Mom

 In cleaning out a closet at Dad's place in independent living, we found a box that contained a photo album.  The album was create by my Aunt Gwen, mom's sister, on the event of her stepping down from teaching first grade GA's.  The pictures below show some of the items that were in the album....but let's go back a few years...maybe a lot of years.

My mom received her Bachelor's Degree in education from LSU, and then went on to get her Master's in Education as well.  She had always wanted to be a doctor, but in the late 40's early 50's, women just did not study medicine.  Her father encouraged her to study to become a teacher; perhaps it was the fact that he was the Superintendent of a Parish system in Louisiana at the time.  (Baton Rouge).

Anyway, my mom finished her education and started her teaching career.  Always first grade. She was a great first grade teacher.  From our youngest days, my sisters and I would help her get her room ready each fall.  Everything was created (from scratch) each year.  It may be similar - but always fresh and new each year.  Everything had a purpose - learning colors, numbers and the alphabet.  Nothing was just for fluff, but her room was inviting.  At Woodview, her cabinets didn't have doors, so she whipped up curtains to brighten up the room.  It was a magical place for her students.  My father built some balance beans for her class as well.  As her students walked in each day - she had them work through an obstacle course....good way to start the day - but it also kept the students coming in orderly!  Only one student could cross the bean, or balance on the board at a time.  Slow and steady start to the day!  Just after the bell, Mom had a routine.  The students said the pledges and the prayer (yes...a prayer in public school), then Mom had them recite the alphabet giving the letter sounds to each letter.  After the alphabet, the numberline, count to 100 by ones, 2's, 5's, and 10's.  EVERY DAY!  Her first graders knew their stuff.  Then she shared a proverb that she had on the board and explained it to her class.  AMAZING.  Not only did my mom teach the school stuff, she also instilled how to live a moral life as well.  Although her classroom often looked like a tornado...learning was going on all the time.  With my mom's interest in Science, the kids benefitted from her knowledge.  She knew every tree, flower, star, etc and could usually give the legend that went along with it.  Mom spent 35+ years teaching first grade, with most of them being in Spring Branch in Houston.  She taught at Holibrook, Ridgecrest and ended her career at Woodview.  Most of her years were at Woodview in room 20.  

But, my Mom didn't just teach first grade at school - she also taught first grade Sunday School at Church, first grade GA's and first grade VBS!  She knew children and their curiosity at ages 5-7.  She specialized in making those students soar whether a school or at church. 

The photos below are from her GA's at Tallowood the year she stepped down from teaching.  She would have been over 70 when she stepped down.  Some of these notes are from girls that I taught at Rummel Creek and now they are working at Wall Street in New York City, or have multiple children of their own.  Several of the girls have become teachers or other jobs in the education sector.  As I looked at the notes, I realized how many mentioned the song my mom taught them.  Another thing my mom did - she used music to teach a lot of skills both at church and at school.  She had a song for everything!  It's funny now to think - as my daughter Mallory also has a song for everything she does.  When my mother began her teaching, music was not taught outside the classroom, but rather the classroom teacher shared whatever music knowledge they had - my mom played the piano and made sure that her students enjoyed music. I can see the well worn Peter and the Wolf record from her classroom.

I was so fortunate to have a Mom who modeled a life well lived.

During her time working with first grade GA's at Tallowood, my mom served with Ruth Osborne, Cindy Buchanan, and Charlene Carter - all women who had a great influence over the young ladies they poured their hearts about missions into.  I am very grateful for the legacy my mom left me.  Such big shoes to fill.

Keeping up with the "GodWinks"

 Back in college, I kept a prayer journal.  Every day I would write prayer requests, praises and mark as prayers were answered.  During those years I was focused and busy as a student, so seeing God work in my life was great.  I would check off the boxes as each prayer request was fulfilled.  It made me realize how much God is in the details in my life.

Now....50 years later, I'm not so good at keeping my prayer list going much more than in my head or from the Covenant Class or Tallowood Lists.  But.....you can't miss how God is in the details.  Every day, even before I know there will be an issue, God is taking care of something for me.  It can be as simple as a doctor changing an appointment, and then low and behold the day of the original appt would have been a nightmare, where the new appointment worked so much better.  Multiple times a day I think....wow...God really took care of an issue for me.  I'm so thankful God is in the details.  I'm glad God takes care of me.

My schedule, for a retired person, is quite full with opportunities to volunteers, spend time with my dad, spend time with my grands, and just having lunch with a friend.  When I look at the puzzle that must work - God has been in the planning as I rarely can't meet all of the things I have offered to do, want to do or hope to do.  Those Godwinks are often not "little winks", but rather HUGE winks that reminds us God is in control.

