Something really wonderful happened today. One of those moments that just shows you you are doing things right.

I was at the hospital (I got kneed in the head today and have my second concussion in as many months) and while in the pharmacy...
(more) I overheard a woman say she would have to skip one of her prescriptions because she couldn't afford it. She sat down across from me and I just couldn't stand it.

I walked over and asked her how much it was-I could afford it so I told her I would pay.

She started crying.
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SO, I shared my Romper Room picture and people were asking questions... and the truth is, I have a few very vivid memories, I remember what it was like at school being that kid who was on TV, but the nuts and bolts of it all- like I said, I was little at the time.
(more) I read up on the show and discovered a few things... and one of those things, as you will see, completely horrifies me.

The kids on the show changed out every two weeks-I was a substitute kid and now it makes more sense why I was on that much-if a kid didn't work out...
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I'm kind of doing two things:
Setting up a permanent display at school-just one tooth (or more) would be cool!!
I'm also dividing up my own collection, taking donations to make mineral sample collections for my kids-for that I need 7. (that's a lot of teeth!)

https://twitter.com/jake_metzler/status/1344450102480535554

I don't mind sharing more details! I work in a special school where the kids come for evaluation-and to chill out for a bit-with the goal being returning to the regular school system. They miss out on a lot of those special things bigger schools have. (more)

A #ChristmasEve #TwitterStory from my house to yours.

I love my Christmas ornaments. Some are Victorian. Some are from my parent's first tree together in 1959. Some mean a lot. Many are from estate sales.

Mike bought me this German snake circa 1900.

(more...) In 1960 my parents bought a box of Shiny Brite satellite-shaped ornaments. They have been my favorite ornaments my entire life.

This year Mike picked one up and asked about it. I told him the whole story. He promptly broke it.
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#Twitterstory!!! I'm bored!!

My friend went to visit her family & called me breathlessly in the middle of the night!

Beth: OH MY GOSH I HAD THE SCARIEST DREAM! I WOKE UP SCREAMING!!

Me: What was it?!

Beth: I was driving the Buick Riviera down a country road...
(more) Beth: It's dark-I can't see-up ahead there is something in the road-I'm going too fast to stop-I'm getting really scared and suddenly-just as I am about to run over it-(She starts getting loud, she is scared and unnerved!!) IT STANDS UP!! (She screams-totally freaking out)
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My mother, with her broken foot, showed up tonight with two big boxes of food. Instead of resting her foot, she baked a turkey, made dressing, veggies, mashed potatoes, gravy, jello w/ pears like when I was a kid, a tub of my favorite olives, a can of cranberry (more) De-canned and in her GOOD TUPPERWARE, no less. Also a can of whipped cream a pumpkin pie for my best friend James, who rents our first floor, and a cheese cake for Mike. An entire cheesecake. "I brought you half a turkey, I hope that's enough." (more)

I have been sending home a packet for every single school day with an art project, some hands-on activities, handwriting-some silliness. My cat makes frequent guest teacher appearances. He also helps with the Ms and Ws in handwriting. #cat
(more) I've had to stop using two different pairs of scissors because of blisters. This new pair I am using upside down-the only way I can cut without it hurting!

My mom sewed beanbags for all my students-the delivery box will now be a game/toy box.

I'm not alone.
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So...underwear dad is not even my worst experience in online meetings this past week.

My husband is also working for home, doing his serious university job, with their serious meetings.

I have a habit of breaking into song. Not humming...but, you know, full on
(more) opera singing. Opera Chorus was my paid job in college. My voice is so big (like a trumpet, I've been told) I've never needed a microphone...even when the rest of the cast has one. This boy can sing.

Mike doesn't like musical because they aren't realistic. People just don't
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I had no idea what to expect in Bangladesh. They picked me up at the airport and whisked me to my hotel with orders to be ready as quickly as possible for "the concert."

Ends up the embassy crossed some wires, I was a day later than expected-so I threw on nice clothes... (more)

https://twitter.com/itsKryss/status/1310799100003135489

And was bundled off to The Children's Concert-and annual fundraiser for visually impaired children that takes place in their National Performing Arts Center. I had no idea but, apparently I was a guest of honor.

At the door, by the sign, the press wanted some pics...
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Since I seem to be recommending books lately, besides @dailystem's new tome, I also recommend these @doverpubs Little Stained Glass Activity Books. $2 or so-my class is small enough for a couple bucks I have: a dinosaur/insect/plant activity I can send to my students.

https://twitter.com/2014ORTOY/status/1309259532036485120

AND, they are pretty and our students need some pretty in their lives right now.

Note: I can only do this because I have a small class & someone donated colored pencils to ALL my students.

I am also pleased to now have rubber bands that did not come off the broccoli.

