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Bowling My Way Through the Hodgepodge

Posted on January 22, 2014 by auburnchick

It’s hard to believe that we’re on the other side of January, eh?  I can’t say I’m unhappy about that with the coldddd weather we’ve had of late.  Brrr…Florida shouldn’t get down into the 20’s!!  I love Joyce’s questions today.  Play along and link back up with her!

1.  It was decided on Sunday the Denver Broncos will meet the Seattle Seahawks in this year’s  Superbowl. So when was the last time you bowled? Not where you thought this question was going is it?  Do you like to bowl? Are you any good?

I do, actually, enjoy bowling, although I cannot remember, exactly, when I last bowled. I know it’s been a few years.  As with any sport, I pretty much stink.  Coordination, unless knitting needles and yarn are involved, just doesn’t seem to be my thing.  Still, I do like to have fun trying!

2.  Should sports stars be role models?

I don’t know if they should be role models, but they most definitely are because of the glorified status that the public has bestowed upon them thanks to outrageous salaries.

Now, I’m all about celebrating a person’s talents, don’t get me wrong, having reared a spectacular athlete (my Chicky).  And yes, she’s a role model simply because she’s on a field of play, with everyone watching her.

Thus it is, athletes naturally become role models the moment they step into an arena of any sort.  Let’s pray that they are good examples…unlike “certain” people…or rather a “person” who wasn’t a good role model last weekend.

*ahem*

3.  January is National Oatmeal month…are you a fan? How do you like your oats?

I love the old fashioned oatmeal where it has to cook for ten minutes.  I like to put brown sugar on it.  Yum!

4.  What is one book on your reading list for 2014?

Just one, Joyce?  Really?  I am a high school reading teacher!!  I have LOTS of books on my to-read list.  With that said, Neal Shusterman’s fourth book in the Unwind series comes out this summer.  Its title is Undivided, and I can hardly wait!

Hollow City, the sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Griggs, also comes out soon.  The first was a quirky book but strangely addicting.  A movie is being made of it.

I’ve got a lot of other young adult books that I want to read in keeping up with my students.  I’m currently reading the I am Number 4 series.

5.  What would you like your future self to say to your present self?

You were more of an effective teacher than you realized.  I am constantly doubting myself…holding myself up in comparison to other teachers.  I’d like to think that my future self would tell my present self that the worrying was for naught.

6.  When scrolling through the TV guide, what is one movie title that makes you want to stop, grab the popcorn, and watch for a while?

The first movie that came to mind was Gladiator.  What a moving story with an ending that makes me cry Every.  Time.  I.  Watch.

7.  What are two style trends you hope never come back into fashion?

I would be happy never to see high-waist pants and parachute pants come back into fashion.  Blech.

8.  My Random Thought

Yesterday, I attended a breakfast sponsored by the group that will be hosting our annual reading conference.  I was pleasantly surprised when I won a door prize…two brand new books for my classroom!!  I can’t wait to read the one on the left.  The book jacket painted a suspenseful story!!

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 8 Comments »

Violet Waffles Hat

Posted on January 20, 2014 by auburnchick

A quick post to show you what I kept myself busy doing on Sunday (as opposed to the lesson planning that should have been happening…which is why I’m posting this at 11:48pm on Monday evening…please I procrastinated).

This was my response to the current Quidditch challenge on my Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup group on Ravelry.

We were challenged to select one pattern from an approved list and knit it as quickly as possible…hence the name of the challenge…Speed Matters.  The quicker a person finished, the more points awarded.

I finished this in eight hours…potty and meal breaks notwithstanding.  I received the full forty points for finishing within one day.

I was able to use yarn I purchased on my Vegas trip in 2008.  I blogged about that here.  It was my first yarn shopping excursion to “real” yarn stores, and I’ve been a bit of a yarn snob ever since.

The yarn, Cash Vero, now discontinued (gee, I feel old) was a DREAM to knit with.  It was a mix of merino wool and cashmere.

Oh yeah…the hat is warm.

And now I better get back to lesson planning.

Yes…at midnight.

Thankfully, Tuesday is a teacher work day…sans students.  Still, I want to get up and have my Smartboard file finished so I can spend Tuesday making new seating arrangements and working on next week’s lesson plans.  My Saturday is going to be busy, and I’m learning to get these plans done earlier so I can have some time to be a non-teacher on the weekends.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Who Remembers This?

