My Big Mouth

In the last two weeks I have managed to make myself well known to not one, not two, but THREE of the bigwigs in our district. One of them was the superintendent. I am not sure what has come over me. Last year, I was such a quiet, good, little girl. I suspect it is a combination of the comfort level brought on by tenure along with the increased number of committees and projects of which I am taking part. While it feels damn good to be speaking my mind, I can't help but wonder how my higher-ups are taking it. I can only hope that they recognize my questioning and involvement as one more sign of my commitment to children and their education. Cross your fingers for me, if you don't mind.

No wonder I can't shake this cold.

This is what a typical day looks like right now...

6:00 Alarm goes off. Feed cats and try to decide which is more urgently needed, a shower or 30 minutes more sleep.

6:30 Finished with either showering or sleeping, I get dressed and eat breakfast with my nose buried in a book.

7:00 Get packed up and head to school.

7:45 Get to school. Do paperwork/grading/recording/prepping unless I am needed in a meeting (one day a week). Often distracted by calls or visits from parents or other teachers.

9:00 Collect class from outside and commence the morning.

11:30 Work through my break.

12:45 Eat lunch while talking with co-workers. Common topics include teaching strategies, upcoming lessons/units, problems with students (and potential solutions), successes with students, office gossip, and personal information.

1:30 Collect class from outside and commence the afternoon.

3:15 Dismiss students. Spend time dealing with parent visits/calls, students returning for forgotten items, and straightening up the wreckage.

3:30 More grading/prepping/planning/recording/etc. Put up next day's schedule as well as morning message. Meet with co-workers as necessary. Follow-up on previous conversations/paperwork/concerns. Call parents who need to be filled in on important information from the day.

5:00 Frantically try to get things squared away enough that I can go home. This is my nightly goal.

5:30 Actually head home.

6:00 Decompress. Check e-mail, talk with hubby, have dinner.

6:45 Begin grading/recording/planning. Continue this while half watching, half listening to whatever is on the TV.

9:00 Finally pack school things away. Brush teeth, fall into bed. Consider reading for a few minutes, but usually fall asleep before actually picking up the book.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Questions

Recently, I was asked what kind of student I was as a child. And I had no idea how to answer. I don't know. I remember my friends from elementary school. I remember my teachers. But I have no idea what I was like then.

So here are some questions for those in the know...

Did my teachers have to remind me to speak up? Or shut up?
Did I turn in my homework? Did I do my homework? Did I even know I had homework?
Did I work hard? Or hardly work?
Was I living up to my potential? (I suspect the answer to this one is "no".)
Did I keep to myself or tell my teachers every little detail?
Was I shy? Outgoing? Confident? Comfortable?
Was I organized? Or did it look like a tornado had gone through my desk?

I often look at my students and see bits of myself as I am now. I wish I could tell which ones were like me THEN.

To Teach Writing, You Have to BE a Writer.

Not in the sense that you have to be published or anything. Just in the sense that you actually write things. More importantly, that you show your students your writing as it occurs. I have been trying a new method with my writing class this year and I think it is working.

Last year, I would tell the kids something about writing ("When you use dialogue, you have to use quotation marks."). I would have them practice a little and then I would tell them to write something. I would try to conference with each child, but it never actually happened due to time constraints. I felt that my students did a poor job of writing and I wasn't surprised. I was doing a pisspoor job of teaching it.

This year, I am working on the idea that modeling is the best way to teach writing. So instead of having THEM write in class, I am writing in class. They help me and then do their own writing at home. We have been following a careful schedule.

Monday: I present the topic for the week's writing assignment. (eg. Learning to do Something Challenging) I then go through the step by step process of filling in an outline organizer with the ideas for my own story. (eg. Learning to Drive) This is a lot of fun, because they are facinated with the idea of knowing more about my life. At home, they fill in their own organizer about their own story.

Tuesday: I turn each piece of the outline into a paragraph. I demonstrate how to take words and phrases and make them into complete sentences that flow together smoothly. They get to suggest ideas and give constructive criticism. At home, they turn their own organizer into a rough draft.

Wednesday: We use the writing rubric to check each part of my story carefully. They get to tell me how many points I get for each section. By the end, we can see what my grade would be without any changes and where I can make the most improvement. At home, they use the same rubric to edit their own work.

Thursday: I show them an edited version of my story and we check it again. We calculate the new grade, demonstrating what a difference good editing and re-writing can make. At home, they re-write their own stories.

Friday: I show them a neatly typed up version of my story. They hand in their own stories for grading (using the same rubric they were using to edit, of course).

