9 years ago
Friday, September 30, 2011
Autumn is in bloom!
Although the saying is typically "SPRING is in bloom," a whole new crop of colors has sprouted around here! Contrary to popular belief, Arizona is not all brown, dusty, and dry. There is more to the terrain than mere dirt piles, crispy brush, and cacti--at least in Scottsdale, which maintains patches of lush grass and colorful plants. Inspired by the new blooms, I walked around our condo complex yesterday and created a photographic survey of the bountiful rainbows among the foliage, particularly in flowering shrubs and groundcovers. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Just a lil' update...
I haven't written in a while, so I wanted to post a little "hello" to those of you dedicated enough to check out my blog. Thanks for caring, by the way!
My tutoring schedule is growing--next week, I'll be up to five students, and I will also likely be leading an actual two-session weekend class for PSAT prep. For those of you not in education, the PSAT is a "practice" SAT that also acts as a qualifying test to be a National Merit Scholar candidate (a huge honor, resume-builder, and potential scholarship opportunity). Students attending these classes are committed to obtaining high scores...truly "cream of the crop," motivated individuals!
I am particularly excited about my dad's visit this week. He is flying in tomorrow (Wednesday) and staying through the weekend. This is the longest that our family has EVER been apart, so it will be great to reunite and hopefully have some Arizona fun together. :-)
I've been watching the Brewers mania from afar, hoping that if they play the Diamondbacks and if the Brewers don't get homefield advantage (although I'd prefer they do), maybe I could score some tickets and find a friend to watch a playoff game in Arizona. As far as I know, the schedule has not been finalized just yet. In other sports-related talk, it really stinks that I can't see Badger or Packer games on a regular basis here. I was informed about a "Wisconsin bar" called Casey Jones Grill, about a 20-minute drive away, though. When I looked them up on Facebook, I learned that the owner graduated from Brookfield East in 1975! Well, what do ya know?! I look forward to heading out there for a game sometime.
Random observation #9: As fall approaches, new foliage is in bloom! When these cacti first started sprouting red buds, I was expecting them to burst into flowers. But as time went on and the red protrusions developed further, my mom and I discovered they are actually prickly pears! I've never eaten one, but apparently they are sold for consumption and are believed to possess some great health benefits. Hmm, maybe I'll have to pluck some prickers and give it a try!
My tutoring schedule is growing--next week, I'll be up to five students, and I will also likely be leading an actual two-session weekend class for PSAT prep. For those of you not in education, the PSAT is a "practice" SAT that also acts as a qualifying test to be a National Merit Scholar candidate (a huge honor, resume-builder, and potential scholarship opportunity). Students attending these classes are committed to obtaining high scores...truly "cream of the crop," motivated individuals!
I am particularly excited about my dad's visit this week. He is flying in tomorrow (Wednesday) and staying through the weekend. This is the longest that our family has EVER been apart, so it will be great to reunite and hopefully have some Arizona fun together. :-)
I've been watching the Brewers mania from afar, hoping that if they play the Diamondbacks and if the Brewers don't get homefield advantage (although I'd prefer they do), maybe I could score some tickets and find a friend to watch a playoff game in Arizona. As far as I know, the schedule has not been finalized just yet. In other sports-related talk, it really stinks that I can't see Badger or Packer games on a regular basis here. I was informed about a "Wisconsin bar" called Casey Jones Grill, about a 20-minute drive away, though. When I looked them up on Facebook, I learned that the owner graduated from Brookfield East in 1975! Well, what do ya know?! I look forward to heading out there for a game sometime.
Random observation #9: As fall approaches, new foliage is in bloom! When these cacti first started sprouting red buds, I was expecting them to burst into flowers. But as time went on and the red protrusions developed further, my mom and I discovered they are actually prickly pears! I've never eaten one, but apparently they are sold for consumption and are believed to possess some great health benefits. Hmm, maybe I'll have to pluck some prickers and give it a try!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Gettin' it right...and Wright!
