BS: Settling in Guam

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 31 Jan 09 - 11:04 PM

Wow, sounds like you have both been busy and going to be even more so come Easter break! Good for you. I am glad the kitties are okay. They do get expensive!

Thanks for keeping us up to date, Brett. I love hearing about your part of the world.

Those newspapers must've really been old! Well, maybe not for New England. Too bad you couldn't get them apart from the wood. Imagine, I lived on the Oregon Trail and have been to a few of those forts.:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Feb 09 - 04:04 AM

I bet they'd changed a bit by the time you got there.

I went into town today to pick up the new lenses for my glasses. When I left the shop my eyesight seemed a bit strange. It didn't take too long to figure out that the prescription was correct for the center of the lenses but nowhere else. I couldn't even shift my eyes to look at a road sign because it was too blurry to read. Back to the shop and back to my old lenses. I demanded my money back and left in a huff. It had taken them two months to make the wrong lenses. I informed them I would not get any more glasses made there.

This is the end of a four day weekend. At the beginning I swore I would work on my school stuff a little each day so I wouldn't end up doing it on the last evening. Guess what I'm procrastinating about doing now.

Better get to work. I have to write two tests and a newsletter.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 04:56 AM

For those of you with a little time on your hands and an interest in reading about a strange new world, try Guahan Magazine. This magazine has been published locally for some time and is now going on-line. This is the magazine that published my article about the canoe club.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 17 Feb 09 - 04:33 PM

On Sunday I took a misstep and felt a pop and a great deal of pain in my left foot. The pain has continued through the days since. Wakana was convinced I had a broken bone in my foot. I refused to believe it... until the doctor read the x-rays. So now I'm on a codeine painkiller and waiting to see the foot doctor. I guess I'll be wearing a cast for a while.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Feb 09 - 11:44 PM

Yep. The cast runs halfway up my calf. At least it's a walking cast. But I think I'm developing a blister or two in there.

Me and the cast for 6 weeks.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 12:02 AM

Ouch! My sister in WY did that last fall. Be sure to get some physical therapy after they let you take the cast off. She didn't and now regrets it as her leg/ankle is still very weak compared to what it was and it is taking her more time to recover than might've been.

Thanks for the magazine link! That's really so interesting. I hope to read some about your music in there! And, all of the other cultural things you are both involved in.

Take it easy, willya?:-)

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 02:02 AM

ouch seconded.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 06:01 PM

I'm planning to have a cast party when it comes off.

On the other hand, I can't wait until the blisters on my left foot form into calluses. They hurt more than the broken bone.

Working in a high school means you are surrounded by teens. And that means they each want to know what happened. AND they don't want to wait until they are in class and you can tell everyone at the same time. I started by explaining what happened to each person who asked. Yesterday I left it at, "I was kicking a student who asked too many questions!"

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 07:34 PM

LOL...print that up on little pieces of paper and hand them out when anyone asks!:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 01 Mar 09 - 01:20 PM

Saturday evening was the 32nd annual Songfest for ND. Each division (Freshmen, Sophomores, etc.) writes a song and practices the hell out of it until they perform it on Songfest night. They choreograph hand gestures and limited dance steps and are judged on various points. Those kids who play intruments make up the band to provide music.

The process includes the entrance song and choreography, the actual song, the exit song, and the song sung before seating themselves in the bleachers. Some years there is no question who is the best. Others, like this year, it's a tough job to make the selection. There are five judges.

The Juniors won this year. They wrote a poignant song about Jerod and how his death brought them together as a class. I cried.

Unfortunately my home room consists of Sophomores so I am a Sophomore advisor. The reason I say this is unfortunate is that I only have one class of Sophomores but I teach ALL the Juniors. I worked with them last year as Sophomores too.

It was a good night. Lots of happy families. I had the chance to see my kids hanging out with the friends they have outside of school. I enjoyed myself.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: curmudgeon
Date: 02 Mar 09 - 06:09 PM

In my last teaching gig, I was both student council and class advsior. Usually it was senior class, but one year I was handling three classes for a while because no one else wanted to take on the unpaid positions.

