What Pleased You Today!

[unclescott58]

Great story Tom. Inspiring kids, getting them interested in something healthy, and getting them indirectly to do better in general. What more can you ask for? Sometimes the little things we think are not important, are the things that help put a kid on the right course. Never discount doing things like helping kids learn stamp collecting. It may have been more important than you know. Thank you for doing it Tom.

[unclescott58]

Oh, another cute work story from Friday. Art class with a group of 2nd graders (including my one-on-one pain). They were finishing up projects that will be put on walls and shown to parents at up coming conferences. The art teacher wanted to have them make little place cards to go with their painting.

On them they were to say the following:

     Their name

     Name of their painting

     2nd grade, 2015

Well, some of them weren't really getting idea. So I made one for myself to show them how I do it if I had a painting to show. Mine said the following:

     Mr. Aho

     Chaos

     2nd grade, 2015

My art skills being what they are, I was making a little joke about the name for my imaginary painting. A joke none of the 2nd grades got, of course. My card showed the kids what to do, and most of them then got it. But... Near the end of class I see that one young man filled out his card with the top line okay. And he filled the third line about grade level okay. But, the second. Guess what he had for the name of his painting? "Chaos"! I had a good laugh with the art teacher over that one. I wonder what his and other parents will think when they see title of his painting?

There I go. Corrupting the youth again. I'm amazed sometimes that they let me keep my job!

[Tom Geiger]

Great story Scott!  If you don't have a little humor on the job, we'd all go crazy!

[charlie8575]

Work pleased me today. I work as a substitute para in the education field. And this fall I've had work one-on-one with one particular 2nd grader (autistic), a lot. Who is a royal pain in the you know what! I again had to work with him today. Though he still will not cooperate with me 99.9% of the time. We noticed he seems to readily come to me if he's having a problem. He may act like he doesn't like me. But, he seems to trust me. And that is a nice little brake through. It just goes to show. You sometimes never know the impact you maybe having on a kid. And you can never give up on a kid. No matter how hopeless it seems at the time.

At the same time, I'm glad I will not have work with him a least on Monday or Tuesday of next week. Both days I'll be working with high schoolers. An age group I love working with. And with the amount of time I've been in the business, have seen several kids make big changes over the years. Mostly for better. Yet when I'm needed, I will not turn down an assignment to work with my pain in the you know what, 2nd grader. It maybe hard. But, I do want see what's best for the kid.

One other work related thing. And this was slightly humorous. This last Wedensday I was at a high school working with several kids I've been working with for many years now. The question came up, when did I start working with some of them? One kid who is in 9th grade now, I knew for sure I've been working with him since he was in 3rd grade. But, there was a girl in that class, who insisted that I've worked with her longer than with any of the others. She might be right. I can not remember. I kind of doubt it. But, that doesn't matter. She insists that I've known her longest of any of her classmates, and that's that! Okay....? Maybe she is right. I could have worked with her as early as her being in the 1st grade. I have been working as a para that long now!

That's one of the things I truly miss about teaching. 

I loved being able to build a relationship with the kids and get everyone on the same page. It might take time, but it would happen. 

Unfortunately, teaching has become so horribly political and the curriculum gutted by hacks and cronies, that, combined with a lot of administrators' inability or refusal to think outside their narrowly-defined little boxes, I don't think I could do it again.

Perhaps someday, maybe as a volunteer for an entrepreneurial studies class or something like that. Haven't ruled out college, either. 

Charlie Larkin

[charlie8575]

That's nice work Scott!  Sometimes hard but rewarding in the end.  I've never had that experience, but back when I was a junior and senior in high school, I was invited to work with a school stamp club for fourth and fifth graders.  I went to each meeting and taught them how to identify and handle stamps, but most important I had them all pick a subject and develop an exhibit around those stamps.  We put together album pages of their own design and had a show that the entire school attended at the end of each season.  

A funny thing happened...  several of the participants school grades went up! Especially in the reading and writing areas.  It seemed that we motivated them through stamps to work harder to keep up with the club.  I got a certificate of recognition from the school and a small bit in the local paper.  It was rewarding to have effected these kids in a positive way.

The interesting part was that for years after, rather tall young guys would call out to me in stores and restaurants and introduce themselves as being one of the kids in my stamp clubs.  It was touching that they remembered me and wanted to say hello!

Feels good, doesn't it? I get that every so often around town.

Charlie Larkin

[slusher]

Was a cool rainy Halloween but had some real nice polite children....

[unclescott58]

Charlie, part of the reasons I work as substitute rather go full time, is politics. Working as much as I do, I hear about it in every school I work. For some reason I have not seen any with my direct employer, Kelly Services. And for that I'm greatfull.

