Happy Me!

This post is so different from yesterday.

This is yet another post about me managing to wrangle children into the Guys Read book club that I’ve been going on about.

I was so impressed with one of my recruits. When he came over late in the evening, I explained to him what I expected of him, and he was off and running. He was excited to get the book and the other stuff that I gave him.

I explained to him that for every ten books he read, he needed to write at least two simple book reports. I also explained to him that he would get to pick a prize, which could either be another book, some stickers or some other stuff that I purchased.

He brought the book report back the next morning with his proud 8-year old self. I was so proud of him that I gave him an extra treat (a cup of peaches).

I am so happy with the way that the children that I have recruited (David, Phillise, my godson, two nieces and 3 of the children on the street) have responded. They are honestly excited about reading. This is like a dream come true. I expected to have to cajole, plead, and bribe these children with big bribes to read, but that has not been the case.

I am really so happy about this!

Blue, Confused, Contradictory & Melancholy Me, part II

I am sitting here wondering what’s wrong with me. I’ve been putting up these b.s. posts all week because I just can’t get myself to finish the 9 posts that I’m working on. It’s always like this right after school ends.

I pray and wish and hope for it all year long; then when it comes, I am so torn. I wonder if I will ever stop feeling this way. I hate it. I feel like such a wimp. I cried today because I was so overwhelmed with everything. Now I remember why I went to work in the first place; it’s hard staying at home. I am reminded of this every summer when I’m off with allll my children home.

But you know what, I’m going to keep it together, proceed with the book club and stay on top of things.

Wish me luck!!

More Reading Lists

I have been on a quest to find books for reluctant readers so I have been checking sooooo many websites that have book lists. I found one called the Reading Bag. I also found something on there about Moms screening a new show that will air in September. Here is the post directly from the site:

Your Chance to Help Kids Stacey Kannenberg, award-winning author of Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten and Let’s Get Ready for First Grade is working with Mom Central Consulting on a PBS show for this fall. Stacey is looking for some moms who would like to sample a FREE DVD of a new PBS Show coming out in September. “We are looking for mother’s with preschoolers ages 2-5 who will view it with their kids and give us feedback in a short survey.” Here’s the link:
www.thereadingtub.blogspot.com

http://www.cedarvalleypublishing.com/Moms.html. (You may have to cut and paste to open link ) You can also learn more about Stacey at www.cedarvalleypublishing.com.

Check it out!

MasterCard Moment, part II

What with all of my children being home for the summer, plus a nephew=5, the post-a-holic anonymous meetings, and trying to keep my sanity, I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I am finally getting around to making the stuff for my Guys Read book club. It is taking the better part of three days.

I decided to put some other stuff together, in addition to everything else that I was doing. I got a plain brown paper bag and some stickers that I let them decorate their bags with, the Guys Read bookmarks and stickers, and a snack.

I laminated the bookmarks. I hit a snag when I couldn’t find my Xyron sticker-making machine, so I put double-sided tape on it. Problem solved.

The pièce de résistance was the free book that I gave them for joining.

The kids were so impressed, while I was thinking that I could have done more.

All totaled, I spent $7.58 for books at the .99¢ Store, $6.51 for the stickers, $1.19 for the peanut butter and jelly cookies, .99¢ for the plain brown paper bags + a couple of cents worth of ink to print out the bookmarks and stickers.

Grand total for launching my Guys Read book club= $16. 27 .

The price of instilling in a child the love of reading= Priceless

I will post the pix later.

Reluctant Readers, Part II

This Guys Read stuff has taken on a life of its own. I have gotten comments from a couple of people and I thought about how it connected to the larger picture of my wanting to motivate unmotivated learners. If I can learn to get reluctant readers to read, then maybe I can get unmotivated learners to learn. I have many plans for the continuation of this. Stay tuned!

On the Hill by Lisa Jahn-Clough

I found this adorable little book for Phillise at, you guessed it, the .99¢ store. The drawings are very simplistic; enough to catch the eye of a five year old.

The Houghton Mifflin website says that this book is for ages 5-8, but I think that it’s too babyish for 8 year olds. I would only say that it’s for 5-6. Phillise liked it. I liked it because when it came to the part of the book where they had to solve their problem, she correctly guessed what they would do.

It’s not a page turner, but it’s a cute little book that a little girl will enjoy looking at.

Title: On the Hill

Author/Illustrator: Lisa Jahn-Clough

Age: 5-6

Synopsis: Camille, who is lonely, lives on one side of the hill. Franzi, who is also lonely, lives on the other side of the hill. Neither one knows the other is there. They set out to find someone to talk to and dance with with. One goes one way, while the other goes another. They miss each other two times. Of course, the third time’s the charm. They find each other and decided to live together. It doesn’t work because their houses are too small. They move apart. They miss each other, so they have to find a solution. What do they do to solve their problem? Read the book and find out.

You can get this book from the library, Amazon.com, half.com, or simply go to the .99¢ store.

Check it out!

You Be YOU, part II

I’m 36, 5’0 tall and very curvaceous. My niece, Jayelle, is 14, almost 6 ft. tall and as thin as a rail. I stopped growing up, but not out at twelve; at fourteen and almost 6 ft. tall, she is still growing upPPP. Suffice it to say that I am shaped like most black women (junk in the trunk, big thighs, etc..). My niece is not. She hates being tall and thin. She mentioned this the other day when my husband and I were taking her to school.

What do we have in common? The fact that at 14 we both hate(d) ourselves.

This is our conversation:

Me: “Do you want to be short like me, Jayelle?” I asked

Jayelle: “Yes,” she said.

Me: “Can you be short like me?”

