• Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 78 other subscribers

  • “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers” — Isaac Asimov

  • Recent Posts

  • Pages

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Blog Stats

    • 197,155 hits

63 Days

Posted on August 11, 2015 by auburnchick

Today marks the end of my summer vacation.

It was 63 days of pure bliss.

Transitioning back to the working world is always difficult to me.  My summer breaks take me back to a time in my life when I stayed home with the kids, focusing solely on my family.

I’m content at the moment, though, because I have had such a terrific summer.  I’ve completely relaxed and did not allow myself to do anything work-related…well, except for one afternoon last week when I sketched out lesson plans for the first week of school.

I’ve also been centering my thoughts on God and His purpose for me.

I’m reading through a devotional plan at night right now (different from my #first5app), and a couple of verses stood out to me two nights ago…

What’s hard for me sometimes is the “willing” part.

I thrive on taking care of my family and can resent intrusions that interfere.  Yet, whenever I am interacting with students, I know, in those moments, that God has called me to work with teenagers.

I guess what I mostly resent is being overburdened with extra responsibilities that make fulfilling my purpose especially difficult.

I’m trusting God to help me even more with that frustration.

And so today, I begin the pre-planning phase of my sixth year of teaching.  I’ll meet new coworkers, sit through meetings, and continue tweaking the lesson plans I began last week.

Most importantly, I’ll thank my heavenly Father for stretching me…molding me into a person who, hopefully, reflects His glory.

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

Goal-Oriented

Posted on August 7, 2015 by auburnchick

One of the things I am going to be more intentional about with my students this year is helping them be goal-oriented.

I know that this is probably why I have usually been successful at the things I’ve attempted in my own life.

I’ve always derived much satisfaction from accomplishing tasks.  This has included such things as learning to knit, obtaining my college degree, and becoming a teacher.

Although, in past years, my students and I have talked about goals, and I’ve even had them write a couple of them down on note cards that I’ve given back at the end of the school year, I can’t say that I’ve stressed the importance of creating an action plan and then self-monitoring periodically, reflecting on what’s working or not working.  That’s going to change.

Children need to be taught, explicitly, how to be metacognitive.  They need to learn how to evaluate their actions and the thinking process behind their decisions.

To help my students understand my revamped plan, I’m going to use myself as an example by listing my own personal and professional goals, which will probably look something like the following…

Personal Goal
Run my first 5k

Plan of Action

  • ✔️ Sign up for Color Run
  • Train three days a week using the Zombies Run app to track my progress
  • ✔️ Sign up for Hogwarts Running Club Platform 9 3/4 virtual race to stay motivated (who doesn’t like bling?)
  • Check in, via Instagram, with the HRC on September 1 when I’ve finished my training run that will double the 9 3/4 race

Professional Goal
Improve classroom culture

Plan of Action

  • Incorporate more Kagan Team and Class Building activities into my lesson plans (I didn’t do as good of a job with this last year)
  • Work with students to create affirmations and killer statements and gestures that will serve as reminders of how to respect themselves as individuals and each another as a learning community

Along with big goals, I’m going to have students create specific reading goals.  I read Penny Kittle’s book, Book Love.  She gives instructions for helping students determine how many pages they should be reading per week.  Her students write down their goals, and they assess their progress weekly and reflect on the numbers.  I just love, love, love this!

If you haven’t read her book and you are a teacher (home school, online, or brick and mortar), buy it.  You’ll love it too!

Back to my post…

After creating goals and action plans, I’ll have students place them into data folders.  We’ll revisit these goals and write reflections at least once every nine weeks.

It is my hope that as students see themselves taking steps toward reaching their goals…or even acknowledging backward steps, that they’ll take ownership of their learning, holding themselves accountable in the process.

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

Summer’s Waning Days

Posted on August 6, 2015 by auburnchick

My summer vacation is ebbing away.

As always, this transitional time is difficult for me.

I’m caught between two worlds…my precious home life and a demanding work schedule.

It is around the beginning of August that my dining room table begins to look like this…

…caught in the cross hairs of my personal hobbies and work paraphernalia.

It’s not pretty, let me tell you.  You don’t even want to see my car right now.  I can’t take anything to my classroom because my floors are being waxed.  I’m not sure that I really want to go in yet, truth be told.  That would be like the clock striking midnight, and I’m still dancing with my prince, aptly named  Summer Vacation.