I officially started work beyond mere training at the tutoring center this past week. On Saturday, I went to Sahuaro High School to help administer a practice PSAT test to 40 high school students. Being there re-energized me and reminded me how much I love working with teenagers. I go back and forth about whether I'd rather work in the college sector or in the high schools, but I'll just see what God has in store for me when the time comes. Anyway, after leaving the high school, we went back to the office to score the tests and print out detailed, personalized reports for each student--they tell students what questions they got wrong, what the correct answer should have been, and what types of errors they commonly make (i.e. subject-verb agreements or quadratic equations). Of course, this free test that Chyten offered is partially a public service and partially a marketing tool to reel in some more clients. Tonight, we'll return to Sahuaro to meet with the students and parents for a follow-up meeting. I also started one-on-one work with a girl who is preparing for the English, Reading, and Writing sections of the ACT. She was a little shy at first, but I was able to bring her out of her shell as the session went on. I look forward to working with her on a regular basis.
Random observation #8: Frank Lloyd Wright, famed architect of The House on the Rock and the Taliesin, is well-known in Wisconsin. You may not know, however, that he also had a home called "Taliesin West" in Scottsdale! Whenever people visit, I always take them to the Taliesin property, not for a formal tour but to take pics next to the tallest cactus I have found around here. Also, it just so happens that our condo is on the corner of Thompson Peak Parkway (which I will discuss in a future blog entry) and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.
Random observation #8: Frank Lloyd Wright, famed architect of The House on the Rock and the Taliesin, is well-known in Wisconsin. You may not know, however, that he also had a home called "Taliesin West" in Scottsdale! Whenever people visit, I always take them to the Taliesin property, not for a formal tour but to take pics next to the tallest cactus I have found around here. Also, it just so happens that our condo is on the corner of Thompson Peak Parkway (which I will discuss in a future blog entry) and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.
I get to see this view almost every day!
My friend Steph stands next to the giant cactus, October 2010. Dianne has also taken a photo here, although it wasn't available on this computer (sorry, friend!).
Friday, September 09, 2011
Wanna date my son?
So, in upgrading to high-definition TV (Aaron Rodgers looks sooo much better that way!), I had to go to the cable company's digital store to pick up a special tuning box yesterday. Much to my chagrin, there were NINE people ahead of me in line! (Why, at 1:30 PM on a Thursday are there so many people at the cable store?!) Anyway, after sitting there for a while, a nice gentleman in his early-sixties takes a seat next to me and strikes up a conversation—we cover topics including states we've lived in (he was born in Rhinelander, WI), my career path, the depressing news about the economy blaring on the TV in the waiting area, etc. About ten minutes into the conversation, with a little twinkle in his eye, he asks whether I'm married and how old I am. (Isn't it rude to ask a woman's age? Ha, ha...)
Just as I get to thinking that he is hitting on me, he says, “My son is almost 33. You should meet him! He’s 6’2, athletic, really great guy! Oh, he’d like that you’re an English teacher…” I giggle nervously as he suggests giving me his son’s phone number. Knowing that I would never pick up a phone to call a complete stranger like that, I respond with a smile, “Well, I don’t know about that… Does he have Facebook?” Dad did not know. “How about an e-mail address?” I inquire, not even sure that I’d be crazy enough to use it. Straining his brain cells to remember his e-mail address, he tells me that he rarely e-mails his son since he sees him every day at work. When I ask what kind of work they do, he mysteriously responds with merely “we have a family business,” without any elaboration. I figure it’s either something not-so-flirt-worthy, like a funeral parlor or tattoo and piercing shop, or it’s a major million/billion-dollar industry that he didn’t want to reveal quite yet. :-)
In an attempt to get this e-mail address, he pulls out his phone and actually dials his son! Simultaneously, the woman calls my name, indicating it’s my turn to be served. As I’m up at the counter, waiting for her to come back with my piece of equipment, the man comes over to me with his son’s contact info written on a cable company flyer and reads back the e-mail address to make sure I see his handwriting correctly. Then he says, “There you go, Angela. (He learned my name simply from the woman calling me to the service counter.) You should definitely e-mail him, but don’t let him know I was involved!” When I exclaim that I wouldn’t know how to explain where I got his information any other way, he chuckles and says, “Well, I guess you’ll have to figure something out!”
