¡Feliz Cumpleaños Tía Yaya!

Today is my Tía Yaya's birthday. She is 85 years old. My brother once said that we are very lucky to have 3 grandmothers. He is so right. Our Tia Yaya is like our third grandmother. We rarely see her since she lives in Panama. When we do see her though it is as if time has never passed since the last time we were together. Her arms are open wide for us and she gushes over us as if we were the most important people in the whole world. Whenever we talk on the phone, she always asks when we are coming to see her, how the family is, and then of course asks about Sabi - "¿y cómo está la reina de la casa?" :-)

So many family events take place at Tía Yaya's house. She has a very small home in Panama Viejo which is in Panama City. We have a VERY LARGE family. Some live in Panama Viejo, others in Tocumen, Torrijos-Carter, and other places in the city. Others live farther away in Chitre an Monagrillo. Whenever there is a party though - everyone flocks to Yaya's house. As the families arrive, the cousins find each other and play.

The women gather in the extremely small kitchen and work on the food prep and the men - well - I don't really know what they do - I am always in the kitchen! At least I try to be. They rarely let me lift a finger when I come. When the food is ready, the men and kids get to eat first. I usually get to join in at this time since I am the visitor. A great time is always had by all.

I can remember many great parties at my Tia's house. The most recent party that I attended there was for Sabina. We went in March of 2004. The family threw a birthday party for Sabina. Sabi's birthday is in August. My Tía Yaya wanted the party for Sabina then though because she said that they had never had the opportunity to celebrate with her.

It was probably one of the best parties ever. She got to see ALL of the family, have a SUPER time with her cousins and best of all, she got to sit down with her Tía Yaya and read her 2 new books in Spanish to her.

Favorite Memories of Tía Yaya:
- Cleaning Rice - Tía Yaya can't help out around the house anymore since she is getting older. She still insists on cleaning the rice though before her daughter, my Prima Edi cooks it.

She takes out the bandeja, pours all the rice on it and then sorts out the bad grains from the good ones. What makes this interesting? She does all of this while she leans her chair up against a wall on only 2 legs. I am always afraid that my poor Tia's chair will slip and she will get hurt - not a chance!

- Shopping For Tia Yaya - One time Tia Yaya sent me shopping for her. Now, shopping in Panama is a WHOLE different experience than shopping here. Well, it is for my family at least. They shop for the meal - not in bulk. I was sent on a simple mission. I was told that I needed so much butter and so much of a carrot. (I was give finger measurements!) Well, I was too embarrassed to ask the store clerks at the corner store for just a bit of butter and carrot. I thought that it would be perfectly fine to buy a whole carrot and a whole stick of butter. I came home and gave the items to my Tia Yaya. She sent me right on back to the store to return the part of the carrot that she didn't need as well as the part of the butter that she didn't need. I sure learned my lesson!

- Chats - Probably the best thing of all is just sitting down with Tia Yaya. Sometimes we talk and other times we just sit and stare at the people walking by or going into the Pananderia/laundromat across the street.

This weekend my dad is throwing a party in honor of my Tia. I am unfortunately unable to go. Hopefully I will be able to get to see my Tía Yaya sometime this year. We will see...

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Tía Yaya! Te quiero mucho.

Recommendations

CD: I recently bought the soundtrack to March of the Penguins. It is so amazing. I haven't stopped listening to it. I keep it at school and it is my background music during our busy work time. It is so soothing and relaxing. Go out and get it now!

DVD: A friend told me that I should see the movie Crash. I rented it and watched it last night. In a nutshell, the movie takes place in LA and is about racism and tolerance. It was very disturbing but very good. A word of caution: be prepared to watch this movie. I was not. I didn't realize how heavy this movie was going to get. After the movie was over I was a little high strung and my blood pressure must have been through the roof. It is a worthwhile movie to see though - do it!

Oil Change Woes

Today I had to get my oil changed. (Well, I really needed to get it done a LONG time ago - like 1,800 miles ago!) I hate taking my car to the shop to have this done. Not because of the inconvenience but because I feel like I get totally taken advantage of because I am a woman.

