Teaching isn't for wimps

The Titanic Project

2012-01-06T16:17:00.000-06:00


RMS Titanic Photo from Wikipedia

This week we read a great story about the sinking of the Titanic. The kids are captivated. They adore disasters of any kind. Today in the computer lab they researched basic information about the Titanic and worked on their projects to present next week. They can make a poster, power point, tri-fold brochure, or write a short report.

I plan to use the computer lab more often. Would you believe I just learned we had a computer lab just before Christmas? I had no idea! I saw kids more engaged today than they have been sitting in my classroom. Gosh, I wish I had a computer or two for them to use in my classroom. What I would do for a cart of laptops!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to their presentations next week.

I'm still here!

2011-12-31T15:12:00.000-06:00

I apologize for not keeping up with this blog very well. My "promises" for the new year include more attention to writing and sharing schooly stuff here.

Speaking of writing, I took a leap of faith and joined a writer's group. I went to my first meeting a few weeks ago and felt like I had met a bunch of old friends. It was amazing! We talked and ate and even had a writing exercise. It was fun!

The group, Red Dirt Writers, is having a poetry contest this month and I entered two poems. One of them I included in this blog post and the other is this one:

Love

Dononvan Devereaux loves blowing the 

Pencil shavings off the counter

After they collect around the sharpener.

Kaidence Carter loves sharpening

Her flowered pencils

And Dononvan Devereaux

Gisselle Goosby loves borrowing 

Sheldon Smith’s pencils and

Giving them to Kaidence.

Sheldon Smith loves reading books,

Taking AR tests and collecting pencils

From the librarian as prizes. 

Blogging from the mountains...

2011-10-29T17:56:00.000-05:00

For those who don't know, I spend four days in the fall each year studying at Quartz Mountain. I attend the Oklahoma Fall Arts Institute and this year I chose to study poetry. It has been an incredible week end. I have been surrounded my incredible talent and breath taking art. The lodge is comfortable and rustic.

Here's a little sample of my work this week:

Survival

If the stars weren’t calling to me to come look,

If the coyotes would stop yipping their songs to the moon,

Damn moon -

I could crawl into the tangle of sheets and down and

Slide next to you.

I could slip away into nothingness.

Sometimes sleep isn’t necessary for survival.

I actually learned in the army ways to survive

In the most difficult times,

In the coldest environments,

The harshest terrains,

Without sustenance or sleep.

Occupy...

2011-10-10T16:54:00.000-05:00

The "occupy" movement has me hopeful, interested, and feeling very proud. The whole Wall Street thing makes me spitting mad.

I read many of the big shots are expecting larger bonuses this year.

I spend my own money on novels for my class. Unfortunately I cannot afford 135 books, just 28 or so that all five classes must share. The books have to stay at school and we read in class. I don't like it that way, but until I get a Wall Street bonus (which is NEVER) I will have to deal with it.

The new teacher...

2011-09-12T19:40:00.000-05:00

I got in this game sort of late. I became a teacher after raising daughters for awhile and trying out other careers. I was never that "fresh out of college" type of teacher.

My resident year I had a mentor who did not mentor. I learned by watching, asking questions, and scouring the internet.

The next year I moved here and certainly did not look like a "new" teacher. I think people assumed I knew it all and did not need help. Very little was offered and I muddled through.

Once I knew the ropes, I made it a priority to help new teachers as much as possible. I remembered how lost I felt. Then I moved again...

I'm lost again. I'm surrounded by assumptions and lack of patience. I catch on quickly if you tell me just once, but you have to freaking tell me! I'm on a team of five people. It is not a team. I miss the dream team I was blessed to be with every day last year.

Today was particularly difficult. I'm reminded again why teachers quit, and it is rarely the kids. The kids are why I don't quit.

Different...

2011-09-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

At the elementary school, where I worked last year, the kids gathered in the halls or cafeteria before school. They had to sit on the floor, keep pretty quiet, stay in one spot.

At the junior high, they get off the bus, out of dad's truck, mom's Jeep, walk from the corner house, and they get to hang outside.

This week I have duty, which means I watch teenagers play. I get the basketball court so I watch mostly boys.

I am amazed how they squeeze several games of football and basketball into such a small space. Junior high is so different. These kids, who just last year could not work together, now cooperate enough to run football the width of the court while basketball goes the length.

My classes are good. I adore my first hour, Pre-AP, and my 7th hour. I love the pace and for some reason, despite how busy we are, I find more time to work one-on-one with a few kids every hour. That is progress.

I miss the team I worked with at the elementary school. We meshed so well. I miss the administrators too. I don't feel appreciated at my new school. But, every day, every single day, some kid lets me know, in some small way, that what I'm doing matters, and that makes all the difference.

So far, so good...

2011-08-22T21:20:00.001-05:00

We started back to school last Friday and things are smooth, so far. I am learning the ropes at the Junior High and I like it. I don't feel as stressed and I have the freedom to grow and experiment.

My five classes are as different from each other as peas and artichokes. My first hour is Pre-AP and such eager, well behaved kids. Noodle (my daughter) is in that class, plus a lot of football players and band geeks. Love it!

Third hour (2nd is plan) is quiet, and for the most part, easy to deal with. I do have some kids that really struggle, who are unable to do anything near level. One of them cannot read at all. For two days they have been in my room and not even a co-teacher has come to assist. They are so overwhelmed and with 27 kids, it is really hard to give them any one-on-one time.

Fourth hour is a challenge. It is my largest class at 31 kids. I have a lot of students in that class with prior discipline issues and they are working hard to keep that reputation. They remind me of last year's homeroom class. I will probably fall hard for them and love them most of all.

Sixth hour (5th is Academic Achievement) is going to be a good class once I get a seating chart made. I have a few kids who just cannot be near each other and then we will be just fine.

And then there is seventh hour... Seventh hour always gets the label of being the worst. It is the last hour of the day. Mix tired teachers with tired kids and disaster usually ensues. But my last hour is small, and I adore the kids. There are some spunky ones but I love their laughter and their energy.

It just might be a really, really good year.

Transformation...

2011-08-15T19:56:00.005-05:00

It's been a lot of work. But I think I have made it into a place where I can guide and inspire.

Walking in that first day, I was horribly overwhelmed. What to do with this corner?


How about a reading nook?

Wall to wall desks...


But I carved out a little space for me.

Bookcases painted to the floor and covered in notes and names.

Curtains make a huge difference and hide all my extra books and supplies.


This entire wall scared me! (Blurry because I was shaking!)

Now, this is better!

Speaking of scary....yikes!!!!!!!!!


$5 plants, stick on velcro, picnic table cloth on clearance, strategically placed storage and microwave to cover holes in the wall = miracle!

Let the learning begin!

Work to do...

2011-07-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

As you may or may not know, I am moving from the upper elementary to the junior high this year. My old building was not old, it was newer and fresh and though I complained about the ratty carpet, I liked the storage space and the amenities.

My new building was built in the 1920's and I adore the building, but I just wasn't prepared for the condition of my room. Friday I was able to work for a few hours. The following pictures are SOOC.

Very old desk. It has been around for a many, many years. I do like the painted, cement floors.

One-piece desk are good.

Not one bulletin board to be found. Writing teachers NEED bulletin boards!

This is a strange wall. Behind that square of painted wood to the left of the TV, was a door. I think I will cover it with paper, frame it with trim and hang older daughter's artwork.

All the electricity is on the outside of the walls, running through little square tunnels (I have no idea what you call them!) and you cannot put hardly anything flush with wall.

This sink, what do I do? It leaks, has leaked for years and won't be fixed. I would love to paint it, but it is wet. I actually think the sink is cool, but not the rust. Help!

The room is tiny, no space for a reading nook, or spaces fro writers to conference with each other. I have a storage unit to empty into this room. That will be interesting!

Tuesday I leave for three days of training. Remember, one day will be a ropes course. Pray for me!

What kind of course?

2011-07-19T15:34:00.000-05:00

I'll be taking a road trip next week for leadership training. I got my packet via email today. One of the pieces of info was directions to the ropes course. What course? Did I sign up for that? Stay tuned. This could get interesting...

Changes...

2011-06-03T12:42:00.000-05:00

I have been offered a 7th grade English position at our Junior High school and I accepted. I'm really looking forward to moving over and even though the new 7th graders, will be my old 6th graders, I am still excited. I know these kids. They don't scare me!

So, now my subtitle will read "7th grade isn't for sissies."

Summer sign off...

2011-06-01T18:30:00.000-05:00

Posting to this blog will be light for the next few months. If you're interested in the mundane minutia of my life, you can read my other blog.

BtT (Before the Tornado) I wanted to post some samples of my students' "Important Book" pages. Here they are:

Love, love, love their work!

