Monday: running crazy trying to get the week off to a good start…had to finish notes on antebellum MS and prepare for a sub on Tuesday.
Tuesday: sanity day…dentist appt in the morning, me and both girls. Good report on oldest, youngest has her first cavity. We’ll have to buckle down on that. I have to see an oral surgeon to determine if my bottom wisdom teeth should come out. No doubt they should, it is just a matter of whether they are too close to the nerve or not. Already had the tops out and I will not have the bottoms out unless I am totally 100% unaware that anything is going on. Ugh I hope the dental insurance covers it. Spent the rest of the day in North AL and really enjoyed myself. It was exciting to be back in the area.
Wednesday: Oh joy. Back at school, day after a sub. Picking up the pieces, students still working on their review for the chapter. I required them to complete 56 multiple choice questions, most upper level of Bloom’s, and they had to justify every answer. This was a tough concept for most. A few “got it”. Others thought they would test to see if I was serious…just having the answers does not count, there HAD to be an explanation justifying the choice to receive credit…and “you said it” or “I read it” didn’t count. Had to miss my afternoon classes so that I could attend a required “Measured Progress” session. Strangely it dealt with the same strategies I was currently using with the answer justification. Basically it was a continuation of an earlier workshop for testing procedures and multiple choice testing. I don’t agree with everything, but there was decent info offered. It was a good refresher of one of my undergrad edu courses.
Thursday: Felt like Friday all day. We were on lockdown for an hour around mid-day. Here’s part of the reason why. There was also a 911 call in threat that required the school to be checked for security. Don’t know how related the two incidents were. Oddly, the words “lockdown” or “code-red” were never used. We were told to get lunch kids back to their 4th period and keep them there until further notice. I will withhold further comment as I believe it is in my best interest to do so. However, for the remainder of the day test review was interesting.
Friday: Hectic. Pep-rally first thing. If you need a really good way to insure that your entire day will be turned upside down, try this. First there is the grand attempt to excite the students for the upcoming football game, then the remainder of the day is spent on a different bell schedule. High-schoolers (and their teachers) are creatures of habit. You want to mess up their day, change the bells. I had to get a test in today, pass out exam reviews, and folders containing their tests this nine weeks. Hard to pack that into a 50 minute period. Honestly, it was Monday when I realized we have exams next week. I thought I had a whole other week to start the Civil War. Whoops.
Since school started we have not had a single non-disrupted week. We have also had at least one faculty meeting, of some kind, every week. The general consensus is that this has been a difficult start and we are drowning in paperwork. Admin proclaims it to be a wonderful start. I’ll take the 5th, thanks.
After a mid-morning dental appointment I spent the remainder of the day exploring The Shoals of north Alabama. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. In my rush to get to our appointment on time I left my camera at home. Shoot! I’ll be visiting again in the near future and the tree colors will be extraordinary. As I crossed the state line and topped the hill I was in awe of the landscape. Beautiful. I just do not see the rolling hills, water, and natural beauty of the land in Mississippi. There are some nice landscapes here, but there is something special about home. The area I visited is really changing and growing. I was able to visit my previous high school. They were building a new school when we moved here. The completed school is really nice. I chose all the materials for the new classroom, hope the teacher that stepped in liked it! I was also able to visit the school where I completed my internship. I knew both the principal and vice principal, and my cooperating teacher was there as well. I was really surpised that both the principal and vp recognized me.
They have a really neat spa in the Shoals now…
Just in case anyone (eh-hmmm Djembe) is interested…HERE are their getaway packages. It would make a great surprise for someone special or even a really exciting planned getaway. Surprises are nice, don’t you think?
Would it be possible to add more hours to the day? Or better yet, tptb need to take a few things away to accommodate the hours already in the day! Sorry not visiting much lately, but it’s just that time of year. Plus we have several things going on in our lives. Some exciting changes in the works and I’m looking forward to new adventures. On that note…we are thinking of pulling carpet and acid staining our floors. Anyone tried this?
Tonight was Open House (again.) For ninth grade, this is the third we’ve had. Still a pretty good turn out. About 30 parents dropped by my room. No where near the unbelievable number just before school started. I think I spoke with almost every parent that time! Tonight we hosted parents, offered snacks, handed out cards. I learned that business cards work great. I used to do flyers, but from now on I think I’ll stick to business cards. The parents seemed to like them.
So many things going on right now and so many decisions to make. Really awesome positive, my husband, who is an amazing percussionist (yeah, not just a drummer), is getting frequent requests for gigs. We both have the annual Christmas invitation. I’m looking forward to it, but HAVE to practice. I love that he is getting to play so often. It’s a nice supplement too. It isn’t often that a hobby pays for itself. He’s figured out how to make it work with both drumming and racing! Do what you love, and make it work for you…WTG IMO.
