The Act of Creation…

So many times as I’ve been about to embark on a great journey, it’s been started by a quote. Well, this quote by Pablo Picasso is no different. Here’s the quote: Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”

This is so apropos because I feel like my life has been torn down and is currently in the process of being restructured and rebuilt. I’m on medical leave from work and don’t know what my next steps are. I thought by this time in my life that I’d know for sure what path I’d like to take. Wrong!

←I feel like this lady right here. I know that something good is on the horizon because my career is in shambles. I’ve been trying to get my resume together but just can’t seem to get it together. I tell ya’, one of these years I’m going to get it together!

Changing My Playlist!

Dear Readers,

For as long as I can remember, I’ve listened to really sad songs. I think it was because I was afraid to be happy. I didn’t even realize they were really sad until one of my students told me that the song that I loved was really depressing. Depressing?!?! Until then I didn’t connect the two.

After she said that, I started paying attention to my song choices. Sure enough, they were mostly sad and depressing. Almost all of them.

Do you think I changed my playlist then? Nope, I didn’t. Wanna’ know why! I hadn’t changed my way of thinking. Until now!

A couple of months ago, I attended an event through L.A.U.S.D. with Siedah Garrett (writer of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” & “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”) as one of the featured performers. She told the story of how she came to write the song, “Answer’s Always Love”.

I know that I keep using this phrase, but I vibed with her explanation and her song so much. I paid full attention to the song as she sang. I was mesmerized. Right then and there, I decided to change my playlist to suit my changed  mindset.

As an added bonus, here’s a poem I wrote in my upcoming book of poetry. Like to hear it, hear it goes:

I Changed My Playlist

My playlist, once so full of sad songs

used to depress me.

But those songs do not represent me 

or my way of thinking anymore.

My way of looking at things shifted.

I’m no longer sad, bitter, hurt, or afraid.

While Keyshia Cole’s “Let It Go”

And Mary J. Blige’s “Not Gon’ Cry”

used to be on repeat,

Now, the lyrics to Frankie Beverly’s “We Are One”

and Siedah Garrett’s “The Answer’s Always Love!”

Speaks to me.

Of necessity, I chose to limit my exposure to songs that kept me

angry, bitter, hurt, & afraid. 

While listening to sad songs.

 I was perpetually in an unproductive state of mind

that did not serve my desire to move forward

and heal. 

When your mindset shifts

and you’re ready to move on and

become a better you,

the way out can be as simple 

as changing your playlist!

© Original poetry by Carole L. Banks

Walking In My Power! Part 2

Dear Readers,

My apologies! Yesterday I wrote a post entitled, Walking in Your Power! I thought I explained what walking in your power is, but apparently I did not. Well, for those of you who don’t have me on Facebook, it must have seemed that it came out of the blue. So, although this post should have been part 1 of Walking in Your Power, it is Part 2.

Here is my Facebook post explaining what walking in your power is:

I have one question for you, Are you walking in your power?!?!
I ask this because there was a time when I thought I was broken and would never be fixed. I thought that no one could possibly really love this broken, disheveled mess that I called ME! I was so wrong. I love ME; this formerly broken mess of a woman who learned who I am, who doesn’t accept SH*T from anyone, who realizes her worth, who walks in her own power!
I am finally beginning to walk in my power. I was up, around 4 a.m., watching various motivational videos and reading anything I could find about walking in my power. One of the simplest ones I read was on Huffington Post entitled, “Why Aren’t You Walking in Your Power?”
It wasn’t a long article. It was very simple and to the point. I recommend it.

Check it out @ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/mindfulness-practice_b_420…

You’ll see from reading the Huffington Post article that walking in your power is you being your best self, it’s owning your truth, it’s realizing your true purpose and who you really are! 

In the words of Vicki Kirk-May, “It’s time to dominate!” It’s time to SHINE!!!

It’s time to become the real ME. I feel like I’ve only been a facsimile of who I can and am supposed to be. This quote, down below, by Anaïs Nin, perfectly symbolizes my situation. I can no longer remain tight in a bud. It’s too painful. I’m ready to be and embrace the new me; the ME that is my best self; the one who owns my truth- ALL OF IT. I accept all of me, the good and the bad. I accept and own everything I’ve done, up until now.

IT’S TIME TO REALLY LIVE!

 

As always, I’ll keep you updated on the happenings in my life!

One Day She…

Dear Readers,                                                                                                                                  After writing a post on Facebook yesterday and then seeing this memory today, I realized that I was wrestling with finding my voice. The beauty (and synchronicity) of all this is that I actually wrote this post three years on my Facebook page in response to rediscovering my voice. While looking back, I realized that I deal with the same things around the same time. Right now, I’m trying to figure out how knowing this information can be used to my advantage.

Below, is what I wrote in response to this pic:

I am enjoying being me and loving EVERY single minute of it. I’ve rediscovered that I have a voice. I’m not talking about my singing voice. I’m talking about ME! MY VOICE! My voice that I’ve recently discovered after years of having lost it. The voice that says I CAN & believes it; knows it with my whole being. The voice that knows you can’t and shouldn’t try to please everyone. The voice that knows I AM THE BEST ME I CAN BE; the voice that has decided to be ME, no matter who likes it!

Stop Playing the Shame Game! by Janet Thomas

Here’s a great post I read and vibed with it. The author, Janet Thomas, discusses shame and how you handle it. I was blessed by it. Read it and decide for yourself:

 

https://www.janetdthomas.com/stop-playing-shame-game/

 

Burnt Out!

Dear Readers,

I am burnt out! I’m fighting, but it’s sooooooooooooooo hard!!! My burn out is taking the form of:

• going to bed late
• waking up late (as a result of going to bed late)
• not being as productive as I can be
• wasting time at work
• leaving things at home

I’m going to be Captain Obvious here and say that I don’t like being burnt out. I only have 7 more school days after today. I know I’m going to make it. It’s just hard getting there.

 

Teach Plus @ LMU PD, Part 3!

Dear Readers,

For the first session, we learned a couple of strategies, called Opportunities to Respond (OTR). They include:

• Response Cards
• Hand Gestures
• Take A Stand
• Choral Response
• White Boards
• Think-Pair-Share

I’ve used all of these. We also learned a strategy I hadn’t heard of, the Round Table strategy. The teacher, Drew Otto, introduced it to us by giving a handout & explaining what we were going to do. So, we watched two videos with instructions to critique the video. First, we had to look for evidence of engagement. Then, we had to look for evidence of students not being engage. Once we were finished critiquing both videos, we passed our handouts around & others responded to what we’d previously written. Then, after that we passed that person’s paper around & someone responded to that person, until we did this for 3 rounds. For the last round, we basically summed up everything. Look at the templates below to get a better understanding just in case you didn’t understand my explanation.

