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Week 35 of Teaching

Posted on April 30, 2011 by auburnchick

Week 35 of teaching found four of my classes coasting.

Well, not really, but because I’ve assigned some fairly large projects, I am giving my students time during class to work on their assignments.  This is also giving them time to ask me questions and for me to provide feedback and more concise instruction.

So, on Monday, my students found this…

A lot of my students have been sick lately, so the looser format is working well for everyone.  Students know what they need to do, so I’m letting them manage themselves, within certain parameters, of course.

Meanwhile, my 6th graders worked on grammar…

Grammar is like math, only for English teachers who cannot and will not willingly do math.  For me, parts of speech fit together like pieces of a word problem for math geniuses.

Tuesday was much of the same, however my 6th graders dug deeper into nouns…

We even managed to get in a mini lesson on verbs!  These students are extremely bright and so much fun to teach.

On Wednesday, my high school classes had the fourth of five Seventeen Second Miracle discussions.  Their interpretations of events in the book are very enlightening, and I love hearing them apply the lessons to real life.  I am also enjoying hearing them critique the book.  With the varied interests represented by my students, I find it interesting to hear which chapters they connect to and why.

On Thursday, I administered vocabulary tests.  Ahhh…I love these days.  I combined my first and second periods into one class so that I could attend Rooster’s academic awards ceremony (thank you, Principal, for allowing me to rearrange my teaching schedule!).

I returned in time for my 6th grade class; however, all but one of my students were participating in a basketball shoot-out competition.  My lone student did not want to watch, so we stayed in the classroom, where he read all period.  All-in-all, it was a quiet day.

On Friday, we returned to the normal routine, and my high school students worked feverishly on their research projects.  My 9th graders had spent the week reading The Seventeen Second Miracle and working on their discussion questions.  Many of the students in this class procrastinate, and they have complained mightily about all of the work they are having to do, so I’ve been giving them class time so that they have no excuses for not completing their work.  We’ll see if it pays off.

Besides all of the routine classwork, I had the pleasure of conducting several parent-teacher conferences this week.  It is my goal to meet with all of my students’ parents.

There were some interesting exchanges.

I tried to put myself in the parents’ shoes.  After all, I do still have a child in high school, so I know what it’s like to want feedback from teachers.

Let me tell you that being a teacher giving the feedback is completely different.

Sometimes, there’s no way to sugar-coat information that is difficult to deliver.

Parents get defensive, and while I realize that this is a natural response, it can be hard to respond to the comments that come out of that defense mechanism.

One thing I have learned from both being a parent and now being a teacher is that no child is perfect, though we, as parents, would like to think that our little “Johnnys” never do anything wrong.  As parents, we need to remember that our children’s behavior affects not just our children but all of those around them.

My job as a teacher is to figure out how to meet each student’s needs individually and collectively.  I cannot allow students’ misbehavior and refusal to participate in the learning process to affect those in the classroom who do care and want to learn.

This is easier said than done.

I walked away from a couple of the conferences feeling down.  I did a lot of introspection, and I realized that in the big issues, I was right and stood my ground justly.  However, I also realized that it is the small things that I need to work on…the small exchanges that occur during class…things like that.

For a rookie instructor, these lessons can be very painful and make one doubt himself or herself.

Still, I know that God has called me to this profession.  I know that self reflection is part of the process that will make me a great teacher one day.

And so time continues to march on.

I have two more instructional weeks left.

I, like my students, am eager to finish up and finish strong.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Space Case

Posted on April 29, 2011 by auburnchick

I’ve always had some idea that my sweet Rooster is a space case.

Today left no doubt.

Why, you may ask?

Well, please allow me to explain.

Rooster got his yearbook at school today.

Oh, how much fun it can be to find your picture nestled among your classmates’.

Um.

Yeah.

It would have been; however, when Rooster calmly told me that he had somehow missed every portrait sitting, I knew we were in trouble.

When I turned to the Junior section of the yearbook, I did not see my sweet Rooster’s face plastered between the two pretty girls he should have been sitting between.

Instead, I saw his name nestled among the other space cases who had, for some reason or another, not had their pictures taken either.  He’ll be forever remembered as “Those Not Pictured.”

Lovely.

You can tell that after 14+ years of having children in school, I’m getting quite lax.  In fact, I can’t remember the last time I put a new school picture of Rooster into a frame.  I think the one I have is from middle school when he spilled something on the front of his shirt before the picture.

I.  Am.  A.  Terrible.  Mom.

(I’m actually a mom who’s been quite distracted this year.)

