Whew!

All that anticipation, stress, and excitement and now it is done. WHEW!!! There are at least 15 things I would do differently. Mostly to do w/ Organization. I did get a lot of compliments and thank yous. That meant a lot. What was really special about our Christmas program tonight for me... well I'll tell you what it wasn't first. It wasn't the kids, although they did great. It wasn't the community, although most of them were there. It wasn't the voices singing, although they did well. It wasn't the compliments, although they were nice. It wasn't the Thank You's, although I appreciated them. It was something that I didn't expect from this staff. It was alllll of the staff members who stayed after the program and stacked chairs, cleaned the gym, put stuff away, pushed in the bleachers, etc etc. That is what meant the most to me. I really did not expect that much help from our staff. Were there those who didn't do more than they absolutely had to?? Yes there were. However, I was very impressed by the amount who stayed to help. The janitors came in to a clean gym and were shocked. Anyhow, I had a lot more staff support than I realized. That's what staying after meant to me. It meant the staff appreciated, supported, and wanted to help me. So I am very grateful for that.

There were several moments of laughter, kids singing wayyyyyyyyyy off key. Kids singing apparently in rounds ( not intentionally), kids Waving delightedly to the crowd, kids calling out to their families. Sometimes all I could do was shake my head and laugh. They did their best and their families seemed to enjoy it. All of the bleachers were full, all of the chairs were filled, and standing room was left. I would guess probably 600 or so family members were there. It was very cool to see that kind of community support.

There was one thing I knew in advance. I didn't give a dress code. Almost all teachers asked me what their kids should wear. I said dress nice. I did not give a dress code or require any kind of dress. Do you know why? Because here, sometimes their best is a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and a ratty t-shirt. Maybe their parents don't,can't, or won't help them. That doesn't matter to me. So I am glad so many came in their best whatever that was and had a good time. I can wish all I want for them, but wishing doesn't get them or me far. So I am glad I said nothing about that.

I am trying to remember other details about tonight but as you can imagine my brain is cooked! Not cooked enough to download and delete those carols yet. It is cooked enough to get some sleep though... Good night!

"Kindergartners are cute" "Most of them anyway"

There are exceptions to every rule. So yes, kindergartners are cute.. but some of them make one want to pull your hair out. One thing that is cute about them... as we watched their Christmas song in ASL they said oh Santa lives next door! He came to talk w/ the narrator then left again. Some of them thought it wasn't Santa but his brother. Then they all decided that it was Santa. They crack you up :)

Well I got a thumbs up for a project I did from administration. Even better it was an opinion I really respect. So that left me feeling really good. I spent a lot of time yesterday cleaning my classroom. It had gotten away from me w/ all the "prop" making, art construction, etc etc. I couldn't stand it anymore. Hopefully the janitors appreciated my efforts :). I have a very small room.. and shelves, storage, etc are lacking!! I am constantly putting things away that will be pulled out again in an hour.. but they have to be put somewhere to dry. I keep hoping for shelves. Apparently I have to beg long, and loud, and clearly to get them. Sigh.

I had a class today which was very encouraging and I felt like I made good progress. I also spent more time working in my room today getting things organized for the Christmas program. Then I was thrown off my buggy into the drink (so to speak). Some changes might be occurring in one of the grade levels. I don't understand it and sometimes I wonder if logic is thrown out the window when decisions are made. I also heard some sad news about one of my students. I think the student's life will be better with current changes. I am just really sad that the student had to go through what they did. Why our society tolerates and barely punishes certain things is beyond my comprehension. Some people cannot, will not, ever be rehabilitated. It just makes me really, really, angry that we treat our criminals with more respect than our victims much of the time. I know there are people out there trying to fight that... but America we've got it A** Backwards. Grrrrrr. Protecting the innocent should always come first. Anyhow, so I know you don't really know what I am talking about but just know that a lot of children need our prayers.

So "THE PROGRAM" is next week. Acck. Most of the staff has been very encouraging and very supportive and helpful. There was one staff member who asked me if they had to come. I said "yep". Who does this person think will take care of their classroom students? Gee no problem Why don't I just take on all 400 kids and everyone can stay home??? Anyhow that person waited to see if I would ask why, take pity on them, etc etc. I didn't say another word. SO with a sigh they left. uggh!

Today has been the oddest combination of ups and downs. I have been receiving a lot of compliments about the work my students have done. That is very encouraging. Teachers from other schools even have made a point to come let me know how much they enjoy checking out what my students have created. So that makes me really happy. It is something I have control over and a lot of these kids really need that boost. So I am looking forward to sharing that with them next week. So wish me luck and lets hope if they don't sing well that they will sing with gusto!! :)

Lights, Battery..... dead .... AGAIN!!!!!

Since I have moved here I have left my lights on ummm... probably getting close to 10 times now. SERIOUSLY!!! Mom and Dad brought me a battery charger so I wouldn't have to beg friends and neighbors for help anymore. It is terribly inconvenient, annoying, irritating, frustrating, but apparently not enough for me to stop repeating the same mistake! If there was every a person who needed their car to scream at them when they left their lights on that would be me! I even have a sticky note on my dash but even that I can ignore after awhile... OH DEAR

I have new neighbors moving in this week. They came from much much warmer places so we'll see how they adjust... cause it hasn't been really cold since they arrived! Oh boy.... why is it that you can lose your car keys, important papers, your checkbook, your wallet, your purse, the deed to your house, but when it comes to that chocolate treat you attempted to hide and forget... you always remember? Chocolate is on the brain today and I am lacking this delicious treat sigh...!

This link is for my teacher friends: It pretty much sums up the frustrations that we sometimes feel as teachers when talking with administration. Good administrators probably don't do this they probably learn from their teachers. However, there are exceptions.

Today we had our first "dress rehearsal" for one 5th grade class. They were pretty excited and sang fairly well. Hopefully they will maintain their excitement through next week. I have one class that is so tone deaf I can barely bear it. It is an assault to the ears. Even the poor computer guy was wanting to cover his ears. We had to sing the same verse about 10 times so that they would sing it on key. What they lack in skill they make up for in enthusiasm. So your ears might be hurting but they will be heard. The kindergartners are continuing to work on signing their song in American Sign Language. Those little sponges learn it so quickly. It is the rest of us that have troubles. All week it is practice, practice, practice. Next week is the program. NEXT WEEK! Fortunately I am too tired to have a panic attack right now. It is early to bed for me.

Over the weekend I went to a craft fair. 98% of the items found there can be found in your great-grannies crochet box. There were doilies, dishtowels, kleenex box covers, etc etc. I wasn't out of any of those items or in need of them. However, I there was a booth displaying the photography of a local Wild Horse Photographer. Some of her photos were from this county. If you are interested let me know I will send you the link. She lives on a ranch as well and I think sometimes they come through her property.

OH before I forget my brain did its job and I didn't dream of spilling paint. However, I have been dreaming of ALLLLLLL the things I have to get done in the next week. I had a co-worker say how stressed she was about everything she had to do in the next couple of weeks including the Christmas Program. I just looked at her and managed to bite my tongue. All she really has to do is show up and keep the kids from running amok!Oh well when I am at school painting the sun that will melt Frosty the Snowman I will call her and ask her how busy she is! Hee hee. Tonight, I am taking a notepad and pen to bed with me. Perhaps if I write it down I will sleep more restfully. OOOH speaking of a restful sleep. Those who know me well know that I am a terribly light sleeper, it takes me a long time to get to sleep no matter how tired I am. If I have white noise in the background I sleep much, much, better. Well I was able to get one of these and I will let you know how I like it.

What was I thinking????

