Carnahan’s Convo’s

1. I dislike rude people and feel that everyone should learn manners. Parents teach your children these words – “please”, “thank you”, “you’re welcome”, “may I” “hello”, “goodbye”, “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Miss”, “excuse me.” Is that so tough?

Gestures are good too- shaking hands, opening doors, waving, eye contact, smiling, and talking without food in your mouth.

2. I love music soooooooo stinkin’ much! I pretty much listen to it every day. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about it or at least dream about recording it. I love playing my guitar. I may not be that good, but I love to play and sing.

3. I love mustard on my grilled cheese sandwiches. I only know of like 3 other people that do. I know it’s strange and twisted, but it’s true and I love them!

4. I still sleep in a twin bed that I had when I was 6 years old. I love it, it’s comfortable, and I live alone. Why change now?

5. I think my sister is the funniest person on the planet. No one will change my mind on that one. She can make me laugh in any situation and then again she can make me cry too from laughing so hard or from being angry at her. She’s great. She’s my best friend!

6. When my girlfriends and I were in college we stated that when we are old and our husbands all die off we will move to Florida and live in a house like the Golden Girls. Sad, but true and the plan still seems to stand. I was deemed as Dorothy, the retired teacher. Go figure.

7. I am very close with my cousins. We grew up together at my grandparent’s house on the weekends and we are very close in age. This stands on both sides. I am close with cousins on both sides of the family.

8. I live in the same apartment that I lived in 20 years ago when my parents first divorced. It kind of looks the same. I have a few memories. Don’t remember moving in the first time, but I sure do the second time.

9. I often wonder what life would be like if my parents were still married. I wonder if they think about that as well.

10. I loved high school! I cried the day I graduated. I loved high school so much that I decided to go back to teach at the high school that I attended. I would not give up until I got the job. I love my job, the students, and the people I work with! What more could I say or ask for?

11. I once thought about moving to Haiti to teach at a missionary school for a year or a summer. I love it there! 4 mission trips later and I am I am still not tired of it!

12. I also thought about quitting college to become a missionary. After some prayer, I knew my calling was teaching and short-term missions.

13. I hate snow with a passion!

14. I would rather have a cold for 3 weeks than throw up for a day! It’s so gross and it’s the worst feeling in the world. I would rather gargle shards of glass.

15. My favorite holiday is the 4th of July. Independence Day. That’s something to celebrate!

16. My younger sister of 2 years can beat me up or at least she used to. We have not had a fight in a few years. I think I can maybe take her now. I have taken kickboxing. I have some skills.

17. I am my father’s daughter and it scares me sometimes.

18. I believe that Elton John is better than Billy Joel, but Fleetwood Mac is my favorite band and is way better than both. You can take that to the bank!

19. When people are late to events, it is a sign of arrogance. That person is holding everyone else up and assuming that they are more important and worth waiting for. Newsflash! It is rude and it holds up everyone’s schedule for the rest of the day putting them into a rush and a stressful time instead of a stress free time. I understand if something happens and you are unable to be on time.

20. President and government bashers drive me crazy. You have the right to an opinion, but if you didn’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain. Everyone should respect our president regardless of party affiliation. They are all men and not everyone is perfect. I can think of plenty of things that all the presidents in history did good and bad. He without sin, may cast the first stone. I would love to see half of the people who complain about our government and country try to run it with what little they know. See how far they get. We live in a great nation built upon solid principles. Let’s keep it that way and not let society tear it apart with our negativity. I will get off my soapbox now.

21. Ice cream is my favorite food. It’s not a dessert, but a food.

22. I refuse to read the book “Twilight.”  Vampire love does not thrill me.

23. In high school I would get homesick when I would travel, now I love to travel and be away!

24. Someday I would like to be a principal or a curriculum coordinator. That is in the future. Right now I am teaching. That’s where my heart is for the time being.

25. I became a Christian when I was in 5th grade when my best friend witnessed to me. I had always gone to Sunday School and church, but the true and real commitment was not there. I rededicated my life to Christ when I was a sophomore in college and it has been awesome ever since!

