Holiday Hike - Day 10

We woke up and had coffee, delivered before we woke up to our butler's pantry. Then we headed to the dining room for breakfast. We began with fresh strawberries and then had ham and cheese omelettes and English muffins and fresh-made jam and sweet bread.

After breakfast, we decided to get on the road right away because it was raining heavily and wanted to be able to take our time. We started with a quick drive through downtown Chester. The town seems to be half a century past its prime, but there were some historical areas including a Confederate monument.

Then we were on our way toward Charlottesville, VA for our final night of the trip. The rain continued heavily all day long through our lunch stops, gas stops and everything. It was tense at times with one shaky hydroplaning incident, but we made it safely. After a nice nap, we ordered some Papa John's and I ran out to get some beer and we had a nice, relaxing night with tv.

State Update - None today. All that's left is: Hawaii (although my Mom saw one), Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, Wyoming. Today was rough for states because the rain was really bad so it was tough to see other car license plates.

Holiday Hike - Day 9

We woke up to a cloudy day in Jacksonville that would turn into light to moderate rain for most of the driving part of the afternoon. The hotel provided a pretty decent breakfast; Ali was especially fond of the waffles. After breakfast, we set out for a return to Savannah for lunch.

During this time, we were listening to former president Jimmy Carter read "Sharing Good Times" to us, one of the few good audiobooks we were able to find at Cracker Barrel.

In Savannah, we stopped at a restaurant we looked up the night before - Soho South Cafe. It turned out to be a warehouse turned eatery that was really good. At Soho South Cafe, Ali had Andalusian chicken and rice salad and I had a chicken panini. After lunch, we were on our way to Chester, South Carolina and our first Bed & Breakfast experience. The rain began, slowed us down and caused a number of accidents, mostly going in the opposite direction thankfully.

We started listening to Stephen King's Blaze, but abandoned it because it wasn't getting us really excited. We stopped and picked up an Anderson Cooper book about his experiences as a correspondent, mostly in 2005 (tsunami, Katrina, etc.).

The interstate highways gradually gave way to smaller highways and final a two-lane road leading into Chester, SC. We were clearly in a rural, country area. We got a little nervous as we drove in passing church after church, few houses (although some shantytowns and mobile homes were around) and even a Deer Processing Plant. We pulled into Colvin Farms, our stopover for the night and met the innkeeper.

The B&B included a quaint bedroom with private bathroom and access to a butler's pantry with drinks and washer, cookies, books DVDs and ladybugs galore. Built in 1835, it seems ladybugs have taken over much of the house as we saw them on the ceilings and walls all over.

Downstairs was a nice sitting room with faux fireplace in place of the original fireplace and a cool little dining room where we had our dinner and breakfast. We decided to explore the outside areas to sit on the swing the porch and walk the grounds to meet the animals and see the area. We quickly found a very friendly cat and then found an even more friendly goat. The goat, once he/she came over for a quick pet, would not go away no matter what we tried. In fact, we spent the next 30-45 minutes trying to get back inside without the goat following us. I know this probably sounds funny, but we really couldn't get back inside. Eventually. Ali went inside while I tried to trick Mr. Goat into staying outside. At one point as I sprinted up the front stairs to get in while he was distracted by a stick, he made a quick comeback and jumped hooves first into the door convincing Ali that it was me trying to get in. It was a close call, but Goaty stayed out and I eventually got in.

We decompressed from our adventure until dinner was ready at 7pm. We ate by candelight with some champagne and a wonderful dinner. We started with salad and warm bread, then had chicken francaise with pasta and snow peas. For dessert - strawberry cheesecake.

After dinner, we retired to the drawing room (we sat by the fireplace) drinking the rest of the champagne and then watched a movie in our room before a relatively early night.

States update - Ali got Missouri, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Kansas and Nevada. I got Colorado. Ali has 26 overall and I have 17.

Holiday Hike - Day 8

We slept in this morning, then lounged around having coffee out in the lanai and generally taking it easy. Lunch was at Sonic - my second visit and Ali's first to the often advertised yet seldom realized drive-in fast food joint. The food was pretty good including my pineapple sundae and Ali's Orea Blast.

After lunch, we did some more lounging around, got our things together, took a short walk and enjoyed a great dinner that Allie and Matt made before getting back out on the road for a relatively short (3.5 hours) drive to Jacksonville for the night.

The drive was pretty smooth except our attempt to get off the highway to rent a new audiobook at Cracker Barrel in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Due to road construction, there was a ton of traffic and we never actually got to the Cracker Barrel due to bad signage and awful roads. We ended up getting back on the road and stopping a few miles later.

This was my first entry into a Cracker Barrel and I think I know why. The place was packed with mostly older, all white and primarily white trash, patrons. The audio book rental selection consisted mostly of fiction stories and evangelical Christian testimonies. We did manage to pick up one of Jimmy Carter's books which has been pretty good so far.

We're staying the night at Wingate by Wyndham in Jacksonville. We picked it due to it being the cheapest, decent looking place on our route, but it turns out to be a really nice place with a full, hot breakfast.

1 more license plate on the drive - Minnesota for Ali. Totals - 16 for Matt, 21 for Ali.

Holiday Hike - Days 6 & 7

Wednesday, December 26

We got up early to get on the road towards Disney. After a brief stop for bagels and coffee, we were on our way. It took a little over an hour to get to our hotel, Disney's All Star Sports. Check-in went smoothly until we drove to our section of the resort and attempted to get into our room. It turns out the cast member who checked us in told us we were in building two while we were actually in building ten. Once that was all squared away, we jumped on a bus to Epcot.

At Epcot, we just walked around a bit, grabbed a Fastpass, and watched a film about Canada in the World Showcase. Then it was time for lunch at Tokyo Disney in the Japan pavilion. We enjoyed great service and some excellent sushi and tempura.

After lunch, we rode the newly redone Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land and Soarin and then it was time to meet my parents, sister and borther-in-law for dinner at Biergarten in the Germany pavilion. There we had a great buffet, a flight of German beers and a lively musical show right in front of us.

After dinner, we all took a boat to MGM Studios via the Epcot area resorts. At MGM, we all walked through the Osborne family lights together. Then everyone else left and we headed into Star Tours and the Great American Movie Ride before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Thursday, December 27

We got up later than most Disney visitors on our second day and headed to the Magic Kingdom around 9:30. We jumped on the Walt Disney World Railroad to sneak around to Frontierland, grabbed a Great Thunder Railroad fastpass and spent almost no time in line at Pirates of the Caribbean. We took in the Hall of Presidents show, rode the GTR and then walked over to Fantasyland where we grabbed fastpass for Peter Pan and Mickey's Philharmagic. Philharmagic was a cool 3-D show featuring songs from Disney animated movies. The kids in the audience went crazy for it which made it fun for everyone.

We had a low-key lunch in the very crowded Starlight Cafe, a good find for quality of food that was unexpected. In Tomorrowland, we rode the Peoplemover, checked out Carousel of Progress, and Stitch's Great Escape before walking down Main Street to exit around 2:30.

We took the monorail around the resorts to the Grand Floridian where Ali really liked the large (enough to hold a store inside) gingerbread house. We made a snap decision to see if any restaurants had room for dinner. The concierge hooked us up with 5:00 seating at Yak and Yeti, a new restaurant at the Animal Kingdom, so we got on a bus from the Grand Floridian and made it over in time.

Getting around Animal Kingdom was pretty tough because a parade began just as we arrived and made it nearly impossible to get to the Africa section and the Kilimanjaro safaris that we wanted to do before dinner. We ended up in a bird area of Asia for 30-45 minutes of waiting for the show to start and then had to get to the restaurant before actually seeing any of the show. The food turned out to be great the restaurant. The waiter made a mistake with Ali's order and delivered the wrong entree. He corrected it and took the charge off of our bill as well. After dinner, we made a break for the exit, a bus ride back to our hotel and then the drive back to Land 'O Lakes.

One of our pasttimes in the parks was watching couples and families that were dressed alike, family reunion shirts, Disney shirts and hats, whatever they could find to be conspicuous.

Holiday Hike - Days 4 & 5

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day in Land O'Lakes. On Christmas Eve, we headed to a beach near St. Petersburg with my mother to enjoy the nice weather and do a decidedly Florida-style activity for Christmas.

After the beach, the three of us had lunch at a Mexican restaurant in St. Pete and then headed back to my parents' house.

During the day, Ali made pumpkin and apple pies, we took a nice walk. We went out for Christmas Eve dinner at an Italian restaurant with a faking piano player and took a detoured drive home to see some Christmas lights. We all watched Ratatouille once we were back at home.

Throughout the day, Matt spotted South Dakota and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba. My mom had Alaska and Hawaii. Ali didn't get any. Overall, that means Matt has 17 and Ali has 20.

On Christmas Day, we watched the Disney parade, hung around watching tv, playing frisbee, etc. during the day before a great dinner. We finished the night in the hot tub and then with some movies.

Holiday Hike - Day 3

We got up and headed into Savannah for breakfast at a cafe-style place (Clary's Cafe) recommended on some web sites as an historical locale. The food was good and, since the weather was so nice, we took some time to walk around the city's old squares to see the architecture and read some plaques identifying important civil war events.

Next, we were on our way to Florida.

We drove along pretty empty state highways across much of Florida so we had trouble finding a good spot to stop for lunch. We eventually stopped at a Wendy's for something quick.

We arrived in Land O'Lakes in time for a dinner with my parents and then a walk through the neighborhood and some relaxation time.

Not a lot to report on the license plate spotting competition as we are running out of needed states.

Ali spotted Nebraska and Michigan and Matt had West Virginia, Louisiana and Oregon. Today - Matt: 3, Ali: 2. Overall....Matt: 16, Ali: 20.

