Why Valentine's Day Means a lot to me.

I love, love, love Valentines day. Candy hearts with messages, chocolates, red roses, and teddy bears. All the cheesy Valentine's tchochkies often make me giddy when I see them. I love all the cheesiness of the holiday.

The most fun I would have all school year was writing out my little Valentine cards! I continued that traditon when I got my first homeroom class. They always got a Valentine's day card. I also made sure that the kid that was most likely to not get something, always got a nicer card than the others. Quite frankly, many times my card was the only one that they recieved ( I taught middle school).

As a child after they stopped making it mandatory to get Cards for all your classmates, I didn't get one. Was I a loser? I would like to think that I wasn't, but I probably wasn't the most likeable kid. My parents were strict. I talked too much. And quite honestly the odds of me being able to actually have a boyfriend in elementary school were slim and none. I was asked a few times, but my father was stricter than God in the Old Testament. So having a boyfriend was a definite no no.

But in my heart of hearts I always secretly coveted folks roses, candy, and teddy bears. My mom knew this so she always made Valentine's day a really, big deal. She would always go all out for the holiday. My Valentine's day drought continued for many years.

Fast forward to my Senior year in High school. I received a dozen roses and ballons, From the Atrium, our local florist! You couldn't tell me anything. I was working in the office and delivering everyone's gifts, and to my surprise there was actually one for me. My husband doesn't know it, but that day kinda sealed the deal for him. I knew I loved him, but that day I knew I always would. Those roses and that balloon are pressed in the pages of my Senior memory book.

So it kinda makes me a bit sad when I see and hear men complain about not wanting to buy the gift. Valentine's is a made up holiday, etc. etc. etc. This is unacceptable. To the men that are complaining about getting Valentine's Day gifts, and how much of a chore they are, stop it. Most women just want to know they are appreciated or admired. And most of us married women, just want to know that you still like us enough to want to suprise of with something nice.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's the New Year, (Well It's the fifth)

Well since I haven't been updating my blog regularly. I figured I would start this year. Unfortunately, I am using the 5 day grace period. I feel like this year is gonna be one of tremendous growth for me.

• My buzzword/ theme for this year is timely. If I can just be more timely in dealing with people, situations, Life would be so much better!


• Me time is also on my agenda. I need to pamper myself more. Or at least do the bare minimum. I have 3 kids, a husband, a baby brother, and a mother that I like to think I am responsible for. But everyone on that list except for the kids will keep if I take some time . (In my brother's defense, he never asked me to be responsible for him. ) Like time to go and get my eyebrows done. Like find a hair dresser that makes housecalls. Like take time to paint my nails and my toes. Something. Just doing something for me.


• Sharpen my resume. I don't plan on leaving my job anytime soon, but since I last completed my resume, I have grown a lot. So I should put that on my resume!


• Make time for my side hustle. I crochet and make blankets for babies. But I am not doing it as often as I like and free doesn't cover the expense of the yarn This year I want to make my blankets, and work out my side hustles.


• Finally I want to be at peace with the decisions I make.

As you notice most of my goals are not quantitative, and that's okay. These are things that I can work on to continue to make me a better me.

Michelle Rhee Reform Express Derailed?

The Michelle Rhee school reform express came through Washington DC and left much carnage behind. Many teachers and administrators retired, quit, or were fired, and all in the name of the standardized tests. Now that Rhee is gone, and there is an investigation into test irregularities and complaints about students who scored well on the test, but were by no means proficient. It can be inferred that answers were changed from incorrect to correct, thus boosting the scores of several schools and raining down bonuses and praise for then Superintendent Rhee.

As an educator, I have ridden every educational wave of the past 30 years. The first 18 years as a public school student, and the last twelve either tutoring or teaching in some capacity. So I can say with a certainty that Mrs. Rhee did not encourage teachers to cheat directly. I am sure that she is as shocked as most who read the USA today article. I am not shocked. High Stakes testing is what truly needs to be reformed. When faced with the prospect of being fired or performing.. some will crack under the pressure. Is this right? Of course it is not. But when bonuses are tied to student performance, and job security is on the line, the ethical boundaries are often compromised.

Standardized tests have set a devastating precedent. All we want to hear is how well a school scored on a test. The raw data and the numbers are all that counts. Pundits and politicians alike have expressed the reformer’s view of why public education isn’t working. Everyone from the president to the media have diagnosed the problem to be teachers, and in the case of the media, the unionized teachers. Even President Obama says we are not innovative enough, and that is no surprise either, because thinking is not encouraged when students are only assessed via bubble sheet. The rush to produce measurable data defeats the purpose of learning. Research proves that over testing students doesn’t work. One only has to walk around the local mall, or your neighborhood fast food place to see that teaching to the test is not working. Students are no longer well rounded, and many can’t think or figure out how to maneuver situations without someone telling them explicitly what to do, and that is not shocking to me at all.

The Public Schools are compared to the schools all around the world, and our teachers and students have been found lacking. But did anyone stop to think that in other countries teachers are revered? Respected? Considered as Professionals? Of course that point is often missed. Teachers are entrusted with the country’s most important resource, but they are treated as if they are overpaid glorified baby sitters.

What makes someone a “good” teacher is often intangible. I had many good teachers, and they taught me to love reading, not read a book to take a test. They taught me how to do public speaking, and didn’t leave that out because it isn’t tested. They taught me lessons that I use in my daily life. There is no one size fits all approach to education! The reform movement is missing the point. The jobs of the 21st century are not being assessed by how well you test. They are being assessed by how well you perform and deliver results. Can you problem solve? Can you go beyond what is written and apply it? Don’t tie the hands of the teacher! Allow her to teach the kids where they are and help to mold them into the productive innovative citizens they need to be.

Just buy the school supplies already!

I awakened this morning to the following facebook post and responses..

Looking at my kids supply list for school..what they are asking is completely ridiculous...will they even use that many supplies this year??? Seriously smh.

Me too I was lookn at the kids list. I'm like this is truly sick....
I know right???...they should reallyhave a surplus at year end... smh

Now u know the some teachers add their kids list to the sheet hoping somebody falls for it!LOL

the list is a bit excessive. ziploc bags, 3 rolls of paper towels and 3 boxes of tissue... they can't afford tissue?

News flash parents! We are in a recession. so we understand that you have been hit hard by said recession. We get it. But consider this... last year we had a swine flu scare. Those clorox wipes and lysol the teachers requested, kept our swine flu cases down to 3. Guess what else?If you don't buy these items we buy them.

The school supply list and the wish list are just what they are called. If you can't afford the supplies on the list, trust me, we provide your child with the items they need. That wish list, is just that a wish list. We know we are not going to get everything on that list, but we ask because it is one less thing we buy out of our pockets.

Oh yeah, and that recession that you are experiencing? We are experiencing it as well. We haven't seen a raise since Buck was a calf, and sadly our class sizes have increased because teachers have been laid off. Let's just say that I am well aware of what has to be bought... If you don't buy it I will have to. Oh and think of all the years I have bought things for your kids... Mind you, at that point in time I didn't have any children.

Please be mindful of others. Especially the people that spend more time with your children than you do. That's right.. the teacher.

Okay, rant over!

Its Been a Year

Tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of the last time I plan to give birth. Tomorrow is my son's birthday. My little guy.. Mr. laid back, the Last of the Mohicans. The Very Hungry Caterpillar will be one tomorrow, and I am filled with more joy than you can imagine. Last year at this time I just knew I was gonna have this baby, and he wasn't due until October, and I just knew that he was too small and it was gonna be really bad. Thank God he didn't go with what I think. God knows all and best.