Indeed

HIMYM and Broadway

2009-04-30T09:37:00.002-04:00

Do you love the show How I Met Your Mother? Do you love musicals like Le Miserables? Well this is the best of both worlds.

Watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhXsJjVdj1E

Under where? Underwear?

2008-12-09T17:25:00.003-05:00

When I was in elementary school there was this funny little joke that use to crack me up. It went something like this:

Me: Whatcha eating under there?

Them: Under where?

Me: Hahaha! You said underwear!

I would try this joke on anyone and everyone. And laugh everytime it worked. As I was driving home from school last night, listening to the radio, I heard this song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeuGQNuPhGs (Pinch Me, Bare Naked Ladies)

The important lines being,"I could hide out under there/ I just made you say "underwear." I remembered the first time I heard this song (college, I think?). I remembered laughing and thinking that I wasn't the only one on the planet that remembered that joke and possibly thought it was clever enough to put into a song.

The things she'll do for me...

2008-11-12T22:07:00.003-05:00

On our way home from dropping off Evan at school, Kyrsten says to me, "Mom can you get a game down for me? We can play it together."

I agreed with the disclaimer that I had to spend most of the day working on my Mythology paper. To which she replies, "I'll do your paperwork for you." (I know, but that's not the best part.)

I said, "No, that's nice of you, but I have to do it myself. Besides, it would be cheating."

She says, "I'll do everything for you mom." And then she goes on to make a list of all the things she'll do:

1. Do my hair.
2. Pick out my clothes.
3. Flush the toilet for me.
4. Pick out my jewelry for me when I have to go to a dancing party.
5. Pick out my jewelry for me when I have to go to a not a dancing party.

Now it seems to me that "one of these things just doesn't belong here, one of these things is not quite the same...."

Getting buzzed on the highway...

2008-10-28T21:50:00.002-04:00

No, I was not drinking and driving. I was driving and puking.

I have had terrible migraines my whole life. The usual causes are lack of food and stress. Yesterday I had both and I had the worst migraine of all times. It totally took the number one spot on my chart of all time bad migraines.

Mistake #1: Didn't eat dinner and tried to replace it with a Snickers.

Mistake #2: Didn't stop by my car on the way to class to get meds even though the headache had already started.

Mistake #3: Stayed in class instead of leaving at break.

The result of these three mistakes was a trail of Puke from Ypsilanti to Howell. I was so nauseous, that I could barely drive 60 mph. The first and third pukefest happened before I entered and after I exited the highway. The second time though I could barely pull over on time let alone get to a parking lot or toilet. So I jump out of my can and commenced the projectile upchucking along the side of the highway. Just as I was finishing up, you know, spitting the little bits of leftover out, I looked up just in time to get buzzed by this little white car who didn't see the fully lit up van parked on the side of the road.

I guess I'm lucky it was close enough to splash the puke puddle back onto me.

Tiger's Fans

2008-10-15T10:29:00.005-04:00

We went to see one of the last Tiger's games of the season. Baseball from such the distance we were sitting was not all that entertaining for our kids, but they loved the food, the people and the merry-go-round. I am also proud to say my Ohio-born husband now seems to be a Tiger's fan, owning the apparel and attending several games this past season. I haven't managed to turn him away from Ohio State football, but plans are in the works.

That is a Hello Kitty necklace paired with a Tiger's shirt! She accessorizes better than me.

What a smile!

Notice the hat!

Two other fans - I have to say, they are much more devoted than the average fan.

Oops! I think I got caught snapping this one!

I guess he also has Halloween taken care of.

Also, we were sitting right above the bull pen. One obnoxious fan whose picture I didn't manage to capture was screaming at the pitcher practicing down below. He was bellowing helpful tips like, "You have to throw the ball" and "Try to strike 'em out." I think there might have been a few "Your momma's so fat...." comments also. And this was all to the pitcher who wasn't even pitching. Go figure.

Arrgh!

