# 3: Finding a Page Turner book!

I love, love, LOVE to read. Sometimes I find it hard to squeeze it into my busy schedule and I like when I find a book that I am excited to read each night before I go to bed. I got a Nook for Christmas and have found reading much more interesting because of it. I have read at least 3 books that I've been looking forward to at the end of each day.

BUT IT GETS BETTER. This weekend I found a book that I LITERALLY stopped time with and forgot all about being productive.

It's Young Adult Fiction (surprised? Don't be I'm a 7th grade teacher... meaning I am 12). The main character Sam (Slam, Samuel, Sandwich.. etc), dies on like the 2nd page of the book. She then gets 7 chances to re- live the day and find her purpose. Sam is a bully, and a popular mean girl and she realizes she has to change a lot about who she is and who her friends are to make things better. Very original, non- clichéd endings, and brings up some great questions about how to make each day count and live up to your expectations. Not other people's.

Who needs friends when you have books?

#2

#2 of my new happy hour. CAR FLIRTING.

(Note: This is not what I look like whilst Car Flirting)

This wonderfully, amazing experience has happened to me twice in the past two days. I love car flirting for multiple reasons. You don't have to talk to the person. Well sometimes you do but it's short. You don't owe them anything. You have very little time, so that means there is less time for awkward moments. You can get a good judge of character based off what they drive. It's an instant mood/ego booster. It's free. Except for the gas your burning up and the ozone layers you are ruining at that stop light. But who needs clean air when you are CAR FLIRTING???

And the best part:

THERE IS A ZERO PERCENT CHANCE OF IT GOING ANYWHERE.

which means there is no pressure at all. I mean I have never once heard any couple start their adorable 'how we met' story with " Well we were both in our cars... at a stop light...."

I'm sure there are people out there like that, but I haven't met them yet. Until then, I'll keep my car flirting up.

(This is more accurate idea of what I would like whilst Car Flirting. If it was legal to drive backwards, facing away from the road)

(p.s. just found this website so that you can stalk your car flirt Quick Car Flirting. com, It's for real)

Trying Something New

Inspired by this blog I am going to try something new. I am going to try really, really hard to search for something funny, awesome and HAPPY every few days. I will try to take pictures, tell stories and just find something that makes me happy. So here is to my new Happy Hour.

#1: Doing something stupid. in front of people that love you.

This weekend I went back to San Antonio to see my parents and celebrate my cousin's fifth birthday. My mom made a wonderful dinner for us, and I took a great nap and woke up ready to eat.

As soon as I sat down, I made eye contact with the bread basket and went for it. Didn't think about much except how good it would taste. I went for it, dove in, took a huge roll and started to put it in my mouth.

At that point my mom says, "Wait! That whole thing isn't for you."

There were only 2 rolls in the basket.... and there are three people in my family.

Oops. After tearing off the part that had been in my mouth, we had a good laugh.

I like when I can do stupid stuff. And not regret it later.

rarr.

That's all you get. for now.

What's in your bag?

I saw a cute post about what's in your bag? and well... imitation is the sincerity form of flattery?? Here's hoping!

1. 2.3.

4. 5.6.

1. Droid- Duh. I love it. It sometimes loves me? Lately it seems more interested in putting people on mute while I'm talking to them. But does it send me e-mails about when my Faculty Meetings are?? Yes!

2. Highlighter with Tabs- DOUBLE Duh. I like to annotate. I like to mark things. I like to highlight important literature quotes. Esp. from all young adult novels I come across.

3. Moleskin Notebook- I'm a great reader. I'm working on becoming a better writer. I have felt inspired to write stuff down lately- but had no where to do it! I hope the Moleskin solves this problem.

4. Salbito Pens- More or less amazing colorful, fine point pens that my roomie got for me in England. I have to be able to write in that Moleskin right??

5. Koozie- In all honesty, I have two koozie's in my purse. A Deep Eddy Koozie, and a Tito's Koozie. While neither looks like the one in the picture, they both mention Austin.

6. Peace Sign Magnet- Brooke gave me this wonderful magnet that fits me so well and it has been very slowly making it's way to my fridge. That it is even in my house is a miracle!

Education Nation

I have so much to say about how great this year has been. How wonderful it feels to have an idea of what I am doing each day. To understand a few ways to get kids to do actual work. To not be panicked when someone walks into my room to observe me. To have more fun with the kids( who are so, so incredible) then to be stressing over them.

