tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70060306961239584862024-03-05T13:58:14.055-08:00Mr. Nelson's Tie of the DayEnjoy my version of the tie of the day and a little bit of ranting and rambling.Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-31670571628362749372014-08-15T21:40:00.000-07:002014-08-15T21:40:08.079-07:00Sooooooooooo, I suppose it's been some time since I last typed anything here on this blog. It was fun to do and I enjoyed the comments and conversations I had regarding the blog and the ties. Please feel free to comment as it makes the blog worth doing and more fun for me. Of course, I will have the intention right now at the busiest time of my year with school starting and planting season quickly approaching. I will preview a few of the topics I intend to get back to and give you a couple teaser videos showing some of the ties I wore through the 2013-2014 school year. This year, I intend to do something a little different than I have ever done with my ties. News on that later, I think it will be fun.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzx8clhgzMBWhrRx8mI56yk8WI5nVIvxknDZ63NL5I4oKpzW03LMy8pVrnGxMIvVxfuSaMEOaVXTer0d8d1CQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Possible Future topics:<br />
Why wear ties?<br />
Why not other kinds of ties, isn't just neckties boring.<br />
A primer on building an outhouse.<br />
Dad and daughter days (expect a cuteness overload)<br />
Son and Dad day (expect a lot of arm punching and fart noises)<br />
A list of my heroes<br />
Random stories, lots of random stories.<br />
Real life people from my world that inspire me.<br />
My Kiwanis club and why I am part of it.<br />
What's right with our schools.<br />
Old tech that I love.<br />
A bunch of farming stuff...<br />
A bunch of creative teaching stuff...<br />
A bunch of stuff where the truth may suffer for the sake of the humor...<br />
Lots of these elipsessesss ...<br />
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I will also do suggestions, but I warn you I might be a bit unreliable.<br />
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<br />Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-32361134974987420702012-12-14T18:28:00.003-08:002012-12-14T18:28:46.147-08:00Sandy Hook School Tragedy<br />
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<b><i>Sandy Hook School Tragedy</i></b></div>
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I found out first from a colleague. My first thoughts were not the worst. I felt bad that it happened again, but the magnitude hadn't set in. We were standing in a room of children working Math problems and, of course they had no idea. So, I continued the lesson, gave the assignment and sat at my computer to check the updates. I was interrupted continuously by typical classroom happenings and questions, but got enough of the story to be horrified. </div>
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As a teacher, I played through horrible scenes in a matter of seconds. Except the setting was here. In MY school. I second guessed many of my daily "routine" habits and realized I had become lax on some things that could prevent trouble. Very quickly I realized that it would be very difficult to prevent someone really determined from getting in here. At any school. Except, I do think our staff is very alert and could react in a hurry. We have taken precautions. We have a plan in place and it will be revisited again and again. </div>
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As a parent, I started thinking about my own kids. Were their teachers attentive to potential situations? Would they know where my kids are at every moment and be able to protect them from any harm? Again, this is an amazing staff. Some of the best professionals in the business are in this building and I know they would do their best to protect any child. However, there is just no way to know when and in what way a scenario will play out. </div>
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Back in the classroom, I wanted to shut the door and keep the kids as close to me as possible. I wanted to keep them in from recess and put adult guards at the door. I wanted to tell them that they were safe and that they could trust me and everyone else in the building to keep this from happening here. I wanted that for their benefit -and for mine. I resisted this, because I knew we were safe. I read a primary teacher's post on Facebook exclaiming that she gave each one of her students a tight hug as they left for the day. I wanted to do this too. And I'm not a hugger. My students are a bit older, so I high-fived each as they walked out the door and told them to have a nice and safe weekend.</div>
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The truth is (and every reader will already know this) that we can simply not control every aspect of our lives. We can take many, many actions to make our lives safer, but ultimately we just don't know how our end will come about. That is the scary part. That's what I fear about death. I guess a tragedy like this is supposed to get us thinking and re-planning and questioning. Perhaps that is what I can take from this. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuWofI3ha2_wpboY9RSmuVUgjMfT2q14dkWO3Z6y553ux7eyB-U32DBW1mVH6B7IQn4ywKpH6zTR6P4NfqU09_owZhGl5ssgIdQ7UG5xPan4NDAK1j79kVASWOLkFkTwokqvj0LMJC0E/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-12-14+at+8.26.34+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuWofI3ha2_wpboY9RSmuVUgjMfT2q14dkWO3Z6y553ux7eyB-U32DBW1mVH6B7IQn4ywKpH6zTR6P4NfqU09_owZhGl5ssgIdQ7UG5xPan4NDAK1j79kVASWOLkFkTwokqvj0LMJC0E/s320/Screen+shot+2012-12-14+at+8.26.34+PM.png" width="320" /></a>I feel great sadness and empathy for the people going through this horrific tragedy. It's impossible for me to wrap my head around any possible motivation for something of this nature. How screwed up does your wiring have to be to decide that this was the reaction needed for any situation? As the story is told in the next few days, I am sure there will be anger, fear and more sadness. I've stopped looking at the pictures on the internet for today- I can't stand the anguish and hurt I see in the parents' faces. I can pray for them.</div>
Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-4275088304480217692012-04-16T22:00:00.001-07:002012-04-16T22:00:29.978-07:00One Year, One Month, and One Day LaterIt's been a while and I feel bad about it. I really like to write this blog, but I really have a hard time "finding" time to write. I also have a hard time "finding" the motivation. And then its difficult to "find" a topic interesting enough to write about. So, tonight due to a little bit of obscure and out-of-the-blue inspiration, I am going to steal the time and force the motivation. Taking the time from when I should be sleeping probably isn't wise, but I do it so often that its easy this time. The topic, I suppose, is to catch up all my readers (thanks mom!) on the changes in my life. I know that I am not a fan of long posts so I will break this one into three parts and attempt to keep it brief, but WARNING: I am a rambler.<br />
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There have been some major changes in my life and more are coming. I am trying to glean as much as possible from these experiences and as usual try to find my purpose and role in each. Looking for the silver lining has become a habit as much as a survival mechanism. In other words, I don't have as much control as I'd like, but I try to spin it to make me feel better.<br />
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The first major change has really been gradual. It happens to us all, and I am sure it has happened to many of you. This is the first time it has happened to me. At least like this. Everyone gets older and we all aspire to keep doing so. It is such a wonderful thing to watch your children grow up and mature. Its a great thing, with a few horrible times (middle school) thrown in, to grow up yourself. It is such a bittersweet thing to watch your older family members grow old.<br />
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I am very close to my grandparents. They have had a pretty big hand in who I am. Grandpa taught me the farming and so many other things (I'll save those for another blog post). Grandma helped me appreciate food to the fullest. What an amazing cook she was. She still dabbles in the kitchen, but it has gotten very hard on her. She is 84 and has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She has been living with it for many years now and has been very admirable in the fight against it. She is losing. It is claiming her slowly.<br />
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Grandma was born in 1927 and grew up in the time where women in the country grew up as strong as the men. She worked on her parents' farm in Eastern Oklahoma and has some very interesting stories of those times. When she graduated high school they asked her back to teach for a short time. She then went to work at Woolworth's in Enid, OK and met my grandfather while he was working as a soda jerk (How's that for a stereo-typical, movie picture worth story?).<br />
