Finally. It’s December. The month of Christmas. The month where it’s finally appropriate for stores to be playing Christmas music.
I decided to make a list on what NOT to do for the holidays.
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10. Don’t be offended when people say Merry Christmas. If you don’t believe, fine, but for goodness sakes, it’s a phrase.
9. Don’t block the toy aisles with your cart. I realize those areas are going to be crazy but keep your cart to the side so people can pass.
8. Don’t wear tacky Christmas sweaters...unless you’re going to a tacky Christmas sweater party.
7. Don’t prolong Christmas carols. I’m talking to you Christina Aguilara and Jennifer Hudson. It’s Silent Night. Not Siiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllleeennnttttt Nnnnnnnniiiiiiigggghhhhhtttttt. Just sing it already.
6. Don’t expect to find the Leapfrog Explorer Learning Tablet in stores or online. It seems to be sold out everywhere.
5. Don’t eat your weight in holiday treats. Oh wait, I’ve already done this. Shoot.
4. Don’t make fun of the way I wrap presents. I know. I suck.
3. Don’t force me to watch It’s A Wonderful Life. I don’t like it. But before you assume I’m not a fan of “old” movies, I absolutely love Miracle on 34th Street.
2. Don’t threaten to call Santa when the kids are acting up and not have a backup plan when one kid goes, “Prove it. Call Santa then.”
1. Don’t give fruit cake as a gift unless you know the recipient likes it. Most people think it tastes like fart.
Friday, December 2, 2011
New Leaders at the Helm
I have been in Montgomery since Thursday night at the AEA (Alabama Education Association) Delegate Assembly. This is where an elected group of teachers get together and decide what is needed for the education of our children and what is needed for us as teachers to prepare them. This was a bittersweet Delegate Assembly because our Executive Secretary, Dr. Paul Hubbard and our Associate Executive Secretary, Dr. Joe L. Reed are both retiring after 42 years of leading us. On Thursday night Dr. Hubbard gave his closing remarks (for the last time) and introduced Dr. Henry Mabry as his successor. On Friday morning Dr. Reed gave his final remarks and introduced his successor, Greg Graves. When the Assembly ended last night....Dr. Reed and Dr Hubbard walked out of the auditorium through a deafening applause and many tears. We are one of the most hated organizations in Alabama right now. AEA is a democratic organization and now that the state of Alabama is a Republican run state we have many enemies. Speaker of the House, Mike Hubbard said a couple of days before this grand meeting that "there was a new sheriff in town" and went on to say that AEA was going down. His animosity towards our leaders is sad....mainly because AEA is more than an organization....it is individual people....it is many faces.....it is me. I joined the AEA when I was a student in college and was very active in the SAEA. When I became a teacher I joined the AEA.....for the insurance to protect me in case I was ever sued. Fifteen years ago I became involved in the organization and was amazed at what all they really were...besides insurance. Yes, AEA is a political organization.....the raises I have gotten in the past years were because they fought for me. I have enjoyed a great insurance program through PEEHIP, retirement through RSA, and many more extras. The funny thing is that people who don't belong to AEA....got these things too.....and they don't even realize it. They joined other organizations because they did not like the political part of AEA.....but yet they have still enjoyed all the things Paul Hubbard and Joe Reed fought for and got for the TEACHERS of Alabama. And now....there will be new leaders at the helm and I have to admit I am a little nervous. Since the new government administration was sworn in....we have had a yet another year of proration (I have not had a cost of living raise since 2007.)....yet my insurance costs have gone up...and will go up a bunch until I retire with the new formula. My retirement portion has increased....and at the beginning of the year I have seen a 100.00 decrease so far in my check....and as of January 1....will see an additional decrease in my check. I lacked having 25 years in so I could not retire November 1 and not be affected by the new PEEHIP divisors. Yet.....our part time representatives/senators (who work 3 months)....now all make so much more than I do (and I am a full time employee)....because they got a 64% raise. Mr. Graves and Dr. Mabry have their work cut out for them....and that is all I am going to say on this matter! Happy Friday.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Tacky’s Christmas by Helen Lester - OPTIONAL
Lester, Helen. Tacky’s Christmas. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 2010, $16.99. Content G-picture book. Tacky the penguin is at it again. Not only does this fun-loving penguin enjoy life to the fullest, he always manages to somehow save the day. In this latest installment of the Tacky series, Tacky dresses as Santa Claus and a tree at the same time to distract and win over the hearts of evil hunters. I’m not sure how many of you are Tacky fans, but this being the first one I have read I was not impressed. I had a hard time getting over the incorrect grammar would not be wanting to have young readers read this because of that reason. EL - OPTIONAL if you are a Tacky fan. Shauna, reading teacher.
