Monday, November 27, 2017

TEACHING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX



During 33 years of teaching, I have taught
more than just the curriculum.

Here is a list of some of the fun things
(there may be some that did fit the curriculum)

3-D Glitter Poinsettias
Ukulele
Sign Language
Clogging
Informative Speaking
Hiking
Manners
4-Square
Pom Pom Pillows
How to Have a Beach Party in March
Impromptu Speaking
Christmas Village
4-D Pyramid
Informative Speaking
Alaskan Baseball
"Salty Dog Rag"
Empathy
Debate
How to Figure Out the Cost of 12 Days of Christmas
Teacher's Quiz
Extemporaneous Speaking
Hopscotch (kids in later years didn't know how to play)
Making Bulletin Boards
Human Pyramids
Humility
How to Fill Out a Planner
Cursive
Row the Boat
Game Day
Clear Creek Activities
Snow Sculpting
Planning a Treasure Hunt
Kindness
"Black & White"
Volleyball
Sitting in the classroom with the lights out, Enjoying the Christmas Lights
Lacing Christmas Stockings
Organizing
How to Plan Group Activities
BrainQuest
Sandbottles
Filling Out College Basketball Tournament Brackets
Leading Music
Respect
Famous Artists
Famous Composers
Compassion
Giraffe Day (no talking all day)
Tutoring
Symphony Etiquette
"The Twist"

Saturday, November 25, 2017

JAZZ'D ABOUT TWINS

The Utah Jazz have twins.
Derrick Favors has twin girls.

And, he also has a little boy.

 Joe Ingles has twins.
A boy and a girl.


And now, Rodney Hood's wife just announced
that their son will soon have a
brother and a sister!


These are still my favorite twins.
I will teach them how to be Jazz fans!!!


What are the odds that 3 players on the
same team have twins???

They still have a ways to go to catch up
with John Stockton & Karl Malone.
They each had 6 children!!!

(They didn't have video games, etc.
to play when they played basketball!
Looks like they kept busy in other ways!)

MY TAKE ON THE 2017 BYU FOOTBALL SEASON


This picture sums up
 BYU's 2017 football season.

4-9
Really???
4 wins & 9 losses
The last time we lost 9 games, was in 1955, before I was born!
And just like the year I was born, there were only 48 states
in the United States!

We have been totally spoiled being a BYU fan!!!
The entire first decade of my teaching career, the '80s,
 the last day of school before Christmas Break started,
was spent watching BYU playing in a bowl game.
All BYU games were broadcast on
Channel 5, KSL.
 We were usually playing in the Holiday Bowl!
Sometimes, it was a different bowl game, but we were always playing in one.

One year, 1984, we even won the National Championship!!!
WOW!  Check out my cool book!!!



Oh, look!
It's the father of one of my former students!
Maddy Johnson's dad, Lee.
He was the barefoot kicker!
I have taught 3 students whose dad's have played in the NFL.
Not just played . . .but between all three,  they have won 5 Super Bowl Rings!!!
(Matt Mendenhall, Washington Redskins, and Todd Christensen,
Oakland/LA Raiders were the other two.)


We have never had a losing season in my lifetime, until this season!


By the time the last home BYU football game was played,
the stadium looked like this:
And, all of those empty seats were students seats!!!

This was when they were honoring the seniors and their families.


The mountains are still gorgeous.

I love taking my great nieces and nephews to the games!
All of their parents went several years with me!
This is my 6th grader, Camry.
When I bought my season tickets 25 years ago in 1993,
Camry's dad went to every game with me!
He was 13.

Earlier in the season, 3 sections of students raised their big flags.
There were only enough students to raise 1 flag, and this was at halftime.

Referees missed many calls.
Doesn't this look like pass interference???

I got a kick out of them advertising the next home game . . .
287 days from now!

This is a new tradition.
The seniors hold hands and walk the length of the field
towards the underclassmen.

Here is my take on the season:
1.  Coaching
I love the coaches, especially Kalani Sitake, Ty Detmer, and Reno Mahe.
(Reno's 4 year old girl died this time last year in a freak accident)
All head coaches at BYU must have a current temple recommend.
So, the numbers are small to begin with.
(The former girls track and girls tennis coaches are my neighbors)

I think there is a lot of inexperience, as far as coaching college goes.
Maybe Ty Detmer can just be the quarterback coach, and hire
a new offensive coordinator.

2.  Being Independent
When Utah went to the PAC 12, in my opinion, BYU panicked.
BYU chose to leave the Mountain West Conference
and go the independent route in football.
We have a big contract with ESPN, but many games
have a starting time at 8:15 p.m.
College football should be played on a Saturday afternoon!

3.  Losing out on the best LDS athletes
Over the years, we have been spoiled by being able to
recruit the best LDS athletes.
Some are being lured to Utah, but many are
choosing to go to other schools outside of Utah.
Colleges will now work with the players who
leave to go on LDS missions.

4.  No football at BYU Idaho
Some of our best players went to Ricks Junior College
in Rexburg, Idaho before coming to BYU.
There is no longer football there.

5.  The Honor Code
BYU has an "Honor Code" that students are to abide by.
Whether you are LDS or not, each student has to have
an ecclesiastical interview and endorsement from their religious leader.
They go over the Honor Code, and discuss it.
Many football players agree to the Honor Code, 
and then break it!
They might have to be suspended from playing.
It really hasn't been all that harsh.

