A New Chapter

For the past few months, I have had rocky experiences regarding my teaching job. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program where I work will be closed at the end of the school year. It is due to downsizing deaf and hard of hearing students in our district. Isn't it pensive sadness ?

Well as of right now, the two programs are up in the air: two schools will combine into one program, and probably will become a magnet school under San Diego County Department of Education. This means there will be more deaf and hard of hearing students in one same school. Students will benefit by interacting and supporting each other inside and outside of classrooms, especially in education. However on the negative side will be the bus transportation for students. I honestly can remember riding on a school bus for an hour. Riding on a bus can be awful but chatting with the peers were AWESOME!

While there are lots of anticipating decisions for next year program for the deaf and hard of hearing program, there are thousands General and Special Education teachers all over California are fighting against another teachers in order to save their job position. Fighting against one of your co-workers can be bitter and miserable.

Frankly too often many teachers would go out and fight against their own co-workers or against the district without thinking unambiguously. I nearly did. But during my Spring Break, I had a chance to sit down and make more rational choices. It was a tough call. As a result, I made a clear message to call and request to drop my case against where I currently work for the district. This would save my bad reputation if I look like I was arrogant or intolerant. More importantly, I don't want to have this kind of pessimistic feelings for the rest of my life.

In order to halt my fighting, I have concluded to my final decision: drop the file cases. I will have to wait for the news about the new Deaf and Hard of Hearing program on May 1st. It all will depend on the seniority by hiring six out of ten teachers. I may be on the nose on getting a job, or out of a teaching job. Either way will be fine with me. Only God will guide me to where I am supposed to be for the next couple of months from now. The best thing I have made the decent decision was letting go against the district and let it guide me to where ever I go.

It's Spring !!!

Spring is my favorite season of the year because we have spring vacation and right after spring vacation we have summer vacation.

When spring comes the weather is much more pleasant, it is too beautiful to see so many beautiful blooming flowers all over California. Not only seeing beautiful flowers out there, I could see many newcomers entering the world: butterflies, ladybugs, birds, bees and many more nature animals.

Spring does give me lots of things to look forward: going out more often, and doing around the house instead of tucking in bed all day. Both Dylan and Ryan did show their wonderful attitudes for the picture.

Spring is my best season of the year.

Mini-Play

Watching your kid in a play is always fun to watch. Ryan's Reading Specialist teacher invited me to watch him participating a mini play. He and his group have been working hard on reading especially on reading comprehension. This is the most important of reading comprehension in order to be able to understand the questions for the test.

Just a day before Ryan's mini play, Ryan came up to me that he loved the book, "If a Mouse Eats a Cookie." I sure was glad he understands that it is a funny book. He also learned that it is a fiction. That is one of the important aspects for the first graders.

He also learned to read the cues when it is time to pick up the "cookies" from the floor. I personally thought it was cute to watch him in a mini- play.

When it was his turn to read, he looked out for the highlight words. The teachers changed the words for his reading level. I thought it was one of the brilliant ideas to promote him to read at a higher level among the reading comprehension.

Wellness Day

Have you ever had an entire school involve a Wellness Day? This includes lots of exercises, eating healthy food, and educating about the healthy food. The students had been taught the food group a week before the big activity day: The Second Annual Wellness Day.

The first thing in the morning, there were two different groups: K-2 and 3-5. My students were involved in a first group, so did Ryan. Even though Dylan is in second group, his combo class (2-3) grade join the second group. Both groups have same activities, but different routines. I saw very little of Dylan through out the day.

Ryan and my students started out Jog-A-Thon for an hour! He indeed ran for an hour. Lots of kids were sweating. While the kids were running around laps, the San Diego News - Channel 6 showed up. I did not expect to be on the news. I was promoting the kids, " Hurry Up, Go!' I wished I said it more positively to other deaf and hard of hearing students. Oh well, at least, the new reporters did not know what I was saying. Then, the principal of the school was explaining the news about the reason of using a Wellness Day.

