I came across this article about what teachers should do when their friends don't understand the daily life of a teacher and/or the struggles of a teacher. I didn't really pay too much attention to it, because I either have amazing friends that understand or the article was written for female teachers with female friends. Anyways, one of the suggestions was write a detailed account of your daily life at school. I thought this would be interesting to do on here, so I am going to update this throughout the day on what I do today, which is a normal Thursday for me.
7:20
Arrive at school.
Turn on the lights in the room and coatroom, change the date on the whiteboard and put trash bags in both trash cans.
Find the master copy of a math paper that a student through the extras away yesterday.
Pull up the picture for notebook writing and math lesson on my computer.
Change the station that each group of students will be going to during math.
7:45
Try to make last minute copies before students come. Another teacher is using the copier and has multiple paper jams. Walk back to my class without the copies.
7:50
Be in the hallway as students start to arrive.
When students come in, they are to take out their homework folder, put it in a basket, and hang their book bags and coats in the coatroom, then get a book from my library and read silently.
8:00
Because my amazing aid came in to my class, I am able to sneak back to the copier and make the copies.
After copies are made, I go through homework folders taking out behavior calendars and any notes from parents.
8:15
Restroom break 10 minutes late because half my class is either absent or tardy.
8:20
Every morning after restroom break, I put a picture on the board for the students to write about while I complete my own daily tasks such as attendance. I try to put a funny picture for the students to write about.
8:30
Students come to the carpet and read what they wrote one at a time.
8:45 Math
I divide my class into two groups, a lower group and a higher group.
While I teach a lesson to the lower group, the higher group does independent work, such as: working on math facts, computer assignments, seat work or math games. After approximately 30 minutes, I will teach the higher group and the lower group will work on the independent work. Today, the lower group worked on subtraction from 0-20 and the higher group just finished 3 digit subtraction without grouping (borrowing), and today learned two digit addition with regrouping.
10:10
Twice a month, we have to do a writing assignment that keeps track of words written and spelled correctly. I decided to do my writing today right before recess. They are given a prompt and have one minute to think what they will write and then 3 minutes to write.
10:20
Clean up and get ready for recess and lunch. I take my class down to the gym for recess, and I am able to come back to my room. of course, I use the restroom, as this is the first time all day I have a chance to. After making copies of a paper I was given in the morning to hand out to students to take home, I eat my lunch.
11:15
I go downstairs of bring up both first grade classes. Each class will go into their room, sit down, and rest their heads to kind of cool down after recess and lunch.
11:25
I line the students up and do a whole classroom restroom break. No, I do not get to use the restroom myself during this time, because I need to be in the hall with the students.
11:35
I read a book to the students. Since 2018 started, I have been reading Pete the Cat books. After those are over, I will go back to reading a chapter at a time out of a chapter book.
11:45
Reading/ELA
All week, we work on the same reading story out of a curriculum book. The curriculum comes with online resources, such as a song for that story. I play this song at the beginning of reading, and the kids love it. Every week, I choose the vocabulary words from it, which the kids help me define and I write them on the board, then they must copy and draw a picture of each. They did this on Tuesday. Today, we are talking about nouns. They are sorting nouns into the categories of person, place, thing, or animal. A student walked up to me holding the word "pencil" asking me wheat it said. I told him, and he left. He comes back holding a pencil asking me why I told him to GET a pencil. During this time, a student decided to get under a table, look at another student and try to make him laugh by grabbing and rubbing his own crotch. I wrote a referral for him and decided to send him to the principal after he told both my aid and me "no" several times. He finally understood, when I said that is what the word said. After they are finished, they always highlight their names before they turn it in. I have them do this because it makes them realize when they do not put their names on their paper. Then, they read a book until we move to the next activity, which is reading the story. I will project the story on the board and read it a sentence at a time. After each sentence, they will read it back to me. After we read it as a class, I will pair the students up and have them partner read.
1:15
Snack
We have a grant to receive fruit as a snack three days a week. I usually pair the snack with a video. Due to reading about farms, I will be playing a video about farms and how they operate. Majority of my students are not familiar with what farms are, so I introduce them to farms via videos.
