Life As a Realtor...Thus Far!

As most of you are aware, I gave notice to my two jobs this past Spring semester and announced that I was going into the world of Real Estate!


For the most part, I was totally convinced that I had lost my mind--and I think most people around me felt the same way, too!  However, I was getting sooooo tired of having grant-funded jobs, watching the grant money disappear, while left to wonder "Hmmmm, wonder how much longer I'll have this job????"  I've always been a very driven individual, but it's kinda hard to focus on a "career" when you don't even know if the money for your job will be there next year!

After a lot of reflecting and discussion, my husband and I decided we're young--we have tons of time ahead of us.  But, I didn't want to continue changing jobs every two years in hopes of more secure funding--or slightly better benefits.  If I was going to make a big change, it was going to happen NOW, while we still had nothing but time awaiting us!

That said, I gave notice at my jobs.  I had decided I would join our local Coldwell Banker agency but the funny (or, scary) part--I hadn't even taken my licensing test yet when I quit my jobs!  This made my husband EXTREMELY nervous but as I kept telling him, "I got this, babe--just trust me!" 

Here I am, a month and a half into my new life as a Realtor.  And I'm still saying, "I got this, babe--just trust me!"  I took my licensing exam in April and passed the first time around--which, was really the only "option" because it took about 4 weeks for my licensing application to be approved by the State board.  I didn't have time to retake the exam because as luck had it, I listed my first property just 2 days after my license was approved!  Talk about perfect timing :-)

During the first two weeks of June, I spent my days in one-on-one training with my Broker.  It was pretty intense and I was EXHAUSTED by the time I got home.  There was TONS of information for me to learn--but all the while, I was learning to the ropes to managing a listed property.  Regardless of how draining it was, I gave 110% of my energy to my broker because hey, he knows what he's talking about!  It's with his leadership and guidance that our agency has become the #1 agency in our area--and if I can have things my way, I will do what it takes to become one of the top producers in our office!

So, what HAVE I been doing?
I have been working my butt off.

Last Saturday was the first day in over a month that I did not go into the office.  BUT, I worked from home instead!  When we went to Dallas for the 4th of July, I worked.  As we like to say in the world of real estate, there is no such thing as a weekend/vacation/holiday.   Even though Realtors work for an agency, we're all technically self-employed.  We're set up on 1099's as Independent Contractors for the agency we go in with and yeah, your broker has basic expectations of what their agents will do.  But really, we set our own hours.  For example, this past Monday, I stepped out of the office for the afternoon to have a play date with this cutie:

But once Marci and her momma hit the road (and baby girl said her "good-byes" to the dog), it was back to the office to meet with clients for the evening.  There is no such thing as vacation or sick leave in my new world, but rather, you just have to learn how to balance everything!  And that's exactly why the husband and I are headed out of town tomorrow for a day trip, as just the two of us :-) 

For the most, everything is going very well.  Or, at least that's what everyone is telling me!  I honestly don't have a frame of reference for success so I'm just going along, doing what I need to do!  I have spent many a hours out in the hot, hot, heat showing houses and following up on any leads I receive...as a result, it's led to offers on various properties and to be completely honest, I only get paid when I sell a house.  Oh, yeah--you saw that right.  The only paycheck I will receive is after a house successfully closes at the bank.  There is no "salary" or "hourly wage."  Based on what I currently have under contract, my first paycheck will be here in September.  Now, can you see why my husband thought I was crazy?  Start a job in June and not get paid until September?! 

And some people would say I'm crazy for what I'm about to say.  Honestly, the last thing I care about is the paycheck. Hell, after years of being in social services, you know I'm not about the all-mighty dollar sign!  My focus is on helping people.  Whether that's helping someone find a home that will meet their needs--or, helping someone sell their home so they can start the next phase of their life.  I don't care if it takes me 6 months and driving all over God's green earth to find the right house for first-time homeowners.  I want to ensure that my clients are purchasing solid homes, that will not cause them any problems.  I want to make sure that my clients can truly afford the home they're purchasing.  The last thing I want is for my wallet to be full while former clients find themselves in a world of financial or structural problems because of a home I pushed them into.  After all, real estate is all about word-of-mouth referrals.  If you start looking out for nobody but yourself, you can kiss your business good bye.  And, in my opinion, you'll go to H-E-double hockey sticks while doing so!!!

Like I keep telling my husband, I do believe "I got this, babe--just trust me!"  My first listing has already gone under contract (so, now I'm ready to help someone else sell their house and move onto greener pastures!), I've written multiple offers for other houses, my clientele base is growing (even though I'd still be happy to work with additional buyers--wink, wink, referrals, please!) AND PEOPLE ARE LISTENING TO ME!  Like I told my broker, people have never listened to me before, even though I knew what I was talking about!  But people ask me for advice, I provide counsel, they make a decision that best suits their needs, and things work out!!!  I love it!  For once, people are taking me seriously.  As my broker says, he's convinced I've really been doing this real estate thing for years now, but guess it just goes to show, "I got this, babe!"

