Running, running in the... running pool?

When days are hot, when days are cold...

I've been on summer "vacation" for ten days now. In that time I've found a summer job and worked about 20 hours, committed myself to training for this marathon and run 20.5 miles (in 5 workouts), read 4 books, and managed to sleep a solid 10 hours every day : )

Yesterday before my run I went to the library, love the library, got a few new books. I blew through 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny yesterday. It's a really cute book written by a man who has taught 3rd grade for twenty years. It sounds so fun, teaching times tables and state capitals, having silent reading time, art projects and recess.

Now I'm reading Ultra Marathon Man, Dean Karanazes first book. I like it a lot more than his other book because it talks more about the struggles of becoming an runner, and some his early failures.

Here is a marathon training schedule. This is similar to the one I used to train for the half marathon. I have 24 weeks to train Here's how I'm doing so far:

Today 6 miles - 13:15 min miles (I walked a lot)
Yesterday 3.5 miles - 12:50 min miles
Friday 5 miles - 11:30 min miles

So I'm getting slower?

Should I focus more on speed or distance?
Should I drink water or Gatorade?
Should I brave the heat and run outside in the mornings?
Why does my side hurt?
What should I be eating?
How do I keep my hair healthy when I have to wash it everyday because of sweat or working in a smokey bar?

During the day the gym is less crowded, but it's a much different crowd than in the evenings. I've noticed it's lots of skinny stay at home moms until 1, when then day care closes, then its some really intense people... I'm not usually intimidated by people at the gym, other than the creeper who picks the treadmill next to you when they are all open. I just think, they may be running faster, but I'm training for a marathon. Clearly, I'm awesome. There is a girl who has been they everyday I've gone. I imagine she just graduated from high school and has a college athletic scholarship. She's insane, she does sprints on the treadmill, does the stair climber side ways, is working out when I get there and working out when I leave (and today I stayed for an hour and a half). Very intimidating.

Run!

Ran 5 miles on Friday : ) Felt great. I also waited tables for 8 hours on Friday and Saturday, that counts too right? I'm excited to start training for the White Rock Marathon. Anyone want to train with me? Anyone?? I need some ideas for places to run...

I just finished reading Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss by Dean Karnazes. Never heard of this guy before, the book was on the new arrivals shelf at the library so I grabbed it. Very inspirational. This guy runs alot... check him out www.ultramarathonman.com Can't wait to read his other books.

Trying to Out Run My Grama

My grama (we've decide "grandma" is too long for text messages) tells us at lunch on Sunday that she ran a 12 minute mile. My grama is much younger than your average grama but this is still impressive. We want to do another race. She, Paul and my sister ran the 5K when I ran the Cowtown Half Marathon last February. Since then I assume she was continued running as part of her work out routine. I hurt my hip while running, nothing serious, just enough to discourage me for a few months. Then I started teaching and had no time to do anything except plan our wedding and sleep.

In the last month or so I've got back into it. My goal is to do at least the White Rock Half Marathon in December or maybe one sooner, then bump that up the the full. It makes me nervous. Three weeks ago I ran 2 miles in 25 min, then I've done the elliptical several times for 30 or an hour. I like the elliptical because I can read while working out. But I don't think this is really working for me, because yesterday I ran 3 miles in 38:05... and I was dying... Slower pace than my grama... But I'm motivated, and have tons for free time.

Yesterday we watched The Switch with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. It was surprisingly good. The little boy is so adorable and captivating, he makes the movie. I'd be ready to have a baby if I knew he would be that cute. (Did you know on imdb.com they list the "goofs" in a movie?)

I've convinced some of my co-workers to read Our School by Joanne Jacobs, and we are going to try to raise standards and push these kids harder, convince them to take school seriously. It'll be hard, but since we're at a middle school, they have fewer bad habits and more time to turn it around.

Now I'm reading Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future. (side note: I'm checking all these books about from the library, I love the library!) This book mostly about how the mainstream media ignores the science community. In 1957 the launch of Sputnik prompted much media attention and funding for scientist. After the success of the space program this money and press decreased and decreased. The authors point out many newspapers have eliminated their weekly science sections and cable news devotes one minute in every 300 to a real science story (not health and fitness). The major science news in recent years is limited to global warming, the dangers of vaccines, and the Human Genome Project. All of these are presented to the public as controversial issues, on which they need to take a side, form an opinion. The media, in order to be unbiased, shows both sides of a political story. This holds true for science stories, which in turn makes them bias. Showing global warming as having an equal chance of being untrue? There is a 50 percent chance vaccines cause autism? Ridiculous. I think any science teacher, or even science major should read this book. It's really interesting and it's given me lot of ideas for next year curriculum.

Summer!!

So summer offically starts at 4 p.m. today! and until then I'm just sitting here watching the clock. I finished everything weeks ago, all I had to do today was clean up my room and pack anything that I wanted to have over the summer (which is everything since I paid for it all...)

