007 - License to Teach

That was what was on our cake Wednesday night for our student teaching seminar. Actually, it was spelled "licence," but it's a difficult word to spell for somebody who works the bakery at Safeway.

I just want to sing "Schooooool's out for the summer!! Schooooooool's out for-ever!!"

Of course, it's really not - just mostly. I have one more class to take this summer, and then I'll finish up my Master's Project in the Fall. I anticipate getting my degree in December, but I was told that it could take until February. Whatever, as long as I get it in the 07-08 school year.

The ESD did not give me any credit for previous experience on the pay scale, but they did give me credit for the Master's, so I have to finish it during this year or I'll owe them.

I still don't know where I'm working in the fall. There is an opening on the Community Support Team (where I did my student teaching). While I would like to be placed there, and have lobbied for the position, I don't think I will get it because there are so many people who want that job who are more senior than me.

I have the next three weeks free before I begin work at the Kiwanis Camp. I'm spending my time cleaning the house. I'm turning the closet in the office into a sewing center. Right now I have the contents of the closet strewn about the room. Hopefully I'll get this project finished this weekend.

I'm going to look at a car today. It's a '97 Subaru Outback. It has 189,000 miles, which is high, but it's only $4,000. I'm a little wary of it, but I drive an 82 Caprice, so anything is an upgrade. I'm going to take it to my mechanic before I make a decision, but I'm still nervous...

And that's my update. I'll blog more later since I don't have any assignments due!!

I Got the Job!!

At 4pm yesterday, I was eating an early dinner at Baja Fresh (two fish tacos), getting myself ready for my yoga class. My phone buzzed. It was KW from NWRESD, calling to see if I was still interested in a position with them. She wanted to put in a "Reccommendation for Hire" to HR. I told her I "most definately" was still interested in the position and thanked her many many times. I got so excited that I got off the phone without knowing where I was working, nor how much money I will be making. I didn't care. I had (have) a job. I immediately called Navigator who asked me "How much did they offer?"

"Um. I forgot to ask. I'll find out next week when I get my letter from HR."

Yep, I'm an idiot. I've looked at the salary schedule online, and they should offer me high 30's. I would like low 40's, but who are we kidding? I'll take whatever they offer me. high 30's is double what I made at Head Start, and I'll have many many more vacation days. If I feel the need, I can sub for Head Start on my off days. OR, I can build a sewing room in the closet of our office and a murphy bed in our guest bedroom. And I can paint the rest of the walls in the house. Yeah. I'll take option 2.

Now I have the daunting task of picking out a restaurant for my husband to take me to celebrate.

Interview

Last monday I had a job interview with Northwest Regional Education Service District for the position of Early Childhood Education Specialist. There were five positions posted and fifteen applicants. I learned on Wednesday that three of the positions were currently being held by three of my classmates who are on emergency licensure. They had to apply and interview for the positions they have been doing for the past year... and now they have competition from twelve other people. Great!

I felt that my interview went well...after I checked the dictionary. During the interview, we were discussing teaming and collaboration, and I said the word "Shmuck." I had said that in previous teams where I was the "senior" member (whatever that means), I thought that it was extremely important for the rest of the team to feel comfortable enough in the team to be able to say "Hey Dawn, you're being a shmuck." The interviewers seemed to wake up when I said that. They had been so busy writing down what I said verbatum that when I said the word, I realized that they weren't really listening to me at all.

And then it occurred to me that "shmuck" is Yiddish for "penis." FUCK!

Growing up, I thought that shmuck meant stupid oaf. That's how we always used it. It was never a bad word. It was one of those words that you could call your sibling in front of your parent and get smacked, but no soap in the mouth. It was a safe word.

I went home and looked up the word in the dictionary, positive that I had ruined my chances of working for the ESD. To my surprise, the definition for shmuck is "stupid oaf." Written in parenthesis and italics at the end of the entry is from Yiddish - penis. So I figured, as long as they're not Jewish, I'm fine.

The next day, one of the interviewers told my cooperating teacher that I'm "a delightful young lady." I felt much better after that.

