Always Check Your Children's Homework

My friend, Kari, sent me this email. I thought it was pretty funny.
The mom actually works at Home Depot and she's selling a shovel :)

Husker Pride

I come fron a long line of Huskers. I was born and raised in NE, and if you've never been to NE on game day, all you'll see is Red. We Huskers have our rivals, too. Oklahoma and Texas are two big ones, but we hate no one more than the Colorado Buffs. Every year, they are our biggest game, and we alternate every other year playing in CO and NE. This year, the game was in Lincoln at Memorial Stadium.

A fun fact for you: The stadium holds around 86,000 people, and it's been sold out since 1963.

For the game yesterday, my entire family sported Husker gear to show our support. We headed to Loveland to watch the game on the BIG screen. Here are some pictures of the family:

Case wasn't too thrilled to be held by me.

My mom, dad and me.

Case and Jeff.

Case and Shannon. Case just isn't sure what to do about all the yelling.

Me, Shan, Case and mom.

Celebrations after the Huskers made the winning play.

The only two Huskers missing from this picture is Carson and Kye (they were too busy playing). Notice Katie isn't in the picture. She's not a Husker and refused to even take the picture. Jeff, Case, Me, Ben (Collin's best friend), Collin, mom, dad and Shannon.

What do you do after the Huskers win a HUGE game? You play Rock Band, of course!!!

And sword fight with Grandpa Doug:

Carson got Grandpa Doug in the stomach!

And then you take off your shirt and dance...

Thanksgiving Pictures

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful. My aunt, uncle and two cousins from Thornton came down for the day. Collin, Katie and the boys were here. Katie's parents were supposed to come, but Mark was so sick he stayed home in bed for the day :( Mom and dad were here, as well as Jeff's mom, Jan. And of course, Shan, Jeff, Case and I were around. We had good food, good drinks and lots of laughs. Here are some pics to show the day:
While the adults were eating and having a good time, the boys were off being a little mischievous. Carson was playing Wii, and he's pretty good for a 4 1/2 year old. Kyler, on the other hand, wasn't being so good. We found him digging in the pie. If you can't tell from the picture, he dug his fingers into 1/4 of the pie before we found him covered in sticky pie. Case was off sitting in his toy bucket, content to be playing by himself.

Follow the Leader

I really don't like to follow. I consider myself a natural born leader, and I strive and am most ME when I am doing the leading. Because of a few dominant relationships in my life, I have learned to sit back and compromise, but I don't always feel like the real ME when I do that. It makes me sad.

When I saw others posting blogs about what they are thankful for, my instant thought was, "I'm not going to do that." But I would be cheating myself and others if I didn't take a moment to say what I am thankful for. I am, however, going to put a spin on it and spice it up from others I have read.

Things I am thankful for:

Tomorrow. If I'm having a bad day, there's always tomorrow.
Happiness. I have been blessed with a wonderful family who makes me happy.
April. I thank God everyday for healing my best friend of cancer.
Nephews. I love my three little guys and the unborn, as well.
Kisses. Need I explain?
Sweets. I love my candy, ice cream, and M&M's.
God. It is Christ in my life that gives me hope.
Ignorance. Sometimes ignorance IS bliss.
Veggies. Yes, believe it or not, I eat a lot of veggies.
Impulsiveness. Not that I AM impulsive, but sometimes it's OK to buy that fabulous purse on a whim.
Nebraska. We're going to kick CU's arse on Friday!
Gluten. Since being told I can't eat it, I appreciate it that much more.


Things that didn't make the list:
*Family
*Friends
*Shopping
*My students
*Columbine High School
*Snow
*My bed
*My clothes
*My Master's degree. I feel so much smarter today than I did a week ago.

Basically what I'm saying is I'm pretty thankful for my life. I'm living in a pretty good world. My world.

My First Massage

I swear, sometimes I don't think things through very well. I get myself into weird situations, and it's all because I have a hard time saying no and I don't like confrontations. Let me start at the beginning...

Last week was teacher appreciation week at Columbine, so a massage therapist came to the school to give a free 10 minute massage to all teachers. My cooperating teacher went first, and she came back and said, "Beware, they try to talk you into coming into their office to pay for a massage. Be prepared to say no." I had it all planned out in my head. "No, thanks, I don't need a massage. I'm unemployed right now and broker than a joke." I rehearsed the entire way to the office. "No thanks, I think I'll pass this time."

