Week 24 of 52

This weeks photo is from the end of an evening at the celebration of the ending of another school year. Last Friday was our staff's End-of-the-Year Social at Tony P's in the Marina. This school year has tried the patience and the will of everyone from student to staff to parents. And as we close the year, one week left, we are still waiting for the July 1st reduction-in-force notices (pink slips) to go out. We will not know who we will be working with when we return in August and September. So we celebrate what we do have, one teacher's reduction-in-force notice was resended, two programs reinstated, we work with pleasant and kind people and the best behaved students in the city. We often think about what we have lost or will loose. We rarely look at what we have and how good it is.

The End-of-the-Year Social is a time to do just that. We laugh at each other, at our students, their parents. We fill in the other side of tales half told. We check in our colleagues family, boyfriends and spouses. We talk about parenting, the budget deficit and summer plans. It is a time to blow off some steam. As someone once said, "It is a time to drink mash and talk trash." So that's what we did. After this, the final week of work, with all of its stress, tension, irritations and last minutes requests from everyone, really doesn't seem that big of a deal.

This week's photo is from the end of that celebration. This is the remains of what the School Administrative Assistant's mother, (did you follow that?) would drink at the end of dinner. This was a surprise to her daughter too. This is coffee and Patrón (tequila). Yes, coffee and tequila. I was ordering straight Patron, and the waiter, Paul, asked if I wanted the Patrón Coffee? "What's that?", I said, and then said, "never mind, bring it." Well this is Patrón XO Coffee Liquer. You can either do Patron with a coffee back or mix. If you take the shot, it kinda like a tequila toostie roll. By that time of night, doing two things is way to much, so I mixed it and it was wonderful. It's when I realized I needed to shot something for Week 24. The MCP 52 Project's theme was Make it Tasty. Well, it was. It was a tasty drink and a tasty night. Structure, my 2011 photography theme, is this end-of-the-year ritual of sharing a job well done with colleagues. Enjoy the drink, the photos, an time with friends.

Week 23 of 52

This week was me preparing for iFest. I am on the Board of CUE LA which stands for Computer Using Educators of Los Angeles. Our big project is the CUELA TechFair held annually in November. This year, I missed that meeting, but we decided to put on an iFest. A mini conference about iDevices, iPhones, iPads and iPods and their use in the classroom. Well, the Board does all of the prep, the name tags, the programs, registration, coordinator volunteers, set up rooms, set up breakfast, raffle, and the break down all that you set up and it all begins a week before the conference and finishes about two hours after the conference is over. Your life as you know it takes a back seat. Well for me the first thing that took a back seat was my 52 Project Photography.

The MCP 52 Project theme this week was Enchantment. And my theme of Structure. I had something I was going to shoot but was wrapped up in the getting things completed for the iFest, I completely forgot. I was so worried about getting the work finished, getting to bed on time to get up and be at the site by 6:00 a.m. the morning of that shooting anything, even with my iPhone. So, this week I had nothing to submit to MCP I'm posting a photo I took in December 2010 at a Winter get-together. And I ask the question, What can be more enchanting than a gingerbread house? Structure? What's a good definition of structure but a house? I liked it. Hope you do too.

Week 22 of 52

As I squeeze this blog entry in to my life I realize how much of my time is spent doing things that I'm trying to hold up. When I left teaching to work at a school as a coordinator of programs, I found that I was coordinating more than just programs. I was doing what most Coordinators do which is the last item listed in the job description, 'other duties as assigned'. Because of this, I equated my job as being a plate spinner.

As a child, Sunday night entertainment was The Ed Sullivan Show. This was back when we had only three TV channels and everybody watched the same thing because that's all there was to watch. Ed Sullivan brought the world to your living room. Dancing Russian bears, Polish acrobats, a Italian hand puppet named Topo Gigio, and a Spanish hand puppet named, Señor Wences. Wenceslao Moreno, the puppeteer for Señor Wences, would usually end his act with a juggling and plate spinning. As a plate spinner, you are watching all of the plates so you can attend to the next one that needs spinning in order to keep it on the stick and everything up and going.

As a Principal of a small elementary school, I've found that I have expand my act. I'm still spinning plates but I've added juggling knives, chainsaws and live kittens, dancing and a few singing gigs. All of this seems necessary to do my job and live my life the way I thinks I want to live, so I keep going. According to Joyce Meyer, Christian author and speaker, once said, "Ninety percent of life is maintenance." If 90% of life is maintaining what you already have, the wise thing to do would be not to add anything more without taking something out. But that is not how I have learned to live my life. So, by adding in something that I want to create needs to come from the 10% of my life to do so. I'm not great in math, but that doesn't leave a lot of time.

This weeks MCP Project 52 theme is Reflection. I've been reflecting on many things even if I didn't take a picture of me doing it. So I selected a picture of an structure, my 2011 theme on the 4th Street wall of the Santa Monica Place Mall. You can see the small reflections in each one of the balls in this structure. If you are interested in the other photos of I took this week please visit my flickr site and enjoy.

