The Rest of My Trip to New Orleans

So…I shared with you what happened on the first couple of days of my conference in New Orleans. Then, it got busy! We had a great start to our conference, with a wonderful speaker, Dr. David Berliner. He was incredible! Then, we had some great conversations on Thursday during the day, and a wonderful night out with folks from my Mid-Atlantic region (mostly Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina). Friday was a little long, but again, great conversations around teacher evaluations and how to utilize them in an effective manner for professional growth.

Then came Friday night. I had a blast! (It was about time for some fun…thankfully, I was in the right place!)

I got to hang out with a former student early in Friday evening. Travis is a medical student at Tulane University – how awesome is that? I’m so proud of him! After that, I met up with several friends, and we took on Bourbon Street. I rode a bull at Bourbon Cowboy. You read that right…I rode a bull! Is that not hilarious? I fell off three times…but I rode that sucker for at least a minute each time! Then, we walked around Bourbon Street…taking in the sights. Ha! I bought souvenirs for some friends and family back home. And then, I headed back to the room. (That’s all you’re getting! :))

NEW ORLEANS!

Greetings all!

I'm currently in Cajun Country...that's right, I'm in New Orleans! Why? Allow me to explain (why I'm not just here on a vacation, which I never really take).

Most of you know that I work for the NC Association of Educators. How many of you know what I actually do? I thought so. :) My official title is 'Education Consultant,' which is a pretty way of saying, "he does just about everything we can think of except due process cases.' In reality, my work is that of professional development for educators across the state of North Carolina. I lead and facilitate workshops for teachers; I coordinate support for candidates (teachers) for National Board Certification, which is just about a full time job in itself this year with over 6,000 candidates; I work with members who have issues with their teaching licensure; I serve on several advisory boards and commissions; I facilitate leadership training for NCAE members; and the old standby...other duties as assigned. :) There's more to it...but the list could go on, and on.

In North Carolina, there are three of us that work in our Center for Teaching and Learning at NCAE. (In many states, this work is referred to as IPD - Instructional and Professional Development.) There is someone in just about every state's NEA affiliate that does this work. Some states, like Massachussetts where my friend Kathy Skinner leads the way, there are several staffers (like 10-15); others, such as Texas and Alaska, have one person who handles all IPD work, and does other things as well. I'm fortunate - in NC, this is my lot in life. My primary work is IPD work. And I LOVE it. I never thought I'd leave the classroom....but...when the time came, I jumped, because honestly, this is about the only thing that could have dragged me away.

Now that you know what I do...why am I in NOLA? Well...all of us that do this work, this IPD work, across the country, came together many years ago to create an affinity network called the National Staff Association for the Improvement of Instruction, or NSAII. We are nearly 200 members strong - which is a feat given how many of us are doing this work (we are fewer than 250). We come together once a year to share information and work with each other, and to 'sharpen our saws' so that we can continue to improve the work that we do. So...I'm in New Orleans for the annual NSAII conference, which is a joint effort with the NEA's Center for Great Public Schools, which focuses on teacher quality and research.

Did I mention that I'm also the Mid-Atlantic Regional Vice President for NSAII? Yeah. Pretty much since I joined the NCAE staff. I'm not the greatest VP in the world...but I try.

So...that's what's brought me to NOLA. So let me tell you what's been going on since I got here.

The flight down was almost perfect. I wish I could have stayed in Nashville longer...but that just gives me a place to go for vacation, because I would LOVE to be able to spend some quality time in Music City USA! Once I got to Louis Armstrong Airport, memories of my first trip here six years ago (for an NEA National Representative Assembly) came flooding back. Man, we had a great time! Those were good days...and they were good memories until my cabbie decided to try to drive at warp speed to get me to my hotel, and he hit a bump and my head nearly went through the roof of the minivan he was driving. The needle didn't go below 80 the entire time. I was quite happy to put my feet on the ground.

The hotel I'm at is called the Omni Royal Orleans. It's on St. Louis St. (or Rue Saint Louis) in the French Quarter. And just ONE BLOCK away from Bourbon Street! My room is beautiful...and I have a jacuzzi tub. No kidding. A jacuzzi tub. Yes...I've already used it...twice. :)

I had to take a small walking trip yesterday afternoon because I managed somehow to leave all four of the charging cords for my iPhone in North Carolina (work, Town Hall, and home), so I had to find the AT&T store and buy one. The store was literally nine blocks from my hotel, straight down Royal across Canal. Canal Street is amazing. It's so cool to just walk down. I didn't get to spend much time down there...but it was just cool! (When I win Powerball, I'm getting a home here.)

We had dinner last night at Arnaud's, which is a world reknowned restaurant just off Bourbon Street. Bourbon wasn't very lively when we walked to dinner...but Lord, were the beads flying when we walked back. (And how stupid did I look walking down Bourbon wearing a tie?) Dinner was great - I actually ate seafood...okay, crabcakes, but they count - and dessert was fantastic. (You know me...the food is the most important.) The restaurant was pretty amazing, too...because it's 14 different homes cobbled together to create a restaurant that's literally about half a block. (These are big blocks. too.)

