It is the second long weekend of the calendar year and I am home, Beth and the kids are skiing in Michigan and having fun. They took off Thursday evening because the kids had no school Friday or Monday, making escaping the city and running off to the north woods a three-day fun-escape and much more inviting than staying home and cleaning the basement or other chores. I won’t be cleaning the basement, either I have a stack of papers to grade and get back before next Tuesday and I have time to make it happen. Continue reading President’s Weekend – 2012
Tag Archives: education
Super Bowl Sunday
- Go Pats!
I remember my first super bowl – or the first I remember watching. It was Super Bowl 4 – the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Baltimore Colts. I didn’t know much about football then, but being from Houston I was rooting for the Colts. The team I rooted for didn’t make it and never would. The Houston Oilers aren’t around anymore. Continue reading Super Bowl Sunday
What a difference a year makes
A year ago, I was climbing into bed dreaming of sleeping late, really late – past seven, eight, maybe even nine in the morning – which is unheard of for a middle school teacher. Except, we had been pummeled by 20+ inches of snow beginning Tuesday night and school had been cancelled for not one, but two days! Fast-forward to this year and we have had hardly any snow, yesterday it was in the upper 50s, and except for a few patches in shady areas, there is no snow on the ground. Continue reading What a difference a year makes
Winter Break is over
Winter Break is over. I suppose that is a good thing. I need to get back to work and have a bit more structure in the day, but I have certainly enjoyed the time to rest, relax, and restore. I have enjoyed cooking, reading, and spending time with family. I have my regrets – I didn’t accomplish as much grading as I wanted, I didn’t clean up my desk and organize my personal office like I planned and sadly, I have been restoring my waist line and not vice-versa. Continue reading Winter Break is over
Let it snow – part 2
It is still snowing and I hope it doesn’t stop, or at least doesn’t stop until I want it to. I was up late, too late, last night and when I woke up this morning, I peered out the front window and was relieved to see a blanket of fresh snow covering the front yard and extending out into the lake Evidence Ivy’s and my walk had been erased.
Olivia is sleeping and I hope she sleeps for a bit longer; she was up late, though not as late as I was. This morning, Ivy barked and wanted out and I was afraid she was getting up, but she went back to bed. Ivy went outside did her business and came back inside and snuggled up on the blanket by my feet and went back to sleep, too. Continue reading Let it snow – part 2
Making Time
@MakingDaysCount and MakingtheDaysCount dot org, on many occasions, I have written about time and using it wisely; and if you have been looking for an update and wondering where I have been, I’ve been here, or there, seemingly everywhere – but not on the internet and certainly not at MakingtheDaysCount dot org. It has been a long three weeks. During that time, I have started a couple of entries but they have died on the figurative vine and been left unfinished. Continue reading Making Time
Pearl Harbor – 70 Years Later
I wasn’t around seventy years ago, but my in-laws were, they were teenagers then and remember the day quite well; much like I and my generation will remember 9/11
Yesterday, I casually mentioned to my seventh graders that today was an important anniversary and they looked at me in odd way – sort of like Ivy when she is confused, tilting her head to one side and cocking her ears back, as if to say, “So, you say?” What it really means is that they have no clue what you are talking about and they don’t have a good answer, because by the way I am looking at them, they should know. Continue reading Pearl Harbor – 70 Years Later
Day 67 – is it real?
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?
Elementary, my dear Watson
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
Veterans Day 2011
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