...Get 'Er Done...

http://www.doitdoitdone.com/index.html

I heard about this website on the WAAL this morning on my way in to school and figured I would pass it on.

As a lover of time management and lists...I think this is a cool way to not only to keep up with an exponentially growing "honey do" list...but also to really be able to see how one uses the time they have at their disposal.

URBAN DICTIONARY...click here

guess where she is sitting...in the walkway between the columns at St Peter's Square...I recognized it right away....I sat there many times myself...too cool!!

I am sitting in a quiet house...rarity by all means....and am watching Prime News on CNN. (YES again a sign of my age) I just watched a piece on cheerleaders who were kicked off the squad for what they call sexting. IMAGINE THIS...girls in HS sending well those kinds of pictures of themselves on their cell phones....and the kicker is that the parents are suing the school for kicking them off the cheer leading squad.....What do you make of this?? What are they thinking??

I mean really girls I DO HOPE that we all have much better sense than that..okay I remember how it was being in High School and all the stress that comes with it. The right group, the right grades, the right clothes, the right everything...like I said adolescence is ROUGH!!! But with all the tech and stuff that you have now....have the limits been pushed that far that one might even CONSIDER doing something like this??

What is your opinion...we'd like to know!!

The program's website is:
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/prime.news/

At the time I took the poll below...the stats looked like this...

Should the cheerleaders have been kicked off the team for sending nude pictures of themselves?

Yes	72%
No	28%

This is not a scientific poll

...Shlumpy Hump-day....

Ambiguous is pretty much the word that can sum up my mood for today.

What do you do when you care but the folks you care about don't care about the fact that you care??

When is it, that there is that light bulb that goes off in their head, that gives them that "a-ha" moment, that it dawns on them that just maybe they are cared about unconditionally.....one doesn't expect anything back for caring....well...nothing except honesty and respect....is that too high a price to pay for having someone genuinely care about how you are??

On the other hand, it may just not be cool to have someone like me care about what you do, who you hang with, why you are absent, or how you are handling heavy duty life situations that your circumstance has dealt you. Maybe it is the people that are in your posse that scoff at the idea. Maybe it is that that same one that scoffs secretly wishes it was him I gave a hoot about...well FYI...I care about him TOO!!!

There is no greater challenge than adolescence....I sure wouldn't want to do it over again...even if I could go back and do it all again knowing what I know now!! NO WAY!!!!

This is why I care...whether you see it now or not...I want to make sure that you make it out there in the real world...no matter what you wanna be when you grow up.

...parent teacher night...oh my!!

Today I spent my day waiting....waiting to sing your praises to your folks...and the one parent I saw I had to go track down in the cafe....lol!!

No worries...it is all good!!

I do need to say tho that I am very proud of the effort I see you all making in my classroom. From the way that the Spanish IV group has taken the ball and are running with it for their midterm video project, to my Spanish I class' ability to actually express themselves in Spanish and their desire and genuine interest in starting to e-mail a group of kids in Salamanca, Spain, to my French I kids that are breezing through all our units so quickly!!

YOU GUYS NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE ME!!!!!

Rock on!!

who can you run to??

I heard the saddest news this morning as I was preparing to come to school. On the Good Morning America program the mother and sister of a young man who took his own life live on line were interviewed by the program's host. The young man's sister spoke of community...of a communities responsibility to look out for the well-being of its own members.

I believe that all of us cyber-junkies understand what the virtual community is and how it functions....yes we all know that there is etiquette and protocol and just plain ol' common sense rules that should always be followed. But my question to you all is this....is your real time community involvement just as important to you as your virtual community?? Do you hold your virtual self up to the same strict standards that you do your real-time self?? Do you portray yourself and your activities honestly, with integrity and honor??

As my on line following begins to build and noticeably expand I hope that you all remember the importance of being true to yourself and your community...be it your MySpace community, your Facebook community, or just the community you find outside your front door.

In light of the greater good....PEACE!!

Well as quickly as it came is about as quickly as it went...this mini-vacation I mean. I can't believe it is back to work tomorrow!! But hey...let's look at the bright side...Christmas vacation will be here before we know it. LOL!!

In the meantime it is my role to make sure that you guys are really learning...so I think the best thing for us to do is just back it all up and run thru it all over again in a more general view...just so we are solid as we wind down till the end of 2008....and make sure you guys know how to use what we have taken in thus far!!

¡Hasta mañana!

Black Friday...oh my!!

This cartoon pretty much sums it up for me this year!! I had all the best intentions to get out there and snag all the great deals that "black Friday" has to offer, but then my rational mind took over...(yes...just another my age is showing moments)...and I decided to stay in.

Can it be that all the years in Europe have actually served a purpose for me personally?? See...over there it was nearly impossible to have or obtain all the credit that you can get here...so I just got used to living in a certain way and learned that immediate gratification was not always the smartest thing to strive for. After all...it is only STUFF!!

