Ugh! Visor Mirrors are Horrible!

This guy clearly doesn't share
my complaint!

Why, why, WHY??? Why would a car manufacturer put a visor mirror on the driver's side without having a cover for it?  I bought a new car a few days ago - after deciding it was time to retire my old Jeep - and the only thing about the new vehicle that truly annoys me is the fact that the driver's side visor has an uncovered mirror on it. Who thought that would be a good idea??  Every time I flip the visor down, I'm stuck looking at my own visage - not something that I enjoy at all. It's a complete distraction!

If anyone has a friend or family member who designs automobiles, would you send my complaint to them??  It is highly annoying!  Ergh! Tell them they must never, ever do that again!

Now if I looked in the mirror and saw Catherine Zeta-Jones or Marilyn Monroe looking back at me, I might feel differently, but I'm not one who spends time looking at my own ugly mug. Blech! I will have to think of some way to cover that mirror.

A "Room" Is Just A Room...Unless It's The World

I'm on the hunt to find great books that my students will enjoy and be willing to engage with.  Goodness knows, attempting to get them to read classic literature is failing miserably - although I do keep trying. Currently, I'm reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with my juniors and Jane Eyre with my seniors. The juniors (except one) all hate Huck Finn; my seniors haven't made up their minds yet about Jane. The tragic thing is that I love both books, which drives my students nuts. Therefore, I've decided to add some modern novels into the mix - in addition to the classics. I believe that I have found one that I can use with my seniors, Room by Irish-born playwright and novelist, Emma Donoghue.

Synopsis: "To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. . . . It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer." (Amazon.com)

Review: This novel is a fascinating look at stories that we hear about time and time again: a girl who is abducted and held captive for years. Of course, this story has a unique twist in that the abducted girl has given birth to a child. The novel is told from the viewpoint of 5-year-old Jack who has lived in Room his entire life and knows nothing about the outside world except what he sees on television. This book is a moving, amazing book and is not to be missed. Room can be best summed up with the following quote from Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife and Her Fearful Symmetry: 

"Room is a book to read in one sitting. When it's over you look up: the world looks the same but you are somehow different and that feeling lingers for days."

I couldn't have said it better myself.  I'm hoping that my seniors will love this book as much as I do! I won't know for a couple of months - we need to finish Jane Eyre first.  Then I want to do Wide Sargasso Sea as a companion book to Jane Eyre.  You don't need to wait though.  Get to your nearest bookstore or library, pickup Room and be prepared to be amazed. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Tirade of a Language Snob!

Ever hear something like this: "He had boughten some mannaise and supposably likded the samwich better."  ARGH!!!

I admit that the bastardization of the English language really offends my sensibilities!  It's an occupational hazard being both an English major and English teacher.  On a daily basis, I hear the English language mangled beyond recognition and it equally saddens, frustrates, and angers me. I understand that in my classes, I deal with English language learners and I am very patient with my students, but I do try to educate them on the proper pronunciation of words. Of course, when I'm not in my classroom and hear these words on the streets or on television, it makes me want to punch a baby!  :-)

Here is just a small sampling of some of the regularly mispronounced words I hear:

Don't say: bidness │ do say: business 

Last time I checked there was an "s" in the first part of this word with no "d". 

Don't say: birfday  │ do say: birthday

There is a "th" in birthday.  Please use them.  There is no "f". 

Don't say: boughten  │ do say: bought

Now, don't get me wrong - boughten is a word, but it's an archaic word and most people use it incorrectly.  Boughten should only be used as an adjective:  "I like boughten bread, but prefer home baked."  Otherwise, the word is bought.  "I bought some bread."

Don't say: drowndid  │ do say: drown/drowned

My skin crawls every time I hear the word drowndid.  There is no word drowndid!  Use either drown or drowned depending on which tense you are speaking.

Don't say: expresso  │ do say: espresso
The Italian in me really hates when people say "ex"-presso.  Esssss - like a snake!

Don't say: irregardless  │ do say: regardless or irrespective

I can only assume that people are mixing together "regardless" and "irrespective" to come up with "irregardless" but it's an incorrect word.  "-less" already denotes "without" so there is no need to use the "ir-" which means "not".

Don't say: libary │ do say: library

You will note that the word actually has two "r"-s and has three syllables.  'Lie-brer-ee'.

Don't say: likeded │ do say: liked

I cannot decided out of all the words on this list which is the worse, but this might be it.  This mispronunciation makes my ears bleed every time I hear it!  "I likeded him."  No, no, no, liked - one syllable.

Don't say: mannaise │ do say: mayonnaise

Ever wonder why the short form of a word pronounced "mannaise" is "mayo"? Well, it is because the original should be pronounced "mayo-nnaise." Just remember: what would mayonnaise be without "mayo"?

Don't say: nucular │ do say: nuclear

I know that people heard the mispronunciation of "nuclear" for 8 years by former Pinhead Bush, but seriously "nucular" is wrong!  'New-klee-er'

Don't say: old-timer's disease │ do say: Alzheimer's Disease
Pure laziness with this mispronunciation.  I think people just have a hard time saying the word "Alzheimer's" so they say "old-timer's" instead, but it's really not that difficult.  'Alts-high-merz'  See? Easy!

