It’s a New Day…
in Redskins Nation. Mike Shanahan is our new coach for the next 5 years. I have high hopes for him as our new coach and high hopes that our owner will actually let him make final decisions about football and stay out of it after providing the $$. Seriously, here’s to a new era in Redskins history, Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen have my vote of confidence going into this offseason. Let’s hope we do something positive in the draft this year. We’ve got to get someone good with pick 4 in the first round!
Add comment January 8, 2010
leann28
Tags: Bruce Allen, Mike Shanahan, Redskins, Washington Redskins
2009 comes to a close…
As we are at the end of 2009, I figured I would post some thoughts on the various areas I blab about on this blog.
Teacher: This year, I have been asked to teach a subject that I have not taught exclusively before. I was also asked to become the Social Studies team leader for my school, which essentially means that I oversee the Social Studies instruction taking place in our school. This has been quite the learning experience for me as I have seen first-hand what goes on in the school and have had to deal with some not-so-pleasant situations. I have also become part of a new grade level team as I am teaching 8th grade now instead of 7th grade. This has also been very interesting in trying to figure out the group dynamics and where I fit into those, especially as one of the younger members of that team.
Redskins: Obviously this has been a HORRIBLE year! There is nothing much else to say other than…I hope we get a good draft pick out of this and pick an offensive lineman (heaven knows we have needed one for 10 years!). Still a fan, but not helping Daniel Snyder run this team into the ground!
Scrapbooking: I haven’t done much scrapbooking at all this year! This is one of my resolutions for 2010…do more!!!
Hoping you have a great New Year! Here’s to 2010.
Add comment January 1, 2010
leann28
Redskins and other thoughts…
First, I can’t even believe we actually won last week against Denver. That was craziness and what Redskins football should have been doing all year long. And we didn’t even have many of our starters healthy and Haynesworth went out with his ankle twice. Anyway….I hope we can keep that momentum going from last week into the Big D this week. I will be going into enemy territory tomorrow to watch the game. I will be going to a co-workers home to watch the game with her husband who is a major Dallas fan. It should be interesting. 
Other thoughts…I can’t even believe that November is almost over. This school year is going by VERY quickly. We had American Education Week this past week, a national promotion of public schools. The parents just sign in and then can shadow their children throughout the day. We are just to be prepared for it because parents may show up in your classroom or may not. Usually, if parents want to observe, they have to give 24 hours notice (so that we are at least aware they are coming in). And then, Monday and Tuesday we have conferences. The kids have half days on Monday and Tuesday and we then have conferences in the afternoons. We can choose to stay in the evenings on Monday and Tuesday or, if you don’t, work on Wednesday. I am staying both evenings and have a total of 59 conferences!!!!! HOLY CRAP!!!! I don’t think I have ever had that many conferences in the 10 years I have been teaching! And then, there is Thanksgiving. And then November will be over…wow!!!!
And on top of all that, I have to work on my project for my class at UMBC this semester. I am creating a lesson plan about the Indian Removal of 1830 and teaching with primary source documents. I have to research the historiography of the topic and write an essay and then create the lesson plan. I have some documents already and found a couple political cartoons today also. So…I have to work on that over Thanksgiving break. As if I don’t have enough going on already. 
Add comment November 22, 2009
leann28
Thoughts on the game…
So as I sit here watching the end of the Redskins-Falcons game today, I can’t help but think that there is more to the crap that is the Redskins than just the owner. While I have not liked Dan Snyder since the time he bought the Skins out from under Jack Kent Cooke’s family, there is way more to this football team sucking than him. We have played much better during the second half offensively than we did in the first half of this game. Yet, with the offense getting better, the defense is starting to suck. Letting the Falcons get two touchdowns on crazy long runs or receptions and then runs after. How does that happen? And then…the execution of the plays is awful. Jason Campbell getting sacked 5 different times and now injured with Todd Collins playing at QB in the 4th quarter…we have no offensive line to speak of. We haven’t had an offensive line to speak of for I don’t know how long. I’m impressed with what Joe Bugel has been able to do with what he’s been given…yet, he needs something to work with. We have almost no depth at these positions and we can’t have any more injuries. We have got to draft some offensive line players in April…but with the people we have in the front office, it’s unlikely to happen.
And can I just say one thing about the “fight” or whatever that was in the 2nd quarter…that is absolutely ridiculous behavior on the part of grown men and has no place on this team. I think Jim Zorn should have sat them all down on the bench, at least for the following play, and more for the people most heavily involved. I can not understand it…allowing that sort of behavior and then not even addressing it by yelling in the guy’s face or anything. Just my thoughts on this ridiculous situation of the Redskins 2009 season.
Add comment November 8, 2009
leann28
Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Daniel Snyder, Falcons, Redskins, Washington Redskins
How to handle…
In my new position as the social studies instructional team leader, I find myself in a very awkward position. I am teaching a new curriculum for the first time in 10 years, teaching a new level (Gifted and Talented) that I have not previously taught, and helping to teach/guide those same students through the National History Day project and competition. In addition to that, I oversee the other social studies teachers in my school. One of these is a bit hard to deal with and I’m not really sure how to go about handling what could be a very delicate situation. There have been multiple meetings between this teacher and myself as well as the principal and others. I am getting quite concerned about the instruction that is happening in this person’s classroom and yet, there isn’t really a whole lot that I can personally do about it. I want to hold this teacher accountable for what is going on in the classroom as well as for the instruction of the History Day competition (for a different grade). Yet, at every turn, we are faced with passive-aggressiveness (is that even a word???), illogical reasoning, personality conflicts, a feigned lack of knowledge and resistance. We are offering every kind of support we know how to do…meetings with me, meetings with the principal, assistance in planning lessons, a calendar of lessons and due dates of assignments for the students, meetings with our supervisors for our content area, and the list goes on. I’m truly unsure of how to proceed with this situation. I am also a bit worried because tomorrow we are grading the writing portion of our quarterly test for the first quarter. I’m not sure that his students are going to do well (in fact, I know many of them will do poorly) and then that will lead to an even more difficult conversation. Any advice? especially from those of you in management or leadership type positions?
Add comment November 6, 2009
leann28
Tags: leadership, school, Teaching
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