Oh! The Time....

 Where does the time go? It seems like I am lacking in the category of time these days.   And what is time? Other than your most precious commodity.   Donating it to the cause of educating the next generation sometimes seems like an endless void.  

Then again,  what else would I do with this time I have left?  Might as well see how much of it I can use to help the future...  And others.

Today was the last day of the Earthquake Lab for my Earth and Space class.  

 And I'm happy it is finally over.

It took an extra day for the kids to finish their structures.   And there was plenty of complaining!   

"Mr. Allen!  The Tape won't hold."  "Mr. Allen,  We need hot glue!"  "Mr. Allen....  This is stupid!" 

I told them I knew it was stupid,  and that is why I selected this lab for this class.   Something...."Even they should be able to handle...."   

But alas,  there were several groups who did not finish.    And they will soon be complaining that it was unfair that they did not pass when everyone else who actually tried...did!  

Focusing on the failures is easy enough,  however,  there were plenty of groups who succeeded.   Many of them were the motley crew of misfits that usually lack the motivation to do anything that has to do with learning.    I was even impressed that some of them designed unique structures that actually passed the earthquake tests!  ( I knew they are smarter than they pretend to be...)

Still,  I think I learned the most from this lab.   Basically,  what NOT to do next time I assign it.   I was talking with another teacher who told me a few things from the time she taught it and we came up with several new ideas to implement if we ever do this again.  Perhaps new material next time as well. 

In the end,  I was mostly pleased with the results.   No one who submitted a tower, failed.  Even the most flimsy and crooked structures managed to hold the weights and survive the earthquake.  Some of them even maxed out the weights to see who could hold the most.   ( Only one tower managed to pull that off.)  There might be a price to pay when it comes to "materials and cost,"  but the structures held firm.   And that was worth noting.  And satisfying!

I wanted to post this event tonight, because I don't know if I will have time over the next coming days.  I have a Robotics Event to judge  on Saturday and a couple of Basketball games to attend tomorrow.  And then there is the grading that is piling up.   The freshmen have a bunch of assignments that are all due on Friday.  With Saturday being mostly spoken for,  I will find myself burning the midnight oil on Sunday...  The only day to do laundry, plan for next weeks lessons, and hopefully catch up on some sleep.   I would LOVE to squeeze in a long run sometime this weekend as well,  but time is now in such high demand,  I don't know if I will be able to pull it off.   We shall see. 

And that is the real heart of the issue, isn't it.   Young people have so much time that they seem to spend it like water.   But as we adults get older,  we suddenly realize we are crossing "a desert" and need to use our time wisely. 

 Ever second seems precious.  

There were times when I would spend 30-40 hours on a single origami model, and then give it away.  Time was such a surplus!   Now,  if I want to tackle a model that is even slightly more complicated than average,  I have to plan an entire day for it.   And it ends up being less than I would have hoped.  

But isn't that what makes life so adventurous?  Not knowing what tomorrow brings and living each day as if it were your last.  I would say that teaching has become the adventure I have been looking for after  many years of "safety."  I still get anxiety before each class, but now I find myself willing to embrace the challenge a little bit more each day.  Is that normal?  

Perhaps.    

If I manage to somehow stay in this gig for more than one year...  or 10!   I will hopefully have more data to go on and update my thoughts then....   As for now,  I will continue to ask for God's guidance and blessing.    And thank him each and every day that he chose me to come here and do this.  That includes the bad days as well as the good days.   For even the bad days are precious learning moments that I can use to help myself and maybe everyone else in the future.  And every second counts!

A Short(-ened) Week...

This week was only three days!   A LONG three days.   It seemed like everyone had the same perception of the week.  "It seemed a lot longer than it was!"    It just goes to prove that perception can play a larger role in our lives than we give it credit for.  But there were snacks!   And I love foraging for food at the School.   It does not help my diet, eating all of those sugary  treats, ( I LOVE lemon bars!) but that means I simply have to run farther everyday to work it off....But I digress.... So let's try to figure things out a bit...

We had Monday off because of MLK day.   I'll take it!   Mostly because I needed the time to catch up on the weekend that was jammed packed with activities.   So an extra day was spent ...working. Working on my upcoming lessons and the Earthquake lab that I had been thinking about for over a month now.  The problem was I was not going to have enough time to thoroughly plan it out.   

And then it came:    COLD WEATHER to the rescue!    

