Welcome to your first weekly blogging assignment. First, let’s go over a few expectations for these assignments:

1. This must be completed FIRST before you do anything else with your blogs.

2. You can not change your theme or “play” on other students’ pages until ALL of your blogging for the week is complete. (You have THREE assignments for the week.)

3. You are NOT to COMMENT/RESPOND to the assignment. This is simply where you come to see what the assignment is. You read it here, then go into YOUR OWN page and write a “new post” in which you discuss whatever topic I address in this assignment.

4. Your posts are expected to be DETAILED!! We have talked about this and looked at examples of what you should or should not do.

5. ALL blog assignments must be complete by THURSDAY evening!! Just to inform you: your posts and comments have a time stamp on them, so I will know if you did it after Thursday!
Having said that… This week’s assignment is very simple. We have been working on writing leveled questions. First you are to, in a couple of sentences, explain to your reader what we mean by “leveled” questions. Then, write ONE question for each level we have learned. The questions should be about what we have been reading in class. There should be a total of 6 questions.

A new school year has begun and we now find ourselves into the third week. We have all had time to get to know each other and adjust to life in the 6th grade. I’m sure you all had certain expectations or wonderings about how 6th grade would be. I know some were nervous, some excited, and some maybe a little of both.

Even the teachers do not always know what the new year will bring. What the kids will be like, will there be behavior problems? How will we best help make our students successful and build on the knowledge and skills they have…

This might be a good time for reflection. What do you think we (the 6th grade teachers and students), as a team, can do to make this year a memorable AND successful learning year?

Well, I can see that many of you have been just like me, absent from the blog pages for a while. It has been almost exactly a month since I have been on. Unfortunately, this is that ugly time of year where the focus becomes much more intense on TAKS and preparing to be successful on it so that students can move on, more knowledgable and prepared for the next grade. I just wanted to write a little message for those of you who are still active in your blogs. I know many kids become nerve wrecked over the “big test”. But, guys, there is no need to make yourselves sick over it. You have been working towards this day all year, from the very beginning. If you have been doing everything you were supposed to all year, this should be nothing extrememly hard to be triamphant on. I KNOW and BELIEVE that every one of you can pass this test. Be confident in yourselves and try your vey hardest, put your best effort into this and you will SEE how successfull you all can be!

The Utep game this past Saturday was awesome! Everyone who wore pink in support of Susan G. Koman and her breast cancer awareness foundation was permitted to go in for free to see the womens’ team in action. People received “pink” (strawberry) milk as they entered the Haskin’s stadium and the first 1,000 people were given pink scarves that had “Utep” embroidered in them in navy. It was nice to see people go support, not only the womens’ team, but breast cancer awareness too. It is a horrible illness that has taken the lives of many woman. I just wish more people would support the womens’ team. Someone made an excellent point in a comment to my last post, saying that the womens’ games’ tickets are only one price and the mens’ games’ tickets are different prices. And, that is because more people go the mens’ games so they can get more money from them. It is just sad that there is still no equality in some areas in the world. The womens’ team  is out-performing the mens’, yet the men get more attention, money from the school, and fans

The Utep womens’ basketball team is playing this Saturday and the Edgemere dance team, Evolution, is going to be dancing at the half time show. I think that is a great opportunity for our school to get noticed for the hard work students commit themselves to. Plus, it’s a great experience for the dance team to have to get used to performing in front of large audiences. Another benefit to the game on Saturday is that if you wear pink you can get in for free.

The Utep womens’ team hardly ever gets the same amount of support as the mens’ team does and that’s really disappointing, especially considering that the womens’ team had an outstanding season last year, making it to the NCAA playoffs, which the men did NOT accomplish last year. It would be great if as many people as possible could go out and support the Utep womens’ basketball team AND Edgemere dance team!

As usual and in true El Paso character, the weather has not been constant lately. Beginning last week, we were starting to see beautiful Spring weather. It had been sunny, warm, and you could smell the scent of Spring (flowers, the warmth of the sun radiating off the pavement of the street). But, yesterday, a change occurred. The winds flared up and the air turned crisp, cold, even icy. And today that pattern continues. It even snowed… IN FEBRUARY! It never snows in February.

I had been really enjoying the “springness” in the climate, so I must say, I am not happy about the sudden turn in the weather’s course. I’d much like it to go back to being warm outside. I am much more of a shorts, tank top, and flip flop kind of person, so all this bundling up and wearing pants has got me a little down. All it makes me want to do is go home, snuggle up under the coziness of my puffy comforter, and hibernate until Spring comes to stay.

Do you ever think back at a time in your life, years back, when you had a different idea or view about a particular subject? I have been doing that a lot lately, I think mainly because I have finally accepted that I am getting older. Not older in the sense that I FEEL old, but I am realizing that my AGE is getting older.

I remember being in third grade and my teacher asking us, “How old do you think you are when you graduate from college?” I think the conversation had started because someone had mentioned a particular age and said that it was “old”. Kids were guessing numbers like 16, 14, 18, and so on. After we had all made our predictions, she announced that she was 22 when she graduated. “Whoa!” we all gasped. I remember thinking that was so old. Our teacher was, of course, older than 22 at that time so we thought she was ancient.

So here I am, about 20 years later, thinking back on that day, remembering how “old” I thought my teacher was. Man, how much thoughts and ideas change over the years. When I was 22, I myself had just graduated from UTEP and began teaching here at Edgemere. I felt like a little kid still, much like I was in third, walking into this huge building filled with screaming kids, excited and full of energy. I definiteley felt no where near old when I was 22.

Truthfully, I don’t feel old even now. But I DO think about how fast life seems to fly by the older you get. Each year seems to race past me faster than the previous year and it’s as if I am left standing on the side of the road, looking back, trying to recall how I got to where I am today, so unexpectedly quick.

