Summer Reading

1.  To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I haven't read it since 9th grade, and couldn't help but reread it before the sequel is released this summer.  I can't wait!

2. The Springs by Cynthia Leavelle
Mrs. Leavelle is the mother of a high school classmate of mine.  She writes a beautiful retelling of an Old Testament story.

3.  Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Best known for Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald

4.  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I purchased this beautiful hardback edition at Square Books in Oxford, which is probably my favorite bookstore I've ever visited.

Freezer Meals

I spent yesterday chopping, simmering, boiling, and stirring.  I put up 3 bags of spaghetti sauce, 3 pans of shrimp and grits, 4 pans of chicken spaghetti, 2 pans of poppyseed chicken, 3 pans of mashed potatoes, and 2 pans of vegetables to roast.  Making meals ahead of time makes the beginning of the school year so much easier!  Eating out constantly gets old quick, so pulling a meal out to stick in the oven is the perfect solution to a busy evening.

                            

                                                

Pivotal moments in my first year of teaching

1.  When I struggled.  Week after week.

2.  When I was supported.

3.  When my students "got it" for the first week.

4.  When I was bragged on by a parent.

5.  When I had to fill out IEP and 504 forms.  To have to check boxes identifying with what a student struggles, but to not be able to annotate with details about the sweet note she wrote me, or the distraction from school because of his heartbreaking home life, is completely frustrating.  I expect I will feel a similar frustrations when my performance as a teacher will be summed up by my students' scores on a test at the end of the year.  What will not go on the record book will be that one student was up late the previous night night because of a crying little brother.  Another student was dealing with horrific flashbacks each time he sits still.

6.  When my babies were proud of themselves at the end of one of the toughest grades in elementary school.

What I'm Learning From My Students

I teach English language arts and social studies.

And table manners.

And problem solving.

And respect.

And empathy.

And self esteem.

And persistence. 

And positivity.

Guess which "lesson plans" are on my mind the most.

When I go home in the evenings, I'm not critiquing my interactive read aloud, close reads, or group projects as much as I'm reflecting on how I talked my students through conflicts and frustration.  In turn, I reflect on how I handle conflicts and frustration in my own life.  Am I setting the best example I can through my words as well as my actions?

Camping and Canoeing in Canada

For Caleb's college graduation, his parents took us on a trip to Ontario a few weeks ago.  (Edit- now a year ago!)  Caleb and his dad's plans started with looking on Google Earth for a place to visit.  They found the English River, which flows into Barrel Lake, and went from there.  I'm so glad we drove the whole way and got to see all of the sights along the way.  Once we arrived in Canada, we picked up our canoes in Thunder Bay, then spent the night in Ignace before beginning our adventure.

The scenery was absolutely stunning, obviously.  Once we left the camp in our canoes, the only signs of other human life we saw before we got picked up were a few motor boaters each day, and one island that was courteously furnished with a port-o-potty and a lawn chair with an unopened drink in the cupholder.  (The polite Canadian stereotype is apparently true!)  We couldn't see a road, a house, a dock, power lines, nothing.  Of course we didn't have cell signal either, which was one of my favorite parts.  It was so refreshing to disconnect.

Everything we needed for camping, fishing, and eating was carried in our two canoes.  Camp meals were delicious.  Each morning for breakfast we had sausage or bacon, eggs, potatoes, and biscuits.  All of our other meals were either peanut butter crackers or freshly caught and fried fish with veggies!  We dined on pike, small mouth bass, yellow perch, and walleye.  It rained on us a couple of times, which required a homemade clothesline to dry out our clothes.  The rain is mild in comparison to hardships we could have faced.  We all felt the hand of the Lord over us the entire week- providing places for us to camp, plenty of food, and nearly perfect weather.

Classroom Target Finds: Part 2

1. Cute student items! There were also tons of stickers and stamps that I might have to make a second trip for. 

2. Activities- workbooks, novels, dry erase maps. There were also lots of flash cards which, again, I might be going back for. 

3. Manipulatives- alphabet puzzle, emotions spinner, color and shape spinner, dry erase lined boards, and counters which would be great for counting, shapes, and colors. 

4. Decorations- large alphabet stickers, weather chart, Dr. Seuss posters. 

5. More decorations- "you rule" wooden box, hanging rules signs, and "smile" banner. These were all $3 each. 

Happy shopping!

The Many Hats that Teachers Wear

1. Teacher- Of course, that's what we're hired to do.  We must get information across to our students- both academic skills and life lessons.

2. Nurse- I am so thankful we have a school nurse!  It's an amazing comfort to know when there are emergencies, we have a professional that will be there in seconds to take care of things.  Not all schools are so blessed.  I could keep our nurse busy from 7:50 until 3:00 if I sent every student who has a headache, stomachache, paper cut, bruise, etc. to her office.  Fortunately, a sip of water or a Band-Aid can cure most of these ailments, whether real or imagined.

3. Counselor- If I could attend any professional development of my choice, it would be something in the psychology field.  Perhaps I'll get better at this as I gain more years of experience, but I would love to be able to read my students better.  Is she yearning for attention?  Is he crying because he's sorry for what he did, or because he doesn't want to get sent to the office?  What is the right way to get her mind off of her problems at home?

4. Interrogator-  This could also be referred to as "lie detector", and is another area I am not so good at yet.  I'm not great at cracking a student who I know is lying.  Thankfully, my coworkers have been doing this a whole lot longer than I have, and they graciously help me out in difficult situations with students.

5. Jury- Is the student guilty?

6. Judge- What is his or her punishment?

7. Secretary- I am so thankful for our school secretary.  She accepts phone calls from parents and relays messages to us.  We are responsible for information traveling the opposite way, from teacher to parents.  This communication could be because the student is in trouble, to brag on the student, to inform parents of unusual behavior.  I have also communicated with many of my students' doctors through paperwork.  Besides phone calls, there's the matter of making copies.  I can't imagine how much extra time I would spend at the copy machine if it weren't for our wonderful paras.  Many teachers do not have paras to rely on for things like this!

8. Dietician- When students complain of headaches or stomachaches, I normally start my questioning with what the student ate.  I also have several students who don't like the school lunches, but won't bring a lunch from home, either.  Coaxing them to get a school lunch plate and eat the roll, the fries, something, is not a rare occurrence.

9. Lawyer- I defend.  I defend my students when they are not getting along with their classmates.  Through paperwork, I argue a case for certain students who need testing accommodations.  I also must defend my decisions as a teacher to parents, and probably there will come a day when I must do this to administrators as well.

10. Cheerleader- Each and every day, I'm learning the importance of this "hat".  I must cheer on the students who are high-achieving and well-behaved.  I must also cheer on the students who are not.  After getting to know my group of kids this year, there are a few kids that I have a hard time believing they have an advocate at home cheering them on, giving affirmation, showing pride.  All children need their teachers to be cheerleaders, but those that I just mentioned especially need to be reminded of their worth and their abilities.

The purpose in posting this is certainly not to complain, but it's a realization just how intricate my job is.  I have a long way to grow in each of these areas, but I love what I'm doing!