Backwards Report

I know that today was a busy day because it is after midnight and I am still typing.  I am having trouble remembering exactly where my day went.  Perhaps I should begin backwards….

Oh yes, I went to visit both schools in Tucson.  My original intent was to visit the Saguaro Hills School and stay for their board meeting at 6:30 p.m.  The meeting end around 9 o’clock.  I got home after eleven o’clock. In any case, I ended up stopping by the Desert Valley School in north Tucson before the SHACS board meeting in order to pick up some documents we needed in the office.  While I was there I got to meet the long term substitute teacher that began teaching this school year due to a delivery date for our newly hired teacher that pretty much aligned with the beginning of the contract report day and the beginning of the school year for the school.

The long-term substitute teacher and I had a good conversation.  She shared the struggles of being part of a culture shift in a community she was not acquainted with prior to arriving from the other side of the Mississippi.   It was quite a culture shock for a retired teacher in a homogenous community.  But she has been doing a great job and has brought a different classroom culture that some students are challenging.  Thankfully she is getting parental support.

The new principal was also happy to see me prior to the board meeting at that school next week.  They have serious computer needs that need to be addressed sooner than later.  We will see what we can do.  She is delighted with the substitute but realizes that she will have to begin all over again trying to build a team when the regular teacher returns in early October.

Let’s see…oh yes, I had lunch at home with Penny.  I’m getting used to eating at home with Penny.  It really is nice—quite honestly I do not know how I managed without her.  She makes life more comfortable and pleasant.  I am pretty certain that I will not want to return to the set-up we had for the last couple of years.  She is either going to stay or I am going to leave; either that or a personal visit from God.

The morning was spent trying to catch up on office work, phone calls, and emails at the conference office.  I did not accomplish any of these goals for the day.  I was able to solve a Tax Credit mystery over the phone for a parent in Tucson and make a presentation to the Spanish Pastors who were having a meeting at the conference office.  I also shared a quick plate of Pansit (Filipino noodles), one of my favorite foods, with some Asian-Pacific pastors who were also having a meeting, before rushing out of the conference office for lunch with Penny.

The day began at TCE, greeting parents, trying to learn names, dealing with a minor discipline item that could have gotten out of hand if left unchecked.  I need to learn the names of the TCE students—and oh yes, I also have to confirm the Week of Prayer speaker for TCE.  Week of Prayer begins next Monday.  Good night (230.0)