Holiday Food and a Jolly Good Laugh!

In a previous post, I mentioned that I was really trying to watch what I eat. Now that the holidays are here - all bets are off! I will be indulging in some amazing food in the next few days.

Here is the plan:

Sunday afternoon (and evening) - Christmas with Grandmother:
- Enchilada Soup
- Cabbage Salad
- Grandmother's Famous Toffee and Cookies

Monday Evening: Second Night of Hanukkah
- Beef Brisket
- Potato Latkes
- Homemade Applesauce
- Mom's Lemon Meringue Pie

Tuesday Morning: Breakfast at Nebur's - (I haven't asked him yet but I'm hoping he'll go
for it)
- Nebur's famous build your own omelettes

In the spirit of my new blogging friend Melissa, the Cooking Diva, I will post the recipes for both the enchildada soup, potato latkes and applesauce soon. YUMMMMMMM...............

Now on to the funny stuff:
One of my all time favorite Christmas movies is A Christmas Story. I found the following spoof on someone's blog this month and want to share it with all of you. Enjoy:

http://www.starz.com/features/christmasstory/

I am Lucky

I love my daughter dearly. She is the best thing to have ever happened to me. I love helping her with her homework, talking about things that happen at school, explaining questions that she has about the world in which we live, baking with her, playing games with her, being there for her when she is sick or hurt or just being there for her in general. I love being her mommy.

Yesterday something interesting happened. Sabi and I went out on the town to do some shopping. We had the best time. She made me laugh so hard I cried several times. Somewhere, in the middle of all of our silliness, Sabina stopped feeling as if she was my daughter. She seemed like she was one of my best friends.

I am lucky to have such a great daughter and friend!

Yippee!!!

This week I have been feeling so good. I have been SUPER happy, I have been laughing a lot, and life, in general has just been wonderful. I was wondering what it could be the cause of this happy state and I just figured that it was due to the fact that I am on vacation and that Hanukkah is right around the corner. Wrong!

I figured out the reason - I lost 6 pounds this week! Woo-Hoo! I have been to the gym every day this week and last week. (with the exception of Sunday when they are closed) I have been very faithful with the cardio workout and the weights. In addition, I have been bringing carrots and celery sticks to work (and upstairs when I am at the computer) to munch on and I have somehow managed to stay away from all of the holiday goodies. (well - I did eat a few tamales!) I have also been drinking gallons of water daily.

I have to keep this trend up. Not only is it good for my health but just think of all the new clothes I'll have to buy! YIPPEE!!! :-)

Guest Bloggers and Last Day of School

Here are some of today's entries from our class journals. I left the spelling and grammar errors in - I am sure you will be able to understand them! The hard to read parts I translated in red!

Journal Prompt: Are you excited about winter vacation? What are you going to do? Tell me ALL about it.

