What a couple of weeks it's been. My husband, W, points out that every year I have anxiety about what is going on, that I question what the heck I'm doing, and that things work out. I know that I'm exhausted every September, but this year is not feeling the same.
We have been plagued with technology problems. The school was rewired in August, ready for the fiber optics that are just across the road. I asked our tech folks to move the computers I have in the library to another location, and when that happened, nothing worked! To say that I was shocked was an understatement! It was a relative quick fix when our once-a-week tech guy arrived. Yes, that's right; our tech support is once a week, and the work list he had was huge! There are classrooms that still don't have computer access, and for teachers who use technology the way we breath air, that is very frustrating. Then, no wireless. The room where the hub or router or whatever it is is located got too hot, and melted the wires. Good-by, wireless, and so long three iPads, three Netbooks, and one MacBook. Six devices and one teacher station unavailable unless connected. The part - and tech support - is supposed to arrive on Monday.
My psychology class. It has a totally different feel to it. It's the kind of feeling that causes things like rashes, bumps, and things that require ointments and salves. I was spoiled. I'll be upfront and honest about that. This year, I have the usual mix of sophomores, juniors, and seniors. I also have three kids with IEPs, three boys with eligibility issues, two exchange students with varying degrees of English proficiency, and me, the teacher who is aging rapidly. Kids in tears over being homesick, being frustrated, having anxiety and anger issues - it makes issues such as gum, hats, and I-need-to-listen-to-music-so-I-can-concentrate seem pale in comparison. My usual approach is not working. The quality of written work is all over the place. One girl is a beautiful writer, analytic, articulate. One boy, who is one of the eligibility guys, is brief to the point of writing something akin to a list. Without bullets. Capital letters? Who needs those? Why write a paragraph when it can be done in three very long sentences? Why submit the assignment via the Journal feature of Moodle when it can be emailed to the teacher? Etc. Etc. Etc.
Oh, you poor Mrs. F. I know - get over it, right? I know that's what you're thinking, because honestly, if this wasn't my own post, that's exactly what I would be thinking! This is the stuff we face Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, Decade-ly (is that even a word?!). I got it. I've been spoiled, or lucky, or something. So now I get to quit whining, go back to the drawing board, figure out how to work with these kids so the content gets through, the communication and collaboration takes place, and we all learn a little something about Psychology and still earn a Social Studies credit that actually means something.
My response to this week was to go to bed early, and get up feeling refreshed. In class, it was to pull over the kick stool and stand on it so I could be taller than the tallest kid as we discussed why I don't want him listening to his music, and yes, we were both smiling. I can make this work!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
2012-2013 is here, ready or not!
Week One of the 2012-2013 school year is in the books. Thankfully, it was a four-day week, but that didn't make it any shorter. For me, the first week, and the first month, if I am honest, are long, long, long. I am always so tired, but that is natural after taking it easy for a couple of months, going on vacation to Jackson, Wyoming, The Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, and generally hanging out at home. Suddenly, there is an alarm clock! And coffee waiting for me! And clothes that aren't jeans, yoga pants, or capri pants to put on! I'll admit - the first foray back into pantyhose was unpleasant, but they went with my outfit, so there you go...
Let me start with the positives. We have just had a large (for us) turnover in staff - six new teachers, as well as a new administrator. That is one third of our teaching staff - that is huge! The new teachers are nice people, dedicated, and looking forward to a good year. The vibe is different, and the middle school, where I somehow ended up, is completely changed up, for the better, I think. Our administrator is a man who believes in collaboration, communication, and likes to have fun. He wore jeans to school, which inspired me to buy a new pair, jeans being my preferred bottom. Our collaboration, which had been one giant staff meeting, is going to be truly collaborative. My teaching load has lessened, from three classes to one, and I like the one I'm teaching, which is psychology. My students are nice kids, and their first Moodle posts gave me a glimpse of what's to come. I have double the library time. And I will be eventually monitoring students in an online environment. The online school just happens to be one that I have looked at for future employment. This is a way to see how it all works.
Negatives. I am still kind of struggling with the fact that I am not retired, and won't/can't until 2014. We would like to pay off our house before we both retire, and that will be helped tremendously by my salary. I am hoping that I actually remember how to be a librarian who isn't in two-period-a-day, bare-minimum mode most of the time. I am searching for my enthusiasm. I am sure it will come back, but last week - not so much. Will I remember what to do? Can I entice teachers to utilize me to support their instruction? This is another thing I am struggling with. I am also now a high school teacher. I have technically been one all along, but now without the middle school teaching assignments, I really am one of them, and I am not sure how I feel about that. I suppose all of these things will work themselves out, but right now, I am thinking about them, probably a little bit too much. I tend to do that.