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She and Grandpa and Mom moved from Oklahoma to Kansas to Illinois, then back to Kansas and finally settled on grandpa's family farm in Oklahoma. She was a preacher's wife, and most often also worked herself. She has worked for companies such as Vulcan, Farm Bureau, and John Deere. She was a full time mother, preparing amazing spreads at each meal and doing all the household duties such as ironing, sewing, canning, washing, etc. She even raised two other kids (cousins) from her extended family for several years.<br />
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I point these things out to illustrate what type of woman she was. She was active and strong. She was bright and proper. She was proud and extremely loving.<br />
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She was such a positive part of my life that it hurts to write the rest. As stated before she is losing her fight against this dreadful disease. It is not sudden and it is not kind. I hate this particular disease because of what it is doing to her. It is taking away my grandma who is an amazing person and quite frankly one of the nicest, most caring people I have ever known. It has turned her into a weak, confused, overly dependent patient. Fortunately, she hasn't demonstrated the meanness, but we know it is coming. It is not necessary to continue with this train of thought as it is painful both for me and the reader and serves only to bring us down and focus on the negative.<br />
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Despite all the negative effects, I believe that she has really fought it to the fullest. Grandma has done crosswords all her life well (I bet she can whip your grandma at Wheel of Fortune). She was a book keeper working with figures and troubleshooting issues within the corporate world for years. She stayed active in the churches, community and at home. She ate well and has watched her health well. I think this has helped her retain much of her brain power.<br />
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This has prompted a change in the way we do things on the farm. She still works the garden as much as she can, but does so mostly at the direction of grandpa (on second thought that may not have changed much). She can make the meals, but has to be looked after through most of the process. She still demands to do the dishes and almost gets angry when you suggest she stay in her seat and let you do it. My mom is the best at this and grandma usually lets her. Grandma follows grandpa out to the wood shop and helps him with his "tinkering." She wants to be near him. She checks on him constantly and feels that she has to watch after him.<br />
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I go to the farm at least every-other weekend and help with the farming/gardening/whatever-the-heck-else. Usually, my little buddy, Joshua is with me. He loves his grandmother and looks after her when he needs to. On occasion, grandpa needs me to take him to town to buy parts, supplies, etc. This is something much more difficult to do with grandma in tow. Joshua can stay with her. She really can take care of herself, but what Joshua does is answer her questions that come shortly after we leave and very often. He is very patient and I am extremely proud of how respectful he is. She might read his T-shirt a dozen times a day and ask him the same questions over and over. He answers every time.<br />
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Through this horrible metamorphosis, grandma greets us every time with a big smile and a "I'm so glad you came to see us." She stays positive and really feels she is doing fine. When I ask her how she is doing on the phone her reply is always, "Pretty good for an old lady." I love that she is so cheery and full of heart. I love my grandma.<br />
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<br />Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-43872395685643328842011-03-14T21:36:00.001-07:002011-03-14T21:57:49.947-07:00Einstein's Education QuotesThe following are quotes by Albert Einstein illustrating his view of education. I hope that he would see us today as having progressed quite a bit towards his ideals. In my humble opinion, I believe that especially the last one has changed and that the word "most" no longer applies. The first three are pretty much my philosophy of education.<br /><div><br /></div><div><b>Einstein's Education Quotes:</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty.</div><div><br /></div><div>Never regard your study as duty, but as the enviable opportunity to learn to know the liberation influence of beauty in the realm of the spirit for your own personal joy and to the profit of the community to which your later work belongs.</div><div><br /></div><div>The aim (of education) must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, can see in the service to the community their highest life achievement</div><div><br /></div><div>Humiliation and mental oppression by ignorant and selfish teachers wreak havoc in the youthful mind that can never be undone and often exert a baleful influence in later life.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the teaching of geography and history a sympathetic understanding (should) be fostered for the characteristics of the different peoples of the world, especially for those who we are in the habit of describing as "primitive."</div><div><br /></div><div>Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover that what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing.</div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-80018529840134293222011-03-14T19:31:00.000-07:002011-03-14T21:36:17.089-07:00Einstein's Birthday & Pi day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZOcTXokXUCItLIfRUuFK1SG1GgTCUDmzxMRwOdG62C67XvvRAMtD6d12AmXUGi-gb4uvKONpQqU3340gwawqnhtQUetacircPz-amY4J0Vio_MbjcOhdewFE07r0tAi0Hx4LItjowAk/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-13+at+10.09.23+PM.png"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrarAeP4Tzm0mOSXlzIQ58UB2UNTDFRxE-wyTKm3Vfk04OWeCsgtY9GmXJYbKm2ba_D2ph9hxQTqLVRnRpThpsGP3P6OZ4T5gpsya3Azmp1VpKeE4NDBt79IkCwFZwwMjEyv1dqnCVrM/s1600/IMG_20110314_194017.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrarAeP4Tzm0mOSXlzIQ58UB2UNTDFRxE-wyTKm3Vfk04OWeCsgtY9GmXJYbKm2ba_D2ph9hxQTqLVRnRpThpsGP3P6OZ4T5gpsya3Azmp1VpKeE4NDBt79IkCwFZwwMjEyv1dqnCVrM/s320/IMG_20110314_194017.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584138468007154546" /></a>Happy Birthday Einstein!<div><br /></div><div>I think it is a great coincidence that Einstein has his birthday on Pi Day. Of course they are completely unrealated, but I like the thought. I will have to get a Pi tie. I have an Einstein tie. I bought this one at a Reading conference in Denver, CO. I had a great time with a few good fellow Reading teachers.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really have grown to love the idea of Einstein. It is not the fact that he was the "smartest man in the world" or even the father of the atomic age. Einstein was no doubt a gifted man beyond comparison. Yet, to me it was his humble attitude and willingness to support humankind that makes him worth looking up to. He took his position of fame and intellectual role model seriously. Did you know that Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel? He turned it down.</div><div><br /></div><div>He was a great man and made many great observations. Some of his greatest education quotes are posted in the above entry.</div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-49342755666516736972011-01-24T20:36:00.000-08:002011-01-24T21:04:03.528-08:00"GIRAFFE"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij53h63LOIgEZO07NQ2bDvOz1IYGa5v-3A66CSGcYhkmmDvNI51mLaujxyOD9w0GnpZREC7WyoMNk-thHCkxHhFDA8ax6nrQsJ8nMbXzPfcGRr21vzzbhVsC5aBrnSAvVxIty-23qZcJ4/s1600/IMG_20110116_134534.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 117px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij53h63LOIgEZO07NQ2bDvOz1IYGa5v-3A66CSGcYhkmmDvNI51mLaujxyOD9w0GnpZREC7WyoMNk-thHCkxHhFDA8ax6nrQsJ8nMbXzPfcGRr21vzzbhVsC5aBrnSAvVxIty-23qZcJ4/s320/IMG_20110116_134534.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565978547712385090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhG1AF8tf7yaK0UWUxib47ZJch0cxSjRJJbueRmpsCywDQ9g6MhHPfQfbogk-5cbuEiLsows1shPs3C2mcoU_FlJD0g5G5o6nwSFtnJkutPmskPMStGxZ3PdKPLxmiyqmgjHgU4uqta9w/s1600/IMG_20110116_134542.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhG1AF8tf7yaK0UWUxib47ZJch0cxSjRJJbueRmpsCywDQ9g6MhHPfQfbogk-5cbuEiLsows1shPs3C2mcoU_FlJD0g5G5o6nwSFtnJkutPmskPMStGxZ3PdKPLxmiyqmgjHgU4uqta9w/s320/IMG_20110116_134542.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565978000700579298" /></a>This might be one of the goofiest ties I own. I didn't think I would wear it, but circumstances dictated I should. One of our amazing secretarial staff has a giraffe print purse. I expected to take a picture of it to share with the blog, but she has moved out of that purse and into another. (Why do women do that? I buy a computer bag and use it until it drops to the ground in shreds from wear and tear. I wear my shoes until they separate into more than three pieces. I currently have a pair on their third set of laces and second bottle of super glue.) I kept telling her I would wear this tie to match her purse. It is, as you can see a "Save the Children" tie. I think TIM-AGE 11 did a great job on the design. Except there are a lot of people that ask what it is. I imagine that is a first glance thing -clearly it is a giraffe. It seems to be missing it's nose.