Saturday, September 17, 2011

THE BYU LOVE

Hanging out with Cosmo
Front row fan
Josh and Baby victory dancing at the stadium after the '09 Oklahoma win
Greeting the team at the Provo airport

BYU educated me lots and lots
Helmet-wearing victory lap around Provo
view from Josh's bedroom balcony of the Y
dancing during half-time as a BYU sophomore


Friday, September 16, 2011

MISS BELNAP DO YOU HAVE BREAST CANCER?

Just to clear the air for any confusion: I do NOT have breast cancer (nor will I ever because I won't allow it).  Probably 2-3 students per week ask me if I have breast cancer.  Even adults have been known on occasion to confuse my love of a cure for having the disease myself.  I support breast cancer because multiple women in my life have lost their lives due to the disease.  I started fighting especially because of my Grammy.  I am just a supporter, NOT a survivor.  And if you are wondering, I don't want breast cancer either.  My sister Jaimee is convinced she would probably need to congratulate me if I was ever diagnosed with it.  Please no.

Monday, September 12, 2011

TO: PARENTS

Teachers are on your child's side.

Teachers are not against you.

Teachers have a college degree.

Teachers do not have babysitter training.

Teachers actually do know what they are talking about when it comes to your child, we are with them in their truest form.

Teachers are not saying you child is awful when we call home to talk about their behavior.

Teachers don't actually sit at their desks all day because they are busy: teaching, managing, listening to kids, watching kids, scanning the room for texting and bullying, looking for kids that are not getting it, looking for kids that are moving ahead, answering questions, engaging kids, taking a mental note that your student is always asleep in my class so they need to get more sleep at night, pacing around the room so kids can always see me, changing the slide on my awesome PowerPoint, thinking of things to change for the next lesson, praying for the struggling student, hoping the students love history, hoping the students find history applicable, deciding who cannot work together in a group, deciding who can work together in a group, trying to apply landforms and weather to teenage life in 2011, making eye contact with the kid who is talking, confiscating notes that students are passing, and all the while still TEACHING.

Teachers don't actually hate any students.  We don't have the time to hate students.

Teachers do hate parents who go over our heads by taking a concern with the teacher straight to the principal.

Teachers do like to talk to parents.

Teachers do call home for good kids and naughty kids.

Teachers know your child has more potential.

Teachers know when parents did their child's homework.

Teachers know when parents didn't even know their child had homework.

Teachers can hear 17 different conversations at the same time.

Teachers can tell you more about your child than you would ever imagine. 

Teachers can break up fights before they even start.

Teachers have your child's best interest at heart.

Teachers actually teach from the state core, what the government requires them to do.

Teachers do not teach their personal religion or political beliefs in the classroom.  Really, they don't.

Teachers just want to stand in a room of kids who really want to learn something new.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

HOUSE GUEST

I spent Labor Day weekend hanging out with the Petersens.  Twas a great time.  They had only been residing in California for 3 weeks when I came to visit them but it felt like they had been gone for decades.  I hate not seeing these people whenever I want.  We definitely made the most of our short time together.  Friday was spent eating delicious Pizza in Folsom.  Saturday was spent in chilly SF.  Sunday was full of worship and touring Sacramento.  Monday was shopping, shopping, eating, shopping.  Thank you Allison and Kizzle for being the best host parents ever!

SF skyline
two history teachers @ Alcatraz
Kyle and I don't get too close ever
making fun of people who buy shoes like this




Fog = my arch-nemisis

totally love each other
surprising new love, thank you Grandpa Pete

two history teachers on a stagecoach

two history teachers in Old Sac

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

SAND PYRAMID


While vacationing along the Oregon coast this summer I decided it was high time to build a sand castle. But I am a history teacher so I'm not going to build just any sand castle. Nay. I built a sand (Egyptian) pyramid. It was actually a lot harder to build that it looks and it didn't look super awesome after it was finished. But I loved it. Josh and I worked on it for about 1.5 hours. Good times had by all.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

RETRACTION

Leslie is not a beyotch.

Leslie changed her mind.

Leslie is not moving to D.C.

Leslie is staying with me!

Leslie made the best decision ever!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

FORCED TO BE POSITIVE

Referring to the post I just wrote two hours ago, I need to be more positive. I decided to listen to some conference talks before going to bed. I randomly chose October 2009, Priesthood session, President Uchtdorf. What is this talk about? WORK! Loving work, working hard, being positive about work, etc. He spoke about loving his job of delivering laundry on his bicycle. I get it. Lesson learned. Stop wining that you just got a two month break. Stop wining that life is so hard that I have to go to work tomorrow. Stop thinking that going back to school is the worst thing in the world. Stop thinking that work is so hard and tiring. Seriously. I love that I randomly landed on this talk. Chance? Nope. I needed to hear it.

Side note, he also mentioned that working will upgrade your resume for marriage. True? We'll see.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

REGRETS


I am sitting on my back porch blogging the night before school starts. Only a select few know what thoughts are rolling through my head (Allison, Cameo, Sarah, Lisa, fellow teachers). I have the weirdest job because I love it so much but I dread going back at the end of summer. Looking at an entire school year from the very beginning its an extremely daunting task. All the things I have to accomplish in the next ten months just makes me so tired already. Last summer was effing awesome. This summer was not-ish. My regrets are as follows:

1. not getting out to see Cam in 'Bama

2. not skydiving more because it is awesome

3. only finishing three projects at my house (new granite counter tops, hanging curtains, and my luscious garden)

4. not exploring Utah enough

5. not doing enough service

6. refusing to go organize my classroom

7. not buying one of everything at world market

8. not realizing the joys of pinterest until mid June

9. sitting for a combined 123 hours in the classes I had to take

10. not getting Kathe's house painted

11. And to top it all off, my Mrs. Petersen left me. What am I going to do???



Tuesday, August 2, 2011

_______ IS A BEYOTCH

It's pronounced bee-otch. Anyway...these are some people who have left me and I hate them and people who are about to leave me and I hate them too (in no particular order):

1. Heather - moved
*Left me twice that trickster. Moved to Texas then came back to me. Now back to Texas. I guess that means it is time to come back to me??

2. Ashton - moved
*Left me for Virginia. Will probably never return to live in the west.

3. Allison - about to move
*This one will be awkward because we have never been apart. All I can say is I already booked my flight to Sacramento for 3 weeks after she leaves.

4. Jaimee - moved
*Left me for Boston. The Belnap children had never ever been separated until this beyotch decided to break from the pack. It is so weird to have our family split up.

5. Leslie - about to move
*Another one of those left-me-twice people. Left me for D.C. and oh wait, leaving me for D.C. again. So fussy.

6. Cameo - moved
*Left me for Alabama and a baby. Also left me to be CTL, not cool.

7. Erica - moved
*Left me for Kentucky. Left her dogs here so it is better.

8. Justin - moved
*Left me for med school. Can you call a boy a beyotch, because I just did???

9. Alisha - moved
*Left me for Vegas. Returns but not frequently enough.

10. Parents - moved but returned
*Nuff said

11. Sarah - moved
*Left me for Texas. Provo return ETA: 2012.

12. Lani - moved but returned
*Chose the right. Came back to Provo.

13. Kizzle - about to move
*The one taking Allison away. Watch your back, Kyle.


Why do you guys keep leaving?? It is so fantastic here. It is not so fantastic everywhere else.