Well--Finally Another Post--Wow!!! It's been a month!!!

It is late at night--again. I have a lot of thoughts on my mind and I just discovered where to find your comments. Thanks to those of you who have commented and read my posts!!

Gabe is coming along well. We have just polished off one year of court-ordered guardianship by submitting a status report to the judge.

This evening when I came home I was welcomed by a little boy giving me a big hug and saying (not for the first time, btw) "Dad, I love you so much!!" He always says it several times when he says it.

He is back in preschool and loving it. He has several wonderful grown-ups surrounding him with love and therapies. Life is good.

I am also back in school--teaching instead of counseling. I am loving what I am doing and am having the usual challenges of teaching a new grade. My class is full of 32 wonderful kids!! Each one is unique and beautiful in her/his own way. I am the "low count" class. The other two classes have 34 students each. If any new 5th graders register at our school, guess who gets them. Yup, that would be me.

I also am working my IBI and PSR positions and loving that.

These all keep me very busy and the outside-of-school jobs (both professional positions) have so far kept me from catching up fully at my day job. But I plan to get all caught up this weekend--and perhaps get somewhat ahead in my planning.

The superintendent came by this week, observed, and gave me a helpful comment. The principal came by and observed, as well.

One thing a former principal said  in my presence years ago--"Public education is never boring" still rings true.

I am so blessed to have what I have!! These students are wonderful!! I am getting back into the teaching part of education and enjoying being part of the faculty at Jefferson Elementary!!

Tired, Stressed, Relieved and Currently Happy and Healthy!!!

Finally I am back!!! Having just spent several weeks summarizing previous assessments, observing behaviors, interviewing significant people (including other therapists), summarizing interviews and observations, and postulating in a clinical opinion, I have finally completed a 60 page comprehensive assessment, a new program plan, and a new 18 page implementation plan for a new client. It has all been submitted to the main office and, hopefully, is on its way to gaining approval from the State for services.

Every time I complete a project like this I breathe a little sigh of relief and then go back to stressed. Now that I have a plan, I am responsible to make it work for this child.

On top of all this I now need to be preparing for a new school year at my day job. Only, instead of being the school counselor, I will be teaching 5th grade!!!

After 16 years as a school counselor, the only position I have held in this school district, they have now seen fit to keep the newest counselors in their positions (since they have no other endorsements on their certificates) and put me and another, older counselor, into the classroom. Just think of it--I have not had my own classroom in 19 years!!! Here I am, a 5th grade teacher-to-be and expecting a classroom full of 30 or more students. The last time I taught I had 18 students in 2nd grade. What a change in professions!! What stress on me and my family!!

Oh--as I have previously mentioned--that is not all!! More changes are on the way!! Everyone in our district is taking an enormous pay cut. Mine will be over $4,000!!!

This means I cannot spend all evening at the school prepping for the next day. I used to do that, but I don't think it was of any real value to me professionally. And now I can't afford it!!! I have to keep the money coming in from my second and/or third professional job by continuing to work every evening until at least 6 pm or later at my IBI/PSR jobs. Which positions are coming under increased regulation by state bodies who do not have even a tiny idea of what we do and what our clients need.

In the meantime, the State Bureau of Occupational Licenses has decided that I need to actually physically go to expensive classes rather than just take courses online for my 20 CEU's per year for my professional counselor license renewal.

I won't be trying to digest all of this at once. I am going to live one day at a time and plan ahead for as much as I can accomplish.

For some unknown reason, I am being stretched immensely at this time in my life. I do not know why, but I know my Savior, Jesus Christ, and my Father in Heaven will be there for me all along, just as they always have been. For whenever a door is closed on one part of my life, another is opened and new beginnings are at hand.

I am both concerned and excited about my new challenges and believe I am about to embark on a journey requiring faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and service to others.

I would like to say something funny right now--but I am not thinking of anything--I am too fatigued from the events of the past month.

This next paragraph is about as close as I get:

How has it occurred that governments are always wanting more work and stress for less money?! What did someone say we cannot ever escape? Death and taxes? Well, we also cannot escape the alarming combination and default conspiracy of legislative ineptitude and bureaucratic tunnel-mindedness. Throw that in with some people's idea that spending money to assist the developmentally disabled is some type of diagnosable (yet untreatable) disorder and you have a humongous mess coming your way. Look out!!! You may be next!!!

