Twilight Zone

I have been teaching a community gardening class here in town. Last night, I started to wonder if I was in the twilight zone or something. I got there early, since we were going to talk about landscaping and I had a bunch of stuff to carry. I thought I'd need to make two trips from my van. Anyway, I got there about 15 minutes early and the door was locked and I was the only one there. I started wondering if it was really Thursday and almost 6 pm. I called home just to make sure. I was right. Anyway, normally the woman that unlocks the door for us is there waiting on me. But, last night she was no where. There were also no participants. It was just weird. And it was raining. So, I was out in the rain, with all my stuff for class--in the cold rain! Then, they started showing up. So, we waited a while and decided to try to find a place to go. We found a little nook with built-in benches and sat down to start. The lady who helps us get in, found us there and unlocked the door. She had forgotten us. :( She felt really bad! So, we got to have class and it went really well.

I always feel weird teaching people. I feel like I don't always know what I am talking about...or at least that I don't have enough experience with it. Aaron hates it that I feel this way and really hates it when I tell people that I don't know, and then go on to answer their question.

Okay, so it really wasn't all that twilighty, but it was hard to believe that 6 people had all, independently not been where they were supposed to be...

Teaching Horticulture

I have really enjoyed teaching this community horticulture class. I have learned that I like teaching. I have learned a lot about horticulture. I have found so many websites and books about gardening. I have had a lot of fun. I have about 2 1/2 weeks off and then I'll start up another session. I am excited to have most of the information ready. That way, I don't have to spend the whole day stressing about getting notes ready. Now, I can focus on drawings, a few minutes here and there that need to be added and other things to embellish and make the class a little better. I hope I get enough people to go again!

Horticulture Class

I just finished and posted the notes for the last night of teaching my horticulture class. It is a really good feeling! I have really enjoyed teaching this class. I have learned a lot and I hope that the people who came did as well! I especially learned that I really enjoy teaching. Aaron and I were talking last night about maybe having me get a teaching certificate in one of the sciences. It sounds like fun, but a lot of work. I wouldn't do it until the kids were all in school, though.

I am glad for a little break, too. I'll have a little more than two weeks off and then I am going to teach another, as long as I get enough people to join it!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Okay, so Luke is only four and Belle is 18 months old...but I decided tonight that no matter what I am ALWAYS going to parent/teacher conferences with our kids. I guess Aaron and I decided that a long time ago and so this decision is useless, but I made it anyway. My reason is this horrible classroom where I teach the horticulture class! It is in the photography room of the local high school. You'd expect to find pictures all over the walls and he has those, but they are awful!! They are weird, grotesque and COMPLETELY inappropriate for a public high school classroom! I don't know why no one has complained. I can't imagine that even one student or other teacher or SOMEBODY isn't bothered as much as I (and many of those taking the class) am! It is just horrible. There are LOTS of nude pictures. Some are wearing nothing but a camera or only tattoos. I understand that people take nude pictures as art, but my children should not be subjected to that just because they like to take pictures. I think there is a point where people need to realize that there are people out there who don't share the same tastes.

Whirlwind

We just made an unexpected, weekend trip to St. George, Utah. Aaron had a job interview and we all went along. It was really fun. It was nice to get away, too. The kids did really well on the trip there. They just ate snacks and watched movies. We got there on Sunday afternoon and we had no gas to wander around on, so we stayed in the hotel room. It was nice to have the downtime. Then, in the morning we drove around to see where we needed to drop him off and find a park for us. We also drove around to check things out a bit more. We have no idea if we want to live there or if we want to take the job. So, on the way back the kids were more restless. Belle did a lot of random screaming, even though she was watching Winnie the Pooh 3 1/2 times. I guess I should have changed the movie, but they kept enjoying it and it has "fast play". On the drive home we were assaulted by a huge rock. It looked the size of a bowling ball to me, but Aaron didn't agree. In the dark, it looked like there wasn't any damage. I hope that holds true in the light. Anyway, we don't know if we should take this new job. In some ways, it is perfect and would be great. In others it isn't what we want at all. It is a tricky one.

Learning

If you are handed something and you don't have to work for it, you aren't going to learn anything from it (except maybe how to be lazy).

How often have you learned anything when you didn't have to do something for it. If you are given a book, but you don't read it, you won't have a clue what is inside. If you are taught a lesson, but you aren't prepared to hear it, or don't listen, you won't learn it either.

How many easy, laid back days have taught you anything?

How have you learned and grown? Did you learn the most when you were prepared to hear something? Did you learn when you went through a tough time? Did you learn when you worked, read, studied and pondered?

I think some of the times that I have learned the most were the times when I had to go through a really tough time. I grew and changed and came out a better person.

I think you have to work to improve and learn anything in life.

Class Tonight

Class went great tonight!! I was able to answer a lot of questions and I am working on others that I did not know. One is about canning seeds as a part of emergency preparedness. If anyone who may be reading this has ever done this and then used the seeds successfully, let me know!! I am having trouble finding anything. One problem with this class is that it is from 7 to 9 in the evening, and 9 is my bedtime. Aaron gets up at 5 am and I have to get up soon after that to make breakfast and help him get ready. I am so wired after teaching that late at night, that I have a horrible time getting to sleep. It is almost 10:30, now and I am starting to wind down and be ready to go to sleep. I think I want to do this again, in the spring, but I want to start at 6 pm instead!

Gardening Class

Well, I taught my first community gardening class, last night! I think it went really well. It started off looking really bad. I wasn't familiar with the high school where it was being held, so I parked and went into what looked like part of the school. It was actually the parks and recreation building. I then had to walk over and try to find the door. I did find it and then I got lucky and saw some people that weren't high school kids and followed them. I finally made it there, but I was winded from all the running around and stairs. Plus, my bag was really heavy, since I packed it without testing its weight. Okay, so I got to the classroom and it was arranged really strangely. It is a photography room, so there were odd pictures all over the walls. At least for me, it wasn't really set up to teach. I had a hard time figuring out the best way to arrange myself so that I could teach effectively. I had to walk from one section of the room to another. I didn't really liike having to ignore a part of the class no matter what I did. Other than the weird classroom, I think things went quite well. I had a really good time and they asked lots of questions, which is what I was hoping for. I am looking forward to nest week!!