Sunday Scaries #4

 It is 9:25 pm and I hope to be in bed by 9:30 pm

Today, there was no so much Sunday Scaries as there was

"Ah, there is so much to do!" Scaries.

I am tired. Very tired. With cross-country almost every day, and meets on Saturdays - there is no real day of rest. Next week is much of the same with practice M-Th and an early morning meet on Saturday. And we have not really hit the middle of the season.

I should be prepared for tomorrow - but who knows until I get to school. What did I forget? 

Sunday Scaries #3

Hmmmmmm.....well, I thought I wrote something last week over the Labor Day weekend, but I did not.

Last week - I remember relaxing. I got really into the Gina LaManna Kate Rosetti series and I read alot. But then I also remember feeling very stressed on Tuesday, when I was trying to prep for class, and advisory, and back-to-school night. I had a conversation with a colleague - is it better to use the weekend to relax and recharge? even if it means chaos and late nights during the week. I don't know.....The work will get done. Somehow. But I do like feeling more prepared at work.

This weekend, I feel a little better about things. The cross-country meet wasn't until the afternoon, so I had Saturday morning to relax and clean the house. Last night, I prepped my daily slides. Today was meant for grading - as I have SO MUCH GRADING (note the all caps). I have graded some things, but there is still alot to do. I hope to at least get the quizzes graded tonight. You know, the quizzes that the kids took on the third day of school. Ugh! I should be done already.

On the family call, I got to observe my teenage niece struggle with her Spanish homework. Although I experience 8th grade every day, I am so glad that I am not in middle school. Life is so frustrating when you are a teenager. She and my sister were stuck in Puerto Rico until Wednesday, so 1 missed day of schoolwork (which is alot) turned into 2 missed days. That makes things a little overwhelming. Where adults have strategies to get the work done, I try to remember what I would do if I were 13. How do you learn that it is okay to talk to your teachers about this kind of stuff? I do remember being afraid of alerting the teacher of the overwhelm. Wouldn't they be mad? But I try to be the kind teacher. I try to be approachable to students, especially the shy ones. Anyway, I hope she takes my advice. Email your teacher and go to see them for help.

I also noticed that if Amari had been in my classroom, I probably would have handled it differently. I feel like my default with her is advice mode. Where no teenager wants that. I should listen more and let her come to her own conclusions. She is a smart cookie - she will get it. 7th grade will bring more challenges. Her response was that "everyone" wasn't taking a language and definitely not at the higher level. It would be okay to drop it or even drop down to the lower level. And it might be - I have no idea. She is busy with sports and training. But how do you know if she needs to be more gritty or if it is better to lessen the overwhelm? 

Sunday Scaries #2

 August 27, 2023

Another Sunday! and another day where it is late in the day, but I don't feel completely ready for the week. I've got tomorrow - since it is a repeat of Friday. But I haven't really planned the rest. Sigh!

I did remember that thing that I wanted to try - apparently, I moved into my newly created "things to try this year" folder. Ha! Forgot about that. Anyway, it was the Polar Bear and Seals activity with dice. Kids roll the dice, and I tell them how many polar bears and seals. Then they have to figure out the rules. I completely messed up in the first class - I couldn't do the simple math. But I got into it for the next class. In the third class, it was a struggle - that class is going to be tough with many needy kids. Basically, kids couldn't figure it out and they checked out. It was funny when one kid realized the face I made when doing simple arithmetic in my head. "She is doing math!" Also, there were several sets of pairs that could not work together. But the final class got it. There was such joy and cheers when each group figured out the answer. This is why I teach.

Cycle 1, Day 3 - Of course, instead of just using what I created the year before, I decided to redesign what I had and create a "Lab Notebook" That meant a long night and making it perfect. It seemed to go well in the first 2 classes, so I am glad I did the work. But still.....

Sunday Scaries #1

 August 20, 2023

Well, I meant to write first thing in the morning. I want a relaxing Sunday routine - wake up late, eat breakfast, read, and sit down to write.

I think I am a writer?

