Category Archives: Observations from LA

Character Visualization – Teachers Write! Day #4

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Teachers Write!

photo of Tracey Baptiste credited to: http://latifahabdur.com/

photo of Tracey Baptiste credited to: http://latifahabdur.com/

 

credit: Amazon.com

credit: Amazon.com

The Teachers Write! challenges continue, including my own struggle to find time to write. I’m thankful for the timed element of today’s challenge. I have bathrooms to clean, so the teacher-writer in me is slightly slammed for computer time. I am committed to catching up the pack, though, so it’s now or never. Today’s guest author is Tracey Baptiste. who penned 2015’s middle grade book, The Jumbies, a spooky adventure set in the Caribbean, where Tracey grew up.

Exercise 1: Visualization

Picture your character walking through a door that is far away. All you can see is the shape of their body because there is a bright light behind them. When they step through the door, describe what they are wearing. (Write all you can in 2 mins.) As they move further into the room, describe the objects that you can see around them. (Write all you can in 2 mins.)

Slightly faded black Einstein t-shirt with fluorescent graphic of wild-haired Einstein, stonewashed, faded and a little too short blue jeans, showing wear on knees, hint of neon orange socks peek out from beneath frayed jeans bottom, grey and black Nike trainers

mahogany desk, probably purchased at a yard sale, that’s missing one copper drawer pull, Apple computer with NFL channel showing Top 100 players of 2015, dusty globe at the corner of the desk, a few books stacked beside the computer mouse, each with a torn book mark (all are partially read), swivel chair that squeaks when it turns to the right, an oriental style rug on the floor that’s fading where the sunlight streams in from the windows, a pair of Adidas black and white soccer slides askew under the desk, Starburst wrappers, two pennies and one lone Skittle on the desktop, a black and white dog nestled beneath the desk, its head resting on the back end of the soccer slide, the active chirps of birds coming in through the screens

As they stand in the middle of the room, people begin walking toward them. Describe who these people are and what their relationship is to your character. (Write all you can in 4 mins.)

Older brother, Connor, six foot four, towers over Braeden, his little brother. Obsessed with Magic the Gathering card game, regular at downtown DC hackfests, relatively quiet, but has a wicked sense of humor, adventurous. Likes to give his little brother a hard time, in a loving, big brother kind of way. Has serious asthma, which keeps him from venturing far from home. Knows Braeden idolizes him, and likes to show him off to his high school buddies now and then. Happy to share with Braeden on his terms.

Mother, Chase, blonde, book editor and athletic trainer on the side. Comes in to let Braeden know his time his up for YouTube/computer. Gives him a choice of either cleaning his room or cleaning hamster cages. Braeden ignores her until her tone of voice changes from sing-song to serious. He chooses to clean his room, since he can close the door and stretch out on his bed listening to music until Mom comes to check again.

Exercise 2: Becoming Your Character

Put yourself in your character’s shoes and answer the following interview questions as if you are them. What do you love the most? What do you hate the most? Who are you jealous of? If you could do anything right now, what would it be? What is your biggest secret?

I love football, which some might consider wierd since I don’t play the sport. Mom was terrified I’d end up with a head or neck injury like her brother and Dad so when every other guy in my class was wearing shoulder pads and helmets to crash into their scrawny neighbors, I was playing flag football (if I was lucky) or just tossing around the pigskin with my Dad or older brother. Despite the physical absence of tackle football in my life, I’m a diehard fan of the gridiron. Pittsburgh is my team; my Dad’s from Pittsburgh so the entire family claims allegiance to the black and gold. Still, I’ll admit to cheering for the Seahawks during last year’s Super Bowl. When ESPN was broadcasting the combines, my butt was parked in the corner recliner, remote control in hand–not because I had any intention of changing channels but to claim ownership of the TV. NFL draft day? I had a countdown on my iphone to remind me when to turn on the TV. Seriously, I’m obsessed. Player positions, teams, stats, I guarantee I know more than any kid in my 6th grade class. To them, though, I’m not a player so I don’t “get” the game. Ha. J.J. Watt, number one player of 2015, that defender can kill it. Marshawn Lynch is a beast. Did you know Andrew Luck congratulates every guy who tackles him? Don’t even get me started on AB, Antonio Brown, number eight on this year’s list. This Steeler is freaking amazing.

