I Don't Want to Grow Up

Oh, the theme of my life! Sadly, that theme is taking a back seat for the summer.

For the past 12 years, I have spent my summers working at a camp for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. I have spent a total of 60 weeks over those years as a volunteer. That's right...NO PAY! I go of my own goodwill and desire to be there with those kids. The camp is a phenomenal place to be. There is literally something for everyone there:

- Arts and Crafts
- Fossils
- Wildlife Center
- Weather forecasting
- Rifle Range
- Skeet Shooting
- Archery
- Canoeing
- Swimming
- Volleyball
- Basketball
- And so much more!!!

I have worked with over 18,000 students in those 60 weeks. Not many people can say they have affected that many lives in such a short amount of time. Working at the camp has also allowed me to remain a kid on some level.

Sadly, this year finds me unable to attend a single week of camp during the summer months. My duties as president of the teachers' union require me to be here for the time being. I have several meetings scheduled for the next two weeks (w/ principals, w/ the school board, w/ the city commission, etc). In addition, I will be doing a great deal of traveling this summer for the union on a local, state, and national level.

It looks like my "summer vacation" will be a very busy one. My only regret is not being able to go to camp. On so many levels, I feel like I am abandoning my kids for the summer. I have not had this feeling in quite a while. I know life will go on, and the camp will continue. I just wish I could be there to be a part of it.

This is all part of growing up, I suppose. It sucks!

More of Music and Friends

I had a blast picking out songs for some of you. Thanks for the responses as well. There a couple more people I want to thank on here.

Konrad - True Colors (Cyndi Lauper)
Although we haven't really talked, I thoroughly enjoy reading about your life on your blog. You are another person who really seems to know who they are in life, and you are not making any apologies for it. Keep that outlook in life.
(This is one of my favorite songs. It is not that I think you are down in life...it is simply that your true colors shine through very clearly in life. It is awesome.)

Jason - Thinking Underage (Teddy Geiger)
My friend, you have been quiet for a few months. Hope all is well with you. I chose this song for you because: (1) you are only 17 and (2) the song is about growing up and becoming a man. I see so much of this song in you.

Below are some of the songs I came across while working on these last two posts. Some of them just made me laugh, smile, and even shed a tear. Enjoy! 


Me and Little Andy (Dolly Parton)

How Do You Get That Lonely (Blaine Larson)

The Guy That Says Goodbye to You is Out of His Mind (Griffin House) 

Go Ahead and Go (Tufts Beelzebubs)

Love Can Build a Bridge (The Judds)

It Happens (Sugarland)

Gira Con Me (Josh Groban)

Ever After Happily (Jay Brannan)

Home (Shoshana Bean) starts at 2:20

No Boundaries (Adam Lambert)

Shine Like the Sun (Original Broadway Cast)

200th Post - Music and Friends

Who knew that I would make it to post #200 since I began this blog last summer. I wanted to do something different for this post, so here you go! I wanted to thank some of you for your friendship to me. There is so much I want to say to each of you, but it would take way too long for my fingers to keep up.

For a change of pace, I have decided to find a song that expresses how I see each of you or think about you. Nothing but love to you all.

Mandi - Eagle When She Flies (Dolly Parton)
You are one of the most incredible women I know, and I am honored to call you my friend!

MNJ - Geek in the Pink (Jason Mraz)
Thanks for being a great friend and having the courage to not be ashamed. Thought this song appropriate given your affinity of PINK!

Mikey - You've Got a Friend (James Taylor & Carole King)
You are such a wonderful friend who has been there for me this past year. Hopefully I have been there for you on some level.

Dean - You Heal Me (The Wilkinsons)
My dear friend, I sincerely hope that you are able to someday find the happiness I know you deserve. I look forward to the day you can also show me around Chicago.

Ian - I Don't Want to Be (Gavin Degraw)

My good friend across the "big pond!" Thank you for not being afraid to live you life. Thanks for checking up on me from time to time.

Carlos - My Wish (Rascal Flatts) 
Like Dean, I hope you are also able to find the happiness I believe you deserve. You are so hard on yourself, and I worry about you. I am always going to be here for you.

Jenny - It's Your Love (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)
God could not have given me anyone better to be my best friend. We have been through it all. I am so happy to see the joy and elation you are experiencing these days. No one deserves it more. I love you. This song is for your and Chris.

 

Miles - We Are Golden (Mika)
Your zest for life in infectious. Don't know what else to say except that. You have the best personality, and I think you bring a smile to everyone's faces. Keep it up my friend!