So, as we were riding the storm out in our storm cellar...

The clock in my classroom stopped...

and the tornado ended our school year prematurely.

But, like they knew they might not be coming back, my kids covered my boards with love notes. (I had a sub that day)

When I came in that morning, after the tornado, to work in my room with no electricity, I saw those notes, and I cried.... just a little bit...

Picking up the pieces...

2011-05-26T06:29:00.000-05:00

I posted this morning on my other blog.

Notes from Oklahoma: Picking up the pieces...: "The clock in my classroom stopped at 5:32 p.m. I worked all day in the dim light cast through my open windows. Outside I could hear chain sa..."

A sudden ending to a long year...

2011-05-24T20:22:00.002-05:00

I did not know yesterday would my last day with these kids. I had today off; burning up that last personal day. Yesterday I was glad I would not be at school today because the weather folks were throwing around words like "Major tornado outbreak", "long track, damaging tornadoes", etc... I hoped the weather would wait until I knew all my kids were home. It did. But then all hell broke loose.

We spent time in our storm cellar, but the tornado tracked west and north of us. We emerged unscathed. Not so for my school.

This tree was planted in memory of a student. It sits outside the 6th grade wing.

We have several portables that are used for the band students.

Softball field used by the high school. Those are bleachers slammed up against the fence.

Band portable moved off its foundation.

Leaves forced into the siding.

This portable ended up in the middle of the parking lot.

Behind our school is the bus barn and behind that is the high school. Next to the bus barn, which is to the left, was the high school weight room. It used to be where all those people are standing.

I can't show you the roof damage that my assistant principal said is right over my room. I did not get pictures of all the downed trees.

School is done now. Staff and faculty report tomorrow, but the kids are done. Our entire district is shut down. I should be glad, but I keep thinking "But I wasn't done!"

They deserved it...

2011-05-22T15:06:00.000-05:00

As challenging as some of our students are this year, we have a real solid group of great kids. Our team decided a field trip was necessary and off we went to the movies and the pool!

They sang "The wheels on the bus..." all the way there.

I love this little theater! This is the third year I have taken my class and the staff never fails to amaze me. They are so organized and so sweet to the kids.

The giant "mushroom" sprinkler at the pool is always a popular spot.

The boy had a soft cast and could not swim. The girls just wanted to flirt.

Noodle on the slide!


They provided all kinds of balls and floaties.

We have about 130 kids on our team. We took about 95 of them on the trip in two groups. The 35 kids that did not go all received some type of disciplinary write up between April 28th and May 10th.

I am so glad we went. I am so glad we got to see these awesome kids in another setting.

The Important Book

2011-04-28T19:04:00.001-05:00

One of my Teammates (have I mentioned how much I adore my team?) gave me this wonderful little book because she believed that I could design a writing lesson to go with it. And I did. I cannot wait to write about it this weekend.

This book is so sweet. All the little paragraphs start and end the same. I had my students brainstorm their own important things and write about them in the same format. Tomorrow they will complete their writing with art work.

Of course their pages will go on the wall!

25 days

2011-04-25T21:34:00.000-05:00

In twenty five days (school days) I will put away the Popsicle sticks, my school coffee mug, lunch count slips, erasers, and chalk. I will push the desks to the wall, stack all the chairs, and haul my personal things home.

In twenty five days I will turn in my lesson plans, grade books, keys, and check out sheets. I will store all my books in the cupboards, and my art supplies in the store room.

In twenty five days I will let go a huge sigh of relief that I have survived the most difficult year so far. This is my 5th year and I'm told if I'm going to quit this profession, then this year is the deciding point. I'm more likely to stay if I make it past five years.

To heck with them...

2011-04-25T09:05:00.002-05:00

I'm not quitting my blog. I miss it, I miss you too. Be back soon.

So long and thanks for all the fish!

2011-02-16T20:26:00.000-06:00

This is why I am deleting my blog.

I am grateful for the teachers I have "met" while blogging and I will focus on my family blog. My family can't fire me if I complain about them, can they?

Keep doing what you all do so well!

* I'll delete in a day or two.

Wild Horses

2011-02-09T11:47:00.001-06:00

My morning is spent teaching four English classes. The afternoon is all homeroom, all the time. It includes "study hall", DEAR time, read aloud, and English.

I am exhausted at the end of the day because the entire afternoon is spent keeping this bunch from spinning out of control. Remember, I have 11 students with behavior issues, all are loud, and most have problems with impulse control. One of the non-behavior-issue kids is now unmedicated because dad lost his job and they are trying to get medicaid. This poor boy is trying so hard to keep it together.

It feels like trying to rein in wild horses for two solid hours.

Birch trees...

2011-02-02T08:41:00.000-06:00

Back and forth... Two steps forward and one step back... But we are moving forward.

I always plan to do something fun on Friday afternoons. But Fun-Friday has to be earned. So, I usually have a few kids that have to go hang with the principal, or with another class while we have our fun project. Also, by Friday, I will have a few other or my troublemakers already out of the classroom because they are in ISS. Someday, someday all my kids will earn Fun-Friday.

Last week we painted birch trees. It's an easy step-by-step process and they did a wonderful job! I love how some of them turned out. They all had their own unique look.

It was messy and busy and we loved every minute of it.

Healing...

2011-01-17T13:57:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday my homeroom students hit a new low. Our class, as a whole, suffered from self-inflicted wounds.

A little back ground...

I have my kids for about 45 minutes first thing in the morning. Then they go to Social Studies. after that they come to me to organize and be taken to their specials. After specials they rotate to Math, Science, and Reading. They move as a group so they are known as my class and I am responsible for them. After Reading we go to lunch and recess. The rest of the day they are with me.

It has been hard, but I have gotten them to the point where they follow procedures in my room and they have blended into a more cohesive group. I moved Noodle out of my homeroom, but still teach her English. After Noodle left I was able to "go military" on them and not feel as terrible.

Last Thursday there was a sub in Science and all h*ll broke loose. They were still riled up when they crossed the hall to Reading and my teammate could not get them settled down. She finally made them write the entire period about everything that happened in science.

When they returned to me for lunch she brought me the letters and my jaw dropped as I read everything that had happened. I was stunned. Some of the boys sexually harassed the sub. Two girls were listening to their ipods (we have a strict policy here of no electronics), there were two scuffle/fights. Students were yelling, running in the classroom, using bad language, leaving the class without permission, and one boy got kneed in the privates so hard that the kids thought he passed out. The sub never buzzed for assistance or asked the teachers next door or across the hall for help.

After lunch we began our 4th day of indoor recess and all my kids had to lay their heads down on their desks and not say a word while I wrote behavior referrals. I wrote eight in all. I usually do not write referrals. I normally do not need to after using my classroom procedures. But I have a group of 11 kids who are always in trouble with the other teachers and the reason I wrote only eight referrals is because one of the 11 was absent, one was already suspended, and the other has just returned from suspension and was trying sooooo hard to be good (yay!).

The principal finally showed up (I had left her a note in the office during lunch) and I was able to talk to her and give her the referrals. Then I began pointing out those kids who were not written up and dismissing them to another teacher's room who was showing a movie for indoor recess. Four of the kids I dismissed told me they had been part of the problem and not the solution (I always remind them to choose to be part of the solution) so I sent them outside to the hall. Once the others had I left, I went out to the hall. Those four students told me they felt bad and wanted to apologize to the sub in science. We talked for a bit about what had happened and I felt they showed real remorse. I told them they could apologize and then go watch the movie or if they felt they needed to sit it out, then they could sit outside the room and work on their math. They all chose to work on their math.

We finished out the day with no events and that evening I wondered if I could take the unruly eight wilderness hunting and leave them to their own devices?

Friday morning went well. They behaved for all their teachers. They all knew I was seriously disappointed. At recess the assistant principal took the eight outside and made them walk the track, silently, for the entire 25 minutes. Two of the students received in school suspension for next week.

After recess I decided to open up our time to honest discussion. I asked them why they were good for me and got in trouble with the other teachers. It wasn't a bashing session, it was an open and honest discussion and we all learned a lot. It comes down to expectations and immaturity. This is an immature group. They know they are doing wrong, but they are selfish and don't really care. Some of them do feel badly about the things they have done. I did not absolve them from any responsibility. I just wanted to see it from their eyes. They are confused in some of their other classes because the expectations are not clear. They get yelled at. When they said that, I said "I have been known to yell." They replied that I only yelled when they deserved it and when I did yell, it was directions and instructions and they knew exactly what to do. I didn't just yell to yell or threaten.They also said that I don't threaten and the other teacher do so they know they can usually get away with things.