I hate all the excuses the politicians and so-called-adults make for why we can’t do something about climate change. Monster storms. Debilitating droughts. Rising sea levels. Contaminated water supply. World-wide food shortages. This is the stuff that swirls around my head when Mom sends me up to bed to get some sleep. Right. How about I get started on solving the most pressing world issue to face mankind instead? Except I’m 11–and can’t even ride a bike down to my best friend’s house because I outgrew my brother’s hand-me-down Raleigh.

Who am I jealous of? Kids who are taller and more athletic than me. I know I’m smart, and I’ve accepted I’m nerdy in a cool and approachable kind of way. However, sometimes I just want to be the best soccer player on the field instead of the one who loses sight of the ball just as my foot is about to connect with the leather. I wish my eyesight was close to 20/20 without the thick-lense glasses. At least Mom insisted I pick out a new set of frames for sixth grade. I must say, I noticed a few more girls looking my way. If I could do anything right now, I’d be standing atop Blarney Castle in Ireland, about to bend down to kiss the Blarney Stone for the second time in my life. Ireland is an adventure I’d embark on any day of the week. What’s my secret? I have an identical twin brother. Or did. He only lived a week after we wore born. I don’t tell anyone because it sounds creepy, but sometimes I feel Brent’s presence. Even though there’s no way I remember him, I get the idea he’s here with me for a reason. I’ve never told anyone–not even Mom or Dad–about how I talk to Brent. They’d probably lock me up in a mental institute.

Exercise 3: Flip the Switch

Imagine that a bad guy with an opposite-ray dropped into your book from hyperspace. The opposite-ray hits your character full in the face and now they are the complete antithesis of the person they were before. Now answer the same questions above again. What do you love the most? What do you hate the most? Who are you jealous of? If you could do anything right now, what would it be? (I don’t include the secret question because presumably will be the same.)

I am obsessed with HGTV, and have already dreamed up every detail of my designer house. I detest all this talk of climate change. It’s inconvenient, intentionally scaring the crap out of little kids like me, and I happen to believe it’s all cyclical. FOX News confirms it, and that’s good enough for me. I’m sketching rooms I want to create, not worrying about shrinking rainforests and rising sea levels. What am I jealous of? Jackson Millner’s family bank account.  They have five new cars in the driveway and their kids aren’t even of driving age yet. They jet off to a Carribean vacation one week and then announce a European tour the next. I don’t even have to look online anymore to preview the newest Jordans hitting the streets; Jackson Millner is wearing them into school the day after release. If I could do anything right now, it would be convince my mother to replace the outdated countertop in our kitchen with poured concrete or cork. It’s quite embarrassing to invite a friend over and have to excuse away our laminate. 

Exercise 4: Conversion

Take any scene from your current WIP that includes the character you’ve been working on. Strip away all of the setting information, the emotional tag lines and write it as a play with only the characters’ words and any stage directions that move your character into a spot that helps your plot to continue, such as: Moves to door. Door swings open and hits them in the face. Now see how the words your character uses without any props conveys their emotions, or DOESN’T convey their emotions.

Love the 4th exercise, but I’m plumb out of time. Those bathrooms are not cleaning themselves so it’s upstairs I go. It’s catch-up day; no additional time for editing. 🙂 Wow–what a learning experience this was. Difficult…but eye opening. 🙂 I can definitely use these ideas in my classroom. Thank you, Tracey Baptiste!

Happy 451st Birthday, William Shakespeare!

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According to historians, the Bard of Avon, the mastermind behind Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, was born 451 years ago today. In honor of Mr. Shakespeare’s birth, I’ve shared Sonnet 18, undoubtedly among the most famous of his 154 sonnets, Best of all, Mr. Rombach and I worked together to pen our own Shakespearean sonnet. On Friday, after you finish the first of three standardized tests (ugh), I invite you to investigate the man who, according to The European Graduate School, “altered the course of European and World literature.” 

Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare 

Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Sonnet 155 by Mr. and Mrs. Rombach (with a little help from the Bard)

Shall I compare thee to a schoolhouse day?
Thou art more lively and more literate:
Loud bells chime to get classes underway,
Mere weeks remain ’til bathing suits must fit:

Sometimes too heavy the sharp pencil weighs,
Multiple choice brings on multiple pains,
The tests they stretch on for too many days
Our brains and our hands, every part complains;

But thy elusive summer shall not fade
Sandy beaches beckon, calling our name
Bags bulge at the zippers, travel plans made,
Come June 16th, our freedom we shall claim

So long, Eagle Ridge, our work here is done
Fare thee well, sixth grade, we’re off to have fun.

 

Eager to try your hand at creating a Shakespearean sonnet? Click here for step-by-step instructions.

My apologies to Shakespeare enthusiasts. My dear husband informed me that my original source for Shakespeare’s birth was dead wrong. In 2015, the Bard would be 451 (not 399 as previously posted). 

Quote by William Shakespeare

 

 

 

Five-Minute PHOTO Friday!

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Happy Last Day of the Quarter!

I’m pleased to present Five-Minute Photo Friday. Here are four photos to light your creative fires. What story could you tell with one of these pictures? Is there a poem, a slice of life narrative, or perhaps a journal entry bubbling inside of you? If not, that’s okay. Just write. Whether you’re silly or serious or somewhere smack in the middle, the most important thing I want you to accomplish today is to keep your fingers moving across the keyboard for a full five minutes.

Giving Credit…Where Credit is Due.

Before you begin, notice that all of my photos give credit (AKA attribution) to their creators. As I’m learning more about following copyright laws for sharing photos and videos, it’s important that I make clear that just because you find an image on Google, doesn’t mean it’s free to use. Writers, photographers, and videographers make a living selling their copyrighted work. It’s essential that we only use photographs that have been approved for use by the person behind the camera. Your best bet for embedding photos on your blog is with the Compfight widget we’ve already installed. However, you know my One Little Word this year is CHOICES--so I’m offering a few more photo resources that I’ve found through the Student Blogging Challenge.

First, say hello to Getty Images, which gives you access to over 50 million photos — including Hollywood celebrities and pro athletes! (Place pointer over an image and click the </> icon.) Getty also sells photos for commercial use (for big $) so only use the link provided. Next is MorgueFile, which serves up a lively body of free photos. 🙂 As always, give credit where credit is due–even if the photo is free to use.

It’s time to tap, tap, tap on the keyboard. Before or after you write, add the photo you used to your blog! 🙂 I can’t wait to read what you’ve written. — Mrs. Rombach

P.S. – Wow! A gaggle of global visitors responded to our country questions.

Click here to read their comments.

Then, visit their blogs to answer the questions they left for us.

Remember to leave your blog URL in every comment!

 

credit: By: seenicks/MorgueFiles

credit: By: seenicks/MorgueFiles

 
image

credit: By JoeysPhotos from MorgueFile.com

Avatars -Create Your Blog Alter Ego

If you haven’t already done so, today is the perfect time to avatar yourself. Check out these options:

1. Build Your Wild Self – If you adore unique animals.

2. Hero Factory – If superhero powers are calling your name.

3. The Mini-Mizer – If you’d like to be a Lego brickhead.

4. Picasso Head – If abstract art speaks to you.

5. Dude Factory – If you’re too cool for school.

6. DoppelMe – If you’ve always wanted a mini me.

7. BitStrips – If your life is like a comic strip.

8. MyBlueRobot – If you like Mrs. Rombach’s avatar below.

9. Mii – If Wii is your gaming platform, grab a Mii avatar. (Save this for another day; I can’t figure out how to download or embed this yet.)

10. Cuteki – If a bubble-face cutie-pie is you.

Create your own avatar at mybluerobot.com.

Create your own avatar at mybluerobot.com.

