Sunday, December 23, 2012

Baby's First Christmas and new family traditions

My sister and I absolutely love Christmas.

We listen to Christmas music as soon as it is on the radio. We watch Christmas movies whenever possible…thank you ABC Family. Our Christmas trees are up the week of Thanksgiving…typically not any earlier because our husbands won’t let us. Christmas has always been a special time in our family. My mom and dad always did their best to make sure we had a wonderful Christmas. (It really wasn’t all about the presents!
My parents were great about keeping Christmas special. We had our own traditions/things we would do that made the holidays particularly special.
Here are a few of my ideas:
Tradition #1: A tradition that my mom started when we were born--she would purchase a Christmas ornament for us each year. Many times we would pick out the one that we wanted. Then, we would write the year on them in permanent marker. It is funny to see the phases that I went through, teddy bears, angels, and then my most recent favorite—anything that was MSU (Michigan State University) related. It was nice to have those ornaments because when I went off to college and then got married, I had a nice box of ornaments for my own tree.
I did purchase a Christmas ornament for Kedzie this year. Even though she is only nine weeks old, I wanted to keep that tradition for her, too. It’s a cute little elephant with an umbrella that reads, “Baby’s First Christmas.”
Tradition #2: The city of Austin also has a fantastic light display (with millions of Christmas lights) called the Trail of Lights. It is at Zilker Park and it is worth tackling the crowds. I, my sister, my parents and Kedzie all attended this year. We started the evening eating dinner at Uncle Billy’s, parked our car in their parking garage, and then headed on to the Trail of Lights. We decided this is a tradition that must continue next year. It was so much fun!
Tradition #3: Another tradition that I just (seriously 10 minutes ago) decided I must start is Christmas pajamas. First thing tomorrow morning I am heading out to buy Kedzie a pair of Christmas pjs. Then, Christmas morning she will be able to open presents in her new jammies. Obviously, she is way too little this year, but it should make for some cute pictures.
I am looking forward to spending this Christmas with my new little family and keeping these traditions for years to come. Having a baby this year has changed everything. Truly, Kedzie is the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for. Whenever she smiles her huge gummy smile, my heart absolutely melts.
I am determined to get a picture of that beautiful smile over this holiday break.
Kedzie in her Christmas Dress. It's a little big. But, I sure love that precious face!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Are our schools safe?

This Sunday my parents invited my husband and me to go to church. They really upped the ante when they watched our 8 week old overnight for us. We had a wedding the night before and we were able to stay out late and not worry too much about her.

Anyway, towards the end of the service the pastor invited teachers to come up to the front of the congregation for a prayer. I and four others (including my hubby) went up to the front. As we bowed our heads to pray—the enormity of the situation in Newtown, Connecticut hit me. I started crying…and I could not stop.
Perhaps, it was because as we walked up to the altar, my husband was carrying our newborn baby girl and she puts a whole new perspective on things. Perhaps, it was because as a teacher, it could have been any of us—at any school?
Yes, my students are my kids. They have been “my kids” every year that I have been a teacher.
My first year of teaching was completely crazy. I worked with 17 high school kids who could have been Adam Lanza. They were all diagnosed as “Emotionally Disturbed” (or ED.) They had bipolar disorders, they had multiple personalities, some would self medicate with marijuana or alcohol before school started—but all of them could snap at the drop of a hat.
I can recall at least two times that my class could have been in danger that year. However, I never felt like any of my ED kids would hurt me. In fact, they were actually quite protective of me.  But, we did have some outside influences that caused trouble from time to time.
My ED kids and I were banished to an antiquated portable at least a half a mile from the office. The windows had bars on them and the walls had lovely wood paneling. Not only was the portable far from the office, the lock on the door could only lock from the outside. Once we were in the portable, we couldn’t lock it. With a lot of complaining and persistence, I finally got the maintenance crew to properly fix the lock. But, by that time it was almost March.
One day, one of my older students told me to look out the window. He pointed to a red car in the parking lot that had a guy sitting in it. He said, “Miss, that guy wants to kill me.” Visions of a driveby went through my mind. I called the front office to notify the principal and the police. After almost a half an hour, the assistant principal finally came out to parking lot to do a quick check and then he headed back into the building. The police never came. Of course, the red car left shortly after he saw we were peeking out the bars on the windows. I am not sure how that situation remedied itself as this particular student ended up dropping out of school just a few weeks later.
Another day, the Academic Dean came out to the portable in a rush. She told me there had been a huge fight in the neighborhood the night before and she had heard from several students that one of my kids had a weapon on him. She searched him but didn’t find anything. He later said he did have something on him, but stashed it in the field before he got to school.

