Monday, September 29, 2008

Register to Vote!!!

Just a reminder!


Only YOU can make a difference in what happens in America.

You do not have the right to:
Complain
Witch
Moan
Groan
beef,
bellyache,
carp,
crab,
croak,
fuss,
gripe,
grouse,
growl,
grumble,
kick,
moan,
murmur,
mutter,
repine,
squawk,
wail,
whine,
yammer
If you do not get out and vote on November 4th!
I don't care who you vote for, I don't care what side you are on, but don't come complaining to me if your voice is not heard, or you don't agree with the state of our great country in 2009 and beyond because you did not get off your duff and go out and vote for what and who you believe in!
We live in the greatest county in the world, the country that gives you a say in what happens here, but if you don't vote in the elections, if you don't make your voice heard you and you alone are giving power to those that are against us!
There is a reason why this country is in the situation that it is in right now, and that is because not enough people cared enough in the last couple of go arounds to have their voices heard.
I am not just talking Presidental elections here either, I am talking local and state level elections!
The President only holds so much power here people, thats why he is a President and not a Dictator. Like my students are learning about right now in Social Studies, we have a checks and balances here, and the Congress is just as much at fault for this mess as the President, if not more so.
If you don't care enough to vote for your Representatives and Senators when they are up for election on the off years, then I guess we don't care about what happens to us as a country. You don't care if we hit another Great Depression, you don't care if we are taken over by another country, you just don't care.
If you don't care about who is on your local school board, you don't care about the state of Education in America because let me tell you those local school boards hold a lot of power!
If you don't care about your city and county commisioners, then I guess you don't care about the crime rate, or housing situation in your town either.

Check your local deadlines for Registering to vote! Florida's is tonight at midnight, Georgia's is the 6th, Ohio and Penn are later this week.

Ok someone needs to fix the office of elections website for Okaloosa County!

I am a registered voter still in Florida. I figure we still own the house there, so the decisions that they make down there have big impact on us as home owners.

Besides that we live in one county here and the kids go to school in another county. The biggest thing that effects us here is schools, so its sort of a whatever situation.

I have been trying for 6 weeks at least twice a week to register for an absentee ballot from Okaloosa County.

For six weeks, I have gotten an error message.

Error Information

URL: http://www.govote-okaloosa.com/GenericFormSubmission.aspx

Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
at SOEWeb.GenericFormSubmission.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.EventHandler.Invoke(Object sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Web.UI.Control.OnLoad(EventArgs e)
at System.Web.UI.Control.LoadRecursive()
at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)

Its really ticking me off! I sent an email requesting information on when it would be fixed, and have not recieved anything.

So today I sent an email with all of my information, requesting a ballot, and also the error information. But I think that I have missed the deadline for absentee ballots.

I really want to vote! If I don't hear back by Friday I am just going to go ahead and register to vote up here, I guess, because the last day to register is the 6th. Then I will probably do early voting, because of school and having to vote here.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Fundraiser for DJ's class

Our school has started a fundraiser, that they sent home with DJ. Since I am not going to take him out through the neighborhood selling things, I told him that we would get everyone the information on the computer.

The money the school is trying to raise will go to a new playground (which we are desperately in the need of ).

If you would like to help DJ, and our school out by purchasing something that they will mail directly to you, please go to:

https://schoolservices.us.com/shop/
When you go to check out the student information is:
School ID: 3JES28
Student Name: Declan Cleveland
Homeroom Teacher: Mrs. Herrington

Thanks!
DJ and Patty

A book that was recommended to us for Singapore Math

That I have found to be really good with my kids is Minute Math. Our leader for our Singapore Math training recommended the series, and we just started doing these this week, but my kids seem to be doing very well with them.

We decided that our student's skills were low enough that we chose to start with the book for Second Grade, and then we will move into the Third Grade book later in the year.

It is just a quick review page of 10 problems every day, but my kids are enjoying it, and I think are learning a lot.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

No longer undefeated

It was a hard fought game tonight between Kelsey's football team and the other team, but we lost by a landslide.

We lost momentum in the second quarter after an onside kick (that I think was a mistake on the part of our kicker, but am not 100% sure on that). Quickly the score went from being us up 6-0 when I got there at the end of the first quarter, to being a 30 point ball game at the half with the other team in the lead.

