Three Sunshine Award nominations later and a return to my laptop have finally induced me to respond. Thank you, friends!  In order my first nomination was from Jamie Fath and is included here in her blog “On My Mind.”  Then over Christmas, I was nominated by Vicki Vinton in her blog To Make a Prairie” and today I received my nomination from Julieanne Harmatz in her blog “To Read To Write To Be.”

The Rules:

• Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
  • Share 11 random facts about yourself.

  • Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.

  • List 11 bloggers.  They should be bloggers you believe deserve some recognition and a little blogging love!

  • Post 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate to answer and let all the bloggers know they have been nominated. (You cannot nominate the blogger who nominated you.)

My random facts:

1. I was born on Father’s Day and my dad always said that I was his best gift EVER!
2. I love the holiday tradition that my son began which is to eat pie/dessert at 10 on Thanksgiving or Christmas with dinner following at 2 pm.  “That way you always have room for dessert!”
3. I seldom have “birthday cake” and usually have gooseberry pie to celebrate my birthday.
4. I  have taught or facilitated graduate classes as an adjunct instructor for the past twenty six years.
5. I have participated in summer workshops or classes every summer but one for the past twenty eight years.
6. One of my favorite songs is “Pomp and Circumstance” and I have worn a cap and gown five times.
7. I really LOVE to read and wish I could think of a marketable book to write in order to be a published author.
8. Of my nominators, I have only met Jamie face-to-face.  I know Vicki and Julianne through their blogs and tweets and our #wrrdchat last summer.
9. My goal is to respond to at least one blog every day in order to encourage others to continue writing.
10. I love my job because I really am often paid to “talk!”
11. I love technology when it does exactly what I want it to do!

Because I had three different nominations, I am going to change the rules and answer 4 questions from each of my nominators!

Questions from Jamie: 

3. What’s your favorite ‘get to know someone new” question? I love “Two truths and a lie” because it requires close listening and a bit of creativity!
6. Now, what’s your dream job? I would love to be president of my own teacher education college in order to provide an education that would truly prepare teachers for their future jobs.
9. What’s your favorite thing to cook? My daughter-in-law’s corn dip that goes in the crock pot! – Simple and YUMMM!
10. Android or iOS?  Android

Questions from Vicki:

1. What book would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island? Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
2. What did you learn from your mother? That reading a good book was more important than cooking or cleaning and a lot more fun as well.
3. Where do you find joy in your classroom or work? When teachers or students excitedly share “what worked!”
4. What do you do to recharge? Attend high school or collegiate football games or wrestling meets, read my Twitter chat stream and chat with friends!

Questions from Julieanne:

2. Who was your hero growing up? My grandmother on my mother’s side who was a teacher, had 10 children, 56 grandchildren and always knew all of our names and birthdates!

5. What motivated you to start blogging? In order to talk with teachers about writing, it was important that I spend time writing as well!

9. What technology has made your life better? Skype – being able to visit with my son overseas and his lovely wife in Kentucky are fun  because of skype!

10. Why teaching? In third grade I wrote the traditional “When I Grow Up” paper in which I said I would be a teacher or a nun.  Too many raps on the knuckles with a ruler knocked out the nun.  I have been teaching in some format for 30++ years!

Bloggers:

Kathy Perret            @kathyperret      Learning is Growing

Shannon Clark        @shannonclark7  i run read teach 

Dea Conrad-Curry  @doctordea         Partner in Education

Melanie Holtsman    @Holtsman       Once Upon a Teacher

Jenny Maehara       @jennymae         Raising Voices

Rusha Sams           @RushaSams       Oh the Places We See . . . 

Amy                         @directoramy     Reflections on Leadership and Learning

Steve Peterson                                      Inside the Dog

Ryan Scala              @rscalateach       Tapping into Words

Tara Smith               @tara_smith5    A Teaching Life

11 Questions for the Bloggers:

1.  What is your most treasured piece of writing?
2. What author would you like to personally chat with (time travel is acceptable!)
3. What would members of your family say that you are somewhat obsessive about?
4. What book should never have been made into a movie?
5. What are the defining qualities of a “good book” in your own opinion?
6. What is your favorite sport and why?
7. In your life, is the glass typically “half full” or “half empty?”
8. What life accomplishment are you most proud of? And why?
9. What one word would your best friend use to describe you?
10. What is your favorite comfort food?
11.  What outdoor temperature range would be your ideal year round temperatures?