The woman returns and hands me a bag of goodies with instructions for the installation. I part ways with her, saying, “Thank you. This will be my project for the day!” to which the man proclaims—for all the store to hear—“Oh, she has a couple projects today!” Oh my. He stands up, as I am about to exit, shakes my hand and says, “It was nice to meet you, Angela!” I ask his name, we share another laugh over the craziness of this whole exchange, and then I leave the store with the flyer in hand.
I drove off, not sure that I will actually contact this young man, but I had a perpetual smile on my face for the next five minutes, just thinking about how bizarrely humorous this typically-mundane errand had been.
Random observation #7: Houses around here don’t usually have individual mailboxes conveniently-located in their front yards or across the street, like most neighborhoods in Wisconsin. Instead, I often see large drive-up mailbox stations with locked boxes—like you would see for an apartment or condo complex—all at the end of a cul-de-sac.
Just as I get to thinking that he is hitting on me, he says, “My son is almost 33. You should meet him! He’s 6’2, athletic, really great guy! Oh, he’d like that you’re an English teacher…” I giggle nervously as he suggests giving me his son’s phone number. Knowing that I would never pick up a phone to call a complete stranger like that, I respond with a smile, “Well, I don’t know about that… Does he have Facebook?” Dad did not know. “How about an e-mail address?” I inquire, not even sure that I’d be crazy enough to use it. Straining his brain cells to remember his e-mail address, he tells me that he rarely e-mails his son since he sees him every day at work. When I ask what kind of work they do, he mysteriously responds with merely “we have a family business,” without any elaboration. I figure it’s either something not-so-flirt-worthy, like a funeral parlor or tattoo and piercing shop, or it’s a major million/billion-dollar industry that he didn’t want to reveal quite yet. :-)
In an attempt to get this e-mail address, he pulls out his phone and actually dials his son! Simultaneously, the woman calls my name, indicating it’s my turn to be served. As I’m up at the counter, waiting for her to come back with my piece of equipment, the man comes over to me with his son’s contact info written on a cable company flyer and reads back the e-mail address to make sure I see his handwriting correctly. Then he says, “There you go, Angela. (He learned my name simply from the woman calling me to the service counter.) You should definitely e-mail him, but don’t let him know I was involved!” When I exclaim that I wouldn’t know how to explain where I got his information any other way, he chuckles and says, “Well, I guess you’ll have to figure something out!”
The woman returns and hands me a bag of goodies with instructions for the installation. I part ways with her, saying, “Thank you. This will be my project for the day!” to which the man proclaims—for all the store to hear—“Oh, she has a couple projects today!” Oh my. He stands up, as I am about to exit, shakes my hand and says, “It was nice to meet you, Angela!” I ask his name, we share another laugh over the craziness of this whole exchange, and then I leave the store with the flyer in hand.
I drove off, not sure that I will actually contact this young man, but I had a perpetual smile on my face for the next five minutes, just thinking about how bizarrely humorous this typically-mundane errand had been.
Random observation #7: Houses around here don’t usually have individual mailboxes conveniently-located in their front yards or across the street, like most neighborhoods in Wisconsin. Instead, I often see large drive-up mailbox stations with locked boxes—like you would see for an apartment or condo complex—all at the end of a cul-de-sac.
Monday, September 05, 2011
Back in the saddle again...
For those of you who didn’t already catch my employment update via Facebook, I secured a part-time position! The whole process moved pretty quickly. On Wednesday night, I applied to “Chyten Tutors and Test Preparation of Scottsdale” (their long, official name) via an online application, thanks to a listing I found in higheredjobs.com and reinforced by an encouraging e-mail about that same position from dear friend and former teacher, Joyce Sponcia. :-) Literally the next morning, one of the owners called me, saying they were “very eager” for me to meet them in person for an interview. After sharing my career experience, including extensive teaching in college-prep writing and review sessions for the ACT, they excitedly offered me a position on the spot. I have already begun the training process and hope to begin direct work with students in the coming week!