1:30
Intervention
We have been taking online tests in both reading and math. Students who were absent or did not improve from their previous tests took it again. Nine of my students in reading and six students in math have already gained a year's worth of growth, which makes me very excited. The students who are not taking the tests will get on different websites to help them in either math or reading. The Title 1 team comes in for this, so I was able to leave for my second restroom break of the day. Never a good idea to have more cups of coffee than restroom breaks!
2:15
It is finally time to hand back their behavior charts with how well each students did today behaviorally. After I hand them back, the kids can start to pack up.
2:35
Once all kids are packed up, I will send my bus riders over to the other first grade class and I will take all of the car riders down to the gym.
2:55
I make it back to my room. Normally, I'll go down to the gym for basketball practice, but tonight the school is having a movie night that I was asked to work. I will have about an hour to do grading and getting ready for tomorrow before movie night starts.
3:45
I head down to the gym to help with movie night.
5:45
I am done with movie night and grabbing my things before I go home.
Thursday, January 18, 2018
Friday, October 7, 2016
Crazy Couple of Weeks
The title says it all, it has been a crazy couple of weeks for me.
I have now had three different kids suspended, the latest his second suspension in a week, this time for three days. Today he decided it was ok to punch a kid in the face.
My little girl that we suspected to be homeless, is in fact homeless. She has been either absent or tardy almost every single day. Today, her mother came in and told our secretary that she they are homeless and looking for a place to live. If I could, I would just bring this little sweetheart home with me. But, unfortunately, I can't. At the end of the day, when she realized we were getting ready to leave, she burst out into tears.
I also have a new student within the past two weeks. I have had 5 new students altogether since after the first week, and most of them have turned out to be my best students. Unfortunately, this most recent student has been the opposite. This student has a problem following directions and touching things and other people. Over 6 straight school days, he was sent up to the assistant principle's office 5 of those days. Today does mark the second consecutive day he hasn't had to go up there. So, while we have been making positive grounds on that front, he is still having problems, but they are getting much better.
I keep hearing from multiple teachers that the first year of full time teaching is the hardest and the second part of the first quarter is the hardest of the year (because the honeymoon period is over), then I think I'll be ok. By no means am I saying my time is easy (because it is far from that) and I come home everyday exhausted. However, if it will only get better from here on out, I have never once thought of quitting teaching or not helping kids, so I will be alright.
I have now had three different kids suspended, the latest his second suspension in a week, this time for three days. Today he decided it was ok to punch a kid in the face.
My little girl that we suspected to be homeless, is in fact homeless. She has been either absent or tardy almost every single day. Today, her mother came in and told our secretary that she they are homeless and looking for a place to live. If I could, I would just bring this little sweetheart home with me. But, unfortunately, I can't. At the end of the day, when she realized we were getting ready to leave, she burst out into tears.
I also have a new student within the past two weeks. I have had 5 new students altogether since after the first week, and most of them have turned out to be my best students. Unfortunately, this most recent student has been the opposite. This student has a problem following directions and touching things and other people. Over 6 straight school days, he was sent up to the assistant principle's office 5 of those days. Today does mark the second consecutive day he hasn't had to go up there. So, while we have been making positive grounds on that front, he is still having problems, but they are getting much better.
I keep hearing from multiple teachers that the first year of full time teaching is the hardest and the second part of the first quarter is the hardest of the year (because the honeymoon period is over), then I think I'll be ok. By no means am I saying my time is easy (because it is far from that) and I come home everyday exhausted. However, if it will only get better from here on out, I have never once thought of quitting teaching or not helping kids, so I will be alright.
Friday, September 23, 2016
New Adventures
I thought I needed somewhere to put what has been happening while I teach. I decided it was this blog over clogging up my Google Drive with these posts. I am not writing this for anyone, except myself, but I also don't mind if others read this. I am not posting a link to this site or post anywhere, and probably will not even tell anybody that I am writing this.
I've had a crazy first month teaching. I really like my class, I just have a few boys that think they shouldn't have to follow directions.
Four weeks into school, and I have already had two boys suspended. Not because I asked or want them suspended, but I definitely agree with the decisions. I really like both boys and want to help each one. One has been physically and sexually abused and the other has a (single) parent who might be a drug addict. Unfortunately, both of these boys have made multiple decisions that were not the best choices. One decided to bite another student while also pulling up the shirt of another in a place I specifically asked him not to go. The other tried to climb a fence (that would give him access to the entire neighborhood, and the only way I could go after him is to climb it myself) after I told him not to throw mulch. Thankfully, I ran after him and caught him when he was at the top. He will get mad at me when I ask him to do work and rip up the papers I give him. He has also run out of the cafeteria door that leads to outside (I do not have lunch duty).