My Journey To Becoming a Realtor

Nearly 6 weeks ago, I announced that I was leaving both my jobs with child-centered non-profit work to become a Realtor!  It was a huge decision for the husband and I to make, but I think it will be a good one--and to all of you who have supported me, THANK YOU!!!  I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to take back my Resignation Notices and say "Just Kidding!"  But, nothing in this life is free and hard work always pays off.  Or so I hope!

During the past 6 weeks, I have been busy studying--and shopping.

Notice there was no exclamation mark after the "shopping."  But I'll come back to that in a minute.

When my husband and I discussed leaving non-profit, grant-funded work there was the possibility of applying to Graduate School.  After all, we live in a college town AND the University is my Alma Mater.  It would be a very easy step to take but ehhhhh, I would have to study.  Forget about that!

Well, the joke's on me!  Who knew that becoming a Realtor involved so much studying?  In order to take my licensing test, I have to take a test...Yes, a test to take a test.  After two months of non-stop studying, I submitted my first exam yesterday and received an 87% on it.  Not too shabby, eh?  Guess what, though--in order to "pass" it, I had to get a 90%. 

Story.

Of.

My.

Life. 

I missed one question too many to pass the stupid thing. 

Soooooo, back to the books I went and I resubmitted the exam this morning.  And I passed with a 97%!!!  Woo-whoooo!  Now, I have permission to take the BIG licensing exam.  Did I mention that each test costs some serious money???  Just knowing that I will have no income for Gawd-knows-how-long and that money will obviously be tight, the pressure is ON to rock the licensing exam!  And knowing that I had to re-take the first test due to one stupid little question, I'm kinda freaked out about the big kahuna.  If you can't find me for another 3 weeks, you know where I am ;-)

*Heavy sigh*  It's safe to say that I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  But that's what makes for a great adventure, huh?!

And now comes the shopping part...

Usually, I love shopping.  Especially, when the seasons change!  This Spring, it's all about color--hallelujiah!  And as I like to tease my husband, obviously I don't mind having a little color in my life ;-)  Bwhahahaha!!!  Okay, I'll stop with the potentially offensive wise cracks...

Anyhow, shopping for professional clothing sucks!  Overall, the selection tends to be pretty "safe" but just when I find something cute, it's not made in a Tall size.  Grrrrrr!   And I don't mean "long"--because tons of store offer "long" clothing.  I mean TALL--like, 37" inseam pants!  Unfortunately, when I do find something available in Tall, the smaller sizes run out almost immediately so I'm left paying full-price AND shipping (b/c the stores refuse to carry them) for button-downs, jeans, slacks, you name it.  Another big Grrrrr!

All complaints aside, I have managed to find some pretty safe pieces that I can live with.  If anything, I will just have to stock up on super fun shoes, accessories and hair!  Oh, and did I mention that I've dyed my hair back to brunette?!  Long gone are the blonde locks!  That is, until I get my headshots done and then I'm back to my *somewhat* funky tresses :-)

For example, here are my recent finds...

Dark-wash skinny jeans from the GAP...they'll be perfect for weekend outtings and errands!

I love the cigarette pant-feel of these slacks from the GAP...of course, they're a few inches shorter on me, but they're still adorable with flats and pumps!

Oddly enough, I didn't have a white button-down blouse in my closet...but now I do!

And I didn't own a pair of khaki pants, either!  I found a pair that are long enough to wear with flats but I'm still on a mission for a pair that I can wear with a heel!

I also threw a good ol' black pencil skirt into the mix.  Much to my surprise, I found a PURPLE pencil skirt and had to  buy it.  After all, it will be perfect for the life in Wildcat land!

Not the most exciting, but this sweater was available in tall AND it would look cute layered over a button-down on the more casual days...

I found this sweater in Tall and it fits beautifully!  It also looks super sharp with my navy pinstripe dress pants :-)

Hey, this looks slightly familiar!  Seriously--if there's ever a pink option available, I WILL buy it...even if I have it in another color :-)

And that's pretty much it!  It's a start...the passing of my first test AND finding some professional clothes that are actually long enough!  I just can't wait until a few weeks from now when I can celebrate passing the licensing exam and I can officially identify myself as a REALTOR :-)

Our Newest Adventure--A Career Change!

I think I have finally lost my mind.

I decided to quit my jobs.

I am going from 60-hours a week of salaried work to...who-knows-how-many-hours of COMMISSIONED work.  With no side job for extra income...for somebody who has never had just ONE job, it's scary.

From a financial perspective, the first few months (at least!) will be tight as we will be living on Justin's income only.  Heck, even the first year or two will be tight.  If I make it to Year 3, things should start looking up at that point.  If Justin ever wanted to bask in the glory of being the breadwinner, this is his chance!  lol...

So, what am I switching careers to???

REAL ESTATE.

Yes, you can laugh!  And yes, you probably agree that I'm crazy for quitting my salaried jobs to work in such a poor industry! 

However, and I stress HOWEVER--things are a little different where we are.