We talked for nearly an hour. We talked through our English time. As we talked I felt the bonds strengthen and the trust grow. Maybe, just maybe, I can get them to take this growth outside the safety of my room. We will see tomorrow.

We finished the day with a short lesson about civil rights and created this mural and I felt we were beginning to heal.

Unwritten

2011-01-11T17:04:00.000-06:00

Get ready for some major cheese!

I love Natasha Bedingfield's song "Unwritten". As an English teacher, it inspires me to teach those kids my very best, to take them as far as I can, and to push them harder than they have ever been pushed. When I do that, I am never let down.

The following quotes are from the song...

I am unwritten

The pen's in my hand, ending unplanned...

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions

Live your life with arms wide open

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten, yeah

Inspired

2011-01-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

I cannot say enough how much other bloggers inspire me. They inspire me to be a better teacher, better writer, reader, blogger. I've spent these two weeks off reading and searching for inspiration. I had been feeling close to burn out. Today I am ready to go back and put all I have back into my classroom and my kids.

We will spend the next few weeks on verbs and various short writing projects. At the end of the month we will begin our poetry unit with the book "Love that dog". I love teaching figurative language and poetry. I am always moved by the depth of their thoughts and feelings.

I hope this new year brings you inspiration, creativity, and more stories to share.

Updated post

2010-12-22T08:41:00.001-06:00

I don't teach math this year. If you read my blog last year you will know how frustrated my kids made me over math. This post sort of summed it all up.

Just wanted you to know that out of my 24 kids last year, I had eight score advanced, and all but two pass the state math test. Yup, they were lazy but kicked into gear when it mattered.

Fall Wrap up

2010-12-19T08:11:00.002-06:00

I made it to Christmas break! There were many days I did not think I could do it one more hour. But I did. Now, I have two weeks to regroup, recharge, and relax.

Because of the unusual challenges I have in my homeroom class, I have little time to shoot pictures. With that group I have not one minute of down time. Thankfully my English classes are better and we get a lot done, plus I get time to gather papers and actually enjoy just being with those students.

Mrs. Social Studies bravely took on a really cool project during the kids' early civ unit. She had them make bricks at home and then they ran the bricks through a weight and water test. Cool project!

My English kids put my two digital cameras to good use. They were allowed to go out around the school and shoot pictures. I posted about it here.

My homeroom kids broke the cameras.

Every year the kids create a door display for Red Ribbon week, our anti-drug campaign. My kids won again this year. They surprised me!

I November I took five of my English students to the Oklahoma Writing Project conference. We attended workshops and...

...ate at the coolest college cafeteria!

Yesterday we wrapped up the year with a pizza lunch and our holiday party. Our classmates, who are in band, played some of their carols for us.

I realize I am approaching burnout and my goal these two weeks is to turn that around. A teacher in burnout cannot be effective and even though these kids are tough, they deserve much more than a burnt out teacher will give them.

Through their eyes...

2010-11-24T16:13:00.000-06:00

Last year, I received a grant for a couple of digital cameras to use in the classroom. My English students have been taking pictures around the school and using them as writing prompts.

I'm impressed with their work. The boy who took this picture wrote about the lack of good, clean water in other countries and how we take it for granted. He has been labeled with a disability and supposedly has behavior issues.

I downloaded hundreds of pictures, printed dozens of copy sheets, and went through a lot of ink printing out their final selections.

I have taped their finished work up in the hall for all to see and admire. At any given time I will see a student, another teacher, a district administrator, a janitor, reading the writings and scanning the photos.

They are so proud of their work.

They exceeded my expectations.

The doors to creativity, imagination, the world, have been opened to them. All because I brought a couple of cheap Kodak digital cameras into the classroom.

Go ahead and yack all you want!

2010-11-16T05:29:00.000-06:00

This thing, along with a lot of patience, trust-building, and time, has turned my homeroom class around. Over the past few weeks, my kids have learned to monitor their noise level and they are earning points for a pizza party. I still have several that are in trouble all the time, in ISS or home on suspension, but it is because they won't behave for their other teachers. In my class they are fine. I have not written up a kid in weeks! Feels good. We are getting things done and we are starting to have fun.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

2010-11-02T18:27:00.000-05:00

*I'm afraid to say this out loud*

My class has been manageable, even, dare I say it?....Good? Oh, my... I know I've jinxed it!

Thank you

2010-10-29T18:57:00.000-05:00

I got a little blog love today. Thank you!

Teacher Salary Info

Things at school are improving. The successes are minute, but they are becoming more and more consistent. I might survive this year after all.

Taking a break

2010-10-26T17:39:00.001-05:00

I'll be back. I just need some time to regroup. This year has not gotten any better despite the efforts from my team and I. We keep plugging along trying to swim upstream. My health is suffering. It is serious, scary stuff. But, I will be back.

Chess Club

2010-10-09T08:42:00.000-05:00

My club is huge this year! I have 45 signed up and for the first three weeks I had anywhere from 35-38 show up. I don't have enough boards!

I had to split the club into two groups; one meets during lunch and the other after school. I think the numbers will drop eventually and I will move all the students to after school.

I think this year is the last year I will do this as a volunteer. I will request a stipend and a budget next year.

Trees and forests...

2010-10-01T18:33:00.000-05:00

They say you must see the forest, and not focus on the trees. My trees, those 7-8 kids I cannot control, cannot reach, have defined my forest. This week I decided not to focus on them; I will nurture the forest. I have done all I can, right now, for the trees. I let them go...

Wild Child remains a challenge, but has responded to some intervention. Shortstuff, Blues Eyes, and Freckles, well, any given day is a crapshoot. Then there is motormouth. He. Never. Stops. Talking. Ever! Yesterday he interrupted our moment of silence. He made it impossible for me to teach our English lesson. This morning he interrupted the daily announcements I was making. During a morning assembly he called another teacher a b*tch. I'm planting that tree in the hall so my forest can grow.

(Are you sick of this metaphor yet?)

One more thing...

My older daughter's science teacher donated a cute little guy to our classroom that looks just like this one.

His name is Forest.

I'm listening...

2010-09-19T21:15:00.001-05:00

Someone, Something, is trying to get my attention...

Wild Child, the boy who responds only to me, who bites, melts down, and cannot seem to stay in school for an entire week, is also the same child who brought me roses.

I collect Sonic Tot Toys, and last week he brought me one.

The one he brought me was not clean like this one. It was grubby and stained, like Wild Child. I brought it home and ran it through the wash. Good as new. It sits on my desk, not among the others I have lined up on the bookshelf.

Yesterday I was walking through the parking lot of the grocery store and out of the corner of my eye I saw I was about to be intercepted. I saw a boy, running as fast as he could, arms flying and feet pounding the pavement. It was Wild Child. He was all smiles, gave me a huge hug and said he would see me on Monday. Off he ran to mom, calling "Mom, it's my teacher! See mom, it's my teacher."

I'm listening...

The endless week...

2010-09-17T19:31:00.000-05:00

The fun from earlier in the week continued! Wild-Child, who bit a student, threw furniture in ISS, and had to be picked up from school by mom, actually had a good day yesterday. But today, he never made it to my classroom. He started a fight and mom was called.

Freckles ( another of my 8 challenges) tried to argue with me all day yesterday. We called mom several times over his behavior and he got two write ups.

This morning I discovered my three baskets with pencils, pencil sharpeners, and erasers were all empty. Parts of the sharpeners were found, with the blades taken out of them. Nice...

Then there is Blue Eyes. His 5th grade teacher told me he'd be in jail in just a few years. How's that for believing in the future?! Don't tell me that kind of crap when I come to you for advice about a child. Oh well... Blue Eyes responds to me. He wants to please me. He has had several good days. Then today, as he was leaving campus to walk home, he got in a fight. *sigh*

Last thing... I have Shortstuff's mom's number on speed dial. I think she is getting tired of hearing from me. He got kicked out of reading class today. I had to ask him to leave my English class for a short time too because as I was teaching he was tapping and refused to stop.

One of my readers commented that not much teaching can be going on. He could be right, but thankfully, I have really good classes (minus the troublemakers) and we are getting things done. The troublemakers spend a lot of time in the hall and office. I spend every plan time on the phone or filling out discipline reports. So, at home I grade and spend a lot of time in the classroom on the weekend trying to get things done. I dream at night of solutions to these challenges. But I am lost...

This week...

2010-09-15T19:39:00.001-05:00

This week...

1. I have called parents about their kids' behavior issues 12 times.

2. I have written 5 discipline forms.

3. I have had two students go to ISS (in school suspension).

4. We had a bomb threat and the police came.

5. Both boy's bathrooms were shut down because of vandalism.

6. One boy told me that telling another boy "I'm going to kick your cross-eyed a$$" was acceptable behavior.

7. Helped chase down a student who was melting down, called mom (one of those 12 calls), and glory be, she came and got him.