Saratoga Palio Half Marathon 9/20/09

So on Sunday, September 20, 2009,  I finally completed my first half marathon in Saratoga Springs, NY! 13.1 miles of pure intensity! I will admit that I do not remember much of the race, but I do remember the training before, the start of the race, brief moments within the race, and of course the finish. On Saturday morning, my aunt, uncle, and myself loaded in the car and headed east to the beautiful part of the state where I was to compete. My final placing was 97th out of 486 runners with a time of 1:41:39. My initial goal was to do it in under 2 hours, but the main goal was under 1:45. Mission accomplished! This was a huge milestone in my life as I prepare to do another half marathon and then complete a full marathon (26.2 miles).

I never run or race with a watch. I just run, but this week I began to ponder the thought of running with a watch. I could not sleep all week. Times and splits went through my head with the time I wanted to run. ”If I run this time for this many miles I will have this time… and then if I run this time for this…” I was driving myself crazy! The week was full of protein shakes, water, and light workouts. I was babying myself big time! Saturday morning came and it was time to leave at 6 a.m. I was tired and I slept the whole car ride. The night in the hotel was great with a light swim and a belly full of carbs! I slept like a baby because I was so worked up all week. Sunday morning came around and I was up and it was COLD! 40 something degrees to run in! Not my forte considering I love to run in the heat. The race started at 8 a.m. The race started, I ran with a watch and I warmed up. I started to look at it for the first few miles. I was so focused on that time and just finishing. I finally just decided to forget about time because I realized the human body can only give so much. I trained hills and in a way where I get faster with each mile. I knew I could do this! I do no remember looking around much, but I do remember looking up through the Saratoga Springs State Park and “WOW, was that gorgeous!” I also took water and gatorade at all but 2 hydration stations. As I kept running, I stayed with one girl for a few miles and I thought about staying with her for the majority of the race, but then she fell back. I then started picking up my pace and began passing people. At mile 7 I knew that I needed to take my inhaler as my asthma would kick in at the end of the race when I was ready to shift into high gear. Mile by mile, I passed more and wondered, “Am I going too fast?” With the final 3 miles left, I remember thinking, “This is the WeedenRd. loop, push it!” This was where a little incline came and I crushed it! The asthma kicked in shortly after, but “NEVER QUIT!” rang in my head (I will get to this in a bit). I did not quit, I kept going. With a half a mile left, I thought of Steve Prefontaine and giving all your guts. That’s what I gave, wheezing and all. As I crossed the finish line, after 1:41:39, I claimed my medal, my 97th place, and waited for my cousin in-law. This was a memorable event in my life that I will never forget and to have my family there to witness it was even better!

Some do not realize the amount of time and energy that goes into such an event, but I trained for many months with a goal in mind, to finish the race. Throughout my life, my father and grandfather have always taught me to never quit in anything I do and to hustle  (meaning on and off the court and field) in everything I do (besides school work- take your time and do not be careless). My father would tell me that if you quit something then everyone would know and no one wants a quitter, no one forgets. He would also tell me that everyone notices when you hustle. With that being said, my father and uncle are probably the 2 most hardworking men I know. I want to be known as a hard worker like them. Now, back to running. On the most horrendous days of running when my body hurt, I never quit, as those words rang in my ears. When I was sick and tired and the weather was cruddy, I never quit. On a rainy day when I was scheduled to run a 5K, I ran it in a monsoon, I never quit. It was this attitude that my father and grandfather placed in me. It is this attitude that I place in my cross country team and also in my students. It is one that I want to place in my future children. It is one that I use concerning my faith as an overcomer of many things and not to quit, to run the race.

It’s funny, I was not a runner in high school. In fact, I played volleyball, basketball (attempted), softball, and later track. It was not until about a year and a half ago that I started to take running seriously. I was occasionally entering 5K races and doing okay in them, but then I started winning my age group. It was then that I wanted to take it to the next level. My confidence was elevated! What is even more difficult is that my friends are not runners, so I am a solo runner at times, it’s okay, it’s my alone time. Running for me is an escape, it’s liberating. There are no boundaries.

