Junior high was not pleasant for me. I returned to Andalucia after two years in the gifted program at Barcelona. Andalucia was a small school and I had known the others since elementary school. There was a lot of peer pressure to do a lot of bad things. I had a couple of good friends and especially became close to a girl named Tacia. That was probably the brightest spot in junior high. But it was a rough two years. It was also during this period of life that my parents divorced. I am thankful for a wonderful counselor and teacher, Mrs. Claudia Axton. She listened and helped me a lot. She also got me started writing in a journal which has been a blessing in my life.
High school was much better. We moved in with my grandparents when I started 8th grade. We stayed at Andalucia that year but changed the following year. So I went to a high school where I didn't know anyone...and it was a huge blessing. I took early morning seminary, and Sister Connie Stevens was my teacher. I learned so much from her and from seminary. I made lots of good friends...LDS friends and many friends of other faiths.
I worked hard in high school. I got one A-...the first semester of freshman English with Mrs. Hinderland. She was tough, but she taught me a lot about grammar and she really taught us the importance of integrity. She was a wonderful teacher. So many things she taught me have stayed with me and some of them I have used to teach my students. "The squirrel ran --- the tree." "And, or, nor, but, for, because, so, yet, either or, neither nor,whether or, not only but also" and others.
I had great English teachers that introduced me to many great classics. Some of them I appreciated (I loved Crime and Punishment and really liked The Invisible Man). Others I did not like, but I am glad that Iwas taught to read challenging books and write about them.
My math teacher Mrs. Eul was wonderful. Other favorites were Ms. Petty who was brilliant but a bit scatterbrained and Mrs. Buffington.
I was in student council sophomore through senior year, and made lots of friends and learned a lot from that experience. I also participated in Key Club, Young Environmentalists club and National Honor Society. I took many honors and AP classes (AP American History, Government, Economics, Calculus, Spanish, and English). I graduated from high school with 24 college credits (at least I think that is correct). Many of them didn't actually get me out of general Ed requirements at college because the education major had very specific requirements for most of the generals...but they did allow me to register earlier than others so I almost always was able toget me classes I needed or wanted.
I enjoyed going to high school as well as stake dances. Richie was one of my best friends and we loved swing dancing together.
I loved girls camp and have so many fond memories of camp and of young women's. But I will save them for another time.
While I would never say that high school was the best time of my life, I loved high school. I did well and had friends and it was a happy time for the most part. College was probably even better. And life since then has been great as well. I have been richly blessed.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Just the Two of Us
Last night, Alfredo was out to dinner with coworkers and clients. Gabby and Ella were both at sleepovers. So it was just Michelle and I. I told her we could go anywhere she wanted to eat. She chose In N Out (she is so much like her dad!). So we got burgers, fries and milkshakes. I wasn't feeling super well, so I didn't take any photos. But it was great to sit and talk about school, her friends, the book she is reading and other things on her mind. She is a lot of fun. I am pleased with the beautiful young lady she is becoming.
After dinner, we went to Costco. Then we rented a movie (Free Birds) and watched it together. I could not ask for a better daughter. She isn't perfect, but she is such a good kid. I love her!!
After dinner, we went to Costco. Then we rented a movie (Free Birds) and watched it together. I could not ask for a better daughter. She isn't perfect, but she is such a good kid. I love her!!
Monday, March 24, 2014
Federation
Saturday was Michelle's violin Federation. I don't know why I get so nervous about it, because she stayed very calm until Friday night. But I barely slept Friday night. I had nightmares that she dropped her violin down stairs right before her performance. That she totally forgot her songs. That she just played the chorus of the song over and over instead of playing the verses. So I am so glad that she was first, that she did well, that I was the room supervisor so I knew immediately that she got a superior and then could relax and enjoy the rest of the morning. There are some incredibly talented children that play absolutely beautifully. Since I was room supervisor, I was able to stay for three hours to help by writing out all of the certificates and helping the judges and announcing the program. I was able to see so many talented children. I am pleased and proud of how far Michelle has come in the past three years, and I am thankful for her wonderful violin teacher. I am also very thankful for my sister Suzy who accompanied her.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
School ..Weekly Family History Question
Question 14: Where did you go to school? What was school like for you?
