Ms. Taylor Says

So I'm spending the week in a dorm at the University of Arkansas.  "But you're not a college student," you are thinking, right?  You are correct.  I'm here for an AP summer institute.  I've learned many valuable lessons, but the most important involves the vending machines.  I got back to the dorms tonight after some yummy cajun food and a fun night of catching up with a friend from high school.  But I decided to grab something completely lacking nutritional value before checking my email.  I was debating between Skittles and some chocolate cupcakes.  I went for the cupcakes...but they got stuck.  I tried my best "shake the machine" moves, but with no results.  So then I had to decide what to do next...this is where the genius kicks in.  I realized that instead of getting another couple of cupcakes (to, of course, set the first set of cupcakes free) I could get the junk food (Skittles of course) above it and that would knock the cupcakes down on the

I have been aching for weeks to begin reading the books that have slowly piled up in my "things to read ASAP" stack by my bed.  At the top of the pile was this one:  It is a bit dry, but the ideas make it worth the read.  I got to immediately put my new knowledge of game theory to work in analyzing the parental behaviors I witnessed at graduation.  But, by far, my favorite selection from the book was Darwin's list.  It turns out that Darwin decided to make a pro/con list when deciding if he should marry his love interest.  Want to know his reasoning?  Here ya go:   Pros of getting married: Object to be beloved and played with          Better than a dog anyhow          Home and someone to take care of house          Charms of music and female chit-chat          And a nice, soft wife on a sofa with a good fire and books and music perhaps Pros of single life: Conversation with clever men at clubs not forced to visit relatives and bend in every trifle absence of anxiety an

I once heard a sermon that really stuck with me. It was all about forgiving even when the other person hasn't asked for it...kind of like secret forgiveness. As an adult, I kind of miss the childhood "I'm sorry" situations where an outside party forced those who wronged us to apologize and "mean it." Maybe this was just me, but rarely did adults let me or those who wronged me get away with the gruff and clearly insincere "I'm sorry" followed by an angry smirk. I remember one time my mom decided the best way to get my sister and me to really be sorry was to stick us in the same room until we apologized to each other. She's lucky this worked out as well as it did. It's surprising that we didn't walk out of the room missing chunks of our hair or a tooth. But as a child, I think my sense of justice was formed by this--that when I was hurt, the person was called out and forced to make amends, and I was required to do the same. Of

My sister and brother-in-law are currently in Ethiopia meeting their absolutely beautiful daughter. I just keep looking at the pictures on their blog and thinking, "I can't believe that's my niece." I now know that until I get to meet her, time will feel like it is standing still. If you want to check her out, their blog address is www.alongroadhome.wordpress.com.

So at approximately 1:30 today, I walked out of the school building and began my summer. So what exactly does a hip, young teacher such as myself do to celebrate? Cranks up the Beyonce and begins the process of putting her apartment back together. Be honest...you know you are jealous. Luckily for me, the day/evening got much more exciting. My awesome new friend invited me to join her at the Nats game where they punished the Red Sox. I'm not sure if you could really call it a punishment, but I will, just for dramatic effect. The game was fun, the weather was lovely, and the company was awesome. I did find out early in the game that Michael Jackson had died. It's just so weird to say that. And it continues to prove my theory that celebrities die in groups. So strange. On a completely random note, I think this may be my best summer yet. I can't believe how many cool things are going on in my home area this summer. What is on my social calendar you might ask. Wel

So last Friday night I set off to find a dress for my high school reunion. I know what you are thinking: "How can someone who gets mistaken for a student in the lunch line go to a reunion?" But despite my youthful appearance (ha!), alas, it is time to partake in a tradition as beloved as...hmmm...I got nothin'. All that to say, I set off for the mall with a handful of discount cards (I refuse to call them coupons--I'm not buying cheese in bulk; I'm buying a dress). I thought that, surely with a whole evening and a huge mall at my disposal, I would be able to find something to wear. This is where I should give some background. I've been a bit picky about this purchase, because, if I'm completely honest, I'm not really sure how I am going to feel spending an evening small talking with people I didn't really know that well 10 years ago and really don't know now. I think the line from _The Wedding Date_ captures my mindset best: "I[