Don't say: samwich│ do say: sandwich
Yeah, I don't get this one at all.  It would seem to me that you have to go out of your way in order to get this one wrong.  'Sand - witch'  

Don't say: snuck │ do say: sneaked

Okay, I know that "snuck" is used on a constant basis, but it really isn't a proper word.  "Sneaked" would be the correct past time of sneak.  "We sneaked into the movie theater."

Don't say: supposably │ do say: supposedly

When I hear someone say "supposably", it reminds me of an episode of Friends. "Supposably" is NOT a word!  Please stop using it.

As I mentioned, this list is just a brief one of a much, much longer and more offensive list, but it highlights the worse mispronunciations.  I found this cartoon and laughed really hard when I read it. 

Reading IS FUNdamental!

Here's a conversation I had with students yesterday:  

(Picture 28 World Literature textbooks piled on a desk)

Student:  [genuinely shocked] "Miss, what's this?"

Me:  "A book!"

Student: "What are we going to do with it?"

Me:  "READ!"

Student:  "Miss, can't we watch a movie instead?"

Me:  <sigh>  "NO!  This is a literature class; not a movie class."

Several students: "But, miss..."

Me:  "Listen, if you can't read 3 pages of a story, then don't go to college next year.  We are reading!"

I had decided to read a 3-page excerpt from Don Quixote with my seniors and they practically revolted! Yeah, that's the sad state of my English 4 class and an ongoing problem in most of my classes.  My students don't read and don't understand why reading is necessary.  For anyone who doesn't think reading is important, here's my list of why reading matters:

1. Reading improves vocabulary. This skill is particularly important for my students in which nearly all are English language learners.
2. Reading develops logical thinking skills. Yeah, believe it or not - even reading fiction develops logical thinking.
3. Reading enhances concentration and discipline - something most of my students don't have.
4. Reading is how to obtain information.  People learn about the world through reading - fiction, non-fiction, blogs, newspapers, etc.     
5. Reading is FUN!  I will live and die by this statement. 

I struggle on a daily basis on how to engage my students in my classes and it's very frustrating when I am constantly getting pushback from students who apparently decide that they have choices in their high school education. Students don't understand the importance of reading and don't believe me when I explain the importance.  The only thing that relieves me ever so slightly is that this problem is not particular to my classroom or even my district.  My grad class this semester is a "reading for middle and high school" class and all 20 grad students struggle with the exact same issues in their classrooms that I struggle with in mine. 

Later during that same English 4 class, I had the following conversation with another student:

Female Student:  "Miss, what are we doing next?"

Me:  "Next week, we'll be starting this book - Jane Eyre." [showing her the book]

Female Student: [taking book from my hand] "Miss, this looks mad boring.  I know you said 'don't judge a book by its cover', but it does."

Me:  <small sigh> "Do you know what this book is about?"

Female Student:  "No."

Me: "It's about an orphan girl who goes to live at a terrible boarding school, grows up, becomes a governess and then falls in love with the master of the house."

Female Student:  "Oh, miss, that's exactly the type of book I like!"

Me: <another sigh>  "When will you learn to trust me?"

The funny thing is most of the stories that I read with my students they actually enjoy.  But I end up spending most of my class fighting with them about reading every story before we can settle down to read it.  Oh, and I can forget about having them read at home. Not happening! What's a teacher to do? Just keep on truckin'!

Updated - 1/26/13; 5:42pm:  I have found the silver lining to the fact that my students don't read independently outside of class. Easy lesson planning. For example, Monday's lesson - read chapters 1-2 in class, Tuesday - read chapters 3-4 in class, Wednesday - read chapters 5-6 in class... <sigh>  I'd rather that they read, but...

Animated Movies Are the Bomb!

I shelved my movie recommendations for a couple of days due to other more interesting (to me) posts.  But I'm back - with my animated movie recommendations.

As difficult as it was to come up with 5 comedy movies, I think that deciding my top 5 animated movies is even more difficult.  Seriously!  How do you choose a Disney movie over a Pixar or pit one Disney movie against another or one Pixar against another Pixar? How about all the other animated production companies. <sigh> This was one of the most difficult lists to create, but here are my top animated movies:

1. Beauty and the Beast (1991): One of my all-time favorite fairy tales when I was a child was the story of Beauty and the Beast, and when Disney released this movie in 1991, this film was on my must see list and it did not disappoint.  A beautiful story with amazing music from the musical geniuses of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.  This movie will always be on the top of my list of favorites.  Belle: [singing] "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. / I want it more than I can tell. / And for once it might be grand / To have someone understand / I want so much more than they've got planned..."
2. The Lion King (1994): Music by Tim Rice and Elton John, voiced by Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, and one of my all-time favorite theatre actors, Nathan Lane, plus a fantastic story - all makes for a winning movie.  Funny, touching, beautifully drawn, The Lion King is an entertaining movie.  Timon: "What do you want me to do, dress in drag and do the hula?"
3. Up (2009):  Okay, seriously?  What's better than talking ADD dogs?? This movie is equally touching and funny. It actually starts off with a truly sad love story, but ends with an amazing friendship that spans the age gap.  Just lovely.  Dug: "Squirrel."
4. Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010): Okay, I know that these are technically three movies, but how do you pick just 1 Toy Story movie?  Impossible!  I love the continuing adventures of Woody, Buzz, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, Rex, and the rest of Andy's toys.  It's rare for a movie franchise to remain as consistently wonderful but Toy Story has remained top of its game.  I can't wait for Toy Story 4!  Rex: "What if Andy gets another dinosaur? A mean one? I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection!"
5. Finding Nemo (2003):  As with most of the Pixar movies, Finding Nemo is beautifully drawn, has an engaging, funny and touching story, features some amazing voices, and withstands the test of time. I am eagerly awaiting Finding Nemo 2 ... in 2016!!  ARGH!!!  Bruce: [reciting] "I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food."

