Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts

Friday, May 12, 2017

Two Discussion Posts


          I have now completed my economics course.  My instructor has completed grading all of my work, and so I will go ahead and share what I have turned in.

          On my first post this month I shared a video of a phone service parody.  This is the discussion that went with it:

      "How many of my classmates remember the landline and payphones? Funny how perspective changes from being a child to being an adult. Our responsibilities are not the same, and therefore we view the world in a different way. For example, I never personally had to wait for AT&T to come out and install or repair a telephone, but my mom did. Back then we didn't have the option of cell phones or even provider plans for that matter. The Bell System had a monopoly all across the nation with its "Bell" trademark on every phone booth. Every household that had a phone received a bill from Ma Bell, Mountain Bell, Southwestern Bell and others (depending on which part of the nation you lived).

     "By 1979 AT&T employed over a million people within all of its Bell locations (History). They were the phone company. There was no competition (Easterbrook, 1985). If you had a phone you either dealt with them, or you could forgo dealing with them which meant you also gave up the privilege of having or even using the phones. (Remember all the pay phones were provided by Bell)

      "I was still in high school in 1979 when Ma Bell settled a law suit brought on by the justice department (Barger, 1984). I understood the negative effects that a monopoly causes and was happy about the Bell System's 'break-up" in 1984. My great aunt had worked for and retired from Mountain Bell. I wanted to ask her opinion but was not allowed to bring up the subject. I'd forgotten all about that until I started doing my research for this topic.

     "I think monopolies are dangerous - at least for the consumer. The telephone company is just one example of what a monopoly does to the economy. I wonder how many of my classmates remember the parody included with my references.

          The instructor as well as eight students responded to my post. Here is a funny story I may have shared in a post before.  I brought it up again as different class members would reminisce over the landline:

            "I have to share a funny story that has nothing to do with perfect competition or monopolies, but rather about the rotary phone (remember those?)  My husband was a realtor who would bring home rare treasures every now and then.  One day he brought home a rotary phone to plug into the jack that was in the hallway - this way the boys could answer calls without having to run to the kitchen.
            "Our three boys (all younger than the cell phone) stood around it and looked at it and at each other.  Finally, one of them asked, "How does it work?"


          For this week's discussion, we were given the choice to speak on oligopolies or poverty.  This was my discussion post:

            "Funny how we were given a choice to discuss oligopoly or poverty as I feel that the two seem connected. I am not saying that Oligopoly is solely responsible for poverty, but I do think it is one contributing factor. Let me use an example of the banking industry. There are hundreds of banks, perhaps thousands, located throughout the country. Yet according to the pie graph (Jennings, 2016) below, there are only four banks which deal with over half the nation's money. Half! That is a lot of power to put into four banks.

            "As a customer, having dealt with three of the four banks, though their initial customer service seems to be professional and friendly, it felt like it is only a facade. Once I had been lured in it felt like the Oligopoly (in this case the bank) preys on my financial weakness and feeds itself out of my pocket (Parramore, 2011).

            "In some cases I had not made the choice to deal with the large bank, but had made a loan purchased from a competitor that may no longer be in business as it was swallowed up by the larger bank as well. I think Bare Truth (2013) explains it best when the comparison is made that the "ideal" is someone believing he may share a small piece of the wealth as it may be "melted" onto him, when in reality, the rich get richer by sucking finances from the poor like an inhuman vacuum.

            "If you live from paycheck to paycheck, you are better off putting your money in a smaller bank or credit union. I personally do not support any oligopolies if I can help it. I bank at a local chain that I would guess most of you have never even heard of. I actually had not heard of them until I moved into this county.

            "I think oligopolies seek power, often at the expense of their own employees  in which the dollar seems to be a higher priority than human welfare (My Reality; 2017). In my opinion, supporting oligopolies seems to be allowing them to have unnecessary power.

           

          My instructor than asked me to explain why I would recommend a small bank or credit union over the larger banks.  My response was:

            "In my experience, the larger banks have always "charged" me to keep my money in the bank.  If a deposit (biweekly paycheck) is made on the same day that my written checks (bill pay) have cleared, they will do the withdrawls before the deposits and charge me for each check that has gone over which wouldn't have been an issue if the deposit would have been cleared first. 

            "I realize that my check should not even be written if the money isn't in the bank.  Knowing it will be in the bank, I have taken it on faith that the deposit would clear first.  After the bank "robbed" me by charging me for each check, I was short for the next set of bills.

