University of Dayton - MyLife

Life in St. Louis

This past weekend my mom came to visit me in St. Louis. We had a great weekend trying to avoid the 100-degree weather we were experiencing. Friday afternoon we caught up with family friends who we hadn't seen since we moved fourteen years ago. I use to live in St. Louis for a couple years growing up and this family was our close neighbors. It was so nice to see them and make a connection here. On Saturday we went apartment shopping and I found a place to live. I'll be moving towards the end of July. Now the problem is how to get my bed and dresser and everything hundreds of miles at the lowest cost. So that has been a bit challenging. We also went to the Botanical Gardens here in St. Louis where there is an amazing glass exhibit on display. It is the work of Dale Chihuly and his work and exhibitions can be found at www.chihuly.com. On Sunday, we had brunch with another family. A woman my mom works with has a son in St. Louis, Ken. We went over to Ken and David's home on Sunday and met David's parents. David's mom was the president of the Board of Education in a school district not far from where we live. They cooked amazing food and they live right around the corner. It has been so nice to meet people who are so welcoming.

On Monday, we went into the school I will be teaching at in the fall. My mom and Ben met the principal who gave us a tour of the school. There are over 500 computers for 750 students to use in the building. They have advanced science, engineering, and business technology for students to learn and use. The school has received all of these wonderful technologies through grants that central office has applied for. I am so excited to get started. The administrative team that I am going to be working with invited us to a New Teacher Orientation at a seafood restaurant in the area. Dr. Jenkins, an African American male who has studied and published numerous books on the education of African American students and specifically addresses education students of the city, joined us at our lunch and spoke to us about his books which we received copies of. The administration wants to put our middle school on the map and I am sure that is going to happen. They are driven, dedicated, and intelligent individuals whose life work is focused on the education and success of children. As a part of the research that I did as a part of my undergraduate work with the National Middle School Association, I studied a variety of schools that against all odds produced successful students. The school that I am about to work at possesses the same dedication and drive of the school's I examined in my research. I plan to call the National Middle School Association and tell them about this amazing place so dedicated to educating students who have rarely before experienced educational success. It feels to real to be true. I will be working at a place that possesses the same values and energy as the schools I have been studying my entire undergraduate career.

Next weekend, Ben and I are traveling to Louisville and then to Salyersville, Kentucky where the Summer Appalachian Program is going on. Every summer a group of students from UD spend their summer in Salyersville, Kentucky where they run day camps and night activities for the kids and teens of the area. They also visit the retirement community and work with families of the community. What they do for these families is remarkable and the way that these families impact the lives of the UD students is even more spectacular. They have had a few visitor weekends already this summer and I think the one we are going to is the last one. Ben's brother is there for the summer and Ben has family in Louisville so it will be fun to see them all next week. If you're interested, here's a website that can tell you about the history and the work of the University of Dayton students. http://www.udayton.edu/~csc/area.html

Last week I finished my summer school teaching job. Now, until August 1, I am unemployed again. I'm waitressing and bartending to pick up some cash here and there but the bar atmosphere is not really my thing. I come home every night from work and about have an asthma attack from the pack of cigarettes it feels like I have smoked. My "to-do" lists has a lot of reading and preparing for the fall on it, as well as continuing to get that Missouri teachers license.

I missed the fireworks last night since I was working, so tonight we're going to another place around town whose fireworks were called of by rain, so Happy Fourth of July again!!

Jul 5, 2006 1:29 PM Permalink