So while I`m listening to The Cranberries ( Thanksgiving- cranberries, do you get it ? ), I had to make an announcement.
Starting today, I will post a special thought of the day to all teachers. Hopefully they will inspire you. Whenever possible I will give you the source of the quote in case you want to do some reading on the source.
I will also post the quote of the day on different subjects with its source. Facts on the author of will be given since they won`t necessarily be authors. They might be a politician, playwright, novelist, poet, philosopher and the list goes on.
Since there`s no time like the present, here we go :
Inspiring thought for teachers .
When we give of ourselves, we gain the most.
A sacrifice made for the betterment of someone else is a gift that, by its definition, is seldom acknowledged. But through these silent acts of love, we experience our greatest growth.
Author unknown.
Just so you know, teachers will never admit to themselves or others that this is part their job, that`s what they do. Which is fortunate since it would ruin the whole act in my opinion. Genuine giving shouldn`t be preceeded by trumpets and horns. Giving must be a secret almost. But that`s just me.
Quote Du Jour :
One is not born a woman, one becomes one.
Simone De Beauvoir ( French existentialist novelist, essayist, political activist, feminist )
On a total different note, I painted a cliché this weekend. No , actually it was my husband but I am totally responsible.
I hate clichés.
1.
a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox.
How can you paint a cliché ?
First you need kids. Then you decide to redecorate their bedroom.
If you have a son, you paint his bedroom like the Montréal Canadiens.
If you have a daughter, you paint it pink and add lots of ballerinas and dollhouses.
Hey I know , clichés are so well you know, cliché. But we just redid Rosie`s bedroom and I have to admit it : I LOVE IT !
It`s so pink, so girlie, so princess.
I`m so jealous !
At thirty something, I wish I had her bedroom !!
I surprise myself walking in her bedroom, just standing there in the middle of the room with a cup of java in my hand and just staring at the walls.
It`s so pink you want to eat it. It`s so cute, you want to live there permanently.
Have I lost my head ? NYES.
You see, when you have a daughter, I realized, you relive certain experiences, joys, periods of your life when YOU were a little girl and those of your sisters too. But always have to keep in mind this is NOT your life in INSTANT REPLAY but a sort of déja -vu.
And to think I wanted a second son when I was pregnant with Rose.
Girls I knew since I am the eldest of 3 girls and a baby brother.
I wanted to be surrounded by boys for a change.
But life has a way of throwing you stuff you need and not what you want. So when I gave birth to Rose-Anne, I thought to myself : So what is it I have to learn from this ?
This question is answered almost everyday. She is not a mini-me ( THANK GOD ) and fortunately we are so different. I learn more from her than she from me, I am sure.
So as a famous saying goes : Thank God for little girls !
And before heading off, think pink.
Annie c;
lundi 8 octobre 2007
samedi 6 octobre 2007
Thank You
Well it`s that time of the year where we get a breather ( a little time off ) and can actually breathe .
It`s Thanksgiving folks so bring that turkey on .
Actually, turkey on Thanksgiving isn`t so popular here. It`s more of an American and Canadian tradition. Too bad, turkey is underrated.
I know you guys prefer the 4 days off to the food, so do I ; but let us not forget WHY we`re off in the first place.
I do not want to turn all religious but think about this . Putting aside the Catholic element to the holiday, this holiday is necessary.
First to take a break before the hectic schedule leading us to the christmas holiday and most importantly and the word says it all: to give thanks, to be grateful.
Thanksgiving is entirely linked to the period of the year we call HARVEST.
Farmers harvest what they sowed last spring. Thanks to their harvest, we may have a diverse variety of fruit and vegetables on our tables.
Yeah so what I hear. We are so used to living in a society where abundance is a daily thing that we so often forget that it is not like this GLOBALLY.
We are privileged. We don`t have to hunt for food and water. We don`t have to walk miles to fetch water. We just jump in our cars and go buy some. Not everyone on the planet can do the same.
