Teaching is Tough

If you've ever read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton then you may recall Johnny Cade's  reference to things being 'tough' and 'tuff'.  He would describe living on the wrong side of the tracks with abusive or absent parents tough, and Cherry Valance's red convertible stingray as tuff.  If I had to pick one of the two homophones to describe my job, it would have to be the former.  I think in some circles, teaching is tuff or cool, but I'm not sure who would claim to be in those circles.  A teaching job certainly isn't trendy, nor is it highly valued or highly compensated.  So on the tough-tuff spectrum, I would say teaching is tough.  Sure the schedule is great with holidays, weekends, and summers off.  Unfortunately these days, that is the only remaining perk.  Teachers are being asked to do way more with much less. It's hard to motivate kids when you lack the motivation yourself.  One of my strategies to overcome the downsides of teaching (large class sizes, mouthy/spoiled kids, students with ADD/ADHD, negative attitudes, poor effort, increased teacher responsibilities) is to continue to encourage, and to surround myself with things that motivate me and make me happy.  So while in the trenches (my classroom) I immerse myself in things that both encourage my students and make me smile.  Here are some of those things:

I made the Twilight diorama this summer with my figurine collection and created the collaged background from my many magazines devoted to the saga.  This is on a filing cabinet near my desk.  Here's a closer view of the hero and heroine.

Here is a view of my back wall, with cut out standups of Jacob Black and Bella Swan.  The name plates behind are of all my students.  They make cool wallpaper.

Of course I can't forget Edward Cullen, the most famous vampire of all time (in my opinion).

Just so you know, it's not all about Twilight - if you look closer in the tree, you will find Harry Potter characters.  The halls and hallows of Hogwarts must be explored and experienced.  Harry is the headmaster in my classroom, along with his nemesis/protector Severus Snape.

So when the going gets tough, I let characters from books cheer me up.  In the words of Johnny Cade, "I think that's tuff enough."

 

 

Thank You St. Valentine

Who knows the real story behind 'said holiday' Valentine's Day?  I don't, and sadly am not that interested in researching the origin of the day either.  It's not that I don't enjoy the holiday, I just would rather leave it a mystery.  What I know about Valentine's Day is that many of my students carry around heart shaped balloons, teddy bears, and bags of candy that they think that they can eat in class.  Of course, cranky teacher that I can be, the rules don't change on Valentine's Day - even if you share with the teacher. 

The tradition in our family is that Rob buys me roses, a card, candy and treats me to dinner.  So what's not to like about Valentine's Day?  I love chocolate, even though I am not eating much of it these days while being good on weight watchers.  The kids get chocolate too, and I even splurged and bought them a video game.  I know, just what they need, a new video game.  But this is The Michael Jackson Experience!  You can live out your dreams as back up dancer extraordinaire, or even The King of Pop himself.  It is so much fun and gets the whole family up and movin'.  I also baked and decorated muffins instead of purchasing candy. 

Rob made his customary secretive trip to Basha's for the roses and candy for Valentine's Day morning. 

Here's an up close picture of the roses.

Aren't they blindingly beautiful?

You know what else is blindingly beautiful?  MJ's awesomeness!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

D - E - F - E - N - S - E ! !

Since Spenser's first flag football season started our Saturdays have been filled juggling football games and music lessons.  Spenser's team, the Black Hawks, started strong with three wins but then lost the next two.  Spenser is always bummed when the team loses, even if he did something personally contributive, which he normally does.  Whether on offense or defense, he seems to make some big plays that include receptions, interceptions, and touchdowns.  Today the Black Hawks were victorious thanks to Spenser's game winning interception and run back for a touchdown.  Check it out.....

Too bad he was out of the camera shot when he caught the ball, but you can see him zooming toward the end zone and I'm the one screaming "Go Buddy! Go!" in the background.  I will confess I'm no 'tiger mother' and I would rather be doing something else than watching his football games.  It's not because I don't support his athletic endeavors but I find myself highly anxious at athletic events that I have a personal stake in.  I want him to have fun, do well, compete, and learn something from both winning and losing.  What I don't enjoy is the people - the loud, opinionated parents and spectators who coach from the sidelines and think every game is the championship.  Obviously you heard me in the video rooting on my son, but that was the only peep you heard from me.  I was so anonymous that after Spenser made the touchdown one lady said, "Who is number 19, the one that just scored?"  Another gentleman replied, "Oh, that's Spenser, he just got a haircut and he looks three years older."  They didn't even know that his mom was standing right next to them.  Tee hee!  If I was a pushy parent I probably would have spoke up right then and there, bragged a bit that he was my son, and gushed that they noticed his haircut that he had gotten only two days before.  But not me.  I let those comments ride, my anonymity intact.  Shortly thereafter, Spenser ran across the field toward me, wearing the 'MVP' medal that the coach awarded him for the game.  So I guess the jig is up, the mystery solved.  Oh well, that was fun while it lasted.  At least I'm the mom of the MVP.  And speaking of player of the game......here he is!

  

If You Want To Be Happy, Go SLO!

One of the things most people want in life, I think, is to be happy.  I bet health, wealth, and a life fulfilled are up there too.  Well wouldn't you know it that I grew up in the happiest place on earth?!  No, I'm not talking about Disneyland.  I'm talking about San Luis Obispo, California.  Okay, so it's not the happiest place on earth, but supposedly it is the happiest place in America.  I'll settle for that because unless you've traveled across the globe, how would you ever know?