Student Blogging Challenge: Week 4

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Katie via Compfight
Week 4: Let’s Join Globally
This week’s activities revolve around the world in which we live. Choose ONE activity to complete today in class. Carefully proofread and spellcheck your work. Miss W of Edublogs is compiling the best and brightest of this week’s blog posts into a showcase flip book. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your blog post was in an international spotlight? What are you waiting for? It’s time to go global!

This Saturday, from 8:30-9:30pm, the world celebrates Earth Hour.

Check out the video for the 2015 event.

  • Now add an image to a widget on your blog sidebar – you might need to change the size to 200 by 200
  • Check out the starter kit for banners, logos and posters. Teachers might get some ideas from the guides to use in class during the week.
  • Find out what is happening in your country and in other countries around the world.

Activity 1. (*Rombach Recommended)

Activity #1

Join our Free Rice group called Student Blogging Challenge or create one for your class. Every answer you get right, means 10 grains of rice donated to the World Food Programme. Since October 2011, we have had 86 students join and donate 116, 300 grains of rice. I wonder how many we could have by the end of Easter? Can you add a widget to Free Rice on your blog?

In addition, you’re to write a post about Free Rice. Tell visitors how they participate, who it benefits, and why you chose this activity. Be sure to include a link to the Free Rice website.

Activity 2.

Write a list of international events you have taken part in since Christmas 2014. What were they celebrating? What did you do to celebrate?

Activity 3. (*Rombach Recommended)

Click here and visit at least five (5) blogs from countries other than your own. Leave a quality comment on each blog (include your blog’s URL). Next, write your own post about what you discovered and include a link to each blog you commented on. To learn how to insert a hyperlink to another blog, follow these step-by-step directions.

Activity 4. (*Rombach Recommended)

If you could create an international event, what would it be called? What would we be celebrating? Create some of the advertising material you might use – eg logo, banner, image, flyer

Activity 5.

Think of a special celebration in one country of the world. Find three images of the event. Under each image, give a clue as to the event.

On the final line, write a bit more about the event for your visitors to read. Include a link to another website giving more information on the event. Remember to include attribution for each image and perhaps a question for your readers to answer.

Activity 6.

Write about one special event you have taken part in. It might be an educational global event or an international event from the United Nations or a special event from your country. Find an image to add to your post. Remember to use attribution correctly. Include a link to another website giving more information on the event.

Activity 7. (*Rombach Recommended)

Add at least five international blogs to your blogroll or links ready for a game we will hold after Easter. If you can’t add links on your blog, add them in a post instead.

Activity 8. (*Rombach Recommended)

iOS / iPhone

Creative Commons License Álvaro Ibáñez via Compfight

What are some games or apps you use that relate to global studies or geography of the world? Write a paragraph showcasing your 2-3 recommended apps. For each featured app, include at least one supporting sentence to tell visitors the benefits. Provide a link to the website or app. To learn how to insert a hyperlink to another website or blog into your post, follow these step-by-step directions.

Activity 9. (*Rombach Recommended)

What could you, your class, your school, or your town do to help with the climate change problem for more than the one hour on Saturday, March 28, 2015?

 

Previous week’s activities: Visit and leave quality comments. 

Eagle Wordsmiths have a question for students or classes in each country in the challenge. Please answer their questions.

Mr Jewell’s class would like some feedback from other bloggers re use of images.

Ms Andrews’ class wrote lots of poems and stories using images

Olivia wrote a brilliant post about copyright

Commenting: Brooke created a Prezi, Tess and Jamie created a video,

A-Z paragraph: Eagle Wordsmiths, 3/4 Coe,

Zoom Out: Brianna and her ladybird, Miss Scarrott and keyring, Lucas and Spencer made a zoom movie, Jennifer used Kizoa for a movie,

Controversy – iPhones at school, BYOT at school, School start later, New York Yankees,

Book Review: Delirium,

Poems: Danielle, AlexR, Kayla, Jazzy, Rachel, Jamie, Xander, Hank, Sophia, Isabel, Paige, Keyan,

Stories to finish: Jonah, Cassie, Andrew, Chelsea, Hannah, Penelope,

Conversations are happening: Kendall and Merry, Nelly and Merry,

About pages: Compare Hobart to your town, Riley, Cloie’s slideshow about family, Hailey, Lucasand family,

Passionate about: Flying with AlexS, elephants with Ava,

Copyright and creative commons: A video about music,

Sentences to read: Erica, Mackenzie, Andrew,

Using images in lots of activities: Renee, Aymen, Nelly, Lucas,

Jigsaw puzzle: Kendall,

Still got time left this week?