To a certain degree, I found the advisor's work equal to, or more satisfying than the teaching.

Keep up the grand work you are doing, and the great posts - Tom

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Mar 09 - 03:58 AM

The student counselor has been presenting the juniors with the nuts and bolts of what to do to apply for school and how to pay for it. His presentations are pretty funny and I chime in now and then with my own observations. He is pretty cool. He has a Master's Degree in education and a PhD in law (JD). I think he is retired from law. When not at school he can be found on his boat, trolling.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Mar 09 - 11:04 AM

Tough life, huh?

What Tom said. Please do keep posting. I LOVE learning more about your part of the world and reading your personal observations and experiences.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 05 Mar 09 - 08:45 AM

So after years of frustrating you, these kids are turning into decent human beings after all? Congratulations, Brett. You have accomplished something very good.

Give Wakana my love. We s[eak of her here often. I have the beads and silk scarf you both gave me on display amid the tiny nuns and think of you both often. Come back...

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 05 Mar 09 - 04:46 PM

Hey Sins, you need to plan a triumphant return. We are planning a trip home for Christmas. This should give you plenty of time to prepare!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 02:27 PM

WHOO WHOO! I will get the Evil Sisterhood to work at once. Wakana in the Christmas Tree Shop for the after-Christmas sales!!!
I'll bring a camera.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 05:23 PM

Neat!

Christmas season will be fun!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 09:47 PM

Miss the snow, do ya, Brett?:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 08 Mar 09 - 07:54 PM

NO! I do NOT miss any of the white crap. But Wakana wants to see a Burnham Family Christmas. I can't talk her out of it.

We really suffered this last Saturday. We went out on the carport to drink our morning coffee but it was chilly and rainy. The temp was down to 78 and the wind blew the rain onto our usual places. I had to lean back against my car to enjoy the morning.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 12:00 AM

LOL! Oh you puir things!

A beautiful New England White Christmas is really beautiful, though!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 09 Mar 09 - 10:56 AM

Unfortunately, this year's white Christmas is still dumping the hideous crap on us. hree more inches today.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 10 Mar 09 - 07:56 PM

The day before yesterday I had to go to the doctor about my foot. He took one look at the cast and wondered what I'd been doing to it. The heel was busted out and there were cracks in the fiberglass. The stuffing was dragging along behind me.

He decided he hadn't made the cast strong enough so he beefed up the new one. I'll need a hammer to break this one.

I've started letting the kids sign the cast. When the doctor cuts it off I'll tape it back together and hang it in my room.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Mar 09 - 05:49 PM

How much longer will you have to wear it, Brett?

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Mar 09 - 10:34 AM

How weather and long term casts can have nasty results - you may want to re-think keeping it, Brett.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 19 Mar 09 - 12:52 AM

Wakana bought a bottle of scented rubbing alcohol. Every once in a while we pour a little into the cast. It makes a nice change.

One of my students drew an arrow to where the toes stick out and wrote, "Don't Smell!"

I have been driving myself to work. I take the 'shoe' off and that makes it possible to work the clutch. I put all my stuff in a plastic storage box and bungee cord it to a luggage dolly. I leave it in the lobby and send a couple of kids down to get it. I leave my coffee on the hood of my car and send a kid out to get that too. Kids are useful.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 19 Mar 09 - 05:30 AM

good to see you've finally found a use for your students!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 20 Mar 09 - 12:44 AM

Yeah, they can be a pain but they are good kids at heart... most of them.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 22 Mar 09 - 12:47 AM

The local GATE organization produced High School Musical 2 at the GATE theater. Four of my students were in it. I like to encourage my students to go see live theater so I offer extra credits for their participation. The kids did a great job. There are some great singing voices among the young people on the island.

I asked Gordon's son Anthony to power wash and paint our roof. It is a great way to cut down on the power bills. They'll be out next week to do the work. Elastomeric roof paint is running close to $100 a bucket (5 gallons) and we need over 5 buckets. Expensive job but Anthony needs the work and we need to get it done.

