I am wiped out and don't have the energy to type a long post. However, I did want to share something a student said in my class the other day. He was talking to another student while working on a writing assignment (creating a fun myth).
Boy: "Hey... you know what?"
Boy 2: "What?"
Boy: "We're in English. Sometimes I forget that Mrs. Brown's class is English."
Boy 2: "How can you forget that?"
Boy: "Because I have fun in this class. And English normally isn't fun."
=) That made me happy to hear.
They had some fun, creative myths that they wrote. Maybe soon I'll type one in here so you can read a tad of their creativity.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
small changes
So, we made a few small changes in the house a few days ago. We took down our Christmas tree and Jeff, randomly, decided we needed to change things up. He spontaneously gets in moods where he wants to move things around. It's his way of coping with our house. I really like our house, but he is ready for when we can move. I understand. There are some definite downsides to our place. Luckily, moving things around appeases him =) Plus, he normally has good ideas.
This time around, we moved our small bookcase to the corner window area. We used to have a randomly too-big end table that didn't quite fit in that space. I really think it looks great over there - and since we didn't use the end table, it was the perfect change.
This bookcase used to be beside our entertainment area. The issue now was that the wall (where this piece went) suddenly looked quite empty and bland.
Jeff stood, staring at the space for a few minutes before I asked what on earth he was thinking. He turned around and had the brilliant idea of moving a certain piece of furniture into that space.....
I'm quite proud. The hubs did good.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Creative?
For quite awhile now, Jeff has wanted surround sound. The only problem with getting it is... well... the cost. So, I have been quite fortunate that he left the matter alone.
Last night, however, he mentioned it again. But - it was only a casual sentence. I didn't think much of it because I was sleepy and headed to bed. I woke up a wee bit later to a crash in the living room and, after awhile, called him to the room to see what he was doing. He started talking about his stereo speakers and connecting them to the TV and that we were going to have a lot better sound soon (though not from behind us - but definitely a lot better). This morning, I woke up and walked into the living room to see what he was talking about.
See our new addition? He managed to get those little weird wires and twisted them and connected them into our TV somehow. I'm pretty darn impressed. I don't think he realizes that he just completed an electronic DIY project =) And now I don't have to worry about surround sound for quite awhile. I've tested it out and am very impressed! I don't get how it is connected to the TV/remote volume (and I won't ask). But I'm amazed.
Pretty nifty if I do say so myself.
Last night, however, he mentioned it again. But - it was only a casual sentence. I didn't think much of it because I was sleepy and headed to bed. I woke up a wee bit later to a crash in the living room and, after awhile, called him to the room to see what he was doing. He started talking about his stereo speakers and connecting them to the TV and that we were going to have a lot better sound soon (though not from behind us - but definitely a lot better). This morning, I woke up and walked into the living room to see what he was talking about.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Oh Joyous Christmas Party
My newspaper students had a Christmas party the last week of school. They brought tons of good food and we had a great time. They are awesome students and are so much fun to be around.
Now... I was faced with an interesting dilemma leading up to the party. What on earth should we do? I wasn't sure what a bunch of high school kids would want to do at an after-school party.
Challenge accepted.
When they walked in the door, I attached a nice paper to their backs with a Christmas movie on it. A fun way to do the 20 question game, right? Ask questions and guess what movie you are. Yep. I thought it was brilliant. They even went one at a time and stood at the front of my room and asked all of us questions. What wasn't fun about this? The sad reality that most of my students hadn't seen many of the movies.... Christmas Vacation had only been seen by one student. I had a handful that had never seen It's a Wonderful Life.
They walked out with a list and the assignment to view them over Christmas break.
The next thing I made them do was so much fun. For me. I had them draw out of a hat. Each student drew one of the 12 days of Christmas. Why, you ask? Because I wanted to watch them perform the song. Yep, you read that right. They performed the song for me. =)
I have to admit... I was pretty surprised they went along with it.
