Candice & Todd's blog: Made it through another school year.

So this is a wrap of "year 9" in teaching. Honestly, I did not realize it was that long!

1 1/2 years of Physical Science at the part-time school while consulting. (This was tough juggling part-time work b/c there is nothing part-time about teaching! So even though it was at a 2-day-a-week school... it counts! I was figuring the whole being-a-teacher / curriculum thing out!)

2 1/2 years of Physical Science, Life Science, Biology, Chemistry, Architecture and Gardening classes at the private PBL school (Broke away from green-building all-together... teaching full-time. This was tough b/c I had so many preps -- I was the only science teacher in the upper grades and having to teach it all. But - classes were small and I had a lot of freedom / we did some pretty cool things.) When that ended, I did a few months over the summer doing STEM for the preschool while Isabella was finishing her Pre-K / while I was waiting to start at the next job.

2 years of Earth Science at the public middle school. (This was tough b/c it was my 1st stint in public school and it was SOOO different than private. So many students. Some behavior issues. But - I only had the Science Prep + my STEM class that I was teaching with the math teacher. I had a science team there... more so than I had at the PBL school... so it felt more supportive. My 1st "official" summer off was during covid. :/ I was working on the teaching certificate program my 2nd year while teaching full-time & raising a family.

3 years now teaching Architecture at the public high school. (This was tough b/c I started during covid and - well - we had hoops to jump through with virtual / then hybrid / then back-in-person with kids who had been isolated for a year or more). I have a lot of students still. And the behavior has been an issue. The biggest issue is apathy. Lots of apathy.... kids who just don't care. (On the positive side - there ARE kids who DO care too. My mentor has told me to focus on them... pour into those kids!) I was wrapping up the teaching certificate program while teaching full-time & raising a family that 1st year. The 2nd year no extras outside of teaching. This 3rd year - I gave up a planning period to teach an extra class + got suckered into taking an endorsement class - a 4 quarter graduate level class (12 credit hours at our local university). That just wrapped last week.

See a common theme? "This was tough..." is how each of those sections start!

Teaching is A LOT harder than I expected!!

But, I am starting to feel more confident in what I'm teaching. I still need to figure out self-preservation on how to grade projects without losing so much of myself / so much of my time. I keep changing up my projects so I personally don't get bored, but that's also a lot of work to do. So, I've got to recycle projects and figure out a way to keep them fresh.

Mercer wrapped up his 1st year of high school. He definitely had UPS and DOWNS. He did well 1st semester - struggling with his Graphics class. He got all As & Bs. 2nd semester - he made the JV baseball team... which some kids who were on it last year as 8th graders didn't make the team. So - whew... and yay! But - he had that fractured finger to start the season and a grade issue at the end of the season, so he did not get much play-time.

Semester 2, he was still struggling with Graphics again - the teacher gave so many projects that the students had a hard time keeping up with (not just Mercer - I talked to a lot of my students who were also taking Graphics too and they were struggling as well). He & Todd worked really hard many weekends up at Todd's office where they had some of the computer programs and helped to get him back on track. Mid-semester, his Algebra class became the major struggle. He worked with a tutor and was focusing on his End of Course test that was worth 20% of his grade! How nerve-racking!!

We weren't sure if he would have to re-take Algebra over the summer, but he pulled out a passing grade & went in to do some extra classes / extra work to pull it up to a C. Eek. Not the best - but he's free of school this summer! (which is good b/c he's got baseball, work and an online driver's ed class to take!)

His end-of-school went out with a fizzle. At the high school, we have "exam week" (Tues - Fri) and if you don't have a final, kids don't often come. (They're marked absent, but usually they'll sit around and not do anything if they do come in. Last year, I planned an activity b/c I wasn't sure what to expect. This year, I just put out art supplies. Only a few played around with them. I had a bunch of kids who were not in class, but I had a bunch who "stopped by" during random class periods (maybe after they finished an exam) trying frantically to wrap up their projects.)

