Tag Archives: children

Day 51: All Saints Day and the climax

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Jack O' lanterns, pumpkins, and gourd decorate our front step on Halloween

Sunday was the church observance of All Saints Day, though officially it is November 1st. It is the time in the Christian calendar to remember the saints as well as those in our lives who have passed away in the previous year. It also helps explain Halloween, which is All Hallows Eve, when the spirits of the dearly departed would come back to visit. Originally, the idea of trick or treating was that tricks were played and blamed on the spirits coming back to visit. I know that plenty of mischief has been played on Halloween and at other times including ding-dong ditching and other harmless pranks. Continue reading Day 51: All Saints Day and the climax →

Numbers and Daylight Savings Time

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The view Sunday morning into the backyard.

Saturday was over before I knew it, it counted in so many ways: thirty, two, twelve, forty-four, ten, and negative one. All of these numbers are significant because they are related to an event during the day. Yet, the most important number of the day is the rollback of Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time. It is always a sad time, yes we do gain an ‘extra hour’ of sleep Saturday night, but we lose daylight in our day. Continue reading Numbers and Daylight Savings Time →

First Saturday in November

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Saturday morning view, looking out the kitchen window at all of the leaves!

I was looking at the trees in the backyard this morning when I was taking Ivy outside. It looks as though we’ll have a good day to work and cleanup the leaves. The temperature dipped into the twenties last night and it will pop up into the fifties with bright sunshine later today. Leaves were wafting from the trees to the ground as Ivy and I went outside and I’m hoping more will fall before we start yard work in a couple hours. I have a few errands to run before I get outside and start raking and bagging. Continue reading First Saturday in November →

Day 49: Leads and Seeds and the Introductory paragraph

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As I wrote last week in Day 45: The Writing Process, I am teaching students to write a personal narrative and their assigned topic is a time in their lives when they had a personal conflict and the conflict led them to learn a lesson or an important life-changing lesson. As adults, it is easy to look back and see some of these moments, but it is not easy for a seventh grader to look so introspectively at their lives. Continue reading Day 49: Leads and Seeds and the Introductory paragraph →

I Voted!

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I voted this evening. I arrived at the polls after six when the final push to the polls was happening. It was a hectic end of the day. Because of Election Day my school district does not have attendance, but instead has parent teacher conferences from 7:30 until 3:00 and the students have the day off. As a social studies teacher it concerns me that students get a day off for elections. However, looking at the broader perspective, safety, there is no easy way to secure a public building for a day and a polling place needs to be open and accessible. So voting won out and for the past few elections it has worked well. Continue reading I Voted! →

Vote: Responsibility or Right?

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The American flag flies proudly in front of the house.

Today is Election Day in the United States. It is always the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November and the day has been set by Congress dating back to the early days of our republic. The reasoning for the day is to keep from having Election Day on November 1st, All Saints Day, a religious holiday. Continue reading Vote: Responsibility or Right? →

Saturday: Halloween eve

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The front maple taken on Saturday, October 30th

It is the Saturday before Halloween and after a stormy week which included our first hard freeze of the season. The forecast promises 60° temperatures for perhaps the last time for a while, but you just never know. The leaves are falling and the front yard is almost complete. It is dry which makes raking and leaf pick up that much easier. Continue reading Saturday: Halloween eve →

Day 45: The Writing Process

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Me in front of the list the class created this afternoon.

Teaching Language Arts is fun and I am learning more each day. Though, not as much fun as teaching geography, but I am learning and growing to like it. The students this year are enthusiastic and excited about learning. I know much of it has to do with my attitude and comfort level in the classroom. I have always been open with my students about what I think, how I learn, and the kind of student I was in seventh grade. Continue reading Day 45: The Writing Process →

Day 38: Counting….

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“We ought to hear at least one little song every day, read a good poem, see a first-rate painting, and if possible speak a few sensible words.”  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I was leafing through a book of quotes and quips and came across the quote above, it made sense and resonated with me.  We all try in some way to make our days count, to make a difference, to be a leader, and to be the change in the world we want to see. Speaking a few sensible words falls into that category, so today I just have a short post. Continue reading Day 38: Counting…. →

1492 – Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue, the rest of the story

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Painting of Christopher Columbus taking possession of the new world. In the painting, Columbus kneels on a rocky coast, with a flag in his left hand and a sword in his right. He is surrounded by European men, some of them bearing flags. In the background, three ships are in the water.

 This was supposed to be the weekend I caught up but, time is fickle and just as Johann Goethe, the noted German philosopher, wrote, “Every man has only enough strength to complete those assignments that he is fully convinced are important.” So therefore, I accomplished what I felt was truly important. Some of my to do’s will just have to wait for another day, or week. 

Columbus Day is one of those holidays that was intended to celebrate diversity when it first began to be celebrated in the late nineteenth century. The holiday has since been mandated as an official federal holiday, but it is now outdated. Continue reading 1492 – Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue, the rest of the story →