It`s not my fault I was born on the right street !! No it certainly isn`t but can we at least recognize that we are fortunate? Can we at least appreciate, if only for a day, the fact that we live in society where bare neccessities like food , fresh water, peace, education, health care and respect of our civil rights are often taken for granted? Just turn on the local news and see for yourself that NOT everybody lives in the same conditions as we do.
Oh, this is not a guilt trip but just a little pause to say : wouldn`t it be fun if for a change we had more of this attitude : It's not having what you want ,It's wanting what you've got.
Appreciation and being grateful do go hand in hand. But first we must recognize what we have and NOT take it so much for granted ( prendre pour acquis ).
I sound so serious. NO I am not a preacher in my spare time.
Speaking of : you know how the saying goes " Practise what you preach and do what you teach " ?
I am embarrassed to say I didn`t do that on Friday.
Let me explain . Friday October 5th was a ped day for us teachers while you guys were busy preparing the turkey. Ped days consist of meetings ,reunions and personal work ( correction, preparing exams etc. ) in other words : fun stuff.
Friday morning started with a staff meeting at the library with the 3 principals. Mr. Pruvost had us grouped in small groups to perform a very specific job.
I couldn`t do it. The job was fairly easy to do. The problem was I couldn`t focus, concentrate.Plus at my table were teachers I like to have fun with. In a social context this would not have been a problem but when you have a job to do, it becomes one.
I was sitting next to Katherine Bourgeois with whom I have a special bond. She really makes me laugh. And she doesn`t need to talk. Just writing about it makes me laugh. And I obviously make her laugh too.
So we did just that. Oh Katherine was much more disciplined than me. She wrote all the things we had to write for the rest of the team and came up with very good ideas while we were brainstorming.
But I MUST NOT sit next to her. If we had been 15 years old and sitting in a classroom, we would have been separated by the teacher right away.
And this is my point. Teachers are not that different from students sometimes. We have more self-discipline but we do not apply it all the time. No, let me rephrase that : I do not apply it all the time. Taking responsibility is afterall, part of being an adult !!!
But there are people at school that have this effect on me. I turn 12 ( years old ) when I`m around them. And there are also some people I just love to make laugh. They`re so much fun to have fun with. Anyway, to be continued.
I want to take the opportunity to thank certain people :
1- A certain English teacher named Guy : for getting all dirty because he was hiding on the ground next to my truck in the school parking lot to scare me by going " BOO". I didn`t get scared but I certainly laughed . And eventually he did too.
2- A certain science teacher named Pat who watches a certain tv program I love and lets me talk about it all the time . He always sincerely listens to me .
3- To Katherine. You make me laugh and feel like a kid .
4- To Karyna who likes to ask me English stuff. You make me feel useful and needed.
I also ask her English stuff too.
5- To my kids : for making me feel what truly is unconditional love.
6- To my husband : because you are always there no matter what.
7- My sisters : they represent unconditional love, a common history and tons of fun.
8- My students : because they are so darn cute when they work hard in class !
9- Baileys : my dog and walking partner. For leading me places when I need to .
10 - My Mustang : for making me feel like I can do anything ( except speeding $$$ ).
Old Mustangs are just plain BEAUTIFUL. I can`t explain it.
11- My books : what a great addiction. The look , smell and texture of books are simply addictive. I`m sure I `ll die holding a book in my hand.
12- To life : for offering me choices and opportunities.
On this note I wish you a great Thanksgiving weekend.
THANKS for reading,
Annie c;
It`s Thanksgiving folks so bring that turkey on .
Actually, turkey on Thanksgiving isn`t so popular here. It`s more of an American and Canadian tradition. Too bad, turkey is underrated.
I know you guys prefer the 4 days off to the food, so do I ; but let us not forget WHY we`re off in the first place.
I do not want to turn all religious but think about this . Putting aside the Catholic element to the holiday, this holiday is necessary.
First to take a break before the hectic schedule leading us to the christmas holiday and most importantly and the word says it all: to give thanks, to be grateful.
Thanksgiving is entirely linked to the period of the year we call HARVEST.
