What a Birthday Bash!

Yes, today is my birthday. The big 39. Although 39 doesn't really feel any different than twenty nine which didn't feel different than 19. Aside from a few gray hairs, creaky knees, flab rolls, and laugh lines, I feel as I always have. As far as birthdays go, it was different, however. Today was also the inauguration of Barack Obama. At school we had a little Inauguration Celebration. My poor class has heard about elections and inaugurations since September. It came to a completion today. The 2nd grade celebrated by having a pizza party for lunch and watching the events on TV. One of my very cute, but not so bright students said, "Mrs. Grant, why don't they do a parade for your birthday every year?" And another student, who is very quick, and very bright said, "Because if they did she would become too conceited." Tee Hee. I thought that it was funny. I think most of them understand that the speeches and parades really have nothing to do with my birthday.
We had a fun day and we were grateful to be part of that history. My kids loved it and I assume that by the time the next election comes around, they will be so smart about the process and the events. I can't wait to talk to their 6th grade teachers.
I remember the inaugurations of Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and W. Bush. Those are all important parts of my birthdays. It is fun to have those memories and parts of history be a small bit of my birthday.

Birthday Surprises

Today is my dear friend's birthday. I love her birthday. It is fun to surprise her on this day. First, she doesn't think that I'll remember. And, second she never knows what to expect when I arrive. For instance, when she turned 40 I gave her a bouquet of "prune" roses and prune juice. It really was beautiful. I'm not joking at all. I think that made her feel better - tee hee. She held on to the prune juice forever. I think that she has finally thrown it away. Maybe she drank it.
One thing that we like to do together, besides gossip, is kayak. She let me talk her into going with me a couple of years ago and she became hooked. So last year she bought a kayak. We tried to go at least every week. About July, I got an idea for her birthday, something that she needed and would make kayaking even more fun. I have held onto that idea ever since (an amazing thought since I can't remember anything for longer than 10 minutes). Anyway, today finally arrived. When she opened it she squealed and I cheered and her family looked at us like we were freaks. We're not freaks. We are just two "old" ladies who get excited over very silly things - like dry saks!

NCLB

I think sometimes a bad thing started out as good thing but as it evolved it became a monster. I believe that is the case with NCLB - No Child Left Behind. This is the act that was introduced by George W. Bush early on in his presidency. The thought is that by the year 2011 (I think) all children will be able to read proficiently, at their grade level. That is the only thing I pay attention to because that is what my teaching is judged on. For instance, in 2nd grade, an exiting student will be able to read 96 words per minute correctly. There are many other aspects to NCLB, including math and sciences. NCLB is a great idea, and completely possible, if all children came from the same mold. Unfortunately, that is not the way the real world operates.
Next week, we will have our second IRI (Idaho Reading Indicator) assessment of the year. All the teachers at our school are STRESSED. Why? Because if all your students don't get a 3 on the test (the highest score indicating proficient) you as a teacher are a big failure. It doesn't matter if a student entered 2nd grade reading 4 words per minute and now can read 34 words per minute. Each student was supposed to be able to read 82 words a minute as of January and yours didn't. Now you are a big failure. Well at least that is how you are treated by the administration. Our teaching has become consumed by it. We are teaching to a test - not teaching to an understanding of the concepts. Its like cramming in college. As soon as we teach it the concept is forgotten because we didn't really "teach" it - we just crammed it in.
One thing that the "powers" have forgotten is that kids aren't all consumed by improving their reading speed. Some are concerned with where they are going to sleep tonight or where they slept last night. Some are wondering if they will have any food over the weekend. Others wonder if they are safe. I have one boy that worries if his medicine is going to work or if he will attack himself or his family members uncontrollably. Only a handful come from families that actually care if their child reads or not - sometimes because they can't read. All of these factors have a great impact on how the student will perform. The pressure isn't just coming from local administrations. It has come from the big W. in the White House and trickled down.
I only hope that with a new president some things will change and I can become a teacher again and not an administrator of progress monitoring and tests. Until then, good luck to all of us.

Things to Accomplish in 2009

I'm not very good at setting resolutions. Actually, I'm really good at setting them. I'm just not so good at following through. So, I've come up with a new strategy. These are things that I would like to accomplish this year. Resolutions sound like such formal snotty things. Accomplishments sound easier to me. So, here goes a list of things to accomplish.

