DVC Mary
<font color="#FF6666">I must have missed the lobst
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2003
The reviews I'm reading suggest that some people where the shorts onboard. It sounds like we have to bring a little of everything. Thank goodness I have 2 rooms & we're not being charged for our luggage. My DH may not have a job w/ Motorola anymore, but during the many years they worked him to death sending him all over the world, he earned Gold for life status. 
I'm finally in full "all I want to do is think about & get ready for this trip" mode. DH Scott has a "Honey Do" list w/ multiple pages since he's at home & I'm still working.
Matthew: Here's one of things that stinks about being a teacher. You have to pack up your entire room, lock everything you can, tape what you can't (so you'll know if someone got in--no one has dared so far), drag home what you can't find a place to secure it. Ugh! It's like moving out of the main room of your house every year. Why must I do this???? Summer school teachers have been known to walk off w/ things that are not secure. We always hire some people from outside the district (most of us want our summers). I was at school today from 8am to 10pm, had only 1 final to give out of 3 periods and I still have HOURS of work to do. Yuck! People never understand how many hours teachers put in outside the 7-3 school day: grading, planning, organizing, tutoring after school, & times like this.
We are not allowed to have our school picnic on Friday until 3pm (normally it's at 1pm) b/c of the current climate where many in the public are attacking teachers for making too much $, having an easy life, and a good pension. Besides the 50-60 hour work week most teachers put in our district we pay 9% of every paycheck into the state teacher's retirement system. We aren't eligible for Social Security, even if we have enough credits from working other jobs before becoming a teacher, summer jobs, or part-time jobs. The state of IL has borrowed from, improperly invested, & not paid their share in what of what they are supposed to pay. Ok, sorry I need to get off my soapbox. Can you tell I'm scared I won't have enough when I retire? Hopefully OH is better to their teachers than IL is at the moment.
Back to my happy place: dreaming & wondering how magical Alaska will be....
I'm finally in full "all I want to do is think about & get ready for this trip" mode. DH Scott has a "Honey Do" list w/ multiple pages since he's at home & I'm still working.
Matthew: Here's one of things that stinks about being a teacher. You have to pack up your entire room, lock everything you can, tape what you can't (so you'll know if someone got in--no one has dared so far), drag home what you can't find a place to secure it. Ugh! It's like moving out of the main room of your house every year. Why must I do this???? Summer school teachers have been known to walk off w/ things that are not secure. We always hire some people from outside the district (most of us want our summers). I was at school today from 8am to 10pm, had only 1 final to give out of 3 periods and I still have HOURS of work to do. Yuck! People never understand how many hours teachers put in outside the 7-3 school day: grading, planning, organizing, tutoring after school, & times like this.
We are not allowed to have our school picnic on Friday until 3pm (normally it's at 1pm) b/c of the current climate where many in the public are attacking teachers for making too much $, having an easy life, and a good pension. Besides the 50-60 hour work week most teachers put in our district we pay 9% of every paycheck into the state teacher's retirement system. We aren't eligible for Social Security, even if we have enough credits from working other jobs before becoming a teacher, summer jobs, or part-time jobs. The state of IL has borrowed from, improperly invested, & not paid their share in what of what they are supposed to pay. Ok, sorry I need to get off my soapbox. Can you tell I'm scared I won't have enough when I retire? Hopefully OH is better to their teachers than IL is at the moment.
Back to my happy place: dreaming & wondering how magical Alaska will be....
I thought I could at least contribute w/ colored maps for everyone. It does make delivering much easier in those LONNNG hallways.
Thanks for the morning chuckle, Mary! I read it over the phone to Matthew, and he lost it too...hehe
(the other is a FL teacher hoping to become a IL teacher), so believe me when I say that we completely agree with everything you posted and completely understand what you said. We are feeling the same way over here. 
)--things are bad in California too. Everything we do is under a microscope. I even had someone tell me that I make too much money if I can go on a cruise. So now I don't even tell people (besides close friends) what I'm doing on vacation! My MIL is a retired school teacher and my parents were teachers. One of my pet peeves is when folks say that teachers go on vacation. Uh no--teachers don't get vacation, those days are outside their regular contract!
science of all types & can't wait to get into the lab science classes when he starts h.s. 