Ghosts in the Fog by Samantha Seiple - ESSENTIAL
Seiple, Samantha. Ghosts in the Fog: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion, 179 pgs. Scholastic Press, 2011. $16.99. Language : G ; Mature Content : G ; Violence : PG-13 = references to, but not detailed in nature, to historically accurate accounts of warfare.
The Aleutian Islands had to be taken in order to form a base from which the Japanese could attack and conquer the Western U.S. Because of the political backlash and fear that this event would cause in America, one of the most secretive and bloody battles of WWII took place at one of the gateways to the United States of America! Good: This historically accurate account was covered from different angles and from various peoples points of view. The horrors of war are revealed enough so that the reader understands that great men and women gave everything, including their lives, so that America could maintain its freedoms. Bad: I could not find anything wrong with how the story was written. MS - ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Kevin R. Moray
Babyberry Pie by Heather Vogel Frederick - OPTIONAL
Frederick, Heather Vogel. Babyberry Pie. Illustrated by Amy Schwartz. Harcourt Children’s Books 2010, $16.99. Content G-Picture Book. Babyberry pie is another bedtime routine book. The rhyming couplets are super cute. This isn’t a terrible book but not a great book either. OPTIONAL, Pre-K. Shauna, reading teacher.
21 Ways to Know If You Are Dealing With a Teacher
I am different from other people. I have a few quirks and most people who are teachers have them too. It is just one of those things. Jeff Foxworthy came up with a very accurate way to tell if you are dealing with a teacher and I had to share them. Of course, I have left my own comments too.....so be prepared.
#1. They get a secret thrill out of laminating things.(I love it so much I bought my own laminator).
#2 They can hear 25 voices behind them and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.
#3 They walk into a store and hear the words, "It's Ms./Mr. ____________ and know they have been spotted.(Once when I was doing afterschool detention....I had a student yell to his mom that there was his detention teacher. I never knew detention was a class....guess when you spend two days a week in it...it does become one.)
#4 They have 25 people who accidentally call them Mom/Dad at one time or another.(This even happens in high school.....of course I get called a few other choice names too.)
#5 They can eat a multi-course meal in under 25 minutes. (I am the queen of this one...not only can we eat it....we can run copies and go to the bathroom)
#6 They've trained themselves to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day, lunch and planning period.(Occassionally I will slip in during the 4 minutes of class change....quickly!)
#7 They start saving other people's trash, because most likely, they can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.
#8 They believe the Teacher's Lounge should be equipped with a margarita machine.(Dos bebidas por una precio)
#9 They want to slap the next person who says, "Must be nice to work 7 to 3 and have summers off". (That is a joke....and if we want to smart off about that...how about the hours I grade things and plan at home? You know....there are nurses who work on 7 and off 7....uhhhh...if you do the math that is only 6 month a year. Give teachers a break. During my June/July break I have to attend workshops and conferences to get the CEU's I need to keep my license. I work in my classroom at least two days a week. yeah...I have summers off. (In whose dream?)
#10 They believe chocolate is a food group.(Oh yeah!)
#11 They can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside.(It is amazing that we have this extraordinary power....but it is true. I can tell you without even looking.) Those are the days I want to call in sick.
#12 They believe that unspeakable evils will befall them if anyone says, "Boy, the kids are sure mellow today." (Shhhh....He who shall remain nameless will hear you....when someone says this....teachers run!)
#13 They feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when they are out in public.
#14 They believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin.
#15 They think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.
#16 They spend more money on school stuff than they do on their own children. (This is especially true during pro-ration.....I spend on average about 1000.00 a year extra.)
#17 They can't pass the school supply aisle without getting at least 5 items! (That is even true of high school teachers. Especially when we are in cutsie mode and become wannabe elementary teachers.)
#18 They ask their friends to use their words and explain if the left hand turn he made was a "good choice" or "bad choice."
#19 They find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils.(This makes my day.)
#20 They are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer. (I have it everywhere in my room, car, and desk)
#21 They understand, instantaneously, why a child behaves in a certain way after meeting his/her parents. (Oh yes....the acorn does not fall too far from the tree....it is all about heredity!)