8. A student of mine who was in ISS, threw desks and made threats to the ISS teacher, was returned to my classroom. I was not told about the incident until after the kid was removed from the school because of behavior today.

9. It is only Wednesday...

10. I still cannot use my Smart-Slate.

11. **added later*** Forgot ~ all this with temps in the 90's and spotty AC. Yippy!

But, there is a bright side ~ today was fried chicken Wednesday in the cafeteria. So, it's all good.

Dear IT

2010-09-09T21:50:00.000-05:00

I loved today's Smart Slate training. Lacey, the rep and trainer, was sweet and very good at her job. She did redirect me a few times when I got ahead of her training, but those cool marker pens that drew stars and flowers were awesome!

I was thrilled that as soon as I walked into the training you placed a Smart Slate in my hot little hands and it even had my name on it. You even assured us that the software was loaded at our site and we were good to go as soon as we got back.

So, IT, I'm wondering if your definition of software is different from mine. I know I am a lowly teacher, but I thought software might actually mean we could use this freaking awesome toy. And that part about it being loaded at out site, well, maybe I misunderstood that too. There is nothing on my computer that supports this new technology.

Bubble ~ burst...

Sincerely,

Back to the chalk board in room 608

The unexpected

2010-09-03T19:42:00.002-05:00

Yes, that is a child under her desk.

I've wanted to blog about this new school year, my kids, the adjustment from self-contained to departmentalized, but I just haven't been able to get myself motivated to write. I have a lot of challenging kids, again. I do not have any on IEPs, that is good, but several of my kids are very low. None of that is a problem. It is the behavior challenges I have been tossed. I know I am good with these difficult, yet so lovable kids, but I am tired.

Talking, always talking.

The positive thing is that I get a break from those darlings when they rotate to their other classes. I also get to see how much easier it is to deal with my other four classes. Our homeroom classes rotate as a group so my kids stay together and the other teachers get to see what I have to deal with for 30 minutes in the morning, at lunch, and for 105 minutes in the afternoon. At first they sent me notes, or flat out asked me to deal with the troublemakers. I finally let them know that when they have my class, those kids are theirs and they have to deal with the behavior.

This sweet boy cannot, will not ever stop talking. I do not want him in the hall.

Looking back over last year I think I tried to take too much of the responsibility for my challenging students. This year I am not. I am calling parents every day. I am sending notes and writing emails. One parent is about tired of me, but I will not give up on that kid and I want them involved.

So, yesterday, when I felt spent, at the end of my rope, feeling like a true failure because I cannot teach the way I would like to, because I have to adjust for behavior, and low motivation, I get this gift. The roses are old, maybe two weeks. They came unwrapped, dry, not cold from a fridge or dripping water. More like they were fished out of the trash. There are just five. Roses don't come in bunches of five. He said "These are for you." He smiled and got to his seat, and started on his spelling. I wanted to cry...

Day one...

2010-08-19T19:27:00.001-05:00

We went over policies and procedures. We got to know each other. We built marshmallow towers.

I learned all their names.

The best part is that this child is in my homeroom class. If you read my other blog, you are well acquainted with Noodle.

My room - 2010

2010-08-16T18:22:00.000-05:00

I took these pictures this morning so they do not show the progress I made today. This is part of my front wall, the door is to the left.

From the door. I've added two more desks. We hear rumors we have to plan for 27. We will get our rosters tomorrow.

Novel Study bulletin board. The students will create posters, brochures, and comic strips to display for the novels we will study.

This will be our wall of wow! I will choose work that wows me and display it for a week.

Supply tubs, one for each student.

My desk and work area. It looks much better after working on it today!

Class library and reading area. A wonderful friend and former teacher gave me the huge display cabinet. I love it and it holds a lot of stuff in those drawers.

A rescued chair from a teacher who retired. It will be my reading chair.

From the back wall.

Tomorrow I have to work from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. It will be a long day, but I am up for it. I cannot wait to meet my homeroom critters and their parents.

Here we go!

2010-08-16T06:32:00.000-05:00

Today is my first official day of the 2010-2011 school year. I worked in my room yesterday and it is 95% ready and really looks good! I'll get pictures today and post later.

Tomorrow is our meet and greet with parents and students. I look forward to this every year. I love meeting these kids for the very first time. I always give them a bag of popcorn with a note that says "Thanks for popping in to meet me."

I am ready!

Frustrated!

2010-08-04T08:45:00.000-05:00

Our school district got backlogged on carpet cleaning and floor waxing, so we cannot get into our rooms this week.

"Meet the Teacher" in is less than two weeks!

I would not be so frustrated if it weren't for the fact that we had to clear our rooms out of any personal things that would not fit in our cupboards. My garage is full of my stuff and I will need to move that back to school and I am changing rooms, so I have to move all the furniture and my computers. Because we are down to one custodian, I will have to find my own help moving stuff.

So, I am a little frustrated that I cannot get into my room this week, and they "hope" we can get in next week. Hope...

Grade level meeting

2010-07-29T17:00:00.000-05:00

Today was our grade level meeting and there were some disappointments and some surprises.

I was surprised by how well my team seemed to meld. There are five of us, but one was sick and the other on vacation. We know those two gals well and know they will like the work we did and the decisions we made. One of the teachers I worked with today has just moved up to our grade. I know her from site meetings and really like her. The other gal moved from a new site and I did not know her at all. We really came together as a team and I am excited to work with these teachers!

I've said before that I will teach English. The other team has an English teacher and it was my hope the we could collaborate. That is not going to happen. He is not happy about being assigned English and has no desire to enhance the curriculum. I brought with me a pacing calendar I had made and lots, and lots of ideas for writing and novel studies. I never got the chance to share any of it with him. He made it clear he was not going to deviate from the book at all. So, I'm disappointed that I won't be able to collaborate with him, but that is OK. I am a really good English teacher and I will collaborate with my team for ideas and integration.

I'm ready to get started!

And so it begins...

2010-07-26T13:35:00.000-05:00

This week marks the end of my summer. What a way to end it though. I got up early, cleaned the pool and lazed around all morning long. I finished reading "Catching Fire" and I am counting the days until "Mockingjay" is released (29).

I have contemplated mapping out my new year. I will be teaching just English and Spelling so you would think that I would have already knocked out my curriculum map. Nope...

I do know that I will spend time on three blocks and rotate them. We will focus on grammar, writing, and novel studies. I will keep my unit on poetry using "Love That Dog".

I believe I will wait and make my lesson plans after we meet as a grade on Thursday. I am really interested in this meeting. We will address how we are going to go from self-contained to departmentalized. It will be interesting and I have so many questions!

I am running out of summer!

2010-07-19T07:42:00.000-05:00

This really is my last full week of summer vacation. Next week I am going to work three days (paid) on data and meet with the 6th grade teachers so we can work out the details of our new departmentalized grade.

The offices open the 4th and since I am moving my room this year, I will probably be working most days until the 16th, our official back-to-work day.

Where did summer go? What did I do?

I went to the farmers' market most Saturdays.

Noodle had her 11th birthday and we had a pool party.

I watched my gardens grow.

I swam ~ a lot!

I spent a long weekend in New Mexico.

I went ( or took kids or pets) to five doctor appointments, two ultrasound/scan appointments, three blood draws, five dental appointments, and two vet appointments.

I think I will soak up summer this week. Since we have a week of seriously hot weather, you will find me there...in that chair, that pool. I hope you are enjoying your summer!

The Hunger Games

2010-07-06T08:38:00.000-05:00

I just finished this YA novel by Suzanne Collins. I was looking for a read aloud that would inspire my students to read the sequels and I wanted a novel that might inspire their writing. I think I found it in this book.

I usually do not get hooked on a book, but I just loved this story. The movie is in development with a release date on 2011.

Once I finished the book, I immediately ordered the other two books.

Waiting... Patiently....

A new look...

2010-07-02T14:50:00.000-05:00

... for a new year. I know, it doesn't start until next month. But I imagine I will tweak and fiddle. What do you think?

So Cheeseboy doesn't leave...

2010-06-30T15:49:00.000-05:00

Pretty please!

Three weeks...

2010-06-20T21:46:00.000-05:00

For three weeks I have...

1. ...not graded a paper.

2. ...not even looked at the English curriculum for next year.

3. ...not been north of Noble (local reference).

4. ...swam, splashed and soaked up the sun.

5. ...played with corgis.

6. ...celebrated Noodle's birthday.

7. ...spent way too much time on Facebook.

8. ...read four books.

9. ...only ran into one of my students ~ Hi Nathaniel!

10. ...not missed school at all!

If you're a teacher, I hope you are enjoying your summer break!