This list is really Disney/Pixar heavy but the movies that are created by these studios are far more superior than any other studio, in my humble opinion. The best thing about these movie recommendations is how much they appeal equally to adults and children, which is the genius that is Disney/Pixar. As always, I have a list of honorable mentions:  Monsters, Inc., Ratatouille, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Chicken Run. All excellent animated films! Actually, my list is much, much longer, but I had to cut it off at some point!

iPhone or Android? Which Smartphone is Best?

I have a decision to make fairly soon - I need a new phone.  My dilemma - should I buy an iPhone or an Android-based smartphone?

My current phone is pretty much on its last legs and annoys the heck out of me. But I cannot decide which smartphone I should purchase next.  (I cannot and will not go back to just a regular old cell phone.) All the research I've done has solidified for me that the two operating systems (iOS and Android) measure up equally. I currently have an Android, but I'm considering purchasing the iPhone next.

I would love to get some input from others on their experiences, but ONLY if you have experience with BOTH phones!  People who have iPhones or Androids are often fiercely biased toward their phone of choice without actually having knowledge about the other.  How someone can make intelligent statements on any device without prior familiarity, I will never know.  Therefore, if any of my readers have experience using both phones, please weigh in on which you prefer and why.  

The only problem I have with purchasing an iPhone is the limited customization. Ultimately, my decision may just boil down to price for me. Whichever I can get cheaper through my cell phone company might end up being the winning phone. But I still would be interested in getting some advice from others.

How About a Little Excitement? Watch These Movies!

I debated whether to list my favorite action movies because it's not a genre that I watch very often. I tend toward the drama, or comedy, or tearjerker movies and watch action films only on a limited basis, but I figured what the heck. On the rare occasion that I feel the need to watch an action flick, these movies are my "go to" films.  These are not listed in any particularly order. 

1. Die Hard (1988): The '80s seemed to be the action movie decade. Bruce Willis as kick ass protagonist John McClain vs. Alan Rickman as bad guy, Hans Gruber, is a score!  In addition to the excitement of the action film, it's also really, really funny!  McClain: "Yippee-ki-yay, motherf***er."
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): This film almost inspired me to become an archeologist, except that I realized that archeology is not nearly as exciting as Steven Spielberg portrays it. Nevertheless, this movie (actually, the entire Indiana Jones franchise) is one of my favorite action films.  It's a mixture of adventure, action, comedy, and romance - the perfect blend. Plus Harrison Ford is amazing as Indiana Jones. Marion: "You're not the man I knew 10 years ago."  Indy: "It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage."
3. X-Men (2000): A bare-chested Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.  Need I say more??  I thought not, but I will.  This movie may go under Sci-Fi, but it's also an action flick, soooooo... maybe you'll see it again when I do Sci-Fi.  Another amazing cast. Other than my pretend boyfriend, Hugh, we have: Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, and the list goes on. Wolverine: "There's not many people that'll understand what you're going through. But I think this guy, Xavier, is one of them. He seems to genuinely want to help you. And that's a rare thing, for people like us."
4. Lethal Weapon (1987): This movie is such a great "buddy" movie with fabulous action scenes.  Mel Gibson and Danny Glover play off each other brilliantly and Gary Busey plays such a great villain! Funny and exciting - this movie never fails to entertain.  Mel Gibson plays crazy well.  Riggs: "Do you really wanna jump? Do you wanna? Well, that's fine with me. Come on, I wanna do it, I wanna do it."
5. True Lies (1994): Take Arnold Schwarzenegger, add Jaime Lee Curtis, a dash of Tom Arnold with a mix of Bill Paxton and what do you get? A really exciting, hair raising and funny action film.  I'm not the biggest Schwarzenegger fan but this movie rocks.  Plus Jaime Lee Curtis is really hot in that black mini dress. Gib: "Same thing happened to me with wife number two, 'member? I have no idea nothing's going on, right? I come home one day and the house is empty, and I mean completely empty. She even took the ice cube trays out of the freezer. What kind of a sick bitch takes the ICE CUBE trays out of the FREEZER?"

There probably aren't too many surprises on my list of favorite action movies, but there you have it. Naturally, I have some honorable mentions: Iron Man (2008), Speed (1994), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), The Dark Knight (2012).  You might wonder why a Keanu Reeves movie (Speed) has made my honorable mentions list when I denigrated his ability to act.  Well, for this simple reason - action films are not about acting. Therefore, Keanu's ability (or lack there of) as an actor is not as observable in an action film. Besides Sandra Bullock really steals that movie.

Up next:  Animation (this is going to be a tough one)

Need to Laugh?? Watch These Movies!

