Gathering Around The Table

5/7/09

Working Toward National Board Certification

After thirty-one years of teaching I decided to challenge myself as a teacher and learner. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an organization that awards teachers their National Board Certification. I will spend next school year examining my teaching practices, creating a portfolio of videos and writing about my classroom teaching, and take an exam in the area of early adolescent English/language arts.

A group of us at school are going to take this on together. With the support of Gonzaga University we will be mentored through the process. I received very exciting news this week. Our state supports this program with thirty scholarships that are awarded each year. This year six hundred teachers from our state applied for the thirty scholarships. I just learned that I was one of those thirty teachers chosen. I am now not only excited to begin this process, but grinning from ear to ear!!!

5/6/09

A Trip Back East for An Oustanding Junior Class

When you teach in a small K-12 school every big event is celebrated by all the students and staff. Our junior class has broke a few traditions this year in a great learning kind of way. First of all they all took Advanced Placement U.S. History. Then they decided they wanted to use the class money they had earned during their high school years to take a Junior Trip back east. ( Of course one said he had never been east so he doesn't know how he can go "back east".) They decided to give up a prom and a senior celebration next year. They were eager to see the Civil War Battlefields they had studied all year. They will leave for Baltimore Saturday and their trip will include tours of battlefields, a trip to Washington, D.C. and an outing to New York City which will include a Broadway play, sightseeing, and a trip to Ground Zero.

Yes, this is often the size of our Junior Class in Inchelium. Some are a bit bigger. My friends and fellow staff members Mr. and Mrs. L. are traveling on this trip with the juniors. Mr. L. has been their English and AP U. S. History teacher and Mrs. L. has been their science teacher through high school.

They have set up a blog so we can follow their trip. You can find that blog here. Unfortunately we don't always hear the positive stories about public schools. Here is an example of a group of students that, along with money they raised they were given donations from the Colville Confederated Tribes and other organizations for this educational trip.

Each of you makes us proud at Inchelium School. Enjoy yourselves and safe travels.

5/5/09

Sibling Assignment #96: The Guy Across the Road

I gave the sibling assignment this week.

"1996 was a year filled with life-changing events in our lives, both joyous and sad. Write about an event of 1996 and why it was significant to you."

You will find SVG's poignant story about the time leading up to my father's death here and now that Raymond Pert is getting back on his feet his will soon be posting here.

In March 1996 I bought my first house after becoming single. It is where I live now. My dad was diagnosed with liver cancer and died in June that year. I left my dogs with my ex-husband while working at the University of Idaho and my dear, sweet first dog Nikki died while she was there. I adoped another dog Emily to join Lucy in August. After those events I was ready for some quiet solitude as school began that fall. I took to walking the dogs in the evening to sort out my head and get them some exercise. There was a mobile home across the road from my place that I walked by every night. I had been told by people at school who lived there, but I didn't pay much attention. I wasn't really ready to socialize with neighbors. I was in a deep depression that I crawled out of to put on my happy mask during the day, but then I relapsed as soon as I returned home in the evening. The evenings were getting shorter towards the end of October. I was out for my daily walk with the dogs when I heard a voice coming from the porch of the place across the road. I think he was saying hello.

We stopped and I met my neighbor. We talked about our neighborhood, our dogs, and good books. It was so pleasant to converse with another human being again. I felt the depression lift a bit. A few days later I mentioned my gate and how I thought it needed fixing. Next thing I knew the neighbor was over to assist with that. Another day his pick-up pulled up and he dropped off some rose plants. He was working on a job at the funeral home and the roses had to be removed for an addition. I needed all the roses I could get back then. My gardens were bare. Next came iris plants from the same building site. I began to figure out that this guy from across the road was a flower lover like me, plus very kind.

We were both single and he wondered if I liked to go on drives around the area. This was before my digital camera days, but I still liked to take pictures while on drives. We went for drives and coffee, drives and lunch and we became good friends. My fog was lifting and I was actually enjoying another human being. Somewhere along the way are friendship became more serious. I was falling in love.

This guy across the road was my husband JEJ. The end of 1996 couldn't have been a better time for me to meet him. I needed a friend I could trust, laugh with, and enjoy simple things in life. Our dogs got along and he liked my cooking. Things were looking up! In August of 1997 we were married and I feel so blessed to have taken that walk one evening that led to meeting the guy across the road. We have enjoyed a wonderful life together for almost twelve years now . Dogs have gone and new ones have come. His cats never made the trip across the street, but we added more cats to the family. He may not have brought home more roses, but he found firewood, rocks for beautiful walls and walks, and willow to build lovely furniture. Now you can see why that event was significant in my life.

"One who walks the road with love will never walk the road alone."

-- C. T. Davis

5/3/09

Green to Gray to Sunny to Wet

You can always tell that it is spring in the Inland Empire because weather changes can happen almost instantly. In my travels on Saturday I went from blue skies and the rolling, green fields of the Palouse to rain that almost caused me to pull over because I couldn't see!

The day started out with sun and blue skies.

As I returned home up the highway along Lake Roosevelt, it was very dark and rainy. I took the ferry route to get home because I had to stop by school.

You can see how much rain was falling as we rode the Columbia Princess across the big lake.

Approaching the other side it is clear to see the drawdown of Lake Roosevelt has begun.

I don't often travel the ferry in the evening, but it was a pleasure to see my former student JC directing cars on and off the ferry. Now today we were back to sunny skies until we headed to town for groceries. The rain just poured! What will tomorrow bring?

5/2/09

Community Clean Up Day: My Students at Work

Traditionally our school staff and students devote a day close to Earth Day to beautify and clean up the community. With warm weather and blue skies yesterday it was a perfect day to be out walking around the community with my 7th grade class.

Before lunch a group of eighth graders beautified the area by my classroom door by planting a maple tree. I am eager to watch this tree grow and turn to a brilliant red in the fall. Lilacs will be planted next week. I am so looking forward to the scent of lilacs in springs to come.

RC worked with Joe from the Catholic Church all day to put wood trim around this raised flower bed at the main intersection in town . The daffodils were in bloom and the new wood trim looks great.

Some guys from the tribe were constructing a new playground along the road by the post office.

After finding cans, bottles, a snail, a lid covered with ants that made many scream, and broken tools we headed back to school to participate in another tradition. Everyone gets to enjoy root beer floats in recycled glasses after an afternoon of work in the community. Prizes were awarded to the classes that picked up the most garbage and students competed in a contest for posters, poetry, and essays. It was a good day at our school.