Holiday Hike - Day 2

We woke up at 8:30am and found that water had leaked somewhere from the second floor and was dripping through the ceiling onto the floor on the first floor at Ali's brother's house. We shut off the water upstairs, mopped up the water and set up a bucket downstairs. Because her brother and sister-in-law are both in the Navy, we did not have an easy way to contact them, but did get in touch with their pet sitter who comes three times a week to feed and play with their cats. There wasn't much else we could do unfortunately. It turns out the pet sitter has been trying to get in touch with them to no avail as well due to their furnace not working.

We set out for downtown Norfolk and the National Maritime Museum and USS Wisconsin battleship. We arrived early, headed inside, and found out that the maritime museum and battleship were actually free entrance. We only had to pay if we also wanted to go into the science museum. We skipped that and focused on a tour of the American navy from revolutionary times through the present with special emphasis on the importance of Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads to all kinds of American history events. On the Wisconsin, we met a few volunteer docents, naval and marine vets. One guy was very talkative and shared his opinions on everything from New Jersey governmental corruption, to the war in Iraq, to the use of casino profits, to his recent triple-bypass. While the Wisconsin is not currently in active service, placards told us that is in a state of decommission that allows it to be returned to active service if needed. It most recently served in the Operation Desert Shield as the center of sea-based attacks in Kuwait and the primary hospital and dental facility at sea. It also served in the Korean War and World War II.

After leaving the museum, we began heading in the direction of Savannah, Georgia. Our next stop came a little before 1pm in Emporia, VA for lunch at Wendy's. Due to its location at the meeting point of US-13 (the road we had been traveling on) and I-95 (the road everyone else in the world was on), it was incredibly busy.

Once on I-95, we counted the South of the Border signs (49 in all). We hit quite a few annoying traffic tie-ups, mostly due to no good reason along I-95. It wasn't until we got into South Carolina and out of daylight that we really moved along smoothly for good.

We stopped for dinner at a Shoney's in South Carolina. It was extremely odd there. We both ordered from the menu and then were allowed to also take from the fruit, vegetable, salad and soup buffet. Each day there is also a rotating buffet at the same place. Tonight was seafood. We weren't sure if we were allowed to eat from there as well. If we were, though, why did we order full meals too? If not, why was it all in the same place? There were also a number of people ordering steaks, sometimes as add-ons late in the meal. I mean, a steak on a plate with nothing else. One after another. Is this some kind of Shoney's thing? That was our last Shoney's visit for this trip.

We got to Sheraton Four Points - Savannah Airport at 9:30pm and found a brand-new hotel. After some showers, we plan to head down to the bar for a drink and then bed for the next leg.

By the way, we spotted 17 state license plates on Friday. Matt was first to see 8 of them while Ali was first to see 10. (We both called out Delaware at the same time.) Matt: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi. Ali: New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Iowa. Ali also spotted Quebec, but we aren't counting it in the final tally.

Today, we spotted 13 more, bringing us up to 30. Matt had Tennessee, Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ohio. He also had Washington, DC and British Columbia. Ali had California, Vermont, Washington, Idaho, Oklahoma, Illinois, Arizona, New Hampshire. She also had Ontario. For today: Matt 5 - Ali 8.

Overall: Matt 13 - Ali 18. (For the record, Matt has driven 100% of the time so far.)

Holiday Hike - Day 1

Ali and I set out from Princeton around 3:15pm for the first leg of our 11 day journey to Florida and back. We made our first stop after about 2 hours drive for dinner at Applebee's (courtesy of a giftcard I received from a student today) in Newark, Delaware. Some light rain and heavy traffic was a bit of an annoyance during the first two hours. Then, we got off I-95 and took DE-1 and US-13 south through the state and the Delmarva Peninsula, over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel and into Norfolk, VA. We did make a pit stop with about 2.5 hours to go in Maryland for gas and a stretch. Total travel time, including dinner, was about 7.5 hours today.

I spent most of the US-13 time working with an SUV from NJ and another car from NY. They served as good pace cars for me and I just hung behind them all the way down. Driving on 13 instead of 95 was a good choice I think. It provided more interest and diversion than the constant drone of the interstate, which we'll experience most of the rest of the trip.

We spent the first few hours of the drive listening to Opie & Anthony on XM and then switched over to audio books. Our first was a Bill Bryson book about traveling throughout the US. Most appropriate, we thought. We finished that one and began a second Bryson book - this one about hiking the Appalachian Trail.

We're now camping out at Ali's brother and sister-in-law's house in Chesapeake, VA for the night. Neither of them are home - both out doing Navy stuff I presume. We're looking to get some sleep and get out early tomorrow to see some things in Norfolk before getting back on the road to our next destination - Savannah, GA.

Weekly Schedule (and then some)

Monday, 12/17: AM Duty, School, Department Meeting, Food Shopping

Tuesday, 12/18: AM Duty, School, Extra-help, Basketball Band

Wednesday, 12/19: AM Duty, School, Kohl's/Food Shopping, Dad's Birthday

Thursday, 12/20: AM Duty, School, Basketball Band

Friday, 12/21: AM Duty, School, Depart for Florida *Watch for on-the-road updates here, Princeton, NJ -> Norfolk, VA

Saturday, 12/22: Norfolk, VA -> Savannah, GA

Sunday, 12/23: Savannah, GA -> Land O'Lakes, FL

Monday, 12/24: Land O'Lakes, FL

Tuesday, 12/25: Land O'Lakes, FL

Wednesday, 12/26: Disney World

Thursday, 12/27: Disney World

Friday, 12/28: Land O'Lakes, FL

Saturday, 12/29: Land O'Lakes, FL -> Chester, SC

Sunday, 12/30: Chester, SC -> Charlottesville, VA

Monday, 12/31: Charlottesville, VA -> Hillsborough, NJ

Tuesday, 1/1: Happy New Year!

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 12/10: School

Tuesday, 12/11: School, Basketball band rehearsal

Wednesday, 12/12: School, Basketball band rehearsal

Thursday, 12/13: School, After-school extra help/tutoring

Friday, 12/14: School, Basketball band first performance (7pm), Dave's reunion concert (9pm)

Saturday, 12/15:

Sunday, 12/16: P2P social gathering at Rutgers Japanese art exhibit (1pm)

Weekly Schedule

12/3: AM Duty, School, Faculty Meeting, Food Shopping

12/4: AM Duty, School, Basketball Band Rehearsal

12/5: Delayed Opening (Parent-Teacher Conferences), School, New Teacher Meeting

12/6: Delayed Opening (Parent-Teacher Conferences), School, Extra Help, Tutoring, Pot Luck Dinner, Evening Conferences

12/7: Delayed Opening (In-service), School

12/8: Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Philadelphia

12/9:

Band marching to Bernards Township

Bernards Township is where Ridge High School is located.

From the 12/2 The Star-Ledger:

A high school marching band from Louisiana is traveling 26 hours by bus to come to Bernards Township to marchin in the 10th annual holiday parade Dec. 20 through Liberty Corner.

They're doing so to offer a down-home Cajun-style "thank you" to the chamber of commerce, which adopted the band's community base, Houma, La., after Hurricane Katrina devastated the town. The chamber sent six tractor-trailers with more than 500,000 pounds of supplies to keep the town going.

The students from Terrebonne High School in Louisiana raised $300 each to make the trip by bus.

To welcome them and make sure they're well-fed, Hunterdon Central Regional High School's marching band hosted a fundraiser, donating $900 to pay for meals while the band is here.

And the Olde Mill Inn of Basking Ridge discounted the price of its rooms for students to help cut costs.

Bernards Chamber Executive Director Albert LiCata said the local chamber is working with Houma's chamber and their community "for the long haul" to establish a true community partnership with them.

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 11/26 - School, Basketball band leadership meeting, Assessment for Learning meeting

Tuesday, 11/27 - School, Department meeting, Hopewell Valley marching band banquet

Wednesday, 11/28 - School, Basketball band rehearsal, new teacher meeting (not attending)

Thursday, 11/29 - School, Home instruction and/or after school help

Friday, 11/30 - School, Ali's performance at NJPAC

Saturday, 12/1 - Bucs camp (maybe)

Sunday, 12/2 - Bucs camp (maybe)

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 11/19 - Before School Duty, School, Faculty Meeting

Tuesday, 11/20 - Before School Duty, School, MTEA Co-curricular meeting at 4pm

Wednesday, 11/21 - Before School Duty, School (1/2 Day)

Thursday, 11/22 - No School, Montgomery Football Game, Thanksgiving

Friday, 11/23 - No School

Saturday, 11/24 -

Sunday, 11/25 -

Japan - 1 Year Ago

My first day in Tokyo was one year ago today...

http://mrmingle.blogspot.com/2006/11/tuesday-november-14.html

Great article about marching band

This is from the Argus Leader's (South Dakota newspaper) web site:

I don't want my wife to get any ideas, but if I had to do it all over again, I would want my children to play in a high school marching band.

Because those who do learn what life is like:It is raining and dark and cold, yet there on the hill above the school, they are practicing their show for the hundredth time, the thousandth time.

No part of them is dry. The water has found its way to them, inside their jackets, through their jeans, down their socks and into the bottoms of their shoes. It is like performing in an ocean.It rained on them yesterday. And the day before. And today a cold wind blows as well. The rain makes it difficult to grip their instruments. But the cold is worse. It pinches their fingers, numbs their lips. When they stop to listen to their director, his words seem to come from some distant place.

With the ground beneath them turning to mud, their minds recede to the summer before spent on the hill. They wore shorts and T-shirts then. Sometimes they kicked off their shoes, and the grass felt warm against their feet.Those summer days were not cold and wet. They possessed their own burdens. Huddling on the edges, whispering, their uneasiness evident in their eyes, the ones who had never performed in a high school marching band wore a collective concern. No less worried were the ones whose turn had finally come to lead. And like it is every year, the show was foreign to them all. The music, the drill, none of it was the same.They felt like children learning to walk.

And walk they did. Up and down and back and forth and around and around. Their nine-minute show was portioned into pieces, links in a chain, each only seconds long, and they marched for hours, repeating each ephemeral part - over and over, again and again - until it filled their dreams.