2008-10-08T10:23:00.002-04:00

My blog frustrates me. I want to write funny, clever, thought-provoking things. I want to be able to come back to my blog and be please, challenged, reminded, etc with what I see. I think one of my problems is I'm not sure who my audience is. Me? My comment leavers (you precious few)? The universe? When I took my college writing classes and even when I taught writing myself, one of the first things to do before you write was consider the audience.

Who is a blogger's audience?

The Safe World of Blogging

2008-09-16T15:36:00.002-04:00

I just love the fact that I can type my thoughts, beliefs, opinions and questions in my blog and feel safe in the knowledge that any comments I get will not hurt me or infuriate me. This is not the case everywhere.

Today, I thought I would comment on an article in the local newspaper (on their website). Basically, it was just some questions I still had after reading the article. Someone else commented about my comment and implied I said a whole lot of things I never said, especially since all I did is ask three questions and make one statement. This person also took it upon themselves to brag about how they could find faults in others and liked to shove it back in their faces. What did he want, a gold star?

How dare I hope to begin an intellectual conversation? I think I'll just stick to the safe world of blogging.

More Tae Kwon Do

2008-09-08T09:40:00.005-04:00

Time for a Kyrsten Tae Kwon Do story. They call her age group (4-5) "Little Ninjas." Master Kil actually had them using nun chucks (had to look up the spelling-there is more than one) in their second class. I know, just picture it.

Anyway, if you have ever been around four and five year olds they ask a lot of questions and make lots of random comments. They also will blurt out a question or comment the moment one crosses their minds. And a question or comment can be triggered by anything. So imagine trying to teach the "Little Ninjas" a few aspects of Tae Kwon Do while they are asking bizarre(to us) questions or making random comments.

Something else you should know about this particular class is that it had a substitute teacher. He had a more militaristic style and actually expected the "Little Ninjas" to just follow directions without talking and seemed rather annoyed that they would just blurt out their random questions or comments.

So as the "Little Ninjas" (attempt to) stand at attention my darling princess of a daughter asks, "Do you have pink belts here?"

Master Military replies, "Um, no."

Then Little Ninja Kyrsten asks, "Well, do you have purple belts?"

M.M. replies, "No, we don't have purple either."

To which L.N. Kyrsten proclaims, "Well I like pink and purple."

At this point I expected Master Military to make them all do push ups (yep, he did that throughout the class), but instead he said to her, "Well, when you move on to the next belt, your mom can dye your white belt pink or purple."

This was a satisfatory answer for Kyrsten and for mom. Maybe I should give Master Military a little more credit.

Tae Kwon Do Class

2008-09-05T11:18:00.005-04:00

There are so many stories from Evan's Tae Kwon Do class that I could tell. I was biting my lip to keep from laughing the entire time, while furiously texting all the funny things Master Kil (wouldn't it be scary if it were two l's) said to the new white belts to Natalie.

He would ask them questions and then tell them the answer he expected them to give when asked again. For example.

Master Kil: Who is your hero?

Students: My mom and dad because they do everything for me.

Sometimes he would ask a question, let the students give some answers and then tell them the expected answer to the question.

So then Master Kil asks, " Who is your best friend?"

And Evan shouts out, "God!"

Not what Master Kil was looking for, but a perfect answer in my book!

*Look forward to future Master Kil stories, I'm sure!

FINALLY DONE

2008-08-15T01:51:00.003-04:00

This one deserves a blog! I am finally done with a paper I have been working on since approximately July 27, maybe earlier. Yeah, I need deadlines to motivate me. Teacher emailed today, "Where is your paper?" Hello motivation. I have worked on it little by little, but mostly I have just hemmed, hawed and procrastinated. I (the teacher) decided tonight was the night. Time to bite the bullet and get it done.

So here is to a whole day at the kitchen table writing about crap I really don't care about and going to bed at 2:00 a.m.!

Peace out!

The teacher

2008-08-02T13:56:00.003-04:00

I lost my job today.

