I guess it's the dork in me [I can admit my dorkiness] but I love finding stuff and showing my classes at school. If we have five minutes at the end of class then I try to find something neat or different to show my classes. For instance, I was on msnbc.com when I found this video:
I just think that is such a neat video. [I had to look up murmuration. It's a group of starlings. Now you learned something new today - check that off your list.] It's a simple video that really has zip to do with what we are studying but a teachable moment. It took two whole minutes and every single kid was watching it. Pretty cool I think :)
Another fave is optical illusions. Again, I don't spend my ENTIRE class with these but any extra 3 to 4 minutes we might have at the end of class:
Sometimes, we even do brain games like word winks. [I told you many, many, many times that I am a dork. This absolutely solidifies that fact doesn't it?]
I just think that getting my students interested in thinking about thinking [that would be metacognition for those of you shakin' your noggins] and interested in all things science then it makes it easier for me to teach. Does that mean that they are all, 100% of the time, interested in everything we do? [Can I say yes and leave it at that?] Nope - and that's OK. I'm not going to make scientists out of all of them but if some of them leave my class with a little spark then the effort [and dorkiness] is well worth it.
Other things besides these obviously nerdy ones that amaze me? Penn State [but not in a good way] and all that has happened there and the stuff that is yet to come out. Sad. I am amazed that sometimes people forgo their moral obligations to climb the tower of success. I, like many of you, am sickened at the new revelations that come out each day. We should all pray for this situation.
On the upside, I am amazed at my children. I love to see Emma and Gabe play Just Dance on the Wii. I love to talk about "the boy" with Molly and watch her eyes sparkle. [Yes...she really likes him and I'm pretty sure he likes her but again, awkward is how I would describe this relationship.] I love to hear Cooper tell us Chuck Norris jokes. [I never imagined there would be so many though...]
I am amazed at the fact that I only spent $138 for $290 groceries. [No I will not be one of those people who kicks their third child out of their bedroom to make way for 945 boxes of spaghetti, 389 cans of clam chowder, and 2,367 Reach toothbrushes.] I honestly am hooked. I am finding coupons all over the place to use. I am already making out my grocery list for this next week. [Yes, I have one of those notebooks. Shut it.]
I am amazed at God's presence and grace ALL around me [if grace is an ocean then we're all sinking ♥] especially when I am so undeserving [that would be every day of my life]. I am amazed at the number of people, just today, who said, "I am praying for your daughter" and "If you need anything please let me know" and "Mrs. Short I just wanted you to know that I put Emma on the prayer list at my Bible study yesterday." I am so blessed to have this amazing job with so many wonderful people that do not hesitate to stop and lift up prayers for my family. I am amazed that we, the six of us Shorties, are part of such a large, caring, and giving family.
I am amazed at the book of Revelation. I am doing this awesome Bible study with a group of women from my church about this book of the Bible and it is fascinating. It is such an in depth study of God's word and I am thrilled to be a part of it. [Just another reason that finding and being invovled in a church is so important everyone.]
I am amazed that I only drank 2 Diet Sundrops at school today. [This is because, for whatever reason, the Sundrop dude does not fill up our machine in the dungeon and I can't make it to the main office and back in 4 minutes.] I would probably be amazed at how much money I'd have if I didn't put it in that cussed machine....can you say Intervention? IV Sundrop available anywhere? Is there a coupon for that?
Emma's bloodwork came back normal. To fill you in a little, she had a knot come up on her neck a little over a year ago. I took her to the doctor and we decided to watch and wait because it was not overly large or had any symptoms of anything more than a large lymph node. Fast forward to about two weeks ago. She found another knot on the other side of her neck so back to the doctor we went. Not only was there an enlarged lymph node but her thyroid is also a little larger than it should be as well as some moderate weight gain, hoarseness, and irritability. All of a sudden we are taking blood and talking about a thyroid problem. Of course, I call my mom and she starts looking for answers [she's a nurse for those of you that don't know her] and she tells me worst case they take her thyroid out and best case is that it is something that will fix itself. In the meantime, Craig and I are on pins and needles this entire time. But honestly, in the midst of the unknown, I felt a true peace that can only come from God. I knew that no matter what the test said or what news we recieved that God was protecting us and that He would sustain us. I was nervous because that is human to worry but, like Molly told me, "God's got this Ma!" and I knew that all would be OK. She will be going for an ultrasound so we'll maybe know more about the lumps in her neck and the thyroid. I will keep you posted :)
Thank you God for all of the amazing things in my life....as always, it's good to be a Shortie :)
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