7 posts tagged “teaching”
Yet another good weekend.
We were amazingly productive this weekend. We blew off a bunch of commitments to get stuff done in our house this weekend and it really shows.
The upstairs is amazingly tidy and ready for company (which is coming tonight!) and the basement is well on its way to being ready for company with kids. Yaaaaaa.
The wine room is pretty much done, the furnace room just needs another coat of paint and some serious tidying and then it’s done too. Yaaaaa.
Michelle had a great time training for her new (paying) job and she’s getting ready for her co-op gig at my employer (which could be weird – I’m always a little nervous when I recommend someone that they actually work out well! And more so when it’s family)
Sherry is taking today completely off. Hopefully she’ll be able to watch a little TV, do some dusting and generally take a hard-labour-free day. Somehow I doubt she’ll be able to do that, but at least there’s nothing taxing planned for the day.
I had a great time teaching PD on Friday! We got there late because of a nasty snow storm and 8 of the 20 people couldn’t make it at all. But those of us who were there had a lot of fun and learned lots!
We had a really nice breakfast with a friend of ours Sunday morning. That was a really pleasant time (although you can tell that he’s lonely – he’s back in the dating scene again, and that’s tough for someone who’s been married in the past – there’s something really comforting about coming home to someone who really cares about how your day’s been).
We’re hosting our second annual Valentine’s Themed Wine and Cheese Party here next week. It was a lot of fun last year and we’re hoping to have a couple of games ready to go to make this one just as much fun!
I’m thankful that I’m trained to present Personality Dimensions. It’s a great topic to teach.
I’m thankful for productive weekends, and I’m really looking forward to using our new space to entertain.
I’m thankful that Michelle’s semester this year should be a great staging ground for her college career (she applied to three colleges this past weekend)
To all my US Friends: Happy Thanksgiving.
Now, I have a challenge for each of you: for the next 21 days I want you to write down, specifically, three things you are thankful for and why.
I assure you that if you do you’ll notice a positive change in your attitude. I’ve been doing it for a month now and find it easier to stay happy and to get happy after something happens. Very cool.
Sherry was given a profit sharing cheque! (Perhaps to make up for the extra week of off-season that she’s been asked to give up? Probably not). It’s not a big cheque (about 10 hours), but it’s a nice little bonus that she can buy herself something nice with.
I’m deep into my most recent project at work and am as happy as a Clam at a Rib Fest. (I’ve been told that you have to take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors. I’ve also been told that to be a truly great communicator you need to master metaphors so I’ve been trying really hard to talk metaphorically as much as possible recently – even though I understand that the clam comment is a simile. Whatever.)
I move from teacher to student tomorrow. Whohoo! Finally – I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to be allowed to teach True Colours. It should be a good time this weekend. (Oh, there’ll be no entry tomorrow since I’m out of town).
I just wrapped up production on a skit that our youth group at church filmed this past weekend. I’m putting it up here for your comments. You have until November 30 (2007) to make suggestions – after that I’ll be burning it to DVD and delivering it.
What do you think?
I’m thankful that I have enough hardware to produce little videos. It’s a lot of fun to videotape skits!
I’m thankful that I go to a church that wants to videotape skits. Remind me to post the Ron Mitton skit here.
I’m thankful that I finally get to learn to teach True Colours. It should be a blast teaching it.
The dog is fine.
She was mad at me for most of the day, but she was fine. Her eye is fine. She has a dark patch around her eye to begin with – Sherry gave her a bath, which perked her right up and she’s fine.
Whew.
Michelle had a Dr appointment yesterday about the acid problem with her stomach. Turns out the ultrasound found that her stomach was out of line with her diaphragm something and something something. So the Dr. said it was fine and something something.
I was listening. Really. I don’t think Michelle did a great job of telling me everything the Dr. said.
Sherry has been asked to stay one more week. That means she’s in to December before she’s done. That’s a little sucky.