Farmers harvest what they sowed last spring. Thanks to their harvest, we may have a diverse variety of fruit and vegetables on our tables.
Yeah so what I hear. We are so used to living in a society where abundance is a daily thing that we so often forget that it is not like this GLOBALLY.
We are privileged. We don`t have to hunt for food and water. We don`t have to walk miles to fetch water. We just jump in our cars and go buy some. Not everyone on the planet can do the same.
It`s not my fault I was born on the right street !! No it certainly isn`t but can we at least recognize that we are fortunate? Can we at least appreciate, if only for a day, the fact that we live in society where bare neccessities like food , fresh water, peace, education, health care and respect of our civil rights are often taken for granted? Just turn on the local news and see for yourself that NOT everybody lives in the same conditions as we do.
Oh, this is not a guilt trip but just a little pause to say : wouldn`t it be fun if for a change we had more of this attitude : It's not having what you want ,It's wanting what you've got.
Appreciation and being grateful do go hand in hand. But first we must recognize what we have and NOT take it so much for granted ( prendre pour acquis ).
I sound so serious. NO I am not a preacher in my spare time.
Speaking of : you know how the saying goes " Practise what you preach and do what you teach " ?
I am embarrassed to say I didn`t do that on Friday.
Let me explain . Friday October 5th was a ped day for us teachers while you guys were busy preparing the turkey. Ped days consist of meetings ,reunions and personal work ( correction, preparing exams etc. ) in other words : fun stuff.
Friday morning started with a staff meeting at the library with the 3 principals. Mr. Pruvost had us grouped in small groups to perform a very specific job.
I couldn`t do it. The job was fairly easy to do. The problem was I couldn`t focus, concentrate.Plus at my table were teachers I like to have fun with. In a social context this would not have been a problem but when you have a job to do, it becomes one.
I was sitting next to Katherine Bourgeois with whom I have a special bond. She really makes me laugh. And she doesn`t need to talk. Just writing about it makes me laugh. And I obviously make her laugh too.
So we did just that. Oh Katherine was much more disciplined than me. She wrote all the things we had to write for the rest of the team and came up with very good ideas while we were brainstorming.
But I MUST NOT sit next to her. If we had been 15 years old and sitting in a classroom, we would have been separated by the teacher right away.
And this is my point. Teachers are not that different from students sometimes. We have more self-discipline but we do not apply it all the time. No, let me rephrase that : I do not apply it all the time. Taking responsibility is afterall, part of being an adult !!!
But there are people at school that have this effect on me. I turn 12 ( years old ) when I`m around them. And there are also some people I just love to make laugh. They`re so much fun to have fun with. Anyway, to be continued.
I want to take the opportunity to thank certain people :
1- A certain English teacher named Guy : for getting all dirty because he was hiding on the ground next to my truck in the school parking lot to scare me by going " BOO". I didn`t get scared but I certainly laughed . And eventually he did too.
2- A certain science teacher named Pat who watches a certain tv program I love and lets me talk about it all the time . He always sincerely listens to me .
3- To Katherine. You make me laugh and feel like a kid .
4- To Karyna who likes to ask me English stuff. You make me feel useful and needed.
I also ask her English stuff too.
5- To my kids : for making me feel what truly is unconditional love.
6- To my husband : because you are always there no matter what.
7- My sisters : they represent unconditional love, a common history and tons of fun.
8- My students : because they are so darn cute when they work hard in class !
9- Baileys : my dog and walking partner. For leading me places when I need to .
10 - My Mustang : for making me feel like I can do anything ( except speeding $$$ ).
Old Mustangs are just plain BEAUTIFUL. I can`t explain it.
11- My books : what a great addiction. The look , smell and texture of books are simply addictive. I`m sure I `ll die holding a book in my hand.
12- To life : for offering me choices and opportunities.
On this note I wish you a great Thanksgiving weekend.
THANKS for reading,
Annie c;
lundi 1 octobre 2007
WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS
No I am not dead nor was I kidnapped ! I am alive and kicking .
Ok so I am not kicking too high but I an alive and well.