The Little Apple's market has been flat the past couple of years--meaning, we haven't had any losses...or gains in homes sales.  On an encouraging note, the firm I'm going in with experienced an 8% increase in sales during the flat market of 2011. 

As my witty friend Erin put it, "Well, either you're a genius for getting in the game now--or, setting yourself up nicely to become a stay at home mom."

We're hoping that as the market recovers and industry continues to relocate to our community, that I will already be settled in my career as a Realtor before things really  recover.  And then, I'll be the go-to-gal for all of your housing and real estate needs!

It's fair to say that Justin is very anxious about this career move.  He has been extremely supportive about my decision but the unknown is always scary.  Same as I fear, he has that worry about what if I suck???  And I end up as a stay-at-home-Mom?!  Especially, since we don't have any kids?!  That would be humiliating!  I really don't want to prove to everyone that I was crazy! 

For those of you who want to know everything there is to know, here are the details:
--I'm going in with Coldwell Banker.  They're a franchise brokerage so you've probably seen them where you live!  In any given year, they're the #1 or #2 real estate leader in our community.
--Ironically enough, we bought our house from the Broker at Coldwell Banker.  Long story short, Kelly asked me to join their firm and after much deliberation, I decided to go for it.  I hope that's a sign that he believes I will do well!
--I'm leaving my job coordinating the Supervised Visitation program at the end of March.  I'm not one to cry, but I'm pretty sure I'll be in tears after my last day at the office.  But on a positive note, I'm sure I'll find a way to keep giving back to CASA!
--I'll stick with my school job until the end of the semester.  I'll miss my kiddos like crazy but I won't miss dealing with ornery houligans!
--I'm looking forward to the flexible schedule that comes with being a Realtor.  I can be out-and-about during the day to network...I can start making an appearance at the gym again...if and when kids come I can design my schedule to allow for family time and time to be at the kids' activities...

There are tons of other positives that will come with this career change--some of which I can't even fathom at this point in time.  As nervous as I am, I'm equally excited.  It's always fun to start out on a new adventure and see where it leads you!

What I Learned at School (This Semester)

1.  Time really does fly!  How is the semester almost over?!  It should still be September, maybe even October, but definitely not late December.

2.  I'm getting "old."  Some of the songs played at Middle School dances will knock the socks off of ya--that is, if you are still "young" enough to know what the songs are referencing.  Such songs would NEVER have been allowed when I was their age!

3.  Always wear comfortable shoes!  Not because I stand on my feet all day--but for the unannounced drills that send you hiking a mile in each direction to the nearest Community Center because there has been a hypothetical "bomb" explode in the school.

4.  When the students call you the "hot teacher," trust me, it's far from a compliment.  Anything that is not 60-years old and wearing a plaid jumper tends to fall into the "hot" category!

5.  After 3.5 semesters, I have yet to become a morning person.  I would much rather be waking up at 7:20 am than walking through the office door!

6.  A little tough love and drawing of boundaries goes a long way.  Some of the kids I dreaded the most ended up being the most engaged and lovable of all the students by the semester's end!

7.  It's a small world.  So many of my students have been served by our CASA program and/or come from incredibly challenging backgrounds that could easily have sent them through our office.  Looking at the kiddos, you would never know what life is like for them away from school.  But it's a heartwarming moment when the kids stop me in the hall just to talk or tell me how things are going at home!

8.  I still don't like being touched.  Or hugged.  6th Graders LOVE to hug.  Even 7th Graders will still hug me.  Eeeeeeek!  At least my 8th Graders want nothing to do with touching me.

9.  It is AMAZING what you learn/hear when eating lunch with the kids.  Oh, and it's more fun eating at the boys' table--the girls are too gossipy and catty!

10.  No matter how old you are (or who you are), getting sent to the Principal's Office is still scary as h-e-double hockey sticks!  And then making a kid CRY in the Principal's Office because you asked them to explain what they did during class?!  It sucks.  Especially when they're usually a pretty good kid.  But then you worry if you did "okay" asking your questions in front of the Principal.  And then you wonder if the kid is going to hate you for life.  And then...you get the point! 

11.  If you ever want the kids to be on their best behavior, just show up with a Police Officer in tow!

And finally:

#12.  Having a Snow Day the second-to-last day before a shortened Christmas Break ROCKS!  It makes showing up at 7:20 am tomorrow morning a little bit easier ;-)

Why I Chose Prevention Work

Even though it's summer break, my job(s) has been on my mind a lot lately.

Our city commission is currently considering a funding cut to social service agencies in Manhattan.  This is a huge deal to me--all of my working days have been providing social services to at-risk and needy members of our community.

CASA is one of the agencies who would be affected by the funding cut.  Several weeks ago I blogged about how I got involved with CASA and how I felt when I was offered my current job at the school.

I loved CASA...I still do (otherwise I wouldn't still work for them!)...but why did I make the move to being a Prevention Educator to middle school students?

Most of the families we encounter through CASA are participating in interventions.  Whether those clients require medical care, appropriate mental health services, someone to teach them the basics of parenting, engaging in case plans to end the cycle of abuse/neglect, trying to establish steady employment, receiving treatment for substance abuse or securing adequate housing...most of our families are in Stage 2.