<div><br /></div><div>When I first came to teach in Pratt County, I worked with a small group of middle school teachers that had a collaborative time set up in their schedule to meet as a team and plan activities, strategies and lessons for the students. The theme was based on Advisor Based teams where the students were in "homeroom" groups led by the teachers. We did some great things as part of that time and I felt it was beneficial to the district. One of the neatest activities took place just before my time, however. Each group picked a person that they admired who had "stuck their neck out" in some manner. They had taken a chance at failure and gone ahead and risked doing what they thought was right. The main example that comes to mind was David Pelzer of "A Child Called It." The groups wrote letters thanking these individuals for sticking their neck out. The giraffe was used to symbolized that award. </div><div><br /></div><div>Recently, I received an award from the Ark Valley KNEA Uniserv District called the "Stick Your Neck Out Award." This one was represented by a crazy-eyed, crazy-haired ostrich. I loved it -and now I need a an ostrich tie. It was a nice surprise as I had not expected anything of that manner. Another close colleague of mine received one as well and I thought they were much more deserving. I may even have to award some sort of "Stick Your Neck Out Award" on this blog...</div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-49183949067982477672011-01-24T02:29:00.000-08:002011-02-21T18:58:21.861-08:00A Tie of Mourning ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEp95ix5kHElJaeWXWcUXpUTjNcdbjXOmHocVEvabA6cIAmgx8F9g5hyphenhyphenz2mBVxYKFAYZ_R47T0ozj34CUmdOlY4eR0HXdf0KNi2FUIpg7HeSjwOMIJltWpGfuEc-ARoEpjI0qRvczLew/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-02-21+at+8.53.44+PM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXEp95ix5kHElJaeWXWcUXpUTjNcdbjXOmHocVEvabA6cIAmgx8F9g5hyphenhyphenz2mBVxYKFAYZ_R47T0ozj34CUmdOlY4eR0HXdf0KNi2FUIpg7HeSjwOMIJltWpGfuEc-ARoEpjI0qRvczLew/s320/Screen+shot+2011-02-21+at+8.53.44+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576342068873114354" /></a>I wore this tie to the funeral of a former student, because "Taz" reminded me of him. The following was written the night I learned of his death.<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Please forgive us teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We are not cynical or depressed by nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It might be easy to understand how we sometimes can appear that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We give of our time and wit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We struggle to point all kids in the direction we feel is best for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We work hard to do our jobs the best way we know how.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yet sometimes we are meant with a disappointment that we just can’t avoid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></div><div> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Oh don’t feel sorry for us, though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To paraphrase a wise educator and former superintendent, “We volunteered for this duty.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Something in our drive and internal motivation has led us down this path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I believe that has to be an extremely high level of caring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Faith, Hope and Love:</b> each a large aspect of the caring we have for all of our students.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Every teacher has difficult students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every difficult student has their own story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Those stories are important in their own right, but to the teacher, it can’t matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We have to care for all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We have <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">faith</b> that they will turn out right, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">hope</b> that we can help them find their path, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">love</b> for who that student can be.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>One such student is strong in my mind as I write this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was difficult, but he was worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was one of those learners that forced a teacher to “modify” their approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thank God for those students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was not usually a discipline issue, but needed to learn in his own way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>He walked into the room with a great smile and always said Hello to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Often he had some witty comment or silly thought that played off my joking personality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’d actually look at me, too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You know when you have a person that is talking to you and they really look at you while you are having a conversation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This kid did that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It confused me a little, because I always thought he lacked focus –and I think he often did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Later I reasoned that it was a learned behavior of his that he had unconsciously developed to help him focus on the person he was interacting with. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>On top of that, he could move his pupils back and forth rapidly and really freak you out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was impressed that anyone could do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>This student was the subject of many conversations and strategy meetings amongst my fellow teachers and myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We questioned if we were doing him any good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He didn’t fit the traditional setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He managed, but fought with low grades and missing papers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sometimes he acted like he didn’t care, and other times he showed that he really did want to do well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He forced me to spend more time on projects and story-telling rather than notes and tests in our Middle School Social Studies classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For that alone, I owe him.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>I remember one “heart to heart” talk I had with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was aware of his problems and truly wanted to do better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Those that know me, know that to really be serious is somewhat off the norm for me, but in a true sit down “heart to heart” I can get pretty somber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This particular time I was even coarse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I said, “Dang it, [kid] is this really what you want people to see in you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Why aren’t you trying to do better?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His reply was that he wanted to but it was hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I continued, “What are you doing to help yourself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are you trying to get more organized?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Working on assignments outside of class?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Asking for help?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It bothers me that I don’t remember what he said in return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was more conversation, and even some tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yet it was what he said at the end that stuck with me the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>After all that rough talk and grilling, he really looked at me and said, “Mr. Nelson, I like you.” Usually I am flattered by that, but this was out of context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Not out of character, because he was a pleasant kid most of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>“How could you, right now?” I asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>His response as he walked out of the room: “I know you care.