In general I hate routines : doing the same thing all the time : get up, go to work, dinner, kids`s bath and homework. Hate the school routine. But let me tell you lately I like it . After the last couple of weeks I appreciate the routine now.
Like some of you already know , Rosie had a cast. She broke her wrist while playing outside . I was just getting rid of the guilt I felt when I got a phone call from Curé Brassard school.You guessed it : one of my kids got hurt at school. This time : Félix-Antoine.
Get here quickly they tell me. So I jumped into my truck and off I went.
I`m in the school yard and see this trail of blood and say to myself : I hope it`s not Filou`s blood.I follow the trail from the yard to the school cafeteria.
IT WAS! There he was , all bloody and crying with an ice pack on his nose. The minute he sees me , Filou starts crying . I breathe in and out slowly and keep telling myself : YOU are the ADULT here, do NOT panic.
I didn`t.
So off we went to the hospital with a swollen nose , blood all over his shirt,shoes and pants. We didn`t have to wait long at the hospital. After an x-ray, the verdict was a broken nose.
How did he break his nose you ask? By standing too close to a buddy who was batting a baseball.
He received the bat right on the snout.
Ironically, we were at the hospital that SAME day. In the morning, Rosie saw her doctor to get her cast removed !
Now that is 2 breaks in 3 weeks ! That is a bit too much for my nerves. And I am so not kidding.
I worry all the time for my kids, family and even my students. Now this episode just ate a lot of my energy.
Hence the absence.
I just couldn`t concentrate.
But now, all is well. Back to the routine which I welcome with open arms.
On an other subject. I have told my Sec. 2 students that they will visit Ottawa in May. Most probably May 15 and 16. They are so pleased.
This year is a first for me : I will totally organize the trip but other teachers will go with my students.
But why they asked ?
Well it`s simple : 3 reasons.
1- Health reasons : I`m not getting any younger .
2- Family reasons.
3- Personal reasons.
Although I won`t be there, they will have a wonderful time. As long as no one brings a baseball bat !!! It`ll be hard this year to see the buses depart and not be on it. But every good thing comes to an end. I so wish I could but just CAN`T anymore.
On a bright note, I must say I have recently noticed something new.
My students have felt at home in class really early on this year.
When I see them walk into class you can easily see it. They feel at home. They come in with a smile, draw on my board, chit chat together. They are relaxed. This phenomenon usually is noticed a bit later into the year. I even have a nickname already. It`s quite cute. You`ll have to ask me in class.
Hmmm. I `ll have to investigate.
Here`s the word of the week or should I say MONTH: CRANKY
1.
ill-tempered; grouchy; cross: I'm always cranky when I don't get enough sleep.
2.
eccentric; queer.
3.
shaky; unsteady; out of order.
4.
full of bends or windings; crooked.
5.
British Dialect. sickly; in unsound or feeble condition; infirm.
[Origin: 1780–90]
Let me explain. Aside from the fact that my kids have a new hobby of breaking bones, I have cut back on sugar a lot lately. For health reasons.
Well this is a side effect. For me anyway. I would quit smoking and it wouldn`t be any worse I am sure. I AM SUGAR DEPRIVED- CRANKY.
This usually lasts a few days but this time it`s been like this for 2 weeks now.
And it really is a drug for me ( sugar ). I had a piece of my husband`s birthday cake last weekend , and it was pure heaven first of all and I was back to normal : happy, smiling, funny, patient ( at least more than now ).
So I apologize to anyone who has suffered from my sugar withdrawal ( Julie Houle : you know what I mean ).
What are the symptoms of sugar withdrawal : whiny, cranky, you want to cry for no reason, very impatient ( you snap at people for no reason ), you feel blue and then some.
I am sure my husband wishes I would wolf down an Oh Henry sometimes. Bless this man. He is very patient.
So on this, I`ll go have a chocolate bar- just kidding.
I`ll have a nice cup of mint herbal tea - my NEW addiction.
Talk to you later.
Tata,
Annie c:
Ok so I am not kicking too high but I an alive and well.