Oh the joys of teaching.
Now... I was faced with an interesting dilemma leading up to the party. What on earth should we do? I wasn't sure what a bunch of high school kids would want to do at an after-school party.
Challenge accepted.
When they walked in the door, I attached a nice paper to their backs with a Christmas movie on it. A fun way to do the 20 question game, right? Ask questions and guess what movie you are. Yep. I thought it was brilliant. They even went one at a time and stood at the front of my room and asked all of us questions. What wasn't fun about this? The sad reality that most of my students hadn't seen many of the movies.... Christmas Vacation had only been seen by one student. I had a handful that had never seen It's a Wonderful Life.
They walked out with a list and the assignment to view them over Christmas break.
The next thing I made them do was so much fun. For me. I had them draw out of a hat. Each student drew one of the 12 days of Christmas. Why, you ask? Because I wanted to watch them perform the song. Yep, you read that right. They performed the song for me. =)
I have to admit... I was pretty surprised they went along with it.
Oh the joys of teaching.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
On "those" days
As you guys know, I teach high school kids. While the paperwork and "non teaching" stuff may not be much fun, I truly enjoy the kids. I have the "funny guys," the ditzes, the smart kids, the kids that think they're smart, the high energy kids, the witty and dry humored kids... the list goes on.
Now, sometimes, my kids drive me insane. The complaining about being expected to do work, the confusion about why their terrible paper received a D.....
Since I have the pleasure of being with them on the good and bad days, I admit that I have to find ways to make those less-than-grand days enjoyable. This is one of the great joys of teaching. Let me share a few of these moments with you:
1. My 9th grade students were assigned the task of writing a thesis listing 3 reasons why my class is their favorite. I may have made every student read theirs out loud, instead of the customary 5 students.
2. My Debate kids kept asking for extra credit, which I rarely assign. The assignment I decided to give them? Write a 2 paragraph response, using at least 5 logical fallacies, stating why you should receive extra credit. Prove to me that you deserve it and have earned it. If you haven't earned it, explain to me why I should give it to you anyway.
3. I let my Debate students argue out a certain issue: Green Lantern vs. Superman - who would win? (they actually had some excellent arguments. I thought the answer was obvious.... but they surprised me)
4. I may have also let them debate: whether or not "time" exists, which make better pets - cats or dogs, jurassic park (a.k.a genetic engineering)
5. I have had a "Creepy Fiction" day where students had to bring in weird and creepy stories to read. They also had to bring in goodies that matched their stories. Yes.. it may have taken place on Halloween.
Now, this doesn't cover all random and fun conversations that we have. For instance: why snakes are evil, the fact that Mrs. Brown is 28, furbys, gremlins, Brian Regan, etc.
Now, don't start wondering if I teach or not. I teach them each and every day. I have never assigned a worksheet, I do not show movies, and I almost never sit down. We are going from the minute they walk in the door. But... when you don't get breaks to sit down or show movies on those days you just need a break - you have to do something extra to help out. These are my "something extras." The little things that make me smile and bring me joy on those days where I need a small break.
If arguing Green Lantern vs. Superman can be a tool I can use that allows them to (unknowingly) practice constructing arguments and justifying statements - awesome.
Being an interesting teacher is fun. I enjoy teaching and enjoy having fun with my students. And, no... being interesting or using these "other" methods for teaching certain skills does not make me an easy teacher. I hate the misconception that fun teachers are easy.
A quote from a student of mine:
"Mrs. Brown... I really enjoy your class a lot. I learn in here. But, it's really depressing when I feel that way and then check my grade and see that I have a D."
Now, sometimes, my kids drive me insane. The complaining about being expected to do work, the confusion about why their terrible paper received a D.....
