Miscellaneous Missives

This is not our school and/or dog. As I was trying to talk to one of my classes today, I could tell one side of the room was concentrating on what was happening in the hall instead of me.  "Do I need to shut the door?" I questioned. "No," chorused the class as they continued focusing on the hall.  Of course, I walked to shut the door and looked into the hall to see what was of interest.  The drug dog was being lead down the hall. "When there are animals in the hall, you need to let me know," I informed. "They were..." started a couple of the students. "I know what they are and why they're here, but you need to let me know," I persisted.  "If it's a dog, a kangaroo..." "There's not going to be a kangaroo," one boy chimed for the back of the room. "Not with that attitude!"  I exclaimed. A couple of minutes later an administrator came and shut my door.  I went with him into the h...

Remember the little polar bear from Toronto?  He experienced snow for the first time. Conversation with 8th grade boy during after school reading program... S- Hey, what are you doing on Valentine's Day? M- Why? S- Well, I'm not like asking you to be my Valentine. M- No, I really didn't think that... S- We have a basketball game.  Will you come watch us?

Today is the fourth day of no school due to cold.  Many have been complaining about the " cold " days.  I, for one, wish I was in school too although I spent two hours at the gym this morning and loved it.  Since winter break, it's been difficult to teach.  It seems like we're seeing the kids every other day.  Tomorrow we will finish a two day summative exam (writing assignment) that I started on Friday (supposed to have been given Thursday/Friday). When we go back tomorrow (I hope), students will need mega-reminders before they finish the writing (summative exam).  Arghhh! The good news is I bought new boots this year (Sorel, Joan of Artic).  I really like them and think they are kinda stylish.  By stylish, I mean living in the tundra stylish...

This was the 34th University of Okoboji Winter Games .  Friday night three of us high school friends had dinner in preparation for the games.  For some reason, I've never really participated or been on the ice for winter games.  As we talked I discussed how I wish I was a bit more brave and would attempt the polar plunge.  As I stood on a snow bank (must have been in front of these people filming... same snow bank), I realized that I would never, ever, do this.  While I was wearing a winter coat, snow pants, my new Sorel boots and other layers, these people were waiting in line in a swimsuit to jump into a hole cut in the frozen lake.  Plus could I mention having all of those people watch me freeze and perhaps even take my picture.  My desire to do the polar plunge is completely gone. More Pictures on Facebook Saturday was a great day.  Since there wasn't enough snow for snowshoeing, we took the winter hike.  This was followed by choc...

"What will your verse be/" Dead Poets' Society Need to watch again "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute."  I love this new Apple ad.  It's positive.  This would make a great listening activity!  Woot!  Maybe geeking on the internet while icing and elevation is not a waste of time.

I typically pull this video out sometime during the winter to entertain. It is time to ice I'll be icing all the time Make the swelling leave Perhaps I picked the wrong theme/idea/goal for Sankalpa.  Some days it's difficult to be positive.  After attempting lunges last night, my ankle is once again swollen, and I'm in a bit of pain.  I set up a PT appointment for this afternoon.  It wasn't all negative.  A friend and colleague was kind enough to take my academic seminar, and the PT was able to alleviate some of the pain.  He did, however, send me with directives that were not to my liking.  Again, it's not all negative.  Since he realizes I'm going to snowshoe this weekend, he did give me directives to help me prepare for Saturday's snowshoeing.  In fact, I worked a little with positivity and his attitude today.  When he said that my ankle would be swollen and painful after snowshoeing, I helped him with his wording.  It may...

Who has a baby tiger in their living room? Play to the cat at 4:26.  Actually, the cat on 5:25 is cute too. It is super cold It's hard to be positive 'cuz it's so dang cold! Winter is a time for cute animal videos and sweatshirts.  I have a great idea to stay positive.  Implementation is going to start tomorrow.  Today I wore jeans and a t-shirt (with layers under) because the Twins' Caravan came to our school.  Of course, I didn't care enough to go to the gym to participate; I merely wanted to wear jeans.  Since it's a short week, my plan is to wear jeans and a sweatshirt tomorrow and Thursday.  Perhaps, on Friday I wear a skirt to mix it up since Friday is typically jeans and a sweatshirt day.  Wearing jeans and a sweatshirt will help me to stay positive.

