Who says?

When I moved back to the Pacific Northwest, a song came out that I just had to own. Bon Jovi's "Who Says You Can't Go Home." I loved this song! It perfectly suited my emotions at the time. And today, five years after moving home again, I still love it. Last night two of my four brothers, my mother, my hubby and I went to a lovely waterside restaurant to celebrate my mother's 83rd birthday. My mom is amazing! She is, without doubt, the most independent person I have ever met and my husband says I'm just like her on that front. I do respect people who try their best to resolve their own issues and live their own life without becoming hermits. My mom is one of those people. I really hope I am able grow old just like she has!

81 Days

My summer vacation is 81 days long... well... kind of... I do have to sit through a meeting on Monday, but I've been known to get up, head to the restroom and not come back for a l.o.n.g time, so that doesn't bother me. I am going to a two-day conference on brain development and learning in junior high students, but that's in Seattle, and we're going to stay in my brother's downtown condo so in spite of the long daytime learning, we'll have some evening fun. I determined last year to truly focus on my days outside the classroom, to read, to garden, to spend intentional time with my grandchildren and my mother. I loved it, so I am going to do this again. But first - it's 10 o'clock in the morning and I should probably get out of the pj's and into some blue jeans. The garden needs watering. Bliss!

Good Day In School

Today was our last in the building day. Tomorrow is the all-school picnic at a nearby park. Our day started well with a bit of sun. Students finished a crossword puzzle that they seemed to enjoy, got everything out of their lockers, wiped them down with clorox-wipes, and then it was time for the awards assembly. I really must do something about this. It's tortuous! The assembly started at 9:35 and ended at 11:50. My students were wasted! I don't care much for this assembly, but I do plan well for it. Last year I took the baby quilt I was making and quilted all morning. This year I took one of the new novels I'm reading for a possible Lit Circle book for next year and I read to page 138, in spite of the noise all around me. I told my students to take a book or sketch pad and pencils because it would be long. Last year's went on for 90 minutes and I thought that was a big deal. This year's was nuts! But it's history so that's that.

The afternoon was far more successful. It was party-time! Students brought cookies, chips, sodas, fruit, veggies, cupcakes, and Rice Krispie treats! I picked up the DVD Tangled from the local Red Box. I love Red Box... good grief, a new movie for a buck! What's not to like! Usually I don't have too many kids show up in my room for the movie but this year, I had a roomful! It was hilarious listening to them sing along with the characters! The last period of the day, the PE teacher took the students for some outside games so we could clean up the mess in our classrooms. I got everything off my walls and windows and put away. Once I clean off my desk, I'll be ready to check out! Productivity!

On the way home this evening, I passed kids playing outside in shorts and tank tops. It was 62*. I thought about where I used to live in the islands. If the temperature ever plummeted that low, people would wear sweaters and hats and whatever else they could find to get warm. Sun and 62 degrees equals summer weather in the Pacific Northwest!

And On They Go!

I just walked in from 8th grade promotion. My feet hurt and I'm tired but it was a good evening. My husband, the high school principal, groaned more than once tonight as these kids exhibited their unique personalities. It's okay; he'll love them once he gets to know them! They are ready to move on and I know they will do well. I told them today that they each have ten million mistakes to make in life and they might as well take a risk and start learning from them. They will be fine.

Pretty Cool!

Tonight was the high school senior/parent evening. It was really nice, simple but nice. Had cake and punch and the kids were able to share with their parents. Academic awards were also handed out. They used to do this during graduation but it makes it way too long so this is the evening activity when it happens. There were several amazing awards. A lot of our kids got the presidential award for excellence (a dozen or more) but the one that kind of blew me away was the Washington State academic awards. Each high school in the state can submit the names of the students who meet certain criteria, like a 3.5 and a 1600 minimum on SAT and 26 minimum on ACT. Then they calculate the top 10% of the state, which winds up being much higher than the minimum. We have 47 students graduating this year and 8 of them made it into that top ten! That is just plain cool!

