I have entered a whole new stage in my teaching career. I have always loved my job. I been able to interact, teach, guide, and help around 1800 students in the last nine years of teaching. However, this year, I am getting a taste of something different – students who genuinely want to be here, want to learn, and want a rigorous class.

While many of my college prep students over the years have shared these qualities, many more have not. Despite the name, most will not go onto a four-year college and a large percentage will not even go to junior college. History is a graduation requirement that has been forced upon them. In spite of that, I believe I do a good job of selling the subject and mixing up my teaching strategies enough to engage even the least interested students and, whether they like it or not, teach them important skills and information.

This year, during the first week of school, I spent a considerable amount of time in my new AP classes focusing on learning to reading the textbook, discussing skills, reviewing requirements, and outlining where we would be going. It went amazingly well. At the end of the week, I felt invigorated. Once we get into the actual content, I know they are going to thrive, which will allow me to truly delve into the content in a way that I haven’t been able to in the past.

This is not to disparage my current college prep class or any of my classes from the past nine years. I have had a lot of fun teaching those classes (and will continue to teach these classes), it is just a different academic environment. No doubt I will miss the more relaxed atmosphere of those classes and dread the collection of essays that will ruin weekends, but for now I am enjoying teaching the type of student I was.

I can’t believe it took ten years to get here.

I actually don't count the days. It is probably only on the first day that I even acknowledge the days that are left, until the last week or so that is.

First day went great. The students were responsive, well behaved, and generally positive. Don't know if I scared any of the 133 sophomores in the AP World History class away. We'll see as the week continues and they have to actually start doing some work.

In an attempt to provide an unbiased look at the problem, the San Diego Union Tribune has a couple of articles in today's paper about our dispute. The first, Grossmont district, teachers far apart describes the current differences. The second one, Battlefield Grossmont, outlines the longer history of the disagreement and looks at the board personalities in more detail.

The superintendent came to speak to us this morning. For those just tuning in, we are gearing up for a strike. The board and the superintendent do not have the best interests of the students AND teachers in mind. With a cost of living adjustment from the state of 3.93% last year and 5.53% this year, the district is offering us a deal that amount to significantly less. Plus class sizes continue to go up - 38 to 40 students in a history class is the norm. Throw in the fact that one board member has written articles that condemn all unions and they should be broken. Another board member is working with our anti-union governor. Last, a small politically active religious group (who's outreach program is led by a former board member) points to my district as a success story in a grassroots campaign to influence public education.

So the superintendent came to speak. When we walked into the gym where we were meeting, he saw a sea of teachers and staff members wearing yellow shirts (our color of unity - don't ask me why yellow!). He was also met by a wave of silence. We said nothing. As he avoided eye contact and bumbled through his somewhat prepared speech, he confessed that his job is hard and he doesn't always think he does a great job and he doesn't always like it. All the while, we sat silently. When he finally finished and asked if there were questions, we sat silently. When he awkwardly walked out, we were silent.

Then we smiled.

At a different school they asked questions first, then walked out before he could give his prepared statement. At another one, where the staff has not been very vocal, they peppered him with tough questions and then stated their full support of the union.

I hate to start the new school year with this cloud over our heads. I have so much to do and focus on in my classroom, at home, and in grad school - I don't have time to worry about a strike. Hopefully these signs of unity will force the district to settle, before we all are forced to walk out. No one wants to, but everyone I've talked to at several different sites said they will.

Back during the Clinton Administration we attacked another country. The bombing of Yugoslavia, in support of the Muslim ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo, sparked an intense debate. Our involvement was much more limited then in modern Iraq, but the criticism of Clinton was very similar to arguments against the invasion of Iraq. Interesting what today's key players said then and what they are doing now.

Here's what Republicans said about Clinton and Kosovo

With a week of WASC meetings, staff development, and a splash of prep time here and there starting on Monday, I've been considering what sort of year this will be. Unlike most jobs, we teachers get a chance to refresh (or at least work different jobs) and start over each year.

I've broken it down into two categories, things I'm looking forward to and the opposite.

Let's start with the positive.