I walked into the office, and there stood a very good looking man around my age. I knew I was in trouble. He gave me my free 10 minute massage, and the entire time I was rehearsing what I was going to say. "Give me your business card and I'll call you once I have a job and am receiving a regular paycheck." This was going through my head over and over again.

Once he was done with my massage, he asked the dreaded question. "Would you be interested in coming into my office for an hour massage? We're doing a special discount for teachers."

I opened my mouth to say no. "What's the discount?" I asked instead.

"Ten dollars off an hour massage."

"Ok, when can I come?"

I set up my appointment for today. I left the office kicking myself for saying yes, but I was also excited to receive my first massage. Especially my first massage with a cute boy!

It wasn't until hours later that I realized I would have to get naked in front of this boy. Like I said, I sure do get myself into stupid situations. I've been stressing out about my massage all weekend. This morning, I took extra time to shave all my parts. All day long, I had a knot in my stomach thinking about getting naked. By the time I got to the massage office, I was sweating and shaking all over. And to top it off, I was scared to death my feet were going to stink.

I got naked and laid down on the table. The cute therapist came in and told me to relax. I was so freaked out about him touching me that I couldn't relax. I was tense the entire time!!! Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a massage??? I was so tense I was clenching my jaw.

Anyway, the massage was great, and I'm sure I'll treat myself again sometime. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, and the cute boy didn't see as much as I thought he would. I am glad I wore my cute underwear, though. Now that I'm home from my massage, I can relax a little bit.

Troubles at School

I've had a problem student for a few weeks, but things kind of blew up this weekend/today. Let me first refresh your memory. This is the same student I blogged about a few weeks ago. She asked to go to the nurses station because she wasn't feeling well. She left and never came back, so I sent a student to find her. I found out she had not been to the nurses station, but she tried lying to me about it by telling me she had been to the nurse. I told her I knew the truth, which she finally admitted she had been in the lunch room, and I told her she would not be allowed to leave my room again since she had lied to me.

A few days later, I blogged about this same student who was skipping my class and telling her mom I was making the mistake. She was telling her mom she had been in class and I was mistakenly marking her absent. Her mom has been emailing me off and on over the past few weeks telling me I'm making a mistake and I need to change the attendance record to state that this student has been present.

This student missed the entire week last week. Her mom called me on Friday to again tell me that her daughter was telling her she had been in class and that I was making a mistake. Over the phone, the parent told me that her daughter was missing class because all her friends had second lunch (which is when my English class meets). Her mother wanted me to change her schedule so her daughter could eat lunch with all her friends. Then she again accused me of making a mistake with her daughter's attendance because her daughter was adamant that she was present.

Yesterday, I received an email from this mother accusing me of losing all of her daughter's homework (did I mention her daughter is failing because she is missing about 10 assignments?) and for making a mistake on her daughter's attendance. She stated she would be calling my teacher to make sure the correction was made.

I wrote a friendly email back telling the mother that I was not making a mistake and if her daughter was telling her she was present, then perhaps her daughter should tell her mother what we were learning about in class. I didn't hear back from the mother yesterday.

Today, my cooperating teacher called the mother and basically told the mother her daughter was lying to her. Then my teacher went and filed a complaint with the assistant principal, Around the same time, I received the following email from my student:

this is b and im getting into alot of trouble cuz u keep on marking me absent in ur class this week. i was there on wednesday, thursday, and friday!! u marked me unexcused absent and its getting me really mad because im finally deciding to try really hard to pass ur class this year and u keep on making mistakes with my attendence!! i have also turned in a couple of assiignments to u tht u still havnt upgraded in the gradebook. please just be careful with my attendence from now on cus i promised my parents to go to class and u are getting me into soo much trouble!!! thanx

The AP then had the student come into the office. She continued to lie and state that I had lost her homework and was making the mistake. After a while, my student finally admitted she was lying. She had to call her mom and admit she had been lying, and she has In-School-Suspension tomorrow. After all this went down, I was positive this student would come to class today, but I was wrong.

