Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Christmas Wishes



Several years ago when Smiths Station Intermediate School's library cat, Tigger, was still living our students were invited to send him Christmas cards. The cards would be posted on the bulletin board in the library.

Below is the card I most treasure from that experience. It was made by a 4th grader but was not signed. To this day I do not know who made it.


















Merry Christmas to all of you










Thursday, December 15, 2011

Congratulations



Congratulations to my librarian friend, Patti Henderson, Media Specialist at Sanford Middle School. She hosted an event for her student council reps to meet with Alabama State Senator Tom Whatley. Senator Whatley spoke with the 5th -8th grade student council representatives about the responsibilities of leadership, the importance of evaluating options and making good choices. At the conclusion of his visit he answered student questions concerning the new teacher ethics law, changes in education, charter schools, and education funding.


Senator Whatley presents Patti Henderson a grant check for $2,000 for use in the Sanford Middle School Media Center.




Following the program one of the school's avid readers asked if Senator Whatley was aware that public school libraries in Alabama had not received any library money for 3 years. Senator Whatley seemed surprised, asked for confirmation and if it was a line item in the education budget. After being told yes, it was a line item and what the student said was true, he made a note. Perhaps there will be some followup in next year's budget because of this student's comment.


Good job, Mrs. Henderson.



















Picture: Senator Whatley presents Patti Henderson a grant check for $2,000. for use in the Sanford Middle School Media Center.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag: A Flavia de Luce Mystery




Laughing out loud at parts!

"She was prattling. If I kept quiet, it wouldn't be more than a minute before she would be confiding her size in knickers."


"God blind me with a fish fork!"


Really enjoyed The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. This is proving delightful, too.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Dedication

I have received my Beaucoup, Arlo & Janis book. Reading slowly to make it last. Noticed the dedication was For Peggy Singleton. Today Jimmy Johnson enlightened his blog followers with information on this lady.

Quoted from www.arloandjanis.com

"Many of you who’ve seen the book will have noted the dedication, “To Peggy Singleton.” Peggy Singleton was an English teacher who began teaching at Lanett High School in 1966, my freshman year. I was in one of her first classes, and it was apparent she was going to be a capable and well-liked instructor. However, I was not in her class again until 1969, the beginning of my senior year. She was a bit more collegial with us seniors than she had been with my freshman class three years earlier. Her lectures on English literature and such, often delivered while leaning against her desk, were interspersed with comments and questions from the class. It was in this loosely structured atmosphere I first heard a group of people laugh at my remarks, for it was in Mrs. Singleton’s room I developed something of a reputation as a wit. Not a goofball, not exactly a class clown, but an observer who could be depended upon to put a wry spin on the topic at hand. Such a proclivity was as much a surprise to me as it was to my classmates. Mrs. Singleton’s tolerance and her occasional failure to suppress her own laughter encouraged me. Of course, she openly encouraged my aptitude for writing. She was the person who suggested I might study “journalism” in college. I did. I would like to give her all the credit, but the truth is, I was clueless and highly impressionable. Still, her influence was great, and I am convinced I would not have taken the path I did had it not been for Mrs. Singleton’s senior English class."

A wonderful tribute to a teacher. All teachers both current and former (though we never really stop being a teacher, it is what defines us) would be thrilled to read from a former student.

Think about it and write a note to that one special teacher that helped you chart your future path.