Shameless product placement

Dear Readers who follow this blog know that I LOVE good customer service. One of my favorite places for that is Nordstrom. I had a $20 bonus from them that needed to be used by the end of the month so my girlfriends and I headed to Pleasanton’s Stonebridge Mall yesterday to have lunch and shop and best of all, just spend time together.  We got caught in some terrible traffic as we came into Pleasanton, via Hwy 580, but we didn’t let it deter us from our mission.

After a satisfying lunch at Nordstrom’s Cafe, we wandered around the mall for awhile and ended the trip back at Nordstrom.  I wanted some new perfume and a replinishing jar of my favorite face cream by Dior.  The Dior counter was chaos due to a huge makeover event, but the perfume counter was much calmer, although still busy (you would not think we were in any economic crisis from the the looks of this store’s activity).  

The lady at the perfume counter was very helpful as the one perfume I was seeking was no longer in stock but available at other stores.  She went online, found the product, and had it shipped to me in about 3 minutes.  Quick, quick, no delay, no complaining.  

Then I tried out another new perfume, Chloe, that I had seen in a catalog.  Years ago, Chloe was my signature fragrance but they quit making it.  Enough years have passed (if you wait, it all comes back) and they have a new formula.  While waiting to see if the undernotes were as pleasant as the old perfume, the clerk went to the Dior counter and got my face cream, again, very happy to help.  I decided on the new Chloe, but in a small size.  The clerk was so apologetic that I had to wait that she threw in a small sample bottle that usually is given when you purchase the larger size.  Here’s what I got:

 

Chloe purchase and gift

The little box contains the gift which made me very happy.  

It was a lovely day spent with good friends along with some good shopping.  Although the traffic in the East Bay can make me crazy, the lovely service I get at Nordstrom certainly makes up for it.

Students should be using technology

My students use technology every day.  I allow it all–cell phones, iPods, digital cameras, laptops–because that is what they will have to use when they leave high school and go to work.  They must learn to use them correctly to strategically improve their work and to not interfere with their work.   They cannot be using these gadgets while I am presenting material, but they can use them while they are doing independent work.  They all pull their ear pieces out when I start talking or signal to them that I am going to speak.  They pull their ear pieces out when their neighbor wants to collaborate.  They go online immediately to find solutions to work-related issues.  I have one student who was way ahead of me when I assigned a video.  She had already started pulling together photos before I even finished speaking.

Schools do not always think this is the way to teach, but I believe we have to embrace the technology that the kids have and know how to use.  Here’s an article that says more about it.

Makes me want to cry (or scream)

Next week my senior marketing students are presenting their business plans to the judges from Fresno State.  The kids have been working on these business plans since November and the presentation dates have been planned for months.  We are one of 5 schools where the judges have to be next week.  These presentations are competitive with the students vying for cash rewards for the top three places.  

I just found out, via email, that our vice principal has scheduled an evacuation drill for the same time my students are to be presenting.

Selfish? Overly protective?

I am very fortunate to have a lot of technology at school.  Most of it has been acquired through grants I have written.  It takes a lot of work to write these grants and go to all the meetings that are often required for the funding.  But, I do it because I want my students to have the best, and the school district is not going to just buy the classroom teacher what they want.  Those dear Readers who work in education know of what I speak.

This year I wrote a grant to receive 14 mini laptops that my seniors have been using almost daily for their work.  These little machines, though tiny, handle a myriad of tasks, one being able to hook up to a projector that I also purchased with grant money a few years ago.  The projector also works with my MAC laptop, another piece of equipment purchased with a large grant.  

I like to help other teachers on campus with their technology.  I am certainly no expert, but I am willing to assist where I can, and in most cases, the questions are easy enough for me to handle.  I get bogged down with some hardware issues, especially on the PC platform, but I can usually find a solution. (I am a MAC aficionado.)  I am willing to share my knowledge.

So, now I have this quandary:  do I let a teacher from across campus use my projector and mini computer for a guest presentation?  The guest presenter asked the teacher to get the equipment from me as they had used the equipment IN my classroom. I would probably have to haul the equipment over and set it up, and it would be used during the same period I use the equipment therefore requiring me to make the trip the day before.  I do not know how safe my equipment would be as the teacher shares the classroom.  I would undoubtedly have to go retrieve said equipment.

I am torn because I do like to help people, but I have worked hard to get this equipment and I value it.   Dear Reader, any suggestions?

You are leaving a trail

I have a blogger buddy who is so smart.  I love to read Mathew Needleman’s blog because I always learn something new.  Today he taught me about Snooper 2.0.  This little gadget tells you about the trail you leave while surfing the web.

A food post

In my other life I cooked and entertained.  I have a book with six years worth of dinner party plans in it.  Almost each month of those six years I had guests to our home and I cooked for them.  Many meals were quite lavish, a few were simple.  The little black book has the details of who came, what we ate, and how I decorated.  

I have a closet where I kept the table decorations and I have a drawer full of recipes.  I have started to give away the place mats and tablecloths and last year I threw out any recipe that took more than 20 minutes to prepare.  I still have a shelf of cookbooks that I’ve not decided how to dispatch.  Some of the books are very specific to a certain food, like crepes.  I used to do whole dinner parties, from soup to nuts, using crepes.  I have books just for Chinese, or vegetarian, or meat.  Oh, I was quite the diverse chef.

