High Fives, Hand Shakes & Gloves

Initially I planned to blog about our most recent newspaper deadline as well as my yearbook disaster that now requires re-PhotoShopping some 80-plus pages. But all those fun-filled stories will have to wait--all because of a recent post from my across-the-pond buddy Sarah Ebner over at the London Times entitled, “High-five your pupils everyday, teachers told.”

I must say that little ditty sent me into quite a tizzy. This little post talks about how greeting children with high-fives or handshakes will motivate students and improve test scores. I feel semi-qualified to screech about this having been victimized more than once from professional development sessions telling me to shake kids’ hands, capture their hearts, and, if I remember correctly, do something with their minds. Oh yeah, teach.

This handshaking notion started a number of years ago. I believe the folks that started it must have had stock in Bath & Body Works because I’m convinced sales from hand sanitizers soared once this handshaking business got underway. (Come now, surely you thought of all those germs floating about. Show me a school that has hot running water, soap in their dispensers and children who actually wash their hands, and I’ll show you Nirvana--and no, I’m not talking about the band either.)

I just marvel how these Greeting Guys have parlayed this handshaking, high-five business into a profitable enterprise (with individual registration fees at almost $500 a pop) and how they managed to convince school administrators--not just here in the good ole U.S. of A, but apparently globally--that the shake of a hand or some variation thereof somehow translates into better test scores. If I had known making a small fortune was that easy, I would have joined the handshaking circuit years ago or sold the Brooklyn Bridge.

But wait a darn tootin’ minute, Missy, I think there still might be time. My BFF Jennifer and I have always said that the demise of civilization and learning can be traced to when people quit wearing hats and gloves.

So forget that handshaking business. (Hails Bails! I think we can even forget about those pesky lesson plans.) Instead, let’s just slap on those cute little hats and whip out those white gloves. There’s no time to waste! We’ve got self-of-steam and test scores to raise.

Blues, Basements & Bailouts

With all the fuss over my inclusion in School Gate, London Times education site, I almost forgot to post something new. Jeez Louise!

For now, let’s just attribute part of my memory lapse to a rather “interesting” week. You remember “interesting” don’t you? (Our little fill-in-the-blank code word for when someone or something renders us speechless or when we want to shout at the top of our lungs, “Why you big, fat…” Awwww, you know the rest. And, no siree, Missy, I’m not going to say it. I’ve got that counter thingy to think about.)

OK, so let’s just get back to my “interesting” week. First, we were––make that still are--on our first newspaper deadline. Since that was/is such an ugly mess, I still can’t talk about it because my mother taught me, “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all…”

So for right now, I won’t say anything about my newspaper staffers and deadline, bless their hearts, until I start feeling the love again.

Hmmmm…that leaves my photography classes. They just finished their first project and we posted all the photographs to critique.

Uh-oh. Nope. I probably shouldn’t discuss that one either. Let’s just say that there was a rather significant collection of photos that had a rather bluish cast to them. Animals with blue noses, people with bluish skin, fences with blue-toned wood, and, of course, a dog with blue fur. I rather felt like I was stuck in a Blue’s Clues episode gone bad. I guess in their defense I should say that one of our school colors is blue so perhaps it was a school spirit thing.

So, my friends, that now leaves just my yearbook staff and my Journalism I class. Well, let’s just say my yearbook editor scares me lately. Somehow she’s perfected in 17 years what has taken me 50-something years to develop: a persona of pure intimidation. She wants this special linen cover that costs an extra $2+ a book. And guess what? She’s getting that cover if I have to get a government bailout to do it.

Speaking of government bailouts, every Friday we discuss current events in my Journalism I class, so of course, we talked about the current financial crisis and government proposed bail-out.


One student wanted to know why we just didn’t print more money to solve the problem.

Me… “Well, it doesn’t work that way. It’s kind of complicated, but everyone’s economy is connected to each other and if we have too much money circulating around, then the money isn’t worth anything.”

Kid #1…“Why not? It’s just money. We should print up some more.”

Me… “Well, dear, if it really worked that way, we’d all be printing money in our basements. If, of course, we had basements.” (Remember this is Texas.)

Kid #2…“I know what they should do.”

Me…“What?”

Kid #2…“You know that $2,000 everyone got as part of that stimulus package?”

Me… (secretly thrilled, the children knew about the stimulus package)…“Yes…”

Kid #2… “Well, $2,000 wasn’t enough to buy enough of anything to stimulate anything. The government needs to give everyone $200,000. Now, that would stimulate the economy…”

All the kids simultaneously… “Yeah!”

Me…“Hey, you can’t give away money you don’t have…”

Oh, wait… I guess you can.

Welcome London Times Readers!

Oh my goodness…just when things were going south (I’ve had an extraordinarily bad deadline week of which I will write about later), I got a flash of fab-u-lous news… School Gate, the London Times Education site, listed me as “One of the Best 7 teacher blogs.”

Not only was I listed there (in the No. 2 spot, no less), and I also am only one of two Americans listed fully. (My buddy, Mr. Teacher, gets a shout-out in No. 6 spot along with the UK Mr. Teacher and there is another American (Mimi) listed for her blog It’s Not All Flowers and Sausages. I recently stumbled upon her myself after reading one of Joanne Jacob’s posts. I particularly liked Mimi’s “My Kingdom for a Parking Space” which made my rather bad day inconsequential.)

Now all this new-found mention of Bellringers definitely deserves a big Woo-ho!

So jump on over across the pond, see who else is listed there, and hey, post a comment while you’re at it.

And to all my new-found readers from the London Times--A big Texas welcome and thanks for dropping by. I hope you take a look at my latest post…Mondays, Morons & Me.

And let me just say, y’all come back!

Hop Across the Pond & Post A Comment (pah-leese!)

My new found friend from across the pond, Sarah Ebner at the London Times, asked me to look at her most recent post on “The 15 worst teachers in the movies,” but sadly I must report that I am not much of a movie buff. However, I know bunches of y’all are. So I’m asking you’se guys to hop on over there, check out her list and post a comment. (Hey, are y’all catching all these fab colloquialisms?)

Comments over there can be made using your real name, anonymously or using a pseudonym if you prefer.

I do know enough about movies to be pleased that Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter made No. 1 on Sarah’s list. I think my BFF Jennifer on the east coast would be pleased as well as she actually knows someone whom everyone refers to (in code, of course) as “Dolores.” Yikes!

Well, I gotta go for now so I can get ready for FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL stuff. You know the important stuff like what in the SAM HILL am I gonna wear??? Jeez Louise! I do hope to have my regular post ready by tomorrow or Monday.

Unless, of course, I have a wardrobe crisis.

In the meantime, go to Sarah’s site, check it out and post a comment.