Well, left really.

I'm in Colorado this week for the AP Reading...I realized on the plane this morning that I hadn't really told anyone I was going to be gone since I haven't seen anyone in a while. Sorry about that!! I'm going to spend the week grading AP essays -- So if I post anything on here that doesn't make sense it's because my brains have been scrambled trying to decipher teenaged gobbledygook about Africa. Yippee!

In my world history classes we're talking about Medieval Europe right now. Today was all about kings, knights, serfs, and all that fun stuff. So as the kiddies in 5th period were starting on their writing assignment, one of them asked me the craziest, funniest question EVER!! Here's the dialog:

Student: "Ms. B.? I have a question." (He beckoned me over, saying it wasn't exactly appropriate for school and he didn't want to ask in front of the whole class. In my head I was thinking: Danger Will Robinson!!) "I heard somewhere that the origin of the f-word came from the acronym Fornication Under the Certification of the King. Is that true?" Those were his exact words! No editing here!!

I just stood there for a minute and blinked at him, trying to put together an answer the strangest question I had ever heard. I'm sure I looked like a complete idiot, but I was too busy trying to figure out how to answer that one.

Me: Well, I'm not sure... (It was lame, I know.)

At that point I guided him back to the assignment about kings, knights, and serfs...

We had Homecoming last week at school -- even though it's ridiculously early for Homecoming, since it was only the fourth week of school and the second home football game. But at least it's over early.

Anyway, I'm one of the teachers in charge of the Junior class, so I've been running around like a crazy person trying to get our float started and finished ever since we got back from DragonCon. I was lucky this year in that the officers had a plan and they were organized about getting the float finished. I'm not used to that kind of organization -- the kid's I've worked with for the past two years on Homecoming were so unmotivated about the float that it was like pulling teeth to get the thing finished. Not so this year -- we were finished almost early the night before the Homecoming parade. Yay!

The best part of the whole thing was that our float turned out to be really cute and it won first place in the class competition!! I'm so proud of my kids!!!

( Read more... )

In my email from school I found a link to an article about how reading online differs from reading a book or something like that. One of the biggest points in it is about how our attention span is shorter when reading online. I know I fall into that. If I find something online that is just a huge block of text I tend to just skim it if I read it at all. It's even worse in my work email. If there is a post from my AP listserve that is a huge block of text I don't read it as carefully as I do the shorter messages. I worry about what that's doing to our overall attention spans. But it's not going to stop me from reading on the 'net :)

It turned out to be a pretty interesting article even though I don't agree with some of it. Anyway, here's the link:

How we read online

Swiped from everyone...

I guess this is a good reason to avoid the gorillas at the zoo!

Just wanted to let everyone know I got home from Colorado last night :)

Yay!

(I was going to post last night, but I was so tired from flying almost all day that I just went to sleep when I got home)

I'll post pictures soon! :)

So this week I'm in Colorado to grade the free response questions on the AP World History exam. It's been a bit like DragonCon for world history teachers...only no costumes. Over 600 world history teachers and college professors descended upon colorado state university to read essays. For a week. And the name badges aren't nearly as cool.

Colorado is so pretty! I'm definitely more of a mountain person than a beach person. I just like to look at the mountains. I'll post pictures once I get home and find my card reader...

Despite it sounding nerdy, it's been a really neat week. On Monday they trained us to grade the essays properly and since then I've probably scored a couple hundred essays. I've met a lot of people that I've only seen online before and I've learned a lot about how to teach and grade essays. The only downside is that since I'm scoring the question about the Olympics, I NEVER want to hear about them again. Don't think I'll be paying much attention to the Olympics this summer...

I've got two days left here and then I'll be home :) Yay!!

1) Spell your name without the letter E?
Not a problem for this droid!

2) Are you in a relationship?
Sadly, no.

3) When you're at home alone, do you still close the door when you shower?
Yes

4) Do you like your life right now?
Mostly

5) What was the last item you bought?
Indiana Jones tickets :)

6) What was the last thing you drank?
Cherry Coke Zero

10) What plans do you have for tomorrow?
GARF!

11) What do you hate?
I try not to hate things, but there are things I strongly dislike.

