Motivated to Succeed

6:30 PM - The last few days have been a whirlwind. I enjoyed the Super Bowl. Emmy came up for a couple days before her mom left for California to go see her kiddos and her granddaughter (my soon to be niece! Janey). Got a call yesterday (Monday 2/8) morning at about 8:30am from the Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter School (one of two that I applied to since graduation). They want an interview! They gave me a time and topic (Wed., 2/10 @ 830am). So I spent all yesterday typing up a lesson plan at Emma's house. See the funny thing is that in the middle of the Super Bowl we decided I should take Mary Rose's (Emma's mom) offer and move into the basement at her house. We packed up all my stuff within an hour and then I got the phone call the next day. Got here to Emma's, wrote up the lesson plan on the Bill of Rights, and then unpacked and set up my new room. I absolutely love it! It only took about 1.5 hrs to set up.

Today Emm and I ran errand after errand. We hit up several grocery stores to get the food situation squared away, printed off some stuff for my interview tomorrow, and then after a yummy lunch decided we would frame my h.s., undergrad, and grad diplomas as well as my NYS teaching certification and put it in my new room! They look awesome! She is so helpful!

We had an exercise date afterwards. I went jogging on the treadmill while she did the elliptical because her foot is still bothering her. With the wood stove going though it was like a sauna down there! We watched an episode of "The Office", although I had to take my shirt and glasses off after fifteen minutes because I was dying of sweat! Felt good. Her treadmill is locked at 2% grade and can't go any lower so it was a real challenge to keep up the pace. Left knee hurt for about a minute, but no pain in the hip that had the bursitis last month! Yay! Kept it around 6.5-6.6 mph, though last .33 I bumped it up to the 7.2-8.0 mph range with the last .10 miles @ 7:30 pace. A strong run, especially while blind and sweaty on the 'mill.

Total Time: 37:01 Total Distance: 4.05 miles Average Pace:  9:08

5:00 PM - So today I was supposed to have an interview for the opening for a long term substitute history teacher at Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter School (BArT), only I got there early and Emmy drove me around Adams for about twenty minutes. My appointment was for 8:30, so I aimed to get there somewhere around 8:10 or 8:15. I ended up having an interview with the principal, also named Ben. Things went pretty well. It's a really great school. There are about 220 students from 12 different municipalities throughout the county, some kids driving nearly an hour to get there. It has longer school days (8am to 330pm) each day, and teachers stay after at least two days a week to be there for students. I also was given a tour of the school. All the rooms were really great. The school even has its own dentist office! Ha! But however, there was a snowday and alas, no students. I have to go back tomorrow to do my lesson plan. They told me I have to do a 20-25 minute lesson on the Bill of Rights. I was really nervous this morning, and when I was leaving Ben's office I saw that there were about 5 or 6 other applications and resumes on his desk. I am hoping for the best. I hope that I can get the job! Wish me luck tomorrow!

Tonight, before making dinner I organized my filing cabinet and everything in it. I really like my room in the basement at Emmy's! It's getting to be quiet the little bachelor pad! Then we went to the bank to look into getting a checking/savings account. All the money we've saved for the wedding needs to be spent soon!

Went on the treadmill in the fiery furnace basement of doom. Did 30:00 in my Brooks's Addictions and then switched to the Vibrams for about 20:00. Felt really good. The last .25 I opened it up a bit and did about 7:25 pace.

Total Time: 50:46 Total Distance: 5.55 miles Average Pace:  9:09

7:50 PM - So yesterday I was supposed to give my lesson, but the school had a snow day. Today, I had an appointment at 1pm at BArT to give my lesson. I was exhausted last night and fell asleep on the couch at about 8:30pm. I ended up waking up and going downstairs and slept straight through to 7:30am this morning. I woke up had some yogurt, banana, and a couple cups of coffee and then went over my lesson again.

Emmy drove me to the school and I got there a little early. Waited in the office and then Ben with one n met me and took me upstairs to the history room. They had told me Monday to prep a lesson on the Bill of Rights for 15-20 students. I walked in and there were 4, two 9th grade boys and two 10th grade boys. In addition Ben (the principal), the executive director/superintendent, and the current teacher were all in the room. So there I was ready to teach, but had to change my lesson on the fly since there were so few students. It went well though. I opened talking about what are "RIGHTS" and what do they mean? Then went into talking about what types of rights do we have today and why? Did some history from Magna Charta (1215), into John Locke and the English Bill of Rights (1689), to the Articles of Confederation (1777), and then the Constitution (1787) and our own Bill of Rights (1791). I think the lesson went well. They really enjoyed it. I gave them a handout of the actual Bill of Rights, and went over it with them, and then gave them a "cheat sheet" I had made up of all the ten amendments in the Bill of Rights. Then we looked at newspaper articles I had come across, including a local one and they had to choose which amendments each article pertained to. (One article had to do with a school board and citizens allowed to speak out, the other about bringing Michael Jackson's doctor to trial for manslaughter, and the last was about a drug dealer who got convicted because cops looked through his cell phone contacts without a warrant.) I really had a great time and they were great kids.

Went afterwards for my second interview with Ben and also with the executive director Julia. We talked for about fifteen or twenty minutes. Afterwards I walked across the street, met Emmy and updated her and we drove to Williamstown, MA and I got a coffee (Organic Ethiopian) and a chocolate chip and peach muffin (interesting and YUMMY combination!). So Ben said I would find out one way or the other by the end of the day tomorrow if I did in fact get the job. It's out of my hands I guess.

Later tonight after errands to Walmart, the food store, and the bank, I had an exercise date with Emmy. She ellipticized while I ran on the 'mill. We watched an episode of "Kitchen Nightmares" (after dinner thankfully!). Felt pretty good. Stretched and then took fastest shower of my life :45 seconds!

Total Time: 41:44 Total Distance: 4.55 miles Average Pace:  9:10

12:00 PM - With the "hard part" done and over with for the interview process yesterday I slept pretty well, though I was still up by 7am. I didn't want to just sit around the house all day waiting for the call, so I went and did errands with Emmy and then decided to go running. I drove over to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail off of Rte. 8 in Landesborough, MA and stretched and started jogging. It was interesting because I noticed that there were a ton of footprints when I first started, and then they became fewer and more sparse until finally there were none and I was left trudging through 8-12" of drift snow that came off the lakes onto the path. It was slow going, but I took it in stride (ha ha stride literally I guess!) and listened to an episode of Car Talk. This must have been my week because my mom called last night and what I thought was a $300 repair on my 2001 Chevy Prizm for a new exhaust system actually only needs a $5 one! Plus I got my tax refund today in my account, 600 bucks!, and also got a 37 dollar check for a 1/2 day of subbing a few weeks ago, and then a 90 dollar check for working at the bookstore. Oh yeah!

So I went out 33:45 and decided that was good. It was cold and windy and I didn't know how my legs would hold up with all the running lately. Trying to maintain and build slow and steady for July! I came back about a minute slower, finishing in 1:08:51, a 35:06 return (coming back INTO the wind though). Got back to the van, stretched and then drove to Emmy's. Had just come over the hill back towards Pittsfield when my phone started ringing. I pulled over and answered it. It was Ben from the BArT school OFFERING ME THE JOB!! It was hard to control myself but I accepted the offer graciously. I start next Wednesday, and first day with the kids is on Monday! How cool is this! I at least have a job until June 23rd anyways. Then who knows what I'm going to do. I think we might get Indian take out from our favorite Indian restaurant to celebrate tonight as we watch the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympiad! 

Total Time: 1:08:51 Total Distance: 7.6 miles Average Pace:  9:03