Building upon yesterday's blog which was all about my favorite tearjerker movies, I thought I'd post my favorite comedic movies. There are very specific movies that if I'm in the mood to laugh, I simply must watch. It was really hard to narrow this list down to just 5, but I did my best. There is one crossover movie - both tearjerker and laughter!  Every film on this list are movies in which I could probably quote every line from start to finish and yet still find myself laughing my tuchus off!  These are not listed in any specific order.

1. Young Frankenstein (1974): Pretty much any Mel Brooks movie would fit into this category, but Young Frankenstein is my favorite of all of Brooks's movies. This movie is arguably the most perfect spoof ever filmed. The cast is chockablock with comic geniuses: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, and Gene Hackman!  Does it get funnier than that?? Inga: "He vould have an enormous schwanzstucker." Frederick: "That goes without saying."  Inga: "Voof."  Igor: "He's going to be very popular."
2. A Fish Called Wanda (1988): If it has John Cleese and Kevin Kline in the film, then it's probably funny - let alone adding Jaime Lee Curtis and Michael Palin into the mix. I am a huge Kevin Kline fan and adore pretty much every movie he's been in but this one stands out as one of his funniest (along with Dave, In & Out, Soapdish...).  Otto: "It's K-K-K-Ken! C-c-c-coming to k-k-k-kill me! How you gonna c-c-c-catch me, K-K-K-Ken?"
3. Much Ado About Nothing (1993): As I mentioned yesterday, Much Ado is my favorite Shakespearean comedy and Branagh's version is just hilarious - in addition to being beautifully shot and wonderfully cast (except for Keanu Reeves). Seriously, Kenneth, what were you thinking?? Keanu Reeves cannot act his way out of a wet paperback while holding scissors and having him speak the Bard's words is a sacrilege! Benedick: [hearing Balthazar sing] "An he had been a dog that should have howled thus, they would have hanged him."
4. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): My adolescent and young adult years were spent watching every John Hughes movie and quite frankly, like Brooks, I could probably put every John Hughes movie on this list, but Ferris Bueller will always standout as my favorite.  Matthew Broderick is perfect in this movie.  Supporting Matthew is Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey (before the weird plastic surgery), Charlie Sheen (before he went nuts), Ben Stein, and Edie McClurg. Whoa! What a great cast!  Ferris: "Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you'd have a diamond."
5. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975): Similarly, I could place all of the Python movies on this list, but Holy Grail is perhaps my favorite... although it was a toss up between this one and Life of Brian (1979). Monty Python consists of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin - arguably the best comedy troupe ever created.  French soldier: "I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."

As I said, narrowing this list to 5 was incredibly difficult so I need tell you my honorable mentions: Trading Places (1983), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Caddyshack (1980), Airplane (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), and last but certainly not least, Animal House (1978).  I am quite certain that I missed some, but really this is a hard list to narrow down to just a few titles.

So which did I miss of your favorites??  (What's next?? Favorite action, sci-fi, animation, mystery?? Check back tomorrow to find out!)

Need a Good Cry?? Watch These Movies!

I admit it, I'm a sap when it comes to tearjerker movies!  I love them, I weep through them, and I watch the same moves over and over again!  Last night, as I cried through one of my favorite tearjerkers, I decided it was time to list my top 5 favorite weepy movies!  These movies are the ones that I immediately go to if I feel the need to release some pent up emotions.  

1. An Affair to Remember (1957):  This was the movie I watched last night for the umpteenth time and was weeping 40 minutes into the story. What could be better than a sexy Cary Grant, a beautiful Deborah Kerr and a moving and heartbreaking love story for all the ages!  I won't ruin the plot if anyone has lived under a rock for the past 56 years and has yet to see this wonderful movie. Terry McKay: "Oh, it's nobody's fault but my own! I was looking up... it was the nearest thing to heaven! You were there..."  A 5 tissue movie!
2. Pride and Prejudice (1995):  In addition to being my favorite book, the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice is also one of my favorite movies. Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle are the perfect pairing of the perfect couple: Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. The magnetism between these two performers is exquisite.  And yes, I cry every time I watch it. Indeed, it is a long film - 5.5 hours, but every moment is just wonderful. Darcy: "In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."  A 5 tissue movie!  (Do not watch the dreadful Keira Knightley version - I don't know who ever decided that girl has talent.  She's an abomination as Lizzie.)
3. Sense and Sensibility (1995):  My adoration of Jane Austen continues in this wonderful adaptation by the gifted Emma Thompson. This is a gorgeous, fantastically acted, brilliantly directed movie with the most amazing cast:  Emma, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, and Hugh Laurie - just to name a few.  I always weep at the end. Elinor is a lucky, lucky lady!  Edward to Elinor: "I-I've come here with no expectations, only to profess, now that I am at liberty to do so, that my heart is, and always will be, yours." A 4 tissue movie.
4. North and South (2004): This lovely BBC movie is an adaptation of an Elizabeth Gaskel novel and continues my love affair with 19th century British literature. Starring the incredibly talented Daniela Denby-Ashe, the handsome Richard Armitage and one of my all-time favorites - Brendan Coyle (Bates from Downton Abbey fame), this movie pits two very strong leading characters against each other who break through their prejudice and inevitably fall in love. John Thornton to Margaret Hale: "I spoke to you about my feelings because I love you..." <sigh>  A 4 tissue movie!
5. Much Ado About Nothing (1993):  Is there a better Shakespearean actor and director than Kenneth Branagh??  I submit an emphatic "no".  Much Ado is, without a doubt, my favorite Shakespearean comedy and in the capable hands of Branagh, it is one of the most brilliant movies ever!  But in addition to being hilariously funny, it is amazingly moving. The onscreen chemistry between Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson is not to be believed. It saddens me that they are no longer a couple. Additionally, Branagh puts together an amazing cast: Kate Beckinsale, Denzel Washington, Robert Sean Leoard, and Michael Keaton. The only mark against this movie: Keanu Reeves!  Ugh! Awful performance by Reeves. Benedick: "I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?" This is a 3 tissue movie!

