Had to take a little blog break because of all the activities of last week, but I feel it's important to announce (because I know the wait has been killing you) that Homecoming was a complete success! The pep rally was fun, we won the basketball game, and the court was equal parts handsome and beautiful! I would show you pictures, but I figure their parents may not be wild about that idea. Just take my word for how great it was! (The teachers did not win the tug-of-war, in the interest of full disclosure. In fact, I felt and still feel like one of the freshman girls was trying her hardest to pull my arm out of socket! The Staff team did get second place for the week, though!)
Today is another busy day around the school because we are having our 2nd Annual Pink Out. In the last two years, three women in our district have battled breast cancer. One of those women lost her battle, and tonight we hope to raise a lot of money toward a scholarship in her honor. It should be a great time. I will show you some pictures of that later this week.
It looks like the massive snow storm coming is going to miss us. I'm happy and sad about this news, as I will always take a snow day, but would rather not have to dig out from under a foot of snow. (Sorry to those of you who have spent most of the winter doing just that!) I'm sure we will have plenty to talk about this week. Just wanted to announce that I was back "on the grid!"
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
On Feeling Old
This week, I feel old. Let me count the ways...
- Last night, I happily went to bed at 8:30. I was exhausted, and I woke up very happy. So happy, that I am likely to do it again tonight.
- Earlier, I flopped down on my couch and my back cracked so loudly that I was sure I had broken it. Good news is everything still works. Even better, my neck and upper back aren't killing me anymore, and I didn't even have to go to the chiropractor!
- Despite the fact that I graduated high school 11 years ago, I am still trying to pick outfits for Spirit Week. (Because I was the smart one who chose to be in a school setting forever!) Even better, I have managed to sign up to compete on the staff team, assuring that by Friday night I may be in traction. (But the teachers are going to win tug-of-war! Did I mention my competitive streak?)
- This weekend, my plans include cleaning the rest of my living room, doing my taxes and baking. I don't think I even need to explain this one.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday Hodgepodge (A Little Early)
1. Will you watch the Super Bowl? If so who will you root for? If you are outside the USA what is the 'big deal sporting event' in your own country?
Chances are I will watch the Super Bowl. I don't really care who wins, because I will mostly be watching for the commercials and because Glee is on directly after the game is over.
2. Is ignorance bliss?
Ignorance is bliss for the ignorant, and annoying for the rest of us.
3. Which of the seven dwarfs are you? (and just in case your Disney is a little bit rusty, here they are--Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy)
Generally, I am Happy. But if I am Sleepy, Grumpy usually makes an apperance.
Generally, I am Happy. But if I am Sleepy, Grumpy usually makes an apperance.
4. When you are riding in the car with another couple how do you organize the seating? (Men up front? Women up front? Couples sit together?)
I guess it would depend on who's driving. And who's in the couples. And how long we are going to be in the car.
I guess it would depend on who's driving. And who's in the couples. And how long we are going to be in the car.
5. What is beauty?
Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. The curves of a well-designed building or an unexpected grouping of objects on a table can be beautiful. There is amazing beauty in nature, particularly in flowers. In people, knowledge, a good sense of style, the ability to laugh at yourself are all beautiful. (Such a loaded question, Joyce!)
Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. The curves of a well-designed building or an unexpected grouping of objects on a table can be beautiful. There is amazing beauty in nature, particularly in flowers. In people, knowledge, a good sense of style, the ability to laugh at yourself are all beautiful. (Such a loaded question, Joyce!)
6. If someone asks you to bring an appetizer or a dessert to a party in their home, which would you choose?
Dessert! I always want to be the girl who brings the sweets! (Especially since it's the one thing I actually cook well!)
Dessert! I always want to be the girl who brings the sweets! (Especially since it's the one thing I actually cook well!)
7. What is your crowd pleasing go-to appetizer?
I don't really cook. So my go-to appetizer would probably be Bagel Bites, or something else pre-packaged. I'm hoping that some of you other Hodgepodgers will have some better ideas. (I have been known to follow a recipe once in a blue moon.)
I don't really cook. So my go-to appetizer would probably be Bagel Bites, or something else pre-packaged. I'm hoping that some of you other Hodgepodgers will have some better ideas. (I have been known to follow a recipe once in a blue moon.)
8. Some days, it feels like teaching is less about the core curriculum and more about taking care of students' personal needs. Kids can't learn if they are hungry, cold, scared--and we have to meet those needs before they care about English Lit or Chemistry. I'm amazed by the depth of need sometimes. Luckily, I am also amazed by the compassionate educators (like my parents) who are willing to step up to the plate and do something positive to impact a kid's life.
