Going, going, gone. . . . .

Currently, I am sitting at my brother’s computer in Vancouver, Washington – just on the other side of the Oregon border. We drove up here yesterday and spent the night with him and his family. It was wonderful to my twin neices – 5 yrs old and their baby brother – 7 months. I LOVE the weather in Washington. I NEED to move to Washington. It was about 70 degrees yesterday – AWESOME!!!! I LOVE the cool weather!!

Now after a very restful night’s sleep – we are putting stuff back in suitcases and getting ready to go to Seattle to get on the ship and we are OFF TO ALASKA! I have decided that I will write, by hand (gasp) some entries about Alaska that I will add to my blog when I get home.

So keep checking back because you never know when I might stumble across an internet cafe in Alaska and add something to the blog. I will keep you posted.

Bon Voyage!

***********************************

Happy 4th of July! I am sitting in a small internet cafe in the town of Skagway, Alaska. Look it up on a map. It is the last Alaskan city on our stop. The trip so far has been wonderful. I LOVE ALASKA!!! I want to move to Alaska!

Okay – brief update – of my adventures so far.

Stop 1: Ketchikan, Alaska

We took a horse drawn “bus” tour of the city and learned some of the local history and saw some beautiful, beautiful things. Did you know Ketchikan is a rainforest? It is – honest!

Stop 2: Juneau, Alaska

We spent the least amount of time in Juneau which kind of bothered me because there is SO much to see and do in Juneau. We did go on a Whale Watching tour. We went with a local company – “Orca Tours” and it was the best trip ever. We spent about 2 to 3 hours out on the ocean – which was as calm and smooth as glass – watching these beautiful, gentle giants of the deep – humpback whales – swim and surface all around us. When the boat’s engines were off you could hear them exahaling as they surfaced. Of course, you could also see the water as it rushed out (250 mph) of their blow hole. INCREDIBLE sight! As we were watching the whales, huge American Bald Eagles were flying overhead and swooping down into the ocean to pluck fish from it. AWESOME! I could have stayed on that boat all day, it was very peaceful, very relaxing and beautiful.

NATURE ROCKS!!!

Stop 3: Skagway, Alaska

I am typing this in Skagway. I love Skagway – it is a quaint little town, and I do mean little. We saw part of the 4th of July parade when we first came into town. I REALLY wanted to go to the “Musher’s Camp” where they let you drive a dog sled team and everything. . . . . however, my husband slept a little late this morning and we did not realize how fast the “Musher’s Camp” excursion would fill up. Oh, well, maybe next timed. THERE WILL be a next time – I LOVE ALASKA!!

So, I just decided to do all my shopping here. They have some really big stores here, just for tourists, that have tons of things to buy. So I will shop!

Tomorrow we are stopping at Prince Rupert Island in Canada – I have NO clue to what awaits us there.

The cruise has been awesome. The entertainment each night is hilarious, we have met some really nice people, have had some wonderful food AND the Chocolate Buffet is still coming. Either Thursday or Friday night they will have a chocolate buffet where it will be ALL the chocolate you can eat! Can’t wait!

I have to say that even Mrs. Vermeulen would like the cruise. They have fitness classes almost all day. You can do yoga, pilates, spinning, jogging, weight training etc. I think they have exercise classes that are made up just for people on a cruise ship. I of course am not getting up at 8:00 a.m to do pilates or yoga. I AM on vacation!

Okay – running out of time – literally – just wanted to update my Alasakan adventure.

Watch this space – there is more to come and hopefully I can put pictures in when I get home.

Don’t forget. . . . .

Today was the last day of school and I know some of you met it with smiles and some with tears. Personally, I met it with relief. Not because I did not want to see my students any longer, but because for the first time since August I can take a deep breath and say, “YES!” “THEY MADE IT!”

I read all of your comments that you posted today – WOW – I LOVED every one of them. Some made me laugh out loud, others made me sigh, some made me say, “awwwww.” and a few brought moisture to my eyes. I enjoyed every comment that was made.

