Pooping, I mean.
Speaking of Zac Efron, I think it's sometimes odd how much adults, despite claims to the contrary, are really just bigger versions of kids. I'm talking in terms of maturity levels.
At school all day long I hear how something someone else has is better. Kids want things, and don't want things, and the things they want aren't necessarily even things they want, they just want them because they don't have them. And the things they don't want may even be things they actually want, but they don't want them because other people say they shouldn't.
Today we had a half-day work day and for part of that the 3rd grade team met with the 4th grade team and discussed class lists for next year. I was amazed at how whiny the 4th grade teachers were. "Are you sure I have all the gifted kids I should?" "I've got 6 low kids, and they only have 4." "I have too many behavior problems." "I had tough kids this year, can you give me a break next year?" "I'm so glad you didn't give me that kid."
I understand that a little...ventilation is needed when dealing with our profession, but this was outright whining. For crying out loud, you're a teacher! Grow a pair! Suck it up and do your job. If you don't want to deal with behavior problems, or struggling learners, or kids who might bug you, then you are in the wrong profession, and definitely at the wrong school. Anyone can teach smart, well-behaved kids. It takes a committed educator to deal with the less-than-savory youngsters, so if you're going to whine, go get a cubicle job - that way no one has to listen to you.
On a lighter note, I got pie this week. :)
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
And the answer is...
T or F
1 - Chocolate Malt-o-meal is pretty much the best breakfast ever.
This is definitely true. Especially when combined with the object of question number 7.
2 - The swine flu scare is a little bit ridiculous.
I was going to say true here, but I like Joe's answer. False - it's absurdly ridiculous.
3 - There are only 5 weeks of school left.
False. At the time of posting there were only 4 weeks. Currently there are only 3. WOOT!
4 - Bread pudding is best served with some sort of buttery sugary glaze.
Absolutely and undeniably true.
5 - A compound subject has 2 verbs.
False. A compound subject has 2 or more nouns. A compound predicate has two or more verbs.
6 - Leatherby's hot fudge makes me gag.
Completely false. I have yet to drink it through a straw, but I have eaten it plain.
7 - Hugh Jackman died.
False. A falsehood that was, in fact, propagated by one of my own students.
8 - In two weeks we have 4 days of school, and I will teach for only 1 of them.
This is true. Monday we have a wrap-up activity, Tuesday a field trip, Wednesday I'm gone, and Thursday is early day.
9 - Children's literature ROCKS!
Definitely true.
10 - Dr. Nancy Livingston, my current professor, is wearing a BRIGHT red Asian vest and not doing a very good job of it.
False. She was rockin' the vest.
Multiple Choice:
11 - One of my new favorite children's authors is:
A - Mo Willems (Look him up, his books are awesome, especially for younger kids.)
B - Katie Curick
C - William Steig
D - Barak Obama
12 - How do I feel about next school year?
A - excited
B - nervous
C - willing to wait
D - all of the above
13 - Who looks best with a mustache?
A - Tom Selleck
B - Burt Reynolds
C - Me
D - Queen Victoria
Just depends on your taste, really. I'm partial to her majesty myself.
14 - How many of the principal men in Hale's upcoming production of Hello Dolly have receding hairlines?
A - 8/8
B - 1/8
C - 4/8 (That I can think of...there may be more...)
D - 12/6
15 - A book I would recommend to anyone would be:
A - The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
B - Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen
C - Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
D - Big Plans by Bob Shea
Trick question. I really would recommend any of these books. A, however, is the one I've been most active about recommending.
1 - Chocolate Malt-o-meal is pretty much the best breakfast ever.
This is definitely true. Especially when combined with the object of question number 7.
2 - The swine flu scare is a little bit ridiculous.
I was going to say true here, but I like Joe's answer. False - it's absurdly ridiculous.
3 - There are only 5 weeks of school left.
False. At the time of posting there were only 4 weeks. Currently there are only 3. WOOT!
4 - Bread pudding is best served with some sort of buttery sugary glaze.
Absolutely and undeniably true.
5 - A compound subject has 2 verbs.
False. A compound subject has 2 or more nouns. A compound predicate has two or more verbs.
6 - Leatherby's hot fudge makes me gag.
Completely false. I have yet to drink it through a straw, but I have eaten it plain.
7 - Hugh Jackman died.
False. A falsehood that was, in fact, propagated by one of my own students.
8 - In two weeks we have 4 days of school, and I will teach for only 1 of them.
This is true. Monday we have a wrap-up activity, Tuesday a field trip, Wednesday I'm gone, and Thursday is early day.
9 - Children's literature ROCKS!
Definitely true.
