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Share your summer

FINALLY, SCHOOL'S OUT AND SUMMER'S HERE. Take a minute and learn what a few of your colleagues have in mind for this summer. Whether it's traveling or working on your master's degree, teaching your grandson to fly a plane, planning a second career or starting a new business, the plans of TCTA members are as interesting as they are varied. Pour a glass of sweet tea, put on your sunglasses, sit back and enjoy.

From flying lessons to fly-fishing
Since I flew my Cessna 172 to Montana to visit my elder son and his wife and take aerial photos of their summer place last year, I am going to even things out this coming summer. I will fly to Rocklin, CA (near Sacramento) to see my younger son, his wife and my two grandsons. The older grandson is 13 and spent a week with me this last fall. During that time we spent a number of hours flying around South Texas, with him doing quite a bit of the flying under my supervision. His interest was piqued and captured, and he has now started taking flying lessons timed in such a way as to have him ready to take his solo flight as soon as he reaches the age of 16, which is the minimum legal age for soloing. While I am there, he and I can do a few hours of dual flying around North Central California. To keep peace in the family, I'll also take his younger brother, who is 9, flying several times and let him "take the plane" for as long
as he can safely do so. If time and budget will allow I plan to then fly to Sarasota, FL, where my older son lives and practices medicine. He and his wife and I will fly to Bimini in the British Bahamas where my son will do saltwater fly-fishing in an attempt to catch bone fish. I will go along and have fun taking pictures, and then the three of us will do our best to deplete the island of its supply of cracked conch!

SYDNEY KING
Retired, former high school computer
programming and math teacher
North East CTA, San Antonio

Destination: Key West
Just before Hurricane Ike arrived, I had purchased my dream car, a bright red MINI
Cooper convertible, which survived with minimal damage. My plan this summer is to
put the top down and drive from Houston to the Florida Keys with my beloved husband
of 37 years, stopping at interesting places along the way. First stop is Pensacola, FL,
for dinner with some friends from Destin. Second stop is Jacksonville and dinner with a
nephew and family, then on to Key West. My goal is to see as many sunsets as possible (perhaps a few sunrises). Mallory Square has the reputation of being the "fun" place. We look forward to snorkeling, too. Sand and surf, here we come. On the way home, we will be traveling up the Gulf side of Florida. We'll stop in Louisiana at the casino to meet my three sisters and mom to celebrate my sister's 60th birthday! Who says old math teachers don’t know how to have fun????


PAMELA NOVAK
Algebra II, precalculus and calculus teacher
Anahuac High School
Anahuac CTA

Making friends AND good $$$ sense
I usually await summer vacation as a time to play with grandchildren, sleep late, go on short trips, and enjoy just about anything that doesn’t require a time schedule. However, this summer will be very different. Last month, I opened a small consignment boutique. In only three short weeks, I have consigned over 40 consigners, each eager to sell their gently used or almost new items. Others are searching the racks for that special designer dress or jeans. All these people have one thing in common: trying to stretch their dollars to provide nice quality clothing and accessories for their families without blowing the family’s budget. At a time when most would not consider opening a new business, this consignment boutique helps both the seller and the buyer conserve money. Someone remarked that this was the ultimate way to recycle. I have seen smiles on my customers’ faces when I tell them the total. Most of them are shocked at the low prices and the designer quality merchandise. I am really excited to see how my business grows this summer. I guess I can have a vacation at a later date, perhaps when I retire. Though I haven’t made any money, I have certainly made several new friends. Who could ask for more?


CINDY FIELDS
Special education teacher
Bridges Center
Athens CTA

Florida and a new adventure
The first week of summer vacation, my husband and I (both educators for more than 25 years) will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary with a family trip to Sanibel Island, FL, with our 19-year-old college son and our 24-year-old daughter and son-in-law. During the month of June, I will teach summer school and Bible school and will start a children’s group that will make weekly visits to our local nursing home where we will sing and do crafts with the residents. The month of July will be spent in Tennessee helping my dad recuperate following knee surgery. In August, my husband and I are planning to take on a new adventure as foster parents, and of course will be getting ready for school!