Even though I have an endless list of things to do before I step inside my classroom, I’m choosing to focus more of my last free moments doing what I love…

Eating lunch with friends…

On my way to meet Ms. L, Rooster’s former 9th and 10th grade English teacher…a fellow professional whom I adore.

The day after meeting Ms. L, I met Jane, my first teaching buddy. Four hours with this lady over lunch, and it wasn’t near enough time to say all that was on our hearts. I love her so much.

Squeezing in as many morning workouts as possible…

Knitting nearly every night…until my eyes can barely stay open…

Early Morning Rain Shawl

I’m mastering the art of knitting with beads!!!

Summer’s waning days…they always make me just a little sad and wistful.  I remain, however, grateful for the fun memories recently created and the time of rest.

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

How to Properly Alienate a Teacher

Posted on August 4, 2015 by auburnchick

Before I begin my rant, I would like to add a disclaimer.

We teachers are in this profession for the children.  We don’t go into it looking for a large paycheck.  We’re also usually unwilling to accept accolades.  We see needy children and try to fill in the gap wherever we can.

With that said, I have a bone to pick with the State of Florida.  My current state of ire involves my state’s “Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarships” $44 million dollar program that was put into the budget for this year.

To qualify for the $10,000 “scholarship,” teachers have to submit ACT or SAT scores that were in the 80th percentile when they took the test, AND those same teachers must be Highly Effective on their evaluation from this past school year.

I take issue with this crap piece of legislation for many reasons.

Let’s look at my situation.  I seriously doubt that I’ll be Highly Effective because of the VAM score that the state erroneously assigned to me from the previous year, during which my student achievement was marked as “Needs Improvement” (most of my kids had learning gains, so how this happened, nobody can explain) and, thus, my overall evaluation went down to simply Effective.  Because VAM scores are affected by three years of evaluations, I’m probably screwed even worse this year.

Thus, I won’t qualify for the $10k, nor will any other teacher who works daily in the trenches.  We love working there, mind you, but most of our children have learning disabilities that won’t allow them to make the kind of learning gains that result in the Student Achievement portion of our VAM scores being very high.  They make progress, just not enough for the powers-that-be to consider a teacher worthy.

Now, what about those teachers who sucked at school when they were younger, blew off the standardized tests, but have turned into fantastic teachers?  They’re screwed over too.

Oh wait…the powers-that-be made sure to include a clause that allows teachers to retake the ACT/SAT, but the catch is that scores are not guaranteed to be returned in time for the October 1 deadline that we have to submit them…and we’re expected to pay for the test, should we choose to retake it.

Sucks for us.

Let’s look at some other things that make this unfair.

New teachers…those who have only stepped into a classroom to complete student teaching requirements or even those who have never even done that but are going the Alternate Certification route…get to apply and ONLY have to provide an ACT/SAT score that ranks in the 80th percentile to get the $10k…WITHOUT having a Highly Effective performance rating (because they’re new hires).

This reeks of a signing bonus, does it not?

You should read this article, this article, and this article (my favorite) to find out more about the “smart” person who decided to introduce this legislation.

I guess it’s okay that this person has never worked in a classroom before and has absolutely NO idea what it’s like…that high achievement test scores mean NADA as far as being a good teacher goes.

How about compassion?

How about empathy?

How about passion?

How about having the ability to make personal connections to the section of society (in my case, teenagers) that many write off as being rude and unteachable?

What the state is doing is basically saying, “We don’t give a rat’s a@@ about the teachers we currently employ.  We know they love the kids and don’t want to leave because of them, so let’s just use that to our advantage while drawing in the younger generation…cream of the crop.”

Let me once again stress that we teachers do not go in to work each day simply desiring a paycheck.  I don’t know if you’ve ever watched a child have an aha moment or mastered something they struggled with for weeks.  We teachers get the privilege of watching this happen on a daily basis, and we get a rush from it.  These moments are like drugs…they are addicting…they draw us back to our classrooms even after days when we want to throw in the towel because we’re stressed with behavior issues, countless meetings, or unnecessary documentation.

But…when your “employer” devalues you by passing inane legislation that favors some of its underlings over others, then there’s a serious problem.

Is it any wonder that teachers are leaving the profession in droves?  Why work for a company that doesn’t bother to stand in your shoes and walk your walk.

The people sitting in Tallahassee’s ivory towers have NO idea what me and my fellow teaching peeps do each day.  One representative who came and talked to my school admitted this (he was a very nice guy, by the way).