I drove to the shop today without an appointment - hoping that they would tell me that I needed one so I could postpone this task. Unfortunately for me, they could take me right away. I had to stay in the car while the oil change was being done. The shop guys were pulling things, popping things, opening up things and shaking things while I was sitting there in the car praying that the only communication I would have to have with these two gentlemen would be a discussion about the bill. I didn't pray hard enough! The two shop guys started to talk in rather concerned voices with each other. I heard things like "Hey - come look at this" or "I don't think that looks good" and "we will need to recommend this." Meanwhile I am sitting in my car mentally adding up all of the $ these guys are thinking they can get me for.

The first recommendation was for me to replace an air filter. That I know I can get from my brother's friend. I turned it down and actually felt like I might be in control. The next recommendation was to replace my windshield wipers. I keep forgetting to do that! Those I politely declined too. I can get those when I get the air filter. I know that my brother can hook me up with replacing them. So, I was ready for the bill. That is of course when I heard the voice change in Shop Guy #1. "Mam, you are going to need to replace the transmission before your next visit." I am thinking "Oh S#@*! -How in the heck will I be able to afford a transmission? What in the heck is the transmission for anyway?" I tried to keep my poker face and in a cheery voice I asked how much it cost. Shop Guy# 2 happily told me that they could take care of it in just 15 minutes for $79.95. I was then totally confused. I was thinking "$79.95? That will kill my budget for the month." I was also trying to figure out how $79.95 could pay for something that I assumed was a much more expensive procedure. I made up some excuse about how I didn't have time and that I would just pay for the oil change. (Why I felt like I had to lie to these guys, I don't know...) I paid the $39 for the oil change and drove off. Yes, I know that is WAY too much for an oil change. If it helps, I can go back and have a full service car wash whenever I like.

So I drove away and once I was a block away from the shop I pulled over to read my service bill. The recommendation was not for a new transmission but to replace the transmission fluid. Does it really cost $79.95 to replace this stuff? Do I really need it replaced or were they trying to pull a fast one on me. I hate having to deal with car stuff. I never know what is right or wrong. Life was so much better when I could have my dad take care of this stuff.

Anyway, I guess I am ok for now. At least for another 3,000 miles...

Pencils: More Precious Than Gold

I have reached my boiling point. We are having a serious
pencil crisis at my school. In all of the years that I have taught at my school, teachers could always request pencils as needed for their classrooms. We could request the fat blue pencils for the emerging writers, the regular yellow #2 pencils and we even had the luxury of requesting fancy red, erasable pencils for student editing of written work. Those glory days are gone.

For the past several months, whenever we teachers have requested pencils, our orders do not get filled. Many of us have resorted to going out and buying them on our own. We know that we can't depend on the school or the parents to keep us supplied with this MOST IMPORTANT SCHOOL TOOL. I am not sure what the problem is here. Is our office staff is too busy for us or do we not have the $ to buy the pencils? Either one is just not acceptable to me.

On the rare occasion that a supply order does get filled, we are often shortchanged pencils. In addition, the pencils we are given are of the cheapest quality. They serve no purpose other than to make pencil shavings. The lead is broken all throughout the pencil. Today I went to sharpen a new pack of pencils and of the few that I could actually sharpen, I had to sharpen them half way down to find a point!

Today, my students were up and down, in and out of their seats ALL FLIPPING DAY LONG because they had to continually exchange their broken pencils for sharp ones. To make matters worse - it was a testing day. We were doing district wide testing. How well do you think those kids did today with all of those disruptions? UGH!

I am SICK AND TIRED of spending my money on basic classroom supplies. I am going to be forced to go out and buy pencils for my class though. I can't teach under these conditions. What other profession has to go out and pay out of pocket for basic supplies needed to perform a task? It is just one thing after another.

I am off to go and check out OfficeDepot.com. I wonder what kind of deals they have for # 2 pencils in bulk?

Journal Excerpts

I like reading my student’s journals. It is fun to get inside of their thoughts. Today’s journals were fun. I have included a few below. I left all of the spelling mistakes in.

Today’s Topic: If you were the teacher, what would your class be like?

If I were teacher, my class would be noisy because I do not know how to be a teacher. And I think that on lunch time the kids would be very noisy too. And on (during) P.E., I think they would like to play a lot more than learn. I think that at recess time they would play Evil Monkey and Hot Lava Monster games.