Here are the templates I created using Drew’s template:                  equityequalityroundtable-1   equityvs-equalityroundtable-2

Please email me if you have any questions!

Putting the Onus on Them!

Dear Readers,

I’m training my students to be more independent. I have to be honest and say that some of it is my fault. When I first started working with them, I wanted them to know that they were loved, so I may have gone overboard on taking care of too much stuff for them. When they needed extra time on an assignment, I talked to the teachers for them. It’s a whole bunch of other stuff that I can’t remember doing for them, but suffice it to say that they became very dependent on me and I was very worn out the past two years. Fast forward to this year and I am recovering from being very worn out.

Last year I was so burnt out, I very nearly quit; I was super stressed. Part of the problem is that if there’s a problem, I usually only have struggles with admin & the students are wonderful. Well, last year I had struggles with admin & students. I had at least five very strong personalities that gave me the blues. So this year I said no more coddling and no more putting up with bullshit from admin or unruly students. Firstly, I’m putting the onus on them. It is now their responsibility to know their assignments, not mine. When they come to me and ask if I can get their assignments from their teachers, I give them two choices- I tell them they can go and ask the teacher themselves or send an email to them or we can go to the teacher together. Usually they choose the second option. However, when we go together I let them do the talking. If they chose the option of going to speak (or email) to the teacher themselves, of course I follow up with the teacher.

So, that’s my plan for this year. I am weaning them off of me, helping them get to know themselves, letting them self-advocate, become more independent, and helping them transition to the young adults they are.

I’ll keep you apprised of their progress. Bye for now!!!

 

Graphing WJIV Scores

Dear Readers,

Are you looking for an easier way to explain the Woodcock-Johnson scores to your student’s parents?

Well, I was! That’s when I had a brilliant idea and decided to graph the scores. I’m not sure why I never graphed them before. It would have made my life so much easier when it’s time to explain the Woodcock-Johnson scores.

This was sorely needed because so many times, at the IEP meeting, parents are “talked at” and overloaded with so much information. I can’t speak for the parents and say that they don’t understand, but the blank look sometimes says it all. I like this graph because the parents can see and hear the information.

I got the idea while planning lessons for my students who need simultaneous auditory & visual input. By graphing the scores, parents are able to see and hear the information for themselves, at a glance. Not only that, the graph saves about 10-15 minutes of explanation.

Here’s a mock up of READING scores from the WJIV. I also graphed WRITING & MATH scores. The first & last score (90-110) are just an illustration to show the AVERAGE range.

Of course you can use any color you’d like. These are the colors I used:

Note: I changed the colors I use to represent Average and Low Average. I now use Green to represent AVERAGE & Purple to represent Low Average. ~Leila~ 10.18.22

Standard Score Range	WJ-IV Classification
131 and above	Very Superior (Plum)
121 to 130	Superior (Dark Blue)
111 to 120	High Average (Orange)
90 to 110	Average (Green)
80 to 89	Low Average (Purple)
70 to 79	Low (Borderline) (Blue)
69 and below	Very Low (Significantly Below Average) (Red)

***I didn’t choose any colors for Superior & Very Superior because I have not yet had students score at this level.***

UPDATE: Just last week, I had a student test in the Superior & Very Superior Range. So, I choose the colors Dark Blue for SUPERIOR & Plum for VERY SUPERIOR.

There are many sites where you can create graphs. Here’s the site I used: https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/classic/ 

Let me know if this will work for you! Bye for now!

Piggy & The Emergency Packet!

Dear Readers,

I have a student that I call Piggy because she loves to eat. Don’t worry, she’s not offended; she actually thinks it’s cute. She is the cutest thing. I’m writing this post about her because how cute she is. All of her life she’s relied on how pretty she is. I sat down and talked to her one day and asked her if she ever thought that she could do “it!” I asked her if she was going to rely on her looks forever.

“Trust me when I say that looks fade, we gain weight, etc., etc.,” I told her.

She looked absolutely horrified when I told her that I wasn’t always a size 12. I took the time to tell her that she doesn’t have to rely only on her looks; that she could do “it.”

“You think I can?,” she asked.

“Yes, Piggy! I know you can!”

During my weekly grade check I told her that I wanted her to actually try in Biology & Math class. She agreed that she would. I told her that I was going to stay on her to make sure she did. She smiled and thanked me.

Well, I had to tell you the story of Piggy to finally get around to the Emergency Packets I made for my students.

Obviously that’s not my hand in the picture, but I digress. This is what was in the packets I made them. It took me a couple of days to assemble the packets, so I didn’t want the students to waste them. I told them to take out the chocolate Kiss if they didn’t want it and return the bag of items to me because others wanted them.

When I got to Piggy, I asked her if she wanted the packet. To my surprise she said that she did. After she ate the Kiss, she read the note and thanked me. This shocked me because at the beginning of the year she would have simply thrown the bag away without a second thought. It said a lot that she actually cared and is starting to believe in herself.

This warmed my heart so much. I really enjoy making a difference in their lives!

Almost Totally Paperless!

Dear Readers,

I have a problem. Not a big problem but a problem nonetheless. It’s a small problem, actually a good one. You see, I’m almost totally paperless in my classroom. So, when the 9th grade chapter chair requested work to put on the board, I didn’t have any.

When I first decided to become paperless I didn’t think about this ‘problem’. I was just thinking about how inconvenient making copies was. I didn’t think about not having anything on hand to put on the board.

I printed out one of their power point presentation in color and put them on the board. Problem solved!

Go Ahead, Call My Boss!

Dear Readers,

The title was too long to finish writing how I feel, so I’ll write it here. “Go ahead, call my boss. I have nothing to hide,” is what I thought as I gave this mom my number to call the head of the SpEd department. She’s one of those “shoot first and ask questions later” kind of people.

There’s such a big backstory on her and the situation I’m currently experiencing. My first meeting with her started off friendly enough. However, my thoughts about her changed once I saw how she attacked the 9th grade English teacher over her son’s grades which he earned. Little did I know that I would be the next one.

During our meeting, she was cordial enough. She then took me totally by surprise when, out of the blue, she began launching accusatory questions at me about a “C” grade. Even when I showed her his grades, she was still not satisfied. It was at this point that she stomped out of the room and apparently went straight to the Assistant Principal’s office. She told the AP that I attacked her, was unfriendly, and that she didn’t want to deal with me. I could tell by the AP’s voice and intonation that she believed the parent. I was insulted for a hot second until I realized that I didn’t care. I went to speak to the AP in charge of SpEd and let him know her M.O. He let me know that he had my back and that he would defuse the situation if it came down to it. I thanked him and went on my merry little way.

