Spring time

This beautiful creation is from Martha Stewart.com - I have loved everything she does from the time I was a little girl. I would sit and look through copies of Martha Stewart Living for hours trying to figure out how I could make those different items.

I love spring-time. It means the start of the new year and flowers begin to make themselves known. It's also in part because my birthday is in April and I love my birthday. It's not because I like the prezzies (although that never hurts) but i like to be noticed. Shocking i know but i'm kinda an extrovert. My students are always making fun of me for it. I'm the person who would beg to be the host - put me in front of 3000 people and I'm good to go.

But back to spring time. I love the weather as well. i like the crisp mornings with dew on the grass, and the warm sun that begins to take the chill out of the air at around 9 or 10am. I like that living in temecula means that i get to see all of the hot air balloons on my drive to work.

As a teacher i love spring because it means i have two weeks off that begins April 3rd (i'm not counting the days hehehe). I also get to see the progress in my students because this is the time of year when juniors become focused and more mature. they can see the light at the end of the tunnel that is 'high school' and so they get focused and begin to care about the words that i'm saying.

This is also the time of the year when i get to celebrate my wedding anniversary. this will be 5 years!!! and I'm looking forward to so many more.

so spring time i'm ready for you - bring on the birds chirping - the bunnies jumping - and the warm days. I'm ready!

For my English peeps

If you are an English teacher - you know that there is a beast that looms over you. It is a monster that if left untouched can be even more harmful than when tackled head on. That monster lives in the heart of children - and it is called MLA. For those of you out there who do not need to worry about this 'thing' then you have no idea how scary this is to teach for the first time. I remember going home and wanting to cry.

It is the way we cite sources - and ultimatly format papers so that plagarism is left far far behind. For me I have come to love the beast. I know - I know I'm a freak of nature. I like teaching the research project. (please have me commited)

One of the ways that I have learned is to use a sample essay (a good one that was written by our AP english teacher). And today I tried out Human MLA. I printed out the different parts of citation onto a peice of paper - so that when put together they look like this (Smith et al. 98). - and I give students the pieces of cardstock - they go up to the front of the room and then have to make the citation in front of the class. - this is a very low risk activity, so even the timid kid in the back of the room can participate.

I am hoping that the kids will do well on the quiz that's at the end of the week. I'll keep you posted. I had fun and it looked like they did too. What a great day to be a teacher.

It's a jungle out there

So i just got back from a leadership conference. the theme was CADA-fari and it was AWESOME. i can't believe how much fun i had. And learned sooo much. There are so many things that i want to bring to my classroom. here are some of the ideas i plan on implementing when i get back to my room on Monday.

Vocabulary Jenga -

put numbers on the pieces and also words like - sentence - synonym - antonym

have students come up and pick a piece. if they pick a number they look at the board with all of the vocab words on the board and then give the definition for the corresponding number. next kid goes - and so on.

I'm going to _____ University -

Using a large piece of brown butcher paper cut our the shape of a suitcase. Laminate the piece of paper so that you can write directly on it (use whiteboard markers) write the words I'm going to ___ University and every month put in a new college. it's like a college spotlight. also put on the paper 5 fun facts about the university. when it's on the wall point it out to students to spotlight colleges and universities that might not always get the spotlight.

i'm looking forward to these new adventures!

it may not be much

but i love my sink in the downstairs bathroom.

when we were searching for houses back in August i always loved the homes with the pedestal sink. And now i have one!!

My Funny Valentine

An ode to the man i love:

B - bad breath in the morning but i love the way you always seem to steal a kiss

R - random phone calls just to say that you love me and are making sure i'm okay

E - everyday i see your face i fall more in love with you - especially when your eyes smile

N - never a day goes by that we don't have at least one GREAT hug

D - doesn't ever take himself too seriously - which i love

O - over my heels crazy insane in love with you

N - not one to ever miss a joke - you make me laugh so hard i have cried and maybe peed my pants a little

My husband and i have been together for 9 years - but only in person for the last 5. this love affair of mine is very important to me. the other day my friend Suzanne was talking to me about a conversation she was having with other friends. and how relationships and marriage is very different in 2009 - she was having trouble seeing how some of these 19 year olds get married and then divorced a year or so later because it was just "too hard".

then she gave me a great complement. she said that she saw brendon and i as an example of how a young marriage can work. it made me smile a very heart happy smile. Brendon and i have gone through quiet a bit (to say the least) to get to this point. and so now everyday i cherish the gift of marriage with this funny valentine of mine.

For the day of feb 14th we did a few things around the house. i planted some bulbs that i got from my grandma's house. bren mowed the lawn. we put the wonderful costco lasagna in the oven and watched a movie on the couch. it was a lazy day around the house. but i love a good cuddle on the couch.

overall a wonderful day with a wonderful hubby!

Hey Brotha!

My brother Evan and I are four years apart. I can remember the night he was born. It rained and rained and rained some more. I was staying at my grandma's house while my parents went to the hospital. I don't remember much about life before Evan - he has brought a very alive spirit to my family.

I can remember that while we were growing up my mom had given us toys for both genders - Evan had a doll and I had toy cars. Evan took of their heads and used them as bombs : ) - while I used the cars to drive my dollies to the store. My mom didn't let us have toys that had anything to do with violence (something I very much believe in) and Evan felt that he was missing out - so he took a piece of cheddar cheese and bit pieces out to shape it into a gun. He has always been all boy. Not only this but he has been a ladies man his whole life. His first love was a girl named Amy - he came home from preschool and was so tired from the day that he fell asleep - as he drifted off he called her name Amy Amy Amy. We joke that this is in part because he was born on Valentines day.

Once Evan went to school and the children were learning about dates and birthdays - Evan said his was on Valentines and the teacher scolded him because he didn't say February 14th. That woman was a mental case anyway.

He has a tender heart that brother of mine. He has always been able to empithize with those around him. He has the ability to see someone and take their life into his mind and ponder what it would be like to be them. I admire this very much about him.

He is also a jokester. We spent our youth with smiles on our faces. Much of the time it is due to the jokes that he makes.

So as he begins his 23rd year of life I say Happy Birthday Brother of Mine! Cheers to so many more.

An Open Door

has a way of opening peoples minds. This is the door to my classroom. This is the door that opens up the books of years past. This is the door that children beg to get into. This is the change that I wish to be in the world.

We have a teacher on campus that has this awesome machine that cuts out stickers of whatever you want it too. So I spent 10$ and got this quote. I thought about which one I would pick for a very long time. I wanted it to be something that I would see everyday and be glad. I wanted it to remind me of what I am doing and why I do it. There is something special that happens in room M114 and sometimes I can't really put my finger on it. - I have wanted to teach for a very long time - 4th or 5th grade is when I really knew it would be my path in life. And so when I got hired on as a 10th and 11th grade english teacher four years ago my dream came true.

I will never forget the very first day of school. I remember thinking "oh wow they are really letting me do this on my own." I remember fixing up my classroom and making sure that all of the goodies that I wanted to be in the right place were just so. And then the kiddos made their way into the room. I have learned a lot over my short 4 years of teaching - much of this coming from the 15, 16, and 17 year olds. My greatest hope is that they gleam something from me. I know that I cover the standards (and well I might add - my state test scores are always above the average) but i want to teach them to be better people once they walk out this door.

Having the ability to work with young people keeps my mind sharp. And it keeps me laughing.

As I enjoy this lovely 4 day weekend I am thankful that early on Tuesday morning I'll be able to walk through a door that reminds me to make a change in this world. Even if it's a small one.