9/19/2010
I have to agree with you completely Karl. The students in my school are in the same mindset and it is everything I can do to show them that winning isn't everything. I don't know how we can subscribe to a newspaper that endorses lying. What Renck said was wrong, and I can't believe The Denver Post allowed it in their paper.
9/07/2010
What has happened to the youth of America. When we are willing to lie, to slack off, and to just not care about our educations and our futures, I have to say that our society has a big problem and we need to definitely point a finger at ourselves. I just have to say that I am amazed that we are so worried about health care and some stupid war in some stupid country, we have to realize that our own educational system is being thrown to the wolves and nobody seems to care. It is sad, and I simply don't know what to do. Kids are too busy eating sugar snacks, playing on their phones, having sex, and getting drunk simply because our society does not value an education. We value a touchdown and a pretty face, over an author and composer. We pay a home run cheater, and a dunking raper more then most scientists will see in their lives. WE ARE A BACKWARDS SOCIETY, and sometimes I think I'm the only one that can see it.
A small voice in a world of cheering fans.
A small voice in a world of cheering fans.
8/19/2010
8/16/2010
Quotable Quotes
Success is 90% hard work 15% luck.
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.
Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you.
Well, I've officially discovered that I know even more than I thought I did.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Wait, wait, wait, what were we talking about?
Nothing could possiblay go wrong.
At least it's not raining.
Ah, I've done it lots of times.
We've got some bad news . . .
When I'm rich and famous, then I'll know what to do with my life.
Success only finds you when you're sitting on the pot.
All I know, is that I'm amazed by what kids can do everyday.
We may not have it all, but we love what we got.
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.
Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you.
Well, I've officially discovered that I know even more than I thought I did.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Wait, wait, wait, what were we talking about?
Nothing could possiblay go wrong.
At least it's not raining.
Ah, I've done it lots of times.
We've got some bad news . . .
When I'm rich and famous, then I'll know what to do with my life.
Success only finds you when you're sitting on the pot.
All I know, is that I'm amazed by what kids can do everyday.
We may not have it all, but we love what we got.
8/08/2010
8/03/2010
7/28/2010
7/18/2010
CLANTON, JUDITH MARIE 55, of Bailey, passed away peacefully June 26, 2010. Beloved mother to Rosie Lynn, Banjo Big Guy, Sassie Dakota & Trevor the Terror and devoted friend to many. Survived by brothers Eddie and Tony; aunt Sister Dora; neices/nephew Melinda, Rachel, Chrissy, Stephanie, Nicholas, Kimberly and Andrea. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Humane Society. A Memorial Service will be held 10 AM, Saturday, July 3rd, 2010.The Barn At Evergreen Memorial Park, 26624 N. Turkey Creek Road, Evergreen, CO, 303-674-7750.
7/15/2010
Paul McCartney tonight at Pepsi Center. I am so thrilled. Almost have everything cleared up from Judy's death, and we are leaving on Sunday for Washington D.C. We are flying instead of driving. I was disappointed, but at least I get to go, better than nothing, and it seemed like my parents we going to back out and I was going to end up by myself. That would have created a big riff in the family. All seems to be going. I just wish something would change in my personal life, but we are getting there.
Later all
Later all
6/30/2010
I'd like to start with some words from a band no one has heard of, "I thought that I should tell you, if it's not too late to say, I can put back all the pieces they just might not fit the same. Cuz' nothings worth losing, especially the chance to make it right. And I know that we're gonna be fine and the tattooed mistakes are gonna fade over time. As long as we live, time passes by, and we won’t get it back when we die." Our lives have been lessened today. Made smaller by the loss of one we called friend, and family. But I am also sorry to say that other clouds hang over this day. The cloud of feuding and the cloud of distrust. Our lives are made less by our loss, but hopefully we can gain what was lost long ago. The loss of Judy comes with it a warning and a lesson. Now is the time to mend what was broken, now is the time to connect what was separated, now is the time for us to come together, now is the time for us to forgive. We are not given a set time on this earth, we are not allowed an allowance of days to squander and fritter away. We have the shortest amount of time, and as long as we fight, as long as we feud, we lose that time. Now is the time to forgive past wrong doings. Now is the time for us to come together. I ask not for myself, and I can no longer make the plea for Judy, I ask you for yourselves. Remember the lessons of Judy's passing. Remember that friends and family are the most important things in our world. Remember our loss here, and make things better while you still can. Remember that, and Judy will not be gone from our world, Judy will be forever in our hearts.
