A discussion of specific skills, knowledge, or abilities used, or the new ones I have gained through this international experience.

Being sick is dumb. Being sick while traveling is dumber. After this trip, I've come to the conclusion that being sick while traveling *and* trying to be productively responsible is the dumbest. I really hope that it isn't too late to submit my final two blog posts. It has taken me the past week to recover from the death plague virus from which I suffered for 10 of my 14 days in Ireland; plus, I returned to 112 panicky students that I needed to get caught up because 2 of my 3 substitute lecturers did not do what we had discussed... sigh... so here I am, looking back on my time in Ireland and grateful that I had decided to write my final two posts thematically.

This post will be about the work done in the internship.

(John Hume Building, Maynooth University)

As I mentioned in the first post of this series, I was assigned to work in the Graduate Studies Office (GSO) at Maynooth University for 2 weeks. My co-intern was Deirdre, whom I'd never met in person, but we had spoken on the phone once prior to this internship. We both walked in with very little understanding of what our supervisors had in mind for us, but had enjoyed a lovely (if sporadic) phone visit with Eilis, the GSO director a couple weeks before we arrived.

Eilis had given us some basic parameters for our work: 

1. our work days were to be 10am-4pm
2. don't arrive until 10am to give permanent employees a chance to settle into their work each day
3. we would have our own office, because
4. Eilis was leaving for holiday on our 2nd day and we would work in her office

Other than that, we were basically jumping in head first - and hoping there wasn't a rock at the bottom.

 (view of lobby from the door to our 3rd-floor office, looking down)

Of course, that first day, Monday, when we went to meet Eilis, there were two problems: 1) she was already in holiday mode and struggled to get everything set up for us that we needed, and 2) I woke up that morning with a scratchy sore throat. 

What we did learn from this meeting was that there was a project she had in mind, that Marie would be our point person, and that it involved both graphic design (Deirdre's passion) and curriculum design/professional development (my passion). I was quite impressed with her ability to find something useful for both of us from such a short, interrupted phone call! The problem was, we couldn't quite grasp what the project was -- she kept telling us that "it could be as big or as small as we wanted"... plus, between jet lag and the amount of time it had been since either Deirdre or myself was in Ireland, the accent/slang was a bit of a struggle. I was able to grasp that there was a series of workshops they had already created, that they wanted Deirdre to create marketing tools for a something new, and that they wanted me to help make sure things were in place for these workshops. But that was as much as we gathered... and we learned where the break room was - boy did that tea help with my sore throat!

By Tuesday morning, the sore throat had evolved into a full-blown head & chest cold with cough and "flu-like" symptoms. I ended up in the Student Health Centre on a nebulizer for the first time in my life. [Side note: I have never been so grateful before in my life as I was when I remembered I had thrown my emergency medication bag into my carry on at the last minute... I was almost sent home from the internship because I was so ill, and the only way I survived was with the Mucinex and Tessalon perles in that bag!]. I was unable to even go into the office Tuesday or Wednesday, which left poor Deirdre with even more to handle than she bargained for.

But I went back into the office Thursday morning and was finally able to meet the woman with whom we'd be working most closely during the internship: Marie. 

Marie was scattered, frazzled, and more than a little stressed. But when I was able to sit down with her and Deirdre (who, by this point, was getting frustrated with the lack of direction), I got a much better grasp of the big picture! Marie has just recently joined the GSO - coming over from the Research & Development Office (RDO) to help woman the office after it lost nearly 50% of its staff for various reasons. There should have been 7 people in the office, during the time that we were there, there were 4 - 3 of whom were admin assistants, and 2 of these work part time hours. That left Marie and Eilis to run the programming and student affairs side of the entire office, and Eilis was on holiday. Not only was there a staff shortage in an office that was already way smaller than what we would expect in the States, but in the midst of this 2-week internship, 120 students had submitted drafts of essays for the largest national research grant in Ireland (Irish Research Council) and Marie was tasked with reviewing each of them by the 2nd Wednesday we were there... no wonder she was frazzled!!!

(all the places to the right work closely together)

But back to the project at hand: during our sit down (Dr. Ryder had joined us, in part because he needed/wanted to see where we were working, in part because Deirdre had been open with him about her struggles and he wanted to support her - thank you for that!), mostly in an effort to help Deirdre find a sense of direction because I felt like I had left her to flounder alone, I kind of cornered Marie into making a plan for our project. I asked her what - specifically - she wanted to have in her hand by the time we left in 10 days. What would make her life easier by having us here? Deirdre and I both wanted her to know that we could be useful, and that we were there to help. 

So the three of us together came up with a plan: Deirdre and I learned that these workshops were not the focus, but rather a piece of a much larger puzzle. There was a new program(me): the Research Skills Development Programme (RSDP) that was a combined effort of the RDO, the GSO, and other areas on campus under the Office of the VP for Research. And there were about a dozen documents, each containing a piece of the puzzle that created this RSDP, but nothing that unified the vision in a way that participants would find useful. So it would be my responsibility to organize and manage the content and Deirdre would create a booklet using InDesign that marketed this new program(me).

Finally! After 3 days of listlessness, and vague understanding, we had a direction! By the end of the day (Thursday), we had an outline of the booklet framed, responsibilities for each of us assigned, and goals for the next few days. 

Friday, was a bust, work-wise... Deirdre went to Iceland with 3 other internship ladies and I planned to go into the office, but the illness was rough. It took me 25 minutes to get to work, when it should have only taken me 10-12, because I struggled to breathe, and every time I attempted to exert - even a little - I would go into a coughing fit that I thought would never stop. So I had to take everything *really* slowly... and, after my 25-minute walk to the Hume Bldg, I arrived to find the elevator was under maintenance. I waited another 15 minutes or so before phoning Marie from the lobby to let her know I was in the building, but there was absolutely no way I was able to climb three flights of stairs in my condition. So I offered to "work from home", and she was okay with that. I managed to go through a couple spreadsheets and consolidate them into a chart that would make sense to participants before taking my own weekend excursion down to Tralee (see post #2).

(Deirdre training one of the Admin Assistants on InDesign)

Week 2 went MUCH more smoothly... now that we had a plan, we were able to just make it happen! By Monday, we had a complete draft one of an 18-page booklet for Marie to review. She seemed truly impressed, which made me feel like we had accomplished our goal of providing something useful. We had a meeting with Marie and the director of the RDO, Carol, to review the draft and identify necessary revisions. They suggested that we include more workshops, including two new ones they had not yet created, and a certification provided by Maynooth University's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Then they sent it out to others for both feedback and to offer a collaborative opportunity for other programs to join. 

It was during this meeting that I realized just how helpful Deirdre and I actually were: when Carol printed off her copy for review Monday afternoon, the VP of Research was standing there; she showed him her copy of the draft booklet and he immediately decided that he was presenting it to his meeting with the University Board and President the following week. They were all so happy to see their plan coming into fruition with something tangible. Additionally, Marie and Carol agreed that hard copies of this booklet would be provided to each incoming research PhD student at orientation and made available electronically for PostDocs and Level 3 & 4 researchers, as a reference of the research-related professional development opportunities provided by Maynooth University.

