Why I do what I do

If I could share all the stories of crazy things that go on in our classroom no one would believe me. Most days are crazy, but for 45 minutes a day I enjoy the pleasure of working with a 6th grade Aspergers student who isn't in our classroom, but needs a little extra help on schoolwork. He is the HIGHLIGHT of my day, and he LOVES LOVES LOVES me. See for yourself.





this is the truck-house that we will live in together (I had to remind him to include Rob). Not too bad; good natural light, antennas for radio/tv reception...I'll take it!



This is why I love teaching!!!

I'm thankful for...

Juvenal?

You mean Juvenal the Roman satirist who was published in AD 112?

YES!

I know it is odd, isn't it? Here's the deal - so far this semester, I've had to read quite a few books. More than I can count on my fingers. Unfortunately because of all the required reading, I've not been able to participate in our ward's Book Club, since I don't have the time for pleasure reading - and I don't consider any of my required reading pleasurable. That is, until I read Juvenal.



Reading The Satires was so entertaining that many times I laughed out loud. He makes fun of every part of Roman society and culture. In Satire 6: Roman Wives (by far my favorite) in addition to complaining about the lack of morals among Roman men and especially women, he's trying to talk his friend out of getting married:

"Don't you think it better to sleep with a little boy-friend? A boy-friend doesn't argue all night or ask you for presents as he lies beside you, or complain that you are not giving a hundred percent...She rails at his slave-boys or invents a mistress to weep about. Floods of tears are always at hand; they stand at the ready, within the reservoir, waiting to hear the word of command; then they flow as she tells them. You, poor worm, are delighted, complacently thinking it's love. You set about drying her tears with your lips, little aware of what you'd find in her letters if you ever unlocked the desk of that whore who pretends to be jealous." Man, he's harsh.

Apparently even women then had the tendency to gossip:

"That kind of woman knows what's happening throughout the world- what Thrace and China are up to, what secrets a stepmother shares with the son, and who's in love, and for whom the ladies are scrambling. She will tell you who made the widow pregnant, and in which month; with what endearments each woman makes love, and in what positions...she snaps up the latest rumours and tales at the city gate, and fabricates others...that's what she tells to whoever she meets at every corner."

Here's a few more of my favorite lines:

"If you want the truth, it isn't a wife he loves, but a face. Just let a couple of wrinkles appear, let her skin become dry and start to sag, let her teeth turn black and her eyes go puffy - 'Pack your bags' a freedman will cry, 'and be on your way. You get on our nerves, forever blowing your nose; hurry up and be off; your successor is someone without a perpetual sniffle.'"

"If you don't intend to love the woman who was your betrothed and is now your lawfully wedded wife, why marry at all? Why waste money on a meal?"

"As long as her mother's alive, harmony is not to be hoped for."

Satire 9: The Woes of a Gigolo and Satire 10: The Futility of Aspirations are my other favorites. It is very easy to adapt the ways he scorns immorality to our current day. There are a lot of truths to what he says.



So yes, this Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for the unexpected entertainment I enjoyed while doing my homework.

education complaints

I know today is Veteran's Day, so I will honor my veteran by saying, "I love you Rob!" and posting a few pictures.

my soldier


Iraq 2010



But my main purpose of this post is to release some anger and frustration over something I just read in the news. I found this article on Foxnews.com . The title of the article is "Father Sues District Over Reading About Slavery" and tells how a father of a 5th grade African American student is suing the district (for $50,000) because the reading contained racial epithets and racist characterizations. The prosecution claims the reading "affected the conditions of learning duties and the advantages of her further education, and seriously affected her mental and emotional well-being, past, present and future."

First of all, I commend the teacher for incorporating multiculturalism into curriculum by dedicating a unit that celebrates Black History Month. Way to go!

Second, I am SICK and TIRED of hearing in the news that people keep suing school districts. When did schools become the scapegoat for all the problems in the world; for students not learning how to treat one another kindly (bullying), for emotional and behavior issues, for making children to eat crap and getting fat, and for not 'properly' educating youth. Let me remind people that we live in a country where we are blessed with FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION for all. FREE! What a blessing that our education is accessible to so many. Now if there are problems with that education system please let me also remind you that CUTTING education budgets will not help anything. We just had elections, was educational policy a consideration in who you voted for?

