Three Things Thursday

1. March Madness! Did you fill out brackets? My dad runs a pretty big pool every year, which I always enter, and typically end up near the bottom for the final results. I like to pick teams based on mascots: TCU Horned Frogs are always winners of at least one game for me, as well as Gonzaga, just because I like the name. I used to follow basketball much more than I do now. As you (most likely) know, running is my sport of choice. However, I played AAU basketball for four years when I was younger and then three years of varsity basketball. My, how things have changed. But I will always love March Madness.

2. Thursday is my Friday. Tomorrow I am taking my first day off of school all year, and I am greatly looking forward to it. I need a day off to just "be." I plan on sleeping in, going shopping for a few things, and going to a doctor's appointment with my sports medicine doctor for a follow-up appointment in regard to my Achilles tendinitis.

3. Ms. Thinner = Queenie? My students are doing a persuasive essay on why someone should read their favorite book. I read them one of my favorite books, Mr. Skinner's Skinny House. In the story, Mr. Skinner is lonely and tries to find people to live with, including a sign maker, his aunt, an actor who plays Pinocchio, and a band called the Asparagus Stalks. His skinny house does not work for these people for various reasons and ends up wanting to up it up for sale, until he runs into Ms. Thinner. As my students were discussing ways to persuade others to read this story, they said text-to-self connections. My inner reading teacher was rejoicing as the kids said this. Then they proceeded to tell me that skinny boys could relate to Mr. Skinner and I could be Ms. Thinner, which made me laugh.

Happy Thursday! Happy St. Patrick's Day! I bet you didn't know I'm 25% Irish!