The kindergarten class just left. One of the little guys is usually quite animated in here. He's always talking to or singing along with his computer...and sometimes even rolling in his chair. Today he started off in his usual way but half way through class, I realized that things were quieter than usual. I looked over at him and he was asleep in his chair! There were about 10 minutes left so I just let him sleep. When his teacher showed up to take her class back to their classroom, she woke him. She said, "It's pretty warm in here today, isn't it? Kinda good for sleeping." He looked up at her and said, "I was hoping everyone would fall for that." I swear kids say the darndest things sometimes. :o)
Tomorrow is the last day of school until sometime in late August. The kids are excited and I have to say, I am, too. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. But it's nice to have summers off.
Especially after last week. With so much going on, I didn't know if I was coming or going half the time. We had school functions all week and a big potluck dinner on Sunday. My cousin, who has fought in Iraq twice (once back in 1989 and again just this past Fall), was home to attend the high school graduation and the potluck was a way to show him he was appreciated for all he's done as a part of our military.
It's really warm in here today. I'm going to stop typing before I end up like the little kindergarten boy and take a nap in my chair.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Friday, May 21, 2004
ISP
I think my ISP at home is what's giving me problems because I still can't access my blog from there. That is so furstrating! Internet access is not cheap here because of our isolation and this is the cheapest. I guess you get what you pay for.
If there's anything I hate about living in Alaska, it is that availability of pretty much everything is limited. Services and products are either not available or are quite expensive compared to the rest of the country. Except Hawaii, that is. Have you ever noticed how most commercials will say how great and affordable their product is and then you see the small print at the bottom of the screen that says "Alaska and Hawaii excluded." Or "Prices may differ in Alaska and Hawaii." That irritates me to no end sometimes.
Tonight is High School graduation. Tomorrow is 8th Grade promotion. Busy, busy, busy! I'll write more later.
If there's anything I hate about living in Alaska, it is that availability of pretty much everything is limited. Services and products are either not available or are quite expensive compared to the rest of the country. Except Hawaii, that is. Have you ever noticed how most commercials will say how great and affordable their product is and then you see the small print at the bottom of the screen that says "Alaska and Hawaii excluded." Or "Prices may differ in Alaska and Hawaii." That irritates me to no end sometimes.
Tonight is High School graduation. Tomorrow is 8th Grade promotion. Busy, busy, busy! I'll write more later.
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Busy Week
Part of being in a small town is having a lot of family around. My extended family is huge so this time of year is usually extremely busy.
Last night the elementary students had a spring concert. They were very well prepared and put on a great show. It lasted about an hour and a half, a bit longer than usual, because it was the last concert under the direction of our current elementary music teacher. He will be leaving us after 9 years here. The kids have learned a lot from him and he will be missed. Our elementary includes grades kindergarten through 6th and even the youngest ones were playing instruments and keeping the beat. It was great.
Tonight is the Baccalaureate for this years graduating seniors. Tomorrow is the Head Start graduation ceremony. Friday is the day of High School graduation and the 8th grade promotion is on Saturday.
I've got at least one family member involved in everything. I love being surrounded by so much family. It's comforting to know that I have a support system close by should I ever need one.
Last night the elementary students had a spring concert. They were very well prepared and put on a great show. It lasted about an hour and a half, a bit longer than usual, because it was the last concert under the direction of our current elementary music teacher. He will be leaving us after 9 years here. The kids have learned a lot from him and he will be missed. Our elementary includes grades kindergarten through 6th and even the youngest ones were playing instruments and keeping the beat. It was great.
Tonight is the Baccalaureate for this years graduating seniors. Tomorrow is the Head Start graduation ceremony. Friday is the day of High School graduation and the 8th grade promotion is on Saturday.
I've got at least one family member involved in everything. I love being surrounded by so much family. It's comforting to know that I have a support system close by should I ever need one.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Fear Factor
Still can't access blogger.com from home. :o(
Did anyone watch Fear Factor last night? It was a family edition...one parent, one child per team. Some of those teams, I swear I could not tell the child from the parent.
One little girl tried so hard...took an entire 30 minutes to complete a terrifying stunt I probably wouldn't even be brave enough to attmept...and ended up having to leave the game. I felt so bad for her because she tried so hard only to be defeated. She had spirit and just was not going to give up.