Conversation with my granddaughter this week.  She has been in VBS and she was sharing about all of the things she had done in VBS.  Then she turns to me and asks me if I know someone who doesn't know Jesus.  I went on to tell her about some of the children at Rummel Creek and their religions.  We had a good conversation.  I showed her a photo from a Buddhist temple (some of my students had been Buddhist) where the people brought fruits and nuts and laid them in front of Buddha.  We talked about how Buddha was a statue and was not able to eat  Immediately she said, "Buddha is an idol.  The 10 Commandments tell us we should not have idols."  I thought well done, Phoebe.  We went on to talk about how to share Jesus with others and how our lives need to reflect Jesus.  The conversation would have continued for a while...but brother came in and said....it's way past her bed time.  Those "pillow talks" are really important.  I wouldn't take them back for anything.  And as the Bible says, a little child will lead them.  Phoebe is that little child.

In my head, I had so much to say, but when I sit down to the computer....the words escape.  I need to remember to sit down and write down the Godwinks!  It's time to return to the days of college where I make myself aware of all God is doing every day, everywhere in my life!

Seeing the little miracles

I've been meaning to drop a note, then something will get in the way.  We live in a world that is moving fast - but sometimes....if you just step away and look closely....you will see that God is truly in control.  Over the past few months, there were days that no way could I get everything completed that was on my list, let alone the things that pop up that "must" be done.  Each day, little miracles would pop up...an extra 15 minutes, someone would call and say they could step in, and sometimes jobs/activities would just disappear.  Knowing that it was not coincidental, I can see that God is in control of my life

The other day, I walked out to my car and noticed a flat tire.  I had planned to go take my granddaughter to my sisters house....but instead she just dropped by and saved me a trip and I was able to catch the tire before waking up without a plan to get it fixed.  We took the tire early the next morning and the tire place was able to fix it with a plug (NO CHARGE) and we were on our way by 9:00.  It was a miracle.  The week before I had been in a similar situation and again, I made it to the tire place...no repair needed and made it to my volunteer job in the Tallowood Library.  The timing was perfect!  I could not have planned the way it turned out.

I have story after story of how things are happening daily.  It would be easy to say that it just an accident...just a coincidence...but I know the truth....God is watching and taking care of me.  If I could just remember that when I get stressed....it's going to be okay....God is in the details.   He knows what I need and when!   

Jimmy Carter

 Last week we honored the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter.  Jimmy Carter was the first president I voted for back in November 1976.  I remember making sure that I would have my mail in ballot to send from college.  I sat on my bed in 346 Collins Hall at Baylor University and cast my vote.  I felt like I had made a difference.

But let's go back to my senior year at Spring Woods Senior High School.....the senior government teachers, Mr. Wells, Ms. Micheska, and Ms. Loving (Martin), planned a very special way for our class to experience the presidential election in 1976.  We held a mock Democratic Convention.  I can't remember when we started, or exactly how it worked,,,, but we were all put in different states and then expected to write the congress men and senators to find out how the state was leaning in the presidential election.  We wrote letters as e-mail and the internet did not exist.  It was sometimes a long wait for responses, but as I remember, we learned and received information back from all of the states.  We learned about the different candidates, the policies and what the different states needed.  The teachers did an amazing job of creating the reality of the convention.  As we moved through the process, names would come up and then fall down, and much to everyone's surprise, Jimmy Carter was the winner.  The funny thing was, no one really knew much about him.  We did lots of research and I remember thinking what a hard working man he was.  Our mock election was held in April or May, way ahead of the actual Democratic convention.  But what that meant is we all watched the Democratic convention on TV.  The truly amazing thing was that much of what we experienced, we watched on TV...and then the outcome was the same....Jimmy Carter came out on top.

I think what I will most remember about Jimmy Carter was his smile and his dedication to his faith.  There was never a question as to his values and his faith in Jesus Christ.  He lived his values and shared the gospel through out his life.  Although his presidency was only one term, he did not leave the presidency and sit on his laurels.  His after presidency life took off as a life of service to mankind and for the citizens of the United States.  Working with Habitat for Humanity he built homes for those most in need.  Jimmy left a legacy of faith and good works.  I will always admire what he did and HOW he did things.  He always thought of others - it was not if it was politically correct, but if it would please his Savior.  

The United States and the world has lost a man who spoke his word, lived what he believed and always thought of others.  He lived 100 years and made a difference.  What a role model he was.