Note: I have NO IDEA what these Evil Monkey and Hot Lava Monster games are. I guess I should pay a bit more attention during recess!
*****************

If I was a teacher it would be like fun or maybe it would be like hard. It would probly (probably) be boring. Maybe it won’t be boring. Maybe I would get some penpows (penpals) for my students. They could write litters to them.
*****************

This student just chose to list her ideas:
If I were a teacher the kids would
- not listen to me
- not be doing there work
- be pulling cards
- not be being good kids
- saying bad words ,wich is not good
- bring toys when they are not spose (supposed) to.
*****************

This one is in Spanish. You may wonder why I allow the Spanish. For journaling – I want them to just be able to express their thoughts – anything goes.

* Si yo fuera una maestra a mi me gustaria que nadie en la clase se pelearon con ninguno de los estudiantes o conmigo. Me gustaria ser maestra. Me gustaria tener la clase decorada bonita y tambien me gustaria dar tarea y enseñarlos a aprender y aser (hacer) cosas que no saben aser. (hacer) Eso es lo que me gustaria para la clase mia.
Translation:
If I were a teacher I would like for the class not to fight with each other or with me. I would like to be a teacher. I would like to decorate my class very pretty and give homework and teach the kids to do things they don’t know how to do. That is what I would like for my class.

*******************

If I was the teacher I would giv my clas Pepsi. (Obviously I haven't taught the kids enough - Coke is where it is at!)

*****************

If I were the teacher, I would tell the kids stuff like "Sit down in neat rows please!" When it would be time to go somewhere in line, I would say "Please don't talk" and "Are you in your correct number line order?" When it would be Homework Thursdays I would say "Did you remember to return your homework?" If they didn't remember it I would tell them "I told you the consiquinces so you have to sit on the wall!"

OUCH! This one hurt to read. Am I that bossy!!!!! Can you tell that we are learning how to use quotation marks???

On my mind...

I have two students in my class that have been taking up a lot of my "free time" thoughts. They both have some pretty serious problems and I really can't help them.

Student #1:
I have written about this little guy before. I will call him James. James is a non reader. He is usually absent at least one day a week and is often tardy on the days he does attend. He is extremely distractable - wouldn't surprise me if he was ADHD. James used to excel at math but now is struggling at the one thing he could do well due to his absences and the fact that a lot of what we are doing in math is based on being able to read - he can't do this. He (his parents) have gone through all of the steps that parents have to when their kids don't come to school. He is on the last step now which means that his parents will probably have to go to court to deal with his poor attendance. I still rarely see him at school.

How can I help a child who is rarely at school? How can I help a child that when at school is not able to attend to the class because he can't sit still? I struggle with this a lot. He takes a lot of class time away from the other kids because he either needs help with the work or he distracts the rest of us from our learning/teaching. Oh! I forgot to mention - he is the cutest little thing you ever did see. He is sweet and adorable and quite verbally bright.

I feel that I have done as much as I can with this child. I have talked with the parents but they just don't seem to see the issue as I do.

Student #2:
This student I will name Ana. Ana is a hardworking, young lady. She loves school, loves being with her friends and loves her teacher. She is also overweight. Several months ago I heard Ana breathing very heavily. I asked her if she was sick and she nodded and said yes. I just assumed she had some sort of bronchial infection and was just getting through it. That heavy breathing has not stopped. Ana has so much weight on her frame that she can't breathe well. It is a struggle for her to sit with us at circle time because she can't cross her legs like the rest of the kids. When Ana first came to me, her mom shared with me that the kids at her old school teased her a lot due to her weight. Ana has not had any socialization problems here with us. She has lots of friends and is so happy to be at school.

I worry about Ana and her weight a lot. With all of the academic pressures we have as teachers, we don't have too much time for P.E. I believe that we are mandated to do so many hours a week of P.E., but that doesn't happen on a regular basis. When I do have P.E. class, Ana doesn't want to participate. I do my best to coax her and tell her how much fun etc but it is to no avail. This is the one and only area with me that she will politely refuse to do what I ask.

I know that I am not her parent but her weight concerns me. I have tried to do more P.E. just for her sake. I make a big effort not to bring in donuts, cookies or other food treats but rather pencils, erasers and other non food items. I have even started bringing in carrot sticks as treats.

I feel uncomfortable talking to mom about this issue because I don't want mom to think I am being judgmental. Mom is quite heavy herself. I am torn between expressing a huge health concern to mom and respecting her parenting practices.

What to do??? Suggestions anyone?