March. Stop. Listen.

March. Stop. Listen.

The heat of the sun seared their skin while inside, their muscles burned. Every part of them was on fire. Under their breaths they cursed themselves and each other. But mostly they cursed the director.Above them on his stand where he could see their every move, their every mistake, he seemed to them to have broken free from reality. They wanted to tell him there were limitations to their abilities. He demanded perfection, they wanted to tell him, and perfection was too much. Wasn't it enough, each thought at some especially insufferable moment, to just be good? Is being great that much of a difference?

They wanted to seize his megaphone and grind it into the dirt. Instead, they marched. They marched to the end of July and then through August and September and deep into October. And now on this fall morning, they march in a persistent pre-dawn drizzle while most of the world around them sleeps. They are bone tired. They have spent their Saturdays on often interminable bus rides to marching band competitions in communities across the prairie, rising early and returning late, and except for Sundays when they did nothing, every day of the week had been devoted to painstaking preparation for the next competition.They persevere even though their accomplishments go largely unnoticed. Television cameras do not capture their highlights. Nor do the front pages of the local newspaper revel in their deeds. They lack the incentive of celebrity that is so much the society in which they live. Unlike their taller, faster, stronger classmates who play sports to applause and adulation, in the halls of their school they are anonymous by comparison, and although they never confess it, that indignity bothers them, but they shrug it off, more determined and more resilient for it.

Shrouded in the rain, hunched and shapeless, they are shadows on the hill above the school. They are preparing for their final competition. Already, it has been a good season. They beat their cross-town rival the Saturday before - a band three times their size and under whose reputation and tradition they have toiled. Only once before in the 17-year history of their school had they or their predecessors done that, and when word of their victory was announced, they roared before jubilantly spilling into each other's arms, laughing. What their director understood about sacrifice, about excellence, they now did, too.The rain falls harder. Bracing myself against it, I look up at them and shake my head in wonder.

They are a marvel to me.

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 11/12 - School

Tuesday, 11/13 - School

Wednesday, 11/14 - School

Thursday, 11/15 - School, Basketball Band Interest Meeting

Friday, 11/16 - Delayed Opening/Professional Development

Saturday, 11/17 - Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular with Matt, Allie and Ali

Sunday, 11/18 -

Christmas Trip to Florida

Ali and I have finalized the basic outline of our drive to Florida for Christmas. It will total about 2500 miles.

You can see an overview map of the drive.

Friday, 12/21 - Hillsborough, NJ to Chesapeake, VA (328 miles)
Stay at Ali's brother and sister-in-law's house

Saturday, 12/22 - Chesapeake, VA to Savannah, GA (491 miles)
Stay at Four Points Savannah Airport

Sunday, 12/23 - Savannah, GA to Land O'Lakes, FL (320 miles)
Stay at my parents house

Monday, 12/24-Tuesday, 12/25 - Land O'Lakes, FL
Stay at my parents house

Wednesday, 12/26 - Land O'Lakes, FL to Orlando, FL
Day in Disney, Stay at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort

Thursday, 12/27 - Orlando, FL to Land O'Lakes, FL
Day in Disney, Stay at my parents house

Friday, 12/28 - Land O'Lakes, FL
Stay at my parents house

Saturday, 12/29 - Land O'Lakes, FL to Chester, SC (533 miles)
Stay at Colvin Farm Bed & Breakfast

Sunday, 12/30 - Chester, SC to Charlottesville, VA (332 miles)
Stay at Best Western Cavalier Inn

Monday, 12/31 - Charlottesville, VA to Hillsborough, NJ (310 miles)
Stay at home and probably crash before midnight

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 11/5 - Before School Duty, School

Tuesday, 11/6 - Before School Duty, School, Montgomery band (?), Meeting with cheerleading coach about basketball band

Wednesday, 11/7 - Before School Duty, School

Thursday, 11/8 - No School: Teacher's Convention

Friday, 11/9 - No School: Teacher's Convention, Montgomery home football playoff game (?)

Saturday, 11/10 - Nothing scheduled

Sunday, 11/11 - Nothing scheduled

Notes from Nathanael Greene Libety Fellowship 11/1/07

8:00am - Evaluation
Because the program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education with the goal of providing teachers of American history with deeper content knowledge, an evaluation company is part of this process. We took an anonymous program pre-test about early American history and we will take a post-test after the end of tomorrow's session. Down the road, our students will also be tested to see if there is a correlation between their ability to answer seemingly random questions about American history with what was presented to us in the sessions.

8:15am - Academic Background Knowledge #1 - Professor Jack Conklin
The speaker, a writer and professor, talked about pedagogical issues, mostly in the realm of educational psychology. He did not offer a great deal of new information, but he did provide some interesting statistics and real world examples of how we can incorporate the research into our classrooms.

The most startling statistic he presented was quite simple. Every 1 minute of class time wasted per day = 3 hours of class time wasted per year. Add a few extra minutes of wasted time in a day and you can see how quickly this multiplies. He also reiterated some old stand bys about how the first and last thing covered is remembered best, that success is a great reinforcer of behavior and that we need to teach our students that effort leads to success, not simply intelligence otherwise they have no reason to work hard.

He talked about general learning principles, teaching strategies and the importance of general background knowledge as an indicator of academic achievement, income level, IQ, etc.

He covered some brain-based learning research, how memory works, and how we can best utilize this information to get material into working memory so it can eventually be stored in permanent memory.

9:30am - Break
We received our first gift of the program during the break - a copy of A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America by Stacy Schiff.

9:45am - English Roots - Dr. Ralph Young, Temple University
This guy was unbelievable - he told us a story of history that was fascinating, stimulating, funny, intriguing and all around enjoyable. Although he spoke for a total of about three hours, I could have taken three more.

Dr. Young focused on the English roots of the American colonies, an area where I am admittedly weak. In fact, most of his lecture was about events and people in England that I just recently covered in my World Studies course. He also explored tangents where appropriate, which provided me with a great deal of interesting side stories and anecdotes.

We covered: the York, Tudor, and Stuart monarchs; Henry VIII's six wives (divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived); Queens Mary and Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots; Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Reformation; styles of execution; English Civil War; Glorious Revolution; the rise of the constitutional monarchy; William and Mary; the rise of parliament; John Locke, the father of the Enlightenment and the American founding ideals, etc.

Some of the interesting asides:

• Betsy Ross was the result of the anti-suffragist movement. She was a symbol of what women should be doing - sewing.
• Pilgrims liked to have fun and wore colorful clothing; they also liked sex.
• The first Thanksgiving took place by order of President Lincoln in 1863, not between the Pilgrims and Indians. It involved fasting and prayer, not feasting and football.
• The 1621 Harvest Feast between the Pilgrims and Indians included no turkey, pumpkin or sugar products of any kind. And it was never repeated a second time.
• The first modern Thanksgiving that combined Lincoln's call with the Harvest Feast idea came about in 1890, the same year that Wounded Knee represented the climax of the mistreatment and decimation of the native population by American settlers.
• Thanksgiving was changed to the fourth Thursday of November by request of business leaders in 1940 who wanted to ensure a full month between Thanksgiving and Christmas for shopping.

11:15am - Lunch
I sat with two middle school teachers from Montgomery and a science teacher from Montgomery. Conversation was random and sometimes odd including a discussion of birthing methods (I am not making this up.).

12:00pm - Puritanism and 17th Century America, Dr. Ralph Young
Dr. Young continued with the story of the Puritans and the myths about them we learn in school. While they were strict about their religious beliefs, they did not wear funny hats or buckled shoes, dress in black, and frown on dancing and laughing. They believed in the importance of intellectual pursuits, founded the first common schools in the colonies, founded Harvard College, and believed that scientific reason played a role in education, not just the Bible.

We discussed the first major dissenters in American history, Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson who spoke out against the Puritans in New England. We learned about the reasons for the founding of Roanoke and Jamestown colonies and the subsequent gift colonies provided as presents by Charles II for the Carolinas, New York, New Jersey, and others.

We also spent just a little bit of time talking about the first examples of slavery (really indentured servitude) in the colonies and the hypocrisy of founding ideals as they related to slavery.

1:30pm - Break

1:45pm - Resource Development and Dissemination, Mr. Bob Shamy
This was a bit of a bummer session at the end of the day because the speaker, a project director for the same grant over the past three years in East Brunswick, poorly attempted to convey the scope of what we were getting into. Without giving us any context, he jumped into discussion of these elaborate lesson plan ideas, presentations at regional and national conferences and lots more time-consuming stuff. Our local project directors had to step in and assure us that we would not be overwhelmed or expected to commit inordinate amounts of time to these activities outside of the program time.

One thing did strike me though. If I stay with this fellowship for the full three years, it will end as I gain tenure in th district. If I parlay these experiences into speaking at local or regional social studies conferences, it will put me in a great position to begin applying for supervisory positions at that time, at the end of my 8th year of teaching, when I'll be 30.

3:00pm - End of Day

Nathanael Greene Liberty Fellowship Background

Anyone following this blog over the past year knows that I seek out avenues for interesting, unique professional development. Just a little under a year ago, I traveled to Japan as a Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund scholar. Last spring, I spent a weekend in Philadelphia as part of a Foreign Policy Research Institute program. I applied to go to Korea. I have been to plenty of in-state programs with the New Jersey Council for the Social Studies, Rutgers University, etc. I find these programs to be great for networking and reinvigorating for my own teaching.

At new teacher orientation in Montgomery, an excited 8th great social studies teacher told us about a grant ($100,000 I believe) that the district received from the U.S. Department of Education's The American Institute for History Education. Montgomery would organize and host this program from 2007-2010 for teachers from in-district and surrounding towns.

Today was day one of year one of the program.

There were quite a few teachers of all grade levels present from Montgomery and teachers from Watchung Hills, Franklin, Princeton, and Bridgewater-Raritan as well. The program will bring top scholars, professors and historians to us and will bring us to sites in Philadelphia, Washington and elsewhere along the way.

