Top 6 places I want to visit before I die:
6. New York City
5. New Zealand or Australia
4. Italy (Rome)
3. Ireland
2. Sweden
1. Africa (Egypt and South Africa)
It has always been a dream of mine to visit Africa. I have made it a lifelong goal to make it there before I die. I would love more than anything to go on a safari and see all the wild animals roaming about.
Sweden is near and dear to my heart because that's where my family comes from. My great-grandma was born and raised in Sweden, so I would love the opportunity to go there someday to see where she lived.
I've heard great things about Ireland, so why not visit?
Everyone should visit Rome once, right? And I've heard the food is fantastic!
New Zealand is where my friend Mike spent a year, and he came back with the coolest accent! I would love to visit to see the animals and the ocean and the mountains.
I think every person should visit NYC at least once. This looks like the most wonderful place, and I can't wait until I get the opportunity to visit someday.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
End of LAX
This morning, I had my LAX banquet. I had to get up in front of about 150 parents/players and talk about each one of my players. The JV and Varsity coaches did likewise, and we got to eat a yummy breakfast buffet, too. It's always a fun way to end the season. My girls went 7-3-1 this year, and I am so proud to end the season with a winning record. I'm already looking forward to next year!
My 17 girls got me a fabulous gift. I got a $50 GC to Dick's Sporting Goods.
And, they got me this AWESOME blanket. You can't really tell from this picture, but it's a full size blanket that covers my living room floor. On it is my team (I'm in the middle). I am so excited about this blanket, and I plan on hanging it in my classroom on my wall. 
My 17 girls got me a fabulous gift. I got a $50 GC to Dick's Sporting Goods.
They got me these flowers:
And, they got me this AWESOME blanket. You can't really tell from this picture, but it's a full size blanket that covers my living room floor. On it is my team (I'm in the middle). I am so excited about this blanket, and I plan on hanging it in my classroom on my wall. 
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Thanks
Another teacher at Chatfield gave their students an assignment to write another teacher at Chatfield a thank you note. They could choose any teacher they wanted. I received three letters on Friday, and it definitely made my day. I also found out I get to stay at Chatfield another year, so Friday was a fantastic day.
From one of my high risk kids:
(I obviously haven't done a great job of teaching him grammar/punctuation-don't judge)....
Dear Ms. Nichols,
Durin this year I have grown to not dispise englesh, due to you. I use to never come to englesh but your class ant to bad. You have been a big help in and out of the class room
N
From a student I had last year:
Dear Ms. Nichols,
I'm writing to you to show my appreciation at how fantastic you are. I haven't had you since freshmen year. I won't lie, but the first semester I had you, it was not my favorite class. But, the longer I had you as a teacher, and by the second semester rolled around, you were easily my favorite teacher. I even still tell people that you are my favorite teacher I have had at Chatfield. You were so much fun in class and you were great at teaching. I was very upset that I did not get you again this year. Your class was the only I have had yet that I actually looked forward to going to. I hated English prior to high school, but having you not only made my skills stronger, but I found a new liking for English. I don't think it is possible to have you next year, but if it is, I hope I have you. Thank you for all that you have done! I hope you stay how you are and influence other students the way that you did me.
Thank you,
J
From a student I had last semester:
Dear Ms. Nichols,
Today I am sitting here with a freshly broken nose. I think I pulled my knee and I got a nasty cold which keeps me from laughing or lifting due to the pain in my throat. But through all this it is truely hard not to laugh because it is just one of those days. But anyway the reason for this leeter is to tell you that you are appreciated by not just all the students in your life but all the many friends and family you have acquired over the years. You are a joy to be around. Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
B
If you're up to the task, I encourage you to send a thank you to someone in your life. It meant a lot to me, and I know it would mean a lot to your person, too. I plan on writing a letter or two myself.
From one of my high risk kids:
(I obviously haven't done a great job of teaching him grammar/punctuation-don't judge)....