We’ve cancelled my Excel classes for the season. Turns out that Christmas time is a bad time to ask people to spend money on training. Bummer. We’ll offer it again in the new year. They’ve also made me retitle the classes.
So, “Managing Workbooks” becomes “Tame the Document Monster, Learn How to Use Workbooks Properly”
I guess I see the point.
I’m thankful that the Dog is OK. I’ll need to try not to overreact at night.
I’m thankful that I don’t have to teach a class of three people tonight. A big room is a lot more fun.
I’m thankful that Sherry has a job to be working late at. It really helps out with the budgets (but I am looking forward to earning enough that she doesn’t have to work anymore).
It seems that my one-hand-in one-hand-out year has added a lot of activity to my schedule.
Yesterday, on top of my usual work routine saw me take time after work to supervise and assist the install and configuration of an Excel ready laptop, my volunteer work, table and chair setup, camera placement and checking, mic placement and testing, note preparation, and finally an hour of Excel teaching.
The teaching part was a lot of fun. We had exactly one paying student and a couple of co-workers sitting in. It was kind of funny – Bernie was there and he’s an Alpha Geek (like me) and didn’t expect to get anything out of the course, but he said he learned a bunch of time saving tricks. For example he used to write macro formulas to do conditional formatting, but last night he saw how to do it in a couple of clicks. Cool.
I videotaped the entire session, so the training should be available for free shortly on YouTube – I’ll let you know if it ever makes it there (there’ll be a TON of labour to prep the video – it may not happen until I have more spare time at work…)
Michelle’s been staying on top of her chore, although she’s complaining about it again (already!) I can’t think of another chore that she would have to do everyday that would make a significant contribution to the family…
Sherry is praying for snow and when you look at the weather forcast for our area it looks like her prayers may be answered:
Yikes!
That line is the daytime HIGH for the day – the white line is the yearly average for this time of year.
Yesterday I read a meme that challenged me to take a photo of my desk and post it here. I challenge you to do the same thing. Don’t clean up! Just take the picture! Do it NOW!
You can’t help but notice the three (count ‘em, three) 20” LCD monitors. The middle one is portrait so that I can have a hundred lines of code on the screen at once. The left one is used for internet searches and to hold the toolbox of my compiler. The right one is email and holds the properties window for my compiler. The middle one is just code. Nothing else – just code. Ahhhhhhhhhh……..
I’m thankful for my monitors – they make my work so much more pleasant. I don’t alt-tab much anymore – all of my windows are pretty much visible all the time. Ahhhhhhh……
I’m thankful for my beautiful split keyboard. It’s so comfy and accurate and it has just the right amount of click at the end so you know you’ve made contact and it’s just so fast.
I’m thankful for my window. It lets in sunlight, it makes me feel contected to the world and when my brain overheats it provides a pleasant distraction just watching the traffic go by.
Ahhhhhhh…… Mmmmmmmm….. just thankful.
Ok, I need to get off this ride for a while.
Prozac levels out emotions. The patient neither experiences the deep lows or the high highs. That sounds attractive this morning.
Three days ago I was ready to strangle Michelle and today I couldn't be more proud.
She came home last night and she said that her marks were strong and that when she really tries at school she's able to acheive. She had the highest average among her friends this midterm (she's usually dead last every time) and for her major Anthro test she had the top mark in the class (which must have been pretty good since it raised her average in the class substantially).
I think she's finally getting it. Results are directly proportional to talent times effort. The classes that she's good in require relatively little effort to do well (but some - zero effort times a ton of talent is still zero). And the classes that she's not naturally talented in require more effort.
*sigh*
She's finally getting it (I think).
Now if we can just convince her that I'm done with stress for the day when I close my bedroom door we'll be all set.
That and perserverence.
I get to teach tonight (and they want me to videotape it - if it goes on YouTube I'll let you know the URL).
I also volunteer tonight - I'm looking forward to that too... there are a lot of cool people there.