The program's namesake, Nathanael Greene, was a commanding officer of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, where he began as a private before rising to a commanding role as one of Washington's most trusted officers and advisors. He led forces at the Battle of Trenton, served as commander of West Point, and commanded all troops in the South. He was the only officer, other than George Washington, to serve during the entire eight years of the Revolutionary War and turned down offers to become Secretary of War in the first presidential cabinet.

A Halloween Hit

Every year I do an Enlightenment salon project that requires my world history students to dress up as people from the 1700s and spend a class period talking from the perspective of their respective philosophers, artists, writers, etc. Because the curriculum at Montgomery is different than at Ridge, I was able to schedule it to coincide with Halloween this year so I dressed up too.

My costume was a hit among my freshmen students, the juniors in my other classes and my colleagues. Even the principal stopped by my room to see the salon in action. He was thrown by the "champagne" bottles lining the room when he arrived, but they were really just bottles of sparkling cider that I brought in so we could get into the spirit a little better.

The project went over well; I even had some students tell me they genuinely enjoyed doing it, which is always good to hear.

Montgomery kids come through again

Last Thursday, my supervisor helped me make arrangements to leave school early on Friday so I could go to the wake of my former student. Because I would be missing one class, she recommended that I tell them the reason I'd be out. She felt, and I agreed, that they would learn a lot about me just from opening up that outside of class part of me to them. So I did. At the end of class on Thursday, while all choked up, I told them as quickly as I could. A couple hung around to try to say something kind on the way out.

Fast forward to Monday of this week. After class, one student walks up and gives me a card and leaves. When I open the card, it's a quote from Anne Frank that says, "There will always be comfort for every sorrow." Inside, everyone from the class had signed their names.

It was really a sweet, touching idea and someone thought of it quickly enough to get a card and pass it around while I was out for one day. It really meant a lot to me and I let them know that today too. They were pleased that I was pleased and we all lived happily ever after.

Well, they still have a quiz tomorrow.

Schedule for Week

Monday 10/29 - School, Department Meeting, P2P Interviews

Tuesday 10/30 - School, Montgomery Band

Wednesday 10/31 - School, After School Extra Help Day

Thursday 11/1 - Attending the Nathanial Greene Liberty Fellowship at the Montgomery Upper Middle School, Home Instruction, P2P Interviews

Friday 11/2 - Attending the Nathaniel Greene Liberty Fellowship, Home game for Montgomery

Saturday 11/3 - Proctoring SATs at Ridge, Hopewell band at Steinert (not attending), Ali's Recital

Sunday 11/4 -

Obituary

I'm going to the viewing on Friday afternoon with the old band director who was never reinstated. My supervisor at Montgomery made arrangements so I'd be able to leave two periods early to get there.

http://obits.nj.com/starledger/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=96753794

How quickly memories return

If you read my last post, you know that a former student of mine, a senior, passed away last night. I've been debating how much to write about it here in case some Ridge students still read this blog. I've spent much of this evening on my couch watching a movie and most of the day, since I received the news early this morning, grappling with the information that this high school senior killed himself.

I think the thing is that in April 1999, I was a senior in high school with a really close friend who lost her own brother to suicide. And it was less than a year later when we all lost her the same way. I can empathize with what this student's close friends are feeling and I can understand what the friends of the student's brother are going through as well.

I just dug up some old poetry I wrote during that time. As I was reading it, a lot of the memories and emotions came back to me. I guess that was a coping mechanism for me at that time and it allowed me to express my worries about Keri after her brother died in a way that was soothing, yet private at the same time.

Tonight, I've been reading messages that Ridge students are writing on Facebook to one another, to no one in particular and to the student who passed and his brother and I hear the same words and feelings and fears that I see in my poems. A difference in culture makes public blogs and journals their medium for expression much like my notebook was for me.

I know from experience and from my academic courses in education that suicide is "contagious." I know that right now, students at Ridge are far more likely to consider it as a viable option than on any random day. And those are scary facts to deal with. Although I may not be there every day anymore, I still feel a sense of duty and compassion toward my former students and colleagues who are doing everything they can to work through this together.

I keep reading and rereading my poems trying to find one to post here, but none seems quite right so I think I'm going to hold on to them for now.

Ridge Student

http://www1.bernardsboe.com/BernardsBOE/CMFiles/Docs/general/Ltr-loss_of_Student-Oct%2024-CM.pdf

I had this student when he was a freshmen (3 years ago) in Honors World History and I know his twin brother, an older brother and his mother from their involvement with the Ridge Marching Band.

I can't really imagine what school was like there today, but I'm sure it was rough.

Schedule for the Week

Monday, October 22: Before School Duty, School, Faculty Meeting, Hopewell band, P2P Interviews (not attending)

Tuesday, October 23: Before School Duty, School, Montgomery band

Wednesday, October 24: Before School Duty, School, After School Detention, Hopewell band

Thursday, October 25: Before School Duty, School, Home Instruction, P2P Interviews

Friday, October 26: Before School Duty, School, MTEA Halloween Party

Saturday, October 27: Hopewell band at state championships

Sunday, October 28: Celebrate the end of my commitment to this year's Hopewell band season (they have one more game that I cannot attend)

Schedule for the Week

Monday 10/15: School, Faculty Meeting, Hopewell Band Rehearsal

Tuesday 10/16: School, Montgomery Band Rehearsal

Wednesday 10/17: School, Hopewell Band Rehearsal

Thursday 10/18: School, Home Instruction

Friday 10/19: School

Saturday 10/20: Hopewell @ Cherokee competition, Judging Maryland State Championships

Sunday 10/21: Travel Home from Maryland

Hopewell Band

Their first competition ever was Saturday in South Brunswick. They came in third in group II(out of 4) and first out of two in group IIA. This placement and the score were higher than we anticipated coming in. Even after watching some great bands like Immaculata perform, the motivation level didn't seem to change much among the kids.

They are very frustrating. It's hard to keep in mind that they are brand new to this whole thing when they seem to not care much at all about what's going on. This isn't everyone in the band, mind you, but it's a significant enough minority that I'm losing my own motivation to keep going. The district still has not reached a settlement on a teacher's contract so there's not even any guarantee that I'm getting paid for the work I'm putting in there. We only have 5 regular rehearsals left before the last competition...under 3 weeks total. Perhaps things will improve next year when we have 3/4 vets and get rid of a few bad apples.

Schedule for the Week

Tuesday 10/9: School, Montgomery Band

Wednesday 10/10: School, Hopewell Band, Steve's Birthday

Thursday 10/11: School, Possibly home instruction for a student

Friday 10/12: School, Faculty BBQ Party, Montgomery Homecoming Football Game

Saturday 10/13: Dentist, Hopewell Rehearsal, Hopewell at Hillsborough Competition

Sunday 10/14: P2P Info Meeting at Montgomery

Belated Schedule

Thursday 10/4: School, Pot Luck Dinner with Colleagues, Back to School Night (7)

Friday 10/5: School, Montgomery band rehearsal (2:40-5)

Saturday 10/6: Hopewell band (1:30-2:45), Hopewell band at first ever competition in South Brunswick

Sunday 10/7: Nothing

Sports Update

In honor of the heated rivalry that apparently exists between new and old, I'm going to track the head-to-head match-ups.

Overall: Montgomery 4, Ridge 5

9/29 Field Hockey Ridge 3 - Montgomery 2

9/25 Field Hockey Ridge 2 - Montgomery 1

9/25 JV Field Hockey

9/25 Boys Soccer Ridge 1 - Montgomery 0

9/25 Boys JV Soccer

9/25 Boys Freshmen Soccer

9/25 Girls Soccer Montgomery 1 - Ridge 0

9/25 Girls JV Soccer

9/25 Girls Freshmen Soccer

9/24 Freshmen Football Ridge defeated Montgomery

9/24 JV Football Ridge defeated Montgomery

9/20 Football Montgomery 39, Ridge 6

9/18 Gymanstics Montgomery 16x.xx - Ridge 65.xx

9/10 Girls Varsity Tennis Montgomery 4 - Ridge 1

9/10 Girls JV Tennis Score Unknown

Schedule for 9/24-9/30

Monday 9/24: School, Faculty Meeting, Hopewell Band

Tuesday 9/25: School, Montgomery Band

Wednesday 9/26: School, Hopewell Band

Thursday 9/27: School

Friday 9/28: School, Hopewell Football Game

Saturday 9/29: Hopewell Harvest Fair Festival, Hopewell Band Rehearsal, Judging at Voorhees, NJ

Sunday 9/30: People to People workshop in Fort Lee from 8-4:30

Sports Update

In honor of the heated rivalry that apparently exists between new and old, I'm going to track the head-to-head match-ups.

Overall: Montgomery 3, Ridge

9/20
Football
Montgomery 39, Ridge 6

9/18
Gymanstics
Montgomery 16x.xx - Ridge 65.xx

09/10
Girls Varsity Tennis
Montgomery 4 - Ridge 1

Back to Ridge

So today Montgomery visited Ridge for football. I got there a couple hours early to stop by the band room, talk to the staff (most of whom are in their first year) and catch up with some kids. It was fun as they ran up excited to see me, say hello and for some, even a hug. I talked band with the director for awhile, shared some ideas on the Ridge show design and that sort of thing.

I caught up with a couple teachers and staff members in the halls then headed outside to meet up with Montgomery's band for their pre-game show which went pretty well. I spent the first half talking with a Ridge social studies teacher about a whole lot of things who was working the game. It was great to catch up and I might even join some Ridge teachers after school tomorrow or tomorrow night if they can get people together.

At halftime I headed up on top of the pressbox and made a tape for Ridge. Their show is in costume and based on WWII events. They are very large, almost big enough for group IV and it was obvious through their show design too. This is a good thing for the band and hopefully it will continue.

