These are some pictures I took around my house yesterday. Caiden and I spent most of the day outside because it was AWESOME weather. I had fun shooting and he had fun playing with his frogs and riding his bike.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Around the House
I have been working on this all day and I finally got it! There were so many things I was doing wrong and as you can tell by the small size, I still haven't got it right. Ahh! I suck at this kind of thing!! My go to girl is crazy busy so I didn't want to bother her but I think this works anyway. If you click on the image you can view it in a larger size.
These are some pictures I took around my house yesterday. Caiden and I spent most of the day outside because it was AWESOME weather. I had fun shooting and he had fun playing with his frogs and riding his bike.
These are some pictures I took around my house yesterday. Caiden and I spent most of the day outside because it was AWESOME weather. I had fun shooting and he had fun playing with his frogs and riding his bike.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
10 Reasons I Love my son.....
...just this week.
(in no order)
1. He has been walking around the house saying "Gotta get that boom boom boooom."
2. He is so so good when I take him out in public.
3. He WANTS to play with me.
4. He looks just like his daddy.
5. He goes right to bed when I put him down for a nap or bedtime.
6. He is a morning person even though we are not.
7. He is always putting things in order of Daddy, Mommy and Caiden and sharing his toys that way.
8. He loves being outside.
9. He is so worried about our "broken tree" in the front yard (he thinks because the bark is coming off it is broken and we need to fix it.)
10. He has the best giggle I have ever heard.
(in no order)
1. He has been walking around the house saying "Gotta get that boom boom boooom."
2. He is so so good when I take him out in public.
3. He WANTS to play with me.
4. He looks just like his daddy.
5. He goes right to bed when I put him down for a nap or bedtime.
6. He is a morning person even though we are not.
7. He is always putting things in order of Daddy, Mommy and Caiden and sharing his toys that way.
8. He loves being outside.
9. He is so worried about our "broken tree" in the front yard (he thinks because the bark is coming off it is broken and we need to fix it.)
10. He has the best giggle I have ever heard.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Yes. That is me screaming. Happy screams of course. I am screaming because I GOT A JOB!!! I am so happy I could melt.
Ever since I made the decision to go back to school to be an art teacher I knew I wanted to teach elementary. The problem was, we are certified K-12 so we go anywhere that will hire us. That brings up the other problem- who is hiring in this economy?!! I not only want a job in art but I want an elementary job in art!
I interviewed with a few schools but one wasn't hiring at all and the other one, well, they are on "the list" now. The third interview I went on was in Raytown for an elementary position. There was something that just felt right at this school and I picked up on it the second I walked in the room. The staff is super friendly and the school has a cozy feel to it since it is the old, brick style building rather than the cement block institution style you see now.
When I got called back for the second interview I must say, I got a little cocky. I was SO SURE I was going to get the job that I didn't prepare myself as much as I should have for the interview. Did I mention it was with 6 complete strangers? Yeah.
Needless to say I left there feeling very low and so mad at myself for ruining what felt like such a wonderful opportunity. When the principal said he would know in a week I held on to those words and checked my phone every hour for the entire week. When Monday rolled back around and still no call, I was devastated. I knew I didn't get the job and there was no one to blame but myself...until I got the text from Lorel.
The principal was checking my references!!! What a good sign. From there I feel like everything happened so fast. He called me, I called him, he called me back, offered me a job and I said YES! I don't even know if I was that excited when Jay asked me to marry him?!
Anyway, since this IS the Internet and I have a whole 20 people that follow me (officially and unofficially) I will not say the name of the school I am going to work for. I will say that it is in Raytown and I am very excited for the opportunity to work with these kids. Actually I was so excited to work for this school that I turned down opportunities at Grain Valley and Ray-Pec to go there. Crazy, I know but I think I'm right where I am supposed to be.
Wish me luck!
