Oh what a day it has been.
It all started so nice and slowly.
And then I had a meeting with Karyna.
It was a great day, don`t get me wrong, but a crazy one.
I almost gave myself a feuille de route.
Slow morning because I busted my hand yesterday running around at school.
How did happen ?
WARNING : Getting off topic for a few minutes
I was running out of a meeting and running back to another when I ran into Jean-René Provencher`s desk corner -literally.
Banged into it left hand first.
It`s amazing how big and fast a hand gets all swollen up !
While I was holding back the tears, I run back downstairs to get Line Hébert ( first aid ) to fetch some ice and so she could confirm I would be fine and wouldn`t need to go to the hospital.
I still had 2 periods to give therefore no time to sit and wait in a hospital waiting room to read old magazines.
Couldn`t find Line.
What do I do when I`m in trouble and close to tears ? Run to my sister Caroline.
Found her and at this point I`m crying because it really hurts like &**&?%$&?$/ !!
If Caroline got a dollar everytime I went to see for help after a stupid freak accident , she wouldn`t need to work...Piere either.
Anyways, she gets me ice in her office while I`m sweating lilke a pig.
She asks me how I did that and then tries not to laugh. Bless her.
When Pierre finds out, he asks me how I did that and asks : Did you fall again runnning around the corridors ?
No, not this time , I swear!
He didn`t laugh. Bless him.
It was better today, still swollen but couldn`t write with it today.
But tomorrow is another day.
Back to the topic of my day : it was going nice and slow ( honestly I wasn`t awake when I came in the school door this morning.
Then I had a meeting with Karyna in my ofice.
As you may have read at the very beginning of my blog, I moved to my new office because Paul Lachance promised me cake and coffee all year round.
Respecting his engagement, he offered Karyna and I pannetome and capuccino.
I had both while Karyna had cake ( a big piece ).
Paul served me about 4 small but strong cappuccinos while Karyna and I were passionately discussing a project for Intensive.
An hour later, saturated with both coffee and cake, we both head to the Intensive English classes ( Sec.1 to 5) to inform the students about an Intensive English logo contest
.
OH MY GOD ! Hyperactive is an understatement !
Imagine more two tennis balls bouncing off walls.
We didn`t know if the students were really listening hard or if they were afraid .
I think we scared the little kids in Sec. 1!
We are normally like this OUTSIDE the classroom Karyna and I but never INSIDE the classroom : we`re more reasonable, usually-normally.
Bottom line: we blame this behaviour on Paul -my favorite coffee pusher.
Seriously, I love working with Karyna, she`s very creative, efficient, a doer not just a talker and we get along great even when we disagree. Vive la difference.
So as the title stipulates way on top of the page, the logo contest is a premiere for the Intensive English program.
A $50.00 dollar gift certificate at Les Rivières will be given to the winner.
The logo must include :
1- English Concentration : the new name for the Intensive English program.
2- ESJN ( our school name )
3- Deadline : December 17th .
4- Winners will be given the prize December 20th before you leave for the holidays.
5- Write YOUR name at the BACK of the logo so we don`t see it while judging.
6- Give your logo to YOUR English Intensive teacher.
7- The judges are : Dany Dallaire, Karyna Cormier and myself.
Break a leg darlings !
Tata for now,
Annie
mercredi 21 novembre 2007
dimanche 18 novembre 2007
MOTIVATION FROM MY MOMs
Hi everyone,
Well people are reading this blog and obviously NOT reading recently since I haven`t written since October 8th.
A lot of you were not shy to tell me I was neglecting my blog and some of you even called me at home to tell me to get writing .
Thank you ! What a compliment. What a motivation to write.
Here `s what I`ll be talking about :
1- My excuse for not writing.
2- A project I`m working on that I KNOW you will love.
3- Literature stuff you`ll see in class.( sec.2 and sec.4)
Here goes : brace yourself, it`s a long one. Do you have 15 minutes ?
