October crazy days

Good day! I went today to the pumpkin patch to buy pumpkins, apples and cornstalks. The tree were gorgeous--vibrant reds, golds, and oranges. The sun sat brightly in the sky.

I love October. This is when I celebrate my anniversary, visit the pumpkin patches, go on hayrides, and cook homemade chicken potpies. Everything looks beautiful draped in color.

Think about all of the things that you love! Write a list of the school appropriate things, people, moments, foods that you love. Explain what it is that you love about them.

Writing

We write more than ever.

Writing is defined as: 1 : the act or process of one who writes: as a : the act or art of forming visible letters or characters; specifically : handwriting 1 b : the act or practice of literary or musical composition 2 : something written: as a : letters or characters that serve as visible signs of ideas, words, or symbols b : a letter, note, or notice used to communicate or record c : a written composition d : inscription 3 : a style or form of composition 4 : the occupation of a writer; especially : the profession of authorship.

Think of all of the ways you write throughout the day. What genres or styles do you use? When do you know to change the style. List five ways that you write everyday.

I do a lot of writing. I text my friends and family. I hand write my grocery lists. I type my status on Facebook or Twitter. I Journal daily. I write comments on my students' essays, on recipes, and in my daughter's agenda.

A Break

Good day!
This week we will take a small break from the blog. Instead, I would like for you to take the time to do something kind for someone else. However many minutes it would take you to blog, that is the amount of time I want you to give to someone else.

Take out the trash for a neighbor, rake leaves, do laundry, etc. Do something for someone else!
Give back! Pay attention to how your kindness impacts others.

Have a good week. Enjoy the ARK.

Vocabulary

Happy first Monday in October.

The trees are steeped in color. The acorns fall indiscriminately and pumpkin patches are replete with pumpkins ready to be given a face. My children cannot wait to consume their cider donuts. I know they will do it voraciously. Parents will begin the drudgery of raking up the many leaves that abound while imploring their teenage children to help. To perceive this as a chore is to only deny the inner child who wishes to jump and frolic in the many piles of red, yellow and green.


This weeks blog asks you to post using at least 8 of your vocab words. The post should make sense, be about one topic, and contain at least 8 of your words.

Happy posting! Remember to post by 7:00 p.m. Friday evening.

Social Changes

We were introduced to the idea of Social change by Giovanni in the Life Changes piece we read last week. Social Change could be the Civil Rights movement, or other ways that change has come through while watching society grow and evolve. I want you to think about a time in your history that has impacted you.

For me, the explosion of the Spaceship Challenger, Desert Storm, and Oklahoma Bombings have all impacted the way I see the world. Now, there have been many more events that have impacted me, but these happened when I was in school or just outside of high school. My mother has said on many occasions that she will never forget where she was when she heard that JFK was shot.

Desert Storm was a tumultuous time for my family. My father was endanger of being activated and sent to fight. I was a senior in high school and the world was supposed to be a place filled with possibility, not war. My dad made T-shirts in the basement that said, "These colors don't run" underneath an American Flag. My school choir sang "Proud To Be an American" at the Spring concert and on April 12th, 1991 I joined The Army National Guard. Patriotism flowed through my family and school.

Think about a moment in your history that has impacted you. Where were you? Who were you with? How were you impacted? What changed in you at the moment?

Lessons Learned

Our book, The Glass Castle, is about family, survival, identity, and lessons.

Think about all of the lessons you have been taught by your family. These lessons may have come deliberately by your parents or family telling you directly, through your observation of family behaviors, or through movies, media, books, your family reads together.

My family has taught me many lessons. My Grandma Stella was a frugal woman. She was raised in a world where people didn't have much. She grew up in a holler--at the base of a mountain in West Virginia. She raised her children and her grandchildren to be spiritual. Religion was woven into the fabric of our family by her quoting of scriptures, running a Bible camp, and through her daily prayer.

My mother also taught us many lesson. One lesson that she taught her daughters had to do with fashion. She always would tell us when we went shopping to buy clothes because they looked good on us, not because they just looked good. Clothes should accent the parts of your shape that you like and hide the stuff you don't want people to see.

My Grandma Murphy taught me through her actions that it is our job in the world to be nice. Everyone deserves to be spoken to with respect, given the right to have kindness put upon them, and that silence in the presence of meanness doesn't make you weak, but wise. I never saw her speak harshly to another person. She was always gentle and kind to everyone.


These are three lessons that have been taught to me by the three woman who have most impacted my life. My daughters and my mother-in-law have also taught me many lessons.

For this post, list three lessons that have been taught to you by three different members of your family. Give a little background about the lesson and the person who taught it to you. How did you learn the lesson? Was it told directly to you, implied by their actions, a family tradition?

You only have until Friday at 7:00 p.m. to post. Anything after that time will not be counted!!!!

Parenting Memories

All of us have memories of our parents that will forever be stuck in our minds. These memories can be good, bad, sensory, emotional etc... Never the less, these memories help us to define our parents and who they are in our lives. Our parents influences through their actions, words, and beliefs.

One of my favorite memories of my dad comes from when I was five years old. A blizzard had taken Ohio by storm and many people were stranded. My father, a member of the Ohio National Guard, was called to duty--activated. This meant that he had to leave our house and help everyone else. We lived on a 33 acre farm and the roads were covered. My mom could not drive anywhere and food was getting slim. She called my dad to tell him we needed milk, eggs, bread, butter and the like. He promised to see what he could do. Later that day, I sat on the floor in the living room of our old farmhouse. I was watching television. I heard the propellers--whoosh, whoosh, whoosh--before I saw them. In the back of the house the snow swirled around in the air. An Army green helicopter landed in our back yard. In the middle of the swirling snow and propeller noise, my dad climbed out of the helicopter carrying bags of groceries. He walked through the white snow in his Army uniform--the hero to his family.

I'll never forget that moment. I think it was this image that motivated me to go into the military. I wanted to be more. I wanted to fill those big boots. I do know that not everyone will have a helicopter and the military in their stories. But think about a memory of a parent.

Describe the memory. Use vivid descriptive words. Explain why the memory is important to you. I want lots of details!!!!!!!! You may need to think about this and then come back to the writing. I also know that there are some memories that are not good. By the negative nature of the event, we are impacted. Share memories you do not feel uncomfortable having others read and respond to.

You only have until Friday at 7:00 p.m. to post. Anything after that time will not be counted!!!!