I don't suppose it's any wonder that all of these movies come under the genre of romance!  When it's the one thing you have never had (or will ever have) in your life, it's necessary to find an outlet elsewhere and I choose film as one of my escapes - books being the other.  There are several honorable mentions from me for the schmaltzy category: Beaches (1998), The Way We Were (1973), Love Story (1970), Terms of Endearment (1983), and Dead Poets Society (1989).  All of these movies are worthy of your tears. 

If you are looking for some quality tearjerker movies, these are my recommendations. Did I miss your favorite?? Let me know!

Career Change: I Don't Want to Teach... At Times!

Now, don't get me wrong -  

I LOVE TEACHING!!!  

In fact, even though I'm a first-year teacher, I think I'm a pretty decent teacher. Mostly because my heart is in the right place, but also it's something which for me is innate! But I have discovered that in my current position, there are certain specific times of the day that I just dread teaching.  Let me explain...

I was having a discussion with a couple of colleagues the other day and we all came to the same agreement - there are times during the day which are consistently harder to teach than other times at our school.  Unfortunately out of the 5 classroom blocks, there are 3 blocks which are much, much, MUCH harder to teach than others.  Our school has a rotating schedule so we never see the same classes at the same times every day.  Therefore, it's not even about the individual classes, it's about the time of day.  Here's what we've concluded:

1. Block A - the ability to teach is high.  Students have just arrived at school and are still pretty tired and mostly are quiet, attentive, and slightly engaged in learning.
2. Block B - the ability to teach is at its highest.  Students are more awake than Block A and are not yet ready for lunch.  They have an interest in class and are generally engaged in the material that the teacher is presenting.  (There are some students who will never be engaged even if the teacher is set on fire while dancing a jig.)
3. Block C - the ability to teach is low.  This block is just before lunch. Students are restless, hungry, and completely indifferent to learning.
4. Block D - the ability to teach is low.  The block after lunch is even harder - students are on a high (literally and figuratively) from lunch and their desirability to settle down and learn is low.
5. Block E - the ability to teach is at its lowest.  As the last class of the day, students just want to go home and have zero interest in learning!  They have decided that this is their time to chat with each other, text their friends, and ignore anything that the teacher is doing.  (If this is the last class of the day on Friday, it's like going through the 9th circle of Dante's hell - and it's even worse if this class is before a long weekend or a vacation break. I know it's hard to believe that there's something worse than the 9th circle of hell, but trust me, there is.)

What my colleagues and I are curious about - is this phenomenon a characteristic of all schools or is it particular to our school? The answer to this particular question would be helpful to know.

As I said - I love teaching and plan on teaching for the next 20+ years - pretty much until I'm taken out in a pine box, but we have concluded that the teachers at BMF should only have to teach the first two blocks of the day and then after that, we should go home and they can bring in babysitters for the remainder of the classes.  :o)

Okay, okay, I don't actually mean that, but we do find it increasingly more difficult to teach those last three blocks of the day and it's disheartening when you give 200% effort to teach students whose interest is at 0% -- if not lower.  Naturally, this scenario does not apply to ALL of our students, but, sadly, this applies to approximately 85% of the students. Oh, well - I will soldier on and will continue to attempt to reach all 90 students that I currently teach.

A Wookiee in my Car?? Sign me up!

Today, I was chatting with a colleague who is one of those types who has an infinite amount of knowledge about nothing particularly useful or relevant, but it's all really, really funny - you know the type!  We managed to get on the topic of GPS navigation systems.  He happened to mentioned that one of the voices now available is that of a Wookiee.  I have to admit, this excited the Star Wars geek in me!  

I can get behind this idea for a couple of reasons.  First, the 3 original Star Wars movies are amazing and is still one of my favorite movie franchises.  But, even more importantly, I hate, hate, hate the woman who currently gives me directions.  I feel that she is very judgmental whenever she says "recalculating" or "when you can, make a legal u-turn" just because I didn't follow her directions.  Do I really need her to say a "legal" u-turn? Do I seem like someone who would make an "illegal" u-turn?  Humph!

My only concern with having a Wookiee giving me driving directions is that I don't actually speak Wookiee!!  Is there a Rosetta Stone program for learning Wookiee?  Has anyone ever actually created a Wookiee dictionary?  I know that there are Klingon dictionaries, Vulcan dictionaries, Elvish dictionaries, and I'm sure a whole host of other made-up language dictionaries, but Wookiee??  I must do further research.  In the meantime...