Did it end there? Of course it didn’t. That would have been too easy. The REAL problem began when the 311 report was run and the SpEd Director noticed that two students were assigned behavior intervention services. Wouldn’t you know that he was one of them? I sent home notices that she would not return. I called her and she would not answer. I even tried to schedule meetings with her that she would agree to and not show up. She began insisting that he receive the services even though she didn’t even know what they were. She began to try to bombard me with e-mails. That’s when I promptly told her that she could speak with my boss or one of the SpEd coaches if she would feel more at ease. I gave her both their numbers and wished her well. You know what, she never even gave them a call. In fact, she hasn’t even shown up for any parent conferences since then. It was not a surprise to me. I knew that she was one of the those people who try to bulldoze their way through to get their way when they know that simply asking will work. Those types of people puzzle me. I just don’t understand it. Has she never heard, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

I have not had to deal with her since then but his IEP is coming up in May. I’ll keep you updated on that. Bye for now!

The Little Engine That Could!

Dear Readers,

I am pleasantly surprised with my students! I’m seeing leaders emerge with strengths they, or I, in some cases, didn’t even know they had. What am I talking about? I’m talking about my students coming alive and developing their life skills.

One of the activities I introduced to them when we came back from break was jigsawing. In one of my last post I stated how I put the onus on my students for asking for extra time and getting their missed work from when they were absent. I know they are only in the 9th & 10th grade but within the next 3-4 years they will be young adults in charge of their own lives. So, they need to have certain skills. Two skills they really need and that are very important to have are self-advocacy & self-reliance. They are beginning to do well with self-advocacy skills, so now I’m training them in self-reliance. Many times during the last semester, the work would be right in front of them but they would not take to time to try to uncover it. I thought and thought about how to help the overcome their learned helplessness but it was tough. Let me tell you that learned helplessness runs deep. They were so used to believing they couldn’t do it that they stopped trying.

Well, by lecturing them, supporting them, and helping them realize that they can do it, they have begun to advocate for themselves and to rely on themselves. It’s one of the best feeling in the world to see that light bulb go on and have someone realize they can do it. I always think of The Little Engine That Could when this happens. I should read it to them. They’re so young they probably haven’t heard of it. I’ll see. Back to the lecture at hand. I’m happy to see them blossoming. I’ll keep you updated.

What is Your Disability?

What is your disability? That is a question I asked of my students. In my first period class, I have 10 students. Of those 10, only one student knew that he was diagnosed with ADHD. The other ones had no idea what their disability was. So I gave them the assignment that I sussed out over the break. Since I introduced them to jigsawing, I printed articles for the three disabilities in my class- Specific Learning Disability (SLD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Autism.

Here’s the breakdown. Of my 26 students, 1 has Language & Speech Services (LAS), 2 don’t have the lab with me, 4 have autism, and 2 have ADHD, with 16 having SLD. I split them into groups, gave them the articles and the link for the Google sheet to answer the questions they would later transfer to their ppt. or Google slides presentation. I then explained their roles and let them tear apart the article and answer the questions. They were free to research any questions that were not answered by the article. I’ll discuss the outcome in another post. Just color me impressed!

Bye for now!

Techy Me! or Challenge Accepted!

Dear Readers,

I work at a Blended Learning School. It’s a format that combines technology with traditional learning. When I took the job I was so out of my league. However I issued myself a challenge to get into that league. CHALLENGE: Learn and incorporate as much technology into the classroom as possible within the next couple of months. At the time I was hired, I hadn’t used much technology in the classroom except my classroom blog and iFilm.

However, I knew at this school I had to step up my game. So, I did! I accepted the challenge. Not only that, I saw the challenge and upped the ante a bit.

Usually, I can’t see my progress as it’s happening. However, in an earlier post, I briefly wrote about my Quickening process (click here). I also wrote about some of the programs I was using (click here). If I can think of anything else, I’ll post it. For now, here are the programs I’ve learned.

• Kahoot! online quiz program that automatically compiles correct & incorrect answers for me,
• Edmodo to post my power points, make quizzes, and display instructions,
• Haiku, used by our SpEd. department,
• Pinnacle to take roll & track grades,
• Class Dojo for behavior management,
• my school website to upload digital agendas,
• my other school website to download important documents & answer PD surveys,
• Google docs,
• Google sheets,
• Google forms,
• Google slides
• Online stopwatch for tracking time,
• Weebly website to post links and work from core classes.

Not sure, but I think that’s all. One last thing I’m very proud of is how I’m using Google sheets to make my exit slips for the month. I was using Google forms to send them daily, but discovered it was quickly filling up my Google drive and causing too much work for me. I knew I needed to find an easier and more efficient way to get the job done. I played around with Google sheets and figured out how to do it. Happy to say that I’m no longer creating daily exit slips; I’m now creating them monthly. If you’d like to know how, shoot me an email @ specialedandme@gmail.com.

 

 

About That Kid!

Dear Readers,

Here is a great read about “that kid” in your child’s class who disrupts, hurts your child, and hits other children, among other things.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/11/14/teacher-to-parents-about-that-kid-the-one-who-hits-disrupts-and-influences-your-kid/

Vacation, Here I Am!

Dear Readers,

I was in the house for all of four minutes before I had on my pajamas & my newly arrived Netflix movie popped in the DVD player. I am kicking in the door screaming, “Vacation, here I am!”

I Should Have Known!!!

Dear Readers,

As I was pushing into one of the math classes I support, I was taken aback that a student I was helping in 9th grade didn’t know her multiplication tables. Now, this particular student is something. In the beginning of the school year she was constantly being put out of the English class for misbehavior. This goes with my post on the chicken or the egg years ago regarding students who would rather be thought of a “bad” than “stupid.”

I am so mad at myself for not connecting the dots faster. I was so shocked as I had to scaffold lower and lower to accommodate her lack of basic foundational skills. She was just sitting there with a blank look on her face. Once I “really” saw that blank look, I knew that she’d been misbehaving at the beginning of school because she didn’t want anyone to know about her and her lack of knowledge.

I should have known!!!

Nerdy Me!

Dear Readers,

I feel like such a nerd!

“Why?,” you ask.

Well, I’ve just recently learned Google docs, Edmodo, Kahoot!, and a host of other online & tech programs I was previously UNable to use. Well, I spent the better part of Saturday morning organizing my Google docs, making folders for them and being happy doing so.

