Getting ready for my party!

I am getting ready for my big Valentine’s Day/Anniversary party tomorrow. I rented the tables earlier. They will be delivered shortly. I have this little theme going on- my colors are red, black, or pink. So, there will be one red table, one pink table, and one black table, with the chairs and the chair [...]

Boy, what a long day!

Have you ever answered the phone and wished that you wouldn’t have? Well, yesterday I had one of those phone calls. It’s a long story, so let me just begin now. Yesterday was a long day. Wednesdays always are. That’s the day I go straight from work to school until 9:45.
I’d had a good day [...]

I nailed it!!!

I had a presentation yesterday in my second class @ B.N.U. I nailed it. My assignment was to analyze the California Department of Education website. I had to summarize the website, detail any relevant websites,  and lastly give my opinion of it.
I perused the website for hours, got the necessary information and took it from [...]

What language do you speak? (or Can you spare a square?)

** WARNING- This post is kinda’ long**
Let me begin by saying that because of budget cuts, the district will no longer be paying for hotels for teachers’ training. Nor will they be providing lunch. They provide a continental breakfast (fruit, coffee, juice, croissants, and muffins) to get you there. After that, you are on your [...]

7 Things About me

I believe in keeping things short and sweet. Useless talk irritates me. I believe in getting straight to the point.
I am in a state of flux.
I want to know???.
I am scared of starting teaching again.
I sometimes seriously doubt myself.
I am such a geek.
I am learning how to draw.

The Fancy Nancy thing is over…

Whew…it’s finally over; the Fancy Nancy party that is. I had been planning it for months. I still feel like there is more I could have done. I always feel like this, especially when I’m throwing a party. This wasn’t a birthday party though, it was a FANCY party.
This is what I did:
We decorated [...]

Summer Reading w/Barnes & Noble

While on one of my trips to Barnes & Noble, I picked up some flyers for their Summer Reading with Andrew Clements. It’s called “Imagine If You Called It A Frindle.” It’s based on the best selling book, Frindle, by Andrew Clements.
For reading eight books of their own choosing, children are given a coupon and [...]

Tuesday’s puppet show

Tuesday was pretty nice. We went to the puppet show @ the local library, we checked out books, came home and did our Guys Read book club thing.
I was pleasantly pleased with one of my members. She went to the restroom and came back with an armload full of books. She presented me with a [...]

Fear vs. FAITH!

Fear imprisons, faith liberates
fear paralyzes, faith empowers
fear disheartens, faith encourages
fear sickens, faith heals
fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable.
Harry Emerson Fosdick
(from Diva Zone-www.divazonemagazine.com)

A hectic Saturday!

I had such a hectic & crazy Saturday. It took me awhile to calm down. The day started off normally enough. However, by 4:00, I was in tears.
Why?
Well, my husband and I went to a hazardous waste disposal site. Our plans after that was to go to one of my sister’s house for a little [...]

Yep, really smart!

This is a guess how smart I am. Well, what are you waiting for? Go ahead! Guess!
The punchline: I am so smart that I submitted the wrong lesson plan to Livetext (an online portfolio). As a result I ended up getting only half credit. So I got a B- instead of an A when I [...]

Happy 1st year Anniversary! (My acceptance speech)

I promised myself I wouldn’t cry. I can’t believe I won. I don’t have anything prepared (I say as I whip out an acceptance speech). Okay, snap back to reality. Snap back to my 1year anniversary of blogging.
Happy Anniversary to me. It’s been a year. I am so glad that I started this blog. It [...]

Guess how smart I am?

I haven’t said this in a long time, so let me say it now. I am the Blogmeister. As with anything, I know that this should not warrant a post, but as I said, I am the Blogmeister. Well, here’s the story, me & my good friend Traci have this saying.
I’ll call her and [...]

Special education meeting

Taken directly from L.A.U.S.D. website
Special Education Initiative: An informational meeting will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, December 3rd for those considering a career in the field of Special Education in the [...]

HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY!

To all you shopping maniacs out there, Happy Black Friday!

Qualities of a Marine!

These are some of the qualities that we came up with that Marines have. Here they are in no particular order:

They have good character.
They are strong (mentally).
They are disciplined.
They finish what they start.
They don’t leave anyone behind.They are part of a team and they love it.
They are the “best of the best”. They do their [...]

Thank you to Azusa Pacific University!

I have to say thank you to Azusa Pacific University! It is an excellent school with rigorous academic standards. I learned so much there. I just graduated from there (HD 92) with a degree in Human Development with an emphasis in English. It was a very intense program, but it was sooooo worth it. The [...]

Unwritten!

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Unwritten, by Natasha Bedinfield has been stuck in [...]