Just When You Thought It Was Safe...
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/20/letting-sleeping-dogs-lie-in-your-bed-can-kill-you/
Apparently, your pets can give you the plague if you let them sleep in your bed. First of all, I guess I had missed that the plague was still around. (My father, in a discussion of this article, casually informed me last night that it was, but it was very curable.) Secondly, am I the only one who thinks that journalists and scientists just sit around and come up with studies to freak us out? You know what I'm talking about. We've all seen the promos for the nightly news that go something like, "A food in your refridgerator could kill you. Find out which one on Local News at 10." It suddenly makes that bowl of cereal a little suspicious looking, and you spend the next six hours wondering why your food is out to get you.
I just thought this was the least I could do to add to your daily paranoia.
Apparently, your pets can give you the plague if you let them sleep in your bed. First of all, I guess I had missed that the plague was still around. (My father, in a discussion of this article, casually informed me last night that it was, but it was very curable.) Secondly, am I the only one who thinks that journalists and scientists just sit around and come up with studies to freak us out? You know what I'm talking about. We've all seen the promos for the nightly news that go something like, "A food in your refridgerator could kill you. Find out which one on Local News at 10." It suddenly makes that bowl of cereal a little suspicious looking, and you spend the next six hours wondering why your food is out to get you.
I just thought this was the least I could do to add to your daily paranoia.
Monday, January 24, 2011
"You Can't Help It. Your Brains Are Still Forming."
Time for a little story, people! I was joking with Missy Jill @ What's Going On Here? earlier today about my teenage sledding stories, so I guess it's time to fess up. I always tell my students that I know exactly how they think. I also know it is in no way rational. (That's where the title of this post comes from.) And then I tell them my sledding stories.
Story #1
One winter when I was still in 6th grade, we were out of school for an entire week because of snow. I think it snowed almost a foot, and kept refreezing and whatnot. So, my cousin, who was a year ahead of me in school, decided that we would take their new sled down the hill behind their house. (They lived on top of a steep hill.) There was a nice-sized pond at the bottom, and we didn't want to go into it. (Give us credit for that much forthought.) We, of course, did what any geniuses would do. We built a snow mound at the bottom to serve as a stopper. What we didn't consider is that this "snow mound" looked a lot like a ramp. We didn't want to be the ones to test it, so we decided that her little brother (then five, weighing in at like 45 pounds) should take the inaugural run. Thankfully, he had the good sense to say no. So, we sent the sled down with no one on it. It hit the ramp and flew out into the not-quite-frozen pond, and we had to admit our stupidity to get her older brother to get it out for us.
And I wish that was the worst one...
Story #2
The following year, after another large snow fall, the same cousin and I are hanging out with a third friend. They had a ballgame that night, and before going into town, my aunt expressly told us that we were not to go sledding because she didn't want us worn out before the ballgame. As soon as she was out on the main road, we (in all of our brilliance) head to the slopes. We didn't even stay close to the house. NOOO...we trekked all the way across two fields to the meanest, nastiest hill on the farm. There was a thick ice on top of the snow, so when we went down in our round, metal trashcan-lid-like sled, we sailed. It went fine for the first few runs, but then we decided to go down lying on our bellies. Well, my cousin went down, going faster than ever and flew across the ice all the way to the flat space at the bottom of the hill. It was the best run of the day! The problem was that her sled stopped about five feet before she did, and she met the ice face first.
When she looked up, we realized that we had a problem. There was a place out of the bridge of her nose that was bleeding seriously, and she had scratches all over. It was then that the real chain of poor decisions began. We got back to the house and worked the stop the bleeding. Then we set about covering up her wounds, which went about as well as you might expect. Cover Girl can do a lot of things, but it's not so hot covering a gaping, still bleeding cut. We were sure, however, in our not-yet-ripe middle school minds that we were going to fool my aunt--the registered nurse. It played out like you would imagine. We lied, it didn't work, we got in some mild form of trouble. I am pretty sure that my aunt knew that the higest form of punishment was making my cousin go out with a cut face.
The moral of these stories is this: Middle schoolers aren't playing with a full deck. They don't know it. Their bodies are too full of hormones to notice any such defiency. Perhaps this is why I don't mind teaching them every day. I know that, sometimes, they just can't help it and cut them some slack. But not too much!
