So, When did French Kissing Start?

Yesterday at work I was talking to my students about life in the late 1700s. One of the things we discussed was propriety between men and women at that time. I mentioned the standards of dress women adhered to and the fact that they would never be alone with a member of the opposite sex without a chaperone. This opened the door for a lot of questions. It just so happened that yesterday I was focusing on the learning profile trait, inquirers, which encourages students to develop their natural curiosity and conduct inquiry and research. Because of this, I would usually have loved to hear their questions and talk to them about the answers. This was not the case. Our conversation went something like this:

Students: "What? They couldn't be alone? What about making out?"

Me: "That would have been considered inappropriate. In fact, it would have been fairly scandalous."

Students: "So, not even kissing?"

Me: "No. Many people wouldn't have kissed until their wedding day."

Student: "So, when did french kissing start? Did it start in France?"

At this point I was dying. The students were so sincere in their questions and I was trying to be good with my answers, but I lost it and burst out laughing. Luckily, the bell was about to ring and I put an end to the inquiry by having them clean up.

The Book Thief

So, I finally finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It has been one of the hardest books to read. I had a hard time getting use to the narration (the narrator is Death) and some parts were so very tedious. Despite these difficulties, this book moved me more than any other work of fiction. I know, it's weird. I didn't particularly enjoy reading this book, yet I loved it. Again, a weird contradiction. So, why did I love The Book Thief? The book talks about the power of words - I love that. Unfortunately, Zusak isn't very consistent with his own words - some sections of The Book Thief are masterfully written, while others are a rambling mess. Here are a few I consider masterful:

She was the book thief without the words. Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like rain. (page 80)

People may tell you that Nazi Germany was built on anti-Semitism, a somewhat overzealous leader, and a nation of hate-fed bigots, but it would all have come to nothing had the Germans not loved one particular activity: To burn. The Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, slain people, and of course, books. (page 84)

There was once a strange, small man. He decided three important details about his life: 1. He would part his hair from the opposite side to everyone else. 2. He would make himself a small, strange mustache. 3. He would one day rule the world. The young man wandered around for quite some time, thinking, planning, and figuring out exactly how to make the world his. Then one day, out of nowhere, it struck him - the perfect plan. He'd seen a mother walking with her child. At one point, she admonished the small boy, until finally he began to cry. Within a few minutes, she spoke very softly to him, after which he was soothed and even smiled. The young man rushed to the woman and embraced her. "Words!" he grinned. "What?" But there was no reply. He was already gone. Yes, the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words. "I will never fire a gun," he devised. "I will not have to." His first plan of attack was to plant the words in as many areas of his homeland as possible. He planted them day and night, and cultivated them. He watched them grow, until eventually, great forests of words had risen through Germany . . . . It was a nation of farmed thoughts. (page 445)

She tore a page from the book and ripped it in half. Then a chapter. Soon, there was nothing but scraps of words littered between her legs and all around her. The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them there wouldn't be any of this. Without words, the Fuhrer was nothing. (page 521)

It's Here, IT'S HERE!!

My couch arrived yesterday. Here are the pics. I love it!!

Pure Joy!!

I'm feeling pure joy. Why? Because I'm a shallow, materialistic person. What does that mean? I finally ordered my new couch!! It's taken forever because I had to apply for a new credit card and I had to order it from the Portland West Elm store. It's being shipped to me via UPS and should be here in the upcoming week. YAY!! Plus, the best part is they're giving me a $600 gift card to reward me for my purchase. Another YAY!! To see more pictures, click HERE.

You Know it's the End of the Quarter When . . .

You know it's the end of the quarter when:

• You've spent the last 3 days doing nothing but grading papers.
• You have students who are suddenly interested in their grade.
• You have students who suddenly start turning in work.
• You have parents you've never heard from calling several times a day trying to find out what their child can do "to be successful in your class."
• You have parents who call to make excuses for their children.

Harry Potter Party

The Pettit's Harry Potter Halloween Party is always the best Halloween party of the year. They've been throwing this party for 8 years now. It took me 5 years just to get an invitation - The invitations have become one of the hottest and most coveted invitations of the Halloween season. We had a ton of fun with food, Quidditch, The Headless Hunt, and lots of trivia. Here are some pics:

The Pettit's go all out with the decorations.

Professor Trelawny and Moaning Myrtle
(aka Me and Christi) being sorted.

Yay!! We're both in Gryffindor.
Maybe we can be roommates.

Picture Time.

Professor Trelawny, the Grey Lady, & Moaning Myrtle
(aka Me, Lori, and Christi)

The Grey Lady explaining the rules for the trivia/Quidditch match.

Me with my cute Harry Potter cupcake.

Voting for the best costume.
Bellatrix LaStrange (aka Dusty) couldn't believe
I would vote for myself - she doesn't know me that well.

Two Trelawnys?

I Love Glee

I love Glee!! It is totally my new favorite show on TV. I laugh when I'm watching it, I laugh when I'm thinking about it, I'm even laughing right now as I write about it. Below you'll find a short video about Glee and some of my favorite quotes.



Favorite One-Liners:

• Noah: It was a message from God - Rachel was a hot Jew and the good Lord wanted me to get into her pants.

• Will: We'll get you sobered up... find you some underwear. It's not too late for you.

• Quinn: I had sex with you because you got me drunk on wine coolers and I felt fat that day.

Favorite Dialogue:

Will: "Since 1992, 95% of your Cheerios [cheerleaders] should have flunked Spanish. And I, for one, am not gonna be a part of it anymore!"

Sue: "Ohhh, Will! We all know your devotion to that dying language!"

Will: "Dying language?!"

Sue: "Let me break this down for you, okay? I empower my cheerios to be champions. Do they go on to college? I don't know...I don't care. Should they learn Spanish?...Sure, if they wanna become dishwashers & gardeners.