Tracey Childs

Finally, George Bush and John McCain act as if the country is in a financial crisis. A few short months ago, I remember reading articles where both stated (I’m not quoting…simply putting their statements in my own words) everything was fine and Americans were worried for no reason. I believe one of them may have even implied that it was all in our heads. Well, it wasn’t in my head. Over the summer I knew someone who lost his job because his company couldn’t afford to keep his office open. I also knew a family whose house went into forclosure. And we’ve all heard countless people complain about the price of gas. I had a student who didn’t want to drive his car to a service project because he couldn’t afford to put any extra gas in his car than was absolutely necessary. And le’t not even talk about how much more expensive it is to buy simple items like milk and eggs. So, no sirs! It is not in my head. For those who are not wealthy, the financial crisis has been a reality for months. For those in poverty, it’s been a reality for generations.

Lawmakers are in Washington today trying to put together a “bailout” plan. Whatever is decided, I hope people who really need the help are the ones who will be assisted.

When I signed on to meebo this evening, a dialogue box opened. The blogger had written about sports fans in his office. So, I thought it would be a good journal entry for my class this week. I have many sports memories, so I don’t think I can come up with my favorite. I can, however, tell you what my favorite is not…the Auburn-Miss State game this past Saturday. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for Auburn’s new offense to get it together, but it needs to happen before Saturday. Saturday, after all, is only one of the biggest games of the season…LSU. I don’t know what Koby Burns did or who he pissed off, but I hardly think Todd’s performance warrants him to be our starting QB. I also know that year after year, Auburn’s offensive pride has be with its backs, so I am also not quite sure why we’re deviating from our A-game. What I do know is that we better get it together. I’ve never been a Tubby fan, but I was starting to give him his respect. I’d hate for him and me to have to start all over.

It’s the fall semester, and so the first year students are on campus and in full gear. In their first week, most of them have moved into the residence halls, started classes, and survived their first hurricane scare. And now that they’re resettling into things, I’ve asked my English students to write a journal entry about their goals. I told them the goals can be long term or short, but the point of the exercise is to get them writing. And in the process, they may learn something about themselves. Plus, I need to think about my goals too. Professionally, I have to submit goals to my superviser  by the middle of this month. And I have several things I want to do by the end of the year. I just have to  be careful to not be too optomistic…I’m one person and need to be realistic about what I can accomplish. Personally, I’m making goals to help me transition from a stay-at-home-mom to a working mom. I know they sound simple, but it’s a goal to get up every morning at 6:00 and be out of the house by 7. It’s a goal to not talk on the cell phone on the ride home. By mid-october, I’ll revisit my goals to see how I’m doing. Hopefully I will have accomplished some things and be a more productive mom and employee.

So much has happened over the last two weeks. Katelyn was ill for about a week. During that same week, I backed the car into the garage and watched as Katelyn dropped my cell phone, on purpose, into the bath tub. Did I say that all happened in one week? It was actually a day.

Then last week came and went. It’s true that time really flies when you’re having fun. Part of the fun was going to see La Traviata. I’m not quite sure why, but I had never been to the opera before. It’s odd because I love the theatre, and I like to listen to music. I, unlike a small percentage of my students, really enjoyed the performance. I thought the orchestra played especially well, and the costumes and sets were beautiful! I felt that Violetta’s costumes were the most interesting, as they changed based on what was going on her life. Her hostess ball gown was full and regal, and the sassy, black number she wore after her party was…well, sassy. I loved her “wholesome” frock; the white dress with aqua accents was worn when she was happy in love and living in the country with Alfredo. It was followed by her black, ornate ball gown worn when she accompanied Baron to a party  while still in love with Alfredo. And as exepected, she wore an off-white gown before her death, showing her transformation from party girl to God-fearing woman.

All of the talk of costumes leads me to tonight. It’s Halloween! And though I enjoyed trick-or-treating as a child with my neighbors and little brother, I think I had more fun today as a mom of a first time trick-or-treater. We began prepping Katelyn for today’s festivities by teaching her to hold her pumpkin container out while saying, “Trick or treat.” It is the cutest thing ever. EVER! This morning we started celebrating by taking pictures on the front porch in front of the  pumpkin, mums and aluminum jack-o-lantern. Katelyn wore her “Boo” t-shirt, and she knew that something special was happening today. The Mom’s Day Out program had a “Halloween party” on the playground before the sweetie pies went home for the day. Katelyn dressed up as a lavendar butterfly while her friends wore Tigger, fairy, football player, and cheerleader costumes. She and her cousin Sydney licked icing off of cupcakes before throwing them away. And both girls resisted naptime later. They are obviously not used to a lot of sugar. After Katelyn finally napped for about an hour, her godmother came to see her. Shayla is pregnant with Katelyn’s first little godbrother or sister. I teased her and told her she should put her belly in costume. To end the fun, Katelyn trick-or-treated at three houses and passed out candy. Of course she didn’t share with others that she knew a new phrase, but after we closed the door to the last group of tweens in short shorts and cow girl boots (I’m still not sure who they were supposed to be), she repeated her new phrase several times in front of the video camera for Daddy. I will always remember today. Too bad she won’t!