This is my thirty-fifth year in education. I am the certificated person who has been at our school the longest. How did this happen?! I guess it's a question that doesn't need to be answered, because it's another year to teach, interact with kids and staff, and try to be the best teacher-librarian I can be. So, whether I'm ready or not, 2012-2013 is here. Happy New (School) Year!
Let me start with the positives. We have just had a large (for us) turnover in staff - six new teachers, as well as a new administrator. That is one third of our teaching staff - that is huge! The new teachers are nice people, dedicated, and looking forward to a good year. The vibe is different, and the middle school, where I somehow ended up, is completely changed up, for the better, I think. Our administrator is a man who believes in collaboration, communication, and likes to have fun. He wore jeans to school, which inspired me to buy a new pair, jeans being my preferred bottom. Our collaboration, which had been one giant staff meeting, is going to be truly collaborative. My teaching load has lessened, from three classes to one, and I like the one I'm teaching, which is psychology. My students are nice kids, and their first Moodle posts gave me a glimpse of what's to come. I have double the library time. And I will be eventually monitoring students in an online environment. The online school just happens to be one that I have looked at for future employment. This is a way to see how it all works.
Negatives. I am still kind of struggling with the fact that I am not retired, and won't/can't until 2014. We would like to pay off our house before we both retire, and that will be helped tremendously by my salary. I am hoping that I actually remember how to be a librarian who isn't in two-period-a-day, bare-minimum mode most of the time. I am searching for my enthusiasm. I am sure it will come back, but last week - not so much. Will I remember what to do? Can I entice teachers to utilize me to support their instruction? This is another thing I am struggling with. I am also now a high school teacher. I have technically been one all along, but now without the middle school teaching assignments, I really am one of them, and I am not sure how I feel about that. I suppose all of these things will work themselves out, but right now, I am thinking about them, probably a little bit too much. I tend to do that.
This is my thirty-fifth year in education. I am the certificated person who has been at our school the longest. How did this happen?! I guess it's a question that doesn't need to be answered, because it's another year to teach, interact with kids and staff, and try to be the best teacher-librarian I can be. So, whether I'm ready or not, 2012-2013 is here. Happy New (School) Year!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Summertime
After weeks of wondering if I was going to make it out of the school year alive, it's here. Summer. Sleeping in. Hanging out. Doing not much. And those three things get slightly old after a couple of weeks, or in my case, a couple of days. I like to set goals, so here is my goal-oriented plan for the summer:
~ learn to use my camera's manual settings, with an eye toward another camera.
~ conquer sock knitting. It's not the heel, it's picking up and finishing the foot that has stumped me in the past. I've actually knitted one sock - yes, just one, so the goal, of course, is to actually knit a pair and wear them.
~ set up my Psychology Moodle page, and get the year planned out. I have a teacher's edition of a psych book, but I want to get Psychology for Dummies, too.
~ get summer school ready. We're doing dinosaurs, so that will be fun, and since it's only 12 mornings, I can do it!
~ yoga; I need to be more flexible.
~ lose some weight. I hesitate to put a specific number down, but I want to be healthier before my birthday in October. Shopping in my closet is a goal, too.
~ get walking back into my life so it's a habit. I used to walk all the time, and when I was working on my master's degree, my rear end became one with the chair, and I developed a USB port on my body since I was always on the computer. That needs to change!
~ figure out how to be a librarian again. I've been teaching at least 3 classes for the last 5 or 6 years, and that's where my energy has gone. I want to be a better librarian!
~ vacation with W; Yellowstone, Bend, The Cabin.
These goals aren't in any particular order - I just like to check things off, so lists are handy for me. It was a good year overall, with great times, draggy times, and everything in-between. I am more than ready to get recharged, so I can do it all again. Happy summer vacation!
~ learn to use my camera's manual settings, with an eye toward another camera.
~ conquer sock knitting. It's not the heel, it's picking up and finishing the foot that has stumped me in the past. I've actually knitted one sock - yes, just one, so the goal, of course, is to actually knit a pair and wear them.
~ set up my Psychology Moodle page, and get the year planned out. I have a teacher's edition of a psych book, but I want to get Psychology for Dummies, too.
~ get summer school ready. We're doing dinosaurs, so that will be fun, and since it's only 12 mornings, I can do it!