Last week was really difficult for me from the standpoint of knowing that my teacher friends—especially those at Brookfield East—were moving forward and starting anew without me. There was always such camaraderie at the beginning of each new school year, as we all excitedly and nervously prepared for the mass of students to enter our classrooms once again. I was sad when I left BEHS for the last time this summer, turning in my key and giving tearful goodbye hugs to the office staff…but reality really hit me at the end of August. I’ve heard from retirees that the delayed sadness is common because having the mutual summers off somehow lessens the blow a bit; it’s not as obvious as to who is and is not still employed.
Although it may sound strange, I had felt that part of my identity was missing by not having a teaching position anymore—as if I were no longer a “teacher.” Unless you are a teacher yourself, it may be hard to understand that such a career is more than just a job; it’s a lifestyle. So much of one’s heart, soul, intellect, compassion, beliefs, motivations, and affirmations go into the everyday interactions with students. Without a classroom, I felt lost, empty. Two nights in a row, I even had the infamous “back-to-school dreams” that teachers know so well, only to wake up with a mixture of relief (because the dreams usually involved me not being ready for the first day or unable to find my classroom in the maze of the building) and utterly heavy sadness, knowing that a back-to-school dream is meaningless without a school to which to return.
This tutoring position came at exactly the time I emotionally needed it, reassuring me that I am still a teacher and I do still hold value to the education of teenagers. I can’t wait to get started! Being that such a job is limited to late afternoons, nights, and weekends, the likelihood of getting more than about 20 hours per week is low. Plus, I still need insurance and other benefits. I will continue to look for a full-time, permanent position but will likely maintain at least some tutoring connections even with another job in the future. One way or another, I know I belong in the field of education in some capacity...it's just an another area to see where life takes me.
Random observation #6: Where else in the country would you open a container of sour cream to find a beautiful photo of the Grand Canyon on the foil seal?!
Last week was really difficult for me from the standpoint of knowing that my teacher friends—especially those at Brookfield East—were moving forward and starting anew without me. There was always such camaraderie at the beginning of each new school year, as we all excitedly and nervously prepared for the mass of students to enter our classrooms once again. I was sad when I left BEHS for the last time this summer, turning in my key and giving tearful goodbye hugs to the office staff…but reality really hit me at the end of August. I’ve heard from retirees that the delayed sadness is common because having the mutual summers off somehow lessens the blow a bit; it’s not as obvious as to who is and is not still employed.
Although it may sound strange, I had felt that part of my identity was missing by not having a teaching position anymore—as if I were no longer a “teacher.” Unless you are a teacher yourself, it may be hard to understand that such a career is more than just a job; it’s a lifestyle. So much of one’s heart, soul, intellect, compassion, beliefs, motivations, and affirmations go into the everyday interactions with students. Without a classroom, I felt lost, empty. Two nights in a row, I even had the infamous “back-to-school dreams” that teachers know so well, only to wake up with a mixture of relief (because the dreams usually involved me not being ready for the first day or unable to find my classroom in the maze of the building) and utterly heavy sadness, knowing that a back-to-school dream is meaningless without a school to which to return.
This tutoring position came at exactly the time I emotionally needed it, reassuring me that I am still a teacher and I do still hold value to the education of teenagers. I can’t wait to get started! Being that such a job is limited to late afternoons, nights, and weekends, the likelihood of getting more than about 20 hours per week is low. Plus, I still need insurance and other benefits. I will continue to look for a full-time, permanent position but will likely maintain at least some tutoring connections even with another job in the future. One way or another, I know I belong in the field of education in some capacity...it's just an another area to see where life takes me.
Random observation #6: Where else in the country would you open a container of sour cream to find a beautiful photo of the Grand Canyon on the foil seal?!
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