Ah, I love weekends! And this one has been so particularly nice!
Due staff development tomorrow and a teacher workday on Tuesday, I don't have students, so therefore this weekend has been completely free of school worries/work/stress/etc. I had the opportunity to go out biking for awhile yesterday, catch up on some other tasks last night, and then went out hiking today. It's been wonderful!
I honestly wish every weekend could be like this. I have loved not having pressure on me to get everything ready for Monday classes or feeling pressed to grade every paper because, of course, I have two more days to get all that done. This weekend has just been for fun and relaxation, and I've loved every minute of it!
I know, sadly, it will be quite awhile before another such one comes. Christmas, I think? And then a wait until Spring Break? And then a wait until summer? It's times like this when sometimes I wish I wasn't a teacher who cared so much. I think it would be nice if I could leave everything behind on Friday afternoon and not think about it again until Monday morning, but alas, I know that's not me. No matter how well I find to organize my time, I know weekends are always going to have a schoolwork aspect to them. I know that because I am a teacher and a teacher that does care. I can't escape my job. It is who I am.
So for the time being, all I can do is be grateful. Next weekend everything will be back to normal, but at least this one weekend was wonderful. :)
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
NaBloPoMo
I'm trying my luck with NaBloPoMo again this year. That stands for "National Blog Posting Month" for those who might be wondering what that odd combination of letters stand for. The challenge is to write one blog post every day in November. I started but failed miserably at the challenge last year. The year before that I successfully completed it. What will this year bring? I don't yet know.
For me I guess it's the easy version of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which I love the concept of as well, but just simply don't have time to attempt this year. In many ways that makes me sad. In past years, NaNoWriMo has been a wonderful writing motivator for my students. I've been blown away by the shear amount of words that some of my past classes have written. But due to multiple factors, this year my students don't even know about it and when I stop to think about that, I get sad. With our class schedule (e.g. limited minutes) and the intense test pressure we teachers are under (that I already overlook a bit with just doing workshops in the first place), there's no feasible way of successfully doing it. Next year, if I'm still around, I'll likely try to do an after school version, but this year, even that wasn't possible -- I've just been too busy with a bunch of other school demands.
Oh, what I would I do to have a 90 minute (or more!) class period again! Old school that was the norm. Here (new school) it's only 60 minutes, which is just never enough time to do all the things I'd love to do...
For me I guess it's the easy version of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which I love the concept of as well, but just simply don't have time to attempt this year. In many ways that makes me sad. In past years, NaNoWriMo has been a wonderful writing motivator for my students. I've been blown away by the shear amount of words that some of my past classes have written. But due to multiple factors, this year my students don't even know about it and when I stop to think about that, I get sad. With our class schedule (e.g. limited minutes) and the intense test pressure we teachers are under (that I already overlook a bit with just doing workshops in the first place), there's no feasible way of successfully doing it. Next year, if I'm still around, I'll likely try to do an after school version, but this year, even that wasn't possible -- I've just been too busy with a bunch of other school demands.
Oh, what I would I do to have a 90 minute (or more!) class period again! Old school that was the norm. Here (new school) it's only 60 minutes, which is just never enough time to do all the things I'd love to do...
Friday, November 4, 2011
Poetry Friday: Reading Myself to Sleep
I think it was sometime last NaBloPoMo when I was last partaking in Poetry Friday, but now that I'm back to at least attempting to revive this blog, I figured I'd leap back in today with a poem that is in my plans to share with my students soon. I try to incorporate a poem into each and every one of our writing workshop days, and after our class library day (which is always fun), this seemed very appropriate today. Especially as I've got a good read awaiting me upstairs that I know already I'm picking up once I complete this entry tonight. So without further ado:
Reading Myself To Sleep
by Billy Collins
The house is all in darkness except for this corner bedroom
where the lighthouse of a table lamp is guiding
my eyes through the narrow channels of print,
and the only movement in the night is the slight
swirl of curtains, the easy lift and fall of my breathing,
and the flap of pages as they turn in the wind of my hand.
