Student: (in a non-chalant tone)
"I'm glad I don't have a doctor's appointment today. I got it on the 40th."
Me: (chuckling)
"There is no 40th of the month."
Student: (first confusion, then denial)
"Yes there is!!!"
(child abruptly exits scene by running off to play)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Rick Roll Stealing the Constitution's Thunder
Each year, our school puts on a special assembly for Veteran's Day. This year, I was recruited as a part of the planning committee and, somewhere along the lines, ended up assigned to sing a duet with our school music teacher. (I'm honestly still not sure how that happened.) Anyway, my kids had been hearing about the upcoming assembly, so I planned to talk with them briefly during Morning Meeting on Wednesday about why we celebrate Veteran's Day. My hope was that with a little refreshing they'd be ready to celebrate with full gusto during today's assembly.
Almost immediately, our discussion was lead to the concept of freedom. Going with the idea, I said to my students, "Raise your hand if you have heard of the Constitution." Blank stares. So I repeated the question, "Raise your hand if you have ever heard of the Constitution." More blank stares, a few bewildered looks.
"Oh.
my.
gosh,"
I thought to myself. "They have no idea what the Constitution of the United States of America is. At all. They haven't even heard of it. And they're in THIRD GRADE."
That means in four years of school the Constitution has scarcely, if ever, been mentioned.
Scary right?
In that moment, I made an executive decision to trash whatever curriculum I had planned for the day and instead focus on bringing my kids up to speed before the assembly. I mean, in my mind, this was a justifiable emergency. I memorized the preamble to the United States Constitution in the second grade - and I still remember it!
I went immediately to the closet in my classroom to retrieve the replica copy of the Constitution which I purchased in DC when I was 14. Yes, I still have it. (In that moment, I was SO thankful for my pack-rat tendencies!!) It's one of those old-looking crinkled paper copies that looks totally legit. My kids loved it.
From there we had a great discussion about freedom and how our armed forced have helped to keep us safe and free. We decided to write letters to veterans and, although I had to give them sentence starters on all four sentences because they literally cannot write a complete sentence on their own, their letters turned out really great! I was genuinely impressed by their thoughtfulness :)
Afterwards, we read through the Preamble to the Constitution together several times and practiced singing it with the School House Rock version. I found the School House Rock video online - thank you YouTube. I noticed there was a video posted that had the words of the preamble included. I thought, "Great! This will be perfect to help them sing along!" I projected the video on a big screen so all the kids could see, and it was great. Just like the good 'ol days ;)
We're all singing along, wrapped up in Preamble bliss when
BAM: I got Rick Rolled!
If you are unfamiliar with what it means to be Rick Rolled, you'll soon find out :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling
Ending on a more serious note, my kids enjoyed the Veteran's Day assembly today; and I feel they were better able to appreciate the meaning of the holiday thanks to our day of unplanned patriotic discussions and activities. I was even able to recruit a member of both the Air Force and Army to come in uniform to speak to my kids after the assembly today! What a treat!
P.S. I sent home copies of the Preamble with my students on Wednesday with the challenge to have it memorized by the next day, and THREE of them were able to recite it by heart! One of them even sang it School House Rock style :)
P.P.S. A specials thanks to Ra for devoting your day to volunteer in my classroom!!! I loved having you there!! :)
Almost immediately, our discussion was lead to the concept of freedom. Going with the idea, I said to my students, "Raise your hand if you have heard of the Constitution." Blank stares. So I repeated the question, "Raise your hand if you have ever heard of the Constitution." More blank stares, a few bewildered looks.
"Oh.
my.
gosh,"
I thought to myself. "They have no idea what the Constitution of the United States of America is. At all. They haven't even heard of it. And they're in THIRD GRADE."
That means in four years of school the Constitution has scarcely, if ever, been mentioned.
Scary right?
In that moment, I made an executive decision to trash whatever curriculum I had planned for the day and instead focus on bringing my kids up to speed before the assembly. I mean, in my mind, this was a justifiable emergency. I memorized the preamble to the United States Constitution in the second grade - and I still remember it!
I went immediately to the closet in my classroom to retrieve the replica copy of the Constitution which I purchased in DC when I was 14. Yes, I still have it. (In that moment, I was SO thankful for my pack-rat tendencies!!) It's one of those old-looking crinkled paper copies that looks totally legit. My kids loved it.