On another sad note, I learned today that one of my students is probably homeless. She had been absent frequently lately (which is not uncommon for any of my students), and children services showed up to the school investigating. During recess today, she came up to me crying saying she was so tired (I'm sure if the rumor is true that she is living in a car, she isn't sleeping at all). I then took her to the office so she could sleep for a little bit.
On a more positive note, I have been in a lot of different schools, and I have never been in a school where every teacher/staff/administrator gets along with, and even likes, everybody else. So far, I have seen zero drama within the employees, but I'm told I will due to the amount of females. Everybody from fellow teachers to the administrators are constantly asking me if I need anything or if they could help me with anything. Sometimes If I have a down day due to my students being actual first graders, there is definitely someone there to cheer me up.
So, with all that being said, my students can definitely use some prayers (and so could I).
I've had a crazy first month teaching. I really like my class, I just have a few boys that think they shouldn't have to follow directions.
Four weeks into school, and I have already had two boys suspended. Not because I asked or want them suspended, but I definitely agree with the decisions. I really like both boys and want to help each one. One has been physically and sexually abused and the other has a (single) parent who might be a drug addict. Unfortunately, both of these boys have made multiple decisions that were not the best choices. One decided to bite another student while also pulling up the shirt of another in a place I specifically asked him not to go. The other tried to climb a fence (that would give him access to the entire neighborhood, and the only way I could go after him is to climb it myself) after I told him not to throw mulch. Thankfully, I ran after him and caught him when he was at the top. He will get mad at me when I ask him to do work and rip up the papers I give him. He has also run out of the cafeteria door that leads to outside (I do not have lunch duty).
On another sad note, I learned today that one of my students is probably homeless. She had been absent frequently lately (which is not uncommon for any of my students), and children services showed up to the school investigating. During recess today, she came up to me crying saying she was so tired (I'm sure if the rumor is true that she is living in a car, she isn't sleeping at all). I then took her to the office so she could sleep for a little bit.
On a more positive note, I have been in a lot of different schools, and I have never been in a school where every teacher/staff/administrator gets along with, and even likes, everybody else. So far, I have seen zero drama within the employees, but I'm told I will due to the amount of females. Everybody from fellow teachers to the administrators are constantly asking me if I need anything or if they could help me with anything. Sometimes If I have a down day due to my students being actual first graders, there is definitely someone there to cheer me up.
So, with all that being said, my students can definitely use some prayers (and so could I).
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Easy Wins
We have had some very good games lately. And when I say very good, I don't mean close. I mean destroying the opponent making it enjoyable for me to watch. A week and a half ago, we beat San Antonio 68-34. This past weekend, we played in Georgia, beating them 60-27. Holding teams to an average of 30 points is remarkable in the AFL as 45 points is about average for a team. Our defense has also been without the same several players who have had injuries. Unfortunately, we lost another linebacker as he tore his ACL. This makes for the 3rd linebacker to have a significant injury. Unlike the NFL with huge rosters, we are not afforded that luxury. We are only allowed 24 on our roster and only 21 can be active for a game, which doesn't even give us a backup for every position. Luckily, one of the linebackers will be back within the next few weeks, and the other may follow soon after.
If you don't follow any sports whatsoever nor don't turn on a tv (hey, maybe you don't have cable like me), then you should know the NFL draft was this past weekend. I am usually excited for the NFL draft; however, this year I was by far the most prepared. I recognized just as many names in the last 3 rounds as I did in the first round. Since we had to do a bunch of research on these players, I showed more disbelief in the later rounds than the casual fan. It wasn't because my least favorite team got a good player, etc., but more a long the lines of players I thought we had a legitimate shot at signing went out the window. Then came the biggest shocker. About 90% of our targeted players went undrafted. However, after the draft, every player that isn't drafted becomes an Undrafted Free Agent. Within one day, my 90% quickly plummeted to approximately 10%. We are quickly trying to do as much research on these players to determine if we should bring them in. It has become a very busy time (as if it wasn't busy before).
My parents must have noticed how busy it has been for me and decided to fly me out to Colorado to where they will be visiting Patrick and Rachel. I will fly out at the end of this month and am very excited about it.
