Totally Appreciated

The phrase is "killing them with kindness", but the PTO at my school is killing us with coronary heart disease and diabetes. Brownies, cookies, cakes, candies, sodas and cinnamon rolls swimming in frosting for breakfast, with more on tap for the next few days. It's a deliciously yummy list of treats they've plied us with this teacher appreciation week, and I have very little willpower when it comes to sugar.

I'm hoping they roll out something savory tomorrow so I won't be tempted. At this rate, I'll be wearing my stretchy waist exercise pants to school by Friday if I don't push away from the dessert laden table in the teacher's lounge. I'm loving the goodies, but can feel the fat cells multiplying with every bite I take. Somebody please put me in sugar time out or send me to detention in the gym where I'm forced to do a bit of cardio.

Back to Britain!

Who woulda thunk?! We're moving back to England this summer. Talk about a surprise. This is how it all went down. 

The day we returned to school and work after our great spring break trip to Italy, the husband found out there was a good chance he'd have the opportunity to move back to the London office as president of Europe. Lo and behold, that's exactly what happened. We've been sitting on this HUGE news for about six weeks.

As always, leaving family, friends and all things familiar will be bittersweet. It's England, so of course we're thrilled at the thought of living abroad and seeing lots more of the world while we're on that side of the pond. But I had landed my dream job for next year, teaching 6th gr history at the middle school. And the 8th grader made JV cheerleader. So yeah, it's hard to leave when you're really happy with where you're at and what you're doing. But the closing of this chapter means another door has been opened wide for us and we plan to take advantage of this second-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Needless to say, the travel bucket list will be getting some additions. It will be a fast and furious summer once school ends for me and the almost high schooler that first week of June. Mimi will be moving out of the MIL guesthouse to a new freestanding home we're purchasing for her, just six doors down from my sister and her family. Gotta keep that in-state residency in place for the coed at a major Texas college, as well as for the one we still have to launch to university in four years. 

Then the whole house has to be sorted - put on the ship to England, put into storage here in Texas or put into the dumpster. I do some of my best purging when the husband and daughters with their hoarding tendencies are otherwise occupied. This sorting also includes my classroom things. We're putting our house up for sale, getting rid of our vehicles, and figuring out how to get our British born Cairn terrier Ollie back to his homeland. 

Lord have mercy - makes me tired just thinking about everything that has to get done by the third week in July when me, the daughter and dog will board the big BA bird to hop the pond once again. It's exciting to contemplate, beginning with a house hunting trip to our old stomping grounds in Surrey later this month. This blog, which had been put on the back burner with my return to teaching a couple years ago, will once again be filled with expat antics. And I think that's kinda cool.

High Stakes Testing Stinks!

The state of education is a sad, sad affair these days for my special ed students. They have a variety of differences - learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD, behavioral issues, dyslexia, autism, processing and memory problems, etc - and yet the state and federal government lets us take virtually none of that into account when we assess them with state testing. Here's your cookie cutter, one size test that is supposed to fit pretty much all of the kids who fall under the special ed umbrella. How are we NOT leaving kids behind when we blithely give them tests that don't adequately measure their annual progress.

If they all read on grade level, they wouldn't be classified as special ed. If they could comprehend concepts after they're presented a couple times, then of course they'd be expected to take the state tests. If they weren't worried about a parent going to jail, where the next meal will come from and if they'll get kicked out of the trailer park for an inability to pay the rent when it's due, then of course they'd be more apt to absorb the lessons presented to them. Of course they would get their homework done if they had parents who could comprehend 5th and 6th gr materials. They'd all show up to school well fed and rested, rather than dozing off in class and asking me repeatedly when it's time for lunch.

I try to do what's best for my students, but I can't do enough to get them to pass the state test. So they fail, and this chips away at the little bit of self esteem they possess. By the time they're in 5th and 6th grades, the ages I serve, they know they're different. They've known for several years that school is hard and they don't "get it". Why must we beat them down further with this test that shows us nothing but their shortcomings.

I teach because I enjoy the challenge and joy of working with children. I give the test only because it's the law and I have no other choice. And I loathe seeing the defeated looks on their precious faces because we're demanding something of them that they're incapable of giving us. Our education system is failing them in myriad ways and there's not a thing being done to rectify this injustice. I don't think they should get special dispensations. But at least level the playing field, for Pete's sake.

A Change is in the Air

There's a big family announcement coming soon, something we've been keeping under wraps for close to a month now. It's exciting and I can't wait to share it with everyone. Lots of changes in store, but we're ready to take advantage of this opportunity we've been given as a family. Stay tuned...

Hip, Hip Hooray!

Lord have mercy, the 8th grader made high school JV cheerleader tonight. It has been a try-out week filled with anxiety and lots of practice once she arrived home from two hours of work at the high school. Chants, a dance routine, tumbling… it's all part of the cheerocracy. Needless to say, she's over the moon, and one of only two freshman to make the squad. I didn't get a pic of her next to the board with her number on it, mainly because she was bouncing around squealing in delight. So proud of her and her hard work, willing to put herself out there and risk failing for something she really wants. Job well done!

Spring Break in Italy

We returned from our spring break visit to Italy at 3 am - four hours late thanks to some navigation snafu with the 747 which required them to find another ride for us across the pond. We're exhausted, but were unexpectedly upgraded to business class in the cushy reclining seats and actually got some real sleep on the plane.

The villa in Italy was amazing, a place we found on VRBO near Guardea on the border of Tuscany and Umbria. It took the owners seven years to remodel and add on to the property and it was obviously time well spent.

The wonderful world of NHD

In two weeks, the 8th grader and her partner (and best friend) take their national history day (NHD) exhibit to compete in regionals. It has been revised and edited and rearranged. We've chauffeured them to the public and college libraries for research. They've ordered books from Amazon. The exhibit board has required numerous trips to the local DIY and craft stores. The girls have purchased a variety of vintage items from eBay that have arrived from all over the US. And we've bought enough adhesive to wrap Christmas presents for the entire state of Texas for the next decade.

As much as I enjoy history, I wasn't particularly jazzed about this project. But I've really enjoyed watching it take shape and evolve over the course of the past few months. Walt Disney was a wonderful topic for the theme of leadership and legacy. Only the top two winners in their category of group exhibit will move forward to the state contest, so the girls are at the mercy of a rather subjective judging process with a fun topic rather than a more serious one. Disney wasn't awarded a Nobel prize. He didn't cure a horrific disease. And he didn't bring about world peace. But he spent his career doing his level best to entertain folks and make them smile. 

Who can resist Mickey Mouse? Or turn up their nose at Space Mountain? And Dole whips - best theme park treat EVER.

The front of the board is the "meat" of the project where the girls addressed the theme in Mickey's colors. The back of the board pays homage to Disney's groundbreaking classic Snow White, featuring movie pics as well as Disney quotes. 

I better not be seeing any pics of our board on Pinterest… though it was a useful resource when the girls first started brainstorming ideas for this project. Best of luck to our own little historian at competition!