Sunday, July 27

I was up really early this morning due to the time change. I looked up local coffee shops on Google and set out around 8am for a place that was supposed to be about .8 mile away. When I got to the address, I couldn't find the place. I sent a text to Google's awesome text directions and 411 feature and still nothing. Finally, Google helped me call to find that the number was disconnected. I later discovered that it was closed. Nothing else was open nearby so I wound up back in my room with my Pop Tarts and bananas and no coffee. I guess it was good to get some exercise, but it was annoying to walk and not get the payoff.

11:30: Depart by bus for USS Arizona Memorial

It's is always a little nerve-wracking meeting a new group of people for the first time when you know absolutely nobody going in, but I've been on enough of these types of programs to know that the groups/cliques form pretty quickly. It took until about dinner for that to happen, but it did happen.

12:00: Lunch at USS Bowfin

Some arrangements were made so that we had lunch on the U.S.S. Missouri instead. The Missouri was the ship on which the surrender documents were signed ending World War II. The "special" lunch turned out to be pretty bland. I had a chicken salad and some water.

12:30-12:45: Board bus for Pacific Air Museum

1:00: Arrive at the Pacific Aviation Museum

1:05: Introduction to the resources of the Pacific Aviation Museum

We had to rush through the Pacific Aviation Museum a bit too quickly due to some delays at our first stop. This museum had original planes from both Japanese and American air units and some really good displays. What I've learned quickly is that this program has provided the very best people to show us around everywhere we go. We've had the director of the National Park Service with us all day and the directors of education at all the stops along the way. As a result, we are hearing really interesting, detailed stories and explanations from people who really know what they are talking about.

1:45: Board bus for the USS Missouri

2:00: Arrive for guided tour of USS Missouri

We actually did this before we went to the Pacific Aviation Museum. The tour of the ship was pretty bland - no more special than any other naval vessel. The Missouri served in World War II, Korea and then was recommissioned for the first Persian Gulf War although the weapons were dramatically different in the 1990s with Tomahawks instead of giant guns. The interesting part of this ship is the surrender area. A flag was flown specifically for the ceremony that originally flew on Commodore Perry's ships when he forcibly opened Japan to the West in 1868. There were also copies of the surrender documents on our tour.

3:00: Board bus for return to the USS Arizona Memorial Tour

3:30: USS Arizona Memorial tour and special boat tour of Pearl Harbor

The director of the National Park Service took us for a private tour of Pearl Harbor by boat followed by our own private access to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. This was probably the highlight of the day for me because we took a full tour around Ford Island, location of Hickam Field, the moorings for Battleship Row, and the site of the main thrust of the bombings on December 7, 1941. The amazing part of this tour is that we got to see areas that most people never see. For example, the USS Utah memorial, at the site of the capsized ship that went down with men aboard, is only accessible by active-duty US military personnel due to the fact that Ford Island is still an active military installation. Our boat stopped and we all stood to give a moment of silence as we came to this spot. We saw the moorings of all the ships that were damaged or sunk during the attack. We disembarked and walked around the famous memorial. We saw the 1000+ names etched in stone. Time and time again, people reminded us that the movie Pearl Harbor is a good love story, but has no basis in historical fact.

5:00: Bookstore time at the Memorial

5:30-6:30: USS Bowfin Submarine and Museum Tour

The Bowfin was pretty interesting. It entered service after the Pearl Harbor attack, but served in numerous missions throughout WWII. The hot, tight quarters were intense with groups of 25 or fewer yet the sub carried crews of 80. Unlike modern subs that operate via nuclear power and so can go under for 70 days at a time without surfacing, subs at that time were powered by diesel/electric engines and had to surface at least every 18 hours in order to get fresh air and charge the batteries.

6:30: Formal Welcome/Dinner

This evening's dinner was much like the JFMF dinners I enjoyed. There was an open bar with wine and beer, 30-40 minutes of welcome remarks, and a great buffet dinner. We were welcomed by the an invocation by Chaplain Alan Rogers of the US Navy, Daniel Martinez of the National Park Service, Consul General Toshio Kunikata, the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu, Cheryl Hidano of the AsiaPacificEd Program of the East-West Center, a representative of the National Park Service, George Sullivan of the Arizona Memorial Museum Association and the Captain who is in charge of all naval installations at Pearl Harbor today. Quite an event!

Dinner was served buffet style with a gorgeous sunset over Pearl Harbor in the background. I enjoyed vegetables, cheese and crackers, a spring roll, sushi, some kind of meat sandwich, a seafood cake and a beef kebob. It was great especially after the lackluster lunch.

I sat and had a great time talking with: Jesse Freedman of Friends Select School in Philadelphia, PA; Rachel Layman of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, IN; Eric Wong of Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, CA.

8:00: Depart for East-West Center

Arrival in Hawai'i

My flight got into Honolulu on time, my bag was off quickly thanks to my first class priority status and I located the shuttle bus company that would get me to my room in Lincoln Hall on the University of Hawai'i campus. The ride was only about 15-20 minutes from the airport.

I got settled into what amounts to a dorm room although I do have a private bathroom, a fridge, tv with cable, Internet access. I took a map from the materials they provided for us in our rooms and headed out for a 20-minute walk to the nearest shopping center. The program does not provide meals until lunch on Sunday so I needed to get something for dinner and tomorrow morning's breakfast. The walk was about 15-20 minutes, but it included some hilly terrain. It was pretty warm, but there was a good breeze. Apparently, Honolulu enjoys amazingly regular weather. The average high for July is 88 and the average for the entire year only ranges from about 84-89. The highest ever recorded is only 94 and the lowest ever recorded is in the mid-50s.

I decided on sushi since I'm midway through the Pacific and was disappointed by what I purchased. It was cheap ($5.94 for 2 rolls and a side of rice), but the tuna roll was actually tuna fish, not sushi. Oh well. I also stopped in Safeway and picked up a 6-pack of Island Iced Tea, pop tarts, bananas, and a Sopporo beer for tonight.

I've been relaxing, watching tv and reading up on the local area. This is my only Saturday night here so I wish I knew people here to go out to a bar or something. I found online that a bar only about 1 mile from where I'm staying has a special on Monday nights with .75 drafts and $3.00 pitchers so maybe I will meet some people to do that with. Tomorrow's program does not begin until 11:15am tomorrow so I have quite a bit of downtime before we jump in. I am still nervous about my clothing for the program. My friend who came last year said he wore shorts and sandals to almost everything so that's what I have with polo shirts. I do have 1 pair of jeans and 1 pair of khakis just in case. I really don't want to be under dressed, but I think the local population sticks to the sandals most of the time. It is cooler than I expected at night so the long pants/shirt will come in handy when I go on the night cruise.

A couple photos here of the East-West Center section of the University of Hawai'i campus where I'm staying.

First Class

I upgraded my flights to/from Hawaii to first class using built up frequent flyer miles. Although I flew first class on a flight back from P2P, this is the first time I've gone through the entire first class experience.

I didn't realize it in time to maximize, but I learned that there are separate security screening lines for first class passengers at Newark. First class gets on the plane first. I felt a little like a fraud passing everyone by, but I had to get on board to enjoy my pre-flight drink (orange juice from Newark to Chicago and a mamosa from Chicago to Honolulu).

The seats were larger with good leg room and you get excellent service in first class. On both flights, meals were available only for purchase in economy, but we had breakfast on the first flight and lunch and a snack on the second flight. Breakfast was fresh fruit, yogurt, cheese and banana bread. Lunch was spare rib, potatoes, vegetables, cake and the snack was fruit and cheese. I also had wine with my lunch and a Mai Tai with my snack. I got a few hours of sleep on the longer flight as well.

On my Newark-Chicago flight I wound up sitting next to a talkative guy from San Diego who spent 11 years in the Air Force (end of Vietnam) and then worked for IBM. He lived most of 20 years in Asian countries as part of his duties with IBM, worked for FEMA in database development during Katrina/Wilma, and is now an independent consultant for software developers. We (mostly he) talked about a wide variety of topics, many related to cultural interactions between Americans and Asians, but he got into politics, past military engagements, and a whole host of random stuff. We/he talked through the entire 2-hour flight to Chicago!

Japan Photos

Some of my photos from Japan - If you click on the photos and go through them one by one you can see captions with some info on what is in the picture.

