I heart Alan Katz - even more!

A follow-up post to my first post about Alan Katz. About a month ago, I get a comment on that very post from guess who - Alan Katz himself! I was ecstatic! Elated! Overjoyed! And greatly impressed! I would have never guessed that he would have read that post - that totally wasn't the intent. But I'm glad he did!
I told my class that he left a comment on my blog, and I sent our original email to him again after school (this time using my gmail and not my school email account - I think that was the problem before). He emailed back within 10 - yes, ten! - minutes. He took the time to answer the class's questions, and will email us back as often as we email him. We haven't gotten back to email him a lengthy response yet - but the kids are totally impressed with him, as are other teachers, parents, and the principal.
So - if your class is looking to write a real-life author, give Alan Katz a try! Just don't use your school email. :)

Top 10 List 0f 2009

A month late, but here you go... my top 10 list of 2009. In no particular order:

1. History seminar in Philadelphia at the U of Penn. Civil War and Reconstruction from totally new angles, fun roommates, and unofficial field trips. Woo!

2. Trip with Mom after the history seminar - Hershey, PA - Palmyra, NY - Niagara Falls - and back to Philadelphia. It was fun to have a Mom-n-daughter trip, and fun planning it without her knowing about it (even though she claims she knew - ha!). Dad cashed in his coin bowl for her plane ticket, Holly made sure she got through security in SLC (no easy feat when you have a bionic, er, titanium knee!), and I picked her up and took care of everything else. It was fun to show her Palmyra and the Pageant. Even though she's been to some of the places we went, it's different with the Pageant going on. It was fun to show her where Holly and I have been and what we do during Pageant time - now she knows a little better what we're talking about. We've got plans also to all apply for the Pageant in the next few years - how cool would that be?!

3. History cohort trip to Boston. Freedom Trail - Lowell - Plimoth - Quincy - Lexington and Concord. Plus more unofficial field trips, shopping, and yummy restaurants.

4. Getting my daughter, Tippy. What a cutie. Good thing 'Grammy' thinks she's cute, too - she can be pretty mischievous.

5. Vegas trips with Holly - spring and fall break. Utah vs. UNLV, Bellagio gardens, the Apple Store, and the Cheesecake Factory. Too bad Holly wasn't old enough to do anything fun!

6. U of U football tickets. I'm so glad I got them! It was so fun to go with Joee, Mom, and Holly to the games. It was like the old days when the fam had tickets. Just wish they weren't so close to the top! (oh well - I'll move down next season). It was also fun to text Dad, Karen and Charlotte during the games. "Gr8!" "Cheer loud!"

7. Taking classes - crochet, crafts, technology.

8. Timpanogos Cave - 3 times! Once with my class, once a day later with Ryan's class (who wants to be on top of a mountain when your wife could be having a baby? Not Ryan...), and a week later with Holly. I think that's plenty. For a long time.

9. Wendover on the Fun Bus for Holly and Mom's birthdays. Finally - we're all old enough to do something fun in Nevada!

10. Thanksgiving weekend. It was such a blessing to get to spend one last good weekend all together as a family before Dad died. We went to the movies on Thanksgiving - New Moon and Blind Side. We had popcorn, nachos, and sandwiches - the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. We came home that evening and watched Up! Friday night, it was Dad's idea to go out to Kayesville to go to "Wade's" - Benjamin Franklin Crafts. It was such a great ride, such a beautiful day. We went to Jake's Over the Top for dinner - yum. Sunday we were all at church together. It was a great weekend. We are all so glad to have that last memory all together.

I heart Alan Katz

Why didn't I think of doing this before? How long have I been teaching again? And I have never done this before? Really?

I decided this year that I would start each track time by having my students read a poem. I've worked a few classics into the rotation, but mostly have stayed with fun and funny poems that I thought my kids would like.

