the girl shorties show up
with perfectly smooth curls
and braids.
hair-grease, with the help of
baubles and clips and hair-ties,
keeps it all in place.
but after hours of swimming
(that story to follow
sometime this weekend)
the smoothness kinks,
the braids float out under water,
and the styling products run
down wet cheeks
as the vanity of the
perfectly-coiffed-do
expires.
this is one of the best parts
after a day of swimming
with the shorties.
it is the last week for
this month's self portrait challenge.
my last pop-art portrait reveals
one of my favorite parts of summer
(drumroll please)
POPSICLE TONGUE!
oh yeah, bay-bay.
green,
orange,
purple...
but we all know that
blue is the best.
than mine?
ya gotta check these kids out.
a fellow blogger, marilyn, turned me on to
these tiny rappers.
just click here
and smile away.
man oh man...
could they even be cuter than
my shorties?
yikes.
too much.
just too much.
so much goodness going on.
i am thankful for so much.
i am grateful to kristine
for the fundraising idea for the shorties' trip.
(look for the small picture of the flipper-wearin' shortie
in my index).
we only have four more weeks together
and it is going to rock!
i am grateful for the encouragement
and love that has been sent our way.
i am thankful that i am loved.
my husband, recently, threw
a surprise 40th birthday party for me.
it was very much a surprise
as my birthday isn't until august.
all night, i looked around at all of the
faces from my past and present
and my heart was full.
and, finally, on this sunday,
i am thankful that my cousin
had her son, jackon, who was
born safely and wonderfully
in their home in yosemite.
have a safe, healthy week, ya'll.
peace to all.
work with me here, people.
the flickr site was down yesterday,
so i am posting my orange
and pink
and red
today.
crabfeasts. a maryland summer tradition. yum-o-rama.
old bay seasoning, vinegar, mallots
and hours with good friends.
virginia may be for lovers...but maryland is for crabs, hon.
the baddest of all kitties. paprikash is his name. defiance is his game.
honfest 2006
makes ya love baltimore
even more
if that is possible.
"you're not white, ms. k.,"
my shorties assure me,
"you're just light-skinned."
i smile. i like that.
because, white is like paper.
and i certainly don't look like paper.
i am more like tea with a lot of cream.
or apricots.
i learn something new
each day
from these beautiful brown jewels
as their words of wisdom and peace
fill my heart.
hate and love.
i hate teaching to the test.
i hate worrying about scores.
i hate being personally graded by numbers
that don't even come close to what
my shorties can do.
i love when the scores come back
and the numbers rock.
i love that those same numbers
give our principal ammunition to
pull out when the
school board of commissioners
say that they have no money
for our school.
i love that it proves, even more now,
that baltimore city schools do not want to
fund success.
we are right.
and they stink.
yesterday, i found out that
our msa scores rocked.
i looked at the numbers and felt pride.
but i also felt resentment.
all of the time and money spent
testing our children
to make sure that teachers
are doing their jobs
could buy an awful lotta books
for my classroom.
it could buy us a computer lab
or a playground.
it could buy
wholesome, healthy food
for our cafeterias
instead of the frozen
preserved plastic
food they serve now.
i felt angry that the scores
don't take into consideration
all of the hours spent in morning circle
learning how to cope with real issues.
issues of the heart.
issues that teach us to be good grownups one day.
if there was a way to measure
hard work and perserverance
and hugs and reflection,
then my shorties would be off the chain.
we only have one classroom rule:
we take care of each other.
period.
no exceptions.
it is too bad that i am not required to teach to that test.
four weeks and three days
until the shorties go on
to fifth grade.
two weeks until our
beach trip.
this is serious ya'll.
not only is our time
as mother chicken and her chicks
limited...
but we have a lot of
pencilsandbouncyballsandsoftdrinks,etc.
to sell!
the shorties have been
working their little tails off
hauling coolers outside
at the end of the day
to sell iced-down beverages
to the thirsty masses as they
run through the school doors.
they sing their song:
soda and water!
two quarters!
soda and water!
50 cents!
ice cooooold...
