June 21, travel day

Today has been dedicated to the miracle of flight. Richmond to New York, New York to Paris, Paris to London. Six time zones. Three airplanes. One flight where I tucked my too short seat belt under my shirt and the flight attendant was none the wiser. One eighteen month old. Twin sixteen month olds. And a yippy lap dog in a mesh duffle bag. And I have not even seen my third plane yet. It is 10:00 eastern time, and I am writing this somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean waiting to touch down in Paris.


The plane from Richmond was evidently the aerospace version of the Smart car, but without a cool exterior color. As I boarded, there was a mom and her 18 moth old in my aisle seat. I tried to be a gentleman and take the window seat, which forced me to sit hunched over, as if I had spent a long life in a bell tower. The stewardess was...persnickety, the seat was narrow, and the seat belt was short. Luckily, being that I was by the window, I was able to hide the un-buckled seatbelt under my shirt without having to face the sparkling personality of Ms. Sunshine. They said the flight was 45 minutes, but my spine disagrees. It was 98 degrees in RVA, so 115 on the Tarmac, and the air on the plane was not working. But do not despair, they provided us with a cough syrup dosage cup of water 15 minutes in, so I was able to stave off dehydration. The cute title girl with the giant bow in her hair spent the flight playing drums on the seat back, smacking me with her sassy sparkly sunglasses, and banging her head against the tray table, as if she was acting out what I was thinking.


After landing at JFK, I walked 2 miles through a tube on the Tarmac, which evidently doubles as a jerky maker. Then, more good news...my next flight was taking off from another building, which required direction acquisition from three TSA agents, another stroll in the brisk summer air, and lines like nothing I had ever seen. (that's not true, but the last time I was in this kind of line it was for the log flume, and babies were not allowed.). Luckily, there was enough time between flights for me to walk a 5k, grab some lunch, and stop by the restroom, which I must say, was in surprisingly good condition, which is very important, as those of you who know me can appreciate.


Before moving on to the Paris flight, I must first mention the shoe removal process for the security scanning. I cannot tell you how gross this is. I think I have found the one place where my friend Paul would even withdraw his liberal use of the 5-second rule. I cannot even imagine how gross the mop water looks after cleaning this area, and I have clearly already spent too much time thinking about it. And the number of people that were doing the twenty yard walk of shame barefooted makes my stomach turn upside down.


The line to. Board the plane to Paris was immense. This is a BIG plane. I paid a little extra to move up to Prmium Voyager, a class Air France has that is in between economy and business. TripAdvisor's seat guru is a great tool assisting customers to find the best seats on each type of plane, and I registered for a seat with extra leg room. Before the flight I get called to the desk because there is a large family that wanted to sit together. Knowing what I had just been through, and with a 6 .5 hour flight ahead of me, I decide to keep my seat that I paid extra for. Well, karma came quick on this one. To my right is a woman, her twin 16 moth olds Sally and Sully, her mother, and their dog. Granddad is sitting to my left, across the aisle. The last four hours have been non stop motion and noise. Crying, yapping, screaming, kicking, fussing, etc. You get the picture. I the bright side, there was a meal, which I was not expecting. I will now forever be able to say that the first time I ate duck was while flying with Air France. At least it was eaten in the sky, where it was the happiest, I am assuming. Based on that meal alone, it is probably best that I am not staying in France. They would have to send me home in a shipping crate.


We have 90 minutes before we land. I am going to try to get a nap now that the kids are sleeping.

Schools Out For Summer

Alice Cooper:
"No More Mr. Nice Guy?"

... And the fun is just about to begin. I apologize for the extended hiatus, but the end of the school year was a doozy! It was a great school year, but with all of the schedule changes, IEP meetings, graduation activities, etc., during the last month it seems nearly impossible to ever have a smooth transition into summer. On top of all of this, I have also been trying to make final preparations for my upcoming trip which has proven to take a lot of time and attention. But, now my departure draws near. I am making lists, and adding items to them faster than I am marking them off. In five days I will be boarding my first flight on my way to my first international adventure. It is probably best that I stop writing, and start asking progress on my lists. Please stay tuned and join me on this journey.

