Hey-oooooo!!!

Booze it up, kids!

(Not really. This sounds like a terribly horrific idea. But funny, nonetheless.)

Update

I've reached new heights of worthlessness. I'm watching GAC and doing nothing productive. Just call it "Spring Break Hangover" (it has nothing to do with alcohol consumption. promise). Lesson plans and paper grading are looming...and it's midnight. It's just the price you pay for a few days in paradise.

More on that later!

What about Rex?

You just need to watch until the end. This is also why I'm rooting for Kentucky to win the National Championship...so that they have to give it back. Misery loves company.

Kentucky Violated NCAA Rules While Recruiting Basketball-Playing Dog

Mamaw and Papaw

Got to see them today. They are the happiest homebound elderly couple I know. Sure, they live about 10 miles from civilization, but when their *favorite* granddaughter shows up to take Mamaw to Wal-Mart, they perk right up.

I know you want to go visit, so here are the directions:

1. Turn left off the interstate.
2. Turn right between the John Deere and Case dealerships.
3. Go until it dead ends.
   
4. Turn right.
5. Take the bypass toward Jackson.
6. Turn left at the giant blue warehouse.
7. Take the second gravel-like road.
8. Theirs is the square house with a tin roof in the middle of the field with no trees (but sometimes corn, cotton, or wheat).

Cracks me up every time.

They chose to move out there about 15 years ago to live on the land my Papaw grew up on. They didn't know at the time that he would become unable to drive within 5 years of their moving there. Now, they rely out my Papaw's second cousin, my uncle, and my family to get to Wal-Mart and doctors' appointments. I don't get to go very often, but when I do, I'm always glad I did. Even when it takes my Mamaw a billion gazillion years to get through Wal-Mart.

Even though Papaw usually doesn't watch TV during the day, he let me watch the end of the Miss. State-Kentucky game (WOW!), all the while informing me that he typically watches five hours of television at night. As we speak, he's watching HeeHaw, Crook and Chase, and probably an episode of Baseball Tonight (it's genetic). This nighttime TV watching is strangely important to him. He's earned the right to have strange habits, so I'm okay with it. He's been around the block a time or two.

Big shout out to the g-parents!

I always have liked peaches

No, really. They're my favorite fruit. And fruit is my favorite food. So basically, peaches are the best thing ever.

Consider that a sidenote, because the real purpose of this post is to update you on the progress toward my non-resolution. In case you don't remember, I made quite the list of books I wanted to read this year. It's really nice to have them written down to refer back to as needed.

I read James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl during our independent reading time at school, and finished it a couple of weeks ago. I know it's a classic, but something about it just wasn't that great. I found myself constantly wishing for something better and more exciting to happen....and then the book ended.

A discussion my students and I often have is about connecting with the book and the characters. We talk about reasons you connect with characters (i.e. you have something in common or you think you might want to be their friend). Perhaps the reason I didn't really like this book is because I never was able to connect with any of the characters. I felt like it was a stream of events, without ever really giving a "feel" for their personalities. Sure, Roald Dahl does a great job of telling you what each character's faults are, but these aren't effectively shown.

So, I've never lived in a peach. Basically this is why I didn't like James...or the book, really. Glad I've finally read it, though. Something tells me I read it as a child, but it didn't make an impact on me, and now I can see why.

On to my next book...Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. Loving it so much that I did an impromptu read aloud from it on Thursday, and the kiddos were spellbound! I'll let you know what I think at the end of it.

Love!

What do you make?

I know that many of you have probably seen this before, but I thought it might be worth sharing here. It comes through my email inbox every few months, and I always like that it makes me think.

WHAT DO TEACHERS MAKE?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Barbara. Be honest. What do you make?"

Barbara, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor to a child who has done his/her best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,
One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life ( Barbara paused one last time and then continued.)

Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.

You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

What do you make Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

Emotional

This morning as I was frantically grading journal entries, one in particular struck me. This kid has been the very definition of "little hellion". I will be the first to admit that he has very little control over anything that he does. From the outside looking in, the story is incredibly sad and depressing. From my position, everything about it is frustrating. Daily.

However, he left me a downright gem in his reading journal this week. His entry went something like this:

Ms. C,
I really liked the book I am reading this week. It is kind of scary, and I like scary books. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me. I know you are trying really hard.

Love,
(Kiddo)

Those last two sentences brought me to tears at 8am this morning. For this kid, who has written only one previous journal entry, putting that into words is H.U.G.E. And he thanked me?! **


It's times like those that I can look back on when I think I'm doing nothing right. Even when I'm yelling and angry and frustrated and impatient, maybe a kid is seeing that I care. Because I do. Otherwise I wouldn't have the energy to yell and be angry and frustrated and impatient. Although I'm making a conscious effort to do/feel those things less frequently (updates on that later).

Now there's a little food for thought for you.

After reading that journal entry and having myself a healthy little cry, this Martina McBride song came on my Jason Aldean Pandora station (Pandora at school is highly illegal....just call me a rebel....and don't tell).



