Troubling Times

Times are really bad in Arizona from an economic standpoint. Our legislature has never been one to believe in education and fund it. Arizona is usually somewhere at the bottom of the states when it comes to per pupil spending. With the current economic crisis, it has even gotten worse. I thought last year at this time was bad, but it is nothing like what we are dealing with right now.

There will be a special election held on May 18th to determine if we can add a 1 cent sales tax to help fund public education. Even with that, we are still in major trouble. However, if it doesn't pass, we will lose so much. When I say we, I mean everyone loses--children, families, teachers, and staff. It is very sad to see so many valued employees and programs that will be gone if it doesn't pass. I HATE THIS FOR MANY REASONS!!

Our legislature decided that they would no longer fund all day kindergarten. All of the districts around ours decided that they would continue to fund it, even at the expense of other programs. What is required of our kindergarteners is unbelievable. Our superintendency and the elementary principals all recommended to our Governing Board that all day kindergarten continue. I was asked to speak for the elementary principals at the Work Study on Tuesday night. I prepared a speech and then sent it to all of my colleagues for input. At the meeting when I went up to speak, 26 of my fellow principals all stood as I spoke to the board--WOW!! I was honored and proud to be representing this group of dedicated professionals.

Here is what I said on Tuesday:

On behalf of the Elementary Principals in the Gilbert School District, I would like to speak to the Board.

It has been my privilege to be an educator in the Gilbert Unified School District for the past 39 years. Over the years, I have seen so many changes in Gilbert that have contributed to making it the finest school district in the state of Arizona. The commitment and dedication of classified staff, teachers, administrators, and Governing Board members as well as the support of our parent community have all been key in making this District what it is today.

I have had the honor of working with many fine people over the years through some very tough times. However, I have never seen nor encountered anything that even compares to what we are facing today in our district and our state. Those of us in the trenches are experiencing this first hand each and every day!

We are being asked to educate children with fewer and fewer resources and more and more stressors in the lives of everyone in our society. The current economic crisis has tied the hands of our Governing Board and Administration in so many ways. We have to be competitive in the “education market” with charter schools as well as other school districts.

I recently had a young man shadow me for a day who works in a very poor district in metropolitan Phoenix. He told me that two school districts that border his district actually send buses to pick up students and bring those student to the neighboring school districts. I did not know that those things occurred and that greatly worries me that some of our surrounding districts that offer full day kindergarten might actually bus our students to their schools. This could have a long-term economic impact on Gilbert.

But that isn’t my biggest concern about our district funding all day kindergarten. My biggest concern is that our children will be forced to play catch up as the enter first grade. What is required in kindergarten today, is not what was required a few years ago. Some of our children who do not have as many opportunities because of family and economic situations are already behind when they start school. Our number of children on free and reduced lunch has grown from approximately 16% in 2007 to 26% today. We absolutely need to give Gilbert students every opportunity to compete in a global market. And, yes, I believe that full day kindergarten is vital to their academic success.

I must say how much I respect and admire my colleagues in the superintendency, as well as the 26 other elementary principals that I work with on a regular basis. Over the past several months, we have had philosophical discussions that have become heated at times. However, the one constant that I have ALWAYS observed is the caring for our children and wanting to do the very best for these children.

Dr. Allison and the superintendency have recommended to the Board that Gilbert Schools fund full day kindergarten. As a group, our elementary principals wholeheartedly endorse this recommendation.

I recognize and respect the agonizing decisions that are going to have to be made over the next month or so by the Governing Board. None will be easy because we are talking about people, not just programs. The Gilbert District will continue to be a place for a “world class education” because of the dedication of our administration and our Governing Board.

Helen Keller said that once she knew only darkness and stillness. Her life was without past or future…but a little word from the fingers of a teacher fell into her hand that clutched the emptiness, and her heart leaped to the rapture of living! This is why 39 years later, I still come to work for the Gilbert School District each and every day and still look forward to making a difference in the life of a child. All of our schools are unique and different and all of my colleagues are out there every day creating a future for the students in the Gilbert School District.