Japan Photos #1
Japan Photos #2

Pearl Harbor Itinerary

Saturday, July 26
United Flight 819 (Newark to Chicago; 7:37am-9:10am)
United Flight 1 (Chicago to Honolulu; 10:37am-2:28pm)

Sunday, July 27
11:30: Depart by bus for USS Arizona Memorial
12:00: Lunch at USS Bowfin
12:30-12:45: Board bus for Pacific Air Museum
1:00: Arrive at the Pacific Aviation Museum
1:05: Introduction to the resources of the Pacific Aviation Museum
1:45: Board bus for the USS Missouri
2:00: Arrive for guided tour of USS Missouri
3:00: Board bus for return to the USS Arizona Memorial Tour
3:30: USS Arizona Memorial tour and special boat tour of Pearl Harbor
5:00: Bookstore time at the Memorial
5:30-6:30: USS Bowfin Submarine and Museum Tour
6:30: Formal Welcome/Dinner
8:00: Depart for East-West Center

Monday, July 28
8:30: Continental Breakfast
9:10: Group Photo
9:30: Hawaiian Blessing
9:45: East-West Center Welcome & Introductions
10:00: How do we teach about Pearl Harbor? How do we know what we know about Pearl Harbor? - Faciliated by Namji Steinemann
10:45: Break
11:00: What happened at Pearl Harbor? An interpretive simulation of the attacks. - Daniel Martinez, Historian, National Park Service
12:30: Lunch
1:30: Pearl Harbor Memory: Survivor Reflections - Sterling Cale, USN/Pearl Harbor Survivor; Everett Hyland, USN/Pearl Harbor Survivor; Ed Ichiyama, 442nd, Mrs. Ed Ichiyama; Joan Rodby, Hawaii resident at the time of Pearl Harbor bombing
3:30: Break
4:00: Film Viewing and Discussion
6:00: Pizza Social

Tuesday, July 29
7:00: Continental Breakfast
8:00: Depart by bus for "Pearl Harbor Attack Site Tour"
8:30: Fort DeRussy Army Museum
9:30: Board bus for Hickam Field
9:40: Depart for Hickam Field
10:00: Arrive at Hickam Headquarters Building
10:40: Board the bus for Ford Island
10:50: Security check at Halawa gate
11:00: Arrive at Ford Island. Stops include the USS Utah memorial, USS Oklahoma, seaplane ramps, airfield and hangars, and the USS Arizona memorial marker.
12:10: Depart for Fort Shafter
12:30: Lunch with Pearl Harbor Survivors at Fort Shafter, Hale Ikena
1:50: Board bus
2:00: Depart Fort Shafter for the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
2:15: Arrive at "Punchbowl" Cemetery
3:20: Board bus for return to East-West Center/Tokai
3:30-4:30: Depart for East-West Center

Wednesday, July 30
8:00: Continental Breakfast
8:25: Announcements/Housekeeping
8:30: Pearl Harbor Attack Site Tour Debriefing
9:00: Why did Japan bomb Pearl Harbor? - Peter Duus, William H. Bonsall Professor of Japanese History, Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
10:45: Break
11:00: War memories across the Pacific: Japanese images and perspectives on Pearl Harbor - Yujin Yaguchi, Associate Professor, Department of Area Studies, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Tokyo University
12:45: Working Lunch: Implications for Teaching Discussion
2:00: Pearl Harbor Memory, Memorial, and Issues of Reconciliation - Geoffrey White, Senior Fellow, East-West Center, and Professor of Anthropology, University of Hawai'i
3:45: Close of formal sessions
5:00-7:30: Optional: Waikiki Sunset Cruise and Walking Tour

Thursday, July 31
8:00: Continental breakfast
8:25: Announcements/Housekeeping
8:30: Pu'uloa/Pearl Harbor: From fishponds to warships - Experience Pearl Harbor through songs of remembrance, songs about loss, and songs reclaiming the memory of Pu'uloa, as Pearl Harbor is known to the Native Hawaiians - Jon Kay Kamakawiwo'ole Osorio, Director, Center for Hawaiian Studies, University of Hawai'i
10:00: Break
10:15: "Local" perspectives on Pearl Harbor - John Rosa, Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of Hawai'i
12:00: Lunch
1:00: Teaching about Pearl Harbor and the Japanese internment: A curriculuar demonstration - Gary Mukai, Director, Stanford Program on International and Intercultural Education
2:45: Break
3:00: Developing lesson ideas for teaching Pearl Harbor through multiple perspectives: "Teaching Implications" discussion
4:00: Close of formal sessions
5:00-7:30: Optional: Waikiki Sunset Cruise and Walking Tour

Friday, August 1
8:00: Continental Breakfast
8:25: Announcements/Housekeeping
8:30: Placing Pearl Harbor and the Pacific War in a global context: A perspective from "Down-Under" - Doug Trevaskis, Senior Lecturer and Manager, Studies of Asia Professional Development Program, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
10:00: Break
10:15: Pearl Harbor school visit program, "Witness to History" video conference, and "Pennies for Pearl Harbor" community service intiative - Paul Heintz, Director of Education, Arizona Memorial Museum Association
10:40: Developing lesson ideas for "Teaching Pearl Harbor through multiple perspectives": Small Group Work
12:30: Lunch
1:30: Group Share: Lesson Ideas
3:00: Break
3:15: Group Share: Lesson Ideas
4:00: Becoming an East-West Center Associate
4:10: Workshop Closing and Award Ceremony
4:30: Workshop Concludes

Saturday, August 2
United Flight 2 (Honolulu to Chicago, 4:19pm-5:17am (August 3))
United Flight 634 (Chicago to Newark; 6:25am-9:25am)

Day 14 - Osaka, Japan - New York, USA

July 17
12:31pm (New York time)

Despite extremely inefficient check-in procedures in Osaka coupled with my inability to secure an exit row seat, we have arrived in NY on time without too many snags. There was some pretty tough turbulence over Alaska, but the 12-hour flight went by rather quickly.

I took some over-the-counter sleep medication just before boarding in Tokyo. While it did not allow me to sleep through the beginning of the flight, I think it did help me get some decent sleep. I didn't watch any tv or listen to any music during the flight. Some reading at the beginning and end plus rest.

So looking back at this P2P trip, I can point to highs and lows. I loved being in Japan again. While it couldn't have matched my JFMF trip, there were certainly great experiences this time around too. Some of the students were not as stellar as I would have liked, but others were great to share the journey with. I think this year's 12-day trip duration helped keep things from devolving too far, but I was reaching my limit for dealing with some of the kids. Another couple days might not have gone too well.

OK - Time to finish up the bus ride back to NJ and get on with the next eight days before my next trip - Hawaii!

Day 13 - Osaka, Japan

July 16
10:41pm

Ah the last day of P2P 2008. I was really tired this morning after last night's drama and then a late night vending machine beer while I watched Barack Obama's foreign policy press conference.

We had a decent breakfast buffet in the hotel before driving into Kyoto - capital of Japan until 1868, home to geisha and climate change conferences. Out morning was spent with a program run by a group attempting to bring traditional Japanese art and culture to foreigners. The group split in half for hands-on sessions with calligraphy and a comedic theater style called kyogen.

The kyogen, a 600-year-old theater form that relies on the voice and body with almost no props, costumes or scenery. We learned a Japanese drinking song used in a short play that was performed for us.

Zanzanza (onomatopoeia for a wave - shhhhh)
Hamamatsu no oto wa (the sound of waves crashing on the beach is)
Zanzanza (shhhhh)

Ancient vocal music in Japan had only three tones - middle (which the performer chooses comfortably in his/her range), high and low. There were no set tones for these "notes." That system involved into the western 8-note form over time, but kyogen seems to stick to tradition.

Lunch was at a pretty good buffet restaurant, especially considering it was located in a building of souvenir shops.

After lunch we picked up a city guide who stayed with us all the way until dinner. The first tour stop was Nijo Castle. I didn't find it as impressive or imposing as the last caastle we visited, but it had at least one cool feature. Under the wooden floor planks, some metal set up created squeaking noises. This alerted the shogun that intruders were near.

Next on the guided tour - the Golden Pavilion temple. This temple couldn't be entered, but the grounds were pretty cool. Ponds, beautiful trees, nice landscapes. The temperature was way up there today, though, and interest was ever decreasing, my own included.

Our final guided city stop was the Gion section, famous as the home of the geisha. Everyone there (even Japanese tourists) walks around hoping for a glimpse of these white-faced women and I managed to see four. A crowed had gathered around a car with two inside. It was like paparazzi as people got right up to the windows snapping away. The car moved to an alleyway and a third hopped in and I saw the fourth in a car a few minutes later. I felt like a vulture so I didn't get too aggressive for my photo (hence the reason why I didn't get a great one).

There was a lot of action in Gion because at 5pm today and all day tomorrow is a huge parade and annual festival. In fact, our bus picked us up, much to the chagrin of the city police, in an area about to be closed down for a parade. The fact three of our girls were late to the meeting place (which we couldn't stay in) made the situation a bit tenuous. It all worked out, but it was a bad time to have our first students late to a meeting point.

Dinner was good, even with one of yesterday's boys still shadowing me. It was another "grill your own meat" restaurant and it was quite tasty indeed.

We assigned a 10pm curfew instead of 11 due to our 5am wake up call. Most of the boys have made it clear that they have no plans to sleep. Beer available in a vending machine steps from their rooms coupled with the fact that somebody always tries something the last night causes us to be focused. We checked rooms at 10:30 and Tony and I are taking turns on hall duty until about 11:30 when we'll check again. in the 30 minutes I've been sitting in the hall writing, three boys have poked their heads into the hallway. We're not going to stay out here until 5, but we don't roll over easily either.

Day 12 - Hiroshima-Osaka, Japan

July 15
11:09am

Our hotel last night was one of the nice I've ever stayed in. It's set up for weddings with an altar in the lobby that floats over a water feature in the center of a grand lobby with a clear, winding walkway all around the water. The florist, dress shop and banquet facilities are all on site. There was even an arcade with 8-10 bowling lanes at the hotel.

Unfortunately we had to check out this morning after an extensive buffet with Western and Japanese breakfast choices.

We took a ferry to Miyajima Island. This is a sacred island with a shrine that floats in the sea during high tide while dry during low tide. The extremely hot temperatures are wearing on everyone although native Japanese continue to be in long dresses or dress pants and button down shirts.

After walking through the shrine, we had about two hours of free time for souvenir shopping. I made a few purchases, had a great mixed fruit frozen drink and wandered around to see the wild deer that are all over the island. A sign in the shop I'm sitting in says:

"The deer in Miyajima are wild. Recently visitors have often been involved in accidents with deer. Deer may bit if you feed or touch them. Please pay special attention to your babies. Thanks."

