This Year will be DIFFERENT!!!

My word for the year is INTEGRITY!

I am not a bad person, but I don’t follow through and I over commit myself to whatever I think will help me accomplish my gals.  However, because I over commit I don’t have the time to do a good job.

This year I will do all of the necessary things in order to straighten up.  In order to do this I will follow Fly lady’s golden rule.  Just do it for 15 minutes.

I have written out my SMART goals in my writer’s notebook.  The core of my resolutions is:

1.     Relationships

2.     Finances

3.     Maintain my health

a.     Exercise

b.     Eat healthy

4.     Keep my deadlines

5.     Schedule my writing time and keeping that appointment,

6.     Treat my writing as a job regardless as to whether or not I am getting paid.

7.     Find an agent

8.     Submit regularly

9.     Establish my blogs and stores

10. Stop saying and start doing

This year will be different because I need it to be different.  God will give me the strength to do what he has planned for me to complete and be successful!!

Let us ring out the old year!!

This end of the year has been a bit different.  I fully planned on doing some reflection with the year end and even prepared for the process.  THEN I received an email from Julie Hedlund's blog and she was going to do a end of the year reflection for writers.  We are on day 5, but if you want to join check out her blog.

Health

The middle of 2013 through the middle of 2014; I spent more time at the doctors.  As a result, I have to see 4 doctors every six months. In addition to that, I have had to go in for tests and now have a small pill container because I need to take vitamins and medication 4 times daily.  What I have not down is increase my water intake and continue my exercise.

Graduate School






2014 was the year I was to receive my PhD, 2015 I would attend a graduate ceremony to received the PhD.  It hasn't worked out that way time and money intervened.  I still have hopes though!

My Classroom

The class size is smaller, but the students have more behavioral issues so it has been a challenge.  Upon the use of reflection and reflective practices, I plan on changing a few things when I return in 2015.

Writing
The following topics illustrate the areas in which I plan on making some major adjustments in my writing. The main issue I realized is that I haven't treated this in the manner I should; which is that I should be treating it as a part time job and full time during holidays and vacations.  Finally, using it as leverage to get out of the classroom as a public school teacher.  To do that I need to make sure that I have six months income tucked away.
Business of Writing


Children's Books

Adult Mystery Story

Articles

Curriculum Development

Book Reviews

Blogs

                                                                                     
Resolutions:
Make your resolutions and start them ASAP (before January 1).  We will discuss them again in June to see how we are all doing!

Happy Thanksgiving

Despite the push to have a completely non working holiday.  I am grateful for the airlines and transportation people who are working, my son and daughter are safely home.

My meal is prepared and I diidn't have to really touch anything or cross contaminate my food.

Thank you everyone who is working so I can have Thanksgiving and may you stay safe.

Robin Williams has died!

   Today an actor that I really haven't paid a lot of attention to. . . . stop!  An actor that I didnt realize had a lot of affect on me has died.  I feel very much the same way that I felt when Princess Diana died.  Sad.  Very Sad.

It has to explain because niether person is someone I knew personally or even thought I would, and they are both older than I am.  They live lives I don't.   I am still sad.

I won't remember how they died, but what they accomplished or tried to while they were alive.  Most of all they bothe seemed to love their children.  Their children seem to love them. How special is that!

Training Camp

The past two weeks our administration has referred to our back to school as the training camp.  I have to admit that I really didn't pay any attention because they are always encouraging the general education teachers so that the scores will go up.  That is not a positive statement and I would hope that it is not true. In addition, I have been paying attention to my own problems, primarily how to pay for my last four classes and mourning the fact that I have run out of time to complete my PhD.

Training Camp is actually a book authored by Jon Gordon. I bought the book with money I don't have, but it is a worth while investment.  Our adminstrator must be a fan of Jon Gordon because last year she modelled our back to school development as the Energy Bus.  She constantly refers to us as riding a bus together.  I will have to go back and read with new eyes because after reading the Training Camp I realize why I feel the way I do and it not an Ah Ha moment for me, but the author does a great job in explaining why this is happening.