SBISD Libraries

Sad day for SBISD Libraries, due to budget - they are now without Librarians. I have a long history with Libraries/Librarians in SBISD....let me share

 In Kindergarten at Shadow Oaks Elementary, I can remember going to the library, a small room with a wall of windows, a carpeted corner with a rocking chair and shelves floor to ceiling behind the chair. Under the windows were little cubbies with picture books. It was small, but it was a magical place. This was before technology, before TV's or videos were in the schools. The Librarian would share a story and we would sit quietly listening. The collection was small so once a month the Book Mobile from Harris County Libraries would make a visit to the bus drive. If the school didn't have a book, you could request it from the Book Mobile. Somewhere in second or third grade I found the biography section. I read the shelves in alphabetical order learning about famous people, presidents, and more.

 In Fourth grade the library at Shadow Oaks expanded to take over 3 classrooms at the end of the fourth grade wing. I was so excited to be selected to help take the books from the old library to the new library. (I realize now - it was child labor!) But as I carried books from one space to the next I felt so important and we got the first look at the new space. Study carrels with filmstrip machines. Tape players with large headphones and even a space to see 16mm movies. It was heaven. Since the library was at the end of the fourth grade wing, fourth grade students were able to go to library often. I think I spent part of every day in that library. The librarian always had a new book for me to read. I was a voracious reader, the library was my special place.

 In Junior High I moved to Spring Woods Middle School. The library was at the end of the first hall. If your teacher gave you a pass, you could get into the library before school or at lunch. Again I spent many hours perusing those shelves. By junior high I had moved into reading series, mostly fiction.   I loved historical fiction...so I'd read a historical fiction book then go to the Non-Fiction section to read about the time period of the book. I was a regular in the library and was often greeted at the door with a new book to read. 

For High School - I was off to Spring Wood High, the library was in the center of the school. We did a lot class reading and research. I spent a lot of time in the library reading required books, but I did find time to get some leisure reading. Again, the librarian was so kind to open during lunch. Once I became a frequent flyer, she gave me books to read. The librarian was also very knowledgeable and taught me how to dig to find information. I think my love of research started in the Spring Woods Library. You could always go one step deeper if you tried.

 My first job was working at the district media center with Katherine Thompson. At 15 I spent hours laminating and creating learning centers for teachers. (Oh how far we have come today!) College brought more time in libraries, but not much time for leisure reading. I finished in Elementary Education, however I found myself drawn to the libraries at the schools I taught in or did student teaching. 

 Once I moved back to Houston, some of the SBISD Librarians who had guided me over the years encouraged me to go back and get my Master's in Library Science. They helped me with acceptance and as I needed help with coursework, they were right there beside me. My first library job was not in SBISD, however I still had support from the SBISD Librarians. I came over for trainings, visiting authors, and the annual Book Exhibit. Oh how fun it was to spend days in the Book Exhibit with all of the newly published books. I was able to visit the different schools and learn from these very special librarians.

Library #2 at RCE - teaching around the computers

Working on projects in Library #2 @ RCE

Large Kiva in Library #2 - could easily hold 2 grade levels

 Back in those days, library jobs didn't open up very often - the librarians stayed for long stints in their jobs - finally a position opened and I was able to accept a job in Spring Branch - I was coming home. There's a story to the library job - but that's for another time. I moved into Rummel Creek in the fall of 1990 and remained there until 2022 when I retired. During my tenure at Rummel Creek, I was able to design two libraries, bring in computers and servers (RCE won the Nabisco 21st Century Grant to bring in all kinds of technology in 1992) Over the years in SBISD I worked under Mary Ann Herndon, Dr. Barry Bishop, Jo Conlon, Jessica Lilly and Lisa Stultz as library directors. Dr. Bishop took us from book folks to integrated technology and book folks. He never wanted us to forget about the importance of placing the right book in the hands of a child, but he encouraged us to take interest in the emerging technology.

 As I watch the librarians being removed from the schools ( know there is a plan) I feel for the students who won't have a librarian ready to hand them the next new book, to teach about the technology. I know the district is in a budget situation, but my heart breaks for the students.

Library #3 @ RCE

Library #3 at RCE

Library #2 - Using the MAC computers for research

Library #3 TV studio - "real equipment" 

Changes....

 I was born and grew up in Spring Branch, Houston, TX.  I've about decided I grown up in an  ideal time.  

Currently I read facebook posts from a group called "I grew up in Spring Branch,"  most of them are happy memories from the time period I grew up in and experienced Spring Branch.   I also read from a group called "The Branch 2.0."  This group is more of current life, and is very different and reflects the many changes that have taken place in the area - both good and bad.

