Written Expressionless

        If you haven't read yesterday's post, read it first. Please. Let me sign like an excited, enthusiastic teacher before you see me sound like a frustrated, whiny teacher. Also, this is a long one ... you might want to pop some popcorn or something. Sorry =(.

        Now, with yesterday's post in mind .... prepare yourself!

This is one of my kiddo's journal entry's today.

      Can you read that? It says "I didn't like the field trip. I didn't learn anything, or see anything new. I hardly got see anything any way. It was a total waste of time and money." OH MAN.

       My kids came in today excited, as I hoped they would be, to talk about the field trip. Always looking for an excuse to write and build "writing stamina" I set my timer for 8 minutes and asked my kids to write the entire 8 minutes and fill at least half a page (though I told them most of us could at least write a full page - or two!). After all, we had a lot to say! After we wrote we had plans to use some awesome Kagan structures (like mix-pair-share) to share our writing with each other. Not a hard thing. In fact, we added more time to the timer because they wanted to. We mixed-pair-shared our hearts out. Except for this one kiddo.

      

       This one kiddo had the same 8 minutes. The same 2 extra minutes. The same amount of me walking around prompting *tell me more* *great writers expand!* *why did you like that part?* *why didn't you like that part?* (between writing my own entry because I wanted to share, too!). This student chose to write 5 sentences. And not expand. And not tell why. And chose to say "I don't feel like sharing" and "no, I do not want to write more".

        This is a high student. This is a kiddo I expected would especially enjoy the field trip becasue it would feed some need for knowledge. It would be different. Exciting. This is an excel student. This is a kiddo who can do better. Who does do better. Just, apparently, not today. 

I think a piece of my heart broke. 

         

         I probably didn't handle it well. In fact, at one point I looked at her, said "okay" and walked away. I walked away from a kid. Because I didn't know what else to try. I could have cried. So, as we transitioned to the next thing, I literally gave myself a "quit taking this personally and teacher up" pep talk. We worked on our awesome research projects. We read A.R.. And at conference time I went flying into a coworkers room for some ... therapy. 

         By the end of the day, this is what I had come up with:

•  I needed to not be so offended. I needed to let go of the fact that she didn't like the                      field trip. And, I needed to let go of the defiance, the refusal to write. It wasn't a personal attack on me.
• This wasn't the first time this kiddo had not preformed well with writing. In fact, she often struggles with writing and I've tried (what I feel like is) lots of different things. So, I decided I could not, would not, let this go any farther.
• I didn't want to punish. I wanted to prompt.
• I needed a challenge. So, after some advice from a couple different teachers, this is the letter that went home with  my student. Attached was a copy of her notebook page. After all, her mom had gone with us on the field trip ... and I wanted her to know what was going on.

    For the record, we (the student and I) also had a heart to heart talk. I was in excel to. I know sometimes its hard to have people expect a lot of you. I get it. We talked. We bonded. Then I handed her the letter ... and she wasn't very happy with me! I am excited ... and terribly nervous ... to see what I get tomorrow. I'm afraid it will be a very unhappy phone call or visit from an unhappy parent. But if it is, it is. Read the letter. Then tell me How would YOU have handled this situation?!

Dear kiddo,

After 8 minutes of “free write” time to write about our field trip, I was very disappointed that this is all you got down on your paper. I know you have way more thoughts than this. I expect more from such a smart girl like you! I know Mrs. O has you write every time you are in her class, and we write a lot in my room as well. Mrs. O and I both know you can do better than what I saw today.

I’m also disappointed you think you didn’t enjoy our field trip! Of course, I want everyone to love our field trips and learn a lot from them!
Good writers always expand on their writing … tell more, tell more. Good writers also back up their opinions with facts and information. So, since I know you are a great writer, here is my challenge:

Write me a persuasive letter or paper expanding on your writing this morning. I want to know why you didn’t like the field trip. Why do you think you didn’t get to learn anything or see anything? Give me the information to back up your opinion! I’d also like you to tell me what field trip would be a better use of our time and money.

