Thursday, January 21, 2016
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Christmas Was A Little More Merry This Year
This year Christmas was different in 2015. First, it was the first time of spending Christmas at home in Minnesota in about a decade. I don't mind traveling at all, in fact I really enjoy traveling, but traveling at Christmas can really tally up the expenses at time of year when with a higher level of financial requirements. The other main reason being that I took a new job this past fall and I simply don't have the same amount of time off as I once did. That really threw a wrench in things, but it was my choosing when I decided to change jobs.
So, the holidays this year started off with a visit to WWE's Monday Night Raw on Monday, December 21st, 2015. I went with my brother, Chris Savoren, and my cousin, Billy Savoren. It was a lot of fun and I think this tradition will continue as more RAWs come to town.
I, then, was able to take a vacation day in combination with some overage worked from the prior week to go to my mom's house on Wednesday, December 23rd. This was the first Christmas my wife and I attended at my mom's since 2014. Back in early November of this year, shortly after the passing of my late grandfather, people finally came together to sort out some differences. While not all participants were in attendance, the bulk of the issues, at least everything that involved the people in attendance was sorted out. I knew it would come together if people would just make the time to sit down and talk. It really only took about an hour or so to patch up some differences that affected relationships for 13 months. The sad reality with technology of our current era is that everything can get misinterpreted easily and also very quickly. If something is in all CAPS then people think they being yelled at. If someone says one thing, and it is read in a different way from a different viewpoint, then a conflict has started. It is really sad because it can make the world so lonely and conflicted.
This blog did contribute to the issues that occurred this past year within my family. However, I don't regret it and I don't regret it for a couple of reasons. The first being that it brought people together to discuss some very tough issues that have been avoided for over two decades. The second reason is because this blog has allowed me to express my feelings in forum where I was able to do it uninterrupted. Many of the topics that caused the issues, often times were not allowed to be discussed or off the table. Had I not started this blog, all these feelings would've been kept inside still eating at me, which is not healthy.
The lesson here today is that it is okay to sit down and talk about differences. If it is done respectfully and if people keep an open mind, then all viewpoints and opinions can be shared, seen, and heard. I will continue to be honest about my feelings with this blog. I will also continue to do it respectfully. If respect is not maintained, then it is suddenly a behavior. If a behavior is occurring then the reactions of that behavior becomes the focus, instead of the topic at hand.
So, Christmas was a much better version in 2015 than 2014. I reunited with some family, I got to spend a Christmas at home, and some long lasting issues were maybe not totally resolved, but there is a much better understanding on everyone's views.
I love my wife. I love my dogs. I miss and think about my grandma and grandpa everyday since my grandpa, Ellsworth Thomey, passed away in late October. Please watch over me grandma and grandpa.
One last plug. Make sure to check out the Bjorn Jobnson Internet Program podcast as I will be a guest on the podcast in the near future. It was a lot of fun talking with Bjorn and it is a great way to get to know even more about me. If you have an iPhone or iPad, click on the Podcast App, open it, and search the Bjorn Johnson Internet Program. It's easy.
If I didn't get a chance to see you during that holiday season, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I will see you soon.
#merrychristmas
So, the holidays this year started off with a visit to WWE's Monday Night Raw on Monday, December 21st, 2015. I went with my brother, Chris Savoren, and my cousin, Billy Savoren. It was a lot of fun and I think this tradition will continue as more RAWs come to town.
I, then, was able to take a vacation day in combination with some overage worked from the prior week to go to my mom's house on Wednesday, December 23rd. This was the first Christmas my wife and I attended at my mom's since 2014. Back in early November of this year, shortly after the passing of my late grandfather, people finally came together to sort out some differences. While not all participants were in attendance, the bulk of the issues, at least everything that involved the people in attendance was sorted out. I knew it would come together if people would just make the time to sit down and talk. It really only took about an hour or so to patch up some differences that affected relationships for 13 months. The sad reality with technology of our current era is that everything can get misinterpreted easily and also very quickly. If something is in all CAPS then people think they being yelled at. If someone says one thing, and it is read in a different way from a different viewpoint, then a conflict has started. It is really sad because it can make the world so lonely and conflicted.
This blog did contribute to the issues that occurred this past year within my family. However, I don't regret it and I don't regret it for a couple of reasons. The first being that it brought people together to discuss some very tough issues that have been avoided for over two decades. The second reason is because this blog has allowed me to express my feelings in forum where I was able to do it uninterrupted. Many of the topics that caused the issues, often times were not allowed to be discussed or off the table. Had I not started this blog, all these feelings would've been kept inside still eating at me, which is not healthy.
