My Favorite Pastime

I am not a huge sports fan. Some might even call me a FRINGE FAN! BUt I like Softball. I LOVE softball when I get watch my niece's play. Tonight I had the best time watching my oldest two niece's compete against each other. Tiffany plays for Live Oak. Kati plays for Denham Springs. I was playing with my camera, and I happened to catch this image. I think it is my new favorite picture. It's not perfect. BUT it's of two of my favorite people, doing the thing that makes them happy. AND It's not often I get a picture of my two girls together.

You Are Sneakers

You are creative, funky, and forward thinking. You are cool, but you are still approachable. You are stylish and edgy, but you aren't a slave to fashion. You tend to put your own spin on trends. You tend to have a fast paced, busy lifestyle. Not a lot of people can keep up with you! You should live: Near nature You should work: In a job that keeps you on the go

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

Where does the time go?

I KNOW it was just yesterday that I came home from the hospital with my little baby boy. IT was NOT six years ago. NO NO NO!!! It's not possible. I am not ready for him to be six!!!!

BUT he is. Six... TODAY!!!! My little Valentine's Baby... in now my Valentine's Boy!!!...

Six years old.. Six years to love him, Six years to watch him grow... Six years of new accomplishments.... yet there are times that I look at him and wonder "Who is this child? WHere did he come from? WHere is my baby?"

I just peeked in on him sleeping. He looks so BIG in his bed. No baby blankets, no bottles, no pacifers. No diapers.. (wait that's a good thing).

He's becoming so independent. I am not ready for him to grow up.

Some please tell him to stop. I think he is doing it to spite me. I tell him but he doesn't listen. Maybe he will listen to you.

Who Knows ME Best?

When asked this question, I immediately thought of Steve. My husband. He knows me very well. He doesn't always "understand me" or "get me" but he knows me! He knows what I like to eat from most of the restuarants we go to. He knows my favorite things to drink. He knows what type of books I like to read. If you asked him my favorite type of music, or tv show, he could answer those questions easy. He knows the day to day stuff. But even more than that, he knows the deeper stuff. He knows when I have had a bad day at work, not by the expression on my face, but by what station the radio is on when he gets in the car. But even more important than the STUFF that he knows, is how he shows that he knows. It's the little things. Like buying me a cell phone cover on a business trip. He knew I had looked for one, couldn't find one here, and saw it on his trip and bought it for me. Or, buying my favorite snack at the grocery store.. or a book by one of my favorite authors... or a copy of a movie with an actor that he knows I like. He knows how to make me laugh when I am sad. He knows when to leave me alone when I am angry. (Although lately he seems to forget that he knows this.) He knows when to give me hugs and when to just let me cry. He knows my good moods and my bad ones. After dating for 7 years and 13 years of marriage, he should know me best. However, I do like to change my mind about things, if for no other reason than to keep him on his toes.

Step One...

My word for the year is ACCOMPLISH!... I was unhappy with the look of my blog... learning how to change it and make it purty was one of the things I wanted to accomplish this year. Thanks to a friend named Janelle, I was able to do that. HUGS to Janelle. NOw I have a purty girly blog

CRAP!!!

I've been tagged... mumblegrumbleoldladytiggermumblegrumble

Do you know how long my middle name is?????? I don't know that many bloggers!!!
So I'm taking your tag, but using my maiden name. I'm such a rebel.

Here are the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.

2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name).

3. After you are tagged, you need to update your blog with your middle name and your answers.

4. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and that they need to read your blog for details.)


My MIddle Name is ANN!!!!

A.... I love animals! Really I do... despite my past... I do not like to see animals mistreated.
N..... Nice.. I think I am nice, too nice sometimes.. but I try to have something nice to say to people I meet,
N.... Naughty... I can be naughty, but not in a mean way.. I like to tease my friends, tell dirty jokes, and play practical jokes... naughty... yep...that fits me...

Now I have to go see who I am tagging...

new revelation

I hate my job!! Seriously!! And the funny part, it's not the kids!! I love TEACHING them. It's the other BS that I have to put up with. I guess it is a good thing that Wyatt was sick this week and I stayed home because if not I would be facing: 2 observations from the consultant that works for the company that publishes the phonics program we are required to use.... a formal observation by my principal (required twice a year)... and for the next 8 weeks, we have some person from the state department of education popping in and out of our school to "monitor" and "observe" what we are teaching. She emailed a list of things she would be looking for... umm.. a 6 page list... most I do..but some are just ridiculous adn I refuse to do... my response is FIRE ME! (seriously told my principal that last week)...
1. I refuse to write the "benchmarks" on the board for every lesson I teach... I write an agenda on the board, I write the objectives on the board.. I am not writing the benchmarks on the board too.. I use them to write my objectives, just restate them... no reason to write them on the board... it would take up too much of my time.
2. I refuse to walk around the room with a copy of my lesson plans in my hand. I have them in a binder on my desk (where they are required to be), I have the agenda on the board (which is a brief daily version of my lesson plans).. no need for me to walk around with them in my hand... as it is, I am "required" to walk around with the textbook in my hand... even if we are not using it that day... and a clipboard for "informal observation notes" as I walk around the room.. I have two hands...I can only hold so much stuff.
3. I refuse to "teach the test". Now we are being required to start and end each lesson with a "released test item" from the state test. First, there are not that many test items for my grade level, as we have only been giving the test for 3 years. I have used them when appropriate, but I am not giving a problem that doesn't relate to what I am teaching on that day..
4. I will not attach all hand outs that I give to the students to my lesson plans. There is no need for that. They have workbooks, I am not going to copy pages frm thier workbooks just to appease this one person.

Now while this may seem petty on my part, I would have no problem doing this if they had come to us in AUGUST and said "do these things". Okay... but don't come in January and say "DO it this way or else"!!! I don't care if they are going to make a "report" for the state department of education.

and Don't just pop into my classroom whenever you feel like it, start asking my students questions about what I am teaching, WHILE they should be listening to me!!

THis is not just at my school, it's across the district. They want to see "Why test scores are dropping" and "why teachers aren't teaching".. .but they don't want t ask us. Let's ask the kids, because they know "oh so much" .

I am venting. I know. But I am stressed beyond belief at this point. There are days when I feel that just need a new job. Totally out of the scope of education. Mcdonald's is even sounding good right about now.