I led the Montgomery band to the Ridge band parents for donuts and cider and then the two bands mixed and there was an interesting and amusing clash of lives. The Ridge kids excitedly came to talk and then proceeded to tell the Montgomery kids how much they loved me and how lucky the Montgomery kids were to have me. It seems that the kids will tell the band director things like "Mr. Mingle would do this or that" when something goes a way they don't like. At the same time, when I was there it was a struggle to pull them along. That last band camp in the summer of '06 was the first time everything clicked right from the beginning actually.

In the end, it was great to see the people at Ridge. I already feel like I don't know a large number of the kids in the band. It's really just the juniors and seniors because I never got to know last year's freshmen. Some of them told me that it was obvious I was teaching Montgomery as they marched onto the field because of their style. It's funny because they used to say that about Bridgewater too. At Monty, though, I really have very little to do with the program. I don't do much during rehearsals and I never teach basics.

I also spoke to a few parents who came up to say they were happy for me or they missed having me there. It was really nice to hear all of these things and to know I'm missed. I miss all of them too, but everyone understands that it was in my best interests to make the move to Montgomery.

Related, I sent in an application for Supervisor of Social Studies at Ridge last week. The position has been open since late July at this point and I now possess the proper degree to be eligible for the position. I didn't expect anything to come up with it. The principal saw me at the game tonight and he told me that it was a nice touch to send in the application. I think that means they didn't take it seriously. Oh well!

Montgomery is a Cliche Perfect

There were multiple moments on Friday that made me realize how unique Montgomery is and how closely it resembles a the kind of high school you'd see in an all-American movie.

My students are awesome. I know there are Ridge students reading this and I don't want anyone to mistake what I'm saying here. I loved the students I got to know at Ridge too, especially those in the marching band and on the newspaper staff. The kids I know at Montgomery, I've known for four days (or a couple weeks for some of the band kids) and already they are going out of their way to say hi to me in hallways, politely greet me on their way into class and some even say thank you on their way out each day.

During the four days of class last week, I've been most impressed. On day one, one upper class student in USII took out a cell phone and gave me a little sarcasm when I confronted him on it. Since then, they've been angelic. It's a little bit scary. Case in point...on Friday, I stood at my door until the bell rang and then went in to a classroom of juniors talking to one another, looking over notes for a quiz on some reading - you know, the usual. With no small talk or time killing, I handed out a blank piece of paper to ask them the quick two questions about the reading they did. Absolute silence. As they passed their quiz papers up...absolute silence. I had asked during the first reading quiz two days earlier that they not talk until after I collect all of them and so...they didn't. This may seem basic, but this is not what happens in upper class high school classrooms. They began talking as soon as I had all the quizzes, but when I got to the front of the room to quickly review the answers, they were respectful immediately.

On Tuesday or Wednesday, I referenced an episode of The Simpsons that deals with Prohibition, which we were talking about in class. On Friday, one of the juniors brought me the entire season that includes that episode so I could take a look at it and use it if I wanted. No prompting, just to help out.

I've been putting a lot of information up on my district website for students so they can download course materials and look at follow-up information or related websites if they are interested. This was always my long-term vision for my sociology classes at Ridge - that I'd be able to use online resources to keep the students engaged outside of class so they would get more deeply engrossed in the topics we were talking about in school. When I started talking about a video clip from Fast Food Nation we were going to watch in class, one students asked if it was the one I linked to on my web site. He had already gone on and checked out the resources I provided there. Today, I received a completed assignment from a student that I haven't even assigned yet. It's on the website, but not due until Thursday of this coming week. Another student just e-mailed me a link to a source that gives some more detail and visuals on something we covered in class last week.

At the end of my last class on Friday, one of the trumpet players in the marching band asked if I was coming to the football game that night. I said no because I hadn't planned on it. Once a football player heard that, he said, "Why should we even play then?" I know that sounds sarcastic, but he said it in a way that indicated he'd really appreciate my going out of the way to support what they were doing. I have quite a few football players in my classes, plus my part time role on the marching band staff, so I decided to head out.

I got there just as the band was lining up to march to the stadium. The whole game environment was as close to Friday Night Lights as New Jersey public schools get. The small home stands were packed before the game even started, the students streamed in throughout the first quarter, the Montgomery band played the school's fight song (unique to them, not a college copy) as Cougar growls came over the loudspeakers. Before the game even started, the announcer thanked the visiting team, cheerleaders, band members and fans for making the trip to Montgomery and wished them a safe trip home. I think it was some Twilight Zone situation. It was All-America, tv perfect with a clear, cool night and a huge win for the home team. Everything felt right, like tradition dictated how the night should go. But the football team is only in its fifth year of existence! I'm sure I'll find out that the football captain and cheerleading captain are homecoming king and queen this year.

Just to be clear, I don't really think Montgomery is perfect. Like Ridge and other wealthy areas in central New Jersey, drugs and drinking are huge issues as students spend considerable amounts of time unsupervised with access to money. Stress is a big problem as students compete to go to Ivy League schools and are pressured to do a million things in school and out. Maybe I'm just lucky and my 124 students are the best 124 in the building. That could be I suppose, but it feels like a good place.

Schedule for Week of 9/17

Monday 9/17: School, Montgomery band, Hopewell band

Tuesday 9/18: School, Montgomery band

Wednesday 9/19: Extra help day, Hopewell band

Thursday 9/20: School, Montgomery football at Ridge...I'm heading straight to Ridge after school to see some old colleagues, make a tape for the marching band and then for the game

Friday 9/21: A totally free Friday!

Saturday 9/22: Hopewell band, Judge at Whitehall, Pennsylvania

Sunday 9/23: Another free Sunday!

Master's Degree

Everything is official with my Master's Degree now. I now have a Master's of Science in Educational Administration. I finished the program in just over two years and the entire tuition cost of approximately $14,000 was covered by the Bernards Township Board of Education. I finished with a 3.94 GPA as well, 11 As and 2 A-s.

I've registered to take the PRAXIS School Leadership exam in January. This test costs $500 to take and is six hours of written responses. If I pass the exam, I will then be able to apply for a principal/supervisor certificate in New Jersey.

Montgomery does not offer tuition reimbursement at all during my first two years in the district and even after that point it is not nearly as generous as what I had before so I am going to wait a little while before beginning to work on some additional credits.

Montgomery v. Ridge Sports

In honor of the heated rivalry that apparently exists between new and old, I'm going to track the head-to-head match-ups.

Overall: Montgomery 1, Ridge 0

9/10
Girls Varsity Tennis
Montgomery 4 - Ridge 1

First Day at Monty

Today was finallly the first day of my Montgomery High School teaching career. Finally.

I arrived at 7am (school day starts at 7:30) and walked into the social studies office with one other person. We were the first two there, which is funny because I felt like I was running behind a bit. I usually got to Ridge around 6:45 for a 7:35 start and was usually the 4th or 5th person in the building at that point. I had a cup of coffee, read the headlines and double checked that everything was ready to go in my classrooms (I'm in 2).

We had a 45-minute advisory period which is like a homeroom except there are two teachers and the goal is to make connections with the students. My colleague (the color guard instructor ironically) and I have a group of freshmen and we'll continue with them for the next four years. I sent a few kids in the wrong direction when they were looking for classrooms. MHS is huge and the classrooms have a letter for the wing and then a 4 digit number. It's quite confusing and even upperclassmen were asking for help.

My classes went pretty well (2 world studies and 3 US II), but it's only the first day so students tend to be on good behavior. We did have a bit of a problem as the social studies wing's air conditioning malfunctioned and we began the day with extremely hot and stuffy classrooms. It was fixed in the late morning, but it was pretty brutal for awhile. The kids didn't really complain though so that was nice. I also had some technology issues, but that tends to be the case.

A bunch of kids were saying hi to me by name in the hallway; I assume they were marching band kids, but I don't know many of the 120+ band kids' names unfortunately, but it was nice to be recognized. As I walked through the crowded hallways, I kept expecting to run into students I knew. At Ridge, I had four years worth of students from my classes, all the band kids, newspaper kids, etc. so I never walked around without seeing someone I knew. Now I don't know my colleagues or students yet. I'm starting all over.

Due to the content-area offices in each wing, I haven't met many people outside the social studies department. Our office has mostly everything we need: kitchen area, fridge, microwave, supplies, our supervisor, bathrooms, etc. so there is little incentive to go mix with other departments. We hated the crowded nature of the one faculty room at Ridge, but at least we saw one another regularly and kept up on what was happening in other parts of the building.

After school we had a department meeting, then I wound up over at Hopewell for band until 8:30pm. Got home around 9:15, took a quick shower, and got some school work done. I'm exhausted. Wow, time for bed.

Schedule for Week of 9/10

Monday 9/10: First day of school, faculty meeting, Montgomery band, Hopewell band

Tuesday 9/11: Montgomery band

Wednesday 9/12: Extra help day, Hopewell band

Thursday 9/13: No School - Rosh Hashanah

Friday 9/14: Montgomery football home v. Warren Hills

Saturday 9/15: Judge at Westminister, Maryland, Hopewell football home v. West Windsor Plainsboro-North

Sunday 9/16:

Montgomery Update

This update is extremely long overdue. It's not that I haven't had anything to write about; it's just that I've been really busy with marching band camps, getting ready for the school year to begin and inservice days.

I'll try to keep the focus to the most important thing right now - adjusting to teaching at Montgomery High School.

I've finished two of four inservice days now (we don't see students until Monday, 9/10) and there have been parts of both days that have made me realize that no school is the perfect place to teach. In some cases, I've actually become frustrated and even a bit reminiscent for the way things were at Ridge.

But wait, before you go thinking I'm getting soft, let me be clear. I absolutely made the right decision in leaving Bernards Township to take this position. The unhealthy environment for me personally there and for teachers in general is embarrassing and the feeling is certainly better in Montgomery, but let me outline my areas of concern.

