The Pursuit of Disney Magic (June 7-14, 2008) ~ UPDATED 9/30 pg. 191

[MegansMom]

Of course, I am one of those that sits in the back row and writes notes. I am as bad as a middle schooler during faculty meetings.

I was at a teacher convention one time, and they had the funniest keynote speaker---but of course I can't remember his name now!! ANYWAY, he said that in all the years he spent speaking to teachers, he could now tell who were the elementary, the intermediate, and the high school teachers because of the way behaved in sessions. He said we all display true characteristics of the students we teach when we are gathered as teachers. When you think about it--he is SO right!!! You think behaving like a middle schooler is bad, just think how AWFUL our faculty meetings got at the high school I taught at!!!! It's too funny when you think about it!!! Just thought I would share!!!

Enjoy your weekend Jackie!!! Do you have more meetings on Monday? Or do you just get to work on your room?

 

[willwriteforears]

Of course, I am one of those that sits in the back row and writes notes. I am as bad as a middle schooler during faculty meetings.

Do you then fold it up, hide it in your hand, and then stretch and yawn to hide the motion as you drop it in the vicinity of the recipient?

Or are those ::gasp:: meeting notes?

 

[Charleston Princess]

I was at a teacher convention one time, and they had the funniest keynote speaker---but of course I can't remember his name now!! ANYWAY, he said that in all the years he spent speaking to teachers, he could now tell who were the elementary, the intermediate, and the high school teachers because of the way behaved in sessions. He said we all display true characteristics of the students we teach when we are gathered as teachers. When you think about it--he is SO right!!! You think behaving like a middle schooler is bad, just think how AWFUL our faculty meetings got at the high school I taught at!!!! It's too funny when you think about it!!! Just thought I would share!!!

Enjoy your weekend Jackie!!! Do you have more meetings on Monday? Or do you just get to work on your room?

That's so true and so funny! I am so sharing that with my colleagues on Monday -- they will appreciate it because we are always joking that we have the humor of middle schoolers.

I have another meeting Monday afternoon, but I think, besides that one, that I can work on my room the rest of the time.

Hope you have a great weekend, too!

Do you then fold it up, hide it in your hand, and then stretch and yawn to hide the motion as you drop it in the vicinity of the recipient?

Or are those ::gasp:: meeting notes?

Not meeting notes at all! It's usually things like, "Where do you want to go for lunch?" and other pithy musings.

 

[micandminforever]

So, where did you go to lunch? I believe to teach middle school, you must have a good sense of humor, and a love of adventure, because each class period is different. Some days every 15 minutes is different.

It helps to have a trip to disney in the planning stage, to dream about during faculty meetings.

 

[Charleston Princess]

So, where did you go to lunch? I believe to teach middle school, you must have a good sense of humor, and a love of adventure, because each class period is different. Some days every 15 minutes is different.

Moe's -- I don't know if it is a national chain or not, but I am addicted to their Southwest offerings.

Sense of humor is a definite!

It helps to have a trip to disney in the planning stage, to dream about during faculty meetings.

That's for sure! I hope to have another one officially in the planning stages soon!

 

[MeMom]

It helps to have a trip to disney in the planning stage, to dream about during faculty meetings.

Absolutely true!

As for the note-writing, I am the designated author in our group. I write something crazy, and they read and start busting out laughing. I act like I totally don't know what is happening when the other tables look around. By the time they turn, I am quite seriously and studiously listening to the speaker, and everyone else around is turning beet red, laughing, excusing themselves with a coughing fit, etc. They all swear they're never sitting at my table again, yet they always do. They want an escape just as much as I do.

Last year's assistant principal was so funny when we'd go to all-district or multi-school meetings. She'd come and find our group and sit with us, but right before it would start, she'd say she knew she should leave because she knew there was going to be trouble.

Never once did she ever leave.

By the way, we made AYP this year, which is somewhat amazing for our school. We have mostly decent, good, and great teachers who really do put themselves into the kids, but the poor little kids just come from homes that don't give them much to work with. Some of our parents can barely write a sick note, and they live in an area of low-income housing, working low wage jobs, don't have much education themselves, and many of them don't value education. So many of them have an anti-authority attitude that passes on to the kids in a big way. It is tough to help them, quite frankly. We also have a 1/3 Hispanic population, and even though they do seem to value the educational opportunities, they have language barriers that hurt our scores. If those people all the way up at the top would stop making a lot of rules for all of us to follow and get themselves into classrooms - in the trenches, so to speak - they might get the enlightening they need.

Okay, now you see why we write notes instead of listen. All the old ideas with new names and the catch phrases of the year are pointless in the whole scheme of things.


Aaaahhh, Disney trips!
Gotta love 'em.
Gotta have 'em to survive.

 

[ncsjodi]

WELCOME TO MOE'S!!!!

