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Thursday, October 6, 2011
If someone was to ask me a parenting question on nearly any topic, I'd feel confident that I could give an intelligent and constructive answer. That's an area of my life where I feel like I have some degree of expertise. I may not be perfect at it, but I know what I'm doing. At school, however? I feel like an idiot. I don't understand the terms they use here. Everyone tosses them around like they're common knowledge, yet my head spins because they might as well be speaking a foreign language, as far as I'm concerned.
I don't know all the procedures and protocol for doing things here. What do you do if you have a student who is tardy to your class seventeen times? I assumed the attendance people would catch that I was marking him tardy every day and would do something. I guess not. When I brought it up, I was looked at like I was stupid for letting a student get seventeen tardies without saying anything. Sheesh, now that I think about it, maybe I should continue to let the kids get tardies. I should encourage them to take their time getting to my class because it means less time spent here making me insane. Kidding. Just kidding.
But really, I'm not a teacher. I didn't go to college to be a teacher. I didn't go to college at all, in fact. I didn't student teach. I haven't been doing this for years. Don't get me wrong, I do believe I'm qualified for my position, but I lack experience and, unfortunately the only thing that can fix that is time.
I'm pretty sure all the eighth grade math teachers hate me. Yesterday, I alienated the eighth grade history teachers as well when I gave a student a copy of a vocabulary quiz with the answers filled in so he could study the words. In hindsight, that was a stupid move. Duh. I have no idea what I was thinking. Clearly, I wasn't. I should only have gone over the words and never shown the student the test for him to simply memorize. The history teachers have every right to be upset. I was stupid. I hate being stupid.
When I (half) joke about quitting, some teachers nod their heads and commiserate, saying, "I don't know how you do it. I couldn't take working with those kids every period, every day." But, honestly, it's not even the kids who make me want to quit. They're not the problem. They are who they are. They do what they do. I try to keep them on track, help them develop organizational skills, encourage them to be responsible. Sometimes it sinks in; sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes they respond and surprise me; sometimes they don't. It's more like being a mom to thirty kids than a teacher. I'm fine with that. Yes, it gets discouraging at times. But other times, it's pretty darn rewarding.
Nope, it's not the kids. It's me. I feel like I suck at this job and I don't enjoy doing things that make me feel all suckish. Sigh.
(Don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. Come back tomorrow for a fun-filled poop extravaganza courtesy of Clayton. Ugh, he's gonna get us kicked out of our neighborhood.)
Posted by Dawn at 4:46 PM
33 comments:
- watercat said...
Did they have you go to any campus-wide trainings at the beginning of the year? And do they have a faculty handbook?
The high school I teach at has orientation sessions that review the main campus policies at teh beginning of each year, and all staff, including aides, are required ot attend. We also have a faculty binder with detailed printouts of all of the policies that each teacher receives. You should ask if they have any of that.
Additionally, you should ask if the school has a mentor program (for new teachers). If they don't have an official mentor system that buddies you up with an experienced teacher, ask around and see if one will agree to help you out. Most experienced teachers are usually willing to answer questions.
It will get better!
- October 6, 2011 at 5:15 PM
- Judi said...
Your map of who is visiting my blog right now seems to be missing good old New Zealand!
And sometimes we all suck at our jobs and other days we are awesome.
Two days ago my big boss came up to me and gave me a hug and said I was a genius! I said I knew that but what for this time?
- October 6, 2011 at 5:26 PM
- Red Velvet said...
Teaching is probably one of the least appreciated and most stressing and difficult job on the planet (second only to parenting)!!! Keep moving one foot in front of the other and know that you will have "off" days, days when you feel totally unqualified and yes, suckish, but what you are doing is so very vital. HUGS Dawn.
- October 6, 2011 at 5:28 PM
- Janae said...
Dawn, I have been reading your blog for a few years now. This one caught my eye. I am in my third year of teaching junior high English.
