Snow Day Apples

OMG(oodness)! What craziness is this?!? Another snow day and that means the scheduled EAST meeting is now 'UNscheduled' and will have to be rescheduled. There just is NO predicting the weather sometimes! I will get back to our guest teachers with a new date as soon as I can put us on the EEA calendar.

I anticipated this turn of events yesterday -- with the first snow day under way -- so laid in fewer supplies. Since I had a full day assignment today (also cancelled) I had to pick up 'meeting snacks' yesterday. I usually overdo the snacks but I didn't want to be stuck with a bunch of yummies and no one to eat them. I can utilize some of the goodies I picked up but may have to talk my son into taking a few of them off my hands so they don't go bad. What really bothers me about this is that we have no mechanism in place that can effectively notify all of our guest teachers of the cancellation. I don't want people traveling to the EEA offices only to find no meeting when they get there.  

Aw . . . well . . .

We'll talk later, right? Bye.

A Bit O' Green Apples

Did you partake of the 'GREEN' on St. Paddy's Day?


I wore a bit o' green myself and cooked up a tasty and lean corned beef brisket with cabbage, potatoes and carrots . . . YUM!


Well, we are looking at White today! White in the form of unseasonable snow. The crashing of breaking limbs woke me at 5:13 this AM but it wasn't until I looked out the window that I realized what the noise was. We were being visited by a blanket of heavy soft snow. After confirming school closures -- Just why did it take so long for that decision to be made? -- I settled in for a day free of Aesop and associated obligations.  


At almost 11 AM the snow is still sitting there but it looks like it has mostly stopped falling from the sky. I am always a bit melancholic when the lovely white stuff melts and I am trying to avoid that inevitable event by writing to my blog. I could be cleaning closets and drawers or . . . No, nuh-uh, maybe later.


I hope EAST has a good turnout for the meeting/CPD opportunity Thursday, March 23rd. Nancy Sheehan, EEA Uniserv Consultant will be giving us a refresher course on our rights as guest teachers under the contract and with our membership in the local, state and national education associations. This promises to be a valuable little class for our guest teachers because few of us are really aware of what our rights are and some of our guest teachers don't give them a thought until they are in hot water, so-to-speak. 


We will also have the pleasure of hearing about overseas teaching opportunities. Hideki Kokubu, Westgate USA, Inc. is scheduled to share, in the first 20 minutes, details of what his company has to offer qualified educators interested in teaching in Japan. This sounds like a great way to see and experience a beautiful country, its culture and people; if you have ever hankered to get away for awhile don't miss this EAST meeting.


Still on the subject of the EAST meeting. I picked up a few drawing prizes. I promised a special prize drawing for guest teachers who bring a newbie (a guest teacher who is new to EAST meetings) to this meeting but, the 'newbie' guest teacher gets to enter a special prize drawing too! And, if you are a 'newbie' yourself you can enter both drawings! Crazy, huh? Not bringing a 'newbie'? We have a few prizes for you to try for too. 

Last Minute Apples

Got a call at 9:10 AM to work at the middle school a couple blocks away so jumped in my car -- they needed me right away or I would have walked -- and made a productive morning of the situation. Early release so I got only the half day but it was something; not a lot but something. It was music but the kiddos were watching videos. Looked like it was videos yesterday and will be Monday by the sub plans I could find on the desk. I don't know why I was getting a call so late and the office staff were surprised that a guest teacher had not been in the system for the assignment already. My lucky Friday!

The last group straightened the room up beautifully. I looked around after they had scooted out to lunch and then the buses and I was impressed! All the stands were lined up in front of all the chairs and the chairs were all on their lines -- a thing of beauty. During the students' lunch a young lady came in to pick up sheet music she needed for the weekend and what a treat it was to have her in the music room. She was so polite, very bright and articulate; gives me hope for our future when I meet young folks like her.

To make my morning even more wonderful the sun was out, the birds were chirping in the trees and the day held such promise! Ah, then the sky clobbered up again and . . . here we are in the grey and overcast state of existence we are so accustomed to this time of year. Oh well, spring break begins in a week, maybe the weather will shape up by then.