Our boys were able to bring it around and get back in the game, but for every good drive they put together, the other team had an answer. Several plays should have gone different, but little mistakes turned into costly ones. They kept it a 30 point game, but for every big play we had, they had one to answer with.

On the way home Kelsey was trying to disect where the break down was, and it all kept coming back around to one mistake that kept getting repeated, over and over, and over. The other things that Kelsey thought were problems (she said he had a hero complex, lol), when we talked it out she was able to see that the kid was doing what he needed to do. I feel for him though, because I think he is the type from what I have seen and heard of him, that he is going to take the loss to heart, and take the blame as his own. Hopefully the coaches will see what I saw from the stands and be able to show him in Kelsey's tapes that yes there were a couple of things he could have changed, but nothing that would have fixed the loss.

The boys played their hearts out, and for the most part never gave up, never gave in. And even in the face of fighting by the other side, kept it together enough to keep themselves out of big trouble. I think for the most part they can be proud of the game.

I had a good time, it was a needed night away from everything, even if it wasnt about me. I sat, I mean stood and yelled, with one of the other teachers from my school, who has taught at the school long enough that some of her first students are on the varsity team, and then Kelsey's friend Z's family. We were the LOUD group. Kelsey said she could see us jumping up and down making fools of ourselves from across the field. But thats what the boys needed, they needed to know that we weren't giving up and neither should they. We even managed to get some of the cool headed momma's involved in our chants and cheers. (huge grin)

Next weeks game is a long drive for us. I am planning on going down for it, so that I am not driving out to school at 3 in the morning to get Kelsey. I told Z's mom to let Z's girlfriend know, so if she wants to go (she normally doesn't go to the away games, but she only lives about 5 miles from us) she can.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Jerry update

We are home from Jerry's colonoscopy and endoscopy.

The surgeon said that Jerry's colon looked fine.

His esphogus has a restriction in it that is keeping him from swallowing like he should. When they put the scope in they saw a pill (he thinks the potassium) so they pushed it down into his stomache.

Dr. O thinks that the restriction is what has been causing the significant low blood levels, as when he gets a pill stuck on it, or just about anything else for that matter, it tends to bleed.

Of course Dr. O did biopsies and such, and Jerry has an appointment for the 9th to get those results.

So once again we are back to thinking that the ulcer in his throat is causing most of his problems. The ulcer in his throat that the base doctors in England missed. The ulcer in his throat that he has complained about for at least the last 5 years, but was only found in April, that Dr. C said had been there a long time from the amount of damage it had done.

Gotta love the military doctors, or should I say the military wanna be doctors, that almost failed out of med school?

Thursday, September 25, 2008

12.5 hour day

Yes you read that right I had a 12 and a half hour day at school today. I am tired, but wired.

I signed into school this morning at 7:08, and signed out tonight at 7:48. We had a Reading First meeting that was from 3-5. Then we had a PTO/Open House/Title One meeting at 7, which made it pointless for me to come home.

Especially with Jerry's colonoscopy tomorrow morning and needing to make sure everything was ready for the sub.

Luckily Jerry was able to come out to the school and pick up the kids.

Of course I got home to a freaked out Natalie. Her friend decided to run away from home, for the second time (that I know of, maybe more than that).

The girl had come to our house and gave Natalie a note to give to her mom, and Natalie hadn't been able to get to Jerry before the girl left the house, nor able to stop her from leaving before I got home.

This girl needs help, and I have done everything short of hauling her into the police station and turning her over to them to get the help. When I talked to her parents I was interfering with the way they are raising their child. Of course that was after they called Natalie a little B*tch, so I wasn't quite rational.

I have contacted people that I thought would help, but I think my contact was ignored since she did this again.

Tonight I took the note she gave Natalie down to her mom, then the kids and I went out looking for her.

The part that aggrevates me is that when I asked if she had seen her daughter in the last 45 minutes or so, the mom's answer was no that was why she was on the phone with her mom. Why she was talking to her mom, instead of out looking for her daughter, or at least calling all of the numbers she can think of to call, ticks me off!

