re: breaking bread with the kids

     A few weeks ago, Puakenikeni and I were talking about my students, in particular the needy ones. I seem to have two varieties. Variety #1: the sweet but clingy and whiny type (Pup is a good example -- he kept coming up to me at random times yesterday to hug me). Variety #2: the acting-out, sometimes-just-plain-unpleasant type: the kids who poke other people with pencils, get into name-calling fights, and all that stuff. Lion and Ant fall into the second category.
     Lion and I ate lunch together last Wednesday, and he talked NONSTOP. Puakenikeni and I listened in bemusement as Lion discussed his family, video games, video games, video games, and a heroic act at the beach. The next day, he marched up to me in the morning, thanked me for eating lunch with him (I knew there was a sweet kid in there somewhere), then declared, "Can I eat lunch with you today?? I have so much more to tell you!"
     It's surprising how much that one lunch has helped. Yes, Lion still walks around, talks, makes beatbox sounds during the language arts lesson, and all that. Yes, on occasion he still does have to visit Puakenikeni's room with a folder paper and pencil to have some quiet time to write me a letter. But I think just giving him some personal time has really helped us start to converse about his behavior. It's a big step up from me scolding and him begging me not to call mom.  I think spending that time with him has also helped me see him as a person, not just a behavior problem. So I think I bring a little more patience to my dealings with him. A win-win situation, I think.
     Ant has been having similar issues, so I pulled him for lunch today. It was hard to get conversation rolling at first, but I kept asking questions and eventually he started talking on his own. I think it will take a little longer to see some results, but I'm hopeful that building the relationship will really smooth out things in the classroom.

1,000 WORDS: last hurrah with the spider lilies

     It always seems to rain whenever I head out with the camera ... ?
     Just spent 2 hours feverishly correcting writing assessments that were due, um, in late September. Bulk of them are done, just a few stragglers to round up.
     Not looking forward to starting my first day back from vacation extra early. Yup, got a meeting scheduled at 7:15 a.m. : P In preparation for losing my morning prep time, printed out tons of stuff I need for tomorrow. Gotta pack it all up soon and set that second alarm clock!

it's all about me

I don't mean that in a narcissistic way, but I like wording it that way because it makes me think of that sarcastic cartoon character, Happy Bunny.
The theme for this year seems to be: it's up to me to do what's required in my classroom.
So, that doesn't exactly sound like a newsflash. (Could you at least cover your mouth when you yawn? Thanks.)
But what I think I'm learning this school year is: self-reliance. Don't wait for the counselors, or admin, or anyone else to come charging in and "fix" things. They do have valuable things to offer. But they are not always around to offer them.
Lion is one of the kids who helped me realize this. He's attention-hungry, and he tends to seek attention by poking other people with pencils, kicking them, etc. Not to mention that his anger management strategies are basically, "tell mom" and "count to 10."
So for quarter 2, I've decided to devote one lunchtime each week to meeting with him, one to one. We might just talk story for some sessions, but I'd like to read with him a book on anger management, or emotions in general.  His parents are supportive, so I'd like to have him take the book back and forth so they can reinforce and discuss what he's learning.
I'd also like to designate one day each week to eat lunch with a small group of randomly selected students, just to build relationships.
I'll miss my quiet lunches, but I hope the sacrifice of time will pay off.

: D

Everyone say it with me: aaaaahhh.
Yes, it's fall break.
YAY! (jumping up and down optional)
Things accomplished so far:

• plowed through a whole stack of writing assessments (alas, some took seconds to grade because ... the kid wrote nothing. Frustrating when you know the kid could think of something, and something pretty good, to write. I don't need to consult my crystal ball to see assessment fatigue in the future.) 
• Attended conference and overloaded brain, but at least I availed myself of the free eats. 
• worked on the massive project for my library sciences degree. I keep telling myself it's like eating an elephant -- just chew and think about one bite at a time. Don't think about how you must track the desired book review through a labyrinth of electronic resources, only to find out that it's not suitable, or just sucks. 
• caught up with various people who are dear to me but neglected during the school year.  

Things I WILL accomplish before Tuesday rolls around:

• give myself a few hours to play with the camera.
• do some quarter 2 planning. 
• tackle another stack of writing assessments.
• do more work on my project.
• catch up with the readings and online journaling for my library sciences class. 
• take a nap, just because I can.