School Mentality

It is kind of nice this summer. I have been involved with our negotiation committee and talking to fellow teachers about the upcoming school year. It is going to be rather different this year. We had 5 teachers retire on our side of the road and I am really feeling like one of the "old dogs". Anyway, the reason I say that it is kind of nice is because my brain has not been allowed to go to mush this summer due to meetings and thinking about this coming year. It is keeping me on my game you might say. It should make the transition into the school year quite a bit easier. I am very excited about the upcoming school year! I will be having two excellent student teachers this year so that should definitely add to the excitement! I have also had a few contacts on Twitter recently from fellow teachers asking me about what they should teach first in their class concerning technology. That is so cool!

A Tricky "Wakefield-like" Pitch

Check this pitch out!

A Visit From Mom

My mom got here today to visit for a few days. It has been awhile since she has been here. We just did a couple of things today because of the heat. We got Jimmy John's and took it to the park for a picnic. The kids weren't really in the mood to play. They said it was too hot. I didn't think it was too bad in the shade with the breeze blowing. After we left the park we ran a few errands and I took my mom across the bridge to show her where the flood waters had been. Tomorrow we are going to the farmer's market and then taking a trip to a pond to do a little fishing before the rain hits. I do have a meeting tomorrow night but my wife and kids are going to entertain Grandma. I don't know what they are going to do but I am positive it will be more exciting than a meeting. We don't have much planned for Wednesday but I think my son is going back home with Grandma to spend a few days in my home town. My daughter can't wait for her turn. It is still 86 outside and it is 10 pm! Unbelievable!

If this doesn't get to you nothing will!

Old Friends

My wife and I got to see some old friends from college last night. He is in the military and they are in the middle of another move. It was nice to see them again and get to know their entire family. Their girls are getting big and are good kids. It is amazing to me how different peoples' lifestyles can be. I personally cannot imagine moving three times in five years. They seem to not be too phased by it. I think it would knock my whole family out of whack. We are pretty set in our routine and the kids really enjoy where they are at. I guess all of us would adapt. You don't really have an option. I admire them for being able to move and make a fresh start so many times. I guess I just think of our family as the typical Midwest family that stays pretty close to home and remain, for the lack of a better term, "simple" people. By the term "simple" I mean enjoying the simple things in life like watching your kids play in the backyard or having a summer cookout with friends. Simple to me means being happy with the everyday things that life provides you such as a smile or comment from your kids. I have a feeling of being safe and relaxed knowing that my family is living in a small Midwest city where things are a little slower than the big city. Don't get me wrong. I do like to travel and visit interesting places but it sure is nice to have a place you can call "home". I am not saying that my friends have it wrong. It is their life and if they enjoy it that is wonderful. They thing that really made me proud last night was when they said that when he retired from the military that they would love to move back to the Quincy area. To me there is no bigger compliment.

My parents always took my brother and I on vacations and we enjoyed them and didn't always know how lucky we were. It was nice to see the way other people lived but I always thought it was nice to say "We're on our way home!". I am proud to be from the Midwest and traveling, or living, in other parts of the country has always made me appreciate where I came from.