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Corn snakes in the classroom...periodic updates to my Chgo classroom donation :)

About the races: I always get pretty P.O.ed when I have to pick what race I am. There is no "Other" on our California State Standards Tests. My friend Madelyn always gets pretty mad, too, because all European races get lumped under "White/Caucasian". She is German and she is proud. (I'm a bit German too, but it doesn't really show. Madelyn looks completely German--blond with really beautiful blue eyes.) I'm exactly half Japanese and exactly half "white". But I'm more Japanese than any other ethnicity in my blood. I'm an eigth Italian, and eigth Scottish (Scotch?), and other stuff. So it's always hard to pick either "Japanese" or "White". If Italian, Scottish, and the other European ethnicities were included, I'd pick Japanese in an instant, because that's what I mostly am. But it really makes things difficult when it's all lumped under "White".

However, recently, my father and I were talking about this. We were having a lot of fun discussing this. Why? Because of what my dad marked as his ethnicity year after year. Apparently, one year, he was Mexican, another year Eskimo, and yet another year black. He said that he did this because it shouldn't matter what ethnicity you are. They shouldn't ask you the question at all. Your ethnicity shouldn't affect your future. You shouldn't be considered better if you're a certain ethnicity. That make a lot of sense to me, but I'd never really thought about it that way before.

So. From now on, I'm any random ethnicity that I fancy. Maybe I'll be "Middle Eastern" this year. That should make the government happy.

About Hermione: Hermione was apparently given to Mrs. Beamer as a Chrismas gift from a former student. I highly doubt that Beamer's been to any forum. I'm not even sure if she can use the internet. :) She can barely make a Powerpoint presentation.

But anyway, she's not a complete reptile dunce. At least I think she isn't. Hermione's alive and seems reasonably happy and healthy with a nice fat tail. Beamer's also had a Red Tail boa before. I'm not sure what happened to the poor snake, though. She said that the snake was the best pet she'd ever had, so I like to think that the snake lived a long, happy life and died of old age.

Mrs. Beamer creeps me out a lot of the time, though. I mean, who goes around saying "Well, I'll be tickled pink to do that!" and "That's a hum-dinger!"???

And the umlaut: Those are the two dots that you put over the "u", right? And then they make the "gwe" sound? We learned that in Spanish 2 this year, but I forgot what they were called. :/ It was in the word "nicaraguense". We were leaning about how to say where you're from. I am estadounidense, like many of you here. :)
 
PnyKlr said:
We've got one for "white" people in Hawai'i: Haole (pronounced how-lee). But now it refers more to "mainlanders" than just white folks.
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Isn't the literal translation something like, "not people" or "not us"? Hawaiians, in common with many isolated ethnic groups, refer to themselves by a word meaning, "people" or "us", and refer to all outsiders as "not us".

The sad part about Hawaii is the dwindling away of the Hawaiian people. More of the population is of Japanese extraction than of Hawaiian. Maybe I'm just bitter over the three Samoan guys who mugged my on Queens Surf back in 1978 :) Pretty much ruined the place for me.
 
PnyKlr said:
You have Portuguese relatives? Then you might know that Portuguese is not considered Hispanic (and many Portuguese would be offended at being considered this) and that there is not a good defining category in the US census to claim. "Other" always seems the most appropriate.
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Neither my Portuguese aunt nor my Portugeuse best friend are offended: both describe themselves as Hispanic. Yes, I have Portuguese relatives, Mexican relatives, Filipino relatives: my grandmother remarried after the death of her first husband. Grandpa Carlos Parnella was born in Manilla. Of he and Grandma Parnella's nine children, 8 married Mexicans, and the other married a Portuguese woman. I am none of the above, but my cousins, aunts and uncles are.
"Hispanic" is basically an American term referring to a person who lives in the United States but who originally came from, or whose family came from, South America, Mexico, Cuba or Puerto Rico. It is also used to refer to people from Spain (although they would be Spanish) or the culture of Spain.
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The US Government includes as "Hispanic" any persons descended from and speaking the languages of the Iberian peninsula, Mexico, Central America and South America, as well as the Caribean islands. It is an ethnic group, not a race.

