Wednesday, September 21, 2011

My Personal Childhood Web

My mom Jerianne....she raised me as a single mother while working full time and attending college.  She is funny, creative, intelligent, ambitious, and most of all, loving.  She followed her dream to be an art teacher. She always built me up and taught me I could be anything I wanted to be.  She gave me an eye for design, a desire to travel, and the ability to laugh at myself and have fun.  I admire her and would not be the woman I am without her. 


My grandparents Gene and Joan (Nana and Papa)....I am their first born grandchild and I often refer to them as my "angels on earth".  I am blessed to still have them with me today.  They helped my mom out so much while I was growing up.  They love me unconditionally and have always been so proud of me.  They taught me that you don't need a lot of money to experience life.  They always were able to travel and enjoy all the activities they wanted.  They are friendly, funny, helpful, and considerate and taught me the most important thing in this life is family.

My dad Timothy...My parents divorced when I was three and my dad remarried.  I didn't see him often growing up, but he is extremely hard working, intelligent, and very funny.  We try to see each other once a year now that I am grown and although we may have missed out on a lot, he once said to me "I know your heart", and I do feel the same about him.  I respect and admire him and am happy he found happiness in his life.   I am proud to be his daughter.







Wednesday, September 14, 2011

A picture is worth 1000 words!


This picture was drawn by my son, Riley.  He was only 4 years old at the time. 
I was remarried about a year and a half ago and I thought it would be special if I had my one and only little boy walk me down the aisle.  He was a little shy during the event but he did it!
A month later his preschool teacher asked the students to draw a picture of what they do with their Moms to have fun.  She then went around and asked them to describe what was in the drawing and wrote it down for them.  I noticed it posted on the bulletin board the next day.
Although he never said anything about it, I was really touched to know that walking me down the aisle meant as much to him as it did to me!

LESSON:  Kids may not always be able to express their emotions with words...look to their artwork for their true feelings!

Rainbow Fish

One of the best children's books to teach children that sharing brings happiness and acceptance.  All children should own a copy!  There are also many activities you can do to go along with this book...
Check out the links below for ideas:
http://themes.atozteacherstuff.com/118/the-rainbow-fish-lesson-plans-activities-ideas/
http://lessonplanz.com/Lesson_Plans/Literature_Activities/The_Rainbow_Fish/index.shtml

(Picture courtesy of Amazon.com)

Quote that says it all about education...

It's not what is poured into a student, but what is planted.--Linda Conway

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

This is so exciting!

This is a first for me! I am anxious to blog with all of my new colleagues.  I feel this will open up so many doors for all of us.  I know I have much to learn from everyone and hope I have something to offer all of you as well!