Keep Austin Weird!

One of the perks about working for my current principal is that he is very interested in obtaining professional development for his staff, and doesn't balk at travel. I just got back from a trip to Austin, Texas to attend a regional International Baccalaureate workshop. My school will be a candidate school for the IB program this year, which requires the entire staff to attend at least one "category one" training. There are local workshops, but none this summer, and traveling with co-workers allows for greater processing of the material presented and for closer knit relationships to form. I have to say, it feels amazing to work for a principal who treats us like other professionals who regularly travel to attend conferences, classes, and workshops aimed at making them better at what they do.  

I attended this workshop with two of my three new co-workers, and we all knew someone in the Austin area. As a result, we didn't have to worry about transportation to and from the airport or what to do in the evenings or on the first day of the workshop, which didn't begin until 4:00pm.

Diana and I in the hotel lobby

When Kate, my new partner teacher, and I arrived, my mom's cousin, Diana, picked us up from the airport, and we went to dinner with her. In talking about the amount of unscheduled time we had the following day, Kate and I decided we needed to go shopping for authentic cowboy boots. Diana was excited at the idea and volunteered to pick us up and take us shopping and do a little local sightseeing. That's how we ended up at Cavender's Boot City before they opened on Sunday morning. I ended up buying three pairs of boots, but luckily two weren't in stock in my size, and are being shipped to my house free of charge. Kate bought two pairs of boots, and in the mix we each ended up with a matching pair of red ankle boots. I can't wait until mine arrive!


Some of the many shelves in Cavender's

Kate & I next to Roundrock's namesake

The hotel was beautiful, and we felt very lucky to be staying there even though we had to ride school buses on a half hour commute to the workshop's location at Roundrock High School, a campus so big it feels like a small college. No kidding, there is an actual food court in their cafeteria, but it was dark and behind locked gates while we were there so the photos I took aren't worth posting.

Outdoor deck off the hotel bar



Kate and I were in the same workshop, Making the PYP Happen in the Classroom. PYP stands for Primary Years Programme, and is the 3 to 12 year old curriculum framework in the IB system. Our newly hired PYP coordinator, Meaghan, whose job will be to ensure our pre-K through fifth grade curricula follow the IB requirements, and our teachers have support in implementing the program as well as regular professional development opportunities, attended as well, but she was in a different workshop for coordinators. Kate and I had our heads stuffed full of IB acronyms and lists of lists that we will be required to weave into our teaching. This was my second category one workshop, so I was spared feeling utterly overwhelmed on the first day of class this time around. At the end of the workshop Meaghan told us that her workshop had advised against sending teachers to the particular workshop Kate and I were in until after they had taught a year in an IB classroom. Oops. But I think Kate and I weathered through and have lots of amazing ideas for how to go about beginning to implement this framework into our classrooms.  We are already making plans for the next classes we want to take at future workshops, and have told Meaghan that while we know other people on staff need to attend training, if she ever needs to fill up slots for workshops to please invite us to attend!

Although there's a lot to think about when planning to bring an international mindset and a focus on action and inquiry into my classroom, I think I'm ready to begin printing, cutting, laminating, and cutting for the new wall displays of IB attributes, attitudes, and key concepts, skills, and themes (see what I mean by lists of lists?) that will need to be posted in my room and taught to my students before our school can become an authorized IB school. I am very grateful that I'm not in this alone - my principal and PYP coordinator will be with us on this journey to ensure Kate and I can keep our heads above water and our feet dancing in our new cowboy boots.

If I can manage the time, I'd love to go back to Austin and spend more time there. I have heard about, but still haven't seen 6th Street, the bats, or even the naked bicycle guy. 

What Do Teachers Do All Summer?

Although it does tend to rub me the wrong way when random people comment on the "short" hours required of teachers and how nice it must be to have summers off, I admit that if I did not inject structure into my summers I might end up spending entire days watching TV. But since I do tend to work every weekend and sit and grade papers after school and after dinner during the school year, I like to think I deserve a little down time during the summer. Here is a list of some of the things I have done so far this summer, with my "free time."