My running is going well - I run a full mile in 7:14 now - I'm working toward a 7 minute mile. I weigh 193 on a good day (which still puts me in at overweight on the BMI scale - I'm only 6'2" so 193 is a lot to carry).
I found out yesterday that my True Colours training is a go. The classes are in two weeks and run Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so there'll be no Post on November 25th.
I'm thankful that I can experience the High Highs. The Deep Lows suck, but they don't happen that often and there's no way I'd trade in my highs, so I'll just whine and complain (and be thankful) through the lows and enjoy the highs.
I'm thankful that my family cares. I know too many people who don't have a family who cares (or live too far from their family for it to matter, or don't have family anymore).
I'm thankful that we're able to keep two cars on the road. It seems extravagant when you think about the global picture to keep two cars, but it really makes our lives more convenient. I'm thankful for my mechanic and my brother for being able to find cars that we can afford (we picked up a $200 van yesterday that's in amazing shape for being 15 years old!) Whohoo!
Just another Tuesday.
One of the troubles with blogging every day (well, every weekday) is that sometimes there's really nothing to write about.
We're looking into getting a beater car for the winter. We've found a really affordable Breeze that looks good. It'll be time to make a decision soon.
We've hired a new guy at work - I've known him since I was a teenager and he's a really funny and hard working guy. It should be fun.
Michelle has an appointment at a college on Friday (actually three!) it'll be a busy day and I'm really hoping that she catches the vision.
Sherry is counting the days until she gets laid off for the winter. It's supposed to be cold and rainy all day today, but she has to work anyway.
I'm really looking forward to starting a job that I just quoted on yesterday. It'll be starting soon as long as the client approves the cost.
I had someone ask me when I was going to teach the course that I haven't been trained at yet. The training is supposed to be the end of November, but it's been cancelled before. Hopefully January.
Last night was Alpha. I had a lot of fun serving. Sherry made an amazing Shepherd's Pie (which is appropriate for a course abou The Great Shepherd). There were a ton of complements - and I get to hear them all and pass them on.
I'm thankful that serving is fun. It's amazing when you're doing what you were created to do and I'm very thankful that I have a deep appreciation for where I'm supposed to be going and that the journey is fun.
I'm thankful for hot and cold running water. The water that I drink is healthy and tasty (I have a 5 stage RO unit under my sink to polish it up even more than the city water already is!) I'm thankful that I can take a shower and linger longer than I should and not have to worry about taking water from someone else.
I'm thankful that my family is all so close to me. Both physically and emotionally. I have a buddy that hasn't spoken to any of his family in years - even though his sibling lives close by. I have a good relationship with my brothers and my parents (my aunts and uncles live pretty far away, but I'm ok with that).
Looks like I'll get another chance to teach and learn again this fall. I'll be offering the Excel course at my work this fall - we'll open it up to the general public and charge $200 a seat for the seven week course. We're hoping to get about 15 people interested, so it'll be a nice profit centre.
I'll also get trained as a True Colours trainer. If you don't know what your colour is, you should find out. It's pretty cool. (I'm Green, btw).
Once I'm trained in True Colours I'll be doing my first workshop for Stoke's and then I'm hoping to offer it like the Excel course. I'm amped to be in front of a class again. Maybe training is in my future?
My running is going well. I'm having very little trouble running three miles, but the time isn't coming down very much. Hopefully over the winter I'll be able to trim my time down to 22-23 minutes for three miles and then I'll add a half a mile on again. I think I may be plateauing...
I cut out one leg of my Vader pants last night. Talk about exciting! Of course that's when I realized that I don't have enough pleated material for the other leg. Talk about disappointing! (To make the jacket and pants that Vader wears you take hundreds of 1" strips of leather (well, vinyl in my case - I'm not an Imperial Warlord) and stich them vertically into a sheet of material. Then you cut the pattern out of these stitched strips. Talk about labour!)
Ok, short entry today - it's weekend and I'm behind schedule!
