Saturday, January 21, 2017

January 20, 2017 the Three F's...

So it's already January 21st as I sit down to type this tonight, but for a good reason.

I worked hard on my focus goal of Finances tonight. Tonight was my first Uber driving experience, which with my first trip managed to hit on Faith as well.

I started the app on accident leaving work today, and thought to myself oh why not, not really thinking anyone would be looking for a ride between post and my house. Turns out I was wrong. I picked up one of my neighbors from her work and took her home (about a block from our house). The nice thing was that it led to a conversation about Faith, as she was frantically trying to reach the hospital in Charleston where her dad has been inpatient for three weeks. They called her twice right before she was getting off of work, and didn't leave a message, so she was in panic mode. Her dad was released to the nursing home today, and the nurse was calling to give her a "this is what his vitals were when we released him" update. However, he and their family need our prayers, prayers for peace to be accepting of the things that the didn't see before his health issues became urgent, and prayers to understand where God wants them to be led now with his health.

After coming home and unloading the car, I drove towards downtown just to see what happened with the app. My first trip on this segment was two teenage boys who wanted to go to the basketball game, whose momma said take an Uber, I'm not driving. And then she gave them tip money, Go Momma! Dropped them off and drove further into town, where I picked up a nice couple heading to the concert downtown from an AirBnB. They were in town for a wedding tomorrow, but could only get the AirBnB for two nights so decided to make a weekend of it by adding in the Lee Brice concert. After that it was mostly USC co-eds, mostly girls who didn't want to walk in the dark between apartment buildings or dorms. USC's campus is pretty spread out around downtown Columbia and even into Cayce and Rosewood, so I can't say I blame them. I know if either of the girls went there I would tell them to Uber it rather than walking through some of the areas between sections of campus. As the night went on the conversations got more and more interesting. However, everyone was very respectful. The only thing? College kids don't tip, which I figured, but where have we as parents failed our kids, when they don't think about things like that?

Tonight I learned, not to head to the college quite so early, but also which area to be at early in the night and which to be at later (like when they are heading to the bars). As with all college campuses there is one group of dorms/apartments (upper classmen) that is the pre-party, if you know what I mean.

Faith-I know I touched on this already a little bit, but I've got some more to add.
1. Once I had faith that I could do this Uber thing and have success, it started coming easier.
2. One of my school babies and their family needs prayers, and lots of them. I don't know any of the details other than it has been rough, and I don't need to know them. I just know that they need people praying for them.

Fitness-Day 5 Rest Day! No walking/run today... but I did lug in the cooler with 40 pounds of ice 6 quarts of half and half, rock salt, etc. etc. etc. into my classroom from the far parking lot (I had the cart, so don't go freaking out that I tried just carrying it), and back out (almost empty) again.  I also hit my 10,000 steps for the day.

One additional thing about finances... I'd like to point out to President Trump, Betsy DeVos (Secretary of Education Nominee, who I really don't feel is qualified!), and all of the Senators, Congress members, governors, and state level people who set the "tax breaks" for educators at $200 a year. It is January 20th, 2017, and I have already spent that and then some on school supplies for my classroom.... because:
a) The American public doesn't spend enough on education to where we as teachers aren't spending our own money. So there isn't money for us to go and request science experiment supplies, unless it is something we plan a year in advance, and had better not be something that you are going to need tomorrow, or even next week.
b) Some of our resources are so out of date, the only way to teach our kids up to date information is to use things like Teachers Pay Teachers, or order our own curriculum supplements (and in theory I work for a well funded school system!)
I know I could spend less on my classroom, but I want my students to have the best of the best, and since it's my first year back as a classroom teacher, in a while, and my first year having my own second grade class and not a long term sub, there are just things I feel I need to best educate my kids.

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