I must have had a moment of insanity, a lack of oxygen in my brain, temporary amnesia, blood toxicity,or brain trauma. But I with a complete lack of inhibition decided to let kindergartners use tempera paint. 15 cute little demons with paintbrushes.Painting hearts warm colors of red, orange, and yellow! I never thought this statement would come out of my mouth "Please don't use the paintbrush on your forehead"!! Luckily that was a disaster that was diverted. They were all wearing paint smocks and quite happy in their artistic endeavors. It was only I who was having panic attacks! Also when you've covered your paper in as much paint as you can possibly manage to load onto a brush then hold up your picture to show your teacher the amazing masterpiece you have made and no paint falls in your lap... Well all I can say is Miracles happen every day!! I don't know what else to say about that other than they definitely painted warm hearts warm and I am definitely crazy enough to bring out the paint again! Sigh

Christmas Program insanity is in full swing. Every time I think I have a handle on the festivities I am proven wrong. I stayed late after school with students who really wanted to finish painting their props. I wanted to go home and put on pajamas and recuperate. I just may dream of spilling paint. Okay back to the Christmas Program. We have a lot to do. Next week is our "Dress Rehearsal" for 5th grade that is going to be highly entertaining. What was I Thinking??? Okay I think all teachers develop amazing abilities ... overnight brain cleansing washing all those thoughts of impossibility out and replaced is believing the kids are capable of so much more!! Then you start a project and realize they can't cut in circles. Do I really need to have a day of circle cutting? OH yes I forgot not only did I paint I brought out the GLITTER!! Glitter is almost a curse word in the minds of Janitors across these fifty states. I told the kids the school was almost out of glitter and it would be sad if we used the last of it... so they let me put glitter on their pictures for them. The janitor doesn't even know the disaster averted there!

Oh man I had plans to write more tonight but.. my brain is one big useless noodle right now. It is time to sleep. One quick thing though... for this small town I thought it was pretty neat. A house close by (luckily not too close) set their lights to music. So you can tune in to a radio station and watch the Christmas lights "dance" to the Music! Pretty fun stuff :)! Okay have a good sleep I plan on sleeping till oh that meeting tomorrow morning! I will probably get up for that ... Goodnight
Please excuse any and all grammar and spelling errors.. I did mention my brain had checked out didn't I??

Yep That's Right!

There are lots of things that tell you you're living in a small town. There are some things that just make you chuckle though. Such as the Motel Office being combined with the Liquor Store. "Buy by the Case and Save!! Motel Office-Check In Here"! Yep That's right. I guess for some it would make a better nights sleep. Dad and I attempted to go to the landfill.. it was closed to day but we were able to drive by the City Corrals. It looked like a little shanty town for Horses. There were a few sheep there. It looked like people rented the space and then built a little shack for their horse! They even had an area to practice Barrel Racing. Some of the people had strung up Christmas Lights on their stable. We got kind of a kick out of it all.

I don't know about all y'all but I am done with the cooking and eating thing for awhile :)! I think we tried all our recipes out this weekend. One more to go though and then we will freeze it. I found a great cookbook called Freezer Pleasers. It has some good ones! Most of the recipes appear to be doubled so when you bake one you can have it for dinner and freeze the other one. Sometimes by the time I am done preparing and cooking something I want to wait awhile before I eat it.☻ Especially if I have taste tested it for goodness throughout the cooking process.

So this evening in a mildly heated debate we were discussing mixing meats. Now what I mean by this is eating pork with beef, or chicken with beef, etc etc. I am anti-meat-mixing. Bacon does not go on a Hamburger.. Cream of Chicken soup cannot be mixed with cooked Hamburger. It is just wrong!! I am sure some of you plebeians with a lack of sophisticated and refined taste-buds have eating those little steaks with bacon wrapped around them. Siggh. That is just plain wrong. Granny suggested that perhaps we agree to disagree! What a silly idea I know I am right(tee hee)☻.

We went to our little museum today. It was an interesting mix of odds and ends. I guess I can check that one off my list of things to do. I don't know the official plan for tomorrow. I am just glad it warmed up to 36 today. It was like a heat wave after -19°F. Dad is watching some silly football game on my laptop. Thank goodness I have headphones or we'd all be suffering through Arizona vs. U of O. I know...I know...I lack the refinement to appreciate a game of football. I have a football game quota. I maxed it out this year so you'll have to wait till 2011 to get me to watch a football game. Well I have only 2 days left of vacation, and then the Christmas Program Planning Extravaganza of Stress begins. Whoo Hoo. People keep asking me questions about Christmas Break. I won't be putting my brain to that task until I've completed the Christmas Program so don't bother asking me.

We were able to get a few winter coats for our needy children. Their unfettered delight over their new coat made me smile. They didn't want to remove them. Only the possible threat of getting paint on them in Art class made it possible to take them off !! Uh Oh.... As I sat typing this I heard a plaintive meowing on my front porch. I opened the door and a wee little kitten was meowing at me. Ahh man how can one turn away a cute little kitty when it is 25°F outside and dropping. It is cute enough I am sure she will get adopted at the pound. Well I guess I will find where that is tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well I have a new favorite recipe for Roast. Salt and Pepper your roast. Fork it a couple of times. Put in crockpot in about 1 1/2 cups of red wine vinegar. Cook in crock-pot on low until done. My Cooking For Dummies Cookbook says that 135° is the perfect temperature to let you know your roast is done. So get out that meat thermometer and check it out! Easy right? The flavor is really good. So there ya go my new favorite recipe.

So the family made it down safely last night and depending on who you ask the roads weren't that bad or they were horrible. One describes it as if they were battling there way through the wild west delivering the mail with the Pony Express with gunfire coming from all sides. The other says well it wasn't that bad. So there is the driving tale. You decide which story you believe. HA.

I have had this song going through my head for days after helping kindergartners practice it again and again for their 7 continents program. Here is the song sung to the tune of 99 bottles of beer on the wall:

To learn the seven continents
Think of the letter A,
And when you're down to only one
An E will save the day.

There's Africa, Antarctica,
Australia, Asia, too;
The oceans run between them
With their waters deep and blue.

There are also two Americas--
North and South, you see.

Now we're coming to the end.
Europe starts with E!

They also learned some of the signs (ASL) for the continents. Anyhow the kinder's will be moving on to Christmas music now for our program. Well I am off to Nag my Dad about some projects I had in mind for him! HA HA!! Hope you're all having a good Thanksgiving!

P.S. I think my Dad has been getting a little too spoiled. In a bit I will post a picture of the Specialized Pizza J.M. made for him. Dad claimed it was the best Pizza he's ever eaten. (sigh) There is no hope for some people. Look for the picture on your left.

Fireplaces, Snow, and Veterans!!

Thank you all Veteran's for your service to our country whatever, wherever, whenever, and however it was done... Thank You!! A small or great sacrifice matters not... just that the sacrifice was made matters. So Thank You.

So every fireplace I've started a fire in has a "personality" of it's own. As far as I know there is no perfect method for starting a fire. It takes lots of "fuel" and oxygen and patience. Sigh I must have been lacking in the latter. I tried, and tried, and tried to get a fire going the other night. With a little help from a fuel source found in everyone's kitchen I managed to get it going. I refuse to share my fuel of choice because I know friends and foes alike would be laughing their keisters off at me. It was very time consuming. I almost gave up on fire-starting. Alas, it was cold again and snowing again and I couldn't go without this house-warming device. Sooo once again I "started" a fire. So I am learning what works with my fireplace and tonight I managed to start it without any help from my kitchen. Very exciting. It feels wonderful. The snow is falling outside with enthusiasm and my toes are warm. Can't ask for much more than that.

I may have mentioned that I love snow. This has not changed no matter how many muscles I've pulled shoveling snow. It appears I am in the right place. This evening when I was walking home facing the setting sun... snow was just beginning to fall. The sky was fresh, blue, and pink. It's that color that you can't ever quite seem to capture with your camera. So our little town is hushed with a fresh blanket of snow tonight. Yippee. Since there is no school tomorrow I get to stay in my pajamas a little longer before facing the chill.

We had our family art night and messy art fun was done by all. I spent all free moments today not getting ready for art projects in my class but cleaning up after last night. We did a fantastic job spreading paint, glitter, etc all over the place. It is the art room so luckily none of this excites the Janitors too much. I just try to make sure the chairs are stacked and the trash is at the front of the room. Since some of my other obligations are finished more and more of my focus is going towards our Christmas Program. The students are getting excited and looking forward to making props to use with our song. Yay! The upper grades are re-writing a popular Christmas song and we've been working on it for quite a while. I don't know if I didn't explain it well enough or if they just didn't have the foresight to see where we were going with this. THis week though it seemed the gears clicked into place and they realized oh that boring stuff we did is leading up to some FUN STUFF! So that really made a difference in their attitude. Anyhow the next few weeks will be mad crazy preparing for all aspects of that. :) Well wherever you may be I hope your toes are warm... Goodnight

Saturday Grocery Shopping....

