And Here Comes Summer!

I love the tradition Hershey teachers have on the last day of school. The entire faculty and staff stands out on the sidewalk and waves goodbye as the buses haul the children away. We're a rural school in the middle of nowhere, and it takes eighteen buses to get the kiddos to the far flung reaches of the county. Quite a procession!

After the buses leave the parking lot, it's summer!

Gayle's Family

I checked out my friend Gayle's old blog that she kept during her battle with cancer. To my surprise, her husband had recently posted something. Today is the Wednesday to which he refers.

I had one of those "caterpillars" for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade, and I will have another one in my classroom the next two years. (In fact, she has been visiting me before school recently. I give her a hug and send her on her way.)

Gayle was a dear friend, and I grieve for the family she left behind. But after reading Steve's post, I am heartened, even though the last paragraph brought me to tears.

Here's the post:

On Wednesday, I will have been a widower for 3 months. Sometimes it feels like 3 days and sometimes like 3 years. It is seriously like moving to a new city (not that I would know much about that, but if I did move) in that nothing seems familiar, or rather, that I avoid the familiar and crave a new familiar. The past few weeks all of my children and I have really been a a cocoon. Sheltered, in a state of transformation. We are still in that state, but do you wonder what the caterpillar feels as this dramatic change is taking place? Can you imagine? Surely it has feelings still and can understand that something is different.

This, I believe, is where we are. Snuggled most of the time, protected from the outside and waiting as we change, even though the surroundings stay the same. We are growing and becoming something brand new, and it is exciting and scary.

I wonder if the butterfly ever misses being a caterpillar? Would it ever want its old self back after going through such trauma to become something free and beautiful?

We are starting to understand that God has something special for all of us. We still are hurting as we metamorphasize, but we are growing wings that we will use not only to fly, but to beautify the world around us.

Emily's Endowment

Saturday Craig and I drove six hours through fog (we passed through a new wind farm and never even saw the turbines until we were coming home, the fog was so bad) and met up with Sarah, Cole, and Emily in Nauvoo for Emily's first time through the temple.

What a lovely person she is, both inside and out. She was even more beautiful in the temple. Sr. Ord, who took care of her for the day, told me later that there was no guile in Emily. So true!

Sarah and I were both allowed to be escorts and go into the room where the temple matron welcomes those coming for the first time, explains things, and asks if there are any questions. She served in Russia when her husband was an Area Authority - a nice personal connection for Cole. She also looked at me and said in a puzzled tone, "You look familiar." I wasn't able to answer at that time, but I should look familiar - I've sat in that room with both Jessica and Lisa and listened to Sr. Peterson when they took out their endowments!

The session was peaceful, enlightening, calming, and oh, so much more. Afterward we took some pictures on the steps and then ate dinner at the Nauvoo Inn. Without the fog, we made it home in just five hours (and gawked at those enormous wind turbines right by the side of the road that we never saw!)

A flying trip there and back, but worth the tiredness. Two more weeks and we go back for the wedding!

Reading Buddies!

Jessica Albrecht (left) and me with both our classes on the last Reading Buddy get together of the year. We had Oreos to celebrate the end of the year together, and munched them while we read.

Jessica had been part of the 150 teacher layoff that TSC did, but she just got called back. She's still at Hershey and will be teaching first grade. Even better, we'll still be able to be Reading Buddies again!

Jessica is such a good teacher - Hershey is lucky to get her back!

The Neighborhood Dog - Zeus

Zeus truly is the "neighborhood dog." We are among those who moved into the neighborhood as it first was being built, and, even though the neighborhood has grown tremendously, since Craig walks Zeus every day at least once, just about everyone knows them both.

Zeus has a "fan club" - kids who drop by and knock on the door, asking if they can play with him. Anna is the "president" - she'll even bring him treats or come in and get them out of his jar! Her brother, Ian, and her mom are Zeus-lovers. Her mom once invited Zeus to a BBQ they were having (Craig and I were not included in the invitation! ) I was outside watering flowers and they were celebrating a friend who had been battling cancer. Lisa called across the yards, "Can Zeus come over?" and when I assented, off he rocketed - he knew there was a burger waiting for him!

He's been battling cancer himself, is riddled with lumps, and is nearly crippled by arthritis. Taking walks is too much for him - he makes it clear that he just wants to stay home and off his feet. No longer do he and Craig wander the neighborhood, chatting to the neighbors, being petted (er, Zeus, that is) and catching up on the neighborhood news.

I just got a Facebook message from one of the neighbors who has lived here the longest and knows Zeus well. She said that several of them were down at the lake, sitting in the shelter and enjoying the evening. The conversation came around to Zeus, and a few people were asking if he was still alive. She wanted to know how he was, and so I sent her back a message that his spirits were good (as was his appetite) but that the arthritis had made it so he just did not want to take walks.

