Words & Sentences to describe fellow PT'ers

[Kfamr]

I thought maybe this would be a neat idea and a nice gift for everyone who wants to be involved.

I remember back in Middle School our teacher would hand out a list of everyone's names. Beside the person's name we'd write something we like about the person, or something we think of them as. (NICE THINGS)

So, what I was thinking that everyone who wants to participate posts their PT screenname then their real name.

Like this.

Kfamr(KayAnn)

There will be a deadline to post your name, and then when that deadline is up, i'll make a list of all the names and post it. Everyone who is on the list, will copy that list and paste it in a PM to me. After you paste it, type something nice about the person, next to their name.

When everyone's sent me their list with comments, i'll make a list of what everyone said about each person and PM it to them.

I'm thinking the 10th (next week) will be the deadline to post your name. The 17th the deadline to send your comments to me.
That way, i'll have enough time to put together and send the lists by PM.


Yay or Nay?

[wolf_Q]

wolf Q (Amy) :)

[binka_nugget]

Yay!

binka_nugget (Ashley)

[GoldenRetrLuver]

GoldenRetrLuver (Julie)

Cool idea, Kay! :)

[aly]

aly (Alyson)

:)

[Uabassoon]

Uabassoon (Laura)

[zippy-kat]

zippy-kat (Tonya)

[Crikit]

Crikit (Tracy)

[zanzanfergie]

zanzanfergie (Sarah :))

Lut (Lut ;) )

[jenluckenbach]

NAY for me:
But let me take a minute to say why:
IF I were on the list, I am certain that there would be some people on the list that I did not know making it hard to say something about them. But leaving their name blank would make me feel strange.
Give that some thought as to how it should be handled in case someone else comes up with this problem when doing their list.

[Tonya]

Originally posted by jenluckenbach
NAY for me:
But let me take a minute to say why:
IF I were on the list, I am certain that there would be some people on the list that I did not know making it hard to say something about them. But leaving their name blank would make me feel strange.
Give that some thought as to how it should be handled in case someone else comes up with this problem when doing their list.

I second that. It's not that big of a deal but it may become awkward. Perhaps you can do it the way we do the "When was the last time you..." and the "Compliment" thread?

I don't care either way...I think it's a great idea!

[Nomilynn]

Nomilynn (Naomi)

Have you all read this (or a variation of it)? I think it was in a Chicken Soup book, too.

http://vietnamtourism.hypermart.net/Teacher's%20Treasured%20Lesson interesting link, too.

He was in the first third grade class I taught at Saint Mary's School
in Morris, Minn. All 34 of my students were dear to me, but Mark
Eklund was one in a million. Very neat in appearance, but had that
happy-to-be-alive attitude that made even his occasional
mischieviousness delightful.


Mark talked incessantly. I had to remind him again and again that
talking without permission was not acceptable. What impressed me so
much, though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct
him for misbehaving - "Thank you for correcting me, Sister!" I
didn't know what to make of it at first, but before long I became
accustomed to hearing it many times a day.


One morning my patience was growing thin when Mark talked once too
often, and then I made a novice-teacher's mistake. I looked at him
and said, "If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth
shut!"


It wasn't ten seconds later when Chuck blurted out, "Mark is talking
again." I hadn't asked any of the students to help me watch Mark,
but since I had stated the punishment in front of the class, I had to
act on it.


I remember the scene as if it had occurred this morning. I walked to
my desk, very deliberately opened my drawer and took out a roll of
masking tape. Without saying a word, I proceeded to Mark's desk, tore
off two pieces of tape and made a big X with them over his mouth. I
then returned to the front of the room. As I glanced at Mark to see
how he was doing, he winked at me.


That did it! I started laughing. The class cheered as I walked back
to Mark's desk, removed the tape and shrugged my shoulders. His
first words were, "Thank you for correcting me, Sister."


At the end of the year I was asked to teach junior-high math. The
years flew by, and before I knew it Mark was in my classroom again.
He was more handsome than ever and just as polite. Since he had to
listen carefully to my instructions in the "new math," he did not talk
as much in ninth grade as he had in the third.


One Friday, things just didn't feel right. We had worked hard on a
new concept all week, and I sensed that the students were frowning,
frustrated with themselves - and edgy with one another.


I had to stop this crankiness before it got out of hand. So I asked
them to list the names of the other students in the room on two
sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name. Then I told them
to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their
classmates and write it down.


It took the remainder of the class period to finish the assignment,
and as the students left the room, each one handed me the papers.
Charlie smiled. Marke said, "Thank you for teaching me, Sister.
Have a good weekend."


That Saturday, I wrote down the name of each student on a separate
sheet of paper, and I listed what everyone else had said about that
individual. On Monday I gave each student his or her list. Before
long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" I heard whispered.
"I never knew that meant anything to anyone!" "I didn't know others
liked me so much!"


No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. I never knew if
they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't
matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students
were happy with themselves and one another again. That group of
students moved on.


Several years later, after I returned from vacation, my parents met
me at the airport. As we were driving home, Mother asked me the
usual questions about the trip - the weather, my experiences in
general. There was a light lull in the conversation. Mother gave Dad
a side-ways glance and simply says, "Dad?" My father cleared his
throat as he usually did before something important. "The Eklunds
called last night," he began.


