I have been sick with laryngitis for about a week now. In the height of my sickness, when I had little to no voice, this conversation occured between me and and one of my students...

Bryan: Are you sure you don't just need a drink of water to help your voice, Mrs. Wieland?
Me: Sorry Bry, a drink won't help me. I wish it were that simple.
Bryan: It always helps me to get a drink when I get a scratchy voice. *puts hand up to his neck and frowns.*
Me: That was sweet of you to ask, Bryan.

(pause)

Bryan: I hope we don't have a sub tomorrow. No one can love us and take care of us like you do.
Me: *hugs him tight*
Bryan: I love it when you do that.


I <3 second grade.

I'm currently reading Sorcery & Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, in which the two main characters, cousins Cecy and Kate, both young ladies of society, write letters back and forth to each other about their daily scandals in a magical community. It is set in the early 1800's in England. It delights me daily with its uncommonly challenging vocabulary. (Do you know what a "quadrille" is?) I rather think learan or litgoddess would like it. Want me to send?

7 days until I am back teaching full time. No more late nights reading. Eep!

My friend Nicole from Syracuse U. asked me to be in her wedding party. She is getting married in VT next September. It seems that all of my friends are either settling down with a significant other, getting married, or are already in the process of sprouting babies. 

Well, I have a baby too! His name is Buddy and he is 8 lbs 4 oz, and he curls up on my belly at night and snoozes. Throw me a shower and allow me to whine about swollen feet and gas! No, I haven't made a registry for him yet, but if you see x-small dog clothes, don't hesitate. 

Shh...he's sleeping...

My good friend Jon Rea from Syracuse U has recently drawn and published a comic book through Archaia Studios Press. It's called "Killing Pickman." It's about a detective, William Zhu, in search of a child killer, whom he suspects is a Mr. Rogers type guy named Pickman. 

Jon's always been an incredible artist, and it's awesome he has put his talents to use comic wise. I remember being dragged to comic book stores with him back in Syracuse and thinking, "Dork!" but gosh darn it if he hasn't gone and made a comic himself. 

It's pretty rad. Comic fans think so too. Check it out. The first 9 pages can be found HERE.

(xposted to teachergoths)

I have a student in my 2nd grade class next year that is G&T. He's reading at a 9th grade reading level. He's really into fantasy/magic/knights  books. Since he is not the norm, I do not have a ton of young adult chapter books for him so I have been stocking up. 

So I ask, do you know of any good young adult fantasy books...dragons, magic, etc that students enjoy?

This student has read the Harry Potter series as well as all of the Chronicles of Narnia. I recently purchased from amazon: 
-The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Stroud, Jonathan
-From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by Konigsburg
-A Wrinkle in Time by L'Engle, Madeleine
-Book of Enchantments by Wrede, Patricia C.
-Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot  by Wrede
-The Unsuspecting Mage: Book One of the Morcyth Saga by Pratt
-The Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Dealing with Dragons / Searching for Dragons / Calling on Dragons / Talking to Dragons [Box set]

as well as a book I found today for myself: The Alchemist: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flammel by M. Scott. I am a Harry Potter nerd, and recognized the name Flammel from The Sorcerer's Stone. (So far it's an ok read.)

Any other ideas of books appopriate (no sex!) for a young reader in this genre? Thanks!

School's out for summer! I am so pooped.

Since we are in contract negotiations as of July 1, I won't be able to spend much time in my classroom organizing and setting up for next year. We are not supposed to look like we are going the extra mile. I am not doing it for the school, I am doing it for me, so I don't see what the big deal is. Ugh. We are in battle with the board of ed, while conveniently I have 2 board of ed parents as room moms next year. Arg. At least I am tenured.

I just love my classroom library. I am going to miss it this summer. Pray we settle the contract.

DMV...MVC... whatever they are calling it now, can be such an evil place. It's good to know the manager on duty. Yay, Jose'! Whisk! Front of the licence line! I could feel the penetrating stares of mixed hated and awe from those waiting like unconnected cattle. I don't like my licence pic much, but alas, I am a NJ resident again. Feels like home.

Peace out, PA. I never liked your commonwealth ass, anyway.

Sometimes it helps to laugh until you can't laugh anymore and tears stream out of your eyes and your gut hurts and you gasp for breath.

Sometimes that feels really good.