I am a teacher. I love teaching. I have been teaching at a small christian school for the last 7 or 8 years. The students there are amazing. Meanwhile, I spent most summers trying to break into the public school system where the money and stability were slightly higher. I had interview after interview and never seemed to be able to get my foot in the door, even though my husband did. It was exhausting, humiliating and discouraging.

Here I am again not able to do what I want to do so desperately. I can't imagine doing anything else. I truly believe it is what I am suppose to be doing.

So why can't I do it. I'm so frustrated, I'm angry. At the same time, I feel the need to pretend like it is no big deal. I don't want people to know I am doubting myself, my abilities, my destiny.

At the same time, I don't want to bring God into this (even if that isn't really an option). It brings up too many questions that can't be answered, and again doubts. Again frustration.

Try again tomorrow

2008-07-30T09:57:00.002-04:00

Here I am, back in blog world, just trying to get in one entry before August is here. I'm going to blame my absence in July on the class I took, Children's Media Studies. I think I just figured out that I never come out of a class armed with the objectives the teacher set out with for the students. For example, I came out of this class with a new appreciation for video games thanks to a book called What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy by James Paul Gee. Anyway, I had to do quite a bit of reading and movie viewing for the class and it ate up my July. Now I am trying to write a paper that is due in August sometime. I hate writing papers!!!

So here I am. With nothing to write, but a paper on children's media and identity development. Let's all just face it, I am much better at keeping up with other people's blogs than my own. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

Vacations and Namesakes

2008-06-11T23:09:00.003-04:00

So, I took the month of May off from blogging. I know, I know, I said I would be here more often (I can see all three of you nodding), but maybe this time I won't be lying because I got a new laptop. I am getting ready to take my second Masters course, so my man bought it for me. Yeah!

I have also been thinking about the last entry. I am still not sure about what names I would have chosen, but I have some ideas. I don't know whose naming process is best because either way, some children still have to live with horrible names.

My first child, Evan, would be a sensitive one. I became pregnant with him during my engagement to his father. We broke up for a time, but eventually got back together. There are names I could choose that would focus on the difficult moments of my pregnancy, but instead I would probably choose words that would represent the fact that he helped my husband and I realize our love for one another, he gave us hope for the future, and being pregnant with him I learned about strength I didn't know I possessed. Love, Hope, Strength.

Kyrsten was a different story. She was planned. We hardly had to try at all (bummer). It was as if all things said it is time for your family to grow again. I could focus on the fact that she stubbornly remained breach until the bitter end, but I would choose for her something more. When we found out she was coming we began looking for a house for our larger family. Joy, Beginnings, Content.

Lucas was a thought that manifested itself. We were talking about the possibility and surprise! I had such an easy pregnancy except for enduring all the "Was this planned" questions. It seems absurd to some people to have more than two children. What-ever! We were excited to wonder and meet this new person we really hadn't expected. Complete, Wonder, Possibility.

What to name the kid...

2008-04-28T13:50:00.002-04:00

So I was in our morning staff meeting and a friend and fellow teacher was explaining how a friend of hers, who just had a baby, named the baby Journey. They were missionaries in Africa and there the people name their baby a word that describes the time period during which the baby was born or carried or conceived (not sure which).

I just started cracking up when I thought about what I might possibly have named my children if this were the case here in the States. Don't you wonder what your name would be if your parents had followed this naming procedure? I think I might ask.

Soccer Coaches are like a Box of Chocolates...

2008-04-25T13:35:00.002-04:00

It is kind of hard for me to describe "the dictator," aka Evan's soccer coach with out you being able to hear her. Don't get me wrong, I think it takes a really gifted, special person to handle a group of first and second graders...short attention spans, frequent need for a bathroom, toilet humor, endless questions etc. She is not a very patient lady, so imagine someone saying "line up, line up...hurry up" in a very impatient voice while giving you .243 seconds to comply and you are about 20 yards from where she wants you to line up. Sounds frustrating, now imagine you are 7 years old.