Yes, are you? I am because I can read and play and learn when I do my homework. We will celebrate Chrastmas and eat tamales too. We will open presents and go to Modesto to see my Grampa.
******
On my vacation I am going to stay home and count my stickers and do homework. And help my mother do dinner, And then I will watch tv and play with my brother and sister. Then I will see how my parakeets are.
*****
I’m excited of our vacation because we can ride (read) and play games. I like to ride Jack and Annie books. I like to play gams too and go to my cusins house to watch a DVD. He has the DVD of Meregesdar. (Madagascar!) I hope that we get lots of homework. I like the homework.
****
I am excited that I am going to be in vacation because you get to play or wach movies or you could just drawing a pitcher. You could just eat peanut butter and jele sandwiches and sit in front of the t.v. too.
*****
I am excited about our vacation because I am going to go to the show. We are going to go to the mall to see Santa Claus. Then we will go to Fresno to see my mom.
*****
I will go to the sno to play snoball four Krismas. We sled down the sno. It is fun I fell off my snobord. It is fun.
*****
I am excited that vacation is coming so I could go to my cousins’ house. We could play this game called Smackdown on his Play Station. We could also play a game called Driver. My cousin always lets me borrow his movie called SkyHigh. It is about this kid who doesn’t have power but he is suppset (supposed) to have them. Both his parents are Superheroes. The movie begins when it’s the first day of high school. I hope that this is a very good vacation like the other one was.
The End!
***
Lo que quiero decir a mi maestra es que la quiero mucho. En La Navidad la voy a pasar muy bien.
****
Yo cuando llego a m casa voy a quedarme en mi cuarto encerrada con mis conejos. Voy a leer unos libros y luego voy hacer matematicas de menos y mas. Luego voy a escribir un poco y despues voy a jugar con mi hermanita. Vamos a ir a la casa de mi abuelita para celebrar la Navidad.
*****
On my vacation I will color La Virgen de Guadalupe and hang her on my fridge close to a candle. I am excited of Chrtismas. On Christmas Day I will put the baby Jesus on the house of God. Then I will eat and play games. Merry Christmas!
****
****
We are done for the year and don't come back until January 4th. Hooray for vacation time. Let's see if I can actually keep myself away from my classroom during the break and actually enjoy the vacation...

Feast or Famine - UPDATED

In my many years of teaching at my school I am always amazed at the party trend that I see here.

Whenever we have a BIG holiday coming up we have a classroom party. (my principal prefers that we call them "celebrations!") I can always predict what and how much will come to the party based upon the type of kids that I have. If I have an academically high group, I get very little food. I usually end up going out at lunch time to get more stuff for the party. If I have an academically low group overall, I have too much food - those kids can party!

Well, this year, my class is overall much higher than I have had in the past. What came in the door today for our party? Two bags of cookies! Never fails. :-) An hour after school started a mom came by and asked if I needed anything else and she brought in some Capri Suns. That will hold us. Really, the kids don't need to stuff themselves.

Hooray once again for my kiddos. I don't want to give them up at the end of the year...

Party Update: We had the best party ever this year. The kids didn't over eat since there was not too much food. We ate, practiced our songs for our Holiday Songfest tomorrow and then watched an awesome video about celebrating Las Posadas in Mexico. It was in Spanish. I have 1 student who doesn't speak Spanish but he loved it. He especially liked when he heard some of the songs that we will be singing tomorrow. He said " Hey Ms. V! They stole our songs!"

Gotta love it! :-)

Charter School Help

Hello Blogger Friends,
I am looking for information on Charter Schools. I really don't know too much about them. I am looking specifically for a definition of what charter schools are, who they can accept and deny in enrollment, what boundaries they have to state and national standards and regulations and what kind of accontability they have on a state and national level. (end of year testing and NCLB compliance)
Send me whatever you can.
¡Mil gracias! :-)

Uplifting News!

Well, I am over that memo that I wrote about in the last post. Why? Because I have brilliant students. I just got through with my monthly reading assessments. The results are as follows:

5 of my kids are reading above grade level.
7 are at grade level
3 are REALLY CLOSE
5 are below but in this group 2 of them jumped 5 levels from last month's assessment.

Basically, 12 kids are where they need to be at this time of the year. For my school, and my group of kids, that is awesome. Last year I had 12 in a group but they were all below grade level at this time!

The best part of the morning though was sitting with one student in particular. This little kid was so eager to read to me. Now I have struggled to make school exciting for this child all year long. He needs to be entertained to learn and let me tell you - I have been tap dancing as hard as I can for him!!! Anyway, he started to read for me today and what a changed person he is. He read with good fluency, great expression and accuracy. He is a few levels below grade level but he is coming along. As soon as he was done reading he looked up at me with the BIGGEST smile ever. He was so proud of himself. He said "How was that Ms.V?" I wanted to cry I was so proud!!! I gave him a big hug and sent him to the office on a "good" visit to the principal. Yeah for progress!