I must remember to shop on a full stomach. Seriously... maybe I will use that box of cornbread stuffing..but I'm not even sure why I was looking at stuffing?? I am one of those who generally skips the stuffing. Hmmmm like I said don't shop hungry... they make those labels enticing for a reason. It has been another busy week. I fought off some nasty virus I think. It wasn't much fun the last couple of school days. I made it through and was glad for all of my previously frozen homemade chicken noodle soup. It was soo delicious. MMMM mmmmm good!!! Chicken noodle soup is a must when you're feeling poorly. At least in my opinion.

I stocked up on Hot Chocolate. It's my favorite and only go-to hot drink. Why bother with anything else if you have a drink with CHOCOLATE in it's name. Seriously. SO this week we continue with our Polar Express inspired art work. In the upper grades we are doing daily 5 minute drawing lessons.. from Mark Kistler. Thank you Ken for suggesting that one. Even small children are able to see immediate results, and some of the Teacher's have asked to stay for the first five minutes. So that is very exciting. No matter what we are doing the rest of the year I think I will continue with these 5 minute lessons. The students also really seem to enjoy them. So they are learning concepts of drawing that relate to all aspects of art and they are having fun. What more can I ask really?

We also have a mom I really admire. I don't know if she comes to school with her severely disabled daughter every day but I see her a lot. She has such a positive attitude and really integrates her daughter into our art class. It is fun to watch her enthusiasm especially when she gets to paint :)! I know she can't see much other than contrast...and does not hear well either. This mom goes the extra mile to see her make progress and I really admire her. I think it is her attitude as well. Whenever they are in class I feel uplifted. It is really cool! Anyhow have a fabulous rest of your weekend and I am going to eat my delayed lunch... I really hope I didn't burn it... :P

Beware of Ladies Wearing Hats.

Red hatted ladies can be hysterically funny as I found out today. We joined a meeting because they are helping us meet the needs of some of our families. Picture in your mind the Elderly, the hard-of-hearing, the opinionated, the dribbling down food, and whoever comes to mind add 15 to that. Half of the table could hear, then the other half could hear, then none could hear. They were all talking at the same time and were all offering their valued opinion to empty ears. We felt like we'd done a work-out when we left. All that we know for sure is they really wanted to help us and time will tell what form the help comes in.

It has been a busy but productive weekend. I handed out pencils at the town Convention Center to trick-or-treaters, met a lot of parents and saw many co-workers. Tomorrow will be spent preparing for the week but that is okay. I shhh don't tell K or S but I made Special K Bars tonight to take to a teachers for Hors D'oeuvres. I hope I spelled that one correctly :P! We have our first Citizenship Assembly this week and the Specialist Teachers were able to get together and choose a class that was very good in specials and reward them. So that is really cool. Well I just realized I should've left the house already. Luckily there isn't much more than 5 minutes away locally.
TTFN

Spread thinner than... a layer of phyllo for baklava

Every single time I THINK that I might get ahead the bell tolls and the day is done. Well thank goodness that I have to sleep. Doing projects while sleeping doesn't help one to wake up feeling rested. It is getting close to the Holiday's so in a small town that means a lot of events. It also means the need for A LOT of volunteers. So where do they come to ask for them but places where people gather... like a school... and then you ask the NEW person because well they are NEW and shouldn't say NO to our wonderful activity. AAAACKKKKKKK! Yep so I will add another one to my list and I'm hoping that the Students can infuse me with enthusiasm.

The next art project we are working on is based on the Polar Express. I decided that most grade levels will be participating. Hurrah! So at varying degrees of ability we shall see what we create. Interestingly enough we have a local Polar Express so hopefully our kid's can share their work with the community. Anyhow I want to post more art work but some of my favorites were not loading correctly. bummer. Some Apple Fanatics say that if I ONLY HAD A MAC... I would not suffer such computer or software related glitches. It seems all Apple heads and computer genius's are running macs or some other geek friendly thing-a-majigger. So I am sorry Apple Fans for not joining your team. It is my loss from what you've told me repeatedly.

Okay what else is in the news. I'm cold! Oh you don't think that is news. Well a definite chill has hit the air and snow has fallen the last couple of days. The mountains peaks are getting white. Ice is forming on the puddles and slips and falls are in season. I like snow... I really do. I also like not heating my car up for 1/2 hour in the morning. That really makes me love my commute to school. It is also nice when you run out of stamps and is 10 minutes before five. It only takes a couple of minutes to drive to the post office and they are ready to help. Whew! WeatherBug is the only online weather service that actually gives our local weather. Some do a town 2 hours away. Right now it is 31.4°F with a High of 44°F and a low of 27°F. It could be worse and apparently will get worse. Well that's okay Mom sent my duck-hunting jacket today. I should be fine!

If I sound grumpy today well that could have something to do with a very brief weekend and well feeling a tad overwhelmed. January should be slow right??? I will have to head south in January. South being the opposite end of the state or my neighboring state. Unfortunately not like South of the Border in Tropical Waters. My toes are in front of the heater and I am just calling the woodsman to refresh his memory about firewood. hmmm he says he be up here next week (probably). He did add a few words to his vocabulary since I last spoke to him. For example (probably, up,there,next,week) AAAACKK next week. sigh... BRING ON THE FIREWOOD DUDE!!! I think of the cold then think of some of these kids who don't have warm clothes. I can't stand it! Well...I am glad I didn't dispose of my scarf collection. Hmmmm I should make some scarves! That's a good plan okay ttfn
ME

Art and the like

It is very satisfying for me and the kids when we like what we've created. The last couple of weeks we've been working on an art project inspired by C.M. Russell. That came from an Art book recommended by a teacher who went through my program with me. We'd visit her co-operating teachers class and were in awe of the projects the students did. Well this great project came from this book.

You know you have a good project when the students exceed your expectations. So I am pretty excited. I hope to get some photos to post on here. The book I mentioned above has many other great projects and I can't wait to do more of them. This weekend I have the school yard sale to put on with my colleagues. I am on a committee and that is something we are putting on. It is isolated here to the point that if you want to purchase affordable clothing for your kids there just isn't a place to shop. THey've found that families are very willing to offer up clothes their kids have outgrown for the yard sale. The proceeds go to help struggling families have a Christmas. Anyhow it is more like a swap meet than a fundraiser. Kids outgrow their clothing so quickly that this really works. I am excited to be a part of this. Also the other new teacher and I have been put in charge of training responsible 5th graders to be crossing guards. People are pretty casual in their driving around here, and kids are a bit casual in crossing streets. It can be quite scary after school. I am also starting the kids on their singing for the Christmas program. When I look at the Calendar and see how much time is left I start getting very nervous. :P!! They are mostly excited and I am mostly worried we will be prepared. Yikeseroni!

Had to make a rule that kids could not attend class with toys, hats, snacks,gum, etc. I couldn't believe I had to put that request out there. I personally believe wearing hats in class is disrespectful.Beyond being disrespectful and a distraction they drop them in paint. So much fun. They are discussing having a school wide policy about these things and I hope they do. Those items should be privileges to have or wear to school. Anyhow that is a soap box of mine. There are a lot of kids who haven't been given boundaries. If we can teach them a few, and give them a few at school, they will benefit.

Well, I need to go work on pre-preparation of my art lesson for tomorrow. TTFN

Homemade Chicken Noodle Night

Yep.. I made it again. Since I moved and had to give away all my hard work I haven't had time to make soup again. I decided to make Granny's Homemade Chicken noodle tonight. Once again I forgot to add cornstarch...what is up with the cornstarch. I went and bought rotisserie chickens at the store again. This time I put them in the fridge and let the fat congeal before cutting up the meat. Last time I just threw them in the pot. I think this time I will end up with less bones and skin that snuck away from me. I also think it is probably a leaner version.It wasn't fun though. If I do that again I might peel the skin away before I refrigerate it. The skin was a bit harder to peel but the chicken I could cut up into reasonable pieces without burning myself. If smell alone tells the tale... it will be yummy! I am freezing it again for some after school dinners. Delicious!

