Yep. Do you even need captions? Awesome. So glad I did it. Looking forward to next year. PS my costar is the Wink of KatWink, my friend Sarah Winklekotter. She's cool.
This just in: My final time was 2 hours 13 minutes. I feel good about that.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
I'm a triathlete! Woot woot!
Yep. Do you even need captions? Awesome. So glad I did it. Looking forward to next year. PS my costar is the Wink of KatWink, my friend Sarah Winklekotter. She's cool.
This just in: My final time was 2 hours 13 minutes. I feel good about that.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Debbie Downer
This will be a sad post.. . .but I'm just thinking about it and want to get it down. My students are writing memoirs via multi-genre project. This is pretty much a glorified portfolio. Anyway, their assignment yesterday was to write about "home." We've been reading excerpts from "The House on Mango Street" as examples and I wrote a little blurb about my "home." We talked about the differences between a house and a home. This is what I got from one of my best students:
"I have never lived in a stable home. I have always been moving around from place to place not because my parents couldn't take care of me but because they didn't want to... I lived a very hard life learning to cope and live with seeing things that a 8 year old boy or any age person should have to see. For example, one day I was at my friends house playing blackjack, were laughing having a great time. He was my best friend, I could talk to him about anything and everything. I could always count on him and he was always there from me when I needed him most and when no one else was. . .
While we were playing he asked me something, he asked me to promise him that we would always be there for each other and that we would be best friends no matter what happened. Of course I promised but then someone started shooting at the house we were in. I pushed and told him to get at the ground but I guess I was too late, he had been shot twice in the chest and once in the stomach. As he was passing I held him in my arms and he told me 'Remember our promise, friends forever' I told him of course just hold on you will make it. He smiled and said thank you. He died right there in my arms, that is something nobody should ever see of have to go through.
I have never had a real home, I don't know what its like to have a home or a place to get away. . ."
It absolutely broke my heart. I had no idea. He is a soccer star. He's popular. He's got a girlfriend. He got one of the highest scores on the CRT. For real? Today I had a chance to talk to him and just said, "Really? Is what you wrote for real?" and he just nodded. I don't know if he acted sheepish or embarrassed or just sad. I told him how sorry I was that he has had it so hard. I told him that he could live with me but it was probably illegal. I told him that he could "get away" in my classroom any time, and to let me know if there was ever anything I could do. I gave him a high five. He didn't say much. It was a different side of him. It's just not fair.
"I have never lived in a stable home. I have always been moving around from place to place not because my parents couldn't take care of me but because they didn't want to... I lived a very hard life learning to cope and live with seeing things that a 8 year old boy or any age person should have to see. For example, one day I was at my friends house playing blackjack, were laughing having a great time. He was my best friend, I could talk to him about anything and everything. I could always count on him and he was always there from me when I needed him most and when no one else was. . .
While we were playing he asked me something, he asked me to promise him that we would always be there for each other and that we would be best friends no matter what happened. Of course I promised but then someone started shooting at the house we were in. I pushed and told him to get at the ground but I guess I was too late, he had been shot twice in the chest and once in the stomach. As he was passing I held him in my arms and he told me 'Remember our promise, friends forever' I told him of course just hold on you will make it. He smiled and said thank you. He died right there in my arms, that is something nobody should ever see of have to go through.
I have never had a real home, I don't know what its like to have a home or a place to get away. . ."
It absolutely broke my heart. I had no idea. He is a soccer star. He's popular. He's got a girlfriend. He got one of the highest scores on the CRT. For real? Today I had a chance to talk to him and just said, "Really? Is what you wrote for real?" and he just nodded. I don't know if he acted sheepish or embarrassed or just sad. I told him how sorry I was that he has had it so hard. I told him that he could live with me but it was probably illegal. I told him that he could "get away" in my classroom any time, and to let me know if there was ever anything I could do. I gave him a high five. He didn't say much. It was a different side of him. It's just not fair.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Family Picture Giveaway!
Fun, right? It's springtime (on the calendar anyway) and I want to take YOUR picture! To kick off the "photo season" I am doing a GIVEAWAY! I haven't ever done this and I'm super excited! If you are chosen, you will receive:
**Family sitting (just immediate please but I can do extended!)
**2 digital disks with all images
**1- 11x14 enlargement
To enter, just leave a comment ON MY PHOTO BLOG HERE about when the last time you had your family picture taken! Don't forget to leave a contact email! I know for some, it has been too long! That will not determine who I choose, I promise to make it random. The deadline to enter will be Wednesday, April 20 at midnight! Check the blog Thursday morning to see who the winner is!
**Family sitting (just immediate please but I can do extended!)
**2 digital disks with all images
**1- 11x14 enlargement
To enter, just leave a comment ON MY PHOTO BLOG HERE about when the last time you had your family picture taken! Don't forget to leave a contact email! I know for some, it has been too long! That will not determine who I choose, I promise to make it random. The deadline to enter will be Wednesday, April 20 at midnight! Check the blog Thursday morning to see who the winner is!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
My students are pretty funny,
Recent responses on our "Romeo and Juliet" test:
What is Romeo’s punishment for killing Tybalt?
He is vanished from Verona
That he cant go to Verona no more
Why does the Friar’s plan fail? Be specific.