Hispanic (Spanish Hispano, from Latin Hispānus, adjective from Hispānia, "Iberian Peninsula")
 
Ok well Ive learned alot about different races in the past few posts but lets stop this races thing before it gets out of hand.
Let's talk about thanksgiving break, where are some of you going?
 
jaxom1957 said:
The sad part about Hawaii is the dwindling away of the Hawaiian people.
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I know! The government has been trying to "revitalize" the Hawaiian culture and language, and there are actually schools that are being taught in Hawaiian-only at a certain age, and Hawaiian-English at other ages (I don't remeber which age gets what). The language has been nearly forgotton (in the general sense of use) and replaced with "Pigin," basically the Hawaiian Ebonics that was originally used as a means of communication between English and Hawaiian speakers.


jaxom1957 said:
It is an ethnic group, not a race.

Hispanic (Spanish Hispano, from Latin Hispānus, adjective from Hispānia, "Iberian Peninsula")
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Right, and the argument (I believe) being that Portugal is not included in this territory. I also remember my grandmother being very insistant that she was NOT hispanic! :grin01: But you know how grumpy old folks can be...


chibitamalove: Claiming "Japanese" will really help you out later on when it comes to funding for college. I was a minority, but not the "right kind" (Hispanic, Asian, Black). My dad was retired Air Force and was in a war or two, but not the right war (Korea, Vietnam, WWII). My mom retired from the Air Force partially disabled, but not disabled enough (go figure). With the cost of college now (tuition has risen over 12,000/year at the school I went to 5 years ago!) you would do yourself a great injustice if you didn't pursue EVERY opportunity for scholarships. That is, if you plan on attending college; it's not for everyone (my husband, for example).

Cegninedorf: But, back on topic: I will love my Thanksgiving...and your leopard geckos are SO CUTE! That beardie is adorable as well. A friend of mine wants to get one, and I told her about the former Lee Watson's (and what ever they have turned into) and told her to go there instead of the pet store (both for price and quality reasons).
 
chibitamalove said:
And the umlaut: Those are the two dots that you put over the "u", right? And then they make the "gwe" sound? We learned that in Spanish 2 this year, but I forgot what they were called. :/ It was in the word "nicaraguense". We were leaning about how to say where you're from. I am estadounidense, like many of you here. :)
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Races: I put "Other." :) Makes me happy, so I do it.

Reptiles/Beamer: At least your teacher is bringing them into the classroom. I just hope that Hermione doesn't have motion-sickness, especially after all of that waving at the board. :p

"Umlaut": I only remember the name of the accent mark in German, because, well, hey -- that's what you get for having a German mother and grow-up calling it that. :p Anyway, in Spanish it's called "la diéresis"...:) (Ever see "Legends of the Fall" dubbed in Spanish? I had nightmares about the diéresis because the youngest son's character kept his name in English, but pronounced in Spanish: "Sam-WELL", which would've used the diéresis, and to be honest, I couldn't wait for his unfortunate ending because I was so tired of hearing his name said that way...I saw it on a bus trip coming back to Madrid from Sevilla, and I was exhausted, too...:p)
 
PnyKlr said:
chibitamalove: Claiming "Japanese" will really help you out later on when it comes to funding for college. I was a minority, but not the "right kind" (Hispanic, Asian, Black). My dad was retired Air Force and was in a war or two, but not the right war (Korea, Vietnam, WWII). My mom retired from the Air Force partially disabled, but not disabled enough (go figure). With the cost of college now (tuition has risen over 12,000/year at the school I went to 5 years ago!) you would do yourself a great injustice if you didn't pursue EVERY opportunity for scholarships. That is, if you plan on attending college; it's not for everyone (my husband, for example).

