Garfield Monday

It is well know that Garfield the Cat does not enjoy Mondays, this has been one of the many themes of the comic strip. With the snow days that we have been getting on Mondays lately the teachers of the Western Foothills of Maine have not had to suffer through too many. Today is another snow day, filled with relaxing and then shoveling.

Enjoy ~SJ

Through The Eyes Of Kermit

I had a great time taking these pictures, and maybe more fun putting them all together into a movie. I really did it all to share with my students, but I thought my blog readers (all 2 of you) would like to see it as well.

Enjoy ~SJ

What I Learned This Week

This week was a little different week for me. I started substituting for the Gifted and Talented teacher along with my regular teaching responsibilities. This gave me a whole new insight into an age group of students I don't normally work with.

• Walk the elementary school students everywhere.
• Basic operations with fractions have a lot of steps to remember - this makes them very hard to learn.
• Monday's are very challenging days after long vacations.
• Remember to make time for things that you enjoy.
• What seems like a huge problem sometimes have simple solutions.

What did you learn this week?

Enjoy ~SJ

Snowman and Math

Sorry, another teaching post.

I don't know who thought it would be a good idea for us to have school this Monday and Tuesday. Mother Nature had other plans for us on Monday, but had nothing up her sleeve for Tuesday. So this morning I got up like I do every other day for work dreading this potentially crazy day. I knew the students would be too excited for Christmas and vacation to get any work done. Planning for today was going to take some real teaching magic. I some how came up with these crazy directions that required students to cut out three circles with varying diameters. Yup, you guessed it, this math teacher came up with a math lesson having students create a snowman while incorporating a lesson on circles. Amazingly this lesson was a hit and my day went as smooth as anyone could hope for.

Enjoy ~SJ

Snow Days

For all of you non-teachers out there you must think that teachers have it pretty good. Yes, we get part of June and all of July and August off. Yes we get time off for all of the major holidays, and week long vacations in February and April. And I'm sure the part that you are the most envious about is the fact that when the weather is too bad we just don't have to go to work. Well, yea, you're right, it isn't too bad of a gig (there is a lot more to it than just a schedule, but I still love it!)

I would like to know, in what other occupation are you supposed to call up your colleagues before 5:00 a.m. and let them know that you don't have to go to work? Yes folks, the phone call for no school came in at 4:11 a.m. That was the hour that I was woken up today, spoke to a colleague, and the if I were not the last person on the list I would call someone else. Usually when you call someone at 4:11 a.m. it is not good news, but not for us teachers. When we hear the phone ring at that hour we know that it is good news.

Enjoy ~SJ

Ants!

No classroom is complete without a class pet. When I first started teaching I had a 30 gallon fish tank in my classroom, but a few close calls later including a frozen Jacque and 30 gallons of water on my floor, I got rid of the fish tank. After a few years of no pet I decided last year to go out on a limb and get Sea Monkeys. They have been a wonderfully easy pet and my middle school kids love them. I only have to feed them once a week, and occasionally answer a few awkward questions about why they are always riding piggy back. Well, the Sea Monkeys enjoyed their summer at the Shamrock (maybe they were inspired by all of the aquatic wildlife around them), and I brought them back to school today. This year I decided to make up for my years of no class pet and have two class pets. Today I became a proud member of the Ant Farm Club (well in 2-6 weeks I will). For $18.95 not only am I getting all of the ants that one middle school classroom needs, but I am also getting a light for my tank, a magnifying glass, ant posters and pictures, an activity book, and a membership card. I think this is a great deal. Now I just can't wait for my new little pets to arrive!  
"A formicarium is a vivarium which is designed primarily for the study of ant colonies and how ants behave. "Ant Farms," similar to these, are popular subjects for school projects. Those who study ant behavior are known as myrmecologists.
     A formicarium is usually an ant colony enclosed by a transparent box made of glass or plastic. The first commercially-sold formicarium was introduced around 1929 and patented in 1931 by Frank Austin, an inventor and professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Austin included painted or wooden scenes of palaces, farms, and other settings above the ground level, for a whimsical look.
     The best-known formicariums are examples of "Uncle Milton's Ant Farm," for which the ants are sent to the purchaser through the mail, upon receipt of the coupon enclosed with the Ant Farm. The educational toy is made by Uncle Milton Industries in Westlake Village, California, and has sold over 20 million Ant Farms since 1956 and which owns the brand name "Ant Farm". This type of formicarium is for observing worker ants and its effectiveness in serious ant propagation is limited." (wikipedia)

Enjoy ~SJ

Confessions

Today was the last official day of school for the teachers of my school district. All the classes are done for the year, our rooms are packed, and our grades are entered. This is always a bittersweet time of year for me.
Confession 1: I am already looking forward to next school year, and have started to make a list of things that I want to work on over the summer to be ready for next year.

Summer is always a great time to get caught up on the always mounting list of books that I want to read. I tend to spend part of my day down on the dock reading, napping, and swimming. Really it is a rough life.
Confession 2: You may have read that I posed a summer challenge for myself: to swim ever day between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Well, I have been waiting to tell you, my avid reader, I have failed at my swim challenge. I made it about three days in, and then got busy and forgot. There is always next year, right?!

Enjoy ~SJ