I don't know if you know what it feels like to create something tangible that genuinely improves the lives of real people - but I hope that you do, because that's what this felt like for me. In creating this booklet, Deirdre and I were able to contribute to something transformative: breathing life into the RSDP and making it something with remarkable utility value. That was a big deal to me.

THIS IS THE LINK TO THE FINAL PRODUCT!

In addition to the booklet, Dr. Ryder reminded me that I have a unique set of skills that might be helpful for Marie: essay assessment. As a literature professor, assessment of essay writing skills is a huge part of my skill set. So I offered to help Marie in her review of 120 IRC draft essays and was able to comb through about a half-dozen on Tuesday and Wednesday, while Deirdre was making revisions in InDesign. Below is a list of other contributions I made while interning in the GSO:

• Multiple meetings with the Director of the Research Development Office (RDO) to understand collaborative relationship with GSO​
• Provided edits for a Fulbright scholarship​
• Created Google forms for RSDP workshop registration​
• Devised course descriptions for two new modules the GSO will offer

There were several ways in which I have grown during my time in this internship, regarding skills, knowledge and/or abilities, many of which may be inferred in my above narrative. I would also like to explicitly take this time to note that, while proficient at InDesign myself, I was incredibly impressed with Deirdre's skill & ability, and I learned more from watching her work in 2 weeks that I probably would have taking an actual course on the InDesign program. My learning happened threefold in this internship: through practice, through networking, and through community-building. I will take this with me long after the internship ends.

To Lifelong Friendships Forged in the Fires of Education

(at No. 4 The Square pub in Tralee)

Last weekend, I had the privilege of meeting with 3 members of my MA cohort from the University of Limerick, two of whom (Siobhan and Eoghan) teach English and History in Ireland and have H Dips. I hadn't seen Siobhan since graduation in January 2009, but we made it a priority to at least have an annual several-hour catch-up phone call with one another. I was able to visit with Eoghan when he was in Rhode Island on his J1 (student working visa for the USA) just after he completed his H Dip, in June 2010. Siobhan found her love for teaching when she got a job teaching English in Spain for a year during the Irish recession in 2009; then she returned to Ireland to earn her H Dip. Eoghan just returned this past Summer (2016) after nearly 5 years teaching English in South Korea, plus a 9-month holiday in New Zealand (jealous!). Neither Eoghan nor Siobhan had seen one another since graduation before last night.

The three of us met for supper and I learned more about Irish education in that one visit than I think I ever could have in an entire course on the subject. Maybe it's because the three of us all took the MA together and know just how theoretical we can take a conversation (VERY theoretical, fyi); maybe it's because we are all educators and have a passion for teaching; regardless, I was amazed at how much could be discussed in such a short time!

(the County Kerry Board of Education Building, Tralee)

As a result, I identified a couple things to consider about education when collaborating with people from a different culture:

Union Membership

I have only ever taught in the Carolinas, both of which are "right to work states" - which basically means that unions are illegal. Unions have a great deal of influence in many other states, and teachers are required to join them upon employment in those states, I consider it to be a cultural phenomenon that is not restricted to national boundaries. In Ireland, there are two teachers unions, the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), and one of them has officially gone on strike, as of Monday. Saturday night, I learned that the union a teacher joins is based on the school where s/he gets hired, and, even if the teacher moves schools, they must wait for open enrollment before changing unions. My friend, Siobhan is currently in this situation, and the union she is a member of (ASTI) is the union that is striking. Eoghan is a member of TUI and they were discussing how different their situations were. The strike is twofold: 1) teachers pay in Ireland for non-permanent teachers (Siobhan is non-permanent, Eoghan is permanent) is abyssmal - Siobhan brings home right at 1200 euros per month (less than $1600) and is forced to pay into two funds that she will never be able to use because of her union agreements; additionally, she must go on the Dole (Irish welfare) during school holidays, for which she is unpaid. Eoghan did not discuss his salary, but he was clearly shocked by hers. 2) the government is restructuring the nation's Junior Certification - a preparatory exam for the Irish Leaving Certification, which determines students' higher educational institution and providing almost no direction. The problem the ASTI (and many individual educators, from what I gathered) has with this is that teachers will still be held to the same standards for contract renewals, but have no idea how to meet those standards. The lack of direction and communication, combined with the pressure of maintaining old standards is an unnecessary stressor that has motivated the ASTI to strike.

As someone who has never worked in a place that required union membership, I felt like seeing two different perspectives was pretty eye-opening! Both Eoghan and Siobhan agree wholeheartedly about the issues of teacher salary and the junior cert, but because they each belong to different unions, they must "tow the party line" of their respective memberships: Eoghan can't participate in the strike, and Siobhan must. I can honestly say, however, that even with the differences between the unions' approaches to a difficult situation, I wish that we had this kind of leveraged support in our "right to work" states, especially in the Carolinas, when we are facing such similar situations (in NC, with the DREs a few years ago, and this last round of teacher salary chaos that McRory's put us through are very similar situations where union support might have made a huge difference).

Religion in Schools

Another cultural difference I learned about during our visit was about religion in schools. In the States, we have very clear policy designed to separate Church and State, especially in schools, but, until very recently, all schools in Ireland were required to be religion-based. I know that, especially in the American South and the Bible Belt states, this is a point of contention and conservative Christians argue that there is a "war on Christianity" when teachers can't discuss the Bible, or students can't pray at school football games, but I wonder how they would react if the school their children attended enforced Catholic, or Muslim, practices. Or how the educators would feel if they had to implement such practices as school codes of conduct. 

I listened to Siobhan as she described every faculty meeting at her current school: they always end with a prayer and everyone crosses themselves devoutly. As a product of the Catholic school system, Siobhan was resistant to the ritualistic practices of Catholicism herself, and, now she finds herself half-heartedly participating in the same rituals. Thankfully, being part of the EU has helped Ireland become a little less strict in its predominantly Catholic education, and in recent years, Muslim schools have been introduced into the national system. 

I have also read recently (but haven't done much research on it) that there is either talk of establishing - or there are actually intentions to establish - non-religious (secular) schools, at least in the Dublin area. I will be very interested to see what this type of public education system looks like, when both religious and secular schools are publicly funded. I hope to keep an eye on these developments in Ireland in an effort to help inform myself, my friends and my colleagues of the possibilities in the American school system. As charter schools and home schools become more and more prevalent, I'm curious to see how these systems evolve to both embrace tradition and diversity.