Now – you all need to get a blog and attach to my blogroll or send me your blog address so I can comment your page. I WANT to make you laugh out loud, or sigh or say, “Mrs. Ryan HAS to get rid of her Johnny Depp obsession! Good thing he wasn’t in “Titanic” or “Happy Feet” because she would have gone bankrupt going to the movies everyday!”

Here is a song (you know me and songs and lyrics) that is the theme to a great teen movie from the ’80’s – GASP – and before you ask – YES – it is in COLOR! (The ’80’s were NOT that long ago) Anyway – this is the theme song to the movie, “The Breakfast Club.” and it is a good – great movie – in the fact that it shows how in life there is more to a person than what you see on the outside, especially in high school.

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When many of you get to high school in about 6 weeks you are going to be entering a world like you have never seen before. It will be scary at times, exciting at others and even boring. You are going to have to define who you are and how you want to be judged, because you will be judged. Not only will your peers judge you, but so will the teachers and once your reputation is set – it is VERY hard to change.

But since you were my students and in my classroom I would hope that I taught you more than how to spell and read and write or make stupid jokes about the word “cantaloupe” (Sorry if you weren’t there that day.) I would hope that you learned to be a little less judgmental and to accept people for who they are, not what they wear or how they look. I hope I showed you some compassion and that you will remember that. Whether it was through a smile, a light tap on the shoulder whispering good job, or my over-exageratted expression of disappointment when you did not complete an assignment, I tried to show you all that I accepted you for who you are and I just wanted the best for you. Don’t forget that. . . . . . . EVER!

That is why I said I met today with a huge sigh of relief. You see, every year on the first day of school I wake up and take a deep breath. A deep breath of excitement, of hope, of potential and of the challenges that will be a part of my life and my student’s lives for the next 9 months. I hold onto that breath – I really do – because there are many times during the year when I just want to let it all go – but I don’t – I hold on. Then on the last day, I let it all out. At this moment my lungs are clear, my mind is at ease because I helped another group of young people take a closer step towards their future.

SO, my dear students, who have all worked themselves into my heart and life in one way or another, whether you are going to high school or just to 8th grade, go strong, take a deep breath and DON’T FORGET!

You know where to find me and you know that I will ALWAYS be here for you!

Pay it Forward

 

Make a Difference

Today the 7^th graders watched the movie Pay it Forward.  Many of you who were here last year at Veritas remember watching this movie at the end of your 7^th grade year. It is a GREAT movie and many of you referred to it throughout this year in other stories we read. I was very impressed with your insights into this wonderful and story and the message of the entire movie.

Now some thoughts:

Why is the concept of “Paying it Forward” a test of humanity and honesty?

(Remember – if you do not know the word – look it up – just like in the movie.)

How could the concept of “Paying it Forward” make a difference?

Is “Paying it Forward” something that could really work? Explain.

This is a movie that I do NOT want you to take lightly.  This is a movie that I want you to take seriously – its entire idea, its concept, and its message. 

 As Mr. Shen always said, “When in doubt . . . . THINK.”  

That is what I want you to do with the message of this movie.

Think about how YOU can make a difference.  Everybody, everyday, in some small way can make a difference.  How can you make a difference for the better of this world?

 

Here is a link to the “Pay it Forward Foundation” where people share stories, successful stories of “paying it forward.”

http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/

Maybe you can add your success story there!

Congratulations Graduates

CONGRATULATIONS VERITAS 2007 GRADUATES!

 Many of you I have known for 2 years.  I have watched you grow from squirrelly, irritating, little 7th graders into mature, somewhat dramatic 8th graders. Others, I have just had the privilege of meeting this year and many of you have impressed me greatly with your different strengths.

 I know that MANY of you will find great success in high school.  Some of you may find yourself a little lost in the big pond you will be swimming in next year.  However you find yourself during your freshman year, I hope that you will keep your head, keep your cool and keep your focus. 

 

A high school diploma is SO important to earn and it is easy to earn as long as you keep yourself organized and do what is asked of you.  High school is not the time to go one-on-one with a teacher – you will not win.

 Do not let the “drama” over take your life.  Always, ALWAYS put your education FIRST.  People will change, friends will change, hearts will be broken and hearts will be won, but NO ONE can EVER take away your education – EVER.  If something were to happen, and you were injured in such a way that you lost your education – none of the other stuff would matter anyway. 

