30 reasons I love teaching high school

1. 2:10 pm
2. High school football
3. wild and crazy hallways
4. "I love you Miss Stokes"
5. Friday night basketball games
6. "Miss Stokes, I am saving a dance for you"
7. Suck ups
8. UBSCT testing days= 55 minute class periods
9. 2 weeks vacation for Christmas
   
10. at least one day off per month
11. "You sound like a smurf"
12. chaperoning high school dances
13. "You look beautiful"
14. payday
15. Huge classes
16. The idea that we will very soon be getting technology : )
17. SBOs
18. "Miss Stokes, can I please have your number. I promise I will only use it in an emergency!"
19. "This is my favorite class"
20. "How many houses are there in Idaho? Two?"
21. "Do you eat potatoes every day?"
    
22. Late start days
23. Renaissance Meetings
24. Building Committee Meetings
25. "Miss Stokes, you look like crap"
26. Hall passes
27. Tardy tickets
28. Hall sweeps
29. "What can I do to get my grade up? I know I never come but I really need to pass by tomorrow?"
30. June, July and August!!!

I love my job. All of the quoted ones really have been said. Some, you are not quite sure how to respond and others you just smile and laugh. I never thought that being a teacher would be the hardest but the best thing I have ever done. It is so rewarding and in the end, when you see them on Graduation day, accepting that diploma, you know that you had some sort of influence in the life of a young person!

Five Girls + One House = The Time of Our Lives!!!

What great times you can have in a house of five girls!!! Biggest Loser Nights, Cycling at Sugarhouse, late night chats, Monday night dinner with the boys, girl talk, Thursday Institute, Five Guys (the burger place and we wish there were Five Guys)....the list is endless.

Wrestling Matches, tacking Allyson while she is on the phone, Allyson getting a "sneak peek"

Sushi + Carrie = a bad mix. I tried sushi several years ago in college and couldn't handle it. Happy Chinese New Year and I tried it again. Yup- can't handle it at all. I was very proud of myself for trying it but I think I will stick with the egg rolls and fortune cookies : )

Kaylin trying to teach me how to dance. Yes, this is going to be a lifetime process. Dance parties are a common thing and random acts of dancing happen often. One of these days I will learn or...I might not. But, at least there will be a lot of laughs along the way

Weekend Adventures in...Rexburg Idaho!

I love long weekends which almost always ends up with a trip of some sort. Mid January means the end of the term which means a day off for me. Kaylin and I thought we would take a little venture to Rexburg, our old stomping grounds.

It was a fun weekend. I saw my family, watched some basketball, shopped, ate....Fabulous times and not enough time. I stayed with Emily and Seth and slept on their couch. Ate lots of German pancakes and watched some good movies. Mary also came on Friday and tried to get some school stuff done. 4 Stokes girls (and one husband, Seth) always will be good times.


I loved my time in Rexburg and was able to see the angel Moroni put on top of the temple. It's so beautiful and it was a great day to take some pictures.

After a day of shopping ( I know, in Rexburg, pretty hard. I actually got pretty lucky which usually never happens to me!) We headed to Sugar Salem High School where Nathan and Josh were playing basketball games. I wish that the result would have been different but it was so fun to watch them play. They are both so fun to watch. They're so good and are great examples on the basketball court. Also, we got to see Coach Stokes in action!!! They all did well but lost. Next time, they will get them. There is just something about losing to Sugar (and to Shelley) I hate it. It makes me so mad! But, we'll get them in the end.

Josh is number 21. He is so good and so fun to watch.

Nathan is number 1. He is so fast and so fun to watch also. They both make things happen and are extremely unselfish. They are great examples on and off the court.

It was a great weekend and a great time with the family. I continued to enjoy my long weekend on Monday and did some fun shopping with Kaylin for our house and other fun things. Had dinner with friends and then, back to work. Those work days are definitely worth it to have days off to spend with family and friends.

Your voice: such a wonderful thing!

My adventure began Saturday on my drive back to Salt Lake. My throat was feeling scratchy...no biggie. By that evening, it hurt so bad. Found the trusty flashlight.....sure enough. It wasn't looking good. So, my attempt to go to the doctor to get rid of what I thought was strep throat failed. My that afternoon, it was fine. Just a cold. So, I didn't go. Before I know it, Tuesday morning comes and I am voiceless!!!!

I attempt a 5am moan....nothing!!! Tried to scream in the shower. Nothing. Unfortunately, I lost my voice. And bad. I get to work and scramble to find something where I don't have to talk. Thanks to the Social Studies Department at Hunter High. My loss of voice turned out to be great. My kids were awesome but I did love some of the responses I got, hence the picture of Papa Smurf...
My classes are great and so honest. The girls are sympathetic, some laugh (and it's okay because I laugh too!) Then the winner....

