Emotional High

Last night I had the pleasure of witnessing one of the most amazing people I know have fun! This may not seem like such a feat for most except this individual who my wife worked with for eleven years has the worst diagnosis possible he has Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Well last night surrounded by friends, family, and jazz musician Marcia Ball who he adored for so long we witnessed truly the most remarkable thing you could imagine.

He lives right on Old Silver Beach here on Cape Cod, if you aren't familiar with it look it up on google, his house rests right above the beach and has some of the most amazing views. We all got to witness these views last night but we also got to be a part of something that isn't normal. We got to witness two people David,and his wife Andy who feel truly blessed. Andy David's wife does everything for her husband with such dignity, and grace its hard to fathom how. So the next time you say to yourself man I'm having the worst day I want you to think of a man who was a dentist and practiced it for thirty plus years and had to give up everything. If you want more information about ALS, and want to help with an organization that has helped David tremendously find out about Cape Cod ALS.

For those of you that know David, I hope that I put into words the feelings that we all had during the night last night. The emotion ran high both in happiness, and in sadness.

Customer Service where has it gone to?

I consider myself to be a pretty easygoing individual, and my wife certainly can let things slide without a real issue most of the time. However in the last two weeks I've not been able to as easily.

First let me state that I'm unemployed at the moment not for lack of trying, and my wife works M-F with weekends off. Why do you care you ask? Well see as an unemployed individual I find it hard to believe the way that I get treated sometimes. This is especially true at well-known chain/discount stores of late. The other day I went into a well-known discount store with the intention of buying a few frames not many so I didn't grab a carriage or a basket. While searching for frames I was sipping on a coffee and it was getting down to the end of it, and it turns out I ended up with more frames then expected so I politely walked up to a cashier, and asked if she would please dispose of my coffee for me, the glare that I got from them was it was as if I just asked them to go ahead and wipe my ass after taking a dump. Yes you read that correctly... they took my coffee and preceded to go outside to a trash barrel to dispose of said trash.

As if that wasn't bad enough I also several weeks ago watched as some very young employees including one that was in a supervisory role talked about there friends as several walked in to say hello as I waited for food to be given to me.

What's my point? We're in one of the worst economic stages in American history, and still those that are working don't get that they are DAMN LUCKY to be.... yes you guessed it working!!

On a side note I get that people have bad days but I always was and will teach to those that I teach during the school year leave your attitude, etc at the door. Thanks for reading, and as always feel free to subscribe to my posts.

My Role Model/why I Educate?

Many people may want to know why I got into the field of education, and for a while at least in the early years when I thought that I wanted to work in the early childhood education field it was because I got Great feedback from parents. Then as time passed, and I realized that I would prefer elementary school students I realized that the most wonderful loving women in the world is why I want to educate. I saw her students ask her for advice, check out her art shows, and be her "student teacher". I saw how much what she did meant to them.

Now all of those students I'm hoping will band together as one and help her. A N.H. bill now has a provision that makes public employees at will employees if a contract expires before a new one is written. So far said bill has passed in the House, and now it moves to the Senate. It is the last thing that this Amazing Loving women deserves, she has put her heart and soul into her teaching for the last at least thirty years, and she inspires me every day. So please if you were at one time a student of hers, or a parent of a student she needs you to help her be heard. Without her inspiring me every day, or her love I wouldn't be where I am today as her son!!

If you want more information here is a link from todays paper in NH. Also below is how to contact her school district/school board.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/249257/standing-by-the-union.

http://www.shaker.k12.nh.us/schoolboardinfo/boardlist.html

Teaching Can we get some R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

When I first started this blog not that long ago I thought to myself I'll share my life with those that want to learn about who I am. I promised I would never get on a soapbox, and talk about what my feelings were about education. That didn't last long as you'll see. Sorry, I share my opinions through my eloquent writing not to mention I actually have time to keep putting posts together as I currently am on vacation.

