Rambling Rose

And, we're back

2010-01-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

to reality, that is. Vacation is over, and tomorrow I will dread waking up at 5:30 am but I will do it anyway. I do kind of miss the kids, but definitely don't miss the hustle and bustle schedule that school creates. Structure is good for me, as well as my students, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time. We will keep an open mind, positive attitude, and warm heart as my resolutions are kept three days into January and I will see what tomorrow brings.

Codependency, anyone?

2010-01-02T22:07:00.000-08:00

(Warning: Rant Ahead)

I was watching Glee on Hulu (my favorite thing to do on a Saturday night) when I came across this song:

Don't get me wrong, I like Kelly Clarkson as much as the next person. OK, that was a lie. Actually, I don't like her at all. That's beside the point. Actually, I hate her even a little more after listening to this song. A line in the song actually states

"I know I have issues but you are pretty messed up too."

Um, if anyone actually said this to me, I'm pretty sure that would be the end of things. Ka-put. Deal breaker to end all deal breakers. Another winner lyric?

"Being with you is so dysfunctional/I really shouldn't miss you but I can't let you go."

WTF? I don't care if we belong together, if the only reason you can come up with is "well, I can't do any better than you, so I'm here because I'm lonely and desperate" then I DON'T need any of it. And neither do you. Go find something better and let me do the same. Thank you. What kind of message are we sending to girls everywhere? Kelly, I know you can do better. I may not be able to write the killer girl power song, but you've won American Idol, so you are golden. Go write something that shows that you are the strong, intelligent female I thought you were (or that I just want you to be.)

It's ZERO degrees outside

2010-01-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

Which means I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon, until I have to. That's right, I did go out today, to get some tea, a new toothbrush and a few other necessities...but that was before I learned how very cold it was outside. I'm back in the Twin Cities, unhappily though. I don't know how I made it this long in this climate. I was going to workout tonight, but it looks like a Yoga video is in store for tonight, and maybe a home facial. That's right, this blog has become decidedly boring. When you vow to blog everyday day, there is not really a whole lot exciting that you can blog about that is going to be interesting to all of my audiences. Yes, I go back to school (work) on Monday. No, I'm not excited about it. Yes, I'm listening to Prairie Home tonight and it's a looking back show, which means nothing new. Yes, I'm excited to kick back and RELAX BY MY SELF on Saturday night. I only wish the weather was warmer. I am going to start a detox in a week, so maybe I'll blog about that, but maybe it will be so dull I won't have to. Let me know what you want to hear about!!!

I'm treating 2010 like any other year

2010-01-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

Is that so wrong?

Every time I get big and lofty about my goals and ambitions for the New Year, I end up disappointing myself. So my goal for the new year is not to disappoint myself. I will set mild ambitions and try not to beat myself up when I don't come through. I am going to be gentler on myself this year. That will be the loftiest goal of all. That being said, I do have some more concrete goals to accomplish, but I am not saying them on a public forum just yet. Right, now, I'm going to work on getting a blog post up every day during the month of January. That should be goal enough, and yes, this one counts as the first one for the first year.

That is it.

Not exciting enough for you? That's great, because I'm all about pleasing me, not you. What are some goals that you have for the new year/decade? 2010 going to be your year? Why or why not?

Blast from the past

2009-12-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

Every now and then, as you readers know, I like to pull out old journals and record my thoughts and reactions to them. Tonight is no different, and I've chosen to pull out journals from student teaching, in light of my recent (and let's face it) ongoing career sqabbles that have reared their ugly heads as of late. This entry is dated October 4th, 2004. My god has it been over five years since I completed student teaching already? Dear GOD!

I write:

It's amazing too how many different positions six year olds can find to sit. Just amazing. Is it wrong of me to be annoyed when I see five pairs of feet in the air?

To which my supervisor reading writes in response:

(Smiley face) No, Perfectly Natural! (Janneke, if you are reading this, I hope you are well and I miss your humor, insight, and encouragement...)