If the few stories I have graded so far are any indication, the quality of writing in my room has gone way up. It remains to be seen if this is a result of the teaching method or the consequence of having naturally better writers in my class this year. Unfortunately, when I collected our first writing assignment this morning, only 17 of my 32 turned one in. That is disappointing, but for an entirely different reason.

Busy week

This week, I am crazy busy. Today, I had a meeting regarding the 5th grade math curriculum this year. It was confusing, but overall pretty productive. Wednesday, we have to write our yearly goals - on a schoolwide level, a grade level...level, and a personal level. Whoot. Thursday starts with a meeting at which I am the facilitator and ends with a meeting at which I will have to fight to be heard by the district superintendent. Yikes. And Friday...hmm. There is something happening on Friday, but I can't remember what. Gotta look that up.

Interesting

The intensely involved woman who inspires me to stand up and fight for what is right, is the same intensely negative woman who reminds me to look for the good in things and cooperate when possible.

There is a fine line between fighting the good fight and just plain fighting. I am seeing that it is important to pick your battles or risk looking like you are just difficult to get along with.

Complex or Easily Led?

I am an interesting mix of two distinct opposites. Sometimes I think this is a good thing, allowing me to play each situation as it requires. Other times, I think I am just too wishy-washy to pick one personality trait and stick with it.

First, I am one of those eager-to-please kinds. When someone asks something of me, I want to do it right. I often have the urge to show my work to someone of authority so they can give me a cookie. I like praise and I like taking the expectations of my higher-ups and blowing them away. I am terrified of being caught doing something wrong and I HATE being chastised or punished.

On the other hand, I often have an overwhelming urge to rebel. I question the motives and methods of those in authority and make smart-alecky comments about them. I will go out of my way to challenge those who try to control me and I am not afraid of what they will say when I do.

These two halves are so carefully balanced that it only takes one other person to sway me one way or the other. If I am partnered with a goodie-goodie, then I am going to be the most focused, hard-working person in the room. If I am sitting with another rebel, I will spend my time questioning, critisizing, and challenging. From the post below, can you guess what kind of person was at my table today?

A Non-drinking Game

This game is for anyone who has ever had to go to an inservice or long meeting. After today, I feel your pain.

!. Come to the meeting with a short list of buzz words or catch phrases that you suspect the presenter will use often.

2. If you company is in the habit of providing snacks at these meetings, you are in luck. If not, make sure to bring a bag of small snacky foods (m&ms, pretzels, goldfish crackers, etc.).

3. Each time a word or phrase from your list is used, you get one snack.

I know, not very exciting, but it kept me occupied this afternoon, long after I wanted to crawl under the table and take a nap. I now feel slightly ill from all the chocolate, though. Next time, I'm bringing goldfish.

Warning: No Actual Research or Formal Study Went Into This Post!

I am going to district training today. This always gets me worked up. I feel as though public education, in general, is being slowly and methodically destroyed. We are currently working along the rim on one side of the Grand Canyon, when where I really want to be is cliff dwelling somewhere on the exact opposite side. I know, I know. Pretty soon, we'll all hop on our donkeys and start our migration to the other side, but it's still frustrating.

While showering, I came up with some ideas. I think they might help get our education system back on track, which is to say that it might help our children gain insight, knowledge, and the ability to be productive citizens.

1. Start spending the money wisely. This can be done in many ways.

* Balance the pay scales. I know that administration is important. Someone needs to be steering the boat. However, paying an expert to steer a boat with no propulsion system is just futile. The gap between administration and teacher pay is way too much.

* Quit paying publishers for their Get Smart Quick schemes. Our district changes curriculums like I change my socks. (Heh...once a year...hehe) Find a series that you like in each of the core areas and stick with it. We could have the best curriculum in the world, but if we haven't had a chance to get to know it, it's not going to make a difference. No teacher does his/her best the first time through.

* Be willing to pay your veteran teachers for their experience. As I said, no teacher can teach to the best of their ability the first time through. Despite all the college courses and student teaching in the world, the first few years in the classroom on your own are practice. First Years are cheaper, but they just plain can't do the job as well and they will after they have experience. You have to be willing to pay for that. It's worth it.

* Keep class sizes down. The benefits to the students' learning are so, SO worth it.

2. Start holding parents accountable in the same way you are holding teachers accountable.

* Participation in parent/teacher conferences should be mandatory. At least one time each year, parents should absolutely HAVE to take the time to discuss their child's progress and brainstorm with the teacher about how to best keep that progress happening. It can be in person, over the phone, via e-mail - but it has to cover the basics satisfactorily. The basics include academics, behavior, social/emotional development, and goals for the future. Parents should be able to get time from work to attend these meetings, and there should be some kind of reward for doing it - a tax break or something. I'm still working on that part.

