Be Ware

Be Ware.
Don't say that the kids didn't warn you about the sharks in here.
We had full size creatures of all shapes and sizes-
tiger sharks, dolphins, manatees, sea horses, puffer fish, angler fish...
you name it.

After a quiet year feeling my way in a new school,
I am happy to be back at home working
at what I feel I do best.
Designing developmentally appropriate projects
and engaging kids in creating a vision.






The technology at me new school is really what takes it to the next level.
Researching on the computers and
creating posters in microsoft publisher...

but really, its just about watching kids do their best work
because they care about what we are creating.

and the public-
i.e. the rest of the school community-
lavished them all in praise
well deserved.

I am a happy teacher this Friday.
I've earned my week-end.

from a former student

I had an e-mail today, from a parent of a boy that I used to teach. Back in my dream days of teaching at a liberal, independent school, where I could teach and learn and be creative and develop meaningful relationships. Where these things were valued...

The e-mail read as follows:

Last night, well past his bed time...he was tossing and turning and restless...I was still and quiet next to him trying to will him into stillness... all of a sudden he says... " I miss Emily." I was stunned, we haven't spoken of you in months... I said " Oh yeah? what do you miss?" He replied, " I miss her teaching." I said " yeah, she is a great teacher." He said," yeah." And then he was quiet and he went to sleep.


It brought tears to my eyes.
I miss my kids.

litter bug

yesterday was a day full of running around and catching up on errands.

mid-afternoon, todd and i went to have the oil changed in my car.
we brought sandwiches from the local deli and sat outside with a nice view of the smoking employees and the burger king drive thru next door.

as i watched the cars head through,
i watched a van pull in with a family on board.

dad driving. young girl riding shotgun, and at least one other child in the back.
the girls were maybe 10 to 12.
so i see the man direct his daughter to throw a can through their open window.
my jaw drops.
i immediately put up my sunglasses so i can stare the guy down.
i am fuming.
i can hardly believe that people anywhere feel that it is okay to throw one's trash openly out their car window... with an audience, mind you.

so i can see that the guy is looking at me.
i spit words at him under my breath from 50 feet away.
i tell todd, i am going to hand it back to him and ask him if he lost something.
i am not that gutsy...
but i do get up,
pick up the can (with watchful eyes on me),
tip it towards their van,
say nothing,
(i did hear the man say to his daughter, 'it's all right'),
(NO, ITS NOT ALL RIGHT)
and walk it to the dumpster so that they can watch me deposit it.
still fuming.
i sit back down and notice that the daughter now has her window rolled up.

dude, i am not going to harm your daughter.
i am just trying to teach her a better lesson that you.

busy business

as the school year winds down, i have been at work for at least 10 hours a day, grading, organizing, getting ready for report cards and packing up. we still have 19 days to go (but who's counting) and there is a lot to do between now and then. inventory, report sheets that will follow the kids to the next grade, lists, lists, lists, and lots of stuff to pack up or throw out. i can hardly wait to cleanse and purge all of these goodies.

todd's friend B is still in town and we are planning a big bocce bash for tomorrow evening (that may or may not be rained out and turned into an indoor board game party). we will have plenty of beer (that may or may not give me hives), snacks, and freshly cut grass. croquet and bocce are two of my all-time summer favorites. and i love to host everybody whenever i can motivate a crowd to come over. i hope to keep these up throughout the summer (assuming all my work friends will still be friendly with me).

i am slowly coming out at work about my new job. i have been paid some huge compliments in the last week, from a co-teacher telling me that she tries to "emulate" me... to the music teacher letting me know that i will be missed, missed, missed. she's been telling kindergarten parents to request my class because of my "way with the kids". who knew everyone thought i was doing a good job all along, when i have just felt like i was floundering. i guess the feedback is finding me too late in the game.

easton is busy peeing and chewing and eating and loving.
mollie is busy keeping him in his place.

todd is busy with yard work and mulching galore, along with his friend B (who's earning a few extra bucks before heading home).

i have been busy cooking up tasty meals, making doctors appointments, juicing, blending smoothies, planning crafts, planning summer trips, and trying to get the computer straight.

what are you all busy with?