There was another team who irritated me to no end. It was a father/son team. They were heckling the other teams all the way through. At one point, when the little girl I mentioned before was almost done with her stunt, the son clapped for her and the father looked at him and asked, "Have you gone soft on me?" He actually ridiculed his own son for showing good sportsmanship! I wanted to wring his neck. They made it through to the last stunt and then lost. When the host asked them, "Are you going to wait and congratulate them on their win?" The father said, "No." Took his son by the shoulder and led him off.
What is that teaching his son? It's sad to think that there are people like that in this world. I know he may be the exception, but it still bothers me. I don't have children, but have nieces and nephews and whenever they are going to compete or take a test I always tell them, "Just do your best. I don't care if you win by a mile or lose by 10 miles. I just want you to have fun and do your best. The important thing is that you're trying." Same thing with school. I tell them, "Try your hardest. If you fail, we'll know what to practice, but you must always do your best."
Each 4th of July, our town has a big celebration. We have booths set up that sell food and toys, races and games for all ages, a parade, and fireworks. For the races and games, all participants used to get $1 just for entering. Before they even left the starting line, they had a crisp, new $1 bill in their hands. I liked that idea. Everyone got something just for trying. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers got an additional money prize, but most kids - especially the ones who were not athletic - appreciated their $1 and couldn't wait to spend it on something good.
I am not saying that kids should be rewarded or motivated with money in everything. I just think kids need to know that it's okay to fail. They need to know what good sportsmanship is. They need to know that win or lose, they are loved, supported, and accepted.
Did anyone watch Fear Factor last night? It was a family edition...one parent, one child per team. Some of those teams, I swear I could not tell the child from the parent.
One little girl tried so hard...took an entire 30 minutes to complete a terrifying stunt I probably wouldn't even be brave enough to attmept...and ended up having to leave the game. I felt so bad for her because she tried so hard only to be defeated. She had spirit and just was not going to give up.
There was another team who irritated me to no end. It was a father/son team. They were heckling the other teams all the way through. At one point, when the little girl I mentioned before was almost done with her stunt, the son clapped for her and the father looked at him and asked, "Have you gone soft on me?" He actually ridiculed his own son for showing good sportsmanship! I wanted to wring his neck. They made it through to the last stunt and then lost. When the host asked them, "Are you going to wait and congratulate them on their win?" The father said, "No." Took his son by the shoulder and led him off.
What is that teaching his son? It's sad to think that there are people like that in this world. I know he may be the exception, but it still bothers me. I don't have children, but have nieces and nephews and whenever they are going to compete or take a test I always tell them, "Just do your best. I don't care if you win by a mile or lose by 10 miles. I just want you to have fun and do your best. The important thing is that you're trying." Same thing with school. I tell them, "Try your hardest. If you fail, we'll know what to practice, but you must always do your best."
Each 4th of July, our town has a big celebration. We have booths set up that sell food and toys, races and games for all ages, a parade, and fireworks. For the races and games, all participants used to get $1 just for entering. Before they even left the starting line, they had a crisp, new $1 bill in their hands. I liked that idea. Everyone got something just for trying. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers got an additional money prize, but most kids - especially the ones who were not athletic - appreciated their $1 and couldn't wait to spend it on something good.
I am not saying that kids should be rewarded or motivated with money in everything. I just think kids need to know that it's okay to fail. They need to know what good sportsmanship is. They need to know that win or lose, they are loved, supported, and accepted.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Bored at Work
I have absolutely nothing to keep me busy at work today. All of the classes are going to Music because they have a concert tomorrow night. Today and tomorrow are their last chances to rehearse so I'll have another boring day tomorrow.
I really enjoy my job. I've had it for about 11 years now. I enjoy kids. That is essential in a job like mine. I go home smiling each day because of things they've done or said.
There's one little boy who comes to mind right now. He's in kindergarten. He has a great sense of humor. He was here for computer class a few days before Easter and he said, "Teacher, you know what? I don't like eggs." I asked, "Why don't you like eggs?" His reply was, "Because I'm afraid that if I crack one open a chicken will pop out." Then he said, "Nah, I'm just kidding. I just don't like eggs." This same child, after becoming frustrated with his computer, was heard saying, "Oh, for crying out loud! Wasn't I double-clicking fast enough for ya?!" He never talks like this towards other students or teachers, just to his computer. He is always full of stories. If I can remember some, I'll post them.