Here I go on my soapbox... if you stop here no hard feelings. The other day I was talking to someone, and they were asking me what I was doing for work these days, I told them that I was teaching in a vocational program at the Community College here on the Cape. They then asked me how many hours I did that, I responded eighteen, they then asked how much I made, I responded. Then they told me "You've Got to Find a NEW job, Christ!! I exclaimed I'm surviving it is tough however I love what I do!! He exclaimed yeah thats great I've got grandsons that make more than you do, hell I make more in a day then you do in a week. Well that stuck.... really? I didn't make the law that states that a state employee can't work more then eighteen hours, and okay you make more then I do in a week do you love your work? Maybe you do, I bet $ though that you probably don't, not as much as I do. Plus everyday do you get to come home feeling as though your helping to mold the minds of this generation? I do. So here is the ultimate question why do teachers get the shit end of the stick? My mom is a teacher and has been for twenty-five + years, she makes okay $ but she is sixty years old, and she still feels as though she needs to keep working for another five at least maybe more. REALLY? That just screams to me WOW!! We've got carpenters,contractors,

construction workers, painters, bankers,and corporate C.O's making more then a teacher does, and on top of that many are crooks. Let me again just say REALLY? When will Education/ and its employees get as Aretha said some R.E.S.P.E.C.T. ? One more note my dad is a carpenter, so I know what they do, and the work they put in.

If you like what you see written please follow me, and if you are a parent I highly recommend you check out the blogs I follow www.thedaddyfiles.com, and sevenroom.blogspot.com. The first is from one of my neighbors who is a first time dad, and the second is written by my big brother. Thanks for reading.

Commercials

I was just sitting down watching some t.v. I'm on vacation from college this week. Here is the latest commercial that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. Then again what commercials these days that are talking about a drug make sense. I'll let you watch this one, and decide for yourself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHMsUd7cpOE

Alright so your kids are great, and you love them, and you want to be protected. I get it, I do the only problem is that well the side effects. Just listen to them all, certain types of cancers, a cyst, an infection in your uterian wall, and so many others I guess the only good part is that it doesn't involve sudden explosive diarhea. I mean what is the FDA's criteria these days. Oh they want to get some sleep, do you think they'd mind if they accidentally woke up in their own feces. They are tired of bratty awful kids ruining there lives. You don't think they'd mind if when this got put into the uterus it may fuck it permanently do you? Just one man's thoughts. Also don't even get me started on the toyota commercial for the highlander.

Why I want to teach

The year was ninety-ninety six I was a nineteen year old Senior at a boarding school on Cape Cod called Riverview. I was one of fourteen senior guys which was a problem because unfortunately the senior dorm fit twelve guys not fourteen. This turned out to be a sign though because I and one other guy were put next door with a Junior, a few sophomores, and finally four to five youngsters that were either eleven or twelve. Except here is the thing one of them became a bit more close to me then all the rest his name was Keith, he was different then the others he took me beating him up not in a violent way more like a big brother would. I at times made sure he was doing his schoolwork when the dorm staff was busy. His life was cut way to short when he passed away December of 2010. Keith, I know your looking down on the entire Riverview Family. You will be missed!! Thanks for helping me be inspired Keith.

Does Education Mean Nothing?

First off is that truly a serious question no not really at this point in time in my life though maybe it is. I have two friends that are extremely successful and neither of them finished getting an Associates Degree, one works for a company called Flextronics which basically is a company that Verizon contractually uses to fix your broken cell phone. He makes good $ sure he can save some of that $ because he is younger then me and lives with his mom&dad still though no degree and he makes good $. The other friend is married, and makes even more then the first friend granted he does have a great background in computers. Meanwhile here I am I got my A.S with a concentration in Early Childhood Education in 2008 and what have I got I work P/T at Cape Cod Community College. No I'm not having a session where I want anyone to tell me what to do, it just is draining knowing that I've got more education then both of them yet I cannot get a job doing what I want, or a job that is 30+ hours doing something. I just wonder was it worth my time and effort to go to college or did I waste my time? Again am I being serious No not really.