The other night was Jacks flag football practice. Jack loves everything about flag football. He chose practice over a school picnic for crying out loud. Jack moved over to another team this year. The good news is this team has some boys on it that he has gone to school with in the past. The bad news is the talent level is not…… well…. The boys have fun. Let’s just leave it at that.
Last year Jack’s team I think lost one game. The team he is on now did not win a game last year and got THROTTLED our first game. So we have been working with Jack on his attitude toward the game. We are here to have fun….yada yada yada.
Low and behold they WON their second game!
Now I have coached in the UPWARD program before so I get to criticize what the coach is doing.
- Just a suggestion but you should find out what your team does well and concentrate on perfecting that!
- We have some speed on the team and run the ball well. But for SOME REASON we try and throw the ball 3 out of 4 downs. I have a theory as to why but more on that in a moment.
- UPWARD provides you with a “coach’s book”. This is an awesome book. It breaks your season up into weeks and provides you with wonderful guidance on how to run a successful practice. There are tons of activities for you to choose from to help teach your team the skills they need to learn the game. Heck I know very little about teaching basketball and I used it religiously when I coached basketball last year. We went 10-0 and the boys looked GREAT toward the end of the season. They were LEARNING from those drills.
So last night I am sitting there watching practice with my dad. Dad comes by and watches Jacks practice every Thursday. We are sitting there and it’s the same thing every week.
- We start off practice some passing the football practice. What is the point when only ONE KID gets to play QB? More on that in a moment.
- We then scrimmage each other. This is not very organized. We are not practicing certain plays or anything. And it shows!
- Then they have to run a lap. Again…PURPOSE??? We are not getting gassed in games here. What are you doing?
- This is the classic- THEY PLAY FREEZE TAG!!
- This prompted my dad to look over at me and say…. I am thankful for this guy giving up his time to work with the kids but he does not know much about “TEACHING” the game.
- MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY DAD!!!
- He said didn’t I see you working with those kids on the fundamentals of basketball like “hand placement” and positioning on passes?
- This guy runs practice like a bunch of monkeys trying to hump a bowling ball?
- Who has been teaching Jack about proper technique in being a center? Lower your butt…straighten your back…head up…bend your knees! That would be ME!!! At the first game I saw Jack just bend over and basically hand the ball to the QB. What the heck? You gotta POP it in there JACK! NOW the boy is doing it right.
- We watched the kids run all over the place chasing the kid with the ball.
- I told Tracey just in passing about pursuit angles and it’s not about chasing the ball … you run to where the ball is going to be based on where the ball carrier is going. I swear all I did was just mention it.
- Next thing I know who has Jack in our living room running mini-pursuit drills. JACKS MOMMA!! YOU GO GIRL!!
Now as to my theory as to why we throw the ball so much. Would anyone like to guess who our QB is related to? That would be the coach! One of the important skills you need to be QB is arm strength. This kid does NOT have it AND THAT’S OKAY! Hey, growing up I wanted to be QB. In junior high they asked…who wants to be a QB? Heck I ran to get in line. The first drill the kid in front of me threw the ball WITH ZIP 40 YARDS! Then it was my turn. Mine had ZIP for about 20 yards hit the ground at 30 yards and rolled to a stop at 35 yards. That was the END of my career in organized football as a quarterback. BUT I was big and took up space and could MOVE! LEFT TACKLE!!!! It’s all about your skill set.
This kid can’t throw a football to save his life.
Back during the skills assessment a high school kid was taking Jack through the skills. When it got to throwing the ball Jack was not only hitting the target the ball had so much zip to it that the target started moving when it got hit. He told Jack …You have got a serious arm there! That made Jack grin!
So last night they are doing these passing drills. Jack, Will, Jacks buddy, and two other boys are ZIPPING the ball across to one another.
And then there is our quarterback….most of the time the ball never makes it to the other kid. I don’t say anything but my then my dad pipes in….
Isn’t that the kid who plays quarter back for Jacks team? (Dad looking over at the boys throwing the ball)
Yeah dad it is.
Dad….I see…..Why?
My guess is he is the coach’s son.
