Hello Again from Virginia.

Well hello there.

I'm back in Falls Church - and just in time too! Here's a little update on how my return trip went.

Last night after the Super Bowl, I checked my phone and found out that my flight on United was canceled. No reason. They nicely rescheduled me for a 6 am flight Tuesday morning. Wrong-o United. I needed to get home Monday.

A phone call later I was booked on the 7:30 pm flight out of Indy Monday night. WHY I wasn't automatically booked there is beyond me. But it was nice to spend one more full day in Indy with everybody!

Tracy dropped me off at the airport at 5:40 pm where I learned that my flight for was canceled. Again. United tried to move me to the 6 am flight. Again. I said thanks but no thanks and took my business elsewhere. I knew darn well that Indy was expecting a good dose of overnight snow, and I wasn't sticking around for that. Because Virginia was getting the snow next, and I needed to get home before 2011.

Too make this long story a little big shorter, here's the run down of what happened next.

- I bought a ticket on Southwest to Baltimore (my car was at Dulles).
- I heard a FINAL boarding call for an AirTran flight to Baltimore.
- I ran and bough a ticket on AirTran.
- Rachel got me a Southwest refund.
- I used wifi in the air on AirTran for only $3.71.
- I landed in Baltimore.
- The Super Shuttle was going to be at least three hours before I could get my car.
- A cab fare from Baltimore to Dulles is really expensive, especially because there was a surcharge for the snow.
- I got the cab.

And went to Wegman's.

No school Tuesday or Wednesday. 10 to 20 more inches of snow starting at noon going through Wednesday night, so school isn't looking great for Thursday either. But at least I got milk and eggs and flour at Wegman's.

And I'm sitting on my bed with my dog. It's good to be home again.

Go Colts Go!

Can you tell who we are rooting for today?

And yes, you can tell we are related.

Waking Up in Indy.

This is what we looked like when we woke up this morning in Indy.

Pajamas: check.
Three blankets (including Big Blue): check.
Hot chocolate: check.
Sponge Bob on TV: check.
Bed head times three: check, check, check.

With little brothers like these, I'm in no hurry to get dressed and go anywhere.

Learning the Rules As I Go.

I'm in Indianapolis. We have about four inches of wet, powdery snow. It looks terrible for snowmen, snowball fights and sledding. Maybe it will become a little more solid overnight.

I spent most of today playing around the house. And I couldn't help but feel that I spent a lot of the time learning the rules as we played.

At lunch, Spencer informed me that he would rather have Lauren come visit because, as he said, "You scare me." After lunch we played Power Rangers for awhile. I had to wear the Power Ranger mask, probably to hide my scary face. We shot 55 bad guys in the house.


Before dinner, I invented another game to entertain my four-year-old brother. It was a variation of football where I tossed him the football from three feet away and then he fell over. We called it "Dead Man." I learned the rules as we went (read: when Spencer made them up.)

After dinner, we played "Hand and Foot." No one was making up the rules tonight but it had some pretty crazy tricks to it. I am a terrible at a lot of games, this one included. First round - fail. Second round - I improved tremendously. My score was positive by the end of the game.


And even though Grandma Mary just learned the rules tonight too...she's smoking us. The morals of the story are this: four-year-olds like to make up the rules and never trust a bridge player.

SNOWendinsight.

A quick update before I head to the airport...again!

I was scheduled to fly to Indy on Saturday after grad school. Dad said that unless I headed to the airport tonight, the snow converging on Indianapolis and DC would prohibit travel.

So I gambled this morning and moved my flight to tonight at 10 pm. I'll get into Indy at midnight tonight ahead of all of the massive snow headed towards my Virginia home. Sixteen to twenty-four inches of snow predicted again.

After school and quick trips to PetSmart, Target, and the gym, I packed my bags...again.

This time Finley helped. His right sock was falling off. One of his socks is ALWAYS falling off.

The good news is that school has already been canceled for tomorrow. I get to spend three full days with my grandma, dad, and family in Indianapolis, including watching the Colts win the Super Bowl. Guilt free. No substitute teachers or sick days. And no shoveling.

I'm assuming grad school will be canceled Saturday too. Over a foot of snow tends to stop traffic and school. The weather people say to have enough food to stay inside for three days.

Happy birthday Grandma Mary! I'm on my way to celebrate with you!

You can celebrate the snow and enter our giveway over at RV Designs. Unlike the snow, it comes to an end on Sunday.

Not Your Momma's Classroom.

A few words about technology in the classroom out here in Virginia. It is awesome.

First, meet my buddy Larry. He's a "small" laptop lab with ten dell laptops. He lives in my room. Students can use him for internet searches, papers, reading books and brainstorming activities. They are very handy and if there is something wrong with one (for example, the E key is missing), I turn in a work order and it is fixed quickly.

Next, I would like to introduce you to the NEO2s. These are my little babies. I'm one of a few teachers in the county who has them, and they are little keyboards of joy. The NEOs are a streamlined ways to write a paper, and they can print wirelessly. Plus, they can be used to play games I make up on the spot in my classroom. The students can type in an answer, and it shows up on the projector. My second period is compliant and willing to play appropriately. My fourth period writes in answers about Hitler and Brian the whale.They are only allowed multiple choice question options now.

This is the main hub of activity some days. The document camera, projector and spot for my laptop gets a lot of use. For grad school I have been reading about "Learner Centered Teaching," and it makes me want to get away from this activity center and give my students more of the reins. I'm working on using the technology as an assist, not a crutch.

Rachel and I have been debating the pros and cons of technology this week. It's great to see our students using the technology to further their learning. But is it always the best way? Our students spend more time independently when they are on the computers and less time together working in groups. They have more control over their learning, but at what cost?

Chicago O'Hare.