One thing though... I cannot cut up an onion! I am so bad at it I would make poor Gordon Ramsey curse vilely at me. Part of the problem is the tears. They start as I peel off the brown skin of the onion. Then I end up blinded from my tears, scared that I will cut off a finger, and then the nose starts to run. I am such a glamorous cook! On cooking shows they have a trusty assistant.. I need one of those who likes to clean up messes. Running an onion under water only works till you cut into it again. I just try to tell myself I'm cleaning those tear ducts. Although, anyone who knows me...knows that a good laugh will do the same thing to me. With one funny event tears are streaking down my cheeks and I'm alarming strangers. Good times!

So Perhaps tomorrow I will continue my cooking weekend and make some stew. OH WAIT!!! I don't have a choice! THat was stew meat I bought at the store! Hmmm well at least I don't have to cut up an.... oh yes I do! Sigh! I am just as terrible at cutting up a tomato... please don't ask me to if you care about the results. I will cut it up but with absolutely no grace what-so-ever. I made egg noodles again and they are fantastic. I still love the less eggy noodle recipe best. They were purtier noodles than last time as well. I let them dry longer which apparently makes all the difference. If you live in a humid climate it will take them longer to dry out. mmmmmm if only I were hungry right now.

Well... My pillow is calling for my head. Unfortunatly I have flour all over the place and you wouldn't believe how far I can fling a piece of onion when I chop it. So I will go back to cleaning the kitchen. Hint Hint SANTA CLAUS... I REALLY NEED ONE OF THESE!!

Overwhelmed Much?? WHO ME??

Every week... I learn more... I dive in more....and I know less. Does that make sense?? Just when I think I really can't take on one more thing... I take on one more thing. The problem isn't my ability to do it all, or my ability to say no, it's my ability to be excited about it all, that is getting me into trouble. I am excited about all the projects I am working on with equal enthusiasm. Time management was drilled into our brains in our program. It doesn't matter how well you manage your time eventually you run out of it!

I am having fun and I work with some great people who are willing to identify their own areas of weakness and improve on them. They are swallowing their pride and seeing what they can do. I really admire that. So I must do the same. This is going to be a continuing project that I will share more about later.

So I ordered a cord of wood this week and it should arrive in the next couple of weeks. The conversation with the "woodsman" was a brief one. It wasn't an exchange of information as much as squeezing it out like the last bit of toothpaste in a tube (when you haven't a new one on hand). It was arduous, and entertaining. I can hardly wait to meet him. I think his time spent in communication with others has been limited for quite some time. So you want to be a Woodsman?


I am still learning students and the faculties names. Just when I think I know them someone calls Mrs. So-and-so by her first name and I have NO idea who they are addressing. Our names are posted next to our doors with our first and last names. I think I prefer students learning the formal, polite, way to address their teachers. Not that any of them call me by my first name. I don't know maybe that is silly... That sign is probably more for parents than students because they just walk to the door they are supposed to go to. In my case it is Number 5. I just figured that out the other day. It is handy to know when your computer dies and you are supposed to be able to put in a work order with your room number on it. I like Room number 5 so far. It's cold, It's small, and is unattractive. It is my room though and none of my neighbors can hear really awful singing coming out of it. So my students can really rock out once in awhile. Whenever they insulated the building they did a good job :)!

That's all for now...

Another WEEK?? REALLY???

I can't believe another week has passed. I have felt like I am a lost flounder so much of the time. Then I start to learn more and then realize... I have more to learn. Which such long school days by Thursday afternoon my brain has gone on hiatus. This Thursday was parent teacher conferences and I was in the computer lab most of the day helping parents sign their students up for a new software publishing program we will be using.

It is software that has been created by teachers so they understand the concepts that Teachers are required to teach their students. It isn't completely done for the student in the way that most childrens' software programs are. It allows them to put in text, format, pictures, drawings, photos, etc. So it provides the structure to enter in the information but the rest is up to the students. I was debating this a little bit with myself wondering if this was the best idea. Sure it is fun, but I do think kids need to create a book on their own with paper and construction paper etc so they understand how a book is put together. I still think this is great though because it gives them a more finished looking product. They still have to figure out what pages is first, do all the typing, place the photos on the correct page and more. I also think for students who don't have a computer at home it provides them with educational exposure to technology. Technology other than their PlayStation or Xbox.

Today we also had a school meeting about AYP, and how the school has been falling behind more every year. The principal took the blame saying he probably hadn't pushed enough. The school board is pushing the superintendent asking why? What I see from both of them is a proactive approach. The principal visits the classes and sees what the teachers are doing and so does the Superintendent. They are doing this not to find fault. ( Although, I'm sure they could find issues). They are doing it to find out what more they could do. This no child left behind is ultimately silly. A child is GOING to get left behind. Ideally they shouldn't but they will. You want to know why? Because you can't improve upon IQ.. it pretty much stays the same throughout your life. It can have minor fluctuations more having to do with taking the test than actual change in IQ. Does this sound harsh, perhaps. I'm not saying it is a waste of time and effort to help them. Absolutely not! We should help them achieve to the best of their abilities and find ways in which they can be successful. But a blanket score for them saying this is where you should be on this year. Just doesn't work. I don't know If I am expressing myself as well as I would like. But here is what teachers SHOULD DO, and here is what our Principal said.

We are not following our own prescription to get well. We have researched based programs that if used as designed... students WILL progress. But we aren't using them as designed. Why not? If a Doctor gives us pills we are not supposed to take them according to what we decide would be best. If the Doctor says one a day we don't take half of one.. or we don't skip a day. We could but we probably won't get well. We can't self medicate. We have the programs in place that are researched based and your students MUST be using them. The reasons the teachers gave for not using them was Time. There is simply NOT enough time. SO he broke down the daily schedule. So I know as a teacher a daily schedule even when you have a 90 minute reading block. It is broken up by I have to go to the bathroom, so and so's mom is picking them up early, announcements, I need a band-aide, transitions from one activity to the next, someone spilled a box of 450 crayons, etc. It's NEVER as simple as we have 90 minutes to teach reading. However, I'm sure that they could improve on their time spent on reading, math, and writing.

Part of me winces. Is only Reading, Math, and Writing, Important?? Well no..but that is what we are emphasizing more and more. I wonder okay what if we are giving up something important by focusing on that. Then I come back to the thought that if you can't read, do math, or write. How can you be successful in Science, or Social Studies? I just hope teachers can find ways to challenge the students who are excelling so that they aren't left in the shuffle of we have to get these kids on level.

The principal also mentioned that we can't blame parents. WHY NOT?? Well he said that we can't change the issues kids have at home. Obviously. So we must figure out how we can support them here so they will progress. Easier said than done isn't it. Teachers blame parents, parents blame teachers. It's never as simple as that. Parents if they want their kids to have a good education MUST BE INVOLVED in the process. They must be advocates for their kids just as teachers must be advocates for their students. In a dream world all parents would see the value of education, but they don't, won't, or simply don't have the skills to do so. What bothers me a lot is that EVERY singly school I've ever been to, parents don't feel welcome. Not all parents but the low S.E.S. parents definitely. Many teachers have a manner about them that is unwelcoming with these parents. Which in a way who can blame them. They probably read their names on the sheriff's report in the newspaper the day before. That can't matter though. If we want their kids to do well we absolutely must humble ourselves. HUMBLE OURSELVES, this may mean hugging the mom who is discouraged and reeks of cigarette smoke and filth. It isn't always easy but I think we must humble ourselves so that their kids will have more opportunities.

So from now to December I have a lot on my plate. I am on a committee that is doing a school-wide yard sale. We are taking donations of winter clothing items to sell at the yard sale. If you can't afford to leave town there isn't much opportunity to buy inexpensive items for your kids. They did a something similar in the spring and apparently it was very successful. I will also be planning and working on the Christmas program for all grade levels. The fifth grade class will be doing a re-write of the 12 days of Christmas and illustrating that for a book, as well as performing it at the Christmas program. I will be helping other grade levels with their book illustrations.. and integrating that into my own lesson plans. I know there are more items on my list but those are the big ones. I am also teaching science in 40 minutes with high level Second and Third Graders with one of my intervention times. I am figuring out what they are capable of. We studied rainbows this week and even made a large rainbow for our classroom.