I hope you all are enjoying the time off...I am!! LOL

In light of the greater good...Peace!!

Happy Turkey...

So it is officially Thanksgiving Day vacation!! Phew...we made it!! *giggles*

How cool was it to see Mr. Reed today!!! Too bad we never started the wave up there in the bleachers. Next time!! *grin*

I hope that you all do realize how much effort it took for Mr Reed not only to come visit but also overcoming the thought of the risk he was taking by simply exposing himself to all your wonderful kid germs. He loves you guys that much that he put doctor's orders on the back burner just to share your space!! How awesome is that??? See you guys DO ROCK...and I am not the only one who notices!!

I hope that you guys sleep late, rest, and totally enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday...remember that there is always something to be grateful for everyday...not just on November 28th...ya just gotta look! :))

Peace

happy sno-day

First snow day of the season and the coolest thing about it was that the kids in my house had to get up and go to school!! It was funny...for the shoe to be on the other foot for a change. I was reminded on more than one occasion this morning not to rub it in, but I just couldn't help it.

With the schedule shift tomorrow I get the pleasure of teaching first thing in the morning. Tomorrow will be my littlest one's big test...will she remember to shut the front door before getting on the bus??? LOL!!

Hope you all enjoyed your day off...see y'all tomorrow

my wish for you... *smiles*

Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
Stand up and be counted
Don't be ashamed to cry
You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day
Herald what your mother said
Readin' the books your father read
Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time
Some may have more cash than you
Others take a different view
My oh my heh, hey
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day
Don't ask no questions, it goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
The world keeps on spinning
You can't stop it, if you try to
This time it's danger staring you in the face
Oh oh oh Remember
Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
My oh my heh, hey, hey
You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day

courtesy of:
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/thatssoraven/yougottabe.htm

Happy Saturday

Happy snowy Saturday y'all...I am so excited about next week. Not only is it Turkey-day next Thursday, but I also get to meet your parents on Tuesday. I can't wait!! As a mom of two sometimes darling daughters...I assure you there is nothing better than to be validated as a parent by the people who actually spend as much time or more than I do with my most precious responsibility.

I am a true believer in the adage "It takes a village to raise a child"... and in that same vein I feel that simply knowing you guys gives me the responsibility of being part of your personal village.

I hope to only encourage you all to strive for excellence...to help you see how smart you really are....and most of all show you that learning something foreign is within your grasp...no matter who you are....you can only if you want to....wanting to also includes admitting that you don't understand something.

I am so proud of each and every one of you for the huge improvements you have made, it makes being your teacher just that much more worth the trip!!


Have a great weekend :))

ready for the weekend???

I know I am ready for the weekend...so SMILE!!

makes me wonder...or should it frighten me???

walking and really being among you ...the more I am privi to your just being...I wonder why you guys do what you do....I am so glad that you all feel at ease when you run into me around school. So much so that there is no personality shift into the person you would be if it was just any teacher or administrator walking the halls, but with me you guys feel free to, well for lack of better terms...just to be yourselves. Thank you for this!!

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it....but it also makes me think!! (Oh no...my age is showing again!! LOL) I hear you guys joke about what it is that you guys do for fun, or what it is that happened to you when your parent walked in to your private hooky party...or even knowing what the whole battle of the bang thing between the grupo de cinco and Mrs. Bays French class next door was before the start of the next days classes...lol....but the thing that puzzles me is this....In my day, back in the 80's we also spoke out in our own way. We had our own personal revolutions, our rebellions, our outcries to be heard...we showed it through how we dressed (remember big hair and the early Madonna look??)...through the music we listened to....and the civic engagement we took part in......Hands Across America anybody?? and what about Band-Aid!!

But to me it seems that you guys are going to an extreme that my generation would never have dreamed of reaching for...none the less even going there. Those who did go there in my day were doomed to certain failure in life!! We all were into the "rebel yell" and stuff but it WAS all talk....we saved the action the older moments in our lives....like our college years....that is a blog topic for another day...rofl....but ultimately...I think we did have that invisible line that we never crossed....at least not in 9th grade...my gosh!! But let me say one thing guys...your frontal lobe where judgement lies...is still growing....so you aren't as big "know it all's" literally that you think you are...BIOLOGICALLY!!

...so just think about slowing down....just a bit....slow is good...but then again...my middle age is showing again...*smiles*

¡Feliz Lunes mi gente!

Well a Happy Monday to you all!!

I must say that as usual it was a pleasure to be among you all again today...it is also nice to see that there are those among you that have realized that attendance is mandatory and I truly hope that at least during the time we share together you guys really enjoy learning!! LOL!!

Honestly...I think that you guys have no idea how much you actually do know...those of you who have been fortunate enough to have absorbed all that information on foreign language taught to you over the years in Middle School...KUDOS...and those select few who are new to the whole idea of foreign language acquisition....WOW....I hope you all realize just how smart you really are. Then there are those of you who just need that slight nudge to see how brilliant you are...I will keep poking you with more challenging aspects of the language!!