Getting late and I, along with the girls, have a dental appointment tomorrow morning. Joy joy. Routine, but still. I hate it. Long day for me afterward too…If you would, pray that some doors are opened…oh and that the light is bright enough that I can tell!
What a great day around Kontan’s place! First a big WAR EAGLE! Auburn pulls out another win over Buffalo, 38-7. As great as that is, this is just as awesome…Arkansas squeaks out over Alabama 24-23. Hey, a win is a win! WTG Razorbacks!
Djembe took us to a preview premier of Facing the Giants this morning, the movie opens this weekend.
From their website:
From the award-winning producers of FLYWHEEL comes a new, action-packed, family-friendly drama about a high school football coach who draws up a new game plan for his team … and himself.
In his six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never had a winning season. Even the hope of a new season is squelched when the best player on his Shiloh Eagles decides to transfer schools. After losing their first three games of the season, the coach discovers a group of fathers are plotting to have him fired. Combined with pressures at home, Coach Taylor has lost hope in his battle against fear and failure.
However, an unexpected challenge helps him find a purpose bigger than just victories. Daring to trust God to do the impossible, Coach Taylor and the Eagles discover how faith plays out on the field … and off.
With God, all things are possible …
Check out the teaser trailer…
I went into this movie not expecting much- a six week filming schedule, amateur filmographers and an all volunteer cast from Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. I can not stress enough that this is worth the ticket. Even though the acting is not top notch the writing is great and the story line powerful. About the acting, it isn’t Hollywood, but it isn’t your local playhouse either. It is pretty decent and you can certainly tell when the characters were “totally into” their role. At no time during this showing was I bored. It’s rated PG, and I really don’t know why. 100% family friendly. The struggles portrayed are struggles that any of us could face in our lives. So many times we go through life thinking are struggles are insignificant and we try to face them alone, only to realize when we finally turn them over to God that we would have been better off if we hadn’t used Him as a last resort. Now for those who think it’s just a preachy film and you don’t want to hear about God…fine, I understand…but you will be missing out on a really good movie if you don’t take the opportunity to see it. It doesn’t take Hollywood to make a good movie, it takes a purpose and a desire.
I think back on the events of this week and realize just what a whirlwind it was. Progress reports and Poverty presentation consumed the first part of the week. NCLB documentation was thrown in there as well. I’m trying a different approach with my students…there grades are horrible. By their own admission they are not doing their work and not studying. Soooo, I’m ability grouping and allowing them to work together to complete assignments, but holding them accountable individually. They didn’t share answers as much as I expected them to and because they were grouped everyone seemed to work. I spent the last two days giving lecture. I called it a notegame…that sounds much better than I talk/you write. Instead of using powerpoint or writing notes on the board, I talked. I explained. and…I answered any question that came in their heads. They were still responsible for taking notes. I told them to get as much down as they could and to listen for clues that would indicate what was most important. Anyway, it worked. I had their attention. I will give them a noteguide Monday and see how much they were able to absorb. This too will be a group activity. The next will be test review where they work together to complete a review that is similar to the test. They will have to justify every answer. Rambling…oh wait…this is my place, I can do that.
Went to the high school football game tonight. Team was way ahead when we left and the band looked pretty good. I felt bad for them. Their former assistant was at the rival school. Turns out her husband, who was the rival school band director, killed himself earlier this week. Unbelievable. I just can not imagine. It is a terrible thing for an entire school to deal with. The hardest part for me is that I know how band kids are. You spend so much time with this one teacher and they are such a part of your life. You want their approval. Then this??? Just can not believe it. I really feel bad for his wife. They haven’t been married long and they had a young child. It was the wife that found him. Totally shocking to me.
Sorry not more upbeat…but I’m tired. Maybe tomorrow I’ll look back on what was good about this week.
OK, so maybe you guys didn’t find “Think before you speak” as funny as I did. Maybe I just needed the laugh so badly that I found it hilariously, ROFLH funny. Sorry for any offense…but it still makes me laugh.
Now, let me ask you. If your child asked to take money to a book fair you are to assume it is for the purchase of books, correct? Well, Froggy asked to take $5 to the book fair. No problem, I think this is a great way to spend your money. She comes home with a $21 wireless headset microphone. WHAT! First of all, she did not have permission to take that much of her money. Second, B-O-O-K F-A-I-R! Books! We are not happy with her purchase. It was a nine year old decision, understandable. I object to it being an option for her to purchase. She will have to take it back, and they better have a refund policy. In the event that they do not someone will have to pitch a fit and fit pitching grown man is not pretty. Yes, I will likely leave this “fit” to Djembe.
