A new start..

Well, summer has finally ended for me, so to speak.  I went back to work yesterday for the first time since late May.  Pre-planning.....such fun!  I am beginning my second year of teaching at the small private school I taught at last year and I couldn't be happier right now. 

The summer was long, tedious, and somewaht boring for me for the most part.  The reason being, I was "stuck" at home quite a bit and it was too quiet!  Though I had plans to "see the world" this summer, I couldn't travel due to the crazy high expense of airline tickets. My mom, my siblings and my children live in other parts of the world (except for my oldest daughter and her family, who live about 14 miles away and with whom I did spend much cherished time this summer), and trying to make plans to get to visit just didn't work out.  My granddaughter visited from California and we had a wonderful time.  We swam in the pool, shopped at the mall and toured all the great spots here. When she left, I spent lazy days at the pool reading and sunning, worked out at the gym, shopped a bit and I did spend a few wonderful days with friends at little lunches and dinners as well, but most of the days were long and the nights were even longer.  I got completely out of my routine, stayed up very late  watching TV and reading, slept much too late in the mornings and generally got melancholy by the time mid-August rolled around, so to say that I am grateful to be able to get back to work would be an understatement!    

I love teaching and I am enjoying getting my classroom ready for the new school year.    I ordered new versions of books for each class I teach, but next year the State will be updating the Social Studies curriculum and I will need to change books again, so I didn't go all out with brand new books, just updated and more comprehensive ones than what I had used last year.  I have to prepare new lesson plans and I had started doing that earlier in the summer in order to get ahead and stay in practice. I teach grades 6 through 10 and teach three different subjects.   I am finding the 9th grade lesson plans to be the most challenging.  These students in my 9th grade class are bright and curious and will be taking World History this year.  I strongly dislike the subject of World History, finding there is almost no way to make it as interesting as I would like it to be.  This class of new 9th graders were in American History last year and we had a great experience.  None of them made less than an 'A' in any semester.  They were involved, engaged and frankly, they were my favorite class.  Thus the dilemma: keeping them interested and engaged this year with a subject I detest.  However, I am a very positive person, and I know there is a way, and I shall seek and find it!  I will also spend a lot of time praying for wisdom and guidance to help make World History exciting and challenging for these bright kids.

Because my school is small and I am the only Social Studies teacher in Middle and High School, I will be teaching most of the same students that I taught last year, but I will have a brand new 6th grade class.  I CANNOT WAIT for them to arrive!!  I LOVE teaching 6th grade. They are impressionable, are young enough that they still want to learn and they soak up the knowledge like sponges.  I love molding their minds!  They too will be studying World History (from the beginning of civilization to The Byzantine Empire), but I seem to find this earlier era of that subject easy to teach and enjoy.  Last year my 6th grade class loved learning about ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome the Vikings, and the Byzantine Empire.  We also had fun with "early man", as we discussed how he evolved from a hunter/gatherer to a farmer to a craftsman and trader and how he discovered how to make weapons and fire, clothing and housing.  They also loved learning about how civilization actually began and how education and writing came to be.  They were so much fun to teach.   The other classes (8th and 10th) will be learning American History (on different levels) and that is probably my favorite subject, so I feel confident that it will be a good year for them.  7th grade will be studying Geography.  The class is very small and I find the subject of Geography easy and interesting to teach, so I am looking forward to it as well. 

So...here I go....diving into the tasks at hand....getting the classroom ready and preparing lesson plans...as well as meetings, training and other tasks. 

Here's to a great year with all my classes!

Happy Tales!

The end of the beginning.....

