Canned Food Drama

The annual canned food drive at school ended yesterday.

I told my third period class I wouldn't give them homework over the break if we won-

We didn't win.

I am not giving them homework.

I do think it is absolutely hillarious that the teacher who won got so competitive, that she went to the store yesterday at lunch, after she heard she was losing to us, and bought enough cans to beat my class. As we speak, my students are declaring the injustices of how the crown was stolen from them by a last second trip to the store. Oh, the joys of junior high.

It probably would have been cheaper to just buy your class pizza, then to buy all the cans. My students contributed 279 cans to the cause. The winning class 311.

Oh well- it all goes to the Food Bank and helps feed hungry families during the Holiday Season.

Can't we all just be happy and feel good that we helped the needy this time of year?

The joy of junior high drama and the canned food drive.

Survival Mode

Teachers are just as guilty as the students when it comes to counting down to Christmas Break. We hope the week before will go by super fast, so we can get to the much anticipated break. Sometimes, it just seems to last forever. How do you survive the week before Christmas Break?



10. Assign your students lots of book work, so they have to sit and work quietly and they don't bug you. (Please note, I am not doing that this week!)



9. Give your students a quiz/test so you can sit and do nothing while they take it. (Please note, I am doing this tomorrow- one down side, I then have to grade the quiz.)



8. Sign up to bring treats to the daily grazing table in the copy room



7. Make a deliberate effort to avoid the copy room at all costs- the temptation is just too great!



6. Partake in the Secret Santa gift exchange (sad face here because our school did not do one this year)



5. Get super competitive about the canned food drive at school and bribe, blackmail, and motivate your students at all costs in order to achieve the super classroom status as winner of the canned food drive



4. Continue counting the minutes until Christmas Break has arrived



3. Make long to do lists and continue to avoid and neglect them every night



2. Assign difficult homework to tortue your students



1. Just give up and resign yourself to the fact that despite your most amazing efforts, your students are not remembering anything you teach that week.

Week in Reflection

Last week was a pretty significant week. First, it snowed 8 inches in Boise on Tuesday night, resulting in a snow day for the Boise School District!!! Only my 2nd snow day in seven years teaching. Awesome!! The snow did cause our tree in our backyard to snap as well. That is going to be messy to clean up!

Then, LJ and I did lots of car shopping. My Infiniti was coming to the end. It has been a good car, with 216,000 miles on it. It was just time for us to move on. So Friday night we bought a 2008 Ford Edge. I like it- it was a little more then I wanted to spend a little less then that, but it is a good car and I like it. It should last a long time.

The Christmas decorations are up and the snow continues to fall. Good times in Boise, Idaho!