"we want to go kayaking, ms. k!"
"how much more do we need to raise?"
and we count.
and it gets more serious
as the days count down
until we leave.
my mom and i try and figure
out the rental costs and the food...
(yikes!)
the shorties are pushing fireballs and
now-and-laters and bracelets and
raffle tickets.
we will keep our fingers crossed.
no matter what...we have four more weeks
together.
and that is what matters.
note: thank you kristine for your
suggestion about the tip jar!
if you scroll down to the bottom right
of my index, you can click on
the cute flipper-wearin' shortie
to make a donation! xoxoxo
i spent saturday at my mother's house
picking crabs and swimming
all afternoon.
the best part is when everyone
goes to bed and she and i
sit up and talk for hours
next to the glow of the pool.
summer is here.
(again...for you non-balwmerese speaking readers,
downy oshun, hon = going to the beach)
my friend, shelley, and i
went to the maryland shore
while we were on our june break
(we teach together).
we walked on the boardwalk
for a coupla' hours
with all of the high school graduates
who were intoxicated,
smarmy,
and full o' themselves.
i reminisced about my
senior-week-at-the-beach
while shelley listened in horror.
"great!" she exclaimed while rolling her eyes
as i told each story.
shelley was getting nervous
about her graduating son's
upcoming week there.
we ate funnel cake,
and barbecue, and
boardwalk fries, and
soft serve ice cream.
but the best part of the
boardwalk fun (i think)
was the photobooth.
shelley...i am going to miss you, girl
when you move to texas.
we'll have to find some photobooths
when we roadtrip to houston!
more photobooth fun here.
crabcakes, hon!
fried or broiled.
fresh lemon, tartar or cocktail sauce...or all three.
sprinkled with old bay seasoning.
served on crackers or a kaiser roll.
i like to hollow out the
soft part of the upper bun
to create a little pocket so
my cake doesn't slide out.
it also makes room for
tomatoes and one, crisp
piece of lettuce.
so mosey on down to
your nearest weekend festival
or crabhouse and grab a
cake and an ice cold one.
'tis the season, bawlmer!
(for those of you who aren't from
'round these here parts, bawlmer = baltimore )
get the recipe here.
being corny is
one of my favorite
parts of teaching.
making the kids groan
and roll their eyes as
they look at you like you
are the biggest dork-o-la
is a feat not to be scoffed at.
so, for the pop art challenge
this week
i decided to feature
not only the shorties'
snack of choice,
but my love of
corniness.
pop til you drop, i always say.
yup.
they're all mine.
purdy, ain't they?
i love my new boots.
i love my brother and his fiance,
who spoils me, more.
they are a cowgirl's
dream-come-true!
i am the luckiest lil' lady east of the prairie-lands.
click here
to take a gander at any angle.
yippe-yi-yodel-ee-ooooo!
this month's self portrait challenge
is all about pop art.
for my first entry
i decided to include my
camerathatilovelovelove
as it is usually found
in my right hand
no matter where i go
(yes, keno, even the water).
the colors reflect my moods
as they seem to shift and
change so much lately.
i feel restless
and ready to conquer something.
ideas fill my noggin...
the world is so vast
and i want to fill it
with something...
something...
as i finish up my two week break
from the shorties
i ponder future adventures.
how far can i take this teaching gig?
how can i make my lessons rich and deep?
betterbiggerstronger. more intense.
more pop art here.
(view the large or the original size to be completely doused.)
baltimore heat
mixed with early school closings
are the ingredients for the
uncapping of a corner fire hydrant.
all of this watery goodness
took place right across the street
from the school.
i kicked off my shoes and
i ran up three flights of stairs
to grab my camera
once i realized where the water in the
gutter was coming from.
i ran up to the corner
along with shorties
and parents
and was in photography heaven.
click here to view the bliss.
food. drinks. sun.
inner-tubes.
trashy magazines.
floating dock and canoes.
tree frogs.
roasted pig and
marshmallows.
early morning coffee as
eagles fly overhead.
bathing in the river
with lavender suds.