What IS my excuse anyway ?
A few reasons but I will explain the major one in a few lines .
Now normally when my students are absent from school, mom or dad have to sign the student`s agenda (page 8) to motivate their absence.
It`s a bit ironic how my absence is due to the fact that my mother or mothers are the reaons why I was absent .
I have two adopted moms : Let`s call them Mary and Susan for the sake of this blog.
Mary is a mom I met 8 years ago in a professional or school context. Circumstances made us grow closer and Mary became a mother figure, a mentor, a friend, a model , a confidant :
a close friend or associate to whom secrets are confided or with whom private matters and problems are discussed ( dictionary definition ).
She `s also so much more than that. She is my little voice inside my head - my internal mom. She`s the one telling me to slow down, take care of myself, validates what I do and think.
She`s also one of the few I LISTEN TO when it comes to advice !
In September I find out she has breast cancer.
I mentally went nuts. I do not believe it, I don`t want to believe it and I do not even want to think about it !
Then it hit me. It really affected me and was very sad for a long time.
Now, normally in a situation like this I would run to her but I couldn`t. She was the one needing help this time. But how do I help someone with something you know nothing about : breast cancer ?
Well you do what you can .
You encourage them, you pray for them ( I do that a lot lately for her ) .
I also have a second mom : I `ve known Susan for 15 years.
She was the school nurse at school for many years. She now works in a CLSC.
She was also unavailable lately because she was fulfilling her longtime dream : being a nurse in the northern part of Québec ( Natashquan ).
We called and e-mailed each other but nothing is better than actually talking to someone in person. So my 2 moms were unavailable and I was abit saddened by the whole thing.
Susan is back now ! We are actually having coffee together tonight. I can`t wait to hear her stories from her experience way up north.
Do my 2 moms know each other you ask ? Yes they do .
So now you know why I was absent : mentally absent from my blog : the plate was full .
I try as much as possible to be positive in my blog because if you want negative stuff just turn on the news .... and I couldn`t be positive in my blog lately. I needed to step back for a while.
BUT I AM BACK AND WITH A VENGEANCE !!
I have been told I am nuts or crazy ( in a positive way here people !) since I can remember. I accept it. Life is good in Annie`s world and you are welcome in it if you are nice, but I can actually confirm it : Life IS good when you`re a bit bananas.
Here`s the thing : I was working on a personal project when I suddenly thought about my students ( my students have a way of finding their way in my personal life sometimes ) and how they would enjoy the fruits of my personal investigation !!
As I was working on my project I was thinking : What are you thinking, you`re nuts? !
But I continued working on my project anyway thinking I won`t take NO for an answer and will go all the way with this.
And I did and It`s working! I can`t say what it is yet because there are still some details to settle but the bottom line is I got a YES from certain people and I just went nuts.
I don`t know why Pierre didn`t have a heart attack when I got the positive reply.
Here`s how it went down people :
I send an e-mail to some very friendly people on a certain Sunday thinking : I`ll get a negative response but what the heck .
I send them an e-mail on a certain Sunday .
I get a positive response the very NEXT day,Monday.
Are these people nice or what ?
The thing is, I checked my e- mails upstairs Monday night at 10:45 and what I did NOT know is that Pierre is sleeping downstairs on the sofa.
When I read the e-mail and read the positive response I screamed and ran downstairs!
Pierre woke up.
He thought I was having a heart attack !
So when I finally got downstairs yelling OH MY GOD OH MY GOD Pierre thinks I`m having an attack but cannot quite understand why I`m smiling ear to ear at the same time .
I had to wait a few minutes for Pierre to get his blood circulation come back to his head and those were the longest minutes.
Pierre had no idea that I had sent an e-mail and had no clue about my personal investigation.
I wanted to see the reply before talking to him about it.
When I finally could tell Pierre, he was suprised,happy but still mad at me for almost killing him with my reaction .