There were so many other topics covered in our conversation, including the feeding system of Irish education; the pressure put on teachers in specific schools to make sure their students make certain scores on the Leaving Cert (600 is the highest score, and at Siobhan's school, something like 40% of their students earn a 550 or higher!); the fact that students can begin Community College in Ireland at the age of 13 (very similar to NC's early-college program) and that these students are traditionally the ones who are in feeder schools for poor secondary institutions, or who won't be able to earn a high enough score on the Leaving Cert in a traditional high school to get into the higher educational institution they want to attend; the severe distinctions between non-permanent and permanent contracts, and the potential abuse of permanent contracts; and the still overtly misogynistic method of hiring permanent employees based on women's fertility ages - did you know that female teachers in Ireland are less likely to be hired during their 30s than their 20s or 40s? I sure didn't! But that seems to be common practice, and something I've heard not only from my two teacher friends...

Regarding my own personal career objective, this visit-turned-learning-experience had limited utility value, until we got to the pub and I was able to have one-on-one conversations with both Eoghan and Siobhan about their own approaches to the classroom. It was so fascinating to see how invested they are in their students' learning! We discussed a variety of teaching strategies, assessment practices, and those Aha! moments for our students that drive us to be willing to deal with the political frustrations, if it means helping transform that one student's understanding of the world. For me, this is why I want to go into Faculty Development with a focus on Teaching Strategies: to help professors find that Aha! moment that drives them to want to help their students learn.

Point of Impact: Culture

For the purposes of this first reflective blog post during my EdD internship at NUI-Maynooth, I will discuss three topics:

1. Experience of Personal or Independent Travel During the International Experience
2. Adjustment During the International Experience, and
3. Experience of Cultural Difference

While I believe that each of these topics have repeatedly intersected during my first few days back in Ireland, it will make it easier for me to put my experience into words, without sounding like I'm just writing a travel log, if I organize my thoughts using these topics.

Experience of Personal or Independent Travel During the International Experience

As a distance learner, I was traveling from a different location than the others, so I was traveling independently. I am quite used to traveling alone - I prefer it, actually - as I have lived in Canada and Ireland before, and I have attended several conferences around the United States and Canada. As an independent traveler, I can set my own pace, make unplanned decisions, and navigate an airport quite efficiently. The first leg of my trip went quite smoothly, and I arrived in Boston early afternoon, giving me plenty of time to send out some last-minute announcements to my students and clean up some assignments that my students will have while I'm away. 

I worked for a few hours before checking my email to find that my flight had been delayed. Again, not surprised. I know to expect the unexpected when traveling: I have lost luggage, sat on a tarmack for hours, been delayed because "ground transport ran into the wing of the plane and it needed to be repaired", I've even slept in an airport for 3 days waiting on standby for a seat while I was fleeing a country during times of unrest. So this delay was nothing to be concerned about. I asked to be put on an earlier flight, reminded them to retag my luggage (which they said they did), and was on a plane 3hrs earlier than planned. The flight was your typical screaming infant experience, and the food was better than expected. 

It wasn't until I arrived in Dublin that I had an actual hiccup: the luggage was never retagged. They told me to expect it on the later flight and the airline would shuttle it to my accommodations upon arrival - lunchtime, at the latest (which, I was told later, in Ireland, could be as late as 4pm). The day came and went - no luggage. It is now day 5, and the airlines have no clue where my luggage is. Thankfully, as an experienced traveler, I did plan for delayed (not lost) luggage, and I packed 3 days worth of outfits into my carry-on bags.

Upon reflection, I am a little annoyed with myself, because my initial packing plan was to take only carry on luggage, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Now, the airport has 21 days before the luggage is declared "lost" and I file a reimbursement claim, but I could have avoided this hassle if I'd just been a minimalist. As it is, there is a possibility that my belongings are truly lost and that's a lot of Lularoe to replace!

Adjustment During the International Experience

Although I've lived in Ireland for more than a year before, I hadn't been to the island since January 2009 - a lot has changed, but a lot has stayed the same! I thought I had gotten into "Irish" mode in preparation for this trip, but nothing can prepare you for the small cultural differences - even if I've previously adjusted to them. I reminded myself that they don't have the same expectations as we do in the States when it comes to Customer Service, but, still, when I asked for a fried egg and the guy at the counter was like, "you can have scrambled", I felt a little jolt of annoyance. Then I reminded myself of where I was, and said, "no thank you" and got a juice, instead. 

When I was here last, I was shocked to see Polish aisles in the grocery stores, so I was expecting to see a lot of Polish this time... but, to be honest, this country is WAY more diverse than it was less than 10 years ago! I found it really fun to sit down with a manicurist from India who came here on a holiday with a friend 10 years ago and just never left. We talked about Irish men (she married & divorced one, and just got her heart broken the day before by another), their commitment issues, and their tendency to avoid confrontation at all costs. Additionally, in the first 3 days of this trip I met several immigrants to Ireland: the young lady in the International Students Office here at NUI-Maynooth is from Eastern Europe; one of the ladies I'm working with in the Graduate Studies Office is from London; and another is from an African country (I only spoke with her for a minute, so I don't know which one). So, it's not just the international experience of "American versus Irish", but rather, considering the different ways each country deals with its identity as a cosmopolitan nation that I found this most fascinating this first few days.

Experience of Cultural Difference

I found that a lot of my experience of cultural difference this time around was muted, compared to the first time I was here, but there is still so much to learn about Ireland and its people! Some folks like to talk about Ireland's history, some like to talk about its current affairs, and still others like to talk about Global Issues (specific to where participants in the conversation are from) - which, in my case always refers back to the current elections in the United States. One  example of this, just in the first few days was the lunch we had on Monday, where I sat at a table with Drs. Ryder and Thompson, Jen and her new coworkers (I assume?) and the entire conversation was dominated by their concern about Trump and how having him as President of the United States is terrifying on an international level. I knew that, from reading news articles from Ireland, England, and Canada, but hearing individuals express their concern was a reminder that although we, as Americans tend to be Ameri-centric, it is important to acknowledge the impact our decisions have on the rest of the world.

Eilis, one of the supervisors for our internship in the Graduate Studies Office, sat down and talked with Deirdre and I for about an hour on our first day about cultural differences. Her perspective was both oddly comforting and insightful as she compared the British to the Irish, especially in terms of racism and international relations. During a moment of her own reflection, Eilis wondered if a reason why the Irish didn't have as much of an issue with racial differences as we do in the States is because of the dialogue that is inherently built into Irish culture. Eilis didn't put it that mildly, she said something like, "Say, if my mum were to meet someone with darker skin, she'd be like, 'now, where did you get that color from?' and prod away until there was nothing hidden, and she knew everything there was to know about this new person in her life... because once ye're in Ireland, ye become our business". 

Eilis also mentioned that being Irish is not about color, race, or nationality - it's about acceptance. I think this was probably the most insightful thing I've ever heard about Irish intercultural relations. She noted that you could be any religion, but you can't be "no religion", and not because people will have a problem with you, but because the government won't know which school to put you in - they only provide public education based on religious preference, and they will only support schools with a religious framework - regardless of the chosen religion. 

