It's the little things...

So, in the midst of the hurricane I forgot it was also the full moon... 

maybe I didn't forget... because the weather broadcasters talked about the moon making the tides higher... but I had forgotten about the full moon factor at school... until today.  

C-R-A-Z-Y!!! 

From stolen cell phones, to facebook drama, to more facebook drama, to suicide encouraging graffiti because of sexuality, to facebook drama, to angry students, to parent meetings, to phone calls, to a boy hearing demonic voices in his head telling him to kill people, to possession of tobacco, to boy girl drama, to detention drama... 

It was a crazy day... one of those days where I was like a cat chasing my tail, for no reason... I was so busy today but it felt so non productive... and then in the midst of crazy there are moments of clarity... 

In between the crazy moments today a student showed up at my office.  A student that has become a frequent flyer... not because I call him down, but because he drops in... and in our recent visits we have talked about his grades... specifically one class... in which he is struggling.  He told me that the teacher doesn't explain some of the math things in a way he can understand... and I told him that he should stop by sometime and I would help him... 

He has grinned each time I told him, like yeah sure lady... but today he came in and I asked how he was doing and he said he was doing well... and I thought that was it.  Then he said... so.. I have this problem... and I thought he was talking about personal stuff... but then he said do you have a piece of paper... and when I gave it to him, he proceeded to write down a math problem... and I got to wear my teacher hat... and helped him through it... and he was happy... or seemed happy... that was good...

And then.. later in the day when I was walking to do some investigating about the stolen cell phone... I came across a student who was working quietly kind of off by himself...with permission... and I know of him, from his teachers, but have had little interaction with him... he is a bit of an outsider... instead of a backpack, he carries  a suitcase... not one of the ones with wheels, the old school kind, that looks like it is supposed to be leather or snakeskin or some other weird texture... and somehow he still goes under most radars... so as I walked by him and smiled he returned my smile... and after I walked by he stopped me... and stood up, and thanked me for the candy... 

He's a band kid... competed this past weekend at the marching band competition... I had gone, to see the kids, and because it was their championship and close to Halloween, I had taken a big bag of candy to give them... after the competition I found one of their 'coaches' and told him to please pass it out to the kids for me and to tell them I was proud of them... 

So this kid said thanks for the candy... and we proceeded to chat about the competition... and he said it was nice for me to go to the competition... especially since I had already been to one... 

That was nice.  I want kids to know that I see them... support them... 

As with teaching... it is the small things that make it worth it... and I appreciate those moments... 

A friend recently reminded me that I get very invested in the lives of 'my' kids... that in some ways I put too much weight in whether or not they turn out okay... that I need to realize I can't save them all... 

I get that.  I do.  And I can name some kids for whom, as a teacher, I was ineffective... just didn't click as I would  have liked... and I know now, in this job, the same can be said... but I am working hard to try to connect... and have accepted that sometimes... sometimes I have to be the enemy... 

I sometimes have to be the bad guy and enforce the rules... because that's my job.....

But I also hope, because I do have hope, that being a bad guy somehow motivates them... or gives them a moment to pause... and maybe change direction... I know later, with more experience, given the same situation I may handle things differently... but then again, maybe I won't... 

I know that it is not my job to fix them, fix their lives, and ensure their future... 

But it is my responsibility to help them learn about who they are, to advocate for themselves, to learn how to change their lives, so that they have a choice in their future... 

so that they have a chance.  

So in the midst of the full moon... the chaotic full moon... there are moments when I know, undoubtedly, that this is where I am supposed to be... doing what I am doing... 

one little thing at a time...

Some videos for you too!

Click on the links for some videos of the storm... 

this one makes me laugh because I have no idea what I was saying... 

Click Here to see how windy it was...  

This one is just crazy windy

Click here to see the storm

A woman scorned?

Hurricane Sandy has arrived!

Wow... whichever man that really got Sandy angry must be a real pain in the.... 

She is mad and is not kidding around!  

School did not get out early today... at least in my district, but... I did leave, along with the rest of the staff soon after the kids left.  I drove to the coast which is close to my job... to take some pictures... When I opened my door to get out of my truck, the wind whipped it open...Sandy demanding my attention and respect... 

The wind was CRAZY!  It was really hard to walk against the wind.  I went to the cove area first... here are some shots...

Notice this person on the cliff (not smart, but good for realizing how high they are and how high the water is about to be....)

And the crashing wave!!! 

I then went over to the lighthouse part of the park... wish the raindrops were not on my lens... but you get the idea of the force of those waves...

This wave may be the biggest I have ever seen... nothing to show how big, but wow... made me think how scary the tsunami must have been... 

