Thursday, October 28, 2010

1, 2, 3, 4

A lot of people say that counting to ten helps you to think clearly before you act.

I had to do that a lot in the last 24 hours.

It's complicated and there are curse words involved (on a students part).

But as usual Kristine (of blog stalking fame) came through with a thoughtful heart and a witty reply.


Here is the video she sent to brighten my day - I hope it does the same for you!



Thanks Sesame Street for always knowing the right thing to say!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

oh this little car of mine

I am surrounded by good people.

Today a dear friend of mine and I drove over to get some Starbucks - and on getting back to school and getting out of the car noticed that there was a river of green coolant coming from the car.

There had been a small slow week that has been there for about a month. (Yes I know that i should have taken care of it - but time and money put it at bay).

So I'm very lucky that my dear friend got on the phone with her husband. I got on the phone with my dad. And within 10 minutes - AAA was on it's way.

My dad showed up and about 15 minutes after that the tow truck showed up.

While we were waiting about 7 different staff members asked to make sure everything was okay - and that help was on the way.

I love that I work at a place where people truly care about one another!

It made my Wednesday - even though my car doesn't work.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

ummmm really

I had a parent tell me this week.

That the reason their child doesn't turn in homework is because:

"Homework bores the hell out of him."

My Response:

"I don't assign homework to 'bore the hell' out of students - I do it so that the standards are covered and they are prepared for the next lesson."


Is that really what parents think is an okay statement to make to a teacher.

wow.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Please tell me that was a spelling error...

And not you really thinking that's how you spell Role Model.

I was helping a student look over their research paper and I came across this little jem.


Ro-models are very important in society.

I point it out to the student and he starts laughing, I start laughing. The class looks over at the two of us who are laughing so hard that I'm crying. Ask what's going on - I take a deep breath and share the spelling of Ro-models. The class laughs.

It was a great Friday.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Problem Solving

Here was a Dad's solution to his kids water bottle exploding in a backpack.


The student was worried that their book would not dry in time for me to grade their annotations. So freaking out - the kid asked their dad what to do. The dad suggested that they put it in the microwave. Well the sticker, that the book store put in to make sure no one steals the book, was still attached to the inside cover. That sticker has metal in it. So when they put it in and turned it on the book set on fire.

Mom was not home at the time of this event.

-happy ending - The student did get full credit for their work. They had awesome annotations.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

This is the FBI

True Story:

Talking to my dad on the cell phone about going down to the car show today.
House phone rings.

"Hello"
"Yes your husband told me to call you this is Mark from the FBI"
"Ummmm who are you looking for"
"Yes, Your husband told me to call you - I don't have his name here in front of me"
"Ummm this is the Parsons' residence"*
"Oh I might have the wrong number - do you know anything about a kidnapping?"
"No - you have the wrong number"
"Sorry to bother you." - Hangs up.

So was this a prank call? Or is there some random family out there waiting to hear from the FBI about a kidnapping. I don't think that's something to joke about - and not on a Saturday morning at 10am.

On a lighter note - we are going down to the car show with my dad and having dinner with the parentals later tonight when mom gets home from her job at the yarn shop.

*We went over to a friends house last night - so I know where my husband was and we were not in the presence of the FBI, just a bunch of math teachers**. So I have to addmit that I was a little worried for a second about say my name - but I figured there are a lot of Parsons out there.

**As an English teacher - hanging out with 6 math teachers was a bit daunting - but we had a blast. Who knew math teachers were so wild and crazy! I sure didn't.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

yes that's due today

Why is it that students love to have 'no clue' when assignments are due?

I write it on the board - say it out loud - post it on my website - should I call home too?

I know that it is important to have it posted in multiple places because students don't really pay attention when I talk*. I also know that some students are visual learners and when they see it they remember it. I also encourage my students to write their homework down in their reminder binders.

Yes - you are in an advanced class
Yes - there are going to be multiple assignments due on the same day
Yes - I expect you to look over the website while you are absent
Yes - you still have to take the quiz today even though you were gone last class

No - I don't offer extra credit
No - you can't get an extension on that assignment
No - I'm not going to stop everything I'm doing and tell you what you missed while you were gone for a week and a half.

But - even with all of this I still love these crazy kids. They make me laugh even when they are being insane - I had a kid searching through his back pack today looking for his grade check for band. The girl next to him turns and looks at him and says "You are a hot mess!" I echoed that statment - the kids laughed, I laughed, it was a good moment. The kid couldn't find his grade check. He has a 90% in the class - but is a little scatterbrained.

It's all about balance - and one of those things is turning your work in on time.

*it must be because what I'm saying isn't important (please note the sarcasm)

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Oprah and Martha

As we all know - I like Oprah.

Today two worlds collided - Oprah had on Martha Stewart.

The queen of talk meets the queen of crafts. I was in heaven.

All of my life I have loved crafts. I scrapbook and make cards and am always thinking of projects I could take on. I also like to read craft blogs. If you have not gone to check out Creation Corner then you need to. Tasha is amazing and will help you link up with other amazing craft blogs and show you projects that even the anti crafter can take on.

I grew up with Martha - I was the kid who would watch a Martha show and look at and decide - I'm going to make that. One of my favorite projects was a Christmas topiary - you take a foam ball and then a bag of fresh cranberries - and tooth picks cut in half. Pierce each cranberry with the toothpick then push the cranberry into the foam ball. You can display it by using a wooden dowel and pushing that into the foam ball as well - then place it into a container of your choice. It kinda looks like this when you are done -



oceanspray.com also has great directions on how to make your holiday shine a little brighter.

I look forward to the fall holiday season kicking off. I love the thought of sitting around and thinking of things I can make to make the house a little more holiday-tastic and what fun treats I can make for my friends.
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