At the first practice I was somewhat bothered. Natalie joined me and we joked around about it. After the coach talked to the parents I saluted and said "Aye, aye captain" as I walked back to my seat. Practice came to an end and I asked Evan, "How did you like it?" I was prepared to quit. This is for fun and if he wasn't going to have fun well then... He loved it. And at the second practice the coach was the same and he loved it. He even said he really liked his coach. What is it that children can see (or accept) in people that adults can't?

Needless to say, lessons were learned. No silly, not soccer lessons, life lessons. Am I going to let him quit anytime the situation isn't exactly what he expects? No, he has to learn how to make commitments and stick with them, and he needs to learn how to deal with people that bother him. So unless she starts berating the children or making them feel bad about themselves, she'll just have to be my chocolate covered maple cream.

Snow White

2008-04-03T16:15:00.003-04:00

So, I'm trying to follow through on my quest to blog more. Here goes.

I am not one to go to the grocery store alone. Most may find this crazy, but usually all five of us go. Today, it was Kyrsten, Lucas and I.

Kyrsten was dressed in a complete Snow White costume, cape and all. There are two reasons she was dressed like this. One, she was like that when I picked her up from my mom's. Two, why fight about taking it off when it performs the same duty as clothes.

As I was walking through the store, people smiled and pointed. Then a woman actually came up to me and said, "I just want to say, you are a cool mom!" (See ego inflating here.) Apparently, uncool moms do not allow their children to dress as Disney characters at the grocery store. So I said to Kyrsten, "We need to go grab some fruit before we go." (I know, I know. They even eat fruit.) Then I looked at her with real big eyes and said, "We better not by apples. That didn't work out so well for Snow White last time." She looked back at me with big eyes and said, "You're right, I might die." And then we laughed.

We bought strawberries and bananas instead.

Castaway Cafe and Literary Criticism

2008-04-01T18:31:00.004-04:00

There is this clever little business in our town called Castaway cafe. I don't know if I can even describe it well enough to do it justice. It is a huge maze/web of rope ladders, slides, cushion like blocks, tunnels and other craziness that extends upward toward a warehouse high ceiling. (Anyone with kids should check it out...even a section for the peewees.) We took our kids there today. Nothing takes you back to childhood like watching your own children.

I reminisced about the days of Chucky Cheese with my husband. They still have these, but they are a watered-down, video-game overloaded, wanna be version of the old Chucky Cheese. (Remember the big ball tanks. They were great until some kids barfed his pizza in it and they had to close them for cleaning. And they had a real mouse guy walking around and singing on stage, not the robot version they have now.)

Anyway, every time we went to C.C., I made new friends, and I watched my kids do it today. They took off running and every time I saw them they were with a posse of kids challenging each other to the highest slide, comparing ages and finding out they were the same, pretending to be dogs, finding new routes to the top, and who knows what else. Good times.

I need to post more. One of the reasons I haven't been in blogworld lately except to comment on some lovely blogs is because of my Literary Criticism class. One of my goals this year was to begin work on my Master's degree. Boy, did I pick a doozy! Ask Natalie, she has been on this journey with me, maybe dragged along is a better way to say it. You know how criticism in general makes you feel, yeah this class is like that. I think it was created just to suck the life out of people who enjoy reading. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I have enjoyed being back in academia (for the most part - another post), and I am probably getting the toughest class out of the way first. Now if only that acceptance letter would arrive.

Ode to the Loves of My Life

2008-02-14T17:47:00.002-05:00

Very few of the few people who read my blog have met my children. Well, this post is dedicated to them and their fabulousness.