Dad…. A HA!!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Uncomfortable Commercials
The other night we are sitting in the den watching the Cowboy game when it came time for a commerical. Sure enough here comes a commercial for Erectile Disfunction. I look over and notice Jack paying very close attention to the commericial. Oh heck...here we go. He is hearing words like SEXUAL ACTIVITY...ERECTION..4 HOUR ERECTION...WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT....I am prepared for a ton of questions. It goes to the next commericial and ...
Jack: Dad?
Yeah Jack
Jack: Do you have to take that medicine?
NO Jack I don't
Jack: Well I was just wonderin because of all the other stuff you have to take.
No Jack that is not one of them.
TRACEY IS DIEING NOT TO LAUGH
Jack: Dad?
Yeah Jack
Jack: Do you have to take that medicine?
NO Jack I don't
Jack: Well I was just wonderin because of all the other stuff you have to take.
No Jack that is not one of them.
TRACEY IS DIEING NOT TO LAUGH
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Things Are Looking Up....Maybe
Well Jack seems to be getting a handle on the do's and don'ts in his new school. Today my mother asked him how his day was and this is how the conversation went:
Mom- How was your day Jack?
Jack: Really good Grammy I finally got another star. When I fill my star chart up I get to pick from the treasure box!
Mom- Well that is great Jack how many stars do you have?
Jack: I have TWO STARS Grammy!
Mom- Well that is great Jack. How many stars do you need to fill up your chart?
Jack: TWENTY!! (as happy as he could be!)
Mom: Well that is great news Jack!
At this rate he will pick from the treasure box some time around SPRING BREAK!!
Mom- How was your day Jack?
Jack: Really good Grammy I finally got another star. When I fill my star chart up I get to pick from the treasure box!
Mom- Well that is great Jack how many stars do you have?
Jack: I have TWO STARS Grammy!
Mom- Well that is great Jack. How many stars do you need to fill up your chart?
Jack: TWENTY!! (as happy as he could be!)
Mom: Well that is great news Jack!
At this rate he will pick from the treasure box some time around SPRING BREAK!!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Building Relationships
Well my blogging has slowed down a lot since the start of school. It is not due to a lack of material. It’s more like what I have been dealing with I could not organize my thoughts because it hurt too much to talk about.
It’s about Jack. I don’t want to go into all of details nor do I need to. All you have to do is read Tracey’s blog. She went into great detail. If you have not read it go to T-lady’s blog. Link is to the left. I think I did a very good job of handling it both professionally and personally. I did not show really how upset I was in how Jack was being handled by his new teacher. To her defense Jack was not exactly being an angel.
There are two major issues that I feel were at the front of the problem. First, communication…there is not communication log between the parents or the teachers for Jack’s grade level. The expectation is that if a child gets into trouble he is expected to inform the parents. In theory I guess this works but in reality it does not work. Sure enough Jack had a major issue in that he was pushing and shoving with another student. This resulted in him being sent to the office and the principal put Jack in ISS for one day. When I got the phone call from the teacher she explained to me that not only had Jack had this issue but that he had exhibited some other behaviors that were not acceptable according to me. The PROBLEM I had was that this was the first time that I was hearing about the issues. I understood that Jack had to go to the principal’s office. I did not agree with the ISS assignment but I UNDERSTOOD why the principal was doing it. I explained to the principal and the teacher that while I did not have a crystal ball I think that possibly had I or his mother known about Jack’s previous behavior perhaps we could have addressed it and we would not have been sitting there talking about my son going to ISS. The principal I think reluctantly agreed. The only sound I heard from him was an “Uh huh” when I finished my thought.
That whole situation was tough on all of us. My son was going to ISS the second week of school. At his previous school he had NEVER been to the principal’s office. He was NOT an angel. But his teachers both in first and in second grade knew what made Jack tick. This brings me to my second major issue.
Building relationships with children is critical. Before you start to withdraw (do discipline) with a child you need to have 3 or 4 deposits (note good things) with kids. It’s smiling at the door and shaking their hand or giving them a hug as they enter the classroom. If you capture a kids heart you have his mind (Flip Flippen). This is so true. If you have Jack’s heart. If he knows you love him. He will move mountains for you. We are in the third week of school and I have not heard one positive thing from the teacher about Jack. She did mention that he is honest when he screws up. He does not lie to them. Right now that is all I have to grasp on to. Jack’s teacher is a first year teacher and there are some instances where she has handled Jack well and I have made note of that in conversations and meetings. The problem I have is it is inconsistent. All I want her to do is give Jack some space and learn what makes him tick so that she can better handle him. Take the information I have given her. Call or email his teacher last year. Call the counselor at his previous school.
