What a Great Week!

It is Friday. The end of the work week ends, and I feel very tired. My cansansio or fatigue is a good fatigue. It has been a great week, after all. I love my job. I love the fact that I get to work with students everyday and try out different teaching techniques from the masters like Gretchen Bernabei, Dr. Joyce Carroll, Fountas and Pinnell, Georgia Heard, Donalyn Miller, and  Jeff Anderson. I have the honor and pleasure of sharing my love of books with students in book clubs and guided reading. I have always enjoyed teaching 5th graders, and now I get to work with them daily. In addition to working with 5th grade students, I also work with 4th graders in the areas of reading, writing, and grammar instruction. I was also able to share some of my poetry with a 4th grade class. I read Tip to the class and Grasping at Straws. We discussed the structure of poetry, free verse, and the use of imagery.  I also was able to work with 4th graders after school. We worked on the use of subjective and objective pronouns using Grammar Keepers while we created a pronoun book.  I love it!

To make my Friday close to perfect, I worked with some wonderful and thoughtful teachers in planning future lessons. I also provided some professional development. The professionals on my campus are dedicated and appreciative. The time flew by!  This is week five working on the campus level.  I am glad I made the decision to return. It is good for my soul. I feel blessed.

Onwards and Upwards!

Today I accepted a position in Spring ISD as a Core Director of English Language Arts in grades K-5. I will be working alongside my cherished long time friend and colleague, Alana Morris. I am so excited about the work that we will do to serve the students, teachers, principals, staff, and community of Spring. This will be a big task for me as I have worked in Spring Branch ISD for 18 wonderful years.  I have so many people to meet, new roads to traverse, and schools to frequent. I know SBISD very well. (In particular the North side.) I know the short cuts and best Mexican restaurants to frequent. I know the principals, teachers, and many students. Because of this, it is hard to say goodbye. In particular, it is difficult to say goodbye to my fourth grade students and team. Some of my students said,"This is not goodbye because I will come visit you when I am in 5th grade." Still others said, "We are not leaving this room! We don't want to go!" How I wish that I could somehow still see them. Maybe we could Skype?  Who knows? What I do know is that they made last year a very memorable year. They were unforgettable. Each one has a special place in my heart. The memories will never fade. (If you are one of my students then remember to keep writing, reading, and dreaming big! You are wild readers and writers!)

When  I came to Spring Branch, I already had around 8 years of teaching experience. I thought that I knew a lot. However, after 18 years, I realize that there was so much to learn and experience. I have gained so much from being a part of SBISD> The people and students in Spring Branch will always be special to me. It is great place to work and learn. My daughter graduated from a Spring Branch school. She loved it!

 On one hand, I feel excited about the new job and on the other, I feel sad. I feel sad because of the people that I will be leaving behind. They are quality people. Some of these wonderful people also moved on within the last few years too and they are thriving. I can only hope to do the same.

I look forward to the work that lay ahead of me. I have met many wonderful people in the interview process thus far. I have a wonderful feeling about this job!  I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work. There is much to do, see, learn and experience in Spring ISD. I can't wait to get started!

Inspiration Station

I haven't been able to sleep much this week. I knew this would happen, but I wasn't sure if it would take all week to get me back into my early to bed, early to rise sleep pattern. My stubborn sleepless pattern has been rather persnickety lately. Sleep evades me because my mind has been racing recently. Being back in the classroom this week has brought back the long awaited inspiration to write, reflect and continue on my journey. It has also brought back some stress into my life.

I thought that getting back into the swing of things at work would be a good thing, but along with school comes January and with January... testing. I was in a faculty meeting recently and was bombarded with test dates. Get ya test dates here! I heard someone say. These dates are too numerous to count, but count I did. In total, we will be taking up around 8 hours of classroom instruction to test our students in January. Seems a bit too much. I know I am in public education and everything but...

Driving home I wondered just how much testing goes in on private schools. Is it any better? Do the private schools have benchmarks, release tests, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, STAAR tests or anything else?  I would like to look into my yearly calendar and count how many total hours are devoted to kids actually testing. I would like to also add any kind of test prep time devoted to that total and then divide it by the time I teach individual subject on a daily basis. I suppose it will be more than I expect.  My goals, as a public school educator, is to limit the test prep and try to deliver meaningful and relevant instruction.  What type of wrench does testing put into this equation?  Right now, before I explore the data points, I would say somewhat of a monstrous Allen wrench. I need more time for instruction.

Interestingly enough, each time the word benchmark is uttered, students start to freeze. I don't mention it that often, but when I do I try to reassure them that everything will be okay.  I haven't really focused on prepping for benchmarks that much this year. I do wonder then why they freak out so much.  I haven't placed any type of pressure on them either. I only ask them to do their best and that is good enough for me, yet they still seem to anxious to test. That makes me wonder. More than that though, it makes me sad. There is too much testing going on and I see the stress it causes everyone. No matter how you spin it, it's just too much. Perhaps this stress won't let me rest. Maybe it will subside after January? Hardly, this is just the beginning of testing season. Ugh!

Those are my thoughts for the day. Now I can hopefully get some rest. I don't want these thoughts racing through my mind tonight. Perhaps now that I have unloaded these racing thoughts, I can actually get some decent rest.

Geico Commercials

I found this video from YouTube of coveted Geico commercials. I love Geico commercials because they are always funny!  Enjoy!  (This leaves me with 12 more post until I reach my goal of 600.)