Well, today marks a milestone of sorts for me. 
Though I received a bachelors degree in Social Sciences in 1980, I never really used it for the purpose I had originally intended, which was to become a Family Counselor.  I have worked in several professions in my adult life including doing voice overs and commercials for an advertising cable channel and writing for a newspaper, both of which I enjoyed immensly.  I have worked in cable and advertising sales, customer service and I even worked as a car rental agent for a time.  But when I turned 59, I decided to go back to school and pursue a teaching certificate to be able to teach my favorite subject....History.  I accomplished this feat shortly after my 60th birthday. It wasn't an easy task since I had been out of school for so long, but my desire, determination and tenacity.....plus many prayers and much faith...allowed me to forge on and focus. I got a teaching job not long after in a small, diverse middle/high school.
So, today was the last day of my first year of teaching Social Studies to middle and high school students.  I cannot even begin to describe what a wonderful year this has been for me!  I love my job!  Don't get me wrong, there were struggles and plenty of days when I wondered if I had lost my mind, but in the end, I would not have traded this experience for a million dollars!  I not only got to teach, but I got to relearn things I'd long since forgotten in the subject areas of History and Geography.  I've met some of the most wonderful people and I have often wondered why God put me in this particlar place, but that is another story for another time.  I have also been able to get the intellectual stimulation that I have literally needed for so long simply by teaching and learning at the same time.  My students have, for the most part, been wonderful.  I did have one class that I felt I couldn't reach at times.  Their discipline issues, disrespect, and nonchalant attitude about things bothered me to such a degree that I dreaded teaching their class every day.  But I trudged on and I know they learned and I really did grow to love every one of them.  The other four classes I had were almost always delightful.  Eighth and sixth grades were my favorites and the easiest to teach and handle.  I taught American History..my first love... to eighth grade and we had a fantastic year.  There were only eight students in the class, but we faced challenges together and learned so much. I got into so many interesting discussions with them about all kinds of topics. I usually allowed one day a week for getting "off track"  just for discussing issues that were of interest to them.  It was never trivial, as they were all deep thinkers.  They were usually always fully engaged in the subject and I was able to do so much with supplemental materials as well as with the text and curriculum.  Sixth grade was World History and we had such fun because I could illustrate things on the board for them to teach them concepts and they would never make fun of my art, or, better stated,  lack of ability in that area!  They were such eager learners!  The subject area was never dull, and even though I don't enjoy this particular phase of history as much as others, it turned out to be a great subject to teach and relearn.  Not to mention the sweet and engaging students I had lucked out with in that class.  Ninth grade was the most challenging subject wise.  They had World History as well, but much further on than sixth grade.  It was dull and boring and hard to make interesting for them.  There were days when I couldn't engage them at all and it was very frustrating.  Their age is a factor too, since they are in the middle of hormonal hell for one thing, and they are still not quite as mature as is necessary to keep their focus for very long.  This may not be indicative of all kids in ninth grade, but it definitely was a factor with this particular group.  Some days I loved them, some days I wanted to strangle them!  Tenth grade was actually the most difficult at first because there were only 2 students in the class and I felt intimidated at times trying to challenge them and keep their attention.  As it turned out, these two students were awesome!  They enjoyed learning, discussing, reading and all the other things that go along with history.  I was able to engage them most days and we had a great year. I became very close to both of them and  I will truly miss them next year.   Another highlight of my year was the History Fair.  I was in charge and I pushed the kids hard to do the best projects they could.  I made them work on some phase of the project every Friday until the Fair itself and they did a great great job.....every single one of them!  I was so proud.  12 projects went to the Regional Fair and of those, 3 went on to State.  It was one of the most fantastic experiences for me!   I got to meet some wonderful teachers from other schools, both at the regional and state levels, and we bonded as they welcomed me into the "group".  I can't wait to do it again next year!  The rest is a blur....but those have been the highlights of my first year as a history teacher. 
I am now taking Reading Endorsement so I can teach reading in the future, or at least help struggling readers.   That is going well and I am loving the learning and it is rekindling my love for reading as well. 
I figure I can teach for at least another 5 years ( hopefully, God willing).  The end of a saga has come....but I think it is really just the beginning! 
Happy Tales!

Johnny Tremain and other interesting stories....

