Night Out With the Boys

Last night I had a bunch of errands to run and all the stores were located in a row on the Frontage Road.

First, to Target to get a gift card...then to the Dollar Tree for lunch items...to Best Buy to make a payment on our Credit Card...and to Shopko to order new contacts.

In the middle of all these errands, I took the boys to dinner at Appleby's. 

The boys had the 2 for $20.00 deal which included an appetizer.  Jon and I enjoyed some onion rings while Zack just enjoyed the rings and left the onions on his plate.

I always enjoy a night out with my boys...although it still seems incomplete without C.J...looking so forward to his visit in just 5 more days!

Seems Logical

Remember last month?  When we had 8.5 inches of snow and the powers-that-be refused to cancel school...or even close early for the day?

Yeah...well overnight we got a little snowstorm - maybe 3-5 inches I'm not sure - but they closed school today!

Oh well, good day to wash all the sheets and blankets from the beds and do a good house cleaning.

At least I get to spend the day with this little guy.

That Moment You Want to Bang Your Head Against a Wall

I am now at the end of my fifth week of a seven week fill-in in the third grade.

Things are going quite well.

But even though things are going pretty well doesn't mean I don't occasionally feel like walking over to the nearest wall and banging my head repeatedly into it.

Yesterday was definitely one of those days.  

The setting was Math class...

Before I tell this story I need to give some background info...there is always a fine line a teacher walks between "giving help" and having a student become too dependent on you for help.

I found myself walking this line with some students in Math lately so I had to institute a new policy - "I will help you...but you need to at least try to do it on your own first...once you've come up with an answer, you can come to me and ask if you did it right or not."

We were doing fractions

So...2 minutes after saying this a student is back by desk already:

Student: "I don't get how to do this."

Me(with the utmost patience): "okay, well remember what I just got done saying? I need for you to go back to your desk and at least try to do it on your own first. Then you can come back and see if you did it correctly."

He does...and is back to my desk a minute later having drawn a picture diagramming 5/9. 

Me (still maximum patience): "good...I like how you tried to do that but what they are really looking for is not a diagram but a fraction." And I point to what a fraction looks like. "Go back and write this as a fraction."

He's back at my desk a minute later.

Student: "like this?"

Me (still pretty patient): "um...well, you have 9/5 and what number did I say would be on the bottom for this assignment - the larger or the smaller number?"

Student: "ohhhhh...yeah."
 And switches it around to 5/9.

At this point I am pleased and tell him to go back to his desk and finish up the remaining 3 problems in just the same way.

Two minutes later he is back at my desk to check his work again.

For all three he has the larger number on top!?!?!

Me (now lacking patience but trying to sound as if I still have some)*speaking between gritted teeth*: "alright" I point to the first problem..."was the larger or smaller number supposed to be on the bottom?"

Student: "oh..yeah" and switches 5/9 (the only correct answer) back to 9/5.

REALLY????? How much patience am I supposed to have?????  

I kept my composure and we got the four problems done correctly...and then I went to look for that wall!

2012-2013 OCS Basketball Team

This year's professional basketball pictures were taken back in December when Zack was stricken with the terrible fever virus so I knew there would be no professional team picture this year.

So, on Thursday after their last game of the season they all grouped together for photos and I jumped in to take a few.

His coach is the most amazing man (in my opinion).  I couldn't be more pleased that he's been Zack's coach for the past two years...I'm hoping for one more year!!!

Matt and Zack

Zack was starting 1st grade when we moved to Wisconsin and he started attending Oshkosh Christian School.  

His class at the time consisted of only 10 kids - 4 boys and 6 girls.  Through the years, as is normal in a private school, some of the 10 left and new students have come in.  Out of the original 10, 5 are still there...3 girls and 2 boys.

Zack and Matt have run the gamut of friendship status.  Mostly they seemed like casual friends...they would hang out for a while and then not speak for weeks or months.  It's not that they were angry or fighting with each other...they just would go their separate ways.

Well, this year they seemed to have really bonded...bonded over basketball mostly.  But their friendship seems to have strengthened and risen to a new level.  I am happy about this because he is such a nice kid with amazing parents!

Sadly, because Matt is in 8th grade, they will not be on the same team next year.

Their last Middle School game

Hopefully they'll be re-united in High School.

Last Game of the Season

Last night we drove to the tiny, remote town of Manawa for the last basketball of the season.  Although the score and outcome of the game were disappointing (another loss), it was one one of their better team performances of the year.

For a change their passing was crisp and purposeful with few turnovers, and Zack only had 8 of the team's final 27 points.  

In fact, he made the most unbelievable play...after a rebound by the other team, as everyone was running to the other side of the court, the guy who had rebounded the ball was holding it... preparing to pass it to the point guard.  Well...Zack just stepped right up, took the ball out of the kid's hands, turned around and made a basket!

The drive home was torture with blinding snow while driving along back roads at 25 mph.  I could not see the road.  Actually, the only was I knew I was even on the road was by looking at the Garmin.

So Zack's 7th grade season is over.  I didn't think it was possible but he played even better this year than he did last year.

My stats have him scoring 143 points this year...less than his 148 last year but he played less games this year.  Overall, he averaged about 9 points a game this year compared to 8 last year.

So proud of you, Zack.  

No Title

Hmmmm...wonder what this kid is doing in this picture:

Why watching this - of course:

He eats, breathes, and sleeps basketball.  

His last game is probably Thursday night.  There is some talk about a make-up game next week Friday night but it is still just talk.