Teaching Woes...and Anchor

Teaching can be the best of job in the world. Unfortunately, there are times when it can seem to be one of the worst jobs in the world. Such was the case one day this past week when I had to deal with a difficult student. Dealing with student discipline has always been somewhat difficult, as I suspect it is for many teachers. This is due, in part, to the fact that most teacher were "good" students when they were in school. For example, I graduated Mt. Vernon Township High School in 1993. I spent four years there, and never once received a disciplinary referral, much less had crisis (detention) or a suspension. In fact, I had only one tardy in all four years! The only time I can remember even getting a lecture from a teacher was when Amy and I got caught kissing in the hallway (yep, we were high school sweethearts). I guess when I became a teacher, I was a little naive. I knew there would be difficult students to deal with, but I had no idea to what extent this would preoccupy my time and my thoughts. So how do teachers, who are so unable to relate to these types of students, get better at dealing with them? Unfortunately, many of the teachers take the easy, liberal way out. They put up with student outbursts, allow students to talk down to them, and ultimately end up loosing most of the students' respect, if not total control of their classroom. All the while, they defend their lack of leadership by touting "well, we don't know what kind of environment these students have at home." (Duh?) This is not, in my opinion, the way to handle the most difficult students. Just as a strong willed child receives comfort in knowing where the boundaries are, a strong willed student does better in a more disciplined environment. It is even more important for the guidance of these young people to be firm and consistent in disciplinary measures. So what about this past week? How do I become better at dealing with the difficult students? Well, we live and learn. Each time I have to deal with a difficult situation, it simply makes me stronger. I make mistakes, but that just shows I'm human. And sometimes, its a test. Believe it or not, a teacher once told me that, "In the real world, we don't take tests." Nothing could be further from the truth. LIFE is a test. Some days we do well, some days not so well. What is really important, is our overall score. That page of the test this past week was hard. But I'm prepared for the rest of this test called life. I know I can pass the test, and I think that, with God's help, I can still pull out a good grade.

Switching gears here: I got up early today and went to Anchor again to buy more compost and peat moss. I have now had two really good experiences there. I like to support home-town small business if I can. What I really like about Anchor is that the people there are extremely friendly, and the service is AWESOME! They gave me good advice, and when I went to pick up my bags, two gentlemen loaded them into my vehicle for me! Compare that with Lowes: I've built two houses, and have spent thousands of dollars at Lowes. Yet, very rarely will they help you (if you can even find someone). My wife once loaded 10 windows onto two carts by herself because no one would help her. More than once I've been tempted to try to operate their forklift myself when I can't find someone to get something for me. Anchor has my business!

My square foot garden idea is coming along. My friend Bobby is working on one also. We met and looked at lumber. I ended up buying a 2/6 board, but when I got it home I remembered that a 2/6 is really only like 1.75/5.5. Five and half inches I'm afraid will not be enough soil. So, I went back and got the 1/8 inch Cedar board. It was more expensive, but cedar wood is supposed to resist rotting anyway. I now need only to mix the rest of the soil and start planting! Its supposed to be really cold the rest of this week though, so I may not start this week. I plan to post pictures of it as it comes along. Thanks for reading!