WatchDevRun

Wow that's it -- school is over and summer is here...crazy to think this whole pandemic/quarantine started in March and now in June, we have riots and protests breaking out all over the nation and the world.  What a different place we're in now than when I moved back in July.  I'm pretty sure no one could have predicted what would happen and what is happening, I know I couldn't and wouldn't.  But now on to new goals and a new way of life.  School always comes and we learn what we learn. This year has been a lot of growth for all of us but now we're moving on to a summer we didn't expect but gives us a variety of opportunities to try.   Time to set the goals for the summer!  I'm a planner so setting up the goals is crucial for me to get work done. So here are my preliminary goals for the summer: 1. Work through the DataQuest curriculum to focus on data analysis work. 2. Find a part-time job to help the transition to the US a bit easier. 3. RUN - my mileag

Memorial Day is a weekend I haven't been in the US for in years.  This year is different, not only am I here but COVID-19 has changed the way we look at weekends, life, everything.  So now here I sit after enjoying a beautiful weekend at home and wondering what the next year will bring.  This year we've altered plans -- camping in the backyard during Memorial Weekend instead of going to campgrounds.  We've had races that have moved to the virtual realm versus doing them in "real life". Our friends are found on Zoom or Google Meets, I'm teaching students via Google Meets instead of talking to them in my classroom.  Everything has changed but there is one thing that hasn't.  We still need to connect on one level or another and that's what we're doing. Social media is supposed to be the place where we can connect to those around us but it has gone from something that was once positive to a very negative place for many people.  If someone doesn't a

At the end of April, I received an email stating I had received a scholarship from DataQuest to work through the Data Analytics program they offer.  It's an online course that teaches the skills needed to move on to working in Data Analytics.  This is what I had been waiting for!  In the midst of the pandemic, I had received something that would help me see the world in a different view.  This scholarship is so much more than that, it gave me the feeling of someone believing in me and the way I see the world.  Most people see the clump of trees that I run by and see all the trees.  Data Analytics give you an ability to see the trees as individual and use the patterns they produce to tell you so much more about them and how they interact with the world.  It's not just important to see the big picture but to separate out the parts of it and see what it means.  Although these trees look like a clump at the end, each one is changing color at a different rate.  Each one is working i

Wow, what a change a week makes!  No snow this week, light running, some strength training and new challenges put into place.  The Al Ain Triathlon Club started a set of workouts and meets this weekend that helped re-energize me and where I am right now.  There is definitely something to be said for teammates, even virtual ones.  Certain things can help point you in the direction you know you should be going, even if your heart hasn't been in it and that's what's happening. But it's not the biggest thing on my mind this week.  No, it's the news of education cuts for next year and what that means.  The world is struggling and we all understand that.  Teachers were asked to revamp their entire curriculum in a short period and we did that.  Schools were asked to shut down and still reach out to feed students, set them up with the technology they needed and help this transition and they did that.  Now schools are being told thanks for everything you did but now you ne

This week should have been a great week to focus on relaxing, getting into a rhythm of running after pushing to 40 miles last week and adding in strength training.  But that was not the case... Monday, I got the run and core in.  Wednesday, run, core and back workout and then there was Thursday...I was halfway through a 5-mile run (literally had just passed the 2.5-mile mark) when I came down funny.  And when I say funny, I mean I'm not sure if I twisted it at the same time or what but all of a sudden I couldn't put weight on it.  When I bent it, you could hear and feel the cracking sounds in the knee.  This was not good, I had been surviving the pandemic by running 5-6 times a week and now adding the strength just after my 40th birthday should have been a turning point where I would have the opportunity to get stronger.  Instead, I had to cut my 2nd run of the day short and adjust the strength workout that night so I didn't do any other damage.  At least I was smart enou

Last week marked a few occasions in this ongoing saga of the pandemic.  The first included a completed week of remote learning, not only as the teacher but as the parent.  It has been a learning curve for all of us as we have worked to figure out the remote learning process that works best and how to make all the pieces fall into place.  It wasn't perfect but nothing is ever going to be....not in life and not during the middle of a crisis. Most students want to be engaged and are thrilled to have an opportunity to use Google Meets or any other video conferencing just to have an opportunity to talk to teachers and peers.  It has been enlightening to find out that students do miss the people who are a part of the school, as much as the staff does. As a teacher, I'll continue to worry about the ones I can't reach but I'll also continue to do what I can, that's all I can do. On the parent side is incredibly grateful for my daughter's teacher and the staff