David B - All That's Known (Spring Awakening)
As I have said before, I am so impressed by you. Your successes at such an early age are an inspiration to so many. Your openness and giving spirit are two things that draw so many to you. You are an awesome spirit.

Lynne - Beautiful (Christina Aguilera) 
Oh my beautiful friend...I cannot wait to see you walk down the isle this Friday. You are a beautimous person, and you are a fantabulous teacher!

Razz - Permanent (David Cook)
Though I did not know you, personally, I feel like I have learned so much from you and your zest for life. I wish you were still with us. I imagine we could have been great friends.

Nabil - The Man Who Can't Be Moved (The Script)
My friend, you have been so awesome in checking in from time to time. I hope to get to learn more about you as we continue on this journey.

BK - The Freshman (Jay Brannan)
My Canadian friend! LOL. You are one person who inspires me in so many ways. You have an unlimited range of talents that will take you far in life. I cannot wait to see where you go in this great adventure.

Aaron - Don't Feel Like Dancin' (Scissor Sisters)
My Australian buddy, by way of Malaysia. You do so much so fast, that I sometimes feel I cannot keep up. WOW! Keep inspiring and living life.

I know I have missed so many more of you. Perhaps I will add more at a later time. 

Take Care,

Joey

Only in the South

As part of my weekend away last week, we discovered the true sweet tooth of the South.

(View of town from our sky car)

Really, where else could you find food like this?...

Rice krispie treat covered in peanut butter and chocolate.

Marshmallows covered in hand-made caramel and chocolate.

Who Knew?

My car is so awesome that it even goes on water.

Don't believe me, check out my Tom Tom! 

(See below!) 

Identity Crisis

Before I begin ranting about the inner-workings of my head, let me just update you on some parts of life:

School
What a whirlwind it has been for the past two weeks in my school life.

Last week, I became "the voice" for all the teachers, students, and concerned parents in my school system. Our school board presented its revised budget to the city commission, asking for a $1.5 million increase in funding. I ended up giving several television, radio, and newspaper interviews. I have never had to do something like this before. Sure, I had been interviewed for TV before, but that was for an education segment on helping your kids at home. This was far different. I was giving interviews to inform the public about the plight of our school system's budget. We knew that there would be a fight on our hands with the city commission for the increase in funding. We were right. The fight for funding will continue. I will continue to be the face of our educators. This next month will be a fun and busy one as the city commission and school board work to come to some conclusion. I will be in the thick of it all to insure that we get the funding, that our teachers don't lose their jobs, our students will continue to have the best education possible, and that we continue to be the top in the state. Ugh!

This week has been a tough one. Being the last week of school, the kids are always crazy. In addition to the insanity, I had to move my classroom to my new location for next year. I had to pack up EVERYTHING, move it all downstairs to my new classroom, and tomorrow I will spend some time unpacking it all.

The hardest part of this week will be saying goodbye to my kids tomorrow. I have grown to love these kids, even though some days they drive me to the point of consumption. There have been some incredible connections made with these kids. They really are a great group! I never know if I made a difference in their lives, but I hope on some level I did.

I have to tell this story for a second. I have this one student, who I will simple call P. P is a tough soul. She is from Nigeria, but has lived in the USA for many years. I had her cousin, L, several years before, so I knew what to expect. P did not surprise me in the slightest. She wore the tightest clothes, had a bad attitude, loved to pick fights, and be an all around bad a$$. Yesterday, I had students write down their top 10 observations of me. As I was reading P's list, I teared up as I read #10. It said "[He] is the best teacher I have ever had. He really cared for me." For a student who was always such a problem and pain in the rear, to have her write that about me let me know that I was able to reach her on a different level. Love moments like that in teaching.

So, tomorrow, I will probably be crying as my students board their buses, get in their cars, or walk home. I hate saying goodbye. What's worse, I will also have to say goodbye to my former students who will be moving on to the high school next year. Ugh!

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Here in the past few weeks, I have found myself in an identity crisis.

This past weekend I hung out with Justin, a friend of a friend. We had been talking for a couple weeks, went to dinner last week, and decided to hang out over the weekend. We were out on Saturday doing some sightseeing, shopping the outlet mall, playing miniature golf, maneuvering a mirror maze, watching a movie, etc. 

As the weekend went on, I began to have this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach.

What was this feeling? 

CONFUSION! Yes, utter confusion! 

What am I confused about? I decided to have a talk with my friend, Lynne about all of this the other day. As the weekend progressed, I just felt this questioning happening in my head. I was asking questions such as

- Is this what I want in life? 

