Friday Favorites

Took a couple of weeks off--not because I didn't have any favorites, I just didn't have time to write a post! Lake time has been jammed packed. So Friday Favorites this week is all about the lake...


1. Our cabin....

Which is actually an old camper with an addition. It has two small bedrooms, a small kitchen/dining area and one long addition. In the addition we have added a sleeper sofa and a futon, so we have a little more sleeping space when the boys and their families come to the lake. They have both come at the same time, with their dogs, and somehow, we make it work.

2. Quiet Mornings......

A long summer day, with nothing that has to be done. The possibilities are endless. Read a book, swim,  a little golf with friends, walks with Chloe, watching paint dry. It could all happen.

3. My view from the deck...

4. Special Moments with family...

This is our youngest son and his daughter dancing to "Hey Baby! (Won't You Be My Girl?)" We get to spend a lot of time with them this summer and it's so fun to watch them grow and learn. K is growing into a young lady at 8. T is a golfer extraordinaire and will soon be beating Grandma and Grandpa. Little Max won't be little much longer.

The other three grandkids are doing their own share of learning and growing. A got herself some pretty pink glasses and think she looks pretty sharp. B is loving the Captain Underpants books and Baby H is not a baby. Dad says he is walking around saying, "Chloe", so we are planning a trip down to see them.

5. Time to read!
I've read two professional books--"Flip Your Classroom" by Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams, the gurus of Flipped Learning. "Teach Like a Pirate" by Dave Burgess.  This is a great book about teaching with passion and enthusiasm. There are several Twitter chats going on about this book also. Follow along at #tlap.

I've also read some books from my classroom: Delirium and Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, Night Road by Kristen Hannah (not really YA, but my girls will love it) and a new FAVORITE: The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancy. All I can say about it is WOW. I read it in two days. Action Packed. I'm planning on writing a review of it for my class blog, so maybe I will share that on here when it gets written. Thank heavens for my Twitter PLN who kept talking about this book. I may never have picked it up otherwise.

Well, that's it for this Friday.

What are your favorites this week?

Friday Favorites

Ahhh. Friday. I can feel the weekend, it's lurking somewhere in the shadows....
In the meantime, here are my favorites from the week.

1. My seniors. (Yep. They're mine and no one else's.)
Wednesday was the last day for seniors in our district. They will graduate on Sunday and some I will probably never see again. But others will remain as one of "my kids". They'll stop to visit and fill me in on their college lives. They'll friend me on Facebook and keep in touch that way. For them, there will always be a bond.

2. Former students. I've had several visits from students in the last couple of weeks. Home from college, they stop in to visit and realize that they don't really fit in high school anymore. They come home to look for friends and some of those don't fit either. They're growing up and don't even realize it.

I've also heard from a couple of former students who graduated from college this year. It doesn't seem possible that they are now "grown-ups" with real lives. They'll be starting "real" jobs. To me, many of them are still those little seventh graders I tried to reach, or those stupid sophomore boys I love so much.

Wow. Just. Wow.

3. Great ideas at 3:00am (not the time so much, but love the idea)
My eyes popped open. The clock said 3:00. And the idea for how I want Creative Writing digital portfolios to be next year just popped into my head. It made so much sense to me. Why was this such a struggle to come up with during the day?  My genius time project today will be to sketch out what I came up with so I don't forget it all before August!

4. Yoplait Light Blackberry Yogurt. 
It's become my favorite after supper snack--or with a breakfast bar in the morning--or just because I want one.  The raspberry one is pretty awesome too!

That's all for this week. Tell me about your favorites!

Friday Favorites

I am flat out stealing this idea from Ruth. On Monday she wrote a post called "Pretend It's Friday" and she wrote about four favorite things. I love that idea. For one thing, Friday is my favorite school day and maybe my second favorite day. And so, Friday Favorites is born...

My Favorites:

1. Friday. I love Fridays. Always have. The end of week, the beginning of the weekend. Fridays in my classroom are always a little freer than, say, a Monday.  Most people are in a good mood. Really. What's not to like about a Friday?

2. Genius Time:  This semester I have been giving my freshmen genius time on Friday. They are able to read and learn about anything they want. Some of them have stayed with the same topic the whole time. Others have changed their minds and began learning about something else. Now they are starting to think about how they will show their learning to the rest of the class. I have a few sticking with the tried and true powerpoint. Quite a few want to make a movie. I don't care this first time how they share with us. I'm just glad they are excited about something!

3. The Big Bang Theory: Every Thursday night will find my husband and I in front of the TV watching The Big Bang Theory. It makes me laugh out loud every time. It also reminds me of several groups of students who are their own BBT. I often ask these kids which character they are. They always know who they are and which of their group is the Sheldon.