Category: Reflections & Lifestyle

Today is National Pet Day; there is nothing in this world I love more than my fur babies; my three cats and my beast of a black lab. I noticed that my dog is going grey around his mouth –it really hit me that he is 5 years old… he is no longer a puppy. 

We have always talked about getting a second dog; we want to have another bird dog trained by the time our current dog retires, not dies, but retires. After seeing his breeder at the Outdoor Show last month; adding to our family has been constantly on my mind.

Are we ready for a new puppy?

I spent some time on the American Kennel Club website to find out. They encourage you to reflect on the following questions…

1. Is your current dog out of puppyhood and completely trained and bonded to you?
=Our dog is out of puppyhood and completely trained; he spent 5 months with his breeder learning how to be a solid waterfowl dog and an obedient family pet. He is 100% bonded to myself and my husband –my husband moreso. We feel that since our dog is at a good age where he would tolerate an energetic pup and continue to fulfil his role in our business and family while still maintaining his connection to us.

2. What’s the age of your current dog?
=The suggestion is that a dog be around 1-2 years of age before adding a second. He is still in very good shape and still ‘young at heart.’ I feel like the longer we wait he won’t be as tolerant of a young pup.

3. What kind of dog do you want to add to the pack?
=We want to add another waterfowling lab (preferable black or chocolate) to the pack. We would love to actually have him bred; it would be really cool to have a pup that is related to our current dog. We would go back to his breeder and make sure that she picks a dog that suits our needs. It is recommended that you get dogs of opposite sex however, we would have to be careful because our dog is “in tact.” On the other hand, two males could potentially result in a different dynamic to deal with as well.

4. Do you have any big events or projects coming up?
=I have summers off and breaks throughout the year; my husband works 1 week on and 1 week off. Between the two of use our dogs wouldn’t be alone often–they would have our love, attention, the ability to provide fairly consistent training and socialization.

5. Is your family onboard?
=Yes, however, I think it is hard for my husband to think about our dog getting older and retiring.

6. Can you handle the additional cost?
=Yes, we have equipment from when our first dog was a puppy and training. We purposely built our dog run larger so that it would be a comfortable space for multiple dogs. Vet insurance makes procedures cheaper at the vet. We also realize that our budget for food, will double. We have already talked about sending the new dog to the breeder for training; this is expensive, however, it is a major benefit to us, our current dog and our business. It is a worthwhile investment to have a well trained dog.

I also took a quiz at “The Dog People,” and we are ready!

Being a teacher is challenging and amazing at the same time! I am sharing some teacher musings with you today.

Stuff My Students Say…

1. “Even though you are really old; probably too old to have kids of your own, I think you’d make a good mom!”
(Such a wonderful back-handed compliment. Also, I am only 35… how old do they think I am?!?!?!?)

2. S1: “I am bored”
    S2: (without missing a beat) “She’s not our cruise director!”
    Me: *turns around with a completely caught off guard look on my face*
    S2: (with a wink and finger guns) “My mom’s a teacher; I got you!”

3. “Morning, Mrs. Teacher, do I have some facts about cheese for you!”
(This was literally the first thing this kid said to me as he walked into the school; we had never talked about cheese before that –but we did for the next 15 minutes. Gotta say, he should host a podcast! It was AMAZING! Also, he has no idea that I  LOVE cheese)

Hacks…

1. Wordle Warm Up/Reward
Capitalizing on the popularity of this site/game; we start our ELA period with the Wordle. If we are too chaotic during the day (three strikes) we don’t get to play the next day. OR, in non-ELA classes, you can also create your own with Wordles using key vocabulary from the unit you are studying. Each time you introduce a new word, get the kids to write down the definition, come up with an example, an ‘anti-example’ and draw a visual. They can create a master vocab list to study off of throughout the unit.

2. Hall Pass
Our students are notorious for LONG bathroom breaks; they just love to wander the halls. So now they have to carry around something large and seasonal. Example: a pumpkin in October, a sled in December, a pot of “gold” in March, etc. They hate it, but we enjoy it.

3. Getting Rid of Annoying YouTube Distractions
I don’t know which genius to thank for this; or even if I am super late to the game on this one, but; if you add a hyphen to the YouTube link (ex: yout-ube), students will be able to view the video without being interrupted by advertisements or get distracted by the inappropriate or extraneous video suggestions.

Latest TPT Buy…
The Princess Bride Movie Guide Activities & Answer Key
*I made the questions from the quiz into a Kahoot and the top three players got movie candy to enjoy during the next movie we watched in Film Studies. The kids LOVED making their own Fire Swamp Signs and creating a Miracle Max inspired recipe.

