Tag Archives: teachers live at school

>School Supplies and More

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>My to-do list is long. Longer than I like to admit. I’ll list a few items, and then I’ll feel so proud as I cross off each one. That’s the real reason for making a list, isn’t it? Just to cross things off?

To get ready for school:
Read through new Reading curriculum.
Sign up for training in new social studies curriculum kits.
Read through new science units.
Buy workshop materials for Reading and Writing workshops.
Read new math curriculum.
Find articles on CGI math.
Read new Writers Workshop materials.

Prepare new classroom. (Oh, my, this is going to take DAYS)

Get a key to the new room.
Unpack boxes.
Organize teacher manuals.
Organize desk.
Organize book nook – reading corner.

Maintain sanity by doing as much of this as possible either outside or with classroom windows wide open and coffee (hot or iced) on desk.

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>Hello, my name is Minerva

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>I am a loyal and dedicated Harry Potter fan. I’ve pre-ordered and pre-paid my copy of The Deathly Hallows and pre-ordered a Braille copy for Amigo. Meanwhile, I reread the first six, and once again cried over Dumbledore. How could Snape..?!…never mind.

Some day soon I’ll see the movie for The Order of the Phoenix. I was nervous about seeing the first movie because I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to the book. Now I thoroughly enjoy the movies, even as I insist that the books are better. They are. Really.

As I read, I see myself as Professor McGonagall. She’s definitely a kindred spirit. She’s a leader, one who knows what’s right, and calmly deals with many big issues. With the Weasley family in her house, particularly Fred and George, I’m sometimes amazed at how calm she can be! When I saw the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, my first glimpse of McGonagall was a mild shock. “No, that can’t be her. She’s much too, well, old. She’s supposed to be me!” Several years later, now I can watch the movies and say, it’s okay. I can only hope to age as well. Can I wear a nifty green hat like hers? And where’s my wand?

So it was no surprise when I took a sorting quiz and found myself in Gryffindor. Behave yourselves in the common room, Fred and George, I’m on my way!

i'm in gryffindor!

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>An open letter to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

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>Dear Mr. Kennedy;
I was concerned with the tone of your recent article on The Huffington Post. I speak as the mother of a child on the autism spectrum, and I also speak as a teacher. Frankly, your writing was inflammatory and biased. Here is my professional assessment.
You chose to use dramatic vocabulary such as “brain-killing poison” rather than defining such chemicals or citing actual resources and studies. You referred vaguely to “patronizing” and “poisonous” attacks on a specific group of people (mothers of autistic children who espouse a particular viewpoint), but you did not support your point of view with details or examples. Leaning on your own personal experiences, no matter how extensive those conversations, emails, and letters, does not prove a particular side or argument correct.
By describing Katie Wright and her group as “calm, grounded, and extraordinarily patient….highly educated…” you managed to imply that parents who disagree must be otherwise. By claiming that “…a rational person might do some more investigation”, you again imply that those who disagree must be irrational and have not done their homework.
The only source you quote is your own personal web site. Where are the “hundreds of research studies from dozens of countries…” to which you allude? Where are the links to the other research, that which you call”flimsy” and “borderline fraud,” part of the “…campaign of obfuscation and public deception”?
The piece is, quite simply, poorly written. It is laden with assumptions, name-calling, and emotionally charged words. It is missing research, references, and “dispassionate and diligent investigation” of its own.
Grade? D minus. Mr. Kennedy, in order to be convincing, even opinion needs to be backed up with facts.
Sincerely,
Daisy

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>Good morning, and good news

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>I resist checking my school email during breaks, especially summer. Both my left and right brain need a mental break from the stress of the school year. I check in once a week at first, and then less often as I begin to relax and let go of the year’s baggage.

I checked in this morning and found this piece of correspondence.

“The reviews of your articles are back. The decision is that we should publish these in the fall issue of the WSRA Journal. Congratulations! Thank you for thinking of the WSRA Journal for your work.”

