Desk clean out is so much fun!

You would not believe how messy a 12-year-old desk could get. About once a month I have to allow my students about 30 minutes to clean, disinfect, and organize their desks. You would like to think the students would want to keep their desk neat so that they could find things like their homework, notebooks, and pencils.
This month was especially exciting! As we cleaned the students found notes from the first day of school, old food, candy, gum wrappers, toys, and tons of trash. I thought I would document some of these great moments in "the life" of a messy 6th grade desk.



I am sorry I don't have more pictures. I started taking pictures WAY to late in the whole process. Just wait for the end of the year desk clean out - that is going to be picture worthy.

Blast from the past

My adorable grandma "Mom-Mom" sent me a bunch of pictures from when I was little. Will and I had a good few laughs as I told him the stories behind the pictures. It was fun to look at the pictures and remember some really fun times growing up in good old Hopewell, New Jersey. I hope you enjoy looking at some of these pictures. Thank you Mom-Mom!

This was my best friend, Gillian and I. Notice the AWESOME matching outfits 80's.
On the back of this picture the caption read "Tiffany had holes in her leggings but don't tell her we noticed." I would always get so mad trying to explain to my grandpa that they were supposed to have holes for better grip on the balance beam!
Check out my rad butt shot on in this picture!
This is a classic. My grandma (Mom-Mom) always looked her best, even when gardening. She is awesome. My brother has a bomber jacket, and take note of my hat and my black leggings.
Soccer Saturdays. Wow, my shorts could not have been any higher. Here Gillian and I were on the same team and her dad was the coach. I do remember the oranges at half time, and the ice cream at Jan's Sweet Shoppe after the game - oh to be 10 again!

A blast from the past is always a good time!

"The dog ate it"

As a teacher I hear the best, I mean best excuses for NOT doing homework. I get it all. Here are some of my favorites:

I lost it fighting this kid you said you weren't the best teacher in the school

I was mugged on the way to school and the mugger took everything I had (I live in Provo Utah, come on really?)

Our puppy toilet trained on it

Some aliens from outer space borrowed it so they could study how the human brain worked

I put it in a safe, but lost the combination

I loaned it to a friend, but he suddenly moved away

Our furnace stopped working and we had to burn it to stop ourselves from freezing

I left it in my shirt and my mother put it in the washing machine

I didn't do it because I didn't want to add to your already heavy workload (They are 6th graders, they don't have that much homework, this might work in high school)

My little sister ate it

I really do love teaching not only because I get to enrich the lives of so many wonderful children, but because some days are like watching a live stand up comedy act for free.

Valentine's Day 6th grade style

Roses are Red

Violets are Blue
I am to shy to say...
I like you!

My favorite holiday as a teacher hands down is VALENTINE'S DAY! It is the cutest holiday in the world to be a 6th grade teacher for. There is no better way to celebrate the day than with cute cards, candy, valentines, and secret notes that say "I like you, you are pretty." Celebrating it with a bunch of 12 years old students is the way Valentine's Day should always be celebrated.

I have been teaching at Canyon Crest for 4 years. Each year I have the boys in my class give out red roses and walk all the girls to their desks one by one. It is a huge surprise for the girls, and I don't even let them in the classroom until all the boys are in the room ready to greet the girls with their rose. The past two years I have had Will to help me assist the boys in the classroom while I wait in the hall with the girls. It is so fun to see the reactions on both the boys and girls faces! I just hope that the boys learn from this first "flower giving" experience and realize girls love boys who show chivalry.



For our class party, Will and Jake did "caricatures" of all of my students. It was so fun! And my students love having Will and Jake in the room. Especially when they sing to Elton John and crack jokes out loud! Thank you Will and Jake, again you saved my party.



Another part of our party was playing the game "I know you love me so let me make you smile." I have a couple of hams in my class who really got into it and made everyone laugh!



Valentine's Day was so fun! It is day's like this where I realize why I love to teach 6th graders!

Plus I get letters like this one: (It is typed as it was written)
"Dear Mrs. Strong,
Happy Valentine's Day and thanks for being my teacher your the nicest coolest bestest amazingest and funniest funnest teacher I have ever had. PS: thanks for enduring my annoyingness this whole year."

The Art Show

Will and the BYU illustration students put up a wonderful Art Show at the Health and Justice Building in Provo. It was awesome and I am so proud of Will and all of the hard work he put into it. His paintings really looked great in frames and up for display. It was such a spectacular night! If you missed it you can still go check it out because the Art show is up for display the rest of the month, although you will miss the food. (brownies, cream puffs...)

I took some pictures but not as many as I would have liked. Will had so many people come out and support him, it was great. Thank you! His biggest fan club had to have been the staff at Canyon Crest. Even some of my students came to see the show!