Am I wrong for feeling like my nine year old was ripped off at school today?
Disclaimer…could be offensive to some, but hilarious to others
Found this on a board I read. Doubt if any actually happened, however…funniest thing I’ve read in a while…
Think before you speak…
Here are six reasons why you should think before you speak -
Have you ever spoken and wished that you could
immediately take the words back…
or that you could crawl into a hole?
Here are the testimonials of a few people who did….
FIRST TESTIMONY:
I walked into a hair salon with my husband and three kids in tow
and asked loudly,
“How much do you charge for a shampoo and a blow job?”
I turned around and walked back out and never went back
My husband didn’t say a word…
he knew better.
SECOND TESTIMONY:
I was at the golf store comparing different kinds of golf balls.
I was unhappy with the women’s type I had been using.
After browsing for several minutes,
I was approached by one of the good-looking gentlemen who works at the store.
He asked if he could help me.
Without thinking, I looked at him and said, “I think I like playing with mens balls”
THIRD TESTIMONY:
My sister and I were at the mall and
passed by a store that sold a
variety of candy and nuts.
As we were looking at the display case,
the boy behind the counter asked if we needed any help.
I replied, “No, I’m just looking at your nuts.”
My sister started to laugh hysterically.
The boy grinned, and I turned beet-red and walked away.
To this day,
my sister has never let me forget.
FOURTH TESTIMONY :
While in line at the bank one afternoon,
my toddler decided to release
some pent-up energy and ran amok.
I was finally able to grab hold of
her after receiving looks of disgust
and annoyance from other patrons.
I told her that if she did not start behaving
“right now” she would be punished.
To my horror, she looked me in the eye and said in a voice just as threatening,
“If you don’t let me go right now,
I will tell Grandma that I saw you
kissing Daddy’s pee-pee last night!”
The silence was deafening after this enlightening exchange.
Even the tellers stopped what they were doing.
I mustered up the last of my dignity and
walked out of the bank with my daughter in tow.
The last thing I heard when the door closed behind me, were screams of laughter.
FIFTH TESTIMONY:
Have you ever ! asked your child a question too many times?
My three-year-old son had a lot of problems with potty training and I was on him constantly.
One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch, in between errands
It was very busy, with a full dining room.
While enjoying my taco,
I smelled something funny,
so of course I checked
my seven-month-old daughter, she was clean.
The realized that Danny
had not asked to go potty in a while.
I asked him if he needed to go,
and he said “No”.
I kept thinking
“Oh Lord, that child has had an accident, and I don’t have any clothes with me.”
Then I said,
“Danny, are you SURE you didn’t have an accident?”
“No,” he replied.
I just KNEW that he must have had an accident, because the smell was getting worse.
Soooooo, I asked one more time, “Danny did you have an accident ? This time he jumped up, yanked down his pants,
bent over, spread his cheeks
and yelled
“SEE MOM, IT’S JUST FARTS!!”
While 30 people nearly choked to death on their tacos laughing,
he calmly pulled up his pants and sat down.
An old couple made me feel better,
thanking me for the best laugh they’d ever had!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST TESTIMONY:
This had most of the state of Michigan laughing for 2 days
and a very embarrassed female news anchor who will,
in the future, likely think before she speaks.
What happens when you predict snow but don’t get any!
We had a female news anchor that,
the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn’t,
turned to the weatherman and asked:
“So Bob, where’s that 8 inches you promised me last night?”
Not only did HE have to leave the set,
but half the crew did too they were laughing so hard!
Now, didn’t that feel good?
Pass it on to someone you know who needs a laugh and remember we all say things we don’t really mean, so think before you speak.
WTG Auburn Tigers! Auburn is now ranked #2 after their 7-3 victory over the LSU Tigers. Great game to watch. So far-so good. WAR EAGLE!!!
We spent the weekend at church helping host a conference. Djembe had to play, I volunteered to serve snacks, lunch, and clean up, and the girls performed with the children’s praise team. Check out the video clips on my video page. The clips were taken with our digital camera in the children’s group room so the lighting isn’t that awesome.
So much is going on I just can’t seem to relax. Grade graphs were due today. Documentation of student interventions is due tomorrow. Poverty presentation is Wednesday. I spent today working on a powerpoint for that. Accreditation teams are at our school right now. The girls have their stuff that has to be done too. Froggy has some strings meeting tomorrow. (She is starting violin.) She has to be at Thursday’s PTA meeting for student council recognition. Tweety started her homework a little after 5 this afternoon. She is still working. I just made her stop for dinner break. I’m too tense to eat so here I am. How long is too long for a first grader to spend on homework? Spelling/Math/handwriting/reading every night except Wednesday. Here’s another gripe. We have been asked to send money (or solicit from friends and neighbors) every single week that we’ve been in school. USUALLY multiple times! It started the very first day! HELLO! What is UP?!?!
