Julie and Julia

Last night I saw the move, Julie and Julia. It really got me thinking about this whole "blog" thing. I mean it. I haven't promoted my blog, or really even imagined that anyone would ever read it. I thought it was amazing how in the movie, Julia really thought about and interacted with readers of her blog. I like to think that my blog just floats out in cyberspace--drifting along, not bothering anyone. Other bloggers though blog as a full-time job. I can't imagine! I don't even have enough going on in my life to post every single day.

After being swept up in the blogosphere last night, I wondered what I would write about every single day. The biggest thing in my life (besides my wonderful Sam) is teaching. For a few minutes I dreamed of blogging every day from my little classroom. I worry though about repercusions. It would be far to risky to blog about students/school/work. Gosh, the thought alone makes me shudder with what could go wrong. If I slipped up just once and wrote about a certain student and someone guessed the name of that student, my job would disappear. Much too scary to write about school. I think I will continue with my random posts. I like it that way. Random and simple. :) Kind of like me.

Whoopie!!

I saw on a fellow blog today, that whoopie pies are reported to be the new cupcake. It made me want to share one of the best bonding experiences in my classroom. Whoopie pies! Yep, they are amazingly simply ways to reward students. They are unique, delicious, and include the word "whoopie!" in the title. What could be more excited for a middle school student then to earning an indulgent treat and being allowed to shout "WHOOPIE!"

I celebrated the end of the school year with my homeroom by bringing them all whoopie pies. It was such a fun day, and we really bonded! WHOOPIE!

KINDLE

I have the best husband in the entire world. Now, I know that is a big statement, but he knocked my socks off. Seriously. He got me a Kindle for my birthday. What could be more exciting then saving trees via less paper and being able to download books immediately. I can't wait to start reading!

Social Media

I am currently sitting in a grad class all about social networking. How exciting! I love using technology like this to "trick" kids into enjoying school. My students LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Facebook, so I hope that I can funnel that love into a Ning site of my own. Middle school students need to feel part of a community and they need to learn how to socialize appropriately. I think that a class social network site would be a cool place for them to learn.