Adam Conrad
If you don't follow any sports whatsoever nor don't turn on a tv (hey, maybe you don't have cable like me), then you should know the NFL draft was this past weekend. I am usually excited for the NFL draft; however, this year I was by far the most prepared. I recognized just as many names in the last 3 rounds as I did in the first round. Since we had to do a bunch of research on these players, I showed more disbelief in the later rounds than the casual fan. It wasn't because my least favorite team got a good player, etc., but more a long the lines of players I thought we had a legitimate shot at signing went out the window. Then came the biggest shocker. About 90% of our targeted players went undrafted. However, after the draft, every player that isn't drafted becomes an Undrafted Free Agent. Within one day, my 90% quickly plummeted to approximately 10%. We are quickly trying to do as much research on these players to determine if we should bring them in. It has become a very busy time (as if it wasn't busy before).
My parents must have noticed how busy it has been for me and decided to fly me out to Colorado to where they will be visiting Patrick and Rachel. I will fly out at the end of this month and am very excited about it.
Adam Conrad
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Another Busy Week
Unfortunately, we lost last weekend by two in Iowa. That gives us two losses by a combined three points. Hopefully, our team can play better tomorrow at home against San Antonio. San Antonio has the QB who beat us in the ArenaBowl on the last play of the game last year. I am hoping our players are thinking revenge.
This week has been very busy for me. Tomorrow will mark the seventh day in a row I've worked, and some are days like today where I work for ten hours. However, work isn't the only thing I;ve been doing, as I've had a little fun as well. Last night, I was able to go to a baseball game. Now, going to an MLB game is fun enough in itself; however, the Diamondbacks were playing for the Braves. And, it just so happens that my friend, Brandon Beachy, was pitching for Atlanta. It was really cool to see him pitch, and he played great (even did well batting). We didn't have tickets to the game when we arrived, so we started talking to a scalper. We turned down his offer of the worst seats in the park for $10 when he offered us club seats for $20. I am pretty sure once he mentioned "all you can eat," all four of us reached for our wallets. Unfortunately, we had just eaten dinner, but that didn't stop four lower-twenties' guys of making sure we got out money's worth.
Today, we had a 4 1/2 hour meeting. I knew it was going to be long when my boss told me that we were going to take 3 weeks worth of meetings and put it into one meeting. Since we had started work on February 1st, we have been putting together a database for all of the college seniors. Each scout is assigned a region, for instance I have the northeast region. For today's meeting, we were supposed to have all of our prospects ranked according to position. At the meeting, we presented them to the group and placed them according to rank. At the end, we created a draft board by arguing over which player should be rated higher. This was definitely an eye-opening experience as we were able to not only see, but participate how these scouting meetings are ran at the NFL level.
My boss has also sent my resume to the director of personnels of the Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, and Washington Redskins- so hopefully one of those will pay off.
Like I said before, we have a game tomorrow against the San Antonio Talons, and we are having a kicker workout before the game, meaning I have to be there even earlier than normal. Hopefully, next time I write, I'll be able to say we have one more win on our record. Have a great week.
Adam Conrad
This week has been very busy for me. Tomorrow will mark the seventh day in a row I've worked, and some are days like today where I work for ten hours. However, work isn't the only thing I;ve been doing, as I've had a little fun as well. Last night, I was able to go to a baseball game. Now, going to an MLB game is fun enough in itself; however, the Diamondbacks were playing for the Braves. And, it just so happens that my friend, Brandon Beachy, was pitching for Atlanta. It was really cool to see him pitch, and he played great (even did well batting). We didn't have tickets to the game when we arrived, so we started talking to a scalper. We turned down his offer of the worst seats in the park for $10 when he offered us club seats for $20. I am pretty sure once he mentioned "all you can eat," all four of us reached for our wallets. Unfortunately, we had just eaten dinner, but that didn't stop four lower-twenties' guys of making sure we got out money's worth.
Today, we had a 4 1/2 hour meeting. I knew it was going to be long when my boss told me that we were going to take 3 weeks worth of meetings and put it into one meeting. Since we had started work on February 1st, we have been putting together a database for all of the college seniors. Each scout is assigned a region, for instance I have the northeast region. For today's meeting, we were supposed to have all of our prospects ranked according to position. At the meeting, we presented them to the group and placed them according to rank. At the end, we created a draft board by arguing over which player should be rated higher. This was definitely an eye-opening experience as we were able to not only see, but participate how these scouting meetings are ran at the NFL level.
