Funny Things Kids Say

I think I have the greatest job on earth. I get to spend every day rediscovering the world! These kids are amazing. They have such bright minds and loving hearts, and the way they look at things is a real joy. I get to guide them and enjoy the excitement of discovery as they learn things. Sometimes, without even intending it, they can be hysterical! I have learned some pretty funny things over time, and the kids seem to love looking for ways to make me laugh. I'll admit that I will occasionally be a little silly myself (who, me?), but these kids are too much fun not to enjoy!
Some of the most recent lessons I have learned...
1- If you give kids duct tape as part of a science project, they will hear the word duck and quack intermittently for the next ten minutes (and look so surprised when a "quack" involuntarily escapes from their lips...)
2- If you have kids that aren't paying attention when the bell rings to come in from recess, a) it is hard to whistle for them when you are laughing, and b) if you whistle for them like you do when you are herding cattle, it is imperative that you do not call, "Here, kids! Here, kids!" They will "moo" at you.
I actually have 12 little birthday cake posters in my room with the kids' birthdays written on the appropriate month. This has been the cause of wonder and amazement for my kids. A few days ago, they finally came up with an answer that satisfied them. The conversation went something like this...
Jacoby: How did you know my birthday was in December? How did you know the day?
Shawn: She's psychic!
Jacoby: (only 5 minutes previously had told me a veterinarian was someone who didn't like to eat meat) Yeah! That's it! She's psychotic!
How can you help but love that?!

Old Pictures

Once upon a time, back in the dark ages, I was on the Drill Team for my high school. We'd march at half-time at the basketball and football games. It was lots of fun, (and yes, I could do a split and high kicks!)but I'm paying for it now.
We had a program at the end of every year where the Drill Team would perform our best routines for an audience and the Senior girls would be honored. My dad came to a halftime performance once when I first made the squad, and my mother came to the last halftime I performed in, because the mothers were given coursages by their daughters. They called and told her to come, and I was shocked when she actually showed up. Since I am the oldest of six kids, there were always little ones at home that needed Mom and Dad worse than I did. My parents came to this last performance, and when I got home with all my uniforms, Mom insisted I model them so she could take pictures. This one was my favorite. We called them our "Gold Stars".

Heartbreak and the Loss of a Twin

My brother-in-law, George, died at 12:02 a.m. on July 6, 2010. He had been on his way to the fireworks display the evening of July 3rd and somehow laid his ATV over on its side. He was found and taken to the local hospital where he was treated as if he were a family member. They couldn't have done more for him!
Jim and I had been checking on him and all signs were that he was improving. I had a workshop scheduled, and the hospital staff told us they would take good care of him, so we left. The phone rang at 1:00 a.m., and we were notified that they had been getting ready to transport George when his oxygen levels dropped and his heart stopped. They worked for an hour but couldn't get it started again. After we got things taken care of there and hung up, we started packing to drive home. I'll never forget hearing my husband mourn the loss of his twin and the painful whisper, "I'm alone now!"
I had not considered what being a twin meant. Fraternal twins, like Jim and George, start out as one being and become two people. There is a bond that only twins share. I think Jim actually feels as if half of him has died. I don't know what to do or how to help him! He was there for me last month when my friend, Pam, died. Now it's my turn to be there for him.
Everyone, please wear protective gear when you ride an ATV.

Reflections on a Friend

I lost a very good friend, collegue, and mentor Wednesday. Pam Annas was the 6th grade teacher at Mexican Hat. She had been there for 27 years and she was devoted to her kids.
I learned so much from her. She organized me, taught me to see the humor in everyday things, and helped me hold things together when I had struggles. She loved the Lord with all her heart and served Him always. She knew when people needed help and gave it willingly.
I am so glad I was able to spend time with her just a few days before she left. I will miss her so much!

Learning to walk ...again!

My brother-in-law George and I went over to Grand Junction, Colorado yesterday to pick Jim up at the VA hospital. After his left-leg amputation two years ago, they told him he would need a prosthesis only for balance. He learned how to get around so well on crutches that they decided he could learn to walk again, so he spent the last two weeks in intesive physical therapy learning how to walk again. He is amazing! There is a lot to remember, but he walked out of that hospital on his own!

A Little More

I am the oldest in a family of six kids. Mom grew up in Colonia Juarez, Mexico, and became a United States citizen the year I turned 10. Dad grew up in Blanding, Utah, and had served a mission to the Northeastern States. Mom was getting ready to go to Texas Brownsville, and needed some advice. Dad's sister gave her the address of an RM who had gone into the Army and needed a penpal. The rest, as they say, is history!
Obviously, I grew up with a love of country and the parental expectation of a college education, because neither of them had one.
I graduated from Weber State University in May of 1990 and started teaching in Halls Crossing, Utah, where we had 30 kids in the whole school (K-10), 15 of them (K-3) in my class.
In January I married James O. Kensley, and two weeks later he shipped out for Desert Storm--his second war. (The first was Viet Nam.) He spent six months in Germany.

Amy's World

I decided to create a blog so I could be sure I would have a safe place where my pictures and thoughts could be found.

This is me when I graduated from college in 1990. I had a BS in Elementary Education, and I first started teaching in Halls Crossing, Utah. It was a two-room school, and I had 15 kids in my class grades K-3. (The other room had the rest of the school--4-10, and the other teacher!) It was a good year!