Some of the behaviors Jack is exhibiting he did last year. But why in one school does Jack never get to the office and in the other school he is in the office 3 times in the first 9 days of school? RELATIONSHIPS! His teachers took the time to work with Jack. They took into consideration what was going on in Jack’s life when they were dealing with some of his behaviors. The boy has issues that he deals with. Not many kids in his school have had to deal with the possible loss of their father with two additional serious hospital stays and a cancer scare with his mother before he turned 8. Jack handled it very well and kept his grades up but behavior wise sometimes he would act up. When Jack gets frustrated or feels cornered he often yells out. For instance: If he feels attention is being drawn to him he will blurt out. STOP LOOKING AT ME! His school this year calls that inappropriate behavior and disrespectful toward the teacher… result office referral. His school last year saw this as an inappropriate behavior and his teacher and the counselor would work with him on appropriately handling those situations and would note when he did handle those situations correctly….result decrease in behavior to the point it no longer existed.
The difference: One school is deal with the problem. The other school tries to understand WHY there is a problem. In other words if there is a fire at one school we use water to put the fire out. At the other school we use water to put the fire out and then we try to find out what caused the fire in the hopes that a fire does not reappear.
Jack is a little complicated boy when dealing with his emotions. He has been really down about school so far this year. This has been difficult to deal with as a parent. I have done a very good job of handling it professionally and by that I mean dealing with the school professionally and keeping my emotions in check. Tracey wants to keep talking about it and while I listen there are times I don’t want to talk about or hear about it because I get too depressed about it. I know what I need to know. I am going to talk to them about it at my assigned time. Can we please not rehash the facts over and over. I understand Tracey’s view in that she wants to talk about it because it is her baby and she wants to make sure I cover everything.
The other night was a dagger in the heart. I go into Jacks room and there he is with his momma and I have to hear from him about how his teacher does not like him and he is having trouble making friends and he is probably going to have to go back to ISS and he does not want to go back to ISS.
After me reassuring him that he was not going to ISS and that daddy was going to be meeting with the principal and the teacher and that everything was going to be okay he seemed to relax. I am not sure how much of it he actually believed.
Well yesterday was our meeting and I felt it was very productive for a couple of reasons. I had the opportunity to voice my opinion on the importance of building relationships with children and that discipline plans are there to act as a guide. It does not mean you HAVE to do anything. All I wanted them to do is start building a relationship with Jack. Take into account WHY Jack is misbehaving before we start making decisions on WHAT we are going to do now. I also got the ball rolling on a communication log between parent and teacher. This way we can deal with Jack appropriately on a day to day basis.
As a result of our behavior folder Jack had a very good day yesterday. Hopefully it was the first of many.
Wish us luck!
What did you say? How is Caroline? Please….that girl has been waiting for kindergarten for two years. She is off like a rocket!
It’s about Jack. I don’t want to go into all of details nor do I need to. All you have to do is read Tracey’s blog. She went into great detail. If you have not read it go to T-lady’s blog. Link is to the left. I think I did a very good job of handling it both professionally and personally. I did not show really how upset I was in how Jack was being handled by his new teacher. To her defense Jack was not exactly being an angel.
There are two major issues that I feel were at the front of the problem. First, communication…there is not communication log between the parents or the teachers for Jack’s grade level. The expectation is that if a child gets into trouble he is expected to inform the parents. In theory I guess this works but in reality it does not work. Sure enough Jack had a major issue in that he was pushing and shoving with another student. This resulted in him being sent to the office and the principal put Jack in ISS for one day. When I got the phone call from the teacher she explained to me that not only had Jack had this issue but that he had exhibited some other behaviors that were not acceptable according to me. The PROBLEM I had was that this was the first time that I was hearing about the issues. I understood that Jack had to go to the principal’s office. I did not agree with the ISS assignment but I UNDERSTOOD why the principal was doing it. I explained to the principal and the teacher that while I did not have a crystal ball I think that possibly had I or his mother known about Jack’s previous behavior perhaps we could have addressed it and we would not have been sitting there talking about my son going to ISS. The principal I think reluctantly agreed. The only sound I heard from him was an “Uh huh” when I finished my thought.
