I am writing you from Tampa, Florida. I have been here since Sunday at an Academy sponsored by the Florida Department of Education (no that's NOT an oxymoron) and the Council for Educational Change. In theory, I think they accomplish many great things...But I digress...One of our "talk-ats" and a seriously slammin' great one talked about FILTERS, you know, that unique set of life experiences that makes YOU YOU, ME ME, and (shocker alert) the rationale behind us seeing things differently..
Before I left on Sunday, I was feeling a little guilty with two pairs of big, brown eyes staring at me and my suitcase while I was packing on Saturday, with their tails wagging. (gotya!!! Tim and Char would have been HELPING me pack....it's my dogs, (wo)man's best friends that were sad)....So, that night, I took them to the Dog Park, which is really the rest stop between Jacksonville and St. Augustine on I95 (which according to fatality records, the I95 strip in Florida is the most dangerous super highway in the USA!) We took about a 45 minute walk in the "Dog-Restricted" area and I decided to view the world from a dog's perspective, or, a DIFFERENT FILTER. There's very comical things to see at a Rest stop. There was a Florida D.O.T. dude, completely in uniform and gun holstered at his side, who was cleaning out his "company vehicle." There was a trucker whose cargo was an Army Red Cross Ambulance Helicopter that I swear looked just like the one on the opening scenes in MASH. There was shrooms and ant beds to explore and well, you know what else they were sniffin' on the ground! They barked at the guy in the little Honda with two really big mattresses weighing down the top of his car and they tried to get invited to a random family picnic, albeit, unsuccessfully. What they didn't notice was this sign about the potentially dangerous Agkistrodon piscivorous conanti (cottonmouth) because of the large FENCED IN (thankfully) retention pond in the middle of the dog park...Just today, at one of the talk-ats, I was thinking about that sign, more specifically the conantis that I have to deal with in education. All of you know that I was recruited away from a school that I loved and served faithfully for six years to be a Reading Coach in late January. But nobody told me about the conantis!!!!! You see, they very often take their human form and appear to us with slippery tongues and slanted eyes and TWO LEGS! and they didn't tell me that I would have to spend FOUR DAYS with one incredibly toxic conanti at this conference, who has tried to clip my wings at every turn in my new school. At least they sprung for separate rooms.....although I still have been sleeping with one eye open...(which probably explains why both eyes have been closed during a few of HER talk-ats....) Ladies, I'm down, down, down right now and I am the illustration of NO JOY IN MUDVILLE, anticipating my new year in the fall with the snake-in-the-grass who exclusively has the ear and eye of the principal.......but at least I'll be in a certain South Florida bed tomorrow night (should I use the snake metaphor, here????) where Mr. Man can make all things better, or at least for 4 or 5 days! I LOVE YOU GUYS!
20 July 2010
Forgot about Lions, and Tigers, and Bears...LOOK DOWN!
Hello Friends...
I am writing you from Tampa, Florida. I have been here since Sunday at an Academy sponsored by the Florida Department of Education (no that's NOT an oxymoron) and the Council for Educational Change. In theory, I think they accomplish many great things...But I digress...One of our "talk-ats" and a seriously slammin' great one talked about FILTERS, you know, that unique set of life experiences that makes YOU YOU, ME ME, and (shocker alert) the rationale behind us seeing things differently..
Before I left on Sunday, I was feeling a little guilty with two pairs of big, brown eyes staring at me and my suitcase while I was packing on Saturday, with their tails wagging. (gotya!!! Tim and Char would have been HELPING me pack....it's my dogs, (wo)man's best friends that were sad)....So, that night, I took them to the Dog Park, which is really the rest stop between Jacksonville and St. Augustine on I95 (which according to fatality records, the I95 strip in Florida is the most dangerous super highway in the USA!) We took about a 45 minute walk in the "Dog-Restricted" area and I decided to view the world from a dog's perspective, or, a DIFFERENT FILTER. There's very comical things to see at a Rest stop. There was a Florida D.O.T. dude, completely in uniform and gun holstered at his side, who was cleaning out his "company vehicle." There was a trucker whose cargo was an Army Red Cross Ambulance Helicopter that I swear looked just like the one on the opening scenes in MASH. There was shrooms and ant beds to explore and well, you know what else they were sniffin' on the ground! They barked at the guy in the little Honda with two really big mattresses weighing down the top of his car and they tried to get invited to a random family picnic, albeit, unsuccessfully. What they didn't notice was this sign about the potentially dangerous Agkistrodon piscivorous conanti (cottonmouth) because of the large FENCED IN (thankfully) retention pond in the middle of the dog park...Just today, at one of the talk-ats, I was thinking about that sign, more specifically the conantis that I have to deal with in education. All of you know that I was recruited away from a school that I loved and served faithfully for six years to be a Reading Coach in late January. But nobody told me about the conantis!!!!! You see, they very often take their human form and appear to us with slippery tongues and slanted eyes and TWO LEGS! and they didn't tell me that I would have to spend FOUR DAYS with one incredibly toxic conanti at this conference, who has tried to clip my wings at every turn in my new school. At least they sprung for separate rooms.....although I still have been sleeping with one eye open...(which probably explains why both eyes have been closed during a few of HER talk-ats....) Ladies, I'm down, down, down right now and I am the illustration of NO JOY IN MUDVILLE, anticipating my new year in the fall with the snake-in-the-grass who exclusively has the ear and eye of the principal.......but at least I'll be in a certain South Florida bed tomorrow night (should I use the snake metaphor, here????) where Mr. Man can make all things better, or at least for 4 or 5 days! I LOVE YOU GUYS!