I explained that I had just gotten home and that Natalie gave me the note as soon as I walked in the door, and that we had a couple of ideas as to where she was so we were going out looking.

Her mom didn't seem overly concerned. Which makes me think she just doesn't give a damn. Because god knows if one of the girls friend's parents came to me with that note, and said she isn't at our house (the "safe" house), and was out roaming the streets around here I would be on the phone to the police for help.

The kids and I drove over to another of the girl's friends(K's) house, because thats where the BF said she was going.

K's dad happens to be a counselor for a program that works with kids in crisis, I knew that even if the BF wasn't there, he would be willing and able to help us. And even though he was ready for bed, he got dressed and went out looking in their van.

K's dad was the one that found the BF.THANK GOD! He brought her to our house, so that we would know that she was ok, and then once we got home, volunteered to be the one to take her home, talk with her parents, and help them deal with it all, since this is his field.

When I think about the areas that we have to drive through to get to K's house from here, and the people that were out and about in those areas, it scares me to death to think about what could have happened to the BF. Especially seeing how the BF had been stopped by a woman who was asking her questions about where she was going and what she was doing. I am sure that the woman was trying to help, but what if she would have snatched the BF?

I really hope that K's dad gets through to the BF's parents that this is serious and needs to be treated as such.

The girls and I had a very good discussion about the entire incident, how they handled it, and how they could have changed things.

Kelsey didn't know about the BF coming by until right before I got home, so she is out of the occasion.

At first Natalie thought I was picking at her and mad at her, but by the time we got home she realized that I wasn't mad at her, I was just as scared for the BF as she was. But we talked about how if this was to happen again she needed to convince the BF to come in and talk to either Jerry or I, or if we aren't home just come in the house and cool down. I told them both that had I been home I probably still would have gone to K's dad for help, since thats his job. I know thats not following the proper channels but he knows what he is doing.

Tomorrow after Jerry's appointment (or maybe during if I can get to a phone), I have to make a few phone calls about it. Maybe this time something will come of the calls. Mandated reporter stuff.

If you are the praying sort, send up a prayer tomorrow at about 7 am Eastern time for Jerry. That they figure out what is going on with him, and that it is something that we can deal with emotionally, finacially, and spiritually.

Monday, September 22, 2008

This Blog Is Rated

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

Singapore Math Conference Day 4

On the 11th we got to go back to day four of our Singapore Math training.

I am really glad that it has been spread out the way it was for us, because it enabled me to refresh my memory of how to do the problems, and how to teach the problems to my students.

A couple of the problems that I will share later this week, are very hard, and worded strangely. Which is why I haven't shared them yet. But I will soon.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The new facebook

I don't like it! It never loads right for me, so I can't see my requests and I can't scroll past what is up on top of the screen.

This sucks!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

update to the latest in the medical saga

Jerry has a colonscopy and an endoscopy (we think) scheduled for this Friday. I have already talked to my principal about taking the day off to take him to it, I just have to fill out the paperwork on Monday.

So far we have still not been given a true diagnosis as to what they think is wrong with him. They told him at his appointment on Thursday that they hoped these procedures would give us the answers.

I am just hoping and praying that they really don't know, and that this isn't a case of them knowing, but not wanting to have the military pay for it, so they are trying to kick him out before giving us an answer. Which as we all know has happened in the past. Because quite frankly that would suck.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The latest in the Jerry Medical saga

Jerry had an appointment last week, where he was told that all of his numbers were holding steady. They gave him a new prescription for iron, that once again Tricare doesn't cover.

Then today he had an appointment with his case manager at the clinic on base.

Who dropped a big bomb on him.

They are refering his case to the medical review board, who will decide one of a couple of things.

They can say that he is "fit to fight", where everything is status quo.

They can say that he has enough time in service and is healthy enough to continue to work for the military in a limited capacity until his retirement date (December 2011). Which he thinks in his case would be to put him back into his old career field since the DEPO is here at Robins, and is non-deployable.

They can say that it is a preexisting condition and kick him out (very unlikely, but stranger things have happened.) In this case he would loose everything.

They can medically retire him, with 20% pay.

Jerry is really worried and upset about all of this. The only thing I could say was it is out of our hands, but I am worried too. If the military kicks him out over this, we will loose everything.

