Revisiting 2005

Last month my journal celebrated its second anniversary on the 12th, and I forgot all about it!  So in honor of that March, I'm reprinting an entry from March 31, 2005 about Eler Beth and the word "grounded".  The entry is entitled --

I Wish The Word "Grounded" Was Never Invented!

She had kept putting off doing an assignment all week that is due tomorrow, therefore the late night.  And while I was trying to help her AND do her hair at the same time I got a little bit of attitude.  The attitude didn't improve after a warning, but got worse, therefore the grounding.  Now that the hair is done, the assignment complete and in the backpack, and frayed nerves have been smoothed somewhat, regret has set in.  Suddenly someone remembers what she's going to be missing out on tomorrow evening if she is grounded.  And now she wishes the word had never been invented.

I don't ever remember being grounded when I was a kid.  I can remember being spanked, made to stand in the corner, or denied some treat, but I don't think my parents were ever aware of the term "grounded".  I was born in 1966, the youngest of seven children, to parents in their forties.  I honestly don't think "grounded" was in their vocabulary.   And if I had ever been grounded, what would I have been grounded from?  Reading?  That's all I ever did.   We didn't have video games back then.  No computer.  We lived out in the country, so it wasn't as if neighborhood kids would be knocking on the door to see if we could come out to play.  I guess in my teens I could have been grounded off the phone.  Come to think of it that would have been really bad!  Or denied going to a friend's house, having a friend over, or using the car.  Yes, I guess there were a few things I could have been grounded from.  But I never was.  I was a good girl.  No drinking, smoking, partying, running around, breaking curfews or sneaking out!  Wow, I must have been boring.  I don't think being boring has scarred me, however!  

These kids of ours have so many things we didn't have, and so many opportunities that weren't open to us, that I actually feel guilty when I DO have to take something away from them.  And I really shouldn't because it isn't going to hurt them in the long run.  It is going to make them more appreciative of the things they have.  Yeah, that's right.  So, here's to the person who "invented" the word "grounded"!  All hail!!  Long live groundings! 

Sunny Sunday Morning

Good Sunday morning J-Land!

After a brief early morning shower, we're having a sunny, mild day here in Southern Indiana.

I have been MIA for quite a while now, but now I'm back.  Last week was Spring Break.  We didn't go away anywhere, but we did have a few local activities that kept the kids and me busy.  Our weather has been superb; actually it had been just a wee bit too warm for early Spring, but I have enjoyed it.  My flowering almond is flowering; my lilac bush and my rose of sharon bushes are leafing out beautifully; hostas, irises, live-forever plants, etc. are coming up, greening up, or budding up.

I have spent nice mornings on my front porch, sipping tea and reading, or shady evenings in a lawn chair in the back yard, reading and watching Eler Beth and the dogs playing.  I have actually read five books in the past week!  I hadn't been on a book-reading binge like that in a long time!  It felt good.

I hope everyone out there is having a wonderful Sunday, April 1, and watch out for those pranksters today!

April Reminders

   Have you performed your monthly self-exam??  Is this the month you should have your yearly mammogram scheduled??  Just a reminder!

Oh, and don't forget to click to fund free mammograms!

                                                  

Tags: Fund Free Mammograms

April

 

LADY APRIL by Richard Le Galliene

So, April, here thou art again,

      Thou pretty, pretty lady!

With broidered skirts of sunkissed rain --

      A grown-up girl, already!

Thy sister May

Is on her way,

     And June, with tresses shady;

But, of the three,

I love best thee --

     Thou pretty, pretty lady!

 

Thou hauntest all the sobering year,

     With echos of thy laughter;

And life is nought till though appear,

     And but remembrance after.

Though Autumn's yield

From garth and field

     Run o'er from floor to rafter,

Thy wild-rose breast

Haunts all the rest,

     And makes it poor with laughter.

 

                         

This is one of the very few poems that I memorized when I was a child and that I can still remember.  It wasn't something I was assigned to memorize; I simply found it in a book once, loved it, and committed it to memory. 

April was always my favorite month, I suppose because it is my birth month and also the first full month of Spring, my favorite season.  I love most of LaGalliene's poetry, but this one was always special to me.  My ten-year-old self was charmed by the flow and cadence of the simple, pretty words.

Tags: Richard LeGalliene, Lady April, Poetry

Spring Has Sprung!

The first day of Spring has decided it is going to be a beautiful one in our neck of the woods!  Not even noon yet and it is 70 degrees.

The day has demanded that lessons be cut short.  Flower beds are begging to be cleaned out.  Dirt is longing to be played in.  Eler Beth and I have decided to oblige them all.

Tags: First day of Spring

Survivor: The Classroom

One of my sisters, a teacher, sent this to me today.  I thought it was pretty good:

Next season's Survivor show:

SURVIVOR: school classroom island

Have you heard about the next planned "Survivor" show?

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Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in a school classroom for 6 weeks. They will be assigned 2 weeks to an elementary school, 2 weeks to a middle school, and 2 weeks to a high school. Each business person will be provided with a copy of his/her school district's curriculum, and a class of 28-32 students.

Each class will have seven learning-disabled children, four with A.D.D., one gifted child, and two who speak limited English. Three will be labeled with severe behavior problems.

Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize, or create materials accordingly. They will be required to teach students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also, at all times be ready to supervise any “unsupervised” students and monitor the hallways.

In addition, they will complete fire drills, tornado drills, and [Code Red] drills for shooting attacks. 

They must attend workshops, donate 24 hours of professional development to the district, attend faculty meetings, union meetings, attend curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor those students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the CATS test and meet satisfactory goals of the No Child Left Behind Act.  If they are sick or having a bad day they must not let it show.

Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into all areas of study. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment at all times.

The business people will only have access to the golf course on the weekends, but on their new salary they will not be able to afford it anyway.  There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and lunchwill be limited to 20 minutes.  The business people will be permitted to use the staff restroom during their planning period, and if they need the bathroom anyother time, they may go as long as another survival candidate is supervising their class.

They will be provided with one 40-minute planning each day while their students are at special areas.

If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials at this time. They cannot surpass their daily limit.  The business people must continually advance their education on their own time and with their own money.

The winner will be allowed to return to his or her job.

Pass this to your friends who think teaching is easy and to the ones that know it is hard.

And In The Center Ring....

I took Eler Beth and her friend to the circus tonight at the National Guard Armory!

We didn't go to the big Kosair Shriners' Circus in February that comes every year to Louisville and plays at Freedom Hall.  But the one we went to tonight, although a much smaller circus, was so much more fun!

And Eler Beth even got to perform!

At one point they called for two girls and two boys out of the audience to participate in a hula-hoop contest.  Eler Beth had her hand raised, and I just knew the Ringmaster was going to pick her.  She was the first one picked.  The audience had to cheer for the one they thought was the best, and it came down to Eler Beth and the other little girl.  Everyone sitting around us yelled as loud as they could for Eler Beth, but the other little girl was proclaimed the winner.  Eler Beth said that was okay, she didn't mind coming in second.  What an experience!

(During the elephant act a little while after the hula contest, both elephants answered the call of nature while in the ring, and Eler Beth whispered to me, "I don't care if they have another contest, I'm not going back in there now!")

Circus Pages is a small circus, but they put on a wonderful show; especially as far as the acrobatics go.  All the performers are multi-talented.  They come to our area once or twice a year, but we'd never gone to their show before.

The girls got to ride an elephant, so I'll probably post pics of that soon.  I spent a fortune, but we had a great time!

Tags: Circus Pages