Lastly, and more importantly - what happened to family responsibility? Aren't parents supposed to ensure their child is eating a healthy diet (I understand there is much poverty and some students don't have access to that at home). So who is really to blame for your kid being a fatty? Also, aren't parents supposed to teach their kids the golden rule? AND be an example of kindness to others? When did that responsibility transfer to schools? Like I said before, school here is free, so if you think your child's school is doing a poor job, you have a few options: private school or home school. If you don't like how we're doing it, do it your self or pay someone to do it for you. Don't SUE the school district, that's a little counterproductive don't you think?

That being said...

after a long rough day yesterday and today, I decided to take a mental health break from my Thursday night class. Even though the class is 2 1/2 hours long, doesn't get out till 9:30, is with a professor who simply reads his power points and I've rarely ever taken notes in his class (affirming to me that attending is pointless), even with all those considerations...I feel sick and horribly guilty for skipping it.

Heart Attack!

Today was an exceptionally long (but good) day. I left for work at 6:50 - got off work at 3:40 - met with advisor at 4:20 - class at 5:30 - dinner on campus/homework starting at 7 - Birthday dessert with wonderful friends at 8:30 - finally get home at 10:30 and what is waiting for me?? A surprise on my front door!






Muchos Gracias! It made my whole night!

Happy Halloween

I was invited to a Halloween Party hosted by my friend Jessica. I was all happy to go until she said I HAD to dress up. The last time I dressed up for Halloween was when I was in 7th grade. The Halloween spirit is always lost on me. Anyway, I refused to pay a whole bunch of money for a silly costume and I can't sew to save my life, so I had no idea what to be...UNTIL my replacement copy of one of my favorite movies arrived in the mail.



I decided to be an Indian girl! I had a few scarves that I bought in China and that Rob had brought home from Afghanistan that would be perfect for my home made sari. I accessorized with some jewelry and a self adhesive bindi ($2) and voila!



We had a great time!



Maybe Halloween isn't just for kids. Maybe (hopefully) I'll be forced to dress up again next year!

I love my job. I love my job. I love my job.

If I keep saying it will it become true? Don't get me wrong - I like my job. And I think I used to love it, but it is slowly wearing me out. Keep in mind - I am a certified social studies teacher, who is instead working as a para in a self-contained classroom of students with Behavior and Emotional disorders. Days like today I am reminded that it takes a special person to pursue a career in special ed - and I am NOT that person.

Today one of my students stabbed me with a pencil. It bled and I still have lead stuck in there. By the end of the day he had injured all three adults in the classroom. It wasn't intentional, it was an accident, sort of. He had been trying to attack another student either by hitting him or at this moment by throwing books, pens, pencils, anything he could get his hands on. In my attempt to restrain him (one of many times today) he stabbed me. It was actually comical. He felt super bad, he immediately changed his crazy behavior, got me a tissue to wipe up the blood, and after it stopped bleeding, he went crazy again and continued to pursue the other student. Though it might sound like I teach pre-schoolers, it is actually middle school and he is 12.

Can I just say that I am so grateful for the educational opportunities that I am taking advantage of. I can't wait to graduate and have more doors opened up to me (the thoughts of teaching community college sound so appealing right now). I am also so happy to be a part of the military where I know for sure that NOTHING IS PERMANENT!!

Favorite Shows

Challenge 3: Name a show you're currently addicted to




I am not addicted to any show. And to tell you the truth I've never been much of a TV watcher, especially when I was a kid. I'd much rather have been given some crayons and a blank piece of paper. I can never just sit on the couch and channel surf. There MUST be something specific on that I am intending to watch. But there are a few shows I do enjoy watching, though I DVR them and usually watch them all on Sundays, my no homework day when I can simply relax. I enjoy GLEE for the music and for the way they make fun everything. Rob introduced me to THE MENTALIST, which has become one of my favorites now. New this season are MODERN FAMILY which is hilarious and laugh all you want at me for watching MELISSA & JOEY - which is cheesy, light-hearted comedy. That seems like a lot of TV, but when looking at the average of TV most Americans watch per DAY, I think I am ok with just 3 hours per WEEK. And I really don't feel guilty when I consider that a football game on TV is about 3 hours and some men (not to be named) watch 3 games on Sunday and then Monday night FB on top of that. So 3 hours/week is nothing.

Pet Peeves

Challenge 2: Write 5 pet peeves




Whenever anyone asks me my pet peeves I have a hard time answering. It is one of those things where you never remember it bothers you UNTIL it happens. So this one took a lot of thinking. Here are a few things that bother me.