* Parents should receive a "report card" each year. This would hold them accountable for the things that only they can provide to their children. This report card would be included in their child's cummulative file. Things to include on this report card:
~ Y or N Parent has adaquately monitored and cared for the health of the student.
~ Y or N Parent provides adequate nutrition for the student on a daily basis.
~ Y or N Parent has participated in the education process both at school and at home.
~ Y or N Parent has a system of consequences (pos. and neg.) in place.
~ Y or N If no is marked for any of the above statements, Parent has made adaquate attempts to find assistance, including but not limited to, parenting classes, county/state/federal assistance programs, counseling/therapy.

(I know that this would be way too subjective (much like the monitoring of teachers) to actually work, but it's nice in theory. Schools would, of course, be required to give free classes and seminars for parents to help with these issues.)

These are just my own random thoughts. Your questions, comments, snide remarks? I know there are problems with them. It's just nice to dream about an improved work place and a situation where I can actually help the kids who are put in my charge. More than I do now, I mean.

Thought Luck

I have been swearing way too much. I think I need to cut back before I accidentally say something I shouldn't in my classroom.


My headcold seems to be just about gone. However, it also seems that I cannot experience a headcold without later experiencing breathing troubles. I am going to be breaking out the inhaler soon, as my chest is feeling quite tight.


Because I have a computer lab time while the computer lady is there, I am absolutely enjoying going to computers this year. She's wonderful.


One of the radio stations I listen to doesn't use disk jockeys. They play music and they play commercials. Nothing else.


My students have each picked a higher level vocabulary word to describe themselves, such as erudite, empathetic, or dynamic. As an example, I picked my own adjective - methodical. The other day while I was explaining something, one of my students said, "You really are methodical, Mrs. Hommel." It made me laugh.


I've started counting my calories again. I am resigned to not being able to get below a certain plateau number, but I refuse to go above it. Things I have learned from counting calories:
1. Yummy stuff has lots of calories.
2. Beverages aren't worth the calories they contain. I stick with water now.
3. It is remarkably easy to go from "Hey, I'm doing good today!" to "Holy cow! How did I eat that much?" in a very short period of time.
4. I eat twice as much as I need without even thinking about it.


No kids at school tomorrow. That makes it simultaneously less stressful and less interesting.


Mikey is reviewing a game called Water Bugs for his Monthly Roundup. It is FUN, FUN, FUN. I would try to discribe it to you, but I can't think of how. There's a board and you have to fill in sections by closing them off from the main section. When you fill in enough, you win. Think Jezball or Qix.


I am going to a book award ceremony/dinner/trade show thingy on Saturday. It has been hinted that there will be free books given away. I will be seriously disappointed if those rumors turn out to be false. Unless the veggie meal I ordered is good and the speakers intelligent. Then it might be worth it afterall. We'll see.


My grandmother is in the nursing home. She's not doing well. Her health is holding up alright, but the anxiety and depression have taken their toll on her mind. It stinks.

Automobile Observations #2

On Perception

Perception is an interesting thing. Especially how they can differ from one person to another. What I see as beneficial, you might see as detrimental. What you find enjoyable, might be torture to me. It all boils down to how we see things and interpret them. So many of the worlds troubles come from this simple thing.


On Power

"What if everyone did just what I said?"
~a song on the radio that I can't name and am too lazy to Google

There are many reasons why I became a teacher, but I would be lying if I said power wasn't one of them. As a teacher I have an incredible amount of power over the people with whom I spend most of my time. Kids and parents alike, for the most part, look up to me as an expert and listen to/respect/act upon what I say. That is at once an emboldening and humbling thought.

Early Morning Musings

It is 4:23 am and apparently I am fully recharged. For the last several days I have not been feeling well (head cold) and I have been using every spare minute to recharge my excessively draining batteries. I must have clicked back into the land of the relatively healthy this morning around 3:30 am because I stopped sleeping and started thinking. I recently read some thoughts on poor people and their reactions to being poor. That, in combination with some David Wilcox lyrics that are incessently looping in my head, brought on these pre-dawn thoughts.

The following quote is from my uncle's blog.

"Truely poor people think they can't afford to be prepared, for storms or anything else in life. For some reason they are always unlucky. Temporarly broke people prepare for things. Eventually things go well for them."

While I agree with this basic premise, I think there is quite a bit that goes into making up our attitudes that we have very little control over. Which brings me to the Wilcox lyrics.

"All the roots grow deeper when it's dry."

I live in the desert and I know that isn't always true. Some of the plants here send hearty taproots deep into the ground searching out the water they know is down there. These are the plants that have been here for hundreds of years. They know only one thing - dig deep or die. They have learned to work within their ecosystem.