The temps dropped to below zero and the powers that be made a decision to cancel school an additional day.   Personally,  I think it was an act of God.  Although I had not specifically prayed for it.  I think God saw that I needed that extra day for planning and prep work.   He must really want the lab to be successful.  ( That is how I want to think about it, at least.)  I also heard several other teachers saying that they put that extra day to good use, working on things that had fallen behind during the weekend.   I think God managed to answer multiple prayers in one single cold front!   

Wednesday was the sports day that all got pushed back from Tuesday.  I watched the Girls Basketball to a fairly small crowd.   The girls did well right up to the half,  and then things went the other direction.  I have yet to see the JV girls win a single game.   Maybe my cheering is not helping them out as much as I think.  Well, at least they look like they are having fun.  (As well as Coach Robinson.)  

Thursday night was a Pickle ball Tournament, thrown by the SLHS student council.  I was asked by one of the teachers if I would be interested, and I decided I may as well enjoy a new experience.  For those of you who ( like me) have no idea what pickle ball is...  Imagine badminton, tennis, and ping-pong had a mutant baby that looks more like  the milkman and less like any of the parents!  The ball does not bounce,  There is no table,  the racket is shorter than tennis or badminton, but longer than a ping-pong  paddle. There is a "kitchen" with no food, and the pickle drinks taste AWFUL!  

I thought it was going to be all old people there.   Because...  I have ever only seen old people play pickle ball.  ( Even the NAME suggests that it is for old people...)  

 I was wrong! 

Katie and I were the only people there over the age of 18!    Everyone in the tournament were students!   After losing the first two games, we managed to win against two freshmen girls and a grade school team.  Who says you can't learn something by picking on little kids.   (Never mind that a freshman team buried us in the first round.....) 

Two of my students were on the winning side of our humiliating defeat. And Dominic managed to go all the way to the final round.   He eventually lost... (Because he is a LOSER!) But not before giving the winning team a run for their money.   In fact, the student council was urging them to lose so they could clean up and go home.  ( It was getting late!)  

In the end, it was fun!   And even though I did lose to Dominic and  injure my knee while digging deep for a short shot,  I eventually healed myself and I can almost run again.  ( I ran three miles this afternoon.)  Still,   it is a little stiff and sore when I stretch it.   I guess old age is a factor hat I have to compensate for when playing a new sport.  

Speaking of running:  The incredibly cold days have been a factor in my random race training.  Today was the first day over 30 degrees and the wind was insane!   I don't think the weather app took into account the windchill factor when presenting the temps to me.   I managed to soldier on,  and it was more tolerable when the wind was to my back.  But that all led me to keep the run short rather than try for 6 miles as I normally do on weekends.  

Huan,  the exchange student,  has been trying to get a new phone ever since he landed in the U.S.  He says that his 8 year old phone is too old and he needs an upgrade.   ( It is probably better than my current phone)  So on Friday,  I took him to the T mobile kiosk to see if they could help him.  They told me that he was eligible for a new phone upgrade and simply had to pay the sales tax.   He could keep everything the same, but get a newer phone.  Unfortunately,  they did not have any inventory at that location, so I would have to go on the other side of town to get an actual phone.  

Having no clue of this type of tech tree,  I deferred the decision to the "pros" and offered my services where I could.    We tried Walmart, since they were right next door.   And they were very helpful.   They informed us that we needed his passport and some other form of ID.  Which checked out in my mind.   We went home, gathered the materials and came back... only to get the news that Huan is too young to purchase a phone!   

What?   Hold up!   Just about every kid in High school has a phone.  I don't understand....

Well, for what ever reason...  Kids can not have a phone without parent supervision.  Which is hilarious, since I see every kid in my class clinging to their phone like it was their Binkie!  Who made up this rule?   Sounds like a law some government agency dreamt up to make themselves seem important. Whatever the reason...  looks like Huan is not going to get a new phone any time soon.  Way to keep the kids safe, government.....

And there it is.   There was a Robotics meet today, but it was far away and I had to get some grading done this weekend.  Plus,  Dave has been gone for the last couple days, and leaving Huan alone just seemed a little cold in Cold-er Wisconsin.  I managed to get a lot of things done,  Cleaned up a bit and even managed to fold a little Origami.  We shall see what I can do tomorrow.  