6/29/2010
Imabitfrazzledtodayschoolsuckedandistillshouldbeathomewithmyfamilymysisterdecidedtorubsomedirtinthewoundsandremindmethatiwasnthomeifeeldrainedandexhaustedbeyondbeliefihaventsleptintwonightsandijustdontwanttobehererightnowisnappedatmykidsandifeelbadbutitwasalongtimeincomingpraytimespeedsupneedgohomeandbewithfamily.
6/27/2010
My Aunt Judy died sometime this weekend. I just heard about it today. Death always seems odd to me. Like all of a sudden I'm on screen and need to be acting in just the right way at just the right moment. The slightest things make me feel bad. Like when I wanted to go for a walk. I was listening to music and when a song came on that wasn't sad I started to feel angry at myself. I dont really know how else to describe it other then I dont know how to act when someone dies. I feel like I should be crying non-stop, but I just dont feel that. It stinks, but for some reason I think her death was more of a happy event than her life. She had no one, no parents, no kids, no significant other of any kind. My dad had last seen her at surgery on Monday, and she hadnt spoken to her other brother in years. She lived in a shack with two or three dogs. Alone, and barely able to make ends meat. For a while it seemed like she was going to have to move in with my parents and become a burden on them. That is such a horrible thing to think. I am such a bad person. I'm going to go to hell for all of eternity . . . The one I really feel bad for is my dad. I hope he is okay . . . I wish I could be home with them right now. I dont know what I could do to make it better, but at least I could be with him when i'm sure he needs me. My sister is okay, and he loves my mom, but him and I have a special bond. I can be his son and his friend. But I cant, I have five more days of summer school. This week is it. Then i'll get to go home just in time for the funeral. I think my mom said she was going to try to put it off for the week. The other funerals I've been to have all been within a couple of days of the passing, but I guess they need to look into hers because of the recent surgery she just had. I just hope this week goes fast. My Paul McCartney tickets should be here soon, and I have a book coming in the mail anytime this week. I guess the moral here is that we should all reach out and find people in our life that will make us happy and that we want to spend our lives with. I'm the most depressing, lonely guy in the world, and I just hope that my life will be filled with people who care about me and will remember me when I am gone. I think working at a school will be the start of that, but now I wish I had someone to share my life with. Judy was incredibly sad in her life, and I just wish her passing finds her in a better place. Maybe she's with her parents again and, I think, is living out all the best moments of her life. That's what I think Heaven is. And when you're ready you get to be reborn as whatever you like. I hope she's happy, and no matter what happened in her life, I know she was a good person and tried really hard. She loved her dogs and took care of them as best she could, so whatever great and powerful being their is please forgive her and give her the eternity she deserves.
Judy Daniels
1954-2010
Later all.
Judy Daniels
1954-2010
Later all.
6/17/2010
The Game that Is Worth 1,000 Worksheets
December 29, 2006
tags: Addition, Card games, Division, Fractions, Games, Integers, Math cards, Math club, Math facts, Multiplication, Negative numbers, Subtraction
by Denise
[Rescued from my old blog.]
Math concepts: greater-than/less-than, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, negative numbers, absolute value, and multi-step problem solving.
Have you and your children been struggling to learn the math facts? The game of Math Card War is worth more than a thousand math drill worksheets, letting you build your children’s calculating speed in a no-stress, no-test way.
You will need several decks of math cards. Don’t rush to look for these at your school supply store or try to order them through your favorite catalog. Math cards are normal, poker-style playing cards with the jack, queen, king, and jokers removed. Make one deck of math cards per player. A math deck contains 40 cards, so a single game of Addition War lets a child work 20 problems, and he hears his opponent work 20 more—and if your children are like mine, they will rarely want to stop at just once through the deck.