You know what is neat here. Kids here mostly know the value of what they have and very few I've seen are spoiled rotten. I rarely see lunchboxes, coats, and other items left on the playground. Kids have time to play here. After school, I see many riding their bikes, playing outside, and spending time with their families. For the most part the students are very respectful of the teachers, the staff, administration. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that most families here have a faith they belong to. So the kids if nothing else are taught to respect a higher authority. Since there are enough of them that fit into that category... the rest must conform to their conformity. Conforming can be a good thing people :)! Kids want to fit in. Sometimes that is a really, really, good thing. The ability to adapt keeps us alive.
Back to the conformity thought... it always cracks me up when I hear of a non-conformist. Rarely I think can people truly be described as that. Supposed self proclaimed non-conformists have conformed to fit in to the self-proclaimed non-conformist groups. Well.. I have a lot of work left to do and only a couple more days of the weekend to do it.

It's Not a One Horse Town

No it isn't a one horse town, or even a one stoplight town. It is a one Radio Station Town, a one Newspaper Town, a one Post Office Town. Horses though... there's no shortage!

Well you'd think I'd be whining about the hot weather, but I'm not. 91 degrees doesn't feel unbearable when it is this dry. Low 40's at night and high 80's or above during the day. I haven't even noticed. My classroom has an Air Conditioner I've never turned on. I was told that this town has two seasons. Summer and Winter. Since I'm allergic to spring and fall that works for me! I can't believe it is the end of September and how warm it is. The snow shovels are stocked at the grocery store. As well as all the other cool weather devices you think you don't need till the ground is white. I brought my snow shovel with me so I should be good!

I am really enjoying my work. I do have moments when students are so sarcastic that it makes one go GRRRRR. I like my co-workers as near as I can tell so far. I like my job. I'm learning more everyday. I find out more and more what they do have to offer at this school. There are Professional Development opportunities that I am excited about. It is work.. I come home exhausted with tired feet and collapse. I come home with a sore back after using the die cutter. I am not super tall... but come on why do they always put those items on short tables so you're bending over like Quasimodo to do your work. Then you go to stand up straight and you're feel like you need to be snapped back into alignment! Sometimes I feel the world is arranged for Shorter people. I guess no matter your height some things are inconvenient! Back to work... finally I am doing what I love to do. Every day I feel that my skills are improving and that I am learning new things! If I am not learning every day I don't think I am doing my best for the students.

This week the school has been preparing for Parent Teacher conferences. That is one thing I do not have to Participate in. Other than I will be working in the computer lab helping parents sign their students up for a new publishing program we are using. It is pretty cool because the students can create their own book. The parents can pay to have it printed in color if they like. However, they can also print for free in black and white as well as the teachers. So the kids who do not get much exposure to technology will through this program and it allows them creativity with that technology. I do not know too much about it yet but I can't wait to start playing around with it. There is no cost to the parents or school unless they choose to pay for something done in color.

I know I have more exciting and wonderful things to share.... I need to write notes so when I sit down to the computer I'm not wondering what is new with me! :)

Who should be held accountable?

I was talking with a teacher today. She was fighting a cold, was tired, was overwhelmed, and feeling like she was failing her students. She told me how low some of the kids were in her class and how she was struggling to teach 4th grade material because some were reading at a kindergarten level, doing math at a first and second grade level, and most didn't have math down at a 3rd grade level. Some of the kids went home and played video games for hours. The parents didn't read with them or require them to do homework. She even gives daily rewards for returned homework.
Don't get me wrong. I know there are some Teachers who just need to be GONE. They need to take up gardening or chasing kids out of their yard with brooms. I know this. However, if we want teachers to be held accountable how can we do that without making parents accountable too? If you don't read at home how are they supposed to see the value in reading! If you don't talk about learning, reading, etc etc at home and teach them the importance of school. How can you expect the teacher to do all of that. When your 3rd grader doesn't know how to wipe their tushie... and wash their hands afterward... IS that the teachers fault? That is something that should have occurred during potty training with continuous reinforcement.
LEFT RIGHT and in between keep talking about the importance of education. However, you've tied the hands of good teachers SO tightly that they are struggling to motivate a group of kids whose only motivation is ( How long till school is out so I can go play Halo?) You want Teachers to be accountable when the way the system is set up is so that NO ONE is held accountable. The students aren't taught at home respect, values, appropriate behaviors. The administration ties the hands of teachers that try to hold students accountable. The Federal Government says everything is test scores, test scores, test scores, when individual student progress should count for something.
We all know what makes a good teacher: That is a well trained person, with a love for learning, who helps you to learn. It really is that simple. When you start to make it more complex than that.. you lose sight of what's important. I have had teachers I learned nothing from, other than what not to do. I've had teachers that helped me to make huge progress in learning because they put in time and effort to help me shore up those week areas. However, they helped me because I put in the effort, I asked for help, I worked at it. I was motivated to learn. So tell me who should be held accountable for students learning?

First Week

Since the 10th of September life has been moving at top speed. I packed and loaded the U-Haul in 3 days. I had help thank goodness or it simply WOULD NOT have happened. I Drove to my new town on day 4. Day 5 I found a place to move into and I set up the water, power, etc etc. Day 6 We unloaded. Day 7 we unpacked, I started work, and Mom and Dad went home. I had Saturday and Sunday (Day 8 and 9) to plan and get my bearings before starting school on Monday. Planning was a laugh without internet access, or even a computer with a working keyboard. The keyboard went Kaput on the way here. This is Wednesday and It feels like at least 2 months have passed.

I am working very long hours trying to get organized and create lesson plans. Every day just gets busier and has more to do. That time spent preparing for I didn't know what was a waste of time. It has been fun to actually start creating lesson plans and put them in to action. However, it is a bit daunting because I have the entire school of four hundred kids come through my classroom in one week. Every grade level has a different lesson. Imagine preparing an Art lesson and ALLLLL the supplies needed for 400 students. It is a bit daunting. I also have time spent as an Intervention teacher every day. More kids to serve more lessons to plan based on their needs. I will get into the swing of things soon and be able to plan and prepare in advance. I am looking forward to maybe getting a little bit ahead and not being twenty steps behind. It is great to get to know all the kids in the school. I even get time with Developmentally Disabled students who get to come to art class. It is nice to be at a school where students are exposed to children with serious disabilities. It is less shocking to them when they encounter a person with disabilities and they learn patience, respect, and empathy.

Enough about school for a minute.. The town here I really enjoy. It is a small western town and if you can't find it at Ace, True Value, or the Grocery Store... well you probably won't find it. The isolation of this town hasn't really bothered me yet. Maybe when I have free time it might. So far though no free time so no worries. I finally got the internet installed. The only decent option is DSL.. and I can't figure out how to connect my desktop to the DSL in the livingroom. Oh boy! the challenges. The computer may have to be moved from the guestroom into the living room. Yuck!

I found a place to live the first day. Everyone told me that finding a place to rent here was a challenge. Finding a place that was decent was an even bigger challenge. To find both on my first day here was amazing. Since being at school I've barely unpacked any boxes, I'm fishing through plastic bins and boxes to find clothes to wear. I keep saying this weekend I can do this, that, or the other thing. Welll.... by the weekend I may lack the energy, and the time to do everything I left for the weekend. Another thing I really enjoy here is one of the churches has bells. They ring on the hour throughout the day. They may ring at midnight and if so... well I've slept right through it without noticing. Most of the original part of town was built in a canyon and grew up the sides of the "hills/mountains". It is cooler in the canyon but windier up on the hill. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of precipitation we get this year. Oh yes and speaking of precipitation and driving to work. I DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE TO WORK. I simply walk out my door, down a short side walk, across the street, and I walk into the playground of the school, then inside. It is perhaps a 3 minute commute to work.

My landlord let me move in before they were finished with activities like hanging the blinds! I really appreciate the rush they put on everything so that I could get my stuff moved in. I still don't have blinds but they say those are going up tomorrow. Whooo hooo! It all happened so fast but went relatively smooth. I really think I'm going to like it here. There is this one bird that... oh the horrible noise. It scared the heck out of me where it had nested in a sign. I'll let you know later what it was because that is a bird call that makes one want to put cotton in their ears. WOW! Oh by the way the newspaper comes out once a week and I haven't had time to get a subscription yet. Woe is I. Also I bank at the grocery store. Really doesn't get more Convienient than that. However, there isn't much privacy either :)! You wait in line down one of the grocery aisles. Well.. I'm rambling and I have much to do to prepare for tomorrow. So now that I am internet ready I expect to hear from you.
Any errors you find in this message have may have something to do with my fried brain, so keep them to yourself.