Thirteen things I love about my job!

Even though this job is not going to be easy, this is thirteen things that I know I will love about it.

I will make a difference.
I will get my own classroom.
The kids.
It’s never going to be a dull moment.
I feel like a real adult now.
Though it’s not much, I will get a regular paycheck.
I can [...]

What would Peter Parker do?

I am big fan of Stan Lee’s Spider Man. It’s full of tragic parts. The part that breaks my heart about Spiderman is when Peter’s Uncle Ben gets killed. Just in case you’ve been in a coma for like, forever, I am talking about Peter Parker, Spiderman’s real life self.
After getting bitten by a spider, [...]

I just sold myself!

“Call me a prostitute because I just sold myself,” I told my husband when I came home from my job interview yesterday.
“Okay, that didn’t come out right,” I said.
What I meant to say is that I potentially talked myself into a job. I sold my skills and qualifications to the Assistant Principals like a pro. [...]

I’m not signing that!

“Nice try, but no dice,” I said to my 16 year old son Dakota as he tried to shove a paper in my face to sign as I was walking out the door.
My children know the rules. I don’t sign anything in the morning.Why?
Because I was a teen-ager before and I tried the same thing: [...]

Why I’m Not Bussing Anymore of My Children!

Since I don’t have that oh so elusive teaching contract in hand yet, I have been doing one of my favorite things, walking my daughter to school. It is one of greatest pleasures. So, while I have the time, I’m going to take complete advantage of it. I get a chance to talk to her. [...]

Reluctant readers! Part 3

Hello, fellow bloggers out there. I am starting on my service learning project for next year. I am looking for reluctant readers. I want to do this for two reasons:

I feel that it’s my calling to help reluctant readers.
I am doing it for my Service learning project for AmeriCorps.

Last year I phoned in my Service [...]

Who’s your hero?

I had been wanting to see one of my favorite T.V. shows from the 80’s- The Greatest American Hero. Well, my husband found it for me. Do you remember that show? It was about aliens who gave this guy a super suit that gave him super powers. He had the power to fly and do [...]

God really looks out for me!

Yes, God really does look out for me. I am truly a blessed woman. This is not to say that bad things don’t happen to me; it’s just that God is there for me.
Here, let me start at the beginning. I was so happy last week when B.N.U. gave me a “birthday” treat, a brand [...]

University interns ARE highly qualified!

A couple weeks ago in bootcamp @ B.N.U., my advisor read the class a story from the L.A. Times about a parent trying to sue the state because her child’s school had too many teachers who weren’t qualified. Some of them were University interns, like me.
My advisor read it to us in response to my [...]

Yay us!

Well, today is the first day of school. Today, all of my children will be at school after being at home with me alllllllll summer. Thank goodness because my food budget couldn’t take it anymore. The question is what am I going to do with myself? I don’t have a job yet. I thought that [...]

Monster Mama by Liz Rosenberg

**Warning- This post is kinda’ long.**
Monster Mama (1997), written by Liz Rosenberg and illustrated by Stephen Gammell (one of my favorite illustrators), is a masterpiece. This book review is kinda’ of piggybacking off my older post about depression from a couple of weeks ago. It’s so funny (not a haha funny, but ironic kind of [...]

The Jena 6

Hey, people. I would be remiss if I didn’t weigh in on the Jena 6 situation. I was just listening to Michael Baisden, and could not believe the stuff that I was hearing.

He, along with many of his listeners, plan to march on the courthouse in Jena, Louisiana on September 20 for the sentencing of [...]

No one ever believes me!

“My family’s thinking, I knew it. She’s not having a hard time.” No one in my family ever believes that I am going through hard times. Well, maybe it’s the $80 haircut; or maybe it’s the $1, 500 brand new laptop that I’m sporting.
I didn’t buy it with my credit cards. That would require available [...]

Today, she’s my birthday!

Today, I have something to say about deceivers. They make me soooo mad. They are always trying some scheme or another to defraud someone. Another thing about that that makes me equally as mad is when they succeed.
Did you ever see that “I Love Lucy” episode when they were in Italy. It was little Ricky’s [...]

Mission Impossible: Assignment #2 (Hold on & believe)

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to hold on and believe that God is there and will pull you through. As usual, I don’t have a choice but to succeed. If I were given the choice of accepting or denying this assignment, I would have turned it down. Well…hold on…I’m not sure…I [...]

Now…back to reality!

Hey, here’s something you may not have expected: me to write about something involving special education. I know, I know…who would have thought that a website that’s supposed to be about special education would actually write something about special education…but yep, I finally have something to say about it. It’s been a long summer [...]