1. Visit other student and class blogs, and leave some quality comments.

2. Reply to comments on your own blog.

3. Start using tags and categories with each post you write to make it easier for people to find posts on certain topics. Make sure you have the tags and categories widgets in your sidebar.

Having lots of  links to student blogs from other countries will help spread the game.

Here are the instructions for adding links to your sidebars.

Edublogs, Blogger, Kidblog – not sure if this widget goes on the class page or each student page

UPDATE – UPDATE – UPDATE

Miss W has now created the flipboard magazine for this set of challenges. She will only be adding posts that:

  • are written in paragraphs
  • have been proofread
  • include an image, sound or video with attribution(use only free images found on sites listed below)
    • Compfight (on your blog already-camera icon)
    • MorgueFiles (find your image, download photo, open new post, click on Add Media, upload photo from your download file, add photographer credit, insert into post)
    • GettyImages (must use their embed code </>)

 

 

Six Things We Should Say More Often

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You’ll notice I didn’t say write or text more often.

Our voices are as individual as our fingerprints, and yet technology puts a pixelated screen between you and me. We converse in Helvetica or Times-Roman instead of in person, face-to-face. Tonight, even as I sit typing this holiday countdown on my Mac, I’m wishing that technology weren’t so pervasive. I wish that instead of texting to make lunch dates or arrange carpools, that we actually spoke to each other. Often.

Not so long ago, a bundle of preteen girls in the backseat of my Yukon would be chattering like chipmunks. Now, it’s a silent row of bowed heads leaning over lit-up screens.

Conversations connect us, not wi-fi, cellphones, or the internet.

This Christmas, I’m wishing for less social media and more socializing. Less texts and more heartfelt, spoken words.

Here’s my list of six things I believe we should all say more often. I’ve added Kid President’s list of 20 things because we all know how much Mrs. Rombach digs Kid President. He’s one awesomely inspiring young kid with a voice I’ll never forget.

 

Six Things We Should All Say More Often

1. Can I help you with that?

2. You’re beautiful. You’re handsome.

3. What a brilliant idea!

4. Thanks so much.

5. I love you. You matter to me.

6. You’re doing a great job!

Only six more school days until the holidays begin!

Seven Silly Classic Jokes

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credit: etticoatjunktion.com

credit: etticoatjunktion.com

Whenever I need to laugh that deep in the belly chuckle, I snatch the remote control, press the beloved DVR button, and click on a previously recorded Ellen show. Ellen Degeneres’ comedy knits a smile across my face faster than a box of Hot Tamales disappears in my house. That, my blogging friends, is saying something. Today, on the 7th school day before winter break, I am rainbows and unicorns happy to present seven of Ellen’s classic jokes. Credit goes to my daughter Cady, also smitten with Ellen, who entertained us with a few of Ellen’s classic jokes tonight. She’s the inspiration for this goofy post. Tonight, with a little help from Ellen (#ClassicJokeWednesday), I present seven classic jokes…

 

Why do ghosts hate to go to prom?

They have no body to dance with.

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

What happened to the overturned fruit truck?

It caused a big traffic jam.

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

Where do you learn to make ice cream?

Sundae school.

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

What did the llama say when he got kicked off the farm?

Alpaca my bags.

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

Why did the man iron his four leaf clover?

He wanted to press his luck!

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

Why was the broom late?

He over swept.

