Welcome to Scotts Valley High School! Home of the Falcons and the new art teacher, Judy!

Hi everyone,

If you have not been hearing through Facebook, things have changed drastically on the job front. I had verbally accepted the job in Felton, but had not signed a contract yet, when Scotts Valley, a neighboring school, called to offer me another job! Their position is teaching International Baccalaureate Art as well as their Foundations course, and this is what I've been wanting to do for a very long time...ever since my old principal, Joe Wilson, talked about making Ithaca High School an IB school. So, I had both schools calling multiple time, changing their offers, fighting over me, each telling me how they were better than the other, and finally, I had to make a choice. I chose Scotts Valley. It was partly that their offer was significantly better financially, but mostly because I really wanted to teach IB Art. It's kind of like AP, but even more so, if you catch my drift. IB is a diploma program that is extremely rigorous, and is highly favored by colleges and universities. Students have to keep Investigation Workbooks and create a portfolio of their work from their junior and senior years. Their IB exam is an interview and presentation to the IB people, either in person or by video.

Here are some pictures of my rooms. Keep in mind that they are newly hauled out, but I have not had the time yet to make it my home. I'm working on it, today, Thursday and Friday. I want it to be warm, welcoming, inspiring and colorful for my new students when they walk through the doors on Wednesday of next week.

The mascot is a falcon and the campus is called the Nest. There is something I really like about saying I'm going to work in the nest. It's very maternal, don't you think?

Here's my big classroom:

This is one of my storage rooms....probably where I'll have students keep works in progress.

Another storage room:

This is where I will give the IB students their own special studio spaces and storage spaces, since they are the most advanced and most serious artists.

I have 15 electric wheels. The kiln is outside. I can't get into the gated area where it lives yet, as my keys don't work. Once I get the gate re-keyed, I have some cleaning to do to get it all ready to fire up my first test fire.

The fog is rolling in over the nest!

This is my door. The IB students are working on painting all of the doors around campus.

My big motto is going to be, "Why Copy When You Can CREATE?" There seems to be a habit of copying and tracing going on in the student work here....and that's going to stop NOW!

(You can see the copy of the Alfonse Mucha and the hand that was made by tracing a photograph on an overhead projector....)

Magnetic poetry on the front of my desk....an art room essential!

The most important things on my desk...my Dad, who inspires me as a teacher every day, and my mug, made by Ursula Hilsdorf...one of the best art students and by far the best student teacher I've ever had and now, she's the new art teacher at Ithaca High School! Best of luck, Ursula...have great fun in my old darkroom!

Let's hope we never have to use this. It's a kit of things we'd need if we were ever locked down for an extended period of time. I've never seen one of these. It even has bags to go pee in with tablets to cover the smell! Ugh.....

After school, I met Chris, Grayson, Carla and Bridgette at one of the top tourist attractions in Santa Cruz...the Mystery Spot. It's a crazy place in the Redwoods where for some reason, gravity is not quite right. Even when the ground seems level (confirmed by a carpenter's level), people are leaning at strange angles. It's hard to explain, but you all should Google it. It's really bizarre. 

They have this car out front...I think it even tops the Ithaca is Gorges Car, in terms of having total coverage! I have to admit, I'm a little jealous.

Here is out tour guide. Check out how she's standing.....

Here is Carla pushing a pendulum.

The kids are trying to walk inside the cabin which is built over the vortex of this phenomenon. It is not easy...some of us even got really nauseous! Something very strange is happening here.

Don't know who this guy is, but he's standing here, totally relaxed, at this angle. Can you explain it? Chris will be able to tell us all about it, after he reads the book I bought him in the gift shop that tells about this place and others like it around the country.

And last, but not least, I wanted to share this photo...my good friend, the banana slug, was back this evening...sliming his way across the driveway. I put him back in the garden and hosed him down, so he wouldn't dry out and die. Isn't he a beauty?

 Goodnight, John Boy. Goodnight, Pa.  Goodnight, Grandma.  Goodnight, Banana Slug.......

BIG NEWS!

I have big, wonderful news to share with you all! I got a job!!!!! I have yet to accept it, because I have another interview on Monday, but did you hear me? I GOT A JOB!

I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's at San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, CA. The beautiful campus is in the redwoods and backs right up to...get this......FALL CREEK! Can you believe that? Me neither.....Anyway, the interview went really well, as did the writing assignment I had to do at the beginning and the demo. lesson I had to do at the end. The people on the panel were all really nice, I love the principal, and it seems like a perfect place for me. I would teach Digital Photo and Art (which is like Studio in Art...an intro. course). After the interview at the district office, the principal told me to drive over to the high school and ask her secretary to show me the digital photo lab, so I did, and it's really sweet! There are 35 Macs and 12 of them are brand new. The IT person was there installing the latest version of Adobe Photoshop on all of them. I'm really happy. 

I have been such a bear to live with, because I was so stressed about this job search. I love interviewing, applying and all that goes along with it, but the idea that I might not get a job kept creeping into my mind, poisoning my whole attitude. It's a wonder my beautiful, loving husband has not kicked me right to the curb. I've been horrible to be around...taking all my stress out on poor Chris. I'm very lucky that he loves me as much as he does and that he knows how to stick it out. Blessed, actually. 

I'll keep you all posted about the other interview and what I decide to do. If this school needs an answer before my interview, I will say YES!!! And I'll be happy about it, with no regrets. Life is good!

Life is up, Life is down...