One of my favorite things to do is have my students share their work with me via Google docs. On Friday I was actually editing my student’s work as he was working on it across the room. One thing I like about Google docs, forms, & sheets is how it’s real time. One other thing I’m really enthused about is Google forms. Over the Veteran’s Day four day weekend, I took that time to create my monthly self-assessments for the rest of the year with Google forms. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Since my decision to go paperless, I’ve been so gung-ho about all things tech, and I am loving it!

Dear Readers, what are you doing to incorporate technology into your classroom? Drop me a line and let me know!

Happy Me!!! Part…I Don’t Know

Dear Readers,

I’ve written so many posts entitled “Happy Me” that I’ve lost count. That’s not as important as why I’m happy, so I won’t even harp on them. I’ll get to why I’m so happy. I’m so happy because I’ve had a very stressful couple of weeks and I didn’t fall apart. Usually I would have gotten sick or at least taken a day off. I probably would have complained without ceasing to my husband. I mean the list could go on. The beautiful part is how I handled it. Can is just say that I handled it like a champ? Yes, I’ll say that I handled it like a champ. I did not crack. I did not complain. In fact, I stepped up my game and became even more organized. I created templates and lists for my most important tasks. Today, I began organizing my binder that first year teachers can use. It really would have come in handy this year if I would have had it. I can probably still use it next year. I’ll keep you updated. Bye for now!

(Almost) No NPs!!!

Dear Readers,

I’m very happy about my students receiving almost no NP’s! I checked grades last week before report cards were due and last night at parent conferences. Almost all of the parents were happy. Most of all, my students were happy.

After performing grade checks today with my 9th graders, we got down to the nitty gritty- I asked them three questions. I first asked them if they were pleased with their grades. After their response, which were positive by the way, we looked at the grades and the reason for the NP’s. I then asked them if they could have done more to get better grades. They agreed that they could have been more diligent. Lastly, I asked them what their next steps were; moving forward, how were they going to do better and get C’s or better!

I don’t remember all of the grades, but, overall, there were great improvements. One student was happy with receiving 2 NP’s because she was down from 4. We celebrated her success. Another student saw how messing up on one test caused her to get an NP. I told her how I’ve seen her looking at herself in the iPad, combing her hair, talking, and just generally not paying attention or doing her work in class. She nervously smiled and said she would do better. I really hope she meant it. Seeing the grades every week seems to be having a positive effect on them. I’m quite happy with the results, but there is still room for improvement.

We’ll see how things go for the next 5 weeks. I’ll keep you updated. Bye for now!

My Voice!

Dear Readers,

Isn’t it funny how certain events in our life seem to correlate with one another. I’m talking about my voice, literally and figuratively. For the longest time I’ve felt as if my voice hasn’t been heard; in my personal life, at work, at church, etc. Well, once my church got it’s new pastor, I decided to go to work. I joined the Praise team (choir), started going to Bible study, and teaching the little children at Bible study.

Even though the problem was there beforehand, I only noticed and began piecing things together during choir rehearsal. Since I am soprano, I naturally sing high. However, if I am forced to sing low, my voice virtually disappears. It seems really tiny. But my voice didn’t just seem like that in choir rehearsal. It was like that in almost every aspect of my life. At work, in my relationships, etc.

I actually had a disturbing dream the other day where I was running from an attacker and couldn’t call for help. I was opening my mouth but nothing would come out. I was so puzzled because I knew that I should have been able to voice my concerns, but strangely unable to. Once I woke up and calmed down, I knew perfectly well what my subconscious was trying to tell me.

I vowed to myself to get myself heard. I’ll say that it’s worked because now that I’ve been singing in the choir for a couple of months my voice is stronger. I noticed that my voice is not only stronger in choir, but at work and my everyday life.

Since I prize my voice so highly, no one is happier than I am with the new developments. I will continue to speak up for myself and let my voice be heard. Thank you for listening!

Bye for now!

I Can Talk About Her, But You Can’t!

Dear Readers,

One of my students was highly offended when one of the students from another homeroom talked about me. My student, who I’ll call Hunter, immediately started reading the other student, who I’ll call Hezekiah, while the other students laughed. I actually saw him when he got that look. It was as if he was saying, “I can talk about her but you can’t!”

You know, I’ve been wondering why I was hired. I feel like I am not making a difference. Apparently I was wrong. They really are very protective of me. I’ll write more later.

He Walked Away… (Not Today!)

Dear Readers,

I have a lot to learn about boys and their precious egos. What I thought was a good thing actually turned out to be a bad thing. It started Friday afternoon. One of my students (I’ll call him Conner) has been talking about wanting to leave the school and return to public school. I told him some of the things he needs to do in order for that to happen. One of them being the lessening of fighting. He said that he was going to do his best. Well, fast forward to the end of the day when they usually fight and he proved himself. One of my students were trying to egg him on. This is what he said, “You know what, I’m not even going to fight you!” He then walked away! One would think it was over, but no!

The problem- I informed Conner’s counselor that he walked away from a fight. While you, and others reading this, may think this was a compliment, it wasn’t in the eyes of my students. He was picked on today and as a result he ended up fighting after lunch. He sucker punched one of my other students smack in the face. He didn’t walk away today.

I am actually afraid of what could happen tomorrow. I’m going to ask the head of security to do a random backpack and pocket search just in case one of them brings a knife. While I really hope this doesn’t happen, the reality is that it could happen!

Pray for me as I navigate the turmoil, trials, & tribulations of an NPS!

Protected Me!

Dear Readers,

As promised, I’m back to tell you the story of how one of my students surprised me. I was really shocked when it happened. I actually thought he was trying to hurt me, but as it turned  out, it was actually the opposite. He was protecting me. Imagine the shock on my face!

This is what happened. My homeroom class was @ P.E. in the gym when two of them started fighting (a common occurence, btw). They  were coming dangerously close to me when one of my other students stepped in between the them and me and shielded me with his own body. You really could have knocked me over with a feather because just 3 weeks earlier this particular student threatened me. Now, only a couple weeks later, he’s my protector.

So, I’ll be back tomorrow with more tales from an NPS! Bye for now!

I Can Talk About Her, But You Can’t!

Dear Readers,

I have a funny story to tell. Like to hear it, here it goes. I’m not sure if I posted this before, but I am now teaching Middle School in a Non Public School (NPS). Am I crazy? The answer is no. I feel as if I am where I belong. I definitely would not have taken this job if I didn’t. I love the people at the job. I have so much support from the counselors, the administration, and other teachers. The only problem is the support of my assistant. When he’s there (Key word being when!), he’s fantastic. However, he misses at least 2 days/week. When he does comes, he sometimes disappears. He will say he’s going to the bathroom and return an hour later. (I’m really not exaggerating on this.)