Lucas (aka Lukster-miester, Lukey, and young padawan)
One year old
Only child of mine who will eat peas, breast fed, and weighed 20 lbs before his first birthday
Has "evil" laugh when being mischiveous
Prefers to be carried by dad
Loves the outdoors, climbing on stools, Praise Baby, and making others laugh

Kyrsten (aka Ki-ki)
Four years old (in March)
Needs lots of sleep unless you would like to see her dark side - though you may see it anyway without any notice
Knows and uses way too many "grown-up phrases"
Prefers staying in her underwear all day long
Loves make-up, candy, playing with big brother, dressing up, singing and projects
Has the cutest little voice that includes switching b's for v's, ch's for t's, w's for l's and did you know today is Balemtime's day
Wrote a song called "What's Your Name" - it is an interactive song

Evan (aka bud)
Seven years old
Smart as a whip
Loves video games, playing outside, riding his bike (for miles), school and a million other things
Also prefers to be in underwear only
Is growing up too fast (i.e. used the phrase "as well" the other day)
Would eat noodles with just butter ("no sauce") for every meal
Writes poetry and just began a journal
Future is wide open for this kid

This is just a glimpse of the miracle that is my children. Only a creative and loving heavenly father could have created such wonder. As I think about them and their uniqueness I feel as if God is saying directly to me, "Happy Valentine's Day, Sarah!" What a gift of love each day is knowing them and being known as "mom."

Just sitting around...making up new words.

2008-02-03T13:34:00.000-05:00

So, you may have heard about the dashing mayor of Detroit and the texting scandal with his chief of staff. That is a whole other blog, for a whole other person on a whole other day. Anyway, Natalie and I were watching the news and all the channels were discussing his press conference apology. They were interviewing several people and getting their opinions on whether he seemed sincere or not. As one man answers the question, he mentions something like the "malfeces of the mayor."

"Did he just say 'malfeces'?"

Ok, he did not say "malfeces." It was just what Natalie and I heard. I think he may have said "maleficient," but I can't be sure. Anyway, this led to the discover of said word "malfeces."

malfeces \mal-`fe-seez\ n. poopy talk (malfecious adj.)
1. I don't want to hear that malfeces come out of your mouth again.
2. Such malfecious language is not allowed in this classroom.

My goal is to try and work it into a real classroom situation. Shouldn't be too difficult with a room full of middle schoolers!

Random

2008-01-11T12:56:00.000-05:00

"Random" is one of those words I use to get joy from using because it was just not everyday that something/someone deserved the use of that term. I would pull it out of my file cabinet of words like I was pulling out my favorite pair of socks on the rare occasion they were clean. Or like when you use a brand new tube of lipstick for the first time. You just know it is going to be a while until you do it again so you savor the moment. When I say the word "Random" I savor the sound of the word as it rolls off my tongue and delight in how unique and well chosen it sounds in the context of the moment.

Well, I use to.

Now the word is everywhere. It is like the use of the word random is no longer random. How can that be? I feel as if the world is becoming even more unstable than I once thought.

My students started it last year. Someone makes a comment. Another student says, "Wow, that was random." I thought it was one of those little inside group things. No, the students this year do it too. I hear it at least three times a class period. And I heard it on the radio and the TV just this week.

So, as I grieve the loss of the use of such a beautiful and precise word, I hold on to the hope that one day, "Random" will be random again.

Getting one in at the last second...

2007-12-29T22:50:00.000-05:00

Well, it is almost the end of the year and I thought I would try to get in one last post. When pondering what this last post would be about many ideas came to mind.

There is always that New Years Resolution list (in no particular order):
1. lose weight
2. go back to school and keep teaching certificate
3. appreciate my loved ones more
4. be a better teacher
5. deepen my relationship with Christ

There is always the Year in Review list:
1. Lucas's 1st birthday.
2. A rekindled friendship-Not to forget the World's Best Road Trip-Soundtrack available soon.
3. Convincing myself to go back to school.
4. An amazing trip to Chicago with my 6/7th grade class.
5. Lisa and Jesse deciding to move to Georgia.
6. Spring Break in Florida.
7. Grandma and Grandpa buying a Condo near us.
8. A new church.
9. 7th Anniversary.
Many more, too many more to think of right now...

