The year starts in September, not January

Happy new year to all students and teachers.  It is such a wonderful feeling to be completely caught up at school, isn't it? No late assignments, no term papers looming; just clean agendas, new pens and pencils, clean lockers, and a chance do one's best.
Oh wait, that is only the scenario if you are a student.  If you are a teacher - it is a new start, but 1) the SMART board wasn't installed until AFTER the first day of class, 2) the last bulletin board still isn't mounted, 3) the courses you are teaching change at the last minute, and 4) your desk is buried under piles of paperwork.
I love teaching, I relish the energy of a new school year,I was eager for Tuesday morning, and I tell myself every year that I will work harder over the summer so I am completely ready when school starts.
I just fool myself that way.
I'll get ready next week.
Life is good!

Yearbook dedication

I love my job, I enjoy my coworkers, I love my students.
I work hard - and some weeks, some months, even some years are harder than others.  This was a hard year - not so much because of what or who I teach, but because my personal life fell apart.

This last week the yearbook staff presented a creative book to the students and staff - and presented me with yellow roses along with a very thoughtful dedication.

It's true that appreciation makes a job easier.

Thanks Kevin, Jennifer, Olivia, Paisley, Taylor, Nicole and Sarah! (A HUGE thank you to their adviser, Mc)

Life is good!

Rosario Beach

Show one friend a little cniderian, and soon you have the whole class looking.  Our Rosario trip was a great success again this year.

Mama G's take on Mother's Day

Every day for the past 26 years I have been delighted to celebrate Mother's Day as a mom.  Twenty seven years ago I wondered if I would ever be a mom, and prayed that I would never have children if I couldn't parent well. I can look back now and say that, in spite of plenty of mistakes, I have indeed been a good mom.

I rejoice as I watch my children, my nieces and nephews, my students, grow (Remember guys when you were so proud that you were taller than me?  Look at you now!). I remember my delight as you learned to walk, run, talk, sing, and negotiate.
 
 I've cried when they faced disappointments, I've worked to help them learn, and I've rejoiced as they graduated.  I've seen some become adults, make commitments, and learn to live their dreams. I am so proud of all of them.  I am so pleased that I get to spend my days helping teenagers grow up.  I can't imagine a more rewarding job. I'm delighted that I get to know my children as adults, as friends.

I will spend this Mother's day weekend knowing that I am most richly blessed.
I love you.

Life is good! God is great! (and yes, people are crazy!)

My students make me smile

One of my students made this journal entry after we made bread in foods class. He made my day.We made this recipe (not exactly as he gave it, but close), at the beginning of the term.  Grades are due this week, and this post reminds me of the little joys of teaching.

The French Bread

the recipes are:
2 and 3 quarters cup of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of active dry yeast
3 quarters of teaspoon salt
1 cup of warm water
Cornmeal
1 Tablespoon milk

What I liked about the French bread:

There are some things I do like about the French bread, how it tastes, how much time it took to make, how we start and learn how to make the bread as we move along, and how everybody had a happy face after we all made the French bread.

The French bread tastes like bread that just came out of the oven, along with different tastes like garlic, and some of the cornmeal that we used. In others words the bread tasted good.

The bread didn't take to long to make and to bake the bread. It would be in the oven for at least 20 minutes, and we had to take it out of course and we had to wait for 5 minutes for it to cool down.

It was quite easy to learn how to make and bake the French bread. I took the recipe paper how to make the French bread, and I would hold on to it in my backpack, and any time soon I would leave it at home, and I would make it with my family.

Every body had a happy face after they tasted it and how much we like the taste of it.

Service Week

This week I have been taking the grade 11 and 12 students who are not on the Philippines mission trip around the city to work on projects to benefit the community.  We helped with a Spring break activity morning at Shannon Lake park; raked leaves, picked rocks, and cleaned up garbage at Mission Creek Park; baked cakes for the Kelowna Gospel Mission; made cookies, sorted clothes, served clients, hauled garbage, and moved furniture for ADRA; made granola for the school family; and tomorrow we will cap off our week by working with the preschool class to make banana bread, read stories (and be read to!), and clean up the playground. 
I am tired, but life is very good!

National Science Teachers Meetings

These few days in San Francisco have been wonderful.  I wandered through the Exhibit Hall in short blocks of time to keep from being overwhelmed. I attended several really thought-provoking sessions, again limiting myself to 4 a day to keep my brain from overloading.  I had several very entertaining conversations with colleagues, and went for many solitary walks.  The balance was just about perfect. 
I also managed to be lost most of each day whether I was inside or outside.  I hate that feeling, but I think I might be in for a future with much more of this.  I've agreed to set up a facebook group for the Adventist Science Educators Association - so I was lost until Shannon steered my in the right direction.  I'm not purchasing advertising, so the page may be lost in cyberspace. I want to revise my Biology 11 and 12 courses to reflect better teaching practices, so I will be finding my way through the forest of good intentions to a "place just right".  I need to revamp the chemistry course also - I spend too much time on review and not enough on the new material - so that is more time which I will spend finding my way.  I will revise Math 10 and completely redo Math 11for this next school year. 
I sure am getting a lot of practice in finding my way out of trouble for a woman who doesn't like being lost!