An Eye Opening Language Experience

   Today I was the guest math teacher for the English Language Disabled (ELD) students.  These kids are kind and very respectful.  They stand up when the teacher enters the room at the beginning of the day.  They also stand and say "The Pledge of Allegiance." 
   Every time that I teach this class there is always a new student.  This time we had three new arrivals:  a Cambodian, Mexican, and Vietnamese.  Fortunately, the young Cambodian girl spoke enough English to navigate the work.  The Mexican student had many other Spanish speakers to help him.  The Vietnamese student had just arrived 3 days ago and only knew, "Hello!" when he arrived.  So when I got the class focused on their work, I worked with the Vietnamese student.
   We did a lot of "la, la, la, blu, blu, blu, and grrr, grrr, grrr" to strengthen his tongue and lip muscles.  He liked my bear-clawed fingers when we did the "grrr." It always amazes me how difficult English is to learn.  I am so glad that I'm a native English speaker.  What was someone thinking when they created and spelled words like turquoise, beige, and light? 

What I Learned Teaching Special Education Today

    Today was just another random substitute job day again.  I'm like an educational firefighter.  If a teacher gets sick midday or all day, I get called.  Usually being a math/physics credentialed teacher, I'm booked way in advance, but today my arranged job got cancelled.  I was just at home nearing the end of writing the first draft of my second book, "To Previve or Survive Breast Cancer"  when the phone rang.
    A special education teacher came to work sick, but realized that he wasn't going to make it the whole day, so I got called.  Not a lot of guest teachers will take special education, but I usually do.  The class was high functional and since it was listed as "severe special education," I had to assume that this was the "Emotionally Disturbed" (ED) class of this high school.  I sub for a lot of ED and alternative high school classes these days.
    Typically I can win a "colorful" class over with my introduction, "Hi! I'm Ms. Ulrich.  I'm a former international mechanical engineer.  I retired two raise my two kids that are in college now and became a landscape designer that was voted 'One of the Best in San Diego County.'  I've been an entrepreneur many times and decided to become a math teacher to give back to your generation.  I've been trying to get a math teaching job and subbing for 5 years, but while I've been subbing I wrote this book, 'The Romance of Kilimanjaro.'"  Then I hold up my book.  "Now, being an author was not my planned, mainstream path.  Sometimes we may get off the mainstream path, but our new, unplanned path may be more awesome!" 
     This introduction typically inspires the "colorful" students to make the best of the path to which they're currently placed.  It also creates an atmosphere of instant respect, because I've had my own challenges with the public school system, too.  Despite my many setbacks in getting a contracted math teaching position, I became successful my own way---writing about my life experiences.
    Today my introduction won the ED class over, and it was easy to keep them from killing each other after that.  I would have no pencil stabbings or stapled cheeks today!  After I got them to finish their assignment for the day, I gave them some free time.  One student kept irritating his fellow students, but I had no idea how he was doing it.  He didn't steal the good chair, push anyone, or throw tiny pieces of pencil eraser at unsuspecting students.
    "You can't hear that?" a student incredulously asked me.
    "No," I said as I walked by the student holding an i-phone with the "Dog Whistler" program.
    "No way!  The myth is true.  People over 30 can't hear these high notes!"
    I was intrigued that I actually could not hear the sound as the other teenagers put their hands over their ears in irritation.  So we all did an experiment to see when I could hear and when they all couldn't handle the high pitches.  I can't hear sound at 16kHz and teenagers can. 
    I joked, "Wow!  I'm going to have to get that program and 16kHz will be how I tame my wild classes!"
    When I got home, I was a little worried that maybe I was losing my hearing.  So I took an online hearing test which indicated that I do hear well and confirmed our "Dog Whistler" experiment.  I used http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/hearing.html, and I definitely can't hear 16kHz!  Fortunately, I can hear everything else.  :-)

I Have an Amazon Author Page!

    I just signed up as a Amazon Author and found out my sales information on my book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro."  They only have 3 of my books left!!!  Hopefully, they didn't just have 4 books to sell. lol

The New Church Year

   Today was the first Sunday of the new catholic church year.  We also started using the new English prayers and liturgical responses.  I guess that our coloquial English responses didn't quite mean the same thing as the original Latin responses.  Now the English matches the Latin, so catholic liturgy is truly universal in all the catholic churches in all the world now!  Hopefully, we'll have the new English responses memorized when the seasonal Christmas crowd visits, so we can teach them, too!