According to Dan Buettner in the National Geographic book Thrive, San Luis Obispo is the happiest place in America for overall emotional health.  He says that "the residents here are more likely to smile and experience joy and less likely to experience pain and depression."  Of course beautiful scenery, beaches, hiking trails, a historic downtown, and other landmarks only add to the serenity. That must be why I'm so calm, laid back, flexible, and easygoing!  (That's a joke)  But I can say that growing up there was a gorgeous gift that has perhaps allowed me to carry that 'calmness' from the 'happiest' to the 'hottest' place in America.  What can I say, I'm extreme like that!

You know your town has made it big when Oprah visits.  This was actually her second visit.  On her first visit she introduced the world to the best sandwich in America, made in SLO, at some sandwich shop now out of business.  On this trip she sent Jenny McCarthy to further elate the residents.  Check it out -

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Happiest-City-in-America-San-Luis-Obispo-Video

All the places Jenny covered in the video are our haunts too.  Here is Spenser at the Mission -

and Sienna and Spenser at Mission Creek,

you can't forget Gum Alley!

So don't worry, be happy, and get to SLO as fast as you can!

First Foray into Flag Football

Spenser is spreading his athletic ability wings by starting flag football after a season of basketball.  Saturday was his first game and his team, the Black Hawks, was victorious.  It didn't look good at first, but after meeting your team and practicing once, they throw you right into the games, so what do you expect?  Spenser played offense the first half and defense the second.  He was often open on offense, but the quarterback wasn't able to get the ball to him.  Here is one pass that was a bit out of reach.

Here is Spenser getting ready at the line of scrimmage. The boy in front of him to his left is his good buddy Kyle.  They spend many weekends at each other's houses. 

  
While on defense, Spenser had a great play when he intercepted the ball and ran it for a couple yards.  Here is the proof!

So I guess Spenser's first game was a success.  Now every Saturday for the next 6 weeks Rob or Mony will be on the sideline cheering on their little guy.  Hopefully they'll be a highlight each week worthy of being posted. 

The Top 10 of 2010

It's January 2nd and before we get too far into 2011, I thought we should reflect on 2010 and all the joy that it brought us.  Top 10 lists are very popular this time of year,  so I thought it would be appropriate if the family compiled their own Top 10 list of 2010.  I asked each member of the family to pick their top three or four events of the year to create the Samour Top 10 of 2010.  So here they are in no particular order.

1.  Christmas 2010


2.  Central Park


3.  the AMA's (American Music Awards)


4.  BNP Paribas Open


5.  Treximet and Imitrex


6.  Performance of 'All or Nothing'


7.  Performance of 'Heaven's on Fire'


8.  Late Show with David Letterman


9.  Recording in the studio at Modern Music Academy


10.  Camping

As you can probably tell, the list mainly consists of vacations and music achievements.  So as we usher in a new year, we're wondering what vacation spots we'll visit and are hoping that we continue to grow musically.   Of course health and happiness is essential as well and we wish you that and more. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!      

Christmas Favorites

After the thrill of christmas morning passes, the bulk of the rest of the day is spent enjoying the gifts.  As I already posted, Spenser began immediately bonding with his new laptop.  Since then, he's spent some late nights playing on-line video games with his godfather, my brother Ken, and they can even talk to each other vocally through their laptops.  Ain't technology grand? 

As for Sienna, she went right to her new Just Dance game for the Wii.  Not only is it a fun game to play, it also is quite a workout!  Here she is with Spenser dancing to Wham's big hit, "Wake Me up Before You Go Go"

Another favorite of Sienna's was the Harry Potter Legos.  She already had two sets built that we bought when they first came out,  Hagrid's Hut and Freeing Dobby.  Now thanks to Grandma and Grandpa,  she can add Hogwart's Castle, the Hogwart's Express, and the Burrow to her collection.  

She's already begun building them and I'll post pictures of the final product. 

As for Rob, he got normal type of gifts like a tie, new belts, and some cd's.  Perhaps his favorite was a bottle of Belvedere, a fine vodka that he loves to combine with Ruby Red for a drink Pat calls a 'Stoli Greyhound.'  I guess in Rob's case it's a 'Belvedere Greyhound.'  That was one of my gifts to him this year, in lieu of the Patron pack he usually gets this time of year.  Unfortunately, Costco wasn't selling them.  

As for Mony, she received cd's, dvd's, and gift cards.  Perhaps her favorite gift was one she received before christmas and according to Rob, doesn't count as a christmas gift.  But I'll just call it an early christmas gift , because that's what it was.  Rob won a Kindle in a raffle at a conference LAST JULY and it sat unopened and lonely on his desk for months.  Sure I let him know that I would gladly take it off his hands and put it to good use but Rob stuck to his guns (guns being EXTREME ethical code).  He was planning on donating it to the state charity fund as he didn't want his accepting it to be misconstrued as a 'gift.'  But hey, he won it fair and square and that's what everyone in his office told him.  So they convinced him that his wife should have the Kindle and OMG, he brought it home to me.  Here it is in all its magnificence!

  The Kindle is fantastic.  Sure I love the appeal of real books, and certainly already own my favorites (Twilight Saga, Harry Potter 1-7).  But instead of lugging a book around with you, the Kindle allows you to carry a whole library!  It's compact, light, fits in your purse, and is easy to read and use.  It also has global wireless, so you don't need internet to buy books.  You can buy them directly from the device with the push of one button, and it appears in seconds.  You can also sample books for free, and there are many free books available too.  The Kindle came with an Amazon gift card, so I was able to buy some books right away for free!  I purchased Unbroken, a WWII survival story currently on the NY Times Bestseller List.  I also purchased Russell Brand's autobiography, My Booky Wook.  (I'm a sucker for Englishmen).  Both books are great!  So yeah, I guess I like the Kindle a little bit.   

This Christmas was Kindle-tastic!