1. The district administration has adopted a new movement dealing with how to write objectives (now called learning expectations) and how to plan assessment. The fundamental idea behind the movement is great and I think good teachers would support its merits. The problem is it is attempting to change the commonly accepted and practiced method of doing basic things like writing lesson plans. The change is coming top-down and we have spent way too much time and energy tinkering with the ideas and discussing them in meetings the past two days.
2. I don't have keys yet, I don't know how to get in the building from where I park, I don't know anything about the homeroom/advisory period I'm responsible for, I don't really know how/where to make photocopies, I don't know how to pace the US II course because there is no written curriculum, etc. There are a lot of unknowns. They were there my first year at Ridge too, it's just I know better now so it's difficult to accept not knowing.
3. One of the assistant principals mentioned today how during 2 of 8 periods this year, Montgomery High School is operating at classroom capacity. There were scheduling problems because they are out of room. MHS opened 3-4 years ago as a brand new, beautiful facility designed to meet the future growth of the district. Well, guess what. The future arrived early. While the high school is 100 students away from official capacity, we are basically there now. It is not going to be pretty if the Board goes to the voters and asks for money for an expansion. It will be even worse if they move in temporary trailers like they had at the old high school for years and years.
4. I haven't found my niche yet. I talk to the band directors because I know them from marching band camp and I talk to a couple of the social studies teachers (especially the other new teacher this year and one who was new last year), but I don't feel the comraderie and friendship that I felt immediately upon arriving at Ridge. This was my biggest fear of all because I really got along with my colleagues well at Ridge.

Again, I'm not trying to sound too negative. I know things will be better for me in the long run at Montgomery and I'll make new friends there and all that kind of stuff. It's just difficult when I left behind a place where I knew all the administrators and all of my colleagues, how everything worked, hundreds of the students, etc. I knew my place in the bigger picture and was content with it.

Montgomery's New Staff Academy

I am actually skipping the vast majority of Montgomery's New Staff Academy, held Tuesday-Thursday of this week, due to my prior commitment to Hopewell Valley's marching band. I did head to Montgomery today though so I could fill out all of my pension/benefits paperwork and attend a Montgomery Township Education Association welcome dinner tonight. I'm glad I did.

I was nervous about missing all of the new staff days because I know how important they were for me at Ridge. That's where I met some of the colleagues that eventually became close friends and it's great to know a few faces on the first day of school when all teachers report. I didn't get much of a chance to talk to other new teachers during my brief visit to the academy today though because it was a working lunch. I met the president of the union and found that when he first moved to New Jersey about 11 years ago, he began as a leave replacement English teacher at Ridge High School. He told me how dreadful of a place it was for him and how glad he was to get out and into Montgomery. This is becoming a theme with everyone I meet that once taught at Ridge and now teaches elsewhere...

After the paperwork session, I headed to the high school and met up with my supervisor for a little while. Now I have copies of the World Studies and United States History II curricula in my hands so I can begin preparing for September. I am teaching two freshmen classes and three junior classes and this will be my first time teaching an actual American history course so I am excited about that. My schedule isn't great with a late lunch (7th period out of 8) and a floating hall duty, which means I won't be able to sit and grade or plan during my duty period. I am also teaching in three different classrooms.

Later on in the evening, I headed to Charlie Brown's for a nice prime rib dinner, some social time at the bar and a new member MTEA meeting. This was the highlight of my Montgomery day because I actually got to meet and talk with other new teachers. There were only ten of us at the dinner (although there are other new teachers) and eight of the ten are brand new first year teachers who just graduated college. I sometimes felt a bit on the outside because most of the topics of conversation were ones I discussed excitedly my first year at Ridge - anxiety over finally teaching for real, college memories, being new to the area, etc. It was all good though.

Two of the teachers I sat near at dinner will be at the high school as well (Spanish and math) and most of the union officers present are high school teachers too. Like teachers at Ridge and William Annin, teachers in Montgomery (especially the younger ones), meet up regularly on Friday afternoons for relaxation time. One of the new high school teachers suggested we all go out after New Staff Academy tomorrow afternoon and we proceeded to exchange cell phone numbers. I will be at Hopewell until 5, but I plan to meet up with them then if they are still out.

One of the things I loved most about Ridge was how close-knit the young teachers were. We hung out all the time and got along great and I was nervous about losing that. It turns out that that group of friends is rapidly fleeing Basking Ridge for greener pastures anyway and I am finding more great people in Montgomery.

Every teacher and administrator I've met so far, with no exceptions, glows with enthusiasm about how much they love the district. The administrators talk about how wonderful the teaching staff is and how great of a place it is to work. My first day of new teacher orientation in Bernards Township, on the other hand, included administrators telling us how lucky we were to get a job in such a great place and how we should be thankful for the opportunity. The value placed on teachers there is pitiful and the double-digit turnover rate reflects how teachers feel about the treatment.

New Appliances

So last weekend, I went to Home Depot to order a new refridgerator and dishwasher. My existing ones were here when I moved in and could use some updating and I wanted to upgrade to Energy Star quality. The sales associate warned me that many people have trouble with the dishwasher installation and she just wanted to give me a heads up.

Yesterday, both were delivered. The delivery/installation guys came in and immediately informed me that they could not install the dishwasher and I'd need to call a plumber to hook up the water line. Then I could have him finish the installation or I could call Home Depot and reschedule installation once the plumber was done. Either way, I would wind up with both an old and new dishwasher here until those things were taken care of. Great.

They brought in the fridge and as soon as they left I noticed that there was no rack/ice tray in the freezer so I called customer service because I assumed they forgot it. It turns out that my model doesn't come with this rack, but I could purchase one for $45. It seems crazy to me that a $600 fridge doesn't come with such a simple thing like a rack for the freezer. So I went on Ebay and purchased one for about $25 with shipping.

Today the plumber came, spent 30 minutes doing what needed to be done and that cost $250. I called Home Depot and they are going to come back next Saturday to actually install the new dishwasher. I expect there to be a problem with the electrical part of the installation that will eventually require me to call an electrician.

I should have learned my lesson last year when I bought my stove and microwave and had to have an electrician come and install a new outlet for $350.

These are the fun parts of owning a place.

Monty Marching Band and Other Thoughts

So today was my first day teaching the Montgomery Marching Band. As of right now, I am only contracted to help our with band camp, but since I'm teaching at the high school, if they can find the money, I may wind up staying on for the season.

The Monty band program is only in its fourth or fifth season now and they have grown to have approximately 120 members. The band does not compete, but performs at a few festivals each year that include ratings (ie. superior, excellent, good, etc.). They actually rehearse more than most other bands I've been associated with with 2.5 weeks of band camp on the schedule.

Prior to this season, the band has done very traditional programs with simple, follow-the-leader drill for the most part and a staff of 4 (two directors, a color guard instructor and a percussion instructor). This year there is a full staff for band camp and a more modern show designed by the same guy who used to write our drill at Ridge.

At the same time, the commands, marching style and general approach are not what I'm used to working with competitive programs like Ridge and Bridgewater and with drum corps. It is most similar to my college marching band experiences at the University of Delaware. Student leaders do most of the actual teaching (instead of just sectionals and lead-by-example style of student leadership we had at Ridge). Today, I probably only spent 30-minutes actively engaged in teaching and I was present at rehearsal from 8:30-11:30 and then 2:45-4:30. It was actually kind of boring, but it's a nice paycheck.

I left Monty to head to Hopewell's final pre-camp rehearsal. We actually taught the students there how to read drill charts and marched two pages of the show in the gym due to a rainstorm. I am much more involved at Hopewell as the assistant director and drill designer and we are creating a brand new marching band program from scratch which is pretty exciting. The director, a former member of The Cadets and on the same page as me with teaching style and approach, likes to do things himself though. I can understand this; he was hired to create a marching band and there is a lot of money on the line in addition to his actual job to be quite serious.

I am finding myself missing my role at Ridge though. There the director and I reached an understanding on Day 1 of my first band camp back in 2003. I was much better prepared to teach the visual side of things and music was definitely her forte. That day I took over marching and rapidly took on additional responsibilities. I felt like an influential part of the design process, the planning of the season, leadership selection and training, scheduling, everything. It was as close to being a director as I could get without a music degree - and I loved it.

Anyway, that's what's on my mind about marching band right now. Monty is going to be good, at least in terms of a non-competitive band. The student leaders are outstanding and the kids respond extremely well to the peer instruction and are incredibly disciplined as a full ensemble. Perhaps some of my preconceptions about non-competitive bands will change as a result of this experience. There is no external motivation for this band program. They aren't concerned with judges or being better than anybody else. It is all about being the best they can be and it is an interesting case study because Hopewell Valley is now where Montgomery was just a few years ago.

More to come I'm sure...

Rescue Me

I reactivated my Blockbuster Online account after a few months off and the first two DVDs are from the TV show Rescue Me. I watched Seasons 1 and 2 in late September or maybe October, early into my suspension. Just the theme song from the show brings me back to sitting on my couch for hours on end doing nothing but watching it and 24. Even the nagging anxiety returned to the pit of my stomach now after finishing two episodes. It is pretty amazing how powerful association can be for this sort of thing.

I love the show and how it is written. It's biting and funny at times (Denis Leary is the lead actor) and centers around an FDNY firefighter and his crew in a post-9/11 world complete with serious struggles with major vices like alcoholism, womanizing, infidelity, and other addiction behaviors. The storylines are complex and the characters' lives are interwoven to a degree that is pretty unbelievable.

Okay, I'm going to cleanse my palette with an episode of Last Comic Standing and then dig back into the DVDs.

8/8/07 - Croydon, United Kingdom - Hillsborough, New Jersey, USA

Wake up call came at 5:45 after about four hours of sleep. To the best of our knowledge, there weren't any serious problems last night. Our last check of the halls took place at 1:30.