The lesson here today is that it is okay to sit down and talk about differences. If it is done respectfully and if people keep an open mind, then all viewpoints and opinions can be shared, seen, and heard. I will continue to be honest about my feelings with this blog. I will also continue to do it respectfully. If respect is not maintained, then it is suddenly a behavior. If a behavior is occurring then the reactions of that behavior becomes the focus, instead of the topic at hand.
So, Christmas was a much better version in 2015 than 2014. I reunited with some family, I got to spend a Christmas at home, and some long lasting issues were maybe not totally resolved, but there is a much better understanding on everyone's views.
I love my wife. I love my dogs. I miss and think about my grandma and grandpa everyday since my grandpa, Ellsworth Thomey, passed away in late October. Please watch over me grandma and grandpa.
One last plug. Make sure to check out the Bjorn Jobnson Internet Program podcast as I will be a guest on the podcast in the near future. It was a lot of fun talking with Bjorn and it is a great way to get to know even more about me. If you have an iPhone or iPad, click on the Podcast App, open it, and search the Bjorn Johnson Internet Program. It's easy.
If I didn't get a chance to see you during that holiday season, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I will see you soon.
#merrychristmas
Thursday, December 10, 2015
*BREAKING NEWS!* Hey No Child Left Behind Act, Please Let The Door Hit You In The Ass On The Way Out!
Hey everyone, today was a pretty big day in the world of education. While in many cases, it didn't make the top story on the local news in Minnesota, the news was most certainly top story newsworthy. Today, our President Of The United States put an end to the very dysfunctional No Child Left Behind Act that was passed back in 2001.
Many that are not in the education field may not feel like celebrating this change, but those who are educators and parents of students, should be celebrating. You see, lately I have been attending a number of trainings for my new job. My career change will be a focus in the future. The constant message in all of these trainings I have been to recently was two things. Connectivity and Relationships. The idiotic idea of expecting every single child to accomplish the same tasks at the same rate is mind blowing. This is not the way to accomplish educational improvement and it certainly took the enjoyment out of education for the students.
The No Child Left Behind Act that President George W. Bush thought was a foolproof plan, took every ounce of individuality out of education. It really was a disrespect to the services of Special Education and also to even acknowledging that there are different learning styles that exist. Our President at that time thought everyone should be able to listen to a lecture, take a test, and recall the facts to show that our students can remember facts. In the meantime, the life skills that were so vital to education were placed on the back burner almost instantly due to the fact that if the students didn't remember those facts, then the teacher was on the chopping block because those test scores were not acceptable. What a lot stress for the teachers, and even more stress for the students. Many of those life skills programs such as physical education, music and arts, and many more electives were eliminated to put the focus on those core subjects that those famous tests featured so our students could be champions in the game of Memory.
I have worked with many types of students in the past 10 years. I have seen advanced students who are in high school that are reading at or above a college level, and I have seen even more students who were severely behind due to a number of circumstances. I worked with a home school student who entered a public school for the first time in 9th grade and was reading at a first grade level. I have also seen students who suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries due to severe abuse by people who were supposed to love and support them. I have even worked with students who were screwed from the get go by being exposed to harmful illegal drugs, like heroin and meth, when they were still in the womb. But by all means, lets expect everyone to be machines and perform at the same ability level and at the same pace. This is foolish and a bigger recipe for disaster.
I really hope with the elimination of the No Child Left Behind Act that the focus returns to connecting with students and building those relationships. It should be almost guaranteed that the amount of instruction time should increase simply because of the time eliminated on all these exams that focus on recalling facts. Memorizing, not learning.
It has been very apparent throughout the years that the all important value known as respect has vanished in this process of putting the focus on taking tests instead of connecting with students. Respect amongst teachers and students has taken a licking badly, as proven in St. Paul, Minnesota this week, where there have been 28 student assaults on teachers in Ramsey County in the first 14 weeks of this academic school year. This is alarming and I am glad to see the St. Paul School faculty taking a stand for higher measures of security and safety. Safety should always be the number one priority, not money, and not memorizing facts and recalling them on a test.
In closing, I don't know what the future holds for the education system now that the No Child Left Behind Act has finally been put out of its misery. I hope the opportunity is taken to reinstall the life skills back into education along with the already existent core subjects. I think if we educate with the mindset that there are different learning styles, different ability levels, the need to respect the Individual Education Plans, and get back to recognizing individuals and educating them that way, then I think we will see even better and more successful results. I think the students will start enjoying education again and stopping stressing that they have to pass this, that, and every single damn test that is thrown at them from grades 3 to 12 just to get a diploma no matter what their GPA is. If done right, the focus could be helping a student become a well-rounded educated adult that is able to function, contribute, and succeed as a productive member of our society.