This week, my references are being contacted. That is good news. Nobody bothers to check references unless they're planning on hiring you. I just hope that my three classmates keep their positions.

ADZPCTKO

I spent the past weekend at Lake Morena, CA giving the current year's PCT thru-hikers an F-Troop sendoff. (I'm actually F-Troop-in-law, but they love me like family).

We spent nearly $800 on food for hikers. We cooked veggie burritos for dinner Friday night and French Toast for breakfast Saturday morning.

It was hot, and not just typical California Desert in late April hot. It was miserable. My lips were chapped and cracked by 8am Friday morning, and we rolled into the campground at midnight. Add standing in front of a hot propane stove, stirring beans or flipping toast AND drinking alcohol, and you have a recipe for disaster. Needless to say, I was feeling downright shitty Saturday afternoon. I couldn't drink water fast enough. It didn't help that the campground water tasted like rusty pipes, either.

I took a cold shower (because that's all they had to offer there) and a long nap, and felt a little bit better by the time the sun started to sink behind the horizon. I didn't drink Saturday night, and was called "mom" by some total drunks when I yelled at them for setting off Roman candles in the middle of the cabin parking lot in the dryest year yet.

Fuckers.

The good times outweighed the idiots, and I'm glad it was a success. It was great to see old friends and make new ones. I was amazed at how many '03ers are hiking again this year, and I'm glad I was there to wish Sharon (Double I, who is now being called "Cloudspotter," but I think that's a stupid name and am lobbying for "Nimbuskull") a good hike.

I get to mail her some of her resupply boxes. That's a BIG responsibility for me. I'm really bad at getting anything into the mail on time.

Here are some pictures from the KO.

Agent, Teatree, One & Ladybug with two of our four shopping carts at Costco

The "fixins table" at the Burrito Feed

Apple Pie and Roni from Israel sharing a special moment

Saturday night entertainment at the cabins
(I figured out how to use a low shutter speed on my camera!)

'03 & '05 hikers for Sunday morning breakfast

Very Sad Day

I have been meaning to post about spring break and student teaching, but things have been hectic around here (still). I will get to that soon. Possibly this weekend. In more pressing news, I heard a very sad thing on the radio today, and I had to share it... Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. I LOVE Kurt Vonnegut. When I lived in NY, I fantasized about stalking him and becoming his mistress.

Kurt Vonnegut 1922 - 2007

I was first introduced to Kurt in 8th grade, by my English teacher, Mr. Boozer (yep, that really was his name). He suggested I read Cat's Cradle. I didn't understand most of it, but I re-read it in college and loved it. From there, I moved on to Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions (my personal favorite) and Player Piano. When I lived in NY, I missed the chance to meet him at a book signing for Timequake because I had to work and I arrived too late to get into the room where he was speaking. Sigh. Now, I will never have that chance.

If you have never read Vonnegut, I suggest you start now. You are missing out!

End of the Term Wrap-Up

Tomorrow is the last day of winter term. I have been a piss-poor blogger because I haven't blogged since January. So, here is the wrap-up:

Winter Term

Winter term wasn't nearly as difficult as fall term. I didn't hole myself up in the office for hours, doing homework. In fact, I spent many nights snuggling on the couch with my honey, watching really bad network TV.

That's why I didn't blog...

My friend Sharon told me that it's quite alright not to spend every available moment on the internet, so I don't feel guilty.

Today I present my work sample. I have no idea what is expected of me. I lost the paper that explains it. I hope that my presentation goes well. I'm not doing a powerpoint presentation like everyone else. For one, I don't have powerpoint on my computer. For another, everyone else is doing one.

I also have a presentation in my second class. Once again, I'm not doing a powerpoint presentation. In fact, if I had my druthers, powerpoint wouldn't exist. I really hate powerpoint presentations.

Tomorrow is my final in my research class. I haven't studied for it. I figure I'll do a little tonight. Half is open book, and I got 100% on the midterm, so I feel pretty good about it. After class, we're going to the Goose Hollow Inn for Vegetarian Ruben sandwiches and lots and lots of beer.