Being Thankful

As I approach Thanksgiving, I truly do have so much to be thankful. It is that time of year...time to reflect and count my blessings.

 I made a huge decision to step down from my district job and join the ranks of the the hardest working people I know...teachers. It had been 11 long years since I had my own class of 20-28 students. In those 11 years I can proudly say that I was very close to the classroom and chose to be that way. Any chance that I could get to work with teachers, I did. Any chance of going and working consecutively in classrooms, you would see me there. In fact, I could probably count on my hand the number of times that I was physically at my work desk last year. You would rarely see me there because I was taught (by a great leader named Cathie Robinson) that an instructional specialist must be about serving those who serve the most. She taught me to always work along side teachers every minute of every day. I just happened to love doing that, so it was up my alley.

The last two years of my district job, I was called into numerous meetings. Even though I longed to be on campuses full time, there were times, more often than not, that I was called back to attend meetings and such. My heart tugged and pulled me strongly toward the direction of the campus and classroom. I listened attentively and complied. I remember facilitating a new teacher orientation meeting in August of the previous year. I envied those new teachers and I told them, "You are the luckiest people on the world. You get to work with kids everyday." That's when I truly realized that I had to move back to the classroom and the campus. 

Now I have been in the classroom full time since August 23rd.  I have a class of 21 wonderful students. From day one, I knew that this was the best place for me.  I asked myself, "Why did you ever leave in the first place?" There were no second thoughts or lamenting my decision in the least.

I was ecstatic to be with such wonderful young minds, so full of potential.  

But then the paperwork mounted, lesson plans were due, reports needed to be run, dismissal tags had to be handed out, and progress reports were to be completed.  I became sick a few times too many. I never seemed to get well. I swallowed a ton of antibiotics. (The pharmacy knows my car when I visit.) I  also was in the emergency room a twice and had visits to my doctor since August. My head was spinning!

What do I think now?  After all of the stress and calls upon my time? I wouldn't trade it for any district job. I love what I do. I am the luckiest person on the face of this earth. I get to work with kids everyday. I get to work with kids who tell me not to drink coffee because it will bother my stomach. I get to work with kids who make me laugh and cry.(I cried because their writing was so exceptional and inspiring.) I get to work with kids who go home and have ludic reading with their parents. I get to work with kids who during a 10 minute free writing time ask me, "Can we write a poem?" I say, "Of course, you are the writer, you decide." Then I hears the sounds of YES! fill the room. I get to work with students who beg me daily for Ludic Reading and ask me, "What did you write last night? Did you write another poem or story?" I get to work with brilliant minds who long to create blogs and videos. I get to work with kids who jump up and down with excitement when Diary of a Whimpy Kid Old School has been delivered or make me have book lotteries because everyone wants to read Crenshaw and any book I recommend. I get to work with such excited learners who during fire drills ask if they can bring a book or their journals so not to lose any time. They are the reason!

I love my school. I love the people that I work along side. The team that I am a part of are so very fun and down to earth. They are one devoted group of teachers that surrender so much of their time for the good of our students. They are to be commended for their work ethic and constant care of the students. I would have no problem putting my daughter in any of their classrooms. They are class personified. 

The administrators with whom I work are first class. They want what is best for all students. They work hard, very hard. I see them when I come in the morning, when it is dark. I say good evening to them, as I drive home in the darkness. They really care about each person on the campus. I can have had some very meaningful and professional conversations. (The problem is that I don't always have the time to have more of these great conversations.)  They make me feel at home and that I could make a contribution. 

Beyond the tangibles, there are many intangibles. If I am sick, they look after me and make sure I am doing okay. They are compassionate and I think see me as a human being first, rather than just an employee. I feel a part of the school community from the administrators, my team of teachers, other teachers and office staff and Don Jorge the custodian. He always is there every morning with a buenos dias and como estas. I see him during my cafeteria duty with another como estas as he slaps high fives with the students after they dump their lunch tray. Feels like home.

It is November. December is knocking on my door. I can say that things have slowed down for me more and I need to take a breath and drink in the beauty of my situation. I thank the good Lord for bringing me to Westwood. He knows what is best for me. For that, I am truly grateful!

Why We Write Poetry-What Will Your Verse Be?

I found this video tonight. It has been years since I watched The Dead Poet's Society. I remember watching Robin Williams captivate the audience. I wanted to be one of his students standing on the desk. I was in college at the time. It inspired me to want to continue my educational trek into teaching. Looking it over, after so many years, still bring tears to my eyes and inspiration to my soul. I thought about my poetry and my student's poetry. Poetry definitely can set the mind and heart on fire. I see it changing the lives of many of my students. Many of my students are giving it a whirl. I learn so much about them in their writing and sharing. It is such an amazing thing to walk into my classroom and hear my students ask me, "Can I share my poem today?" I have shared my poems intermittently with them. They like them and it is great to have a captivated audience. I see how poetry has boosted their confidence as readers and poets. What Robin Williams says is true. We all have a voice. What will your verse be?

Progress Reports and Shingles

I have been dying to post, but finding the time to do it has been impossible. I had to learn a new system for inputting grades for progress reports. It took me a while, but thanks to my good friend and colleague Noemi, I got it done in two nights. My work day began Monday and Tuesday at 5:00 am and ended at 11:59 am. Needless to say, I was extremely run down. I felt great because I could check that box off of my list. All weekend long, I was compiling grades and get things ready for these two days of progress reporting.