Posted on January 19, 2014 by auburnchick

Yesterday, the Mr. and I went to the mall at the beach.  Although I’d forgotten to take my Ulta coupons with me (dang it), we decided to go ahead and eat lunch at my favorite, vegan-friendly, pizza place, Red Brick.

It was a cold day…even colder at the outside mall with the breezes from the ocean.

On our way to the pizzeria, we stopped at a store to look around.

That’s when I saw this…

Oh word, but I was taken back, in an instant, to my childhood.

I spent hours playing with my Spirograph.  I wasn’t artistic, by any stretch of the imagination, so this toy made me happy.

It meant I didn’t have to freehand to come up with pretty designs.

I think I kept this toy through my teenage years.  I never tired of it because the designs were always original.  I could never remember which hole I’d used for which design.

I nearly bought the box yesterday to place in my classroom.  My students are very artistic and are always doodling.

I’ll probably go back and pick it up or try to find it online for a cheaper price.

Either way, the memories it evoked made me smile.

My childhood was filled with a lot of angst and turmoil.  It’s good when a precious memory rises to the surface and temporarily blots out some of the scars that will never completely heal.

I don’t think they make toys like this any more.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

The Power of Student Email

Posted on January 18, 2014 by auburnchick

Oh word, but my students have really been blowing me away lately with the way they are using the technology I have incorporated into our classroom activities!

On Monday, each student had to turn in an essay he/she had revised.  The revision counted as a test grade.

I had taken my students to the computer lab the week before to train them how to use Google Drive (more information about this in a future post).  I gave them a class period to begin typing their essays and instructed them to finish at home.  I allowed the couple of students who didn’t have internet access at home to turn in handwritten essays.

One of my girls had been absent a lot the week before, so I gave her a couple of extra days to complete the assignment.

The night before her due date, I began receiving emails from her school email account to mine.  She needed help, and she provided the introduction she had written.

We went back and forth quite a few times as I clarified instructions and answered her questions.

I assured her that I would be up late and she could keep emailing me.

She did…until 12am.  Yes, I am a night owl.  I also couldn’t leave her hanging.

She turned in a beautiful essay the next day.

My email correspondence with my students has begun to expand beyond homework help.

I received the following from one of my gentlemen on Thursday…

This guy had read his way through Marie Lu’s book series, Legend, which I’d purchased, at his request, in recent months.

Champion, which he referred to in his email, was the third installment in the series.

I guess I know what I’ll be reading soon.

Meanwhile, I had another student who was looking for Champion.  I discovered that it wasn’t on the shelf, so I sent the first young man an email, fully aware that he checks it regularly…during school even.

Sure enough, within a few short minutes, he had responded and told me that he’d do his best to deliver it to my other student’s math class.

I’m finding myself very excited at what’s happening in my classroom.

Teaching students how to use Gmail and Google Drive is opening up new avenues for discussion and self monitoring.

One of my students sent me an email after school yesterday inquiring about specific grades “I had given her” (as opposed to “her earning”).  When I got home and pulled up her grades, I was able to respond, with a full accounting.  The funniest part of her email was how she attached screen shots of a survey she had completed for an assignment…the results of which didn’t go through to the Google Form I had created.

She won that point.

You know the saying, “When you give a mouse a cookie.”

Well, in my case, when you teach kids how to use “grown up” tools, they begin to take ownership of their learning.  They begin to ask questions they are uncomfortable asking in front of big groups.  They become co-facilitators of their educational experience.

I continue to be amazed, humbled, and honored at what I get to do each day.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

“That Test Was Easy”

Posted on January 17, 2014 by auburnchick

This week, my school district is administering mid-term exams.

Yesterday, I gave the exam to my first class.  I was nervous because this is a class that struggles a lot, and I have to work even harder to help them grasp reading concepts.

I had agonized over my test after I created it and got feedback from my friend, Barb, who is the reading coach at my school.  She had given it her seal of approval and assured me that it was both complex (which is needed to prepare kids for FCAT) and do-able in the time allotted.

Our schedule got a bit messed up because of the problem we had with the power going out on Tuesday.  This had taken away one day of review time.

I knew I needed to adjust my plans to fit my kids’ needs.