I don’t know what the answer is, but I can tell you that it’s not this inappropriately-named “scholarship” program that is both fiscally and emotionally wasteful.

I’m not planning on leaving this profession any time soon, but I can’t fault those who do.  They’re leaving because they’ve been alienated to the point of no return, and that, in my book, is yet another example of why Florida ranks down in the bottom as far as education goes.

What a shame.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Monday Morning Musings

Posted on August 3, 2015 by auburnchick

It’s still summer vacation (for a few more days anyway), and I found myself awake at 6:30.

To be sure, it was the alarm and not my internal clock at work.  My body wanted to sleep longer; however, the reality of having to go back for pre-planning on the 11th makes getting up earlier a much-needed exercise to prepare myself.

I’m not really a morning person.  Ever since I started teaching a few years ago, I’ve found myself becoming more and more of a night owl.

Still, though, this morning, the house is quiet (now that the dogs have been fed).  The sun is shining through my windows, the slats of the blinds turning the light into a soft golden color.

The dogs have gone back to sleep, and the men in my life (aka The Mr. and Rooster) are still dreaming whatever dreams men their age dream (I suspect the common theme is Auburn football with it being August and all).

In other words, it’s peaceful right now.

I find my soul at rest as well…ready, as always, to reflect a bit.

I’m thinking about my summer and how special it’s been.

No, I didn’t take a trip anywhere.  The Mr.’s work schedule has been very hectic since May.  Trying to coordinate it with Rooster’s (we want to take a family trip) has been impossible.

I’ve been content, though, to lie low at home.

I’ve gotten myself into a comfortable routine…one of self-care and personal indulgences.

Morning workouts at the gym have tightened up my muscles and have cultivated a confidence in my body that had been lacking for quite some time.  It didn’t help that one of my students from this past school year persisted in calling me “thick.”  In her world, that’s a good thing.  In my anorexia-leaning mind, it was not a good thing, but it did drive me to reign in some bad habits (Chick fil A sweet tea, anyone?) and replace them with edifying actions.

I’ve stretched myself with my reading.  Game of Thrones does not make for light reading, let me tell you!!

I’ve knit to my heart’s content and even learned how to crochet a little better.

I’ve watched Netflix…a lot of it.

I’ve napped…two or three times a week sometimes.

I’ve eaten lunch with Rooster nearly every day.  At 21 years of age, his days of living at home will be ending soon.  It’s just what children do…grow up and create adult lives for themselves.  Thus, I’ve treasured every single meal shared…more so this summer…and the conversations we’ve had during these meals and all of our free moments in-between.

Miss these days

I’ve seen a couple of movies with my guys.

One of the best things I’ve done for myself has been to reconnect to God’s Word on a daily basis.  I’m using a new, free app called First5.  It’s part of the Proverbs 31 ministry, headed up by Lysa TerKeurst.

Right now, we are working our way through the book of John.  Five days a week, there are lessons based on the teachings in John.  The sixth day, Saturday, there’s a video weekend wrap-up…a delightful surprise that I had not anticipated.

I’ve been reading these devotions right after I wake up…before I check email, Instagram, or Facebook.  I’m trying to be purposeful about spending my first few waking moments with God, reading, studying, and praying.

I’ve found myself returning back to the lesson from each morning as I go about each day.  This is a good thing.  I want to be reminded of God’s teaching because, too often, I let my emotions rule my actions.  I know this will be especially true when school resumes, and my patience will be tested by the very in-the-moment teenagers who will enter my room each day.

The timing of this app’s release is perfect.  I feel as though my heart was being prepared for it during the last few weeks of summer vacation.  It has settled…quieted…so I really can hear God’s prompting.

This peace is something I will have to pray hard to maintain as my class schedule promises to be especially challenging this year.  I just keep reminding myself that God was very purposeful when He created me; He expects me to be purposeful in living out my life.  Right now, that purpose is teaching…touching the hearts of desperately needy young people.

Boy, that’s some heavy stuff for a Monday morning, is it not?

But you see, it’s really not heavy because God, whose shoulders are strong, is carrying everything for me.  All I have to do is let Him and thank Him.

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

Summers Are For…

Posted on July 9, 2015 by auburnchick

…enjoying three or four-hour lunches with friends…

Nearly five years ago…way back at the end of July 2010, God helped me secure my first teaching position at a private school in town.  That is where I met Jane, who was also beginning her teaching career.