Since I have the pleasure of being with them on the good and bad days, I admit that I have to find ways to make those less-than-grand days enjoyable. This is one of the great joys of teaching. Let me share a few of these moments with you:
1. My 9th grade students were assigned the task of writing a thesis listing 3 reasons why my class is their favorite. I may have made every student read theirs out loud, instead of the customary 5 students.
2. My Debate kids kept asking for extra credit, which I rarely assign. The assignment I decided to give them? Write a 2 paragraph response, using at least 5 logical fallacies, stating why you should receive extra credit. Prove to me that you deserve it and have earned it. If you haven't earned it, explain to me why I should give it to you anyway.
3. I let my Debate students argue out a certain issue: Green Lantern vs. Superman - who would win? (they actually had some excellent arguments. I thought the answer was obvious.... but they surprised me)
4. I may have also let them debate: whether or not "time" exists, which make better pets - cats or dogs, jurassic park (a.k.a genetic engineering)
5. I have had a "Creepy Fiction" day where students had to bring in weird and creepy stories to read. They also had to bring in goodies that matched their stories. Yes.. it may have taken place on Halloween.
Now, this doesn't cover all random and fun conversations that we have. For instance: why snakes are evil, the fact that Mrs. Brown is 28, furbys, gremlins, Brian Regan, etc.
Now, don't start wondering if I teach or not. I teach them each and every day. I have never assigned a worksheet, I do not show movies, and I almost never sit down. We are going from the minute they walk in the door. But... when you don't get breaks to sit down or show movies on those days you just need a break - you have to do something extra to help out. These are my "something extras." The little things that make me smile and bring me joy on those days where I need a small break.
If arguing Green Lantern vs. Superman can be a tool I can use that allows them to (unknowingly) practice constructing arguments and justifying statements - awesome.
Being an interesting teacher is fun. I enjoy teaching and enjoy having fun with my students. And, no... being interesting or using these "other" methods for teaching certain skills does not make me an easy teacher. I hate the misconception that fun teachers are easy.
A quote from a student of mine:
"Mrs. Brown... I really enjoy your class a lot. I learn in here. But, it's really depressing when I feel that way and then check my grade and see that I have a D."
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Tis the Season!
That's right. The weekend after Thanksgiving and I am prepped and ready with a Christmas post. That and, if I wait until school starts back, this post probably won't happen.
We got our Christmas things out of the attic yesterday and I got to work while Jeff installed our Black Friday Printer (50% off, heck yes).
I learned a few things while decorating this year:
1. Lock up the cat BEFORE opening the box with all of the tinsel-strand-hangy-stuff. There's no going back when that box is open.
2. Even if you are standing on a chair at the kitchen table and are holding the tinsel stuff 5 or so feet above the ground while decorating, the cat will still attack in what I believe was a rocket-kamikaze-launch.
3. If, by # 2, you still haven't locked up the cat.... you deserve to be stalked by her when you walk across the room with more tinsel stuff. If she crouches and hunts you like a lion and then leaps at your hands - you deserve it. And I did.
4. No matter what I do, it will never look as good as my mom's decorating. I can try, try, try... but it isn't happening. The cool, swoopy, doorway decor and everything else will just not cut it. But after a ton of trying to rearrange and make it work - you'll learn to be content with "not quite mom's, but I'm tired and this'll do."
So - in celebration of the Christmas spirit - here is our most-decorated-living-room. Perhaps we'll tackle the outside today. Or the tree. Who knows.
Also, excuse the huge mess. We're not done yet.
Simple - but why not? Plus, I don't know what I was thinking when I bought all that tinsel stuff. I have TONS and not enough places to put it!
Yep - those are stars on our key holder. Just wanted to make sure you noticed them. Some more tinsely stuff on the bookshelf...
Festivity. Red and Silver on the TV - with a nice little tree. Hey, that rhymed.
My cute little snowy village. Complete with candy shop, a church, a fire station, and more.
Some silver tinsel and a pretty bowl of blue ornaments to complete the look!
Yep. A closeup. Why not?