10 - Dr. Nancy Livingston, my current professor, is wearing a BRIGHT red Asian vest and not doing a very good job of it.
False. She was rockin' the vest.
Multiple Choice:
11 - One of my new favorite children's authors is:
A - Mo Willems (Look him up, his books are awesome, especially for younger kids.)
B - Katie Curick
C - William Steig
D - Barak Obama
12 - How do I feel about next school year?
A - excited
B - nervous
C - willing to wait
D - all of the above
13 - Who looks best with a mustache?
A - Tom Selleck
B - Burt Reynolds
C - Me
D - Queen Victoria
Just depends on your taste, really. I'm partial to her majesty myself.
14 - How many of the principal men in Hale's upcoming production of Hello Dolly have receding hairlines?
A - 8/8
B - 1/8
C - 4/8 (That I can think of...there may be more...)
D - 12/6
15 - A book I would recommend to anyone would be:
A - The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
B - Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen
C - Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
D - Big Plans by Bob Shea
Trick question. I really would recommend any of these books. A, however, is the one I've been most active about recommending.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Quiz
T or F
1 - Chocolate Malt-o-meal is pretty much the best breakfast ever.
2 - The swine flu scare is a little bit ridiculous.
3 - There are only 5 weeks of school left.
4 - Bread pudding is best served with some sort of buttery sugary glaze.
5 - A compound subject has 2 verbs.
6 - Leatherby's hot fudge makes me gag.
7 - Hugh Jackman died.
8 - In two weeks we have 4 days of school, and I will teach for only 1 of them.
9 - Children's literature ROCKS!
10 - Dr. Nancy Livingston, my current professor, is wearing a BRIGHT red Asian vest and not doing a very good job of it.
Multiple Choice:
11 - One of my new favorite children's authors is:
A - Mo Willems
B - Katie Curick
C - William Steig
D - Barak Obama
12 - How do I feel about next school year?
A - excited
B - nervous
C - willing to wait
D - all of the above
13 - Who looks best with a mustache?
A - Tom Selleck
B - Burt Reynolds
C - Me
D - Queen Victoria
14 - How many of the principal men in Hale's upcoming production of Hello Dolly have receding hairlines?
A - 8/8
B - 1/8
C - 4/8
D - 12/6
15 - A book I would recommend to anyone would be:
A - The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
B - Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen
C - Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
D - Big Plans by Bob Shea
Best of luck. :)
1 - Chocolate Malt-o-meal is pretty much the best breakfast ever.
2 - The swine flu scare is a little bit ridiculous.
3 - There are only 5 weeks of school left.
4 - Bread pudding is best served with some sort of buttery sugary glaze.
5 - A compound subject has 2 verbs.
6 - Leatherby's hot fudge makes me gag.
7 - Hugh Jackman died.
8 - In two weeks we have 4 days of school, and I will teach for only 1 of them.
9 - Children's literature ROCKS!
10 - Dr. Nancy Livingston, my current professor, is wearing a BRIGHT red Asian vest and not doing a very good job of it.
Multiple Choice:
11 - One of my new favorite children's authors is:
A - Mo Willems
B - Katie Curick
C - William Steig
D - Barak Obama
12 - How do I feel about next school year?
A - excited
B - nervous
C - willing to wait
D - all of the above
13 - Who looks best with a mustache?
A - Tom Selleck
B - Burt Reynolds
C - Me
D - Queen Victoria
14 - How many of the principal men in Hale's upcoming production of Hello Dolly have receding hairlines?
A - 8/8
B - 1/8
C - 4/8
D - 12/6
15 - A book I would recommend to anyone would be:
A - The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
B - Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen
C - Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
D - Big Plans by Bob Shea
Best of luck. :)
Saturday, May 2, 2009
On Life
On teaching:
Still lovin' it. I'm doing a big Treasure Island project with my kids right now. I'm in the play at Hale Theater (Come see it! It runs til June 6th, and is amazing!), so I decided I wanted to take my kids to see the show. I bought them all an easy-reader version of the book so they know the story before coming to the play. It's amazing to see them during the school day. Sometimes it's all I can do to get them to put their books down. (It's kind of a conflict, because I want them to be reading, and it's exciting to seem them so engaged in literature, but we do have to do other things.) More to come on the culmination of the Treasure hunt. Also, only 5 weeks left of school. That's 23 school days, and probably 18 days of actual teaching. Man, how time flies.
On living with a girl:
Not much different than living alone...mostly because I'm never home. A few things though - I have to be careful about emptying the bathroom garbage can, and my bathroom is encrusted in hairspray. But it's also freaking AWESOME to live with my little sis. She's pretty much the coolest girl I know. I'm just sad I don't get to spend more time with her.
