Sample--Informal, informative

Ahhhh Summer Fare.  There are so many good, fresh, healthy foods out there this time of year.  It is my favorite time for munching and crunching!

Fresh, healthy foods are an investment in your health as well as your wallet.  Before we dive into some of my favorite recipes I want to share just a couple of money saving tips for your eating pleasure:

• The Garden, my passion, on so many fronts. It embodies good health, good stewardship, and good eats!  According to USAA: "A National Gardening Association study found that families with gardens spent an average of $70 on supplies and reaped $600 of food a year." Grow Money in Your Backyard  That is a wonderful investment!   (Want to read more thoughts on the benefits of gardening? The Many Benefits of a Garden)
• When foods are in season that you regularly cook with, take green peppers or onions as an example, buy them in bulk when they are on sale.  Chop them up and store them in serving size quantities.  During the winter months you can pull them out and cook with them as desired.

Do you have a favorite summer recipe?  Leave a link to it as a comment!  What makes it a favorite?  This a great opportunity to share it on your own blog and then link to it here!  I'd love to try something new, add a new recipe to my repertoire.


Taken from: http://militaryblog.militaryavenue.com/2011/07/slice-of-summer.html

Sample--Journalism

Casey Anthony, who earlier this week was found not guilty of killing her daughter, was sentenced on Thursday to four years in jail. The precise amount of time she will spend in jail has not yet been determined but it is likely to be significantly less than one year and could be as short as a few weeks, given the nearly three years she has already served.

Judge Belvin Perry said he would need to meet with lawyers for at least an hour Thursday morning to decide Ms. Anthony’s jail term based on how much time she should be credited with, including time served for good behavior. A decision is to be reached sometime Thursday.

 

Ms. Anthony, 25, was also fined $1,000 for each of the four counts of lying she was convicted of for her statements during an interview with the authorities investigating the disappearance and death of Caylee Marie, her 2-year-old daughter. Ms. Anthony showed no visible emotion as her sentence was being read.

Taken from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/us/08anthony.html?ref=us

Twitter

   Every teacher should get on twitter.  There's a lot of reasons why this is true, but I'm going to retell a story that happened in my class this year.  It involved the following:


COMMUNICATING WITH AN AUTHOR WERE READING ABOUT HOW HER BOOK CHANGED MY STUDENTS' LIVES.
                             

Speak Loudly--Update

 
   We're also reading Speak.  I think a lot of us are finding it a very powerful experience.  I know the poem "Listen" brought some emotions to the class that are pretty special.  It's an important book, I think many of us realize that.

   And then those two things, social media and literature combined.  I tweeted the following today: 

@halseanderson I teach Speak to a class of all boys. Your poem "Listen" was extremely emotional and eye opening for them today. Thank you.

  I was communicating directly to an author.  Thanking her for her work.  Thanking her for creating art that changed my student's lives.  Amazing.

   Better: she wrote back.

@MrFlynnWave Thank you for sharing that with me!

 Unreal...

I am so moved by this experience as an educator and a life-long learner right now, I hardly know how to express it.  I guess I just feel so blessed to be working at a time when this is possible.

  It truly is an amazing world out there.  Reading and writing helps us understand it and express it.  Days like today are why I love what I do.

               ....YES THIS HAPPENED.  

                                      ...THAT IS ALL.