I have already been in my career for 6 years. Six years!! Where did all the time go? I can still remember the days at UTEP, when I couldn’t wait to graduate and graduation seemed to be an eternity away, a mere spec of light at the end of a very long tunnel. Then, in a blink of an eye, here I am today, a 6th grade language arts teacher.

The point of all this? ENJOY EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY AND LIVE IT FOR WHAT IT IS! Don’t try to grow up to fast. You are only young once, and you can NEVER get that back.

Your childhood was a time intended for fun, gaining experiences in life with learning new things and making friends. Don’t try to grow up too fast. You have many long, stressful years in your future to be an adult. ENJOY your youth and spend it as just that, a YOUTH. You are not adults yet, nor do you know everything there is to know about life. Be kids. But also be open to learning new things. Life is packed full of opportunities to learn new things. Each things you learn will better prepare you and strengthen you for your future.

Okay, now that we have ALL had a little time to get used to the new block schedule, I’d like to re-address the previous weekly assignment you all were given, two weeks ago. I wanted to know how you all feel about the new “block” schedule.

**BE SURE TO ANSWER THE FOCUS QUESTIONS GIVEN TO YOU BELOW!!!
Your assignment is to write about the experiences you have had in your language arts class over the past two weeks. What kinds of things have you liked/disliked about it? Do you see a deeper connection between reading and writing? What have your experiences been like with the activities, strategies, and skills you have been learning in class? Overall, how do you FEEL about having a language arts block as opposed to having two separate reading and writing classes

By my title you may think this post will be about some fortune telling event or someone with the wonderful powers of being able to see into the future, but it is not. Some of you might even think it’s going to be an inspirational message about looking ahead and striving for success. But, that’s not it either. That topic will actually be discussed in my next post. THIS post is just to describe my excitement about returning to Winky Doodles Paint Ball Park. This weekend my roommates and I are planning on going back for more battle ground action. Dre decided she wanted to take her brother Matt with us because he would totally love it. He, much like us, is always up for anything fun, adventurous, and exciting. I will definitely be prepared this time- NO RED SHIRT FOR ME! I made myself a huge bull’s eye the last time we went by wearing that color. My “roomies” and I were even thinking of going to the GI Supply store and getting some camo army pants and green or brown t-shirts to better disguise ourselves from our “enemies”. You can buy clothes from there at a discounted price so they are not so expensive. We are DETERMINED to leave the battlefield victorious, NOT defeated! Stay tuned to see what happens next…

This past weekend I had the unexpected pleasure of having my first paintball experience. My roommates and some friends decided, randomly, to go play paintball this past Saturday. I had never done this before, but always wanted to. I had no idea what was to be in store for me…

For those of you who don’t know, paintball is a “sport” where you and your team go into a ” battle field” full of random objects to hide behind. You are basically at war against another team who starts on the opposite end of the field as you. The whole time you’re in the netted battle field, hard-shelled balls of paint are being shot, from large guns that looks similar to military weapons, at up to 280 miles per hour across the field, in all directions. If you’re hit with one of these balls, the shell breaks, exploding colorful paint on you. The object, of course, is for your team to have the most people still “alive” at the end of the game. Whichever team’s players are all hit first, loses.

When we arrived at Winky Doodles Paintball Park, we had no idea what to expect. Dre was terrified; she is extremely girly and has NEVER shot any kind of gun, so she was really nervous about this whole experience. It was actually quite comical. She was even whining. Our friend, Alba, had brought her “battle gear”, wearing her husband’s army pants and army boots. She was definitely ready for the battle that was to take place. After getting our equipment (guns, face shield & goggles, chest protector, and ammunition) we listened to a safety speech by the “referees”. They went over all the rules of the park and explained the danger behind paintballing. Our first game was very exciting. I felt so nervous, my palms sweaty and my heart racing. I had no idea what to expect and our friends had told us that it does hurt a little when you get hit with a “bullet”.

The refs shouted, “GO GO GO!” and the game was on. We ran quickly to different bunkers to find shelter from the flying paintballs. There were about eight of us on each team. As we hid behind the bunkers, we’d peek up and fire our paintballs at the enemy team. Within only a few minutes, members from both teams were being taken out, splattered with bright orange and white paint. I was thankful I was not the first to be out. Just as I rose from a bunker to shoot… BAM! I was hit on the hand. Man, it sure did sting! I walked out to the back of the course to safety. As I was talking to one of my friends, we looked and saw Dre walking towards us. She was out too now! It was hilarious though because as we watched her walking towards us, we noticed a bright orange spot, right smack in the middle of her forehead. She had been shot in the head!! We laughed for a while about it as she rubbed her head. Dre said, “I may have been shot in the forehead, but I shut Diana up when I shot her in the shoulder first! Ha ha ha!” Diana is our other roommate. She is an engineering major at UTEP and she often “talks smack” to us all the time about how engineers are so smart and good at everything. So, it was quite humorous that the “smart engineer” got taken out.

I think after the first game, those of us who had never played this game before were more relaxed. It was actually quite fun, even though being shot could be a little painful, sometimes more than others. Being shot in certain places hurt s lot more, like the inside of your legs and arms and in the neck. I had several bruises later in the day, but the fun definitely out weighed the soreness from being shot. It really was like being in battle, in the middle of a war zone. I remember during one of the games, as I was hiding for cover, I looked up into the sky and saw a sea of paintballs soring through the air, flying every direction you could imagine. It was so crazy. And, even when you thought you were protected, only peeking out at tiny bit from the protection of your bunker, you could STILL get hit by a bullet that was looking for you.

All in all, it was a great time: adrenaline pumping excitement. My roommates and I are already planning another trip to Winky Doodles.