My Little Scientists

My kids at school have been so funny during science lately. We are studying solids, liquids and gases, and there have been lots of hands-on activities. These kids are like little sponges....soaking up every thing I tell them. We have melted crayons, crumbled crackers into "particles",  and tried to freeze everything from dish soap to oil. The kids watched in fascination as I dumped ice into a hot pan. After they watched it melt, boil, then evaporate, they cheered like I invented the concept of water vapor. One little girl bounced up to me and said, "You told us so many things! Now I think my head is going to pop!"

When their mittens dried out on the rack in the hall, I've never seen so much excitement. The children buzzed around enthusiastically, showing each other how the water must have gone into the air.

We lined up for lunch today, and I reminded the kids that we needed to walk quietly in the hall. One boy struck a Steve-Martin-like pose and started to slink. "Let's be liquid!" he exclaimed to the others.

Planning new activities for science can be time consuming, messy, and even expensive at times. Weeks like this make it all worthwhile, though.

Valentine's Day

My husband knows me so well. On Valentines Day, he surprised me with my favorite candy...chocolate covered raisins. Many women wouldn't think this was a romantic gift, but I was thrilled to pieces! He knows I'm a practical gal... I shuddered at the advertised cost of roses this Valentines Day...wondering how anyone could get $60.00 worth of enjoyment out of a bouquet?

With the current situation of the economy and our personal finances, extravagant gifts are not in the budget. But even if money was no object, Perry knows I'm a practical person. He might even tell you I've turned into a bit of a tightwad lately. It's hard for me to enjoy things that cost more than a tank of gas (keep in mind that I drive a Focus) Expensive jewelry or lingerie are SO not my thing. My husband also knows that I don't enjoy collections of figurines or other collectibles. Our life feels cluttered enough without having more "stuff" to dust around.

But I've always loved surprising the people in my family with a small little gift on February 14th. When the boys were little, I'd wrap up a puzzle or a book with red wrapping paper and set it at their place at the dinner table. The gifts have always been small, but a fun part of the celebration of the day. 

After school today, I sat at my desk, doing school work and happily nibbling my chocolate covered raisins. Perry may have thought he was only buying a $3.00 bag of Raisinettes, but simple little gifts like that score big points with me!

Regrets

Last week, the world lost an amazing person. The whole town of Boone seemed to take time to memorialize a former Boone High teacher that seemed to impact nearly everyone in town. Shortly after word of his death, a Facebook memorial group appeared. Hundreds of former students joined and left touching comments about their wonderful memories of him as a teacher.

When I was in high school, Mr. Lyness taught Economics and International Topics. I remember seeing students carrying around their "text book" for Econ--the Wall Street Journal, and hearing about the marathon tests they had to take in his classes. Everyone who took his classes really valued what they were learning because the lessons seemed to come alive with this teacher. Mr. Lyness was a colorful person, with his high waisted plaid pants and unique stride as he walked down the school halls. Students picked up the strange expressions he used in class, even exclaiming, "Katie, bar the door!" randomly at lunch or in study hall. When he taught, Mr. Lyness spoke enthusiastically from experience, sharing stories from days in the military and various other events that held even the most self centered teenager in rapt attention.

Well, maybe not every teenager. I signed up to take his International Topics class during my senior year, but got bit by the senioritis bug and in a moment of stupidity, dropped his class and added something fluffy my schedule. I think it was "Industrial Arts for the Homemaker". The decision made perfect sense to me at the time and I'm sure I justified it by considering how the hours of studying might get in the way of my social life. Sigh.

If I felt guilty about this decision to be a slacker, I either covered it up well, or else those feelings were lost in the cloud of self centeredness that the senior year brings. That is, until the week of graduation. There was a knock at our front door, and when I opened it, there was Mr. Lyness, bringing ME a graduation card. Me..the one who couldn't make the effort to take his class, and there he was, going out of his way to bring me good wishes.  I mumbled my thanks in disbelief, and as he walked back to his car, I sat down on the steps to open the card. Inside was a full page of his signature script, with a touching  message of encouragement for me. 

The waves of humility and regret crashed over me at that moment, and I bawled. I cried because my heart had been touched by the unexpected kindness of someone who barely knew me, and I cried tears of sorrow for a missed opportunity.

After I completed college and moved back to Boone to teach, I didn't cross paths often with this man. Yet anytime I saw him, he greeted me with the warmth of a favorite former student. He retired from teaching, and continued to substitute teach at the high school. Everyone on staff was amazed, but not surprised at his dedication to the profession of teaching.

25+years later, I still regret not taking that International Topics class, but I realized I still learned a lot from that man. He modeled enthusiasm for teaching and learning, and setting high expectations for all students. I can honor his memory by striving to be a little more like him.

Except maybe for the plaid pants, but I think he'd completely understand.

Random Things...

I have been challenged to write 25 random things about me. Ok, here goes:

1. I was born on Midway Island. My dad was stationed there in the navy, so my birth certificate says "State of Hawaii" on the top. What? I don't look like a Hawaiian native??

2.I teach in the same elementary building where I went to school as a child. In fact, I teach first grade in my old first grade classroom.

3. All 3 of my babies were born by c-section.

4. I have a very difficult time sitting still. I fidget. A lot. This drives my husband insane.

5. My whole life I planned to be a nurse and now I'm a teacher.

6. I am a hopeless animal lover. Seeing my dogs is one of the best things about coming home at the end of each day. I have a hard time sleeping if they're not next to me.

7. I have one younger brother who used to spend his childhood days thinking of ways to antagonize me. Now I think he's hilarious.

8. I'm a pretty adventurous eater. My kids tease me about always ordering the weirdest thing on the menu at restaurants. One thing I really dislike is ketchup.