"Really?" I said. "I haven't heard from them in years. I wonder how
Mark is."


Dad responded quietly. "Mark was killed in Vietnam," he said. "The
funeral is tomorrow, and his parents would like it if you could
attend." To this day I can still point to the exact spot on I-494
where Dad told me about Mark.



I had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. Mark
looked so handsome, so mature. All I could think at that moment
was, Mark, I would give all the masking tape in the world if only you
would talk to me.


The church was packed with Mark's friends. Chuck's sister sang "The
Battle Hymn of the Republic." Why did it have to rain on the day of
the funeral? It was difficult enough at the graveside.


The pastor said the usual prayers, and the bugler played taps. One
by one, those who loved Mark took a last walk by the coffin and
sprinkled it with holy water.


I was the last one to bless the coffin. As I stood there, one of the
soldiers who had acted as pallbearer came up to me. "Were you Mark's
math teacher?" he asked. I nodded as I continued to stare at the
coffin. "Mark talked about you a lot," he said.


After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates headed to Chucks
farmhouse for lunch. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously
waiting for me. "We want to show you something," his father said,
taking a wallet out of his pocket. "They found this on Mark when he
was killed. We thought you might recognize it."


Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of
notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded
many times. I knew without looking that the papers were the ones on
which I had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had
said about him. "Thank you so much for doing that" Mark's mother
said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."


Mark's classmates started to gather around us. Charlie smiled rather
sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer
of my desk at home." Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put this
in our wedding album." "I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my
diary." Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook,
took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the
group. "I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said without batting
an eyelash. "I think we all saved our lists."


That's when I finally sat down and cried. I cried for Mark and for
all his friends who would never see him again.


THE END

[micki76]

Originally posted by jenluckenbach
NAY for me:
But let me take a minute to say why:
IF I were on the list, I am certain that there would be some people on the list that I did not know making it hard to say something about them. But leaving their name blank would make me feel strange.
Give that some thought as to how it should be handled in case someone else comes up with this problem when doing their list.

I agree Jen. That would make me feel awkward as well.

Nay for me.

[Kfamr]

K, Then you don't have to put your name on the list or participate. This is supposed to be fun, not awkward. It could also be a way for those of us who don't know everyone to actually put some time into it and maybe read posts/talk to those we don't know.

But, I understand if you don't want to take that time or do it. It's your choice to or not to..



that was a wonderful story Naomi, thank you. :)

[micki76]

Originally posted by Kfamr
But, I understand if you don't want to take that time or do it. It's your choice to or not to..

It’s not about taking the time, KayAnn.

[Kfamr]

Hm, ok.



Please limit posts in this thread so it's easier for me to put together the list. thanks. :)

[Moose]

Great idea, Kayster! :) :D

Moose (Brooke)

[Karen]

A sweet idea, Kay Ann!

Karen (Karen) will participate!

[petlover]

YAY!


Petlover ( Jan):)



Great idea Kay!;)

[wolfsoul]

Not too sure how this works, but I'm sure I'll get it.

wolfsoul (Jordan)

[bluekat]

Very good idea!:D Yay for me (lol)

bluekat(Tiffany)

[RICHARD]

George W. Bush (George W. Bush)?
Since he's been the guy everyone loves to hate.....


j/k!!

[zippy-kat]

I'm a little confoozled.

After the comments are returned to you, how will you compile them? Are we receiving back only the comments directed to us, or do we get to see what everyone said about everyone else?

I think I prefer the first but it would be more time consuming for you, I think.

Just curious!

[ILoveMyAbbyGirl]

I'm in!

ILoveMyAbbyGirl {Megan}

[wolf_Q]

I don't really understand how it would be so awkward. I mean, if you don't know the person you could just say "I haven't had the chance to get to know you better but you seem like a nice person!" or something like that...

But if you don't want to participate that is of course your decision. ;)

[primabella]

I'm in. :)

primabella (Liana)

[Desert Arabian]

YellowLabLover (Laura)

[Cookiebaker]

CookieBaker (Anna)

[Dogz]

Dogz (Emma)

[Tonya]

Originally posted by wolf_Q
I don't really understand how it would be so awkward. I mean, if you don't know the person you could just say "I haven't had the chance to get to know you better but you seem like a nice person!" or something like that...

But if you don't want to participate that is of course your decision. ;)

True!

[Kfamr]

Originally posted by zippy-kat
I'm a little confoozled.

After the comments are returned to you, how will you compile them? Are we receiving back only the comments directed to us, or do we get to see what everyone said about everyone else?

I think I prefer the first but it would be more time consuming for you, I think.

Just curious!



Yep, the only comments you will recieve will be the things people said about you.

It'll be a bit time consuming but, oh well. I'm still debating whether or no to add who said what comment.

[Kfamr]

Bit confused -- Are you in or not Tonya?

[zippy-kat]

Originally posted by Kfamr
Bit confused -- Are you in or not Tonya?

Which Tonya? :)

Ya know, if you left it anonymous it might encourage more answers.... just a thought.