As my students learn their math facts, they need extra practice on the hard-to-remember ones like 6 × 8. With a normal deck of cards, however, I find they turn up far too many problems like 1 × 9 or 2 × 7. To give a greater challenge to older children, I make each player a double deck of math cards, but I remove the aces, deuces, and tens. This gives each player a 56-card deck full of the toughest problems to calculate.
How to Play
Basic War—Each player turns one card face up. The player with the greatest number wins the skirmish, placing his own and all captured cards into his prisoner pile. Whenever there is a tie for greatest card, all the players battle: each player lays three cards face down, then a new card face up. The greatest of these new cards will capture everything on the table. Because all players join in, someone who had a low card in the initial skirmish may ultimately win the battle. If there is no greatest card this time, repeat the 3-down-1-up battle pattern until someone breaks the tie. The player who wins the battle captures all the cards played in that turn.
[This is an old, classic children's game. I've often been amazed how such a simple thing can keep my kids occupied for hours. In our variations, because the math card decks are only 4/5 the size of a regular card deck, we give each player his own pack of cards. We don't shuffle the decks together at the beginning, although I suppose you could---that would be more like the traditional game, which (at least in our house) is usually played with a single deck shuffled and split between the players.]
Endgame
When the players have fought their way through the entire deck, count the prisoners. Whoever has captured the most cards wins the game. Or shuffle the prisoner piles and play on until someone collects such a huge pile of cards that the others concede.
Variations
For most variations, the basic 3-down-1-up battle pattern becomes 2-down-2-up. For advanced games, however, the battle pattern is different: in case of a tie, the cards are placed in a center pile. The next hand is played normally, with no cards turned down, and the winner of that skirmish takes the center pile as well.
Addition War—Players turn up two cards for each skirmish. The highest sum wins.
Advanced Addition War—Turn up three (or four) cards for each skirmish and add them together.
Subtraction War—Players turn up two cards and subtract the smaller number from the larger. This time, the greatest difference wins the skirmish.
Product War—Turn up two cards and multiply.
Advanced Product War—Turn up three (or four) cards and multiply.
Fraction War—Players turn up two cards and make a fraction, using the smaller card as the numerator. Greatest fraction wins the skirmish.
Improper Fraction War—Turn up two cards and make a fraction, using the larger card as the numerator. Greatest fraction wins.
Integer Addition War—Black cards are positive numbers; red cards are negative. The greatest sum wins. Remember that -2 is greater than -7.
Integer Product War—Black cards are positive numbers; red cards are negative. The greatest product wins. Remember that two negative numbers make a positive product.
Wild War—Players turn up three cards and may do whatever math manipulation they wish with the numbers. The greatest answer wins the skirmish.
Advanced Wild War—Black cards are positive numbers; red cards are negative numbers. Players turn up four cards (or five) and may do whatever math manipulation they wish with the numbers. The greatest answer wins the skirmish.
Reverse Wild War—Players turn up three cards (or four, or five) and may do whatever math manipulation they wish with the numbers. The answer with the lowest absolute value (closest to zero) wins the skirmish.
December 29, 2006
tags: Addition, Card games, Division, Fractions, Games, Integers, Math cards, Math club, Math facts, Multiplication, Negative numbers, Subtraction
by Denise
[Rescued from my old blog.]
Math concepts: greater-than/less-than, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, negative numbers, absolute value, and multi-step problem solving.
Have you and your children been struggling to learn the math facts? The game of Math Card War is worth more than a thousand math drill worksheets, letting you build your children’s calculating speed in a no-stress, no-test way.
You will need several decks of math cards. Don’t rush to look for these at your school supply store or try to order them through your favorite catalog. Math cards are normal, poker-style playing cards with the jack, queen, king, and jokers removed. Make one deck of math cards per player. A math deck contains 40 cards, so a single game of Addition War lets a child work 20 problems, and he hears his opponent work 20 more—and if your children are like mine, they will rarely want to stop at just once through the deck.