~ yoga; I need to be more flexible.
~ lose some weight. I hesitate to put a specific number down, but I want to be healthier before my birthday in October. Shopping in my closet is a goal, too.
~ get walking back into my life so it's a habit. I used to walk all the time, and when I was working on my master's degree, my rear end became one with the chair, and I developed a USB port on my body since I was always on the computer. That needs to change!
~ figure out how to be a librarian again. I've been teaching at least 3 classes for the last 5 or 6 years, and that's where my energy has gone. I want to be a better librarian!
~ vacation with W; Yellowstone, Bend, The Cabin.
These goals aren't in any particular order - I just like to check things off, so lists are handy for me. It was a good year overall, with great times, draggy times, and everything in-between. I am more than ready to get recharged, so I can do it all again. Happy summer vacation!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012, at 12:36 pm - the end is near!
The end is near. The last day of school is almost here. I've gotten in the habit of reflecting on what has gone on during the year, so let's start with math.
Math
I've been teaching math for nine years now. The first year I taught math was with this year's senior class, and I stunk. Seriously. I am happy to say I've gotten to be a much better math teacher, and I enjoy teaching the subject. This year's sixth graders have been a pretty good bunch of kids. I also had four seventh graders, who had all been retained, so they should have been eighth graders, all at least two years behind in math. They have shown, with the notable exception of one kid, remarkable progress - I think their brains were ready for math this time around. All of those kids (except L) have been very hard workers, wanting to get it right, and also wanting to please. The sixth graders were on target, and there were at least three kids who have above-and-beyond abilities. Their grades, however, weren't always the highest, because they didn't have to work so hard, and they didn't. What's gone well is the kids understanding of the basics, as well as my ability to explain things, demonstrate procedures, as well as keeping up with the paperwork so grades were current. What I wish I had done better was straying away from the book more, using more real-life scenarios where the kids used the math, and differentiating more for some of the students on either end of the middle. I think I was lazy, because I just used the book, and I could have done better for the class. I also felt the need to teach to the MSP, and that made me a sellout. I am not teaching math next year, and I have mixed feelings about it. I was just getting good at it, had a good understanding of the curriculum, with three years of the same book under my belt, and I will miss the closeness with a class that is developed as you work with kids on a daily basis. What won't I miss? The prep, the amount of paperwork that comes from a class such as math, and feeling the pressure to teach to a test. I may miss not having a real tie to the middle school group next year.
Sociology
I loved teaching this class! I had twelve students, mostly juniors and seniors, with one sophomore thrown in for comic relief. No curriculum, except guidance from Sociology for Dummies and material I found on the Internet from the news and various blogs I follow The class had an interesting flow, and as I told my students, I may have the license, but you guys are driving the bus. This class really went with their interests, and because Sociology is so wide open, they were very ready for new ideas. Several kids said they learned something new every day - that is the power of communication and a willingness to dig a little deeper! What I mostly loved was the honesty in their posts, and I felt as though I had been let into their lives in a big way. Trust had been established early in the year; four of the students had been in my class when I taught fourth grade; one student is one of my advisory kids; three kids had been in either Writing Research or Modern Geography. The others had been library kids. No one came in at the semester, so we didn't have to start from scratch. The things they wrote about and openly shared made tears come to my eyes more than once. What went well? The discussions were interesting, students learned it was okay to show some passion about a topic, different viewpoints were both tolerated and embraced, and the "privilege" of having two days a week designated as tea days was appreciated. The best projects were the 6-Word Memoir/6-Image Memoir using Pinterest, and the cultural food project. They knew I expected them to function fairly independently, and communication and collaboration were the keys. Improvements? Less time between projects, more emphasis on the content, Psychology next year, and faster response time to students on Forum and Journal assignments. I will also use more Fishbowl discussions. I don't know about tea next year; it will definitely depend on the class makeup. Right now, I'm thinking not. I also wonder if students next year will post on my Moodle page while they are in other classes. Time stamps are handy, and I've often wondered aloud if their other teachers know what they are doing. All I get is shrugs and sly smiles, so I'm guessing the answer is no...
