Counting down the days....

I went to work this morning with fire in my veins to get everything completely caught up...that is of course until I was called to my department principal's office. What had I done wrong? Nothing - evidently, I am doing such a great job that I get to pilot a new reading program next semester. Wonderful, right? Not so much. Since it is to start on January 4th when students return, I am being pulled out on Thursday and Friday to complete the training.

So, the day before finals start I will not be with my kiddos. I won't be there on the day of the first final with my freshmen who have never taken finals. Since the end of October, I have only had two weeks of full teaching. My students are bummed as am I. While I understand the administrations desire to increase reading scores, it really doesn't help my students' faith in me when I miss so much. Here's to illness and professional development. My New Year's resolution is to not miss more than one or two days second semester.

Another frustration is that this program is computer-based and being used with my double block English I students. While I have an extra block with them, it is not simply to do homework. We cram all of the English I curriculum into second semester. With this new program, I am losing class time. I hope that the powers that be do not mind if we skim over The Odyssey and Romeo and Juliet. I still plan to teach them, but they will be much shorter versions. I really do hope to see some progress with my students' reading scores. These kids could use some positive encouragement!

Holidays = Illness

It is inevitable that each holiday season my family gets sick. It is especially true this year with an infant in the house. Olivia was sick for three weeks in November. My husband had a bout of the flu last week which he so thoughtfully passed to me. While I haven't actually gotten sick, I am achy and have no energy. Since my daughter was sick for so long, I missed several days of work. Now that I am sick, I do not have the time to stay home - too much to do.

As the end of the semester quickly approaches - 1 1/2 weeks - I have final exams to prepare, assignments to grade, gobs of late assignments to grade, and a debate to work on. I am really looking forward to the two week break from master's classes. Tonight is the first night in three days that I have been able to stay awake past 7:30. All of this is putting a damper on my holiday spirit. I think that some snow would make things feel a bit more festive. My icky attitude it sneaking into my classroom - not a good thing! Need some snow now!

Needs Inspiration...

I am severely lacking inspiration for all areas of my life right now. As the holiday season starts, I just want to curl up and hibernate. I wonder how moms do all that they do, especially those who work outside the home. I am not sure what I was thinking when I started my master's program with a toddler and a baby on the way. I am amazed that I am still standing.

It has given me a reason to step back and really look at what I ask my students to accomplish in and out of class. It has definitely changed the way that I view due dates and homework. If I am not going to grade it in the the day or two that I collect it, then I give them a bit more time. I have actually seen more work completed and turned in on time this way.

Now that I am the student, I find myself using the same excuses for why I procrastinate...oh wait...I work full time, have two children, and am a student. I guess I can cut myself some slack. I have enjoyed my Lesley experience and have learned a tremendous amount that has changed the way I teach, but I am ready to be done. Can you say senioritis? Although, I think I am far worse than my students since the end is so much closer!

Podcast Assignment

Teen Depression Project

Technology, Not For All

As a teacher in a technology master's program, I find it very frustrating that many of my students do not have access to the internet, let alone a computer. I am in a 60% free and reduced lunch district, so our kids have very limited access to the technology that would really enhance their learning. While I would love to be able to send work home (essays, research projects, etc), I have to use class time to get these types of assignments done. It becomes such a hassle that I tend to avoid doing them, or I make them short so that we won't be spending an inordinate amount of time in the computer lab. Even trying to contact parents is a pain when trying to call at the right time.

My wish list for Christmas: That my students and their parents would have access to the computers at our school after school hours. If the computer lab could be open a few nights a week for parents to access email and student grades, it would make a big difference. They would also be able to search for jobs and build resumes. Students would be able to get essays typed and projects done. Of course, this all requires money and/or volunteers to be on hand to supervise and answer any questions.

Does a plan like this seem feasible, or is it simply too big to handle?

It is definitely fall...