The Lord bless all of you!!

My Love to you!!

Wha...? Those help instructions are old!!

It took me a while this evening to realize that I already have the following function from Google Friends installed. I kept reading the help instructions on Google and and saw no "Layout" tab on my Blogspot page.

There always seems to be an issue with documentation and communication between techs and users. I would wonder more about why that problem exists, but I have a 30 year old son who is a tech and I have had to make him communicate adequately with me. He often gets so exasperated in the process that he has a meltdown.

Stephen will soon be 31 (July 21) and we are still wondering about any interest in getting married. It doesn't seem to be there and it really doesn't matter that much in his case. Stephen is Stephen!! As one of my young IBI (Intensive Behavioral Intervention) clients recently observed to me, "You're not me" is not an unusual response when someone is attempting to assist you with life's challenges.

Well, I am not Stephen. I am me. We can never be the same!! That is so wonderful!! We are all different from every other person on this planet!! If only more of us could realize this and be more sensitive to others needs and unique personal characteristics. We all seem to want to be regarded as not being like anyone else. This is often to our own detriment, for when some of us think this way about ourselves we leave others and their possibly very valuable viewpoints out of our lives. The truth is that regardless of our own assertions of being independent and totally different from anyone else we each actually need the ideas of others in our lives. We need that enriching power--very often the power to change...the power to become....

When will I really learn that? When will any of us really learn that?

Have a great weekend!!!

Some of You Should be Getting This in Your Email

Just a note that I have finally taken time to explore my blog settings enough to put a bit of each blog post into some of your emails. If you don't want that you will let me know. If you do and you are not getting the emails, please tell me. I can only send emails to 10 people.

I have also given a few of you invitations to become authors of my blog spot. That should make it easier for my family members to blog here.

Have a great day!!!

To My Two Followers

I am finally settling into my summer schedule. Albeit my schedule is still in development. I will meet for the first time with one of my clients today. I am thankful I have a job and I just have to move my stuff from my counselor's office to my 5th grade classroom in the modular (air conditioning--Yay!! no water or restrooms--Boo!!). That will happen after June 30th, when Title I summer school is out.

Next I need to brush up on a few things and get my classroom and plans ready for the next school year. I have not yet seen my class roster, so I am anxious to see who I have. I probably know a lot of the students already. Hopefully my resigning principal, Ben Lemons, has the rosters up soon.

I don't know who will be the new principal, but come what may, I will, indeed be the best I can be for those kids and their parents.

Stephen is home and has put all our computers on the LAN, so now Samuel and Carolyn have their own internet access, as do Stephen, Claudia, and myself. We have added two more computers to our network now to create a total of 5 machines online.

Sam has not found a job yet. He still keeps his long bushy beard and mustache combo, looking like an Hasidic Jew or someone straight from the 19th century. We just hope that gets overlooked in the hiring process.

Carolyn is pregnant with her first child!!! In about November or December Claudia and I are expecting to be first-time grandparents!!!

Gabriel finished his first-ever year of preschool yesterday and brought home a Fathers Day card for me, which you can see above. He will repeat preschool next school year. That will give us some time to get more attachment issues under control and hopefully get him potty-trained. He will be 5 on July 21 (Stephen's 31st birthday).

I have a lot to say and more than one place to say it. I will keep you posted as much as possible as the summer progresses. I will be very busy working and earning as much money as possible to try to keep us afloat and pay off some loans. Next school year everyone in our district will suffer a pay cut. Mine is $4000!!! Unless the economy turns around in time for state revenue receipts to increase adequately enough to restore some of our pay.

Our district continues to hire employees but has laid off some as well. We will see what is happening as time goes on.

One thing is for certain--I am not getting any younger. Another thing is for certain--I am losing weight no matter what I have to do to accomplish that. My goal is about 160 lbs. Currently I weigh between 230 and 235.

Years ago Carolyn, as a little girl, asked me if I came across the plains with the pioneers!!! Of course she was too young to understand large time concepts. We think she has now gone full-circle on that. She now refers back to the ancients and 19th century church leaders to argue we need to retrench and be polygamists. Sam and his father and brother are also headed that way. It was Sam who introduced Carolyn to the Parowan Prophet. Last evening Sam was heard to tell a guest of ours that when his father gets his social security he will buy some property in southern Utah and they will set up their own colony there!! Unfortunately the guest was thinking on similar lines regarding polygamy, though not interested in their offer, and has read many of the same questionable materials Sam and his father and younger brother have read. Our guest is also very easily misled.