Jayelle: “No.” she sadly replied.

Me: “So, are you wasting your time wishing for that? Is that even a realistic wish?” I asked.

Jayelle: Yes to the first one. No to the second. (Me paraphrasing).

Me: So stop wasting your time. You only get one YOU. You are almost 6 ft. tall. You cannot change that. You can’t be short like me; as much as you want to, you just can’t. So you have to stop wasting your time hating yourself. You HAVE to love you. You have to be YOU. You are the only YOU you will ever have. Start loving you.

I know that it went in one ear and out the other. Heck, it probably didn’t even go in. Nothing that anybody told me when I was younger sank in until I was much older.

According to Hollywood standards of beauty, I would definitely not fit into the beautiful category since I wear a size 12 and I’m only 5 ft. tall. But you know what, you can’t tell me nuthin’. I know that I am all of that. I can only wish that she grows to have the confidence that I have now. It took me a while to get here though. But she has one thing that I didn’t have at this age- an older, wiser, caring, loving, beautiful auntie like me.

Time Flies by Eric Rohmann

I brought this book out of its hiding place because of the post that I wrote on imagination earlier this week. Again, I was rotating my books and came upon this one that was originally Sam’s. It’s written by 2003 Caldecott Award winner Eric Rohmann.

Published in 1993, it won a Caldecott honor award. The drawings, of course, are what caught my eye when I first purchased the book in 1997 (I think). They are beautiful. This book is perfect for reluctant readers because, guess what, there’s no reading involved. There are only pictures like this one.

When I gave this book to Sam when he was about 8, he shocked me with his storytelling abilities. I didn’t tell him anything. The only instructions that I gave him was to tell me what was going on. He told me such an elaborate story with such detailed information that someone listening to him would have thought that there were words on the page. I was very impressed.

I tested it on Phillise this morning. Her story wasn’t as elaborate since she is only 5. She just told me exactly what she thought was going on in the story with very little detail.

I gave the book to David but it was at an inopportune time; he was trying to play a game. He reluctantly read it, but he didn’t put his all into it. His story telling was just basic. I will try again at another time when he isn’t trying to rush back to the game.

All in all, I love this book because children have to actively use their imagination. At the very least, they need to really pay attention to be able to make up a story to go with the pictures. I would highly recommend this book to anyone from 5-9, maybe even 10, depending on their maturity level.

** Tip ** Make sure that your child’s whole attention is focused on any book that they read, so they can get the full effect. Remember, you need to help them help their imagination.

I saw it on Amazon.com for as cheap as $1.51.

Check it out!

Summer Reading List

I found a great list of books for summer reading from this site. On the lists are a recommended list of books for children from pre-K to high school to read for the summer.

Just a warning- it’s a pdf file. Sometimes they can take a long time to open. They won’t open if you don’t have Adobe reader on your computer.

At any rate, here it is: http://www3.caroline.k12.va.us/forms/sumrdlists.pdf

Who’s reading this blog, anyway?

After thinking about my readership going down on the weekends, I wanted to know who was reading my stuff anyway. Why do you read this? Are you weird like me? Do you also have an offbeat sense of humor like me? Are you getting anything out of this? Who are you? Let me know or else I’ll write another post!

Graduation 2007

It’s official. My baby has graduated from high school. Here are some pix. Enjoy!

This was such a cute picture of us that I just had to post it.

Sam, Auntie Camille, Dakota

Me, Phillise, Phillip, Camille, Sam, Dakota & David

Books Wanted For Reluctant Readers!

I got a great idea thanks to Max Elliot Anderson. He responded to one of my posts about reluctant readers by recommending some of his. I would ask the same of those of you out there who also know of great books for tweeners (9-13). I already have Jon Scieszka and now Max Elliot Anderson. Is there anyone out there who knows of any more books for reluctant readers? It would be truly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Until next time!

Blue, Confused, Contradictory, & Melancholy Me!!

How apropos! I am sitting here listening to the Corrs w/Bono sing “When the Stars Go Blue” and that’s exactly how I feel. I am so blue. So melancholy.

I am such a contradiction. By Christmas break, I am counting down the days until summer vacation. Then once the end of school nears, I don’t want it to end. I don’t want the kids to go to the next grade and grow up. Why can’t they be babies forever?

I want it to end! I don’t want it to end! I want it to end! I don’t want it to end! I wish I could just make up my mind!!!

Yesterday was the last day of school. I didn’t even go to work. I hate sad good-byes. I hate the last day of school. I hate feeling blue!

If you’re reading this Edren, Luz, or Monica, this is my bye-bye to you!

I love you guys!

Confessions Of A Crazed Post-A-Holic

For all my fellow post-a-holics out there, there is help. I went to my very first Post-A-Holics meeting yesterday. Here is an actual transcript of my recent visit.

Me: Hi! My name is Leila and I am a crazed post-a-holic.

Group: Hi, Leila!

Me: Today is my 76th post in a month and a half. Sometimes I post two to three times a day. I…I (sniffle, sniffle) have to stop myself from posting & posting. I wake up in the middle of the night to post. One day, I posted five times, but I deleted it so my husband wouldn’t find out. I want to post more, but I somehow manage to dig deep down and stop myself.

Group leader: It’s okay. You’re among friends. Let it out!

Me: Even though I stop myself sometimes, I don’t know how long I can control it (sniffle, sniffle. Nose blow).

Group leader: If you continue to come, we can help. Tell me more.

