Well, thanks to NBC's spotty coverage of the men's slalom (and one of the greatest Olympic stories of the year) even if you wanted to, you couldn't watch Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong. Despite being covered by media from London to D.C and appearing on spots like the Today Show, NBC chose not to show Kwame competing in the men's slalom yesterday. To say I'm a little disappointed would be an understatement. I have enjoyed watching all of the Olympics and am beyond stoked to watch the gold medal hockey game tonight, but I was looking forward to seeing Kwame compete since I first saw him walk out in the Parade of Nations proudly waving the Ghana flag. I read his story, figured out what day he would be competing and then...nothing. I had to resort to reading a newspaper article that described the magic on the mountainside after he finished. Chants of "Ghana! Ghana!" apparently kept on going an hour after he left the slopes. I should add, for those who are curious, that on a slalom course so difficult and covered in fog 50% of its competitors finished with a DNF (including Bode Miller and the reigning world champion in the event from Austria), Kwame made it down the slope. AND he attained his Olympic goal of actually competing, beating an Albanian skier by more than twenty seconds. I loved his story, to me it summed up the true 'Olympic spirit'.
He is a competitor. That was one of the most appealing parts of his story. Finishing was not enough for him. Maybe it's the old cross-country spirit in me. I just love competition, even if the only person you're competing with is yourself. It even got me excited to start coaching. The head coach informed me the other day that I will be in charge of the 8th and 9th grade girls team (YIKES!). While a daunting task, I am excited at the possibility of working with young runners who are new to competitive running.
I am having a lazy Sunday morning trying to motivate myself for a big day., sitting on my couch reading newspaper articles my dad sent me last week and watching Meet the Press while I eat a leftover cinnamon-cream cheese brioche from the new bakery down the block. I don't feel that guilty about my lazy morning so far - especially considering the fact that I had a very productive morning yesterday getting laundry done and cleaning my house. It really is ridiculous how much of a morning person I am. If I stay in bed for a good chunk of the morning or stay in my pajamas 'til 11 AM I feel like I've wasted half the day and I hate it! Since it's almost 10 AM, I probably ought to hit up the grocery store as my cupboard and fridge are starting to get bare. I need to finally finish grading my senior's projects on the executive branch and plan 4 engaging intro lessons on the judicial (that doesn't involve me just showing them episodes of Judge Judy and the People's Court). I also need to figure out how to plan my 10-day unit on World War II. I'm still determined to be past the Cold War by Spring Break, which is currently only 25 instructional days away. It will be challenge, and a painful challenge at that considering World War II is the reason I became a history teacher in the first place. I'll have to post more on that in another blog post. For now, it is off to make a grocery list and head to my favorite Kroger.
I am equally sad/excited for the hockey game this afternoon! Excited because I think it has the potential to be an epic game and sad because the Closing Ceremonies will follow and then comes Olympics withdrawal and the long wait 'til baseball season. I have really enjoyed these Olympic Games. I loved always being able to have them on in the background while I graded and planned into the wee hours of the night. Baseball season is just around the corner though and with baseball comes spring break and the wonderfulness that is a teacher summmer.
Will you be sad to see the Olympics go? Did you have a favorite Olympic story or athlete this year? What sporting event will you be looking forward to next?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Watch the Snow Leopard!!
Everybody watch Kwame and the one man Ghana ski team today in the Men's Slalom!!!
Read more about Kwame here.
Read more about Kwame here.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Survey time!
My best high school pal, Kara, over at www.karathon.blog (AKA my inspiration to start blogging) posted this fun "Have You Ever" quiz on her blog so I thought I'd give it a shot. I used to love doing these things back in the days of AOL and Compuserve. I definitely would send them out to my closest friends all the time, even though they obviously already knew most of the answers.
1) Walked out of a movie in the theatre?
I honestly can't say that I have, at least not that I remember. I was in a theater where I saw numerous people walk out and that was when I was living in Wyoming and went to go see Brokeback Mountain. The movie actually premiered in the town a couple of weeks before I went to see it and it definitely made some waves with the local population. I really wanted to ask the folks who walked out, "what exactly did you expect?"
2) Spontaneously bought/watched a movie that was out years ago…but brings up “sentimental” feelings?
Yes! Little Giants was in the $5 bin at Walmart and I definitely picked it up. It reminds me of my brother. He and I LOVED that movie so much. We will still watch it whenever we see it on TV and I even got this movie for him as a nostalgic Christmas present. I think it first came out when I was 10-11 years old and I remember I didn't really get the line, "Timmy, I'm not sure, but I don't think that goes there" (said by Rick Moranis when a child puts a protective cup over his face). I can sit down today and watch it and probably quote half the movie. I still crack up at so many of the lines and Greg and I are silly and will quote it all the time when we're together. One of my favorite lines? A player's response to being issued his jersey: "So the guys at the morgue can identify the bodies..."
3) Had a major celebrity/athlete/singing crush “back in the day”?
I LOVED Johnny Whitworth (aka AJ from Empire Records) back in middle and high school! I had such a crush on him I watched the movie Bye, Bye, Love - in which he has a bit part - about 20 times. I even made a fan website for him. For a long time it was the ONLY Johnny Whitworth fan page out there and was the very first search result on the search engines Yahoo and Excite. Fifteen year old me was very proud of this accomplishment!
(C'mon, you know you loved him!)
I also definitely had a thing for Gavin Rossdale, the lead frontman of Bush, no matter how much I insisted that "I just liked the music."
4) Called in “sick”/made an excuse to work or canceled an appointment/meeting/get-together with friends, co-workers, etc. (but you weren’t actually?!)