LH commented ( Is your school at the point where work is submitted electronically? I wonder how that will impact grading, if at all. Ani safkranit. I'm curious.) All of the work I grade is submitted electronically, and I love it.  It's the most POSITIVE aspect of grading.  It allows me to make specific comments about writing on writing without it messing up the students' work.  Students can keep it in a folder, so they can continually look back at the comments.  I sent this summative assignment out to all of the students using Doctopus.  They write their paragraph and I am able to check their progress as well as make comments from start to finish.  Today, after I graded the assignment, I copied and pasted good examples into a new Google Doc and sent it out to them (with the option that they could not edit).  Tomorrow they can look at my comments as well as examples before they do the same assignment next week which will be summative (70% of grade)...

Martin Luther King A radical not a saint We need more like him Unfortunately, Martin Luther King Jr. was mistaken.  We still have many of the issues that he was trying to change.  I wish people would take today more seriously. This morning I woke up and went to the gym.  This was a positive move.  I went before my PT appointment (and the remainder of grading...), so I would make sure it get in my gym time.  Positive, I say.  Unfortunately, the guy on the treadmill (two away from mine) was talking aloud.  At first I thought he was crazy and couldn't help it.  Then, I realized he was learning Italian, which is great, but speaking your newly learned words aloud is like me singing aloud to my music (still on October mix), not appropriate. I moved (in attempt to stay positive) to another treadmill then to the recumbent bike.  When I was done working out, I found the same man talking aloud on his phone.  Although I couldn't hear the ...

I am positive It's National Popcorn Day Almost time to pop! Today is National Popcorn Day.  I read it online while I was working out at the gym.  Positivity is going well for me since it's 3:00, and I haven't started grading.

White blanket covers The world outside around me It looks beautiful When I looked out the window this morning, I literally said, "Wow!"  I knew it was going to snow, but I didn't know how much.  Plus the white blanket on everything was stunning.  My positivity might change in an hour when I head to the gym, but for now I"m loving looking out the window. My cat is sneezing I googled to get answers Instead I found this Actually, Kitty Klaus started sneezing after the contractor left, so I'm guessing it's because of the painting and sanding and...

Didn't ask for half caff It seems maybe I should have Yet I did survive I tried the treadmill Yep, ten minutes was enough Then old people bike As I did my ten minutes on the minutes on the treadmill, Ellen was on one of the televisions.  I never watch Ellen, but I knew I only had enough reading left for the recumbent bike. BTW, the PT might have been correct about only going four mph for ten minutes.  At least I was able to try.  I'll do ten minutes again tomorrow, but I'm POSITIVE that I'll do fifteen minutes on Sunday.  Anyway, Ellen showed this cat video and seemed to think it was hysterical.  I'm not quite sure, but it is kinda funny.

I'm sure you've seen this video, but it's always good to view it again. I've never seen this one before! A twelve hour day Conferences are finished Good interactions All of my conferences interactions were good except for the mute girl, the "gifted kid" that can't seem to capitalize correctly, and the spoiled rotten baby who's only having difficulties in my class.  It seems negative, but it's really positive.  My guess is 90% of the interactions were helpful and positive!

I went to PT I am progressing OK Get to try treadmill Drs don't trust me Think I do too much too soon They need to trust me Bought new orthotics My heel comes out of my shoe I do not like them Staying positive is not necessarily in my nature, but I think I've done pretty damn good for the first 14 entries.  My first haiku today is positive. Here's the real story: The PT was nice and knowledgable but seemed leery of my and my actions.  Maybe it was because when he said I could try the treadmill, I immediately asked how fast.  When he didn't answer as quickly as I had expected, I told him I could do three miles per hour in the boot on the walking track to give him an idea.  He said I could do four miles per hour, but I could only go for ten minutes and build up to twenty (let pain be your guide).  He also suggested orthotics, Superfeet , which I bought.  I tried to explain to the guy at the store and my PT that I have narrow heels, and I was...

Teaching can be fun Today was one of those days I can't help but smile First thing this morning a girl came up to me and said their was a swear word in the pages she read last night.  "The assignment I gave?"  I asked.  Her reply was in the affirmative.  "No there isn't.  I read it," I continued with authority, "Show me."  She turned to the page with the word, "bitch."  Oops!  I guess 1) I don't really consider it a swear word.  2)  I didn't notice it.  We had a great conversation about why it was OK in the book but perhaps it wasn't something you would say to someone. During my prep period, general music is in my room.  They were taking notes on The Sound of Music.  The teacher was explaining how the children sometimes played tricks on the governess.  One girl asked what she meant by tricks.  After a little conversation, it was clear the girl thought tricks as in prostitution tricks, not pranks.  Th...