Other plants, the ones people have introduced to the area for our own benefit and amusement, haven't had the time to learn this lesson. All they know is that water is rare out here and the little rain we get barely has a chance to wet the surface dust before it disappears. These plants don't send out taproots. They send out millions of tiny roots just under the topsoil, hoping to soak up what little moisture comes their way before someone else does.

In a drought, the native plants are like an average Joe who's hit some hard times. Sure, things get tough, growth may be a bit stunted that year, but there is always that taproot to fall back on. The native plants have the education and the support of the environment around them to get them through. Eventually, the drought passes and life goes on.

Not so for the transplants. Without the knowledge of their counterparts or the support of their seemingly hostile environment, their elaborate system of surface roots find nothing to hold on to. They gradually (or not so gradually) wither up and waste away.

Although attitude can make a difference, the plants' real chances of survival come from their ability to understand and utilize their environment. What do we do with this information? I don't really know. I know if I plant a tomato here in Anza, I can keep it alive with plenty of attention - daily watering and nuturing. However, by doing so, I am not really helping the tomato adapt to desert life. I'm just making it dependant on me. If I go away for a week, it will still die. How to teach my tomato that it needs to take the risk of putting down a deep, deep taproot when all it sees is the daily battle for surface water? Since both my tomatoes died while I was away this summer, I am obviously still at a loss. However, I am not going to blame the tomatoes for failing at something they were never equipt to do.

Combo-licious

Mikey is waxing poetic about food combinations over at his site. You really should run on over there and tell him what your favorite combos are. Mine? Grilled cheese and tomato soup. There's nothing like it when I am feeling sick, sad, or just plain lonely for a friendly flavor. You really can't do it wrong, but here's the way to do it RIGHT.

The Sandwich:
Take two pieces of your favorite grainy whole wheat bread (it's gotta be w.w. so it will withstand the dunking). Slather each piece with mayo on one side and butter on the other side. Slice or shred (shredding makes for good melting) your favorite cheese and place between the bread slices, mayo side in. Personally, I like 75% cheddar with 25% mozzarella, but any cheese will do. Place the sandwich on a heated griddle. When it is golden brown, flip it. When the second side is also a crunchy, buttery brown you have to do The Secret Step. The Secret Step is what prevents that tiny, unmelted chunk in the center of the sandwich. Get a saucepan lid, sprinkle the griddle (near, but not on the sandwich) with a little water, and cover quickly. A few minutes in the steam will leave you with a totally melted, absolutely delish sandwich.

The Soup
Since I have yet to learn how to make a yummy, creamy tomato soup from scratch (it's not that hard, I'm just that lazy), my advice is to find a deli that makes really good soup and stick with it. My favorite tomato soups are thick and chunky with a cream base. Being both cheap and lazy, I tend to get the Campbell's condensed and add water. The best tomato soup I ever had was at my Aunt Kate's house (it was after a particularly trying day and it really hit the spot) and I think I remember her tellig me it was from a bakery or deli of some sort. Unfortunately, it was in MN, so it isn't exactly available to me here.

There you have it. My favorite flavor combo. Now, get over there and tell us about YOUR favorite!

Stupid Microsoft

My Rise of Nations game won't run. And it is all Microsoft's fault.

You see, they put this copyright protection thing on it where if the cd drive can't identify certain "bad" spots on the cd, then it won't play. Well, apparently my cd drive skips over bad spots. And I am not the only one who has this problem. There are several forum conversations devoted to this problem and its possible solutions.

It turns out that there is no solution. Some people who bought this game just can't play it. And Microsoft doesn't care. They have done nothing to fix it - no patch, no support, no interest in the issue what-so-ever.

Actually, there is one solution. You can go to a pirate site and get a crack. You can download an illegal hack that will circumvent the problem. That is the only way to get the game to run.

So, in an attempt to stop people from illegally copying their game, they have set up a situation where honest people who have spent good money on the game, are forced to get help from the same illegal hackers they were trying to avoid in the first place. Good thinking guys. I hate pirates. They steal other people's hard work because they can. They are no different from a shoplifter. And if I want to play Rise of Nations, I have to interact with them. Bleh.

I have downloaded the crack. Actually, Mikey has. Now I just have to figure out how to get it onto my internet-less game computer. If Rise of Nations weren't so much fun, I would have given up long ago.

Thought of the Day

It's been some time since I posted. Things are going well, but I am often tired at the end of the day. It is exhausting keeping track of everything that needs doing with a new grade level. Someday, I will return to regular posting. In the meantime, I came across this quote while catching up on my blog reading:

Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.
--Madeline Bridges


I like it. And I have seen it happen often enough to believe that it is mostly true. (I say mostly because I have learned that there are exceptions to almost any rule!)