12) Where was the last place you fell asleep?
My bed

14) Do you have a best friend that is a girl?
Yes

15) How are things between you and your friends?
Happy :)

16) What is your favorite romance movie?
Charade -- It has romance, intrigue and Cary Grant :)

18) Do you forgive or forget?
I try to do both.

22) What are you thinking about right now?
That this is a stupid question.

23) Who was the last person to tell you they love you?
Mom

24) Do you think they meant it?
Yes

25) What time did you go to bed last night?
12:30ish

26) What are you currently doing?
Answering this quiz. What kind of question is this??

27) What did you do today?
Work, played phone-tag with Toastr, watched Indiana Jones, packed for GARF

28) Do you hate anyone?
Not at the moment.

29) What was the last thing you ate?
Quesadilla from Moe's

30) Who sits behind you in math?
My last math class was a really long time ago...you expect me to remember?

31) What are you listening to?
The Colbert Report

32) Who does it remind you of?
Stephen Colbert?

33) What was the last movie you watched?
Indiana Jones

34) What CD is in your stereo?
I listened to the new REM album on my iPod the other day...

36) What did you do yesterday?
Work

37) Do you like your music loud or at a reasonable level?
Reasonably loud

38) Are you a beach or a snowy mountain person?
I'd like to be a snowy mountain person

39) What are you doing later?
Sleeping

40) Do you like someone?
Yes

41) Where is your biological father right now?
At home, probably asleep by now...

42) Do you have any piercings?
Yes -- my ears

42) Do you have any tattoos?
No

43) Have you ever been tied up?
no

44) Have you ever had two dates in one night?
As if -- dates are few and far between here :(

45) What do you get complimented about most?
My smarts

46) Do you get distracted easily?
What??

47) What was your childhood nickname?
I didn't really have any as a child...

48) What would you change about your life right now?
I'd be more outgoing than I am now

49) How do you feel about public displays of affection?
I'm okay with it as long as it's not excessive.

50) What's the dumbest thing you have done in a car?
Crammed six people in a car made for four

51) Do you live alone?
yes

52) Can you keep a secret?
yes

53) What was the best year of your life?
This year

55) Have you ever played Twister?
yes

56) Have you ever been drunk at school?
No

57) Last thing received in the mail?
Junk from the Science Fiction Book club.

58) Have you ever kissed someone whose name begins with a D?
no

59) Do you have trust issues?
sometimes

60) Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Mom

Yesterday at school I was grading a stack of essays on World War II while my kids were working. As I was grading one of the last ones, I was scanning through the essay, making sure it had all of the required elements. Near the end of the essay I saw this sentence:

Chamberlain's viewpoint may be skewed, however, as he was British.


It made sense in the context of the essay since it was talking about Neville Chamberlain and the conditions that led to WWII, but out of context it's just random and REALLY funny.

It seemed more amusing at the time since I had just graded a billion essays (well...maybe not THAT many) before that one...

Here's the Half-Monkey, Half-Pony Monster to match yours!




And from the back:




Take note of the Frankenstein-esque stitches :)

And when you squeeze him he makes horsey noises!

The funny thing about these was that before Christmas Mom kept asking me what I wanted for Christmas, so I sarcastically told her a half-pony half-monkey monster...I didn't think she was listening. The moral of this story, kiddies: Be careful what you wish for! :)

I have the coolest Mommy ever!!!!

and bought the gigantic R2-D2 freemonkeys found for me.

( Read the R2-D2 tale here )

swiped from everyone...

90%Are you an Uber-Geek? Quiz courtesy of Whirlpool Parts from PS Appliance Parts

swiped from sarahtoalaska, soberchef, disbandedtoastr...

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd   Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Artistic Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Social Nerd
Anime Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Musician
Drama Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Look madladyred! Two posts in one day!!

Swiped this from madladyred, toaster, and sarahtoalaska...

1.) If I were a doll, the accessories packaged with me would be:
R2-D2, postcards, and a Paris guidebook

2.) I have an irrational fear of:
spiders...There is usually much squealing and freaking out whenever one is around.

