Fun-Filled Summer Friday

     It's the last Friday in August and here you go again entering another school year.  I almost said here "we" go, and then I remembered that I am officially retired.  I want you all to know that you are always on my mind and I will always be a teacher in my heart. As summer ends we can say goodbye to all the fabulous traveling and get ready to set our minds to studies. I say "our" minds here because I will be tutoring a group of boys here in Texas  to improve writing skills and vocabulary.  I hope to invite them to join the blog discussion.  They will be taking the SAT soon, like many of you, so vocabulary enrichment will be very important. 

I would like to share some pictures of my recent trip to California to visit my daughter.  It was a very special trip.  I never realized how much I missed the Jersey Shore until she took me to see the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy.

 Irvine---  Love the palm trees at the mall.....


Laguna Beach --- Just fantastic views with the cliffs and the ocean......

With patisserie cases overflowing with the most delicious treats, how could one resist? 

Where did your travels take you this summer?  Please share some of your experiences on the blog.  I would love to hear about areas of our country or wherever you traveled this summer.  If this summer found you at home, please share what kept you busy as you "destressed"  after ending your 8th grade year.
Here is a list of core vocabulary words in context to get you all thinking about the SAT as you enter high school.

Good luck to you all and keep in touch.

I am a slightly ambivalent about this whole retirement idea.  It is very unorthodox for me not to be thinking about the next lesson I am about to teach, but if I think pragmatically, I think I can get used to the idea of adding more relaxation and even altruistic deeds to my life.  I am finding the residents of Texas to be quite amiable. It often makes me nostalgic as I remember the simpler times of my childhood in New Jersey. My life seems less ambiguous now that I am settled here in Texas.  There was a time right after leaving all of you that I felt slightly aloof, and I thought that I had made a huge mistake. I tried to be prudent, and I carried on with my plan. Some may have thought that I was naive or even gullible to think I could move cross country.  It was futile to worry.  Armed with fortitude, I made the journey from New Jersey to Texas with a side trip to Vermont, as well. I feel like I succeeded and am now enjoying my serene neighborhood of Sugar Land.  What a perfect name for a town!

Wordy Wednesday ----- May 2013

I love poetry.  I am not sure what the plans are for May and June with Mrs. Rollis, but I hope you all will add some creative poetry reading and writing into your spare time.  When you read a poem it explodes with meaning inside you.  If you get it, the message will stay with you forever.  If not, it will just fizzle out and die.  No problem.....thanks for trying.
Poetry is a great way to express your emotions.  At times poetry can say the most in the least amount of words possible.  I am still unpacking but I did find some interesting journals given to me my students and my fellow teachers, as well.  As I look around at all the beauty of nature, I get inspired to write.  I may be filling those journals with poetry soon.  As I plant flowers all around my new home and get ready to put pen to paper myself, I hope you will share some of your favorite poetry here.  If you are so inclined, I would love to read some original poetry from all of you too. 

What Is A Best Friend?

© John Devaney age 16 

A Best Friend is a great thing to have.
They're someone you can always lean or depend on when you're sad.
They're always there when time in need.
They're always there pushing you to succeed.
They help you live a happier life.
They're there to help you find the right man or wife.
They push and push you with all their might.
They're there to tell you they love you every night.
They don't care what other people say.
They know their life is easier to see you each day.
They're there through thick and thin.
They're ones who have no concern about the color of your skin.
They're there to help you see.
They're there because they love you for who you are.
They're there to show you off to the world like a shinning star.
They're there to always give advice or listen.
They're there to make your smile wide and glisten.
They're there to let you know if there's anything you need they have it. No matter what the problem is open up don't hide it because in the long run, you'll not only be hurting yourself but others around you who are important and meaningful in your life. That is what I believe is a best friend.

Check www.bestteenpoems.com  for more teen poetry.


Here are some of my all time favorites.

Japanese Haiku by ISSA (Translated into English)

In this world A kitten
even among insects stamps on falling leaves,
some sing well, some don't. holds them to the ground.

