Dewey's Books Challenge

Recently the author of The Hidden Side of a Leaf passed away. In the book blogisphere all roads lead to Dewey, so fittingly a book challenge has been created in her honor.

I'm going with option #2 and my list of titles for this challenge includes the following:

1. Three Incestuous Sisters by Audrey Niffenegger
2. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
3. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
4. A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005 by Annie Lieboviitz
5. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Alternates
1. The Splendor of Silence by Indra Sandaresan
2. Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

20 in 2009 Book Challenge Progress Page

Yes, I'm signing up for book challenges again. I have only successfully completed one, but trying is the "funniest" part. I will post my progress on the 20 Books in 2009 challenge on this post.

1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
2. For Everyone from Beginner to Pro: Bobbie Brown Makeup Manual by Bobbie Brown
3. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
4. Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

2009 Audiobook Challenge

I will post the audiobooks I listen to for this challenge here.

Hooray!

© FreeFoto.com


Hooray! Christmas break is finally here! My plans:

hiking
reading
journaling
cleaning
sleeping
sleeping
and lest I forget...sleeping!

Friday 56

I came across the game below at Discussion Forum - Book Blogs

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Okay, I know it seems like I made this up, but I really was standing by my Bible when I read came across this game. It was the closest book.

Here's the line from page 56, 5th sentence:

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors."

I value all of my accomplishments, but it seems the ones I make as I grow older bring me the greatest pleasure because I have a clearer understanding of just how precious opportunities are and am able to take more pleasure in the preparation and hard work needed to seize one.

As promised here's the link to the person who started this game:

http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/2008/12/fruday-56-121208.html

Your turn!

Should Have Seen This Coming

(Picture by Steve Cole/Getty Images)

What happens when a teacher begins to experience burnout and no one intervenes. Each proceeding year is worse than the one before it. Far too often, we wait until he or she becomes "one of those teachers". Who is really at fault then?

2009: The Year of Possiblilities

This is the year that I take the next step and let down some of the fences (okay, okay...walls) that I live behind.

I am watching The Lake House. It reminds me of The Time Traveler's Wife. In each case, the couple could safely work through the rough parts of relationship without any risk of heartbreak. Real life is fraught with risks, but the good parts (smiles , laughter, love, etc...) are worth it.

Perhaps this should have been an email to a specific person, but I think it has a message everyone needs to hear from time to time.

Too Funny

It occurred to me today that I have not had a massage, facial, get away, or done much of anything since school started, so I decided to stop by the spa and schedule an appointment. As a parked, I noticed one of those knock-off 99cent stores. I went in before going to the day spa next door. There was a clerk with a heavy African accent helping a customer at the register. I browsed for a moment and then took the merchandise I wanted to the counter only to discover myself completely alone in the store, locked in, and looking at the back of a sign that said, "We'll return in ten minutes."

I called my mother (DON'T SAY A WORD!). She made me call the police. (She was afraid the lady would panic and shoot me (?) when she returned. I figured she would just search my purse for stolen merchandise.) The whole thing ended with the clerk returning, laughing, covering her mouth, and unlocking the door as she apologized profusely.

I know we all have strange things that happen to us from time to time, but I doubt that anyone I know can top this one.

What a life!

I have been laughing all evening and yes, the police called ten minutes after I got out. They wanted to check on the situation before they dispatched a car!

Thanksgiving

A list of things I am thankful for:

1. my home
2. family
3. friends
3. a loving, forgiving savior
4. my overweight cat
5. a reliable car
6. a job
7.a clear, sane mind
8. books
9. books on cd/tape
10. sunrise
11. sunset
12. a good glass of wine
13. a lit fireplace
14. good neighbors
15. good health
16. a well told joke
17. a hearfelt, loving kiss
18. a lingering hug (from the person responsible for #17)
19. a long, leisurely stroll
20. a good play
21. a good meal
22. life
23. a walk on the beach


Menu for Thanksgiving (doing dinner with relatives, but this is for home):

Duck
Wild Rice
Green Bean Casserole
Dinner Rolls
Cranberry Sauce
Chardonny
Pecan Pie
Coffee

Proficiency

I thought I had posted this, but apparently, I typed it and never hit the publish button.

On Wednesday or Thursday of last week, the Yahoo Education: Word of the Day was proficient. It is defined as an advanced degree of competency. I understand that some tests are more challenging that others, but please explain how 65% accuracy on a state's standardized test is considered proficient. Don't tell me, let me guess - semantics. It just depends on how you define competency. Right?

Who knows, maybe "competency" will be tomorrows word.

Sacramento and Updates

Seal of California



inside the Capital Building





the view from our hotel room



cool sculpture near the convention center

I took a lot more photos and will post them when time permits.

****Updates******
I have always been a little timid about posting my views or comments about my job, especially when they pertain to things taking place at my school site or within my school district. Whether positive or negative, I always question the line between my first amendment rights and the privacy of others. For that reason, I rarely post about work. Recently one fellow blogger has been asked to "cease and desist" blogging about his role as an educator and another has been duly warned. All I can say is point made, point taken.

Mom's most recent chemo treatment was the most difficult so far. It has taken her a week to bounce back and begin regaining her energy. Thankfully, she only has one more treatment left.

I haven't done much reading lately, but I did listen to The Boleyn Inheritance on CD. It was a very well told story, and the use of three different reader made the audio that much more enjoyable. As always, Phillipa Gregory did an incredible job with the historical and fictional aspects of the story.