Pride is a great tool that Satan uses to make sure that when we reach a point of success we go no further.  By this I mean that we push ourselves, we work hard, we do ALL the things that we are supposed to do to be successful and WHAM!  All of our insecurities come to light and we don't reach out to the one who can do it for us. “That's because pride keeps you separate from the love of God. Pride causes the ripple of fear in your life, and all your fears big and small can be traced back to it. Instead of trying to be one with God, pride says ‘I can be my own God. I can do it alone (Gordon, 2013).”

I am constantly writing in my journal that money is an idol and do a degree it is, but it is based on the fact that I have a lot of pride.  Pride is what has caused the lack of promotion in my career.  Pride has caused me to stop dreaming and Pride has caused me not to have faith in God.

The author, Jon Gordon, has written several book and I have checked most of them out of the library. The only one I can't check out is the The Seed.  I will have to save up for it and purchase it.

Training Camp is a good book and I strongly reccomend it!!

Reference:
Excerpt From: Gordon, Jon. “Training Camp.” John Wiley & Sons, 2013-04-26. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.

Check out this book on the iBooks Store: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=378759368

School is Back in Session

Today was the first day of public school for 2014-15 school year.  This year will be different because it will be better.  The students in the primary grades came today so they could become familiar with the rituals and routines of the school.  Always a good thing!!!

There are close to 600 books on my netgalley list and I have reviewed  48% of them.  This weekend I hope to raise that percentage by several points.  There are several good books on that list.  In adddition, I have 5 professional books that I intend to finish by the end of the month, plus a couple of bible studies.

Two of the books that I am really getting into, Daniel's Plan and The Seven Decisions, are my life books.  They are both making think about the decisions that I have made that have lend me to this point in my life.

Please help me pray for the backing I need to complete and pay for the last four classes of my post graduate degree in Educational Technology.  I really believe that technology is the key to having all children learn in the public schools.  One of these days, I intend to blog on that subject, acutally, I intend to blog on a varitey of subjects.  I hope to see a lot of comments.

Blogging helps to fulfill a goal in life.  I have always wanted to be a columnist in a paper who writes an open ed column on a variety of issues.  Some opinions I agree with and some I don't.  However, it doesn't say much about me or the columnist if I agree with everything.  Or simply agree because I like this columnist.

Hopefully you all a good day!

Take care and God Blees!!

How to afford a 21st Technology Classroom and Why

            Just for the record I have never received a grant for any type of hardware technology for my classroom.  I have received software based on a grant that I wrote from Donors.org.  I have not successfully written a grant that resulted in receiving any type of hardware technology.

            

            The title of this blog is to hopefully generate comments from people who have been more fortunate than myself in receiving equipment.  Currently, my classroom has a Promethean board, docu camera, Epson camera and iPads (iPad 1 & 2) that I have checked out from our school technology library.  This is more than some teachers have in their classroom and I am fortunate enough have what I have in my classroom.

           

             Everyday, the staff in my classroom tries to think o ways that we can get an iPad 2 for each student in our classroom.  I would like to have 15 iPad 2; this would result in letting each of my students have their own iPad.    In addition, I would like to have a MacBook computer that would have the software to coordinate the iPads and make sure that they stay where they should be and not going somewhere else. 

(POINT:  I do know about guided access that iPad 2 have in their settings and I use this on some iPads, however, iPad 1 do not have the same type of settings where I can lock the apps on the iPad 1 as I do on the iPad 2s)

            My dream is to have the ability to plan my lessons and develop a blended learning environment in my classroom.  Although, I do know that flipping the classroom is the current vogue for many teachers, I am not convinced that it is the best environment for all teachers and it is something that each teacher needs to think about for their classroom.

            In the meantime, I am continually searching for help in raising money from grants or donations in order to buy the 15 iPad 2 and MacBook.  In addition, I hope to learn to use the technology in efficient manner so that I work in directly with each of my students.  Eventually, I will transfer this knowledge to an online environment where I will instruct future teachers.