I continue to write:

I mean, what comes next? I never considered myself picky, but but a little consistency goes a long way. I am learning that it is important to be firm about my expectations and don't withdraw them under any circumstances.

Then, in a different color, on the same day, I write more:

Behavior management is still a weakness...I know my kids are testing me like the water in a pool now that their teacher is out of the room full time and I know that means I must stay consistent...trouble is, I don't. I have no reason why, but when it comes down to releasing a consequence, I ALWAYS hesitate. And never actually give one. I always justify it with some excuse, which usually gets put back on me. I think, "I didn't give a warning," or "My directions weren't clear enough." Ultimately, I don't want to face the consequences of giving consequences, if that makes any sense at all.

To which my supervising professor replies:

It does. (She gets me.)

I continue:

Which brings me to my next point: Self-criticism and doubt. This will ultimately be my downfall in this profession. It'll be the reason I decide to back out eventually. I find myself questioning, doubting, every decision I make in the classroom and planning lessons. Not good. Part of my stress this semester has been put on by me and me alone from hours of agonizing over plans and writing and rewriting them, only to completely re-do them when I put them into practice. I often have fears of "everything I do/know is wrong" and/or "people are thinking I'm a horrible person and why should I teach their children?

They're not pleasant thoughts, but they run through my mind every now and then and its all I can do to keep them from invading and taking over. Because they do, and I can't think of anyway to stop them. Better go prepare for tomorrow, and I don't have time to be creative.

Oh my goodness was I right on in the prediction. I found myself wrestling with a lot of these management issues and consequence issues this semester while teaching first graders after school. And my self-doubt has, if I may say so, grown worse. What does one do in a situation where no personal or professional growth has taken place in five years?

I suppose if I had supportive mentors during my first year teaching I could ask them about consequences without feeling judged like my job was on the line, which ultimately, it was. Why does all of this seem so painful, even now? Why can't I confide in anyone even now about such issues?

The only thing keeping me sane now is the fact that I have less responsibility teaching than I ever did, and I must say, I will remain an assistant for quite a while. I think I'm OK with that. Even if I were to switch fields, the self-doubt will still continue to plague me in ways that I can't imagine.

How does one deal with such a situation?

How have you readers faced your own doubts about life and the future?

Do you have similar situations in your own career paths that will eventually cause you to stall in professional growth?

Please discuss as much as you feel comfortable with.

Just thoughts, and an invitation to share your own...

2009-12-15T21:24:00.000-08:00

My quote of the week is something like “Please at least PRETEND to listen to me, folks. It will do you some good.” Help me to prove that I am worth something in this school. I am a student. I am not a teacher. I am introvert in an extrovert's world. I was trained as a teacher, but there is no way I would ever do that job again. I enjoy being an assistant most days; this bothers me greatly. I am ready to move on. I am ready to move up, but where do I go from here? I will ignore the fact that I am just like the student that told me today that he sucks at writing and gave up. I had nothing to tell him. I tell myself that I suck at everything ALL THE TIME. It's time to make a change. It’s a common story, more common that imagined for most late twenty-some things. I find myself quite frequently accepting less than I know students can do out of pure frustration, and I’m unhappy with myself for it. This is one of the many reasons I will never be a teacher. It is also one of the many reasons I am looking toward nursing school or physician’s assistant school more and more.

It’s that time of year folks. It’s the time of year for reflection. It’s the time of year that all perfectionists and idealists reflect and come to the conclusion that we can all do that much better. We set lofty goals for ourselves and others. We harp on ourselves and others. We bitch and moan. We take it out on others at holiday gatherings. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m dreading my family gatherings because of this very reason. I already tell myself that I haven’t accomplished shit this year, so I don’t want to hear it from anyone else. In anticipation of this, I turn inward and start criticizing myself. I realize of course that this defeats the whole spirit of the holiday. I hate giving gifts because I can never find the “perfect” gift. Does this sound familiar? I hate starting conversations because I don’t want to tell others what I’ve been up to this year for fear of the compare game. You know the drill. “You’ve been doing X with him?” “I’ve changed the world. What have you done this year?” You know the compare game well, if you haven’t participated already in some form or another.