Ever since I made the decision to go back to school to be an art teacher I knew I wanted to teach elementary. The problem was, we are certified K-12 so we go anywhere that will hire us. That brings up the other problem- who is hiring in this economy?!! I not only want a job in art but I want an elementary job in art!
I interviewed with a few schools but one wasn't hiring at all and the other one, well, they are on "the list" now. The third interview I went on was in Raytown for an elementary position. There was something that just felt right at this school and I picked up on it the second I walked in the room. The staff is super friendly and the school has a cozy feel to it since it is the old, brick style building rather than the cement block institution style you see now.
When I got called back for the second interview I must say, I got a little cocky. I was SO SURE I was going to get the job that I didn't prepare myself as much as I should have for the interview. Did I mention it was with 6 complete strangers? Yeah.
Needless to say I left there feeling very low and so mad at myself for ruining what felt like such a wonderful opportunity. When the principal said he would know in a week I held on to those words and checked my phone every hour for the entire week. When Monday rolled back around and still no call, I was devastated. I knew I didn't get the job and there was no one to blame but myself...until I got the text from Lorel.
The principal was checking my references!!! What a good sign. From there I feel like everything happened so fast. He called me, I called him, he called me back, offered me a job and I said YES! I don't even know if I was that excited when Jay asked me to marry him?!
Anyway, since this IS the Internet and I have a whole 20 people that follow me (officially and unofficially) I will not say the name of the school I am going to work for. I will say that it is in Raytown and I am very excited for the opportunity to work with these kids. Actually I was so excited to work for this school that I turned down opportunities at Grain Valley and Ray-Pec to go there. Crazy, I know but I think I'm right where I am supposed to be.
Wish me luck!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
LSUMC
So at first it felt a little weird wanting to blog about my church because, I don't know it's just weird but, I LOVE THIS PLACE!
Last week was the most interesting church service I have ever been to in my life. It started with a short clip from Desperate Housewives. Yes, that is what I said, the trashy tv show that my husband and I can't miss and DVR every Sunday night. Don't worry, it was completely appropriate to watch.
If any of you watch the show like we do you saw the episode where Lynette (mother of 5) decided it was time her family went to church. (Her husband did growing up but she had never been.). Her friend Bre lets her go to the Presbyterian Church where she is a member and during the sermon Lynette realizes she's not happy with what the Pastor is saying. After he is finished Lynette raises her hand and wants to ask questions.....in the middle of the service. This astounds the congregation and the Pastor as well because this is not how most church services work. People are there for the answers, not the questions right?
Anyway, at our service this last week that's what the entire sermon was about- answering our questions. On the big screen there was a phone number and everyone was invited to text our questions to the pastor and he would answer them as they came in. People had also emailed him questions ahead of time too. Wow did they come up with some intersting subjects!
Questions like:
Do you think God forgives those who take their own lives?
Do you think it is weird that Cain married his own sister?
(could have the wrong person here but one of them DID marry their sister)
Do you think the end is near?
Were their dinosaurs on the arc?
If everyone came from Adam and Eve why are there different races/ skin colors?
I could go on and on......
I love how he really relates his sermons to what is going on in our lives. It isn't straight out of the bible yet it is relevant and he gets the point across easily and somewhat entertaining as well. I have never daydreamed during one of his sermons and the truth is, I don't think I had ever listened to an entire sermon EVER before I started coming here.
We are in the process right now of setting up a date so we can get Caiden baptised. Hopefully this summer, June maybe. He goes to Sunday School while we are in the contemporary service and he comes home talking about Jesus. It is too cute. He even inserts Jesus' name into songs when he is singing. That is pretty hysterical actually. Every song sounds better when it's got a shout out to Jesus right?
Last week was the most interesting church service I have ever been to in my life. It started with a short clip from Desperate Housewives. Yes, that is what I said, the trashy tv show that my husband and I can't miss and DVR every Sunday night. Don't worry, it was completely appropriate to watch.