I know that choices are the responsibility of the people that make them, and I am a strong advocate for appropriate accountability, and that will never go away and nor should it. However, it may be possible that the elimination of this act, that didn't get the attention it should have today, may end up being a key step in starting to eliminate the violence in schools. Don't get me wrong, there are many other pieces that need to be put into place to address the violence happening in schools, but I would go out on a limb to suggest that lowering the student and teacher stress by reducing the number of these stupid ass exams, is a good first step.
#ripnochildleftbehindact
Many that are not in the education field may not feel like celebrating this change, but those who are educators and parents of students, should be celebrating. You see, lately I have been attending a number of trainings for my new job. My career change will be a focus in the future. The constant message in all of these trainings I have been to recently was two things. Connectivity and Relationships. The idiotic idea of expecting every single child to accomplish the same tasks at the same rate is mind blowing. This is not the way to accomplish educational improvement and it certainly took the enjoyment out of education for the students.
The No Child Left Behind Act that President George W. Bush thought was a foolproof plan, took every ounce of individuality out of education. It really was a disrespect to the services of Special Education and also to even acknowledging that there are different learning styles that exist. Our President at that time thought everyone should be able to listen to a lecture, take a test, and recall the facts to show that our students can remember facts. In the meantime, the life skills that were so vital to education were placed on the back burner almost instantly due to the fact that if the students didn't remember those facts, then the teacher was on the chopping block because those test scores were not acceptable. What a lot stress for the teachers, and even more stress for the students. Many of those life skills programs such as physical education, music and arts, and many more electives were eliminated to put the focus on those core subjects that those famous tests featured so our students could be champions in the game of Memory.
I have worked with many types of students in the past 10 years. I have seen advanced students who are in high school that are reading at or above a college level, and I have seen even more students who were severely behind due to a number of circumstances. I worked with a home school student who entered a public school for the first time in 9th grade and was reading at a first grade level. I have also seen students who suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries due to severe abuse by people who were supposed to love and support them. I have even worked with students who were screwed from the get go by being exposed to harmful illegal drugs, like heroin and meth, when they were still in the womb. But by all means, lets expect everyone to be machines and perform at the same ability level and at the same pace. This is foolish and a bigger recipe for disaster.
I really hope with the elimination of the No Child Left Behind Act that the focus returns to connecting with students and building those relationships. It should be almost guaranteed that the amount of instruction time should increase simply because of the time eliminated on all these exams that focus on recalling facts. Memorizing, not learning.
It has been very apparent throughout the years that the all important value known as respect has vanished in this process of putting the focus on taking tests instead of connecting with students. Respect amongst teachers and students has taken a licking badly, as proven in St. Paul, Minnesota this week, where there have been 28 student assaults on teachers in Ramsey County in the first 14 weeks of this academic school year. This is alarming and I am glad to see the St. Paul School faculty taking a stand for higher measures of security and safety. Safety should always be the number one priority, not money, and not memorizing facts and recalling them on a test.
In closing, I don't know what the future holds for the education system now that the No Child Left Behind Act has finally been put out of its misery. I hope the opportunity is taken to reinstall the life skills back into education along with the already existent core subjects. I think if we educate with the mindset that there are different learning styles, different ability levels, the need to respect the Individual Education Plans, and get back to recognizing individuals and educating them that way, then I think we will see even better and more successful results. I think the students will start enjoying education again and stopping stressing that they have to pass this, that, and every single damn test that is thrown at them from grades 3 to 12 just to get a diploma no matter what their GPA is. If done right, the focus could be helping a student become a well-rounded educated adult that is able to function, contribute, and succeed as a productive member of our society.
I know that choices are the responsibility of the people that make them, and I am a strong advocate for appropriate accountability, and that will never go away and nor should it. However, it may be possible that the elimination of this act, that didn't get the attention it should have today, may end up being a key step in starting to eliminate the violence in schools. Don't get me wrong, there are many other pieces that need to be put into place to address the violence happening in schools, but I would go out on a limb to suggest that lowering the student and teacher stress by reducing the number of these stupid ass exams, is a good first step.
#ripnochildleftbehindact
Sunday, December 6, 2015
The Bjorn Johnson Internet Program
Hey everyone. Long time, no talk. I have no excuse for my recent absence from my blogging, other than I procrastinated on it. Today, I visited with a good friend of mine as I was invited to record an episode on his podcast program. The message from today that stuck with me out of all of our conversations is that Bjorn Johnson reminded me that I should keep writing. He pointed out how he enjoyed getting to know me through my blog writings and how he had seen the improvement in my writing in the short amount of time that I have been blogging.
