tee hee

so what?

How you can tell I am *not* a hardcore biker on the River Trail:

I do not have these: or these: And I DEFINITELY don't have these: And I was passed 3 times by people in their 70s riding these: and I think this:

works as well as that:

And my cars keys/cellphone and ipod? They are stored RIGHT in the sports bra. (I'll spare you a picture of that one).

I may not be the spiffiest or the fastest, but I'll still be out pedaling.

stream...

• Today was in the upper 90s.
• I love it.
• Even though school is not air conditioned.
• It feels like summer.
• And makes me ready for the smell of sunscreen and car rides to the Jersey Shore.
• I got my dress for my sister's wedding today.
• Well, ordered it anyways.
• Here it is.
• It has pockets which I love!
• I'm getting a little bolero jackety thing too to go over it.
• Don't have a heart attack conservative Mormon readers.
• My shoulders will be hidden from the world.
• And I forcefully told the sales woman I would NOT be dying my shoes to match.
• Ick.
• Ick. Ick. Ick.
• The shoes are TBA but rest assured, they will be FABULOUS.
• I cancelled E-harmony again.
• Budget concerns.
• And I'm just sick of it.
• Ready for a break.
• Maybe now that I am on my less hectic summer schedule I will have time for more activities with the singles ward.
• Summer is the best time to go as the ratio swells to about three guys to every girl.
• Although, most of the guys are "bug boys" or "security boys" in town for a month or two doing summer sales.
• And they are all, like, 12.
• I mean, 21.
• (Same difference.)
• They still haven't told me if I will be working ESY (Extended School Year) this summer.
• But hopefully I will. *fingers crossed*
• Easy money, and it's only Monday through Thursday.
• Every Friday off = every Friday at the beach.
• There are only 14 days left of school, so I hope they let me know soon.
• Wait, allow me to let that lovely bit of info stand on it's own.
• THERE ARE ONLY 14 DAYS OF SCHOOL LEFT.
• And three of them are half days!
• Still don't know my assignment yet for next year either.
• Budget cuts have really slowed everything down.
• I do know they are no longer planning to cut special ed jobs though.
• Which is a giant "whew!".
• Random facebook pet peeve: People who "like" their own status.
• It just seems redundant.
• Of course you like what you wrote.

I keep nodding off, so that's all folks.

I am a (small) step closer to crossing off another resolution. My sister got me the above book for Mother's Day and I finished it in several sittings while in Florida. I've heard Mary Ellen Edmunds speak a few times now and I have read many of her talks. She is so fabulous and funny. Her book was uplifting and an easy read. Each chapter was a different topic based on excerpts from talks she has given. Thank you Jenny for such a great read!

Isaac did NOT ask not once but twice who was coming over in response to me vacumming and tidying up. I tried to explain that no one was coming over, I just want the house to be clean, but I'm not sure he is entirely convinced. And while on said cleaning spree I did NOT clean the crumbs and debris off the kitchen counters using the vacuum cleaner. That would be lazy and sort of gross. I did NOT spend half of my grocery budget on the Toy Story 2 DVD for Isaac. That would be ridiculous and excessive and not at all in keeping with my new less-is-more lifestyle. I did NOT let Isaac believe that the tickets I got him to the Reading Phillies (minor league team) were tickets to the actual Phillies. He did NOT see the real Phillies on tv the next day and ask me a million questions about why their uniforms were different. I did NOT go to the outlets with my gf Saturday and convince her to give me free flip flops on the buy one get one free shoe deal at Ann Taylor Loft. What things have you NOT done lately?

It's Fun to Be Hated...

