Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes

Today as we have been celebrating Martin Luther King Day, I have seen a few quotes that are really cool.






I hope these are accurate.  Even if they aren't...they are a great sentiment.

Annotating--It is a Reading and Writing Strategy!

So today I was really trying to decide what to write about--I didn't want to do another post about reading since I felt like I'd done that a lot this week.  I was looking at my Pinterest board of blog writing ideas and stumbled across a list of things to blog about--one of which being to re-post one of your old articles.  This made me wonder, what was I blogging about in January 2013--I was still excited about this project then and was trying to come up with ideas.  I stumbled across a post from January 10, 2013 which now has over 1,000 page views! I was surprised because I thought my knitting pattern review was still higher.  I read this post again, and it really fits with what I'm dealing with right now.  I'm trying to teach my 7th graders that reading needs a closer study and if they mark things then their writing and evidence would be better! Though the story is a bit old now, and I'm pretty sure this student has not thought once about reading since he left my old school--seeds are still planted and I will have one student some day go--I am so glad that she taught me that!

From January 10, 2013

Today I am inspired by a quote:

Books are not made to be believed, but to subjected to inquiry.  When we consider a book, we mustn't ask ourselves what it says but what it means...--Umberto Eco (Author of The Name of the Rose)

Honestly, never heard of that book or author, but I like the sentiment.  Part of reading is actively thinking about what you are reading and responding to it.  One of the things that is hard for students to do is actively respond to their readings--especially if it is a non-fiction reading.  With stories they can relate to the characters or the plot line gives them motivation to keep going. But with non-fiction readings students respond with, "It's boring!" or "It's too hard!" or "It's too long!"  Sometimes they will just skim it and then they do not do well on the project, analysis, etc. that you have after the reading.  As a result, I have started to make students write all over their readings. I taught one of my new students this technique because he struggled a lot with a Thoreau reading.  After working with him individually on the first few paragraphs, he began to figure out that as long as he was thinking about the reading and writing that thinking down he will understand it better. I call it active reading writing assignment with my students.  The cool thing is that after a while it becomes second nature to them and they respond without me prompting them.

What do you do to help students understand "what it means"?

Thank you to http://bestclipartblog.com/31-book-clip-art.html/book-clip-art-19

2 Quotes That Just Fit Today

One of the things that is hard for people to deal with is the idea of change.  We all mess with it---and it is on my mind today.  Since it is very late and I'm very tired--we go with the quote angle :)

Always one of my favorites--from Mormon Channel

Thank you to my friend Diannah for sharing this today.

Quote of the Day

I saw this quote today and thought that it would be cool to share with everyone today

One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.  Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.  Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away. --Stephen Hawking

I loved it because it really puts everything in perspective.  You should really live life to the fullest. Try to make sure that you don't just get stuck in a rut and with your head down.  Tuesdays are my long days and I can feel like that each morning.  I've been home about an hour and should really go to bed--but I will never give up!

Thank you to Wikipedia for the pic!

Happy 4th of July!!!

This 4th of July I thought I would share a few quotes that really seem to mean a lot on a day like this:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058602343/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058602356/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058602354/

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” -Maya Angelou

As my frequent readers know, I am a big fan of quotes.  In honor of the passing of Maya Angelou this week, I have collected my favorite quotes from the week. Enjoy and we will miss your wisdom Maya!

Q is for Quotes

I completely forgot to post last night!! I suppose this is what I get for not having everything scheduled ahead of time :(  But my catch-up post for yesterday was going to be about quotes---still great for a Sunday today.

President Uchtdorf said this in one of my favorite talks from this past conference.  And I loved this little handout someone made.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/232709505720377682/

I thought that these two quotes were very appropriate on this Easter Sunday

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608057076433/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058144573/

And a great reminder at any hard time!!!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608055701421/

E is for Empowered

One thing that I have been wanting to catch-up on with this blog is my quotes.  I know that sometimes during my 365 project, this was what I used on nights that I couldn't think of a thing to write about.  And honestly....I kind of was thinking that when I realized I didn't have a word for E.  I started thinking that quotes empower us.  That is why I love quotes so much (as evidenced by my Pinterest board).  Today I have been watching the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  As a result, a lot of great quotes have been sticking out to me.  Those of you that aren't familiar with conference, think of it as a great weekend to be taught by smart men and women. Some people this time have been comparing it to TED talks....and I'm like yeah that's totally true! So today, I will share some quotes that I have loved recently. And give you my little commentaries as always :P

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058139676/

This one was from today. I LOVED this quote.  As women, we often try to make sure that we get what we need to done--she only gave us three things.  We can do that!

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058140719/

This is the quote that actually inspired the word empowered. This is a great quote to remember because with it I can remember that I don't have to do EVERYTHING I don't have to be perfect.  I just need to do my best and in so doing I am empowered to become a better person.

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058103974/

I saw this one recently and I just loved it.  I am always looking for great quotes about trying.  This one is great. Especially for my students.

Quote Inspiration

I thought that I would share a cool quote that I found the other day...

Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. --Bill Nye

Because of my job, I have the opportunity to meet a lot of teenagers and their families that a typical teacher wouldn't meet, especially in a small town.  Usually there is a limited number of families and yeah there are the moves in and out. But I meet a lot of interesting people from all over the country because of the nature of my job.

With each person being unique, it is exciting to meet new people and see what they can teach you.  The hard part about that though, I think, is allowing yourself to step out of your comfort zone.  It is hard to meet new people--but if you really try then it can get easier, and you can usually be grateful that you did.

angelabrook.com 

Stress--How do you deal with it?

So I was searching through Pinterest for inspiration today and I saw this quote:

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2013/11/response_using_self-compassion_to_recover_from_a_bad_day.html

This quote caught my attention, because I have been thinking a bit lately about the stress that comes with my job.  How much it wears me out--and I wonder if it is because I don't handle my stress right. Which gets me thinking that if I handled stress better, would my overall life be better? The obvious answer to that one of course is yes---but then it circles back to the only way I can think of to control my stress better is quitting my job.  Currently that is not something that I am contemplating (though my more faithful readers know that I do contemplate this at my low points). So I clicked on this quote.

It came from an article on Education Week that is the third part of a series answering the question of how do you deal with a bad day as teachers. After reading the responses from various teachers, I realize that they are talking about the days in which the lesson doesn't go well, or the kids are driving you crazy, or you have those moments that just make you want to walk out.  And yes I still have those--but these articles didn't give me completely what I was thinking it was.  My job is stressful--as the quote says---it is the nature of the beast.  And it confirms what I have been thinking all along--it is not just this particular job.  So how do we deal with it? We can't just stop being teachers.

Some people offered the standard answers of taking care of yourself and leaving work at work--including in your mind.  And I agree with those, but others talked about things to do to prevent the bad days and when in the middle of them.  What about when you just get so tired of getting up in the morning? So in response to this response article....I thought I would offer what I try to do to deal with my stress.

1. As much as leaving at 3:00 when you get off is good for you...sometimes it is helpful to just stay a little longer so that you actually can leave work at work.  Even though some days I get home at 5...I go home without having to worry about anything.
2. Be willing to say no to things...having too many things on the plate along with teaching is hard.  Don't feel guilty just because you can't do it all.
3. I have noticed that if I don't take time for myself every night the next day is harder.  Even if it is a couple minutes of TV watching, book reading, Facebook, etc.--I recharge so much better.
4. In line with 2 and 3--make the important things a priority.  For me--church is a huge priority.  It helps me to deal with the stress of work--and it is a priority in my life.
5. Put your life in perspective.  Now this might sound really like a strange way to do so....but sometimes I say to myself, "Well at least I am not having to go through this like so and so is." I have a teacher friend right now who is teaching a full course load, directing the school musical that opens this week, and getting ready for basketball season that starts as soon as the play is over. And to top it all off her mom is currently fighting cancer.  Seriously....I have it easy compared to that.  It makes my stress not seem so over-whelming.  When none of you have horrible things happening in your lives (which is preferable don't get me wrong)--TV is a great replacement for--see my life isn't as horrible as it could be--especially medical dramas like Greys.

How do you relieve your stress?

Dr. Seuss LDS Style

So....this year in Young Women's we have been talking about a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 87:8---that says "Stand ye in holy places and be not moved."  And tonight we did a full year wrap up of what the girls accomplished this year.  I will share tomorrow in a different post what I did this year and hopefully get to send off tomorrow :) But today I wanted to share how proud I am of all our girls! And hope that they remember who they are and that they can stand and decide the direction that you head. I made this handout tonight for the girls--because we hope that this is where you end up.

Ugh....so after wrestling with it for like a half an hour--I can't get it to paste in here. Didn't think it would be that hard!  Anyway...I got a picture of the Vernal Temple since it is "our temple" and then pasted this over the top:

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.

About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

This quote is from "Oh the Places You'll Go" and it just seemed perfect to me.  I highlighted the part: "You can steer yourself any direction you choose":--and we stuck them on little shoes...and they looked great and I hoped the girls got as much out of them as I loved making them!

November=Gratitude

This season of Thanksgiving is often forgotten inbetween Halloween and Christmas....but I like this holiday WAY more than Halloween.  It is a great time of year as we start to get excited for Christmas, snow, spending time with family, etc.  A lot of people talk about what they are thankful for during this time of year as well.  I thought that to start off this month I would put up a couple of quotes that really speak to me about gratitude.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1441367_592994844071512_1708809530_n.jpg

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/bd/94/ad/bd94ad31e01a5081d00119af3f8ba86a.jpg

FOCUS!

This is going to be a super lame post because I have parent-teacher conferences this week and I am SWAMPED!!! So my goal is to...

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608056820163/

And hopefully I do....end up successful.

A Book Quote for Today

So I am pulling a inspire quote today....

A well-composed book is a magic carpet on which we are wafted to a world that we cannot enter in any other way. 

This is from Caroline Gordon.  Apparently  she was a prominent literary figure who was friends with writers like Flannery O'Connor, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  She was very well read when she was around, but she hasn't survived into present day.  Makes me want to find a book of hers to read!