Now it`s still a top secret thing because like I said, things need to be confirmed .
No the Pope, Céline Dion, Mr.Harper are not coming to school !
They are very inspiring people who I KNOW for a fact will inspire a lot of you : an AHAAAAA moment. Their story is so great and inspiring you won`t want them to leave.
You`ll meet people who were DESTINED to do what they do .
You won`t be disapppointed.
Final point for today. Literature stuff. No no don`t go, it is interesting.
I was almost late for work Friday after lunch because of a short story !
Didn`t eat lunch because of the short story either .
Let me explain :
Friday 12:05, I go home for lunch. Pierre is busy with the school radio so I have the house to myself.
Prepare lunch but before attacking my sandwich I decide to check my e-mails.
And for a reason I don`t remember I end up on one of my favorite websites : an archive of short stories.
One of my favorite short story author is Dorothy Parker. She writes the kind of short stories you read in bed: They`re light , funny and funny.
Anyway, I start reading and really lost track of time. Why ? Because obviously it was good and it was so darn funny.
Next thing I know, it`s 1:05 !
I haven`t eaten but I had one heck of a good read and laughed.
I grab 2 oatmeal cookies and jump ( literally ) in my truck.
What is the title of the short story ?
You`ll have to come and see me.
I will print the story and we will read it in class.
Throughout the story I had one of my sec.4 kids in mind.
When we`ll read it, you`ll surely recognize him. I know he will ! And yes it is a HE.
Here are my new projects :
1- Read the book Double Dutch from an American author I had the pleasure to meet in Montreal a week ago.
This is for my sec.2 kids.
If it`s good, we`ll read it.
2- Truman Capote: American author.
Breakfast At Tiffany`s is a book composed of : a novella ( short novel ) and 2 or 3 short stories.
Mr. Capote was a weird and original man. His biography is really interesting.
Gotta read his stuff, he has a very unique style of writing. Asked Santa Claus for his other books-including the one he never finished because he died before he could . Am I a masochist or what ?
3- I ordered new grammar books ( do want cheese with your WHINE ?) for my sec.4 because they have a BIG ministery exam in January and I want new stuff to prep you guys.
One is titled : Grammar Naturally. Can`t wait to check that one out !
Before I go, I`d like to thank:
Patrick at school for reminding me to write my blog and helping me out with very technical and multimedia stuff. I love you too.
Paul: for personally delivering me a latté in a bowl and panettone in class Friday while I was teaching. You really DID like my caramel. I`ll bring some more when I make some.
Katherine for rubbing her face in my classroom door window just to make me laugh.
Works every time.
Caroline : for being just as excited as I was when I shared my new project with her Tuesday morning in her office. She`s taking care of some stuff for me too.
And finally but not least for 2 special people I can not name: for being nice enough to say yes and giving my kids in class the opportunity to be inspired by real living people.
It will be worth the trip I promise you.
And to Pierre for not divorcing me after the Monday night incident.
I swear I wasn`t trying to kill you !
MUSTANG MOMENT - A MINUTE OF SILENCE PLEASE
Pierre and I can`t wait for April. You guessed it, my 1973 Mustang is in hibernation till then. We get to see her everyday ( it`s so cruel ) but we only get to SEE her .
I miss the sound of the motor, the smell of the leather seats, the wind in my hair, the sound of ACDC playing while I`m driving,the feeling of of driving a REAL car. I know, I know, I need to take my medication.It`s an illness. We bought her new accessories . Too cool.
On that I say TATA, I will be back soon, promised .
Although I love it when you verbally comment my blog, I do like it when you leave a comment.
Come on, leave a comment.
Annie Fröhlich
Well people are reading this blog and obviously NOT reading recently since I haven`t written since October 8th.
A lot of you were not shy to tell me I was neglecting my blog and some of you even called me at home to tell me to get writing .
Thank you ! What a compliment. What a motivation to write.