She skipped my class again. After class, I had to go to the Tech Lab to do something. The door was locked, so I knocked on the door. Guess who answered the door? This student. She was so shocked to see me. She hid her face with her hand and quickly walked away. I started to laugh because of the shock on her face to see me at the door.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens if/when she finally decides to come to class. I might have to respond to the email by saying, "OMG, ur email made me lol!"

Thanksgiving Funnies

I Have a Crush

The other day during lunch in the teacher's lounge, a teacher was saying that people over the age of 18 do not have crushes. I don't normally speak up and shout out my opinion during these lunchroom conversations, but this was one subject I was going to speak up on. I told him I disagreed with him on his comment. I said, "I'm 28 and I still have crushes." We both agreed that when you reach a certain age, rather than having a secret crush, you typically let it be known that you like someone and either the relationship works out or it doesn't.

I have a major crush on someone (which I'll reveal in a moment), but this is one crush that I'll never be able to persue or do anything about. It will always remain a crush, and I don't really care who knows about it.

His name is...Ben Roethlisberger. Just the fact that I know how to spell his name says something about my love for him. In case you don't know who he is (and you really should know who he is), he is the QB for the Pittsburg Steelers. He's one of the highest paid QB's in the NFL, but I don't love him for his money. I've had a major crush on Ben for several years, now. Last year, the Steelers came to Denver, and my brother and I went to the stadium on a whim to try to get tickets. We lucked out and got great tickets on the 17th row. At one point, Ben looked my way and I'm positive we made eye contact.

I am confident that if Ben and I ever met, he'd be taken with me from the moment he laid eyes on me. I don't show my magic often, but when I do, it can wooo a man into liking me in a heart beat! I just need to figure out a way to meet my future husband. Any ideas? I even have Steelers earings I can wear on our first date.

We Are Columbine

When I first told my grandma I was going to be teaching at Columbine, she said, "Oh my, is that safe?" She's not the only one who has had that reaction. Last weekend while chatting with an old family friend, he asked me what it was like teaching at Columbine. I told him I was quite proud to be a teacher there. It's an amazing school and I am so thankful, happy, blessed, excited to have been able to teach there.

This school year is the 10 year anniversary of the horrible shooting that happened on April 20, 1999. My teacher that I've been working with has taken me on a tour of the school, showing me where the library used to be (it's since been moved) and how the cafeteria was remodeled. There's a teacher in the English department who was there on that day 10 years ago, and while she doesn't talk about it much, she has spoken of that day a few times.

This shooting has been on my mind the past few weeks. I was doing some research for my Journalism class and found a website that has the journal's of the two boys who did the shootings. This website also had the 911 calls from that day, as well as pictures and video. I sat on my sofa the other night for several hours listening to these tapes and reading some of the journal entries. The following day, my Journalism students and I walked to the memorial that has been built in Clement Park. It's a beautiful memorial, and if you haven't been there, I suggest you go visit. Out of 30 students, not one said a word as we all walked around the memorial and read about each student that was killed. I walked around crying (I hid it from my students), and I was so overcome with emotion.

This weekend, I rented a movie by Michael Moore called, Bowling for Columbine. It's a documentary about firearms and why America has such a high rate of murder. Named after the shootings at Columbine, this movie also has footage of Dillon and Eric in the cafeteria shooting and killing their classmates. Once again, I was moved to tears this afternoon watching this movie. It is such a sad story, and I can't imagine being a teacher during such a tragedy.

As I near the end of my teaching at CHS, I have been sad thinking about leaving my students and the school. I have fallen in love with Columbine, the students, the teachers, the administration, and the spirit of Columbine. Everywhere I go in the school, I see We are Columbine posted throughout the building. Even though I am headed to a different high school next semester, I feel like Columbine will always be my home. I hope someday I can get a job there teaching. I would be proud to teach in a school that can overcome such a terrible tragedy and become such a stronger, better place because of it.

Jeff Foxworthy's Take on Teachers

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TEACHER IF:
1. You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.
2. You get a secret thrill out of laminating something.
3. You walk into a store and hear the words "its Ms/Mr. _________" and know you have been spotted.
4. You have 25 people that accidentally call you Mom/Dad at one time or another.
5. You can eat a multi-course meal in under twenty-five minutes.
6. You've trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day: lunch and conference period .
7. You start saving other people's trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.
8. You believe the teachers' lounge should be equipped with a margarita machine.
9. You want to slap the next person who says "Must be nice to work 7 to 3 and have summers off."
10. You believe chocolate is a food group.
11. You can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside.
12. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today."
13. You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public.
14. You believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin.
15. You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.
16. You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own children.
17. You can't pass the school supply aisle without getting at least five items!
18. You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils.
19. You are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer and finally,
20. You understand instantaneously why a child behaves a certain way after meeting his or her parents.