OK, this is not helping my tension. Time to go encourage magnificent reading and spelling.
In an attempt to restore the endangered wolf population wolves were released into various areas of government land. When a pack ventures into the Rocky Mountain ranching town of Hope, Montana the citizens are not happy. As their stock is threatened by the wolves, tensions grow to levels uncontrollable. The majority of the town opposes wolf restoration and humane removal of the pack. One family is split in their attempts to protect on one side and exterminate on the other. At the center of controversy is Helen Ross. She is a wolf biologist sent to Hope to determine the amount of alleged damage done by the wolves and protect them from those who wish to illegally destroy them. Falling in love with the son of her most powerful opponent does not help the situation.
For a nature loving “bunny-hugger” story with a little romance thrown in this is a good read. Author of another great work, The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans takes no particular storyline over the top. There is a perfect balance throughout the work that would appeal to anyone looking for a relaxing read. Sometimes I find myself scan reading when a book takes a turn to the slow side. That never happened with this work. There were times when I had to force myself to put it down because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get up the next morning. Despite the fact that I understand the frustrations of the ranchers, I was pulling for the wolves throughout the book. Add it to your list of things to read sometime…you’ll find a great escape into the world of fiction as Evans describes the sights and sounds of the mountain setting, as well as a storyline dotted with humor and suspense that may even touch the heart.
Thought after thought, the day…the week…the craziness of life, all are jumbled to form this chaotic rush of confusion. The first weeks of school are always an adjustment. This year I do not feel like I’ve gotten off to a great start. Time in our rooms was very limited. Despite spending several days in my room before we were required to return I still do not feel like I was able to settle in. Hours and hours of meetings and discussions for staff development and I feel
like it has been one of my worst starts. I like my students just fine. They are immature ninth graders, for the most part, developing into decent human beings. (If you have ever worked with 8th or 9th grade this makes perfect sense. If you haven’t it may sound harsh. To those, try it sometime you’ll see what I mean.) There isn’t a class that I just dread. There aren’t students that I check throughout the day to see if they are present, hoping that they skipped or have ISS. Yes, that’s horrible…but you should have met them. Even the students escorted from my room Friday I didn’t mind having day to day. Something is just not right about this year though. I feel like I’m going through the motions just barely hanging on. Lesson plans are not an issue. I’ve taught the course long enough that I can recycle plans and adapt them to this group of students. Maybe it is because I’m trying to distance myself in order to stay sane. The amount of “stuff” having to be addressed is overwhelming. Here are the items on our plates…
Reading a book by Ruby Payne for “staff development”
Preparing a presentation of a chapter
Meeting once a week for group discussion of the book.
Teaching 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens during our 20 minute freshman time each day
Parent contacts
Documentation of parent contact
Documentation of student progress and failure
Meeting on each student that is struggling
Designing interventions, documenting how effective they are (or are not)
Regular staff meetings
Write ups/thought quotes of our various studies- Differentiated Instruction/Measured Progress/Poverty/7 Habits
Freshman parent night
Open House
Observation duty
and don’t forget teaching, planning, testing, grading
Throw in responsibilities of home and life gets interesting. All you can do is what you can do. If you let the frustrations of the day consume you, you will burn out. I really do like teaching. I just do not like all the other junk that goes along with it.
As I sit here thinking about all the prof. dev. we are doing lately I have to question how effective it is. A bad teacher is going to be a bad teacher until they decide to work on being a good teacher. If you force workshops on them it will likely not encourage them to seek personal improvement, the whole time factor being a big issue. A good teacher is already a good teacher and will seek ways to improve if you allow them to. Here’s another thought…What one teacher needs, another may not. Why not do a better job evaluating what the needs are, group accordingly, and provide opportunities that are most beneficial to that group? Lot of work, but maybe better results. Afterall, that’s what they are wanting us to do with our students…differentiate instruction.
I like my job. I like my students. The power of positive thinking…
It comes down to this…funny how just the right song comes on sometimes… The Only Thing I Need I Already Have: 4Him
Eyes closed in a veil of tears when I hear the sound
Once more you’ve come to me - You’ve calmed me down
You still the raging sea inside of me
My Lord has come for me
Why-why is it so hard for me to see
Why is it so hard to just believe
Show me what it means to be free
The only thing I need I already have
The fullness of Your mercy in my hand
The only One who loves me as I am
The only thing I need I already have
My heart - a companion to my wounded soul
Again You comfort me-You take control
You quell the fear that owns too much of me
As it was meant to be
So why-when each and every word becomes a war
When there’s nothing I can see worth fighting for
You come into my heart and set me free
