(Insert cute, yet coy, title here)

I had lofty ambitions to blog more this year. However, because we talk as a family once a month, I have a hard time blogging about my daily activities. However, I thought I would share some pictures of my life...

Ski Reward Trip!


(Yes, those are Mom's ski pants from 1970!)


(Yes, I did spend more time up than down. And, for the record, I only fell while getting off the lift twice!)


(My ski buddy for the day!)

A Visit to Autumn's for Luke's Birthday!

(I totally want her to plan my birthday party!)


(It was a monster theme, in case you couldn't tell...)


(Of course, I had to pose with the party guests! I'm the one on the left...)


(We went and hiked Table Rock. It was GORGEOUS from the top!)









(We played in the snow and I built me a boyfriend. He turned out a little cold hearted and Matt took him down for me--ask him about that video. It's pretty sweet.)



(We went sledding. I thought Carter was going to hate me after I convinced him to go down the BIG hill with me! He screamed so hard!! Luckily, he has a spirit of adventure and loved it by the end!!)







(Ella LOVES playing with the boys, but it definitely wears her out!!)

Life is grand! Can't wait for Spring Break! (9 more school days!!!)

What do teachers make?

After a week of parent-teacher conferences, attending a funeral for a student's dad and dealing with students bouncing off the wall, I needed to hear this message.




After listening to this I reflected on so many blessings of the week. Perhaps the biggest one was the swell of pride in my heart for my AMAZING students who showed ASTONISHING progress on their math test!

Phew. Glad tomorrow is Friday!

P.S. My favorite part of the video is about the bathroom. It's true. However, I have to laugh when society gets mad at teachers for telling kids they can't go to the bathroom whenever they want. Ha! You try teaching. Then you'll see....

The Bark Side

I don't care if this isn't even real! I am still laughing over it! I LOVE IT!!!

Christmas card

I love being a teacher (of course, I say this as I am off for 17 days). One reason I love it is because I can get free memberships to websites like animoto.com. Which is why I did my Christmas card through them. I'm cheap. And I'm a teacher, which means I don't have a lot of money to start with.

Anyway, enjoy.

(If you notice the music stops at a weird place, I didn't have control over that. The computer and I argued about it for awhile. It won.)

My Minutes of Fame

If you happen to live in Utah and happen to be watching KSL at just the right time, you might see this:



or this:



or this:



or this:



or this:



It was a such a great opportunity to be an advocate for my students. They definitely have a special place in my heart.

High Expectations

Last week I was chatting with Autumn about how fabulous my students are--a favorite topic of mine. I started talking about Jose. He is what some might call "trouble-with a capital T." However, I've tried to see him as he truly is--funny, energetic and thriving for structure in his life. We've butted heads throughout this year, however, I've really tried to follow the counsel to "reprove betimes with sharpness...and then showing forth afterwards an increase in love." I've been so pleased to see him really mature and become motivated about learning in the past few months. I don't do this to toot my own horn, but to show how powerful an influence expectations can be for children. I've told him and my other students that they are my "little mathematicians", "my inquisitive scientists" and "my famous authors". I'm always amazed (for good or bad) at how my perspective of my student not only affects my attitude towards them, but also how they begin to perceive themselves.

I then started thinking deeper about what beliefs I've seen manifested in myself because of other's expectations/beliefs about me. A small one comes to mind when I think about a choreographer I've worked with who always tells me that I'm a dancer. You know, after hearing that for weeks on end, I've started to believe it. I know I'm not a great one, but I also know I can do it.

So here's the question for you--what are your beliefs and expectations about those around you and how do you share them? It's crazy to think that we have such influence on someone's perspective and the development of their character. But, we do. I've seen it.

Waiting for Superman...

"Waiting for Superman" is a new documentary out on DVD. It's basically showing some of the flaws of the education system and showing how frustrating it is for parents of limited resources to help their child succeed in school. While there are many points that i agree with (i.e. many tenured teachers need to have that privileged revoked), they seemed to leave out a key aspect of education.

Throughout the documentary it followed a handful of students in inner city schools whose parents are concerned about the future of their education. It shows how frustrated they are and how they turn to charter schools as an option. Of course, because the majority of charter school admissions are based on lotteries, some of these students did not get in. (Sorry to spoil the ending, but you know it's coming) The documentary makers also show that there are many teachers that are trying to do new and innovative teaching practices in the classroom, but are limited oftentimes because of legislation. This is also true. However, one of the big limiting factors of the success of many of my students is the family support or lack thereof. The parents in the documentary are not in the majority of inner city schools, in my experience. I have just one or two parents who are proactive when it comes to their child's education (contrast that to 20-25 parents at my former school). While very few of my students have parents who blatantly refuse to help their child, most of my students have parents who are apathetic to their child's learning and assume that I, as a teacher, should be the main provider of their education and upbringing. Unfortunately, if a child does not have a parent who is encouraging them to go to school, do their homework, ask questions and become a lifelong learner, my ability to inspire them to greatness in the nine months we are together is limited. Not impossible, but limited. I do, however, have some parents who come to me and let me know that they work all day in two or three jobs and don't have time to spend with their child on homework. These parents are still encouraging their child by maintaining a positive attitude about the importance of education. Bottom line, time is key, but attitude also plays a major aspect.

Part II of this rant comes from a post on our school blog wherein my principal informed us that our budget is cut by more than $100,000 next year. The state legislature, in its infinite wisdom, decided that the money we receive to support our English Language Learners and our socioeconomically disadvantaged students is no longer possible. This money translates into losing our math interventionist and three of our aides who help in the classroom. It means that there is a possibility of bigger class sizes (I'm already at 27-28) and less money for extra support of those struggling students. Thank you government for helping us succeed the lofty goal of "No Child Left Behind". I think this will really help in that effort... (On the other hand, the state legislature HAS decided that we need a state gun. A Browning hand gun. Glad our elected officials listen to us.)

On a positive note, thank you all for being wonderful parents who care about your child's learning and for having an attitude that education is a priority. You may never really realize the impact it has on your child's education.