Because there was going to be Author’s Purpose vocabulary on the test, and because my students had done poorly on the vocab test I’d given last week, I decided that they would spend Wednesday’s class period making flash cards to test each other with and to study with at home.

Don’t tell anyone, but I let them listen to music while they wrote their words and definitions on the index cards I provided.

You could have heard a pin drop.  They LOVED this rare treat, because I never allow them to listen to their music while they work (reading and music don’t go together, contrary to what teenagers say).

Anyhoo…

I also showed my kids the Quizlet set of flashcards I had quickly prepared.  I had emailed the link to their Google mail student accounts but showed them how to pull the words up and play the review games online.

Click to see a larger view

In addition, I had students come to the board to play one of the games that is automatically created with each set of words…Scatter.  It’s a matching game where the words/definitions disappear when you match them properly.  The game is timed.

Click to view a larger image

The kids had a lot of fun racing against themselves!  I even polished off my knuckles and showed them a thing or two about it it’s done.  🙂

I reminded them to study the cards and sent them on their way when the bell rang.

Yesterday, they took their test.

I was apprehensive.  I worry about my kiddos and desperately want them to succeed.

After the test was over, one precious young man said, “Mrs. AuburnChick, that test was easy!  My mom tested me last night with the flashcards I made in your class.”

Oh, be still my beating heart!!!  ♥

Another young man told me that he had practiced his words and showed me his phone, which had the Quizlet website pulled up!!!

The kids had entered their answers into the Smartboard responders, so the tests were graded immediately.

They wanted me to show them their grades (I always remove names so they can find their grades by student numbers).

To my joy (and surprise), only two people missed any of the vocabulary!

The young man who had made the comment above missed NONE of the vocabulary!!!!

Teaching is a hard profession.  Moments like the ones I experienced yesterday…the feedback in the form of students’ comments AND their test results…makes every long day more than worth it.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Dental Nightmares

Posted on January 16, 2014 by auburnchick

There are only a few things that make me very squeamish…spiders, needles, and dental visits.

Today I came face-to-face with the third item on the list.  Yes, folks, it was time for my six-month cleaning.

I loathe going to the dentist.

I suspect my issues go back to when I was a child.  Super Sis and I were pretty much threatened that if we got cavities, things would go very badly for us.

I had perfect teeth…until I turned sixteen.  I’ll never forget being told that I had three cavities…my first.

My mom was so mad that she made me drive myself to the follow-up appointment to have them filled.  The dentist was a good thirty to forty minutes away.

I was petrified.  I already didn’t like needles.  I had no idea what to expect after the needles.

I was also grounded for a long time.

Ridiculous, I know.

When I got married and enrolled in the dental plan offered through the state, I went faithfully, never enjoying the task but doing what I was supposed to simply because I was supposed to.  I don’t think I got any more cavities for a long time…if ever after that first go-round.

In 2010, I had a bad incident with a cavity that broke free of its filling and infected a nerve.  I had two teeth pulled during that visit.  I blogged about it here.

It was awful…lots of shots…with needles…lots of pain afterward.

I didn’t go back to the dentist for a long time after that.

When the Mr. finally got me to go back (and stop wasting his money), I freaked out when I had to get x-rays done.

This, my friends, is the stuff of my nightmares.

Getting dental x-rays done is TORTURE for me.

Although I am known to talk quite a bit, my mouth is actually quite small.

My jaw doesn’t open very wide, so sticking those wing things into each side is as painful as it is uncomfortable.  I nearly gag every time as well.

One year, I was so freaked out that I sat in the chair with tears rolling down my face.  I was completely unnerved, and my body told on me…releasing the fears that I was trying to hold inside.

The dental tech was extremely mean and condescending when I cried.

I never went back to this dentist’s office.

The new place I’m at is very family friendly, but today…oh today…I wanted to run out screaming.

It was x-ray time, declared the gal.

I wanted to refuse and gingerly broached the subject.  She politely avoided my veiled request.

I went into full protection mode (remember my post yesterday about being a force to be reckoned with).

Um, yeah.

She tried to offer “suggestions,” but I wasn’t buying them and politely *ahem* told her so.

I think I offended her because she said, “I’m just trying to help.”

Yeah.

I felt like one of my students who doesn’t want help when offered…every bit as rebellious too.