Reflection

For my last night of class, I had to share my reflection about student teaching. This is a small portion of what I read:

Without sounding biased, I think I have the best freshman students a teacher could have. I am constantly reminded of how witty they are, as they always make me laugh. During this semester, I have had a student sing a song to me (he wrote it himself), I have received a bag of Peanut M&M’s, (my absolute favorite), I have had students write on papers that I am their favorite teacher, and I have made a connection with many students. It is things such as these that make me remember once again why I decided to become a teacher. However, this semester has not been all peaches and cream. It has not come without many frustrations and a few angry moments. What I appreciate about my students, though, is that when they know I mean business, they shape up and listen. They respect me, and for that I have been blessed.

I worked really hard to connect with each individual student. I came early, stayed late and worked during my lunch hour just to help students get caught up on work. I can think of several students specifically that I helped in very particular ways. I have a boy who stutters. He does not talk to his classmates, but he comes in almost every single day during his study hall to talk to me. I have a boy who is abused by his mother, so he lives with his father, who works 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. just to provide for his son. This boy is shy and closed off to his classmates, but he often comes in after school to say hi.

These few stories are perfect examples of why I want to be a teacher. It is not for summers off, although I am looking forward to that. It is to make a difference in the lives of teenagers, as the old cliché says. While I have many, many more years of making a difference, I am very pleased with the small dent I have made during my student teaching experience. I have touched lives, some in small ways and others in more monumental ways, but it works out to a difference made.

The reason I left my old job was because it did not challenge me. It did not make me think. I never learned anything new. I was not making a difference to anyone. I sat in a cubical day after day working on a computer for 40 hours per week. I was bored, and I knew I could do better than what Enterprise had to offer. So here I am completing my first semester of teaching. It has not been easy. I have come home physically and mentally exhausted, but for the first time in my life, I finally understand what the profession of teaching really entails.

At the end of the day, we all go home. Some students go home to an empty house. Some go home to fresh baked cookies and cold milk. Some students do not want to go home in fear of what awaits them. I cannot control those factors, but what I can control is my classroom. I can make my classroom a warm and inviting “home” for my students. Some days I bring cookies. Some days I bring a movie. Everyday I bring my smile and an encouraging word to everyone who walks through my door. My class is where the fun begins. As Will Smith sings, “Shi Town’s got it goin’ on.”

My Big News

Last night I finished my last graduate class. I turned in my final project, and I am done with homework, done with classes and done with my program!!! It feels like such a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

My final project, called my Teacher Work Sample, is essentially like a thesis. I've been working on it for 12 weeks, and it was a total of 30 pages. It consisted of seven sections, each with very specific criteria and objectives. I spent a lot of time on this project, and it feels pretty amazing to hand it to my teacher. I won't officially be done until she posts my grade, so now I wait for that big letter grade.

Once I received my grade, I will have to hustle to get my transcripts and diploma expedited because I cannot do my long term sub job until I have those papers in my hand. Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is not very prompt on their paper process, so hopefully I can get all my paperwork done in time.

It feels so amazing to be done with my program. I now have my Master's Degree in Secondary Education. I'm officially a teacher. I have four more weeks of student teaching, so my time at Columbine is coming to an end. I'll write more about that at a later date.

Saddened on Election Day

Election Day two weeks ago was a big day for me. Not because of who was going to be president but because the voters were deciding on my future. Bond issue and mill levy 3A and 3B were on the ballot for Jeffco County (where I plan on getting a job). If passed, the schools would have enough money to hire some much needed teachers, among other things. If declined, millions of much needed dollars would NOT be given to the schools.

Sadly, the voters in Jeffco County declined the bond and mill levy, so being hired in Jeffco County next year is not looking very bright. In fact, Columbine High School will be cutting 3-4 teachers as it is, which means a job at CHS is only probably if a teacher quits or retires. CHS will have to cut some electives and possibly a sport or two (among other things).