   On a different note, I had a lovely day of traveling the ocean along Ponto Beach and South Carlsbad State Beach.  The seal and some dolphins approached me today.  I just wish my new GoPro2 had a zoom!  I can never see them when I replay the video.  I do have a video of kayaking through a tame tidal outflow from the Batiquitos Lagoon.  Kayaking through this tidal current is my version of whitewater rafting!  Also, enjoy my kayak surfing.  I didn't hit a single person as I surfed into the sand!  ;-)

Surf Day!

    It's been a few months since the last time that I surfed.  I was telling my friend who's a pro surfer that I was scared after doing a tango with the fin the last time I was surfing.  He understood my pain.  He had to do a massage on the 1" diameter lump that was left after 2 weeks of a nasty bruise from the impact of the slicing safety fin on the back of my knee.
   Then I remembered Roosevelt's saying, "The only thing to fear is fear itself!"  So today I went to the beach and surfed.  I'm a self-taught, beginning, long boarder which is why I get tossed about with my board a lot.  Today the waves were soft, so I was able to get up and actually maneuver my board!  I do believe that I'm going to have to add a surf day to my exercise regime.  I had fun!

Black Friday

    Until today I have always stayed clear of shopping on Black Friday.  I don't like crowds and tend to do most of my Christmas shopping months in advance.  However, my cousin asked me if I wanted to go to the craft fairs in the hill country near us and that sounded like an appealing new experience.
    We first went to Bate's Nut Farm in Valley Center.  Many local craft makers busily sold their unusual, homemade wares.  My cousin taught me her circuit and said, "You just walk through, look, and never know what you'll find.  Something might speak to you."  Something did, and I got a most unusal gift for my daughter.  I also bought Prailine Fudge and dried fruits (mangos, pineapple, papaya, and appricots) at their main store for me.  Yum!
    After that we headed into Canterbury Gardens in Escondido.  The mass of upscale Christmas decorations in this store was overwhelming!  We spent well over an hour just looking at all the decorated Christmas trees.  I found something quite special for my son there. 
    Finally, we headed to Myrtle Creek Nursery in Fallbrook.  They sell Christmas trees, decorations, and Christmas cactus.  O.K. being a retired landscape designer, I just had to buy a Christmas cactus for a present.  Once I selected an appropriate pot, the nursery help potted my cactus and put moss over the soil for free!  It's a lovely present now.  :-)
    So I am now a veteran of my version of Black Friday!
    I also participated in Cyber Friday.  I bought some good presents here, too:  http://www.picnicworld.net/.

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Ready for the Feast!

   First of all, I want to thank God for another day here on Earth.  I never take my life here for granted anymore.  I also want to thank Him for my cat who can be annoying, but is purring with love for me and keeping my lap warm at the moment.  Thank you God for all the people who have shown me mercy, kindness, and love during this difficult time with my children in Ohio with their dad and his new wife for Thanksgiving.  Thank you for my son calling me and saying, "I love you, Mom."
   Though I've kept myself very occupied, making the apple pies alone last night, killed me.  Making apple pies is a family tradition where each family member has a part---peeling and slicing, making the dry mixture, and putting it all together into a pie with a carved decoration in the crust.  (It used to be much harder and require more family members without a apple peeler and corer device and Pillsbury pie crusts.)  At least tasting the boiled over juice from the cooked apple pie made the pain of missing my children ease.
    My aunt that I just visited said it well,  "Parents that have done their job well have truly empty nests."  My kids are now creating new, independent, adult lives that will benefit society.  It's heartbreaking to see what bad parenting creates.  Working with alternative high school and emotionally disturbed students truly makes me grateful that my kids have good hearts and passion.  Without passion a person just breathes air.
    Speaking of breathing in air, I must go to my cousins for Thanksgiving and breath in that delicious air of Thanksgiving dinner being prepared!  Now it's time to celebrate what we do have and focus our gratefulness on that!

                                                            Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
 
                                                                           Isolde

When the Stock Market Crashes...