Today's Installment

Here is today's Bushism:

"Sometimes, Washington is one of these towns where the person - people - who think they've got the sharp elbow is the effective person."
-New Orleans, Louisiana; December 3, 2002

Huh???

Dumb, Stupid Valentine's Day

I hate Valentine's Day!

I went out grocery shopping today and was put in a foul mood. I was reminded that Valentine's Day is coming soon. I have seen glimpses of this disgustingly, horrific holiday trying to pop it's ugly little head up since the day after Christmas. Today however, the store displays were up in full force all over the darn store. Yuck!

Why do I hate this holiday? Because I am selfish! I don't have a Valentine so this holiday reeks!

I hate going to work and seeing all of the lovely flower or balloon arrangements coming in left and right to my ever so happily married colleagues. (Just rubbing my face in their happiness... )

I hate watching the tv shows and commercials that are Valentine's Day related. The cute little couples kissing and having a great time being together. PUHLEASE!

All this holiday does for me is remind me of how painfully single I really am. I hated this holiday when I was in a relationship too. I never got anything for Valentine's Day then either. Oh, actually I think I did. I believe that I was asked something like this "So what do I need to get you for Valentine's Day?" Stupid ex-boyfriend!

In all fairness, I must say that I can count on some people to remember me for Valentine's Day. I can always count on Mom to get me some beautiful tulips. I can always count on Mom to help Sabina get something for me and for Sabi to make me a nice card. I can count on my students to all give me a Valentine and for some to even give me a little box of chocolates or a teddy bear. I am grateful for that...

So why am I complaining? I guess because I am grumpy, it is my blog and I can! I need to vent. I hate feeling like I am so inadequate because I don't have a Valentine. I hate feeling like I even have to have one.

I would love to call in sick on February 14th and stay home in bed and not have to deal with this miserable day.

I won't of course. I will host a fabulous Valentine's Day party. I will make sure that all of the little kids who can't buy their own cards will have cards to pass out. I will make sure that my daughter feels especially loved and spoiled on Valentine's Day. Heck - I will probably even wear read and smile at all of my colleagues who wish me a Happy Valentine's Day. I will even gush over their lovely flower and balloon arrangements.

You can't make me like it though...

I hate Valentine's Day!

Lessons in Art

Today we did a little art project. As I have mentioned before, we rarely have time for art. I am not happy about that but that is just the way it is.

Our project today was to make a snow man or snow woman to decorate our student work wall. The snow person will also serve as a topic for a creative writing assignment next week. The instructions for making the snow people were easy.

1) Have Fun
2) No scissors when making the body of the snow person.
3) No pencils to outline
4) No second chances - you only get one piece of paper - make it work

Essentially, the kids were to rip 3 different sized circles (by hand - no outline), piece them together and then decorate the snowperson and give it some personality.

Here is what happened:
My academically high kids were sent into HIGH STRESS mode. Kids who never even think twice about defying me were caught trying to either sneak pencils or scissors when they thought I wasn't looking. They were seriously arguing with me and trying to convince me that they needed the appropriate tools to complete this task. They bitched at me the whole time.

My academically low kids were amazingly skilled in this area. They didn't once quetion what I said. They also didn't need any extra directions as did the high kids. They saw the task at hand and set right out to work. They were in fact quite happy and when they were done went over to the high kids to help them out.

The Results:
The snow people made by the low kids were the best constructed and the cutest.
The ones constructed by the high kids were not as good.

I see this happen every single year. I am always amazed at how stressed the high kids get and how at ease and confident the low kids are.

What does it tell me?
I need to remember to play to the strengths of all of the kids in the class more often. It was very good for the low kids to be helpers to the high kids. It was good for the high kids to see that they can get good assistance from the low kids. They need to see that they all have talents that make them special and that they are able to contribute to the good of our class.

Kids Crack Me Up!!!

Today during recess time and even during class time I noticed that my students were especially preoccupied with their shoes. I did not smell any foul odor so I didn't think they could be worried about stepping in any dog "business." Finally, I asked my kids what was up. They looked at me like I was some big dummy and one said "Estamos preparando los zapatos para los Reyes Magos!" (We are getting our shoes ready for the 3 Kings) I tried so hard not to laugh when I heard this. Then another one said "Yeah Ms. V. we don't want them putting anything in our stinky, dirty shoes, we are getting them cleaned up!" I couldn't help myself - I laughed SO HARD!!!!