Politics is one of what I call the 3Ps that makes me glad I'm not in someplace permanently. The other two Ps are parents and political correctness. It seems like a good percentage of the time you meet a kid who's problem is behavioral, you'll find dysfunction parents and/or family behind it. Show the kid that you care about them. That you know they're really not a bad kid. That there is more going on than what we're seeing directly. And it's amazing how well the kid will respond to you.

Political correctness. I'm not even going to touch that one here. It would take too much time.

There are other reasons I continue working as a sub. But, no question. Working with kids is by far the must rewarding thing I've ever done in my life. I love the little poops (sometimes I say worst things than that about them).

[Tom Geiger]

Was a cool rainy Halloween but had some real nice polite children....

It was a nice sunny day here in Eastern Pennsylvania.  We waited all day for kids, and only got some around 6pm when it was dark.  Funny thing, we asked a parent and was told that our development only allows Trick or Treating from 6-8pm... which is truly stupid since it's dark then and we have no street lights.  But we did get a few dozen kids and along with the candy I gave out a dozen Matchbox cars.

We know someone like this, so I was waiting for a parent saying, "My child cannot have candy, peanuts, salt or sugar. What else do you have?" My response would've been, "Here!  Have a Matchbox car!"

We don't get a lot of kids since our houses are far apart, with long driveways and we have no street lights. I remember the first year we were married and we lived in one bedroom garden apartments.  We reasoned that there were no kids living there, so we were unprepared for Halloween.  The doorbell started the minute school let out and didn't stop until 9pm.  Hundreds of kids!   So I asked a kid and he said they had their parents drop them off... where else could you ring four doorbells at the same time?!  

[slusher]

It was a nice sunny day here in Eastern Pennsylvania.  We waited all day for kids, and only got some around 6pm when it was dark.  Funny thing, we asked a parent and was told that our development only allows Trick or Treating from 6-8pm... which is truly stupid since it's dark then and we have no street lights.  But we did get a few dozen kids and along with the candy I gave out a dozen Matchbox cars.

We know someone like this, so I was waiting for a parent saying, "My child cannot have candy, peanuts, salt or sugar. What else do you have?" My response would've been, "Here!  Have a Matchbox car!"

We don't get a lot of kids since our houses are far apart, with long driveways and we have no street lights. I remember the first year we were married and we lived in one bedroom garden apartments.  We reasoned that there were no kids living there, so we were unprepared for Halloween.  The doorbell started the minute school let out and didn't stop until 9pm.  Hundreds of kids!   So I asked a kid and he said they had their parents drop them off... where else could you ring four doorbells at the same time?!  

Thats a great idea on the Matchbox cars. If it had not rained we would had twice as many kids..

[Crazy Ed]

     Not a Cloud In the Sky  nor a bit of a Breeze for this Mornings Planet gathering. Friday the Moon will be next to Jupiter then on Saturday Venus. Clouds, Camera and Picture Taker willing Pics will be forthcoming.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Crazy Ed

[unclescott58]

I'm enjoying the astronomy pictures. It's been fairly cloudy around here lately. That and living in major city, I don't get to see sites like that too often. Thank you.

[Crazy Ed]

I'm enjoying the astronomy pictures. It's been fairly cloudy around here lately. That and living in major city, I don't get to see sites like that too often. Thank you.

   Always nice to bring enjoyment to others. It looks like I'll be adding the Moon/Jupiter and Moon/Venus pictures Friday and Saturday if the Weather Critters are right. Yesterday I went down to my favorite Winter Picture taking place to see if my Winter "Friends" had made it back. Yep the Migration is On. The Sandhill Cranes are very high on my list of what I most enjoy taking pictures of.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Crazy Ed

[High octane]

Cool photo.

[Tom Geiger]

The birds are headed south for winter on the East Coast!   This weekend I went out in my yard and there was a loud odd noise, almost as if someone was sawing trees or blowing leaves a few houses away. I then looked up and realized that there were what must have been hundreds to thousands of small black birds, maybe sparrows or wrens... I'm not a bird guy.  They had all rested in the trees and were chirping away. Then all at once they took to the sky!   They must have been a migratory flock passing through.

Which leads to the sounds of fall in my neighborhood!  Leaf blowers! The leaves are coming down at a mad clip, aided by the winds and rain of last week. I had a foot deep in my back yard, which I have about half blown into the woods.  I just go for mass, not detail since there is at least the same amount still in the trees. My backdoor neighbor is a leaf fiend!  He's out there right now with his walk behind leaf blower and he won't rest until every friggin leaf is gone off his lawn.  He will spend every day doing that too!   Even his wife says he's crazy!