I believe I have a book in me and the best way to get it out is to write. The things that you value are the things you put time into. Or something like that. That is not quite the sentiment I am going for. I will be a better writer.....if I write.

But now it is past 8 pm and I should be winding down and relaxed. Instead, I am frantically looking at my to-do list and trying to complete all the things.

The first two days are a blur - faces - are you on my team? I think that we have a plan down that makes it not feel like the kids are with us for the entire day. We meet our advisory, head up to convocation, and do a 15-minute rotation. By the final group - I was tired and ready for lunch. After lunch and Assembly, we do an art project - so it is calm and sitting in an A/C classroom for about 1 hour. The second day was all about the music video - about 1 hour of work time. Then they went away to Enrichment, Lunch, and Music. Finally, we watched the videos - This year was GREAT!

Now, I am about to start the science curriculum. I can't help but feel like there is something I want to try

Reflections before Day 1

I had grand plans this summer with respect to my classroom. 

I would come up with a cool theme. I would create a new bulletin board around my new section names (moons around Jupiter!). I would be able to go thru and organize all of my resources spread out over [take a breath] bookmarks, Facebook saves, email, Instagram pictures, podcasts, Feedly feeds, Evernote notebooks and Google Drive folders. I would plan new activities and streamline my stale/boring curriculum. 

Yeah, that did not happen. 

Instead to quote Sam Sifton of the NYtimes (who is quoting Sylvia Plath) [Sifton] “We’re hurtling through the season now” [Plath] “The best of the summer gone and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time” 

Wow! I open up a random email and the thought/truth is right there. Life moves fast. My summer will be over in a few hours. A new school year is beginning

and I needed a reminder that this is a special time. I am a teacher. I will be fine, without a theme or a new bulletin board. And I had a wonderful summer. 

First, with a bit of relaxing time, after school got out. I usually leave the island THE DAY we get out of meetings. This summer, I had 2 weeks here to decompress. Read. Watch TV. Hike. Thinking about it, I honestly don’t remember what I did. 

Then, family adventures in Vancouver. We finally can enjoy each others company. 

Back to Boston to hang out with my niece. She is of a cool age. Everything is new. We read Greek Myth and then went to the museum to look for Greek art. We hunted for the best cupcake. We ran on the Rail Trail. We spent nights at the grandparents (her great-grandparents). We had lots of ice cream. 

Then, surprisingly, off to Switzerland for epic adventures with friends. For days, up to leaving, I agonized over what to bring. Did I really need ANOTHER sports bra? New hiking pants? But, in the end, all I needed was a determination to hike up big mountains. After a difficult year with severe health challenges, I was ready. 

Back to Boston for a hot minute, before meeting up with the Duke Girls in Asheville, North Carolina. Gosh, at some point, I was so worried about this trip. Would I still fit in with my group of friends? But, my friends are awesome and killing it in so many ways. I had lots of laughs and GREAT food while hanging out. I also saw my alma mater for the first time in 22 years. 

And, I’ve been back on the island for more than a week. It has been hot!!! But perfect for me to realize that it is okay that I didn’t get thru my To-do list (and maybe never will). I read. I binged watched Stranger Things and Veronica Mars. I ran. 

And now I set my alarm for tomorrow. I pack my bag. I am ready for tomorrow. 

The Night Before....

It is here. The last night of summer vacation.

I have mixed feeling about it. I am a TEACHER (note, the caps!), so I love hanging out in my classroom, passing along some science knowledge when I can. I am excited to meet my new kiddos and begin the routine of the school year. I am dying to convert my paper class schedule to the computer. I want former students to visit, so I can catch up and I love the smell of new school supplies. BUT…..This means I will have to wake up early, which I haven’t done in a while (also known as the entire summer). I will have to sit through three days of meetings, something I dread. I also will need to let go of last year's difficult bunch of students. I must now go to work. 