The Virginia Transition Forum 2012

The Beautiful Hotel Roanoke

On March 12 - 14, 2012 I attended the Virginia Transition Forum, held at The Hotel Roanoke in beautiful Roanoke, VA. I could not have asked for better driving weather, and when I arrived, the crepe myrtles were in full bloom (and peak aromatic funkiness). The theme for this year's Forum was Technology for Transition: Making the Connection. It had been several years since I last attended a Forum, but I was excited to be back in that environment. Surrounded by like-minded people, all with an interest in improving and maximizing the transition to life beyond high school for students with disabilities, I was looking forward to attending some of the many sessions offered.

Eric McGehearty and his art

The opening general session was kicked off with a stirring rendition of The National Anthem, sung by Farris Hallaj, a senior at the Virginia School for the Blind. The Keynote Address was given by Eric McGehearty, CEO of Globe Runner SEO. Eric spoke about the impact dyslexia had on his journey through the educational system. During his presentation he showed examples of his artwork, primarily sculptures, describing how having dyslexia motivated his artistic choices. One example was a grid of books that had been entombed in concrete blocks, expressing his feelings regarding the inaccessibility of knowledge through traditional print forms. Eric has since gone on to start a company that specializes in Search Marketing, a field that is focused on understanding the words people use in on-line searches. The example he used from his own life concerned Curious George, the mischievous monkey of children's literature. For someone with dyslexia the words curious and George can both be troublesome. When having to write these words he would have to search to find how to spell them, but because neither word is spelled the way they sound, the old 'sound it out' trick did nothing to further his efforts. So, he searched for words that he knew he could spell, that when entered in a search engine, would lead him to the information he was seeking. The words he used? "The man in the yellow hat." Using this premise, his company is interest in the words people use to get to what they are looking for, either directly or indirectly.

Over the course of the three days I attended a total of nine sessions. Although I feel like I got something out of each session, there were three items that really stood out for me. First is the I'm Determined Project. This project of the Virginia Department of Education focuses on self-determination for students, which is shop talk for students taking control of their educational programs, advocating for what they want, and expressing their strengths, needs, and desires. The second session to really raise my interest centered around an individualized, inclusive model being implemented at Virginia Commonwealth University for students with intellectual disabilities. I am really excited about the possibility of there being a local college-based program that some of my students may be able to access in the future. The more opportunities available for my students, the better, and I am looking forward to this being a viable option for some students. Finally, I attended a session centered around the 'I Want to Work' workbook and partner guide. Although these items are not in their final format, when completed I foresee them having a great impact on my classroom. I think they are going to be great tools in helping students identifying the type of job the want, create a support page that tells others how to best support them, and build a resume to use when looking for a job.

The Roanoke Star

While there, I was excited to see that my good friend Katie Jo, who is a first year teacher in another county, was in attendance. I find it promising to see teachers that are new to the profession taking every opportunity to increase their breadth of knowledge. On Tuesday evening we took advantage of the amazing weather. We found a nice little Irish pub where we enjoyed some potato soup, fried cheese curds, and fish & chips. Finally, we drove up to see the famous Roanoke Star. My trip to Roanoke and the Virginia Transition Forum was a great experience, and I am looking forward to attending again next spring.

My Mother's Day Tribute

My mom, in front of her last
captive audience, speaking
at her retirement party.

