March Maddness BABY!!

With the Final Four chosen and the games a week away I thought I should take a moment to honor one of the few reasons March is allowed to be a month, St. Patrick's Day is the only other. As a teacher, March is the bottom of the barrel, the epitemy of all that is bad, it is the one month that I dread above all others. It's LONG and SNOWY and Spring Break isn't until April. Back to the Final Four...



First off the bench we have Michigan St. They earned its fifth trip to the national semifinals since 1999, the most in the nation over that span of time. Other than that I don't know a lot about them and don't really have the time to start researching either. So sorry but I will wish you good luck!



UCONN-"The most powerful team in college basketball," Rick Pitino called the Huskies Sunday in Indianapolis. The Huskies who are powerful both in Men's and Women's basketball have a real shot. Not my favorite though.



Villanova- The classic Cinderella team. I personally think their road to the Final Four has been the most demanding. They beat out Duke AND Pitt!!! Personal feelings aside, the Duke game was a trial run just a warm up for this super talented team who is full of heart. Haha sorry Brendan but I will sing the praises of any team that knocks Duke out of the tournament. Plus Scottie Reynolds graduated from Herndon High School and I having personally attending the Hornets Summer Basketball Camp am rooting for this underdog even if it means that my bracket is screwed.



And finally the fabulous UNC!!! They are my pick to win it all! Tyler Hansbourgh is a beast! Not only is he a force on the court but he is also a team player. In the semifinals he had more assists than baskets."It's the way we've always tried to run our program," Roy Williams said, "to have more than one guy be the star." All season people say they have been over rated, still good but over rated. Well they are the team to beat and always have been! Their bench is deep and they rely on no single stratedgy to win games. They are flexible and adjust according to their opponents. I guess the only thing left to say is GO TAR HEELS!!

Don't Worry Be Happy

I never understood how people could say that they were having a hard year. I mean a hard/long week sure, but really a bad year? 365 days in a row that are hard? Haha I will never question that statement ever again. 2009 has not been a good year for me, which is not good because its not even half way over! On the bright side of things it can only get better from here. Yes, it has been that bad. It can't really get much worse.

Last night while laying in bed dreading sleep. You know because sleep makes time go by faster, and I just do not want to live through another hard day it dawned on me that I HAVE TO CHANGE MY ATTITUDE. Yes life is hard at the moment. Very hard. A huge trial and test of my faith in my chosen profession. While I can't change other people's attitude towards education, my teaching style, or teaching their child to be responsible and respectful I can change my attitude. And basically have to if I want to survive this school year. 2 months is an extremely long time to get through so here is my plan... I am going to count my blessings...all of them... in hopes that this will lift my spirits and give me some sort of force field to help me get through the rest of this week. Which between report cards, parent teacher conferences, and the fact that it is only half over doesn't hold much promise.

HERE I GO. WISH ME LUCK!

My amazing family. My health. My iTunes collection. My jetta (oh how I love her!) My friends. Empanazas. Frozen yogurt from Hello Yogurt. House. One Tree Hill. The Office. Grey's Anatomy. Hot Chocolate. Summer is only 2 months away. Spring Break is 3 weeks away (Canada here I come.) Students that say thank you. Harry Potter. Fabulous Roomies. Signing a contract on a townhouse for next year. The beautiful 60 degree weather we are enjoying. Beautiful sunsets over Utah Lake. Glorious sunrises over the mountains. Wearing flip flops. Friday is a Teacher Work Day. Krissy lives 5 minutes away and is pregnant!! Alicia and Kaitlyn are getting married!!! Going to Seattle and Portland in May. My blog. The wonderful teachers I work with in 5th grade. The stack of books next to my bed I will eventually get around to reading. A hot shower. My splint is off and my wrist is slowly getting stronger. CHOCOLATE!! There are no dishes in the sink. Jake created his blog. Getting tickets to Dave Matthews in Sept. My comfy bed. New makeup. The fake fireflies Mom sent me. My bands are freaking cute. My fabulous and very supportive family. Duke is ranked #2 and UNC is ranked #1 in the NCAA bracket. I ate the best brownies today. Gas is still under 2 dollars. Spring is coming. Sleeping in on Saturdays. Cereal. My slippers. Underground parking (no wiping snow off my car.) French Toast from Kneaders. All of my super cute shoes. Diet Coke. My counselors in Relief Society. Holly is coming to Utah next year. Shylo. Rambo. I have a college degree. Facebook. TV on the internet. Ice cream. Memories. Dreams. My faith. Great Neighbors. March Madness. Road trips with Carla. Taking crazy pictures. My electric toothbrush. Wearing sweatpants. Country Music. Taylor's CD mixes. Email. Cellphones. Texting. My own room. Hot Pink. Going out to eat. I have a steady job. I get my summers "off" (teachers still work all summer prepping for the next year.) Fireflies. Humidity. Green trees. Seasons. Holidays.