I definitely took a "sick" day at the end of last month to go see JC graduate from a grueling 3 week Army course. I don't take many sick days because to me it is like losing an instructional day and the kids get behind. I must confess I felt pretty guilty about it when I was driving down Thursday night, but my 3rd period class was the last thing on my mind when I got to pin his wings on that Friday morning.
I have to confess to canceling on friends and relying on a lame excuse about being sick/having an appointment more than I would care to admit. Lots of times it's just because I'm lazy and sometimes I would much rather lay around the house in my sweatpants (like I'm going to do tonight) than go out. More specifically, I remember bailing on a get-together with my college pals in Boston for New Years 2008. I was still pretty heartbroken from getting dumped that summer (yes, it took me a LONG time to get over him) and the prospect of spending New Years surrounded by 6 friends who were all happy and in love and joined with their significant others while I was very much alone and still miserable just was not appealing to me. Especially when you factor in 6+ hours of driving time to get there. I think I used a family obligation as an excuse not to go. I ended up spending New Years with my family and randomly meeting up with an old high school friend I still jokingly refer to as "the one that got away", which was awesome. Random side note about this guy: He was a polite, intelligent, thoughtful, athletic, quirky boy a year below me on the cross-country team. We were very good friends and he was such an awesome upstanding kid. I think if I had had a bit more confident and been less self-conscious and concerned with what other people thought, I would have asked him out. Silly high school Abigail.
5) Just come home from work – when you should be going to the gym/doing some activity/being productive…and instead plopped on your butt with FOOD and a book/TV, a bath, some music….and just completely VEG OUT and become a LAZY BUTT…but not give 2 damns’??
I'm doing that right now! I'm contemplating ordering Chinese (I haven't had Chinese food in about 2 years) and curling up with my comfy blanket and sweatpants and watching the DVD I picked up at Target last week, Brothers At War. I have a mountain of grading I need to do, clothes that need to go to the dry cleaner, a dishwasher that needs unloaded, laundry that needs to be done, awesome "engaging" lessons that need to be planned for next week considering I am going to be observed by the social studies coordinator for the district at some point. I told myself when I got home I would knock out some grading, but I just do not see that happening at all. I honestly seem to have a lot of these kinds of afternoons. I make excuses for myself on Friday, which is valid, but then I want to make the same excuses on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. It's something I think I really need to work on. I think if I did, it would improve my mood immensely during the school week.
6) Had a HORRIBLE hair-cut that made you want to cry or hide out for, well, a year until it grew out?
I'm pretty boring when it comes to hair cuts and coloring. I cut my hair the shortest it has ever been my sophomore year of college and it took some getting used to, but I ended up loving it. I cringe when I look back on some of the haircuts my mom gave me, but I don't think that counts.
7) Had your heart broken? How did you deal with it?
Yes. My first boyfriend, first real relationship, first love, first everything also sadly ended up being my first (and hopefully only) heartache. I relied on my friends and family a great deal in the aftermath. I basically moved in with my friend and her husband 'cos I couldn't stand being alone for that first week and I needed someone to keep me from calling him. I had wonderful friends to distract me for much of that fall and remind me of how awesome my life was without him, but I still was an emotional wreck for a long time. It sounds cliche, but I dealt with it by just getting through one day at a time. I had student teaching to concentrate on for much of the fall. Then I focused on finding a job, finishing my masters and making the best of the time I had left with my friends there. As the months passed by, I even started actively "dating" for the first time. Before I even realized it I was slowly falling in love with somebody else. (Cheezy, but true!)
8) Wanted to look like or BE another celebrity?
Back in college, my friends and I always used to joke about who our "girl crushes" were. I think to this day the only person I could state having a "girl crush" on would be Reese Witherspoon . I think after we went to see Sweet Home Alabama (such a guilty pleasure movie), we all pretty much wanted to be her. People magazine always used to show her working out or doing something fun and athletic and she seemed to have it so together. Throw in her adorable children, dreamy husband and perfect marriage (this was pre-divorce) and I'd say she had a pretty enviable life. My current celebrity crush is totally Emma Watson from the Harry Potter films. She is so classy. I just love her.
1) Walked out of a movie in the theatre?
I honestly can't say that I have, at least not that I remember. I was in a theater where I saw numerous people walk out and that was when I was living in Wyoming and went to go see Brokeback Mountain. The movie actually premiered in the town a couple of weeks before I went to see it and it definitely made some waves with the local population. I really wanted to ask the folks who walked out, "what exactly did you expect?"
2) Spontaneously bought/watched a movie that was out years ago…but brings up “sentimental” feelings?
Yes! Little Giants was in the $5 bin at Walmart and I definitely picked it up. It reminds me of my brother. He and I LOVED that movie so much. We will still watch it whenever we see it on TV and I even got this movie for him as a nostalgic Christmas present. I think it first came out when I was 10-11 years old and I remember I didn't really get the line, "Timmy, I'm not sure, but I don't think that goes there" (said by Rick Moranis when a child puts a protective cup over his face). I can sit down today and watch it and probably quote half the movie. I still crack up at so many of the lines and Greg and I are silly and will quote it all the time when we're together. One of my favorite lines? A player's response to being issued his jersey: "So the guys at the morgue can identify the bodies..." 3) Had a major celebrity/athlete/singing crush “back in the day”?
I LOVED Johnny Whitworth (aka AJ from Empire Records) back in middle and high school! I had such a crush on him I watched the movie Bye, Bye, Love - in which he has a bit part - about 20 times. I even made a fan website for him. For a long time it was the ONLY Johnny Whitworth fan page out there and was the very first search result on the search engines Yahoo and Excite. Fifteen year old me was very proud of this accomplishment!
(C'mon, you know you loved him!)
I also definitely had a thing for Gavin Rossdale, the lead frontman of Bush, no matter how much I insisted that "I just liked the music."
