It Just Depends On The Time Of Day

Perhaps I have discussed something similar before, but I find something interesting about the personalities of my English III sections.  Keep in mind that I teach six periods a day out of seven.  In those six periods, I teach English III five times.  And while it's true that two of those sections are officially titled Advanced English III and two of the sections are titled English III, the content of the sections is mostly the same.  (My approach is sometimes different, and sometimes options of assignments are different as well as expectations of those assignments.)  So for all practical matters, though, English III is English III - junior English - focused on foundations of American literature, preparation for the SAT, and exploration of post-secondary training paths.  Here's a rundown of the personalities, though, of each section.

1st period - quiet, sometimes to the point where I wonder if they are teenagers - this group includes no band members because band is first period
2nd period - quiet, but occasional flares of life and energy...appear to be waking up
3rd period - brightest eyes, participate fully, ready to go - easiest group to work with all day
4th period - talkative and energetic but eagerly awaiting lunch period - this group includes several "vocational" kids, because they go to our Area Career Center for technical training courses
5th period - none - my prep period, and in the HISTORY of teaching at Rockridge this is the best period to have as prep because lunch is served in three time periods during 5th period.  No matter how the rest of the day may be shortened or lengthened, 5th period is always in tact, so I NEVER lose my prep period.  Sometimes I think paying the school district just to have 5th period prep would be well worth it.
6th period - (only six students, and it's public speaking)
7th period - most talkative group of the day because it's the last period of the day, and usually a lot of band and chorus kids

And this is how it goes each day!  And pretty much from year-to-year....that's how it goes.  The personality of the sections is dictated by time of day, time of lunch, band first period, and ACC in the afternoon.  And for the record...there is no "favorite"...they are all great kids (for the most part); they just require different levels of energy and approach from me!

Home Sweet Home

Last night, I officiated my first basketball game of the 19-20 season, as I hadn't been on the court since July.  That date last night was an important one because returning to the court would give me some feedback on the levels of progress I have made in regards to strengthening my right knee and just general health since dropping some weight.  Admittedly, I was a little nervous.  What if I still had so much pain in the knee that I needed to return to medication for the pain?  What if I still felt heavy?  Would that sabotage my mental approach to continuing my efforts to get to a healthier goal weight?

The verdict wasn't "happily ever after", but it also wasn't "gloom and doom."  The feedback actually is a little questionable because Sunday I actually went to a gym and completed some light squats and bench press, which is something I hadn't done in a long while.  In addition, yesterday morning I was back in that same gym completing a bicycle workout at 5 a.m.  With all that in mind, my legs and body weren't exactly completely rested to officiate girls junior high basketball - a sport that features a lot of stops.

During the game, my knee hurt, especially the inside of my knee where the most arthritis has accumulated.  To be honest, I'm not sure about the shoes I'm wearing, so that could also contribute to some of the problem.  The Zigs I'm wearing feel like they have high arches, and common sense tells me they are putting more pressure on the inside of my knees that perhaps other shoes would.  I'm going to try a different pair of shoes that I ordered online last week.  I think these new shoes will have more motion stability and lower arches, which I'm hoping will alleviate some pressure.

I didn't take any Tylenol last night, though.  I basically just dealt with the pain I was feeling, but the pain really wasn't awful.  This morning both knees were achy, but I didn't feel the sharp pain that I feared might appear.  While I didn't exercise this morning to take a break, I did my usual morning yoga stretch routine, and that helped me feel a little better.

As far as physical shape, I didn't feel out of breath, which was a positive.  It was hot in the gym, and my clothes definitely felt "looser".  In fact, I did have to tighten my adjustable pants quite a bit, which made me feel good.  That adjustment was a clear signal that I have shrunk my waist since the end of basketball season last year.  Also, my XXL shirt did feel looser.  I didn't feel as fast or quick as I had hoped, but my legs likely were at least somewhat fatigued from the recent strength training exercises and bike workouts.

I head to the chiro today after school for another treatment on my knee.  I know I'm gaining more flexibility, and I know the pain isn't as bad as it was last year, plus I still haven't taken any Meloxocam since June.  I feel like I just need to stay the course because I know there is improvement in my health, which will help me feel better about being able to officiate.  The "course" of a combination of regular yoga stretching, intermittent fasting to drop weight, and the treatments at the chiro are moving me forward to a healthier place.  I don't feel like I'm 35 again just yet, but I'm closer than I was six months ago.

I Got In A 5K This Morning!

Back "in the day" I use to participate in all sorts of runs - 5K, 10K half-marathon, marathon, ultra-marathon, trail run.  For the past few years, though, my running has been non-existent.  I developed arthritis in my right knee, and there were times a couple of years ago I had trouble just going for a walk.  I kept umpiring and officiating, but I was only able to do that by popping Advil or Tylenol to kill the pain enough to make it.  Then, when that wasn't enough, I went to the doctor, and he prescribed me Meloxocam, which at the time he told me was similar to those medications.

So this morning, I ran a 5K...okay, honestly, running 3.2 miles on the track at RHS in a blistering time of 45:39 is not exactly running.  I'm positive many folks can walk faster than that 15-minute per mile pace.  And "running" on a track isn't quite the same as running on streets or pavement with hills. 

Still, it was 3.2 miles, and I wasn't "walking", so I'm counting it as an accomplishment.

Losing weight has helped; I believe my change in eating habits has helped; doing a little simple yoga routine each morning has helped; and trying some therapy on my knee from Dr. Moreno at Frontline Sport and Spine has helped.  I've had two treatments so far, and they have me doing some simple strength and flexibility exercises on my own each day.  I wouldn't say I feel miraculously cured, but whatever he's doing with that little platinum credit-card-looking thing he uses to scrape my knee seems to be easing the acute pain I was previously experiencing.

In my mind, my improvements are probably a combination of all of them, so I just need to stay the course, be patient, and see how much I can improve and what I need to develop as a regular daily/weekly routine to attempt to help myself out.  I'm not in the middle of basketball season, so I admittedly may have to go back to Tylenol or the Meloxocam if the acute pain does return, but for now I like where I'm headed.