Back at work.

Fast forward to six weeks into the 2012-2013 school year.  Back in the groove.

My IRE Program is going well!  (Oh, yes, AP Calculus is going well also.)  The students enjoy Mondays as we see a new 'critter' for the week.  The fact that *I* took the pictures seems to intrigue them--and surprise them!

Other than yoga classes a couple years ago, I haven't been in the position of learner in quite some time.  We forget what that feels like; the triumphs, the nervous anticipation, the dread, the excitement.  Will I do well?  Will I make a fool out of myself?  Will it be fun?  Will it be awful?  All of those emotions and more pop up when we are uncertain about what we are doing and how to do it.  As adults, we are generally masters of our domain and it is easy to forget the myriad of emotions all of our students experience every school day.  This was a nice reminder. A needed reminder.

In fact, I'll go so far as to suggest all educators need to put themselves in the position of learner from time to time.  Not in your subject area, not an education course....something entirely new or unfamiliar that will stretch your capabilities and test your mastery.  We ask this of our students daily, why do we not ask it of ourselves?  We should.  It is far too easy to forget what it is like to be in our student's shoes.

That would be my advice to future applicants of the Teacher Creativity Grant.....put yourself out there.  Learn a new skill.  It will help you connect to what is going on in the student's mind better than any workshop. 

Personally I plan to continue underwater photography.  I'm only getting started! 

Oh yes. MUCH better.

Amazing what a little instruction can do for you.  You may have some success trying to figure things out for yourself, but working with someone who actually knows what they are doing makes for far superior results!

This little guy, called a nudibranch, is at best one quarter of an inch long.  You have to know where to look for them (be taught to find them), and then figure out (be taught) what camera settings to use in order to actually get a picture of them.  The lighting has to be right, and positioning.....you'd never get these results on your own.

I have over 800 images that I am looking forward to putting together into a comprehensive movie/show.  The plan is to show the island of Cozumel both above and below the water, in all its glory.

To my surprise, I have thought of my students more than I thought I would this summer.  Being in the role of learner has been very different for me...and enlightening.  Hopefully this has reminded me of what it is like to be on "the other side of the desk" and to be more tolerant.  Learning new skills can be frustrating and exhilarating.

More narrative will be written when I am back in the states.  For now, I leave you with one final image.

A quick update.

The bulk of this narrative will be completed once I am back in the states, but at my age I was afraid I would forget some of my thoughts over time.  Senior moments and all.

I am learning a lot and I love to dive.  That said, I am surprised to find myself sometimes having to drag myself out of bed.  Ugh, do I really want to go dive?  Once I am on the boat and in the water, I am good to go.  But even as much as I love it, there are some days you just don't feel it.  I have to remember that even my best students will have off days.  As do I.

One day last week I did not take my camera.  It IS work, and I thought, hey, I will just dive and enjoy myself.  I felt like a kid who didn't do their homework! Then once we were in the water, the currents were so strong that I couldn't have taken pictures if I WANTED to...and I felt like a kid who didn't do their homework and got away with it.

The formal photography course is this weekend.  We should see better pictures later!

Busy busy busy.

Seahorse on Punta Tunich

I take my Rescue Diver course next week, and immediately thereafter take the Photography class.  In the meantime, I have been trying to teach myself to use the camera.  The results have been not unlike the results I see when students think they can teach themselves math....in other words, really hit or miss with the misses far outweighing the hits.

Again, much like math, there are so many variables with using a camera underwater.  Lighting is a biggie, as is white balance and focus and just trying to stay STILL long enough to take a picture with the water currents pushing you onward.  It is far more difficult than it looks, and far more difficult than I imagined.  I'm looking forward to sitting down (swimming down) one on one with a professional to actually be TAUGHT what to do!

Three days ago I took the ferry from Cozumel over to the mainland and then a shuttle bus to Cancun.  There I rode a small boat out into the open ocean for about 45 minutes in order to snorkel with the whale sharks.

Whale sharks are technically FISH; the largest fish in the world.  They look like sharks but are filter feeders. They eat plankton, like whales...hence the name.  These creatures are often the size of a school bus, but very gentle.  Swimming with them was amazing and awe-inspiring.  You have to swim like mad to keep up.  I have video I shot and a video a boat mate took of me swimming along side of one.  They are just so beautiful and graceful for such a large beast.  Once I transfer the videos to a smaller format, I will post them!

Advanced Open Water. Check.

I finished my first course today! The dive shop will send in my paperwork, and I will get a certification card mailed to my home in the States.

The first dive was a Fish ID dive. I had a slate and pencil and listed the fish and creatures I saw and their approximate numbers. By the time I was finished I had over twenty listed; and I'm sure there were numerous species I missed! That was a fun dive on a pretty, pristine reef here, called San Juan.

Dive two was on a reef that really doesn't have a name, but does have, in addition to a reef with oodles of critters, a large, flat, area where I could do my navigation skills.