You Might Be An Educator IF...

You Might Be An Educator If..

~You believe the staff room should be equipped with a Valium salt lick.

~You think they should put Ritalin in candy form and distribute it on the playground.

~You want to slap the next person who says, "Must be nice to work from 8 to 3 and have your summers free!"

~ You believe chocolate is a food group.

~You can tell it's a full moon, snowing, hailing, an holiday, or a beautiful day in the middle of winter without ever looking outside.

~You believe "shallow gene pool" should have its own box on the report card.

~You believe that unspeakable evil will befall you if anyone says, "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today."

~When out in public you feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior. This includes telling children to "Go pull their clip/card" without even thinking about it.

~You have no time for a social life between August to June.

~Marking all A's on report cards would make your life SO much simpler.

~When you mention "vegetables" you're not talking about a food group.

~You think people should HAVE to get a government permit before being allowed to reproduce.

~You wonder how some parents ever MANAGED to reproduce.

~You laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the lounge.

~You believe in aerial spraying of Prozac.

~You drink AirBorne like its Hot Chocolate

~You encourage an obnoxious parent to check into charter schools or home schooling. Have offer to help them pack when they move out of the School District.

~You believe no one should be permitted to reproduce without having taught in an elementary school setting for at least 5 years.

~You've had your profession slammed by someone who would never DREAM of doing your job.

~You don't know what to name your children because there's no name you could give a child that wouldn't bring on high blood pressure the moment you uttered it.

~You think caffeine should be available to staff in IV form.

~You know you're in for a MAJOR project when a parent says, "I have a great idea I'd like to discuss. I think it would be such fun!"

~Your personal life comes to a screeching halt at report card time.

~Meeting a child's parents instantly make you go "OH! That explains why your child is the way they are."

~You think that Halloween and Valentine's Day should always be the last Saturday of the month.

Pros and Cons

OK so I have a HUGE decision coming up and I need some help so I am pleading for ya'll two cents. I am currently trying to decided if I should head home and teach somewhere in the DC area or stay in Utah and teach another year. If you ask me what I want its to go home. I came to Utah to go to college and gain a degree and well I have accomplished that goal. I miss my family and friends, the humidity, snow days, fireflies, and that is where I ultimately want to spend the rest of my life somewhere on the east coast. Now this might seem like a no brainer after that last sentence and I'm sure you are probably thinking "Well, just go home!" but its not actually that easy. Let me explain.

This wonderful economy of ours is effecting education as well as every other field out there. Most school systems are having to make major cut backs this includes a pay freeze, hiring freeze, and/or losing a lot of extracurricular things that make school fun. Now, normally schools just offer incentives for older teachers to retire so that they and pay new teachers less money (in the teaching profession your pay is based on your experience) but no one wants to retire because their 401Ks suck. Thank you wall street and stupid selfish CEOs with your million dollar bonuses, private jets, and no accountability!

ANYWAY...basically even finding teaching jobs is getting harder to do, especially since I have to apply for a VA teaching license. Its not that hard to do since I already have a Utah one. It does, however, just take time. Time I don't necessarily have since my principal needs to know in the next few weeks if she should fill my position. AARRRGGG I hate jumping through hoops which is what I am having to do! So here are my pros and cons for staying and going...


STAYING IN UTAH PROS:

I love the other teachers I work with!
I love the school...the students are so sweet (most the time!)
I have a guaranteed job for next year!
California, Vegas, and Idaho are less than a day's drive away!
I am in the middle of some of the greatest ski resorts in the world.
It will be my 2nd year teaching 5th grade which means SO MUCH LESS PLANNING!!!
It means I won't have to move across the country.
Holly got accepted to BYU and Roxy is probably transferring.
I finally found a doctor out here so I feel sorta settled.
There are so many amazing things to experience out here when it comes to the Church...Conference, CES Firesides, Temple Square, etc.

STAYING IN UTAH CONS:

It means staying in Utah.
Utah drivers.
The Provo Dating Scene.
6 months of winter (I'm tired of being frozen!)
NO SNOW DAYS!
The Provo Dating Scene.
I am a 3 day drive or a 5 hour $400 plane ride away from home.
I have 2 weddings to come home for next year THATS A LOT OF MONEY IN TRAVELING!!
The Provo Dating Scene.
Its so freaking dry out here!
The lack of greenness.
Shylo is in Virginia.