I challenge myself and all of you to get out of your own head this holiday season. To do this, I have to sometimes disconnect from the world. I have to forget that I have a close friend teaching English at a Chinese University, and another friend writing India’s first draft of a child abuse law, overseas, before heading to South Africa. I have countless friends finishing their fifth year of teaching, and I quit mid-year of my first. I have to let go of this. But how? I have to lobotomize myself to the fact that I have been out of college for over five years already, and I’m not married at *gasp* almost twenty-eight years of age. IT DOESN'T MATTER. At the heart of my being I know this. At the heart of my being I know that I’m worthy of praise and love even if I haven’t completed a full year of teaching anywhere or have no savings account to speak of.

Those things, material things, will come much later. I have my health and good friends, and that is all that is important. Instead of giving my parents my Samantha American Girl doll so they will shut up about grandchildren, I will calmly point out that I do things on my own schedule, when I please and be OK with that. I am done pleasing other people. It is time to please myself. Then maybe I can go and make a real difference.

To those in helping professions and tend toward a perfectionist and idealist side to their work: What helps you cope? What gets you through the day? How do you prevent compassion fatigue? How do you keep from dwelling on the negative? Thoughts welcome.

I will do it by telling myself and others that I've made a small difference this year, and I won't elaborate, no matter how much I want to. I relocated to a new city ALL BY MYSELF three years ago and have survived almost THREE Minnesota winters BY MYSELF. I will be kind to myself. I have finished additional coursework and am on the way to a Master's Degree. I will make it overseas one day. I will stay positive. That IS good enough. No questions asked.

When the going gets tough creatively

2009-12-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

And I can't seem to think about a single thing worthwhile to blog about, I turn to a little site I like to call CreativeWritingPromts.com. I scroll over a number, and see what pops up. If I don't like the prompt, I move to the next one. Today, I will elaborate on Prompt #339, which asks the writer to "Write about 5 things you would do if you did not see a soul for seven days."

I say this is difficult because it also doesn't give a stipulation about what you can have with you. I'm going to assume I lock myself in my apartment for those seven days, because it is winter and I am an introvert, and I live in Minnesota, not seeing a soul for seven days is an easy thing to do. Assuming I lock myself in my apartment, I have all things in my apartment. I can't go anywhere, but I have a lap top and a cell phone, which doesn't require that I actually SEE anyone. (Is that cheating?) Here's my list:

1. Update Netflix Instant queue and watch all the movies on it. I love this site, and because I don't have cable, it is my TV, along with Hulu.com and Youtube. What do you readers do for TV? What is your favorite watch TV online website? What do you turn to when there is crap on TV?

2. Perfect my recorder technique. I own three recorders (soprano, alto, and a tenor one that I bought off ebay last year.) I have some music, but I enjoy going online and looking up new music. Because I don't have a piano, these are my connection to creating music. What do you readers do for a creative outlet? What is your musical instrument of choice?

3. Read every book on my bookshelf currently.

4. Try cooking new recipes with the contents of my fridge and pantry. I'm awful about going shopping, and then using what I've bought to create fresh dishes, due to time mostly. I have several recipes on my shelf that I've been dying to try. Do you readers have a favorite you'd like to share?

5. Crochet, and finish all the projects I've started.

6. Teach myself how to draw and paint.

7. Watch my entire DVD collection.

8. Sleep.

9. Actually DO my YOGA and PILATES DVDs.

10. Plant an indoor vegetable garden, assuming I have the supplies. Oh wait, that's what the internet is for. What would I do without the Internet?

11. Update my resume and start looking for an actual teaching position. I never get to do this now that I'm employed again, but it's something that I do need to start focusing on now that the new year is coming around.

This should provide enough entertainment for seven days. What would you readers do if you didn't see a soul for seven days? Would it be easy? Would it be difficult? Would you go crazy? I see so many people at work and being an introvert, I recharge by being by myself. I need to spend more time by myself in creative pursuits, that I know. But how? How do you readers recharge? Find sanity in a crazy world? Have I asked enough questions yet? Enjoy your weekend, and peace to you all!!!