I really have been impressed with Bjorn. While Bjorn has been dealt with some challenging situations in life, he always looks forward. Bjorn was in a position in his life where he could've truly mailed it in and just went through the motions, but he refused to do that. That my friends is much easier said than done and Bjorn made it look easy, even though I know it wasn't.
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to be a guest on Bjorn's podcast called "The Bjorn Johnson Internet Program." The arranged date for the recording was today and when I visited with Bjorn prior to doing the recording today, he explained to me how recent it was that he didn't know anything about podcasting and how quickly he learned. He and I share the same interests by always being intrigued by wanting to do something on the radio, and he made that happen through the internet.
There was two reasons why I was excited about today. For one, it has been far too long since I have had the opportunity to sit down and visit with Bjorn. Second, I was excited to check out his podcasting studio in his home and it was great. The thing I really respect about Bjorn is that he takes things that are important to other people seriously. It doesn't matter how stupid or ridiculous that it may be, he respects those interests.
So my message here today is that I am back. I am making a pledge to get back to blogging on a regular basis. I feel very motivated today and it was good for me to have a reminder on why I chose to start blogging in the first place, which is to share my stories with myself and also with those who care to know more about me. I will never derail from that reasoning. My goal with my blogging is to be personal and honest as the blogging has been a great sense of healing for me and it has allowed me to put closure on some things that I have been battling internally for up to the past two decades. Yes, I said that correctly, two decades. My intentions will never be to go after anyone or to be disrespectful and my goal is not to stir up controversy. With that being said, sometimes the truth is a little harder to hear and accept.
So, with that pledge of being back, I have had a lot of things go on since I had been last in touch. Some of things that I will be touching on is topics such as my grandfather's passing, my recent decision to end my college courses, and my recent career change just to name a few.
I also will be writing more often on my second blog that I started recently called, "Minnesota Sports Scene." My most recent post on that blog was a tribute to Phil "Flip" Saunders, the Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations. Flip was a great man and lost too soon. I also will be publishing my blog postings from both blogs on both Facebook and Twitter. If you are interested in following me on Twitter, my handle is @SARYCHT.
To close this blog post, my episode of The Bjorn Johnson Internet Program that I recorded today will be available either right before or after Christmas. Make sure to check out the official website of The Bjorn Johnson Internet Program at www.norsestar.net to check out his production company and podcasts. Bjorn also has been doing a family Sundin Farmcast podcast as well that can be checked out. Finally, Bjorn has a link to Amazon on his website, and if you access Amazon through his website, the Norse Star Network (Bjorn's podcast company) will receive a little kickback to help with production costs.
Finally, one of the topics covered on today's show was my collecting of Hot Wheels. It was funny, because after I left Bjorn's house, I went to the local Dollar General in Milaca and found a regular Treasure Hunt car that I had not yet found. The timing of it was appropriate.
Have a great day and week everyone. Please remember that we are all human and can only do things one day at a time. Talk to you soon.
#motivated
I really have been impressed with Bjorn. While Bjorn has been dealt with some challenging situations in life, he always looks forward. Bjorn was in a position in his life where he could've truly mailed it in and just went through the motions, but he refused to do that. That my friends is much easier said than done and Bjorn made it look easy, even though I know it wasn't.
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to be a guest on Bjorn's podcast called "The Bjorn Johnson Internet Program." The arranged date for the recording was today and when I visited with Bjorn prior to doing the recording today, he explained to me how recent it was that he didn't know anything about podcasting and how quickly he learned. He and I share the same interests by always being intrigued by wanting to do something on the radio, and he made that happen through the internet.
There was two reasons why I was excited about today. For one, it has been far too long since I have had the opportunity to sit down and visit with Bjorn. Second, I was excited to check out his podcasting studio in his home and it was great. The thing I really respect about Bjorn is that he takes things that are important to other people seriously. It doesn't matter how stupid or ridiculous that it may be, he respects those interests.
So my message here today is that I am back. I am making a pledge to get back to blogging on a regular basis. I feel very motivated today and it was good for me to have a reminder on why I chose to start blogging in the first place, which is to share my stories with myself and also with those who care to know more about me. I will never derail from that reasoning. My goal with my blogging is to be personal and honest as the blogging has been a great sense of healing for me and it has allowed me to put closure on some things that I have been battling internally for up to the past two decades. Yes, I said that correctly, two decades. My intentions will never be to go after anyone or to be disrespectful and my goal is not to stir up controversy. With that being said, sometimes the truth is a little harder to hear and accept.
So, with that pledge of being back, I have had a lot of things go on since I had been last in touch. Some of things that I will be touching on is topics such as my grandfather's passing, my recent decision to end my college courses, and my recent career change just to name a few.