4) Called in “sick”/made an excuse to work or canceled an appointment/meeting/get-together with friends, co-workers, etc. (but you weren’t actually?!)
I definitely took a "sick" day at the end of last month to go see JC graduate from a grueling 3 week Army course. I don't take many sick days because to me it is like losing an instructional day and the kids get behind. I must confess I felt pretty guilty about it when I was driving down Thursday night, but my 3rd period class was the last thing on my mind when I got to pin his wings on that Friday morning.
I have to confess to canceling on friends and relying on a lame excuse about being sick/having an appointment more than I would care to admit. Lots of times it's just because I'm lazy and sometimes I would much rather lay around the house in my sweatpants (like I'm going to do tonight) than go out. More specifically, I remember bailing on a get-together with my college pals in Boston for New Years 2008. I was still pretty heartbroken from getting dumped that summer (yes, it took me a LONG time to get over him) and the prospect of spending New Years surrounded by 6 friends who were all happy and in love and joined with their significant others while I was very much alone and still miserable just was not appealing to me. Especially when you factor in 6+ hours of driving time to get there. I think I used a family obligation as an excuse not to go. I ended up spending New Years with my family and randomly meeting up with an old high school friend I still jokingly refer to as "the one that got away", which was awesome. Random side note about this guy: He was a polite, intelligent, thoughtful, athletic, quirky boy a year below me on the cross-country team. We were very good friends and he was such an awesome upstanding kid. I think if I had had a bit more confident and been less self-conscious and concerned with what other people thought, I would have asked him out. Silly high school Abigail.
5) Just come home from work – when you should be going to the gym/doing some activity/being productive…and instead plopped on your butt with FOOD and a book/TV, a bath, some music….and just completely VEG OUT and become a LAZY BUTT…but not give 2 damns’??
I'm doing that right now! I'm contemplating ordering Chinese (I haven't had Chinese food in about 2 years) and curling up with my comfy blanket and sweatpants and watching the DVD I picked up at Target last week, Brothers At War. I have a mountain of grading I need to do, clothes that need to go to the dry cleaner, a dishwasher that needs unloaded, laundry that needs to be done, awesome "engaging" lessons that need to be planned for next week considering I am going to be observed by the social studies coordinator for the district at some point. I told myself when I got home I would knock out some grading, but I just do not see that happening at all. I honestly seem to have a lot of these kinds of afternoons. I make excuses for myself on Friday, which is valid, but then I want to make the same excuses on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. It's something I think I really need to work on. I think if I did, it would improve my mood immensely during the school week.
6) Had a HORRIBLE hair-cut that made you want to cry or hide out for, well, a year until it grew out?
I'm pretty boring when it comes to hair cuts and coloring. I cut my hair the shortest it has ever been my sophomore year of college and it took some getting used to, but I ended up loving it. I cringe when I look back on some of the haircuts my mom gave me, but I don't think that counts.
7) Had your heart broken? How did you deal with it?
Yes. My first boyfriend, first real relationship, first love, first everything also sadly ended up being my first (and hopefully only) heartache. I relied on my friends and family a great deal in the aftermath. I basically moved in with my friend and her husband 'cos I couldn't stand being alone for that first week and I needed someone to keep me from calling him. I had wonderful friends to distract me for much of that fall and remind me of how awesome my life was without him, but I still was an emotional wreck for a long time. It sounds cliche, but I dealt with it by just getting through one day at a time. I had student teaching to concentrate on for much of the fall. Then I focused on finding a job, finishing my masters and making the best of the time I had left with my friends there. As the months passed by, I even started actively "dating" for the first time. Before I even realized it I was slowly falling in love with somebody else. (Cheezy, but true!)
8) Wanted to look like or BE another celebrity?
Back in college, my friends and I always used to joke about who our "girl crushes" were. I think to this day the only person I could state having a "girl crush" on would be Reese Witherspoon . I think after we went to see Sweet Home Alabama (such a guilty pleasure movie), we all pretty much wanted to be her. People magazine always used to show her working out or doing something fun and athletic and she seemed to have it so together. Throw in her adorable children, dreamy husband and perfect marriage (this was pre-divorce) and I'd say she had a pretty enviable life. My current celebrity crush is totally Emma Watson from the Harry Potter films. She is so classy. I just love her.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Adventures in Room 101
So one thing that they never teach you in ed school? What to do with 19 students locked in your classroom ALL day long.
After a horrific morning commute that involved being stuck behind a school bus AND a logging truck AND a tractor (only in south central Virginia, baby!) I went into the office to sign in and check my mailbox only to see four uniformed police officers. The principal informed me that I should not go to the copier and instead should proceed back to my classroom, collect any kids in the hallway I might see and direct them to an open classroom. He didn't give any explanation as to why, but he appeared very serious, so like a good soldier, I just did as I was told and headed off. On my way down the hallway I saw two other teachers that were there early directing traffic. I assumed it was some kind of drill at first, even though I thought it was odd that they would conduct a drill at 7:30 AM before school even started, but a part of me also immediately wondered "I wonder what kind of threat the school has gotten?"
By 8 AM, I had about 19 kids in my class, the majority of whom I did not know by name and did not have in my government or history classes. I ended up having those kids locked in my classroom for the ENTIRE school day aside from about 30 minutes for lunch. Due to the nature of the threat and the alert from the local sheriff's office, the school was in lockdown all day long. The students, who had not even been allowed to go to their lockers or get breakfast from the cafeteria, were stuck in a classroom with no books to read, no fun games and absolutely nothing to do. First. I just let them talk and went about planning what to do with the rest of the school day, which I incorrectly assumed would start after a delay. After about an hour of talking they got restless so I consequently spent the rest of the day entertaining a class full of 16-18 year olds. First, we watched Supersize Me on Hulu, then we played trivia games on Sporcle (during which I amazed them by naming 193/195 countries in the world), then we watched YouTube videos for an hour and then went back to Sporcle.
