What some people will do…

As school is winding down I am getting a lot of begging and pleading for extra points.  What people don’t understand that a point on a semester grade is like 4 points on a six weeks grade which is like 10 points on a major test grade.  It’s a lot and I don’t normally do it ( unless they have worked hard for me all year long and are so close ) but I make that decisions after the fact, not because of asking/begging.

But this one takes the cake: (and yes apparently we are on a first name basis)

now getting a little creepy….

 

Hahaha! 

Should I give him the points?!?

I’m a softy so I did. lol.

 

TWO DAYS LEFT!!!

Africa Plays and Eco Fair

As school winds down, we are doing projects- basically because there isn’t time to teach another unit.  My geography students did a Three-Act Play over a country in Africa (because Africa is a CONTINENT- NOT a country- just a little tired of saying that- lol).  One of my students was born in Ghana and lived there until he was six, his group actually drew Ghana as their country to do a play over.  He brought in actual clothes from Ghana, and he actually wore the outfit that his dad got married in.  Very cool!  Here is his group after they  performed their play.

Can you guess which one is from Ghana? lol. 

The seniors did an “Eco Fair”  (in their government and economic classes) where they had to create products and design and sell them.  Today we had an extended period where the seniors had set up their booths in the cafeteria, and they were able to buy and sell their goods, as well as the teachers who were off second period (which I am!).  They had just paper money, so I got some good stuff for free!

I was able to “buy” a cute pair of flip-flops, bedazzled picture frame, cake balls (there was a LOT of food products- including chips and homemade  salsa that I had already eaten by the time I took this picture), a bracelet with my name, and a key chain that says mustangs, which is our mascot.  Also, one of my student that I have made the horseshoe (yes it’s real from his farm) and it’s says 2011 Cypress Ranch 1st class (since this is the first years for seniors).  I thought by far it was the most original and creative.  Fun times!

Slacking Lately

I feel like I have been slacking lately on the blog... but to be honest nothing too exciting has happened.  School is slowly winding down.  We had TAKS test on the last week of April.  I think it went well, we haven't gotten the results back yet- so who knows.  My students (only my 10th grade world history kids took it) came back saying that the stuff that we put in the "TAKS bible" (their review packet) wasn't on the test- but I'm sure most of it was.  So we shall see.

I had my summative meeting (end of the year meeting with my appraisor).  It went well, I got half Excells and the other half Proficient.  She told me ways to get excells on the rest.  And in case you are wondering, yes I still have a job next year!  Other districts in Houston had to lay off teachers, but as a far as I know all the teachers in my district got to stay, they started laying off some at the administrative level and some curriculum coaches.

Just wanted to brag on my sister for a bit!  Not only did she graduate from her accelerated nursing program (which has consumed her life the past year)... she got a job!!  I'm so excited for her.  Hopefully her and Jeremy can get back to a normal life! 

I can't wait to see my family next weekend, as we are traveling up to Dallas to see one of my good friends growing up get married, and a wedding shower for another one. 

Life will get exciting again and I will get back to blogging more.  12 more days of school left!  Countdown to summer begins!!

. . . The Next Day

Katie's wedding was weird timing.  It was bad because the Friday was the last day of the six weeks grading period, and my kids had projects due that Wednesday, which means I was still getting projects that week.  Oh well, I was grading in the car, but it's what I do for my friends.  Katie's wedding was also PERFECT timing because it was the first weekend for Rachel's spring break.  Rachel is my friend from college, who moved to Virginia to find a teaching job, she currently lives with her aunt and uncle who live out there.  So she was in Dallas, and so was I (we missed each other over Christmas break).  So I was SO excited to see her, I hadn't since Lauren's wedding last summer.  We we met up, with the rest of the crew, for breakfast on Sunday.

And of course lunch with the fam!

Katie's Wedding

About two weeks ago my best friend from high school got married.  I was lucky enough to be apart of her wedding as a bridesmaid.  I took off work on that Friday and drove up to Dallas on Thursday night.  On Friday morning me and mom went and got pedicures.  And then I bought my shoes (shh don't tell Katie I waited until the last minutes).  Well actually I just needed to go to Rackroom Shoes, and I we don't have one near us in Houston, and I knew they had some that I liked online in Rowlett.   Friday we had a bridesmaid luncheon.

After the luncheon we only had about an hour of down time until we headed downtown for rehersal.  She got married at the Old Red Courthouse in Dallas.  Afterwards we went to the YO Steakhouse.  It was definitely a fancy place. 

On Saturday, Russell flew up and dad picked him up.  The wedding was at 5:30.  It again was really fancy and really fun. 

Emma and Lyla's Birthday party

My cousin Ben's daughters had a birthday party today. It was very exciting- they had a petting zoo and pony rides for the kids. It was great to see all the cousins kids again. Here are a few pictures:

Lyla with the baby goats

pink pony...every little girls dream

Emma enjoying her pony ride

(she really did though in none of the pictures is she smiling)

Me and one of the birthday girls.  No pictures with the other kids... they are at a very squirmy age-lol

Brady and Olivia enjoying the animals

cute cake for some cute girls!

Week of Randomness

My kids were really random this week.  I don't know how or why but it was a crazy week.

It started out on Tuesday during 5th period all the sudden a half drank milk carton showed up on desk.  I asked, of course no one wanted to admit it.  I didn't think too much of it, besides it was random and gross, but threw it away.  On Wednesday the milk made its appearance again.  And again on Thursday.  I kept thinking it was one of my goofballs that I have in there.  I mean this kid wore a fake mustache on Thursday- just because.  On Thursday there was the normal half drank milk, but at the end of the period there was another carton that hadn't been opened yet.  I didn't throw them away right away because I was fixing the desks back (they had been in tables for a group project) because my 6th period had a test.  Someone in my 6th decided that he was thirsty and drank the milk.  YUCK!  So I told my 5th on Friday, no more milk because someone may get sick.  It turned out to be one of my better smarted kids trying to be funny.  they are a weird class anyways so that's just another week in my 5th period.

On Wednesday we were talking about the Three Gorges Dam in China.  There are millions of youtube videos of it.  What it is, is a ginormous (1.3 mile wide) dam built on the Yangtze River to prevent flooding down stream, but its creating a 400 mile long reservoir.  Because of this it is going to change some of the ecology (as well as making over 1000 towns relocate to higher ground).  One of the examples in the book was that the river dolphin could go extinct because the river is changing.  So my students in my 4th period really took offense to that and put together this whole petition and flag to save the river dolphins.  This is all on my door.  Everyone who walks by and asks what it is.  I'll try to take a picture of it on Monday and post it, until then this is the River Dolphins in China.

On Friday in my 5th period (of course) on of my girls got a pass to the nurse.  When she came back another girl yells out "did you have to get a pap smear?".  OMG chaos ensues.  The girl who yelled it is a senior who always like to brag about it, but almost everybody else in the class are freshman (and mostly boys).  So everyone laughs, but then starts asking questions.   AWKWARD.  I just say ask your mom.  I am not going to have that conversation with them.  But then all the sudden all I could think about is Michael Scott on the show The Office and he asks if it a "pap smear or a pap schmear? like cream cheese".  I don't know it was all so random and so funny.  Why do these things happen in MY classroom?

And lastly ..... this song is what everyone was singing on Friday.  My 5th period (again of course) showed me the video.  It's like this twelve year old girl (who is not good) singing about skipping school and going to a party on Friday.  It's beyond ridiculous.  Go to the 2 minute mark- it's the best.  Oh goodness "music" these days.  And then they played it on the loud speaker at the end of the day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0&feature=related

thank goodness for the weekend!