Running on No Sleep

Image by pillowhead designs via Flickr

If you know anything about me you know I'm an avid sleeper. I take naps and when I my head hits the pillow I am out like a light.

For some reason, I have not been sleeping at night. It's not because I've been taking naps because I haven't been. And I know I've slept later than usual the last few weeks because of not having to get up at 5:30 AM but I still fight sleep, or the lack of it when I go to bed. There have been several mornings when I look at the clock and it's 2 AM. I just toss and turn all night. I can't figure out what my deal is and I hate it. Even at Josh's it takes me forever to fall asleep and I don't sleep at all during the night.

I ready to make best friends with my pillow soon.

Random Quote

"In their own lives teachers must bridge the gap between school and society and play some part in the fashioning of those great common purposes which should bind the two together. "

George Counts

Posting and Papers

Image by shindohd via Flickr

I normally love writing. I have always been a big writer and journaler (is that a word?) Hence my blog even though sometimes it's not that entertaining.

But that is considered "creative writing." But give me a topic and telpl me to reference it and explain or discuss something and it stinks. I don't have that formal writing in me. I absolutely hate it. I hate being formal because that's just too much thought to put into one paper.

For my master's class we have to do "formal" posting with references on a certain topic Dr. T gives us a week. Then every other week we have papers to write. I dread it. I've done decent in the class on my papers and posting making mostly As and some Bs but ughhhhh I dread it.

Hence why I am procrastinating by doing a post here on my blog instead of my class...that's due today...and a paper due Sunday. I'm out.

Finish the Sentence

My ex...: is married
Maybe I should...: exercise tomorrow
I love...: sleeping
People would say that I'm...: sarcastic
I don't understand...: rude people
When I wake up in the morning...: I roll over
Life is full of...: adventures
My past is...: crazy dramatic
Parties are...: either extremely funny or extremely horrid
I wish...: I could pay off my debt
Tomorrow...: another lazy day
I have low tolerance...: for rudeness
I am totally terrified of...: snakes

Porch Sit

Image by ni dieu ni maître! via Flickr

Can I tell you that I love to porch sit?

I think this interest in "porch sitting" came when I was a senior at WU and we would sit on the porch at night on good ole North Wilson Street--the house that was one side ghetto and the other side campus. Alli and I would sit and talk (half the time me in a t-shirt and underwear which completely embarassed Alli) or the stupid games we would play ($10 inflatable kid games at Target are the best). Not to mention Alli's obsession one night trying to jump the steps by taking a running head start. Or the night some of Emily's sorority sisters broke into the house at the back and was throwing shoes at us on the porch which caused Emily and I to jump the porch and land in those stupid bushes which caused many bruises and scrapes. And of course I would sit out there and read in the hammock chair.

When I moved back home I missed the porch. Mom has a screened in porch but what fun is it to sit on the porch by yourself? Plus it's normally cluttered with pool stuff throughout the year.

The other day I went over to Lisa's and porch sat with her while it was raining. I had so much fun. Then last Saturday I did porch sit with Jenny, Natalie, and Josh while it was storming. It was so nice, cooling, and relaxing. Made me miss the porch. (I've noticed the last few times it's been raining while I porch sat. Dunno what that means)

Well now I have a porch back! I went off to Ingles and found me 2 lounge chairs (pink and orange) to sit in. We also have put our small little plants and our large Jesus of Nazarene tree on the porch which are barely surviving in this heat. But I have just loved sitting out here. As soon as I got up this morning I fixed my coffee, came out here, sat, and made some phone calls.

I'm loving the porch as I sit here and make this post.

Firefly Lane

Holy Cow. I read that book in 2 days. When I finished the last chapter I was on my living room floor, crying my eyes out (sounds more pathetic than it really was. Christina said she would have made fun of me if she saw me like that). Here is Barnes & Noble's Synopsis of the book.

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success . . . and loneliness.

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wantsis to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn’t know is how being a wife and mother will change her . . . how she’ll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she’ll envy her famous best friend. . . .