Here `s what I`ll be talking about :
1- My excuse for not writing.
2- A project I`m working on that I KNOW you will love.
3- Literature stuff you`ll see in class.( sec.2 and sec.4)
Here goes : brace yourself, it`s a long one. Do you have 15 minutes ?
What IS my excuse anyway ?
A few reasons but I will explain the major one in a few lines .
Now normally when my students are absent from school, mom or dad have to sign the student`s agenda (page 8) to motivate their absence.
It`s a bit ironic how my absence is due to the fact that my mother or mothers are the reaons why I was absent .
I have two adopted moms : Let`s call them Mary and Susan for the sake of this blog.
Mary is a mom I met 8 years ago in a professional or school context. Circumstances made us grow closer and Mary became a mother figure, a mentor, a friend, a model , a confidant :
a close friend or associate to whom secrets are confided or with whom private matters and problems are discussed ( dictionary definition ).
She `s also so much more than that. She is my little voice inside my head - my internal mom. She`s the one telling me to slow down, take care of myself, validates what I do and think.
She`s also one of the few I LISTEN TO when it comes to advice !
In September I find out she has breast cancer.
I mentally went nuts. I do not believe it, I don`t want to believe it and I do not even want to think about it !
Then it hit me. It really affected me and was very sad for a long time.
Now, normally in a situation like this I would run to her but I couldn`t. She was the one needing help this time. But how do I help someone with something you know nothing about : breast cancer ?
Well you do what you can .
You encourage them, you pray for them ( I do that a lot lately for her ) .
I also have a second mom : I `ve known Susan for 15 years.
She was the school nurse at school for many years. She now works in a CLSC.
She was also unavailable lately because she was fulfilling her longtime dream : being a nurse in the northern part of Québec ( Natashquan ).
We called and e-mailed each other but nothing is better than actually talking to someone in person. So my 2 moms were unavailable and I was abit saddened by the whole thing.
Susan is back now ! We are actually having coffee together tonight. I can`t wait to hear her stories from her experience way up north.
Do my 2 moms know each other you ask ? Yes they do .
So now you know why I was absent : mentally absent from my blog : the plate was full .
I try as much as possible to be positive in my blog because if you want negative stuff just turn on the news .... and I couldn`t be positive in my blog lately. I needed to step back for a while.
BUT I AM BACK AND WITH A VENGEANCE !!
I have been told I am nuts or crazy ( in a positive way here people !) since I can remember. I accept it. Life is good in Annie`s world and you are welcome in it if you are nice, but I can actually confirm it : Life IS good when you`re a bit bananas.
Here`s the thing : I was working on a personal project when I suddenly thought about my students ( my students have a way of finding their way in my personal life sometimes ) and how they would enjoy the fruits of my personal investigation !!
As I was working on my project I was thinking : What are you thinking, you`re nuts? !
But I continued working on my project anyway thinking I won`t take NO for an answer and will go all the way with this.
And I did and It`s working! I can`t say what it is yet because there are still some details to settle but the bottom line is I got a YES from certain people and I just went nuts.
I don`t know why Pierre didn`t have a heart attack when I got the positive reply.
Here`s how it went down people :
I send an e-mail to some very friendly people on a certain Sunday thinking : I`ll get a negative response but what the heck .
I send them an e-mail on a certain Sunday .
I get a positive response the very NEXT day,Monday.
Are these people nice or what ?
The thing is, I checked my e- mails upstairs Monday night at 10:45 and what I did NOT know is that Pierre is sleeping downstairs on the sofa.
When I read the e-mail and read the positive response I screamed and ran downstairs!
Pierre woke up.
He thought I was having a heart attack !
So when I finally got downstairs yelling OH MY GOD OH MY GOD Pierre thinks I`m having an attack but cannot quite understand why I`m smiling ear to ear at the same time .
I had to wait a few minutes for Pierre to get his blood circulation come back to his head and those were the longest minutes.