The Navigation Dive took quite a bit of work! Not the dive itself, but just preparing for it. My new dive computer has a digital compass; it's MUCH different from a regular compass. I rewatched the online course about my computer, but I was still confused. I watched it several times in fact, with my computer in my hands, and STILL couldn't figure it out. I was getting really frustrated.

And to make things even more hair-pulling, the manual is only on a CD-rom. Great, but I only have my iPad and netbook here, neither of which has a disc drive. Argh! I explained my dilemma to a friend who bought the same computer after I got mine, and he saved the day! He downloaded the manual on his computer and converted it to a PDF file and emailed it to me. Success! From there, figuring out the compass feature was not too difficult.

Once again, the parallel to my classroom made me smile. What seemed to be a relatively simple task required a lot more work, background research, and help from friends than I ever thought it would. The key, it seems, is to persevere.

I had to take said compass and swim a square and a triangle. I gotta say, teaching math made this a breeze (once I knew how to work the darned compass). The square was just perfect, and I counted kick cycles to make sure each side was the same length. My instructor followed behind me with some line and marked each side and corner so we could assess it when I finished. The triangle was not quite isosceles, but really close! Hey, he didn't specify, so I went with an acute triangle!

I learned a lot in doing this course. Although I had theoretically "done" all the types of dives required (save for the navigation), being taught by a professional gave me insight into things that aren't in the AOW book and the one on one instruction was fantastic.

There is an argument for smaller class sizes in there somewhere...

I.Have.Homework.

Wow.

It's been a while since I have been "on the other side of the desk," so to speak.

Today I did two dives towards the Advanced Open Water certification. One dive was the Deep Dive; I had to perform a skill at depth (100 feet), and do a variety of pre-dive checks and post-dive reflections. Included in the post-dive is a written Knowledge Review, which is my homework.

So I learned quite a few things today. First I had to learn to tie a bow knot; this is what I had to do at depth! I also did a little math. ;-). Performing a skill at depth shows that you are not suffering from (or perhaps you are) nitrogen narcosis, or that you aren't "narced.". It is best described as feeling somewhat drunk, and your small motor skills can suffer. Tying the knot shows that you are ok. Passed that one.

At the end of the dive, my instructor Miguel made me launch my safety sausage. I've never done this! Panic. Well, not panic, but definitely unease. I ask my students to do something new almost every day...I bet some of them feel this same panic. How awful! This was followed quickly by dread when Miguel informed me I am going to have to deploy my sausage (a surface marker buoy so boats can spot you to pick you up or not run you over) each and every dive! Seriously? Ugh.

I know it will make me a better diver. It really will. Doesn't mean I'm going to like it, but I will grit my teeth and do it. I will master it, I WILL, but the parallel between this and my classroom just screamed at me.

The second dive was the Drift Dive specialty; every dive in Coz is a drift dive, as the waters run from south to north though the channel that separates Cozumel from the mainland. Had to deploy that darned sausage again.

On the plus side, I saw so many great things...nudibranches, a seahorse, a baby trunkfish, among others.

Gotta go. I have homework to do.

Back in the water.

When it has been three months since your last dive and you are getting used to new gear, that first back roll off the boat into the water isn't without a few butterflies in your stomach.

But may I say the new computer is AMAZING. I love how I can see not only all the basic information needed, but also how many minutes I have left to dive, whether that is due to air consumption or no decompression limits (NDLs). It performed flawlessly, as did everything else and both dives were great.

Dive One was at Palancar Gardens; I've dived it plenty, but today the visibility (vis in diver speak) was somewhat lacking for Coz, where typical vis is 80+ feet. I'd put today's vis at 60 or so. A host of characters waiting for us today; us consisting of myself, my neighbor Chuck, and another couple I have dived with before on live aboard dive boats, Ric and Kayte. My favorite dive master, Pedro Pablo, was our DM today. Pedro brings a special zen to diving and he can find everything you want to see under water!

The characters were legion. Two free-swimming nurse sharks, two turtles, and numerous lobsters (one the size of a cocker spaniel puppy) were there, along with a spotted moray eel, a large crab, and my personal favorite, a Splendid Toadfish. If you want to see a Splendid Toadfish, you have to come to Cozumel, because they only live here. Once I learn to use the camera, I will post more toadfish than you'd care to see.

Dive Two was at a dive site called Delila. Always full of fish and creatures, Delila didn't disappoint. Along with yet another shark and two more turtles, there were nine squid! You don't see those often, so that was a treat.

Tomorrow starts coursework for my Advanced Open Water certification. I don't think I've been a student in this sense since maybe 2005. AP or IB training isn't the same; I'm proficient at what I do, so additional training is just building on a 15 year foundation. I've just been putzing about enjoying the scenery as a diver; I've not had to really work hard or put myself out in a while.

This will be different.

Cozumel.

Cozumel is my second home. There is very little here that I do not love completely. The picture is the view that I have with my coffee each morning. What's not to love?

