Sad News...

or at least there will be soon (hopefully!).

ooohhh -- hopefully? sad news? Those things don't go together! I know, I know... ;)

I think I am parting with the Java Finches. Which will be sad news when I break it to my students! :S.They really HAVE been great pets! They are fun to watch, neat to listen too, not to noisy, not too distracting ...But we are moving. And I am tired of cleaning their cage :S.

My kids have grown so used to them that they hardly pay any attention to them anymore -- which makes keeping up with them less and less worth it! And, with our own birddie to clean up after at home, and the time commitment of moving into a new house in the middle of the school year and parent teacher conferences (woo - whole 'nother post there!), it is simply not worth it to me to keep up with the finches.

I still think pets are important for kids. I am still on the quest for the perfect class pet. I'll find it, just you watch....

Pro's about the finches:
    neat to watch
    awesome to listen too
    not too distracting
    not to messy or smelly
    not very expensive to upkeep (just buy them seed!)

Con's about the finches:
   -I hate cleaning their cage! When I clean my cockatiel's cage I can get her out and really clean her cage good. The finches are not hand tamed, so they have to stay in the cage at all times which makes it a lot harder to clean! Also, there are 3 of them as opposed to my one cocketiel. More birds = more poop.

  - The kids can't interact with them. Because they finches have to stay in the cage, the kids don't get to hold or touch. The kids do occasionally poor their seed in for me or change the water, but that's it. 4th graders need to touch and feel and handle - otherwise you loose their attention. Sooo, the birds were super cool for a while, but now they are a bit "old hat".

  - Feathers! My female is losing feathers and I can't figure out why! There is nothing wrong with her that the vet can tell, so it is probably just stress. I would be stressed too if I was constantly in a cage with two males and surrounded by 4th graders ... so, go figure. It could also be that she is wanting to breed and pulling out her feathers to try to build a nest. If that is the reason, she isn't doing a very good job since her feathers end up all over everything and not at all looking like a nest .... a good bird owner would probably give her a nesting box and nesting material to see if that works, but I am not ready to handle baby birds in a 4th grade classroom ... another reason to send them to live in a new home!

  Long story short, with a move coming up, feeling mean about not being able to help the female, the kids not caring tooo much about the birds, the dislike I have for cleaning their cage ... the con's simply outweigh the pro's. So, off to a new home they will *hopefully* go - sooner rather than later!

    Next year I'll be, once again, on the search for the perfect class pet! Because animals really are important for kids!!

                           ................you have any brilliant ideas?!?!

Comma, Comma, Comma

Comma's are boring. Okay, so I might love them a lot (to the point where I fight the urge to overuse them!). They let me list lots and lots of things (and I dddooo love to make lists!). They tell me when a good spot to breath is when I'm reading or singing. Lots of great things about commas!

But when you are a 4th grader who struggles with reading and writing, commas are boring. Scary, even!

White boards, however, are neither boring or scary. They are actually quite a lot of fun!

Enter: Comma boards!!

Nothing all that special - just giant construction paper commas that are laminated so kids can write on them with dry-erase markers! Awesomeness in comma form. =). 

I made a simple, quick power point complete with "quiz questions" about commas - we will play it as a game. Kids will write their answer choice on their comma board and hold it up on the count of three. Whoever gets it right will get a point - person/people with the most points at the end will win (a round of applause and maybe a piece of candy!). Short. Sweet. Simple. Better than just lecturing on commas for sure! Then, a quick 5 question quiz to make sure we got the jest of commas! :)

                                            Enjoy - Power Point and Comma Quiz

Ready or Not...

...here we go!

I'm ready. I'm also very much not.

I'm ready to get back in routine. I am NOT ready to get out of the bed early each morning.

I'm ready to see my kiddos. I am NOT ready to have a bajillion inside recesses with them (so, I'm gonna need it to warm up soon. Not a lot, just so the wind chill is above 20 degrees or so).

I'm ready to buy a house. I'm NOT ready to spend that much money (and commit to a loan!).

I'm ready to move. I'm NOT ready to move in the middle of teaching ... we have great timing. =(.

I'm ready for Zumba with some awesome ladies! I'm NOT ready for how sore I will be in the morning.

I'm ready to lose weight (my goal is 30 lbs by June 14th when we go on a family vacation -- I'll be using exercise and myfitnesspal.com! check it out!). I'm NOT ready to exercise ... or watch what I eat. I like food. I LOVE pizza. A lot. =(.

I'm ready to start a new year. I'm NOT ready for how fast time is going!

I'm ready to go teach again ... I'm just not ready to wake up tomorrow. :)

Are YOU ready ... or not?