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">To hear that is every teacher’s hallelujah moment –but that was unexpected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When it is said from a student like him, you look back and wonder if you did what you could for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were times he did try hard, he did show up with all his materials, he scribbled away at his homework between classes, and times he tried to get my attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What did I do meet him halfway?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Literally, it takes the air out of you.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>I felt like that again Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I heard of his death through Facebook postings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I asked a colleague that spent countless more hours than I working with him, if she knew the details and she filled me in.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>It took the air out of me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>There were so many people that helped him on his way through school and into “real life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So many people that in return were rewarded by his smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>His class has a special place in my heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They were my first sixth graders at Skyline and I had the pleasure of following them in either Math or Social Studies for all three years of Middle School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They were a close-knit group and full of great times as well as challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We became close from the shear fact that we had so much history together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They have since graduated and moved on, but I can’t help feeling that a part of the group is missing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>He has left behind his legacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His two children will no doubt share the same smile, and I know his mother and sisters will be able to share with them how hard he worked to be a better person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s something they should be proud of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For me I’m proud of him, but disappointed that his life ended so abruptly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was just too soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I will be glad to honor him in prayer, and am thankful to have had him as part of my life.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-24394414563540965402011-01-17T19:50:00.000-08:002011-01-17T20:08:25.778-08:00Save the Children Tie #1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSY1EHUNhdVLUEZTcj9yXHdup9_wEWSSaR_2Rz-kkUnw5G6Bi0tFKLANkOUkNp7uwwTCU6GR0eO4IicGOPDvPreXeycH3hUNN5-obw2nBish91A6ewEBO2RASKee5HUonaDPeBAjTTlo/s1600/IMG_20110116_134119.jpg"><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSY1EHUNhdVLUEZTcj9yXHdup9_wEWSSaR_2Rz-kkUnw5G6Bi0tFKLANkOUkNp7uwwTCU6GR0eO4IicGOPDvPreXeycH3hUNN5-obw2nBish91A6ewEBO2RASKee5HUonaDPeBAjTTlo/s320/IMG_20110116_134119.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563368514025502914" /></a>I wore this tie on Wednesday, January 12. I wore to get myself back into the teacher mode. I was invited into a fifth grade classroom to teach the students how to get started with a classroom blog. I have taught since 1998 and was still nervous. That was short lived however, as the teacher and the students were a great audience and very welcoming.<div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned the subject was blogging. To me, that is the perfect thing for a fifth grader to start doing. Fifth graders really start getting into some meaty writing. One of the problems that students have with writing in school is that they just don't see a purpose. What happens with the end result? Traditional assignments pit the student against the teacher. They are writing for an audience of one. Blogging? They could potentially be writing for thousands. The particular blog site that I set up for them is a closed site and (for now) they will be writing for each other and a few of the adults that have contact with them during the day. That will give them a little sense of being accountable for what they say. They can share their ideas and opinions with each other -which is really the purpose of writing. I can't wait until they get going.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wish more of my friends and acquaintances would start blogging. I read some blogs and some great ones, but I'd like to encourage more people to start doing it. If anyone reading this would like some assistance, Please let me know. I can help you get up and writing in very little time. Or you can simply go to www.blogger.com and sign up. It's a great feeling when you start realizing people are reading and commenting on what you create.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy Blogging! </div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-74717243525259077982011-01-17T19:28:00.000-08:002011-01-17T19:47:02.706-08:00Mr. Potato Head<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-ikLO3EknbGZLyaSW-5fbbCiUxSSMPGK3JQMQgYtfOu67tMYG1vNC-c2ObEGgUKjK_Zzm0kPPqZrJhR3c44NhYlq7dLBmN4FYLt-eNKOadqId-94XRe8CcbQP0OAF8qq5b_04hTs_Ys/s1600/IMG_20110116_134418.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-ikLO3EknbGZLyaSW-5fbbCiUxSSMPGK3JQMQgYtfOu67tMYG1vNC-c2ObEGgUKjK_Zzm0kPPqZrJhR3c44NhYlq7dLBmN4FYLt-eNKOadqId-94XRe8CcbQP0OAF8qq5b_04hTs_Ys/s320/IMG_20110116_134418.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563362734423463266" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia">Who doesn't love Mr. Potato Head? I want to know if there is anyone out there that reads this blog (all three of you) that never had a Mr. Potato Head. Too bad. You really missed out. I wonder how your life would have been different to have a Mr. Potato to turn to when the world was getting you down. I had a Mr. Potato Head and both the kids have had at least one version of "Head" toy. Alea got one of those kits with a Corn Head, a Carrot Head, and uh... something else. </p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia">I have resisted buying a "Darth Tater" and an "Indiana Jones in the Taters of the Lost Ark." Rather, my wife won't let me buy one. I do have a Mr. Potato Head bank (see pic). My mother gave it to me. She got it as a freebie somewhere and thought of me - I think because of how much fun she knew I'd have with it and not just because of our similarities in physical girth. [Note to self: add to Halloween Costume Ideas]</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia">This tie is just simply fun. Real potatoes with Mr. Potato Heads scattered about. That's good times for the eyes! I'd like to shake the hand of the designer who came up with that crazy concept. </p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia">Here's a fun fact: The first Mr. Potato Head toys came out as just accessories to be use with a real potato. They were added as a prize to cereal boxes. For more of the fun history of Mr. Potato Head visit this site: http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/mrpotatohead.htm</p>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-68723950945690297052011-01-09T15:57:00.000-08:002011-01-09T16:24:56.008-08:00Looney Tunes Hockey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1utsaEzz002mXJNcmAeCkRAE_EryDaTOO6t1mRYuCYIiDM4Tve5tYXvkylzcahnDOeEZ0k_C6lTd6S_3xA93J1VwovLORnfqBxPx84hpH173up8-gitzhkoX9hIStnE8XzFI63gyCdxw/s1600/IMG_20110105_205611.jpg"><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1utsaEzz002mXJNcmAeCkRAE_EryDaTOO6t1mRYuCYIiDM4Tve5tYXvkylzcahnDOeEZ0k_C6lTd6S_3xA93J1VwovLORnfqBxPx84hpH173up8-gitzhkoX9hIStnE8XzFI63gyCdxw/s320/IMG_20110105_205611.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560339773435818802" /></a>Anyone for some hockey? 'Tis the weather. It is frightful outside right now, but no snow yet. I'm betting the pond at school is froze over (or is it frozen over?). I think it would be fun if we could have an impromptu hockey game. There are plastic sticks in the PE storage, but no skates. At our rural school, we all have a pair of cowboy boots hiding in the back of a closet. Pull 'em on and join us at the OWLS site! Oh wait there is the liability issue. That fantasy was fun while it lasted. Wouldn't it be fun to have teams of kids face off against each other? Better yet, wouldn't it be cool to have a staff member match? I'm betting I'd make a good goalie. I could at least take up more space at the net than other staff. However, there might be some colleagues of mine that would be a little too willing to check me into the wall. Maybe this isn't such a great idea...