As for everything else,  Second semester is going better.   I find myself actually looking forward to going to class now... even though it is still with a bit of anxiety.   I would like to think of it as a "good" anxiety... like when you are about to go skydiving.   Kind of scary... Kind of exciting.   You could DIE!...... In the end... you will be thrilled that you managed to power through the fear and experience the experience. (Provided you survive the experience...) 

That is all for now.   A normal five day weeks is in front of us,   but with the Help of God,  I know I will be successful.   And if I'm not successful, at least a little Wiser.   Because God will make every second counts! 

Busy Weekend With Shoreland Robotics!

 I pretty much spent the entire weekend helping out the Shoreland Robotics team.   I would say it was fun!    This was the second and third time I have experienced a robotics event,  and I guess I'm still kind of into it.   Who would have ever thought that I would be enchanted by something I know very little about. 

Friday after school,  I noticed the STEM folks carrying stuff down the hallway and past my office.   I offered to help them move... because I used to be a mover.  and moving things is kind of my thing.  ( don't ask me to explain. I barely understand it myself)   They did not refuse,  so I injected myself into the set up of the Gym for the upcoming robotics event.  

I also wanted to get Huan a little experience visiting people outside the house.    He is new to the high school,  and,  like me,   he probably has to be pushed out of his comfort zone to meet people.   I volunteered his services and together, we helped the robotics club set things up.  AND got free pizza!   What a pleasant surprise!

On Saturday,  the temperature dropped  to the single digits! After running three miles in it,  I headed off to the school to plan for my upcoming earthquake lab for Earth and Space.   The plan was to work on that lesson and then drop by the gym to see how the teams were doing.   

9 hours later!    I was still there!    Helping the robotics club set up for the grade school meet on Sunday.  I didn't mind,  because I was asked to judge the Grade schoolers today.  I figured I would get some exposure to the differing heats as I helped set things up.  

While I was there,  I cheered on the Shoreland teams and took a few pictures.   One of the Shoreland Teams  ( the flying Dutchmen) won the tournament!   

Today,   I had to shore up early to dress in the Judging attire.   I grouped up with a bunch of other Shoreland students to judge and interview the grade school teams that came to compete.  It was a fun time. 

It also went by FAST!   Time flies when you are trying to interview a bunch of kids.  Before I knew it, we were judging the notebooks and setting up the second interviews.   After that..  It was time for the final break down.  I didn't get home until nearly 7 PM!  

Good thing I don't have school tomorrow!   I need the day to recover and do my laundry!   I also have to plan my weeks lessons and that earth quake lab.   Good times!   

I have to say,   it was a long day and rather exhausting,  but a new experience!   And As much as I do not envy the coaches, who stayed even later to put things away...   I would like to thank them for allowing me to join them and be a part of their world for ,just a brief moment.  It was fun talking to the parents and the kids about heir experiences and cheering them on.  Who would have ever thought there was this other world out there.....

I'm finding that my second semester shows promise.  I don't want to make bold claims just yet, but I find myself looking forward to the days now.   I hope that trend continues.   

I should also mention that last Tuesday, I had Chapel and I think I managed to pull it off.   That task had been bothering me for a while now, and I am happy it is over and I did not mess things up.   I was also happy to hear that I am not alone in my anxiety over Chapel.   Many of the nerdy science guys are not hip to speaking in front of that many people.    I guess I am in good company.

This coming week will present new challenges... even though it will only be four days long.  Dave will be traveling on Wednesday, I believe.   That will leave me and Huan to fend for ourselves in the food department.  Huan likes noodles, so he should be ok.  

I also have to figure out the weeks lesson plans for Physical Science as Mr Hutchenson will be touring colleges in Madison and South Dakota.   Since he and I are trying to stay on the same track as far as Physical science pacing goes.    I will have to chat with him about the weeks lesson plans and how far he wanted to go. 
Currently,  we are following his lesson plans and with him gone,  that will leave me to go it alone.    Another challenge to be embraced and overcome!

As for now.  I will continue to pray for strength and guidance from God.  And hope that the lessons and challenges he presents me are not as difficult as the ones he tossed my way during the first semester.   Already I have had a hiccup  with an Earth and Space Lab.  I was fortunate that I could pivot quickly and recover.  Small lessons like that I feel I can handle....  for now.  

May God continue to bless me and all of my students.   I would ask that he continues to guide me to help his children navigate this world and bring them closer to him.  For time is short...  and every second counts...

By he way, Several of these pics were from Mr. Tesch.  Who was nice enough to say I could use them.  (His are the clear ones!)