Liebster Blog Award - Questions Answered

As I stated before, I was pleased to be nominated for the Liebster Blog Award (no par value :)  I’ve discovered there are several interpretations of how it works. The version I received from Lynn at http://funinthefours.blogspot.com/ and from Darlene at http://meatballsinthemiddle.blogspot.com/  requires:

1. Link back to the blog that nominated you.  (Hope those links worked- we’ll see.)
2. Post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions posted by the nominator.
4. Create 11 questions for the people you nominate.
5. Choose 11 other blogs with less than 200 followers and link to them on this post.

Alrighty then... 11 random things~

1. Wind makes me cranky.
2. I love tennis, although my knee is not too fond of it right now.
3. I’m scared of heights.  Even typing that made my palms sweaty!
4. I’m ambidextrous.  I was supposed to be a lefty, but my kindergarten teacher changed me to a righty.  I thank her because, now I have 2 forehands and a backhand in tennis.
5. I played volleyball, softball and basketball in high school.  I tried track, but I don’t like running and they said I had to do the high hurdles (5’10) - that just didn’t work for me.  I only liked defense in basketball.  I could never decide which hand to shoot with (see #4) and that’s a problem.
6. I was a travel agent my last two years of college, living vicariously by making travel arrangements around the world for others.  The only trip I got to take was from Lubbock, TX to Padre Island after a hurricane.  
7. We’ve cruised to and from Alaska twice!  Best cruise ever!
8. I met a very distant cousin I never knew existed in one of my college classes.
9. I really hate left-turn red arrows and avoid them at all cost.
10. When I was in 4th grade, we were allowed to bring our favorite Christmas present to school with us.  Sioux City, in winter used to be very cold and snowy.  My favorite present was my first set of golf clubs, and that is what I trudged through the snow with me for show and tell!
11. I make awesome oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! 

Answers to the 11 (X 2) questions posted by the nominator(s) ~

Fun in the Fours posted these questions~

1. How long have you been teaching and what grade do you currently teach? I taught 22 years primarily in 6th grade.  I actually started teaching preschool and jumped up to 6th grade. I’m now retired, or should I say repurposed?  I have an after-school enrichment company, Learning Adventures, LLC, focusing on math and science.  I wasn’t done working with kids. :)   
2. What advice would you give a brand new teacher? Trust your instincts!
3. What made you decide to enter the blogging world?I wanted to share thoughts, ideas and help teachers find their teaching voice.
4. Which blog do you really love to read?There are so many, it’s overwhelming!  I enjoy All Things Upper Elementary because of the variety of bloggers that have shared.
5. If you could visit any place in the world where would you go and why?I would love to visit Norway and Sweden~ there’s a strong genetic pull for that region.
6. What pets do you have? (If you don't have any - what pets would you really LOVE to have?) We have a 135 lb. chocolate lab named Loki.  Personally, I think he has us!
7. When you were a child what was your favorite book? What is your favorite children's book today? My favorite book was/is A Wrinkle in Time, read to us by our 6th grade teacher.  That’s still a favorite, but I also like The Book of Three series, and really enjoy Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, as well as The Hunger Games series.
8. Do you speak any other languages? If so, which ones?  I wouldn’t go so far as to say I speak it, but I can figure out enough Spanish to entertain someone who can speak it.
9. What is one item you can't live without? I've got to have my music on one of my devices. 
10. If you look up from your computer right now what do you see? The front range of the Rocky Mountains. :)
11. What is your favorite charity?  Mother House in Boulder- They help unwed mothers.

Here are the questions from Meatballs in the Middle~

1. Which color reflects your personality?  I love color!! My files were color-coded, my notes were color-coded. My favorite color is blue or teal.  My power color is red.  Favorite pen colors are purple and green.  Yellow is too bright in the morning.  Orange is a transition color.  I’d have to say the rainbow reflects my personality. 
2. What is your favorite movie about education? Hmmm... The first one that came to mind was “Mona Lisa Smile”.  I liked that Katherine was able to break through the 50s stereo-type and remain true to her convictions, all the while challenging status quo.
3. What book are you currently reading?  Steve Jobs
4. Which song reflects your classroom?  “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley Vs JXL 
5. Do you have a favorite picture book? Which one?  I have many.  Love You Forever by Robert Munsch is at the top.
6. If your students could only remember one thing about your class, what would you want them to remember?  One of my former 6th graders, now a senior in high school stopped by to visit at the end of the year a couple years ago.  The thing he remembered- There’s always a choice! 
7. Which people would you bring with you if you had to be stranded on a deserted island? My husband, by best friends and their husbands~ it would be a party.
8. You're on the deserted island with all of your favorite people, but you can only have 3 nonessential  objects. What are they?  tennis rackets, a book of quotes, journal & colored pencils (I’m counting that as one :) )
9. If you could, which moment of your life would you wear on a locket around your neck? My first date with my husband!
10. Which famous person would you bring back from the dead to have a chat with?  Tough question.  It’s between Ben Franklin,  Albert Einstein, or Mark Twain.  I’d probably have to go with Ben Franklin.
11. Are these questions too hard, and do you want to stab me with a dull knife right about now ? :-)  Maybe not a dull knife, but it was difficult to narrow things down!

I’ll create the 11 questions for the 11 nominations, as soon as I find my nominees.  (Can you give the award back to the people that gave it to you?  I really like their blogs!)

Teacher!  I have another question!!

Still learning!

Pamela