I grew up attending First Baptist Church Spring Branch.  I think my parents joined in 1957 when they moved out to the west side of Houston.  (My father thought he had moved to San Antonio we were so far west.)  FBCSB was an active church, and relatively large congregation.  As a baby, I was on the "cradle roll" and moved through the nursery and the children's building.  How could you forget the sturdy wooden chairs and tables and the short little spinet pianos.  The bathrooms were just large enough to turn around in, and an old water fountain with steps to reach was out in the hallway.  The lights in the classrooms were circles with lightbulbs in the center. The rooms had windows that you could wind out to get a breeze.  From my early memories, I remember the cooling chamber for the air conditioning.  The water would pour over the cooling chamber and you'd get a little wet.  In the early 60's, after you finished 4th grade, you left the children's building and went out to the white wooden buildings in the lawn on the back side of the church.  The year I was to move in to those old wooden buildings, the church completed the building program of a new educational building - In October of 1967, I went into the new shiny classrooms (with air conditioning).  The old white wooden buildings were moved out to Sister Gay's Mission Yahweh out in Carverdale.   The church also had a metal gym building where we held dinners, played volleyball (every Monday night!) and had a youth space (the coffee house) on the second floor.  Many good memories happened in that old metal gym.  Mrs. Catherine Woodruff designed and built a large commercial kitchen so that large group meals could be prepared.  Wednesday night dinners were held in the gym and on Sunday afternoons, the youth had dinner snacks between choir and training union followed by Sunday evening services.

I have fond memories of activities and people attached to the church.  Several people had great influence on my life.  Mrs. Dickson, Mrs. House, and Mrs. Harris were all school librarians.  All three of these ladies were models for my career as a school librarian.  I remember Mrs. Dickson always having a children's book (or two, or three) in her purse.  When we played volleyball on Monday nights, Mrs. Dickson would pick up a book and read during the "off times", when she was our transpiration - she always had a book to read.  When I became a librarian - I followed her lead and tried to read most of the books in my library.  I can remember talking books with Mrs. Dickson and knew that is something I wanted to do with my students.  Mrs. House was the librarian who knew where or who to go to for an answer.  If she didn't know it, she would get back with you sooner rather than later, I took her skills to heart as well - as I always tried to find an answer for a students, staff or community member.  Mrs. Harris was a consistent constant.  She was diligent in her work - again, I added her skill set to my tool box.  I was so fortunate to have 3 school librarians to follow in their footsteps.  (I had others - but these three I knew from my early childhood through my years in the library.)

Front of the Main Sanctuary

Arial view of the campus.  On the South side of the Sanctuary is the

children's building.  The big building at the top of the photo is the gym.  The remainder of the space

is the educational facitilites.

This building had the chapel on the first floor, and classrooms
on the second floor.  On Sunday mornings, students would hang out
on the balcony and visit until time for Sunday School.

The loss of a friend.

I've been praying for Lois for years.  Today she got her wings to heaven.  I'm not exactly sure when Lois and I first crossed paths...from all of our connections it could have been as a child, but I know we connected through our children (Mallory and Holly) at Tallowood Baptist Church.  Our girls were in the same group at church and sometimes ended up at the same locations.  Lois was also in my Sunday School class.  I don't remember when she started coming, but I know she was one of the intial members in the newly established Covenant Class.

Our children are now in their 30's so it's been over 25 years that we have been friends, acquaintances, prayer partners, partners in projects, and involved in activities at Tallowood.  I learned that she knew many of the same folks I did in Alexandria, Louisiana and Shreveport, Louisiana.  She spent most of her childhood in Louisiana....

One of the fun things she did for our ladies group is to tour us through Memorial City Mall.  She worked for the team designing the mall and she knew so much.  It was fun to learn the back story on so many stores in the mall.

Lois was also a hostess.  She was always going over the top hosting dinner gatherings at her home.  She never did paper plates, no...Lois went all out with table scapes, special dishes, special food and the lively conversation around the table.  

Throughout the years we met at her house to begin the Mission Projects at Christmas.  I have years of photos of us in her front yard praying before we took off to deliver gifts to needy families.

In the past few years, Lois rarely missed a day to post a greeting on Facebook.  She would find a cute photo to send daily blessings to her followers.  Sometimes I wonder if she was sending those for us, or as a way to lift herself from the pain of her cancer.  No matter what, she brought a smile to faces everyday.  

She married Scott 13 years ago.  I never knew her first husband.  Scott has been amazing through all of Lois' health issues.  He's taken such good care of her, fixed others homes, and still had a hot meal on the table at night.  My prayers tonight reach out to Scott - I can not imagine what he's going through right now.  13 years ago they were married, shortly after that was the first indication of a health issues - cancer.  It's been 13 years of treatments, remission, doctors and more.  Thankful for their 13 years.

