Where Brent Disappeared To

This is my first official update on what I have been doing since we moved into our new house. I am still working at West Cary Middle School as a one-on-one aid to a 7th grade student there. Since it is the same kid from last year we have started off really well, and I am hoping to work myself out of a job by the end of the year (not because I do not like him, but because I think he will be capable of dong well in school without an aid). Other than my work as an aid I am also part of two extra-curricular groups at West Cary.

First, I am part of the Positive Behavior Support Team at West Cary this year, which happens to be our first year having PBS. The system is basically geared around getting the entire school, including faculty, staff, students, and families, to have a common set of standards and rules. So this first year we are working on our school wide expectations for our community, and we are also beginning to discuss what the common procedures should be for our school in different specific settings (i.e. bus, cafeteria, hallways, etc.).

Second, I have become the sponsor of a club at our school on every other Friday or so. I must first thank my sisters, and all the girls who have helped teach me to dress over the years, because I am the sponsor of West Cary's Fashion Club. After only a month or so I found myself helping the leader and the club this afternoon work out the beginning details of a fashion show that we will be putting on in late November at the school. If you ever think it's hard to get a word in edgewise try being in a room full of 6th-8th grade girls on a Friday right after they have gotten out of their last period for the day. Joelle did not even talk as fast as some of them do when they mention who just got a note from some boy whose name they cannot pronounce because it's not a typical English name. Still, I must say that it is quite fun to get to hang out and relax in a less formal role at school.

Besides my work at the middle school I am in my second year at North Carolina Central University in the Master's of Special Education program. My emphasis is still in emotional and behavioral disturbance/disability (even as a student I can't always keep up with the ever-changing labels in the school system). I realized the other day that I am in my third year of Master's coursework, and I still have at least one or two more years after this. Unlike my wife I would be very content to just work during the week, but I guess you have to sacrifice to do what you love sometimes. On the bright side my classes are interesting, and I do get to do a lot of hands on projects with students that are very applicable to my job at West Cary.

Those two areas take up most of my time, but occassionally I get to remember how great it is to be married to Joelle, and if I'm really lucky we even have time for a date some weeks! Usually we at least get one night a week to see some of our friends out here. Speaking of which one of my best friends that I have made in the last year or so is a guy named Mike Boone. He actually taught me how to shoot a bow & arrow the other day, which was by far one of the coolest moments of this year. He's also getting married to a girl named Katie Byers-Dent, who is a good friend of Joelle, and on Wednesday I found out that both of us are going to be in the wedding, so I'll be in Florida next May! That's about all I got for now, hopefully my next update will be in less than a few months, but let's be honest, everyone who knows me won't be holding their breath.