I have been reading the old Esther Forbes book, "Johnny Tremain" ever since I assigned it to my eighth grade American History class.  I'd forgotten how much I love this story! I read it when I was in 5th grade and then again several years ago when I took a writing course and had to read my favorite childhood story for an assignment.  It is the story of a young silversmith apprentice set in Boston in the days before the American Revolution.  Johnny is the main character and he is quite on his way to becoming a master silversmith.  However, one day he burns his hand with melted silver causing a serious defect which ends his dreams.  He wanders the streets of Boston, ashamed, and looks for other work which he cannot seem to obtain due to his maimed hand.  Things take a turn for the worst and then for the better as Johnny makes new friends, helps in the fight for independence and discovers who he really is.  I have fallen in love with this book all over again and I am hoping my students are enjoying it as well.  Time will tell, as they will be taking a quiz on it when school resumes, and in the end they will be doing a project regarding Johnny and his tragedies and triumphs.    This is what I love about teaching....it gives me a chance to be a learner as well.  It allows me to relive the love of history that I left behind when I graduated from college so many years ago.  Teaching Social Studies has given me a new perspective on the world and what makes it go 'round.  For instance, Geography has never really been one of my favorite subjects, but in teaching it to seventh graders, I have found a new appreciation for the subject.  I have surprised myself in that I find I enjoy not only teaching map skills, but enjoy relearning them as well.  I have relearned so many facts about countries that I would never dream of visiting, and now I want to travel the world. I want to visit Egypt and Rome and Greece and the Middle East and lots of other places!  (In the past, the only two places I wanted to visit outside of the US were Ireland and Austria).  I may never get to visit any of these countries but the possibilities somehow make life more  interesting and exciting.  It makes me a better teacher because I want to learn as much as I can and teach as well as I can.  In the seventh grade class the students will be embarking on an adventure with a  displaced young Mexican girl named Esperanza.  The story of a wealthy child leaving her ranch in Mexico for a Migrant farm in California due to a family tragedy is what I chose for them to read in "Esperanza Rising".  I am enjoying this read as well, though I am slower at reading it than I am "Johnny Tremain".   Teaching geographic themes is the point of this exercise, however, I am hoping the students willl value reading it  for pleasure too.  Sixth grade World History classes are reading "The Trojan War".  This is not Homer's version, but a novel by Olivia E Coolidge.   It starts with three Greek Goddesses and how they manipulated Paris, the tragic hero of the story.  We have only read the first 3 chapters but the students have loved it so far.  With all I am able to teach and do, I feel especially blessed as a teacher and as a learner. As silly as it may sound, and with my love of reading and learning,  I feel I have been given a second chance to enjoy life (and learning). I only hope my students feel the same about their own learning in my classes

It's not cool

I am usually a very laid back, easy going kind of person, but sometimes I do lose my cool.  Yesterday was one of those times and it has been bothering me ever since.  I  had "lunchroom duty" last week and it had been reasonably uneventful until yesterday.  I was on my way into the room when I heard the distinct sound of males shouting and laughing and then a huge crash.  It freaked me out because it sounded like glass breaking and I thought maybe one of the boys had fallen through a window or some such horrible thing.  As it turned out, three of the high school boys were goofing off and one had slammed the refrigerator door so hard, while showing off, he had broken one of the shelves and knocked some of the items off.  Laughter filled the room which had begun to fill up with students.  The boy didn't even worry....he just walked away laughing and strode to his table.  My school is a small private school and doesn't have a very big lunchroom.   The kids usually put their lunches in one of two refrigerators.  Now one was damaged.  I called the three rowdy students over and told them to fix the shelf, but it was completely ruined and couldn't be fixed after all.  I told them all to follow me to the office at which point they began arguing with me.  For some reason at that precise moment, I realized that I had one last nerve and they were on it.  My fuse blew (which I hate) and I told them they better follow me to the office or they would risk suspension.  They complied.  Once we got to the office, I told the principal what had happened and ofcourse the boys denied it.  "I just shut the door and the shelf broke," said the main offender.  At that point I totally lost my cool.  (Oh how I really hate that!) "You slammed the door while showing off for your friends and didn't even care about the damages you caused," I spat, rather loudly.  "I have had it with you boys acting the way you do.  You are supposed to be leaders and you act worse than second graders," I continued.  One of the boys stood there with his mouth agape, eyes huge, staring at me.  The principal was silent for a few minutes (I think even he was shocked that I was "acting out").  He finally said that the boys would have detention and be grounded from free play on Monday.  They contiued to argue.  "But we didn't do anything," they protested in unison.  Oh...my...blood...pressure!  One of my pet peeves is when people do not accept responsibility for their actions.  Just ask my children how that plays out!  Another of my pet peeves is disrespect for others.  My parents introduced  that concept to me as I was growing up, reinforced it, and I have carried it with me. Respect is important in my book....don't disrespect parents, teachers or others.  Kids today both refuse to accept responsibility and show amazing disrespect and it unnerves me.  Well, not to beat a dead horse, but I totally lost my cool and then I felt guilty for doing so.  I hate that flaw in me.  I have to grow thicker skin.  But, alas, I fear I will never change.  I went as far as to buy these same boys a soccer ball (I donated it to the school really) because they like to play soccer during free time after lunch and they always had to depend on someone to bring the ball.  They said thanks, but in my book, actions speak louder than words.  This job is something I chose to do.  And for the most part I love it.  But I hate losing my cool and I hate allowing my blood pressure to rise over something that may not have been a big deal.  But, frankly, it was a big deal.  Give 'em an inch, they take a mile.  I will continue to be who I am and occasionally I probably will lose my cool, but I am determined to teach and succeed.   

