Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The Day of Love
Zoe (niece) was born February 14th 2004, so she turned 3 years old this year! We had a birthday party for her at the farm on the 11th. We of course did our annual self portrat photo shoot, played with the tiger mask, blew out candles, and devoured some cake. She now says "rooooaaaar" when she puts on her tiger mask, but then quickly tears it off and says, "just me" (just incase we did not know that or were too scared!).
I love Teaching!
My grade 5/6 split is the best class....although I tend to say that about every class. Anyhow here are a few pictures from the class on February 9th. We had their Valentines day party that afternoon, so the kids were nuts....the whole day was one big gong show!
-We played valentine games.....travelling a ball in between your heads, switch the candy using a toothpick, ect
-We played valentine games.....travelling a ball in between your heads, switch the candy using a toothpick, ect
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
All The New In My Life
There is a lot of new going on these days!
1. New roomate
2. New role in the school...now I am on the other side of the desk (so to speak)
3. New people....stay tuned for those pictures....they are in the making
4. New timetable all together
5. New recipes for gluten free cooking
I have to admit I am not really one for change.....but I have come to really appreciate change.....it can be a really good thing......a breath of fresh air.......it spices up life!
Here is a picture of the class I am teaching in right now. They are part of a grade 5/6 split in Silverspring. I absolutely love the class I have....by this age they really try to connect with you as a person.....I wouldnt trade them for the world.
Last Thursday a Universty student decided to write a satire piece for the school newspaper. It absolutely stabbed the teaching profession in all ways possible, but it was out of that article that I started to do a lot of my own reflecting. Aside from creating a safe place for kids to grow, teaching curriculum, and loving kids.....what is it that I do? It all came together when I received a forward from a fellow colleague of mine. So, I decided to put it on this blog as a visual aid to my kids I teach now and into the future.....ok so I am a touch bit corny, but its my blog!!!
WHAT TEACHERS MAKE
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing
life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with
education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from
someone who decided his best option in life was to become a
teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say
about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."
To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a
teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness
replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a
second, then began...)
"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they
could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of
Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time
when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I
Pod, Game Cube or movie rental... You want to know what I
make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person
at the table.)
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their
actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math.
I make my students from other countries learn everything
they need to know in English while preserving their unique
cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts
they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they
can succeed in life. (Bonnie paused one last time and then
continued.)
"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, I can
hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are
ignorant...
You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do
you make?"
1. New roomate
2. New role in the school...now I am on the other side of the desk (so to speak)
3. New people....stay tuned for those pictures....they are in the making
4. New timetable all together
5. New recipes for gluten free cooking
I have to admit I am not really one for change.....but I have come to really appreciate change.....it can be a really good thing......a breath of fresh air.......it spices up life!
Here is a picture of the class I am teaching in right now. They are part of a grade 5/6 split in Silverspring. I absolutely love the class I have....by this age they really try to connect with you as a person.....I wouldnt trade them for the world.
Last Thursday a Universty student decided to write a satire piece for the school newspaper. It absolutely stabbed the teaching profession in all ways possible, but it was out of that article that I started to do a lot of my own reflecting. Aside from creating a safe place for kids to grow, teaching curriculum, and loving kids.....what is it that I do? It all came together when I received a forward from a fellow colleague of mine. So, I decided to put it on this blog as a visual aid to my kids I teach now and into the future.....ok so I am a touch bit corny, but its my blog!!!
WHAT TEACHERS MAKE
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing
life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with
education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from
someone who decided his best option in life was to become a
teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say
about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."
To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a
teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness
replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a
second, then began...)
"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they
could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of
Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time
when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I
Pod, Game Cube or movie rental... You want to know what I
make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person
at the table.)
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their
actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math.
I make my students from other countries learn everything
they need to know in English while preserving their unique
cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts
they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they
can succeed in life. (Bonnie paused one last time and then
continued.)
"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, I can
hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are
ignorant...
You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do
you make?"
Blizzard of 2007
WOW!