NBC is spending this week discussing Public School systems in our nation, and the things we could improve. I could spend thousands of blog entries talking about what I think is going wrong and how I think we could improve it. But I don't choose to focus my energy just on that. I'd rather focus on the students for right now. I'll tackle all the rest of that stuff later.

Today though, they had a Teacher Town Hall meeting. I watched all of it and agreed and disagreed with everything they talked about. But they also showed this clip of a Dateline from a 2005, that followed a first year teacher.

Check out this great MSN Video: The education of Ms. Groves

(that was the best I could do!)

It was odd to me how quickly I could remember all those horrible feelings. About caring so much, but not really making an impact. Of not knowing what to do or how to get something across in your class. The feeling of having less control, and of being emotional all the time.

Watching the video, was very emotional for me and afterwards the comments from Brian Williams and the other teachers, made me even more emotional.

They focused on the passion they saw from her as a first year teacher and the desire to teach those kids. I often forget that in 2005, when this was made, teaching had never crossed my mind. But in the fall of 2006 and into 2007, teaching became something that weighed heavily on my mind. I was unsure if it was the right path.

Throughout these past 2 years, and even when I began my observations in someone else's class, that doubt has been erased. I feel now that I could never see my life without a career in education in it. Whether it's teaching, or something else- I hope that no day goes by without a student in it (ok.. unless it's summer!)

Sometimes it's hard to think of teaching as a calling, a desire, or a career you are drawn to. But that is 100% how I feel. Whether or not my best is enough is always playing out on my mind. But never once is the idea that I have chosen the wrong path, or that I was not mean to do this, crossed my mind.

What a lucky girl I am.

iPod Serial Killer

I am an iPod serial killer.

iPod serial

killer

1. A person who commits multiple (more than two) iPod murders, especially similar ones with no obvious motive over a period of time

The most important thing I look for in an iPod (or iPods) is a name. It doesn't matter the shape. The size. The amount of music played. The songs on it. All that matters is it has a name.

The first brick of an iPod I had was named Pancho. It was about 3 inches thick and weighed about the same. It lost it's life to one too many skiing trip accidents and a dead battery. It was tough to watch him go, but he lived a long life. The longest of all my iPods. Almost 3 years and I understood that his time was up.

Next was Lefty. Lefty and I never saw eye to eye. In part because he was my mom's old iPod and couldn't understand my style of listening to music and in part because he knew he was Pancho's sloppy second.Lefty resides in Fort Worth with my uncle now. Good riddance, is all I have to say.

Jr. was a present for getting good grades. I worked my butt off studying and he was the sweet surprise at the end of the year. I named him after my year in school. He will always be my favorite iPod, sleek, black and played videos (finally!!). I loved him because of the reward he represented. The constant reminder that I worked hard and deserved nice things. Jr will always have a spot in my heart. I don't even remember how he died. Maybe of overuse and a dead battery. But I blocked the memory out of my mind.

Next came DUKE. I had the hardest time thinking of his name. Duke was bought with my own money online, off of E-Bay. He looked and felt just like Jr. I still get the two of them mixed up in my mind. He lasted a few years but his battery kept going off and on. He was a re-bound iPod. My mind and heart missed Jr. too much to really care about Duke. My dad tried to change out his battery and he reached an untimely death. I wasn't there to see it happen. Or to see him thrown in the trash.

White House came while I still had Duke. White House is like my dysfunctional family member. We have a love and hate relationship. Sometimes it annoys me to no end and I just give up on music for the day. But I always come back to it. White House lives in my car, always plugged in to a charger because it would die otherwise. White House goes to the gym with me and has driven me across Round Rock, Austin and all over Texas. White House keeps me upbeat and energetic, even if his battery dies when I need him most. I can't stay mad for long.

My newest iPod is that perfect, goody two shoes that I get sick of. DARTH VADER.

He's so... dependable. Always there playing what I want to hear. When my alarm goes off at 5:37 AM, there he is, playing John Mayer. When he goes off again at 5:45 he's back playing more soothing wake up music. Just like I asked him to.

I'm over it.

Maybe I'm scared to form any attachment to him because I know he'll end up like the rest- in the trash can. Or at the very least, like White House, dysfunctional and breaking down all the time.

Maybe I'll start to like him, one day. But until then I'll keep thinking of names for iPod Number 7.