Then, there was the lovely band picture.

Traditionally, the band dresses in their uniforms and stand on the practice field in the shape of the first letter of Podunk School (no, it’s not the letter “P” either).

The day of the picture, Rooster had forgotten his black band shoes.

Guess what?

He wasn’t allowed to be in the picture.

He wasn’t the only student.  About ten or eleven others did not get to be in the group picture either.

Back when it happened, I was livid and had a talk with the band director, who’s no longer there, by the way.  Rooster was very upset when the incident happened and almost quit the band as this was the final straw in a long line of grievances.  Fortunately, the school has hired a new band director, and everyone is excited about the Fall marching season.

Regardless, the picture in the yearbook stands as a reminder of that awful day when kids were not allowed to be in a group picture when they had worked so hard all season long.

My poor Rooster…being a space case is hard sometimes.

Despite all that, he did find one group picture which he is a part of.

At some point during the year…perhaps Homecoming week…a yearbook staff member took pictures of the Seniors dressed up as nerds.

Who was standing in the very back with a huge, cheesy grin on his face?

My Rooster.

Folks, let me remind you that he’s only a Junior.

He had crashed the party.

I chuckled when I saw it.

So, is it just my child who’s a space case?  Have you found this more common with your boys than with your girls?

Filed under: children | Tagged: | 4 Comments »

A Golden Ticket

Posted on April 28, 2011 by auburnchick

Today I attended an academic awards ceremony at Rooster’s school.

As I listened to over 300 names being read out, a student walked up behind me.  She’s a senior this year, but in the two years that I subbed, she was in several of my classes.  I subbed for her twin brother for over a month last year.  She also works at a concession stand at one of our local recreational parks, so I’ve run into her quite a few times when I attended soccer games.

When I saw her today, she asked me if I would be attending the school’s graduation ceremony next month.  I smiled and told her that I had not been invited.

She told me she had a ticket for me and quickly left to retrieve it from her locker.

When she came back, she handed this to me…

I hugged her for the thoughtfulness that she had shown me.

She had no idea how much I needed this affirmation that I am touching children’s lives.  Teaching is a difficult profession.  There are highs, but there are also lows.

This golden ticket certainly ranks up there as one of the good moments.

The icing on the cake is that I’ll be able to watch as the students I grew extremely close to last year celebrate the pinnacle of their high school careers.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: | 4 Comments »

Wednesday Hodgepodge and a Royal Wedding

Posted on April 27, 2011 by auburnchick

And Wednesday cometh again!  Yay, yay!  Please play along by visiting Joyce’s blog and linking up! 

1.  What is something that bothers you if it’s not done perfectly?

Manicures.  When my children were younger, I had acrylic nails.  My biweekly nail appointment was a splurge, but it was so nice to be pampered.  I loved getting French manicures.  Sometimes I had fun designs put on my nails.  BUT, the thing that really annoyed me was not having them done correctly.  Yes, I am a perfectionist, but I just can’t help it.  When I pay good money for a service, I expect it to be performed well.

2.  What is one of your best childhood memories?

Probably one of my best childhood memories is that of laying halfway under the Christmas tree, admiring the lights, and trying to guess what my Christmas presents were.  My sister and I spent hours upon hours doing this.  I still smile when I recall those days.

3.  Do you plan to watch the Royal Wedding, and when was the last time you wore a hat?

I am going to try to watch the wedding.  I’ll have to get up at a wee hour to do so, but I’ll do my best.  I’ll probably play it for my students as well.  As far as wearing a hat…hmmm…what kind of hat are you talking about?  Honestly, I’d like to say that I last wore a hat while having tea with the Queen herself, but I wouldn’t want to brag and make all of you feel bad.  LOL

Seriously, I don’t own any fancy hats like they wear to weddings and such.  The closest thing I have to a hat is a sun visor, which I probably wore last summer when I worked out in the yard…or maybe last Fall when I attended Chicky’s soccer games.  I don’t recall the Queen being there, by the way.

4.  Where do you fall in the birth order of your family?  Do you think this has influenced your personality?

I am the oldest child of two, and yes, I do believe my personality was shaped, in part, by this fact.  As the oldest child and the child of a single, working mother, I had a lot of responsibility placed upon my shoulders at an early age.  I took care of my sister from the time she was a baby.  I even taught her to drive!  I was not allowed to bring home anything but A’s, and I began working at a real job when I was in my pre-teens. 