We insisted that Mercer go in to his 2 classes where he was struggling the most. It helped. He got his math grade up to the next grade band level. But after that - he didn't go in. There's not like an "end-of-school party" or anything for the students. ~Fizzle~

Elementary school is way more fun at the end of the school year! She had field day the last week and parties.

Isabella got off of the bus on the last day of school and said "I'm a 5th grader now!"

And she said that her last day was AMAZING! They did no work. They watched movies and played games. They had a picnic.

She comes off the bus fired up. On the walk home she is talking about what she wants to be when she grows up...

In early elementary, it was an entomologist because she loved bugs. In middle elementary she said she did not want to be a vet because she would have to give animals shots... and she didn't want to hurt them.

She talks about how she wants to go to M.I.T. (??!!)

And NOW she talks about how she wants to be both a vet and a doctor... helping animals and people is all the same.

She asked us last week if we would support her in her dream of becoming a doctor. Um - yes - we can get behind that, but... well, um... medical school $.. we can help get you started. ha!

At the end of her school year, they had an awards ceremony. Todd was able to attend. She got a certificate for all A's & B's. (She had a little issue in math a few weeks ago and that brought her grade down to a B - otherwise she would have had all A's.)

She also got this "award" - in blue - which was a shock to all of us - including Isabella. "Most Organized?"

(that's not saying much about the other kids in the class if SHE was the most organized.) ha!

Here's a couple of photos I snapped the final weekend before school ended to send up to Todd. (He was up in New Jersey visiting his mom in the hospital.)

She was working on a business plan with a classmate and they had to present it in MILE (gifted) class.

She was sooo into it! (so documenting here)

She & I celebrated her last day of school with a water balloon fight. She "won" because - honestly - she insisted that I stand still and NOT move.

(Todd and Mercer were at a baseball game - otherwise we would have been AFRAID of his baseball speed water-balloon throws!!)

Speaking of baseball.... Mercer started just before the memorial day weekend with his 1st tournament. (Technically while school was still in session - but he was on that exam week schedule, so he was able to go to the games. And - thankfully Todd's job is fairly flexible so he was able to help him get there.)

He's playing spring ball with the same travel team that he played with in the fall (the 5 Star Mafia). Fall was just skimming the surface. These tournaments that he's in now have 40+ or 60+ teams. Cobb County is the baseball mecca and teams travel here from other parts of the southeast. So - lucky for us - there's not much travel except across the Metro Atlanta area. We have 1 tournament this summer in Florida which requires a hotel stay. Not too bad for "travel ball."

Things have been a bit of a bummer on this team. He's not been playing much (so far) for this team either. One thing we've noticed: not many parents come to practices or games. The coaches bring a bunch of kids. Some kids don't even go to the practices. Last fall, they brought in some random 5 Star kids from other teams to "fill in" at games / didn't have the right uniforms b/c they weren't a part of the team... but they would get play time. It's very confusing. (maybe political?)

Todd goes to every practice / every game (Isabella and I go to only some of the games). Todd also does the online scoring of the games. I think he's getting frustrated and will say something soon. Travel ball has not been as good of an experience as his rec team (little league) was. Hoping that things pick up a bit - as he has tournaments EVERY weekend. (some start on Thursday and go through Monday!)

He likes his all-yellow pin-stripe jersey! (This is the 1st pin-stripe jersey he's had in his whole baseball career.)

These last 2 shots are from the CAR behind outfield. It was soooo cold that Isabella and I had to go warm up! So - it's too small to see anything really!

Hot sun or windy & chilly - he still loves it!

He'll spend his summers at various ball-parks and working at the spray-ground.

These are the scenes he will see the most this summer!

Here are the scenes that Isabella will see most this summer:

She will still be doing horse lessons, music lessons and gymnastics (like she does through the school year).

How cute is this horse?! Isabella found it's "tickle spot" and it is stretching and leaning into it!

But - she's added swim team (It just started a couple of weeks before school ended & it's already hard to get her to lessons!) She loves the excitement of the swim meets though. There was already 1 of those too - on the evening of MY last day of school.