Me: I’m such a moocher now. I can’t believe how low I’ll sink to get an idea for a post. Everything is a potential post; it’s all fair game. I hear anecdotes and want to post about them. My kids don’t trust me with stories anymore. They think it’s going to end up on my blog. Seriously, I would never tell that story that Dakota told me about…

Still me: Commenting… OMG it’s the worst. Whenever I read someone else’s blog, I have an irresistible urge to think of the best, most thought provoking comment ever. I think that maybe, just maybe that will lead them back to my blog and I’ll have an opportunity to comment on the comment that they leave on my blog and that will lead to more comments; maybe even another post.

Group leader: It’s okay. Let it out. Confession is good for the soul.

Me: I know that you’re here to help me. I think I’ve hit rock bottom. (Sniffle, sniffle) Can someone help me? Please!!!!!

Group: (Group hug.) You’re among fellow post-a-holics. It’s okay. You’ll be okay.

** Out of the corner of my eye, I see one of the sneaky group members sneaking to her laptop to write a post. Dammit! She beat me to it!

Before I go, I have this story that I want to post about how….

Can Post-A-Holics Anonymous really help me?

Re: I Hate to Read!

In regard to my post from a couple of days ago I Hate to Read. I have gotten a couple of responses to this. Most notably from an author by the name of Max Elliot Anderson. He sent me many links in reference to his work. I am going to the library in a little while and I will let you know. I will let David be the judge of the work. I should report back on this in about a week.

I am glad that he responded because as you all know I am on a quest to find books for reluctant readers. Max Elliot Anderson touts himself as a former reluctant reader who now writes for reluctant readers.

Thank you for your response Mr. Anderson. I’ll report on this later.

Prom 2007 update

 

 

 

 

 

Hey, I just left everyone hanging about Sam’s prom. Here are some of the pictures from the champagne party.The decorations were nice. I made it luau themed. I handed out leis to the first 15 guests.

Her hair was so cute. He was so handsome.They were just too cute together. Look at the back of her dress. Isn’t it cute? I had to take a picture of it. The camera doesn’t do it justice. I did not want to stand next to Chris because she’s so small. She’s about a size 2. I look a little wide, but still cute. Do Phillip and I even look like we have a son graduating from high school?

I swear he was just a baby. Where did the time go?

C.S.E.T. update

Well, I took two parts of the CSET, parts II & III on May 19th. I got my results today. I didn’t pass part II, but I did pass part III. I’m not upset though because I know what to expect. I am in the process of registering for parts I & II.

Congratulations to me! 1 part down and 2 to go.

I Second That Emotion

Even though I haven’t officially started my job as a teacher yet, I know some of what’s in store for me because of my current job as a special education assistant. With my current students, I am like a second mother to them. I have to tell them to tie their shoes, blow their noses, pay attention, stop talking, etc. Sometimes it does wear on me, but that’s the job of a teacher/mother.

As this school year comes to an end, I am proud of my teaching/mothering this year. I work with the very young students (K-2), so at the beginning of the year, there was a lot of crying, whining, defiance and testing.

This was quite a sore point with me because I am an authoritative type, formerly authoritarian; but I have to say that I came out with the long end of the stick. I learned so much this year. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Here’s to another successful year and many more to come.

That’s Kid Stuff!

Before my two older ones went to school, I hated kid stuff. I hated the little ragged edges, the coloring outside the lines, the scribble-scrabble, and the stray glue marks. Let’s not even talk about glitter; it got all over the place.

That is not the case now. I love the ragged little edges, the color outside the lines, the scribble-scrabble, the stray glue marks and even the glitter.

It’s funny how we, as people, change. When Sam & Dakota started school and started drawing stuff for me, I thought that their drawings were the best drawings that I’d ever seen. I didn’t mind that their name wasn’t just so or that the lines weren’t cut neatly. They weren’t supposed to be.

When David and Phillise draw something, I tell them that I love it and I do. Likewise with my students. I love it that the legs on Maria’s drawing of a little girl are nowhere near the same size; or that Andy’s coloring is scribble-scrabble.

That’s the beauty of it. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.

That‘s kid stuff!

This is a totally separate side note: One time when Sam was in kindergarten and I couldn’t cook, he drew a picture with smoke coming out of the chimney.

I was so embarrassed I didn’t know what to do. Let’s not speak about this anymore, okay!!

Chickenrocks!

I am writing this post in praise of imagination. What does this have to do with Chickenrocks, you ask?

Chickenrocks! That’s an unusual term. What is it? What does it mean? It’s something my sister Amber made up. She’s unusual also. Amber is quite a jokester. She can make up a story in no time flat and have you believe it.

Phillise was over Amber’s house showing off her muscles when Amber said that Phillise’s muscles looked like rocks. Phillise then said, “Uhn uhn, yesterday you said they were chickens.”

“Okay,” Amber said. “Let’s call them chickenrocks.”

When Phillise came home and told me that Amber said that she had chickenrocks, I’d thought that I’d die laughing. Of course, I had to call Amber for an explanation.

This is a classic example of imagination at work. No matter how crazy it is! That’s one of the greatest things about childhood. It’s when our imagination is most active. Just like most children, Phillise uses her imagination a lot. She can spend hours making up songs, stories, and games. Unfortunately, I think fourth or fifth grade is about the time that children stop actively using their imagination so much. For some children, it’s even earlier.

Even though Amber is waaayyy old (j/k), she still uses her imagination a lot.

I can’t say it enough, so let me say it again that imagination is one of the best things about childhood. Encourage it and nurture it in your children and those that you know by reading to them. Let them make up the ending to their favorite book. For even more fun, begin a story and let them finish it with all sorts of weird details. It will serve a double purpose; while they are exercising their imagination, it will help them with their writing skills. Don’t stop them or tell them that it sounds crazy, even if it does.