On Wednesday, my lovely friend, Migraine, came to visit on time. On time I say because whenever I am overworked and over stressed, he pays me an unwanted visit. This time was different. Not different because of when and where it occurred. I am used to the onset of morning migraines to meet their crescendo around noon and BOOM I am in for it. Different only because my stomach has been majorly rancid lately. I think I have an ulcer and am getting more tests done to find out the cause of my pain. My stomach hurts like the dickens with not much respite. I cannot take any NSAIDs. There is no pain relief from my migraine at all. I have to just as some people say, "deal." That is just what I did. I suffered through a long afternoon teaching. The kids were very kind to me. I tried to get through teaching some Math and then moving onto DRAs (assessments for Reading) where I could barely see the titles. My vision started to blur some. I suffered through two phone calls from the nurse and dismissal.  My ultimate goal was to get through it all and get home to sleep.  By the grace of God, I did it. I went home and slept from the time I got home until 10:30 pm. I awoke feeling somewhat better. The migraine had subsided to a minor headache. I hoped that the next day would be better.

On Thursday, I woke up feeling a little better. The effects of the migraine were minimal. I prayed that it would just leave me alone completely. When I arrived at work, I felt better. With migraines, the effects linger and could be triggered again, so I was guardedly optimistic. As it turns out, Thursday was quite a lovely migraine free day!  Yay! I did, however, find myself scratching the back of my neck some during lunch duty. I never thought much more about it. The rest of the day went spectacularly well.

On Friday, I was dragging. I was devoid of any energy. I couldn't figure out why I was so tired since I had a sufficient amount of rest the previous two nights. The day went okay and by the time I ended by last after school class, I felt completely wiped out. I felt confused all day because the back of my neck kept itching me the whole day. What was going on? I thought. Did I get bit by a spider or some insect? I remember seeing a little mosquito fly by me at home the night before. The weird thing about this was the itching area felt strange. It was swollen. What the heck can that be? I thought. When I was talking to one of my colleagues, I asked her to look at it. When she looked it, I imagine she winced because she said, EWWW! I thought, What the heck is this? She proceeded to take a photo of it on her phone. When she showed it to me, I was shocked. It was a patch of redness shaped like a photo of comet but eye shaped. In the middle it looked like there was a mini scab. From that patch of redness protruded some red chains rolling down my neck and embarking on a trip to my shoulders. The sight scared me. I thought that maybe I had some kind of MRSA or flesh eating bacteria. I thought about all the terrible things that it could possibly be. I watched plenty  of Monster Inside of Me shows. I had also read much about  flesh eating bacteria. My mom had recently contracted MRSA too. Could it be MRSA? I knew that I had to seek medical treatment immediately, but at 5:00 pm on Friday? I decided to visit an emergency room close to my house.

I went to hospital and within 30 minutes a doctor looked at my neck. They initially thought MRSA or Shingles. Another attending physician accompanied the first doctor that I had seen previously. They concurred on the shingles diagnosis. Shingles? I have shingles? Well, it is better than MRSA, I thought. They gave me a prescription of antibiotics and ointment. The nurse was adamant that I take the meds immediately, even though it was late in the evening. My pharmacy, however, was still open. I was able to start treatment immediately to stop the virus from spreading.

When I arrived home, I researched Shingles. All of my symptoms, leading up to the red rash, were spot on. I had the headache and vision problems on Wednesday. I have noticed the blurred vision, but I thought it was time to get my eyes checked and new glasses. The good thing is that I caught this early so that it cannot spread. I hear it can be very painful. Google images of Shingles was quite gruesome. My neck area is nothing compared to some people's Shingles.

A few weeks ago, I visited Walgreen's. They had this sign up advertising the Shingle vaccine. I should look into this, I thought. Should have listened. When I am finished with this Shingles incident, I will get the Shingle vaccine. I do not want to go through this again.

What causes Shingles? Stress and a compromised immune system. People have told me that progress reports are a monster to get done. I can concur and maybe, just maybe, they cause Shingles. Who knows?  Crazy week!

Top Ten List Reasons Why I Love My Job

I just got off the phone with a friend. My plan was to write about my day, but that will take too long. I have decided to let the ideas percolate a little more. Let them simma down nah (SNL reference). Tomorrow I will let them fly and give them the time and respect that they deserve. Needless to say, I have lots to write. This week was great, besides the onset of a migraine yesterday.

In place of the post that I intended and no longer have the energy to write, I shall suplant it with a top ten list. What top ten list?  The top ten reasons I am where I am.

The Top Ten Reasons Why I Love My Job

(in no particular order of importance)

