Sunday, October 7, 2012

How to get a job

So it's come down to this. Gotta get get---gotta get get --get a job! (thanks to the BEP) I just retired and was, may I say, so happy! Free to do and go and be and think. Then I realized: I need structure. My day is moving too rapidly along, so, so rapidly. I'm also not monetarily structured either.

I'm sewing madly in preparation for Fall Farmers Market, which will open in two weeks. My sales bring some extra money, but not the kind of money a full-time, regular job will bring.

Finding a job is a little tedious. I signed up with several online job networks and saw a couple of interesting positions in Washington and Oregon, but, hey, I'm not planning on moving! So then began a daily grind. Look, examine, dismiss, keep looking.

What is it I would like to do? Yes, that IS the question. Try something new. I interviewed on the telephone for a field rep position. The job required traveling all over North Louisiana. Too much wear and tear on my car. Worse, I have a sleepiness problem when driving, especially long distances.

Maybe register with one of the temp agencies? At least, I would have a variety of jobs over a period of time. Maybe later...

So, what about what I know? What about as substitute in public schools? I subbed over a period of two years when I first retired. Had some fun jobs and not so fun. Maybe later...

Or, look, there are three library openings. Let me apply for one and see how it goes!!l Do I know enough to apply? Let's make a list of accomplishments, then a list of things that could be done in this new setting. Walk in prepared. Dress for success.

More to come on this topic....
Several days after the first interview for school librarian:
Here are my impressions:
1. I wasn't mentally prepared for a committee of three to interview me. Should have been, but wasn't. I had to mentally adjust in about three seconds.
2. The principal acted shocked to learn I was retired. Why? It is in my resume. I thought at that moment I might as well pick up my things and leave the interview...
3.  Out of several questions, I was asked two questions for which I could only offer sketchy answers, but had the know-how to teach myself the content. The principal called me out on one: "You haven't answered the question."
4. In verbalizing the interview I see that I did not do well, but I also see that this job is probably not for me.
5. As soon as I get my "not for us" letter, I'll apply for the next job.

Cry, shout, be disappointed, get over it. Move on to the next. No big deal.
More to come on this topic...

Yep, got that letter and sent out an app for the next one: librarian at the school where I spent 25 years in the classroom. It's a 50-50 proposition whether I'm invited to an interview. Left that school nine years ago with a huge misunderstanding. The librarian position came open for one year (librarian on sabbatical). I applied, the principal basically read me the riot act because my last year saw me late so many times. She was sure that my (creative) disorganization would disrupt the librarian's ascetic neatness.  I left that interview thinking that hell would freeze over before I got that job. Waited all summer. No call. Interviewed at another school and was offered the librarian's job. The next day the first principal called (this was two weeks before school began) and offered me that job. I had to refuse. Later, I learned that she was dangerously infuriated with me. Yes, very unfair over all. 

So, I've waited a week for an interview call, which, apparently will not come. I was hoping that the principal had forgotten her anger. Really, how is it fair to keep a candidate dangling for a summer? Apparently, she had planned to hire me, but how could I know that after her scathing interview.

So, in sadness, on to the next library opening. ...

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Teacher behavior does not go gently into the night, or: Once a teacher, always a teacher!

  Let's talk bands! My top three, that is, my all-time favorites, are the Beatles (of course!), the Police, and Little River Band. I'll never get to see the first two, not now, not ever. But the third is touring, including right here in my little home town.
 I bought a ticket as soon as I heard! Couldn't wait! So excited!

In fact, the venue, or place of performance, was one of our landmarks--the Strand Theater, built in the 1920's, and completely refurbished over a dozen years some time back. OK, great! I wore a thick, lovely gauze dress, the first dress I've worn in years, for the occasion. Ooops, I needn't have bothered. Most other audience members put on their old, torn jeans, t-shirts, or short shorts and tank tops. There were a few, like me, who dressed for the occasion. Hmmm, so far, disappointing.

My seat was in that upper balcony level, you know, for the faint of heart who fear heights. I held on as the usher showed me the way. Another weird thing: My seat was among three other patrons. It was odd how we clustered like that with empty seats all around us. Then, ug, then, the good ol' boys came in and were seated behind our cluster. Four of them--and those who think a theater is just an extension of their dens or deer stands or wherever guys hang out and talk in whatever voice that blusters out. And what came out were curse words used in good ol' context--that is, not in anger, but like "the" or "just" or any other everyday word.