The Palestinian Depkeh

Several weeks ago one of my seventh grade students, whose country of origin is Palestine, asked me if she could show me a video on YouTube. The video was of a wedding dance called the Palestinian Depkeh which she said was awesome. I didn’t really want to pull up YouTube on my classroom computer so I promised her I would watch it at home if she wrote down the name for me. She did….and ….well, I broke my promise and forgot to watch the video. As soon as she saw me on Monday…Ofcourse….she asked if I’d watched. Sorry…..I forgot. She looked so dejected and disappointed. I had hurt her feelings. So, I promised again I would watch at home.

When I was raising my children, one of my goals was to try to never make promises I couldn’t keep. I reached that goal at times and at times, not. So, I should have learned right?……but…..again…I forgot.

So, my sweet little (and this child is so sweet it melts my heart) student asked yet again, and again I had to be honest. Nope…..I forgot….but I will watch. She finally stopped asking…..and I had that little slip of paper on my dining room table with the words “Palestinian Depkeh” written on it in her handwriting. Oh the guilt…..I can see those eyes looking at me….dejected. I don’t really know why she wanted me to watch it, but I finally remembered to check out the video. I was not disappointed. What an awesome dance! The dancers were dressed in traditional costume, and holding hands in a semi-circle, they danced around the floor for at least 10 minutes or more. It was amazing to watch…..not a missed step…..not a beat skipped. The footwork was mesmerizing. I watched it twice. I found another video of the same dance but this one was of a lone girl dancing the depkeh in a parking lot with a Palestinian flag. It too was mesmerizing and this girl was incredible at performing this dance. I found it a little weird that she was dancing in a parking lot outside of what looked like a Chinese Buffet…..and that she was using the flag as a prop…but none the less….it was worth watching. As I said, I couldn’t figure out why my student wanted me to watch the video but she was thrilled when I confessed to her that I had finally watched and that I had found an even better video as a result. Her smile lit up the room! I have always been an open minded and accepting of others, and in teaching, I am learning as well. From that little incident, watching a Palestinian Depkeh, I found that we are all the same even though we are different. We all like to dance at weddings and parties, and some of us even like to dance in parking lots. The dance is different but the happiness is the same. I never would have thought to watch a “ritual” dance of another country on purpose….but I am more than glad I did. Thank you, little student, for teaching me!
'Til next time…..Happy Tales!

Don't wish your life away.....