1. Leaving the toilet seat up/peeing on the toilet seat. This is ALWAYS the first thing that comes to mind as a pet peeve. It is #1 on my list for a reason. Though I am happy to say that Rob is a perfect husband and isn't guilty of either. And for all you men who argue they should stay UP and us females need to get in the habit of putting them down and then back up, my question for you is, When you go to LOWES or Home Depot and you are in the toilet section, how are they displayed? Exactly, the seat is ALWAYS down!



2. WhEn PeOpLe WrItE iN bOtH cApS aNd LoWeRcAsE. It definitely bothers me on the computer, but is even MORE annoying when handwritten. Either write correctly (by my definition) or keep it all CAPS.

3. When you are already seated at the uncrowded movie theater, with your feet up on the seat in front of you, and someone STILL sits there. Yes, I know it is not polite to put your feet up on furniture, but I do it at my house and when I pay $10 for a ticket I feel entitled to put my feet up. And yes, I know it bothers me when others do it to me, so I will be the first to admit I am a HYPOCRITE, because I do it to others. But I HAVE to sit in the EXACT middle of the theater.

4. When people pronounce Illinois with an 's' at the end. The 's' is silent folks!

5. I don't have a category for this. But it annoys me when people use the words 'islamic' and 'muslim' interchangeably when talking about a country. They mean VERY different things. Or when people assume ALL Arabs are Muslims or ALL Muslims are Arabs.

6. Creating a familiar enemy in Hollywood. Have you ever noticed that in movies (especially James Bond type movies), more often than not, the 'bad guys' are often from countries that America has fought against or been opposed to at one time or another. The 'bad guys' are often Russians or Germans or North Koreans or Arabs (which is a newer trend since 9/11). For example, the bad guy in Ironman 2, Backlash, is Russian. Why? Is it that important to have a familiar and common 'enemy'? Why can't the bad guys be British? Or Israeli? Or Canadian? Oh wait, because we've always liked those countries.



7. I can only seem to pay my tuition online during business hours. How on earth is paying online anymore convenient when I have to do it between 8-4:30? Hello K-STATE! I leave for work at 7:00 am and don't get back till 4:30? And I can't do it at work. Am I really going to have to take time off AGAIN to pay tuition?

Ok, I know it said on 5 pet peeves, but I was on a role. I kept thinking of them.

What are your pet peeves?

four short term goals

Challenge 1: write 4 simple short term goals for this month and why you chose them

1. Don't get behind in school. This has been quite the challenge. I've already had to take 2 days off work just to stay caught up with school work. Working full-time and going to school full-time was one of my worst ideas ever. I knew it would be tough, and decided I wouldn't do ANY homework on Sundays, so that only gives me Saturday to focus on HW. Now that Rob is working nights, our schedules don't line up well at all, so we'll only be able to skype on the weekends, which sucks, but it gives me more time each night to get school work done.


2. Get up each morning by 5:00. This will allow me to do HW in the morning and/or work out, enjoy a breakfast (other than a fiber one bar in the car), and not start my day off feeling rushed.

3. Fully commit myself to Weight Watchers. This will ensure I'm eating healthy and drinking plenty of fluids which will help keep me healthy and hopefully more alert during the day. Even more important, I want to look HOT when Rob comes home for R&R in December.


4. Submit my insurance claim from the flood. I know, I know. It has been 4 months and I still haven't done it. I'm hating on myself for it too.

30 Day Blog Challenge

My life right now is totally consumed by work and school and so outside of this I have no life. Which means I have nothing to blog about, unless you want to learn about Ancient Rome, assessments or multicultural issues in education. Working with students with behavior and emotional disorders do provide some VERY interesting and entertaining stories that I'd love to blog about, but that would violate confidentiality laws, so can't do that either.

Which is why I'm embarking on the 30-day blog challenge (stolen from Ashley's blog). Since I'm impatient this will probably only last 2 weeks or less since I'm going to want to respond to more than one prompt per day. Enjoy!

I AM...

I am a world traveler.
I am a lover of different cultures.
I am a student and an army wife.
I am scared of wasps and babies.
I love China and European soccer.
I am married to my best friend.
I am a wife, sister, daughter, aunt.
My name is Katherine Christensen and I am a Mormon.



Check out my profile at mormon.org

I am happy to announce that today is the HALFWAY point of Rob's deployment to Iraq! 6 months down, 6 more to go.




Although the separation hasn't been fun, we have continued to enjoy each day and find lots to keep us busy. Me with work, traveling and visiting family over the summer, and now graduate school. Rob has stayed busy working long hours, taking classes online, and serving in the branch presidency.