I am deeply touched that he has made his mark in the hearts of our neighbors so deeply that, when there hasn't been a recent "Zeus sighting" they wonder how he is and what he is doing. And not only do they just wonder, they actually make the effort to contact us and ask.

That is the sign of a dog who is beloved not only by his family, but those around him, too.

Todd - Illinois State University Alumnus of the Year!

Another one I snagged from Sarah's blog. Enjoy!!

Illinois State University

... I never did get to post pictures from our fun filled weekend at IlState when Todd was elected as "Alumni of the Year". It was a H-U-G-E honor for him to be nominated by a past professor, to then actually recieve the award made it even more special. I am so proud of Todd for all he does in life. He excels in his profession, I have been told over and over that there are MANY days that he alone carries the Speech department at the U. One of the greatest compliments came randomly, as I was being introduced to a physician at a social event where Todd was not present. When he inquired what department my husband worked for, I told him and immediately this man went onto praise Todd's work as the best he had come across in 20 years of practice as an ENT.

After a tour, reception, and luncheon with various people from the university, Todd had a chance to visit with his former professor, the current president of Illinois State University and his wife (who was also a professor for Todd). Both of the Bowman's were delighted to visit with us, and reminisced about "the way things were" ten years previously when Todd and I were both on campus as students. Many remarkable changes have happened since we were students in Normal- the campus has grown dramatically. But many things were still the same, and that was a comforting feeling.

Check out this cuter than cute couple. They were the ALUMNI Homecoming King and Queen. SO CUTE! They met at a dance their first semester, and were married 6 weeks later. Both graduated from Illinois State, and had 4 children, all of whom are IL state grads. They were 90 and 91 years old, and were so jazzed about being the king and queen and getting to be in the parade and doing all the events, it was cute. I told Todd that we should aspire to be like this couple someday- who knows? It could happen!

More Shower Fun!

Here are some more pictures from Emily's shower.

Shower Time for Emily!

Sarah and I decided to hold a family bridal shower for Emily (we extended it to include some of our good friends here and from Illinois) last Saturday afternoon. She drove over with Trinity Friday night while I cleaned the house.

She and I got started early. Pam Green was bringing a genuine DEANNA LOESCHEN cake (our favorite cake baker from our Illinois days) and Sarah made fruit plates, veggie trays with taco dip, and a host of other things. Loni made us some of her homemade mints (to die for) in honor of the occasion.

Granny Slash (aka "Cinderella") came early to help Sarah and me prepare. Trinity helped set up, too, and Curt and Cole prepared the FUNNIEST shower game ever - they dressed as cheesy TV game show hosts and did a Bridal Family Feud game. It was the Bridezillas pitted against Team Cole (Bridezillas won.)

Emily got a lot of lovely things, and we all had a blast!

Red Carpet Affair

The Hershey office staff rocks! Aware that morale is low due to budget cuts and teacher layoffs (7 alone at Hershey!) they invited us to a dress-up "Red Carpet Affair" evening. Dinner was donated by a Hershey parent who owns D&R Market, and the principals and secretaries decorated the cafeteria, made glamour shots of all the teachers, and organized a funny "Oscar" award for each teacher.

They truly brought down the night when they lip-synced to Robert Palmer. If the students could've seen their teachers playing!!

"I was Just Playing with Numbers..."

... began a 5th grade girl this morning as she stood to tell her classmates something during class meeting. (I have learned that when a student wants to say something about playing with numbers or words or science or whatever, that means something pretty amazing is coming!)

"I was looking for patterns and discovered this. Someone give me a number between 1 and 99 that isn't divisible by 11."

"26!" called out a child.

Teja continued, "I noticed that, if you write the number 26, then reverse the digits and add them" (and she wrote 26 + 62 on the board) "then the sum which is 88 is divisible by 11. And when you subtract them" (now she wrote 62 - 26 beside the first problem) "you get a difference of 36 which is divisible by 9."

We took a moment to absorb that information.

"I discovered that that always happens. The sum is divisible by 11 and the difference is divisible by 9. But it only works with numbers under 100 which are not divisible by 11."

She took a few more suggestions of numbers, and she was right - they all held true to the pattern she had discovered. Even a single digit number like 5 worked:

5 + 50 = 55 (divisible by 11)

50 - 5 = 45 (divisible by 9)

(Teja explained that there is a zero in the tens place when you write the number 5, so therefore reversing the digits gives you 50.)

I am always looking for interesting Math things to do, especially at the end of the school year when it is too late to start a new unit yet the kiddos still need something valuable to do with their time. I think we will choose number pairs next week and work our way through 1-99 and see if the pattern holds true throughout.

And, I want to find out WHY it works, too.

What an interesting puzzle! (And even more interesting is that she discovered it while playing with numbers!)

The Kitchen Sink??

In the past, I have heard my children imitate their teachers, quote a silly saying, and even do impressions of them around the dinner table. And, at times I have wondered what my own students pick up from me.

This week I found out one of them.