Lois has been a constant in my life for over 25 years.  Not a daily call, but frequently a battery of messages.  I'll miss those conversations.  I'll miss her hospitality.  I've admired her courage, perseverance and strength over the years.  She never doubted that God was on her side.  He provided for her needs.  He knew it was time to call her home.  Heal her.  Make her whole.  Thank you, Lord for the life of Lois.  May we all be so strong when we face difficulties.  May we all have the faith of Lois.  Rest in peace my friend.  I know you are rejoicing in Heaven at the feet of your Savior.  You have run the good race, you have completed your task.  We will miss you.

January 2024

 Well, it's been a long while since I've written.  I'm going to try really hard to write at least once a month.  I really want to try to be more regular.

We're just back from a long 4 day weekend in Galveston.  We had no plans, just a place to stay.  Ended up riding a tandem bike all over the island.  It was a good way to spend time together ....we stopped when we wanted, we found places to eat, to experience and rest.  One of our favorite shows on HGTV is Restoring Galveston.  We love the old houses found on the island, so we kind of took our time to find the houses from the show.  We were pretty successful.  It was a good trip and we came back rested.

Another goal for the year is to spend time visiting with folks.  By the second day in January I had already contacted two friends who had moved from Houston last year.  My goal is to keep up with these folks more than just a text once a month.  Let's see if I can make it happen.

I've had a lot of divine appointments this year - some are people I hadn't seen in a long time.  Today in the grocery store as I reached for a rack of ribs, another person reached in - she was a former parent of a GT student.  They spoke Chinese when they first enrolled in Rummel Creek. The kids were brilliant, but weren't making it into the GT program.  I wrote a petition explaining how they had to translate to Chinese and then back into English - and then they were in.  You wonder, are they really gifted - Joanna is now at Johns Hopkins working on a PHD in neurological surgery.  She had just left to go back to school to complete a few trials for surgery.  Frank, a little younger is now at CalTech working on his PHD in Physics.  Yeah - I think they are a little GT.  Mom had not changed, once I realized who she was, she was just as she had been when a volunteer at RCE - It's been at least 15 years since they were at Rummel Creek.  Caught up on a few more of the kiddos they were grouped with - Davis Palmie - he too is still in school.  That group of boys was a challenge - anything I shared, they already knew it and usually had mastered.  They pushed my buttons and my knowledge - but my did they have fun learning.  I can only wish for other students to love learning as much as those boys did.  About the time they were graduating from undergraduate programs - they dropped by the library - it was so good to see that they had all excelled, all gone to different colleges, but had remained good friends.  Everyone should have good friends like that to help push you along.  I hope those boys know how much I enjoyed working with them.  For years I kept up with some of them on a regular basis...even attending their Eagle Scout Ceremony.  As I move through year 2 of retirement - it's good to know that some of the students going through RCE have excelled and gone the extra mile.

Well, I've rambled enough for today.  Hopefully by the end of the week, I'll pick up a new post....Just a way to keep my thoughts all in one place.

2020 - A Clear Vision

My last start of writing on my personal blog didn't get too far.  After reading the book, "Something Needs to Change" by David Platt, I know I need to change - so reflecting on this blog will be my goal.

Over the break from school, Perry and I decided to join our friends on their sailboat off the coast of Bonaire.  Three weeks ago I didn't know where Bonaire was or anything about the island community.  Let me back up....it's been a whirlwind fall semester.....

In September my father's house was flooded yet again - he had not flooded in Harvey when our house went under, but Imelda the tropical storm brought him several inches.  Once again we moved furniture, pulled carpet and began renovations.  This was number 4 in less than 10 years.  Dad is now 89 years old and tired of going through this, however, we started the process and Dad moved in with my sister.  Move forward to November just as we are finishing the renovations and Dad begins to mention moving to independent living.  At Thanksgiving, my sisters and I begin looking at a place close to us all.  Not much discussion.  Thanksgiving happens and we invite a few realtors over to help us think about what to do with the house.  The "flood discount" is high.  Most of the realtors had sold a house with one flood - but 4 in 10 years and a fire - not so much.  Just for grins, we contacted some "We buy ugly houses" companies....several responded.  By mid-December we had a possibility, we had to clean out the house and take what we wanted, move the items the children wanted, hold an estate sale and move Dad to his new place before closing on the house.  It was a true miracle that all was accomplished by December 22nd.  Add to that the normal holiday activities and of course my job.  All was accomplished.  When we realized that it was all going to happen before Christmas, Perry contacted our friends and made plans for a trip to Bonaire the second part of my Christmas break.  Everything fell into place - another miracle....