Surviving Cancer - A Memoir

In my post dated January 7, 2013, I mentioned that my students challenged me to write my memoir because I was making them write theirs.  I sucked it up and, per their suggestion, wrote about the 8 months that I spent going though breast cancer treatment.  I had planned on giving copies of the story to my students today, but forgot to make the copies.  So instead one of my students asked if she could read it aloud.  I thought "that's a pretty good idea."  She did a credible job especially as it's filled with unfamiliar (to her) medical terms.  Of course, the rest of my Huck Finn lesson plan went right out the window because they asked a boatload of follow-up questions.  Oh well, that's okay.  Tomorrow's another day to talk about Huck and Jim and their trip down the Mississippi River.

I can't imagine that anyone would remotely care to read this romp down mammary lane (pun intended), but if you would like to read my memoir, you can access it here:  Surviving Cancer - A Memoir.

Here's a little preview:

"You have cancer."  The three most dreaded words in the English language and my gynecologist just spoke them to me over the phone.  The date was Thursday, September 6, 2007..."

<shrugs>  Despite what my students said, I don't think it's very good, but I would be interested in getting some constructive feedback if anyone has any.  It would be just for me to improve my writing and not because I plan on ever publishing this tale. Happy reading.

Music Doesn't Lie - Part 15 ((I've Had) The Time of My Life")

"Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world,

then it can only happen through music." – Jimi Hendrix

I know I've been using my Music Doesn't Lie posts to mention (mostly) about new music I've discovered, but tonight on my way home from school, I turned on the radio for a change of pace... Yes, the radio is still a good music option for the car. Who would have thunk it?  As I was flipping through several stations, I heard the beginning strains of "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing and was immediately transported back to 1987! 

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner." 

"I carried a watermelon." 

1987! What a great year! I turned 21 in 1987 - a time when I could (legally) drink and go to nightclubs.  That year (and the next 3 or 4 subsequent years), my friends and I trucked all over the NY-NJ-PA area hitting every cool and not-so-cool nightclub. I can't tell you how many of my clubbing nights were spent dancing to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack ... in addition to every other late '80s and (eventually) early '90s song you can think of (yes, I've done my share of "vogue-ing")!  Therefore, I just had to post "The Time of My Life" - one of my favorite songs from the DD soundtrack. In addition to bringing back some happy memories, I also truly love what the lyrics say. 

 'cause I've had the time of my life
No, I've never felt this way before
Yes, I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you.

<sigh>  So sweet! The video is the final dance. I hope you enjoy this little blast from the past. RIP Patrick Swayze and Jerry Orbach! 

"Turn Left"

If you could go back and change one small moment in your life, would you? Why or Why not? Now I'm not talking about some major event (for instance: not getting married, or changing what you studied in college, etc.), but something miniscule and seemingly unimportant.

I was recently rewatching an episode of Doctor Who, entitled "Turn Left" from Season 4 of the new series. (I finished watching Lost over the holidays - genius!) In this episode, Donna Noble is "persuaded by a fortune teller to examine her past: specifically, the first event that led to her encounter with the Doctor." When she returns to the past, Donna turns right instead of left, creating an alternative history in which she never meets the Doctor and the Doctor is killed because Donna's not there to save him. Thereby, creating a completely different, dystopian world - an excellent episode in my humble opinion. (Yeah, I'm a nerd. Got a problem with that?!)

That got me thinking though: Is there some small insignificant moment from my life (such as turning right instead of left) that I would change from my history and what would it be? For me, the answer ended up being a no brainer. 

On January 21, 2010, I would go home instead of going out to dinner. A seemingly small change, but one that would make a huge difference in my life. I won't go into the nitty gritty on how one innocent dinner nearly three years ago impacted my life as much as it did (and continues to). Just suffice to say, I would have been better off going home and picking up Chinese take-out!

How about you? Any small moments that you would change?

"To My Old Master"

In June 2012, I wrote a blog (A Passion for Correspondence) which introduced a website, Letters of Note, that I had stumbled upon.  This website is amazing and I check it frequently for updates.  Unfortunately, I had not gone back to look at posts prior to when I started reading the blog, so I almost missed a posting from January 30, 2012 (To My Old Master). Fortunately, the site's blogger created a "best of 2012" page where this lovely tidbit was posted.  I had to share it. [Note: the posted letter is long, but stick with it. It's well worth reading to the end!]

"In August of 1865, a Colonel P.H. Anderson of Big Spring, Tennessee, wrote to his former slave, Jourdon Anderson, and requested that he come back to work on his farm. Jourdon — who, since being emancipated, had moved to Ohio, found paid work, and was now supporting his family — responded spectacularly by way of the letter seen below (a letter which, according to newspapers at the time, he dictated).

Rather than quote the numerous highlights in this letter, I'll simply leave you to enjoy it. Do make sure you read to the end.

UPDATE: Head over to Kottke for a brief but lovely little update about the later years of Jourdon and family.

(Source: The Freedmen's Book; Image: A group of escaped slaves in Virginia in 1862, courtesy of the Library of Congress.)

