Yeah!!!! Going to Drama Convention!

February I take a flight to Kansas City and go to a Christian Drama and Worship Workshop Convention. I'm looking forward to it for so many reasons.
1. It's a drama workshop!
2. My roommate is going to be friend and I think of in many ways as a second mom. :)
3. I get to get off work for two days. :D
4. Blessings from the programs they are putting on.
5. Materials and ideas to bring back with me to help in continuing school drama, starting church drama and kids ministries . . .
6. and soo much more, I've only a little idea what all it's going to be.
7. I get to return on my 'lil bro's 26th birthday early enough that we can still do something fun. :)

ok, I'm rambling, but I really am excited about it.

OH, it's time for art class with grades 5 & up. It will be interesting.

oh oh, I got a new watch and a pair of Funky sunglasses . . . tooo much fun. :D I'll have to get a pic of both on sometime, they are just kickin'. :D

Sabbath!!!

As a whole, there are a lot more sunny days here then ever was in Wisconsin, and Indiana, but today is a little cloudy. Snow is falling, in a round about way. As I look out the window, a flake slowly drifts around in the air and eventually makes it's final resting spot on the ground. The time it takes to get there is pretty fascinating. I've only scene about two to three at a time. Such lazy snowflakes. :)

I got a surprise in the mail today! My dear friend Sara, who's off at SAU, sent the most endearing thing for Christmas, New Year, and most "importantly" my Birthday :D I LOVE IT!!! Thank you Sara!!! I'm not sure if I'm going to take it to school or in my room, but woohoo :D Thanks luv! You're thoughtfulness made my day. :)

And now I'm off, to participate in some lovely Sabbath afternoon, lay activities. :) Happy Sabbath all!

Two More Days!

It is only two day until the quarter ends. Talk about rush rush rush for some students who realized they didn't have thier work done "all of a sudden". Well, at least they are finally getting that if they don't turn in the work, they can't get credit for it. So, I'm getting a lot of work to be graded from WAY back at the begining of the quarter. Today is actually thier last class day for the quarter for Social Studies, and that is the class they've been lax in the most. I was mortified by this kids grades, but all my hounding and prodding was getting know where until last week when I printed out thier grades and they HAD to get thier parents to sign it. Wah La!

Last night, after school, the drama with the irrate mother came together in a lovely conference with the Principal, myself, and the student's biological father. Neither the principal (who is the child's home room teacher) nor myself backed down from our grading techniques, but dad seemed to agree with us, soooo . . . well it turned out well.

Have a lovely day all

New Day!

Today is a new day! It will be a marvelous one!!!

And the meeting with the afforementioned parent and thier student.

So what! It's a beautiful day! Sun is shining, air is crisp, and I've got a cute hairdo. :D

Hope everyone has a good day too.

Ventings of a Harried Teacher!

I'm so irritated today . . . I could SCREAM!!! It is one thing to have a child who's parents are upset because their grades are low. Especially if they did not do the assignments correctly nor ontime. When you have given numorous instructions, time to follow them. Opportunities for students to ask for help. Offered to help. Set out a definate plan of when things are due, etc . . . I'm frustrated about thier grades too. How can someone say, their child didn't know what to do. "You never told them." "He can barely ask me for help, so him asking you is impossible" "You can't write things on kids papers, you should never write anything negative on their papers" (negative? "You can do better. I expect you to put more of an effort to get things done ontime and to follow the directions." on a paper that they have failed because they refused to follow directions) "There is nothing wrong with this paper, he answered the questions." Yeah, he answered the questions, as minimally as possible on a paper that was a 'research' paper, and only one sentence per page! He asked how long it needed to be, I said it needed to be complete. I'm soooo . . . how many times did I ask him if he needed any help? "NO" or remind him he needed to get busy on his project and don't forget the visual. "ok" "I don't care" AHHHHHH!

And then, I set up a website/blog so that parents can see what thier students have been assigned for that day, because I am tired of kids saying, I didn't know, you never told me. Or a parent saying, you never told him, how is he suppose to know. And I get reemed about that! Apparently they don't want their child to have any part of it. Hello? I'm not going to be posting students names or pictures without prior permission from the parents! I very nicely told the mother this. "well, just pretend he isn't one of your students when you are doing this". ?huh? It's for his and their benifit, and it is giving absolutely NO personal information about the students. I've several parents who've mentioned they like this. I don't have anything set up yet so that they can also get online and check thier childs grades, but eventually we will. OH well!

I guess all those years of education, teaching, and studying under some of the best teachers I know, is all bunk. Well I know that is not true, but to hear this parent talk, I don't know how to grade, I grade wrong, the principal teaches wrong, and because the child has up untill now always been an A/B student then it is all our doing. Wait, so, his refusal to take responsibility, and the parent insists that he be spoonfed all he is supposed to do . . . HE'S IN SEVENTH GRADE!!! He is supposed to think for himself, and start being responsible for his own work!

AHHHHHH!!!!! ok, calm down . . . the rest of the day has been going rather well. Only one crazy 'fight' with 3rd and 4th graders who just misinterpreted each other. Off to upper grades PE.

One Whole Year!

One year ago today I started writing this blog. A lot has happened. I'm a year older and . . . It's been kinda fun. Blogging is a great venting and sharing experiance. This new year I see a number of blogs to come and probably more changes and events in my life that I look forward to sharing. Though I still wonder what it is that fascinates us to looking into the lives of other people . . . maybe to understand ourselves more and to understand one another as well.

I do hope you all have a lovely year. I'm expecting good things . . . can't wait to tell you all about them. :)

A Whole New Year!

Wow . . . 2007! It actually has a good ring to it. Hmm, it just might be a good year. Naw, it's gonna be a great year. how can it not be, with a 7 on the end. hehe. Besides, it means 30 years of life and that's gonna be a good year right? I mean, I've heard it is, and I've got a good feeling about it.

The 2nd is only a few minutes away . . . woohooo. :|

OH! I'm not much of a football fan, but even I have to admit, it was pretty cool watching Boise vs. Oklahoma. Or at least the overtime plays. WOW! WAY TO GO, IDAHO!!! pretty amazing plays, and leadership to pull that off. And as I hear it, they were expected to be slaughtered. I love it when the underdog makes it!

And that will probably my one and only football reference, of my own amazement. Haha. I guess WV made a few awesome plays today too. My dad was just gushing about it, YEAH Morgantown! ok, no more football! it is banned!!! hehe I guess if I was at the game, it would be more interesting to me if I was at the game, I don't know, I'm not one to watch sports on TV.

Well, 12 hours from now, and it will be 30 years since I made my first entrance into this world. If any of my students read my blog, they will finally all know how old I am . . . so SHHH!!! :D Not that it's a big secret, but kids think anyone over 25 is sooo old. I suppose though, I've finally made it to 'old maid' or maybe not quite yet, another couple years. :)

Well, I'm off to dreamland! Hope and pray this is a lovely year for each and everyone of you! God Bless!!!

lub ya all . . . me! :)