Inspired by a friend

I hate you!!!

Never show kindness,
Never say "I Love You",
Never want me,
Never miss me,
Never want to stay,
Never show favor,

I hate you
because.....
You should have
Never treated me better
than I deserved!

Never be attentive,
Never show intellect,
Never be polite,
Never be caring,
Never be protective,
Never be assertive,

Yes, I hate you!

Because you captured me
and I don't want to be let go....

You Never stopped
being any of these things....

Dreams

Dreams forever fading
cast into the night
hear my call for glory
let me see the light

Hope and fears
are cast as one
sentenced through
our lives

Pray and hope
one day to find
all that is but might

I walked a mile.....

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When sorrow walked with me.

-Robert Browning Hamilton

Oh Emily...oh Emily

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,

And I had put away

My labour, and my leisure too,

For his civility.

We passed the school where children played,

Their lessons scarcely done;

We passed the fields of gazing grain,

We passed the setting sun.

We paused before a house that seemed

A swelling of the ground;

The roof was scarcely visible,

The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries; but each

Feels shorter than the day

I first surmised the horses' heads

Were toward eternity.

Emily Dickinson

For my philosophical student....

You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heath of life? The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light. If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one, even as the river and sea are one.
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond; and like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honor. Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king? Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.
The Prophet
Kahlil Gibran
Walker & Company
Phoenix Press, 1923

A passing thought.....

"Every art, and every science reduced to a teachable form, and in like manner every action and moral choice, aims, it is thought, at some good: for which reason a common and by no means a bad description of the Chief Good is, "that which all things aim at." -
                                                                                Aristotle (Ethics)

How Could I

How could I not remember....?

It was not like I had lost my keys
locked them in the car,
forgotten to turn off the lights
or even feed the dog.

Did I forget bread at the store?
Did I forget to say "I love you"?
Did I forget it was your birthday?

No, I did none of those things

How could I forget....
it was you who broke my heart?

In awe

I just found this to be awsome...This was great.....feel free to share



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVTga6GmbGw&feature=related

Resources Galore

I found this site looking for SAT resources and came across many items that I thought I would share with the rest of you.  It was free for me to join and if you have any trouble finding the resources feel free to come and ask.  It has videos and templates, many blank organizers and covers all subjects.  Let me know what you think!!

http://www.achievementfirst.org/resources/resources-landing/

The Heart of a Child

Do not let me out grow my heart,
allowed by my cynical mind.

Swallowed whole by the world at large,
dreams a saviors soul,

Twilight gleams and glory fades
in the shadow of the night

Do not let my light go out
let me stay and fight

For dreams are all we carry
and we sleep to find them there

do not take my child's heart
and leave me with despair.

First Week of Classes

My what a great set of students we have this year.  Everyone seems ready for the new year and a great learning experience.  I am very excited to have this great group of seniors and our new 9th graders.  I am also happy to see all the returning students from 9th grade last year that make up our 10th grade academy.  This year is gonna ROCK!!!!

Freedom Week

I am so excited about Freedom Week here at SASIC!!!  The Declaration of Independence, The Gettysburg's Address and MLK's "I have a dream" speech will be the main focus in English classes.  all of these changed our nation in one way or another.  To be able to share the history of these powerful and poetic pieces with the students makes me proud to be an English teacher.

Postcasting Meeting

I can see how I can utilize the Talk Shoe program http://www.talkshoe.com/ for many things.  Students on fieldtrips can come back and acess lectures and projects that were covered in their absence.  If I go to an event that I would like the students to hear, then I can record it and repost it as well.  This may also work out very well for training sessions for the TAKS and STAAR.  When new people arrive or vets need a short refresher course it will already be available and recorded from a previous session.  THis is technology I can get excited about.   Now back to you ......

STAAR EOC English I and English II Training

   What a delightful training session.  After years of going to in-services and feeling disappointed when I left because I had not learned anything new there finally comes a training session which is not only new but has the most updated information around.  This is real life stuff you can use in the classroom with supporting information that can only increase the value of the education that our students receive.