3.) What type of food do you eat at your grandparents house?
Home-grown, fresh vegetables

4.) What weight were you when you were born?
6 pounds and some change, i think

5.) What would you do if you were stranded on an island with the person you hate most?
annoy them mercilessly at first then realize that i'm stuck on an island with only them and try to be nice

6.) What would you do if you found out you had been cheated on?
leave and cry a lot

7.) Do you stalk anyone on myspace?
Like I can figure out how to work myspace

8.) I find the thought of childbirth:
scary

9.) Next door to my house is:
my brother's house

10.) My feet are:
strange-looking

11.) My preferred style of jeans is:
comfy

12.) Why is your #1 on My Space?
see #7

13.) Know how to cook?
i try but i usually lack the initiative

14.) I am annoyed with:
people not thinking and doing stupid things

15.) What is the worst way you were dumped?
It wasn't so much being dumped as finding out the guy who acted like he liked me didn't like me.

16.) What child-related smell do you not like?
diapers

17.) Insert random question here.

18.) What color hair do most of the people you are around have?
Brown, but red's a close 2nd

19.) What object have you broken recently?
i had a frightening moment at work the other day when i thought i broke the Internet.

20.) Name one of the Spice Girls.
After being subjected to the Spice Girls movie TWICE in college I have completely blocked out everything to do with the them.

21.) What was the last thing to make you cry?
my students' test scores

22.) What are the stems on wine glasses for?
holding up the top of the glass

23.) My favorite shoes are:
my worn-out black converse

24.) Do you use chopsticks?
badly...if you want comedy, watch me try to use chopsticks

25.) Do you prefer beaches or forests?
forests

26.) What serial killer do you find most disturbing?
they're all pretty disturbing

27.) Who knows a secret or two about you?
Madladyred, Reddheaded, and Disbandedtoastr

28.) Have you ever burned yourself?
yes

29.) Who is probably talking a load of crap about you right now?
my students from last year

30.) Who is/are your hero[es]?
my family and my friends

31.) Do you believe in things that last forever?
yes

32.) What are you listening to?
Venture Bros.

33.) What do you smell like?
Mango shampoo

34.) Are you married?
no

35.) Does anyone regularly tell you they love you?
yes

36.) What's the most confusing to you?
nearly anything related to math

37.) Do you have any bad habits?
too many to list

38.) Have you ever wanted to be a teacher?
yes...but not originally. When I was in high school and at the beginning of college I swore I would never, ever become a teacher. Oh the irony. I can't imagine doing anything else now :)

39.) What is one thing you've learned about life?
nothing ever turns out the way you plan for it to

40.) What's your favorite color?
pink

41.) Have you ever been stuck in an elevator?
Reddheaded and I got stuck in an elevator with about 20 other people at DragonCon last year.

42.) What does your dad call you?
pooh bear

43.) Have you ever sang in front of people?
no...you don't want me to either.

44.) What are you looking forward to?
DragonCon :)

I have a word of the day calendar I keep on my desk at school. Here's last Wednesday's word of the day:

hobbit - n - a member of a fictitious peaceful and genial race of small humanlike creatures that dwell underground.

And the sentence using the word? "As lush as any hobbit's realm, the forest engulfs Sams River Loop Trail, a route traveled more by elk than by humans." (John g. Mitchell, National Geographic, July 2004)

What I want to know is how would you use the word "hobbit" in everyday conversation? Although I have used it before to describe how a particular outfit made me look when I tried it on...

A few weeks ago my sister and I were watching tv and the Chuck Norris mountain dew commercial came (the one with the bobble-head websites). I nearly fell on the floor when she laughed at the commercial. Usually she and my younger brother will declare something like that to be stupid and not worth the energy to laugh at. I think the commercial is hysterical.

Anyway, just now while I was wasting time on the 'net, I found one of the lists of Chuck Norris-isms that were so popular a couple of years ago and I found my favorite Chuck Norris-ism EVER. Here it is:

Chuck Norris expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Maybe it's funnier when you read the list and they're all together...

For some reason when I read these I hear the "Ask a Ninja" voice in my head...

Wow! It's been a really long time since I posted...

Does anyone remember the rules to the game "Around the World"?

I remember playing it in elementary school to practice multiplication tables but I can't remember how it's played. I want to use it as a review for my world history and geography classes. They all have exams coming up and I want to find fun ways to review what we did earlier.

Any help would be great...

droidgirl's creature-nemesis:

The Dreaded LORAX

'What creature will become your nemesis?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I wish I could think of something Seussical to say...

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader   You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Literate Good Citizen
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Ah...I love books :)