Subject & Predicate

I have been out of ideas for clever titles, but am back now and better than ever. I love the title; I don’t love the subject. I spoke to my assistant and she told me that my class has been horrible in my absence. And the whole problem is because my student’s behavior is predicated on [...]

Anxiety attack!

I had an anxiety attack last week when I was in my therapist’s office.
“Breathe,” she said.
“I am breathing,” I said as I looked questioningly at her.
“No, you’re not. You’re breathing very shallow breaths. You’re not getting enough oxygen. You can pass out.
“You’re having an anxiety attack,” she said.
“Now, take a deep breath and blow it [...]

Put your mask on first!

Whenever you’re riding in an airplane, the stewardesses always tell you, in the event of an emergency, to put our mask on first. Before you can take care of anyone else, you need to take care of yourself first. That is waht my therapist just told me. We were discussing how I handled the situation [...]

I have left shoe and a right shoe!

I know that’s such a weird title, but I am just so happy that my toe is almost completely healed and I can wear a left shoe and a right shoe. I am so happy!

The Secret, The Salon, & my friend’s dilemma

I am a big fan of The Secret. I love the tenets presented. The main thing that I love is how the Masters explain that The Law of Attraction is just that- a law. It’s not based on your belief system. You don’t have to be Jewish, or a Christian, or a Buddhist, etc., to [...]

How to write a Literature Review

During the course of my research on writing a Literature Review, I came across excellent how to’s. If you’re interested, here they are:

The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It (University of Toronto)
Literature Review (Language Center, Asian Institute of Technology). Includes discussion about common traps and vicious circle.
Literature Reviews (University of North Carolina at [...]

Writer’s block

OMG, I, the original blog-a-holic has writer’s block. I have 8 posts just waiting to be completed, but cannot complete them. What do I do? I am not used to having a block. I am used to having curb my enthusiasm from posting 3-4 times/day. Oh, how weird this is!

She’s not heavy…

My sister, Darice, moved down the street. Now, her 11 year old daughter goes to school with David, while her 7 year old daughter goes to school with Phillise. We have an arrangement. Phillip or I drop all the kids off in the morning while Darice picks them up in the evening. Well, a couple [...]

Lakeshore (Buy 1, get 1 50% off)

Here’s the coupon, buy 1, get 1 50% off. The coupon is good 3/20/09-3/22/09 .

Present this coupon at time of purchase.

© Lakeshore
coupon code: 1659

Offer valid 3/20/09 – 3/22/09 only. In-store purchases only. Limit one coupon per customer. Limit one item per coupon per transaction. Purchase one item at regular price and receive a second item [...]

Missing them! Part 2

***Warning- This post is long!***
I am really beginning to miss my students. We had so much fun in my class. They knew me and I knew them. It was a good atmosphere, as long as Nu wasn’t present. When he did participate, it was great. I had nicknames for them. It was a funny little [...]

Don’t become a verb! (Conjunction, junction, what’s your function?) Part 2

I wrote this post a long time ago about becoming a verb. Chris Brown has become a verb. Before Chris Brown stood for hotness. Now, he stands for abuse. To Chris Brown someone means to beat up on someone smaller and weaker than you.
My husband’s old friend, Amir, he became a verb. He was always [...]

Yet another strategic inflection point

Awhile back I wrote a post about being at a strategic inflection point. It’s your proverbial fork in the road. Right now I can either give up and go back to an unsafe work environment or enlist a lawyer and fight for a paid leave of absence. I do not know what to do. I’m [...]

She didn’t abandon me!

I feel so much better. I thought that my University Supervisor abandoned me, but she didn’t. I called her last week and asked if she could go with me to my meeting with the Principal, but she didn’t return my call. I now know why. She was out of town. She’d told me that she [...]

Readers oath

The Reader’s Oath
by Debra Angstead
I promise to read
Each day and each night.
I know it’s the key
To growing up right.

I’ll read to myself,
I’ll read to a crowd.
It makes no difference
If silent or loud.

I’ll read at my desk,
At home and at school,
On my bean bag [...]

Max’s Dragon by Kate Banks

Max’s Dragon, written by Kate Banks and illustrated by Boris Kulikov, is the sequel to Max’s Words. Although it is not as well written as Max’s Words, it was still a good read. Lovable Max is back and he’s still using his words to have fun. I like this book but it didn’t hit [...]

Library & Lakeshore Saturdays!

I am nearly finished with school. I am on stress leave. The point is that I am not as stressed, so I am getting back to some of the activities that I enjoy that had been all but abandoned in the past couple of years. One thing I really missed was my outings with my [...]