Help them help their imagination run wild!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!

Hey, I almost forgot to say HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to all the great fathers out there.

This is for my husband from our children!

I Already Did That!

I was just thinking about when I first took my 9-year old to Pre-K. I didn’t explain to him that he had to keep on going. I hyped it up and made sure he knew that he was going to be in a classroom setting. I told him that there were going to be other kids there too, but that he wouldn’t be staying there forever; he would only be there for 3 1/2 hours/day. I let him know that it was only temporary.

 

(Phillise’s 1st day of school) I didn’t, however, do the same for my little girl. When she started pre-K last year, it was all day. Silly me didn’t tell her that she was going to be there all day and that she had to take a nap. I had just forgotten to tell her. When the time came for her to take a nap, she was very resistant. She started crying and asking for me. I, of course, didn’t know this because I was at work. When I picked her up she was a wreck. She asked me why I left her.

I felt awful. How could I have forgotten to tell her? I tried to explain to her that it didn’t mean that she was going to stay there forever, it just meant that she could get some rest. Well, she didn’t buy that. Boy was she mad at me.

One thing that I’ve realized is that you have to explain, explain, explain. Even if it seems silly or commonplace for you, do it anyway. They’ve only been on this earth for a short time. Maybe they haven’t heard what you want to tell them. It won’t be insulting their intelligence if you explain it in a way that takes their age into account.

This reminds me of teaching. Having a classroom full of students is just like having many, many children. I am not the type to remain unattached anymore. I am in this for the long haul. The children that I work with really matter to me. As a result, I become very involved with them. They know that I’m married, how many children I have and other stuff about my life. I know that that seems to be breaking the rules, but I don’t care. I’m very comfortable doing that. The kids feel like they’re a part of my life when I share with them.

Just remember, just because you already did that, it doesn’t mean that they have.

I HATE TO READ!! by Rita Marshall

Ever since I decided to start my own Guys Read book club, I have been on a quest to find books that little boys love. I have quite a few books in my personal collection, but I don’t have enough room for all of them in one place. There are some on the closet shelf, some on one of the two bookshelves on the wall, some on my daughter Phillise’s bench, and some in my hallway. I need a bigger house, just so I can have my own personal library!

Since there is not enough room for them all in one place, I have to rotate them. When rotating them, I rediscover some of the books that I’ve had for years. I found a book that I bought for my middle son Dakota. He liked to read, but my oldest son, Sam, would tease him about it. So sometimes he would sneak and read. I told him to stop hiding; that it doesn’t matter what anybody says. Go ahead and read if that’s what you like to do. Thankfully he did keep reading.

Since he’s now 15, this book has been put up for quite some time. I bought this book for him about 8 years ago. It is written by Rita Marshall and illustrated by Etienne Delessert.

It is the perfect little book. Once I came across it while rotating the books, I knew that I had to get David to read it. Well, as it turned out, I didn’t even have to try too hard to get him to read it. I pulled it out of its hiding spot and laid it conspicuously on the sofa for him to see. He saw the title and he was hooked.

“What’s this mom,” he said.

“Look at it and see,” I said.

“Okay,” he replied.

He laid right down on the living room floor and read it. He loved it. He especially loved the fact that the little boy in the book didn’t like to read. This is a book that I would recommend for boys 8 and up because of the bigger words.

Synopsis: A little boy named Victor hates to read like most boys and nothing is going to change his mind. He gets A’s and B’s in science, but F’s in ABC’s. His family tries to help him by giving him alphabet soup. His cousin even reads him the back of the cornflakes box every Saturday morning. One day while pretending to read, a crocodile in a white coat crawls out of the pages. They go on an adventure during which Victor learns to love reading.

This is a must read for little boys. I highly recommend it. To find it, go to half.com or Ebay and type in the title. I saw it for as cheap as .75¢ + shipping & handling.

Check it out!

Grateful Me!

Eleven years ago, when I was a member of a small church, I was very active. I was a member of the choir. I was the children’s Sunday school teacher. I was into everything. It was my life. I spent most of my time there.

I had such high expectations of the church. I expected it to be my all, my everything. I jumped in feet first without stopping to consider that church people are people too. They have their faults just like anyone else. Well, needless to say, I got hurt. Badly. This caused me to retreat even further into my shell that I was just beginning to come out of.

After that, I went to a large church so that I could blend into the crowd. I didn’t want to be noticed. Where I was actively involved in my old church, in my new church, I was just a speck in the crowd. I tried my darnedest not to be noticed.

After church was over, I would make a beeline to the car. My husband just had to stay and talk to everyone.

N-e way, I said/wrote all that to say that that behavior spilled over into all parts of my life. When I started working, I would go out of my to not go out of my way. I purposely avoided getting close to people. I didn’t want to invest myself.

All of that changed about two years when I received an assignment as a classroom assistant and I became so attached to those kids. There was no way that I could stay unattached with those adorable faces.

So began my journey into becoming attached and investing myself again. It was very hard, but necessary. Another reason that I came out of my shell was because I had to. Staying in a comfort zone shouldn’t be comfortable.

Now my students know me. I give of myself. There is no other way to be. I came to a point in my life where I had to change; I had to mature; I had to start giving back.

Even though I know that all the people who put up with me can’t read this, I want to say thank you for all those who put up with me when I was in that comfort zone and didn’t want to come out.

XOXOXO (Hugs & Kisses)

Wouldn’t it be great if we could just go around and pass these out:

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we cannot concentrate when our basic needs aren’t taken care of. According to me, hugs and kisses are part of our basic needs; and they are mandatory as well. My children can’t get out the door or the car without at least one.

