Non-Traditional Thanksgiving

As long as I was on this Earth and beyond my family use to gather at my great grandparents house for Thanksgiving. As the years passed my great grandparents slowly faded. Today both are gone, though we celebrated years after both passed, this year was different. We stayed at our own house and celebrated Thanksgiving with our close friends and other family members. We had a wonderful time not expecting everyone to come. We had moments when we were just sitting at the house wondering who invited all of these people. Any other Thanksgiving my mom would be cooking all day and we wouldn't eat until Friday. The Thanksgiving she finishes early everyone comes over and eats everything, which was fine with us because our refrigerator wasn't over flowing with food. So we are good. A break in tradition went fine so, we had fun.

Paraphrasing

2. The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25.
Organized crimes, bars, and jazz were the highlights of the twenties. The police seamed helpless when herds of protesters were utilizing their rights. Classical music soon evaporated as jazz slithered its toe tapping, slow gyrating, smooth mellow tune in every bodies hearts. The bars were up and running, though liquor was against the law. The flapper was unique during that times also, bob hair cuts and mini skirts were the fashion of that time.

Some People Should Never Cook..

     For years my grandmother cooked Thanksgiving dinner. She would start with the greens and end with her homemade dressing. She is a genius when it comes to preparing a meal she knows exactly how much to put in what. My grandmother, I do admit is not to good with macaroni, but she makes up for it everywhere else.
     One Thanksgiving my entire family met down my late great grandparents house. Everyone was instructed to bring a dish, big mistake. There is always one person who cant cook to save their lives, in my family its like 3. Number One is my mom, most definitely, the only thing she cooks well is fried chicken, fish, and polish sausage, and that's prepared on her George Farman Grill. Number Two is my dear aunt, she is a full-time school principal, and cant cook worth crap. Her food is sometimes over seasoned and sometimes under seasoned, and she uses vinegar to prepare her ribs. YUCK!! Her macaroni is OK, and her baked beans are decent. Number Three is my cousin she is like 24, and I have to give her credit she at least tries. Her scalloped potatoes are delicious, but her ham is dry.
    They all have their positives, but they all tried to do something new for Thanksgiving, wrong choice. We had my cousin baking an upside sown cake, dry, and not enough sugar, my mom preparing the greens, three words, NASTY AS CRAP, and my aunt ham, dry, dry, dry. Some people should just stick to their best recipe and don't use the entire family as test dummies until they become efficient with the recipe.

I am Thankful for the Many Blessing God has Given Me

     God has done nothing, but bless me in my short life. He has given me a wonderful family and wonderful friends. He has provided the advice needed to get through some days. God has done it all. Every praise I send up he response with the blessing being sent down. I don't know where I would be without the grace of God. I'm super grateful for having him in my life. He has took my family through a lot to get where we are today. We have our season to Spring-up past expectations and Fall-short of goals. God is the only person could really save me from this agony this world creates. The violence and the world ignorance alone could really wreck someones mind. This world is cruel and who better to save other than Jesus.Blessings will follow as long as you follow the grace of God because he want take you where the same grace cant rescuse you.

10 things I am thankful for:

1. God for sparing his life
2. Many Blessings God has given me and my family
3. Being able to see another Thanksgiving
4. Family
5. Family unity
6. Friends
7. My trials and tribulations
8. My family's economic status
9. My life in general
10. The news

Education Pros and Cons

I wonder what goes through the mind of the opposers. The people who oppose the Common Core Standards haven't looked completely into the reasoning of this plan. Being able to join the other 38 states in making sure our kids have a wonderful education to me is an accomplishment. We will be able to compete with other states on exceptionally academic levels. Those that oppose will have to come up with a better reason of why not. Money should not be a factor in this argument to why or why not.

Education

The Alabama Board of Education will decide next week whether to join 38 other states in adopting common standards for math and English language arts.

The Common Core State Standards outlines what students are expected to learn in those subjects in each grade. It's an initiative led by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

The standards have been controversial throughout the country. Some state board members say they fear it's the first step toward a nationalized education system.

Deputy Superintendent Tommy Bice says four public hearings across the state have been held on the issue, and comments received were "overwhelmingly in support" of the standards.

I think this would be a wonderful idea. This would boost the academic performance rating as an entire state. We will be comparing our students with the students from other states and countries. Teaching is very beneficial and the students would want to take their knowledge everywhere, and if the teachers are not touching on certain basis the students would be clueless once they get to where they are going. Whether it is out of state or in more an advanced school. Students need to have the privilege of learning in advanced levels to succeed and the bias and race issues need to be extinguished.

Major Changes

     I have made wonderful process since starting this journey. I do admit to falling back a few times, but my faith is my breathe of hope. If I didn't have faith in the All Mighty God I wouldn't be where I am today. There were numerous occasions when I have wanted to quit. My faith, family, and drive for success is what anchors me. I know I have to make the necessary provisions to accomplish my goals more accurately to not fall where I am today, attempting to maintain a B in a super easy class is not where I should be. I really should improve my study habits because that is where I walk the plank the most. Sometimes I end up at the edge near the water or in the middle, but never one foot in the boat. So I have to alter my behavior and priorities to accommodate my goals.