Remember you can NEVER learn too much, you can NEVER read too much and you can NEVER have too many books!

I wish all of you the best of luck in high school and you should all know that if you ever need me, for whatever, I can always be found – right here! 

Congratulations Class of 2007!

Good luck and I will miss you! 

 

Have to have my penguins!

 

                                                 And of course. . . . . . . .

You know I HAD to put Johnny’s picture in here!

What do Teacher’s make?

 

What Do Teachers Make?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life
.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued: “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?”

He reminded the other dinner guests that it’s true what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”

To corroborate, he said to another guest: “You’re a teacher, Susan,” he said. “Be honest. What do you make?”

Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness,
replied, you want to know what I make? I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face, how dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home: I hope I haven’t called at a bad time? I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today. Billy said, “Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don’t you?”

And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, and definitely beautiful over and over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final
drafts in English.

I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart … and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you pay them no attention.

You want to know what I make?

I make a difference.

What about you?

~Adapted from Author, Taylor Mali~

The music in our lives

 I believe that music plays a big part in many of our lives.  Many times you can hear a certain song and it will bring to light a memory that maybe you had not thought about in awhile.  Sometimes the memory may be happy, it could be sad, it could even leave you wishing you had the ability to time travel.  A well written song can elicit the same emotions as a well written novel: laughter, tears, heartbreak, excitement, love. The next time you are hanging out, listening to your music, pause and think about the lyrics (words) and reflect on their meaning.  You will be amazed at some of the stories that are told through music.  Here is a quote about music that sums up things so well.  Tell me what you think.

We all have a song that’s somehow stamped our lives
Takes us to another place and time

It is a line from the song, “I Go Back” by Kenny Chesney.  Take a listen – the words desribe things pretty well.

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Friendship

A former student sent me this little story and it carries a great lesson with it.  Make sure you read it all the way to the end!

Two friends were walking through the desert.

During some point of the journey, they had an argument;

and on friend slapped the other one in the face.

The one who got slapped was hurt, but without sayng anything,

wrote in the sand today my best friend slapped me in the face.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis,

where they decided to take a bath, the one who had been slapped

got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend save him.

After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:

“Today my best friend save my life.”

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him,

“After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?”

The friend replied, “When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand,

where winds of forgiveness can erase it away.

But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone

where no wind can erase it.”

Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them,

a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Take the time to live!

Do not value the things you have in your life, but value the WHO you have in your life! 

My Dad

I just want to say my dad is the BEST EVER! It is getting close to the end of the year and there are so many things that I must do and so many things that I have yet to finish - that I am just feeling overwhelmed and seriously stressed. 

So I called my dad and said, “Help me.”

He said,”Whatever you need sweetie!”

I  turned over some of the “unfinished” things I had yet to finish. He even came by my house to pick the stuff up.

My dad is SO awesome!   When I was growing up it was the same way.  If my brothers or I had questions with school work or had to do a major project, my dad would drop everything and help us. He does that for his grandkids now.

I never remember my dad yelling at me.  I should state that I was, and still am a “Daddy’s Girl.”  That’s what happens when you are the only girl in the family and the first born.  My dad spoiled me, but he also supported me and the decisions I made and he taught me to be independent and never rely on a man to take care of me.  He also instilled in the me the love of reading, learning, teaching and most importantly – to always put God first and trust in him.

 I was also a “Grandpa’s girl” because I was the FIRST grandchild on both sides of the family and I was the only granddaughter for 3 years on my mom’s side and about 16 years on my dad’s side.  So yeah – I was a little spoiled by the “men” in my life when I was growing up.

Fortunately I married someone who understands that I am a little spoiled and that it is the fault of my dad and my grandpas.  The funny thing is – is they do not deny it.  In fact, my grandpa who recently passed away, would brag about the fact that he spoiled me. 

My dad – he finished all my unfinished work for me!!

I LOVE MY DAD - he is SO awesome!  I feel very fortunate to have the family that I have – even if my dad did spoil me.  : )