<div><br /></div><div>That's a sport we never get to play in KS or OK schools. My first actual exposure to hockey was watching with my suite mates in Denver my freshman year in college. It was an exhibition match between the Canada and USA Olympic teams. Our suite mate Nate got us the tickets. Nate was a great friend to have. He played soccer in college and was a local Denver-ite. He was our connection to tickets to so many things. I owe a lot of the cool experiences in college to him. We got tickets late and cheap. That meant sitting in McNichols Sports Arena (no longer there) next to the roof and behind a column. Bad seats and not much to see. I remember that one of the USA players hit one of the Canadians and left with a high-sticking penalty. Later, when I moved back to NWOSU for college I got the chance to see the Wichita Thunder play. It was a better venue and I'd like to go back. Maybe I will look for some tickets and take the kids. </div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-42767589996045374782011-01-09T10:22:00.000-08:002011-01-09T15:54:59.448-08:00Oklahoma Sooners Fiesta Bowl winners!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhyphenhyphenZdQPt0tykQIputUtcTOnWfmJzwgoLeRVVwTiRMdm1khoDmAfWUjl94tf2wNvYDalcMuGx66fI4wjC1H1dN9dNivk7Lquf_qLnMG35PCjHdJS9GB2yvPNc9lcdee5wyB2tc2szYAoo/s1600/IMG_20110104_200346.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvhyphenhyphenZdQPt0tykQIputUtcTOnWfmJzwgoLeRVVwTiRMdm1khoDmAfWUjl94tf2wNvYDalcMuGx66fI4wjC1H1dN9dNivk7Lquf_qLnMG35PCjHdJS9GB2yvPNc9lcdee5wyB2tc2szYAoo/s320/IMG_20110104_200346.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560253669414414914" /></a>I wore this OU tie on Tuesday, January 4 to celebrate the Sooners win of the 2011 Fiesta Bowl. I have to admit that I thought they were ranked way too high early in the season. When they lost to Missouri, I figured this would be another one of those years. Don't get me wrong, having gone to big bowl games the last few years with winning seasons is nothing to sneeze about. I was pleasantly surprised by such a good season. I like watching football and I love watching the Sooners play. I used to not make a very big deal about it in school. I didn't put up posters, or have a Sooners cup, or flaunt my OU shirt. Then I started wearing the tie and found out that the kids loved to talk about their favorite teams. Having taught in Kansas for my entire career, I get a lot of flak about being an OU fan. But, that's okay. Anything that gets the kids talking to me and helps me relate to them is a good thing. Conversations help build rapport, which is so important when dealing with students in any venue. I don't really hate any team, but I like to tease the kids that think Texas is a good team, or that Nebraska was the best team in the Big 12. I don't care who roots for who, and I have friends who are fans of both. I personally do cheer for both the Oklahoma teams and both the Kansas teams. I have learned that I can have conversations with kids that I don't have anything else in common with, just by the simple fact that they see my tie in passing. In fact, that really is why I like wearing all these different ties.Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-89446112442503882022011-01-02T18:28:00.000-08:002011-01-02T18:50:36.106-08:00The Leftovers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMdX4VpwOQcYrbqybL4U8XJJgEmZ-RJERgQzsIX_4RgVcRkmKQ1T4NkYjcWlc5DOfCUdnaTaqSNzmMNbxv-a0W1wu4Pwl0dciz9sk7ud17UENDu0HGYwAVWlVHsgpM09nSHyVeNRStrs/s1600/IMG_20101217_201602.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMdX4VpwOQcYrbqybL4U8XJJgEmZ-RJERgQzsIX_4RgVcRkmKQ1T4NkYjcWlc5DOfCUdnaTaqSNzmMNbxv-a0W1wu4Pwl0dciz9sk7ud17UENDu0HGYwAVWlVHsgpM09nSHyVeNRStrs/s320/IMG_20101217_201602.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557782577897667890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfYys-wA1cIsVXzZJlqQCUbJprzpKarU7sXgSYWjTFVnXYC2ORJWt9tNM895uJjkl0bvORjfQAcErQrdfeEUSLNmqdsOfpxnZsK1BxPUMsEHMEgEuPm0KBJDURkQ1IVXkhAhJll3zfkQ/s1600/IMG_20101217_195607.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfYys-wA1cIsVXzZJlqQCUbJprzpKarU7sXgSYWjTFVnXYC2ORJWt9tNM895uJjkl0bvORjfQAcErQrdfeEUSLNmqdsOfpxnZsK1BxPUMsEHMEgEuPm0KBJDURkQ1IVXkhAhJll3zfkQ/s320/IMG_20101217_195607.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557781217905885954" /></a><br />Here's the Ties I didn't wear this Christmas. The one on the far right has another music maker. A fellow staff member stopped in my office to see what I was wearing on the last day and expected me to have something fantastic for the last day of the break. I didn't really plan the last one out, so just had the Santa fishing tie. Bummer, I should have a really cool one, maybe with flashing lights, music and a confetti canon. Now I have to think about what I should have worn. In the past I have worn the Cut-out Christmas tree tie. Kids love it. I don't. It feels goofy when I wear it, but it is kind of funny. I have worn it nearly every Christmas I have been teaching, except this year. Jeez, so much for tradition. I know someone gave it to me, anyone remember who?<div><br /></div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-69884522919882030562011-01-02T06:49:00.000-08:002011-01-02T08:13:03.726-08:00Last Tie of the Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIlhsmFkwAFFGCI9JKnif3yraXGCXApa8MAlUruhTg05Ov6udn_mQKOQ3LPRTBx2E0qKrBHd3XgXo3ujXfM1qpCt5BhvM8TuKqz1xgg8YVywBFkElNYVTfC2IGj-q6-lL0bUOy4BJj8M/s1600/IMG_20101217_195237.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIlhsmFkwAFFGCI9JKnif3yraXGCXApa8MAlUruhTg05Ov6udn_mQKOQ3LPRTBx2E0qKrBHd3XgXo3ujXfM1qpCt5BhvM8TuKqz1xgg8YVywBFkElNYVTfC2IGj-q6-lL0bUOy4BJj8M/s320/IMG_20101217_195237.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557618899526049074" /></a>This is the last tie I wore in 2010. Another Christmas tie and one that I acquired in the bundle I got from ebay. Our HS principal has a Santa fishing tie, too. I like his better. This is a good tie, but doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? Why is Santa fishing for presents? And, why is he asleep? I hope my Barbie dream horse stable, doesn't get mold and snails on it - actually, ha ha, I meant my daughter's stable. <div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>She did get the Barbie Jet from Santa -not a stable. It is pretty impressive. Barbie lives the lavish lifestyle. In fact, it was so impressive that "the boy" left his work with me (putting together Legos) to play Barbies. I don't think it bothered him a bit either. </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>When I was a kid, I played Barbies when my sister forced and only then. I didn't want it getting out that I played with dolls. My G.I. Joes might laugh at me. I'm not sure that matters much anymore. I think if a doll has something as cool as her own jet, camper, pool and animal rescue shelter, anyone can play with it and not be ashamed. Pink is in vogue right? Plus, I bet with a little duct tape we can mount some missles on the wings, turn the water in the pool to acid and paint S.W.A.T. on the camper. That'll "boy it up."</div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-12546035687935366652010-12-21T06:56:00.000-08:002010-12-21T07:44:03.326-08:00Dr. Seuss' Grinch Who Stole Christmas ....Tie #2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujrGjyaOr6ng0gP3IRrw-qlQt1xK7sgd2bKDaVQshp70Yr3i6MReH3aoQE3gtxKLypnKXV_ZZyrZk_oYdZJKNzVutT4FdOO0ScMwDxKyGapazwCOFLKaFseuG4kOsj437oKXVVxKf2Vg/s1600/IMG_20101216_203613.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujrGjyaOr6ng0gP3IRrw-qlQt1xK7sgd2bKDaVQshp70Yr3i6MReH3aoQE3gtxKLypnKXV_ZZyrZk_oYdZJKNzVutT4FdOO0ScMwDxKyGapazwCOFLKaFseuG4kOsj437oKXVVxKf2Vg/s320/IMG_20101216_203613.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553152810595815298" /></a>This was Thursday's tie. Name the three most important characters from "the Grinch." Well, there''s the Grinch, Cindy Lou Who, and ... and.... ah, the dog. The dog's name is Max. What a great character! He doesn't say a word, but is observed throughout with his telling expressions and mannerisms. He associates with the Grinch, but in his heart he sees the good of something obviously malevolent. <div><br /></div><div>I recently read an article posted on Yahoo about the fact that our movies and popular culture were "graying" the line between what is bad and good. More specifically, who is the bad guy and who is just a good hearted character that's made some bad decisions leading up to the story at hand. Think Despicable Me. (Spoiler Alert!) The bad guy at the beginning takes in three orphans to use for his evil deeds, only to decide that he must go legit for the sake of his new family. (Is there a need for a Godfather reference here?) Same with the Grinch. His heart grew magically with his understanding of the Spirit of Christmas. I myself, will forgive him. He just needs some kind-hearted guidance... and a hug. That attitude aligns with the Spirit of Christmas and with my interpretation of what Mr. Geisel had in mind. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, can kids tell the difference between who is the bad guy and who is not? I think it is all in the spirit of the issue at hand. My son, Joshua is about as evil as they come in the eyes of his sister when he throws her stuffed (previously I had left out the word "stuffed" -that would be evil) cat across the room. But Alea writes a note about how much she loves him half an hour later. We encourage and foster this emotional flip-flop noting that just because a person does some bad things doesn't make them a bad person. Perhaps we should focus more on the consequences of those individual actions. That's where the stories and movies should take the criticism. What was the consequence the Grinch had to endure for breaking and entering, larceny, theft, public endangerment, and an attack on a community's religious beliefs? He was made a hero and got to carve the roast beast. Same thing in Despicable Me, and A Christmas Carol for that matter.