            "This has never happened for me with the credit union.  The smaller unknown bank  that I am currently with in Oregon is very much like a credit union.  Deposits clear before withdrawals are made.  I don't have to have a mandatory savings to open a checking account.  I only had to have a 25.00 minimum to open an account.

            "I struggled from paycheck to paycheck more with the large banks.  I have not had that problem with my credit union or the bank I am with in Oregon."

          I had also used this response to another class member on her post:

            "I agree that this has been an interesting week for topic discussion.  I took a class once in which the instructor picked two people to represent a very small fraction of the world.  He proceeded to carry out his demonstration by distributing groceries that he would pull from a few bags that he had. He had three of each item and would pass them out accordingly:

            "Each of the two students in front received an entire box of crackers for instance.  The remaining box of crackers would be shared among the remainder of the class (there had to have been at least 28 students) and continue with each grocery item until the bags were empty. 

            "His demonstration wasn't on poverty exactly, but rather the wealth in United States as opposed to some other countries.  US gets two entire boxes of crackers while everyone else has to share just one.  But not all US citizens are enjoying the metaphorical crackers - I think his demonstation would now be less than one cracker per class while the wealthy get to stock up on the remainder.

            "It's a problem that has existed long before the Great Depression.  I think it's well past time that we reevaluate ourselves and our values."
             I will post my final assignment tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

That Was a Less-Than-Productive Day


                Roland had asked Troy if he would like to earn some extra money by cutting the grass on our hill.  What a chore!  Troy came by about 9:00 the other day and Roland showed him what we were attempting to do outside.  Troy said he could return the following morning to remove the debris so that we can continue our garden.

                So yesterday, Troy showed up with his wheel barrow and worked hard.  Fortunately the sun was not blazing yet.  Troy is a good worker.  He was the most productive yesterday.







                Ike is a retired electrician but had told Roland he would come over to check out some sensitive spots that we would like to change.  I had been on the computer attempting to listen to a recorded lecture.  I played it several times but had allowed myself to get distracted.  The subject of perfect competition and the price floor and ceiling.  Boresville . . .


ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

                The lecture was still playing when Ike arrived.  I was also in the middle of writing an email.
   I went into the living room and turned on the TV to keep me company while I folded laundry. 


               

                The TV kept shutting itself off - or so it seemed.  It took the third interruption before my slow mind figured out that it must be related to whatever Ike was doing at the other end of the house.  I thought I had created a post about the power source in our current house, and how occasionally the front of the house has been without power though the back of the house was not affected.  It was shortly after we had moved in.  Roland lost power in his office but was able to run an extention chord from our room to his office and operated the remainder of the day with no electricity at the front of the house.  That was weird.  We had the same problem yesterday.  I don't know for certain if it's been corrected or not.

                Roland worked with Ike as he was unable to do any of his school or work.  I took my laptop onto the back porch - though the Internet was down. It was cooler outside than in our hot house - during that particular moment anyway. I pulled up my textbook (which I had saved on a PDF and so was able to view it) and struggled through chapters 8 and 9 - understanding a bit here and there, but most of it was/is quite foreign to me.  It's a wonder I've been receiving not just passing but actually good grades.




                I got a message on my computer indicating that the Internet was back up and running.  I finished my email and sent it off.  When Ike left, I shut down my laptop and got in the car so that I could run a few errands - which had taken  longer than I had predicted.  Meanwhile, Roland realized that by turning the bathroom switch off or on effected his computer.  That's not a good thing.  Thus Ike's car was in the driveway when I returned. Boy, was he ever frustrated.  I don't know who is responsible for the idiotic wiring that was already there before we moved in.



                 So far no problems.  It's a new month.  April was wet.  May has made a 20 degree jump.  I am wearing shorts.  The A/C is up.  Roland actually put it up last night before going to bed.  Once again, I don't know how I'm going to survive this summer. 



Friday, April 14, 2017

Nice to know you Value my Opinion



          Eight months after I started this blog, I created this post. Roland actually works for an online school and had taken advantage of furthering his education at a deal.  He would spend HOURS on the computer - and that was BEFORE he started working at home.  That was a LOT of time.