I thought, This talking won't last. They will mind their manners when the band comes on. They didn't. Blah, blah, blahty-blah-blah. On and on. Normal voices--that is for good ol' boys. One even declared that he hoped he didn't spill his Jack and coke (drink). Oh great. I've heard of people getting drinks spilled on them during various performances. Finally, I turned around--yes, Teacher Mode came on. "This isn't your living room, Boys," quoth I. They stopped for a minute. Stunned by the Teacher Voice, I suppose. I've been told I can spew in a most condescending tone. Nope, their silence didn't last. Blah, blah, blah returned. At least they didn't cuss me of spill drink on me.

Even so, I picked up my things and moved down a few rows to the empty section, a whole tier lower. Ah, quiet around me. Then four women and a man moved to the row in front of me. I moved down. The two women near me talked the entire time. More blah, blah, blah. Laughing, giggling, singing along (which was fine, even expected). I worried that they, too, would spill their drinks--not on me, however, but on the floor of that fine Shreveport landmark.

Then there's the band. Little River Band. So great in their '80's heyday. The sound system was not set correctly, at least not to my ears. The instruments took precedent. Too loud, way too loud! The major problem was the voice mikes were not on the same level of volume. I could not understand half of what they sang. I know a live performance is not the same quality as a studio production, nor did I expect it to be. But I did expect to hear their voices at least at the same level as the instruments.

Then they had to urge the audience to clap and sing along. They lost me when they invited the audience to party. It's Friday night! That was the moment it all seemed like a nightclub with an audience most interested in their own little worlds, when the band seemed like an old, tired touring band. I kept thinking, This is not enjoyable.

I stayed for 40 minutes, then picked up my things and left, promptly forgetting I had ever been in a place where I could hear my third all-time favorite band.

I plan to buy a new CD.

(Note: I did not take the photo.)

Friday, July 6, 2012

A review of "Rome, Sweet Home"

Scott Hahn, Kimberly Hahn, and their road to Catholicism turned out to be much more problematic than I had anticipated. I've heard of this couple so long that I assumed, wrongly, that their conversion was easy. It was anything but easy. "Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism" is their story, told by both alternately, of a difficult conversion.

Kimberly came from a family of Presbyterian ministers and herself planned to be a pastor. After meeting Scott, dating for a while, separating to settle as friends, then finally deciding to marry, at that point, Kimberly wanted more than anything to be a pastor's wife. That was the major discrepancy in their story, but in following the biblical command of submitting to the husband's leadership, they had no choice. A woman cannot lead a church.

I recently joined a Catholic book club with this book as our first reading. As a former Protestant myself, I waded through the vitriolic anti-Catholic words that Scott and Kimberly spewed prior to acknowledging the rightness of Catholic beliefs. One club member grew angry in reading the section, but having heard those accusations against Catholics all my life, I knew exactly that mindset (not a pretty sight, mind you).

Scott had the distinct advantage of having time to study every night, earning degrees, having detailed debates with other students, professors, and great scholarly minds all over the country. Each time he tried to disprove a Catholic belief, he found each to be true. First Luther fell, then other Protestant leaders, until Scott was faced with his conscience: convert or live a lie. Kimberly could not join him. Not yet.

I felt sorry for Kimberly, raising children, leading study groups, crusades, but not going where Scott was headed. They wavered in their marital connection. As one member of our group pointed out, she was not sure just exactly when Kimberly was convicted. Nor is it clear.

If anyone asked what was the most benefit I gained from this read, I would say: The book made me want to locate my old study books on the early church and reconnect with the Word of God. That's more than worthy of any book. The rest is lagniappe.

Friday, June 29, 2012

My Bucket List

It's final! I am retired! However, to maintain my current level of living, I must find another job. OK, that figures. I worked so very hard as a teacher. That was a hard, hard job, a hard life. There, got that off my chest, so to speak! Now, for the fun part. Let's make a list--you, too--of all the things we want to see and do before, you know, the bucket gets kicked, the Rapture comes, or the Aztecs are right.

In no particular order (but as they come into my head), items for my bucket list:

1. I would love to go to Iceland and take an auto trip around the island. I want to see glaciers and puffins (are they in Iceland?) and museums. I want to drink tons of coffee like the characters do in the Nobel winning novel by

2. I want to join the local quilter's club. That's been my plan for two years now and I still have not joined. I want to go to Dallas on a quilt-shop-hopping trip to buy a few pieces.

3. Related to #2 is making one example of all the items I've marked in all my magazines. What fun!

4. I want to have an adventure with my former Pretend Children.

5. I want to go to Nova Scotia with my sister.

6. I want to have enough money to repair all the broken things on my house, especially, no, not especially, because all these items have equal intention in them. I want my swimming pool in working order so my family can come over for a pool party with a cookout and all!