My new gear is put together and ready to go Monday morning! It's always a little more work diving with new gear, so Monday will be a " work out the kinks" dive day. New computer, different inflator hose, where to stash the octopus (back up regulator, not the kind with eight arms)....just different. Tuesday I do coursework/dives with Miguel Reyes for my first new certification, Advanced Open Water. Although technically I have done all the skills for this certification, it needs to be official so I'll be doing five specialty dives (not all in one day); Deep Dive, Boat Dive, Drift Dive, Photography, and one other, maybe a Night Dive.

The Photography also counts towards the third certification I'll be pursuing, Underwater Photographer. Miguel is actually not only a PADI Instructor, he is actually an amazing photographer and videographer, so I will be learning far more than required! Never a bad thing!

Side thought: how do we fire up kids about ALL their classes so they want to go above and beyond, instead of JUST the minimum? CAN we fire them up about every single class?

I'll spend tomorrow morning assembling the rest of my gear and giving the camera housing another leak test so I'm ready to go!

Packing.

Looks like there won't be an issue with the weight of my suitcase, as I feared. Yay! And the guy that invented Spacebags deserves a hug. Those are great! I'm still doubtful my checked bag will make my skimpy 46-minute connection in Houston, but a day later is ok. Que sera, sera, right? Looking forward to the photography work. Did some acclimating with the camera at graduation yesterday, so trying this underwater next week sounds fun! See you in Cozumel!

Closer!

35 days and counting!  I am really getting excited about going to Cozumel and diving.  I will be doing my CPR certification here soon with our athletic trainer---a prerequisite for Rescue Diver. All my ducks are in a row, but of course I will check this weekend to make sure anything I have forgotten gets taken care of before I leave.

This couldn't come at a better time.  Work is.....not good.  All the legislative changes have caused us (as a faculty) to spend time creating tests to evaluate our kids that are then used to evaluate US....rather than spending our time on USEFUL things, such as actually planning creative lessons. :/  Morale is pretty low overall...and we are a GOOD school.  I can only imagine what it is like elsewhere.

And let's not overlook the fact that I just learned a major award is going to a teacher who not only friends students on Facebook, but has them to to his/her home socially.  No, they do not have a child in this building, so this isn't friends of their child, it is socially with the teacher.  That's creepy.  But it's all about what department you are in and who you cozy up to around here.....

This summer will hopefully refresh my attitude about teaching and the environment in which I work.  Right now I am not fond of either.

Christmas!

Much of the gear I have ordered was piled all over the kitchen counter when I arrived home from the faculty meeting today. Sixty five degrees in February but it felt like Christmas! Camera battery. Check. Memory card. Check. Wrist compass. Check. Strobe diffuser. Check. (Which reminds me to call tomorrow and order the camera kit!) Octo (spare regulator for Rescue Diver). Check. Dive computer! Yay! But wait.....the instruction manual mentions a digital compass, and I ordered the VT3 which doesn't HAVE a compass.....uh oh.

LeisurePro goofed. They sent me the $1100 model, not the $650 I ordered! The receipt says the VT4, but the price is listed as $650...time to make a phone call. I can't put my life in the hands of a piece of equipment with bad karma on it. Sheesh.

But I need to go buy a lotto ticket immediately!  Listen to this; LeisurePro was surprised to hear from me. They were out of the VT3 I ordered, so they upgraded me to the next best model at the same price! OMG! They were truly surprised that I was calling. Really? That's kind of sad. I like to think most people would do the right thing. So I will return the wrist compass, as I have the jazzed up compter with a digital compass. News of my grant should hit the small, local paper soon; I know the district is writing a press release and I was interviewed for an internal human interest piece. Aw, shucks. ;)

Get out.

Seriously.  I won?  I never win anything!

When I read the blog of a former Teacher Creativity Grant winner, I learned that grant notification was much like college applications were in the old days; big envelope, good news.  Small envelope, sorry, better luck next time.  So when my husband emailed me at work to tell me there was a THICK envelope waiting for me at home from the Lilly Endowment, I wouldn't let him open it! 

While *I* thought my idea - to spend the summer getting my Rescue Diver and Underwater Photography certifications in Cozumel Mexico - was pretty cool, there are a lot of creative people out there and I wasn't sure I'd make the cut.  But in 99 days, off to Mexico I go!

Once the reality of the work ahead sunk in, I had to get busy.  I had done extensive research on the gear that I need (camera/housing and dive computer) but I used some leftover airline credit towards my ticket, which left me $400 extra in my budget.  So off I go to consider some gear upgrades.  I did choose a slightly better computer (Oceanic VT3 wireless, for you gearheads), and a Sealife DC1400 camera, as the kit comes with a strobe.  My research says that pictures are exponentially better when a strobe is used.  Next I'll have to figure out how to use all this new stuff....you get into a routine diving, and so this will be all new, while at the same time I am learning new dive skills.  Ai yi yi.

So upon reflection, I guess I have changed things already.  I plan to use the 'extra' personal stipend money to add EXPERIENCES this summer; night dives, extra dives, maybe a shark dive.  My feeling is that I would eat and live no matter where I am, so I cover that and use my grant monies for diving!

99 days.  Once my gear arrives I have to take an online class to use the new computer.  This ought to be interesting.