It is definitely fall when my household is hit with illness for one and all. It is amazing how one person's illness can affect an entire house and spread like crazy! My daughter did not attend daycare this week due to a stomach virus of some sort, which I now have. Luckily, my husband hasn't caught the virus, but I am sure that will change in the next few days. To top it all off, my son has some sort of rash - possibly from a spider bit. I am actually looking forward to freezing weather so that the germs will disappear. Sorry that this is not a very exciting or educational post. Hopefully the coming week will provide more inspiration and a reprieve from illness.

Brain Power...

I was fortunate to attend the Grow Dendrites: 2o Strategies that Engage the Brain conference presented by Marcia Tate. After viewing myself teaching a few weeks ago, I realized that I needed something new... I have one class that I see for two class periods every day, so I needed to find a way to get them more engaged and excited about learning. This class is for kids struggling with English, so they come to me with a not-so-enthusiastic attitude. So, I decided to attend this conference, and I am thrilled that I did!

Marcia Tate is a very engaging and funny presenter. It was great to feel like a student again, and to have so much fun doing it. Dr. Tate has 20 strategies that she uses to engage the brain for better comprehension and retention, not to mention student enjoyment in the class. I struggle with transitions in my classroom, so when Dr. Tate used music to move us from one activity to the next I knew that I was at the right conference. It is music with a purpose, not just for the sake of music. My goal is to work on this for the rest of the semester. She has written several books, including one on what type of music to use in any given lesson. This is definitely on my Christmas wish list. :)

Another interesting approach that she uses was in regarding to partners and grouping. She required that we find two "dates" for the day. At various times through the conference, we had to go on our "dates" to review what we were learning. Her philosophy is that two brains are better than one, and that when students interact and help one another, they are learning better. We were also ducks and geese. Instead of partners bickering about who will do what, kids just pick a duck or a goose. Then, when it comes time to get something done with a partner, there is no discussion about responsibility. The teacher simply says who will complete the task - the duck or the goose. This is another one of my goals, to include more group/partner work in class. Students do not need to work together all the time or for large amounts of time. Simply getting them out of their seats and acting out information or quickly reviewing with a partner can make a great difference in a classroom.

I encourage any teacher who needs to liven things up or remember what it means to have fun in the classroom to attend one of her workshops. What an amazing feeling! She also teaches a great deal about how the brain functions and why teenagers do really dumb things! I have included a few websites that offer more information on Marcia Tate and her brain research as well as the publishing company for her books.

Corwin Press

Developing Minds, Inc.

My original monster.

Monster story

This is my interpretation of the monster.

Olivia, the Not-So-Scary-Soccer-Playing- Monster

As Mack stepped forward to open the closet door, he heard a terrible noise. “AARRGGGG!” Although he was scared of whatever lurked behind the door, Mack slowly opened it. What he saw was not a scary, slimy monster, but instead a monster that seemed to be scared of him! Olivia, the soccer-playing-not-so-scary monster stood looking at Mack with a shocked expression. “Oh, my! I thought this was soccer practice.” Jelly dripped from the sandwich that Olivia was holding in her big, left, magenta hand. Mack thought he could see a smooshed car inside sandwich. That would certainly explain why his cars were disappearing. Olivia did not try to eat Mack, and she was holding a soccer ball. He thought that she must not be all that bad if she liked to play soccer. She was probably a great soccer player since she had three legs. Of course, she did look pretty scary at first. She was as tall as his daddy, so that was pretty big to him. She had magenta fur all over her body. It did look rather funny now that Mack could see her. Little tuffs of lime green hair were poking out from various spots on her body. The one giant purple eye on her forehead was slightly covered by a shock of lime green hair. Mack could not figure out why his room had smelled like a skunk for weeks. Now, he knew the culprit. Olivia was the smelliest thing ever! There were actual smelly lines radiating from her body. Gross! He would never get that smell out of his room. Mack was just relieved that he could finally sleep in peace now that his very scary monster was really a very silly, soccer-playing monster.

Forgotten Technology

It has been 8 months since my last entry. I think that says something about how my time is spent...definitely not here! I am still getting used to all of this and have a hard time understanding why someone would want to read this anyhow! Maybe it's because I need to use it more often and see what else is out there. I do subscribe the pastor's blog at church, so I am seeing how it works. Well, hopefully it won't be another 8 months before I blog again!