I felt like this during my internship (first) year. And I felt like this last year because my kids were so awful that I felt hopeless and stupid.
I LOVE to share ideas and do "teacher talk." I'd love to help you out and give you all my stuff and processes and policies and everything. I'm pursuing a reading endorsement as well, so my perspective and methods are still in constant development.
But really, if you need anything, let me know. firstname.lastname@example.com. I can also invite you to my Teaching folder on Dropbox so you can look through and take whatever you want! My class website is at http://my.uen.org/221738.
Good luck, and you're right! It will be better in the en.
- October 6, 2011 at 5:31 PM
- Dawn said...
Now I know that they did go over that kind of information during preplan, but since I don't have an instructional position, I wasn't required to attend any of that. Now, in hindsight, I wish I had gone anyway.
- October 6, 2011 at 5:32 PM
- Notsopc said...
No matter what job you have you always feel like you suck until you get used to it.. I bet you are a coo teacher to help with kids you do... Hange in there for alittle while longer..
- October 6, 2011 at 5:39 PM
- Unknown said...
Think of it this way.....A lot of the kids you see feel the way you did a lot of the time. Even if they don't show it they appreciate the effort you put into being a help to them. Everyone hates feeling stupid and everyone does at some point (or many) in their lives. The fact that you can look at what is going on and say that you know what the problem is and that it isn't "those kids" says a lot. Those kids are just happy (even if they don't show it) to have someone to help them and someone that cares. So you made a couple of silly mistakes....in the grand scheme of things does it really matter? I know you have told your kids that without mistakes how would we learn? Cliche but true!
- October 6, 2011 at 5:43 PM
- Suburban Correspondent said...
Personally, I see nothing wrong with giving him the vocabulary quiz with the answers to memorize. Isn't that what you want him to do, anyway? Memorize the answers? It's not as if the quiz requires deductive reasoning, you know.
Tell the history teachers to get a life.
- October 6, 2011 at 5:45 PM
- Caroline said...
Don't get discouraged. The first two or three months of a job are always the hardest. You can't learn all the procedures, etc. and ways people do things, the workplace culture, etc. in anything less than a few months - just too much information to learn while you are trying to actually do the job at the same time. I have had a number of jobs, due to constant moving, and always feel like a total moron the first two or three months. Around the end of the second month I started to believe I could actually do the job and by the fourth month, do it well. You are adjusting to so much all at one time. Don't get down on yourself and congratulate yourself on all the new things you have and are learning in this alien place called Florida ;-D. Hang in there - not only will it be fine, it already is.
Much love, Caroline
- October 6, 2011 at 5:53 PM
- Beth said...
OH Dawn, you have made so many changes and you handle them all with humor and good common sense. This job is very new to you so give yourself a break. You will get all the little bits as you go along. You do what you do well. Your job is to help the kids and that has been your priority. just do what you do!!! If the other teachers are jerks aboiut stuff that does not make you stupid. Hugs
- October 6, 2011 at 6:12 PM
- Lisa said...
Its growing pains and it sucks. On the brighter side they (pain's and sucking) don't last forever. You will get into your groove, if not year then it will be the next year. Hang in there, your brave, you have gumption and most of all a fiesty sense of humor and can find "Funny" everywhere and anywhere.
- October 6, 2011 at 6:14 PM
- Mary-Leah said...