There are people who want to say that a Christian high school doesn't measure up academically. I know that's not the case! One of the great faculty members that makes such a difference in these kids lives is Dr. Norm Nielsen. Recently he's been chosen as the top chemistry high school teacher in the NW region. This is the link to the article but you do have to scroll past the grads and the summer school stuff. He is an amazing guy and our grads tell us that college biology, chemistry, and physics are smooth sailing for them. They've already had the tough stuff with Norm!

The theme for the high school is Raising the Bar. My hubby is the principal and is committed to academic excellence. It was important to him as a student and it's even more important to him now. I could tell he was happy tonight with all the national and state awards our students were receiving. It is truly well worth the effort.

Sunny Saturday!

It is absolutely gorgeous outside. I've been working in the yard for three hours, and I'm sore. Picked up the mail and came inside to pay a bill on-line... thinking about going back out... thinking, thinking... not moving yet. We took all the weeds off the front hillside and are dreaming of what it could be. I have to remember to take some pictures so I'll be able to do a before and after. I should have done it before we weeded! We put in pathways in the back yard last year and we are thinking of adding one to the front this year. We would have a couple purposes for the path, a route to the mailbox (down on the street) without having to go down the driveway, which is on the opposite side of the house, and a way to head to the back yard from the front door or mailbox area. We need to extend our retaining wall on the west side of the house and build a small retaining wall along the new path. We'll add ferns and azaleas along the retaining wall, back them with my lilacs that will have to be moved. I'm beginning to see it.

One Week

I have one more week of school. My 7th graders just discovered that they actually have to work through next Wednesday and they are shocked. Poor things... this is the perfect time for grammar review and boy, do they need it! We just finished a capital letter review and the grades were not spectacular. Next, word usage... one of my pet peeves. I just corrected a girl who wrote except rather than accept. If I hammer away at this hard enough, it's possible these students will know a few of these things before high school.

Today I removed several things from my classroom walls, mostly schedules for sports, electives, enrichment, and such. I also took down student work and gave it to them. It's always interesting to see which students toss their work and which save it. Nearly all my only children save their work. And yes, I have several onlies in this class. That explains a lot of the conflict these students experience. They are simply used to getting their own way.

So... the sun is shining and I have the afternoon to look forward to. I'm done with most of my work! What joy!

Grades DONE- - -

And uploaded! How glad are all the teachers out there that we don't have to calculate our own grades and fill out paper report cards? That used to take HOURS! As frustrated as I can get over little quirks in our school record keeping program, I am enormously glad that I don't have to do the manual calculating and paper shuffling that I used to do every quarter. Today I gave my 8th graders their last test, entered it, and it's done. Had I been doing this manually, I would not have been able to count today's test. Tomorrow we'll be watching a 30-minute DVD Auschwitz: If You Cried, You Died about two Holocaust survivors. It falls perfectly after our literature circles. My 7th graders are going to take a vocabulary test which won't count - but they don't know that. Ah yes... one more week and vacation begins. This year hasn't been horrible, not at all, but I am ready for summer break. Leisurely mornings, sunshine, garden, and grandchildren... perfect!

The Crazy Farm

That's where I told my 7th graders I was going: the crazy farm. They wanted to know if there really was such a place and I assured them there was, not too far from here either. Then D wanted to know if he could have visitation rights. "Absolutely Not! If I'm going crazy, I'm going alone!" was my sweet reply. We are at that point of the year when 7th graders forget they have been in school for nine long months, nearly ten, and act like they haven't a clue in the world how to do a thing! We've been doing the same kind of vocabulary work all year long, the same grammar all year long, the same... you get the picture... but they don't. Their role in life right now is to push me over the edge and I'm rolling right along, I assure you!