If any of you watch the show like we do you saw the episode where Lynette (mother of 5) decided it was time her family went to church. (Her husband did growing up but she had never been.). Her friend Bre lets her go to the Presbyterian Church where she is a member and during the sermon Lynette realizes she's not happy with what the Pastor is saying. After he is finished Lynette raises her hand and wants to ask questions.....in the middle of the service. This astounds the congregation and the Pastor as well because this is not how most church services work. People are there for the answers, not the questions right?
Anyway, at our service this last week that's what the entire sermon was about- answering our questions. On the big screen there was a phone number and everyone was invited to text our questions to the pastor and he would answer them as they came in. People had also emailed him questions ahead of time too. Wow did they come up with some intersting subjects!
Questions like:
Do you think God forgives those who take their own lives?
Do you think it is weird that Cain married his own sister?
(could have the wrong person here but one of them DID marry their sister)
Do you think the end is near?
Were their dinosaurs on the arc?
If everyone came from Adam and Eve why are there different races/ skin colors?
I could go on and on......
I love how he really relates his sermons to what is going on in our lives. It isn't straight out of the bible yet it is relevant and he gets the point across easily and somewhat entertaining as well. I have never daydreamed during one of his sermons and the truth is, I don't think I had ever listened to an entire sermon EVER before I started coming here.
We are in the process right now of setting up a date so we can get Caiden baptised. Hopefully this summer, June maybe. He goes to Sunday School while we are in the contemporary service and he comes home talking about Jesus. It is too cute. He even inserts Jesus' name into songs when he is singing. That is pretty hysterical actually. Every song sounds better when it's got a shout out to Jesus right?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
For Sale
(1) High School Art Class- Students provided
If you are a sarcastic, stinky, obnoxious person looking to get in a fight with whoever for whatever reason, this is the classroom for you.
OR
If you are a sit around, wants to talk to my friends, flirt or sleep kind of person you will fit in just fine too.
No real art experience needed, these kids know everything already.
To apply, please call 816. 666. 1234 and ask for Satan.
Okay, all joking aside, yesterday was a bad day with these kids. HORRIBLE! I think today will be better. At the very least, it is Wednesday and our secretary always brings homemade goodies for us to eat.
Thanks Gale! You may be the highlight of my day!
If you are a sarcastic, stinky, obnoxious person looking to get in a fight with whoever for whatever reason, this is the classroom for you.
OR
If you are a sit around, wants to talk to my friends, flirt or sleep kind of person you will fit in just fine too.
No real art experience needed, these kids know everything already.
To apply, please call 816. 666. 1234 and ask for Satan.
Okay, all joking aside, yesterday was a bad day with these kids. HORRIBLE! I think today will be better. At the very least, it is Wednesday and our secretary always brings homemade goodies for us to eat.
Thanks Gale! You may be the highlight of my day!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Night
Night by Elie Wiesel
Have you read this book? You should. This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read and I am a book junkie. I love to read. Our students just finished up a unit on WW II and the Holocaust and this is the book they read in class. I was so disappointed when the students would see me reading it and ask me why? They all said it was a super boring book and they wouldn't ever read it if they didn't have to. I was shocked! What?! Not only is this book a mere 120 pages but it is anything but boring. Here are a few excerpts from the book. You tell me if you think this sounds boring.
"I remember that night, the most horrendous of my life:
"....Eliezer, my son come here....I want to tell you something...Only to you.....Come, don't leave me alone.....Eliezer....."
I heard his voice, grasped the meaning of his words and the tragic dimension of the moment, yet I did not move.
It had been his last wish to have me next to him in his agony, at the moment when his soul was tearing itself from his lacerated body-yet I did not let him have his wish.
I was afraid.
Afraid of the blows.
That was why I remained deaf to his cries.
Instead of sacrificing my miserable life and rushing to his side, taking his hand, reassuring him, showing him that he was not abandoned, that I was near him, that I felt his sorrow, instead of all that, I remained flat on my back, asking God to make my father stop calling my name, to make him stop crying. So afraid was I to incur the wrath of the SS.