I am in the same boat right now. I'm working at a school as a one-on-one aide with a student. And it's not that hard, he's on the autism spectrum, but everything about him is fairly manageable. However, I spend 90% of my time nagging and "reminding" and prompting. And I'm BORED OUT OF MY MIND! I've been working for the school district for twelve years, mostly as a sub, and the variety and flexibility is nice, but this job is full-time and it's making me crazy. It's still a sub job, but there's a chance I could get offered it full-time and permanent. And as much as I need the money, I DO NOT WANT THIS JOB! I feel terrible for complaining (at least I have a job!) but I don't feel like I'm "teaching" or doing much more than being the warm body who can whisk him out of the room if he freaks out. I don't feel my job has much purpose and I NEED purpose. Also, I agree on all the terminology, etc. Even though I've been "in" the schools for quite some time, I often say "huh?" because I have no idea what a "data day" or "running record" is. PLEASE tell me, people. Also, I was at this job for FIVE weeks when the teacher mentioned my name. The kids all looked up and said "who's Mrs. Moore?" I had never been introduced and although I'd spent every single school day since the beginning of the year all day in that classroom, the kids just took it for granted that I was "that lady" who took care of the student who was "odd". Would it kill them to introduce me? I hope you can feel more successful at this job. If not, I hope you can find something that uses your creativity and gifts to their full potential. It sucks to not be able to do what you love. And as my husband says "if you don't love it, you won't be very good at it". So true. Good luck, Dawn! :)
- October 6, 2011 at 6:19 PM
- Sharon said...
Oh Dawn! You are being so hard on yourself. This is a whole new experience for you. I'm so sorry that the teachers are not understanding that you are the newbie and they should be helping you and not criticizing you. Give yourself the entire school year and you'll be a pro...you've done this like what six weeks? Not long enough to know all the ins-and-outs yet! There is a learning curve for adults as well as kids!
- October 6, 2011 at 6:51 PM
- Dawn said...
Oh, none of the teachers have been mean to me. I'm internalizing more than I need to, I'm sure. The history teacher who brought my mistake to my attention was completely nice nad polite. In my warped mind, I just know he went and told the other history teachers what a moron I am. That's how my brain works. The math teachers . . . I'm not sure. They're very particular about the way they want things done. And that's okay for the most part. But they need to tell me what their expectations are so we can work together. I have a meeting with them next week.
- October 6, 2011 at 6:57 PM
- JMM Haddonfield said...
Please stop being so hard on yourself. You are new at this particular part of your life. Give it a chance. You'll wonder how you did it, too, someday. Think of all you have accomplished in the past without a particular degree. You are a natural. You are kind to everyone. Be kind to yourself. :)
- October 6, 2011 at 7:14 PM
- Kila said...
You're brand new at your job. I've been at mine for 10 months and still feel pretty green. Hang in there. I'm sure you're great with the kids, and before long you'll be the one teaching the other teachers a thing or two. There are teachers in my family, so I hear what a tough environment it is, but keep at it!
- October 6, 2011 at 7:19 PM
- Michelle said...
I know just how you feel. I subbed in our school district for 2 1/2 years, as an aide for LD & CD kids. I actually preferred the CD kids -- as someone else said, being an aide all day for an LD kid, just tagging along to his classes -- was not fun for me. I had so thought I wanted a FT job in the schools & subbing was my "in". When I interviewed & was offered a job in a promotional products company -- which is what I did in my pre-kid life -- I had to take it, I need a "real" job with a "real" paycheck. You know what?? Best move ever! Those first few months I struggled, partly because I was missing working for the school. But mainly because I was new, the industry is a tough one, so many details, so much to learn. But now I've been there almost a year & a half & I LOVE it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it, best job I ever had!! So.....it will take time. And in the end, if this isn't something you're loving, you will find something you DO love!!
- October 6, 2011 at 8:31 PM
- Marianne said...
This is the big difference between men and women. You worry, fret, and beat yourself up over every minor mistake. Yet I've seen guys in business make huge blunders and shrug it off like it was nothing. Find your inner man. Give him a name (Derrick?). Put him in charge when your ego has taken a whoopin'.
- October 6, 2011 at 8:39 PM
- cm said...
Dawn, I am a manager who has trained many new people for jobs. In my experience, it takes people 3 months to get comfortable and 6 months to be confident. Let us know at the three and six months marks if this holds true. I think it will. Knowing this will hopefully help you relax, cause as you say, it is just a matter of time!
