TSC Recognition Night

On Wednesday evening, TSC honored its teachers who had won awards over the course of the school year. 

 Because of my PAEMST award for Science teaching, I was one of the honorees.

 It was a lovely evening and very well done.

 Me, Tricia Beeler, and Sarah Williams.

 Craig and Steve Dietrich. (Steve's wife teaches with me; Craig coached Steve in football years ago.)

I was more than a little nervous about those risers that we had to stand on. Fortunately, my friend Gina and Lance Wildoner helped me get up and down.

Two other teachers from the High Ability faculty won awards - Kristy Harshbarger and Gina Boyd were recognized for their work in Economics education.

Craig and me.

Derby Decorating

Next Saturday is the Kentucky Derby, and I have put a few things out in honor of the big race.

My Kentucky Derby salt and pepper shakers and a porcelain rendition of Kip Dideriksen on Refrigerator are on the mantle. (He was a Quarter Horse, but he was also a descendant of the Thoroughbred and Kentucky Derby winner, Native Dancer.)

 I have my small collection of Kentucky Derby glasses out on display.

Each one is the birth year of my children - 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, and 1988.

I made a small table runner, but I am not really sold on the fabric. An online search turned up several different fabrics commemorating the race, but they were pretty lackluster. So, I bought a yard of this fabric to see how it looked. (I'll keep looking.)

I'm headed to a model horse show next weekend so I will miss the race itself, but we'll DVR it and watch after we return.

A Parent Touches Base

This is the kind of letter that warms a teacher's heart. It comes from a woman who had two children in my classroom. I will be smiling the rest of the day!
--
Hi Mrs. I!

Just thought I'd give you an update on Zach.  He's currently looking at colleges...eek! He's thinking about Civil Engineering or some type of Computer Design & Engineering. He's taken his ACT and takes the SAT next saturday.  He got his scores for the ACT this week and.....did amazinly well! I figured he'd score well, but was not prepared to hear that he had a composite score of 34 out of 36! Wow! He was so happy and did his little smile where he tries not to smile!  Love it!  We're so proud of him! I've been trying not to "brag" about his scores, but knew you'd be proud with us!

We wanted to thank you for being a teacher that helped instill and continue his love of learning!  Looking back on the years I've decided that elementary has the biggest impact on whether our children do well in school (among others things too).  They either decide that learning is and can be fun or they decide it's not fun and they'd rather be somewhere else.  Again, I can't thank you enough for getting Zach (and Eli) on the right "fun" path to learning!

On Eli....he is doing great at ET.  So far he has had straight A's and blended back in with his other classmates fairly easily. Sports are still his main focus, but he comes home and does his homework and studies without being told to do so (which I love)! He ran cross country this past fall (loved it) and played basketball through the winter.  He decided to not play baseball this year (we're a little sad about that, but let him make the decision) and is going to play recreational basketball and train for cross country this summer.  He's also looking forward to enjoying his summer at the pool instead of rushing off to baseball games!

Hope you are doing well!  Enjoy the remaining weeks of school!  I'll update you again in the fall once Zach has choosen a school and hopefully (fingers crossed) receives some scholarships or grants or whatever will help with school!

Lana

Break Out!

Break Out Boxes are very popular in education now.

They consist of clues and locks, and students have to work together to figure out how to open the box in order to win.

Hershey got a set earlier this year, and today the teachers got a chance to do a break out before school.

Me, Allyson, Tricia, and Sarah.

It was hard, but I am pleased that my team not only got our box open, but we had the fastest time of any group!

Next Wednesday I am going to give my class a chance to do a break out. I think they'll enjoy it.

Contentment

At dinner last night, Ian hopped down from his seat, walked around the table and over to me, and then said, "I want to sit in your lap."

This is the picture of happiness, joy, and contentment.

Small But Meaningful

I was a stay-at-home mama to my six children for sixteen years. When all of them were old enough to  attend school, it was my turn to finish the degree I'd interrupted to have them. I graduated in 1998 at age 39 from the University of Illinois with a degree in Elementary Education.

I was hired to teach a 4th/5th grade multiage class at Yankee Ridge Elementary School, the school where I had done my student teaching. It had an excellent reputation, and I was thrilled to join the faculty.

I'll never forget the first time I walked into my new classroom and sat down at my desk. I was thrilled, scared, excited, intimidated.... so many emotions ran through me. I remember opening the drawer of the desk, and to my surprise, finding this:

A tiny blown glass horse figurine.

I remember a big grin spreading across my face as I cradled the glass horse in my palm. How appropriate - as a life long horse lover, I already had a large collection of horse figurines, so finding one in my new desk seemed very much like a sign of good things to come. And while blown glass isn't quite to my taste, that little piece has become a very treasured possession.

I have kept it in my desk since first finding it. When we moved back to Indiana in 2006, I brought it with me and I see it every time I open my desk drawer at Hershey, the school where I now teach.