I'm posting more lyrics

2009-12-11T20:42:00.000-08:00

Because it's Friday night and I'm watching yet another musical, KISS ME KATE. It's kind of slow, and not my favorite one by far, but it has some merits. Bob Fosse and great tap dancing, for one. It is Cole Porter does THE TAMING OF THE SHREW for another. I also like this one number, possibly the best number in the musical. I'm going to do it solo one day.

KATHARINE (with beer stein in hand--fabulousity!):

I hate men.
I can't abide 'em even now and then.
Than ever marry one of them, I'd rest a maiden rather,
For husbands are a boring lot and only give you bother.
Of course, I'm awfully glad that Mother had to marry Father,
But I hate men.

Of all the types I've ever met within our democracy,
I hate most the athlete with his manner bold and brassy,
He may have hair upon his chest but, sister, so has Lassie.
Oh, I hate men!
I hate men.

They should be kept like piggies in a pen.
Avoid the trav'ling salesman though a tempting
Tom he may be,
For on your wedding night he may be off to far Araby,
While he's away in Mandalay is thee who have the baby,
Oh I hate men.

If thou shouldst wed a businessman, be wary, oh, be wary.
He'll tell you he's detained in town on business necessary,
His bus'ness is the bus'ness with his pretty secretary,
Oh I hate men!
I hate men

Though roosters they, I will not play the hen.
If you espouse and older man through girlish optimism,
He'll always stay at home at night and make no criticism,
Though you may call it love, the doctors call it rheumatism.
Oh, I hate men.

From all I've read, alone in bed, from A to Zed, about 'em.
Since love is blind, then from the mind, all womankind should rout 'em,
But, ladies, you must answer too, what would we do without 'em?
Still, I hate men!

Here's the video for a good visual (minus beer stein, I like this one better than the older version though):

Awesomeness!!!

Yes, posting lyrics is kind of a copout...

2009-12-09T19:04:00.000-08:00

...but I will do it anyway, because that's the kind of mood I'm in...

Nick of Time
Bonnie Raitt

A friend of mine she cries at night and she calls me on the phone
Sees babies everywhere she goes and she wants one of her own
She's waited long enough she says and, she still he can't decide
Pretty soon she'll have to choose and it tears her up inside
She is scared
Scared she'll run out of time

I see my folks are getting on and I watch their bodies change
I know they see the same in me and it makes us both feel strange
No matter how you tell yourself, it's what we all go through
Those lines are pretty hard to take when they're starin' back at you
Scared to run out of time

When did the choices get so hard, there's so much more at stake
Life gets mighty precious
When there's less of it to waste
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Scared to run out of time

Just when I thought I'd had enough and all my tears were shed
No promise left unbroken, there were no painful words unsaid
You came along and showed me how to leave it all behind
You opened up my heart again and then much to my surprise
I found love, baby, love in in the nick of time
(Love in the nick of time)
I found love, darlin', love in the nick of time
I found love baby, love in the nick of time

In case you felt like you haven't wasted enough time during your day

2009-12-06T09:05:00.000-08:00

This video is precious.

Identity and Music (one where I don't really say anything important)

2009-12-05T17:07:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted at all in sometime, and the last post I said I would post about the phenomenon of the quarter-life crisis that plagues me and many twenty-somethings today. I don't know that I have much of an update on that right now, but in flipping through my iTunes library tonight after a perfectly perfect Saturday of getting my hair colored and cleaning my closet I came across that perfect song that captured so many of these feelings of angst that have run through me for so long. Plus, I just love Nellie McKay. I know on my other blog, we are celebrating the identity crisis. Well, this is just that, only not my own. I will come up with my own. Until then, here's a taste of hers.

