Year after year, it never fails. There are some students who work hard, try even harder, and put forth an enormous amount of effort and thought into there work. The succeed with few obstacles. Then there are the ones on the complete opposite end of the spectrum… the ones who don’t work hard, try even less, and just don’t seem to care. Those are the students teachers spend the MOST time thinking, stressing, and worrying about. How can we motivate them? What can we do differently to get them to WANT to try and actually CARE about their education?? Is there something more we can do, but just don’t see it? The most frustrating and even saddening part about being a teacher is knowing, or at least feeling like, some of your students could care less about their school work. All they want to do is go home and play video games, watch TV, gossip over the phone, text, and myspace about the day’s drama and social news, or go to practice for their sports team. Perhaps the saddest part of all this thought is that the students who CHOOSE to throw their education away are the ones who will suffer most in the end. These students become their own worst enemies by CHOOSING to let themselves fail. Maybe they are thinking, “I’m not CHOOSING to fail. It’s just that I don’t get it or I don’t know how to get better at it so I just won’t try.” Well, to those students I say,  TAKE A RISK, STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR EDUCATION, AND ASK A QUESTION! When you fail at something, the only person you have to blame is YOU. YOU are the only one who can decide where your future will take you and it starts right now, right here in elementary school.

I challenge every single one of my students to DARE to be great. DARE to ask questions when you don’t understand something. DARE to ask for help to become a better writer, reader, scientist, mathematician, or historian. DARE to take ownership and responsibility for your actions and your education. DARE to use your mind and form opinions and ideas and express them. And to those of you brave enough to take my challenge and really put your effort into it, I shall see you at the finish line called… SUCCESS!

Peer pressure can be a very difficult situation to find yourself in. At some point, most of us find ourselves in a situation where our friends are doing something that we KNOW is wrong, yet we are tempted and often give in, and go along with our friends. As kids, it’s really hard to stand up against peer pressure and make what we know is the right choice. The problem is that peer pressure usually starts out as something small like copying homework or giving answers on a test. But, then it leads to other, more serious acts like stealing and even doing drugs. Those types of decisions can ruin your life, leading you to even have to spend time in jail. Besides the jail time, the more serious effects of drugs are that they kill brain cells and literally make you dumb. This guy I went to high school with did many drugs and he used them a lot. By the time we were seniors in high school, you couldn’t even carry on a conversation with him. The drugs had deteriorated his brain so badly that it was like talking to an elementary school student instead of a high schooler. It’s important to practice taking a stand for yourself NOW and be a leader. If friends are going to turn their backs on you just because you don’t want to go along with something that they ask you to, they are NOT true friends. They aren’t friends at all…

I know many of you don’t remember September 11, 2001 very well, but I sure do. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day. I honestly never thought I’d live through a moment that would become so historical as that day. In fact, it is very surreal, or like a dream, to see the images of that day and the months that followed in the textbooks I teach out of.

When the terrorist attacks took place, I was not yet a teacher. I was still in college at UTEP, living at home with my parents. Every morning I could hear my dad in his office, the TV blasting Good Morning America. His office was right across from my bedroom and my bathroom was in between the two rooms. I was in my bathroom getting ready to go to my amazingly boring World History class, which started at 7:30 am. I walked into his office to say good morning, as I usually do. My dad appeared to be mesmerized by what he was watching so I looked at the TV to see what he was looking at; there I saw an airliner crashing into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I figured it was a scene from a movie preview since Good Morning America reporters always interview actors on their new movies. “What… is that from a movie or what?” I asked him. He looked at me with his eyes wide open in surprise and replied, “NO! That just happened in New York!” I was just about to reply to his shocking statement when we both witnessed the second plane blaze into the second tower… ON LIVE TV! “Was that a replay?!” I asked. My eyes were probably as wide as his at that point. My dad said he didn’t think it was and soon after, the stunned reporters confirmed it. Suddenly it was as if panic was swarming over the entire nation. No one knew what was going on. I could not believe what I had seen. But, at that point, most people thought it was a simple coincidence of plane crashes.

