by Susan Palmes-Dennis

(photos taken from Charlotte Mecklenburg School System website)

Last Wednesday was another new life chapter for me here at Charlotte, North Carolina, a story that I would like to share with you.

I was accepted as a substitute teacher at the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System (CMS) here, which means I’m a certified public servant regardless if I only work when the regular teacher is out or if the school creates a vacancy.

I attended an orientation that focused on how teachers become good public servants and how we are supposed to act in our private and public lives. That included our interactions in social media because we deal with children who are more or less exposed to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others.

I guess a substitute teacher is as important as the regular teacher in shaping young people’s minds. Not that I’m promoting my position, it’s just my opinion.

It’s been a busy week for me and I already received private messages asking why I haven’t come out with any blogs and stories. I filled a lot of documents and I was also busy with my other work. But I’m here.

Love for teaching

I would be a sub teacher in six schools I’ve chosen under the CMS. The six schools chosen were based on the proximity to our home. 

Teaching isn’t new to me since I was a teacher back home in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao, Philippines. 

If memory serves, I taught in various schools in Cagayan de Oro in 10 years. 

That was how I augmented my income when I was working in local media then. Actually my love for teaching started when I was little. 

I have a school under our house and I was a teacher to the late Glafer Dagus-Nabong and also the late lawyer Maryann Paduganan.

I can remember the small class included the younger Dagus girls then and of course my sisters and cousins.  Thinking about it now makes me smile and laugh as I wondered how I managed to hold their attention when I was also little.

High standards

I remembered telling them stories from books I’ve read and tales I’ve heard and added my own input in my storytelling. I also remembered the boys who would peep in to see what we do but it was strictly for girls.

Now I couldn’t believe that I am now a part of one of the biggest school systems in the US. I forgot exactly my rank while listening to the orientation.

Maybe, to quote a song by Paul McCartney, “I am dazed” because of the presence of the teachers and professionals during the orientation.  

To those unfamiliar with the CMS, I share its background taken from its website:

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is located in the Charlotte, North Carolina region and provides academic instruction, rigor and support each school day to more than 142,600 students in kindergarten through 12th grade in 160 schools throughout the cities and towns of Mecklenburg County.

CMS believes setting high standards for all students creates a greater opportunity for future success – in our communities, within the region and across our diverse and global society. Each day, CMS students are prepared to be leaders in a technologically savvy and globally competitive world.

Support

CMS is proud of its diverse mix of students who represent 160 different countries and various cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

CMS offers an extensive range of magnet programs in 37 of its schools to nurture the talents of students who have interest and ability in specific areas.

CMS also educates, supports and meets the needs of students with learning and physical disabilities.

CMS is one of the largest employers in Mecklenburg County with more than 18,000 teachers, support staff and administrators. 

CMS is fortunate to have tremendous support from Charlotte’s corporate, faith and business communities and more than 90,000 mentors and volunteers that support learning and instruction in CMS classrooms. 

The public school system in Charlotte-Mecklenburg has a rich and intricate history.

Built upon the efforts of many individuals who firmly believed in the importance of education to this community, public schools in this area have had a tremendous impact on the growth and economy of the region – as well as the thousands of individuals it has served

I am saying bye for now since I am going to work for that other job. I am just living what I read from the book of my new found author Cathleen Schine (the New Yorkers).

To quote a line from her book,”Boredom is a failure of imagination. If that is then I want to imagine so I won’t be bored.” Don’t worry I am not neglecting my passion to share my stories. Ciao for now.

(Susan Palmes-Dennis is a veteran journalist from Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines who works as a nanny in North Carolina. This page will serve as a venue for news and discussion on Filipino communities in the Carolinas. Visit and read her website at www.susanpalmes-dennis.simplesite.com. Read her blogs on susanpalmesstraightfrom the Carolinas.com. These and other articles also appear at http://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/2582/susan-palmes-dennis.