• Space Camp! While I've only done the teacher field trip thing for two summers, some kind of professional development has always been part of my summers since I started teaching. I even have another conference I'll be attending in late July. But that's work - this list wasn't supposed to be about work.

• Certification Renewal. Okay, one more about work. I spent time tracking down my professional development hours over the past five years and submitting an online renewal form and fee so it's still legal for me to do my job. I'm happy to report that my renewal came through yesterday. I am certified to continue teaching through June 2022!

• House Cleaning. It's not glamorous, but it's necessary, and something I flat out don't have time for during the school year. It's like spring cleaning, but in the summer. I have tackled organizing the guest room and kids' rooms (including their dressers) so far this summer. Next up for reorganization and clean out are kitchen cabinets and the pantry. I suppose I need to add the refrigerator to that list.

• Watching movies. I have actually sat on the couch with my family and watched movies several evenings recently! That might not sound like exciting news, but during the school year, I tend to sit at the kitchen table and listen to the TV while I'm grading, prepping, planning, or otherwise occupied with tasks related to my job. I even went to see Finding Dory twice, once with my boys and the following week with my goddaughter.

•  Scheduling Activity. Usually my personal activity level drops off substantially during the summer. I wear a pedometer, and have set my personal daily step goal at 14,000. On school days that's no problem, easy breezy. But when I'm not at school my step count has been known to plummet to under 5,000 steps per day. This summer I've been proactive and enlisted the support of a walking buddy. We've been meeting at 6:00am to walk for an hour, and on the days we've met I've had between 7,500-8,500 steps before 8:00am. As an added bonus, it's beautiful in the mornings!

Morning View

Morning Step Count



• Sleeping. I admit it - I've slept in and napped at least a couple of times during the summer. But I'm actually trying to stay on a "normal" schedule this summer.

• Appointments, Appointments, Appointments! Trying to schedule appointments during the school year is difficult. Most places have to book you way into the future to get times that are late enough that I can get there on time after teaching. So I tend to wait. I've taken cars in for oil changes, brake checks, and new tires already. Between my two sons, I have three (or is it four? I need to check on that) medical appointments coming up later this month. I've taken the dog to the vet... You get the idea.

• Visits! Not that we don't get visitors or visit people all year round, but there are more, bigger, longer visits during the summer months. All four of my kids' grandparents were just here for the Fourth of July weekend and I'm expecting two of my cousins and their families later this summer. We don't have any big trips scheduled for this summer, but might do some camping in August.

Spying on a Backyard Bunny with Papa

Both Grandmas

• Reading. I used to be an avid reader year round. But now days I tend to binge read on school breaks. I've already read six books this summer, seven if you count the one from the dog training facility. When I really get into it, I have been known to read a book and a half a day. Right now I'm in the middle of reading the list of books my incoming students were given in June for a summer reading assignment.

• Writing. I'm trying to finish my third short story for self-publication on Amazon, but have gotten sidetracked with starting a blog. Hopefully I'll get 1848 (a continuation of 1841 which has been up for five years already) online by the end of the summer so I can begin working on other stories that are floating around in my head.

• Attending Events with Family. This is actually something we try to do throughout the year, but we get to do more during the summer. We've already been to one Sounders game, and bought the 4-Match Pack to attend four more games between now and October. We're going to a concert this weekend, and a Fifth Avenue Theatre production later in the month.
  

  

  Sounders Match

  
  

  
  

  
  
• Meeting up with Friends. Besides the aforementioned walks in the morning, I've been able to see friends for coffee, dinner, and shopping so far this summer. I'm headed to a wine walk this weekend, and am in the process of scheduling a night to watch old movies with a friend. (And if you're reading closely, you'll have noticed that I have two events scheduled for the upcoming weekend - something I work hard to avoid doing to myself during the school year.)

Girl Time!

In the face of this long list of "not work" activities, I want to point out that the idea of teachers sitting on the beach, drinking margaritas all summer long is a myth. I have never met a teacher who didn't work at least a little bit during the summer, and most put in far more hours than many people realize. Later in the summer I'll post about my back to school prep.