SAILING? You are going sailing? I was briefly in Sailing Club at college-1984-new blue Sperry topsiders-Nov storm, out on the lake, my friend loses a rope-boat almost tipped-I lean out-I lean out-he yanks back his rope, boat tips back to me (more)

How's that for a cliffhanger?!

https://twitter.com/VisionTechSvcs/status/1307852915835453441

I hit the water-and now the boat is going to tip over my way if I don't let go of the rope. So-as a thoughtless friend (and honorable sailor) I let go and was left in the Nov. winter lake-as my friends shriek with laughter-fall into the bottom of the boat, and leave me.

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Leslie...I was in Oklahoma! In high school (The play, not the state)and my mom volunteered to make dresses. She went and got 1800's dress patterns and hand sewed ruffled dresses for all the girls. For the wedding scene she made the most beautiful dress... (more)

https://twitter.com/VisionTechSvcs/status/1304474712433590272

So beautiful that the girl who played Laurie (hi @mobyjeff !) wore it for her own wedding the next year.

That's Peggy...Spend a month making a perfect wedding gown, that would have been on stage for what? Ten minutes a night?

She has always been like that.
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I didn't mean to worry everyone when I said we were packing up a bug out bag. We are safe, the big fires are outside of the city, close to my mom, but she is ok too. But a fire broke out a few blocks from us...and with this hot wind...

(more) We realized it would take 30 minutes just for one of us to put the pet carriers together and...what if? We live five blocks from a Pine tree covered park/volcano/Mt. Tabor that looms above us like a dried candle wick after two days of hot winds. So, we are being careful.
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MOM STORY! My mom decided, circa 1974, she was going to make her own granola. She roasted some almonds, and toasted some walnuts, and, since it's my mom, she added sugar and cinnamon to everything, then she made oat crunches from scratch and raisins...

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https://twitter.com/CloneZero11/status/1303454650889244672

And, I'll tell you, it was so incredibly delicious. We all enjoyed a nice bowl full (she'd made enough to last a month or two). Crunch crunch chomp. Crunch crunch chomp.

MMMMMMM.... what's all that floating in the milk?

Crispy cooked weevils in brown sugar cinnamon.
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You all... guess what? I just got off the phone with my mom...

I have another mom story.

My mom is 84. She likes to do things herself. They should then also be perfect.

I seek a historical story to make my point. Ah...yes... the dinner gown. Fitting story.
(more) I mentioned my mom was size 0. She never met a donut she didn't try to eat. But she never, ever, ever sits still. While most people are still flipping channels to pick a show in the evening, she's already made a quilt for the homeless mother's shelter.

I would swear...
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Twitter, guess what? Time for a mom story!

(Thank goodness she doesn't have twitter, she'd've killed me by now)

Chaper VII My Mom Meets My Dad's (small-town) Family for the First Time.

TRIGGER WARNING! Seriously-it has triggers.

My dad-Air Force-was flying into Texas.
(more) My mom? A sassy US Navy Air Traffic Controller.

Dad: "You sound cute, Navy. You wanna go on a date when I land?"

Mom: "Who said I was going to let you land?"

They went on 3 dates and got married. When my mom went to get invitations made they asked 4 my dad's first name.
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Um...probably TMI, but, when my old district fired me (for two weeks) they took all of my classrooms items out of my room (fishtank, plants, photos of my cats) and put free signs on them. I lost EVERYTHING. $17,000-almost all of my prize money had been spent on the room. (more) Everything I had ever created was in my files. My lifetime of work. I had put some online-Maybe 2-3% of what I had I had created was saved-The rest was thrown away-along with my books-the art supplies. My classroom wasn't in a school-my stuff didn't even go to teachers. (more)

When my cable went down I ended up late in the evening, in the back parking lot of my school, next to the dumpsters, the only place my laptop could get wiFi. I posted about it because I thought it was funny but people complimented me and said I was exceptional for it... (more) And nothing could be farther from the truth. My idea was not original. My friend (and possible robot) @dailystem does a podcast and the most amazing teacher support STEM lists. For the entire time I've known him, his rural home didn't have internet...(more)

For my new followers from this summer: I host a monthly twitter chat during school months called #GlobalSPED. It was born out of my trip to Bangladesh where I mentored some of that country's first Special Ed teachers. So, for half an hour Sunday night-we chat live.
(more) Though #GlobalSPED focuses on teachers who work with kids with special needs, our topics, advice, and experience spread from general ed classrooms, Inclusive classrooms, every level of #SpecialEducation, home schooling and specialized schools. (more)

You have inspired me to tell a mom story @iamsurfe.

Twitter, I present a mom story.

(more) Have you ever seen the movie The #Misfits?#MarilynMonroe's last film. Part was filmed at Harrahs in Reno. The employees were used as extras and had to work as they filmed. My mom dealt 21 on their big money table. My mom has a great story... (more)

Confession: I've got middle schoolers for summer school so we bring things to share. I have arrowheads/Native American tools/pottery, Incan pottery, statues, carvings-things that are WAY to fragile to ever take to school -more- Distance learning is allowing me to share these items with my students. Today I told the story of finding the head of a statue, buried in mud, in a ditch while I was visiting Indonesia. They LOVED the story (kids love worm-infested mud stories)-more