For my entire life, up until her retirement last June, my mother was an educator, professionally speaking.  I say "professionally speaking" because my mom is one of those few people that you will meet in life who are education.  Education is them.  She eats it.  She breathes it.  And even though she is a southern lady, she sweats it from every pore.  Peggy Early is the reason that I became a teacher.  Plain and simple.  I was lucky enough to have it bred into my genetic make up.  However there is example after example of students who were forever impacted by the education they received under her tutelage, and as a result, pursued a career teaching.  She connected with children in a way that is seldom seen.  For the animal lovers she had rabbits, iguanas, and hatched chicken eggs year after year, even though it meant driving back to school every night for the 10:00PM turning.  For future engineers she did an egg drop, climbing to the highest point of the school to test student-built contraptions.  If you were into drama there was always the Thanksgiving play and puppets to look forward to.  And if it was tough love or a soft place to fall that you were seeking, consciously or not, she had plenty of that to go around as well.  She was able to extract every last drop of potential out of her students, and after all was said and done, her students were grateful.  And so am I.


My mom is the reason I have this opportunity to travel abroad.  The opportunity to further my education and broaden my horizons.  She set the ball in motion by nominating me for an R.E.B. Award, provided by The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia.  She made this nomination as a former award winner herself.  When I was in elementary school she won her R.E.B. award.  Teaching fourth grade at the time, the focus of her social studies curriculum was Virginia history.  For this reason, she used her grant money to expand her knowledge of all things Virginia.


It was the summer of 1992 when we embarked on our adventure, visiting nearly every county in the state.  See, she took me along on her trip, and we built some of our greatest memories over the course of those two months on the road.  We started by driving to the western part of the state where we saw things like the natural springs of Bath County, the deep inner workings of a coal mine, and cattle auctions.  It was also in south western Virginia where the infamous claw-foot-tub incident took place, but that is another story for another day.  (Let's just say that it ends up with me naked, folded in half like a taco wrapped in a shower curtain, hands and feet waving in the air, pinned between the wall and tub, just narrowly missing the opportunity to use a fire extinguisher as a cork.  Yeah, good luck erasing that image from your minds eye.)  We ended up watching the ponies swim from Assateague to Chincoteague and nearly brought home a colt.  There was the beach, national forests, Civil War reenactments, wax museums, Natural Bridge, the Arlington Cemetery, and so much more.

Business in the front, party in the rear.

The things we saw were amazing, but the times I really remember came from inside the car.  This was where my mom and I really connected.  The soundtrack of our summer included cassettes of Dirty Dancing, Good Morning Vietnam, and America's favorite line-dancer: Billy Ray Cyrus, who was still in his mullet and white high-tops days.  Remember, this is the summer of 1992, the summer of "Achy Breaky Heart."  To this day I still know every word to every song on each of those albums, and despite not having listened to them again since our mini van pulled back into our driveway at home, whenever I hear a song from one of those track lists I am disappointed when it is not followed by the next song on the cassette.  I mean hearing Patrick Swayze sing "She's Like the Wind" leaves you feeling empty when it is not followed by "Hungry Eyes."  As we drove from hotel to hotel we bonded through song, conversation, and impromptu dance breaks.  Sure, our life was in jeopardy when we were behind a truck in the fog on Afton Mountain when it started shooting it's treads at us, or when we were directed to be on the look out for low flying aircraft (like there was anything that we could have done about it), but those near death experiences really strengthen the bond between mother and child.


Unfortunately, my mom will not be able to go with me to England and Ireland this summer.  I can only imagine what stories we would have if she had to drive on the wrong side of the road.  But, fortunately for me, like the thousands of other students she impacted over her 42 year teaching career, I know that she will be with me in spirit.  And while I am driving through the Irish countryside, I will make sure to blast "I've Had the Time of My Life," with my hand flying out the window, just for her.  Thank you mom.  I love you.  

People First Language

People First Language is a way of thinking and speaking about people with disabilities in a manner that accurately describes the individual, while positively focusing on their abilities.  I know this may sound like a delicate way of trying to enforce political correctness, however People First Language is more of a humanistic ideology than a politically motivated one.  It is based more around good manners and respect than anything else.  There are two words in this explaination that I think are very important: Accurately and Positively.  When I talk to students about People First Language I review words and phrases that we have all heard used at one time or another to describe individuals with disabilities, then have them think about each word in very simple terms, "Does this word/phrase make you think about what the person can do, or what the person cannot do?"  Using these parameters, it is often easier to begin the process of changing the words we use when talking about individuals with disabilities. 


