Have you ever read a story about the average Joe doing some kind of amazing physical feat in the face of danger? You know, there's the stories about the mom who lifts a car off of her infant son. There's the dad who holds the walls of a collapsing building to save his children. Even the dog who can dial 911!

Well, today I had my own amazing physical feat of miraculousness.

It's only amazing because 1. I did it without even thinking about it, and 2. I'm not sure I could duplicate it if I tried. Regardless, I've been laughing about it all day. Here's the story, but first, this blog disclaimer:

NO STUDENTS OR TEACHERS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS BLOG POST EVENT.

Okay, so here's the situation- My aide is in charge of my class during breakfast each morning. I have duties with the school's TV studio announcements, so we bring the kiddies into the cafe, then I take off for 15 minutes to do my thing.
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Every once in a while, a product comes along that addresses all of your needs in a given area. For a primary special educator, the Apple iPad is the current saviour.

I remember learning in a Master's technology class that you should ask yourself one question before using any technology in your classroom. That question is, "What is it I want my students to do that they aren't doing now?" Well, at the time it was being quiet while I was talking, but looking past that, I'd say the answer was using technology independently.

I'm sure a lot of kindergarten teachers have their share of computer-savy kids come their way each year. You know the type- if you look the other way for a split second, they'll hack into U.S. government data bases and start World War III. Well, it's kind of a different story when you're dealing with children who have special needs and/or live in poverty. There isn't that much experience going around you'll find....

So I've immersed myself into the world of t-shirt design this summer. Tonight, I decided to look and see what else was out there. (Viewer discretion is advised. The images you are about to see are disturbing.)

I saw some pretty nice designs when I searched "teacher" on the Zazzle Website, but then at some point, things started taking a dark turn. I must have right-clicked when I should have left-clicked I figure, because I began to see some things for sale that I just couldn't quite figure out.

Announcer: "They teach your children by day, but what kind of products do your local educators use when the dismissal bell rings? Find out tonight on............

TEACHER PRODUCTS GONE BAD!

Let's begin, shall we?



...who forgot to teach us how to make the font size smaller.

...

It's funny how eating habits change from the school year to summer and back again....



This blog post is really a teacher shirt. You can get one here.

Remember to check out my post from four days ago that will mysteriously disappear from the PT Blog page as soon as I hit

Pet peeve time folks. Yesterday, I started coming down with a sinus infection. As some of you know, I am well versed in the sinus arts. So much so that while I am not a doctor, I could play one on TV.

So, this is my peeve. When I get a sinus infection coming on, I know what it is. I know it. My wife knows it. Heck, even my dog knows it! I've had so many sinus infections in my life, I could write a "how to" book on sinus infections.



Now, here's where the peeve really begins. My ENT is always booked, and always running late. It would be a miracle if I could call and get in to see him on the same day. So in calling the office, I don't expect to see the doctor. In fact, I don't even want to see the doctor. All I want is for him to tap the little keys on his computer and send a prescription in to Walgreen's.

BUT.....THERE IS A PROBLEM...

Yeah, I blog a lot. I have blogging tendencies. I'm an overblogger. I have hyperbloggerism. Look it up. It's real, I tell you!

Regardless of my blogging ailments, I've noticed something interesting about my PT blog recently, and I'm dumbfounded as to what the cause is.

Earlier this week, I posted to this blog. It was just a quick thought that I needed to vent at the time. I had previously posted four days prior, but I have often had more than one post in a week.

For those of you who don't blog, there's a certain thrill associated with seeing your post on the main PT Blogs page. I usually hit the "Post Now" button and then refresh the main blog page like a crazed idiot until I see my post appear. So yes, I'm hurting for entertainment I guess.



On this particular day, I went through my usual compulsive posting ritual....

"And now a word from our sponsor."



I made this into a shirt. You can see it here.

Those of you who have frequented my blog know that over the past year my body weight has fluctuated a little. I started out with a present day De Niro body last June. Then, after sinus surgery, I relaxed and ate my way towards a Raging Bull De Niro physique. When my school clothes no longer fit, I Weight Watchered my way to dropping a little over 40 lbs. The journey didn't stop there though. My wife and I joined the gym, so I've been pumping the iron too. That puts me somewhere between a Taxi Driver and Cape Fear De Niro.



I've never belonged to a gym before. Oh, I've lifted weights, but never beyond my high school gym, or in the privacy of my own home. So, this gym thing has been a little different for me. Like our classrooms, there seems to be so many unspoken rules for this place. After seven months though, I think I've got a handle on it.

Rule #1- Gym...

I've been working pretty hard on t-shirt designs as of late. After putting the finishing touches on my last design, I realized that it also doubled as a blog post. SCORE!



In case you're wondering, yes, I ordered it (My wife is going to KILL ME!). I left it as public like all of the others in case you, the teacher with a great sense of humor and style, would like to order one for yourself. You can find it here.

The way I figure it, there's three distinct ways a teacher can handle themselves in the political arena we call the education system. There's the person who understands how wrong things can be, but doesn't rock the boat. There's the person who recognizes the wrongfulness of administrative decisions, but rocks an imaginary boat (usually after they've had a few). Then there's guys like me who don't care about what's popular and go with what's right. We approach that boat, rock the hell out of it, and leave a fiery trail behind.

For the first time in my career, I'm facing the consequences of my actions.



Back in 2002, I began a Master's program that was long over due. Years before that, many of my colleagues went the administrative route, but I just couldn't bring myself to do the same. I wanted my Master's degree to be a means of broadening my skills and...