My boss has also sent my resume to the director of personnels of the Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, and Washington Redskins- so hopefully one of those will pay off.
Like I said before, we have a game tomorrow against the San Antonio Talons, and we are having a kicker workout before the game, meaning I have to be there even earlier than normal. Hopefully, next time I write, I'll be able to say we have one more win on our record. Have a great week.
Adam Conrad
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Still Alive
I apologize for not posting in awhile. Having no internet and being very busy has definitely been a hindrance with keeping this thing updated.
I did make it back from Colorado alright, and we've had two games since (one on the road, and one at home). Both teams have a combined one win, and we had that many before we played either of them only after two games. So, you are probably thinking that we beat both pretty handily.
We did beat Kansas City by a score of 56-28. However, we lost our starting linebacker (who happens to be from Cincinnati) with a dislocated elbow. Our other starting linebacker was hurt in our second game, and is still out. Kevin did show me his elbow, and I kind of wish he didn't, as it was completely swollen and didn't look pretty.
Last Friday, we played at home against Spokane. We were losing most of the game, but scored with four seconds left to get the win. I seriously believe that the team is trying to give me a heart attack at a young age; and unfortunately, I think they are succeeding. We also suffered another injury. Our starting safety leading kick returner in the league hurt his ankle. So, out of our original 8 defensive starters- we are without both starting linebackers, our starting safety, and a starting cornerback who tore his ACL in the second game of the year, forcing him to sit out the rest of the season. Not to mention that one our starting receivers is out, and it is nearly a miracle that we have the second best record in the league. Hopefully, our guys can get healthy, and can make an impact when they come back. Above and to the right is a picture of our guys after the win on Friday.
Just in case you thought all I did was watch practice and play around on the internet, let me give you an idea of what I have to do.
Five days before a game, our department has to give our coaches what is called an Advance Scouting Book. It is just like what it sounds like- it is a very detailed account of our next opponent. This weeks scout book was 50 pages long, so you know it is full of information. What got me hired to this job was my background in statistics. Because of that, I have been in charge of all the stats in the scouting department. Due to being in charge, I have a lot to do for this scout book. I have to put together nearly every stat of every player for our opponents. Not only stats, but I also have to research and compile every penalty they committed. Another statistic I put together is showing how they start and finish every possession our opponents have had all season. You may be thinking this is a lot of work to be doing, which it is. However, I keep up with it and update it every week, so I am not doing the whole season's worth of stats in a few days. Also, every member of our scouting department is assigned a certain position that changes weekly for each game. For example, the game against San Antonio (next week) that I am working on, I was assigned the wide receivers. For each player at that position, we need to watch the previous three games and scout them. After scouting them, we write up our reports and put it inside the scouting reports.
During home games, we are assigned specific positions to scout and take notes on. After the game, we are to do write-ups on those players on what we saw during that game. We eventually out all of that into a review book, which we hand out to all the coaches.
Not only am I working on this stuff throughout the week, but I also do random projects that my boss or the coaches ask of me such as updating rosters, helping new players with paperwork, and researching college senior or recently released NFL players.
Yes, this is quite a large amount of work; however, I definitely feel it is worth it. Due to my boss's experience within the NFL, we are running this Arena franchise as an NFL team, which will only help me when I, hopefully, get a job in the NFL.
Anyways, I'm sorry that I didn't give much information on what I've done lately, but now you know what I do when I am working. The team travels to Des Moines, Iowa this week, so I will have a few much needed days off as we only get one day off during home games.
Have a great rest of the week.
Adam Conrad
And below is a picture of our guys after our come-from-behind win on Friday.
I did make it back from Colorado alright, and we've had two games since (one on the road, and one at home). Both teams have a combined one win, and we had that many before we played either of them only after two games. So, you are probably thinking that we beat both pretty handily.
We did beat Kansas City by a score of 56-28. However, we lost our starting linebacker (who happens to be from Cincinnati) with a dislocated elbow. Our other starting linebacker was hurt in our second game, and is still out. Kevin did show me his elbow, and I kind of wish he didn't, as it was completely swollen and didn't look pretty.