Rewarding Story…

I try to bring economics to life for my students; we do a scarcity activity with food; in the hopes that they take only enough for themselves to ensure that everyone gets some; recognizing that the amount of our resource (the food) is limited, why it may be limited and what is the best way to achieve public good (cooperation or individualism). Sometimes we play Monopoly and discuss capitalism, rules and regulations in the economy, consumer fairness, supply & demand, competition, pros and cons of monopolies. Yesterday, we wrapped up our Monopoly game and a kid who really struggles, yelled out to everyone: “SOCIAL IS THE BEST CLASS.” Watching the kids play really warmed my heart. Everyone was engaged, having fun, learning (even though they won’t admit it) and even kids who had conflicts with each other were able to forget them and  come together and connect. It’s always nice when a lesson works as you intend.  

Being a teacher is challenging and amazing at the same time! I am sharing some teacher musings with you today.

Stuff My Students Say…

1. “I feel bad for your husband… you nag an awful lot!”
(I asked him twice to put his phone away)

2.  “You know, I think we should have another PD Day, who can I talk to about that?”
(Sometimes you just need a four day week, right?)

3.  S1: “So you’re telling me, that you had to write when you were in school –by like hand, with like paper and a pen??”

S2: “No, she had to use a stone tablet and chisel, like on the Flinstones!”
(Partial commentary in class to my request to take out a pen and paper for the lesson because the chromebooks weren’t charged)

Hacks…

1. Dollar Store shower curtains (or table clothes) as bulletin board covers
–>I love this because they are inexpensive so you can cover large areas and change them up frequently without depleting your classroom decor budget. Since plastic shower curtains/ tablecloths are more durable than paper lining they can be re-used and of course are so easy to wipe down when things get messy.

2. New Spin on Exit Slips
–>Teenagers are tricky; communicating can be difficult. Typically “exit slips” have focused on lesson content, but this new version broadens the scope: “I WISH MY TEACHER KNEW…” Students can and will tell you so much –it is a great way for them to vent, ask questions, tell you information you need to know, ask for help, etc.

3. Chromebook Colour Coding
–>Our chromebook cart can look like an octopus lives in it; the cords are EVERYWHERE; it’s annoying for kids and teachers. Putting a bit of coloured tape on the chromebook, slot and cord can ensure that the right cord goes to the right chromebook and that the right chromebook goes in the right spot. And let’s face it, life is better with colour!

Latest TPT Buy…
Colour Theory Collaborative Monet Inspired Mural
*My students (junior & senior high) love colouring; it’s fun and relaxing; they enjoy putting the finished sheets together into the mural format to decorate our classroom.

Rewarding Story…
We did our Parent-Teacher Interviews (PTIs) by phone this year because of COVID. I had so many booked and I was just really exhausted; pandemic teaching is really tough! We seemed to be getting dealt a lot of blows; a lot of additional traumas leading up to the PTIs. Midway through the evening of making calls, I was really starting to feel like I just couldn’t do it any more –I just wanted to have a bit of a cry and take a nap. I pushed through because rescheduling the ones I had left would have taken me longer than just simply making the calls. I dialed the number of, let’s call her, Mrs. Smith….

Me: Hi Mrs. Smith, I’m calling from the school; you requested an interview with me. So I am just touching base with you.

Mrs. Smith: Hi! You’re on speaker by the way. I only requested this interview to tell you that I appreciate everything you are doing for the boys and to thank you for all your hard work –it hasn’t been easy but I see you, I see all the work you do. I hope you have a wonderful evening.

That phone call filled my “bucket” and allowed me to be a better teacher because I was renewed. I wasn’t expecting that. I also noticed that her kids were making an effort in class to “see” and acknowledge their peers; spreading kindness in the classroom.

This year, November 13th is World Kindness Day. As a teacher we endeavour to inspire in our students the power of kindness. We want them to grow up to be successful but above all we want them to grow up to be KIND HUMAN BEINGS. We stress to them that, ‘kindness makes the world go round.’

Here are some great sites and resources to help you celebrate this year…

Inspire Kindness
-You can find your complete guide to World Kindness Day, ways to participate, resources for both schools & businesses

Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
-You can find quotes, videos and a blog to get your inspired, sign up to become a RAKtivist and of course resources for educators

Scholastic
-An article for parents about 6 easy ways to encourage kindness in children

Kind Canada
-This is a “not-for-profit organization that inspires and engages all Canadians to purposefully include kindness in their daily lives, support charitable causes and enhance the well-being of others”

Penguin Random House
-A list of the best books on kindness