With some of our parents, we are merely putting a bandage on their problems.  The amazing thing is, with the guidance and love of a CASA, the children are supported and advocated for...this is what I refer to as Stage 1--prevention.  By receiving the necessary services and stopping things before they get too far, many of the children can be saved from following in the parents' footsteps.

Unfortunately, you have days in social services where you're just plain burnt out.  I'm not going to lie--I've had my fair share of those days.  When I was approached with the idea of a job that helped me PREVENT some of these issues, I couldn't resist.

If you bear with me, I'm getting close to answering my question of "Why I chose to be a prevention educator?"

Witnessing what I have with CASA is obviously the first part of the answer.

The second part of the answer is harder to explain and stings a bit.

Growing up, I had the best uncle ever.  And I'm not kidding.  Okay, I may be biased...but really, he was the BEST uncle.  He was the funniest person ever.  We LOVED getting to see our uncle any chance we got.  He was the best :-)

Long story short, my uncle fought a hard battle with addiction.  It was scary not knowing where he was and if the unknown meant he was dead.  There were times that we were scared for our own safety and had 'what-if' plans in place. I remember the shock of walking past him in our local gas station and not even recognizing him due to the physical toll the drugs had taken...and then I found myself wondering if my own uncle even recognized me?   I remember the stints in rehab and wondering if it would really work "this time?"  I missed our time together--spending the holidays together and laughing nonstop, checking out his horses or climbing around in his semi trucks...I missed getting to see my cousins, too.  Time with the extended family just wasn't the same as it was impossible to ignore the elephant in the room--where's our uncle and what's going on this time? We had already lost our grandma at a young age and now we had to lose our uncle, too.  But the hardest part was knowing how it tore at our mother.  My uncle's addiction just wasn't fair. 

The emotions I experience are still very raw and it's hard to think about those years without tearing up.  When you love somebody so much, addiction hurts.

In Life Skills, we discuss the addiction process.  I'm honest with my students. 

Addiction is not a choice.  I do recognize that the choice comes when a person decides to experiment with a substance.  As my 6th graders say, "You can't be addicted if you never try it!"

But let's get real.  We know people who drink.  We know people who smoked a blunt once upon a time. It sucks that one person can socially drink...while another person can't drink because of the relapse that would result. It sucks that some people can engage in casual drug use and walk away from it...but one hit of a drug and another person could be addicted.

Addiction is physical.  It's psychological.  It's neurological.  We cannot predict the way our neurotransmitters, namely the dopamine receptors, will respond when a substance is introduced into the body.  Unfortunately, there is no crystal ball that tells ya whether or not you will end up an addict.  Of course, none of my invincible tweens or teenagers seem to think it could happen to them...but that's when I bust out my 10-minute, basic discussion on the addiction spectrum and all the above mentioned components.  If anything, I just want them to realize that it COULD happen to them.
 
My uncle is now in Stage 3--Recovery.  He has an amazing and super fun wife who I am beyond grateful to have in our family.  I feel like we have our uncle back. The entire family was "stormed in" together last summer and it was the most fun I had had in a long time. It was almost like old times...My uncle and his wife were able to attend our wedding this past September.  Even though it was our "special day," deep down I was beyond excited that my uncle had survived the addiction and we could celebrate as a family.  It's with every bit of energy that I pray both my uncle and his wife can remain in Recovery the rest of their lives.
 
So why did I chose prevention?
 
They say families of addicts become addicted to the addiction. However, I don't feel that's necessarily me.  I realize that I cannot keep every 12 and 14 year old from picking up the bottle or picking up the pipe and risk getting hooked.  All I can do is educate them and give them the tools to make the best decisions possible.

Honestly, I don't want anybody to go through the things that our family did. I don't want anybody to experience what my uncle went through.  Some people aren't lucky enough to enter Stage 3...instead, addiction takes their life.  Or some people get stuck in Stage 2 and as a result, find themselves receiving intervention services from our local social service agencies.

This entry has come a long ways from potential funding cuts--and I'm still not sure if I answered my own question very well.  One thing I do know--I'm proud of the work that CASA and all of our cooperating agencies do.  I hope I make a difference in the lives of my students...and I do know that I'm proud to have my uncle back :-) 

Last but not least, I owe a big thanks to "Uncle" and his wife for letting me write this post and share my experience with his addiction. 

3 Years Later

This past week marked my third year of employment with Sunflower CASA Project!

It all started back in 2005...I was in need of an internship to graduate and I met with my class professor to discuss some placements she had in mind.  One was with a legislator in Topeka but we both knew I would immediately butt heads with that particular lawmaker.  The other was with a local agency that worked with abused and neglected children in the Manhattan community.

I had never heard of the agency and didn't really even know that much about abuse or neglect.  I had already been working with the Crisis Center and the Women's Center on campus so I was more than familiar with partner abuse and those dynamics.  I could handle those dynamics so I decided I would meet with the agency's Executive Director.

