April, you are the longest month ever. Ever.
Feeling the burn. Not in my legs or my arms. In mah mahnd.
Tonight is "man meal" night. That means that Daniel is in charge of cooking. He's on his way to Chipotle right now. Yum.
On this Tuesday (Tuesday is not my favorite day of the week), I will leave you with this question: Can we teach responsibility? If so, how the heck do we do it!?
Answers big and small are welcome.
And with the last bit of energy in my apparently-allergy-prone-doesn't-help-that-I-sleep-next-to-the-most-allergy-prone-individual-on-the-planet body, I say to you, "Happy Tuesday."
April 26, 2011
April 22, 2011
Friday Rambles
The weather is nice out, but I chose ice cream over running. Not the best decision, I recognize that.
I did 15 minutes of plyometrics from the P90X work-out, and my legs are fried. A good feeling.
Some kid (that just sounds demeaning, sorry)...some student started a rumor about me on Wednesday. I was fuming. I promptly took care of it the next morning. Scratch that. I was FUMING.
I was told today that I matched the ceiling in my classroom. Not sure what to think about that.
I had to tell my sophomores today to put on their "mature pants" for this unit (we're reading Their Eyes Were Watching God). Someone said, "I left mine at home." So I said, "Well you better dig them out this weekend. You're going to need them." Teenagers have filthy little minds. Filthy. And the bad part is that when they laugh at something, I know exactly why they're laughing. Does that mean I'm filthy?
I think our neighbor is moving. We're not very good neighbors. Not at all. We need to work on this.
Headed to McPherson this weekend to celebrate Easter. Looking forward to a grand old time.
My devotions lately have been about giving God control of your whole mind. And boy-howdy, do I ever need to do that. My mind is nuts, absolutely crazy. It's a daily (sometimes hourly) struggle. One of my hobbies is thinking (ha, no but really, I'm serious), so to give up control of that glorious hobby is tough. However, each time I do, the results are beautiful and my thoughts are much more edifying.
I have a difficult time with commercialized holidays. Especially Easter. So this weekend, with all the bunnies, the eggs, the ham, the sweet treats, and the family time, take a minute (or more, preferably) and remember the real reason for celebration.
Go celebrate. "Jesus is not here, for He has risen, just as He said." Matthew 28:6
I did 15 minutes of plyometrics from the P90X work-out, and my legs are fried. A good feeling.
Some kid (that just sounds demeaning, sorry)...some student started a rumor about me on Wednesday. I was fuming. I promptly took care of it the next morning. Scratch that. I was FUMING.
I was told today that I matched the ceiling in my classroom. Not sure what to think about that.
I had to tell my sophomores today to put on their "mature pants" for this unit (we're reading Their Eyes Were Watching God). Someone said, "I left mine at home." So I said, "Well you better dig them out this weekend. You're going to need them." Teenagers have filthy little minds. Filthy. And the bad part is that when they laugh at something, I know exactly why they're laughing. Does that mean I'm filthy?
I think our neighbor is moving. We're not very good neighbors. Not at all. We need to work on this.
Headed to McPherson this weekend to celebrate Easter. Looking forward to a grand old time.
My devotions lately have been about giving God control of your whole mind. And boy-howdy, do I ever need to do that. My mind is nuts, absolutely crazy. It's a daily (sometimes hourly) struggle. One of my hobbies is thinking (ha, no but really, I'm serious), so to give up control of that glorious hobby is tough. However, each time I do, the results are beautiful and my thoughts are much more edifying.
I have a difficult time with commercialized holidays. Especially Easter. So this weekend, with all the bunnies, the eggs, the ham, the sweet treats, and the family time, take a minute (or more, preferably) and remember the real reason for celebration.
Go celebrate. "Jesus is not here, for He has risen, just as He said." Matthew 28:6
April 19, 2011
Back at it...
I made loads of funny jokes today. And they (the jokes) were funny. And they (the students) laughed at all of them. Well, most of them (the students) laughed at most of the jokes.
My classroom-humor is mildly different from my real-life humor (or is it?). Here is an example of my classroom-humor. While looking at a picture of a huge tree house that represents the vocabulary word "incredulous," I say (quite excitedly), "Wow, that tree house is _________!" To which they tiredly, non-chalantly respond, "Incredulous." To which I say, "No, no. Say it like you mean it!" And one student humors me. HIlarious. Absolutely hilarious. You would laugh too if your English teacher was nuts (or is it "were" nuts?).
My folder on the common drive with all my English 9 students' projects in it was deleted. Gasp! No, more like GASP, SCREAM, PULL HAIR, GASP AGAIN. The culprit? A sweet, semi-innocent freshman. When I chatted with him, he seemed legitimately remorseful. So the question is, should he be punished? All the files were recovered, so the gasping only lasted for 90 minutes. Oh discipline. It's so dang tricky. If only every incident was black or white. If only.
