Day 148-155

Day 148: Copper Mountain

Shanna and I headed to the big C... Copper Mountain

Freezing my butt off... notice the high top Converse (just an FYI they do not make for very warm shoes in the snow)

It is okay, we warmed up with a shot.

Day 149: Jump Street
Jump Street is every kids dream. Foam pits, trampoline dodgeball, and a huge indoor trampoline.

Swinging into the foam pit.

Now I have to manage to get out of here.

 

 

Day 150: Denver Cutthroats

My first and possibly my last semi professional hockey game. Sadly there was only about 10 people in the stands and 0 fights! Oh well great experience!

Day 151: Help Luz Write Letter to Judge
As if my heart didn't break enough in my job, one of my students asked me to help her write a letter to a judge. She was asking if the judge would release her father from prison. The reasons are fuzzy about why he is behind bars but it is clear that he will be deported soon. As I sat there and helped this amazingly strong and poignant 4th grader compose a letter to a judge, I realized what children/adults are faced with each day and how incredibly lucky I am to help a few of them along the way.

Day 152: Science night for my school
Sadly my students didn't get to share all about their knowledge about animals and their habitats due to our science teachers quick departure. But I did get to see the 2nd and 3rd graders talk about insects and their bodies. It was so sweet.

Day 153: Open Magdiel's IELTS scores
Magdiel was required to take an English proficiency test in order to get into graduate school. He was going for 6.5...... and he got it!!! WAHOOOOO

Day 154: Cupping
Now I know what your thinking.... What the hell is cupping?!?!
I thought the same thing when my friend Shanna mentioned it. It is an ancient Chinese form of alternative medicine. They light a fire under a cup and then stick it on your back. It is used to help blood flow as well as loosen muscles. It is one of the coolest and most intense feelings.

They were trying to help a pinched nerve on the right side of my back.

Day 155: Won Tickets!!!! (I never win anything) Av's game with Kristi
I actually won something and it just so happened to see our professional hockey team, the Av's.

Av's vs. Sharks. Amazing last 8 minutes!

We are finally reunited and living in the same town!

Day 139-147

Day 139: Dumb friends League visits to collect donated money
As some of you might remember my class and Ali's kindergarten class was collecting money to donate to a local charity: Dumb Friends League, which helps abused, homeless and abandoned animals. Lisa, from DFL, came to collect the money and tell the kids where the money goes to. My students asked some awesome questions... I think it might have been a little lost on the kinders. hahaha oh well

Lisa from DFL addressing questions.

Day 140: Tibetan store on Colfax
My co-worker wears the most fabulous jewelry, well let's be honest she is just fabulous in general. So I finally asked her about these amazing ivory elephant earrings she was wearing. She told me about this amazing Tibetan store that was super cheap, super cute and I had to go check it out. I luckily got the opportunity to go later that afternoon and got some ivory fish earrings and a meditation bracelet.

 

Day 141: Teach my students about using their lizard brain vs. wizard brain.
As I educate my students about the basics: math, reading, and writing. It is also apart of my job to teach them how to become successful adults in our society. Eric, our school psychologist, and I opened my students eyes to using their wizard brain versus their lizard brain. This helps my students to stop and think, thinking skills must be learned to engage the section of the brain where problems are assessed and analyzed before responding. Otherwise, the reptilian or "lizard" part of the brain – the section housing emotions and the fight or flight response – takes over, triggering impulsive, non-thinking. It has been amazing how even hours after introducing this, they started to stop and think.

Day 142: New hair dresser: New style: Half my hair is shorter by 1/2 an inch :(
So it has been a while since I have had my hair cut. Now I am not new to trying new hairdressers, but I took a chance on a Groupon for an Aveda Salon. Now for most females they hear Aveda and it is well recognized named associated with hair. So I thought I was safe..... Not so much.
My time in the salon was filled with the gay voice of Nigel my hairdresser. He had funny stories about his life and his boyfriend. But what was not so funny was when he took the apron off, I could have sworn half my hair was shorter than the other. But I brushed it off and left. Then Magdiel sees me and immediately says "Wow, babe it is so short." I asked him if one side was shorter than the other and he confirmed it. It was blatantly obvious! UGH, you have got to be kidding?! Not only did he cut more than I wanted, he cut one side shorter by an obvious half an inch.