and the best part:
good friends and new friends
and some of the cutest shorties ever.
camping along the
rappahanock river in
tappahanock, virginia
is some of the best therapy
i know.
thank you, tony and alice
for your hospitality
and for sharing
your lovely life with us
city folk.
click here to see the entire photo set on flickr.
also, check out julia p.'s pictures for more river madness.
i love going to the
farmers' market
on sundays and seeing all
of the lovely ladies
and gentlemen
who've just come
from church service.
i love how they float through
the crowd wearing their
sugar spun confection hats
looking like they have just
fallen right out of heaven.
timeless.
charming.
stellar.
more love here and here.
i am known as kathleen, kat, kathy, kittykat,
aunt khaki and ms. kath-a-mean.
my middle name is mapie.
i have a sailor mouth when i'm not in school.
i always wanted to be a singer.
i took voice lessons for years when i was younger.
i know every single lyric to the soundtrack of "a chorus line".
my first concert was to see barry manilow.
perfume makes me nauseous.
i used to lie about being sick when i was little so i could
stay home and watch "i love lucy".
when i watched "i love lucy", they weren't re-runs.
i grew up in southern maryland next to tobacco and horse farms.
i have only ever traveled out of the united states to visit canada.
i am going to be 40 in twelve weeks.
my father was married five times,
my birth-mother was his third wife.
sooooo...
i am the youngest of two.
i am the oldest of two.
i am the youngest of five.
i am the oldest of five.
i am named after one of my heroes: my aunt kathi.
i love watching cartoons all morning on saturdays.
i never wear makeup.
i own about 20 containers of lip balm.
i often say things that are inappropriate.
t-shirts are what i wear daily.
i love guiness and bourbon and chocolate.
scrapple is one of my favorite breakfast foods.
i am afraid of the dark.
my hair has been red, blonde, blue, pink,
black and many shades of brown.
i have a shoe addiction.
i have been with my husband, paul, for eight years,
married for almost five.
i worked in retail for ten years before i decided, at 28,
to become a teacher.
i waited tables and bartended for seven years
to put myself through school.
i have been a teacher for 4 1/2 years.
i am a wife, daughter, sister, niece, cousin,
friend and fill-in mother.
there.
for now.
more introductions here and here.
i am grateful:
for long talks with ms. emily.
for windy spring days.
for iced coffee in the afternoon.
for sunday mornings at the farmers' market.
for freshly cut mango.
for honey and butter on toast.
for oyster-mushroom fritters with hot sauce and feta. (oh yeah...)
for roll-down waist gaucho pants.
for flip-flops.
to spend time listening to a new lyle lovett cd
after having dinner with my husband.
for the smell of freshly cut lavender from my garden.
for friendly neighbors.
for the sunflowers growing against our back fence.
that i can run around druid hill lake twice without dying.
for my strength.
for road trips to texas.
for friends.
for family.
for the love of my shorties.
that i am filled with hope. still.
i am a teacher.
i am many other things, too.
but a teacher is what i
eatsleepbreathespeak.
my heart is full from it.
my soul is better because of it.
and, at the end of the day
i close my eyes and
hope
that
the world
is better because of it, too.
the challenge this month is to introduce ourselves.
on friday, we sang.
we sang until we were hoarse.
out of the 85 phone calls
to mothers everywhere,
we sang
"i just called to say i love you"
46 times.
("please ms. k...not that song again!")
we sang for
8 hours.
mother's cried,
cheered,
and marveled over
the sweet voices
of my angels.
and then, that night,
we had the big sleep off.
yes, people,
the third and fourth grade
had a big ol' slumber party
at the school to give their moms
a friday night of peace and quiet.
we donned our p.j.s and
rolled our sleeping bags out
on the stage in the gym.
we stuffed our faces with pizza,
and made tissue flowers,
and watched movies
projected on the wall behind the stage.
we ate ice cream and popcorn while
i told them about the "greenhouse ghost"
and the "control room ghost" that
lived in the school.
"you're lying ms. k."
