Workshops, Workshops and More Workshops! Ms Kathy & Franceen: Tuckered Out!

Don't you hate when people refer to themselves in the third person?  Well, I have been so on the roll that I feel like, not only have I been on roller skates, but I have been like two people skating in different directions. Ms. Kathy and Franceen (my alter-ego) have been on the move!

Immediately after the ESY summer school ended, Ms. Kathy packed her car with the rest of her summer classroom things.  Franceeen had packed the Kairos Prison Ministry agape materials and supplies and her luggage for the Kairos Weekend in that same car. Can we tell you it was a loaded down car? It was. But then, that's it's usual state when the work load is overwhelming--like this past school year.

We made sure the classroom was all clean and in better shape than we left it as during summer we are visitors on someone else's campus and using the classrooms of teachers who use the classrooms during the regular school year. 

The Kairos weekend is actually 3 1/2 days starting on a Thursday afternoon and lasting until the late afternoon on Sunday.  The prayer vigil was  not filled until that morning so with work, Franceen hadn't had a chance to divide all of the 30-minute increments into 10-minute increments and print them on colored card stock paper. Ms. Kathy couldn't get to the hotel until after 4:00PM (we were s'posed to be there at least by 1:00PM) so two ladies that helped, Ms. Kathy and Franceen were in the conference room working on it until after 1:00AM. That involved copying the entire list into a Word document and making 2 more rows for each person who signed up for 30 minutes and making them each 10 minutes. that's multiplying 154 rows by 3 and printing them out one sheet at a time, cutting each strip apart and stapling the strips into a chain. Soooooo, Ms. Kathy and Franceeen  were up late nearly every night of the Kairos weekend doing one thing or another for agape.

We were too tired to unpack Sunday evening and the next morning Ms. Kathy attended a workshop about the Read, Write GOLD program. Ms. Kathy is very excited about the applications of that program for children with visual impairments, by the way. Franceen said, "Go to bed. Part 2 is tomorrow." Ms. Kathy said, "BUT in two days the Expo starts and you need to check your box you used from last year to make sure you have everything you need." 

Franceen said, "Go to bed. You have the afternoon. Put your feet up.  Zonk out. That's an order."

After Part 2 of the RWG workshop, the following day was the Education Expo. Ms. Kathy wanted to attend some of the other sessions. So she did, against Franceeen's advice. But it was worthwhile learning about other things to help her kids. And Franceen helped review information for the session she was to present the following day.


  Ms. Kathy presented a workshop session at the EBR Schools Educational Expo called "OCMe2!" The title look like a difficult formula but she pointed out that it was made that way to reflect what some teachers think when they have a child with a visual impairment in their class. Actually as she explained, much of it is common sense and if one reads the formula a certain way it reads "Oh, See Me, too!" Then she spoke to the ladies about certain activities that they can do in their classes to include that child with visual impairments or so that that child will have the same outcome as the sighted children in the class.  There was a  lot to share and Ms. Kathy felt like she couldn't get enough activities to the ladies. But Franceen noted how each one of them came to her and said they enjoyed it and would like to keep in contact by email. 

Ms. Kathy already knew each of them except one and that one was very excited to know our program and services are available in the parish.
Ms. Kathy visited her mother's house, which is an almost daily MUST. Getting excited about being able to sleep in, finally and maybe get some housecleaning done. Her niece and grandniece are still visiting. But they need to get to the New Orleans airport tomorrow. Can Ms. Kathy take them. Of course.  We cannot have our mom driving over there. Oh, well. So much for a day to sleep in and get much done at the house. At least husband will be home by then.

Oh! Saw supervisor at the expo and she informed Ms.Kathy that she will need to move from the present school since one of the VI specialists retired at the end of last school year and those of us left will need to absorb that case load. Let's not think about that right now.