In fact, my father was no longer conscious.
Yet his plaintive, harrowing voice went on piercing the silence and calling me, nobody but me.
"Well?" The SS had flown into a rage and was striking my father on the head: "Be quiet, old man! Be quiet!"
My father no longer felg the club's blows; I did. And yet I did not react. I let the SS beat my father, I left him alone in the clutches of death. Worse: I was angry with him for having been noisy, for having cried, for provoking the wrath of the SS.
His voice had reached me from so far away, from so close. But I had not moved. I shall never forgive myself.
Nor shall I ever forgive the world for having pushed me against the wall, for having turned me into a stranger, for having awakened in me the basest, most primitive instincts.
His last words had been my name. A summons. And I had not responded."
How about this one:
" The march toward the chimenys looming in the distance under an indifferent sky. The infants thrown into fiery ditches....I did not say they were alive, but that was what I thought. But then I convinced myself: no, they were dead, otherwise I surely would have lost my mind. And yet fellow inmates also saw them; they were alive when they were thrown ino the flames. Historians, among them Telford Taylor, confirmed it. And yet somehow I did not lose my mind."
If you haven't figured it out already this is a true story told by a survivor of the Holocaust. He is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 and has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Have you read this book? You should. This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read and I am a book junkie. I love to read. Our students just finished up a unit on WW II and the Holocaust and this is the book they read in class. I was so disappointed when the students would see me reading it and ask me why? They all said it was a super boring book and they wouldn't ever read it if they didn't have to. I was shocked! What?! Not only is this book a mere 120 pages but it is anything but boring. Here are a few excerpts from the book. You tell me if you think this sounds boring.
"I remember that night, the most horrendous of my life:
"....Eliezer, my son come here....I want to tell you something...Only to you.....Come, don't leave me alone.....Eliezer....."
I heard his voice, grasped the meaning of his words and the tragic dimension of the moment, yet I did not move.
It had been his last wish to have me next to him in his agony, at the moment when his soul was tearing itself from his lacerated body-yet I did not let him have his wish.
I was afraid.
Afraid of the blows.
That was why I remained deaf to his cries.
Instead of sacrificing my miserable life and rushing to his side, taking his hand, reassuring him, showing him that he was not abandoned, that I was near him, that I felt his sorrow, instead of all that, I remained flat on my back, asking God to make my father stop calling my name, to make him stop crying. So afraid was I to incur the wrath of the SS.
In fact, my father was no longer conscious.
Yet his plaintive, harrowing voice went on piercing the silence and calling me, nobody but me.
"Well?" The SS had flown into a rage and was striking my father on the head: "Be quiet, old man! Be quiet!"
My father no longer felg the club's blows; I did. And yet I did not react. I let the SS beat my father, I left him alone in the clutches of death. Worse: I was angry with him for having been noisy, for having cried, for provoking the wrath of the SS.
His voice had reached me from so far away, from so close. But I had not moved. I shall never forgive myself.
Nor shall I ever forgive the world for having pushed me against the wall, for having turned me into a stranger, for having awakened in me the basest, most primitive instincts.
His last words had been my name. A summons. And I had not responded."
How about this one:
" The march toward the chimenys looming in the distance under an indifferent sky. The infants thrown into fiery ditches....I did not say they were alive, but that was what I thought. But then I convinced myself: no, they were dead, otherwise I surely would have lost my mind. And yet fellow inmates also saw them; they were alive when they were thrown ino the flames. Historians, among them Telford Taylor, confirmed it. And yet somehow I did not lose my mind."
If you haven't figured it out already this is a true story told by a survivor of the Holocaust. He is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 and has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Friday, March 20, 2009
My Turning Point
As many of you know I have been teaching High School Art classes for only about 2 weeks now. I am still not completely comfortable with my classes yet and if I am being honest, half of the kids scare me to death. Luckily for me this has been a popular topic of conversation in my Art Ed classes and we have been given advise on how to handle this kind of fear.