7. I want my house put back into order.

8. I want a fun job without the stress of being responsible for children's behavior.




Thursday, June 28, 2012

Coming soon: Life after retirement!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

It's time for goodbye....

I've packed all my things and took with me all things indicative of my personality. The library no longer reflects me...well, the bright paint on the desk and file cabinet I could not remove, the two trashcans I painted. One of my favorite teacher friends from years ago repeatedly said, "I'm going home soon." She finally did. And now I've gone home. I retired from teaching and school libraries and rooms full of children and noise. I was tired and easily annoyed. That's how I knew it was time. So I said goodbye.

(Next post: the joy of teaching)

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

An excellent travel tool for the kiddies and useful for parents, too!




Of all the books at my recent book fair, "National Geographic Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas" was my favorite. I'm the librarian/chair of the book fair, thus I familiarize myself (more or less) with every book on the case shelves. As a cartophile (map lover), I immediately grabbed this book and Aha! thrilled to its pages!

I evaluate such a book of the 50 states by what is written about my home state, Louisiana. I begin there/here. Each state is allotted two pages. The state map fills one page and information and state symbols the other. The little roads are missing--after all, it takes a big fold-out to include those--but all the state and federal roads are intact. How do I know? A rather narrow state road, 28, runs between Federal Highway 171 and Interstate 49. So what? My grandparents lived in a small community, Simpson, along 28. No, Simpson didn't make the map, but 28 is there.

What is included for each state are these items:
1. 5 Cool things to do here (In Louisiana you can visit the Rose Garden in Shreveport, take a Bayou Boat Tour, visit the Aquarium of the Americas, go through Cajun Country, and tour the French Quarter of New Orleans. A green line exactly locates each place.)
2. A summary paragraph about the state
3. Roadside attractions, like Mardi Gras World, a museum showing how a float is made
4. Odd information: Did you know that alligators must stay at least 200 yards away from the Mardi Gras parade route (Are you chuckling?).

Each state is set up similarly. Imagine how children can have fun with this--and learn during the summer on those ghastly road trips. The U. S. Road Atlas is most beneficial.

I just flipped open to a particular state. Question: Which state is divided into two parts by the Chesapeake Bay? Yes, if you live near this region, you can answer that. I could not have answered the question. Or this one: In which state is the Wild Horses Assateague State Park? Answer to both questions is Maryland. OK, one more about Maryland: Which state gave up some of its land to form Washington, D.C.?

At an incredibly low price, you can have this book for your children, your students, or, ahem, for yourself. I bought (with library funds) 10 copies for a project I plan to do soon with my middle elementary students.

I gave my sister, a frequent driving traveler, a copy for her long two-day trip back and forth from Virginia to Louisiana. She has already found some things to do in a couple of states through which she drives.

The back of the book contains a number of activities for the kiddies.
Comment

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Education by hands-on

A couple of weeks ago I said goodbye here. That's no good. Instead, I'm continuing, but perhaps in new directions. My blurb at top indicates this shift. I've decided I don't need a new blog--this is mine and I can blog here all I want. Amazing, the things technology allows. So onward---

Let's study animals, now just any animals, but ones exotic to us. My sister and I recently experienced animals of the wild up close and personal. We drove down to Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch: African Safari Texas Style between Austin and San Antonio and were simply awed by the way the animals ran free (except for a few). I learned about God's profundity with the free range animals.

Here are some of my favorite photographs (note: one can take awesome ones up close and personal). That's my sister hand-feeding a nilgai, a sort of antelope found in India. (No, hand feeding is warned against...)






My feeding experience came with this beauty, a gemsbok, an African native and member of the oryx family. According to the Wildlife Ranch booklet, the gemsbok was kept in Ancient Egypt for sacrificial purposes. I think they are much happier on this ranch! He certainly had fun poking his head into the car, sniffing out the sack of food we were given to feed the animals out side the car!







This is the scimitar horned oryx, also native to Africa, standing with a huddle of babies. Such a fine pair of horns! The male is able to make a deep croaking sound like a bullfrog. I thought they were beautiful!






If you look closely, you will see the giraffe's tongue extended. We don't know why he was putting his tongue out and in over and over, almost as if he were exercising it. Hmmm, we don't know, but it was interesting!





The mighty ostrich preens. She pulls feathers through her beak, one by one, to transfer oils along each one. The ostrich is the largest bird in the world and originates in Africa. All are born with gray feathers. While females remain gray, males turn black by adulthood. An ostrich weighs 200-300 pounds.








