Great Teaching Moments, Take One

A few friends have convinced me that the things that happen in my classroom are so unbelievable that I should share them with others. I guess here's as good of a place as any.

This month we're learning about the Holocaust & reading the play The Diary of Anne Frank. The other day, the students were given various things to look at including newspaper articles, things from official websites, & the brochure given to you when you visit the actual Anne Frank House (now a museum). This is the conversation that took place during this class.

Student A: So the Anne Frank house is like a museum now? Why don't we go there for a field trip?
Me: Sure.... but not with me! I can't afford to fly you all over to Amsterdam!
Student A: Where's Amsterdam?
Me: It's in Holland, in the Netherlands.
Student A: The Netherlands? Isn't that where Peter Pan is from?
Me (after a moment of awed silence of course): No, that's Never Never Land.
Student A: Ohhhh.
Student B: You would ask that.

There's no making this stuff up, folks.

Engagement Photos

Thank You Bryan, Habitat, AmeriCorps, Seacoast, & South Carolina

Time is so funny. Sometimes a day seems to last forever; other times it's hard to get a breath in. Around this time every January I am reminded of South Carolina & my year of service. I always remember that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a National Day of Service, & I will never forget that chilly Monday when I dragged Bryan to work with, & we led a group of high school honor society students as they painted the interiors of Miss Stacy & Miss Diane's houses, as well as working on the yards of all five Blitz Build houses & Miss Minnie's. I can't believe it's been almost four years since I moved back up here. I can't believe it's been almost 4 years since so many things changed.

Bryan passed away four years ago on the 23rd, & it's always a bittersweet memory. That's odd to say about the untimely death of someone you care about, but I can't help but find the good in losing Bryan. It's not all good, & I know that. My heart breaks for his beautiful children - Ryleigh & Drake - for his parents, sisters, ex-wife, friends, & other family. But I decided when Bryan died that I needed to find the good in it, somehow, & understand that God just needed him more than we did. Losing Bryan taught me things about religion & faith & friendship & love. Losing Bryan made me realize that my best friend in all of South Carolina was my almost 50-year-old boss. At 5:30 on our one day off, he & his wife were at my side in a heartbeat. From then on, I recognized what a wonderful friend I had in Steve & in his family as well. It was losing Bryan that made my friendship with Matt via the internet become much stronger, eventually leading to our dating & my life now. It was losing Bryan that taught me how good some people are... when I felt like I had no one, my friends from Seacoast (the church I attended & miss terribly!) were there in a heartbeat. Pastor Larry & his lovely wife Nan were there with phone calls & kind words. Suzanne stepped in as a grief counselor for me & met with me each week in the children's rooms at church to help me deal with my sadness. Connally & Beth were amazing & gave me their frequent flier miles to send me home to be with family for a few days. I couldn't believe the overwhelming kindness of my Seacoast friends - Larry & Nan, Suzanne, Beth & Connally, KT & AnneMarie, Grange, Katie, Mr. Dave, Rich, & so many others were so wonderful. I'll never forget their kindness. I owe them much more than they will ever understand.
I also found kindness in the hearts of my co-workers, homeowners, volunteers, & fellow AmeriCorps. I'll never forget Kelly, Simon, & Ben coming up to our place & staying the weekend to cheer me up. We drank too much & went mini-golfing & rode go-carts & climbed some rock walls. Those friends, along with Steve & Julie & their entire family, Anna, Ken & his family, Sam & Tammy, Roy, Melanie, Ramsey, Sonya, the 'Grumpies,' & even my homeowners, Frank, Miss Diane, Miss Minnie, Miss Pat, Miss Carla, Miss Stacy, Miss Mary, the Katrina families, & so many others, were so unbelievably kind to a damn yankee from Massachusetts.
Imagine where my life would be if not for the events of January 23rd, 2006. I had intended on completing a second year until that day. I had considered staying down there permanently. I would not have begun studying for MTEL tests to teach in Massachusetts. I would not have moved home in July or moved to an apartment in Reading with Cole. I'm not sure I would have developed the wonderful relationships as I did. So many things stemmed from that one day, both good & bad, that I can't help but remember Bryan around this time every year & say a little thank you to him.