There was a lot of crying from a small group already at breakfast this morning. This has been a touchy-feely group all along with lots of hugs when they said "good-bye" to each other every night so this isn't much of a surprise today. Due to a group of 153 Boy Scouts without ready passports, the check-in process was long and slow even before metal detectors and a separate shoe screening. I even got patted down. We finally arrived at our gate ten minutes prior to our scheduled boarding time.

Then the capstone moment of the trip. The three other delegation leaders were called to the checkin and told they were moving to first class. Tony gave his seat to me and so I boarded to the posh surrounds of row 1.

I enjoyed a mamosa prior to take-off while reading over my menu options for the flight. Once in the air, the meal service that took 2-3 hours began. This is all quoted from the menu.

To Begin
Warm roasted nuts with your preferred cocktail or beverage

Hot Appetizer Cart
A demitasse of tomato and baby shrimp soup accompanied by vegetable-filled pastry and Thai peanut chicken kabob with coriander sauce.

Salad and Warm Breads
Blend of lollo rossa, red leaf lettuce and field greens with dried cherries, orange segments, melon and strawberry. Your choice of olive oil vinaigrette or creamy yogurt dressing. Freshly baked garlic bread and assorted rolls with butter.

Main Course
My Choice: Roasted Chicken - Served with herbes de Provence and meridionale sauce, couscous with herbs and white bean and eggplant confit.

I selected this over grilled tenderloin, tilapia and shrimp and pasta.

Fruit and Cheese Cart
Select European cheeses, fresh seasonal fruit, assorted gourmet crackers and rolls, served with Port wine.

Dessert Cart
Vanilla ice cream with choice of toppings or a petite dessert cup.

Fresh Brew gourmet roasted regular and decaffeinated coffee or tea with your choice of milk or lemon.

Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed Emilio Caffe Italian Espresso or Cappucino.


Then about 45 minutes before landing we had our pre-arrive refreshment.

Appetizer plate of sliced smoked salmon accented by dill mustard sauce.

Fresh seasonal fruit.

Pizza bread with roasted chicken, red bell peppers, onions and Emmental and provolone cheeses, accompanied by a pickle, Kalamata olive, cherry tomato and pearl onion.

Chocolate.


I checked online when I got home. A coach seat for this flight is approximately $800. First class is $2200. I was stuffed; I had to eventually turn down some of the food and alcohol that was being offered to me. It was wonderful until after I was home and realized (for the next 24-36 hours) that something I ate wasn't cooperating well with my body. All in all though, first class was great. The staff there was extremely friendly and accomodating and I lived up as much as I could.

7/8/07 - Croydon, United Kingdom

We began the morning of our ifnal ful day by traveling into central London. Stop 1 was the London Eye, a large ferris wheel built for the millenium celebration temporarily but kept due to its success as a tourist stop. This is no ordinary ferris wheel. Each capsulte holds 25-30 people and the top is the highest ferris wheel in the world. One full revolution takes 30 minutes providing plenty of time to see the city all spread out.

We had a guided bus tour on the way to our next destination and had another encounter with a cynical Brit, incredibly sarcastic sense of humor here as with the Member of Parliament last night.

Lunch: Checken, boiled potatoes, carrots, burssel sprouts (1st time for me to my knowledge) and green apple pie.

Next up was the Tower of London. This site includes a number of palaces and the Crown Jewels. I skipped the long line to see the biggest pure diamond in the world and instead toured a medieval armament display, medieval castle and torture exhibition. The grounds were extremely crowded, but one highlight was the live theater taking place on the grounds - Shakespeare and other period pieces always.

Dinner: Fish and chips, ice cream.

Wew went to see Blood Brothers in London's famed West End entertainment district, very similar to Broadway in New York. The show was about twin brothers separated at birth, one raised in a wealthy family, one poor. Their paths cross, they become best friends and tragedy ensues with the big "you're brothers" revelation at the end. Like RENT, my favorite show, the tragic ending was evident from the beginning. I quite enjoyed the show, as did most of the students. It's in its 20th year in London and did a two year Broadway stint. It also kept us out of the hotel until 11:45pm so no free time on this last night although we'll have to stay up a few hours to intercept any escape attempts. We also gave back a student to his junior high delegation here in this hotel with us tnoight so he can travel home with them on Thursday. We picked him up on July 31 because there were some problems in his delegation with threats or even alleged acts of violence against him earlier in his group's program. His older sister is with us so his parents and P2P felt he would be best served with this change. He worked out fine with us, but it was one more thing to take care of tonight.

6/8/07 - English Channel - Croydon, England

We got up at 5:30, after four hours of sleep, for our breakfast on the ferry. After disembarking, we drove a couple hours to Stonehenge. Smaller than expected, I spent 30-45 minutes walking in a circle around the prehistoric stones while listening to the audio tour. Little is known for sure, but the stones are arranged in such a way that the sunrise shines through a different particular sequential arch every month. Truly a wonder to be sure, but not all that exciting really.

Next up was lunch, a light buffet near Hampton Court Palace, our afternoon destination. The palace was not as lavish or ornate as Versailles for instance with mostly wood paneling rather than gold and marble. Even the audio tour said British monarchs were inspired by the French kings but struggled to keep up. I've never been especially interested in the history of the British monarchs; I think I'd have taken more from today if that was different. The extensive gardens were impressive with a hedge maze, fountains, etc. I also learned about and saw Real Tennis, older than the tennis we play today, it seems like a cross between tennis and raquetball.

We checked into the hotel and headed for dinner - more pizza. After dinner, we met with a Member of Parliament (MP) for a lecture and Q&A. What could have been a boring 90 minutes turned out to be entertaining, informative, even emotional at times. He gave us a good overview o the role of the monarch vs. prime minister, comparisons to American government and finished with a passionate plea that we be supremely thankful for having been born American citizens, actively engaged in the 2008 presidential election and even proud and patriotic regardless of any ideas to the contrary our travels to Europe may have put into our minds. I was moved by his words and so was he as he cried unabashedly as our students gave him a standing ovation.

Then we had the students fill out their evaluations of us and the program. Things are much more positive than last year. The students really don't seem to like Nancy (some unfairly), but otherwise they seem content with things.

Our hotel is in London in a district with a number of bars, restaurants and even a few clubs so hopefully this two hours of free time will end safely. Tomorrow night we'll be out late at our show so there won't be any free time...a blessing for our final night of the program.

5/8/07 - Rosny-sous-Bois, France - English Channel

Moving. In a word, today was moving. After 4+ hours on the bus, we began with a speech from the mayor and a flag-raising ceremony at Omaha Beach. For the delegation leaders and most of the kids, it was a bit emotional as the flags of the United States and seven other Allies were raised to their national anthems. Eight of our students had the opportunity to do the raising. Then one other student placed flowers at the abse of a monument. We had bagged lunches on the actual beach that the 1st US Infantry stormed at 6:30am on June 6, 1944. I sat by myself to tryt o take it all in. Now once again a recreational spot for Europeans on holiday, we passed the D'Day and Omaha restaurants nearby, capitalizing on the historical events.

Next was the American cemetary. The perfect alignment of the simple crosses (and stars of David), much like Annapolis, was stunning with the English Channel in the background. One student was able to find her grandfather's grave and again I was struck by how few Americans have the opportunity to visit such a sacred place in American history...25,000 buried at this cemetary.

Finally, we toured a museum in the nearby town Caen dedicated to WWII, especially D-day, but also all the way through the Cold War and to the present. The tour began with a powerful 30-minute movie told entirely with photos and authentic video from both sides leading up to D-day and through the liberation of Europe. Sometimes graphic, always informative. I'd like to get my hands on the video for future class use (I didn't see it in the gift shop). There were some great artifacts in the museum; my favorites were basic everyday items like ration boxes, playing cards and stationery packs.

Dinner: Pizza.

We boarded our overnight ferry to England at 11pm French time. The students had time until 12:30am French/11:30pm British time to see the ship, dance at the disco or whatever. They got whiny about not having more time, but thankfully the ship's crew showed up at the disco and made it clear that 11:30 was bedtime. We're up at 5:30am for a 6:00 breakfast and Tony and I are probably going to rotate hall duty through the night. Lessons learned from previous trips.

My Schedule for the Rest of Summer

August 13-14: Clear
August 15: Hopewell MB 12-? (probably around 5)
August 16: Hopewell MB 12-2, Montgomery MB 8:30-4:30
August 17: Monty MB 8:30-4:30
August 18-19: Clear
August 20: Hopewell MB 9-5
August 21-23: Hopewell MB 9-5, Monty MB 8:30-4:30, Monty New Staff Academy 8-3:30
August 24: Hopewell MB 9-5, Monty MB 8:30-4:30, Fantasy Football Draft 6:45-10
August 25: Opie & Anthony
August 26: Clear
August 27-28: Monty MB 8:30-4:30
August 29: Hopewell MB 10-2, Monty MB 8:30-4:30
August 30: Monty MB 8:30-4:30
August 31-September 3: Clear
September 4-7: Monty In-Service
September 5-6: Monty MB 4-8
September 8: Clear
September 9: P2P Reunion Party 1-5pm
September 10: First Day of School

4/8/07 - Rosny-sous-Bois, France

Unlike two years ago, we had time for a less hectic tour of the Louvre this morning. Like most guided museum tours, the students weren't all that interested and eventually began paying more attention tot he comfortable benches than the art. We saw the requisite masterpieces and a few additional galleries, just a tiny sample of all the Louvre has to offer. New since last time - tours designed to give a behind-the-scenes look at The DaVinci Code. Whatever it takes to get people interested I suppose.

Lunch: Louvre's "around the world" food court. I ate tapas at the Spanish place - yellow rice, green beans, chicken, something unidentifiable and crabmeat salad.