Story #1
One winter when I was still in 6th grade, we were out of school for an entire week because of snow. I think it snowed almost a foot, and kept refreezing and whatnot. So, my cousin, who was a year ahead of me in school, decided that we would take their new sled down the hill behind their house. (They lived on top of a steep hill.) There was a nice-sized pond at the bottom, and we didn't want to go into it. (Give us credit for that much forthought.) We, of course, did what any geniuses would do. We built a snow mound at the bottom to serve as a stopper. What we didn't consider is that this "snow mound" looked a lot like a ramp. We didn't want to be the ones to test it, so we decided that her little brother (then five, weighing in at like 45 pounds) should take the inaugural run. Thankfully, he had the good sense to say no. So, we sent the sled down with no one on it. It hit the ramp and flew out into the not-quite-frozen pond, and we had to admit our stupidity to get her older brother to get it out for us.
And I wish that was the worst one...
Story #2
The following year, after another large snow fall, the same cousin and I are hanging out with a third friend. They had a ballgame that night, and before going into town, my aunt expressly told us that we were not to go sledding because she didn't want us worn out before the ballgame. As soon as she was out on the main road, we (in all of our brilliance) head to the slopes. We didn't even stay close to the house. NOOO...we trekked all the way across two fields to the meanest, nastiest hill on the farm. There was a thick ice on top of the snow, so when we went down in our round, metal trashcan-lid-like sled, we sailed. It went fine for the first few runs, but then we decided to go down lying on our bellies. Well, my cousin went down, going faster than ever and flew across the ice all the way to the flat space at the bottom of the hill. It was the best run of the day! The problem was that her sled stopped about five feet before she did, and she met the ice face first.
When she looked up, we realized that we had a problem. There was a place out of the bridge of her nose that was bleeding seriously, and she had scratches all over. It was then that the real chain of poor decisions began. We got back to the house and worked the stop the bleeding. Then we set about covering up her wounds, which went about as well as you might expect. Cover Girl can do a lot of things, but it's not so hot covering a gaping, still bleeding cut. We were sure, however, in our not-yet-ripe middle school minds that we were going to fool my aunt--the registered nurse. It played out like you would imagine. We lied, it didn't work, we got in some mild form of trouble. I am pretty sure that my aunt knew that the higest form of punishment was making my cousin go out with a cut face.
The moral of these stories is this: Middle schoolers aren't playing with a full deck. They don't know it. Their bodies are too full of hormones to notice any such defiency. Perhaps this is why I don't mind teaching them every day. I know that, sometimes, they just can't help it and cut them some slack. But not too much!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
On Taking Chances
I am, by nature, a play-it-safe kind of girl. I always have been. When I was little, I cried when other kids got in trouble. My senior superlative was "Teacher's Pet." I made it through my entire school career without ever getting sent to the principal's office. I was THAT kid. And there's nothing wrong with that, in theory.
It's just that I am in my 30th year on this planet. And I've grown so used to coloring inside the lines, that I've grown afraid of what might happen if I do anything out of my routine. That's just not the kind of person that I am happy with being. Now, don't expect me start jumping out of planes (I'm still scared of heights) or anything like that. But, I am going to me more open to the opportunities that present themselves, be that at work, in my personal life, or whatever else. I don't want to live a closed-off life anymore. I don't think that's what God is asking of me and I just don't think it's any way to live.
We only have so much time here, I've seen enough to know that. And while I know that we should be careful what we ask God for, I am asking that He help me live a life wide open, full-throttle. We were made for so much more. I was made for so much more. And I want to find out just what that is.
It's just that I am in my 30th year on this planet. And I've grown so used to coloring inside the lines, that I've grown afraid of what might happen if I do anything out of my routine. That's just not the kind of person that I am happy with being. Now, don't expect me start jumping out of planes (I'm still scared of heights) or anything like that. But, I am going to me more open to the opportunities that present themselves, be that at work, in my personal life, or whatever else. I don't want to live a closed-off life anymore. I don't think that's what God is asking of me and I just don't think it's any way to live.
We only have so much time here, I've seen enough to know that. And while I know that we should be careful what we ask God for, I am asking that He help me live a life wide open, full-throttle. We were made for so much more. I was made for so much more. And I want to find out just what that is.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
My Winter Book List
It's time for a brief summary of what I've been reading on these recent snowy days and nights. (Of which it seems there are more coming!) Here's a look:
The other is a biography of Abigail Adams. If you don't know much about American History, you may not realize what an amazing woman she was. Abigail was a woman ahead of her time, and we can read much of what she thought in her own words, as she wrote many letters to her husband and others that remain today.
What's on your winter reading list?
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