Additionally, in this conversation, Eilis reminded us that the only thing that is unnacceptable - that the Irish can't forgive - is when outsiders are critical of their ways. Again, I found this incredibly useful; I have been told all my life that American travelers are hated in other countries, and I am always extra careful when traveling internationally to defer to the culture in which I am visiting, but it is not the way we are trained in the U.S. We are told to be bold, to boast about our abilities, and to prioritize ourselves above others in an effort to "get ahead", so when we travel, these attributes are magnified in cultures that consider these same attributes to be negative. I, thankfully, have never had to learn this lesson the hard way, but I have already caught myself struggling with annoyances (like my room getting switched around 3 times in the 1st week, or the lack of vending machines in our accommodations), which are so dumb when I stop to think about it! If I just remember to practice the art of appreciating our differences, I am always rewarded by friendships and levels of trust beyond what I could expect in a short visit, so I'm glad Eilis reminded me to avoid judging "the Irish way" and just enjoy it :)

Health Coaching, part 4

See my response to Sarah below:

Hi again!

First of all, I have been thinking about all of these things for 10 months... so it is not overwhelming at all! In fact, it is refreshing to have someone willing to work with me and meet me where I am... so thank you! :)

In response to your questions, see blue text below:

Hi Steph,
It is nice to hear from you again! Great job on keeping up with the workouts! Thank you for taking the time to answer those additional questions!

That’s helpful that you have another reason to get up early so that you that you do have that little bit of added pressure. Briohny does have some amazing strength, doesn’t she? I suggest doing as much as you can when holding those yoga poses and with each little extra hold, you will gain strength as well as flexibility. I completely understand! I was unable to even get into a downward-facing dog position on the first day, but, after 6 days of routine exercise, I can hold Cody's downward-facing dog for almost the entire time! I can only hold Briohny's for about 10 seconds, but I have also only done her routine 1x... Today, I am really feeling two yoga workouts from yesterday, but it is a MUCH better pain than the pain I was in a week ago. That pain is nearly erased. I don't know how you guys come up with your programs, but, man!, do they work!

I am glad that you love the mobility workouts….Cody is great! The DailyBurn is great that the next workout pops up in your today page, however, keep in mind that the programs were designed with specific workouts to be done during the week for optimal mobility, muscle function and balance. A day missed here and there shouldn’t affect your results by much. I suggest that we work together to come up with a realistic workout schedule that you can commit to. Agreed. I have been doing some thinking. I am pretty sure that I can wake early (now that I've done it once and realize how amazing it is -- things I NEVER thought I'd say!!!) on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. I can do the Tuesday routine after work, because it's a short day and I am off work at 1:30pm. And Monday will just have to be my rest day. Except Cody's Restorative Yoga. That is now a part of my nightly bedtime routine :) This is my goal. If I am only able to wake up 1 day a week for a while, then I will commit to 3 mornings, 5 afternoons, and 7 nights, for now. That's including weekends. I do truly want/need to make mornings a priority, though, so my ideal is: 6 mornings, and 7 nights. Did this make sense?

Sometimes it is helpful for clients to email their coach after they have completed their workout for accountability. We will check in with you weekly otherwise.

• Do you think that will work for you? Absolutely! Done! I have not worked out this morning (Saturday) - drowning in chores & errands, but I will email you after my afternoon workout, for sure! :)

It sounds like you have been through the wringer with your weight loss efforts and your physicians. I am glad that you have finally found someone who is more helpful in that arena. That is excellent and yes…A HUGE win on maintaining your weight loss, especially through the holiday season. It sounds like spending time focusing on meal planning and execution.

Here are a couple of resources to help you get the wheels spinning.

- DailyBurn Recipes – any recipes that you find on here will be nutritious and help promote weight loss and you can filter your search with the menu bar at the top, which includes an option “time: less than 25 minutes”.

Also, check out this great article on 12 Brilliant Meal Prep Ideas to Free Up Your Time

Eating out can really be detrimental to any sort of weight loss efforts, however, it is unrealistic to say “never eat out again”. I think setting a goal of now more than 2 times a week is realistic and would make a huge difference in your weekly caloric intake. I don't think you can use the links without a Daily Burn account, but I'm leaving them in here, just in case...

• What do you think? I think that this is a realistic goal for when I'm home and in a routine. What do you suggest for avoiding eating out while traveling? (for example, I am driving 5 hours (one way) to visit my family for Easter, where I will not be in my kitchen. Is there a strategy for maintaining my routines while away? Or is it just all about planning? But I honestly don't know HOW to plan for that... please advise?

You are really on to something with your alarms reminding you to eat. Regular meals are important as they fuel the next couple of hours of activity (physical, mental and emotional) in your day. It is recommended not go much longer than 4 hours between eating something and you are already doing that – great! Thank you! It has worked for almost the entire week. Except this morning, when I didn't wake until 9am and immediately started putting clothes away & getting distracted with other tiny chores, so I didn't have breakfast until 11am... boo. 

Wow, I gave you a lot to process and think about. Take your time and think it through and get back to me when you can! I look forward to hearing your thoughts! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I do have one baby question: what is your opinion on, say, GNC leanshakes as a breakfast replacement?

Health Coaching, part 3

It took me a couple days to respond to Sarah's first post, so I submitted it at 4:30pm on Friday, 20 March. Sarah responded 9 hrs later with this:

Hi Steph,

It is nice to hear from you again! Great job on keeping up with the workouts! Thank you for taking the time to answer those additional questions!

That’s helpful that you have another reason to get up early so that you that you do have that little bit of added pressure. Briohny does have some amazing strength, doesn’t she? I suggest doing as much as you can when holding those yoga poses and with each little extra hold, you will gain strength as well as flexibility.

I am glad that you love the mobility workouts….Cody is great! The DailyBurn is great that the next workout pops up in your today page, however, keep in mind that the programs were designed with specific workouts to be done during the week for optimal mobility, muscle function and balance. A day missed here and there shouldn’t affect your results by much. I suggest that we work together to come up with a realistic workout schedule that you can commit to.

Sometimes it is helpful for clients to email their coach after they have completed their workout for accountability. We will check in with you weekly otherwise.

• Do you think that will work for you?

It sounds like you have been through the wringer with your weight loss efforts and your physicians. I am glad that you have finally found someone who is more helpful in that arena. That is excellent and yes…A HUGE win on maintaining your weight loss, especially through the holiday season. It sounds like spending time focusing on meal planning and execution.

Here are a couple of resources to help you get the wheels spinning.

- DailyBurn Recipes – any recipes that you find on here will be nutritious and help promote weight loss and you can filter your search with the menu bar at the top, which includes an option “time: less than 25 minutes”.

Also, check out this great article on 12 Brilliant Meal Prep Ideas to Free Up Your Time

Eating out can really be detrimental to any sort of weight loss efforts, however, it is unrealistic to say “never eat out again”. I think setting a goal of now more than 2 times a week is realistic and would make a huge difference in your weekly caloric intake.

• What do you think?

You are really on to something with your alarms reminding you to eat. Regular meals are important as they fuel the next couple of hours of activity (physical, mental and emotional) in your day. It is recommended not go much longer than 4 hours between eating something and you are already doing that – great!