A Request

One of the second grade standards I teach is how to write a friendly letter complete with the date, salutation, body, closing, and signature. Several years ago, my aunt who is also a second grade teacher, gave me the idea of asking my friends to write a friendly letter to my students. This will enable the kids to better understand the letter writing and sending process. It also gives them someone to write to. The most important thing though is that it is fun!

I have asked several people already to start writing to my class. I would like to open this request up to anyone else who reads this blog. The letter to my class does not have to be long or exceptionally detailed. What would be great to include in the letter would be a short description of who you are, where you live and how you know me. (even if it is just through the internet!) It would be extra special if you would include what your profession is and how school has helped you to succeed at what you do. (I have to push this you know.) :-) Anything else that you want to unclude would be great. (pictures, etc) I do teach second grade so please keep that in mind when writing.

If you are interested in this, please leave me a comment and I will e-mail you with my school's address. I promise you that we will write a nice letter back to you!

Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back to Work...

My vacation is over. Tomorrow I head back to school. I am not looking forward to having to wake myself up at 5:30 to get ready. I am dreading having to wake my daughter up and struggle with her even more! Tomorrow we are back to the crazy weekday schedule of getting out of the house by 7:15, going to school, violin class at 4:00, gym class for both of right after at 5:00 and then rushing home to grab a bite to eat, homewrok time and then starting all over again the next day. I am getting tired already just thinking about it!

I just sat down right now to get some lesson plans together for tomorrow. I dug into my school bag to find my plan book and I encountered a TON of stuff that I had planned to do this vacation. I was going to create some math tests, dictation sheets, reading comprehension activities, plan out a month's worth of Social Studies and Science lessons and more. What did I actually get done? Not too much. I did make a few of the reading comprehension sheets but I barely made a dent in what I wanted to do.

I can't say that this vacation has been wasted though. I had the wonderful opportunity to host almost all members of my family at one point or another here in my home. My family is great.I love spending time with them. I also got to prepare a great many meals. I love to cook and so does my daughter. We had fun, and sometimes messy, adventures in cooking this vacation. I got to spend a lot of time with my daughter. We started working on a family tree project and that has sparked her interest in our family history. I have read a few good books - nothing profound but entertaining nonetheless. I worked out at the gym on average 5 days a week - sometimes 6. Go me! :-) Last but not least, I enjoyed wasting time in front of the computer reading blogs and online articles and learning how to use Google talk!

So while I am not eager necessarily about the thought of going back to work tomorrow, I know that I will enjoy seeing my students again. I also know that my daughter will love being back at school to see her teachers and friends and get back into the school routine. I am just going to miss all of the fun and rest that we have enjoyed these past two weeks.

Kaiser in Killing Me!

My daughter needs to have a tonsillectomy. She has been plagued with tonsilitis for the past year. At least once a month she gets very sick with high fevers and misses school. We finally went in to see the Ear, Nose and Throat Dr. and surgery was recommended. I was told to call back and reschedule the appt. as soon as I could figure out a time that worked for me. The recovery period for this procedure is 2 weeks. This means that not only will my daughter need to be out for 2 weeks but I will too.

Our appt with the ENT was on the 9th of December. I called to schedule the surgery the following Monday, the 12th of Dec. The perfect time for me would have been this past 2 week vacation. However, the Dr. only schedules surgeries 6 weeks in advance. My next plan was to schedule the surgery for March. I am off track in March. I hated to plan for it that far away but I can't afford to miss two weeks of school. I called the Dr.'s office back and tried to schedule for March. As of today, I have called the Dr.'s office at least 10 times. I still do not have an appt. I get a great run around each time and am promised a call back either later that day or the next day. How hard can it be to schedule this? Apparently pretty darn hard!

I am hating Kaiser right now. It is hard enough to have to deal with the fact that my baby is going to have to undergo surgery without having to stress about the fine details of the scheduling. I pay SO much each month on my health insurance. A TON! Kaiser is a HUGE company. I can't believe that they don't have the personnel or the computer technology to help me out. I was feeling guilty about calling in so many times. I didn't want to bother them. However, the more I think about it I think I should call them each day until I do get the surgery scheduled.

UGH!!!!

Bushism

I received a desk calendar for Hanukkah. To be more precise, it is the George W. Bushisms calendar. I have been trying not go ahead in days because I really want to enjoy 365 days of fresh laughing material. Here was today's installment:

"I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle the job is underestimating."