At the meeting, I met Jayme, the Executive Director of Sunflower CASA Project, Inc.  I was a bit embarassed to be a Political Science major until she disclosed that her background was in biochemistry.  Really?!  I immediately felt 10x more comfortable and decided to proceed with the training and then my internship.

I eventually wrapped up my internship and continued to serve as a CASA volunteer.   Graduation from K-State arrived and I accepted a job working with the geriatric population.  NOT quite the kiddos I had fallen in love with, but it was a job and income.

A few years later, CASA was hiring for a new position.  I applied and was offered the job!

I would spend part of my time working with their brand-new Child Advocacy Center.  Basically...Child Advocacy Centers, or CACs, coordinate a collaborative partnership of professionals who are dedicated to providing child-sensitive interviews and advocacy services to children and their family. Professionals from SRS, Riley County Attorney's Office, Riley County Police Department, Pawnee Mental Health, Mercy Regional Hospital and other disciplines provide a coordinated team response when a child reports abuse or when there is reason to believe a child has been abused or neglected.  Our CAC specializes in sexual abuse and let me tell ya, the things you hear make you sick, sick, sick to your stomach.  However, it's beyond amazing to see a team of professionals come together and give their everything for a child.   What's even more amazing?  To witness how resilient some of these children are.  The unimaginable has happened but they bounce back and continue to do great things with themselves!

The other part of my time would be spent working with the Child Exchange and Visitation Program.  The CEVC is a safe and neutral location for visitation arrangements with children, without direct contact between parents or caregivers and a secure environment in which to conduct parental exchanges.  Most of our families are court-ordered to participate in the program because of the presence or past history of domestic violence within their relationship.  One of the first lessons I learned at CASA is this: children love their parents, even though some horrific things may happen within their family unit.  More often than not, children want to see their parents and we're fortunate to have a safe location for the visitation to occur here in our community.

Last April, I reduced my status to part-time and dropped my responsibilities with the CAC to go to work for the school.  There are can be some extremely challenging days in social services, especially when working with families in conflict, but the good days outnumber the bad days.  Otherwise, I would have run far, far away a long time ago!  In fact, when the school gig came up I was torn--I did NOT want to leave CASA.  I will be forever grateful that Jayme let me stay on part time...and now I'm celebrating 3 years with the agency! 

I figure some day I will eventually be the old lady who retires from working and when that day comes, I can't wait to serve as a volunteer advocate again.  Prior to my employment with CASA, I was assigned to 3 different cases...one case closed successfully, one case moved to a different judicial district and the other case, well, I still worry about that kiddo.  But that's how I am...I just hope that these kids will stay strong and continue to do great things with themselves.  One thing we do know is that children who have CASAs are much more likely to find stable, long-term homes and do not bounce in and out of the system at the rate that children without CASAs do.  It's always nice to have a little bit of reassurance that the work of a CASA does make a difference :-)

If you're interested in finding out more about being a CASA volunteer, please check out:
http://casa.manhattanks.org/
or
http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.5301303/k.6FB1/About_Us__CASA_for_Children.htm. 

Plan Diverted

Today was supposed to be my last day of Life Skills with one of my 8th Grade teams.  Supposed to be.

I was pumped!  We have had a great semester together and according to building professionals, the students were actually paying attention and applying the information to real-life situations.  That's EXACTLY what I was hoping to achieve!

I had planned a quick little ditty to share with them--something about enjoying the past 10 weeks, wishing them well in their future endeavors, etc.  Nothing too "mushy" because after all, they're teen-agers and already have life figured out.  Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight ;-)

Last night I caught wind of something concerning on Facebook.  I checked the 10 o'clock news and something had happened earlier that evening that warranted a significant response from our local police department--but no details were being released.

Being my typical curious self, I turned the news back on this morning and nothing was said.  I still wanted some kind of "answer" so I checked a local radio's website on my way out the door.  They were reporting that a 14-year old's body was found yesterday over by the Middle School I was headed to.  News reports indicate that it is being treated as a homicide.

My stomach dropped.  My 8th graders are 14 years old.  Was it one of my students?  Naturally, I wanted to know what I was getting into so I did a quick Facebook check.  He was a Freshman at our local high school.

The first person I saw at the school was the principal and I quickly learned that the individual had attended that very Middle School--we talked about what to expect during the day and the faculty's crisis plan.  I had a very bad feeling about things.  After all, the usually buzzing cafetaria was silent.

First Hour started and the students were stone-cold zombies.  Not a single word was spoken.  An announcement was made and half the class burst into tears.  We gave the students a few minutes to themselves and then gently, I started my unit. 

It was a disaster.  The kids were unresponsive and completely distracted.  As they should be.  Their world of invincibility had just been rocked.  Honestly, I just wanted to put the books down and let them be.  I knew the group discussions and role plays were not going to happen.  I hit the major parts of the unit and wrapped it up a few minutes early so they could have time to themselves.  I'm not sure who was more relieved to be done--the students or myself?