...and other wonderful sayings like that come from my Dad, whom I often find myself quoting to my students.  My dad, who passed away in April after a short battle with cancer, had countless witty sayings and quips that come to my mind in many cases.  For instance, whenever we would say something like, "I can't wait until Christmas," Dad would retort with "don't wish your life away".   I have said this to my students many times when they have expressed the wish that it was Friday or the weekend, and so on.  I frequently say it to my children and grandchildren as well, and I always find myself saying, "as my father would say..."  One day last week we were talking in eighth grade history class about certain people in England who would indenture themselves to escape poverty and to gain passage to what they thought would be a better life in North America.  One of the students asked,  "Why is there poverty anyway?"  After discussing the possible reasons why, I told the class, "As my father would say, the rich get richer and the poor get kids."  They all looked at me sort of confused but then seemed to get that it was somewhat of a joke.  We moved on.   Another day, in the same class, we were discussing kidnapping regarding the explorer Jacques Cartier who, on one of his expeditions,  kidnapped two Native Americans to guide him up the St Lawrence River.  The subject turned to ransom for some reason and I told the students that my dad used to say that if any of his kids were ever kidnapped, the kidnappers would have to pay our parents ransom to take us back.  The students cracked up!  I am sure Dad was just saying that, but since my parents had eight children, maybe not!  Another day it was the subject of moving away from your homeland and settling in a place far away and getting used to a new life (regarding the settlers of Jamestown and Plymouth).  As always with this class, we got a little bit off topic and began talking about times they'd moved in thier lives.  I told them that once when my sisters and I went to summer camp,  my dad told us, "We may not be here when you get home because your mother and I are going to move and not leave a forwarding address."  Saying things like this with a twinkle in his blue Irish eyes, Dad would always  make us laugh, something he was very good at.    One of the students mentioned that I always talk about my dad.  Yep....I do......and sharing his witicisms with the students I have grown to love keeps his spirit and sense of humor alive for me.  Until next time.....happy tales!

How do you solve a problem like Maria?...

..How do you catch a cloud and hold it down?....   This song, made famous by "The Sound of Music", is what I think of every time I walk out of  my 7th grade Geography class.  I don't particularly like Geography to start with and teaching it is a challenge at best, but I try to make it as interesting and thought provoking as I possibly can for the students.  But this class is a little different.  Actually, they are impossible!  Since day one they have been hyperactive, noisy, rowdy and unable to understand English, it seems.  At first only the boys were rowdy , but it seems the girls have followed suit.  I have to admit I have grown to love every one of them in time, but still.......  I have tried everything to get them to calm down and pay attention. (I am not the only teacher that has this problem with the 7th grade class).   Some things, such as making them write classroom rules 5 times each or sending them to detention (well, only one of them) or giving extra homework have worked...for about 30 minutes, if that.  I have lectured them, appealed to their sense of responsibility, threatened to call their parents, sent some of them to the principal, held up a sign that says "Quiet Please" (like a Kindergarten teacher) .....nothing works!  They are all quick witted, smart and full of energy.  They literally exhaust me!  Anyway, I have recently started making the rule breakers write the meaning of the word "quiet" 100 times each.  Repeat offenders have had to write the meaning of the word "respect" 100 times as well.  It was working.  They were finally behaving and learning.  Yesterday I gave them a map skill activity (including coloring and making a key)  that I thought would be fun.......but what did they do?   They acted like Kindergarteners! First they complained, then they started arguing over crayon colors and sharing and who had the best map...and, oh my goodness! We got through it though.  Today we started our lesson and it was going really well until they all started talking at once, laughing and just generally acting rude.  I stopped mid-lesson and had them all take out a sheet of paper and a pencil.  They freaked out because they thought they knew what was coming....write the meanings 100 times!  Then they started begging and pleading..."please, teacher, we won't talk again, please!"  Ha Ha (insert evil laughter here)!   I stared them down.  I told them to write their names on the paper.  The groaning and pleading continued.  Then, in a soft voice, I said, "This is an open book pre-test.  Write the meanings of the definitions for this chapter and answer the questions in the review."  18 pairs of huge eyes were starting at me.  A collective sigh filled the room and they were finally quiet!  They began working diligently.  I burst into laughter.  They all looked up.  "I wish I had had a video camera," I said.  "You should have seen the looks on your faces; it was priceless!" I then told them that I would have posted it on YouTube with a caption that read..."My seventh graders....speechless at last!"  They all laughed until I told them to get back to work. They know I'm easy and they know I love them, but I just don't know what I will do with them.  I will keep trying everything in my bag of tricks and then some.  Something is bound to work.  In the meantime..."how can you hold a moonbeam in your hand"?    Happy Tales!