Last night I took free time away from one of the girls in my group (from Montgomery no less) for a series of things: playing with her food at meals, keeping headphones on while our delegatno manager talks, talking back to leaders, etc. We sat together in the lobby for a bit after she filled out a behavior improvement plan and I learned a lot about her including a devastating experience she had not too long ago with a young sibling passing away. I'm hoping the "time out" will get her back on track for our last two days.

July 16
12:06am

Once we left Miyajima Island, we picked up a light box lunch to eat while on the bus. After a few hours of traveling we rushed into Hajemi Castle, near Kobe. I say rushed for two reasons: 1) We arrived about 45 minutes before the castle closed for the day and 2) Ominous thunder and lightning was in the area. Unfortunately, running through the castle meant missing most of the displays and exhibits, but we did get up to the top to see a great view. Along the way, there were extremely steep staircases to slow down intruders, trap doors to secret hiding places, lookouts and weapons openings in the walls and all the other components one might expect from a castle.

While in the castle I asked a group of "cool" kids not to rush so far ahead of our guide and the group. When I finally caught up with them outside I gave them a somewhat harsh speech about staying with the group, following directions, etc. and some of them immediately started mouthing off. 20-30 minutes later as we walked to the bus, the same group did the same thing. I ran to catch up with them. As I caught up, one girl turned to tell them I was going to come to yell at them and another girl turned to say that she didn't give a shit. Others also talked back and I got as close to losing it as I ever had with students.

Then, on the next bus ride, Nancy found a troubling entry tucked into the back of a journal. One of our attitude girls wrote about sneaking around to hook up with one of the boys. She also talked about her Nazi leaders (I suppose I'm one of them) and other whiny nonsense. We spent much of the afternoon and evening through dinner figuring out a gameplan for dealing with these issues.

We arrived at the hotel pretty late tonight and headed straight to a nearby restaurant on the top (33rd) floor of a building here in downtown Osaka, the second largest city in Japan.

Back at the hotel, we sprung into investigative action. I probably can't adequately address the extensive exchanges that took place but suffice to say I am now 100% confident I can handle the discipline component o fbeing a high school assistant principal. I even like doing it.

Tony and I broke the boy part of the kissing couple and we used his info to defraud the story the girl was telling Nancy and Ellie simulataneously. We moved on to questioning the students that witnessed the make-out sessions at two of our hotels and on the bus.

As we used the informatn we knew, the seemingly strong bonds of the "cool" group unraveled as they ratted one another out. We even learned two others made out as part of a spin-the-bottle game we hadn't previously heard about. Calls to parents, tears from students - we didn't get to our rooms until 11pm. I never did get to reprimand the students who gave me attitude, but they did all spend the night in their rooms while we dealt with the larger issue.

The conclusion is the four kissers each get to shadow a delegation leader from breakfast through curfew on their final day in Japan. This sucks for all of us, but it has to be done. Woohoo - last day in Japan!

Day 11 - Oita-Hiroshima, Japan

July 14
8:07am

I gave the two family kids their gifts this morning before we left to meet the bus. There we engaged in the annual P2P homestay end ceremony of hugs, photos, laughing and even some crying before boarding the bus. I bought a muffin, donut and a can of coffee for the bus. Just about everyone seemed to have a positive homestay experience. Once they stop trying to outdo one another with their one upsmanship storytelling, I'll be able to determine if that was really true for all of them.

Something I noticed this morning and remember from last time is that there are no school buses here and some students attend distant schools because they test into schools as opopsed to attending the nearest one. The extensive public transporation system of buses and trains doubles as school transportation in the morning and afternoon and some students walk or ride bicycles instead.

July 15
8am

We stopped for lunch and had a typical Japanese meal with small portions of many different foods. Unfortunately, most of the students barely ate anything.

The afternoon was Hiroshima. I have too many thoughts to fully capture here so I will just relate the most significant impressions. Before touring the museum, we had a guided walking tour of the Peace Park monuments including the bombed out government building now known as the atomic dome, the children's monument, an eternal flame near the ever-increasing log of victims (160,000 immediately, 60% civilian...250,000 today, with some people still unaccounted for), and some water features. As victims sought water to drink or escape the heat, they drank river water, which killed them due to its radiation. That is why the memorial park includes impressive fountains - to provide the water so many died trying to find 63 years ago.

We watched a moving video with extremely graphic footage from the ground on August 6, 1945 and the days, week, and months that followed. The video referred to WWII as "Japan's war" and stated, "There would have been no atomic bomb if there had been no war." In fact, the United States was not mentioned until the video described post-war atomic testing in the 1950s, even though it was an American bomb taht led to the devastation show so horribly in the documentary.

Hiroshima has become a focal point for peace monuments in general and the fight against nuclear proliferation mroe specifically. I had to rush through some parts of the museum because we only had one hour to explore. I was hoping to make some useful purchases to use in my classes, but the gift shop was pretty weak. I did get two books of personal accounts and a non-profit group's photo documentation of the city - destruction and unexpected rebirth into a thriving city once again.

Day 10 - Oita, Japan

July 14
7:45am

I got up around 9am but could have slept until 11am or later without missing anything. My host mother, brother, Eden, and I left the house after1 2 to head to a baseball tournament game. Before leaving Ryo took me out to catch butterflies. I'm not sure if I ever actually saw someone do that for real before.

We ended up missing the game, but we got there in time for me to be surprised that there were pep bands playing, television broadcasts going on and a stadium large enough for a minor league team.

Eden, Ryo, and I explored a hard to describe shop taht had everything in it - sort of a Wal-Mart except with really narrow, winding aisles. We had octopus balls for a snack at the store. These are fried dough balls filled with octobus (or octopi perhaps). They weren't too bad. We also had some lemonade drink that has a marble inside so that it takes the perfect angle to let the liquid come out. Theoretically. I got the drink no matter what, but I played along in true Japanese style.

Ryo and I went to a swim club in nearby Beppu, but the deepest section of the pool was only 1.1 meters deep. I did get 10 minutes in a massage chair as well. We also visited a nice little beach, but the large numbers of jellyfish put a damper on the festivities.

My host family and Nancy's family came together for a really fancy final dinner. The main event was fugu (balloon fish). This is the famous type of fish taht is extremely poisonous if not cut just right. I am happy to say that the chefs did a good job. There was also a buffet and unlimited drinks so we stayed for awhile. I had a lot to eat and a few beers from the auto-pourer, which tilted the glass, filled the beer and even added the perfect head on top. We sampled some wines, sakes, and sho-chu too.

Because it was so late by the time dinner was over, I didn't join eden for karaoke with his friends. Instead I went back to the house and got my things packed up for the next leg of our journey.

I spent a lot of time with Ryo today. He can be really annoying at times, but he seemed happy when we played Life (although I couldn't read anything on the board), rocks, paper, scissors, etc. I gave the host mother her well deserved gifts. She did all the organizing for the homestays and was up and running around about 18 hours each day taking care of the family and hosting us.

P2P Update #6

I apologize for the long delay since my last e-mail. I just wanted to let you all know that we plan to start the phone chain from Tokyo when we know our flight is leaving on schedule and we will start the phone chain again when we arrive at JFK to provide an estimated pick up time at Franklin Park School. See everyone soon!

Mr. Mingle

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P2P Update #6

The ambassadors had wonderful experiences in their homestays. In fact, many of them were upset that they could not stay with their host families longer. We asked each student to come to the mic and share some of their favorite homestay memories while on the bus today. The stories are varied so I`ll leave further details for when they get home. Don`t let them get away with, "It was okay" type answers!We spent a somewhat somber afternoon in Hiroshima today. A few students shared with me how moved they were by an introductory video and the exhibits in the museum. We all folded our own paper cranes to offer at the children`s monument and we spent some time walking around the beautiful Peace Park. Spirits were generally high even with the depressing subject matter and extremely hot temperatures. Tomorrow`s ferry ride should be nice before our final hotel change to Osaka. Our current hotel in Hiroshima is absolutely gorgeous and the arcade with bowling alley was a big hit with our ambassadors.The home stretch is upon us as we have only three nights remaining here in Japan. We`ll be making the most of it!Mr. Mingle

Day 9 - Oita, Japan

July 14

7:40am



I slept in a little later than usual, getting up at 9:30 for a breakfast of cocoa puffs cereal. It was pretty much lunch time by the time we left the house so we headed straight for a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. Nancy, Eden, and I ate with Nancy`s host family and we also ran into some students. For about $7, I had 14 pieces of sushi - great deal.



After lunch we strolled around a shopping arcade for awhile. I visited an extremely loud arcade where I failed at a soccer game but did enjoy some ice cream.



Since my host was in charge of the sponsoring language study program, we spent the afternoon at a cultural welcome reception. About 12 students were there and we were all dressed in kimonos or yukatas (or the summer version - the name escapes me) and there was singing, dancing, koto playing, a tea ceremony, and some games.

Because we ate a lot during the party, we skipped a formal dinner and went to a local pet store and supermarket. At the supermarket, we bought the necessary provisions for a fireworks and beer party. Despite the ominous sound of such an event, everything went smoothly and we had a great time sitting around with members of both host families.

When I got back into my host's home, I shared a requisite drink with the father who had returned from work. This time it was a homemade liquor from a Korean carrot a friend gave them. It was strong, but they assured me it was healthy.