- October 6, 2011 at 9:12 PM
- Alexicographer said...
Oh, Dawn. I did go to college, and on, and on, and then I got my first faculty job and I was teaching 6 new classes to college and master's students and it about did me in. At the end of the first year the chair of my department put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Don't worry, it gets better," and I though, "Gee whiz, couldn't he have told me that at the beginning of the year?" But it does, and it will. Hang in there. You're doing important work.
- October 6, 2011 at 9:28 PM
- Frau Mahlzahn said...
So you feel like you suck, even though the other teachers gave you a compliment saying, they don't know how you do it? Which means, they think you can do it! And I'm sure you can!
From my little experience in the real world, this sounds like that lousy PHASE when you just started a job, the excitement about it has worn off, and you feel overwhelmed and all you do is want to take off.
We have a mom-mantra here in the German-speaking world, when our kids take us through rough times: "It's a phase, it will pass, it's only a phase, it will pass, it's only..."
So hang in there, it's only a phase, it will pass, and I am convinced that you will do just fine. You are not supposed to be a teacher, you have other qualities (like being an expert when it comes to kids) these kids need.
So long,
- October 7, 2011 at 2:13 AM
- katherine said...
Dawn -
As a teacher, I wanted to second the suggestion of finding a mentor. Whether it's a formal arrangement or not, having a person you trust to answer all those little questions is invaluable. I also might suggest finding a fellow newbie to be a friend & work partner. I often found myself talking to that person first, and then feeling a whole lot less stupid when that person didn't know the answer either. It was a good reminder that the real issue was the situation, not me.
Working with kids never gets easy - I actually think that the challenge is one of the reasons it's so rewarding, but it does get easier.
- October 7, 2011 at 6:39 AM
- Sherry said...
The good news is that from where you are (feeling, that is), the only place to go is up. Lots of room for improvement. Hang in there, you'll get past being the new kid on the block and will get there. Remember, these kids didn't get where they're at overnight. They're not going to improve overnight. They are lucky to have you, someone who cares as much as you do about doing a good job. Hang in there.
- October 7, 2011 at 10:01 AM
- rachel said...
I got really good advice from someone (can't remember who) when I first started teaching years ago (I have been home with my kids since 2005 but I think the advice would still apply today). Here goes: when you first start teaching (or working in a school as you are) there is SO MUCH to do and learn and it is very overwhelming. You cannot do it all. Choose ONE class/aspect of your teaching/schedule/day that you focus lots, nearly all, of your attention on, in order to make that one aspect stellar. Spend the whole school year focusing on making that aspect/subject, etc. as flawless as possible. Then the next year, focus on a different aspect and after several years, you will more or less know what you are doing and you will be doing it well.
Yes, this is very labor and time intensive. But even trained teachers cannot be expected (realistically anyway) to have it all together and know everything on Day One. Figure out where you are most lacking and make a plan to remedy the situation. If that means asking for a mentor, do it. If that means sitting in on New Teacher Orientation next summer, do it. If that means asking for a professional day so that you can go to a seminar or class, do it. If that means asking to meet with your counterpart in another school in the district to see how he/she handles the same issues you are trying to tackle, then do it.
Yes, the teachers might be angry with you BUT you are there for the students and if the teachers would stop to think about your motives for filling in the answers, they would realize that you were just trying to help the student and that is the goal (or should be!) of all the adults in the building.
You can do this and you will do this very well, given time.
- October 7, 2011 at 10:34 AM
- MoneySavingEnthusiast said...
YOU ARE HILARIOUS! Glad I found your blog through babble!Wouldn't you think teachers would be nicer about thinking someone is stupid.LOL @MSEnthusiast
☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺
- October 7, 2011 at 12:18 PM
- Sarah said...
I'm sorry you're having a rough time. I can't imagine how hard it is, but I know you don't suck at it. You are doing your best and that's all anyone (including you) can and should expect! The good news is that it's the weekend. Hope you can have a little fun and relax a bit! :)
- October 7, 2011 at 2:13 PM
- jessica said...