- Can I see myself happy with this person? 

- Is this really me? 

As I went on, I also began to ask myself "the kids & family" question. 

Why is this part of my life so difficult to figure out? Am I going crazy? 

Yes, this is nothing more than a mere rambling right now. Just feeling completely lost at the moment. Don't really know where to go or what to do at the moment. 

Okay friends...any advice? Words of wisdom? 

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Right now, I need some music.

News on the News

Last night I blogged about my appearance on the evening news discussing the budget battle with the city commission. Little did I know what would happen in the 24 hours since that time...

I found out that our news station ran our story (and my interview) at 5:00, 6:00, and 11:00 last night. They ran a revised version at 6:00 am this morning, too. I have been getting emails and phone calls much of the day from parents, teachers, principals, etc. This story has taken off like a rocket.

Tonight I got an email asking if I would be available for a phone interview tomorrow morning to air on our morning news program. They will be calling me at 6:30 to prepare me for the 6:40 interview. They said they interview should only take about 5 minutes.

This has gotten crazy. However, with that said, I am ecstatic to know that our story is getting air time and getting out to the citizens of our city. School PTAs have sent letters to all their parents, teachers are sending emails and letters to their parents, and hoards of people are making posters and organizing for the 5PM gathering on Thursday.

We are hoping for several hundred people to show up outside City Hall tomorrow. I know that the TV stations and the newspaper will be there to get the story as the commissioners walk into the building. We have been given a great piece of advice...make sure to have someone at every possible entrance so the commissioners will not try to sneak past us. (Yes, some of them would be coward enough to try it!)

This is a very exciting time for me right now. I feel that I (along with all of my colleagues, students, and parents) am making a difference in our city. I know I am only one person, and I cannot do this alone. I am just glad to have so many wonderful people who support my crazy ideas and are there to help whenever needed.

Also, I just got a hold of our city commission's agenda for tomorrow night. The agenda is 6 pages long (INSANE) and we are LAST on the agenda. I expected that. They didn't even specify the school system's budget presentation. The agenda just says "budget discussion." They are trying their hardest to keep this as quiet as possible. I will LOVE to disappoint them in that respect. We will also be in the meeting until the end of the night. We are not going to be swayed that easily.

Man, I love politics!
I am off to go create some wonderful posters for tomorrow night.
Until next time.
- Joey
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A colleague of mine suggested we organize a Flash Mob to dance at the meeting. While I love the idea, my colleagues are not always the most coordinated people. Not a bad thought though. LOL

The News Man Cometh!

Today has been one very exciting day.

First, let me give you a bit of history leading up to today. Last spring I was elected as president of our school system's teacher union. Basically, I represent and speak for about 700 teachers in our district. It has been quite an interesting year and learning experience.

One of our biggest challenges this year is budget. Our school system has been preparing the budget for next year, and we had a $4.5 million shortfall. We were asked by our city commissioners to make cuts to try and balance the budget. Out leaders painstakingly cut close to $3 million from the budget. 13 positions were cut, and lots of wonderful programs were scaled back. We are left with a deficit of $1.4 million. Our city commissioners do not seem to want to increase our budget. They have not given the system an increase in over 7 years. That is unheard of. Their % of funding has been decreasing. CRAZY.

Anyway, the city commission is meeting this week to discuss the budget once again. It has become my job to help "rally the troops" in an effort to let our commissioners know we are not happy with their unwillingness to fund our system. I have arranged a gathering of concerned teachers, parents, students, etc to meet an hour before the city commission meeting this week.

The TV stations caught wind of this, and I received 5 phone calls this morning before lunch. One of the TV crews showed up at my school today to interview me about the gathering and to get my thoughts on the budget. When I learned they were coming today, I became a nervous wreck. All I kept thinking was "It's a good thing I wore a tie today...oh, crap, I am still wearing flip flops!"

Well, the interview went well. It showed up on the 5 o'clock and 6 o'clock news this evening. I was nowhere near a TV this evening to see it. Several of my friends texted and called me to tell me I did a wonderful job. I hope that the interview will convince more parents to get involved in their child's education and come to the gathering this week. Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds.

It is simple...I am tired of our city commissioners not doing anything. Time for them to PUT UP or SHUT UP. Actually, it is more of PUT UP before I work hard to shut you up. Did I mention I am also in charge of a political action committee in our city? I would love nothing more than to have a great reason to oust two of our city commissioners and mayor. Man, I love politics!