"oh...if that is what you need to tell
yourselves to make you less scared..."
in the morning, we made biscuits with
sausage and and eggs while we
rolled up our sleeping bags and
packed our belongings.
i handed each one a
homemade rice-krispy treat (thank you, robin)
and hugged them
as they left.
and then, after sweeping up the popcorn
and scrubbing the kitchen down (thank you, joe)
i went home
and slept.
i love dyed tongues.
what is the use
of eating something
with artificial
blue,
or orange,
or green coloring.
if you can't stick
yer tongue out
and cherish the freakishness
of looking like an alien
or monster
or goonie?
more thursday love here.
love love love love.
this is my baby-bunny-shortie
who laughs at me when i sing.
"you sound good, ms. k.,
and funny at the same time"
this is the same snuggly cutie-pie
who, whenever i wear heels or
have a new do, says,
"ms. k., we're gonna
call you 'ms. all-that'".
she tells me, every day, that
i am beautiful.
and she hugs me
whenever i am within
arms reach.
she just smiles and falls
into my arms, hugging
me like she'll never let go.
sigh.
i am the luckiest
person i know.
everyone is always telling me how nice i am.
my schoolmates in high school scrawled
that all over my yearbooks for four years.
i think i AM a pretty nice person.
and it helps when dealing with shorties
cuz nobody wants to be THAT teacher...
however,
i have my smarmy side.
the side that will pounce on you
and scratch yer eyes out
if you have
said something mean or
have hurt someone i love.
my smarmy side comes out
when i am feeling all
badass-and-righteous
with the world.
like when the
school board won't fund our
shorties' future.
or when people laugh
at a racist joke.
my snarl
is what you see before the confrontation.
and after that...well...hopefully you won't have to find out.
the challenge this month is to introduce ourselves.
so here i am.
nice to meet you.
(i promise to post a nice one next week)
the shorties are learning about economics.
supply and demand are what we discuss daily.
we are going to the beach for a week
(yes...that is what i said)
in july.
my mother (iloveheriloveheriloveher)
has rented our dwelling.
the shorties have to raise
the funds for the
water parks and boardwalk fun
and souveniers and t-shirts
and hermit crabs and cotton candy
that they want to indulge in.
so we are:
selling raffle tickets
and
having a slumber party for the 3rd and 4th graders.
the parents pay $15.00 and their kids get to
spend the night at the school
and i get to chaperone (god help me)
and
selling soft drinks after school to the thirsty masses.
and
selling cool stuff from oriental trading.
"what do you mean we have to spend
our profits to make more, ms. k?"
and
calling out singing telegrams for 80
mothers/grandmothers/aunts/sisters,
and people-who-are-like-our-mothers.
(loving side note: thank you, shelley, for your expertise and advice)
they are becoming quite the salespeople.
they even came up with the slogan on the flyer above.
they make all the decisions.
count all the money.
do all the math.
i just sit back
guide them gently
and beam with pride.
my shorties rock.
mmm hmmm.
as i was driving home tonight
"punk rock girl" by the dead milkmen
came on the radio.
"i LOVE this song!!!" i thought
as i cranked up the volume
and then i remembered...
today is T.I.L.T.!
(things i love thursday)
as my reminiscing vocal chords
belted out this 80's favorite o'mine
i was reminded of
all of the songs that make me
drop everything, scream "turn it up!"
and jam out.
these are the songs that make me feel
rock-star-tough.
make me want to thrash around
hair flying
fingers snapping
feet slidin'
as i sing at the top of my lungs
cuz i know every single word and
guitar lick.
these are the tunes that make me croon
and sway back and forth
while i hold my
pepper-grinder-microphone
and close my eyes
with the passion of my new found stardom.
just to name a few...
rosalita by bruce springsteen
bohemian rhapsody by queen
more than a feeling by boston
lovin' touchin' squeezin' by journey
lips like sugar by echo and the bunnymen
paradise by the dashboard light by meatloaf
friday i'm in love by the cure
sunday bloody sunday by U2
anything by led zeppelin or aerosmith
maybe this guy takes requests...