Day 143: Tacs in my body
Acupuncture day, which for me is heaven day. I left the last time in a state of utter happiness and I was expecting the same this time. But I of course was treated to something different. I shared with my acupuncturist that I had started getting these stress headaches, which had caused me to lose sleep and have no energy. So she asked if it was OK if she found my pressure points that were associated with headaches. She decided to put tacs in my pressure points to help release pressure that comes with these headaches. They are honestly the most amazing things. My students actually became intrigued and liked pushing on them. One of my students had the magic touch and always found the pressure point when she was pushing on it.

Day 144: Eat Hamentashen cookies for the Jewish holiday of Purim
According to the Book of Esther, in the Hebrew Bible, Haman, royal vizier to King Ahasuerus planned to kill all the Jews in the empire, but his plans were foiled by Mordecai and his adopted daughter Queen Esther The day of deliverance became a day of feasting and rejoicing. My co-worker Rachel is Jewish and brought these to work to share. I also made her tell me the story before I ate the cookies. :)

Hamentashen cookies

Day 145: Make a wish Foundation
Kyle invited to go to the Make a Wish Foundation Celebrity Dinner. Of course, I am never one to turn down free dinner or time with my brother.

Our first order of business was cocktail hour with some of the celebrity waiters. So it took Kyle and I a drink to warm up to celebrities. 

Roller Derby girls, who are currently on the Amazing race. They were so adorable.

Just take one look at this guy...isn't he awesome with that 'stash!! James is a stunt double (for who? Probably Chuck Norris!!)

 

 

Kyle and I had a Cutthroats player as our celebrity waiter. We had such a good time!! 

Fri Day 146: Go against teacher protocol
I have the blessing of being with children each and everyday but when they divulge their life to me, a life I could never even fathom at the age of nine, protective mama bear comes out in me. My student came to me one morning so embarrassed because she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Of course I had no clue because they wear a uniform shirt, so I couldn't tell the difference. But I come to find out that the swat team had gone to her house and arrested her gang banging uncle and her grandpa for selling drugs out of her house. So here is when protective mama bears comes out. I immediately get her new clothes and make sure she has eaten. I tell her she can stay at my house (SO AGAINST teacher protocol) and get permission from her mom so that she can talk to our school psychologist. She is one of the most resilient students I have and she blows me away with her intelligence. She ended up staying with her aunt and a few days later the police let them back in their house. But as of right now, her uncle and grandpa are still in jail, awaiting trial.

This is a life I can't imagine at the age of 9.

Sat Day 147: Cinema Grill
My best friend from high school and her husband recently moved to Denver. So we decided our first outing together was going to be dinner and a show. We went and saw Argo and got to eat dinner right there in the movie. Can't beat dinner and a movie!

Day 128-138

Day 128: Organize our school relay team
I am set to run the Colfax Marathon in May with some teachers from my school and my team needed a name.... I mean we have 4 teams running and we were SOAR #1. BORING! So my co-worker and I worked together and came up with: Landa where's my wanda. Landa is tag in Spanish and when people run relays they have to pass a wand. We thought we were pretty creative and funny.

Day 129: Eat homemade cheesecake made by my student

Well yes of course

Jennifer handed me this plate on top of a plate and says "Open it Kate!"

She proceeds to tell me she made me cheesecake and it is a special recipe. It was delicious!

Day 130: African dance class
My school has an amazing arts program and part of that is the African dance and drumming our students do. Well a local African dance teacher (not ours) teaches a class at our school every Wednesday. It was amazing. I loved learning the movements and hearing the drums. It was very therapeutic!

