if u cn rd ths thn u r smrtr thn a frst grdr

What does it take to be smarter than a first grader?  I have some issues when people who can't spell publicly display their inadequacies and deficiencies.  Some of you have seen my collection of writings that were taken from the educational realm that I work in.  Some of you have heard about the terrible errors presented to educators, not from their students, but from their leaders.  I would like to include this type of debacle in the teaching section of my blog.  If it's something I find in public view, I will try to capture photos and share.  If it's something I hear or read, then trust me when I present it to you in writing.

Finally, I will not share commonly misused/mispronounced words that have their roots in slavery.  We have learned that many of these forms of English were the result of the West African slave trade, and they are really not "mistakes" but they follow a rule-governed system in language.

The following examples have nothing to do with slavery!  I hope you aren't fans of these errors!!  :-)

• Is "supposably" a word?
• How hard is it to know the difference between it's and its?  Does anyone know the purpose of the apostrophe?  When in doubt choose "C" not "apostrophe!"
• Cindy Nail  (This is the sign of a nail salon, but I guess you only get one nail polished or possibly you may purchase a nail and hammer)
• Cigarettes and Tabacco -Sign on Manchester Ave. Do they mean Tobacco or Tabasco? I'm not sure!
• Saw a truck with a painted panel for his business that said "Hany Man Hauling and Repairing" OMG isn't it easier to spell "handy" than "hauling and repairing?"  Or was his name Hany?

Things That Make My Blood Boil (new items added)

Maybe it's just me and my lack of patience, but there are some things that really make my blood boil!

1. When a non-black person joins the internet dating service, "Black People Meet" and expects other blacks to want to meet him/her.  It's just dumb.  That's what EHarmony is for!

2.  Someone talking on their cell really loud in line anywhere where it's inappropriate.  And when I turn and look at them, I can't even get eye contact because they're so caught up in their conversation.

3.  When someone says I'm expecting too much of someone else.  Hell, everyone expects too much from me and I strive to do it all so why can't they do the same?  LOL...I'm just sayin

4.  When someone's blinker is blinking for 5 minutes and they never turn.  When they finally turn, it's the opposite direction!

5.  When a parking meter only takes QUARTERS.  Money is money!  And don't most people NOT have quarters?

6.  When a bill collector asks me if I can get a payroll advance from my job in order to make a payment on time.  Duuuhhhh, when your job has furloughs, they don't have money to give IN ADVANCE!!!!!!!!!!!

7.  When I come home from the grocery store, finish making pancakes, and realize there is no SYRUP!  Who didn't remind me before I went to the store?

To be continued...
8.  When I hold the door for someone going inside a building and they don't acknowledge that I could've let it slam in their damn face!

9.  When I'm in the grocery store looking for something on the shelf, with only a little space between me and the shelf, and someone walks in front of me and gets an item off the shelf!!! 

Hoarder Headquarters

I was watching television this evening and saw the preview for the latest reality TV craziness called Animal Hoarders!  I instantly thought, "Well I would rather hoard pets than trash!"  Then I realized how easy it would be to have a show called Teacher Hoarders (teachers who hoard school supplies, not students or animals).  Here's an example:

Sometimes a teacher is in need of yarn at the spur of the moment.  She (never he) sends a note to alllllllllllll the teachers she thinks may have extra yarn to loan her unexpectedly.  Each teacher she sends the note to, reads it and thinks to herself, "Is the yarn easy to get to or do I have to hunt for it?" (hint: sign of hoarding)  By the time the student monitor goes to each of these teachers for yarn, the lesson has lost its excitement.  Why?  Because when the child comes back WITHOUT yarn, the teacher will tell the class, "We will do this another day because no one in the whole school has any yarn!" (hint: placing blame is a sign of hoarding disorder)  The class grumbles and the teacher says, "Well let me look really fast to see if I have any yarn." (hint: signs of hoarding coming).

The teacher opens the "supply closet."  She stands there, with her mouth agape, hands on hips, back to the class and scans the closet without touching anything first.  She knows there is yarn in there somewhere.  She moves a few board games with missing pieces, empty scissor racks, and old jigsaw puzzles out of the way, and there lies 5 packs of colored construction paper!  No yarn.  Does she bother to keep looking for yarn?  No, because she is more excited to have found the pink construction paper that she has been looking for since Valentine's Day!