P2P Update #5

We`re all in our homestays now in the cities of Usa, Beppu, and Oita after an exciting bullet train ride yesterday. This region is known for its hot springs and citrus fruit as we are in a sub-tropical region of Japan. It`s hot! Most of the students staying in the Beppu area got together on Friday night for a welcome reception and most of the students in the Oita area are doing the same thing this afternoon. The nervous anxiety gave way to smiles and laughing as our ambassadors met their host families for the first time and bravely introduced themselves in Japanese, often to a respone of, "Hi, how are you?" The entire delegation will reform early Monday morning for the bus ride to Hiroshima and then we are in the home stretch of the program. It`s amazing how quickly things are flying by.

Mr. Mingle

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Day 8 - Gifu-Oita, Japan

July 11
11:40pm

We began the day slowly with a 7am breakfast (scrambled eggs, ham, bread) and then 1.5+ hours before our bus departed for Nagoya Castle.

This brief photo stop helped give us something to do before heading to the train station for our shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyushu, the southermost island of Japan. On the three hour train ride, we had a bento box style lunch of a ham sandwich, shrimp, noodles, pork and an orange slice.

We dropped the students off at three separate stops - Usa, Beppu, and Oita. Side note - Usa was created after WWII when Japan was beginning to make cheap goods for American companies. Made in Usa allowed products to get into the hands of the many Americans who would never allow themselves to purchase Japanese products following WWII. My homestay, with the organizer of all the homestays, was at the last stop. Once everyone was picked up my homestay mother, Saitomo, her 8-year-old son, Ryu, Nancy (another delegation leader staying with my homestay mother`s parents), and two students whose families were not yet available went out for dinner.

We had Japanese-style pizza, which I also had during my previous homestay in Japan. Eden, a Mexican student who lived with my host family for 10 months in 2006 and is visiting this week, joined us. His fluency in Japanese, English, and Spanish proved immensely helpful at dinner and throughout the evening.

We didn`t get back to the house after dropping off Nancy until nearly 10 and then the host mother began pouring beer. When I got out of a late night showe, the host father had arrived home from work so he began pouring some homemade sweet cherry liquor. Also present was the family`s high school age daughter. She didn`t speak in English really, but I communicated with all the family via Eden. I even told him "mucho gusto," when we were also practicing "hajimemashite," both of which mean "pleased to meet you" in Spanish and Japanese respectively.

We mapped out a schedule for the weekend that will include some cool new experiences, some scary new experiences, and sleep!

Day 7 - Gifu, Japan

July 11
9:25am

I didn`t write yesterday because I spent the day at the hotel with the sick student. I did have our small hotel breakfast of bread, banana, pasta, and a sausage.

I spent much of the morning getting in touch with the student`s parents and the P2P office. Around 11:30am, he seemed to be feeling better so we walked around the Gifu area a bit. This is the center of some massive athletic complex; we saw two track and field stadiums, a baseball stadium, swimming and diving, other domes for unknown sports, etc.

We found a bento box take-out shop for lunch. I had a box with rice, potato, hamburger, shrimp, and some other small items.

I used my solo time to rest, surf the Internet, and read my book called "Japan Unmasked." The most interesting aspect of the book was its assertion that foreigners` initial fascination of the Japanese is due, in large part, to a somewhat fake facade put on as a cultural front. In reality, the book says, foreigners can never fully assimilate into Japan even if they learn the language and work diligently to adapt. The book suggested that even the economic heydey of Japan has come to an end.

When the delegation returned, we had a dinner of chicken, potato wedges, rice, and pasta. Then we shared some homestay information with the students and practiced meeting someone with a respectful Japanese greeting and bow.
Konichiwa. (Hello.)
Hajimemashite. (Pleased to meet you.)
Dozo yorishiku onegaishimas. (Phrase of humble respect)

Two of my students brought back gifts for me since I missed out on the day - a rice cracker and a small cake. That was really thoughtful of them. We`ve spent two days in a row sharing our hotel with the Princeton delegation so I had a chance to talk to my two Monty students briefly about their experiences so far including at Hiroshima.

Today

So my student was still feeling unwell this morning and I find myself with a day in our hotel. Thankfully, this is a place with free Internet so I can amuse myself relatively easily with reading, resting and the computer. I have been on the phone with his mother and the P2P office. When I checked on him a few minutes ago, he had successfully kept down some bread so maybe his condition is improving. If he feels up to it, we will walk around and try to find a place to get something to eat a little later. I am not missing too exciting of a day - some old towns and rice cracker baking - so it`s not too bad.

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Day 6 - Hakone-Gifu, Japan

July 9
7:14am

Last night, I spent 1-1.5 hours playing the card game Egyptian Rat Screw with a small group of ambassadors. It was fun to just hang out with them in that setting and the same type of interaction really improved the rapport with the students last year. Some of the guys even got up the courage to put on the yukata and venture to the baths. Once one of the "in" guys made the move, the rest of the group followed along.

8:15pm
Our "home style" breakfast this morning consisted of cereal, toast, pineapple, banana, and yogurt. In the end, I think our visit to the traditional Japanese guest house was a success.

Most of the day was spent on the bus, but there was a morning stop for green tea picking. The students picked freshly sprouted buds and then we had some tea and tea leaves tempura (leaved dipped in batter and fried).

Our lunch stop was at a great buffet that included every imagineable type of raw meat for grilling at your table, sushi, soups, noodles, and even cakes, ice cream, and cotton candy for dessert. We also ran into one of the other two groups from central NJ so the students saw some friends and we talked with the leaders about the side of the itinerary they have already completed.

From there we drove with one of the boys in my group stopping at rest areas for double-ended stomach problems. My pink bismuth tablets came in handy after all.

We checked into tonight:s accommodations, which look like a fancy hotel but are actually a complex for sports teams to come to camp and train. There are baths here, but the leaders (unlike the students) also have Western-style bathrooms and showers. Dinner was good with noodles, tempura and rice.

The delegation went out to see a traditional fishing style done at night by the light of fire in which master fishermen send specially trained birds underwater to snag fish. I stayed at the hotel so the ill student could sleep. I spent the time with a nice private hot spring bath. I may need to stay behind all day tomorrow as well.

We are beginning to have some issues with loudness, bad attitudes, and poor mealtime etiquette so we are going to have a not so nice meeting later tonight or tomorrow. Yay!

Oh I forgot to mention the third central NJ group is staying at the same place tonight so we have 80 students instead of 40. I got to see two of my students from Monty and one from Ridge though so that was nice.

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Madison High School VP Position

I was officially notified via e-mail that I am not a finalist for the Madison High School vice principal position. It was nice of the principal to contact me to let me know that since I cannot check my phone messages. Most signs point to a return to Monty for another year of World Studies and U.S. II at this point. That will be great as well.

I received a frustrating e-mail from the band director of one of the bands I am writing drill for with requests for massive changes to an opener I spent a week or so on before I left. It was extremely frustrating as I did it because of the exacting demands put forth from the onset. I thought I met those demands pretty well given their constraining nature, but now he wants pretty major adjustments. I emailed back and suggested he consult a new drill writer if he thinks that will happen in time for him to have the entire show before his band camp because I have to write the rest of his show and another band`s show upon my return. It`s a shame if it comes to that as this is my third year writing the show for this school, but I will not go back and rewrite something like that for problems I do not think I created.

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P2P Update #4

Wow - Our second destination in a row with free Internet access provided. We are here for two nights so expect more messages from your sons and daughters. In fact, we are staying here with a delegation based out of Princeton and we ran into the other delegation based out of Franklin at lunch today so many of our students have had the opportunity to talk with friends from school traveling separately.

We spent a good portion of the day traveling from the Hakone hot springs area to Gifu. At one stop today, everyone had an opportunity to pick green tea leaves before tasting fresh green tea and green tea leaves tempura. Lunch at a buffet was quite a hit as well. Students chose their own raw meat and fish (including squid and octopus) and cooked it on their table top in addition to sushi, salads, fruit, noodles, soups and other cooked food. For dessert, many of our students tested their skills at making their own cotton candy while others opted for easier cake and ice cream.

Tonight we are staying in a complex usually utilized by sports teams looking for a training site. The rooms are traditional Japanese style with tatami mats and public baths available. When we leave here on Friday, we will take a bullet train to Oita prefecture and our home stay families. We will be meeting with the students on Thursday evening to review homestay assignments, dos/donts, safety information, etc. so that they feel comfortable before heading into the weekend. Many of the students tell us they are excitedly anxious about the homestay and I`m sure they will have wonderful experiences to share with you when they return.

Mr. Mingle

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Day 5 - Tokyo-Hakone, Japan

July 8
7:18pm

We woke up at 5:30 for a quick final Tokyo breakfast before getting on the road, in the rain, for Mt. Fuji. The rain luckily stopped as we reached 5th station (the highest part of the mountain reachable by car or bus).

We climbed 300 feet on pretty tough terrain and then trekked for about two hours along the crater made the last time the volcano erupted in 1707. Our guide joked (I think) that Fuji erupts once every 300 years. The climbing was roughat times but a very good workout overall. Eventually clouds enclosed us in a fog, but we had good weather relative to the forecast of thunderstorms.

We stopped in a small rest area for a lunch of soba noodles, rice, tempura, and a variety of smaller items. Then we were up a cable car at a mountain near Fuji. The quick trip was a bit of a bust because dense fog rolled in so we couldn`t see very much of anything.

