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Go-Cart-Mania
Article posted November 28, 2007 at 12:08 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 15679
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Sometimes when I think about my school years, I picture "Spanky and Our Gang." We were all poor, with no toys. So we had to create our fun. Some of my best memories were our self-made go-cart races.
Every summer the kids in the neighborhood would raid backyards, junkyards and the old mining sheds to collect the best trash ever! This trash, after a week of pounding rusty nails, and wiring old slats together would magically turn into a go-cart. The only go-cart rulewhat was that the object had to have a brave rider that would be willing to coast the monstrosity down Blackbottom Hill.
My friend Vikki and had built an unusual machine, not as fast as we wanted, but it did fit a rider. Now, who will take a test drive? Well, I didn't want to and neither did she, so Vikki volunteered her younger brother Michael. He was 5 and didn't know any better. So with promises of candy and icecream, Vikki tied Michael into the go cart... we did not want him to fall out on his way down the hill. One great shove and he was off.
Michael finished his ride in under a minute. That go-cart flew down Blackbottom Hill, and at the bottom; it hit the curb and Michael and the cart were airborne. The go-cart finally crashed into a fence, and so did Michael.
We raced down the hill... screaming. Michael was screaming and full of blood. He ended up going to the emergency room to receive numerous stitches in his lip, nose and cheek. Vikke got the whippin of her life and was banned from seeing me for a week. We never did repair that go-cart!
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Article posted November 28, 2007 at 12:08 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 15679
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Thank You... CK
Article posted November 28, 2007 at 12:03 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 313
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Dear CK,
I enjoy listening to you and hearing your thoughts. I had been feeling the same way about writing, but when you said, "I love writing!" I knew I had to do something about our day. SOOOOO... from now on, students will have their choice as to 30 minutes of reading or writing. And guess what? I even looking in my cupboard and I do have extra journals... but I thing rather than a journal a spiral would be much better. Somehow a spiral seems more like a professional writer, don't you think?
Well, I just wanted you to know that I value your opinion.
"D"
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Article posted November 28, 2007 at 12:03 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 313
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The Milk Truck
Article posted November 26, 2007 at 08:01 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 320
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"Here comes the truck!" I heard the kids at recess yell. As I watched, a sea of children parted to let the daily milk truck onto the school property. The truck paused so all the first and second graders could move out of the way. Little did the unsuspecting driver know... as he paused a whole group of boys decided that it would be great fun to jump onto the rear of the truck and hitch a ride around to the back of the school. And that is exactly what happened.
But that is not the end of this memory. The driver happened to look in his rear view mirror and saw 12 kids all hanging on for dear life. Well of course he tried to get them off, but these kids had the grip of tenacious sloths. So 12 kids got their wish, a ride on the truck. But these kids, the milk truck dozen, also got something else. For after the driver delivered the milk he went into the school to visit with the principal. When asked who jumped on the truck, the driver said, "I couldn't see anything. But I do know that these kids were boys and they all had on belts." And so all boys in first and second grade with belts got a paddle from the principal. I know this for a fact, my brother was one of those 12, and I couldn't wait to get home and tell my mom and dad about my brother's adventure. My adventure was watching him get a second paddle from my parents.
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Article posted November 26, 2007 at 08:01 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 320
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Miss Conkle
Article posted November 16, 2007 at 11:04 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 328
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Here's to Miss Conkle...
may she rest in peace,
be she in heaven or the other place...
I'm relieved she's left the human race!
Miss Conkle, my first grade teacher, still makes me shiver in fear. My earliest memory of her...
Our class of tiny people was sitting after lunch. We were quiet as mice. Miss Conkle was getting ready to read a story to us. She sat at her desk. A gigantic flat wooden stick was laid horizontally in front of her. "If you talk while I am reading, you will get this," she said softly as she pointed to her wooden friend. Miss Conkle never had to yell, or wait for kids to get quiet. I can not remember her ever getting up from her desk to walk around and help us learn to read or write!
Did she every use her "paddle"? You bet. In our class of tiny people there was a girl called Roberta. A couple times a week she would mess in her pants. So a couple times a week Miss Conkle would pull Roberta behind the 'cloak' room and paddle her with the wooden friend. All of us could hear the whacks and cries. Roberta would then be sent home. At least that is where we thought she went.
I often wonder if my memories of Miss Conkle are accurate. That is the problem with memories. A memory is forever stuck at the age it was made.
So I remember Miss Conkle as a 5 year old might!
Thank you Miss Conkle. Because of you I learned that children do not learn through fear, but through nurturing a talent that each child has. "Kind words, and a gentle nature will move a child further on his journey than any wooden friend."
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Article posted November 16, 2007 at 11:04 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 328
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MEMORIES
Article posted November 16, 2007 at 10:50 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 337
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The title sounds like an old 70's movie, or better yet, a song by a famous singer! In this instance is represents a series of articles that my students and I will be completing. Memories are snapshots of the life we live. These images become part of who we are. So here is to our memories, may they shape us to be the best possible person we can be.
