Adteacher

Alfred Lord Tennyson There's an old adage that goes like this... "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." I think that I could very easily add to that thought. If I could be so bold as to be allowed to add my own words to Alfred Lord Tennyson's, I would add "...or anything else that doesn't involve being in a school building when the skies are blue and the world is beautiful." In other words, one of the most challenging tasks in the world, in my opinion, is to maintain focus and keep students moving forward in school when they are thinking so much about summertime and college, and a million other things. The good teachers just don't stop trying though. I have determined that my students will drive forward until the very last day. I don't plan to quit on them, so I strongly hope that they won't quit on me. I have planned some very challenging and dynamic projects for the end of this school year, and I am ...

Change. I sometimes get kind of cocky and think I have everything all figured out about life, and then I realize that no matter how long I live or how many experiences I have...I will never be able to safely say that I understand it completely. I get thrown a curve ball every now and then that surprises me at even my age, so it is very understandable that the students I teach are often struggling with many different things with regard to change. I think that is the single most fascinating thing about people. One day you think you are secure in the knowledge that things are going to work out the way you expect them to, and then...a big change happens. Change is actually potentially a really good thing if we can learn to deal with it. I have a perfect example. It happened to be in my late 30s as a young mom that I had to undergo a DRASTIC change that was completely unexpected and unpredictable that had to do with my health. I have talked about it before, but it still interests ...

We are officially now 3/4 of the way through the 2011-2012 school year. Seniors are now at the point where the "senioritis" is beginning to show its face. Most of the reason for this is the warmer weather. They now sense that it is nearing summertime, and that means college is nearly within their grasp. For a few, that is tremendously exciting. For most, it is slightly intimidating. They ask questions like "am I ready?" or "oh my gosh, how can I get more money at the last minute?" or "will I pass the last courses I need to graduate?" and they begin to feel the inevitable joy-killer at the end of the senior year...STRESS. For adults, this may seem kind of silly. After all, having successfully passed through these years, they know that it isn't as dramatic as it may seem to these students - but when you are at the age of 17 or 18, it is very stressful. This is the time of the year when social stress and performance stress seem to collide l...

Thank goodness I am back at school. This past weekend was one of those very strange times when I felt like it started strange and kept getting stranger as the weekend went on. The way the weekend started, I should have known that I was gonna have a weird weekend. I had dinner at one of my regular favorite spots, Norma's Cafe. I thought it would be nice to have "breakfast for dinner" with a nice cup of coffee and some quiet time to sit in the booth and play "Words with Friends" and have some light conversation with my husband. It started that way, but it certainly ended differently. To make a long story tolerable, suffice it to say that I was "trapped" by the ABC show "What Would You Do?" http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/ The scenario we were placed in was this: We were sitting in the booth and in walked a couple who were on a pleasant date. The man happened to be black, the young lady he was with - white. I didn't even notice th...

Japan: 1. 9.0 earthquake. 2. 33 ft. Tsunami that sweeps away whole cities and kills tens of thousands, many swept out to sea to vanish forever. 3. Aftershocks leading to shutdown of nuclear power plants. 4. Explosions and release of radiation into the atmosphere. 5. No power for millions, snow begins, people freezing. Conclusion: be thankful to be alive, take NOTHING for granted, and don't complain about silly things. Your life is grand. Embrace it.

Sometimes, even as a 52 year old lady, I still feel like an 8 year old. Today was one of those times. The 3:00 dismissal bell just rang - letting us out of school for a week of Spring Break. Even though it is just a week, it felt so exciting to hear that bell. I still love to get out of school on vacation, there is a thrill in the air that is undeniable. I have students heading off to places like Italy, Hawaii, Boston, New York, Florida, Haiti, and the list goes on and on. I have no real plans to travel, but I can tell that everyone is excited for a change of pace. It is welcomed at this time of year. I just feel happy to know that I have no schedule for a week! Lazy breakfasts with my husband, reading in bed in the afternoon, lounging in my pajamas till 10 AM... these are things that I enjoy and I could stand more of in my life. So bring it on, Spring Break is here - and I can't wait to see what it brings!

I hit a little period of time in January and February when life just kind of "caught up with me", and I haven't been blogging as much as I would like. I am going to make a more concious effort to post more regularly, as I feel that it is therapeutic for me and informative for those of you who like to check in and keep up with the things that have been going on in my life lately. When you last heard from me, I was romping around in the snow with my daughter. That was a fun filled time but, man! Am I ready for sunshine, flowers, and green grass. Today the temp was excellent... it was in the 70s and felt ideal. I guess I have a bout of "spring fever". I don't know if I will ever tire of that feeling that "spring is in the air". I love the knowledge that we have just about successfully completed our first full year at the new school and that things are looking really positive for next year. I'm just feeling very happy and positive right now. ...