I also will be writing more often on my second blog that I started recently called, "Minnesota Sports Scene." My most recent post on that blog was a tribute to Phil "Flip" Saunders, the Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations. Flip was a great man and lost too soon. I also will be publishing my blog postings from both blogs on both Facebook and Twitter. If you are interested in following me on Twitter, my handle is @SARYCHT.
To close this blog post, my episode of The Bjorn Johnson Internet Program that I recorded today will be available either right before or after Christmas. Make sure to check out the official website of The Bjorn Johnson Internet Program at www.norsestar.net to check out his production company and podcasts. Bjorn also has been doing a family Sundin Farmcast podcast as well that can be checked out. Finally, Bjorn has a link to Amazon on his website, and if you access Amazon through his website, the Norse Star Network (Bjorn's podcast company) will receive a little kickback to help with production costs.
Finally, one of the topics covered on today's show was my collecting of Hot Wheels. It was funny, because after I left Bjorn's house, I went to the local Dollar General in Milaca and found a regular Treasure Hunt car that I had not yet found. The timing of it was appropriate.
Have a great day and week everyone. Please remember that we are all human and can only do things one day at a time. Talk to you soon.
#motivated
Friday, August 21, 2015
A Little Dose of Reality, A Minor Setback, Keep Looking Ahead
Today is the day that summer does officially end for me as I am returning to my college courses starting today. The real topic of this particular blog post, however, is not about me starting another year of college courses. Today's topic is about my employment. As I have talked about in my last couple of blog posts, I worked this summer for the Brainerd School District with the Fun-N-Friends program. By far the best decision I have made in a very long time. As I have mentioned before as well, my time with Fun-N-Friends is not over. Instead, it is on hold for now.
Recently, I applied for a position with the Brainerd School District as a Behavior Management Specialist. I was granted an interview, which I had this past Monday. I was very excited about this interview and confident that I carried the skill set that would have been necessary to lead to a job offer. Unfortunately, I was not offered the position. There were so many positives that would have come for me by landing that job and that is why I was extremely hopeful on getting it. I am not going to lie here, I was very upset when I received the news that I was not going to get it. This was somewhat of a new situation for me as I have been lucky to have a high level of success when interviewing. I also felt this position that I was going for was kind of that type of position that I had been working hard for many years for. I also was a bit frustrated with myself for not getting the job as I tend to be hard on myself when a goal is not reached. This means that I will be returning to Onamia for the 2015-2016 school year at Mille Lacs Academy School.
Yesterday, I met with the new principal of Mille Lacs Academy School. It was a very good conversation. I was honest about my opportunity that I attempted to get and I also informed her that even though I was disappointed about not getting that opportunity with Brainerd, I was coming into the school year more re-energized than I may have ever been since I began my journey with Mille Lacs Academy School.
The message that I want to send in this blog post is that, despite being knocked down by not getting the position I was hoping for with Brainerd Schools, my summer was still fantastic. I learned a lot about myself this summer. I also met some very good people, and even some great people this summer, which made a permanent positive impact on me. That is something that I will not forget. I also am more healthy after this past summer and that has set my sights on continuing to improve my personal goal of being more healthy and more active. I will continue to pursue opportunities that come my way, and I will continue to help and work at Fun-N-Friends during my breaks and off days from Onamia.
#lookforwardstaypositive
Recently, I applied for a position with the Brainerd School District as a Behavior Management Specialist. I was granted an interview, which I had this past Monday. I was very excited about this interview and confident that I carried the skill set that would have been necessary to lead to a job offer. Unfortunately, I was not offered the position. There were so many positives that would have come for me by landing that job and that is why I was extremely hopeful on getting it. I am not going to lie here, I was very upset when I received the news that I was not going to get it. This was somewhat of a new situation for me as I have been lucky to have a high level of success when interviewing. I also felt this position that I was going for was kind of that type of position that I had been working hard for many years for. I also was a bit frustrated with myself for not getting the job as I tend to be hard on myself when a goal is not reached. This means that I will be returning to Onamia for the 2015-2016 school year at Mille Lacs Academy School.
Yesterday, I met with the new principal of Mille Lacs Academy School. It was a very good conversation. I was honest about my opportunity that I attempted to get and I also informed her that even though I was disappointed about not getting that opportunity with Brainerd, I was coming into the school year more re-energized than I may have ever been since I began my journey with Mille Lacs Academy School.
