Wednesday always seems to roll around so quickly these days, does it not? I’ve been a busy gal and haven’t had quite as much time to blog, so Joyce‘s questions keep me going during the weeks when work seems to get the best of me. Thanks, as always, for the great questions!
1. Describe a typical Sunday from your childhood.
I grew up in a small town in Alabama. Life centered around church. A typical Sunday involved church in the morning, some sort of lunch at home afterward, perhaps a nap or reading, and church in the evening. It was very low-key.
2. How comfortable are you with uncertainty? Explain.
I do not like uncertainty. Heck, I’m a teacher so, despite despising lesson planning, doesn’t color outside of the lines. I like knowing what’s coming up so I can plan accordingly.
3. What have you accomplished recently that might be described as crafty, as in ‘arts and crafts’ crafty? If crafty doesn’t work for you, how about handy? Or both?
I’ve been doing a lot more knitting thanks to the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup that I joined on Ravelry. I’m a Hufflepuff, by the way.
My latest creation is a Face Spa Cloth. It was a simple, quick knit…rewarding because of the instant gratification.
4. Have you ever worked in a ‘food place’? What did you take away from the experience?
I have never worked in the food industry and admire all of those who do. It seems to be a thankless job.
5. Cold turkey, talk turkey, what a turkey…in recent days, which turkey phrase or idiom best applies to you and why? Click on the word turkey if you need to read more about the meaning behind each phrase.
I gave up sodas cold turkey about a month ago. To my credit, I was not hooked on Mt. Dew, as in the past. I think my students are proud of me because I had talked a good game, but when push came to shove, I “turned up,” as they would say, and was true to my word.
6. If you could have any one guest join your Thanksgiving dinner table, who would it be?
I think that this year, I’d go with Mama Dot, the Mr.’s sweet grandmother, who passed away a little over a week ago. She was a lovely lady who was such an inspiration to me with her strong faith. Her best friend passed away six days after her, and I know they are going to be enjoying a fine Thanksgiving meal at the table that God, Himself, will be dining at. What an honor! We are certainly going to miss her during the holidays!
7. What is one thing you must accomplish today?
Oh good grief…just one thing, Joyce? I am a teacher with an endless list of things to do.
I think I’d like to get my new anchor chart drawn up so my students will see, on the wall, a copy of the concept map we’ve been using of late. They are learning about main idea and details, and my grand idea this year was to teach them how to write an essay, organizing ideas and details, so they can turn around and identify these items in others’ writing. Fingers crossed that my strategy works.
8. My Random Thought
Speaking of concept maps…
My district has been administering school-wide writing prompts as a way to address low writing scores. We had our second prompt yesterday, and several of my students came in and told me that they had used (or attempted to) the concept map I’d taught them the week before. One student, in fact, told me that his map had kept him focused on his topic…YAY! Another student told me that every time she forgot what she was writing about, she looked at her map. Double YAY!
I feel incredibly validated as a teacher. I have been trying to help my students see the value of what I’m teaching, but until they are placed in a situation such as this one, they really don’t “get it.”
A teacher sometimes doesn’t know what’s going to stick. I think I’ve found one thing that will. I hope that my students will be life-long writers…or at least a bit better at it…after the series of lessons I’m conducting.
Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: concept maps, teaching, Wednesday Hodgepodge, writing | 6 Comments »
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