I suppose it's just going to be a mess of ramblings. I haven't had a coherent thought in a few days but here goes.
Today was decent. Day after an all day training and my students were wacko. I'm not very motivated to do anything school related because there is SO much expected of us at this time and not enough physical hours to get in the planning to implement these things that I just want to chuck it all and do something else. I look at these little babies that need me to teach them and then I look at my whiteboard with my ever growing list of things I have to get done, then I look at my calendar and see all the after school meetings and planning days and I wonder, seriously, when I'm supposed to find the time to plan to implement these strategies knowing the administration will be popping in at random to check to see if I'm doing them. I feel the anxiety levels rising, along with my coworkers, and it's only the 21st day of school. How the hell am I supposed to make it to 180???!!!!!!
Tomorrow, a minimum day, would be perfect to plan for next weeks new theme, change my walls, make copies, etc etc.... Can I? NOPE. It's a district mandated double meeting, from 2:15-4:45, with less than an hour in my class after school. Have to spend time training on how to teach second language learners. Um, hello? Have we not been trained for countless hours in the last 10 years? Sigh. I'm waiting to be injected with a new sense of motivation, a new sense of energy where my classroom is concerned. This is not a good thing to be feeling this early in the school year.
BodyPump- thank goodness for my classes. It's what is saving me, with how I feel about school right now. I'm subbing on Monday's for the next 4 weeks, for Willi's girlfriend Madds in Daly City. Brings my weekly BP total to 5 a week. I was a bit concerned about it but yesterday was my fourth in a row and I felt pretty good. Sore but not as sore as, say, after the quarterly in Texas. So I think I can handle this. I am wondering how to get more cardio in my life because all I'm doing is BP and a little walking. I know it's not enough.
Daly city - it was better than I had hoped. I haven't taught at many other gyms than in San Carlos. I've subbed in San Mateo, PAC is a breeze now, so I was nervous but my co worker Jeanett lives close by and so she came with me, and Lisa, a participant that comes from SF to my Sunday classes, is the one who connected me with this class because she takes Madds' classes and wanted me to sub. With the two of them, at least I had familiar faces for my first class. It's interesting though, how much more comfortable I've become in unfamiliar situations. Don't get me wrong - social situations still are not easy for me. But for some reason, in the Group X room, preparing to teach a program that fills me with excitement, I forgot that I had just been standing at the front desk with jitters in my belly. The room was quite small and reminded me of the room at Gold's gym. I got set up, figured out the stereo, and still had 15 minutes before class. There was no class prior to mine so it gave me s chance to chat with members. People kept walking in, a bit tentatively because Madds' name was still on the schedule because my PAR had not gone through yet, and people were wondering who I was and if there was class. I had time to chat with them, and shared a brief version of my weight loss journey and was so honored when I got a round of applause :-)
With a renewed sense of energy, I took Daly City by storm! I had an amazing class, with plenty of smiles during and after the class. I had several people come up to me to ask if I was taking over, how long I would be there for Madds, etc. And I felt very welcomed. Made me look forward to coming back there for the next few weeks.
Last night's class was OFF THE HOOK! There were probably 45 people. EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF equipment was gone. I didn't even get all my own weights because they were gone while I was getting my mic sept up! This was fine with me to not have all my plates because I was going lighter anyway since it was day four but two very "generous" members, Brenda and Jen, gave me their plates for squats and back. It was amazing to me that just because I had a playlist that I LOBE, I still had the same energy I had four days before. It was a great class. I had one of my regulars tell me that she was inspired by the bio that is hanging outside the Group X room. I never get tired of hearing that someone is inspired by my story, and makes me feel so good to have that effect indirectly.
I'm going to do the launch for BP79 on Saturday OCT 8 in San Carlos because Kristin can't and Angie asked me to do it. It's Cassie's birthday and I was going to get a sub for PAC anyway but it's a 9:00 am class so I can do that and still have the rest of the day with her. Gotta get learning that chorey!
High point of today was seeing Janet....she's doing some testing at school so she had lunch with us, damn I miss having that woman at school!
Off to bed.....and although I have that stupid training tomorrow, I look forward to BP tomorrow night :-)
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Getting Ready......
It's been awhile but I don't think i have it in me to blog everything that's happened the last couple of weeks.
