So, yeah…the whole point of blogging is to do it regularly.  Not, as the case may be with *some* bloggers (ahem) every year or two, but, you know, at least weekly.

I am setting a goal right now to do that.  At least once a week, form my thoughts on education, life, the universe into a coherent (or semi-) whole to post.  Not that I believe others won’t live without insight into my psyche, but because it’s good for me. It’s part of my reflection process, and important.

And, besides, I love blogs (other people’s) and I love writing and thinking, so…there you have it.

Okay, enough meta-process analysis.  Blech.

We’re moving! Yep, that’s the big news here. I have resigned my job at Minneota, I have accepted a position teaching English in points NE (of here) close to Lake Mille Lacs and St. Cloud (and far closer to the Twin Cities and Duluth, both), and we’re moving.

In addition, my 87-year-old father is moving with us, each of us selling our respective homes and combining efforts and living space in a new home, and then also moving my mother, who has Alzheimer’s and is in Memory Care, to a facility closer to us.  It’s all very, very exciting, and very, very nerve-wracking, especially for a person (moi) who hates banks and bureaucracy with a passion that borders on the pathological. I opened my first bank account in years on Friday in our new town (to have a place for automatic deposit of paychecks), and it was a joint savings with my husband so I still don’t have to deal with it if I choose not to.

Baby steps.

As with any major shakeup in life, it’s a time for a person to boil down the ingredients of one’s life and come to some sort of essence; mine is no exception. I have three goals for the next couple of years with all these changes, and they are, in no particular order:

1. Hone my teaching practice; better lessons, better feedback, and better focus.
2. Increase my physical health.
3. Attain financial health.

Part the First:

I think I’m a good teacher, but like anyone who’s good at what they do, there’s room for improvement. Always. Changing districts is an opportune time to learn from past habits and adjust accordingly. I will be teaching different grades, different courses, in a different cultural milieu, and in a school that’s been going through a focusing process of its own because of AYP issues and reorganization. While anyone who’s ever spoken to me for four seconds knows I disagree, vehemently, with the mindset and process of NCLB and AYP, that doesn’t mean that everything that’s done to address it is bad.  I think shakeups are good, in general, on occasion, as long as they’re done for the right reasons and with some sort of common sense and transition between. I’m unsure at this point whether what’s happening at my new school is mostly healthy or mostly unhealthy, but I suspect the former, by a great deal. I have enjoyed the conversations I’ve had with colleagues and administrators thus far, and the overall feeling I get in that building is not despair and oppression and resentment, but good humor and hope and professionalism. I hope I’m right!

The Principal of Curriculum (or it’s a title like that…I’m still learning…) has already given me two books to read over the summer: Improving Student Learning One Teacher at a Time (Jane E. Pollock) and Conscious Classroom Management: Unlocking the Secrets of Great Teaching (Rick Smith). I’m always up to find new and better ways to ply my craft, even if I know I won’t agree with everything (the first is built on the premise that the teacher is the number one factor affecting student learning, but I believe that subsequent research has proven that while the teacher is extremely important, socio-economic status and environmental factors actually have more effect, especially before a child enters school). However, that difference in opinion doesn’t mean squat if I’m trying to be the best, most effective teacher I can be, and I suspect this book will help me a great deal.

I haven’t begun reading the second book as of yet, but I’m interested.  In my nine-plus years of teaching, discipline and classroom control have never, ever been  issues for me, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’m a big believer in the Love & Logic philosophy, but I’m very intrigued by learning other methods and means of having a respectful and fun classroom.  I look forward to learning from this book, as well.  (And I’m sure I’ll be blogging about my reflections on these books in coming days…)

Part the Second:

Ah, health. The last few years have tried to kill me, repeatedly (not always just metaphorically, either). I keep NOT finding the time to try to get healthier, and that’s my first habit to break. I. Will. Find. The. Time.

Moving to a place that is full of trees, including pine and birch (natural blood-pressure relievers for me), and water is going to have an enormous effect on my health, for the positive. This may sound silly to those whose environments aren’t integral to their well-being, but I’m a creature of trees and water. I have never been comfortable on the prairie, and I crave–CRAVE–being surrounded by trees.  I’m not moving to the North Woods (which I would love, but that’s another story…), but I am moving off the prairie. I will be able to see water every day if I choose (Lake Mille Lacs, which is a HUGE lake, plus other smaller lakes and many rivers), and trees are around everywhere.

Additionally, my best friend since seventh grade, Mimi, lives and works in the very area I’m moving to (a twist of fate that will warrant its own blog entry eventually). She is the healthiest person I know, and she has promised to help me find some peace physically and mentally. Already, she’s given me suggestions, and through her I’ve learned that across the road where our intended house (if all goes through) lies is a Natural Healing Center that offers, amongst other things, reasonably-priced acupuncture.  While I’m a science-based, non-homeopathy-believing person, I do believe in a mix of traditional and modern medicine (when there’s science behind it), and acupuncture has been proven (by the Mayo Clinic, no less) to help relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia.  I’ve had a few treatments in the past, and I found this to be true.  I will gladly spend the money to have regular treatments, especially when I don’t have to drive six hours round-trip to receive them!

I am also going to invest in a good treadmill, since this house (hereafter referred to as The Beauty House) has a master bedroom large enough to have both the bed and exercise equipment. Therefore, my morning routine can easily contain a few minutes of watching the news while on a treadmill before my shower.  Considering my contract days will be 7:30-4:30, plus whatever extra meetings and extracurriculars (four-day-week schedule), plus some Mondays, this will be far more attainable to going to a gym. Beauty House also has a whirlpool in the master bath; there can be evening treadmill followed by a soak in the jacuzzi.  Again, this makes for a Happy Karla.

And, intentional living…finding some mindfulness and a less frenzied existence..is a goal, and will also help.  I’m trying yet again to get through Vidyamala Burch’s Living Well with Pain & Illness: The Mindful Way to Free Yourself from Suffering, because I do believe the principles behind it would help me.

Finally, living with my father will bring some order to our household; regular meals made at home. Healthier ingredients. More peace.  Of course, not yet knowing Justin’s schedule (or even where he may be working), this could change, since he’s the cook, but I think it’s a goal we can reach one way or another.  Dad being in the same house will also ease my own stress level immensely; while living together will bring other stressors (he and I are both innately stubborn, intensely private people), I honestly believe they will be far offset by not worrying that he’s fallen, or hurt, or terribly lonely, living on his own miles and miles down the highway from me. And Dad seems quite pleased with this prospect, which is the best part of all. There will be evening games of Buck Euchre and Pinochle; there will be good, healthy meals; there will be a new yard for my Dad to apply his nurturing gardener hands. And it’s a nice, little town, the one we’re choosing to live in, that will be easy for Dad to get around in and, we hope, meet a new friend or two.

Part the Third

The financial health should follow directly from the other changes, mostly.  Combining our households will help us all, not only in covering the basics but in keeping track of things.  My father is an amateur accountant who actually enjoys (yes, I said enjoys) balancing checkbooks, adding up figures, analyzing budgets, and planning for the future.  All of these things Justin and I suck at (but have been getting better, especially Justin). This move will be another chance to start fresh, and that’s a mighty good feeling.

And Dad will be watching over my shoulder, which, despite my advanced age, is likely something I need.

In Summary:

I am very hopeful, very happy, very energized about this move (except for the actual packing and sorting part). I will miss my colleagues and friends here on the prairie, but I’m not moving to Romania or anything (which is what one friend heard when we said where we were going, LOL). I seem to like to shake things up in my life every decade or so; they’ve served me well in the past.  I have every hope that this one will be beneficial, as well.