All of this changed when I went into teaching.  I had no time to make elaborate plans or to shop, cook, and decorate for these events.  My current coworkers have no idea I can cook because now all I have are prepared foods.  If it takes more than 15 minutes, I don’t cook it.  Whole Foods is my friend because they have a wonderful prepared foods section.  I remember spending all day working on a dessert; now I buy one at the bakery.  

I still make pies and I love to fix a roast and have it all week long.  Today I made Reuben sandwiches for our lunch and will do a rib roast for dinner.  I have a pot of beans cooking on the stove that we will have a few meals from this next week.  I only do major cooking on the weekends and we reheat throughout the week.  From the moment I hit the kitchen to the time we sit down to eat must be 15 minutes or less.  

 I do have a group of college girls who come a couple of times a month for dinner and then Bible study and I make simple meals for them.  No theme, no fancy decorations.   I don’t even get out a tablecloth.  Monday I will fix turkey medallions for them with cornbread dressing and gravy, butternut squash, pear salad and probably vanilla ice cream for dessert.  I love to eat, but I’m not fond of the work any more.

Summer school? Maybe

Due to serious budget problems in the state, summer school is still up in the air.  No one has a definitive answer as to what it will look like this year.  

The district has always run a large summer school program, both at the elementary and secondary levels, with our big, inner city school, packed to the brim with students making up failed classes.  A few students take original credit classes so as to make room for more electives during the school year, but they must have a high grade point average and few options are offered.  I encourage students who are eligible to take their social science class during the summer.

If summer school is offered at another high school, it will be difficult for our students to get there as no transportation is offered for summer school.  Students either walk, have a parent drop them off, or take the city bus.  A few have their own cars, but that is rare, and they usually don’t want to use their own gas to go across town for anything.  I struggle with my yearbook students getting to events because they have no way to get there unless they pay for it, and most of them refuse to do that.  

We are still two months away from summer school season, but teachers must be hired and students registered.  I don’t know how long the district can delay the decision.

Exit stage right

The whole state of California was in test mode yesterday and today with the major stakes Exit Exam, also known as CaHSEE (California High School Exit Exam).  The majority of the test takers were the sophomores, class of 2011; however, any junior or senior who has not passed must take it again.  And again, and again, and again…because this test must be passed to receive a high school diploma from a public high school in California.

I may have been the only teacher on our campus who was happy these past two days.  I did not test this year (usually I have sophomores and so proctor the test for my students), but rather spent the 4 1/2 hour period each day with my marketing 3 seniors.  We freeze the school in period 3 and those not taking the test spend the time in that classroom.  I used the days for a guest speaker and business plan presentation preparation.  

Most teachers see it as a waste of time and many kids get bored and want to go to other classrooms.  I have a few kids who spend some time in my room who aren’t my period 3 student, but they have to have a project on which to work.  They cannot hang out, or so I thought until today when I let a girl come in during the second two hours and she ended up being a goof-off.  I finally sent her back to wherever she came from.  The time is too valuable to waste, or so I believe.  I’m not in the majority on the campus.

Goodbye, old friend

In 1992 I got a dialup Internet connection in one of my classrooms.  At the same time we got dial up service at home and I opened an email account with Compuserve.  For about two years I had a 10-digit Internet address and when Compuserve allowed its members to claim names for addressses, I immediately claimed zody.  Today  I cancelled that email account.  It was hard to do but I have very little mail coming in on that account and it has been costing me $24.95 a month all these years.  I can use the money elsewhere.

I cut my teeth on the Internet and email with Compuserve.  The world opened up  and I made so many friends through that account.  I am still in contact with a few of those Compuserve friends, but they find me through my other email accounts.  Accounts that are free.

It was hard to say goodbye, and I have put it off for years now.  The time has come, though, as I just do not want to continue spending the money to receive just a few emails and lots of spam.  There are no filters on that old software that dated back to 1996, the last update.  An era has ended.

Beware of prednisone

After the doctor got my swimmer’s ear cleared up, and I still could not hear, it was determined that I had fluid behind my eardrum and needed more help in the way of a drug.  The doctor prescribed prednisone, and because I don’t do well with drugs, I was very hesitant.  He assured me that the drug would not affect my life as it was for such a short duration.

Because of all that has been going on in my life for the past two months, I attributed my sense of anger and resentment last week to the stresses of life.  It was only when someone pointed out how badly I was behaving that I sat back and realized something was very, very wrong with me.  I sought out some wise counsel and in doing so, mentioned the ear problem and the medicine.  That person filled me in on some of prednisone’s side effects and things began to gain clarity.  It was as if I was outside of my body and it wasn’t really ME doing these things, but someone I was watching.  

I realized that this is how people who have lived good, decent lives suddenly get into trouble.  The brain chemistry changes and they take risks, losing their normal filter.  My ear was much better, but the rest of me was haywire.  Fortunately, for me and those around me, I was on the descending side of the prescription as the dose decreased each day.

My ear is now doing well and I have regained much of my equilibrium so that I don’t feel psychotic.  I am going to have a chat with my doctor about this drug and its side effects, and I’m certainly going to remember this in the future if another doctor wants to prescribe prednisone.