I'll be retiring in a few years, and you can bet the little glass horse will be coming home with me - in keeping with long standing tradition, I'll probably put it in the drawer of my desk upstairs.

Was it actually a good sign? I think so - I have had a very happy career and taught nearly 500 students during the nineteen years I've been in the classroom. Many have remained in touch and enriched my life.

I think of so many good memories whenever I see that little horse - it is a tiny but very meaningful symbol to me.

Happy Birthday, Ladies!

Yesterday I drove down to Indianapolis and met my sisters at La Parada to celebrate their birthdays.

 Leslie, me, and Jenny.

Of course, the wait staff came out and sang to us.

The man on the left was our waiter and the manager.

 Always up for fun, Jenny got into the spirit of things...

 ... while Leslie was a little more bashful (although she enjoyed the singing, too.)

 Leslie brought Jenny a white cake with white frosting - her favorite.

 O'Rears made the cake - that bakery an old Lafayette and family tradition.

It was our first real birthday celebration with our mother gone (my birthday was the day after she died - we didn't count that as we were all still reeling), the first one where we'd had time to reflect and think about how she wasn't there.

I am so glad the three of us were able to be together.

Glitter Girl

I usually don't have too many problems with hormonal, middle-school acting 4th and 5th graders, but once in a while, someone really struggles with that. During the third quarter of this nine weeks, I noticed a huge change in Glitter Girl, the nickname I gave to a girl last year because she always wore something sparkly to school. Shoes, shirts, pants and skirts... always they had something that reflected the light and glittered.

(And if she didn't, I kept a shaker of glitter in my desk. Our joke was that if she didn't have something that shone, I would sprinkle it on her. And I did, too, more than once, to her delight.)

Focused and a hard worker, she was a great student and my go-to girl if I really needed someone to rely on. Until, like I said, this year's third quarter. She became moody, withdrawn, was always draping herself on other girls, and did not have the joy of learning that she used to. She began trying to get attention from the boys, and was very distracted.

I knew the signs of growing up, and when I spoke with her mother at parent/teacher conferences in March, she confirmed that she was seeing the same behaviors and that it was not something at school or a major issue where life outside of school was interfering with school work.

I spoke to Glitter Girl several times about her behavior and getting back on track school-wise, and that would help for a few days and then she would go right back to middle school behavior again. I accepted that this was the new normal for her, but still held her to our class standards.

Thursday, though, she was really off. I sat down with her at the end of the day and spoke to her about her actions that afternoon. I explained that she'd crossed a line that day and that it needed to stop now, and that I was missing the spark of joy she brought into our classroom, how she'd been such a leader in the past with her enthusiasm for learning. I did not want to crush her, but I was honest when I said I missed that part of her, and then gave her a hug. I could tell afterward that she was mulling over what I had said.

Today, she arrived at school, came over to me and handed me a gift bag. "I'd like to apologize," Glitter Girl said. "I am sorry for my behavior. This is your end of year present, but I thought I would make it an apology gift, too."

Inside was a mug with the saying, "Keep calm and glitter on."

Apology most definitely accepted, Glitter Girl. My heart is very full.

Signs of Spring in School

Signs of Spring in a school are a little different from those you see elsewhere. At Hershey they include:

- the annual classroom Chess tournament

- interviewing a candidate for student teaching next school year

- kindergarten round up and a school full of excited preschoolers and their frazzled, deer-in-the-headlight parents chasing after them

- ISTEP testing

- students staring out of the window and daydreaming about their summer plans

- running low on dry erase markers

- yearbooks being distributed

- depletion of my chocolate stash

- teachers who have arrived early all year begin arriving closer and closer to the tardy bell

- the metallic ping of a baseball bat on the athletic fields outside my classroom windows

- a full parking lot at 5:00 PM due to all those baseball practices and games

- the sweet smell of freshly mown grass wafting in through my open windows

- a ladybug invasion as the insects come out of hibernation from around the door and window frames

- children sneezing as their allergies kick in

- all lunch sessions eating outside on the lawn because the days are sunny and warm

- frazzled teachers stressing over all the things they need to do in the next five weeks

- every teacher knowing EXACTLY how many teaching days are left

- discussions about the summer's must-read books

- sign ups for professional development workshops

- a bittersweet feeling among the staff as we realize how short our time is with our retiring colleagues

- a feeling of sadness as we realize we will be saying goodbye to some super neat kiddos

And for the record, there are just 28 days of teaching left.

Hailstorm!

There were no warnings about bad weather this morning, but as I began my morning at school, I noticed the skies were beginning to blacken. And then the hail came.

The Primary playground at Hershey covered in hail.

 I let the kids watch the storm out of the windows for a while, and then we got back to work. The hail we received was about the size of mini marshmallows and didn't do any damage.