Today is the first day of Aries. Our cohort leader, Dr. Dave R. Allen, is an Aries. He's also vegan. I am picking up a vegan chocolate cake from Whole Foods (which says "Happy Un-Birthday Dave!"), and we're throwing him a birthday party during class today. We also had a pool to guess which day in Aries his birthday falls. We hope he tells us because the lucky winner gets $30. If he doesn't, I have no idea what to do with the money. I guess we'll have to spend it at Happy Hour tomorrow!

Practicum

I had a superfantastic practicum experience. I was in Milwaukee at Clackamas ESD. It was a pain in the ass to get there, but I was able to ride my bike from practicum to class, which made the distance from home something I could deal with. I was teamed up with a Physical Therapist and an ECSE specialist. This was an Early Intervention home visiting model, and I was able to observe and participate in diagnostic evaluations. My cooperating professionals were absolutely wonderful to work with, and I gained quite a bit of knowledge from them. I am sad that I have to leave, as I was just getting into the groove with things.

Student Teaching

I begin student teaching next term. I wanted NWRESD because it's closest to my home. I was told that they weren't taking any student teachers from the full-time program because many of their employees are in the part-time program and they will be placing them into student teaching positions, and they don't have any more highly qualified teachers available.

I was pissed, and then I asked if a certain person who works for the ESD had a student teacher placed with her. She's been in the business for over 20 years, and is highly qualified. Turns out, she didn't have one, so I requested her. Surprisingly enough, I got it!! I'm so happy that I pushed for it. If I hadn't, who knows where I would have been placed. I'm meeting with her on Friday to discuss everything. I can't wait!

Spring Break

One nice thing about being a student is that I get spring break! This year, the Galli family is planning a trip to Disney World. It's going to be weird being a tourist in my home state. Well, maybe not... But still, five days of Disney theme parks? I don't know if I can handle all that excitement!

Master's Project

I have been accepted into a Masters Project. I'll be working at the Kiwanis Oral Hull Camp for children with autism, and helping to design and improve trainings for staff. The first three weeks of July, I will be working at the camp. This fall we'll be putting our project and paper together, to present in December, and then I can graduate!! That's so exciting!!

Well, I think that's all the update I have. Hopefully I'll be more of a writer during my student teaching when I will supposedly have more time....

Six Weird Things About Me

My friend Waterfall had this meme on her blog, so I thought I would follow suit. I think that six is a low number, as there are many weird things about me. However, I will try to list the six weirdest things about me.

1. I count. I have been doing this since I was little. I count when I'm nervous, when I'm bored, when I'm exercising and when I can't fall asleep. It often happens unconsciously. I will sometimes catch myself counting and I'm already at 76 or 324. I don't count things like bunnies, sheep or the tiles in the bathroom. I simply count.

2. I don't mix my food. When I eat, I eat one thing at a time. I do not move onto the next thing until the first thing is completed. For example, if I have the following for dinner: fish, broccoli & pears, I will eat them in that order. I will not take a bite of broccoli or pears until the fish is gone. I hate it when the juice from one food item gets into another food item. This is especially difficult when eating at an Indian restaurant. Exceptions to the rule are as follows:

1. If corn kernels and potatoes are on the menu, these must be mixed.
2. If rice is on the menu, it can be mixed with anything (ie beans & rice, Indian foods like daal & rice, and Chinese foods). However, if there are two items to be mixed with the rice (eg daal & paneer), they will be mixed and eaten in turn.
3. bread can be eaten at any time, and dipped into saucy foods.
4. grilled cheese must be eaten with soup, preferably tomato soup, and can only be eaten after it is dipped in said soup and thoroughly drenched.

3. Laundry must be folded a certain way before it can be placed in the dresser. If it is not folded in the way that it is supposed to be folded, it is to sit in the laundry basket until such a time that it can be folded. If my husband tries to fold the laundry, I have to re-fold it because his way is wrong.

4. If the tines in the fork are uneven, I cannot use the fork.

5. I have been known to wear the same pair of socks for more than a week straight.

6. If my nose has anything in it, I cannot concentrate. If there is a dry booger in there, that's all I think about until I can set it free.