This summer was way too short. I traveled to the Czech Republic, thru Germany, Luxembourg and ended up in Paris. I spent time with my grandfather, teaching him how to use his new computer. I cooked with my step father, using food from the local farm. I went to museums with my mother. I shopped at Kohl’s with my grandmother. Boy, can she spot a bargain! I road tripped/camped in upstate NY/Canada with a friend. It was great to have time to see everybody, but also I had days where I didn’t get dressed, and just read a book.

What will I do differently this year?
This is the question that has been going around the blogosphere. I honestly waited until the night before back to school to even think about it. So clearly, this answer will be well-thought out. First, I will change the theme of my classroom: DNA. Essential Question: What are we made of? I hope that will encapsulate the curriculum of Chemistry and Biology. I envision learning about atoms, reactions, cells and the human body. (In other words, starting small and getting bigger) I hope to decorate my bulletin board like this.

I also plan on naming my sections after the “letters” in DNA.

Second, I will try to use common curriculum (http://www.commoncurriculum.com/) as a planbook. I was able to customize the lesson plans to meet my needs. I want to be much more purposeful in planning out my curriculum. Inquiry, brain breaks, Blooms taxonomy, standards, and essential questions - I want to make sure everything I do, helps my students.

Finally, for the last few years, I have been a horrible advisor. I always started the year strong, but at some point I just let the students hang out in my classroom for the 10 min periods. I was always able to connect with some students, but there were a few that just sat in the back and finished their homework. Last year, the students irritated me to no end, so I gave up (and actually routinely asked the troublemaker boys to leave). This year, I want to roll out a more cohesive program. We become an advisory family in the fall and go from there.

Ok - first post complete - now I need to enjoy my last few moments of freedom.

Good night!
Joanna

First Day

.....of meetings

Agenda: opening chapel, break, announcements, lunch, middle school meeting....aka FULL DAY

as of 8:30 pm, I am completely exhausted....but I have to get my thought down before I forget

How can I use this years theme: the lei and connectiveness, in my curriculum?
also how to talk about APEC? ...that is going to take a little research.....I need to know more about Clean NRG.

how can I be more a part of the community...both the school, but MORE IMPORTANTLY the community in which I live (exactly how much longer will I be living in paradise?)

there is never too much community service!

the biggest thing, I think, I learned (or at least was reminded of).....is that it is not the curriculum that matters, but the interactions. Of course! I remember how much my own high school taught me.......and I don't really remember facts or items. It is my TEACHERS or the lessons that they taught me. Perfect lesson for the moment, as I WAS worrying about curriculum.

today's thought - I remember how embarrassed I was, when Ms. Herrick caught me looking at Sun Sun's geography paper - even though I WAS just checking to see if she wrote the same thing. I knew I was right and wouldn't have changed my answer (would I?).....but I don't think she said my name out loud (I did blush)....she said "Keep your eyes on your own paper"....Did I ever do that again? NOOOOOOOO.......I do the same thing with my class and I occasionally see the same blush. If I do catching cheating, I always give students an option to come clean.

Some day - I will write that book about them....I want to thank them

that is all for today :-)

new beginnings

Ok, so it is a time for new beginning....a time to let go of the summer.....change perspectives......whatever

Back to school tomorrow.

Just meetings, but I do have to wake up at 5:30 am. Kids arrive on Thursday.

Today, I spent most of the day, counting down the minutes. Both excited to start something new, and in a bad mood, because my life of leisure was going to change. It is now 9:15 pm and the original plan, had me, in bed and asleep 15 minutes ago.

Some thoughts going round my head:

#1 - yes, I am anal and organized in my random thoughts
I teach 8th grade, because it is an incredible emotional time. I remember 8th grade very well. You are up (Wow, KS likes me) and down (TP was born). I started to "like" school. I had favorite teachers, who challenged me (Wendy, or Ms. King in Ceramics, Mr. Dudney in science, Mr. Bussey in English, Mr. Bird (advisor) in Latin, Ms. Fernandez in Spanish, Ms. Sullivan in Math, and Mr. Chamberlain in Civics)

so, as a teacher, you grow incredibly close to the students......but they leave, and head to better things......many, like I would, don't look back.......this seems to work for me.