Got to go do laundry and Wakana wants to go to KMart.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 22 Mar 09 - 03:52 PM

Brett-

It's probably a good idea to check the ice-catching hardware on your roof as well. Many's the time we've had a guest or two buried when the snow and ice let loose as they were entering or leaving our house.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 27 Mar 09 - 01:04 AM

Lots o' news. The roof has been power washed and painted. Turns out it was NEVER painted. This should result in much lower electricity usage.

I have graduated from a fiberglass cast to a black plastic boot with lots of buckles.

And I have survived another week with the teens.

This week was rough. On Tuesday they loaded the last straw onto this camel. The result was not nice to look at. They have been yelled at by past teachers and will be in the future but this teacher made a serious effort to explain where the bear walked through the buckwheat.

I explained about a conversation I'd had recently where I told someone that I didn't usually attend IRA meetings because they are geared towards teaching elementary students and, I said, "I don't teach anybody who is that mature!" I explained once again the process for earning respect.

Oops, Gotta go.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 27 Mar 09 - 02:09 PM

Were you wearing the balck boot at the time? LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 12:31 AM

Sigh, I've been doing some thinking. I cannot expect them to learn anything about respect and behavior by treating them nicely and I hate playing the dictator. I need to evolve since they are not capable.

I surprised them this week with the concept of the negative credit slip. I have been giving extra credit slips for good behavior, academic ability, etc. An extra credit slip is worth one point on their quarter grade. This week I did a book check to see who had come to class prepared. I awarded each student without his or her book one negative credit point towards the quarterly grade. I plan to continue with that for poor behavior too. I will not actually take the points from the grade. I will use them to track the citizenship grade we give them.

The mechanics are as follows. Johnny fails to bring in his book. I have him bring me a stamped slip of paper from the box in the back of the room. He writes his name on it, adds a -1, and the note 'book' and hands it to me. I countersign it and he puts in in the bag for his block. This way he has lots of time to consider what he has done. After a few of these I'll have him count them out for me. At report card time I will give him a grade for citizenship based on the negative slips.

Citizenship is the grade we give them based on their attitude, preparedness, proper wearing of the uniform, cleanliness, etc. It ranges from excellent (E), Satisfactory (S), Needs Improvement (N), to Unsatisfactory (U). Two or more (N)s results in a form of probation that could impact participation in sports or other programs. A (U) automatically removes them from all extracurricular programs.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 06:09 AM

This afternoon our principal called to inform me that one of my students and a member of my ACB team drowned while on a church outing at Tarzan Falls yesterday. I think I've cried myself out for the time being but this is the second student we've lost in three months.

Nope, not done crying.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 07:30 PM

Brett-

So sorry to hear that.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: GUEST,winterbright
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 08:51 PM

Brett,
That's truly terrible. So sorry.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 10:37 PM

OH, Brett...that's so sad. My condolences, darlin'. You are doing such a good job with them all...it must be really hard to lose even one, let alone two in such a short time.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

luvyakat

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Ebbie
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 11:07 PM

Ah, Brett. I'm so sorry.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 30 Mar 09 - 05:36 AM

Wakana is hurting too. Alexis was aa member of my ACB team. I used to give him a ride home after practices and sometimes she would be with me. She knew him and respected him for his cheerful personality, bright smile, and quick intelligence.

We had parent teacher conferences today. We started with prayer in the cafeteria. There were very few dry eyes.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 30 Mar 09 - 08:13 AM

I am sorry, Brett. Watch your others like a mother cat. Kids have strange ways of dealing with grief.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Dahlin/Fla
Date: 30 Mar 09 - 05:42 PM

Brett

After 38 years in the world of education I can tell you that even though they are not your flesh and blood the pain of loss is often as severe. I can still remember all of those we lost in an untimely manner.

Try to focus on those you have with you and yes, watch them carefully. Their response to such losses are often poorly thought out.

