then half the words and struggled.

Then the mom started to ask about the child paying attention in class. I said the child was great at paying attention and worked very hard. I mentioned that I felt the child had hit a wall, just unable to learn anymore at this time and that the work had just become too hard for the student. Then mom starts grilling the child about paying attention and saying the child needs to pay attention and do the work or else be home schooled like the sister. Child began to cry. Then the mother asked the child if they want to go on to second grade or repeat first. Of course the child says move to second. When ask, do you want to come back to first and become really good at the work and be ready for 2nd OR go  to second where the work is going to be a little hard the student says they want to "do the work" and stay in first.

I felt so bad for the child. I was using the word "retention" and being very considerate of the student being there. For the parent to go off on the child was so wrong. I am not known as Mr. Sensitive but my heart ached for this child. I know the child is at their limits. I know the child would be so much more successful with another year in first.

We will see where this ends up. But now. I am heading on a cruise to be choked to death by a man-made piece of cloth. I will escape this weather that is bad even by our standards. Fun and sun, recharge my batteries and see if I can survive until the end of the school year.