Phone update: well, he is still in jail. I wrote a letter saying I was not pressing charges, but they found a police code that still allowed them to press charges anyway, coupled with the other things they have on him like bringing the switchblade to school. I've had several conversations with the police that serve our school. Turns out I'm a bit of a sap.....well, we all know I am, but they found evidence that he is currently, actively selling drugs. So even though his daughter did in fact need medicine, he had 8 iPhones in his possession and was more than likely selling them for drugs, not meds. I don't regret my decision but it still makes me sad, mostly for his kids. They are starting their life at a disadvantage. My parents weren't perfect but at least they were honest, hardworking people. Sigh. I may not ever get called to trial and he is unable to make bail so who knows how long he is in jail for.
I'm having a BLAST teaching BodyPump right now. I'm using older releases that date back to my own participant days and hearing the music and learning chorey brings me back to my own journey, losing weight, discovering my newfound love for exercise, and the ups and downs of it all. It's so exciting to bring my passion to my own classes.
My niece Amanda came to class tonight and while on the one hand she called me a dork because I was so pumped up to teach, after class she paid me a huge compliment. We were talking about how uncomfortable I am in certain social situations in terms of meeting new people because Amanda said I seem so social now compared to before. I think BodyPump has brought out a whole new side of me. Then she told me that I seem like such a natural when I teach, that it appears so comfortable to me. I don't think that ever occurred to me, but it's really true. I've put myself out there, in more ways than just standing in front of a group of people. It has been such a growing expeerience for me. Although I am used to standing up in front of parents, or children, this is completely different and like I've said before, it's me, with people looking at me, at every part of my body, watching and mimicking what I do. It's a totally different way of "performing" for me. It's getting easier and easier, and I still am not tired at all. I am simply having a blast.
Starting this Monday I will be subbing as a favor for an instructor in daly city, in s class that one of my weekend participants attends, for 4 weeks. It's temporary but brings my teaching to 5 classes a week for those 4 weeks. Four days in s row - Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, then Thursday,
Get ready to rumble.
Phone update: well, he is still in jail. I wrote a letter saying I was not pressing charges, but they found a police code that still allowed them to press charges anyway, coupled with the other things they have on him like bringing the switchblade to school. I've had several conversations with the police that serve our school. Turns out I'm a bit of a sap.....well, we all know I am, but they found evidence that he is currently, actively selling drugs. So even though his daughter did in fact need medicine, he had 8 iPhones in his possession and was more than likely selling them for drugs, not meds. I don't regret my decision but it still makes me sad, mostly for his kids. They are starting their life at a disadvantage. My parents weren't perfect but at least they were honest, hardworking people. Sigh. I may not ever get called to trial and he is unable to make bail so who knows how long he is in jail for.
I'm having a BLAST teaching BodyPump right now. I'm using older releases that date back to my own participant days and hearing the music and learning chorey brings me back to my own journey, losing weight, discovering my newfound love for exercise, and the ups and downs of it all. It's so exciting to bring my passion to my own classes.
My niece Amanda came to class tonight and while on the one hand she called me a dork because I was so pumped up to teach, after class she paid me a huge compliment. We were talking about how uncomfortable I am in certain social situations in terms of meeting new people because Amanda said I seem so social now compared to before. I think BodyPump has brought out a whole new side of me. Then she told me that I seem like such a natural when I teach, that it appears so comfortable to me. I don't think that ever occurred to me, but it's really true. I've put myself out there, in more ways than just standing in front of a group of people. It has been such a growing expeerience for me. Although I am used to standing up in front of parents, or children, this is completely different and like I've said before, it's me, with people looking at me, at every part of my body, watching and mimicking what I do. It's a totally different way of "performing" for me. It's getting easier and easier, and I still am not tired at all. I am simply having a blast.
Starting this Monday I will be subbing as a favor for an instructor in daly city, in s class that one of my weekend participants attends, for 4 weeks. It's temporary but brings my teaching to 5 classes a week for those 4 weeks. Four days in s row - Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, then Thursday,
Get ready to rumble.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
REALLY? You Have GOT To Be Kidding Me
I have always said things happen for a reason. So I was trying to figure out what in the world was the reason for feeling violated yesterday by a parent stealing my phone. I mean, it IS just a phone, right?