I think this calls for a toast. Coffee, of course, in my Wisconsin State Reading Association mug.


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>Love Thursday and a new coffee mug

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> Mmmm…coffee. And camping, too.

My camping teacher friends gave me a little goodbye gift last week. They got together and managed to buy a small backpack-style bag filled with camp goodies. It had a camp pencil, a pen and notepad with the camp name across the top, a keyring, and (you guessed it) a coffee mug. The mug, however, isn’t an official camp mug. I kept hassling the camp director (nicely, really, just teasing her) that she needed to have mugs in the camp store. I even suggested a few simple designs for her. Since they didn’t carry mugs (yet), my friends procured a dining hall mug left over from a long-ago fundraiser. I’m sure I drank from this one or its twin several times over the three-day trip. Now I’ll sip from this and remember my camp co-workers and how much I loved getting up in the crisp, cool, woodsy mornings and having my coffee outside the main lodge. Oh, and I’ll smile at how hard my friends worked to get this perfect little souvenir.

(Oh, D., camp leader, I hope you don’t have a shortage of mugs now. I’ll make it up to you if you do. Really. Just say the word.)

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>Summertime, and the livin’ is, well, easier

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>Today is the official start of my summer because it’s the first Monday that I didn’t have to get up at 5:30, get Amigo on his bus, and head to my own classroom to work at my desk and get ready for the day. We had commitments today, mainly to get Amigo started in his virtual summer school class, but it was still easier and lighter than a typical school day for both of us. We got up an hour later than usual, had breakfast as usual, and then headed off to his “First Day of Class” orientation meeting with the teacher. He won’t see the teacher in person until his final exam. All of the work will be done at home and submitted online.
Now that we’re home, I’m looking at my to-do list. I’ve divided this into two main categories: long term to-do and short-term to-do. Long-term includes items like “Prepare for Rummage Sale in July” and “Work on landscaping in front of house.” Short-term is more like “Fill out and send in Lion’s Camp paperwork” and “Call Red Cross to schedule CPR class” and “Pick up new curriculum manuals at school office.” Of course, there are a lot more items on each list.
But the first thing on my to-do list for today is already on the “ta-da!” list: Amigo’s virtual school orientation.
Now I plan to add a little mental health break to the list. Cappuccino, watch a little CNN, maybe pick up a new book to read. That is, a book to read for pleasure.
Ah, summertime, and the livin’ is easy.

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>time — supermom’s Kryptonite

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>It was said jokingly, at least the first time. Husband looked at me, trying to balance three or four hours of errands and chores and quality time within about 60 minutes on the clock, and announced, “Supermom just met her Kryptonite: time.”
It’s true. I buy extra underwear for the entire family just in case the laundry doesn’t get done. While not rigid, we do have a routine to make sure homework gets done and rabbits get fed, not to mention the people in the house. If I blogged an entire day during the workweek, some would be amazed, and some parent-type bloggers would say, “Me, too!” because their days are as chock full as mine.
A typical timeline starts at 5:30 with my alarm. To make a long story short, because who has the time to read every detail, I usually fall into bed between nine and ten at night, earlier if the day has been difficult and tiring. The hours in between play host to everything from watching for Amigo’s school bus to figuring out a simple supper that doesn’t take much energy to cook or clean up. Oh, yes, I teach full time, too. I spend a very intense day with those pre-adolescents we call 6th graders. They can be delightful, but they can also be a drain on my energy. Whether I’m planning, teaching, refereeing, scoring papers, recording scores in my gradebook, or cleaning my desk, it’s a busy and high-energy day at school.
Where does the time go? I’m not sure. I just know it usually goes too fast. After all, time is money and money is time and, well, I can’t spare much of either.
But as long as everyone has drawers in their drawers, life is good.

Now if only I could teach the pet rabbits to do the laundry….