Cegninedorf: But, back on topic: I will love my Thanksgiving...and your leopard geckos are SO CUTE! That beardie is adorable as well. A friend of mine wants to get one, and I told her about the former Lee Watson's (and what ever they have turned into) and told her to go there instead of the pet store (both for price and quality reasons).
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About college...absolutely! In talking about future children with my boyfriend, I told him that our children will be "Hispanic" because I've already paid enough for my college years and for their college years already, too. :p Thinking about that, I better get to work on those kids before my lil'kids are no longer the minority...:p (Please take my words with an enormous grain of sarcastic salt...I do make fun of everything, including myself, because life is so boring otherwise if it can't be laughed at...)

And, thanks for the kind words on my leopard geckos & baby beardie...I do recommend a bearded dragon as a pet. Jolie has been so easy to take care of, and it's great, too, because they're diurnal -- they have requisite bedtimes! The only downsides might be the enormous poos that they have & the claws -- they don't purposely scratch you, but it happens as they cling to you...trimming them can be as delicate as cutting a cat's claws -- you have to watch out for the vein that runs through them. I keep tiles in Jolie's tank to help with wearing them down...she's been fun, as they all have been. :) Just like having kids...:)

As for Thanksgiving break, I'm staying home, working on a graduate class project on Animal Adaptations (a class through the local nature museum, it's been fun...:) ) and cleaning my bloody apt. Hopefully packing some books for my impending move next spring. Eating yummy food. Sleeping. I'd be thankful enough just to sleep. :p Early happy Thanksgiving to all of you & yours, y'all! :)
 
Cegninedorf said:
As for Thanksgiving break, I'm staying home, working on a graduate class project on Animal Adaptations (a class through the local nature museum, it's been fun...:) ) and cleaning my bloody apt. Hopefully packing some books for my impending move next spring. Eating yummy food. Sleeping. I'd be thankful enough just to sleep. :p Early happy Thanksgiving to all of you & yours, y'all! :)
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Cool, I'm staying home too. I guess theres not many places to go when you don't have much family. Happy Early Thanksgiving to you too. Have fun with your class because there are so many things to do that involve thanksgiving, especially with younger kids. ;) Have a great short week. :cheers:
 
Woo Hoo! Three day work week...and Wednesday is an early dismissal day. I'm out at 1:00. YES!

Then I fast for my Italian mother-in-law's FANTASTIC cooking. It's an all-day event with her. :eek1:
 
Oh, YUM! :) To have *anyone* cook for me is a wonderful, delicious thing (most of the time!)...I'm going to cook & eat at home with the boyfriend. :) He doesn't mind if I eat too much, which is lovely...;)

The game plan for this short week is lots of "thank you" activities, discussion about Pilgrims and Native Americans, a turkey/"what I'm thankful for" project and I'll probably have the students observe TicTac & draw him when they finish whatever they're doing...that definitely keeps them busy for quite awhile. :) Oh, and we're going to start learning our "Holiday Assembly" song: O Tannenbaum. Last year, my kids sang "Jingle Bells" in French, much to the pride of my principal. This year, I'd like for them to learn one verse in English, the next in either French or German -- I haven't decided. I'd like to do French because of my Congolese student...I think it would be more fun for the kids. So, we'll see...:)
 
Cegninedorf said:
The game plan for this short week is lots of "thank you" activities, discussion about Pilgrims and Native Americans, a turkey/"what I'm thankful for" project and I'll probably have the students observe TicTac & draw him when they finish whatever they're doing...that definitely keeps them busy for quite awhile. :)
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I remember doing all of that, except the part about Fritz. :grin01: Sounds like a fun week for you and your students.