I felt positive that the Board would listen to the people in the trenches and the superintendents who deal with issues every day--was I ever wrong!! Only one member took our recommendation. The other four did not feel that all day kindergarten is worth funding.

I truly believe that this was a very misguided decision. I think it will have long-term economic and academic implications to the students of our district. I am sad that our professional opinions weren't valued.

But more than that, I am sad that so many of the wonderful teachers that I have worked with for many years are being "riffed" (reduction in force). It is devastating!!

I hope all of you readers out there who live in Arizona will vote on May 18th.

AND I DON'T HAVE TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT ON MY BLOG--PLEASE VOTE YES!!!!!!

Check out the video that Becky (one of our principals) put together about kindergarten.

Passing of the Torch, er...Key!!

I have written in previous blogs about our cabin in South Fork of Cave Creek in the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona. It is my favorite spot on earth!! The Chiricahuas are absolutely beautiful. I found the following description on a website about hiking and birding in Arizona.

The largest of the "sky island" mountain ranges in the Coronado National Forest, the Chiricahuas are home to animals and plants found nowhere else in the U.S. The town of Portal is the gateway to world-famous Cave Creek Canyon. Traveling on Hwy 80 toward Portal from Douglas you will pass through rolling grasslands punctuated by the cones of extinct volcanoes; watch for Burrowing Owls and Pronghorns along the highway. As you cruise up Portal Road west from Hwy 80, grasses give way first to thorn scrub then to a variety of evergreen oaks. Some residents in the Portal area welcome visitors to their backyard feeding stations; for information on current opportunities, inquire at the Portal Store in town or the ranger station up the road. Beyond Portal the road passes the U.S. Forest Service ranger station and winds along Cave Creek; watch for Elegant Trogons all along this stretch, particularly where Arizona Sycamores grow close to the road.

Our family, along with two other families, bought the cabin in 1960. I was in sixth grade and the oldest of all of the kids in the three families. We would go up to the mountains every Sunday after church. I have such wonderful memories of our time then. There were a total of 13 kids of all different ages and we all got along so well. We climbed mountains, played in the creek, hiked, played baseball and horseshoes....

This cabin is truly a cabin. We have to haul water from the creek and boil it to do the dishes and wash up. We have a building that houses a generator for electricity. And we have an outhouse.... The Forest Service is requiring that we upgrade the outhouse by the end of 2010.

We have a guest book that has the history of our visits to the cabin. It is amazing to read it now. We have Judy's signature when she was in second grade. It chronicles all of the years and visits that were made and all of the fun times that were had there.

My 13th birthday party was held at the cabin in January. We had a sleep-over, and it was very cold. I am amazed that my mom did this for me!!!

When I was in college, we had some great parties at the cabin with friends from high school. When my kids were little and we spent the summers in Douglas, we spent a lot of time at the cabin.

The cabin sits on Forest Service land that we lease. We have had some concerns over the years as to whether or not the lease would be renewed. Recently, it was renewed until 2028!!!

It has always been in my Aunt Teresa's name with an agreement with the three families. Teresa has been worried about having to take care of things with the cabin and so she decided it was time to "pass the key." During winter break, Judy and I went to meet representatives from the two families to discuss what we would do. One of the families decided that they would not continue because they haven't used it in years. So John and I agreed to take it over.

Teresa sold it to me for $5.00 (I still need to pay her) and I submitted the paperwork to the Forest Service to have the deed transferred to my name. That deed came this past week. Needless to say, I am thrilled!! I look forward to a continued partnership with the Brady Family and know that John and I will make things work as smoothly as our parents did.

I feel so fortunate to be able to be able to use the cabin. It truly is a place to get-away from everything--no phones, no television, no radio...... It is so peaceful.

I know that many of my cousins absolutely love to go to the cabin. And I want Cameron to have the same memories that I have, that his mom and Patrick do. It is a large part of our family history!!

I am anxious to get down there this year. There has been so much rain and snow and I imagine the creek will be running for quite some time and it will be beautiful, as usual!!