At that point, the principal, teacher, social worker and I decided to call it quits and reschedule for a later date.  We wanted the day to be as "normal" as possible but they had some serious issues to work through.  The school office was bursting with traumatized students.  Rumors and stories were spreading like wildfire.  It was not the time for Life Skills...or my little pep talk about their potential in life.

Not much is being released right now.  For me, the details don't matter.  Unfortunately, a 14 year old boy lost his life and I can't even fathom what his family and support system is going through right now.  His friends, neighbors, classmates and teammates shouldn't have to experience such a loss.  I hope the students are able to draw on some of the coping methods we talked about this semester. The grieving process isn't easy and things are confusing at their age.  I hope that as the investigation reveals answers or clues, the kids can find peace.  In the meantime, please keep the young man's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Up In Smoke

My brain is fried...I have taught the same two lessons...10 times each...in just four days.  I'm not sure if I even know how to create an original sentence at this point!  All I know to do is hit "repeat" and I'm good to go for the next 50 minutes.

This semester of Life Skills has me spending 95% of my time with 8th Graders...the curriculum for their level does not cover the individual substances as they would already have had that information during the 6th grade instruction.  Instead, we discuss in more detail what drug abuse is, why people use substances and how drug abuse occurs.  If I have to say the word tolerance or dopamine ever again, I may just lose it!

I have always said, I think we're starting Life Skills too late.  Personally, I think we need to start it in the early years of Elementary School and continue with the supplemental lessons as children grow.  I have had some uphill battles getting into classrooms (but I ultimately win considering Life Skills was mandated by the Superintendent!) and I completely realize that teachers' schedules and expectations are already outrageous as they are...However, research and common sense both tell you that when students make good decisions, it reflects in their classroom work/attendance/ability to retain information.  Hello, better assessment scores!!!

One common topic that the students love is marijuana.  Am I surprised?  No!  It is such a socially accepted drug and thanks to the recent legalization debate, they seem to "know" plenty about it!  Maybe the following comments will shed light on why I think we need to start the conversation earlier:

--In front of the class, without hesitation an elementary student recalled making AND consuming marijuana brownies...Did this surprise me?  No.  Am I concerned about this student?  Yes.

--One student asked me:  "What IS marijuana?  Like, I've never even heard the word before."  Were they living under a rock?  I'm not sure.  Is it good to be that naive?  No.  Am I concerned?  Yes.

--Just last week, a student said to me "I know they make cigarettes in a factory--I can't remember where, but they do.  What factories make marijuana?"  Once again, is it good to be so naive?  No.  Does that alarm me?  Yes.

--Yesterday, a student raised his hand and asked "What's the best kind of weed?"  Did I know what he was trying to get at?  Most definately.  My answer?  A very long, drawn out (but not detailed!) explanation about how THC content is determined by the cultivation process which I hoped would bore him to tears.  His hand then went back up and he said, "But you didn't answer my question."  Was he going to stop testing me and/or acquiring information for "personal gain"?  Nope!

--Countless times, I have students tell me that medical marijuana is the best thing ever.  Do they realize that marijuana has over 400 chemicals in it?  No.  Do they realize it contains tar--just like what is used on our roads and causes black lungs?  No.  Do they realize it contains carbon monoxide--a lethal colorless, odorless gas?  No.  Do they know that companies already manufacture pharmaceuticals that contain THC for pain management?  No.

And even crazier--did you know that only a handful of today's 8th Graders know who Cheech & Chong are?!  Whatever happened to the infamous stoners being infamous?!  A few additional students are able to recall the movie "How High" but when you mention the "Harold & Kumar" series, ALL hands go up!  Does this make me feel old?  Yes!

Anyhow, it's amazing to see the spectrum of students and their knowledge bases...Those who are so naive that it puts them at risk...and those who know more than they ever should.  Do I believe that all 800+ of my students will follow the advice of the Life Skills curriculum?  H-E-double hockey sticks no.  BUT I hope that education will give the naive students enough information to make a good decision and for those who are experienced beyond their time, maybe they will think twice about doing something later on.

December 15 & 16

December 15:  Humor.

During Life Skills, we were discussing how to make new friends and one suggestion from the curriculum was to give somebody a compliment.  I had the students give different examples of compliments that they would feel comfortable giving a person...things were going great and one of my more interesting 6th Graders had his hand up.  I called on him and he said in an EXTREMELY serious tone, "Ummmmmm...all of these compliments...they sound just like something you would say to someone if you wanted to make them your boyfriend or girlfriend...and help with furthering the world population."  And then he just started laughing like crazy.  Of course the entire class then became hysterical as well!  I even had to giggle myself because really, who puts it that way?!  If it weren't for humor, life would just suck at times!

December 16:  Techie people.

I am technologically challenged, to say the least.  Last week we ended up bundling our internet service with our existing Direct TV (hello, $55+/mo savings!!!) package and the modem arrived this week.  It would have helped if I remembered that DSL runs through a phone line and not your cable outlet because this meant our wireless router would not automatically work with the new modem.  Several attempts, a call to AT&T and two days later and we have our wireless router switched over...all to the thanks of my sister-in-law's brother!  I'm not kidding--it literally took him 2 seconds to do everything.  His techie abilities definately saved us some time, tons of frustration and the very likely stupid argument about how our other half doesn't know jack about internet stuff...when we have no clue what we're doing ourself!