Day 131: Non-Valentines Day at school
This is my first time not celebrating Valentine's Day in my classroom. It was a little sad, but also very nice. I had no real crazy behavior since we don't allow candy at school. My students passed out cards as we were walking out the door for the day. I felt a little bad for them because let's be honest we all loved those holiday's as kids. But as a teacher now, I was a little thankful I didn't have to deal with kids on sugar highs!

Day 132:  Have a heart-to-heart with a 5 year old

I received this picture of Natalie, my little 5 year old buddy, crying for me. So I had to have a little chatwith her that when friends leave each other they don't cry they smile. I had her pinky promise me that she would never cry again because I will always be in her heart even if I am not with her. My chat worked because she has not cried since. :)

Day 133: Start Voxing
When I first got back from Central America, my friends told me that I needed to get Voxer, which is a walkie talkie through your phone. Or it is another way to text message with just your voice. So I downloaded it and now I am addicted. I think the best part is hearing the inflection in people's voice. It really beats texting and voicemails!

Day 134: Ice Racing
Magdiel and I were headed up to the mountains and were shocked to see ice racing. It was so cool to see these cars flying across the ice.

Day 135: Keystone, CO
Magdiel and I headed up to Keystone for our Valentine's Day celebration.

Sexy boy

 

Our view from the room.

Day 136: Babysit Avery and Jaiden
Sadly I haven't taken care of my niece and nephew alone....they probably don't trust me ;).
So Aunt Kate stepped in when Nicole and Kyle had things going on. We had a blast and I just loving hanging out with them!

Day 137:  Cook Beef Brisket in a crock pot
I have always wanted to use a crock pot. People say they are so easy to use. So I was craving beef brisket and decided this was my chance to actually use it and try a new recipe. I got a slab of beef and a bottle of barbecue sauce. I threw it in the crock pot with a bit of salt and pepper and 7 hours later my beef brisket was done. Oh my gosh it was so delicious! This might be my new passion: crock pot cooking!


Day 138: Eat at an airplane hanger restaurant
Every Thursday Gretchen and I go to dinner and Spanish class. We decided to head to this beer garden right near class, which just so happens to be in an old airplane hanger. The food was awesome and so was the beer! I am super stoked to go back during the summer when they open the tops of the hanger.

Day: 120-127

Day 120: Avery's first Superbowl and my first Superbowl with winnings 

Magdiel and Jaiden watching music videos before the game.

 

Sadly, I asked Kyle who was even playing in the Superbowl a week before the party. He obviously got extremely annoyed and refused to tell me...Facebook informed throughout the week (Good thing for Facebook or I might not have know all the celebrities that have died or who won the Presidential election). We did a little betting, which I never win those thing,s so I didn't think twice about my answers. But at the end of the game, I gladly walked away with $90!

Grumpy pants...maybe he was secretly a 49er's fan.

Yep the dogs are worn out! Until next year.

Day 121: Take down a 9 year old mobster
Mobster, as in a person who is a part of organized crime. Yes, that kind of mobster. Well of course, being a teacher has either heightened my curiosity or I have always just been this damn nosey. So when 6 of my students are crowded around each other, I know they are up to no good. So begins the take down....
I open the paper that everyone has now shuffled away from except the ring leader, I will call her Capone, to find a "hit list". The paper has 2 columns one titled "friends" the other titled "enemies". So I find out that the enemies list is one created for those who have been done something and those who need revenge go to Capone and ask her to get back at them. Yep, real life mobster list going on in my classroom. Shocker my name was on the enemies list... I can't imagine what I did to make someone hate me. hahahaha I make them learn, therefore I am put on the list. Anyway, through investigations and some hard core interrogation, I got Capone to break down and tell me all about her plan to get back at people on the list. It is never fun when you have to look a mom in the eye and try your hardest not to tell them that their child is pulling some evil stuff. Probably my favorite was how Capone tried to spin it all around on the class bully. Too bad I know all about manipulation.