Tonight we are staying at a small, family owned and operated guest house in Hakone featuring natural hot spring baths. Dinner was a bento box, which was okay but not all that complete. The students (well, the boys) are too scared to use the baths so they are mostly playing cards and finding ways to entertain themselves in small surroundings. It`s a bit of a shame that they won`t even put on the traditional yukata (robe), but I doubt I would have been much different at their age if I was on this trip. Even on my trip two years ago, I felt awkward, but those baths were public with Japanese men and boys present while these are only for our group.

The group is still pretty good, but we have had some recurring annoynances. One girl has been rotating among the boys hour by hour. Quite a few continue to keep their Ipods on and earbuds in while our delegation manager speaks on the coach. These are minor issues compared to the possibilities though.

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Day 4 - Tokyo, Japan

July 7
8:43pm

Today was much different from yesterday providing interesting diversity of activities. I started with another good hotel breakfast (omelet, bacon, yogurt with fruit, pastry, and miso soup).

Our first stop for the day was an anime studio where our students (and, by popular demand, the leaders) had the opportunity to dub a short episode. This was pretty entertaining and everyone seemed to have a good time.

From there we rode through Shinjuku, the part of Tokyo I stayed in and spent the most time in during the JFMF trip. It was fun to see the Keio Plaza Hotel again. We spent most of the afternoon at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government offices. Lunch was there in the cafeteria where for under $5, we were able to purchase huge portioned meals from 30 or so options. I had a ramen bowl with pork, which inexplicably came with a bowl of rice and beef.

The tour of the government building concluded with the observatory on the top floor of this, the tallest building in Tokyo. Next was a bus ride across the city to Asakusa Cannon temple and some shopping time at the varied stalls lining the walkways to the Buddhist sanctuary. I did some walking, had a couple cans of coffee and even made a shopping purchase in an area I visited a few times last time around.

Dinner was back in Shinjuku in the Kabuki-cho entertainment district. This is a center of music, lights, bars, clubs, and exciting action. We had shabu shabu for dinner, which involved dipping beef and vegetables into a pot of boiling water. Everyone had a good time with this authentic experience.

We set an early 10pm curfew tonight due to tomorrow`s 5:30am wake up and 7am departure for Mount Fuji. We`ll be spending most of the next two days on the coach. As I leave Tokyo for the second time, I again feel like I could spend much more time here without getting bored. It`s such an exciting, on-the-go environment; I think I need to come back another time. Maybe the American School in Japan, about 45 minutes outside the center of Tokyo, will have another opening sometime.

I`m not as excited about the next stages of our trip, but I`m sure it wil turn out to be great in other ways. Tomorrow includes trekking on Mt. Fuji and hot springs in Hakone.

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Day 3 - Tokyo, Japan

July 6
9:16pm

Today was a great (but very hot) day in Tokyo. We started with a 7:30 breakfast in the hotel. I had eggs, green beans, fish, rice, miso soup and a creme filled croissant-style pastry.

Our first stop after breakfast was the Imperial Palace grounds. The palace compound itself is only opened to the public twice a year, but we got as close as we could. Police presence is high this week due to the G-8 conference that begins in Japan tomorrow.

Next, we had a shopping excursion in Akihabara (Electric City). Since this area is mostly for electronics, Tony and I stopped in a cafe for some iced coffee.

Next was a long walk through Roppongi Hills, an upscale shopping and business district before lunch at an American grill - Tony Roma`s (cheeseburger and fries).

Our first historic stop of the day was the Meiji Shrine. Our delegation manager demonstrated the proper process for cleansing our hands and mouths before entering the shrine itself to pray in the traditional Japanese manner.

The bulk of the afternoon was spent with free time in Harajuku, perhaps the best place for people watching in the world. Sundays are the most popular day of the week in this area and the narrow pedestrian street through the center of Harajuku was packed with teenagers and young adults in all sorts of costumes, fetish clothing and anything else to draw attention from other teens and the gawking American tourists (of wich there were plenty). I did a lot of walking, no shopping, and spent a few minutes at an Internet cafe.

We had a traditional Japanese dinner tonight. I can`t remember all the items included, but there was a salad, pickles, miso soup, rice, fried chicken, chicken yakaturi, some type of grilled chicken and a Chinese custard-style dessert.

The delegation successfully traversed the local train line from Harajuku to Siningawa, near our hotel. Although some students seem a bit spacey, they have been on time for everything and on top of things like finding their way to and from meeting locations, on the train, etc. SO we are pleased so far. They are spending 2 1/2 hours of free time in and around the hotel tonight and we have a later than usual wake-up call tomorrow before our final day in Tokyo.

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P2P Update ＃2

The owner/operators of the traditional guest house we are staying in tonight were nice enough to provide four computers with free Internet access for the delegation so many of you are probably receiving e-mails from your sons and daughters (if they get off Facebook for a few minutes of course). I thought I`d send a quick update from our end as well.

We are still very happy with the group. They are always on time, get involved in activities and are just nice to talk to in general. We have had some minor problems creep up with students keeping their headphones in while our delegation manager is providing information on the coach and the general rising volume of the group as they become more and more comfortable with one another.

In our traditional inn tonight some of the students have taken advantage of the hot springs available to them. Unfortunately, none of the boys seem daring enough to try, but most of the girls have given it a shot. We`ve been serenaded by songs from our resident pianists and guitarists (and those who think they can play) and we`ve seen a variety of card games and other methods of passing the four hours of free time in a fairly small setting for those who are not partaking in the baths.

We had a great time trekking on Mt. Fuji this morning and the group really enjoyed dubbing a short anime cartoon yesterday and the many varied activities in Tokyo. The weather has been hot, but we have been lucky to avoid the rain for the most part while involved in outdoor activities.

We hope everything is great back in the U.S.

Mr. Mingle

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Day 1 and 2 - New York, USA - Tokyo, Japan

July 4
6:29pm (NY time)

The beginning of my seventh P2P trip came with little sleep last night and rain this morning, We gathered our 40 ambassadors at 8am, loaded a bus and headed to JFK Airport for a nonstop flight to Tokyo Narita Airport. We had literally no one ahead of us at check-in or the security checkpoint so we made it to our flight without any serious issues. We do have one female student dressed out of our rquired travel uniform (she is wearing shorts), but if that`s our worst problem today then we are in good shape. As I always do, I requested an exit row seat at cehck-in and was assigned an exit row window seat on the upper deck of our giant plane. There is only one student up on this level so I`ve been able to relax and be selfish. I feel a little guilty because the other three leaders are downstairs with 39 students, but I`ll get over it. We are currently flying over western Alberta, Canada and my video screen tells me there are 8:04 to go.

July 5
2:49pm (Tokyo time)

Less than an hour to go. The flight has gone pretty quickly. I watched a few movies, played some video games, listened to music and tried to sleep a little.　I`ve done a little thinking back to my Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund trip in November 2006. I think I have to be really careful to minimize comparisons between the two otherwise this one will probably be a let down. Japan will be just as awesome, but I won`t be with the people who made the JFMF trip so memorable. Plus I can`t go out to new restaurants and bars every night this time around either.

July 5
10:01pm (Tokyo time)

Our flight was great with 2 1/2 meals, smooth flying and a good, positive start to the program. Once we got through immigration and customs, we set out on the 90 minute drive to our hotel, which turned out to be in the center of a decent section of Tokyo. It`s a really nice hotel - I even have my own room. I wouldn`t be surprised if this was as nice as it gets for the duration of the program. We dropped our luggage into our rooms and were off for a short walk to our dinner restaurant. Dinner was okay - bread, salad, sausages, Salisbury steak with baked potato served as four courses. The students were practically falling asleep after 24+ hours awake for those that couldn`t sleep on the plane. We got back to the hotel around 9, made some quick announcements and sent the students off to bed. Tomorrow we jump into Tokyo!

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P2P Update ＃１

Hello from Harajuku, Tokyo!　The students are exploring this eccentric area on their own while I type this. So far it has not rained on us, but it has been very hot. Because　today is Sunday, this shopping district, quite popular among Japanese teenagers, is quite crowded. We will be taking a local train back to our hotel, located in Tokyo`s equivilant of Midtown Manhattan. On our way to our homestays in Oita later in the week, we will be taking a bullet train. The students have been excellent so far including on the flight, in the hotel, in the city, etc. You might be surprised to see photos of them voluntarily piling fish onto their breakfasts plates this morning, purifying their minds and bodies on the way into the Meiji Shrine this afternoon, and bowing to waitstaff as they enter Japanese restaurants. As I said prior to our departure, I will continue to send brief updates via email when I can get to a computer, but please do not reply to this email with any messages for the leaders or your students as access is infrequent.

Sayonara!

Mr. Mingle

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24 Hours to Go

Ambassadors & Families:

About 24 hours from now, we will be departing from JFK on our flight to
Tokyo! As you scramble to finish the last minute packing, I wanted to
send a quick note. As explained during our orientation meetings and in
the last minute details document sent to you a few days ago, I will
send updates from Japan using this e-mail list as often as our
itinerary allows. The frequency of the e-mails depends upon the ease of
access to the Internet. Based on our accommodation list, I do not
expect to be able to send updates during the middle of our program
while we are outside major cities.

If anyone has any final questions, please call your delegation leader
this afternoon or evening. We are all excited to see you tomorrow
morning at Franklin Park School!

Sayonara!

Mr. Mingle

Bad Timing

The progress of moving to an administration position hit a snag due to
the timing of this year's People to People trip.

