Mugs of Memories

Putting my Christmas coffee mugs away always makes me a little sad--it means another year has passed, and they won't come out again until next Christmas. After teaching for over thirty years, I have amassed quite a collection.

I love every one of them, but even more, I love the students who gave them to me. 

Some of the mugs are decades old. 

Others like these are fresh and new. 

Regardless of how long I have had a certain mug, each time I fill it, my thoughts go to the student who gave it to me. I remember the student in my classroom, and as the mug gets older, I think of the adults they have become. December is filled with so many mugs that bring so many memories, but eventually the month must end.

 So for now Christmas is packed away for another eleven months, and it's back to my regular mugs--until next December!

Long Overdue

Has it really been FIVE years since I put anything on here? Really? Where does the time go? It's not that there have been no Quips and Quotes...every day of teaching offers a wealth of those! I guess I just got busy with life. One major thing that took my time was earning my MA in History from the University of Nebraska - Kearney. For two and a half years, I spent nearly every spare moment on my computer or reading a book. However, I finished that almost three years ago!






Since finishing my Masters, I set a new walking goal for myself and have been blogging about that here. Maybe that's why it doesn't seem it could have been five years since I updated this one. I will try to do better beginning today!

Oh, yes, I love technology!

     During my 25+ years of teaching, I have learned to incorporate technology in the classroom. I started with filmstrips, ditto machines, and Commodore computers (you know, the ones with truly “floppy” disks!) Then we progressed to copy machines, TVs, and updated computers. I can remember struggling to log on in the age of dial-up and being overwhelmed just trying to figure out how to check my e-mail. Now it seems impossible to think of a day without it. Over the past ten years, our rural schools have been updated to include lots of new technology. In my school each room has an LCD projector. There is a document camera that took the place of a dinosaur called an overhead projector. Our new adventure this year is learning how and when to use our new SMART Board. However, this past week I discovered that even with all this technology, my students still enjoy some old-fashioned fun—a few windy days and the SMART Board box were all it took for some great entertainment.

Do You Know What Day It Is?

Birthdays--a great reason to celebrate. At school it means some sort of yummy treat, singing "Happy Birthday" including "How old are you?", and a gift. We just celebrated a 12th yesterday, and the cookies were delicious! If I really put my mind to it, I could probably name the birthday of almost any student I have ever taught--yeah, I'm just weird like that. So today, I say happy birthday to Cassie. Several years ago (probably more than either of us care to count), I was her second grade teacher. On the morning of April 15, all of my kindergarten through second graders were gathered around the calendar to do our morning activities. I drew attention to the date and said that it was a special day and asked, "Does anyone know why?" Promptly, one of my first graders--the birthday girl's cousin--got excited and raised his hand. Imagine my surprise when I called on him and heard him say, "It's Tax Day!"

April Fool's!

Ahh, April Fool’s Day. So many memories come flooding back. A funny (and embarrassing) one for me was in 1987. I was in the middle of student teaching and had the opportunity to substitute in a different classroom on the morning of April 1^st. When I returned to my regular classroom after lunch and found them only beginning the morning classes, I was shocked.  The first thought running through my mind was how dependent on me Mrs. F. must have become. NOT! She was in the middle of a great April Fool’s joke for our students—a day of mixed-up subjects that kept them guessing what would be next. I went on to copy this one in my own classroom as well as add a few of my own.  (C.F., if you read this, I hope you can forgive me for being young and full of myself!)

It has been a few years since we have had the “pleasure” of being in school on April 1^st. Weekends and holidays have spoiled our fun so I was a little out of practice. It took me awhile, but I didn’t let the day get away from me. For the past week we have been completing our first year of online state tests called Smarter Balanced Assessment. We have talked and worried all year about whether everything  with the technology would work. So yesterday, Mrs. H. and I could not resist the urge to fool our students. While they were at music, we devised our devious plan. When the students returned, a phone call came from our district testing coordinator (actually, my cell phone!) that told me all the testing we did last week would need to be redone. Yes, it got them—I could tell by the groans and sighs. I only wish I could have carried it a little longer before my smile told them it was all an April Fool’s joke!

Paper Bowl I

Paper Bowl I at the Enning-Union Center School is in the books. 

Our top seeds for the January 31^st playoffs were the 

Colts (Brittany), the Jackrabbits (Katie), 

the Longhorns (Trinity), and the Wolverines (Sydney).

The Wolverines lost in the second round by two points to the 

Yellow Jackets (Ashlyn). In the third round the Yellow Jackets beat the 

Jackrabbits by a touchdown  in overtime to advance to the big game.

The Colts and the Longhorns battled it out in the third round, but the 

Longhorns came away with the win.

This set up Paper Bowl I with the Longhorns meeting the Yellow Jackets. 

The game was close for the first half, but in the end the 

Longhorns came on strong to win with a score of 152 to 136. 

 

The Spooks Come Out!

As I struggled to think of a costume this year, my thoughts went to my first Halloween

as a teacher. More than 25 years in the classroom have resulted in an abundance of Halloween party memories. But as with most memories, the first one will always stand out. My first year was spent teaching a group of ten 4^th-8^th graders who became family. As Halloween approached, they convinced me a spook house would be a great idea. (OK, to be honest, it didn't take much convincing—I was a young newbie excited to try anything!) They planned for weeks, decorated for days, 

and finally the day arrived. The old one-room school house was decked out to scare. 

Parents and kids alike donned costumes

and played games while they waited their turn in the spook house. Each student

 played a part as tour guide, 

fortune teller,

vampire,

and more. 

Since there was only one door, the obvious escape route was to slide out 

a window. I can still see the principal, Mr. Burke, making his exit! I’m not sure it would be possible to recreate that fun, but maybe it would be worth a try. 

Happy Halloween to all! BOO!