Those of you who read my blog regularly probably see how I might have been influenced by the results of my birth order…only just a teensy bit.  😉

5.  Where do you think you spend most of your money?

Most of my money is spent on bills, unfortunately…namely credit card bills, sad to say.  We lived outside of our means for many years, and we’re now paying the price.  However, lessons have been learned.  I’m working very hard to pay things off, and I’m using principles (i.e. common sense) that I’ve heard are similar to Dave Ramsey’s.  I will make my LAST car payment in a couple of weeks, and then I’ll start applying that money toward another bill until it gets paid off.  And so it will go…on and on…until the bills are finally paid off. 

6.  When you need to confront someone, would you rather communicate in person, on the phone, by email, or by letter?  Why?

I think that I express myself better when I write things down.  I also think that my face gives away too much, so it’s better for me to do things from afar. 

7.  Dodge ball, freeze tag, or jump rope?  You have to pick one.

Ok.  I’m taking the lazy way out and saying freeze tag.  See, I’m not quick on my feet, so I wouldn’t be quick enough to dodge a ball.  Getting pegged is not my idea of fun.  As far as jump rope…after you have kids, jumping is not always a good idea.  The bladder just isn’t the same, if you know what I mean.  With freeze tag, I can just give up quickly and watch everyone exert unnecessary effort.

8.  My Random Thought

On Sunday after church, my family ran to the recycle place to get rid of newspapers I’d been collecting.

As we drove through the parking lot, we casually glanced to the right…beyond the chainlink fence that bordered the parking lot.  There were some houses and, perhaps, a small pond.

We saw a horse laying in the grass, which was a little strange because we’re used to seeing horses standing up.

But then the most amazing thing happened.

The horse rolled onto its back.

Seriously.

Like one of my dogs.

And then it did something else.

It rolled completely over…from one side to the other.

It looked like a larger version of Pele.

We cracked up at the sight.  It was the most bizarre thing we’ve ever seen (aside from the car full of rednecks we saw going into a local restaurant a couple of weeks ago…that’s a story for another time).

I found a video of a horse rolling over…in case you’ve never seen this for yourself…

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 22 Comments »

Reunion!

Posted on April 26, 2011 by auburnchick

Easter Sunday is the high point of a Christian’s year.

On Easter, a Christian celebrates the resurrection of the Savior.

A Christian who has been observing Lent also celebrates the end of the fast that the person has committed himself or herself to.

As you might recall, I gave up TV.

Yes, Your’s Truly gave up the thing I lived my life around.

Heck…I’m surprised I didn’t schedule the birth of my children around my television shows.

Of course, there weren’t such fabulous shows such as Dancing With the Stars, Survivor, or Criminal Minds way back when.

Good thing.

The forty-three days (I started three days early) I spent sans-TV were interesting indeed.

The first week was very difficult.  As I watched the days go by, I mentally ticked off the shows.

I was grumpy.  I’ll admit that.

The sound of silence in my house was more deafening than the sounds that had come out of the dumb-me-down machine.

I grew used to the silence, however.

Lent became a blessing to me as I was able to focus on my challenging education certification classes.

I spent time in God’s Word and in prayer.

I grew to understand that I was wasting my energy on people I did not know nor would ever, in many cases, care to know.

There was a freedom on that…a letting up of emotional responsibility.

I grew to discover that I really don’t care that Sammie was justified in shooting EJ.  To this day, I have no idea if Rafe is still locked up in Stefano’s basement.

By the way, I’m talking about Days of Our Lives, which will be one of the few soap operas left on TV after the end of the year.

But, I think you get my point.

I grew to love other activities…

Coming home and spending time sitting outside while my dogs played in the yard.

Oh, you should see my Molly when I venture out to “her” world.  She’s like a toddler who cares for nothing better than a Mama who will sit down to play, or in Molly’s case take time out to throw a stick or a ball.

I discovered, through the 43 days, that I can be disciplined, if I put my mind to it.

With God’s help, I can do anything.

I feel incredibly thankful that God put the TV fast on my heart.  He always knows what’s best for me (and you too, for that matter).

Now, with all of that said, I have to admit that I grew antsy on Friday and Saturday.

It’s kind of like when kids wait for Christmas to come.  They’re eager.

I was eager, let me tell you.

I considered staying up until midnight on Saturday just so I could turn on my TV.

But, I waited.

After all, I had already waited for six weeks.

I attended church with my family.

And then I couldn’t wait any longer.

Chicky captured the moment…

The reunion, if you will…

After Chicky left for her long drive back to college, Rooster and I sat down, and we watched TV.