You can also connect with her through her Pinterest account at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/41025046580074350/) and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-from-the-Carolinas-/494156950678063)

First work day blues

                              Looks glamorous but it actually isn't

Work banishes those three great evils: boredom, vice, and poverty. - Voltaire

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

A lot's been happening to me these days that dispel boredom (according to Voltaire) and the need to earn a few more dollars for home. For whatever reason and whatever it's worth, I'm excited to face these challenges.

Let me share something with you. It’s been 15 days since I've been cleaning rooms in a hotel and doing errands. It is physically demanding work but I do use my brain since housekeeping also entails some common sense and intelligence.

It's actually a part time job and despite the objections of my husband Ronnie, I continue because the hotel is just a two-minute ride from home and I also wanted to experience how to work with the Americans. Besides earning some dollars doesn't hurt.

Taken from fivediamondhospitality.com

I've never done this much cleaning in my life before. I remember working in the judiciary, teaching, selling insurance and caskets and working in media back home in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental in northern Mindanao, Philippines.

It's really something new for me. At first I thought it was easy because I did clean the family home under my mother's training. 

Boy, was I wrong. It's not as glamorous as what Jennifer Lopez made it appear in “Maid In Manhattan.”

Complimentary

My glorified job description is room attendant/maid. As room attendant/maid, I'm tasked with cleaning the rooms in the hotel. For brevity I call myself an RA. 

Thank God for vacuum cleaners, they help make cleaning carpets and floors. I can only shudder when thinking how I'd fare if I only use brooms. Or worse, a toothbrush.

I also change bed linens and bathroom towels, take out the trash and clean all bathroom surfaces, including tubs, sinks and showers. Room attendants also dust and polish furniture and mop dirty floors.

Taken from ehow.com

They re-stock complimentary toiletries in the bathroom and other hotel provided amenities as well. 

Room attendants are also responsible for inspecting hotel rooms for safety hazards or broken items and reporting these to maintenance.

When I locate lost items, I must report them to a supervisor as well. I can share you a lot of stories about my work experience, just wait in the days ahead.

Happiest

My first day at work after a day’s training was a disaster. Not only did I end the day with my hands red and itchy but my feet and arms weren't moving anymore when I reached home.

I slept eight straight hours and when I woke up I didn’t know if it was another work day ahead. Thanks for the alarm that woke me up.

I clean 13 rooms for seven hours a day and an additional four rooms when there are walk-in guests. Never mind about how much I receive per hour, that's nott the topic here.

With this in mind, I would tell you my experiences in each of the tasks I mentioned in my new blog.

Taken from work.chron.com.

At the end of every work day I'm reminded of Zig Ziglar who said that the ”happiest people I know are those who are busy working toward specific objectives. 

The most bored and miserable people I know are those who are drifting along with no worthwhile objectives in mind.”

Before I shared this story with you and other stories in the coming days, I resolved to be kind to all room attendants I come across and make their work a little more bearable by placing all towels, wash cloths, face towels and what not in designated places.

I'd also dispose of all used cups, complimentary shampoo, lotion and conditioner bottles in the garbage bin. If I happen to drink some complimentary coffee or tea, I'd make sure to dispose of the plastic cups as well.

I'd promise that to myself as well as to you. I would also throw in a few housekeeping tips as well. For now, bye and see you soon.

(Susan Palmes-Dennis is a veteran journalist from Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao in the Philippines who works as a nanny in North Carolina. This page will serve as a venue for news and discussion on Filipino communities in the Carolinas. Visit and read her website at www.susanpalmes-dennis.simplesite.com. Read her blogs on susanpalmesstraightfrom the Carolinas.com. These and other articles also appear at http://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/2582/susan-palmes-dennis.

Susan also has her website at susanpalmes-dennis.simplesite.com You can also connect with her through her Pinterest account at http://www.pinterest.com/pin/41025046580074350/) and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Straight-from-the-Carolinas-/494156950678063)