Matthew and Brandon. Brandon had at least 5 brownies! And he gave he a high five because he is usually so scared of me and cries. My goal is to be able to hold him! Matthew told me that Brandon doesn't like him either...what did I do wrong?
Canyon Crest supporters! Thank you Rachel and Seralina!
One of Will's art pieces. I couldn't get a lot of pictures of the artwork because there was tons of glare in the room. This one is one of my favorites! If you go to Will's blog you can see better quality pictures.
Best Friends, Cousins, Adorable, Kinder garden girls - Bailey and Brooklyn.
Some of my students came and Will gave them the tour of the Art show. It was fun to have them there.
Will congratulations on such a great show!

Will's Art Show: FEBRUARY 6th, 2009

Will and the BYU illustration department are having an illustration show. I am so proud of Will and all the hard work he has done to prepare for this event. I was there on Saturday morning, brought bagels, and saw all the hard work in action! It looks great!

INFORMATION:
The opening reception for the Illustration Show at the Health & Justice Building in Provo will be on February 6 from 6-9 pm. The show is part of the First Friday Gallery Stroll in downtown Provo.

Come it will be fun!

(Pictures to come, promise...)

What I have learned in the past week

1. The power of prayer is amazing. Thank you for all who have been praying for William, my mother, and I. We felt your love and your prayers a lot over the last week.
2. Unconditional love is something that all people deserve.
3. Friends make your family even bigger. Thank you Fran, Brad and Sarah for having Will and I.
4. I am a Jersey Girl and always will be - I just don't really want to live there.
5. Why don't I want to live there? Will and I got lost on the turnpike, the garden state parkway, and Rt 1 all in one night. Don't ask. It is a touchy subject.
6. Don't loose your luggage on a trip that is less than 60 hours.
7. Target is my friend.
8. Flannel sheets rock!
9. The DELTA cookies aren't that bad. (I ate at least 8 of them on the trip)
10. I really appreciate the area where I grew up, it really is pretty. Pennington NJ proves that New Jersey really is the Garden State.
11. My 28 students are very protective of their teacher, and they really do know how to make her cry just by seeing their smiling faces.
12. I am so grateful to have Will and his family in my life.

Here is some pictures to go along with what I have learned this week:

My High School
The Turnpike
Beautiful Pennigton New Jersey
Where we got lost the FIRST time.

I have a dream of feeling better

For the last 3 weeks I have not felt like Tiffany at all. I have been tired, feverish, slow, head-achy, green, and just have felt awful. I have never been sick this long. I went to the doctors yesterday to find out I have been fighting with pneumonia. I am now on heavy medicine in hope that I can soon return to my 28 active 6th graders with a smile on my face!

Through all of this I have learned though to follow my gut, listen to my husband who kept telling me to go to the doctors, and to take a sick day from work when you have a fever. I love Will and am so lucky to have a husband who is so in-tune with his very "Jersey" wife!

Thanks Will for being my head and heart this week! And thank you all for the prayers you have been sending my way, I can feel them.
I can't wait to start 2009 for real!

William is Twenty-Six

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIAM!

My loving and amazing husband turned 26 on January 8th.
On Thursday night we went out to a great dinner with Jake and Kat at "The Club" - always a good time. Then Friday Will came into school with me, witnessed the Canyon Crest Geography Bee, helped me in my classroom (which was awesome because I have had the flu and bronchitis for three weeks), and then we both got ready for the Wall-e themed birthday party.

Enjoy the pictures and when you see Will make sure to wish him happy birthday - he deserves the best 26th year ever. I love you William!

"It's my party and I will laugh if I want to!"

William and I

We played Bomber Man, we played Little big Planet, we screamed, we laughed - it was the perfect night for Will's birthday.Cutest Cupcakes with the cutest robot ever on them.
Kat and I

We have had so much snow here in Utah. It has been crazy, but my 6th graders love it!
Geography Bee - they look excited don't they!
The winner - 4th grader Thomas who is in Mrs. Martinez's class. My "Mom" impulse came out strong during the Geo-Bee, I could not even sit down in the chairs they had out, I stood nervous in the back. I have to give it to the 10, 11, and 12 year old students the questions were hard!
Practice Questions: Do you in which state Myrtle Beach is located? Do you know what Canadian providence has the largest polar bear breading ground?*
The cutest three BFF's!

The final picture is why I love teaching and why I love 6th grade boys. They are not teenagers yet, and I don't have to tie their shoes. But they are just so darn cute, and would get really embarrassed if they ever knew I caught this moment on camera.

*Answers to the Geo-Bee questions:
South Carolina
Manitoba, Canada

Bowling at its finest

January 2nd, 2009 will go down as one of the best days in history. It was the day where William, Jason and I took bowling by storm. We talked a good game - all of us. We laughed A LOT. But best of all introduced the best of the best in bowling names.
I would like to introduce:

Judy Jetson (Tiff)

Stinky Poo (Will)
and...Flying Sumo (Jason).

The game was tight. Stinky Poo was in the lead most of the game. Until the end of the game when Flying Sumo and Judy Jetson came back with some skill and smooth moves from the left side of the lanes.

The ending score was Judy Jetson and Stinky Poo 106 (it was meant to be) and Flying Sumo the "come back kid" 108.

What a night for bowling!