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!

Snow Day, Snow Day!

 Teachers and students alike shout for joy when a snow day is called. Who doesn't love an unexpected day off? A completely unplanned day spread out before you. Typically at our house it means fresh bread and cinnamon rolls with some kind of soup for supper—YUM! However, two snow days this early in October is a first in my life. Feet of heavy, wet snow fell on trees that were not yet ready for winter. 

The weight was too much, and many came crashing down.

 We weren't long into Friday before the wind and snow brought power lines down too. Snow days aren't nearly as fun when you can't watch TV and keep up with friends on Facebook! Worst of all for the many ranchers, cattle were not ready. Calves were not weaned, winter coats were not grown, and many were still far away at summer pasture. The next few weeks will bring the extra work of finding, gathering, and sorting the cattle that weathered the storm. Death loss will be huge, but neighbors will come together to help each other. And years from now, we will still be talking about the October Blizzard of 2013.

9/11

Every generation has that one event that makes people stop and take note of their surroundings and etch them in memory forever. For my mom and her generation, it was November 22, 1963. For her parents it was December 7, 1941. For this generation, it is September 11, 2001. Like other tragic events, it seems so long and such a short time ago all at the same time. Today as we remembered the day at school, I realized that after several moves, I teach in the same classroom as twelve years ago. I remember answering the phone that morning to hear my friend and fellow teacher ask if I had heard the news. By the time my students arrived, all four planes had gone down and both towers had fallen. We spent some time watching the news in shock and knew that our lives would be forever changed. Now here I am twelve years later in the same classroom teaching students who were either very young or not even born at the time. Despite this, they know the story, thanks to parents and others who take time to share the tragedy and teach them how our country stood together in adversity. The days and weeks that followed brought us together with more patriotism and faith than I had ever witnessed before. It is sad that it takes an event such as this, but also wonderful to know that we are one nation, under God. In the words of Alan Jackson, "Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?"