Just when you think you know.....

Just when you think you know what your plans are.. they change. It is just another confirmation of who is in charge :)! I am Very, VERY, excited to start a new position in a new state! YAY!!! I Can barely wrap my wee brain around the changes that have occurred in just one week!

Packing Packing Packing... miserable packing. There is no good way to pack. Luckily I have people willing to help me. Not sure but they might be crazy. I look around and think where did all of this come from. I have this??? Really?? Remember when I moved with one suitcase and thought that was enough. I guess this just shows my age. I now require a big truck!

Every single time I move I wonder "Where did all these papers come from"??? Are papers mating like bunnies in the spring time and am I shuffling paper off-spring around my desk? Hmm it is possible.. I am nearly convinced.

The local U-haul store is great they are very cheerful and helpful. That may have something to do with every time I go in there I buy some very useful thing-a-ma-jigger to pack with. I am banning myself from the store. The best thing they sell in my opinion is the Labeled Box Tape
Now it is such a simple idea but w/o even knowing what is in the box you know what room it needs to go to. Which is a great clue to the boxes content. It is just wonderful. Every person who moves should use it..unless.. you enjoy playing mystery box! Packing amnesia occurs somewhere between packing and moving. Maybe it happens upon arrival to your destination, but it definitely occurs. You look at the boxes in puzzlement as if you'd never seen your own stuff before.

Well enough on the joys of moving. Come visit me on the "loneliest highway in America" that's where I'll be... More later

On the way to school!

It looks like another year of subbing for me. I tell myself that I will learn a lot and that will be grand. The other side of myself says an expletive that I will not repeat here. I did learn a lot last year so maybe this year I will be more prepared and better equipped. There are some faces that I wonder if I will see again this year. I hope so.. I hope they made it through the summer without more wounds being added to their hearts.

So I decided I needed to be more prepared at home this year as well. Often times I get home in the winter and look bleakly into my refrigerator and sadly into my cupboards.. knowing that I could cook something but I don't want to. Especially when I am just cooking for me. By the time I make something and eat it day after- day after-day after-day after-day (you get the point) I never ever want to eat it again. So I have been preparing a few things to freeze. I started with a big ole' pot-o-stew! I spent most of the day making it but it turned out WONDERFUL. I added something to my wish list for Santa after chopping veggies with very little skill. How about one of these:

I'll have to wait and see on that one. So then I decided to make Home-made Chicken Noodle Soup.. Just like Granny's or Mom's or whatever gray haired person comes to mind. Here is the recipe I used: CHICKEN NOODLE It turned out to be quite delicious. Although now that I read the recipe I realize I forgot to add cornstarch. I wonder if that was important? Hmmmmm. Also I instead of boiling a chicken and suffering through the smell of well... boiled chicken. I bought 2 rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and dumped them into the pot juices and all. I pulled them out after a bit, removed the skin, and pulled the meat off the bones. I also made home-made Egg noodles as described in the 1968 Betty Crocker Cookbook. Betty Crockers Cookbook 1969 Ed 1972 Print It is important to note the year because following that cookbook Betty went a little International and Eggy. The Egg noodles in the Following cookbooks were just OVERWHELMINGLY YELLOW. In my opinion.. Eggs and I well we just don't get along. Speaking of Eggs and I.. If you've never read this book:

Well you really should read it. Especially if you come from the Pacific Northwest... or you're a woman, or you've lived on a farm, or you've ever raised chickens, or you've contemplated raising chickens, or you wonder where they got the idea for that Old TV show Ma and Pa Kettle


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Anyhow back to the important stuff such as Cooking and Eating and all that goodness. So Tonight I decided to attempt a Banana Bread Recipe I had read about online: Which I totally can't find the link right now so I will post it later. Anyhow you brown the banana's in the oven. Isn't that great? There is NOOOO need to wait around for them to turn brown and spoil. You just throw them in the 350 Degree oven for 5 minutes.. turn... 5 for minutes and Vwa La! Spoiled ooey gooey banana's for bread. Okay maybe don't get to excited because this bread is still in the oven and has not passed the taste test. I chose to do small loaf pans so that I could freeze some bread as well. I could eat banana bread every day for the next 5 years and feel great about it.. but apparently there are some medical reasons why that isn't recommended. So I will set some aside for a blustery winter day.

Random thought.. do you ever say the word Blustery with-OUT thinking of Winnie-the-Pooh? If you do not think of Winnie I am sad for you.


Well I need to go because the bread is done. I almost burned it..That would've been sad. I will post the recipe and the conclusion later. Have a great day!

Summertime Inspiriation!

It is July and everyone keeps asking me about next year. I've been trying to think about working on my Tan and when I can go camping but next year seems to be a popular question that must be answered. The answer to the question is I don't know! I simply don't know. Here is what I do know ... I've been looking for some inspiration for next year! Thanks to friends and family I have found a few great sources.

Here's one about William Kamkwamba a Malawian boy who at that age of 14 built a windmill to provide his family with power.He wanted his family to be able to irrigate their crops and he wanted to read at night. It is more amazing than I have words for you can watch what he did in his own words on the following websites. He appears at the TED conference which "Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world". It is a site that is easy to find inspiration from brilliant people around the world. But let's get back to William... his bamboo and bicycle parts...! Watch both links.. he makes 2 appearances on the TED stage.
Link 1

Link 2



Now I can only think of a few people on one hand who could read an old physics magazine and figure out how to build a windmill. Ingenuity born from necessity allows for the most creativity and seems to allow the time to learn and perfect an idea. This boy now a man definitely changed his own life, his families life, and his villages lives, you can read more about William and his continuing work for his people here:
Link 3

Isn't this a dream student? One who doesn't only believe the answers lie in learning but seeks to learn even on his own? After watching him I felt a inspired but a little deflated. I think we provide our students with too many answers and not enough questions. They need to be asking the questions and seeking the knowledge. Force feeding them knowledge... it just isn't working. They don't want it.. don't see the need for it. However.. maybe if we can help them to discover the possibilities..... what would change?


Here is a good ole American Girl who saw a need for change in Nepal. She helped get children off the streets and provided them with a home.
Meeting their basic needs for a roof over their head and food in their bellies. I bet this experience changed this young woman just as much if not more than it changed the lives of the children. Citizenship used to be something emphasized in the home, church, school, scouts, community, news, etc. To be a good citizen was high on the list of what makes a good person. Citizenship is still taught in school.. but something has changed. I don't want to get into what and why and how right now. I just think we've lost something really important in leaving that behind...that knowing and understanding of helping each other through life.

Here is something i know most of you have probably seen many times. I think maybe I should watch it once a month. If you aren't inspired by this you are one cold hearted person! There may be better links than this but you can find them easily on youtube.

Another thing I found really cool this summer was the following bridge. I know China didn't pick that bridge design and went with their own designers. However this bit of engineering is so simple and complex in its design it is engineering art.

Oh and here is the BEST NEWS OF THE SUMMER.... I got a KINDLE
Oh happy happy !!!! It is being shipped as we speak... I'm sure once this comes I will be so involved in BOOKS that writing will maybe even take a back seat to that camping trip.

Wet Paper, Star Wars, Beads, 3 cups of Tea, and Migraines

You give a boy some wet paper and a ceiling...take a guess where that paper is going to go? I remember one little girl trying that out in the girls bathroom once upon a time. The slap of wet paper on the ceiling makes such a satisfying sound. Although I wanted to laugh as I looked at the wet paper heart on the ceiling I knew I could not... or the about 27 wet paper hearts would be plastering the ceiling. Also one is never too old to feel a wee bit nervous being called to the Principal's Office... even when you know you're not in trouble!!

Star WarsStar Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace (Widescreen Edition). I never was a fan. Maybe I was too young to appreciate how it changed cinema. Maybe I'm just not a fan of Sci-fi unless it is theThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 25th Anniversary Edition: A Novel I often don't like movies that dictate my imagination. I'd rather read the book and create the world in my head based on words on a page.. or just create a world in my own imagination. Movies often dissapoint. Whatever it was or is... I am not a fan of Star Wars... and watching the first 30-45 minutes again and again. Well 6 times in one day did not improve my enjoyment or opinion of Star Wars. All the flickering imagines on the big screen did was give me a massive headache.