On Monday, I interviewed at Madison High School for an Assistant
Principal position. The interview went well and inside sources tell me
that most of the committee members (there were about 10) had me in
their top three and at least three had me as their top choice.
Unfortunately, when I told the principal that I would not be available
next week for the next round of interviewing, he told me that I would
probably not be able to move on because they want to fill the position
within the next two weeks...while I am in Japan.

This afternoon, Somerville High School called me to interview for their
Supervisor of Student Affairs position. They are only conducting
interviews on Tuesday, July 8 though so I will not be considered for
that position unless something goes awry during that initial phase. I
do have applications in to a number of other schools right now, but I
will be out of easy communication from early tomorrow morning until
late on July 17 so I am unlikely to be high on anybody's list for the
fall.

While this is unfortunate, I have received great, positive feedback
from the interviews I have gone on (Montgomery Upper Middle School Vice
Principal, Montgomery High School Vice Principal and Madison High
School Assistant Principal) and all indications are that I am ready to
move into a position as soon as I fit the right profile and find a
school willing to take a chance on a younger candidate. My current
administration supports my exploration of these opportunties and I am
very happy in my teaching assignment. I would not want to give up my
People to People trip or my grant program at Pearl Harbor that follows
shortly after, even for an administrative position, so I will let all
of this play out as it will.

Flight Information

AirLine Flight Number Departure Airport Arrival Airport Departure Time
Arrival Time
Japan International 005 New York-Kennedy Tokyo 7/4/2008 1:30:00 PM
7/5/2008 4:25:00 PM
Japan International 3002 Osaka Tokyo 7/17/2008 8:20:00 AM 7/17/2008
9:40:00 AM
Japan International 006 Tokyo New York-Kennedy 7/17/2008 11:45:00 AM
7/17/2008 11:30:00 AM

Schedule - 6/30-7/17

Monday, June 30 - Interview - Madison High School Assistant Principal (11am)

Tuesday, July 1 -

Wednesday, July 2 - Kayaking

Thursday, July 3 -

Friday, July 4 - Thursday, July 17 - P2P Land of the Rising Sun (see schedule here)

Schedule - 6/23-6/29

Monday, July 23 - In-Service Professional Development (7:30-2:30), Dinner with Ali's friends

Tuesday, July 24 - Hopewell Valley Central Marching Band (6-9)

Wednesday, July 25 - Hopewell Valley Central Marching Band (6-9)

Thursday, July 26 - P2P Leaders Planning Lunch (1), Hopewell Valley Central Marching Band (6-9)

Friday, July 27 -

Saturday, July 28 - Hillsborough's Fun, Food & Fireworks (4-10)

Sunday, July 29 -

Doing My Part

I'm participating in a protest on Friday about these issues. My local unit of the New Jersey Education Association is very active with state concerns such as this so I am going to do my part. They are even bussing us from school and providing dinner. The letter that follows was mostly from forms available through the NJEA web site.

Message sent to the following recipients:
Senator Lance
Senator Sarlo
Senator Ruiz
Senator Buono
Senator Haines
Senator Redd
Assemblymember Biondi
Asw. Coyle
Senator Bateman

June 18, 2008
[recipient address was inserted here]

Dear [recipient name was inserted here],

I am very troubled to hear that the Legislature is considering bills to cut retirement benefits for public employees. As a public school employee, I am in favor of targeting those people who abuse the pension systems. However, I am strongly opposed to several bills that have been introduced that would reduce public employee pensions and benefits for new hires or those with a break in service.

I am particularly concerned about three bills:
• S-1962 (Buono/Kean) would eliminate defined benefit pensions for cafeteria workers, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, and others, including some teachers who work part-time.
• S-1969 (Buono/Bateman) would severely diminish the pensions of public school employees who hold two or more part-time jobs to make ends meet.
• S-1964 (Sweeney/O'Toole) would change the formula used for pension calculations from the last three years to the last five years and reduce pensions by an average of 4 percent.

We know that pension and health benefits are critical to attracting a high-quality workforce. Without these benefits, districts will find it more difficult to attract and retain quality staff.

These attacks blame public employees for the State's fiscal mismanagement. It is undeniable that our state is facing a serious fiscal crisis. It is also true that public employees continued making their payments into the pension system for 10 years when the State took "pension holiday."

Pensions and benefits are a very important factor in New Jersey's continued ability to attract and retain the highest quality employees to work in our public schools.I urge you to strongly oppose these bills. Not only are they bad for public education and hard-working school employees, but they fail to address the abuses of people who ARE ripping off the pension system! Thank you for your consideration in this very important matter.

Sincerely,
Matthew Mingle

Schedule - 6/16-6/22

Monday, June 16 - Department Breakfast, School, Department Meeting

Tuesday, June 17 - School, Hopewell Valley Central Marching Band design meeting

Wednesday, June 18 - School

Thursday, June 19 - School

Friday, June 20 - School, MTEA party (2-6), Graduation (7)

Saturday, June 21 - P2P Bon Voyage Party

Sunday, June 22 -

P2P 2009 Assignment

I received my assignment for People to People 2009:

Imperials Capitals of Europe – Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Baltic Nations, Russia, Prague, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia (20)

St. Petersburg, Russia
View some of the 2.5 million exhibits in the Hermitage Museum.
Visit the city to the Peterhof, a splendid imperial estate.
Go on a guided orientation of the Peter and Paul fortress and deepen your exploration of the “Venice of Russia.”
Try your hands at Bliny-baking and enjoy your self-made dinner.

Tallinn, Estonia
See the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and St. Olav’s Church.

Riga, Latvia
Explore this old city of narrow, cobbled streets lined with gabled dwellings, which has retained much of its medieval character.
Visit the Doma Cathedral and the Riga Castle.
Go bowling with Latvian students.

Vilnius, Lithuania
Receive a guided orientation of the city. See the Town Hall Square and the Gediminas Tower.
Enjoy an education meeting at an amber factory where you can learn how this golden stone is turned into beautiful jewelry.
Meet with a priest to learn about his life.

Warsaw, Poland
Walk through the city and see the Stare Miasto or Old Town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), St. John’s Cathedral and the Royal Castle.
Discover the beauty of Lazienki Park.
Have an educational meeting at a Polish language course.
Meet with a survivor of a concentration camp. This is a true honor for Student Ambassadors!

Krakow, Poland
Visit Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps and reflect on a darker, yet unforgettable side of Europe’s past.
Explore Wawel Castle, which served as the residence of the Polish kings from 1038 until 1596.
Enjoy a boat cruise on the longest river of Poland, the Vistula River.

Prague, Czech Republic
See the Prague Castle, said to be the largest ancient castle in the world.
Continue to the center of the city for a look at the world famous astronomical clock.
Learn a few words in another foreign language at a Czech language course.

Berlin, Germany
Go on a guided orientation of the city. See the Brandenburg Gate, the Siegessäule, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the World Time Clock on Alexander Square, and more.
Return to Checkpoint Charlie, a former border crossing between East and West Berlin and a symbol of the Cold War.
Enjoy dinner at the Hard Rock Café in Berlin.

Dresden, Germany
Walk through the beautiful city of Dresden.

Potsdam, Germany
Visit the Sanssouci Castle and Gardens.

Schedule - 6/10-6/15

Tuesday, June 10: School, Interview for Montgomery High School Vice Principal, Early dismissal due to "excessive heat"

Wednesday, June 11: School, Extra Help, Interview for Hopewell Valley Central High School assistant marching band director

Thursday, June 12: School, Extra Help

Friday, June 13: School (Last day of marking period 4), End of (their) school year party with Ridge teachers

Saturday, June 14: Kearny Marching Band Rehearsal/Meeting (11:30)

Sunday, June 15: Father's Day

Schedule - 6/2-6/9

Monday, June 2 - AM Duty, School, Faculty meeting

Tuesday, June 3 - AM Duty, School, Hopewell Valley Marching Band rehearsal (6-8), Allie & Matt's 2nd Anniversary

Wednesday, June 4- AM Duty, School, After school extra help

Thursday, June 5- AM Duty, School

Friday, June 6 - Drive to Niagara Falls, Mom's Birthday

Saturday, June 7 - Niagara Falls to Toronto, Ali's friend's wedding

Sunday, June 8 - Toronto to home?

Monday, June 9 - Personal day, MTEA meeting

Vice Principal Opening

An opening was just published for a Vice Principal at Montgomery High School. My paperwork is all ready to be submitted tomorrow morning.