9. I don't like going to concerts. This is weird, I know. I like the idea of going to concerts, I just don't like paying for the tickets, and fighting the crowds. Plus I think I have a short attention span.

10. I used to be a perfectionist before kids. Now I stay sane because I keep lowering my standards.

11. I love to read and can't get to sleep at night if I don't read something first.

12.I have had laser eye surgery. It was the best thing I ever did!

13. I'm working on re-learning spanish, and hope to become fluent one day.

14. A few years ago, I decided to quit just calling myself a Christian, and start working on living like one.

15. I hardly ever cry. If I go to a movie that everyone says is a tear-jerker, mine will be the only dry eyes in the place.   The rare times I shed tears, it catches me completely off guard.

16. I was once Joey's cub scout leader. Really. Stop laughing.

17. My hands hurt almost every day. I have been told this is an early form of arthritis.

18. I am way too young and cool to have an early form of arthritis.

19. I love to sing and have a song running through my head almost continually. 

20. Laughter is an important part of my life. I continually look for the humor in life's situations. The only thing I like better than a good laugh is an opportunity to crack somebody else up.

21. I can't stand it if my bed doesn't get made each day. The entire bedroom can be a mess, but as long as the bed is made, I'm happy. 

22. IKEA is my all time favorite store.

23. I am cold all the time and wear turtlenecks every day from November to March.

24. My pet peeve? when people don't do what they say they're going to.

25. I am a small-car kind of person. I drive a Focus and it suits me perfectly. Big trucks and SUVs overwhelm me. I can't seem to manage the running boards and they are impossible to get out of without embarrassing myself.

Nothing Good to Say

My mother used to tell me," If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Guess that's why I haven't updated my blog lately. No, I won't blame it on the weather, the winter blues or cabin fever. I've lived in the midwest all my life and winter comes every year. Even though the current weather is the main topic for small talk around here, I refuse to let the climate dictate my frame of mind.

The past week was a challenging one. Trying to get back into the swing of things after last week's weather roller coaster was totally beyond my expectations . It felt so much like starting over with class routines, behavior expectations, and reading skills. Very depressing for a teacher painfully aware of grade level goals and benchmarks, realizing the year is half over, and each day of staff development and school dismissed due to weather feels like another missed opportunity for progress. Monday I sat at our inservice meetings, trying to listen attentively about state core curriculum. I wished I could drive around to my students houses, tell them to jump in the car because what we REALLY needed that day was to DO SCHOOL!

So in the midst of a frustrating week, with piles of paperwork all around me, unfinished projects to be completed, and January's reading assessments barely started, what did I do?

I rearranged the furniture in my classroom! Psychologists would have a lot to say about my coping strategies, but when faced with challenged I can't seem to fix,  I find that the answer to my problems is almost always ...moving furniture.

Inside Recess Game

It's the time of year when "inside recess" becomes an unfortunate part of the school routine. The temperatures plunge and the wind chills are too cold for the kiddos to play outside. That means several things. The boys and girls are not able to expend their extra energy outside which makes learning time challenging, my classroom gets trashed with stray legos, pegs, and miscellaneous game pieces, and new social conflicts arise over Candyland or the Playmobil indian set.

While the children played yesterday, I sat at my computer and  tried to catch up on some much needed record keeping for the end of the second quarter. Our school monitors reading progress with a spreadsheet chart for each class, with shaded cells representing growth over the different months of the school year. When things are going well, this chart looks like a multicolored quilt of sorts. I was updating my Record of Progress, by clicking the boxes and filling yellow and purple squares when I sensed someone watching over my shoulder.

One of my little guys had been watching me intently and came to get a closer look. "Are you playin' a game too?" he innocently asked.

Did I look like I was having THAT much fun??

Jeans Quest

Tonight Sam and I went on a shopping adventure. Since Perry was playing poker with the guys, Sam agreed to come along and hang out with me.

I was a woman on a mission. My "good jeans" now have worn spots all over them, so it was time to begin the search for a new pair. Plus, I had a $25 North Grand Mall gift card burning a hole in my pocket. Sam's a good natured kid, but I knew I couldn't subject him to following me around various stores, and waiting outside ladies dressing rooms while I struggled and grumbled behind the door.

Tonight I let him venture off by himself for about an hour, and we agreed to meet in front of Younkers. He was pleased with this new freedom and happily took off for the arcade and video game store. 

There was no time to waste...I hurried to the first store and was faced with THOUSANDS of different pairs. Scanning the labels low rise, natural fit, slimming stretch, and contour fit gave me a false sense of security. It couldn't be that hard to find a pair that fit my body, surrounded by all these options.

I tried four pairs....then four more. Too tight... too loose....too gappy in the waist...can't get them past my thighs....who proportions these pants anyway??! !  By the time I exhausted all the options there, I'd broken a sweat from all the dressing room contortions. 

The next store presented no helpful options. I wandered through the third, wishing to find a sign that read "JEANS FOR PEOPLE WITH REAL BUTTS". Another armload of jeans...another disappointing calorie burning session in the dressing room.  I hung them all back, defeated, and thinking I'd better resign myself to a future of dumpy denim jumpers. 

Sam returned, safe and sound, from his video game adventures, and looked concerned when he saw me continuing to loop around the ladies department. Last call announcements could be heard from the overhead speakers, but I spotted one more rack of jeans. Scrambling for my size, I dashed back to the dressing room, and felt like singing the Hallelujah chorus when they actually fit.  The $48 dollar price tag made me panic but there was no time to waste. I crossed my fingers and hoped there would be some sort of discount when the clerk rang up my purchase. 

Let's just say that I got out of the mall before they lowered the metal gates for the night, with a huge sense of accomplishment and a $19 pair of jeans !!!