Cegninedorf said:
Oh, and we're going to start learning our "Holiday Assembly" song: O Tannenbaum. Last year, my kids sang "Jingle Bells" in French, much to the pride of my principal. This year, I'd like for them to learn one verse in English, the next in either French or German -- I haven't decided. I'd like to do French because of my Congolese student...I think it would be more fun for the kids. So, we'll see...:)
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Is Tannenbaum a word for Christmas tree? I'm not too good with other languages. :grin01:
 
"Tannenbaum" for me has always been the Christmas tree, but to be on the safe side, I checked Babelfish, Altavista's translation website...

And, a Tannenbaum is a "fir tree" per Babelfish. :) "Baum" means tree, and I guess when the translation of the Christmas song was done, "Oh Christmas tree" just fit with the rhyme...:) I usually search hard for a non-denominational/generic holiday song, but I was in a pinch this year, and this song seemed easy enough. My group this year isn't taking too well to learning other languages, so...*sigh* We'll see how this one goes...:)
 
Cegninedorf said:
My group this year isn't taking too well to learning other languages, so...*sigh* We'll see how this one goes...:)
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Your a great teacher so I'm sure they will do fine. ;) Learning other languages isn't my top skill either. This is my first year of taking Spanish and all of the others in my class have taken it for 8 years so I'm really far behind. Ohh well I'll get over it. Hope your group learns the song well.
 
PnyKlr said:
chibitamalove: Claiming "Japanese" will really help you out later on when it comes to funding for college. I was a minority, but not the "right kind" (Hispanic, Asian, Black). My dad was retired Air Force and was in a war or two, but not the right war (Korea, Vietnam, WWII). My mom retired from the Air Force partially disabled, but not disabled enough (go figure). With the cost of college now (tuition has risen over 12,000/year at the school I went to 5 years ago!) you would do yourself a great injustice if you didn't pursue EVERY opportunity for scholarships. That is, if you plan on attending college; it's not for everyone (my husband, for example).
I think it's unfair to be able to win scholarships for something you're born with. You should get scholarships for something you've worked for and strived to get at. Grades, athletics, etc. It's unfair to get a scholarship just because you were lucky enough to be born Hispanic or Asian. What about "white" people? It's not as if you can control who you're born to. I've heard that you can get scholarships if you're left handed. I think that's absolutely ridiculous. I mean, you can go to college cheaper because of which hand you write with?

By the way, I suck at learning other languages, too. I'm amazed I'm not failing Spanish! :D
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chibitamalove said:
I think it's unfair to be able to win scholarships for something you're born with. You should get scholarships for something you've worked for and strived to get at. Grades, athletics, etc. It's unfair to get a scholarship just because you were lucky enough to be born Hispanic or Asian. What about "white" people? It's not as if you can control who you're born to. I've heard that you can get scholarships if you're left handed. I think that's absolutely ridiculous. I mean, you can go to college cheaper because of which hand you write with?
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Oh, Chibitama, I so wish that that were the case...*sigh* I'd certainly have saved A LOT of money if I'd gotten more scholarships (because Lord only knows I couldn't afford it!)! I could go on about all that I did in high school -- and then some -- but it really all was blinded by my being Causcasian...as a white girl, I'm a dime a dozen. Now, if this was 1960, I'd have been sitting a lot prettier as far as financial aid was concerned...but then (in 1995) & now? Ugh...I couldn't even find anything to help with grad school (in 2002)...all I did find was that because I'm not Hispanic, I'm not worth the time. Apparently, as one African-American teacher told me (and this is someone that no one in my school respected, so I don't hold his words in any regard at all), I'm white -- so naturally I'm going to get into wherever I choose, and second, I'm white -- so I can afford it. I really so wish that both were the truth.