Pure Innocence

This has been quite a "unique" week with my 6th Graders...we're on the home-stretch of Life Skills and boy, are they disappointed!

It only took a few weeks for them to warm up to me, but it's obvious that the bond is growing.  They're starting to say that they don't want to see me go--and I gently remind them that I'll see them again when they get to 8th Grade...and some even tell me they like me more than their classroom teacher--and I quickly tell them that if they had to put up with me ALL day, they wouldn't think that way!  Especially on those days where I'm constantly splitting up students because my stern "Hey, guys!!!" with the evil eye has ceased to work...

Last Friday, as I was leaving a classroom, one of the more withdrawn boys ran up to me and gave me a HUGE hug before I could get out the door...and then he ran back to his seat.  It was kinda random but soooo sweet at the same time :-)  And I have another student who is constantly trying to establish a power struggle with me come up and give me a big hug in the middle of class yesterday!  I never would have guessed this student had a soft side to them ;-)

Then this past Wednesday, I had a student with a very serious question...I asked what his question was and he wanted to know if I had grown any since the previous week.  Umm, this took me off guard because after a certain age, you stop growing!  Turns out, this week was the first time I had worn a heel around them and since I had on long pants, the students couldn't tell!  Oh, the innocence of thinking a 28-year-old had a sudden growth spurt.

And yesterday--we were doing a writing activity when a student motioned me over to her desk.  I went over, asked what it was and she said she had something for me...oh, really???  She opened her hand and revealed a small, black rock...and she said she made it for me.  Last time I checked, you can't "make" a rock so I asked how she made it.  She quickly directed me to smell the rock--and of course all these horrible things start going through my head.  But the rock smelled like Sprite!!!  Turns out she smeared her Sprite-scented chapstick all over the rock before she gave it to me, thus "making it" for me.  Definately a unique gift, but it was so sweet of her!

At my last class of the day, I had another student ask if I wanted to see something creepy.  One, I don't like creepy stuff and two, what would a 6th Grader consider creepy?!  I said sure and turns out she could do a trick with her eyes...she explained it as, "You know how some people can run really fast?  Well, I can make my eyes move really fast!"  And how is that creepy?!  She showed me her eye trick and honestly, it was freaky!  She had some way of making her eyeballs literally start shaking...I've never seen anything like it before...I just want to know what made her realize she had that kind of ability!

My 6th Graders will be done with Life Skills in late January and then I'll be with mostly 8th Graders during the rest of the school year.  Something tells me the older kids won't be giving me hugs, rocks and showing me their tricks...but they have their own way of bonding.  I have one 8th Grader who knows how "spikey" my hair is from day to day, some of them have "favorite" outfits that I wear and then the boys--they're boys.  I've learned that with their age group, you can't call baseballs, 'balls.'  They go CRAZY!  Especially when I started talking about HITTING the (base)balls...but at least they're comfortable enough around me to laugh hysterically and it reminds me, that they're still a bit innocent themselves!

WHAT A DAY!!!

Is it Friday???  Because it really feels like a Monday...

*Earlier this morning at school, one of our Special Needs students was walking down the hallway and upon seeing me, shouted "Oh my God!!!" and took off running in the other direction.  Ummmm, I'm not sure what I did but apparently I freaked her out.  They called the Vice Principal in case she was having a bad day but once again, I seemed to be the problem!

*Justin went to meet with the Bubble Wash owner b/c their machines scratched the CRAP out of his truck last weekend...I mean 15" long, down-to-the-primer scratches all over his truck and it even took out chunks of paint on the roof.  They're claiming their machines had nothing to do with it.  Really???  B/c it wasn't scratched before we entered the carwash and it threw us off the tracks with the components rubbing his truck...guess we won't be doing business there anymore.

*Today we talked about Alcohol in Life Skills...one of the teacher's brought up the recent case of Brad Murray.  We had just hung out with Brad a few weeks ago so it was devastating to hear the news last Friday...and even more gut-wrenching when we lost him Tuesday evening.  If you're not familiar with the case, check out http://www.themercury.com/news/ and watch the video.  Anyhow, I realize I did some very, very, VERY stupid things during my partying days--but why did this have to happen to Brad?  Please say a prayer for Brad's soul, his family, girlfriend and friends as they go through such a difficult time...Since the teacher brought it up, I used it as an opportunity to discuss what happens to a person's Blood Alcohol Content and the various physical affects of each stage.  Granted, I didn't like thinking about the situation that led us to the conversation but the students were completely engaged with the information.

*My Friday afternoon has me in a classroom that is a bit "rambuctious," to put it lightly.  The teacher gave me a heads' up that ALL three classes at this school had been out of control ALL week long.  Sweet, just what I wanted to hear!  But surprisingly enough, they were on the best behavior of the entire semester :-)

*Since it's nice out, I walked to Ray's for a few supper items.  I came out and couldn't find my car in the parking lot--for Pete's sake, it's a small parking lot!  And then I realized I walked there--yes, it has been one of those days.

