Wordless Wednesday - Blackberry Pickin'

What Teachers Make

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school

By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com


He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about
teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you¹re a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?

Sesame Street: Outdoors with Jason Mraz

This video combines two of my favorite things, Sesame Street and Jason Mraz. I love artists who share their gifts with children. This is a must see video.

Ray Stevens - We the People

The Christmas Shoes

I know many of you have probably heard the song "The CHristmas Shoes" by Newsong. I just wanted to print the lyrics so everyone can read them and remember their is more to Christmas then present ans Santa!

The Christmas Shoes lyrics

It was almost Christmas time, there I stood in another lineTryin' to buy that last gift or two, not really in the Christmas mood
Standing right in front of me was a little boy waiting anxiouslyPacing 'round like little boys do
And in his hands he held a pair of shoes His clothes were worn and old, he was dirty from head to toe
And when it came his time to payI couldn't believe what I heard him say

Chorus:Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

He counted pennies for what seemed like yearsThen the cashier said, "Son, there's not enough here"
He searched his pockets frantically
Then he turned and he looked at me
He said Mama made Christmas good at our house
Though most years she just did without
Tell me Sir, what am I going to do,
Somehow I've got to buy her these Christmas shoes

So I laid the money down, I just had to help him out
I'll never forget the look on his face when he said
Mama's gonna look so great Sir, I want to buy these shoes for my Mama, please
It's Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size
Could you hurry, sir, Daddy says there's not much time
You see she's been sick for quite a while
And I know these shoes would make her smile
And I want her to look beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight

Bridge:I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's loveAs he thanked me and ran outI knew that God had sent that little boyTo remind me just what Christmas is all about

Store Owner Shows Robber Mercy Update

I heard this story back in June of 2009. A Long Island convenience store owner confronted by a bat-wielding would-be robber said Tuesday he decided to show mercy on the man after he collapsed in tears claiming he was only committing the crime to support his starving family.

Instead of getting loot from a stickup, the store owner provided the man with $40 and a loaf of bread, but only if he promised never to rob again.

"This was a grown man, crying like a baby," Mohammad Sohail, owner of the Shirley Express convenience store about 65 miles east of New York City, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The would-be thief dropped to his knees and begged for forgiveness, Sohail said.

"He started crying that he was out of work and was trying to feed his hungry family," he said. "I felt bad for him. I mean, this wasn't some kid."


While watching the news this morning I heard this wonderful update!


The Shirley convenience store owner who made national headlines in June after surveillance cameras caught him showing mercy to a subdued would-be robber says he lives by a simple rule: "When you do good things, good things come back."

So Mohammad Sohail said he was not surprised when he found a $50 bill and an apology note in the mail Wednesday.

The note said the robber had a new baby, a new job and had turned his life around!

There are so many stories of hate and violence. I thought it was great to hear a good ending for once.

Make Mine Freedom (1948)

This Cartoon Seemed Far-Fetched In 1948

Wordless Wednesday - Letting GO

I had to share this picture I was sent today. God bless all the men and women who fight to keep us safe and God bless their families.

Stay at Home Mom vs Working Mom

This was always an easy question for me to answer. I LOVE being a stay at home mom. I love being able to be there when the kids get off the bus or volunteer at the school when they needed me. But recently I decided to go back to school. This was also an easy answer for me. I always said I would go back one day. I wanted a college degree. I wanted to prove to myself and my kids that i could do it. So this year when my youngest went to full day kindergarten, I decided to back and finish my degree.

This past month has been so much fun. I have enjoyed sitting in lecture and participating in labs. I have learned so much interesting stuff and I have met some great people. Everything was going great. That is until this week. Monday night my oldest son got sick. We were up most of the night and he couldn't keep anything down. He stayed home from school on Tuesday. Luckily all my classes are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so I didn't miss class.Then came to problem. He was not well enough to back to school on Wednesday and I had a major test that I could not miss. What was I to do? Luckily my Mom-in-law said she would keep him while I went to class to take my test.

This whole problem was fixed and the day went on fine. But then I started feeling bad. I was feeling like I let my son down because I was not there to take care of him. I had to rely on someone else to take care of my son. It just got me rethinking this going back to school thing.

Do I stay at home all the time for the chance that my children might need me? Is that fair for me? But is it fair to my kids to not have their mom whenever they need me? Then when I do graduate and get a job how will that change things? I could miss class if I had to but will I be bale to miss work every time the kids need me?

This has just given me a lot of new things to think about. How do other working moms handle this stuff?

Wordless Wednesday - Meatball