AuburnChick's Adventures

Lord have mercy, but Joyce cooked up some TOUGH questions for us this week!!  Oy vey!  My brain…it is a hurting!  I’m going to give it my best shot, though, but I beg your forgiveness ahead of time.  As a teacher, I am used to challenging my students to think critically.  I think Joyce would have made a FANTASTIC teacher with these thought-provoking, philosophical questions!

Oh, and Joyce, I hope you get to feeling better soon!  Y’all pray for her.  She’s fighting a nasty case of ickiness.

1.  The popular saying, ‘All is fair in love and war’ is originally credited to English writer John Lyly.  Is he right?

I would have to disagree with Mr. Lyly.  To say that “all is fair” implies that anything goes.  Really?  Anything?  Would you really sacrifice your morals for the sake of love and/or war?  Take the shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette.  Ok.  So they aren’t exactly brainy shows, but they sure do reveal the nasty side of people.  One could say that this program encompasses both love AND war as contestants stop at NOTHING to win true love.

Gag.

What’s fair about sacrificing your scruples just to win?  To me, anyone who does this is a L-O-S-E-R.

:::stepping off of my soapbox:::

…for now

2.  Are you a cereal eater?  What’s your favorite kind?

I am not currently a cereal eater.  Back in the day, when I was, I preferred Cinnamon Life Crunch.  Oh word, but those squares soaked in milk made me a happy girl indeed!

3.  A five year old in Pennsylvania was recently given a ten day school suspension for talking with a friend about shooting one another with a Hello Kitty Bubble gun (the gun blows bubbles).  She did not have the gun with her at school.

A psychological evaluation was also ordered and the incident was recorded on her permanent record.  The suspension was later reduced to two days and her parents are suing to have the incident removed from her file. Your thoughts?  (If you missed the story click here for details).

Oh goodness!  What an awful story!  I honestly do not know how I feel about this.  The only thing I can say is that I wonder in what context the little girl and her playmate’s comments occurred.  Did the person reporting the incident accurately share how the conversation came about?  I know that everyone is extremely sensitive to talk of violence and, in particular, guns – hence the reaction to this situation.  But still…I wonder.  That’s about all I’m going to say.  My heart hurts about this.

4.  Whatever happened to_____________________________?

Whatever happened to kids being respectful at school?  Oh my word!  I love my students, but a few of them just don’t have a clue about how to be respectful and STOP TALKING during the teaching process!  Sheesh Louise!

5.   January 23rd is National Handwriting Day, billed as a day to reacquaint yourself with a pen and pencil.  Do you like your handwriting? Do you prefer to print or write in cursive?  This date was chosen because its the birth date of John Hancock. What’s the last thing you signed your name to?

My handwriting is okay.  I’m not super-thrilled with it, but it’s fine.  I wish I had “teacher” handwriting, but alas, I am not an elementary teacher.  I write as quickly as I can, and my students don’t complain.

As far as printing versus writing in cursive…hmmm…I enjoy both.  I have to print on the Smartboard for my students, but there’s something very soothing about cursive writing.  It takes more time, which makes it great for putting your thoughts in order.  Cursive writing flows so beautifully across the page, that it’s almost as if your hand is dancing across a stage.  I wonder if this is why one of my students wanted me to teach him how to write in cursive.

The last thing I signed my name to was my restaurant bill on Friday night.  Barb had picked me up (my car was in the shop…still is, matter of fact), and we stopped at my favorite Mexican restaurant so I could pick up my to-go order.  It’s sad that I knew how much my bill would be.  That’s how often I order from the place.

6.  Speaking of John Hancock…ever been to Philadelphia? Do you have any desire to visit the city of Brotherly Love?

I have not been to Philadelphia, but I wouldn’t mind going.  There’s a lot of history there, and I am a history buff.  One summer, I’d love to take a few weeks and just travel around all of the Revolutionary War / Early American sites.

7.  Share something funny you’ve heard a child say.

Because I teach high school students, my definition of “child” will be someone between the ages of 14-17.

Yesterday, I gave my students new assigned seats.  I do this every nine weeks because the kids usually get tired of sitting with the same people, and it’s a good thing for students to work with different people who have different learning styles and abilities.

Needless to say, some of my students were not happy.  We’re starting our third nine weeks, and I know my students…oh so well.  I know who they can and CANNOT sit beside…who will cause them to talk incessantly (see question #4)…who needs to be closer to the board to see.

Well, after the bell rang, a girl who is not in my class came into my room to find her friend, who is a student of mine.

When she saw her friend, she said, “Friend!  I saw you, and you weren’t sleeping!”

heeheehee

The girl she was referring to is an avoider.  She’s one of those students who refuses to face the front of the class (my tables make it so kids have to turn sideways to see the board).  She constantly sits with her face in her hands.

I knew this.

I’d planned for it.

She’s in the front of the room right up close to me.

There will be no more naps in my classroom (although I am pretty good at catching the kids…usually).

I had to chuckle.

Even her friend had busted her!

8.  My Random Thought

Yesterday during lunch, when I had my knitting students with me, I decided to show my girls the following video.  I thought they would find it sweet.

They were bored, distracted by the goings on in the room.

However, in the middle of the video, I smacked myself in the head with my palm.

I’d completely forgotten to put the video in yesterday’s post about my Chicky turning 21!!!

I was so bummed!

I’d heard the song on the radio last week while I was getting ready for work.  I’d never heard it before and quickly got on the internet to look up the lyrics.

Oh my word.

Then, I watched the video.

Tears poured forth.

Barb had picked me up for a breakfast we were attending, and she was beside herself when she saw my tears.

“Stop crying,” she said.  “People are going to wonder what I said to upset you.”

heehee

She’s such a supportive friend.

😉

I’m sharing the video with you now.  The song is How to Say Goodbye by one of my favorite Christian singers/songwriters, Michael W. Smith.

Chicky, this one is for you.  Never forget that while you’re going off into the big world, those of us at home are fighting the bittersweet feelings that come with letting go.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: How to Say Goodbye, michael w smith, Wednesday Hodgepodge |