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

credit: www.clipartpanda.com

 
 
 What do you call a lazy baby kangaroo?
A pouch potato.
credit: cornandco.com

credit: cornandco.com

Today, December 11, is my Mom’s birthday. She has one of the best laughs on the planet.
Since she’s in North Carolina and I’m here in Virginia, I don’t get to hear that one-of-a-kind southern laugh
often enough. I miss you, Mom. Happy Birthday!
Mrs. Rombach
(just Martha for Mom)

Top 12 Words That Color My World

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Number 12

Twelve days until Christmas break. Word up!

Could anyone guess this teacher is ready for a little holiday R & R? As hinted at in a previous post, it’s time to reveal my Top 12 List of Words That Color My World. You surely have your own list of luminous words. While my actual list is miles longer, this list of 12 accurately represents a smattering of my favorites. Introducing my words worth repeating…

To learn the definition or hear the pronunciation, click on the word. 🙂

12. melancholy 

I missed this word on a literature test in college. My brain froze. I’ll never forget it again. Check out the John Keats poem entitled, Ode to Melancholy, to see what I was studying.

11. smidgen

This is my favorite dieting philosophy; I’ll have a smidgen of this and a smidgen of that.

10. serendipity

Serendipity was instrumental in my landing the copywriting job at People. Plus, Serendipity is a NYC must-visit ice cream sensation that serves the world’s best frozen hot chocolate.

Reservations are required…so don’t rely on serendipity to get you in the door.

9. pugnacious

Throughout our teen years, this word defined my relationship with my younger brother, Bob. Thank goodness, we love each other nowadays.

8. magnanimous

A generous, giving spirit is at the heart of a magnanimous person. I’ve been blessed to know so many magnanimous, uplifting people in my life.

7. flummoxed

Perplexed? Befuddled? Confused? Well then, consider yourself flummoxed. The fox was flummoxed when his feathered friend flew the coop. (A little alliteration goes a long way!)

6. stellar

In true star fashion, my students are diligently writing and revising their stellar Slice of Life stories.

5. birthday

Who doesn’t want to hear the word birthday, especially when there’s cake, ice cream, presents, and a stellar celebration involved?

My birthday is October 5th, which, according to ABC News, is the most popular birthday in America.

4. humility

Being humble changes the world. If everyone worked to notice the extraordinary in someone else instead of tooting their own overblown horn, lives would change. Seriously, humility is an incredibly honorable trait.

3. cacophony

On Christmas morning in the Rombach house, there is a cacophony of celebration as presents are ripped open and wrapping paper streamers free fall in the family room.

2. onomatopoeia

BAM! THWACK! What would the world be without onomatopoeia, a word that’s as hard to spell as it is to pronounce? One thing’s for sure. Without onomatopoeia, Batman would be POWerless!

1. splendiferous

This has been my premier word for two decades. I tried repeatedly, and without success, to include this silk-on-your-tongue word in multiple writing projects while I worked at People Magazine. My boss thought it was too wordy.  I told all of my children about my splendiferous word and its infamous demise. My son, Bryan, inserted it in one of his fifth grade writing assignments, and his teacher questioned whether it was actually a word. Not only is it a word, but according to me–and now Fancy Nancy–it’s one of the best words in the English language. If you ask me, it is the peak of perfection. What do I think of sixth graders who strive to expand their vocabulary? Splendiferous, of course!

credit: http://c2.diapers.com/

credit: http://c2.diapers.com/

 

14 Things I Take for Granted

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What’s cooler than being cool?
Photo Credit: Ian Sane via Compfight

Tonight, as I made my first post-Thanksgiving, stuffing-topped turkey sandwich, an idea floated like a magic carpet into my brain. I ran my spontaneous idea by my oh-so-savvy high school freshman, and she gave me two thumbs up and a toothy smile. Right now, as I sit typing out this post with the TV playing National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation in the background, my idea evolves into this post.

Beginning today, I’m counting down the school days until holiday break by posting one list every day. I hope I can deliver on this self-imposed challenge.

