~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
May 3, 2011

★~ Today’s Quote: In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day’s work.  It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.  ~Jacques Barzun

★~Terrific

★~Energetic

★~Able

★~Cheerful

★~Hardworking

★~Enthusiastic

★~Remarkable.

★~Today we say ‘thank you’ to the teachers that make a difference in the lives of children, and for the hard work they do each day. Teachers deserve to be respected, valued, and supported every day, but today, we take a little extra time to let teachers know that we appreciate the challenges and skills involved in teaching, and to applaud their efforts. (Update: Teachers will be appreciated on May 8th in 2012)

★~ Lumpy Rug Day:

If yours rug are smooth, but you once had a teacher you called lumpy, please remember that today we are appreciating teachers and not mentioning the lumpy ones. Just focus on the true meaning of Lumpy Rug Day, take notes, and be ready for a possible pop quiz.

Rugs are intended to be smooth and inviting, encouraging you to stretch out and watch television, play a board game, or do a little yoga. So, today is not about celebrating your lumpy rug but encouraging you to stop stepping over the lumps and to smooth them out. If you are a brave soul, perhaps it’s time to look underneath and see what’s causing the lump? Or maybe you’re afraid to find out. Fair enough.  Just roll up the rug and replace it.

Smooth or replace–today is the day to de-lump your rugs. Any questions?

★~ Today in History:

♥~1939 – Belly up to the bar for this one. Beer Barrel Polka, one of the standards of American music, was recorded by The Andrews Sisters for Decca Records. Patti, Maxine and LaVerne turned this song into a giant hit.

♥~ 1971- National Public Radio, the U.S. national, non-commercial radio network, was born. NPR’s most popular shows also include: Talk of the Nation, fascinating and thought-provoking discussions on the day’s issues and what’s behind the headlines; NPR’s Performance Today, a daily portrait of what’s happening in the world of classical music; and Car Talk, starring America’s funniest auto mechanics, the M.I.T. educated grease monkeys, Tom and Ray Magliozzi. Today, NPR’s satellite-based radio network of almost 600 member stations broadcasts NPR-produced or acquired programs to 13-million listeners in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

♥~ 1973 – Chicago’s Sears Tower was topped out. It was the world’s tallest building at the time — 443 meters

♥~ 1986 – Horse racing legend Bill Shoemaker became the oldest jockey to win the the Kentucky Derby. ‘The Shoe’ was atop Ferdinand for the win. Shoemaker was 54 years old. It had been 32 years since Shoemaker’s first Derby victory back in 1955.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1898 – Golda Meir first woman ambassador, minister, Prime Minister of Israel [1969-1974]; one of only two women to sign the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel; was given Israel’s first passport; died Dec 8, 1978

♥~ 1919 – Pete Seeger Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician: banjo, guitar, mandolin; singer: groups: groups: Almanac Singers, Weavers; solo: Little Boxes; songwriter: Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, Turn, Turn, Turn, co-wrote: If I Had a Hammer; social, civil and political activist

♥~ 1933 – James Brown The Godfather of Soul: singer: Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag, Please, Please, Please, I Got You (I Feel Good), It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World, Living in America; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer [1986]; died Dec 25, 2006

♥~ 1950 – Mary Hopkin singer: Those Were the Days, Goodbye, Temma Harbour, If You Love Me

★~ Did You Know:

♥~ It was reported by school systems that Edgar Allan Poe showed up in class drunk even during the examinations.

♥~ More than half of Indonesia’s primary school teachers are under 30 years of age.

♥~ In ancient Greece teachers were paid higher wages than skilled craftsman. They received gifts from citizens also. The highest paid teachers in Greece were music teachers.

♥~ Japan has the longest school year–243 days

♥~ Indiana has 9 of the 10 largest high school gyms in America.

♥~ The items most frequently packed in a school lunch are cheese sandwiches, apples, and chocolate chip cookies.

♥~ The following states allow schools to “paddle” students without notifying parents first Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

♥~ Approximately 480,000 yellow school buses carry 25 million children to and from school every weekday.

One of our teacher friends on Facebook recently entertained us with stories about a principle she had in grade school named Mother Annuciata, but nicknamed Mother Annuncifarter. Naturally another Facebook friend had to comment, ” Hahahahaha, instead of The Flying Nun, your school had The Farting Nun.”

Another teacher friend is facing cutbacks at her school district and was offered a teaching job at the juvenile detention school. When she mentioned that she was concerned because she would be teaching a number of kids who had committed serious crimes, including one kid who killed his mother, we all reassured it that it would probably be ok ….After all, it’s not like he killed his teacher. She took the job…stay tune and we will share how her year went.

I thought the best line came from another teacher friend who said she made it a point to meet the parents of all her students early on in the year because the better she got to know them, the easier it was to forgive their children.

Most of us remember the bad teachers we had growing up, but many of us also remember the good teachers — the ones that tugged and pushed us towards the next plateau.

What about you? Did you have a great teacher growing up? Do share if you have the time — Odd Loves Company!

Don’t forget to thank and appreciate a teacher today but remember to raise your hand and ask first!

♥