GOING BACK EAST PROS:

Its not Utah!!
There is an appropriate amount of winter (3 months!)
Snow Days!
New dating scene with normal people!
My family1
My friends!
I won't have to buy a plane ticket to come home for Sunday Dinner, go to a wedding, or a family gathering.
Where better to teach about American History than in the Historic East! Think of all the field trips!
A days drive from NYC, Philly, Boston, the beach, and just about everywhere!
ITS GREEN!!
It's home and there is where my heart is!
I could meet someone who wants to stay back east which seems easier than trying to meet somewhere out here in Utah who wants to go back east.
I'd make more money!


GOING BACK EAST CONS:

No guaranteed job.
Might have to move in the parents for awhile.


Ok so there it is laid out in pluses and minuses. Let me know what you think I need all the advice I can get!

Two Hands are Definitely Better than One

Breaking your wrist is a very humbling experience. I am a very independent person so having to actually ask for help is hard for me, even when I really need it. I have learned that while I don't mind helping other people I need to allow them the same privilege. Anyway in my masquerade of pretending nothing is wrong and I that can still do everything with one hand I have learned that the following are SOOOOO MUCH EASIER with two hands.

1. Typing- Yeah it takes forever one handed
2. Putting on a bra- Taking it off with one hand...no problem!... but putting it one is hard! You try holding both straps close enough that you can snap them together with one hand.
3. Folding laundry- Let me put it this way all my clean laundry is sitting in a pile in the corner of my room.
4. Buttons- Who invented them anyway? They obviously never fractured their wrist!
5. Doing the Dishes- I can't hold the dish and scrub it at the same time so I am forever indebted to my roomie Kelly for doing my dishes!!! You're the best!

and a lot more that I might add later when I have more time.

Sticks and Stones...More Like Hard-Packed Snow May Break My Bones

You should never skip church to go snowboarding....even if you are on vacation in Idaho and that was your only chance to go. Why? Because instead of lightning striking you, you will fall doing something stupid (like getting off the lift) and fracture your hand. Trust me on this one... I KNOW!!!

Grand Targee is an amazing resort. There are no ropes anywhere so you can go anywhere. Every run has parts of it groomed and parts of it left totally natural so you can do the whole powder and swerving in and out of trees thing. Jake and I got a couple good runs down the mountain before I got hurt. The snow was perfect! I was truly enjoying carving down the mountain, the fresh mountain air, and the beautiful Teton mountains when it happened.



To tell the truth I really don't know what happened. We were getting off the lift and i must have just caught an edge and fell. Instinctively I put my left hand back to help break the fall, which is never a good idea. At first the only thing I thought was hurt was my butt and my pride. Jake and I were both laughing. I scooted out of the way and was just resting on the side for a minute. My left hand hurt but I really didn't think I had done anything that bad to it. Jake went on ahead of me because I told him I needed just another minute to gather what was left of my pride.

When I went to strap in my other boot that's when I knew something was wrong. I couldn't do up my bindings. My fingers couldn't move so I used my right hand to do up the bindings as best as I could. Then I went to push myself up off the snow to go down the catwalk to the run but my hand just buckled and pain shot up my hand and wrist and I knew that it wasn't good. However in true Wells fashion i decided to "walk it off" or in this case board it off. I used my right hand and got up and started down the mountain. Looking back I should have just gone to the guy in the in the lift and asked for a ride down. Oh well!



As soon as tried to carve down the mountain, which requires my arms for balance, my mindset changed from practicing my S-turns to "get down as fast as you can safely." I used my body as a splint and just rode my heel edge down. Jake was waiting for me about half-way down the run. At first he had this sly smile on his face like he was going to make some comment about how long I take but as soon as he saw I wasn't using my arm his face changed to "Oh crap, something is really wrong!"

When we got to lodge Jake helped unstrap my board and we took my mitten off. There was a nasty looking bump on the top of my hand. My wrist and fingers were all swollen and we both just knew. We went to the snow patrol first aid tent and met Bud, a 65 year man whose wife is from Winchester, VA ironically. The conversation went something like this.. I walk in and he looks as me and says "Snowboarder??" "Yup." "Wrist?" "Yup." I guess anything waist and up is snowboarding anything waist and down is skiing. Bud helped me get comfy in a splint while Jake loaded up the car.

Bud is awesome!! He and his wife retired a couple years ago and moved out to Tetonia, ID because the both love to ski that much. His wife used to teach 7th and 8th grade and hated it so she moved down to 5th and loved it (yeah the more I learned about Bud and his wife the more I liked them.



While Bud was telling me his life story to keep my mind from the pain Jake called home to inform the family. Their reactions were classic...

DAD- "Oh man. Oh man. Oh. Oh..oh man." (according to Jake he sounded like Grandpa!)
HOLLY- "Well thats what she gets for snowboarding on Sunday!"
ROXANNE- "Was the snow patrol cute?"
BRENDAN- "That sucks. Is she ok?'
RORY- "HAHA she fell getting off the lift! HAHA Well is she ok?" (no worries I was laughing about it too! It is a pretty pathetic story!)