I like to think of it as our cute ceramic couple dancing amongst silver and gold snow. Awww....
Yes, a minor detail. But - again - we have too much stuff!
I would like to point your attention to the red ornaments hanging from the candle votive thingy. Creative, aren't I? =)
My favorite thing is always the fire place. Perhaps because it has the stockings...? Not sure. I just love it.
This is our first year using those stocking hangers. We got them in the "after CMAS" sales last year. Mostly since Jeff almost had a mini heart attack when he saw my hammer two nails into the recently sanded/painted fireplace. Whoops.
Hooray!
Of course, the necessary manger scene. Front and center on the fireplace. I love this manger seen. You can't see it - but each figurine has beautifully ornate handwriting on them and each one has a name of God. It's gorgeous. (Wonderful Counselor, Lord of Lords, etc.)
And, last but not least, my doorway attempt. It just looks measly to me - but oh well. I added some red ornaments and stars to try to fancy it up and it'll just have to do.
Can't wait to get the tree up!
We got our Christmas things out of the attic yesterday and I got to work while Jeff installed our Black Friday Printer (50% off, heck yes).
I learned a few things while decorating this year:
1. Lock up the cat BEFORE opening the box with all of the tinsel-strand-hangy-stuff. There's no going back when that box is open.
2. Even if you are standing on a chair at the kitchen table and are holding the tinsel stuff 5 or so feet above the ground while decorating, the cat will still attack in what I believe was a rocket-kamikaze-launch.
3. If, by # 2, you still haven't locked up the cat.... you deserve to be stalked by her when you walk across the room with more tinsel stuff. If she crouches and hunts you like a lion and then leaps at your hands - you deserve it. And I did.
4. No matter what I do, it will never look as good as my mom's decorating. I can try, try, try... but it isn't happening. The cool, swoopy, doorway decor and everything else will just not cut it. But after a ton of trying to rearrange and make it work - you'll learn to be content with "not quite mom's, but I'm tired and this'll do."
So - in celebration of the Christmas spirit - here is our most-decorated-living-room. Perhaps we'll tackle the outside today. Or the tree. Who knows.
Also, excuse the huge mess. We're not done yet.
Some silver tinsel and a pretty bowl of blue ornaments to complete the look!
Can't wait to get the tree up!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
2 things awaited...
First of all, I would like to announce that:
We won the Homecoming Float Competition!!!
We won the Homecoming Float Competition!!!
It still hasn't been announced at the school, which is a bummer. One of my newspaper kids is also on SGA (who headed up the Homecoming shenanigans) and she quietly let us know during our last meeting that we had won but they weren't announcing it yet. I'm guessing they still don't want certain people to know..... and apparently we get prizes... or an award. Can't remember what she called it. All I know is that while my students voted for random giftcard rewards, I requested a giant trophy for my room. Even though the students pointed out the fact that they can't use a trophy, I held my ground. So, fingers crossed people! I want a trophy in my room!
Second order of business. Yes. I am revealing photos of our fabulous new TV console. Took long enough, right? The bookshelves still aren't arranged properly. But, if I waited for that to be done, who knows when you'd see pictures!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Photo Arrival
I have finally managed to get a hold of some pictures from the Homecoming parade and float. Now... there isn't a DIRECT shot of the float. But bear with me people. Bear with me.
Here is a shot of two of my Newspaper kids. Can you see/notice Jack Sparrow in the background? :)
Here is a shot of the side... our newspaper is called "The Prowler," which was painted and attached to the side. You can see our netting and barely glimpse the waves painted on the side of the float.
You can't fully see the boat - but you can kinda see parts of it. We painted some totally "rad" (yea... I said it) waves on the side. There are nets hanging off of it... and - well, yea. That's us. All pirated out.