Are there some kids in your class who simply cannot concentrate or are especially unruly? Do you know what the reason is? Have you tried to find out?

Can you concentrate when you’re cold or hungry? if you haven’t been hugged today?

If you can’t, how can you expect a child to? That’s how it is with school. No matter what school you’re at, you will encounter children who don’t have the bare necessities. This can cause a problem. A child who is hungry may become weak or irritable. A child who has no jacket during the winter time will become unruly because they feel unsafe. They will act out.

It’s not such a bad idea to have little snacks on hand for the children who are always hungry. It’s also not such a bad idea to purchase a couple of jackets, or maybe raid the lost and found for jackets that’s been there all year to have on hand for the children who don’t have one. It’s also not such a bad idea to give out as many hugs are necessary to make a child feel better. I know that teachers can only give a one-handed side hug to children, but that should be enough to let the children know that you care for them.

In keeping with this theme, I have come up with an emergency list of things to have on hand in cases of classroom emergencies.

Snacks (non-sugary items like granola bars, nutri-grain bars, peanut butter crackers, etc.)

Hugs

and lots of love
(xoxoxo).

Discontent Me!

I found this quote and I just love it. It seemed to speak to me.

Resigning yourself to your discontent is the first step toward contentment.

Kudos To All Graduates!!!!

There are so many graduations in my family this year. My daughter from pre-K, two good friend’s son and one’s daughter from middle school; my oldest son and my niece from high school; me, my nephew and a cousin from college. Phewww, that’s a lot of people and that’s a good thing.

There are so many bad things that young people could be doing. I think that it is commendable that they are on their way to greatness. Says me. I am so proud of everyone graduating.

On an especially good note, my little sister missed walking the stage last year because of one class. I would like to commend her for going to a continuation school and making it up. She finally received her diploma yesterday. Congratulations, Dana!

Kudos to all graduates! Here’s to many more.

My Personal Promise

 

First and foremost, I promise to make my classroom a place of refuge, a safe haven, a place for them to feel comfortable.

I promise to treat them as if they were my own. (Yes, this is a good thing.)

I promise never to embarrass them or make them feel ashamed.

I promise to do the best I can with your most prized possession.

I promise to take care of this extra special person in my care.

I promise to return your precious package in the same condition, if not better, than you gave it to me in.

This, my dear sir or madam, is my personal promise to the children.

** This is my personal promise to you. **

That Freaky Thing Isn’t So Freaky!

I wanted a mini-me when I had my daughter. I didn’t want her to have my attitude though. I wanted her to be laid back like my husband. I just wanted her to look like me. Well, I didn’t get my wish with my daughter. She looks like my sister-in-law’s child instead of mine. It’s so unfair. I’m the one that got fat. Anyway, I’m getting off topic as usual.

I wanted a mini-me, but not the way that I got it. My oldest son is my mini-me. We are alike in so many different ways. Mainly the attitude. That is the reason for many of our clashes. I’m raising myself.

I said/wrote all that to say this. We don’t have too many things in common right now. That’s why I was so surprised when he came to me and asked me to re-read a story of his.  He originally wrote the story when he was around 12. I read the original and the newest one. I was impressed.

He has discovered a latent talent- writing! Can I just say that my baby has talent? Well, I’m going to say it anyway. He has talent. When I discover something that one of my children are good at, I let them know that they are good at it and that I will help them in any way I can.

In his writings, I can see a hint of anime that he just loves. I can also see where he’s maturing as a writer. I told him to continue reading because it would improve his writing and he actually listened. I knew that he wouldn’t, couldn’t possibly be a TEENAGER and torture me for his whole life.

What happened to that freaky thing? He’s been replaced in such a short time with a young man. I can’t say that I’m sad to see that freaky thing leave. I know that that freaky thing isn’t totally gone, but it’s nice to see some semblance of my firstborn again.

It’s nice to see that we have something in common.

A+: Where there’s a will, there’s an A!

While at the local library signing up for the reading club, I came across a flyer for A+ tutoring. It’s a tutoring service that’s available free of charge for those who qualify. They have partnered with L.A.U.S.D. and other districts throughout California.To find out if your child qualifies for this FREE program, contact your school’s counselor, principal or Title I coordinator.

Just in case you’re interested, they’re currently accepting applications for tutors for the Fall w/a pay rate of $14+/hr. The only requirements are a Bachelor’s and basic Math & English skills.

There are a list of school on the website. If you want to find out if your child qualifies, visit the website @:

www.aplus4u.com/nclb

Check it out!

Proud Me!

Just a random thought. I’m sitting on my sofa, so proud of myself. I started my Guys Read book club a couple of days ago. I managed to wrangle our next door neighbor who is the same age as David into joining. Including my two little ones, we now have three members. When I see our neighbor down the street, probably on Saturday, I’ll get him to join. His mom will love for him to have something to do in the summer.

I promise that I am not going to fall off the wagon this summer. I am going to keep up with it. As I speak, I am printing out the bookmarks to laminate; the stickers to go into the Xyron sticker making machine and the Guys Read posters to put up in my two little ones room.

I will post pictures later in the week. Til’ next time, hasta la bye-bye.

Unfi. nished Posts

I have so many unfinished posts. I have so many thoughts and ideas in my head that many remain unfinished because I just can’t get the thought out. When I start on the post, I think that I have a pretty good idea of what I want to say, then I sit down to finish it and nothing. I just can’t finish it. Nothing seems to come to mind. I just can’t seem to think about how to finish it until a few days later when the words just won’t stop coming out.