Here are the schools I attended:
K-4th grade: Andalucia Elementary, Phoenix, Arizona
5-6th grade: Barcelona Elementary, Phoenix, Arizona
7-8th grade: Andalucia Elementary (it was K-8), Phoenix, Arizona
9-12th grade: Independence High School, Glendale, Arizona
College: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, BS in Elementary Education
For the most part, I loved school. I was a conscientious student; I loved to read; math came easily to me; and I loved my teachers. My teachers were K: Ms. Lovig, 1st: Mrs. Grigg, 2nd: Mrs. Williams, 3rd: Mrs. Powell, 4th: can't remember...need to look up what her name was, maybe Mrs. Cortez?, 5th & 6 th: Mrs. Garant. 7th and 8th: I don't recall all of them but I remember Mr. Bode (science), Mrs. Axton (counselor and language arts), Mrs. Owens: home ec. High school there were a lot but I have strong memories of Mrs. Hinderland, Mrs. Bunch-Smith and Mrs. Dickson (all English teachers), Mrs. Eul and Mrs. VanDyke (math..and Mrs. VanDyke was also student council advisor), Ms. Petty and Mrs. Buffington (history/government...I also remember a male world history teacher that used a yard stick a lot but can't recall his name...remembered it later...Mr. Pfeiffer), Señorita Landrum (Spanish, of course), Mr. Breeze (biology), and I can picture my chemistry and physics teachers but don't recall their names. College I won't even try to list all the names...too many to remember and the relationship changes in college, for the most part.
A few memories that stand out. I remember being very shy and often sitting on the sidelines and watching the other kids play in kindergarten. I enjoyed it...but I think it worried my teacher sometimes that I must be loney or sad. I wasn't. I was pretty advanced in kindergarten and they talked to my parents about having me go to 1st grade in the morning and then kinder in the afternoon. My parents asked me what I wanted and I said that I wanted to come home and play with my sisters after a half day of school and that while I knew most everything they taught in kinder, it was okay. I would go to school all day the next year. And so that is what I did. I respect and love that they allowed me to be part of the decision making process...and a few years later when my youngest sister was turning 5 in September and could either start that year (by testing in since she was after the cut off date) or wait a year, they asked what she wanted to do. One thing I really struggled with in kindergarten? Skipping! When I was in kindergarten the report card included skills like hopping, walking on a balance beam and skipping. I could not skip. I really worried that I would not get that passed off on my report card before kindergarten ended...but I learned just in the nick of time!
I remember being in school and watching the space shuttle Challenger take off. We were all so excited that a school teacher, Christa McAuliffe, was on board. And then shocked and devastated when it exploded right after lift off. It was January 28, 1986 (had to look up the date...my memory is not THAT good) and I was almost 10...my 10th birthday was two weeks later...I was in 4th grade).
Another sad memory occurred on August 16, 1987, (again had to look up the date). Flight 255 crashed in Michigan. My first grade teacher, Linda Grigg, and her husband, Kail Grigg, were on that flight. It was so sad. I cried, knowing that my beloved first grade teacher was gone. She was 40...about the age I am now. She had children. In fact, she had a daughter that was about my age. She had brought her daughter on a field trip with us once or twice in first grade. My heart ached for these children that were now orphaned. I still think about that plane crash, which had only one survivor, and hope that Mrs. Grigg's children are okay.