1. The people. The people with whom I work are first-class caring and fun individuals. (From the office staff, administration, teams of extremely dedicated teachers, and awesome students and parents.) They make coming to work each day a pleasure. Great people! Great place to work! 
2. If I am  an early bird, I get the worm and a great parking spot. I am always super early. I like my parking place. I enjoy getting to work sometimes before Lisa Calloway. That's not always possible, but I like to rag her on. I text her: Where are you? I am here in the parking lot.
3. There's a Burger King a skip and a jump away. (My breakfast stop.)
4. El Gallo is two skips and a jump away. (I never get to go there, though, except for dinner.)
5. I get to wear JEANS! I sometimes get to wear JEANS! TWO DAYS A WEEK I GET TO WEAR JEANS! I haven't worn jeans to work for seven long years!  Now it's twice a week!
6. I get to wear teacher t-shirts! I get to wear teacher t-shirts with inspirational quotes and saying for the kids to read and be inspired. They really like my new subject related t-shirts. They even wanted to buy their own. Thanks to Amazon and Zazzle.com, I found some doozies! 
7. The school t-shirts are off the chain!  They are so nice this year. I don't usually like yellow, but the light bulb design is some kind of special!
8. I have real windows and natural light in my classroom. I haven't had real windows for seven long years. Siberia comes to mind in my previous job.  No natural light. Maybe it could compare it to living in Antarctica. Now I feel like I am in Jamaica, Mon!
9. I get to work with some serious nerds. The techie people are awesome. It is great to have some great techie talk and get some ideas rolling!
10. My class makes my daily commute and early morning worth it! I love working with my class. Everyday I thank the good Lord for my students and their caring parents. They bring a smile to my face and are inspirational! Thanks everyone!

There you have it! Five weeks in and my top ten list. I have a feeling that there might be other things that top this list a month from now. Can't wait!

Interruptions-A Post About Nothing

I have been thinking all week about posting. Thinking about lots and posting nothing has been my mode of operation. I feel like I am in a holding pattern at JFK.  I want to get off of this plane soon because I am getting dizzy. Dizzy with anticipation.  What am I anticipating?  I don't know, but I have a post within me. Percolation. Simmering. Smoldering. Sauntering.(I know that sauntering doesn't go with the other words. It just came to mind. I saw Cathy Roth today and I remembered that sauntering is one of her favorite words.)  My favorite word of the day is ad nauseam. I think I have talked about a particular topic ad nauseam lately.  What might that be?

Being that I am back in the classroom, it would probably be about kids and instruction. Kids and instruction should go together. They do, but what about interruptions?  I hate interruptions.  I saw my friend Patty the other day. We both team taught back in the day. When she passed by my room, she saw me reading aloud to the students. She was passing by to go to the restroom. She told me, during planning, that she thought about walking in and saying hi, but remembered that my number one pet peeve is interruptions.  Yes, I know that I must get used to them and build up lots of tolerance and flexibility. I might need to get some interruption shots weekly. Lord knows I get them daily. I am severely allergic to them and an Epipen won't help me!  Call 911! I think I need to make an appointment with Dr. Phil or Oprah.

I know it has been a while since I have been teaching full time in the classroom, so I need to give my interrupting allergic reactions some time to subside. I need to kick it up another gear with some Benydril or Allegra D.  How will I accomplish this?  I must breathe deeply and count to ten.  Then I must remove myself from the source of the interrupting irritation.  At that point, I must walk back in to the offending area and do some self talk.  It will be okay.  Just think good thoughts! Think of teaching! Think of light bulbs! Think of Reading and Writing and quick writes and pointing and sketching and...and... After all of this self talk my blood pressure will return to the normal range and I will be in a nicer, quieter, (need I mention calming?) place. I would also think of hummus. Hummus has a soothing effect on me. Release the endorphins! It would be nice to have some hummus on hand, accompanied by some carrots and whole wheat tortillas. Chocolate pudding would do too.

What types of interruptions drive me up walls, through the ceilings and onto rooftops? There are many.  I have compiled them into a list (they are not listed in order of importance):

 The Usual Suspects

1. The attendance bell. The bell for taking attendance always rings when I am in a very teachable moment. (Aren't most moments teachable moments any how? I mean I am teaching all day. But there is this time when all is right in the world. Things are flowing very well. Then out of nowhere an interruptions stalks me.) I am in the great part of my lesson and I have everyone's undivided attention. Then I hear the bell! Time to stop and take attendance. Will I ever get back to that moment again? It will take time and extra effort.
2. Items in my box.The different items in my box always demand my immediate attention two seconds before my planning period has expired.
3. Immediate attention forms. A form that needs to be sent out to students before the end of the day. It finds me when I am in another teachable moment.
4. Dismissal tags. I don't want to write about them any more.
5. Dismissal tags. No need to explain.
6. Dismissal tags. Cause of much suffering.
7. Elections. Elections of all types. (No option of opting out either.)
8. Committees. Committees of all types that need my input. (I should form a committee to address all the committee in one full sweep.)
9. Dismissal tags. Not going to say a word.
10. Dismissal tags. Mum is the word.
11. Specials. Time to go to specials.
12. Specials. Time to go to specials.
13. Calls in the classroom. (The last year I taught full time in a classroom, we had no phones. We were buzzed by the intercom. I didn't like that either.) I often want to put that phone on vibrate and send it to voice mail, but I was told that wouldn't be a good idea. It needs my immediate attention. I so want to say, "No one's home!"
14. Fire drills. Loud noises that may cause serious hearing loss and migraines, not to mention a rise in blood pressure and heart rate. That's why I always say, "What? Huh?" I cannot hear anymore.(Try coming back to the optimal teaching zone after that one on a hot and humid Houston afternoon.)
15. Tornado drills. A somewhat quiet drill that requires hallway sitting and the covering of the head.
16. Lunch time. A long walk to food and a little wait in line.
17. Did I mention dismissal tags? Not going there.
18. Other? I am not sure when there will be more.
19. To be determined? Next week we will see new types?
20. To be continued. (This list is written in jest. Well, some of it.)

