5 years ago
Monday, September 29, 2008
Week In Review
This last week was actually pretty busy. Remember all those "pre-baby projects" I was asking for. Well, none of them have been done yet. Last week between chiropractor and dentist apointments, (which both went well-and as my nephew Dallin would say, "I don't have any cavity bugs) my sister Jess and I did 20 pints of spagetti sause and 41 quarts of pears. My legs were tired. I also went and saw my nephews soccer game, babysat, watched the presidential debate and attened the general RS broadcast. It was a good week. This week I am going to attempt to make curtains for the baby's room. (decided to use Pres. Uchtdorf's advice to create) I have been feeling well and enjoying life.
Monday, September 22, 2008
The NBCOT
Hey everybody!
Justa note to let you know that I passed my NBCOT exam (national boards for OTs- its kinda like the bar exam for lawyers but they expect us NOT to cheat) and I am officially an OT! All I have left is to get my state license to practice in Utah ( can't get that one until I prove that I passed the NBCOT). I can't tell you how happy I am... It means all my work and studying paid off. I really didn't know if I passed after taking it but I looked online and the status page said "Passed" so I am so happy and relieved. Sarah took me out for ice cream and Jess and Bart made me dinner to celebrate.
Here are some pics of the victory feast at Aggie Ice Cream of Logan- the BEST ice cream in Utah (not better than frozen custard but I would still kill for it).
Justa note to let you know that I passed my NBCOT exam (national boards for OTs- its kinda like the bar exam for lawyers but they expect us NOT to cheat) and I am officially an OT! All I have left is to get my state license to practice in Utah ( can't get that one until I prove that I passed the NBCOT). I can't tell you how happy I am... It means all my work and studying paid off. I really didn't know if I passed after taking it but I looked online and the status page said "Passed" so I am so happy and relieved. Sarah took me out for ice cream and Jess and Bart made me dinner to celebrate.
Here are some pics of the victory feast at Aggie Ice Cream of Logan- the BEST ice cream in Utah (not better than frozen custard but I would still kill for it).
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Painting
I wish I could say we were painting rooms in our house. I am sick of the cream walls of every apartment, but we are still renting and with that comes, no painting of the walls. So instead, I asked Nick to paint a landscape for the kitchen wall. I think it turned out beautiful and seriously every morning when I come in the kitchen for breakfast the colors just brighten me. I feel blessed to have such a talented husband!!
Sorry for the rant of the last post. It has been the most stressful thing to deal with CCSD and has given me a look at "The world" and how untruthful people are. A sad lesson to learn.
We finally got the internet!! Yeah! Now I won't have an excuse to not post. Hopefully I will be good, and not out of the habit.
We finally got the internet!! Yeah! Now I won't have an excuse to not post. Hopefully I will be good, and not out of the habit.
Nick started work 2 weeks ago and is really liking it. He took his NBCOT exam last Saturday and we are waiting on results from that. I have seriously still been trying to organize the house the way I want it. That seems to take up my day. On Monday I had my first doctor apointment here. I am measuring just a week behind, but the baby is growing. We heard her heartbeat-a sound every expectant mother loves to hear. I feel like I am growing so fast too. I am 23 weeks now, but here is my most recent shot at 21 weeks. I feel the baby move several times a day, and now she is kicking hard enough for Nick to feel her more often too.
Last weekend, my mom and sisters all came up and we went to time out for women. It was a great break and spiritual feast. I loved being with my sisters and mom. Mom treated us to Olive Garden for dinner and after the conference we went back for dessert. Thanks Mom and Jess for putting the weekend together for us. Jessie we missed you. (I am holding my new nephew)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Letter to the Editor
I have never been a confrontational person. I would never write a letter just to “stir the water” but my hopes are in sharing my story, others may not be “raped” by Clark County School District as I was. Let me explain. A few years ago after completing a degree in Elem. Education and after teaching for a few years, I was recruited to work for the almighty CCSD. I can remember professors in school recommending it because of its high pay. Taking a leap, I came to Clark County and started working in an elementary school in the southeast region.
