Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot.  Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around.  This time, the music comes first.  Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination.  As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Then, write the scene.  Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing.  At the end, you will share your writing.  Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?

Some of our pirate maps are now displayed in the hallway.  Along with the October classroom decorations, our hallway bulletin board is host to a collection of tiny skeletons that peek through, setting a perfectly-frightening mood.

The pirate maps were a terrific addition to what seems to be our theme for the year - Details are Important.

It doesn't take much to change a classroom.  With the Union Jack now removed as we move into the Revolutionary era in American history, things looked a little bare...until I pulled out a few subtle decorations for the season - a few spiders, mice, and skeletons scattered here and there, the room quickly shone with a completely different aura.

Upon hearing of the Battle of Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga), students had the chance to "scrimshaw" their own "powder horns".  Using bananas, which resemble the shape of a powder horn like those carried by explorers and soldiers in the 18th and 19th centuries, our students carved their own images and messages into their powder horns using a map pin.  The images appear to darken almost immediately, leaving the effect of a fully-decorated and important piece of equipment that was a necessity for troops on the move.

Even Mr. Bozarth got in on the fun, when students roped him into "autographing" their powder horns.

Caves are ecosystems that boast more than just bats.  There are other intriguing creatures here, and we're looking at a few of them in the coming days.

Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot.  Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around.  This time, the music comes first.  Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination.  As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Then, write the scene.  Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing.  At the end, you will share your writing.  Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?

The Honor Roll list for our class is pretty impressive, with a whopping nine​ students boasting all A's on their report cards for the first quarter and seven who have A's and B's.  That's 89% of the class!  Here are the lists:

My dad worked for dozens of years in positions that involved measurement and inspection of parts - fine parts measured in microns, some of which became part of water pumps and some that ultimately were installed in space vehicles.  He worked for over four decades for companies that were leveraged to one another - General Electric, Honeywell, Magnetic Peripherals, Seagate, etc.  He spent year after year picking up parts, placing them against probes, and either accepting or rejecting the parts.  And then he retired.

As a person who is nearing retirement myself, something about my dad's memorial service, a week ago, strikes me as profound.  Where was the talk and reflection about the career years?  Not one speaker spoke of the workplaces in which he spent so much time.  Outside of one line, prepared by my brother and me, there was not a single mention of his primary job.  Instead, the people who spoke - an elder, a preacher, a school secretary, a Spanish teacher, a granddaughter, and a wife - spoke about the man, not an employee.  They talked about his spirit, his influence, and his generosity.  They spoke to his passion for his family, his garage sale hijinks, and his Scriptural accuracy.  We remembered his senses of humor and adventure.

Sometimes, when we go to the movies or as we watch a show on TV, we are transported into the plot.  Directors understand that their selection of background music can change and enhance a scene.

Now it is time to turn it around.  This time, the music comes first.  Do not watch the video; instead, let the music lead your imagination.  As it plays, allow it to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written.  Then, write the scene.  Use all the visual imagery you can muster in your writing.  At the end, you will share your writing.  Will it stand on its own, without the music in the background?