          Sometimes he would be frustrated - perhaps for different reasons than I had imagined.  I like having someone hold my hand and walk me through a task - rather than just hand me the instructions. And don't explain things to me on a college level.  I want you to dummy it down like I'm five (I would have gone for a higher number, but Jenna seems to absorb things better than I and has always learned things at an earlier age than I)

          Some people have asked why I have gone into accounting as I really don't have a love for it.  Because it's something that I need to know just so that I may balance my own finances - not that all my classes could  applied on a personal level.  Take this last class for example (it's official last day is tomorrow - but I have  officially finished this course as of yesterday.  I have absolutely hated this class the most - though I wasn't overly fond of the one before it.

         I had briefly mentioned in this post the requirements - though I didn't go into detail.  A student has the opportunity of signing in each day to do a daily checkpoint.  The requirement is to do just three or four checkpoints a week.  There is no penalty for incorrect answers, however a correct answer accounts for additional points toward the final grade.

          For at least three weeks (occasionally all four) the student is given a topic to discuss with the class.  We are required to research and reference the topic and it has to be in APA form.  It seems to me that most instructors are a lot more concerned with the APA style than with the content itself.  That seems pretty lame to me.


          Research can actually suck up a lot of time.  The instructor wants your opinion, but you also have to back your opinion up with reference.  Yada-yada-yada . . . . blah, blah, blah . . .
          In addition to the student's initial post, we also have to comment on two other posts from either our classmates or the instructor.  We're supposed to create an actual discussion among ourselves.  Our initial post (thus far) has to be at least 150 words PLUS references.  Our response to our classmates had to be at least 50. 

          All of my female instructors have responded to each student.  I have had two male instructors that have created posts but have not responded.  I actually enjoy the interaction with my instructors.  I like the personal comments that each has left with each individual student.

          In addition to the daily checkpoints and discussions are the assignments and assessments - which actually work out differently for each specific class.  Sometimes the assignment and assessment end up being similar, but for me personally, the assignment has usually been a word document or PowerPoint or excel and most of my assessments have been quizzes.  I like working excel as I don't have to use the APA style or count my words.  Poor Roland has had some assignments that have been bears.  4,000 plus words.  That's his own fault for selecting "business" as his major.  Did I mention that I really really don't care for business and that Roland and I are opposite in our way of thinking.

          Often, if there is a concept that I don't understand (which lately, have been many) I will send the text over to Roland and ask him to explain it to me in the same way he would explain to Thomas - who is in my primary class.  That seems to help me to understand it.  But it still doesn't make the topic any better enough to love it.  

          A lecture is given sometime before midnight Wednesday (that is when the initial discussion post is due) The lecture includes introductions (at least some of them have) reviews (all except for the last two from the same instructor) expectations for the discussion, what to expect on the assessment and how to do the assignment.


          I had a few instructors who would spend so much time on the review that they hadn't allowed for much time for the current week. I couldn't understand why all the rehashing - until I experienced my first rough spot with the course material, and then I finally understood.

          There have been some assessments I've taken that I have really not done well with - but thanks to those daily check points, I was able to remain on top.  So the school does give the student several opportunities in which to pass the course.  All of the exams are open book.

          On the forth week, before a student can enter the portal, he or she MUST fill out a survey in order to proceed.  This is to rate the course and instructor on a scale from one to 10.  Strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree. 


Until the last two courses, I had never gone below a six.  But I must say that  I found both course and instructor very had to follow, and so my ratings overall were not the best.

Overall, I am satisfied with this course.    No.  No, I am not.  I think I gave it a 2.
Course media (PowerPoint, videos, websites, resources) are engaging and useful.  I think my last two courses were the first that did not offer videos.  That's how I learn.  And PowerPoint's?  Come on, man!  The school gave us definite restrictions on the correct way to do a power point, but do not follow  their own guidelines.  The power points are BORING!  I gave both classes a 1.
The work required for the course is reasonable.   I don't know.  I guess it was.  That is if you actually understood it.       4
Course objectives are clearly stated.  Clear as WV water    6
Course content covers all course objectives.   Possibly.  Perhaps I could better answer if I could understand the language.      5

Overall, I am satisfied with my instructor for this course.  It's not his fault he doesn't resonate with me.  No one instructor is going to be liked by every student  4 - do you have any idea how hard that was for me to give someone a 4?

The instructor is knowledgeable about the course subject.  He sounds as though he is.  Maybe?  8  
       
The instructor motivates me to excel in this course.     uh?  no, not really  3 - I don't think it was his method of teaching so much as my lack of response.

