Thoughts for Thursday #11

"He that is good at making excuses is seldom good for making anything else" - Benjamin Franklin

April Fool's Day BROWNIES!

I started the day by telling my students that I made a special treat for them, but they had to be EXTRA good in order to earn it at the end of the day. My students spent ALL DAY working so hard to impress me. They were curious about what the mystery treat was!

At the end of the day, we played Hangman for them to guess the treat.

B R O W N I E S !

I placed a tray at each desk. Each tray was covered with a paper towel. When I counted to 3, they opened their TREAT!

They got BROWN Es INSTEAD! 

This was an awesome teacher prank I found on Pinterest! Definitely one for the books. What did you do for April Fool's Day?

Grad School: Tough Decision!

Great news everyone! I'm finally ready to take the next step in my life and attend graduate school! I applied in November. I've gotten my acceptances and I've narrowed down my choices to 2 schools....

I have a tough decision to make moving forward. I've tried the good old "pros and cons" list and I still can't seem to make up my mind. I know that the final decision MUST be my own and I have to do what is best for ME, but I figure I'd let others weigh in just in case someone thinks of something I haven't yet considered.

Here are some things weighing on my mind about the decision...

Georgia State
- I love the faculty & opportunities available
- 5 year PhD program (PhD in Developmental Psychology)
- Fully paid (tuition remission plus stipend)
- Don't have to relocate

Harvard
- 1 year Masters program (Ed.M; human development & psychology emphasis)
- Not fully funded (I'd HAVE to take to loans...a large amount)
- great networking and job opportunity following
- duh, it's Harvard

Can you see my dilemma? 

So...what do you think?

The Turnip Turn UP

Today my students were picking out books from our classroom library. "Rodney" (name changed to protect identity) was particularly excited about the book he found, Digger Pig and the Turnip, by Caron Lee Cohen.

Rodney: Ms. Wilson! Look at what I got. This gon be guuud.

Me: Oh cool! How do you know it's going to be so great? Have you read it before?

Rodney: No, I just looked at the title

Me: Hmm (I examined the book) Do you even know what a turnip is?

Rodney: Yeah, I think the pig finna have a party cuz turnip is when people be like "turn up turn up turn up! (Rodney does an awkward dance movement as he says this. Then, he proceeds to dance all over the library repeating him self..."turn up turn up turn up!")

I can't.

Just to clarify, this is NOT a turnip!

Ding Ding DIng!

For those of you who are not as well-versed in street lingo as Rodney is, click here to view the meaning of "Turn UP", as defined by UrbanDictionary.com

Thoughts for Thursday #10

If I can get my kids to truly understand and embrace this, I will have succeeded as their teacher.

 

"Pronoun Pookie"

I was teaching my kids about pronouns the other day. I used a made-up character, "Pronoun Patty," to make it interesting. 

Student: WHO is Patty? That's a weird name

Me: I don't know. She's just a character...and don't say that. Someone might have an aunt or cousin named Patty 

Student: **looks around the room***....Well, I don't know anybody named Patty. We should just call this lady Pronoun....umm...Pronoun Pookie! I know somebody named Pookie!

This is why I teach.

Thoughts for Thursday #9: Laughter

“I don't trust anybody that doesn't laugh.” 

—Maya Angelou

We've heard it all before: Laughter is the best medicine

But what are the actual health benefits of laughing?

Physical Health Benefits

Relaxes muscles

Decreases stress

Boosts immunity 

Mental Health Benefits

Improves mood

Eases anxiety and fear

Enhances resilience

Social Benefits

Encourages teamwork

Diffuses conflicts

Increases attractiveness

HAVE YOU HAD YOUR DAILY DOSE?

Thoughts for Thursday #8

Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.  - Henry David Thoreau

3rd grade Flash Mob

Today, my students (3rd grade) were busy working hard on a Social Studies independent assignment. Everyone was so focused. You could hear a pin drop in there. Every teacher's dream right?

Apparently, not mine. 

I was bored. So, I went to my computer and put on Kiss, by Prince, and I just started dancing.

At first, my kids just looked at me like I was crazy. Then, slowly, and without saying a word, 2 of my students got up out of their seats and started to sway awkwardly back and forth. The others looked around with uncertainty. Some of them seemed annoyed that I had disturbed their quiet work environment. By the 1st chorus, more than half of my class was up and out of their seats. The rest of them needed a bit of encouragement. So I silently gestured to them that it was okay.

Pretty soon, it was a full out DANCE PARTY. There were a few chuckles and some nervous laughter, but other than that, no one said a word. We just danced and danced.

When the song was over, everything returned to normal. I sat back at my desk, and my students (every single one of them) resumed their quiet activity, no questions asked.

No one mentioned it for the rest of the day. It was like it never even happened. But, it did. And I'm glad I had that moment with my kids. I hope they can look back and realize that everything doesn't have to be serious all the time. It's okay to have some fun and live a little.

It's these moments that truly count.

Thanks, Prince.

Make a Fool-Proof New Year's Resolution

Raise your hand if you've ever made a super exciting new year's resolution, gotten pumped up about it, told all your friends and family about your new goal....only to end up in March with thoughts of your resolution far in the abyss. Don't be ashamed. We've ALL done it.

Here are some tips on how to create a fool-proof new year's resolution.

# 1: Make your resolution SPECIFIC.
Lose weight. How much weight do you want to lose exactly? Be healthy. How so? Do you want to eat more fruits and veggies? How many times a week do you vow to go to the gym? Save money. How much money do you need to save per week? What exactly is your goal?
Put a number on it. Put a time on it. Specify your goal instead of making a blanket statement.

#2: Make your resolution MEANINGFUL
Just because your best friend's goal is to lay off the sweets in 2013 doesn't mean it's the right resolution for you. Sure, limiting sugar in the new year is a great goal, but are YOU honestly & truly excited about the prospects of missing out on Hershey's, Ben & Jerry's, and your favorite homemade cake? No? Then, don't make that your goal. You won't persevere. Make a resolution that means something to YOU. Don't follow the crowd and do something just because it sounds good.

#3: Make your resolution REALISTIC
Look, I'm all for "reaching for the moon," but there's a difference between reaching for the moon and reaching for another universe. Don't spread your net too wide. You won't catch any fish. Get my drift?

Good luck with your resolutions!