Moments with Joey - Unicorn Lockdown

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SCENE 1, INTERIOR. NOON. CLASSROOM. The school has just been removed from lockdown status. The students are taking the rest of their lunch recess indoors. The teacher is returning to the classroom from the cafeteria with one of his fifth grade students. After a few moments, the boy turns to his teacher.

JOEY: Why was the school on lockdown, Mr. Z?

TEACHER: We already talked about the reasons a school would go on lockdown in class, Joey; it was probably nothing.

JOEY: So, was there anyone dangerous here at the school?

TEACHER: Just because a school goes on lockdown doesn’t mean that there’s dangerous men in masks running around in the hallways.

JOEY: Really?

TEACHER: I’m serious, Joey…everything’s fine.

JOEY: [The boy flashes the teacher a serious look] Mr. Z…

[The teacher pauses in the hallway and faces the boy. He looks to the left and right before speaking in a low, conspiratorial voice].

TEACHER: Okay, here’s the real story…the one you’re not supposed to know about [The teacher pauses, and the boy leans in slightly]. A unicorn was sighted out on the playground. [The boy raises an eyebrow]. The principal called for a lockdown because it was prancing back and forth, shooting magical rainbow wishes from its mane and tail; you see, he didn’t want to share any of the wishes with the rest of the school, he wanted to keep them all to himself.

JOEY: [The boy tries not to smile and rolls his eyes]. Sure, Mr. Z…

TEACHER: Hey...for unicorn wishes, I’d have called for a lockdown, too.

SCENE 2, INTERIOR. NOON. CLASSROOM. Lunch recess has ended and the teacher is reminding the students a second time of proper procedure during a lockdown. After a few moments one of the students raises his hand.

TEACHER: What's your question, Joey?

JOEY: What if somebody breaks into our classroom?

TEACHER: Then I'd have to protect you all with my ninja skills and sheer awesomeness.

[A ripple of laughter moves through the class].

JOEY: What if he were really tough though?

TEACHER: Then I'm afraid I'd have to use these [The teacher holds up his fists with a flourish and grins]. In fact, if I were to put them into my pockets, I'd probably be arrested for carrying concealed weapons.

[The class bursts into laughter].

[Fade to black].

Reading = N - 5

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I haven’t checked my stats for a while.

You know, those who read and are tuned in a regular basis; I guess you could call it my readership.

I recently logged on and found myself a bit bummed to discover that five people dropped me from their subscriptions. Of course, I guess I can’t blame them…life gets so busy and it’s probably hard to keep up with someone who you’ve perhaps never met in real life.

It’s kind of depressing how busy we get; nevertheless, I can fully understand why this might happen.

However, to those five:

I noticed.

And to those of you who’ve been sticking around…

Thanks.

Weekly Kodachrome - Vegas Lights

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The temperate evening air flowed over us as my coworkers and I stood in the midst of the pulsing casino lights on the strip of downtown Vegas. The neon glow shimmered across the waters of the fountains outside the Bellagio like multi-colored beams of moonlight.

We walked to the edge of the fountain and waited—in excited anticipation as a familiar Beetles tune filled the air and dozens of spouts erupted from the body of water below us. Like plumes of lava shooting from a frothing volcano, streams of shimmering water arched into the sky—our hotel framing the background laid out on a canvas of darkness.

It was amazing.

<center><a href="http://teachinfourth.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekly%20Kodachrome/" target="_blank"><img alt="Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0e1GL4TLj1n6H-veDNFvj6gHUt_9-X1MWA6Qo-0zyEHW2dGTMl4JeI8v_q4AdNQxb8FADxYjLPhQnxl1rEPTU9B2N1_m9vVei9Ea8PXDRASzVKotvo4jseesUFUvqazg0pxtTAN75ao/s800/Weekly%252520Kodachrome.png"/></a></center>

Did you take a photo in the past seven days 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.

Media of the Week - We're Going to be Friends

Pin It I love Sign Language.

I love the beauty of motion utilized as it carries a message to those who cannot physically hear the words.

Sign Language is visual language.

Because I love it, I teach basic Sign to my class…of course, the amount of ASL I teach seems to decrease as the years go on—being little to no time in the day for those items not covered in the core curriculum.

However, it's a great tool to let a student know - across a crowded gymnasium - that if they don't stop whatever it is they're currently doing, they will have to die...they laugh when I first teach them this, but they know when I say it that Mr. Z means business, and they'd better knock it off.

It's also a wonderful way to tell a student thank you, or express other simple messages to an individual student across a silent room, where only those who happen to look up can 'hear' it.

And of course, this is the way they let me know that they have to use the bathroom during a lesson...

Recently, a parent of one of my students sent me an email with the link to a video she’d found online.

I love it; therefore, I share it with you today.

I hope you enjoy it, too.

BTW, if you want to get just a 'taste' of what deafness is like and trying to understand others, watch the video first with your audio set on mute.



P.S. I'm glad we're friends...