          I am excited to read your ideas in the morning. Remember, it is great to have opinions, but you have to back them up with information and facts!!

Thanks,
                                                                                  Mrs. Moreland

    

       

Mixed Feelings

We had a field trip today (my first as a "real teacher"). And it was SPLENDID. I love watching the kids experience new things, learn new things, go new places. I even enjoyed listening to their conversations on the bus rides to and from Jeff City. I did NOT enjoy the fact that busses make me sick. And the ride to Jeff City makes me sick. So, therefore, the bus ride to Jeff City had me feeling pretty nauseous from about 8:45 to ... well, I still am. And we've been off the bus for over an hour. :P. BUT that didn't effect our day - and we had a wonderful time.

Experiences like this help me remember why I love teaching:

They were doing MATH (long division in fact) on the window!

This is my favorite room in the capital - and I LOVED watching the kids listen and stare in amazement at the pictures!

Lots of walking meant the kids were pretty sure they were going to die of hunger ... thankfully Mrs. Giacolone had done this field trip before and new to bring snacks!

We ran into another group (2 of our other 4th grade classes) on our way to the Governor's Mansion -- you'd have thought the kids never get to see each other! ha!

Listening at the Governor's Mansion

Checking out the awesome museum!

Conked out on the bus ride home =)

Class picture!

My mixed feelings?! We don't teach social studies. There is no way to make that sound better than it is. Yes, I try with all my heart to "squeeze it in" to our CA class ... I try to pick reading passages that touch on government issues, bring in current events, teach history ... but it is NOT the same as having a time set aside for teaching social studies. And they desperately need that time. We went on this awesome field trip. My kids learned all kinds of stuff. But, when the lovely tour guides asked them questions like "Do you know who this picture is of? He was the only president from Missouri..." they didn't know the answer. And then the tour guides look at you like "uh, lady, did you know your kids don't know history?!" and you feel like the worst teacher of the century. Seriously. I OWE my kids more than that. They deserve to know. They NEED to know! *those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it*. 

So, while I definitely LOVED our field trip and am excited to talk to my kids about it tomorrow (we got back to school at 3:02 pm which left us zero time to talk about our day!), it also left me feeling a little sad and a touch guilty. Or a lot sad and a ton guilty, whichever :S. 

Guess I'll look for more time, more ways to "squeeze in" more social studies. Because seriously, "Science" is NOT an acceptable answer to the question "What do you learn in social studies" (that one wasn't in my class ... but still!!)

How do YOU cover everything you know your kiddos need to learn?! Any and all great tips welcome!!!

Flexing

      PDC days, days where all the teachers have meetings and therefore no kids at school, always begin with me excited for a "break" and a chance to visit with coworkers and leave me wishing we'd just had kids instead! ha! Okay, so the meetings aren't that bad really ... its just complete and total information overload. My brain starts to shut down. I get sleepy. Lots of coffee is consumed. I generally end up surviving.

      Today was no different. BUT today we did make a major decisions: we are going to attempt, try, experiment with, flexing in our 4th grade Communication Arts classes. (bring out the whistles and streamers people, this is BIG news) Our math teachers have been flexing for a while now and loving it (at least mostly!). Math and Comm Arts/ELA are very, very different. And, they demand very different approaches. I can preach you a whole sermon on it. But, in an effort to always do "what's best for kids" we decided today we should jump (at least temporarily) on this bandwagon and give it a fair shake since it seems to be working for other people.

      Flexing is when students are grouped by ability - since there are 3 fourth grade CA teachers, we will have 2 high groups, 2 medium groups, and 2 low groups. The idea behind this is you can really give each group what they need -- more self driven things for your "high flyers", more broken down and teacher led things for those that struggle. Give kids things on the level they are at so that they can excel more.

      I really struggle with this idea. In my own classroom, I do some things (lit circles) by level. That gives me an opportunity to have kids reading books that are on their own level with other peers who can also read those books. But, for most things, I like mixed-ability grouping. This gives low kids a chance to learn from a high kid, and higher kids a chance to learn to work with lower kids AND deepen their own understanding by explaining things. Kids need the opportunity to learn from each other. They need to have deep and meaningful discussions together. When you flex between classes you can still mix within your own group a little bit, but its much more limited. It might be good -- maybe some of the "lower kids" will emerge as leaders in a different group/mix of kids. Maybe it will backfire on us.