I know that all we can do is hope and pray for the best, but it is really hard with the worst staring us in the face.

Monday, September 15, 2008

DJ and the football game

DJ only knows one of the kids on our football team's name.

Z.

Z stands out, for a good reason, let's just say he is the tallest on the team.

Plus Z is in Kelsey's bio class, so they are friends.

Friday night after the game, as Z was walking to the locker room, DJ ran up to Z and said:

"Z that was AWESOME!!!"

Well he was right about that! We won 24-21, against a team that talked smack all week long in the press. Plus it came down to the last 0.5 seconds in the game. Talk about a thriller.

Way to go Cobras! In the immortal words of DJ: That was awesome!

I forgot how much I love watching high school football, until the past couple of weeks. They go out and leave it all on the field, and as a spectator you can just feel it all.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

The story behind how I was

accused of being racist.

Last week, my class as part of our social studies performance standards, started discussing the Presidential Elections.

Now mind you this is a lesson that at the end of it, I thought had gone very well. I only had one little girl get super emotional about it. And even she was able to handle the lesson.

We started off discussion the fact that no matter the outcome of the election, history would be made.

If Senator Obama wins, he will be the first African American president.

If Senator McCain wins, Gov. Palin will be the first woman vice president.

Now let me point out that the day after Obama was "officially" nominated, a HUGE deal was made out of this. Part of his speech was read over our loud speakers. While Mrs. Palin's selection as the VP choice for Senator McCain, was basically ignored. But we (my co-teacher and I) didn't make a huge deal out of it. Got to take into account where we are teaching, and the population.

We explained and discussed the nomination process, and the selection/election process from here on out.

I had several students ask who I was going to vote for.

I (and my co-teacher) explained several times that, that was a personal choice and that no one should feel like they need to know who their neighbor/friend/teacher is going to vote for. That each registered voter in the US votes for who they think lives up to what they personally believe in.

After this tactic did not work, I fell back to my standard that I have used since the first Presidential election since I began teaching.

Mickey Mouse

I explained to my students that no Mickey isn't running, but I do not feel right telling them, my personal choices on a matter this great.

Which all stems from the 1980 election, when my first grade teacher went on and on about Ronald Regan. I remember telling my parents that they should vote for Mr. Regan. I had no idea why they should have voted for him, just that that was who my teacher said she was voting for. So Mickey Mouse is my stand in for a real candidate.

Then we left it alone, and went on to the election process.

We talked about the voting process, and how if you are 18 you have the right to register to vote for your choice.

Toward the end of the lesson about 20 minutes later, we talked about Mock Elections that are done in schools, and how they are held, so that we can see who the students would choose if they were 18, and could vote.

Now keep in mind at this point we had not mentioned a candidate by name in at least 20 minutes, because we were focusing on the process, not this particular lesson.

Then I gave a personal example (that whole personal connection thing that everyone is sooooooo big on.)

In 2000 Kelsey was able to vote in the mock elections for the first time.

When we got home that night we were talking about the voting process and how she got to vote.

Then Kelsey asked me who I voted for (at the time we were overseas, and I had voted weeks prior).

I asked her who she voted for.

Her reply was George.

When I asked her why she chose George (thinking that the teachers must have done a lesson on what each candidate stood for, or something).

Now here I stopped my story and asked my class if they could think of why a second grader would vote for someone named George. I had about 8 of my students start singing the same thing as Kelsey:

Kelsey's answer was, "You know mom, because of George, George of the Jungle, Watch Out for That Tree!!!" Sung in perfect tune.


My students all seemed to get a kick out of why Kelsey chose her choice when she was about the same age as what they are now.


I had 3 different parents call the superintendent and tell him that I said that Senator Obama, wrote George of the Jungle, and/or that I was calling Senator Obama Mickey Mouse.

When I had to sit down with the superintendent and explain my actions and my choice of words, I was dumbfounded and hurt beyond belief that someone would think such a thing.

Like I told him (bawling, mind you), I didn't even think about the George of the Jungle song in connection with Obama, because it was done at a different time in the lesson. PLUS when I think of George of the Jungle, I think of Brendon Fraiser, or the little cartoon guy, who is far from being African in decent.

