channeling my blogging energy...

...here.

it's been fun, personal blog. no regrets.

follow me on facebook, if you aren't already. and i know who you are.

toodles!

join me in retelling a journey.

evidently i can post from google docs to blogger. so the two of you who may still come here will get to read what i'm writing for my master's degree. how cool is that. oooooooh...i need to keep a reflective journal for my research class. how easy to do that in google docs then publish as i see fit.

you, me, we

you, me: we belong
this, our space, time, future dreams-
creating as one

    
   Creating might be the perfect verb to use when thinking about early childhood environments.  The word implies a certain amount of forethought and deliberate action, but also a bit of laisez-faire, hope, and sometimes just plain luck.  The educator then takes those elements, spins in hard work, a few sleepless nights and some minor artistic angst;  perhaps she even closes her eyes and waits for the dust to settle, then breathes in the created environment, one that celebrates each child by saying, "This is YOUR place in the world."
    After a decade in the field, I can reflect on specific ways I work to make sure young children knew they were in the right space, with decisions made based on the developmental needs of the children.  I spent a weekend creating collages from family pictures that two-year-olds brought in to the early learning center which housed my first classroom, then hung them at child eye-level, where they became smudged from happy fingerprints.  Two-year-olds need to learn that they are separate entities from their families while at the same time understand that their families love them.
    Five-year-olds need a place to practice theories about the world, and to record their findings in a way that makes sense to them.  I unapologetically told colleagues that everyone's favorite rolling chalk board  was no longer available as it was to define a corner of the library where I taught three Kindergarten students one year;  it became a center of patterns, graphing, and other math learning experiences in that make-shift classroom. 
    All children need comfort, warmth, a place to rest and a satisfied stomach;  if a child's basic physical needs are not met, they are less able to engage in learning about more than, how do I get something to eat?  I shipped yards and yards of bright material to the frigid north so that children would come into the classroom and find colorful, comfortable places to cozy into during the long night of winter, and have provided  variety of snacks that respect the local customs so that children can be ready for higher level learning.
    Creating a learning environment is about more than just the space, though.  The culture of the classroom is perhaps a more important element because space will come and go, but a classroom community can be carried to any location.  The community of the classroom includes the expectations that individuals have for each other, the acceptance of those who are different, and the relationships that are built or challenged every day through interactions with each other.  The culture of classroom is the attitude of the group, and in my classroom, it is a sense that people matter and ideas are valued.
    I know I have large role in creating the classroom culture;  I also know that I am but one individual in the group and so the classroom culture is not limited to what works for me:  it must be what works for us.  To those ends, I have colorful, student-created "Codes of Cooperation" on each team table in my Elementary reading classroom, group-specific agreements put together so that we can work toward our Shared Vision for why we learn to read. 
    The children know that ideas will be heard in the classroom, by myself and by peers, and that those ideas may take on a new life once others collaborate with them.  My students also know that they are as responsible for their learning as I am for creating an environment where they can learn through interaction with each other, with ideas, with materials and with themselves.  We may appear to have different roles, I as "teacher" and they as "learner" but in my classroom, we are all learners, as indeed, we are in the learning process together.

4/81...My Redhead

4/81...My Redhead
Originally uploaded by nenana.

good news, bad news

so you can tell when i'm working by the activity of this blog. went back to work, quit blogging. good news: 3 weeks left of school. bad news: i spend my time a facebook, not here. though i don't post a lot of notes over there because i don't want my mom to read them or whatever. lol

i do need to see if my kindle will let me post to blogger, that would help out. oh right, you don't know that i have a kindle. or that it finally came.



anyhow, must depart with some lolcatz.



be good. see you in a few weeks.

nice

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never
noticed this....

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over
the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes.

The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly
folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the
tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus
loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I
don't know where they have put him!'

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple
outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen
cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen
wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was
folded up and lying to the side.

Is that important? Absolutely!

Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to
understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded
napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this
tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it
was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out
of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not
dare touch that table, until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his
fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and
toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the
wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'.

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it
beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table,
because..........

The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'

He is Coming Back!

love this vamp

q & a

PREGNANCY Q & A

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q : I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q : What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q : My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure.
Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q : Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word 'alimony' means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q : Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q : Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.

wwspd?

it was warm today, mid 30s. had to get goober out of the house. one problem: squeaker. and i can't find the other half of the baby monitor. so i asked myself, what would sarah palin do? she's an outdoorsy kind of woman with five kids.

i bundled him up and rolled his basinet outside, that is what i did. he napped outside in the mid-30s. didn't seem to be any worse for the wear. and it freed me up to build a snowman with goober...check facebook one of these days for pics.

thankful

i'm thankful for ...
... a big house that i can neglect cleaning in
... money to buy food that i don't want to fix
... my mom as i'm starting to look like her
... disposable income to buy all the clutter a gal could need
... facebook and the internet to procrastinate cleaning and cooking
... a sassy a daughter because she has a mind of her own
... my son's coughing halfway through nursing because he can't keep up

happy thanksgiving! don't eat too much. and come help declutter my house.

another ha!