Missing them

While reading another special ed blog, I was reminded of my classroom and my students. I really miss them. I wish that I could make all that happened disappear and go back to the way things were. They were definitely not perfect, but that’s what I knew; it’s what was comfortable. Not to mention that [...]

My belief…

It is my belief that everything happens for a reason. I believe that nothing is random. Sometimes we can screw things up ourselves, but if we do what we are supposed to do then everything will be the way it’s supposed to be.
That being said, I feel like I made a wrong turn somewhere for [...]

WHOSE JOB IS IT?

I’d been looking for this story since I started this blog. I wanted to publish it because it’s a short story that says so much. But, I couldn’t find it anywhere because I didn’t know the name of the story. Well, I was finally rewarded for my good deeds when I did my sister a [...]

I got it from my mama! Part 2

Now that I’ve gone to counseling and opened the floodgates, I am starting to remember more and more things. One thing about my mother that always bothered me, is that she almost never took my word for anything over an adult. Maybe that’s why one of my sisters believes everything (I mean everything) her children [...]

My Fortune

I just got a fortune. Here’s what it said:
“A balance is needed between home and business.”
It is always so amazing to me when a fortune is spot-on. This fortune is 100% correct. Although I don’t know how long I’m going to be on stress leave, trying to have a balance between home and work was [...]

Protected: My meeting!

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

I got it from my mama!

That’s the name of a song from Will.i.am, former frontman for the Black Eye Peas. We are not, however, talking about the same things. He’s talking about something a woman’s got from her mama-her body. I am talking about something different that I got from my mama- my temperament, my way of handling things, my [...]

A Lesson On People

Taken directly from Diva Zone Magazine’s Daily Dose
A Lesson On People
I recently heard a story that changed the way I look at some people that I come in contact with…..
There once was a little bird flying south for the winter. He was flying so fast that he froze in mid air and immediately fell [...]

Max’s Words by Kate Banks

Letters make sounds
Sounds make words
Words make sentences
Sentences make paragraphs
Paragraphs make stories

That is what I tell my students. This book basically echoes the same sentiment.
Max’s Words (2006), written by Kate Banks and illustrated by Boris Kulikov, was a real treat. My students totally got the concept of words making sentences. I have an activity planned [...]

Instant Replay

I have been replaying this movie over and over in my head. How could this scene have turned out differently. Is there anything I could have done differently? Could I have headed this off? Could I have just let him strike terror in the children in my class? Was I supposed to let him do [...]

Lifetime Movie of the Week starring Leila

I am the Lifetime Movie of the Week. You know those cheesy movies with the same formula of girl meets boy, boy turns into psychotic killer. All through the movie, the woman is begging and asking for help, but since the psychotic killer is smart enough to leave no marks after he beat the hell [...]

Disillusioned me!

As the title states, I am so disillusioned. I thought that I was going to get some help, but obviously that is not going to happen. It looks like I’m going to have to take things into my own hands and come up with my own solution.

The reason why I don’t ask for help!

One thing about me is that I sometimes forget the reason why things don’t work or why I stop doing them. One thing that I’ve learned in my life is that If I want something done, I need to do it myself. I have found that asking for help doesn’t work. People will offer to [...]

Just had a good cry!

I just had a cry. It is so cleansing. I’d been holding it in, but it had to come out. If not, I would have just imploded. I have to say that I feel much, much better.

There were too many insurgents!

Warning- This post is kinda’ long! My husband and I were watching one of his favorite shows, The Unit. The Unit is an elite, covert operation that doesn’t exist. If there something that needs to be done and it’s off the grid, they’re the ones who handle it. Well, in this particular episode, the star [...]

When parents attack…

Parents attacking is a sad fact of life at my work site. The mindset is one of “Do now, think later (maybe not ever).” I had a situation yesterday where one of my students, Nu, who has a history of lying, went home and told his mother some sort of lie. His mother then started [...]

Let it flow!

Yes, dear readers, there is a double entendre in the title. I am really mad with my students. My male students to be exact.
What’s the problem, you ask?
They won’t go to the restroom during Recess & Lunch!
I tell them ahead of time to use the restroom, but without fail, as soon as they come up [...]

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

(1904-1991)
This man changed the way we look at education. Happy Birthday to you Ted, B.K.A. Dr. Seuss. If he were still alive, today would have been his 105th. Happy [...]

I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, & doggone it, people like me! Part 2nough

I have been in such a slump, nay, a funk. I haven’t been doing homework, or lesson plans, or housework. I pretty much haven’t been doing anything. I have been sabotaging myself.
I have it all figured out. This is what’s going on. After becoming a mother for the first time @ 19, and the second [...]