Post-Christmas

Had a student get mad at me on his first day back....
Student: "I didn't have a Christmas, because of my grade in your class."
Me: "Oh really? What was your grade?"
Student: "Like a 11% or something"
Me: "Did you try in my class? Do your HW? Study for Tests, Correct Tests? Come for tutoring?"
Student: No. I just showed up.
Me:Yeah. Santa showed up at your house too.... And he gave you what you worked for.
Student: But I didn't work for anything........
Me: So, I guess you understand now.......

Welcome to Texas Education Part II

Funny story from yesterday in class:

Student: Mr. Ham, what's your daughter's name?
Me: Tori, it's short for Victoria.
Student: That's pretty, she is so cute in those pictures.
I cant wait to have a daughter, I already know what I'm gonna name her
Me: uh oh
Student: Her name is gonna be : Ibotonikaala'shetanaemonety. All 1 word. Pronounced: (Ah-Bow toe-knee-cah- la- shay-toe-nay-mo-nay) try and say it
Me: **walks out of room shaking head**


When I returned, I asked
Me: Why would you name your daughter that? Her response was "Because it's funny..... I mean she probably wont ever get a job with a name like that. What would you do if you saw her name on an application"

Me: I would probably forgo the interview and ask her 1 question.
Student: What question??
Me: Are you anything like your mother who gave you that name? If she said yes, I would ask her to leave. But if her response was NO, I would definitely hire her on the spot because I have a feeling she needs to catch a break in life.

Student: Oh for real? That's messed up.
Me: My point exactly. I am all for creativity...... but every artist has limits.

Welcome to Mr. Ham's Class

Welcome to Texas Education Part I

So after 1 week of teaching in the State of Texas I can fairly assess a few difference between the TX and FL Educational Systems.... as well as a few other things.


*We teach a Pre-AP Curriculum to non Pre-AP Students. I say this because we are challenging them from the start.

*Discipline is Strong. I have yet to see an AP smile. And I have seen them stand by the rules our students and parents have opted to agree to from Day 1. Accountability is Key.

*At our Discipline Assembly, teachers stood around the outside of the auditorium closely watching all students. 4 were removed, and I threatened to put one in the "Hucklebuck" (s/o to T.Ham) He got the message.

*Classes are 50 minutes, and we give students 5 minutes in between classes.

*We have a incredibly strict tardy policy in which students must be in class on-time.

*Being 10-minutes from Texas Instruments headquarters has allowed us to make sure we have the latest Calculators, and toys for our classes. I just recycled my overhead two days ago, sidenote.

*We start at 9:00 and end at 4:10 pm, so yes, I hit rush hour to and from practice. It's a little ridiculous

*Texans are incredibly friendly and courteous. I had a teacher offer my family her house, since she heard how bogus our living situation has been for the past three weeks. God Bless Mrs. Fixler, and her ginormous house she offered to us.

*I am currently on the 4th section in Algebra I, meaning we have covered 4 sections in 4 actual days. The 4th section is actually the equivalent of the 13th section I would have covered in Pinellas County. Translation: We don't spoon feed, and we hold students accountable.

* I am the only person in my department with children, therefore I offer a completely different viewpoint when we discuss matters of time management and commitment. I am also the most experienced in my department, yet I am the "New Guy." True to my FL ways, I am the loudest, especially when teaching, but the quietest in department meetings. I don't really need to voice my opinion, but they understand that the stories that they hear from my students, are pretty good mnemonic devices for formulas and equations.

* I have 120 students in 5 periods, and I have a total of about 12 White students. Considering I didn't have 12 black students during my entire career at SHS, I would say this is completely different, that SHS, but not necessarily from my first couple of years at Osceola.

*I can almost guarantee that if you are within the U.S. you will hear me cry tears of joy when they give me my house keys, and yell ad Texas-like "YEE-HAW" when I move into our house.

*Sidenote: I do miss the homies...... Z, The Boss, and Papi for sure.....