Student: "Miss Stokes, you sound like a smurf"

class laughs

Me: "Thank you Student" (name will remain anonymous)

Student: "Well, actually you sound like Papa Smurf but I didn't want to make you feel bad!"

For the record, I am feeling better, still have no voice but now sound like a man rather than Papa Smurf!!!

Christmas in Idaho

Happy 2009! The last few weeks have been great spending it in cold, chilly Salmon, Idaho. It's always fun to get together with family and enjoy laughs, movies, food, games and great memories.

We have not acted out the Christmas story in quite some time and got a kick out of doing it this year. No- Emily is not pregnant!! Her and Seth played Mary and Joseph and she got a little feel and is not quite ready for it! We had a great laugh as we acted out the special story of the birth of our Savior. Though we laughed at our wild costumes and gifts, we felt very strongly the importance of the season and why we celebrate Christmas. Even through the ripping open of paper, there were still tears and lots of hugs. Emily and Seth receiving their own Nativity puzzle from Dad. Sara getting a spoon holder from Dad. Mom and her "yearly" calendar being used to show off all of her children! Cinnamon rolls and our box of cereal topped the morning off!!!

A Christmas snow is always coveted by many and we were lucky to have one this year! Though our snowmen were few and far between- and little- we had a great time playing in the snow. Sledding, building snowmen and snowball fights. Unfortunately, the snow did not last a long time. It became a regular cycle- nice big snow storm, forty degree weather, the image of grass, freezing wind. Repeat several times!




Thank goodness for Sharkey Hot Springs and the chance to warm up after a long cold day outside. Sometimes working, sometimes playing.



Christmas is a great time for family to get together. Grandpa Jolley was able to have a lot of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren around him for the Holidays.


Another great year has come and gone. May this next year bring as many good and happy memories and many more blogging moments!

You gotta love High School

My one year and a little bit at Hunter High School, home of the Wolverines as been an adventure in itself. I am truly grateful for my job and those great administrators who hired me over the phone! As I walked into my own classroom, August of 2007 I stood there for at least ten minutes, not sure what I was doing. Now, a year and a half later, I still love my job and love it at Hunter High. What makes it so great has got to be the kids that I teach. They make me laugh every day and even though I say they will bring on my gray hairs, I love it.

Here are a few experiences I have had that makes me realize how funny and great my job is!

On Sunday, I went to a missionary farewell of a young man that I taught last year and it was a great experience. I was talking with his dad afterward and he said thanks for what a great influence I had on his son. It is moments like that, that makes it all worth it.

I gave a bonus question today on my quiz, "What is your favorite class and why?" Totally a freebie question. Well, a few responses....

"I like this class because I have a crush on the teacher!"

"Miss Stokes'. Duh!"

"This one. And, Miss Stokes can I please have your number because I promise I will only use it for emergencies"

Grading quizzes are definitely entertaining!

Sure, sometimes it is hard work but it is so rewarding!!!

Counting down the days: Christmas

After a wild and crazy week at Hunter High, I am thrilled to know that there are less than two weeks until Christmas break. Oh, how I love the Christmas season. The lights, the trees, the songs, the treats, the parties, the family, the nativities, the traditions....


Everyone has their own different traditions that make them unique. I love the traditions that me and my family share. Here are just a few

1. Knicker knocking: How we love this tradition. Finding a family, shopping around for them, very very sneakily walking it up to the door, knocking and running. I remember one Christmas, I was about 12. We picked a family who was really struggling. My mom parked the car on the road, right behind a tree. My dad grabbed the huge box full of food and presents and off he went to play "Santa." Of course, no one ever saw him!!!! So there we were, 6 little kids and mom sitting in the big blue suburban watching our dad drop off the gifts. This family had a huge window and we were able to see everything. I remember the kids so excited to get this Christmas. They were throwing their presents up in the air in pure enjoyment. As a young 12 year old, this moment changed the way I looked at Christmas. It was no longer about what I was getting, but what I was giving

2. Tree Hunting: I love real Christmas trees. Going out into the mountains, hiking around and looking for that perfect tree. Sometimes they are bare, or yellow, or crooked but, we always end up finding that perfect tree that looks gorgeous in our house. Not only do we love looking for trees, but decorating and making it feel like Christmas. 3. Pajamas: Christmas Eve=pajamas. Our colored strips or stickers trying to disguise our presents is handed out to who we think is the proper owner. Paper is ripped and correct pajamas are given to the correct person. What fun it is to begin our Christmas this way.

There are many things I love about Christmas. I could go on and on- but, the real reason is one that is often forgotten. To remember the birth of our Savior, as he is the true reason for the season.