Class Dismissed

I've taught three classes this summer and am just over halfway through a fourth. In the past, I've never taught more than two courses per summer.  Ironically we offer fewer courses now, but I guess we also have fewer teachers.

My second SAT course was challenging in many ways. I regret that I didn't do a good job with that class. At this point, I can only do better on future classes.

I'm going to take a hiatus from teaching. Mainly because the next class offerings will interfere with vacation plans. Jeff and I have a destination wedding for our niece in upstate New York next month. We've decided to take the days off between our anniversary and the wedding and explore. We may combine the trip with a visit to Interlaken Inn. We received gift certificates for Christmas. 

Now that we're about a month away, we can start planning, but not too much. Many of  the best times we've enjoyed on vacation have been the unexpected or spontaneous stops.

We can use a getaway.

Teaching Trials and Tribulations

I had a bad day today.  At first I got discombobulated by a change in room assignment for my SAT class. Several students wandered in late, and they sat in different seats than yesterday. There are 19 students. While I had learned most of their names, I was a bit confused. I asked them to give me their names again.

The class runs Monday through Thursdays afternoons with one Saturday morning test. Most people in the class speak softly even though I told them I was having trouble hearing them. They don't seem all that interested in the material. I'm not sure if they're tired or bored. I messed up explaining a few problems. As I said, a bad day.

Sigh.

I'm also teaching a weekend class--Saturday and Sunday afternoons through September 7th with a break for Labor Day weekend. This class has only four students, and two didn't show for the first class. I hope all will show for the second class this Saturday.

Then there's tutoring. I've been able to schedule my active tutoring students around the classes without too much trouble. Some days, however, the logistics get challenging.

And so it goes.

First Third of Summer: Teaching, Tudors, and Rabbits

My last post was about the beginning of summer, now it's a third through. No legit reason not to post; I can't explain it.

I started teaching an ACT course the Monday after my last post. It had been a year since my last class, and the class hours dropped from 25 to 18. It was a challenge. Part of it was me being old-school--having individual meetings with students and checking their homework in person. It's mainly  a challenge because there's so much material to cover. Immediately after the ACT class ended, I started a SAT class. I have two more classes starting in a week--a busy teaching time for me.

I've attended three of four lectures at the Norwalk Library on the wives of Henry VIII: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and Catherine Parr. I  didn't learn much about Anne, but I did learn about Catherine and Jane. I also learned that if I want to get the light lunch at the library, I have to arrive around 1145-11:50 for a 12 PM program.

I was afraid I'd miss the Anne Boleyn lecture, because I was teaching the ACT class. Luckily, the day of the Anne lecture was a test day, so I could get a proctor to sub for me. Unfortunately, the proctor didn't show; one student's parents were so mad, he dropped the class; others got another proctored test; all students got an extra class. At least I still got to the Anne lecture.

I've read four books since my last post: The Helen Trilogy by Preston and Child and Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir--more on these later.

With morning classes and hot weather, I've been taking Lola for morning walks from Mathews Park to Oyster Shell Park on the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT.) It's a two to five minute drive to Mathews--depending on traffic lights--and Oyster Shell Park usually offer many rabbits and ground hogs. I think we should start a tradition of a ground hog named Norwalk Norm--why should Punxsutawney Phil get all the credit?

Since we started walking around the neighborhood last year, Lola has enjoyed checking out the rabbits in the area. Many congregate in the fenced off area of part of the city's water supply. We once saw two bunnies running around playing. Others seem to hang out in the area; Lola loves to stalk them even though she's always on the leash and can't get close to them. Jeff and I also enjoy greeting Dylan--a dog who lives on Highwood Avenue. If he's outside, he always runs to greet us. His barks first sounded hostile, but he now loves when we pass by to pet him. Today his mom alerted him that we were passing by: dogs are awesome.

I'm not sure I can promise, but I hope this is the start of regular posting.

What a Week

OK, eight days since my last post. 

I finished tutoring for several students this week. A few took the Connecticut school SAT; some took today's ACT; some poor folks took both.

I finished my writing course, Hidden Stories. I really enjoyed it. I may start another course next week with the same instructor. That would be my third  course with her. She's very supportive; she doesn't critique. I think that's appropriate for this kind of class. There were times when I would mentally edit others' pieces--minor changes--the stories were all good. The class was talented. 

The big thing this week--today--was a celebration of my mother's life. She died in January and was cremated. I didn't want to have an event in January because of potential snow/ice issues for family members traveling to Connecticut from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Another reason I picked today was because it's an ACT test day. I knew I could take the day off without any problems.

Our celebration ran from 12 to 3 this afternoon. Last night I got nervous. Was the room big enough? Would there be too many other guests in our area? How many people would come?

All went well. We had 21-23 people (I keep re-counting; I'm not sure.) Several people told me I did a good job. The room was just large enough; the food was good. We started with some appetizers and then asked everyone to order off the menu.

We all discussed that we shouldn't wait until a death to get in contact. We committed to be in closer touch but I know it will be hard. Hopefully, we'll all work on this.  