Polar Bears are cute Otters are even cuter They are not for pets! The adorable baby polar bear came up (initiated by me) during my last class today.  Today was an introduction day, so everyone needed to be engaged.  I'm not really how I went from discussing literary elements to mentioning the baby polar bear video (Did you watch it?), but it happened.  "We don't have time to watch it, but it's adorable.  Go home and google baby polar bear Toronto,"  I exclaimed to the class.  Suddenly highlighters weren't used to highlight important information; they were used to write on arms and hands.  I felt a bit sad for those that might not have access to internet at home, so at the end of the hour, I took time to play the video.  Many ahhs echoed through my room.  As the video ended, many wanted to get the baby polar bear as a class pet.  Polar bears are not good pets. After school we had a long (really long!) staff meeting, and I shared t...

Saw Twelve Years a Slave Really don't know what to say My mind still reeling Brad Pitt's cameo and he also produced it I really love him Seriously, I don't go to movies.  When I realized Twelve Years a Slave was over two hours long, I started thinking of excuses even though it was my idea.  I knew nothing of this movie, which is based on a true story, until Friday.  It is more than a movie about slavery.  More importantly, it is a movie about moral decisions and perhaps the power of being educated, knowing...  Although the movie was long, and I had to cover my eyes multiple times, I'm a better person for attending.

"The juicy, precision sankalpa is the resolve, determination and good intention that resonates in your core and aligns sublimely with your essence." I only have ten Everyone has eleven I need to fix this My sankalpa is staying positive, and I think I'm doing a good job with this.  Unfortunately, my "essence" is sometimes that of a competitive spirit especially when it comes to a challenge.  I've been a bit frustrated the last couple of days because I am one post behind KC and LH .  Even though I know it's immature and narrow-minded, it's causing a less than positive reaction when I read others blogs.  Instead of being negative and feeling bad, I decided to catch up by posting two posts today.    Now, I feel more positive about this challenge. Plus, I feel positive about importing my books from LibraryThing into Goodreads.  I think it was a success.  To make it final, I even changed the widget on my blog page.  All of this after ...

Procrastinating It's hard to stay positive when I have to grade I need to grade the seventh grade fables, but I want to grade while I watch the undefeated Cyclone men's basketball team.  This is not a possibility since I don't get ESPNU, and it would be $50 a month to upgrade to get ESPNU.  Instead, I'm trying to stay positive and figure something else to watch while I grade.  Last night I watched a show on NBC about the Golden Globe nominees including Brad Pitt and Justin Timberlake.  If Twelve Years a Slave was available to me in my living room I would watch it.  I would even watch Inside Llewyn Davis if it was available to me in my living room.  Maybe watching Evolution of Endzone Dance will motivate me. Perhaps I need to add a video to each Haiku for the remainder of Sankalpa, anything to keep me positive.

Polar Bears are cute White, furry, but not cuddly Check out this baby! This week's theme for journals was polar bears.  I chose it because it was mindless, and mindless is good the week after break.  The poem choice was "Bear in There by Shel Silverstein."  A picture of a bear with a curious look reaching out for the camera made up the quick write.  The story Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear was supposed to be the listening activity (cut due to snow day).  Finally another picture of three polar bears walking on ice near a submarine that was coming out of the water was the Perceive picture.  Tonight while watching the news I came across the baby polar bear video.  Dang!  It would have been perfect for this week's journal.  It, however, is adorable, and I've watched it three times. How does this fit with staying positive?  Did you see the video?!

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/09/world/asia/north-korea-dennis-rodman-apology/ The after school program Focuses on reading news Thanks Dennis Rodman I feel that this haiku needs a little more explanation yet not a lot.  After having two weeks and two days off from school, the eighth graders in my ALC program are struggling to remember what it's like to focus.  Yesterday they emptied out their Feedly accounts, so they could start with new articles.  Since everyone is a little hyped up after the long vacation and with a short week, today I focused on one event in the news, Dennis Rodman.  We started with a Wikipedia article summing up his basketball career.  This was followed by some pictures of Rodman, including the wonderful wedding dress.  To give some background information to the latest escapades, we read an article from his first trip to North Korea las year and discussed North Korea.  Next, I played two clips, his rant on CNN and his wonderf...