I am writing you from Tampa, Florida. I have been here since Sunday at an Academy sponsored by the Florida Department of Education (no that's NOT an oxymoron) and the Council for Educational Change. In theory, I think they accomplish many great things...But I digress...One of our "talk-ats" and a seriously slammin' great one talked about FILTERS, you know, that unique set of life experiences that makes YOU YOU, ME ME, and (shocker alert) the rationale behind us seeing things differently..
Before I left on Sunday, I was feeling a little guilty with two pairs of big, brown eyes staring at me and my suitcase while I was packing on Saturday, with their tails wagging. (gotya!!! Tim and Char would have been HELPING me pack....it's my dogs, (wo)man's best friends that were sad)....So, that night, I took them to the Dog Park, which is really the rest stop between Jacksonville and St. Augustine on I95 (which according to fatality records, the I95 strip in Florida is the most dangerous super highway in the USA!) We took about a 45 minute walk in the "Dog-Restricted" area and I decided to view the world from a dog's perspective, or, a DIFFERENT FILTER. There's very comical things to see at a Rest stop. There was a Florida D.O.T. dude, completely in uniform and gun holstered at his side, who was cleaning out his "company vehicle." There was a trucker whose cargo was an Army Red Cross Ambulance Helicopter that I swear looked just like the one on the opening scenes in MASH. There was shrooms and ant beds to explore and well, you know what else they were sniffin' on the ground! They barked at the guy in the little Honda with two really big mattresses weighing down the top of his car and they tried to get invited to a random family picnic, albeit, unsuccessfully. What they didn't notice was this sign about the potentially dangerous Agkistrodon piscivorous conanti (cottonmouth) because of the large FENCED IN (thankfully) retention pond in the middle of the dog park...Just today, at one of the talk-ats, I was thinking about that sign, more specifically the conantis that I have to deal with in education. All of you know that I was recruited away from a school that I loved and served faithfully for six years to be a Reading Coach in late January. But nobody told me about the conantis!!!!! You see, they very often take their human form and appear to us with slippery tongues and slanted eyes and TWO LEGS! and they didn't tell me that I would have to spend FOUR DAYS with one incredibly toxic conanti at this conference, who has tried to clip my wings at every turn in my new school. At least they sprung for separate rooms.....although I still have been sleeping with one eye open...(which probably explains why both eyes have been closed during a few of HER talk-ats....) Ladies, I'm down, down, down right now and I am the illustration of NO JOY IN MUDVILLE, anticipating my new year in the fall with the snake-in-the-grass who exclusively has the ear and eye of the principal.......but at least I'll be in a certain South Florida bed tomorrow night (should I use the snake metaphor, here????) where Mr. Man can make all things better, or at least for 4 or 5 days! I LOVE YOU GUYS!
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Crappy people like that are "sabateurs"...They think that by being the eyes and ears to the pricipal that they in fact will get ahead quicker...I've seen it in my own school...They are in good graces one day and THEN something shifts and they are now on that "special list"...You reap what you sew...Some people unfortunately get off on bringing others down...Enjoy your special time with your honey. xoxoxo A
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that there are even people out there who live for making trouble? I just don't get it! But I've met a lot of "them"!! I guess for those of us who are truly there to do the right thing and stay out of the business of others, we can take comfort in the fact that good things will come to those who do good! Right??
ReplyDeletehello ladies!!! yeah,, the poisonous snakes are out there!! What really sucks, at least for me is that for four months I had to do what she said (principal's wishes) and Monday I get to defend my data and my job to a bunch of talking head School Board types...YAYYY! That's probably one reason why I'm still in South Florida! Not ready to cross the border into cottonmouth land just yet...I'm preferring the company of iguanas, palm trees, Monty's (our hangout), and sex-on-the-beach (beverage of choice and...well, you know!) So wish me luck on Monday...right now I have some anxiety about it, but I'm just going to accept the things I can't change, you know! Mr. Man's advice is to STOP BEING A VICTIM...there may be some truth to that, but he just doesn't get the game that is played in public school education...I do believe you reap what you sow, so, I'll TRY and take the high road, or at least 95South back here!!!!
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ReplyDeleteYou are not being a victim if you are acknowledging that someone clearly isn't on your side...Our careers are important and we want to protect our reputations...Sometimes men don't get it-ha!....Go in there and be the YOU that we all know and love....Good shines through, and so does intelligence...You will articulately state the facts in a non-defensive manner and be a rock star....I want to hear how all of this plays out....Good luck!
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