As The Pigs Fly

Hello Wonderful Tumblrites,

Every year, teachers spend on average $500 on their classroom of their own money.   I know many teachers who spend considerably more.   Each year, I request links to wish lists from the teachers on Tumblr to share; we call it Teachmas.  It is wonderful to have support from all over as we prepare for the new school year.  Please consider purchasing an item, if money is tight, reblogs also help!   Thank you so much!

Positivelypersistentteach teaches Kindergarten in Florida.   Wish list found here.

Girlwithalessonplan teaches high school English and Newspaper in Indiana.  Wish list found here.

Impatienteacher teaches 5th grade in North Carolina.  Wish list found here.

Mrskaaay teaches 7th grade Math in Kentucky.  Wish list found here.

Thebookwormfromkinder teaches Kindergarten in Florida.  Wish list found here.

isaidsothatswhy teaches 9th/Art I & Yearbook in Central Mississippi.  Wish list found here. 

From-tutor-to-teacher teaches 2-5 math resource 3-12 SPED inclusion in Texas.  Wish list found here. 

impeccablyshaved teaches Kindergarten in Atlanta, Ga. Wish list found here. 

offbeatteacher teaches Kindergarten in Southern California.  Wish list found here.

Socially Acceptable Madness teaches 7th and 8th grade (all subjects) in Florida.  Wish list found here.

Bookworm109 teaches 7th grade ELA in Ohio.  Wish list found here.

Teach-center-stage teaches High School Theatre and Musical Theatre in Florida.  Wish list found here.

myfesteringcesspool teaches Kindergarten in Milwaukee, WI.  Wish list found here.

Aperk teaches 10th grade English, Journalism in Kansas.  Wish list found here.

minimarker teaches Middle School Math in Maryland.  Wish list found here.

allmadeofstardust teaches 7th grade Math in South Carolina.  Wish list found here.

Leenzkay teaches 8th grade Science in Mississippi.  Wish list found here.

mamafox18 teaches high school US History in Maine. Wish list found here.

roonilwazlibs79 teaches 3rd grade in Missouri.  Wish list found here.

growthliveshere teaches Middle School ELA in New York.  Wish list found here.

brainvomit teaches Special needs and art classes (K-12) in Arizona. Wish list found here.

adventures in teaching and nerdery teaches Special education (K & 4) in Central IL.   Wish list found here.

macaroni-hexagon teaches 7th and 8th grade math in California.  Wish list found here. 

Grayer teaches 6th Grade Inclusion in New York.  Wish list found here.

Safeaspockets teaches High School English in Massachusetts.  Wish list found here.

lovelikesummer teaches World Geography (9th), Student Leadership (9th), and College Readiness (12th) in Texas.  Wish list found here.

MsPinhey teaches World History, Contemporary Issues, High School 9-12 in Tennessee. Wish list found here.

vwalker teaches 6-8th grade SPED in Minnesota. Wish list found here.

Lugofrombananacountry teaches Middle school Spanish in Maryland. Wish list found here.

messerlyk teaches Gd. 8-12, reading and creative writing at an alternative ed. school in Tennessee.  Wish list found here.

MagicalMissB teaches Middle school humanities (Ancient Civilizations) in  Washington State. Wish list found here.

Sexy-Queen-Mary teaches Social Studies 9-12 in Missouri.  Wish list found here.

lifeinkinder teaches Kindergarten/first grade combo in Illinois. Wish list found here.

Allysowned teaches 9th and 10th English in Massachusetts.  Wish list found here.

Prettyeyesdupree teaches 6th grade reading and social studies in Georgia.  Wish list found here.  

pura-vida8 teaches Spanish - Grades 7 + 8 in New Hampshire.  Wish list found here.

Art and Hart teaches Preschool special education in the Washington DC area.  Wish list found here.

mathematically speaking teaches 6th grade math & computer science in  California.  Wish list found here.

aguilar-teaches teaches 8th Grade Language Arts, English 1 Honors in Florida.   Wish list found here.

Christina-in-Arkansas teaches K/1 Special Education in Arkansas.  Wish list found here.

teacherofthethoughtfullest teaches 10th English II, AP Language & Comp, Humanities in Colorado.  Wish list found here.

mrskcreads teaches 6th Grade Reading and English (writing) in Texas. Wish list found here.

Missfteacheshistory teaches 6 and 8th Grade History in New Jersey. Wish list found here.

MisstoMrsPaula teaches 9th grade English Honors & 9th grade English 1 Through ESOL in Florida.  Wish list found here.