As my students learn their math facts, they need extra practice on the hard-to-remember ones like 6 × 8. With a normal deck of cards, however, I find they turn up far too many problems like 1 × 9 or 2 × 7. To give a greater challenge to older children, I make each player a double deck of math cards, but I remove the aces, deuces, and tens. This gives each player a 56-card deck full of the toughest problems to calculate.
How to Play
Basic War—Each player turns one card face up. The player with the greatest number wins the skirmish, placing his own and all captured cards into his prisoner pile. Whenever there is a tie for greatest card, all the players battle: each player lays three cards face down, then a new card face up. The greatest of these new cards will capture everything on the table. Because all players join in, someone who had a low card in the initial skirmish may ultimately win the battle. If there is no greatest card this time, repeat the 3-down-1-up battle pattern until someone breaks the tie. The player who wins the battle captures all the cards played in that turn.
[This is an old, classic children's game. I've often been amazed how such a simple thing can keep my kids occupied for hours. In our variations, because the math card decks are only 4/5 the size of a regular card deck, we give each player his own pack of cards. We don't shuffle the decks together at the beginning, although I suppose you could---that would be more like the traditional game, which (at least in our house) is usually played with a single deck shuffled and split between the players.]
Endgame
When the players have fought their way through the entire deck, count the prisoners. Whoever has captured the most cards wins the game. Or shuffle the prisoner piles and play on until someone collects such a huge pile of cards that the others concede.
Variations
For most variations, the basic 3-down-1-up battle pattern becomes 2-down-2-up. For advanced games, however, the battle pattern is different: in case of a tie, the cards are placed in a center pile. The next hand is played normally, with no cards turned down, and the winner of that skirmish takes the center pile as well.
Addition War—Players turn up two cards for each skirmish. The highest sum wins.
Advanced Addition War—Turn up three (or four) cards for each skirmish and add them together.
Subtraction War—Players turn up two cards and subtract the smaller number from the larger. This time, the greatest difference wins the skirmish.
Product War—Turn up two cards and multiply.
Advanced Product War—Turn up three (or four) cards and multiply.
Fraction War—Players turn up two cards and make a fraction, using the smaller card as the numerator. Greatest fraction wins the skirmish.
Improper Fraction War—Turn up two cards and make a fraction, using the larger card as the numerator. Greatest fraction wins.
Integer Addition War—Black cards are positive numbers; red cards are negative. The greatest sum wins. Remember that -2 is greater than -7.
Integer Product War—Black cards are positive numbers; red cards are negative. The greatest product wins. Remember that two negative numbers make a positive product.
Wild War—Players turn up three cards and may do whatever math manipulation they wish with the numbers. The greatest answer wins the skirmish.
Advanced Wild War—Black cards are positive numbers; red cards are negative numbers. Players turn up four cards (or five) and may do whatever math manipulation they wish with the numbers. The greatest answer wins the skirmish.
Reverse Wild War—Players turn up three cards (or four, or five) and may do whatever math manipulation they wish with the numbers. The answer with the lowest absolute value (closest to zero) wins the skirmish.
5/10/2010
5/04/2010
YoU want to talk about the clipboard and walking away. First of all why don't we focus on the hours of bullshit I've put up with. Why don't we look at the millions of times I told you all to learn your lines, and you didn't. Why don't we look at all the times we chose youth group and church or what ever crap you picked I stead of being here and learning what I wanted to go over. Why dont we analyze
all the bullshit arguments all the bullshit little gags and jokes we thought would be funny. Why don't you own up to the fact that you didn't do what you should have. You want to focus on my hypocrisy, on my anger, and you want to judge me? Why don't you turn those fingers arond and loom at all the bull I've put up with. I broke a clipboard so I wouldn't break a head and do something really stupid. You want me to yell, to scream and get red in the face, why so you can ignore me even more. No, you see this is all your fault 100 and ten
percent bullshi that I've had to put up with. You want to focus on hypocrisy? Way to miss the forest through the trees. I never quit on this damn play, I wanted to shoot myself in the fucking head, but I never god damn quit. I walked away to calm down. This is all your fault, all of it. I wasn't a bully, I wasn't a jerk, you assholes decided to find blame with one another instead of taking responsibility for your own damn actions, I told you to stick together and you call me a hypocrite? Instead of focusig on some bullshit minor detail why don't you own up to the fact that not a damn one of you did everything you could have for this play and you're just looking for someone to blame because at the end of the day. After all your "holyier than thou" bull, after all your good grades and your ability topick out all the negative in the world, at the end of the day, you are nothing more then a little girl trying to pass the blame. You know what, own up, grow up and find a solution instead of giving me more god damn grief and hiding like a three year old. Hypocrisy my ass, grow up.
all the bullshit arguments all the bullshit little gags and jokes we thought would be funny. Why don't you own up to the fact that you didn't do what you should have. You want to focus on my hypocrisy, on my anger, and you want to judge me? Why don't you turn those fingers arond and loom at all the bull I've put up with. I broke a clipboard so I wouldn't break a head and do something really stupid. You want me to yell, to scream and get red in the face, why so you can ignore me even more. No, you see this is all your fault 100 and ten
percent bullshi that I've had to put up with. You want to focus on hypocrisy? Way to miss the forest through the trees. I never quit on this damn play, I wanted to shoot myself in the fucking head, but I never god damn quit. I walked away to calm down. This is all your fault, all of it. I wasn't a bully, I wasn't a jerk, you assholes decided to find blame with one another instead of taking responsibility for your own damn actions, I told you to stick together and you call me a hypocrite? Instead of focusig on some bullshit minor detail why don't you own up to the fact that not a damn one of you did everything you could have for this play and you're just looking for someone to blame because at the end of the day. After all your "holyier than thou" bull, after all your good grades and your ability topick out all the negative in the world, at the end of the day, you are nothing more then a little girl trying to pass the blame. You know what, own up, grow up and find a solution instead of giving me more god damn grief and hiding like a three year old. Hypocrisy my ass, grow up.
Future reference for plays
1. Start sooner (9 weeks is not enough)
2. Pick a smaller play, most will quit.
3. Don't talk quitters into staying.
4. From the beginning go until 7.
5. Make access and homeroom play practice.
6. Saturday practices.
7. Keep line learning a priority.
8. Punishments for not coming to practice and not knowing lines.
9. Go slow to go fast. (see number 1)
10. Games before practice starts, improve games, deliving games.
11. More one-on-one work on stage for what you want.
12. Lines, Lines, Lines.
13. Costumes should be stored in your room.
2. Pick a smaller play, most will quit.
3. Don't talk quitters into staying.
4. From the beginning go until 7.
5. Make access and homeroom play practice.
6. Saturday practices.
7. Keep line learning a priority.
8. Punishments for not coming to practice and not knowing lines.
9. Go slow to go fast. (see number 1)
10. Games before practice starts, improve games, deliving games.
11. More one-on-one work on stage for what you want.
12. Lines, Lines, Lines.
13. Costumes should be stored in your room.
4/28/2010
Don't worry about the cookies:
1. He knows it was a joke
2. Alisa is going to talk to him and tell him
3. You wrote it two days ago
4. He won't read the paper anyway
5. He knows what you are doing in class
6. His mom would have came to talk to you
7. Alisa is a drama queen and made stuff up
8. He'd come talk to you in the morning
9. He gets along with you and knows you
10. His mom has never had a problem
11. You met his mom and she was very nice
12. It was a joke and he will recognize that
You worrying over something so simple shows how much you love your students and don't want to hurt them, but it also gives him no credit. You know he is not stupid and you need to give him a chance. You've spent the year together and have made jokes of those things all year this is no different and you would have been wrong to have treat him differently. You wrote that two days ago, the one from today was very straight forward and serious. You need to relax and let tomorrow come. Everything will work out for the best; it always has and it always will. You are not the best teacher yet, but you are the closest to them
And you get along with them very well, especially someone like Erik. You have nothing to worry about and if worse comes to worse he brings cookies you laugh at each other and it all goes away because you know he likes you and you like him. If he does it, you know he will forgive you and you will be able to make it up to him. You love your students, they love you, and everything will work out great.
Later.
1. He knows it was a joke
2. Alisa is going to talk to him and tell him
3. You wrote it two days ago
4. He won't read the paper anyway
5. He knows what you are doing in class
6. His mom would have came to talk to you
7. Alisa is a drama queen and made stuff up
8. He'd come talk to you in the morning
9. He gets along with you and knows you
10. His mom has never had a problem
11. You met his mom and she was very nice
12. It was a joke and he will recognize that
You worrying over something so simple shows how much you love your students and don't want to hurt them, but it also gives him no credit. You know he is not stupid and you need to give him a chance. You've spent the year together and have made jokes of those things all year this is no different and you would have been wrong to have treat him differently. You wrote that two days ago, the one from today was very straight forward and serious. You need to relax and let tomorrow come. Everything will work out for the best; it always has and it always will. You are not the best teacher yet, but you are the closest to them
And you get along with them very well, especially someone like Erik. You have nothing to worry about and if worse comes to worse he brings cookies you laugh at each other and it all goes away because you know he likes you and you like him. If he does it, you know he will forgive you and you will be able to make it up to him. You love your students, they love you, and everything will work out great.
Later.
4/26/2010
Anyone out there. I think Tim Tebow for the Broncos was the worst pick imaginable. Josh McDaniels clearly doesn't have a clue what he is doing and never should have been hired. I'm finding myself more and more frustrated with what the franchise continues to do.
Play in a week. Juniors were pains, but I feel like things are at least moving. 20 days until the end of my first year as a teacher.
Later all
Play in a week. Juniors were pains, but I feel like things are at least moving. 20 days until the end of my first year as a teacher.
Later all
4/21/2010
4/05/2010
They asked me to put on a play. I have five weeks left until show night and nobody knows their lines or anything. Seven weeks and semester is over. Have a two week vacation planned over summer. Parents dont like it, but right now plan is to do it without them. Want to see the eastern part of the nation. Need to be working on research papers with classes. Still putting in eleven hour days even after basketball.
Wish me luck
Finish strong
Later
Wish me luck
Finish strong
Later
1/20/2010
I have to say I never thought I'd see the day when Dinosaurs roamed the earth again. I guess it was all a mistake. I never meant to clone a Velociraptor. It instantly broke out of it's containment unit. the worst part was that it was a female. It must have found a suitable mate because soon enough there were hundreds of the things feasting on the flesh of the most available resource, man. We never knew how big and strong these things were. All of our estimates were at least a quater wrong. these things easily run down speeding automobiles. Their hide is so think, not even the strongest of hand guns can penerate the skin. It took a machine gun at least two hundred rounds to bring down the first one. This is the only piece of evidence we actually have. The muscles are wrapped tighter. The tight packing allows the creature for huge amounts of speed and strength. No man can stand if one of these decides to take him down.
1/13/2010
I'm feeling a little weird after just losing a one-on-one basketball game to one of my students. I don't know, like I'm less of who I once was. This my seem stupid, but I don't know. I figured I'd just put this out there. I guess you'd have to ignore the fact that I was fouled a couple of times. I got every rebound. i took one of our star, senior, athletes into extra points. I haven't really played in over a week, and over a month before that. I'm out of shape, had been working and teaching all day. And I gave him the ball to start with, and gave him the ball when I stopped to say the score.
It seems stupid, but I feel like I lost and I shouldn't have. Silly, I know. I guess it's a moment where I'm starting to realize just what I am. I'm not a basketball player, I'm a teacher. I'm not a stud athlete, I'm a teacher. It seems stupid.
Anyway, I still think I could beat him.
Later all.
It seems stupid, but I feel like I lost and I shouldn't have. Silly, I know. I guess it's a moment where I'm starting to realize just what I am. I'm not a basketball player, I'm a teacher. I'm not a stud athlete, I'm a teacher. It seems stupid.
Anyway, I still think I could beat him.
Later all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