So we had a crazy blizzard, which made headlines everywhere! I decided to brave the storm and drive to school in the morning. At that point it was snowing pretty good, but I was not all that worried. By 11:30 all colleges on campus were shutting down, because of the storm. Anyhow....I barely got out of the parking lot...and when I finally did I was completely lost and had no idea where I was. A campus security officer told me that my normal 3 routes home were all closed and that there was only 1 left open. So, we drove 20km all the way down Wiggins, to 8th, and then down McKercher. It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes to get from the University to home, when it normally is a 12 minute car ride! Thankfully we were not in any accidents and got to stay home for a few days and get some of our prep work done! Here are some crazy pictures that I took from my balcony that night.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Boots are Back In Town!
WELL WELL WELL....
To celebrate being done our first term in Education we went out on the town in our boots! Ironically enough, Donnalee, Bobbi, and I all owned a different color of boots! Anyhow we had a really good time together and it lasted well into the wee hours of the early morn. Next time, you should come join us!!!!
We posted our photo of our boots on the jones' soda website....if you log on and go under gallery....then type in Donnalee you will find out boot picture.....you can even vote on it!!!!!
If this is not a typical "girl" shot I am not sure what is. This is Donnalee and Bobbi talking on the phone.....very late....or early whichever way you see it
THIS IS OUR AWESOME BOOT PICTURE THAT NEEDS TO BE ON A JONES' SODA BOTTLE!!!!!!!! DONT YOU THINK???
My friend B.....Barbie.....Bobs.....aka: Bobbi...she is lovely
Jeremy....This is his touch and feel dress shirt that I bug him about....its quite fitting, because he teaches grade 1...so I bet he wears it when he teaches them about the 5 senses. Ignore my gross lazy eye....it only comes out when I have to have my picture taken or its late.
Jeremy and Justin Mewis
To celebrate being done our first term in Education we went out on the town in our boots! Ironically enough, Donnalee, Bobbi, and I all owned a different color of boots! Anyhow we had a really good time together and it lasted well into the wee hours of the early morn. Next time, you should come join us!!!!
We posted our photo of our boots on the jones' soda website....if you log on and go under gallery....then type in Donnalee you will find out boot picture.....you can even vote on it!!!!!
If this is not a typical "girl" shot I am not sure what is. This is Donnalee and Bobbi talking on the phone.....very late....or early whichever way you see it
THIS IS OUR AWESOME BOOT PICTURE THAT NEEDS TO BE ON A JONES' SODA BOTTLE!!!!!!!! DONT YOU THINK???
My friend B.....Barbie.....Bobs.....aka: Bobbi...she is lovely
Jeremy....This is his touch and feel dress shirt that I bug him about....its quite fitting, because he teaches grade 1...so I bet he wears it when he teaches them about the 5 senses. Ignore my gross lazy eye....it only comes out when I have to have my picture taken or its late.
Jeremy and Justin Mewis
Saturday, November 18, 2006
90 Years and Still smiling!!!
Grandma turned 90 on November 11th 2006 in Regina Saskatchewan. The family got together that weekend to host a tea for all the ladies that live in her building on the Friday and on Sunday we had a family gathering and small program. Grandma looked awesome and didn't miss a beat.
mom made a special call over to Ralph Goodale (who showed up!!!). According to granny he is the "only honest politician left!"
Grandma and my sister Sarah
Just Grams and me
Sarah, mom, grandma, me
momsy and granny
mom made a special call over to Ralph Goodale (who showed up!!!). According to granny he is the "only honest politician left!"
Grandma and my sister Sarah
Just Grams and me
Sarah, mom, grandma, me
momsy and granny
Monday, November 06, 2006
The Surprise Party!!
We threw my sister a surprise birthday party this weekend. We had a lot of fun playing pin the tail on the donkey, pinata, and of course charades once the men and children left! Things may have gotten a little out of hand with the single women and the wine.....It was a really fun evening and Sarah was surprised even though mom dropped some small hints by "accident!"
My Education Cohort (Class)
I love my class in Education!