So...we arrive in Bonaire, Marilyn shares with me the book "Something needs to Change." by David Platt.  I spend the first few days reading the book.  I really couldn't put it down.  I didn't want to be rude and not visit with our friends, but the book was all I wanted to read.  As I read it.  I began to change...I began to think about what I needed to change.  I know that I won't be climbing the Himalayas and experiencing what David did...but I have my own mountains, my own pain, and my own shortcomings.  I have begun the change by writing today.  I want to somehow write what I realize I need to do.  It's almost as if writing will help me put my thoughts in action.

It took going away.  Getting away from routine.  Letting my mind wander and listen to what God had to say.  I realize that sometimes I take what God does in my life for granted.  I know I have faith that God is there.  That God will take care of me....as I read the book, I thought about how God took care of every obstacle that was in place with my Dad's house.  He provided just enough time and extension of time.  Until I stopped to reflect...I really hadn't noticed all of the things that fell into place.  Only they didn't fall into place, God planned the way.

Add in one more little issue.....in late November and early December I had been working with the insurance company to acquire a drug I use for osteoporosis.  This drug is not to be used when dental work is to happen.  I had not been able to get the drug.  Nothing was working.  Then...the last day of school I broke a tooth.  The root canal did not work; the tooth had to be extracted.  It would not have been possible without risk (actually the doctor would not have done the procedure if I had taken the drug).  One day before we left for Bonaire I had the tooth extracted and left the country without pain.  God knew the plan.  God made things work.  I need to be aware of all God has done in my life and how he has taken care of me.  Something has to change.

So, as 2020 begins, my clear vision is that I must proclaim Jesus as Lord.  I must make Him the master of my life and realize what He has planned for my life.  Something has to change.  I challenge you to read the book.  What are you missing out on that God has planned for you?  I can't wait to see where 2020 will go.

And then...the sermon on Sunday and the lesson in Bible Study - it was all about sharing your testimony....It was like God was making a strong statement - Something has to Change and it begins with listening and allowing God to use my life.  So...Something has to Change...it starts with a life-altering journey of obedience to Christ.  I can't wait to see where 2020 takes me! 

2018

It's been many years since I have taken the time to write on this blog.  It's time I return to reflect on life.   2018....wow!  January 1st of a new year - so much to think about, so much to do.

As I think about returning to writing a blog, I think about what I want to share.  What do I want to spend time writing about each week?  Last year I began a school blog that I write each Friday to share with the outside world all the cool things happening inside the walls of RCE.  I have successfully kept up writing each and every Friday that school is in session - so - I am going to try to write each Monday a little something that is hopefully uplifting - or something I want to remember.

Right now...all of my thoughts are still with Harvey and our flood of 2017.  So my first postings will most likely be something about what we've learned through Harvey.

School had just started - students had been at school for 4 days with the first day of school being the day of the eclipse, which started the year off in a most unusual way!  We should have guessed with the eclipse happening on the very first day that the entire year would be different than any other year.

Thursday night of the first week of school, I was watching the news.  A Hurricane (Harvey), was in the gulf.  At that point it wasn't even a hurricane, but rather a tropical storm.  It was headed towards the Texas Gulf Coast.  The news was guessing on the amount of rain to be expected and all of the normal expectations of a hurricane...but it didn't seem like it was to be too bad...just lots of rain.  Sometime around 8 in the evening, the school district sent out a robocall to cancel school for Friday in anticipation of the storm.  It was unusual for the school district to call it so early.  That should have been a hint.

I had left my computer at school, knowing that Thursday night I hadn't planned to do any work....but with the school closing for Friday, I thought it would be a good idea to have it so I could finish off the training videos I had put off watching.   So off to school I went.

The weather was calm.  No hint of what was to come.  Skies were clear.  I walked into the building, picked up a few things to put them up, and picked up my laptop.  That was the last time I would be in the building for two weeks.

Once home, I picked up some stacks of paper and washed a few dishes.  But over all - I thought why - I'll be home all day on Friday with nothing to do.  I dropped off to sleep with little worries of the next day...

I woke up on Friday with one thing that had to be done.  I had to go to the doctor to get a shot.  It was scheduled at 10...so I picked up a few things and ran off to the doctor.

I got to the doctor only to find out I could not receive the shot, I was running 102 degrees of fever.  The moment they said I had a high fever - I felt bad.  I drove home and went straight to bed  - grateful for a day off from school to be able to sleep off the fever.

I had the TV on as I slept.  The breaking news kept repeating that Harvey was gaining strength and would possible hit the coast near Corpus Christie at a category 3.  I just decided to sleep, hoping that I would feel better in the morning.

