The Lake House

It was so nice this weekend to go to the Lake House for Memorial Day Weekend. It is funny that people go to Lake Houses, camps, or whatnot to get away and do nothing. Immediately upon arrival, my family was invited to a Margarita Party the next night. Also, we were invited to a Crawfish Boil. It was the beginning of our stay and we had an agenda. But, it’s not about really not doing anything. It’s about having fun and enjoy each other’s company.

The Lake House is not 100% finished being built, but there is electricity now, which means it has air conditioning and is livable. Being from South Louisiana, air conditioning is not a luxury, it's a necessity especially in the months ahead. A few months ago before electricity, we stayed at the Lake House to help move things along. Although the weather was comfortable during the day, I was a human popsicle the next morning. But, now, it is around 92 degrees during the day.

Anyway, now the end is visible, and I can only imagine how wonderful it will be when we can go out on the lake. If you have never gone to the lake and stayed in a cabin, I highly suggest that you do. When you do, set your alarm clock for around 6am (I know this is early, but you have to do it.), make some coffee, and then enjoy your coffee on the porch. There is nothing better than the sounds of nature waking up in the morning. If you get up earlier, you may catch sunrise, and even more of a bonus if your porch allows you to see the sun rise over the trees. This in itself is so relaxing.

The Lake House belongs to my parents and is being built to be a place for fun and relaxation, but also to be a place to evacuate from hurricanes. Six years ago this August, Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the New Orleans area. Living here meant we had around eight feet of water in our home. Our entire family lived in St. Bernard Parish, which means our entire family was uprooted for over six months without a solid place to live. We moved from place to place for awhile. I was in my senior year of college at the time intended to graduate December of ’05 which I managed to do somehow, but it was the most difficult time of my life to say the least. We thought we had lost a lot. And we did when you think of the home movies of my brother and I growing up, the childhood memories stuffed in photo albums or on bookcases. We saved some things, but many priceless possessions washed away with the breech in the levee. We learned that most of what we lost although devastated us at the time is meaningless now. When I leave for a hurricane now, I still have a car packed, but I know whatever I leave behind is not the end of the world. It can be replaced. It is a pain in the rear end to do over, but I learned to separate things into necessities and replaceables. Also, I learned to always have pictures on either SD cards or CDs, and take pictures of everything in your house before you leave (It makes the insurance process much easier.)

I didn’t mean to make this post about that witch Katrina, but I guess it helps to know some history about what made me who I am today. So, feel free to leave comments about how you spent your Memorial Day weekend. I love hearing about others’ vacations. :o) Happy Memorial Day!

Some pics of Lake that used to be a log farm back in the day now prime fishing lake:

A Sign

I never think of myself as superstitious, but I have little quirks. For example, I whole-heartedly believe in signs. I was always raised to believe that the universe will present the path that you were meant to follow by showing you little signs that you are doing the right thing. Today, I was shown my path. Now, please don't misunderstand that this is a good sign or a bad sign. It could completely go downhill, but I do believe that it still is what you were meant to do. However, if it goes bad, it means you were meant to learn and grow from this path you were on. Anyway, here's my story for the day.

Today was my last day at school officially. I am not very sentimental; but, looking around the barren classroom just after hauling out the last of my immense amount of accumulated junk throughout my years teaching, my heart suddenly felt very heavy, my throat was swollen, and my feet glued to the floor. I recalled the loud, boisterous children in the hall after the final bell on Fridays, my "Lunch Bunch" who ate lunch with me every day, and the enlightenment behind my student's eyes when something I was teaching clicked for them. It was sad to say the least. My classroom normally decorated with projects, drawings they drew for me, and leaves they collected to decorate my board (long story) were all gone. The room looked as it did the first time I entered it, an ordinary classroom awaiting its next personality to create a new sanctuary.

A sanctuary is what it became for me. I would often find myself there on weekends to prepare for the upcoming week, find a quiet haven to catch up on work, or with my music playing, look at the time and realize I should have been home hours ago. Teaching is a lot of work. Don't let anyone misguide you about that. Teachers get summer vacations and added holidays for a reason. It is not a 9 to 5 job, because it is an around the clock job. You are always a teacher every second of the day whether grading or preparing until 12 or 1 at night or telling someone, who is not one of your students, to use better grammar. (I was an English teacher, in case you didn't read the other post.)

Nevertheless, leaving today was harder than I had imagined. My entire trip home I was filled with numerous questions, but one plagued my mind. Am I doing the right thing? That's when the sign came.

As habit, immediately I got home and went to check my mail. Even when it's trash, I love getting mail. I know; I am so weird. Today, there was a package. With a new pep to my step, I went inside and opened the package. Inside was a Labradorite (Picture below). This means absolutely nothing to most of you because you haven't read my book, but this is going to be on the cover of my book and plays a significant role for my main character, Meridienne Drake. I knew this was coming in the mail, but I wasn't expecting it until Friday. So, to be here two days before expected and after all the worry I tormented myself prior to this, I took it as a sign. Good or Bad, I know I am on the road that I am meant to travel. Silly, I know, but we all have to do what works for us. So I just have one thing left to throw out to my universe:

BRING IT ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!

