Well folks Kyle came and he left. By the time he got to where I live it was down graded to a Tropical Storm. We did have some high winds, with storm surge, but nothing as bad as was feared. Some parts of the province were harder hit and had some property damage and downed trees as well as power outages, but overall we fared very well.
The good new is that people were ready this time, unlike 5 years ago when Hurricane Juan hit. It's nice to know that people actually learned from the last hurricane and even though we didn't need it we were all prepared. History is the greatest teacher.
It's Crazy Isn't It?
Jayjay
Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Tropical Storm Kyle
5 years ago tomorrow Nova Scotia was hit with a rather damaging hurricane named Juan. It took us a long time to recover and some of the recovery is still in progress. Tomorrow we are awaiting a visit from Tropical Storm Kyle with predictions of winds just below hurricane strength and up to 100 mm of rain. Now I usually enjoy a good storm, my home is located on ocean frontage property and it can be brutal and beautiful at the same time, but I'm not opening welcoming arms for Kyle.
We have spent the day battening down the hatches and making sure we have batteries and other necessary supplies, since after Juan we went for a week without electricity, but I'm hoping the preparation is all for naught and Kyle loses his strength or better yet leaves us alone totally. Anyway according to the meteorologists we should be prepared, it's pretty much a sure thing and will hit around mid afternoon tomorrow and go through most of the night. So I'll say a prayer that it's not that bad, that no-one gets hurt, and the damage will be minimal and hopefully it will be answered. If not, then we will once again pick up the pieces (literally) just as we did 5 years ago and life shall move forward. As I said I enjoy a good storm, but I think maybe this one not so much.
It's Crazy Isn't It?
JayJay
We have spent the day battening down the hatches and making sure we have batteries and other necessary supplies, since after Juan we went for a week without electricity, but I'm hoping the preparation is all for naught and Kyle loses his strength or better yet leaves us alone totally. Anyway according to the meteorologists we should be prepared, it's pretty much a sure thing and will hit around mid afternoon tomorrow and go through most of the night. So I'll say a prayer that it's not that bad, that no-one gets hurt, and the damage will be minimal and hopefully it will be answered. If not, then we will once again pick up the pieces (literally) just as we did 5 years ago and life shall move forward. As I said I enjoy a good storm, but I think maybe this one not so much.
It's Crazy Isn't It?
JayJay
Thursday, September 25, 2008
There's Got To Be An Easier Way
Sometimes I just think "there's got to be an easier way to make a living". We had a fun day at our school just the other day. It's a day to promote school spirit and for the students and teachers to related to each other on another level and get to know each other better at the beginning of the school year. The day is filled with fun activities including a BBQ for lunch, which is not an easy task with 500 students. I was one of the coordinators for this event again this year. The planning, as you can imagine, takes a considerable amount of time, for which we are not paid. The day of is spent running around making sure everything is in place and all the activities flow smoothly, which can be a challenge in a junior high school.
To get to the point on this day I had to tolerate a verbal assault from a disgruntled student. He wasn't happy about just about everything that took place that day and didn't mind screaming, I mean sharing his opinion with every teacher that happened by. Apparently, by the time I crossed his path he had had a belly full of being annoyed and other such nonsense and figured he would just let loose. Now, out of about 500 students, this was the only one voicing complaints (in an incredibly rude and disrespectful manner I might add), but yet it is the one that just sticks with you for some reason.
It is very difficult in a situation like this, where so many staff members had put in extra time and effort to host a great event such as we had, not to let loose on the offending student as he had on everyone else. So I brought him into the office, only to be barraged en route by continued insults which had graduated into profanities and veiled threats that weren't very veiled and I thought to myself there must be an easier way to make a living and began to consider some options. I was still contemplating my options when I ran into a student whom I have had the pleasure to teach for the last 2 years. I like to call her Miss Dimples. She struggles academically and her parents (who are very loving) are not wealthy enough to hand over all the amenities that some of our teenagers have come to expect these days, but she is honest, and vibrant and an incredibly hard worker. She looked at me with with a smile on her lips and in her eyes and said, "Miss, this is my favourite day all year. I always look forward to it and you know next year when I'm in High School I'm really going to miss it, but most of all I'm going to miss all the teachers in this building, they're the best."
As you can imagine this brought me out of my funk and made me realise, there is an easier way to make a living, but I can't think of one that can be more rewarding. Thanks Miss Dimples for putting things into perspective for me and for not letting one bad apple spoil the barrel.
It's Crazy Isn't It?
Jayjay
To get to the point on this day I had to tolerate a verbal assault from a disgruntled student. He wasn't happy about just about everything that took place that day and didn't mind screaming, I mean sharing his opinion with every teacher that happened by. Apparently, by the time I crossed his path he had had a belly full of being annoyed and other such nonsense and figured he would just let loose. Now, out of about 500 students, this was the only one voicing complaints (in an incredibly rude and disrespectful manner I might add), but yet it is the one that just sticks with you for some reason.