My sister remembers learning from some animal program that zebras are, well, rather temperamental. Perhaps looking at stripes all day on self and fellows makes them that way. Up close, that mohawk-mane adds to the rep. But, what gorgeous, unique creatures! I'm so glad we found two zebras this day on the drive through Wildlife Ranch. Although neither was interested in our little bags of food, we still were this close to them.

Although Wildlife Ranch is dedicated to the preservation and even the improvement of life for these wild animals, there is one black mark, as I saw it. These beautiful micaws live in a barren bird house with no vegetation whatsoever. You can see the orange one clinging to the cage. Further back on a ledge is a brilliant blue one. They were screaming. Not a bird, I really didn't understand them, but my imagination was horrified. Beautiful birds like these should not live like this just for humans to gawk at them.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

 I just saw a movie that compelled me to write.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Funny things kids say in class--

I wish I could remember all the funny comments students make in the course of a year. My sister is visiting this week from far far away. I've been telling funny student comments and thought, Oh, why not put them in my blog? So here they are: Comments from the little people:

How does a teacher get the attention of her students? As a librarian I have tried a number of methods. Each works at various times. Sometimes this is what I get:

One method that nearly always works is counting backwards from 5. Usually, I get total attention by 4 with all heads turned toward me and sounds dropping off immediately. Because my students feel so comfortable with me (I am wild and woolly as a reader)--well here's what Kindergarten did one day. I started the backward counting and they joined in and counted backwards with me. So, ha ha, they made a game of it. I had to beg their pardon and ask what they thought they were doing. There, that settled them!

On another occasion I just looked at them--you know, the evil eye that teachers can give. One girl asked, "Are you going to say 'Grrrrr" now?" Oh my gosh! That Grrrr is  a throaty, impatient sound I obviously picked up from my mother. I didn't even realize I did it, too! I asked, "I make that sound"? "Yeah, you do." Anyway, I had to laugh at that one!

And the last one I can remember for now happened just last Friday. I have a treasure box (a small trunk about 2 feet long and 1 foot wide) filled with knick-knack, doodad type stuff costing one dollar or less. I dole out these little "treasures" based on good thinking, good behavior, special kindness one shows another, and the like. One first-grade girl has made a game of it. Every week she asks, "Can we go to the treasure chest today?" I give her all sorts of answers. On Friday as I sat and checked out books, she asked her weekly question. I looked at her and said, "Blah blah blah blah blah," over and over, each time she asked. She kept asking, "What does that mean?" Another girl looked at her, looked at me, and said, "Blah blah blah blah," also. This may sound rude out of context, but it wasn't meant to be. The original girl, the one who asked, finally said, "Oh, I get it. I'm not supposed to ask." Right! My rule about the treasure chest is that it is opened based on spontaneity, not planned (except in rare cases).

Also on that same Friday with that same first grade class, I received a funny comment from a seventh grade student. The language arts teacher and I have an arrangement: On Sustained Silent Reading days, she can send a couple of students to check out books (if I don't have a class at that time). Well, first grade girls were there--we had finished story time (a children's abridged Black Beauty) and they were searching for their books. One seventh grade boy said to me: "Why are you letting them run around and you don't let us?" He was perhaps exaggerating a bit, but the point and I said it: "They are not really running--they're skipping. Besides, they are excited about books. How can I fuss when they're that excited about finding just the right book?" But the funny part is based on his own comment: Why would boys old enough to be in the seventh grade want to run around the library? (Incidentally, they would and I have to have them cease and desist.)

Those are just a few of the funny things say!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

An excellent nonfiction series--

Here are the facts: I'm a librarian. My students are 3-13 years old (K-3 through 8th grade). I didn't like graphic books (similar to comic books but loftier in content). "Levi Strauss and Blue Jeans," one of the books in the Graphic Library: Inventions and Discoveries series, has totally changed my mind.

Graphic books have gained almost virally in popularity over the last few years. As a stubborn librarian, I put my foot down concerning the addition of graphic books to our collection. I thought children should read words, not look at pictures. What nonsense and silliness! Nearly always on the cutting edge, I fell down on this one. Oh sure, I've added some titles the last couple of years, you know, those half-way books like Fashion Kitty and A Very Merry Christmas (Geronimo Stilton, No. 35). Of course, The Adventures of Captain Underpants led the way.

By the time of the Graphic Library history/biographies, entrenched librarians like me were ready. We could peek into books like this. Well, lo and behold, when what to my eyes did appear--an informative, both verbally and visually, book about the making of blue jeans. I was fascinated! To Nathan Olson's research and words are added to-the-point illustrations by Dave Hoover, Keith Williams, and Charles Barnett III. How they divided their labor, I don't know, but the finals results are truly revealing.