*While walking home, I had somebody pull up in their car to tell me they thought I was really pretty....and that they just wanted me to know.  Talk about weird and creepy...But not as creepy when 1/2 a block later I had someone ask to touch my hair.  I totally had an Uncle Jesse from "Full House" moment and really, really did not want them touching it!

*Finally, I came home and had an attorney call to say they're sending me a subpoena for a Nov 5. court hearing...And I totally groaned into the phone.  Might not have been the most professional response but all of our families are pulling me into court!  I hate testifying because I continue to see them around town after court is finished.  Yes, they're the ones who messed up but in their opinions, I'm just trying to make them look bad.  I could spend all day talking about accountability but that can wait for a different blog!  Anyhow, I now have three families with court on Oct 28, Nov 5 and Nov 12--should be a fun two weeks!

With all of that said, it's time to make some jumbalaya for supper!!!  Like they say, "Tomorrow is a new day" and I hope that's true :-)

The Broken Record

This was my first week in the classroom to present the Life Skills curriculum.  Granted, I didn't think we would get started this week b/c I was still in the process of scheduling several schools before we broke for the long Labor Day weekend.  But, those schools are now scheduled so I'm off and running!

This past week I was with just the 6th grade classes--our district has 10 elementary schools and about 18 sixth grade classes.  Come the first of October, I will add the 8th graders to my schedule...but luckily I'll only do 1 eighth grade team this semester and the other 3 teams will be in the Spring.  I haven't done a count to know how many students I have, but I know there's more than we accounted for as I ran out of books within the first two days!

They always say, that when you teach someone, they teach you new things as well.  What have I learned so far?

1.  The kids are completely fascinated with my earrings...and I haven't even worn anything fun/bold yet!

2.  They think I'm tall...if only they could see Justin!

3.  They have NO problem testing boundaries when the teacher steps out for a minute, but they also redirect very well :-)

4.   They seem very eager to learn

And I'm glad to see they're interested in Life Skills.  Really, I am.  This week we focused on Self Image and Self Improvement...by the end of Friday, I was a broken record.  We talked about everything from defining self-image to doing a reflection activity of who we are as a person, to things we want to change about ourselves to setting a goal that will be worked on for the next 15 school weeks.  Next week's topic is about decision making...and not just making GOOD decisions but HOW to make decisions.  To me, that is such a basic part of life but it's also very obvious that many younger children do not know how to make decisions...regardless of how simple or complex that decision is.  Some of them have had every waking minute of their life planned for them--while some have never experienced structure and just float through life as things fall apart around them. 

I'm sure that as the weeks pass, the students will teach me more and more each day.  I've also learned during the past week to wear comfortable shoes!  On Friday, I wore a pair of shoes that I wear all the time and I can walk anywhere in...but by the end of the day  my legs were throbbing, I was exhausted and even after a good night of rest & Tylenol, my legs still hurt all day Saturday.  Apparently the Life Skill necessary for me to learn is how to pick out better footwear!

1 Week Down!

I managed to survive my first full week back at school!  Woo-who!!!

Actually, make that "first week and 2 days"...

Last Thursday, Aug 19 was my first day back.  The morning was spent running around town to find my laptop and calling IT to get logged back on.  That afternoon, we were bussed to the High School for the all-district Welcome Back assembly and this is the best thing that came out of it:

Little boy to his PE teacher: "I can't participate in PE today."
Teacher: "Unless you have a doctor's note, you need to suit up.  But what's going on to keep you from joining us?"

Little Boy: "I have anal glaucoma."

Teacher: "Anal glaucoma???  Can you please explain that to me????"

Little Boy: "Teacher, I just can't see my ass doing anything in PE today."

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can avoid such a condition so that I can continue to get things done!

And that I have!  The school's wireless keeps dropping for approximately 5 hours every day but I'm managing to get Life Skills scheduled with the various 6th & 8th grade teachers.  Come September 7th, I'll finally be in the classrooms!

I had a fairly full plate with CASA this past week--I had several clients to meet with and a few last minute fires to put out.  But who doesn't expect that on a Friday afternoon?!  lol...Next week looks more like a "paperwork" week--ie catching up on all the things I couldn't get done last week because I was meeting with people--and hopefully that remains the case.

The home life managed to survive as well.  Laudry was washed & folded (maybe not completely put away in the closet, though...), lawn mowed, the switch was made to a new cell phone provider, more wedding stuff finalized, property survey completed and casseroles all made up in advance.  On the menu was Chicken & Polenta, Beef Stroganoff, Barbequed Beef & Beans and Shephard's Pie...all but the Shephard's Pie were new attempts and I'm pleased to say they turned out well!

And finally the last thing--the gym.  I did get there twice this week.  Not in the morning like I had hoped, but I still got there...I really wanted to make it 3 or 4 times, but I lost track of time while putting out fires and it was too late to go if I ever wanted to fall asleep that night!  This upcoming week is looking a little bit better though :-)