Because he got Romeo, Juliet , & another guy killed!
Where is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet set?
In a play.
The balcony
Time Square
Juliet’s castle
What is Tybalt’s nickname? (correct answer: Prince of Cats)
Cat skin
Tom? ?
To which family does Romeo belong?
To his family
Who does Romeo love during Act I?
Lady Capulet
List two of the life lessons Shakespeare presents in “Romeo and Juliet.”
Don’t marry your enemie if you are a montogue or a capulet.
Who tells Romeo that Juliet is dead?
Bubasoar; his maid (*note: the last time this class met, we were doing a “jeopardy” review game and one of the students said his name was Bobosoar, not Balthasar. As they were taking the test, I told them to remember that it was NOT Bobosoar. So maybe she didn’t hear that part. Or was kidding. I hope.)California dreaming. . .
Because Tracie is there enjoying the sun and the heat and the Disneyland and the ocean. Here's to you, ya big turd!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Best. Date. Ever.
I knew you'd come running for that. I started something different last year for birthdays. The kids always get so many toys and other presents, so I asked if they wanted a present or a date. . . they all chose the date. Sorry I didn't write about my dates with Tor and Audrey last fall, but I'll do better this year. Brayden has been so excited about this, as have I. We have talked several times about what we would do and he had sooo many ideas. I told him that we may not get to all of them ("can we go to the movie feater AND swimming?" and at 6 am Saturday morning, "can we go to the zoo today?") but we would get to what we could.
I picked up Brady and Audrey around 5 and we headed to our Paul family party at my parent's church.
It was a lot of fun, but Brayden could not wait for us to get on our way. "Can we go on our date now?" was something I heard several times. When we finally got on our way, we decided to head to Walmart to get treats for our movie. As we were walking in to the store, I told him he had to hold my hand because we were on a date. "But it's not like a date where we're going to kiss." I told him I was going to make out with his face. "No, I'm just a kid." From that point on, he kept reminding me anytime I said "date" that it wasn't a make out kind of date. Good to know.
He got to choose four treats to eat while we watched the movies, plus cereal for the morning. He's hiding the spiderman fruit snacks, so don't forget those. And don't worry, we rationed everything out so he could take some (most) home to share with his sisters. We rented "The Last Airbender" and bought "Megamind" for him to take home. We watched "Megamind" first and it's so funny! But I was super tired and fell asleep. He kept checking, too, to see if I was asleep.
Once when we were talking on the phone, he said, "there's something that I really really really want to do. I want to stay up really really late. I stayed up until 1 a.m. once and I want to do it again." He got close. He fell asleep during "The Last Airbender" at about 12:30. I carried him down to bed and he is one solid kid. We woke up around 8:45, ate our Cinnamon Toast Crunch and headed up to Grandma's. He went with Grandpa to drop Tracie off (first spring break trip with the roommates to Disneyland! So jealous!) while I did my Saturday cleaning at the neighbor's. He also got to go for a ride on the 4-wheeler with Grandpa before we went bowling! I forgot my camera at home so I don't have any pics of that (except on my phone) but we had a great time and he is pretty good! We went to McDonald's for lunch and then headed back to Grandma's to play "Sorry" with Audrey and Ellie who had been dropped off while Alan went hunting.
We had a great time together and I loved spending time with him! He's such a sweet boy and I love to cuddle with him. I can't believe he is already 7!
I picked up Brady and Audrey around 5 and we headed to our Paul family party at my parent's church.
It was a lot of fun, but Brayden could not wait for us to get on our way. "Can we go on our date now?" was something I heard several times. When we finally got on our way, we decided to head to Walmart to get treats for our movie. As we were walking in to the store, I told him he had to hold my hand because we were on a date. "But it's not like a date where we're going to kiss." I told him I was going to make out with his face. "No, I'm just a kid." From that point on, he kept reminding me anytime I said "date" that it wasn't a make out kind of date. Good to know.
He got to choose four treats to eat while we watched the movies, plus cereal for the morning. He's hiding the spiderman fruit snacks, so don't forget those. And don't worry, we rationed everything out so he could take some (most) home to share with his sisters. We rented "The Last Airbender" and bought "Megamind" for him to take home. We watched "Megamind" first and it's so funny! But I was super tired and fell asleep. He kept checking, too, to see if I was asleep.
Once when we were talking on the phone, he said, "there's something that I really really really want to do. I want to stay up really really late. I stayed up until 1 a.m. once and I want to do it again." He got close. He fell asleep during "The Last Airbender" at about 12:30. I carried him down to bed and he is one solid kid. We woke up around 8:45, ate our Cinnamon Toast Crunch and headed up to Grandma's. He went with Grandpa to drop Tracie off (first spring break trip with the roommates to Disneyland! So jealous!) while I did my Saturday cleaning at the neighbor's. He also got to go for a ride on the 4-wheeler with Grandpa before we went bowling! I forgot my camera at home so I don't have any pics of that (except on my phone) but we had a great time and he is pretty good! We went to McDonald's for lunch and then headed back to Grandma's to play "Sorry" with Audrey and Ellie who had been dropped off while Alan went hunting.
We had a great time together and I loved spending time with him! He's such a sweet boy and I love to cuddle with him. I can't believe he is already 7!
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