(more pictures to come)

professional development

my training over the last few days has actually been fascinating, as well as practical.
we learned about phonics and the sounds of language. we learned about why english is seemingly crazy and we've worked at understanding the patterns and codes of the language- that as we learn to read and spell, most of us just intuit. its been interesting to learn about rules you didn't know existed and the relationship between our understanding and our reading and our writing and our vocabulary and our comprehension. we did a lot of fun activities to demonstrate. we analyzed kids' work to see where they were deficient and how we could best support them.
it was everything you learn in grad school and don't understand--- revisited in a way that makes sense once you've been in the classroom and worked with struggling readers who don't just intuit the stuff. i am feeling refreshed. i feel like i have a whole new tool box to work from.
now its back into the grind to see how i can make it all work.
that is, as soon as this fog burns off...

Let's leave it on a positive note...

I am feeling the need to put some of my positive energy out there today.
Things at school feel a bit better...
We had a 90 minute "fog delay" yesterday... apparently they are pretty common here on the eastern shore. It took that long to lift from the roads... up until then you couldn't see out our windows. Sheer white. Of course, I am always up for the late morning. The extra hour to sleep in was just what I needed to try to rest away this illness.
I am still a bit under the weather here... but sub plans are written for tomorrow and things are set for our rendezvous to Colorado. We leave the house at 3:00 a.m. tomorrow to make it to the airport in time for check-in and a 6:00 flight.
I am feeling super excited to see the family, be a part of a wonderful couple's wedding, and to take many, many pictures. :-)
I'll be sure to post!

Ugh.

Another one of those days.

I should have known that I wanted to be a school teacher when I watched and enjoyed Reading Rainbow as an adult.
Now, maybe I am not so sure.

I had my first official review today and had two "marginal" categories. One, instructional time used wisely (i.e. all I do is redirest, redirect, redirect) and one for behavior management, rules, and routines.

I am stuggling. I admit it.
Its frustrating because I always felt pretty good at these things before. Now, with a new set if expectations, new set of curriculum that is not at all flexible, and a more challenging group... all of the fun has been zapped right out of me.


I am tired.
I am sick (again).
I am tired of being tired and sick.
The worst part is that the only one who can make this work is me... and no one can tell me how to do it.

I take it day by day... and have generally felt it getting better... I just need to stick with it, stay consistent, and keep on trucking.

Ugh.

I can't stop crying

Today was the day from h*!! at work.
We had parent conferences on Monday and then yesterday I had a sub in for me while our team had meetings and visited another school... That meant four days without me... and that meant chaos.
I felt like it was the first day of school, only worse, because I felt like they should know better and on top of that I was observed by three professionals who were ready to give me constructive feedback.
My morning was rough and the pressure was on. We sat down in the afternoon to discuss the observations and I just broke down. I couldn't stop sobbing. I mean body convulsing, feel like a little kid, sobs. So on top of feeling overwhelmed and fighting fears of failure, I was embaressed. Ah, these are the days.
They reassured and advised and reassured again... but I just can't stop crying.
If I make it to work tomorrow it will be an acomplishment.
If I make it through the day, a miracle.

School and the (almost) South

Well, its Sunday night... which inevitably leads to Sunday night anxiety. I am not sure right now whether I was more anxious last week before school started when I wasn't in the know, OR if I am more anxious now that I am in the know. This job is tough. These kids are tough. All I can do is hang in and hope things continue to get a little better each day. So far, I am having minimal luck training them simply to sit still and listen to me for more than two words before they start conversing among themselves. Apparently, I have gotten VERY boring over the summer.