Aside from a couple complaints about when they could go to the bathroom and griping about not being able to get breakfast and having to wait 'til 1 PM to eat (which I would probably gripe about too), the kids all blew me away at how calm and patient they were. They didn't know me at all and were more acquaintances than friends with each other, but you never would have known that by the end of the day. I had them smiling and laughing by the end of the day and one even began taking pictures to "capture the memory" of her day in lockdown with Ms. Robson. I heard a couple of them at lunch brag about how much fun they were having with me, while others griped that their teacher was just at the computer working and ignoring them.
Supersize Me definitely got them all talking (especially the part where he described his sex life as "worthless" - thank God they were all juniors and seniors and not freshmen!) and I really actually enjoyed playing Sporcle with them. We would do something silly like Disney songs and then I would follow it up with a quiz on U.S presidents. Then name that Simpsons character followed by U.S state capitals. I'm not going to lie, I definitely loved playing trivia with my kids. Their eagerness to name all the Presidents was very fun to watch and so was their overall enthusiasm and competitiveness to "name them all". My only concern was that the two students I actually have in my regular classes who were in class with me all day might now see me as more of a "friend" than teacher. It's a line I have been very careful about crossing from day one. I am aware that I am closer to them in age than any other teacher they have and I know they like that. They talk to me and joke around a lot, but when I get up in front of the classroom, I try to convey that I'm all business. I hope an hour of laughing at silly YouTube clips has not somehow undermined my authority. I'm not sure what else I was supposed to do in the situation. I could have gotten a lot of grading done, but I left it all at home. I could have ignored them and planned lessons all day, but I think I would have heard a lot more complaining and restlessness. As it was, they had a completely "free" day at school where - aside from naming some states and presidents - they didn't have to do anything academic. Honestly, I really just didn't want to ignore them. By the end of the day, we were all very relaxed, but I'd imagine it was a very scary start to the school day for a 16 year old - cops and a gun sniffing dog all over your school, teachers who won't answer questions, evasive statements from the principal.
After 8 days off of school due to snow at the start of this month, missing another instructional day was not exactly ideal today, but I definitely understand the administration's decision to err on the side of caution. A threat was made to someone at the school and they took every precaution to keep the students safe. I know parents will be up in arms over what happened, but it seems to me like a situation where the administration can't win. If they did nothing, people would have been up irate and if they did more and had gone ahead and closed school, people probably would be upset too. It seems like a lose-lose all around, but I commend them for taking the proper precautions.
Today's events definitely got me thinking, especially this morning when I was standing in the hallway and directing kids into classroom, about how different the teaching profession is now vs 15 years ago. School shootings now have become a sad reality in America. I don't know that if 15 years ago the administration would have taken such extreme precautions. I don't think the thought ever crossed teachers' minds "what would I do if a gunman entered the room?" But when I was standing out in the hallway this morning directing students into classrooms with the 6 other teachers on my floor, it occurred to me that - at that moment - we were all in charge of their safety. The well-being of the kids often gets lost in all the focus on lessons and testing and report cards. I don't often think about what I would do in extreme situations at school. We had a weird incident that tested me earlier this school year, about a month into my teaching career. A weird chime went off on the loudspeakers and, not knowing what alert it was, I erred on the side of caution, locked the door and shut off the lights. It turns out all the teachers were as confused by the weird chime as me, but many had done the same exact thing and erred on the side of caution. One even went so far as to instruct all her students to move to the side wall, as we usually do in lockdown drills.
It's a sad reality that these are things teachers today have to think about. I know the safety of your students should always be paramount, but my first instinct when I think about the safety of my students is creating a safe classroom environment. It was a shock for me when I started student teaching to learn that every school now has an SRO - or school resource officer - in the building at all times. We never had any kind of school police or security officer that I knew of in my high school in New York. I don't think as a student I ever sat in the classroom and wondered what I would do if a gunman came to the door. It's awful! And it is something I never seriously thought about in all my time at education school. But for the first hour or so of lockdown this morning, my head was certainly spinning with all kinds of "what ifs?". By that time, I understood the situation and was clear that there was no longer a real threat to the school or students and the lockdown was in place more to find the student in question than anything else, but I still couldn't help but wonder. I was trying to figure out what piece of furniture would be best to barricade the door with, how many students could get out the window at once. My classroom is the last one in the hallway, very close to a door. I was trying to figure out whether that was a good or bad thing, as it is the door most students use to enter the building also. I guess it's sort of like how my mother, a former flight attendant, used to always make me check for the nearest exit whenever I boarded an airplane. There's a very small chance something will happen, but you have to be prepared. Sadly, I think the odds of a violent incident occurring at school are much greater than an airplane crash.
After a horrific morning commute that involved being stuck behind a school bus AND a logging truck AND a tractor (only in south central Virginia, baby!) I went into the office to sign in and check my mailbox only to see four uniformed police officers. The principal informed me that I should not go to the copier and instead should proceed back to my classroom, collect any kids in the hallway I might see and direct them to an open classroom. He didn't give any explanation as to why, but he appeared very serious, so like a good soldier, I just did as I was told and headed off. On my way down the hallway I saw two other teachers that were there early directing traffic. I assumed it was some kind of drill at first, even though I thought it was odd that they would conduct a drill at 7:30 AM before school even started, but a part of me also immediately wondered "I wonder what kind of threat the school has gotten?"
