10 things that a teacher will never tell you

i've been reading these in reader's digest for the last couple of months so i thought i would create one of my own. so here goes: 10 things teachers would like you to know-

1. most of the time the problem is not the student but the parent!

2. all teachers have their favorite students but the great teacher will never let anyone, especially the students, know who they are.

3. i love my job, which is teaching.

4. i hate all the other stuff i have to do, paperwork, meetings, etc.

5. never met a teacher yet who thought "the test" measured anything that the students actually learned while they were on her/his watch.

6. administrators need to know that we need some specific praise just like the kids do.

7. when we are out on break we are just as excited about missing school as the kids are : )

8. we cry over our kids b/c we love them.

9. we spend our own money not only for class supplies but to buy girl scout cookies, be a sponser for a student in a beauty pageant, buy a student paper, pencil, dictionaries and any other supplies they need, and the list goes on.

10. we are mom, dad, grandma, nurse, counselor, confidant all rolled into one.

offeratory disaster

oh my what a mess! this morning i had put my music for the lord's supper on the piano out of the way b/c i was sharing the piano this morning. i had also put my offeratory music on the shelf that is beside the piano. now i have 3 books plus the song book i'm playing from for the first song of the morning worship at the piano.

well, we sing the first set and the second set where the band played this morning, which was awesome btw! then as the prayer is being said before the offering is taken up, i pick up my music that i'm going to play for offeratory at the end of the prayer. i pick up one book open it to the first page and it's not the right song so i'm thinking, ok, i just picked up the wrong book. both of the piano books remember are on the piano. i pick up the other book, open it to the first song, it's not the right piano piece either!! so now i'm thinking i just have the wrong page. at this point the prayer is winding down! i frantically begin to search the book in my hands for the song! it's not there. i pick up the other book and search... nada! now i'm really in a panic! the deacon says amen and i got nothin'!!

i tell keith to say something, anything! my drummer looks at me and i tell him i can't find my music, he looks on the roland to see if i left it there when i played with the band, nope! so as keith is talking i begin to look for something else to play. i find, here i am to worship. i'm thinking, ok, i've played this at home, i know this one. NOOOOOOOO! WRONG VERSION! but now i'm already into the piece and realize i have never played this version in my life!!!

it sounded like something the cat would play with his paws. it was awful! anyway, i struggle through, humiliated. when i sit down and keith starts to preach i begin to go through the 2 books ( remember i said i had 3?) i thought my piece was in. it is no where to be found so now i'm thinking i have lost my mind or have had a blackout and we need to get to the emergency room for a ct scan of my brain!

when church is over and i'm gathering up my stuff i look over on the shelf beside the piano and what do i see? there is my music with my piece in it.

i will play this piece for church tonight, lol!

50 questions

50 of the most random things you probably never needed to know about someone. REPOST WITH YOUR ANSWERS

1. whats your name spelled backwards? arbeD nnA yngiveS senoJ

2. What did you do last night? watched it snow! had a paninni for supper, watched a little bit of a movie

3. The last thing you downloaded onto your computer? pictures

4. Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery? No. duh!

5. Last time you swam in a pool? last summer

6. What are you wearing? houseshoes, sweatpants, sweatshirt, socks

7. How many cars have you owned? Personally owned 1, every other car has been owned with my hubby : )

8. Type of music you dislike most? ANY southern gospel or country

9. Are you registered to vote? Yes, since 1971

10. Do you have cable? Yes

11. What kind of computer do you use? laptop hp, at school pc acer

12. Ever made a prank phone call? yep

13. You like anyone right now? my husband : )

14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? skydiving if i had the chance

15. Furthest place you ever traveled? france and england

16.Do you have a garden? Yes, several flower gardens, vegetable & flower patches

17. What's your favorite comic strip? pearls before swine and zits

18. Do you know all the words to the national anthem? Yes

19. Shower, morning or night? never in the morning, yuck! bath or shower at night

20. Best movie you've seen in the past month? haven't been this month
21. Favorite pizza toppings?white pizza with extra cheese

22. Chips or popcorn? chips, fritoes to be exact : )

23. What cell phone provider do you have? ATT

24. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? uh, no

25. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? Nope

26. Orange Juice or apple? OJ.

27. Who were the last people you sat at lunch with? - or + 116 6th graders

28. What is your favorite chocolate bar? it's not a chocolate bar, it's mercier's truffles, champagne or grande marnier

29. Who is your longest friend and how long? mr. b

30. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? If you count canned, in the last week. Raw on a sandwich, middle of last fall.

31. Have you ever won a trophy? yes, teacher of the year

32.Favorite artist? monet

33. Favorite computer game? word drop or any word game

34. Ever ordered from an infomercial? No.

35. Sprite or 7-UP? Usually Sprite

36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work? Yes. Not school, but work.

37. Last thing you bought at Walgreens? Rented a movie from the Red Box outside.

38. Ever thrown up in public? Yes, don't need to detail, ha-ha

39. Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love? I found my true love. Definitely superior to being a millionaire, or even billionaire.