On a more positive note, the almost south is suiting me quite well. I have begun a new addiction to iced tea and BBQ. Even the crabs are suiting me. We had dinner on Friday over a new friends house who treated us to the delights of the Eastern shore. He caught about 30 crabs himself and boiled them up right there on the porch for a delightful meal and an unintimidating lesson is "picking crabs"... getting to the meat. I am already improving and I actually left the meal full. :-)

Wish me luck in the days ahead and sleep in the nights.

Transformation

Well, its my one year blogging anniversary and my day count was way off... so as I enter year two of blogging, I have decided to use real titles for my entries.
This is my first.

Welcome to Maple Elementary School. I thought you might like to see the classroom transformation of my room. I love this process and I love these before and after shots... Its shows just how much work it takes to get ready.


This is the first angle of my room... with Todd as a not-so-happy first grader. :-) When I first arrived all of my furniture was piled up high in a corner, so of course, my first step is to figure out where I want it all... Then, I have to scavenge other classrooms to see if I can steal the furniture that I don't have but I want. I had a few hits but eneded up blowing some budget money on a bookshelf, too.

This is another shot... new this year are a teacher's desk (I never had one of those before) and a t.v. that hooks up to my brand new computer. yeah! I will be all wired up this year. Now, I just need my password and I'll be all set.


I am so grateful to have this one small window. You can also see bulletin board transformation in this shot. I covered with huge blue and green paper and then decorated with a ribbon border... Half way through I decided that my subconscious must be missing the hills of home because the landscape is not rolling here as depicted on my boards... its flat, flat, flat.



This is a big, black metal wall that is magnetic, so that helps... but I was at a loss for what to do to cover its bigness and blackness. I tried to use as much furniture as possible on that wall and then added my "word train" to the top... of course, there's no words yet, that comes later. :-)


Cross your fingers and eyes for me on Tuesday... the first day of school!

Day 303

I took a deep breath before I even began to type.


This week has been an emotional one.
I was non-stop busy crazed at the beginning of the week getting ready for the end of school, finishing reports, cleaning out my classroom jungle (literally and figuratively), preparing gifts for the kiddies, preparing me for good-byes...
The last day of school came and went and then it was just ... over.

Graduation that night was a beautiful things. It's 8th graders who are finishing up and getting ready for high school but each reads a beautifully written speech and, of course, everyone cries... or at least I do, and I assume everyone else must too.
This was the good-bye phase as I tried to get out and I cried as I said good-bye to the class and the parents and just as I felt like I was done, I'd go bit further down the hall, see someone else, and we'd cry again. It was hard to leave. It was a community that I was so grateful to be a part of and the families felt like "my" families, at least that it what I always called them... "my parents", "my kids"...
Thursday and Friday continued that whirlwind and I packed up my classroom some more, finished up all that paperwork, and then came home and packed up and finished up all the paperwork for here, too... I said good-bye to school and cried as I said my "see you laters" to all of the teachers and faculty there. What an amazing group of people to support me and make me feel so appreciated for what I do.
I was so grateful to have my mom here with me this week, slumber partying and talking. There is no better girlfriend than one's mom... assuming you have an awesome mom like mine. :-)

Now, the boxes are mostly packed. There is a realtor milling about the place because the owners have decided to sell it. I have those few odds and ends to finish up. I need to shower and prepare the guest innkeeper for our time away. I need to go to the post office. Then mom and I will leave to have manicures and pedicures and go out for dinner... and then I move on to their house, atleast until Monday when we leave for our trip.

So for now, two weeks away. (I am assuming I will not have internet access, but you never know...) Look for me in early July in Maryland and I will have LOTS of photos to post of our vacation, and our new place.See you later, alligator.
Adios, cinnamon toast.

Day 297

Another proud teacher moment.

This is the incredible rainforest that I built with my class. You have to imagine these details viewed in a hot, humid classroom. The lights are off and it is dark until your eyes adjust. You are listening to "the sounds of the rainfrest" on cd.

Now, here are the photos.