By 8 AM, I had about 19 kids in my class, the majority of whom I did not know by name and did not have in my government or history classes. I ended up having those kids locked in my classroom for the ENTIRE school day aside from about 30 minutes for lunch. Due to the nature of the threat and the alert from the local sheriff's office, the school was in lockdown all day long. The students, who had not even been allowed to go to their lockers or get breakfast from the cafeteria, were stuck in a classroom with no books to read, no fun games and absolutely nothing to do. First. I just let them talk and went about planning what to do with the rest of the school day, which I incorrectly assumed would start after a delay. After about an hour of talking they got restless so I consequently spent the rest of the day entertaining a class full of 16-18 year olds. First, we watched Supersize Me on Hulu, then we played trivia games on Sporcle (during which I amazed them by naming 193/195 countries in the world), then we watched YouTube videos for an hour and then went back to Sporcle.
Aside from a couple complaints about when they could go to the bathroom and griping about not being able to get breakfast and having to wait 'til 1 PM to eat (which I would probably gripe about too), the kids all blew me away at how calm and patient they were. They didn't know me at all and were more acquaintances than friends with each other, but you never would have known that by the end of the day. I had them smiling and laughing by the end of the day and one even began taking pictures to "capture the memory" of her day in lockdown with Ms. Robson. I heard a couple of them at lunch brag about how much fun they were having with me, while others griped that their teacher was just at the computer working and ignoring them.
Supersize Me definitely got them all talking (especially the part where he described his sex life as "worthless" - thank God they were all juniors and seniors and not freshmen!) and I really actually enjoyed playing Sporcle with them. We would do something silly like Disney songs and then I would follow it up with a quiz on U.S presidents. Then name that Simpsons character followed by U.S state capitals. I'm not going to lie, I definitely loved playing trivia with my kids. Their eagerness to name all the Presidents was very fun to watch and so was their overall enthusiasm and competitiveness to "name them all". My only concern was that the two students I actually have in my regular classes who were in class with me all day might now see me as more of a "friend" than teacher. It's a line I have been very careful about crossing from day one. I am aware that I am closer to them in age than any other teacher they have and I know they like that. They talk to me and joke around a lot, but when I get up in front of the classroom, I try to convey that I'm all business. I hope an hour of laughing at silly YouTube clips has not somehow undermined my authority. I'm not sure what else I was supposed to do in the situation. I could have gotten a lot of grading done, but I left it all at home. I could have ignored them and planned lessons all day, but I think I would have heard a lot more complaining and restlessness. As it was, they had a completely "free" day at school where - aside from naming some states and presidents - they didn't have to do anything academic. Honestly, I really just didn't want to ignore them. By the end of the day, we were all very relaxed, but I'd imagine it was a very scary start to the school day for a 16 year old - cops and a gun sniffing dog all over your school, teachers who won't answer questions, evasive statements from the principal.
After 8 days off of school due to snow at the start of this month, missing another instructional day was not exactly ideal today, but I definitely understand the administration's decision to err on the side of caution. A threat was made to someone at the school and they took every precaution to keep the students safe. I know parents will be up in arms over what happened, but it seems to me like a situation where the administration can't win. If they did nothing, people would have been up irate and if they did more and had gone ahead and closed school, people probably would be upset too. It seems like a lose-lose all around, but I commend them for taking the proper precautions.
Today's events definitely got me thinking, especially this morning when I was standing in the hallway and directing kids into classroom, about how different the teaching profession is now vs 15 years ago. School shootings now have become a sad reality in America. I don't know that if 15 years ago the administration would have taken such extreme precautions. I don't think the thought ever crossed teachers' minds "what would I do if a gunman entered the room?" But when I was standing out in the hallway this morning directing students into classrooms with the 6 other teachers on my floor, it occurred to me that - at that moment - we were all in charge of their safety. The well-being of the kids often gets lost in all the focus on lessons and testing and report cards. I don't often think about what I would do in extreme situations at school. We had a weird incident that tested me earlier this school year, about a month into my teaching career. A weird chime went off on the loudspeakers and, not knowing what alert it was, I erred on the side of caution, locked the door and shut off the lights. It turns out all the teachers were as confused by the weird chime as me, but many had done the same exact thing and erred on the side of caution. One even went so far as to instruct all her students to move to the side wall, as we usually do in lockdown drills.
It's a sad reality that these are things teachers today have to think about. I know the safety of your students should always be paramount, but my first instinct when I think about the safety of my students is creating a safe classroom environment. It was a shock for me when I started student teaching to learn that every school now has an SRO - or school resource officer - in the building at all times. We never had any kind of school police or security officer that I knew of in my high school in New York. I don't think as a student I ever sat in the classroom and wondered what I would do if a gunman came to the door. It's awful! And it is something I never seriously thought about in all my time at education school. But for the first hour or so of lockdown this morning, my head was certainly spinning with all kinds of "what ifs?". By that time, I understood the situation and was clear that there was no longer a real threat to the school or students and the lockdown was in place more to find the student in question than anything else, but I still couldn't help but wonder. I was trying to figure out what piece of furniture would be best to barricade the door with, how many students could get out the window at once. My classroom is the last one in the hallway, very close to a door. I was trying to figure out whether that was a good or bad thing, as it is the door most students use to enter the building also. I guess it's sort of like how my mother, a former flight attendant, used to always make me check for the nearest exit whenever I boarded an airplane. There's a very small chance something will happen, but you have to be prepared. Sadly, I think the odds of a violent incident occurring at school are much greater than an airplane crash.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Bunco!!