The Pennsylvania pension mess: Teachers will help fix it, but they must be fairly compensated Wednesday, May 19, 2010 By James P. Testerman Recent media reports have given considerable coverage to the expected 2012-2013 increase in school district pension costs and what it could mean for taxpayers. That's fine, but as this public discussion proceeds, we must not overlook how pension policies affect our schools, students and teachers. To find real solutions, we must assess the situation from a broader perspective. The 2001 passage of the controversial No Child Left Behind law redefined expectations. Without getting into the pros and cons of the legislation, it did raise standards for student achievement. So how have we done? The Center for Education Policy has applauded Pennsylvania for recording gains in all academic categories from 2002 through 2008. Pennsylvania eight-graders showed larger gains than their counterparts in 41 other states on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test, and their scores ranked among the highest in the nation. More Pennsylvania students than ever are choosing higher education. If Pennsylvania students were a football team, we'd be celebrating their top rankings. Unfortunately, this good news is rarely reported. While student scores have steadily improved, salaries for school employees have struggled to keep pace with inflation. By at least one measure, educators' average salary has actually fallen. Salary is the biggest component of teacher compensation, and a study by the Economic Policy Institute found Pennsylvania teachers earn 18 percent less on average than other college graduates. So why do school employees keep doing their best without complaining? Teaching is a calling. College graduates choose our profession to help future generations, not because they expect to get rich. School employees anticipate that they will earn a middle-class salary, with good benefits and the promise of a secure retirement. Benefit packages help to keep top-quality educators in the classroom. Even as their salaries have stagnated or declined, Pennsylvania public school employees have been the one group that has continued to contribute money to the pension fund on schedule, consistently paying their share with every paycheck. The state government and school districts have delayed their payments. Over the past decade, school employees have contributed almost twice as much as school districts and the commonwealth combined ($7.35 billion compared to $3.76 billion). And as the districts and the state took their "pension holiday," two historic stock-market downturns depleted the pension fund and contributed to the looming increase in costs required for them to meet their obligations. Think of it this way: You walk into a furniture store and see an offer for "no money down and no interest" for a number of years. You get good use out of your kitchen table for years, but eventually the bill comes due. Same goes for pension costs. Eventually the bill comes due, and the costs will be high. This history matters because the looming increase in pension contribution rates, the so-called pension spike, is based on costs already incurred for which the bill is now coming due, not for benefits to be earned in the future. Approximately 75 percent of the 2012-2013 employer obligation is for pensions already owed to school employees. And the price will be high because the district and the commonwealth put off their installments. Proposals to reduce the level of future benefits, or to switch to alternative, 401(k)-type systems, cannot significantly address the increase in employer contribution rates. They simply would further erode the modest retirement security of working Pennsylvanians whose salaries already have been slipping -- and make it harder for Pennsylvania to keep and attract the high-quality teachers needed to produce further improvements in student achievement. It's appropriate to re-examine pension programs to ensure their long-term health. But the solution should not be a race to the bottom. Policy makers should try to restore the ability of all middle-class workers to achieve a modest, secure retirement. The Pennsylvania State Education Association is committed to working with elected officials to find solutions that recognize these challenging economic times, are fair to taxpayers and public school employees, make the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars and promote high-quality education for Pennsylvania schoolchildren. For this important discussion to begin in earnest, we must first understand the history of the problem, respect those who have worked to improve student achievement and agree to make decisions today that won't hurt Pennsylvania workers in the future. James P. Testerman is a science teacher in the Central York School District and president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (www.psea.org).

I die...

Look what showed up in my work e-mail: Field Study for Educators Peru: The Amazon to the Andes August 9th - 19th, 2010 Designed for teachers, students, and the adventurous, this once in a lifetime experience will immerse you in a study of Peru’s lowland tropical rainforest and its Andean sub-tropical cloud forest. The focus will be on transforming our relationship with the natural world and translating the adventure into meaningful learning experiences for K-12 students. Pre-Departure Workshop: August 7th-8th on the West Chester University Campus Cost: $2,775 + Airfare to Lima (Optional Machu Picchu Extension: Aug 18-21: $600) For credit (optional): Register for EDO420-41/EDO520-41 Summer Session III WCU Outdoor and Place-Based Education (3 credits) Additional required dates for credit: August 2nd-7th (9:00am-5:00pm) in West Chester, PA *Deadline for registration and payment of $500 deposit: May 31st, 2010 More information: Mary Ann Robinson mrobinson@wcupa.edu Dr. Paul Morgan, 610-436-6945 pmorgan@wcupa.edu Itinerary and Registration Forms: Visit http://www.wcupa.edu/aceer/workshops.asp or call 610-738-0477 Sponsors: The Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU)

I've always wanted to go to Machu Picchu. I love how they think you can afford a trip like that on a few weeks notice. We are TEACHERS after all. Maybe next year...