We quickly developed a strong bond, united by our love for Jesus, our devotion to our family, and the angst of being first-year teachers.

I went back and re-read my blog post from that day and word, but I put myself in my feels (as the teenagers and my good friend, Megan [who is a good friend of mine and much closer to being a teenager than I am]) would say.

I’d forgotten that Chicky was still at home, counting down the days until I took her to college for the first time.  It was a month of new beginnings.  She took my first-day-of-teaching picture…

The first day of school was filled with nerves, but I insisted that Jane and I capture the special morning with pictures.

Green room…the size of a large walk-in closet…no kidding.

Jane had her room all ready as well and a smile to match mine.

We took our first picture together.  We would eventually perfect the art of selfies, as evidenced by the first picture in this post and the one you’ll see at the end.

My classroom

I’m not sure that I would have made it through that first year without Jane, who was one door down from me in the single hallway that constituted the upper grades of our small school.

We prayed together often, commiserated with one another when our plans went awry, and bounced ideas off of each other in an effort to help our students…most of whom we shared because I taught English and taught social studies (we both still teach those same subjects).

Our days also included much laughter.

I’ll never forget the day she knocked on my door.  She NEVER did that while I was in the middle of class, so I stepped out.  “What’s up?” I asked.

“I just wanted to tell you that the elastic in my pants broke,” she replied, bending over in laughter.

I shook my head in amusement and went back to class, smiling at our conversation.  How she remedied the situation remains a secret.  😉

Our afternoon breaks were filled with music that I liked to play loudly from my room.

I may have danced, a time or two, down the hallway during breaks in teaching, much to Jane’s amusement.

I also might have gotten busted by another teacher.

*Ahem*

Jane encouraged me while I worked my way through the alternative educator preparation program at a local college.  It was difficult coursework, and every time I started new classes, I cried because I was overwhelmed.  Jane would go into Mama-mode and offer suggestions.  She’d gone through the program the year before, so she truly empathized.

The next summer, in 2011, I changed schools to the one I’m currently teaching at.  Not seeing Jane every day has been hard because we’ve always been close.

We don’t get to see each other in person often.  Thank heavens for Facebook and Instagram.

That is why we treasure our school breaks and always try to schedule lunches together.  I usually block out the day because I know that we will spend hours catching up…reminiscing…venting…reflecting…learning from each other.

Truly, she inspires me.  She teaches five preps.  That’s five different classes, folks.  She’s as energetic and enthusiastic as I am, which is probably why we get along so well.

She had planned to retire at the end of this past school year and had even cleaned out her classroom.  Her plans fell through.  I guess God has decided that she still has things to accomplish at her school, so she’ll be back at it in August (although she’s already begun lesson planning…gah!).

Thus we shall commence with haphazard texts, frequent “likes” and comments on each others’ social media posts, and sporadic phone calls.  This teaching business leaves little time and energy for personal indulgences.

I love Jane dearly and will continue to cherish the time…the long lunches…we spend together.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

“I don’t like to be wrong.”

Posted on July 3, 2015 by auburnchick

The Mr. and I go out to dinner three or four nights a week.

Don’t be hatin’.  It’s just our lifestyle now that we have adult children.

We haven’t been out much the last couple of weeks because the Mr.’s job has been keeping him extremely busy, so it was a treat to run to Chili’s for a quick bite last night.

We chatted about this and that, and at one point, the Mr. and I began a grammar discussion.  Apparently, there had been an issue with periods and quotation marks at his job.

Somewhere in the conversation, I told him that the period almost always goes inside quotation marks.

He told me that no they don’t.

Thus, we began a debate about this punctuation rule.  I insisted that nearly always (there are exceptions to every rule), periods go inside.

He told me that I had told him not too long ago that they went outside and that he had told his office that I had said so.

Oh boy.  Now, not only only was his information incorrect, but my reputation was on the line.

I promised him that I would never have told him such a thing…that he must have misunderstood me.

Being funny and sarcastic, as we usually are, I told him that I didn’t realize I had to differentiate instruction for him.

If you’re a teacher, you understand what I mean.  If you’re not, I’ll explain.  Differentiation is where a teacher instructs students according to their learning styles, presenting information in different formats.

We also have an “I do,” “We do,” You do” thing in teaching, releasing responsibility slowly to students.