For several months now my best teacher pal, Kendra, has invited me to serve as a substitute in her Bunco league. For those that don't know Bunco, it is a "parlor" game that involves absolutely no skill whatsoever (naturally, it is perfect for me). You roll dice and count. That's pretty much all there is to it. If you roll three ones, you get a Bunco and you shout Bunco. If it sounds simple, it's because it is. It's also a lot of fun though. The women in Kendra's Bunco league get together every 3rd Saturday of the month. It's basically like a girl's equivalent to Poker Night. They bring food, drinks (usually lots of wine!) and contribute money every month to a pot so that the winners get prizes. You can get prizes for most Buncos, first Bunco, even biggest loser (which is what I was aspiring for this week)! I filled in at Halloween and Christmas and made out like a bandit - I got wonderful bubble bath (which I used Friday night), shower gel, a picture frame and an MP3 player. Sadly, this go round I was not as lucky. They did all ask me to officially join their Bunco League though, which was quite an honor. The league is basically an excuse for all the women (most of whom are married and have kids) to get out of the house, socialize, eat and drink. I guess it's like a book club, except without all the pretending to read a book.
I was a bit awkward the very first time I went since I didn't know anyone aside from Kendra. I almost stupidly assumed I didn't have much in common with most of the women. As I said, they were all married and everybody had kids. I discovered pretty quickly how silly that was of me. Most of the ladies are in their thirties, but it's just like hanging with my big sister. They are a blast! I honestly feel like I have more in common with them than a lot of girls my age. I am at a point in my life where I am definitely thinking about the future more than I ever have before. I'm not talking marriage and babies or anything, but I do like to think about where my life is going and I enjoy hanging out with people who "have it together" and have a life I could see myself having when I am their age. These women all have careers and families. They are talented crafters and bakers, cooks, teachers, nurses and are awesome mothers. I really enjoy hanging out with them, hearing about their lives and I honestly feel like I can learn a lot from them. I don't think aside from Kendra that I would keep in touch with any of them once I leave, but it is a nice social network to have. Also, I have to mention the fact that the two women who were pregnant back at Halloween both brought their newborns, who were 8 and 10 weeks respectively. I have never been a baby person (no offense to you if you are) who "ooohs" and "aahhs" at every baby they see. I have NEVER been around babies that little before though and they just killed me, especially the little boy in his little Blues Clues onesie! I may or may not have freaked my wonderful boyfriend out a bit when I came home raving about the babies.
Regardless, I am now an official member of the Bunco League, which means every 3rd week of the month I have to make some kind of awesome party dish to serve. I guess, if nothing else, Bunco will make me a better cook. I told them I doubted I would be able to host it in my apartment, as it is pretty limited with space and anyone who is allergic to cats wouldn't be able to attend. Kendra said she could host for me, which would be perfect.
I'm very happy I went yesterday, even though it did put me behind a little bit regarding work. I woke up this morning and was very productive and finished grading my 12th grade current events assignments. They are due every Friday, but usually I get pretty behind getting them back to my students. I start coaching in a little over a week so I am trying not to get bogged down with paperwork and grading. I honestly don't know what to expect from coaching regarding the time commitment. I am looking forward to it, but am not sure I am ready. Whether I am ready or not, I'm about to dive in headfirst! I'm sure there will be many blogs in the future that will very much be a 'learning as I go' approach to coaching. Currently, I don't know what I'm coaching aside from the 400m hurdles, an event I participated in in high school, which is a great way for teams to pick up points in district meets. The problem is recruiting someone who is crazy enough to want to sprint a lap with 15 obstacles to jump over. If I can get any athletes interested it would certainly be fun to do. I know nothing about how to coach them, but that is what the internet is for, I suppose.
I'm off to do some cleaning, laundry and ironing. I have quite a bit more grading to do as all my students just turned in their notebooks and study guide Friday, which require a grade. Interim reports go out on Tuesday, so I need to stay after school Monday and make sure all that is ready. I also need to develop my lesson plans for the week. I know what I want my kids to learn this week, I just have no idea how I am going to get them there. Such is the life of a teacher, I suppose.
My question for you today is: have you ever been a part of a social club or league like Bunco? Why and when did you join?
Friday, February 19, 2010
12th grade thoughts on the State of the Union
After we finished watching I had the students write down their thoughts on the President's State of the Union address. I so enjoyed their responses that I thought I would share them with you
- I was surprised he didn't talk about the war first. It seemed like he just put it at the end cuz he had to.
- I noticed how the woman behind him seemed like she would support him on anything.
- He sounds good and smart and has the right attitude, but actions speak louder than words.
- I don't think he will do everything he says he is going to do and if he is he needs to hurry up.
- I think he blamed Bush for everything wrong today.
- I think he gonnna get done whatever he wants done whether people like it or not.
- He focused too much on health care.
- I think he needed to talk about the war more.
- Dis is the first State of the Union I've watched. I liked it.
- It seemed fake in a way because some of the things he said in the speech won't never happen.
- I thank him for trying to help out people like me who are trying to go to college.
- I thought that some things he said about the previous administration weren't right. For him just becoming President, he should be wanting to stay on good terms with the Republicans.
- I thought it was wrong for him to trash the Bush administration.
- I think Obama is a great talker, but not a good President.
- Too much standing and clapping.
- I wasn't convinced.
- He seems like he really wants to help the people. This made me change my view on him a little.
