"I’ve found a career and a calling where I’ll never reach mastery. I’ll never exhaust the possibilities for improvement."

Dear Jessica,

Your article hammered home with eyes wide open clarity my precise sentiments on bettering my craft as a teacher, learning as much as humanly possible about my profession, and retaining my particular talents where I passionately feel they are most beneficial - in the classroom.  Unlike you, I selected my graduate studies avenue prior to entering education and completed those studies at the onset of my teaching career, so I'm not pursuing an administrator's credentials, and may elect never to do so.  Like you, though, I am a sponge for information on why policy decisions are made, what drives district directives, and, as you stated, "I want to empathize with my school leader."  I'd much rather pursue the why/when/what-ifs, than sit back and negatively harp on decisions made above my pay-grade. ***  I'm geeked up with each new professional article or book that crosses my path, or classroom opportunity for ME to learn.  I want to participate in the process that directly affects my role, and my students, but I don't want to leave behind the motivation that drives me each day to BRING IT for the reasons that waltz past me each period of the day, five days per week, the reasons we're all here:  the kids.

Thank you for your insight.  You nailed it, for me (and many others, I'm betting)!

Article - Confessions of a Soul-Searching Teacher: Why I'm Pursuing a Principal License (I'll Probably Never Use)


***I have no idea why my line spacing took a wonky dive right around this point.

Article of interest, no matter your politics, religion, or birth stone color

It's a long one, but I suspect once you begin reading you'll want to finish it, even if piecemeal.  It covers situations from near my Mudda's home in east Tejas, to West Philadelphia, and back to Arizona.

Link:  http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/08/12/130812fa_fact_stillman?currentPage=all

It's the end of an era

My beloved has moved on from the relic that the Smithsonian is feverishly seeking, to a sleek version of telecommunication.  So now we are fully a Galaxy, AT&T family.  I would say that he grew tired of the outdated nature of his primitive - yet trusty (if it ain't broke, don't fix it) - BlackBerry, but the real motivation (I suspect) stems from his newly acquired knowledge of a highly praised traffic notification application known as Waze.  I'm no more a fan of commuting glitches anymore than the next gal, but if you happen to recall the, ahem, two-speeding-tickets-in-fifty-minutes-in-the-same-California-county story, then, well, you see where I'm going with this.   Charley is serious about his traffic expediency.  So, we bid adieu to BlackBerry, hello Galaxy - applications, easier obtained sports scores, better photos, oh my!

Picture evidence:

Cape May

The Texas heat ramped up just in time for our departure to the annual Green pilgrimage in Cape May, NJ. The family has been enjoying this getaway for four, or five (?) decades. Cape May is navigable by way of exit zero from the Garden State Parkway.  I adore this destination!  Charm, history - the original American seashore resort town, sea breezes, and book ending the excursion on either end in Philadelphia is lattice topping on the cherry pie. I snapped photos with my big girl camera, and even though some have a ghost mark (which turned out to be a fingerprint smudge - forehead smack), here they are for your viewing pleasure:  https://piangenti.shutterfly.com/pictures/1192

Ruthinator, you should be pleased with the appropriate photo captions.  Smile.