I still have connections to a handful of former students. Some have gone on to become teachers themselves. I had the honor of choosing DUKE because of my 6th grade teacher. This year, one of my students choose DUKE because of me, weird.

#2 am I ready for school? Back in June, I had all these plans to revamp my curriculum. While I did read a TON of books (24 to be exact), I didn't quite exactly do much planning.....good? bad? I don't know yet. I did learn some things that I want to add from my summer grad school class on arts integration. I have other good things filed away.

#3 plan for this blog. Since previous I have, I think, two posts (actually I started it because of a grad school class), my plan for this blog is to chronicle my 6th year. Ideally, I want to use for my evaluation of cycle 4. But not sure if that will work.....whatever, it will still be quite cathartic to write.

in the end......it is time to get my butt off the couch and back in the classroom......work on going from good/ok teacher to MASTER/effective teacher.

B day

B day used to be my nemesis. Last year it was chapel, long class, study hall, class, lunch, 2 long classes, and finally home. No time to breathe, no time for the bathroom. Usually, if you took a trip down the hallway in the mini break between the long after classes, you would see the four team teachers sitting amongst the chaos....heads down, trying to gather the strength for the last hour of the day. They say that classes all day means at least the day goes by fast. Does that matter when I feel like a mack truck hit me at the end of the day?

This year, not so bad. Chapel is always a chance for reflection (although my advisory host chapel next cycle and I am a little worried). Then "free time". This is in quotes because it is not really free, I spent time answering questions, going over test scores, etc with kids in study hall.

Classes today are all about the lab - it is funny how kids are during lab. Some are super serious, completing their work and diligently writing everything down in their journals. Other choose to be more social. Always a few have NO idea what they are doing. Since today was day 3 of lab testing, I mostly just watched.

Lunch of course was awesome. We are watching the Pacifier. Kids love Vin Diesel.

After school was the highlight. Since Track + Baseball has started, most head home at 3 pm. That leaves the quiet ones. Today, a quiet game of lab table ping pong. With four kids coming in to complete extra testing. It was bliss. I laughed. I answered thoughtful questions. I helped with calculations. I even got a chance to organize my bookshelf. Bliss!

curriculum day

Today was curriculum day at my school, which I both love and hate. I love, love, love that I have a chance to STOP and reflect on what I am doing. I am so programed to teach young adolescents that I sometimes forget about adults. Also it is a fabulous day when we have a chance to share and collaborate with our colleagues. But there seem to always be a series of "meetings" that are disguised as essential, but really are not.

We started with the All School meeting in the chapel. I guess, it is nice to gather as an entire group instead of our various sections. But I have to admit, I zoned out when our President was talking about board meetings and upcoming trustee events. I love my school, but I am not from Hawaii, so names and "culture" is foreign to me (even if I have been here 5 years). Although I did hear that we are getting a "raise". Anyway about 1 hour of my time.

Then our guest speaker, from a group called iDeo. I'll have to check them out, but our speaker was entertaining and spoke about what the company does. But it wasn't meant for me, but the 2-5 teachers who will soon be deciding what is an ideal campus for their age. They will have a private meeting with the group.

Then as 2-5 left. Those remaining did Yoga. I love Yoga, in the quiet and peace of my house...where I can mediate for 5-10 minutes depended on when I drag myself out of bed. Not scrunched up with my colleagues. How can I focus on my breathing when I keep bumping into the people next to me. Whatever. I can deal.

The highlight was a TedTalk by Dan Meyer. 11 minutes.



This spoke to me! I need to be less "cookbook" and more about solving science problems.

But then I had to go off to another share with my colleagues. Good yes, our school is huge and there are all these unfamiliar faces. Talking story (aka discussing in small groups) was great! I posed a question and got some feedback, but I wanted to think about Dan Meyer and how I could be more like him. Then it was off to a lunch meeting with my team, before I had a chance to digest what the 7 members of my "talk story" group shared. Sigh! I really wanted to think about ways to organize kids and how to teach kindergarteners. Or how to be more like Dan Meyer.

