Today is the sixty-seventh day of the school year. It doesn’t seem possible, but, it is. It is funny how time moves so quickly. This week has virtually evaporated. A week ago, it was Thanksgiving Break and now I am looking down the barrels of Winter Break and a long two-week holiday, which will seemingly go faster than Thanksgiving’s five days. Continue reading Day 67 – is it real?
I went back in time yesterday morning to last year, the year before, and all the way back to Thanksgivings past. I went way back. I have been blogging at Making the Days Count since late May 2010 and have a few readers who follow along, so I feel I can go back to last year’s post without much of a problem for readers feeling like, ‘hey, I have been here before!’ Continue reading Giving Thanks – Happy Thanksgiving
Another busy weekend, full of choices: what to do, what to leave undone, unfinished, or unstarted. It had been a busy week at school and home. For my kids – William and Olivia, it was the last week before Thanksgiving break. They get the entire week on vacation. For me, it was the end of the narrative unit and the beginning of the mystery unit and Sherlock Holmes. I like Sherlock. I like how he helps me think at a different level and I marvel at his ability to see things others do not. Continue reading Elementary, my dear Watson
It is Veterans Day and I am off school. My students are off school and it is a vacation day. But, not all schools are out, my kids are in school and a few other local school districts are in session. I teach in one school district and I live in another. It is nice to have a day off, but it would be nicer to celebrate what the day means and honor veterans for the service and sacrifice.
So far, I have accomplished little with my day off. It sounds like a whine, and it is. I took Ivy to the groomer and have picked her up – she’s resting upstairs, I have e-mailed a few folks, replied to a few comments, called my mother-in-law, talked to a friend about a fantasy football trade – I declined, and in general had a restful day. It is Veterans Day and I should have done more with it than I have. I feel guilty. Continue reading Veterans Day 2011
The gentle rain on the roof, rolling into the gutters outside my bedroom window was soothing and I slept well last night, perhaps, too well. I had a hard time convincing myself it was a good idea to get out of bed and start the day. I finally got up went downstairs, started the coffee, and made lunch for William and me – salads. Continue reading Part 5, the conclusion, and the ride home
I made it through Monday, though barely. The weather was dreary today and it made it even worse. I read that at our latitude we lose 3 ½ minutes of daylight each day, that sucks! There is just no delicate way to put it. In addition to being narrative writing season in my classroom, it is a busy time in the school and at home. I got home from school and helped Olivia with her math homework and then we were off to a book fair at her elementary school, that wasn’t. We ended up at the town library instead. She was ‘on fire’ to pick up a good book to read and I wasn’t about to stand in her way. Continue reading It is raining and Falling Action
It is Monday and some things never seem to change, like the feeling on Monday morning. It was a busy weekend we jammed in high school football, chores, leaf cleanup, church, cooking, and spending time together. Beth got home from Ohio Sunday night and the kids were excited to greet her, having momma home is the best. Continue reading Going back to school and the climax
Yesterday was a glorious Fall day. It had been windy and wet in the middle of the week, but Thursday night the skies cleared and the temperatures dropped leaving a hint of frost everywhere. I know there is more of that to come, a lot more of it. I was up late Thursday night writing my narrative and getting ready for school even though I was out of school Friday, I still had to prepare via the web and the Blackboard – an electronic Blackboard – of sorts. Beth is out of town visiting her parents in Ohio and the kids needed me at home before school started and after when they came home. Continue reading Rising Action, falling leaves
It is that time again, narrative writing season in my classroom. So far, the students have shown some sparks and I mean that is a good thing. I, on the other hand, have fallen down a hole.
It has been a great year so far; the first quarter is history and I am not. I am enjoying my students and I think they are enjoying me, at least some of them are. Teaching seventh graders to write is a delicate balance Continue reading Do I have your attention?
It is Sunday morning and somehow, Saturday passed me by. Saturday morning, I got up late, about quarter to eight. The rest of the house slept and it was quiet, peaceful, it was wonderful. Everyone needed rest, I included, but I was awake, so I got up. Friday night we had been out at a – you guessed it – high school football game Friday night and had been the last off the field as William and Olivia helped the grounds crew pick up the yard markers, end zone cones, and put them away for another week and perhaps the season. The Tigers had made the state playoffs but have had a difficult season dropping three games this year. They won Friday night, but next week play the number one seed in the bracket – in their stadium, so it will be interesting.
This morning, the phone rang and woke Beth and me up. She went back to sleep, or tried to and I came downstairs, let Ivy out and made coffee. We let the kids sleep; Continue reading Sunday morning, again