Happy Halloween!

Hip Hip Horray for a holiday! Today was such a fun Halloween. I admit, I have had more exciting costumes or parties... but I don't think they could beat ghost stories all day long. I decided that I officially like celebrating holidays as a teacher and think it is a shame that more do not. I dug deep into my literary bags and books and pulled out every howling, ghoulish, horror story I could come up with. At the front of my room I made a little display of classic haunts (everything from the creepy wife upstairs in Jane Eyre and the blood-thirsty ghosts of Hamlet to R. L. Stine and the not-so-scary Twilight. We discussed a little of the history of spook and then turned off the lights to be spooked ourselves! I brought in my small desk lamp and let them all gather round (sit on the floor and pull their chairs forward). Then I read four classic campfire stories (the Hook Man, Bloody Mary, The Headless Horseman, and The Golden Arm). In every class I had kids who knew the stories, had said Bloody Mary's name in the bathroom mirror, or had a different version of the same stories to tell. I put on my best "haunted" voice and went to town! Afterward we discussed the elements of campfire stories (ridiculously stupid characters, dark and stormy nights, unusual weapons--anything from knitting needles to hooks--and suspense). Then I let them brainstorm as groups and create their own stories. They were so creative! While I do think Halloween is a holiday for little kids, you've got to admit, we all are a little intrigued by the mystery and haunt of Halloween. Next time you don't know what to do late on Halloween night, pull out your best story-telling voice and turn the lights down low...

Horray for fall!

I love the fall. The air feels cleaner--perhaps because it is colder, I'm not sure. It is as though the world is being transformed by bright hues of yellow, orange, and red. I find myself wanting to take long walks--just as night is falling--so I can breathe in all the deepness of life before winter sets in. Here in Blanding it is a sudden holiday in mid October. Fall means only one thing to true Blanding-ites: hunting. As I walk around town I smell barbecues cooking and see orange hats thrown across dashboards. Four wheelers are mud spattered and my classes are emptier. Everywhere there is the thrill of the hunt. Boys come to school dressed in camo and chatter about the buck they need to go home and gut during lunch. Kids pull jerky out of their backpacks and munch on it as class starts. Many look haggard from getting up at 4:30 a.m. multiple days in a row. And me? I am in awe. I have never experienced anything like it. Hunting season in Blanding has turned life upside down. This is it--the favored time of year. It is better than Christmas, they say. I'll let you know if they are right when I taste the jerky...

yikes!

I officially lose at updating this blog! I am sorry. AND, my digital camera is refusing to turn on... so sad to say there are no new pictures. Someday... In the meantime, life is moving right along in Blanding. The first term ends next Thurday (whew!!) and football season is about over too (whew!!). I have been keeping myself busy grading papers (and writing lesson plans) to no end. I also have recently become a binge reader. It isn't good. I have read four books in less than a week (Outlaws of Sherwood and Beauty by Robin McKinley, East by Edith Pattou, and Enders Game By Orson Scott Card). I recommend them all... I has taken all my willpower today to not checkout the next book in the Ender's Game series. My students officially think I am crazy (and they are justified!). I find I amuse them as well. They are constantly laughing at me when I least expect it. Apparently I am funny! Today I kept saying "good grief!" without thinking and they laughed every time. Does anyone else find something strange about that saying?? I also tend to dance around the room--which they also enjoy. Anyhow, such is the excitement in Blanding! I will getting out soon... and seeing some sites. Hopefully my camera works!