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#1. They get a secret thrill out of laminating things.(I love it so much I bought my own laminator).
#2 They can hear 25 voices behind them and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.
#3 They walk into a store and hear the words, "It's Ms./Mr. ____________ and know they have been spotted.(Once when I was doing afterschool detention....I had a student yell to his mom that there was his detention teacher. I never knew detention was a class....guess when you spend two days a week in it...it does become one.)
#4 They have 25 people who accidentally call them Mom/Dad at one time or another.(This even happens in high school.....of course I get called a few other choice names too.)
#5 They can eat a multi-course meal in under 25 minutes. (I am the queen of this one...not only can we eat it....we can run copies and go to the bathroom)
#6 They've trained themselves to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day, lunch and planning period.(Occassionally I will slip in during the 4 minutes of class change....quickly!)
#7 They start saving other people's trash, because most likely, they can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.
#8 They believe the Teacher's Lounge should be equipped with a margarita machine.(Dos bebidas por una precio)
#9 They want to slap the next person who says, "Must be nice to work 7 to 3 and have summers off". (That is a joke....and if we want to smart off about that...how about the hours I grade things and plan at home? You know....there are nurses who work on 7 and off 7....uhhhh...if you do the math that is only 6 month a year. Give teachers a break. During my June/July break I have to attend workshops and conferences to get the CEU's I need to keep my license. I work in my classroom at least two days a week. yeah...I have summers off. (In whose dream?)
#10 They believe chocolate is a food group.(Oh yeah!)
#11 They can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside.(It is amazing that we have this extraordinary power....but it is true. I can tell you without even looking.) Those are the days I want to call in sick.
#12 They believe that unspeakable evils will befall them if anyone says, "Boy, the kids are sure mellow today." (Shhhh....He who shall remain nameless will hear you....when someone says this....teachers run!)
#13 They feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when they are out in public.
#14 They believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin.
#15 They think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.
#16 They spend more money on school stuff than they do on their own children. (This is especially true during pro-ration.....I spend on average about 1000.00 a year extra.)
#17 They can't pass the school supply aisle without getting at least 5 items! (That is even true of high school teachers. Especially when we are in cutsie mode and become wannabe elementary teachers.)
#18 They ask their friends to use their words and explain if the left hand turn he made was a "good choice" or "bad choice."
#19 They find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils.(This makes my day.)
#20 They are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer. (I have it everywhere in my room, car, and desk)
#21 They understand, instantaneously, why a child behaves in a certain way after meeting his/her parents. (Oh yes....the acorn does not fall too far from the tree....it is all about heredity!)
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Death to Pillow Pets
Oh no.
The Pillow Pet is dead.
This is why all scissors need to be hidden from Natalie. She claimed that the Pillow Pet was hurt and that she was helping him. (Note to self: Natalie WILL NOT be a doctor.) (Or, if she does become one she’ll be a psycho doctor.) (Like the kind historians believe Jack the Ripper was.) (Yikes.)
Here’s Max the Cat.
Don’t worry. His fur sitting in a pile beside him is NOT because of Natalie and her Death Clips.
No, that came from brushing him. This is why our furniture seems to always be covered by a thing layer of orange cat fur. Fun.
Anyway, I’ve hidden the scissors. Again. I keep doing this and Natalie keeps finding them.
Or she’ll find a completely different pair because apparently our house craps out scissors.
Now where is that Elf on the Shelf when I need him so he can report back to Santa on Natalie’s behavior?
Oh right.
We don’t do Elf on the Shelf.
Crap.
The Pillow Pet is dead.
This is why all scissors need to be hidden from Natalie. She claimed that the Pillow Pet was hurt and that she was helping him. (Note to self: Natalie WILL NOT be a doctor.) (Or, if she does become one she’ll be a psycho doctor.) (Like the kind historians believe Jack the Ripper was.) (Yikes.)
Here’s Max the Cat.
Don’t worry. His fur sitting in a pile beside him is NOT because of Natalie and her Death Clips.
No, that came from brushing him. This is why our furniture seems to always be covered by a thing layer of orange cat fur. Fun.
Anyway, I’ve hidden the scissors. Again. I keep doing this and Natalie keeps finding them.
Or she’ll find a completely different pair because apparently our house craps out scissors.
Now where is that Elf on the Shelf when I need him so he can report back to Santa on Natalie’s behavior?
Oh right.
We don’t do Elf on the Shelf.
Crap.
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