Mushroom Hunting With The Natural Science Club!

 Today was out first outing as a school club.   With all of the "newness" going on..   AND homecoming....  I have not had any opportunities to actually schedule an outing for the natural Science club at all until this week.   Friday we met and I pitched the idea of going mushroom hunting in the Petrified Springs recreation area.  I was going to probably go anyway, so why not add a few extra people? 

I knew that there was going to be a few folks who would not be able to make it.   The people in Cross Country had an grade school invitational that they had to cater, so I know at least one person would not be able to get away.   That being said... I was impressed that a number of folks showed up for the meeting.   (I think 12! in all!)  

But then the actual day of the outing came. ( Today!)   And only three students were able to attend.  

 I was actually thrilled! First:  that ANY students showed up!   And second,  I tend to work better with smaller groups anyway, so it was probably a little easier to keep track of three as opposed to 6 or 9....   

We found a LOT of Bonnet Mushrooms.   Most of the mushrooms we found were on logs or stumps.   I had hoped that the rain we had at the beginning of the week would trigger a few ground mushrooms.   But is appeared all we were going to find were the saprophytic mushrooms.  

I was ecstatic when we found some fresh Lions Mane.  A small clump, but it was still the first edible mushroom we found.  We also found some aborted entoloma.  Not much,  but it was encouraging after two hours of disappointment.  ( Mostly for me,  not the kids.   They seemed to be having fun finding and ID ing the mushrooms.) 

eventually, on our way back,   we bumped into a couple who actually knew mushrooms.    They told us of a Hen of the Woods they saw  just down the trail, but warned us that it looked too old to be of any use.   I still wanted to find it, se we set out to the general location.   Elias was standing on a huge stump when he looked down to find  two huge specimens!   

They did look a little old.   One of them looked like it could still be edible,  but all of the bugs that settled in pretty much clued us in that we were not going to enjoy it.   But the Kids got to see it and I took the remains and scattered them through out the forest.  Hopefully seeding the possibilities for next year. 

So that was today.   A fun Saturday with the Science Club.   One of them suggested next time to see if we can either catch frogs in one of the ponds or see if we can catch some insects.    That sounds like a good time to me,  so I will have to see if I can set that one up.  

But next week,   I am going to be a little busy running a half marathon.   The Lakefront Marathon I ran last year will be on Sunday.  I am not running the full marathon this year.  Just the half!  I actually managed to fit in a long run this morning ( 12.25 miles)   I was not happy with the time,
but I did manage to finish.   And I was breaking in some new shoes, so I didn't want to mess up my feet this close to the event.   I think I can at least finish, ( maybe not in the best time frame)  And add to my half marathon collection.   I'll keep you posted. 

And that is about all for now.   School seems to be growing on me and I hope I continue to improve my teaching as the year progresses.  With God helping me,  I feel I can at least manage growing and finishing this year with a modest "Win".   I don't want to brag, or become arrogant...  So I will leave things there.  I continue to be grateful for this opportunity everyday.   And I want to give God all of the credit.   For in the end,  if I can be a part of getting these kids to join us in heaven,   I will be humbled and gracious beyond words.   Because every second counts!

Surviving Homecoming Week...

Last week was homecoming at Shoreland.   It was a crazy week!  And...  Once again,   I managed to survive it.  ( With a lot of help from God)  

It is Thursday,  and I figured I had better write about that week before the weekend.   Otherwise it will be over a week old and will no longer seem relevant.  But there was much that happened during and even after the week was finally over.   

I could mention that something about the teaching schedule and stuff, but honestly, it all seems like a blur at the moment.   So I will follow the photos that I have on my phone.   

I guess I will start with the Girls Tennis match I watched last Thursday. Who would have thought that such a thing was kind of fun?   I guess what makes it fun is that a couple of my students are on the team, and that gives me someone specific to root for.  One of the girls is a freshman,  and she unfortunately  lost both matches.   But otherwise I got to chat with a couple of the other teachers and a couple parents while I was there.  

Later,  Kyle Robinson,  who also joined me at the tennis match,   joined me at the Soccer Match later that evening.  Shoreland Won! (2-0)   But I was not there to see it.   I left just after half time because it was past my bed time.  

Shoreland also won the football game.   I was there for the kickoff, but left straight away soon after because Cheryl was in town.  And although she was here for only Friday night through Sunday morning,  I did not get to see her much.  

Because on Saturday,  I drove to see the Cross Country Team about an hour and a half north of Milwaukee!

There was talk of this terrible hill called "Big Bertha" where they had to run up the hill during the course.   But what fascinated me was the tale that parents and spectators  could run the race ( and the hill) after the match was finished.  

