Zenaida Arroyo

Happy Tuesday!  Thank you for joining me and Jenn for another edition of Tuesday Topics.  Remember to link up with us!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Don’t forget to come back for later linkers!

Here is another post with some interesting prompts in the Jetpack app.  Ready?

• What advice would you give to your younger self?  Start early to save money for retirement.  I started saving money after college.  A boss told me to and I listened to her.  I am glad I did!  I would also tell my younger self to buy property.  I bought a condo a few years ago and then sold it to move back home.  I shouldn’t have done that.  My plan for when I retire is to live in a condo along the lakefront.  I am hoping that I can still buy a house now and then sell it when I retire.  Maybe prices will be different for senior citizens?  🙂

• What is the biggest challenge you will face in the next six months?  To make it through this school year with the various issues I’ve been having with my students.  I have 24 and half of them are below or well below level in reading.  Everyone except 2 placed in either kindergarten or 1st grade level in Math.  I have 6 newcomers and about half of my students have some kind of behavior issue (they don’t listen, they don’t stop talking, they’re always touching something or someone).  I have separated everyone but grouped the newcomers with another student so that that student can help them.

• What is your favorite drink?  I have a few in the non-alcoholic category – water, coffee, and coke/diet coke.  In the alcoholic category, I like wine and martinis.

• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?  Either being close to retirement or already in retirement.  For the former, I hope I am not a classroom teacher.  It is too stressful and I want to enjoy the last couple of years.  I would like to work as a math interventionist.  We don’t have enough Spanish speaking math interventionists in the District which is surprising because the community is Spanish speaking.  My students are not being serviced/helped because there is no Spanish speaking math interventionist in my school.  How is that fair?

•What jobs have you had?  Explain.  After college, I worked for The Lodge in Oak Brook, IL.  It was an administrative position helping out The Director of Sales and the Sales Managers.  I was there for a few months before moving to The American Bar Association (ABA).  I worked for that company till 2019 when I got my teaching job.  At the ABA I worked in several departments.  I began as an administrative assistant and then worked in Marketing.  I don’t remember my exact titles but thanks to my last position, I traveled to many different states such as CA, NY, GA, TX, and OH. 

I never wanted to be a teacher.  I got tired of working for lawyers and wanted something more challenging.  I was working at the ABA while in school for my teaching degree.  There was a program funded by the State of Illinois which paid the tuition for professionals that wanted to make a career change to teaching.  I took advantage of it and only had to pay for my books.

The topic for next week – Share your favorite running item(s) you’ve tried this year.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

Happy Tuesday!  Thank you for joining me and Jenn.  Remember to link up with us.  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Remember to come back for later linkers.

This week has been warm here, but I know Fall is around the corner.  I am looking forward to the cooler weather and the colors of the leaves.  My hot flashes aren’t that bad in the Fall so that is another thing to look forward to.

Here are my plans for this Fall.

• Continue walking.  I enjoy my walks.  I want to do a better job of doing my walk in the morning before going to work.  There have been a few times that I skip them due to time constraints and then I have to get it done after work.  After work I want to cuddle with my cats and read my book.

• Begin to run again.  I’ve been slacking the past couple of weeks.  I need a goal and a plan.  I need some motivation too, but hopefully I’ll get motivated when I have a goal and a plan.

• Use the Peloton bike.  I’ve been using it again to hold my clothes.  I know, no bueno.

• Run a race.  My last race was July 4th.  But before I run a race, I have to start running again.  

• Strength train.  It is the same song here.  I am making it more difficult than it is.  I have the tools and the time.  I know I can start with something “easy” (kettlebells, dumbbells, medicine ball, squats, etc).

Next week is a FREE topic.  Feel free to write about any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!

Happy Tuesday!  Thank you for joining me and Jenn for another edition of Tuesday Topics.  Remember to link up with us!  Visit at least two of the other linked posts – the more the merrier!  Don’t forget to come back for later linkers! 

I wrote a post of things that came to my mind that start with the letter “M”.  Today, it is about the letter “J” because it is the 10th letter of the alphabet and it is the 10th day in September.

• Joy.  I am going through a phase right now and I am looking for joy wherever I go.  I am trying very hard to be positive but sometimes that doesn’t go well.  Please tell Joy to come back!

• Jail.  I have never been to jail..not even to visit anyone.  Based on what I see on TV, it looks like a scary place.

• Jeans.  I love them!  I was so happy when I found out that I can wear jeans everyday to work as long as I have a spirit wear top.  Unfortunately, the pairs I have no longer fit and I refuse to buy new ones.  I will fit back into them.

• Jalapeño.  This is great with salsa, nachos, and on pizza.  I also like jalapeño poppers.

• Journey.  The first thing that came to my mind was the music group.  🙂  But then I started thinking about my journey in life.  I believe that everything happens for a reason so sometimes I think about the things have have happened and the reason they were supposed to happen.  

• Jaws.  This movie FREAKED me out!

• Job.  I am grateful for my job.  It is rewarding but exhausting.  I don’t love it but I don’t hate it either.  This is my 16th year working in the same District.  Hopefully, I can retire from the school I am working at now.

• Jetlag.  One of the worst feelings.  A few years ago I went to Spain with two other friends.  I remember one of them told me not to take a nap but to instead go with them to sightsee.  Nope.  Sleep won.  

• Jealousy.  It is a horrible feeling.  I am not proud but there have been a couple of times in which I’ve felt jealous of other people.

• Jibarito.  It “is a sandwich that uses flattened, fried green plantains instead of bread, and is typically served with meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato.”  If you ever get a chance to eat one, do it.

The topic for next week – What are your Fall running plans or race schedule?  Feel free to write about this or any running-related topic.  We hope you’ll link up with us!