I know that God has the perfect job lined up for me for next year, but it’s still sad to know that the voters in Jeffco don’t care about the schools like they should. Not only are they affecting my future by voting no, but it also affects the children that I teach. Classrooms already are filled to the brim with 30 students per teacher. Do you know how hard it is to teach that many students at one time? It is IMPOSSIBLE to reach every single student.

Anyway, I’ve been kind of sad regarding this vote. There’s nothing I can do about it now other than pray and keep on doing what I’m doing. I'll keep on being a good teacher so someone wants to hire me.

Getting Caught Up

Jeez, life has been a whirlwind this past week. So much to catch you up on...Let's start with the weekend. My other big news might require its own seperate post.

This past weekend, Katie C. and I went to Kearney to celebrate a few special events. Katie an I got into Kearney around 8pm, so we met up with April and Irish at Cunningham's, our favorite bar, to hear one of our favorite bands, Groove Puppets. The four of us had a really good time and stayed up way too late.

Shannon, Jeff, Collin, Katie N. and all the boys also came back. Shannon and I threw a baby shower for Collin and Katie Saturday morning. They got some really cute stuff, all of which was pink, of course. This little baby girl is going to be spoiled. I then met my friend, Hannah, for coffee. She recently moved back to Kearney from Oregon, and I had not met her newest little baby, so I met him, played with her two girls, and chatted with her husband and her.

Later that night, April had a fabulous birthday party for Aydan, who turned three. He got a ton of presents, and April and Zach sure know how to throw a party. Zach is a chef, so he makes the best food. After the party, we headed back to Cunningham's to hear the band again, and this time McGee was able to join us. Another late night...

Sunday, us girls threw a baby shower for Irish. She is having a boy in January (or February), so she got a ton of great boy gifts. Irish looks great, but you can tell she is pregnant :) We had a good time. Katie and I left Sunday evening around 6pm, and we were back in Denver by 10:30.

I'm still trying to get caught up on my sleep, but it was a great weekend. I haven't been home since July, so it was good to be in my home town for a short time and see my girlfriends.

Teacher vs. Student

I have a turd of a student who is LYING to her parents about attending my class. This is the same girl who asked to go to the nurses station and never came back to class. She lied to me about it, but she finally admitted she had gone to the cafeteria to have lunch with her friends instead.

In the past three weeks, she has been in class about five times. Who knows where she's been the other 10 times. Of course, when I take attendance, I mark her absent. She has been telling her mom that she's been present and that I made a mistake!!! So then her mom emails me and asks me why I marked her daughter absent when she was clearly there.

Let's think about this...Could possibly the teacher be right on this one? Or should the parents believe EVERYTHING the daughter has to say???

No wonder the future of America is looking a little troubling to me...

What Should I Wear?

I had an English teacher in high school who never wore the same thing twice. It’s really true. She even admitted it. My classmates and I always looked forward to English class to see what our teacher would be wearing. She was always well dressed, but she was pretty crazy. Her hair was dyed RED, she wore hot pink lip stick, and her clothes and shoes were always bright colors. She hardly ever matched and she wore many patterns that were far from the norm, but like I said my classmates and I looked forward to class to see what crazy thing she would have on.

With that being said, anyone who knows me knows that I take pride in the way I dress. You will very rarely see me dressed down. My thought is, “I never know who I’ll run into to, so I should always be dressed well.” I probably spend too much money on clothes, shoes and accessories, but it’s the one thing I love to spend money on.

When I started teaching a few months ago, I decided to wear a different necklace everyday until a student noticed. I wanted to be cool like my old English teacher. Today during Journalism, the kids asked if we could have a pizza party. I told them we couldn’t do that.

One student said, “You’d be the coolest teacher ever if you let us have a pizza party.”
I said, “I’m already the coolest teacher ever, with or without a pizza party.”
My students said, “Actually, you’re my favorite teacher. We love this class.”
I said, “That’s because I’m too nice. Starting tomorrow I’m going to be meaner. I’m too nice.”
My students said, “No, don’t be mean. We love you. And, you’re by far the best dressed teacher we’ve ever had. You’re the stylish teacher. You’ve never worn the same thing twice this entire year. You’re so cool.”
I then told them my mission to wear a different necklace everyday until someone noticed, but none of them had noticed my necklaces, much to my dissapointment. They had only noticed my clothes.