Challenge accepted!

I kind of like hills and do well on them during a typical race.   Not that I'm a speed demon or anything.  But I am usually able to gain ground or catch people on the uphill and the down hill.  Mostly because people are either walking or being cautious while navigating the obstacle. 

Well,  The boys got second place as a team during the match.   And I managed to run a 5K  with a HUGE hill in 29 minutes. ( Under 30 was my goal!) I was happy.  

I finally linked up with Cheryl around 2:30 PM on Saturday.  We enjoyed a pretzel and beer at the Beer Garden in Milwaukee.  And later, went beach combing a bit.   On Sunday, we went for a run. 

The run was fine, right up until it began to rain.   and Rain!   In fact, it did not really stop raining until yesterday!  I guess we needed the rain, after such a dry spell.   And I was hoping it would trigger a few mushrooms to grow.   I did not find much,  except for several clusters of "Big Laughing Gyms"   Or Rustgills.  I did not pick them, because there is a possibility that they might make you sick. ( There is also a chance that they might give you a bit of a "trip.")  I was not willing to risk it.  

But I did manage to find a nice stash of Turkey Tail, and just finished grinding them up for tea for the next several months.  

That is all for now.   School is slipping by each day now and I continue to hang on.   I do not have much time for anything else at the moment,  but will continue to pray and seek guidance from God and the teachers and staff around me.  I sometimes think about how all of these things came to be and realize that time seems to be slipping by more quickly now.    And I have to do my best because every second counts...

Another Week Down!

 I think this is week 4!  And I'm still here....   Hooray!  God continues to bless me. 

And I am grateful for his presents.   I will admit that this last week was a bit of a roller coaster.    There were plenty of ups and downs all along the way.  And I know there will continue to be such moments as the year slips by at a snails pace in the moment.   But looking back,  it seems like a dream now.    How can time act so strangely?   

This coming week is the beginning of Homecoming.  I have been told that I should lower my expectations and try to keep the bar low for most of the classes this week.   I believe every day this week has been set up as an "activity day" for homecoming prep.  That means slightly shorter classes and odd "activity moments"  that will mess up your sense of order.  

Not that I had much to begin with.  I AM still learning things as they run by at lightning speed....

But, once again,  there have been moments where I feel like I am at the right place and time.   And the Staff continues to encourage and help me out as I bumble my way through things.    Hopefully,  without any damage to the school, myself or others...

That being said,  I attended a number of activities this week.    I was able to attend a Cross Country invitational that was just down the road.   The Parkside cross country course is well known and highly active each week.   Last week, it was set up or a number of high schools and Shoreland placed 2nd overall,  ( I think)  Shoreland has one runner who went to State last year, so their cross country team is pretty good at the moment. 

It was similar to watching a 5k at one of the races we used to attend.   Lots of folks cheering on the runners with the finish line and timer ticking away.  I was surprised how many parents I already know!   I chatted with several of them and overall had a fun time.  

Friday was a football game and Shoreland won!    The other team gave them a run for their money though,    I could only stay until the beginning of the 4th quarter as I could barely hold my eyes open.    It was a long Friday for me already, and hanging out past 9 P.M. was pushing me to my limits.  I was not alone as many of the faculty said their goodbyes and wished the team well. 

Saturday was actually quite busy as I tried to cram in as much as I can in the short window of free time I have available.   I did my laundry,  attended a "Walk For Life" event with several students and teachers from the school,  changed my oil in the Silver Bear Subie and cleaned up a few things along the way.   I graded a HUGE stack of papers and just finished setting up my initial lesson plans for the week.   

Oh!  And I found time to do some shopping,  go to evening church, and catch John and Francisco at the Clubhouse!   Looking back I wonder how I managed to fit all of that into a single day. I guess God was helping me with Time Management....

It was the first time I have changed the oil in the Bear.  The 2014 Subaru has figured out a way to make changing the oil a bit easier.   They put the oil filter on the top of the engine!  The hardest part was trying to get the drain plug loose as there were a number of plates  on the underside that help protect the bottom of the car from damage.   This means I have limited access to the plug from a certain direction.   Still,   It went by fairly smoothly.   And I discovered that I am now obligated to use full synthetic oil because the newer engines have finer tolerances.   I'm ok with that.   And I guess I may have to change my oil routines to 6000-10,000 miles instead of the familiar 3000 mile intervals.  The oil is slightly more expensive, but I think I may end up using less and saving money over time.   We shall find out. 