This girl is coming to see us tomorrow. And we are pumped. Like a gas tank. Get here faster, Bees!
Today it smelled like Spring and Fall. An odd sensation. Odd enough to make me want Fall. But then we'd have Winter. I like Winter. And I love the transition from Winter to Spring. So this sounds like a swell plan. Tomorrow is the first day of Fall. In Mrs. Carlson-land, at least. The children will be thrilled.
Are seasons supposed to be capitalized? I feel odd that I don't know. And I feel too lazy to look it up.
My classroom-humor is mildly different from my real-life humor (or is it?). Here is an example of my classroom-humor. While looking at a picture of a huge tree house that represents the vocabulary word "incredulous," I say (quite excitedly), "Wow, that tree house is _________!" To which they tiredly, non-chalantly respond, "Incredulous." To which I say, "No, no. Say it like you mean it!" And one student humors me. HIlarious. Absolutely hilarious. You would laugh too if your English teacher was nuts (or is it "were" nuts?).
My folder on the common drive with all my English 9 students' projects in it was deleted. Gasp! No, more like GASP, SCREAM, PULL HAIR, GASP AGAIN. The culprit? A sweet, semi-innocent freshman. When I chatted with him, he seemed legitimately remorseful. So the question is, should he be punished? All the files were recovered, so the gasping only lasted for 90 minutes. Oh discipline. It's so dang tricky. If only every incident was black or white. If only.
This girl is coming to see us tomorrow. And we are pumped. Like a gas tank. Get here faster, Bees!
Today it smelled like Spring and Fall. An odd sensation. Odd enough to make me want Fall. But then we'd have Winter. I like Winter. And I love the transition from Winter to Spring. So this sounds like a swell plan. Tomorrow is the first day of Fall. In Mrs. Carlson-land, at least. The children will be thrilled.
Are seasons supposed to be capitalized? I feel odd that I don't know. And I feel too lazy to look it up.
April 18, 2011
Sick Day
I took a sick day today. It was...interesting. I have never taken a sick day from anything work-related. I tend to be a workaholic, so it wasn't all bad for me to step away from work for a day. I may have made myself even more sick thinking about how my students were doing today.
A good reminder today: the world does not revolve around me. As far as I know, WRHS functioned just fine in the midst of my absence. My kids are resilient, so I'm sure they're hardly wounded as a result of my absence today.
Nearly every week, I preach to my kids about how life is all about perspective. I think I've even mentioned that on the blog. Anywho, I took a dose of my own medicine today. My attitude has been, at best, crappy in regards to my job. I've found the silliest little things to complain about. And poor, poor Daniel has been the recipient of nearly all my complaints. But today, I missed my kiddos. Don't get me wrong, it was good to be away from them for an extra day. However, they are my kiddos and I love them to death.
Yes, they make me want to pull out my hair every 15 minutes. Yes, I regularly question the calling on my life. Yes, they drive me nuts. But they are mine and they are also perfect, sweet, darling kids who just want to fit in, be loved, and prove to the world that they are worth something. Well, they are worth something to me. They are worth a lot. And I'm excited to see them tomorrow. And if you've had a conversation with me in the past week, you know that I've been seriously lacking passion of any kind.
So tomorrow I'll go back here:
And I will smile.
And I will see all 130 of my students as people.
And I will tell awesome jokes.
And they will ROTFL (roll on the floor, laughing, of course).
And it will be the best day this month.
A good reminder today: the world does not revolve around me. As far as I know, WRHS functioned just fine in the midst of my absence. My kids are resilient, so I'm sure they're hardly wounded as a result of my absence today.
Nearly every week, I preach to my kids about how life is all about perspective. I think I've even mentioned that on the blog. Anywho, I took a dose of my own medicine today. My attitude has been, at best, crappy in regards to my job. I've found the silliest little things to complain about. And poor, poor Daniel has been the recipient of nearly all my complaints. But today, I missed my kiddos. Don't get me wrong, it was good to be away from them for an extra day. However, they are my kiddos and I love them to death.
Yes, they make me want to pull out my hair every 15 minutes. Yes, I regularly question the calling on my life. Yes, they drive me nuts. But they are mine and they are also perfect, sweet, darling kids who just want to fit in, be loved, and prove to the world that they are worth something. Well, they are worth something to me. They are worth a lot. And I'm excited to see them tomorrow. And if you've had a conversation with me in the past week, you know that I've been seriously lacking passion of any kind.
So tomorrow I'll go back here:
And I will see all 130 of my students as people.
And I will tell awesome jokes.
And they will ROTFL (roll on the floor, laughing, of course).