The Mr. gave me the stank eye to my comment.

heehee

We have a rule in our family that when we are eating, we stay off of our phones.  Well, my guy reached for his phone.

“Whatcha doing?” I asked.  “Looking up grammar rules?”

He nodded.

I got out my phone and did the same thing.

Turns out that I was right.

Let me just pause and explain that this RARELY happens.  My guys are usually much smarter than me…or at least they think quicker on their feet, so I usually lose arguments.

THUS, it was well within my right to gloat.

A lot.

Plus, we still had the issue of him giving his co-workers erroneous information.

I laughingly told him that he was an idiot but that I loved him.  I stressed that last point.

To his credit, he composed a text message to his guys admitting he was wrong…was in fact an idiot…and that the period goes inside the quotation mark.

Bless his heart.

Still, I laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

He was not amused and “magically” was ready to leave the restaurant.

On the way home, he stewed before finally saying, “I don’t like to be wrong.”

Now hold on a second.  Did you catch that?  Let me type it again…

“I don’t like to be wrong.”

And then the conversation stopped…

Until I said, “That’s been it the whole time, hasn’t it?”

And then he realized what he’d said.

He’d been busted and tried at amend what he’d said by adding, “I don’t like to be wrong when you’ve told me something.”

Oh no, buddy.  Too late now.

I’m telling you that I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt.  It was the best ab workout I’d had all summer.

I thought my dinner was going to come back up because I was laughing so hard.  Tears were flowing.

My poor guy.

As I told him when we got home, before he bolted to his man cave, “It’s so rare that I’m right about something, I need to revel in it a while.”

I guess when you’re married to a teacher…especially an English teacher…you’re bound to get busted now and then for grammar.

Last night was my guy’s turn.

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

How They Want to be Remembered – Part 3

Posted on June 11, 2015 by auburnchick

Nancy is such a faithful reader.  I connected with her years ago through KnittingHelp and then discovered that she had spent her life immersed in her teaching career.  Thus, her comments are so kind and full of encouragement that is much needed when teaching finds me in the weeds.

She commented on yesterday’s blog post and mentioned that this writing prompt gave my students a voice and that my room was a safe place to express themselves.

Interestingly enough, my sixth period class and I had just that kind of discussion after their presentations.  I asked them if they felt that they would have shared so deeply had I assigned this writing to them at the beginning of the year.

K, a sweet child you’ll get to read more about later, said that although the kids had shared personal things (two truths and a lie) on the first day of school, they had not shared like they did when they read their essays.

I asked why, and students said that they didn’t know each other well enough to get into their feelings.

I’ve been so hard on myself regarding the peer respect…or lack thereof…in my classes this year.  Perhaps I was too harsh, for this particular class, despite being my most difficult throughout the year (they twerked for a sub, played with the baking soda in my small refrigerator when I had a sub, and yelled up and down the hallways between class sessions), we grew the most, and they had endeared themselves to my heart by year’s end.

So, with all of that said, I think it’s time I get back to sharing their writing.

My students’ essays reminded me that although I do develop good relationships with my students, there are still so many things they don’t tell me…things that affect their ability to function in school…unspoken things that teachers need to be aware exist and are the cause for kids not doing their work or being distracted in class.

R is one such child.  Take a look at what she had to deal with all year (and she always came in smiling, so I had no clue!!)…

I want to be remembered as the girl who’s dad had a heart transplant. My family was very pleased that my dad got a new heart. So I don’t get to see my mom and dad for three months, not like you who gets to see them everyday.When my dad gets home in August I will be happy and also sad. He will be able to do a lot more things with me and my brother now. Hopefully my family will be a lot happier.

Now, let me introduce you to J.  This girl.  God placed this girl in my class to teach me patience.  She was loud, except when she was sick.  When she wasn’t sick, she talked.  Non-stop.  She lived most of her life in my classroom on one of my “islands.”  She still talked.  Her picture should be in the following meme…

I chuckled when I read the following in her essay…

I want to be remembered by the girl that can make anyone laugh,not by the girl with the bad attitude and talks back. I mean yes I’m rude at times and always talk back,but hey,everybody has a bad day.

Something interesting happened during the year, though.  I found out she worked after school at the mall.  In fact, one day, work called her while she was IN MY CLASS.  I was not happy, but it was an indication that she was a valued employee.

I would like to be remembered by the girl that gets stuff she earns. Not the spoiled rotten brat that only see it her way.

