Judith Viorst ... bring great poetry to my schoolroom

I love these poem below, great to use in the schoolroom...perfectly true - a great way to teach the kids.

I love poetry and always teach the kids to write.  It is a type of literature that you don't need to be good at writing to do.  A great self esteem booster for everyone.  It is also a short exercise making it great for daily writing.  

Daily writing is always boring and hard, 20 minutes to write something...there are only so many recounts that the kids want to do or I want to read.  I have laminated poetry cards with an example of a poem type and a guide on how to write them.  The kids love it and pick one out to write.  I picked these up from Governess Australia.   

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 Poems By Judith Viorst
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Credit

You asked me to do it.
I promised to do it.
I planned to do it.
I started to do it.
I really meant to do it
Except I forgot.
Couldn't I get credit
For promising,
Planning,
Starting,
And really meaning to do it?

Guess not.

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Manners

Telling a lie is wrong.
Telling the truth is right.
Except when telling the truth is called Bad Manners
   and telling a lie is polite.

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The Hardest Thing
If you think that the hardest thing is saying you're wrong when you've been wrong,
I think you should know
That the really hardest thing is, when you've been absolutely right,
Not saying nyah nyah, I told you so.


 

The Red Window

Finally finished my BAS and Tax today after school.....yippee...as a treat I decide to tidy all my computer files up.  Make sure all the photos are in the correct folders - control freak or fruit loop? Your pick.

Teaching bush kids all day can leave you loopy  :)  That is my excuse anyway.

This photo below is of the blackout duststorm that Western NSW had in 2009.  

This was taken looking out our schoolroom window before the storm became to dark to take photos.  At full strength the sky turned as black as night.  The big trampoline somersaulted into the swimming pool, a relief maybe other wise it would have been well down the flat. 

I love the Australian outback even at her fiercest, her beauty shines through.  I love the red dust, it's the dry dams and hungry sheep that is tough to deal with.

My job often requires me to support my work family through these tough situations.  Duststorms not only effect their work but also their personal like which are so closely intertwined.  

Sometimes I have to put aside all my personal problems and just smile.  A smile always makes people feel better, especially when it is accompanied by a cuppa and a chat.  

AND if that fails its 5 o'clock somewhere...... 

Technology...a curse or treat?

I was scrolling back through emails sent and realised how long it has been since I have emailed most of my friends and family.  These days it feels like 70% of my work involves a computer and although I thought I would never say this I can't be bothered sitting in front of a computer after school.......

WHO would have though blasphemous words like that would have come out of my mouth.


ME the computer geek.

In the schoolroom I spend 6-8 hours a day are spent fight the schoolroom computer.  I would really like to see the education system buy better computers and have a better Internet deal.  The kids nearly keel over laughing when I get frustrate and offer me the axe to put straight through the middle of it.  If I was a cartoonist I could draw a million pictures of that.  

Sometimes I feel my computer knowledge in the outback is often a curse....the more you know, the more people ask you to help.  I love to help but these days I run short on time.  I can't be the personal secretary everyone wants and needs all the time but where do you draw the line. Parents and siblings first, the boss second.  What about aunty's, uncles, 2nd cousins, the boss's best friend....the list goes on and the requests increase

Luckily I don't have anything else to do...LOL... I mean once finish my day in the school room

Now time to cruise facebook and my emails  :) 

Funny but not funny...the power of facebook stories

Not my actual words but this is zooming around facebook and I felt it was a good share.  It gave me a giggle


THE NEXT AUSTRALIAN STIMULUS PAYMENT 
Free advice from the Consumers and Taxpayers Society

Sometime this year, we taxpayers may again receive another 'Economic Stimulus' payment.


This is indeed a very exciting program, and I'll explain it by Using a Q & A format:


Q. What is an 'Economic Stimulus' payment?

A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.



Q. Where will the government get this money ?

A. From taxpayers.



Q. So the government is giving me back my own money ?

A. Only a smidgen of it.



Q. What is the purpose of this payment ?

A. The plan is for you to use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.



Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?

A. Shut up.



Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the Aust. Economy by

Spending your stimulus cheque wisely:

If you spend the stimulus money at Coles, the money will go to China or Sri Lanka .

If you spend it on petrol, your money will go to the Arabs.

If you purchase a computer, it will go to India , Taiwan or China .

If you purchase fruit and vegetables, it will go to Mexico , Honduras and Guatemala.

If you buy an efficient car, it will go to Japan or Korea ..

If you purchase useless stuff, it will go to Taiwan .

If you pay your credit cards off, or buy stock, it will go to management bonuses and they will hide it offshore.



Instead, keep the money in Australia by:

1) Spending it at garage sales, or

2) Going to the footy , or

3) Spending it on prostitutes,or

4) Beer or

5) Tattoos.

(These are the only Australian businesses still operating in Australia )



Conclusion:

Go to a footy game with a tattooed prostitute that you met at a garage-sale and drink beer all day !


No need to thank me, I'm just glad I could be of help

I am starting to worry...

I do have a problem I haven't procrastinated in 11 days and I am started to worry.


What has happened to me?  All this productiveness is starting to get to me.  Maybe this email in school time is the start of my procrastination revival.

Okay on a less serious note, how is life??????

I'm going great.

Work is great.  My job and website is flying along and earning heaps of money.  I just can't believe it.  This might all work.  Mind you I now have to spend that money on business costs.  Easy In - Easy Out.  By the end of this year I may be on a really good wicket. 

I get an early mark from work today got a grandparent coming so I will finish work at 1pm.  Mind you can see myself still being in the schoolroom doing other work. 

Back to the productivity and procrastination issue. 

The beginning...

Thank you to a wonderful poet for letting me use her poem to open my blog

The Window

You wake up in the morning,

What a great looking day

Out the window the sun shines away.

Getting up and having breakfast

Hoping for delight not dismay

For out the window the sun shines away.

Into the schoolroom we go

Starting a new day

Looking out the window the sun shines away.

Finally reached smoko

She’s trying her best

Still out the window the sun shines away

Back into the schoolroom

Back to the fray

Through the window the sun shines away.

Lunchtime has arrived

I’m feeling frazzled and dazed

Yet out the window the sun shines away.

Afternoon filled with Art and science

Developmental play

And out the window the sun shines away.

School is out at last

She’ll get a star

As we look out the window the sun shines away.

The rest or the day is mine at last

Peace and sunshine

Then I look out the window and see rain coming this way.

 By Lee-Anne Bright