These were two examples that could have turned out to be pretty bad. Luckily, that red car drove away and my other student had a moment of clarity--he realized it would not be a good idea to bring a weapon to school.
I only worked in that job one year. That was the most unsafe I have felt as a teacher, but a lot of it had to do with the lack of support I felt from my administration and our proximity to the main building.
Since then, I have worked at four other schools. Three of those have been middle schools and one was an elementary school. It has been years since I have participated in a “Shelter in Place Drill." And, in my technology classroom—we don’t have anything to barricade the doors with, no closets or cubbies to hide in--but I would protect my kids with every ounce of my being, if I had to.
Each school I have worked at has a nice sign on each of the outside exits stating that “Visitors must check in to the office.” After they check in, then, the visitors go through a background check and recieve a badge to wear around campus.
Funny, I am sure a crazy and deranged person is going to promptly check into the office.
We as teachers have been told that if we see a stranger that is not wearing a badge, we should walk them back to the front office.
I don’t think our students have gotten this memo.  In fact, a few weeks ago I brought my husband some lunch at school—I had lunch in one hand and the carseat and the baby in the other. I did not have my badge on. A kid opened the side door for me to let me in. I had never seen this child before, but I thanked him and went on my merry way. It made me think, how many other kids would just open the door for a stranger—allowing them free reign of the building?
The safest I have ever felt as a teacher was when I worked at a brand new elementary school. Visitors had to go directly through the office and then they would be buzzed in to the building after a background check. It was at this school that the principal required all teachers to keep their doors locked after they were in their rooms. This made for a nuisance whenever anyone had to use the restroom, but looking back on it—it was a simple safety measure.  
So, are our schools safe?
My first year of teaching was on the crazy side and surely not the norm.
On the whole, I know the odds of a shooting occurring at a school are one in a million. However, there are things we can do to make our schools safer.
Design and engineering can play a huge factor. Public schools in the United States average about 42 years of age. (http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/1999048/) There simply is not enough money to redesign all our schools. And if there was, is it really worth it?
All schools need to have a plan in place. The plan should be practiced and all should know what to do in case of an emergency. Kids should be made aware that visitors must have a badge on. If they suspect someone is in their school that does not belong there—they need to notify an adult immediately. Or, if they see a door that is propped open, or something out of place--they need to notify an adult. And, ideally the adult will take this information seriously and look into it.
But, we cannot live our lives in fear. As I was talking to my parents about the whole situation in Connecticut and how horrible it was, my dad said to me, “You just have to live each day to the fullest. We all have a lot to live for.”
As I glance at my daughter, I know that my dad is right. (I am not too proud to admit it.) We all must keep going. My/our kids deserve it.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Right to Work in Michigan--what it can mean for teachers

(**I wrote this before the horrible school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut--it seems so trivial now, but I am posting it anyway. My heart is sad all-around.)