ELAINE STEINLE
5th grade social studies teacher
Dimmitt Middle School
Dimmitt CTA

Celebration cruise and summer camps
I have directed and been a counselor at summer camps for about 10 years and will do so again this year. I always do the beginner camps for students who have just completed 2nd & 3rd grades, occasionally the junior camps for students after 4th and 5th grades, and this year have committed to the Eighter’s camp, a Biblical sex ed program for students who have just completed 8th grade. Also, my family and a few dear friends will cruise to Alaska, possibly taking the train back through Canada and along the West Coast. This two- to three-week trip was scheduled for last year, but was postponed due to my mom’s illness. It will be a celebration of the restoration of my mom's health.

BOB POE
4th grade teacher
Hutto Elementary School
Hutto CTA

Reading, 'riting and recuperation
I am spending my summer vacation getting both knees replaced – SOME FUN! While I recuperate, I plan to read, scrapbook (which I have very little time for during the school year), and work on some ideas for the next school year. By August, I'll be so rested that I will be begging to start back to school. Hope everyone else has a great summer too.


JAN MILLER
7th and 8th grade math teacher
Mildred Junior High School
Mildred CTA
Corsicana

Ahhh.... Summer!!!
1. Enjoy!
2. Enjoy the grandchildren, Jace and Kymbrie. Jace will be 2 on July 16 and Kymbrie was born March 10.
3. Enjoy the activities leading up to our fourth son’s wedding:), including the rehearsal dinner. They are each having NINE attendants!!
4. Enjoy a trip or two or three with my hubby – not sure where yet.
5. Enjoy catching up on some fun reading.
6. Enjoy playing mindless games on Direct TV’s game lounge – Scrabble Scramble, Prism and Skip Bo.
7. Enjoy a little Oklahoma or Louisiana time – Cha Ching!
8. Just ENJOY :)


DEBBIE CRAWFORD
Special education teacher
Travis Elementary School
Mineral Wells CTA


Living a dream through the eyes of a 6-year-old
I will spend my summer vacation working on my master's degree. Next year will be my first full school year in a library, so I will be spending the summer sifting through more than 20 years of equipment and books. I will take time out for our annual pilgrimage to St. Louis to visit my 93-year-young grandma. My husband and I are taking our 6-year-old to her first St. Louis Cardinals game. It’s one of their "Kids Run the Bases" days. So, after the game, she gets to do something I can only dream of…run the bases at Busch stadium. It’s really not right to be jealous of a 6-year-old, is it?


AMANDA GALLITON
Grades 6-8 librarian
Zundy Leadership Academy
Wichita Falls CTA

Finding adventure close to home
I have taught summer school for many years now. This summer I will stay home, spend time with my children lounging by the pool and going on "adventure" day trips nearby. We are fortunate to live in the Highland Lakes, about an hour west/northwest of Austin. Nearby we have Inks Lake State Park, Enchanted Rock and Longhorn Caverns. There are many rivers and lakes in the vicinity, as well. There are great areas for hiking and biking, and learning about nature. I plan on attending a Women's Retreat at a Lutheran Camp, and we will also take time to go to the beach at least once.

EMILY PATTERSON
Math teacher
Marble Falls Career High School
Marble Falls CTA

Rest, relax and regroup
As soon as I finish my workshops, we will scramble off to East Texas where there are plenty of wild berries and fruits available (better than last year hopefully) for picking. With the help of my granddaughter, I will be making lots of jam and jelly. Then we plan a trip to Central Texas and, with remaining time, we hope to get to Northeastern Arkansas. Both trips are for visiting family. We should get back just in time to rest for a few weeks before starting a fresh and exciting new school year. This is usually how we rest, relax and regroup.


MICHELE RECTOR
4th grade academic coach
San Leon Elementary School
Dickinson CTA

Storytelling as second career
This year, my summer will allow me to contemplate a longtime passion. I plan to gather materials to become a professional storyteller. I have spent my teaching time motivating and cultivating and creating stories about life lessons for students from ages 3 to 22. I plan to take all that energy and create a wonderful storytelling style that not only will entertain but teach life lessons using a combination of live animals and puppets, to help students express wants and needs. I have been trained in animal therapy, and I know if one of my animals or story lessons can help a child in need seek help, then I have done my job. (Editor’s note: Young hopes to make this a second career and take her storytelling to campgrounds, the Y summer programs, parks, churches and schools.)


KATHERINE M. YOUNG
Member-at-large
Onalaska Junior-Senior High School
Onalaska ISD
Huntsville

Posted: 07/02/09 ("The Classroom Teacher," summer 2009)