Jack’s and my children are grown and gone now, and we are truly “empty nesters.” Jack is eyeing plans to retire from the SAFD after over 35 years, and I will continue to teach at least to age 65 before I consider retiring. I just love it too much to stop now.

So, on we go… And now I will work on my “teacher blog” so I have it at least a bit updated for my new students who I will face in two short weeks!

]]> http://kathleenhenckel.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/its-been-a-long-time/feed/ 0 kathleenhenckel Jack&Kathy@AaronPatterson'sWedding http://kathleenhenckel.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/just-an-update/ http://kathleenhenckel.wordpress.com/2009/09/12/just-an-update/#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:25:51 +0000 kathleenhenckel http://kathleenhenckel.wordpress.com/?p=25 ]]>

I did it!! August 14, 2009

Well, now the summer is over. I faced the great fear: those comprehensive exams.  I passed three out of four one-hour essay questions. (The whole exam took four hours!) The one I failed was over the course I had only been taking for about three weeks, so naturally, I hadn’t yet learned ALL I needed to know to pass that question (how to write a critical analysis of a peer-reviewed educational research article, using specific terminology within the realm of scholarly educational research…yeah, real fun for a creative writer…).

Nonetheless, I count myself fortunate to have only failed one of the four, since there were many who either failed them all or failed more than one who couldn’t retake it until the next semester. I, having only failed that one, could retake it within the same semester, and I did. And, by the grace of God and lots of studying and practicing and reading, I did pass it. Whew! Blood, Sweat, & Tears! (A great musical group from the ’70′s, by the way, as well as my summer grad school experience.)

Suffice it all to say… I did graduate with my Master’s of Education in Secondary Education! And celebration was in order! I faced and conquered my fears and goal. And now it’s Chase’s turn. He’s due to graduate December ’09 with his B.S. degree. (So appropriate!)

I’m back to teaching high school English again at Clark, where I love my job and the people I work with and teach. I’m one lucky woman!

I’m absorbed…consumed…overwhelmed…and scared… July 6, the date of my comprehensive exams is only 10 days away!

But I’ve always been an overachiever, I believe out of the sheer fear of failure. I want SO MUCH to do well as a graduate student and master teacher, and I have so far. But it’s not over yet.  Here I am at the end of it all, the process which began in the summer of 2003, when I started this dual master’s/teacher certification program at Texas State University.  I finished certification, was hired to teach high school at Clark, one of my biggest goals, and was told I had six years to finish up the master’s part of the program. And now it’s here… the end of that six year period, the final challenges of three more graduate classes and the comprehensive exams that culminate all my learning since my teaching journey began. And I have learned so much! But how to get it all down in APA format, within 4 hours of testing, in the academic terms they want, the theories, the theorists, the educational academia… ad nauseum, with NO NOTES, no dictionary, NO supplemental helps at all. Just my brain, my fingertips, and a computer. I have a 4.0 GPA so far in all the grad work, but the professors say that does not guarantee even PASSING the comps.  But I think I can, I hope I will, and I know I must! (I already bought my master’s cap, gown, and hood, which is the one piece that’s NOT black, other than the maroon and gold tassel. It’s a beautiful shade of light, almost aqua, blue to designate my college and graduate major – education and secondary education, respectively.)

So, pray for me! I will do my best, although I won’t even be finished with all my coursework by the time I have to take the exams! (God has performed far greater miracles!)

A father holds a special place in a little girl's heart forever!

Well, today is Sunday, June 21, 2009, Father’s Day.

I am enjoying the company of my husband, the father of our 3 children, since he decided to drive up to San Marcos to be with me and Chase, both of us attending Texas State University, Chase for his BS and I for my MEd. Brooke and her boyfriend Joey were going to join us, too, but since she has been a little under the weather with some food poisoning or something, we weren’t able to enjoy her company up in Austin as originally planned. So, Jack and Chase and I went to this great little restaurant/bakery/coffee shop in a small, old historical home here in San Marcos about two blocks from the condo called “The Blue Goat Gourmet.” Chase and I bought Jack’s lunch and the food was delicious.

The Blue Goat Gourmet

The two exterior doors were filled with wavy clear, aqua, and blue stained glass designs and the simple seating area inside included the expected tables and chairs, but also a couple of black leather loveseats facing each other with a bookshelf full of books, magazines, and newspapers between them against the wall. There were also displays of various pieces of colorful art adorning the white walls and shelving, many depicting various individual artists’ expressions of blue goats. Some of my favorite artistic pieces were a couple of miniatures made out of clay or ceramic, I couldn’t tell which.  The most clever was a little stack of a couple of colorful books with a brain sitting on top of them.

The owner and employees were friendly and attentive. The food was fantastic, too. I had the small version of the Ben Franklin sandwich (turkey, provolone, and pesto mayo) on french bread and a small cup of Spinach Curry soup. Sounds weird, perhaps, but it was uniquely tasty! Jack and Chase had mediterranean salads and a different kind of sandwich from mine, some kind of chicken, I think, along with a fruit salad of strawberries, mango, pineapple, and melon. Maybe not necessarily what one would consider a “manly” meal, but we all enjoyed it, just the same.

Earlier in the morning, at 9 a.m. to be exact, Jack and I had gone to the little church not even a full block down the street from the condo, Calvary Chapel of the Springs, where the preacher and his family hail from Southern California. I think my niece Karen and her family attend the Calvary Chapel of Carlsbad, CA… same “chain” of denomination. Chase couldn’t seem to wake up in time to go with us, so we enjoyed the music and the service without him. It was good to hear some old familiar hymns performed by the musical team in new, more current, upbeat ways. The message was engaging, too, about how the love of Christ supercedes the law and how the freedom Christ gives us, however, shouldn’t give us license to allow our fleshly desires to run amuck. We live “in the Spirit” and hopefully see the fruit of that life in us as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, perseverance, and self-control. Which reminds me of my parents and my dad.

Neither Jack nor I can be in the physical presence of our fathers since they have both passed away, and I can hardly believe that it’s been over 10 years since that happened. We both miss our dads and talk about our individual and shared memories of them both all the time. I know I want to keep the memory of my fantastic father alive, since men like him are rarer and rarer to find all the time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this world will never be the same without him. For example, not that it is directly related, but nonetheless, 9-11 occurred a year after my father’s death…

Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in my life: my husband, my brother, my brothers-in-law, my nephews, cousins, friends, and coworkers, and even those of you I may not even know. It is easy to father a child, but it isn’t easy to BE a GOOD father to a child. I admire those of you who are or have been or will be.  God bless you all!