'Painting' by number

I recently discovered an app called Happy Color. Yes, it’s a total time-waster, but when I need a mental break, it’s pure gold. And yellow. And orange. You get the picture. You just tap a number in the palette, then tap the matching numbers in the picture, and voilà. It magically “colors” itself in.

I don’t even need to see the colors; I just follow the numbers and watch the picture come to life. Mindless? Absolutely. But since it involves technology, I like to think of it as practicing my tech skills.

A PD Day We Enjoyed!

Every so often (too often, if you ask some teachers), we have professional development days. Usually, these are filled with meetings that could easily be replaced by a well-written email—but I guess not everyone is as religious about checking their school email as I am.

Today was one of those days. But instead of the usual meeting marathon that leaves your teeth numb and your soul slightly dimmed, our principal—bless her sweet soul—scheduled fun team-building activities.

I know. Team-building activities. Cue the collective internal groan.

But not today! I had an absolute blast.

We started, of course, with the singing of the US and Canadian national anthems - just like the Olympics. Our staff was divided into groups: Math, Science/SS, ELA, Specials, SPED/ENL. We played a bunch of games, and the winning team got a GOAT trophy. Yes, a literal tiny goat trophy. Games included can jam, jumbo pong, corn hole, flip cup, and mat ball. And even though my team lost every single solitary round, we had the best time doing it.

The Art teacher brought us all matching ribbons to wear, and Bibler wore his bow with pride. Gutsin and Wageman were the most competitive in our group, but they had nothing on Todino-Montes from the Science team. I had never heard her swear before. Turns out, competition brings out a whole new vocabulary!

To wrap up the festivities, Admin bought us lunch—subs and French fries—which was absolutely perfect. Especially after we gave up so many runs in mat ball that someone really should’ve mercy ruled us. All that losing made us hungry. 

All in all, it was a great day. Professional development, but fun. I'm actually looking forward to our next one! 

Me, Rashad, Gutsin, Wageman, Bibler, and Dana

The Best Thing I Didn't Know I Needed

The other day, I was roaming the hallway like a ghost of bad behavior past. I had one mission: find a fellow teacher to vent to before I exploded into a confetti blast of frustration and sarcasm.

It had been that kind of day—kids throwing things, lying with the boldness of someone auditioning for a courtroom drama, general chaos. The kind of day that makes you seriously wonder if you accidentally signed up for the wrong profession. ("Did I check the wrong box on that career interest survey in high school? Should I have gone into dental hygiene?") I was evaluating my life choices, and it wasn't pretty.

Anyway, I was on the hunt for my usual confidante, but her office was empty. Heavy sigh. But across the hall… I noticed something strange.

Laughter.

Joy.

People having fun? In a school building? After 2:30 p.m.?

Naturally, I was suspicious.

But I poked my head in and found a whole group of teachers—just hanging out, solving the New York Times crossword puzzle together like it was the most normal after-school activity in the world.

And here’s the best part—they welcomed me in like I’d always been part of the crew.

We’ve got a little of everything:

• Two social studies teachers who know just about every historical fact ever.

• Two math teachers who actually enjoy numbers.

• A technology teacher who loves coding.

• A special ed teacher with the patience of a saint.

• An ELA teacher who knows words that haven't been used since 1874.

Our ages range from mid-20s to 60s, so our knowledge is as diverse as our snack choices. Someone always knows something, and someone always has a random fact no one asked for—but turns out to be super useful.

And Friday? Friday was a milestone. For the first time ever, we completely solved five days’ worth of crosswords in a row. A full streak. It was like winning the nerdy Olympics—and yes, we were very proud of ourselves.

I went looking for someone to commiserate with, but instead I found a little unexpected joy in a classroom full of crossword-loving coworkers. Now, I look forward to it every day. It’s not just about the puzzle—it’s the laughter, the camaraderie, the brainpower, and the feeling that hey, even on the worst days, I’m not alone in this.

Teaching is hard. But a daily puzzle with good people? That’s a little reminder that there’s still a lot of good tucked in between the chaos.

Painting with a Twist

Three friends and I went to Painting with a Twist for a girls night out. What fun! 

It's BYOB and snacks, and an instructor takes you step-by-step through painting a 'masterpiece'. I had a blast!

Telestrations

Remember the telephone game? At the start of a line, one person whispers something into the next person's ear, and by the end of the line, you end up with something completely different?  Well, this game is a lot like that. You start with something to draw. You pass your pad to the person on your left, who guesses what you drew. Then they pass the pad to the person on their left, who then draws what they guessed, and so on. 

We played this game at my friend Nancy's house tonight after Christmas dinner, and I kid you not, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. This game was worth every penny they paid for it, and I want to get it to play with my family at our next get-together. Great fun! 

Goofin' at work

Calvin, rockin' the sunglasses

A New Car!

Ian made this model. He did tell me the name of the car, but for some reason, my eyes glazed over and I didn't catch it. I hear 'car' and think, 'four wheels, needs fuel, oxygen and spark'. That last part is my brother's fault. :D

Oh, Calvin...

My friend Denise: So, Ian, what do you want for Christmas?

A hydrogen-powered remote control car!

Heaven help me.

Calvin Strikes Again

First thing this morning.

Mom? Can we fill my pants with helium?

Errr....why?

So I can fly.

Um. The helium would all leak out of your pants because they're not sealed.

No, it wouldn't. We could use duct tape.

No. No, we can't. I don't have any duct tape.

Maybe we can get some at the store.

Maybe, but we don't have any helium, either.

We could call Mythbusters.

No. I don't know their number. And you don't either. Are you getting ready for school?

Oh. Yeah. One minute.

6:30 comes WAY too early for this.

Calvin

I'm not sure what he was playing...hockey? contact baseball?