It was a tough weekend for Lola. We were out last night, this afternoon, and again this evening. That's unusual for us. We took her out to Mathews and Oyster Shell Parks this morning for a 45 minute walk. This afternoon before we went out to dinner with my stepbrother and his wife we took Lola for a long walk around the neighborhood--probably our longest. 

Good-bye Mom. I hope you're happy with what we did today.

My Day Out

I don't think I've been outside since Monday when I discovered I had bronchitis. I've been resting and keeping quiet. With each day, I've felt a little better.

Today I had a SAT tutoring appointment. I felt well enough to make it work. Afterward I returned The Romanov Sisters to the library, then came right back home. I told myself that I shouldn't try to do too much just because I was feeling better. Well doing too much wasn't a problem--I could barely keep my eyes open this afternoon.

***

On my way home, I drove through Ridgefield; the downtown is decked out in Christmas decorations. I saw three or four cars pass by with Christmas trees roped to their roofs. As I traveled down Route 123, I saw Santa Claus overlooking the road from a balcony. Other homes still had Thanksgiving arrays of pumpkins.

31 days to Christmas. I wish I could approach it joyously, but that's not happening. I don't feel like decorating. Just need to get through the holidays.

Monday Musings

I find it hard to get going on Mondays. I would understand it if I have a normal Monday through Friday work schedule, but I don't. I got off to another slow start today. I had intended to hit the gym, but blew it off around 9:30. Not good. I need to schedule Mondays more aggressively, rather than just see how it goes.

Lola walked around the block for the third consecutive day. She was happiest on Saturday's walk. It was colder and windy yesterday; we speculated that she might not have enjoyed herself as much because of that. Today she started smiling about halfway around the block.

I spent a good chunk of the day finishing a SAT test and checking my answers. It seemed easier than other tests I've taken. Or I could be getting better.

The Mets have morphed from marvelous to miserable over the last three weeks. They lost six in a row and lost first place. Tonight they won for the first time in eight days--barely. I'll take any win I can right now.

Tonight is the second anniversary of Bartolo Colon's first career home run. The Mets hit four home runs tonight. Coincidence?

I've been trying to take more photos of Lola. She's not cooperating.

These are the best; I'll keep trying.

Transitions

Thanksgiving is officially over. As I mentioned yesterday, I started seeing Christmas trees on car roofs. I went to a tutoring session at a decorated home. It must be Christmas season.

Christmas always seems to sneak up on me. Usually because the holiday hoopla starts so early, I lose track of it. I didn't notice that this year. Maybe because I haven't been in many stores lately.

I'm bummed that I had to take care of some expensive car repairs two weeks ago. I second guess if I should continue to put money into my 20-year-old car, but it beats getting a new car. It's worse to pay out at this time of year.

Three of my students are taking the SAT on Saturday. They may all take the test another time or take the ACT. I hope to see them back soon.  At least I start another class the following week. I need more work.

Getting Back on the Horse

That is, posting on this blog. It's not the best analogy. I haven't had an experience comparable to falling off the horse.

It's been five weeks since my last post. It's not that I had nothing to say. It's not that I didn't have time. Time just gets away from us. I prioritized other things over posting, journaling and working out.

I taught a SAT class in July; ten classes and four tests. I hadn't taught a SAT class since last July. I did a lot of review for this class (one of the missed opportunities in June.) Before the SAT class ended, an ACT class started. Then I got two tutoring students, then another two.

I'm not complaining--I need and want work--but this kind of work requires several adjustments--from test-to-test, from morning-to-evening classes. I never really got into the morning class schedule because it ended after just three-and-a-half weeks. It's the same thing with the evening class. I have two sessions left and I'm glad. I don't like evening classes--they mess up my dinner and sleep schedules.

I've been thinking about the things that I haven't done in the past month-and-a-half: blogging, working out--at least I've walked a lot with Lola. I made her a priority after teaching/tutoring and associated prep. I've barely journaled. I've done minimal cleaning. (To be honest, I don't think I've ever done maximum cleaning.)

Summer's Almost Gone. I didn't even make my summer fun list. I guess I can work on last year's.

So, here I am, trying to figure things out. Let's see how it goes from here.

Teacher Appreciation

Yesterday was Teacher Appreciation Day and the start of Teacher Appreciation Week in the US.

Appropriately, I had my first tutoring session in about a month yesterday. Last night I received an email from the student's mother. She said I was very good, very well organized and very effective, and my student learned a lot about test taking skills.

That made my day.

Friday Thoughts

This has been a transitional kind of week. Four of my tutoring students are taking the ACT tomorrow. They got a lucky break because it snowed this morning--enough to cancel the local schools, but the roads were cleared by the afternoon--the test will go on as planned. I had just written about a similar scenario a few weeks ago. I hope my students were able to take advantage of this extra time to prepare.

The other day I looked at my calendar and got a little nervous. I only had three students continuing after Saturday. Then I got two new students. One is a student who I tutored last summer for the ACT. This time, he wants to try the SAT. It's a good sign.