This week the governor of Michigan signed a right-to-work law in that state.
I care about this on various levels.
One, I grew up in Michigan and until 7 years ago, that was the place I called home.
Two, my great-grandfather was one of the original sit-down strikers. I remember hearing stories of my great-grandmother bringing supper to my great-grandfather during the strike; passing it through the windows of the Fisher Body Plant.
Three, my family greatly benefitted from being part of a union. My mom was the MEA (Michigan Education Association) Union President for her district. She negotiated many contracts for her teachers and worked passionately in this role for many years. My father worked on the line at General Motors, and eventually worked his way up to a supervisor and was on salary—thus, no longer represented by the United Auto Workers union. Nonetheless, the union provided a comfortable standard of living for our family. (Additionally, so many of my relatives have worked at GM at one point or another. My great-grandmother and father, my grandfather, my mom, several of my aunts, uncles, cousins...even I worked for a GM supplier before I moved.)
Now, I live in Texas.
Texas is a right-to-work state.
I am also a teacher.
The first year I was a teacher…long story short, I was not part of a union. I had exemplary evaluations but I was working in a job that I was in NO way qualified to be in. I was working with 17 Emotionally Disturbed high schoolers in a self-contained unit. It was me, my aide, and a whole lotta crazy. When it came time for our contracts to be renewed, my principal called me into his office to let me know that I would not be receiving a contract—I would not be offered a position at his school or at any school in the district. I was stunned, but since it was my first year teaching, I didn’t know what my options were.
If I was part of a union—even in Texas, I could have called up my union representative and he could have come with me to that meeting. I could have filed a grievance and I probably would have had a job—but perhaps in another capacity in that district. My principal had no grounds to let me go.
My second year teaching, I joined a union. I was not going to let that happen again.
Anyway, what will right-to-work mean for teachers in Michigan? (These answers come from my firsthand Texas experience.)
 Well, if you choose not to be a part of a union—you won’t be able to seek representation if you need it.
Will you lose your job if you mess up? Maybe. But, you will probably have to mess up several times and you will be put on a growth plan. Typically, people don’t get fired around here…unless they are completely awful.
Will you still get those cost of living raises each year? Last year, I got a $200 raise for the whole year. I will never make $80,000 as a teacher. (That is what my mom made at one point in her career.) Our pay scale taps out at $56,000 for someone with 30 years of experience.
What will happen to your benefits? I pay over $400 a month to cover myself and my daughter. I have a $2400 deductible—I know my mom’s benefits were way better—with her $5 prescription co pays and her $10 office visits. (I would go to the doctor all the time if I only had to pay $15!)
Will you work for free from time to time? My mom was always shocked when I would tell her I had to go to a training in the summer or on a weekend. She would always ask me, “Do you get paid for that?” She could not believe that I would have to work for free; that extra stuff was always negotiated in their contracts. Nope, my contract simply states, “other duties as assigned,” that is the answer for the late night/weekend/summer events.
But, I do what is required of me, and then some. Sure, I complain from time to time—but I really do like my job.
For my Michigan friends, I feel for you. I know it is scary right now, but things probably won’t change drastically for you—at least not right away.
And, as for my great-grandfather and all those who sacrificed time with their families—I say thank you.
Thank you for those little things like weekends, a minimum wage, and pregnancy leave/vacation time.
I appreciate the fact that I have been able to spend these last eight weeks with my newborn daughter. Yes, I saved up all my sick days for seven years and am using EVERY single one of them, but without your sacrifices, I would not have been able to have this time with her.
Yep, that is probably the best benefit of all.

Friday, December 7, 2012

DIY Baby Shower Invitations

One of the projects I have been working on since I have been off during maternity leave is making invitations for my sister’s baby shower.

Yes if you weren’t aware, my sister is pregnant. She is due in the middle of March. She is also having a girl. (I am pretty psyched that our girls will grow up together. They will be about 5 months apart.)
And yes, it s not enough for me to handle a newborn—I have to take on some sort of a project. Truly, I can only watch so many Sex and the City reruns and go on so many random shopping trips. I decided to make her shower invitations. It is a lot more personal than buying them.  
I looked on Pinterest and also googled some ideas. I had her choose between a fish theme (their nursery is Finding Nemo) or just regular baby stuff—like a onesie. She told me to go with the onesie.
I played around with the perfect template. I wanted something that would open like a card with the details inside.
My mom and I headed to Hobby Lobby. I purchased some cardstock, some glue, some stickers that I used for the border, scissors, and envelopes. I think we ended up spending about $40, which makes each invitation a little less than a dollar.
I took a little time over the last four days to get everything together—if the baby was napping, I would start working on my invitations.
I was able to cut at least two templates at a time, so really it didn’t take me that long. I think I made them all in about 4 hours--give or take some baby interruptions/quality cuddling time.

All 41 of them are different. I used various colors, sticker/border variations. I enjoyed it.
With a little extra time, you too, can make baby shower invitations.

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