Wow, I gave you a lot to process and think about. Take your time and think it through and get back to me when you can! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Can I just say how very refreshing to, #1, know that I have a real life health coach who actually reads what I say, and #2 have our conversations in writing so that I can go back and remember what she says??? This is amazing!

Health Coaching, part 2

I'm trying to be as open and honest about my personal situation here on this blog, so here were my replies to Sarah's first email:

Nice to meet you, Sarah!

Here are my answers to your inquiries:

• You mentioned working out some mornings and every evening – is this a realistic schedule for you to continue to follow? At this present time, all I do is work & school, so yes. I need to take time to work on my body. I even managed to get up this morning for Yin Yoga, yes! (PS, it is really tough to do many of Briohny's yoga poses because they rely so heavily on the arms and I have so many neck & shoulder injuries that they just are not strong enough to hold the pose... yet.) Plus, I need a reason to wake early in the mornings and get some studying done, so it's like a double-duty accountability :)

• Have you considered following the Recover’s full workout schedule, including the mobility workouts? I love the mobility workouts. I have decided that Cody is my new best friend, lol. Because of my inability to wake early, I could not do Monday's workout at all, as I am going - literally nonstop - from 830am to 10pm every other Monday. And, because I was up so late on Monday and have an 830 course to teach the next morning, I also missed Tuesday's. I am conflicted about how I feel about the way they hold back my workouts, so that my workout is not the one on the schedule. I like that it is SO personalized and keeps me in a routine that will help keep me from hurting myself (more than usual)... but it's really annoying to see it on the schedule all wonky... I think my OCD will survive, though :)

• What do you expect from a coach in terms of holding you accountable for your workouts? If I know that someone is going to check in on me and ask if I actually worked out, I am more inclined to at least wake up and make it happen, out of some false sense of obligation. Not saying it's the healthiest mentality, but it's definitely something I am fairly certain will keep me from hitting snooze.

• You mentioned being under a physician’s care for weight loss – are you currently following a medical weight loss diet plan? I am not. I struggle from May 2014-Nov 2015 with 2 physicians in my small city. They shared a clinic. The first one told me to eat less. The next visit, I met with his colleague, who prescribed me Belviq. I lost 10 pounds over 3 months, and when I returned to him explaining that I had stalled out for the previous month, he prescribed me a gym membership with no restrictions, so the trainer pushed me way too hard & I was unable to move for nearly a week. On the 3rd visit, he told me that I needed to stop eating too much. So I now see a female PA a half an hour away who actually "hears" what I'm saying. She is trying a medication combo of Spironolactone and Metformin and treating it like PCOS. I maintained a total of 15lbs off since May through the holiday season (which I am counting as a HUGE win!), in January, I dropped another 15lbs using the meds. This past 1.5 months, I've been on a 10-lb roller coaster. Today, I weigh the exact same as I did in mid-January. It gets discouraging. My PA has just suggested that I find a meal plan that works for me. The only one I KNOW works for me is the DASH diet, and I am a terrible meal planner. When I was on it last, I had a roommate who was an EXCELLENT meal planner/grocery shopper, but now I am floundering.

• Would you be able to provide me an example of when and what you eat and drink on a typical day? This past week, I've been trying a new routine - and it seems to be working quite well, for the most part: I have alarms set with songs by my favorite singer (Jason Mraz, yes!). The song is about food: particularly going back to the earth to find nourishment, and promoting locally-grown foods - and I love it! I play it as I prepare my meals and I don't mind interrupting what I am working on to eat. My alarms are set for 830am, 1130am, 430pm, and a 7pm snack, and I have followed them quite closely all week long.

• If yesterday was fairly typical you could use that as an example since it is still fresh in your mind. Please be as specific as possible regarding the time of each meal as well as types and quantities of food consumed. Let me know any areas that you feel you particularly struggle with and any dietary restrictions you have. Okay. So, yesterday, is pretty typical of my challenging days: I ate a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on plain bread with burnt bacon from the college's only cafe/grille at 830am. White bread & american cheese, neither of which I like, but I like deciding on - and making - breakfast MUCH less. Then I felt like I skipped lunch, because all I ate at 1130am was a cup of white cheddar popcorn and a fruit cup of peaches. So I was starving by the time I got off work at 4pm, so I ran through Burger King, where I ordered a whopper AND a whopper jr (both with cheese, no lettuce, no tomato, no onion) and a Satisfries. And I ATE THEM ALL. Okay, half of the fries. No snack, because I was so full from BK. --- LUNCH, lunch is the killer meal for me. When I eat lunch, my life is so much better. And, again: the planning... gah.

• Do you enjoy preparing and cooking meals? I definitely enjoy preparing and cooking meals on the weekends, but it feels nearly impossible to do it during the week. Some days, I can pull it off, some days I can't. I am good at it, and, if I had a housekeeper, then I would be much more inclined, but that is out of the realm of your abilities! :)

I hope this helps? I also hope it makes sense?

Basically, I am just lazy and indecisive, but I'm working on the lazy part!

Take care, 

ss

Health Coaching, Daily Burn style (a 4-part s

So I was originally assigned Beth as my health coach, but she was unavailable, so Sarah stepped in. Here are the conversations we've had over the past few days:

Hi Steph,

My name is Sarah and I will be filling in for your coach Beth until she returns in a couple of days. It is very nice to meet you. I appreciate all of the detail in your email. It helped me to have a great understanding of what your goals are and your current struggles are. It sounds like you and your body have been through quite a bit. I am so glad that the Recover workouts are comfortable for you and great job on being so consistent with your workouts! We would be happy to help you with accountability to continue to be so consistent with your activity and with your meal planning. In order to make realistic suggestions for you, I would like to learn a little bit more about your lifestyle, schedule, current eating habits and preferences.

• You mentioned working out some mornings and every evening – is this a realistic schedule for you to continue to follow?

• Have you considered following the Recover’s full workout schedule, including the mobility workouts?

• What do you expect from a coach in terms of holding you accountable for your workouts?

Let’s also discuss your eating habits:

• You mentioned being under a physician’s care for weight loss – are you currently following a medical weight loss diet plan?

• Would you be able to provide me an example of when and what you eat and drink on a typical day? If yesterday was fairly typical you could use that as an example since it is still fresh in your mind. Please be as specific as possible regarding the time of each meal as well as types and quantities of food consumed. Let me know any areas that you feel you particularly struggle with and any dietary restrictions you have.

• Do you enjoy preparing and cooking meals?

Congratulations for your most recent efforts – signing up for the DailyBurn, regular workouts, eliminating added sugar and making a plan to develop a new healthier lifestyle! I look forward to hearing back from you and getting you started on an awesome plan!

Mornings & Yoga (unrelated)

Hello!

Okay, so two things about mornings:

1. I hate them. I choose sleep over just about anything - except getting fired - in the mornings... but!
2. I found a way to use Jason Mraz songs for my phone alarm app and I now wake up to the joyous sounds of Jason's own struggle to wake up. He sounds way more accepting of mornings, but at least now - for the past 4 days - I have actually enjoyed waking up!

