Things I Have Learned From Living in Jordan Valley

I am on my 26th year of teaching in my wonderful small town of Jordan Valley. I must say that time has flown. I am not sure it was in my plans 26 years ago to stay here to long but I have really come to love this little slow pace western town. I thought I would take some time and share with you what I have learned living here.


1. No spurs in the classroom. It scratches the floor finish and they can be considered a deadly weapon if two students get in a fight.


2. According to my students it would take them most of the day to ride their horses to school. Even tho on the old time western shows it only took them a couple minutes. To help students out we do have one bus route and students are paid milege to drive to the bus stop or to school.


3. Sports are the social events of the town. Eveyone seems to come to the games but not just to watch the students but to get caught up on community events. Basketball games are usually a "sold out" event.


4. We do have religon here. For a town of less than 500 we have a methodist church, a morman church, a catholic church and two "christian" churches. This does not mean that eveyone is in church on sunday but if they want to attend they have lots of places to choose from.


5. You live in a glass house. Everyone seems to know everything or at least they think so. I was warned in college that small town teachers live in glass houses but I think everyone in the community is in a glass house.


6. Students do more good things then all the bad things that make the newspaper. By in large all students are wonderful young people. They do make stupid mistakes but I have never met a students that was truly mean. I am amazed how willing they are to run errands for me and how respectful they can be.


7. Parents play a BIG role in education. Parents that talk with the children not just about school but about life are helping their children. I have found that Parents approval is a very important motivator. If a child thinks that a parent will "kill them" if they do not do something it seems to work as a motivator. So does Parents just asking how things are going.

8. Don't go to the bar in town for drinks. You might run into some of those gossip people or some of your students.

9. Children always want a snow day. (like today it has been snowing since school started) However we have only had 2 snow days in the 26 years I have been teaching here. If the bus can run then we have school. I asked one of my students what if you were stucked here tonight. That did not go over very well.

10. We live in a zoo. Although Deer are the most common wild animal around. We do get warning of couger, coyote, skunk, rattle snakes and other animals in town from time to time. They are great to look at from inside but they will come after you if you go into their space. They will also eat your flowers.

11. The hour drive to "the valley" (Nampa or Boise Idaho) is not fun in the snow but when the weather is nice it is not that bad. There is no traffic so you can drive the speed limit. Don't go over since we have the deadlist highway in Oregon and speeding tickets are expensive. Do you really need to "go to the valley" only if you want food, entertainment, or a doctor. There are some people that do not leave Jordan Valley.

12. Do not leave Jordan Valley with less than 1/4 a tank of gas. The next gas station is 40 miles one way and 35 miles other way. Of course this gas is expensive!

13. When the chips are down people come out of the wood work to help you out. When I have had my surgries over the years all types of people cook food, offer rides, pick up my mail or what ever I need.

14. Cattle are rasied as business. The rancher students claim that cows are not very smart so it is easy to raise them as a crop. But they are cute when they are born.

15. Real cowboys were Wranglers not Levis. Something about the inseem is better on Wranglers and will not rub in the saddle. I act like I know what they are talking about but I really do not. I can guess that it would hurt if jeans have a inseam that rubs.

16. At our school we really do not have big problems. With only 36 students in 7-12 we do not have a large share of major happenings. I think it has been a couple years ago since I gave a student detention and back then it was for back talking. Our students are exposed to the drug world but we do not have a lot of issues at school. We have had a graduation rate of 100% for most of my 26 years here. Maybe this is because students get a lot of individual attention, but the students and parents also play a BIG role in this.

17. I have learned to enjoy the small stuff. The beautiful sunrises or sunsets. The clamness of a snow fall. The blackness of the country at night with no lights. The smile of a childs face when they finalize they are right. The excitment in Baylor and Johonna's viedos. Just to name a few.

18. The excitment in a student's voice is priceless when they tell me of the girl or boy that they like spending time with. Young love is so special.

19. The appriciation of my students when I bring them treats from Costoc. Poppy Seed Muffins and Sunny D or Orange Juice are their favorite. When I do this I have a lot of students that tell me they love me.

20. I have learned that no matter when you live each and every day is special. You can find beauty in each and every day. I learn something new each day and it is usually something about myself. Life is so wonderful and each and every day I am thankful just for being alive.

Turkey Trots

Every year on the last day before Thanksgiving break we have a school competition called Turkey Trots. The students come up with a variety of events and we have are little red neck Turkey Trots. The students win points that count toward the class of the year. It also means that the kids get out of the last class of the day!!

The morning started with a wonderful sunrise. You never know will God will let you see the beauty of what he creted. When I got to school Iasked my first period class, the seniors, if they were excited. You can tell my Meagan's reaction that she was not excited.

Following are pictures are of the different events. I am amazed what students will do. The picture below shows the quick change basketball shot. One boy from each class runs down the court changes into the clothes that are in the sleeping bag and takes the ball and runs down to the other end of the court and makes a basket. The first to do all of this is the winner. The sleeping bags are provided so the boys will change inside the bag, over the years the boys have become braver. I do not think any of then used the sleeping bags. The few girls in the school did not mind. The winner was the freshman class.The next event was the sling shot. The picture shows my Junior class. Some one from the class sits on the schooter and two others use a sheet to sling him down the gym floor. My junior class won this event. Our smallest sat on the schooter and two others flung him down the court.

The event below is the bat drill race. A team of four is used for this event. One at a time someone runs down the court to the bat, spins around 3 thimes and then runs back and tags the next person in line. This is Blane showing his skills. My juniors won this event as well.