This morning, and most of the day today, we're in working sessions. Until about 2:00 today, we're in NEA Research 'Boot Camp,' which is an opportunity for us to hear from some great researchers about current issues in educational research. (I'm not a big researcher...but I always glean a good deal from this part.) This afternoon, we'll have two different pre-conference sessions, and then our opening session that'll run until about 9:00 tonight. (And at that point...I'll likely take care of a couple of things and go to bed. I've also gotta find a place for my region to dine out tomorrow...the work of a VP is never done...)

I'll share more when I get the chance. Forgive me for taking so long to write again...it's been a bit on the crazy side these past few weeks between work, Frankenfest, et al. Annie...you've gotta do a better job...don't let me go for more than a week!

Catch ya soon!

It's Been a Minute...Sorry...

My reminder service hasn't reminded me that I hadn't written in almost two weeks. I've been at Town Hall today taking care of things I hadn't been here to do most of the week. We are FULL for Frankenfest! I'm so excited! I think it's going to be a great day - and if you're a person of faith, please send one up for good weather. We've got 89 booth spaces filled, with a couple of more possibilities...and who knows if someone will show up on the morning of the event? YAY!

I'm about to head to Greenville for the NC League of Municipalities annual conference. I had planned to go to the session on ethics in government...but I put it in my calendar wrong...and realized it much too late. I needed to be in Greenville at 1:00 for that one...oops. I guess I'll have to wait until I go to the Essentials of Municipal Government class (again) for that piece. I'm hopeful that the entire Board of Commissioners will be able to attend the Essentials courses this year. It's a great class...and great information. I know I learned a lot.

The NCLM Conference is one great place to learn new tricks and tips. I know last year it's where I got the ideas I'm trying to implement for our gang prevention plan here in Town. I'm excited about this year's sessions...and I'm also excited to not be going alone! Thankfully, Commissioner Fuller will be going with me.

It's been a busy week. Monday and Tuesday, I had to get ready for our fall conference at work (NCAE). We had our conference Thursday - Saturday. It went well, if I do say so myself. Very few errors, which was nice. :) That's not always the case when there are five people trying to make everything come together, but it really went off with only a couple of glitches, which weren't visible to the average attendee. We had 300+ there, and most everyone seemed happy - especially my National Board Certification candidates! As of yesterday, there are just over 5,000 candidates for National Board Certification. 5 0 0 0 ! I can't believe it - my prediction came true! (I'll take the winnings of that bet now, Dorsey.) My hopes are high for their certification rate - I hope they all reach out for support! It's crucial not to do it alone!

I also had my ten year college reunion this weekend, which I didn't get to go to much of due to the NCAE Conference. That's okay - apparently, it wasn't the most well attended event in Elon's history. LOL I did get to go to my 10 year reunion party, which had all of 15 attendees. Yeehaw. But - I got to see a couple of good friends from college that I haven't seen in seven or eight years, so that was awesome! No door prizes for me...oh well.

Speaking of reunions...about a week ago, we had a reunion 'meeting' for my 15 year high school reunion. Jeez louise...I cannot believe it'll be 15 years since I walked that stage at Louisburg College Auditorium next June. (June 1, to be exact.) I had a BALL with the folks that showed up. I haven't seen some of them since we walked across that stage - some of them were my very best friends in high school. Time is a beast. My new year's resolution...which gives me until then to make it happen...is to be better about my social life...to ensure that I have one. Relationships are important...and I absolutely refuse to get to the end, where unfortunately God doesn't give credit for wasted time, and realize I've lost touch with some of the most important people in the world. So...it was a good time. :)

Okay...time to head to Greenville. Have a great Monday! I'll write again soon!

Streets and Sidewalks...Again

You may have heard that Franklinton received a $40,000 grant to create a full Capital Improvement Plan. Why would we need something like this? Because we want to ensure that we have a plan for how to improve infrastructure in Franklinton over the next 25 years. One big piece of this is our streets. As you likely know, there are many streets in Franklinton that are in a severe state of disrepair. So why haven’t we already fixed them? Because we know that it’s likely we’ll have to replace water or sewer lines in those same areas…which is why we aren’t repaving, only to have to patch what we’ve just paved when we replace lines. The Board of Commissioners and Staff are doing our best to be diligent and efficient when it comes to the use of your money – and it’s all your money in one way or another.

One major street I am concerned with, however, is Janice Avenue. It is perhaps the most heavily used side street in Franklinton, and I’d hedge my bets to say it’s likely the fifth or sixth most heavily trafficked street in Town. And it’s falling apart. I’d like to see it repaved at the least, and curbed and guttered at the best. We’re working on it now. Once we know how much it will cost, we’ll bring it to the Board for discussion. We have over $200K in the fund balance (the money left over from previous budgets that hasn’t been spent…effectively, the Town’s savings account) that can only be used for streets and sidewalks. These are important issues to me. And I promise…in the next two years, hopefully we’ll see some movement on them.