-As quoted in U.S. News & World Report; April 3, 2000

To all of my non-Republican friends: enjoy!

To all of my Republican friends: come on now, you know it's funny! (are we still friends???) :-)

Rain and Tulips

Today is a very, very rainy day. I LOVE it. Rainy days are the best, especially when I don't have to work. I love to sit inside by the fire and read, watch tv or just do nothing at all. Every now and then I like to take a quick little walk outside to smell and feel the fresh air. Everything looks so beautiful and green when it rains. Nature is something else!

On one of my quick little walks outside today I noticed some tulips that had pushed their way through the ground. What a site! I can't wait for spring to come and give me the wonderful gift of these flowers. Tulips are my all time favorite flowers. They take forever to grow and only last a short time but they are worth it!

New Blogger

I just helped my mom to create a blog. She will be posting soon. Check her out!
-Kelly

New Year´s Dinner Recipe & Photo Swap

I took Melissa, the Cooking Diva up on her Recipe Swap Challenge. My entry will not come close to the wonderfully extravagant recipes that I am sure will show up on the Photo/Recipe Swap but it sure hit the spot for our family today!

This New Year's Day we got up late, ate breakfast late and were not so hungry for a huge meal. We also had a house guest who was a bit under the weather. It was also a very, very cold and blustery day. The solution - Matzo Ball Soup. We make this recipe quite often in our house whenever someone is sick or when we want a quick, warm and hearty meal. Enjoy!

Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo Balls: (Manischewitz Recipe)
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup Matzo Meal
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. soup stock

Blend all ingredients togetherand mix until uniform. Cover and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. After refrigeration form into 1 inch in diameter balls and drop into boiling soup.

Soup Directions:
1 Rotisserie Chicken
1 large can of chicken broth
Water
cliced or grated carrots
Sliced or diced Celery
Matzo Balls

Pour chicken broth into a large pot. Fill up the can with water and add to chicken broth. Feel free to add more broth or water if you want more liquid in your soup. Take the meat off of the bones of the rotisserie chicken and either cut it up in smaller pieces with your fingers or a knife. Add the chicken to the pot. Add carrots and celery to the pot – as much as you like. Bring to a boil and add the matzo balls. After the matzo balls have been added reduce heat to a medium heat. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Add pepper or salt to your liking.

Nightmare

A few days ago I read Oso's blog about a dream he had. I remember thinking at the time that I don't really tend to remember my dreams. But last night, I was reminded that I do have one dream that I remember - and it is not at all amusing, like Oso's was.

I have this recurring nightmare that involves the same 3 characters: myself, my daughter and her father. Her father and I are not together anymore. We were together for the first 13 months of her life and that was it. Since then, 6 years have past and we have thankfully heard not a peep from that man.

So here is the dream. The dream always starts out with us getting back together. My daughter is always around 2 or 3 in the dream - in need of day care and unable to tell me what is going on. In my dream I watch us doing regular family stuff like going to the park, eating ice cream, reading together, laughing and having fun. Somewhere along the line in the dream I think to myself - "How did I get sucked into this crap again?" All the old feelings of helplessness and anger start rushing back to me in my dreams. I am always taken back to that horrible place where I felt stuck in a relationship and don't know how to get out.

So then the dream moves on to a work day for me. I am on my way to work and my daughter is staying home with her daddy, who by this point in the dream is very close to the self desructive stage that he was in right before we split. I am nervous going to work because I don't know how safe things will be for her. I go anyway because I am the only one employed and what can I do? I call home several times during the day but do not get an answer. I know something is wrong but I feel trappeed to my work obligations and do not leave. By the time I get up the gumption to leave and frantically rush home - they are nowhere to be found. I have lost my baby to that man. It is clear that He has taken off with my baby. I then turn into a helpless, screaming and crying lunatic in my dream.

This is where I usually wake up in my dream. My heart is racing, I am taking very short breaths and I have to rush and turn the lights on and refocus and try to remember what the true reality is. I then rush over to my daughter's bed, kiss her, hug her and either jump in bed with her or carry her to my bed. I need to wrap my arms around her and remember that she is safe and close to me.

Why do I have this dream? I have taken care of custody paperwork a long time ago. Her father has not come close to trying to communicate with us, much less ask to spend time with us. If he were, I know he would have an extremely hard, if not impossible time of getting any custody back if he did come back into the picture at this point in her life. So what is the problem here? Is this dream really not about her father but my feelings of helplessness about not being able to protect my daughter from the dangers of the world?