Bah Humbug! Part 2

Today I received a BRIGHT RED memo in my cubby at work. It was from the Head Honcho of our school district. It essentially said that Christmas and New Year's are very important holidays in our town. They give us the time to focus on our families and be together. The letter thanked all of us employees for working in the district. The closing wished us a meaningful Christmas.

Gee - I am glad that my school district is so diverse and aware of all its employees! (NOT!)

Grumble, Grumble, Grumble!!!

Happy Birthday Grandfather

Today would have been my Grandfather's 88th birthday. He is no longer physically with us but remains with us in our thoughts constantly. There are so many times that I have picked up the phone or thought "I want to tell Grandfather that" only to be reminded that he is not just a phone call away.

Losing my Grandfather was rough. It was the first death of someone close to me that I ever had to deal with. I don't know what was worse - watching him suffer with Parkinson's before he died or dealing with losing him after he died. In his last days he was very feverish and was not communicating well. I remember grabbing his hand to try and attempt to comfort him. I was not even sure if he was aware that I was by his side. I was surprised and shocked when he grabbed my hand very tightly and for quite some time. He spoke no words but it felt as if he was saying goodbye to me and wishing all the best that life has to offer.

My Grandfather was such a wonderful man. He was the best Grandfather I could ever ask for. I was so blessed to live close by him for most of my life. I am so happy that my daughter had the opportunity to get to know him and that he had the chance to know her. He called Sabina his "Little Sunshine."

One of the things my Grandfather used to always tell me was that he would dance at my wedding. (This coming from a man who I NEVER remember dancing! ) Well, I was not able to provide him with that opportunity. However, I know that if that opportunity ever presents itself in the future, he will be there in spirit.

Today, I was looking frantically for a picture of the two of us together. I couldn't find any. I then realized that there probably were pictures of us but in slide form. I also remembered that Grandfather probably took most of the pictures so he wouldn't be in that many. I finally remembered that I did have one slide of the two of us made into a print a few years ago. It is very special to me. It is of Grandfather reading to me. Reading was one of his favorite things to do. It is also one of mine.

I am thinking of you today Grandfather. I love you dearly. Thank you for loving me too.

One Big Happy Family

I know that I have said this before but I LOVE MY STUDENTS! They are the best. This year I was blessed with some really hardworking and sweet children. They all bring something special to our group and it is such a pleasure to see them each and every day. They are really good for my ego too. It is not uncommon to hear "Ms. V. you are nice" or "Ms. V you are pretty." They even draw me like I am a cutie! Check out the above picture. I am skinny with pretty blue hair and a crown! Who could ask for more??? In the past few weeks I have been showered with gifts that included the class portrait above, flowers, tamales, pastel de tres leches, tacos TONS of pictures and MILLIONS of hugs. My students ROCK!!!

Today we did some art. We rarely do art in my class. Art is unfortunately frowned upon at school. However, with 4 days left until break, I am going to get in each day. Today we discussed Kwanzaa and made a Kinara, the candle holder used during Kwanzaa. Monday we will do a Hanukkah activity and Tuesday will be on Christmas. On Wednesday we are putting on a songfest of holiday songs for the parents. I can't wait!!!

Published

My letter was published today in the paper. It was changed a bit. http://www.modbee.com/opinion/letters/story/11589655p-12321969c.html

On Sunday, while watching the news my daughter told me "If the governor doesn't let Tookie Williams go, when I become governor, I will do it."

I didn't have the heart to explain to her that Tookie Williams would not be let go, just not be executed. I also didn't explain the the deadline for his execution was the next day, not enough time for her to grow up and run for governorship. Instead I hugged her for having a big heart and we talked about what she would need to do to be governor. (college, running for office etc)

Monday came. Clemency was denied. Tuesday morning came. Tookie Williams was executed. I kept NPR off in the car and didn't turn on the TV in front of her. If she asks, I will do my best to explain. What will I say? I just don't know.