I would like to take another course taught by this instructor.   NO!  No, please.  PLEASE, Please . . . no.  I'd prefer somebody who can communicate with me.  No.   1  A fat lot of good that did!  I wasn't even done with 213 when I got assigned 214 by the SAME instructor.  Are you insane????

The instructor is organized and prepared.     I think so.  I gave him a 9, possibly a 10

Instructor teaches concepts in a way that is easy to understand.   No.   I recently had told my instructor that I feel like Tom Hank's character, Josh, in "Big" when he is at a conference meeting with the board.  As John Heard's character, Paul, is trying to explain a new toy item, Josh continues raising his hand saying, "I don't get it."    I have also compared him to the adult you hear in the peanut cartoons "Wha - wha - wha- wha"  No.  Again it might not be his delivery method but maybe just the material itself (though his delivery annoyed me for the most part - except when there weren't any students present for his live lecture)

instructor holds my interest   I may have given him a 2

the instructor connects the course material to my future career.                     uh? I'm not doing anything with stocks and bonds.  That's for sure!

      I have managed to turn in my assignments and assessments by Thursday for the most part.  I think I turned only three in on a Friday for ALL of the classes that I took - until these last two.  I didn't actually get in last week's assignment until Monday of this week - so of course I was docked points for tardiness.  But it looks like I might still be able to retain my average thanks to the daily checkpoints and extra fifteen for Career Integration which is another rating for class and instructor.  Three questions. Answers have to be at least 50 words long.  I think my shortest was 63.

      I would love to take another class from my QuickBooks instructor that I had last mod.  I wonder if he teaches the more complicated accounting classes.

     My next class (I will only have one again) is economics.  I hope I will like and understand it and the instructor better than my last two classes. I don't believe I would be taking these classes at all if we still lived in Utah. Only 138 and a half more credits to go.

 

           



Saturday, February 25, 2017

That was a Painful Week



          As I mentioned in my last post, I am up to two classes again. In one accounting class I am required to used QuickBooks online.  The other feels like a refresher course - though I think I'd get more out of it if I had the same instructor that I had for 101 and 102. 

           My payroll instructor wasn't exactly monotone, but his voice did seem unenthusiastic for the most part - as though he'd rather be sitting in a dentist chair getting his teeth drilled than having to teach a class.  One instructor that I have is at the other extreme - trying to compensate for the less-than-exciting material by being "overly" enthusiastic.  I almost feels like I am taking a class taught by my brother-in-law.

           The instructor I like listening  to the most is the one I have for QuickBooks.  He's not boring.  He's not overly enthusiastic (like it's forced) When I am listening to his lecture, it feels like we are one on one and he is showing me what icons to click on and is great as explaining why.  I think his voice is easy to follow.  I like his class better of the two.

           Before the class even started, I had received an email from my  dean to set up an account in QuickBooks.  In the event that my information was put on a permanent junk-mail file, I chose to open the account on hotmail - which I keep open to use as a unwanted email account.  Unfortunately, when I had created the final step I used my hotmail user name but with a yahoo attachment - thus making my user name at hotmail invalid.

           The problem I had been created by me, and couldn't seem to be corrected - at least not in the time frame I was looking for.  Much of the communication from their end was being sent to a non-existing account - at least for me.  Thus I created a brand new account from my yahoo but with a different user name.  I didn't figure I'd be able to do anything with that class until sometime today.  Boy, was I ever surprised to have my account activated the following day.
          And so I worked on that.  But I seemed to be missing some steps or couldn't take screenshots with the appropriate information as it was not being displayed.  It took me three days to complete my assignment (good thing I was able to start it earlier than I had believed)

          Meanwhile I seemed to be neglecting my other class.  I managed to struggle through that and turned in both assignments yesterday.  I probably should have saved my assessments for today, but decided to do them yesterday.  Unfortunately I didn't do well at either one.  Let's hope I receive a better grade on the assignments.  That has actually been the case thus far.

           Meanwhile I've been neglecting my blog - not to mention other blogs I've been reading.  Jenna was home from school yesterday and I had attempted to spend quality time with her so she didn't feel neglected.  I skimmed over my primary lesson but will need to go over it again.  In addition I've been attempting to clean the house - or tidy it up a bit. 

       
          After over three months of not having full time missionaries in our ward, they have returned and so we will be feeding them tonight.  I wonder if they have  A Voice from the Dust in their collection.  It was suggested to show to my primary class about the three witnesses.  I suppose I can ask.


Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Just Names on the Payroll




          I still like the feel of a book in my hands rather than having to constantly refer to the screen and "turn" the page by pressing next or arrow.  When the library had the book sale back in October and November, I found an accounting book that was in great condition - but it was from 1979.  I picked it up anyway. 

          Thus far I have taken two accounting classes and am now on my third and so far my outdated book has been compatible to my first two courses.  I obviously hadn't taken payroll or taxes into account.  Guess what my accounting focus is on for this class?

          The government laws are constantly changing.  This tax is taken out for this purpose, that tax for another.  We no longer have just FICA and SSN - now there is IRCA created in in 1986, FMLA created in 1993, PRWORA created in 1996, the list goes on and on.  I don't know that I'm expected to memorize every initial and reasons for the organization for this week - but I'm certain I'll need to understand them all before I get a job doing payroll.  DANG!



          I'm trying not to take these laws personally and actually have a better understanding of WHY I had taken that history class.  Our last discussion post was on the topic " Equality vs. Equity".  I wrote the following:

        "When I first saw the topic Equality vs. Equity, I was confused as I was looking at equity to mean: "the value of the shares issued by a company" rather than " the quality of being fair and impartial"  Sadly, it was the antonyms that further helped me to understand.

        "Several thoughts have entered my mind since Saturday when I started reviewing for this upcoming discussion, including topics such as the education system, the school's meal program, or a continuation of my "soapbox" from last week's discussion [a post about Political Freedom in which I questioned the words “All Men are Created Equal” written at the time of slavery - thus not applying to ALL men] , but I have since decided on a topic that I picked up from 60 Minutes last a night.

        "According to Community Tool Box, about 18% of the American population has some kind of disability.  In 1990 a law was passed which enforces businesses to comply with stipulations enforcing guidelines for wheelchair access (CTB, 2016)

        "The 60-minute feature took Anderson Cooper to different business locations that don't seem to meet the guidelines here. Many of these businesses were being sued because they were not actually up to code of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

        "For those with disabilities, I think that the act is more of equity than equality.  There are just some differences that will [never make us equal]. We need to embrace those differences and not discriminate or bully. I think equity is better than equality especially if we constantly fight in the name of "equality" if we are looking to be cookie cutter images of one another. I like what makes me unique.

        "We can share our talents and learn from one another.  Equity is a good thing - but can also be taken advantage of."


Bibliography
60 minutes (2016, December 4). What's a "drive-by lawsuit"? (A. Cooper, Interviewer)

Section 4. Ensuring Access for People with Disabilities. (2016). Retrieved from Community Tool Box: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/implement/physical-social-environment/housing-accessibility-disabilities/main "

          I now have two chapters to read for my accounting class, and really am trying to read with an open mind.  This morning I believed I would be wading through a lot of jibberish that I wouldn't fully understand and would put me to sleep. By noon it seemed to be doing the opposite- stirring up emotions which I know I should not allow to rise to the surface, and yet they have.  Instead of taking a nap, I am riled. I am livid, even sad.  All these "governing rules" or stipulations is what has been flushing our economy down the toilet.  Well in part anyway.  Or at least that is my opinion.

         It has been suggested that employers use a payroll system – someone outside the company who specializes in cutting checks.  I think it would be a lot easier to work for one of those companies cutting paychecks for people that you don't know rather than follow all the "governing rules" on your employees'' paychecks knowing that skimming just one or two dollars from every tax or deduction it will take food off his table.  It would be much easier to do payroll when the names are just names and there is no personal attachment.
          Roland has always been able to separate personal from business.  I can’t even separate my class discussion or material without personality.  How the heck would I ever be able to do a job?  It’s funny how often I have stressed out over assignments or classes and have ended up doing well – as if all that emotion had been unnecessary and wasted.  I hope that is the case now.
        I’ve had an option of reviewing videos in addition to the manual of each course thus far.  This course doesn’t have any cool videos – or even lame ones for that matter.  I have no choice but resort to the book, the power point outline of the book and my instructor’s lecture – which is a bit more helpful than trying to analyze the text myself, but still . . . I want a video that will teach me and make me smile.  As of now, I’m really not doing a whole lot of smiling. 


Thursday, October 20, 2016

Middle School Workout


Jenna's school is made of several buildings.  The other day when we received our voter's "pamphlet" we also received a card for a separate measure - a district bond.  I had not known until then how old some of the buildings are.