And it will be the best day this month.
April 15, 2011
náhodný: it's Slovak
So happy it's Friday. So happy. Feeling like a pretty crappy teacher these days. Needing a break. Understanding the people who grace my classroom every day are real people with real problems. Sometimes wishing those problems didn't exert themselves in the form of poor behavior. Desiring grace from my students and asking for patience for my students.
Daniel and I had a delightful time with Carri last Saturday. Good eats, good shopping, and good conversation. Unfortunately I had no control at Orange Leaf. Fortunately it's frozen yogurt. No calories. Right? Sure.
Carri is a superb gift-giver. Slow-cooker cook book, new Tabor shirt, an over-the-shoulder bag that has about a bazillion pockets. And she didn't even know that I was looking for a purse just like that. I am seriously blessed with the best mother-in-law on earth. Love you, Carri. And jealous you now get to spend every day at Tabor.
Wednesday was freezer-meal night. Our last freezer meal. And Daniel was not impressed. After a few bites he said, and I quote, "This makes me sad." Apparently we don't have the same taste in noodle doneness (yes, that is a word).
Listen to this. This is nutso. Daniel and I are running a 5K on May 21. We both tend to be goal-oriented people, so now we have something to prepare for. It'll be our little Spring getaway. Wanna run with us? Holler back. We'd love to have company.
In preparation for our training, and because I had leftover cake and leftover frosting, I made cake balls. They taste fine. Just fine. Apparently they make me sad:
Or elated:
We're enjoying a relaxing Friday evening full of laundry and the TV. First person to guess the movie on the screen wins a prize. Prize TBD.
These two beauties are about to embark on a big adventure. They will be traveling from Topeka to Wichita. And they will exchange hands at least three times. And the transporters don't even know. Here's the deal: Beauty Brands in Topeka was have a hahuuge sale on hairspray. So I bought two for Cheri. So Chers, they're on their way. Holler when you receive them. If you never get them, know that I indeed did purchase them.
Well that was random and not very full of hilarity. My apologies. It's the ants that I swear have been attacking me in my sleep. You see, my lovely potted herbs are covered in ants. So we finally moved them to the great outdoors. But not before they had a chance to bore holes into my skull.
One of the greatest feelings in the world is when I get to turn off my alarm on Friday night in anticipation of Saturday morning. Sweet bliss.
Daniel told me a funny tonight. It will make you smile. He said that on field day in second grade, he traded a kid for a second place ribbon. Prior to the trade, all he had was a participation ribbon. And we all know participation ribbons are jokes.
I will end with my favorite quote from chapter one of Their Eyes Were Watching God (my sophomore's current novel): "Unless you see de fur, a mink skin ain't no different from a coon hide" (Hurston 7).
Chew on that for awhile.
Happy don't-set-your-alarm day!
Daniel and I had a delightful time with Carri last Saturday. Good eats, good shopping, and good conversation. Unfortunately I had no control at Orange Leaf. Fortunately it's frozen yogurt. No calories. Right? Sure.
One of the greatest feelings in the world is when I get to turn off my alarm on Friday night in anticipation of Saturday morning. Sweet bliss.
Daniel told me a funny tonight. It will make you smile. He said that on field day in second grade, he traded a kid for a second place ribbon. Prior to the trade, all he had was a participation ribbon. And we all know participation ribbons are jokes.
I will end with my favorite quote from chapter one of Their Eyes Were Watching God (my sophomore's current novel): "Unless you see de fur, a mink skin ain't no different from a coon hide" (Hurston 7).
Chew on that for awhile.
Happy don't-set-your-alarm day!
April 13, 2011
They get me...
For some reason, I get a kick out of moments when the kids really "get" me. Like when we're defining "hyperbole" and I say, "I use hyperbole all the time" (did you catch that?? it's a hyperbole!), to which the students unanimously respond, "Yes, you do."
I want to grow something this summer. I don't have a yard. Or a pot. Or potting soil. Or a spade. Or whatever those garden tools are called. But I want to grow something.
So all you gardeners out there, what should I grow? I'm willing to make a small investment. Perhaps buy a pot. And some soil. And a spade. Or whatever those garden tools are called.
What shall it be? What would be easiest? Pro: my mother has a green thumb. Con: my mother lives 80 miles away. Low-maintenance, people, low-maintenance.
Peppers? Cucumbers? Lettuce? Do tell. Please.
Sometimes I think this is how the students view me:
Awkward.
Without a life.
Friendless.
Uninteresting.
Mildly creepy.
Spastic.
I don't mind numbers 1 and 6, but the descriptions in the middle are the ones that really bother me. And there's truth to the fact that students think teachers eat, breathe, and sleep at school. Sometimes there's legitimate truth to the belief, but hopefully my life is healthily balanced.