Here is a decent shot. You can see the lower sales. If you look at the top of the sale on the left - you can "kinda" see the bird that is attached to it. You can also see the ropes coming from the sales. Also - there's a snazzy lantern hanging off the edge if you look behind my blue-bandana'd pirate. I mainly think the coloring in this shot and my "Jack" are pretty awesome.
And.. of course...me standing dead center in the boat, sword drawn, ready for any rascally scoundrels trying to mutiny me ship!
The cannons that spewed smoke when we put in the dry ice :) Soooo cool.
This isn't a great shot. We had just put the sails up and still had to fix the taller sale (it scrunched over on the left). So... this was changed a lot, but it gives you an idea.
Of course... how could I start off with anything other than an epic shot from a sword fight? Exactly. I can't. So - be amazed.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Random Inspiration
Jeff and I were incredibly productive this past Sunday. I mean... we rarely do anything on Sundays and we really did get some random and fun projects done. (Yes, I am choosing not to address my long absence.... you'll live)
Jeff has recently decided he hates our living room. I think he is just bored with it - but it seems to be coming up quite frequently. This past Friday night, he decided at 11pm that we should completely redesign and rearrange our living room. Yes, you read that right. 11pm. After some maneuvering and a lot of deep cleaning (ew - the things behind our couches...) we realized that we simply can't rearrange our living room. Nope. It is shaped in just such a way that we are stuck with our current setup. I can't say I'm disappointed. I really like how it is. But, this did not make Jeff happy. Not at all.
Jeff started talking about how much he hates our bookshelves and how ugly and cheap they are. I had to agree. They do look cheap. But, hey, they cost $15 a a garage sale. They have served their purpose well. Jeff also decided that we need a new TV stand. I definitely agree with this. What we currently have is one heck of an ugly piece of poop. It looks like it belongs in a college guy's room. Not classy at all. Plus, it leaves all chords exposed and visible - which doesn't help our living room look nice.
So, why am I telling you this? Well, on Sunday (after our failed room redo attempt) we decided to look at furniture stores for TV stands. We decided it would be a good anniversary gift to ourselves. Not to mention it keeps us from having to come up with good ideas for each other. Double score.
We found the TV stand we want. Good, right? But - this doesn't solve our ugly bookshelf dilemma. Well - this is where you should prepare to be impressed. We were walking around Lowes and were inspired. We walked through an isle that had shelf liner that was adhesive. The voice in the back of my mind told me to stop. I remember seeing something in a past DIY blog about lining shelves. Or was it drawers? Either way, an idea had formed. We picked our favorite liner and made a purchase. Then, to make sure there were not nicer liners elsewhere, we went to Home Depot and Walmart to compare. Not bad, eh? We were a few hours into our Sunday trip and accomplishing more as time passed.
We went home to make sure our adhesive matched and would look good. We were satisfied and pretty excited. Then, Jeff decided we needed to put new backing on our shelves. May as well redo them, right? The backs had some weird 'trifold' effect that looks crappy and was not sturdy. Jeff decided that if we bought some new.... some kind of board (he told me, I forgot what it's called) that we could remove and trash the old back and have a sturdier AND prettier set of shelves. Why not?! New shelves to match our new TV stand? And only for a total of $25? (cost of adhesive and new backing)
How does it look you might ask? Well... I can ALREADY show you. Yep. Not only did we shop a lot and accomplish all of this planning on Sunday, but we came home and FINISHED the project on Sunday evening. The best time I've ever had for a DIY project. Come up with an idea and have it done that night? Yes please.
Ready for some photos?!
First, a bookcase as it was. See how bent and weird the back is? It is completely wobbly and is uglier in person.
Here is the back of that backing. Jeff removed it. It was all taped up to help it stay together. Not tacky at all...
Here is the shelf with the backing removed. It looks a lot better. I actually thought about leaving it this way until I saw how unsteady and wobbly it was.
Here is Jeff measuring our new backing. Solid, sturdy, and not trifold. A definite win.