Edited November 3, 2015 by Tom Geiger

[High octane]

What pleased me today is, that 'after I had piled up and shredded a bunch of leaves I decided to take my ride for a spin and my wife decided to join me. We stopped for lunch but I really couldn't speed or lay rubber as that doesn't make her happy, and the police were out today as well. Another time.

[Earl Marischal]

Getting a phone call to say my new Skoda has been built and is on the boat to England. Should collect it at the end of the month.

steve

[Crazy Ed]

Cool photo.

     Thanks Nick

The birds are headed south for winter on the East Coast!   This weekend I went out in my yard and there was a loud odd noise, almost as if someone was sawing trees or blowing leaves a few houses away. I then looked up and realized that there were what must have been hundreds to thousands of small black birds, maybe sparrows or wrens... I'm not a bird guy.  They had all rested in the trees and were chirping away. Then all at once they took to the sky!   They must have been a migratory flock passing through.

Which leads to the sounds of fall in my neighborhood!  Leaf blowers! The leaves are coming down at a mad clip, aided by the winds and rain of last week. I had a foot deep in my back yard, which I have about half blown into the woods.  I just go for mass, not detail since there is at least the same amount still in the trees. My backdoor neighbor is a leaf fiend!  He's out there right now with his walk behind leaf blower and he won't rest until every friggin leaf is gone off his lawn.  He will spend every day doing that too!   Even his wife says he's crazy!

     I've no idea what 3/4 of the Birds I see are. As too Leaf Blowers, when I was a Kid we had the series One type. I grew up in SoCal and we had a Really Tall Sycamore Tree that seemed to drop all of it's leaves within a week and would cover the lawn in 6 - 12" of leaves that I NEVER needed to pick up! I'd rake them to the curb and within 2 days a Santa Ana wind would blow the 4' pile to the empty lot across the street.

[martinfan5]

Local surplus store letting me exchange a pair of BDU's with out a receipt I bought from them three years ago for pair that I can actually fit into now, probably helped that the tags are still on them.

[unclescott58]

Getting a phone call to say my new Skoda has been built and is on the boat to England. Should collect it at the end of the month.

steve

A Skoda? Cool. I hope you post photos when you get it.

[Earl Marischal]

A Skoda? Cool. I hope you post photos when you get it.

Don't worry, I will!

steve

[Tom Geiger]

     Thanks Nick

     I've no idea what 3/4 of the Birds I see are. As too Leaf Blowers, when I was a Kid we had the series One type. I grew up in SoCal and we had a Really Tall Sycamore Tree that seemed to drop all of it's leaves within a week and would cover the lawn in 6 - 12" of leaves that I NEVER needed to pick up! I'd rake them to the curb and within 2 days a Santa Ana wind would blow the 4' pile to the empty lot across the street.

Leaves!  I have an acre and the entire backyard is woods.  Last Sunday I blew all the leaves to the back of the yard, and today there are as many leaves back on the deck and yard again. So it's important that I go out again this weekend, because if I let it all fall, it will become too much bulk to successfully blow. It's really hard to blow against a solid wall of leaves!

[Crazy Ed]

Leaves!  I have an acre and the entire backyard is woods.  Last Sunday I blew all the leaves to the back of the yard, and today there are as many leaves back on the deck and yard again. So it's important that I go out again this weekend, because if I let it all fall, it will become too much bulk to successfully blow. It's really hard to blow against a solid wall of leaves!

     Tom, I have ~10X the area I mow but I only do it 2 times a year. Mid - Late Sept and late May - Mid June. As to cleaning up Leaves there's only one Tree that's within the small area I'd worry about leaves and 90% of them fall outside of the area I care about. Next year I maybe planting a couple of Prickly Ash Trees for their Seeds (great for Cooking!), but other wise If it needs watering it ain't happening until I get the recovery system back up and running.

[metalhead]

I had a nice, pleasant night at work tonight. Everyone worked together as a team, got our work done and went home early.

[mikemodeler]

Watching the Green Bay Packers lose their second game in a row!

[slusher]

   Always nice to bring enjoyment to others. It looks like I'll be adding the Moon/Jupiter and Moon/Venus pictures Friday and Saturday if the Weather Critters are right. Yesterday I went down to my favorite Winter Picture taking place to see if my Winter "Friends" had made it back. Yep the Migration is On. The Sandhill Cranes are very high on my list of what I most enjoy taking pictures of.

Another great picture Ed.