Sunday, March 20, 2011

Testing day. Please be serious.

So, I gave a test last Wednesday. The neighboring Language Arts teacher was teaching climax by playing Taylor Swift's "Love Story" to teach climax or something. In two of my classes, I found myself trying not to hum along, however, some of my students couldn't help it. It was rather cute.

Well, Friday, at the lunch table, my LA neighbor said SHE would be giving a test. Then, it hit. Payback. Teachers in school wear these microphones around our necks. I thought they were ridiculous at first, but holy cow, it saves me. I don't have to raise my voice, they can hear my emotion (whether joyful or annoyance). The only problem is that I can hear everything my neighbor says and vice versa.

Back to Friday. After marking 124 kids tardy, I covered my mic and whispered to the class that I had a brilliant idea (I'm pretty much an actor--trying to entertain them, right?). I whispered to them that the class would be taking a test and reminded them what happened when we were taking a test. I told them we should play the song back and sing at the top of our lungs. Well, after three groups of kids gave their Asia PowerPoint presentations, I found the lyrics on YouTube and we sang at the top of our lungs. Promptly thereafter, my phone rang. It was my neighbor. I put it on speaker. "Hey, what'd you do with all that money we gave your class for singing lessons?" she said. We laughed and hung up.

Twenty minutes later, right before the bell rings, I hear T. Swift wafting through the poor ventilation of our walls and all these 8th grade voices. Not to be out performed, we put on another Taylor song and belted out the words at the top of our lungs (don't worry, I gave them my mic to help).

It was a very educational day. (haha don't worry, we only wasted a collective 5 minutes...but wow, can that build class morale. It was hilarious and I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it more than they did).

Let me know if you have ideas because I'm pretty sure this will turn into a battle.

An Insight into My Heart

Things I fear:

My grandma's basement. Missed opportunities. Being forgotten. The fact that I always want what I can't have. Pride. North Korea (I watched a documentary...). Closeness. Shellfish. Being alone. Being late. Getting older. My skin loosing elasticity, someday. Love. Hurting others. Leading on guys I go out with. Allowing people to be lonely because I didn't spend time with them. The turmoil in the Middle East. Ignorance. The state of America's uneducated. Myself.

Deep down I'm just a scared girl. I guess we all are sometimes.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Books...

Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. ~P.J. O'Rourke

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. ~Mark Twain

I just got back from book club and feel inspired. Can you tell. I've read these books and need some new suggestions. Leave me some comments with your favorites. Summer is near!

To Destroy You is No Loss
The Alchimest
Flags of Our Fathers

Brave New World
Poisonwood Bible
Huckleberry Finn
Heart of Darkness
Warriors Don't Cry
Long Walk to Freedom
The Boy in Striped Pajamas
The Help
Mr. Pip
Tale of Two Cites
Shanghi Girls
Outsiders
Hunger Games
Billy Budd
Beruit to Jerusalem
Lincoln in Pictures
John Adams
Jane Eyre
Scarlett Letter
The Power of One
Wuthering Heights
Frankenstein
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Ms. Dalloway
The Hours
Left to Tell
Gurnesy Literary Society
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Catcher in the Rye
Lord of the Flies
Harry Potters
Animal Farm
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Book of Mormon
The New Testament
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The Declaration of Indepedence: A Written History
Things Fall Apart
A Prayer for Owen Meany
The Tipping Point
Freakanomics
As I Lay Dying
Lemon Tart
Spare Change
The Professor and the Madman
King Lear
Julius Caesar
Jacob Have I loved
The Screwtape Letters
The Outsiders
Distant Waters
To Draw Closer to God
Peak
The Carousel
Chains
Coming of Age in Mississippi
Amusing Ourselves to Death
The Awakening
The Giver
Anne Frank
1984
Room
Twilight
The Infinate Atonement
Speak
Winter Girls