Today I became a graduate of Athens State University with a B.S. in Social Science with a minor in Secondary Education. Spent the day celebrating with some family and friends. They say behind every good man is a good woman. Well, I don't know if am considered a "good" man, but I know I have a great wife that has stood behind me all the way. I don't know what the Lord has in store for me as I pursue a career related to my degree, but I know he is in charge, so all I have to do is make sure I am listening.
Today was also bittersweet. As I celebrated this accomplishment in my life, I wish Mom could be there to share it with me. Ten days from now will mark five years that we lost her. It just does not seem like that long, but then again it seems like an eternity sometimes. Speaking of eternity, I know she was watching from Heaven as she held that little one that Monica and I never got to know due to her ectopic pregnancy and said "That's your daddy!"
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Student teaching...and coaching
I am about 6 weeks into my secondary education internship and having fun. I am lucky to have been assigned to the school I went to and graduated from 22 years ago, Danville High School. On top of that, I am blessed to have been attached to Coach Paul Wilson as my teaching mentor. I have started teaching all classes, thus in full control of what those adolescent minds soak in when it comes to American Government and Modern U.S. History. My first observation by my Athens State supervisor will be this Monday, so I am a bit nervous about that, but confident all will go well.
One thing I was told by my secondary education advisor and supervisor was to make myself available to coach if I was capable as that would help pad my resume when I go apply for teaching jobs. So, I did as they suggested and let the principal, who my JV football and baseball coach when I went to school at Danville, know I was willing to help coach anything if anybody needed it. The baseball coach asked me if I was willing to help, and of course I gave him an affirmative.
Most of you know of the physical issues I have went through the past few years and still have today. So, student teaching was going to be a good test of where I stood with these issues and if I was actually going to be able to handle teaching. Yet, adding coaching duties to that was going to be a challenge. I am determined to get back to work full time, regardless of what the doctors have told me, and since I seemed to be able to handle the standing that teaching was throwing at me, I figured I could handle the coaching on top of it. Though I do have some stiffness and soreness after practices and games, so far it has not been anything that I can't handle. I just have to make sure I don't overdo anything and ignore any warning signs like I did before.
I can tell you that I am getting a real good idea of how efficient a teacher who also coaches has to be at both jobs. Time management is very important. Once the games started and I found myself not getting home until after 8 pm, I discovered how important my planning period was, as very little time was left for me to prepare for teaching, and grade papers, at home. Monica is also having some princess moments and not like the fact that there is not much "us" time right now. I remind her that she is seeing how I felt when she doing all those clinicals at night and on the weekends while working full time, but just like her, I am doing what it takes to make my eventual job search easier.
One thing I was told by my secondary education advisor and supervisor was to make myself available to coach if I was capable as that would help pad my resume when I go apply for teaching jobs. So, I did as they suggested and let the principal, who my JV football and baseball coach when I went to school at Danville, know I was willing to help coach anything if anybody needed it. The baseball coach asked me if I was willing to help, and of course I gave him an affirmative.
Most of you know of the physical issues I have went through the past few years and still have today. So, student teaching was going to be a good test of where I stood with these issues and if I was actually going to be able to handle teaching. Yet, adding coaching duties to that was going to be a challenge. I am determined to get back to work full time, regardless of what the doctors have told me, and since I seemed to be able to handle the standing that teaching was throwing at me, I figured I could handle the coaching on top of it. Though I do have some stiffness and soreness after practices and games, so far it has not been anything that I can't handle. I just have to make sure I don't overdo anything and ignore any warning signs like I did before.
I can tell you that I am getting a real good idea of how efficient a teacher who also coaches has to be at both jobs. Time management is very important. Once the games started and I found myself not getting home until after 8 pm, I discovered how important my planning period was, as very little time was left for me to prepare for teaching, and grade papers, at home. Monica is also having some princess moments and not like the fact that there is not much "us" time right now. I remind her that she is seeing how I felt when she doing all those clinicals at night and on the weekends while working full time, but just like her, I am doing what it takes to make my eventual job search easier.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Graduation and Surgery
If you know me at all, you know that I like to do things on my schedule. So I did indeed graduate from nursing school on December 18. I am so glad to be finished, but my eye is still on the prize. I need to take Chemistry & Statistics so that I can finish my Bachelor of Science in Nursing online at either UAH or UAB, which I hope to be enrolled in by the end of the year. I was signed up to take classes this semester at Calhoun, but for planning purposes, I had to hold off. Some people seem to think I need to take a break.