We were doing "Hurry Scurries" - after reading a book in Book Club, each Book Club group has a few days to prepare a presentation of some sort about the book. They can make a poster, re-enact a scene from the book, create a new ending, etc. The sky's the limit (that's another quote I suspect that they mimic at home around their own dinner tables) and the 4th and 5th graders come up with some truly amazing ideas as to how to present their book to their peers.

One group had created a clever talk show with two hosts who were "interviewing" characters from the book. They went to a commercial break, and out onto the stage jogged Noah, dressed in a blue apron he'd made from construction paper.

"This show is brought to you by Walmart!" he cried. "We sell everything but the kitchen sink!"

I just about fell off my chair and the other kids were laughing and shooting glances my way to see how I was reacting. But Noah wasn't done.

"Wait a minute!" he continued. "We DO sell kitchen sinks!! So come on down today!" And off he trotted.

By then we couldn't contain ourselves and were all laughing so hard that the talk show couldn't continue for a minute or two.

What was so funny? Well, the joke was on me in that commercial. I am piloting a new Math program for the school corporation, and it has a ton of materials: two textbooks per student, two workbooks, manipulatives, and so on. When we start Math, I have to tell the kids what they need to get out of their desks. I often say in exasperation, "Just bring everything but the kitchen sink" because I get tired of listing it all.

The first time I used the phrase, they said they had never heard it, so I had to explain its meaning. They think it is terribly funny and now even respond in kind: "What about the bathroom sink? Should I bring that, Mrs. I.?"

I guess I know a phrase my students are imitating at home!

JC & Baseball

(Snagged from Sarah's blog.)

May 06, 2010

Kid Pitch Baseball

So it was an interesting opener. The kids pitch. J.C. pitched the 3rd inning, and I was praying he would throw at least one ball that was a strike. Nope. He ended up walking EVERY kid he threw to. Oh well. Many of the other pitchers did the same. When he was catcher, he did a great job, and ran one kid down to home. Immediate O-U-T. But, the play of the night was J.C. (on third base) making a catch and then running a kid down with the second baseman to end up with the out! It was awesome!!! I was really proud of him for sticking it out and making his best effort!

Temple Goin' Gals

The two things most dear to me are my family and the gospel. That being said, then it follows that it warms my heart that my children have embraced the gospel as they do. Case in point: Jessica and Lisa have a goal of attending every temple in Utah in one year (there are 15.)

Thus far they have been to at least 4 temples, and this weekend they added one more. Here they are in front of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

Aren't my girls beautiful??

Science, a Shower, and a "S"elebration!

Tripe. It gets their attention. BIG time. And it is a good way to blow off steam after working on state-mandated tests as well as for teaching a Science lesson. (No, I am not kidding.)

I brought in some tripe Wednesday for a Science demonstration. We have been studying magnetism and I wanted to show the students a way it is used in agriculture. So, I went to Rural King, picked up some cow magnets, ran to Walmart and got a huge package of tripe, and brought them to school.

Then I gathered used staples, paper clips, bits of wire from some of our electrical experiments, and some iron filings. I put the tripe into a 13x9 pan and dumped the junk onto it. The kids got over the "gross factor" really quickly (I knew they would!) and were soon using the cow magnets in vacuuming up all the metal from the cow's honeycombed stomach!

(My classroom aide, Jackie, was a bit disgruntled, although she did say nothing would ever top the octopus printing and dissection we did last year when it came to a smelly, gross Science activity!!)

Also this week my grade level threw a baby shower for Sarah Ferguson. She has been trying for years to have a baby only to be disappointed repeatedly. She's finally pregnant and due July 7 - Craig's birthday. What a joy to celebrate with her! We have all been on pins and needles as the pregnancy has progressed, hoping this one will go full term. And Sarah even said I could have first dibs at holding "the Hershey baby" as we call little Grace-to-be. (Left to right: Jo Buckley, Linda Faust, Nancy Sattler, Sarah Ferguson, and me.)

Thursday night was Institute graduation. Curt graduated from Institute - I love the hug he and Craig are sharing as President Ellis looks on.

This has been quite a week!

Zeus Hangs In There

Zeus is still here! He no longer wants to go for walks, and sometimes doesn't eat all his dinner. But he still thumps his tail gladly when you make eye contact with him or speak to him, and he can be found hanging out in the kitchen when we're cooking, hoping for a tidbit or two to come his way.

With the vet's approval, we have upped his doggy Celebrex and he seems comfortable. I am concerned when he doesn't finish his dinner, but since he still seems happy, we are not making the final decision yet.

Lumps upon lumps cover his trunk. The softball sized one on his chest is now melon sized. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to bother him.

I have begun praying that he will die peacefully in his sleep here at home. Taking him to the vet for euthanasia will be stressful for him, and I am petitioning the Lord to please let him pass where he is happy, comfortable, with his people, and in familiar surroundings. (Anyone reading this is welcome to join us in this prayer. To misquote a spider who befriended a pig, Zeus is "some dog.")