This is probably the first time in my life I haven't had something to do. No wedding to plan. No classes to study for. No certification to complete. NOTHING! I should probably pick up my summer job search, but eh.

I finished reading Our School by Joanne Jacobs. This book has really opened my eyes to what it means to work in a charter school. This school in San Jose was opened to prepare D and F students who were in danger of dropping out, to be successful at a 4 year college. Many students had to take remedial math and reading, since many had less than sixth grade level skills. Many spoke little or no English. Two teachers opened this school. They enrolled about 100 ninth graders for the first year. Four years later they had a 9-12 high school with about 500 students. The first graduating class was 57 students, all were going to 4 year colleges.

It's an inspiring book and it's given me a lot of ideas for next year. I would like to incoporate study skills, character development, school pride, work ethic and the school's mission statement into the 6th grade curriculum next year.

Inspiring Books

I've spent the last 6 years reading Science textbooks or trying to get into science fiction/ fantasy. Matt likes these books and I think it would be fun for us to read the same thing and talk about it, but I cannot get into it. Aside from Harry Potter and Twlight, I've finished one fantasy book every two years.

So I just finish reading Smart Kids, Bad Schools: 38 Ways to Save America's Future by Brian Crosby. I found this at Half Price Books, looking for some inspiration and prevent end of the year burn out. I could not put the book down. The general idea is that America's public education system does not prepare students for jobs or college. Many of the ideas in this book are about budgets and calendars (like shorter summers and week long breaks every 9 weeks). Interesting ideas, but really not applicable to me.

Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Don't make schools like prisons with gates, locks, metal detectors and bells. When we expect our students to act like criminal, they will.
- Eliminate middle school. Crosby argues that 11-14 year olds are struggling enough without the added stress of crowded hallways and 7 different teachers.
- No homework? - not sure I agree here but he says we expect too much from these kids, 8 hours of school work a day is enough. If could were actually working a school this would be fine, and in my class homework is usually just completed an assignment that you did not have time to finish (usually 2 or 3 will finish during class) or studying for a test or quiz.
- "Required community service", "Mandatory classes in the arts", and frequent field trips - my school does this already.
- Cut spending in Special Ed - controversial but these students are taking twice as much money as general education students. Some of the costs could go to health insurance companies. Advanced Placement classes and fine arts classes are the first to get cut when money is short.
- Raise the standards and do more for the advanced placement students, rather than assume they are smart enough, therefore don't need more help.

Treat teachers like professionals. Shocking?
- Pay them more, this would attract higher quality educators.
- Train teachers in public speaking and acting.
- Create leadership positions and opportunity for advancement. Does anyone besides teachers go to college to work the same position until retirement?
- Hire "Paraeducators" much like college professor's TAs to administer tests, cover classes for meetings and trainings and to give the teacher a bathroom break! Even teachers have to ask to go to the bathroom.
- Parents should questions teachers. They went to college to become teachers. "Would you question your childs pediatrician?"

Don't mean for this to sound like a book report, but I really enjoyed reading and reflecting on these ideas.

Now, I'm reading a new book about a charter school in San Jose, aimed at getting struggling, failing students prepared for college. Even more inspiring.

Side notes: 1) I read most of Smart Kids, Bad Schools while on the eliptical at the gym. I used to make fun of people for doing this, but if you can get into the book, its almost like not working out. 2) As a teacher, I feel a lot more pressure write good...

The Finish Line

So I was listening to a Lady Gaga interview on Kidd Kradick this morning. She said she really wanted to get all her ideas out before she died. This inspired me to pick up my blog again. I'm not really that creative but I have lots of ideas, mostly about teaching right now, and trying to remember them all is causing me to lose sleep.

The school year is over!! Here are some pictures of projects we did this year in 6th grade Science. The first one is the bulletin board outside my room with atom models, cell drawings and kingdom foldables. Then Earth travel brochures, to encourage aliens to come to our planet. We made these to finish our geology unit and in honor of Earth Day. Finally fingerprint analysis, during our short Forensic Science unit students learned about fingerprints (patterns, details, etc) and examined and drew their own fingerprint. It's been a good year. I survived with my sanity in tact and I have so many ideas for next year.

I used to blog about things too, before I started teaching...

I'm thinking of training for the White Rock Marathon in December, well probably the half marathon.

I'm looking for a summer job. Hopefully I can go back and wait tables somewhere I've already working. Asking a 16 year old hostess for a job application was quite strange... I also applied at a bakery that's opening in a few weeks, doubt that will happen though.

Married life is great : ) I'm still settling into being a wife, but Matt has been amazing. I'm very lucky to have a great husband.

I'm really into reading these non fiction books about education. So great ideas. I'm sure no one cares but I'll probably post about them anyway.