I think my brain has been rewired to include interruptions now. That is why I haven't written too much this week. I can't pay attention. I am on edge. The anticipation of more interruptions, makes me more nervous than drinking a 4 hour energy with a shot of espresso and powdery Matcha Green Tea. In all seriousness though, all week I was up late every night grading, grading, grading and grading.I was too tired to write.  I will be grading all weekend long. I hope to encounter not one interruption. I will put my phone on vibrate. I won't answer my door. I am going to be locked in so that I can enjoy a weekend filled with any possibility of interruptions. After grading, I will watch the Texans and other NFL games in peace. I won' t even have to search for any dismissal tags. I have to focus. Progress reports are due soon. Does that count as an interruption?

(Much of this post was written in a hyperbaric chamber or was that with a huge amount of hyperbole? I like to make light of things. It is my stress reliever. I love my kids, school and everyone who works there. The office staff and the administration are top notch. I hope everyone had a good laugh and that by reading this you were slightly interrupted from the seriousness of life.)

Sick Day

I had to take a sick day today so that I could get more tests done for my doctor. I really hated leaving my students this early in the year. I spent two hours prepping for today's sick day. All through the day, I kept wondering how things were going. I left very detailed plans and tried to leave no stone left unturned on my first day away from my kids.

I texted my colleague to see how things were going during the day. I was done quite early with my scheduled test. The techs told me that my doctor would get the results in 4 to 6 hours. I am glad I decided to take the whole day because I knew that there could be some snafus in my schedule today. I went back to meet with my doctor in the pm. I was hoping that he would confirm his initial diagnosis from Tuesday.  I wanted to get the treatment plan and be on my way to healing. The truth be told, I didn't want to have to miss another day. I hate missing days. If I can be teaching, albeit under the weather and without being contagious, it is better than having a substitute. I know substitutes do great work, but it is better for my students and I if I am there.

I felt that I was on a roll lately and things were going great. Getting back tomorrow, after being out a day, will slow me down some. I have faith in my students and I know that they would do well. The mother hen in me, however, can't stop thinking about all the possible problems that could have occurred. I have been in this business for quite some time and there are plenty of things that could happen. That is why I spent two hours prepping my plans and the room. I took a lot of possible problematic things out of the way. Permanent markers were put away. My iPevo document camera was placed in a closet. My recent box of Scholatic books remained unopened and were placed in a corner. Plans were placed on my desk, along with all the materials needed to complete the lessons. Additionally, I wrote the plans and subjects on my board with a time stamp. I wanted all the students to see what I had planned for them. I didn't want anything to go wrong.

That reminds me of an incident a decade ago when...I taught 5th graders. I had to be out due to a staff development at the Science Center. I taught two classes of students Language Arts and Science. One class I taught in the  morning and the other in the afternoon. My morning class was quite mischievous. I prepped the room with this class in mind. My afternoon class was quite innocent, or so I thought.  I placed a  terrarium  on a shelf that I had to stand on a chair to reach. In the terrarium was a lizard, some small snails, isopods and a few plants. One of my students brought me this lizard that he captured near his apartment. I planned on housing it in the terrarium for a few days and then would release it into the wild. The previous day, in Science class, we fed it little crickets that I bought from Petco. The students loved seeing the lizard consume the little critters.

I let the students know that I would be attending a staff development the next day and to be on their best behavior for the substitute. My teaching partner next door promised to keep an eye out for me as well.. We shared a wall between our two classrooms This wall could be retracted if we needed to do so.  When I returned from my absence, I heard horror stories from the students and the front office. Two of my boys from my afternoon class were in some hot water. I never ever would have thought that they would be the ones that I would have to talk to about their behavior. Never.

I don't know how they reached the terrarium, without the substitute knowing or if the substitute allowed it, but they were able to get their hands on the terrarium and the poor lizard. (I explicitly, in my plans, asked the substitute teacher to not take the terrarium down.) These rather calm boys got a hold of that lizard and tried to staple its head to the wall!  I kid you not! I never ever would have thought that these two never-in-trouble-tranquilo boys would have done something so cruel. I was in state of complete shock. Needless to say, I calmly had a come-to-Jesus talk with these two boys. The previous day, the office had done their due diligence. Wow!  That was a the worst incident of my long educational career. I felt disappointed and embarrassed at the same time. I was embarrassed because these were my kids. My kids rarely got into any trouble at all. Again, I never would have thought that this class would have done something like that. They were never problematic.

With those memories fresh in my mind, I am sure that my class would not have done something so crazy and extreme. I don't have any lizards and my terrarium hasn't been set up yet. What could they do with tons of books, pencils, notebooks, and anchor charts? I hope that they read and wrote wildly, shared ideas and work, collaborated and have lots of great things to tell me tomorrow. The lizards are safe!

Fridays Are Always Welcome

I woke up a little later than I usually do in the morning. I panicked a little until I realized...hey, it's Friday. Friday means the end of the work week. It means Saturday is near... the beginning of slumber without the stress of morning traffic and being rushed. Friday means that I can relax and take in life, a little at time. Friday means that the Egg and I is not far away. I cannot wait to eat there tomorrow morning. Usually, I will go with a colleague or two. This Saturday, however, is special. My daughter is in town and we will get to go to our favorite breakfast place for the weekend. There I will see my favorite Egg and I people. They always great me with a smile and they know me by name. (Sounds like Cheers!)