People First Language:

- Puts the Person before the Diagnosis.

- Values Ability over Disability.

- Focuses on the person as an Individual, not as a member of a homogenous group.

- Describes what a person HAS, not who a person IS.

I think it is important to add something that Kathie Snow, creator of the website DisabilityIsNatural.com, says on the subject.  “Words are powerful.  Old and inaccurate descriptors, and the inappropriate use of these descriptors, perpetuate negative stereotypes and reinforce an incredibly powerful attitudinal barrier.  And this invisible, but powerful, attitudinal barrier is the greatest obstacle facing individuals with disabilities.  When we describe people by their medical diagnoses, we devalue and disrespect them as individuals.”  Also, there is a difference between TO BE and TO HAVE.  It is suggested that to have may imply possession while to be implies identity.  Thus, it is less stigmatizing to have something than to be something.

People First Language does not rely on terms that convey an unnecessary negative connotation.  Here, a lot of emphasis is placed on the words “unnecessary” and “negative.”  Some of these unnecessary and negative terms include: Suffers From, Afflicted, Crippled, Disabled, Wheelchair bound, Confined to, Victim, Invalid, Handicapped, Special needs, etc. 

This is an issue that is very near and dear to me.  As someone who teaches students with intellectual disabilities, I feel that part of my responsibility is to also educate people beyond the confines of my classroom, or even school walls.  Since I began volunteering at a respite camp for adults with disabilities at the age of 15, I have worked to advocate for their equal and appropriate treatment.  This has come in the form of staff trainings, classroom lessons in English classes to facilitate the discussion of characters with disabilities, to the curbing of behaviors and language of friends, aquaintences, and random people in public who are using insensitive and hurtful language.  Although he was not speaking of People First Language at the time, Mark Twain made a pretty summitive arguement for the cause when he said "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug."

I'm feeling some kind of way

Finally things are happening that are making me realize just how close my trip is.  6 weeks, 4 days.  Up to this point it has felt more like a dream than a reality.  The thought of having never traveled abroad, to now preparing to spend a full month overseas, has me feeling... well it has me feeling some kind of way.  I'm not exactly sure what this saying even means.  It is a term that my wife has picked up, and has begun to interject into our household lexicon.  For us, it seems to encompass a plethora of emotions: anxiety, excitement, pensiveness, fits of laughter, etc.  For this trip though, it just seems to fit.  I am making progress in my preparations, but with each item that I mark off  of my to do list, I add three more.  This week I have secured my airfare and reserved all of my hotel rooms.  This was not a small task, I tell you.  Trying to ensure that you are getting a good rate on hotels in eight cities, all while sticking to my budget took a ton of internet searches, cost comparisons, and currency conversions, but it was a necessary step in ensuring that things go smoothly while in London and Ireland.  Every now and then, when I think about it for too long, a grin takes over my face, and I let out this little giggle of joy/disbelief. Tee-hee.

Here's the plan

I hear that the best way to get attention on
the web is with cute pictures of kittens.

When it comes to explaining what I will be doing with my award money I get so excited that I begin describing the minutia of what every day will hold.  When I do this I can see people's eyes gloss over.  My wife describes this phenomenon by explaining that when she no longer follows what I am saying, her brain goes to a safe place where she imagines a kitten batting at a piece of yarn.  Below is an excerpt from my proposal, describing in broad terms what I want to do with my award.


