Blustery Day! - Sept. 25

Today was the final building day for Playground by the Sound. Matthew worked most of the day helping to finish the playground. I volunteered for serving lunch for a couple of hours. The wind was so strong that two of the canopies broke and as we first got there, our job was to hold them so they didn't blow away. Panda Express donated tons of food which we tried to keep warm until the workers had their lunch break. We had to hold the plates and utensils down while people dished up. As people took the tossed salad, the wind tossed it right off their plates unless they were quick with the dressing. It was rather comical. Then the rain started toward the end of the meal. It only lasted for a few minutes, thankfully. I just took some random photos of the building plus a few with Matthew. It was fun to be a part of such a huge community project!

Building - Sept. 24

Last Tuesday Matthew and I volunteered at the building site for our new playground. I minded the parking lot and answered questions while Matthew did some heavy work. Today he and Brynna painted for part of the day. Tomorrow we'll go back and work on the final day. I was amazed at how many people have been showing up to help out.

The Strike is Over - Sept. 22

Thank goodness! 99% of the certificated staff voted to accept the offered contract. We lost some pay with one training day and another day in the year but also lost the "soft lid" on our class size. It used to be I could have 28 kids plus 2 more. They took off the 2 more which is good. Hopefully at the next contract negotiation they will reduce class size. It really makes a difference. The big issue, teacher evaluation, will be addressed, researched, and rewritten over the year and voted on for next year. We had a nice celebratory lunch at the Ale House. I also get to keep my student teacher. He is going to be awesome! Yay!

Oh, the guy standing up in the photo was in a student of mine the year Nicholas was born. :)

Sunrise - Sept. 21

I had to be at Hunt (now Geiger) for picketing at 6am this morning. I really don't like the early shift, but was rewarded with a gorgeous sunrise. We stood watching it change colors. Imagine this photo with more pinks and oranges. My phone did a mediocre job at catching the view. Our paras treated us to Egg McMuffins this morning in addition to their usual coffee, juice, fruit, and chips. They have been so supportive, coming out each day with their treat wagon. Hopefully today will be the final day of picketing since the governor has stepped in to get this resolved, but then I've been hopeful each day this week and nothing has come of that. I can't tell you how tired I am of walking, walking, walking, and not knowing when this will be over...hopefully soon!

Topaz - Sept. 18

Matthew got some nice photos of Topaz. I love her expression in the second photo.

Volunteering - Sept. 14

Matthew and Brynna volunteered at the orchard for the Cider Squeeze on Sunday. Someone took some video and posted it in the University Place Patch. You can see him at the 1:13 mark (look for the plaid shorts).

Strike - Sept. 13

Yesterday our school district union members voted to strike. Today we walked the picket lines at Wilson ALL DAY. I don't know how walking with a sign can be more exhausting than teaching 28 lively little ones, but it was. I have been exhausted since the couple of days (setup days) before school started. That's why I made the theme of last Sunday "relaxation" (with the help of a comment on Facebook). The teachers don't want to be "on the streets". We have had a lot of supportive honks and people bringing by food, and high schoolers joining the march. I think there are many negative feelings out there also, however. Tomorrow will bring interesting news since the superintendent is going to court to order us back to work. This is definitely not how I wanted to spend the start of the school year, but then I'd like an understandable, non-subjective contract as well. What happened to the mediator that joined the bargaining? I thought they were supposed to be helpful...
Thanks to Matthew who drove me to Wilson early this morning. He got up earlier than he had to, then honked his support at a few of the picketing sites after dropping me off...and he carried chairs for me too! :)

Last First Day - Sept. 6

Today was Matthew's last first day of school. I can't believe he's a senior this year! (I know, he'll have first days at college, but you know...) He will be taking classes at TCC (Running Start) and three at Curtis (yea, he got into AP Photography!). So even though we haven't found him new school shoes (size 14 is hard to find), he still managed to have a great day. :)

What a Week - Sept. 3

We had two union meetings this week that lasted until well into the evening. At the meeting on Wednesday, the group almost decided to strike (90% of the members there voted yes). Two late nights, one prep day and one meeting day at work, two days with our new students My class is full with 28 kids. One hasn't shown up, but he might after Labor Day. Because our school has high test scores, those families who are in "failing" schools can opt to send their kids to our school. We have seen a huge increase in students and most grade levels are at their full capacity. We've turned down many students due to this. I have 8 students new to our school. My feet are sore and I'm exhausted.

Last night we went to a concert at Chateau Ste Michelle. I was tired and a bit cranky on the way up (frustrated about misbehaving kids and parents who have disconnected their phones), but once we got something to eat and listened to the music, I was feeling much better. Chris Botti is a fantastic trumpet player and his band was amazing. Owen was able to get front row seats two days before the concert...I don't know how, but it was incredible being right there. Botti and Lisa Fisher stepped down off the stage to sing/play in the front row, about three feet in front of us. At one point, Lisa was singing and pointing right at Owen. She has the largest vocal range I have ever heard and is a beautiful singer. All of the band members were fantastic and we enjoyed the whole concert experience. For future reference, I really don't want to go to any concerts during the first week of school (we went to Chicago & Earth, Wind, & Fire a few years ago on the day before school started) because I get too wiped out, but this concert was worth it.