I really enjoy my job. I've had it for about 11 years now. I enjoy kids. That is essential in a job like mine. I go home smiling each day because of things they've done or said.
There's one little boy who comes to mind right now. He's in kindergarten. He has a great sense of humor. He was here for computer class a few days before Easter and he said, "Teacher, you know what? I don't like eggs." I asked, "Why don't you like eggs?" His reply was, "Because I'm afraid that if I crack one open a chicken will pop out." Then he said, "Nah, I'm just kidding. I just don't like eggs." This same child, after becoming frustrated with his computer, was heard saying, "Oh, for crying out loud! Wasn't I double-clicking fast enough for ya?!" He never talks like this towards other students or teachers, just to his computer. He is always full of stories. If I can remember some, I'll post them.
Glitches
For some reason, my computer at home will not let me access my blog. I was able to view blogs belonging to others, and add posts to my own, but couldn't view it. If I can't figure out why in the next two weeks, this will be a short lived blog. I'm at work at the moment and only have two weeks until I'm on Summer Vacation. Hopefully, I can figure things out by then.
Friday, May 14, 2004
Broken Already?
This is a test. For some reason I can't view my blog...could it be I broke it already? hmmmmmmmm
Why Evergreen?
In case somebody is actually reading this and wonders why I chose the name Evergreen for my blog, I'll explain.
I have three reasons for choosing this name. First, I live on a small island in Southeast Alaska. I've always lived here and most likely always will. Partly because of the scenery - Alaska is a huge, beautiful state. Call me biased, but I believe Southeast is the most beautiful of all the regions. Every day of the year, you can look up at the majestic mountains surrounding us and see green. We have a lot of evergreen trees here.
Second, I love the song "Evergreen". So much so, that I had my cousin sing it during my wedding ceremony. I think it's a pretty song with a great message about love and how it can be constant, everlasting, unchanging.
Third, and the most obvious to anyone who knows me, I love the color green. We have a green truck, our bed spread is green, the majority of my wardrobe is green, we had a green wedding...you get the picture. I love green. :o)
So now, whether you wanted to or not, you know why I chose my blog name.
I have three reasons for choosing this name. First, I live on a small island in Southeast Alaska. I've always lived here and most likely always will. Partly because of the scenery - Alaska is a huge, beautiful state. Call me biased, but I believe Southeast is the most beautiful of all the regions. Every day of the year, you can look up at the majestic mountains surrounding us and see green. We have a lot of evergreen trees here.
Second, I love the song "Evergreen". So much so, that I had my cousin sing it during my wedding ceremony. I think it's a pretty song with a great message about love and how it can be constant, everlasting, unchanging.
Third, and the most obvious to anyone who knows me, I love the color green. We have a green truck, our bed spread is green, the majority of my wardrobe is green, we had a green wedding...you get the picture. I love green. :o)
So now, whether you wanted to or not, you know why I chose my blog name.
My First Post in My First Blog
I didn't even know what a blog was until a few days ago. I'm not exactly sure how I stumbled on to blogger.com but I did, registered, and then became intrigued by all of the different types of blogs I found.
I like to write and have always wanted to keep a diary or journal. I even attempted to a few times, but was never successful. I never remembered to write. Hopefully, this will be different. I use the computer daily, at home and at work. There are times when I have nothing to do and times when I have things to say but nobody to say them to. This seemed like it would be a good place to come in either case.
I plan to use this to post my thoughts, interesting things I find or write, and maybe share things about my daily life. I don't know that it will get read by anyone, but that's not entirely the point. It's just a way to organize my thoughts. If someone else finds them interesting, that's fine. Just keep in mind that I'm very new to this. Be patient with me.
I like to write and have always wanted to keep a diary or journal. I even attempted to a few times, but was never successful. I never remembered to write. Hopefully, this will be different. I use the computer daily, at home and at work. There are times when I have nothing to do and times when I have things to say but nobody to say them to. This seemed like it would be a good place to come in either case.
I plan to use this to post my thoughts, interesting things I find or write, and maybe share things about my daily life. I don't know that it will get read by anyone, but that's not entirely the point. It's just a way to organize my thoughts. If someone else finds them interesting, that's fine. Just keep in mind that I'm very new to this. Be patient with me.
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