40. Do you believe in love at first sight? yes, i'm living proof : )

41.Can exes just be friends? i think so

42. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? heather

43. Did you have long hair as a young kid? yes

44. What message is on your voicemail machine? the one that i keep forgetting to change!

45. Where would you like to go right now? virginia to see my daddy

46. What was the name of your first pet? of all things, a dog named fluffy seeing as how i am a cat person

47. What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it? black satchel; pens, pencils, notebook, book for school

48. Last incoming/outgoing call on your phone? incoming, oma and daddy, outgoing, jim to talk to bonnie

49. What is one thing you are grateful for today? too many to name, i am one blessed woman!

50. What do you think about most? keith, family and work, always work....

BONUS Question added by EKJ: What's your favorite hobby or similar activity? reading, cleaning ( although my family says it's an obsession), cooking, playing piano with new music

snow days

snow days! most people up here don't like them but when you are from the deep south like i am, i can't get enough of them! i had never even heard of such a thing as a snow day until i went to college. i love them and nobody will make me change my mind, ha-ha!

i will watch movies tonight, sleep late in the morning, linger over breakfast and have a second or third cup of coffee in my pajamas. the house is already clean so tomorrow is a treat : )

LOVE ME SOME SNOW DAYS!

christmas, oh, christmas

it is so hard to believe that christmas is here, it seems like just yesterday it was christmas. time sure is going by quickly!

well , all the shopping is done, if not the shipping, school is out for 2 glorious weeks and LMU is out until january 15th. i came home today from shopping and having breakfast with matt and tasha and then lunch with them and heather, jayden, jim and bonnie changed to warm sweat pants and hoody, warm socks, a toasty fire, soft couch, comfortable quilt and a good book and stayed that way for hours! it was... i don't think there is a word for how great it was!

we are staying home this christmas which is a blessing. we will miss our loved ones far away but i think keith and i need a rest. church is going well but it keeps us busy. we have to remind ourselves not to get so caught up in the "doing" of church that we forget why we are doing it!

i love middle school but i feel in some ways that i am a new teacher all over again. new team, new curriculum, new duties! it is exciting but exhausting, too.

and then there is the specialist degree. much reading and writing and projects! i am so glad that tasha is doing this with me b/c between the 2 of us 1 of us is sure to know what is going on, : )

i pray that God will continue to give me the stamina to continue all that i am involved in at this time. but at the same time i am so thankful to have the health to do all these things. i remember several times when i wasn't able to get up and do, so i remind myself to be thankful!

lord, help me remember why we celebrate this season. that you loved us so much you willingly gave your child for us. miracle beyond measure!

school, home and church

where do i begin? i know why i'm going back to school (purely worldly) to make more money and that makes me kind of sad. the only way teachers can get raises, especially with the economy, is to go back to school. i'm enjoying doing this with tasha, who is amazing. the girl works like a whirling dervish! but i'm a little disappointed b/c so far all i'm doing is a repeat of my master's degree work. i just keep reminding myself that this time next year i'll be done and will see the "fruits of my labor."

the praise team at church got a very nice compliment from our guest speaker and his wife. they heard us last sunday and we also sang for the beginning of the program they presented at our church on saturday, at their request. we have worked so hard to be sure that we are first of all leading the people in worship and that our music is a blessing. well, the compliment was that our music is truly annointed! we could not have a bigger assurance from jesus that we are in his will with the music!

the other thing that is happening at church is that this thursday we are opening a soup kitchen for folks in our area. this came about by keith's preaching on being a light to others. he asked people to put down on paper what they would be willing to work for and to see happen at church and this was one of the ideas. there are about a dozen people helping with this project! what a blessing : )

the youth group continues to be a bright spot in my life. we are consistently running anywhere from 10 to 12 on wednesday nights. i love seeing these young folks grow in the lord and for them keeping me young! one of "my boys" told me the other week that for someone with white hair i sure didn't act old, ha-ha. we are going to the corn maze in dawsonville saturday. one of the many reasons i love being a youth leader.

my job at school has kept me hopping. i told our curriculum director that it was very unsettling to be new and old at the same time. after all, this is not my first rodeo but it is my first time being at middle school. i still feel a little unsure of myself but they haven't asked me to leave so i guess i'm doing ok. i do love teaching 6th grade, although they are not that much different from older 5th graders. i'm thinking that the change happens after christmas break, that's when we always saw a difference in our 5th graders. i have a wonderful team who have taken me in : ) the day sure flies by b/c of all the classes.

i guess i'll close for now. ttyl

sadness

jean reeves let us know that pulitzer prize winner david finkel has written a book called the good soldier. in it he details josh's death. it will be 2 years in a week or two since his death. it is still so hard to deal with his death and if it is hard for us i can not even begin to imagine the pain his family goes through everyday. please keep his family in your prayers.

we love you, josh.