Is there a more gentle way to go into the night
than to follow an endless rope of sentences
and then to slip drowsily under the surface of a page
into the first tentative flicker of a dream,
passing out of the bright precincts of attention
like cigarette smoke passing through a window screen?
All late readers know this sinking feeling of falling
into the liquid of sleep and then rising again
to the call of a voice that you are holding in your hands,
as if pulled from the sea back into a boat
where a discussion is raging on some subject or other,
on Patagonia or Thoroughbreds or the nature of war.
Is there a better method of departure by night
than this quiet bon voyage with an open book,
the sole companion who has come to see you off,
to wave you into the dark waters beyond language?
I can hear the rush and sweep of fallen leaves outside
where the world lies unconscious, and I can feel myself
dissolving, drifting into a story that will never be written,
letting the book slip to the floor where I will find it
in the morning when I surface, wet and streaked with daylight.
Poetry Friday is being hosted by Writing the World for Kids this week. Head there to check out even more poetry! :)
Reading Myself To Sleep
by Billy Collins
The house is all in darkness except for this corner bedroom
where the lighthouse of a table lamp is guiding
my eyes through the narrow channels of print,
and the only movement in the night is the slight
swirl of curtains, the easy lift and fall of my breathing,
and the flap of pages as they turn in the wind of my hand.
Is there a more gentle way to go into the night
than to follow an endless rope of sentences
and then to slip drowsily under the surface of a page
into the first tentative flicker of a dream,
passing out of the bright precincts of attention
like cigarette smoke passing through a window screen?
All late readers know this sinking feeling of falling
into the liquid of sleep and then rising again
to the call of a voice that you are holding in your hands,
as if pulled from the sea back into a boat
where a discussion is raging on some subject or other,
on Patagonia or Thoroughbreds or the nature of war.
Is there a better method of departure by night
than this quiet bon voyage with an open book,
the sole companion who has come to see you off,
to wave you into the dark waters beyond language?
I can hear the rush and sweep of fallen leaves outside
where the world lies unconscious, and I can feel myself
dissolving, drifting into a story that will never be written,
letting the book slip to the floor where I will find it
in the morning when I surface, wet and streaked with daylight.
Poetry Friday is being hosted by Writing the World for Kids this week. Head there to check out even more poetry! :)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Musings of a Lazy Teacher
Tonight I have been lazy.
I *should* be grading papers, or writing up student goals, or getting countless other things done that make my to do list longer than I even want to think about, but I'm not. Ever since I got home from work this afternoon, I have been lazy. I checked email, relaxed on the couch and watched part of a movie, and now am in the midst of writing.
I have a tendency to be hard on myself for taking such lazy afternoons. With my school bag loaded with things that need done, my mind has continually been shouting, "Get to work!" but my motivation just isn't listening. I try telling myself that it's a good thing, but it's so easy to slip back to the feeling that I should be using my time more productively.
It's a tough thing being a teacher. My work hours state I'm on the job from 7:45 to 2:45 each day, but of course, in actuality there is no time clock which I can punch out on. Whether it is simply my concern for "my" kids or my desire to do a good job in my work, I more than often feel like I'm punched in all the time. I have friends who aren't teachers who are often are in disbelief about the all the time my school life consumes. They say, "Don't worry about it." or "Take the day off." but without being in my shoes, my building, or any other school for that matter, they don't truly realize how difficult that is for a good teacher.
I often get jealous of my non-teaching friends' ability to easily leave work behind when they leave their work buildings, because I'm beginning to think good teachers don't ever really get that privilege. Maybe being lazy sometimes is the only way a teacher gets a break. I don't know. But one way or the other, I'm trying not to feel guilty about taking one tonight. I know my schoolbag is sitting downstairs untouched from where I dropped it when I walked in the front door, but at least it's already packed for tomorrow! ;)
I *should* be grading papers, or writing up student goals, or getting countless other things done that make my to do list longer than I even want to think about, but I'm not. Ever since I got home from work this afternoon, I have been lazy. I checked email, relaxed on the couch and watched part of a movie, and now am in the midst of writing.