In general I hate routines : doing the same thing all the time : get up, go to work, dinner, kids`s bath and homework. Hate the school routine. But let me tell you lately I like it . After the last couple of weeks I appreciate the routine now.
Like some of you already know , Rosie had a cast. She broke her wrist while playing outside . I was just getting rid of the guilt I felt when I got a phone call from Curé Brassard school.You guessed it : one of my kids got hurt at school. This time : Félix-Antoine.
Get here quickly they tell me. So I jumped into my truck and off I went.
I`m in the school yard and see this trail of blood and say to myself : I hope it`s not Filou`s blood.I follow the trail from the yard to the school cafeteria.
IT WAS! There he was , all bloody and crying with an ice pack on his nose. The minute he sees me , Filou starts crying . I breathe in and out slowly and keep telling myself : YOU are the ADULT here, do NOT panic.
I didn`t.
So off we went to the hospital with a swollen nose , blood all over his shirt,shoes and pants. We didn`t have to wait long at the hospital. After an x-ray, the verdict was a broken nose.
How did he break his nose you ask? By standing too close to a buddy who was batting a baseball.
He received the bat right on the snout.
Ironically, we were at the hospital that SAME day. In the morning, Rosie saw her doctor to get her cast removed !
Now that is 2 breaks in 3 weeks ! That is a bit too much for my nerves. And I am so not kidding.
I worry all the time for my kids, family and even my students. Now this episode just ate a lot of my energy.
Hence the absence.
I just couldn`t concentrate.
But now, all is well. Back to the routine which I welcome with open arms.
On an other subject. I have told my Sec. 2 students that they will visit Ottawa in May. Most probably May 15 and 16. They are so pleased.
This year is a first for me : I will totally organize the trip but other teachers will go with my students.
But why they asked ?
Well it`s simple : 3 reasons.
1- Health reasons : I`m not getting any younger .
2- Family reasons.
3- Personal reasons.
Although I won`t be there, they will have a wonderful time. As long as no one brings a baseball bat !!! It`ll be hard this year to see the buses depart and not be on it. But every good thing comes to an end. I so wish I could but just CAN`T anymore.
On a bright note, I must say I have recently noticed something new.
My students have felt at home in class really early on this year.
When I see them walk into class you can easily see it. They feel at home. They come in with a smile, draw on my board, chit chat together. They are relaxed. This phenomenon usually is noticed a bit later into the year. I even have a nickname already. It`s quite cute. You`ll have to ask me in class.
Hmmm. I `ll have to investigate.
Here`s the word of the week or should I say MONTH: CRANKY
1.
ill-tempered; grouchy; cross: I'm always cranky when I don't get enough sleep.
2.
eccentric; queer.
3.
shaky; unsteady; out of order.
4.
full of bends or windings; crooked.
5.
British Dialect. sickly; in unsound or feeble condition; infirm.
[Origin: 1780–90]
Let me explain. Aside from the fact that my kids have a new hobby of breaking bones, I have cut back on sugar a lot lately. For health reasons.
Well this is a side effect. For me anyway. I would quit smoking and it wouldn`t be any worse I am sure. I AM SUGAR DEPRIVED- CRANKY.
This usually lasts a few days but this time it`s been like this for 2 weeks now.
And it really is a drug for me ( sugar ). I had a piece of my husband`s birthday cake last weekend , and it was pure heaven first of all and I was back to normal : happy, smiling, funny, patient ( at least more than now ).
So I apologize to anyone who has suffered from my sugar withdrawal ( Julie Houle : you know what I mean ).
What are the symptoms of sugar withdrawal : whiny, cranky, you want to cry for no reason, very impatient ( you snap at people for no reason ), you feel blue and then some.
I am sure my husband wishes I would wolf down an Oh Henry sometimes. Bless this man. He is very patient.
So on this, I`ll go have a chocolate bar- just kidding.
I`ll have a nice cup of mint herbal tea - my NEW addiction.
Talk to you later.
Tata,
Annie c:
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