Which is great and all, when I'm setting my alarm to wake at my "usual" time. I wake up and I'm out the door in under 10 minutes! But when I want to get one Recover workout done in the mornings + one Restorative Yoga session in before bedtime... well, the morning routine ALWAYS loses. 

PRO: I have managed to SET my alarm for 6:30am every morning before I go to bed. And I have managed to do my 15-minute restorative yoga session before bed for 4 out of 5 nights. The 5th night, I had a migraine.

CON: I end up entirely RE-setting my alarm around the 6am hour in my sleep -- out of habit. BAD habit!!!

My baby goal is to get one tiny workout in every day. I have almost accomplished that (darn migraine!)... so, starting this weekend (21 March), I hope to become more faithful to my future self: next week's baby step will be to do my restorative yoga every night, plus at least 4 morning workouts. These morning workouts are "easy" to do on the weekend, when I don't have to be at work at 8:30... I am soooo not a morning person. But If I can get at least 2 mornings in next week, I am calling it a "WIN!".

_________________________________________________________________________________

Yoga!

Okay, so I already know that Yoga and Pilates are my best exercise bets, thanks to asthma & injuries. But I am so very tight and just plain incapable, after years without any kind of significant exercise, that I am unable to just jump right in. I have not exercised - or even walked for any length of time - since I herniated my C5-C6 disc in 2011. I am easing into this.

I explained 2 of the workouts in my program in my last post, so today I want to focus on Yoga. Because I took Monday & Tuesday off of the morning routine, I decided to at least get one "morning" exercise in this afternoon. Today's workout was Strength Recovery Yoga with Briohny Smyth (Bree-onnie Sm"eye"th). I was worried about the strength part. I had tried one of Briohny's regular yoga sessions a couple weeks ago & almost cried for 2 days. This was nothing like that! It was a short - 23min - workout where Briohny walked me through a Yoga routine. It allowed me to do exactly what my body would let me do, and it rocked!

Things I learned in this Yoga workout:

1. My arms are strong enough to plank for approximately 10 seconds. Which is WAY longer than I have ever tried.
2. I have a REALLY tough time in transitions, but once I learn the routine, I'm sure I'll be better :) and
3. I am exceptionally good at the folds. I've never even thought of trying to fold my body into tight poses, but Briohny told me exactly where to put my limbs, where my weight should be balanced, and even when to breathe. I felt like a rock star when I could still place my right foot behind my left hip and bend my left leg over my right leg to place my left foot beside my right hip. AND TWIST my spine so that my hands were nearly facing backwards! It was CRAZY!!!

There are places in my body where I can already tell it's gonna hurt in the morning, but it will be a good hurt, yes! And Daily Burn arranges the workouts so that I am not focusing too much on any one part of my body 2 days in a row...

I'm hoping to post about my first experience with my new health coach, Beth, in the next few days. She sent me a survey to complete and a questionnaire to answer, so I just got those to her this afternoon. (This service is also included in Daily Burn for $28usd/month - less than the cost of a gym membership around here.)

PS: Sugar-free for 13 days! End of tomorrow = TWO WEEKS! Man! I am so very glad I did that cleanse!

Take care all, 

xoxo

ss

Exercise! (part 2)

So yesterday (14 March), I signed up for Daily Burn. Maybe it's because it is marketed so well, but mostly it was because I HATE going to the gym. The traveling to & from + awkward shoering is such a waste of time, and I don't have time to waste. So I'm giving it a try! I found a program for me called "Restoration" that walks me through trigger points, joint mobility, range of motion, and baby-step yoga, which is about all I can handle.

I went through my very first 30-minute session yesterday afternoon and felt like I actually exercised without injuring myself -- for the first time in 8 years!!! Cody Storey is my new fave person! There were some exercises that I couldn't do physically, but Cody reminded me that that was okay. My goal is to work my way up to being able to perform these exercises pain-free, and did NOT make me feel guilty for not keeping up... he actually sounded like he cared - and that is rare. The last time I had that kind of encouragement was in Physio in Saskatchewan! It is a week-long cycle, but I will stick with this until I feel like I can push myself further.

I have also been looking into restorative yoga for a couple weeks now, and struggling to find a workout. Later yesterday afternoon, as I was scrolling through the individual workouts on the "easy" level, I actually found a Restorative Yoga workout! And guess who teaches it? Yep! Cody Storey. Seriously, I think we are going to be best friends :) Cody suggested that the Restorative Yoga workout be performed nightly, before bed to act as a sleep aid.

So, last night, before bed... I exercised AGAIN! WHAT?!? This workout was only 15 minutes long, and it was more stretching and relaxing than actual "working out", but I'm still calling it a win! I had one of the best, most restful sleeps I can ever recall. In. My. Life.

I woke this morning sore in lots of places, but it is a GOOD sore! So, the first thing I did after breakfast was turn on Daily Burn -- I feel like I am not talking about myself as I type this. I DO NOT exercise 2 times in one day, and then AGAIN the next morning. EVER. But I did this morning!

Today, I met Lindsey Miller, who walked me through trigger points using a tennis ball and a foam roller. Better than a massage, plus a lot less expensive! This was another 30-minute workout, and I was able to do all of the exercises except one - because it was at the end and I had to rely on my arms, which directly impact my neck, which is still in pain and quite ginger... but I will get there!

Last week, when my sister was here, we printed off photos of our thinner selves as motivation. And today, I plan to post them everywhere. I will share those in my next post...

If there are any questions, comments, or suggestions, please comment!
ss

Exercise! (a 2-part series)

Again, if you know me, you know that exercise is not my fave word... or action. I am lazy by nature and I like it that way, but I like the idea of losing weight more!

One looming adversary of Steph exercising, though, is the inevitable injury... lol. I have had a herniated disc at the C5-C6 vertebrae for 4 years now, and although there are flare ups after sitting at a desk for 12-15hrs (whose neck wouldn't be resistant after that???), for the past several years, I have managed to avoid any re-injury. No exercise was key (in my mind... I know better on a logical level, but wasn't willing to risk it).

Then, as I mentioned earlier, I fell. It was a clumsy, really dumb, freak-accident fall that only I could manage. I was taking out the garbage: 1 big bag + 1 big box. Any NORMAL person would break down the box and carry them both separately, but not me! My genius self decided that I should put the bag IN the box, because, well... lazy.

The box was both awkward & heavy. Perfect combo! I got to the dumpster, and the window on this one is a little higher than most, so I had to push the box up over my head to get it into the window. Then I realized that it would only fit one way (naturally) - I had to keep the box upright, hold the flaps on the top of the box flat, and leverage it with my weight. Simple enough, right? HAH!