Dogs...

Most everyone knows I have two dogs. My kids are a brother and a sister, Will and Grace. They really are brother and sister…even though they look NOTHING alike. They are WONDERFUL. They just turned five. I adopted them in August 2004 from my aunt’s home at Kerr Lake (which is right beside my family’s place there). Her dog Wuppie had puppies…yes, I know. It’s quite Dr. Seuss. There were several puppies. I originally wanted to have two black dogs, to match my black cat. (Don’t ask…) Well, my cousin Evan gave away the last black male in the litter, so there were three puppies left when I came to get them. I wanted to have at least two, so they wouldn’t be lonely. What I should have done was take all three. It left one poor little puppy that eventually disappeared with her mom! Oh well..

So, I took Will and Grace home…they both fit in my hand…and Will’s feet didn’t fit his body yet. They were dirty…so they took a bath…and the water was RED. I had no idea Will was such a light color of yellowish white! And Grace wasn’t purple! They were great puppies…until they ate the linoleum off the kitchen floor…and the paneling off the wall…and the facing on the door. Yeah…you figured it out. Pets have destroyed my house.

They’re great dogs…even at five. J They’re the neighborhood watch dogs. They don’t bark, unless there’s something going on. They’re just the best!

An Empty Open House

Can someone tell me why in the world I'd spend time doing something that nobody would show up for? I can't figure it out either. When I ran for this office, many folks told me that they'd like to have an opportunity to talk to their elected officials, to hear what's going on, etc., but they can't always make Board meetings and can't get to Town Hall during business hours. So...we've been having quarterly open houses for two years. For the first couple, people came. Nobody showed for the one we held today...and they didn't show in August, either.

What does that mean? Likely that we're not going to do another one until May. I see no reason to host one in February to disrupt the weekend of our staff members that have to be here for it when nobody's going to take advantage of it.

Your thoughts?

Cats...

If you’ve ever seen my Facebook page…you know I have four cats. Technically…they’re still kittens. I don’t think they become cats until they’re two. Spike, Sprite, Speedo and Phoenix were born on April 28, 2008 in my front yard. How’d I end up keeping them? Their mom adopted me. I hadn’t planned on adopting another pet after my 16 year old cat Kentucky passed away in January 2007…but Yang (who became Oreo when my neighbor adopted her) showed up on my doorstep. I had no idea she was pregnant when I started feeding her. She was very obviously someone else’s pet. I checked around, and nobody belonged to her…so…I took her in. And then, the last Sunday in April, she followed me around the yard the whole afternoon. It started raining, and she didn’t care…I know now she was looking for somewhere to have her kittens, and she wanted me to help. I woke up the next morning, and my roommate had already left for work…and Yang was laying where the front of his car would have been. When I shook the food canister, she just rolled over and looked at me…and I just knew something was wrong, that she was injured, that somehow, something had happened.

Turns out, something had happened. She had four furry balls attached to her belly. So, I did what any normal pet owner would do. I scooped them all up, put them in a pet carrier, and took them to my mom’s house for safe keeping. I knew I couldn’t take care of them. I visited them nearly every day for three weeks. The smallest of the babies really didn’t like me…even before her eyes opened, she hissed at me, and got her toenail stuck in my forehead trying to fight me. She was two weeks old. Nothing like foreshadowing.

I took them home on Mother’s Day weekend. We kept them in my kitchen, under the table in a little bed. There were no flea issues until much later on, so all was well…until one day in late June when Yang decided that she wanted out…so she bolted out the door and was GONE. She hung around outside, but wanted nothing more to do with her babies…so I let her stay there. And try as I might…I couldn’t get anyone to adopt any of the babies. So…by the time August rolled around, they were there months old, and I was in love. No adoption other than my own would work.

Spike warmed up to me first. He really liked to lay in my lap. (He still does.) Speedo followed. He is one big ol’ cat! He, like his mom, doesn’t like to be held, but he LOVES to lay on you, lay around you, rub his nose against yours…or ram his head into yours. He is perhaps the most loving animal I have ever met. His sisters took a bit longer. Sprite had a moment when she was about four or five months old…she decided to destroy a couple of things in the house…so I decided to pop her little behind. And she had issues with me for the next six months. It wasn’t until this past April or so that she started allowing me to pet her. Now, you’d think she was an attachment. Every time I turn around, she’s walking in front of the couch, waiting to be rubbed or petted…I just wish she’d gain some weight. Somehow, I managed to have four cats…small, medium, large and extra large. Sprite weighs about five pounds…maybe six. Phoenix, my other little girl who LIVES to sleep with me on the bed, weighs about eight pounds. Spike checks in at around eleven…and Speedo is about fifteen. He’s mammoth.

So those are my kids. Their picture is on my website…but the one on my Facebook profile is priceless…they’re following light, but it looks like they’re mesmerized by the family portrait. Entertainment at its best.