Where the Weeks Went ~

 
I have not posted to this blog for two weeks now.
Every time I started a draft, I just couldn't find the right words.
The events on Wednesday afternoon, February 14th, stopped me...
along with nearly everyone else...stopped me right in my tracks.

A school shooting is every teacher's, and every parent's, worst nightmare.

The Columbine HS massacre on April 20, 1999, changed the ways we do things at school.

It was that fall that we had our first Active Shooter Lock Down Drill.

We teachers practiced valuable procedures in the event of an intruder,

and our law enforecment developed important strategies to navigate our school building.

If seeing the SWAT team in full gear running through the school was not intimidating enough,

hearing the sounds of the gun shots fired was terrifying.

I was a teacher, responsible for hundreds of teenagers,

and also a mother, with a high school aged daugher.

That was just the first of many annual lock down drills.

It was important for us to hear gunfire in the hallways,

to recognize that sound,

and so it would not be mistaken for the sound of firecrackers.

The sounds of gunfire, along with the officers yelling commands,

all was enough to keep me awake an night,

and it was just a drill...

But after the school shooting on Valentine's Day,

the news broadcast included video that students captured,

in their classrooms, with their cell phones.

It was the real thing...

It was chilling...it shook me to the core.

Teachers and students practice these drills,

just like we practice for fires and tornadoes.

We teach with our classroom doors closed...

Those doors are locked.

Here is Mr. Hanson speaking to my class.

Notice the pantry behind him?

Half of my students would hunker down in there.

And the other half of the class would 

move into the laundry room and barricade that door.

I had a place to hide under my demonstration counter,

so that I could check on both groups of students.

Even if it was a drill...it felt serious.

My heart hurts for the teachers and students that 

have had to experience that horrific occurance, for real.

The teachers that have died protecting their students are heros.

We all hope and pray that we can bring an end to these

senseless acts of violence in our schools.

Take care,

~Natalie

The Blog Worthy in my Life ~Where the Time Goes ~This Retired Teacher's Report

Two weeks have passed since my last blog post.

Where has the time gone?

Thank goodness I snap a photo everyday, 

to remind me of the blogworthy in my life.

Summer...my favorite season.

I shall miss the warmth of Sunshine on my Shoulders.

And, I am not alone.

Winterfest Applications were due.

I delivered mine, in person, to the Arts Council office.

I like the excuse to return to this old building.

For twenty-five+ years, I parked in this parking lot and

walked into the Old Central High School.

Oh, how I miss that Home Economics department.

It was fabulous.

With my Winterfest Application in the hands of the Committee,

it is time to go into crafting overdrive.

I am currently working on a new batch of these wine bottle giftbags.

The garage project continues,

cleaning, sorting, and organizing the storage area.

I have discarded the out-dated curriculum guides,

and these binders remain.

Does anyone need one?

Certainly a highlight, are the trips we make to Fargo to

visit my Alma Mater.

We enjoy a little tailgating at hubby's favorite

The Wurst Bier Hall.

And then, at my favorite tailgating spot,

with my Kappa Delta Sisters.

There is not a bad seat in the dome.

Sometimes our seats are in the rafters.

However, after halftime,

we can often find available seats much closer to the field.

So close, it feels like we are a part of the play!

"Sunday Funday"

The new mancave has become our favorite place to watch

our favorite professional teams...

the Vikings, the Eagles, the Patriots...

and of course the Minnesota Twins.

Football Snacks for Everyone!

Then we discovered this!

My parents both celebrated their birthdays in September.

My dad would have turned 99 on Sept. 28th.

My mother would have been 97 on September 23rd.

This year, of course, they celebrated their birthdays 

together again in heaven.

This photo appeared in my newsfeed this week.

One cannot turn on a tv without hearing 

news about North Korea.

Please keep our military and their families

in your thoughts and prayers.

Take care,

~Natalie

Trip to Colorado ~My Highlight was Spending the Day with a BFF from High School.

This was just the best day.

Hubby had to go to work and I had the day to play.

Jan arranged to have the day off from her work.

We had a lovely lunch here at Marlows,

right on the 16th Street Mall.

We girls go way back...

This was our "squad" in 1973.

We spent time together in classes, cheerleading,

at piano festivals, at sleep-overs, group dating, 

and youth group activities at our church.

Actually, Jan and I had been spending time together...

well, since we were babies.

Our mothers were friends and involved 

in the same activites in our small community.

I don't have many photos of our whole group...

but this is one special occasion when we went out to eat.

This was the last time we were together.

December 1989.

We girls had a mini reunion with our families.

This is Jan with her hubby and two of their three daughters.

Here is our family on that same day.

While we had sent Christmas Cards back and forth,

we had not seen each other for over 27 years.

We shopped along the 16th Street Mall,

and I especially loved the little shops in Littleton,

closer to her home.

( I purchased this bracelet in a little boutique in Jan's hometown,

a souvenir of our special time spent together)

But the truth is,

we did more talking than shopping!

While we were shopping,

Jan's hubby came home from work and prepared

a light dinner for us.

We sat out on their patio.

It was so fun to get reacquainted.

Thank you, Jan.

It was the most wonderful day!

Take care,

~Natalie

Introducing Miss Ottenbacher

Meet Miss Ottenbacher,

Central High School's newest Family & Consumer Science Teacher.

Here she is with her new school computer.

I was privileged to spend the afternoon with her on Friday.

She is smart and well prepared. 

She had a list carefully thought out questions.

We visited about the curriculum.

She will teach all foods classes, so

we talked about what has been done in the past...

and she will bring creativity and fresh new ideas to the program.

We also talked about student concerns.

Miss Ottenbacher has a kind and caring spirit,

wanting to consider the needs of others.

I am so excited for her, 

and I can't wait to see how she makes this classroom her own.

I couldn't be more confident to turn the reins over

to this young, energetic teacher.

Congratulations, Miss Ottenbacher.

You are going to be a great teacher!

Take care,

~Natalie

What'cha Workin' on Wednesday ~Bringing Closure to a Career

With students no longer in the building,

I can focus on cleaning up and cleaning out.

Months ago, I began the task of throwing away

lesson plans, curriculum materials, and student projects.

This is actually harder than it sounds.

Years of developing, and then,

updating and revising these class activities went into the dumpster.

Sometimes I felt like I was throwing part of myself away.

So, cleaning the appliances was the easy part.

Three refrigerators and an upright freezer...

done.

Demonstration cooktop and microwave...

done.

(A student helped inventory my textbooks.

Thank you, Connor.)

That left the seven student Food Preparation stations.

The students cleaned their labs on the last day of school.

Those of you that live with a teenager,

 know that some are better than others at cleaning.

Plus,

 inappropriate and disrespecful behaviors of three young men,

changed my focus from what I wanted to accomplish,

to working with administration to investigate and deliver consequences.

In my dreams, I had wanted to walk out the last day with everything in place.

However, by Thursday afternoon, I knew that I had to give up on that plan.

Thank goodness for self-cleaning ovens.

With multiple ovens cleaning, I started the vents, 

and used the two-hour opportunity to clean out my network files.

I wasn't the only one hard at work!

Today, I will return to wipe out those ovens.

And by the weekend, I hope to be enjoying the sunshine

with my new retirement cat.

Take care,

~Natalie