I went to my World History class and by the time I got there, the University was in an uproar. Students were all talking about the same thing… the two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, one of the largest cities in the U.S. We were never even able to start class because people were getting phone calls, updating them on what was going on. One woman in my class announced to everyone in the room that there were two more hits… one on the Pentagon and another in Pennsylvania. At that time our professor didn’t see much of a point in continuing class so we were dismissed. All my classes that day were cancelled.

When I went to work, business was dead; no one seemed to be leaving their homes or work that day. Rather America stayed glued to the TV, watching in utter disbelief at what had happened and was still happening. Many terrifying sights were seen on live TV: the towers crumbling to the ground below, leaving huge black clouds of dust and debris that spread for miles; women, men, and children of different ages crying, panicked, and not knowing what to do; reporters in awe and paralyzed in fear and disbelief; and heroes… true, blue heroes.

We must NEVER forget the heroes of that day, for many of them were not as lucky as some. Many of them gave their lives so that others may live. The fire fighters and police officers of New York City and surrounding cities and states really lived up to their stereotyped titles of “hero” that day. They worked tirelessly and relentlessly to do whatever was necessary to get as many people out of the trade center disaster as possible. They didn’t work for just that day. They labored for days upon days, staying awake day and night, until their job was done. Many of them are still haunted in their dreams by the shrill sounds and heart breaking scenes of Sept. 11th and the days that followed.

There were also others who were simply “regular” people, civilians, who were heroes that day. They included those who were in the trade center and surrounding area when the towers were hit. But, there was one group of civilians who were particularly heroic, brave, and who were completely selfless. A group of passengers on flight 93, from United airlines, took matters into their own hands, deciding they were not going to bow down and succumb to the terrorists who had decided to take over the plane they had boarded. Rather, they were going to take stand and fight back. These brave souls did this KNOWING that they would probably not live through it. Several of these people muscled through to the cockpit and battled the pilot of the plane who had taken over, causing him to crash the plane before the intended destination crashing point. There were no survivors. The risk that those few people took caused many, many other lives to be spared. While they left their family, friends, and loved ones behind, others were blessed to hang on to theirs.

Every year on September 11th I make sure to take time to remember ALL who were lost and whose lives were impacted on that horrifying, tragic day. We MUST ALL take time to remember and honor those who were lost and those who risked their lives to help save the lives of others on September 11th, 2001.

Okay guys, many of you are giving awesome comments on the posts. But, like the message Mr. Mattson left, some of you are not being detailed enough. You need to make sure that you are responding to what the person was writing about. Don’t just write to say “hi” or “yeah I agree with you”. At least write a few sentences and provide meaningful thought about what you read. Here’s a hint: YOUR BLOG SHOULD BE MORE THAN JUST ONE OR TWO SENTENCES. You are 6th graders and can do much better

One last thing, PLEASE use proper punctuation and capitalization. I know you all know how to.

Eleanor Roosevelt was a great woman who inspired many people with her “words of wisdom”. She was the wife of former president Franklin Roosevelt. I have one of her most famous quotes written on the wall, above my chalkboard, in my classroom. It reads, “Dreams belong to those who believe in them the most”. That quote really means a lot to me and it’s one that inspired me a lot to work hard, even when it was hard, to pursue MY dream of becoming a teacher. What is YOUR dream and why/how do want to achieve it?

When I was talking to one of my classes the other day, I was reminded of one of the smartest animals I have ever witnessed… actually, TWO of the smartest animals…

Damon is a typical house cat. He loves to play, wrestle, and wander around our neighborhood with our two other cats. But, what makes Damon different from any of our other cats, or any cat I’ve seen for that matter, is that Damon is a very talented “Houdini” impersonator. He can literally get into or out of any place he wants to. He can open doors, hide in drawers, and sneak through tiny spaces that you would think is fat body would not be able to. He has done it many times. Most recently, he has been opening the hall closet where we keep the dog food and allowing our puppies to have over sized midnight snacks. One morning, I was awakened by the ruffling and crumpling sounds of the dog food bag being torn open by our 7 month old Siberian Husky, Aiden.

