woo hoo

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The Tigers Win. They beat the Cardinals, which is impressive in itself.

But more fun because a couple of my friends root for them and they sort of become the team to beat. In the past couple years the tigers were so crappy, that the only joy I got out of the season was to beat the Cardinals

Today was sort of the last day of school for faculty. The sort of is I am handing out a library award tomorrow at graduation. It's for the town library, I am not sure why I am the hand out person.… I also want to go in a little early and work on the inventory that I didn't get done. I think I will finish it on Wednesday of next week.

Inventory was kind of physically taxing. I'm tired, but I did some pushups, but I really need to start exercising, if only being active will help me write.…

Listening to the John Lennon Collection.

Tonight seemed like forever, I guess I haven't spoking to my little sweetie and it always concerns me if I don't talk to her, listening to Lennon doesn't make it any easier, since he is always singing about his sweetie!.

I guess it is close enough to bed time.

12:31:19 AM

Technorati Tags: bibliotech, blogs, Detroit Tigers, library, Novel, my sweetie

Go Tigers

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Tigers

Tonight they made following easy. I went to a school board meeting, to see if I still have a job after the Contingency Budget cuts (I do, and so does everyone else) and when I got out of the meeting the Tigers were winning

I talked to a parent and she wanted to know what I was doing for the summer. I told her of my novel idea (interesting way to state that), which she thought it was okay. She suggested I talk to her sister, mother of a soon-to-be ninth grader (and a modified softball player). It was a good idea, though I am not sure how the mother takes me...

The story: One of the girls on the team always has an unhappy look. In practice I said: "quit being a sourpuss" I think it is a phrase that most girls under the age of 40 have never heard before, of course the emphasis for them was 'puss' and they all started calling the girl 'sourpuss' when I met the mother, she said: "I'm sourpuss' mom."

I have given out enough nicknames, but 'sourpuss' is not one of them, but try to tell the small town rumor board.

Interesting, it reminded me that I have a good story about the student that I want to use in the novel. It is a novel idea.

Technorati Tags: blogs, Detroit Tigers, librarian, small school, softball, Young Adult, Novel, Novel Idea

un-nerving

It is a little un-nerving that the
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The Detroit Tigers have the best record in baseball. When they were one of the worse teams in baseball (ever) in 2003, I kept thinking of the 1969 Mets and how bad they were in 1962 hoping the Tigers could turn it around. They have, but every night I expect them to win and if they lose, or lose several I worry. I guess I am looking for a dream season. Like the Buffalo Bisons had two years ago when I was in college at the UB

Okay, the links are making me dizzy.

So I tune into the yahoo ticker each night thinking there will be a win, and I have been pretty lucky so far.

But then I like to worry. Haven't heard from buff of low sweetie. So I am thinking there must be trouble with her kids. The unruly teenagers. Good kids I am sure, but in the throes of growing pains.

Lots going on at the old college, revamping the department.

Tigers are winning 3-1 in the eight, if we don't see T-Jones, we might have a five-game win streak.

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almost back home

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I moved some more stuff to my house. I am almost out of here. We have one last week.

The end is kind of tough for teachers. Mostly because the kids have given up.

Moving has been kind of difficult for me.

I miss my sweetie. In the last couple months it ahs been kind of difficult. Some because I haven't seen her, but mostly because I never know when I am going to see her. For example we don't have a get together date right now, so I might not see her until July.

One of the reasons is she is having a tough time with her kids. Ironically the same age kids that I have the most difficulty with in the library. With many of the same behaviors.

The odd thing is she actually listens to me when I give her advice. Odd because I have never been a parent and because I have limited success with the students in the library

I just made a 16 year old made at me. It started with a conversation where I asked the student's advice on how to structure the library in a way that kinds came and did their work. His philosophy was that teachers should not push kids, that if they chose to maintain a 45 average in Math, they should be allowed to.

The discussion went back and forth, with him stating that as long as he didn't hurt others, and regardless of what other teachers said, he should have the freedom to fail as he liked.

He didn't get made about that -- more he relished in a debate victory that he believed he had over me.

So the next day I asked him for his home address. He was a little put off, he wanted to know why I wanted that. I told him I was going to draw up a contract for his mother to sign, which in effect would be her agreeing with the students philosophy that teachers in the school should not push her son --- if he wanted to fail he could. He didn't want to give me his address. What made it worse, I did it in front of a couple other students, who knew his mother wouldn't sign such a contract.

The next period, I said to him that maybe it would be better to call his mom, since we could settle it over the phone. Again he did not want to give out the info (which I should point out I have access to as a teacher). He was a little annoyed that he could have a perfect solution to laziness, but was undermined by someone who would be glad to call his parents. Worse --- I think --- is I would be revealing to his mother that (in essence) the reason he is doing poorly in math is because he isn't even trying. AND that he wants the faculty at my school to sign on to that.

I never say I am smarter than the after kid, but I am cunning and I have a little wisdom.

Good news, the Tigers continue to win and hold the best record in Baseball!