Too many players have gotten in trouble,
and the disciplinary action hasn't been too bad for them.
Most players get their college education paid for, 
because they are talented in football.
It would be different if they had to pay for
their education like most of the students do!
I say bye bye to the scholarship on the second offense
of breaking the honor code.
(After all, they tell their bishop, priest, etc. every
single year that they will abide by the Honor Code)

6.  Taysom Hill &amp Jamaal Warner went
 to the NFL
Good for them!  They both had it rough!
Taysom had injuries, and Jamaal even left 
school for a year to get his life together.

7.  Injuries
This has been a rough one!!!
We have gone through SIX quarterbacks this season!!!  SIX!!!
And poor Tanner Mangum went down 2 separate times
with different injuries.
While watching the game tonight against Hawaii,
the broadcasters said there were 37 players out at
various times this season with injuries!!!
Is it training and conditioning???

The last 2 or 3 seasons, top Jazz players
have been injured.
Their mentality is:
"NEXT MAN UP!"
Be ready when players go down!

8.  CATCH THE BALL
I have never seen so many dropped passes!!!
That's just not BYU football!
Spend the off season playing catch!

9.  Scheduling
Because we are Independent, we have to find
opponents to play.
Teams do not want to play us during the regular season,
(end of September, October, November)
so, the beginning of the season is top heavy:
LSU, Utah, Wisconsin.
It's almost like we have dug ourselves
a hole before the season really gets underway!

We have had HUGE wins!!!
Miami, Oklahoma, UCLA, Notre Dame, Houston,
Texas, Washington State, Pittsburg, Texas A & M,
Washington, Penn State, Arizona State,
Virginia, Boise State, Oregon, Boston College,
Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas State, Michigan, 
to name a few.


I don't know what will happen with the
program in the upcoming years.
Football is the cash cow of the university.

But, on September 8, 2018, I will be in 
Portal GG,
Section 22
Row 7
Seat 23
Rooting for my Cougars against Cal



(I have almost forgotten the words to the "Rise & Shout" song
that we sing after every score!!!)



Friday, November 24, 2017

Thursday, November 23, 2017

HELPING TO MAKE PROFESSIONAL AUTHORS


I am soooo proud of my former students!
I have had several students who are
published authors!
My last few years of teaching, the
students had to test in the
Direct Writing Assessment.
It was being tested on the
Six Traits of Writing.
I didn't have the high scores that
some of my teammates had, 
but, all of my kids except 1 or 2
a year, passed.
You had to have a score of 18/30
to pass.

But, my last year of teaching,
my lowest score was 24/30,
and, I had 6 students get a
perfect score!!!
Most of my students got a
scores of 26-28!
HUZZAH!!!

I have had students published
with books, poetry, thesis', music books,
articles in the LDS Church magazine for teenagers,
 The New Era,
and a symphony!
(Click on "Writing" on the side of my blog, 
or better yet, click on
#ProudMissMitchellMoment)

Here's my latest writer.
Amy McClain was moved into my
class from another class part way
through the year.
She was super nice and smart.

Here is her Facebook post, 
and response to my
#ProudMissMitchellMoment




This response is another reason
why I loved teaching!!!




THANKSGIVING FROM MY FAVORITES




RIP KEITH PARTRIDGE



David Cassidy
Heart throb of the 70's
Played Keith Partridge in the tv show
"The Partridge Family"

RIP

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

JONATHAN


Jonathan Ruesch is the son of
Alpine Elementary librarian, Paula Ruesch.
He has a twin brother, Michael.
He is sooo talented and soooo kind.




Tuesday, November 21, 2017

A SURPRISE MISSION CALL

Addie Spencer & Kailani Young were in my
5th grade class.  
They have been called to the
Nebraska Omaha Winter Quarters 
Visitors Center Mission
They entered the MTC on the same day,
and are in the same district.

Addie & Kalani are together on the left.

Kalani's brother, Zach, entered the MTC
the same day!
Zach will be serving in the
Georgia Atlanta Mission

Their sister, Sydney (same class as Kalani) will
be serving a mission for 2 years on Fridays and Saturdays
at the Conference Center.

George & Jan Young have 4 children.
They have adopted 7 more.
I have taught 6 of the 7.
(I retired before Keenan got to 5th grade.)
(Kalani, Keenan, Sydney, Mariah, Ari, Dylan, Zach)

Dylan
Sydney
Kalani
Zach
Mariah
Ariana
Keenan

I attended Dylan and Keenan's family sealings.
The others were already sealed.

THE LEADER OF THE BAND


JACOB NEVES WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITES!
HE WAS ALWAY SOOOO KIND, POSITIVE, AND HELPFUL!

5TH GRADER

AT MY RETIREMENT
8TH GRADE
2014
(1 YEAR AFTER I REALLY RETIRED)

WITH ALL THE NEVES CHILDREN.
I TAUGHT THEM ALL, EXCEPT TIMMY.
(TIMMY, JACOB, MARY, LESLIE, KATIE)
MARY & LESLIE WERE IN MY LAST CLASS.

JACOB IS INVOLVED WITH THE BAND
AT LONE PEAK HIGH SCHOOL.
IN 2016, THEY WON THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN CLASS 3A.

JACOB PLAYS MANY INSTRUMENTS

JACOB'S YOUNGER SISTER, MARY,
IS ALSO IN THE BAND!

JACOB IS CURRENTLY ONE OF THE DRUM MAJORS AT LONE PEAK.
HERE HE IS IN INDIANA, TRAINING TO BE A DRUM MAJOR.










THIS IS MY FAVORITE PICTURE.
HIS LITTLE BROTHER, TIMMY, IS
PREPARING TO BE A DRUM MAJOR
IN ABOUT 10 YEARS!


#ProudMissMitchellMoment