Shortly after starting, I realized that the school didn’t run very well as a whole. There were cliques with the administration, back biting by the other teachers, being told not to help each other, as that was unprofessional, lack of training, and the list could go on. There was even a “principal hit list” of teachers that were being driven from the school simply because they weren’t liked by administration, not because of their teaching skills or abilities. What a mess I thought. I soon learned to get on administrations good side, to not be added to that list, and to keep to myself and my classroom.
Last March a person from the district came to a staff meeting to report that CCSD was not able to hire and retain teachers and they were completing a survey to find out why. (They would hire 3000 teachers a year and by January 1000+ would have quit.) I thought of my experience teaching in another state and my experience with Clark County and it was black and white. The funny thing is, it had nothing to do with the children or parents. The students are the same wherever you go. They are willing and excited to learn. They work hard and do their best. No the problem with not being able to retain teachers came from CCSD as a whole, and in my case was even worse because of a cliquish school.
Earlier this year, I had to resign from CCSD due to an at risk pregnancy. I had been ill for several days and had used a few sick days before actually resigning. I knew that I had 15-20 work accumulated sick days that I could use, but was never guided in what I needed to do in order to use those days, as I was technically sick, and I was told simply to resign. I thought that meant I would be paid for those days, and signed my resignation. Not to mention, leaving without a “good luck” or “thanks for the past few years” from my administration.
About a month later, I received a letter from CCSD accounting saying that I owed them money that they had overpaid me. I was shocked! How could I owe them when they owed me for my sick days and even for some after hour professional development workshops I had attended? I literally spent the next 3 months being transferred from payroll, to contracting, to licensed personnel, to the office manager, trying to figure this out, only to be sent a letter from Clark County School Districts legal department saying that legal action was foreboding. I was told all different things, from all different people, but what it came down to was supposedly everything was my fault. From getting pregnant to signing my resignation without properly going over the sick leave information, to getting the wrong advice from the wrong department. It was my entire fault and CCSD did nothing but try and help me. WRONG!
I don’t want a situation like mine to come up again. I feel like my rights were ripped away. I used the word “raped” because I do feel like I was mistreated by people at my school and by CCSD as a whole. I was the one wounded from my time in Clark County School District. I don’t know the answer to all the problems, but I would NEVER return to CCSD and I would NEVER recommend it to any friends, colleagues, or even parents. I know everyone in CCSD hasn’t had an experience like mine, but I do know of several who have. If you are considering a teaching profession, leaving the state of Nevada would be in your best interest. At least until CCSD learns how to treat their teachers as professionals and as the service oriented people we are.
Shortly after starting, I realized that the school didn’t run very well as a whole. There were cliques with the administration, back biting by the other teachers, being told not to help each other, as that was unprofessional, lack of training, and the list could go on. There was even a “principal hit list” of teachers that were being driven from the school simply because they weren’t liked by administration, not because of their teaching skills or abilities. What a mess I thought. I soon learned to get on administrations good side, to not be added to that list, and to keep to myself and my classroom.
Last March a person from the district came to a staff meeting to report that CCSD was not able to hire and retain teachers and they were completing a survey to find out why. (They would hire 3000 teachers a year and by January 1000+ would have quit.) I thought of my experience teaching in another state and my experience with Clark County and it was black and white. The funny thing is, it had nothing to do with the children or parents. The students are the same wherever you go. They are willing and excited to learn. They work hard and do their best. No the problem with not being able to retain teachers came from CCSD as a whole, and in my case was even worse because of a cliquish school.
Earlier this year, I had to resign from CCSD due to an at risk pregnancy. I had been ill for several days and had used a few sick days before actually resigning. I knew that I had 15-20 work accumulated sick days that I could use, but was never guided in what I needed to do in order to use those days, as I was technically sick, and I was told simply to resign. I thought that meant I would be paid for those days, and signed my resignation. Not to mention, leaving without a “good luck” or “thanks for the past few years” from my administration.