New assignment and my new favorite art/writing project.

2010-05-31T15:43:00.000-05:00

I love Art Projects for Kids! I adjusted this project a little bit and had my students make their own cityscapes in oil pastels. I love, love, love how they turned out! They also had to write a Cinquian about their cityscape.

As you may or may not know, I teach a self-contained 6th grade class. Next year we are departmentalizing and I will teach English. I am so excited about how this will work. We will have two teams of five teachers and I really like the team I've been assigned. My grade is experiencing a lot of change and some loss. The losses are hard, but the budgets are tight. I really hope my pink-slipped colleagues find a job. They are all really good teachers.

I may or may not post, but will definitely pick it up again in August. I hope you have a great summer!

Stick a fork in me...

2010-05-29T08:20:00.000-05:00

I. AM. DONE!

This year, without a doubt was the toughest of my career. This group was a real challenge. Some of them, I grew to really love. Some, I wonder how they will ever make it in Junior High. I am just glad it is over.

Adding to the challenge was the fact that I was diagnosed with a really challenging disease. Rheumatoid Arthritis steals so much from me and when the day is tough, RA makes it tougher. So, I'm putting on my big girl panties and vowing to push on through no matter what. Also, I have 10 glorious weeks to laze about in the pool and love being a teacher.

I will blog a wrap-up in the next few days, but then I won't blog a lot here this summer. I will be blogging on my family blog and would love for you to come and visit me there. Have a wonderful summer!

I've snapped...

2010-05-21T20:32:00.000-05:00

Went to Lowes the other day and saw these.

I officially have lost touch with reality and have been sucked into the blogosphere. (Unless you read this blog, you won't get this.) I am ready for a break!

Final Field Trip

2010-05-20T14:23:00.000-05:00

We have five, count 'em, FIVE days of school left! Last week was the last field trip for my kiddos. Down the road from the small town where I teach, is another small town and they have a terrific indoor recreation pool. Three classes loaded up and headed down the highway. Before we went to the pool, we took the kids to see a movie at the small, but very cool little theater.

We saw "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". Half my kids liked it and the other half were not impressed. On to the pool.

There is a very cool fountain in the pool. Sort of looks like a giant mushroom.

They had a blast!

Sh*t my kids say

2010-05-06T21:00:00.001-05:00

Have you read "Sh*t my dad says"? Hilarious! Google it...

My student, who asked me at the beginning of the year if George Washington was still alive, gave me a chuckle yesterday. We were making layered dip in "honor" of Cinco De Mayo. She asked me what olives were.

I asked her what kind of sheltered life was she living?

Dale Chihuly

2010-05-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

Phenomenal glass artist, Dale Chihuly, has become an obsession of my class.

We read about the science of glass in our National Geographic Extreme Explorer magazine. If you teach elementary kids, Nat Geo is a fantastic resource and it costs just $4 for the 8-9 issue subscription. I modified this lesson plan from Dick Blick by using a hair dryer to soften transparency film after the kids cut out their shape.

They used acrylic paints and created some cool designs.

Another year over for Chess Club

2010-05-01T08:44:00.000-05:00

This is the second year I have been in charge of the Chess Club for our 6th graders. Before me there was no Chess Club. What I enjoy most is these sweet, authentic kids I get to know better. I also like giving them medals and trophies.

Done!

2010-04-21T20:41:00.000-05:00

We are done testing. Woohoo! I can now just simply teach. I can go off script, I stop worrying about how to pull six 100 pound bodies around my little small group table and go over skills.....because it works so well with first graders!

We are going to go deeply into a novel study. We are going to spend afternoons in the middle ages, pretending we are kings and queens, knights and damsels. Math will take us into volume and area. I am excited again. Those tests really seem to chip away at what makes us so damned good.

Who are you people?!

2010-04-09T20:25:00.000-05:00

Since we have returned from Spring Break, I barely recognize my critters. I cannot take all the credit, but I returned three weeks ago determined to raise expectations and I have. I have challenged my kids to be better than they have ever been and they have wowed me.

They turn in all their work. They listen better, participate better, laugh more, and have been gathering compliments from other teachers like nobody's business. I have not written a discipline slip in three weeks. I wonder who has my real class? I like these guys, and I plan on keeping them.

Last week I had them trace their bodies and recreate themselves on paper. We hung them around the room, hand in hand, to symbolize their new unity.

It looked sort of like a crime scene for awhile.

After three wonderful weeks, it was time for a real reward. Yesterday I took them to the donut shop down the road. It was fun and they were playful and silly and we had a really good time.

She's back...

2010-03-25T18:40:00.000-05:00

Do you remember "precious"? I wrote about her here. She came back a few weeks ago but put in another class since I was full. Today the principal moved her back to me. The other class was not working out, she was not doing well, and her mom requested the change.

I'm glad to have her back. I know my work is cut out for me, but as I said before....she is mine.

Chess Club Champions

2010-03-15T09:15:00.001-05:00

I have a little Chess Club. They come in at lunch and recess once a week and play.

In January, a few of the members went to a tournament in the city and they placed second in their section. Very cool!

The poetry of 6th graders

2010-03-13T07:43:00.002-06:00

They never cease to amaze me. Sixth graders write the most poignant poetry. Especially my boys.

We just completed a novel study of "Love That Dog" and the poetry writing that I integrate into the study. The first poet mentioned in the book is William Carlos Williams and his poem that we read is "The Red Wheelbarrow."

I have the students write several of their own "so much depends..." poems and I type up their best and hang it on the wall.

In the book, the main character's teacher does the same for his first poem.

She types it on blue paper and hangs it on a yellow board.

At the end of the study they write their own "Love That..." poem inspired by Walter Dean Myers and make their own book cover.

This is last year's wall, but it is similar to what we did this year.

Cafeteria Duty ~ blech

2010-02-14T19:05:00.000-06:00

I have cafeteria duty this week and I dread it. This group of sixth graders make it such a miserable experience. I have never disliked cafeteria duty before this group. They just do not care. We have tried all our tricks and still their behavior is awful. I don't mind talking, laughing, even a little playing is ok by me. I mean, it is their lunch. But this group has no self-control.

Some of our teachers are really strict and I have duty with one of those teachers. Our styles conflict. But she is my senior and outranks me. She wants quiet. She wants complete obedience. She has and will never get that from this group.

Help me? Do you have ideas? Tricks? How can I turn that 25 minutes into a respite for nearly 300 kids and not lose my mind?

Sick Day

2010-02-09T18:56:00.001-06:00

I spent Sunday getting intimately acquainted with my toilet bowl.

The stomach virus hit in late morning and by 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning I knew I would never make it to school. I logged on to the sub finder, entered my absence, and spent 30 agonizing minutes sketching out a sub plan. Back to bed. At 6:30 a.m. I checked the sub-finder, the absence had been covered, and called my VP. I let her know that my husband would leave my lesson plans at the front desk with several of my teacher edition books I had taken home.

All good!

I spent the day in bed. Despite feeling horrible, I got to watch a gorgeous snow storm blanket my back yard.

I watched as my corgis cavorted and tumbled in the snow.

Today I go back to work, dragging heiny like nobody's business, and despite the best laid plans, things were not as I expected. My VP wrote some good lessons plans because no one could find the plans I had my husband drive out of his way to drop off at my school. Oddly, those plans were at the front desk when I came in this morning. The sub who picked up the duty, called in before school started and they had to scramble to fill the gap. Then I get a new kid. Argh!!!

But, this is the good thing. I got a new kid! He is sweet and quiet right now.

One of my most credible boys, quietly said to me after lunch, "He's cool." So I think new boy will do just fine.

My part-time student

2010-01-31T10:19:00.002-06:00

I have a sweet, sweet little girl who has been absent about 30 days so far this year. When she isn't absent she is tardy. The social worker at school has been to the parents' home to try to get her attendance up. They have been reported to the sheriff. But nothing changes.

She is behind in work. She is lacking in skills. I have sat face-to-face with mom, practically begging her to bring "sweetie" to school. Promises are made, even attempts to improve are made. But sweetie goes missing again. I don't even miss her when she is gone. I hate to say that, but she is gone so much that our community was built without her, or built knowing she was going to be gone.

When she comes to school I enjoy her so much. She is smart and oh, so funny. She is witty and wise. We have fun and I start to love her. Then she is gone again and I feel let down. But every day she comes I will love her, and hope she comes the next day.

Snow days

2010-01-29T16:12:00.002-06:00

Over the weekend the weather guys started talking about a really big storm. As the week unfolded I was pretty sure we would not have school on Thursday and possible Friday too. Sure enough, no school. We are covered in ice and snow and, thankfully, the power has remained on. I have a bag stuffed full of papers to grade. Haven't touched it.