In fifth and sixth grades I went to a different school. I was bussed there for a full time gifted program. My teacher, Mrs. Garant, was an amazing teacher....the kind of teacher I would like to be (but really don't feel like I can be in this climate of testing and accountability). I remember as much about those two years as about any four or five years before or after. She made learning come alive. We did a lot of reading and writing, but we also did a lot of experiments and simulations and hands on activities and problem solving and brainstorming and creative thinking. We worked with a team and had to remove all the fat and skin from a chicken carcass, disassemble and reassemble it... We did simulations about the Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail, the Civil War. History came to life as we picked roles and then made decisions about what to do in the simulation. Some decisions led to great success...others to very difficult circumstances. And it felt like you were there, living through the historical events.
My favorite project came after studying several ancient civilizations. We learned about archaeology and how they piece together history using artifacts. Then the class was divided into two groups. Each group had to invent a culture...their clothing, food, language, religion, arts, and so on. Then we had to create artifacts to represent these parts of our culture. Then our teacher got permission for us to dig two huge holes in the playground where we deposited our artifacts and carefully buried them. Then thousands of years later (after a weekend), we became archaelogists and carefully dug up the other group's artifacts and use them to decipher their civilization. This was so engaging and fun and taught us so much.... I am sure that this is what led me to take so many anthropology classes in college.
Well, I have written a lot and have only made it to 6th grade....and only touched the highlights. So I will write about junior high and high school next week.
Here are the schools I attended:
K-4th grade: Andalucia Elementary, Phoenix, Arizona
5-6th grade: Barcelona Elementary, Phoenix, Arizona
7-8th grade: Andalucia Elementary (it was K-8), Phoenix, Arizona
9-12th grade: Independence High School, Glendale, Arizona
College: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, BS in Elementary Education
For the most part, I loved school. I was a conscientious student; I loved to read; math came easily to me; and I loved my teachers. My teachers were K: Ms. Lovig, 1st: Mrs. Grigg, 2nd: Mrs. Williams, 3rd: Mrs. Powell, 4th: can't remember...need to look up what her name was, maybe Mrs. Cortez?, 5th & 6 th: Mrs. Garant. 7th and 8th: I don't recall all of them but I remember Mr. Bode (science), Mrs. Axton (counselor and language arts), Mrs. Owens: home ec. High school there were a lot but I have strong memories of Mrs. Hinderland, Mrs. Bunch-Smith and Mrs. Dickson (all English teachers), Mrs. Eul and Mrs. VanDyke (math..and Mrs. VanDyke was also student council advisor), Ms. Petty and Mrs. Buffington (history/government...I also remember a male world history teacher that used a yard stick a lot but can't recall his name...remembered it later...Mr. Pfeiffer), Señorita Landrum (Spanish, of course), Mr. Breeze (biology), and I can picture my chemistry and physics teachers but don't recall their names. College I won't even try to list all the names...too many to remember and the relationship changes in college, for the most part.
A few memories that stand out. I remember being very shy and often sitting on the sidelines and watching the other kids play in kindergarten. I enjoyed it...but I think it worried my teacher sometimes that I must be loney or sad. I wasn't. I was pretty advanced in kindergarten and they talked to my parents about having me go to 1st grade in the morning and then kinder in the afternoon. My parents asked me what I wanted and I said that I wanted to come home and play with my sisters after a half day of school and that while I knew most everything they taught in kinder, it was okay. I would go to school all day the next year. And so that is what I did. I respect and love that they allowed me to be part of the decision making process...and a few years later when my youngest sister was turning 5 in September and could either start that year (by testing in since she was after the cut off date) or wait a year, they asked what she wanted to do. One thing I really struggled with in kindergarten? Skipping! When I was in kindergarten the report card included skills like hopping, walking on a balance beam and skipping. I could not skip. I really worried that I would not get that passed off on my report card before kindergarten ended...but I learned just in the nick of time!
I remember being in school and watching the space shuttle Challenger take off. We were all so excited that a school teacher, Christa McAuliffe, was on board. And then shocked and devastated when it exploded right after lift off. It was January 28, 1986 (had to look up the date...my memory is not THAT good) and I was almost 10...my 10th birthday was two weeks later...I was in 4th grade).