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship---jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart . . . and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you---and knows what has the power to hurt you . . . and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget . . . one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend.


So not only am I suggesting you read this book, I am COMMANDING you read it. Go. Now. Order it. Read it. Pass it on.

I did it again

I did it again. I went and added to my list of books that I have yet to read but really want to read in the near future. I can't help it. Here is the list below. Nothing like a good book to read by the pool or at the beach...


A MUST READ. I got this book Sunday and I will finish it by Tuesday morning. Jen Lancaster is HILARIOUS. You should google her other books (Bitter is the New Black; Bright Lights, Big A**; Such a Pretty Fat). I highly recommend her.


It's a movie now with Cameron Diaz. However, I am a firm believer that you should read the book then see the movie. I like to compare.


Heard some good things about this book and author so I thought I would give it a try. I'll let you know.

Summa-Summa-Summatime

Wow. Another year or teaching under my belt. I really cannot believe that this year is done. I know many people say that but geez it feels like just yesterday they were comnig in to register for school.

I made a photostory for my students and their parents. When I was showing it on honor's day I started crying. If anyone knows my class, that person is probably thinking "You cried over those students?" Many times I heard teachers say, "There is a reason that child is in your class because our personalities would NOT click." And it's true--they wouldn't have clicked with that student. But I came to really love these students. I don't know what it was about them. Maybe it's because they got my humor and quick wit. Maybe it was because I saw so many of them really grow up over the year. Maybe it's because they taught me how to be a better teacher in some ways and that it's ok to laugh at the small or big things. I know I can really say with honesty that it has been a great year.

Ok, now that school is done, what am I going to do? For the last 180 days my time has been consumed and revolved around 22 eight year olds. It's almost like empty nest syndrome. Well for starters, I slept in today. Whoo-hoo! And then I fixed me a cup of coffee and enjoyed my waffles. I have some things planned for this summer (working at Sylvan Learning Center and tutoring 2 of my students from this past year). But I have decided to make a LIST.

-Clean CLEAN my room and make my bed daily.
-Give Josie a bath weekly. (Steena is going to love this)
-Garage Yard Sale Hoppin (Mine and Steena's new obsession.)
-POOL IT!
-Make it to the beach at least 2 times a month.
-Get back to some work out kind of plan
-Save my money.
-Work and reorganize my classroom
-Make a trip to see Heather
-Finish decorating my apartment

I will add things to this list. Any suggestions for what I should do over the summer? What are you doing??

SPRING CLEANING!

My name is Jessica and I teach third grade in Spartanburg, South Carolina. My elementary school is a rural school that brings in a lot of country kids with some city kids. Our school is currently undergoing a major overhaul. We added on 2 wings to our school. With over 800 students from K to 5th grade we are busting at the seams. We have added at least 4 more classrooms, another computer lab and a science lab (which I am the most excited about). We have extended our cafeteria by adding a stage, added an extra music room, and another gym storage unit. This will increase student learning but there are more opportunities to move about the school and more hands on activities for our students. Our students will take pride in our school because it's a new and exciting thing happening in our school. Not only are all these additions happening but some grade levels are switching halls. This means that all teachers are having to clean and pack up their belongings before the last day of school (which is Thursday). I have heard many teachers complaining about moving and cleaning out(especially those that have been teaching for 30+ years). I agree that it does stink that this is one more task you have to take care of before summer break but I do believe that half the teachers DO need to clean out their closet and their junk they no longer need. When I moved into my classroom I found items from the 70's stuck at the back of the closet (visit old Facebook photo albums from last summer-you'll see what I'm talking about). I believe mid-year and end of the year teachers need to clean out. Clean out the closets, clean out the cabinets, and clean out the desks. Weekly my students clean out their desks (it's amazing the things they find). When a classroom is clean and organized, the students are more organized and take more pride in the classroom. When a classroom is less cluttered, students are more able to focus and operate. Switch up the seating and movement in the classroom. I have noticed that this makes students more flexible and adjust better to last minute changes because we all know that almost always happens in a classroom. Bottom line-a cleaner organized classroom means a better way of learning.