Lunch again great! I love my new team and we came up with a list of "essential things 8th graders need to have before we see them". But before long the hour had past and it was time to move to science department meetings. But I really wanted to think about note taking and research skills. Or about organization and kindergarten. And at this point, I have forgotten about Dan Meyer.

Thankfully the librarians were there to show us some cool resources. Have you ever used SweetSearch? We were walked through the various databases our school subscribes to, and allowed to search on our own. I can see potential when 8th graders get to their Human Body Project.

But then at the very end of the day, when energy is low, and I am checking out the clock - we have to talk about the sequence and scope of 8th grade science. Ugh! I mean I enjoy teaching chemistry and biology. I am a chem major after all and at this point in my career, I have honed my bag of tricks with each subject. But chemistry and biology are not age appropriate, nor do they fit the sequence at our school. But the school is not going to change. I will be LONG gone when that happens. So why discuss, if no significant change will be made? Ugh!

When am I to find the time to digest all that I learned today?

interesting....

just found this

http://socialnetworking.procon.org/

Are social networking sites good for our society?

keeping an open mind

Okay, today's post (composed during Super Bowl halftime) is all about keeping an open mind. In an article I found, Smith (2007) states how important it is to teach students about communicating with others. Essentially she says that kids are social will want to use social networking in their classes. Our job as teachers is to figure out how to use effectively.

First I did some research. What else is out there besides Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter?

There is Delicious (http://www.delicious.com/), which allows the bookmarks (or links) to be save and shared with a group...aka social bookmarking. I had heard of, but never used. I checked out some of the bookmarks that were popular today. Interesting there was a link to one of the blogs that I read regularly (Free Technology for Teachers). I can see that this might be helpful for a class completing the same research project. Kids could be encouraged to find and share their sources. Good websites could be definitely used. A con of that system is that kids who struggle with finding sources are just given the sources instead of finding them on their own. How would a teacher avoid that? Or does that even matter as probably these same students are weak in the writing area as well, and probably it is more important to work on the writing skills.

There is Tripline (http://www.tripline.net/) which allows a trip to be created between a group...aka social trip planning. I had bookmarked this tool to help me plan my summer trip between friends in different states. The places we want to go would take up a whole other blog....I can see this to be used, like GoogleEarth, in an English class. As students read a novel, they can plan a virtual trip just like the characters.

Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/) is another. I love reading and this year I created a bookshelf in my classroom with young adult options (thanks Goodwill for your 99 cent books). It has been really successful with books flying off my shelves. (FYI: Books by Neal Schusterman are quite popular). I have created a list posted by the bookshelf and write down who is reading what....but I should use this site to encourage students to recommend books to their classmates.

One last category I should mention is all the websites that allow social flashcard making.....There are so many (quizlet, headmagnet, studystack). We really need to encourage students to be social when studying for a test. I didn't figure this out until college, but study groups quickly helps you figure out what you know (and don't know)....and if you don't understand something, you have others to help out.

Ok - I am beginning to see possibilities.....I must do some more research into what other schools are using.

Thinking back to my last post, I realized what I was looking for, with my own students, is something like Walden's eCollege. Where can I develop that? There is a classroom, media seems to be easily shared, there is a place to discuss, and students can even turn in/get back work.

References
Smith, F. (2007). How to Use Social-Networking Technology for Learning . Edutopia. Retrieved February 6, 2011, from http://www.edutopia.org/how-use-social-networking-technology

Integrate in my classroom?

I have to say that I have actually thought alot about integrating a social networking site into my classroom. I want to use what my students use. To connect learning with the present and make them engage even more with learning.

But honestly Facebook is losing its appeal with my students. That is an interesting discussion - where will Facebook be in 5 years? Will it still be around? There was that rumor that Facebook was ending in March......but honestly, it does seem that some users have migrated away. I like it strictly for the ease it is to communicate with those far away.....also you can easily share media like a funny video or a news report. In the past year I remember sharing a video about body image and young girls.....my teacher friends instantly picked up on it and shared with their classrooms.

and my 8th graders are not really interested in Twitter. I think that they see Twitter as more serious, less fun. You see Twitter in the news as educating the world about the unrest in Egypt or people commenting on who will win the Super Bowl.