Last Friday, we played at home against Spokane. We were losing most of the game, but scored with four seconds left to get the win. I seriously believe that the team is trying to give me a heart attack at a young age; and unfortunately, I think they are succeeding. We also suffered another injury. Our starting safety leading kick returner in the league hurt his ankle. So, out of our original 8 defensive starters- we are without both starting linebackers, our starting safety, and a starting cornerback who tore his ACL in the second game of the year, forcing him to sit out the rest of the season. Not to mention that one our starting receivers is out, and it is nearly a miracle that we have the second best record in the league. Hopefully, our guys can get healthy, and can make an impact when they come back. Above and to the right is a picture of our guys after the win on Friday.
Just in case you thought all I did was watch practice and play around on the internet, let me give you an idea of what I have to do.
Five days before a game, our department has to give our coaches what is called an Advance Scouting Book. It is just like what it sounds like- it is a very detailed account of our next opponent. This weeks scout book was 50 pages long, so you know it is full of information. What got me hired to this job was my background in statistics. Because of that, I have been in charge of all the stats in the scouting department. Due to being in charge, I have a lot to do for this scout book. I have to put together nearly every stat of every player for our opponents. Not only stats, but I also have to research and compile every penalty they committed. Another statistic I put together is showing how they start and finish every possession our opponents have had all season. You may be thinking this is a lot of work to be doing, which it is. However, I keep up with it and update it every week, so I am not doing the whole season's worth of stats in a few days. Also, every member of our scouting department is assigned a certain position that changes weekly for each game. For example, the game against San Antonio (next week) that I am working on, I was assigned the wide receivers. For each player at that position, we need to watch the previous three games and scout them. After scouting them, we write up our reports and put it inside the scouting reports.
During home games, we are assigned specific positions to scout and take notes on. After the game, we are to do write-ups on those players on what we saw during that game. We eventually out all of that into a review book, which we hand out to all the coaches.
Not only am I working on this stuff throughout the week, but I also do random projects that my boss or the coaches ask of me such as updating rosters, helping new players with paperwork, and researching college senior or recently released NFL players.
Yes, this is quite a large amount of work; however, I definitely feel it is worth it. Due to my boss's experience within the NFL, we are running this Arena franchise as an NFL team, which will only help me when I, hopefully, get a job in the NFL.
Anyways, I'm sorry that I didn't give much information on what I've done lately, but now you know what I do when I am working. The team travels to Des Moines, Iowa this week, so I will have a few much needed days off as we only get one day off during home games.
Have a great rest of the week.
Adam Conrad
And below is a picture of our guys after our come-from-behind win on Friday.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Once again, I've had a few great experiences over the past few days.
On Friday, I had the privilege of going to Arizona State's Pro Day. If you are unfamiliar with a Pro Day, it is very similar to the combine, held in Indianapolis, which tests a football players measures- such as height, weight, speed, agility, and jumping ability. The combine hosts the nations top prospects and each big college will have a specific pro day for their respective players and other local players from smaller schools. The NFL will usually send somebody to the pro day to look at the players. Depending on the quality of the players will determine who the teams send, such as a regional scout, director of college scouting, assistant coach, head coach and/or the general manager himself. Most NFL teams sent scouts to ASU's Pro Day; however, I did get to see the Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator and Marvin Lewis, who is the Cincinnati Bengals head coach. I really wanted and planned to introduce myself to Lewis, but when he wasn't on his phone (approximately 85% of the time), he had somebody standing at his side talking nonstop to him. Although I didn't get to talk to Marvin Lewis, I did get to meet some very interesting people and got to see a really cool process. Most scouts don't get the opportunity to go to a pro day until around their 3rd or 4th year, so I am very fortunate.
We had our first home game Saturday night. I had the privilege of sitting in a press box to watch the game. However, I wasn't able to just sit back and enjoy the game. I had to evaluate and take notes on the opposing linemen, because we will play the Milwaukee Mustangs later on in the season for a second time. The game turned out to be another barn burner. The game was going back and forth the entire game, with Milwaukee having the lead at halftime. We scored to take the lead by 6 with a few minutes left in the game. The opposing kicker was struggling, so I felt very comfortable with giving them the ball back. They marched down the field and scored a TD to tie the game with the point after touchdown to still be attempted. A Milwaukee receiver caught a batted ball giving them a two point lead with 27 seconds to go. Our offense received the ball and didn't waste anytime, as they scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion with 4 seconds to go giving us a 6 point lead. Milwaukee was not able to score with 4 seconds to go giving us the 71-65 victory. Dating back to the ArenaBowl last year, we have scored at least 70 points in 3 straight games. Unfortunately, we are 1-2 in those three games. I think we will build off of this win into a great season.
