Acquaintances, revisted

(Don't ask how I spelled acquaintance the first three times I tried . I am not the best speller in the world)

I was at a Title I conference yesterday and today. Here we visited sessions on how to improve our lowest performing students among other things.

BUT the sessions are not what this blog is about. There were teachers there from all over west tn. I saw two people who went to the same college I did. One was in almost every one of my eductation classes and is now a Supervisor of Instruction (more power to her, I have no desire to be in administration)

I also saw several teachers from my very first teaching job. Let me start at the beginning of this journey...
I student taught in first and 7th/8th grades in Henderson County (interesting tidbit- I NEVER wanted to teach middle school, now I love it!) After student teaching, I went all summer with no word on a job. I got a call from Perry Co schools to teach 2nd grade TWO DAYS before school started (I also got two other calls that same day). I found out the supervisor from my student teaching job put in a good word for me and that helped me get the job.

I liked teaching second grade, but it was so far from where I grew up and we were lonely there. After waiting until the last legal minute, the school board decided not to rehire any of their non tenured teachers so Mark and I moved back to my hometown, no jobs lined up. (I was hired at my current job soon after)

Flash forward to yesterday (or is that still a flash back?)
I saw several women that I recognized from Linden Elementary at the conference. I sat with them at one of the sessions and we chatted a little. I asked about some of the kids I had that year (they graduated last May!) One little girl I had named Jocelyn was someone I always wondered about. I found out she didnt graduate high school. this makes me sad.

I also saw the woman who was my mentor teacher that first year. I was so surprised! She is now the reading specialist at her school.

And I saw the woman who helped me get my first job. She was the speaker at the banquet last night. I never had the chance to thank her so I talked with her after it was over.

I am so glad that I got to go to the conference because I got to see so many people that I had lost contact with.

Im glad I am home now. Like a goof, I didnt take my laptop and I was starting to go through withdrawls...

This is what happens when I’m out of shape...

yesterday was our 7th grade field trip. We went bowling. I love bowling, but I haven't been in three years. the last time was when i taught 5th grade...

so I bowled yesterday and today I am paying for it. The muscles in my legs and backside are so sore! And I have either twisted my knees or just really worked those muscles too because the back of my knees scream at me every time i take a step after sitting for a while....

Today i took some students to a math contest and wore uncomfortable shoes that have rubbed blisters on my feet.

Tomorrow i have to walk a parade route with the band.....

shoot me now please......

EDWARD SPEAKS! (A new twilight video from MTV)

CK! ACK! ACCCCCCCCCCK!

just watch:
Go here:http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1585900&vid=226476 to watch the awesomeness.

or just watch it here


then go read the MTV blog about it here:

a lil humor at my expense

I am posting this because I know you all could use a good chuckle. Please read this all the way through before watching. You have to know the background.

I went to a small, private university in West TN called Freed Hardeman University. (Not that it's important but-It's a church of Christ school, I am no longer a member of that church.)
We did not have fraternities or sororities, but we had co-ed social clubs. I was in Alpha Tau Lambda. Every year the school had something called Makin' Music. They used this as a recruiting tool as well as a fundraiser. During this, the social clubs took songs and changed the lyrics to fit a 6-ish minute show. We practiced for weeks working on our songs and "choreography" (since the churches of Christ don't believe in dancing). We also had students who served as Hosts and Hostesses who sang numbers between club shows (it always reminds me of Makin Music when American idol has the contestants sing some medley all together)

Anyway, this video is from my FRESHMAN year in 1993 (please don't mention that was fifteen years ago!)

See if you can find me.

Here is our take on Romeo and Juliet. (we won first place in lyrics this year.)



Then the following year (that'd be 1994 for those of you keeping up), I was one of the directors of our show. I don't plan to upload this video but here's a group foto.....again, see if you can spot me!



A trip down memory lane......don't laugh too hard.

OMG! I cant wait til December!

GO WATCH THIS
An MTV clip from Twilight. HOLY CRAP! I'm even more excited now!

They're gone.....

I ate the last handful of my JOLLY RANCHER jelly beans today... One of my students gave me a couple mini bags (they have maybe 10 beans in them) and Debra and Amber had a regular bag left over from a pre school activity so I was able to extend my habit a couple more weeks.

but
now
they
are
gone



sigh...



on a different, yet equally annoying, note: I heard of an adult at my school who said about the Twilight books- "Those have vampires in them, they should be banned." AND "I hope they don't lead kids to do things like the Harry Potter books did'"


EXCUSE ME?!?
Luckily I wasnt in the room when she said this (I heard it second-hand, so it *might* be a misquote....but I *doubt* it)
Had *I* been in there I *would* have asked her what, exactly, that the Harry Potter books have caused kids to do (other than *read*) cuz, ya know, I *really* don't care if someone thinks less of me for challenging these kinds of statements.
(Ok, I'm done with the **s now)

Some people live itheir lives with such huge blinders on.

Tags and threes

It’s survey time....and I was tagged. So, I’ll combine them and tell you things about me that you’ve been DYING to know

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1.childofthe80s
2. sandilu
3. virtualpaperdoll

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. my eyes
2. my hair, when it behaves (stealing someone’s answer here)
3. my abnormally long fingers

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. my thighs
2. my huge feet
3. the fact that I am apparently some odd size bc finding clothes is nearly impossible

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. spiders
2. needles
3. idiots on the roads

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. lip balm
2. cell phone
3. mascara

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING NOW:
1. sweatpants
2. t shirt
3. sox

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS:
1. Justin Timberlake!
2. Rhianna
3. Cast of Rent

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS (RIGHT NOW):
1. FutureSex/LoveSounds-Justin
2. Don’t Stop the Music-Rhianna
3. Will I? -Cast of Rent

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. love
2. loyalty
3. laughter

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE PREFERRED SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1. eyes
2. smile
3. arms

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. reading
2. computing
3. scrapbooking

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Go to NYC
2. eat ice cream
3. write a book

THREE CAREERS YOU’RE CONSIDERING/YOU’VE CONSIDERED:
1. physical therapist
2. actor
3. teacher (I always knew I’d be one)

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. NYC
2. England
3. Hawaii

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:
1. I can be a drama queen
2. I love makeup (especially the eyes)
3. I HATE getting my hands dirty (so much so that I put lotion on the backs of my hands only and rub them together)

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. I can be quite the slob
2. I can be aggressive I need to be
3. I love watching football (especially high school football)

Book list update

March

(pretend the titles are in italics)

The Anaedor Chronicles- Prophecies~ Kristina Schram
Define Normal ~ Julie Anne Peters
Twilight ~ Stephenie Meyer (had to get my fix)
Someone Like You ~ Sarah Dessen
Physik- Septimus Heap book 3 ~ Angie Sage

January & February:

*The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman
*How to Hook a Hottie by Tina Ferraro
*Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen
*Son of the Stone~ River of Doors by Wesley Stein
*Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
*Pendragon Book 7: Quillan Games by DJ MacHale
*Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
*The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe by CS Lewis (read with class)
*Screwtape: A Play Based on the book by C.S. Lewis, "The Screwtape Letters" byJames Forsyth
*The Shack by William P Young