I saw glimpses into her heart, and her laugh, though it will probably haunt my dreams for a long time, was infectious.  I really, really liked what she wrote in the following part of her essay because it went beyond the fun outer exterior…

Another thing I wanted to be remembered by is a child that loves her grandparents. I don’t want to be remembered as the child that only calls that grandparents when they want something. I want to be remembered by being the best big sister , not the bully of the house.I want to be the leader of my siblings, so they don’t turn out like my parents.I want to be remembered as a girl who’s know as a social butterfly , not the hibernating shy girl.

Social butterfly…yes.  That she was and will continue to be.

Now, let’s turn more serious for a few minutes.

Let’s get back to that trust thing…that safe feeling.

S came into my class about halfway into the year.  He was quiet and always complied.  He was eager to please.

What he wrote in his essay completely blew me away.  I think you’ll find your heart touched as well.

I want to be remembered by my personality, and always doing my work, and being on time to class. I don’t want to be remembered as the guy who everyone asks if I’m gay. I want to be remembered for more than something ridiculous like that. I would rather be remembered for much better things than the “gay guy” or being talked about behind my back because the way my voice sounds, and the way I act. It may not seem that I’m straight but to a point it gets hard to put up with but it makes me a stronger person. When I go to school and get asked almost every day if I’m gay I just do my work and try to block out the negative things that everyone is saying.

Oh word.  This poor kiddo.

Read on.

Every school year since I have been in school, I have to deal with people asking me if I am gay. I am tired of people thinking that I am gay, and I want them to think of more than that I want them to think about how I get to class every day on time I actually do my work and try my hardest I am not the kind of person who tries to impress other people but I am the kind of person who tries to do the extra things and help people out if I can. People’s personalities don’t always show you who they really are like me I don’t show my personality unless I want to try to get to know you.

“People’s personalities don’t always show you who they really are.”

Such insightful words.

Don’t we cover up who we are by loud exteriors or, in my case, shy ones?

We do this to protect ourselves.

S has got it figured out.

I love the way he ended his essay…

As the year progresses, students are moving, and the new students who start to go to my school that I happen to try to talk to, and get to know ask me if I’m gay, most of the time it bothers me, and the other part of the time I just act like I was never even asked. For that it makes me a much better person, and helps me get stronger to get through life it also helps me see what the other people are like, and shows me who I want to talk to, and who I don’t want to associate with. I want to be remembered by my personality, and always doing my work, and being on time to class that’s how I want to be remembered.

S knows that this stuff he’s going through is making him stronger for life.

He’ll come out on the winning side because of this self-awareness.  It bespeaks a maturity level far beyond his age.

Stay turned for more snippets in the next installment of my little series.

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

How They Want to be Remembered – Part 2

Posted on June 10, 2015 by auburnchick

Yesterday, I started a series of posts in which I’ll be providing snippets from a writing prompt I assigned my students.

Their responses were very revealing and deeply touching.

Today, I present Part 2 of this series.

T is a young man who is heavily involved in sports.  He plays football, runs track, and lifts weights.

How I first wanna be remember is for my kind heart and brains those are my two main things that I feel that every athlete is supposed to obtain.When you’re known as kind hearted you can get better support and more respect as a leader. When you’re a nice to your person and adults you will get a lot further in life. If you start now being kind to people will remember how you treated them , like a first impression. When you make a first impression you want people to have good thoughts about you.

G is another young man who definitely had some struggles this year.  I really, really appreciated his honesty in the following paragraph he wrote.  I also love his sense of humor in the last sentence.

I have ADHD but I can focus without it, it really is not a disorder but some teachers like to rub it in my face which really aggravates me. People that know like to joke but I don’t really take it in a serious way. The other day two girls told me that a guy they know has ADHD, they also said that he is mentally retarded and that people which have this is stupid because they can’t control their own body. I’m listening to all this, and I walk up to them and say not every one that has ADHD is retarded and stupid. I told them I have ADHD, I also told them I can control what I do. If I couldn’t then I would slap both of them up side the head for calling me idiotic and reckless.

L is a young lady who also had challenges to overcome this year.