      The nice thing is we are trying this for our next unit -- if it doesn't work, we just won't do it again! Simple as that! If it flops, we'll go back to doing things they way we have been. If it works, then that's just peachy too.

       The terrifying things for me? I'm going to have "the low group". Which I am ... apprehensive about. Can I give them what they need? Can I break things down enough? Can I challenge them without overwhelming them? Can I find a balance between "teacher led" and "student driven" that will suit the group? Can I maintain structure in a group that "potentially" has some not so splendid behaviors? Am I really ready to re-tackle the "beginning of the year" teaching of rules and expectations in my classroom? Will I be a good co-teaching partner for Mrs. P (our SpEd inclusion teacher) since I've never co-taught before? How many parent phone calls will I have to field as students and parents question why they have a new Comm Arts teacher? Will the kids that I won't have any more adjust quickly to a different teachers room? Will they be as awesome for another teacher as they have been for me?

        It is seriously like the beginning of the year all over again. Only maybe worse because this time I know what I am getting in to ... eeek!

        So we'll see how it goes. I'm excited. I'm apprehensive. I'm glad we're trying it. I'm scared we won't like it. I'm relieved we can start by calling it "temporary" for 1 unit, 1 quarter, or 1 year until we decide if we want it to be permanent or not. I'm just a bundle of emotions. Which is actually causing quite the pit in my stomach!

      Mostly I am thankful to be part of a team of teachers who are willing and excited to always try to do what is best for kids. No matter how much work it is for us. I'm thankful the ladies I work with will be willing to help me on this new venture. I'm thankful they will be willing to re-evaluate and change things if they don't work. I'm thankful they will be non-judgmental when I mess up and when I ask for help ... because trust me, I will.

       It's a giant leap off the deep end. It's a crazy experiment. It's an adventure. It's a test of what I believe as an educator. It's done in the name of finding "What's best for kids". If it is best for them, it will be wonderful. If its not, we won't do it for long.

        Hopefully I'll get some sleep between now and then. I'm thinking I'll need it!

What are your thoughts on flexing?

crazy week

       I really had every intention of writing on this blog regularly ... silly me! =) Guess you'll have to be content with a random word every now and then!

        School really IS going well. I have a (mostly) fantastic class. Of course, we have our moments of being less than awesome, but for the most part, the rock!  I am loving watching them become better readers and writers as well as better group members, friends, and people. They are all so unique and funny and smart in their own way, it is a blast getting to know them!
 
        This particular week was doomed to be crazy as it was my first experience with parent teacher conferences. I only had a couple that I was "worried about", and they both went splendidly. In fact, Monday and Tuesday's conferences were easy-peasy. Then, Tuesday as I was leaving school my sister called to tell me dad had called the ambulance for himself and thought he might be having a heart attack. Eek! Dad has a lot of "health problems" - asthma  past heart issues, hypothyroidism, tracheomalacia, all kinds of things. So we don't mess around with his health. Robbie and I met everyone at the Rolla hospital (and waited and waited). Dad seemed fine and the Rolla people didn't find anything wrong as far as they could tell, but since the Nitro he took had eased the pressure and he has a history (his own personal and his family) of heart problems, they sent him on to Springfield for more testing. Mom and I followed the ambulance up and got to Springfield about 12:30 AM. We spent Tuesday night and Wednesday night sleeping in the most comfortable chairs the hospital had to offer.....yeah.....

       Everything checked out okay with dad - he had a follow up appointment with his normal doc today and they are exploring some options like esophagus spasms that could cause 'heart attack like' symptoms. I am super blessed to teach with a wonderful team of teachers who, without second thought, made sure sub plans made it onto my desk Wednesday and Thursday AND covered my parent teacher conferences for me as well as doing their own. Simply amazing. I left early Thursday morning to get back to STJ and take a brief nap before doing my last 9 conferences Thursday night (Heather drove up to get mom and dad home once dad was released).