The first two x-rays were o-k-a-y.  Rather than remove the wing from my mouth, she slid it over to the other side of my mouth…no easy feat.

She stuck in a new wing for the third x-ray, and things went badly from this point forward.

I don’t know if the left side of my mouth is smaller than my right, but things were not fitting right, and I know I had a deer-in-the-headlights look…pure panic…as she adjusted the x-ray machine more than once or twice to get it just right.

I really wanted to pull that wing out and stick it somewhere unpleasant, let me tell you.

It was finally time for the fourth freaking x-ray, and she tried to slide it around into position.

Yeah, right.

It didn’t work because, in case somebody didn’t get the message, MY JAW IS TOO FREAKING SMALL FOR X-RAYS.

She pulled it out and then stuck her finger under my tongue.

Why?

I have no idea.

She said, “That’s just my finger,” as I was gagging.

Uh huh.  I’m going to keep this rated G.  I quit cussing last May, but I really wanted to start back again.

She finally, finally got the stupid wing in…the pain far, far worse than the others…and snapped the stupid, stupid x-ray.

She later told me that my palette is shallow.

My teeth are small too.

Yes, dear.  Most of me is small except for my feet, and those don’t need x-ray wings stuck between the toes, thank you very much.

Then, after looking at the x-rays, she announced that everything looked great.

Gee, I wanted to say, I could have told you that without the freaking x-ray.

She was a sweet girl, but sometimes I wonder what these people are thinking.

My jaw now hurts badly, and I have a headache.

I am going to start refusing these x-rays again unless I’m having serious problems.

I really don’t care if I have a cavity brewing; I’ll wait until a cavity hits a nerve before going that route again.

This is the stuff of my nightmares.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

A Force to be Reckoned With

Posted on January 15, 2014 by auburnchick

It’s Wednesday already?  Wow!  It’s been a very interesting week.  Yesterday, a power transformer caught fire a few streets away from my school and knocked out power for the surrounding area.  My school was affected; the power went out at 8:30.  As a result, we dismissed students at 10:50, and teachers got to go home at 1.  I had a lovely afternoon and went to the grocery store…a rare thing these days…and prepared dinner for the guys and myself.  I also knit up a quick project.  Mid-term exams begin today, so things should be even more interesting with students missing much-needed review time yesterday.

Anyhoo…we probably should get to Joyce’s fun questions, eh?

1.  Are you a force to be reckoned with? In what way?

I can be a force to be reckoned with if you’re messing with my children or my students.  I’ve also been known to throw my 105 lbs around when someone isn’t willing to take my coupons in the store.  Don’t mess with the petite girl!

2.  What are two things you love about the wintertime? Or, if love feels like too strong a word, what are two things you ‘like’ about winter?

I do not like cold weather…except for the fact that I can wear my knitted socks…

I also like to wear my knit hats and scarves…

3.  Pomegranate, kumquat, persimmon, kiwi, and guava are all fruits said to have health benefits, particularly during the winter months. Do you have a favorite on the list? Are there any on the list you haven’t tried?

I’m not a fan of any of those listed, although I can tolerate kiwi if need be.

4.  I passed a local church yesterday and noticed they had this on their outdoor sign- ‘When all else fails, do the right thing.‘ Your thoughts?

I think that doing the right thing should be the first thing you do, not the last thing, as the sign seemed to imply.

5.  Do you ski? According to one list I’ve seen, the top 5 ski destinations for 2014 are-St. Anton Austria, Whistler Canada, Cortina Italy, Tahoe USA, and Zermatt Switzerland.  Of the five listed, which would you most like to visit? We can make skiing optional if that helps the non-skiers with their answer.

I’ve never been skiing.  I do remember asking for a pair when I was a lot younger and actually receiving them for Christmas; however, my mom broke up with her fiancee and made me leave the skis at his house when we moved out, so I never got to use them.  It’s funny and sad that I can remember that day like it was but a moment ago.

6.  What’s the last thing you looked for online? (Besides my blog!)

I last looked for a knitting pattern online last night.  I mistakenly thought that I only had until 9pm to knit a project for a Quidditch match on my Harry Potter knitting forum (bear with my nerdiness), so I scrambled, let me tell you.  I wound up knitting the preemie hat you see in the next picture.  After I’ve made more items, I will donate them to a charity.  By the way, the deadline is actually tonight.  Go figure.  Obviously, I got the project in on time.  LOL!