If you give them a bead loomDarice 1012-24 Bead Loom, thread, seed beads, and a needle, they will bead. and bead... and bead! They will also spill said beads all over but they will bead. They planned their bracelets on graph paper Tops Section Pads with 10 Squares, Quadrille Rule, Letter Size (8.5 x 11), White, 50 Sheets per Pad (35101) Sometimes they made their name, a favorite team, favorite school, etc etc. I was just surprised how excited that these students were about beading and how focused and determined they were to complete a project. I was surprised but pleasantly so that they would learn a bit of a craft and get such a great deal of enjoyment from it.

I really love country schools. The kids continuously surprise you with their understanding, love of nature, practicality, and good taste in music. Turning on the radio to a country music station had the entire class singing along. For a teacher who is a fan of country music herself it warmed my heart to hear them singing this song: International Harvester

Then to High School. I have to repeat to myself quite often something one very wise college professor said to me. Don't teach to students you wish you had... teach to the ones you do. I wish every single day that they had more respect, better behavior, better manners, less bad language spoken, more motivation, more appreciation etc etc etc. However they don't. These are the students I have, we have, as a teaching community in these Spoiled States of America. I can't blame parents, teachers, it is a Societal problem. We are all guilty of creating the monsters. I can't expect them to have respect.. when they have not been taught what it is, what it looks like, or how to give it. No matter how much I want them to appreciate what they have, they know nothing other than this and take it for granted. Sometimes It is very upsetting to me. Especially when I am reading between classes this book:
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time ( The Young Reader's Edition)

The students, families, communities, leaders, strangers, friends, foes, and foreigners all sacrifice something to build a school and receive an education. Sacrifice is something few American students today can comprehend. Their great or great-great grandparents may have sacrificed something for them to get an education but it is so long ago it isn't part of their thinking. They didn't carry the bricks that built the school, hammer the nails, raise the funds, raise the roof, give up their time, give up their food, give up their money, to learn. They just show up and it is given to them. They deface, vandalize, and destroy the materials given to them to learn. Rarely does it come into their realm of thinking that their parents pay, that all of society pays, for them to learn. I think taxation that takes money out of our paycheck makes the sacrifice less tangible. Then it is also less meaningful because you were not a part of your educations construction. I would read this story and look up wondering at their lack of appreciation. Wonder at what their counterparts in these poor parts of the world would say at their cavalier treatment of their learning. I am just as guilty as the students I looked at.. but I was taught what sacrifice means, what it looks like, why it is done, and why it is important. I imagine that some of these students will learn but I think the lesson will come at a much greater cost... because it is so inconceivable to them. My understanding may be elementary.. but theirs does not exist... and I do not yet know how to bridge that gap. The only students that I notice that have an understanding of sacrifice are the children of soldiers serving all over the world right now. They know sacrifice because they feel it, see it, and live it every day.

Spring is in the Air...

Or was that skunk smell...Pot in the RestRoom...

Probably the latter! It has been busy days lately. The students are fired up and ready for school to end. Some have quit even trying the past couple weeks, some are powering through till the end, and some are trying to catch up so they don't have to re-take classes next year. Then there are those senior's... they're burnt out but they are really excited about their senior projects. I had the privilege of listening to a few of their speeches. It was a privilege as a substitute to be able to learn more about the students ... their pasts, what they've been working on, and their goals for the future. Senior projects are a pain but the students can really use that as an opportunity to learn some skills they will use for the rest of their life. I'm not talking about the project itself although it could be a skill. I am talking about public speaking, seeing something through to its finish, working with the community, doing things in service to others, stringing thoughts together in a coherent manner. Those skills they will need forever.
I know we all think we don't like public speaking but we do it every day. On cell phones in the grocery store, in front of our co-workers, job interviews, to customers, answering phones in our workplace, the list goes on and on. We all speak publicly every day. For some students the senior project provides them with a great sense of pride. This isn't something that is done in a day or even a week. They really must put time and effort into it. It may be the first time they have seen something through to its finish. It may be the first time they realized that they could. It was also fun for me to see how proud the teachers were of their students. They helped get them to the end and know their struggles and the effort they put in better than anyone.

Not often as a substitute do we know the students backgrounds or their issues or how far they've come or how far they need to go. We are in and out and on our way. Sometimes I have to stop myself because I know I'm only seeing a page in the story.. it may be the worst page of the story on the worst day of the characters life. It may be the best day, the most traumatic, the stormiest, the calmest, etc etc. As a substitute we don't always know. It is great to be able to go back to the same place often no matter how rough it might be...because you get to know the kids. You get to understand their individual needs.. and maybe in one day ...maybe you can make a teeny tiny difference. It was a privilege today to help kids in a subject I always struggled with to make connections and have the bell of understanding ring inside them. It was fun. That is the very best part about teaching.

There are kids who just bounce... they just bounce and bounce and bounce. They seem incapable of sitting still, concentrating, paying attention, etc etc. There might be diagnoses and or drugs that could help them... but I have a better solution. Physical Exertion. They love bouncing let's get a trampoline with netting around it and let them go for it. It would be required before school, on break, before lunch, and after school (hey parents shouldn't have to suffer too!) Bouncing! That's my prescription for the bouncers... more bouncing.

♪♫I Had A Bad Day ♪♫

You know you want to sing so go for it...Daniel Powter Ahhh yep one of those days where you leave trying to remember if you remember ANYTHING you learned about behavior, child development, classroom management... sigh.....

On these days part of me wants to enroll them all into Military school, or make their parents miss work to come sit in the class and see just how naughty their kid is, I have all sorts of solutions but a lot of them I know just aren't constructive. I just wonder what the solution is.. these kids simple don't care. They are running their teachers down and out and into retirement. It isn't getting better. If they haven't been taught respect and discipline.. by High School.. forget it.I could've done better today... should've done better... tomorrow will be better RIGHT??? Moving on

So I had a bad day..♪♫ and what do you do to get yourself out of that funky mood. I called a friend and we talked about it being Thursday the 13th. We had a few laughs discussed how we needed to win the lottery but first needed to play to win. Sometimes some good music helps .. and sometimes not. I had to laugh and since I'd already read Betty Blonde today I didn't have a back up plan. So I got on Facebook hoping that was a viable distraction... but noooo when you've had a bad day you think everyone's posts are especially silly. A long hot shower helped... and now I need a really good book... really good... I'm thinking about reading this one: Big Nate: In a Class by Himself but it is about a naughty kids exploits at school.

Then I realized it's "CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK" at least I can peruse great stories. Such as one of my FAVORITE Roald Dahl Books: The Vicar of Nibbleswicke The Vicar of Nibbleswicke who has a bad case of the backwards. I could also read Beverly Cleary's The Ralph Mouse Collection.
So I figured out what cheers me up... a good look at some great reads.

But people I need some giggles people.... what gets you through a bad day?

Red-Haired Girls

What I've learned subbing:

1. Do not let Red-haired girls touch any electronics HIDE THEM!!! LOCK THEM UP!!!(the electronics of course).
2. Students will do virtually anything to get out of classes they don't like. Impersonating other students is a favorite.
3. Many boys process verbally and must be given time to do so.
4. I have soooo much more patience than I ever realized.
5. I have WAYYYY less Patience than I estimated.
6. I am NOT YOUR MAID... Pick up your trash and throw it away, and put your materials where they belong.
7. Why do most kids these days want to know what they will get for doing there work? Why isn't a good grade enough??
8. Junior and Senior boys are not too old to play with little green Army men and simulate war on the Chemistry Lab table.
9. Sudoku after 19 puzzles is still not INCREDIBLY EXCITING.
10. It isn't possible for every student in every class to bring a pencil! It is a ridiculous thought to even Express. Must buy stock in Ticonderoga.
11. If yours is the only name the substitute remembers when she leaves school after 7 periods and countless students... YOU ARE A PROBLEM CHILD!!!
12. Worksheets are BORING!!! Don't leave worksheets for the sub PLEASE!!!!
13. I really believe all your tales about your teacher letting you cheat!!
14. Do you think that I can't see your opposable thumbs moving while you are texting?
15. I'm really glad I never dropped out of school.
16. Parents please discipline your kids so we can teach them and not discipline them all day. PLEASE
17. Nothing makes the day go by faster than a view out the window when you are a bored student.
18. YOU DO NOT DESERVE ANYTHING and EVERYTHING JUST BECAUSE YOU EXIST... You HAVE To be Willing to work for it... because even if you get it the easy way... you'll lose it and not know how to get it back!