When he’s gone, I am alone with 10-12 Emotionally  Disturbed (ED) middle school students. And let me tell that they are jerks! Now, I recall why I never bothered with middle school. But, I digress!

So, when my assistant “goes to the bathroom” I am left alone with the students. Of course, without the threat of being slammed, should they become a danger to themselves or others, they act plum loco. So, my assistant “went to the bathroom” and it started. One of the students from another class began talking about me. That’s when my student, who’s been giving me the blues lately, looked at him and went in on him. He was really protective of me. I tell you what, that other student didn’t bother me again.

I have another story about one of my students protecting me when two other students were fighting near me. Working in the environment that I work in has its ups and down. As a result, I’ve had some good days and some bad days. Yesterday was a mixture of both! I know one of the reasons is that I’ve stopped doing things that I love, including blogging. I spoke with one of the counselors at my school and he advised me to do something I really like, everyday, for at least 20 minutes. Challenge accepted!

So, I’ll be writing more. You’ll get a peek inside the life of a Non Public School Teacher!

Vacation, Finally…

Dear Readers,

I have a lot to say. It’s been a long week. Some of it has been good; some of them has been bad. Either way it goes, I’m happy the week is over and I’m off for 2 weeks. Hallelujah and Thank You Jesus. I’m still winding down and have a lot to say, but I need some time to gather my thoughts. I will write shortly.

Bye for now!

The Best Complaint Ever, Part 2

Dear Readers,

Do you remember last week when I wrote about one of my students who was upset and complained to the Director of the school because I was trying to teach them & reading to them? Well, today, as I was writing the agenda on the board, he asked about Story time.

“Miss, how come you don’t read to us any more?,” he asked.

I told him that the class is too rowdy and noisy and no one  can hear me read.

“Okay, so if we’re quiet, you’ll read to us?,” he asked.

I told him that I would, so he proceeded to shush the students. Now, let me make it clear. This “kid” is the tough guy of Middle School. For him to shush the kids so that I could read Lulu’s Hat by Susan Meddaugh was really saying something. So, although I wasn’t planning on reading it, he shushed the class and got them quiet, so I read two chapters to them. Guess what? They were actually quiet.

How’s that for progress?

We Are Family???? Part 3

Ok, Dear Readers,

I’m back. I’ve been so underwhelmed this year by my passion for teaching. It just wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened, but I just didn’t have it. It seems like I was only able to bring my “B” game this year. Not bad, but not good. It’s barely above average, and average is not an adjective I want to ascribe to myself.

So, I’ve had a little time to think about this “being a family thing” that I’ve been wrestling with. My philosophy has been to make my class a family, so they will love and respect each other, stick together; especially since Special Education students are usually outcasts. I wanted them to always feel safe in my class. That’s why I instill confidence in my students. No students come into my classroom and leave the same way. Only two times has it been bad, and both times have been this year.

Let me explain, two of my students, who I’ll call Rachel & Lorena, have been more than a handful all year. One student, Rachel, has been my student since last year. She was the sweetest little girl. Now, this year, she’s been quite mean; so unlike herself. Last year she didn’t speak English really well and was a little self-conscious. I kept working with her and built up her confidence. She made friends with the other girls who didn’t accept her, at first, and absolutely blossomed. Her English improved and her people skills, arguably, got better also.

All of this made me upset. Here I am trying to help her and she turns around and bites my hand. So, I was talking to my friend, Danika, and she made me feel better. She said that you can only know what people show you. Apparently, it took her a while to show her true colors. When she did, she did.

I have since stopped beating myself up about this. I will meet my new students & decide what to do from there. I’ll keep you updated. Bye for now!

“No,” I Said. (or He Couldn’t Have Any!)

One of my students proposed a contest for the end of the year. The deal: If they read 3 books each the last 2 weeks of school, I would get them donuts and pizza. Well, one student, who never does anything, decided that he didn’t want to read. That’s when I told him that if he didn’t read, then he wouldn’t get any of the treats. He didn’t believe me.

Well, he had no choice but to believe me once I gave out the donuts. He must have forgotten my earlier admonishment three weeks ago because he got in line. I politely told him that he didn’t do any of the work, so he could not have a doughnut.

Later, when the pizza arrived, he again lined up.

“No,” I said. “You didn’t read any books, so you don’t get any of the treats!”

He was surprised and hurt, but it didn’t matter. There was no way I was going to reward him for doing nothing. Two of the students even volunteered to read the books he didn’t. So, it would be more than unfair to reward him for that. That’s why I said N.O.!!!

I Want This One…

Dear Readers,

Today, the cutest happened. Two of the third grade students, who were supposed to be in my class next year, wanted to borrow books. They asked me ahead of time if they could come up at lunchtime and I told them yes. I totally forgot and went to warm up my food. By the time I walked back to my classroom, they were waiting for me.

“I want this one!” said Orchid as she and Laverne pored over the books.

“Ooh, I’m going to get this one,” said Laverne.

They were super excited!

“Mrs. B., can you find me a book?” asked Orchid.

I was happy to oblige since she respects my opinion. I picked an Amber Brown book and a couple of others. She finally settled on a Magic Tree House book by Mary Pope Osbourne & a Bailey School Kids book by Marcia T. Jones & Debbie Dadey. Laverne picked more Magic Treehouse Books.

I was so happy they were happy. Well, until next time!

It Didn’t Stop!!!

Dear Readers,

I am still excited about the assembly at my school where I was able to give away the books for the grant that I wrote. My librarian is a sweetheart. I tried to share credit with her for writing the grant, since that is her territory, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She gave me time at the end of the assembly to speak to the parents and students and express to them my passion for reading and how I love to instill that same passion in my students. After that, I gave the parents information on the Molina Foundation and perseverance (It took a long time to hear back).

I got the idea to write the grant because I was so disheartened when, after speaking to some of the students, I discovered that some of them didn’t have any books at home. I knew I had to do something about that. I think it is so important for children to have books and enjoy reading.  So, from now on, no matter what school I work at, I will keep the information from the Molina Foundation handy and use it to bring the joy of reading into a child’s life.

The students were so excited to receive those books.Well, the excitement didn’t stop. After school the following Monday, two 3rd grade students came up to me and asked if they could check out books.

“SURE!!!” I exclaimed. I quickly did what I needed to do and hightailed it to my office with the 3rd graders in tow. However, once we got to my office, there weren’t two 3rd graders anymore. I also had two 3rd graders and one of my 1st graders.