Sounds to me like the school didn't give you adequate training on procedures and such for your position. Don't blame yourself. If they can't find the time and resources to properly train their employees, then your only option is on the job training! You're going great!
- October 7, 2011 at 3:49 PM
- JonesEthiopia said...
The math teachers like things done a certain way because... well, they're math teachers. Math is neat, there is no mess, and every number has a specific place. I'm sure they don't quite know what to do with you.
I'm a language arts teacher and am in my 11th year in education. My first 2 years of teaching (I taught HS then), I thought I was going to die, and I definitely hated it. Not just disliked it-- I HATED it. Reading your post brings back flashbacks of all the "dumb" things I did my first two years, as I, too, thought I totally sucked at my job. Honestly, I probably did suck at it, too.
Does your school have a mentorship program? Even if you're not technically a teacher, it might be nice to have someone who can help you with learning the procedural stuff, etc.
I know the first few years are so hard. I don't really remember the first quarter of my first year teaching. I think I blocked it out of my mind because of all the trauma.
You'll get past this. I promise.
- October 7, 2011 at 8:55 PM
- The Mommy said...
Here's the thing: Every mother is a teacher whether we're "trained" or not. When I read this I thought, "YES! Teachers DO speak another language!" And it's not to their benefit. If you're teaching math using the pseudoquasicalc method - that means jack to me. I want to know that you're teaching fractions. Not what it's called in teacher-lingo. This is the BIGGEST disconnect between parents and teachers IMO. It makes us feel stupid - even those of us with advanced degrees - because my degree? Is NOT in education. If I were to talk to someone about my duties in my previous career and that person was a librarian (or other, unrelated profession) I wouldn't use chemistry jargon. That's just frickin' common sense! It's not talking down to someone (a very fine line...).
- October 8, 2011 at 8:56 AM
- Hope said...
I started teaching a month after I got married. My husband often says that he thought the first year of marriage was your wife comes home from work crying every day. :) It does get better.
- October 8, 2011 at 12:50 PM
Psst.. I'll let you in on a secret
half the faculty throwing around terminology don't actually know what it means, the other half could give a rat's ass and shake their heads like they care what they other half is saying.
The attendance issue- that's the attendance clerks worry. You submit the attendance and he/she is supposed to do something about the student being tardy.
You are in the October doldrums. Aug/Sept start out with hope, and warm feelings of what the year will hold. Oct. hits and it's realization that you have another 8 mos+ with some of these kids that are driving you bonkers. Don't worry, you'll feel better in January.
Can you tell? I've been teaching for awhile now (ll years). Find some good people on your staff and stick with them.
- October 8, 2011 at 6:54 PM
- E said...
I'm a teacher and a mom and I can tell you that 99% of the time, teaching is harder.
It takes a full three years to get a handle on everything. It seems like a lifetime but it does get easier, I swear!!!!
I've had jobs where I taught teachers and now I'm back in the classroom. I can assure you that the adults are much harder to work with then the kids. I believe that middle school teachers have a lot of the personality traits of middle school kids (I should know, I teach them!). Try to let what the other teachers say just roll of you're back.
As for the office catching things, they are overworked, understaffed, and underpaid. Point out kids who have issues and bring doughnuts every once in a while, they'll love you!
Hang in there. We've all felt the way you do now.
- October 10, 2011 at 9:44 AM
I feel your pain!! I'm a human resources executive, and sometimes our staff behave that exact same way!! It's a bit like herding cats. LOL. Good luck and remember...one step forward, two steps backward, but you're still making progress!! You may be going backwards, but its progress, nonetheless! hehe
- October 11, 2011 at 7:07 PM


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PolitiFact has been keeping a list — a very long list — on the president's first term.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning political watchdog assesses the veracity of political claims, and this week, it released a report card on the promises Obama made during his first presidential campaign.