A friend, whose family is Italian, and her husband, whose family is also Italian -- except for his Cuban mother -- plan to claim his maternal Cuban heritage for their children to allow them some of the benefits included therein...sneaky, yes -- wrong, probably...but, really -- not such a horrible thing to do. The cost of college is insane. And, Chibitama, please take advantage of it -- because with all that I've already paid for my schooling, consider that I've contributed some to yours, as well. :p
 
Dave123 said:
Same here. I got a C last quarter and this one I have an A, but not for long. :grin01:
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It's not that difficult...no es tan dificil. Si no mejores en espanol, entonces voy a escribir mis noticias de mi salon/aula en espanol para que tu y Chibitama lo practiquen. ;) Es un asunto de memorizar el vocabulario...ve a las peliculas en espanol (hay unas buenas ahora...cuando estuve en el colegio, solo habia ET!), esucha a la musica (me gustan Juanes, claro que si Shakira, Lu -- es muy bien, y no me gustan Thalia y Paulina Rubio -- no pierdas tiempo con ellas!)...y, leo los libros o las revistas. Seguramente hace falta hablar con gente hispanohablante...pero, eres joven, tienes tiempo para aprender. Empece cuando tambien tenia 14 anos...puedes perfeccionarlo, estoy segura. :) Buena suerte! :)
 
Cegninedorf said:
It's not that difficult...no es tan dificil. Si no mejores en espanol, entonces voy a escribir mis noticias de mi salon/aula en espanol para que tu y Chibitama lo practiquen. ;) Es un asunto de memorizar el vocabulario...ve a las peliculas en espanol (hay unas buenas ahora...cuando estuve en el colegio, solo habia ET!), esucha a la musica (me gustan Juanes, claro que si Shakira, Lu -- es muy bien, y no me gustan Thalia y Paulina Rubio -- no pierdas tiempo con ellas!)...y, leo los libros o las revistas. Seguramente hace falta hablar con gente hispanohablante...pero, eres joven, tienes tiempo para aprender. Empece cuando tambien tenia 14 anos...puedes perfeccionarlo, estoy segura. :) Buena suerte! :)
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See in there I can pick out a few words that I have learned. Like you said I need to memorize the vocab. Well Ill try to do better this quarter. :)

Cegninedorf said:
I'm white -- so naturally I'm going to get into wherever I choose, and second, I'm white -- so I can afford it. I really so wish that both were the truth.
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Ya I think that that is totally wrong. Also when people say that African Americans are poor. You really cant judge anyone by their race.

Have fun this week, talk lots about Pilgrims and Indians ohh ya and Fritz! :)
 
Happy Holidays!

It's been awhile since I last posted, and it's been muy loco in room 210 the last few weeks! (It always is between Thanksgiving & the final holidays of the year!) But, I just wanted to share this last photo I have of a former colleague's (still a friend, though!) daughter with Fritz. :) My friend wanted me to take the photo to freak out her mother-in-law. :) So, I'm pleased to introduce you to Sophia Milagros (6 months in the photo) with Fritz.

(Sophia looks like she contemplating the best way to grab that there slithery thing! And...since when did stuffed animals come without fur??? Sophia is such a no-nonsense baby, she didn't fuss or get startled at all...too cute!)

Happy Holidays! :santa:
 

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I think it is awesome how you have incorporated your love of snakes into your second grade classroom. My kids when they were in elementary school had a 5th grade teacher who had a corn snake in the classroom. When my son had her for a teacher he asked me if we could keep the snake over spring break, of course I said YES!..lol

I had never had a snake before but always found them intriguing. So I went to the school the last day before spring break and brought the snake home for the week. We fed it once, a live mouse because that's what it was fed in the classroom.

Boy if I knew then what I know now about corn snakes I would have taken the snake back to the teacher and taught her a thing or 2 about husbandry, the snake was on aquarium gravel with no heat at all, no hides, nothing. Now that was MANY years ago, my son is now 18!

To this day my 2 girls(twins) still speak about how that teacher was the COOLEST teacher in the school because of her snake... To say the least she was the teacher that got us all interested in corn snakes.

Keep up the great work.. and Happy Holiday's to you all!!!!
 
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