That whole situation was tough on all of us. My son was going to ISS the second week of school. At his previous school he had NEVER been to the principal’s office. He was NOT an angel. But his teachers both in first and in second grade knew what made Jack tick. This brings me to my second major issue.
Building relationships with children is critical. Before you start to withdraw (do discipline) with a child you need to have 3 or 4 deposits (note good things) with kids. It’s smiling at the door and shaking their hand or giving them a hug as they enter the classroom. If you capture a kids heart you have his mind (Flip Flippen). This is so true. If you have Jack’s heart. If he knows you love him. He will move mountains for you. We are in the third week of school and I have not heard one positive thing from the teacher about Jack. She did mention that he is honest when he screws up. He does not lie to them. Right now that is all I have to grasp on to. Jack’s teacher is a first year teacher and there are some instances where she has handled Jack well and I have made note of that in conversations and meetings. The problem I have is it is inconsistent. All I want her to do is give Jack some space and learn what makes him tick so that she can better handle him. Take the information I have given her. Call or email his teacher last year. Call the counselor at his previous school.
Some of the behaviors Jack is exhibiting he did last year. But why in one school does Jack never get to the office and in the other school he is in the office 3 times in the first 9 days of school? RELATIONSHIPS! His teachers took the time to work with Jack. They took into consideration what was going on in Jack’s life when they were dealing with some of his behaviors. The boy has issues that he deals with. Not many kids in his school have had to deal with the possible loss of their father with two additional serious hospital stays and a cancer scare with his mother before he turned 8. Jack handled it very well and kept his grades up but behavior wise sometimes he would act up. When Jack gets frustrated or feels cornered he often yells out. For instance: If he feels attention is being drawn to him he will blurt out. STOP LOOKING AT ME! His school this year calls that inappropriate behavior and disrespectful toward the teacher… result office referral. His school last year saw this as an inappropriate behavior and his teacher and the counselor would work with him on appropriately handling those situations and would note when he did handle those situations correctly….result decrease in behavior to the point it no longer existed.
The difference: One school is deal with the problem. The other school tries to understand WHY there is a problem. In other words if there is a fire at one school we use water to put the fire out. At the other school we use water to put the fire out and then we try to find out what caused the fire in the hopes that a fire does not reappear.
Jack is a little complicated boy when dealing with his emotions. He has been really down about school so far this year. This has been difficult to deal with as a parent. I have done a very good job of handling it professionally and by that I mean dealing with the school professionally and keeping my emotions in check. Tracey wants to keep talking about it and while I listen there are times I don’t want to talk about or hear about it because I get too depressed about it. I know what I need to know. I am going to talk to them about it at my assigned time. Can we please not rehash the facts over and over. I understand Tracey’s view in that she wants to talk about it because it is her baby and she wants to make sure I cover everything.
The other night was a dagger in the heart. I go into Jacks room and there he is with his momma and I have to hear from him about how his teacher does not like him and he is having trouble making friends and he is probably going to have to go back to ISS and he does not want to go back to ISS.
After me reassuring him that he was not going to ISS and that daddy was going to be meeting with the principal and the teacher and that everything was going to be okay he seemed to relax. I am not sure how much of it he actually believed.
Well yesterday was our meeting and I felt it was very productive for a couple of reasons. I had the opportunity to voice my opinion on the importance of building relationships with children and that discipline plans are there to act as a guide. It does not mean you HAVE to do anything. All I wanted them to do is start building a relationship with Jack. Take into account WHY Jack is misbehaving before we start making decisions on WHAT we are going to do now. I also got the ball rolling on a communication log between parent and teacher. This way we can deal with Jack appropriately on a day to day basis.
As a result of our behavior folder Jack had a very good day yesterday. Hopefully it was the first of many.
Wish us luck!
What did you say? How is Caroline? Please….that girl has been waiting for kindergarten for two years. She is off like a rocket!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
I Am So Sorry
So on Friday I had a doctor's appointment. You see Friday was the second week of four that I am going in and getting a new drug that will help me with my Graf vs. Host issues. You see up till now they have been handling it with steriods. And I have been doing GREAT! The problem is as they decrease my steriod I get to a point where the GvH stuff starts showing up. The goal is to get me OFF of steriods. That is what this new drug hopefully is going to do.