[Moose]

Originally posted by zippy-kat
Ya know, if you left it anonymous it might encourage more answers.... just a thought.

Why would that be? I think it would be great to include the names that the comments came from....after all, these are all supposed to be nice comments. If it were me, I would love to know who said what about me and be able to thank them myself. :confused: :)

Sorry, Kayster....I know you wanted to keep this thread with just who is participating and stuff, but I needed to ask. :D

[Kfamr]

Originally posted by zippy-kat
Which Tonya? :)

Ya know, if you left it anonymous it might encourage more answers.... just a thought.


The other one. :p


Yeah, it may be a bit easier on my part too.

[green_chameleon_girl]

green_chameleon_girl (Heather):)

[zippy-kat]

Originally posted by Moose
Why would that be?

Does it matter whom the speaker, if the words are genuine?

Names are associated with power (or lack thereof) and the absence of such could increase the sincerity of the words. If you think highly of 'xyz' but the opposite of 'abc' -- does this affect the influence the words have over you? Are you more likely to take abc's phrase with a grain of salt? The expectancy of certain words from certain people ultimately compromises the heartfelt thoughts of others.

Some find appreciation in making others feel good without wanting a thank-you. :)

[micki76]

Originally posted by wolf_Q
I don't really understand how it would be so awkward. I mean, if you don't know the person you could just say "I haven't had the chance to get to know you better but you seem like a nice person!" or something like that...

But if you don't want to participate that is of course your decision. ;)

I just personally would feel odd if I didn’t know what to say to someone or several someones. That’s all.

Or imagine if someone signed up and got a lot of those non-personal messages. I’d just hate to contribute to someone feeling left out.

[Fox-Gal]

It sounds like a really fun thing to do, good idea you had.

I would be one of those people though, that got the "don't know them to well but seems like a nice person" and even that would bother me some. So I'll say Nay on this. There are some of us here that have tried to be a part of PT but for what ever reason are still not known and they could feel hurt even with "seem like a nice person" comments.

But I at least wanted to say that I think your idea is good and how great some PTers will feel knowing what other think of them.

You have a good heart.



edits......I hate having a sticky key board. :mad:

[Kfamr]

Like I said, it's your choice to do it or not to do it.
It's a good way to get known or to get to know people as well, but hey, your choice.

[zanzanfergie]

Sometimes I think genuine compliments from strangers are the nicest kind, because they can often offer a different perspective than a person's close friends. So even if a person has read only a few posts by any given person, or doesn't really know them that well, they can make observations based on what they do know.

Anyway, I think this is a really sweet idea, and I think everyone will be able to understand if a person makes a general comment. After all, "I don't know you that well" isn't a criticism at all, and I don't see why it should make a person feel bad.

[RubyMutt]

Sounds nice :) I'm in!

RubyMutt (Lindsey)

[Cheshirekatt]

I'm in, too!

Cheshirekatt (Kat)

:D

[CamCamPup33]

Im in!

CamCampup33-- Amber

[Logan]

Originally posted by micki76
I just personally would feel odd if I didn’t know what to say to someone or several someones. That’s all.

Or imagine if someone signed up and got a lot of those non-personal messages. I’d just hate to contribute to someone feeling left out.

Micki, one thing you could always say about anyone, even if you haven't interacted with them is that you're happy to "know" another Pet Lover like yourself!!!! And then it might make you watch for more posts from that person in the future, and start better interaction with them. I think we all admire each other's love for pets, whether we "know" them or not!!! That's why we're all here, anyway! :)

Count me in, KayAnn.

Logan (Logan)

[Logan]

Does it matter whom the speaker, if the words are genuine?

I totally agree Tonya (Zippy). :) In fact, I'd rather "not" know who said what.

I think this is a terrific idea!!! :)

[Moose]

Whatever.....I just think it would be nice to know who they came from. And no, a comment from someone I know and like wouldn't mean anything more than someone I don't know or like as much. In fact, a sincere comment from someone I have had problems with or don't know well would mean more to me than from someone I already know and have some sort of a friendship with. The fact that someone could find enough kind words about me and actually take the time to comment even if they absolutely dispised me would be greatly respected on my part....as opposed to someone I know very well and doesn't need to put much thought into it. But again, whatever floats your boat......

And Kayster, I totally understand that it would be easier.....so don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you have to include names. I'm just offering my reasons as to why it would be nice. :p

[Randi]

How about posting some nice comments about someone and let others guess who it is? ;)

Like, she will do anything to save a cat and she is going out of her way to do so!

Who is that? - hint .... there are several. :)

Am I out my legue? :D Just a suggestion!

[Kfamr]

We already have had threads like that.


(Please try and keep your posts to just saying your username and real name, please.)

[HoRsELUvR]

HoRsELUvR (Robyn)

[shais_mom]

Staci ------> shais_mom

[tikeyas_mom]

Tikeyas_mom(jynnelle)

[CountryWolf07]

Countrywolf07 (Rachel)

[*LabLoverKEB*]

*LabLoverKEB* Sarah

[Moose]

Sarah, I think is long over...Sorry. :(