Receiving this award would afford me the opportunity to explore and experience the ways in which individuals with intellectual disabilities are educated, incorporated, supported, and encouraged to demonstrate independence in various countries and cultures.  It is my goal, both personally and professionally, to impact and improve how individuals with disabilities are viewed and included within our society.  My proposal includes travel to three major stops abroad: London, England; Kilkenny, Ireland; and Dublin, Ireland; as well as participation in state and nation wide training opportunities.  It is my hope that the information gained from these combined experiences will not only impact my classroom performance, but that my school, community, and volunteer domains will benefit as well.  My stops in London, Kilkenny, and Dublin will all be centered on communities that are part of L’Arche International.  Since I first became aware of L’Arche, I have been intrigued by their mission and ideology.  They believe in working to support people with intellectual disabilities in order for them to take their rightful place in our communities and in our societies.  As an international organization, L’Arche seeks to promote inclusion, the valuing of diversity, and international solidarity, and seeks to be a sign toward the building of respectful societies founded on relationships between people of differing intellectual capacity, social origin, religion and culture.  At the heart of L’Arche Communities are relationships between people with and without intellectual disabilities. In these Communities a respectful relationship is built between people who treat each other as of equal value, providing security and allowing for growth, personal development and freedom to become more fully the people they want to be.  It is this focus on respect and relationships that I find to be inspiring.  Although the Communities are built on a basic framework, each has a unique personality based on its location and members.  I believe that by experiencing multiple L’Arche Communities (large, small, urban, rural) I may gain insights that will impact my classroom and beyond.

Some of the details have changed since I made my proposal, primarily including the addition of cities that I will be visiting in Ireland.  Now, my list of cities includes Cliffs of Moher, Cork, Donegal (homeland of the Early family), Dublin, Kilkenny, and Sligo.  If you have ever been to any of these places and can recommend specific places to visit, please let me know in the comment section.  Along with my focused time visiting and learning in the L'Arche Communities,  I also intend to do some sight seeing.

It's a major award!

It's no leg lamp, but a $12,000.00 award to learn while traveling the world is certainly nothing to shake a 'Red Ryder carbine-action, two hundred shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time' at.  Through the R.E.B. process, I was able to to write a proposal that requested anywhere from 4 to 12 thousand dollars.  Once I came up with a loose idea of what I wanted to do, I started working on a budget.  Now, let's get one thing straight: I am not overly proficient with handling money.  Fortunately I married a woman who is, and I have been able to get by on that for the last 10 years.  The first budget I worked out came in at a scant $21,000.  See what I mean when I say I'm not money savvy?  My original plan started with a stint visiting Sweden, but that was the first thing to get the axe.  This brought my new total down to somewhere around 13K.  This was more like it.  I could work with this.  After cutting back on a few things, including my food allowances, which you know I hated to do, I ended up coming in just under the cap at $11, 990.  Not knowing how much The Community Foundation liked nice round numbers, that was the sum I submitted.  When I received my award envelope at the Library of Virginia in November, I was surprised to see that they actually rounded my proposal up the additional $10 that I had not included in my budget.  Just so you know, I have already re-allocated that money to my food budget.  Specifically, my fish 'n chips budget.

Waiting to exhale

In February, 2011 I found out that I had been nominated for an R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence.  The R.E.B. Foundation is a supporting organization of The Community Foundation.  The program is based on the belief that a child's educational experience ... should develop basic skills and form life-long positive habits toward learning and discipline.  To that end, grants are awarded to individual teachers to support professional development and enrichment activities and to share educational ideas and experiences with teacher colleagues.  Grants support projects of the teacher's own design, including grants that support advanced degrees and world travel.

The process, from the time I was nominated until I found out that I had received an award took nine months.  Those nine months were quite excruciating, but on the positive side, I learned something about myself: I am not good at having to wait nine months to find out information.  I first had to answer three questions about my teaching, namely my experiences, goals, and philosophy of teaching.  There were strict parameters, including having to answer all three questions on one side of one page.  If you read my previous post you would know that in the past this would have been a gargantuan task because of my minimalist approach to writing.  However, I seem to have gotten over that, and now have a harder time limiting myself.  Whether or not that is a good thing, I am not sure.  I tried every trick I could to make enough room to fit my responses, including reducing margins, removing the questions themselves, and going with the smallest allowable font. 