PolitiFact deputy editor Angie Holan tells weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden the results are mixed, but on the whole he did pretty well: Some 47 percent of promises were kept — good by politician standards — and only 23 percent were rated as broken.
"Another 26 percent he made partial progress on, we rate those promises as a compromise," Holan said.
A boon to Obama's promise-keeping came from the passage of big-name programs like the economic stimulus package and the education program Race to the Top.
"[Race to the Top, which] set up states in competition for federal money, ended up prompting states to do all kinds of things to meet goals that Obama said he wanted to meet," Holan said. "And these are things like getting more teachers into the classroom, getting kids interested in math and science, a lot of technology-related promises."
Of course, there were some big presidential flops over the last four years, too. Promises to close Guantanamo Bay, for example, didn't really work out.
"We rate promises just based on fulfillment, which our readers sometimes don't like," Nolan says. "But if he tried really hard and it didn't happen, we gave it a promise broken."
What definitely did not make it into the "promises kept" column was Obama's promise to bring a new bipartisan tone to Washington.
In 2010, House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell famously announced that the top priority for congressional Republicans was to make Obama a one-term president.
The president has been snappy himself at times. Just last week, he accused Republicans of holding "a gun to the head of the American people" for trying to tie the debt limit debate to a referendum on the deficit.
In some instances, keeping his campaign promises actually made the bipartisan divide worse, Holan says.
"The [Affordable Care Act] got him a lot of "promise kepts" on our meter, but that may also have contributed to Republicans who didn't want to work with him," Holan says. "So I think there might be a tension there between bipartisan compromise and trying to pursue a legislative agenda."
Holan says PolitiFact is preparing to add some new promises from the 2012 campaign and will keep following his 2008 promises for the next four years to see if any of them switch columns.
If you've just tuned in, this is WEEKENDS on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Jacki Lyden. We've been discussing the scope of President Obama's second term, but PolitiFact has been keeping a list, a very long list on the president's first term. PolitiFact, as you may know, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning organization which assesses the veracity of political claims. This week, PolitiFact released the president's final report card on campaign promises kept and broken. Deputy Editor Angie Holan says, PolitiFact started tracking the president back in 2007. And fact checking has really become part of the political scene since then.
ANGIE HOLAN: We wanted to do something to bring that fact-checking style of reporting to the presidency. And we decided to look at campaign promises and we created a new meter - we call it the Obameter - and we rate the campaign promises to see if the candidate is keeping his promises.
LYDEN: Well, first, let's look at the rating, and then maybe we'll bear down on a couple of individual promises. So how well on the Obameter did Barack Obama, the president, do?
HOLAN: He did pretty well. He made 508 promises. And we found that he kept 47 percent of those, so almost half. Another 26 percent, he made partial progress on. We rate those promises a compromise. And then in the promise broken category, we found just about a quarter of his promises; it ended up at 23 percent of his promises we rated promise broken.
LYDEN: So give me an example of a promise that President Barack Obama has kept.
HOLAN: The economic stimulus law was something that allowed Obama to keep many, many promises. And there, the topics ranged everything from energy, to transportation, to education. The Race to the Top program that set up states in competition for federal money ended up prompting states to do all kinds of things to meet goals that Obama said he wanted to meet. And this - these are things like getting more teachers into the classroom, getting kids interested in math and science, a lot of technology-related promises. So that stimulus really reflected Obama's campaign agenda in very detailed ways.
LYDEN: The president, of course, had some very high-profile broken promises, and closing Guantanamo Bay certainly springs to mind. What happened there?
HOLAN: Well, what happened there was that Congress said, you can't spend any money to bring any remaining prisoners to the United States, so they weren't able to close Guantanamo Bay. Now, I should add, we rate promises just based on fulfillment, which our readers sometimes don't like that. But if he tried really hard and it didn't happen, we gave it a promise broken.