Surgery was supposed to happen before the end of the year, but one of the surgeons had a cruise booked, which obviously he didn't ask me first, so I had to go with the flow and book it after the first of the year even though I has already met my deductible in 2012. Boo. But we got it worked out and it wouldn't interfere with Craig's last semester at Athens. The surgery was successful, which was a wonderful blessing. It definitely made the pain just a tad bit more bearable. This was the 3rd laproscopic surgery for the purpose of treating my endometriosis, but the 4th of it's type when you add in my ectopic. The fact that they had to convert to surgery to a more invasive, open procedure upped the ante a bit, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Today is 2 weeks post op and it's been a slow recovery. I'm not a spring chicken anymore and thank God for pain meds. I've also had my mom here to take care of me during the day and Craig gives me my princess attention best he can at night.
I test next Friday at 8am for my national RN license and I'm currently looking for a nursing job. Keep me in your prayers that the right job comes along.
Surgery was supposed to happen before the end of the year, but one of the surgeons had a cruise booked, which obviously he didn't ask me first, so I had to go with the flow and book it after the first of the year even though I has already met my deductible in 2012. Boo. But we got it worked out and it wouldn't interfere with Craig's last semester at Athens. The surgery was successful, which was a wonderful blessing. It definitely made the pain just a tad bit more bearable. This was the 3rd laproscopic surgery for the purpose of treating my endometriosis, but the 4th of it's type when you add in my ectopic. The fact that they had to convert to surgery to a more invasive, open procedure upped the ante a bit, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Today is 2 weeks post op and it's been a slow recovery. I'm not a spring chicken anymore and thank God for pain meds. I've also had my mom here to take care of me during the day and Craig gives me my princess attention best he can at night.
I test next Friday at 8am for my national RN license and I'm currently looking for a nursing job. Keep me in your prayers that the right job comes along.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Gotta clear some of the plumbing.
Monica is having surgery on Jan. 3 in Jackson, TN to clear out some blockage in her only remaining tube, or if that fails, remove that portion of the blocked tube and reconnect the remaining clear parts of the tube. Not many doctors do this type of surgery, and since the doctor was a bit baffled about the blockage from her last surgery, he has called in a colleague that specializes in this type of surgery to assist. She will stay in the hospital a couple of nights and then we will head back home where she is supposed to stay out of work for a couple of weeks. Monica is not a very good patient and tends to get ahead of herself when it comes to surgery recovery, so her mom is here to keep an eye on her since I will be gone during the day because of my internship.
Nurse Stover!
For those out of the loop, Monica graduated from nursing school on Dec. 18. She busted her bottom working a full time job while working on her RN degree, and that should not surprise anybody that knows her. As our neighbor tells me all the time, Monica is one of the most motivated and hardest working people she has ever seen.
My last semester of classes went well. It was my toughest yet with all the work that was involved, so completing it while also making really good grades is something I am very thankful for, and I do take a bit of pride in it. I have my internship (student teaching) starting on January 8 and after 75 consecutive days of that I will finally be done! I do plan on pursuing my Master's degree, but I am going to wait at least a year for that, hoping I can find a teaching job.
My last semester of classes went well. It was my toughest yet with all the work that was involved, so completing it while also making really good grades is something I am very thankful for, and I do take a bit of pride in it. I have my internship (student teaching) starting on January 8 and after 75 consecutive days of that I will finally be done! I do plan on pursuing my Master's degree, but I am going to wait at least a year for that, hoping I can find a teaching job.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
The Homestretch
Well, Monica is coming towards the end of her nursing school and I am coming towards the end of my my degree also. Monica is staying very busy and working her tail off with work, clinicals, and precepting on the weekends. She is the toughest and most motivated woman I have ever met and I am proud that she is my wife. God definitely was responsible for putting is together and I could not have asked for anybody better to take care of me through all the medical issues I have been through. Therefore, I know she is going to make a great nurse, because if she can put up with me, she can handle anybody or anything thrown at her.