This site has all the grade level and course curriculum you might need to prepare for your teaching.  These are the same ones as out fearless leader gave us during in-service.


http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/

This site has even more information about what TEKS fit where and which work best.

http://portal.esc20.net/portal/page/portal/esc20public/Curriculum%20Forum/STAAR%20Quick%20Reference%20Guides?_piref130_1528264_130_1504884_1504884.tabstring=Math%20Tab

Overall I was pleasantly pleased with all the information I obtained and look forward to the next training session.

Alice in Wonderland (Disney) - The Walrus and the Carpenter

This little diddy was successful for Disney but left a lot out from the original text which is listed bel

Walrus and the Carpenter

The Walrus and The Carpenter

Lewis Carroll

(from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872)

The sun was shining on the sea,

Shining with all his might:

He did his very best to make

The billows smooth and bright--

And this was odd, because it was

The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,

Because she thought the sun

Had got no business to be there

After the day was done--

"It's very rude of him," she said,

"To come and spoil the fun!"

The sea was wet as wet could be,

The sands were dry as dry.

You could not see a cloud, because

No cloud was in the sky:

No birds were flying overhead--

There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Were walking close at hand;

They wept like anything to see

Such quantities of sand:

"If this were only cleared away,"

They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year.

Do you suppose," the Walrus said,

"That they could get it clear?"

"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,

And shed a bitter tear.

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"

The Walrus did beseech.

"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,

Along the briny beach:

We cannot do with more than four,

To give a hand to each."

The eldest Oyster looked at him,

But never a word he said:

The eldest Oyster winked his eye,

And shook his heavy head--

Meaning to say he did not choose

To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,

All eager for the treat:

Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,

Their shoes were clean and neat--

And this was odd, because, you know,

They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,

And yet another four;

And thick and fast they came at last,

And more, and more, and more--

All hopping through the frothy waves,

And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Walked on a mile or so,

And then they rested on a rock

Conveniently low:

And all the little Oysters stood

And waited in a row.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,

"To talk of many things:

Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--

Of cabbages--and kings--

And why the sea is boiling hot--

And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,

"Before we have our chat;

For some of us are out of breath,

And all of us are fat!"

"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.

They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,

"Is what we chiefly need:

Pepper and vinegar besides

Are very good indeed--

Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,

We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,

Turning a little blue.

"After such kindness, that would be

A dismal thing to do!"

"The night is fine," the Walrus said.

"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come!

And you are very nice!"

The Carpenter said nothing but

"Cut us another slice:

I wish you were not quite so deaf--

I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,

"To play them such a trick,

After we've brought them out so far,

And made them trot so quick!"

The Carpenter said nothing but

"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:

"I deeply sympathize."

With sobs and tears he sorted out

Those of the largest size,

Holding his pocket-handkerchief

Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,

"You've had a pleasant run!

Shall we be trotting home again?'

But answer came there none--

And this was scarcely odd, because

They'd eaten every one.

Dear Alice

      I can certainly see myself utilizing blogging in my classroom.  For each unit in each grade. I can replace a  paper grade in each class.  Let's say I am introducing "The Walrus and theCarpenter" teaching metaphors, Not only can I show examples from other sources as well as my own, but I can allow students to comment with their thoughts on the subject.  I can see this working in all my classes.....(Once I get a projector this can really get to grooving).  when learning this I can use the blog to post from you tube and other sites that may be helpful to content.  Such as these :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor

A metaphor is saying that two things are the same regardless of similarity using is and are..
Ex: His head is a big balloon.
Her eyes are darts.
He is such a clown.
She is a cute little bug.
Her smile lights up the room.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simile

A simile is comparing two things that are not alike using like or as to connect the idea.
Ex: Her smiles is like sunshine.
His jokes are as finny as a broken gas pipe.
His living room was as cold as a winters day.
The cats fur was as soft as baby's skin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alegory

An allegory uses symbolism to send a message to the reader.  Using symbolism increases the figurative mode of language.  "Planet of the Apes", "X- Men", "Aesop's Fables" are all examples of allegories.  Whether making a political statement, a religious statement or any other topic the writer choose.  It acts like a written subliminal message.

Disney did "Alice in Wonderland"  and included a version of "The Walrus and the Carpenter".  And as you can see I have also added the original text/  See if you can find all the similes, metaphors and allegories that this little treasure holds.