endnotes ...

are evil.
     I thought the paper I wrote for my last program was "the paper that would not die," but this library reference project is in the running for an Irksome Award.
    9:30 the night before the paper is due: not the best time to be trying to fool around with your appendix of tables and keep having some of them disappear for some weird reason. Also a bad time to give yourself a crash course in creating a table of contents. It looked so easy when the professor showed us how ...
     Thank goodness we have resources eating up most of our middle block tomorrow, and I have a math CR to give as well. Otherwise I'd have no idea what to teach tomorrow. I do know that I will probably kick all the kids out of the room when the recess bell rings so I can whip the paper into shape. I also suspect I will be enjoying tomorrow's lunch of creole macaroni in solitary splendor, just me, my paper, and my computer.

    

parents: part II

     Seattle came up to me today and started conversation by saying: "So you know how I told you I'm an only child? I'm not anymore."
     Me: "Oh?"
     Seattle: "My mom is pregnant."
     Seattle, by the way, is chronically tardy (I was amazed to see him in school before the bell this morning). He generally rolls into class at about 8:30 a.m., or a good 45 minutes after the first bell. Consequently, he is too late/too much in a rush to have gotten breakfast. I've gotten into the habit of doling out a granola bar from my stash so I don't have to fret about him starving until our noon lunchtime. 
     My first thought about Seattle's announcement: will mom's pregnancy mean even more tardies? What about when the baby arrives in April? I hope life gets a little more settled for his family, but until then I'll keep scanning the supermarket ads for granola-bar sales.


     

parents

     It was Monday, and one of those Mondays when I wonder whether I am reaping some karmic payback for past misdeeds.

     When students misbehave after continued warnings, I have them call their parents to explain their misbehavior. I wrote mom's contact numbers on a piece of paper and handed it to Dimples. I explained that he could call mom and tell her how he was doing, or I could call her. Most of my students prefer to call their parents and tell them on their own. Dimples promptly ripped the paper into pieces, dropped the bits on the floor and refused to pick them up, then sulked in the back of the room.  One of those classic "Hmm ... so what do I do NOW?" situations that make a first year in the classroom so memorable. I ended up calling mom this evening and asking her to talk to him about today.

     Call home #2: Two girls, Bubbles and Shorty, got into a loud verbal argument after lunch. I told them to put the problem on the side for now - to ignore each other and focus on the lesson. They continued to argue, and I gave Bubbles a choice: take some work and go cool off in a different teacher's room or at the counselor's office. She refused both options, re-entered the classroom, and continued to fight. I had Bubbles call home, and talked to mom as well. I explained that Bubbles had not followed directions. Mom made an excuse, saying her daughter was too absorbed in thinking about the situation and couldn't focus. To give a little background: Bubbles is the same student who took off running about a month ago because she was upset. She can be happy and social, but is always on the lookout for students doing something wrong (and pointing it out in a loud voice).
     The last time I talked to mom, she had a bone to pick with me when I mentioned that I sometimes move Bubbles to a different part of the room so she can calm down and focus. She was upset that I moved Bubbles instead of the other student involved in the conflict. So frustrating -- I don't move her to punish her. My only motive is to keep Bubbles in the classroom so she can learn. 

     Not to give you the wrong impression: so far I am thankful for my contacts with parents. Many of them are very interested in their child's success. (The home visits I did at the start of the year helped enormously in making both me and the parents comfortable).  For instance, I was talking to Snicket's mom the other week. While giving the weekly vocabulary test, I walked by Snicket's desk and noticed that he had his notebook open. I took his test back and told him that I would make him an alternate test. I didn't use the word "cheating" at all, either in talking to Snicket or to mom. But when I explained what I saw to his mom, she said, "But that's cheating." I thought, THANK YOU for understanding why I am calling. 
     I always try to present information about the student in a caring, objective manner. I ask myself: How would I want someone to talk to me/share information about my child, if I had one? There are those days when the bell rings, the students rush out, and I am tempted to call and say: Your child was a pain in the butt from 7:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. That's why I don't call right after school, but give myself a few hours to think about what really happened and figure out a productive way to communicate the problems.

1,000 WORDS: think again

Sometimes right-side-up is overrated. When I uploaded this,
 I rotated it to see what it would look like, but I like it
 this way, the way it was taken.

something's wrong with my food pyramid

     6:45 a.m. Breakfast: a very small serving of Coco Puffs, washed down with coffee. Devoured while checking e-mail, printing out worksheets, and getting the room ready.
     noon. Lunch: part of a sandwich. Hastily eaten during a meeting with the counselor and my female students. Reminds me of the library-club lunches I used to have last year, which allowed me to get about 5 bites in after herding students out of the caf, chatting with them, then herding them back to class.
     3:45. Snack. I eat whatever's left in my morning cup of Coco Puffs while navigating traffic.
  

new books

     Things I like about my kids: that they got excited when I pulled out an armful of new composition books for the writer's notebooks we started today. I considered using their old journals, but decided to spend the $20 to show them that we were starting something new. Definitely worth the excited "oohs" and smiles.
     Field trip to-do list:
     write out stick-on nametags, since I never did get around to making those cute laminated clip-on ones most other teachers' kids are sporting.
     pack tissues, bandaids, hand sanitizer/wipes, and a lunch.

