Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Chasing the Ice Cream Truck


As a parent, I think we spend too much time making rules for our kids.  I remember vividly, my dad saying, "You're too old for that!"  That is how we seem to be as a nation.  We can't be the Peter Pan character, so we turn into mean old Captain Hook.

Who can make this repulsive trend turn around?  Maybe we all can, with a little help from our inner child.

Let me ask you a couple of questions to get things started. 

1.  When was the last time you went to the playground to swing?  I get to push kids on swings everyday at my job.  I pull them back and let go with a little push and they are off.  That's all I do.  They giggle and laugh and laugh out loud as their tummy makes that uncomfortable, but pleasurable gentle lift.  It cracks them up and for a small time makes all of the school days problems go away.  When I am stressed out I usually get an aspirin or two and flip the TV on to the Drone channel.  Why don't I go to the park and swing?!

2.  When was the last time you had ice cream.  I don't mean the kind you get, made en mass at the grocery, I'm talking about the individually wrapped kind that you can only find waiting for you on the ice cream truck.  You hear the bells and that familiar jingle, and your kids may make a mention of it.  But why don't you chase that truck?  Remember how good that tasted on a hot summer day?  Remember how it made all the hassles go away?

I think it is up to us as parents to reteach our children on this issue.  When I am 80, would I rather sit around and complain about the old days, or  be seen swinging in the park with ice cream running down my arm?  The choice is easy and obvious.  As for me and my family, we will chase the ice cream truck!

Blessings in a Backpack Update!



Went to a great meeting last night with the people working with Blessings in a Backpack.  Last year they were able to serve 25 students, providing weekend meals for the entire school year.  In less than 9 months, they have increased their goal to serve 100 students!  This is where all of us step in. 

At the meeting last night, we were able to secure commitments from four people who will serve as coordinators at the school level in the Plymouth school district..  These people will pack the backpacks and work with the kids, making sure that the backpacks are returned each week so that they can be filled for the following weekend.  We are still in need of many volunteers, so contact Chris Garner or Ellen Stillson and let them know of your interest in serving this incredible organization locally.

To meet this aggressive goal, we need to continually tell people about this great program.  Once people see the great need this organization meets, people seem to want to help.  You can go directly to Blessingsinabackpack.org, or read my previous blog about the organization on this website.  The great thing, once again, about Blessings, is that ALL of the money raised goes to buying food for the kids.  The backpacks are supplied by the parent organization, so all of your money goes directly to feeding truly hungry kids.  This can mean the difference between a successful elementary school experience, and a very sad story later in life.  Let's go for the successful school experience, huh?

Some of us will be at the annual Plymouth Indiana Blueberry Festival this weekend, collecting donations and spreading the word.  Come by and see us at Jefferson Elementary on Saturday.  Put the word out and let's make that goal of 100 kids a reality by this weekend!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Week Two- My Dogs are Barkin'


We started school last Wednesday in our school district. So including today, that makes four days of school complete, 176 to go. This being the first Monday completed on our schedule, I wanted to take a moment and share something with you all. You know how they say that when you are elected President of the United States, you stop aging at a normal rate. For every year in office the body ages anywhere from 2.5 years to 4 years. This is why President Clinton looked 47 when he took office. and eight short years later he looked closer to 62, than the actual age of 55 years. That's why we pay them the big bucks. You gotta pay to play, and all that.
Well, the same is true of teachers, but for shorter periods. Now, I can't back this up with any solid data, but I believe teachers age this way on the first week of school. Let's just say for the sake of argument, that teachers age in "Dog Years" during the first week of class each year. With the ratio of dog years to human years being 7 to 1, that makes the first week of school(5 days), equal to 35 days, or seven weeks of teaching. If we add that together over a forty year teaching career, we come to an additional...5.4 years of aging!  This would explain why some of our teachers look at bit more "frazzled", let's say, than we think they should by retirement age.

I'm not saying that teaching is like working in the coal mines, or even as stressful as being POTUS, but the first few days back are definitely a transition to a new way of walking, and bending, and stooping...you get the picture. So let's take a few minutes today to remember the unsung hero of the classroom, the Break Even Teacher, and give them a round of applause. Or maybe a massage, or soak their feet, or maybe a free week at the spa!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

