31 Years as a Teacher.

I have spent 31 years as a teacher. The only time off is when I had my children, which were only part years. I feel I have been pretty stable with my job. I like where I teach, like the people I work with and just enjoy doing my job. I work hard to keep current with what changes there are in the school laws. I have seen many changes over the years, but there are two that disturb me. 1. We have a group of young teachers. They lack a professional attitude needed to teach students. They are not dedicated to teaching in our district. It is obvious that we are just the stepping stone until a better paying teaching job comes along. 2. The attitude of students towards learning. Even with the offer of extra time available they don't want to take it. I believe that one of the reasons is that they feel it is punishment since grade schools use it that way. At the high school it is a time to get extra help so you don't have to struggle in subjects.
One of my students finally stayed because her mother told her she had to. When we were done she said can I stay tomorrow. Well we only offer a bus 2 days a week, so no. Now she is a regular. I think this is good for her and maybe it will help her see how quickly she can get her homework done if she just sits down and does it at home.

The Girls Skating

It doesn't seem possible that the end of skating season is so close. The recital is April 4th. Another winter is almost over. It sure does seem like spring is just a few days away. Spring break is only 20 days away. I wonder how much work I can get done between now and spring break. I have much paper work to get done. So I guess I will be needing to get busy. The great thing is that I will only have a few IEP meetings at the end of the school year since most of mine are seniors. I will have a new group of students next year.

The End of February

Wow February is over. Well almost. Today and tomorrow. It will be time for March. Kite flying and spring break. Where oh where has this year gone. Only 10 more months until Christmas. It looks like March is going to come in as a lamb. 50 degrees prediction for Sunday. We will wait and see. It seems the weather forecast changes a few times a day any more. Maybe that is because we have become to sophisticated with our technology and it is harder to forecast.

Home schooling

I teach school, however I am not against homeschooling children. In fact I homeschooled 2 of my own children. They have done as well in college as our others. I find it hard to believe that there are so many people against it. If I had the resources I would open a school for kids. One where homeschooling was the bases. I think education has become a "boxed" enviroment where we expect all students to learn exactly alike. This is not realitiy. We need students to fit in all aspects of society. We need less "CORPOARTE" screw-up CEO's and more real life I need to work just to pay for food and gas, HONEST working people. Right now we have the corporate mantality. We need to get rid of that philosphy.

Check to make sure your driver's license is not on this site

http://www.license.shorturl.com Wow I came across this site and you should really make sure yours isn't listed here. If it is just click on the take me off the list and they will take your name off.

The Power of Being Positive

At the present time I am reading the book The Power of Being Positive. I am about half way through it. It any of my kids want to reading next let me know.... I will write a short review of the book when I finish it.

Rachel Cooks Us Breakfast

Rachel awoke at 5:30 this morning. She got ready for school and stated she was cooking breakfast. Okay what can she cook beside cereal... French toast. She made us French toast with bacon. It was very good. She can cook me French toast any time.

In search of some quick and easy recipes

I am in search of some quick and easy recipes for my students.. Of course they have made some suggestions of what they would like.

I've Been Searching

I have been searching for some great websites to search. Check them out and see if anything is of interest to you. TV, Movies, how to live on a dime, find out what the government is up to....

Indiana Beach

INDIANA BEACH OPENS MAY 2nd

Let's get our stuff ready. Campers, fishing gear, tents.... Wahoo! It is almost summer again........Amusement parks here we come!


Indiana Beach Dates and Times of Operation 2009
Indiana Beach operates on Eastern Standard Time and does observe Daylight Savings Time. We are in the same time zone as Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, & Columbus and we are one-hour ahead of Chicago & St. Louis.

Amusement Park Water Park Sand Beach
11am-6pm CLOSED CLOSED
11am-8pm 11am-6pm 10am-6pm
11am-11pm 11am-6pm 10am-6pm
11am-10pm 11am-6pm 10am-6pm
11am-6pm 11am-6pm 10am-6pm
11am-10pm CLOSED CLOSED
Black Out Day CLOSED CLOSED

Look what I have found!

Yes I know the title has led you to here. "What has she found?", you are thinking in your brain? I have found some really KOOL web sites. I have them listed on my school site also. They have so many great ideas, recipes, kids things. Hope you will click on them and join in on the fun.

Kettle Corn Recipe from allrecipes.com

Kettle Corn
Rated:

Submitted By: SUE202
Photo By: Allrecipes
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 20 Minutes
Servings: 5


"White sugar makes the Kettle Corn taste like popcorn balls. Use brown sugar and it will taste like caramel corn."
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

Directions:
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn. Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning. Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.

Cute Saying

Grandma's Recipe for a Loving Family
4 cups of love
2 cups of loyalty
3 cups of forgiveness
1 cup of friendship
5 tablespoons of hope
2 tablespoons of tenderness
4 quarts of faith
1 barrel of laughter

Take love and loyalty, mix it thoroughly with faith. Blend it with tenderness, kindness and understanding. Add friendship and hope. Sprinkle abundantly with laughter. Bake it in sunshine. Serve daily with generous helpings. Serves one entire home forever. --Anonymous

Go to my classroom site

Each day I search for ideas to give my students. I find great resources that can help them. I try to list them there each time I find some. Check it out.

Cookbook for my Senior Students

I am in the process of writing my annual cookbook for my students. Any recipes, helpful hints are welcome. Email me at playnejane@oakwood.k12.il.us
Here is the index to see if you have something you would like to contribute.