His answer was that they said I was either saying he wrote the song, or that I was saying he was straight out of the jungles. Which just floored me, because, I don't think that way, I just don't.

The Mickey Mouse comment, he wouldn't even let me defend. He told me that I lied to my students. Because Mickey isn't running. Never had that problem before, every other election I have been praised for working to keep my opinions from influencing my students choices. But this one I guess I should have just told them it was none of their beeswax.

What makes me laugh (now several days later, because goodness knows earlier this week, I cried every time I thought about it,) is that if I was referring to Obama as Mickey Mouse (as I was accused of doing), shouldn't that be a good thing in these peoples minds?

Because shouldn't they take it as I am voting for him?

I mean really people you can't have it both ways.

So now, I fear that everything I do is going to be looked at under a microscope.

Even though I was assured that the superintendent and the principal both understand that I didn't do any of this in a purposefully derogating manner, and that nothing more would come out of it.

Its just a feeling I have, especially after the football game tonight, where I was ignored by the superintendent, when before he went out of his way to say hi.

Needless to say, something that should be a great teaching point, is now a totally taboo talking point in my classroom. I am not sure how we are even going to do social studies until after the election at this point, because so much of the standards for third grade work with the election process.

And the honest truth is that I don't know who I am going to vote for yet. I have a basic idea, based on certain things, but I do not know 100% yet. I am watching the CBS evening news because of the "things you need to know" segment that they have started.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Does anyone know where...

The cord to my camera is?

The one that down loads pictures to the computer?

I CAN NOT FIND IT ANYWHERE!

Which is why there has been no picture posts in forever. I swear I have probably 700 pictures on my card, but I can't get them off the camera.

I either find it, or go buy a new one.

I promise, I have a lot of neat pictures to share, and I will get around to sharing them soon.

Friday, September 12, 2008

sticky post~Can you help Ruthie or know someone that can?~

My friend over at Be This
Way
posted today looking for help for her friend Kim and Kim's daughter Ruthie.

BTW says:
Ruthie has been diagnosed with hypogammaglobinemia, an immune deficiency disorder. The rare disease is responsible for her asthma, eczema, and severe allergies, and means she hardly ever gets to leave home - and never without a boatload of medications.

Ruthie has an appointment with a team of doctors in Denver later this month, but getting there is a problem. Flying commercially puts Ruthie at great risk for illness, and she likely needs to be fairly healthy for her Denver evaluation.

So, I’m asking bloggers to you please write your own story, or link back to this one or the TV spot. And I’m asking everyone to pass the word.

Pretty please?

If you would like to help Ruthie get to her September 24th doctor’s appointment, you can e-mail Kim Clements at ksclements@yahoo.com.


So if you can help Kim and Ruthie, please email Kim and let her know. Or if you can't personally help, but you think that maybe one of your own readers might be able to help please blog about this to your readers!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

People worry me

I was accused of being a racist this past week.

Something that I have not been accused of since I was 10 years old, and Mrs. Jackson told my mom that the reason I was doing poorly was that I was a racist.

This time it hurt a whole lot more.

And still was not true.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

RIP Mr. Clark

Today one of our bus drivers was shot and killed.

Please keep him and his family and our entire school community in your thoughts and prayers. Our community is a tight knit group with a lot of people all related to one another, so it is touching many of the lives in our school.

I don't know any information other than what has been released to the Telegraph.
The article in the paper is here

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Welcome to the family baby Maddox!!!

From Blogger Pictures


Baby Maddox was born last night at 6:40 pm. 9 pounds 6.4 ounces 20 1/5 inches long! Baby, mommy, and daddy all seem to be doing well. :)

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Baby Maddox is on his way!

I talked to Matt when I got home from work, and Angela is in labor!!

Hip Hip Hooray!!!!

However when I spoke to Matt, Angela's labor had stalled. She was still having contractions very close together, but she was not progressing. Matt was not sure what the plans were at that point, but he will let me know.

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers, so that we can all welcome Maddox into the world soon!!!

Monday, September 01, 2008

Home

We are home, left early to beat the rain. Luckily we were heading in the opposite direction from the storm.

Lots of pictures to upload... Hopefully soon

Have a great week!