And we watched (for you see, he had kind of fasted from TV as well, since I had unplugged the cable box).

And we watched…

I sat on that couch, knit, and watched TV from about 1pm until 8pm.

I was not ashamed, oh no I wasn’t.

I was content.

When Amazing Race was over, I decided not to watch Celebrity Apprentice.

Thanks to the lessons learned during Lent, I decided that I never liked LaToya Jackson before the show, so I had no reason to watch it now.  In fact, I didn’t see any “star” *cough* who I could connect with, so I turned off the TV…

Only to turn on my computer and catch up on episodes of Criminal Minds…

Which I watched until 11:45pm.

I am not ashamed to admit this.

I went to school on Monday a happy lady.

Though I am back to watching TV, I do feel like I’ll be more selective.  I’m also quite sure that I won’t have a problem when reruns hit the airwaves during the summer.

I’ve learned that there’s more to life than TV.

Filed under: Christian, This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 5 Comments »

10 Weeks To Go

Posted on April 25, 2011 by auburnchick

I can scarcely believe that I only have ten weeks left to go in my education certification program.

I spent last week finishing up assignments.

I had to evaluate an educational software package for my teaching and technology class.  The teacher had instructed us not to purchase software, but finding a complete trial version of software was not easy.  Fortunately, I found this site, which proved invaluable.

I chose to evaluate Jump Start 5th Grade.

My children had several of these titles when they were in elementary school, and I loved them; however, that was back in the 90’s.  Unfortunately, this software is old and does not incorporate a lot of today’s technology. 

Either way, the experience of evaluating software was a good reminder of what to look for in technology.

For one of my field experience classes, I had to complete a professional development scale.  What this assignment entailed was creating short-term and long-term goals for each of the twelve Florida Educator competencies.

It required a lot of self reflection and practical application.

I also had to take a practice test for the Profession Educator Exam.

I learned a huge lesson.

Never take a quiz at 12:30 in the morning.

The results were not altogether pretty.

Note to Self:  Don’t schedule my real exam for the darkest hours of the night.

Not that the facility will be open, but you know me and my anal self.  I’m sure in my sleep-deprived state, I might just try to insist that I be allowed to do just such a crazy thing.

Either way, the practice test was good for me.  It pointed out some areas that I need to study…namely the various psychological theories of education.

Other than those two big projects, I only had to write a couple of responses to my classmates’ discussion forum postings (if you have ever attended school online, you’ll know that classroom “conversation” is generated through the use of discussion forums).

I had worked my behind off…and it all paid off when I was able to greet my Chicky, who came home for Easter, without worrying about pending assignments.

As such, I was able to spend the weekend relaxing my brain, enjoying my girl, and celebrating Easter.

Although I am still awaiting feedback on a number of assignments, I am not stressed at the moment.  Although my next term will start in a couple of weeks, I am going to enjoy the freedom I currently have.

Folks, the next time I write, I will be in single digits!

Go on and do the happy dance with me!

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Then There Was Sunday

Posted on April 24, 2011 by auburnchick

Today is Easter Sunday.

It is the most important day in history…the day when Jesus Christ defied the powers of sin and death and rose from the grave.

My family attended a service preached by the church’s youth pastor.

Word, but that guy can pound out a sermon!

One of the most important things I took away from it was that through all of the darkness and despair of the days and years leading up to the crucifixion, Sunday followed…the day of great joy.

I think this is an important lesson to remember.

We’ve all had days when we couldn’t wait to crawl back into bed and pull the covers over our heads.

Some of us have had years like this.

Still, there’s always a Sunday…a day when our burdens are relieved.

God had a plan when He created the world.

He knew mankind would fall.

Centuries passed, and the separation from God was horrendous.

Still, He provided a way back to Him.

His Son was scorned…rejected by all but a few.

He, an innocent man…the only innocent person ever to walk on earth…was killed in the most inhumane way possible, and sadness filled the hearts of his devout followers.

Then there was Sunday.

If you don’t have the joy that comes with Easter, I pray that you would find a Bible and start reading.  Start searching out God’s Word and pray.

God is faithful.  He hears our prayers, and He will be found if you truly seek Him with all of your heart, soul, and mind.

Then you too will know, personally, the joy of Sunday.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

Week 34 of Teaching

Posted on April 23, 2011 by auburnchick

Week 34 flew by so much quicker than the week before.

Four of my classes are working on research projects…in-school assignments…so the week promised to be a little easier.