I have a tendency to be hard on myself for taking such lazy afternoons. With my school bag loaded with things that need done, my mind has continually been shouting, "Get to work!" but my motivation just isn't listening. I try telling myself that it's a good thing, but it's so easy to slip back to the feeling that I should be using my time more productively.
It's a tough thing being a teacher. My work hours state I'm on the job from 7:45 to 2:45 each day, but of course, in actuality there is no time clock which I can punch out on. Whether it is simply my concern for "my" kids or my desire to do a good job in my work, I more than often feel like I'm punched in all the time. I have friends who aren't teachers who are often are in disbelief about the all the time my school life consumes. They say, "Don't worry about it." or "Take the day off." but without being in my shoes, my building, or any other school for that matter, they don't truly realize how difficult that is for a good teacher.
I often get jealous of my non-teaching friends' ability to easily leave work behind when they leave their work buildings, because I'm beginning to think good teachers don't ever really get that privilege. Maybe being lazy sometimes is the only way a teacher gets a break. I don't know. But one way or the other, I'm trying not to feel guilty about taking one tonight. I know my schoolbag is sitting downstairs untouched from where I dropped it when I walked in the front door, but at least it's already packed for tomorrow! ;)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
There is light at the end of the tunnel!
A couple weeks ago I posted a status update to Facebook simply saying: "Is there light at the end of this tunnel?" I felt like I was drowning and overwhelmed with work. But fast forward to today and I'm happy to report that I actually think I finally see the light again!
It's amazing how much can change in 24 hrs. Yesterday afternoon at this time my stress level was still pretty high. There were grades to still finalize, an observation to prepare for, and countless other things on my to do list. And while my to do list is still plenty long, just having the pressure of grades & observations over for awhile has drastically improved things.
The lesson I was worried about ended up going pretty well. My kids were relatively focused (for 7th period) and most seemed to be paying attention, and to be honest, I think it was one of the best reading workshop days we've had in a long time. It was definitely the first time this year when I felt like almost everything finally clicked. I left feeling like knowledge (or at least a new realization of how they read) had been gained by my students during our lesson and even more positive, it was a day when there was still plenty of time left to read and therefore I was able to get around and conference with quite a number of them as well.
Of course, in the back of my head I wonder how much the admin's presence changed the atmosphere. I guess tomorrow will be the test. It will go back to being a normal day (e.g. no visitors sitting watching), and I'll then be able to figure out for sure whether the key is having an observer present OR whether perhaps with the beginning of the new quarter this week, we've finally turned a corner. I'm certainly keeping my fingers crossed that it is the later!
In their first quarter self-evaluations, one of the things my kids (all 4 periods of them) most frequently told me was that they wanted more independent time to read and write. I've got a goal set for myself this quarter to attempt to give it to them. Maybe it's just the simple action of listening to my kids that's had this week flowing smoother than what the past few weeks have been like. I did have one student in my 6th period come up to me today and thank me for giving everyone more time the past couple days. He added, "we like it better". I had to admit to him, "You know what, so do I!"
I'm sure there will be more days ahead this year when the tunnel seems pitch black, without an end in sight, but right now I'm glad there's a glimmer of light ahead and, for at least the time being, I'm going to continue on this path and just hope the light only continues to grow stronger! :)
It's amazing how much can change in 24 hrs. Yesterday afternoon at this time my stress level was still pretty high. There were grades to still finalize, an observation to prepare for, and countless other things on my to do list. And while my to do list is still plenty long, just having the pressure of grades & observations over for awhile has drastically improved things.