They make me happy to get up in the morning!
I miss them on weekends, how pathetic is that?
I am already dreading the end of our education degree, because where will we all end up?
We all get along really well and enjoy hanging out outside of class more than in class!!!!! Here are a few pictures of us from having lunch before going to teach at Greystone Heights!
Shawn, Amanda, and Bobbi
Terence aka:Hammy (Over The Hedge)
Bobbi
Lee and Clayton
Joanne, Rayme, and Donnalee
They make me happy to get up in the morning!
I miss them on weekends, how pathetic is that?
I am already dreading the end of our education degree, because where will we all end up?
We all get along really well and enjoy hanging out outside of class more than in class!!!!! Here are a few pictures of us from having lunch before going to teach at Greystone Heights!
Shawn, Amanda, and Bobbi
Terence aka:Hammy (Over The Hedge)
Bobbi
Lee and Clayton
Joanne, Rayme, and Donnalee
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Guatemala Adventures 2003
So, I took a wee trot over to Guatemala in February of 2003. We stayed there for a little over two weeks. We did a lot of volunteering (teaching about agriculture, because they dont eat vegetables and fruits they harvest, built a water well, taught some basic english to children, and helped out everywhere else). We had a really good trip and only got sick once!
-A scenic picture of Guatemala.....it really is a beautiful place and I would go back in a heartbeat
-I bought a lot from this woman! They just have a way with words, "I make this for you pretty girl.....your mother love you forever you buy this for her, I make this special for you" ugh!!
- I found the picture of "the jump"
-This was a banana tree. We would pick these bananas and the locals would dip them in chocolate and then freeze them.....in the summer I still do this! "Chocoban"
-We lived with these women for a week up in the mountains called Bezaleel. It turns out that they were all older than us by atleast 2-5 years. I swear they are so short and little due to the fact that they hate fruits and vegetables and only eat beans and tortilla.
-Just a boat of us sitting in the ocean passing by a small volcanoe that was letting off a little steam....no worries or anything!
-I turned 18 in Guatemala, so they took us to a secluded baby waterfall.....this picture was taken right after we all jumped from the waterfall.
-We had a day hike trip up to the Mayan Ruins.....amazing!
-This is taken at an orphanage for children who lost family members during the 30 year civil war or just really do not have a family. We went in and spent the day with them singing songs, playing, and teaching.
-Catholicism is the dominant religion in South America. We just happened to run into a an ancient convent.....I forgot that my hair was so long!
-Lets talk about the cuisine for a moment. When we were in the Indigenous region we are only black beans, homemade curds, and tortilla. However, in the city there were many other special treats to try...like iguana eggs, guacamole, rice dishes, and pig tongue!
-This is their "capital" building. On our second day in Guatemala a woman was shot for stealing from an open market, which happened to be right infront of us. The army came flying from around the corner....we were all on the ground...it was very scary, but we made it through and had an eye opener.
-10,000 families live in the dump in the city of Guatemala.....this is a picture of the dump. (we did go visit families who lived here...it was brutal).
-A scenic picture of Guatemala.....it really is a beautiful place and I would go back in a heartbeat
-I bought a lot from this woman! They just have a way with words, "I make this for you pretty girl.....your mother love you forever you buy this for her, I make this special for you" ugh!!
- I found the picture of "the jump"
-This was a banana tree. We would pick these bananas and the locals would dip them in chocolate and then freeze them.....in the summer I still do this! "Chocoban"
-We lived with these women for a week up in the mountains called Bezaleel. It turns out that they were all older than us by atleast 2-5 years. I swear they are so short and little due to the fact that they hate fruits and vegetables and only eat beans and tortilla.
-Just a boat of us sitting in the ocean passing by a small volcanoe that was letting off a little steam....no worries or anything!
-I turned 18 in Guatemala, so they took us to a secluded baby waterfall.....this picture was taken right after we all jumped from the waterfall.
-We had a day hike trip up to the Mayan Ruins.....amazing!