This is my last semester of classes and I will be interning in the spring. Seems like it has been a forever journey, but we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. This has been my toughest semester academically and my brain is fried. For my history capstone class, most of my grade is based on a 25 page thesis paper, in which I had to also present a couple of weeks ago, so that pretty much was the crux of my stress during the first part of the semester. Monica actually got the inspiration for the title of this blog from one of my books I was using for my 25 page thesis..."Failure Is Not an Option", but Gene Kranz. The day after that paper was due I had a 15 page paper in another class that had to also be presented. I still have a couple of important papers to turn in, some field experience to complete at Decatur Heritage (FYI...Mrs. Stephenson at Decatur Heritage is probably the best mentor I have ever had for a field experience assignment), and a few exams to take, but for the most part the toughest part of this last semester of classes is behind me. I just have to make sure I don't get too relaxed for those remaining assignments. I will find out where I am interning on December 19th.
The holidays are coming up and every year Monica asks me what are we going to get Brayden and Aslynn, and every year I tell her the same thing, "I'll know it when I see it." I have always had that philosophy, even for my own kids when they were younger. Now, Allison and Ryan are both at that age where it is easier just to give them money or gift cards.
I guess that is all for my first official blog post ever! Being the tech and sports guy I am, most of my posts will probably be relates to those subjects, especially the tech side as I find out about new and cool toys that interest me. Monica will be responsible for most of the familial updates, but I will chime in from time to time with something witty or to embarrass Monica with something I think the her friends and family might like to hear. So, with that, I leave you with this original thought inspired by my lifelong hero, the late and great Neil Armstrong:
"That was one small blog for a man, and one giant waste of time for mankind."
This is my last semester of classes and I will be interning in the spring. Seems like it has been a forever journey, but we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. This has been my toughest semester academically and my brain is fried. For my history capstone class, most of my grade is based on a 25 page thesis paper, in which I had to also present a couple of weeks ago, so that pretty much was the crux of my stress during the first part of the semester. Monica actually got the inspiration for the title of this blog from one of my books I was using for my 25 page thesis..."Failure Is Not an Option", but Gene Kranz. The day after that paper was due I had a 15 page paper in another class that had to also be presented. I still have a couple of important papers to turn in, some field experience to complete at Decatur Heritage (FYI...Mrs. Stephenson at Decatur Heritage is probably the best mentor I have ever had for a field experience assignment), and a few exams to take, but for the most part the toughest part of this last semester of classes is behind me. I just have to make sure I don't get too relaxed for those remaining assignments. I will find out where I am interning on December 19th.
The holidays are coming up and every year Monica asks me what are we going to get Brayden and Aslynn, and every year I tell her the same thing, "I'll know it when I see it." I have always had that philosophy, even for my own kids when they were younger. Now, Allison and Ryan are both at that age where it is easier just to give them money or gift cards.
I guess that is all for my first official blog post ever! Being the tech and sports guy I am, most of my posts will probably be relates to those subjects, especially the tech side as I find out about new and cool toys that interest me. Monica will be responsible for most of the familial updates, but I will chime in from time to time with something witty or to embarrass Monica with something I think the her friends and family might like to hear. So, with that, I leave you with this original thought inspired by my lifelong hero, the late and great Neil Armstrong:
"That was one small blog for a man, and one giant waste of time for mankind."
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Welcome!
Welcome to our new blog! It was time to step away from my original blog and create one that is more up to date with the current adventures of the Stovers! The title was chosen, most simply, because failure is not an option. It wasn't in the past and it's not an option for our future. We have challenges and obstacles we are facing every day, but we will improvise, adapt, and overcome them together as we have since we married in 2003. Forthcoming will be a post to bring the blog up to speed.
Welcome to our lives!
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