Dayton, Ohio,

August 7, 1865

To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee

Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you wanted me to come back and live with you again, promising to do better for me than anybody else can. I have often felt uneasy about you. I thought the Yankees would have hung you long before this, for harboring Rebs they found at your house. I suppose they never heard about your going to Colonel Martin's to kill the Union soldier that was left by his company in their stable. Although you shot at me twice before I left you, I did not want to hear of your being hurt, and am glad you are still living. It would do me good to go back to the dear old home again, and see Miss Mary and Miss Martha and Allen, Esther, Green, and Lee. Give my love to them all, and tell them I hope we will meet in the better world, if not in this. I would have gone back to see you all when I was working in the Nashville Hospital, but one of the neighbors told me that Henry intended to shoot me if he ever got a chance.

I want to know particularly what the good chance is you propose to give me. I am doing tolerably well here. I get twenty-five dollars a month, with victuals and clothing; have a comfortable home for Mandy,—the folks call her Mrs. Anderson,—and the children—Milly, Jane, and Grundy—go to school and are learning well. The teacher says Grundy has a head for a preacher. They go to Sunday school, and Mandy and me attend church regularly. We are kindly treated. Sometimes we overhear others saying, "Them colored people were slaves" down in Tennessee. The children feel hurt when they hear such remarks; but I tell them it was no disgrace in Tennessee to belong to Colonel Anderson. Many darkeys would have been proud, as I used to be, to call you master. Now if you will write and say what wages you will give me, I will be better able to decide whether it would be to my advantage to move back again.

As to my freedom, which you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on that score, as I got my free papers in 1864 from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of Nashville. Mandy says she would be afraid to go back without some proof that you were disposed to treat us justly and kindly; and we have concluded to test your sincerity by asking you to send us our wages for the time we served you. This will make us forget and forgive old scores, and rely on your justice and friendship in the future. I served you faithfully for thirty-two years, and Mandy twenty years. At twenty-five dollars a month for me, and two dollars a week for Mandy, our earnings would amount to eleven thousand six hundred and eighty dollars. Add to this the interest for the time our wages have been kept back, and deduct what you paid for our clothing, and three doctor's visits to me, and pulling a tooth for Mandy, and the balance will show what we are in justice entitled to. Please send the money by Adams's Express, in care of V. Winters, Esq., Dayton, Ohio. If you fail to pay us for faithful labors in the past, we can have little faith in your promises in the future. We trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me and my fathers, in making us toil for you for generations without recompense. Here I draw my wages every Saturday night; but in Tennessee there was never any pay-day for the negroes any more than for the horses and cows. Surely there will be a day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of his hire.

In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve—and die, if it come to that—than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits.

Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me.

From your old servant,

Jourdon Anderson."

I Don't Need a Man, Except...

I consider myself a strong, independent woman who doesn't require anyone's assistance and has the ability to take care of most tasks all by herself. For example, I've put flat-pack furniture together, carried heavy objects up flights of stairs, painted rooms, changed light bulbs out of my reach, put up my own shelves, taken out the trash, plunged a toilet, raked leaves, mowed lawns, etc. (the so called "man chores").  But there is one notable exception that I cannot do on my own. NOOOOOOO! It's not what you're thinking - pigs! Quite frankly, I can handle that on my own, too. Nope, what I'm talking about is automotive maintenance. I know, I know - so much for equality, but seriously, I suck at this task!

Much as I love cars and driving, I am a horrendous automobile owner. I forget to get the oil changed, or check the levels on my car's fluids, or check the tire pressure, etc.  Maintaining a car is just not a high priority for me, which is why this issue makes me feel like I have to have a mechanically inclined person in my life that I can turn to. But I have none and because I refuse to even dip my big toe into the scummy, slime-filled dating pool, I need to find an alternative to my occasional mechanical woes. I have a request for my friends with mechanically handy partners (of any gender - I know there are some women who are better at car maintenance than many men): Can I borrow your partner every couple of months or so for automotive maintenance assistance?  Trust me - you will get them back. And you will be rewarded with my world famous baked goodies, like cookies, cakes, and/or pies!  Any takers?  Anyone, anyone?  Bueller?

Dreams! Did You Know...

Back in July, when I was in the middle of TFA "training" hell, I wrote about the freaky nightmares and dreams that I was having - mostly likely due to stress. Throughout the autumn and early winter, the nightmares had all but dissipated until this week. Now I'm back to having some crazy dreams. I'm not entirely sure what caused the return -- I mean other than the stress of midterms coming up, and being a first year teacher, and feeling like I'm over my head and wishing I had some actual teacher training... But, you know, beside all that, I can't imagine why I would be having nightmares again.  :-)

While I was doing some research on dreams, I found some really fascinating facts about dreams that I was unaware of and thought I'd share.  Did you know:

1. You Forget 90% of Your Dreams: within 5 minutes of waking half of your dream is forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone.
2. Blind People Also Dream: People who became blind after birth can see images in their dreams. People who are born blind do not see any images, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion.
3. Everybody Dreams: Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder). If you think you are not dreaming – you just forget your dreams.
4. In Our Dreams We Only See Faces That We Already Know: Our mind is not inventing faces – in our dreams we see real faces of real people that we have seen during our life but may not know or remember. We have all seen hundreds of thousands of faces throughout our lives, so we have an endless supply of characters for our brain to utilize during our dreams.
5. Not Everybody Dreams in Color: A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. Studies from 1915 through to the 1950s maintained that the majority of dreams were in black and white, but these results began to change in the 1960s. Today only 4.4% of the dreams of under-25 year-olds are in black and white. Recent research has suggested that those changing results may be linked to the switch from black-and-white film and TV to color media.
6. Dreams are Symbolic: If you dream about some particular subject it is not often that the dream is about that. Dreams speak in a deeply symbolic language. Whatever symbol your dream picks on it is most unlikely to be a symbol for itself.
7. Emotions: The most common emotion experienced in dreams is anxiety. Negative emotions are more common than positive ones.
8. You Can Have 4 to 7 Dreams in One Night: On average you can dream anywhere from one or two hours every night.
9. You Spend Roughly Around 6 Years of Your Lifetime Dreaming:  Do the math: if you dream one to two hours every night, that averages out to 6 years of your life dreaming.
10. Body Paralysis: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a normal stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes. REM sleep in adult humans typically occupies 20-25% of total sleep, about 90-120 minutes of a night’s sleep. During REM sleep the body is paralyzed by a mechanism in the brain in order to prevent the movements which occur in the dream from causing the physical body to move. However, it is possible for this mechanism to be triggered before, during, or after normal sleep while the brain awakens.
11. Dream Incorporation: Our mind interprets the external stimuli that our senses are bombarded with when we are asleep and make them a part of our dreams. This means that sometimes in our dreams we hear a sound from reality and incorporate it in a way. For example you may be dreaming that you are in a concert while your brother is playing a guitar during your sleep.
12. Men and Women Dream Differently: Men tend to dream more about other men. Around 70% of the characters in a man’s dream are other men. On the other hand, a woman’s dream contains almost an equal number of men and women. Aside from that, men generally have more aggressive emotions in their dreams than the female lot.
13. Precognitive Dreams: Results of several surveys across large population sets indicate that between 18% and 38% of people have experienced at least one precognitive dream and 70% have experienced déjà  vu. The percentage of persons that believe precognitive dreaming is possible is even higher – ranging from 63% to 98%. (Precognition, also called future sight, refers to perception that involves the acquisition of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information.)
14. Animals Dream Too: Studies have been done on many different animals, and they all show the same brain waves during dreaming sleep as humans. Watch a dog sleeping sometime. The paws move like they are running and they make yipping sounds as if they are chasing something in a dream. (On average, dogs sleep around 10 to 13 hours a day, cats sleep 10 to 15 hours a day, koalas sleep 22 hours per day, and giraffes only sleep for 30 minutes a day. Oh, and bullfrogs never sleep.)
15. Ancient Artifact: The Beatty Papyrus is the oldest dream dictionary in existence. It was written around 1350 B.C. and discovered near Thebes.

Very interesting, yet strange facts about dreams. Tonight, I'll check those facts when I'm curled up snug in my bed. Nighty night.  Don't let the bed bugs bite!

Now here's one of my favorite "dream" songs:

Time to Write a Memoir...

I believe that I've just learned a valuable lesson...

watch what you ask your students to do
because they may just turn it back on you!  

I challenged my English 3 Honors class to write a memoir (a narrative composed from personal experience) as their next writing assignment. While going over the requirements for the assignment, I kept using my own battle with breast cancer as an example which caused most of my students to ask me a ton of questions about it. But I didn't want to get my students off task so I told them that I would tell them about it one day.  Instead, they asked me to write my memoir as they are writing theirs.  <sigh>  Shoot!  How do you say "no" to that request!  Therefore, I will be spending the next week or so writing my memoir. Oh well, it could be worse!

If you were tasked to write your memoir, what would your story be? I think everyone should try to write their memoir.  I say:

Whatever Happened to Flying Cars...

And does anyone really care?? 

If the information from my childhood and adolescence was even remotely credible, we should have flying cars by now. I remember watching The Jetsons tooling around Orbit City in their futuristic flying saucers, Doctor Emmett Brown and Marty McFly traveling through time to 2015 (a mere 3 years from now) in a flying DeLorean DMC-12 in Back to the Future Part II, Dick van Dyke flying over Bavaria in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang -- not to mention, Meet the Robinsons, The Fifth Element, Blade Runner and a whole host of other science fiction-based television shows and movies which show the apparent ease of using flying automobiles as regular modes of transportation. All big, fat lies! That is until recently...

Ostensibly, a company based in Woburn, MA, Terrafugia, is close to putting flying cars into production and for just under $300,000, you too could own one of these machines! (See the photo below)  But really -- would you want to? Upkeep on a automobile is difficult enough, I can't imagine how much harder a flying car would be. Additionally, how convenient would this vehicle be? First you have to drive to a local airport, fly to another airport, and then drive to your destination. Not exactly the best way to get to work in the morning. Plus, with a $300,000 price tag, this gadget is definitely for the rich and the shameless!  If you have that kind of money to throw away, please contact me and I can give you better ideas on where you can put your money!  (And yes, I meant that the way it sounded!)

I know most people joke about where are the flying cars, but I'll gladly give up on that during my lifetime. It seems a little ridiculous. But I would like to know when time travel will be available. To have the opportunity to travel to the past or the future... now, that would be an amazing feat!