2012 Praxis II Business Education Examination Results

As I stated in my last post, the majority of planned activity time for me this summer has been spent studying for the Praxis II exam. Be it known, that on July 21, 2012 at 2:30am Greenwich Mean Time, I sat for the Praxis II Business Education Content test at Concord High School in Elkhart Indiana. After three agonizingly long weeks of awaiting the results, I am happy to tell you… I passed! Can you even believe it! I am so excited I can’t see straight! So after I jump through a few more hoops for the government, I will be licensed to teach High School Business in Indiana. Remember to keep that in mind, all of you who may be in a position in the near future to hire such a person! If you have a position open out of state, I assume I could jump through some hoops in that state and be licensed there as well. Although I have heard that can be a difficult thing sometimes. But if I can do it in Indiana, the world is my oyster! That is all for today, so I will leave you in peace, feeling as excited as a hungry dog in a beef jerky factory. I will remain at my computer, sitting with a smile ear to ear, and hoping beyond all hope, that one of the business teachers in one of the area school systems wins the lottery, moves to Europe, and recommends me to fill their vacant teaching position.

What I did this summer. what did I do this summer?

So, what did I do this summer? Actually, I'm not sure. Let's see, there was my son's graduation from High School, with parties and such. That took a couple of days. I studied for the Praxis test. That took a couple of weeks. We went to the Mall of America. That was a five day trip. We went down to Richmond for the weekend. That was three days. I had a pitch in and meeting at school. That took up half a day. In total, that comes to that comes to 24.5 days. So what did I do with the remaining 49 days? I have no idea!
That's what happens when you do something for a living that you love. It becomes a pleasure and a privilege to be doing it, and the time spent away from it seems less important. Now, I know this is coming off my first year doing this, so many of you think I am in the "honeymoon" stage of this job. You may be right. I will tell you though, that in 30 years of being in the full time workforce, this is the first time this has happened. Better late than never, I guess.
As I stated above, we did have a meeting and pitch in at school last week. It was great to see everybody again. All of teachers were getting their classes in order and a certain excitement was so noticeable. It seems that I am not the only one who has missed the kids this summer. And though I could tell that many of the teachers didn't take the entire summer off, they are just as ready to get back to school as I am. Summer, I bid you farewell. I will notice your absence, but will not long for you as I once did...unless I get to teach summer school!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Congratulations to Amy W! Winner of the Sesame Street Learning Fun 4 Activity Books and 4 CDs

Congratulations to Amy W! She is our first winner at Break Even Teaching! I will be emailing you soon so I can get your prize in the mail!  Thanks so much to all of you that entered, and keep your eyes open for your next chance to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Blessings in a Backpack...Feeding The Future Of America


For most of us, life is pretty good.  Sometimes, especially living in this country, we forget just how good we have it.  I know I have been blessed by the fact that I have never really experienced hunger.  Sure, we all say things like, “Man, I’m starving!”  Most of us, thankfully, will never really have to know how that feels.  But for some of the families in our own communities, this is a reality.  Today I want to talk to you about a charity that my wife and I love and support, and that truly addresses this problem.  It is called, Blessings in a Backpack.


I will admit that I have only known about this organization for a short time, but they have been helping kids in local communities since 2006.  They are currently feeding over 55,000 children in 318 schools in 37 US states and three countries. This is what they do and how they do it.  Blessings in a Backpack provides a backpack for elementary school children whose families qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Price Meal Program.  Each Friday, the backpack is filled with enough food for two breakfasts, two lunches, and snacks for the weekend.  On Monday, the students bring the empty backpack to school and on Friday it will be filled for them again.


The thing that really appeals to me about this group is the way they are organized.  They are a 501C(3) non-profit organization, which means that when you make a donation it is also tax deductible.  When you donate money for a child though, the money goes directly to buying the food for the child, in the community that you choose.  The cost of the backpack is part of what the parent organization provides.  So, your donation is transferred to a debit card that the local organization uses to buy food for the kids in your community from the stores in your community.


This organization was brought to our community by two wonderful women, Ellen Stillson and Chris Garner.  They started last fall at one elementary school in Plymouth Indiana, striving to meet the needs of 25 children.  This year they expanded that to cover all four elementary schools and their goal is to feed 25 students at EACH school!  This all in the span of less than a year!  Great things are happening with this program in our community and I hope you will help spread the word.


If you want to donate and sponsor food for a child, you can send a check, made out to Blessings in a Backpack, to Chris Garner, 12954 6th Road, Plymouth, Indiana  46563.  Please include your name and address if it is not on the check so that they can send you a tax receipt and a thank you.  Also, be sure to let them know which school you would like the money to go toward.  If you are out of this area and you would like to donate, go to Blessingsinabackpack.org, for more information.


Believe it or not, $80 will provide enough food for a child for an entire school year of weekends!  This year my wife and I could only afford to provide enough for one child.  Hopefully next year we can up our donation and begin to help more children, but we had to start somewhere.  I challenge you all to do the same.