I am enjoying this time at home, this unexpected (sort of) down time.

I will jump back in on Monday and we will adjust our schedules and lesson plans and it will all work out. I won't stress about what I cannot control. Instead, I'm baking bread and making soup.

Moves that make sense!

2010-01-25T18:20:00.000-06:00

"Moves that make sense" is my chess club's motto. They are a great group of kids. We just get together once a week to play and in the spring I have a mini-tournament just with our kids. Well, a tournament came up in OKC and I told these kids and they were determined to go. I was not able to attend because of prior commitments (which never came up because I was home sick this weekend) but five of my boys went and with no tournament experience they took the 2nd place trophy in their section. Whoohoo!

Sparta vs. Athens! and a few other things...

2010-01-18T07:24:00.000-06:00

We had a busy week! We are still studying ancient Greece in Social Studies. It can take so long to get through a unit because of afternoon interruptions, like assemblies, counselor classes, etc...

Anyway, Friday the students held a mock debate arguing over which city-state was better. Sparta was very well prepared and did present much better. I really liked the Athenian's acrostic. But they both did a very good job. I made a video of the debate and hopefully today I can get it edited to show the kids tomorrow. I had never listened to myself as a teacher before and it was interesting. During the debate I did have to remind kids to quiet down, redirect some students, etc... I always think I sound so mean but when I played back the video I was shocked. I don't sound mean at all! I sound like a pretty nice teacher trying to gently redirect!

It was what I call a colorful week. Those little strips are pulled for misbehavior. If that behavior chart is all green on Thursday afternoon then I bring donuts on Friday. No donuts this week.

Reading goals are set for the next nine weeks. Last time only five kids made their goal. Hopefully I will have more at the reward pizza lunch in March.

Check your child's homework

2010-01-17T08:08:00.000-06:00

I received this in an email and it gave me chuckle.

"Dear Mrs. Jones,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic
dancer.

I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had, and then I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it.

Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot.

From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith

You can't fix lazy? Can you?

2010-01-07T19:00:00.000-06:00

I have 24 student and the same 12-14 keep failing math tests. They do alright on their daily work. Sometimes they have to do papers over, but I pull them into small groups and teach and reteach. They nearly always get their first 3-4 problems correct and then miss everything else. Over the break I gave my math grades to my principal. She gave me some advice, observed me yesterday, and I think we both have the same conclusion ~ they're lazy and they truly don't care. I'm at a loss. I can sit with one of these students and watch them work the problems and they do fine. Then I send them to their seats and the remainder of their work is not like the work I just observed. I had nine kids fail an assessment today. I had seven absent, so that nine was a lot. Shoot, it's always a lot. I gave them practice problems as homework. I gave them a lot. I told them if they do the work and get a good percentage correct then I will give them a passing grade on the assessment. If they choose not to do the work they will sign a statement saying so and it will get sent home in the mail.

I've always had 2-3 kids like this. But never this many in one class. What really bothers me is that I know they know the work. They just refuse to show it

Two steps forward...

2010-01-04T17:38:00.001-06:00

And one step back.

I'm not surprised this class lost some ground over the two week break. I don't mean academically, but in their behavior. We have spent so much time building community and getting procedures down pat.

For the first hour or so they were sleepy and quiet. I was too! Then they perked up, got chatty, lost control and forgot where they were. I reigned them in and things got better. Gosh, they are exhausting! Despite some bobbles and wobbles today, it was good and I was glad to see them.

Goodnight '09

2009-12-31T19:30:00.002-06:00

It's Thursday and in just three days I will have to return to the classroom. I am nowhere near that "zone". I need to get there. Getting there also means I need to adjust and start somewhere other than where I left off. I do not like where I've been the last few months. There have been some good moments and I think my teaching has been very good, but it needs to be better. I want it to be better.

Despite the data-driven methods we are forced into using, I will regain the passion I began with. I have to. Because, if I do not, then it is time to get out. I have some ideas. I've mulled a few things over. I think tomorrow I will venture to school, enter my room alone, in the cold and the silence, and have a conversation with myself about my goals, methods, desires, and passion for this vocation.

I love that every January and again in August, I get to begin, again...

Grecian Art ~ sorta

2009-12-12T19:13:00.003-06:00

By now you should know that I loves me some wall displays! I rarely have a bare wall. I think it is so important to showcase what my kids do, where they go, what they think and also how creative they are.

Part of our field trip was a an activity. The docent discussed the Grecian art technique of black on red painting and red on black painting. They created their own vases with designs and back in the class room I had them glue them to construction paper. I love how they look!

Field Trip

2009-12-10T08:36:00.005-06:00

Our district has cut all field trips but I got mine in just before the cut. I'm so glad too. We went to the Mabee-Gerrer Museum in Shawnee, OK. It was awesome!

The museum is small, but just right for a field trip. Everything on display had a real high "WOW!" factor and my kids were blown away. I forgot my Nikon, but had the handy-dandy iphone. So please excuse the crappy photo quality.

Cuneiform writing ~ We read about this in our first civilizations unit.

Sarcophagus ~ A real one! The kids were so thrilled. But this was the big hit....

This is Tutu. A mummy in Oklahoma? Who knew?! The museum calls itself "Oklahoma's best kept secret" and it is. But I think the secret needs to be told. I am going back!

The docents were wonderful and even sent with me a huge tub full of posters, videos, lesson plans, books, and a game for me to use for the next few weeks. I'm so glad we got to go. I'm go glad I chose a true educational field trip. The trend for field trips seems to be moving towards frivolous things, fun, but certainly not educational. This field trip will carry over into the classroom for the next week and after the holiday break.

She's gone...

2009-11-30T20:38:00.004-06:00

I have had many students leave in the middle of the year and I'm usually a little sad, but I rearrange desks, rearrange small groups, and move on. But this time, this one that has moved has left me feeling incredibly sad. I wrote about her here and called her "Precious". She had been absent Monday and Tuesday. She did not show up today and I usually call home on the third day. Before I got that chance, I got the withdrawal paper in my box. I sighed...

We were making headway. She was caught up on work and the quality was improving. She did a wonderful presentation for her country report.

I tried to call mom, the mom who yelled at me over the phone, but got no answer. I worry Precious isn't in a good place. But really, I have no idea... She was mine and I miss her.

Still here... Despite a near death experience

2009-11-21T10:28:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the long break. I have been so busy I decided to stay away awhile lest I forget my true priorities.

My Art weekend was wonderful and I have integrated some of what I learned in the classroom. I wish there was time for more but meeting are eating up so darn much time and when we aren't in meetings we are assessing. At least it seems that way.

On Monday I got a taste of Professional Development h*ll. Oh. My. Gawd! I read a lot of teacher blogs and I have read many stories about PD h*ll, but I had never been there. Now, I admit, PD still sucks most of the time, but I always seemed to come away with something. Not this time. Nothing. Zip. Can I count a sore butt?

Late in the afternoon, I decided to take another diversionary trip to the restroom while I was supposed to be working with my group, making up a song about diversity. Yes, I said MAKING UP A SONG! As I walked to the restroom, I passed another group and they were singing "We are the teachers, we are the world" and I thought to myself oh please, just kill me now. When I returned to my group, I alerted them to the fact that they were now officially on suicide watch.

Six hours... I will never get those hours back and they were truly, 100 percent, wasted.

Thursday's and Friday's Art

2009-11-06T17:43:00.004-06:00

Yesterday we worked on star books, taught to us by a wonderful gal from the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art in Shawnee. Inside the books we put info cards about ancient Egypt. I'm not sure I can teach my 6th graders these complicated books, but I can adapt it. I plan to use it for our Greece of Rome unit.

Today we worked with sculpy and then we made some hides made of paper. Our morning class was taught by The Philbrook Museum and I need to get to Tulsa and visit that place. This afternoon our teacher was from the Oklahoma Museum of Art and we painted and made pseudo glass bowls. I'm tired! This is more art than I've done in a long time and I love it!

This afternoon I got out and took some photos.

The colors here are brilliant.

This guy was quite far away but entertaining to watch.

The art here at the lodge is amazing. These a few examples. But the art is everywhere ~ even in the bathrooms!

The lake at dawn

2009-11-06T06:37:00.002-06:00

When I checked in yesterday I did not have a lake view room. I asked if one came available, could I be moved. They graciously accommodated me and this is one of the reasons why I need a lake view.

Art Integration or four days of paradise

2009-11-05T06:12:00.004-06:00

Last year I attended Oklahoma's Fall Arts Institute at Quarts Mountain. Not only were the workshops incredibly fun and valuable, the place is a little piece of Oklahoma paradise.

I learned a ton and vowed to return every year. Oklahoma public school teachers get a full scholarship to the Institute too.