LYDEN: One of the promises the president made when he was campaigning, most ardently, was that he was going to bring a new bipartisan tone to Washington, and that has not, in fact, occurred.
HOLAN: He wanted to get a lot of things done. And so the health care law got him a lot of promise kepts on our meter, but that may also have contributed to Republicans who didn't want to work with him. So I think there might be a tension there between bipartisan compromise and trying to pursue a legislative agenda.
LYDEN: So with the president's second term approaching, what's the future of your project?
HOLAN: We are preparing to add some new promises that we found during the 2012 campaign, and then we'll - we're going to keep following his 2008 promises for the next four years and see if any of them change rating, if maybe there's a promise broken that he'll end up keeping or maybe there's a kept that will go to broken, but we're going to be watching and see what happens.
LYDEN: Angie Holan is the deputy editor of PolitiFact and the editor of PolitiFact Florida. And you can see the article we've been discussing at politifact.com. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Hunter Midnight Launch Reminders
With less than 24 hours to go (and less than 12 hours in Europe) to a midnight launch, those who have pre-purchased Mists of Pandaria will want to go over their final preparations for exploring the continent of Pandaria. Tips are already abound from the blogosphere, such as this one from Tabana at the WoW Hunters Hall. Frostheim also recently wrote up an overview of hunter leveling to 90.
If you are still looking for more tips to make your hunter's midnight launch go smoothly, use this brief checklist as well.
Bring one or two pets with you only. While it may be tempting to bring five pets in your immediate stable to be able to use stampede as soon as it becomes available, Pandaria has a whole slew of new pets and models to tame. This will enable you to immediately start tracking the new rare pets if you come across their tracks instead of figuring out later which pet you want to abandon. If you are only bringing one pet, take one that can be multipurpose for DPS in dungeons and tanking for solo questing. Otherwise you can bring a dedicated ferocity and a dedicated tenacity pet.
Check your talents. Many testers have already said that the three specializations don't make a difference during leveling, so choose one that comes to you naturally. Pick up talents that you think will be useful for your own leveling method. I will be leveling as Marksmanship.
Toggle Trap Launcher on. You may have noticed this in the weeks since Patch 5.0.4 rolled out, but Trap Launcher can now be permanently toggled on such that you do not to click the ability every time you want to launch a new trap. If you haven't already done so, now will be a good time to begin getting used to using it for easy access during leveling.
Are you doing anything special to prepare for your midnight launch?
One response
Pinterest is a social media platform which involves pinning interesting images to your board. On the same token, if you have a blog about apples, don't link with people that have websites about kiosks.
21 February 2014 at 11:00


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Time now for an accounting of a different and sweeter kind.
FRANK OZ: (as Cookie Monster) Cookie, whoa-num-num. Oh, no. Thank you, Oh...
CORNISH: The votes are in and Michelle Obama's White and Dark Chocolate Cookies have bested Ann Romney's M&M Cookies.
But just barely. Nine thousand people voted and Mrs. Obama won with a margin of just 287 votes. The two women submitted their recipes as part of Family Circle magazine's First Lady Cookie Contest.
CORNISH: It's been held since 1992, baked up after a young headband-wearing lawyer named Hillary Rodham Clinton responded to her critics with these memorable words.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: I suppose I could've stayed home and baked cookies and had tea. But what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession, which I entered before my husband was in public life.
BLOCK: The lawyer and soon-to-be first lady who had chosen not to stay home and bake cookies, and yet, oh, the things we do for love.
CORNISH: And a presidential election.
BLOCK: Mrs. Clinton dutifully submitted a recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and she won, beating Barbara Bush's classic Chocolate Chip Cookies.
OZ: (as Cookie Monster) Cowabonga.
CORNISH: Anyway, the Family Circle First Lady Cookie Contest has become sort of an election bellwether for the past 20 years, correctly predicting who will be the next first lady, and ergo, who will be president.