And that's just a random sample. I know my students hate whenever I give them an assignment like this that makes them reflect on anything and actually THINK (the horror!) not just copy or rewrite something. Since so many are reluctant to share, it has become my de facto method of formative assessment. In this instance, all I wanted to see was that they watched and listened to the speech and understood the main messages the President was trying to convey. They showed me, not only that they did, but that they also thought about the things he said (or didn't say). Honestly, it is getting back stuff like this that makes me love my job. Also, getting back test results like this:
Aside from the student who failed (who, I believe, has failed every test I've given her so far), I think I will check this unit off as a great success! The student who failed is one who has been a thorn in my side all year. My happiness level increased a great deal when I finally learned to accept that I wasn't going to reach every student. As soon as my coworkers helped me come to that conclusion, I was immensely happier. I realized I could push this student and do everything possible for her in the classroom, but if she isn't going to the work on her part (and the answers to her test indicate that she did ZERO outside preparation) there is nothing I can do. As for my other students, here's to hoping they don't let everything they learned about the Treaty of Versailles fall out of their heads by Monday 'cos we will go right into how it leads to World War II. I know what I have to get through next week. I just need to stick to my schedule and not let the students (or their awesome questions) distract me. I have five days to make sure the students understand (I won't say "cover" or "get through") what caused global depression in the '30s and the rise of Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini. In government, we begin to tackle the judicial branch, although a sudden push from administration to play the online stock market game might mean a sudden improv lesson in investments and the stock market in the middle of learning about the Supreme Court...let the fun begin....
- I was surprised he didn't talk about the war first. It seemed like he just put it at the end cuz he had to.
- I noticed how the woman behind him seemed like she would support him on anything.
- He sounds good and smart and has the right attitude, but actions speak louder than words.
- I don't think he will do everything he says he is going to do and if he is he needs to hurry up.
- I think he blamed Bush for everything wrong today.
- I think he gonnna get done whatever he wants done whether people like it or not.
- He focused too much on health care.
- I think he needed to talk about the war more.
- Dis is the first State of the Union I've watched. I liked it.
- It seemed fake in a way because some of the things he said in the speech won't never happen.
- I thank him for trying to help out people like me who are trying to go to college.
- I thought that some things he said about the previous administration weren't right. For him just becoming President, he should be wanting to stay on good terms with the Republicans.
- I thought it was wrong for him to trash the Bush administration.
- I think Obama is a great talker, but not a good President.
- Too much standing and clapping.
- I wasn't convinced.
- He seems like he really wants to help the people. This made me change my view on him a little.
And that's just a random sample. I know my students hate whenever I give them an assignment like this that makes them reflect on anything and actually THINK (the horror!) not just copy or rewrite something. Since so many are reluctant to share, it has become my de facto method of formative assessment. In this instance, all I wanted to see was that they watched and listened to the speech and understood the main messages the President was trying to convey. They showed me, not only that they did, but that they also thought about the things he said (or didn't say). Honestly, it is getting back stuff like this that makes me love my job. Also, getting back test results like this:
Aside from the student who failed (who, I believe, has failed every test I've given her so far), I think I will check this unit off as a great success! The student who failed is one who has been a thorn in my side all year. My happiness level increased a great deal when I finally learned to accept that I wasn't going to reach every student. As soon as my coworkers helped me come to that conclusion, I was immensely happier. I realized I could push this student and do everything possible for her in the classroom, but if she isn't going to the work on her part (and the answers to her test indicate that she did ZERO outside preparation) there is nothing I can do. As for my other students, here's to hoping they don't let everything they learned about the Treaty of Versailles fall out of their heads by Monday 'cos we will go right into how it leads to World War II. I know what I have to get through next week. I just need to stick to my schedule and not let the students (or their awesome questions) distract me. I have five days to make sure the students understand (I won't say "cover" or "get through") what caused global depression in the '30s and the rise of Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini. In government, we begin to tackle the judicial branch, although a sudden push from administration to play the online stock market game might mean a sudden improv lesson in investments and the stock market in the middle of learning about the Supreme Court...let the fun begin....
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Maxing out Productivity
Today marked the second day this week where I have been very productive and then crashed. This seems to happen to me a lot. I'll have a period of several hours where I get a ton of things done and then I'm so proud of myself for doing all that that I kick back and do nothing for the rest of the day. The first day was Sunday. I had a great morning cleaning, getting laundry done, dishes cleaned. I went grocery shopping at Sam's Club and then hit up Target to get some prescriptions filled (my doctor told me it was the cheapest place in Lynchburg to go). Now before you say anything, yes, I am a single girl and I shop at Sam's. I felt a little silly at first considering I live alone and everyone in there seems to be buying food for an entire football team. I love going there though. I LOVE getting shopping done and knowing I won't have to run out for toothpaste or toilet paper or Kleenex for a long time. (When the Swine Flu was making it's way through my classes, my students were especially grateful for the endless supply of Kleenex). Sam's also has a lot of items you can't get anywhere else. They have unbelievable salsa that I am in love with and I discovered this weekend they also have INCREDIBLE chicken salad. I am a sucker for good chicken salad. I especially like it with craisins or grapes in it. Anyway, I finished shopping at Sam's in a very good mood and happy with my purchases. I also had picked up two crates of water and one of Gatorade for my schools "Hope for Haiti" drive. Each grade level is assigned an essential item to bring. So far we have a pretty amazing show from a school made up of kids who don't really have much to begin with. On my way to my car I was asked by a group of people if I wanted to donate money to support the local Boy Scouts. I was about to politely decline and keep walking when I thought about my boyfriend, the Eagle Scout who has just signed up to volunteer as an assistant scoutmaster with the local boy scout troop in Monterey. I ended up buying the most AMAZING locally made wheat bread and raspberry jam. Between the cleaning, the laundry and the groceries, I got back and just crashed. Played some Wii, hung out online, made some phone calls, watched TV. I was very lazy for the second half of the day.
The same thing happened today after school. I had a very successful day at work and think my kids really enjoyed my "Family Feud" style review. I got a surprise observation yesterday by my principal, which went better than I thought it would. I don't mind being observed at all as much as I used to, which is good. It was actually a pretty good feeling to compare today to the last time he observed me back in September. It's crazy how much more comfortable I feel with the kids and the content. I can't believe I've almost made it to March of my first year! But I digress. I had a very productive day at work. During my planning period, I ran off copies of my test and uploaded it onto the Test Information System (TIS) database we're supposed to use. Many of the veteran teachers complain about TIS, but I've been using programs like it for as long as I've been teaching. It is a pain to upload the test, make an answer key and align every question with a state standard, but in the end I find it very useful. It graphs and aggregates all the data. You can see how your students did by class, by question, by standard. Not to mention, when you have a particularly successful test (like my last unit on the Industrial Revolution and European Imperialism) you get beautiful graphs like these!