Student Stories Texas Style soon to come.....

Transition & Change

For consecutive years, my pastor in Athens used to start the year out by preaching from Joshua 1. He would always focus on the initial part of the text where God told Joshua "Moses, my servant is dead." And after that point he would continue on and encourage Joshua to continue leading his people on their journey. God did this for a couple reasons:
1. Joshua was in need of encouragement and affirmation. Understand this.... Moses lived for hundreds of years. He was cutthroat.... He killed a man. He was a vessel readily used by God. He was a leader of bondage people, who often questioned him and criticized his leadership. They laid into him so heavily that they even talked about going back to be SLAVES rather than continue on their journey. Those are HUGE shoes to fill. As soon as Moses died, it seemed as if immediately God said, "Moses' you're up!" and instantly he was the leader. Flatly speaking, Moses was not an easy act to follow.

2. TRANSITION. Transition was on the horizon. There is always a transition period when leadership changes hands. A lot of change is not easy. Honestly, a little change isn't easy either. Embracing it is the difficult part because often times we have no control over our circumstances we seem to be faced with. It's even more of a challenge when you must relinquish the little bit of control that you thought you has, and put all of your faith/trust in God.

Personally, I didn't just lose a mentor or father figure. In actuality, I just gained a new addition to my family with the birth of my son! Change #1. But the decision we made as a family was to move to TX. HUGE CHANGE. Leaving thr area I called home for 6 years was not easy. There are things that you do to try and prepare for your departure, but actually emptying out your house and going brings on a whole new set of feelings and emotions. I'm no stranger to packing up and leaving..... Since I have physically done it 16 times since the Fall of 2000, but this is the first time we, as a family, are moving to a new city, within a new state, more than 1000 miles away from comfy St. Pete..... Looking to buy a house! That is what I call CHANGE.

GRACE & FAVOR
2 family-unfriendly vehicles
No House
No Jobs
No Security
Unstable Economy
Cancelled Career Fairs
Hiring Freeze

Who on earth uproots at a time like this? Ecclesiastes 3 talks about seasons for everything. "a season for planting, a season for uprooting" A season for sowing, and a season for reaping." Who does this? God. And he promises strength to endure, and He never forsakes his children. NEVER. Let me unfold for you how God showed up and showed out!!

1. Slanging Dough
2. Minivan
3. Will & Family.
4. ELP
5. Interviews


1. Slanging Dough
I picked up a side job delivering pizzas for make some extra cake. It wasnt a horrible job, and I enjoyed it. Management was cool, and I learned alot. Tips were here and there. I can't believe that people honestly DO NOT tip delivery drivers. There were maybe 5 days in which I DID NOT get stiffed on a tip. It's kind of crazy. It was the best of both worlds. I delivered to residents at the beach, as well as cats in the hood. It wasn't the best or worst of jobs. The goal was to save some money to help move and get "On to the Next One."
Goal: Save money and pay off credit card. Check



2. Apparently, our vehicles didn't get the memo that we are a family now. Yours truly has a 2-door truck. And the wifey has a 4-door small Mazda3. So yeah.... we traded in the Mazda and got ourselves a minivan. The SWAG is on a hundred-thousand-trillion. We now have a family vehicle, and one is paid off. This is getting good for us.


3. Will
May 18th..... We had a son. Amazing. God just showed out..... He is amazing. He is everything I ever dreamed. And he will be 6'10"

4. Got a phone call from my man T-Pain. (I've been calling him T-Pain since before you heard of the auto-tuned T-Pain). He asked me if I wanted to do some summer school for some $$$$. Good thing is it was only from 12-4, Mon-Th for 3 weeks. Better pay than the Dominos..... so its all good. My wife thought it was an ok idea, and during the course of it, hopefully it didn't stress her out too much. Some extra money for the move.

5. Interview
I interviewed via Skype for a job. The lady said I blew the interview out of the water.
"If the principal doesn't hire you on the spot, he's out of his mind. As a matter of fact, if you have any other friends who are interested in heading this way, forward me their information as well. I'll find a position for them too."

