12 x 12 February 2010

Today was quite a day…let’s take a look at the photographic recap.

#1. The day started off rainy and cold.  What a yucky gray drive to school it was.  I could have stayed in bed for another few hours at least.

#2. We started our day with a faculty breakfast celebrating my friend, our Employee of the Year.  Our crew really knows how to throw a party – and, apparently, how to rap….and wear heels with tattoos….and order Starbucks….and take down folks in the car line.

#3.  My students and I worked on nonfiction reading strategies with a very timely and integrated Weekly Reader article on about the war in Afghanistan.  We had a wonderful open-minded discussion about the past 9 years of war.  It was amazingly easy to explain some very complex topics, thanks to our collective literary memories.  (I was able to explain the concept of Osama bin Laden and terrorists, for instance, by using Tony D. in Freak the Mighty.  Sounds odd, but it was a powerful link for them.)

#4. As a stepping stone into responding to literature, students supported their thinking and opinions using details from the text and the smidge of research about the life of an Afghan as they responded to this question:

“Do you think the Afghan people are happy we are sending 30,000 more American soldiers?  Why or why not?”

Again, ….wow.  Powerful thinking from my little kiddos.

#5.  Among an onslaught of chocolate roses, heart-shaped boxes, scented candles, teddy bears, and various other lovies, I received this poem from a student.  It reads:

Rosies are red  vilets are blue you are the best teacher so Happy v-day

I love it.

#6.  Ooooooohhhh….yummy.   We celebrated Valentine’s Day together as a class with an ice cream sundae party.  TIP:  Buy the cardboard 1/2 gallon boxes of ice cream, disassemble the boxes and CUT the ice cream into squares with a big knife.  It is INCREDIBLY easier and faster than scoop, scoop, scooping from a bucket. 

#7. My handsome Harrison stopped by to get some smooches from me.  He’s another one of my boyfriends.  Love that baby!  He’s SO going to be a heart-breaker one day.  Girls will be swooning for miles…

#8.  One of my students took a picture of BigGirl and I today.  We didn’t plan to be twins, but we were. :) We love pink.

#9. Even though the high was in the forties and it didn’t stop raining all day, when we finally got home, both of my girlies peeled off some layers and locked themselves in their room.  They needed time to pull out, pick over, disassemble, and just be kids.

#10.   After dinner it was time to hit Mommy’s bed for a bit of Disney channel.  Apparently, Phineas and Ferb are so much better curled up on my pillows or beneath my covers.

#11.  With the girlies chillin’ beside me, I snatched a few moments (ha!) to chat, write and attempt to make a dent in my Google Reader.

#12.  A bittersweet closure to the day – the opening ceremony of the Olympics was overshadowed by the death of the Georgian luge athlete.  So tragic.  My heart goes out to his family, friends, and countrymen. 

 

That about wraps it up for this month.  You can find January’s 12x12 here, if you missed it. 

Be sure to let me know if you’re participating in 12x12, too.  I’d love to check it out!

Special Agent Oso Annoying

So, there I was, mindlessly bumming around the internet from one post to another. On this occasion, I had no particular purpose in mind other than rotting brain cells.

I stumbled upon this post from McMommy and could barely read past the first paragraph. It's not McMommy, it's me.

Check it out. She started her post like this.

"I'm standing here in the kitchen, making eggs and toast, and listening to Special Agent Oso. I've got zero makeup on and look like scary Oprah."

I read three little words and completely lost my focus. Like a certifiable nutjob, my mind went whirling through time and space. It was nearly an out-of-body experience. I was floating in my den at home, growling on the inside as the sounds of Special Agent Oso gnawing at my ears.

Forgive me, folks, but this show is CRAP. Its songs are RIDICULOUSLY ANNOYING. The structure of the show is exactly like Dora - and we do NOT need another repetitive three-step "adventure mission" show. We already have Diego. (And, I have to give Diego credit. His "Rescue Pack" song is like the coolest song on cartoons today.) What's more, Oso is not very bright. At least Dora and Diego have interesting missions like rescuing a beached baby humpback whale, waking Boots from a magical forever slumber, climbing to the top of the tallest mountain to get back Dora's lost necklace, or fixing some poor iguana's pink-eye. Oso? He does *REALLY COOL* stuff like making a salad, watering a plant, or brushing teeth.

I can hear Oso Supporters now, "Well, don't you think these are more realistic things to be teaching your child?" NO! I'm sorry, but don't you think a job like brushing teeth is better taught in person? Especially when the three steps Oso works so hard to memorize are to (1) get the brush, (2) put toothpaste on it, and (3) brush. Brilliant, Disney! Just brilliant! And, as for watering plants and making a salad, I'm sorry. If you need your preschooler to learn how to do these things without adult assistance or supervision, perhaps there is a bigger problem we need to be discussing.

As for me, I'd totally rather my girlies watch Phineas and Ferb and dream big, baby.

"Sure girls, you can build a time machine today..."

P.S. If you've never read The McMommy Chronicles before, she's worth checking out. I've enjoyed lots of laughs in the months I've been reading her blog. Enjoy!

P. P. S. If you've never heard the Rescue Pack song before, here you go. I think everyone deserves to see how totally rockin' it is. Rescue Pack is da bomb.