Thank you, Mom, Teresa, Johnny, Peggy, George, Dorothy and Paul for making this possible for us!!!!

HEADLINE NEWS: SENSE OF HUMOR MAKING A COMEBACK!!

I just checked my email today and got this one from my cousin, Jean, in California. It is awesome and funny and so VERY TRUE!!! This is dedicated to all of my Irish cousins out there!!!

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN AN IRISH FAMILY

1) You will never play professional basketball.

2) You swear very well.

3) At least one of your cousins is a fireman, cop, bar owner, funeral home owner or holds political office. And you have at least one aunt who is a nun or uncle who's a priest.

4) You think you sing very well.

5) You have no idea how to make a long story short!

6) There isn't a big difference between you losing your temper or killing someone...

7) Many of your childhood meals were boiled. Instant potatoes were a mortal sin.

8) You have never hit your head on a ceiling.

9) You spent a good portion of your childhood kneeling in prayer.

10) You're strangely poetic after a few beers.

11) Some punches directed at you are from legacies of past generations.

12) Many of your sisters and/or cousins are named Mary, Catherine or Eileen .... and there is at least one member of your family with the full name of Mary Catherine Eileen

13) Someone in your family is very generous. It is more than likely you.

14) You may not know the words, but that doesn't stop you from singing..

15) You can't wait for the other guy to stop talking before you start talking.

16) You're not nearly as funny as you think you are ... but what you lack in talent, you make up for in frequency.

17) There wasn't a huge difference between your last wake and your last keg party.

18) You are, or know someone, named Murph.

19) If you don't know Murph then you know Mac. If you don't know Murph or Mac, then you know Sully. Then you probably know McMurphy.

20) You are genetically incapable of keeping a secret.

21) You have Irish Alzheimer's... you forget everything but the grudges!

22) 'Irish Stew' is a euphemism for 'boiled leftovers.'

23) Your skin's ability to tan.... not so much.

24) Childhood remedies for the common cold often included some form of whiskey.

25) There's no leaving a family party without saying goodbye for at least 45 minutes.

26) At this very moment, you have at least two relatives who are not speaking to each other. Not fighting, mind you, just not speaking to each other.

FINDING MY SENSE OF HUMOR!

As I wrote in the previous post, I am trying to find out where my sense of humor has gone. After spending time in deep meditation, I am thinking that it may have taken a short hiatus back to the small town down in southeastern Arizona where I grew up. It is hard to explain what growing up in a small town is like...it was a wonderful experience!!

Last week, one of my teachers who is from Bisbee (24 miles north of Douglas) brought me a copy of "The Bisbee Observer." Her husband wanted me to read an editorial about the Arizona Legislature. The editorial was about the direction our Legislature has been going or more correctly the lack of direction... It was a well-written piece that I absolutely agreed with.

As I turned the pages of this small, weekly newspaper, it brought back so many memories of the newspaper in Douglas. I remember when I was a senior in high school, one of my classmates backed into me in the school parking lot. She was afraid to tell her father and since there was no damage to my Uncle Johnny's camper, I said fine. Well, she went home and told her dad that someone had "hit and run" the car in the school parking lot. Apparently there was a small spot of light blue paint on her car from my uncle's truck. The next day the Douglas Police were waiting for me in the parking lot. The officer asked me to follow him down to the station, which I did--scared to death. When we got down there, I told the story of what had happened. There was a man standing there listening and he turned out to be the father of my classmate. Long story short--the father was embarrassed that his daughter was afraid to tell him and I was "exonerated." That was until the next day when the front page of the newspaper had a story about the accident. Basically it read, after the 100th accident of the year, Sheila was blah, blah, blah. It made it sound as though I had finally been caught after 100 accidents. Obviously, something like this would never happen in a big city!

Then there was the time during the Vietnam War when Timothy Leary came to Cochise County. I will never forget the headlines at the time "HIPPIES INVADE COUNTY!!"