On being a pirate:
So. Much. Fun! I'm in my mid-twenties and 4 times a week I get to dress up like a pirate and go play for a couple of hours. How cool is that?! Besides the fact that I happen to have the coolest part in the show. People love me. I'll just have to try and not let it go to my head. ;) Again, come see the show, and get your tickets ASAP cause there aren't many left.
PS - funny story: So, I'm in Treasure Island, but I'm also rehearsing for Hello Dolly at Hale. Well, last night I was popping back and forth between TI and HD, and apparently during one of the super tense fight scenes in TI, right during a place when everyone is sort of paused (I was in the rehearsal hall in a different part of the building), everyone in the theater heard "Out there, there's a world outside of yonkers..." Apparently someone mistakenly turned my mic up. Hilarious!
On girls in general:
I'm super busy, so I don't have much time for dating, but I'm making an effort. There's a girl in my ward I went on a date with, and we're trying to coordinate schedules to make a second date happen. There's another girl in the ward I'd like to ask out. So, we're gettin' 'er done.
Also, I recently spent some time with some pretty amazing married friends of mine, and that's a huge motivation to date and get married. They really are awesome examples of what marriage can be like and what I'd like to have in a marriage. So I'm gonna keep on keepin' on.
On reading:
I've taken some pretty cool classes this semester about teaching kids to read better. My favorite one so far has been a class exploring children's literature. It's so much fun! One thing I've learned is that boys are seriously lagging behind in their literacy skills. I'm sure I'll have an entire post at some point on this subject, but for now, just let me say: Fathers - read to your sons! It's ok for moms to read to their kids, but one of the biggest determiners of boys being readers is whether they have strong male role model. Do once again - Fathers - read to your sons! And make sure they see you reading. Even if it's just the newspaper. *sigh* I could go on forever, but that's another post entirely.
Still lovin' it. I'm doing a big Treasure Island project with my kids right now. I'm in the play at Hale Theater (Come see it! It runs til June 6th, and is amazing!), so I decided I wanted to take my kids to see the show. I bought them all an easy-reader version of the book so they know the story before coming to the play. It's amazing to see them during the school day. Sometimes it's all I can do to get them to put their books down. (It's kind of a conflict, because I want them to be reading, and it's exciting to seem them so engaged in literature, but we do have to do other things.) More to come on the culmination of the Treasure hunt. Also, only 5 weeks left of school. That's 23 school days, and probably 18 days of actual teaching. Man, how time flies.
On living with a girl:
Not much different than living alone...mostly because I'm never home. A few things though - I have to be careful about emptying the bathroom garbage can, and my bathroom is encrusted in hairspray. But it's also freaking AWESOME to live with my little sis. She's pretty much the coolest girl I know. I'm just sad I don't get to spend more time with her.
On being a pirate:
So. Much. Fun! I'm in my mid-twenties and 4 times a week I get to dress up like a pirate and go play for a couple of hours. How cool is that?! Besides the fact that I happen to have the coolest part in the show. People love me. I'll just have to try and not let it go to my head. ;) Again, come see the show, and get your tickets ASAP cause there aren't many left.
PS - funny story: So, I'm in Treasure Island, but I'm also rehearsing for Hello Dolly at Hale. Well, last night I was popping back and forth between TI and HD, and apparently during one of the super tense fight scenes in TI, right during a place when everyone is sort of paused (I was in the rehearsal hall in a different part of the building), everyone in the theater heard "Out there, there's a world outside of yonkers..." Apparently someone mistakenly turned my mic up. Hilarious!
On girls in general:
I'm super busy, so I don't have much time for dating, but I'm making an effort. There's a girl in my ward I went on a date with, and we're trying to coordinate schedules to make a second date happen. There's another girl in the ward I'd like to ask out. So, we're gettin' 'er done.
Also, I recently spent some time with some pretty amazing married friends of mine, and that's a huge motivation to date and get married. They really are awesome examples of what marriage can be like and what I'd like to have in a marriage. So I'm gonna keep on keepin' on.
On reading:
I've taken some pretty cool classes this semester about teaching kids to read better. My favorite one so far has been a class exploring children's literature. It's so much fun! One thing I've learned is that boys are seriously lagging behind in their literacy skills. I'm sure I'll have an entire post at some point on this subject, but for now, just let me say: Fathers - read to your sons! It's ok for moms to read to their kids, but one of the biggest determiners of boys being readers is whether they have strong male role model. Do once again - Fathers - read to your sons! And make sure they see you reading. Even if it's just the newspaper. *sigh* I could go on forever, but that's another post entirely.
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