After reading A Long Walk to Water and being reminded of all we have that others don’t, I thought I’d start with 14 Things I Take for Granted. Are you up to the challenge? Could you match me list for list as we count down to winter break? You choose the topics of your lists. Follow my lead if you like, but you have complete freedom to generate any theme you wish. Or, just read along! If you’re posting lists, leave a comment with your URL so I can create a link on my main page. Here’s a hint:  Adding a brief explanation for each item on your lists makes it more fun to read. I probably went a little overboard, but here goes.

Fa la la la la la la la la…let’s see who’s up for the Countdown List Challenge…

 

14 Things I Take for Granted – (in no particular order)

14. Instantaneous answers – Whether I’m in the co-pilot’s seat using the Waze app to avoid traffic congestion or debating details over the dinner table, I can get answers instantly, with just a little finger work on the touchscreen and four bars on the wi-fi.

13. Books – My house has shelves of books in every room, from cookbooks in the kitchen to trail guides in the family room to countless titles lining bookcases and bedside tables. I am never at a loss for reading material–unlike so many others around the world.

12. Medical care – Salva’s seriously ill father walked over 300 miles to the nearest clinic. I have two hospitals within a 10-minute drive, and easy-to-access urgent care centers nearly as popular as strip mall nail salons. If I’m hurting, ibuprofen is at my fingertips. That’s not true for so many.

11. Electricity – It warms my home, powers my technology, cools or freezes my food, washes my clothes, cooks my meals, and entertains me with movies, TV, and music. Power cords snake through my house, gobbling up electricity that’s a plug away.

10. My job – I get paid to do what I love, so I’m incredibly blessed. As I rush from one lesson plan to the next, one set of papers to grade to the next, it’s easy to forget that so many people who desperately want to work can’t find employment. That’s here in Virginia, across the U.S., and around the world. I can’t imagine a better way to earn a living than to teach over 70 students.

9. Neighbors – We watch out for each other, we trade eggs or flour when recipes call for ingredients we lack, we chat across the cul-de-sac, and watch each other’s children grow up and out of the house.

8. My better half, Mike – It’s been nearly 25 years since we tied the knot, but he still makes me coffee every morning, keeps me laughing (at him and myself), and is my backroads partner for life. This guy rocks.

7. Laney and Clancy, our four-legged best buds – Despite the fur that blankets every surface in my house, nothing is better than coming home to their squeals of delight. Whether I’m gone an hour or overnight, they fling themselves at my feet as though I’ve been a missing person for the past five years.

6. Food in my pantry and fridge – I’ve never experienced hunger like Salva or Nya have. If my stomach grumbles, I hush it with a quick snack from the pantry. I’ve never had to worry about how to feed myself or my family. There are so many who hunger, even here in Loudoun County; we need to be grateful for all we have–and generously share our abundance with others.

5. My co-workers – Mrs. Fields, Mrs. Haseltine, Mrs. Devlin, Mrs. O’Brien, Mrs. Smith, Mr. Lacey, and Mrs. Cohen are just a few of the rockstars I’m lucky enough to collaborate with daily. Too many people head into a work environment that’s frustrating or demeaning. Not me…I love coming to work!

4. Kindness – I’m surrounded by kind people. I encounter kindness in the most ordinary of places…the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru, an email or text message from a friend, a door held by a stranger, kind words shared by a Wal-Mart checkout clerk. I need to be more grateful for the little things that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

3. Education – I have high school and college degrees, but more importantly, my education has never stopped. I’m a lifelong learner and am blessed with the opportunity to take graduate and online courses, read innumerable books, and explore an infinite array of websites. I think of Nya, and other girls around the world, who are denied an education because of their life circumstances. Today, I celebrate all that school has brought into my life–three different careers, a husband I met at college, and a library of knowledge tucked inside my gray matter.

2. Water – You knew this would be here, right? Before A Long Walk to Water, I knew water was precious, but I didn’t understand fully how clean water is the lifeblood of a community. Clean water brings better health, schools, clinics, and allows a village to thrive rather than simply survive.

