Honesty Is the Best Policy

Today has been a weird day....one of those days where you plan to do all of these things and it actually seems reasonable, and then things start to get in the way.  The items on the list take longer, massive thunderstorms prevent moving, and it just gets later and later.  I am suppose to be working on a lesson about honesty for church tomorrow, and writing a blog post at the same time.  So, I am going to write about my lesson and kill two birds with one stone :)

Mostly I will share with you guys the stories that I have found about being honest, because they are really powerful.  The first is from Robert C. Gay from his talk entitled, "What Shall a Man Give in Exchange for His Soul?"

As I was growing up, my parents assigned me chores around the house and paid me an allowance for that work. I often used that money, a little over 50 cents a week, to go to the movies. Back then a movie ticket cost 25 cents for an 11-year-old. This left me with 25 cents to spend on candy bars, which cost 5 cents apiece. A movie with five candy bars! It couldn’t get much better than that.

All was well until I turned 12. Standing in line one afternoon, I realized that the ticket price for a 12-year-old was 35 cents, and that meant two less candy bars. Not quite prepared to make that sacrifice, I reasoned to myself, “You look the same as you did a week ago.” I then stepped up and asked for the 25-cent ticket. The cashier did not blink, and I bought my regular five candy bars instead of three.

Elated by my accomplishment, I later rushed home to tell my dad about my big coup. As I poured out the details, he said nothing. When I finished, he simply looked at me and said, “Son, would you sell your soul for a nickel?” His words pierced my 12-year-old heart. It is a lesson I have never forgotten.

This is a very powerful lesson that he learned from his father--is the lie really worth it?

This next story is from Ann M. Dibb's talk called, "I Believe in Being Honest and True"

“A man … went one evening to steal corn from a neighbor’s field. He took his little boy with him to sit on the fence and keep a look-out, so as to give warning in case any one should come along. The man jumped over the fence with a large bag on his arm, and before commencing to take the corn he looked all around, first one way and then the other, and not seeing any person, he was just about to fill his bag. … [The boy then called out]:

“‘Father, there is one way you haven’t looked yet! … You forgot to look up.

God always knows what we have done...so unless you are willing to have Him always watching you do horrible things, you should probably shape it up :)

Great pic from
https://www.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/honesty-and-integrity?lang=eng

Belonging to Reading is Essential to Learning

So I read this quote recently and wanted to share it with all of you:

Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours. --John Locke

As a teacher, I often try to figure out why my students aren't understanding material.  Not always, but usually I can find something that they haven't done to "tangle" with the material.  Maybe they didn't take notes on a lecture, or try at all on an assignment, or didn't really do the reading if at all. That is when I try to figure out what to make them do to actually tangle with it--just like this quote says.  We have to actually think about what we have learned or we will never have it be ours. And if we can't absorb the knowledge, than we will never learn it.

So what are some techniques that I have used to help students tangle more with the knowledge?

• Actually take notes on the reading or lecture they were to have done before
• Asking them questions from the assignment to see what they already know--sometimes this shows them that they don't have it yet at all
• Supplementary materials...a lot of teachers hate worksheets--and I do to a point.  There is a purpose for worksheets--to give the student extra practice. 
• Annotating a reading
• Teaching a fellow student the concept (can only really do this after I know they have at least some of it)

This list is actually one of the reasons I love being at a blended learning school--I have a tool bag of tricks that I could use in a public school but the students don't have time to really learn it.  At my school, they do :) 

Movie Review: Date Night

Last movie that I have watched recently, so last review for at least a little while. Of all three movies this was my least favorite.

Summary: Date Night is about a married couple whose relationship has become very kid driven and they aren't really romantic anymore.  They do this weekly date night but it ends up being just this stale boring thing.  A couple friend of theirs suddenly decides to separate and get a divorce.  They decide that they need to spice up date night.  The rest of the night becomes the movie, in which a case of mistaken identify, almost execution, corrupt officials, and police involvement.

What Did I Love?

• It was a decent plot line, and they kept us guessing well enough
• Funny one-liners
• Funny actors

What Did I Not Like?