COOKIES!!!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Today my Sunday School class decorated cookies. I brought in colored frosting, sugar sprinkles, colored cookie spray and candies to decorate the cookies with. The cookies turned out beautifully. The kids were hyper. HMMM... I wonder why?

TOO MUCH DARN SUGAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hanukkah is Coming...

My Hanukkiah

Mom's Hanukkiah

We got our pottery back that we painted on Thanksgiving weekend. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the vase that Sabina made for her teacher. It was beautiful. Sabina and I did a presentation on Hanukkah for her class and she gave it to the teacher as a present. I will have to ask the teacher if we can take a picture of it.

I tried to take pictures of all of our Hanukkiot today but the lighting was bad and I need to have a better backdrop. I will have to work on this.

This weekend we will start pulling out the Hanukkah stuff and decorating. It is still a bit early. Hanukkah starts on the eve of December 25 this year. We might even bake some cookies too!!!

Feliz Día de las Madres

Mom, Me and Conjunto Viva Panamá

Today is Mother's Day in Panamá. Thanks to Melissa for reminding me!!! Check out her Mother's Day post here.

Happy Mother's Day to all Mommies!

Subtraction With Regrouping Update

Last week I wrote about teaching subtraction with regouping to my class. The kids really caught on quickly. They were so good at it that they were ready for the test on Monday. The test consisted of 16 mixed subtraction problems (some with regouping, some not) and 4 word problems where the kids have to use the same above mentioned skills. The results were the best ever. Our class average was 88%. I was just amazed. I have four kids who receive math resource support during the day and 2 of those did quite well. One of them told me "Ms. V., it is like a game, I get it now!" Well thank goodness!!!

The other two students who receive extra math support got a zero on the test because they sadly have not been able to unlock the door to the math world and numbers. I am going to keep working with those two but we will be working on one to one correspondance, number formation and basic math facts.

One More Time

I know people are probably tired of hearing of this ongoing Christmas/Holiday debate. Oh well! Here is more:

The cartoon above shows just how out of hand this debate has gotten. Am I really offended when people say Christmas? Absolutely not! Am I offended when people act as if it is the only thing going on right now? A little bit. The cartoon above is quite interesting because it depicts a child getting in trouble for doing this. To tell you the truth, children, in my experience are the most open about the holiday season. I always teach the winter holidays to my students. The kids really want to learn about other customs and celebrations. I am reading a chapter book right now called Horrible Harry and the Holidaze. It is a nice little story about a 3rd grade class and the holidays that are celebrated in their room. It covers many winter celebrations such as 3 Kings Day, Korean New Year, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. The kids are on pins and needles as I read each day and want to hear more. They go to the library each day during their recess to get more information on the holiday that they just heard about that day. When we wrote our pen pal letters today, one of the kids said "Ms. V., should we say Merry Christmas to them? What if they don't celebrate it?" Can you believe that? I promise - I had no influence on that end. The kids decided that they would say "Happy Holidays" so they "don't hurt anyone's feelings."

More on this subject...

In today's Modesto Bee, the following letter was submitted to the Editor.

Atheists also want to forbid happiness
No Merry Christmas? What kind of unhappy heathens are trying to dictate to us? What is next? No Happy New Year, no Good Friday, no Easter, no Happy Birthday, no Valentine's Day, no Mother's Day, no Father's Day, no Independence Day, no Labor Day, no Halloween, no Veterans' Day, no Thanksgiving Day? Will we no longer say, "happy days," "good morning" or "good night"? This would become a sad "Goodnight to America." These are part of our American heritage. If these ill-educated atheists do not like a "Merry Christmas," maybe they have no place in our society. Let them dwell in their own devil domain. Let's not let them take over our happy country. We can start by boycotting all these un-American pagans.

