I am now into my third week of summer vacation and, except for the rainy weather, all is well. I have been unable to keep my promise of riding my bike for exercise every day because the weather has either been too wet, too cold, or both. The only summer project I have been able to tackle is dividing and replanting hostas around the house. I was also able to put together a book shelve for my wife and plant flowers in pots in front. Today is very nice and warm outside, but I have been waiting for the guys to come and clean my gutters. As I write this they are here and making quite a racket.
Even though I have been unable to spend much time outside, I have been busy with work. The first week we were off I spent three days at school taking care of chemistry books. Five hundred old text books needed to be inventoried, boxed, and moved to storage. The state purchased new books for us to use next year but requires us to keep the old books for five years; just in case any other school wants 10 year old books to use. The new books arrived and I had to unpack them, number and stamp each one, then move them to summer storage in my classroom. When I arrived last Friday to move them I found that maintenance had started cleaning our wing of the building and my room was off limits due to floor waxing.
Next, I began editing the lab book for next year. We switched over our computers to Office 2007 recently and all my old Office 2003 files have to be converted. I have been working 6-8 hours a day for the last three days doing this. Office 2007 offers some new tools that I am using to bring the text up-to-date. As of this morning, I have all the exercises and Labs finished and am working on the tables and charts that are included. Since I have made significant changes to some of the exercises I will need to do significant editing to the answers. This step may take more time than the editing did originally.
I have also had to deal with several department problems that arose after school ended. Books foe the summer school class in Chemistry had to be set aside, summer school starting yesterday. I do not teach summer school, but need to get things organized for the teacher who is. Summer school in Chemistry is restricted to those who failed in the regular school year; this year there are 13 such students. Another young man wanted to take Chemistry, for the first time, at his local public high school during their summer session instead of next year with us. School policy does not allow this without special permission. I have been emailing the boy’s mother and principal almost daily, trying to negotiate the situation. What we finally agreed to do is allow him to take the summer school course at the public high school; but he needs to turn in to me all his written lab reports for my approval and take our final exam in Chemistry and earn a passing grade on it. I emailed him a copy of the study guide and arranged for him to take the final after he finishes summer school. Another request for an incoming freshman to take Chemistry was dealt with. Normally, students take Chemistry sophomore year; requirements being completion of Biology and Algebra I. The student in question took Biology in 8th grade in our zero-hour program. She had requested to take Chemistry without completing Algebra I first, but being concurrently enrolled in it. After talking with my principal, we decided to allow it and see how it works out. If it does, we will probably allow others to do it in the future.
I was hoping to get out for a bike ride today, but that depends on how long it takes them to finish cleaning the gutters. I am stuck here until they get paid and leave. My wife is working overtime at the hospital tonight and I promised to cook dinner for her to take. She is a nurse and works the 7pm to 7am shift. Maybe I can get a short ride in while the chicken cooks in the oven.