Back in a routine Off the couch feels good Two more work days left My posts are haikus This means I must do better With my pictures Staying positive Helps me to see the bright things Appear as pennies

One more day at home I need to get out of here off to the gym and PT Lesson plans are changed I think it will all work out but NO more days off! Staying positive while on break I've read eight books plus I ditched the boot.

I'm staying inside Going to the gym seems dumb  Exercise use stairs Staying positive And letting go of Christmas The twelve days have passed

Yesterday I was reading on my iPad and checking Twitter.  A tweet announced that former mayor R.T. Ryback had a massive heart attack.  Next, R.T. Ryback tweeted, "My cardiac surprise/Gave me quite a start/ But it proves this politician/ has a great big heart.  He's been tweeting this little poems lately.  Tweets from Christmas warned of snow emergencies and thanked city employees.             "Spend time with family/ laugh lots and dine/ but it's a snow emergency/              so move your car by 9"             "Between festive food/And your whiskey sours/              Thank the city employees/ Who spend Christmas as plowers" I'm glad that RT will continue public service with Dayton (I think I heard this...), and I'm thrilled that he will continue a presence on Twitter.  Who has a massive heart attack then tweets a poem? ...

The secret ingredient is being able to let go. There is no doubt that we create with our intention, our  Sankalpa . Breathing our heartfelt intention, our  Sankalpa , through a clear space within enables us to resonate our humbly felt intentions through the Universe. And when we project from this quiet place, without grabbing, reaching or inability to let go, the Universe responds the most effectively to allow our Sankalpa to begin to manifest in our inner and outer world. LH said sankalpa also has something to do with getting rid of stuff.  Although I couldn't find anything on getting rid of physical stuff, I found the above information about letting go.  The problem is it also talks about not grabbing or reaching.  The ankle thing has made it difficult for me to live in the present.  I want to know when I can resume normal activities, when I can get back to my RIPPED class, when I can get back on the treadmill and off the recumbent bike.  Instea...

I understand if you don't believe what I'm about to say, but it's completely true.  This morning I woke up with trepidation about the weather.  I told myself I was going to skip the gym if it was below zero.  Even though the windchill was -17º, the temperature was 2º, so I headed to the gym.  While I was at the gym, I thought more about sankalpa.  Not being concerned about the weather and going to the gym felt good.  Normally, I think of myself as a realist (not half full or half empty just equal parts of each).  Today I decided that maybe I needed to be a bit more half full, optimistic, hopeful.  I started thinking about what I still wanted to accomplish this weekend and thought about 1996 when school was canceled because it was too cold.  Was a crazy to be hopeful about it happening again? I sat down to post my Day 2 Sankalpa about being hopeful for a day off on Monday.  First, I checked google to find out what year we had schoo...

Sooooo... A new blog challenge has arisen, but I don't think I'll be able to participate because I'm not really sure I get it.  My true essence, however, is to be obsessed with a challenge.  Today I did some research about sankalpa.  Kalpa means vow or "the rule to be followed above all other rules.  San, is "a connection with the highest truth."  Basically, by following Sankalpa, it's making a vow to follow the highest truth, whatever that may be.  What's my highest truth?  My highest truth is that I'm not that bright, but I make up for it in tenacity.  My highest truth, true nature is, "Fake it till you make it." Maybe I'm in. Maybe I'm not. I also have product information.  When I was buying Christmas presents, I added a couple of these to gift boxes and bought one for myself.  This burst cost $4,50.  It's a crazy amount of money to spend for this item.  Since I'd been saving mine for a day when I was going to ...

Christmas card recapped the year... Lines Written in the Days of Growing Darkness by Mary Oliver Every year we have been witness to it: how the world descends into a rich mash, in order that it may resume. And therefore who would cry out to the petals on the ground to stay, knowing as we must, how the vivacity of what was is married to the vitality of what will be? I don't say it's easy, but what else will do if the love one claims to have for the world be true? So let us go on, cheerfully enough, this and every crisping day, though the sun be swinging east, and the ponds be cold and black, and the sweets of the year be doomed. My Year in Review January- Winning a prize for 25 times at YWCA, prayer/yoga retreat "Living on the Threshold" and learning to knit (kind of) February- Recap Blog Challenge and Lenten Blog Challenge.... absolutely nothing happened in February... I'll guess it was cold and miserable... March- Spring Break in Puerto Vallarta Ap...