Emily Dickinson

I ’M nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there ’s a pair of us—don’t tell!
They ’d banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!	5
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog! Whispers of Mortality by E. E. Cummings old age sticks up Keep Off signs)& youth yanks them down(old age cries No Tres)&(pas) youth laughs (sing old age scolds Forbid den Stop Must n't Don't &)youth goes right on gr owing old Robert Frost Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. Edgar Allan Poe Annabel Lee It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of ANNABEL LEE; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me. I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by the sea; But we loved with a love that was more than love- I and my Annabel Lee; With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me. And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom by the sea, A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; So that her highborn kinsman came And bore her away from me, To shut her up in a sepulchre In this kingdom by the sea. The angels, not half so happy in heaven, Went envying her and me- Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know, In this kingdom by the sea) That the wind came out of the cloud by night, Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we- Of many far wiser than we- And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee. For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea. How to Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam Don't be polite. Bite in. Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that may run down your chin. It is ready and ripe now, whenecver you are. You do not need a knife or fork or spoon or plate or napkin or tablecloth. For there is no core or stem or rind or pit or seed or skin to throw away. Enjoy!

Science Fictional Friday

Note:  I know it's only Thursday, but I may not be able to post tomorrow from Texas.  Enjoy this challenge, and, of course, be respectful of your substitute.  I will see you Tuesday. Reminder:  Parent letters are due back on Tuesday.

Fictional Friday is back. I hope you are all ready to once again be creative.    I realize that for your free reading you will be concentrating on nonfiction and planning your "talk show" interviews for the end of the marking period. That does not mean you should completely forget about fiction and creativity. We will be starting a very bizarre novel shortly and I want to ease you into it.

Our new novel will have a touch of science fiction so be ready for anything and everything, as they say. To get you started and thinking along the lines of the weird and the seemingly impossible, I am posting some pictures that may or may not have something to do with our new novel. I would like you to preview the pictures and see if you can develop your own story line fitting each picture somewhere into the plot. You have my permission to be as weird as you like. Remember, this book will be science fiction.

Spoiler alert>>> Anyone who has already read our new book or has been told anything about the plot from an older sister/brother make sure you do not ruin the surprise or shock value of the novel for the rest of the classes. Thanks

Okay, enjoy the pictures and let your imaginations fly.....

Freaky Friday

Let's talk about strange events in our lives either the ones we experienced or the ones we witnessed. If you have not had anything strange happen to you then talk about events that you either heard or read about.Tell us your thoughts. I will post some weird pictures to get you started.

Perhaps you have seen strange or unexplained things in real life. You know what they say.
" Life is sometimes stranger than fiction." Prove it.

Stange? Real or fake? You decide.

M. C. Escher

The celebrated sports-mascot is a part of actual, North American mythology passed down from the American Indians. Alternately, the Jersey Devil is said to be the undying, demonic offspring of a cursed woman by the name of Mrs. Leeds. Either way, sightings of the fearsome, New Jersey resident go back hundreds of years, though descriptions of the beast vary wildly from that of a dragon, to a winged stag to a bigfoot-like creature. By some reports it is known to prey on livestock, terrorize naughty children, and pepper snowy rooftops with it's hoof-prints.

Metaphor Monday

Metaphor Monday......
Let's be creative. What metaphors come to mind when you look at these pictures? Choose one picture and create your metaphor. Don't tell us which one. We should be able to figure it out. Have fun.








A metaphor can be used in many different ways. How would you describe the pictures below?

Some students may have a little trouble with Metaphor Monday.  Let's just keep this post open to using your choice of figurative language.

Look at the picture and describe. Give it your best shot using simile, metaphor, personification, or imagery of any type. Be creative.

Time Travel Tuesday

Welcome to Time Travel Tuesday....




Let's take the 1860's idea of a time machine presented by the author
H.G.Wells and bring it into our time. 
Where will you be 10 or 20 years from now? What are your plans for the future?
What were you doing 5 years prior to that time to get you there?
Describe your future life as you see it in the year 2022 or 2032.  It seems strange to even write those years.  They seem fake. 

If you want to think of "real" time travel, tell us where you would go, past or future.  You pick the year.  What would you expect to see?  Don't forget to include why you chose that time period. Would you try to change history or secure a better future? Explain.