By this point, I was on my "tippy toes" (now I know where THAT name comes from...) and leaned with all my weight into the box. What I lacked was applicable understanding of physics: when the box that was balancing my body dropped into the dumpster, I lost my balance... my left foot slid down a curb, and I did this weird pirouette thing to spin around and avoid falling into garbage mud. I landed on my hands and knees and slid about 2.5 feet across the parking lot pavement. And I INSTANTLY knew that I was in trouble.

That was 2 months ago. I am still heavily medicated and can usually sit at a desk for no longer than 4-5hrs at a time, which, as a student & a teacher, is not very productive. Now, I have this trip to Charlotte coming up in 3 weeks and I am dreading the 5-hr drive each way over a 3-day weekend.

SO! Instead of embracing my natural inclination toward laziness, I have decided to do what must be done. The cleanse, by the way, really IS pretty magical - my first inclination was to just take the train, but now, I want to work on getting rid of the pain. I should not be allowing pain & negativity control my life. I refuse.

A New Journey, part 5

I will admit - day one SUCKED. Not for the usual "cleansing" reasons, but because part of this program is detoxing using essential oils and we were both so very miserable. Headaches, vomiting, general "icky" feelings... and by day 2, we were pretty good. Day 3 was actually a decent day. And on Day 4, we ran into an unanticipated snag regarding the supplies (because I can't do math, *sigh*), so we didn't make it through the entire cleanse, but we definitely felt MUCH better. And I had broken my enormous dependency on sweet tea (aka the Devil's Brew, in my opinion!)!! I also have not had any added sugar in 8 days. For those of you who know me - you know that this is a BIG DEAL. Not because I've never done this before - but because I HAVE gone off sugar before, and I lost 65 lbs in 6 month, and maintained within 10lbs of that for over a year. Then I moved to Ireland. See my very first post on here.

So where do I go from here? My sister and I were both doing this cleanse for different reasons. Although we both wanted - NEEDED - to lose weight, her primary goal is to go entirely whole foods. And she can, where she lives. But that is not the most viable option for me in the food desert in which I reside. So I'm considering 2 options: the DASH diet (because it worked for me last time), and the Blood-Type diet (because what I'm eating now is obviously not helping me stay healthy - even if the food itself is healthy). I have signed up for Daily Burn and am working on the Restorative Program that helps with Joint Mobility and Range of Motion. They say it's a 1-week program, but I have a feeling I'll be working on these for a while... and I hope to do the Restorative Yoga class at least once a day.

But, as far as diet goes, I am stuck!

I want to do the DASH diet because it is easy to follow, but I have been trying for months and haven't been able to make it a routine. (I miss my Canadian roommate who supported me through this the first time around and did most of the grocery planning!) And the Blood Type Diet is declaring that, for my blood type (O), I should avoid dairy and gluten. I'm at a place, immediately after the cleanse where I think I could probably do that -- and actually make it work using the DASH diet, but I'm worried about being too restrictive. Ideas? Suggestions?

*This post will probably not be published for a while, because I don't want to bombard anyone with SO VERY MANY words... but still, if/when you read this, comment me any suggestions, okay?

And that is where I am now (14 March 2015). I hope to use this space as an accountability log-slash-progress tracker, so I'll try my best to check in regularly to update my ups and downs of this new journey. Take care :)

A New Journey, part 4

First of all: HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY, YES!!!!

The most recent step in my weight loss roller coaster has been a 5-day nutritive cleanse through an essential oil company that I love and promote and highly recommend: Young Living. My sister & I have gotten into essential oils pretty heavily since June 2014, and my sister even values them so much that she is no working toward a certification in holistic wellness and nutrition! Last October (2014), she & I went to the home of a Young Living distributor who has turned her life around because of YL Essential Oils. I had never met, or even heard of, this lady before our meeting, but I learned a LOT from her class... but my sister and she are Facebook friends and run in some of the same online social networking circles, so I didn't learn her story until my sister shared her testimonial FB post...

She posted about 8-10 photos of herself, starting from May 2013 to January 2015. The first 4 photos, I had no idea who this woman was... I was like, "great, another 'success story'"... and I then I got to photo 5!!! I did NOT know the lady in the early photos, but I KNEW THIS WOMAN!!! I had to go back, over and over to make sure I wasn't making things up and that this was, actually, the same woman! And I was motivated!

My sister & I spoke about this transformation, and decided that we'd both like to try and follow in her footsteps. The 1st thing K did was the Young Living 5-day Nutritive Cleanse. So we ordered one of those. Neither my sister nor myself had ever done a cleanse before, and we doubted we could do it alone, so my sister took 1 of her vacation weeks to drive up and visit me and survive this cleanse together... the first night she was in town, we watched a 30 minute testimonial video of K's experience. K explained everything she did, but reminded us that every body is different. After the nutritive cleanse, she spent the rest of the month re-balancing her minerals and nutrients using YL essential oils and supplements, but she didn't change much of her eating. And she didn't lose weight. The second month, she went off sugar. Month 3: white flour. Month 4: drive thru / fast food. I don't remember what Month 5 was, but it was another elimination... still no weight loss. But she wasn't doing this for weight loss - she was doing this to be healthy. In her words, "If I am supposed to be 399.6 lbs, then I'll be 399.6 lbs, but I'll be a healthy 399.6 lbs!"

During Month 5, her youngest daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Her daughter, at 2.5 years old was the youngest of K's bajillion children, and the only one who was forced to eat gluten-free. So, K decided to go off of gluten as her Month 6 elimination, purely to support her daughter... and she lost FORTY-SIX POUNDS IN 1 MONTH. And the weight kept dropping. Between October 2014 and January 2015, K had gone from 399.6 to 195 lbs... our minds were blown! We made goals for our individual needs and started the cleanse the following morning.

A New Journey, part 3

Then, 2 weeks into the New Year, I fell. For the first time since I'd moved here, so that was a win!, but, still. Falling & I are the worst possible combination. I have spent the past 2 months struggling with pain of several varieties, in multiple locations, and both chronic & acute. I went 6 weeks maintaining my weight, even on pain killers & muscle relaxants. Then, I hit a low and the chocolate cravings won out. I gained 5 lbs in 2 weeks and got VERY frustrated. AND I'm still in pain. Gah!

About a month ago - 1 month after the fall - I was referred to an orthopedic surgeon by Sonya. I visited him and he took xrays. Nothing is broken (naturally). He took me off of the pain meds and put me on an anti-inflammatory that, if not taken immediately after eating, and, if I don't stay upright for at least 30-60 minutes after taking the pill, I risk ulcers in the esophagus. No pressure. But it helped the pain and I wasn't high, so I was still quite happy. I can see the light at the end of this tunnel! Or, I'll have to have surgery. I'll find out on 20 March.

A New Journey, part 2

A GYM MEMBERSHIP.

I can see things from his perspective, but this man also knew that I am dealing with a herniated disc, scar tissue throughout my left side from various injuries, and not a lot of free time. But I went to the gym. The doc had written that I had no restrictions, so the trainer dismissed my repeated reminders that I am inured and pushed me through a series of testing that ended up irritating my herniated disc for a week. Needless to say, I did not return. But I bought a Fitbit Flex and started making sure I had at least 5000-7500 steps in each day. That was more than I was doing before.