TeacherSpeak

    "Enjoys expressing himself orally" = shouts out answers without raising his hand and hollers personal questions at the teacher in the middle of the lesson. What I was inspired to write for Junior's literacy strengths while doing some language-arts planning last week ...
     I think I am allergic to field trips. We are heading to the theater this Friday, and Saturday I got a tickle in my throat. Monday afternoon I had the achy throat that usually precedes laryngitis, which means some students missed out on a much-needed, high-volume scolding. Luckily, I was out of the classroom for a teacher meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday was Veteran's Day, so while I am congested and coughing, I still have my voice. I also think immediately dosing myself with Zicam and drinking LOTS of hot tea helped ward off the worst.
     This will be my first field trip, since I was laid up with laryngitis for the courthouse tour in October. Wondering how a 40-minute bus ride with about 50 joyful and hyper fifth-graders will go. Will I need ear plugs? Aspirin?

apple slices, so to speak

•       I have students write down assignments and important dates on the whiteboard, and I spent all of today puzzling over one inscription: "Posepond spelling test Tuesday 11/3." I even surreptitiously checked the spelling booklet and a student's tablet, thinking maybe I had mixed up the lists and given them the "o" sound list. About an hour ago it hit me: the word was POSTPONED. They were scheduled to take the test Thursday, but I pushed it back. 
•      Secret: Sometimes teachers are just as eager (if not more) for recess and lunch to arrive. We just can't say anything.
•     I wore a slightly more "teacher" outfit today, because of my before-school meeting. Unfortunately, Junior's parents were a no-show. By the end of the day, my feet were killing me. Sandals, no matter how sensible, just can't compete with sneakers. My teacher wish list includes a professional-looking, cute and extremely comfortable pair of shoes. 

revolt?

     I mentioned in my last post that I had the marvelous opportunity to hear Robert Brooks speak about mindset. I gave my grade-level colleague and fellow first-year teacher a ride back to town, and, inspired by Mr. Brooks, we discussed our frustrations with certain grade-level-mandated practices. 

     Looks like we are going beyond talking and going to take action. Am I scared about it? Heck yes. Do I think our other colleagues are going to take it gracefully, with good wishes and understanding? Heck no. But will it benefit our students? I think it would only build our relationships and learning.

     Can't say much more about it than that at the moment, but stay tuned. 

can you spare some ... change?

     I interned at the local newspaper many years ago, and was amused by a little sign on top of one reporter's computer. It read: "Change is good. You first."

     With Orchid's help, I am trying to change up things in my classroom. Last week, I tried different activities to get the day started right: assignments with more of a personal connection that let students draw (they LOVE to draw). I think this is a step in the right direction: even my students who have trouble doing much in the morning were asking later, "when can we finish up that assignment?"
     I also did a mini-lesson that used the local supermarket to explain what a text structure is and why it's useful. The students were quite enthusiastic; a couple of my boys in the front got up and came to the board to point out the exact locations of different food departments. I'm still refining the lesson, but it was great to see them interested.
     I'm hoping for positive changes for some students as well. Junior did some things last week that led to an in-school suspension, and mom is scheduled to attend a before-school meeting tomorrow. I'm hoping Junior, his mom, the counselor and I can figure out together how to get him on track. I can tell Junior is frustrated with me, and I hope tomorrow's meeting will show us a different path. I see a lot of promise in him, but I'm not sure he knows that. The interesting thing about Junior is that I've noticed he kind of  orients himself toward me. For instance, he'll ask about the school shirt I'm wearing, or what my ethnic background is (he usually hollers these questions in the middle of a lesson). He is perceptive in his own way; when I was walking around monitoring and assisting students during a lesson, he noticed that I put my hand on students' shoulders while talking to them. He hollered something like, "Is that how you're going to discipline us now?"
     Today I had the fortune to attend an all-day presentation by Robert Brooks, who talks about educators' mindsets and how they affect a school environment and students. Lots of good stuff on motivation, choice and student ownership ... and just what I needed to hear before tomorrow's meeting!
    
  
  

An early trick

     I started off my three-day Halloween weekend by getting my car towed Friday morning, which puts me out a total of $200. Not the best way to occupy yourself on a Furlough Friday, let me tell you.