What In Tarnation?!?!?

Children’s literature lost a big name on Saturday. Stan Berestain, co-creator of one of my favorite picture book series has died.

From the Yahoo article about Stan’s passing:

Stan Berenstain, who with his wife created the popular children’s books about a loving furry family called the Berenstain Bears, has died.

He was 82 and lived in Bucks County in suburban Philadelphia. He died in Pennsylvania on Saturday, said Audra Boltion, a spokeswoman for HarperCollins Children’s Books in New York.

In more than 200 books, the Berenstain Bears, written and illustrated by Stan and Jan Berenstain, helped children for 40 years cope with trips to the dentist, new babies in the family, eating junk food and cleaning their messy rooms.

The first Berenstain Bears book, “The Big Honey Hunt,” was published in 1962. The couple developed the series with children’s author Theodor Geisel — better known as Dr. Seuss, then head of children’s publishing at Random House — with the goal of teaching children to read while entertaining them…

This makes me sad.

Found via Bryan.

Previously on WIT?!?!?:
Oh the Pain

Since I am on Codeine, my parents pick me up to go to the family Thanksgiving in Springfield. I was feeling much improved over my condition a few days earlier. Thanksgiving was nice and all the meals were good, however, because of the occasional pain in the ear that was intensified by the chewing action. However, Thursday night I started feeling a pain in the left ear, the one that was feeling just fine the week before. Not a good sign.

By Friday, the pain was back times 2. The right ear had been a walk in the park. When I got home Friday (a two hour ride) night, I used the emergency number to call my doctor and he prescribed some more powerful medicine. Unfortunately, no pharmacy was open around me in a 30 mile radius so my Dad had to drive me to Washington, MO to the 24 hour Wallgreens. The new meds did reduce to pain, to about the level of the other ear. That meant there would be no sleepy for me.

Saturday I made arrangements for a sub for today and tomorrow. There was very little sleeping that night. Sunday things continued to get better and I was able to sleep through the night Sunday (it sounds like I am talking about an infant.)

Today I had a doctor appointment finally. The doctor asked if the pain was gone. I should have said, “Relatively speaking, the pain is much better. However, if you mess around with the ear the pain does momentarily return.” Instead I said, “All gone.” Having received my unknowing permission to tug away, the doctor took a look around inside my ear, made a few hmmm noise, and then he grabbed this plastic thingy, yanked on my ear lobe and jammed the plastic thingy around in my ear. The pain returned. He was able to fish out some disgusting looking stuff mixed with dried blood.

“It appears you have a middle ear infection and an external ear infection in both ears. That would be the worst external ear infection I have ever seen. I can’t even see the ear drum.” Two more prescriptions for medicine and another follow-up appointment and I was out of there. This has been an expensive illness. Thankfully I have a ton of sick day stored up.

On a brighter note, though this Thanksgiving break has been absolutely miserable for me, it has reminded me of the blessings of family. Throughout this whole ordeal, my family has been extremely accommodating and caring. Without them this week would have been a hundred times worse.

So what were you thankful for? I think that might be what the comments are for. Use them.

Class dismissed!

From 11/24/2004:

WIT wishes everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving, whether you are celebrating it or not.

Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)

11/21/2004:

“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

For those who celebrate Thanksgiving.

1) How do you cook your turkey? (Stuffing, spices, cooking bag, etcetera)
I thank the wonderful people that make the turkey stuffing, pumpkin pie, etc.

2) What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?
The whipped cream with pumpkin pie. Mmmmm. I like so much whipped cream that I like it when you can’t see the pumpkin pie filling. The best whipped cream can be purchased at Slice of Pie, a little pie shop that is hidden away here in Rolla. They make the best! I have not had their pumpkin pie though. I normally stick with their Tollhouse Pie. With a healthy pile of whipped topping of course.

3) What are you doing this year for Thanksgiving?
I think I will drive down to Springfield on Thursday and then drive back that same night. Or maybe not.

4) Do you have any family traditions at Thanksgiving?
Other than eating with family, not really. As a child, I never missed the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Oh that and It’s a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

5) What one dish does it just not feel like Thanksgiving without besides turkey?
Stuffing. I love the stuff. I’m not too picky about the kind of stuffing either. Well… there had better not be any raisins in it! That is an unspeakable offense.

11/26/03:

This year I haven’t done any fun art (craft) activities with my class. None at all. That’s not to say that I did a bunch the previous two years but I did some. This year, we have done none aside from the drawings and illustrations that are directly supported by curriculum, because gosh forbid I should deviate from the curriculum (it’s not that bad… yet). I have switched classes with other teachers so I could teach the other class Palm basics. While with the other teacher, my students have found refuge from the curriculum with some fun craft activities, but not under my watch. That is until Tuesday.

I whipped out my growing pile of construction paper and I decided that we were going to make some turkeys. The only thing that even hinted at academics was following directions and writing down 5 things that they were thankful for.

I asked them to get their art boxes out. “For what?” one student asked (one of them who has trouble staying in one place for more than 1.25 seconds).

“Get them out and I will tell you.”

“Ah man, are we going to another teacher again? I thought you were our teacher!”

“I am your teacher, but I have to show the other classes the Palms, remember I promised that to PTO.”