But I really loved this quote--this is why I love reading and try to get my students to read too.  Thankfully, most of my students catch on with the reading bug and I love it!  But I think this is why movies do very well--it is the power of the story.  But I feel like reading is more of a magic carpet because it is your imagination that pushes the plot forward.

Thank you Wikipedia!
But she looks fascinating

Quotes to Uplift Your Day!

These were some cool quotes I have found recently that I thought I would share!!

http://www.a-threadblog.com/motivation-mondays-w-2/

This quote has spoken to me a lot today.  I have been realizing what I have been able to do all year long and while it was not perfect, I think it was more than I ever thought of myself.  We do things because we have to usually...because no one would choose to be a lead teacher, a Social Studies teacher, and a English teacher all at the same time.

I found this article called 12 Comedian Quotes for When Your Job Makes You Want to Cry.  I expected funny quotes....but some are actually quite inspirational.  My favorites:

Quote of the Day

Today is a quick post, because it is late.  Ever have one of those days where everything seems to take longer, and you don't get as much done as you had hoped? Yep..that was me this entire weekend.  I am hurriedly writing this post because I need to get to bed before I wind myself up into an all-nighter trying to get things done--which might end up being tomorrow.  We'll see....but it is all leading up to a plane ride Tuesday afternoon!

So today's quote is:

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. --Mae West

So I had never heard of this Mae West....apparently she wrote risque plays in the early 1900s....but I don't know much else.  But I do like this quote.  We only have one life to live--and we need to accomplish all that we can.  If we work hard, suffer hard, and everything else that we are suppose to do here--then we can say that we have accomplished/survived this life.  It's not so much a live everyday like it's your last so much as actually live your life so that at the end of it you are proud of what you have accomplished.

Sunday Quotes About Adversity

Today I have been thinking a lot about adversity, patience, and faith--because in my mind they are going together today.  In Church today we talked about Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail while the Saints were be expelled from Missouri, which prompts the discussion of getting through adversities.  Tonight I have been watching lectures from a Coursera class about the Holocaust.  Today's lectures have been a bit of background on the Jewish culture and life prior to the Holocaust--these people had a lot of adversities in their lives too.  Adversities is a lot about life....whether we like it or not.

I have been struggling with my own adversities of health, disappointment, and sorrow.  And this weekend I have reflected a little bit on these past few months--adversity is necessary, patience is needed, and faith gets us through.  These quotes have helped a lot in my reflecting.

This quote from Neal A. Maxwell reminds us about the fact that we need to have faith in God through out our trials.  Everything happens for a reason, and they will work out in His time.  Trust in His timing. Picture Link

Attitude is everything. If I choose to mope around all day long, get angry, or bitter about what is happening in my life then I am directly affecting my life more.  And in my humble opinion, the adversity will probably last longer than it would have because you aren't learning what you need to from your trial--not a hard and fast rule but I am always of the opinion that you should try to learn from what is going on.  Picture Link

Finally, we should never give up on life.  We need to keep walking.  The last few months it has been waking up in the morning and putting one foot in front of the other.  If I can just get through today, maybe tomorrow will be better.  I sure hope so! Picture Link

Quotes to Get Me Through the Day

I think everybody gets the days that they just want to give up and not try anymore...I seem to be having a lot of those recently....so today is a reminder of the quotes that help me get through the day.

Everyday is holding on...and everything always changes, so can you roll with it?
http://godisheart.blogspot.com/2012/10/faith-is-art-of-holding-on-to-things-in.html

Everything will eventually work out!
http://zakiyahmonique.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/whats-meant-to-be/

And then just come home and escape from reality!
http://amandaonwriting.tumblr.com/post/36280447337

Words to Live By

Today has been the first Saturday in the new home.  We have a lot of boxes to unpack still....it is just one of those times where I am like--UGH! I should have gotten more done!!  I had a lot of plans of what to get done with everything that I need to do in my life.  I have school grading to do, boxes to unpack, projects to finish, books to read...I had way too many goals today. This quote from President Hinckley is great to remember on days like these...

http://designedbeautifully.blogspot.com/2013/02/simply-do-what-you-can-do.html

Importance of Relaxation

I found this quote today from O Henry:

Each of us, when our day's work is done, must seek our ideal, whether it be love or pinochle or lobster à la Newburg, or the sweet silence of the musty bookshelves. 

I honestly had no idea what pinochle meant..so I looked it up...it is apparently a card game. Not sure what the lobster thing has to do with anything...but I think that when the day's work is done these are what I need to do to relax! That's why I loved this quote.  It has been a crazy couple of days and I am feeling really worn out and stressed out.  So it was nice to find this quote to remind me that I need to take some time for myself.  What do you like to do after a long day?  My list.....

1. Watch some stupid TV...comedies are good
2. Not so stupid TV that allows me to fall into the storyline
3. Eat chocolate
4. Read a good book
5. Knit

The biggest thing is trying not to think TOO much about the day...so easier said then done huh?

From Wikipedia...I wondered what O Henry looked like