Anyway, the conversation reminded me of my old English teacher. It made me smile, but now I have a task ahead of me. Now that I know my students are watching what I wear, I have to look cute at all times!

Here I was wondering what I was going to teach about tomorrow, but the real question should be, "What should I wear tomorrow????"

My Fairy Tale

Once upon a time in a land far, far away (Kearney, Nebraska) lived a beautiful young princess (that's me). Her parents named her Shiloh after a Neil Diamond song titled, "Shiloh." As a child she was wild, energetic, happy, full of life and ready to take on the world. She lived a normal life where she attended school at Kearney Christian Elementary School, Horizon Middle School and Kearney High School. She attended the University of Nebraska at Kearney and the University of Oregon where she studied Mass Communication and Journalism with an emphasis in Mass Media. After college (2004), she decided to explore the world. Off to Denver, Colorado, she headed. She was scared, nervous and excited all at the same time for her new adventure in the Wild, Wild West. Shiloh worked for a magazine called J.O.E (Just Over the Edge) where she was writer, editor, advertising sales woman, general manager and graphic designer all in one. Tragedy struck J.O.E and it went out of business, so she was off in search for her next new adventure. She found Enterprise Rent a Car, where she has currently been employed for over four years. However, Enterprise just wasn't enough for this adventurous woman, so she decided to go back to school to get her Master's in Education. Currently, Shiloh is studying hard to graduate with her M.A to be a high school English teacher. She is student teaching at Columbine High School and will graduate in two weeks. Not only does Shiloh have brains, but she has a social calendar that would put most people to shame. She loves to ski, she's very active in her church and loves Jesus, she loves to shop, she loves football (Broncos and Steelers), she loves to write, she loves scrapbooking, she loves to read, she loves to hang with her friends, she loves to bike ride, she loves her three nephews so much, she loves going home to Nebraska to see her friends and she loves spending time with her family. As with any fairy tale, a prince always comes into the picture. Shiloh is still waiting for her prince so that the story ends happily ever after.

Saturday in Denver

Katie and I don't get to see each other a lot because we live in opposite directions of the city, and school has consumed my life these past few months. But this Saturday, we were able to get together and spend some time catching up. We had a blast. First, we went to a birthday party for some friends, Mike and Heather. We met them in Kearney years ago. Mike worked at Skeeter Barnes (I trained him). Heather worked at Pane Bello (I was her manager). Mike went to UNK. We spent a lot of time with Mike and Heather back in the day. They moved to Denver about two years ago, and I've only seen them a few times because they live in Brighton. Brighton is about as far northeast as you can get from my house in southwest Denver, so it's not an easy trek to make. It took me an hour from my house to get to their house.

Anyway, Katie and I went to their birthday party and saw many friends we used to know from Kearney. We had a good time at their house catching up and sharing stories from years ago. The night was still early after that, so Katie and I went downtown and met up with a friend. Our friend had a friend visiting from Arizona, so the four of us had a good time getting to know each other and gabbing about sports, work and play. We were downtown way too late, but in girl style, we took a few pictures.

Discipline For the First Time

I had a student today ask me at the beginning of class if she could go to the nurses office because she wasn't feeling well. I told her to hurry back and let me know what was going on. She left her bag at her desk, and I continued on with my teaching. I then split my kids into groups of two, and I had one girl left over. It was then that I realized that my student had never returned back to class, and she had been gone for over 20 minutes.

I asked my lone student to go to the nurses office to see where my student was. The lone student returned and reported that no one had been to the nurses station in several hours. I realized that my student was lying to me about "going to the nurse." Time continued to tick on. Before long 30 minutes had passed. This girl had not returned. Then 40 minutes. Finally, after 50 minutes, the bell rang. I went out to the hallway to say goodbye to my class, and this girl was out in the hallway. She tried sneaking in the door, but I wasn't going to be fooled by a freshman.

As she was grabbing her bag I said, "The nurse said you didn't show up."
"Really? I went there," she said.
"I know you're lying to me. Where were you?"
She was silent.
"Where were you?" I asked again.
"I went to the cafeteria to have lunch with my friends."

I then informed her that she had been marked absent for the class. I also told her I had emailed her mother to inform her of the situation and that she would no longer be allowed to leave my classroom because I couldn't trust her.