A few miles away, however, was another story. Southeast Lafayette received golf ball sized hail! IU Arnett hospital was ground zero, with nearly every car in their parking lot damaged.

 Including Curt's car. He lost his back window!

At the time, I did not know that West Lafayette had not gotten any hail, and I began worrying about Sultanna and Snickerdoodle. Tim is out of town, and I had had to separate the two because Snickers was pulling his escape artist act and I needed to put him in a more secure pasture than the main ones. I'd put Sultanna in the small paddock by the new barn with him for company.

But, there was no barn or shed for them to go into. The thought of them enduring a hailstorm while exposed to the elements bothered me.

Turns out I'd worried for nothing - the storm had missed them and they were fine!

Would that Curt had been as lucky.

The Bluebird of Happiness

Bluebirds are symbols of happiness, and if you have ever seen one, you know why.

Saturday I was sitting in the living room when a junco landed on the shepherd crook outside the window. Juncos are very common, so aside from being a little surprised that it had not flown north as they usually do this time of year, and wondering why its color seemed so light, I did not pay too much attention to it. (I could only see the chest; juncos have grey and white chests.)

An hour later I was sitting at the kitchen table when a young bird fluttered against the screen, clawing to it and hanging on awkwardly. It was the junco.

Then it hopped onto the shepherd's crook by the back window and I got a clearer view.

 A young bluebird!

 It clearly was learning to fly for it fluttered again against my window, hung on the screen for a few moments, and then went back to the shepherd crook.

 Sadly, these photos don't do the bird justice - those blue feathers were a brilliant shade!

The young bird saw me move and flew off as I snapped, but it left me feeling very, very happy.

A Very Useful Gift

Years ago, my sister-in-love, Cindie, gave me a gift of some sewing thread. She knew I sewed a lot, and thought it might be useful. Neither she nor I knew just how useful this gift would prove to be!

I use it for nearly every sewing project I do. Right now I am working on Titan's quiet book, and I used four spools from it just this afternoon.

 You can see how much I have used it - some colors are all gone, but there are plenty left!

It certainly has been the gift that keeps on giving!

Spring Break - Final Photos

Just a few final photos from our visit to Colorado!

 A beautiful photo of Trinity roasting marshmallows around the fire pit.

Trinity bought us all orange mustaches to wear when we played games. Mine tickled my nose so badly that I made other arrangements.

 Lisa, Sarah, and Craig hiking near Boulder.

 Todd, Trinity, Sarah, Curt, and Cole hiking.

Trinity way up there!

When your family thinks it's warm enough for a fire pit and you don't.

JC's Baptism

Last Friday JC was baptized by Craig. It was the day after his sixteenth birthday, and he had waited eight long years for this moment. It was a thrilling moment for our family (and for his ward - 200+ people showed up!)

Ready to go!

Boompa (Craig) baptized him.

 Me, JC, Craig.

 And with Todd and Sarah added in.

 Trinity is looking forward to her turn to be baptized.

 Curt gave a talk and Cole confirmed him.

Jessica gave a prayer and Lisa bore her testimony.

We are all very, very grateful for this day!

Spring Break - Day 7

The day centered around JC's baptism - it was a very big deal for our family. I will do a separate baptism post in the future; in the meantime, here are some photos from the day.

Before breakfast, Trinity and I tried some new lip colors from LipSense.

We went to the chapel mid morning and got everything set up for the pre-baptism dinner (Cafe Rio for us and five other families) and then came home and played games.

Bailey kept my feet warm while I played.

Cole was scheduled to fly in at 3:30 when we hit a big hitch in our plans. Todd got a text from Cole - all of Frontier Airline's computers nationwide had gone down just before he was to check in! Everything was grounded as a result. Our family was stunned, and we decided to have a family prayer. Craig offered, and he asked for Cole to arrive but also said that we would accept the Lord's will.

And then we waited. 

I got this text from Todd about a half hour after our prayer.

Our prayers were answered, and Cole arrived on time despite Frontier's issues.

At 5:00 we went to the chapel and put the final touches on dinner.

 Jessica set up a table outside the chapel doors with programs and a few things about JC.

 Lisa, Curt, and Cole.

 Jessica and Todd.

 Todd and Craig.

After the baptism (which had 200+ people in attendance) the Young Women served refreshments.

 That's Trinity on the middle right in profile.

 Not everyone stayed for refreshments, but there were still quite a few there!

 We cleaned up the cultural hall and kitchen, and then took time for a few family pictures.

 Me, Craig, and Cole.

 Trinity, Todd, JC, and Sarah.

 Me, JC, and Craig.

 Todd, me, JC, Craig, and Sarah.

 A selfie with my girl, Trinity.

 Cole, Jessica, JC, Lisa, Curt, and Sarah.

 Sigh. What can I say??

 Me, Trinity, and Craig.

JC, Jessica, and Trinity.

I'll post a baptismal entry later!