If there is just one thing you walk away with from having known me...let it be confidence!!

Confidence in what you know and the desire to only strengthen that knowledge, build on it, and of course have it all help you develop into the wonderful insightful future leaders I know you will be!!

Peace out Sailor Scout!!....**rofl...that is for someone who knows who they are....smiles**

Another week has come and gone....Where did it go??

I can't believe that a whole week has gone by...where did it go??

I suppose that the old adage "time flies when you are having fun", is a perfect fit for this week. I dunno if it was the sunshine this morning or just all the little things in life that have encouraged me to smile a bit more today!! Whatever it is...keep it coming.

The first quarter is over and behind us because the report cards were mailed today. Let's mark the moment, realize that time is passing....and start anew on Monday! As for my grupo de cinco....you KNOW what I expect from you in my learning environment...don't make me become someone I don't want to be in my classroom. But if you continue to test my patience I WILL. Even your classmates, the ones who WANT to be in my Spanish class, think it is getting a bit old! They just don't want to tell you to your face. So there...I said it and put it out there for all of cyberspace to know...do with it what you will!

Happy Weekend Y'all

It is so great passing time with you guys, sharing with you not only what I already know, but sparking interest in it within each of you. It is nice to hear some of you admit that you are making out words and sayings in the movies in class. It doesn't just sound like incomprehensible gibberish!! Behind all that stuff there is meaning...honest!!

Hope you guys enjoy your weekend! See ya Monday

Do we all serve an ultimate purpose??? Hmmm....

I ran into this video and wanted to share it with you...


isn't it amazing how life unfolds?

Who are YOU going to develop into??

There is so much wonderful potential in each and every one of you...honestly it is electrifying to be around!!

Look forward to tomorrow!!

Being a Verb?? CLICK ME FOR IDEAS...LOL

I love School House Rock!! This lovely blast from my past gets me wanting to DO stuff with you guys!!

So far the Spanish IV class is working on a SNL type parody about their "Global Opinions" and how it effects us here "en El 'Bern". The French I class is almost done with the Valise song for Mrs. Bradley, and will do a MTV type music video for their next project.

My only challenge is my Spanish I class, not just because of the size of the group, but my GRUPO DE CINCO has diminished to two or three, depending on the attendance list of the day...it is hard to trust that you will learn if left to your own devices. Can you believe that there is ONE who owes me all 6 packets and still thinks that they are allowed to be a square peg in a round hole in my world WITHOUTREPRIMAND ?? Huh...I think that sort of misguided entitlement needs to be addressed by higher powers than myself...after all it is a matter of Respect!!! Not ability...is it not???

daylight savings time ROCKS!!

It feels later than it actually is....OH WHAT A FEELING!! At least for a few weeks I will feel like I inherited an extra hour from life...too bad, like jet lag it goes away after a short time. I am preparing your exams today...and as always I will make you strive for excellence and hopefully give you faith in what you already know. Remember that in my class initiative and daring are rewarded...because ultimately, the worst thing that may happen, is you make a mistake...and mistakes mean that you are learning according to my take on things.

I sometimes wish that my advanced classes would be a bit more willing to take those baby steps forward and accept that in order to learn you NEED to make mistakes. Like a toddler learning to walk...you have to take a few choice face plants before you "get it"...and once that door opens in your brain it never closes again!!

I wonder sometimes if it is just that if you seek perfection rather than excellence...it is a sermon I have preached to my own kids since Alexa was in asilo nido (universal pre-K that starts at 3 years of age in Italy)....Perfect is an unattainable thing....Excellent is always within reach!!

It was my experience among the Nursing students at Hunter, that the hardest thing they had to cope with, wasn't the massive amount of work it takes to get a Bachelor's in Nursing, but the idea that their efforts weren't worthy of a PERFECT grade...or that the Professor had the nerve NOT to agree with their discussion or presentation of facts on a term-paper...because they were so accustomed to getting straight A's...or in their psyche...being the PERFECT STUDENT....that simply striving for excellence was the farthest thing from their mind's. They NEEDED to be perfect...but then they figured it out. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN-IE

Well after buzzing over the hill to my neck of the woods we made it into the village to catch the downswing of tricks or treats here in my town...TOO FUN!! My pockets were full of all sorts of yummy, sugary, chewy, cavity causing CANDY!! LOL!!

Seeing all the kids from Afton's school was the icing on the cake though, I must say!! They miss me...they told me so....but my answer to the smaller ones was simply that there are some kids in Sherburne that need me just a little bit more than they do...and that thought makes me happier than any candy bag!!

Have a spooky-ookie weekend guys!!

In Latin American and Europe November 2 (Sunday) is the day that all the dead are remembered!! Honor your own *smiles* I will :)