Wishing one and all an EGGS-ellent Easter!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Groundhog Day
At the end of last summer, we discovered we had a new neighbor. A cute little groundhog (also referred to as a woodchuck) could be seen from time to time coming in and out from under our nextdoor neighbor's deck. For those of you who have never seen one, a groundhog is about the size of a rabbit but with a face more like a squirrel and a tail somewhere in between the two. All four of us would get very excited to see our friend make an appearance now and then.
During the fall we noticed the groundhog would also go under the deck of our back door neighbors and under our deck as well. I did a little research and learned that groundhogs like to burrow and make trails underground. I imagined our little furry friend had quite the nice 3 -room apartment underground with long hallways connecting his three lairs, each located under a different neighbor's deck.
In the winter, after a fresh snowfall, we could see trails leading from under our deck to a group of three trees at the back of our yard. Undoubtedly, our friend had gone out for a stroll. When the snow finally melted, we found some discolored lines running through our yard, all leading to our deck. We tested them out and the ground did not sink beneath our feet, so we thanked out furry friend for digging his tunnel deep enough so as not to ruin our lawn and left him alone.
Yet, in late fall, or maybe early winter, or next door neighbors put out a trap for the little critter. It was a safe trap, so it didn't alarm us, but we wondered why our neighbor didn't find the groundhog as cute as we did. She doesn't have a garden, nor any nice landscaping to speak of, so she can't be concerned about the animal destroying her yard. Unless it was chewing wires under her deck, I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't like watching it. I've heard other people complain about chipmunks digging away so much dirt from under their front stoop that it collapsed, but I welcome my little chipmunks (or as Frankie calls them, chipmunkeys). There may be little holes among my carpet roses and day lillies, but I like them!
Last Wednesday, as Frankie and I arrived home after daycare and work, Mario announced that the groundhog had been captured and that he was going back out to check on him. Frankie and I went out to take a look as well. Here is a photo of what we saw:
During the fall we noticed the groundhog would also go under the deck of our back door neighbors and under our deck as well. I did a little research and learned that groundhogs like to burrow and make trails underground. I imagined our little furry friend had quite the nice 3 -room apartment underground with long hallways connecting his three lairs, each located under a different neighbor's deck.
In the winter, after a fresh snowfall, we could see trails leading from under our deck to a group of three trees at the back of our yard. Undoubtedly, our friend had gone out for a stroll. When the snow finally melted, we found some discolored lines running through our yard, all leading to our deck. We tested them out and the ground did not sink beneath our feet, so we thanked out furry friend for digging his tunnel deep enough so as not to ruin our lawn and left him alone.
Yet, in late fall, or maybe early winter, or next door neighbors put out a trap for the little critter. It was a safe trap, so it didn't alarm us, but we wondered why our neighbor didn't find the groundhog as cute as we did. She doesn't have a garden, nor any nice landscaping to speak of, so she can't be concerned about the animal destroying her yard. Unless it was chewing wires under her deck, I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't like watching it. I've heard other people complain about chipmunks digging away so much dirt from under their front stoop that it collapsed, but I welcome my little chipmunks (or as Frankie calls them, chipmunkeys). There may be little holes among my carpet roses and day lillies, but I like them!
Last Wednesday, as Frankie and I arrived home after daycare and work, Mario announced that the groundhog had been captured and that he was going back out to check on him. Frankie and I went out to take a look as well. Here is a photo of what we saw:
Mario stood a careful distance away, observing and taking notes. Don't ask me why. He was suddenly a mini-explorer who had discovered some new species. His notes included, "looks like a beaver, long tail, face looks like a bear, struggling," etc. Mario said that Beni had sent him next door to let the neighbors know they had caught the groundhog and they told him they already knew, so we assumed they called animal control.
Mario admitted to me at bathtime that even though he had been taking copious notes, he felt like crying seeing the poor animal locked up like that. Both boys were worried about Mr. Groundhog's fate, and I assured them that animal control would take him to the woods and set him free to live with the other groundhogs. Later, Mario routinely looked out the family room window to see if the groundhog was still there, and sadly, he was.
The next morning, Mario got up and got dressed and the next thing he did was run downstairs to look out of the window and see if the little critter was still there. He was. I know that he's an animal and used to the elements and it wasn't that cold but I really felt bad! I'm sure he was terrified - as per Mario's notes, he did struggle to get out. I'm sure he was colder than usual since he usually sleeps either under a deck or underground.