Don't you just love their food??? Yummy... we usually head there after church on Sundays.

 

[Native NYer]

How was the first day?

 

[micandminforever]

Moe's is great. My sil had Moe's cater my nephews rehearsal dinner for his wedding last year. I know that sounds crazy but with family and out of town guest attending their was 70 of us. It was held at the church fellowship hall after the rehearsal and turned out great.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Absolutely true!

As for the note-writing, I am the designated author in our group. I write something crazy, and they read and start busting out laughing. I act like I totally don't know what is happening when the other tables look around. By the time they turn, I am quite seriously and studiously listening to the speaker, and everyone else around is turning beet red, laughing, excusing themselves with a coughing fit, etc. They all swear they're never sitting at my table again, yet they always do. They want an escape just as much as I do.

Last year's assistant principal was so funny when we'd go to all-district or multi-school meetings. She'd come and find our group and sit with us, but right before it would start, she'd say she knew she should leave because she knew there was going to be trouble.

Never once did she ever leave.

I am officially extending the invite to you to come to any and all faculty meetings at our school to keep us amused! We need all the levity we can get somedays!

By the way, we made AYP this year, which is somewhat amazing for our school. We have mostly decent, good, and great teachers who really do put themselves into the kids, but the poor little kids just come from homes that don't give them much to work with. Some of our parents can barely write a sick note, and they live in an area of low-income housing, working low wage jobs, don't have much education themselves, and many of them don't value education. So many of them have an anti-authority attitude that passes on to the kids in a big way. It is tough to help them, quite frankly. We also have a 1/3 Hispanic population, and even though they do seem to value the educational opportunities, they have language barriers that hurt our scores. If those people all the way up at the top would stop making a lot of rules for all of us to follow and get themselves into classrooms - in the trenches, so to speak - they might get the enlightening they need.

Hurray for making AYP!!! That's awesome!!! Your students are so lucky to have you as a teacher!

You know what my favorite thing about making AYP is? The fact that the leave us alone to actually teach the following year!

Okay, now you see why we write notes instead of listen. All the old ideas with new names and the catch phrases of the year are pointless in the whole scheme of things.

Don't I know it! Give me a bunch of kids and some good books to share and discuss with them, and I am all set!

Aaaahhh, Disney trips!
Gotta love 'em.
Gotta have 'em to survive.

If we could just convince Disney to offer teacher discounts.

WELCOME TO MOE'S!!!!

Don't you just love their food??? Yummy... we usually head there after church on Sundays.

I think I could eat there everyday if I was given the chance.

How was the first day?

I survived it -- only 189 more workdays left until next summer.

Moe's is great. My sil had Moe's cater my nephews rehearsal dinner for his wedding last year. I know that sounds crazy but with family and out of town guest attending their was 70 of us. It was held at the church fellowship hall after the rehearsal and turned out great.

That was a great idea -- sounds like the actual wedding must have been huge! We have middle school conference night twice a year (we have to work until 8:00). The admin. usually has Moe's cater a nacho buffet for us which makes working a 12-hour day a touch less dismal.

 

[IluvXU]

Ah... teacher's meetings. Working half day I miss the staff meetings (they are in the AM) and this year I will miss the beginning of the year meetings and two of the three professional days- yea for me! Even as an elementary teacher... we too misbehave at meetings... but we are probably more afraid of getting in trouble I guess. Lunch is a big topic... where to eat on those rare days where we have more than 30 minutes!

 

[MegansMom]

Even as an elementary teacher... we too misbehave at meetings... but we are probably more afraid of getting in trouble I guess.

See---this proves what that guy at the conference was saying!!! The fear of getting in trouble is SO an elementary school student thought!!! Those high schoolers I used to teach NEVER gave a second thought to getting in trouble----and if you would have sat in some of our faculty meetings, you would have quickly found out how little high school teachers are concerned about "getting in to trouble" there too!!! Isn't too funny!!! God bless all of you who out in the trenches or are going back as I speak!!! I do miss it---there is just part of you that never leaves the classroom!!!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

See---this proves what that guy at the conference was saying!!! The fear of getting in trouble is SO an elementary school student thought!!! Those high schoolers I used to teach NEVER gave a second thought to getting in trouble----and if you would have sat in some of our faculty meetings, you would have quickly found out how little high school teachers are concerned about "getting in to trouble" there too!!! Isn't too funny!!! God bless all of you who out in the trenches or are going back as I speak!!! I do miss it---there is just part of you that never leaves the classroom!!!

Soooo true! I teach 4th grade and am afraid of getting into trouble at staff meetings!

