I haven't blogged much lately. Too many things cropped up at the same time. After vacation, I had a children's lit. class I had to prepare for. After two class sessions, I can say I'm enjoying it but that it's a lot of work -- a lot of dragging books from one school to the next, of preparing book talks and figuring out some activities we can do with our "students" (fellow teachers). Lucky for me I'm not doing it by myself. I'm teaching the course along with a few of the other library media specialists. After getting up before daybreak and teaching all day, nearly everybody looks a little glassy-eyed but they all say they're enjoying it. Yay!
I do have some good news to post. My youngest son, who graduated from SUNY Oswego in December, just landed a teaching job!! He went for an interview last week, did a demo lesson, and spoke with the superintendent. He'll begin the job in September. This is the son we worried about, the one who never liked school. Being ADD, he had trouble sitting in his seat, getting organized, staying on top of his work. We tried him on ritalin, then another drug to help him focus but he hated all of them. They kept him awake at night, they made him gain weight. He didn't feel like himself. So, finally we took him off the drugs and sometimes he did well in school and other times he struggled. With much arm twisting, he finally agreed to give college a try. He struggled a little in his first year, but after he discovered a field that interested him, he stuck to it and graduated. Along the way, he even found he liked history and writing from time to time.
I signed up for Chautauqua this summer and now wonder if I have any business going. I'm sure everybody will be so far above and beyond me that I'm a little fearful of the whole thing. One part of me longs to go yet another part wants to hide someplace. I have no desire to be in the spotlight. I wonder if they'll have us read our work out loud (cringe). Anybody know?
I know I'm rambling. But it's nearly spring and I'm restless.
4 comments:
Big congratulations to your son! yay, another teacher! And way to go, helping him through that tough battle. My own sweetpea is only 7 and we see shades of issues she'll be dealing with for a long time.
As for Chautauqua--YES, GO! Don't be afraid of it just because you feel you aren't as far along as everyone else. Trust me, you will not be alone. Chautauqua was the most amazing experience, certainly the reason I am currently waiting for that final "ok" from a publisher (any day now...any day...).
You will love it there. It truly feeds the writer/artist's soul. And the friends you'll meet...
You go, girl! Enjoy it!
Congratulations to your son! That's a great accomplishment.
Just go and have fun at Chautauqua! Soak in every experience and love every minute. Yes, even the minutes that scare you.
YOU CAN DO IT!
Thanks for the pep talks, ladies. I'll probably be fine once I get there. I'm basically a wallflower -- not a big schmoozer.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, Mary Ann. Let us know what happens. I have a good feeling about it, even though I've never read anything you've written.
If there's one thing I've learned about most ADD children, it's that they tend to be brighter than the average and their minds work at a faster rate.
You're absolutely right. As I teacher, I saw that all the time. My little one has been diagnosed with DAMP (disorder of attention, motor, and processing/planning skills). She is above average intelligence, in some ways even gifted, which magnifies the frustration she feels dealing with the other issues, especially how the relate to functioning in school.
Thanks for your well wishes and "good feelings." You'll probably be able to hear me squeal when that phone finally comes! (notice...I'm staying positive with the "when" rather than the "if"!)
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