Another good sign: I got approval for a raise request.  I don't know the amount of the increase yet. I'll be surprised if I get my full request, but an increase is definitely good news.  

Canine Visitor

This morning I was doing some SAT questions when a neighbor stopped by. She was going to the hospital and asked us to watch her dog. I was happy to help, but it was a bit overwhelming. She thought she was seriously ill; she was crying; she was worrying about who would care for her dog in the long term. She brought down a pet cart, several blankets, coats, a bed, food. She gave us some cash.

She was released from the hospital in a few hours and took her dog back home. I'm glad it was a short visit for her sake.

It was weird for us to have a dog here that wasn't Spike. We went for a walk around the block, and I realized it had been seven weeks since I had taken such a walk with Spike. I miss those walks. We miss Spike.

Snow Day

Can't help but think that we're paying for a mild fall and winter to date. We've known about this storm all week--we just weren't sure how it would break.

I canceled two tutoring appointments today. I wasn't tempted to go out because both students have months before their actual tests. I feel bad for the kids whose SAT's were canceled today.

A few years ago, there was a big snowstorm the day before the SAT's. It was bad enough to cancel schools, but not bad enough to cancel the SAT the following day. The students got an extra day to study. Sweet.

It's Official

I heard today that I've been recertified to teach the redesigned SAT.  As I wrote earlier this week, I figured I would be recertified, but it's nice to know it's official.

As an added bonus, I also got word that I passed a quiz to complete an ACT training update based mostly on upcoming changes to the essay.

Hooray for me.

SAT Re-Certification and Training Weekend

I have the weekend off, a stark contrast to last weekend when I had  RSAT--redesigned SAT training--for two full days. I also had a lot of prep to do beforehand. We have four new books and a new test (no, I didn't do them all.) I'm sure more materials and changes are on the way. It was an intense weekend, but it was also fun.

The RSAT doesn't debut until next March, but the redesigned PSAT will rear its ugly head this October. We have to be prepared.

I haven't heard officially that I "passed." That's slightly annoying, but I'm sure I would have heard already if I had messed up.

Math Madness and Reading Rigor

The redesigned SAT will be launched in March 2016. Because I'm an active tutor, I'm among the first group in my company to be trained for the new test. I'm glad because the live training will be in the second half of June, a traditionally slow time. Unfortunately the flip side is that I have to take a redesigned SAT practice test now when I'm busy with SAT and ACT students prepping for tests in early June.

I mistakenly thought this test would be relatively easy for me because I'm already certified to teach the ACT. The writing is similar to the ACT, but the rest is different. The new SAT math is tougher than the ACT's. Apparently, the reading is also tough: I've only finished one passage.That means SAT reading is on my agenda for today. And the redesigned essay.

What fun.

Droopy

I've been exhausted all day. I guess I didn't get enough sleep in Vermont and it's catching up with me. As the day continued, I felt achy and chilled. So I took it easy; I unpacked, did four loads of laundry and started to work on my new SAT manual.

I hope going to bed early will help me feel better.

The New SAT Manual is Here!

I was surprised to get a delivery from UPS yesterday; I hadn't ordered anything.

It was the latest revision of the SAT Manual. I had read they would be issued on October 15th, but the office didn't have them when I stopped by that day. I later heard that the office would distribute them at a meeting two weeks from now.

I was psyched to get the new manual although not this excited.

Time to Relax

It's been a tough two weeks.

We were lucky. First Spike's test results showed no sign of cancer. Secondly, the results came back earlier than expected; in two days. Of course, we were relieved but we had to watch Spike closely: walk him on a leash, keep his walks short, keep him from jumping on furniture and running.

His follow up appointment was Wednesday. Spike's staples were removed and all is well.

My teaching/tutoring workload has dwindled down. I'm going to spend some quality time with my guy.

 

 

Emergency Sub

I got a call around 4:30 today asking if I could sub for a Small Group Instruction session tonight from 6 to 9.

I didn't want to work tonight; I've just finished a relatively busy two weeks and was doing lots of household stuff today. I had planned to cook salmon for dinner and watch the Olympics and the Mets. But there was some kind of scheduling problem, I was available and wanted to show that I would help out when needed. I hope people in the office will remember me when the next good tutorial comes up.

As I was driving to the office, I started wondering--why would anyone schedule a class on a Friday night? In August? After all, the next SAT is not until October.

I guess the students felt the same way. Four were expected; only two showed. One was a student I tutored for a few hours in the spring. They didn't want to be there and I commiserated but  they knew the job was dangerous when they took it.

The Night Before

The lyrics of this song don't reflect the meaning of this post title, but I haven't heard it for a while, so here goes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRrLDHoZLyI

It's the night before the May SAT; I have seven tutoring students taking it tomorrow. I advised them to take it easy tonight, relax and get a good night's sleep. At least two of them have other plans: one is in a play and another in a dance. Maybe they will be tired enough to get to sleep easily and not get stressed.

I've been lucky with my tutoring students. They are genuinely interested in working to improve their scores and I enjoy working with them.

Good luck to all.