Another sad memory occurred on August 16, 1987, (again had to look up the date). Flight 255 crashed in Michigan. My first grade teacher, Linda Grigg, and her husband, Kail Grigg, were on that flight. It was so sad. I cried, knowing that my beloved first grade teacher was gone. She was 40...about the age I am now. She had children. In fact, she had a daughter that was about my age. She had brought her daughter on a field trip with us once or twice in first grade. My heart ached for these children that were now orphaned. I still think about that plane crash, which had only one survivor, and hope that Mrs. Grigg's children are okay.
In fifth and sixth grades I went to a different school. I was bussed there for a full time gifted program. My teacher, Mrs. Garant, was an amazing teacher....the kind of teacher I would like to be (but really don't feel like I can be in this climate of testing and accountability). I remember as much about those two years as about any four or five years before or after. She made learning come alive. We did a lot of reading and writing, but we also did a lot of experiments and simulations and hands on activities and problem solving and brainstorming and creative thinking. We worked with a team and had to remove all the fat and skin from a chicken carcass, disassemble and reassemble it... We did simulations about the Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail, the Civil War. History came to life as we picked roles and then made decisions about what to do in the simulation. Some decisions led to great success...others to very difficult circumstances. And it felt like you were there, living through the historical events.
My favorite project came after studying several ancient civilizations. We learned about archaeology and how they piece together history using artifacts. Then the class was divided into two groups. Each group had to invent a culture...their clothing, food, language, religion, arts, and so on. Then we had to create artifacts to represent these parts of our culture. Then our teacher got permission for us to dig two huge holes in the playground where we deposited our artifacts and carefully buried them. Then thousands of years later (after a weekend), we became archaelogists and carefully dug up the other group's artifacts and use them to decipher their civilization. This was so engaging and fun and taught us so much.... I am sure that this is what led me to take so many anthropology classes in college.
Well, I have written a lot and have only made it to 6th grade....and only touched the highlights. So I will write about junior high and high school next week.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Busy day
Saturday was a busy day. Alfredo had to work most of the day. Fortunately, it is rare for him to have to work on a Saturday...only about 3-4 times per year.
Ella had a sleepover at her friend Zoe's on Friday night. She and her friend came to our house at 9 on Saturday morning. Then I drove Ella, Zoe and Gabby to Eli's birthday party in Draper. Michelle had a different party to go to, but we had almost an hour in between. So Michelle and I went to lunch together. We went to Costa Vida and had a nice time talking about school and her friends and other things. Then we went into Justice. Everything was on sale, so we bought Michelle a cute maxi dress. She seems to have grown a lot lately and several of her skirts and dresses are suddenly too short.
Then I drove Michelle to her party at Classic Skating in Sandy. I had an hour to kill before picking the other girls up so I ran a couple of errands. I still had 30 minutes, so I leaned my seat back in the car and read...and fell asleep. :). Good thing someone texted me right when it was time to pick the girls up or I may have slept and slept. ;).
I took Ella, Gabby and Zoe out for ice cream at Cold Stone to celebrate Ella and Gabby being student of the month...and took Zoe home to West Jordan. Then I headed back to Sandy to pick up Michelle.
The girls had so much fun at their parties and the time with me. I needed that. It was a great week, but a very busy one and I had been away from my kids more than I like.
Then that evening, I went to the Saturday session of stake conference. It was a wonderful, spirit filled meeting. Such a great day.
*****
I also want to mention that I was able to go to dinner on Weds. evening with two college roommates. It has been a couple of years since I saw Lori and probably five or so years since I saw Cyndie... We went to a great restaurant called Epic. It was recommended by Lori, and it was wonderful. But even better than the food was the company. I am not as good at keeping in touch with my roommates as I mean to be, but I love them and admire them and feel grateful for their friendship, example and impact on my life. It is nice to have social media, though, because that does help me keep in touch better than I would. I am friends with many of my college roommates on Facebook. Cyndie has a blog that I enjoy reading (and writes a great advice column on Nauvoo Times). Cyndie and I are also friends on Goodreads. I often read books that she enjoyed and vice versa. Cyndie and Lori are both intelligent, hard working, and spiritual women who I love and admire. We had a great discussion about the priesthood and women's roles in relation to the priesthood. Such a wonderful evening. I hope I am able to see them again before too long. I am so blessed to have so many good people in my life.