But as fun as the past six months have been, I can't wait for my soldier to come home! Count down begins!

Fashion Friendly Hijab

I recently learned about a company, Noor d'Izar, that is taking the Hijab and making it more fashionable for Muslim women. This idea makes me super happy.



They really are super cute and fashionable. Don't be confused, I'm super proud to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it would be so awesome to be able to sport one of these on a bad hair day, or when you just don't feel like washing, blowing dry, and straightening your hair. I hope this idea catches on.

Time Wasting

From SNAIL to HITLER?



I was recently introduced to an interesting on-line activity that is a complete waste of time. SIX DEGREES OF ADOLF HITLER. The purpose of this game is to make your way to the Hitler page on Wikipedia in six steps (by clicking the links) or less. You can start with any topic you want, no matter how obscure. Let's try it.

We'll start with the random topic of 'snail'

1. snail
2. milky way
3. ancient Greek
4. Germany
5. Adolf Hitler

Let's try again...

1. pillow
2. Industrial Revolution
3. Western Europe
4. Second World War
5. Adolf Hitler

As much of a waste of time as it seems to be, it really is a great thinking activity. One that I might someday be brave enough to use in a history class. It forces you to use your brain to think about how things could be connected. Like 'pillow' - it was first mass produced during the Industrial Revolution. In order to make a connection to Hitler, it would be helpful to know the Industrial Revolution began in Western Europe. Which would then connect you to WWII and then of course, Hitler. See?

NOW YOU TRY!

Classroom Rules

NO, it is not okay to...



- sleep during class
- plug your ears and close your eyes so you can ignore the lesson
- to write in font size 100 to write a fraction that takes up the entire notebook paper just so you can explain how there isn't enough room to finish the problem
- steal the rolly chair from the teacher and role around the classroom
- laugh at pictures of holocaust victims
- crumple your homework up, trash it, then spit on it so the teacher won't dig it out of the trash
- explain in detail how you would like to kill your sister
- get mad and throw the school laptop on the ground during state testing
- answer all questions with a 'bark' or 'meow'
- draw on the walls
- pick your nose, look at it, then eat it - you are 13, not 3
- escape school by crawling out the window
- yell "F-U" at an adult, no matter how mad they make you
- color all over your body with permanent marker
- stab a hole through your book
- throw your lunch tray full of food all over the floor
- tell the teacher you wish they would die, then explain how you would go to the funeral so you could stomp all over their grave
- throw things, especially at the teacher
- stab yourself with pencils

Nor is it okay no matter how futile their efforts seem, for a teacher to give up on their students. Because often, you are their ONLY source of SUPPORT, ENCOURAGEMENT, and LOVE.

How much should a joke cost?

So tomorrow is Rob's birthday, and since he's in Iraq and it is Saturday already, his birthday is actually today. Now Rob is the type of person who will never tell you what to get him for his Birthday, and he is the hardest person to shop for because in his (and mine) opinion, he already has everything he wants. So because I am one of those horrible gift buyers who give people things that I like, he ends up getting mushy, romantic gifts. Things like a scrapbook, or a book about us, or we end up going to eat someplace that I like.

But this year was different. Rob actually asked for something. All Rob wanted for his birthday was a morph suit. A morph suit? What is that? According to the website "Morphsuits don't need explaining, the pictures say it all." So here is the explanation:



According to the website "Normal stuff is much more fun in a morphsuit." I mean, really, think of the soldiers in Iraq. Who wouldn't want to see a soldier walking around base in a morphsuit carrying an assault rifle around his shoulder? And the rest of the testimonials are almost convincing enough to spend $50.00 on a morphsuit. You could make friends in many different colors! But as badly as Rob wanted one, I made the conscious choice to not buy it. Instead, he got a journal.



Which makes me wonder, how much is too much to spend on a joke?

Go K-State!

It's official. I am now a full-time graduate student at Kansas State University and I have a rad K-State ID to prove it. That, and $500 worth of books.

The classes I'm taking are: Multicultural Issues in Teaching, Principles of Assessment, and History and Culture of Rome.

My masters is in Curriculum and Instruction which is the closest thing to a Masters in Education they offer. My focus is social studies at the secondary level and because of that I get to take a few elective courses in any social studies area. Although I'd prefer Geography classes, with my work schedule, it limited what they had available - so I chose the Roman History class. Let's just hope I don't have to write too many papers.