Most importantly, take care of yourself. You can only help others if you do that.

Dick Dufresne

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Apr 09 - 08:52 AM

Thanks, everyone. It's been tough this week but next week is Easter Break. We'll be off for 9 days. How sweet it will be. Tomorrow is the last day.

Today I went to see the doctor and he demoted me from a walking boot and put me back into a cast. Bummer. Several pounds of fiberglass that I cannot removed without power tools.

The week before last I accidentally nailed the edge of the bathroom vanity with the big toe that stuck out of the cast. I ripped back the toenail pretty bad. When we went to the last doctor visit he pulled off Wakana's makeshift bandage and took a look at it. Wakana asked him to show her what to do with it.

You know the wire cutters an electrician uses? The one they call dikes? He picked up a set of those in stainless steel and started cutting off the toenail while poor Wakana did the Dance of Disgust in the doorway. She said she felt those cutters working on HER toe. I didn't feel any pain only because I was laughing so hard at her!

The toe is pretty ugly now and he says the rest of the nail will go soon but I doesn't hurt very often.

Guess I'll go to bed. I'm tired.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 02 Apr 09 - 09:29 AM

laughter the best medicine!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Apr 09 - 11:17 AM

Brett, I hope in your nine days off you be kind to yourself and take it easy! It does seem to take some time for some things to heal, ya know?!:-)

I cringed when i read about your toe. My Rog was putting a sock on for me after putting lotion on my foot about two weeks ago. As he pulled it up, a snag caught on my big toe nail, but before I could scream out "ouch!" he'd already tugged on it to get the sock the rest of the way on. THEN he heard me because I got my breath back! Ow, ow, ow! It didn't tear off the whole nail, but it did about half, in a vertical way. The short side is just now, finally, growing out, but the whole hurt so badly the first few days. I feel for you!

Take care!:-)

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Apr 09 - 02:48 PM

4:15 AM Went to sleep too early last night. As the school year progresses it seems that I am more and more tired at the end of each week. Now with less than two months to go I come home exhausted and just collapse upon the bed. It doesn't help that my foot is injured.

I went to see the doctor yesterday afternoon. He put a new cast on my leg. No more boot. I've been demoted.

If you appreciate irony you will enjoy this story. Last Monday I was relaxing at home. I was on the bed with my foot elevated, being a good boy, when the phone rang. The bedroom phone was not there so I hobbled my way down the length of the house to get the living room phone. No boot, no crutches.

The voice on the other end of the line was my doctor. He told me he had just looked at the x-rays and that my foot was not healing as well as it should. He told me to come in and he would replace the boot with a cast. And, he told me, "DON'T WALK ON IT WITHOUT THE BOOT!"

I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Amos
Date: 02 Apr 09 - 02:59 PM

IT's not a demotion--you've graduated from Boot Camp! But the graduation was premature. You don't want to spend your life suffering from premature boot, do you?


A

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 02 Apr 09 - 03:35 PM

I'd like to give the cast the boot!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Apr 09 - 12:57 AM

No, no, give the cast an ovation and try for an encore!:-) (You'll feel better in the long run.)

luvya!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: SINSULL
Date: 03 Apr 09 - 08:57 PM

Laugh, Sweetie. No danger of gout, is there? No lobster for you!

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Naemanson
Date: 04 Apr 09 - 09:32 AM

The vacation is here! Today was to be a "dummy" day as in we wouldn't do anything but relax. Then we got hungry and decided to go to Shirley's for lunch. From there we ended up shopping for ant-proof cereal containers and buying $180 worth of groceries and stuff at Cost-U-Less. Returned home worn to the core.

Tomorrow was to be our first day of destruction in the kitchen but we got a call from one of my former students and now we have to clean house for a visit. Hmm, there is a pattern emerging.

Subject: RE: BS: Settling in Guam
From: Charley Noble
Date: 04 Apr 09 - 10:49 AM

Brett-

Destruction in the kitchen? Have we heard about this plan before?

300!

Charley Noble