Saturday morning the weather was beginning to turn gray.  The news now had the storm coming in closer to Houston and possibly more than a Category 4.  Perry began to put things away.  We had planned to pull honey from our hives, but I was too sick to work with honey.   I went to bed early knowing that the rain was coming.  The news had told us that we were on the dirty side of the storm and there would be a lot of rain.  No worries - we had water, we had food...we were ready for the rains.  We knew the street would  flood...but we were ready to stay put for  a few days.  I went to bed early as I was still suffering from a fever.  The rains had started, but nothing amazing yet.

Evidently, it had rained hard most of Saturday night.  The  storm was coming in near Rockport (closer to Houston) and with more rain and wind than expected.  Sometime around 2:00 Perry woke me up to ask for help to move the bee hives...they were under water.  We suited up and moved the bees.
(To be continued...)

E-books @ RCE

At Rummel Creek, as we are currently on the transition campus, we have purchased many e-books.  When you purchase from Amazon on a Kindle, the process is rather easy, however using some of the e-books through our card catalog can be a daunting task, especially for the primary students.  We are successful in reading in wifi, it's the downloading that snags us.  Thank goodness our other theme for the year is GRIT, and the students definitely illustrate GRIT reading the e-books.

Other pros on some of the e-books...multiple copies of the same book.  Great for book clubs and instruction.  E-books are usually always available.  I've been working on teachers using them for instruction using the activeboards.  Most of the books for curriculum support are multiuser titles.  It's a big change from reading small books in a circle.

The con on e-books - so many different devices and so many different ways to connect.  Luckily, most of RCE is ipad friendly.  We're still working on parental restrictions and how to get books downloaded.

Moving to e-books has not been a highway of speed, but rather a bumpy curvy slow moving road that will hopefully open soon to a highway!

Enjoy some snapshots of students using ipads to read books.

HEB Challenge

It's the last week of January.  The HEB challenge starts on February 1st.  Student Council and KSHAC will be "in charge" of this challenge.  I can't wait to see what the students decide to do.  All of the adults had ideas, but it is really the students who will follow through and make it happen.  Check out the HEB challenge @ http://itstimetexas.org/heb-community-challenge/   .
Rummel Creek has been on a healthy trip for about 5 years.  We have learned about healthy eating and the importance of exercise.  This year we are even looking at the importance of sleep.  If students are healthy and eat well, do exercise and sleep more, then they will be successful on tests and doing school work.  Rummel Creek is up for the challenge!

Oh my, time has passed

It's January and I'm finally posting again.  We've been in our Transition Campus for 5 months with students.  We've started settling in, however with the cold dreary weather of January it hasn't been much fun.  Duty in the morning on the front of the school has been most cold and windy.  I have found coats, gloves, and other coverings that I didn't know I owned.  Today is finally sunny, and it feels so good.

As far as being at the Transition Campus, it's not too bad.  The students are doing well with the collection of books that we have selected to bring over.  So far we haven't had too many requests that we haven't been able to fill.  When you are in a small space, you learn what you really need to exist and what is "fluff."  In the library, we've always had a lot of fluff and filling.  After being here for these five months, I think my collection will stay just about this size when we move into the new building.   I'll just have to keep adding new updated titles, but keep the old stuff moving out.   I know I need to monitor what kids are actually reading and what just sits on the shelf.  The hard part about that is that my favorite books are just sitting on the shelf.  (No one reads Ramona any more...I love the Ramona books!)  Perhaps it's time to do some book talks to get the Ramona books moving again...

I'm posting some photos of the new building.  It's amazing...it will be SOOOOO big...hard to believe that Rummel Creek will be this big!  The gym used to dwarf the rest of the school, and now the gym is the little building in the back...Amazing!

The end is in sight...

I had totally meant to write monthly this year, to be able to share the activity in the library - the weeding, packing and selecting....but...here it is many months later than the last post and nothing has been shared in between....I guess I've been too busy and exhausted to stop and post my thoughts.

We have two weeks left in the "old RCE"...it's hard to believe that the time has come for the building to come down.  In September it seemed so far away and now it's just days away and yet we have so much left to do.

It's been a melancholy year as I have opened drawers and sorted through collections of papers, photos, and other memorabilia.  What to keep, and what to toss...almost a daily drill.  But the boxes are packed, the shelves are empty and we move to the transition campus on June 6th.  I've spent the last 25 years here at the current RCE....moving the library the first time in 2000 when the current library was built.  I packed and moved the library again with the flood, and then again with renovations...and so it is that we pack the library again to move on to the transition campus where we'll be for 18 months before packing it up for the new school building.  The memories will always we packed in my brain and my heart...so many good times...authors...field days...faculty gatherings...parties and celebrations..special students and teachers....they are packed....the heart of RCE will move with us as we go to the transition campus and to our final destination...the "NEW RCE."  Two more weeks....I hope we get it done!