7.  What saying, slogan, quote, or motto have you seen lately that inspires you for the new year?

Maybe I’m lame, but I don’t really buy into sayings, slogans, or mottos.  I usually skip the ones that people post on social media.  I just feel as though they sound empty when a bajillion people share the same thing over and over.

Anyone sensing a Scrooge in January?

8.  My Random Thought

A few weeks ago, when I was paying bills, I did something really neat.

I made my final EPI loan payment  EPI is the alternative education certification program I went through from January 2011 through July 2011.  I did my coursework through a local college and had to take out a loan to pay for it.  Even though I wasn’t required to pay anything until next year, I went ahead and payed $100 each month.

I received the following email a couple of days ago, which thrilled me to no end!  I can’t wait until I see the same type of message after I’ve paid off my HUGE student loan for my BS degree.  That one’s going to take a little longer.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 7 Comments »

Dear Google Nexus

Posted on January 13, 2014 by auburnchick

Dear Google,

I’ve got a beef with you, and I’d like you to listen up.

Yesterday afternoon, I was innocently watching an NFL playoff game.  I had been distracted, but I looked up when a commercial started.

It was YOUR commercial…for the Nexus 7…only I didn’t know this when the commercial began.

All I saw was a young man receiving a text message from his mom about his dog not doing well.

The rest of the commercial depicted the boy’s attempt to get home, with a closing shot of the dog waiting.

I’ve gotta tell you something.

You made me cry.

You see, I lost my poor Aubie last May.

I connected with that commercial because my own children, Rooster and Chicky, last got to see Aubie when they came home from college for Easter.

I took pictures of them with her that weekend.  We didn’t know if she would make it before they came home for the summer.  Chicky attended school seven hours away, so the drive was long.

As it happened, Aubie’s health declined rapidly after they returned to school, and we lost her unexpected…after phone calls to the kids about what was to transpire.

As the commercial ended, I was crying…and I. Could. Not. Stop.

Rooster, now living at home, looked over at me and couldn’t understand why.

It wasn’t like I chose to cry.

I know Aubie was only a dog…except that she wasn’t.

The feelings of loss for my precious fur baby still run deeply, and though I’m fine most days, your commercial dredged up those agonizing few weeks before we lost her.

Do you really think I’d want to buy a phone after having my heart pulled that way?

I teach Intensive Reading, and my classes are finishing up a unit on Author’s Purpose.  Instruction has included information about how advertisers get us to buy their products, and your strategy falls right into line with what I’ve taught my kiddos.

Except that I think it was too much.

If you wanted me to feel something, then you win.  You accomplished that.

If you wanted me to buy something…so sorry…but you lose.

I still love Aubie so much, but I really don’t want to be reminded of the companionship I lost when she passed away.

Next time, try evoking happy feelings.  Those will work much better for you.

Sincerely,

Someone Who Upgrades Her Phone Regularly and Knows the Game When It Comes to Advertising

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLrfSLm9lPU

Filed under: Pets, This-n-That | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

Sunday Treats

Posted on January 12, 2014 by auburnchick

I’ve been busy today, surprisingly so for a Sunday.

After church, I came home, vacuumed, washed a large pile of dishes, and ironed the clothes I’ll be wearing this week (because I’m anal like that)…

I put my dinner in the crockpot.  Tonight, I’m trying a new dish, Spicy Tomato Lentils, a recipe I got from the book Vegan Slow Cooker: 99 Super Easy, Incredibly Delicious Vegan One-Pot Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Set and Forget.  My friend, Christina, had alerted me to a sale a couple of weeks ago.  I was able to get the Kindle version of the cookbook for FREE!

I had a difficult time narrowing down what I wanted to make tonight.  There are a LOT of delicious-looking dishes!!

I’ll let you know how the recipe turns out.

Next, I deboned a rotisserie chicken the Mr. bought at the grocery store earlier and chopped up the chicken.  I’m going to make the guys yellow rice and chicken for dinner.  It’s easy to prepare and flavorful.

Lastly, I fixed my lunch…Tofu Scramble…which I’ve posted a few times but is my go-to…to the point where I feel the need to keep pushing it upon you.  I added hot sauce today.  YUM!