Last weekend,  a number of Teachers invited me to the Petrified Springs Beer Garden for some end of week therapy.   It was cold and the beer garden had  fires in the pits to help keep people warm.   I tried to snuggle up to the fire, but found it to be too hot and away from it to be too cold.  ( Like Goldie Locks!)   It was fun chatting with the teachers in an "informal" setting  with a relaxed atmosphere.  I hope we can get to do it again before they close the Beer Garden for the season.  ( I know that they must have activities during Oktoberfest!)    

Other things:    It was Grandparents Day for the Thursday and Friday of last week.   Many students were excused from classes so they could escort their Grandparents around.   Also,   there were a number of State Politicians who wanted to tour and see what Shoreland High School was all about.   I think we even had one of the Senators sit in on the event.  ( It is an election year, after all...) So lots of activities were happening in the background.  

But I was mostly focused on my own little class in my own little part of the world.   The Land Nav test was fairly successful and I recently set up a mineral lab for the kids to ID various minerals.   There will be a few tests and/or quizzes this week and I hope the kids enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the labs over the boring lectures that accompany them.  There are always those students who take advantage of any change in the system,   but I hope that most of them will at least appreciate the efforts and do their best. 

And that is pretty much all for now.  I'm taking a bit of a break from the lesson planning to recover and write this blog post.    Dave has been gone  for most of the week and is scheduled to come back sometime today.   So I am currently alone with nothing to do but blog and do school stuff.  I may take a nap after I finish this.   I am thankful that God gives me these pleasant moments of peace so I can breathe and think about how I will tackle the next day.    Or set up a lesson that will be more engaging for both myself and the kids.   With a little more help,  I might actually become almost decent...

A long post after a long week.   The challenges continue!   But with God's help, I shall persevere!  If there was ever a moment before this where I felt I needed God everyday,  I can't remember it.    Not only do I pray for strength every morning and every evening.    But I find myself praying for guidance sometimes every HOUR!  And I know God is there with me to help me.   And that is reassuring on a level where words can not begin to describe.  I pray that I can do my best.   And that my best will eventually meet the standards God has set for me. Because my time on this planet is limited... and Every second counts.  

Glory, praise and Honor to Him who gives us all things... Including a Savior.

Week Two Of High School.

 I managed to survive another week!   Is this really what I can expect for the next 9 months?  Because, honestly,  there were moments....  Lots and lots of moments....  Where I was questioning my sanity for accepting this job.   I had this feeling once before when I entered into the Army.   A world so foreign that I had no way to process everything as it came at me with lightning speed.   

But I survived that.   

And I will survive this....   With the Help of God.  

And God has been with me.    Oh!   All of the boneheaded mistakes I have made over the last several days have been completely my own, I assure you.   You would think that since I survived Student teaching, I would have at least some idea on how things work at a Lutheran School ( Or ANY school... )   But thirty years has forced me to "relearn" the lessons that I had once earned the hard way.    That is right... Mistakes!   Those are the best teachers.  ( Assuming you do not want to replicate them in the future)  And any life lessons you have not learned from in the past,  are worth relearning once again.   

I have heard that I have been drinking from a fire hose these last few days.   With all of the information that has been poured out for me,   I simply seem to be unable to process it all at the correct flow-rate.  But I am surrounded by people who are going above and beyond to help me navigate these troubled waters.    I am blessed with a vast reservoir of knowledge and guidance. God is watching out for me. 

And so I will say that I did survive.    And I actually ended the week on a pretty good note.   It is the small victories that I will treasure always.   And hopefully, I will be gaining my sea legs soon enough to almost be "not bad" at my job.   Like running my first marathon:  At some point I realized that my goal of 4:30 was not attainable, and survival and finishing were going to be a struggle.   

But I did survive.   

And I did finish.  Once again,  with the help of God and his Angels.   

So this Labor Day weekend was spent surfing the beach with Cheryl.   Finding rocks and beach glass and listening to the crashing waves as the summer sun settles in on the last days of the season.  
There were moments of Zen and peace.    And that is all I could ask for.  

Tomorrow begins anew!   With several of my sets doing their final test for the Land Nav site I set up.    Several groups are going to be fine, but I fear a handful of them might need a bit more help.   Either way,   it will be an experience for us all.  

One day at a time.    And remember to breathe!   (Very important to breathe!)   I will continue to pray for guidance and God's blessing.   I truly believe he will not test me beyond my limits.   And if he does,  he will provide the right support to help me out.  Which he has already done.  Kathy continues to be an invaluable resource for me.   As well as all of the teachers I share the office with.   Encouragement and an understanding ear are priceless when the pain of "failure" strikes.    But Matt Grow says that if you don't go home defeated at least once in a while your first year,   you are probably doing something wrong.  We learn by doing!    And I have much to learn and so little time to do it all.   Because every second counts.  

Praise be to God!  And I have been blessed  by him.