</div><div><br /></div><div>... and then of course, there's the fact that these are both just stories created for the entertainment of children. Over- analysis not needed.</div><div> </div><div>I still think that The Grinch who Stole Christmas is one of the greatest Christmas stories of all time. A Christmas Story (Ralphie) is the best, hands down. </div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-71305711843229312352010-12-16T19:16:00.000-08:002010-12-16T21:11:00.779-08:00My first Christmas Tie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2queH0OikWzT0W97mvEk3QdjKXXPPVUwD0nh9gWW8c8mFbFxjZ6631BFr3Uwy6Ox70037S14bGlCt4y0i2uaEClN5ha9YMPMUbtN87_eu3HLWdGKxFtCLMygzwSOxy4_TXnXajnLWz2U/s1600/IMG_20101215_210934.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2queH0OikWzT0W97mvEk3QdjKXXPPVUwD0nh9gWW8c8mFbFxjZ6631BFr3Uwy6Ox70037S14bGlCt4y0i2uaEClN5ha9YMPMUbtN87_eu3HLWdGKxFtCLMygzwSOxy4_TXnXajnLWz2U/s320/IMG_20101215_210934.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551485013900298546" /></a>My mom got me this tie for the first Christmas I was a teacher. Despite all the other cool novelty Christmas ties, this is my favorite. I have worn it every Christmas as a teacher. That's 13 Christmas seasons. <div><br /></div><div>A few things have changed since then:</div><div>No kids to 2 wonderful little people hanging around.</div><div>Baby face to badly needing a trim of my goatee.</div><div>I owned three pair of slacks to a rack of pants.</div><div>I used a PowerMac 5200 desktop to a sleek new MacBook Pro.</div><div>Renting a little house with no A/C to owning a project house.</div><div><br /></div><div>SPEAKING of project house: </div><div>My wife wanted to finish up our Christmas shopping last night and so I decided to accompany her and the kids to Wal-Mart. I am not a fan of Wal-Mart (for various reasons, but mostly personal). Wal-Mart at Christmas times scares the heck out of me. So, please understand that I did not make the decision to go there lightly. </div><div>We spent nearly an hour and a half buying mostly things we could live without. Then back home for a relaxing evening playing a game with the boy and catching up on the computer (and writing this blog). </div><div>After the kids went to bed, I sat down on the couch and watched some Star Trek while working with the laptop. My wife complained about being cold, so I got up to turn up the heater. </div><div>Now, we have a lot of fun with the static created by the combination of the dry air, the carpet and fabric couch. I like to shock Joshua on the ear or Alea on the top of the head. My wife grabs my arm to ground herself every time I approach her. For some reason, the cat avoids me like the plague. </div><div>I went over to the thermostat and hit the up button to turn up the heat. Instantly a spark jumped nearly an inch between me and the thermostat. The digital display blinked out and wouldn't come back on. Nothing I did could revive it. I could turn on the fan, but not the heater. I replaced the batteries in the unit and hit the reset half a dozen times. I went to the company website and called the 1-800 number. Nothing. It was already getting cold, but it kept getting colder. </div><div>The choice was sleep on the living room floor in front of the gas fireplace or go get a new thermostat. Since nothing is open in Pratt at 10:30 except for Wal-Mart, I had to head back. I have not stepped in Wal-Mart since this summer. Twice in one day was just oddly improbable. Even so, I saw a Skyline patron there that had been there during my earlier trip as well. He too had a funny story. His wife was baking and since he was excited about the baking being done, he had to go after supplies for her. The things we do for our wives!</div><div>I finally got the new thermostat installed with a little help from the instruction manual and my wife. She was loyal though and I was really excited when I tested it out and it worked -first time. Surprised even. I finally crawled into bed about 1:30. I was very empathetic of the college kids pulling all-nighters before their finals. I sleep-walked through the morning routine and made it to work okay, but the day wasn't too bad. It sure seemed long though.</div><div><br /></div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-45743604197865478012010-12-14T20:05:00.000-08:002010-12-14T21:16:59.889-08:00December 25th Music Tie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE06vsp62uJbwxk20bWw2Ps2oDPIHFBZZBW_UljlGC9fEFF1s86-1o_zjqFU5qZ8to6fGZJ-XO52AS-yNSNs88eeNr1pRjBknPJJBl0MlAzDkVVGx02Om0HkRIllpSN9STTsrfS_RNEeU/s1600/IMG_20101214_164133.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE06vsp62uJbwxk20bWw2Ps2oDPIHFBZZBW_UljlGC9fEFF1s86-1o_zjqFU5qZ8to6fGZJ-XO52AS-yNSNs88eeNr1pRjBknPJJBl0MlAzDkVVGx02Om0HkRIllpSN9STTsrfS_RNEeU/s320/IMG_20101214_164133.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550756105314185026" /></a>This one's paired with my fine "Technology Specialist" Super Shirts. This was another one that former Pratt administrator and Dick McCall gave me. It was like brand new and of course, I was glad to get it.<div><br /></div><div>One of the best things about this tie is that it makes music. It has one of those little music inserts that when pressed plays Christmas music. I had another like it for awhile. I removed the music insert because it drew kids like a magnet. The problem is that the kept poking me in the belly! (yes, I do have a doughboy tie). That tie had to be disabled. This one is a lot nicer and since I am not teaching kids all day, it hardly is noticed. There really wasn't too much interest in the tie today, except that my daughter really liked it. She kept grabbing at it and experimented to see if it would stop if she pressed it again or start over.</div><div><br /></div><div>I did set it off accidentally a few times today. Twice I hit it getting out of the truck. Once it happened during Mrs. Hampel's first hour class. For those that aren't aware of my office/classroom situation, I share a space with an actual classroom. My area is a corner that takes on about a third of the space. It is divided from the rest of the room by tall bookcases and cabinets . </div><div><br /></div><div>Mrs. Hampel is the Publications (among others) teacher. Her first hour is 8th grade keyboarding. She has a timer set for about 5 minutes before the bell so that the students have time to log out and put their computers away. I thought that was going off as I opened a box at my desk. It didn't take me long to realize what the music was, but the class didn't know where it originated. They got very quiet and Mrs. Hampel asked "Is that someone's phone?" I was afraid someone was going to get in trouble. So, I kept as quiet as possible...</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, I 'fessed up. I really didn't think of the humor in it until later. Now I need to find that particular music for my ring tone and play it during class. </div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-49247052812907737432010-12-14T19:31:00.001-08:002010-12-14T20:05:06.954-08:00Looney Toons Christmas Tie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7dMNhCY1nAJTH-WZpjV6nfqvOp3kjxJU2qpAH37T_bJa6TKComO-ojJErwTpoV_3QTb0lRnV1q9xUcnvUQpGZtib_Wi5pAkJKgrknppOHmXbibNFEzMXKdbxOY3A4isDkjqTE0XpG4k/s1600/IMG_20101213_184007.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7dMNhCY1nAJTH-WZpjV6nfqvOp3kjxJU2qpAH37T_bJa6TKComO-ojJErwTpoV_3QTb0lRnV1q9xUcnvUQpGZtib_Wi5pAkJKgrknppOHmXbibNFEzMXKdbxOY3A4isDkjqTE0XpG4k/s320/IMG_20101213_184007.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550746634297024242" /></a>The Looney Toons tie. My wife has taken most of these pictures with my Droid phone. I haven't been very impressed with the camera on the Droid. However, I like how this one turned out. It's kind of an optical illusion. My SuperShirt paired with the visually impressive water mark of the Looney Tunes tie messes with the eyes.<div><br /></div><div>So is it obvious I don't have too much to say about this one? </div><div><br /></div><div>My first novelty tie was a Looney Toon one. I am sure I will blog about it as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>You also get a nice shot of my black felt tip pen. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-27616860876331906512010-12-12T19:31:00.000-08:002010-12-12T20:38:34.613-08:00Simpsons Tie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqySylh9n3XVMZDMZ_YGOcJoZ3Wna0ZVb291Ua3KDAS8vVIDY4_By_R5zhG72c5N_QqXwKRLS-KYfGW_bVXF9GejA-m0gNE9SHnlOQ78CwnTRAMRoy7t8smMuyISElO5bcIqkES1LQsY/s1600/IMG_20101212_213910.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqySylh9n3XVMZDMZ_YGOcJoZ3Wna0ZVb291Ua3KDAS8vVIDY4_By_R5zhG72c5N_QqXwKRLS-KYfGW_bVXF9GejA-m0gNE9SHnlOQ78CwnTRAMRoy7t8smMuyISElO5bcIqkES1LQsY/s320/IMG_20101212_213910.