Once the car was loaded we headed back to Rexburg to go to the hospital where I was treated by the most idiotic doctor ever. I seriously don't know how he graduated Med School. They took X-rays and he said I was good to go without even looking at my hand. As my jaw dropped to the floor I asked him about the big bump on my hand and he said "Oh, is that not normally there?" I told him no so he went to look at the X-rays again. 20 mins later he came back in and told me I fractured the big bone connecting my elbow to the wrist (no where near the big bump) and that I just need to were a splint til and this a quote "the snow melts."

My response...what snow...your yard's or mine? Top of the mountain or in the valley? Virginia's snow, Utah's or Idaho?? Needless to say I got a second opinion when I got back to Provo the next day. This sane doctor told me that I fractured the bone connecting my wrist to my middle finger and that I needed to come back in a week for more x-rays when the swelling has gone down so I can get a permanent cast.

Moral of that extremely long post: Don't go boarding on Sunday and don't trust doctors in Idaho they've had too many potatoes!!

I'm Going a Little Crazy!

So I won't lie I think I am losing my mind! Let me explain, most days I wake up in the morning so excited to go to school. Today was not one of those days. In fact, I haven't had one of those day in probably about a week. There are just a few students in my class that are literally going to drive me into the looney bin! Most of my class is made up of the cutest, sweetest kids you have ever met. They do their work, are fun to talk to, say cute things, and in general are darling. A few of my students, however, are turds! I don't know how else to say it. They manipulate the other students in the class, start rumors/fights, stare off into space when they should be working, and in general do not care about school. It is because of these little turds that I haven't wanted to go to school most of this week and today they nearly pushed me over the edge!



I grew up in a family that loves to watch movies. Some of my favorite memories include all 7 of us crowded onto the couch in the basement, quoting movie lines, and eating popcorn while laughing our heads off at a movie we have seen a thousand times. I guess you could say it is a family tradition. Sandlot, A Christmas Story, The Burbs, and Elf are a few family favorite...I digress. OK back to me loosing my mind. I used to laugh during the movie The Incredibles at the part where Dash is in the principal's office getting in trouble for putting a tac on the teacher's chair. I couldn't find a clip to include in this post so I put the dialogue below.

Principal: Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Parr.
Helen: What is this about? Has Dash done something wrong?
Bernie Kropp: He's a disruptive influence and he openly mocks me in front of the class.
Dash: He says.
Bernie Kropp: Look, I know it's you! He puts thumbtacks on my stool.
Helen: You saw him do this?
Bernie Kropp: Well, not really... No, actually not.
Helen: Oh. Then how do you know it was him?
Bernie Kropp: I hid a camera. And this time I got him.
[Plays tape]
Bernie Kropp: See? See? What, you don't see it?
[rewinds tape]
Bernie Kropp: He moves! Right there! Wait, wait... Right *there*! Right as I'm sitting down! I don't know, I don't know how he does it, but-but there's no tack on my stool before he moves, and after he moves, there's a tack! Coincidence? I think not!
Principal: Uh, Bernie...
Bernie Kropp: Don't "Bernie" me! This little rat is guilty!
Principal: You and your son can go now, Mrs. Parr.
Bernie Kropp: You're letting him go *again*? He's guilty! You can see it in his smug little face. Guilty, I say! Guilty! Guilty!

After teaching this year I totally feel for this poor teacher! I know that feeling. I know which student is the instigator of most the mischief that goes on in my class, even if I have no proof! I know that feeling of screaming "He's guilty!" and having everyone else stare at you like you have lost your mind because you have nothing else to back it up other than intuition.

So next time you watch this classic movie don't laugh at the poor teacher. He is under paid, under appreciated, and just trying to manage his class the best way he knows how, while the little turd gets away with it!

So here is to the little turd. May you learn some sort of lesson in my class other than how to lie your way out of trouble. May your eyes be opened to how the real world works. In it you can't have your mom write you a note on why your presentation for the boss is not done, or have a suddenly illness that magically disappears for field trips. Here is to you and that fact that if you're not careful you will have no friends because no one likes a liar. No one likes a gossiper. No one likes a snitch. And yes I know the truth that lies behind those innocent looking eyes. I saw the note being passed and eyes that wander during the geography lesson. So don't blame me when one day you are lost in the middle of Kansas and can't read a map! Don't blame the teacher when you can't pass your driving test because you didn't follow directions. No, no, little turd thats all on you! I hope from the bottom of my heart you snap out of this "phase" you're in and become a very successful person in life. One who listens to others, opens up doors like a gentleman, and does what he thinks is right and not necessarily what is popular. Here is to you beating the odds.