I lost the same 7 lbs for the next 4 months & returned to the physician, who shrugged and said, "well, you just aren't doing enough". And I walked out and found myself a new physician.

This new physician listened to me. And actually heard me. She was totally guessing, but wanted to try something: she wanted to know if, maybe it was my hormones that were wreaking havoc on my body and keeping me from losing the weight. So she diagnosed me with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and put me on Metformin (usually for diabetics, but used to lower insulin in those with PCOS -- I have no blood sugar issues, nor am I even pre-diabetic, but anything was worth a shot!) and Spironolactone (a diuretic). Sure! Why not? I dropped 10 more lbs immediately, and another couple pounds over the following 3 months, for a total of 30 lbs down since May, but still higher than my previous "highest weight" of 220.

I started seeing Sonya (the new physician) in November 2014. I started taking Metformin & Spironolactone, literally, the day before Thanksgiving. Over the holidays, I neither lost nor gained weight, which I am calling a success!

A New Journey: Becoming a Better, Healthier Steph (A 5-part series)

SO! I thought about starting an entirely new place to blog, but I already have so many wonderful words here that I want to give it another try - I know it has been forever. I have been so busy that I've forgotten how to write - or even think - about any one thing... but I am starting a new path and I want a place to track it, so... either "you're welcome!" or "beware!".

I was at my highest weight in my life last May, after less than 1 year in a food desert. I now live at the exact midpoint of the east coast states.Every traveling from upper Florida to NYC, Miami to Maine goes right through my city. And there are what appears to be more fast food restaurants than people here, as a result. I am pretty sure that the Starbucks sign is a beacon for an alien spaceship. So I lived here for 10 months and tried out every. single. place.

It was not my finest moment when I stepped on the scale and weighed a quarter of a ton. And I was determined to reverse the damage I'd done to myself, both emotionally & physically. So I went to my doctor who agreed that I needed to lose weight. BIG SURPRISE! He prescribed me Belviq for appetite suppressant. And, as an appetite suppressant, boy, is that a magic little pill! But Belviq did not help with my sugar addiction or my poor food choices. I lost 10 lbs the first month. Then I stalled out. After 2 months, I checked in with my physician, and he - literally - prescribed me a gym membership.

A GYM MEMBERSHIP.

Blogging is Tough When You're Drowning in Work (and GoT)!

I am so sorry that my blogging has taken a backseat these past couple weeks! There are so many stories to tell, but no time to tell them... I am usually waking up between 6 & 6:30, in the office by 7:15, and working until around 5 every weekday, except Tuesdays, when I work until 9pm, then I'm usually in bed by 7:30 and either looking at a magazine (because that's all the mental capacity I have left) or playing candy crush saga (my sanity-saving tool, lately) for about an hour before I fall into a deep slumber.

On the weekends, I am awake by 8am, play candy crush saga for about an hour before I spend 8-10 hours grading and planning at home. My life would seem so boring, if it weren't for the fact that, as an educator, NOTHING is EVER boring!! Which is why I chose this field :)

In the past week, I have had one older student (50s, maybe?) file a grievance against me for PUSHING THE MUTE BUTTON on her laptop, that she brought to OUR COMPUTER LAB CLASS and then turned on and couldn't stop the sound from echoing throughout the classroom... can you tell I am thrilled about that situation?? It got resolved, she dropped the course (PTL), and then came to my office a few days ago to apologize -- so THAT was nice!

I have also had to kick 17 of 20 students out of my 8am class for not bringing in their homework FOR THE 3RD TIME THIS TERM (and it had only been in session for a month at the time!), which created both the dramatic effect I needed to make them realize I was serious, and a complaint to both the Division Chair (my boss) and the Dean (his boss) by my "old man" student (self-proclaimed, mid-50s). Later that week (last Thursday), when we were drafting our first essays & they were supposed to bring in Introductions to revise, this same student brought in an Intro that DID NOT FOLLOW THE PROMPT (Narrative Essays can be Autobiographies, yes, but not when the prompt specifically states to choose 1 moment in your life to narrate, and not after we've spent three weeks talking about that one moment. Needless to say, my "old man" student had a fit. He threw a tantrum in the classroom, then left the classroom and threw a tantrum in the tutoring center (where they told him the same thing I told him), then he threw a tantrum in my colleague's office (overheard by several adjoining colleagues' offices, including my Department Chair) -- where he heard THE EXACT SAME THING I told him!

But something magical happened, and he submitted an amazing essay 6 days later - after dozens of hours of blood, sweat and tears. I will say this: he is determined to survive! And then I learned that this was the VERY first essay he'd ever written in his life, and I nearly cried from both joy & sorrow.

And yesterday, I got the ball rolling on possibly getting 2 of my early college students (high school students in my college course) suspended from their high school for extreme disrespect of me, other students and the classroom environment, in general. Meeting with them & the principal on Monday morning... awesome.

So. Needless to say, I am making a name for myself?? The best part is, while I have been terrified of losing my job before I can build my career for the past 2 weeks, my boss ('s boss)('s boss) have all been noticing the manner in which I have handled these tough situations, and the criticisms of students, and they have said, 1) they aren't in the business of hiring someone, just to spend the first year trying to find ways to fire them (WHEW!), and 2) they are impressed.

What a great feeling!

In addition, this week has been a roller coaster - I mean, QUITE bipolar - and in the midst of the abovementioned chaos, I have also:

1. Been invited to join a Leadership Institute - a grant-funded training program in Community College Leadership that requires an application process, but I received a specific invitation without applying due to an anonymous referral. Crazy!
2. Been asked to be part of a textbook adoption committee (which led to apparently organizing everything about it, haha) to find an appropriate text for this new state-mandated change in Developmental English programs (something about which I had never heard until August) called the DREs.
3. Been asked to represent the college, along with my mentor and another colleague at a statewide convention-type training seminar in Greensboro in 2 weeks to bring info back to the college and share with the rest of the department. Hotel & travel expenses are paid :), and 
4. Been told by my department chair that he "thinks I have potential for leadership here at the college", what!?

And in the midst of ALL of THAT, I still managed to do my actual job of teaching 120 students in 7 sections, and plan for an 8th section that starts mid-October. 

Two days ago, I had to send out over 10 emails to Distance Learning students who have been missing from class the past 2 weeks. If I don't hear from them by noon today, they get dropped from the course, per college policy... more paperwork for me, yay!

I have also marked over 500 assignments + 25 exams in the past week. And helped 2 students in my night class survive breakdowns over the stress of writing a research report. LITERAL BREAKDOWNS. Tears, shaking, running from the room to get air... 

it's been a wild ride so far, and I am loving every minute of it...

and in the midst of ALL of THAT, I got addicted to Game of Thrones. So, you see? Blogging just HAD to take a backseat for a minute, but hopefully, this novel will suffice :)

xoxo