As I sit here this morning at 5:14 am - I am hoping that writing this dream out will help me to remember that this dream was just that, a dream.

And now, I am going to go back to bed and hold my baby close and try and think pleasant thoughts.

Resolutions

Well, the time of year has come for New Year's Resolutions. Here are mine:

My Resolutions for:

Myself:
1) Continue working out at least 4 days a week. So far I have been doing 6 days a week. Let's see if I can keep this up! If you see me sitting around on the couch - ask me if I have been to the gym yet. If not - PUSH ME OUT THE DOOR!
2) Continue to eat well. So far, I have been doing very well with this too. However, I could slip very easily. For those of you who see me on a regular basis PLEASE stop me if you see me anywhere near chips, candy or cheese. Offer me some celery sticks or something...
3) Read more non-fiction. I tend to gravitate to the light and easy reading material. I think I need to get a bit more serious about my reading material. I need some enlightenment....
4) Make some time for myself: I am always doing stuff for others - I need to have some fun too! :-)

For My Daughter:
1) Exercise: Make sure that she has plenty of fun and athletic opportunities as possible. This year she took gymnastics every Monday and then we added tumbling on Wednesdays and Fridays in the past two months. She will be starting swimming classes next Saturday. (shh - she still hasn't opened that Hanukkah present)
2) Academics: Do more extension activities based on what she is working on at school.
3) Quality Time: Read with her consistently at night - even if she doesn't want me to! :-)
4) Food: Make sure she eats those vegetables!
5) College Fund: See that she has one - Try and figure out a way to put more away than I already do each month.

For My Family:
1) Birthdays: Not forget Grandmother's Birthday! That was shameful!
2) Quality Time: Try and get everyone together more for dinner at the table.
3) Keep in Touch: Call my little brother Aaron more and see what is going on down in L.A.

My Friends:
1) Keep in touch: I need to go out to coffee with them more and call or e-mail more often than I do.
2) Go to S.F. to see Lisie. I don't even want to think when the last time I did that was because I know it was much too long than it should be. Sorry Lisie - Forgive me???

For My Pets:
1) Goldie: I will try and remember to feed clean your fishbowl out more often than I do. I will also make sure that Sagwa doesn't knock over your bowl this year and leave you flopping around on the bathroom floor like he did last month!

2) Sagwa: I wil try not to step on you as much as I do now. I will also try and make sure that you have fresh water daily. I know that the water you have now is a little science-experimenty!Sorry!

For my Students:
1) Reading: Re-incorporate Guided Reading. Forget NCLB guidelines, Dataworks recommendations etc...I need to do what is best for the kids.
2) Challenge my high kids. I do this already but I need to keep it in mind at all times or I will forget about it.
3) Other: Do LOTS more art and P.E. We need to have fun and stay fit!

For my World:
1) Recycle all of my Diet Cherry Pepsi cans, Diet Lime Coke cans and water bottles. I have been very bad about this.

Ok - that is my list - let's see how many of these I can stick to this year...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!!!

Work - UGH!

I went in to my classroom today to get a little bit of clean up done before the kids come back. Why did I do this? As usual, instead of focusing on the task that I set out to do - I thought I would put up a bulletin board that I have been meaning to get done for a while. What a chore it is to put up that paper! Getting it even while trying not to wrinkle it is a nightmare. It doesn't help that it is a HUGE space that I have been working on. Non-teachers have NO idea of how much work goes into classroom prep.

In the process of putting this bulletin board up I have managed to make even more of a mess than I started out with! I will have to come back - I am too tired to finish this stuff up!

Thank goodness for my CD player and New Edition CD - they keep me going....

What kind of Chocolate Are You???

I found this on La Dolce Diva's site who found it from La Dolce Divas' site. Kind of fun ...enjoy! Click on the green link below to take the short quiz. Tell me what kind you are! Here's me: You are Milk Chocolate A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds. You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life. Also nostelgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago. What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

I LOVE my iPod

A year ago, I received an iPod as a gift from both my parents and my brother Nebur. I was so happy to get it because it just seemed like a cool gift. Now that I have had it for a year, I have come to truly appreciate it.