Tonight I went to my church to see an amazing documentary.   As We Forgive  is the unbelievable story of reconciliation in Rwanda.  I remember reading about the genocide in Rwanda when I was in college.  This documentary looks at how several victims of the 1994 genocide are dealing with living in the same villages as the perpetrators of one of the most devastating genocides in human history.  Watching these people choose to forgive the people that killed their family members just made my head spin.  It was also devastating to listen to the guilty parties discussing how they became convinced to kill their friends and neighbors.  If you ever get a chance to watch this amazing documentary, take it!   I'm going to try to put in a link to the trailer.  http://www.asweforgivemovie.com/trailer.htm Before going to see the documentary, I met some of my fabulous co-workers for some Friday food and fun.  As we were sitting around laughing about the craziness that is working in a high sch

1. A pair of flip-flops I had been looking for 2. A pair of flip-flops I had forgotten I owned 3. My prom picture in its special frame...still not really sure what this is doing in my closet in DC.  Seems like something that should be in a box somewhere at my parents' house... 4. Oh--and a mouse.  Yep.  And not a dead one.  As I sat on the floor, it scurried by me.  I, of course, squealed like a little girl, jumped up and did the "ewww gross!" shiver, and called home.  My mom assured me that the mouse was more scared of me than I was of it, but I'm still not convinced.  She also claims that my fears of contracting bubonic plague from the mouse are unfounded.  But I am also not convinced of this.  Given the 3-day weekend, I had to take matters into my own hands since the maintenance guys wouldn't be around to do anything to solve the problem until Tuesday.  I have now learned how to set a mouse trap...or 4.  I don't care how many Stuart Little movies they make

I saw a link to this blog entry the other day.  I think the guy is on to something.  Let me know what you think... (this is my first attempt to link to something, so let's hope it works...)

I know, I know... it's been a while. I have TONS to report. Races I've run, cupcakes I've baked, and historic sites I've visited. But all of that will have to wait until I upload new pictures on my home computer. Instead, I have decided to mark my return to the blogging world by discussing another milestone in my life...my first experience with a student puking in class. Now, to others this might not seem like such a big deal, but in my family it's huge. My sister and I have somehow both acquired a huge phobia of puke. I'm not really sure why, and my sister's fears make mine look minor, but we both fear it. All that to say, that since the day I was student teaching and heard a girl barf in the hallway, I've been dreading the first time this happened in my room. Now I no longer have to fear it--it has happened, and I survived. I always thought, that like many things in life, once it happened once it wouldn't be such a big deal. I guess my fear of puke

My students and I have been practicing telling people what we think without telling them "I think."  It's been fun to watch them see how easy it is to sound more professional by simply leaving out the "I" in their papers.  In an effort to "practice" the other day, the bellwork assignment was to write 3-4 sentences answering the following question without using I think, I feel, or I believe.  (Side note--it was pretty funny to hear the kids who had been absent the day before say, "How am I supposed to do that?" and hear the other students reply, "Just say it.")  The question was: Should the voting age be changed from 18 to 16?  Several of them brought up interesting points--like the fact that high schoolers sometimes end up being more informed than their adult counterparts because teachers make them research, or at least discuss, current events.  But what really surprised me was how many of them were willing to admit that 16-year-old

has lasted approximately two weeks. Now we are back to things that work better. We, as Americans, have chosen hope over fear. That is until one party is having a hard time getting some legislation passed. Then we go back to fear--because, let's be honest, it is a more effective technique. (Example: We must pass this bill now or the economy with collapse.) Okay--let me clarify something. I really am not associated with a party, and I really am not looking for our newly elected president to fail. I listened to Pres. Obama's acceptance speech and his inaugural address, and read the press on his first few executive orders. I was impressed; I was hopeful I would be pleasantly surprised with the new administration. I was optimistic that he would be different and truly attempt to make positive changes. Over the last few days I have been disappointed...not so much in his legislation as in the rhetoric he is using to get his legislation passed. He seems to be falling back

I'm currently sitting on my floor, reading a fabulous book, and listening to the joyful giggles as the toddler that lives at the end of my hall runs up and down the hall.  It's one of those perfect Sunday afternoons...sunny and 63, I just got back from a great run, and now I'm in a bit of English-major heaven.  