Last week I ranted to my students about Bush’s latest veto. In case you’ve had your head in the clouds for the past ten days or so, I’ll give you a brief update. Currently in America, there are nearly 9 million children who do not have health insurance. In most cases, these children’s parents don’t make a lot of money, and so they either can’t pay for the insurance that their jobs offer, or their jobs don’t offer any sort of plan for them to purchase. There has been an ongoing debate about healthcare in America, and it’s going to be and should be a hot topic for those candidates seeking the top position in our country.

Last week, the House and the Senate worked together to decide on a bill that would help to insure 3 million of those 9 million uninsured children. They proposed to increase the cigarette tax and use the additional monies from the tax to pay for the insurance. It’s not a perfect plan, but it’s a start. President Bush, who has only exercised his power to veto four times in two terms (the fewest of any president), decided to exercise his right last week. He said that the bill simply asked for too much money.

I am fortunate enough to have had jobs where health insurance was free or of little cost to me. My husband is also fortunate enough to have a job that offers good benefits, and since Katelyn has been around, we’ve found out just how great the healthcare benefits are at his job. So when I began to hear about children who died from common illnesses simply because their families couldn’t afford to take them to the doctor, I couldn’t relate. I was confused to say the least. But now, I am angry. I am angry because some lawmakers in the country tried to make a change in the system, and their top leader said that their concerns weren’t valid. And I am angry because members of Congress and Senate from this great state of Alabama also failed to sympathize with the millions who simply can’t afford, as hard as they try, to give their children the very best start. Finally, I am angry because when I wrote to an elected official and voiced concern for his actions and asked him to reconsider his position, I received an automated email response, telling me that he appreciated my note. I do not expect that these men will ever understand where the lower middle class and poor of this country come from, but because this is America, I did expect that they would stop for a few minutes and realize that sometimes taking care of the folks at home is important too.

When I attended college, Auburn was on the quarter system. About a third of the way through each quarter, after I’d received my first grades on tests and papers, I knew that midterms were right around the corner. And I needed to vent! My students are probably at that point now. They’ve been in college for about a month, and they’ve received their first grades. Some received a wake-up call while others are just happy that they are making the transition. In any event, now may be a time to vent, and so this week’s journal entry is a lemon squeeze. I learned about lemon squeezes in college. The only twist is that simply squeezing the lemons is unacceptable. You have to make lemonade. So after all of the venting is done, an action plan needs to be put in place. How are you going to deal with the situation if it ever presents itself again? What are you going to do differently in life to avoid making the same mistakes twice? Go ahead. Try it. You’ll feel better after venting, but you’ll feel even better after you add a little bit of sugar to that lemon juice and can sip on some refreshing lemonade!

So much is going on in the news right now. I don’t know where to begin…

A seven month old died yesterday of EEE. That really scares me. I am already a bit paranoid when I see anything “foreign” on my child, and I can be obsessive compulsive about spraying her with Off (although I have slacked off since we moved. I don’t see nearly as many mosquitoes). You better believe I am about to get back on that! I can’t even begin to imagine what that family is going through.

I also can’t imagine what the families of the Jena Six must be going through. I read another update this week that charges for others have been reduced. It just makes you wonder what is going on today! I mean, how did this situation go on for so long w/out any national attention? And why isn’t it getting the attention that it needs? And why do the principal and superintendent of the school and system still have jobs? And why doesn’t the DA take a page out of the book of the NC DA who went after the Duke Lacrosse players? Shouldn’t they have to answer to someone? And Governor Blanco? She can’t step in yet? I don’t understand that either! Wake up! And let’s remember Dr. Kings’ sentiments about injustices…if they happen anywhere, they are happening everywhere. Yes. Even right here in Mobile, Al.

Who wants to talk about all of the war stuff? I am not a huge Tavis Smiley fan, but he does raise some good questions about timing. How important is it that the report on Iraq (which was pretty favorable) was released on Sept. 10, the day before the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on our country? And how important is it that a new Bin Laden tape was released at the same time? And how important is it that our president is about to ask for billions more dollars to fund the war? I don’t have the answers. I just want you to think about it.

And in entertainment news…how funny is it that Kanye West is beating 50 cent in the battle for record sales. And is 50 REALLY going to retire? I doubt it.

My Tigers play Miss. State Saturday. I want to say it’ll be a sure win, but with the way our O is playing, I am keeping my mouth shut until AFTER the game is over. I do, however, still say loudly and proudly, “WAR EAGLE!”