       So, nothing but blessings this week really ... but I am very tired! ha! So, I was thankful for today off and a husband who left for work quietly so I could sleep in =). Now its a relaxing night of Cardinal's game watching, and (if I get motivated), some lesson planning.

       Thanks for everyone who prayed for daddy while we were unsure what was going on, and for all the texts, calls, and offers for help! We are blessed to have a wonderful support system of friends and family and were lucky to have wonderful doctors and nurses along the way, too! Even in scary moments, God never ceases to amaze me -- He is so great!

Blessed

I love that when life is crazy, something always happens to remind me how blessed I am. Sunday morning as I was getting ready for church, Grandma called. She sounded stressed and said "uh, are you almost ready to go?" I was, and asked what she needed "Well", she said, "Could you go sit with Uncle Rusty? They just got back from the ER with his back, and Alisha needs to go get his prescriptions filled but doesn't want to leave him alone". I immediately agreed, but did wander why she wasn't doing it (because normally she would jump on that herself!) "I would go" she said "but they just took Jacob to the hospital thinking he will need his appendix taken out, and I need to meet them to pick up Joshua". And, with that, our Sunday was off and running!

Jacob did have to have his appendix out Sunday afternoon. He is recovering nicely at home and enjoying a couple of days off of school. :) I am thankful appendix removal is such an easy, routine procedure with a quick recovery - it is hard to keep at 4th grade boy down for long!

Uncle Rusty is still having some back pain, but I think is some improved! He has several doctor and chiropractor appointments, so hopefully they will get him worked out soon!

I loved sitting with Uncle Rusty. Okay, so by "sitting with" I mean he laid in bed (on his stomach because his back was hurting on a LOT of pain med so he wasn't very talkative) and I sat quietly in the living room so as not to disturb him, checking on him every 30 minutes or so. So, not a lot going on. I did my own thing, read, worked on some school stuff, prayed ... and I realized (as I do many, many times) how lucky I am to be a part of such a wonderful family. A family who is there for each other. A family who lit up my phones with texts asking how Uncle Rusty was and if I had news about Jacob. A family who always offers to help. A family who genuinely wants to help. A family who thinks to call *me* because they know I want to help.

Family is an awesome thing. I am blessed.

I was also very blessed to make it to Church Sunday evening to hear this sermon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF0mATW6VC0

I cannot speak highly enough of my brother-in-law's speaking ability! He is a great preacher and a very knowledgeable man. This lesson was perhaps "aimed" at the younger generation, but is definitely wonderful for everyone to listen as it focuses on a few key things like self esteem, remembering God in your youth, and not waiting till its too late. Great sermon -- check it out!

Treading Water

     I seriously think I am getting *worse* at separating from school as the year goes on. How is that  POSSIBLE?! This was supposed to get BETTER not WORSE. eeeek! I hate feeling like I cannot turn my brain off -- like there is always something I need to be doing. I have like little baby panic attacks all the time ... and I need to get. over. it. end of story.

      My class is actually going really well! I feel like I am as successful as any first year teacher ... my class seems to be getting the things I teach them, there scores on every test we've taken is okay, their behavior is in check (well, most of the time...), but I constantly feel like there is something I'm not doing, or something I'm not doing well enough.

      Like I'm not so much swimming as I am barely treading water. 

     On the bright side, I'll take barely treading water over drowning any day.

     It's not like the rest of my life is suffering - I hang out with friends, I spend time with my hubby, my house is *mostly* clean, my laundry as caught up as it ever gets ... but this feeling of uneasiness  or not quite being good enough is just always there in the back of my mind. And I genuinely LOVE my job. I love my kids. I love my coworkers. I love teaching. I just need to find a way to chill out a bit. Or a lot a bit.

     The frustrating thing is, I don't know what to *DO*. I am a "doer". I like to do things. See a problem? Fix it. Think of something that would be good? Get it done. But right now, I feel like I'm doing everything I should be / can be. So there is nothing more for me to do. Except there probably is, I just can't think of it right now. argh!