These will be the scenes this summer she will see the most of. (+ she will see the scenery from a few camps - but not as may this year as in years before).

Those will be on the upcoming summer blog posts

Here are some fun images from this month.

Todd and Mercer doing who-knows-what?! This is pretty typical at dinner or during a weekend breakfast...

Isabella playing with the photo editor.

Taking Mercer to get his 1st paycheck.

Mother's day came & went this past month. I was grading and/or doing work for that gifted program all weekend. But - I did choose to go to a KSU baseball game b/c our chiropractor who we've seen for 15 years - his son was graduating and it was his last game. (we had never been to one of these games, although Mercer has seen him / talked with him at a baseball camp there).

whew. we made it to the LAST GAME! (well, 3 of the 4 of us made it to support Dr Jim's family. Isabella refused to go.)

It was a hot, but nice day (and we found some shade). Todd also made dinner for me that evening.

I had visions of getting a mani-pedi, but... :/

The annual neighborhood golf tournament also took place this month. Only took 1 photo. After this 1st hole, the teen and pre-teen were unhappy. (And I was solo - Todd went to New Jersey to visit his mom who has been in the hospital after falling & breaking her hip..) There were several more holes, food, a large group photo - which I don't know if they really ever send it out? It was not my favorite day with the kiddos, but I'm really glad it's gearing back up after not hosting it for quite a while.

To wrap this May 2023 end-of-year blog post up - here are some other scenes from the end of MY school year. Most of my scenery was at school, but some good things I want to capture with my students who DO care... those who wrapped up an architecture capstone project + those in my AIAS club :) I don't often post about students, but this year is hitting differently as many of those I started with are graduating!

These are some great students... and many who were graduating / I was a little sad to see go. wishing them ALL the BEST in their next chapters.

(After all - this is why I'm doing this, right?!) :)

- CANstruction design / build / presentation to our sponsors + panel discussion about architecture

(plus our principal - pictured on the right - tweeted about it!)

The students pictured at the (end) of the event were either officers earlier this school year and/or are the officers who will carry through to next school year.

Our sponsor was a guy I used to work with at an architecture firm when HE was an intern. Crazy how it's good to stay connected!

Here are some of my seniors who received their honor cords for graduation for being members in good standing + providing service to the club. I had current officers present the cords.

Here are my 2 LEED Green Associates(AIAS last year wanted to study green building after school!) These two are also both graduating - both want to do something in the field of sustainability.

And - not club related - but also graduating - these seniors who completed their Architecture Pathway Capstone project mid-May (pictured with their mentors - professionals who we met with over the school year to help guide the students).

Biomimicry, Architectural Photography & designing a boutique hotel on Marietta Square were the themes of their projects.

I had one other VERY special student who did not come to any of the AIAS meetings nor did he finish the pathway, but I had him for almost 3 years of my career. Henry was diagnosed with cancer in the middle of 1st semester last year and was admitted to the hospital for several months. I begged admin to drop my class. It was painful putting zeroes in for missed assignments! They did... and close to the end of the school year last year, he came by cancer-free. He signed up for my Architecture I class again and completed it. He regrets that he could not take the 3rd year (Architecture II) which is crazy because he's healthy and alive. He has the sweetest heart and biggest smile. I will really miss him!

I watched graduation on the video recording while cleaning my room earlier this week. I loved seeing each one of these seniors + more (not mentioned above) who were presented with their diplomas. Many had on the blue AIAS graduation cord. Many had on the Architecture Pathway-Completer medal. And some - like Henry - did not.

Yep. I guess this is why - as teachers - we're doing what we're doing! :)

Here are some of the teachers on my CTAE (Career Tech) team. Unfortunately, 2 of these lovely ladies are not returning next year. This does seem to happen / there seems to be a lot of turnover in this industry I'm noticing....

PS - one funny thing: there was a peacock loose in Marietta earlier this month. It was even featured on the local news channel. Speaking of graduation, our school system got in on fun with the story - featuring the peacock as a "graduate" posing in front of the high school and at the stadium where graduation is held.