The message that I want to send in this blog post is that, despite being knocked down by not getting the position I was hoping for with Brainerd Schools, my summer was still fantastic. I learned a lot about myself this summer. I also met some very good people, and even some great people this summer, which made a permanent positive impact on me. That is something that I will not forget. I also am more healthy after this past summer and that has set my sights on continuing to improve my personal goal of being more healthy and more active. I will continue to pursue opportunities that come my way, and I will continue to help and work at Fun-N-Friends during my breaks and off days from Onamia.
#lookforwardstaypositive
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Tour Of The Big City
This summer has kept me busy. I chose to end my school year job on June 15th and start my summer job full-time on June 16th. Everyone at my Onamia school site would question why I am not taking any time off between jobs and there are a couple of answers to that question.
First, I would like to think that I am a hard worker. The other night at a staff meeting I attended for my summer job at Fun-N-Friends, we were asked the question of whether or not we are giving 100% at our job. The question appeared to shock all those in attendance, including me. I wanted to speak up right away and admit that I do give 100 percent when I am at my job, but I also don't want to appear arrogant. So I do work hard and give 100 percent, because quality should be uncompromising.
Second, I didn't take time off in-between jobs because of the fact that I care. Despite Brainerd Schools and Fun-N-Friends being a new summer experience, I care a lot about being accepted by my co-workers, earning respect from the children, and being a strong part of the team. That is how I felt in the beginning of this new adventure back in June, but now that I have been there for two months and know the people that I work with and how connected I feel, my care for the program and the people have gone through the roof.
This summer with my job at Fun-N-Friends, I have been lucky enough to be afforded the opportunity to go on many outings in the Brainerd area. The outings have been a solid contributing reason for the high number of steps on my pedometer. I went to the Brainerd Fire Station twice in one day to pack on miles. I was able to walk children to the Brainerd Public Library once a week for the library's story time. I also was able to go to the Wildlife Safari Zoo that I have not been at before. Today was the second time that our program went to Jack's House for bowling. I also got to be part of an outing that went to the Crow Wing County Fair and also to the movies and pizza lunch at Rafferty's.
As you can see, I have been on a tour of Brainerd this summer. It has been a lot of fun and with some great people. If this summer has taught me anything, or at least reminded me of something, it's that things are so much better when you care.
#summerregionaltour
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Welcome To Fun-N-Friends..
Hello everybody. I was just looking at blogging history and I was disappointed in myself to see that I have not had a blog post since March 21st! That is truly troubling. This past year was a busy year as I made the change from St. Cloud State University to Bemidji State University. Between working, driving, and taking college classes at a clip of at least half-time, it has sucked the oxygen of most of my free time. It gets quite frustrating some days, and seeing that I haven't really had the time to blog since March 21st, it kind of enhances that frustration.
Earlier this year, back in about February, the conversation at my work about the upcoming summer school session came up as it does every year. Right now, I am a paraprofessional, and if you know any paraprofessionals, or any school support staff for that fact, you will see that we are always trying to get as many hours as we can. The reason for this is because being a nine month employee with your main employer really doesn't do much for the idea of getting rich. Anyways, for the past seven or eight summers, I have elected to work our summer school session at the school I work at in Onamia. So, in February, it was decided that our summer school session was going to be different this upcoming summer. The short of it is that instead of all 90 students attending summer school, only about 19 students were going to attend this year. It sounds like a cut, but actually I was one of the individuals who was fully supporting this idea. It truly was going to be a more effective educational experience for the 19 who are attending this summer. With some other logistics going into the decision about working the summer school session this summer, I had decided, in February, that I was not going to work this year's summer school session.
I am not sure if many or anyone was surprised, because I like to work. I like my job that I do and I feel that I am good at what I do. I am not wanting to toot my own horn here, because all of my experiences of working with youth has molded me into the employee that I am today. So, with turning down the option of working the summer school session this summer, I was a temporary free agent so to say.
Despite turning down summer school, I still wanted to work. It was kind of a tough spot to be in. I say this because the school year at my school ended on June 15th. I have a family vacation in the middle of August, and right after that, workshop week for the new school year in the fall is upon us. So I was in a position of trying to find work for nine weeks only, and I kept asking myself, "Who is going to hire someone for nine weeks?" Then it came to me...
I decided to utilize a contact that I have known for a long time and had not yet used. I figured it was kind of a long shot because I didn't know if my contact even remembered who I was, because it has been two decades. My first experience in working directly with youth was in 1995, when I was 17 years old, when I helped co-create Youth Action Force, an organization with a focus of getting youth involved in the community. Youth Action Force - click this link to my blog post about Youth Action Force. In 1997, I took another step in working with youth, this time with younger youth, with the School Age Child Care program at Rockford Schools. I was eager, and I felt very passionate to help others. If you know me, you know this about me. During one of the conferences I attended I met my contact from the Brainerd Schools School Age Child Care program. A couple of years later, when I attended Central Lakes College in Brainerd for a year, I worked the after school program for Brainerd Schools. So with that being said, I decided it was time to make that contact and see if that networking from a long time ago still had any life to it. I am happy to say it did.