I happily checked out books for all of them. I was so thrilled, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I am ecstatic that they are growing to love reading. Hopefully it will be a lifelong habit. Here’s hoping!

What is Ellumenopea?

Dear Readers,
I want Kindergarten teachers or anyone teaching the ABC song to make sure their students hear the different letters and not jam them altogether into one word. I have two stories about that. The first story is about my experience just this past week. The second story is about my niece, Mimi’s graduation twenty-one years ago. Like to hear ’em, here they go!
“Mrs. B,” my Kindergarten student, Will, asked, as I told him to write out the alphabets, “What is ellumenopea? How do you spell it?”

Lakeshore’s People Colored Crayons & Loving Yourself!

This is just a observation of mine I discovered regarding students who are insecure in themselves. I actually begin the school year using this as a test. It’s not foolproof though, since there are some students who aren’t aware of their skin tone, but I use it anyway. That’s one of the reasons I love, love, love Lakeshore’s people-colored-crayons and what they represent. It helps me know which students I need to work with on their self-esteem. At the beginning of the school year I make it a point to have my students pick the color closest to their skin color. The students who aren’t secure with themselves or who don’t like their color invariably pick a color nowhere near their own skin tone. It’ usually about two shades lighter than their actual skin tone. Imagine my surprise when the same thing happened with Hispanic students. I thought this was a phenomenon exclusive to black children. Has this happened in your class or with someone else you know? What say you?

A Genesis to Revelation Explanation!

That’s a funny title. You may even be curious as to what it is. Well, what is a Genesis to Revelation explanation? Glad you asked, now I can tell you. My brother-in-law, who’s a pastor, is (let’s say) very thorough. Don’t ask him a question if you don’t want to get an answer that’s at least 20 minutes long. Think I’m exaggerating? Well, you go ahead and ask him and you’ll see what I mean. If you ask him a question about the book of Revelations, he will tell you that, in order to fully understand his answer, he has to take you back to the book of Genesis. Just in case you don’t know what those books are, Genesis is the first book of the Bible, and Revelations is the last book.

I said all that to explain what a Genesis to Revelation explanation is. It’s when you ask someone a question, expecting a simple answer, and they want to give you a very long and complicated history lesson.

Too Cute to Be a Slave???

*** If you offend easily, please don’t read this post and reply with a nasty comment.***

Ok, let me explain that title. Let me begin by saying that one of my sisters is a professional hair braiders who regularly braids Phillise’s hair. Phillise’s hair is freshly done, so she thinks she is too cute. Apparently, according to her, she’s too cute to play a slave for her  Black History Month performance. She, being the little girl that she is (with freshly braided hair, I might add), thought she couldn’t possibly look like a slave.

“Mom,” she said with her cute little self, “How am I going to look like a slave when I am soooo cute?”

“Really!,” I said.

I tell ya’, kids say the darndest things!

George Said It!

When I first met George, he told me that I should teach teachers.

“Umm, it’s only my 2nd year of teaching. Just like you,”

“I said. It doesn’t matter,” he said. “You are amazing. You should be helping others.”

I politely thanked him but told him there was nothing special about me. Well, I’ve come to realize that I do see things differently than others. Thanks to my oddities & my entirely different take on things, I am receiving accolades from my current Principal & have been asked to teach the other teachers at my school (5) how to make lesson plans like mine.

As my Principal asked me, I thought back to that conversation two years ago with George. He told me that he thought I should be teaching teachers. Now, it’s actually coming to past. Who knew???

HERE’S TO 2011!

A Baby in the Oven???

For New Year’s Eve, I decided to start a new tradition. I decided to cook the same meal every New Year like some people do. I wanted to cook something I hadn’t cooked in a long time- Cornish hen. It’s actually been thirteen years since I’ve cooked it. There’s a funny story behind the reason why. Like to hear it, here it goes.

Sam & Dakota loved David so much when he was a baby, they couldn’t wait to get home and see him. When they got home from school they would shower him with kisses and hugs and hold him until dinner time. Well, this particular dinner time was not a happy one. I called them to the table just like any other day, when suddenly Sam exclaims,

“Oh my God, Mom! What is this?”

“It’s Cornish hen. Just sit down and eat it,” I said.

“Mom, I am not eating that. That looks so nasty, he said. It looks like a baby chicken. What if someone put salt and pepper on David & stuck him in the oven and cooked him?”

Ok, I’d never thought about it quite like that. I tried to explain to him that we are the top of the food chain and that it was okay to eat it, but he was not to be convinced. I, of course, didn’t make him eat. I think I made him a peanut butter & jelly sandwich instead. I’ve wanted Cornish hen over the years, but I hadn’t cooked it until last night. Sam was not here. I still don’t think he would have eaten it.

HERE’S TO 2011!

Such A Huge Family!

One thing about my life that I like & dislike at the same time is my huge extended family. That comes with a bunch of problems, but more importantly, it comes with a lot of births. I was adding up the number of babies in my family that were born since I last saw my nephew, Wesley, 3 years ago. The number I came up with was 15. Can you believe that? 15 babies born in the last 3 years.

Here they are:

Joseph (3), Michaelin (3), Michaun (2), Khai (1), Zareeah (2), Moriah (2), Dawn (9 months), Markeith (2), Markeila (4 months), Kameron (2), Stephen (1), Caesar (3), Nayla (2), Sariya (3), & Chloe (4 months).

A Pack of $5 Stickers vs. Using What You Already Have!

Yesterday after I picked Phillise & my niece, Melodee, up from school, I decided to stop by Michael’s. We hadn’t been there all summer, so I figured it was high time we did. Initially, I thought about buying some stickers, but thought about the 1,000 we already had at home. (Translation: I was being a big fat cheapskate). However, Phillise didn’t have that problems. She had $2 to spend and by golly she was gonna’ spend it. She picked up a pack of stickers that we thought were $2.99. She told me that she’d find her extra dollar in her drawer and pay me when we got home. So, I told her okay. The problem began when the stickers rang up for $4.99 instead of $2.99.

“Uh-oh, honey,” I said. “Those stickers are waaaaaay too much.

After I asked the cashier to remove them, I told her that she would just have to use what we had @ home. She really tried to get me with her big puppy dog eyes, but I stayed strong. As I was driving home, trying not to look @ the tears welling up in her eyes, I thought about how privileged she is. When I was younger, I yearned for stickers and scissors that cut wavy lines. I didn’t have the privilege of having 3 die-cutting machines, 2 binding machines, a laminating machine, and a whole host of brightly colored markers, crayons, and pretty paper. So, I thought to myself that she could make do with all of the stuff we have at home. No need for $5 stickers. She can use what we already have.