Middle School Support aka Title I
This has been my least successful class. I have never pretended to be good at remediation, and honestly, I've never really liked it that much. It had been a pull-out, but for the past two years has been a class. I believe the Greek and Latin root lessons were good, mostly because it increases vocabulary, and it gives kids background in words so they may be able to figure out unknown words if they know what a root means. My MSS classes always got to read, with no test in sight, just plain old read-for-pleasure. That's the librarian in me coming out, because it always bugged me when kids would come up with a book they wanted to read, but if it wasn't in their AR Zone, the book would go back. Yes, I get that kids develop as readers when they read in their zone of proximal development (did I get that right?), but as a librarian, I hate the idea that kids will put away a book they want to read, and might struggle with. We did Reader's Theater from a Scholastic publication I subscribed to, and while that was great, I wish I had not switched magazines to the easier version - just not enough meat for the kids. Anyway...I've had two different groups this year; seventh and eighth graders first semester, and sixth graders second semester. Ying and yang! I've done a better job with the second semester group, but their chattering drives me nuts at the end of the day. Will I be doing this next year? I'm not sure.
Library
Two periods a day. What more can I say?
That's been my year. and the end is in sight!
Math
I've been teaching math for nine years now. The first year I taught math was with this year's senior class, and I stunk. Seriously. I am happy to say I've gotten to be a much better math teacher, and I enjoy teaching the subject. This year's sixth graders have been a pretty good bunch of kids. I also had four seventh graders, who had all been retained, so they should have been eighth graders, all at least two years behind in math. They have shown, with the notable exception of one kid, remarkable progress - I think their brains were ready for math this time around. All of those kids (except L) have been very hard workers, wanting to get it right, and also wanting to please. The sixth graders were on target, and there were at least three kids who have above-and-beyond abilities. Their grades, however, weren't always the highest, because they didn't have to work so hard, and they didn't. What's gone well is the kids understanding of the basics, as well as my ability to explain things, demonstrate procedures, as well as keeping up with the paperwork so grades were current. What I wish I had done better was straying away from the book more, using more real-life scenarios where the kids used the math, and differentiating more for some of the students on either end of the middle. I think I was lazy, because I just used the book, and I could have done better for the class. I also felt the need to teach to the MSP, and that made me a sellout. I am not teaching math next year, and I have mixed feelings about it. I was just getting good at it, had a good understanding of the curriculum, with three years of the same book under my belt, and I will miss the closeness with a class that is developed as you work with kids on a daily basis. What won't I miss? The prep, the amount of paperwork that comes from a class such as math, and feeling the pressure to teach to a test. I may miss not having a real tie to the middle school group next year.
Sociology
I loved teaching this class! I had twelve students, mostly juniors and seniors, with one sophomore thrown in for comic relief. No curriculum, except guidance from Sociology for Dummies and material I found on the Internet from the news and various blogs I follow The class had an interesting flow, and as I told my students, I may have the license, but you guys are driving the bus. This class really went with their interests, and because Sociology is so wide open, they were very ready for new ideas. Several kids said they learned something new every day - that is the power of communication and a willingness to dig a little deeper! What I mostly loved was the honesty in their posts, and I felt as though I had been let into their lives in a big way. Trust had been established early in the year; four of the students had been in my class when I taught fourth grade; one student is one of my advisory kids; three kids had been in either Writing Research or Modern Geography. The others had been library kids. No one came in at the semester, so we didn't have to start from scratch. The things they wrote about and openly shared made tears come to my eyes more than once. What went well? The discussions were interesting, students learned it was okay to show some passion about a topic, different viewpoints were both tolerated and embraced, and the "privilege" of having two days a week designated as tea days was appreciated. The best projects were the 6-Word Memoir/6-Image Memoir using Pinterest, and the cultural food project. They knew I expected them to function fairly independently, and communication and collaboration were the keys. Improvements? Less time between projects, more emphasis on the content, Psychology next year, and faster response time to students on Forum and Journal assignments. I will also use more Fishbowl discussions. I don't know about tea next year; it will definitely depend on the class makeup. Right now, I'm thinking not. I also wonder if students next year will post on my Moodle page while they are in other classes. Time stamps are handy, and I've often wondered aloud if their other teachers know what they are doing. All I get is shrugs and sly smiles, so I'm guessing the answer is no...
Middle School Support aka Title I
This has been my least successful class. I have never pretended to be good at remediation, and honestly, I've never really liked it that much. It had been a pull-out, but for the past two years has been a class. I believe the Greek and Latin root lessons were good, mostly because it increases vocabulary, and it gives kids background in words so they may be able to figure out unknown words if they know what a root means. My MSS classes always got to read, with no test in sight, just plain old read-for-pleasure. That's the librarian in me coming out, because it always bugged me when kids would come up with a book they wanted to read, but if it wasn't in their AR Zone, the book would go back. Yes, I get that kids develop as readers when they read in their zone of proximal development (did I get that right?), but as a librarian, I hate the idea that kids will put away a book they want to read, and might struggle with. We did Reader's Theater from a Scholastic publication I subscribed to, and while that was great, I wish I had not switched magazines to the easier version - just not enough meat for the kids. Anyway...I've had two different groups this year; seventh and eighth graders first semester, and sixth graders second semester. Ying and yang! I've done a better job with the second semester group, but their chattering drives me nuts at the end of the day. Will I be doing this next year? I'm not sure.