Claudia and I and Stephen are not even interested in the options they have been selecting for themselves. We have testimonies of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons). We are members and have been for years, as have Carolyn and Sam and his family.

We are still in some shock regarding their unusual choices, to say the least, after several years of these goings- on. It is amazing that Sam and Carolyn are still members of the LDS church. The LDS church does not countenance polygamy in any form. That practice was abandoned during the 19th century. However, some former church members continue to practice polygamy, believing the LDS church has apostatized.

Well, when life gives you a lemon, make lemonade!!! Only people who work hard make mistakes in their work and in their lives!!!

All my best to you and anyone who has read my post. Please feel free to tell others about my blog.

Summer "Vacation" Is Here!!!??

Well, for next school year we have...Mr. Tigner, 5th grade teacher (instead of counselor). After 16 years as a school counselor, the district that hired me as such is now placing me into a teaching position, thus changing my profession involuntarily. This is done because of the cuts in funding (the economy) and to allow other counselors, most of whom have no other endorsements on their certifications, to remain employed by the district. Unfortunately, the situation begs a question: Why has another counselor with many more years in the district than I been removed from the high school to an elementary school for this past school year and now reassigned to a classroom instead of a counselor position for next school year? I can understand my situation, if that has been explained correctly by the superintendent. I just don't understand the other counselor's situation and why this is happening to her.

Anyway, I am increasingly becoming excited about my assignment for next school year. After all, I have a great relationship with all the kids at the school. I think everything will work out just fine and I will be a great teacher for these kids.

I will miss being the school counselor. I will not miss some of the duties attached to that position, but I could not have ever enjoyed doing anything else more than being a counselor in a school.

Well--Finally Another Post--Wow!!!

I have had very little time online lately. Busy is an understatement of what has happened. Now here I am. I have been transferred out of my counseling position and into a 5th grade teaching position at my school. In addition, our principal and another principal in the district have both quit. I do not know who our principal will be next year, and I do not know how all this will work out for me to teach--especially after 19 years of not having a classroom full of kids to teach all day every day.

Our little guy, Gabe is continuing to learn to speak and to understand spoken language. He is getting more into the routines around here and has grown a lot emotionally and academically. Last month we had a transition meeting for him at the school he would be attending if he were promoted to kindergarten. We let them know that he is not in any way ready for kindergarten but they promoted him over our objections. They claimed that they could not get any funding to keep him in the developmental preschool after he reaches 5 years of age (next July 21). A few days later his preschool teacher called Claudia and told her that decision had been revisited and reversed by a school district Special Education consultant and he will remain in preschool.

We are sooooo happy about that! We know he has progressed a lot since he has been with us, but the attachment is so obviously not complete and too many of the control issues are still plaguing him and us.

To top everything off, our daughter, Carolyn, and her husband, Sam, have moved back in with us. They came up from Utah and Sam will be looking for a job up here. Carolyn is now over two months pregnant!! We are going to be grandparents in about November or December. She has not had medical care yet, so we do not have an accurate estimate of her due date.

Sam and Carolyn wore out both of their cars and do not have a car to get around with anymore, so we think they will need to get one as soon as Sam earns some money from somewhere.

A busy month? Oh yes!! This has been a very busy month so far!!!

For those of you whose blogs I am subscribed to or whom I am following somewhere online, I must apologize that I have not been able to check out your blogs for many days and that I have been unable to comment on anyone's buzzes or tweets. I also apologize to those of you who have not seen any blogs coming from me for awhile.

Hopefully I can resume normal online activities now that I have helped promote one PSR client out of PSR services.

Our vegetable garden has now been tilled (Claudia and mostly Clyde) and planted (Claudia, Sam, and Carolyn). We hope we can now get our front planters planted this week.

We are still Gabe-proofing our home. Gabe can now open the doors with the child-proof door handle covers and we are busy installing locking doors on all our rooms as quickly as we possibly can.

He gets into things much less now and is far more responsive to direction now than a year ago. I think his Dubach family members would not experience him as quite the same boy they gave us now. But he still can grab and destroy faster than any child we have ever seen.

We are very thankful for him, though. We love him a lot and are re-learning how to parent young children. He is definitely all boy, as the saying goes.

Everyone have a nice week!!!