So, what can a student learn? The title page itself foreshadows THE details that made Levi's stand out above the others: orange thread, seagull V symbol on the pockets, and the little red symbolic Levi's label to the left of the pockets. Originally, Strauss started out with canvas for a strong pair of pants for miners, cowboys, railroad workers, and other tough jobs. When he no longer could obtain canvas, he...no, you must read and see for yourself how denim became the domain for jeans.

All of this story is told succinctly in just a few pages (25), but other details are added in two more pages. The book concludes with a glossary, internet sites to visit, a list of books to read (aha!), and Olson's sources.

Librarians, teachers, parents, if you are in doubt about the quality of this graphic information book, cease. I am amazed at how much I learned--and retained through words and illustrations. This book is well worth your money! The intended age is about second through fifth grades, although interest in blue jeans could carry it further. As a suggestion: For students (including older ones) who finish assignments early, have a display of graphic books at hand for quick reads (and addition of basic knowledge)! Comment

An excellent nonfiction/biographical series for school libraries!

Here are the facts: I'm a librarian. My students are 3-13 years old (K-3 through 8th grade). I didn't like graphic books (similar to comic books but loftier in content). "Levi Strauss and Blue Jeans," one of the books in the Graphic Library: Inventions and Discoveries series, has totally changed my mind.

Graphic books have gained almost virally in popularity over the last few years. As a stubborn librarian, I put my foot down concerning the addition of graphic books to our collection. I thought children should read words, not look at pictures. What nonsense and silliness! Nearly always on the cutting edge, I fell down on this one. Oh sure, I've added some titles the last couple of years, you know, those half-way books like Fashion Kitty and A Very Merry Christmas (Geronimo Stilton, No. 35). Of course, The Adventures of Captain Underpants led the way.

By the time of the Graphic Library history/biographies, entrenched librarians like me were ready. We could peek into books like this. Well, lo and behold, when what to my eyes did appear--an informative, both verbally and visually, book about the making of blue jeans. I was fascinated! To Nathan Olson's research and words are added to-the-point illustrations by Dave Hoover, Keith Williams, and Charles Barnett III. How they divided their labor, I don't know, but the finals results are truly revealing.

So, what can a student learn? The title page itself foreshadows THE details that made Levi's stand out above the others: orange thread, seagull V symbol on the pockets, and the little red symbolic Levi's label to the left of the pockets. Originally, Strauss started out with canvas for a strong pair of pants for miners, cowboys, railroad workers, and other tough jobs. When he no longer could obtain canvas, he...no, you must read and see for yourself how denim became the domain for jeans.

All of this story is told succinctly in just a few pages (25), but other details are added in two more pages. The book concludes with a glossary, internet sites to visit, a list of books to read (aha!), and Olson's sources.

Librarians, teachers, parents, if you are in doubt about the quality of this graphic information book, cease. I am amazed at how much I learned--and retained through words and illustrations. This book is well worth your money! The intended age is about second through fifth grades, although interest in blue jeans could carry it further. As a suggestion: For students (including older ones) who finish assignments early, have a display of graphic books at hand for quick reads (and addition of basic knowledge)!

This truly is a worthy book!

A favorite souvenir

A favorite souvenir
These are my two girls from Ireland!

Judy's shared items

Books on my very ambitious TBR list (*denotes read)

  • *Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox
  • The Odd Women by George Gissing
  • The Zen of Fish by Trevor Corson
  • How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell
  • The Cod Tale by Mark Kurlansky
  • In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
  • *Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
  • Dag Hammarskjold by Elizabeth Rider Montgomery
  • The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet by Rabbi Michael L. Munk
  • Children of Strangers by Lyle Saxon
  • Spiritual Writings by Flannery O'Connor
  • Nightmares and Visions: Flannery O'Connor and the Catholic Grotesque by Gilbert H. Muller
  • The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor
  • Flannery O'Connor's South by Robert Coles
  • Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
  • Sylvanus Now by Donna Morrissey
  • *Vincent de Paul by Margaret Ann Hubbard
  • Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
  • A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
  • The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel
  • Readicide by Kelly Gallagher
  • *Ruined by Paula Morris
  • Say You're Not One of Them by Uwem Akpan
  • Wandering Star by J.M.G. Le Clezio
  • Silence by Shusaku Endo
  • *The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  • Kari's Saga by Robert Jansson
  • *The German Mujahid by Boualem Sansal
  • Western Skies by Joseph Conrad
  • *The Giver by Lois Lowery
  • *Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski

School Library Journal - NeverEndingSearch

Imperium

Imperium
A semester course in one book about the Soviet Union. Click on image for my review.