Building My Toolbox

I’ve never thought of myself as a carpenter; however, I am beginning to reconsider. While I may not building shelves or laying tile, I am building my toolbox for success.

I’m not trying to sound corny or turn off any of my avid readers. Something, or should I say someone, just sparked this idea for me yesterday.

I am constantly learning new tricks to keep students engaged. Each day I find myself treading water, jumping from lesson to lesson, praying that someone learns something. I’m beginning to think my headaches are attributed to brain-usage-overload and not my lack of caffeine.

I’m not complaining one bit. Each time something works, I place it in my toolbox. When a lesson flops or my students get off track, I simply (and sometimes harshly) throw that tool out the window.

I’m learning along with my students. I’m building my teacher toolbox. Yes, I’m Bob Anna the Builder. 

Ms. Pee Body

There are a few beverages that seem to slide right through me. This morning, I learned that hot tea is one of them. I am going to try and share this story without giving too much information. Let’s just say, I visited the lady’s room four times before lunch this morning.

Growing up, my mom was always sure to ask if anyone needed to use the restroom before we traveled any distance longer than 30 minutes. My family is pretty notorious for stopping every hour to stretch, use the restroom, and purchase more liquids to consume (makes sense, right?). Our family vacations could have been nearly a day shorter had they not consisted of so many “breaks.”

My bladder has not gotten any larger over the course of my life. That’s right, I still am the one that holds up trips. However, I have gotten more discrete about asking to stop. “Where is the next gas station?” “I don’t know, do you need to go now?” “Um, yea, just whenever.” (Keep in mind I wanted to stop… like three miles ago).

I may be growing up, but I’m still a Ms. Pee Body. 

Can't We All Just Get Along?

The time has come. Everywhere I go people are covered from head to toe in their favorite team colors. Every conversation begins and ends with talk of pass interceptions and coaching techniques. That’s right. It’s football season. 

I would like to say all this football talk drives me crazy, except I often find myself grinning from ear to ear. I like football just as much as the next girl, and I really enjoy school and team pride.

Of course, there will always be those fans that take it to the next level. I will never understand the purpose of bashing and heckling other teams. Can’t we all just get along? I mean most of these arguments result in nothing but anger and frustration.

My smile fades when people try to compare teams that are nothing alike. What’s the point? Is this all so they can feel better about the next time they get schooled by someone in their own conference? Ugh. Frustration.

Can’t we all just be happy that there is a winner? My competitive nature could kick in any time now. But, until then, can’t we all just get along?

#hashtag

I enjoy Twitter. Random comments and quotes from people all around the world. It really doesn’t get much better than that. Not to mention, there is a great deal of news that is shared. Just the other day, there were “technical difficulties” during a football game. During those critical moments, I was able to follow UNI Athletics to stay up to date with the time, score, and even yardage. It’s actually pretty awesome.

We have also started using Twitter in the classroom. Students are asked to come up with clear and precise answers to questions. After all, they only get 140 characters to get their point across.

Along with Twitter comes some strange terminology. Hashtags. Mentions. Trending topics. When I first started tweeting, I thought I was doing it all wrong; however, I have come to find out that there is no “right” way to tweet. Whatever, whenever, however. That’s the beauty of Twitter. The randomness continues without pressure.

If I have an interesting or random thought that needs to be shared with me tweeps, you better believe I get excited to share. Because, let’s get real, I have a lot to say. You can follow me @annajnelly #gettoit 

Fro Yo, Yo...

epic: A highly overused term that used to mean something that is tremendously large, powerful, or exciting, but has now comically been redefined to describe commonplace things.


I am going to jump on the bandwagon and say, something epic happened to me yesterday. I discovered a new frozen yogurt shop. As we were driving by, I gasped... started freaking out and driving like a madwoman. Should we stop? (hint, hint) Thank goodness we did.

Happy Saturday

Let me explain how things roll at these incredible frozen yogurt shops. First, you start with whatever flavor you would like. Don't be afraid to mix and match... a little suicide. Next, the toppings. Oh my gosh, the toppings. I went with with raspberries, brownie chunks, and M&Ms. Heaven a little cup. Finally, they weigh your creation in order to charge you correctly. A beautiful process that I plan to revisit frequently. 


The worst best part: I got a punch card. What can I say? It's fro yo, yo!

Smells Like Teen Spirit

Holy, moly were the kids wacky yesterday! They told me it was because it was Thursday. I was under the impression that they waited until Friday to lose complete focus. Apparently Monday and Tuesday are devoted to “being tired” and Thursday and Friday to getting revved up for the weekend. So, does that mean I only get Wednesday for complete focus?

With pep rallies, football games, and volleyball matches, social lives are taking over classroom duties. I mean who wants to read Jonathan Edwards when they can iChat about last weekend’s drama? My dad was right when saying, “the only thing that matters to teenagers is themselves… and, of course, their social lives.”

Well then, let me step out of the way. Heaven forbid teenagers learn and stretch their brains. I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on the latest gossip. I mean, the two that continue to flirt in the hallway may be destined for one another. I cannot… will not... stand in the way of a budding romance.

Yes, I must say, it smells like teen spirit around here. 

I'm Melting, I'm Melting

Here in Iowa, we have a thing called weather. I’ve heard they have it everywhere, but I’m not positive. Well, yesterday it decided to rain. This seemed to make the local farmers and yellow ducklings quite happy. High schoolers, on the other hand, not so thrilled.

Rain is wet. Meaning, those standing outside in the rain were wet. I didn’t think this would be a hard concept; however, for some reason, it was. As the students walked into the building, drenched in rain, all I could think was, “get an umbrella.” If you see that there are clouds in the sky, prepare for rain. Better yet, listed to the weather before leaving the house. Or, how about all these smart phones with weather apps? Hello, let’s figure this one out!

I understand that rain can be a giant pain in the rear, but it is not the end of the world. Although, it may be the end of a good hair day.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when I heard teenagers over dramatizing a simple element like rain. “I’m melting, I’m melting!” Oh please.