P2P Schedule of Activities and Accommodations List

Day 1 - Friday, July 4
Depart for Tokyo, Japan
Greet your fellow Ambassadors in your departure city before boarding your international flight to Japan.
Hotel: Japan Airlines

Day 2 - Saturday, July 5
Tokyo, Japan
Meet your Delegation Manager upon arrival at Narita airport. Welcome to Tokyo, the Capital of Japan.
Hotel: Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa

Day 3 - Sunday, July 6
Tokyo, Japan
Begin your discovery of Japan by visiting the Imperial Palace Plaza where you will be able to catch a glimpse of the palace and the picturesque Nijubashi Bridge. Browse your way from the street toward the Asakusa Kannon Temple as you travel through the picturesque Nakamise shopping arcade, one of the oldest shopping streets in all of Japan. Investigate the Meiji Shrine, a Shinto Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken, the great-grandparents of the present emperor. Discover the legendary Oriental Bazaar in Omotesando, Harajuku district. Enjoy the afternoon collecting souvenirs or browsing the trendy shops, which shed light on the fashion styles of the Japanese youth.
Hotel: Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa

Day 4 - Monday, July 7
Tokyo, Japan
Explore the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices in Shinjuku, including observation deck located on the 45th floor. on a clear day, you have a spectacular view of not only the city but also Mt. Fuji. Experience an activity related to Japanese Anime. Anime is one of the largest industries in Japan.
Hotel: Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa

Day 5 - Tuesday, July 8
Hakone, Japan
Escape the city and enjoy the scenic drive to Mt. Fuji's Fifth Station, the highest point accessible by motor vehicles, sometimes called "the boundary between heaven and earth" because it lies above the level of the clouds. Enjoy soft trekking on Mt. Fuji or the surrounding area, weather permitting. Take a scenic aerial cable car ride up Mt. Komagatake in Hakone National Park, weather permitting. You will spend the night in Hakone. This will be your first opportunity to try the Onsen, a public bath made of hot springs.
Hotel: Fuji-Hakone Guest House

Day 6 - Wednesday, July 9
Gifu, Japan
Begin the morning with a walk along the pathways meandering through the steaming vents in the natural onsen area and learn why these natural hot springs are so popular for their cleansing abilities. En route, stop at Nihondaira where you can behold a superb view of Mt. Fuji and experience Japanese tea picking. After dinner and weather permitting, you will witness the ancient, graceful act of ukai, or Cormorant fishing from the Nagara riverbank.
Hotel: Nagaragawa Sports Plaza

Day 7 - Thursday, July 10
Gifu, Japan
Venture to the old-fashioned city of Takayama. Explore the morning market where you can find local fresh vegetables, fruits, mountain vegetables, and so on. If you are lucky, you may have the opportunity to watch demonstrations of various crafts such as woodcarving and weaving while the artisans explain their trade and the typical lifestyle of the Japan of yesteryear. Enjoy the hands-on experience of making some of your own traditional Japanese crafts such as Rice Cracker baking.
Hotel: Nagaragawa Sports Plaza

Day 8 - Friday, July 11
Homestay
Today, you will meet your home stay family, with whom you will be spending the weekend to observe the Japanese lifestyle.
Hotel: Homestay in Oita area

Day 9 - Saturday, July 12
Homestay
Enjoy the hospitality of your host family.
Hotel: Homestay in Oita area

Day 10 - Sunday, July 13
Homestay
Enjoy your final day with your host family.
Hotel: Homestay in Oita area

Day 11 - Monday, July 14
Hiroshima, Japan
Don't forget to say "Sayonara (bye!) and Arigato (Thank you!)" to your host family before rejoining your delegation. Spend a solemn afternoon in Hiroshima reflecting on the destruction of WWII at Peace Memorial Park. The Peace Memorial Museum is a powerful and moving reminder of the destruction the atomic bomb left behind on August 6, 1945. Make a vow of peace as you leave your own origami paper crane at Sadako's monument.
Hotel: Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima

Day 12 - Tuesday, July 15
Kyoto, Japan
Take a ferry to Miyajima Island, home of Itsukushima Shrine. On the island, walk to the vermilion Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see the Grand Torii gate which looks as if it is floating at high tide. Head to Kyoto visiting the UNESCO World Heritage, Himeji Castle on the way.
Hotel: Hotel New Hankyu Osaka

Day 13 - Wednesday, July 16
Kyoto, Japan
View one of Japan's treasures at the Kinkakuji Temple, better known as the Gold Pavilion. This World Heritage temple is covered in gold leaf and topped by a bronze roof. Step back in time to discover Nijo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle floors are equipped with a type of alert system; the famous Uguisu-Bari or Nightingale Floor, constructed to "sing" at every footstep. Enjoy a hands-on experience of one of the core classic Japanese arts; Calligraphy and the Tea Ceremony. Watch carefully and you may be lucky enough to see a geisha as you walk along the ancient streets of the Gion district.
Hotel: Hotel New Hankyu Osaka

Day 14 - Thursday, July 17
Depart for the U.S.
Pack up your suitcase for the last time and board the coach for the airport. If your flight schedule permits you may have the opportunity to visit the Sanjusangendo Temple.
Hotel: Japan Airlines

Schedule - 5/26-6/1

Monday, May 26: No School, Memorial Day BBQ?

Tuesday, May 27: School

Wednesday, May 28: School, Hopewell Valley Central Marching Band (6-8)

Thursday, May 29: School, People to People meeting (6:30-9:30)

Friday, May 30: School (Delayed Opening for students)

Saturday, May 31:

Sunday, June 1:

DIY Sink Installation

I'd been thinking that I haven't done much to improve my condo lately and with a 4-day weekend, this would be a good time to do something. On Friday, I set out to Home Depot and purchased a new stainless steel kitchen sink ($165.60), faucet set ($39.00), plumber goop to seal it to the countertop ($3.98) and caulk ($6.97). Most of this was covered by $100 in gift cards I still had from my big appliance purchases last year. I also picked up a new long neck screwdriver and yardstick that the installation instructions suggested I have on hand ($8.27)

I didn't get to the installation until today, Sunday. I stopped at Home Depot before getting started to purchase a plumber's wrench ($10.56) before I could begin. Getting the original sink out with a production sticker of 1977 proved more difficult than the directions suggested it might be. The screws holding in the sink clamps were rusted and thread-bare. Eventually they broke free so I was able to get the old sink out although not without a few cuts and scrapes here and there.

Then, I began hooking up the new pieces. The tight area under the sink and trying to hold the sink itself up while making connections was difficult without a second person, but I eventually got it all hooked up. Water ran fine, good. Unfortunately, connecting the new sink to the existing drain pipes proved quite a challenge as they did not line up perfectly. The new sink is deeper than the old so using the old copper piping didn't work.

Off to Lowe's for some PVC pipe ($3.76) and a new strainer ($11.98). Next attempts led to a bad adhesion with the strainer due to my own error and the unresolved issue of lining up the piping. Back to Lowe's for some other possible solutions ($23.18) and more attempts. Even with flexbile PVC connectors designed for this sort of problem, I cannot get it to work correctly.

A plumber will be here between 6 and 7pm (service call $69.00 plus whatever work is needed). I finally gave up after working on this for about 6 hours to no avail.

I have learned with every single new installation I've had done (stove/microwave, fridge and dishwasher) that the costs mount considerably higher than the original expectation. My ineptness combined with everything being original from the 1970s when I moved in does not make for easy, cheap work.

**Update**

Plumber costs: Emergency Service Call ($69.50), Installation of 1 1/2 inch trap ($205.00), Tailpiece ($65.00), Tax ($23.77) = Total ($363.27).

Combined with the costs I'd already incurred for this project, I now spent my $600 economic stimulus rebate check, which I planned to save as an FU to the government's idea of giving tax rebates while racking up record deficits. Oh well.

2009 People to People Assignment

P2P has decided to send groups from my area of New Jersey to one of three destinations next summer, instead of sending them all to the same place. They have asked the leaders for our preference as to which trip we would prefer to go on.

The options are:
Europe through the Ages - 24 days - Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece

Imperial Capitals of Europe - Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Baltic Nations, Russia, Prague, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia - 20 days

Gateways to China - Mainland China and Hong Kong - 17 days

Schedule - 5/19 - 5/25

Monday, 5/19: School (Delayed Opening for Students/State Biology Testing), Department Meeting

Tuesday, 5/20: AM Duty, School

Wednesday, 5/21: AM Duty, School, Extra Help, USSBA Conference Call (8:30-10)

Thursday, 5/22: AM Duty, School

Friday, 5/23: No School, Secretshops, Yankees Game

Saturday, 5/24: Yankees Game

Sunday, 5/25:

Anything Goes - Final Thoughts

Saturday night was a huge success. The show sold out in Montgomery's 1000 seat performing arts center plus people were seated on folding chairs in the back of the house. The event took in $10,000+ following $6,600 last year and all of the money goes toward scholarships awarded by the Montgomery Township Education Association and Montgomery High School Band Parents Association. I think I did about as well as I could have done and, in the end, I had fun. It was a big time commitment and it was not always enjoyable, but it was worthwhile ultimately.

Only one photo of me surfaced so far, but if any others come about I'll share them. There was also local press coverage. The Courier News article includes a few photos, one of which I can be seen in the background.

Courier-News preview with photos

Courier-News post-event

Schedule - 5/12-5/18

Monday, May 12: School, MTEA Representative Council Meeting (4-5), Boys Lacrosse - Monty vs. Ridge in County Tournament (4:30), Graduate Class Ends (School Law)

Tuesday, May 13: School, After School Detention (2:30-4), Graduate Class Begins (School Personnel)

Wednesday, May 14: School, USSBA Adjudicator Conference Call (8:30)

Thursday, May 15: School, MTEA Bargaining Council Meeting (4)

Friday, May 16: School

Saturday, May 17: Jen and Fred's Post-Wedding Reception

Sunday, May 18:

Anything Goes

So we have only one rehearsal left before the Montgomery Township Education Association performs "Anything Goes' on Saturday night. This is an annual production co-sponsored by the MTEA and the Montgomery High School band parents. The two groups split the profit (approx. $4000 each) and use the money to award scholarships to seniors in honor of a band member who died in a car accident the summer after her senior year and a staff member who passed away. It's really quite an amazing thing to think about. The entire thing is put together by teachers plus a middle school principal and the board of education president.

We've had some ups and downs this week with rehearsals. Things are going to be shaky, even on Saturday night, but we'll pull it off. It's a bit of a shame that we only get 1 performance, but I guess the market for the show wouldnt' support multiple nights.