Then came the first waiting period.  Did they like my responses enough to move me through to the next round?  Finally, I received the ecru envelope with the interlocking burgundy C's in the top left corner that I grew to love and anticipate, and found out that I had advanced.  Now came the hardest part: developing a proposal that I felt would re-energize and re-invigorate me as a teacher, as well as show the reviewers who I was as a person.  Proposals did not have to tie directly to what you teach in the classroom, but for me, I wanted it to.  Unfortunately my self-imposed criterion made things a little more difficult.  I felt like if I were a math or science teacher I could write a proposal to travel the world visiting and participating in juggling conferences.  I could have based my proposal on exploring the physics of different juggling objects as they move through space, or the mathematic principals behind siteswap juggling notation; but deep down I knew that was not what I needed to be doing.  Finally, after talking to some of my CRC friends, Anne and Bill, I learned of L'Arche International, and my course was set.  (I will write more about L'Arche International in later posts)  

I researched, budgeted, and began to develop my proposal during the summer.  Part of my proposal had to focus on my dissemination plan.  How was I going to share what I was learning and experiencing with my colleagues, families, and friends?  That is where the inspiration for this blog came from.  Once I finished writing my proposal I again had to go back to waiting.  I took this as another opportunity for growth, and tried not to scream with joy to every new person I came across about the prospective opportunity that might be waiting for me just around the bend.  The next step of the process was an interview set for some time in October.  Now, I say interview, but this was no ordinary interview.  This was a come in, sit front and center, and field questions from a twenty-person panel.  Yowza!  Although I consider myself to be a people person, the though of this interview gave me the heebiest of jeebies.  Everyone kept telling me that I would do fine, and fortunately they were correct, but that did not help me sleep any better the weeks leading up the the fateful date.  The panel could not have been more welcoming or reaffirming, and I left the room with a good feeling, but again, I had another month-long wait ahead of me.

My good friend Ed Bosha came to
support me at the awards ceremony.

Finally, in mid-November, I along with all of the other thirty finalists, their families, and administrators gathered at the Library of Virginia in downtown Richmond to find out our fates.  There was an electricity in the air, as everyone was waiting to see if they were going to be one of the lucky ones.  There were several speakers, with very nice messages about teachers, the impact they make, and the importance of recognizing all teachers for the work they do.  Unfortunately, I don't think any of the finalists were able to give their full attention to what was being said.  I know that a lot of my attention was going into drying the palms of my hands on my pants.  After what felt like an eternity, they began announcing the names of those who would be receiving awards.  Luckily for me, my name was called second!  My wife let out a squeak that I am sure had dogs turning their heads for five square blocks.  I am so happy and grateful to have been selected, and cannot wait to embark on my journey.

If you know of a teacher, kindergarten through twelfth grade, in the metro-Richmond area, that you would like to nominate for an R.E.B. Award I encourage you to do it.  Below are the links for The Community Foundation and the R.E.B. Award itself.

http://www.tcfrichmond.org/

http://www.tcfrichmond.org/receive/nominate-an-individual-for-an-award/reb-awards-for-teaching-excellence/

Welcome to my writing

I never thought that I would have my own blog. When I was a kid, writing was a chore, and I dreaded the thought of anyone having to read my writing. However, if you are reading this, it is a decision you are making for yourself, so I don't feel too guilty. If it were not for my 8th grade English teacher, Mrs. Morton, I am not certain that I would have ever even learned to write a complete sentence in the first place. As much as I hated every second of her class, she taught me the craft of writing, and for that I am forever grateful. Every sentence required a a minimum of 10 words, every paragraph required at least 5 sentences. I would sit and count out my words and sentences making sure that I was doing the bare minimum to have my work accepted. Little did I know that I was effectively doubling the amount of time that I was spending on my homework, as well as editing my work over and over as I tried to generate my 50-word paragraphs. I am excited about the opportunity this blog affords me, and getting to share my experiences, thoughts, and reflections through my writing. I thank you for taking the time to read my posts, and would love to hear from you. I hope you enjoy following me on this journey as much as I am looking forward to living it. Thank you, and there is more to come...I promise.