 

[Native NYer]

Good news Jackie!!! The Dreams Unlimited website lists the 2009 package options

 

[Charleston Princess]

Ah... teacher's meetings. Working half day I miss the staff meetings (they are in the AM) and this year I will miss the beginning of the year meetings and two of the three professional days- yea for me! Even as an elementary teacher... we too misbehave at meetings... but we are probably more afraid of getting in trouble I guess. Lunch is a big topic... where to eat on those rare days where we have more than 30 minutes!

You are soo lucky: a new baby boy and getting to miss a couple of professional days! You planned that well!

We get very excited about getting to go out to lunch on teacher workdays -- the chance to have a conversation without having to deal with 300 middle schoolers all talking at the tops of their lungs makes us giddy!

See---this proves what that guy at the conference was saying!!! The fear of getting in trouble is SO an elementary school student thought!!! Those high schoolers I used to teach NEVER gave a second thought to getting in trouble----and if you would have sat in some of our faculty meetings, you would have quickly found out how little high school teachers are concerned about "getting in to trouble" there too!!! Isn't too funny!!! God bless all of you who out in the trenches or are going back as I speak!!! I do miss it---there is just part of you that never leaves the classroom!!!

It does prove the speaker right, doesn't it?

God bless you, Jen, for being such a great mom and making sure that Megan gets all the she needs at home in order to be a successful student in the classroom. As you know, involved parents make all the difference in the world!

When you start to miss teaching just remember all the essays you had to grade before and then you won't miss it quite as much.

Soooo true! I teach 4th grade and am afraid of getting into trouble at staff meetings!

That's too funny!

Good news Jackie!!! The Dreams Unlimited website lists the 2009 package options

Yes, I have been spending my day trying to decide what to do with booking.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Okay, so I should be wrapping up the trip report, but instead I need to write about next year.

As some of you know, 2009 Walt Disney World packages were released today. It has become my own, personal, Christmas morning. When I woke up this morning, I thought, "Maybe packages were released today," not unlike I used to say, "Maybe Santa Clause has come!"

So, now the dilemmas start...

June is a given for our annual summer vacation. No decision needed there. Whew.

Of course, then we start looking at package options and resorts.

Base tickets are fine with us.
Regular dining plan is fine with us.

But there is still the resort decision.

I know, I know. I said Animal Kingdom Lodge was a must next year. However, once I started plugging in various lengths of stay and looking at different resorts, that became a maybe.

We could stay 10 days at Pop.

We could stay 8 days at Caribbean Beach Resort in the new refurbed rooms with the new pirate-themed swimming pool.

We could stay 7 days at Animal Kingdom Lodge (for $600 more than 8 days at CBR).

So I asked the Anti-Disney Man, I mean Charles, his opinion:

Charles: Well, you like to stay as long as possible when we go.

Was this Charles saying, in veiled terms, that he wants to stay as long as possible???

Me: But do we really want to stay 10 days at Pop? I am not sure I want to do that. The room might get to feeling very small.

Charles: Well, let's stay 8 days at CBR.

Me: Really? You haven't even seen pictures of the resort. Do you want to look at pictures?

Charles: No, I don't want to look at pictures and yes, let's stay at CBR.

Me: We would be giving up Animal Kingdom Lodge again. Do we want to do that?

Charles: That's fine with me. You have to book today, though.

Me: Why?

Charles: Because packages got released today, and it's bad luck if you don't.

Seriously he said that! Now, I know I am dressed in my WDW t-shirt and all for the occasion, but who would have thought Charles wanted to make sure we booked.

Anyway, here's the dilemma -- because Charles will go along with whatever. I am really torn -- AKL for more money thus eliminating any hope of the October anniversary trip (of which I already have an ADR and a TR title), or Caribbean Beach Resort for a longer stay, for less money, and the possibility of an October trip???

Added to that is the fact that next year is the last year that Connor will be considered a child with a lower price for food and tickets, so we should make the most of that, right, and stay longer?

On the flip side, in 2010 Chelsea turns 13 and wants to stay at the Grand Floridian for her birthday which means no AKL.

What to do? What to do?

 

[AlienBrain]

I guess it all depends on how important the resort is to you. If you think that AKL is worth $600 + 1 day more than CBR, then stay there. Otherwise, stay at CBR. Also, you may want to consider the dining options. If you are doing the DDP or DDxP, then you may prefer the AKL because of their excellent dining options.

 

[punkin413]

what about a split stay between pop and AKL? that way you get to experience the best of both worlds!

charles sounds just like ray....whatever you want is fine with me because i know you'll end up making up your own mind anyway!!!! it's just nice to have their thoughts and usually they're not very willing to give them!

 

[stagemomx3]

8 days CBR gets my vote. There is the new pirate pool to check out and you get a longer stay, plus a possible anniversary trip.

I think that's funny that he said you had to book today because it's bad luck if you don't.

 

[MomofCKJ]

I'd go longer with the possibility of an extra trip for sure!


Allyson