Then there is the Ramble about Life's Brevity, how each year goes by so fast and it makes us realize how short life is, which leads right back into the New Years Resolution list and how next year you will attempt to accomplish all the things on the list so that when the year ends you won't feel the same way again.

But, it is inevitable. You will feel that way again because it is reality. Life is short and that fact becomes clearer with each year. So, embrace it, ponder it, then get over it and live life, whether that means making changes (moving, going back to school, leaving something behind), or bettering yourself (relationship with Christ or others, health-physical and/or mental), or just continuing to work on the things that can't be "Resolved" in a year or a lifetime (appreciating others, forgiveness, compassion...).

I can totally relate!

2007-12-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

(Names have been left out to protect the innocent.)

I went to the movies last night to see P.S. I Love You. My "friend" - see disclaimer above- and I loved it. Laugh, cry, oogle, etc.... All the things you long for in a movie including great acting. There is a particular line in the movie where Harry Connick Jr. says something like "I don't want to be the shoulder some girl cries on...." He goes on to finish this rant, but we missed it because a guy in the row behind us delivers and "I know what you mean" chuckle which said friend and I double over with laughter at hearing. I was seriously wondering if the poor chap was sitting with the "I need a shoulder" girl at that very minute. It was sort of a "hu-huh" kind of laugh. Yeah, you know, the one you use when your friend tells a story about her husband or mother or coworker which you can totally relate to.

What a delicious moment! Indeed!

Hellemarketers, I mean telemarketers

2007-12-07T13:19:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm sitting here with a headache, having just spent an unstructured morning with 7th and 8th graders, trying to figure out what is going on with the override for my Literature class I have finally made myself sign up for, and guess who calls just as I venture into blogland before laying down for a quick nap...yep, you probably guessed it, a telemarketer.

I am sure they have been discussed many a times here in the blogging community, but I just have to say my piece.

1. If I'm such a valued customer then why are you bugging me?

2. I know that you are not taking a breath as you speak so that I cannot get in my polite "no, thank you." Is that a requirement to be hired, or do they train you?

3. When you finally stop to ask me some important questions so you can give me the best possible rate, did you ever think to ask if I even wanted the darn thing.

4. Did you know I stopped listening around the part when you said, Hello Mrs. Nolen, I'm calling from Fifth-Third bank," and immediately began thinking of ways I could end this conversation or my life, whichever was easiest.

5. Did I just say conversation because that would imply two people talking back and forth.

I could go on and on and on, but there is a nice cozy couch waiting for me and I feel better now.

Ok already, I'll post something!

2007-12-05T18:15:00.000-05:00

This post is for all those who have just been dying for another one. I thought I'd share a quote from a TV show. I'm not usually blown away by the dialogue on television shows. I mean, usually I can predict the next words out of a character's mouth. Anyhow, this one comes from a military show call "The Unit." My husband kind of got me into it. You can probably catch the entire episode if you go to the CBS page and watch it there.

The quote is delivered by a chaplain to a soldier who is searching for some kind of answer as to whether the taking of life is ever justified. They have been discussing the dilemma for several minutes. Much more goes into the dilemma, but if you really want to get into it, like I said, watch the episode. So, with no further ado...

"When there is no more information, it's time to make a decision."

The chaplain feels that this soldier has all the information he is going to be able to get on this topic and it's time to decide, stay or get out.

Have you ever kept rehashing something, thinking something over to the point of exhaustion, searching for more information when there is none. It's time to make a decision. It is time to use that information and take a stand, form an opinion, move forward, pick an option, make a choice.

It may take courage or strength you don't think you have. It may scare you. You might make the wrong decision. But, at least you are no longer stagnant. You aren't stuck in a pool of information and indecision. And even if it turns out to be the wrong decision or just a bad one, you can rest easy in the fact that you aren't back in that pool.

I made a decision. I searched out the information, kicked myself in the pants for stalling and decided to go back to school and get my master's in Children's Literature. Maybe you've got all the information, and it is time for you to make a decision...