We do have some events that turn my stomach and the whip cream chug is one of them. A team of four stands in a circle and chugs from the whip cream can. The the whistle blows they pass the can to their team mate. Since my Junior boys have huge empty stomachs they won this event.This year we had a new event. It was called Beauty Contest. One boy from each class was dressed up into a dress, makeup, hair and accessories. They only had four mintues to complet the dressing process. Then each boy walked the runway posed. A group of parents were the judges. The first picture below is Tyrell the junior rep and then the next picture is Quin the senior. The freshman won and Tyrell was second.The next event was the potato catch. One team member threw a potato and a second team member caught it in a garbage sack. Once again the Junior Class won.This is another one of those events that turns my stomach. Some one lays on the floor with a cup in their mouth. The next team member stands on a chair and trys to drop an egg into the cup. Each class has 3 eggs and who ever gets the most egg stuff in their cup wins. The freshman class won this event.A turky trot is not complete without the eatting ice cream with no hand as you lay on the floor. This is Ty and Blaine two of my empty stomach juniors. The of course won this event. Pushing a penny across the floor with your nose. This is senior James. This was done right after the ice cream event and once again the Juniors won.

The last event of the day is the booty scoot. The entire class sits on the floor and connects legs. Then the scoot acroos the floor. The is a picture of the entire senior class (minus one) as they get ready to start this event. Yes we have only 8 students in the senior class. The junior class won this event. At the end of the race Ty said "I have the world's worse wedge"

You may have figured out that my juniors were the big winners. They are in first place for the class of the year which is their goal. The next event is the can food drive. To make things more exciting the class that brings the most food gets to hit thier advisor in the face with a cream pie. Don't worry becasue of my asthma the boss did not think I should take part, so if my class wins they will get to hit Mr. Usable in the face. I will be sure and let you know which class wins.

What is a Chucker?

In response to my recent blog Michelle asked what a chucker is. From what the kids tell me it is a bird about the size of a chicken. I guess it does not taste like chicken. According to James it is more tender and juicy. Below is a picture. Even tho I have lived in Jordan Valley for 26 years I have never eaten a Chucker. (That I know of)

Story of the Day

The kids were talking about the 'good" Chicken Noodle Soup they had for lunch. One of my students said that his mom made the best Chucker Noodle Soup for dinner. He said that it was the best soup he had the only problem is that every once in awhile he would come across a bb.

Jett Becomes a Rancher

A couple months ago one of my 8th grade students was celebrating his birthday. I asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he told me he wanted to start a heard of cows but he needed someone to sell him or give him some cows. Since I did not have any extra in my inventory I told him to ask his dad. He said that he alrady had ask and his dad told him no because he was too young.

After talking about it for a while he decided to ask his grandfather. He was so scared because he figured his grandfather would say no too. A couple days later Jett came to class all excited. When I asked him what was up he said that his grandfather had give him 4 cows. In today's maket that is a lot of money. He was so exccited and told me all about his black cows. I told him congraluations you are a Rancher now and he replied Ya I guess so.

As a teacher it is times like this that are priceless. I had the honor to teach Jett's parents and now it is his turn. It is exciting to watch them grow and get excited about life. Will Jett be a Rancher in the future? I have no idea but he has a great start for an 8th grader.

Is it Winter???

The time has come when it is dark when I leave for school. I have to be at work at 7:45am and I leave my house at 7:40 am. Thank goodness there is no traffic in Jordan Valley. For the last couple weeks it has been dark until about half way through first period. The kids are complaining that it is too early in the year to be driving in the dark. Most of them have to drive more than I do to school and I do agree. I tell them it will be a little better when the time changes in a week or so. This morning it was 19 when I started my car and for a high it is to be in the 50's. Sounds like November not October. At least it is wonderful sunny not just warm.

One of my students tell me it is going to be a hard winter because the horses and cows are getting their winter coats in already. I do not mind the snow but I really do not like to drive long distances in it.

Last week was the end of the grading period and this week the kids are really crabby. They are tired of each other and can not wait until the weekend. The last football and volleyball games are this weekend. I think that this is why the kids are crabby. They have been spending too much time together.

Deer hunting season is over. Bit now is the start of Elk season. According to the 7th graders it is not cold enough for the elks to be around here so you have to travel to the top of the mountain. Sounds like fun but I am not planning on going with them. I will stay where it is warm.

Jordan Valley Homecomming

This past week was homecomming. The longest week of the school year for the teachers. Instead of working all day, I have to cook dinner for my students, and then work until 8:00 pm on the float. It does sound worse then it really is. I find that it allows me to see my class in a different light. I get to see them as just regular kids not only students. This year I realized how much food 5 boys and 1 girl can eat. That saying about growing boys does fit my class of juniors.

During the school day the students dress in different outfits. Monday was PJ day, Tuesday was hillibilly day, Wednesday was pair day and Thrusday was spirit day. I do not remember doing this in high school but it is a big deal here. The winners of the days get $10.00 cash and the class that dresses the most get points for the class of the year. This year my group had 100% dress up each and every day.

The week started with cold and wet weather. So much for building a float outside. My group had a good idea but the big question was will it work. We spent the week working on the parts and pieces and then Friday morning right before the parade we put the float together. Dispite all of our hard work we got second place. This is the best that we have ever done. I am very proud of them.

The kids lost the football and the volleyball game but they did put up a fight.