Yes, teachers hoard, but it's only because we are never sure if we will ever get paper again!
And the reason this teacher is a "she" and never a "he" is because if he had been teaching and needed yarn, he would have told the class to be ready for his magic trick and to keep their eyes on the imaginary yarn!

My mom has been fighting cancer for over a year.  The poem, "Gloria's First Chemo Treatment," was written while sitting in the Cedars infusion unit for the very first time with her.  It's very eye-opening and heart-humbling to experience the infusion unit.  If you are ever unsure of your peace, take a moment to visit.

Gloria's First Chemo Treatment

The first was the worst

I didn’t think I would make it through

My whole being burned a flame bathed in sickening blue

The pain was bigger than an ocean wide

Nothing was making me feel better inside.

The coming of dawn brought a new day

Feeling God’s presence in a welcoming way

I gave thanks for the breath of fresh morning air

And looked in the mirror to see I had lost my hair.

God, what is next, I asked in sorrow.

Quietly He said, “You will live to see tomorrow.”

Thank you, I whispered in complete gratitude

Now let me put on my new attitude!

The pain will come and it will go

Wigs will disguise the shame I won’t show

My appetite will change as the sun rises and sets

But knowing I am still alive is as good as it gets!

Shades of Blue

A sample of my poetic reflections

Shades of Blue

Every time I am near you

I feel a new shade of blue

When you touched my soul with your royal red fire

My passion burned in the glow of fuel blue

The day you told me my heart was golden

I was lighter than a cloudy sky’s blue

Every time I am near you

I become a new shade of blue

When you walked me into June’s purple sunset

My skin twinkled like stars in midnight blue

I slept in your arms of strength and onyx

Before you awakened me to love like indigo blue

Every time I am near you

I adore my new shade of blue

That sweet orange morning of sunrise and you

I absorbed you in a rainbow of azure blue

You kissed me like a wisp of violets

And I cherished that moment like Mediterranean blue

Every time I am near you

My joy is never blue.


Stacey L. Joy

Whiteboard Reflections

This school year was particularly difficult and I have been reflecting on it this summer.  Many people who don't work in education think that summer vacation is the "three months off" that teachers are given.  Well, quite the contrary, this summer it's the few weeks off that I have been "given" in order to plan lessons for the next 180 days minus 7 furlough days (173).  It's the few weeks I have been "given" to figure out how I will manage the cuts on my paychecks while "enjoying" a whole week off for Thanksgiving this coming  November.  It's the time I have to decide which workshops I will take in July, which program I can teach for in August, and when the money will actually show up on my paycheck, because of course teachers aren't paid for at least 2 months after attending a paid training.
Basically, I am spending this summer "vacation" working for delayed gratification...every awesome teacher does this, right?  

Heroines With Cancer

My mother has stage 4 ovarian cancer, meaning that it has spread to other organs.  But cancer is also spreading amongst my mother's circle of girlfriends and loved ones.  My mother's good friends, Lois, Jane, and Bernice have breast cancer.  My mother's long-time friend, Alora, has lung cancer that has spread.  My mother's friend and former co-worker, Evelyn, has skin cancer.  Of her dear friends, Gwen is the only one who has passed away from cancer that invaded her intestines.  What I wonder is why is cancer spreading through this circle of friends so viciously?  But what I am most proud to reflect on is how heroic each of these women are as they battle cancer for each other!

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• Is It Bloating or Ovarian Cancer? (lifescript.com)

Why is there a Naked Reflection?

Welcome to my very first blog! I’m so excited to have a forum to release and reveal my thoughts to the world! I can only imagine the praises, laughs, judgments, criticisms, and WTF’s that are headed my way!

I was inspired to do this blog as a result of 3 different people within a few days telling me that I always say what other people are thinking, and they asked if I considered blogging. I have always been one to share my thoughts either in writing, speaking, or through my eyes. Remember, your eyes are windows to the soul. So I thought, why not expose myself in blogs??

I anticipate that my Naked Reflections will open a door or two, at least one door in my life and hopefully one in yours. The most important goal for me is to uncover my thoughts and boldy face my Naked Reflections.