Carts are packed, crates loaded...

Empty shelves, gondolas loaded...

Boxes stacked for long term storage...

Books wrapped waiting pick up ....

Pallets loaded for transport...

Loading the truck..thankful for the guys!

Book carts, empty shelves....

Stuff by the door to be loaded...

Breaking down the lab....

piles of gondolas....

The end of the KRCE studio....

Reference computers down..empty shelves!

It's been an exciting busy spring......the count down is here....

For more pictures and stories check out: The Rummel Creek 50th Anniversary Blog

Learning, Weeding, Moving On...

Oh my, the last month has been amazing!  The library has been busy...we've weeded over 3500 books with still more to go!  And surprise surprise...the shelves don't look that empty...except in the 300's where all of the fairy tales were very old and now the shelf sits basically empty!

Learning:  Time to learn Google Chrome and the apps that are available.  Here's a sampling of my first try to use this program...I tried the app Loupes.  Somehow I need to share this with staff members and parents...lots of apps out there for students to explore.
Learning II: E-books...just about to get them "mastered."  Learning how to get them out to the community is the next hurdle!

Weeding:  It's so hard to move out the books that I love and read as a child.  These carts are full of books that I love....but they are now old and worn and not interesting to students.  So box them up and send them off....space for new books!

Moving On:  Yes...it's time to say good bye to this building as it is now.  Rummel Creek will not "go away" because Rummel Creek is the people in the community...but the structure is on it's way down.  The architects brought some renderings to share.  The students have loved looking at the photos.  Now that the renderings are posted...the reality hits...we are coming down in June!

The name of this blog is Ms. Frazzled...and boy am I Frazzled this year...I just go from one activity to the next...I just hope it is all complete by June!

Busy Busy Busy

October has proven to be a very busy month.  E-books have taken over the library lessons as we try to get any student, parent or staff member that wants to be connected accounts set up.  I have tried all types of devices and tall types of wifi connections.  Who knew there were so many options out there!  As we get the E-books going, we pull the old, worn out books off the shelf.   So far  we've weeded about 1000 titles - only 4000 more to go.  I'm so glad we started early in the school year!  It seems that Books and Literacy have taken over my life...even on Saturday, I volunteered at a Literacy Carnival in North Houston (Aldine) with Buckner.  I took a group of Middle School Girls and we worked for several hours ...watching the students get so excited at taking a book makes me happy. (Watching my middle school girls help out make me happier!)  Enjoy the photos below...pictures definitely tell the story better than words.

My assignment for Saturday Morning: Signing up people for a Library Card - Excited to see how many already had them and used the library regularly!  At the Literacy Carnival with Buckner and the Middle School Girls Ministry.  Even on a mission activity I find a "library" connection!

Students selecting books at the Literacy Carnival.  The kids loved picking out books - they ran to pick out the three books they were allotted. 

Rummel Creek Students learning how to use e-books!

Totally into reading the e-books on the new iPads @ RCE

Library Friends put the final touches on Book Fair Decorations.  Just in time...we set up for Book Fair Friday!

Fifth Grade Lunch Bunch grab a bite before they finish their video on our book club novel "Laughing at the Moon!"

Weeded Titles - 4 carts loaded!

And MORE weeded books!

The shelves before WEEDING...

The Shelves AFTER weeding!

Although today is only mid-way though October - it has been a most productive month.  And when my spiritual life and my professional life merge, it is wonderful.  I loved taking the Middle School Girls Ministry out to work the Literacy Carnival for Buckner.  They learned to serve and share.  As I weed my library, I know that the books removed from my library will end up in Uganda with a missions group as they establish libraries for the children in Uganda.  How blessed I am.  As I left the Literacy Carnival the church had the following statement on it's sign  "Too Blessed to be STRESSED"  and I AM too blessed to be stressed!

Oh my! What a lot of books to pack!

This week the students at RCE spent their library time selecting the books they want to go to the transition campus.  Each child was given dots to mark the books that they would like to see on the shelves for the 18 months we will be at the transition campus.  I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing what the students marked.  I have been impressed with the authors they selected and the titles they put the dots on to "mark" them to be taken.  The lists are made, and we will continue to add to the list during the school year.  My focus on purchasing this year will be e-books.  I have 9 months to get everyone thinking - e-books.  Now to get more e-readers in the classroom and information out to parents.  This is when the frazzled is coming out...so much to do and so little time to do it in!