To explain myself, the fear isn't of getting up in front of a class, or knowing the answers to all the questions, it isn't skill level, it is the fear of finding your voice. How tough is too tough? How laid back is too laid back? How do you get kids to respond to you, be respected and still put them in their place when they need it? The answer for the most part has been: It is easier to start off tough and slowly loosen up than it is to start off laid back and get stricter.
It sounds pretty simple and straight forward right? In theory, yes, it sounds simple but in reality it has been pretty hard for me to find this balance. Kids are so confrontational at this age and it usually doesn't take much to set them off. Think of the normal high school kid and how tough they can be at this age. Now add 19 of those kinds of kids to the average of 5-6 School Within A School kids I have in EACH of my 6 classes. For those who don't know what that is, it is an alternative school for kids who have been kicked out of the public school system (only at this school their school is inside our school). Usually it is at another location and they don't have much contact with the regular students. This is their last chance before they are kicked out of school completely. Not only are they tough kids but in most cases they have pretty heavy things going on at home.
Facing these students every day has been such a challenge for me. I don't always have the right thing to say, I can't always tell if they telling the truth or lying to my face and why do they always have to go to the bathroom or visit the nurse's office?? So far my way of coping with feeling completely out of my element has been to shut everyone out and pretty much be a moving sculpture around the room. I rarely smile, I never talk and when they want to know something about me I completely shy away and don't want to tell them ANYTHING!! Sound much like me? I know, it isn't.
Well today was a break through day. I knew it was a field trip day and we were going to the Thomas Hart Benton House and Studio (AWESOME by the way) then lunch at the Salty Iguana then a quick stop by the Harry S Truman Library to see the mural painted by THB. What a fun day and to top everything off it was Friday! I guess I was in deep thought or just really into The Sound of Madness when I came to the stop sign right outside of school. I did my usual stop and the next thing you know I see the lights....just as I was pulling into the front parking lot of school.....the same time all the buses were pulling in....full of curious students. Keep in mind it is only 6:45 in the morning and pitch black....all you could see were the flashing lights. Apparently I didn't come to a complete stop at the stop sign and that is a violation of the law. By this time the principal has come to the parking lot assisted by a few other male teachers (I am thinking they might have thought it was a fight, drug related? Who knows but they were ready for whatever). Once they saw that it is me that laughed and walked back inside. Not the students however. They continued to hang out the windows and stare at me. I was horrified! I thought for sure I was in trouble and the kids were going to be little demons about the whole issue.
Surprisingly, everything was okay. My principal laughed and told me if he had a nickle for every teacher that has happened to....(They are incredibly strict in this area). My teacher also told me she thought the cop might have thought I was a student because they come down really hard on them. Then my students all came to me to see if I was okay? Was I in trouble? What did I do wrong? This was the turning point. Instead of trying to play it off or telling them to mind their own business I made a joke out of it. I was my usual playful, silly self who laughs things off and it felt really good. It was actually comforting to finally see that they had feelings and... pulses! The rest of the day they would see a police man and yell, "Hey Mrs. Cummings, watch out the police are after you again!" or something like that. I had kids that wanted to talk to me on the bus, at lunch and even one kid who wanted a picture of the two of us in front of the Mural! This made me realize part of finding my voice wasn't so much about being tough or being soft it was more about who am I and who do they need me to be? This sounds completely cheesy I know but I'm not sure how else to put it. Being a teacher you never leave the job. You don't punch in and punch out. I think what the students benefited from today was seeing that I was a human too. I still struggle sometimes. I get in trouble. I DON'T always have the answers. I DON'T always follow the rules. I still make mistakes but I take them in stride. I owned up to my mistake and will pay the price for it. Seriously, $80 for "running" a stop sign?! "I totally paused"
On Monday morning I plan on sitting at the, uhmm, all stop signs for at least 6 seconds. I will not speed and I will show up to work on time without a police escort or light show.