Sometimes I’m so anxious to get them out that I just write and write. I love it. The thrill of writing. The thrill of getting an idea out. Actually having someone respond to one of my posts is amazing.

It is one of my goals to write and publish a children’s book within the next two years. Sometimes I get writers block just like anyone else, but this blog is so helpful because I can post about so many different things. I love this thing called a blog. I love it, love it, love it!

Baloney (Henry P.)

I wrote a post, Not the besta’ of Scieszka, reviewing John Scieszka’s book, Henry P. Baloney. As you will recall, I felt like something was missing from the book. However since my opinion isn’t the one that matters, I felt that I needed to rethink my post.

Well, after writing my review, I started thinking about whose viewpoint was important anyway! So, I gave my 9-year old little boy the book to read for our Guys Read book club since I had only read it to him, he hadn’t read it for himself..

Needless to say, he loved the book. He loved the weird words. He even asked me to look up the different languages. We looked up words in Finnish and Inuit. He also wanted to know what a Spoonerism was. I didn’t know what a Spoonerism was so we looked it up. I learned something new.

Once he found out what spoonerisms were, he wanted to try to “spoon” other words.

I was so proud of him for taking the initiative to come to me and learn more. He actually read the book more than a week ago, so I was quite surprised when he came back and wanted to talk about the book. What a beautiful surprise it was to have my baby come to me to learn more.

Once again, thank you Mr. Scieszka!

Soup? or Nuts?

                                  

I found this great blog called soupornuts. I don’t even remember how I found it, but I’m glad that I did. While there, I found a great post entitled “Building a successful life.” I include it here because the advice was so good. I can use it for many areas of my life. The title/subject can also be amended to include a variety of subjects. It’s great reading.

www.soupornuts.wordpress.com

Check it out!

Explain Yourself!!

There is a saying, “Keep it simple stupid.”

What do I mean by this? I mean when explaining something to a kid, keep it as simple as possible. Don’t make it overly complicated. Think about your response before responding or you might find yourself explaining your explanations.

When I was on my last assignment, I often found myself trying to explain my way out of an explanation. That was not a good place to be. At the front of the class with at least five children waiting on me to clarify was pretty scary. I decided to rethink my explanation. Now my explanations are a lot simpler.

I am no longer trying to show off my good school learning. My explanations are now geared to the children. I K.I.S.S.ed it and so should you.

Kickin’ Kaknowledge????

I am putting up a new post category. I know that this shouldn’t warrant a post, but hey, I am the Blogmëister!

The new category is called “Kickin’ kaknowledge.”

Hold on. I will explain.

Years ago, I knew this guy who liked herbs (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). After imbibing, he would get very talkative. He would expound, for what seemed like hours, on why prison inmates lifted weights or how much television they watched. He even talked, at length, about why the sky is blue.

He thought that he was enlightening me on very important, life changing stuff. Of course I needed to know about the mating habits of white rabbits, right?

Sometimes he would even get defensive if I asked him a question. He would defend his point, however stupid it was, like he was defending a Ph.D. thesis.

After that, he liked to snack. A lot!

I said/wrote all that to say that my husband and I came up with a term for this. We call it Kickin’ kaknowledge. That’s right. Not knowledge, but kaknowledge.

So, henceforth, the term, kickin’ kaknowledge, shall refer to any person who is talking utter nonsense, but thinks that they are enlightening you with important life changing information; it also refers to someone who defends their stupid ramblings like they’re defending a Ph.D. thesis, regardless of how idiotic they sound.

Basically, if I include someone in this category, I am calling them an idiot or saying that they did something idiotic.

The MONSTER SHOW by Charise Mericle Harper

I love books, so there are probably going to be a lot of book reviews on my blog. I am always on the lookout for good books.

This book, written for grades K-3, is very colorful and eye-catching. It is sure to teach you Everything You Never Knew About Monsters. It is written and illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper. When I first saw it, I mistook it for Mercer Mayer’s work. The illustrations kinda’ looks like it if you just glance at it.I like Mercer Mayer and since her illustration style is reminiscent of Mercer Mayer it stands to reason that I would like her work.

In case you don’t know me and my tastes by now, I like silly stuff, especially books. This book is definitely silly in a good way. It is about the not-so-scary things about monsters.

Harper lets you know that even though monsters look like they bite, not all of them do. They look silly too when they only have on underpants. It’s safer to bounce on a bed because if you bounce on a monster, they will get mad.

Did you know that monsters can juggle? or that not all monsters like the dark? or that they like to perform for people?

Well, if you didn’t know that check it out at your local library or the Houghton Mifflin website.

Payola, Shmayola!

I have reviewed a lot of books from Houghton Mifflin in this blog. If you’ve been reading this, you may have noticed. If not, I’m saying. I am not receiving any type of payment from Houghton Mifflin. Refer to my post from May entitled Faculty meeting just in case you don’t know. I reviewed these books because they were my most recent purchases. I bought them at the .99¢ Store. Can you believe it?

I bought hardcover books, valued at $12.95 or more for only .99¢. Don’t believe me? Check the book aisle in the .99¢ Store and see for yourself.

Career Ladder

As promised, here is information on the other way that I will pay for my education. It’s called the Career Ladder.

It is designed for paraeducators who want to complete:

• 60 units or an Associate of Arts degree

• a degree leading to a job in teaching, counseling or school psychology

• a teaching credential

Even though it’s main purpose is to help paraeducators meet the NCLB requirements, they still offer a host of other services.

• They reimburse for the CBEST up to 2 times

• They also reimburse up to $125 for CBEST seminars and up to $150 for CSET seminar.