In conclusion, I leave you with this, if you have a goal in mind, set it and never quit until you reach it. I did that. I have more to accomplish- another half marathon, marathon, and there are just tons of others in life besides running goals. The list goes on and on and on! I will never quit! As for running, I encourage you to try it. I am not saying you have to go run a half marathon, but try it, you might like it! I now have 2 people that I am beginning to train for a half marathon. This is fun for me! I encourage you to have fun in life and to never quit in all that you do! RUN THE RACE~NEVER QUIT!

First Day of School 2009

Ever since I was little, my dad would take my picture on the first day of school. As a little kid, I didn’t think much about this and just let him do this. We would wait for the bus and get our smiles on for the camera with our new school duds. I remember it vividly. After school, we would get off the bus and pile into the car and drive up to the school and then take our picture in front of the school sign. This was then followed by a trek down to the ice cream shop where we would then make ice cream mustaches. This was our first day of school tradition. Every year we got older, taller, smarter, and maybe a little mouthier. :  )

Over the years as we all got older, some of my siblings began to moan and groan about this little “tradition” of ours. The thoughts of being “too old for this” or “how embarrassing” would flood our minds. I for one, loved this idea that my father wanted to continue this tradition and that we still do it! Seeing the old pictures bring great memories of wonderful years up on the hill with exceptional teachers. Doing this with my father has brought me to want to pass on this special tradition with my future children.

When I received my teaching position at RCS in 2007, the first day of school came around and my father called and reminded me of what we needed to do. I really didn’t know what he meant, but then he mentioned the school sign, a smile came to my face. He wanted to keep the tradition alive! From here on out as I continue on with my teaching career, on the first day of school, we go up to the school sign and take the traditional first day of school picture. What’s even better is that it’s the school where it all began for me and now I get to go back and teach there. To see all the pictures from kindergarten to present is quite interesting! The change is drastic.

Some say tradition is awful and that it needs to be broken. I am one for tradition, but at times, you do need to mix it up. I say, “keep it alive!” This is one tradition that I will keep alive because it has kept a relationship with my father and I alive. It’s something very special. I value this tradition very much. Take the things in life that you value and cherish them. Keep them alive, if you don’t they will be buried and be hard to dig up. Keep tradition alive!

Well… I have been wanting to write about this for a long time now and I finally have the time to do so now.  For years men and women have been serving our nation, risking their lives on our behalf for our freedom. This is something that I am very grateful for and I never show them enough or give them enough gratitude. Now, I do not want some of you to think “Oh, you are writing this because you are a history teacher and it’s your patriotic blah, blah, blah.” This is not a patriotic “blah, blah, blah.”  This comes from my heart and I have always been like this. I come from a family that has had military grandparents and were Legionnaires, I was the poppy girl, and I never miss a Memorial Day parade with the ceremony. It means that much to me. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. I cry when “Taps” are played, I stand at every “National Anthem”, and I stand when an American flag goes by and place my hand over my heart. It’s respect and I’m proud to be an American.  Many of my classmates have served or are still serving in the military as we speak. This makes me very proud and nervous at the same time. As they are out protecting us, I am here in the U.S. and so are you, safe with our families. That is a price. We worry about the car we drive, the clothes we wear, the newest gadgets we want to buy, but what the men and women on the battle-lines worry about is surviving. If we walked a day in their shoes, how would that change our perspective on life? I look at one of my best friends who married one of my other friends who is also our classmate (they have 3 children), he is deployed and has lost numerous men in his unit. The risk factor in their unit and missions is way beyond our comprehension. The things he has witnessed, we will never know and will never want to know.

I write this not to make people feel bad, but to thank my fellow Americans for serving and protecting us. You made the choice to do this and for that I give you the utmost credit for your dedication.  I am proud of you and proud to be an American. I hope that this has opened the eyes for some people. Even writing this has opened my eyes up. Often times when you put things on paper, you gain a new perspective on it. You also at times ramble on, which I hope I’m not doing.