So the treatment plan is this.
Week One- 6 hour drip through an IV. (DONE)
Week Two- 3 Hour drip
Week Three 3 Hour Drip
Week Four 3 hour drip
Friday was week two.
I have a nurse that normally tends to me. I love her! She is awesome!! She really takes good care of me. The problem was she was out yesterday so I had a substitute nurse.
Substitute nurses are REAL hit and miss. There does not seem to be an in between.
So yesterday I was supposed to be there at 12. There is an hour of premeds and then the 3 hour drip. So I was prepared to be out of there between 4 and 5 oclock.
Well I sign in and they almost immediately get me back to the nursing station. It's Friday before a long weekend so the place is PACKED. There is no rooms available so they are going to set me up in a recliner in the common area. This is an area where 6-8 recliners are set up. No big deal....I can hang and there are other people I can talk to.
Well I get in my chair and I wait...and wait...and wait...and wait.
Finally the sub nurse comes to me and says...I am so sorry they did not tell me you were here. Lets get you back and get your IV in.
This nurse SUCKED at putting an IV in. First she argued with me in a polite way of where she should put the IV in. She wanted to go into my wrist or hand. I finally had to tell her. Look, if you go into my hand or wrist my hand is going to blow up like a blow fish. You are not going into my hand.
So she goes into my arm. And she misses the vein. So she is digging around trying to hit it. This hurts like a son of a bitch. As I am trying to remain still she says..Do you always squirm this much? Gee lady I don't know...do you always gasp for air when someone is chocking the crap out you.
So we get the IV in and we get the premeds started. The premeds knock me loopy.
I fall asleep and when I wake up I notice that I am not hooked up to my medicine. I call to find out what is going on and sub nurse FORGOT ABOUT ME!!! She checked a couple of times for my meds and then got busy working with other patients and forgot about me. I lost TWO FREAKING HOURS RIGHT THERE!!!
I finally got unhooked at SEVEN. All I heard was I am so sorry....I am so sorry...
Yeah right lady....DON'T TOUCH ME!!!
You should see the bruise on my arm where she blew out the vien. YUCK
So the treatment plan is this.
Week One- 6 hour drip through an IV. (DONE)
Week Two- 3 Hour drip
Week Three 3 Hour Drip
Week Four 3 hour drip
Friday was week two.
I have a nurse that normally tends to me. I love her! She is awesome!! She really takes good care of me. The problem was she was out yesterday so I had a substitute nurse.
Substitute nurses are REAL hit and miss. There does not seem to be an in between.
So yesterday I was supposed to be there at 12. There is an hour of premeds and then the 3 hour drip. So I was prepared to be out of there between 4 and 5 oclock.
Well I sign in and they almost immediately get me back to the nursing station. It's Friday before a long weekend so the place is PACKED. There is no rooms available so they are going to set me up in a recliner in the common area. This is an area where 6-8 recliners are set up. No big deal....I can hang and there are other people I can talk to.
Well I get in my chair and I wait...and wait...and wait...and wait.
Finally the sub nurse comes to me and says...I am so sorry they did not tell me you were here. Lets get you back and get your IV in.
This nurse SUCKED at putting an IV in. First she argued with me in a polite way of where she should put the IV in. She wanted to go into my wrist or hand. I finally had to tell her. Look, if you go into my hand or wrist my hand is going to blow up like a blow fish. You are not going into my hand.
So she goes into my arm. And she misses the vein. So she is digging around trying to hit it. This hurts like a son of a bitch. As I am trying to remain still she says..Do you always squirm this much? Gee lady I don't know...do you always gasp for air when someone is chocking the crap out you.
So we get the IV in and we get the premeds started. The premeds knock me loopy.
I fall asleep and when I wake up I notice that I am not hooked up to my medicine. I call to find out what is going on and sub nurse FORGOT ABOUT ME!!! She checked a couple of times for my meds and then got busy working with other patients and forgot about me. I lost TWO FREAKING HOURS RIGHT THERE!!!
I finally got unhooked at SEVEN. All I heard was I am so sorry....I am so sorry...
Yeah right lady....DON'T TOUCH ME!!!
You should see the bruise on my arm where she blew out the vien. YUCK
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