Parent-Teacher Conferences....

...or how I spent four really boring hours tonight.

That sounds so negative. And I guess I kind of am negative about PTC's. After all, the purpose is for parents and teachers to meet and discuss student progress and behavior. I didn't see a single parent for any of my students.

This year our district cut seven days from the budget. Two of them should have been PTC days, at least in my opinion.

John Wooden Wisdom

For those who don't know, John Wooden was a basketball coach. Perhaps the greatest college basketball coach of all time. He died last June at the age of 99 1/2. Anyone who knows Pac-10 basketball, knows about John Wooden. And today, during the broadcast of the Civil War game (Oregon State vs. Oregon) the following quotation was flashed on the screen.

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” - John Wooden

That idea struck a cord with me. I think it deserves a some more thought.

My First 10K

Today I participated in my first 10K. Notice I didn't say, I ran my first 10K. I'm not a runner. I've heard over and over again from so many people that who love to run about the "high" and the "zone". I've never hit it.

Anyway, a couple months ago my friend Tina proposed that we do the 10K at the Cascade Half Marathon. Today dawned wet (It is January in Oregon) and windy. Luckily, it wasn't really cold. The temp was in the 50's, but that's not exactly balmy due to the wind and the rain. My goal was to finish in under 1 hour and 45 minutes. I'm happy to say that my time was actually 1:37:17. And it wasn't a good experience. Will I do another one? Maybe. ;)

Ali Edwards & Big Picture Classes

So, I mentioned in my first blog post of the year that I had a goal of trying to use some of my scrapbooking stash. Since I've moved here, it's probably quadupled in size, and it's out of control.

And while the stash was growing, my creativity was withering. I had to do something. Last month I ran across Ali Edwards' blog. She's an awesome scrapbook designer who lives right here in Oregon. Her blog led me to Big Picture Classes, which is a site she teaches classes through. So, after some pondering, I've decided to register for a couple classes. And while we've just started, I've got high hopes that they will help to shake me free into greater creativity.

Looking Forward

It's January again. Hard to believe. Every year at this time I think about making resolutions, and decided that this year I would not. Instead, I'm just going to look forward to what comes and go with the flow.

I do have a couple goals, however. The first is to use up some of my stash of scrapbooking supplies. That means I've really got to get creative. My second goal is to really focus on what steps I want to take next in my life. I have some projects in mind. 2011 could be a very interesting year.