Here's a Good One

2007-11-05T13:28:00.000-05:00

"You must realize that it is the ordinary way of God's dealings with us that our ideas do not work out speedily and efficiently as we would like them to. The reason for this is not only the loving wisdom of God, but also the fact that our acts have to fit into a great complex pattern that we cannot possibly understand. I have learned over the years that Providence is always a whole lot wiser than any of us, and that there are always not only good reasons, but the very best reasons for the delays and blocks that often seem to us so frustrating and absurd." - Thomas Merton, "The Hidden Ground of Love: The Letters of Thomas Merton on Religious Experience and Social Concerns"

"Loving wisdom"...Well put Mr. Merton (whoever you are?).

"Quotes"

2007-10-17T13:23:00.001-04:00

I love words and language. I love their power to evoke any emotion, to entertain, to explain, to teach, to save, to win a battle, to raise a person to power or bring them down, to change a life.

This love has brought to me a new hobby... quote collecting. I can't stop. I steal them from people I know and find them in books, newspapers, and magazines. I hear them at conferences, in songs and on TV or movies. I even make up my own which my students collect, use and remind me of.

One of the most recent quotes I have been pondering is by E.B. White and I heard it at a teaching conference last week:

"Humor plays close to the white, hot fire of truth."

Chew on that for a while, and in the meantime, send me your quotes.

Whoa lady!

2007-09-27T19:15:00.000-04:00

First, I must brag. My son scored the one and only goal for his team tonight. Not only did he score this all important goal he did it from midfield. He is known for his power kick and apparently this is what his coaches were hoping for. I was ecstatic and so was he. So much so that his mood stayed pretty much the same as his team slowly lost, goal after goal, probably by 6 or 7 goals. I stopped counting.

This brings me to the actually topic of tonight's blog - the woman next to me at the soccer game. The inevitable parent you want to knock out as she constantly coaches (screams at) her child from the sideline. He was so overwhelmed. As I watched him look from the ball to his mom I realized he was more afraid of what she was going to do/say than what was going to happen with the ball. And then the coach made him goalie. The terror in his face was enough to make you want to jump out in front of the goal for him. He just knew he was going to mess up...and he did. Three goals went past him (not that the defense did much to help him). I believe he was doomed from the beginning with his mom screaming from the sidelines. She actually told him to tell the coach he didn't want to play goalie, a coveted post among 6/7 year olds. She eventually went into a cold, coma like state when she realized he wasn't going to be the star she expected him to be. I bet he couldn't wait for the car ride home.

I am just disgusted. It's like receiving a precious gift and throwing it at the bottom of the toy box or leaving it out in the rain. I wonder what this poor boy will grow up to be like? Maybe, being a teacher, I already know the answer to that because I have met him before as a middle schooler.

So sad. So, so sad.

A spoonful of sarcasm

2007-09-24T13:25:00.001-04:00

So, the students are getting a little rowdy. I say, "Come on guys, let's get going," referring to the assignment they are suppose to be working on. One young man looks at me with a grin and says, "OK, where are we going."

Now, I can appreciate a little sarcasm now and then, which is probably why I didn't say any of the responses going through my head including:
-"You don't want to know where you're going."
-"I don't know where you're going, but I'm pretty sure I'm am slowly spiraling toward Hell."
-"We're going to take a little walk to the Principal's office."
-"We're all going to that quiet place where we think about an assignment and then complete it, but I forgot, you don't visit there often. Let me draw you a map."

I guess I will give specific instructions next time..."Get to work!"

Tiny Tots Soccer

2007-09-22T14:06:00.000-04:00

How do you entertain 3 and 4-year-olds for an hour? Apparently, NOT with soccer practice. It always starts out well. They stretch and run a lap or two. By this point we have only lost the ones who fell or needed their shoes tied. Oh, yeah, and the one that had to go to the bathroom. The next few games go well, losing only a few due to the already mentioned problems. Only 50 minutes left to go.