There’s so much more, to find out more visit http://www.teachinla.com/ladder

L.A.U.S.D. Special Education Information Meeting

For those of you who are interested in getting hired by L.A.U.S.D. as a special education teacher, there is an informational meeting that will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, June 18th @ the Beaudry building (333 S. Beaudry Ave) in the Blue Room located on the 1st floor, for those considering a career in the field of Special Education.

Topics will include the employment process, special education credentialing opportunities, as well as teaching special education in the District. Individuals with related experiences and a strong desire to make a difference in the lives of special education students are invited to register for the meeting by contacting Doreen Mendoza at doreen.mendoza@lausd.net or Sherry Uribe at sherry.uribe@lausd.net.

All the information is right here, but if you’re from Missouri and you just have to see it for yourself, look under Special Education Initiative @: www.teachinla.com

How To Increase Traffic To Your Blog

I have found a surefire way to increase traffic to your blog. I thought that it was just a fluke when I did it, but the numbers don’t lie.

Okay! Here it is. The secret. What you’ve been waiting for-a surefire way to increase traffic to your blog:

• You must first have a magic psychic eye to will the numbers/stats to climb higher and higher.
• Skip work. Who needs money anyway?
• Sit at the computer all day and obsessively check your stats.

Here, let me start at the beginning. When I first started this blog almost a month ago, I was shocked and amazed that someone was reading this. The next day, I was bowled over that people kept coming back. The numbers kept increasing.

Using all of my school learning, I formed an hypothesis and did all of the other stuff involved. I weighed one day against the other and I was shocked.

Here is all the evidence along with my final conclusion.

• On the days that I sat at the computer all day, randomly and obsessively checking my stats, they went up. The numbers just kept climbing. I think that my psychic powers helped out.
• On the days that I actually went to work and didn’t sit at the computer all day and randomly and excessively check my stats, they went down.

Coincidence? I don’t think so. You see, the stats/numbers went down because I wasn’t there with my psychic magic eye willing the stats to go up; to make the numbers jump higher and higher.

Going to work does not help your stats. It gets in the way of writing your blog. After all, you have to sit at the computer all day and obsess over the numbers. Not to mention the time it takes to think up new and original posts.

FINAL CONCLUSION: If working and making money isn’t helping your blog, don’t do it!

What? You didn’t think I was serious did you? I don’t know how to increase traffic to your blog silly!!!!

End Of School Year Blues!!

Well, it’s that time of year again. The end of the school year. I am a little blue. Sure, I’m looking forward to the summer just like the next guy, but this time, I’m really sad. I am really attached to the students.

I finally told the students that I wouldn’t be coming back next year and they were sad. The first graders wanted to know why. They thought that I was abandoning them. The kindergarteners kept asking me over and over to come back. I had to be firm with them and tell them that I wasn’t coming; that I graduated from school and it was time to move on up in this world.

Though I am happy that summertime is almost here, I am going to miss the children and the school. It’s hard leaving a job that you love. It could be like your second home sometimes. Sometimes, I just hate change.

Beautiful BMW? or Lengthy Loans?….

Let’s see, should I go for choice A and get a BMW; or should I go for choice B and pay for my student loans?

I think that I’ll go for choice A and get a BMW.

Isn’t that financial suicide? After all, can’t the government collect on defaulted student loans for up to 20 years?

Yep, they sure can! But, I still think that I’m going to get the BMW. I can do that because I won’t owe almost $50,000 when I complete school.

How much sense would that make to come out of school owing almost $50,000 to get a job that starts at around $40,000/year job?

Since I didn’t want to come out of school owing that much money, I found ways to pay for it.

When I first started back to school almost two years ago, I was worried about how to pay for it. Since Azusa is a private school it is quite expensive. I dropped out of school for two weeks because I was so scared of putting my family in debt. When I added the total cost of what my loans will be after finishing grad school, the grand total will be somewhere around $48,000.

Well, that’s the cost of a European car! I’d rather have the car.

That fear motivated me to find a way to pay for school. I’ve posted on here before about the A.P.L.E. grant and AmeriCorps. The third way, which I haven’t told you about yet is a program through L.A.U.S.D. called the Career Ladder. I will post about that later this week.

From the A.P.L.E. grant, there is the possibility of getting $19,000; from AmeriCorps, there is the possibility of getting $18,9000 . From the Career Ladder, the amount varies depending on when you join. Between the three, I will have the cost of my education covered.

There are a host of opportunities that exist, it all depends on how badly you want it. I wanted it badly enough to find a way. You can benefit from the research that I’ve done.

Here are links back to my other posts on the A.P.L.E. grant and AmeriCorps, plus a link to L.A.U.S.D.’s website for information on the Career Ladder.

www.teachinla.com/ladder.

Check it out!

**P.S.** Another tad bit of information. I forgot to mention that I also get a scholarship from L.A.U.S.D.- $3,000/yr. It’s issued twice a year; once in July and the other half in October. For information, if you work for L.A.U.S.D. and you meet the requirements (high g.p.a.), call the Career Ladder office @ 213-241-4571 and ask for Joe Ryan.

A Very Crowded Classroom

If teachers were paid what they were worth, I think that it would be somewhere around $1,000,000. Classrooms would be so crowded because districts would have to spring for a counselor, a maid, (For GP, we’ll throw the mother part in because you can’t put a value on that. After all, what’s that worth anyway?) a ______, a _____, & a _____!!!! The list goes on. You can just fill in the blank for the other stuff because teachers do it all.

I know that teachers aren’t paid what they’re worth, but the money isn’t just horrible. I mean if you feel that you are called to teach then you’re definitely not doing it for the money.

