The Boyfriend Ruse

Last week was homecoming. I was asked to participate in the school's Super Star Ralley as a member of the faculty team. I brought my brother with me to participate in the relay races. The next day at school all the students could talk about in my classes was who that hot guy was with me, and was he my boyfriend? Just tell us who he is Ms.E, just tell us who he is!!!! My cute brother said I could lie, so I neither confirmed nor denied anything. I did however tell them I would be bringing a different guy with me to the homecoming game on Friday.

Friday rolls around and I show up at the football game with my friend S. He put on a show for the kids that they can't stop talking about today. We walked in holding hands and then when we entered the bleecher section and walked passed the student section and S being the slightly cocky and funny guy that he is dropped my hand, threw his arm around my shoulder and waved to the student section - which then broke out in an erruption of "E's got a boyfriend!" followed by cheering. S continued to do the head-tilt and walk with his arm around me passed the faculty and family section of the bleechers and now all my students can say is "I saw you with your boyfriend Ms. E!" and "Have you kissed him yet?" and "That obviously wasn't a first date!" and finally, "He's handsome."

This is what makes it all worth it.

A former student came to visit me today after a month of USU. He was a student in my journalism class for two years, and during that time I saw him grow, change, improve in writing skills, as well as step up and become the student body president, play three sports, and lead in the school musical all the while his parents went through a painful divorce; good kid. He came into the faculty room to tell me that he(as a freshman) is a staff writer for the student newspaper at USU which is quite an acoomplishment! He was given the sports beat, and it doing a great job! He covered the Lodi bike race last weekend and has a 1200 word article online as well as in the newspaper. He came to my room during 4th to give me the link so I can read all of his articles online!

These are the moments teachers teach for. Not that he wouldn't have blossomed in these skills under another hand, but nevertheless it was rewarding for me to mentor this student and then to see him succeed in an area that I helped train him in. Similarly another one of my students is at BYU and she proudly facebook-ed me to tell me she helped the students in her writing class change passive voice to active voice in their writing assignments like I had taught her!

Cool moments.

Bucket List #6 - CHECK

I created a bucket list for the next year of my life - August to August. This weekend I accomplished #6: Hike the Virgin River Narrows, Zion National Park, Utah.
And here is what I have to say about it:

Don't be scared. The hike is easy. It's only called a hike because you need to wear hiking shoes or tennis shoes, carry a back pack and use a walking stick.

Yes, you need a walking stick. Probably 70% of the hike is through the Virigin River, and at times it is above the waist and swift, but if you have good shoes and a walking stick, it is more like a "nature walk" through the water.

The views are amazing! But this is not a "hike" for people who hate being wet.

P.S. Who said it was okay for 65 year old men and women to hike in their bathing suits only? Oh, well, good for them for having no inhibitions, I guess? :D

Retraction

My school district (after receiving a lot of harrassment) has decided all students in the district will watch the Obama speech during an assembly this week.

Teaching Students to be Anti-Obama

I am disconcerted that the school district I work for didn't allow Obama's speech to be viewed in school today. I'm not an Obama lover or hater, but I think not allowing it to be shown in school is sending a message to our students that they should not trust or respect our president.

I got a tattoo

Okay, so it was a fake one, but it was so fun!

My friends called up two weeks before school started and said let's go to L.A. I said okay! We went to Disneyland, stayed with my friend Krista in Hunington Beach and got fake tattoos, and laid out at the beach, ate gelato, checked out cute boys, and went window shopping. It was such a fun weekend away!

My tattoo is of a Roman gladiator (I have been penchant for all things Italian ever since I kissed a cute Italian man in Rome, but that is another story!) My friends got little tattoos on their backs, but I said, go big or go home! :D It was only a couple of dollars and we got them right on the beach. It felt fun to feel a little wild and scandalous. Ah, the secret life of the conservative, Utah school teacher! :D Oh, and the water was so warm and beautiful! Too bad I'm back to work now!

Forever Plaid, apparently

One fall fashion I cannot fall for this year is plaid. Do you remember all the plaid and flannel we wore in 8th and 9th and 10th grade? Did we want to look like loggers and farmers? (No offense to farmers since I come from a farm family).

All over Macey's and everywhere else everything is coming up plaid, plaid, plaid. Sure the cuts are a little different, but I just cannot do it! My evidence that it is just too soon to bring back plaid: I flipped on the t.v. today while grading papers and Stephanie on Full House is wearing a plaid farmer shirt with a black ribbon chocker. It's just too soon!