I know I've learned more... but my brain is to tired to remember what that is right now :)

I ♥ Books

Eventually I had to do it... Talk about books... I love books. To say I'm an AVID reader is not even close to being strong enough terminology. To say I am a BIBLIOPHILE is completely accurate. A friend recently helped me organize my book collection and somehow we remained friends. The best books are the ones so well written you can re-read them half a dozen times and learn something new with each read. Perhaps my favorite author (that's like picking your favorite pastry in the bakery, or your favorite wine in the world)soo lets say..... One of my favorite authors of all time is Charles Dickens and I think my favorite story is Oliver Twist (Penguin Red Classics). Dickens can paint pictures, invoke emotions,scents,tastes... with words alone.

As much as I love the written word a close second is childrens picture books. I always have loved reading to children and getting them involved in the adventure of a story.Audrey and Don Wood, authors and illustrators have a fantastic array beautifully written and illustrated children books. For Example Piggies, The Napping House, King Bidgood's in the Bathtub,and The Tickleoctopus. Another of my favorite author and illustrator is Steven Kellogg who created fun and hilarious picture books such as The Mysterious Tadpole, Can I Keep Him?, and The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash. The pictures are rich, humorous, and fun.
I really love shopping for books as well. I love for finding pretty much any book new or used. Bas Bleu reviews books with such accuracy and since they only choose books they love you are guaranteed to find a good one. However, as grand as new books are nothing is quite as fun as a used book store. Where you can find something that you won't find on the shelves at a "new" book store. The infinite possibilities of a used book store makes the book lover in me giggle with glee. It can be overwhelming but oh so joyful to find that hidden treasure in the stacks. Then something new this way came... e-readers.
I have been drooling in earnest over e-readers since they came out. Looking with covetousness at those owned by friends as greedily as a deer eyes tulips just beyond its reach. Part of me still finds so much joy in the turning of a page... but the world of books becoming available on e-readers offers so much reading temptation. A paper book can be read on the beach without sand damaging its parts but... I can never seem to pack enough books in my suitcase. A paper book can be read by the campfire and not require a battery...but I can only fit so many books into my pack before someone complains that I packed rocks. The virtual library out there has me salivating. They do keep making improvements to them, adding important features, tweaking the software, adjusting for multiple uses, so I will wait a little while longer.... before I can't stand it anymore! Here you can visit Amazon's Kindle and drool over it yourself.

When I substitute in Elementary School often there is small chunks of time in which students are done with work and waiting for their classmates. One of the ways I fill the time is with squiggles you can by a book Squiggles: A Really Giant Drawing and Painting Book Which is on my wish list. Or you can just make random squiggles on white paper as I did. Soon I will have some of my favorites posted on the right. Watch for that.

Probation Officer

I spent some time in my former Home-EC room this past week. I really loved that room I learned how to make Orange Julius's, baking powder biscuits, no bake cookies, and other delicious recipes. It is also where I really started to learn to sew. We make a reversible apron and a four-square pillow. Boy and girl alike had to perform these tasks. I can see the Home-EC teacher in my mind with her short black/gray poodle curly hair her blue eyes, braces, and even her voice. Jr. High Home-EC. was kind of a sanctuary of sorts a room of sunshine in an otherwise dark and gloomy world. This is where my former classmate spit 24 loogies into his mixed bean salad which was served up in the teachers room. I've never eaten Home-EC prepared foods since... or mixed bean salad for that matter.

Unfortunately my old favorite place had been changed and transformed (mostly) into a temporary Science room. It was sad no clickity-clacking of old sewing machines, no hollers from boys who accidentally poked themselves with a needle, no sewing on buttons, no sweet scents of burning rolls, no dinging of kitchen timers, no mixing and kneading, etc etc. I then asked the kids where was the Home-Ec. Room? There wasn't one... no Shop, no Home-ec., and no Art. I tried to pin-point exactly what I got from these classes that made them so great. I was able to create and imagine my own world.. not a world of facts and figures and there wasn't a right or a wrong necessarily. These rooms nurtured my creative spirit. Kids who didn't excel in Math, or English, or Science.... could excel in Shop for example where they could apply and learn Math skills in a real hands-on manner. It is sooo wrong that we've removed these classes... we're sucking the joy right out of school.

If your 12-17 Year old already has a probation officer and is spending more time at Juvenile Hall than in school, spending any free time getting drunk and high, ignoring all requests or orders of anyone in authority from Principals, Teachers, P.O.'s, or Judges... It should be required they go to military school. I think that night school should be available to your child with a 1 strike you're out policy. Get caught doing any illegal behavior after being assigned to night school that would be it ... Off to Military School. It might not save the tax payers money in the short term but in the long term it would.
Maybe just maybe their criminal behavior and attitudes could be turned around, maybe their respect for authority would change, maybe they would think school wasn't so bad, and maybe they wouldn't end up in jail or prison or worse. Maybe they would learn that their own choices and behaviors led to the consequences! Parents should have their wages garnished to help pay for the brat they created. If the student is in night school and doing well I think they should have a job during the day and the wages should be garnished to help pay for their teacher and the rest should be put into a savings account they cannot access until they turn 18.

I wish you could show a student what you see in their future.. you know it seems like fun now... but reckless behaviors can lead to so much pain and heartache... but they can't see what is in store tomorrow or ten minutes from now let alone a year or two down the road.

Rocky Mountain Oysters

I am AMAZED... THOROUGHLY AMAZED.... That any child lives past 7th Grade! The patience adults possess to survive their obnoxious offspring is astounding. Then to send their little punks to public school and be horrified to hear that the Teacher gave their sweet little darling a referral...!! I have a theory that students in 6th-9th grade should be segregated by sex (removing that Hovering Hormonal Distraction) and shipped away until they can have a conversation with another person without invoking sarcasm, interrupting, sneering at them, or using profanity (audible or under ones breath). There should be a series of tests for advancing from seventh to eighth grade Starting with:

1. The Fart Test: Here is the scenario. Someone has tooted a loud audible toot.. with significant smell involved. If your child can refrain from any of these four things he/she can advance to eight grade. a) commenting on the fart b) pinching/waving their hand in front of their nose. c) Describing the fart to ones classmates. d) asking to be removed from the general vicinity of the fart.
2. The Grouchy Teacher Test: Here is the scenario the most despised, grouchy, irascible teacher Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss SO and SO comes into the room frown firmly in place. If your child can a) not make comments under their breath b) Not obtain a referral, c) sit quietly for 30 minutes... they will advance to 8th grade.
3. The Profanity Test: Here is the scenario... The class is reading a book in the story is a word that while used most innocently in the text invokes slang meanings for said word. If your child can a)at least pretend ignore the word and keep reading, b) refrain from laughing and elbowing their buddies c) Not comment out loud about the slang meaning of the word... they may advance to 8th grade.
4. The Anatomy Textbook Test: Here is the scenario... It involves drawings of the human anatomy..such as these: http://www.dieselcrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/human-anatomy.jpg If your child can look at the picture without a) pointing to the boy and girl parts b) giggle c) giggle and point d) giggle point and elbow their buddies... they may advance to the eighth grade.


Now this is only in the beginning stages of development... but I feel if your child can pass these four tests advancement to eighth grade is highly likely.


Moving on ... There are a few things you would only hear coming out of country children attending country schools. Their grasp of life and death is pragmatic. They simply see life and death in all of its forms respect it and at the same time do not give it too much weight. Branding season is just being finished up in our area. The ears get tagged, the hides get brands, and the bulls get castrated. This is life on the ranch. However, I never heard of ranch kids saving said bull parts for a "bull-ball fight". They had many a bucketful due to their abundance of cattle and so their arsenal was full. I don't even know what else to say.... I've heard of serving up Rocky Mountain Oysters for dinner or Pizza Toppings..... but this one was new to me.