What part of social networking do I want to add to the classroom?

I want a class to be a class, online (aka have an online space) and to share what each student is learning. I want it to be easy to use written text, embed a video, and post pictures. I want students to comment on each other's work. I want students to learn to use a social network, the same way they would use it for personal use.

But Facebook and Twitter are not what I want to add to my classroom, yet.

Social Networking

Sigh! I am just reading now that for our assignment that we need 3 blog posts on social media (ideally over a 3 day period)....but sigh, again! I have only two days....so let's get to it.

What value do social networking sites have in education?
How might you included them?

Well, social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter) are excellent for communication from far away. As stated before, I live in Hawaii, but my family and friends are in Boston and other places. I can keep in contact with everybody from far away. Most of my high school class is on Facebook, so it is nice to see pictures of little ones and know what everybody is up to without a reunion. I am "friends" with my cousin's wife, a woman I have never met. But I get to "know" her through her funny status updates. As I was telling my mom's friend (a non-facebook user), it is a just different kind of communication.

Twitter also adds a bonus, lots of cool educators out there tweeting away. I feel current with education policy but checking on those that I follow. You should check out "Cool Cat Teacher" and "Larry Ferlazzo"

However, I am still thinking about how to integrate it to my classroom. Next post!

The Assignment!

What do I like about multimedia?
How would it improve student learning?
How would it adversely affect some students?

I really like the Roblyer book. Although lots of text, I think it does a good job at presenting information with graphics. I tend to work better with specific examples – so the Technology Integration Examples at the beginning of the chapter and figures with breakdown of types of products and specific websites – gives me a chance to start thinking about my own teaching. I plan on incorporating the top 10 tips for PowerPoint (or Keynote) into my own lesson that I give on PowerPoint.

Regarding multimedia in general, I like using to give my students a different perspective of what I am teaching. After I teach a lesson on Acids and Bases, I can watch a video, like a BrainPop for those that need to see things visually or those who need a big picture summary. I try to use an interactive with each unit, so that those that love games can play and learn on their own. I want multimedia to help engage my students in the topics. I also want to use multimedia to make connections between concepts.

However, 8th graders need some guidance it how to manage their time on the computer. So when I expect students to watch a video, then answer some questions. Some students have trouble stopping their "entertainment" to get to the "work".

Welcome!

aloha,

Welcome to my second blog! All about my job! Wahoo! And I have the BEST job ever; teaching 92 wonderfully crazy eighth graders. I say crazy because in January/February I usually say that my students "go over to the dark side". We are just too comfortable with each other. They drive me crazy!!!! I know the troublemakers (and watch them like hawks) and I know those who are really interested in science. But then, they know me. They know that I love, LOVE science and that I am always smiling (even when yelling). They know that when I close my eyes and start breathing deeply, that I am reaching my breaking point. Oh, come April, they will return "to the light" and I will cherish ever last moment I have with these kids.

I actually had this blog post ready to go on Monday, but I just couldn't come up with a "cool" blog title. I follow blogs called "It's not all flowers and sausages" (3rd grade teacher - She is hilarious and you must check out) and "Tall Mom on the Run" (hopefully you can see that one is about running). I really needed a clever title. Suddenly this morning (at 4:47 am), it came to me. Change of State. It fits. I teach science and recently just covered matter and the changes it undergoes. My students had to complete a lab, in which they did these mini experiments and decided whether physical or chemical changes. They see that changes of state (i.e. melting, evaporating, etc.) are just physical changes because the substance never changes.

But it also fits my current situation. Five years ago, I headed west from Boston, Massachusetts and moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. At least I had a fabulous job, but I knew no one here........Five years, and I love it here! The weather (this weekend I am heading to the beach), the people (did you know it is rude to honk here?), the relaxed nature of the place (aloha), and the fact that I am not THE teacher of color at my school. Ultimately I know I will return to the snowy Boston (and my family), but for now - I am so happy.