     When the stock market crashes and makes you anxious, get away from all technology, go outside, and exercise for an hour or more. You'll feel much better! 

Make Older Relatives Happy During the Holidays!

    Make older relatives happy and visit them during the holidays.  They don't care if you have little to say.  They appreciate the visit!  It shows them that you think that they're important.  Wouldn't you want to feel like you're important to someone who doesn't live with you everyday?

Father/Daughter Thanksgiving Bike Ride

     Thanksgiving holiday is for going on a bicycle ride with your dad. Dad (~82yrs. old) and I rode from Marina to Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey and back!  We biked along the sand dunes passing through Fort Ord State Park.  The reds of the iceplant, grays of a lavender-like plant, greens of pickleweed and sun rose, tans of the sands, and deep blues of the ocean with a blue sky above made for a treasured ride with my dad even more of a treasure!

A Great Lesson from My Uncle!

My uncle asked me, "Are you at peace?"
"No, not yet."
"Ask yourself three questions:  Who am I?  What am I doing? and Where am I going?"
"Let's see, I'm an adventurer...."
"No, it's simpler than that.  I worked with some Jesuit priests when I was a commander of the navy.  They asked me these questions and the answers are:  (Who am I?)  I'm a child of God.  (What am I doing?) I'm trying to become Christlike, but I can't do it because of my sinful nature.  (Where am I going?) I'm returning to my Father that sent me.  Once you realize these answers, then you'll find peace in this world."               :-)

A Fun Day with Harbor Seals!

     Monterey Bay was far from sunny today for my maiden kayak voyage on Stillwater Cove.  The rain let up, so we launched from the beautiful Pebble Beach golf course cove.  Lots of locals were launching to go fishing for ling cod there.  Some even went spearfishing and snorkeling.  We paddled about with our eyes on the very dark, rain-bearing clouds on the southern horizon.  As we approached the rocks that protect the cove, the wind from the south that was predicted to max out at 25mph found us.  After a brief conversation my guide and I decided to turn back and paddle around Cannery Row in Monterey Bay on the northern side of the peninsula.
     The water near Cannery Row was sheltered from the wind.  It was glassy with the exception of the scattered rain drops.  Our water resistant gear really was fabulous, and we both were very warm despite the rain.  Four harbor seal pups were so bored from the rainy day that they came over and played around the lone attraction for the day---the crazy kayakers kayaking in the rain. 
     Three sea otters were busy eating nearby while batting away seagulls trying to steal their food.  I'd never seen a giant white egret standing on floating seaweed until I passed one out there.  Giant sea nettles rose up from below and looked just like the seaweed that we'd hold onto when we'd stop our kayaks around the harbor seals.  It's a good thing that I recognized the 1ft diameter bell of the poisonous sea nettle from all my trips to Scripts Aquarium in La Jolla!!!  The poisonous, trailing tendrils would have been very painful to grab by accident, if they pierced my gear.
    The harbor seal colony was a really impressive site, too.  Just as my guide was wondering aloud where all the adult seals were, about 50 adult harbor seals appeared in the distance swimming directly for us in a herd arching in and out of the water.  Apparently, they were out fishing and were just returning home.  They swam right under us to the rocks of the harbor jetty on our other side where their pups were playing. 
    After paddling a few miles and two hours it was finally time to end my Monterey kayak adventure.  I paddled in and got dumped by a breaking wave just like at home!  At least I landed on my feet and got to sample the bouquet of Central Coast seawater.  ;-)
 

Traveling During Thanksgiving

    Being a guest math teacher, I'm used to waking up early.  So, I decided to wake up really early---4am---and get through LaLa Land (Los Angeles) before everyone woke up and clogged the highways.  I didn't actually hit the road until 4:45am, but I had no traffic!!!  I made it all the way to Monterey without one traffic jam.  Hallelujah!
   It's been great to see my dad, his girlfriend, and my aunt and uncle here.  My aunt and uncle took us to where they first met, the old Hotel Del Monte which is the post graduate school for naval officers.  As we entered a spectacularly beautiful naval officer compound in Monterey, my uncle, a retired naval commander, got a formal salute from the guard.  What a reminder to me of the power wielded by my uncle who loving taught me so many life skills when I visited his family every summer! 
   What a wonderful beginning of my Thanksgiving holiday!