“So we are going to another teacher.”

“Just get out your art box before I do send you to another teacher.”

“You wouldn’t, you like me too much.”

“You’re right.”

“So what are we doing?”

“Get out your art box.”

After everyone got out their art box I said something about making thanksgiving turkeys.

The restless student decided I needed his input again, “We are doing an art activity?… With you?” This from the child that frequently complements my drawing skills, I guess drawing is not “art.”

“Remember what I said about not sending you to another teacher? I just changed my mind.”

He got quiet.

The activity went really well. I left it open ended to allow students to come up with their own ideas. They didn’t like that. I showed them how to make the body, but the feather and face were up to them. They could make them anyway they wanted, but each feather needed to say one thing that they were thankful for.

Here is the model I made, without any thankful statements on the feathers because if I did, most students would just write down what I wrote.

Here is an example of student work:

More here.

So don’t ever say I am a slave driver! (Which a parent called me last week, but he did it in a joking manner.)

If you want the folding directions, find them here.

Class dismissed!

11/23/2003:

1. How do you usually spend your Thanksgiving Day?
With family! My immediate family travels to Springfield, MO. Generally half the day is with my mother side of the family and the other half with my father’s side. It is quite a fun day.

2. Do you have the traditional turkey dinner or something else?
Sometimes. It just depends. Normally, by Thanksgiving Day I have had the typical Thankgiving Day meal three or four times, so it is nice some years not to have the typical meal.

3. What is your favorite Thanksgiving Day food?
Can’t pick just one, so I will pick two. Stuffing and pumpkin pie with a ton of whipped cream.

4. Do you stuff yourself or eat in moderation?
I have been know to both.

5. The day after Thanksgiving is suppose to be “the biggest shopping day of the year”, do you go shopping on that day?
I have. It takes an even head to put up with those crowds and you do find some pretty decent deals, but I don’t think I will be going this year.

How will you spend your Thanksgiving Day?

How’s that for repurposing old content?

Class dismissed!

You Are Mashed Potatoes

Oridnary, comforting, and more than a little predictable You’re the glue that holds everyone together.

Class dismissed!

Late Sunday evening I started really feel a pain in my ear. I tried to sleep Sunday night, but the pain would have none of it. That night was horrible. I slept about an hour that night. It was torturous.

For some reason I decided to go in to work on Monday. That was pure genius. A short two day week before a holiday with children and I couldn’t hear out of one ear, oh and the shooting pain in the inner ear. About halfway through the day I asked for a sub on Tuesday. I also managed to get my doctor to call in a perception for me that I would get after the end of the school day. One problem though. I am tutoring a student on Mondays. I can make it through 4:30 and then I would be off to get my meds. Of course it wouldn’t work that simply. Someone forgot the student and showed up an hour late. At that point I was hoping that my ear drum wouldn’t POP.

Monday night was worse than Sunday night. I tried to keep the screaming down so as not to wake up the neighbors. Thankfully Tuesday I was able to sleep through the night thanks to my friend Tylenol with Codeine except for when I moved from the bed to the recliner.

My ear is still filled with crud and I still cannot hear out of it but the pain is much less and things appear to be returning to normal. Not quick enough however.

Class dismissed!

We recorded a podcast last Sunday. We were unable to use the equipment that we normally us so we had to us a lame-o mic on a laptop. Audio quality is not good but that is not the reason for the delay. Normally, we record, burn the GarageBand on a CD, I take it home and edit and post the file. This time we stuck the file on my new 1GB USB thumb drive. When I opened the file last night all the audio was mixed up in all the wrong places, some of the embedded audio files weren’t even there. It is a mess. If Craig has a copy that isn’t messed up, I will try to upload that, otherwise, we have our first lost episode.

Thanks for understanding.

Jared asked How Bookish I am. As it turns out, not quite a bookish as he is. I got an 8/10. I missed the question about One Hundred Years of Solitude and Robinson Crusoe. I haven’t read either of them.

Jared is being really informative today. This time however, some sad news. Adrian Rogers, a leader in the Southern Baptist Convention, has passed away.

Bryan makes An Important Medical Discovery and in the process becomes the the 2005 Drunken Stumbler World Champion. Now if I could figure out if his reference to Romulus and Remus referred to mythology or Star Trek. Bonus points for using the word akimbo which is my favorite word of the month.

The Tech Savvy Educator has a link to a new tool that I am going to be looking into further: Flash Card Machine.

The best of Inkblots. Good stuff there.

Can I say that I am excited about Yahoo’s TV listings add the functionality for me to program my TiVo right from the Yahoo TV website? Good stuff.

Finally to top off this post, some movies that I am looking forward to seeing this Holiday Season after reading my EW, or more likely on video.

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• King Kong
• The Producers
• Fun with Dick and Jane
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
• Munich
• Hoodwinked
• Rent
• Walk the Line (which surprises me that I want to see this)
• Capote

Class dismissed!

The Christmas season is right around the corner and I am sure that many of you have been wondering what you should get one of your favorite blogging third grade teachers, right?

Ponder no more! Amazon has the perfect item:

Yes, you are reading that correctly. That is a savings of $1,409.00. That is 36% off!

Adjust your Christmas lists accordingly.

I will leave you alone while you order.

Class dismissed!