I don't usually write in but I did before I left for school this morning. We will see if it gets published. If it does, you read it here first! :-)

It saddened me to read (name omitted to protect the unenlightened!'s ) letter to the editor this morning. It is yet another hateful display of discrimination to all non-Christians living here in the U.S. Mr. _____ assumes that the only people who don't like the term "Merry Christmas" are Atheists. He then goes on to refer to Atheists as "un-Americans" who should "dwell in their own devil domain." Mr. _____: no one wants to take Merry Christmas away from you. There are many of us however that don't celebrate Christmas, not just Atheists. We celebrate Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Diwali, Hanukkah, other winter holidays or none at all. "Happy Holidays" seems to best encapsulate the spirit of the season.

Happy Holidays to all!

Bah Humbug!

I hate shopping at this time of the year because it makes me see how truly divided we really are in this country. At this time of the year it is all about X-Mas. Anywhere you go that you have to interact with a human you will hear "Merry Christmas" or "Have You Finished Your X-Mas Shopping Yet" etc. Too many people assume that the only celebration, if any at this time, is X-Mas.

Finding holiday items is a major chore. Can you believe that in this very big city that I live in only 2 stores carry Hanukkah items? TWO! Those 2 stores would be Party City and Bed, Bath and Beyond. The selection is very small but at least it is there. Actually, there is a third place - our synagogue gift shop.

Now my fellow Jews may argue with me and remind me that Hanukkah is not even a big holiday for us Jews. I know, I agree BUT - I have a 7 year old and I like the idea of a winter celebration of lights. It is a truly beautiful and wonderful time for the family to come together.

If I want Hanukkah stuff, I have to glean what little I like from the local stores and then go online to get the rest. How unfair is that?

I have started going in to stores, that I don't even shop at, and asked the sales people where the Hanukkah section is. The responses vary from "huh?" to "What" or to "I don't think so" or "we only carry X-mas stuff because it is more popular!" Cost Plus, one of my favorite stores used to carry a great supply of Hanukkah stuff. Since their remodel, they don't carry anything anymore. Today I asked the manager at Cost Plus why they don't carry it. She gave me some stupid answer.

I then realized that it was selfish of me to think that I was being deprived of Hanukkah stuff since I have seen absolutely no Kwanzaa, Diwali, Ramadan or other winter holiday stuff around. Why, in our very diverse city, in our very diverse state and in our very diverse country is this the case??? I WANT TO SPEND MY $ JUST LIKE THE NEXT PERSON!!!

Subtraction With Regrouping

One of the subjects that I absolutely hate to teach is subtraction with regrouping. (borrowing) It is somewhat confusing to kids to grasp the concept. It doesn't help that our book spends a lot of time trying to get the kids to internalize the process and idea of borrowing tens. I guess that the purpose for doing that is so kids can understand why they are regrouping. In my humble opinion, that only makes things worse. It can take weeks for the whole class to really master the art of double digit subtraction with regrouping.

This year, I took a different approch to teaching this subject. During Intersession, I pulled a few kids and taught them this subject ahead of time. When we tracked back on this week, I taught the rest of the group. I also decided to skip the whole explanation of place value and I merely taught them the process. Guess what? It worked!!! We have been working on this for 5 days and with the exception of 3 kids, they can do it. They can even do worksheets of mixed subtraction facts where some problems are to be regrouped and some are not! The 3 kids who can't do it are still having problems with identifying numbers and adding and subtracting basic facts. That is another story...

Yeah math! ! !

Rain

It is a dreary and rainy day.

I think we should have "Rain Days" in school. On "Snow Days" kids don't have to go to school. We shouldn't have to come when it rains either. It is dangerous to drive in rain. It is dangerous for kids to walk in the rain. Kids have an EXTREMELY hard time concentrating when it rains.Basically, rainy days are a wash!

We did manage to get some things done today but that was during the part of the day that it didn't rain.

Why can't it only rain on the weekends when I can snuggle up with a good book in front of the fire?

Whine, whine, whine!!!