1. Lose 2o pounds (without getting pregnant - the only time in my life I've lost weight).
2. Go camping (outside, not in the living room) with my family.
3. Run a 10K or a 5 K depending on how I'm doing come July.
4. Whitewater rafting.
5. Read the Book of Mormon again.
6. Grow a beautiful (and plentiful) garden. This is unlike any I've ever grown.
7. Play at least one song on Guitar Hero on the hard level.
8. Hike to Table Rock and Union Falls.
9.

10.

I'll add to it as I think of more. This gives me a good start. I've noticed that is a lot to accomplish during the 3 weeks of summer that we have here. I wonder what I'll do during the rest of the year. Hmmm?

Looking Back

Ok, so we come to the close of another year. 2008 officially ends tonight. It has been a great year. So, here is a list of my most memorable happenings. Keep in mind that I do fear early onset alzheimers - the list may be short.

1. My little girl turning 12, McKenna, and entering Young Women's. Where has the time gone?
2. Starting January 20 to count down the days until the end of the current US presidency.
3. Starting February to count down the days until school would end. I don't recommend starting that early. It makes it worse.
4. Going to the Young Women's Conference with McKenna, Sherrie and Nicole, and Carol and Maddi. We had so much fun!
5. Adri and Katy turning 10 and all of our family being in the double digits. I think that is a sign of getting old.
6. Planning and taking the entire 2nd grade to the "Horton Hears a Who" and having half of my class say that they have never been to a movie before. It was like taking them to the circus. And, they were quiet!
7. Snow! Snow! Snow! Shoveling. Shoveling. Shoveling. No Spring. Students wearing coats and boots on the last day of school - in June! Not my favorite memory.
8. Waiting for the high waters to recede so we could kayak.
9. Katy breaking her arm, again. Six broken bones in five years. Kinda depressing.
10. Trent and I talking more because our TV died.
11. Taking Trent's mom and Tracie kayaking down the Teton River and wishing that I had used better judgement and taken them somewhere else.
12. Starting a blog. I've learned a ton and it keeps evolving.
13. McKenna's softball team winning the championship.
14. Collin working a real summer job and becoming so strong and buff.
15. Collin getting his drivers license.
16. Trent switching jobs and enjoying it - mostly.
17. Kayaking at dusk down Warm River in October!
18. Having a very interesting and diverse class at school! Blind, downs, speechless, bi-polar. Can you say special-ed? Absolutely delightful!
19. Erikson family trip to Disneyland!! So fun.
20. Getting a Wii from Santa. Non-stop giggles and sweat.

That's the end. I'm sure more will pop up. I'm so grateful for what I have and for this fantastic family (especially my Trent) that I spend everyday with.

SNOW!

I'm sorry I keep posting about snow, but seriously, there is a ton. I am amazed at the amount of snow we have gotten in the last couple weeks. Our neighbor has a stick that measures the snow in the middle of his backyard and it says 21 inches. I find that hard to believe. I'm sure there is more! We have shoveled way more than that because in those two weeks the wind hasn't stopped blowing. Drifts as high as 3 feet have formed and we've had to shovel them. We aren't sure where we'll put the snows that are to come.
I was talking to a friend who cheers for every flake that falls. I cringe and think of shoveling with every flake that falls. Tomorrow the kids and I will go sledding so that we can enjoy something in the snow. Perhaps that will change my perspective a little. Of course, we'll have to shovel first - more snows are expected tonight.
We got a Nintendo Wii for Christmas. It is so fun. I think it is great for bringing families together. I've tried to play other gaming systems and can't focus enough to be play. My kids say I'm "pathetic" and they are right. But, the Wii is different. Our whole family enjoys playing. The only time we don't have giggling is when everyone is sleeping. It'll bring some joy and activity when we are completely snowed in.

Christmas 2008

Christmas Day came with a bang this year. We woke to a blizzard that completely covered all of Eastern Idaho. Not very many people were out traveling - except us. We drove to Rexburg just to open a few presents with Grandma, Grandpa, and the cousins. It was crazy and not the brightest thing we have ever done. We didn't stay long, however, because the roads just got worse and worse. We called it an adventure once we got home.

All the new snow made for fantastic sledding. Trent took the kids out to the hill in town while I stayed home to improve my skills on Guitar Hero. I couldn't figure out how to even set it up so, I decided to practice skiing down a mountain on the belly of a wildebeast (at first I thought it was a yak).

Christmas was so much fun because we were stuck home together. We had a delightful time. Only 364 days to go until it comes again. I can't wait!