I made my decision with making this contact that I was going to be getting back into the School Age Child Care game for the first time in about 11 years (I also had a brief stint with Bemidji's School Age Child Care program). I was ready to do this. My contact got back to me and wanted to meet to see if we could work together to figure something out. We did come to an agreement and being half way through the summer, it has been a great change of pace.
Professionally I felt stuck prior to this summer. I won't lie, part of me wanted to take a break from the same thing that I have been doing for the eight years. Nine weeks is a good break. With my job at the school I work at during the academic school year in Onamia, I have taken on a lot of extra roles and wore a lot of extra hats as the years have gone by. Don't get me wrong, this is my own doing and I don't regret any of it. So I am not whining here or looking for sympathy. Instead, I just wanted to step away from it for a bit, and with being a nine month employee, I could do that.
So after my meeting with my contact in Brainerd, we came to terms on an agreement for me to get back into the School Age Child Care game this summer. The program is called Fun-N-Friends. After agreeing to terms in the middle of May sometime, I started to go to Fun-N-Friends everyday to work for about an hour and half after my work day with Onamia Schools. With college on top of this, I had to be careful with making time for everything including my family.
This summer at Fun-N-Friends has been great, because it has been different. On my first full day with Fun-N-Friends this summer, I was offered the opportunity to be promoted to a Supervisor role. This was unexpected and flattering, and I am glad I have had the opportunity to be a Supervisor this summer. This position has allowed me to work and dust off the leadership skills that have been idle for a very long time. It has been great working the the elementary age level students again. With this new summer opportunity, I have been able to join a new team of staff. Some of whom are doing great things with these children. It is nice to have another professional family as an additional resource and to further develop my networking that has also been idle for a while before this summer. There have been some challenges this summer with my new role, but there also has been a lot of positive, and this was an absolute right decision. I want to be able to be effective and do my part in helping Fun-N-Friends continue to be a high quality program for children. This position also will allow me to be a better employee during the school year at Onamia. I say this because my Fun-N-Friends position has allowed me to have a voice, and I have been using it. If you remember my blog post from back in January about Resolutions for 2015, one of them was speaking up more. I have had an opportunity to do that this summer and I think this will help me become a higher quality employee year round. I also feel re-energized for the upcoming school year. The break from Onamia has been a good one professionally. It feels good to step a way for a while and work with children in a different element. I also have been running my ass of this summer :) I usually walk between six and nine miles a day in one day of work at Fun-N-Friends. The nice thing about this is that I have dropped 26 pounds since the first of April and that is also helping me feel better and re-energized. So, lots of positives this summer.
Now the one remaining question that looms from this decision to make a change for the summer. "What happens with me and Fun-N-Friends when the summer is done?" I won't lie. The program wants me to stay and they have made offers. At this time, I will be returning to Onamia this fall. There are several factors that have gone into this decision. However, that does not mean that my time is done at Fun-N-Friends. I have informed them that I would be more than happy to help them out on full day non-school day events when our school calendars cooperate. I don't want to be done with Fun-N-Friends after the summer, I want to continue to be involved with Fun-N-Friends and the Brainerd School District. I live in the boundaries of the Brainerd School District and it has been refreshing being involved in the community that I live in. So, this is the beginning of my Fun-N-Friends journey and I hope it continues for quite a while.
#sacc
Earlier this year, back in about February, the conversation at my work about the upcoming summer school session came up as it does every year. Right now, I am a paraprofessional, and if you know any paraprofessionals, or any school support staff for that fact, you will see that we are always trying to get as many hours as we can. The reason for this is because being a nine month employee with your main employer really doesn't do much for the idea of getting rich. Anyways, for the past seven or eight summers, I have elected to work our summer school session at the school I work at in Onamia. So, in February, it was decided that our summer school session was going to be different this upcoming summer. The short of it is that instead of all 90 students attending summer school, only about 19 students were going to attend this year. It sounds like a cut, but actually I was one of the individuals who was fully supporting this idea. It truly was going to be a more effective educational experience for the 19 who are attending this summer. With some other logistics going into the decision about working the summer school session this summer, I had decided, in February, that I was not going to work this year's summer school session.
I am not sure if many or anyone was surprised, because I like to work. I like my job that I do and I feel that I am good at what I do. I am not wanting to toot my own horn here, because all of my experiences of working with youth has molded me into the employee that I am today. So, with turning down the option of working the summer school session this summer, I was a temporary free agent so to say.