Arkansas School Board Member

PLEASANT PLAINS, Ark. — An Arkansas school board member who said on Facebook that he wanted homosexual students to kill themselves has resigned from the panel.

The Midland School Board said Monday that Clint McCance has submitted a resignation letter.

McCance announced Thursday on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" that he would quit because of the condemnations that followed his comments.

McCance posted his remarks in reaction to a campaign asking people to wear purple Oct. 20 to show solidarity after several gay and lesbian youths killed themselves after they were bullied. McCance said the dead children "killed there selves because of their sin."
McCance did not return a phone message left by the AP at his carpet cleaning business in Pleasant Plains, about 70 miles northeast of Little Rock.

Prankster gets shot and killed

ATLANTA — Authorities say a driver enraged because a 17-year-old boy egged his Mercedes on Halloween fatally shot the prankster in the neck and throat as he tried to run away.

Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones says the driver confronted the teen and fired 10 shots at him around 8 p.m. Sunday. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office says the teen, Tivarus King, died as he was being taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.

Jones says officers dispatched to the scene in northwest Atlanta spotted a gold Mercedes driving by and detained the driver. She says the suspect is being questioned by homicide investigators but has not yet been charged.

Change

Completing my profile paper has made me change my major to early education. I am so proud because while teaching I could still attend law school. I've always wanted to be a teacher and a lawyer and going this route really allows me to reach my goals. My family was so excited because literally 80% of my immediate family are within the school system. I feel I made a wonderful choice to of route to take.. I'm ready to accomplished my goals..

Profile

Mrs. Shirley Browder, dedicated member of First Baptist Church of Ripley St., passionate ,now retired, school teacher, exuberant Title 1 personnel.  Impacting the lives of others is a drive of its own. Being able to touch the hearts of many is a calling only someone truly special could have; Mrs. Shirley Browder has castigated the competition single handedly.

Mrs. Browder started her journey to success at the University of Selma, a community college, in Clark County, from there she matriculated to ASU for her Bachelors, and AUM for her Masters in Reading.  Her very first teaching job, where she admitted to being very nervous, was for Selma City Schools where she stayed for a total of 15 years. She had crossed multiple thresh holds, with her first class being 99% Caucasian to a class that is now less that 5%.  Soon after competing her 15^th year she transferred to Montgomery County Schools, where she remained until retirement. 

Being a teacher is not the easiest job in the world. Dealing with the rational behavior and cry for attentions is said to be the hardest part. Having love and passion, as Mrs. Browder says, is the equation of making the teaching experience a breeze.  Teaching is designed for people of love, compassion, and patience. Mrs. Browder’s advice to people who are interested in pursuing education is to “Love what you do, and have a desire to continue to learn.”

Touching lives for a living is magnificent, and having your life touched is even better. Mrs. Browder remembers quite a few of her students’ stories that really hit home.  One of her students was physically handicap; only having one arm never stopped him from reaching his goals. She said she would catch him sharpening pencils, using the old manual pencil sharpener, by himself. He was a prime example of life goes on.  Another student who she impacted in particular was an LD (Learning Disability) student. She provided him the extra help he needed. He is now doing exceptionally well. The best feeling in the world is witnessing your students’ light bulb. It’s almost a “Hey, I’ve got it!” During the spring after Standardized Tests, Mrs. Browder and her class would perform musicals for the administration and parents. Her most common musicals were the Wizard of Oz and Runaway Snowman.

As time pass the disposition of students change. Mrs. Browder said her earlier classes would come in and sit down. Today, teachers would have to calm those kids down, and then make them sit and settle down to start class.

After teaching Mrs. Browder became the Title 1 personnel for her school and later a reading coach, just to begin instructing once again. Working within the nucleus of the school, leadership roles are required. Mrs. Browder has helped organized multiple parent, teacher, and students meetings because it is believed that it takes an entire village to raise a child. Having friends, family, and teachers on your side is truly a royal flush.

The biggest issue within the teaching system, Mrs. Browder says, is the paperwork aside from planning. If unfamiliar with the system, there are multiple procedures that are required for certain aspects. When submitting money teachers now have to not only right the amount, but they have to fill out three different forms for the same materials. 

The NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND Act is another huge issue that is within this profession today. The No CHILD LEFT BEHIND Act is basically an act pin pointing the reading levels on society. It states that by 2014 each student should be reading on grade level. Mrs. Browder’s advice to improving students’ performances is to first correct the teachers’ actions and focus on the weak spots of the students.

Before technology was as innovative as it is now, there was a lot of writing. Now by the clacking of keys and the clicking of the mouse the work is done. There continues to be the traditional “write on the board” mentality. Multiple schools now have even upgraded to smart boards.

Mrs. Shirley Browder has impacted multiple lives. She especially touched mine. Just last week I wanted to be a lawyer. While interviewing Mrs. Browder I heard the calling to teach. I informed my family of my new findings, and changed my major to Early Childhood Education because I want to impact lives just Mrs. Browder has. Being a lawyer is somewhere down the line of my future ,but becoming a teacher comes first.