Until next time, dear readers!

Look @ Those Two!

I called Phillise to ask her for a hug, and got a wet one ’cause the sleeves on her robe was wet.

“Honey, why are you wet? What are you doing?,” I asked her.

“Oh, I was just helping David wash the dishes,” she said.

So, I look in the kitchen after she walked away from me and sure enough, I see her in the kitchen helping David wash and dry the dishes. It was the cutest thing, let me tell you. They had been fussing @ each other so much lately, I didn’t expect this. Boy, that was a precious moment spent just looking @ those two.

Mission Impossible Assignment #3: School Shopping on a Budget, Part 2

My mission (which I already accepted) was to purchase school uniforms, underwear & socks, and shoes for 2 children for under $150. This was seemingly impossible, but it’s been done before and it can be done again. One of the best ways to save money is to recycle clothing from the previous year that are still in good condition.

So, I rummaged through David’s bureau drawers and found 5 shirts & 2 pairs of pants from last year that he can still fit. So, I only had to purchase 1 pair of khaki pants for $12.99, & two monogrammed shirts (1 white & 1 navy) @ $12.99 each + a pair of And 1 sneakers (Rocket mid) for $29.99 + tax @ Big 5 Sporting Goods for a grand total of ~$75. So my grand total for David & Phillise’s school shopping adds up $75.00 + $55.00= $130

Mission accomplished!

This post is a continuation from an earlier post last week.

The Day I Saw My Mother-in-Law’s vagina!

Ah, the day I saw my mother-in-law’s vagina. What a catchy title? You just have to read this post now, don’t you? Trust me, this post is not going to be what you thought it was going to be about. This post is about a couple of things. Like to hear them, here they are:

1. Why I don’t play classical music anymore.
2. Why does, “Aha, aha…,” mean?
3. Why I don’t share my blog address with many people.
4. How I came up with the title, “The Day I Saw My Mother-in-Law’s Vagina”

I know, with a title like that, I have a lot of explaining to do, so here goes: When I first started at my site last year, I used to play classical music to calm the students down. However, one time the Principal came into my room and instructed me to turn it off. She said that it was too distracting. So, I had to stop. Even though it was working, I had to stop. That’s why I stopped playing classical music in my classroom.

Now, that leads me to my second point of “Aha!…Aha!…” In the movie Princess Bride, Billy Crystal’s character would make these silly little points that had absolutely no point. Once someone would question him about the meaningless “points”, he would hold up his finger and respond, “Aha!…Aha!…” The questioner would be left with a blank look wondering why in the world he thought he’d proven a point when he absolutely did not. That wraps up my second point and brings me to my third point of why I don’t share my blog address with many people at my work site.

Well, the main reason that I don’t share my blog address with many at my work site is because a couple of them are scared of Special Education. They remember how the students used to be before I came. Some of them still choose to see them like that even though they’re not like that anymore. They just have a hard time changing their way of thinking about special ed. Everything was fine until Nu. Now, this lends credence to what people were saying, “See! I told you how those Special Ed kids are!”

Well, the problem is that recently I decided to share my blog address with a couple of teachers @ school. So, right now, I’m not sure who’s reading this. But, since I don’t work at that job site anymore, it’s not all that important. Let’s move on!

Lastly, to wrap this up, I used to watch this great (recently cancelled) show, “Worst Week”? Well, what does this show, seeing my mother-in-law’s vagina, not playing classical music anymore, why I don’t share my blog address with a lot of people, and “Aha, aha…,” have to do with anything? Okay, well, just wait a little bit longer and I’ll bring it back around.

On the show, “Worst Week,” the main character, Brian, who’s a writer, is always doing stupidly destructive things. All kinds of crazy, out-of-the-ordinary kinds of things happen to him. He’s like an accident magnet- accidents are so drawn to him.

Well, Brian tells the story of how, in a quirky twist of fate, he saw his mother-in-law’s vagina. In the show, Brian and his fiancée are making an appointment to see the gynecologist because, unbeknownst to the family, his fiancée, Mel, is pregnant. What they don’t know is that his M-I-L is also going to the gynecologist. But she’s old school so she doesn’t talk about stuff like that.

When it’s Sam & Mel’s turn to go in, he’s busy doing something else, so he doesn’t go in with her. Now he doesn’t know which room she’s in. In order to find out which room she’s in, he gives the nurse the last name and the nurse tells him the room number. Or so he thinks!

Anyway, to shorten the story and keep it moving, suffice it to say that Sam ends up seeing his M-I-L’s vagina. He tells the guys about it and it somehow makes its way back to the boss who tells him to write about it. He does and as usual, some mishap occurs. His M-I-L ends up with the story. He wanted to write it to get it out, but didn’t want to publish it. That’s what predicament I find myself in.
I have this fantastic story to tell but I can’t tell it. So, learning from Brian’s mistake I won’t even publish that story. I will simply be content and settle for telling it to my husband, my sister and Traci.

It’s funny how somethings can be seemingly unrelated, yet they conspire to bring about a revelation that most people (those who aren’t odd & quirky like me) wouldn’t connect. I know. It took a long time to bring it around, but it was kinda’ funny. What I’m basically trying to say is that I have this really funny story to tell that I cannot tell for various reasons.

On a final note, I could totally have written for Seinfeld. I’m just saying!

Book Club Field Trip!

Well, I added a new element to Book Club- field trips. I also dropped it to 3 days/week instead of 5. Five days/week was way too much. It made me feel like I was still teaching. I didn’t feel like I was on vacation. Anyway, I digress.

So, we went to FREE TUESDAY @ The LaBrea Tarpits. I packed them a lunch (Water, mini carrots, Austin’s peanut butter crackers, a Jona gold apple, Smart & Final tortilla chips, toffee coated almonds, and Ritz wheat sticks). I brought along a blanket to sit on after our tour of the Pits. Everything worked out fine. One of my charges tried to get mouthy, but I nipped it in the bud. They had a great time. Of the five children I took along for the ride, only 1 had never been there.

On Thursday I’m planning for us to go to the Autry Musuem (which is free the first Thursday of the month after 4 p.m.). Join us won’t you!

Speaking Of…

This is a silly post. It’s totally random, but I just wanted to write it.

The way I speak now is like a broken record now. Why? Because when I speak English, people ask me what language I’m speaking. When I speak Spanish, I get asked to slow down because I talk so fast. When I was younger,  a lot of people could not understand me because of the rapidity of my speech.

When I was younger, a guy actually came up to me and my sister and asked us what language we were speaking.

“Well, English, of course,” we responded.

