Disappointment + Decisions

I'm disappointed in myself for not posting in over a month. To sum up, the 40-day program was phenomenal and yoga has become a part of my routine. I feel weird without it. What do they say? It takes 21 days to create a habit? If I'm able to do yoga 6 days/week for approx. 6 weeks, then I feel that I'm able to do just about anything regarding exercise. I wish I had documented my progress throughout the program, but I didn't. I'm sure it'll come out in pieces here and there.

I'm also disappointed in the fact that I gained weight from doing that program. Though it wasn't my intention to lose weight, it also wasn't my intention to gain. My only conclusion is that the weight-gain is due to muscle (which is great). But still, it's no fun waking up one morning only to learn that more than half of your pants don't fit anymore. My Bauer-butt has increased in size (or so it seems). For those of you who don't know, the Bauer-butt is a term my sisters and cousins have created to describe our butts. Finding a pair of pants that fit can be taxing. What usually happens is that pants will fit everywhere but the waist, which just kinda sticks out because our butts fill in the back but our waists are small. ::sigh::

Now to the most pressing issue: work. Once again, the security of my position for next year is up in the air. For the 09-10 school year, art has been cut from 5 days to 4 at S.P. So, if I retained my position there, that would mean 4 days at S.P. and 1 day at another school. That's a big IF, though. DCPS has called for a 30% reduction in art teachers at the elementary level; this amounts to 26-28 teaching positions. This means that seniority comes into play, and because I only have 2 yrs. in the system, I am @ the top of the list for being surplussed or terminated. Overall, I'm just happy that there will still be art at my school, whether or not I'm the teacher. It is, however, discouraging; I feel that I've laid a really good foundation this year in my 2nd round of teaching, and to think that I wouldn't be able to build further upon that f-in blows....not to mention all the connections and relationships I've made with the Cummer Museum, the Weaver program, the Chartrand Foundation, etc., and all that they have contributed to the arts at our school.

After being pissed off, sad, and all of those productive things, I decided to just do my job to the best of my ability for the remainder of the year because I am still employed, thankfully. I've decided not to worry about next year because it doesn't exist yet. In the meantime, I'm making a mental list of what I will/could do if teaching is not in the cards for me after this year. I must admit that I get excited when i think about these options:

-move to the area where I'd like to attend grad school and start taking post-bacc. classes.
-apply to graduate school (I have my eye on New Mexico & Arizona)
-move overseas and teach English (Hello, Japan!)
-work for Cathedral Arts Project and paint and exhibit more
-apply for a paid internship at the MOMA in NYC

If I do lose my job, I know that I don't want to work for the public school system ever again...not in Florida, anyways. It is one of the most corrupt institutions I have ever experienced, and I do not want to be a part of that system. I've decided that FCAT will be and is the demise of public education in our state. Teachers are encouraged to "teach to the test"; if a grade level isn't going to be tested in science, then those teachers are not supposed to "waste time" teaching science. I think 3rd grade isn't tested in writing, so teachers are told not to have writing instruction.
?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!

Anyways, I suppose that's enough for a new post....