First Days of School

Ms. Carmody and I

Today marked the end of the first week of school at Junction City Middle School where I work. I am excited to be back, I have great co-workers and I more importantly love the students. It is going to be a great year!

Junction City Middle School

Things to do before I die...

So my last post reminded me of my Bucket List. Now, to clarify, I didn't get the idea from watching that movie with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. I wrote mine way before that. When I was living in China in 2005 I was taking an online class at BYU-Idaho, called "Personal Achievement" - the easiest and one of the most meaningful 1 credit I've ever earned. One of our assignments was to make a crazy list of things we'd like to accomplish in live. Emphasis on the crazy part. Some things are achievable and others as you will see are not likely to ever happen. Or even come close. But who cares, right? It is MY list and these are the 47 things I would love to do before I die. So here goes...


1. Learn another language (I've made attempts at Chinese and Spanish)
2. Travel to the following places: Spain, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Thailand, Russia, Prague, India, Greece, anywhere in Africa (so far, I've done Greece)
3. Ride on a camel
4. Go on a safari
5. Help in an African orphanage
6. Attend an Olympic event
7. Attend a soccer match in Europe
8. Go skydiving
9. Go scubadiving
10. Go on a cruise (we went on a cruise for our Honeymoon in 2009)
11. Hike up an active volcano
12. Be in a movie
13. Sing a song in a recording studio
14. Paint a picture on canvas
15. Go to a Broadway show
16. Ride in a helicopter
17. Interview someone famous
18. Write a book
19. Ride in a hot air balloon (did this last month in Turkey)
20. Run in a marathon
21. Touch a dolphin in the ocean (I did this on our cruise, it wasn't in the ocean, but since I not only got to touch it, I got to kiss it and swim with it, I'm still counting it)
22. Live in a hut in an island village
23. Assist in a major world discovery
24. Eat dinner with a leader from another country
25. Win a prestigious award
26. Learn to surf
27. Visit every continent (3 down, 4 to go)
28. Attend a formal ball
29. Meet the president
30. Live in several countries (so far I've lived in Italy and China, but I want more on my list)
31. Play the violin in a city orchestra
32. Compete on Wheel of Fortune and win
33. Attend a diving competition
34. Watch a live performance by Lord of the Dance and/or Riverdance
35. Take a picture and have it published in National Geographic
36. Run in a political election
37. Ride a horse on the beach
38. Drive a racecar
39. Learn a traditional dance from another country/culture
40. Buy a house on the beach
41. Save a stranger's life
42. Appear on the front page of a newspaper (done in 2005 - it was a newspaper in China with my picture on the front page. And in June I was mentioned on the front page after my house flooded)
43. Win a chess tournament
44. Travel to Mecca
45. Win a talent show
46. Invent something and make it famous
47. Attend a World Cup Final

There you have it! Now what is on your list?

Euro Trip 2010

I still have a billion pictures to sort through, but I figured I'd post some pictures of the highlights of my trip to Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece.

This was our itinerary in a nutshell: Mom and I left flew into Sofia, Bulgaria where my brother, JD, his wife - Erica, and baby Dash picked us up. We then spent a few days in Sofia, then took a train to Burgas, located on the Black Sea. After a week in Bulgaria we all took a Bus to Turkey. We spent a few days in Istanbul and then took an overnight bus to Cappadocia, located in Central Turkey. For those who have never heard of Cappadocia, it is one of nature's most beautiful wonders. As a result of erosion, rock chimneys dot the region and Christians built underground cities in efforts to escape religious persecution. Turkey was definitely my favorite place we visited. After Turkey, JD, Erica and Dash went back to Bulgaria and Mom and I flew to Greece. We spent 2 days in Athens and 3 days relaxing on the black sand beaches in Santorini. My trip was amazing and I had a fabulous time. My only regret is Rob wasn't able to enjoy it with me. Enjoy the pictures!

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia


Rila Monastery in Bulgaria


Black Sea Coast



Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque



Cappadocia, Turkey - my Favorite place!




Hot Air Balloon Ride in Cappadocia (I can cross that off my bucket list)




Enjoying a DELICIOUS Turkish doner kebab in Cappadocia


Mom and I at the Parthenon. It is so impressive up close.


Beautiful Sunset in Oia, Santorini


Santorini - famous for the black sand beaches and magnificent sunsets


Fira, Santorini


Me standing on the terrace of our hotel with a view of the city


Maria and I. Maria runs a little hotel from her beautiful home and was the sweetest woman ever. This view is what I woke up to every morning.