These classes also had their Seventeen Second Miracle movie project storyboards due…

I had to go over the instructions a little more clearly with my 9th graders, so I listed out various social injustices that they could do research about…

Meanwhile, my 6th graders received instruction on how to write letters.  I tied the in-class assignment with the short story we read last week…

They giggled a little as I wrote my own version of a letter on the board.  Then, they wrote their own letters, which did not include requests for bail money but actually were related to the story itself.

I also taught them how to address envelopes.  Folks, with the internet and email, I think people have lost the art of addressing envelopes!  You would be surprised to know that students often have no idea how to do this basic task.

The rest of the week passed by in similar fashion with the exception of Wednesday, when my high school students discussed The Seventeen Second Miracle…the third of our weekly discussions.  I love hearing their interpretation of the story.  They especially enjoyed analyzing the “Seventeen Hour Miracle” chapter.  They felt it was the most realistic part of the book.  So, Mr. Wright, if you’re reading, that’s some good feedback!

My 6th graders worked on basic skills, such as reading charts, news articles features, and other stuff.

Overall, it was a fairly easy week, except for a couple of issues with students.

Without going into details, let me just say that teaching can be a heartbreaking profession.  Kids are struggling with some very difficult issues.  Some people might think that teachers are only in schools for academic purposes; however, I would argue that this is just not the case.

Teachers are greatly affected by the outside influences that affect the students who walk into our classrooms.  You just can’t always separate academics from the real-life stuff that happens.

I found myself hurting deeply for a couple of my students.  Although they attend a private school, they are not immune to the things that public school students deal with.

I guess that you would call this life.

Sometimes it bites.

In an ideal world, students are sheltered from life’s harshness, and they can skip happily from one classroom to another with perfect little smiles on their faces with perfect, ready-to-obey attitudes.

The real world is just not like this, and I got a good taste of it this week.

By the end of the week, though, I had reconnected with one of my students.  I think this student knows how much I care, and that my concern goes beyond what the student accomplishes in my classroom.

I care about how my students develop as people.  I deeply desire their success and will do everything I can to help them.

Week 34 was tough and emotionally-draining.

We have three instructional weeks left.

The countdown continues…

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: | Leave a comment »

Chicky’s Very Own Bag

Posted on April 22, 2011 by auburnchick

Coupon Queen called me a couple of weeks ago and told me that Publix had designed a bag just for Chicky (not really, but I’d like to think so in my vain-mom-way).  She asked if I wanted her to pick up a couple.  I agreed.

On Chicky’s way home for Easter, she stayed overnight at Coupon Queen’s house, where Coupon Queen gave Chicky her bag and sent mine home with her.

Wanna see it?

Here’s another picture up close and personal…

Sorry that it's a little blurry...

I had to laugh when I saw it.  I actually chuckled more that Coupon Queen and Grand Pooba had thought of their granddaughter when they saw the bag.

Maybe we should change Chicky’s legal name, eh?

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 5 Comments »

A Day of Giving

Posted on April 21, 2011 by auburnchick

Last Saturday, in anticipation of Easter, many people in my church participated in service projects that spanned the breadth of the community’s borders.

This was the second year that my church had organized this event.

I decided to join in, and I signed up for the Project Linus project.  All that was required was that I take a yard and a half of fleece.

Although I don’t know a large number of people in my church, I decided to step outside of myself.

I am so glad I did!

I really had no idea what I was doing, but the ladies in charge were prepared.

I also had the good fortune of running into a friend I had worked with several years ago.  We’ve seen each other here and there at church, but this was the first time that we got to spend more than just a few minutes speaking.  She had worked on this project last year, so she knew what to do and offered tips when she saw me struggling.

I began preparing my fabric…

I cut 1″x3″ tabs all the way around the fabric.  Preciseness was not required.  Praise the Lord.  🙂

Then, I went back around the blanket and put slits in the middle top portion of each tab, pushing the bottom of the tabs back through the top holes to make “bunny ears.”

I was very pleased with the result…

It only took a couple of hours to make the blanket.  I was so glad that I had carved out this time, even though I had some large assignments to work on.

You know that my students are studying the book The Seventeen Second Miracle.  This book is all about going out of your way to impact someone else’s life.

Although I did not get to do something that impacted another person immediately, I know that my blanket will eventually be given to a child who desperately needs comfort.  That knowledge brings me so much joy.

Apparently the other ladies felt the same way, because look at the blankets they cranked out…

Some time during the morning, one of the leaders of the project gave each lady a token of thanks…

It’s a day I won’t soon forget.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: | 5 Comments »

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