BLOCK: With one exception.
CORNISH: While Cindy McCain's Oatmeal and Butterscotch Cookies were deemed by cookie voters as particularly scrumptious, her husband's candidacy apparently was not scrumptious enough.
BLOCK: And while the First Lady Cookie Bake Off may be all in good tasty fun, it does have its critics.
ERIN GLORIA RYAN: It's a reflection of a strange anomaly in American culture that we still expect the first family to espouse these really retro values.
BLOCK: Erin Gloria Ryan is staff writer at the women's website, Jezebel. Full disclosure: She does like cookies but just not this particular cookie bake off.
RYAN: It's kind of outdated and it's kind of silly. And it's ridiculous to think that we're asking a, you know, Princeton/Harvard-educated woman to prove her momness by baking.
CORNISH: And for that, Ryan says, the contest's days should be numbered, unless Family Circle decides to revamp it and ask potential first gentlemen to prove their dadness in similar retro fashion.
RYAN: They could do grilling, lawn mowing, accidentally hitting themselves in the hand with a hammer and swearing.
OZ: (as Cookie Monster) Cowa(CENSORED)bonga.
BLOCK: Well, we did call Family Circle, who defended the First Lady Cookie Bake Off pretty simply: readers like it.
CORNISH: They also promised that when there is a potential first gentlemen, Family Circle will call him up looking for a cookie recipe.
OZ: (as Cookie Monster) Me got a wish on me mind. It is a chocolate chip kind. Me look at you and me tell you may have snicker doodle. Me trade me soul for a bite. Me spell it out black and white. Me looked at you and me see, you liked an elf in a tree. You, cookie-showing and me hunger growing. Let's get skim milk flowing. We'll start this snack going, baby. Hey, me just met you and this is crazy. But you got cookie, so share it maybe. It's hard to look at your snack...
BLOCK: This is NPR. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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The longtime physician's black bag stolen from Old's Cool where it was going to be displayed
A piece of Taft history was stolen last week and with it a part of someone's heart.
The ever-present oversized black bag belonging to the late longtime Taft physician John
Bitzer disappeared from his daughter's antique shop on Center Street.
Renee Hill, who, with husband Greg, opened Old's Cool last June, planned to use the
large black bag as the focal point of a special display to commemorate her father's 43
years tending to patients in Taft.
"My intention was to put up a display in the store so people could continue to remember
how much he did for this community. I just hadn't gotten around to it yet," she said
"I knew exactly how I was going to display with his stethoscope draped over it and
surrounded by some of his old pipes, lighters and one of his autographed Cougar
As much as that black bag was a part of the doctor, so were his pipes.
Hill said she kept the bag in a locked room in the back of the store, but got it out because
she needed a bandage.
"I still used it as my first-aid kit," she said. "I grew up with that bag. When it wasn't
with him it was in the house, and we went to it anytime we needed a Band-Aid. It was
just part of the family."
Hill said she put the bag on a table and did not immediately return it to its secure place
because she got busy.
"When I remembered I hadn't put it away, it wasn't there. I tore the place apart looking
for it. Someone just walked out with it. Maybe they saw the syringes in it."
Yes, the bag still contained everything in it when the doctor retired in 2002. He died two
years later.
It still had the stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, bandages and syringes – even the
cortisone Dr. Bitzer was famous for injecting into athletes.
"It was all still in that bag," Hill said.
Bitzer's countless patients will recall that bag.
So will athletes at Taft High and Taft College.
Bitzer spent thousands of hours prowling the sideline at home and out of town football
"He didn't get paid for doing that," his daughter said. "He just donated his time because
he believed it was important. People comment about it all the time. They remember the
funny way he ran when he went out to check on an injured player."
Hill hears lots of stories from customers.
"Everybody has a favorite story about dad," she said. "I'm often reminded how much he
was appreciated. They sure got taken care of. Most of the time he worked 15-hour days.