DADventures

July 13, 2015

Discovering Dargatz #141 - Lucky Me???

To say I am dense is quite an understatement. Sometimes, things stare me straight in the face and I don't see them. This is extremely evident in my occasional excursions with the opposite sex, before I was lucky enough to find the love of my life, I tried desperately to gain the attention of females. More often than not, I misread signals, imagined interest from others, or plain fixated on something that wasn't there, while at the same time ignoring opportunities right in front of me. . .literally. One such missed opportunity involved a co-worker during my college days. Both working after hours, I should have been more aware that things were more than what they seemed when she asked if I wanted to see her new tattoo. Oblivious to her obvious attempts to seduce me, she showed me her new ink, which happened to be the words "Lucky You" positioned just above a certain part of the female anatomy. Looking back, I am very glad I didn't get lucky that evening, but the lonely walk home to my dorm room that night was truly the ultimate walk of shame. I wonder how she and that tattoo are holding up.

July 12, 2015

A Readers Review

Lucky book 13 was one of the most inspiring yet. I am hoping to one day work in a forest school. I hope to begin the process at my current position and this book offered so many wonderful insights on how to not only connect curriculum to the outdoors but to build and maintain a community of outdoor learners and partners.

As I read this book, I was literally inundated with ideas and excitement about the possibilities this has for my school and the children that will be a part of it for years to come, This would be a massive undertaking that would take time, dedication, and persistence. However, the payoff would be considerable as this would provide rich, real-world learning and life experiences for students, teachers, and the community.

July 11, 2015

Classroom Zoo #26 - It's Not About Getting It Right, It's About Doing It Right

Cheating in the classroom is one of my biggest pet peeves. Even at 5 years old, kids seem to have the idea that they NEED to be right engrained into their minds. It takes away their creativity, stifles their risk-taking, and frustrates the heck out of their teacher. When kids come across the smallest difficulty, many of their instincts is to check in with their neighbor rather than think it through. It's all about getting it done, at any costs. I have seen children cheat on questions that literally have no wrong answers. I feel guilty as I feel responsible for helping nurture them into confident and "willing to fail" learners. Plus, as silly as it may sound, it would sort of nice to see those "guilty" to at least improve their sneakiness skills as they are usually caught quite easily and often cheat off of someone just as clueless as they are. By no means am I suggesting that I want my students to become better cheaters, but adapting and improving is always a goal across all academic and social situations. I aim to grow in my patience and flexibility in order to assist children as they need it.

July 10, 2015

Dadventures #17 - A Zoo of a Trip

It's amazing how quickly a car can fill up for a new parent. Preparing for the worst often leads to the worst actually occurring. When you escape the comforts of home and venture out into the real world for what feels like the first time, it is hard to enjoy yourself fully as your attention is on the newest addition to your family. In fact, this anxiety and planning (and overplanning is some cases, underplanning in others) makes every trip out of the house a zoo.

That being said, imagine what an actual trip to the zoo would be like. After packing up more than you even know you had, you are finally ready to go enjoy the sight and sounds before stress and worry takes over, second-guessing your packing, doubting if you are ready. Then, you arrive, pack everything up, attempt to enjoy your day, stopping frequently to check on everything. Eventually, you decide you've had enough. So, you re-pack and return to the safety of your own home.

Of course, as time goes on, your attention to detail tends to as well. It's not that you care any less than before. You just change what you care about.

July 9, 2015

Discovering Dargatz #140 - Coolest College Student Ever???

Attending a university known for partying, there were endless opportunities to delve into the world of alcohol and promiscuous debauchery. However, my grades suffered in my freshman year for a much less exciting distraction: cable television. Having the ability to watch pretty much anything at any time was much more intriguing to me than hitting the books. I didn't party, I didn't study, I didn't chase girls (or at least catch any.) Rather, I watched crappy television. A lot of it. Most Friday nights followed a pattern. I did laundry, ordered cheesesticks from the cafeteria, and plopped down to whatever sporting event or B-movie was on the tube, usually with some Limp Bizkit blaring from my stereo. I was quite the catch in my college days. Interestingly enough, cable television is what brought me into the drinking world. My first alcohol encounter occurred with a buddy from my Bible Study group, and we drank Smirnoffs while watching playoff hockey in the alcohol-free dorm. We were living on the wild side. Though I haven't gained many more cool points since this plateau of awesomeness, at least I am now less dependent on terrible television and a much improved connoisseur of beer.

July 7, 2015

Discovering Dargatz #139 - Wrestling Anywhere and Everywhere

Major sports and entertainment venues. State fairs. Basements of bars. High school gymnasiums. American Legion Halls. I've seen wrestling shows pretty much everywhere and anywhere. From the major promotions to smaller independent ones, when a wrestling show is within reach, there's a good chance I'll be there. Wrestling isn't fake, it's scripted. If people get away with watching soap operas and reality TV, then people should be able to enjoy wrestling, which is basically a combination of both genres. It's been a part of who I am for as long as I can remember. I would skip out early on church by either feigning illness or pestering my father until he complied just so I could sprint home to catch the final minutes of the weekly Sunday morning show. I would wear out the wrestling VHS tapes at my local video store. I would do extra chores on Saturday mornings to be able to stay up and watch wrestling on Saturday nights, just to get upset with my father when I inevitably fell asleep prior to the show's start and he wouldn't wake me up. It was a part of my childhood, and continues to be an interest into adulthood.

July 1, 2015

A Readers Review

Unfortunately, because of the frenzy in my life , book 12 took a whole lot longer to complete than it probably should have. That being said, it gave excellent insight and a boatload of ideas and activities parents can (and in my opinion, should) do to "slow down" and enjoy life rather than just be a part of it. I know I often struggle with this and with my daughter growing up, I am sure it will only get crazier unless I take the time and energy to slow down and take the time to enjoy the moments that make life worth living.

Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary

I'm a big fan of hidden gems, so maybe this post will hurt my cause of finding peaceful places to unwind and enjoy nature, but this place was way too good to not share. A friend referred me back a few months ago and I finally made it. Combining animals, nature, history, and lots of authentic and active educational opportunities for children, this place and my personality are a match made in heaven. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend a visit to Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bend Wisconsin. Please enjoy a small sampling of the fun we had.