I know the feeling when you need someone to talk to, and there’s no one there. It feels awful. I’ve had lots of struggles at home and outside of school, but some how they all affected me throughout the school year. I see the struggle in others when I look into their eyes. Observe their actions. Sometimes they even hide it. People always tell me I’m such a happy person. That I have the perfect outlook. That’s what I want them to see. Two and a half years ago, my siblings and I were removed from my mother. I had no clue what to think or who to tell. I was scared, I felt alone. That was the hardest time of my life. I started disrespecting everyone, only because I didn’t know how to deal with anything. My siblings and I got separated. I lived in a group home [original text removed right here] with thirteen other girls and boys. Older and younger. It was horrible. It all made me stronger. I won’t let that define who I am. “The girl who lived in the foster home?”

L went on to say…

I want to be remembered by the girl who overcame all her troubles. The girl who helped others when they wanted to overcome their troubles.

A quickly became a favorite of mine this year.  Hush your mouth.  I can hear you now tsking me for claiming to have a favorite, but we humans naturally gravitate toward kindred spirits, and this young lady certainly was one and earned my respect early on.

The way girls carry themselves, I want to show them that boys aren’t the only ones that can make them feel special, but to get where you want to be can make you feel special; being someone that can help make a difference in someone else’s life.

I see girls today carrying themselves in all kinds of way; to find a girl that has high expectation is very rare because most girls are too focused on getting attention from boys. I want to be that one girl that is known to show girls that they don’t need boys to keep their expectations up.

A went on to share information that helped explain her conservative nature.

I’m that one girl that struggled to fit in because of how I am. I speak a different language, I’m from somewhere poor, but we have money. Yes, we do have most of the things America has, but not all the things. I’m that one girl that gets picked on and I don’t want to be remembered by that. I don’t want to be a bully because of how I’m treated I want to help; I want to show that I care for all the kids that are different, like I am.

As she read her essay to the class, we started getting weepy-eyed when she shared the following…

I want to show that the appearance of the way I dress, my high pitch, loud voice, or even the way I look, where I’m from does not just complete me but also shapes me into who I am. My personality is much more than how I look and how I act because deep down is a hidden smile that will never be released. I  close all doors that show the real me because my hidden smile is more than it appears to be; it’s not just a smile but it’s a part of me that will never be shown. That’s what I don’t want to be remembered as the girl that hides her real personality.

And then the next part…oh my…she started crying, and I went to her, standing beside her until she finished with her presentation…

Besides me I’m the one that’s left out. I get less attention because i’m the middle child and the fact that i’m in America and he [her father] is in Jamaica makes everything even worse. I was really close to my dad but now I have no idea where I stand with him, I wish I had my dad.

I think I’ll end this post right here.  As when A presented, a hush fell over the room, and we had to collect ourselves.

I’ll write Part 3 tomorrow (or soon thereafter).

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

How They Want to be Remembered

Posted on June 9, 2015 by auburnchick

A couple of months ago, my friend, Barb, sent me the link to a blog post titled How I Want to be Remembered – My Students Tell the World.  Barb thought it would make a good class project, and I concurred.

I tucked the assignment in the back of my mind, starred the email (so it would remain at the top of my list of emails), and as May drew to a close, incorporated the assignment into my lesson plans.

I used this as a writing assignment and graded it according to a narrative writing rubric.  I required students to type the assignment in Google Drive and share them with me so I could provide feedback/assistance along the way.

At first, my kids looked at me like this…

You see, there were a few things wrong with the assignment:

1)  It was the end of the year.  In their opinion, they weren’t supposed to be working still.  (insert evil teacher laugh)

2)  This was going to be a test grade, so they knew if they didn’t do the assignment, their averages would be affected.

3)  Their final exam assignment was going to be linked to this writing prompt.  Double whammy.

4)  They were going to have to get in their “feels.”  Don’t know what this means?  Visit Urban Dictionary (or use context clues).  🙂

This assignment touched on something very personal to all of us.  We had lost a classmate right after Christmas.  I worried that the kids would be too emotional to handle an assignment that hit so close to home.  The kids wound up proving me wrong, growing beyond a level of maturity that I’d expected.

I had written my own response to the prompt and read it to them so they would get an idea of what the assignment entailed.

I read a few excerpts from the blog post.

I think I saw some light bulbs go on, but I still saw some hesitant looks.

The first day was spent mostly setting up the document online.

We used my Google Chrome Books plus a few I’d borrowed from other teachers, but I still ran around like a mad woman trying to get students to READ the instructions I’d typed and copied for them.

Following instructions…one of the biggest woes of a teacher’s life.

Anyhoo…

Let me tell you what I observed.