Unless you are holding a very large piece of candy in your hand, the attention span of a preschooler is about 30 seconds. The problem: that is not enough time to give a set of directions that they can understand. This is also assuming you were able to get them all to sit down at the same time, otherwise one child's 30 second attention span is ending just as you get another child to join the circle.

Let's talk about the command, "go get your ball and come to the middle of the field." Translation of a preschooler - Spin in a circle until I figure out at which end of the field I left my ball, fall over because I'm dizzy, run down to my ball, start to pick it up but remember I'm not allowed to touch it with my hands so jump backwards away from the ball, kick it into the nearest goal, cheer for myself and make sure my mom saw it and gives me the thumbs up sign, do a somersault, wait-a-minute wasn't I suppose to be doing something? Whys is that big coach guy yelling my name? Hey, look, dandelions!

Oh, to find so many things exciting and fascinating. As I think about the ticker that is the child's mind, I crave the intensity and interest that is experienced each and every moment. Always trying to figure things out, wanting to check things out, such curiosity. As a teacher, I would love to bottle that curiosity and spoon feed it to my students each morning.

Maybe I should try holding up a piece of candy!

What to write...

2007-09-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

Everyday, I encourage my students to write. I give them a journal entry and they must respond. I'm not too picky about the length or whether it's in cursive or print. I try to give different types of entries like write a description, make a top 10 list, respond to a quote, tell me what you thought about ______, answer the riddle, etc.... Each week they are also required to enter something into their journals on their own and of their own creation.

Well, today I feel like a hypocrite. I have been trying to add another blog entry for almost a month and I am experiencing the Great Wall of China of writing blocks. Here I ask them to spill it every day (for part of their grade), and I can't even come up with anything clever.

I guess I learned my lesson when it comes to writing. I don't think I actually believed it was hard for some people. I'm not talking about those lazy students who just don't want to put the work into picking up the pencil. I'm talking about those poor students who actually are seeing a blank white board in their heads when I tell them to start writing.

To those students I say, "I believe you now, and I'm sorry. I promise to do my best to inspire you from now on so you never have to see the big, white scary monster in your mind. And, I can't wait to see what you come up with once you have truly had an inspired idea!"

To the two known readers of my blog...thank you for your patience!

Climb Inside the Mouth of Every Moment

2007-08-27T16:18:00.000-04:00

Every month a very special thing happens for me...my Parenting issue arrives. I sit down with it and read it cover to cover, for the most part anyway. I like the little ideas and funny stories and whatnot. In the September issue I was reading the section called "dad's-eye view." Basically it was about this new dad and how during the first few days of his baby's life he thought he killed her several times with his mistakes. He did not of course. The point of all this is the quote I am going to share with you. It is the perfect way to describe an inevitable moment in every parent's experience.

"She puts everything she is, every ounce of her, into each shriek. Her breath is so sweet I want to climb inside her mouth. I kiss her cheek and she cries harder."

Like the author says, sometimes babies cry. It is amazing how he can appreciate the work this baby is putting into crying. It is so easy to get frustrated or panicked. Why not savor or "climb inside the mouth" of the moment instead? Who says that every moment we appreciate has to be happy? I think I will try to savor more moments, especially the challenging, bitter, angry, tiring or sad.

My Blog

2007-08-26T16:45:00.000-04:00

Like many others I have been inspired to share my thoughts and what-not with the entire web-surfing world. I haven't yet decided if this will be a good idea on my part or not. I know I enjoy reading many other blogs, but will anybody enjoy (or even read) mine?

I feel the need to explain my Blog title, for those who don't know or it hasn't reached you yet. I picked it up from a movie called "Stomp the Yard." Two of the characters are fighting and their friends grab them and hold them back. The one says something like, "this isn't over," and the other says, with his back turned and pointing his finger like a gun in the air, "Indeed." It has become a popular phrase between my friend Natalie and I. I have noticed she is spreading the word. So if you hear it on the street someday soon, you will know where it originated from.