Sunday, I had to go into work for a few hours, and I was given Monday through Thursday off due to having a bye week this week. So, yesterday I drove 10 hours to visit my brother and sister-in-law, Patrick and Rachel in Montrose, CO. I've seen them a total of 3 times in the past year, so it was definitely worth the drive. Unfortunately, the drive could've been a lot better for me if I (and my GPS) knew better. Not only did I experience just about every possible weather change (sunshine, pouring down rain, mist, flurries, heavy snowfall, sleet), but I ended up climbing and descending two mountains about an hour before Montrose. Both of these mountains roads were covered in snow, going alongside cliffs, didn't usually have guardrails, and had constant blind turns. Thankfully, Patrick told me a better way to get home. Not thankfully, he waited til AFTER I experienced the mountains to tell me the alternative.
Well, I am off for now to go play with Patrick's and Rachel's dog, Dug. So, have a great week and Go Bucks!
Adam Conrad
On Friday, I had the privilege of going to Arizona State's Pro Day. If you are unfamiliar with a Pro Day, it is very similar to the combine, held in Indianapolis, which tests a football players measures- such as height, weight, speed, agility, and jumping ability. The combine hosts the nations top prospects and each big college will have a specific pro day for their respective players and other local players from smaller schools. The NFL will usually send somebody to the pro day to look at the players. Depending on the quality of the players will determine who the teams send, such as a regional scout, director of college scouting, assistant coach, head coach and/or the general manager himself. Most NFL teams sent scouts to ASU's Pro Day; however, I did get to see the Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator and Marvin Lewis, who is the Cincinnati Bengals head coach. I really wanted and planned to introduce myself to Lewis, but when he wasn't on his phone (approximately 85% of the time), he had somebody standing at his side talking nonstop to him. Although I didn't get to talk to Marvin Lewis, I did get to meet some very interesting people and got to see a really cool process. Most scouts don't get the opportunity to go to a pro day until around their 3rd or 4th year, so I am very fortunate.
We had our first home game Saturday night. I had the privilege of sitting in a press box to watch the game. However, I wasn't able to just sit back and enjoy the game. I had to evaluate and take notes on the opposing linemen, because we will play the Milwaukee Mustangs later on in the season for a second time. The game turned out to be another barn burner. The game was going back and forth the entire game, with Milwaukee having the lead at halftime. We scored to take the lead by 6 with a few minutes left in the game. The opposing kicker was struggling, so I felt very comfortable with giving them the ball back. They marched down the field and scored a TD to tie the game with the point after touchdown to still be attempted. A Milwaukee receiver caught a batted ball giving them a two point lead with 27 seconds to go. Our offense received the ball and didn't waste anytime, as they scored a touchdown and 2-point conversion with 4 seconds to go giving us a 6 point lead. Milwaukee was not able to score with 4 seconds to go giving us the 71-65 victory. Dating back to the ArenaBowl last year, we have scored at least 70 points in 3 straight games. Unfortunately, we are 1-2 in those three games. I think we will build off of this win into a great season.
Sunday, I had to go into work for a few hours, and I was given Monday through Thursday off due to having a bye week this week. So, yesterday I drove 10 hours to visit my brother and sister-in-law, Patrick and Rachel in Montrose, CO. I've seen them a total of 3 times in the past year, so it was definitely worth the drive. Unfortunately, the drive could've been a lot better for me if I (and my GPS) knew better. Not only did I experience just about every possible weather change (sunshine, pouring down rain, mist, flurries, heavy snowfall, sleet), but I ended up climbing and descending two mountains about an hour before Montrose. Both of these mountains roads were covered in snow, going alongside cliffs, didn't usually have guardrails, and had constant blind turns. Thankfully, Patrick told me a better way to get home. Not thankfully, he waited til AFTER I experienced the mountains to tell me the alternative.
Well, I am off for now to go play with Patrick's and Rachel's dog, Dug. So, have a great week and Go Bucks!
Adam Conrad
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