Around the second day allotted, students finally started typing in earnest.

Some students asked me to read their work, which I did from my own Google account (and provided comments through Google Docs and face-to-face feedback…which they loved).

Then, my sixth period did a beautiful thing.

They started sharing their essays with their peers who, in turn, started providing feedback.

The teaching angels sang.

The kids started working on their assignments after finishing work in other classes.

They were typing their essays on their phones.

And what they produced touched me to the core.

As the writer of the original blog post (linked above) experienced, my own students opened their hearts in ways I had not expected.

There were humorous moments but more moments of levity.

I had spent ninety minutes five days a week with these kiddos, but still, I learned things about them that they had covered up or not been given the chance to share.

My final exam was that students orally present their essays.

Yep.

They didn’t like that much, and I sometimes wonder if it prevented some of them from digging as deep as they would have had they not had to do a presentation.  Somehow, I doubt it affected many in this way as you’ll see.

For the next few posts, I am going to share snippets from their essays, with their permission of course (and their identities protected).

Keep in mind the demographics of my kids.  They come from very low income homes where they are lucky to be under the care of one parent.  Many live with grandparents or aunties. Quite a few have jobs.  Many have housing issues and camp out with extended family or friends.

These are their stories.

K is a young lady who stole my heart the first day she walked into my classroom.  She wrote these words…words that truly, when I look back on the year, epitomize the way she conducted herself with her peers…

I want to be remembered as the girl who could brighten your day by making you smile. When people look at me, I do not want them to see a letter or a GPA. I want them to see or remember when they were once down, and I made them smile or laugh and it changed their mood instantly.

V is another sweet girl who echoed some of K’s thoughts…

I want to be remembered as the girl who always smiled. Every day my objective is to make someone smile. You never know if that very same person you may be talking to was about to kill themselves, haven’t ate in two days or just got out of a bad relationship.

V went on to say…

As the year continued, I always prayed before I came in this class.   I know your like is she serious, but I really am. I prayed that you would accept me for who I am, and that I become closer to everyone in this class. Which I did by having a conversation with you , laughing at your jokes when they weren’t funny , helping you with your work or just saying hello when I walked in the classroom. I learned that some of you have problems at home, learning disabilities, don’t have a mom or dad at home, never like to get personal, some of you don’t go to church but you really want to, I learned about your boo`s , bae`s , and etc.

Did you just wipe a few tears from your cheeks?  I know I did.  To watch this girl live out the words truly was a privilege.

A is a super-sweet girl.  When I read the following words, I found myself scratching my head.  This young lady could be counted on as a team player.  She never, ever complained.  I depended on her to keep a group focused during team projects.  Her insight gave me pause to think.

Some of you may think I am shy and all, you may be right, because I really don’t socialize as much. I personally like to work by myself and think on my own.

I also had to pull out one other line she wrote…something that I saw give her confidence in the middle of the year…

I want to be remembered going in weightlifting and discovering my strength.

She had strength, that’s for sure, and she walked to the beat of her own drummer.  I respected her for that.

I’ll end this first post with the majority of T’s essay (it’s not long).  He really struggled socially, and I gave him the space he needed…when he needed it.  For him to write these words AND share them while standing in front of the class spoke volumes about the trust we had created in our class.

But I still want people to accept me for who I am. I think people would remember me as: aggressive, mean, snappy, and even rude. And even I consider my self with these traits.

The reason I was like this was because that I am a perfectionist. I always want everything to be exact, first time, every time. But I should know there will be mistakes in time, we can count on it. Nobody can be perfect, everyone will have a disadvantage at something. And I, am far  from perfect; reading is my disadvantage.

I also consider this class from perfect as well. However, we all do connect in some way. I know I can be gruff sometimes, but that’s how I am.I  hope one day you can forgive me for my nonsense I also hope I can call you a friend one day; and you could do the same with me. But I believe we are one-of-a-kind family.

I connected with his words about being a perfectionist, and I need to take his lessons about making mistakes to heart.

I also loved what he wrote about being connected.  I work so hard on making connections with my students…with helping them make connections to each other and to reading.  This young man certainly learned those lessons.

Stay tuned for my next post.  I’ll be sharing more of my students’ hearts.

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

« Previous Page — Next Page »
  • February 2026
    S M T W T F S
    1234567
    891011121314
    15161718192021
    22232425262728

  • Currently Reading

  • Books I’ve Read