^ This is a Labradorite.

Isn't it pretty? It is much prettier in person with all the colors reflecting.

So, I Say Good-bye to Teaching

As I finish one chapter in my life and begin a new one, I feel this is the perfect opening to my website. I will no longer be a high school English teacher as of next week, and this thought truly saddens me. Of course, I have chosen this to pursue my writing career along with the hopes of being a better wife and, one day, a mother. But, being a high school English teacher was truly an experience of a lifetime. I have never been and doubt I ever will be one of those people who wish they could relive high school, but being in that situation through the eyes of a teacher taught me more about myself and teenagers, than I think I ever taught them. Even on my worst of days, I could always count on my students to make me smile or laugh or see things differently. I am so grateful for each and every one of them and am truly honored to have been a part of their lives. My students are what I will miss the most.

What Teaching Taught Me:

· Sometimes Loud is too loud

I am not the type to raise my voice out of anger. In fact, I rarely get truly angry especially towards my students. That does not mean I do not talk loud, because I do. This comes from my loud Spanish family where we all try to talk over each other; thus, speaking louder and louder. For outsiders, like my husband, we have earplugs readily available, and this only lowers our voices to the wearer.

Anyway, we were reading, I believe it was from Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, when Curley was trying to beat up poor Lennie. I love to act out the stories we read because it helps to visualize. So, I got really into it, and I guess it got a little loud. Because, the class that came in after came in very slowly and hesitantly. Not a word was spoken. They took out their books and were ready when the bell rang. I inquired what was up because this was definitely uncharacteristic of this class. One brave student answered, “We heard you yelling down the hall that you were gonna beat up someone in your last class.” So, note watch your voice level.

· Establishing a Routine provides Refuge

I don’t like having to repeat myself, so from the beginning I establish specific ways to do something. It takes a little repeating in the beginning, but students get the hang of it quickly, and it makes the rest of the year smooth.

My students have gotten into the habit of reading what’s on my board as they walk into class to know what they have to do to be ready for class. Many times when we are reading the board states: Please put down your belongings and grab your books. Page ---. (This is wonderful for any teachers reading this because they all have their books, have their books open, and ready to go without uttering a word.) So, one day, I begin teaching grammar and I am giving them notes and examples. I realize the class is flipping through the book and completely lost. I, clueless, ask, “Why do you have your books? We are doing grammar. You should have your grammar packets out?” A student points at the board, “It says to get your books on the board. We thought you were teaching us from the book.” Doh! A different grade level was the class before theirs, and I didn’t erase the board. It taught me to put English I and English II next to the directions.

· “Fail” does not mean a bad grade in a class

With my back to a student, I hear another student saying to that one, “You fail,” and the class was cracking up. I whip around to see which student they were to referring to and turn back to lecture, “[Student’s name] is not failing my class. You cannot discuss people’s grades.” The poor student blushing replies, “I wasn’t talking about their grades. He went to sit down and missed the desk…He failed.” Add to teenager dictionary, fail means mess up.

· “Legit” does not mean honest and truthful

At the beginning of the year, the students often laugh or are in amazement at my maiden name being Dragon. This particular time, a student comments, “What?!? That is legit.” I, only knowing one meaning of the word, respond, “Seriously, that is the truth. Dragon is my maiden name.” Then, I get the explanation. “No, legit means something really cool like ‘That new XBOX game is legit.” So, I guess cool is just not cool to say anymore. Add to teenager dictionary, legit means Way Cool.

· “Epic” is not the long, narrative poem, such as the disastrous journey that Odysseus ventured in The Odyssey.

I am only 28 years old, but to teenagers that is like 48, and already I see the diction difference. Yet again, I flop. Someone says, “That is epic.” I blindly respond, “No, Night (by Elie Wiesel) is not a poem. The epic we will be reading is The Odyssey, but that will be next semester.” Looking around the room, blank expressions returned my gaze. With so much patience for me, they explain, “Epic means really big or something you won’t forget like ‘That was an Epic fail.” or “That rumor is epic.’ Add to teenager dictionary, epic means huge or memorable.

· Crawling on the floor = Complete Student Attention

In English I, one of the first stories we read is “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty. As there are very few stories, I don’t like, this one is especially fun to read. The way the sniper gets shot in the arm, but goes on to trick the enemy sniper and eventually defeat that sniper is full of imagery in the story. Naturally, it requires acting it out. I demonstrate pretty much the whole story as we reread the words O’Flaherty illustrates so beautifully. This requires me getting on the floor, demonstrating his broken arm (which gets the girls to cover their mouths and show faces of disgust), then crawling on my stomach over to the table which is perfect for the wall of the building to peer over to act out the sniper’s trick. Of course, I had all eyes on me especially to see a teacher crawl on the floor, but you never truly know if they are getting what you are trying to say.

Well, at Parent-Teacher Night, I had a parent come up to me to congratulate me. The parent was not successful at getting her child to read, and the child had read that story to every one of his family members and acted it out as he read. Of course, the child did not forget to mention to every family member that his teacher did this same thing in class. *Blush*

***Once again, to all my students, thank you for these wonderful memories and so many others, and I wish you all the best in the future.