Thursday I began the day by having the grandma of my student, the mother of the dad that stole from me, sobbing in my arms in front of my classroom. She was mortified, kept saying sorry, that her son was sorry, that he has alot of problems, etc. etc. etc. I explained that I had to report it stolen to the school, and the principal called the police, and it escalated from there. I told her I was happy to have my phone back but I wasn't pressing charges. She then shared with me that she had nowhere to turn, didn't know what to do because she had given her granddaughter her last dose of seizure medicine that morning. The medicine is $100 a month for one (she is on two) and they didn't know what to do. The dad had let Medi-cal lapse and they were having trouble getting back on. I referred her to the family center at our school for help with that plus help with money for the medication.
I immediately called John, who was subbing for our VP, and he came over and I shared with him what their situation was. It was clear to me that the dad stole the phone to sell for cash to buy meds for his daughter. While I don't condone in ANY way what he did, as a parent, I understand. It was an act of desperation, and while there were also other measures, other steps he might have taken before resulting to stealing, as a street gang member (current, former, doesn't matter to me) what he did, he did for his child.
John went immediately to the family center, got ahold of the prescriptions for our local Walgreens and contacted them, pleaded with them to help the family in dire need of some assistance. He was shut down by the pharmacist, who said they could not give out free medicine. John asked to speak to her boss, and was shut down. He asked for corporate headquarter's phone number and was told she couldn't give it out. Well, if you know Mr. Brand, you know him to take no s***t and as a good ole' boy and the type of administrator that gets things done no matter what the politics, etc., told this naive little lady that if she didn't give him the phone number, within a couple of hours, Channel 7 would be camped outside their store with a story to tell. She said, "please hold." and then came back with the number. After calling the East Coast, John was able to secure a case number and the promise of free meds within a day or two. Not good enough. This little girl needed to be on the meds by that afternoon or else. He even said he would pay for it himself. Now this one medication, retails for $165, is $100 on Medi-cal. How do people who live in poverty do it?
Within an hour he had an answer back. They would give one week of free meds, John offered to pay for the second week. Family Center was working to reinstate Medi-cal within 2 weeks. When John asked Walgreens how much the medicine was, he was given the $165/$100 for the month, so for one week it would be.....and he said I will NOT pay your retail. Tell me what your COST is and that's what I'll pay. The answer? $10. Yep. TEN FREAKING DOLLARS. I was floored. And disgusted. He handed grandma the $10 and sent her on her way. Problem solved, right?
Nope. Friday morning I asked her if she got the meds. Yes, but guess what? They only gave her 4 days worth. This little girl would run out by Monday morning. Sigh. I pulled out my cell, called John and told him to get to my room ASAP. He did, and when I told him what happened, he told grandma to come with him and off they went, his cell phone already out of his pocket calling Walgreens. Seems they miscounted pills or something....I don't know. The end of the story, at this point, seems to be that they are making it right, John paid another $20 on his credit card over the phone and told grandma she was covered for 2 weeks. I was in tears most of Friday when I thought about what would have happened if John hadn't been there, yet again, for me, and for this family. He spends the first couple of weeks of school with us, and last year was my savior with my little bolter/crier/biter student. He reminds me of my dad for some reason, but dad was never this go-getter type. It's just a sense about him.
Hopefully on Tuesday I will find out that everything is okay. If not, I have John on speed dial and he said to call with any problems. The police came by my room AGAIN to see if I wanted to press charges. He kept telling me about his street persona, all the bad stuff he's done. I reiterated to him, respectfully, that while that is THEIR experience with this guy, mine is that he is a father, comes to every conference, field trip, shows nothing but love, care and concern for both his kids. Always been respectful to me (until now) and I can gather that he is probably really really embarrassed that he did this to me. I am all about the kids. That won't change and pressing charges will just hurt them. I can't do it.
All I know for sure is this: this happened for a reason. He took my phone and I was able to pin point him as the thief for a reason. To bring his daughter's situation to light. At the right place and time, to be able to get them some support. To me, it's all worth it.
Anyhow, one of these days I will finally be able to blog about my Texas weekend. For now, I am recovering from 4 BP classes this weekend - taught 3, took one as a participant while videotaping a new instructor. Now I just have to figure out how to get the video on a DVD and give it back to her. Really makes me respect all Alex did for me through this whole assessment process :)
Dinner and another early bedtime for me......