My friends, when people ask me how I like my new life, I cannot give them a simple answer. It's very complicated. Some things are amazing and wonderful. Other things are hard or lonely or sad. But, that's how life is supposed to be, right? At least, I think so.

I always like to start with bad, so I can end on a happy note.

On Tuesday, I was on my way to work, on Ocean Street, which, by the way, really does go directly to the ocean, when a car rear-ended me really hard, knocking me into a pick up truck in front of me and causing him to hit another car in front of him. A real, four car pile up! My little car, who Erik named Wee Dog, took the brunt of the impact, and the hood folded in half and came up to cover my windshield. The rear bumper didn't look that bad, but the floor of the trunk crumpled completely. I missed my second day of work at the Gateway School thanks to that stupid, Mercedes Benz-driving idiot who hit me. His insurance is paying for everything, of course, including my rental car. The only car Enterprise had available that day was a Hundyai Santa Fe, so I took it. Well, the next day, his insurance company called me to tell me that I had to trade it in for a cheaper car, because they would not pay for such a nice car. I had to get something "comparable to my own", which apparently they think is cheap! Humph! So, I went to get a different one the next morning. I drove off the lot in a nondescript sedan and went to a coffee shop to sit and think for a bit. I was not there for five minutes when Enterprise called me to tell me that they made a mistake and rented me a car that was not supposed to be rented out...it was slated to be sold, so could I please com right back and trade it in for something else. They offered to upgrade me to a nicer car with no extra charge, since it was their mistake. So, I drove back there and was given a choice of a black car or a silver car. Guess what I picked? Duh....... So I drove the black car to work and found out that it had NO AIR CONDITIONING! It's hot in California, in case you don't know that....especially at midday. So, I called Enterprise back and told them that I had to have functioning air conditioning, and they agreed. That meant ANOTHER trip to their place to trade for my fourth car of the day. So, now, I am driving a red sedan of some kind...not sure what it is, honestly. I think it's a Kia. Ugly as sin. On the way home, it tells you what your gas mileage is. The car never got over 18 mpg, and my Wee Dog gets 38-40 mpg! So, I called the guy's insurance and complained that I should not have  to pay extra for gas when this accident was NOT MY FAULT! They agreed, so it looks like either I will be getting car number 5, or I will be sending them my gas bills when this is over. My car will be in the shop until Aug. 23rd, at least. The estimate is only $700 under being totaled. When they take it all apart, if they find any more problems that add up to $700, I will lose my precious Ithaca is Gorges Car, and that would really break my heart. So, think good thoughts and send them our way, ok? Thanks!

That's it for the bad news. Oh no, it's not. I forgot. We decided that since I do not have a job yet, and money is really tight and we're getting scared, that we'd better sell our horse trailer. So, I took it to wash it last weekend, then I took a bunch of pictures of it, then Chris helped me put the divider back in it (we didn't use it on the trip out here), wash the inside walls and sweep it all out and I posted it on Craigslist. One email later, a woman came to see it this evening, and I sold it! It's really sad, but all in all, this means that we spent exactly $500 to get Quincy out to California...an unbelievably low cost to bring a horse 3000 miles! I will miss it....I have always wanted a trailer of my own so I could go trail riding and to the beach and all that, but maybe someday, we'll be able to afford it again. For now, I'm just happy that I got such a good price for it and that I will be able to help pay our rent until I get a job.

So, it's time for the good stuff.

I just finished my first week of teaching little children at the Gateway School, and it was SO MUCH FUN!! I taught Art Around the World to ten beautiful 6 and 7 years olds. It was a blast. Today we invited their families and had a great art show/party. It was really fun and I loved it.

Next week, I'll be painting a mural with kids in grades 5,6 and 7. I can't wait! The following week, I'll teach another Art Around the World class and another one called Art of the Masters. I'm excited for both of them.

The biggest, best news, though, is that I have two (that's right....TWO) interviews coming up. The first is on Tuesday of next week and the next one is Aug. 12. They are both for high schools. The one on Aug. 12 is for an International Baccalaureate program, which is something I have always, always wanted to do. So, please send positive vibes in my direction. My dream is to get offered BOTH jobs, so I can choose the one I like the best.

In the meantime, I just got my scores on the CBEST. I needed to earn a 143 on the three parts together, and I scored 192. I am SOOOOO happy! That means that I am one step closer to my permanent CA credential. All I need to do now (and this is by far the hardest part) is to pass the CTEL exams. They are about teaching students whose first language is not English. I hear the tests are very hard. I bought a book to study, but have not started yet. My test is on Aug. 20. Wish me luck!

The universe doesn't revolve around me, even though this blog seems to tell you otherwise. Chris is doing well. He is seeing a physical therapist that he really respects and admires, and she is working with him on exercises that will help him build up his core muscles to better support his back and hopefully, relieve his pain. He loves it here...the weather suits him just fine!

The animals are all happy. Quincy has a bit of a friendship going finally with an old, old horse called Joker...a buckskin quarter horse gelding who stands next to Q and doesn't chase him around like so many of the others. That makes me very happy.

So, all in all, life is good. I miss Ithaca so much, though. Not the place. The people. YOU. I love you. I think of you all the time. I really do. Thank you to my students, especially Conor, who have kept in touch. I say especially Conor, because he has been calling and we've had some fantastic conversations, like the ones we used to have in my classroom. Keep them coming!

Much love to everyone. Remember to stay in touch. My beloved friends, Daniel and Gerry, will be coming in 3 weeks to spend some time with us, and I am sooooo looking forward to that.

Judy