I'll be blogging from paradise for the next few days. Stay tuned!

IT ~ is that you?

2009-11-02T07:25:00.003-06:00

For some reason I can read my blogs, comment, and post.

You have no idea what this means to me!

Look for more from room 610, live as it happens! Ha!

Michael Jackson lives, grapes on a playground, and Vampires!

2009-11-01T17:45:00.006-06:00

I had playground duty on Friday and took my camera out with me. I love some of the moments I captured. Sixth graders are still just kids after all.

Mr. Googly eyes! This kid is great! He's one of my chess club members.

This one is mine. He is so handsome, even when he isn't Michael Jackson. He is the sweetest boy and so polite, good work ethic, and a mom who makes sure her son is doing what is supposed to be doing.

My little bumble bee.

I cannot imagine being in this costume all day. I'm just glad she wasn't in my classroom!

I'm not sure what this child was supposed to be, but she looked awesome!

My own daughter wore her witch costume to school and she said she had one of the best outfits.

Noodle's entire 5th grade class opted out of Halloween and did a World Series theme instead. She had to wear baseball get up and they had hotdogs. Cute idea, but I think it sucked that my little one did not get a Halloween party or get to wear her costume to school.

It's an honor just to be nominated...

2009-10-27T17:00:00.003-05:00

The last thing I expected this year was to be nominated for Teacher of the Year at my site. I have felt like I have really struggled and just recently have found my footing.

For the nomination, I have to write about a teaching technique I use. There are many, but perhaps how I integrate art into so much of what I do makes a difference in my classroom. We don't have art at my school so it is up to the classroom teachers to make sure our kids get those skills that the state requires.

I'll keep you updated...

If you give a teacher her freedom...

2009-10-22T16:50:00.006-05:00

The she will take flight and soar.

If you're familiar with the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" book then the reference will make sense.

I got so many good comments from yesterday's post that I wanted to update a bit.

I went in today and decided to put aside the data and simply teach. I did not record PASS skills nor did I follow my lesson plan. I did not annotate every thing I covered in my small groups and how long they lasted. I simply taught.

I introduced cause and effect be reading to them "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and had them write their own cause and effect stories in the style of that book. Then they made their own little books. It was wonderful. They were 100% engaged and if I wanted to I could probably jot down 10 PASS skills we covered (probably do that tomorrow). Their books are awesome. We have "If you give a duck a doughnut", "If you give an octopus an oreo", "If you give a tiger tea", "If you give a bear a bagel", and so many more.

Because the schedule was thrown out the window, I was able to bring six kids to my table after our math lesson on dividing decimals. In fact, until lunch, my kids came and went to my table and I helped them one on one or in small groups on math problems. Usually our schedule is so tight that I have little time to do that. English was a breeze and they were so amazing during science.

I think they felt the difference. They were so good today. They even earned "doughnut Friday", which they haven't had except for once this year.

Precious brought in work she did at home and got more done in class. She is nearly caught up. She came up and hugged me at the end of the day. I did not make a big deal out of it but my heart sang. Other than crying in my arms yesterday, she had never hugged me.

Thanks to those who wrote words of support and thank you to the veterans especially. I did talk with a colleague today and she too is a veteran. She repeated over and over to me not to lose sight of the passion I have always had for my kids and the subjects I teach.

Today, it was a good day... I did not soar, but perhaps I flew, just a little bit.

Burn out?

2009-10-21T17:14:00.003-05:00

Can you burn out after less than four years? I don't think it is true burn out but this year I seem to be drowning. My first year was tough, of course, but I was high on all of the newness, the kids, the classroom, etc... My second year we moved and I started at a new school. It was tough, there were people that did not welcome the new "kids", were less than helpful, but I got through it. I cried a few times, but all in all it was a really good year. Last year was wonderful. I had a sweet class, great parents, and we had some amazing new teachers come in that breathed new life into everything.

But this year... This year is tough and just when I think things are smoothing out a new curve comes in the road. My class is tough, you know that. We have a new principal who I adore but it is a huge adjustment from the awesome guy we had last two years. I think what is weighing it all down is the increase of data, paper work and the redundant records we have to keep. Every meeting we have I walk away overwhelmed because more has been asked of us and nothing has been taken to lighten the load.

We had a data meeting today and we were given more things to do, more records to keep. I left deflated. I spent eight hours at school during my fall break getting 100% organized, copies made, all work graded, lesson plans sketched out for two months, all filing done, etc... I can grade at home and during planning I could handle the little day to day things that crop up. My lunch is usually spent working with kids who are behind or need reteaching.

So I came out of the meeting defeated and not real happy. Also, I had called a parent just before the meeting to talk to her about her daughter who is behind in work. I'll call the student "precious". Mom was angry and gave me every excuse why precious could not get caught up over our 5 day fall break. She told me her daughter would not be going to Saturday school, that it was my job to get precious caught up. She said they had other things they needed to do Saturday.

Back in the classroom I had to talk to "precious". I told her we needed to get her caught up, that mom wasn't happy and I did not want to have to talk to her again and get yelled at. Yep, mom yelled at me. I hate that. I did not expect precious to cry. She said "You're not the only one she yells at!" And she sobbed in my arms. I wanted to cry. I forgot. I forgot no matter how important I think her assignment on Egypt is, she has bigger worries. She said her mom doesn't care about her or her work. I know she's right about the latter; I got that loud and clear. As she cried and we talked later about how we would get her caught up, I couldn't help but think, "Where do I find time just for you precious? I have reports to file, and three levels of lessons on seven different subjects to teach, and t-shirt orders to sort, and online surveys I am required to complete, and graded work to sort, and silly-boy is asking a thousand questions again..."

I keep thinking it will get better... And I hang on...

The fast track

2009-10-17T06:51:00.004-05:00

Joanne Jacobs posted an article about alternative certification on her blog. I went that route so I'm not a typical teacher. I'm not even a typical alternatively certified teacher. Most teachers who are alternatively certified are professionals in a career who choose later in life to share their expertise by teaching, most at the high school level. I worked a lot of different jobs before I got into teaching. I was a stay at home mom for many years. I was even in the Army. Hardly a professional, more like a jack-of-a-few-trades.

I wrote on my other blog a little bit about the process I went through. I think it makes me a better teacher. Not better than the other teachers. Just better than if I had strictly went the education route in college.

Oklahoma doesn't allow alternatively certified teachers to certify in elementary education anymore. I got in just in time. Currently I am certified in Elementary Ed 1-8, Journalism 6-12, and English 5-8. I'm testing next month to bump that English certification up to 12th grade. I love 6th grade, but I am beginning to feel I want to specialize. I'm weak in some areas, and have no passion in others. My students deserve a teacher with passion.

Now on to some pictures.

Chess Club starts Monday. I started it last year for the kids who like to play chess. We only compete among ourselves and do not travel. But it is fun and they love it.

We have finished our unit on Egypt and now shift to science for a few weeks. I hate not having the time to teach both subjects.

Their pumpkin poems turned out really cute. It was a simple assignment. The poem had to rhyme and be at least four lines. I cannot believe how many kids agonized over this assignment and how many just whipped it out!

One last thing... We now have to wear name tags at our school. I hate it. I understand why, but I still don't like it. So, I decided to put my whistle and keys on a lanyard and attach the name tag to that. I got the coolest lanyard from LanyardLady. She makes awesome stuff.

Playing to a tough room...

2009-10-09T19:22:00.004-05:00

My crew is still a tough bunch. My crew is still fighting the limits but slowly coming around. I'm bending and adjusting and learning.

Last week I decided to strictly teach in small groups to this bunch. For reading and math I teach six at a time. Once a week I teach whole group. While I teach the group of six, others are busy with seat work, novel studies, literacy centers or intervention. I almost feel like I have new crew. Almost, not quite...

Things went so well that on Wednesday we sorted and classified (sort of) snacks foods. They loved it.

Today they got in big trouble in the cafeteria and spent the afternoon in quiet work. No fun-stuff-Friday for them.

I take it back...

2009-09-29T20:51:00.003-05:00

My last post, the one about my students melding, etc...

Never mind.

They returned from the weekend ill-behaved, rude and out of control.

It's usually March or April before I find it necessary to give my "come-to-Jesus" speech.

I gave it today.

Is it Friday yet?

Just another day in paradise...or room 610

2009-09-24T20:11:00.006-05:00

We have been back at it for about a month now and I think we are melding as a class. The fusion took longer this year than I am used to, but it's happening.

They are fired up about Egypt, the Nile River, Pharaohs and pyramids.

We're building our word wall with "wondrous words".

They are making good use of spellingcity.com.