I look forward to this three day weekend too. I need to catch up on a few things and to go shopping with my daughter. Books are what I have on my mind. I think I will stop by Angel's Attic. It is a thrift store that has very cheap children's books. I will peruse them for sure. Finally, we will go to some coffee shop to get caught up on some work. She has plenty of school work and I have to prep for next week's classes.

This week was so good. I really am enjoying my new role as a classroom teacher. I love the camaraderie of my team and school. My work environment is wonderful. I send out some props to my team this week. The school and my team make coming to work a pleasure. Sure it is all work, but a great collaborative work. Thanks to everyone at my school, I very much enjoy coming to work everyday.

To end my school day today, I took my class to the computer area of the library. Again, my friend and colleague Angelique was there for me. We team taught the lesson together. I set up a Google Form for my students. It was a reading preferences and habits survey. When they went to use the computers, they were able to access the form and begin answering. They were so excited to answer the survey and to send me an email. Iam looking forward to reading their responses. This will be fun. Once I get some devices in my room, then I can do more of this type of thing. I hope to see which tools they know how to use.  I would like to introduce them to more.

As my students were lining up and leaving my classroom today, one boy reached over and hugged me. That was a surprise. I guess he really liked working on the computers and was expressing his gratitude. After that, a few girls came over and hugged me. I wished them a great weekend. Fourth grade is such a sweet grade to teach. The students are so very kind and caring. As I cleaned
As I readied to go home today, I felt totally exhausted. I was greeted by a smiling face at my classroom door. It was my sweet daughter. She hugged me and I hugged her tight. It was so great to see her again. Life is good. Fridays always bring a welcome surprise.

Today

What is memorable about today? I am feeling settled in. Besides all the paperwork (beginning of the year papers that need to be sorted), I feel like there is a kind of groove settling in my classroom. I particularly like how my read aloud went today. The students really liked the book Too Many Frogs! They couldn't figure out why the rabbit was being so kind in the beginning and they felt extremely bad for the poor little froggy when he was asked to leave. It was nice to see the empathy. We then spoke about setting up the right environment for reading. We spoke about different places at home and at school that feel comfy.

I asked them to sketch out their environment at home. I also wanted to see if their parents could send me a snapshot of them reading in their comfortable environs. We will see how many email me their photos. I was thinking of making a collage of the wild readers at home.  I might be a Stupeflix video. I will take their creative input about what we could do with the photos. I was thinking of maybe printing them out and have them add it to their reader's notebook with an explanation of why they like their special environment. We will see where it goes.



I really, really, really, really, really enjoyed taking the Reading Survey today. I added some questions that I lifted from The Book Whisperer. I put them in a Google Form and have been asking the students the questions in a one on one conference. By doing this, I am getting some individualized time with my students and getting to know them better as readers. I am getting to know so much background information that will help me find the just right books to nudge them along in their reading and writing life. If you haven't ever done this, you might want to try it. I find it invaluable!

That all I have so far! What? I didn't mention Math?  Oh, yes Math! I felt really great about Math today.  We used a chart of items from a concession stand. The young minds thought up lots of combinations for little money. They then made up their own questions to go along with the chart and the what if...what if you had... and so on. I really liked it!  Math is fun too!

Back to the Classroom I Go! (Revised Version)

This is my first week  back to my own classroom after a long, long  hiatus. I worked as literacy coach on a campus and at the district level for many years. I left that world to join the confraternity of self- contained teachers of 4th graders learners. How did my first week go? I came home today and crashed. I was overwhelmingly tired and my head was spinning. I felt completely and utterly tired. It was a good tired, though. After many years as a literacy and Science coach, I became tired of the same ole, same ole. I wanted to get back to teaching students, my students on a day to day basis. I wanted to get out of the long-winded meetings that I didn't have the patience to tolerate. I kept thinking about the classroom. The classroom...where I could let my creative juices flow and be me. The classroom...where I could work with wonderful children who want to learn. The classroom... where wonder and curiosity abound. Finally, the classroom....where I could try out all of the endless ideas that I have been bouncing around in my head for years. Yep, the classroom. So how did it go? Was it everything I thought it would be? Good question.

There are some fringe benefits to being in the classroom that I did not completely grasp until the past two weeks. I never really thought too much about my team and how important being a part of a great team could be. I knew that when I accepted the 4th grade position at my school, I would be completely comfortable because I knew everyone very well and they were fun people. I never knew just how much I missed the camaraderie of being with a grade level team again. They have totally supported me in so many ways. I enjoy planning and joking with them. We plan very well together. It all runs so smoothly. Lastly, I am grateful for such a team that really cares and helps me adjust to the schedules and meetings. I am getting used to the routines because of them. If I make a mistake and forget that it is time for specials (I lose track of time sometimes) they send little reminders and wait for me. They have shown me the ropes from picking up the grade level kids in the morning, to lunch duty, and dismissal. Oh, the craziness of dismissal!  Those darn dismissal tags! Where did I put the dismissal tags? Again, they wait and give me the little tips that I had long forgotten. Truly, my first week would not have been as rewarding if it weren't for them. They have no idea how much they have helped me. Now I am feeling somewhat in a groove. Thanks, fourth grade team. Y'all are dynamite!

