So Long 2011

Woohoo

2012

//I love beginnings\\

whether its a Monday or a new month I just love the start of something new no matter how I feel

I typically do not make resolutions...I tend to set goals

Two of my goals are spelled out beautifully in these quotes:

Last year I did make some blogging goals and managed to accomplish both

blog at least ten times a month

//all in all the posts even out to ten times a month\\

acquire fifty followers

//17 wonderful followers over this goal\\

Thank you to all that have joined in and I am so pleased you have decided to stay! I would love to hear from you all!

Mark your calanders

For One Day Without Shoes

on April 10, 2012!

I am so stoked to participate in my third one day without shoes event!
2010
2011
I am hoping to convince other teachers to ditch their shoes to bring awareness to those that go without everyday! I still have students asking me if I am going to not wear my shoes again this year! I know not wearing shoes may give you goosebumps, but I believe the sacrifice is well worth opening students and others eyes to what some go through everyday.

For more information visit
ONE DAY WITHOUT SHOES

These last three days

As much as I hate half days these last three were quite enjoyable. I managed to get a lot done so I can plan on the first day back...which is an inservice day!

Exams done

writing essays written

progress reports completed

grades ready to be turned in
classroom nice and clean

With everything pretty much over for the semester the students and I had some time to enjoy the little things that we never have time for

Here is what we did in snap shots

Anthro What?

I spotted these beauties a couple of weeks ago in Anthropologie.

Whenever I am in Anthropologie I like to play my version of the price is right; where I try and guess how much anthro is asking for such an item.

Well I guessed $18 for the winter wonderland jars. Well, I was right about the eight unfortunately not the one.

Antropologie was asking for $38 dollars for one of these Mason jars.

WHAT, ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Before setting down the Mason jar I examined every detail with the intention of re-creating one of these little jars.

 Finding trees and what not were a little bit of a challenge since every craft store already marked their Christmas supplies to 50% off

I sprayed each tree with a little extra snow and spray paint glitter to give them that twinkling that snow has. I used three old candle jars with lids as my containers. On the bottom of the jars I cut out some cotton pads and also added extra snow and glitter spray to them.

I mixed a variety of glitter and snow to make the perfect snow fall. Hot glued the trees to the cotton.

 Bam, take that Anthropologie.

 This jar is a recycled candle container. I always feel guilty throwing away any good glass jars and over the years have collected quite a few glass containers.

 I ended up spraying the lid with glitter spray as well.

 I plan on making several more once I am on Christmas break!

Only three more days!!

Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins

This is what I would like to call the genius' who decided to have three half days the week of Christmas.

Yep

that's right Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are all half days.

W-H-Y

To distract myself of all the merriment that I am missing at home I have created a list of distracting activities

an Anthropologie craft inspiration happening tomorrow

wrapping up Christmas presents

shopping for Christmas presents

baking Christmas treats
burning Christmas candles

and a whole lot of Christmas movies

FA-LA-LA-LA-LA
HURRY UP

The one with the golden ticket

BACKGROUND
First of all I had a hay day with this comment.
I believe students just finished taking a vocabulary spelling test. The student below did not do so well on his test and when he discovered his grade this golden ticket popped out of his mouth.

Student: "Miss, I'm smart...I just choose not to be"

Me: J you have got to be kidding me. That is the dumpiest thing I have ever heard. //PAUSE\\ So what you are saying is that you can walk, but you choose to crawl. Is that right J?

Student: Miss that's not what I meant.

Me: Well, that's what I heard.

TODAY

J is doing much better making sure he is choosing to be smart and not the contrary. Now, if he could only remember to bring in his home work and stop "leaving it at home."

The one with all the water dams

BACKGROUND

I am not exactly sure how this topic came up in class, but students were trying to find a way to curse without getting into trouble. I told them that if they could work in a water dam into everyday conversations that might be okay...no one ever was successful at this.

During our common course exam there was a reading passage on...you guessed it...the history of water dams.

Student 1: Miss, you better stop cursing or I am going to tell on you.

Me: I am just reading you the exam, which is one of your accommodations on your IEP.

Student 2: I did not know there were three different types of dams

Me: Well, did you also know there are 50,000 dams in America?

Student 3: Miss, ditches rhymes with...

Me: don't say it

Student 3: but if the d turns into a b

Me: I know, I know

TODAY

Well, my 7th graders did find a way to successfully work in a water dam into everyday conversation thanks to the genius who decided putting in a reading passage about the history of water dams was appropriate.