Sunday Morning Awe

Time for cleaning, grading, and planning. Apparently, I am not the only one who does these things on Sunday (see ms-teacher's post)

Here are a few updates while I'm online:

Mom is doing well. Her last treatment was postponed because of an allergic reaction she was having. She has really been a trooper throughout this entire ordeal.

I went to the California Teachers of Reading conference, in Sacramento, last weekend, and had a wonderful time. The speakers were very informative but due to the economy, attendance was lower than usual.

Yes, I survived the "blitz" and so did my students.

I voted yesterday and am relieved that for me the election is over. I feels like McCain and Obama have been campaigning for five years! I am ready to move on. I only had one voting booth change of heart (No, it wasn't about the president...I voted for Obama!). I know that people who have such changes of heart really mess up the pollsters, but reflections on speeches, commercials, and conversation become clearest at the moment a final, decisive action is required.

Oh Happy Day!

For once in a long while, I have the energy and desire to really get some work done.

“We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. When machines and computers, profit motives, and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. April 4, 1967

For such a long time we have been focused on "stuff" rather than the things that are truly important. It's time to get back to the basics of living. The trucking industry is seeing a shift in what the transport. They are hauling more of the staples (beans, flour, etc...) and less of the fluff (designer handbags and electronics).

I have often wondered why people buy pancake mix when they already have flour, eggs, milk, and oil in their kitchens. My grandfather told me it was because the mix was easier to use, and that overrode the cost. If easier was what was best for us, I believe God would have made life, in its entirety, easier. Easy is rarely the healthy or cost efficient way. Scientist are finding that the best for of exercise is functional exercise and not a workout at the gym. As it turns out, the actual work of living is not only physically best for us, it is cheaper too.

Sunday Morning! Back to Basics

I am dodging work at this moment. I have decided to focus on home, hearth and health until 2:00. This is part of what I love about Sundays... time to recharge my spiritual, mental, and intellectual batteries. At 2:00 I will turn my attention to the work of my vocation. I have to do my lesson plans for the week, and since I will be attending a conference for three days, I need to make sure my plans are "Sub Friendly". I didn't get to choose my guest teacher this time, so who knows whether or not I will get someone who is will to come from behind the desk and do the work of teaching.

On another note, my mother is handling her chemo treatments like a champ. She has completed two treatments and has two to go.

Lesson Plans

Tomorrow we are being "blitzed" by the district office. This is when all the district office employees descend on one school and "visit" for an entire day. Union representatives have brought it to the DO's attention that the word "blitz" has a very negative connotation and, in their effort to begin creating a more positive relationship with teachers, they should discontinue the use of this term. Truthfully, regardless of what they call it, the disruption it causes feels like an invasion.

As I create my lesson plans, with students and not the DO in mind, I can't help but think about the needs of particular students.

X needs a friend. She seeks me out before and after school...just to talk. She has one of those pushy personalities (yes, like mine) that tends to drive others away. Is finding M. a friend her age a meaningful lesson objective?

Y is new to my class. He threw a chair at his last teacher. This is his third language arts class this year, and I have been warned he is a very emotional student who doesn't handle change well. The class they put him in moves at an academic pace that is much too fast for him, but they won't put him in the appropriate class because of a conflict he has with a student (who has similar issues) in that class. That is my other core class. While it is our job to make decisions with his needs and challenges in mind, I doubt that this change is best for him. the adults who made this happen seem pleased...apparently it is best for them.

Z had a rough day Friday. He misses his mom, and his new, twenty-something, stepmom is not cutting the mustard in the mom department. He spent the entire second period talking to his counselor about it. Then, he cried and chatted with me for a while during break. Tomorrow our guests will be looking for students who are engaged in the lesson. I wonder if T. will be engaged. I wonder if he will be able to make it to class at all.

I am stressing over tomorrow, but I don't care about having visitors. I have a larger concern...How will I meet the needs of my students and create a the right educational environment for them? They are far more important; afterall, they will be with me longer than the duration of the blitz visit the DO has planned for Monday.

Lots to Say...No Strength to Talk

It's been a long day. I have lots to say about a recent writing retreat, questions about the use of district adopted resources, and life in general; however, I don't have the strength to address these things now. I am way too tired.

For thought provoking commentary on life and education, check out California Teacher Guy. He's always interesting.

Stress Management vs. Stress Removal

Yesterday the acupuncturist had difficulty getting the needles into my tense muscles. Two of them bent and would not go in. The third one was the charm. The treatment provided only temporary relief because today it all came back with a vengeance thanks to an overload of change, hyperactive children, and childish adults.

Wine, cheese (vegan), crackers and chocolate (yes, they're all bad for me in some way, I'm sure.) are proving helpful this evening.

And Then Comes Monday

I'm still riding off of the great Sunday I had. Relaxation, church, and good food! Anyway, today it was back to work. Overall, it was a good day. I got seven new students in one core and two in the other. All of the new students were well behaved. The two in the reading intervention class went through a brief pity party about the work being to hard, but found out quickly that those types of comments are not well received in my classroom. Before the period was over, they were working with their peers and asking for appropriate and specific assistance when needed.

Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk

A dear friend and breast cancer Survivor is participating in an upcoming 3-Day Walk to raise funds for further research. I will be donating and wanted to share this information and opportunity with as many people as I can. Click here for details.