Nothing in Particular

sorry it's been so long...

lists
This blog started out as a list of things for me to write about. That is how my life operates. If something doesn't get put on my list, I will forget it. I must be getting old or something. I always feel bad when I tell my students I will do something, and then don't. I've learned that I have to right it down when I say I will do it. Sometimes I will forget by the time I get to my desk to write it down. I'm trying though and I'm getting better...slowly but surely.

new car
I bought a new car last week. A 2008 Nissan Sentra. My Honda (98 with 185,000+ miles on it) lasted me four and a half years. When it began to fall apart, it did so quickly. It would go through spells of being fine and then something major would happen. This last time it began over heating and was leaking oil some where...which has been going on for a while. But, water was also beginning to get in where the oil was supposed to be. Oil and water shouldn't mix in a car. The weekend after dad "fixed" it, I was scared the whole 2 miles from home to school as I drove in the pouring rain not sure I'd make it out of the middle of Roxboro Rd. I went to the bank immediately after school on Monday and applied for a loan. I've been looking at cars off and on for several months without ever seriously going forward with the purchase because I didn't want the car payment. When your car could literally die at any moment, you get a little more serious about a new mode of transportation. Tuesday I got approved, Wednesday I went and picked out a car, and Thursday I went and finalized the sale. To top it all off, they gave me $1500 for my car!! Dad didn't think we'd get $1000 for it. It's nice to get in the car and not have to worry about any light on the dashboard coming on. I plan to drive this thing for a while!

 

how do you spell x
Last week we were learning about algebraic expressions. So, we were writing expressions from phrases and phrases from expressions. For example, 2x means two times x. Four less than y is y - 4.
On several occasions I would have students raise their hand and say, "How do you spell x?" Or, "How do you spell y?"
Oh seventh graders...


hero
I had my windows open the other day and 2 yellow jackets decided they would rather be in my classroom than outside in the nice fresh fall weather. Flying, buzzing pests have the potential to cause a lot of commotion. You have people who are scared of them, then those who get scared when the flying thing decides to randomly fly into their face; some are scared of them because they are allergic, and then there are the boys who want to follow the things around and try to kill them. Well, not only did two bees decide to enter my classroom, they chose my craziest class to come in on. Things went from crazy to crazier in that class. Three boys were up chasing the bees while the girls were screaming and running from the bees. One boy finally killed the first one with his finger...this is the same boy who decided to play with a snake at the football game earlier this year. I wasn't too worried about him killing it when he chases after snakes to play with. Then, the other bee thing decided to hang out at the top of my windows not really bothering anyone, but still provided a major distraction as everyone is trying to watch its every move. The next thing I know the snake handler, bee killing boy is on my counter trying to kill the other one. I started to just let him until the bee came toward him and naturally his reflexes made him jump back causing him to almost fall. I quickly made him get down before he got hurt and I got sued before Christmas of my first year of teaching. This little bee was still crawling around my window. So, to take the distraction away, I decided to climb on the counter and kill it with my shoe. When I did, you would have thought I had just won a good medal by the cheers from my students. It's the little things in life...


good things
Everyday at the beginning of class we share good things. Students can share any good thing about school, life, friends, etc. They love it and always have something they want to share with me. It has been a great way to build relationships with them as I get a glimpse into things about them outside of the math classroom. Well, the other day one of my boys raised his hand for good things and said, "Lil Wayne gets out of jail today!" He was so excited about that. Although it made me question his decision making in regards to who he looks up to, that was the most excited I have seen this boy all year. So, Lil Wayne, if you ever read my blog, make smart choices. You've got impressionable seventh graders watching you.


fall
This is my current view outside of my classroom window. Hello, fall!

hot chocolate
I got this cute coffee cup from our fall fundraiser. It was a total rip off. However, I have quite enjoyed my hot chocolate in the mornings out of it.

short weeks
Last week we had a teacher workday on Monday. Although I technically still had a 5-day work week, it is SO nice to have a whole day to myself with no kids at school. I didn't get as much done this teacher work day as I did on the last one, but it was still nice to have the day. Then, this week, we had Thursday off. I thought it was going to be so nice having two short weeks in a row. And, as nice as it was to have a day off, the three days leading up to that day off were so loooooong. However, that day off was so nice! Sleeping in in the middle of a week is something unheard of these days


extra hour of sleep
I had gotten used to the pitch blackness of the morning. I knew exactly how many steps to take before the steps started and exactly how many steps it is to the bottom to ensure I didn't fall in the morning as I left the house. But, turning the clocks back last week did provide a nice extra hour of sleep. During good things earlier this week, one girl said, "I love getting an extra hour of sleep every night now!" I said, "You know you only got that extra hour one night." Her response was, "You mean we don't get an extra hour every night now?!?" Me: "Nope." Her: "Ohh."


annoyed
I have to be honest. Even though I shouldn't be, I have been very annoyed lately. You see, Algebra was and still is my favorite part of math. I like it; I get it; It's fun for me. It's hard for me to understand that it is hard for some people to get. So, after explaining the same concepts what feels like hundreds of times, I have gotten very annoyed when I get called over to answer a question that I feel like I have clearly explained a million times already. Part of me just wants to scream, "HOW CAN YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THIS??" However, that is only part...and a small part...of my annoyance. The other part is: one, they don't try and just want me to tell them the answer and two, they don't listen when I do go over it and over it and over it and over it AND over it. If you truly don't get it, I will gladly explain it again. But, when you just stare at me waiting for me to give you the answer, I occasionally want to scream. I especially want to scream after I've said, "Listen to this so you know how to do it." Then. the second I say, "Okay, begin," I have at least 3 hands raised saying, "I don't get it!" "I don't know what to do." UGH! Okay, thanks for letting me vent. Sometimes its necessary. I love my students; I really do. Some days they just really annoy me.


North Carolina Middle School Journal
I have a quote in the North Carolina Middle School Journal this issue! The professor I worked for last year was a guest editor for this issue and wrote an article in honor of one of the Founding Fathers of the Middle School Movement and who I had the honor of studying under at App. Check it out:
North Carolina Middle School Association Journal
In this article (page 5, second column, about half way down):
"C. Kenneth McEwin: North Carolina Middle Grades Education Groundbreaker, Trailblazer, and Caretaker"


wedding
Things I have checked off the to-do list:
(in no particular order)
Book ceremony site
Book reception site
Book photographer
Pick out bridesmaids dresses
Make a wedding gown appointment
Book the DJ
Book the florist
Set the date
Ask attendants
Make guest list
Set the budget
Choose our cake person
Schedule engagement session
Make inspiration notebook
Began wedding website--not ready to debut quite yet


All of the credit for these things goes to Mom and Allyson! This wedding won't come together without them. Even though the attention will be on me July 30, 2011, they should be the ones getting the credit!

boone
I got to go to Boone this weekend to see Steph accept her scholar athlete ring. The weather was perfect and the company was even better. Laura went with me and we had a great time doing more shopping and hanging out than watching football. We may have only made it to the football game for halftime and then left at the end of half time. Well, we did see about three minutes of the second quarter. In that three minutes App scored twice. And, they scored another time on our way out as the third quarter began. App won, Steph got her ring, Laura and I got to shop, we didn't have to ride the bus, and we had Daniel Boone Inn for dinner. I'd say Saturday was GREAT day! :) I really miss Boone. I don't have any copies of the pics of the three of us together...check out tagged pics on facebook soon for those. But, I did get to see Stephen some, which made the weekend that much better! Please pardon the ridiculous facial hair...it's no shave November.