Pierre had no idea that I had sent an e-mail and had no clue about my personal investigation.
I wanted to see the reply before talking to him about it.
When I finally could tell Pierre, he was suprised,happy but still mad at me for almost killing him with my reaction .
Now it`s still a top secret thing because like I said, things need to be confirmed .
No the Pope, Céline Dion, Mr.Harper are not coming to school !
They are very inspiring people who I KNOW for a fact will inspire a lot of you : an AHAAAAA moment. Their story is so great and inspiring you won`t want them to leave.
You`ll meet people who were DESTINED to do what they do .
You won`t be disapppointed.
Final point for today. Literature stuff. No no don`t go, it is interesting.
I was almost late for work Friday after lunch because of a short story !
Didn`t eat lunch because of the short story either .
Let me explain :
Friday 12:05, I go home for lunch. Pierre is busy with the school radio so I have the house to myself.
Prepare lunch but before attacking my sandwich I decide to check my e-mails.
And for a reason I don`t remember I end up on one of my favorite websites : an archive of short stories.
One of my favorite short story author is Dorothy Parker. She writes the kind of short stories you read in bed: They`re light , funny and funny.
Anyway, I start reading and really lost track of time. Why ? Because obviously it was good and it was so darn funny.
Next thing I know, it`s 1:05 !
I haven`t eaten but I had one heck of a good read and laughed.
I grab 2 oatmeal cookies and jump ( literally ) in my truck.
What is the title of the short story ?
You`ll have to come and see me.
I will print the story and we will read it in class.
Throughout the story I had one of my sec.4 kids in mind.
When we`ll read it, you`ll surely recognize him. I know he will ! And yes it is a HE.
Here are my new projects :
1- Read the book Double Dutch from an American author I had the pleasure to meet in Montreal a week ago.
This is for my sec.2 kids.
If it`s good, we`ll read it.
2- Truman Capote: American author.
Breakfast At Tiffany`s is a book composed of : a novella ( short novel ) and 2 or 3 short stories.
Mr. Capote was a weird and original man. His biography is really interesting.
Gotta read his stuff, he has a very unique style of writing. Asked Santa Claus for his other books-including the one he never finished because he died before he could . Am I a masochist or what ?
3- I ordered new grammar books ( do want cheese with your WHINE ?) for my sec.4 because they have a BIG ministery exam in January and I want new stuff to prep you guys.
One is titled : Grammar Naturally. Can`t wait to check that one out !
Before I go, I`d like to thank:
Patrick at school for reminding me to write my blog and helping me out with very technical and multimedia stuff. I love you too.
Paul: for personally delivering me a latté in a bowl and panettone in class Friday while I was teaching. You really DID like my caramel. I`ll bring some more when I make some.
Katherine for rubbing her face in my classroom door window just to make me laugh.
Works every time.
Caroline : for being just as excited as I was when I shared my new project with her Tuesday morning in her office. She`s taking care of some stuff for me too.
And finally but not least for 2 special people I can not name: for being nice enough to say yes and giving my kids in class the opportunity to be inspired by real living people.
It will be worth the trip I promise you.
And to Pierre for not divorcing me after the Monday night incident.
I swear I wasn`t trying to kill you !
MUSTANG MOMENT - A MINUTE OF SILENCE PLEASE
Pierre and I can`t wait for April. You guessed it, my 1973 Mustang is in hibernation till then. We get to see her everyday ( it`s so cruel ) but we only get to SEE her .
I miss the sound of the motor, the smell of the leather seats, the wind in my hair, the sound of ACDC playing while I`m driving,the feeling of of driving a REAL car. I know, I know, I need to take my medication.It`s an illness. We bought her new accessories . Too cool.
On that I say TATA, I will be back soon, promised .
Although I love it when you verbally comment my blog, I do like it when you leave a comment.
Come on, leave a comment.
Annie Fröhlich
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