In-Service

Well, I am mostly going to talk about my work life, but first I wanted to pay tribute (and add a picture) to our co-ed softball team that we had so much fun with in Colorado. The team was amazing, and I think it really helped make the end of our time in Colorado special. We left with about one week of the regular season left and then the tournament. Our team lost the one remaining game in regular season. BUT, they dominated in tournament play - beating last year's champions to win it all. I was so exicted for them when I got the call at 1am Ohio time on the night of the final (way back on August 6th). So, for those that want the play by play, there was a great article in the local paper, The Valley Courier, that you can read online at http://www.alamosanews.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=8699&page=79

Today, I went back to school - officially. No, there are still no kids, but it was an in-service day. This means lots and lots of presentations by everyone in the district. This year, I think was the first time I have felt very positive coming out of the day. We have a new superintendent, new asst superintendent, new high school principal, and there are four other new administrators in my building since I left (a few had been there last year). This just felt good to me. I think that there is great vision coming from the superintendent level. There appears to be great potential guidance and leadership from our new principal as well. We'll see how the year continues. It was really good to see teachers again that I had worked with in the past, and get to know the ones that are new to me. It is a good feeling when people are again excited to see you; you feel loved/appreciated. It has also been really cool to hear that some of the teachers were able to keep up with the blog this past year. I know how busy we can be as teachers, but I appreciate that some made time to check up on me (and Jeremy). I have a very positive outlook for the year, and I hope I can continue to keep that. Thank you to all those who have been praying for me and my stress level. I have almost 5 weeks of the year sketched out for my physical science class.... I have been learning a lot about atoms, the periodic table, and will soon get into bonds! I want to leave you with one of the things the superintendent used for inspiration is this clip from youtube. It almost made me cry. You do need sound, but I hope you enjoy it. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

I figured I shouldn't leave mention of Jeremy out of this. He is working tremendously hard on finding his feet in Columbus again. His situation is much more difficult than mine in that he came back to no job. He had an interview this past week; we are still waiting to hear about that. Since then, he has been tweaking his resume for search for part time work until he is able to secure a job. He has also reinlisted as security for Nationwide Arena. He will be providing security for the Jonas Brothers this Saturday night; we both hope his eardrums survive the thousands of screaming adolescent girls! He is great though and helping me with supper most nights by manning the grill. We are also enjoying all the Olympic action. Hope everyone has a great Friday. Keep reading, and I'll keep blogging!