The Bisbee Observer brought back those long ago memories of life in a small town where the pace is oh so much slower. On the back page was the Police Beat for the month of February, 2010. It was amazing to me to find the parallels between a month in Bisbee and a month (or day) at school!!!


Feb. 17 - A red bicycle was found behind the Warren Service Center; A Bisbee man reported items charged to his bank account through the Internet by an unauthorized person.

Feb. 18 - A video camera in a black carrying case was lost at the Lavender Pit overlook.

Feb. 22 - A set of keys found in front of the former Lyric Theater was turned over to the police; A medium black and with dog with no tags was found on Bisbee Road and taken to the shelter.

AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE:

Feb. 21 - Cows were reported in the roadway in McNeil..

There is something to be said about life in rural Arizona. Maybe over spring break, I will take a trip down south and see if my sense of humor is somewhere to be found down there!!! One can only hope............

Cloudy Days

In the two years that I have been writing my blog, I don't think that I have ever gone so long between posts. It has been a combination of writer's block, some kind of bug I couldn't get rid of, and a series of unfortunate events!! In addition, January and February have actually been kind of cloudy months, so maybe I can use that as a bit of an excuse!!!

The series of unfortunate events haven't been horrible and as soon as I get my sense of humor back, I am sure that I will be writing about some of them. Oh yes, I forgot, I have also temporarily lost my sense of humor. If anyone knows where it is, will you please notify me???

The pictures of clouds that I have posted here are not the dark, stormy clouds of winter. I took this picture in September. I am hoping that the cloud that has been following me lately either disappears or begins to look like the one in this picture!!

Anyway, just thought it might be a good idea to post a little something to those of you who may follow my blog from time to time to let you know I am still around............

Musings

Wow! I looked at my blog today and realized I haven't done a post in almost a month. I think that is the longest I have ever gone in the past almost two years.

January was taken up with Teresa and her surgery. My wonderful cousins, Lena, Samantha, Jan, Jean, Tom, Elsa, Dorothy and Elyssa, as well as all of the Phoenix family were absolutely wonderful in helping with her care.

The week after she had her double mastectomy, we had a faculty party. It was partly a celebration for my birthday. When I told this to Teresa, she said that she was going with me and she did. So many people at the party were amazed that anyone, let alone an 87 year old, would be going to a party the week after major surgery!!! But that is what makes her so special.

In addition, I have been battling a stupid sinus infection that really got a hold on me for some reason. It makes me feel a bit bad that it hit me so hard when I see what Teresa has been through! Between that the craziness of some of the things that have been happening at school have caused a bit of "writer's block."

The weekend of January 8th, Teresa, Yaya, Kerri, Cameron and I drove over to San Diego for the graduation from Marine Corp Boot Camp of our cousin, Brendan. I have never been to a ceremony like this and it was quite impressive for many reasons.

Brendan is the son of my cousin, Rosemary, from San Franciso. Over the years, Brendan has visited us many times for different family events. He is a wonderful young man!!

All of his aunts, uncles, and cousins from San Fransciso were there for his graduation. Probably the most poignant moment was after the ceremony was over and all of the family was hugging him. You see, Brendan was in boot camp when our dear Steven was killed in October. He had not seen any of the family during these past few months.

The weekend was wonderful! I am always so happy when we can take Teresa to these family events because they mean so much to her. But even more than that, is the importance of Cameron being a part of the family gatherings!!!

As I have said so many times in the past, we are so fortunate to have such a wonderful extended family. We are truly blessed!!!

Happy 16th Birthday, Kayla!

Today is Kayla's 16th birthday! I told her last night that I wanted to put a birthday greeting on my blog for her birthday.

I asked her if she wants to get her driver's license now, but she said that she is still a bit nervous and wants to wait awhile. I remember when I turned 16 and how much I wanted a driver's license. So good for her to know that she isn't ready!!

Kayla spends a lot of time with us and is always great to have around. She is a lot of help around the house and is willing to do anything to help.

I still remember that day in January when she came into our family!! Happy birthday and we love you!!