Anger Yields to Hope

Wow!  Yesterday I got mad at God about my unsuccessful, 6-year job search, and today I learned that my new favorite high school has an opening!  Thanks God for the hope!

Getting Psyched for Kayaking at Pebble Beach's Stillwater Cove!

    When life gets you down, go ocean kayaking!  I am.  I'm hoping to see the whales up in the Monterey area, but if not, it'll still be a peaceful, guided tour of Stillwater Cove with up close and personals with the sealife.  Yes, they did just have a surfer get killed by a great white shark two weeks ago, but that was in a different area in the Bay.  God did give me a dolphin pod escort for an hour north and a different dolphin pod escort back south when I asked Him to protect me from our SoCal great white.  I'm sure that He'll provide me safety again.  So it's time for CAyakgirl to kayak Central California's coast!

    Here's an old video of me as CAyakgirl demonstrating how to put on RoRows.  It's a kayak accessory that I patented with an old high school friend.  Enjoy!

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Pre-Holiday Hug

I'm giving all of you who are alone during the holidays a BIG cyber hug!

$$$ That Could Go To High Schools

    Today high school students at LCC did a huge marketing research survey embedded in the PLAN exam (the practice ACT) that the school bought. The $$$ went the wrong direction! Marketing research companies pay participants!!! Nice way to take money from schools during an educational budget crisis which is only getting worse.  Maybe those PSAT, PLAN exam companies could make money selling all that demographic and psychographic marketing research information collected.  Then they could give back some proceeds to the schools by paying them for participating in their marketing research survey and make the tests free.

Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst, and ....

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and take what you get with a smile." This is family lesson helps me enjoy the moments of beauty during the struggle of living.  This is how I keep going onward.

Ponto Beach Afternoon Delight Kayaking

    What a beautiful afternoon to kayak off Ponto Beach. A big wave rolled me while I tried to get through the surf, and I lost my cheap sunglasses, but it was worth it!.  My surfer friend, John, gave me a lesson in watching for south swells, and shoved me off with the order to paddle hard!  I just made it out between some big sets to the open water which was at times quite glassy!  There were no dolphins around, but the little seal that steals from the lobster traps was breaching a lot.  He's on the video but is too far away. 

     My re-entry was a tiddly wink episode.  A big wave snuck up on me as I got backside and there was no leaning far enough backwards against my kayak tail.  My front tip dug in to the water, the wave pushed the kayak tail vertically, and I launched!  It made for a great sunsetting-tiddly-winking-kayak picture for the tourists from Tennessee!  The sunset didn't need any help from me for a great picture, however.  It was spectacular with painted streaks of parallel clouds framing it!P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

America's Cup Started Today in San Diego Harbor

    It was rainy with little or no wind, but they started the America's Cup week of racing in the San Diego Harbor.  The 40ft catamaran's with a 75ft high main sail moved with any hint of wind.  These boats are truly an engineering feat!  All the boats are the same graphite design, but the sails are all unique.  This makes the race more about the captains and less about the ship's design.  The Swedish captain pulled an amazing one pontoon turn near the finish, overtook the two American boats that led most of the time, and won the race!  Though I've never sailed, I was truly impressed.

A Beautiful Day of Ocean Kayaking

A bit of blue sky bored through the clouds, so I went ocean kayaking today.  I got knocked over by a big set of waves (yes, the Pacific Ocean is now cold in San Diego!), but made it out and enjoyed a visiting seal, diving B-52 Pelican bombers, frisky grebes, kites, cormorants, and glassy water at times.  The nursery pod of dolphins weren't at their normal feeding area.  They must sense the approaching storm.

CA's High Traumatic Brain Injury Rate

While observing my adult transition student flirting with her boyfriend in the pool, I learned that CA has the highest traumatic brain injury rate.  Her boyfriend was cute and dawned lots of tattoos.  Parents of special needs students don't pay for tattoos.  If he had only worn a helmet!

Joke of the Day

I remarked to a ditcher in my math class today, "The only reason you'd need a 40 min. bathroom break is if you had prostate cancer, which you don't have."

When the Less Powerful Attack the Strong

The secret pain and shame of having been sexually abused/harassed is shared when the victim is compelled to stop if from happening again.

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!