     So, that means more prayers for peace of mind, for inspiration, for better sleep, and for help remembering I am a first year teacher and that's okay and I'll get better and things will get easier. And until then? A hot bath to help me relax and an early bedtime so I can be at school *early* to figure out what else I need to do.... =)

     Hopefully (although quite possibly *doubtfully*) your life is going a little slower than mine and is a little more stress free ... but even if your life is as crazy as mine right now, I hope you are loving it as much as I am! No matter how stressed I am, I do love my job, and I have a job to love, and I have great people in my life to share it all with - so I am one blessed girl!

love

Sooo, you know those people who have the awesome blogs that they update daily (or a couple times a week) and they always have lots of cute pictures and tons of awesome stories and seem to have endless time to spend sitting at a computer working on their blog to make it so awesome? Yeah ... so not my life. Sorry.

I wish I knew how they did it. Me? I just swept and mopped my floors. And, judging by the amount of dirt, it has been way to long since the last time I did. Wooops. Seriously, though ... I keep saying "life is a balancing act" -- and right now, the hard wood floors having a little bit of dirt just isn't the thing tipping the scales! I DO miss writing out my thoughts though, so, hope you are ready for a random string of thoughts, because here goes:

School is good. I have a fantabulous class. Seriously, great kids. Of course there are a couple that ... well, lets just say there lives would probably be different if they were my child, but hey, we are figuring each other out and getting along just fine. We do fun things. Friday, we had a poetry slam. Seriously, we wrote some awesome poetry, I took in a microphone, spotlight, music, and refreshments -- we turned the lights off, set up a "stage" and shared our poetry "poetry slam" style. And they loved it. Because I am an awesome teacher like that.  ;) haha. Of course, there are days when I realize I still have no idea what I'm doing ... in fact, most days have moments like that. But I am, so far, able to fool the kids into thinking I am very confident, so hey! We'll make it.

I love every minute of it.

"real life" is good, too! We've had 3 baby showers, 2 wedding showers, 2 of the sweetest baby boys born, 2 more baby showers to have in the next month or two (uh, lots of babies around....), the grape and fall festival / street market, the Pig Roast, and enough crazyness to last us a while!

and, I love every minute of it.

Already I know our next Saturday is all booked up, and the Saturday after that we are celebrating the September b-days in my family with a fish fry. Of course, I haven't bought any birthday presents yet, so ... we need to get on that! Throw into the mix that I am constantly grading papers (right now there is a large stack of folders staring me in the face and a pile of rubrics beside them waiting to be filled out). Lulu is eating the keyboard as I try to type. The washing machine kicked off and I need to go throw the clothes into the dryer. My cellphone has rang 4 times while typing (because my family is awesome).

I love every minute of it.

Seriously! It's busy. * occasionally* I have moments where I strongly consider saying "no more! I'm going to bed! Turn the phones off!". But, then we go to the next thing and I'm so glad we did. Or, I sweep my floors and after realizing how gross they really were, I feel so much better knowing they are clean! Or, I get to school at 6:45 to set up for a crazy poetry slam, but when the kids enjoy it so much, it makes it all worth it!

I don't know if life really every slows down. I do know that I'm getting better at handling it. For one thing, when I get out of school I don't literally feel like dying. And, the fact that I need to cook dinner when I get home no longer feels like the end of the world (it kind of did for the first week or two of school -- ha!). So, I'd say we are improving! Life is a balancing act. I'm getting better at balancing. And I am loving figuring things out.

If you've read all the way to this point ... go you! You survived a whole lot of rambling, probably some misspellings, and definitely some poorly written sentences ... I'm not on teacher duty right now, you know ;) ha! I don't *really* know what the point of this was, except to let you know I am still alive! I still *want* to get better at blogging. I still have an unexplainable need to write down my thoughts. I still want to share my life with you. AND I am still incredibly thankful for all my blessings and am so glad to be serving such a wonderful God!

Hope all is well with you, too! I promise a more uplifting, thought provoking, "real" blog post soon!