what are the songs that make you scream?
p.s. go here and play with the groovy punk rock girl paper doll.
i love that everywhere i turn,
surfaces are covered with
pink fluff.
it is like the whole city
is getting married
and the trees are the
flowergirls.
sidewalks and streets
covered in candy-colored dust.
beauty.
ms. emily,
my colleague,
posted this yesterday
after finding out about
a shooting of one of our
student's brother.
her words sum
up the hope
and fear that our
shorties have.
they wrap around
the hope and fear that
we, as teachers, parents,
and good people have.
these are the kids you are
writing and calling for.
please...
don't give up the fight.
now,
more than ever,
we need your
support .
so please....
write.
call.
fax.
send the same letter you wrote last time, even!
the parents thank you.
the shorties thank you.
i am eternally grateful.
this one is for ms. emily.
easter hair is the best!
you only get to see it
once a year.
the saturday before,
all the girls
get the killer-dos
for easter service.
the curls,
and twists,
and flips are astounding.
the glittery, rhinestone
clips galore and
jewel-crusted
hairpins
hold perfect
spirals.
all just a tad bit
disheveled after a
night of careful sleeping
so as not to muss the
glamour-of-it-all.
and by thursday...
well...it is just plain admirable.
a whole week of
trying to keep it all together
along with the sugar high
of too many peeps,
peanut-butter eggs,
and cadbury eggs.
click here to see
the glamour girls up close.
more love here.
Yesterday, Congressman Elijah Cummings came to our school.
He was sincere.
concerned.
real.
He actually advocates for
our children!
The cameras were there.
See the shorties on t.v.
NPR was there, too.
Grab a box of kleenex and hear
the shorties on the radio, too.
this is why i teach.
this is why my heart is so full.
new mexico was stellar.
it was overwhelmingly beautiful.
the land of enchantment lived up to its name.
the first two days, i spent staring at the mountains,
stoking the fire in the adobe fireplace,
staring at the white clouds and
dripping stars, and
alternating between
wrapping up in the down comforter
or kicking it to the bottom of the couch.
i breathed deeply and relaxed.
then, doris came to angel fire and we played.
we danced around in the shadows of
the sun and the moon
and opened our hearts to adventure.
april's challenge
for self-portrait tuesday
is about showing
our foolish side.
i haven't felt much foolishness lately
(which i know surprises those
that are near and dear to me).
i am trying to remember to breathe deeply.
trying to keep the spirit of the sage-brush
and sunsets in my heart.
deep breath...
let the anger for the school board go...
deep breath...
remember the hawk you saw in red river...
deep breath...
bring the sense of peace to the shorties...
deep breath...
i am back in baltimore.
instead of hawks, i see helicopters.
the stars are faded and very far away.
but the charm is here,
the shorties are here,
and my heart is here.
please help!
see how by clicking here.
i know that many of you have helped.
many of you have written.
you have called.
you have read our pleas
and responded
in a BIG way.
i have been overwhelmed at the amount
of love and encouragement that we have
recieved from total strangers.
now it is coming down to the
real nitty gritty.
now is our last chance to be heard
by our city.
this is not just a fight for our
sweet babies at our school anymore.
this is bigger than that.
write for our kids.
then, send the same letter to your
school system's board of commissioners
to ensure the same future for your children
(or your future children)
(or just for the future of our nation!)
i feel like a beggar.
i feel badly asking more from people
that have already given so much.
call.
write.
get angry.
as one of our parents said in a recent email,
"please and thank you."
i love our lady de guadelupe.
i always have.
i am not catholic.
religion is something i am still exploring
and finding my way to...or away from.
i am drawn to her.
she is quietly powerful.
she is beautiful.
she is the protector.
she makes sure that everyone has
good health and is safe from harm.
she is the bombdiggity.
i have a plastic
glow-in-the-dark
statue of her
that i brought in for
the shorties to see last year
when i returned from vegas, baby.
i recently spent 9 days in the land
where her image is
everywhere.
and i cannot get enough of her.
i want to go back.
and stay.