Because Damon is so “talented”, when I brought my class pet home a few summers ago, I had to be extra careful so that he would not end up being Damon’s very own midnight snack. So, I decided to keep my pet hamster in the “office” since no one really went in there, including all our pets. Besides, it was nice in there; it always stayed fresh and cool and just the right amount of light came in through the window. Mr. Jingles certainly loved it in the peaceful and serene office.

One morning, late in the summer, maybe around the end of July, I woke up, walked out into the hallway and around the corner. I was headed downstairs to rummage through the refrigerator for a yummy breakfast. When I turned the corner, to my surprise, I found the office door cracked open, just enough for someone to squeeze past the doorway into the room. My body tightened and was suddenly filled with anger. I felt the heat of it rise from within me all the way to my head. I knew I was about to explode. I darted for the door and flung it open, causing it to slam into the wall. What I saw before me was a mass destruction. There were saw dust chips everywhere, strewn all over the room. The cage was in piece on the floor and there was absolutely NO sign of Mr. Jingles. I knew there was no possible way that he could have survived the wrath of our cats. I was not quite sure WHO had taken Mr. Jingles hostage, but you bet I definitely knew who had let the culprit into the office. “DAMON!” I boomed at the top of my lungs as I raced to find the fat, black, cat.

After searching the entire upstairs, I headed to the living room downstairs. I finally found “Mr. Houdini” in the kitchen. He was crouched low with his head turned as if he were hiding something. I slowly, quietly inched close to him so he wouldn’t dart off. He was holding something in his mouth. I screamed at him, “Let him go, Damon!!” But he was not willing to surrender the prized object he held so tightly. He bolted down the laundry room hallway, around the corner and flew up the stairs. I was not far behind, yelling at him all the way. Our tiresome chase lead us back downstairs and into the kitchen once again, where I finally pinned him to the ground. My fear had become reality when I saw that he had Mr. Jingles in his mouth, his body motionless, lifeless. He would NOT let the poor hamster go, refusing to release his hard earned prize.

After several moments of wrestling with the stubborn feline and doing everything in my power, including smacking him, to get him to let go of the poor hamster, he finally dropped him and ran off to escape my wrath. Poor Mr. Jingles just lay there on the cold kitchen floor, motionless. I felt my body get hot, angry that my hamster had been taken and was now lifeless on the floor. As I put my hands close to Mr. Jingles to pick him up, I witnessed a true miracle. The small, furry creature, cracked one eyelid open slowly, then the other. He remained motionless as his eyes moved to scan the room. It was as if he was looking to make sure the coast was clear and he was really free from the demonic black cat. Then he flipped himself over onto all four feet and leaped into my hands. It was obvious that he was relieved to be free from the mouth and teeth of the vicious feline. I, too, was relieved, but still very angry with Damon. I still haven’t completely “Damon-proofed” our house, but I’m closer.

Okay, this is especially for my class who asked if I believed in ghosts. The answer to that question is very simple… YES! I had one of the most unbelievable, heart pounding, terrifying experiences of my life when I was in college.

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. It’s always fun to think about the make believe world or gouls, goblins, warewolves and other ghastly creatures. It IS all make believe, right? Well, that’s what I thought. So it was getting close to Halloween and some friends and I had been talking about what we wanted to do for Halloween. New horror flicks are always coming out at the theater around this time so we decided to go see one. After the movie we planned to go check out a couple places on the west side of El Paso that were legendary places where ghosts could be found.

My friends were so excited to see these places after the movie finished, but I was a bit skeptical, not quite ready to believe that these places were haunted. I have never been one to believe in the after life having “unfinished business” here on Earth. One of the places we had heard about is an old house in a neighborhood close to UTEP. All the houses in this neighborhood are all very old and have been around El Paso for many, many years. It is said that many of the houses are haunted with the spirits of those who passed away.

