Like communication...

The school year has come to a close for the students and I am hopefully bringing mine to a close on Tuesday after hopefully completing the task of cleaning out an entire classroom that has not been emptied since before I started using it 11 years ago. It's not a small task...

This past school year wasn't an easy one. I would think I would know what the administration wanted and try to work with that only to find out I was wrong. I put goals into motion based on what they said, only to have them change their mind midstream and not communicate the switch. Trying to keep up is exhausting. On top of that, I'm female and most of them are male. It became really clear that my opinion didn't matter years ago, and it has only gotten worse.

There was also the realization that they really do not have a clue as to what a Technology Education teacher does or about the content/scope of what they cover. Apparently, I know nothing when it comes to working with technology or in training people how to use it. Also, I don't know if I am more offended by an administrator neglecting to explain why I am not a good fit for a position or the fact that he tells me I am doing an amazing job with a program that he clearly knows nothing about even though he is the one that wanted me to implement it with no background knowledge...

In the course of all this, I feel like I'm not valued as a professional anymore and there is no value on any type of communication. This is probably a bit widespread in education these days. Anyone else relate? or deal with something similar?

Little things on St. Patrick's Day...

Right now, happiness is knowing that there is corned beef cooking in the crock pot at home... It's the little things, really!

Corned Beef in the Crock pot
3-5 lbs corned beef brisket
1 onion cut into chunks
1 lb baby carrots
2 lbs red potatoes, quartered
1 bottle hard cider
20 oz water
1 T coarse ground mustard
seasoning packets
salt and pepper as desired

Put that all in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Have the husband pick up soda bread since mama is to busy to bake and dinner is ready!

TWO DAYS!

It's the Wednesday before a Winter Break starting on Friday. I have a voice that is going, I'm exhausted and trying to figure out how to keep kids somewhat on task for the next two days of school so they don't drive me crazy!

There are those that make cracks about how teachers teach so that they have the long breaks around the holidays and their summers off. They also want all the gifts at Christmas and the end of the year.

Really? I teach high school, I get excited if I get a card or even a thank you note when I write a letter of recommendation for a kid getting ready to go off on the next adventure. A portion of my break will be spent working as I need to find time to get caught up on everything that I haven't had a chance to get done.

The truth is, I value the breaks so I don't clobber the children and so I can keep my patience level up with the ones that don't pay attention in class! Working with 125 high school students everyday can get tedious no matter how entertaining they might get... So that I can restore the energy levels to keep pouring all the time and effort needed into teaching so that my students get the education they need and I still have energy for my family.

My to-do list is pages long with the holidays and the things that I need to get done around my home for my family and myself. There are somethings on there that I love but rarely get a chance to do while school is in session like see friends! Maybe I'll get to read a book! It's the little things in life...

Two more days...

5:18 am on a Saturday...

Don't get me wrong, I love sleeping in and after a long week of dealing with teenagers it's much deserved! But these days there is something amazing about feeding my little girl and then just getting to cuddle with her as she falls back asleep... These baby cuddles are precious and I fully admit that I crave them everyday. She's only little for so long and I am going to do my best to enjoy every minute of it.

Using the leftovers! Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Bake

And as the month winds up, the first recipe to be posted in quite awhile on this blog!!

This was actually a recipe inspired by several posts that I had seen on Pinterest for a version of mac and cheese using quinoa simply because we had left over chicken and quinoa in our fridge. The boy is not such a big fan of quinoa, claiming that it seems to be over done these days but I love it! So I keep trying to get him to see the yummy side of it all :) And he liked it even before he added the hot sauce which in our house equals success!

It's also just super easy and simple to get it to the table! Cut, Stir, Bake!

Cheesy Mexican Quinoa Bake (with chicken)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 c milk (I used skim)

1 1/2 t. minced garlic

1 plum tomato, chopped (optional)

1/2 to 3/4 cup corn salsa (I used Trader Joe's version)

1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded  Meican blend cheese (I used the 2% version)

Salt and Pepper

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

6 ozs or so cooked and chopped chicken (optional)

1 - Preheat your oven to 350 and lightly grease a 8x8 pan. (This works really well in a toaster/convection oven in the summer!)

2 - Combine the first seven ingredients and stir together.

3 - Stir in the quinoa and chicken.

4 - Spread it in the pan and sprinkle with a bit more of the cheese (the top crust ends up being quite yummy so don't skip this!)

5 - Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on your oven, until the top is browned and looks crispy as well as much of the liquid having evaporated.

6 - Enjoy!

Serves 3-4 depending on size of serving and appetite!

I better get moving!

And write a post that is since I decided my initial goal was to write a post a month for the next couple of months... Nothing like waiting until the last day or anything!

The first month of a much needed summer break has flown by at a crazy speed! Part of me wonders where the past month has gone and then I think about it and wonder how I crammed so much into such a short time frame!

I started off the month by ditching the old phone (just the phone, not the carrier) and venturing into the world of a cooperating phone once again. Such a beautiful thing! The new one will actually let me make calls and do the things that I need to do! And the camera is fantastic which helps a great deal :)

The there was starting the summer job where I get to spend my time baking and by extension experimenting with a well known (in the area) cookie recipe to convert it to gluten free. Oh, and we are working on packing since we hope to move in the next couple of months. Let's see what else is going on...

 - We did a 20 mile bike ride to raise money to find a cure for Diabetes
 - Celebrated actually being married for 6 months!
 - Went to the Origins Game Convention in Columbus, OH - it was quite the experience in new things and there was A LOT of people watching, game playing (board games) and good food at the places in the area near the convention center. Oh, and a crazy experience with a flat tire - thank goodness for warranties on tires!
 - Celebrated Father's Day with my dad as well as spending time with other family throughout the month
 - Working on stuff for school in the fall
 - Trying to finish up grad school finally - that's still in progress but it's getting closer!
 - Spending time with some of my favorite kids as well as two new ones
 - And a whole ton more...

There are plans to actually read, experiment in the kitchen, scrapbook, get back to the gym and do more relaxing next month... :)

Poor, neglected, little blog...

This poor little blog! It got lost in the midst of crazy life happening because I keep thinking that I have to have something profound to say...

But, really I don't.

I can just mention the fun things and the crazy things in life while keeping it generally appropriate for anyone to read. I can also mention the things that don't go so well either or I could mention the crazy things I do in class to keep kids learning and problem solving at the end of the school year.

And I just simply need little outlets to re-find myself after lots of life experiences and changes before I head into even more...

New goal to post at least once a month for the next six months and then once a week after that :) Eventually I do hope this will be a way to stay in touch with more people on more regular basis - but that's the next step after the first two goals!