My School and Students!

Lat year, my friend and fellow teacher, Lindsay, started a Photography Club at our elementary charter school. Yesterday, she and the students in the club (4 of which are past students of mine!) were featured on NBC!!! Take a look at what they did... I'm so proud and excited for them!

In case you're wondering, my past students were the ones photographed as models for: Louis Armstrong, Jim Vance, Michelle Obama, and President Obama.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/watch-this/DC_Students_Photographed_as_Their_Role_Models.html

Steaks.

At the end of a social studies lesson today (focusing on geography and Washington DC history), I asked my students a review question: "What is the name of the country we live in?" One of my most eager students quickly shot his hand up in the air. When I called on him, he proudly announced, "The United Steaks of America." I chuckled quietly, thinking he might catch his mistake. When he just looked at me quizzically, I asked him to repeat the name of our country. Just as proudly, he repeated that we live in the United Steaks. Now full-out laughing at him, I told him that I love mashed potatoes with my united steaks. He emphatically nodded and said, "I love mashed potatoes, too, Mrs. Anderson!" Meanwhile...NO OTHER STUDENTS HAD CAUGHT ON TO THE FACT THAT HE SAID UNITED STEAKS! I then switched into sensitivity mode and asked him if I could point out that he said something sort of funny. He nodded, less emphatically now that he was seeming confused that I randomly brought up mashed potatoes in the middle of an important geography lesson. Once I explained that he said "steaks" and that a steak is a yummy piece of red meat that you might cook on the grill with some barbecue sauce...he and the rest of the class started laughing. We enjoyed a good laugh about the concept of "eating" our country, as well as the concept of a united steak the size of the USA, and then moved on with the rest of our afternoon. I love my job, and I love having a great time with my crazy students. I wish I could post pictures of my little scholars, but I signed a confidentiality agreement that I wouldn't :( You'll all just have to picture their cuteness in your minds!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a GREAT long weekend... full of good times with friends and family. Friday night we hung out with the Rossmaesslers and the Cullums at Emily and Josh's house and enjoyed good food, conversation, and a Rob Bell Nooma video. Saturday we headed to Edwards Ferry drop off point on the Potomac River/C&O Canal for a night of camping with Colin's parents and siblings. We had a gorgeous view from the riverbank where we camped!

Sunday morning we headed up north to Frederick, Maryland, where Colin's grandfather lives. We spent the afternoon preparing a birthday dinner and dessert for a belated birthday party for his mom, Carolyn. Tyler, Kristin, Carolyn, Opa, and Aunt Sharon were all there!

On Monday morning, we woke up and headed to the dam at Lake Linganore for a nice swim before we headed home to Arlington.

Monday evening we headed to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to have a picnic dinner with my parents, Amy, two of her friends, Carolyn, and Kristin. It was a gorgeous night for a picnic...minus all the bugs that our yummy food attracted!