Week 21 of 52

The month of May has been challenging for me. I have not been able to remember dates, appointment times or remember to put items in my calendar. I didn't remember to pay bills, send invoices or that I got paid. That's bad! I'm glad there's only a few more days to the month. Photography has also taken a backseat in trying to keep up with things, but I've made this commitment to myself and I'm following through. The MCP Project 52 theme for Week 21 was 'The Need for Speed' and my theme is Structure. Again, I remembered the shoot deadline when leaving late from work on Friday, I took a route home that would allow me to pass by the construction of the new Metro line.

The Metro Line is not finished but the claims are that you can get downtown in 20 minutes 'The Need for Speed'. That a pretty good claim in L.A. The Structure is the day-to-day commuters that will use this Line to get to and from work.

Week 20 of 52

I'm glad that I found the MCP Project 52 because it is keeping me going. It is so easy not to follow through with a goal you've set during stressful times that having the commitment to completing the project keeps me, at least anchored to submitting something every week. This is shot was taken around 10:00 p.m. Friday night, the last day to shoot. I pulled out my iPhone and took the shot.

This does not represent either of the themes for this week or this year. This is a desperate attempt to shoot something before it's too late. So I did.

This is not representative of my main goal to improve my photographic eye but it is a side effect of it. It is honoring a commitment. I believe that commitment maybe a lost concept. I also believe that I can help show what it means and its benefits. This is now a tangential thought to photography but it does relate to my past weeks and commitment. I will continue this thought in the next entry.

Week 19 of 52

This is the time of year that it gets crazy. Just this past week, the Testing Season began, we had Open House, a Star Party and End-of-the-Year preparations. I'm not as young as I used to be and I need my beauty rest more than in the past. This past week has taken a toll and everyone, even the young at heart. Even amongst the madness, it is weeks like this that reminded me why I'm in public education.

Testing is always stressful with the affidavits, proctors, schedules, keeping materials under lock and key, make-up tests, attendance accounting. It's a good thing it only comes once a year. And the results, which are not available until August, determine how our entire school rates within the state of California with and API and an AYP. A little stress inducing, maybe? Testing is the obligatory part of every public school. Sort of like leeching in the Dark Ages. Do you see the similarities? We do this because it is required.

Open House is also required but the premise is for all of the students to share what they have been doing since the beginning of the school year. I is a happy time. Parents and family get to see how much their children have learned and students get to share how much more they know. At our Open House we have be having our Academic Challenge Science Super Quiz. This is my baby, based loosely on the Academic Decathlon in High School and I love it. Briefly, teams of students in grades 3 - 5 get together to earn individual and team medals in a public jeopardy-style game and the audience applauds all of their hard work. Well, seeing the students, teachers, coaches and families cheer, applaud, console and encourage these students. I remember why I work in public education. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

Two days later was the Star Party. This was, again another reason I love working in public education. A group of amateur astronomers bring their telescopes, their enthusiasm and their passion. This was a BLAST! I saw Saturn and it's rings along with the mountains of the moon. Truly awesome. That was exciting, but I also enjoyed the look on the faces of the families, and the amateur astronomers. It was joy of seeing something precious. It was exciting seeing everyone realize how rare a opportunity it was and that fact that we all shared it together. Wow! This is another event that reminds me why I'm in public education. The joy of learning. The joy of learning in community. Priceless. I hope you enjoy this photo I took at dusk of one of the astronomers who hooked his telescope up to a monitor and was able to show a group what they were looking at and did a little Q&A.

Week 18 of 52

The weeks after Spring Break have been brimstone and treacle. I have been taking the time to rest because this is the stressful season, the State Testing Season. This is means high stakes for schools. So you'd think I'd spend more time shooting. But I've been spending more time vegging not recreating. I have rekindled and old habit, Morning Meditation, Bible reading and prayer. With the nebulous future of my passion and work, public education, I have the need to center myself. I have returned to my morning ritual of Bible reading and prayer.

This story falls into place because the MCP 52 Project theme is First Thing in the Morning. So much of what I do in the morning is mechanical that it was hard to think of anything that could be shot. Morning is one of those times that comes in quietly and is gone before you know it. Breakfast becomes brunch at different times for different people. So, by the time I thought about it it was late morning and lighting was not always the best. I remembered Friday evening about my revived routine. The lighting of dusk is similar to that of dawn. The context is my First Thing in the Morning. I now have to wear my glasses, which I am trying to delay the need to do for as long as possible, and begin my morning meditation, my morning structure. So the placed them in the photo. They make a nice addition to the composition. I whipped out my iPhone and took the shot. This also fulfills my photographic theme of Structure for 2011. I hope you enjoy the photo and a time of meditation.