Grammar lessons are on hold for a week while we enter the writing phase. First they will write a personal narrative. Then they will make it into a small book. Finally I will spend an entire weekend reading 24 five paragraph essays. Oh boy! For the curious, yes, we did just complete our grammar unit in sentences and time order words were the last part of our lesson.

I think these two boys are mad at each other. They keep building walls...

I'm digging the projector and the huge screen despite the stupid place they hung it. My students were drawing on the white boards we got from our last donorschoose.org project. They were making graphs.

The best thing about my day is this little 5th grader who gets to come have lunch with me. I like that...

Is George Washington still alive?

2009-09-17T18:17:00.004-05:00

Asked by a 6th grade girl today. She was serious. She did not know. I'm supposed to teach her world history this year.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-16T19:22:00.001-05:00

Limeades for Learning ~ If you love Sonic

2009-09-13T16:12:00.001-05:00

I posted on my other blog Notes from Oklahoma about how you can help me get cameras for my classroom.

President's Message

2009-09-12T05:44:00.002-05:00

Our school district would not allow us to air the President's message to school children. We could show a recorded version with a permission slip signed from their parents. Not surprised by that decision since this is a "red" state, home of that oh so wise (read a$$) Jim Inhoffe. OK, I won't go down that road...

I sent out 24 permission slips and got all of them back. That's a record! Four students were not allowed to watch the speech. I did not get nasty notes or emails like some of my colleagues, but I did get several "Thank you!" notes written on the slips from parents who were allowing their kids to view the speech.

I showed it yesterday afternoon. I have a hard time getting these kids to pay attention for more than ten minutes. They were silent the entire time and hung on every word. I am not kidding! The message was simple "You can succeed. You have something to give to this country. You can accomplish whatever you desire by setting goals." After the speech we set short term goals. We will complete the project Monday by creating visuals (posters) of the path they plan to take to reach their goal.

Sixth graders never fail to surprise me...

Wall Displays

2009-09-07T19:11:00.004-05:00

I love displaying my kids' work or their projects for all to see. I always have something on the walls outside our classroom. Above is the display I made for the Marshmallow Project.

Last winter my kids wrote poetry about snow and this was our wall display. I added their poems as snowflakes. I wish I would have taken a final picture.

We studied "Love that Dog" to kick off our figurative language unit and they wrote their own poems in the style of "Love that Boy/Dog" and this is how we shared the work.

Every Fall they write a scary story and we create a pumpkin patch to put the stories in. This takes some work, but they love it!

Marshmallow Project

2009-09-05T06:42:00.004-05:00

My class this year is truly a challenge I would never have wished for. But, they are finally beginning to settle in, they are beginning to follow the rules and we are starting to get more and more accomplished. As always, I have those few that are so good, so well behaved, smart and patient with the remainder of the class. I know they will not always be so patient so I work really hard to get all the procedures in place and down pat as soon as possible so I don't lose that group to boredom and repetition. Usually this takes just a few days. With this group it has taken two weeks. As I was beginning to think they would never settle in, they did. It isn't all smooth sailing, but it is getting better.

Yesterday I we did the Marshmallow Project. I use this project to foster team work and cooperation. It also is a good tool to tell me how they will manage science experiments in the near future. I did not have much hope for this group because they have such a hard time following directions and they are so social. There are many in this class that are immature for their age and that doesn't help.

The rules for the Marshmallow Project are simple. Use your tooth picks and mini-marshmallows to build a structure. No talking at all.

They worked in small groups of four.

They had about eight minutes to complete the structure. They would have had 15 minutes but they wasted a lot of time while I was passing out materials and trying to get them organized.

Like I said, I did not think they could handle a project like this. I knew someone would talk. But no one did.

This girl started laughing so hard that I did have to ask her to sit in the hall. She is my giggler!

They surprised me. They really surprised me! They were 100% silent and I saw teamwork I could not imagine coming from this group. I saw kids working together and cooperating that can bare stand sitting next to each other.

They were proud of themselves and their work. I praised them to the moon and back.
It was a wonderful ending to a really difficult week. I like that...

Open House and an "I got it!" moment

2009-09-02T17:37:00.004-05:00

Last night was open house at our school. I like these things, though there's little time to do it like I want. I like seeing my kids more relaxed, showing mom and dad around, showing off their work. The parents are relaxed and chatty. I enjoy getting to know my kids better and being able to really connect with their families.

During yesterday's math lesson I got one of those moments that makes everything I do worth it. I was teaching the Order of Operations and going over and over how I wanted them to rewrite the expression each time they solved an operation. Little "smiley" sits up front and just about every time they held up their white boards with their answers hid answer would be incorrect. But we kept going, over and over. Suddenly smiley said "Mrs. H, I get it! It's just like solving a puzzle!" Every answer after that was correct, today he rocked the review. He told me math is now his favorite subject. I'm inspired now to do better at teaching math, I have to keep smiley engaged, make him keep loving math.

Technology and science

2009-08-29T08:30:00.004-05:00

I'm not going to post about technology and science going together or something, though I could. I'm going to write about them separately.

First ~ Technology. I read a blog titled "What it's like on the inside". If you click the link it will take you to her entry on technology. She knows how we teachers feel about technology in our classrooms. Many of us are getting more and more upgrades in hardware, but so often our hands are tied when we actually want to use it. So we fight IT (and we know it's a losing battle) or we go commit acts that are nearly criminal just so our kids can write reports online, blog in the classroom, etc... Teachers, you know what I mean.

Yesterday we worked on posters for open house. I wanted to take pictures in the classroom with my digital camera and print them out from the computer so the kids could glue them on their posters. To do this I had to bring my Mac and my thumb drive to school. I take the pictures, load them to my Mac (because IT won't allow me to download pics from my camera) move the pics to my thumb drive and load them on the school computer. This I do not understand! Why am I allowed to download from the thumb drive but not my camera? How do they know my thumb drive isn't full of porn? Dumb!

I get seriously worried about our rights, not just as teachers but as people and citizens. Husband's employer is working on taking their rights to social networking away from them. Even if their myspace, facebook, twitter, etc... is personal and in no way work related they could get in big trouble or even fired for having it.

I did not mean to rant so much. Forgive me...

On to science!

We had an assembly yesterday and the kids loved this guy!

We're on fire!

2009-08-24T21:11:00.003-05:00

Not really, just felt like it. Summer in Oklahoma is hot and teaching without air conditioning is next to impossible. The system broke today and the inside temps steadily rose. When the kids came in from recess it was sweltering and they were already hot. I threw out the lesson plans, allowed them to work in buddy pairs on vocabulary, and made sure everyone had a folder to use as a fan. We got through it.

When I got home my pool was finished. I said a little prayer of gratitude and jumped in...

And we're off!

2009-08-21T17:04:00.004-05:00

What a whirlwind these two days have been! I have some really sweet, funny, and smart kids. I know every class gives you a honeymoon period, and these kids are no exception, but I will enjoy every minute of these first few weeks. They are being so very good, despite the fact they are a chatty and busy bunch. But they are not rude or loud....yet.

They have organized, gone through the text books and completed a writing assignment today. Math assessment is over, art project completed, and procedures practiced over and over again.

I have 24 students and our space is limited. We are so crowded, but these kids don't complain.

Missy 22 here is so smart and so sweet. I like how she wrote "Hi!" on her hand and...

she wore the coolest sneakers today!

Another crop

2009-08-18T17:58:00.003-05:00

I met them; their sweet faces, shy smiles, and nervous anticipation of meeting me. The parents appeared motivated and involved. The children impressed me. I have one precious boy with a disability and he uses a voice amplifier, well, I have to use it. But he brought it and showed me how to use it and we found a place to charge it. I look forward to watching all these children grow and change through out this year.

I'm ready...

The Bandwagon

2009-08-17T19:16:00.002-05:00

Today was my official return to work and the classroom. We spent the day in Professional Development. Our district is dipping its toes into the waters of PLC. Professional Learning Communities sounds like such a wonderful idea and I know we can do it. But will we? It seems so much is put on us teachers and PLC adds even more. The speaker today spoke of that issue and said his district practiced "addition by subtraction". They took something off the teachers' plates before they added something else. I hope our sensible leaders took note of "addition by subtraction".

I know some other teachers read this blog and I would love to hear your experience with PLC.

Tomorrow is "Meet the Teacher"...Oh boy!!!!

Pictures of the classroom

2009-08-16T09:06:00.003-05:00

I like looking at the classrooms of other teachers. I like getting ideas from them. I thought I'd share a few shots of my room. I posted some last week, but things have changed a lot.

Computer area for my students.

Small group table and my computer.

Our reading and relaxing space.

My desk and planning space.

My projector screen will fall in front of the hooks. Out of view, but to the right is a small chalkboard for lessons.