Dear Ms. Nichols,
Durin this year I have grown to not dispise englesh, due to you. I use to never come to englesh but your class ant to bad. You have been a big help in and out of the class room
N
From a student I had last year:
Dear Ms. Nichols,
I'm writing to you to show my appreciation at how fantastic you are. I haven't had you since freshmen year. I won't lie, but the first semester I had you, it was not my favorite class. But, the longer I had you as a teacher, and by the second semester rolled around, you were easily my favorite teacher. I even still tell people that you are my favorite teacher I have had at Chatfield. You were so much fun in class and you were great at teaching. I was very upset that I did not get you again this year. Your class was the only I have had yet that I actually looked forward to going to. I hated English prior to high school, but having you not only made my skills stronger, but I found a new liking for English. I don't think it is possible to have you next year, but if it is, I hope I have you. Thank you for all that you have done! I hope you stay how you are and influence other students the way that you did me.
Thank you,
J
From a student I had last semester:
Dear Ms. Nichols,
Today I am sitting here with a freshly broken nose. I think I pulled my knee and I got a nasty cold which keeps me from laughing or lifting due to the pain in my throat. But through all this it is truely hard not to laugh because it is just one of those days. But anyway the reason for this leeter is to tell you that you are appreciated by not just all the students in your life but all the many friends and family you have acquired over the years. You are a joy to be around. Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
B
If you're up to the task, I encourage you to send a thank you to someone in your life. It meant a lot to me, and I know it would mean a lot to your person, too. I plan on writing a letter or two myself.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Hired!
It's official! I just received word that I will get to stay at Chatfield for another year. Thank God!!!!!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
No Watch=No Time
As I sat grading papers today, my eyes glazed over as I read over 110 quizzes. Each quiz had 25 questions, so you can imagine my boredom after reading the same answers over and over and over again.
My sophomores are finishing the semester with Catcher in the Rye. It's a classic book and usually ends up being one of their favorite books of the year. Holden, the main character, gets kicked out of high school because he's failing all of his classes. Rather than going home, he decides to run away to New York City to do whatever a 16 year old boy does in NYC without parents.
He tries a bit of drinking. He goes dancing. He decides to hire a prositute to "give her the time." Holden often uses this phrase when speaking of sex. Once the prostitute is in his hotel room, he decides not to "give her the time" because he feels more depressed than sexy (that's the real answer).
Question number 12:
Why doesn't Holden end up "giving the time" to the prostitute?
Answer from quiz number 87:
Because he doesn't have a watch on.
I laughed so hard today as I graded this quiz. It was a welcome relief to a long day of grading.
My sophomores are finishing the semester with Catcher in the Rye. It's a classic book and usually ends up being one of their favorite books of the year. Holden, the main character, gets kicked out of high school because he's failing all of his classes. Rather than going home, he decides to run away to New York City to do whatever a 16 year old boy does in NYC without parents.
He tries a bit of drinking. He goes dancing. He decides to hire a prositute to "give her the time." Holden often uses this phrase when speaking of sex. Once the prostitute is in his hotel room, he decides not to "give her the time" because he feels more depressed than sexy (that's the real answer).
Question number 12:
Why doesn't Holden end up "giving the time" to the prostitute?
Answer from quiz number 87:
Because he doesn't have a watch on.
I laughed so hard today as I graded this quiz. It was a welcome relief to a long day of grading.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Job Situation
As you know, my job has been shaky for two years now. Last year at this time, I did not have a job. I was interviewing at a different school, which held good possibilities for me, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to stay at Chatfield.
However, on the very last day of school, an English teacher at Chatfield quit. I received a call at 3 p.m. from my principal offering me her position. I accepted, of course, and the very next day, I received a call from the other school I was interviewing at and they offered me a position there. I turned them down and was so happy and blessed to be able to stay at Chatfield for another year.
As I wind down my second year of teaching, I am still facing the possibility of not having a job (at Chatfield). As God seems to do, though, He's "got my back." It's so exciting to see His hand at work when it comes to my job. It reaffirms me that I am fulfilling His calling of being a teacher.
Without getting into too many boring teaching details, I am not even working toward tenureship yet. To get tenure, a teacher has to be in a permanent position for three years plus the first day of his/her fourth year. Currently, I am in a temporary position. Even if I get a job next year, I will be a T3 (temporary with three years). It used to be that a T3 was the longest a teacher could go without being offered a permanent position. From there, he/she then had to work three more years to obtain tenureship.