Ella had a sleepover at her friend Zoe's on Friday night. She and her friend came to our house at 9 on Saturday morning. Then I drove Ella, Zoe and Gabby to Eli's birthday party in Draper. Michelle had a different party to go to, but we had almost an hour in between. So Michelle and I went to lunch together. We went to Costa Vida and had a nice time talking about school and her friends and other things. Then we went into Justice. Everything was on sale, so we bought Michelle a cute maxi dress. She seems to have grown a lot lately and several of her skirts and dresses are suddenly too short.
Then I drove Michelle to her party at Classic Skating in Sandy. I had an hour to kill before picking the other girls up so I ran a couple of errands. I still had 30 minutes, so I leaned my seat back in the car and read...and fell asleep. :). Good thing someone texted me right when it was time to pick the girls up or I may have slept and slept. ;).
I took Ella, Gabby and Zoe out for ice cream at Cold Stone to celebrate Ella and Gabby being student of the month...and took Zoe home to West Jordan. Then I headed back to Sandy to pick up Michelle.
The girls had so much fun at their parties and the time with me. I needed that. It was a great week, but a very busy one and I had been away from my kids more than I like.
Then that evening, I went to the Saturday session of stake conference. It was a wonderful, spirit filled meeting. Such a great day.
*****
I also want to mention that I was able to go to dinner on Weds. evening with two college roommates. It has been a couple of years since I saw Lori and probably five or so years since I saw Cyndie... We went to a great restaurant called Epic. It was recommended by Lori, and it was wonderful. But even better than the food was the company. I am not as good at keeping in touch with my roommates as I mean to be, but I love them and admire them and feel grateful for their friendship, example and impact on my life. It is nice to have social media, though, because that does help me keep in touch better than I would. I am friends with many of my college roommates on Facebook. Cyndie has a blog that I enjoy reading (and writes a great advice column on Nauvoo Times). Cyndie and I are also friends on Goodreads. I often read books that she enjoyed and vice versa. Cyndie and Lori are both intelligent, hard working, and spiritual women who I love and admire. We had a great discussion about the priesthood and women's roles in relation to the priesthood. Such a wonderful evening. I hope I am able to see them again before too long. I am so blessed to have so many good people in my life.
Girls in Green
On St. Patty's Day, the girls were allowed to wear green instead of uniform. They had a few small gifts when they awoke...body stickers and earrings and pins. I made our favorite breakfast casserole, adding green peppers for this green day. They enjoyed getting decked out in green and shamrocks. Fortunately (for me) or unfortunately (for the girls), no naughty leprechauns visited our house spreading their mischief. Nor did we find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But we did find a fun story about leprechauns at the library called Leprechauns Never Lie. All in all, it was a good day.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Student of the Month Assembly
On Friday, the third graders performed at teh Student of the Month Assembly. Ella and her friends sang songs by the Beatles: Yellow Submarine; Hello, Goodbye; and All You Need is Love. They sang the song "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. Then they sang the Jackson school song. They did a great job.
I really enjoyed watching Ella sing. I loved seeing her sing and do the motions and smile and enjoy being on stage...because she is shy enough that she doesn't seek the limelight. But being part of a group, she was often animated and clearly knew and enjoyed the songs. The Jackson song brought tears to my eyes. It always does.
Then they announced the Students of the Month for each class. Ella was chosen as Student of the Month for her class. Gabby was chosen for her class.
I am so thankful that I was able to have someone cover my class for 40 minutes so I could attend their Student of the Month Assembly. It was a great day!
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