So after taking down mobster I needed a little stress reliever:
Day 122: Acupuncture

My two besties, Shanna and Gretchen at our pre-acupuncture dinner.

 

Acupuncture is amazing. They ask you ridiculously personal questions and then plop you down on a table and put some needles in you. It was one of the coolest feelings. I instantly went into a Zen like state. I believe Shanna's words to me on the way home were "Kate I have never heard you so quiet." YEP! 



Day 123: Evacuate my home due to a fire
I am pretty sure the fire alarm gods are out there laughing at me. Within a week, my school had a fire and then my apartment complex did. Fire alarms going on at all hours of the day and night is not my ideal way to enjoy my life.

Day 124: Bulling Intervention Program: Brain Wise
According to my school statistics, I have the most bullying behavior in my classroom. So our school psychologist and I teamed up to start Brain Wise. It is an anti-bullying program to get kids to see the science behind our brains and how they work, especially if we are bullying. It is a phenomenal program that has really opened my students eyes to the fact that they are all going through something similar. (Hopefull,y Capone is taking notes)

Day 125: Monster truck rally

I am pumped!!!

 

Day 126: Samhdi yoga
A part of my "yoga practice" is to try new places and new instructors. So I went to Samhdi Yoga Center for a new enlightening. I enjoyed my yoga and the teacher was really helpful.

Day 127: Pho in celebration of Vietnamese New Year

Happy Tet from the whole gang.

Day 113-119

Day 113: Avery's 1st Christmas
Yes I know what your thinking..... Christmas is January? We obviously do things a little different in the Seeley household. But Kyle was gone for Christmas so we celebrated Avery's first Christmas when Kyle got back.

Look who got a 4 wheeler?! Cool!

He is loving it!

But shortly after, he was a goner in Grandpa Seeley's arms. So sweet!

Day 114: Fire Drill... oh no this was no drill, there's a small fire at school
As a teacher you don't actually think you will live to see the day when the fire department actually shows up for a fire drill. So to my surprise the fire alarm goes off when we were in the middle of lunch. I finally got my students outside, the sounds of the fire trucks fill the air. At this point we are all confused, especially all of fourth grade, who was finishing up lunch. I watch a group of firemen enter the building. My first thought.... was there really a fire? I came to find out later, there was a lunch mishap in the teachers lounge and mac-n-cheese caught on fire in the microwave, setting off the alarms.

Day 115: Bluff Lake
Field trip time!

Yep, that is fresh powder in the background of Bluff Lake.

OMG! LOL! Nice gloves! hahaha

Day 116: Talk my way out of a speeding ticket
I played the teacher card... yes I did! I have been pulled over many times but never actually been able to talk my way out of a ticket. Well I have finally won that battle. I dropped the "teacher" word more than

Day 117: Put my foot down at work
Now to some this might seem strange that me, Kate Seeley, can not put her foot down at work. But I work in the type of school that likes robots rather than humans. So I have become more robotic than human in this school year.
Anyway, one of my students had been suspended and I was trying to explain to him what work he was going to do during his suspension. When he just walked off. Now, at this point I am unable to follow through due to the other 25 students I have walking in the door. So I tell my principal that he just walked off. Well to my utter disbelief my principal says OK and allows it to happen. There are a lot of things that are said without words actually leaving your mouth. This was screaming disrespect.
But surprisingly I don't get that bothered until about 12 hours later when I find out that my student, while in a kindergarten classroom serving his suspension, kicked a kindergartner.
I became so enraged and immediately went straight to my principal, asking for a meeting at that moment.
He basically got an earful of how disrespectful he was by not backing me up and allowing my student to walk away. By the end of our conversation, he was apologizing and saying that he should have supported me.
A few teachers dropped their jaw when they heard that he had actually apologized. Soar 500, Kate 1. hahaha at least I am not at 0!

Day 118: Pink Hawks show
My friend Yuzo has a band called the Pink Hawks. They play African Jazz. So Magdiel, Ann and Drew and I went to the show.