Enter Alan Katz. He's the author behind the Silly Dilly Song Books - hilarious and kid-like lyrics set to common tunes. Love them. I found his book of poetry - "Oops" - at my local library and typed up lots and lots of his poems. Love it. My class spent most of the fall reading his poetry, talking about how his titles are often a play on the poem's meanings, and how fun they are to read and enjoy. We even wrote Mr. Katz an email (which he hasn't responded to, dang) with our own class poem in response to one of his - it's included below. We're working our way through his Christmas Silly Dilly song book - "Where Did They Hide My Presents?" - right now. Love it.

My kids love reading the poems every day. They have started checking out volumes of poetry from the school library to read. (Alan Katz as well as other authors - we've read a wide variety of poets, despite our fascination and love with Alan Katz.) I've never had kids who liked reading poetry so much. I don't think that I've ever enjoyed reading poetry this much, either. I also have quite a few kids now convinced that to be a successful children's poet, one must be a middle-aged, slightly stocky and slightly balding man. Don't believe me? Look for pictures of Alan Katz, Shel Silverstien, Brod Baggert, and Jack Prelutsky. Convinced yet? This has some of my young female poetesses a little frightened...

So thanks, Alan Katz. Can you respond to our email please? Pretty please?

Um…

by Alan Katz


People with bubble gum…
chew some.

People with coffee grounds…
brew some.

People with tomatoes…
stew some.

People with baseballs…
threw some.

People with crayons…
drew some.

People with bad colds…
blew some.

People with gooey tissues…
gruesome.



Um…

by Miss Ferrin’s 5th Grade Class

People who are twins…
two some

People with cows…
moo some

People who are detectives…
clue some

People with dirty hair…
shampoo some

People who clean up after dogs…
doo-doo some

People with ghosts…
boo some

People with roosters…
cock-a-doodle-doo some

People with lawyers…
sue some

People with knowledge…
knew some

People who have toilets…
poo some

People in Miss Ferrin’s class are
coo’ some

And some that didn't make it into our final copy:

People who are Utes... U some
People who are Cougars... Blue some
People who read Leven Thumps... Foo some
People who play Pokemon... Picachu some
People who know rams... Gnu some
People who like Mountains... Dew some
People who have assignments... Due some
People who like condensation... Dew some
People who have to use the bathroom... Loo some
People with flies... Shoo some
People with sheep... Ewe some
People who stick... Glue some
People with Mr. T pity the Foo' some
People who live in Hundred Acre Wood Winnie the Pooh some



Visit Alan Katz's website!

My Dad

John Ralph Ferrin

1949-2009

Our beloved husband, father and friend, John Ralph Ferrin, passed away suddenly on December 2, 2009.

John was born in Salt Lake City on September 5, 1949, to Ralph Shaw and Shirlee Ann Bishop Ferrin. He grew up in Midvale, and would spend most his life there. He enjoyed playing sports and camping with his neighbors and the scout troop. He earned his Eagle Scout award. John graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1967, participating in the debate club. He served an honorable mission in the Australia South mission from 1968 – 1970. He spoke often and fondly of his mission days. The people he served, the companions he served with, and the places he served in were important contributions in his life as John became the person he was.

John graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 1973. He was greatly involved in Institute and Sigma Gamma Chi. John returned to the U to earn a Master’s degree in history. The title of his thesis was “Historical Site Survey of Southeast Salt Lake County.”

John and Gail Lucille Kofford were married July 6, 1979, in the Salt Lake Temple. They lived briefly in Rose Park before buying a home in Midvale. They are the parents of Christine Anne and Holly Elizabeth.

John was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His favorite calling was Gospel Doctrine teacher. He was exceptionally passionate about the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. He inspired many students in his classes with his shared research and testimony.

He worked for Wheeler Machinery for 30 years. He enjoyed his time on the road, and interacting with his friends and customers. He served as union steward for many years. Many employees benefited from his dedication to his values and sense of fairness during contract negotiations.