Here is a picture of the material that will become the backing on our shelves. We have a piece of wallart behind our couch that has green and leaves in it. Also, the mirror above our fireplace has a leaf pattern similar to this, so it was different but still fit in with our decor.
Here is the backing once we added the adhesive liner. It definitely took awhile. You have to cut the liner to fit and then slowly roll it on and smooth out all bubbles/wrinkles. Jeff came up with a great method involving a large level that he used to smooth things down.
Here is our first completed bookcase! A complete difference from the shelf you can see behind it in the background, yes?
A closer image so you can see what it looks like up close.
One more image to see the "effect" of our liner. We were both incredibly happy with how it came out!
And here is an "in the process" photo. I am completely changing up how those shelves are arranged - so this isn't at ALL the final product. I just wanted you to see both shelves. And that is our hideous TV stand. I'll post when our new stand comes in (should be this week!) and I've rearranged our shelves. It'll be the pre-final reveal since we've moved a few other things around. The "final" final reveal may be a ways off when we find the ottoman we want to replace our coffee table.
For a preview of our TV stand.....
The bottom one. This is a picture of the one in the store, which is banged up and not the best. It's also a bad picture - but I only had the one to show, so it'll do.
Can't wait to show you the stand and shelves in a few days!
Jeff has recently decided he hates our living room. I think he is just bored with it - but it seems to be coming up quite frequently. This past Friday night, he decided at 11pm that we should completely redesign and rearrange our living room. Yes, you read that right. 11pm. After some maneuvering and a lot of deep cleaning (ew - the things behind our couches...) we realized that we simply can't rearrange our living room. Nope. It is shaped in just such a way that we are stuck with our current setup. I can't say I'm disappointed. I really like how it is. But, this did not make Jeff happy. Not at all.
Jeff started talking about how much he hates our bookshelves and how ugly and cheap they are. I had to agree. They do look cheap. But, hey, they cost $15 a a garage sale. They have served their purpose well. Jeff also decided that we need a new TV stand. I definitely agree with this. What we currently have is one heck of an ugly piece of poop. It looks like it belongs in a college guy's room. Not classy at all. Plus, it leaves all chords exposed and visible - which doesn't help our living room look nice.
So, why am I telling you this? Well, on Sunday (after our failed room redo attempt) we decided to look at furniture stores for TV stands. We decided it would be a good anniversary gift to ourselves. Not to mention it keeps us from having to come up with good ideas for each other. Double score.
We found the TV stand we want. Good, right? But - this doesn't solve our ugly bookshelf dilemma. Well - this is where you should prepare to be impressed. We were walking around Lowes and were inspired. We walked through an isle that had shelf liner that was adhesive. The voice in the back of my mind told me to stop. I remember seeing something in a past DIY blog about lining shelves. Or was it drawers? Either way, an idea had formed. We picked our favorite liner and made a purchase. Then, to make sure there were not nicer liners elsewhere, we went to Home Depot and Walmart to compare. Not bad, eh? We were a few hours into our Sunday trip and accomplishing more as time passed.
We went home to make sure our adhesive matched and would look good. We were satisfied and pretty excited. Then, Jeff decided we needed to put new backing on our shelves. May as well redo them, right? The backs had some weird 'trifold' effect that looks crappy and was not sturdy. Jeff decided that if we bought some new.... some kind of board (he told me, I forgot what it's called) that we could remove and trash the old back and have a sturdier AND prettier set of shelves. Why not?! New shelves to match our new TV stand? And only for a total of $25? (cost of adhesive and new backing)
How does it look you might ask? Well... I can ALREADY show you. Yep. Not only did we shop a lot and accomplish all of this planning on Sunday, but we came home and FINISHED the project on Sunday evening. The best time I've ever had for a DIY project. Come up with an idea and have it done that night? Yes please.
Ready for some photos?!
For a preview of our TV stand.....
Can't wait to show you the stand and shelves in a few days!
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