If you’re thinking about teaching and you want to be in the know and find out for sure how much teachers really make, here’s the link: www.teachinla.com

Check it out!

No More Pictureless Posts!

Yay, me! I learned how to upload pictures. I know that I hate reading posts without pictures. Now, thanks to instructions from Traci, I won’t have posts without pictures anymore.

Do You Have Enough Educayshun?

There are those of you out there who are probably wondering how am I going to teach when I only have my B.A.? Well, it’s because L.A.U.S.D. has many great programs. Because of that I will be able to teach with a B.A. while I am in a credentialing/Master’s program.

The programs available are: University intern, District intern, and CENTSE (Credentialed Educators Now Teaching Special Ed).

Just in case you are wondering, University Intern is the program that I will be taking advantage of. This program allows you to teach while completing credential requirements by participating in a University Internship Program. University Intern Certificates are valid for two years. This contract must be renewed each year after a satisfactory evaluation (Stull) from the school administrator. A seniority date is not established when an employee signs a University Intern contract.

The District Intern is a three-year program that allows qualified candidates to earn their credentials while teaching. The program is actually two years. However, in order for the program to be tuition-free, the third year is a mandatory year of teaching.

The C.E.N.T.S.E. (Credentialed Educators Now Teaching Teaching Special Education) program is for current general education teachers with a credential who want to obtain a special education credential.
As this is a blog, not a book, I will cut it off right here. For the complete rundown of the programs available, here’s the link:

www.teachinla.com

Check it out!

Emotional Me!

I am feeling so emotional right now. My husband is not here. He’s out of town and I miss him so much. It’s times like this that I remember why I got married in the first place. He’s so thoughtful, has a great sense of humor and has great taste. He picked me, didn’t he?

In the midst of our rush-rush society, we can sometimes forget what attracted us to our mate in the first place. Lately he had been getting on my nerves (it has been 18 1/2 years), but now that he’s gone, his absence is almost unbearable. He’s not even coming back until Tuesday afternoon. I feel like crying. I thought that I was through being emotional, but I guess not.

I am still the same ole’ emotional me!

BEARSIE BEAR by Bernard Waber

The book, BEARSIE BEAR AND THE SURPRISE SLEEPOVER, was nice. It was a bit long, but easy to read. I wouldn’t recommend it for those under 4. I had to shorten some of the dialogue because my daughter was starting to get restless.

The book has a lot of memorable characters with names like Bearsie Bear, Moosie Moose, Cowsie Cow, Piggie Pig, Foxie Fox, Goosie Goose, Porkie Porcupine.

When the story starts, it’s cold outside, but it’s warm inside where Bearsie Bear is. Suddenly there is a knock on the door. Who is it but Moosie Moose who needs somewhere to sleep? He wants to come in out of the cold. Piggie Pig agrees. Moosie Moose jumps into the bed. They say goodnight. Just as they are falling asleep, there is another knock on the door. It’s Cowsie Cow who also wants to come in out of the cold; she also wants to sleep over. Piggie Pig agrees.

The story continues in this fashion until Porkie Porcupine knocks on the door and wants to come in. Can you guess what happens when Porkie Porcupine jumps in the bed? Read the book to find out.

Besides Bearsie Bear, Waber has written other such memorable books as: Lyle, Lyle Crocodile & Ira Sleeps Over.

For a complete list of his other books, visit the Houghton Mifflin website.

Check it out!

Cute For No Reason

When I was in junior high school, I had this teacher named Mrs. Morris. Mrs. Morris could dress her butt off. She was truly a fashionista. One day I overheard some of the teachers saying that she needed to stop dressing like she was going to a fashion show.

Why should she? Would it be better if she came to school looking like a rag mop? Why can’t she dress like she’s going to a fashion show? Why can’t she be cute for no reason?

There are days when I get up and decide that I am just too cute for anything less than fabulous. I say to myself that today is the day that I’m going to be cute for no reason.”

Of course back in junior high school I didn’t do that. For one thing, I didn’t think that I could have Mrs. Morris’ flair for fashion. I didn’t have the confidence that I have now, nor did I have any money.

I have since developed my own sense of style over the years. Since then, there have been the days that I have been cute for no reason.

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I am going back to Ann Taylor when time permits. I am going to put a hurting on my credit card.

Maybe I’ll have some tongues wagging at my new school because I look like I’m going to a fashion show.

Taking My Own Advice

I was talking to my little boy today on the way to school about a flyer that he received about a book club at the local library. He told me that he wanted to join. I asked him what made him want to join and he said because it could further his education. Of course this sounds like his teacher talking more than anything; but hey, whatever it takes to get him to join.

I signed him up last year and he was less than enthusiastic about it. I was so busy with school that I didn’t press the point.

I told myself that this summer would be different than other summers. In the past, I have made all types of resolutions about doing things at the beginning of summer and did not really follow through.

One thing that I have learned from not having the time when I was in school, is that time is precious. They grow up way too fast.

This summer I am going to sign him up for the reading club again and follow through. Not only that, I was thinking about my post from a couple of days ago, Guys Read. I thought about the advice that I was giving out and I said, “You know what David, we’re going to make our own Guys Read.”

After all, we do have well over 400 children’s books.

So, I’m going to take my own advice and make a Guys Read section in my house. I am going to go all out; it’s going to be a total experience. I’m going to make a sign-in chart and a log for the time that I’ve scheduled for his reading. And of course I am going to make the stickers and the bookmarks again. It is going to be like a real book club with a logo and everything.

Even though I have quite a few books, we will still have our usual trips to the bookstore and the library.

I will post about the stuff I’ll make later.