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adirondacks, blogs, Detroit Tigers, about me

http://www.youtube.com/

I don't know what kind of video the Pixies made for "Hey!" but no way could it be as good as this:

Hey! by the Pixies

by

Tasha

what is what I don't know. On the YouTube.com they have takes on some bands videos/songs, but not my favorite one: The White Stripes, "Fell In Love With A Girl" done with animated kittens.

I want to be in a video. I noticed on auditions.com they list openings for people to do videos and various other acting gigs, mostly for free. Which I am okay with.

Okay okay, Tigers won last night and jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs.

My July road trip is all set, which might actually include a Tigers game against Oakland. I want to write a novel this summer. Have I mentioned that.

So I could sell the book, quite my day job and be a video actor..as a hobby.

2.7

I have a seemingly magic number. Not magic in the sense that I can levitate pencils by the use of this number. It is mostly a number that seems to be part of my life

27

It's been around for a while. It could be a coincidence number for sure. Things like I will turn on tv and they will announce that Cecil Fielder just hit his 27th home run.

It didn't win me anything when I bet it on the lottery. And I can tell you at age 27 I wondered if maybe it had an ominous quality to it, but I made it past 27, way past.

So I am fascinated now. Like I am typing this on Nisus Writer Express version 2.7. I don't know what it is with that number, but it is more than just coincidence in my mind.

Speaking of software MarsEdit seems to be working with Blogger, but I am happy here at word press, but I will likely be posting both pace. And in my mind consider
chatter from the Library Monkey to be at Word Press.

I'm up late watching the ticker on the Detroit Tigers they are tired at 3-3 with Tampa Bay in the 11 and runners on third and first. It would be a come from behind win, since they were trailing 3-1 going into the ninth. Oops, Rodriguez grounded out. Onto the twelfth.

Had an interesting meeting today. Got into the discussion about who could take a certain class, turns out they are going to try and limit that class from kids who are disruptive. It was especially interesting to me since the new teacher who I think wants it that way was on the defensive from the teachers in the room who have students in the school. It's a tough situation being a parent and a teacher in a district.

I was going to complain, indirectly, about this teacher who seems to let students from her study hall do what they like. I officially closed the library today and she sent down seven kids. I e-mailed all the teachers, I put it in the announcements and she didn't get it. To make it worse, all passes are suppose to be issued by the subject teacher, not the study hall teacher, but today she decided to really earn my ire by making up the passes herself.

So I just sat back and watched the squirming. Ironically she had sat right in the center of the room and was getting it from all sides.

o no, they put in T Jones, but after giving up a single, he got three outs, maybe there is a future.

I think I do

I kind of like meetings. In life most people don't, but in a public or private meeting, people have to say something or be indebted to their silence.

But mostly it is a good way to share ideas.

Today we had a K-5 meeting and it is clear that this team wants to work together. Enough that the specials show up to see what is going on. The whole crew is there, from Teaching Assistants to the Librarian. And when everyone is there, you can often accomplish more.

[In my school specials are the non-core subjects like, gym, art, music & library. I think they are often seen as a resource by some of the staff, but not integral to learning and education.]

If there is a question of when to meet next, everyone can say, that is a good day or not.

No one has to say: "I think so and so can cover for you on Thursday" because so and so can speak for his or herself.

To me, often a meeting is similar to listening next to the copier that is in the library. When you here two teachers discuss what they are doing during the day, it is helpful for making the library ready for those projects.

The team meeting with the K-5 at my school is so much more productive for me -- as a specials teacher.

I think there are many reasons for this:

• the k-5 don't get to interact with each other much, so they spend most of the time working on curriculum.
  
• 6-8 and 9-12 teachers meet 2.5 times a week and discuss a lot of varying things that doesn't really touch upon collaboration (more in the Middle School). This isn't to say these teachers don't collaborate, since they have other times to meet, like two planning periods, compared to one for the k-5.
  
• Specials teachers attend the after school k-5 meetings and can not attend the 6-8 and 9-12 meetings that take place while specials are being taught.
  

This isn't a criticism of the staff or the system, it is just factors that contribute to the way things get done. I actually have a schedule that allows me to go to the 6-8 and 9-12 meetings, but find they tend to focus on student issues and schedules. Both of these are important to me, but much of it is moot. It is good to know a student in failing math and for me to make sure they are working when they are in the library, but I have less impact.

I have more impact on helping collaborations, which are not discussed as much.

---

Copier time
The best thing about copier time, is lobby time. I get to present ideas that I can help with and factors that can helpful to me.

Two collaborations took place this year that I thought had opposite results. Team A started by discussing the project, then came down to me and asked for the library to help prepare for the project. The beginning was a two page paper, then a powerpoint. While this was going on the art teacher had the students make a kite that resembled the art of the artist the paper and powerpoint was on.

Team B started the project with a powerpoint. I guess the two-page paper was also presented as part of the project, but the students went to work on the powerpoint and spent three weeks changing color and finding music --- which included listening to music 'for the project' but was clearly just listening to music. A very large share of the students spend less than two days working on the paper. Which also mean they spent about three days finding content.

---

You can guess which project turned out the best. I know which was enjoyed the most by the students, but I will bet that Team A students will value what they learned for a lifetime. At the copier, I presented to a teacher from Team B how the Team A approach would be helpful for me in monitoring the computers and the students.