Moments with Joey - Brains

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SCENE 1, INTERIOR. AFTERNOON, CLASSROOM. The students are heading out to recess as the teacher gathers up a few papers to take to the workroom to make copies of; as he walks out the door, he notices he’s being followed by a fifth-grade boy.

TEACHER: Did you need something, Joey?

[The boy shakes his head].

TEACHER: Then why don’t you go out for recess? You only have fifteen minutes, you know.

[The boy keeps in stride with the teacher as they move down the hallway].

JOEY: I was wondering something, Mr. Z.

TEACHER: Sure, what is it?

[There is a longish pause as the boy considers his question. The teacher stops and looks intently at the boy].

TEACHER: Is everything okay, Joey?

[The boy nods his head].

JOEY: Yeah, I was just wondering...[his voice trails off to silence].

[Pause].

TEACHER: About?

[The boy casually leans in a bit and asks quietly].

JOEY: If you rolled your eyes back far enough, would you be able to see your own brain?

[The teacher pauses to see if the boy is serious or is pulling his leg; after a second he sees the hint of a smile pulling at the corners of the boy’s mouth].

TEACHER: Wouldn’t you have to have your brain with you before you start worrying about that?

[The boy slaps a relieved hand to his chest and blows out a relieved sigh].

JOEY: That’s a good point, Mr. Z. Thanks.

[The boy grins and heads out the fifth grade doors to the playground].


[Fade to black].

Weekly Kodachrome - Smoky Light

Pin It I began to leaf through images for the Weekly Kodachrome when I noticed the snow blustering from the heavens—swirling and eddying around the windows like the waves of a titanician ocean. It almost felt like a Christmas miracle, but one long-since overdue.

I broke away from the scene before me and continued to the task of selecting an appropriate image for the week; however, nothing seemed quite right. I decided to take a temporary break in my quest and instead began rooting through boxes. One box in particular caught my eye, and upon opening it I found myself inundated with the memorabilia of a lifetime; I dug loosely through the varied items and came across a tattered, yellow envelope. Upon further examination it proved to be the final resting place of a set of black and white negatives snapped—I can only deduce—some thirty or forty years ago by my mom.

I held each up to the light to see their images that had slept for who knows how many decades. I quickly plugged in my scanner and began to digitize the negatives.

I found myself amazed at the capture of smoky light as it drifted through the trees.

The trees which, undoubtedly, were still standing in some unknown corner of the world.

Like messengers from an otherwise angelic planet, the beams of holy light lanced downward to the forest floor. It made me smile.

Among these images I found a shot or two of my mom, a photographer who—along with my grandfather—inspired me to take my own photographic journey though life.

I can’t wait for her to see these again.

<center><a href="http://teachinfourth.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekly%20Kodachrome/" target="_blank"><img alt="Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0e1GL4TLj1n6H-veDNFvj6gHUt_9-X1MWA6Qo-0zyEHW2dGTMl4JeI8v_q4AdNQxb8FADxYjLPhQnxl1rEPTU9B2N1_m9vVei9Ea8PXDRASzVKotvo4jseesUFUvqazg0pxtTAN75ao/s800/Weekly%252520Kodachrome.png"/></a></center>

Did you take a photo in the past seven days 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.

Joey Dosen't Like Kittys - Back by Popular Demand

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So, you wanted to be a trend-setter and be all the rage in your neighborhood?

Of course, Teachinfourth, but how can I do that?

I’m so glad you asked…

You could easily show how trendy you are—as well as display your true adoration for Moments with Joey at Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living—by owning your very own “Joey dosen’t Like kittys” t-shirt.

Rock on, TF!

Yep, it’s more real than a guest appearance on American Idol, and back by popular demand—but only for a limited time. That means you only have until March 31st to click that button located on the sidebar and make the magic a reality.

Oh yeah, baby.

So, what’s the nitty-gritty with the whole thing? Yeah, those details you’re just are dying to know about? Well, in a nutshell:

The shirts are the durable Port and Company 100% cotton (not those cheap, Fruit-of –the-Loom rags).
The default color is black, but if you’re dying for a color besides this, please make this known when you provide your mailing information…yeah, I’m kind of a miracle worker when it comes to this—not to mention astounding.
You have the option of selecting a women’s cut if you prefer (once-again, just include a message when you provide the mailing instructions).
The total cost is $15—postage, handling, and awesomeness is all included.

Was there anything else?

Oh yeah…It does take time to get the shirts ordered, screened, and then sent out. Please allow about three weeks or so into April before you start sending me hate email.

Really.

Now, go tell your friends and share this on Facebook, Twitter, email, snail mail, parcel post, or any other means you have to send out the message of Joey’s dislove of kittys.

On a side note, if you select the ‘screening only’ option, you'd better live close by and bring me a shirt. Otherwise, you'll get a great, big, steaming pile of nothing…mostly because I’m all about being responsible.

Photoshoot - Ian

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I've known Ian for a few years.

Half of his life, in fact.

You see, Ian was one of my students.

That was my first year as a teacher.

That first year seems a lifetime ago...

I'll never forget his captivating grin and eternal optimism.