There is ONE house in particular that is famous, or shall I say INFAMOUS. The story goes that the ghost of a murdering mother hides out in “her”  old house. When she sees unwanted guests intruding in her territory she races out of the house and rushes towards them like a deranged crazy person. Like most scary stories, they say she wants to kill you.  I’m sure you can see how crazy this sounds right?

We had to drive around the neighborhood for quite a while before we found the right house, but when we did arrive, I found that even though I didn’t believe in ghosts, my hands were a little sweaty on the steering wheel and my heart seemed to have jumped up a little towards my throat. As i inched slowly up the street, all five sets of our eyes were locked on the front door of the house. The street was pitch black and crowded with trees looming over us. Ahead was a dead end. A locked chain fence was all there was, except for a parked car on the curb. The car was facing us, so my headlights shined bright into the front seat. There was no one in the car, so we figured it belonged to the occupant of the house. I had stopped the car so we could look around a bit, but my friend Lori told me to keep going, to get closer. Just as I lightly tapped the gas, the front porch light of the house flipped on suddenly. “Ahhhhh!” Everyone in the car screamed at the top of their lungs, including me. Then, the headlights from the car that was parked in front of us popped on, blinding bright. I was absolutely frozen with fear. We all screamed again; I could not move, paralyzed by the fear within me. Lori hit me several times on my arms, pleading for me to drive away, “GO! GO! GO!” Suddenly, without thinking, I threw the shifter in reverse and slammed the gas pedal to the floor and zoomed backwards. Luckily no one was on the road behind me. I was driving so fast that the car was swerving back and forth and the tires were screeching, almost as if they too were in fear. I stopped and took a left turn down another street and stopped just a few feet away so that I could calm down. My heart was racing, my hands were shaking, and I couldn’t breath because I was trembling so uncontrollably.

Only a few seconds had passed before my other friend Laura was tapping my shoulder rapidly, screaming, “The car is coming, the car is coming, GO, GO, GO!” I shouted back, “No it can’t be, calm down. No one was in the car, You’re just scared.” But, then I looked in my rear view mirror and to my horrific surprise I saw the car, slowly inching around the corner in slow motion, right towards us. It was just like in a horror movie when the stalker walks after you. They don’t run, They walk, because they know they’ll catch you eventually.

I had never been so scared in my entire life. I can’t even explain the chills that crawled up and down throughout my body that night, teasing, taunting, and terrifying me. They played mean, nasty tricks on my mind. Needless to say, I got out of there as quickly as I possibly could. We were all shaking for hours afterwards and could not stop talking about how outrageous and unbelievable that experience was. My friends and I will surely never forget that frightful Halloween night!

Like many of my students, I LOVE sports. I enjoy watching most sports, but football, basketball, and soccer are my favorites, though basketball has always been my number one love.

This past year, my favorite college basketball team clenched the NCAA national championship title, something I had been waiting looking forward to for many years. The Kansas Jayhawks have had a powerful and talented team for many years, but they just never could quite hang on to the very end… until last year. Their amazing talent got them to the championship round of playoffs where they faced Memphis, a team not only well known for pulling out miracles in the NCAA national tournament, but also a team who over the past few years has been growing in talent, even becoming known as a powerhouse threat. The game culminated to quite an exciting end, where in the final seconds of the fourth quarter Chalmers shot a breath taking, time stopping 3-point shot. It was a much needed score as the Jayhawks had lost their overwhelming lead and were down three points. Chalmers, as if under no pressure at all, popped his hands up, snapped his wrist into a perfect follow through, and sunk the shot. Nothing but the beautiful sound of the ball snapping against the back of the net was heard. The game was immediately sent into over time, where Kansas took the rush of momentum they gained and seemed to trample over Memphis for the duration of over time. It was as if all of Memphis’ tactics had crumbled in defeat from the miraculous blow delivered by Chalmers’ 3-point bliss.

The Jayhawks earned their spot in NCAA Basketball history that memorable night. “Rock Chalk, Jayhawks”!!!