Off to bed. Another fun-filled day tomorrow.
- Joey

PS...If the news station posts the video online, I will try to move it over here.

We're Off to See the Wizard...

Here I am in Greensboro, NC, for the weekend. I am visiting my best friend, Jen, who I have not seen in a couple months. When I arrived last night I had a grin on my face from ear to ear. It is so good to see her. Jen really is the best friend I have ever had. She and I have been though so much in the past 10 - 12 years, and we know all the deepest and darkest secrets of each other's life.

Consequently, I am not the only one smiling from ear to ear. This is the happiest I have ever seen Jen. There is this calmness and happiness about her that is hard to describe. Well, I can certainly pinpoint why she is so happy...she is getting married in September! I am so glad that she has found the one for her. She deserves it more than anyone else I know. In her guest room (aka MY ROOM), I saw this huge, white garment bag hanging in the walk-in closet. I realized immediately it is her wedding gown. Snuck a peek at it...she will be absolutely gorgeous in it.

Today (Saturday) we will head out to the farmer's market to get some of our favorite staples...goat cheese, strawberries, breads, etc. Then we will probably head out shopping for a bit. The scary thing is when the two of us are together my credit card begins to smoke. We can tear it up!

Then tonight it is off to the show...WICKED!

Wicked: The Musical is on tour and has made its way to the Durham Performing Arts Center. I love this musical. It truly is unlike any other. I have been looking forward to this for some time. It was funny last week when I was watching our 7th graders put on their chorus concert and they did an ommage to Broadway. They sang Defying Gravity, and of course I had to sing along. My 6th graders looked at me funny as I was singing (They always look at me like that...they think I am crazy! I love it!). Hearing the kids sing that song made me more and more excited for this show.

I also love DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center). It has only been open about a year. It is a truly stunning beauty. It is phenomenal place for the performing arts.  It only adds to the grandeur of the show.

It will be an awesome time. Will report back once I get home and recover from this marathon weekend!

Take care, everyone!
- JC

Students Never Cease to Amaze Me

Although this is not one of my student, I am blown away by the talent of this 6th grader. Check it out!

Extra...Extra...Somebody's Getting Married!

Got the "Save the Date" postcard in the mail today...
My best friend, Jenny is engaged to be married! Below is a picture of her and her fiance, Chris.

This picture was taken atop a lighthouse in Florida just after Chris proposed to Jenny!  I have never seen my best friend so happy, and I have known her since we were 11 years old. She had given up on finding love when, WHAM, it slammed her in the face last September when she and Chris went on their first date. Ironically, I was the tag-a-long that night. Actually, Jenny and I were meeting for a Labor Day fireworks show, and she brought Chris. I knew that night that he was smitten with her. He could not take his eyes off her, and he hung on her every word. Jenny did not believe me when I told her that.

I knew around November that things were getting rather serious. When I would call Jenny, she would tell me how much she missed Chris. He is a pilot who flies all over the world. When he was gone, they would Skype every night for hours on end. Even the mere mention of Chris and she would smile.

Now, they are engaged, and I could not be happier for them both. They are two fantastic people who deserve all the happiness in the world. I cannot wait to see them married.

Just had to share the happy news!

More Flooding News

To add to the seriousness of the flooding...

Just reported that officials have ordered the evacuation of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN. The evacuation affects 1500 guests currently staying at the hotel. The Cumberland River has risen higher than anyone expected, and it will only get worse.

Tennessee Floods

For those who have not been watching the news in the past day or two, you may not have heard! Since Saturday, 2/3 of Tennessee has been plagued with torrential downpours causing flash floods that Tennessee has not seen in decades. I heard a report this evening on NBC that at one point, middle Tennessee was receiving 7 inches of rain per hour. That is insane! 

A friend of mine living in Nashville reported that schools will most likely be closed tomorrow because of the flooding. I didn't quite understand how that could be until I saw the pictures of the flooding. (See the end of this post for some pics my friend took and posted today.)

Just to give you an idea of the strength and destruction of this flooding, see the video below. This video was on Interstate 24 today. Just watch as the building moves down the "river" and is eventually destroyed. And I apologize now for the cheesy music.

I live in Tennessee, but I feel very blessed to live in Northeast Tennessee. We have not had any of the storms that have been happening this weekend. We have missed it all! 

I am, however, very worried about so many of my friends that live in middle and west Tennessee. I sent out a Facebook request today for them to update me letting us all know they are safe.

Please keep your thoughts and prayers for those who are most directly affected by the floods. We are all here for you.