Getting Older

This is what I found on my white board this morning after 1st period. I wanted to say thank you to my 1st period class for the awesome b-day sentiments they gave me. I also need to thank the esteemed School Psychologist here at SJMS who brought some b-day treats this morning. That was awesome!

The Bass Clarinet

When I was younger my family lived in Jonesboro, GA. I played the B-flat Clarinet in the band in Utah, where I started my illustrious career as a clarinetist, and wanted to continue with that while in Georgia. My band teacher, a Mr. Julian Jefferson Cramer, had other ideas. He wanted me to play the Bass Clarinet. He offered to teach me privately, so I switched. I learned how to play the Bass Clarinet and fell in love with it. My aforementioned illustrious career was short-lived. We moved to Oregon and then subsequently back to Utah and I no longer wanted to be in the band.

20 years later...

I am a teacher at a middle school and there is a band. One day, a couple of years ago, I stopped by the band teacher's room. There was a Bass Clarinet sitting out. My friend allowed me to pick it up. I attempted to make a sound. Imagine my surprise when a decent sound was emitted from said Bass Clarinet. Even the band teacher was impressed. So impressed, in fact, that she picked up her camera and captured the image for my posterity.

2 years later...

My band teacher friend sent me a copy of the picture. I hope you enjoy it.

New Glasses

I got new glasses!!!

TGIW

Thank goodness it's Wednesday! At three o'clock this afternoon, I'll be starting a little vacation. Fall Recess, formerly known as UEA Weekend, is set aside for teachers to attend classes and inservices put together by the Utah Education Association. We teachers can, if we want, attend and get credit or re-licensure points. I'd like to thank the UEA for their generosity...but no thanks. I plan to reboot my brain over this weekend and rest my weary body. It's going to be AWESOME!!!

October is my Favorite Month!

Ten reasons why October is my favorite month:

10. I get a year older.
9. Halloween.
8. Daylight Savings' extra hour.
7. Halloween colored M&Ms.
6. I can start wearing sweaters.
5. Crisp air.
4. Not too cold.
3. Leaves changing colors.
2. Fall Recess!
1. NO SNOW, usually.

Parent/Teacher Conference

Today is the first session of our fall Parent/Teacher Conference. This means that I won't be home tonight until after 8 tonight and after 7:30 tomorrow. Teachers bi-annually squish 3 work days into 2. The life-saving benefit is no school on Friday.

I must endure 4 hours today and 3 hours tomorrow in a state of almost boredom. Almost. Being a Special Educator, I don't join the teacher mass in the gym where the entire faculty (minus 5) meets. In the gym there are masses of parents and students lined up in front of the teachers they want to see. Little children are often not left at home as their parents make the conference a family affair. These little children are tortured by their parents who make them sit still while mom and dad scrutinize the teacher and their middle schoolers. Some of the little ones manage to make an escape and freely run about the gym until restrictions are once again imposed.

The Middle School Student suffers torture of a different sort if their folks make them accompany them to the conference. If the student is a polite, well-behaved, academically appropriate student, the torture is easy to endure. If the student is the opposite of the aforementioned lot, watch out!

Parent: Why are your grades so bad?
Student: I don't know.
Parent: Well, are you turning in your work?
Student: Work?
Parent: Yes, work? Obviously not.
Student: We have work? We're supposed to turn it in?
Parent: Argh! Why aren't you turning in your work?
Student: I don't know.
Parent: Is it in your locker? On your dresser at home? In your black hole of a back pack?
Student: I don't know.

Is it any wonder this student is feeling tortured at the conference? Is it any wonder that the teacher is feeling a little tortured listening to the exchange? Heck, the parents probably feel tortured themselves.

The above sketch occurs in my classroom more than I would like to admit. The only difference is that there aren't 300 people possibly listening in to the conversation. In my room, it's just me, the student, and the parent(s).

Why do we put ourselves through this twice every school year?

Bill Cosby said it best and he said it in two words: Brain damage!

Art Show

A former student of mine invited me to her first ever art show a couple of weeks ago. My mom and I made the trek and had a very enjoyable time. I thought I would post a few of her paintings.

This picture is at a funny angle because I was trying to avoid getting people in the shot.

This is the first painting that caught our eye. It is actually my favorite of the three my student did.

Here are a few of the paintings that were done. The one by my student is the beach scene.