"As a matter of fact, I have a wife who is an educator as well......"

God keeps on blessing. I don't know why. I am utterly overwhelmed by His Love, Grace, and Sufficient Mercies have me speechless. Seriously. I'm done.
Back to Joshua: The transition he made at the beginning of the book of Joshua after Moses had died, was monumental. he went from being one of the followers of Moses, to being the guy who had to fill his sandals.....leading many ungrateful and shakily committed folks.

He embraced his challenge and lsitened to God. God told him 3 times in a span of 4 verses to be strong. Apparently, being a PUNK leader was not an option. "Be Strong and Courageous" And God said the same promises he made to Moses will be made for him..... EVERYWHERE YOUR FEET GO. That's like when Jabez prayed for God to enlarge his territory, except Joshua didn't have to petition God for anything.

The message to me, and to all....was to not lose faith. Be Strong, in the Lord, trust in Him. Watch his provision come through. And DONT DOUBT ME. Yes, the task looks big, and this is new territory. But someone has to be a TrailBlazer on the path.... and I choose you. Be who I called you to be, and watch me ALWAYS provide.


Until next time......

Student Stories..... Hey Slugger

Student Stories......Hey Slugger

So, I am back. Because I want to get a few things off my chest.

Truancy is a common problem among high school students. I thought it was an issue for students who "didn't" like school or who were not achieving high enough grades. But lately, I have realized that regardless of grade level, students will "not be feeling" school.
I have a D-1 baseball athlete that has a fractured hand. He still pitches, because it's his opposite hand, he still clocks in the low to mid 90s with his fastball, but he only finds his way to my class 3 times a week,(about 50-60%) on average. I have yet to have him come to class M-Fri for a week straight. But, he will play in all 30+ games that he has this year. He is the ACE of SHS.

More like a JOKER.

His coach knows about his tardies and excessive absences, but when you have a powerhouse baseball team that is a potential contender year in, and year out, GRAY AREAS become large. And as OBVIOUS as our GRAY are, the might as well be BLACK HOLES, because who really knows......

Here's the kicker. He needs my Algebra II class to graduate. He needs to pass his English 4 class to graduate. I wonder how many D-1 scholarships will be on the table if he doesn't receive his diploma. That, my friends, is a very big question. I really hopes he graduates. Baseball is a business. They don't have to pay you top-dollar, regardless of your talent level. He talks of being drafted, and he is a prospect for AA or AAA baseball. Teachers keep stressing his need to focus on school.

My question I pose right now with a little more than 2 months of school left, is "What will his parents say?" (if he doesn't complete his coursework) They know. They have access to his grades. They should be accountable right??? In the end, it'll be put in my lap.

Maybe I will bring in all of my students and they can personally recall every warning he had from myself, and my peers, that walk into my class to PERSONALLY make sure he is in class, paying attention, and doing his work. I have some of his teammates in my other classes.... and they roll their eyes.

Folks..... I don't know if education has failed, or if the student is failing education. I will say this...


The boy's fastball is MEAN. The boy's hook is WICKED. What happens if we turn off the stadium lights??

I Will Miss This Place

So Again......

These are definitely my final days in the city of Seminole. I am starting to feel like it finally. I have packed up all of my personal belongings of my portable, and I am almost finished storing my book and other resources that I will be leaving here.

To say that this is bittersweet would be somewhat of an understatement, but I am excited to be leaving. I've done a lot of things here at SHS, but honestly, I think being in a portable allowed my experience to not feel as good as OHS did when I was there. But I still loved my years here.

Students are great. I will miss them tons.... even some of the seniors....

Thoughts from the beginning of June.

George & Weezy

I tell these two all the time they are meant for each other.....

They were on one accord one day. Look how they dressed! And they say it wasn't planned....

Thanks to both of you...... I think I might post this pic, since you authorized it...

Well, maybe I'll wait until the school year is completely over!!