WORST IDEA EVER

Cookies and cream cookies

I had some left over Oreos from an Oreo cheesecake cupcake

I needed to find a way to rid my home of the row and a half of Oreos.

After searching Pinterest I found a cookies and cream cookies recipe that I made a little adjustment to.

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
10 Oreos

½ tsp. vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1/2 cup of white chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Using a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla extract together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

//mine looked like yellow sand\\

Add the Oreo Cookies and mix until the cookies are just left in small pieces.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until fully incorporated.

Fold in the white chocolate morsels

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

While I was mixing everything I became a little concerned that the dough was too dry. I decided to add two items to add a little extra to the blah dough.

 

I took my food processor and put in the four remaining Oreos and some pieces of a dark chocolate bar. I added the concoction to the dough and did a test run of the dough.

//waited patiently for the 8 minutes to run out\\
 

Took the cookie out and the dough, now cookie, looked just as dry.

Put the cookie in the fridge to cool took it out just as dry looking on the outside. Took a bite and oh my...so good...not dry at all on the inside!

//so relieved\\

I am not exactly sure how the inside came out so moist, but I guess I should not judge a cookie by its cover.

//Original recipe from\\

The one with all the evidence

BACKGROUND

First of all, this student might be the loudest student I know. "A" is very business savvy and with his booming voice has great potential for his life. One day A comes up to me before lunch and offers to sell me some gum, half price (teacher discount).

Student: Ms. Hill...I mean Hall. Do ya wanna buy some gum?

Me: Are you really trying to sell me gum?

Student: Opens up his binder to reveal his stash.

Me: I'll think about it

AFTER LUNCH

Student who smells overwhelmingly minty and not concealing the wad that is in his mouth is asked to fork over his stash...

Student: I thought you were cool and would not take my gum...I offered you the discount.

Me: Well, you left me no choice

Student: unwillingly hands over the goods...gum and mint sprays

DURING LITERATURE CIRCLE

I decide to have some fun. I put the goods in a Ziploc bag and label it EVIDENCE. I then sent the baggie to one of his gifted teachers for further examination.

Student: Are you kidding me...you are not seriously going to do this to me are you?

Me: A, I am just following protocol on this type of situation.

Student: Walks away in dismay

TODAY

A has stopped selling gum, but is now selling school supplies to other students.

The one with no hair spray

BACKGROUND

After a student had missed a couple of days, I decided to do a little investigating.

 

Students 1: Miss, I heard that B is not coming to school because she does not have hair spray.

Me: Well, that sounds like a serious problem.

DURING LUNCH

Me: Call home and speak with the guardian to confirm that the reason why B did not come to school was because of the lack of hairspray. My fear is confirmed student is missing school because a can ran out!

DAYS LATER

Student who missed school: Miss, you know my ... made up that lie about why I did not come to school.

Me: ...needs to come up with a better lie next time!

TODAY

The hairspray issue has been resolved and B has come to school everyday!

S'more Cups

Came across another pinterest inspiration

This one in the form of a mini s'more bite

how could anyone resist

 I formed the cup by using the other side of a tablespoon. I advise that when scooping the graham cracker mixture you use a heaping tablespoon in order to make a deep enough cup.

 You build this cup in a similar s'more fashion

 "First you take the gram you stick the chocolate on the gram and then you roast the mallow then you cover it with some more chocolate."

//if anyone gets this reference I will send you a s'more cup\\

 There was only one mishap when one cup toppled off the rack. I did the only thing logical to save it...I ate the cup

 I did not put chocolate on the top of all of them because

1. I did not want to melt any more

2. Not everyone likes a lot of chocolate

The lovely lady from Texas Cottage posted the recipe on her blog



Top five moments

I think we can all agree that at any given moment you can be blown away by what comes out of a student's mouth. Well, this semester my students did not disappoint me by their words and sometimes even their actions. This week I will be reveling the top five moments that made this semester oh so fantastic.

DISCLAIMER

I feel that I have a genuine relationship with all of my students. In my classroom I am honest and kind, that is my policy.

For those that are wondering my name is not MISS; I just get called that a lot.
Apparently, Hall is too difficult to say .

Oh spelling words

Today students took one of their many spelling tests.

There have been words in the past that consist of amusing mini words within a word.

There were two mini amusing words in this weeks vocabulary words:

1. Associate

Just look at the first three letters...now imagine having middle schoolers spell that word

Student: "Miss what are the first three letters"

Me: "you are sitting on it"

2. Quantity

Student: "what are the last two syllables in that word"

Me (without thinking, says the last two syllables out loud): "look of disgust toward that student"

HAPPE SPELLING