"the office of the presumptive president elect"

fav song from goober's christmas play

A Strange Way to Save the World

Sure he must have been surprised
At where this road had taken him
'Cause never in a million lives
Would he had dreamed of Bethlehem
And standing at the manger
He saw with his own eyes
The message from the angel come to life
And Joseph said...

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

To think of how it could have been
If Jesus had come as He deserved
There would have been no Bethlehem
No lowly shepherds at His birth
But Joseph knew the reason
Love had to reach so far
And as he held the Savior in his arms
He must have thought...

Why me, I'm just a simple man of trade
Why Him, with all the rulers in the world
Why here inside this stable filled with hay
Why her, she's just an ordinary girl
Now I'm not one to second guess what angels have to say
But this is such a strange way to save the world

why?

why am i playing with my template? i should be snoozing. or at least rereading breaking dawn. squeaker will want to eat sooner than i will want to feed.

ha!

he did get here...

...nov.2 at 6:10 am. he's a sweetheart, we call him squeeker. someday there will be more pics, but for now...

baby boy...sometime...

he'll be here soon...next week or so...just thought i'd post this for the 2 people who still read this, since everyone else knows to check facebook...

baby boy...sometime...

he'll be here soon...next week or so...just thought i'd post this for the 2 people who still read this, since everyone else knows to check facebook...

great country song lyrics...

Come on in boy sit on down
And tell me about yourself
So you like my daughter do you now?
Yeah we think she's something else
She's her daddy's girl
Her momma's world
She deserves respect
That’s what she'll get
Ain’t it son?
Hey y'all run along and have some fun
I'll see you when you get back
Bet I’ll be up all night
Still cleanin' this gun

6 weeks to go!

why oh why...

...am i not asleep? i do have to get up for work in 2 hours. wow, i could be really early, lol.

obligations

The press has an obligation to hammer away at Ms. Palin’s qualifications. If it turns out that she has just had a few bad interviews because she was nervous or whatever, additional scrutiny will serve her well. (ny slimes, google it for specific date)

cool. so where's the obligation to hammer away at mr. obama's qualifications? is it the kool-aid drinking conservative media's job only, or the rest of american media outlets?

alaska's working mom

this is a nice piece. someone spent a lot of time looking for pics.

truths about sarah palin...

stolen from the most manly board in the ethernet, ar15.com

Sarah Palin does not have 5 kids, she actually has 7. Their names are Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, Trig, Chuck Norris, and Jack Bauer.
Sarah Palin became governor because five children left her with too much spare energy.
The Russians sold Alaska to America because Sarah Palin would not submit to autocracy.
Sarah Palin will personally open a homemade can of whoopass on Ahmadinejad, Putin, and Chavez as soon as she's done making mooseburgers for her kids.
The Arctic Circle runs through Alaska so the Sun can have some relief from Sarah Palin's bright glare.
Sarah Palin is allowed first dibs on Alaskan wolfpack kills.
Sarah Palin is so pro-life that she personally hog-tied two reps from Planned Parenthood who came knocking at her door.
It's not raining in DC. Those are God's tears of joy that McCain picked Sarah Palin.
Sarah Palin's hotness is the largest single contributor to melting polar ice caps.
Sarah Palin's presence in the lower 48 means the Arctic ice cap can finally return.
Sarah Palin fired Jack Bauer because he was too soft in dealing with terrorists.
Sarah Palin's pageant career ended early so other women could have a chance.
Sarah Palin's son Track is going to Iraq after the Surge, because a Palin during the Surge would have been unfair.
Sarah Palin actually has Big Foot in her freezer.
Sarah Palin doesn't need a gun to hunt. She has been known to throw a bullet through an adult bull elk.
Sarah Palin once spilled coffee on Joe Biden & one of his $400 ties from Pink.
Sarah Palin keeps her hair in a beehive to hide her ninja weaponry.
A grizzly bear once tried to stare down Sarah Palin. Once.
Sarah Palin will send Joe Biden a pre-debate cheat sheet.
The sheet will have tips on defending against Kung Fu Death Grip.
Three of Sarah Palin's 5 kids came out sideways and she never flinched.
Sarah Palin was the original "Deadliest Catch."
Sarah Palin paid her way through school by hunting for Kodiak Bear pelts with a slingshot.
Alaska is the 49th state solely because they knew even in 1959 that Sarah Palin never finishes last.
Chuck Norris wishes he was Sarah Palin trapped in a man's body.
Sarah Palin once won the Iditarod without any dogs. She simply willed the sled to victory.
Sarah Palin wears half the makeup that John Edwards wears and still looks like twice the woman he does.
Sarah Palin once guided Santa's sleigh through an Alaskan blizzard with the light from her smile.
Sarah Palin fishes salmon by convincing them it's in their interest to jump into the boat.

astounded, but pleased

pins and needles

oooh, tomorrow afternoon will be so cool to see what the republican ticket turns out to be. happy birthday, senator. i hope you give US a good present...