From there we had a great discussion about freedom and how our armed forced have helped to keep us safe and free. We decided to write letters to veterans and, although I had to give them sentence starters on all four sentences because they literally cannot write a complete sentence on their own, their letters turned out really great! I was genuinely impressed by their thoughtfulness :)
Afterwards, we read through the Preamble to the Constitution together several times and practiced singing it with the School House Rock version. I found the School House Rock video online - thank you YouTube. I noticed there was a video posted that had the words of the preamble included. I thought, "Great! This will be perfect to help them sing along!" I projected the video on a big screen so all the kids could see, and it was great. Just like the good 'ol days ;)
We're all singing along, wrapped up in Preamble bliss when
BAM: I got Rick Rolled!
If you are unfamiliar with what it means to be Rick Rolled, you'll soon find out :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling
Ending on a more serious note, my kids enjoyed the Veteran's Day assembly today; and I feel they were better able to appreciate the meaning of the holiday thanks to our day of unplanned patriotic discussions and activities. I was even able to recruit a member of both the Air Force and Army to come in uniform to speak to my kids after the assembly today! What a treat!
P.S. I sent home copies of the Preamble with my students on Wednesday with the challenge to have it memorized by the next day, and THREE of them were able to recite it by heart! One of them even sang it School House Rock style :)
P.P.S. A specials thanks to Ra for devoting your day to volunteer in my classroom!!! I loved having you there!! :)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Evaluation Sparks Evaluation
I had my first formal teacher evaluation!
After observing me in action three times thus far (always popping in by surprise to keep things more authentic, of course) and taking extensive notes, my Assistant Principal called me down to discuss my first evaluation!
I was surprised/thankful/speechless/happy/wow-ed to find that I received a mark of 'satisfactory' in all areas. Now, I know in some circumstances 'satisfactory' stands for mediocre, but on our evals it's the highest mark you can get! Woohoo!!!!!
I was honestly expecting a more harsh report. I don't feel like I'm teaching in a way that's deserving of all high marks, but I guess that means for a rookie I'm doing okay so far :) Along with the basic marks, my principal did include tons of great notes on what she specifically observed - among her notes was some really quality feedback. I have to tell you that although my evaluation was better than I had expected, it was not perfect. What I took away as her most impactful advice is generalized into the following few words: I need to lighten up.
She told me that there are times when my facial expressions communicate a more harsh message than I'm intending to convey. The specific example she gave me was of a time in class when I called on a student to answer a question and when they didn't answer correctly, I said, "Hmmm, is that correct? Let's think about it…" while pressing my lips together and furrowing my brow like I was thinking. Apparently my "thinking face" is a straight up frown. This caused the student to immediately feel like they failed (It hurts my heart to realize this). My principal told me that I said all the right words to help her recover and to guide her to give the correct answer, BUT it was the initial facial expression that sent a negative vibe. I could say all the positive, encouraging words in the world to my students, but the look on my face (which I'm, sadly, often oblivious to) is what really speaks to my students. My facials should say, instead, "Great guess! I'm glad you took a risk! I appreciate your willingness to try! Let's see if we can work together to find the right answer!" Those are the words I was speaking with my mouth, but my body language could afford to learn a thing or two...
She also reminded me that it's okay to let my kids see that I actually enjoy what I'm doing, that I love teaching and chose this profession because it's what I want to do each day. She suggested that I SMILE and allow myself to be silly with them once in awhile.
Man, that's hard to hear.
I want to be a happy, smiley, positive, fun-loving teacher. That's the sort of teacher I always imagined myself to be! However, truth be told, it's quite possible there are days that I go without smiling in my classroom.
Each day, when I wake up, I psych myself up to go teach like a champion! I ask Jesus for help to show his loving character to my students. Let me tell you…..it's surprising how quickly those kiddos can drain the positivity from your bones. No matter how I resist, it seems sooner or later in the day they break me. The level of positivity I possess fails to overpower the extent to which they deliberately disobey and misbehave. At 8:00am I'm feeling good, by 10:00am I'm a Nazi.
As I've been reflecting on these things, it's occurred to me that I continually feel like I'm rushing throughout the school day. I'm rushing to fit a large amount of content into a small window of time. I'm rushing to transition from one activity to the next so that I lose as little instructional time as possible. I'm hesitant to take my kids on a bathroom break because that means less time for teaching. I'm rushing rushing rushing because it feels like if I don't then I'm not teaching my kids everything they need to know. It's extremely difficult to not feel the pressure of testing. I never thought I would fall into the trap of testing. But it's a tricky tricky trap. My students came to me so low to begin with that I find myself rushing to teach them what they should have learned in previous grades so that I can somehow bring them up to third grade level by the end of the year. It's insanity.