This year, luckily, they have now extended the temporary position to a fourth year, which means I can teach four years on a temporary contract. That's great news for me. Without that T4, it would mean that next year would be my last year I could teach in Jeffco without being offered a permanent position (and because of budget cuts in our district, they are not handing out permanent contracts to ANYONE who does not already have one). So...next year would have been my last year teaching in Jeffco. Now, with the newest policy, I have two more years in Jeffco. Once I finish my T4, I will have to be offered a permanent position to keep teaching in my district, and from there I would have to put in three MORE years to gain tenureship.
That's the long and short of it.
Because I'm a T2, I can be bumped from my school at any time by a tenured teacher, who is guaranteed a job somewhere in the school district. So while there is a job at Chatfield for me for next year, there's been the possibility of my job being stolen by a permanent.
And that's where my story begins....
My principal told me about two months ago that as long as there was not a transfer into my job, I would be able to stay at Chatfield for at least one more year. He said transfers (known as IVT-Involuntary Transfers) were being placed and the process would take months. He said I would know if I had a job or not by the end of April. This was back in early March. So the waiting began.
In the meantime, I received a call from my dear friend, Tiffany, who was my cooperating teacher at Columbine. She's pregnant, and she decided to take next year off to stay home with the baby. Her principal told her she could hire anyone to fill her place for the year, and she thought of me. She was calling me to offer me her teaching job at Columbine. Praise God! I knew at that moment that I would have a job no matter what. What a huge relief from my shoulders.
I told her that I was waiting to hear from Chatfield and that I would choose to stay at Chatfield if an IVT didn't bump me out. I asked her to hold her position for me until I had an official word from Chatfield.
At this point, two months have gone by. Tiffany is still holding a job for me at Columbine. I'm still waiting to hear about an IVT taking my job at Chatfield. This process was supposed to be over at least a week ago.
I met with my principal on Monday, and he told me this: "Holly told me yesterday that we are most likely clear of the IVT process in English. It is not 100% yet, but very close. I wanted to keep you all in the loop. When it is definite, I will let all of you know."
What that means is it looks like I'm in the clear and will be able to stay at Chatfield one more year!!! I am so excited, I could almost burst. God is good! At the end of next year, an English teacher is retiring from Chatfield, so that may mean I will be able to stay another year after next. And possibly even on a permanent contract.
I am hoping by the end of this week that I will have a final answer on my job. However, it has been reassuring to know I had a job at Columbine or Chatfield no matter what, which has made my spring semester so much less stressful than last year.
However, on the very last day of school, an English teacher at Chatfield quit. I received a call at 3 p.m. from my principal offering me her position. I accepted, of course, and the very next day, I received a call from the other school I was interviewing at and they offered me a position there. I turned them down and was so happy and blessed to be able to stay at Chatfield for another year.
As I wind down my second year of teaching, I am still facing the possibility of not having a job (at Chatfield). As God seems to do, though, He's "got my back." It's so exciting to see His hand at work when it comes to my job. It reaffirms me that I am fulfilling His calling of being a teacher.
Without getting into too many boring teaching details, I am not even working toward tenureship yet. To get tenure, a teacher has to be in a permanent position for three years plus the first day of his/her fourth year. Currently, I am in a temporary position. Even if I get a job next year, I will be a T3 (temporary with three years). It used to be that a T3 was the longest a teacher could go without being offered a permanent position. From there, he/she then had to work three more years to obtain tenureship.
This year, luckily, they have now extended the temporary position to a fourth year, which means I can teach four years on a temporary contract. That's great news for me. Without that T4, it would mean that next year would be my last year I could teach in Jeffco without being offered a permanent position (and because of budget cuts in our district, they are not handing out permanent contracts to ANYONE who does not already have one). So...next year would have been my last year teaching in Jeffco. Now, with the newest policy, I have two more years in Jeffco. Once I finish my T4, I will have to be offered a permanent position to keep teaching in my district, and from there I would have to put in three MORE years to gain tenureship.
That's the long and short of it.
Because I'm a T2, I can be bumped from my school at any time by a tenured teacher, who is guaranteed a job somewhere in the school district. So while there is a job at Chatfield for me for next year, there's been the possibility of my job being stolen by a permanent.
And that's where my story begins....
My principal told me about two months ago that as long as there was not a transfer into my job, I would be able to stay at Chatfield for at least one more year. He said transfers (known as IVT-Involuntary Transfers) were being placed and the process would take months. He said I would know if I had a job or not by the end of April. This was back in early March. So the waiting began.
