We made it! 4 hours and 12.3 miles! We had a great walk, did some excellent bonding and all but 2 of my students walked to school too! I wasn't all that sore yesterday, just very sleepy. Art couldn't come pick us until 4:00 so we had to stumble around school all afternoon. Fortunetly 8-10 of my kids were hanging out after school "helping" their parents get ready for the Walk-a-thon, so I roped them into the classroom and put them to work cleaning, tidying and running errands. It was like having my own personal maid crew! By 6:00 I was on the couch, by 8 I was sleeping to the sound of the SCU game.
Today I am lucky to be off school and enjoying a day at home! My hips have me walking like an old lady so getting my yard work done could be difficult but I'll have to power through.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tomorrow We Walk
It's 8:17 and I am headed to bed. The reason? I am getting up at 4:00 to walk to school.
This week, as the culiminating event to our Spirit Week our school is having our annual Walk-a-Thon fundraiser where students walk laps and earn money from pledges they have taken from family. I decided that I wanted to provide a little extra motivation for my class and challenge them to see who could walk more miles. So I rounded up some teachers to walk to school with me and tomorrow we set out for our 12.3 mile trek. Now, I have done this before, for a slightly different cause, and for a lot more miles. Several years ago Emily, Brian (a colleague), and myself walked 41 miles from Brian's house to school. We taught all day, drove an hour north to his house, walked through the night and arrived at school, to teach another day. I guess that's why I'm not too worried about 12 miles. The last experience was a motivating one for my students as well as for myself. I learned a lot about my friends during the wee hours of the morning as we walked down the pitch black streets of Davis County. I also learned that I really can accomplish whatever I set my mind to. It takes time, and a lot of energy, but goals are attainable if you really want them to be. I suppose that is one of the major lessons I hope to teach my kids from this; go the extra mile to accomplish the truly difficult.
So if you're driving down Highland Drive tomorrow between 4:30 and 9:00 AM you might just see us, we'll be the ones wearing the TEAM PENN shirts, as we walk to school.
This week, as the culiminating event to our Spirit Week our school is having our annual Walk-a-Thon fundraiser where students walk laps and earn money from pledges they have taken from family. I decided that I wanted to provide a little extra motivation for my class and challenge them to see who could walk more miles. So I rounded up some teachers to walk to school with me and tomorrow we set out for our 12.3 mile trek. Now, I have done this before, for a slightly different cause, and for a lot more miles. Several years ago Emily, Brian (a colleague), and myself walked 41 miles from Brian's house to school. We taught all day, drove an hour north to his house, walked through the night and arrived at school, to teach another day. I guess that's why I'm not too worried about 12 miles. The last experience was a motivating one for my students as well as for myself. I learned a lot about my friends during the wee hours of the morning as we walked down the pitch black streets of Davis County. I also learned that I really can accomplish whatever I set my mind to. It takes time, and a lot of energy, but goals are attainable if you really want them to be. I suppose that is one of the major lessons I hope to teach my kids from this; go the extra mile to accomplish the truly difficult.
So if you're driving down Highland Drive tomorrow between 4:30 and 9:00 AM you might just see us, we'll be the ones wearing the TEAM PENN shirts, as we walk to school.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Yes, I cheer.
This week is Spirit Week at the ol' Penn (aka the Penn-itentiary) and we are gathering our spirit for the big walk-a-thon on Thursday. One of the many requirements of the week is to create and perform a class cheer. Yes, a cheer. I presented this idea to my class last week, with an unenthusiastic sigh. I tried to explain to them that I am the farthest thing they can think of from a cheerleader. I tried to tell them I spent hours looking over cheerleaders, TRYING to ignore them. I tried to explain that I despise RaRa's, but they said, I still had to cheer.
So I set them to coming up with ideas, I do not have cheer writing capabilities. They came up with some very interesting thoughts. I told them to keep brainstorming. Today we presented ideas, voted, and tried to compile our thoughts to one cohesive cheer. The main problem was that they were all cheering about me. Just me. Now I know I am one amazing and incredible teacher, but an entire cheer about how Mrs. Reina is 'da bomb'? So we did some rewriting, and a whole lot of laughing. I moaned and groaned, they sissed, boomed, and bahed. After an hour (yes, we skipped science for cheer writing, there are a few things wrong with public education) we came up with a cheer. Are you ready? It's fantastic. I had to 'perform' it several times in leading the group, you really should have been there. So here is it is, our cheer:
We're no fool
We think school is cool
Personal Best under Reina's Rule
We recycle each week,
like a QB Sneak
We're gettin' real smart
Cause we learn from the heart
BOOM BOOM Go Reina BOOM BOOM Go Reina BOOM BOOM Go Reina
We got Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who?
We got REINA!
Ok, Ok, it really lacks without our personal style, or as we explained it White-kid-wanna-be-gangsta-style. But trust me, we're good. Ok, truth is, they're good. I just can't stomach it, I can't even do it with a really cheesy attitude, it's like stooping to a level I just can't access. So yes, I can cheer. But only those 31 very privileged 5th graders will ever see it.
G'nigt, it's 34 minutes past my bedtime...
So I set them to coming up with ideas, I do not have cheer writing capabilities. They came up with some very interesting thoughts. I told them to keep brainstorming. Today we presented ideas, voted, and tried to compile our thoughts to one cohesive cheer. The main problem was that they were all cheering about me. Just me. Now I know I am one amazing and incredible teacher, but an entire cheer about how Mrs. Reina is 'da bomb'? So we did some rewriting, and a whole lot of laughing. I moaned and groaned, they sissed, boomed, and bahed. After an hour (yes, we skipped science for cheer writing, there are a few things wrong with public education) we came up with a cheer. Are you ready? It's fantastic. I had to 'perform' it several times in leading the group, you really should have been there. So here is it is, our cheer:
We're no fool
We think school is cool
Personal Best under Reina's Rule
We recycle each week,
like a QB Sneak
We're gettin' real smart
Cause we learn from the heart
BOOM BOOM Go Reina BOOM BOOM Go Reina BOOM BOOM Go Reina
We got Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who? Who?
We got REINA!
Ok, Ok, it really lacks without our personal style, or as we explained it White-kid-wanna-be-gangsta-style. But trust me, we're good. Ok, truth is, they're good. I just can't stomach it, I can't even do it with a really cheesy attitude, it's like stooping to a level I just can't access. So yes, I can cheer. But only those 31 very privileged 5th graders will ever see it.
G'nigt, it's 34 minutes past my bedtime...
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Catch-up
I was pondering the sort of thing I might write on here, beings my life consists of dogs and 10 year olds, and that's not all that exciting; so I thought I would start with a catch-up for those who have been away awhile.
Our family consists of our 3 spoiled puppies. Max, 10-11 year old Golden Retriever, also known as "Ol' Half Dead", who enjoys napping, barking at the fence, and then more napping. Lulu is our 3 year old yellow-lab who also enjoys barking at the fence, and anything that might involve a W-A-L-K (we have 
to spell that word around our house). And lastly, Rudy, the newest member of our family. He is one of Lulu's 9 puppies that we just had to keep! He's very sweet and cute and calm for a puppy (My parents also kept a puppy, MayBelle, she's crazy and hyper - we lucked out.) We have had an adventurous week with the dogs as Rudy ate a bottle containing Spray n' Wash and spent a day in the vet and is now on special meds for a burned esophagus and pneumonia (you can only imagine the puppy eyes looking up at you with a pathetic little cough). The following day Lulu went to get fixed (only one litter for us) and she is supposed to be 'taking it easy' for 10 days. On top of that she caught Kennel Cough and so we now have two pathetic coughing puppies. Max is holding strong, he hasn't woken up long enough to notice anyone is ill.
to spell that word around our house). And lastly, Rudy, the newest member of our family. He is one of Lulu's 9 puppies that we just had to keep! He's very sweet and cute and calm for a puppy (My parents also kept a puppy, MayBelle, she's crazy and hyper - we lucked out.) We have had an adventurous week with the dogs as Rudy ate a bottle containing Spray n' Wash and spent a day in the vet and is now on special meds for a burned esophagus and pneumonia (you can only imagine the puppy eyes looking up at you with a pathetic little cough). The following day Lulu went to get fixed (only one litter for us) and she is supposed to be 'taking it easy' for 10 days. On top of that she caught Kennel Cough and so we now have two pathetic coughing puppies. Max is holding strong, he hasn't woken up long enough to notice anyone is ill.
My in-laws were here this week to visit my new nephew Connor, and a little work meeting. It's always fun to have them, and their giant yellow lab Oliver (he's like having a drunk horse in the building). We really do love Ollie, he gives everybody something to laugh at and wears Rudy out fast!We're off to another week of school, work, remodeling the bathroom, walking to school, picking a play, planning a presentation, building a vanity...sorry, it turned into a to-do list, that's life, always a million things to do!
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