I have the 20 GB iPod. At first I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to put all of my music on it - WRONG! To date, I have used 4.03 GB of space. That translates into 1, 394 songs or 69 days straight of listening pleasure.

My iPod went on a journey this past May with my brother Nebur to Panama. He went on a road trip with his friend Scott and both my dad and Scott's dad. On his way out of town, Nebur asked me if they could take my iPod with me since the vehicles they were taking didn't have working CD players. I think they were not so pleased to see it dressed up in its pink case when I brought it to them! They were also probably less than thrilled when they saw some of the titles on there such as Shiny Happy People from the Sesame Street: Songs Fromthe Street CD or Move Like and Emu from the Wiggles Hoop Dee Doo CD. (I have also put all of Sabina's music on the iPod.)

I had quite a scare concerning my iPod back in October. My classroom was robbed of many things. The first thing I looked for was my iPod. I had left it in the classroom the day before. It was gone! The radio transmitter was gone and no iPOd. I was crushed! As my students and I cleaned up the mess the thieves left, one of the kids found my precious gem under some desks. The thieves either didn't know what it was, couldn't handle that it was pink or I just got lucky and it slipped out of their hands as they were taking everything else.

Since then, I always keep my iPod with me in my purse. It goes everywhere I go. I use it at school with the Radio Transmitter to play songs to dance to or sing to with my students. I play it occasionally in the car. It is much harder to use in the car though as I can't get clear enough staions. (I should invest in a higher quality transmitter, I guess) Mostly though, the iPod is my best friend at the gym. Thanks to the iPod, I can rock out while I am working out. It makes the time go by SO much quicker and it is fun. I do have to be careful though.... Sometimes I catch myself singing along with the music or dancing on the treadmill. OOPS!

Here are some of my favorite "Jams" that I listen to at the gym:

* Get Up Off of that Thing - James Brown (I always start with this one)
* Fin de Semana and Anabacoa - Oscar D'Leon
* Dale and El Kitikimbá - Vission Latina
* Fruta Fresca - Carlos Vives
* Caprichosa - Chayanne (for Mary!)
* No Creo En Brujeria - Samy y Sandra Sandoval (Cooking Diva and Nebur are probably the only ones who know who they are!)
* Paid In Full - Erik B. and Rakim
* A Children's Story - Slick Rick
* Girls on Film - Duran Duran
* Love Shack - The B-52's
* Dancing Machine - Jackson 5
* I've Got it Made - Special Ed
* The Overweight Lover's in the House - Heavy D and the Boys
* A Quien Le Importa - Thalía
* Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
* La Negra Tiene Tumbao - Celia Cruz
* Check the Rhime and What? - A Tribe Called Quest
* Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band - The Beatles

and more...

I always end with Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman." It is corny, I know - but that's how it goes!

Thanks for the iPod y'all!
-K-

Recipes

Here are the recipes. I will post pictures of them as we make them! (and eat them)

Enchilada Soup
Ingredients:
1 T. vegetable oil 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
½ cup diced onion 1 clove minced garlic
4 cups chicken broth 1 cup Masa Harina
3 cups water, divided 1 cup enchilada sauce
1 lb. velveeta, cubed 1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Shredded cheese tortilla chips

Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Brown chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Shred and set aside. To the pot, add onions and garlic; sauté for 2 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Pour in chicken broth. In a medium bowl combine masa harina with 2 cups of water and whisk until blended well. To the onions and garlic add the masa harina mixture, remaining water, enchilada sauce, cheese, salt, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil; add shredded chicken. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, or until thickened.
Garnish with shredded cheese and crumbled tortilla chips, if desired.

Kelly’s Homemade Applesauce:
2 bags of Granny Smith Apples
Lemon juice – just a little bit to keep the applesauce from browning and to give it a little tang
Sugar (to taste)
Cinnamon (to taste)

Wash apples, cut in fourths and bring to a boil. When the apples are tender, drain the water and put the apples through a food mill. Squeeze lemon juice in and add sugar and cinnamon to taste. Serve hot or cold.

Potato Latkes
10 Grated Potatoes
1 Grated onion
1-2 eggs
Flour
Salt

Peel and grate potatoes. Drain the water from the potatoes. To the potatoes add enough flour and eggs to bind the potatoes together. Not too much! Add salt to your liking. Fry in oil until golden brown on both sides. Serve with applesauce, ketchup, sour cream etc…

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!!!