About a month later, I received a letter from CCSD accounting saying that I owed them money that they had overpaid me. I was shocked! How could I owe them when they owed me for my sick days and even for some after hour professional development workshops I had attended? I literally spent the next 3 months being transferred from payroll, to contracting, to licensed personnel, to the office manager, trying to figure this out, only to be sent a letter from Clark County School Districts legal department saying that legal action was foreboding. I was told all different things, from all different people, but what it came down to was supposedly everything was my fault. From getting pregnant to signing my resignation without properly going over the sick leave information, to getting the wrong advice from the wrong department. It was my entire fault and CCSD did nothing but try and help me. WRONG!
I don’t want a situation like mine to come up again. I feel like my rights were ripped away. I used the word “raped” because I do feel like I was mistreated by people at my school and by CCSD as a whole. I was the one wounded from my time in Clark County School District. I don’t know the answer to all the problems, but I would NEVER return to CCSD and I would NEVER recommend it to any friends, colleagues, or even parents. I know everyone in CCSD hasn’t had an experience like mine, but I do know of several who have. If you are considering a teaching profession, leaving the state of Nevada would be in your best interest. At least until CCSD learns how to treat their teachers as professionals and as the service oriented people we are.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Happy Birthday Nick
Last week was Nicks birthday. We celebrated by having a steak dinner on the night of his birthday, (3rd) but finished celebrating when his family came to visit this weekend. Nick has been begging for a puppy, and since we can't have pets here, I made him a puppy cake instead.
Just a side note, Nick will be taking the NBCOT this weekend. We would appreciate your thoughts and prayers so he will do well. (NBCOT stands for Nationally Board Certified Occupational Therapist. He has to take this to be nationally certified, and then a test for Utah too. The Utah one isn't until he gets his NBCOT results back.) Good Luck Nicholas!!!!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Good things come to those who wait!
It has been a lot of promising and talk about my Aikido stuff and videos and many have long awaited the day when my skills would be broadcast for all the blogworld to see. Ladies and Gentlemens alike... I now present "AIKIDO and LIFE" by NICK SIDWELL. These pictures and clips are a compilation of pivotal moments when I learned something important to life. In those moments right before the bone crunch and pain, you come to know who you really are and the mysteries of life. Hold on to your Cheerios though, its going to be gruesome at times- just as life can be...
Lesson #1
In this first picture you will see my Sensei, Mindy Imbuido performing a deadly shoulder punch with a chicken-wing arm lock. Very painful and very deadly...
As you can see, being a Ninja... um, I mean learning Aikido is not always easy or all about killing. It is more like marriage- you have to work at it, roll with the punches, and wait for that glorious time when it is your turn to throw, instead of being thrown across the room at a neck-breaking speed.
Lesson #2
You have to be limber and flexible because the guy you think gots your back may only have it long enough to break it. Life has sharp turns and wicked dives into depths you never imagined. You have to be prepared for anything.
Notice the guy in the background though. He was thinking "hey, I am big and tough, I don't need anyone to back me up!" He was wrong- see how blurry his foot got in the photo? That was all they found of that guy, just a blurry foot and half of his whitebelt. Like I said, be ready for anything because you just never know...
Lesson #3
Sometimes you are in a position to do either a lot of good or a lot of bad in the world. Now when I say bad, I mean bad as in beating a guy down. When you see this next picture, you may think, "Wow! Nick is such a great guy ( which might be right), he caught that guy by the arm just before he tripped and fell on his face." The again, if you look hard, it might be more of a life-and death situation with a skillful armbar maneuver that would prevent this guy from ever making fun my Hakama again. (A hakama is the traditional samurai pants. The last guy that called them a "skirt thingy" ended up like Chris here...) I ended up having to let him down easy... and remove his arm from his shoulder socket.
Life sometimes hits you like a punch in the teeth and you have to think really fast. You have to ask yourself, "Do I take it like a man?" or do I save the teeth and turn that punch into something useful. In this case, I chose the latter and turned that punch into a lesson in pain- for the other guy.
Lesson #4
This one is a clip I call the "deadly throw of death... and dying through fatal demise". You might have to watch this a few times. Notice how my hand is open the whole time. I never grabbed the guy, I didn't start the fight or instigate it or make it commense or evenbegin it, but I knew how to end it. They say "all is well that ends well" but I say "as for me and my ninja... er Aikido skills- all is well when you are the only one left standing after being attacked."
