I Made It Just In Time
Thank goodness I flew home yesterday! By the time I touched down in Indy, it was about forty degrees -- a mere thirty degrees below what I'd been living in for the past week, so hey -- and there was sun. This morning, the wind chill is in the subzero region, snow is falling, and winds are gusting. Schools are closed and flights have been cancelled. A woman interviewed for the local news this morning summed it up. "I'm over it! I'm over it!"
Truly, I'd be very sad if I hadn't been able to get home. I missed my son!
Speaking of the son, he did just marvelously on his own. He had to navigate extremely messy roads in town and in the city, manage his time when schedules changed unexpectedly, do the raw-food feeding for the dogs, and keep up his school work. But he has figured out that, when the time comes for him to move out, he doesn't want to live alone. And he said he'd much rather travel with me next time than stay home alone.
And the conference! Amazing! Extremely high expectations were set before a group of driven, professional educators, and nearly everyone rose to the challenge. So many times in the last decade, parents and teachers have told me they wished their classrooms could run with the same focus and discipline as my karate classes. Now I have strategies to make it happen that is grounded in high regard and respect for the student, that respects the students' voice and choices, AND gives teachers a way to step off the frustration-go-round. Coolest of all? The strategies are what I've been using for years in karate classes. For me, the week's learning was less about hearing new things as it was learning a translation of things I already knew.
I met incredible people from diverse backgrounds, talked martial arts with folks from different styles, discussed the evolution of education, debated legal issues, and listened to stories about military experience, law enforcement challenges, personal struggles, and a thousand other things. And that was in addition to the conference!
Now, I'll be taking a few days to review the administrative side of things, then I'll be setting appointments. (Actually, I already have two appointments for next week, but don't want to add more until I feel more grounded in some of the business information.)
And tonight? Well, karate has already been cancelled, meaning I've taught a mere three of the last thirty days. Also meaning I get to write Sand of Bone!
Truly, I'd be very sad if I hadn't been able to get home. I missed my son!
Speaking of the son, he did just marvelously on his own. He had to navigate extremely messy roads in town and in the city, manage his time when schedules changed unexpectedly, do the raw-food feeding for the dogs, and keep up his school work. But he has figured out that, when the time comes for him to move out, he doesn't want to live alone. And he said he'd much rather travel with me next time than stay home alone.
And the conference! Amazing! Extremely high expectations were set before a group of driven, professional educators, and nearly everyone rose to the challenge. So many times in the last decade, parents and teachers have told me they wished their classrooms could run with the same focus and discipline as my karate classes. Now I have strategies to make it happen that is grounded in high regard and respect for the student, that respects the students' voice and choices, AND gives teachers a way to step off the frustration-go-round. Coolest of all? The strategies are what I've been using for years in karate classes. For me, the week's learning was less about hearing new things as it was learning a translation of things I already knew.
I met incredible people from diverse backgrounds, talked martial arts with folks from different styles, discussed the evolution of education, debated legal issues, and listened to stories about military experience, law enforcement challenges, personal struggles, and a thousand other things. And that was in addition to the conference!
Now, I'll be taking a few days to review the administrative side of things, then I'll be setting appointments. (Actually, I already have two appointments for next week, but don't want to add more until I feel more grounded in some of the business information.)
And tonight? Well, karate has already been cancelled, meaning I've taught a mere three of the last thirty days. Also meaning I get to write Sand of Bone!