At this time I want to thank my classmates that have served or are currently serving in the armed serves. If I missed anyone, I’m sorry and please respond back with a comment.

THANK YOU! :  Sarah, Jordan, Scott, Justin, Kiel, Mike, Tyfeny, Lindsey

This weekend was a rough and tough one. I experienced so many emotions in one day. Laughter, sadness, happiness, and the most important of them all JOY. It was this weekend that a woman of great faith and courage was laid to rest, Joy Jones. This woman was considered to be one of my many adopted grandmothers. She treated me as if I were her real granddaughter, giving me love and encouragement throughout my whole life. Every time I saw her she always had a smile on her face.

Joy was a fighter until the bitter end. Throughout her life she battled sickness and NEVER EVER gave up. NEVER. Her courage and strength through all of this has taught me so much. Not once did she complain or put blame on anyone, but she reached out in her faith even more. This has influenced me in such a great way even more. As I sit here and write about her, so many memories come to mind about her. There are too many to write about. Her smile is indescribable. For those of you reading this, if you never knew her, I wish you had the opportunity. You missed out. I will tell you this, let her story be an inspiration to NEVER EVER give up when times are tough. Never complain. There are people that have it much worse than you do. I have witnessed that first hand.

As I leave you, let me give you this piece of advice, when times are hard and you want to give up, think of this- WWJD. I know some of you are thinking ” What Would Jesus Do?” Yes, I am a Christian and I do believe that strongly, but I also believe this as well- “What Would Joy Do?” Let me tell you this, Joy would not give up. She would not. Grammy Joy did not and she would not. Her faith led her and her joy led her. She will be missed greatly. : ’ (

All I can say is that I am so excited to have my friend Hanna in from Germany! I have not seen her or heard her voice in 8 years! Through the wonderful use of snail mail and technology, we have been in contact over these long 8 years, but we just came face to face for the first time.  It was like we never missed a year. The first night of conversation was for hours over Lake County Dairy pizza (it’s what she wanted). We spent so much time together over the week. I am so glad that I had time with summer vacation for this!

Now to the good stuff on perspectives!I had the opportunity to gain her perspective on things from her country. Some of those things were in relation to history- WWII and Hitler. I know, I know, you are all thinking, NERD, you are a history teacher, but she noticed the book on my coffee table and brought it up! What a conversation and what a great perspective to see it from. As Americans, we need to see things from another perspective. We never do that. Hearing her talk about the Berlin Wall coming down and how Germans still today after 20 years of it coming down view one another and have discrimination amazes me. We Americacns do this even though we claim we do not. It happens everywhere.

Another cool thing that I did not know about was her hertitage. Hanna is part Swedish and German. In Germany, when you reach a certain age, you must chose what citizenship you want to claim if you are not just German. Hanna informed me that she is no longer German, but that she is now Swedish. I thought that was pretty cool, so I can no longer call her my German friend, but in my heart she will always will be! LOL. Of course you have the quirky little things that she says or asks and we all love it! :  ) “How do you say______?”

Over the week, I had the opportunity to take her back up to the the school that we attended- RCS! She was amazed on how much it changed and great it looked. She kept using the word “AWESOME!” Throughout the “tour,” she took many pictures and asked many questions. I also asked her many questions about education in Germany. To my surprise, she said that education in Germany is a lot more difficult! So… students, let this be a lesson, that when we assign you homework, you could have it worse! LOL. This is also a great lesson to all that we have a great educational facility and that we should not take it for granted. It should not take a foreigner to come in and tell us this.

Throughout the week I had more conversations with Hanna about Europe and what the European perspective is on Americans. She would ask the same thing about Americans to Europeans. It was quite interesting. I really do not want to go into detail what some of her answers were, but I do know that we as Americans need to be more aware of the rest of the world. There is a big world out there and we should want to explore it! I know I am looking forward to seeing more of it.

As I said goodbye to Hanna, I was saddened. We both said that it would not be another 8 years before we would see one another again. In fact, I am going to try to go over there next summer for a visit! I want to see Europe and see the world! This makes us more well-rounded people and also helps us see other perspectives. I am very fortunate and thankful to have a friend like Hanna. I will miss her very much. I know that I will still have a strong friendship with her through the use of technology and snail mail (she still has my letters). Cherish your friendships even though they may be distant, you may be amazed on how strong they really are! Hanna you rock!

