Confession….
I have been a little down latley. It seemed as though every blogger out there that I read has been tagged for the “7 Things you don’t know about me” meme–except me. Geez, it’s like not getting a invite to the party that all the cool kids are going to. So I am happy to say I am finally one of the cool kids thanks to Bill’s tag! (and tagged again by Jess Muculloch!) So let’s see, seven things you don’t know about me are:
1- I am a heavy metal fanatic. Love being in the front row of a concert surrounded by people with long hair and tattoos. I used to have a heavy metal podcast that made it into the top ten in iTunes. I lead a student metal/punk band that played at the 8th Grade outings each year. Iron Maiden is my favorite band of all time! On the turntable right now is Dokken, Ratt, and Dio.
2- I spent my college summers leading backpacking trips out to the Rocky Mountains. Out in the middle of no where for two weeks. On one trip on the way back we stopped in North Dakota and were camped out on the edge of a plateou. We were run out of our sleeping bags early in the morning by a heard of buffalo. We went over the edge and dug into the side trying to avoid the herd.
3-I used to communte to school on my bike. The lowest temperature I ever biked in was -2 degrees.
4-Almost all the meat I eat is produced on my farm. I have had to stick my hand inside of a goat to deliver a kid. I kill my own chickens, and have a small herd of very rare heirloom sheep.
5-I spent ten years teaching at the worst most challenging school on the planet. It was everything that was wrong with public education in one building. If you think you can imagine what it is like to teach in the worst most challenging inner city school, you can’t–it is a different world. I never for a second wish that I would have started my career anywhere else. I am still recovering from it, and I still feel guilty about leaving. While there I started my transition from being a traditional detention/test/homework/disciplinarian teacher to the odd-ball teacher I am today.
6-I really, really, really want to be a college professor! My favorite time in the classroom is when I am working with student teachers. I would love the opportunity to totally mess-up kid’s minds and give them a completly different take on how to “teach.” I can’t quite figure out the path to get there. It seems as though all professors have a PhD or have done some great research, writing, or other projects. I don’t see those credentials getting onto my resume until AF (after kids).
7-I am Santa Clauss. Really I am. I am Santa for our town’s winter festival. It is a really cool gig making kids smile all day. Making kids smile really energizes my spirit. My thesis for my 6th year was actually about using humor in the classroom.
So there ya go. Now to pass it on and tag other bloggers.
The following bloggers can consider themselves tagged:
and the last two students that commented on my Blog!
10 responses so far ↓
Thanks Paul, you are too cool. Love the metal tapes on your twitter page!
Have you ever heard Jim Fay’s “Helicopters, Drill Sergeants, and Consultants“? He actually coined the term “helicopter parent” that is so popular today.
Anyway, he also speaks of moving from the inner city to a district of privilege. One thing he credits inner city kids, with all of their problems, they have to take more responsibility for their own lives since no one else is looking out for them. I’ll bet your own experience was very formative.
About your college professor aspirations- I recommend looking into a community college if you have one nearby (or even not-so-near if you don’t mind teaching online distance ed courses.) Most do not have the same credential requirements as the universities, a master’s degree will often suffice. You can start by teaching one course as an adjunct, then go from there.
I hear you about going back to school, though. It’s why I started now, when my kiddos are small, because I know things will only get busier as they get bigger. When time to work on my dissertation gets here, I’ll be in touch. I’d love to collaborate with you on a research project; although the exact form it will take is still developing in my mind.
Thanks for sharing! This is good stuff!
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@Paul
Very cool. I’m intrigued by the farming part. I was diagnosed with diabetes over the summer and i’ve been learning a lot about healthier eating. I’ve developed a fondness for grass fed beef and am thinking of moving to a small farm. Time will tell. Thanks for sharing. #6 seems pretty cool. You’d be great at it.
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[...] been tagged by Paul Bogush for the “7 things you don’t know about me” meme. [...]
It was great learning more about you. I can’t believe you deliver babies! What do you do with the wool from your sheep? Do you sell it? Do you make it into yarn and knit? Just curious now that I’m a beginner knitter.
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Hi Paul, I laughed so much when I read your post. I am really sorry as I did actually tag you first, and then rethought it, and thought that might not really want to be part of this. Anyway, I shall keep you in mind for my first pick next time if I get another meme.
Actually, it is really interesting to read everybody else’s meme and I am sure that it allows us to understand each other far more.
We live on a farm and kill our own meat too. I used to bottle fruit but dont do that anymore – as time is against me. However, I am not a heavy metal fan, I just love rock ‘n roll!
Your students give you raving reviews in their blogs and comments on ours, so that ‘odd ball’ teacher image is just fantastic and what they and us, can attune to. I really hope we can continue to work together next year. We have three more weeks of summer holidays left.
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Thanks for that. I knew everything about you except for numbers 6 and 7 of course. Thank you for sharing.
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@Bill
I have been subscribing to the Love and logic emails since you brought them to my attention over the summer.
@Pat
Please don’t make me say what I do with the wool…if you want it I will send it to you. It is a unique squiggly fiber.
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I love ya, Paul!
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HI Mr. Bogush!!!
I think that that is a pretty cool post. One thing that you don’t know about me is I have been playing basketball since I was six, and still do!
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I swear I read this post right when you posted it and didn’t find myself on the tagged list. Dagnabbit!
I apologize.
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