• A very awkward scene in a stripper bar.....I would not watch this with children because of this scene...like I really wanted to fast forward

Bottom line....the awkward scene really kind of ruined it for me....so if you don't mind that then this movie would probably would be great for you

Movie Review: Safe Haven

I mentioned yesterday that I had lots of movie reviews for you guys.  This is another movie I watched this weekend--having finished the book.  (Check out that review here)

Thank you to
http://www.joreviews.com

Summary: The plot is basically the same as the book--there are some differences.  Katie escapes her abusive husband and runs away to a small town in North Carolina.  She meets Alex and his two kids, and she and Alex eventually start to date.  Her husband though does not give up looking for her, and eventually her past starts to catch up with her.


What Did I Love?

• I liked that they picked the leads they did...Josh Duhamel and Julianne Hough did a great job.
• I also liked the girl they picked for the daughter--she was the right amount of cute :)

What Did I Hate?

• A key plot change in how Alex finds out about Katie's previous life and how the neighbor relationship shows up
• The son was too young
• The changes to Alex and Katie's overall relationship--I liked what they had in the book with the trust issues and this just changes that
• They should have given Josh Duhamel grey streaks

Bottom line: I might own it eventually, but if you watch it just recognize that the book is SO much better!

Top Ten Tuesdays: Classics Paired with Current

I am so excited about this Top Ten Tuesday in which we pair a required reading or books that should be required readings.  The English teacher in me is sooo thrilled.  So here we go :)

Pairings
1. 1984 with The Giver--You have to do the utopian thing together
2. Romeo and Juliet with West Side Story--yes I know its not really a book but a musical...but Romeo and Juliet is a play so deal :)
3. Les Miserables and A Tale of Two Cities-- I did this in my class last year and LOVED IT!
4. The Diary of Anne Frank and Number the Stars--Holocaust from a female perspective plus the whole non-fiction and fiction
5. Mississippi Trial, 1955 and Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of Emmett Till--These were written to serve together as a companion and this should totally be required readings!

Should Be Required Reading
1. The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas--Great book that makes kids thing about the Holocaust
2. Rebecca--I absolutely love this book and it was required in my high school but I don't think many use it
3. Pride and Prejudice--A lot of people don't like to touch this because the boys won't like it...but seriously it is a good book!
4. Speak--This book is more relate-able than most books students read and it is written very well
5. Little Women--Because I simply love it!! :)

Movie Review: 42

So...yesterday I did not blog :( I had a very busy day and a very late night and wouldn't have been able to blog until after midnight this morning.  So I am writing two today---we are doing a 365 blog posts in a year to make up :)

This weekend I watched three different movies so we are going to do one of them reviewed today...this one is my favorite!

Summary: 42 is the recent movie that discusses how Jackie Robinson broke the racial barrier of Major League Baseball.  We meet the people that supported him through it all: a reporter, his wife, and the owner of the Dodgers--Mr. Richie.  This was apparently all Mr. Richie's idea, which was interesting to me.  He suffered lack of support from fans, team members, and fellow baseball people.  He had to stand up strong against all the diversity.

What I Loved?

• All of it!
• Absolutely loved Harrison Ford!! He acted so very well in this movie.
• The story....they really wrote a great movie.
• I learned a lot...and I hope it's all true :)

What I Did Not Like?

• That the Internet told me that the end bio things were wrong :(
• It dragged occasionally and had the typical end with all the music and slow motion and the clapping

Bottom Line: I want to own it!!

Thank you Wikipedia

Top Posts of August

It is now September.  I was just realizing that the other day that there are four months left of the year.  How crazy is that?! Because it is a new month, we look back on the old and see how we did.

3. Top Ten Tuesday: Secondary Characters--This post was actually a lot of fun to do. I enjoy participating in Top Ten because I get to use my literary brain sometimes!

2. Bout of Books Goals--This kicked off my crazy idea that I might finish Mansfield Park that week. Ha! That book is a bit boring. I am still determined to finish, but wow that was an ambitious goal!

1. Top Ten Tuesday: Making Blog Life Easy--This was an easy post to write because I kind of do this for a living now.  I am all about trying to make our school blog easy to use!

It is no coincidence to me that by jumping on these events with other bloggers is what is on for this month top posts.  I did a lot of stuff with other groups this month and it has made coming up with what to write about easier but not feel so restrictive.  Thanks to my fellow bloggers who put in the effort to do something like that. Maybe some day I will too :)

Seemed appropriate...
http://upfront.ngsgenealogy.org/2013/02/official-genealogy-bloggers-sought-for.html