I've realized that all this rushing is never going to promote a positive classroom environment. It makes for a terrible environment, actually. I'm not enjoying school. They're not enjoying school. It does not benefit any party involved.
I'm now convinced that if I will simply allow myself to slow down and stop being so gosh darn driven by the quantity of what I'm teaching and start focusing instead on the quality of what I'm teaching, it will prove to be a much better practice for myself and for my students in the end. I think a lot of the negativity I'm feeling on a daily basis stems from the fact that, more often than not, I'm functioning in a state of stress. Sometimes I don't event realize I'm stressed because I've grown so accustomed to the feeling - no lie. I believe that if I allow myself to sloooow doooowwn every so often, refusing to live and teach in stress-mode, I will be a better teacher. I will be more able to keep from losing my cool when my patience is being tested for the umpteenth time. I believe I will be more likely to smile throughout each day and have generally happy expressions on my face! I believe it will be easier to let myself be a little silly sometimes, remembering that I teach a group of kids not navy seals. I am not a drill sergeant. I am a teacher. Sometimes it would appear I've forgotten.
With the help of the One who can save me from myself, I will remember each day to slow down - to retrain my focus to be on quality and not always on quantity. I will seek supernatural JOY to be able to smile at my students more often than I frown.
Check back to see how I'm doing :)
After observing me in action three times thus far (always popping in by surprise to keep things more authentic, of course) and taking extensive notes, my Assistant Principal called me down to discuss my first evaluation!
I was surprised/thankful/speechless/happy/wow-ed to find that I received a mark of 'satisfactory' in all areas. Now, I know in some circumstances 'satisfactory' stands for mediocre, but on our evals it's the highest mark you can get! Woohoo!!!!!
I was honestly expecting a more harsh report. I don't feel like I'm teaching in a way that's deserving of all high marks, but I guess that means for a rookie I'm doing okay so far :) Along with the basic marks, my principal did include tons of great notes on what she specifically observed - among her notes was some really quality feedback. I have to tell you that although my evaluation was better than I had expected, it was not perfect. What I took away as her most impactful advice is generalized into the following few words: I need to lighten up.
She told me that there are times when my facial expressions communicate a more harsh message than I'm intending to convey. The specific example she gave me was of a time in class when I called on a student to answer a question and when they didn't answer correctly, I said, "Hmmm, is that correct? Let's think about it…" while pressing my lips together and furrowing my brow like I was thinking. Apparently my "thinking face" is a straight up frown. This caused the student to immediately feel like they failed (It hurts my heart to realize this). My principal told me that I said all the right words to help her recover and to guide her to give the correct answer, BUT it was the initial facial expression that sent a negative vibe. I could say all the positive, encouraging words in the world to my students, but the look on my face (which I'm, sadly, often oblivious to) is what really speaks to my students. My facials should say, instead, "Great guess! I'm glad you took a risk! I appreciate your willingness to try! Let's see if we can work together to find the right answer!" Those are the words I was speaking with my mouth, but my body language could afford to learn a thing or two...
She also reminded me that it's okay to let my kids see that I actually enjoy what I'm doing, that I love teaching and chose this profession because it's what I want to do each day. She suggested that I SMILE and allow myself to be silly with them once in awhile.
Man, that's hard to hear.
I want to be a happy, smiley, positive, fun-loving teacher. That's the sort of teacher I always imagined myself to be! However, truth be told, it's quite possible there are days that I go without smiling in my classroom.
Each day, when I wake up, I psych myself up to go teach like a champion! I ask Jesus for help to show his loving character to my students. Let me tell you…..it's surprising how quickly those kiddos can drain the positivity from your bones. No matter how I resist, it seems sooner or later in the day they break me. The level of positivity I possess fails to overpower the extent to which they deliberately disobey and misbehave. At 8:00am I'm feeling good, by 10:00am I'm a Nazi.
As I've been reflecting on these things, it's occurred to me that I continually feel like I'm rushing throughout the school day. I'm rushing to fit a large amount of content into a small window of time. I'm rushing to transition from one activity to the next so that I lose as little instructional time as possible. I'm hesitant to take my kids on a bathroom break because that means less time for teaching. I'm rushing rushing rushing because it feels like if I don't then I'm not teaching my kids everything they need to know. It's extremely difficult to not feel the pressure of testing. I never thought I would fall into the trap of testing. But it's a tricky tricky trap. My students came to me so low to begin with that I find myself rushing to teach them what they should have learned in previous grades so that I can somehow bring them up to third grade level by the end of the year. It's insanity.
I've realized that all this rushing is never going to promote a positive classroom environment. It makes for a terrible environment, actually. I'm not enjoying school. They're not enjoying school. It does not benefit any party involved.
