Tag Archives: writing

Allegiances

Family, history, travel, , ,
Tom Regner's football card from 1970 - I have two of them!

I grew up in Sugar Land, Texas in the late 1960s and lived there through the mid- 80s. My mom still lives in the house we grew up in, though it is quieter today than it ever was when my brothers and I grew up. It was at the early age of eight in 3rd grade in 1970 that I became a football fan. I was a fan of the Houston Oilers, who were not very good in the early 70s. Our next-door neighbor was Tom Regner and he played for the Oilers. The 1970 season was his fourth as a professional after a college career at Notre Dame where he was a first team All-American in 1966. As a third grader, and even today, I remember him being big, Continue reading Allegiances →

Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend

adventure, Family, travel, Writing, , ,
Lafayette County Courthouse with a Confederate soldier facing south in memory of his comrades.

I am in Oxford – Oxford, Mississippi. A couple of months ago, in late November I texted my bother Warren – ‘Hey what do you think about Oxford for MLK day?’ Warren, being Warren, texted in return, ‘Wouldn’t Selma be a better choice?’ I have to admit he got my message, but he had me in the one-liner department. Continue reading Martin Luther King, Jr. Weekend →

Happy New Year 2011

Family, Life in General, Writing, , , ,
The view from the cottage across the lake is obscured by the fog hovering over the lake.

The New Year comes along just to end Christmas vacation. Today is New Year’s Eve and a reminder that getting back to school is just a few days away. What has happened to the time? I know I have spent it resting, relaxing, rejuvenating, driving, and chasing Ivy. I know the days have counted for my mental health if not for the other aspects of who I am. I have spent a bit of time (probably too much time) looking through Facebook and added several friends from my childhood home in Sugar Land. Thinking back to that time was fun and I have made a couple of connections I had been wondering about for years.  

Continue reading Happy New Year 2011 →

Silent Night

Family, Life in General, , , ,
Olivia is dressed to tell Santa what is on her list!

It started snowing early this morning and it has snowed lightly all day long giving the trees, the yard, and everything a beautiful coat of fresh white snow. Also, it has been several days since my last post and I have wanted to sit and write, but I have not made time to do it for all of the things that I need to do are far more important than what I want to do at this time of the year. I have had several ideas and topics, which crossed my path, but for now, those will have to wait as I focus on the present. Continue reading Silent Night →

Free Write Friday – Take 2

Family, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, ,

I started this last Friday in class and ran out of time to finish or rather other tasks took over the time to write and think. I try to model writing with my students and Friday is Free Write. They can write whatever they want, as long as they write. Some students write lists, others work on writing a continuing story, and some write about what they have to look forward to over the weekend. Here is what I began…… Continue reading Free Write Friday – Take 2 →

Weekends in December

Family, jobs, Teaching and Learning, , , , , , ,

“Every man has only enough strength to complete those assignments that he is fully convinced are important.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German writer and philosopher

Saturday and Sunday all seem to run together. Weekends are busy and filled with unscheduled time to get things done including all of the tasks and jobs left undone from the week. Of course there is the unexpected, the task or job that pops up and needs to be done at that moment. I got pulled into such a job Saturday and am still finishing it Sunday morning. Continue reading Weekends in December →

Happy Thanksgiving

Family, Life in General, , , ,
Olivia helps momma with Thanksgiving pies and sweet potato caserole!

I’m thankful for my rambunctious dog, Ivy. I am also thankful for my family and my hamster, Hammy. I am thankful for Thanksgiving turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots, and ham. I am thankful for my brother and my pets. This Thanksgiving I am hoping that I will get to help my dad cook dinner and my mom bake pies. I am thankful for the Wheaton-Warrenville South Tigers football team and the chance to go on the field after the home game. After home football games, I get to go on the field and help clean up! I helped my mom make pies this morning. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Olivia is a rambunctious 8 year-old in second grade. She spends her time with family and friends. She loves her dog, Ivy. She plays soccer, softball, and loves to swim. This is her first blog post.

Thanksgiving and giving thanks

Family, Life in General, Teaching and Learning, , ,

I have been thinking about this post for over a week and wanted to get started earlier, but I didn’t. Before I began writing, I came across the quote below originally posted to twitter by Values.com.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order; confusion into clarity…Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” 

Continue reading Thanksgiving and giving thanks →

Day 57: The Writing Process and the week before Thanksgiving

Family, teaching, Writing, , ,

This is the week before Thanksgiving and the past several days have been busy – very busy. My students turned their narratives in Monday and they all look great. I did a quick scan of what was turned in and it seems my students learned from my instruction and did well with their writing. I will begin grading them this weekend with plans to return them after Thanksgiving Break. It takes time to read and respond to writing and I want to make sure I have time. This week has been too busy to even start grading. Continue reading Day 57: The Writing Process and the week before Thanksgiving →