I attend  numerous meetings, collect and fill out a ton of paperwork, walk out in the blazing Sun during fire drills, clean up spilled milk, watch students declare states of restroom emergency, collect and disperse numerous dismissal tags, and tolerate unforeseen interruptions. For what? These are a part of my job and necessary, but not my favorite. I can get through all of these tasks because of nineteen  young learners. I have never been so happy as to be back teaching. Some colleagues of mine thought that I must be crazy to want to go back to the classroom because of the endless paperwork, planning and workload. It was perceived as an inexhaustible energy drainer. Those things can truly be exhausting. I won't deny that, but... I get to teach! I get to work with students all day!  I get to see the light in their eyes. I get to see the synapse fire! I get to see wild readers emerge and  reluctant writers become crazy-confident-writers. I get to see the wonder, excitement, and sweet creativity...everyday. I know that some days will be better than others and each day will hold its challenges and magic. Today my magic moment was when the students took time for ludic reading or reading for enjoyment. Afterward, they debriefed about their books in peer groups.  They were so engaged as they spoke about their books that they were currently reading.While they were talking, I heard a knock at my door. My colleague was reminding me that it was time to line up for specials. I completely forgot! We were so into reading and discussing that I lost track of time.  My students promptly lined up and we were on our way! No biggie!

Still another highlight of my week was when we went to the computer area in the library. The technology person from my school is a close friend of mine. She is easy to work with and we team taught the lesson. I am going to rely on her a lot this year, as I have lots of ideas that I would like to try out. With her lead, we helped the students log into their Google accounts. They then found me on Google along with my photo. They all laughed when they saw my photo!  That photo was a probably one of my best. I don't take great photos ever. You should see my official badge photo. America's Most Wanted comes to mind. The students found a way to email me!  When I looked at my phone after school, I had a zillion new emails from them. There were lots of great little messages from them, along with cute little emojies. So very sweet! It made my week. I can put up with all the other things that I do not find invigorating about my job, if I get a little slice of heaven like this from time to time. Those little moments take up a big part of my heart and make all the hard work and endless hours worth it.

My first week?  Not too shabby! I know I will have many more days, weeks, and months to enjoy, problem solve, and create alongside my young learners. There will be peeks and valleys. I am not worried. Why would I?  I have a great team to rely, share ideas and joke around. In addition to that, I have nineteen wonderful students who always know the location of the dismissal cards and my coveted keys! Their smiles abound! Here's to a great year!

Reading Is Thinking 2.0 with Stephanie Harvey

Today I attended the first day of the Stephanie Harvey Reading Is Thinking 2.0 Conference. As I walked into the hotel I wondered about all that I would learn. I was excited to learn different ways to use the technology tools to enhance my literacy and cross curricular instruction. I have always been inspired by the work of Stephanie Harvey, so I knew that being here would be beneficial for me and my future students.

Stephanie Harvey

I am leaving a very satisfying position in my district as a former district instructional specialist and as a Lead iCoach (similar to a district literacy specialist) where I worked with curriculum, teachers and schools to share the latest strategies that enhance instruction. I have worked on the district level for seven wonderful years. I have decided to leave that position and join a great 4th grade team at Westwood Elementary to teach. It is refreshing and totally exhilarating to return to my first love, teaching elementary students.   Because of this, being at this conference is truly inspiring.  I really enjoyed a refresher on comprehension, but have learned a lot about how group collaboration must be taught and how it goes hand in hand in teaching all subjects. It will work especially well with project based learning and blended learning. The videos were very informative to watch and debrief.

Stephanie Harvey is no technological pushover either. I loved how Stephanie encouraged us to tweet using the hashtag #RITX2015. She is into Twitter like I am. It is nice to see that!

I had the great opportunity to talk to Sara Holbrook while waiting for coffee. We had a great discussion about writing and teaching poetry. It was nice to speak to a fellow poet. High Impact Writing Clinics. She also blogs too. We have much in common.

Maybe tomorrow I will have another opportunity. Last year I bought her book and have used it some with students and teachers. It is called

saraholbrook.blogspot.com

As if my day could not get any better, I looked at my Twitter notification and read that Katie Muhtraris coauthor of  Connecting Comprehension and Technology is following me on Twitter! Is that cool or what? Please don't say what. We watched a video of Katie in her 5th grade classroom. She uses technology seamlessly in her classroom. I cannot wait until tomorrow's breakout session. Katie will be presenting to my group. I will learn from someone who does this everyday. I will take copious notes. There is so much to learn and it is right in front of me. I expect to walk away with so many ideas of how to blend technology with comprehension study. This upcoming school year, I won't be watching teachers get to do what I love anymore. I will be able to get first hand, extended opportunities and you can bet you bottom dollar that I will take the plunge and do it. I know it won't be perfect, but a great work in progress. Like Stephanie Harvey said today, " I am going to go slow to go fast."

What is my reflection on today? I am still taking it in and processing. I need to sleep on it and let the brain process all of this into my working memory and hopefully arrive at long term memory. It was certainly meaningful. Chances are, as David Sousa stated from How the Brain Learns, if learning is to have a high likelihood to be retained and stored in long term memory, it has to be meaningful (relevant) and make sense. This training is definitely relevant and makes total sense.