It is very difficult in a situation like this, where so many staff members had put in extra time and effort to host a great event such as we had, not to let loose on the offending student as he had on everyone else. So I brought him into the office, only to be barraged en route by continued insults which had graduated into profanities and veiled threats that weren't very veiled and I thought to myself there must be an easier way to make a living and began to consider some options. I was still contemplating my options when I ran into a student whom I have had the pleasure to teach for the last 2 years. I like to call her Miss Dimples. She struggles academically and her parents (who are very loving) are not wealthy enough to hand over all the amenities that some of our teenagers have come to expect these days, but she is honest, and vibrant and an incredibly hard worker. She looked at me with with a smile on her lips and in her eyes and said, "Miss, this is my favourite day all year. I always look forward to it and you know next year when I'm in High School I'm really going to miss it, but most of all I'm going to miss all the teachers in this building, they're the best."
As you can imagine this brought me out of my funk and made me realise, there is an easier way to make a living, but I can't think of one that can be more rewarding. Thanks Miss Dimples for putting things into perspective for me and for not letting one bad apple spoil the barrel.
It's Crazy Isn't It?
Jayjay
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Anniversary Weekend
This weekend my husband and I celebrated 22 years of marriage. It's kind of exciting in this day and age to be able to say that with so many couples not making it. We are at that point in our marriage where our children are young adults and we once again have the freedom (or most of the freedom) we had when we were first married. The difference is we are now very comfortable in our own skins (that comes with time and life experience, especially for the ladies) and with each other. We can sit and have a conversation, watch a TV show together, work outside in the yard side by side, or just sit in a room without saying anything and we are very content.
Today we took a 2 hour hike in a majestic coastal area very close to our home called High Head. Some of the time we talked and for a good deal of it we just took in the sight of the beautiful Atlantic, smelled the heath berries and drank in the wonders of nature. It was a great day we both totally enjoyed. It was such a simple activity but it meant more than spending hundreds of dollars on a dinner or a night away. I hope in another 22 years we can still do those things, but if not we will replace them with something else just as meaningful to us.
It's Crazy Isn't It?
Jayjay
Today we took a 2 hour hike in a majestic coastal area very close to our home called High Head. Some of the time we talked and for a good deal of it we just took in the sight of the beautiful Atlantic, smelled the heath berries and drank in the wonders of nature. It was a great day we both totally enjoyed. It was such a simple activity but it meant more than spending hundreds of dollars on a dinner or a night away. I hope in another 22 years we can still do those things, but if not we will replace them with something else just as meaningful to us.
It's Crazy Isn't It?
Jayjay
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Back to Reality
So summer has almost ended according to the calender, but has ended for those of us who teach as a career. It's funny when summer comes to an end I always feel a little melancholy and also a little excited wondering what my academic year will be like.
On one hand I start to realize that it may a long time before I can feel the warmth (the real warmth) of the sun on my face. I enjoy autumn, but I know after that comes the dreaded winter and the messy spring before that lazy, hazy feeling can return. It is probably a good thing for me, as I seem to get bored easily and I think the seasonal changes help me to be more appreciative of that wonderful season we call summer.
On the other hand I look forward to getting a whole new crop of students. It's always kind of exciting to start fresh each year and see where it takes you. Don't get me wrong, by the end of the school year I may be just as happy to bid them farewell, but for now it's a new group and a new beginning.
I'm hoping for great things this year (as I always do) and I know that on some levels I will be disappointed and on others I will be amazed. That's one of the joys of teaching, each day is different from the one before and the one after.
Anyway, I bid farewell to summer and welcome to a new school year. We shall travel through the seasons together both teaching and learning and in ten short months we will welcome another summer into our midst.
It's Crazy Isn't It?
Jayjay
On one hand I start to realize that it may a long time before I can feel the warmth (the real warmth) of the sun on my face. I enjoy autumn, but I know after that comes the dreaded winter and the messy spring before that lazy, hazy feeling can return. It is probably a good thing for me, as I seem to get bored easily and I think the seasonal changes help me to be more appreciative of that wonderful season we call summer.
On the other hand I look forward to getting a whole new crop of students. It's always kind of exciting to start fresh each year and see where it takes you. Don't get me wrong, by the end of the school year I may be just as happy to bid them farewell, but for now it's a new group and a new beginning.
I'm hoping for great things this year (as I always do) and I know that on some levels I will be disappointed and on others I will be amazed. That's one of the joys of teaching, each day is different from the one before and the one after.
Anyway, I bid farewell to summer and welcome to a new school year. We shall travel through the seasons together both teaching and learning and in ten short months we will welcome another summer into our midst.
It's Crazy Isn't It?
Jayjay
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