Teaching-Every Day is Different  teaches  11th Grade English, GSA in  Virginia. Wish list found here.

shouseinthehouse teaches 5th and 6th grade reading, writing, and social studies in Indiana.  Wish list found here.

Tokidoki Teacher teaches Kindergarten in Minnesota.  Wish list found here.

frenchspeakingfilipina teaches 1st in Washington State.  Wish list found here.  

WatchAllisonTeach teaches Sophomore English, senior yearbook in  Illinois.  Wish list found here.

JoyAbounds teaches 1st grade in Texas.  Wish list found here.

ummno teaches 10th Grade Government in Maryland. Wish list found here.

kathleendevon teaches 2nd Grade in Texas.  Wish list found here.

elviajedelaesperanza teaches Spanish I & II in Illinois.  Wish list found here.

withmypensandneedles teaches High school (9-12) reading intervention in Missouri.  Wish list found here.

randomrambleramble teaches  Mathematics 9-12 (Algebra I, Geometry, Trigonometry) in Maryland.  Wish list found here.

eisforecfeandendometriosis teaches Preschool in Minnesota.  Wish list found here.

see-mary-teach teaches 6-8 ELA in Arizona.  Wish list found here.

Jenasaurus teaches 6th and 7th grade science, 8th grade advisory in California.  Wish list found here.

chocolatecastleinthesky teaches High School Latin in Tennessee.  Wishlists found here and here.

mrawesomepants teaches History 9 (World History), APUSH, Model UN in Maine. Wish list found here.

manzanas teaches First Grade in California. Wish list found here.

Pablophonic teaches 5th Grade STEM in South Carolina. Wish list found here.

andshewill teaches 8th grade ELA in Massachusetts.  Wish list found here. 

Lotiinside teaches 6th Grade Science in Florida.  Wish list found here.

Fourth Grade Frenzy teaches 4th grade in Maine.  Wish list found here.

ohsnix teaches 9th Grade World History in North Carolina.  Wish list found here.

Read. Write. Repeat. teaches  Speech, Debate, Drama 9-12 in Oklahoma.  Wish list found here.  

hello-delicious-tea teaches 9th-10th ELA in North Carolina.  Wish list found here.

Sempiternalsolstice teaches 6-8 ELA in Tennessee. Wish list found here.

Omniscribe teaches High school English (Etymology, World Lit, Speech and Dual Credit Writing) in Illinois.  Wish list found here.

The-littlelady teaches High school LD (9-12) in South Carolina.  Wish list found here.

Ambedu teaches 6th Grade Literacy and Science in Wisconsin.  Wish list found here.

whiskeyfortheway teaches MS Social Studies (6-8), HS Psychology, HS Current Events in Michigan.  Wish list found here.

samanthainsecondary teaches 9th grade ELA in Maryland.  Wish list found here.

sunshinein17 teaches 5th/6th grade Social Studies and Writing in  Missouri.  Wish list found here.

adventureswithscience teaches 8th Grade Science in Florida.  Wish list found here.

I am an ER nurse and this is the best description of this event that I have ever heard. 

 FEMALE HEART ATTACKS 

 I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is description is so incredibly visceral that I feel like I have an entire new understanding of what it feels like to be living the symptoms on the inside. Women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have… you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor the we see in movies. Here is the story of one woman’s experience with a heart attack: 

 "I had a heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might have brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, ‘A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up. A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you’ve been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you’ve swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn’t have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation–the only trouble was that I hadn’t taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m. 

After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasms), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR). This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws. 'AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening – we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven’t we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, Dear God, I think I’m having a heart attack! I lowered the foot rest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, If this is a heart attack, I shouldn’t be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else… but, on the other hand, if I don’t, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in a moment. 

I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics… I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn’t feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to un-bolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in. I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don’t remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the radiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like 'Have you taken any medications?’) but I couldn’t make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stints to hold open my right coronary artery. 

I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents. Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand. 

1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body, not the usual men’s symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn’t know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they’ll feel better in the morning when they wake up… which doesn’t happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you’ve not felt before. It is better to have a 'false alarm’ visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be! 2. Note that I said 'Call the Paramedics.’ And if you can take an aspirin. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER - you are a hazard to others on the road. Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what’s happening with you instead of the road. Do NOT call your doctor – he doesn’t know where you live and if it’s at night you won’t reach him anyway, and if it’s daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn’t carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later. 3. Don’t assume it couldn’t be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it’s unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let’s be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive to tell the tale.“