Yay!


More behind the cut...
( Read more... )
I guess all the construction was worth it. :)

My sis and I moved from 8:30 in the AM until 8:30 in the PM today. Clint worked the night shift so he slept soundly. I rented a van and we named it "The Mother Ship." It's hefty.

Moving sucks ass.

Our kitchen sink (in the old apt) decided to clog itself. Peeerrrfect timing.

The landlord is bringing another person to look at the condo tomorrow right as we are moving out. Peeerrrfect timing.

I see countless nights and days ahead of us all filled with unpacking. Ugh.

Oh yeah, I will be without the net for a week or so until we get cable and have it turned on. I can check email at work, but I can't do much else as LJ is a banned site.

Maybe I will read a book or get some fresh air. Hmm. Wait, it's 22 deg out. Yuck.

Moving sucks.

I hear the 6th layer of Hell is filled with moving boxes.

Inside our linen closet there is a strange button on the wall that when pushed turns on an alarm that buzzes loudly and shrilly enough to wake the dead. We have no idea what this button is for and what the hell the alarm is supposed to accomplish besides scaring the bejesus out of us. We thought perhaps it was a ghetto smoke detector or a panic button or the button that blows up the world. Yeah.

That's until it started going off randomly. We came home one day to the alarm going off. Who knows how long it was going off or what the hell happened to cause it. We ran to shut it off and simply thought, "Perhaps something fell off of a shelf and bumped it." But there was nothing on the floor of the closet out of place. We shrugged it off as one of life's great mysteries like when a single sock disapears forever from the laundry.

We don't think much about "the button." But last night at 3:04 AM, the alarm went off and scared us out of a dead sleep. We jumped up thinking the house was on fire or someone was breaking in or ...? Clint got back into bed and whispered to me, "It's like we're on 'LOST.'"

For the rest of the night, I had dreams about someone trying to break into our apartment and the alarm going off. I had to pee badly, but I didn't want to get up in case my walking by the button caused it to go off again.

Thank God we are out of here at the end of the month. Then it will become someone else's job to press the button.

I don't get it. When did it start that we will sing the same songs and remake them year after year? Every bloody station on the radio is pumping Christmas music and it's making me nuts. Really.

I find I respect an artist until they put out a Christmas album and join in on the senseless cheese that the masses hunger for once Thanksgiving is over.

Make it all go away!

Buddy looking dashing in his washing machine eaten sweater.

( More Christmas card picture options we chose from... )

I got to the part in the book where Peter gets swoony eyed for the icecream counter girl. The class oohed and giggled. They are starting to notice each other, the girls and boys. After I read to them we had this discussion:

Garret: I have a crush! She's on my bus!
*class falls silent in amazement*
Me: Who do you have a crush on?
Garret: She's an older girl! She's a 4th grader! Her name is Kristin. I don't know anything about her but I like her!

Ain't love grand?

I have needs. Basic aesthetic needs. When I looked at the kitchen in our new condo I wanted to cry. Not for long!

Our total remodel:
Living room...
-refinished hardwood floors

kitchen...
- Maple spice cabinets
-"Verde Peacock" granite counter tops

bathroom...
-new vanity with granite top
Some other stuff we have yet to pick out.

And to top it all off we bought new furniture today. A couch and a chair package for cheap. They get delivered a week from Wednesday.

I should start my own design show: "'Pottery Barn' for less." I can document the shopping, demolition, and construction work as we go along. It will keep my mind off the fact our place will be a bloody mess for 2 months. It will be worth it, yes.

We close on our condo on December 7. Construction will commence shortly there after, at which time I will forget about teaching and wish it were the middle of summer vacation.

I'm psyched.

It's my 27th birthday tomorrow.

Clint is taking me to see Imogen Heap at the "Electric Factory" tonight in Philly and then to dinner. I was supposed to be a surprise. I only know about it because my dopey mother-in-law spilled the beans at dinner last night. I am not sure where Clint and I are having dinner yet tonight, so at least there is one surprise...

I'm excited! We saw Imogen in concert last spring, and she was hauntingly beautiful. I hope the crowd is the same as it was at "The Theater of The Living Arts"... older people in their 20's, 30's and 40's instead of the usual teens that frequent the "Electric Factory."

I'm lucky to have a husband that loves me enough to go to girly concerts with me.