To explain myself, the fear isn't of getting up in front of a class, or knowing the answers to all the questions, it isn't skill level, it is the fear of finding your voice. How tough is too tough? How laid back is too laid back? How do you get kids to respond to you, be respected and still put them in their place when they need it? The answer for the most part has been: It is easier to start off tough and slowly loosen up than it is to start off laid back and get stricter.
It sounds pretty simple and straight forward right? In theory, yes, it sounds simple but in reality it has been pretty hard for me to find this balance. Kids are so confrontational at this age and it usually doesn't take much to set them off. Think of the normal high school kid and how tough they can be at this age. Now add 19 of those kinds of kids to the average of 5-6 School Within A School kids I have in EACH of my 6 classes. For those who don't know what that is, it is an alternative school for kids who have been kicked out of the public school system (only at this school their school is inside our school). Usually it is at another location and they don't have much contact with the regular students. This is their last chance before they are kicked out of school completely. Not only are they tough kids but in most cases they have pretty heavy things going on at home.
Facing these students every day has been such a challenge for me. I don't always have the right thing to say, I can't always tell if they telling the truth or lying to my face and why do they always have to go to the bathroom or visit the nurse's office?? So far my way of coping with feeling completely out of my element has been to shut everyone out and pretty much be a moving sculpture around the room. I rarely smile, I never talk and when they want to know something about me I completely shy away and don't want to tell them ANYTHING!! Sound much like me? I know, it isn't.
Well today was a break through day. I knew it was a field trip day and we were going to the Thomas Hart Benton House and Studio (AWESOME by the way) then lunch at the Salty Iguana then a quick stop by the Harry S Truman Library to see the mural painted by THB. What a fun day and to top everything off it was Friday! I guess I was in deep thought or just really into The Sound of Madness when I came to the stop sign right outside of school. I did my usual stop and the next thing you know I see the lights....just as I was pulling into the front parking lot of school.....the same time all the buses were pulling in....full of curious students. Keep in mind it is only 6:45 in the morning and pitch black....all you could see were the flashing lights. Apparently I didn't come to a complete stop at the stop sign and that is a violation of the law. By this time the principal has come to the parking lot assisted by a few other male teachers (I am thinking they might have thought it was a fight, drug related? Who knows but they were ready for whatever). Once they saw that it is me that laughed and walked back inside. Not the students however. They continued to hang out the windows and stare at me. I was horrified! I thought for sure I was in trouble and the kids were going to be little demons about the whole issue.
Surprisingly, everything was okay. My principal laughed and told me if he had a nickle for every teacher that has happened to....(They are incredibly strict in this area). My teacher also told me she thought the cop might have thought I was a student because they come down really hard on them. Then my students all came to me to see if I was okay? Was I in trouble? What did I do wrong? This was the turning point. Instead of trying to play it off or telling them to mind their own business I made a joke out of it. I was my usual playful, silly self who laughs things off and it felt really good. It was actually comforting to finally see that they had feelings and... pulses! The rest of the day they would see a police man and yell, "Hey Mrs. Cummings, watch out the police are after you again!" or something like that. I had kids that wanted to talk to me on the bus, at lunch and even one kid who wanted a picture of the two of us in front of the Mural! This made me realize part of finding my voice wasn't so much about being tough or being soft it was more about who am I and who do they need me to be? This sounds completely cheesy I know but I'm not sure how else to put it. Being a teacher you never leave the job. You don't punch in and punch out. I think what the students benefited from today was seeing that I was a human too. I still struggle sometimes. I get in trouble. I DON'T always have the answers. I DON'T always follow the rules. I still make mistakes but I take them in stride. I owned up to my mistake and will pay the price for it. Seriously, $80 for "running" a stop sign?! "I totally paused"
On Monday morning I plan on sitting at the, uhmm, all stop signs for at least 6 seconds. I will not speed and I will show up to work on time without a police escort or light show.
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