"Change The World"

I wake up
I am bored
To my pictures I implore
Should I go or stay
What should I be today
Make a leap
Go to sleep
Should I cry or should I weep
Where should I go from here
Am I hetero or queer
Oh, self discovery
What joy it is
I need recovery
Caffeinated fizz
Should I run
Should I hide
Happy pill or suicide
Contribute or refute
Have a kid
Then call it cute
Oh, self -esteeming, in suburbia
My shelf is teeming
A pet named Chia

[chorus]
Oh what should I say
What should I pray
Who would care if I went ahead
And punched the wall
Oh what do I care
What should I wear
What do I care
What does it matter
If I change the world at all

I listen to some rap
I give myself a slap
Come on use the pain
Drink up from the rain
Just arise unsupervised
Healthy wealthy you know wise
Dance around
Make a sound
Let yourself become unwound
God, I'm so German
Have to have a plan
Please Ethel Merman help me out this jam
Ding a ling
Ring a ding
Anything just do something
Feelin' dense
On the fence
Civil disobedience
Come on now's the hour
Go and deviate
Can't you feel the power
Hope you appreciate

[chorus]

OK Dr. Phil
Ready for my pill
Flex my psychic muscle
Guess we'd better hustle
People are dying now
Do something you ugly cow
Sorry for myself again
Me, my wallet and my men
Jesus I love you
Frank I love you, too
Hit the road together
Get out of the zoo
No exit
Just a pit
Apocalyptic and a zit
Hurry now
Pack your bags
Adieu you mall scallawags
Got my sneakers velcroed
Snap my bookbag on
Goodbye little zipcode
How can I go wrong

[chorus]

What does it matter
If I change the world at all

Things to blog about

2009-11-15T08:12:00.000-08:00

Every now and then, I get inspired to blog about things that matter but with no time to actually do so. Here is a list of things I've been thinking about writing a post about. I might come back to this later.

1. Single-sex education and why I think it's the way to go for most students in the middle grades.
2. Making it work
3. The phenomenon of the Quarterlife Crisis
4. Dating and lack there of for many 20 somethings (and why it doesn't matter)
5. Reading
6. My role as a young professional in a school
7. Holidays
8. The passing of time
9. Another year
10. Is it 2010 ALREADY?

That should suffice for now?

What's on your mind lately?

2009-11-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

"I can't believe I'm at a class of '72 reunion with 250 people I've never seen before accompanied by a man I met on a singles cruise. Somewhere along the line my life took a turn..." ~Julia Sugarbaker

If Julia Sugarbaker can say that, here's my version. "I can't believe I'm at SuperTarget, pushing Chinet Cut Crystal cups and pretending to be happy about it on a cold and rainy November morning. I'm surrounded by shoppers that I have to be pleasant to, all for an extra bit of spending cash on a Saturday morning, answering to someone (or five people) half my age. Yes, somewhere along the line MY life took a turn." Sad thing is, somehow this is slightly better than controlling the masses in a first grade classroom. Where, oh where, did my life go? It's strangely comforting. I can do anything.

Self-reflection from a six-year-old

2009-11-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

"I didn't HIT anyone at all today."

The following words were spoken by one of the six-year-olds in my after school activity today, at the end of the day, as we were cleaning up and getting ready to head to the busses for dismissal. Keep in mind, this comment came with no prompting what-so-ever from me. Only all day of reminding him the day before to keep his hands to himself and to control his body. I thought it was pretty amazing, for such a young kid to come up with something so, well, profound--for lack of a better word. Or maybe my standards have just been lowered beyond belief. Who knows?

What was the most amazing thing a kid has said to you today? This week?

I'm Intrigued by Simply Jane

2009-11-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

I was surfing the web tonight, and came across this charming little studio in South Minneapolis. It takes the paint your own pottery theme to a whole new level. I love paint your own pottery places, but this sounds even better. Pick out your own piece of unfinished artwork, from candlesticks to picture frames and more, and receive instruction and motivation as to how to go about painting it and finishing the piece. The initial creativity is left up to the designer though, which is ultimately you and me. It makes me want to jog down there in my next free moment and check it out. I wonder how much it costs for an evening! Do any of my artistically-inclined Minneapolitan friends want to check it out with me? I can so do this alone, but it would be better with friends. Much better. What do you think? What is your favorite creative activity?