Cramming

It's the end of the year - nine (9) days left. That's counting today. I have to have grades in by 8 o'clock on Thursday morning and someone seems to think we need a staff meeting on Wednesday afternoon at 4 o'clock. I failed to mention that I have a parent conference right after school because of a discipline email I sent home. These folks are supportive; they just like to talk the thing to death. The staff meeting may happen but I'd say the junior high is going to be underrepresented. The entire thing is a bit disconcerting. It seems that the office wants the grades a day earlier every year, and we try to accommodate them. However, to schedule a staff meeting the night before... sounds questionable at the very least. I have other 'able' words that I could use but this is a public forum.

Remembering...

It's Memorial Day. My father served in the army, after WWII, in France. Oh how he loved France! And so does our family. We lived in a village in the Alps for a year learning French, and now our younger son and his family live near Versailles. It's all about the memories. We get concerned about making memories for our children and grandchildren but I believe memories become more precious as one ages. Saturday I took my mother to the cemetery and we arranged flowers on my father's, grandparents', great-grandmother's, and uncle's graves. There are a lot more family members we could have remembered but these are the ones who mean the most to my mom. It was a nice day, a bit of sunshine, and only took an hour or so. It's good to remember those we love.

Today the kids and grandkids came over for a BBQ. We had a blast. The little ones are all old enough that we don't have to worry about them falling off the hillside or into the pond. We grilled a ton of food and grazed all afternoon. Then the guys packed up the kids and took them down to our lakeside park. Nice. Kassie and I sat in the living room, looking at magazines, napping, and enjoying the unexpected moment of calm. It's been a good day, with good memories for me, hopefully for the kids too.

Grandpa and Colton

Painted the house

Actually, I should say my brother painted the house! He needed a short project and we needed the house painted. He has since been called up for FEMA and will head to MO to help with that struggle. He's worked for them before and it gets pretty intense.

Anyway, the house went from gray with darker gray trim-


to Svelte Sage (green) with white trim:


It feels fresh and clean!

12 contact days...

I know, how unprofessional of me to count the number of contact days left in the year. The only thing I can say is that I started counting later this year than I did last year. Of course last year I gave up my planning period to teach a World History class for the high school. Oh the things we do for those we love! By not having that class, the 5th-8th grade spelling bee landed on my plate again. We used to do it all on one day K-8. It was unreal! (as in awful) We finally split it a couple years ago and it is so much easier on all of us! So I've been choosing words (350 of them) and defining them so I can be sure to understand them myself. Next step, create a sentence for each word... well, maybe I'll skip the 5-7 words; they aren't beyond my scope. However, some of the 8th grade words are really hard and I need to have a sentence ready to go because I probably wouldn't be able to come up with one on the spot, even with the definition staring me in the face!

Nothing like 'em

I have the leaders in my homeroom. I spend an incredible amount of time trying to harness their energy and need to socialize. They are an amazing group of students who have the possibility to become really great leaders. Here's a good example: the boy who was the primary character in the mime during the Spring Concert is a local preacher's kid. They live in a pretty rough area, full of gangs and other not so fun stuff. Last night they were robbed at church. They lost their musical instruments (thousands of $$ worth), the son-in-law lost the guitar that was a gift from his now-deceased father, mom's keys were also stolen... That was scary! Before bed, mom was reassuring her boys of God's control in their lives, and her son (my student) suggested that they stop and pray. She sat down on the floor by him, and he began, "Dear Lord, thank You so much for the awesome day we've had. Thank you for dad's best sermon, ever, and for letting us worship you with our instruments. And even though we've had this robbery, I pray that you will help my little brothers to feel safe, tonight. And comfort my mom since her piano was stolen. In Jesus name, Amen." His mother was SO blessed by his mature perspective on the day and so am I.