Day 119: Grind my own coffee

All these years of drinking coffee and I have never ground my own coffee.

Day 106-112

Day 106: Kindergarten/4th grade Penny Project
My 4th graders teamed up with Ali's kindergarten to raise money. The kinders are learning to count to 100 and my kids are learning to give to others. The kinders counted the pennies with the help of my students and then they put it into rolls of 100. We will be donating it in a few weeks.

Sa'Mari helping out.

AJ helping William count.

This little girl doesn't talk to anyone. She is close to being mute and Leslie is so good with younger ones that he just talked and talked and finally she said a few words. Ali, the kinder teacher, was in awe.

Day 107:Martin Luther King Jr. marade
There is a tradition in Denver to march and walk from City Park to Civic Center Park in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. So I joined Bob and Barb, Magdiel's host family for the marade.

City officials placing flowers on MLK's statue in City Park.

Flag with MLK's face

Our group!

Here we are marching in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

Day 108: Test prep
Dangle and few extra dollars in my face and I will do anything... I spend close to 13/14 hours at school but when they offered me the opportunity to help organize for TCAP (Colorado's state test), I jumped at the chance. Plus it was good for me to see what sorts of things will be on the state test for Colorado.

Day 109: Dance party with my students
I put on Chris Brown's "Don't Wake Me Up" and we had a dance party. They of course, know all the lyrics to this song so it was also a sing-a-long! It was awesome. The secretaries later asked me what the heck was going on in my classroom.

http://youtu.be/QOowQeKyNkQ

Day 110: Spanish class
So I decided I needed to push myself on my Spanish. I am going to Honduras in May to spend time with Magdiel's family and I don't want to sound like an idiot. So I started a Spanish class.

Day 111: Get off the elevator in a Vegas hotel chanting U-S-A

Sarazona and I wating outside the elevator....getting ready to chant U-S-A

 

Day 112: Play a Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine in Vegas
Sarah's rule: you walk by a $.50 Wheel of Fortune Slot machine. you gotta play it. So that's what we did. Sarah won $35 and I lost $20.

Later that night in the limo!! Oh you fancy huh?

Day 100....oh we are just getting started!

Day 100: Bull Riding competition
Before I even saw a bucking bull....

I was forced to get on a Brahma!! This guy was a beast!

OK back to why we came, the bull riding

 

Partner in crime

Awesome time watching the bull riding competition!

Day 101: Book talk with my students about hard issues:
Drinking, abuse, homelessness, you name it, it was on the table. It is especially hard to hear my students be so open about how these topics have affected them. I gave them extra big hugs today for being so brave and opening up to me!!

Day 102: Eat Lebanese food and drink Lebanese wine.

So delicious!! My mouth smelled like garlic but it was so worth it!

Day 103: Pull Jordan's tooth out of his mouth

This is Jordan, one of my student's little brothers. He comes running up to me with blood pouring out of his mouth and says "My toof!" It was barely hanging on by a thread. So I yanked it out! What a trooper he was!

Day 104: Coors Brew Tour

Malt room

Mid-tour beer, don't mind if I do.

Post-tour, again don't mind if I do.

Day 105: Translate the lyrics to "Fresh Prince of Bel Aire" into different languages.
So I am browsing twitter one day and I can across this article about Google translate. It states that it doesn't pick up the slang....In my eyes this was a stupid comment because of course it doesn't recognize slang. But I became intrigued by the article about how this guy was translating the lyrics from "The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire". Now if you are under the age of 35 you probably have already begun to sing the song..."Now this is the story about how my life got flipped turned upside down..."

I decided to run the lyrics through a few different languages myself. It is funny how they take these words and change them into something different. Then I came across this video where a guy actually sings the lyrics translated back from other languages. They ran the lyrics through all 64 featured languages in Google and then translated it back to English. The end results are classic. Check it out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/fresh-prince-of-bel-air-song-through-google-translate_n_2489668.html