• Not teaching 6/5s or having a student teacher so I will actually have my prep period to myself!
• Teaching AP kids. I was that sort of student and I have been waiting for the right opportunity to take on an AP class - looks like I got four of them.
• Using Moodle. I have been making web pages for my classes for seven years, this year I am going to shift more content online. Moodle will hopefully simplify the process for me, allowing an easy way to format assignments, upload files, and get students to interact online through forums and blogs.
• Finishing my masters program. I started 4.5 years ago. Since then I've had two kids, published my curriculum, and planned for three new preps. I took four semesters off in the process and took only once class half the time.

Now for the other list.

• Less money for not teaching 6/5s.
• Teaching AP World History. With the college prep kids, you can get away with so much more. I have a lot of curriculum to learn and create. On the bright side, I'm working closely with a friend from another school.
• Finishing my masters program. Two classes, out until 10pm on Wednesdays, and comps in November are going to prove to be exhausting.
• A potential strike. Nothing has changed over the summer so we right where we left off. The timeline has the strike occurring in November, right around Thanksgiving.
• WASC. This is the accreditation process we must go through every six years. Our coordinator is top notch, but it is a year full of mind-numbing meetings and a high stress visit by the accreditation committee in March.

I have a love/hate relationship with my yard. I love it looking nice and I actually enjoy working on it (when it isn't too hot). However, there are a million other things on my "list" that come before mowing the lawn and trimming the trees.

Dating back to my high school days when yard work was more like forced labor, I found that this was a great time to think. Again, I know I am nerd. We've established that. I usually pick a topic and try and stay on it until I have covered everything aspect. Today's topic was music. It started when I was loading up my iPod shuffle with some my summer favorites. A little live Dido (which is surprisingly good), Modest Mouse, and some Coldplay (still trying to like the new album). The I saw Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails and added that as well.

The NIN album is not one I listen to often, but it got me thinking. I started think about book I just finshed, Buddha by Karen Anderson (it's not great, but interesting). He believed that we were constantly changing, our sense of self is not static. It evolves. We are all different people today then five years ago. Music has always been a central part of my identity and as I looked at my musical tastes over the years, I saw that my mental state has been reflected in the music that I listen too.

So while I weedwacker, trimmed the trees, and mowed the lawn I went through my favorites music artists over the years.

Early on there was Men at Work. They were quarky, fun, sarcastic (which I probably didn't understand), and a bit junville - perfect for a 10 or 11 year old. Then, just prior to my enlightenment I went through a heavy metal phase that include included Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, Van Halen, and even a little Judas Priest. I still think Def Leppard's Pyromania is a classic. This music change corresponded with a move across town and away from my childhood friends. Once I settled into the new neighborhood, made new friends, and started junior high I found alternative music and Oingo Boingo - a more mature, or at least, a darker version of Men at Work. Who doesn't like Dead Man's Party and the movie Wierd Science?

Then I went to high school. It was there I discovered U2. I had War and Under a Blood Red Sky, but it was really Joshua Tree that made me a true believer. That concert, which was my first, changed everything. I was infected with a critical optimism. I grabbed on to U2, the Alarm, Cowboy Junkies, and Simple Minds. I became involved in Amnesty International, I wore a black arm band during Tiananmen Square, and I watched the Berlin Wall fall.

Towards the end of high school I experienced a shift towards music that was darker. I started listening to more Cure, Jesus and Mary Chain, and eventually Nine Inch Nails. Once I started college my mom got sick and that darkness continued, through Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Smashing Pumpkins. The Persian Gulf war and L.A. Riots hit, then Kurt Cobain killed himself. I was no doubt depressed, I was certainly pessimistic and negative. I didn't know what to do with myself, I changed majors four or five times.

Then U2 put out Actung Baby and once again I saw a shift. It is their darkest album, but it was still U2. It had a new sound. That optimism I had started to come back. One became my anthem. My favorite line comes from a deeper track called Acrobat, "Don't let the bastards drag you down." At this time I also took to a band called Toad the Wet Sprocket that blended positive and negative messages together masterfully. 10,000 Maniacs released These Are Days. Clinton was elected.

Towards the end of my sophomore year of college some friends introduced me to the Grateful Dead. A friend recently reminded me of another quote that I love, "Not all who wander are lost" (From the Lord of the Rings). It was during this time that I was trying to find myself and what I wanted to with my life. I was playing a game between my two professional loves, photogaphy and history. The Dead gave me an unending path. I did a photo internship at a newspaper, settled on my major, and narrowed my career path to two.