-This is taken at an orphanage for children who lost family members during the 30 year civil war or just really do not have a family. We went in and spent the day with them singing songs, playing, and teaching.
-Catholicism is the dominant religion in South America. We just happened to run into a an ancient convent.....I forgot that my hair was so long!
-Lets talk about the cuisine for a moment. When we were in the Indigenous region we are only black beans, homemade curds, and tortilla. However, in the city there were many other special treats to try...like iguana eggs, guacamole, rice dishes, and pig tongue!
-This is their "capital" building. On our second day in Guatemala a woman was shot for stealing from an open market, which happened to be right infront of us. The army came flying from around the corner....we were all on the ground...it was very scary, but we made it through and had an eye opener.
-10,000 families live in the dump in the city of Guatemala.....this is a picture of the dump. (we did go visit families who lived here...it was brutal).
THANKSGIVING
Happy Thanksgiving,
So I had a Celiac attack on Friday night and never made it to Regina for our thanksgiving with grandma. As it turned out grandma fell and cracked her collar bone answering my phone call. She is fine now, but oy between the two of us we were in rough shape.
Anyhow our family made it out to the farm on Sunday for family thanksgiving. We had a great time with the family and
playing with Zoe. We were teaching Zoe how to take self portraits and she was eating that up!
-This is taken after about 9 tries of getting lazy eyes, weird non-smiles, and Zoe running in and out of the room. (my sister Sarah and I)
- Tata and Zoe....she loved taking pictures and looking at them after.
-We were teaching Zoe how to do self portraits.......She did better than Sarah and I. We also have her calling us by name pretty well now "Tata Jilly and Tata Sarah" (FYI: tata is the cute term of aunt in French)
-My mom and Zoe.....Zoe wouldnt let "gramma" sit down all night....she even had her hiding under the table....we didnt think mom would come back up at one point.
So I had a Celiac attack on Friday night and never made it to Regina for our thanksgiving with grandma. As it turned out grandma fell and cracked her collar bone answering my phone call. She is fine now, but oy between the two of us we were in rough shape.
Anyhow our family made it out to the farm on Sunday for family thanksgiving. We had a great time with the family and
playing with Zoe. We were teaching Zoe how to take self portraits and she was eating that up!
-This is taken after about 9 tries of getting lazy eyes, weird non-smiles, and Zoe running in and out of the room. (my sister Sarah and I)
- Tata and Zoe....she loved taking pictures and looking at them after.
-We were teaching Zoe how to do self portraits.......She did better than Sarah and I. We also have her calling us by name pretty well now "Tata Jilly and Tata Sarah" (FYI: tata is the cute term of aunt in French)
-My mom and Zoe.....Zoe wouldnt let "gramma" sit down all night....she even had her hiding under the table....we didnt think mom would come back up at one point.
Camp Tapawingo
Camp Tapawing is a children's camp located at Candle Lake. I started off there when I graduated as the Recreation Director. Basically it was a fancy term for teaching canoeing/kayaking, lifeguarding, and implementing a recreation program. In my last year at camp half way through I finished the summer as both acting director and recreational director, so a touch bit chaotic. Anyhow it was an amazing experience and I wouldnt trade it for anything.
-This is the best sunset to date...right from our beach
-This is from my first summer there.....just the female staff
-This was my main station during the summer
-We offer sailing at camp on the last week of the summer
-Ian and I creeping around
-This woman at Minowaka Beach made all these dolls.....we went there every summer and bought her out! They were so creepy just take a closer look at what they are made of.
-Believe it or not, this is taken in August. It was soooooo cold that I never took my lifejacket off, because I used it as insulation.
-This is the best sunset to date...right from our beach
-This is from my first summer there.....just the female staff
-This was my main station during the summer
-We offer sailing at camp on the last week of the summer
-Ian and I creeping around
-This woman at Minowaka Beach made all these dolls.....we went there every summer and bought her out! They were so creepy just take a closer look at what they are made of.
-Believe it or not, this is taken in August. It was soooooo cold that I never took my lifejacket off, because I used it as insulation.
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