My Political BLOG

THE NURSE'S SONG

This mighty man of whom I sing,
The greatest of them all,
Was once a teeny little thing,
Just eighteen inches tall.

I knew him as a tiny tot.
I nursed him on my knee.
I used to sit him on the pot
And wait for him to wee.

I always washed between his toes,
And cut his little nails.
I brushed his hair and wiped his nose
And weighed him on the scales.

Through happy childhood days he strayed,
As all nice children should.
I smacked him when he disobeyed,
And stopped when he was good.

It soon began to dawn on me
He wasn't very bright,
Because when he was twenty-three
He couldn't read or write.

'What shall we do?' his parents sobbed.
'The boy has got the vapours!
He couldn't even get a job
Delivering the papers!'

'Ah-ha,' I said. 'This little clot
Could be a politician.'

'Nanny,' he cried.
'Oh Nanny, what A super proposition!'

'Okay,' I said. 'Let's learn and note The art of politics.
Let's teach you how to miss the boat
And how to drop some bricks,

And how to win the people's vote
And lots of other tricks.
Let's learn to make a speech a day Upon the TV screen,
In which you never never say Exactly what you mean.

And most important, by the way,
Is not to let your teeth decay,
And keep your fingers clean.'

And now that I am eighty-nine,
It's too late to repent.
The fault was mine the little swine
Became the President.

Roald Dahl from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

I've been tagged

Let's see...rules first.Each player answers the questions about herself. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to each blog to leave a comment, saying "you've been tagged, come to my blog to read the details."

What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was eighteen and very excited about going to college. I can almost feel that rush of expectancy that I felt then. I couldn't wait to get to the next step in the journey, to meet new friends and find new adventures.

Five things on my to-do list today: (The day is almost over, so I'll go back to my list from earlier.)
1. Make sure information is ready for Response to Intervention Team Meeting.
2. Work on analysis of data for my research paper.
3. Have a meaningful conversation with another teacher at school today.
4. Pack for a weekend trip to Cincinnati, OH.
5. Go for a walk.

Snacks that I enjoy:
I usually snack with the boys and girls in my classroom. Today we had popcorn. :)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Help my sister and her school.
2. Pay off my undergrad college loans. (These will soon be gone! Yeah!)
3. Start my own school. :)
4. Buy tons and tons of children's literature!
5. Develop some sort of program to help those who are struggling financially. (They could borrow money and pay it back without interest.)

Three of my bad habits: (These are all currently being attacked!)
1. I am too sensitive.
2. I am slow to trust.
3. I get too busy with life and don't have time to spend with those that I love.

Five Places I have Lived:
1. Neoga, IL (Good 'ole growing up days.)
2. Greenville, IL (Greenville College)
3. Effingham, IL (In a cute, little house with a dear friend and teacher in our district. Oh, it was so fun!)
4. Effingham, IL (Jenner Apartments...Ahhhh! I miss my little home.)
5. Neoga, IL (Back home while I work on my Master's degree.)

Five jobs that I have had:
1. Lawn Mower (I started at age 10. The dear lady paid me $15 each time!)
2. Clerk at Mercer's Pharmacy (Oh, if only I would have chosen to be a pharmacist! Think of the money I'd be makin'. HA HA)
3. Music Teacher at Camp New Hope (This is a camp for individuals who are either mentally or physically impaired.)
4. Caller of Prospective Students, Secretary for Student Development, Computer Lab Assistant (All at Greenville College)
5. Educator (Fifth grade teacher - 2 yrs., Title I Teacher - 3 yrs., First Grade Teacher - where I am now, and a home bound tutor)

Five people I want to know more about (A nice way to say TAG!)....
1. Kelli
2. Becca
3. Rachel
4. Kimberly
5. Sonja

Happy Easter!

Greetings one and all! I hope that you’ve had a chance to spend some time with friends and family this weekend!

Lately, I’ve been posting about my students and our classroom. It’s been awhile since I’ve shared from the deep corners of my heart to you.

This wonderful Easter season is upon us. I recently ran across a wonderful, well-done audio dramatization of the New Testament. It is so interesting that the same loved stories that I’ve read over and over jump out in vivid color when the sounds of waves are added to the background.

As I was listening to the account with ‘new’ eyes of Jesus and the sacrifice he made, my heart began to swell within me. What a blessed people we are! I know that most of you are believers in Jesus, but when you get a new fresh glimpse of the price He paid…Wow! To think that He, the God of the Universe, wants to have a relationship with you!

My prayer for you is that, during the rush of an early Easter, you can see afresh and anew the love of our God for us!

Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the price you paid for a lowly person like me. Thank you for loving me for who I am and requiring that I change to be in your image! All of my life is yours and yours alone! Thank you, Lord.

Letter from a Student

Dear Miss Ryder,

I'm glad I'm in your classroom.

You have been teaching oh most ever thing.

I'll miss you in 2nd grad.

I hope next year our boys and girls obey in school.

Love,
Ally

Signature

Okay, I had to try this signature thing! I hope you're all having a great day! Our school read 477 Dr. Seuss books today. Yes, my tongue is tied up in knots! :)

A Snapshot from First Grade

Students 1: “I think that when we die, we just go to sleep for a really long time.”

Student 2: “No, that’s not right. Heaven is a place where we become something different and live forever.”

Student 1: “You don’t know.”

Student 2: “Yes, I do. My Mommy and Daddy talk about it all the time! I go to church, too!”

Student 1: “I go to church, too!”

Student 1 and 2: “MISS RYDER!!!”

I wonder where this conversation falls on the spectrum of church and state issues.

Sweet and beautiful!

Good day to one and all!

We spent some time writing today and

I was very impressed by this six year

old’s imagination!

One day I found wild horses.
Thay wre butefl.
Thy wre pante and white.
The wind was blowing soft.
The mane was blowing.
There were flawers around them.
They were looking at me.

Have a blessed day!

Jo