John had many interests and loves throughout his life. John’s family was his greatest joy and most important thing in his life. He cherished every moment with them. John loved traveling. He took his family on many vacations. Alaska, Glacier National Park, the Oregon and California coasts, Prince Edward Island, Maine, and New York State were just a few of his favorite spots, as well as various places throughout Utah. He enjoyed vacation preparation almost as much as the travel itself, and his family benefitted from his knowledge about the places they visited. John was proud to be a Utah Ute. He and his family had season football tickets at the U for many years, and they enjoyed games together, during both good and long-suffering seasons. John had a variety of eclectic collections that he enjoyed adding to. Reading was a frequent pastime for John. He enjoyed any history era, but especially loved reading about World War II. Through his reading, he gained a wide and deep knowledge of a variety of topics. John realized the value of continuing one’s education, and was currently studying at TechSkills in preparation for his second career, medical coding and billing. John was a generous person. If he could help in any way, he was willing. He helped many family members and friends over the years. We are all better people because of our association with him.

John is survived by his wife, Gail, and his children, Christine Ferrin and Holly Ferrin; his brothers, Russell (Diane) Ferrin (Midvale), and David (Korinn) Ferrin (Phoenix). He is preceded in death by his parents.

Memorial services will be held Monday, December 7, 2009 at Midvale North Stake Center, 97 West 7500 South, Midvale, at 12:00. Visitation for family and friends will be held one hour prior to services.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the LDS Perpetual Education Fund.

Craft it Forward

The first 5 people to leave a comment on this blog will receive something made by me. However there are some limitations:
1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year (a calendar year that is... no promises for the end of 2009!)
4. You have not a clue what it is going to be; poetry, bags, something a little crafty, or a little invention of my own. I may even bake something and mail it you! Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange. It may blow your mind!

Here's the catch... if you choose to do this, you must post this on your blog and be ready to make something for five people, too. This will be fun! (and like how you have to be reminded of this!) And, when you receive the fabulous item I make you, you must post a picture of it on your blog. Or if you don't have a blog, send me a photo and I will post it!

Ready....Set....Comment!

Weebly

I discovered this great website that lets you create a website for free - Weebly.com. It's pretty fun to play around with... so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm going to maintain my blog here still, and use my Weebly site for pictures. Blogger kind of bogs down my picture posts...
Check it out!
http://quotidianpix.weebly.com/
Also, if you're a teacher, you can create a site for your class, and create student accounts so they can create sites as well. I thought I'd try it... I'll let you know how it goes!

What fills YOUR cup?

I've been thinking a lot about this topic lately (never a good thing, thinking), and it all kind of came to a head in the last few weeks when I was confronted with it full force in the outer world. To make a long story short, I've been spending way too much time at school, and way too much time at home doing school things. Which leaves me not a lot of time to do things that I enjoy. I don't mean to sound selfish with my time - but there are just some things that I need to make myself be a happier camper, especially at school, and especially with 33 10-11-year-olds (and whichever mood they decide to be in any given day). During professional development a few Mondays ago, we watched a video that talked about loving what we do, and doing what we love. Sometimes, it's easy to love what you do - there is enough in what you do that makes it worthwhile. Other times, it's not so easy, and you have to have some external things in your life to fill up your cup while you're at work.

So what things fill your cup? Enjoy my list. :)


Battle of the Bad 80's Bands - the Chunga morning show
hearing a good song on the radio
singing to a great cd in my car
traveling - and remembering the great time I had and good people I was with
crocheting
scrapbooking
reading books that I want to read
sleeping in
getting to bed a little early
getting a Facebook message
cherry limeades from Sonic
having a good time at a Utah football game
long weekends
getting all my papers graded (which happens only toward the end of May...)
going shopping with my mom - especially when she's buying!
taking pictures
editing pictures
blogging
cleaning (I say this one with a grain of salt... I like the end result of cleaning... not before, and not after I get things messy again)
having things to look forward to - classes, projects
funny things that kids do and say at school
my grade team
text messages and phone calls that are pleasant and unexpected
lovely weather
thinking about past and future adventures