Dancing Sons

A picture of my three sons dancing together at Cole's wedding.

I love how they love to have fun together.

A Bit of a Birthday Mystery

Yesterday was my birthday and Craig took me to my favorite restaurant - Outback!!

Some other guests came, too, and helped make the meal disappear. (Think locusts of Biblical proportion...)

They helped down the 'shrooms...

...so fast that hardly a thing was left. Not even the dip!

But who were these mystery guests?? Using my trusty camera, I baited the trap with a bloomin' onion. Aha! Caught one!

But certainly he couldn't down the whole plate without a little help.

Ahhhh... Things are getting clearer. Methinks that would be Curt and Vanessa hiding behind those menus!

And the other "locusts" - Craig and my mother!

Back home, Curt and Vanessa gave me a large gift bag with carefully wrapped gifts.

Why, my own bike helmet! And the phone from the bedroom. Oh, and the chocolate bar on my nightstand! And my Hershey teaching award from last May!

Curt and Vanessa really know how to gift a girl!! (And hidden under the gag gifts was the real one - a framed engagement picture of them, matted in Illini orange!)

A few games of Wii 100 Pin Bowling were played, Cole and Emily phoned, Kyle, Ashley, Braden, and Adelaide skyped us, and the evening ended on a high note. (Sarah, Todd, JC, and Trinity phoned earlier and sang to me, as did Lisa and Jessica.)

The best birthday gift of all? My family.

The Dancin' Gene

Those who know my sons, particularly my youngest two boys, know that they like to dance. Kyle is actually a very fine ballroom and swing dancer, but his younger brothers' style is.... eclectic?

And, having had two weddings this summer, our family had several opportunities to celebrate by dancing. Looks like Kyle's son, Braden, has the Isenbarger dance gene.

Cole danced this way when he was about the same age.

Making the Principal Cry

We teachers made the principal cry yesterday in an early morning staff meeting. Depending on the staff, principal, and what the hot button is, it happens that someone cries occasionally. But this time was different.

Linda Fields taught at Hershey 20+ years and then went into administration. She was assistant principal at Hershey the year I was hired (and on the team that hired me). She's been at several schools since then, and was made Hershey's principal last May when Sam Perdue resigned.

Add to that turnover a horrendous spring when the state slashed school budgets and Hershey lost 7 teachers, the librarian, the music teacher, and the art teacher. Some were hired back, but we still have 3 empty classrooms, no librarian, different art and music teachers, and classes of 30 and more kids. (I am at 31.) A very difficult new Math program was implemented as was a writing program. Recess has been cut. Bus duty added. And teachers are being asked to do more and more with less and less.

Needless to say, we feel overwhelmed and tired. We're putting in long hours, even longer than teachers normally do. But despite that, Linda has been a very bright spot and has worked tirelessly to smooth things for us and go to bat for us when needed. We thought she knew how happy we were having her there.

But she didn't.

During the staff meeting, she said to us, "I know many of you are unhappy. I am so sorry about that. What can I do to help make Hershey a happy place? I want you to look forward to coming to work. How can I help make that happen?"

There was a stunned silence for a moment as it sank in that Linda misunderstood and did not realize how loved she was. And then the clamor started.

"No, no, no! You don't understand!"

"We LOVE you!"

"We know the things we are dealing with are not your fault and that you cannot change them."

"Those things frustrate us, but we are so glad you are here and certainly don't blame you for them."

As more and more of us began calling out, Linda actually sank back onto a table, covered her face with a paper, and the tears began flowing. She had had NO IDEA! She did not realize that she truly was what was keeping us going this year, and how happy we were to have her leadership and her friendship. She thought we lumped her in with the other frustrations and issues!

Someone then cried emphatically, "Linda, we LOVE you!" and the whole staff began applauding. At that point, Linda's shoulders began shaking, her face turned red, and she lost her composure.

"Well, thank you," she said. "I didn't realize..."

Another round of applause cut her off.

When things settled, she thanked us for the support and said she was so happy to be "back home at Hershey." And the meeting went on, although I know many of us made plans to drop her a note or say something privately to her later in support of having her as principal.

Imagining how this school year would be unfolding WITHOUT Linda in the leadership role makes me cringe!

Elvis Presley + Langston Hughes

Today's Math problem. Solve:

Elvis Presley + Langston Hughes = _______

Haven't got a clue? Just look at these pictures!

I love the look on Madison's face (the girl on the left in the white tee.) She's new to Hershey but that doesn't keep her from joining in!

And Daniel and Zach are doing an old softshoe/vaudeville dance.

Air guitar on the left, disco on the right....

And now a conga line! The whole class was involved save a couple of shy boys who preferred to simply watch.

Obviously Elvis Presley + Langston Hughes = FUN, that's for sure!

Today we read a short story by Langston Hughes. Set in inner city New York, it is the tale of a boy who tries to steal from a woman so he can buy himself some blue suede shoes. Recognizing that the boy is homeless, the woman ends up cooking the boy dinner and gives him the money for the shoes.