The lesson I was worried about ended up going pretty well. My kids were relatively focused (for 7th period) and most seemed to be paying attention, and to be honest, I think it was one of the best reading workshop days we've had in a long time. It was definitely the first time this year when I felt like almost everything finally clicked. I left feeling like knowledge (or at least a new realization of how they read) had been gained by my students during our lesson and even more positive, it was a day when there was still plenty of time left to read and therefore I was able to get around and conference with quite a number of them as well.
Of course, in the back of my head I wonder how much the admin's presence changed the atmosphere. I guess tomorrow will be the test. It will go back to being a normal day (e.g. no visitors sitting watching), and I'll then be able to figure out for sure whether the key is having an observer present OR whether perhaps with the beginning of the new quarter this week, we've finally turned a corner. I'm certainly keeping my fingers crossed that it is the later!
In their first quarter self-evaluations, one of the things my kids (all 4 periods of them) most frequently told me was that they wanted more independent time to read and write. I've got a goal set for myself this quarter to attempt to give it to them. Maybe it's just the simple action of listening to my kids that's had this week flowing smoother than what the past few weeks have been like. I did have one student in my 6th period come up to me today and thank me for giving everyone more time the past couple days. He added, "we like it better". I had to admit to him, "You know what, so do I!"
I'm sure there will be more days ahead this year when the tunnel seems pitch black, without an end in sight, but right now I'm glad there's a glimmer of light ahead and, for at least the time being, I'm going to continue on this path and just hope the light only continues to grow stronger! :)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Observation Day!
That was today.....and also tomorrow. One of the drawbacks of changing districts has been that I'm basically considered a brand new teacher again and therefore have to go through twice the observations of most teachers.
I'll be glad when tomorrow is over. It's not that I hate getting observed — anyone is welcome to wander into my classroom at any time and I really don't care — BUT I hate the pressure of formal observations. Admin tells us the class period they want to observe and the week they want to come, and then we're told to pick the day. And it's that choice that I hate! It's like an unofficial command that says: "Be sure you pick your best lesson!"
For instance, tomorrow. It's a reading workshop day. What my kids need is another follow-up lesson on tracking thinking and responding to literature, because the recent reading responses I graded are still suffering horribly from an overload of summary and very little reflection. However, my plans (which I had to submit over a week ago) don't have that as the planned lesson for tomorrow. Not to mention, knowing that my administration is always looking for us to teach a lesson that involves #1) us directly teaching and #2) some new content, such a review day wouldn't really fit what they want to see anyways.
So here I am working on perfecting a lesson plan for a "good" lesson, but one that really isn't targeting what my kids most need right now. Is it still helpful knowledge? Yes. Is it something my students still need to know? Yes. But when it doesn't fit with their current needs, as a teacher I'm left questioning this whole observation show.
The only good part is that today has at least passed and I lived to tell about it. My kids were remarkably good too. The extra stress of having the admin come to observe during the final period of the day (yes, my most challenging class!) has lessened some knowing that my kids proved today that they can behave. Now I'm just hoping for two golden days in a row.....(is that even possible??)....well, I guess come tomorrow, I'll see...
I'll be glad when tomorrow is over. It's not that I hate getting observed — anyone is welcome to wander into my classroom at any time and I really don't care — BUT I hate the pressure of formal observations. Admin tells us the class period they want to observe and the week they want to come, and then we're told to pick the day. And it's that choice that I hate! It's like an unofficial command that says: "Be sure you pick your best lesson!"
For instance, tomorrow. It's a reading workshop day. What my kids need is another follow-up lesson on tracking thinking and responding to literature, because the recent reading responses I graded are still suffering horribly from an overload of summary and very little reflection. However, my plans (which I had to submit over a week ago) don't have that as the planned lesson for tomorrow. Not to mention, knowing that my administration is always looking for us to teach a lesson that involves #1) us directly teaching and #2) some new content, such a review day wouldn't really fit what they want to see anyways.