This blog blast topic suggested by Light Iris: the best of Google for moms and the Parent Bloggers Network

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>Love Thursday, Teacher style

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>I woke up Tuesday morning feeling tired, looking forward to the end of the week and sleeping in. What a concept! As I staggered through the routine of feeding bunnies, showering, and getting breakfast ready for Amigo, I realized that I had a lot to accomplish before I could get to the end of the week, the end of the school year, the end of my tenure at this particular elementary school. Robert Frost’s words started to echo ominously through my head: “…miles to go before I sleep, miles to go before I sleep.”

My friends at work wouldn’t let me panic. They offered a Babe Ruth bar, a Snoopy doll, and a giant Hershey’s Kiss, all in addition to more packing boxes and strapping tape and a plan for Thursday that leaves me time to finish packing and preparing for the move.

This left me with time to spare on Wednesday. I posted a new cartoon in the staff lounge. I snuck into the classroom next door and changed the “Good morning” on her white board to “G’Day, mate.” I finished emptying my desk and found a classic picture of our building engineer wearing an elf hat and holding a big bag of something (chocolate covered raisings = deer droppings, if you must know). I borrowed (no, I won’t return it) coffee from the office when we ran out in the lounge, and recycled pile upon pile of old papers.

Today, Thursday, is moving day. I will allow (trust me, they’ll love it) my students with ADHD and my highly kinesthetic learners to carry boxes galore to my minivan. When it’s full, we’ll pack the rest in Mrs. Sip’s minivan. Then they’ll hang out and have an end-of-year movie, pizza for lunch, and an overwhelmingly relaxing day. I hope the relaxing summer-is-here feeling extends to me, their teacher, as well.

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>A Saturday in the Life

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>…or More Working, Less Waiting

Accomplished so far this morning:
I slept in! (Sort of — my normal “up” time is 5;30, so anything after 7 is a major sleep-in accomplishment)
Fed all three bunnies
Made coffee, had breakfast, read newspaper
Sorted laundry, including that of the college student now home for summer
Started laundry
Finished rough drafts of progress report comments!! Woo-hoo!! With 29 students of all levels, behavioral issues, and academic needs, that’s a big accomplishment.

Yes, I’m still dressed for success in my pajamas. I’m sitting on the deck with my laptop with a cup of half-caff coffee by my side, rejoicing in my accomplishments thus far. I hear a lawnmower down the block, a weed-eater nearby, chickadees, sparrows, and an occasional cardinal. What a mix!
Amigo is up and dressed, listening to Public Radio and eating frozen waffles for breakfast. Husband looks ready to go outside and attack the yard with his weed-eater and/or play with the rabbits. I know which one would be more fun!
My plan: start another load of laundry, begin recording math grades on the progress reports, and stop using the blog as an excuse to stall.
I think I’ll make more coffee, though. Full strength this time. Hazelnut, perhaps. Mmm…

Update:
Third load of laundry is in.
Math grades are done.
Dishwasher is unloaded and reloaded.
I am still in my pajamas. Is this a new record? Accomplishments in PJs?

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>Waiting and working, working and waiting

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>Random thoughts on a Friday afternoon while working on the dreaded spring progress reports

Waiting:

  • for Amigo’s new bedroom furniture to arrive (look forward to pictures in a future post!)
  • for my late afternoon appointment at the podiatrist

Working:

  • on drafting individual written comments for each student
  • on copying grades to the reports in the old-fashioned low-tech way
  • wondering when elementary teachers in our district will get software to make this more efficient (middle and high school teachers already do)
  • on completing the social skills and study skills part of each report

Waiting:

  • for my Hills Bros. instant double mocha cappuccino to get cool enough to sip

Working:

  • on nibbling a Memorial Day cookie (flag-shaped, with strategically placed red and blue sprinkles on white frosting)

Waiting:

  • for Husband to finish mowing the lawn so I can work outside on the deck
  • for La Petite to finish her shower
  • for the motivation to start writing math and reading grades
  • for Husband to finish the garden fence to I can play in the dirt, er, plant the rest of the vegetables

Working:

  • on getting back to the gradebook so I can play in the dirt all weekend. Woo-hoo! Cappucino’s ready, here I go!

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