Thursday I began the day by having the grandma of my student, the mother of the dad that stole from me, sobbing in my arms in front of my classroom. She was mortified, kept saying sorry, that her son was sorry, that he has alot of problems, etc. etc. etc. I explained that I had to report it stolen to the school, and the principal called the police, and it escalated from there. I told her I was happy to have my phone back but I wasn't pressing charges. She then shared with me that she had nowhere to turn, didn't know what to do because she had given her granddaughter her last dose of seizure medicine that morning. The medicine is $100 a month for one (she is on two) and they didn't know what to do. The dad had let Medi-cal lapse and they were having trouble getting back on. I referred her to the family center at our school for help with that plus help with money for the medication.
I immediately called John, who was subbing for our VP, and he came over and I shared with him what their situation was. It was clear to me that the dad stole the phone to sell for cash to buy meds for his daughter. While I don't condone in ANY way what he did, as a parent, I understand. It was an act of desperation, and while there were also other measures, other steps he might have taken before resulting to stealing, as a street gang member (current, former, doesn't matter to me) what he did, he did for his child.
John went immediately to the family center, got ahold of the prescriptions for our local Walgreens and contacted them, pleaded with them to help the family in dire need of some assistance. He was shut down by the pharmacist, who said they could not give out free medicine. John asked to speak to her boss, and was shut down. He asked for corporate headquarter's phone number and was told she couldn't give it out. Well, if you know Mr. Brand, you know him to take no s***t and as a good ole' boy and the type of administrator that gets things done no matter what the politics, etc., told this naive little lady that if she didn't give him the phone number, within a couple of hours, Channel 7 would be camped outside their store with a story to tell. She said, "please hold." and then came back with the number. After calling the East Coast, John was able to secure a case number and the promise of free meds within a day or two. Not good enough. This little girl needed to be on the meds by that afternoon or else. He even said he would pay for it himself. Now this one medication, retails for $165, is $100 on Medi-cal. How do people who live in poverty do it?
Within an hour he had an answer back. They would give one week of free meds, John offered to pay for the second week. Family Center was working to reinstate Medi-cal within 2 weeks. When John asked Walgreens how much the medicine was, he was given the $165/$100 for the month, so for one week it would be.....and he said I will NOT pay your retail. Tell me what your COST is and that's what I'll pay. The answer? $10. Yep. TEN FREAKING DOLLARS. I was floored. And disgusted. He handed grandma the $10 and sent her on her way. Problem solved, right?
Nope. Friday morning I asked her if she got the meds. Yes, but guess what? They only gave her 4 days worth. This little girl would run out by Monday morning. Sigh. I pulled out my cell, called John and told him to get to my room ASAP. He did, and when I told him what happened, he told grandma to come with him and off they went, his cell phone already out of his pocket calling Walgreens. Seems they miscounted pills or something....I don't know. The end of the story, at this point, seems to be that they are making it right, John paid another $20 on his credit card over the phone and told grandma she was covered for 2 weeks. I was in tears most of Friday when I thought about what would have happened if John hadn't been there, yet again, for me, and for this family. He spends the first couple of weeks of school with us, and last year was my savior with my little bolter/crier/biter student. He reminds me of my dad for some reason, but dad was never this go-getter type. It's just a sense about him.
Hopefully on Tuesday I will find out that everything is okay. If not, I have John on speed dial and he said to call with any problems. The police came by my room AGAIN to see if I wanted to press charges. He kept telling me about his street persona, all the bad stuff he's done. I reiterated to him, respectfully, that while that is THEIR experience with this guy, mine is that he is a father, comes to every conference, field trip, shows nothing but love, care and concern for both his kids. Always been respectful to me (until now) and I can gather that he is probably really really embarrassed that he did this to me. I am all about the kids. That won't change and pressing charges will just hurt them. I can't do it.
All I know for sure is this: this happened for a reason. He took my phone and I was able to pin point him as the thief for a reason. To bring his daughter's situation to light. At the right place and time, to be able to get them some support. To me, it's all worth it.
Anyhow, one of these days I will finally be able to blog about my Texas weekend. For now, I am recovering from 4 BP classes this weekend - taught 3, took one as a participant while videotaping a new instructor. Now I just have to figure out how to get the video on a DVD and give it back to her. Really makes me respect all Alex did for me through this whole assessment process :)
Dinner and another early bedtime for me......
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