On June 17th I had the opportunity to embark on a journey to Niagara Falls with my 8th graders and other chaperones. What an adventure! It was awesome! We loved it! What beauty and it’s all in our backyard! I have been to Niagara Falls many times, but never on the Maid of the Mist or on the Cave of the Winds. It truly was a different experience this time around. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go with my students and share this experience with them. To see the joy on their faces and hear the excitement in their voices was a treat in itself for me.

As I stood on the Maid of the Mist boat being “misted”, I gazed at the mighty falls and was just amazed at the creation of them. Wow, the sound and the motions! The waves rocked the boat from side to side, kids bumped into me and yeah it was a bit of a struggle to maintain my composure, but it was fun for them. LOL. I walked off bone dry, the students, not so much. Some had torn ponchos or tore them on purpose. I guess it’s the age!

On to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch! Fun for all! The staff did the “YMCA” dance for us and some of our kids danced along with them. It was great. Great food and fun.

The Cave of the Winds was next on the list. There is nothing like walking up to the falls and getting wet and even letting them pour over you. The ponchos were a help, but not for some. The sounds and mists were all part of the experience. Here’s where I got a little wet, but not drenched. We walked up to the “Hurricane Deck,” the kids were all egging me on to stand under the falls to get wet. I was very hesitant and not one who likes getting wet and being wet and cold all day. Yeah, not my idea of a grand time. Mr. Caldwell, the MS principal, jumped in and said “I’ll do!” As he was doing it and raising his hands in the air like a little kid with all the others, I was reminded of what it was like to be a carefree 8th grader. He came over to me and said, “You have to do it, there is so much power!” I suddenly, had the urge to just let go and do it. I didn’t care about being wet and cold for the remainder of the day. It didn’t matter to me. The need to keep that 40 year trapped in a 26 year old body didn’t need to happen anymore. It escaped. I did it and I felt the power of the falls. It was amazing and I really didn’t get that wet. The kids were amazed by that, so was I. I felt like a youth! : O

As we walked out of the Cave of the Winds, the rain came. Bummer. We were not able to go take pictures by the falls, but it did not matter to our students, a great time was had by all. We loaded on the buses, wet, cold, and with souvenirs in hands, en route to Randolph. For some, this was a first time journey to Niagara Falls, and for others this was just another trip to a familar place. One thing is for certain, I will never take this place for granted again as I had the opportunity to see it with a fresh set of eyes and with a different set of people. It’s always a new experience when you go and I cannot wait to go again!

I want to thank those that made this trip possible, your support and generosity are greatly appreciated! I would also like to thank my students for allowing me to feel young and rejuvenated on this trip in school. My last thank you is to Mr. Caldwell, thanks for being such an awesome boss and for making this trip happen. You helped me to come out of my comfort zone not only on this trip, but in the classroom as well. I will miss you as an administrator and also as a mentor! Thank you!

Well, here I am on vacation in Florida and I must say it is a change from my other vacations and from life. Normally, I have a fast paced life- be here, go there, do this, do that, call him/her, finish this, finish that, etc… you get the picture. My life is fast and my vacation time is full of finishing “little” projects. Not this time. Nope. This time I am in Florida visiting my aunt and uncle and I have made no plans to do really anything. Yes, I do have some homework to do and a few papers to grade, but I have made time to do that and then time to relax!

My time has been filled with sunbathing, boating, shopping, running in the sun, and doing whatever I feel like. I have gone to bed early and have slept in. That has been non-existent to me for a long time now. Even on the weekends during the regular year I have been unable to do this. How have I missed the boat here? Why am I all of a sudden able to do this now? That I have no idea, but it’s something I obviously needed and I have been blessed with it and granted it.