I told this guy to let go, he did not. You know, when trying to win friends and influence people, you have read them like a book. If their book says "love me and let me go" you have to do that. If the book says "punch me in the face and spin around and throw me to my death" thou must oblige. This guy's book was not a happy one, it was one of tough love. Don't worry, in the end, we became friends. What doesn't kill you only make you stronger.
Or he that is stronger, may let you be his friend... unless you die.
That's what I have learned so far. Life and Aikido are like two ends of a stick, doing one makes the other better. If you do one the other is influenced and it becomes better. Or, in other words, Aikido makes life more and life makes Aikdo more. However redundantly you say it one has a better outcome with the other one influencing it. When one is good, the other is good too but more so. I guess you could say, it become... better... when it has the other one... bettering it. I hope you get the idea!
I am going to do Aikido here in Logan too so stay tuned for the next chapter of "AIKIDO and LIFE" by NICK SIDWELL. In the mean time, check out this cool site about ninjas...
http://realultimatepower.net/
Lesson #1
In this first picture you will see my Sensei, Mindy Imbuido performing a deadly shoulder punch with a chicken-wing arm lock. Very painful and very deadly...
As you can see, being a Ninja... um, I mean learning Aikido is not always easy or all about killing. It is more like marriage- you have to work at it, roll with the punches, and wait for that glorious time when it is your turn to throw, instead of being thrown across the room at a neck-breaking speed.
Lesson #2
You have to be limber and flexible because the guy you think gots your back may only have it long enough to break it. Life has sharp turns and wicked dives into depths you never imagined. You have to be prepared for anything.
Notice the guy in the background though. He was thinking "hey, I am big and tough, I don't need anyone to back me up!" He was wrong- see how blurry his foot got in the photo? That was all they found of that guy, just a blurry foot and half of his whitebelt. Like I said, be ready for anything because you just never know...
Lesson #3
Sometimes you are in a position to do either a lot of good or a lot of bad in the world. Now when I say bad, I mean bad as in beating a guy down. When you see this next picture, you may think, "Wow! Nick is such a great guy ( which might be right), he caught that guy by the arm just before he tripped and fell on his face." The again, if you look hard, it might be more of a life-and death situation with a skillful armbar maneuver that would prevent this guy from ever making fun my Hakama again. (A hakama is the traditional samurai pants. The last guy that called them a "skirt thingy" ended up like Chris here...) I ended up having to let him down easy... and remove his arm from his shoulder socket.
Life sometimes hits you like a punch in the teeth and you have to think really fast. You have to ask yourself, "Do I take it like a man?" or do I save the teeth and turn that punch into something useful. In this case, I chose the latter and turned that punch into a lesson in pain- for the other guy.
Lesson #4
This one is a clip I call the "deadly throw of death... and dying through fatal demise". You might have to watch this a few times. Notice how my hand is open the whole time. I never grabbed the guy, I didn't start the fight or instigate it or make it commense or evenbegin it, but I knew how to end it. They say "all is well that ends well" but I say "as for me and my ninja... er Aikido skills- all is well when you are the only one left standing after being attacked."
I told this guy to let go, he did not. You know, when trying to win friends and influence people, you have read them like a book. If their book says "love me and let me go" you have to do that. If the book says "punch me in the face and spin around and throw me to my death" thou must oblige. This guy's book was not a happy one, it was one of tough love. Don't worry, in the end, we became friends. What doesn't kill you only make you stronger.
Or he that is stronger, may let you be his friend... unless you die.
That's what I have learned so far. Life and Aikido are like two ends of a stick, doing one makes the other better. If you do one the other is influenced and it becomes better. Or, in other words, Aikido makes life more and life makes Aikdo more. However redundantly you say it one has a better outcome with the other one influencing it. When one is good, the other is good too but more so. I guess you could say, it become... better... when it has the other one... bettering it. I hope you get the idea!
I am going to do Aikido here in Logan too so stay tuned for the next chapter of "AIKIDO and LIFE" by NICK SIDWELL. In the mean time, check out this cool site about ninjas...
http://realultimatepower.net/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)