Action Plan

I am a fixer. A doer. If there is a complete opposite of "procrastinator", that's me. (well, usually).

Tonight was one of those gotta do something RIGHT NOW kinda nights.

I think I am more stressed about going back to school than I was about going to school in the first place. Perhaps that is because I actually know what I'm getting in to this time....

Mostly it's because of this:

Okay, you probably can't really tell this ... but it's number 7 on my lovely "suggested unit plan" activity list. Animal research project. I'm all for a good research project. I get it, informative essay, lots of research experience, use of graphic organizer, outlines, typing practice ... lots of good stuff. We're even planning a persuasive element (convince someone to take your animal into a zoo! Build a sample zoo exhibit) you know, get some hands on, fun stuff in. 'Cause we're awesome like that.

I'm excited. Really. But I'm also mildly freaking out. HOW ON EARTH am I supposed to squeeze a 6 paragraph informative essay out of my kiddos? Let alone all the research it will take? And the final product? Typing? EEEEKKK. 

So, my night turned in to this:

Yup. Last Saturday night of break. School stuff spread all over my couch. And coffee table. And lap. and keyboard (yes, it was laying on top of my hands while I typed). I had to process! And sometimes "doing" is the only way I can process. 

Sooo, end of the night (already past my bed time) we have: 1 awesome set of graphic organizers (that I will post once I get them all pretty looking) each one centering around 1 question that will turn into 1 paragraph of the essay (4 questions = 4 paragraphs + intro and conclusion = 6 paragraph essay. BAM). We have 1 outline typed up (where kids can fill in their bullet points) and 1 plan to attempt to do this in ability groups (so I can offer as much guidance as needed while still providing those who can be more independent the opportunity to do so).

No guarantees it will go smoothly (okay, actually, I know it won't go "smoothly"). But, hey, having a plan that I can tweak as needed is way, WAY better than not having a plan at all! =). 

What a way to spend a Saturday night ... and I didn't mind a bit :).

Hope you're enjoying the last weekend of my break, too!

Break!

I always think when I get a break I will write more. I will think more. I will sit at my computer more.

Ha! Jokes on me!

I did sit in the hospital more. Rob's mom had some high blood pressure and high sugar issues that she spent a couple of days in the hospital getting checked out. All is well now and the numbers are being controlled (or at least closer to controlled) by new medicines which is splendid. But what a way to start a break! Whoo!

I did eat more. Like lots more. Woops! Guess January will need to bring a better diet and hopefully an exercise plan my way!

I did pack more. We plan on closing on our house on Jan 18th and moving at the end of January, so I wanted to get as much packing as possible done while I was on break. Which is great ... except for the 2 rooms of my house that are now filled with boxes. I like a clean, organized, not cluttered house ... this move can't get here soon enough!

I have loved more. Nothing makes me happier than time with family (young and old). 

My Great Uncle and Grandpa have always been exactly the same my entire life. They would jump over fences while working the cattle, lay in the floor to play with the grandkids ... I don't think they changed a bit for the first 18 years of my life! Then, suddenly, I realized how frail they are! Grandpa was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease and it has really taken a toll on him. Uncle Jim is really showing his age. It really makes you cherish every day with them!

Same, Rebecca, and Isaac needed a 4th for an intense game of laser tag. They quickly found out I am out of shape and probably don't make the best team member ... but we had a lot of fun anyway! (the head gear was really painfully tight on me!)

We also played some great games with cousins I don't get to see nearly enough! Trying to open a present with oven mits on? Priceless!!

So ... I could talk about everything way, WAY more. I could write you pages and pages. But honestly, I have more packing to do. And a house that needs cleaned. 

And I should probably at least THINK about school again between now and the first day back ... a day that I am not, nor will I be, ready for by the way!

So, here we go - the last few days of break. Hope you had a Merry Christmas -- and hope you have a wonderfully Happy New Year! :)

Unexplainable

Disclaimer: Please excuse the following ramble. I have a lot of thoughts and I need to get them out. But they have not been properly chewed on and digested and therefore will not come out eloquently. Bear with me.


Unexplainable things happen. Sometimes they are good. Often, like today, they are terrible. Unjustifiable. Incomprehensible. Unexplainable.

But, it is human nature to try to explain, to attempt to justify. So, in the next several weeks we (the media) will speculate. We'll discuss which video games the shooter liked. We'll talk about his childhood. We'll scrutinize every movie he ever watched. We'll hear and participate in heated debates over gun laws and availability. We will try to understand. We will try to justify.

Perhaps there is no justification. Perhaps it is impossible to understand. We might be better off to quit justifying. Quit trying to understand. Stop arguing about laws. Stop placing blame. Just stop. And pray. Pray a lot.

