Merry Christmas!! God Bless us everyone!

We bought gifts for 2 kids for Clark's Christmas Kids. Here is a related article.

Could not find a telescope, but we did buy a bike for one boy and a Vtech laptop of educational games for a little girl. I hope they have a Merry Christmas!

Neal's article points out that Clark's Christmas Kids accounts for 1/2 the toys that Georgia's foster kids get for Christmas. If you choose to donate on Clark's website (first link) the money will be sent to the DFACS nearest you. (Whatever you call your Department of Family Services)

I challenge you to think of a child in foster care for this Christmas or Chanukkah (yes, we just missed it) or Kwanzaa.

Six word Saturday

The Yuletide season is upon us!



For more Six Word Saturday participants, click here.

I meet a friend for breakfast, another for lunch and there is a party tonight with old friends! You have to love this time of year.

And we might get snow tomorrow or Monday!!

And only 5 more days before the semester is over!

I do not know what makes me happier.

What extrinsic methods can you use to increase intrinsic motivation?

Wow, doesn't that sound educated?

Finals are next week.

I have kids who are repeating classes.

I have shown them the grades they have and told them how to raise their grade.

I have made them write down what they have to do to raise their grade. Basically, sit down, shut up, do your work and turn it in.

So, today, as I am working through the review (because they will not work it on their own), 6 people out of 25 are listening. Two were legitimately not there. Six others didn't come. Eleven are talking.

One tore up another student's review sheet.

I guess they can repeat it again.

Worst Professional Development - EVER

Let's see, first I was told to go and the only useful information I got was a URL.

She read the powerpoint. When someone asked a question, she would pull up the IMPORTANT SLIDE - the one with the BOLD and HIGHLIGHTED words, point to them, and READ THEM AGAIN.

Wow.

Did I mention that she read the powerpoint?

Teach the ones ya got

A wise teacher (I will call him Side Squared because his name is too close)once told me that we are given, not the ones we want. Unless we are THOSE teachers at Pissed Off's school who dump the ones who don't preform, we deal with the kids we are given until they pass or leave.

I dislike some of mine, but I teach them math and try to also teach them things like pulling up their pants or taking their hats off (or listening instead of talking).

I heard a teacher say today that a student was an idiot and couldn't even solve an equation. This after the kid's mom had been complaining to me that the same teacher wouldn't talk to the mom or answer questions.

I didn't put myself in the middle but found myself there.

Well, it inspired me to teach harder and do more.....

Monday Meme

I have never done a meme before but stole this one from Mrs. Chili because of the fruitcake question. She got it from Kwizgiver.


1. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial(the family has allergies to the real thing)

2. Do you like decorating the tree? Absolutely!! (I love the stories with each ornament)

3. When do you put up the tree? Thanksgiving weekend.

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's day with the football games.

5. Do you like eggnog? Not really. But I have some every year. Mr. Ricochet loves it - and peppermint ice cream. (not together)

6. Ever broken a present right after opening it? No.

7 . Hardest person to buy for? Mr. Ricochet. And my mother.

8. Easiest person to buy for? My children. They want it all.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Several. My favorite is German. From my honeymoon.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Late. (We call them Epiphany cards to cover our bases).

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A set of measuring cups from my mother in law the first year I was married. I came to understand later.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Good Life.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When I see the RIGHT thing (so all year)

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Duh.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fruit cake, rum balls, cookies, turkey, pigs in blanket Christmas morning, everything.

16. Have you ever actually eaten fruit cake? We figure there is one every year, circling the globe. When it hits our house, we eat it. Seriously, we all love it. So did our parents. I love that James Beard had one in his cookbook - or the New York Times cookbook does - with my real name, spelled right. And it is delicious also.

17. Favorite Christmas song? All of them.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We stay home for Christmas Day and travel home the next day.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Fido - no.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? An angel I made.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning. When the kids were younger they were allowed to open one after the Christmas Eve service.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The commercials.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? All of them.

24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Looks like Thanksgiving dinner.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? My new computer!!

New Computer

I got a new computer for Christmas (yes, that isn't for 3 weeks, yes I am using it now, yes I will wrap something to put under the tree). And, yes, it is a pain in the butt moving everything, remembering passwords, etc.

Hubby is trolling the old machine to see if I got everything off so I can gift it to someone. It is still good - just too slow and too small and too old. (Except for the small, that describes me as well).

I am finding things still on this machine (like where did they put the delete key).

Fun!!