He didn’t believe us. That’s when I knew I had to slow my speech down. I know this seems totally random, but I mention this to say that I was wondering why I speak the way I do. I have a certain pattern that’s unlike the rest of my family. Once I thought about it I realized that I say a couple of words, hesitate and then resume. (It’s like poetry.) I realize I do that to allow people to catch up to me.

Well, that’s one mystery solved!

That’s why

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 my presence; on me being there.  I don’t want my class’ success predicated on me. I want to teach them to be able to perform no matter who’s there. So far I haven’t been able to do that because every time I’ve been out of the classroom, for whatever reason, they have behaved horribly.

How do I do that? Does anyone have any advice?

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 cast of characters.

Pink Socks- This little girl was so sassy. She was so talented. She could sing, draw, & dance. The funniest thing about her is that she had a seemingly endless supply of pink socks. Hence the name. She would always take her shoes off and walk around the class. I would tell her to put her shoes back on because I didn’t want to smell her little stinky twinkies.

Tag- He hated me at first. He did not want to be in special ed. He hated me because I was the special ed teacher. He refused to come in my class. If he did come in he would sit in the corner and cry. He became one of my favorite people. He would share his snacks with me. I would give him snacks. The one thing that I loved about him is that he was so eager to learn. He was aware that he didn’t know as much as he could. I had a long talk with him when he finally did come into the class. I asked him if he really wanted to read and he said yes. I told him that it wasn’t easy, but he could do it. He has been impressing me ever since.

Ann- A recent addition who fit in right from the first day. The one who I called Pink Socks for half the day. Thank goodness she forgave me. She was the sweetest little girl.

Sunny- Oh, my sweet little Sunny. I will miss her so much. She was not a talker; never had much to say, but when she talked, I listened. Everyone in the class took up for her. In fact, most of the people in the school took up for her.

Joe Shmo- One of the smallest 5th graders. He had a razor sharp mind. He challenged me and made me think many times. He was very artistic. I constantly complimented him on his artistic talent.

Joe Shmo II- This was a true mama’s boy. When he first came he was so unruly. His being a mama’s boy is actually how I got him under control. His last teacher told me to ask him if he wanted someone treating his mother like he was treating me. He said no. I told him that my sons didn’t like the way he was treating me. He got it.

Bollie- A smart little boy who I wanted out of my class in a good way. I think he could have made it in a general ed. class with support. He cried the first time he got in trouble. I felt so bad. He never got into trouble after that. He was a very good little boy.

Jon- A bit of a wise-cracking, smack talking little boy. We had a tough time in the beginning, but we were finally starting to get it together before I left. He definitely had the gift of gab. I had to find things around the classroom for him to do to try to help him control them lips. Boy could he flap ’em.

Lex- He was a walking contradiction. He was very respectful to adults, but he loved to fight. He was pretty good at it too. He told me that he fought because he couldn’t read. Yeah, he was aware of why he was fighting. That was one of the things I loved about him. When I first met him, I told him that I knew he was bad, but that I liked him anyway; and that we were going to get along fine. And we did. Only once or twice did I have to threaten to call his mother

Sandoval- Again, another smart kid I wanted out of my class in a good way.

Murphy- Had a 100-watt smile. He was such a gentleman; always ready with a compliment.

Curly Top- He was so eager to learn. He would tell me that he was learning. He said it with such a big smile on his face.

Michael- He was mainstreamed for most of the day. I only saw him in the afternoon. He was quite a handful. One minute he could be the sweetest thing. The next minute he’d be calling me baldheaded. Amazingly enough, I still miss him.

Hallel- Oh, how this child has matured and grown in the past year. I pushed him so hard last year; sometimes a little too hard. I had to back off him and let him be him. That’s when he came out of his shell. I’m so glad he did.

And last is Nu. Believe it or not, he had some very endearing qualities. He had a fantastic smile and a funny sense of humor. The flipside- well, you know the flipside. I’m tired of talking about it. Suffice it to say that I earned this break the hard way.

The love that I have for them is so great, I am tempted to go back. However, as long as my safety is a concern, that is not even an option. I am really going to miss them!

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 into a field below. While lying there, a cow came by and pooped on him. The bird though highly upset, began to realize that he was starting to thaw from the warmth of the manure. However, he also began to complain about the awful odor. A cat was walking by and heard his complaints. The cat began to dig the bird out. Once the bird was free the cat ate him.

My friends there are three things that I learned from this story:
1. Everyone who poops on you is not your enemy
2. Although you may not be in the perfect situation, don’t complain because…
3. Everyone who digs you out of trouble is not your friend.

Be clear on who serves which role!

From The Mouth Of Babes…

The more I am around young children, the more they impress me. I was just talking to David, my youngest son, when he said something so profound. We were talking about taking care of Moriah for the night.

My little sister, Danielle who I call Yelli, called and asked if I could take care of Moriah for a few hours. Of course I happily agreed since I love that little brown child. Well, David wanted her to spend a night. I told him that Yelli never lets Moriah stay overnight. Well, he was upset. He asked me why and I told him that Yelli loved Moriah and missed her terribly when she wasn’t with her. We then started discussing how we love our family. David started thinking and came up with this:

“You know what mom,” he said. “Every baby in this family is greatly loved.”

I didn’t have to think about it. I responded automatically and told him that he was right. We started talking about how the babies in my family are totally lavished with hugs and kisses until they can’t stand it. That’s how it should be. I love having an extra-large extended family. Some of the members in my family may be caraazy but they sure are there for family. That’s what it’s all about.

Until next time people. I hope you have the same.

When Procrastination Paid Off For Me…

I hate to admit this, but since I’ve had my plate so full, I have become a bit of a procrastinator. Usually, this ends up biting me in the but. However, today, it paid off for me.

Before Christmas I saw the cutest little Continental Electric brand mini sewing machine that I thought would be great to teach Phillise how to sew. I told myself that I would buy it when I had more money. I didn’t know that it was a seasonal item though.

So, I put it off and put it off, until I remembered that I wanted to get it for Phillise’s birthday, which was yesterday. Anyway, long story short, I tried to get it yesterday and the store was out. So, I went back to the first store that I saw it, only to have the manager inform that it was sent back to the warehouse to make room for other stuff since it was a seasonal item.

I was upset, but decided to do like I always do and check for myself. Did I find it? Yep, I sure did. It was the last one left. So, I took it up to the cashier, ready to pay the asking price of $19.99, when it rang up for $1.99.

“Oh, my goodness,” said the cashier, “this machine is only $1.99.” She asked another cashier who wasn’t working to go and get her one as I happily smiled knowing that I’d nabbed the last one.

Thank goodness I procrastinated!