I have two roles (wow!) in the show. I am Reporter #2 during Act 1 and Passenger #3 during Act 2. I sing/dance (really) in all the big numbers and have a few lines in each act too. I originally signed up to play in the pit with the band, but due to the lack of men volunteering, I wound up on stage.

It's been quite an interesting experience so far. Often frustrating, but good to learn what it feels like to be on the stage. I'm used to being backstage or in the pit so this is all brand new. Ali and her roommate are coming. At least one, maybe 2 of my former students from Ridge are coming perhaps along with their parents. There will be a few of my current students there both in the pit and audience. It should be an exciting night!

Once it's over, there is a cast party nearby so no matter what happens, the night will end well!

Weekly Schedule - 5/5-5/11

Monday, May 5 - AM Duty, School, Faculty Meeting, "Anything Goes" rehearsal (3:30-8), People to People meeting (6:30-9:30)

Tuesday, May 6 - AM Duty, School, "Anything Goes" rehearsal (3:30-8)

Wednesday, May 7 - AM Duty, School, Extra Help, "Anything Goes" rehearsal (3:30-8)

Thursday, May 8 - AM Duty, School, "Anything Goes" rehearsal (3:30-8), Ali's Birthday Party

Friday, May 9 - AM Duty, School, Chaperone/Judge Battle of the Bands (6:30-10)

Saturday, May 10 - Ali's Graduation, Graduation Lunch, "Anything Goes" (report time 6pm)

Sunday, May 11 - Mother's Day

Hawaii Booked

I booked my flight to Hawaii...I was finally able to put my thousands of miles of P2P travel to use. I upgraded this flight to First Class! Right now I'm wait listed for part of the return flight, but maybe it'll work out!


Sat, Jul 26, 2008 - Newark, NJ (EWR) to Honolulu, HI (HNL)
United 0819
Depart: EWR 07:30 AM
Arrive: ORD 09:01 AM

United 0001
Depart: ORD 10:15 AMArrive: HNL 02:13 PM


Sat, Aug 02, 2008 - Honolulu, HI (HNL) to Newark, NJ (EWR)
United 0002
Depart: HNL 04:19 PMArrive: ORD 05:17 AMNext dayAug 3

United 0634
Depart: ORD 06:25 AMArrive: EWR 09:25 AM

New P2P Blog

Instead of sending e-mail updates this summer, I created a blog dedicated to the Japan delegation. For those interested in following along, bookmark http://p2p2008.blogspot.com. There isn't much of anything there now, but it will be updated as frequently as possible once the delegation departs on July 4.

Weekly Schedule

Monday, April 28: School, Department Meeting

Tuesday, April 29: School, Anything Goes Rehearsal (3:45-6:00), Ali's Birthday

Wednesday, April 30: School, Anything Goes Rehearsal (3:45-6:00)

Thursday, May 1: School, Anything Goes Rehearsal (4-8)

Friday, May 2: School

Saturday, May 3: Nathanael Greene Liberty Fellowship trip to Philadelphia, Anything Goes Rehearsal (8:45-3)

Sunday, May 4:

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 4/21 - No School, Dentist, University of Phoenix course (Elementary Social Studies Methods) ends

Tuesday, 4/22 - AM Duty, School, Anything Goes rehearsal, University of Phoenix course (School Law) begins

Wednesday, 4/23 - AM Duty, School, Extra help, Anything Goes rehearsal

Thursday, 4/24 - AM Duty, School, P2P Meeting, Mom arrives from Florida

Friday, 4/25 - AM Duty, School

Saturday, 4/26 - Anything Goes rehearsal

Sunday, 4/27 -

Pearl Harbor Workshop

"We are happy to inform you that you have been selected to participate in the July 26-August 1, 2008 program of the East-West Center's NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture workshop, 'Pearl Harbor: History, Memory, Memorial.'"

I will be one of 40 middle/high school social studies teachers from the United States attending this session.

The workshop will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, and will involve visits to the USS Arizona Memorial, and other historic sites around the island of Oahu, such as Fort DeRussy Army Museum, Hickam Army Airfield, the Ford Island Naval Air Station, and the National Cemetery of the Pacific. Participants will also have the opportunity to visit the Battleship Missouri Memorial, the Pacific Aviation Museum, and the USS Bowfin Submarine and Museum, also at Pearl Harbor.

The July 26-August 1, 2008 workshop sessions will be held at the East-West Center. The Center’s 21-acre campus is centrally located in Honolulu’s Manoa Valley and adjacent to the University of Hawaii and its main research library, which houses extensive collections on Hawaiian and Asia Pacific studies.

Additional program information can be found here.

Weekly Schedule

Monday, 4/14: School, MTEA meeting at 3:30

Tuesday, 4/15: School, Anything Goes rehearsal

Wednesday, 4/16: School, After School Detention, Anything Goes rehearsal

Thursday, 4/17: School, Assessment for Learning Workshop

Friday, 4/18: School

Saturday, 4/19: Dentist, Interview/Training with EF Foundation for Foreign Study for a position as an International Exchange Coordinator

Sunday, 4/20: ---

Dominican Republic Photos

I think we missed the boat on posting a review of our trip, but at least we can show a few photos from the Dominican Republic!

Trip Information

Monday, 3/24
Continental #512
Departs Newark: 8:00am
Arrives Puerto Plata: 11:49am

Thursday, 3/27
Continental #712
Departs Puerto Plata: 12:55pm
Arrives Newark: 5:02pm

Hotel: Iberostar Costa Dorado - 809-320-1000

Montgomery boycotts Newsweek rankings

Meanwhile, at Ridge, we'd get e-mails and magazine clippings telling us how great we were when the new rankings came out.

Montgomery schools boycott Newsweek's high school rankings
Friday, March 7, 2008 7:12 AM EST
By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer

MONTGOMERY — Samuel Stewart, superintendent of the Montgomery Township School District, has let Newsweek know he’s no longer interested in having Montgomery High School considered for the magazine’s national high school rankings.

Mr. Stewart and 22 other superintendents from high schools in the United States have signed a letter recently sent to the editor of Newsweek stating that they will not respond to the magazine’s request for the number of students in their respective districts that are taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams — the only statistics Newsweek uses to determine its high school rankings.

The superintendents are asking that their high schools not be considered for Newsweek’s annually released “America’s Best High Schools” rankings because they believe comparing the percentages of 12th-graders taking AP and International Baccalaureate tests from high school to high school is a “flawed methodology.”

In their letter, the superintendents stated, “In reality it is impossible to know which high schools are ‘the best’ in the nation. Determining whether different schools do or don’t offer a high quality of education requires a look at many different measures, including students’ overall academic accomplishments, the needs of their communities, and their subsequent performance in college.”

”I wanted to help people realize that evaluating high schools is a complicated issue and it’s not a simple matter,” Mr. Stewart said.

He added, “Using a single measure such as a test to rank our country’s high schools reminds me of Mark Twain who said, ‘For every complicated question there is an answer that is simple, clear and wrong.’”

Mr. Stewart is the only superintendent of a New Jersey school district to have signed the letter, but he will be informing other superintendents in the state about his stance on the rankings.

Victoria Kniewel, superintendent of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District is still formulating an opinion on the validity of the rankings.

"The question I pose is, what are the measurements that best reflect our student success beyond the number of students taking the AP and IB exams,” Ms. Kniewel said.

Gerri Hutner, the school district’s director of communications, said she thinks the rankings are valuable as long as people understand that they are not the only measure of achievement.

VP Position

I met with my supervisor today to discuss my interest in applying for the middle school vice principal position. She told me, resoundingly and without hesitation, that I should apply for it. She referenced specific skills I have demonstrated in my first six months at Montgomery as evidence for why she thinks I am ready to move to administration immediately. She thinks - and I agree - that at the very least, this would be a good opportunity for me to go through the process of applying for an administration position. It is a much more arduous experience than applying for a teaching position.

So, I am submitting my information to human resources tomorrow. I am not 100% convinced that I want to be a middle school vice principal, but I think I should at least submit my information and see what happens. I know I would miss being in the classroom because I really do love it, but there would not be anything to say I could not move into a teaching supervisor position down the road. I think I eventually want to move to the curriculum side of administration anyway.

And on a side note, my resume is being considered by the University of Phoenix (online for those not familiar) for an Associate Professor position teaching low-level education courses.

Middle School VP Position

On Friday, Montgomery posted an opening for a middle school Vice Principal at the Upper Middle School (grades 7 and 8). I hadn't really been thinking about applying to middle school building administrator openings, but since it is in district I might do it. It would be a good opportunity to go through the more arduous process of interviews necessary for admin jobs and in-house applicants tend to be preferred to outside ones. If I got the job, it would be a good stepping stone to a high school building administrator position or to a district supervisor type position. I have another week or so to toy with the idea before I would have to apply officially. I plan to talk to my current supervisor about it this week sometime.

While I am definitely happy I made the switch to Montgomery, there are some aspects that pale in comparison to Ridge - most notably curriculum. In meetings today and as early as the summer, I noticed that time and money is not given to continuously developing curriculum in a way that is consistent with my own philosophy. Ridge spent a lot of money to have teachers constantly updating courses and creating new ones and, at least for the courses I taught, we followed the curriculum pretty closely as a result. At Montgomery, even a brand new curriculum written in Summer '07 is pretty much being ignored for a course I am teaching. It is making it very difficult because I have tried to plan ahead and am now at a stoppage point until we can find someway to come to an agreement on what we are teaching fourth marking period. The actual written curriculum, including its essential questions and main objectives, apparently was thrown in because "we had to get something done."