**It should also be noted that he wrote this journal entry because I bribed him with the "privilege" of sitting under my desk with a pillow. Do Whatever It Takes. DWIT, if you will. (Major props for getting this reference)

Nashville Love

FML moment of the day? Leaving my phone at school. If you've never been stranded phoneless for a night, you should try it. Okay, okay, if we're friends, I wouldn't wish that upon you. It drudges up feelings of helplessness, dependency, and general anxiety. Sounds pretty horrible, right? Now you know why I don't wish for you to experience it.

Since my phone is also busted (read: the screen has chunks missing from it), I have yet to get a new ringtone. One of these days, I'll decide it's worth shelling out the $50 deductible for a shiny new BBerry. Until then, I'm living in the classless world of Busted BBerry Users. BUT, when I do shell out for that ridiculous deductible (I am paying for insurance, after all), I'll also shell out the $1.99 for a new ringtone.

I know you're waiting on the edge of your seats to find out the jam of choice, so I've included it below. Nothing like a little Jason Aldean to get me in the mood for a phone convo. This song just sums up my love for the Nash so well.



I suppose this post would also be an apropos time to mention my recent misfortune of overpaying the phone bill by $500. Verizon and I have always had a love-love relationship. Until they denied my refund.

Now I'm off to ponder my recent and striking lack of luck in the cell phone department....

Moving On

It's Senior Day for each of my teams. Even though these guys are technically younger than me, it seems that all of them have been around forever. This is one of those times when sports drive me to tears. It's also one of those times when I realize why I love college sports so much more than the pros. These guys come in to a program from far away and become part of the school, culture, and community of their respective cities.

Over at MemphisRoar, the guys have posted an article about the hardships Tiger senior Doneal Mack faced in Memphis. My favorite quotes include:

“This program has done wonders for me. I’ve given blood, sweat and tears back to the program, so this is going to be an emotional day…My blood is blue. I overcame a lot of adversity,” reflected Mack. “I think about how Cal used to treat us and us being sad and arguing. It’s good that I’ve overcome all of those adversities and I can stand here today and say, ‘I have no regrets.’ ”

Wish I could be in Memphis for the Doneal Mack/Willie Kemp festivities. But at least I'll be in Nashville for the Dolla Beal ceremony.

And in case you need a good laugh to start off your day, check this out.

Untitled

This week, I got up every morning at 4:40 and went to the Y. Who am I and what have you done with my sleep schedule?

Expertise

My expertise, you ask? Eating. Not cooking, really. Just eating. That's why I don't typically post recipes and the like--my cooking tends to be infrequent. When it happens, the outcome can range from abysmal to mediocre (unless, of course, it's apple pie).

But I've discovered a new recipe! I didn't even get it from somebody else. This is an ORIGINAL AC creation. Prepare yourselves for greatness, kiddos.

Ever since going to Urban Flats a while back, I've been longing to make my very own flatbread pizza. And the day has arrived! Here's how it went:

1. I went shopping. Here's what I got:

Flat-out flatbreads (the Italian herb was my variety of choice)
One white onion
Roma tomatoes
Bag of spinach
Olive oil
Oregano
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Shaved parmesan

2. Cover the bottom of a non-stick skillet with olive oil. Slice onion and put it in there to get caramelized. Be sure to stir this. Onions burn.
3. Preheat the broiler. No amount of time. Just let it heat up while you do #3-8.
3. Mix 4 tbsp. olive oil and 1/2 tsp. of oregano.
4. Put a flatbread on a broiler pan and use a basting brush to spread olive oil and oregano mixture on the bread.
5. Put on about 3/4 c. mozzarella.
6. Add your toppings. I used spinach, a sliced Roma tomato, and caramelized onion.
7. Add about 1/4 c. mozzarella and some shaved parmesan.
8. Put this puppy in the oven for about 6 or 7 minutes. You'll know it's done when the cheese is all bubbly and slightly brown.
9. E.A.T.

**Please note: Since I didn't actually do this from a recipe, I didn't actually measure any of this. Oops? But I did utilize my superb estimation skillz in writing this recipe. Just make it how you like it. That's what I did, and I found incredible satisfaction in that.

My thoughts on the Olympics

1. Damn you, Canada. I've never felt any real dislike for you. Until now.
2. Glad Celine made an appearance. Not like I saw it or anything, but I was concerned she wasn't going to show.
3. There are some freaky Olympic sports. Too many of them were unbearable to watch. I cringed every time they flipped, went too fast, or went too slow.
4. There's an Olympic event where people ski 50 KILOMETERS. That's 31 miles, kids (in case you were wondering). I could picture dogs running this far. Or horses. Or oxen. But HUMANS? Crazy talk. Consider my mind blown.
5. I'm super pumped for the new ABC Family movie entitled "The Cutting Edge: Fire and Ice". It's already marked on my calendar. March 14 at 7 Central. Be there. All the other cool kids will be.

And just in case you weren't sold on this new movie, here's the teaser: