Monday, October 29, 2012

At the end of one journey.....

Pin It
There are days when all of this seems unreal.  That Jason will walk through the door any minute now, laughing away at how much we fell for this, the ultimate joke.

If it feels this way for those of us who were with him, who held his hand and watched him slip away so quickly, I can only imagine how it is for those who hadn't seen him for awhile.  

It is times like this that it all becomes so very real.....


Jason's headstone was installed today at the Pack River Cemetery in Sandpoint, Idaho.


Its a lovely and fitting memorial for one so dear.... his father George Zimmerman and his "other mother" Patsy commissioned this wonderful stone for this, his final resting place.  


Thank you also to Jason's dear friends the Hughes and Durrants from Green River, Utah who graciously collected stones from some of Jason's beloved haunts on the San Rafael Swell, as well as to Janelle and Gerb for providing some sweet fall decorations a few weeks ago on their pilgrimage north.

We love you Jason... and we rest assured in the belief that we will see and be with you again.  Until then, may we all continue on this adventure called life..... and enjoy every moment that it gives us.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Home Away from Home

Pin It

It seems that I rarely take photos of myself. This shouldn't come as too much of a revelation...after all, it's hard when you're always on the other end of the camera.

I had the opportunity to be in southern Utah for the past three weeks.

I loved it. In fact, I miss it terribly now. I just can't seem to get enough of the San Rafael Swell area.


Whenever I'm there,  my iPod seems to magically gravitate to a Nickel Creek playlist and I'm off, exploring the region so few ever venture into, and see the sights not seen by the majority...only rather by those who share the conviction that not all who wander are lost.

Yes, the desert is my magical place.


Therefore, for this week's Kodachrome, I decided to share a photo I took with one of my best friends, the desert.

And, in addition, I am sharing a photo a friend of mine snapped. Like I said before, I rarely seem to have photos of myself.


Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living

Did you take a photo that made you smile? If so, feel free to include it in the linky below. 

Remember, by adding your photo into the Weekly Kodachrome meme you are agreeing to do one of the following: display the linky or button to your post, or link back to this post so that everyone gets a little more exposure for the image they’ve uploaded. Those who don’t help to ’share the love’ will have their links removed. You can find the code for the linky here.





You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Oh, and I did post over at Four Perspectives today...and it's delicious. Seriously delicious.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Sunset of Eight

Pin It

We explored the deserted missile bases scattered amongst the hillsides of a small southern Utah town. The aged remains stood in silent, mesmerizing awe as we ventured into the structures which had been utilized so many years ago.

As I noticed the sheen of light glossing over the scene before me, I felt the need to take an image reminiscent of that of last year.

I think it turned out well.



You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Kolob Canyons

Pin It

The heat was merciless in the heart of the valley, topping out at a whopping 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The sweltering temperature was even worse as I climbed into my car; I felt akin to an ultimate supreme pizza trapped in a stone oven.

I started the ignition, and drove the countless miles towards Zion National Park. The warm boils of air whipped away the blistering heat somewhat.

I took an impromptu detour and soon found myself climbing the hills and mountains toward Kolob Canyon Reservoir. As I ascended the knolls and prominences, the temperature dropped remarkably. I watched my digital thermometer fall nearly thirty degrees.

All of the windows came down, and I wriggled my fingers in the coolness.

The photo opp. the fields and hills provided? Another type of cool, but still cool nonetheless.



You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Weathering the Storm

Pin It

I switched off the music as I drove the lonely expanse of Highway 6, beyond Price. The surging grayness above me loomed threateningly as I flew past the low-lying mesas and the arroyos that were teeming with flood flow—undoubtedly from the storm further up and farther in.

Jags of lighting split the sky like a baseball a window, and the peal of thunder rolled along the desert floor like a jet continually breaking the sound barrier.

As I crossed into the vortextual tempest, rain plastered against my windshield and it was nearly all my feeble wipers could do to cut through it, to keep visibility at a bare minimum. I slowed my speed as the rain slashed even harder at the windows like something from a National Geographic documentary. It felt like being trapped under an ocean that was being dropped from the heavens.

The minutes ticked on. The rain came greater still, with flashes of lightning—and then before I knew it—I broke from the tempest, and a few miles onward, patches of indigo broke through the grayness.

The world was again calm.

The music was restored, and I continued my journey onward.




You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Missile Base Sunset

Pin It

We took the drive up the southeasterly hills overlooking the valley. We poked around the remnants of the missile bases - peering into aged buildings and places that were deserted long ago.

As we checked the final launch site on our schedule for the evening, the sun dipped itself into the creamed clouds of the distant skyline and we all stood, caught in awe, as it increasingly drenched the landscape in its richness.

Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living

Did you take a photo that made you smile? If so, feel free to include it in the linky below. 

Remember, by adding your photo into the Weekly Kodachrome meme you are agreeing to do one of the following: display the linky or button to your post, or link back to this post so that everyone gets a little more exposure for the image they’ve uploaded. Those who don’t help to ’share the love’ will have their links removed. You can find the code for the linky here.



You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Media of the Week - Dora the Explorer - Search for the Infinity Orb

Pin It Every once and a while, a movie comes along that completely blows you away...

...this is that movie.



You probably already guessed that this isn't for a real movie, but wouldn't it be great if it was?

Monday, July 9, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Canyons

Pin It

I took a long drive yesterday, and found myself surrounded by these mountains that I love so much. It was a nice respite, and I basked in their majesticness dappled in the veiled afternoon light. As the magic of the music playing surrounded me, I knew that I was home. 

Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living
Did you take a photo that made you smile? If so, feel free to include it in the linky below. 


Remember, by adding your photo into the Weekly Kodachrome meme you are agreeing to do one of the following: display the linky or button to your post, or link back to this post so that everyone gets a little more exposure for the image they’ve uploaded. Those who don’t help to ’share the love’ will have their links removed. You can find the code for the linky here.







You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Three Years

Pin It

It’s strange to think that that much time has passed—to the day from that day.

I’ll never forget that ill-fated call that came from my dad, telling me to get home as quickly as I could.

I remember driving that long, arduous journey, and the reflections I had while making the road trip back over a twelve-hour period, the miles stretching away beneath the tires as I pushed northward.

I recalled the next few weeks, and the events that transpired while I was away from home: the laughter, the tears, and the hollow emptiness that was left behind in its torturous wake.

Each and every one of us is limited.

Our days are numbered.

When will play that final coda of the symphony known as life?

Nobody knows. For each of us, it’s different.

Our lives are controlled by the complex workings of the hands of fate, and her infinite wisdom of mortal coil.

Today, I’m going to head to the canyons I love so much—my second home, if you will. I will play the music I seldom listen to because of its incredible power to bring back the events of those days with crystalline clarity. I will stay as long as I want and again feel the moments.

But the one moment I still wish to find, is hope.

I love you, Mom.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Childhood

Pin It

It really doesn't seem like it was all that long ago, does it?

It's funny how time slips steadily onward.

How we grow a little bit each day.

Suddenly, before we know it,

we're adults.

But still children still at heart...


I_Heart_Faces_noborder_125x100

Monday, June 25, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Hot Wheels ™

Pin It

While many different photographs could claim the spot of this week's Weekly Kodachrome, this particular image seemed to reach out to me...especially as I took it while traveling to southern Utah just yesterday.

I saw the billows of black smoke reaching to the heavens from a mile or two away on the distant stretch of I-15. A moment before, a police vehicle had blazed by me as if I were at a standstill, lights and siren indicating that he had someplace to get to - and quickly

My breath caught in my lungs as I neared the fiery inferno that had once been a vehicle. I thought of the passengers, hoping upon hope that they'd managed to escape from the blazing confines in time. I drove through the plumes of throat-choking fumes, my vehicle was momentarily shielded from the sun; I then noticed the driver, standing forty or fifty feet away, watching as his mode of transportation incinerated itself.

I pulled over and watched for a moment as two firetrucks came charging to the rescue, hosing down the molten vehicle before the gas tank had a chance to explode.

I lifted my camera and let the shutter fly.

Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living
Did you take a photo that made you smile? If so, feel free to include it in the linky below. 


Remember, by adding your photo into the Weekly Kodachrome meme you are agreeing to do one of the following: display the linky or button to your post, or link back to this post so that everyone gets a little more exposure for the image they’ve uploaded. Those who don’t help to ’share the love’ will have their links removed. You can find the code for the linky here.





You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

The Project

Pin It
Updated 6/23/2021


As I mentioned in the previous post, I’m working on a little project and I’d love to include YOU in it.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking, Teachinfourth, you’ve been so hush-hush with this whole thing anyway…just what the heck is it? Well, I’m not going to tell you just now—that’s just how it goes with the things you want to make sure are awesome before you tell the whole world about them.

So, what did I need from you?

What I’m looking for are your original quotes to sprinkle throughout my little endeavor.

It was this morning that I realized that some of you might not be comfortable sharing your personal made-up quotes on a Facebook page, or might not even have joined the social medium as of yet (oh, I think your pager just went off).

To remedy this, I would like to invite you to submit your original quotes to this project that will allow you to be a part of something bigger than any of us are alone. You are more than welcome to submit them in the comments section here or—if you’re feeling a little bit better about it this way—drop me an email with them at teachinfourth@yahoo.com.

I would love for them to be thoughtful, funny, or just plain, ‘you.’

Since I hope to get far more quotes that I could use (because you’re going to step it up, right?) For those quotes that are a little bit too difficult for me to decide between, I will have an impartial party do the dirty work.

So, now…are you ready?

Here are just a few of the categories that I’m still looking for quotes in:

being attractive
being hilarious
dreams
nightmares
daylight savings
deeply thinking
something annoying
milk cartons
breakfast
getting stung
money
being bored
genes or brains
music
popularity
unicorns
camping
Hogwarts
board games
driving
geysers
something ghetto
being a new student
book reports
something creepy
hot dogs
competing
winning
defense mechanisms of creatures
monsters
locked doors
Christmas gifts
being cold, snow, or winter
being mistaken for another person
gratitude
homework in school
problems
punishment
making a confession
embarrassing songs
cell phones
real men and pink
diminishing return

I'd like quotes perhaps something like these:

I go to school, but I never learn what I want to know.”
― Bill Watterson



It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn’t.
— Barbara Kingsolver



As far as I’m concerned, if something is so complicated that you can’t explain it in 10 seconds, then it’s probably not worth knowing anyway.
― Bill Watterson 



My report card always said, ‘Jim finishes first and then disrupts the other students’.
— Jim Carrey



After a fellow gets famous it doesn’t take long for someone to bob up that used to sit by him in school.
— Kin Hubbard



Remember, these can even be quotes made up by your children, grandparents, or that eccentric aunt that is closeted up in your attic.

In advance,

Thank you.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Media of the Week - Call Me, Maybe

Pin It There are songs people introduce us to. We listen to them and think, “Wow, this song is amazing!”

Some time later we hear the original artist, and we realize that the song we’d been listening to was simply a cover. Yet, we still like the cover better than the artist who originally performed it.

Alex Goot and company owned this…sorry Carly.



By the way, I set the timecode to start at the beginning of the song so you're missing out on the first 42 seconds of dialogue.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The Project - I Need Your Help...

Pin It
A full list of topics may be seen here.


Hello, my friends.

I’m currently working on a little project, but what I need is your help. What I’m asking you to do is to make up either funny or serious quotes on certain subjects that I’ll be posting several times a day on both my main Facebook page and blog fan page. I will continue to do this until I have enough of the quotes I need. (I will be asking for help thirty or forty times).

Why am I asking you to do this? Well, first off, I’d like to have you all involved in my project—and second—if I use quotes by famous people without permission, it’s most likely a violation of copyright.

If you would like to submit a quote, two, three, or even more on any given subject, that would be appreciated. I’ll be using the quotes that best fit the subject matter (and by posting your made-up quote, you are giving me permission to use it). I will—of course—give you credit by first name if I use your quote in the project.

Please don’t be offended if yours isn’t chosen, but be creative and keep on submitting them. Ask your grandparents to make something up, your kids, or somebody else you think could come up with a good one. Just make sure that you provide their name (the first is all I need) if you’re submitting one for them.

Remember though, I can’t use quotes by famous people…I need your quotes!

I’m sure this goes without saying, but please keep your quotes to a G or PG rating.

Below are some of the quotes I wanted to use, but like I said before, copyright violations aren't any fun.

Oh, and I will be deleting the posts on Facebook a few hours/a day after I post them so that they aren't cumbering up the pages. I will copy over the quotes that are the most applicable.


“We spend the first twelve months of our children’s lives teaching them to walk and talk, and the next twelve years telling them to sit down and shut up.”

— Phyllis Diller


“When a teacher calls a boy by his entire name it means trouble.”

— Mark Twain


“Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only that the cat died nobly.”

— Arnold Edinborough


“I go to school, but I never learn what I want to know.”

― Bill Watterson


“I think you learn more if you’re laughing at the same time.”

― Mary Ann Shaffer


“I’d hate to have a kid like me.”

― Bill Watterson


“Life’s disappointments are harder to take when you don’t know any swear words.”

― Bill Watterson

“Girls are like slugs—they probably serve some purpose, but it’s hard to imagine what.”

― Bill Watterson


“If good things lasted forever, would we appreciate how precious they are?”

― Bill Watterson


“The way Calvin’s brain is wired you can almost hear the fuses blowing.”

― Bill Watterson


There’s no problem so awful, that you cant add some guilt to it and make it even worse.

― Bill Watterson


Careful. We don’t want to learn from this.

― Bill Watterson


Years from now, when I’m successful and happy, ...and he’s in prison... I hope I’m not too mature to gloat.

― Bill Watterson


As far as I’m concerned, if something is so complicated that you can’t explain it in 10 seconds, then it’s probably not worth knowing anyway.

― Bill Watterson


You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don’t help.

― Bill Watterson


I hate to think that all my current experiences will someday become stories with no point.

― Bill Watterson


An autobiography is a book a person writes about his own life and it is usually full of all sorts of boring details.

— Roald Dahl


I am only 8 years old, I told myself. No little boy of 8 has ever murdered anyone. It’s not possible.

— Roald Dahl


I’ve never let my school interfere with my education.

— Mark Twain


I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.

— Yogi Berra


If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers.

— Edgar W. Howe


The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.

— Salvador Dali


You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.

— Franklin P. Jones



Do you know what breakfast cereal is made of? It’s made of all those little curly wooden shavings you find in pencil sharpeners!”

― Roald Dahl


Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.

― Roald Dahl


My report card always said, ‘Jim finishes first and then disrupts the other students’.

— Jim Carrey


A characteristic of the normal child is he doesn’t act that way very often.

— Author Unknown


Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it.

— Harold Hulbert


It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn’t.

— Barbara Kingsolver


Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.

— Yogi Berra


When I get into trouble at school I’d like to take an invisibility cloak, drape it over me and sneak out the door. Or I’d like to have a 3 headed-dog because then no one would argue with me.

— Daniel Radcliffe


If you had asked me back in grade school what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said my first choice was an actor, but if I couldn’t be that, I’d want to be a superhero.

— Vin Diesel


After a fellow gets famous it doesn’t take long for someone to bob up that used to sit by him in school.

— Kin Hubbard


We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It’s never your fault. But it’s always your fault, because if you wanted to change you’re the one who has got to change.

— Katharine Hepburn

Monday, June 18, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Distant Roads

Pin It

I am going to be honest here...it's been busy for the past few weeks. My blog has suffered for true writing effort lately; however, there's a great reason.

I'll tell you later.

I've been so busy that I have only taken out my camera once this week, and that was for a shoot - not for fun. I missed the Weekly Kodachrome last week as well. Instead of forgoing it altogether, I thumbed through a few shots and saw this one. This was taken about two years ago when Arlene was taken ill. I remember jumping in my car - just needing to get away - and taking roads I'd never before traveled. I wasn't concerned about getting lost, because I didn't care.

I remember getting out of my car and standing on a long stretch of highway and watching the sun set. There was an ant hill nearby because I remember them crawling up my legs when I stood in one place too long.

The sun was just finishing it's day and melting the skyline.

As I watched it, I thought about endings - and beginnings which were one day sure to be. I thought about dreams I've had...and seemingly set on the back burner for another lifetime. Yet, later never seems to arrive and we set our aspirations on that dusty shelf time and time again.

Oh, I'm much too busy, we say.

And we are. But if it's really important to us, shouldn't we put in a little more effort?

In a week or two I'll probably let you in on what has been keeping me busy, but until then...follow your dreams, even if you're afraid that you might be wandering unfamiliar roads.

If the journey were worth starting, then it's probably worth finishing as well.


Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living
Did you take a photo that made you smile? If so, feel free to include it in the linky below. 


Remember, by adding your photo into the Weekly Kodachrome meme you are agreeing to do one of the following: display the linky or button to your post, or link back to this post so that everyone gets a little more exposure for the image they’ve uploaded. Those who don’t help to ’share the love’ will have their links removed. You can find the code for the linky here.







You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, This or That Thursday, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Media of the Week - Ordinary People

Pin It There are those things in life that inspire you. They push you to want to be greater than who you currently are. They motivate you to do something, to rise above and achieve that which you thought perhaps unattainable before. They cause you to look at your dreams.

We do not do these things for accolades from the crowds, nor for the public hailing of our achievements.

We do this for only one person…ourselves.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Moments with Joey - License to Drive

Pin It

SCENE 1, INTERIOR. AFTERNOON, CLASSROOM. The class has left for the day; the teacher is packing up his items to go. As he slides his computer into the case, a fifth grade boy ‘drives’ around the classroom on the teacher’s wheeled chair. He is making vrooming noises as he does so.

JOEY: Are you driving home tonight, Mr. Z?

TEACHER: Yep.

JOEY: You know, if you wanted, I could drive you…

TEACHER: Wouldn’t you need a license to drive, Joey?

[The boy grins].

JOEY: Oh, I’ve got a license, Mr. Z.

TEACHER: Really?

JOEY: Yep, I got it when I was ten.

TEACHER: A license for what?

JOEY: Driving you crazy.

[Pause].

TEACHER: Yeah, isn’t that the truth…

[Fade to black].

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - The Pitcher

Pin It “The pitcher is the most important player on the field, and on his skills and judgement depends half the battle in a match.”
- Henry Chadwick



Standing alone on the mound
The ball is cradled in my hand
My mitt - with its smell of worn leather
It fills my nostrils with memory
The batter approaches
He stands at home plate
A look of determination fills his eyes
The thrill of the game pulses inside me
I lean back on one leg
The ball is fired from my hand
Like a rocket, it speeds onward
I hear the swoosh of the bat
It cuts the empty air

One.
         Two.
                  Three strikes.

My dad calls my name from the stands.
I pause, wave, and smile.

Baseball.


If you'd like to see the rest of the shots from this particular series, they may be viewed here. Also, it appears that Mindy and Rachel were the two winners from the photography contest. If you both would please send me an email to let me know the shot you'd like and the size thereof, I'd be grateful.

Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living
Did you take a photo that made you smile? If so, feel free to include it in the linky below. 


Remember, by adding your photo into the Weekly Kodachrome meme you are agreeing to do one of the following: display the linky or button to your post, or link back to this post so that everyone gets a little more exposure for the image they’ve uploaded. Those who don’t help to ’share the love’ will have their links removed. You can find the code for the linky here.





You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Baseball on the Block

Pin It
My friend's son wanted me to attend this baseball game a few days ago. I couldn't help but snap a few photos while I was there. However, it makes me wish I'd brought my powerful zoom lens along.





 



 

  

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Hot Lava Morning

Pin It
Do you remember back to the days when you would leap from the pieces of furniture in your house to avoid the floor, which was made completely out of ‘hot lava’? It seems that everyone knows what you’re talking about when you say ‘hot lava,’ don’t they? We never played ‘cold lava,’ either; it always had to be hot. Of course, if it were ‘cold lava’ we'd simply call it rock jumping…or parkour.

I woke this morning to the strangest feeling—like back in the days when I’d played that game as a kid. It was hastened even further when my friend’s kids began to play ‘lava monster’ throughout their house. As their screams and laughter filled the air I was taken back.

I guess every boy (and probably girl) has played this game at one time; sometimes, I miss the days when you could play like this and not worry about breaking the furniture.

Images from toothpastefordinner.com & stories.mountainworkshops.org/

Monday, May 28, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Book Cliffs

Pin It

The light played off the clouds and distant cliffs as the highway stretched off into the vast expanse of the San Rafael Swell desert, like a road leading into tomorrow. I watched the puffs of gray and white drift lazily onward and finally pulled to the side of the road to gaze at these textures of light; These are the moments that truly pen a life.

Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living
Did you take a photo that made you smile? If so, feel free to include it in the linky below. 


Remember, by adding your photo into the Weekly Kodachrome meme you are agreeing to do one of the following: display the linky or button to your post, or link back to this post so that everyone gets a little more exposure for the image they’ve uploaded. Those who don’t help to ’share the love’ will have their links removed. You can find the code for the linky here.





You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Starfish

Pin It
There is a story you’ve probably been privy to sometime in your life. In fact, I can remember writing a post about it a few years ago. The basic idea is that of a man walking along the beach; he notices a boy picking up starfish. These creatures are slowly withering in the sun, so the boy tosses them back into the ocean where they can survive. When the man gives the boy the news that even his best efforts will be in vain—that there are simply far too many starfish to even begin to think that he could make a difference—the boy tells the man about how change comes to each as an individual.

As a teacher, each year I feel that I am that boy. I walk along the beach throughout the days, and I throw starfish into the vast ocean of knowledge. I relish in the thought that—while in my classroom—they are becoming so much more than what they once were. That they are being instilled with basic things that will help them to become who it is that they will one day be.

I’ve noticed that there seems to be a group of starfish that I have to keep throwing back into the ocean. Then, despite my best efforts to keep them in a place where they can survive, these same creatures crawl out of the life-sustaining waters and lie on the scorching sand where they again begin to wither away.

I pick them up over and over, throwing them into the blue waters; then, before I know it, they are again crawling out. My strength is redoubled as I center my attention these half-dozen starfish that seem to have a secret death wish.

It’s exhausting.

I also discovered that I usually don’t give near enough attention to those starfish that are floating about in the shallows, and nearly nothing to those who are out in the depths. After all, I know that those starfish will be okay. These are the urchins that will make it. These are they who will survive.

The school year ended today. My two and one-half dozen students left the classroom. They had walked in this morning as fifth graders, and left as sixthers. An entire year had flown by as fleetingly as the tide.

As they filed past me, I handed them their classroom placements for next year, and I looked at each one of them as an individual starfish. I thought of the progress each of them had made—or hadn’t made—during the year. I looked at those I had worked the hardest with—but who still left the classroom pretty much the same way as they came in. Despite my best efforts, these were they who were content to laze in the blistering sands.

It was hard to watch them leave, knowing that in nine months I had so little effect them; that they were so obstinate that they were happy staying the exact same as they were.

As a teacher, I want all of my students to be successful. I want them all to achieve. I want them all to thirst for knowledge. I want them all to want to give nothing but their personal best.

Sadly, this is not to be.

Over the years I’ve learned that each must decide on their own what it is that they will do and who they will become. When I talked with a friend earlier tonight, she spoke about measuring successes in life not solely on the outcome, but on the efforts put into the endeavor—our partial successes and achievements. We should never feel that our energies are wasted when trying to help another.

As a teacher, I want my students to achieve. I would love for each of them to always do their personal best, and I will continue to help them as best as I can.

I am a thrower of starfish.

Even to those who don’t like the ocean.

Media of the Week - How it Should Have Ended

Pin It I've been watching these great little videos for a few years now - the following are some of my favorites. Also, if you haven't heard of the How it Should Have Ended series, it's about time that you did.





















Monday, May 21, 2012

Weekly Kodachrome - Mostly Eclipse of the Sun

Pin It

Last night I was privy to an event that only a slim corridor of the United States was in the right place for.

A mostly eclipse.

I wish now that I’d have had my powerful zoom lens, filters, and all of the other stuff that makes photography a little bit easier.

Since I hadn’t been privy to an eclipse since I was just a kid, I was impressed. I was a bit disappointed in the fact that I didn’t wind up with powers of some type like in that show, Heroes. However, I am glad that my face didn’t melt off like the Nazis’ heads did in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I guess you could say that it was a mostly win-win situation.

By the way, remember that you only have until midnight on Tuesday to enter (and win) the current contest to win photos like these or these.

Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living
Did you take a photo that made you smile? If so, feel free to include it in the linky below. 


Remember, by adding your photo into the Weekly Kodachrome meme you are agreeing to do one of the following: display the linky or button to your post, or link back to this post so that everyone gets a little more exposure for the image they’ve uploaded. Those who don’t help to ’share the love’ will have their links removed. You can find the code for the linky here.



You might also want to try Sweet Shot Tuesdays, Show off Your Shot, Your Sunday Best, and Community Global for other great photo memes.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Planking

Pin It
I don't usually make these types of things, but this idea lodged itself in my head a few weeks ago and I just couldn't resist.

The Ultimate Planker


I also added on Facebook, just in case you felt like sharing it.

Life is Good

Pin It
There comes a point in life when one looks at what they truly have. They see beyond the difficulties and hardships of the run-of-the-mill, and they notice—maybe for the first time in a long time—the blessings that their life truly affords. However, sometimes, this awakening takes time to completely appreciate.

Life is good.

Today I saw the sun setting, amid a cloudy evening. The screen of grey hung in the skies above me like a veil, as the light of the setting sun marinated the countryside around me.

It was intoxicatingly amazing.

Life is great.

Tonight I sifted through the blessings I enjoy—the lives that have touched mine over the years for good, and those that I’ve had the opportunity to touch in return. It was somewhat overwhelming.

Life is unbelievable.

I thought of the challenges that my very existence affords me. The challenges that destroyed me from the inside out, and tested my intestinal fortitude beyond the limits I thought I had.

Life is hard.

It brought to mind the difficulties yet to be faced in the future; the changes in life that will undoubtedly come, those small moments that will help define an existence.

Life is cruel.

I thought of these many things that have made me into who I am, those things which are good—as well as bad—that sculpted me, which continually define, and that which will undoubtely recreate me. As I thought of these things, I came to a final realization:

Life is so beautiful.

So it is for all of us, but if only we’ll take the time to see it.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Moments with Joey - Literature Responses

Pin It

SCENE 1, INTERIOR. MORNING. CLASSROOM. The students are in the classroom working on assignments. As the teacher works with three or four students at the back table, a boy at a nearby desk addresses him.

JOEY: Mr. Z, literature responses are on Monday, right?

TEACHER: Yep.

JOEY: Good…I was thinking about doing mine on the math book.

[Pause]

TEACHER: [unbelievingly] The math book?

JOEY: Yeah.

TEACHER: Now, you do realize that you’d have to read the entire book to do a response on it, right?

JOEY: The whole thing?

TEACHER: Yep, words, numbers and all.

[Pause]

JOEY: Maybe I’ll pick another book.

TEACHER: Good idea. [Pause] By the way, what were you planning to do for a project?

JOEY: I was thinking of drawing pictures of the different math symbols and showing them to everybody.

TEACHER: Because that would be so much fun for everyone else?

JOEY: Yeah, I thought they’d like it.

TEACHER: Probably as much as getting their gums scraped.


[The boy laughs].


[Fade to black]

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

101 Amazing Reasons

Pin It
I would like to share 101 fantastic reasons why you should enter the Backroads Photography contest:
















































































Add caption






















I could have easily shared another two hundred reasons; and just think...two lucky winners will have their pick of all of these - or any other image - from Backroads Photography.

The contest ends on Tuesday the 22nd.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...