Table of Contents

Section 1 –How To and Other Things Important to Know
Section 2 – Meat
Section 3 – Vegetables
Section 4 – Fruits
Section 5 – Casseroles
Section 6 – Cakes, Cookies, Pies, Candies & Sweet Treats
Section 7 – Breads
Section 8 - Crock Pot and Microwave Cooking
Section 9 – Wild Game
Section 10 – Entertaining Ideas
Section 11– Cleaning Clues and Keeping an Organized Life
Section 12 – Internet and Other Resources

Happy Valentine Day

Hope all had a great valentine's day. It was a great day for 2 of my students. As freshmen I encouraged them to wrestle. One was an easy convince since he had been involved in youth wrestling. The other didn't want to look like a "sissy" and wrestle guys. Well he joined after many discussions, inviting the coach into my room when he was there, and getting him placed in the wrestling coach's homeroom. Well it is now their senior year and they both have scored well enough to be going to the state individual wrestling tournament. Way to go Rayse and Blake. Good luck to our team when it is sectional tournament time.

Rachel selling ads for Snowflake Classic

Rachel is selling ads for the program for the Snowflake Classic Cometition. If you would like to support her fill in the form. Send your money and form to where it tells you. Thanks. She wants to win the jacket they are offering.

Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th. The natives are restless. The classes that are usually quite are supper talkative. It would be nice if they could just tone it down a bit. They are excited about the movies that are playing tonight and cannot wait to get to the "scary" movies.

Great Information for Teachers

The Internet is packed full of printable worksheets. Both teachers and sometimes parents and students can access them. It would have been wonderful to have found them when I was a much younger teacher. I have shared them with my daughters so they will have them to use in their classrooms. If you teach a great resource is Discovery Education streaming or united streaming. You have to join the organization to get access, however it is one of those sites with about every topic.

Holy Snikers ... Where did all the rain come from!

It has rained and rained and rained... Around here we know when we have a lot of rain is when the one park starts its flooding. Even with them making it deeper and raising the banks, it is still out of its banks and about 1/2 way to total flood. Usually this doesn't happen until spring, not this early. They are predicting snow for this weekend. That means if the temperature drops to quickly, we will be needing ice skates to get around.

Weather... You make me want to work in the yard!

The weather is absolutely beautiful. It is getting the creative juices flowing and the seed and plant catalogue shopping urge. The yard is too muddy to work in right now. But soonnnnnnnn...... The itch is there. I actually went out back and looked and looked and measured. My yard guy racked the leaves before the last snow. Now I have lots of mud....

Writing

I think I am about ready to start writing. I am not sure what I will write about, but this blogging thing makes you feel more comfortable with writing. I think I would like to write a novel about my family's adventure of coming to America in the 1880's. The boat ride here, the tales that have been spun, and make it into a novel that will create an interest of others in the study of genealogy.
Many times people think it is a boring topic. I find it exciting to find things out about my family roots. Unfortunately, my grandparents died and left few clues. I have gotten a few pictures from different places and I have been fortunate enough to meet others that have the same love of history and we have shared our pictures and information. Through this experience I have found my family in Wales. What a great feeling. I have longed since a child to go there, search them out, and just get to know them. How I wished this love of family history would have started when I was 5 years old and not the age it did. Now I am unable to talk with those that could help me. I have been trying to instill that love in my grandchildren. They find it interesting to read the stories I have written for them.
I just need to begin......

Cookbooks

I am scanning my cookbooks into my computer. One of these days I will organize all of the recipes from them into folders divided by recipe type. I have so many cookbooks that they take up two bookcases.
I have a clear fetish for cookbooks.

Getting The Attic Tackled

I just spent one hour in the attic. I did make another large dent in the stuff up there. I know my garbage people think I have a lot of trash. Well not really, but some of the stuff was my late aunt's, and cousin's and others that I just didn't bother to go through before I put it in the attic. Now I am weeding it out. Books are being donated to the library, genealogy type stuff - scanned and entered into my files - stuff no one wants - either will be donated to the animal shelter to help purchase things for the animals - to the church to take to the places it donates things --- or the trash. You only have room for so much stuff --- I am beyond my max and don't like it. I am not a saver, where as my husband is. Well so long for now as I am heading to my genealogy work. It never seems to end.

HOLY COW! Where did this weather come from?

I made a hair appointment for today. I did not expect it to be a day I would rather be outside than inside. It is absolutely beautiful outside. I am heading to the garden for some quick looks, a few measurements, mental planning for the near future. I cannot hardly stand the wait... Just a few more months and I will be outside most of the time so I need to be getting the inside to do list done... Well at least attack it.

Fire in Danville

Seems that one of the larger section 8 supplemented housing (apartments) projects went up in smoke today. I do not know how extensive but we are preparing to watch the evening news at the present time. It affected many of the students in Kristina's school. I hope no one was hurt. I don't like fires. But I really don't like fires that people are injured or loose their life.
Also one my friends son and his family lost their home to a fire. Thank goodness they were visiting his mother. It was an odd fire and they probably would have been injured.

Great Workshop

WOW My school and others in our coop can purchase computers for our students to have in their homes for $15.00 each. Our "boss man" is worried that others will complain why did we purchase for the kids with 504 plans or IEPs and not for all the students. Well because it is a program for our students only. That would mean for about $300.00 everyone of my students on my caseload could own a computer. Of course most of my students have computers, but the ones that don't really cannot afford them. I know there are others that cannot afford them, but the disadvantage of my students is that their other family members many times tell them they don't need to be on the computer, that they are not as important as them or their homework, when in fact they need them as much as the others do. Maybe more.

Stimulus Plan

I have thought about the stimulus plan and it still seems to be in the favor of just a few people who caused this all to begin with. Why not offer to every home owner with a morgage on their primary residence upto $100,000.00 dollars paid on the loan. The money would not go to the home owner, but go to their morgage holder. The morgage holders and the home owner both are winners. Doesn't it make more since?