Thirteen things I dislike about myself

This is my Thursday’s thirteen. This is thirteen things that I dislike about myself.

When upset, I can become extremely cold.
Sometimes I will just look at someone and take an instant dislike to them. Even though I’m usually right, I feel like I’m judging people too harshly.
If I don’t have a goal to work towards, [...]

A peek into the mind of a crazed post-a-holic!

I was reading this author’s website with interviews from authors who have had books published this year and they were discussing their writing process. I was inspired by that to write about my writing muse and my writing process. I read the article because I wanted a peek inside their heads. How would you like [...]

Thirteen things I’m good at

Opening cellophane. My children used to beg for everything. I had to learn how, or I wouldn’t have been able to eat anything by myself.
Being a drama queen (self-explanatory).
Writing.
Reading.
Watching t.v.
Reading between the lines.
Getting mad at my husband (I think that I’m approaching legendary status. Over the years, I have become quite the expert).
Throwing a tantrum [...]

Did PBS hear me?

Some of you may remember my post, entitled “Shame on you PBS,”where I blasted PBS for airing shows like Teletubbies, Boohbah & Barney. Well, it seems as if they heard me. (I know that they really didn’t). They have come out with a new show called “Word World.”

I wrote about an opportunity to preview it [...]

Keep on the SUNny side!

Aaah, sunrise! My favorite time of day. Everything is so fresh and undisturbed. There’s not as much noise. There are less cars driving by; everything is so still. The day is filled with such great possibilities. Whenever I’ve been through hard times, I have been up at the crack of dawn watching the [...]

The tortoise & the hare

Slow and steady wins the race!

photo credit
When I first started going to the gym, I felt alone and more than a little intimidated by the women who were already in shape and who seemed to know just what exercises to do. I felt so awkward because I didn’t know how to use the machines [...]

Thirteen things I want for my children

Here’s my Thursday’s thirteen.
This is thirteen things that I want for my children, in no particular order:

Success. Their measure of success, not mine.
Happiness. Again, their measure, not mine.
Love for life.
Peace. This includes peace of mind, a piece of the American pie, etc…
Joy.
A spouse that they love beyond measure who also loves them just as much.
Money, [...]

The time has come, the time is now. Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go now?

The time has come, the time is now. Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go now?

The time has come- for me to teach Phillise how to read, that is. I have been putting off teaching her how to read long enough. I started on it, but was not consistent with it. Today, I decided was [...]

Ties that bind and bind and bind…!

After early last Sunday morning, I feel like I can do anything. I’m talking about coaching my little sister through the birth of her baby. A couple of months ago we talked and she agreed that she didn’t want to have an epidural because of my bad experience with it. Even though we had [...]

The ABC’s of first year teachers

I found this on a website: www.education-world.com
THE ABCs FOR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS

Admit your mistakes — and learn from them.
Be firm but flexible.
Communicate with parents.
Develop a homework policy — and stick to it.
Empower your students; don’t just lecture to them.
Find time to attend after-school events.
Get to know all the teachers in your school and make [...]

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

My husband is a very caring, compassionate and sympathetic listener. As a result, many people come to him with their problems. The problem is when those who he have lent a shoulder to to cry on don’t return the favor. At his old job there was this guy, Amir, who always had a sob story, [...]

The Simpson’s movie (Happy birthday to me!)

Yes, today is my birthday. My 37th. The only thing that I want to do is go to see the Simpson movie since they chose such a great day for it to come out. So needless to say, I will not be doing a lot of posting today. I will be out doing something for [...]

A prayer request!

A very good friend of mine is having surgery today. Please keep her in your prayers. It sucks that she has to have it on her birthday, but sometimes s****y stuff happens. It’s going to be okay though. Just keep her in your prayers. Thanks.

Thirteen things I heard at work everyday

Thirteen things that I hear at work everyday:

I have to go to the bathroom.
Do I have to?
He did it.
She did it.
He started it.
She started it.
That was due today?
Can I turn it in tomorrow?
I can’t do it.
Can you help me?
I really have to go to the bathroom.
What’s today’s date?
I don’t want to.

Stickfish!

I found this wonderful e-zine, My Goodness Magazine! Their style is reminiscent of Susan Taylor’s “In the Spirit.” Every time I read one of their articles, I am inspired. They are very thought provoking. I went over there early this morning and read Monique Ruffin-James’ article on “Friends.”
I was inspired by the article to write [...]

Is the pot blacker than the kettle?

I have been doing quite a bit of soul searching lately; a lot, actually, for the past couple of months. There are certain times in life that lends itself to tremendous periods of growth. This is one of those times for me. It started with what shall forever be known as “the jumper incident.” It [...]