She left without saying a word to me. I also reported her to the Principal's office so that other teachers can be informed of this situation. Needless to say, I was pretty upset, and it was the first time I had to discipline one of my students. I'll let you know if I hear back from her mother.

President Obama

If you haven't heard the news by now, then you went to bed too early and you don't listen to the news. The new president of the US is Barack Obama. No matter who you voted for, it's still a pretty cool thing to have a black president. Our world sure has come a long way in such a short time.

I recently finished teaching the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, to my students. We did some research on the year 1930, which is the setting of the book. Needless to say, black people were not considered "people" back then. They were slaves. They had no rights. A black man lost just because of the color of his skin.

That was just 80 years ago. For many of us, we weren't even a twinkle in our parents eyes, but take for example my grandfather who was alive in the 1930s. I'm sure he can remember what life was like then versus what life is like now.

No matter who you voted for, remember that God ultimately is in control of our nation. We need Christ more now than ever. I pray for Obama. He has a big job ahead of him. I pray for wisdom and guidance and he takes the burdens of our world on his shoulders. It's a shame his grandmother could not have lived a few days longer to see this day.

Cutest Nephews Ever!

Collin and Katie's birthdays are this week (Thursday-Collin, Friday-Katie). Yes, they are only one day apart. Isn't that fun? The family, including mom and dad, headed to Loveland today to celebrate their birthdays. Mark and Nancy, Katie's parents, also joined us, so there were 13 of us total. We ate a wonderful breakfast place in Greeley called Harvest. I had to take some pictures of my nephews, who were playing, "King of the Mountain."

Benefits of City Living

My friend, Sonya, got four free tickets to the Broncos game. She emailed Friday and asked if we wanted to go. Need she even ask? Even though the Broncos lost to Miami Dolphins, we still had a blast and took the opportunity to take some pictures (shocker). Check it out.

We were in row 37, so we were pretty close to the field.

Halloween = Sex and the City

Sex and the City

Charlotte, Miranda, Samantha, Carrie

When I'm not clumsily falling off my bike, I can be found having a good time with my friends. I'm a bit classier when I'm all dressed up. This Halloween was no exception. The question this year was, "What can four girls be for Halloween?" The answer was simple: Sex and the City.

Kari was Carrie. Sonya was sophisticated Charlotte. Amy was Sexy Samantha. I was Miranda, the serious laywer. If you've seen the show and movie, you know the characters. How well do we resemble the characters? Leave a message and let me know!

Miranda was pretty serious all night.

However, it didn't take her long to lighten up a bit. Lawyers can have fun, too!

Learning to Ride a Bike

As I mentioned last week, I got clip in pedals and shoes for my road bike. This makes biking easier and I'll be able to go faster and do hills better with these shoes and pedals. People thought Kari and I were nuts for riding 150 miles without them, but we're all set for the ride next year.

However, one of the cons of these shoes is that your foot is literally stuck to the pedal. You have to yank your foot out of the pedal if you have to stop, and it's a little bit more difficult to start riding again because you have to take a moment to click your shoes into the pedal.

I decided to go on a 'practice run' this morning. I went on a leasurly ride around my neighborhood. I was doing pretty well until I came to a stop sign. I stopped properly enough, and was waiting for a car to go by. As the car went by, I started to ride and I couldn't get my foot clipped into the pedal, so therefore I wasn't able to pedal or make my bike go. As if in slow motion, I started to fall toward the side where my foot was clipped into the pedal. I didn't have enough time to get my foot undone, and sure enough, I fell hard on the cement ground. I caught a good portion of the fall with my hand and hip, and I'm going to be bruised and sore for a few days.

I wasn't going to let that get me down, so I picked myself up and off I went for a longer ride. About 20 minutes later, I had to come to a stop again to wait for a car. As I started to go, the same thing happened again. I couldn't get my food in the pedal, I lost all momentum and started to fall toward the side that had my foot stuck to the pedal. I fell again on the same side as before. And this time someone saw me. They pulled up beside me and asked if I was ok. I was more embarrassed than anything, so I told them I was fine and they went on their way.

I was a tad shaken up by this point, so I quickly made it home. It's like learning to ride a bike all over again. It kind of hurts, but I won't let that stop me from riding. I just need some more time to practice.