Despite turning down summer school, I still wanted to work. It was kind of a tough spot to be in. I say this because the school year at my school ended on June 15th. I have a family vacation in the middle of August, and right after that, workshop week for the new school year in the fall is upon us. So I was in a position of trying to find work for nine weeks only, and I kept asking myself, "Who is going to hire someone for nine weeks?" Then it came to me...
I decided to utilize a contact that I have known for a long time and had not yet used. I figured it was kind of a long shot because I didn't know if my contact even remembered who I was, because it has been two decades. My first experience in working directly with youth was in 1995, when I was 17 years old, when I helped co-create Youth Action Force, an organization with a focus of getting youth involved in the community. Youth Action Force - click this link to my blog post about Youth Action Force. In 1997, I took another step in working with youth, this time with younger youth, with the School Age Child Care program at Rockford Schools. I was eager, and I felt very passionate to help others. If you know me, you know this about me. During one of the conferences I attended I met my contact from the Brainerd Schools School Age Child Care program. A couple of years later, when I attended Central Lakes College in Brainerd for a year, I worked the after school program for Brainerd Schools. So with that being said, I decided it was time to make that contact and see if that networking from a long time ago still had any life to it. I am happy to say it did.
I made my decision with making this contact that I was going to be getting back into the School Age Child Care game for the first time in about 11 years (I also had a brief stint with Bemidji's School Age Child Care program). I was ready to do this. My contact got back to me and wanted to meet to see if we could work together to figure something out. We did come to an agreement and being half way through the summer, it has been a great change of pace.
Professionally I felt stuck prior to this summer. I won't lie, part of me wanted to take a break from the same thing that I have been doing for the eight years. Nine weeks is a good break. With my job at the school I work at during the academic school year in Onamia, I have taken on a lot of extra roles and wore a lot of extra hats as the years have gone by. Don't get me wrong, this is my own doing and I don't regret any of it. So I am not whining here or looking for sympathy. Instead, I just wanted to step away from it for a bit, and with being a nine month employee, I could do that.
So after my meeting with my contact in Brainerd, we came to terms on an agreement for me to get back into the School Age Child Care game this summer. The program is called Fun-N-Friends. After agreeing to terms in the middle of May sometime, I started to go to Fun-N-Friends everyday to work for about an hour and half after my work day with Onamia Schools. With college on top of this, I had to be careful with making time for everything including my family.
This summer at Fun-N-Friends has been great, because it has been different. On my first full day with Fun-N-Friends this summer, I was offered the opportunity to be promoted to a Supervisor role. This was unexpected and flattering, and I am glad I have had the opportunity to be a Supervisor this summer. This position has allowed me to work and dust off the leadership skills that have been idle for a very long time. It has been great working the the elementary age level students again. With this new summer opportunity, I have been able to join a new team of staff. Some of whom are doing great things with these children. It is nice to have another professional family as an additional resource and to further develop my networking that has also been idle for a while before this summer. There have been some challenges this summer with my new role, but there also has been a lot of positive, and this was an absolute right decision. I want to be able to be effective and do my part in helping Fun-N-Friends continue to be a high quality program for children. This position also will allow me to be a better employee during the school year at Onamia. I say this because my Fun-N-Friends position has allowed me to have a voice, and I have been using it. If you remember my blog post from back in January about Resolutions for 2015, one of them was speaking up more. I have had an opportunity to do that this summer and I think this will help me become a higher quality employee year round. I also feel re-energized for the upcoming school year. The break from Onamia has been a good one professionally. It feels good to step a way for a while and work with children in a different element. I also have been running my ass of this summer :) I usually walk between six and nine miles a day in one day of work at Fun-N-Friends. The nice thing about this is that I have dropped 26 pounds since the first of April and that is also helping me feel better and re-energized. So, lots of positives this summer.
Now the one remaining question that looms from this decision to make a change for the summer. "What happens with me and Fun-N-Friends when the summer is done?" I won't lie. The program wants me to stay and they have made offers. At this time, I will be returning to Onamia this fall. There are several factors that have gone into this decision. However, that does not mean that my time is done at Fun-N-Friends. I have informed them that I would be more than happy to help them out on full day non-school day events when our school calendars cooperate. I don't want to be done with Fun-N-Friends after the summer, I want to continue to be involved with Fun-N-Friends and the Brainerd School District. I live in the boundaries of the Brainerd School District and it has been refreshing being involved in the community that I live in. So, this is the beginning of my Fun-N-Friends journey and I hope it continues for quite a while.
#sacc
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