I never knew looking at a graph could make me so happy, but seeing these truly puts me in the best mood. I'm also proud to report that one of the students who recorded in the 60's now has a 91 average in my class. She has worked her tale off this six weeks and I am so proud of her! Anyway, the two other history teachers in my school were both complaining about how they have not used TIS at all (it was a yearly objective for every teacher this year) and were actually asking ME for advice! I could hardly believe it. Anyway, I got all the test info uploaded, I added all the students, printed out the bubble sheets and am all good to go for tomorrow. My government class is finally going to finish playing State of the Union bingo, which we started playing back in January. I could hardly believe when we finally came back after almost 2 whole weeks off from school and they all remembered exactly what we were doing. Every class kept asking, "when are we going to finish State of the Union bingo??" Now, I'm no dummy. I know they love it because it is a pretty mindless exercise and they don't have to do much. But for some of the kids, this will probably be the only State of the Union they ever watch. I'm offering a running commentary while it plays, explaining who is who and where the Supreme Court is, explaining many of the things Obama talks about. I think it will be a great way to wrap up the Executive Branch.
So back to how productive I was. This morning a friendly neighbor left a post-it note on my car to remind me that my inspection sticker expired last night so after school I took it to a local garage and got that taken care of (thanks again, apartment 109!) I also scheduled checkups for both my cats at the vet, and graded all my senior government papers. By 4 PM I was so proud of all that I had accomplished over the past couple days that I just checked out completely. I played some more Wii, snacked on some Tostitos and yummy Sam's Club salsa and did some blog surfing. I officially got JC hooked on blogging and am patting myself on the back for that. He starts his language classes today, which means his schedule is about to get pretty busy. I have to say I have enjoyed having him around all the time. Flexible schedules aren't exactly common in the military. Neither of us know what to expect from the language school and what his days will be like so it will be an adventure. All I know is T-40 days and a wake up until I head out to California to see him! As I have tomorrow all planned out, I think I'm going to veg out tonight and either watch the Olympics and the Office or my new DVD, Brothers At War. I can't decide.
Do you ever max out on productivity? Do you feel like after you accomplish a lot you deserve to reward yourself by relaxing? or do you just like to keep the productivity going?
The same thing happened today after school. I had a very successful day at work and think my kids really enjoyed my "Family Feud" style review. I got a surprise observation yesterday by my principal, which went better than I thought it would. I don't mind being observed at all as much as I used to, which is good. It was actually a pretty good feeling to compare today to the last time he observed me back in September. It's crazy how much more comfortable I feel with the kids and the content. I can't believe I've almost made it to March of my first year! But I digress. I had a very productive day at work. During my planning period, I ran off copies of my test and uploaded it onto the Test Information System (TIS) database we're supposed to use. Many of the veteran teachers complain about TIS, but I've been using programs like it for as long as I've been teaching. It is a pain to upload the test, make an answer key and align every question with a state standard, but in the end I find it very useful. It graphs and aggregates all the data. You can see how your students did by class, by question, by standard. Not to mention, when you have a particularly successful test (like my last unit on the Industrial Revolution and European Imperialism) you get beautiful graphs like these!
I never knew looking at a graph could make me so happy, but seeing these truly puts me in the best mood. I'm also proud to report that one of the students who recorded in the 60's now has a 91 average in my class. She has worked her tale off this six weeks and I am so proud of her! Anyway, the two other history teachers in my school were both complaining about how they have not used TIS at all (it was a yearly objective for every teacher this year) and were actually asking ME for advice! I could hardly believe it. Anyway, I got all the test info uploaded, I added all the students, printed out the bubble sheets and am all good to go for tomorrow. My government class is finally going to finish playing State of the Union bingo, which we started playing back in January. I could hardly believe when we finally came back after almost 2 whole weeks off from school and they all remembered exactly what we were doing. Every class kept asking, "when are we going to finish State of the Union bingo??" Now, I'm no dummy. I know they love it because it is a pretty mindless exercise and they don't have to do much. But for some of the kids, this will probably be the only State of the Union they ever watch. I'm offering a running commentary while it plays, explaining who is who and where the Supreme Court is, explaining many of the things Obama talks about. I think it will be a great way to wrap up the Executive Branch.
So back to how productive I was. This morning a friendly neighbor left a post-it note on my car to remind me that my inspection sticker expired last night so after school I took it to a local garage and got that taken care of (thanks again, apartment 109!) I also scheduled checkups for both my cats at the vet, and graded all my senior government papers. By 4 PM I was so proud of all that I had accomplished over the past couple days that I just checked out completely. I played some more Wii, snacked on some Tostitos and yummy Sam's Club salsa and did some blog surfing. I officially got JC hooked on blogging and am patting myself on the back for that. He starts his language classes today, which means his schedule is about to get pretty busy. I have to say I have enjoyed having him around all the time. Flexible schedules aren't exactly common in the military. Neither of us know what to expect from the language school and what his days will be like so it will be an adventure. All I know is T-40 days and a wake up until I head out to California to see him! As I have tomorrow all planned out, I think I'm going to veg out tonight and either watch the Olympics and the Office or my new DVD, Brothers At War. I can't decide.
Do you ever max out on productivity? Do you feel like after you accomplish a lot you deserve to reward yourself by relaxing? or do you just like to keep the productivity going?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)