1. My children – Somewhere between the gray hair and the side-splitting belly aches of laughter, there is perfection in parenthood. I adore my five children. Yes, they turn my life topsy-turvy some days, but then we’re dancing like robots together in the kitchen, reciting Ellen’s classic jokes, or scrambling over rocks at Bears’ Den. I’m thankful for all the little moments we make together.

If I’m going to keep this up, I’ll have to write a little less next time around. 🙂 There you go…my List of 14 Things I Take for Granted. Tomorrow…My List of 13 Words I Can’t Live Without.

See you then- Mrs. Rombach

 

 

 

 

OLW – One Little Word

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Inspired by my teaching friend and fellow writer, Mrs. Haseltine of Crayons & Pencils and OneGratefulTeacher, I’ve decided it’s high time that I picked my second OLW, “What’s an OLW?” you might ask. OLW is an acronym for One Little Word. One little, seemingly insignificant word that morphs into something altogether different…a personal mission, a clarifying guidepost, a soulful determination to view our lives through a lens we alone color. The one word we select is thoughtfully sought, its competition may be scribbled on a coffee-stained napkin or typed up in an orderly, alphabetical list. Once we narrow the field of possible OLWs, the chosen word must make sense for the station in our lives. This one little word represents a newly adopted attitude, a goal, a changed way of viewing the unexpected wonders of the world.

Last year, my word was equilibrium, because I felt that I hadn’t quite found the perfect balance between work and family. I guess that’s the optimistic Libra in me. Today, I’m a teacher who realizes that, like parenthood, teaching isn’t ever going to be anything close to an 8-hour job. Most days, it’s more like double that. For now, I’ll be okay with unbalanced days and weeks because I wouldn’t trade this profession for any other. Well, maybe world traveler with an unlimited expense account. Since that doesn’t seem likely with two kids in college and three more still to go, I’ll stick with educating the most important people in the world…our extraordinary children.

So back to the OLW for 2014-2015. Drumroll please….

serenity post

 

 

There it is. Rather, here I am, determined to find serenity in the beautiful chaos. I’ll sip more herbal teas, Curl up in my bumblebee yellow Minion slippers. Spend more weekends padding across crunchy carpets of fallen leaves or peering over lofty ledges. I’ll find the peacefulness that is etched in each day and breathe it in. Perfection isn’t attainable Balance is over-rated. Serenity. Now that’s one little word I can take to the bank. My bank of joy!

What’s your OLW? Share it out in a comment…or write a blog post about it (once you’ve found “the one”).

Serenely yours,

Mrs. Rombach

 

 

The First Step…in A Long Walk to Water

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photo credit: www.goodreads.com

photo credit: www.goodreads.com

 

On Friday, our class will begin an in-depth exploration of Linda Sue Park’s novel, A Long Walk to Water. This book chronicles the struggle for clean water that a large portion of the world’s population faces. As our daily read-aloud, A Long Walk to Water, will escort us into our research unit, where you’ll be tasked with identifying, researching, and promoting a social injustice in the world that matters to you.

Homework:

Due Monday

(1) Over the weekend, your mission is to complete the WebQuest for A Long Walk to Water.  Like our reading survey, the WebQuest is a Google document that requires you to log in using your LCPS username and password. As you progress through this challenge, I have no doubt you’ll find this story both eye-opening and heartbreaking.

While we will begin this journey in class, its completion is your responsibility. Make the time as this is a graded assignment. To complete this WebQuest, use the two-sided questionnaire handed out in class. If you need a copy, click here: Webquest Task Sheet.

 

Click here: A Long Walk to Water WebQuest 

 

Due Wednesday

(2) Watch the TEDTalk featuring Ludwick Marishane. By Wednesday, leave a quality comment about how his story affected you.

 

Meet author Linda Sue Park and discover her inspiration for this novel.

 

If you had to walk a mile for a jug of water every day, as millions of people do, it’s unlikely you’d use that precious water to bathe. Young entrepreneur Ludwick Marishane tells the amazing, funny story of how he invented a cheap, clean, and convenient solution. I look forward to taking this long walk together.

Remember, leave a quality comment about how this video affected you.

 

I look forward to taking this long walk together.

Mrs. Rombach