Back to gardening....seriously, now.
What should I grow?
Just out my window
To grace my patio
The rhyming! Make it stop! But it's sooooo awesome.
Like a G6.
I want to grow something this summer. I don't have a yard. Or a pot. Or potting soil. Or a spade. Or whatever those garden tools are called. But I want to grow something.
So all you gardeners out there, what should I grow? I'm willing to make a small investment. Perhaps buy a pot. And some soil. And a spade. Or whatever those garden tools are called.
What shall it be? What would be easiest? Pro: my mother has a green thumb. Con: my mother lives 80 miles away. Low-maintenance, people, low-maintenance.
Peppers? Cucumbers? Lettuce? Do tell. Please.
Sometimes I think this is how the students view me:
Without a life.
Friendless.
Uninteresting.
Mildly creepy.
Spastic.
I don't mind numbers 1 and 6, but the descriptions in the middle are the ones that really bother me. And there's truth to the fact that students think teachers eat, breathe, and sleep at school. Sometimes there's legitimate truth to the belief, but hopefully my life is healthily balanced.
Back to gardening....seriously, now.
What should I grow?
Just out my window
To grace my patio
The rhyming! Make it stop! But it's sooooo awesome.
Like a G6.
April 12, 2011
Like a G6
Today my sophomores shared their original poetry. I felt like a proud mother and about wept tears of joy.
The babes are growing up. Part of me wants to write each of them a note that explains all the growth I've seen in them over the year. I have 130 students...which makes me realize that it would indeed be a labor of love. We'll see. Perhaps I'll feel especially motivated during the last few weeks of school and decide to give them each a "going away" note. Should "motivated" and "last few weeks of school" even belong in the same sentence? Don't answer that.
Several times today I heard the phrase "like a G6". Each time it was in the context of a poem. And the hilarity of it all is that the students were required to use a "element of poetry" in each of their original poems. We all know "like a G6" is a simile. Hilarious. At least they recognize what they learn in the classroom in the real world. (Pretend the last sentence makes sense. I refuse to edit it.)
(For those of you unaware of "like a G6," cough...mom...cough, check out this link. I'm not promoting the song. I'm just giving you some context.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvgJEznqtms
For the first time in my teaching career, I about had to break up a physical altercation. And I feared for my life a bit. I won't go into details. Just know that a word that rhymes with "luck" was used about 35 times (not by me, naturally), and a plastic chair tumbled across the room. Get the picture? Oh yes, quite exhilarating.
Did you notice the new blog design? One of my design friends, Kitty (you should remember her from previous blogs), is advising me. And I'm pretty pumped. Look for additional adjustments in the coming weeks.
Oh I have so many, many other things I have meant to share with you. Alas, I either forget or I just fail to do so. Well rats, I suppose I just will have to move on...
Let's look at a picture and call it a day. I once spent every evening with these boys. Oh the memories. So many of them. They are truly brothers from other mothers.
Happy snoozeday Tuesday! What? You didn't know today is a "snoozeday"?! Me either. I'm just feeling especially rhyming. Like a G6. (Urbandictionary.com that. You'll love what you find.)
The babes are growing up. Part of me wants to write each of them a note that explains all the growth I've seen in them over the year. I have 130 students...which makes me realize that it would indeed be a labor of love. We'll see. Perhaps I'll feel especially motivated during the last few weeks of school and decide to give them each a "going away" note. Should "motivated" and "last few weeks of school" even belong in the same sentence? Don't answer that.
Several times today I heard the phrase "like a G6". Each time it was in the context of a poem. And the hilarity of it all is that the students were required to use a "element of poetry" in each of their original poems. We all know "like a G6" is a simile. Hilarious. At least they recognize what they learn in the classroom in the real world. (Pretend the last sentence makes sense. I refuse to edit it.)
(For those of you unaware of "like a G6," cough...mom...cough, check out this link. I'm not promoting the song. I'm just giving you some context.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvgJEznqtms
For the first time in my teaching career, I about had to break up a physical altercation. And I feared for my life a bit. I won't go into details. Just know that a word that rhymes with "luck" was used about 35 times (not by me, naturally), and a plastic chair tumbled across the room. Get the picture? Oh yes, quite exhilarating.
Did you notice the new blog design? One of my design friends, Kitty (you should remember her from previous blogs), is advising me. And I'm pretty pumped. Look for additional adjustments in the coming weeks.
Oh I have so many, many other things I have meant to share with you. Alas, I either forget or I just fail to do so. Well rats, I suppose I just will have to move on...
Let's look at a picture and call it a day. I once spent every evening with these boys. Oh the memories. So many of them. They are truly brothers from other mothers.
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