Library
Two periods a day. What more can I say?
That's been my year. and the end is in sight!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Is it just me, or did life just speed up? Welcome to the end of the school year.
I have no idea what life is like outside of an educational setting, so my idea of time is somewhat shaped by my contract. For me, New Year's Day is really the first day of school; it doesn't matter what the date is, my school life starts then. October means Halloween and scary stories (well, not too scary) for the primary students. Conferences, Thanksgiving, and the build-up to Christmas - that's November and December. The traditional New Year's Day means winter break is almost over, and it's back to business. Bring on the tissues and hand sanitizer - it's cough and cold season as we come get back to learning and share germs like crazy. January and February have a couple of 3-day weekends built in, plus the thrill of a possible snow day or two, and then it's March - the doldrums of the year. March lasts forever, and seems like a couple of months until Spring Break, which always comes as a huge relief. I often wonder if I'm going to make it to the first week of April. School is okay in April, but the BIG TEST begins to loom, and I fear I won't be able to get all of the math in that the kids need to have for the test. You would think that once the test is over, life would settle down, but no, that is not the case. Instead, time simultaneously slows down AND picks up, if that is possible. Life becomes a series of checklists. 5 Interviews as part of the interview team, check. Really long presentation before the school board, check. Retirement parties, check. More Interviews for the vacant positions that just came up, check. Bug kids to return library books, check. Listen to the disbelief and denials of overdue books, check. Literacy Night, check. Dance recital of a graduating senior, check. MAP test, check. Title I Parent Night, check. Start and hopefully finish library inventory, check. Finals, check. Turn in textbooks, check. Attend graduation, check. Complete room inventory after I find the orange folder I might not have turned in last year, check. Grades due, check. Go crazy, check, check, check. Yes, the end of the school seems as though it will never arrive, and when it does finally get close, I always realize I need more time! That's school life, I guess...
Sunday, May 20, 2012
18 Days to go, and I'm doing my first post 0f 2012
Where in the world did the year go?! There were days when life was so slow, and now, with 18 days to go, I can't believe it's almost over. I had been thinking about blogging today, mostly because I want my sociology class to take a look at blogs, and think about why blogs have become so popular. It occurred to me that I am a poor example of a blogger because I never take the time to write one. Still, I think this idea of writing and instant publishing is an important idea, and I would like my students to consider it as a creative outlet. I did keep a diary as a kid, the fake leather-bound version with the little key that I stashed somewhere so my sister couldn't find it, not that there was anything earth-shattering in it. I kept a journal as an adult, and it did get me through much of my son's sophomore and junior years. I kept track of everything, including the weather. Some pages are filled with anger, deep lines going down into the paper from the force of my words as I wondered what I had done to deserve such terrible treatment, wondering where I had gone wrong as a parent. I can't really think why I stopped writing, but the habit gradually faded away, and one night I realized that I was just done with journals. Maybe my life improved, and I didn't need the outlet anymore. I still have them. I sleep above them; they are stored in the drawer below my mattress.
I started this blog in 2007, after a Reading Team meeting, a now defunct group under the leadership of a teacher I really admired. I'm not sure why I started writing, but I was beginning to think about using technology, and was just beginning to explore the possibilities of using technology with kids. I regularly read half a dozen blogs, mostly education and fabric-related topics, which might seem odd, but it works for me. Will my students be interested in blogs? That remains to be seen.
This has been an odd year. I want to retire, I think, but I'm not going to. I won't be teaching math anymore, and while I have mixed feelings about this, I'm pretty sure I won't miss it. My sociology class has been the highlight of the year, and my reward for being so positive about my high school teaching is that I get a second high school class next year. As always, I am looking ahead, past the end of this year. Right now, though, my goal is June 14, and I know that I still have some things to teach, papers to grade, and an inventory to (hopefully) complete. Hmmm, haven't been too success with that lately, but oh, well. And the big question - summer school or not? That, too, remains to be seen. Really, it's not a big question at all, in the grand scheme of things.
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