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Article posted November 16, 2007 at 10:50 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 337
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It Is About Time
Article posted November 16, 2007 at 10:43 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 172
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My blogging has been left in the dust this year. I do not know why! I love to write! I especially love to share my thoughts...but time seems to have run away from me. It seems like my days are filled with chasing kids and papers. I chase kids down to be sure their WNL scripts are complete. I chase down papers to make sure that grades are well rounded and just. So right here and now, I promise to myself, that I will write, write and write!
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Article posted November 16, 2007 at 10:43 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 172
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New Year New Chance
Article posted September 10, 2007 at 09:36 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 151
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Every fall kids and teachers get the chance to start over. It seems like a lot of work, and it is... but starting over also means a chance to change what you do not like about what happened last year. New means making more friends, and relating to people in a different way. School is the only place that that change is planned, and being a teacher makes me realize that I like that change.
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Article posted September 10, 2007 at 09:36 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 151
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New Year's Resolution
Article posted January 19, 2007 at 11:02 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 161
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Each New Year’s Eve my hubby and I share wine and cheese; watch movies and make resolutions. These efforts at self-improvement give me an opportunity to look back at the old year and ring in the new. This year I decided to be more organized during the school day… more organized with agendas, behavior folders, assignments of the board, and my time. “School again,” my hubby exclaimed, “you spend too much time there as it is!”
“That’s the point of the resolution,” I replied. My thought is that a more organized time would mean less time!”
“We live in hope,” my hubby retorted.
How am I going to accomplish this elephant? Well, one small bite at a time… is the logical answer. Each evening, I will get the assignments for the next day up, to include homework. Each morning, I will check agenda and signatures, making sure that students have the correct items copied. At this time I will also stamp, behavior folders. One less thing to collect will give me a little more home time. The 30 minutes in the morning will be used for small group work. Kids that need a little extra help, or need to make corrections on prior work will be guided into making better
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Article posted January 19, 2007 at 11:02 AM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 161
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And One To Grow On
Article posted November 29, 2006 at 07:09 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 158
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“December 1st is coming up,” said my husband, “you know what that means.”
“Yes, I know, my birthday,” I replied. “My question to you, is… am I going to have to pay for my birthday dinner?” Every birthday celebration in the Dixon household means dinner at a special restaurant. And even though I ended up paying for last year’s birthday, I love our family birthday celebrations.
When we celebrate family birthdays, the birthday person picks the birthday place. Dan always likes to go to OutBack Steakhouse, and Kate enjoys P.F. Changs. Jon is not fussy, he likes anything. My hubby and I usually go Tex-Mex. And so I chose Tomitillos on Broadway for last year’s birthday dinner. The meal started out with chips and salsa. We were all over that appetizer like an army of ants on a lump of sugar. After devouring chips, we each had our own entrée, which we shared, of course. I enjoy predicting what my son Dan will pick. He usually gets the most unusual, expensive item on the menu. Once when we were eating at Red Lobster, he ordered shark fin soup!
Our birthday dinners allow us time to share our lives. We always exchange stories. Last birthday I shared Vincent’s name for my car; the Green Bath Tub. Mr. Dixon was not amused. And then there was Sammy. The class called him, “Mr. Funny Guy”. Sammy was the jokester of the classroom. His most successful prank was putting white corn syrup on my teacher’s chair. I still have the black pants that prove the staying power of that sweetener. There is always a lot of laughter as each of us shares tidbits of our lives.
Birthday celebrations mean that each of us celebrates every other person’s birthday…. So it is better than Christmas or Thanksgiving that come only once a year. We have 6 family members so that is six celebrations.
This year, my birthday comes on Friday, December 1st. I haven’t picked the place yet or the day and time. As the kids get older, getting all of us together becomes difficult. Our schedules don’t match, and Joy now lives close to 5 hours away - maybe that’s why these celebrations are so special…our time together is limited. Who knows how many birthday’s any of us have left? So I plan to enjoy to the fullest each and every one. Happy Birthday, to me!
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Article posted November 29, 2006 at 07:09 PM GMT0 •
comment • Reads 158
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The Witte Museum
Article posted August 29, 2006 at 08:18 PM GMT0 •
comment (2) • Reads 163
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The other day I went on a field trip to the Witte Museum. It seemed like a pretty tame trip, so I wasn't worried. What could possibly go wrong 10 minutes from school? I was wrong! Two things happened that really had me in a snit. First of all, I did not put the class name on our lunch boxes and when we were ready to eat, we couldn't find our boxes. Secondly one student from another class got stuck on the bike. We couldn't figure out how to get her back. She just rolled out into the middle of the track and didn't have enough power to get back. Finally the person monitoring the bike reached way out and pulled her in off the bike. I was really relieved. The kids seemed to have a great time, but I was exhausted. After school I went to the Yogurt Shop, bought a quart of frozen chocolate and vanilla yogurt, sat in the dark and ate the whole thing. Yum, Yum, I felt better.
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Article posted August 29, 2006 at 08:18 PM GMT0 •
comment (2) • Reads 163
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My Classes & Students
About the Blogger
This blogger loves teaching, and has taught all over the world. She enjoys planning exciting investigations for kids to solve and working with the WNL Newsteam. Her classroom explodes with computers and ideas - she is a continual learner and strives to create a classroom atmosphere in which kids feel the same. You will often find her walking her dog or working at her classroom.
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