Her sixth-period class is in a building that was built in 1930.  Her 2nd and 5th-period classes are in a building that was built in 1935 with annex (that may be where she meets) built in 1948.  The main building was built in 1947 and the elementary school (not included in her schedule) was built in 1949.  The oldest building (not on her schedule either) was built in 1927.  It looks it.

Roland made a fuss over why this bill or measure wasn't presented 30 or 40 years ago.  Maybe it was.  We weren't here so we don't know.

Meanwhile, Jenna walks from building to building.  And you are seeing it accurately.  It is all uphill.  The colored broken lines represent Jenna's footprints throughout the day.  



Thursday, October 1, 2015

Coffenberry Rocks!



          Jenna had once told me that she thought it would be fun to be in junior high.  I personally never believed that - especially while attending.  I think my brother, Corey, hated junior high even more than I did.  He has been a substitute teacher in both high school and elementary but has chosen not to deal with the misfits of junior high.  Too many bad memories.

          I did not choose to share my feelings about junior high - or middle school as some districts call it.  She'd find out soon enough - or hopefully not at all.  I would just smile and say, "That's great honey." while thinking, "I really hope it works out for you."
           


          Before school started, Jenna was apprehensive about going.  Of course I understand.  I was always apprehensive about the start of school - especially one I had not attended the year prior.
         
          If we were living in Salt Lake, Jenna would still be attending her last year elementary school. But here, in Oregon, she is attending her first year of middle school.  I actually hadn't heard too many positive things about the school she currently attends.  One neighbor drives her children to Canyonville, and I heard of another who makes the drive to Riddle.  But Coffenberry has a music program not offered in Canyonville.



          Jenna has made many friends and loves middle school.  She enjoys most of her classes - especially band.  I love her enthusiasm.  I have not seen her this excited since she was in kindergarten. 



          Of course the youth center helps - though she really doesn't care for the bus ride out there.  She does enjoy being active after school.  And I am happy that she gets her homework done and gets to enjoy arts and crafts and learning skills.  It's so great to have her happy again.

          Last night I took her to the middle school for a family fun night.  The theme was "Finding Nemo" and there was a scavenger hunt, a passport map, jeopardy, crafts, decorating a cookie, the book fair, playing games.  I met a few of her friends as we went from room to room and building to building and she would point to certain areas where she had this class or that.  I met a few of her teachers.  I can't wait for parent/teacher's conference. 

keep on reading


          My impression of Coffenberry has been a good one.  I am also grateful for the opportunities that Jenna has had since we have moved to Oregon.  As a whole, I am so much happier here than I was in Utah.  But then I look at pictures of family members - two that I haven't even met in person, and I get a bit homesick for my family members.  But overall I really am happy here.  I'm especially happy that Jenna is happy.  I'm so happy that she likes school. 

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Opportunities, Pros & Cons




            We all make decisions.  Each choice we make has consequences whether good or bad as mentioned in this post


            When we were living in Utah, Jenna had the opportunity of learning Spanish through the dual immersion program.  While some parts of Oregon offer this same program, the particular county we live in doesn’t offer any foreign language until high school.  I really did not wish to pull her out of the program.  She’s no longer learning Spanish at school, but she does have other opportunities here that she did not have in Utah.

            She would not have been enrolled in band while in the sixth grade.  We may not have been able to afford the instrument.  We have the opportunity to do so here. 



            There is only one elective at her school.  We had to do away with crafts in order to keep her in band.  She loves crafts.  She has an opportunity to do crafts at the youth center she attends after school.  In Utah we couldn’t afford the after school activities.  The state of Oregon pays for her after school activity here in Douglas County.  For that, I am very grateful.



            When I post this to my blog, Jenna and her classmates (entire school really) will be at the Memorial Pool for their first-week-of-school celebration.  Can you imagine?  We never did that in Utah.  There was an activity at the end of the year. Certainly not a kick off for Labor Day weekend – which for her starts in less than 20 minutes.  She will then have the next four days off.  So what was the point of starting just four days before?



            There are certainly things that I’ll miss about the opportunities she had in education while we were living in the Granite School District.  I am grateful for the new opportunities that she will have here. 

            It rained yesterday, and though we really do need the rain and it is greatly appreciated, I’m happy that there is enough sunshine for the children to enjoy the pool right now.
            Opportunities.