I've been reading a TON of my students' work lately.  Grades are due in the next few days.  By far the most interesting reading has been my students' freewriting on who they admire.  We are currently working on the beginning of our research papers (I say we because I'm writing with them--I am becoming more and more convinced that this is something every teacher needs to do.  It helps me know how effective or ineffective an assignment is, and it gives me a serious dose of sympathy for my writers.  But anyway...back to the topic at hand...)  The research assignment is to come up with someone they think should go on the "Ms. Taylor's Wall of Fame."  They can choose anyone they want as long as they can find enough research on the person; I'm researching Frank McCourt .  They are going to have to write a persuasive research paper explaining why that person is worthy of the wall (they also have to come up with a title--mine is "Best Teacher-Turned-Writ

Tonight at Bible study we were discussing God's love as discussed in I John.  One of the questions was about how our assurance of God's love changes us and how it affects the way we love others.  As we talked about the amazing power of God's love, I kept thinking about this little kiddo named Ankute .  He is probably my new favorite kid.  I don't actually know him, I just read his mom's blog.  Oh, but I digress.  Anyway, this little guy is a 3-year-old Ethiopian orphan who has recently been adopted by an American family.  His adoptive mom was talking the other day about how he sometimes worries about there not being enough food.  If others get seconds, he worries they will eat it all.  As he spends more time in his new home, he starts to believe that there will be enough food.   I think God's love works in a similar way.  All too often we are like Ankute and the food.  We are so worried that there won't be enough.  That our needs won't be met, that we w

1. A man in a cowboy hat with a half-smoked, unlit cigar in his mouth, riding the metro 2. A duck. Yep, that's right. I saw a duck sitting on the sidewalk next to the escalator. Not really sure how a duck finds itself in the middle of DC or why it decides to sit with three homeless men by the metro stop, but Kelly and I both decided it seemed rather comfortable there. Not walking around, not looking for food, just sitting on the sidewalk.

This is by far my most memorable inauguration.  The wonderful people at my parents' congressman's office set me up with two tickets to the inauguration.  I invited my friend Todd (the biggest Obama fan I knew).  Here is my picture book of the last few days.   I went on Monday to pick up my tickets.  It was a peaceful experience for the most part.  The metro stop was a bit crazy.  It was actually so crazy that the metro person finally just started letting us all go without using our cards to make it go faster.   You can't really tell how packed it was...   I got to the house office buildings to find quite a bit of a line.  I called up to the congressman's office to make sure I was in the right place.  The awesomely kind person who answered the phone (aka my hero of the day...) offered to bring my tickets to me.  I think this saved me approximately 3 hours of waiting to get in. (Someone said that the news reported a 3 hour wait to get tickets.)  AWESOME!!! I was ecstatic

I have been thinking about hope lately. How hope is defined, how we find hope, and who can really offer us hope. I came into my local coffee house today to find they were selling "inauguration" cookies. The lovely cookies had one word written on them--hope. This has become a word strangely synonymous with our soon-to-be president, and I'm not totally sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I think it is good to hope--good to hope that things can and will get better. Good to hope that people really can make a difference. Good to hope that traditions, mindsets, obstacles can change. I find it a good thing to hope for all of these. But I also worry about hope. Worry that sometimes we put all of our hope in people, circumstances, words. I'm not sure that something as powerful and vital as hope can be managed by something as small as a person. Or even a group of people. Partly I think this because hopes are so easily dashed and regaining hope is so hard. So