In the meantime, I received a call from my dear friend, Tiffany, who was my cooperating teacher at Columbine. She's pregnant, and she decided to take next year off to stay home with the baby. Her principal told her she could hire anyone to fill her place for the year, and she thought of me. She was calling me to offer me her teaching job at Columbine. Praise God! I knew at that moment that I would have a job no matter what. What a huge relief from my shoulders.
I told her that I was waiting to hear from Chatfield and that I would choose to stay at Chatfield if an IVT didn't bump me out. I asked her to hold her position for me until I had an official word from Chatfield.
At this point, two months have gone by. Tiffany is still holding a job for me at Columbine. I'm still waiting to hear about an IVT taking my job at Chatfield. This process was supposed to be over at least a week ago.
I met with my principal on Monday, and he told me this: "Holly told me yesterday that we are most likely clear of the IVT process in English. It is not 100% yet, but very close. I wanted to keep you all in the loop. When it is definite, I will let all of you know."
What that means is it looks like I'm in the clear and will be able to stay at Chatfield one more year!!! I am so excited, I could almost burst. God is good! At the end of next year, an English teacher is retiring from Chatfield, so that may mean I will be able to stay another year after next. And possibly even on a permanent contract.
I am hoping by the end of this week that I will have a final answer on my job. However, it has been reassuring to know I had a job at Columbine or Chatfield no matter what, which has made my spring semester so much less stressful than last year.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Things I Love Lately
Thanks again to Lindsey for inspiring me to post another THINGS I LOVE LATELY:
1. Nella's/NuYo/Yogurtland (All three are within 10-15 minutes of my place)-Frozen yogurt. Serve yourself. Add whatever toppings you wish. Pay by the ounce. Cheap. Delish. 15 different flavors of yogurt. 40 different toppings.
2. Blog reading-My friends don't update often enough (hint, hint), so I often find myself reading blogs of people I don't even know. But I definitely stalk my friends, too.
3. Spending my weekends with Josh (ahhhh). He's hilarious, and we have a lot of fun together. We try to do something new and exciting every weekend so we don't get bored.
4. Trying new recipes-Now that I have someone to cook for, I am crazy with my cooking/baking. I made Mu Shu Chicken Wraps last night for Shan and Jeff. Crazy good! Josh will pretty much eat anything, so I enjoy trying new stuff with him.
5. My 5th hour class-They laugh at my jokes, so that's why I like them. And they're not just doing it to be nice. They really do think I'm funny.
6. 17 days left of school.
7. Lacrosse is over. While I do enjoy coaching, it's a big time commitment, and I'm happy to see the season come to an end. We went 7-3-1!
8. Getting my bike out of storage and pumping up the tires. Now if I could just get myself motivated to start riding....
9. Seeing our MS team grow from two people our first year, to six people our second year, to eight people our third year, to over 14 (as of now) for our fourth year! Grow, team Saddle Soar, Grow!
10. Hot Tamales, the candy.
1. Nella's/NuYo/Yogurtland (All three are within 10-15 minutes of my place)-Frozen yogurt. Serve yourself. Add whatever toppings you wish. Pay by the ounce. Cheap. Delish. 15 different flavors of yogurt. 40 different toppings.
2. Blog reading-My friends don't update often enough (hint, hint), so I often find myself reading blogs of people I don't even know. But I definitely stalk my friends, too.
3. Spending my weekends with Josh (ahhhh). He's hilarious, and we have a lot of fun together. We try to do something new and exciting every weekend so we don't get bored.
4. Trying new recipes-Now that I have someone to cook for, I am crazy with my cooking/baking. I made Mu Shu Chicken Wraps last night for Shan and Jeff. Crazy good! Josh will pretty much eat anything, so I enjoy trying new stuff with him.
5. My 5th hour class-They laugh at my jokes, so that's why I like them. And they're not just doing it to be nice. They really do think I'm funny.
6. 17 days left of school.
7. Lacrosse is over. While I do enjoy coaching, it's a big time commitment, and I'm happy to see the season come to an end. We went 7-3-1!
8. Getting my bike out of storage and pumping up the tires. Now if I could just get myself motivated to start riding....
9. Seeing our MS team grow from two people our first year, to six people our second year, to eight people our third year, to over 14 (as of now) for our fourth year! Grow, team Saddle Soar, Grow!
10. Hot Tamales, the candy.
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