Yeah, I’m feeling like a domestic goddess right now.

I had finally sat down to eat, when the Mr. returned from an errand.  He had gone to Kohl’s to pick up a new pair of slippers for himself because his had a hole in them.

I’d casually asked him to look for some slippers I could slide on.  The ones I have right now are fuzzy flip flop slippers, and it’s been so cold that I’ve been wearing socks.  I’m not going to be “that” person to wear flip flops with socks.

He surprised me with this pair of Dearforms…

Are they not the cutest things?!

I’m most definitely enjoying my Sunday…free from the thoughts of ESOL classes or lesson plans (my plans for this week were done last weekend before we returned to school from the break).

It’s a much-needed time of relaxation and especially appreciated because we have exams this week, and I’ll be busy grading essays, exams, and making preparations for the new semester.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Am I Done Yet?

Posted on January 11, 2014 by auburnchick

Today is Saturday.

I should have slept in and allowed the sound of the rain to permeate my dreams.

Instead, Gambit got me up at 8:30 with his whining.  Rooster had slept at a friend’s house, and Gambit needs someone to sleep in with each day.

So, I had mercy on the poor fur baby, got up, and began working.

First, I graded my students’ Text Connections sheets.  After entering their grades online, I sent my weekly update email to parents along with progress reports.

I should have been done working, but I had another goal.

You see, this past Monday, my fifth ESOL class, Testing and Evaluation, opened up.

I would have begun working on assignments that day, but I was busy setting up the week with my students and catching up on work that had stacked up the two days I was off before Christmas break.

As such, it was Wednesday before I began classwork.

The first night, I completed two assignments.  My instructor was fabulous and had graded them by the next morning.

On Thursday, I completed two more assignments.

By the time Friday rolled around, all of my assignments thus far had been graded, and I planned on doing another two after I got home from watching my students play basketball.

I was only able to complete one and a half assignments because my eyes were so tired that I couldn’t focus.

As a result, when I got out of bed this morning, I was on a mission…to finish the sixth assignment I’d started last night and then work my way through the seventh and eighth ones.

Meanwhile, I discovered that the fifth and sixth assignments had gotten approved!  I had fully expected to get those kicked back to me because they had been a little tricky.  The Mr., awake by that time, scoffed at my insecurities.

My grand plan had become ambitious…finish the ten-week course on Sunday.  Suddenly, I became ever more the overachiever.  I decided that I wanted to finish the coursework today.

The rain provided a calming backdrop as I plodded through each page of reading and put my analyzing skills to use.

I scored a 100 on assignment number nine, an easy quiz that my previous Reading Endorsement training had prepared me for.

It was time to begin working on the final assignment.

Oh, I thought I was being quite the smart one and almost misread the instructions.  I caught myself before submitting work that only had one out of the five answers completed.

Meanwhile, Barbara called me.  We were going to visit a friend whose mom was admitted to the hospital last night.  We grabbed one of my coolers and made our way to Walmart to fill it with drinks and snacks.  After visiting with our friend in the ICU waiting room and dropping off the goodies, we left.

She dropped me back off at home, I finished working on the assignment and then turned it in.

I figured I’d have to wait a day or two to find out of they had been approved.

Five minutes later, the following came through my email…

Do you see those dates?  They are proof of how much time I had to complete the class.

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have finished so quickly!

I think I have finished all required coursework for this certification and have sent an email to the person in charge of it to find out if I’m correct.

Teachers of ESOL students are only required to take one ESOL class per year until the program is finished.

I began last February.  Less than one year later, I think I’m finished.

If so, all I need to do is complete paperwork to have ESOL added to my teaching certificate.

I immediately texted Barbara, and her response was, “Imagine that – teaching with no extra classes!”  She went on to say, “You will think you’ve died and gone to heaven!”

Yes, Barbara, you are so correct!

I’ve been taking classes almost continuously since 2006, when I returned to college to finish my degree.

It would seem that I’ve become a life-long learner in the truest and most literal sense.

If I can be honest (well, heck, even if I can’t because this is my blog, and I do what I want here), I’m more than happy to remove the pencil from behind my ear, delete the Beacon icon from my shortcut bar, and enjoy a bit of fresh air.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

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