He's grown into a fine young man.

How time flies.

Moments with Joey - Unspoken Thoughts

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SCENE 1, INTERIOR. LUNCHTIME. CLASSROOM. The teacher seated at the back table working on grades and eating his lunch at the same time; a 5th grade boy slips into the room. The teacher looks up in surprise because it’s only been two minutes since he’d dropped his class off at the lunchroom.

TEACHER: Did you even chew the food?

JOEY: Yep.

TEACHER: Well, you’re back so quickly, I wondered if you just sucked it down.

[The boy grins and heads back to the table. He flops into a chair and then leans on his arms on the tabletop].

JOEY: Mr. Z, I’m tired.

TEACHER: Nice to meet you, Tired, I’m Mr. Z.

JOEY: [Speaking in a swanky, deep voice like Joe Cool and flipping his head to the side with a ‘gun’ finger point]. Oooooh yes, you are...

[The teacher sits for a silent beat].

TEACHER: You know, that was just the tiniest bit creepy.

JOEY: [Speaking in his normal voice] Well, what can I say? I’m a weird kid.

TEACHER: I didn’t say that.

JOEY: I know, I did.

[Pause].

TEACHER: However, I have thought it a lot of times…

[The boy breaks into laughter].

Fade to black.

Weekly Kodachrome - 9 1/2 Years

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I took a photograph 9 ½ years ago; the boy was 9 ½ years old. It's now 9 ½ years later that I take another. The years compress and bind the living moments between these lives, like the folds of an accordion playing the soundtrack of life.

And he’s still her little boy…

<center><a href="http://teachinfourth.blogspot.com/search/label/Weekly%20Kodachrome/" target="_blank"><img alt="Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0e1GL4TLj1n6H-veDNFvj6gHUt_9-X1MWA6Qo-0zyEHW2dGTMl4JeI8v_q4AdNQxb8FADxYjLPhQnxl1rEPTU9B2N1_m9vVei9Ea8PXDRASzVKotvo4jseesUFUvqazg0pxtTAN75ao/s800/Weekly%252520Kodachrome.png"/></a></center>

Did you take a photo in the past seven days 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.

Media of the Week - Eileen's Song

Pin It It was probably fourteen years ago that I first heard this song by Burlap to Cashmere. I will never forget how it resonated within me on that first play, and I found myself trapped within its chords and melodies.



I could write about the memories this song evokes—back in my days as a college student and a PE teacher at a local elementary school, just a few blocks from my apartment—a school long-since torn down to make way in the name of progress and moving forward; I could write about the sidewinding of streets of memory and the days when I was living on little to no income, driving home for the summers on a wing and a prayer in my shoddy little car that was held together by bailing wire and duct tape…my constant worry if it were going to break down somewhere on that arduous twelve hour journey. I could write about how I learned to play this song on the guitar, though I still couldn’t sing it very well without the aid of my brother singing harmony. I could write about the passing of loved ones along the way, and the hole it left in its crippling wake.

I could write about the person I used to be, someone vastly different that who I am right now. I could compose volumes about the changes that have affected me much as that little plot of school ground which experienced a generation of destruction and rebuilding a seemingly lifetime ago.

There is so much that I could write.

And still the song moves me...

A Cowboy Photoshoot

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If it is a horse: ride it, if it is a fence: fix it, if she is a lady: treat her like a queen.

If you get thrown from a horse you have to get up and get back on, unless you landed on a cactus; then you have to roll around and scream in pain.

Always drink upstream from the herd...and if you see a rope laying in the yard, be careful picking it up, there’s probably a horse on the other end.

Nobody ever drowned in his own sweat. 

Always take a good look at what you’re about to eat. It’s not so important to know what it is, but it’s critical to know what it was.

Talk slow, talk low, and don’t talk too much – John Wayne 

Don’t go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path. . . and leave a trail.

Riding: the art of keeping the horse between you and the ground.

If you’re riding a high horse there’s no way to get down gracefully.

You can take the boy out of country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.

Selling Out

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I’ve gotten a few emails lately.

It appears that several sites are interested in helping me to ‘monetize’ my blog. All I have to do is to put a few advertisements and links on this site allowing you to shop to your heart’s content when you’re finished reading over the various and sundry aspects of my life’s adventures.

Now my friends, what could possibly be the better than this? You could do all of your shopping by wildly clicking away, and I will be raking in the big bucks.

Sounds like the Covey win-win to me.

Besides, you probably won't even notice them...they'll be SO discreet and cleverly situated that they won't deter from the site at all.However, I know that I personally can’t stand when a site has so many advertisements slathered all over it that you can’t even seem to breathe…but hey, that’s just me. YOU on the other hand would probably love it.

After all, what would be better than everything you possibly would never want right at your very fingertips?

Am I right?

Of course I am.

So, here’s to me bowing down to the whims of the corporate dollar and bringing us all closer together.

Okay, maybe no bowing quite yet, but perhaps sometime in the near future…


Until then, enjoy Adventures & Misadventures

of Daily Living ad free for just a little bit longer.