Worrisome

What will all the people do who were counting on being in Heaven tonight rather than getting up in the morning to live another day on Earth? What about the teenagers whose parents believed and pushed and criticized, those students who now live with parents who realize that their kids were right and they were wrong? What about the families who sold their homes, quit their jobs, emptied their 401k's, savings accounts, ate down their provisions? What do they do and how do they begin again? I am quite concerned that these people are ill-prepared for life after planning so thoroughly for death. I know there is life after death, but we don't have a lot of say in the orchestration of that symphony. I certainly hope that these believers are able to find a way to jump-start their lives again. Oh how disappointed they must be! In all of that, there was one who was raptured within the past 24 hours. One of my 7th grade students has missed a lot of school this year. Her father had cancer. I say had because he passed on to heaven yesterday evening and is even now enjoying eternity, whole, without pain. We have the task of helping his 13-year-old figure out how to function now that dad is no longer on this earth. But we are committed to her and know that we will find a way to share our love and concern for her as we guide her toward life and responsibilities that will come her way once again. I just hope someone will guide those who have been so disillusioned by this man who thought he could interpret the mind of God. I hope some how he finds a bit of humility and decides to let God call the shots; essentially he is right, Christ will come, no question. The when? Makes no difference... whenever... get ready.

E-books: nice but fall short

I am a fan of E-books. I love to hold my little iPod and read in bed. It's illuminated so I don't have to turn on the bedside lamp, keeping my husband awake. But there are many reasons that I don't buy highly acclaimed YA novels in this format. First and foremost, I can't put them on the shelf in my classroom to share with my students. Every time I find a great book for teens or tweens, I bring it to class, give a one-minute hip-hooray on it, and put it on the shelf. It's usually there for less that 10 seconds before a student snatches it up. I can't do that with an E-book so I'm not going to buy it electronically in the first place. For example, I received the first three books in The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series from a sweet student and her mother. I skimmed them and brought them out one at a time. Bam! Gone... the kids couldn't wait; they were fighting over that first book which guaranteed that person first dibs on the second and third once I finished them. I hope Jeff Bezos doesn't go all electronic. His company is still a great resource for finding books at a good price. And I must buy The Hunger Games series!

They Rocked the House!

I take back everything I said in my previous post... well, at least the stuff about my students being off the wall. They were, earlier, but tonight -- they absolutely rocked the house at the Spring Concert! I am so proud of them!

Monday AND a Full Moon? Augh!

I truly intended to enjoy my day today. After spending a wonderful three days in the mountains for my husband's birthday, I really felt relaxed.


All my essays and research papers are graded for the moment. I'll get one more set next week and then that will be the end of this year's big grading marathons! Wow! So, my relaxing weekend in my mind, I check weather.com and lo and behold, the sun is supposed to shine! This is getting better each and every moment. I arrive at school in anticipation of a great day and welcome the crazies into my homeroom. I am serious; students were off - the - wall today! I checked and the full moon is tomorrow, which means (since it started like it did today...) this entire week is toast! And we have our Spring Concert tonight. Suddenly, I'm tired.

I Have Lived A Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson

Wow! What a book! This is one of my literature circle books and although I had read most of it, I had not finished it. This memoir is a survival story from the Holocaust. The group discussion about this book is animated, deep, and intense. Students frequently ask if this is really a non-fiction book. They are horrified at the suffering this woman endured as a child. The most shocking part was near the end of her story when a German woman, who knew nothing of the camps, made the comment that it must have been difficult for people of Elli's age to do such strenuous work. Elli asks how old the woman thinks she is and the reply is 62-63 years old. Elli firmly announces that she is 14 years old, and the German woman nearly collapses in despair. The truly great part of this book is the fact that this child endured such trauma, such torture, and yet thrived after the fact. She went on to the United States, ultimately earned a PhD from New York University, taught for years at the university level, published many articles and books, and is a sought-after public speaker. My students have to recognize that they can do anything they set their minds to accomplish. If this magnificent child could become such an acclaimed educator after such intense horror, my students can definitely rise over any of their difficulties! They must grasp that message!

Literature Circles Again

My 8th graders have just started another literature circle. The books this time deal with the holocaust. All are stories about kids their age who survived (or didn't) this horrible time in history. I have introduced two new books to my collection this year: Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli and I Have Lived A Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson. Other books that the students chose this year include the ever popular I Am David by Anne Holm and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. I present nearly a dozen different books and I am always interested in the students' choices. I love, love, love to hear my students talk about literature. They know so much more than they think they know.