540 Days to Go

A little clock on the side of my Facebook page has been quietly counting down to the wedding for well over 600 days. It's much too far off for me to truly worry right now about the big day, but little by little, I'm trying to plan. I'm already overwhelmed, but I guess that's bound to happen. Our Maid of Honor (J) & our Best Man (Rey) were asked months & months ago. Back in October(ish), we asked my cousin Tony to be one of our groomsmen. Then we sort of hit a wall. It's rather awkward to ask somebody to be in your wedding. How does that come up in conversation? Should it be something special? Should I take each bridesmaid out to dinner? Should I write it in an email? I've heard of people texting the question but I feel like that's a little ridiculous. I don't know what the proper etiquette is. I remember when Mal asked me to be her bridesmaid, she did it over the phone. Everyone else went to dinner with her & she asked them as a group but I didn't live in the area & couldn't get out to be there. Tuesday night I accidentally asked Cole to be my bridesmaid over AOL Instant Messenger. I wanted to ask her on Christmas Eve, but she didn't make it by the party. I was going to write it on a Christmas card & attach it to her gift, but I forgot. Then I was going to ask her the day I went to her place to exchange gifts, but I didn't know how to say it. How do you come out & ask someone to be in your wedding, all out knowing how much it may potentially cost them & without making other people feel left out? The frustrations! Well, the other night, I basically told Cole I wanted her to come to a Bridal Expo with my mom, J, & me because I thought it would be nice to have a bridesmaid there with me. It took her a sec, but she got it so now we've got a few down & a few more to go!
I found my DJ back in October, & I love him. He seems fantastic. I met with my photographer in October & again in December. On Saturday Matt & I are going to Saco, Maine (where our photographers, Scott & Kristin, live) & are taking our engagement photos. I'm so nervous. Neither Matt nor I are very big into getting our pictures taken. I don't even think I'd be doing engagement pics if Scott didn't think it was such a good idea. I feel like it's going to be so awkward. However, it will be wonderful to get the contract done & get some time in kind of experiencing the photographers & getting to know them. I've known Scott for years, but I don't know Kristin very well & Matt doesn't know either of them very well so I guess we'll see how it goes! 540 days to go!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2010! We had quite a gathering at our place for New Year's, & it seemed a great time was had by all (or at least almost all!)

I asked my students to write about their New Year's resolutions in their journals today. It's always interesting to read the kinds of things that eighth graders resolve to do. They aren't that much different than 20-somethings surprisingly. Some want to get a boyfriend, some want to lose weight, some want to do better in school, some want to get a job, to make more time for family, to treat their siblings nicer, to work harder, be kinder, do more community service. Some wrote that they had no idea what their New Year's resolutions were or if they had any (and some of course wrote that they didn't know what a New Year's resolution was and so could not answer the journal prompt). Regardless, one would think that since I had my students write about their goals for the coming year, I, too, would have great goals & plans for 2010... but that would be false. Now is as good of a time as any for me to make some I guess. As with every year, I want to lose some weight, get fit, get healthier, be kinder & more generous, & make more money. I need to be a better person. I need to be more honest & open with my friends. I am overly sensitive, & I have a habit of remaining upset & holding a grudge. I don't want to do that anymore. I've held grudges with some people for far too long, & I need to let go of them. People hurt people. That's what they do. They don't intend to most of the time, but that's life and it happens.Life is too short to be angry all the time! I've found that there are some friends who I can count on at 4am to be there, to show up when I need them, & to respect my family & my fiance as much as they do me. I need to treasure them more.
2009 was a great year for me, but it definitely had both ups & downs. I got engaged to the love of my life & my very best friend. I found a home that I love. I finished my Master's degree at Salem State. My cousin gave us a new baby in my family while one of my nearest & dearest gave us girls a beautiful niece (& is giving us another one in 2010!). We were able to witness the beautiful union of Matt's Aunty Kathy with Larry. We lost Matt's Uncle Mike, an amazing guy. We've battled diseases & surgeries, trials & tribulations. And of course, through it all, I've only realized how wonderful my family, my friends, & my fiance really are. It's been quite a year! Happy New Year!