Juggling College and Owning a Restaurant
Going to school and owning a restaurant is just as hard as it sounds. Luckily, we have our hours set accordingly. We open Thursday through Sunday, so we only have to go home on the weekends, but there is still a lot of work that has to be done during the week. Ordering food and liquor happens on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays so we have to make sure to have our orders put together on those days. Sometimes I am putting together the orders and messaging the distributors between taking notes in class.
I travel to Helena from White Sulphur Springs every Monday morning to get to class by eleven. Before I leave town, I check on my mom's bar, Bar 47, to make sure they have everything ready for the week and then I go to the bank to deposit money from the weekend. I quickly eat breakfast and usually make it back just in time for class! Tuesdays and Wednesdays I get a break from the restaurants and can focus on my studies. Unless we have a private party which means we have to drive back to work it, then come back to Helena for class the next day. On Thursdays, we go grocery shopping for the weekend. We have a short period between classes to get this done, so we have to rush. We start at Costco and get what we can there, then head to Super 1 to get the rest, then we drive back to campus to make it to class on time. Cassie or I will then drive back to White Sulphur Springs that night depending on our schedules. Cassie typically drives back because I often have class Thursday night. For her to make it in time for work, she has to leave for White Sulphur Springs right from class, which is why all of the grocery shopping has to be done before then. She also has to be packed for the weekend because she doesn't come back to Helena until Sunday night or Monday morning. When I do not have class Thursday nights, I try and give Cassie a break and I will drive back, then come back to Helena Friday morning for class. Our weeks go by very fast because we are constantly on the go. We have 5 employees total at The Jawbone and we do a lot of the work ourselves if we can. Often, we will be dishwashing, serving and bartending on slow nights to cut down on payroll. On Friday and Saturday nights, we will have a dishwasher, server and bartender to ensure everyone gets the service they are paying for. We will send people home if it is slow and work ourselves whenever possible to save on payroll.
So, why put ourselves through all of this? Why not hire people to work the nights we have to drive back and forth? Or, when we want to stay and party in Helena with our friends? Because the effort that we put into our business is what makes people come back. If someone has a bad night and something went wrong and we weren't there to fix it, it would fall on our reputation. If we hire people that do not represent our values, then we are not giving people the experience we intended. Being present this first year is really important for building up our client base and ensuring people are getting the best possible service. It is a tough journey that we are on, but we are adapting and learning along the way!
Considering sharing the everyday questions of parenthood, I keep coming back to the difference between knowing about an idea and putting it into practice. Small concerns can be easier to discuss when parents hear that others have similar questions. For me, that is a useful way into the broader subject of parenting support discussions. I am more curious about the process than a polished result, because the steps in between are usually where questions appear. What makes a parenting discussion feel helpful rather than competitive?
The topic of using familiar characters in preschool learning gives me a few things to think about, especially when the discussion moves beyond general advice. A familiar character can make a new classroom routine feel easier to approach. I would use that point as a starting question when considering preschool storytelling activities. I would be interested in a simple example, because it is often the ordinary details that make an idea memorable. How can a story character support learning while leaving children room to create?
Considering developing a reflective approach to learning, I keep coming back to the difference between knowing about an idea and putting it into practice. Looking back at a task can reveal which part was difficult and which strategy helped. Seen this way, reflective learning habits becomes a topic to explore rather than something to sum up too quickly. I do not have a settled view yet, but this seems like a good place to slow down and look more closely. How can reflection remain practical rather than becoming another form to complete?
Considering learning local history through school projects, I keep coming back to the difference between knowing about an idea and putting it into practice. Family memories and public records can offer different perspectives on the same place. I would keep that thought nearby when looking for ideas about Przyglow history projects. I am still thinking through the details, and a small example would help me picture how this works in practice. How could students compare these sources while respecting what each can show?
I find using the local environment in Zalesie lessons easier to think about when there is a concrete question to start from. A short walk can provide material for science, writing and observation in the same lesson. Seen this way, Zalesie outdoor learning becomes a topic to explore rather than something to sum up too quickly. A short discussion of an everyday example would make this easier for me to connect with, especially as someone still learning about the subject. How can an outdoor activity stay focused without losing its sense of discovery?