Libre-Free

Libre

Rainy Day Blues-Poem

Rainy Day Blues

By Maureen Ucles

Rainy day,

Rainy day,

Messing with my moods

don't wantcha

to stay

I'm trapped

inside

all day

all stinkin'

day

Rainy day

Rainy day

Go on

Go on 

Your merry

little way

No time

No place

to go out

and play

just inside

four walled silence

Rainy day

Rainy day

Couldn't you come

some other day?

when I am working

in the office

 laboring with my

thoughts

hearing 

pitter patter

of 

your smatter-

-ings

Rainy day

Rainy day

No soup 

on display

potato

or 

tomato

with basil

or grilled sandwiches

with cheese

melting away

pickles on the side

Please,

Pretty please
 sugar or Truvia
 on top

just stop 

it all

go away

Rainy day

Rainy day

got me in a

 gloomy

kind a way

wanna say

just go on

your way

don't rain
anymore

on my parade

or

vacation

Rainy day

Rainy day
Dreary
Yucky

Melancholic
Disgusting
Unsettled
Blue

stuck

in this zone
some kinda hue

  interior room

 closet

calling out

sky's a fallin'

down

ominous

dark gray

purple, green

baddest front

you've ever seen

rainy day

rainy day

release me

let me
let me
 go

The Quiet and Coffee

From https://www.facebook.com/QuietRev/photos/a.884557304936766.1073741828.666744410051391/888924987833331/?type=1&theater


I love to read quotes and see images from Susan Cain's Quiet Revolution page on Face Book.  If you are interested in visiting this page, please click on the link provided: https://www.facebook.com/QuietRev

I went to IHOP yesterday for dinner. I went by myself. I am an introvert so being alone is not a problem. I have found myself going to IHOP and coffee houses because I know that I can sit down and order bottomless cups of coffee  and read my books. I sometimes go there to read and write. Yesterday I was reading a book about poetry.  I was completely caught up in my own world, so much so that the waitress didn't want to interrupt me to give me the check.  She said, "You looked so into your book, that I didn't want to interrupt your reading."

I love to do this.  There's something about sitting down and reading in a coffee house. I really enjoy doing this. Sometimes words will start popping out and I will have to get my notebook out to write down my thoughts.  Coffee, books and my notebook.  No other place that I like to be to connect with the Quiet inside of me.  Susan Cain, in her book Quiet, speaks about the introverts need to reconnect and find some quiet time to rejuvenate. Going and having coffee and me time, definitely does the trick for me.  That is why I picked the poem to share.  I connect to it in many ways.

Poetic License-Shirley McPhillips

I started reading Poem Central by Shirley McPhillips.  I am on the second chapter.  I like it so far.  I thought it funny that she provided a poetic license. Now that I have this license, I can free up my poetry.  I will post more, as I read.

Memes and Writing

As I worked with some young writers the other day, I shared a writer's secret with them.  I shared the use of thoughts shots.  The idea of thought shots comes from Barry Lane.  You can look him up on YouTube and go to Discover Writing to find out more. He has a wide variety of books about teaching writing and writer's craft.Thought Shots PDF  http://www.discover-writing.com/

I showed these young writers how I can add thought shots to my writing to make it better.  By adding thought shots readers are allowed into the mind of the writer or character.  What was I thinking?  What was going on in my mind or the character's mind?  I gave them a few examples from other student produced writing and asked them to listen for it as I read my first draft the second time.  I highlighted it each time that they said that they heard a thought shot.  I also added a few more thought shots as I plodded along.  I then invited the students to add some thought shots of their own.  It was quite amazing to see them in deep thought.  You could hear a pin drop in the room as revised their writing.

What does this have to do with memes?  I thought about memes the previous day.  What if I began a lesson on thought shots and I started it out with memes? The memes are a kind of thought shot.  You have to read the character's face and read the thoughts of the character.  It is a kind of thought shot.  Then I thought I would bridge it over to my writing by asking, "How can I show what I am thinking in my personal narrative?"  Then I would show them the use of thought shots.  

Last night, I googled memes and how to make them. I found a website where you could upload a photo and then add captions to the photo. https://imgflip.com/memegenerator This website also had some examples of what people has previously created.  I played around with a few. Here is what I came up with: (please keep in mind that I am an amateur at this):

Yesterday

I got a chance to work with some really great educators and colleagues yesterday.  We went into some spectacular classrooms in kinder and first grade.  These educators, that allowed us a glimpse into their wonderful classrooms, should be commended for all the hard work that they do.  I was amazed at their dedication, work ethic and devotion.  I could tell just how much these teachers care for their students and their learning.  Wow!

This got me thinking about our teaching profession.  We all work extremely hard to do and be the best that we can be for our students.  Sometimes teachers, who are doing such a stand up job, may not realize the great impact that they have on their students, teams and campuses. They may not know just how appreciated that they are. They come in everyday and do their job to max, stay late in the evening and at home preparing for the days ahead. The job in never ever done.  I witnessed this yesterday.  I gave a teacher a compliment. Her room was so inviting. It was like a palace of learning. I would, without any hesitation, put my daughter in this class. I complimented her on this wonderful environment. She deflected the comment and gave others the praise.  I then asked her to please accept my compliment.  Finally, she agreed.  Wow! That was so neat to see. Such humility.

We teachers dig in day after day and work so very hard to find anything and everything to motivate and guide our young readers and writers.  It is such a joy and privilege to be able to do what we do on a daily basis.  We hold such wonder in the palms of our hands all year long and then the wonders move on to blossom and grow somewhere else.  I have such admiration and respect for everyone who call themselves teacher.  It is truly a labor of love and dedication.  Sometimes we don't get the respect that we are due in society as a whole, but that does not matter in the long run.  There's nothing better than seeing that light bulb go on and the excitement in the eyes of these wonderful children.  I love teaching and am proud to be a part of a profession where we motivate and inspire young minds to reach beyond their expectations. I am proud to be called TEACHER!