Ironically Jerry died the first week of my teaching credential program. I was devastated. Not that we couldn't see it coming. He almost died two or three other times. It was the time for me to grow up. My first few years as a teacher were dominated by Dave Matthews Band and little bits of all the other music I'd been purchasing over the years. I was getting by as best I could.

Since my oldest son was born, now almost five years ago now, my music tastes have mellowed. U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind was great, but definitely safe. I have latched on to Jack Johnson, Coldplay, Dido, Moby, and Glen Phillips (former lead singer of Toad). Good solid music. This last year, with the potential of a strike looming, I've found some solace in Modest Mouse and Audioslave.

It is a rare occasion now that I can actually listen to the likes of NIN, in fact, today I only listened to three tracks before I clicked ahead to Coldplay.

I guess it could also mean I'm just getting old...

From Assorted Stuff, who got it from someone else.

I've been doing a lot of reading of different types of blogs over the last year, but this one really took me by surprise. Kibbles 'n' Whine is the life of a Sheltie/Lab mix. Well done!

I completed the last of three workshops (Technology Integration into the Social Studies Classroom). Amazing how fast six hours can fly. As I did yesterday, I over planned. I intended to do the traditional WebQuest on WebQuests and a short Blogging WebQuest, but simply didn't have the time. I only had five people today, but we really kept the energy up for the whole session. The candy I brought probably helped.

I have done variations of this presentation (though usually not for more than a couple hours) over the years and one thing that has made this year stand out more than the others is the evolution of the technology. The concept of online communities is a theme. Whether it is the students and their myspace, livejournal, or deadjournal friends lists or the edubloggers out there who find themselves looking and commenting on the each others blogs or the community that will no doubt grow at QuestGarden in the coming years. It is just very cool.

Throw in the fact that the technology to create a web presence has simplified. No longer do you have to know how to make a web page to make a web page. I remember saying when Geocities got big that anyone could make a web page, but really you needed to know how to make a web page. Today is different. Blogs, wikis, and content management systems have simplified the process. I certainly wouldn't be blogging if I had to do it in Dreamweaver. It's not that I couldn't do it, it just wasn't easy enough.

I think, really for the first time, that all of the participants could realistically implement one or more of these technologies.

Some days I could be tempted to leave the classroom and to work with teachers, especially after a week like this one.

Nine days until I report back to school.

I have it on good authority that it is actually QuestGarden (Bernie commented on my last post), not GardenQuest. Did I get it right? Coming soon...

Another one down. I got to focus on the technology projects and classroom simulations I do with my world history students. This one was only three hours long, but it had the most people enrolled and the many of the teachers were as, if not significantly more, experienced as I am teaching world history.

In a surprising twist, I actually had everything outlined, copied, and ready to go hours before I started this morning. However, in order to complicate my life and confuse those around me, I completely changed the schedule as the session continued. We covered everything in the outline, just in a seemingly random order. One person did give me a 3 out of 4 on the organization part of the evaluation. Whatever. :) I think that is part of my organizational problem, I don't always do what I plan, I do what seems to work. If that means all my papers in one pile versus putting them in designated folders, then there it is.

Over though the workshop was well received. This is the second time I've been able to talk up GardenQuest (mistakenly called QuestGarden in a previous post), and I have a number of teachers chomping at the bit to get started on it. The group was great, nothing like a room full of people who do exactly what you do. Having taught a lot of staff development classes over the years filled with math, science, English, foreign language, and social studies teachers at every grade level and sub-discipline, I loved that everyone taught world history to tenth graders. Even my wife's world history teachers attended (no pressure there).

One workshop to go tomorrow and then one week off and then it all starts over.

Today starts the first of three workshops this week that I am leading. Today and tomorrow I am working with teachers of various technological ability to help guide them as they begin to create a technology project they will implement with their students. As one of the breakout sessions, I covered blogs, wikis, podcasting, and RSS in an Emerging Technologies presentation.

I have been living and breathing this stuff (maybe not podcasting) for the last couple years so it came very easily. However, a number of the participants didn't even know this stuff existed. Probably should have limited it some. There is so much potential with there technologies! I get excited talking about them to others... man, I am a geek. I guess my wife is right. Damn.

Go Padres?