One of those where I don't really have any thing to say but I post anyway

2009-11-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that's right. I'm here, letting those few that follow this thing know that I am alive. It's Saturday morning, and I am working. It's my choice. I'm kind of dreading that choice now, but what else am I going to do on a beautiful Saturday morning? I'm roughly 5,000 words into National Novel Writing Month without a clue as to what I'm actually writing about. I haven't written anything in three days. I have to be at work in an hour. Today, I'm supposed to be sampling Cranberry Orange Turkey with Havarti Cheese, all Archer Farms brand of course. "It's perfect for the holiday season and you can have it custom sliced." Grr. Who cares?

On the license front, I'm still not license officially. Double Grr. Now Minnesota DOE is telling me that on top of the tests they had me take, I still have to take some classes to make the Birth-Preschool part of my Birth-Grade 3 license valid. But I don't even want to teach infants and toddlers, and I think my last post made that abundantly clear! I suppose it doesn't matter, as this is the only way to get the original license validated so that my reading license can go into effect as soon as possible. I'm talking to two universities (the only two that offer EARLY CHILDHOOD programs in the state of Minnesota--Bethel and Walden online) to see if they can really help me. I don't want to think about it any more.

What else is new? Not much. First graders continue to amaze me. Loving after school. Actually liking my job at times, minus lunch duty and uncooperative students. There are ways around that, I just haven't found it yet. I'm just going to keep swimming. On the upshot, I'm not a Minneapolis Kids employee anymore, so I guess that's worth celebrating.

Now that I'm far away from baby land, I can safely post this little numbe that a Em and I came up with one late night over G-chat

2009-11-04T05:56:00.000-08:00

Top Ten Things To Say in an Interview for an Infant Room Teaching Position That Might Betray the Fact that You Know Crap About Babies

10. "...Will there be feces?"

9. "What would I do at floor time with the rug rats? Crap if I know... HAHAHAHAHA. ...Shoot myself? Wait....was that a trick question?"

8. "Well, if faced with a floor full of babies, I would...dance a jig and hope for the best? Talk about Sesame Street and how awesome it is to be able to talk?"

7. "Well, what do you want me to do with a floor full of babies? Quote Shakespeare?" Discuss Homer and the Odyssey? You can never teach them too early!"

6. "Your Baby Can Read. That's what we would be doing. Your Baby Can Read, Theory of Hegemonic Decline, classic lit--you know, the usual."

5. "What can possibly be so hard about a room full of babies? You pop in a tape and let the music do the rest...right? Um, thank God for Raffi--know what I mean?""

4. "You mean there's a wrong way to slap a diaper on that little fella? Who knew?"

3. "She's so TINY! Are you sure I won't break her? So, how hard could I squeeze her? I mean, theoretically..."

2. "You mean that little munchkin...er...dopey/sleepy/sneezy...I have do what? You are asking me to do what now? I DON'T THINK SO BIOTCH."

1. "What if I run out of formula? Is there a snack machine in this place?"

Strange and funny quotations

2009-11-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

“Don’t take too long. This is the first day of the rest of my life.”

An older woman whom I had never met before said this to me, explaining that she was a writer, teacher, and can work anywhere.

She later explained that someone just bought her a house in Savannah, and that this was her dream location.

What would you do if you heard this randomly, during the day?

Good Joyce Carol Oates clip

2009-10-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

"The first six weeks of writing a novel is like hell." Good to know, going into NaNoWriMo 2009.

I got it.

2009-10-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

I start the new job at the old school tomorrow!!! How unbelievably excited am I? Words can not even express my level of excitement right now.

I might have just landed myself a job, people!

2009-10-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

People have been saying for years that it helps to have connections in the job search process. Well, today, I believe it with all of my heart. After TWO MONTHS of sending out resumes and cover letters into the abyss, meeting with hiring managers and principals, agency heads and teachers, I received a call yesterday from a former supervisor of mine from my corps member days.