After the first group finished running for an hour, all of them get a free Fruit popsicle. It certainly helped to cool themselves off. At the same time, it is a rewarding treat. I eventually caught some of my other son, Dylan throughout the day. I did see him getting a healthy lunch pack. In the pack, it includes: peanut butter jelly, rasins, honey crackers, and a pint of milk.

Once we all had our same-time picnic lunch, we started 12 minutes routines. During the routines, there were awesome activities, even Yoga! I wished I joined the Yoga activities, but it was for the older kids. Dylan was one of them. I bet he will have to teach me how. There were fruit smoothies. The superdiedent, who was my former boss, was there to demonstrate the smoothies. He did a good job making us a cup of delicous fruit smoothies.

As I have mentioned there were health education: UV Ray (they used clear bead bracklets to demonstrate what is our current UV Ray), Therapy Dog (Ryan announced that the dog looked like from "Hotel for the Dogs--Groan!" and educating about sugar. I loved that idea. One of the finest student teachers demonstrated students on how much each drink has sugar. It shocked many of us. Wtihout a doubt, I sure will use them in the near future.

A day after the Wellness Day, I asked my four and seven years old students to demonstrate the food group with the plastic food on the floor. They mostly did get the right food group. I sure felt so good that I had taught my students about the Food Group a week before the Wellness Day.

Rolling Down.....

Yesterday, Ryan asked me if we could go to the park. I thought it would be the best after they had helped me pulling some of the front yard weeds, watering the plants and few other chores. Plus, it was a beautiful, cool day.

Doesn't that make you want to go down the hill? I probably would for once.

Off Again

Please bear with me that I will be off blog for a while.

Boys' 1st Pinewood Derby

A month before Pinewood Derby race began, Ryan and Dylan spend two weeks on preparing to make their first Pinewood Derby car. The boys had to make their first decision on how they want to shape of their cars, sanding and painting. The boys had no idea what to expect to decorate their first Derby car. They actually thought painting the plain cars were good enough. Ryan chose only White. It surprised me because he normally likes red or blue. Dylan chose Orange which is typical of him.

It relished David a lot because he once was involved in a Derby raced. He loved the enthusiasm. He had hoped the boys would do the same when the Derby race came.A sudden overtime working before the derby, however, reduced our actual working time to approximately two frantic days on race day. David hacked out the body paint with an okay paint job. Once he finished putting the last minute plastic wheels on Ryan's and Dylan's, I had put the stickers on Ryan's car. That was not a good way to do that-- that's not me who likes to do the last minute. I took it over because I wanted to make my boys feel good about themselves (actually I don't think they did, but at least they learned their valuable lesson.)

While I was busy putting the stickers on Ryan's car, the boys were awed to see the wooden trophies and creative Pinewood Derby. I thought it was pretty cool for them to see all kind of creative cars instead of leaving the plain cars.


Before the Derby race began, Dylan and his pack started off the pledge. It made him feeling good that he had a chance to walk down the aisle. I loved seeing him being pride.

No sweat. It had nothing to do with how the car looked. We arrived at the pack meeting just in time for the weigh-in, took our seats near the track and waited. My son Dylan’s name was called. He and two other boys carefully set their cars in the starting blocks. David and Dylan hearts were pounding. The starter released the gate, and they were off—Sssshoom! Unfortunately, Dylan's car was placed LAST. It devastated Dylan. He took it off to the playground. I know being a good sportsmanship was not easy for him.

Next, Ryan's troop was last because one of the son's father did not finish their son's plain "Hummer," Jeep. He was lucky to act it out in a very short time. Anyway, Ryan was very excited to watch his Derby rushing down the lanes. Though he did not win anything. It did not stop him from having a bad attitude for losing the game.

After the races were over, their were trophies passing out for the first place and championship. Also, the pack voted for the creative, funniest, painting, and (I can't remember fourth ones.) The fifth one was eliminated because it says, "Slowest." The leader cub scout agreed that it was a bad judgment before giving the award out.

Personally, I think both Dylan and Ryan had learned their valuable lesson that it is very important for them to create their car instead just leaving it out on a plain car. So hopefully the boys will have a better motivation for next Pinewood Derby Race.