Some of you reading this are questioning me-what is your point to this blog? Well… my point is this- take the time for yourself! Do this regardless of the price at times. I needed this and I feel great right now! A little R and R never hurt or killed anyone. I am still living and I even have a nice little tan to go back with (maybe even a little southern drawl- nah- I’m a Yankee). I have escaped the hassles of life back at home for just over a week and normally I am fretting about what is going on back at home. Not this time. I have learned to escape and do this alone. I try to take a vacation every year during spring break and take a true vacation. This time I think I have taken a true vacation where I am totally relaxed and will come back refreshed and recharged! Watch out Randolph! LOL! :  )

Finally! Finally, I talked my 84 year old grandmother into coming into my classroom to talk about the Great Depression. It took some persuading, but she did it! She would not do it last year. Last year’s grade found out and was even a little jealous. Sorry guys! Today was day one and after two blocks, I was so proud. I was proud of the fact that she had the strength, courage, and mindset to do such a thing. I am proud of where I came from and I am to be her granddaughter. My students were so excited to have a live body in the classroom that experienced first hand the Great Depression. With questions in hand, they asked away. It was so “great” to watch them huddled around her sitting on the floor like it was story hour just glued to her. Their eyes and ears were stuck on her like white on rice. I had never seen anything like it before at the 8th grade level. It was “great!” What was even better was that she is a graduate of RCS- class of 1941. She shared many stories of growing up in Leon on a farm, boarding in town to attend school, and the hardships of living poorly.

For me, this was a time where I as able to bring something to life for my students. I was a bit nervous on how this would work. Would there be enough time? Would the questions they had be too deep? Would grandma’s stories be too dry? As I walked into school in the morning I realized I had to let it all go. It was not up to me to decide how it would all work and it would work itself all out. Each class is unique. Each class will bring forth a different story that she will tell and their questions will shape her responses and theirs as well. I cannot wait to see how this ultimately affects their lives’ in the future. I loved how she made connections to the current times and how the possibilities are unknown.

In today’s age, the classroom must be brought to life. It was great to bring my grandmother in. It was even better to gain a compliment from her as she watched me teach. This was an exciting day!

Today was a really good day. I had the opportunity to inform my elementary colleagues about a program we are using in the high school called The Thoughtful Classroom.  I had a great time doing this and I hope they had a great time hearing from us! This program addresses teaching to the learning styles while giving some great strategies and tools to do so. This is something that I never heard about when I was in my undergrad taking classes, but you can bet that I wish I did. This program has helped me in so many ways. Very beneficial and something that every educator should grasp. At least take a look at. If you have not, it’s go time! : )

In essence, we as educators must be aware that everyone… students and ourselves all perceive and process information differently. If this is true, we pay attention differently as well. If all minds perceive and process information and also pay attention differently, then they must also learn differently.  Therefore, we as educators must differentiate our instruction to meet the learning needs of our students to their style. If we do not, we are doing a disservice to the education community in a sense. What are we doing for our students? What are we doing for ourselves? This is our job. It is not an easy job sometimes, but someone has got to do it.

Like all students and ourselves have learning styles, we have teaching styles. There are times when our teaching styles just do not mesh well with a student’s learning style. This does happen. It will happen. What do we do? Ummm….. don’t panic. Becoming educated about the other learning styles is the first step in truly understanding where your students are coming from. I can remember some teachers speaking to me and it being like a foreign language to me… it was because it was not to my learning style. No offense to anyone. It happens, I may be guilty of it at times. No one is perfect.

Learning styles breakup: Mastery, Interpersonal, Self-Expressive, Understanding

Where do you fall?  I have taken the learning styles inventory 3 times and have changed a little each time, but one thing stands true. I am a true interpersonal learner! Stand strong! Over the course of the year I have gained a better understanding of the 4 learning styles and have realized where my students are coming from. Through this my instruction has morphed along with assessment. Engagement and enthusiasm has increased. What more could a teacher ask for?

I challenge you as a reader to embrace learning and style in whatever realm you are in. Whether you are a student, parent, teacher, administrator, community member, etc., take your style and appreciate it, but also appreciate those around you. Educators- learn about style, you will see results. You’ve got style!