"What are you doing these days?" asks he.

"I am actually looking for full-time work at the moment." says I.

"When are you available to start?" asks he.

"Immediately, the teachers would love to have you back." he replies.

So yeah, I basically got a job because I knew the teachers that were looking for an assistant. The job was never posted, and I had my name and number in the hands of the principal and AP. That's sheer job-search luck folk, and a timing issue. But am I complaining? Heck no. I'm happy for the opportunity, and more than THRILLED to be going back to my AmeriCorps school site. It's like going home all over again. Seriously, these are the people that welcomed me in to the state of Minnesota when I was such a newcomer. I feel like they are my second family. It will be great to work with all of them again. It will be great to see and work with these kids (all grown up now as fifth graders!) again in a different light. I am pumped.

I know for sure on Monday what the details are. Until then, be at peace!

From Postsecret this week...identify much?

2009-10-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

Warning: cheesy pun ahead!!!

2009-09-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

So a friend and I were messing around on Craigslist to relieve ourselves from the job search, and we found this link in the free stuff section.

To which my reply was: "We should get it, because even when time get shitty, we would still have a pot to piss in."

Cha Ching.

OK, that was bad.

This one looks like a good one too...cover letter abounds!!!

2009-09-28T08:25:00.001-07:00

DETAILED JOB DESCRIPTION

Classroom Literacy Mentor

ORGANIZATION: Scott Carver Dakota CAP Agency, Inc.

CATEGORY: Education

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:
The CAP Agency is a private, non-profit organization serving families and individuals of all ages living in Scott, Carver and Dakota counties. Services in Scott and Carver counties include early childhood and nutrition education, food and clothing assistance, transitional housing, childcare, crisis nursery, transportation, energy assistance, congregate dining and home-delivered meals.

JOB TITLE: Classroom Literacy Mentor

LOCATION: Twin Cities Metro

SALARY: $25,572/yr TYPE: Full Time / 40 hours DEADLINE: 9/16/2009

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Literacy Mentor provides mentoring to classroom staff through guidance, coaching, modeling, training, support and information. Coordinates Words Work student assessments in order to meet the goals and implement the strategies of Words Work. This position works closely with the teaching staff, the Words Work Project Coordinator and the Education Coordinator to coordinate Words Work classroom-related activities. This position also works closely with all areas of Head Start as part of the team that provides comprehensive services to children and families.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education/Child Development or equivalent four-year degree or equivalent related experience.
Experience: Three years experience as a teacher in an early childhood program. Experience working with culturally diverse and low-income families. Experience with adult learning and teacher skill development. Coursework or training in literacy-related areas and literacy-related work experience preferred.
Abilities and skills. Must have leadership skills including capacity to mentor other staff. Must have knowledge of child development; developmentally appropriate practice and emergent literacy concepts. Strong organizational skills required. Excellent reading, writing and interpersonal communication skills required. Must be available for occasional evening work. May have to work at multiple Words Work sites.
Physical Abilities: Ability to lift and carry approximately 40 pounds. Capable of reacting to demands of group of 3-5 year olds.
Travel: Access to reliable transportation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Location is Shakopee, MN
This position is full time - Seasonal (mid August through Mid June).
Eligible for pro-rated benefits.

HOW TO APPLY:
Fax: 952-402-9815
Web-Site: www.capagency.org
Mail: Scott-Carver-Dakota CAP Agency
Attn: Jean - HR
712 Canterbury Road S
Shakopee, MN 55379

This job was posted on 8/17/2009. Please carefully follow the instructions under “How to Apply” when submitting applications for this position. Minnesota Council of Nonprofits operates this Job Board as a service to nonprofits and jobseekers

Welcome fall

2009-09-28T03:42:00.001-07:00

53 for the high today, 40 for the low in Roseville, MN and the surrounding area. Welcome fall. I love fall, but not what it represents. This means winter is just around the corner, and winter is a bitch here in the upper Mid-west. Yupppers. I gots my sweatshirt ON.