Who can resist an Elvis tie-in like that? I downloaded the song Blue Suede Shoes from i-Tunes and burned it to a CD. First I played it through once so they could hear the words of the song and then we discussed its connection to the shoes in our story. And then I told them I would play the song again and that they could move to the music as long as it was reasonable.

"Do you mean, like, you know, we can DANCE??" they asked incredulously. My response was, that as long as they were reasonable about it and that things didn't get out of control, then of course.

I got far more than I expected! They were dancing and laughing, and having SUCH a time! And those kids stayed in control and stopped when I asked. Wow!

What a privilege to be allowed to be in their world today and see them dance for the sheer joy of it. And with kids who can have fun yet still stop when asked, we will be able to do a LOT of things this year!

Your Favorite Color Would Be...?

Today, the question of the day (always selected by a student) was, "What's your favorite color?"

Sound a little lame? Perhaps. But the responses to the Q of the Day never are with these kids. (For me, yes. Pink and orange. Lame-o!)

Here are some of the children's responses:

lime green

neon pink

glossy black

lavender

gold

hot pink

silver

"orange-red... actually, I mean red-orange"

neon yellow

navy

Team Record Holder!

Ella scored two goals in Sunday night's game against FC Gold (the team at the top of the WPS leader board.) Not only is she the Chicago Red Stars' team leader for goals, but now she tops last year's record of 7 goals for the season held by Cristiane. Go, Ella!

Hmmmm... bet she plays in next year's World Cup.

Red Stars fall late to FC Gold Pride

Chicago Red Stars

08/22/2010 - 08:30 p.m.

Red Stars forward Ella Masar set a team record for most goals in a season with her seventh and eighth on Sunday. But FC Gold Pride pulled off a 3-2 win en route to the regular-season crown.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Chicago Red Stars forward Ella Masar netted two goals, but FC Gold Pride's Marta had the final say during the Bay Area team's 3-2 victory over Chicago on Sunday in Women's Professional Soccer action in front of a season-high crowd of 6,089 at Toyota Park.

Marta also had two goals, including a game-winning penalty kick in the 79th minute. The opportunity arose when Chicago defender Natalie Spilger was whistled for a hand ball in the box. The go-ahead goal also gave Bay Area the 2010 WPS regular-season title, and Gold Pride will host the WPS Championship presented by Citi on Sept. 26.

Masar tallied her team-leading seventh and eighth goals, setting a team record for most goals in a season. The mark previously was held by Brazilian forward Cristiane, who had seven goals last year in a 20-match season.

Curt with many of his closest friends from high school who came from all over the country to celebrate with him. Nice people - loved 'em as kids and still do as adults. Some of these folks are KINDERGARTEN friends!

And, yes, Craig and I got in on the fun at the very end of the evening.

Looks like Emily's granting Cole a wish!

JC had boldly asked one of the bridesmaids to dance earlier in the evening, and she was sweet enough to have a picture taken with him later.

Last but not least, the newlyweds!! Curt and Vanessa.

Hilarity Continued

As the wedding reception progressed, more family members shed their reservations and came to the photo booth (one of the BEST ideas ever to have at a reception! Big ice breaker, fun, and free!)

My sisters Jenny and Leslie, Lisa, Jessica, my cousin Liz (who flew in from Boston to be with us), my niece Holly, and granddaughter Trinity.

Craig's sister, Carla, and his mother, Phyllis. (Phyl even tried to catch the bride's bouquet. She is single... )
Karen (?) my cousin's girlfriend, my cousin Robert (who came from Philadelphia), Jessica, Todd, and Trinity.

And JC, walking like an Egyptian!

Kinda Explains Things...

When you realize that THIS is my mama...

You know, the MATRIARCH of the family, the one who sets the example for how to conduct oneself...

And these would be my sisters, Leslie and Jenny, following that good example she sets for her family!
Don't forget, my niece Holly was also on hand for the hilarity!

Little Notes

Well, my new class o' kiddos certainly seems to be a note-writing bunch! And I don't mean to each other; I mean to ME! I was looking over Math and Language Arts assessments that they took this past week and discovered that some of them had left messages for me at the end of their assessments. Below are a few of their comments.

"I like this class!" (Chris, 4th grader)

"I'm very sorry I forgot to capitalize." (Allison, 4th grader, after doing a sentence assessment.)

"You taught me well!" (Jon, 5th grader who had me last year, on his Language Arts assessment. He did not miss any questions, hence the comment. I would add that he LEARNED and REMEMBERED well!)

"I am sorry, but I have never studied this before. But I am sure that when you teach it to me, I will know how to do it." (Madison, 5th grader who just moved to Lafayette. She added a smiley face after her words.)

Is it any wonder that I think being with kids all day is the best??

Iowa School Bells

Sarah started back to work a week ago last week, and JC and Trinity began yesterday. Sarah posted a picture of them on the front porch, ready for the bus to their new school. (Iowa City Schools redistricted and instead of attending Penn, an older school with no air conditioning, they now go to Garner, a brand new school. Its drawback is that it doesn't have a playground!)