As I was walking away from the lighthouse the wind really was amazing, pushing me, forcing me to run at times... mother nature is a strong woman... 

Looking at the same cove in the first few pics,  from the other side ...

OK.. so that last picture isn't directly related to the hurricane... but... I have been hearing about this great little bakery that is in the town where I work... and I thought... if I am stranded at home tonight it may be nice to have a snack... and they had these mini cakes... so I said... Ok... it's so pretty, not sure I can eat it!!! 

I do hope people are safe during the storm.  

Pictures...

I haven't posted any pictures in a while... and that's mainly because I haven't been taking many pictures.  

Things have been busy and when they haven't been busy in the last couple of weeks, I have been sick and have been at home when not at work... 

But at the end of last week, I started feeling a bit better... and went for a walk in my neighborhood and took my camera along... 

The sunlight was really beautiful and the leaves that had yet to fall on the ground ... I love where I live... 

As I was walking I heard the geese... this is only part of the string that was crossing the sky... 

A tulip? In the fall? Amazing!

So that was a glimpse at some of the sights around my neighborhood... 

Today, sadly, I put my kayaks in storage, at a friend's house... but before packing them up for the winter I wanted to get another paddle in... (Secretly hoping for maybe another day where I could get it out of storage and get on the water again, but not sure.... but also, with hurricane Sandy coming through, I thought it best to have the kayaks under cover...)  

So here are some pictures from my adventure today.  I intended to be on the water for a couple of hours, but got lost in taking pictures and ended up on the water for three hours.  Take a look: 

Many of the leaves have fallen... 

I saw this hive not far up the river... I had not noticed it earlier this year when on this river... the artistry is amazing... 

A few trees are holding tightly onto their leaves...

Sorry Jill, no naked toes here... 

Yes, this picture may look familiar... it is the same tree I check on each time I kayak here.  And as I did last fall, wished her luck in surviving the winter.  

The colors were interesting today, in some ways kind of drab, but in other ways there were a lot of colors in trip...

This was the closest I got to this heron today, but it was nice to catch a glimpse...

This bird kept circling overhead... I think it was a hawk, but I cannot be sure.  

I tried to get a better picture of this nest, but they did not come out well...

The leaves on the water were cool.  I like the ways they float ad dance on the surface of the water and love the reflections...

I love this river, because there is only one place where there are  houses along the river.  This was posted on one of the trees there... I feel such peace when on the water... 

A few times the wind blew and the leaves fell quickly... looked like a leaf storm!  

As the leaves were falling I kept trying to get some good shots of them... these are the best I got... 

As you can see... the water was covered...

On my paddle back down the river... I was pleasantly surprised to see this little guy enjoying the sun..

Then...not much further down the river, another turtle was also enjoying the sun... I was so happy to see them... 

After kayaking I stored the kayaks... and said good bye to them for the winter... then I got ready and went to a marching band competition for the kids in my school.  

They did great!  As I was there I was thinking about what I would do tonight.  I was invited to a Halloween party... and I kind of wanted to go, but I didn't really have any costume ideas... but then decided that I would go as Little Red Riding Hood... yes, irony at play... and didn't want to spend money on a costume... luckily what I wore got the job done, other people at the party quickly knew who I was... I think it was the basket that helped... 

Anyway... here are some pictures of the moon tonight... and me... yes, pictures of me, which I rarely post.  

Here I am... as Little Red Riding Hood... 

These are a couple of self portraits I took after getting home... 

I am glad I went to the party... I only knew one person there... the hostess... and  I had met her boyfriend a few times... but that was it... and truth is, that, I think, was, more than the possibility of not having a costume, was making me hesitate about going to the party... 

While I can be outgoing... I also can be quiet.. and so tonight I decided to go and mingle... and it was fun.  I got to meet a lot of people... and there was one party guest who caught my eye... he was there with his girlfriend who was best friends with the hostess since high school... I don't know how long they have been dating... but it was the first time he had met her other friends... He and I had good conversation... and he thought he recognized me from somewhere... and as we stood and talked and tried to figure it out... and at one point his girlfriend came into the conversation and felt the need to announce herself as his girlfriend... I enjoyed that.  Eventually we figured out where he had seen me... through coaching track... as we figured that out we talked quite a bit about our backgrounds... he is a teacher and coach... lives about two hours from here... and is quite handsome... 

My mom and dad met at a party... when dad was dating someone else... 

Just sayin'!!! 

HA! 

As I was typing tonight... I heard this quote on tv: 

"The day before your life changes forever...feels just like any other day... "

(-Switched at Birth, ABC Family)

I like that quote... may  have to come back to that soon... 

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!