I'm now convinced that if I will simply allow myself to slow down and stop being so gosh darn driven by the quantity of what I'm teaching and start focusing instead on the quality of what I'm teaching, it will prove to be a much better practice for myself and for my students in the end. I think a lot of the negativity I'm feeling on a daily basis stems from the fact that, more often than not, I'm functioning in a state of stress. Sometimes I don't event realize I'm stressed because I've grown so accustomed to the feeling - no lie. I believe that if I allow myself to sloooow doooowwn every so often, refusing to live and teach in stress-mode, I will be a better teacher. I will be more able to keep from losing my cool when my patience is being tested for the umpteenth time. I believe I will be more likely to smile throughout each day and have generally happy expressions on my face! I believe it will be easier to let myself be a little silly sometimes, remembering that I teach a group of kids not navy seals. I am not a drill sergeant. I am a teacher. Sometimes it would appear I've forgotten.
With the help of the One who can save me from myself, I will remember each day to slow down - to retrain my focus to be on quality and not always on quantity. I will seek supernatural JOY to be able to smile at my students more often than I frown.
Check back to see how I'm doing :)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
It's the Small Things in Life
As I was grocery shopping tonight, I happened to be strolling down the isle that is stocked with all sorts of organic, super-healthy canned goods like Campbell's Spaghetti O's and Chef Boyardee Ravioli when, to my delight, I spotted a lone can of cheese ravioli! Here's the deal about cheese ravioli: it's NEVER in stock. Ever. Meat ravioli graces the shelves in abundance, but not so for cheese. At times, I've wondered if it's been discontinued. But every so often, I am pleasantly surprised :) Tonight, I post whilst dining on Chef Boyardee cheese ravioli. I don't even want to think about the fact that it's cheese…in a can…sans refrigeration… just let me indulge in ignorant bliss!
I realize ravioli has little to do with teaching…..but I was excited and wanted to share. Such a rare find was (sadly) the highlight of my day.
Sigh.
I'm tired of raising my voice.
I'm tired of my kids not caring about school. It makes it really difficult to teach them.
I realize ravioli has little to do with teaching…..but I was excited and wanted to share. Such a rare find was (sadly) the highlight of my day.
Sigh.
I'm tired of raising my voice.
I'm tired of my kids not caring about school. It makes it really difficult to teach them.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Fall Fun
This post is a bit delayed, but better late than never!
In October, I finally managed to change the bulletion board outside my classroom - just in time for Open House! To which, as stated earlier, only 5 families attended. Regardless, it needed to be changed badly from the 'welcome' themed board that had been up since the first day of school and was literally falling apart at the seams (well, staples in this case). So, with the help of a good friend who tirelessly cut out the lettering and individual pumpkins, my fall-themed board is up and running!
On the last Friday in October, I carved a pumpkin with my class. During centers, small groups of students got to take turns sharing in the different steps to create a jack-o-lantern. You wouldn't believe how many of my students had never before carved a pumpkin!
I let the students design and vote on their own face for the pumpkin, which was naturally named Mario due to the moustache.
We had a great time carving Mario :) Well worth the mess. Although, I must say, my kids had waaay too much fun with the pumpkin pulp…sticking it to their faces, rolling it into balls…you name it, they found a way to play with it.
In an effort to tie Mario to academic content, we applied the whole experience to writing - Students practiced their sequencing skills by writing out the steps to carve a pumpkin.
See, some days we do get to have fun at school :)
In October, I finally managed to change the bulletion board outside my classroom - just in time for Open House! To which, as stated earlier, only 5 families attended. Regardless, it needed to be changed badly from the 'welcome' themed board that had been up since the first day of school and was literally falling apart at the seams (well, staples in this case). So, with the help of a good friend who tirelessly cut out the lettering and individual pumpkins, my fall-themed board is up and running!
On the last Friday in October, I carved a pumpkin with my class. During centers, small groups of students got to take turns sharing in the different steps to create a jack-o-lantern. You wouldn't believe how many of my students had never before carved a pumpkin!
I let the students design and vote on their own face for the pumpkin, which was naturally named Mario due to the moustache.
We had a great time carving Mario :) Well worth the mess. Although, I must say, my kids had waaay too much fun with the pumpkin pulp…sticking it to their faces, rolling it into balls…you name it, they found a way to play with it.
In an effort to tie Mario to academic content, we applied the whole experience to writing - Students practiced their sequencing skills by writing out the steps to carve a pumpkin.
See, some days we do get to have fun at school :)
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