I told some friends at work about the situation and they said that animal control would have come before dark if they had been called when Mario went over to tell them. This leads me to believe they did not call. For this reason, I am not too pleased with my neighbors. All day at work I worried about the groundhog and planned on calling animal control myself if he was still there when I got home. I also wanted to report my neighbors to the animal cruelty society. Maybe PETA would come and throw red paint on their house! Luckily, by the time I got home, he was gone, cage and all.
Although we are sad to see our neighbor go and will miss him, we wish him well in his new, more animal-friendly home and we just want him to know that he's free to move back in under our deck any time.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Spirit Needed
Yesterday, we had a mid-week, end-of-the-day pep assembly and I wondered . . . Why do I have have so much more school spirit than 90% of the students at my school? Granted the trek down to the gym can be tedious, not only because my classroom is farther from it than most other rooms in the building, but because you can feel like a cow in a cattle drive, yet I still feel like stomping when I walk into the gym and hear the marching band. For the first time in my 11 years working at East, we finally have an MC that is funny and cool and a student body president who the kids respect and can really work the crowd and still the kids in the stands won't shut up! You know, the he-said-she-said just can't wait another 50 minutes until the assembly is over. Why are the teachers, and only some of them, applauding while the spring sports teams are making their way around the gym floor? The worst of it is when students just get up and start walking out of the gym from the stands while someone is still talking or making announcements from the gym floor. I loved assemblies when I was in high school and I still do. When I first started working at East, they were pretty lame, not to mention dangerous. I once got hit in the head with a flying pencil from the top of the bleachers and it HURT! Fights used to break out mid-rally. Now, they are so much more entertaining and yet, the students still don't care. I think it may all be a part of kids in today's society growing up too fast. It's just not cool to have school spirit.
Maybe that's why on red and black Fridays the teachers are wearing more red and black than the students.
Maybe that's why on red and black Fridays the teachers are wearing more red and black than the students.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A Song Sans Sense
I am writing this entry at the risk of my friend Jennifer telling me I sound like an old lady - again- but I just can't resist.
I enjoy a wide variety of music, from oldies to pop to rock to some hip-hop and rap. I have been known to bust out some old school rap for my students from time to time, given the right inspiration. In my repetoire: "Nothing but a G Thang" Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg; "Baby Got Back" Sir Mix-A-Lot; "Whoomp, There It Is" Tag Team, some classic Jay-Z. Today, I must say that the genre of music my students listen to has gone over the edge! It's just too darn much!
I have a student in class, D. I have him two periods in a row, for two different classes, journalism and creative writing. So today, D, who knows about my wide variety of musical tastes through my creative writing Song of the Week, asks if I want to listen to this song on his mp3. I say sure, and he holds his headphone up to my ear. Here are the lyrics to the chorus:
She be dancin' with no panties on,
She bow-legged,
She bow-legged.
Me: Who sings this song?
D: Haitian Fresh and Pleasure P (I can only guess what the P stands for)
I am confused. Is this supposed to be an attractive image? 'Cause it's not! Generally, adults who are bow-legged don't fall into the super-model category nor are they very rhythmic or graceful. That being the case, why would anyone want to see her dancing sans underwear?!!
Okay, so "Baby Got Back" is all about Sir Mix-A-Lot's admiration of bodacious booties, but the song has a sense of humor. This "No Panties" song (yes, that is the actual title - I looked it up) is an R & B song. The kind that uses the newly popular synthesized vocals, so synthesized that it is, in fact, hard to tell what is being sung. But it is serious! I didn't listen to the whole thing (and maybe I should have first before I began my rant) but it definitely wasn't a black Al Yankovic spoof.
There are a lot of new songs out there that I DO like, so I don't think I'm "old" because I think this song is ridiculous. This song just IS ridiculous!
I enjoy a wide variety of music, from oldies to pop to rock to some hip-hop and rap. I have been known to bust out some old school rap for my students from time to time, given the right inspiration. In my repetoire: "Nothing but a G Thang" Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg; "Baby Got Back" Sir Mix-A-Lot; "Whoomp, There It Is" Tag Team, some classic Jay-Z. Today, I must say that the genre of music my students listen to has gone over the edge! It's just too darn much!
I have a student in class, D. I have him two periods in a row, for two different classes, journalism and creative writing. So today, D, who knows about my wide variety of musical tastes through my creative writing Song of the Week, asks if I want to listen to this song on his mp3. I say sure, and he holds his headphone up to my ear. Here are the lyrics to the chorus:
She be dancin' with no panties on,
She bow-legged,
She bow-legged.