Hurry Up Apples

Yikes! I had a job show up on the 'thingy' and couldn't click on it fast enough. Bummed. Remember the saying, "When it rains it pours?" from the salt box? Well, that is what usually happens to me. The days I have a job I get several offers but can only take one at a time. Now, if those could be distributed more evenly . . .  No work today and nothing in the hopper for tomorrow. To complicate matters, I find myself, after a couple days of no work, planning what I will do around the house the next day. I make elaborate plans to go through 'that' closet or go over all the porcelain fixtures with a toothbrush (yeah, right) then I get a job. Good excuse for NOT cleaning house, huh?  I do have a promise of something on Friday. Yipee! 

All this talk of working and not working reminds me, I sure hope, since I am not getting much work, all (100) of those new guest teachers are working.

Looks like the postcard to be sent to our guest teachers inviting them to the upcoming meeting is just about ready to be runoff and mailed. So glad that we have Julie to do such beautiful and fast work. She is amazing! I wish I was rich or something so I could treat her to a dream vacay or some such thing; at least a spa day! Anyway, be sure to look for the postcard in your mailbox -- if we have your address -- and a follow up email.

Pain in the Apples

Don't like Jobulator. Don't like the annoying ring that goes off every time I turn on the computer and the too few times it actually has a job to offer. I also don't like the big thing sitting on my screen so I always 'tuck' it away so then when it rings I have to scramble to look at and accept the job. I usually get there just as the job is taken by someone else. Boo.

Speaking of jobs, I had the unthinkable happen to me yesterday; not being the intended guest teacher. I have heard from a number (dozens?) of guest teachers about how they accepted a job on Aesop only to show up at the school site and be told that they are not needed because another guest teacher was meant to fill the assignment. A guest teacher is paid for a half day when this happens but then they have to find something to do or be sent running around to various places where they may or may not be needed. The standard is to eventually wind up in the library shelving books or reading shelves. I stayed in the classroom for the first 80 minute period of my half day then . . . wait for it . . . went to the library to read shelves. The time in the classroom wasn't bad. Neither myself or the the intended guest teacher were really in charge because there was some retired teacher in there as a volunteer who ran the show so it was a no pressure situation. It was actually kind of fun. My time in the library was tedious and boring and I got through only 9 shelves of books.

Well, enough of me complaining. Hoping tomorrow will be no worse if not better.  

New Apples

EAST will meet at 4:15 PM on Thursday, March 22, 2012 at the EEA offices on Coburg Road. We have a full agenda with Westgate USA, Inc. Exectutive Vice President, Hideki Kokubu there to speak about teaching in Japan and NEA Uniserv Consultant, Nancy Sheehan giving a workshop* on the rights of guest teachers and contract language. There will be an update on the new Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission Law change for all licensed teachers.

Also, there will be a special prize drawing for bringing a ‘new’ (to EAST meetings) guest teacher to the meeting. Even if you have never been to a meeting of EAST and you bring yourself you can enter the special ‘Newbie’ drawing. And, the newbies can enter a separate prize drawing – so, if you do bring yourself you can enter two prize drawings.  There will be snacks to carry you through to dinner and plenty of information.

*Attendees will be given one professional development unit for taking part in the workshop.

I will start the conversation here on the continuing professional development situation with: Yes, all teachers – even those working on a restricted license, for instance a Substitute Teacher License – are required to earn CPD in order to renew.  Teacher license holders will need to earn 25 CPD per year of the life of their license. That means either 75 PDUs for a 3 year license or 125 for a 5 year license and restricted license holders 10 PDUs for every year of their license.  But don’t worry; the requirement will be phased in in some way that will be workable. At Oregon TSPC the meeting of February 20 there was extensive discussion of what should constitute CPD and the argument for days worked is not getting a favorable reception with the Commission. Commission Chair, Robert W. Sconce, Jr., at that meeting, did not see value in guest teachers’ time in a variety of classrooms using a wide variety of curricula, classroom technology and lesson plans. It is EASTs position that the time guest teachers spend in the classroom is valuable and enriching, leading to a great deal of learning so I asked the Commission to consider a 10 for 1 deal where a guest teacher can earn one PDU for each ten days worked up to a limit of 5 PDUs total per year of the life of their license. I hope that reason prevails and we are giving some credit for the hard work we do as guest teachers. I will have more details and handouts at the EAST meeting of Thursday, March 22.