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550007769840368226" /></a><br />The Simpsons. Remember the controversy when The Simpsons first came on the air? It was a cartoon with too much bad humor. The kid was a punk, the adults were dumb, and the references were too sarcastic. Apparently America could relate. As a teenage kid, I could relate well with Bart. I was not much of a rebel myself, but I lived vicariously through the "Eat my shorts" antics of Bart and the "so intelligent I'm misunderstood" situations that Lisa had to endure. My favorite character was Homer, but my favorite secondary character was Ralph. He was so hilariously naive. Incidentally, Nelson the bully was one of my least favorite.<div><br /></div><div>I watched from the first season. I think it was on the same night as Beverly Hills 90210 on Fox. I only watched a season of that, but I watched every night The Simpsons was on for years. My favorites were the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes. I know I saw every episode of the first 7 0r 8 years. After that, I 'm not sure why I quit watching it. Perhaps, I grew out of the immature, cartoon watching phase. Yeah, probably not that. <div><br /></div><div>I have another Simpsons tie that I wear sparingly. My nephews gave me that one and I like it, but I wasn't so sure about wearing it to school. In fact, the first time I wore it at Skyline, the former superintendent Mr. Boland asked me if Bart Simpson was a good role model for our students. My answer? "No, I don't suppose so." My thoughts? "Most of these little snots act just like Bart." - oh not really! It is interesting though, that the kids really relate to the Simpsons' ties. It seems to be among the most commented on by the kids. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I have gotten older I tend to relate more and more with Homer (not to mention I'm starting to look more and more like Homer). He gets odd ideas, is always too sure of himself, and makes some stupid decisions. We both love donuts and sitting on the couch to watch TV. Today, in the midst of South Park, Family Guy, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and all the similar over the line cartoons, The Simpsons seems pretty mild. I do kind of miss it. There might be a need for a Netflix marathon over Christmas break. Or maybe I'll wait until the kids are a little older.</div></div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-6154687486587114882010-12-09T20:47:00.000-08:002010-12-10T20:38:26.646-08:00Tie and Cookies, Naughty and Nice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kAFrwaokRfiqGqp8k_zrFpzFOGjZCUDz9aj0IKLF3mBLTSd_NCU5Wf0aK9Ey0gz00XQdmEAfQiEaBPR8wHaLRf3ZUtEFIUENCDME3GFtwuoHvwHamAxvnc408s-qeIDkLRRvkwHOCXQ/s1600/IMG_20101208_230136.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8kAFrwaokRfiqGqp8k_zrFpzFOGjZCUDz9aj0IKLF3mBLTSd_NCU5Wf0aK9Ey0gz00XQdmEAfQiEaBPR8wHaLRf3ZUtEFIUENCDME3GFtwuoHvwHamAxvnc408s-qeIDkLRRvkwHOCXQ/s320/IMG_20101208_230136.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548932983758988002" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia">It's another Disney tie. Naughty and Nice. I was always nice before Christmas, weren't you? I might of harassed my big sister, annoyed my parents, and bullied my little brother -BUT, that one good deed of cleaning my room had to offset all of that. IT HAD TO! Come on Santa, please understand.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia; min-height: 16.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia">Someone's little girl is lobbying for the nice side.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia; min-height: 16.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia">See below.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia; min-height: 16.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia">She has been meeting with Mrs. Fortkamp and two other first graders twice a week afterschool. Alea always has fun and always has some interesting stories to bring home. Today she brought home something tasty. I love the note, it added so much. The best part is the half of cookie. You can start to see the Naughty peeking through now, can't you? This is from the little princess that picks up the M & M from the floor and says, "Joshua gets this one." Need more evidence? This last one, I laughed at for hours and still chuckle as I write. This particular transcript reads,</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>"Josh wants dipeers (diapers). I like Michell (Mitchell). Dad and Mom are spical to me. Josh Dus to. Dad is a Dorywck."</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Georgia">The fact that she writes "Dork" exactly as she pronounces it, is especially hilarious. She's such an odd child... I'm not sure the cookies are enough to override these malevolent deeds. Except that even if I was to give her a rock for Christmas, she'd love it -probably just to spite me : )</p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTo8pVvOPlmFAGurO_1V81zBuSXHEBpESjmE2I9RfnZVbWe006ytXh0cKZkVIrqD84bAW2jJBTBFKge7Lo9GEr_PqVYpFVpvlqNakDUDM2kFetYlXxjpza1sea4XDKZGs-tC63qDRhpYQ/s1600/IMG_20101209_170043.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTo8pVvOPlmFAGurO_1V81zBuSXHEBpESjmE2I9RfnZVbWe006ytXh0cKZkVIrqD84bAW2jJBTBFKge7Lo9GEr_PqVYpFVpvlqNakDUDM2kFetYlXxjpza1sea4XDKZGs-tC63qDRhpYQ/s320/IMG_20101209_170043.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548932907224755986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmyzZjdPCuxC1q3QWlaWdSIk38sBTPZeGT8Vy5WQvg5CfosDHKmmrBXKjSF_yq7cqMEziFAq6QS38ZwuQkVf4XQzCHtgCQsab4h3A79TafUuMAEqzRFtJp5APLAQdGnXUPQdaTesbxR8/s1600/IMG_20101210_000342.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmyzZjdPCuxC1q3QWlaWdSIk38sBTPZeGT8Vy5WQvg5CfosDHKmmrBXKjSF_yq7cqMEziFAq6QS38ZwuQkVf4XQzCHtgCQsab4h3A79TafUuMAEqzRFtJp5APLAQdGnXUPQdaTesbxR8/s320/IMG_20101210_000342.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548932821238618466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNIKhYtwS1FLoMpeXihefOqM5523-w47TH6fz8GfMtF9i7qALqt4yi07X53yFoZ04fjP6AOoe0L5mrz0DZ2DeTMto6ScUjt25Qw3eqcndg-E-_zh873Khq9QPZZO9G5g8oEh2T0wOIC8/s1600/IMG_20101208_230136.jpg"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-4ql8zUqihHsjOC873Z8XyTmaegnYazjP3Ttpw712pNeNopO1EtlA1PhaM3dOwMCM9J6tc-cDgMSPnTChI1flDX8MC9ORRR62aTWTllEb_mC7lXH5AhWmezsl4IT5X4D7grhzweViAc/s1600/IMG_20101209_170043.jpg"><br /></a><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIUTYO8itGEQG1QkuPI2nqXX9OOj-dblqAG8WTyfLBAzhrTG4HR3itSJkNW5CYsqsO3c4PsX4tRp4m3VcYKNPJbHAUD0nHbwVIUSzQzJ99MMb9IkAFKu4h19WLR9v-nncsCJEmxZZp_s/s1600/IMG_20101210_000342.jpg"><br /></a></div><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><br /></div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-32670610148577647812010-12-08T21:36:00.000-08:002010-12-08T22:00:59.886-08:00An Odd Santa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZckW-_9p-BPBBgHgKxXnZaj3xJpjHOfjZq2ALySV-wZ3YMP21u_HU0cLtmdN8ql26GvHtHsKs8Ku0wUD4HhJ1uvw2sEuu0YD7WubSnYDcVdQ1CZFpMX22ixGiTpJ47bcg9_DUk-uLOSA/s1600/IMG_20101208_171829.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZckW-_9p-BPBBgHgKxXnZaj3xJpjHOfjZq2ALySV-wZ3YMP21u_HU0cLtmdN8ql26GvHtHsKs8Ku0wUD4HhJ1uvw2sEuu0YD7WubSnYDcVdQ1CZFpMX22ixGiTpJ47bcg9_DUk-uLOSA/s320/IMG_20101208_171829.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548553296239936994" /></a>This is a pretty odd tie. What's up with Santa? I am pretty sure his nose isn't <i>really</i> that big. Is he telling the reindeer to get up on the roof? Yeah, I know... It's just a tie. I think I got it in the bundle of ebay ties. On the tag on the back of the tie is the Hallmark brand. I thought it might be a The Far Side drawing, but there is no evidence of that on the tie. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Here's my favorite Gary Larson's The Far Side Comic with Santa:</p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0vFHhRsIIqZDWHUsfGWTiBWA3knlZhBwgxUw60AAxW93i6lCoF8EBIgizf0wSFUVSO2nCmexQGM6KC6PTzHO4Blo-xkmTCJeL_bw4pbW1m4wZwutIeUNWNHFrLrmBeOAGEysIfEJ2GI/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-12-08+at+11.57.46+PM.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0vFHhRsIIqZDWHUsfGWTiBWA3knlZhBwgxUw60AAxW93i6lCoF8EBIgizf0wSFUVSO2nCmexQGM6KC6PTzHO4Blo-xkmTCJeL_bw4pbW1m4wZwutIeUNWNHFrLrmBeOAGEysIfEJ2GI/s320/Screen+shot+2010-12-08+at+11.57.46+PM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548558244769100050" style="cursor: pointer; width: 225px; height: 273px; " /></a></span></p><p></p></div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-87396093094085340432010-12-08T21:22:00.000-08:002010-12-08T21:36:41.334-08:00Goofy: Bonus materials<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUL5NirZ0NPwTX0ZFNB1ZvINwT0GRpKRfPpn-HE29TIIo4708oPGMPrzy7HRZuzX8omifq1l3W_X4yfIAkUkR6lcsqLF1mBLKHSicJ1HYsHEhCGC_P67ZHQKm_6lIkEx7-le1L9thJQ0/s1600/th_disneygoofy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 110px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUL5NirZ0NPwTX0ZFNB1ZvINwT0GRpKRfPpn-HE29TIIo4708oPGMPrzy7HRZuzX8omifq1l3W_X4yfIAkUkR6lcsqLF1mBLKHSicJ1HYsHEhCGC_P67ZHQKm_6lIkEx7-le1L9thJQ0/s320/th_disneygoofy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548552195560502418" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><br />Did you know Goofy is from Pratt, KS? Pretty impressive and inspirational:<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2739087/bill_farmer_the_goofy_guy.html?cat=2">A Goofy Guy</a></div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-42091517768787120022010-12-07T19:19:00.000-08:002010-12-07T20:07:46.888-08:00A Very Goofy Tie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEanB_c1YVkw0amdCfibMupxUDgYe6YtdS-c6VA7HawBd-__rhtSjccpxDSnFwbBFFPOefau3XqRaZ6nwSj1RJDyNWtItXEvF7Qt2YLIVwF8xzOxdGgoLU00T9dRzHKJ60UigH8E2qCwY/s1600/IMG_20101207_170653.