Me: Who sings this song?
D: Haitian Fresh and Pleasure P (I can only guess what the P stands for)
I am confused. Is this supposed to be an attractive image? 'Cause it's not! Generally, adults who are bow-legged don't fall into the super-model category nor are they very rhythmic or graceful. That being the case, why would anyone want to see her dancing sans underwear?!!
Okay, so "Baby Got Back" is all about Sir Mix-A-Lot's admiration of bodacious booties, but the song has a sense of humor. This "No Panties" song (yes, that is the actual title - I looked it up) is an R & B song. The kind that uses the newly popular synthesized vocals, so synthesized that it is, in fact, hard to tell what is being sung. But it is serious! I didn't listen to the whole thing (and maybe I should have first before I began my rant) but it definitely wasn't a black Al Yankovic spoof.
There are a lot of new songs out there that I DO like, so I don't think I'm "old" because I think this song is ridiculous. This song just IS ridiculous!
Friday, February 13, 2009
On Your Mark . . Get Set . . . Lactate!
This is a story I couldn't resist. One of my colleagues, C, told me this one in the English office this week. It was too good not to share, and I am posting it with her blessing.
C teaches a Speech class in the evenings for a group of students who are taking it as an independent study since they didn't have room in their schedules. During class C was telling her students about a time in the past when some women from La Leche League came to speak in one of her classes (I think it had something to do with living different lifestyles). She asked the students if they knew what La Leche League was. They had no idea.
C: Okay. Some of you speak Spanish. What does it sound like it might be?
Student 1: Well, leche means milk.
C: Right. So La Leche League is a group of women that breast feed.
Student 2: So, you mean, like, it's a competition?
Speech text: $50. . . Extra pay for teaching a class at night, $0. . . Hysterical student comments- PRICELESS!
C teaches a Speech class in the evenings for a group of students who are taking it as an independent study since they didn't have room in their schedules. During class C was telling her students about a time in the past when some women from La Leche League came to speak in one of her classes (I think it had something to do with living different lifestyles). She asked the students if they knew what La Leche League was. They had no idea.
C: Okay. Some of you speak Spanish. What does it sound like it might be?
Student 1: Well, leche means milk.
C: Right. So La Leche League is a group of women that breast feed.
Student 2: So, you mean, like, it's a competition?
Speech text: $50. . . Extra pay for teaching a class at night, $0. . . Hysterical student comments- PRICELESS!
Johann Sebastian Batch
Here's another story from my 10th hour Writer's Workshop class. It shows how out of touch our young people are today when it comes to cultural trivia.
So we're reading a poem, "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes. The students read it once on their own. Then I ask them if there are any words they didn't know and we clarify. In terms of the language, this is pretty straightforward poem but I ask all the same.
Me: Are there any words you're not familiar with?
T: Yeah, what's batch?
Me: Batch?
T: Yeah.
Me: (Thinking "I don't remember reading that word in this poem and shouldn't a senior know
what batch means?") Where is that word? What line?
T: (He reads the line) Bessie, bop, Batch (In the poem, Hughes was referring to the types of records he likes to
receive as Christmas gifts).
Me: Oh, that's Bach. It's pronounced Baa -k. He's a composer. You've all
heard of Bach haven't you? (Blank stares) You know, like Mozart or Beethoven?
Class: Oh.
I left it at that. Hopefully they know what a composer is, or they'll think Bach was St. Bernard like the one in the Beethoven movie.
So we're reading a poem, "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes. The students read it once on their own. Then I ask them if there are any words they didn't know and we clarify. In terms of the language, this is pretty straightforward poem but I ask all the same.
Me: Are there any words you're not familiar with?
T: Yeah, what's batch?
Me: Batch?
T: Yeah.
Me: (Thinking "I don't remember reading that word in this poem and shouldn't a senior know
what batch means?") Where is that word? What line?
T: (He reads the line) Bessie, bop, Batch (In the poem, Hughes was referring to the types of records he likes to
receive as Christmas gifts).
Me: Oh, that's Bach. It's pronounced Baa -k. He's a composer. You've all
heard of Bach haven't you? (Blank stares) You know, like Mozart or Beethoven?
Class: Oh.
I left it at that. Hopefully they know what a composer is, or they'll think Bach was St. Bernard like the one in the Beethoven movie.
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