Hi guys!  Hope you've been doing well!  Life has been CRAZY.  The school year is quickly wrapping up (do I seriously only have two weeks left of this year?), and there are lots of reports and things to do, and I'm still working on the master's degree and stuff. 

Lots of changes await for next year at my school.  Our principal is leaving, and we'll have four new teachers (although none at my grade level, which really is too bad). I get to stay in my room (yay!), but an...

It was a very good week.

I had my third and final evaluation of the year and it went very well.  My principal told me that I *WILL* be employed next year (and mid-year next year I'll be at Master's Degree salary...whooeee!), and I'll get to teach second grade again, which I'm very excited about, because I *LOVE* it way more than I thought I would.  I think that our school is going through some very positive changes, and I think next year will be wonderful as well.  It will also...

Today was that last day here at our school for one of my students. 

She's been here since the beginning of the year, and she's a brilliant little girl.  I'm going to miss her.  I hate crying when a student leaves, especially when I know it's coming, because I feel like a big dork.

I know lots of you disagree, but I think that a relationship needs to be established with children before what you say can mean anything to them.  I have kiddos that test my patience on a very...

*Do you ever wish that you had a "snapshot" of the future?  What would you want to see? 

*I had a training for our math series today.  It was ridiculous.  It was the SAME darn thing we did in the fall.  If I'm going to be away from my students for a day (my students do NOT do well with a sub at ALL--plus I miss them), I at least want it to be good.  I can read ALL the manuals myself.  I can!  I kind of got thrown into it this year because my curriculum ...

I haven't written much about school this year, because frankly, I learned my lesson last year.

This year has been a totally different experience.  By this time last year I already knew I was not going to be invited back.  I asked my current principal for a letter of recommendation and she basically told me that I was not allowed to leave.  It's nice to be loved.

Last year I was aching for some learning of my own.  I took a class on Reading Recovery because I was basical...

The past few days have been absolutely GLORIOUS. It's been in the early to mid 30's, with sunny skies and melting snow.

After the past few weeks of snowstorm after snowstorm, interstate closure after insterstate closure, this is AMAZING. I was able to go full-speed on the interstate today (full speed is about 60 for me to save on fuel costs) with no fear of icy patches. They're all gone after the beautiful weekend.

It was just...SO refreshing. The hairy drive every day to work town mak...

So, today, a colleague and I went to the college to sign up for a wellness challenge. It cost $5, and the exercise science students at the college measured flexibility, strength, and body composition. After you did all the assessments, you got to consult with one of the students. I also get free access to the college's weight and cardio facilities for free on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Needless to say, the body composition absolutely sucked. To be expected. I've been on weight-loss s...

Ryan made this absolutely delicious dinner last night, and if you like Mexican with a little kick, you should DEFINITELY try it. It's also made with things that you'll PROBABLY have on hand, so that's nice, too.

Southwest Smothered Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or, you know, however many you need for your family)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/4 cup pickl...

I had my second observation last year. It went swimmingly, although I'm a little concerned that my principal isn't hard enough on me. There is ALWAYS something (and in my case, lots of things), that someone can improve upon, and I know that my lesson was less than perfect. I like suggestions to improve, and I didn't get any. It just worries me that another principal wouldn't have the same opinion about my performance. Thankfully I've got lots of people in and out of my room, and I always go...

Here are some photos from my trip to Minnesota.


Some Rockies from the airplane.


On a wing and a prayer.


I freakin LOVE to fly!


A North Dakota patchwork. I'm assuming that's the Missouri River.


A frosty Minnesota morning.


More frosties.


This is my aunt Kathy and I (she's my godmother, too!).


These are my college friends and I. I had a hankering to go sledding, so my friends indulged me. It was NOT my finest idea. One broken sled and a near-head injury l...

2008. 2007 wasn't SO bad. It was doable. Hopefully 2008 will bring about some interesting things as well.

I've applied for a Fullbright Scholarship. If accepted into the program, I will be going to Japan this summer for three weeks, all-expenses-paid, to study the Japanese education system and schools. Considering I've never been out of the country...well...I think it would be an amazing opportunity to improve my own instruction in my classroom and also help to bring positive change to o...

Just wanted to let you know what was going on in our household.

I'm officially down 11 pounds. Not a WHOLE lot, but enough to feel a difference in the way clothes fit. Most of the weight is coming off the lower part of my body--rear, legs, etc. I'm waiting for my gut to start to shrink. That would be lovely, but I guess I don't have much choice in the matter. My sugars have still been high...too much chocolate availability. If they're still not down by the time I go back next time, she'...

I've always loved the Fargo-Moorhead area. It's beautiful, and even in a larger city (for the upper Midwest, anyway), there is such a sense of community. When someone is in trouble, there is abundant material and financial support. Conjoined twins, naturally-occurring quadruplets? No problem. Cancer diagnosis? Covered.

This article really comes as no surprise because of my experiences there. But it's amazing nonetheless. The following is an article from the Fargo Forum, and you can ac...

It has been brought to my attention by a couple of bloggers lately that I am a very large woman. In fact, that little piece of information has been spouted over and over again by these certain bloggers. I haven't been called fat so many ways since elementary school.

I've always been a big girl. My family never departed from the typical "farm-family" meals. Home-grown meat, potatoes or some sort pasta, and a vegetable and kool-aid or milk. Not exactly condusive to a healthy weight.

As ...

I had my first round of conferences in New Town this week.

They went really well. I had my students lead their conferences this year after finding lots of positive research on them. I had my students write down some things they thought they were doing well in, some things they were having difficulty understanding, and a goal they would like to work towards for the next quarter. I think that during conferences it also helped having the students there to help with problem solving. I have so...