There is evil in our world. It is alive and active. It always has been and always will be. Sometimes we manage to close our eyes, plug our ears, and pretend it doesn't exist, but it always does. It isn't new - remember Noah? He built an arc to escape (with animals and his family) from a flood sent by God. A flood that destroyed the world and all on it. Why? Because "He saw the wickedness of the human race and that every inclination of the human heart was only evil continually" (paraphrase of Genesis 6:5). Evil has been here on earth - and, unfortunately, it isn't going anywhere. Evil isn't something one can explain away or justify or understand. It is just terrible, sad, evil. We cannot explain it away.

So what does that mean for us?

It means we need to stop forgetting that Satan is here and working hard. We need to be awake to that fact all the time, not just when a horrendous tragedy strikes. It also means we need to embrace the good in the world -- and, we need to BE the good in the world. Draw near to God. Live to please Him.

The thing about the evil in our world? We can't hide from it. We can't shelter our children from it. We can be "preventative", and I of course believe we should, but even preventions fail more often than we like. As long as there is evil in the world (which there always will be), there will always be people who are affected by it.

So, why are we all not becoming hermits? Why am I not quitting my job, holing up with my husband, and begging my mom to pull my little brother out of school? (because, lets be honest - there is definitely a moment or 10 when that is the gut reaction after such news). Well, have you heard the song "Safe in the Arms of Jesus"? I love that song.

The lyrics have been in my head all afternoon. "Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast; There by His love o'ershadaded, sweetly my soul shall rest". There is one place evil cannot touch me - even when it hurts me physically. My soul is safe with Him. He can look out better for my family and friends way better than I can. He can take all of those innocent children to Heaven. He can provide comfort for their families. I can't. He can.

We cannot hide forever. We cannot hole up. We cannot build walls between us and the world. For one thing, evil will find us regardless. For another, if we are so busy hiding, how do we expect to spread His word? Be an example? In Bible class we used to sing the song "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine, this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, all the time, let it shine". One verse says "Hide it under a bush? Oh no! I'm gonna let it shine" another says "I won't let Satan 'whoo' it out, I'm gonna let it shine..." Are we willing to let our light shine? Are we faithful enough, confident enough, not in our own ability to prevent, protect, and hide from danger but rather in His ability to take care of us, to face the world (and all the evil it holds)?

What a test of faith. To get up tomorrow. To go back to work, to school. (Personally for me, to think "What if that happened in MY school? Would I be able to handle myself? Do I what I needed to do? Go back to work ever?") To face the world each day. To allow our loved ones, our children, to face the world each day. Trusting Him is really our only option.

We cannot hide. We cannot necessarily protect those we'd like to protect. But we can know that our souls are safe. We can be prepared to face anything and everything with His help. We can help prepare our loved ones and our children - we can teach them what they need to know to be safe in His arms.

So hug your kids. Tight. Hug your spouse. Hug your (our your kids) teacher (they probably need it today). And then pray. A LOT. Be confused. Be sad. Be angry. And then pray. A lot more. Be frustrated. Talk about it. Think about it. And then pray more. And then get up. Dust yourself off. Go to work, to school. Let your families face the world with you. Love each other. Pray together. Pray for the effected families. Pray for your family. Pray for peace. Pray for calmness. And give up your feeling of control. Give up on the fact that you can protect ... and then lean on God a whole lot harder.  Because you, I, PEOPLE can't. But GOD can. And He will.

And for goodness sakes, read the Bible. Get to know God. Live to please Him. He is the only true security we can have in the world.

*My thoughts and prayers go out to each child whose innocence has suffered (Those killed in Connecticut by gun and those killed in China by sword alike). Each family who cannot yet see how to survive. To a community that is hurting. To a school that is devastated and cannot yest see how to rebuild. To people who are facing what no one should have to face. To everyone who is scared. To everyone that is hurting. I am heartbroken. I am praying.

It's the most wonderful time...

It started with some fun Christmas pictures my wonderful momma insisted on...

There was "writing in snow" (shaving cream) instead of on paper to practice our spelling words at school - and a early Christmas present of an Elf on the Shelf

A wonderfully fun Christmas show (that I didn't get nearly enough pictures of because it was dark!) the kids (and I!) loved it!

A Saturday filled with a 6th grade basketball tournament, hanging out with my sweet friend and her adorable family

And tonight, a winter choir concert (middle school)

Tomorrow my roommate from college is coming to see me on her way home for the holidays and I couldn't be more excited! =).

Sooo, here we go with the holiday season! If my (slightly spastic due to the time of year) class can make it through 6 more days of school, we will be good to go!! Hope your holiday season is off to a great start as well! =)