Have a great weekend.

Please read the following link for more information. Remember the old adage, “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20589789/?GT1=10357

To say that I have a type A personality may be an understatement. I am the oldest of three, and I was an only child for six years. So it’s in my nature to be bossy, straight-forward and driven (at least I tell myself it’s natural). I was always the one who had a plan and followed it through to execution. If I said I was going to do something by a certain time, then that is how it was going to be. Don’t get me wrong. There were times when the stars didn’t always line up in my favor. For instance, there was the time I ran for ninth grade class president and lost to childhood friend Renee Stewart. I was crushed for a day or so. I knew my campaign slogan was witty, and I knew that I would be the perfect person to plan the ninth grade prom, but nevertheless, it was not meant for me. And then there was the time I ran for senior class president in high school only to lose to a girl who stood up on chair in the gym during open campaigning and yelled, “do you really want a CHEERLEADER to be your president?” I wanted to turn around and yell, “do you really want a lazy under achiever to be your president?” That, however, would’ve been undignified, so I refrained and instead cried on the front steps of the school’s main entrance and told my assistant principal that it wasn’t fair while I waited for my dad to pick me up from school. My biggest set back began on August 16, 1994. That’s the day I went into the hospital and began the journey of a lifetime. At 18, it was hard for me to comprehend why I was sick, why I had to have my kidney removed, and why I couldn’t begin college in the fall. I learned a very important lesson then. I was not in control of my life; God was. And if I was going to recover and live, I would have to put my faith in Him rather than in myself. I learned that lesson in 1994 and forgot it and learned it and forgot it again many, many times. I was reminded, however, on December 16, 2005 (this period was the greatest test of my faith). I was 29 weeks pregnant with Katelyn, and I was not feeling my best. I was tired, my feet were swollen, I had a bladder infection…I just didn’t feel good.

I was admitted to the hospital on Friday night as a result of blood pressure readings in the 200/100 area. When told that I was going to be transfered to a hospital for high risk patients and that I would probably deliver my baby that night (she wasn’t due until March), I sobbed uncontrollably. When the doctor went on to explain to me that if I didn’t get myself under control, I would have seizures and put Andy in a situation where he’d have to choose whether or not he wanted to save me or Katelyn, I knew what I had to do. That life-long lesson came back to me instantly. I had to pull it together and put my faith in God because I knew that I couldn’t do it. I also knew that the process was happening for a reason. I’d have to figure out that lesson later.

Katelyn was born on Sunday, December 18, 2005 at 11:19 am. She weighed two pounds and three ounces. For the next eleven weeks, she, Andy and I would go through many physical and emotional rollercoasters. During those eleven weeks, I continued to learn and remember that life was not Burger King. I could not have it my way. My way would’ve been that Katelyn was born on March 6, 2006 and weighed more than six pounds. My way would’ve been that she could breathe on her own immediately. My way would’ve been that she and I would’ve gone home from the hospital on the same day. My way would’ve been that she wouldn’t have had to have surgery before she turned three months old. My way would’ve been that we wouldn’t have to shelter her from the common cold for almost two years. But it didn’t happen my way. lt happened God’s way. And we–Katelyn, Andy, and I–are a lot stronger for it.

It’s been twenty months, and Katelyn weighs a bit over 21 pounds. She is as healthy as can be. I don’t think I love her anymore than other parents love their children, but I know that I appreciate her struggle, her will and her zest for life. And I thank God for giving me a daily reminder that His way is really the best way.

Remember the old adage, “practice makes perfect”? Well there you have it! In order to become a better writer, you have to write more often. And in order to make sure my students write more often, I am assigning journal entries at least once a week. Although I will assign topics, students are free to respond to those topics in any appropriate way they see fit. The goal is simply to write more often.

Speaking of goals, the topic for week two is to talk about  goals and how you plan to achieve them.

I’ve set several goals for myself, both short and long term. I’ve also set some that are personal and professional. My short term professional goals include helping my students become better writers and better students. I also want to incorporate more technology into my classes. I am a bit old fashion and realize that I better step up or be left behind. Blogging and using ERES are tools that I’m using to begin this process.

Now watch how I am going to completely change the subject here. See how this journal thing works?

Anyway, I promised an update on last week’s movie night. PRIDE is a motivational movie based on a true story. Without spoiling it for you, let me just say that at one point in the movie, Andy turned to me and asked me if I was crying. I will admit that I am a crier, but this particular scene had me near sobs. Although I wouldn’t have paid to see this film in the theatre, it was definitely a good rental. We watched Disturbia last weekend too. It was good! I didn’t cry, and I was able to sleep after watching it (it wasn’t too disturbing), but it was good nonetheless.