So here I am working on perfecting a lesson plan for a "good" lesson, but one that really isn't targeting what my kids most need right now. Is it still helpful knowledge? Yes. Is it something my students still need to know? Yes. But when it doesn't fit with their current needs, as a teacher I'm left questioning this whole observation show.
The only good part is that today has at least passed and I lived to tell about it. My kids were remarkably good too. The extra stress of having the admin come to observe during the final period of the day (yes, my most challenging class!) has lessened some knowing that my kids proved today that they can behave. Now I'm just hoping for two golden days in a row.....(is that even possible??)....well, I guess come tomorrow, I'll see...
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Oh, I need more time...
"Oh, I just need more time" -- that seems to be a very familiar thought during the school year. So much always to do and what seems like so little time to do it. The hours in class and out of class just never seem like quite enough.
I hoped the move to just teaching one subject would help this year and I suppose in some ways it has (i.e. lesson planning is going quicker), but I still find myself frequently lamenting "Oh, if I just had more time..."
For example:
Oh, if I just had more time...
- I'd blog much more regularly, and this wouldn't be the first entry of the year.
- I'd have all my papers graded, and not feel bad walking in tomorrow with papers from last week still ungraded.
- I'd have the reading response blog I want to try out with my students this year already created, especially as I want to implement it soon and it currently exists only in my brain.
- I'd actually be able to have reading AND writing workshop each day (vs. having to alternate them....as 60 minutes of class is NEVER enough!).
- I'd regularly be able to do the same 20+ minutes of pleasure reading, I ask my students to do.
- My house would be clean...there wouldn't be dirty dishes still in the sink, or boxes sitting around of things to sort through.
- I'd be able to read, browse the web and brainstorm more ideas of things I'd like to try in my own classroom.
- I'd be able to implement more of the ideas I hear, see and think of....
and well, the list could go on and on and on!
I sat down on Saturday evening and made a list of the things I really wanted to get done today and ended up with 17 things. I worked most of the day and still at least 13 things remain. Although I always have this dream of entering a school week feeling completely prepared, it seems almost every single Sunday night I discover my grand and glorious plans always seem more do able on paper than in actuality. And, yes, that's the way it is again tonight. As I close this entry, I head off to bed just thinking once again: "Oh, if I just had more time!"
(p.s. though, at least I got one more thing crossed off my list. "#14: Blog this weekend" has been accomplished. :))
I hoped the move to just teaching one subject would help this year and I suppose in some ways it has (i.e. lesson planning is going quicker), but I still find myself frequently lamenting "Oh, if I just had more time..."
For example:
Oh, if I just had more time...
- I'd blog much more regularly, and this wouldn't be the first entry of the year.
- I'd have all my papers graded, and not feel bad walking in tomorrow with papers from last week still ungraded.
- I'd have the reading response blog I want to try out with my students this year already created, especially as I want to implement it soon and it currently exists only in my brain.
- I'd actually be able to have reading AND writing workshop each day (vs. having to alternate them....as 60 minutes of class is NEVER enough!).
- I'd regularly be able to do the same 20+ minutes of pleasure reading, I ask my students to do.
- My house would be clean...there wouldn't be dirty dishes still in the sink, or boxes sitting around of things to sort through.
- I'd be able to read, browse the web and brainstorm more ideas of things I'd like to try in my own classroom.
- I'd be able to implement more of the ideas I hear, see and think of....
and well, the list could go on and on and on!
I sat down on Saturday evening and made a list of the things I really wanted to get done today and ended up with 17 things. I worked most of the day and still at least 13 things remain. Although I always have this dream of entering a school week feeling completely prepared, it seems almost every single Sunday night I discover my grand and glorious plans always seem more do able on paper than in actuality. And, yes, that's the way it is again tonight. As I close this entry, I head off to bed just thinking once again: "Oh, if I just had more time!"
(p.s. though, at least I got one more thing crossed off my list. "#14: Blog this weekend" has been accomplished. :))
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