This afternoon led us to the Eiffel Tower, our final stop in Paris. We waited in the always long line to take the elevator up to the second "floor." The third floor, the top, was closed temporarily so we visited here. When the top re-opened, I decided to skip the extra-long wait and climbed down the tower via stairs. It wasn't so bad considering how far it was. Then I walked along the streets surrounding the tower until I got out of the touristy parts before circling back to a park bench at the base of the tower to relax. Like many of the students, I am wearing down a bit. My main problem is Tony, my delegation roommate, snores, and loudly. I don't think I've slept straight through any night we've shared a room and that isn't helping. Tomorrow we have a long bus ride so I should be able to sleep some then.

Dinner: Flam (thin, crisp dough with sour cream and ham or mushrooms), dessert flam (chocolate chip or apple cinnamon), great Greek salad with feta cheese.

I pretended not to speak English this afternoon when an Indian woman came up and asked, "Do you speak English?" I shrugged, tried to look confused and went back to my journal. If I said yes, she'd have shown me a card in English begging for money.

Also, I forgot from In Flanders Fields museum that the first German chlorine gas attack took place in Ypres. The soldiers, who didn't succumb to the gas immediately, attempted to wash their eyes out with water, but chloring plus water leads to hydrochloric acid and blind soldiers.

3/8/07 - Rosny-sous-Bois, France

A full day in Paris began cloudy with rain seeming likely, but it cleared up to be a great day. We arrived at Versailled before any other bus, making the chateau almost our own private playground. I took an audio tour quickly to brush up on the areas (like the famed Hall of Mirrors where the treaty ending WWI was signed) that were closed two years ago. Then I explored the village of Versailles surrounding the palace. Because it was early, I saw shopkeepers opening up for the day and people going about their daily business, a welcome break from tourist crowds.

Lunch: Pork, potato hash brown, an unidentified appetizer, chocolate eclair.

We came into Paris after lunch with no traffic, unbelievable for Paris, likely due to people taking their holidays in August. A brief guided tour of Notre Dame Cathedral was followed by free shopping time in the same tourist traps as every other P2P trip I've been on. Then our tour guide joined us on the bus for a driving tour of the city. We stopped for photos at a cathedral built for Napoleon I don't ever remember seeing before. We saw the requisite sites: the river Seine, Eiffel Towers, Champs d'Elysses, national government buildings, etc.

Next was way up the steps to Sacre Coeur and the Montmartre area, the artist, bohemian part of the city. I'd been here too so I explored the area in search of a drink before meeting the group for a long walk to dinner.

Dinner: Ikea-esque store - chicken, baked potato, mashed potatoes, green beans, amazing cake/pie, ice cream.

We brought the kids back to Montmartre for 45 minutes free time for shopping or relaxing. I sat on the steps leading up to Sacre Coeur and listened to a guy sing American songs while playing guitar with a bongo accompanist. He was all set with a mic and amp and he wasn't bad. I left after La Bamba complete with audience members dancing, but he had played pop songs as well.

We kept the group in the hotel tonight to get them some extra rest and because they are still not walking well as a group, with large gaps opening between segments. We also met in our small groups to discuss life. I had them all tell the group what they've enjoyed the most so far and then I went down the list of concerns we had and also shared information on what is to come. I'll reassure them tomorrow that we're still very happy with the group in general - all that good, fluffy stuff. Four more days to go.

As an aside: unlike most of the other places we've visited, I could never imagine myself living in France, specifically in Paris. It's a beautiful city to visit with lots of history, but something feels cold or distant. I think it may be the language or perhaps the people really aren't as open and inviting as in other places.

Case Closed

I have been approved by the Montgomery Board of Education. My letter of resignation was received in Bernards Township on August 1, the day after they reimbursed me for my final two graduate school courses. My Bernards Township benefits continue for 30 days, until the final day of August and my Montgomery benefits begin on September 1 so I won't need to purchase gap insurance. And so, that's it I guess. I need to go to Ridge once more to pick up anything still there that is mine, but other than that, it is time to move on.

2/8/07 - Bruges, Belgium - Rosny-sous-Bois, France

First stop was the unexpectedly quite and empty city Bruges in Belgium. Bruges is a beautiful, well-maintained medieval city with its earliest buildings dated back tot he 9th century. We had a horsre and carriage ride through the city with a local driver/guide. We also visited a lace store and chocolate shop for brief demonstrations and shopping. The lace production, for which Bruges is famous, is expected to decline or even cease to exist in the next decade because the expert designers are 70+ year old women earning as little as $1.50/hour to compete with mass produced lace from China. I bought a little chocolate to take home, but it may wind up a melted mess by the time I get home. Apparently the secret to Belgian chocolate is that it's made with 75% cocao butter while other chocolate contains only 20-25%. The two truffles I bought to eat on the spot were good but not extraordinarly so.

Next we drove to the smaller town of Ypres. Although it looks like a medieval city, it is really a facade. The city was completely destroyed by the three Battles of Ypres that took place during WWI. The city never fell to the German and many wanted to leave it in ruins as a memorial. Instead the city was restored to its medieval style painstakingly brick by brick.

Lunch: chicken, french fries, salad, ice cream bar.

The In Flanders Fields museum was great, but we had only 45 minutes when we needed at least two hours minimum. The displays are set up to be interactive with computer consoles allowing you to go in depth on topics of interest. One room was set up with surround audio and video to give the feeling of attempting to cross the no man's land between the trenches. This was powerful even without shells falling, frostbite developing, our feet in three inches of water or rats scurrying about our feet the eway it really was during WWI. I bought a deck of playing cards depicting scenes of the war and propaganda posters that could come in handy in class and three postcards showing th Ypres belfry in 1911, 1914 and 1917. We walked to the Menin Gate, built by 1927 as a memorial to all those soldiers who never received a proper burial, 55,000 at this memorial although the total is nearer to 100,000. We didn't have much time here either, but I did see some poppies and poppy wreaths, telltale symbols from the fighting in this region.

Dinner: Truck stop (!). Pasta, salad, pudding.

During free time, I played cards (BS and a German game called Ligretto) with some students. Then they went to McDonald's and graciously bought me a vanilla shake and fries. Last night a different group came to sit with the leaders during free time voluntarily, just to talk. Imagine that! There is a student here who will be drum major at South Brunswick next year so he has shared his Ipod with me and we've talked drum corps and marching band. They aren't all cherubs of course, but it is nice to have mostly friendly, relaxed relationships. It makes for a more enjoyable experience all around.

1/8/07 - Utrecth, The Netherlands - Bruges, Belgium

Our first stop this morning was the Peace Palace in The Hague. It is a magnificent building, built from 1904-1913 to house the Court of Arbitration and the United Nations' International Court of Justice. Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia are held through the ICOJ. A cool part of the structure is that it was built using materials and gifts from various countries - oak and a statue of Lady Justice from the United States, marble from Italy, tapestries from Brazil, rugs from Turkey, etc.

Next we went to the town of Kinderdijk, containing 19 windmills, still working and lived in by families today although they were originally built a few hundred years ago in the 17th century. We had out first really nice day today, warm and sunny, which was perfect for our bike out of Kinderdijk. I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have because I was busy trying to keep 40 teenagers staying to the right on the narrow path without fooling around. In fact, one of the girls managed to lose control and fall into a murky, still canal. Tony and Ellie spent the rest of the tour talking her to a shower. The group stopped for a picnic lunch (cheese and sausage sandwiches, apple, twix bar) and then finished the tour. After turning in our bikes, I went into a windmill. The engineering, again, is astounding for the time of construction with an intricate system of wheels, levers and pulleys all made out of wood. Individuals can still live in the windmills for free, but they have to take on the responsibility of restoring and operating them too...no easy task.

Now we are in Belgium for one night. Dinner at the hotel (onion soup, spaghetti with meat sauce, ice cream bar) was slow and, for some plates, barely edible. To date, the food and service has been excellent so I think it will pick back up tomorrow.

31/7/07 - Utrecht, The Netherlands

Today began earlier than usual; it will continue this way for the rest of the program. After a 40 minute delay due to bus trouble, we made our way to a clog/cheese making farm. The husband and wife team presented things humorously and it was interesting to learn they met when the wife, originally from Wisconsin, visited the farm as a tourist.

Next was lunch in Amsterdam: Dutch pancake with bacon, ice cream.

I'd been looking forward to the visit to Anne Franke's house all trip. It was our first extremely crowded tourist stop. We cut the long line wrapping around the block to our group, educational tour. A program guide spent about 90 minutes providing us with an overview of Anne, the house, theo ther inhabitants, and the people wh helped them and of course Anne's writing. Interestingly, we learned that most American visitors have read the diary while only 1-2 Dutch students in each group have. The diary is one of the five most read books along with The Bible, Koran, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. There was a great educational program which included a photo timeline of Anne's life and the Holocaust, a video of Anne's father (who survived) and hands-on activities. Then we joined the crowds moving through the store, house and secret annex. I wish it wasn't as crowded, but it was amazing to actually get to walk up the steep, narrow staircases, through the moveable bookcase doorway, and into Anne's room with postcards, and newspaper clipping still posted to the wall. The rooms (with the exception of the attic) were all open, ot just viewable through glass. We could hear the floorboards squeak, see the view Anne had through her window and on and on. The original diary and other writings were also present. This was the historical highlight of my trip so far, but I still ancitipate Normandy anxiously.

Next was some free time in Amsterdam. The smell of marijuana and the sites of the red light districts immeidately became evident, right? Wrong. Well, kind of. It is not legal to smoke marijuana ont he street, but it was obvious as I walked past bars and cafes. I stumbled upon the red light district while walking near the old cathedral (kind of ironic, don't you think?). Things were pretty tame though, perhaps because it was the middle of the afternoon. We weren't about to give students free time here at night though.

We also enjoyed an hour-long cruise through Amsterdam's canals. The old architecture was great to look at including the hooks at the top of every row house used to move furniture into the homes due to the narrow, steep staircases. The students weren't really listening to the narration during the cuise, but I can't do much about that unfortunately.

Tonight we had a late dinner at our fancy business hotel so we suggested the kids wear their dress outfit. It's always nice when we do this every year, to see the students looking a little more mature.