If you look closely at JC, you can see that his "socks" are really the hospital booties he wore when he had his tonsils out. Apparently he finds them comfortable and enjoys wearing them with his shoes! And Trinity is standing on the bottom step because, despite being two years younger than JC, she is taller than he is. This allows JC to maintain his dignity.

Busy Bees!

Literally! We are just about under full steam in the classroom - assessments are underway and I am gradually introducing the normal work load. (My class is a huge bump up from the 2/3 gifted class, and even more so if a student is a push-in from a regular classroom. I give the children a few weeks to acclimate.)

But, of course, when you work hard like these children do, you need some play time. Sometimes I think they need to play even more than other children - they can be incredibly focused on academics and then miss out on fun things that should be a part of childhood.

I love this picture of some of my girls taking a break this morning and playing Twister.

And speaking of bees... today we were talking about the scientific method (they need to learn the steps for a quiz tomorrow) and I used as an example bees and how they communicate where flowers are to each other. Talk about a coincidence - Nancy, the teacher next door, had brought in a honeycomb she and her husband had harvested from their apiary! She offered to let my students look at it.

Even better, my busy bees got a taste of the real bees' labor. YUM!!

Tennessee Bound!

Cole and Emily sublet an apartment for the summer. Their lease ran out before they were able to get into their new apartment in Tennessee, so they moved in with us for two weeks. Much of their belongings were stored in our garage.

After a trip to Canada to see Emily's relatives who could not come for the wedding, they rented a Penske truck for their move to Murfreesboro. Cole has a gift for seeing how things can fit together, and so he was able to pack their truck well for the trip.

Our neighbors all thought that WE were the ones moving! Nope, we are here to stay; at least, until we cannot live independently.
They left Tuesday morning at 9:30. We probably won't see them until Thanksgiving, so it was hard to say goodbye. Having them depart sort of put the period at the end of our family's summer. Now things will settle back into routine. But I think I am going to miss the craziness!

Back to School!

We're ba-ack!

School began Tuesday and I had the children pile their backpacks and things on their desk when they arrived. I needed some time to make their cubby assignments.

How quickly the classroom fills up, especially when you have 31 STUDENTS. That's the biggest class I have ever had. TSC has hired 4 aids to help us; meanwhile, the classroom next to me is empty due to the RIFing this spring. I'd rather have fewer students and another classroom teacher than an aide.

My new group of kiddos! Plus one visitor from Spain (third girl from the left on the back row.) These kids have been a ton o' fun thus far - looks to be a great year, large class-size and all!

Guess Who....

.... has been using my computer to check Facebook??

(If you guessed Cole, you're correct!!)

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More Graduation Fun

Kyle shows off the tee shirt he got for picking up his graduation gown early. What a manly pose!

Were we all thrilled when we discovered that his cap and gown came from home - Champaign, Illinois! Good ol' Collegiate Cap & Gown in downtown Champaign. Love the Illini colored tag attached to the label, too!

Lisa showed us the lovely apartment she shares with Jessica. Sooooo nice, inside and out!

Me, the proud mama, with my son. Love you, Kyle! Congratulations!!

Are You Hungry?

As we were heading to Provo for Kyle's graduation, we decided to stay in Lincoln, Nebraska that first night rather than drive straight through.

This was next to our motel:

Yep, King Kong Burgers!! Come and get 'em!!

A gorilla family! I guess that is supposed to communicate to you that you can bring the whole family in for a burger.

I am not sure I would want to eat at a place that seems to be serving gorilla meat. Or uses gorillas as a way to bring in business. Eew!!

Will We Make It?

How quickly comfort and complacency can turn into discomfort and nervousness. Just takes one bout of car trouble when out in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming to turn your safe little world upside down.

We were near Green River, Wyoming when we realized we were having problems. There was a hissing sound coming from the cooling system and water sprayed all over the engine.

Fortunately we made it into Green River and Darrin's Auto Repair was open. Darrin himself looked at it. Although he could not make the repairs, he said that, if we were careful and stopped to fill the water reservoir every 30 miles or so, we should make it.

Should.

A scary word when you are waaaaaay far away from civilization! But we followed his directions and limped into Provo three hours later. (Darrin would not accept any money from us, even though he spent time looking at the engine, testing pressure, etc.)

The next day we took the car into the Ford Dealership. $550 and one $15 thermostat later, we were good to go. (I wonder how much our mechanic here in Lafayette would've charged us for the job??)

The "Cost"

This is what my laundry room looks like after our family comes for a visit. That's seven loads of sheets and towels...

...on the floor and in hampers.

That's a lot of laundry, but definitely worth doing to have them all here!

She Likes Shoes!

Ashley often says that Adelaide is a "girly-girl." She sure acted like one after her daddy's graduation. I'd kicked my shoes off and she wanted to play with them. She was too shy to come get them, and we had a bit of a stalemate - a tempting shoe lying on the sidewalk, but a gauntlet of grandparents she was still a bit shy with to get to them!

Eyeing Boompa and Grammy who are sitting awfully close to that tempting shoe.

Getting closer!

Success! But where is the other one?