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEanB_c1YVkw0amdCfibMupxUDgYe6YtdS-c6VA7HawBd-__rhtSjccpxDSnFwbBFFPOefau3XqRaZ6nwSj1RJDyNWtItXEvF7Qt2YLIVwF8xzOxdGgoLU00T9dRzHKJ60UigH8E2qCwY/s320/IMG_20101207_170653.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548146286429230002" /></a>Quick, name your favorite Disney character! I'll have to experiment with polls later... not tonight. My favorite character is Goofy. I always liked Goofy. He makes me laugh with that great animated physical comedy. He's always so happy and jolly -even when he is bent in half backwards falling down the stairs. This picture didn't come out very well, but is clear enough to see that the Disney gang is hauling a Christmas tree in for decorating. <div><br /></div><div>Pat Aubley, Skyline's Speech Teacher gave me this tie. Just yesterday! Cool tie! My daughter loved it. In fact she loved it so much, I can't find it now. She'll bring it to me tomorrow wrapped around some stuffed animal. She loves going to Mrs. Aubley's class. Mrs. Aubley finds some really cool ways for Alea to practice her speech. The other day, I stopped in and they were decorating a metal tree with what looked like Happy Meal toys and action figures. Alea asked me what the name of one of the Animaniac figures was (Yakko) and then got to put it on the tree. Two things I now need for this blog: a picture of Mrs. Aubley's tree and an Animanics tie.</div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-85278618077883763682010-12-06T20:51:00.000-08:002010-12-07T16:23:48.635-08:00Kermit the Frog Tie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIi5hyphenhyphenKOJBo58pKDH54d7qgficMrJ_1p4PyU2kcVpBAeI0OihWkmQrua6cBESQrlTMMn80gKCyDOMKSE6tHLEt4AEMJVnKG9PgJsOzyMs9P5pOCZmM2rdSDEUJJ2kQikkmbr4HWK1yE-g/s1600/IMG_20101206_203857.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIi5hyphenhyphenKOJBo58pKDH54d7qgficMrJ_1p4PyU2kcVpBAeI0OihWkmQrua6cBESQrlTMMn80gKCyDOMKSE6tHLEt4AEMJVnKG9PgJsOzyMs9P5pOCZmM2rdSDEUJJ2kQikkmbr4HWK1yE-g/s320/IMG_20101206_203857.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547804136119298818" /></a>This tie came from Dick McCall. Dick is the current President of the Pratt Kiwanis club, to which I belong. Just as all the members of this wonderful organization, he has welcomed me to be part of the community. There are some great people that are part of the Pratt Kiwanis and I will have to post more about the club later. Dick McCall brought me a tie hangar with a bunch of ties this summer. There were some great ties! I'm not sure why there were so many green ones with frogs... <div><br /></div><div>Kermit the Frog is a pretty cool fellow. Have you ever seen Kermit, or as Miss Piggy affectionately calls him, "Kermmie" lose his cool? Okay there are times when Animal is eating the drums, Gonzo is freaking out, or Fozzie Bear just won't stop telling those horrible jokes. Even then he just yells "Quiet!" and things calm down so he can give his heart-felt monologue and go back to normal. Kermit is the leader without being obvious about it. A frog as a leader? When we moved to Pratt, I thought that the mascot of a Greenback was very odd. However, if they are talking about Kermit, I can understand it. My favorite Kermit segments are when he is the "Action News" reporter. Okay, so maybe even Kermit can lose his cool once in a while. Enjoy:</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RBDrSuKvfAM?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RBDrSuKvfAM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-54137336899507858592010-12-03T17:52:00.000-08:002010-12-03T21:41:29.490-08:00"Technology Specialist"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZFVsubiSuVCUmhzxOawjiKPTVo3yiLtzBc62lSj_RmStEObJPNGqYS_GCckiLyNH0ljkf-uZc2h6TCIWsxTzlye1raQ51pM9HVnIBGvWI3-Ufq8CWx-2JpyTphA2k0B1JNGeJKN0mHw/s1600/IMG_20101203_184548.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZFVsubiSuVCUmhzxOawjiKPTVo3yiLtzBc62lSj_RmStEObJPNGqYS_GCckiLyNH0ljkf-uZc2h6TCIWsxTzlye1raQ51pM9HVnIBGvWI3-Ufq8CWx-2JpyTphA2k0B1JNGeJKN0mHw/s320/IMG_20101203_184548.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546639282801679410" /></a>Specialist. Technology Specialist. I went to the monthly Kansas Technology Integrators Group meeting today, which is failry casual, so I didn't wear a tie. Rather than skip the blog for tonight (which will happen too often soon enough), I thought I would share the shirt I wore instead. This is a "super shirt" -that blog comes later. <div>One of the reasons I got into teaching was to work with kids. That seemed to be one of my strengths. It was a major concern of mine when I took the job as Technology Coordinator. I would now be working with adults. Turns out it wasn't too bad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Adults know how to show their appreciation, kids struggle. I do feel appreciated at school and am glad to be needed. My job now is to serve the teachers and support what they think is the best way to reach their students with technology. One particular teacher has been using technology for years. Mrs. Brant is our Family and Consumer Science teacher. It's hard to recognize, but when I think about it, it's pretty amazing the technology she has to deal with. Sewing machines, stoves, microwaves, mixers. On top of that, in one room she has a mobile computer lab of Macbooks, LCD projector, MacBook Pro, Flat Screen TV, DVD/VCR player, Apple airport access point, color printer, black and white network printer, scanner, and a PC with card reader for her automatic embroidery sewing machine. That's a lot of technology in one room and it is not uncommon to have trouble. I spent quite a bit of time at the beginning of this year in her room working on issues that seemed to keep popping up. Mrs. Brant was very appreciative each time something was back in working order. She made me a plate of cookies, gave me one of her experimental cheesecakes, etc. Wonderful, amazing, stuff, but I told her she had to quit doing those for me. Did you notice the last picture where the tie is pretty much convex? Yeah, there's a reason it rounds out towards the camera. Anyway, I asked Mrs. Brant about the possibility of using the sewing machine to put a design on a few of my shirts. Mr. McPherson found us a t-bird and Mrs. Brant put the rest together. This picture shows the end result. I was afraid that "Technology Specialist" was a bit arrogant, but Mrs. Brant insisted and convinced me it was alright. I think it turned out and she made me a couple more. That proved the sewing machine card reader worked and I got a nice benefit from it. I'm pretty proud of my shirts and they look pretty spiffy with a tie.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7006030696123958486.post-15845117125823305802010-12-02T21:16:00.000-08:002010-12-02T21:59:16.878-08:00Snowmanpolooza<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E2ZFQ5u3EKnFXeu_jgQicEvpX8E2pRR6ndBUDZhpo2Cj47yc_QuOcMlgNG3c7XyEkE97YqQoGtAoAF-2_I3sA_9oo32LdA9QWBdUxYLQYlxNO41QZc_8Yed-L1yKcQNDopZZo4Gs6lY/s1600/Dec2010a+004.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8E2ZFQ5u3EKnFXeu_jgQicEvpX8E2pRR6ndBUDZhpo2Cj47yc_QuOcMlgNG3c7XyEkE97YqQoGtAoAF-2_I3sA_9oo32LdA9QWBdUxYLQYlxNO41QZc_8Yed-L1yKcQNDopZZo4Gs6lY/s320/Dec2010a+004.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546321497802872146" /></a>Look at all the great snow people! This is one flashy tie. That's about all I can say about the tie.<div><br /></div><div>Here's one of those "It'll come back to haunt you" moments:</div><div><br /></div><div>I taught 6th grade Social Studies for several years. It scared me at first, but I warmed up to as I found there really is some interesting stuff in ancient world history. At some point in the class we had to discuss South American geography. So, the highest lake in the world comes up as a topic. Lake Titicaca. Great name for a lake, but it is difficult for middle school students to handle. We discuss how it really doesn't mean anything and I give them permission to "giggle and get over it." We have even practiced saying it and not losing control. I had forgotten all about those moments, until tonight.</div><div><br /></div><div>This evening Skyline High School hosted a Scholar's Bowl meet. I volunteered to be a moderator. I imagine you see where this is going. One of the questions started with, "Lake Titicaca is the largest..." (or something like that). It happened to be a match with Skyline students -kids that I taught when they were 6th grade Social Studies students. Needless to say their reaction was to laugh and giggle. One young lady was in tears. There was no way they could answer the question. As soon as the words Lake Titicaca came out of my mouth, they missed everything else. I about couldn't finish the question myself. I can only imagine what the other team was thinking. It's probably a good thing I don't have my own classroom anymore...</div>Mr. Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07521336650093763006noreply@blogger.com3